The longest river

Chapter 181 The Tiger Unleashes its Power
February arrived in the blink of an eye, and Yang Shuai had already played 32 games for the Trail Blazers. His average stats were 26.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists, with a field goal percentage of 45.5% and a three-point percentage of 40.5%.

The more matches Yang Shuai plays, the more it proves he can handle the workload, as opponents will target him more and more.

Yang Shuai's ability to adapt so smoothly is due not only to the slower pace of information dissemination in this era, but also to his ability to always be one step ahead of his opponents.

The previous mid-range shot is the best example.

Before you targeted me, I had already anticipated how you might target me.

Therefore, his improved passing skills are quite predictable.

Because Kenny Anderson's performance has declined significantly this season, opponents are visibly double-teaming him more.

Thanks to Carlisle, Yang Shuai's offensive coordination was mostly with Sabonis.

Although it was the 90s, there was no rule that the passer had to be the point guard.

As a young coach and a tactical one, Carlisle's presence has been a great help to Yang Shuai.

However, as February progressed, the Trail Blazers encountered a significant setback.

The person who stirred up the storm was Kenny Anderson.

The Trail Blazers just lost to the Spurs, and Anderson had a poor performance, scoring only 5 points and 5 assists on 2-of-11 shooting, and also committed 5 fouls.

Such a performance naturally disqualifies one from attending the post-game press conference. However, in addition to the post-game press conference, some NBA reporters are actually granted permission to enter the locker room for interviews.

It was at this time that Anderson was interviewed by a local Portland reporter.

"Do you think you performed well or poorly as the point guard for this team?"

Judging from the reporter's questions, he was clearly also dissatisfied with Anderson's performance.

Unexpectedly, Anderson immediately became furious.

"You're calling me a point guard now? I'm just a player on this team, I'm not a point guard at all."

"Why would you say you're a point guard?"

The reporter was surprised by Anderson's attitude.

Generally speaking, when faced with this kind of question, players will either find an excuse for themselves or, at the very least, change the subject.

Have you ever seen a point guard in a game who only dribbles the ball across half-court and doesn't organize the offense?

Anderson's next words immediately made it clear to the reporter that Anderson was complaining about his possession of the ball.

This conversation, once reported by journalists, caused a huge uproar in public opinion.

The media outlets that were already waiting for an opportunity quickly launched their attacks.

"How can you expect your point guard to perform well when he doesn't have the ball?"

"Hanson Young's stats are nothing more than the result of sacrificing his teammates' ball possession. In order to make his contract look worthwhile, the Trail Blazers sacrificed the team's record. They can't even make it into the top half of the Western Conference this season."

Fox Sports published an article that heavily criticized the Trail Blazers' current situation.

Of course, some media outlets also spoke out in Yang Shuai's defense. In addition to some local Portland media, an article in The Cleveland Plain Dealer defended Yang Shuai very well.

"What we must understand is that Kenny Anderson was in poor form this season, which is why the Trail Blazers coaching staff decided to increase Hansen's ball-handling percentage. Therefore, the conclusion that the increase in Hansen's ball-handling percentage led to Anderson's poor performance is putting the cart before the horse."

"We also cannot ignore the fact that the competition in the West this season is the most intense in recent years. They have five championship-caliber teams, which is even more than in the East."

"The last thing is that, although it's not common, Bulls point guard Ron Harper also didn't orchestrate the offense; on-court duties aren't always the same."

However, as soon as this article was published, Fox Sports immediately wrote a counter-article.

“Ron Harper was a defensive workhorse, while Kenny Anderson was a true point guard. Their functions were completely different, and you can’t make players do things they’re not good at.”

Originally, there was no such thing as instant messaging tools in this era, but the fact that the two newspapers were fighting each other in real time was quite a spectacle.

Anderson's comments did indeed have a significant impact on the Trail Blazers.

The importance of team atmosphere is self-evident.

Just like the Pacers during Bird's era, a good atmosphere can enable a team to perform at 100%, or even 120%.

Conversely, if problems arise within the team, the team's performance will inevitably decline significantly.

Following Anderson's remarks, the Trail Blazers suffered a three-game losing streak.

Although the opponents in these three games were all teams in the upper half of the Western Conference, failing to win a single game dealt a significant blow to the team's morale.

During training that day, Yang Shuai finally lost his temper.

During a fast break, Anderson made an absurd pass that went out of bounds. He then rushed up to his opponent, pointed his finger at him, and started yelling:
"Either play your game well on the court, or shut your mouth in front of the reporters!"

In fact, both Fox Sports and the Cleveland Plain Dealer's accounts are one-sided.

Carlisle did have the idea of ​​increasing Yang Shuai's ball-handling percentage before the season started, but that increase wouldn't have much of an impact on Anderson.

Because you have to consider physical fitness. With so many possessions in a game, Yang Shuai can't possibly hold the ball every single possession. Especially since Yang Shuai's current playing style is relatively more physically demanding, involving possession-based offense.

Moreover, the opponent's defense is constantly changing, with double teams and help defenses, all of which will force you to pass the ball.

Take the game against the Lakers as an example. Yang Shuai was so effective at containing O'Neal, but in the end, he only had a dozen or so offensive possessions against O'Neal.

Moreover, Yang Shuai's statistics best illustrate this point. If he truly played a ball-dominant style, his average assists per game would definitely not be only 4+.

Therefore, Yang Shuai's increased ball-handling and offensive play and Anderson's poor performance are essentially unrelated.

If there really was a conflict, where would Anderson have gotten 11 shot attempts when he played against the Spurs?
To put it bluntly, that was just Anderson making excuses for his poor performance.

He can't exactly say, "You're right, I did play terribly," when reporters question him.

As a former All-Star point guard, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"What did you say!?"

Anderson immediately flew into a rage, slapped Yang Shuai's hand away, and reached out to fight Yang Shuai.

As an All-Star guard who has played in the league for many years and was the Trail Blazers' leading scorer last season, Yang Shuai's actions have left him completely embarrassed.

Wallace, who was standing nearby, reacted quickly and pulled Anderson away, while also signaling Yang Shuai to calm down.

He wasn't protecting Yang Shuai, but rather afraid that Anderson would get beaten up.

In the past two years in the NBA, Yang Shuai has played against Rodman, Oakley, Starks, Karl Malone, and most recently Russell, and has become quite famous for his fighting skills.

Yang Shuai removed Wallace's hand from his view and continued pointing at Anderson, launching into a tirade:
"This is the NBA. If you can play, you can play; if you can't, pack your bags and get out!"

This shocked everyone else on the Trail Blazers team.

Since joining the team, Yang Shuai has given the impression of being easy to get along with.

Even though he played against the starters and substitutes with the bench that day, Yang Shuai still said he would lead them to win the championship.

But it's clear that they don't know Yang Shuai well enough.

During Yang Shuai's rookie season with the Pacers, his competition with his teammates wasn't just about exchanging a few words; it was about real fights.

If Wallace hadn't stopped him quickly enough, he would have already beaten Anderson up.

"you you!"

Anderson's face flushed red, and he wanted to make a move.

"enough!"

Wallace then turned around and roared, silencing Anderson.

The team already had problems with its internal atmosphere; if they start fighting, it'll be all over.

When Anderson saw that even his old teammate Wallace sided with Yang Shuai, and no one else spoke up for him, he lost face and left the training ground with a cold snort.

Anderson has left, but training continues.

Yang Shuai's outburst just now noticeably boosted the players' enthusiasm and focus during training.

Solving team problems within the team is a basic professional quality of an NBA player.

Anderson was in the wrong to bring this up in the media.

Moreover, it's already quite good that Yang Shuai only lost his temper now, considering that Anderson's words clearly contained elements of sarcasm towards Yang Shuai.

However, the most crucial reason for this change is that, given the management's high regard for Yang Shuai, it's not impossible for Yang Shuai to fire someone if he really wants to.

Of course, Yang Shuai didn't really want to trade Anderson, and he wouldn't ask the management to trade someone just because he had a conflict with them.

He was more interested in yelling at Anderson to wake him up and get him back in form.

You're supposed to be a former All-Star point guard, let's not even talk about the past. Last season you were 17+7, now you're down to 12+5, it's really unbearable to watch.

Just like the fight between Yang Shuai and Eddie Johnson back then, this conflict within the Trail Blazers team was not leaked to the public.

However, the Trail Blazers management still suspended Anderson for two games.

The official explanation is that it was due to previous inappropriate remarks, but in reality, it was a punishment for a series of actions by Anderson.

There's nothing wrong with this punishment; it also solidifies Yang Shuai's position within the team.

However, it's just that Anderson isn't very bright. Anyone with a little common sense would know that if the team gave Yang Shuai 1.5 million, he was someone you shouldn't mess with easily.

However, this means the Trail Blazers have lost their starting point guard, which will likely cause them trouble in the upcoming games.

Especially since they had just experienced a three-game losing streak.

(End of this chapter)