The longest river

Chapter 113 Brown's dignity shattered.

It was at this moment that Yang Shuai was substituted off the field for a rest.

Then, after about 10 minutes, he put on his gear and went back into action.

Bird's current use of Yang Shuai is the "I want it all" model that Yang Shuai mentioned back then.

He comes off the field earlier than usual before the regular rotation, and then plays normally during the transition period between substitutes.

During this period, he even had Miller and Schmitz rest on the bench, leaving Yang Shuai to lead the team alone.

In the very first possession, Yang Shuai made a beautiful off-ball cut to get past the defense, then received a pass from Workman and unleashed a powerful tomahawk dunk.

This instantly ignited the emotions of the fans in the stadium.

However, Iverson then drove past Walkman and scored a layup.

During his initial starting phase, Iverson didn't perform well on the court. This was partly because Brown's offensive tactics focused on finishing at the shooting guard position, and partly because Best limited Iverson's performance.

Best and Iverson are about the same height, and Best improved his defense last season, making him the type of player Iverson least liked to face.

However, if Walkman is on the court right now, his scoring ability is instantly unleashed.

Yang Shuai made another beautiful off-the-ball run, but Walkman's pass wasn't timely this time, and he directly asked for the ball and turned into a one-on-one attack.

He changed direction to break through the defense and drove into the paint, where he clashed with 76ers' backup center Mark Hendrickson before scoring a 2+1 play.

After gaining weight to 98 kilograms, Yang Shuai's overall physical strength has improved significantly compared to last season.

As Yang Shuai stepped to the free-throw line, a chorus of "Hansen" erupted from the crowd.

The last time fans chanted like this was during last season's playoffs against the Knicks, when Yang Shuai hit six three-pointers in a single quarter.

Moreover, shouting this slogan at Yang Shuai has a double meaning. It is not only Yang Shuai's nickname, but also a way of saying that Yang Shuai played "coolly".

Yang Shuai made the free throw, scoring 5 consecutive points.

Bird reached out and touched his chin with satisfaction on the bench.

Although Yang Shuai's overall strength is not as good as Miller's, it is still better than that of the average starting player.

Letting him lead the team alone during the transition period between substitutes will not only give him experience, but also achieve the effect of "staggered travel," allowing the team to establish a leading advantage during this period.

Meanwhile, a young fan in Cleveland, watching the game live on TV at home, seemed to have learned something new.

Turning back, Iverson continued to dribble and attack one-on-one, once again getting past Walkman's defense.

Yang Shuai went to help defend, but Iverson had already made a crossover dribble and quickly flew past him on the right side to score with a layup.

Most players, even those with exceptional talent like Kobe, gradually realize their potential after improving their core strength and physical strength.

However, a very small number of players, such as Allen Iverson, belong to the type who "peak immediately upon entering the league".

His skills may need to be improved through training and competition, but his speed is innate.

Of course, this is also related to the player's position. Yang Shuai, a 2-meter tall wing player, has a lot of difficulty keeping up with a 1.8-meter tall guard, especially one like Iverson.

The final two minutes of this quarter became a back-and-forth offensive show between Yang Shuai and Iverson.

Yang Shuai scored 7 points, and Iverson also contributed 6 points.

Ernie Johnson, who was in the commentary booth, also made some memorable remarks.

"Hanson and AI's performances are comparable, just like their Reebok endorsement contracts, but Hanson got a dollar more."

At the start of the second quarter, both sides continued to rotate their squads deeply, with Yang Shuai and Iverson each leading four substitutes.

It was at this time that Jermaine O'Neal made his NBA debut.

Of course, unlike Brown's forced approach to Young, Bird's approach to O'Neal was clearly planned.

In the seven preseason games, Bird gave Jermaine O'Neal about 15 minutes of playing time and had him start by practicing contact and mid-range shooting.

The 15-minute time limit wasn't intended to be given that much time, but rather because Jermaine O'Neal's stamina and physicality were only sufficient to sustain him for that duration.

Now, they're giving players opportunities during the second quarter rotation, which is true training.

Iverson broke through Walkman's defense again, and O'Neal showed his excellent help defense ability, giving Iverson a chance to shoot.

But it was precisely this interference that allowed Iverson to showcase his physical gifts, as he drifted through the air and pulled off a reverse layup to the other side.

This shot caused a huge stir in the stadium.

Allen Iverson's ability to become the NBA's number one draft pick despite being 1.8 meters tall barefoot was not solely due to his speed.

In fact, for short players like Allen Iverson, Isaiah Thomas, and Nate Robinson, their only disadvantage in becoming NBA players was their height.

The camera focused on Bird.

Iverson's performance during the bench transition made everyone realize why Best was able to become the starting point guard.

However, Bird did not intend to replace Best.

The game is still going on.

At that moment, Yang Shuai got the ball in the frontcourt and immediately signaled for Workman to come over and set a screen for him.

Pick-and-roll between guards does happen, but having a point guard set a screen for a shooting guard is a very rare occurrence.

Workman didn't understand, but he couldn't afford to offend Yang Shuai, this formidable figure, so he had no choice but to comply.

His first pick-and-roll didn't work; Iverson slipped like an eel. But Yang signaled to Walkman to continue setting screens.

It wasn't until Walkman successfully set a screen and drew the defender away that everyone realized what Yang Shuai was about to do, after Yang signaled for them to spread out.

He's trying to exploit a mismatch against Iverson!

Yes, right under Brown's nose.

He backed down Iverson, forcing Iverson to lower his guard, then turned and drove straight to the basket, slamming the ball into the hoop before Hendrickson could help defend.

The crowd erupted in cheers once again.

During his starting role, Yang Shuai mainly focused on creating space and defense, similar to what he did last season, and his presence was limited.

However, when it comes to the transition period between substitutes, their presence becomes incredibly strong.

However, Yang Shuai's next move was what truly made the entire audience erupt in cheers.

After completing the dunk, he turned and walked towards the 76ers' bench, spreading his hands and shouting at them:

"Are you really sending people to guard against me?"

After Yang Shuai finished his rant, he successfully reaped a wave of points.

The scene was captured on camera, and the camera immediately gave Bird a close-up shot.

If last season's trash talk about the Heat's bench was just "cool," then this is truly a tribute to Bird, because the trash talk is exactly the same.

There was a Bird sitting off the court, and another "Bird" on the court.

Iverson continued to drive to the basket, but this time Yang Shuai and Jermaine O'Neal helped defend him, forcing him to pass the ball out, and the 76ers were unable to continue scoring.

And looking back, Yang Shuai continued to exploit mismatches against Iverson!
Players of this era value confrontation and seeing mismatches as a sign of weakness.

However, Yang Shuai, who came from another time, obviously didn't have that kind of psychological burden.

The 76ers players couldn't get up to help on defense, just like in the very first possession. Bird's spacing system made double-teaming an easy scoring opportunity.

Although Yang Shuai's passing ability is average, it doesn't mean he's a player like Kobe who automatically ignores his teammates.

After Iverson glanced at his teammates who weren't helping him defend, he knew he couldn't withstand Yang Shuai's back-to-the-basket move, so he opted for a risky steal.

This is the main reason why, although he is a defensive liability, his steals stats seem to indicate that he is a decent defender.

However, Yang Shuai, who had observed Iverson's playing style at the Nike training camp, would surely know his playing style and be wary of this move.

Almost the instant he lunged forward, Yang Shuai dodged with a behind-the-back dribble.

With another acceleration, Yang Shuai had already left Iverson far behind.

A cheer erupted from the crowd beforehand.

Yang Shuai used the very methods that Iverson excelled at toying with.

Hendrickson provided early help defense this time, but Yang Shuai also saw that O'Neal was completely open on the baseline and passed the ball to him.

Jermaine O'Neal received the ball and hit a wide-open mid-range shot from the baseline.

Teamwork between twin stars from Indiana high school.

The emotions of the fans at the scene were ignited once again.

As reported in the media, the Pacers have the present and the future!
Yang Shuai then turned to the 76ers' bench once again.

No, this time it's more accurate to say it was Brown standing on the sidelines.

"Larry, you've changed. You're actually letting a player with no defense play."

Unlike his earlier criticism of the 76ers' bench, Yang Shuai this time specifically named and directly insulted Brown.

Or rather, from the very beginning when he was backing down Iverson, Yang Shuai's biggest goal was not to exploit mismatches or to take advantage of Iverson's defensive weakness.

Even his subsequent criticism of the 76ers' bench wasn't primarily aimed at scoring points.

All the groundwork he laid was for this very moment.

The referee was standing nearby, but did not blow the whistle.

Because Yang Shuai's words were just a simple greeting, like a common greeting between a player and a former team coach.

However, Brown's chest heaved violently, and he broke down completely.

For Brown, the boos from the fans were just disheartening, but Yang Shuai's words pierced his heart.

Brown's stubbornness stems from his adherence to his principles. He considers himself a very fair person, believing that even a high school rookie like Yang Shuai can get playing time as long as he meets his defensive requirements.

But now, Iverson is clearly an exception, and an exception that he cannot compete with.

Since the 76ers are a rebuilding team, and they selected Iverson as the number one pick, how could Brown possibly prevent the number one pick from playing?
He clearly didn't have that power; he couldn't even stop Iverson from one-on-one on the court.

But this is actually closely related to his coaching role with the Pacers last season.

Because of his poor performance in using Yang Shuai, the Pacers fell short of their goal, and then he was fired, causing his coaching reputation to plummet.

Ultimately, only rebuilding teams like the 76ers were willing to give him a coaching opportunity.

It wasn't that Yang Shuai trampled on his dignity; rather, it was that Yang Shuai told him that he himself had chosen to give up his dignity!

(End of this chapter)