The longest river

Chapter 188 The Sixth in the West, Enemies Meet on a Narrow Road (Combined Chapter)

Two days after the trade was completed, before the team's daily training began, Yang Shuai met the two new signings in the locker room.

When Billups saw Yang Shuai, it was like seeing his girlfriend whom he hadn't seen for months; he immediately gave her a breathtaking hug.

Just as he expressed on the phone, he was very excited about being able to play with Yang Shuai.

After laughing and punching Billups in the chest, Yang Shuai suddenly remembered something he had thought about during last year's draft.

He had wondered if Billups would be on the same team as Pierce, but it turned out he was the one who became teammates with Billups first.

While Yang Shuai was chatting with Billups, Dee Brown came over to greet Yang Shuai.

Brown is also a Reebok brand ambassador. He previously participated in an event with Yang Shuai during the New York All-Star Game and even performed a dunk.

Yang Shuai was impressed by Brown's dunk.

At the event, Brown performed the "blindfolded dunk" he used to defeat Kemp in the 1991 Slam Dunk Contest, creating a visually stunning effect.

Standing at 185cm tall, he's a true springy man.

After exchanging greetings, the two new recruits joined the team for training.

On the first day of training, Carlisle did not rush to have them play the full game, but instead had them observe from the sidelines first.

Billups has a high basketball IQ, and he became familiar with the Trail Blazers' tactical system very quickly.

By the next day, Carlisle had already paired him with Yang Shuai as a starter.

This was the real purpose of the Trail Blazers' trade; Billups was the main player, and Dee Brown was just an add-on.

Billups was overjoyed to be in the starting lineup so quickly.

After training that day, Yang Shuai invited Billups to a restaurant for dinner and also introduced him to the city of Portland.

Having lived here for more than half a year, and having explored the surrounding area during the offseason, Yang Shuai is now practically a Portland local.

Billups listened with great interest, but couldn't help but complain, "It's just that it always rains here."

When the Celtics traded him, they asked for his opinion and gave him two options: the Raptors or the Trail Blazers.

He ultimately chose Portland because of Yang Shuai, but he didn't expect that it would rain for two days straight after he had only stayed there, and it was a cold and damp kind of rain.

It's just that it's a coastal area where it doesn't snow easily; otherwise, it wouldn't be much better than places like Minnesota.

However, Billups quickly forgot about the rain because Yang Shuai started talking about entertainment in Portland.

Are there any women?

Before Yang Shuai could finish speaking, Billups couldn't wait to speak up.

Yang Shuai was speechless.

You were just sold off because of a woman, and now you're already looking for another woman. Just how desperate are you?

"Changxi, settle down. You haven't even established yourself here yet."

Just as Whitfield said to Yang Shuai at the beginning, the Trail Blazers are different from the Celtics. Unless Paul Allen is no longer on the team, they will not rebuild.

If Billups doesn't perform as expected, he might be traded again at the end of the season.

"It's okay, I know what's going on."

Billups, however, seemed completely unconcerned.

After all, Yang Shuai now has absolute say in the Trail Blazers team, and as long as Yang Shuai doesn't want him to leave, the Trail Blazers will never trade him.

Yang Shuai smiled helplessly.

Of all the people he met in high school, only Kevin Garnett, who entered the NBA with him, was someone he was relatively familiar with because they saw each other often.

Both Pierce and Billups, due to their different choices after graduating from high school, still knew each other from their high school days.

But people always change. Compared to the maturity and composure he showed in training camp back then, Billups now seems very frivolous.

Lust is a dangerous thing, and Billups was deeply mired in it and could not extricate himself.

The next day, the Trail Blazers hosted the Spurs at home.

Billups and Yang Shuai started in the backfield, while Grant returned to the bench.

At the start of the game, it was Spurs rookie Tim Duncan who took the lead.

说是新秀，邓肯这赛季场均21.1分12板2.7助攻2.5盖帽，投篮命中率更是高达54.9%。

With explosive physical attributes and comprehensive skills, nicknamed "Flying Devil," he is another dominant player in the league after Shaquille O'Neal who "peaked right from the start."

Although Wallace has the height and size, he is relatively light and his one-on-one defense is average, so he was really outmatched.

Furthermore, the Trail Blazers couldn't switch on defense because the Spurs had a twin-tower lineup, and having Wallace guard David Robinson would only make things worse.

Carlisle did not substitute Grant for Wallace.

First, even Grant might not be able to defend Duncan;

Secondly, the spacing system needs Wallace on the court. Taking Wallace out is equivalent to having to compete with the Spurs on defense, which is not worth the effort.

However, the Trail Blazers' offense didn't go very well tonight either.

Popovich's defensive strategy was very targeted. He mainly used double-teams against Yang Shuai, and Duncan in the paint was always ready to help defend.

At times like these, Billups' performance as Yang Shuai's backcourt partner becomes crucial.

Billups' strengths lie in his ball-handling skills, his ability to handle the ball, and his numerous three-point shooting attempts.

The Trail Blazers' management also considered the compatibility of their playing style when making trades.

However, Billups' performance was disappointing.

He first missed a series of three-point shots.

Immediately after realizing his outside shooting wasn't working, he opted to drive to the basket, but against the Spurs' twin towers lineup, he either made a mistake or got blocked.

Even on the defensive end, he was repeatedly beaten by the opposing "Little General" Avery Johnson because of his slow footwork.

For a moment, Yang Shuai felt the same way he did when he saw Michael Reed back then, wondering if he had misremembered and that he was mistaken about Billups being the Finals MVP.

Carlisle was aware of the relationship between Yang Shuai and Billups, and gave Billups halftime, but Billups' performance did not improve.

In the second half, he took Billups off the starting lineup and replaced him with Dee Brown.

Brown is 29 years old and was a starter for the Celtics, but he became a substitute at the beginning of last season due to injuries.

With the Celtics rebuilding, playing time for veterans like him has been further reduced.

This season he played 41 games for the Celtics, starting 10 of them, averaging 19.8 minutes, 6.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists, all career lows.

The Trail Blazers clearly didn't have high expectations for him; they brought him in as a trade bonus simply because Anderson's contract was a bit too big and his contract just matched their salaries.

However, this very deal, which was added to the starting lineup, resulted in a commendable performance in the second half.

He first contributed on the defensive end, sticking close to Avery Johnson and taking advantage of his unpreparedness to complete a steal and fast break dunk.

Despite his relatively short stature, he was able to hold his own defensively against Johnson, who was also a short guard.

Then on the offensive end, he received a pass from Yang Shuai and made two consecutive three-pointers from the top of the arc.

There are very few players in the NBA who can dunk and shoot well, especially in the 90s, which is one of the reasons why Yang Shuai has such high popularity.

Although Brown doesn't have the same physical gifts as Yang Shuai, as a 1.85-meter dunker, he also has a decent three-point shooting ability, with a three-point shooting percentage of 38.5% this season.

Brown's performance ignited the Rose Garden arena and put the Spurs in defensive trouble.

Popovich, who was only promoted from management to head coach last season and whose main tactic was to overwork the twin towers, clearly didn't know how to deal with it.

After he had to reduce the intensity of his defense against Yang Shuai, Yang Shuai began his performance.

In one defensive possession, Duncan simply moved a little too far out and was easily blown past by Yang Shuai with a burst of speed.

Yang Shuai ignited the crowd with a tomahawk dunk after being blocked by Duncan.

"Nice try."

After landing, Yang Shuai spoke to Duncan.

Although she knew Duncan's personality, Yang Shuai still decided to give it a try.

However, no system notification sounded in his mind; instead, Duncan's blank face was rather uninteresting.

Well, I'll skip wasting my breath next time.

However, this dunk ignited the Trail Blazers' comeback.

This Spurs team has a clear advantage in the paint with their twin towers, but their perimeter strength is noticeably lacking in comparison.

The only player who could potentially limit Yang Shuai, Sean Elliott, was sidelined for the season before the All-Star break.

Moreover, after Yang Shuai improved his mid-range shooting and passing this season, he has become a true triple threat, combining penetration, shooting, and passing. Simple inside-outside double teams cannot limit his performance.

Thanks to Yang Shuai's outstanding performance in the second half, the Trail Blazers ultimately reversed the game and defeated the Spurs 96-92, winning their first game after the All-Star break and extending their winning streak to five games.

Post-game statistics show that Yang Shuai scored 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, nearly achieving a triple-double.

It has been proven that Yang Shuai is now well-rounded enough. His starting backcourt partners only need to focus on defense and three-pointers, and even against strong teams, they have a chance to defeat their opponents.

Yang Shuai was exhausted despite winning the match.

They had hoped that Billups' arrival would relieve some of the organizational pressure on him, but they didn't expect that he would still have to play a ball-dominant style of play in the end.

Moreover, the Spurs are much stronger than their opponents before the All-Star break.

“Dee Brown has brought energy to our backcourt and relieved a lot of defensive pressure on Hansen.”

At the post-game press conference, Carlisle specifically praised Brown.

“We all know he’s a rookie, and he still needs to gain experience through games.”

When asked about Billups' performance, he was also very outspoken.

Yang Shuai couldn't help but scratch his head. Carlisle was as rough as ever when it came to managing players.

The same question was then posed to Yang Shuai.

"This is only Chauncey's first game. When I played my first NBA game, I only scored 5 points. He scored 1 more than me."

Yang Shuai's words drew laughter from the audience; he's really getting better and better at setting the mood.

"There are some voices saying that Billups is a 'bust' third overall pick. Are you worried that he won't be able to help the team in the future?"

However, reporters still pressed Yang Shuai for answers.

"No, I've known Changxi for a long time, and he's definitely not a fraud."

Yang Shuai gave his endorsement to Billups in front of reporters.

On the second day of training, Billups was placed in the reserve team by Carlisle.

He was clearly somewhat frustrated.

He thought he would be given important roles by the Trail Blazers, but he was relegated to the bench after just one bad game.

Yang Shuai noticed Billups's mood, and after training, he took Billups to the Washington Rose Laboratory.

Looking at the almost deserted rose garden in front of him, Billups had no idea why Yang Shuai had brought him here, since the rose season wouldn't start until April at the earliest.

However, Yang Shuai looked at the wasteland in front of him and said something profound:
"Chanchy, you know what? When I came here last summer, I had this idea in my mind: one day, I would parade through Portland with a car full of roses."

The champion's parade usually takes place in late June, when the roses are in full bloom.

When Billups heard this, the scene Yang Shuai described involuntarily came to mind; just imagining it was romantic enough.

“But I can’t do it on my own, I need you.” Yang Shuai said, turning to look at Billups.

Yang Shuai is not someone who likes to give advice. During his two seasons with the Pacers, the only thing he could be considered as "advising" was reminding Jermaine O'Neal that if he wanted something, he had to fight for it himself.

Because he knows that everyone has their own ideas. You may think you are advising others, but most of the time others just think you are meddling.

The reason he advised Billups this time was because he really needed him.

After more than a month of competition, he became increasingly certain that the ball-dominant style of play was not a sustainable approach.

This is also why he gave his endorsement to Billups at yesterday's press conference.

Despite Dee Brown's impressive debut, just like Knight on the Cavaliers, shorter players are bound to be targeted in the playoffs.

"I want to play well, but as you can see, I'm not even a starter right now."

Billups's words were tinged with a hint of complaint.

He's a rookie and needs time to develop.

He even felt that he had been too presumptuous back then; he should have gone to a rebuilding team like the Raptors, instead of coming to a strong team like the Trail Blazers and making things difficult for himself.

Yang Shuai frowned, but then relaxed.

“Starting today, you’ll be doing extra training with me every night.” “Huh?” Billups was stunned; he hadn’t expected Yang Shuai to make such a request.

"Have you found a woman?" Yang Shuai suddenly asked with a smile.

Billups fell silent. Yang Shuai didn't help him find a woman. He tried contacting the women he knew before, but none of them were willing to come.

Kwame Brown is right about why Ayton would rather buy out his contract than leave Portland: no woman will come looking for you in this godforsaken place.

"And you don't want to disappear from the league after your rookie contract expires, do you?"

If that's the case, then Billups would truly be confirmed as a "flop third overall pick".

After hesitating for a moment, Billups nodded.

Having come this far, he had no other choice.

That evening, Yang Shuai and Billups began extra training at the training center.

Yang Shuai continued to practice his breakthroughs, while Billups was responsible for defending him.

Then we did three-point shooting practice together.

Although Yang Shuai doesn't know how Billups can become the FMVP he knows, he does know how Billups can return to the starting lineup and help the team.

Billups only needs to do what Dee Brown did against the Spurs: defense and three-pointers.

Because what remains is Billups' height and basketball IQ, which Dee Brown lacks and cannot be changed through training.

Moreover, although Carlisle put Billups on the bench, he is fundamentally different from Larry Brown. As long as Billups demonstrates tactical value, Yang Shuai doesn't need to say anything.

Facts quickly proved that their approach was correct.

By late March, Billups' performance on the field had improved, and Carlisle immediately put him back in the starting lineup.

However, Billups only won out over Dee Brown; he still has a long way to go before putting on a good performance.

His choices during the game can sometimes be baffling, such as sometimes choosing to take possession of the ball and attack when it's clearly a good passing opportunity.

This is even more evident towards the end of the season.

With the final two games of the season already decided, Carlisle arranged for Yang Shuai to rest.

Billups seemed to unleash his scoring instincts in both games, taking a lot of shots.

Although his efficiency was not high, he scored more than 20 points in both games.

Or rather, these two games have shown the outside world that Billups is more like a Marbury-type player: he prefers to attack with the ball rather than orchestrate play.

But at this stage, nothing can be changed, and the Trail Blazers are about to embark on their playoff journey.

The Chicago Bulls remain the team with the best record in the league this year.

Although Pippen only played 44 games due to surgery, they still achieved a record of 62 wins under Jordan's leadership.

乔丹赛季场均28.7分5.8板3.5助攻1.7抢断，三项命中率为46.5%/24.8%/78.4%。

Although all his statistics have been declining year by year, Jordan is expected to achieve a three-peat as MVP this year.

The Pacers' record declined compared to last year after losing Yang Shuai, and they ultimately achieved 58 wins, ranking second in the Eastern Conference.

The Heat have won 55 games and are ranked third in the Eastern Conference.

What was rather unexpected was the Knicks, who assembled a roster that seemed more reasonable than last season, but ultimately only managed 52 wins, finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference.

Another team to watch in the East is the Cavaliers. Kemp has demonstrated his leadership, leading a group of rookies to 47 wins and returning to the playoffs as the seventh seed in the East.

In the Western Conference, the team with the best record is the SuperSonics, who have won 61 games.

Despite losing Kemp, the signing of Vin Baker perfectly filled the void, averaging 19.2 points and 8 rebounds per game, with a season field goal percentage of 54.2%.

Moreover, the SuperSonics' wing forwards remain strong, and their average points scored and allowed have not changed significantly compared to last season.

The Lakers finished second with a record of 60 wins.

Despite a perfect start, they ultimately failed to claim the top spot in the league.

The main reason for this is O'Neal's injury.

One thing that is easily overlooked is that O'Neal has missed a lot of games since the 1995-1996 season, with 28 games missed that season, then 31 games, and this season only 22 games.

O'Neal's team offense revolved around him. Once he was absent, the entire offensive system would collapse, and the Lakers lost more games than they won.

So the Lakers' failure to secure the top spot in the league and O'Neal's limited number of MVP awards can't really be blamed on luck; it's purely a matter of his attendance record.

However, the happiest person when O'Neal was absent was Kobe, as he scored over 20 points in most of those games.

Throughout the season, his average of 16.8 points per game was nearly double that of the previous season.

The Jazz are ranked third with 58 wins.

The Jazz's "twin towers" have performed much better than last season.

Their performance declined mainly because Russell was sidelined for the rest of the season.

Russell pushed Young in last year's Finals, which created a domino effect, and the last one to fall was the Jazz themselves.

The absence of their primary perimeter defensive anchor will have a more pronounced impact on them in the playoffs.

Both the Suns and the Spurs have a record of 56 wins, but the Suns are ranked fourth and the Spurs are ranked fifth due to win-loss record.

The Trail Blazers finished with a record of 50 wins, placing them sixth in the Western Conference.

杨帅在自己开拓者队生涯的第一季出场了65场比赛，场均上场36.8分钟，得到25.8分6.2板6.3助攻2.4抢断1.7盖帽，三项命中率分别是45.8%/40.5%/90.6%。

His average points per game ranked fourth in the league, and he was far ahead of fifth-placed Richmond (23.2 points).

It's a bit too early to say he's reached his peak, but Yang Shuai has clearly touched the threshold of becoming a superstar in his third season.

Such rapid progress is astonishing, and no one is discussing whether the Trail Blazers' record-breaking contract was worth it anymore.

In contrast, Kevin Garnett, who also signed a $2000 million+ annual salary contract with the Timberwolves, averaged 18.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in his third season.

Despite having a formidable trio of Garnett, Marbury, and Gugliotta, the Timberwolves ultimately only managed 46 wins.

The Rockets are the most surprising team in the Western Conference this year.

Last year, the Rockets still managed to win 58 games and rank second in the Western Conference, but this season, with little change to their roster, they have plummeted to only 41 wins and rank eighth in the Western Conference.

The main reason for this is that Hakeem Olajuwon, the Optimus Prime, has fallen.

Hakeem Olajuwon, who played almost every game in the past five seasons, only played 45 games this season due to injury, and his scoring average dropped below 20 points for the first time in his career, to only 16.4 points, and his field goal percentage also dropped below 50% for the first time.

Then there's Barkley, whose 15.2 points per game is also a career low.

If it weren't for veteran Kevin Willis experiencing a career resurgence, their winning percentage might not even be over 50%.

The good news is that because other teams in the West are rebuilding (the ninth-placed Kings only have 27 wins), Rockets head coach Tomjanovich is giving the Big Three a lot of rest at the end of the season.

Apart from Barkley being plagued by some injuries, their roster is complete.

With the rankings finalized, the playoff matchups are also determined.

The sixth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers will face the third-seeded Utah Jazz in the first round of the Western Conference.

This is yet another domino to fall.

If Russell hadn't been injured, the Jazz would most likely have secured the top seed in the Western Conference, and the two teams wouldn't have faced each other in the first round.

In a sense, it was Yang Shuai who personally delivered the Jazz team to his doorstep.

However, from the conflict in last year's regular season to the fierce battle in the finals, and now to their first-round encounter, Yang Shuai and this Jazz team can be considered to have a long and winding road of rivals.

As in previous years, before the playoffs began, TNT once again invited guests to analyze the highlights of this year's playoffs in the latest episode of "NBA Insider".

This year's East-West dynamics have shifted, and the first round in the West is clearly more interesting to watch.

The most anticipated matchup is undoubtedly between the SuperSonics and the Rockets.

The Rockets won the championship as the sixth seed in the Western Conference that year, and this year's eighth seed should not be underestimated either.

Ernie Johnson and Hubie Brown believe the Rockets have a chance of pulling off a "Black Eight" upset this year.

"People underestimated the impact of Kemp's departure on the SuperSonics. Vin Baker may be able to fill the scoring void left by Kemp's departure, but his defense will drag the team down in the playoffs."

Brown also mentioned that Kemp is a player who performs much better in the playoffs than in the regular season.

Although he never scored 20+ points in a single regular season, he consistently contributed 20+10 in the playoffs for the past three consecutive seasons.

Especially in the 1996 Finals, Kemp averaged 23.3 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. As a player on the losing team, he received 3 Finals MVP votes, more than Pippen and Rodman on the opposing team.

In contrast, although Vin Baker is also an All-Star player, he is still a virgin in the playoffs despite having been in the league for many years.

Marv Albert and Mike Breen believe that the Rockets' performance has declined too much due to injuries this year, and the SuperSonics can shut them down simply by using their perimeter help defense and double-teaming.

They then discussed the matchup between the Jazz and the Trail Blazers.

Unlike the disagreement over whether the Rockets can pull off an upset, most believe the Jazz will eliminate the Trail Blazers.

Even Ernie Johnson, a fan of Yang Shuai, believes that the Trail Blazers will have a tough time getting past the Jazz.

"Even without Kobe, the Jazz are still a Finals-caliber team, and they are far more mature than the Trail Blazers."

Mike Brin's words hit the nail on the head.

Although the Trail Blazers have identified their core players and established a tactical system this season, they haven't even fully gelled yet.

Not to mention that their current starting point guard is just a rookie.

Before the playoffs began, the league announced the first batch of awards for the season, which were also related to rookies.

Duncan unsurprisingly won the Rookie of the Year award, with a vote share of over 97%.

It's not that the other players are bad. For example, Zydrunas Ilgauskas of the Cavaliers averages 13.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game, and helped the team make the playoffs. He's definitely an All-Star prospect.

Another example is Keith Van Horn of the Brooklyn Nets, who averaged 19.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, numbers that were enough to win Rookie of the Year in some years.

All I can say is that Duncan's games are far more entertaining to watch than anyone else's.

Billups fared worse; as the third overall pick, he didn't even make the All-Rookie Second Team.

His former teammate, Ron Mercer, who was also prosecuted for engaging in group sex with him, was named to the All-Rookie First Team.

It's worth mentioning that when this first batch of awards was announced this year, the league also released an announcement on the severe punishment of malicious fouls in the game.

If a player is called for a flagrant foul 2, they are very likely to be suspended immediately after the game.

It's clear that the fight at the end of last year's finals really gave Stern a psychological scar.

The Trail Blazers arrived in Salt Lake City the day before the playoffs began.

The Trail Blazers should be familiar with this place, as they played in the playoffs here just two years ago, the series where Sabonis averaged 20+10, which was the one Yang Shuai saw in the player handbook.

However, the Trail Blazers' roster has changed frequently. In just two years, only Sabonis and Trent remain from that original team.

On the plane, Yang Shuai also chatted with Sabonis about some details of that series from back then.

Contrary to his expectations, Sabonis didn't actually have any pleasant memories of that experience.

Because in the final do-or-die game, the Trail Blazers lost by a whopping 38 points, and were held to just 64 points by the defense.

In other words, the Pacers were so strong before that they seemed a bit weak compared to the Jazz.

In fact, the Jazz are a team that strikes fear into the hearts of their opponents in the West. Their defense is not only very aggressive, but their rotation speed is also very fast.

This was most evident when they played against the Lakers, as they were the only team in the West to sweep the Lakers in the regular season.

After arriving in Salt Lake City, the Trail Blazers went to Delta Air Lines Center for venue adaptation training.

The familiar stage and familiar scene reminded Yang Shuai of the finals last season, where he lifted the championship trophy while limping.

However, that would also give him more confidence.

Although he left the Pacers, he still remembered what Bird told him: the key to beating Jordan was confidence.

Or rather, on the playoff stage, confidence is the foundation for defeating opponents.

Of course, he wasn't blindly confident; he had already trained his breakthroughs and three-pointers to their full potential.

现在的他有着99的单防、95的空位三分、93的接球三分、93的抢断、92的冲刺扣篮、91的突破上篮、84的接球中距离、83的篮板和协防、81的传球……

Not to mention he has also strengthened his muscle groups and developed increasingly sophisticated basketball techniques such as puppy footwork and crossover dribble.

After training, Yang Shuai gave an interview to reporters on the sidelines.

“I know what people think of us, saying that we are not mature enough, that we are not fully integrated, etc., but I am here to take away victory.”

When Yang Shuai displayed this confidence to the reporters, it drew their attention.

But they weren't surprised, after all, Yang Shuai was the Finals MVP and had said when he first arrived that he would bring more than one championship to the Trail Blazers.

Of course, they were curious but also a little expectant, knowing that there was a clear difference in strength between the two teams, and this was the Jazz's home court.

(End of this chapter)