The longest river

Chapter 194 Yang Shuai is not Jordan
After Yang Shuai finished speaking, he looked at Deng Liwei again, which was also his final piece of advice to Deng Liwei.

Dunleavy coughed awkwardly.

Upon seeing this, Carlisle announced that today's training session was over, thus giving Pippen and Dunleavy a way out.

Then, he called Yang Shuai to his office.

Of course, it wasn't about discussing the scrimmage just now; neither Pippen nor Dunleavy were that important to him.

Instead, the season is about to start, and he plans to discuss Yang Shuai's role in the new season with him.

Now that the team has Pippen and Billups has improved a lot since last season, Yang Shuai no longer needs to play the ball-dominant style like he did last season.

However, if Yang Shuai has less possession of the ball, his statistics will inevitably be affected.

For fans and media, data is the most direct way to evaluate a player's ability.

Therefore, players' obsession with statistics is just like their obsession with money; it's normal and easily addictive.

However, Yang Shuai doesn't care about these things, or rather, he doesn't need to maintain his influence with all-around statistics like those "ball-dominant big men" he knows.

He's essentially a scorer; all he needs to do is score to win the game.

Due to the prolonged suspension, this year's regular season was ultimately reduced to 50 games, and all preseason games were canceled.

To give fans a general idea of ​​the strength of each team in the new season, ESPN has released a power ranking list for the new season.

In this list, ESPN analyzed the rosters of each team and made predictions about their records.

First, the Wizards
After a series of moves in the trade market, the Wizards now have a roster that looks even more impressive than the Bulls used to be.

Jordan and Richmond lead the All-Star wing positions, and because Richmond excels at three-pointers, their roles do not overlap.

The point guard is former Portland Trail Blazers star Rod Strickland. Although he has never been selected as an All-Star in his career, he is 1.91 meters tall and has both offensive and defensive skills. Last season, he averaged 17.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 10.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and was the league's assist leader.
The core of the interior is Juwan Howard, the "first man in the NBA to earn over 100 million dollars". Although his performance has not lived up to his contract after signing the big contract, he averaged 18.5 points, 7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game last season.

Projected starting lineup: Strickland, Richmond, Jordan, Howard, Rodman
Projected rotation: Chris Whitney, Tracy Murray (15 points per game last season), Terry Davis, Ben Wallace

Last season's record: 42 wins and 40 losses, ninth in the Eastern Conference
Projected record for the new season: 40 wins and 10 losses, first in the Eastern Conference.
Second, the Jazz
The Jazz's roster hasn't changed much, but the biggest improvement is the return of D'Angelo Russell.

Last season's record: 58 wins and 24 losses, third in the Western Conference
Projected record for the new season: 38 wins and 12 losses, first in the Western Conference.
Third, the Lakers
The Lakers made a trade before the start of the season, sending away Van Exel, who had a dismal performance in last year's playoffs (33.1% field goal percentage), in exchange for veteran Derek Harper (not Ron Harper, the former starting point guard for the Knicks).

Projected starting lineup: Harper, Eddie Jones, Rick Fox, Horry, O'Neal
Projected rotation: Fisher, Kobe, Elden Campbell, Tyrese Knight
Last season's record: 60 wins and 22 losses, second in the Western Conference
Projected record for the new season: 37 wins and 13 losses, second in the Western Conference.
Fourth, the Pacers
Fifth, the San Antonio Spurs
Most importantly for the Spurs, they welcomed back their key wing player, Shawn Elliott.

In addition to Steve Kerr, whom they signed in free agency, they also acquired Antonio Daniels (Yang Shuai's rival in his senior year of high school) and Mario Elie through trades.

Projected starting lineup: Avery Johnson, Jaren Jackson Jr. (father of Jaren Jackson Jr.), Sean Elliott, Tim Duncan, David Robinson

Projected rotation: Antonio Daniels, Steve Kerr, Mario Elie, Will Perdo
Last season's record: 56 wins and 26 losses, fifth in the Western Conference
Projected record for the new season: 35 wins and 15 losses, third in the Western Conference.
Sixth, the Portland Trail Blazers
Paul Allen continued to demonstrate his financial power, acquiring Pippen in free agency, arguably the best player besides Jordan.

With Pippen sharing the playmaking and defensive burden, Yang Shuai's offensive performance in the new season is worth looking forward to.

However, the Bulls' championship win made many people overlook Pippen's performance issues. In three of the six games of last year's Finals, Pippen scored in single digits.

The Bulls' championship win in 1996 didn't draw as much attention to Pippen because of Father's Day, but last season's Finals left Pippen nowhere to hide.

In the crucial Game 6, Pippen only scored 8 points on 3-of-11 shooting.

In comparison, Jordan scored 45 points in that game.

Only Michael Jordan could win the Finals with his second-in-command scoring only 8 points.

If Jordan were replaced by any other player in the league, the Bulls would not have won Game 6, and might even have lost Game 7.

It's questionable what kind of condition Pippen is in at 33.

Moreover, because it was a sign-and-trade deal, the Trail Blazers lost many important rotation players in the Pippen trade.

That's not just a weakening of the rotation players; it also means the Trail Blazers will have to extend the playing time of their starters during the regular season.

This wouldn't be a problem in a normal season, but in a shortened season with a dense schedule and a lot of back-to-back games, it would be a major concern.

Expected starting lineup: Billups, Yang Shuai, Pippen, Wallace, Sabonis

Projected rotation: Tyronn Lue, Walter Williams, Gary Trent, Kevin Cato

Last season's record: 50 wins and 32 losses, sixth in the Western Conference
Projected record for the new season: 31 wins and 19 losses, fourth in the Western Conference.
ESPN's list has sparked intense discussion.

伴随着这种热度，1999年2月5日，1998~1999缩水赛季正式拉开序幕。

Ten games were played on the first day, setting an NBA record.

The most anticipated and earliest game of the day was between the Wizards and the Bulls.

While theoretically the rebuilding Bulls are unlikely to be a match for the Wizards, Stern has clearly orchestrated a lot of buzz for them.

In particular, this game will be accompanied by the Bulls' championship ring presentation ceremony.

In fact, once the live stream started, its viewership surpassed that of last season's finals.

The Trail Blazers also have a game on this day, hosting the Lakers.

As usual, Yang Shuai arrived at the stadium an hour early to warm up.

When he entered the arena, the Bulls' championship ring presentation ceremony was being broadcast on the wall-mounted TV in the corridor.

He couldn't help but stop and stand there.

Jordan was placed last among the players, and the cheers from the crowd were deafening when he received the ring, bringing tears to his eyes.

For Jordan, Chicago had become his second home. Forced to leave the team at the end of his career, it was hard not to be moved when he heard the support of the Chicago fans.

Recalling Jordan's speech at Kobe's memorial service, it's clear that while Jordan was often a jerk off the court, he still had a sentimental side.

When Yang Shuai arrived at the stadium to warm up, there weren't many fans there yet.

However, by the time he finished warming up and was about to return to the locker room, the venue was already packed.

As he entered the players' tunnel, fans on both sides screamed wildly at him.

You can completely feel their madness.

Yang Shuai also stopped to sign autographs for them.

This is something he has been doing ever since he started coming in early to warm up.

Just then, a little boy handed him a bouquet of roses.

Yang Shuai was holding a pen in his other hand, looking at the roses, but he couldn't sign them.

He simply took off his training clothes, signed them, and gave them to the little boy.

"Hansen, can we win tonight?"

After receiving his training uniform, the little boy excitedly asked, "Last season, they were eliminated by the Lakers in the playoffs."

"Will do."

Yang Shuai nodded, then added,
"We will not lose to them again."

Half an hour before the game started, the Rose Garden Arena was already packed, with fans even in the aisles, resembling a playoff scene.

Portland fans are already incredibly passionate about basketball, and the past six months have been incredibly pent-up, leading to a surge in pent-up demand for watching games.

Not to mention, the Trail Blazers are more anticipated than ever in the new season.

That anticipation transformed into ear-piercing cheers during the opening ceremony.

Yang Shuai felt his blood surging uncontrollably.

Having not played a formal match for more than half a year, he couldn't wait to get back on the field.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups for both sides were announced.

The Trail Blazers' starting lineup was exactly as predicted by ESPN.

The Lakers have made some changes; Fox is not in the starting lineup, and Kobe is starting at small forward!

This is a bit unexpected.

However, Yang Shuai became even more excited after seeing it.

Everything he did for Kobe was to get him into the starting lineup as soon as possible, and now his wish has come true.

Before the game, Yang Shuai walked over to Pippen and gave him a piece of advice: "Defend against Kobe well."

Having trained with Kobe throughout the hiatus, Yang Shuai knows that Kobe's skills have improved significantly since last season.

Pippen glanced at Yang Shuai and frowned.

Yang Shuai had previously used Kobe Bryant to humiliate him during a training match, and now he's emphasizing it again, which is completely disrespectful.

After that practice game, he knew he couldn't become the leader of the Trail Blazers, but he didn't give in to Yang Shuai.

The game started quickly, and amidst the cheers of the fans, Sabonis earned the Trail Blazers the first offensive opportunity.

Yang Shuai used Sabonis' screen to cut to the basket in the frontcourt, received a pass from Billups, and delivered his signature tomahawk dunk, instantly igniting the entire arena.

The improvement in his breakthrough comes from the explosiveness and physical fitness enhancement package, which also makes his off-ball cuts faster than before.

Moreover, Billups' passing quality is significantly better than last season.

That's something Billups learned from Brandon.

It's not about fancy passing moves, it's about the most basic thing: getting the ball to your teammate at the right time and in the right place.

Jones then fed the ball to O'Neal on the strong side, and O'Neal slammed it past Sabonis and scored before the Trail Blazers could collapse the defense, drawing a foul in the process.

The hiatus of more than half a year caused O'Neal to gain weight again. He looked at least 20 pounds heavier than last season, which gave him an advantage when facing Sabonis.

After landing, O'Neal performed a domineering celebration.

That's right, the "King Walk" was originally Shaquille O'Neal's signature celebration move in the NBA.

"You will never beat us."

Moreover, before the free throw was added, O'Neal trash-talked Yang Shuai on the side of the free throw line.

His attitude is completely different from that of last season's playoffs.

It wasn't that he suddenly changed his mind, but because that damned Yang Shuai stole the Google stock that was rightfully his last summer!
He felt he would lose 100 million because of this!

Yang Shuai laughed when he heard this.

He didn't know why O'Neal had changed his attitude, but this was the O'Neal he wanted to see.

The way O'Neal praised him at the press conference last season didn't make him happy; on the contrary, it disgusted him.

Because he had stated more than once that he would not reconcile with O'Neal, O'Neal still insisted on getting involved.

That gives the impression of being a simp.

In his previous life, before he transmigrated, being a simp was at the very bottom of the social hierarchy.

He doesn't like having anything to do with simps, whether it's simping or being simped.

This feels right now.

Since the conflict is irreconcilable, then it should be fought to the death on the field.

"There is only one thing in this world that is forever, and that is that we can never be friends."

Yang Shuai stopped smiling and looked at O'Neal.

"when!"

O'Neal missed the free throw.

Sabonis secured the defensive rebound.

The Trail Blazers executed another strong-side play in the frontcourt. This time, facing a retreating O'Neal and a closing Jones, Yang Shuai indeed drove into the free-throw line and hit a pull-up mid-range shot.

"If you don't fight back like a dead pig, I can spend the whole night shooting myself into you like this."

After finding the connection, Yang Shuai felt his trash talk flowed much more smoothly.

"Negative energy from Shaquille O'Neal +800".

O'Neal looked angry, but Yang Shuai was overjoyed.

That's the right thing to do. Stop being a sycophant and focus on getting to the top of the leaderboard.

O'Neal continued to establish position in the low post, and Yang Shuai immediately opted to double-team Jones to prevent him from passing the ball.

Seeing this, O'Neal moved to the weak side position.

Jones passed the ball to Harper, who then passed it to Kobe.

The Lakers' offense shifts from the strong side to the weak side, a tactic they used to counter the Trail Blazers' double-teaming in last season's playoffs.

However, O'Neal failed to receive the ball this time.

Last season it worked because the Trail Blazers only had Yang Shuai as a strong perimeter defender, while Williams on the weak side didn't have much defensive ability.

But this season, they got Pippen!

Pippen's overall defensive ability is no worse than Yang Shuai's, especially his help defense ability, which is even stronger.

Seeing that he couldn't get the ball in, Kobe was quite decisive and took the ball and broke through from the middle.

Pippen responded calmly; he had already returned to defense and was ready to steal the ball from Kobe's hands.

Yang Shuai said he couldn't stop Kobe, so he's going to prove Yang Shuai wrong in the most violent way.

However, just as he was about to make his move, Kobe seized the opportunity, grabbed the ball, and then slowly dribbled past him.

For a split second, Pippen's brain went blank when he realized he had been beaten.

Did Kobe really get beaten by him?
By the time he turned around to chase after him, it was too late.

"Oh!"

A muffled thud echoed as Kobe showcased his athleticism, executing a lightning-fast one-handed dunk.

That caused a stir at the scene.

After entering the league, Kobe and Yang Shuai also loved dunking. Because many of his techniques were similar to Jordan's, he earned the nickname "Little Flying Man".

Kobe was extremely excited after the dunk, pulling at his jersey and roaring at the sidelines.

After playing as a substitute for the Lakers for two seasons, he finally got to start and he was itching to make it.

Pippen turned around and looked at Yang Shuai somewhat guiltily, but Yang Shuai was already running towards the frontcourt.

Following Harris's tactical gesture, the Lakers began to deploy their weak-side defense to double-team Yang Shuai.

Billups passed the ball to Pippen on the weak side.

Pippen received the ball and accelerated to break through to the basket.

Facing a retiring O'Neal, Pippen also opted for a pull-up mid-range shot.

However, his shot missed, and it went very wide.

ESPN's criticism of Pippen is incorrect. Not only did he perform poorly in the Finals, but his 44.7% field goal percentage last season was also a career low, clearly unacceptable for a small forward. O'Neal secured the defensive rebound and immediately turned to look for someone.

Fortunately, Yang Shuai kept up with Kobe and prevented the Lakers from launching a fast break, and both sides continued to engage in positional warfare.

Harper then passed the ball to Kobe.

Harper, having spent many years in the league, clearly has a better grasp of the situation than his predecessor, Van Exel.

With Jerry West finally receiving the $200 million promised by Jerry Buss and a large contract extension with the Lakers, Kobe Bryant, whom West had selected and valued, also saw his status within the team rise accordingly. This is why Kobe was able to displace De'Aaron Fox from the starting lineup at the beginning of this season.

Let alone starting him, I wouldn't be surprised if the Lakers traded Eddie Jones, who has a similar role to Kobe, this season.

After receiving the ball, Kobe didn't wait for O'Neal to get into position before immediately changing direction and starting his drive.

This time, Pippen put in all his effort and didn't make a move easily, sticking close to Kobe.

But to his surprise, Kobe suddenly grabbed the ball and made a strong contact with him, then instantly took a big step to widen the distance between them, followed by a mid-range shot.

In these two rounds, Kobe not only made quick judgments, but also performed his movements very skillfully.

Kobe had seen news reports about Yang Shuai back then, and he knew that Yang Shuai trained eight hours more than others. (Yang Shuai: Would a normal person believe that?)
He can't do that; all he can do is give it his all and not waste a single second.

He had practiced this move countless times in the empty Western Forum arena.

The improvement in Yang Shuai's strength that he felt was the result of tens of thousands of training sessions, a quantitative change that eventually led to a qualitative change.

Pippen's face was ashen.

If the previous offensive possessions were due to his carelessness, then this last move showed that Kobe had thoroughly shaken him off.

What he perceived as an insult from Yang Shuai was actually just a reminder that Kobe was much stronger now than he had been in the past.

Kobe's mid-range shots all featured Jordan's fadeaway motion; it's clear he was training to imitate Jordan's techniques when he was young.

"boom!"

However, just as Kobe released the shot, a hand suddenly appeared from his side and behind, swatting the ball out of bounds.

The stadium was instantly filled with cheers from the fans.

That was a defensive block from Yang Shuai!
Kobe focused all his attention on Pippen and completely missed Yang Shuai's help defense.

However, it was only because Yang Shuai knew Kobe well enough that he knew Kobe wouldn't pass the ball in this situation, allowing him to calmly provide help defense in advance.

Pippen breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that Kobe hadn't scored.

If Kobe scores on him repeatedly, he'll really lose face.

He looked at Yang Shuai again, but just as he was about to express his gratitude and say something, Yang Shuai's next words were as cold as a February winter in Portland.

"Defend well against Kobe, so I don't have to say it a third time."

Yang Shuai is not Jordan. He and Pippen did not have the same experience of growing together from the bottom to the top. He has no reason to coax Pippen.

In reality, whether it was Pippen's disdainful attitude in that training game before entering the NBA, or his tendency to falter at crucial moments in the two games against the Bulls after entering the NBA, he couldn't possibly have much affection for Pippen.

He doesn't object to Pippen coming, simply because Pippen's addition would clearly benefit the team.

In fact, when Whithardt asked him if Billups could be included in the Pippen trade, he gave a negative answer.

Whitsett didn't insist at that time, but even if Whitsett had insisted and given him a choice between Pippen and Billups, he would still have chosen Billups without hesitation.

His attitude towards Pippen was essentially the same as his attitude towards Kenny Anderson:

As long as they play well, they're teammates;
If they can't play well, that's okay, we can just find someone else to play.

Pippen's face turned red. After being coaxed by Jordan like a little wife for so many years, he was suddenly being treated so harshly and he was not used to it.

However, at this moment he also realized that Yang Shuai was not Jordan.

After realizing this, Pippen fell into confusion.

Because he felt he was not needed, that he was dispensable.

This confused state made it increasingly difficult for him to defend Kobe.

Kobe repeatedly broke through Pippen's defense, drawing the Blazers' defensive line, and he even delivered a beautiful pass to O'Neal.

The Lakers' offense has been revitalized.

It has been proven that as long as there is a guard on the perimeter who can draw the defense and prevent O'Neal from being double-teamed so badly, his dominance in the paint is the most terrifying in the league.

Especially after gaining weight passively this season, even Sabonis can't hold him down anymore.

About six minutes into the first quarter, Pippen and Wallace were substituted by Carlisle for a rest.

The camera immediately focused on Pippen, showing his stats: 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 foul.

A commotion arose at the scene.

Pippen's poor performance was something no one expected before the game. If he continues like this, the Trail Blazers will have made a huge mistake with their previous trade.

Moreover, Pippen is on a five-year max contract, and if he doesn't perform well, the Trail Blazers can't trade him now.

In the footage, Pippen's brows are furrowed.

Just as Yang Shuai knew, he was also a player with ambition, but he just couldn't control his thoughts.

Lu then greeted Wallace and sat down next to Pippen.

When Pippen turned around and saw it was Lu, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

During his time with the Trail Blazers, apart from Booth who came with him, only Lue had any interaction with him.

He felt very comfortable talking to Lu.

"You see, Hansen can't do everything by himself."

After Lue sat down, he patted Pippen's arm, gesturing for him to look at the court.

After Pippen left the court, Yang Shuai switched to guard Kobe, and Kobe was effectively contained by Yang Shuai.

However, the Lakers used their strategy from last season, with O'Neal switching from the strong side to the weak side in the low post, and the Trail Blazers still couldn't effectively contain the Lakers' offense.

If it weren't for Yang Shuai's continued offensive output, the Lakers would have already taken the lead.

So Lue wasn't lying; the Trail Blazers really need Pippen. Even if Pippen can't stop Kobe, his help defense can limit O'Neal's performance.

Pippen turned his gaze to Yang Shuai.

He understood what Lu said, but Yang Shuai's attitude made him very unhappy. The Trail Blazers clearly needed him, but Yang Shuai acted as if he was dispensable.

"Chauncey told me that he played terribly when he first came here," Lu continued, noticing Pippen's gaze.
"But he said that Hansen later took him to the Washington Rose Experimental Garden and told him about a dream, which was to one day drive a truckload of roses through Portland in a championship parade."

When Pippen heard this, he turned around, and the romantic scene involuntarily came to mind.

"But Hansen told Chauncey that he couldn't do it alone and that he needed his teammates' help."

As Lu spoke, his eyes were fixed on Pippen.

"Scottie, Hansen needs you!"

Pippen let out a long sigh of relief. Although it wasn't Yang Shuai who said it, the words "Hansen needs you" dispelled most of his dissatisfaction.

Yang Shuai may simply not be as good at expressing himself as Jordan.

“They all say you can’t succeed without Michael, but I think you can succeed just as well here. We can sit together in that champion’s parade float full of roses.”

Seeing Pippen's reaction, Lu pressed his advantage.

Something burned in Pippen's eyes; Lue's words struck a chord with him.

Ten minutes into the first quarter, both teams began rotating their lineups, and Yang Shuai was substituted off the court to rest.

The score was tied at 24, with Yang Shuai having scored 12 points.

In ESPN's rankings, the Lakers are ranked third and the Trail Blazers are ranked sixth, indicating a gap in strength between the two teams.

However, the Trail Blazers and Lakers are evenly matched so far in the game, even with Pippen not performing well.

It's not that ESPN's experts are not objective, but rather that in those ten minutes, Yang Shuai, Billups, and Wallace all demonstrated their improvement.

Even without Pippen, they are already on par with the Lakers.

That's also why Yang Shuai isn't so fond of Pippen; for the Trail Blazers, Pippen was just icing on the cake.

Pippen and Wallace were brought on as substitutes again by Carlisle during this rotation phase.

Carlisle's approach to dealing with a weakening bench strength is the "off-peak travel" strategy he used last season, pairing starters with substitutes to get through the transition period between the bench and substitutes.

This is clearly a smarter approach than simply extending the playing time of the key players.

Yang Shuai took a sip of water and then wiped the sweat from his brow.

Although Billups' growth has freed him from playing the ball-dominant role like last season, his offensive focus on scoring and defensive duties against Kobe still take a toll on his stamina.

After wiping himself down and placing the towel on his lap, his gaze involuntarily fell on Pippen.

He was unusually empathetic with Jordan at this moment, which made Pippen's awkward personality really speechless.

The more he talked about Pippen, the more lost he became. Wasn't he just like the spoiled brat next door in his past life, someone who couldn't be hit or scolded?

"Ok?"

However, after a short while, he showed a Nick Young-esque question mark face.

The Trail Blazers completed a successful defensive play, with Pippen making a long pass from the backcourt to Lue, who then launched a fast break and delivered a powerful dunk.

Lue is the same height as Iverson, only 1.83 meters tall with shoes on. Moreover, he doesn't have Iverson's flashy skills and brilliant resume. He was able to become a first-round pick because of his physical attributes.

Lu is not only fast, but he can also jump more than 1 meter high.

However, what puzzled Yang Shuai was not Lue's dunk, but the fact that the Trail Blazers' fast break was initiated after Pippen helped block Kobe's shot!
Yang Shuai turned to look at Billups, hoping to get an answer from him.

Billups shook his head, clearly unaware of what had happened.

Moreover, unexpected things were still happening on the field for Yang Shuai.

After Kobe got blocked by Pippen, he called for the ball and went one-on-one.

However, his dribble drive was intercepted by Pippen!
Pippen's defensive ability is beyond doubt, but more importantly, his focus right now is completely different from when he started the game!
Why did Pippen suddenly become so assertive?

What's going on?
No one could give him an answer, but the fact is that Pippen suddenly seemed like a different person.

Regardless of the reason, this is a good thing for the Trail Blazers.

Last season, the Trail Blazers lost to the Lakers not only because of defensive issues, but also because of their lack of roster depth.

This problem persists, as ESPN has pointed out: the Trail Blazers gave up too many rotation players in the Pippen trade.

As a result, with Pippen regaining his form, the Trail Blazers actually gained the upper hand during this period!

Although Pippen's offensive performance was indeed rather average, he could also orchestrate the offense in addition to his defense.

Last season, Wallace could only rely on his own hard work in the low post, but when he partnered with Pippen, his shot opportunities after receiving the ball improved significantly, whether it was running pick-and-rolls with Pippen or attacking on the weak side.

Even when Pippen is not in good form, he will not lose his playmaking and defense.

At halftime, the Trail Blazers led the Lakers 51-44.

In the second half, Carlisle made defensive adjustments, assigning Yang Shuai to guard Kobe and Pippen to guard Eddie Jones.

Kobe couldn't beat Yang Shuai, so Harper opted to pass the ball to Jones more often, initiating attacks from Jones' side.

Jones' talent is not much worse than Kobe's, but his mentality is far inferior to Kobe's.

He didn't dare play against Kobe last season, and he doesn't dare play against Pippen this season either.

Pippen fully demonstrated his help defense ability at this time, making O'Neal very uncomfortable when he was playing one-on-one in the low post.

While the increase in weight gave O'Neal an advantage in physical confrontations, it also reduced his agility.

This also brought the Lakers' offense to a standstill.

On the other hand, Yang Shuai began to frequently target O'Neal's weakness in his retirement, and also made several good passes under the Lakers' double-teaming.

In one instance, he broke through the double team and drew O'Neal's attention into the paint, delivering a brilliant pass to Pippen who was cutting in from the weak side. Pippen received the ball and drove straight in for his signature one-handed long-arm dunk.

That forced the Lakers to call a timeout.

Pippen was very excited after landing and immediately gave Yang Shuai a big high five.

Although Yang Shuai still doesn't know what happened during the four minutes Pippen was resting on the bench, Pippen, who played well, was a good teammate, just like Billups.

When the pause ended, Yang Shuai continued his point-collecting mode.

This time, however, his target changed from Shaq to Kobe.

"That fat guy has no idea what self-discipline is. He doesn't deserve to be the Lakers' core player. You are the future of the Lakers."

Although Kobe did not answer, his upturned lips and the gesture of reaching for the ball showed that he agreed with what Yang said.

However, once he started playing one-on-one, Yang Shuai's familiar trash talk came out as expected.

"Ah Dou, is this all you've got? How can you be the Lakers' leader?"

"Ah Dou, give up. You're just wasting possession of the ball."

"Good attempt, you almost scored."

……

Ultimately, the Trail Blazers defeated the Lakers 106-91 at home, securing a winning start to the season.

杨帅得到40分6板5助攻，华莱士19分7板，萨博尼斯13分8板，比卢普斯12分5助攻，皮蓬11分7板6助攻3抢断2盖帽。

At the post-match press conference, Yang Shuai and Pippen attended alongside Carlisle.

"You scored 40 points in the season opener, and you look even better than last season. How did you do that?"

"Last season's defeat has been a constant reminder of our efforts. We worked twice as hard during the suspension so that we could play like we did tonight."

Yang Shuai wasn't showing off this time, because the Trail Blazers' victory tonight wasn't just due to his improvement alone. Wallace, Billups, and even Pippen all played up to their potential.

This was a resounding team victory.

"Scottie only made 3 of 11 shots tonight. Are you worried about his offensive performance?"

After the reporter finished asking the question, Pippen did not turn his head, but his eyes unconsciously glanced at Yang Shuai out of the corner of his eye.

"No, we all know Scottie's ability. He's been in this league for ten years, he has five championship rings, and he has more experience than any of us."

Yang Shuai's attitude towards Pippen was no different from that during the game. If he played poorly, he would say so, but if he played well, he would praise him without hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Pippen couldn't help but smile.

He now confirms that what Lu said was true.

Yang Shuai does need him, he just hasn't expressed it before.

(End of this chapter)