The longest river

Chapter 172 Establishing Prestige
During the Trail Blazers' daily practice, the players all showed signs of frustration.

It's clear that the team's current situation, coupled with the oppressive atmosphere of the rainy day, makes them desperately need an outlet for their emotions.

Carlisle sat on the sidelines with a serious expression.

Yang Shuai came to see him in the morning and put forward a very aggressive idea.

He felt that the approach was too risky, but Yang Shuai's insistence ultimately forced him to agree.

On the sidelines, Mike Dunleavy turned to look at Carlisle, a smile creeping onto his face.

As the head coach who led the Lakers to the NBA Finals right from his debut, he holds a certain status in the league.

He accepted the Trail Blazers' invitation to become an assistant coach because he knew Carlisle wouldn't stay there long.

So what if you have amazing technical and tactical skills and advanced tactics?

He was fired from the Lakers back then because he couldn't control his teammates, and Carlisle's fate will only be the same.

So when he arrives, he doesn't need to do anything. He just needs to get along well with the other players. When Carlisle is fired, he will naturally become the head coach with the support of the players.

Moreover, he felt the time was almost right; he just needed to lose two more games.

After the basic training is completed, full-court scrimmage will begin.

Just then, Carlisle stood up from his seat.

He divided the entire competition into groups.

The players' frustration was even more evident on their faces, because they knew that Yang Shuai's addition to training would inevitably secure him a starting spot.

Carlisle divided the 15-man team into starters, substitutes, and bench players.

To everyone's surprise, Yang Shuai was not in the starting lineup.

No, he wasn't even on the substitutes' team; he was directly assigned to the same team as the bench players!
This move not only baffled the team members, but also stunned Mike Dunleavy.

What is Carlisle doing?
The whole world knows about his relationship with Yang Shuai, but is it really necessary to just throw Yang Shuai to the bench to avoid suspicion?
Could it be that Paul Allen really spent 1.5 million to make Yang Shuai sit on the bench?
Nobody knows what Carlisle is up to, but many players are eager to try.

Just as Yang Shuai heard outside the locker room, many team members were quite dissatisfied with him.

After all, signing a 1.5 million contract in the second year of high school is something that would make anyone envious.

At the start of the scrimmage, Carlisle arranged for the bench players to play against the starting lineup.

This made many of the starting players eager to compete, and it also surprised and delighted Dunleavy.

Yang Shuai is indeed talented; the Finals MVP award is the most direct proof, including his 51-point outburst last season leading his team to victory over the Trail Blazers.

But all of that is based on the premise that the Pacers are strong enough.

Even though the current Trail Blazers team has two fewer starting-caliber players than they did back then, the gap in strength between the bench and the starting lineup is still too large.

Even if it's just one quarter, it's practically impossible for Yang Shuai to lead his team to victory against the starting lineup.

Yang Shuai is Carlisle's last trump card. If this trump card also falls apart, perhaps the players will start causing trouble after today's training match, even before they lose two more games.

The players from both sides began to enter the field.

Starting lineup: Kenny Anderson, Gary Trent, Walter Williams, Rasheed Wallace, Sabonis

Bench players: John Crotty, Yang Shuai, Dontunio Winfield, Sean Higgins, Alton Lister

On the bench, the players are either veterans or fringe NBA players; basically, they're all just average.

The substitutes, who hadn't yet taken the field, were also eager to see a good show, seeing the contrast before them.

Sabonis passed the ball back to his half, and the 12-minute quarters of the scrimmage officially began.

The starting team employed a spacing strategy at the outset, with Sabonis and Wallace creating space under the basket, followed by Williams cutting into the paint.

They also knew that Yang Shuai was a defensive first-team player, so naturally they wouldn't look for a breakthrough point from him.

Williams shook off his defender, but he didn't get a chance to shoot because Yang Shuai completely let Trent come over to help defend him!

Seeing this, Anderson passed the ball to Trent on the other side.

However, since Trent has no three-point shooting ability, he could only drive one step inside after receiving the ball before shooting.

Yang Shuai had already returned to defense. Although his diving block didn't hit the ball, it put a lot of pressure on Trent, whose mid-range shot bounced off the rim.

Moreover, after the two inside players pulled out, Yang Shuai turned around and grabbed the rebound.

The starting team failed to score in the first leg.

In this round, Yang Shuai fully demonstrated his comprehensive defensive capabilities, from help defense to individual defense.

After securing the rebound, Yang Shuai quickly advanced the ball, and before the starting team's defensive formation was fully in place, he used a crossover dribble to get past Trent.

Sabonis, who had just reached the free-throw line, came over to help defend, but Yang Shuai suddenly accelerated and "snap" past him.

No one else had time to help defend, and could only watch as Yang Shuai made the layup.

At this moment, not only the substitute players watching from the sidelines, but even the starting players on the field showed expressions of disbelief.

Yang Shuai is clearly back from injury, but he seems even stronger than before he was injured?

Are there people who become stronger after getting injured?
Moreover, Yang Shuai suffered a severe injury such as a fracture!
Just then, a man arrived at the entrance of the training facility; it was the team's general manager, Whitchett.

Carlyle wasn't surprised by Whitchter's arrival, simply offering a greeting before both men turned their attention to the field. Dunleavy, seeing this, was also racking his brains. Could it be that Carlyle had specifically summoned Whitchter?
But that doesn't make sense. Why would Carlisle let Whitcht see Yang Shuai's disgraceful state?
Or do they think Yang Shuai can really lead a group of bench players to defeat the starting lineup?
"boom!"

Just then, Yang Shuai delivered a chase-down block to Trent.

Moreover, he also took the defensive rebound.

For two consecutive rounds, he single-handedly defended the entire perimeter of the starting team!

This terrifying defensive ability, I've confirmed it, is the same kind of ability that made Jordan fall to the ground last season!
Moreover, this time Yang Shuai grabbed the rebound and immediately started a fast break.

Wallace rushed over to help defend, but Yang Shuai dodged him with a behind-the-back dribble.

Then, he charged up the court against Anderson's defense, and after a collision that knocked Anderson aside, he unleashed a powerful one-handed dunk for the score.

When the thud of the dunk echoed through the training hall, the substitute players on the sidelines couldn't help but swear.

This is too strong!

Dunleavy was also stunned.

Because he didn't coach in the NBA last season, and given the limited internet access in this era, his information about Yang Shuai mainly came from newspapers and a few game videos.

Yang Shuai's dominance on the court is far greater than it appears in the video!

Moreover, since it was a one-quarter scrimmage, Yang Shuai didn't need to worry about stamina management at all. If he could block a shot, he would jump; if he could dunk, he would never go for a layup.

The visual impact of this presentation is much stronger than that of an official match.

After that dunk, the bench players also started to get excited.

Just like when they were with the Pacers, the bench players generally see themselves as practice partners, and they have no hope of beating the starting lineup.

However, Yang Shuai's overwhelming performance in those rounds made them instantly feel that they might actually be able to beat the starting team once.

Although this is just a training match, even if we win, it won't really mean much.

But often, doing something doesn't necessarily need to have any meaning; at least winning can excite them for a while.

This shift in mindset instantly boosted the defensive intensity of the bench, preventing the starting team from executing their spacing tactics.

As demonstrated in the game, this tactic failed to perform effectively without a strong offensive option on the perimeter.

Seeing this, Anderson demonstrated his experience by abandoning the spacing tactics and gesturing for a low-post play.

The Trail Blazers' starting lineup still includes three players from last season, and they have great chemistry.

Sabonis received the ball in the low post and quickly backed down the ball, turning and scoring with a layup.

Lister on the bench team simply couldn't stop his low-post one-on-one attacks.

This goal temporarily stabilized the morale of the starting team.

Although Yang Shuai's strength was greater than they had expected, basketball is not a one-man sport.

Yang Shuai received the ball in the attacking third and accelerated past Trent's defense.

Trent has spent most of his time as a substitute since entering the league. This season, due to roster changes, he was temporarily moved to the starting position, but his ability is clearly not good enough to be a starter.

Sabonis lunged for the ball, and Wallace also headed towards the basket to help defend.

Last season, they were thrashed by Yang Shuai with 51 points, so their response was quite effective.

Yang Shuai didn't even attempt to drive the ball inside; instead, he opted for a sudden stop and mid-range shot from the mid-range position.

"Shh!"

The crisp sound of the basketball swishing through the net startled Sabonis for a moment.

Even though Yang Shuai scored 51 points last season, all of his points came from three-pointers and drives to the basket.

However, Yang Shuai's shooting form just now clearly wasn't a moment of confusion.

At this moment, applause rang out from the sidelines.

That came from Whitchett.

He did indeed come at Carlyle's invitation, who told him there was a good show to watch.

Now he feels it was worth the trip, because after a few rounds he can see that Yang Shuai is stronger than last season.

During the transition between offense and defense, Yang Shuai switched to defend the strong side with his teammates. When Sabonis was playing one-on-one, he collapsed towards the basket to help defend.

Sabonis reacted quickly, passing the ball to Williams on the outside.

Williams also showcased his strengths, hitting a three-pointer.

After all, they are the starting team, and their overall strength is much stronger than that of the bench team.

But then, Yang Shuai faked a breakthrough, forcing Trent to retreat, and then immediately drained a three-pointer!
5 is better than 9!

Yang Shuai scored all 9 points from the bench.

The substitutes on the sidelines couldn't help but cover their heads with their hands.

Because they discovered that Yang Shuai didn't need teammates at all; it was basically a one-against-five situation!

(End of this chapter)