Champion, please stay!

Chapter 198, Section 196: Senior, you've got such a lot of influence!

In the final quarter, James went to the free-throw line four times and made 6 of 8 shots. These were indeed all defensive fouls committed by the Lakers, and the referees' calls were correct. The Lakers players had lost their composure and were unable to control their actions on the defensive end.

The problem lies in inconsistent officiating standards; the same defensive moves by the Cavaliers often go uncalled as fouls.

Is this an attempt to force King to rise to the top, using the old blacksmith as a stepping stone?
When the schedule was first released, Yi Shui complained to his agent that there was only one popular match on the first day of competition.

However, this is alright. The pairing of James and O'Neal does generate a lot of buzz, and the matchup against Kobe Bryant is sure to be a huge hit.

The Cavaliers have a really good schedule. After their opening game against the Lakers, they have 15 games in November, and only 4 of their opponents are teams that were in the playoffs last season. Apart from the Jazz, the other 3 opponents are all teams from the bottom half of the Eastern Conference.

赛程也很均匀，除了10月底这场，11月15场比赛、12月16场、1月16场、2月9场、3月15场、4月10场，没有连续多个休息日的情况，5天4战也只有1次。

They only had 13 back-to-back games throughout the entire season, the fewest in the entire league, one less than the Knicks, and two less than the Lakers and Grizzlies.

The league has clearly increased its efforts to promote LeBron James.

Bartelstein mentioned a term—political correctness.

He was Black, came from a poor neighborhood, and was promoted as a "leader of Black players" and "son of America" ​​from the beginning of his career. In addition, the league has always wanted to downplay Iverson's influence... The main reason was that he was incredibly talented, exceptionally so in history, so Stern was bound to promote him.

It's hard to say whether this kind of praise is a good thing or a bad thing for King.

In the final quarter, it was obvious that when James entered half-court sets, he consciously sought contact and calls for fouls when he drove to the basket... The referees gave the calls, and there was nothing wrong with playing like that, because the Lakers players' defensive actions were indeed fouls.

But if you get used to playing this easily, you probably won't be able to quit.

Yi Shui watched several of James' games last season, including as many as eight matches against him. At that time, James' footwork was a bit unusual, and he liked to complain, but he didn't play like that.

This situation was probably beyond Stern's expectations.

While browsing the news on his computer, Yi Shui came across today's top five plays. He started by dunking over Bosh and then jumped over Bosh's help defense to spin and throw down a layup.

The other three baskets were all 23 vs 24. Kobe drove into the paint, was knocked down by O'Neal, lost his balance, and threw the ball in. James also made two very beautiful fast break dunks.

...

Because the opening game was a one-sided affair, Yi Shui went home early and went to bed early. The next day, he got up early at the stadium to practice his pull-up jump shot.

The half-skill effect of 'Braking Genius' is indeed very useful!

Last night, when facing help defense, he pulled up and took a strong shot before Bosh could close him down, and he found his shooting rhythm much easier than when he was shooting aggressively in practice.

The effect is similar to 'Tower Sniper', but weaker and lacks the probabilistic, hot-feeling effect of 'Tower Sniper'.

However, there is also a 50% bonus to pull-up jump shot training. He asked the system, and with the shooting training card, the efficiency bonus within the limited area of ​​the shooting training card will stack, which will help strengthen the pull-up jump shot and develop the mid-range pull-up turn shot.

After an hour of training, just past 9:30, the trainer who had been helping him with the training notified him to go to the head coach's office for a meeting.

More than half an hour ago, D'Antoni told the trainer when he arrived, but did not disturb his training.

Everyone on the team knows he likes to practice for a full hour.

When Yi Shui arrived at the office, he heard the coaches discussing tactical adjustments. After he arrived, the meeting turned into a review of yesterday's game.

Overall, they played exceptionally well on both offense and defense last night. Both the first and second units performed better than expected defensively.

Newcomer Webster only played 15 minutes in his debut game, 10 of which were in garbage time in the fourth quarter.

His five minutes of playing time in the first three quarters came during the second quarter when Yi Shui was resting. He played in positional play alongside Curry, Barnes, David Lee, and Birdman, and his performance was decent.

He received the ball in a half-court set and made a long two-pointer. His defense was very tough, and when he switched to defend Bosh, he bravely stepped up, although he couldn't stop him.

When Curry pushes the fast break, Webster can't get up to speed. He hangs behind Curry to receive the pass back and shoots a three-pointer. He shoots decisively, but he is obviously not used to chasing down the defender.

D'Antoni decided to have Webster practice his pull-up jump shot. It's unclear if he can develop it, but Webster's positioning and catch-and-shoot ability is good. Let's give it a try.

Although the Raptors are not a strong team, even with Bosh and Turkoglu, they are at best a team on the edge of the Eastern Conference playoffs, but this game still has some reference value.

As an offensive mastermind, D'Antoni may not be good at coaching defense, but his ability to analyze defense is top-notch. He is certain that their defense can do a good job of limiting a single-star team.

How well he performs against teams with multiple key players remains to be seen in actual matches. Yi Shui's involvement was limited to this one task; after a ten-minute debriefing, D'Antoni let him train on his own.

Back at the training ground, Yi Shui rested for a while and took out the schedule to look at it... Last night, he was a little envious of Kings' better schedule, forgetting that their schedule was actually similar, with 14 games in November, one less than the Cavaliers, but the opponents were stronger, including strong teams such as the Celtics, Trail Blazers, Nuggets, and Hawks.

December and January both have 16 games, February has 9 games, and the only month with a tight schedule is March with 17 games. It feels like they're trying to steal the spotlight from 3 Madness again. The final month, April, only has 9 games.

At noon, while having lunch, Yi Shui learned from Curry that a team had made a big trade!
This trade had nothing to do with their team, Curry excitedly told him, because the person being traded was somehow related to him.

The Bobcats, Warriors, and Hornets have completed a three-way trade!
The trade primarily involved the Bobcats, who sent Okafor, Raja Bell, and Radmanovic to the Hornets in exchange for Chandler, a 10 first-round pick, and Stephen Jackson from the Warriors!
Okafor and Radmanovic were traded to the Hornets, while the Warriors acquired Raja Bell and took over the expiring contract of Maurice Peterson offered by the Hornets.

Yi Shui remembered the deal, but was still surprised to learn about it.

Without having a clairvoyant eye, the Bobcats would have lost big in this trade.

Last season, Okafor averaged 13.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game, and at 27 years old, he was in his prime.

In his eighth year in the league, Chandler, also 27 years old, averaged 8.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game, a performance significantly different from Okafor's.

Even if the Hornets add a first-round pick, it won't make up for the difference in trade value between the two players, and the Hornets' first-round picks aren't worth much right now.

Despite being plagued by injuries last season, the Hornets still managed 48 wins. Replacing Chandler with Okafor gives the impression that the Bobcats are helping Paul relaunch his MVP campaign.

Curry got the information from his father, who worked in the media industry in Charlotte.

Curry: "My dad said that Okafor requested a trade because he felt there was no hope of playing for the Bobcats and wanted to have a chance to compete for a championship during his prime. Jordan, Bickerstaff, and others tried to persuade him to stay all summer, but communication with Okafor was not smooth."

It's said that Okafor's attitude was tantamount to informing the Bobcats to trade him to a team with a good guard, refusing to communicate with Jordan.

Yi Shui: "This... matches my understanding of Emeka. Jordan just agreed like that? He'd trade him away even at a loss?"

Curry: "That's Okafor, the leader of the new generation of African American players!"

He entered the NBA at his peak, and spent five years with the Bobcats tanking to draft and develop rookies, never making the playoffs even once. It's normal for him to want to leave.

Yi Shui: "My dear senior is so influential?"

Curry: "..."

After lunch, Yi Shui went to the lounge, turned on his computer, and went online to check the Bobcats' trade details and the Bobcats' latest roster.

The starting lineup includes Felton, Stephen Jackson, Gerald Wallace, Diaw, Chandler, Mohammed, Ronald Murray, Theo Ratliff...

Yi Shui remembers that Chandler, who was still in a long growth period, only played for the Bobcats for one year and was not given important roles by Larry Brown, who did not like to develop players. He ended up as a substitute for veteran shot blocker Ratliff and veteran Muhammad.

In the summer of 10, to save money, the Bobcats traded Chandler for Dampier's expiring partially guaranteed contract...

It's a pity about Pao Ge. Before the All-Star Weekend last season, he had great stats, great team record, and was winning Player of the Month and Player of the Week awards. If this trade had happened before the start of last season, Pao Ge might have really won the MVP.

...

The next day, a new month began, November 1st, and the Knicks hosted the Wizards.

At 5:40 p.m., the players from both teams entered the field.

Yi Shui looked at the opposing team's lineup and saw that it was even deeper than last season!
Even though Arenas has been sidelined for two consecutive years, the Wizards are still recruiting players around their Big Three during the offseason.

They brought in three high-quality backcourt players in one go: Mike Miller, Randy Foye, and Al Thornton, bringing their total salary above the luxury tax threshold.

Sunk costs are influencing decisions. Arenas' 6-year, $1.18 million contract has just begun, Jamison's big contract expires in 12 years, and Caron Butler's contract doesn't expire for another 11 years. The Wizards' management can only gamble on Arenas' injury recovering.

Judging from the preseason games and the opening game, the Wizards' management made the right bet. Arenas averaged 23 points and 6 assists in the preseason, and scored a whopping 45 points and 7 assists in the opening game against the Nets, leading the team to a big victory. He seems to be making a triumphant return.

However, the Wizards' three musketeers were not in good form tonight, missing shots in a row at the start of the game. The Knicks decisively implemented a defensive strategy of blocking cuts and closing down the basket.

Haywood and McGee, two blue-collar big men, had no space to score easy baskets, and Blatche, who excels at post-up moves, couldn't get past them either...

18投10中、其中三分球4中2，加上6中5的罚球，易水拿到27分9板6助攻2抢断1盖帽，率领尼克斯队以113比99轻取奇才队！
(End of this chapter)