Champion, please stay!

Chapter 152, Section 150: The Prelude to the Storm
"King of the Rookie Challenge:"
Goal 1: To score more points than Kevin Durant.

Objective 2: Lead the team to defeat the second-year team.

Goal 3: Surpass Amar'e Stoudemire's all-time record of 36 points set in the 2004 Rising Stars Challenge by at least 10 points.

Reward: Ambidextrous Fighting (Growth Card).

Ambidextrous training: After targeted intensive training, the basic passing and control skills of the non-dominant hand can be improved to a qualified level.

Yi Shui exclaimed "Whoa!" This was a good thing. One of the fundamental skills that limited his in-depth optimization and learning of Beasley's "mismatch isolation play" and McGrady's "triple threat" was the use of his non-dominant hand.

A poor mid-range shot only reduces some of the threat, allowing for better blocking and more room for maneuver. However, a lack of basic passing and ball control with a non-dominant hand means one can only perform the simplest moves and cannot execute anything more complex.

McGrady's triple threat technique requires a high level of skill with his non-dominant hand, and Beasley is left-handed. Of course, Beasley's isolation plays can be "mirror-learned," mainly by learning the isolation play philosophy. However, Beasley's passing, ball-handling, and shooting with his non-dominant right hand are also very good, which also requires a high level of skill with his non-dominant hand.

Yi Shui also consciously practiced left-handed passing and ball control, but in the NBA, during the season, there are no conditions like those in college where you can have several days of targeted training. Intensive training is possible, but it's too difficult to build a foundation for a certain basic skill.

Now you have the opportunity to lay a solid foundation! As the saying goes, everything is difficult at the beginning, but with a foundation, things will definitely be much easier later on.

However, goal 3 is a bit difficult. It requires surpassing the historical record by at least 10 points, which means scoring at least 46 points, or aiming for 50+. Apart from Chamberlain, no one dares to say that they can definitely score 50 points in a game. Jordan's most 50+ games were in the 86-87 season, with only 8 times, and Kobe's most 50+ games were in the 06-07 season, with only 10 times.

but!

Yi Shui looked at the opposing forwards: Wilson Chandler, Scola, Jeff Green, Thaddeus Young, and Horford.

The 07 draft class should actually have had more interior talent than the 08 draft class. The 08 draft class was considered a "top-tier perimeter draft class," while the 07 draft class was the "top-tier frontcourt draft class." But tonight, Marc Gasol and Greg Oden were both on his team.

Fuck him!

...

The Rookie Challenge begins at 8 PM.

Rookie Team Starting Lineup: Rose, Curry, Yi Shui, Love, Oden.

The second-year starting lineup: Rodney Stuckey, Durant, Jeff Green, Scola, Horford.

Oden beat Horford to win the jump ball, giving the rookie team the first possession!
Rose receives the ball, mimicking Duhon's style, quickly advances the ball, and lobs it...

The moment Oden touched the ball, Yi Shui immediately pressed forward against Jeff Green, turned and brushed past him, and drove straight towards the opposite basket.

Scola, who immediately retreated to the three-point line, didn't have time to block the shot. Horford lost the jump ball and couldn't catch up from the mid-court line. Only Durant, who was playing guard tonight, retreated to the basket.

Yi Shui received Rose's lob pass, took two steps, and jumped towards the onrushing Durant!
Two players of unknown height, but no one on the court was taller than them, with incredibly long wingspans, mobility comparable to point guards, amazing agility, and outstanding jumping ability... The Spiders faced off head-on, and the fans in the arena instantly erupted in a fierce scream.

The confrontation ended in an instant... Yi Shui slammed the ball into the basket over Durant!
Yi Shui landed steadily, while Durant took two steps back after landing and almost fell on his butt!

Durant felt numb again. It had only been a month and a half since he last saw him, right? He hadn't noticed this morning because he was far away, but this guy seemed to be as tall as him now! And he was even stronger!

But after a while, I got used to the tingling sensation; it wasn't the first time.

Just like the other players on the court who shouted "Oh my god" but no one found it strange, Durant was not very surprised by Yi Shui's dunk. He knew he couldn't stop it when he pounced on it, but he just wanted to try. He doesn't want to run away on the court... He just didn't expect the opponent to come at him without using any skills.

Then return it!
In the transition between offense and defense, Durant ran to the frontcourt, saw Yi Shui guarding him, and then glanced at Oden under the basket. He took on two opponents, two physically gifted number one draft picks.

He considered it for a moment and decided to play to his strengths, preparing to start making runs once Starkey arrived.

The Thunder got a new coach, and Durant is no longer the most valued player in the club's tactics. If there's any benefit to Durant, it's that he quickly developed the ability to run without relying on tactics... There's no other way; if you don't actively think of ways to get the ball, you won't even get it.

But before Stuckey even reached the three-point line, he passed the ball to Durant.

Durant instinctively turned sideways and caught the ball with one hand. He glanced at the handsome face that was almost touching his own, a face that made him envious, and heard the cheers of the fans in the arena…

It was only then that he thought to compare the two teams' lineups. He saw that the opposing team had Rose and Curry in the backcourt, and his club teammate Westbrook on the bench, as well as Eric Gordon, a top prospect for Sixth Man of the Year. On his side, there was Stuckey, Al Thornton, and only Brooks on the bench.

Then do it yourself!
Durant turns to his right, switches the ball to his left hand during the turn, and drives towards the left side of the basket!

Yi Shui quickly retreated to the side and back, but Durant still managed to get past her with his long legs.

But Durant drove to close range for a layup, only to be slapped down by Oden, who had taken a step to the right of the basket and was already under the basket!

Yi Shui, who had retreated, retrieved the ball and launched a counterattack!

Stuckey rushed up to press the rebound, Yi Shui passed to Rose, and the two of them charged towards the opposite basket from the left and right.

Jeff Green, who had retreated to the free-throw line, saw the two men rushing towards him, spread his arms, and then lowered them again.

Rose came to Jeff Green's right side and lobbed the ball... Yi Shui stepped into the three-second zone on the right side, jumped high, and slammed the ball into the basket with a one-handed alley-oop!

Yi Shui and Rose high-fived during the defensive transition. Rose's pass was so easy to finish, something Duhon, Curry, and Chalmers couldn't match. And don't even mention Nate Robinson, that guy never wanted to pass the ball. Besides, Rose wasn't greedy for points... No wonder the senior was willing to be second best.

However, he had already experienced this during the joint tryouts and only sighed at it. Compared to that, Durant's breakthrough just now really surprised him.

In just a month and a half, Durant's left-handed ball handling has become even stronger!
With his twisting waist and powerful stride, and his back turn and crossover dribble, Durant's almost undefendable drives are only missing the crossover step in front of his body, except for the problem of being too light and lacking strength, which cannot be solved in the short term!
In this regard, Yi Shui thought Durant was very smart; he didn't blindly gain weight rapidly, but rather took it one step at a time.

Sometimes, Yi Shui would envy the rising stars of those tanking teams, who could freely practice newly developed techniques on the field and even hone their basic skills.

But let's not talk about switching teams between him and Durant...

Although the average point differential is only 3 points, when playing against weak teams with star players who can score high, we have to be wary of the opponent going on a scoring spree to turn the game around, but at least we can win.

You have to practice your skills until you're confident you can score before you dare to use them; it's worth the hard work.

When it was the second-year team's turn to attack, a group of fans from New York started chanting "Kevin," leading the entire arena to chant Durant's name, wanting to see the two of them go one-on-one.

Durant didn't back down and waved for the ball. Being dunked on at the start and blocked on his first possession didn't make Durant lose his composure; instead, it made him even calmer.

Promising young stars on tanking teams often develop in two extreme directions. One is that they become pure stat-padders, like Kevin Martin of the Sacramento Kings. After the All-Star break, the Kings wanted to trade him for a first-round pick, but no team was interested. His 5-year, $5000 million contract was too expensive for all teams, even though he was averaging almost 25 points per game.

Another possibility is developing a resilient character on the court and a highly composed playing style.

Durant belongs to the latter category!
His rookie year wasn't very noticeable; back then, not many big names paid attention to him or targeted him.

But this season he's almost a top scorer, and every top scorer and top defender in the league is watching him.

Unlike most talented players on tanking teams who play recklessly and blindly, he didn't give up or back down. Instead, starting after the opening game, he worked hard to expand his skill set, increase his basic skills training, and choose his offensive methods more calmly...

Facing Yi Shui's tight defense, Durant continued to choose to turn around and drive forward!
He had already determined in the last round that Yi Shui's lateral movement was not enough to stop this move!
Although Yi Shui's outside pressure is strong, he has often encountered such defense this season and has been able to make stable moves under such defense!
Yi Shui was beaten again, but he was mentally prepared and chased down Durant's mid-range shot.

Durant drove all the way to close range, but didn't enter the three-second zone. He stopped abruptly in the elbow area, seized the gap in Yi Shui and Oden's defense, and made a close-range jump shot!

Yi Shui glanced at Love on the baseline and suddenly felt that David Lee's defense was not bad. Although he couldn't stop Love, he at least knew where to go and could play a certain role in delaying the attack... But this was not his teammate.

It's the rookie team's turn to attack.

Rose received the ball and advanced into the attacking third. He intended to pass the ball directly, but then he saw Yi Shui run straight to the byline... They really were following the tactics strictly!

Rose, who was initially somewhat unwilling to be a 'supporting role', instantly perked up, made a sideways change of direction, and blew past Stuckey in one step, driving into the paint!
Yi Shui seized the opportunity to move up, bypassing Love in the left mid-range and arriving at the left 45-degree angle outside the three-point line.

Love lacked defensive awareness and his enthusiasm was worn down during his six months with the Clippers, but he didn't lose his offensive awareness and stood in Durant's way at just the right moment.

Rose made a long pass from the right, Yi Shui received the ball, and took an open three-pointer... and it went in!
When it was the second-year team's turn to attack, Durant continued to dribble and attack one-on-one. After getting past Yi Shui, he faced Oden, who was pressing out to defend him. Durant passed the ball to Horford, who received it on the right side of the basket and made a layup!

Turning back, Yi Shui, Rose, and Love continued their coordinated play. Yi Shui received the ball at a 45-degree angle once again, and Scola switched defense early this time. Yi Shui was blocked by Scola as soon as he received the ball.

Yi Shui stepped back with his left leg to the right, blocking the driving position, and then used his strength to push past Scola and drive into the paint. He then faced a double-team from Durant, who was coming in from next to Love, and Horford, who came out to help from under the basket, and shot... the ball swished off the rim.

Jeff Green secured the defensive rebound and passed it to Durant in the frontcourt.

Yi Shui retreated to his defensive position, blocking Durant.

Unable to stop Durant's increasingly versatile driving skills; without a power forward to slow him down and with the defensive three-second rule limiting positioning, Oden under the basket had no way to stop Durant's drives...

The wing guards helping on defense is one approach, but Durant consciously avoided driving in that direction. Perhaps Love didn't understand how to collapse and delay defense, which was within Durant's expectations...

Yi Shui quickly read the offensive play, and as Durant received the ball and lowered his center of gravity to turn quickly, Yi Shui moved half a step to the right in advance to prepare for a confrontation.

At that moment, Durant suddenly straightened his body, took a half step to the right, and pulled up for a three-pointer from the right side of the arc...missed!
Although the shot missed, it confirmed for Yi Shui that in this kind of game, a player like Durant is impossible to defend. Durant has a one-on-one environment that is no different from a one-on-one game!
Curry, who had been positioned inside, secured the defensive rebound with Oden's help, advanced the ball up the court, and immediately passed it to Yi Shui, who was calling for the ball.

Yi Shui no longer needs to waste energy on defense; his mindset has shifted to focusing on solid basic defense and going all out on offense!
Off-ball offense: the opponent may block or double-team you in advance regardless of the situation. He just tried it: Scola blocked him, Durant and Horford double-teamed him, and even Jeff Green moved from the other side to block him in the middle.

Yi Shui originally intended to score easily by playing off the ball, but in that kind of off-ball environment... it's more likely that he'll be able to play one-on-one with the ball, and there might not be as many people double-teaming him.

He dismissed his offensive readiness judgment before the previous defensive play. Even if Love's awareness of collapsing the defense was poor, it shouldn't have been that bad. It's possible that even if Durant drove to the strong side, only Curry would pull back on the sideline, and Rose might not have...

After his teammates spread out, Yi Shui took a half-step to the right, twisted his waist and took a step, blocking Durant and making a strong drive!
Durant tried his best to hold off Yi Shui, but still managed to push past him. Yi Shui drove straight into the paint and, with Horford helping to defend, made a layup... and it went in!
'Sure enough! '

In the last round, he was blocked, but he played off the ball, which actively involved the opposing defenders in the game and created a team confrontation. As the undisputed strongest player on the field, if he received the ball in that situation, a group of opponents would definitely surround him.

But one-on-one is different; it's his 'one-on-one' against Durant! Everyone else is more willing to watch! Take Oden's help defense, for example. He didn't do anything wrong, but that's all; he didn't go to the level of 'exerting effort'.

One is never too old to learn. After a few rounds, Yi Shui realized that this kind of match could not be judged by conventional standards.

Perhaps the opposing team knew this from the beginning, after all, this guy was participating in the Rookie Challenge for the second time.

Yi Shui shifted his mindset from 'competition' to 'one-on-one duel' and engaged in a one-on-one battle with Durant!

Durant faked a spin move, then a back spin move to drive through the middle, and scored a layup over Oden who was only under normal interference; Yi Shui faked a drive, then stepped back and hit a three-pointer over Durant at the top of the arc.

Durant scored a basket and then turned to three-pointer; Yi Shui drove straight to the basket, ignoring Stuckey who symbolically took two steps back, and with three big strides, he brushed past Horford who came to help, and scored with a layup.

Durant hit a pull-up jumper just inside the free-throw line; Yi Shui drove into the paint, actively seeking contact, and scored two points with a high post-up move, relying on Horford who hadn't spread out...

The fans at the scene were incredibly excited to see the two constantly going one-on-one!
The scene was so entertaining. The two players looked to be the two tallest players on the court. When Oden was helping to defend Durant, he didn't seem to have a height advantage. Yi Shui and Durant also didn't have a height difference, but both of them played the style of the two and three positions!

The key point is that the two were evenly matched! Both kept scoring and maintained an extremely high success rate in one-on-one situations!
However, while the fans were enjoying the show, one of the two players in the one-on-one duel was under increasing pressure as the fight progressed.

After a series of ten or so rounds of relentless attacks, Durant was exhausted and seemed on the verge of collapse.

But the guy on the other side is still attacking, he can't stop!

He couldn't win the club match, but he didn't want to lose this one-on-one duel!
Although he didn't think as much as Yi Shui, he did know the style of the rookie tournament and used it to his advantage to challenge Yi Shui to a one-on-one match.

Durant chose to grit his teeth and persevere, but he is probably one of the players in the league whose performance is most easily affected by fatigue, especially when he is under heavy exertion in a short period of time.

In the next three possessions, he only made one jump shot and one close-range shot!
On the other side, Yi Shui missed a three-pointer, but launched two fast breaks, both of which involved Rose driving the ball up the court, drawing the defense, and then closing in for a layup!
The second-grade team called a timeout!
13投9中，其中三分球4中2，加上1中1的罚球，易水得分已经来到21分！比赛时间仅过了7分钟！

……

……

That's all for today. I was busy all day and didn't get off work until after 6 pm. I quickly wrote this chapter when I got back. Luckily, I didn't stop updating. The good news is that the project I've been working on for more than half a month is going very smoothly and we're wrapping it up these past two days. From now on, I'll just be a lazy bum. Writing and slacking off is more suitable for me.

Thank you all for your support and understanding. Once I'm done with these busy days, I'll be able to resume regular updates... *gift*

(End of this chapter)