The longest river

Chapter 250 The Strict Father Type...

With three minutes remaining in the first quarter, the score was 25-12, with the Cavaliers leading.

This score was something no one would have expected before the match.

However, fans who watched the game wouldn't find it surprising.

The Cavaliers' fast break offense showcased the characteristics of their young team, while the Pacers, despite their strong roster, appeared outdated in wave after wave of fast breaks.

Even if they manage to break through in positional warfare, they still can't stop Yang Shuai from scoring in positional warfare.

In short, Scott made the young Cavaliers look like a copy of the Nets, while Yang Shuai's presence made them different from the Nets.

Both sides began to rotate their players at this point. Yang Shuai, who was slightly sweating, scored 8 points and 3 assists, and was substituted off the court at this time.

James also played exceptionally well in the first quarter, making all three of his shots and scoring 6 points and 2 assists without any turnovers.

Compared to his performance in the preseason, this performance can be described as perfect.

Scott also left him on the field to lead the team alone.

The advantage of young people is that they have plenty of physical strength, especially someone with a large physique like LeBron James.

Of course, Scott did this for the same reason that Bird did back then.

James is, after all, a rookie. Allowing him to "travel off-peak" will not only give him experience but also reduce the defensive pressure he faces on the court.

After all, the opponents in the preseason are a level higher than those in the Summer League, and the regular season is a level higher than those in the preseason.

At this point, Barkley and Kenny Smith in the commentary booth also started talking about James.

"LeBron's performance tonight was surprising, but not unexpected. In fact, he played very well in the last three preseason games. He's a high schooler, but he adapts very well," Smith commented on James' performance.

"Really?" Barkley, however, didn't rush to conclusions. The shots James made were all fast break baskets. While dunks are cool, they don't necessarily mean much.

Just as they were talking, the whistle blew, and James committed a turnover.

As a point guard, there are essentially two ways to organize the offense. One is for the team to have sufficiently sophisticated tactics, such as the Warriors, who can use various screens like the elevator door to directly set up plays from the top of the key, just like Green.

Another approach is to have sufficient offensive threat, forcing opponents to double-team you through individual attacks, and then passing the ball to your teammates.

James just tried the first approach, but Scott isn't Carlisle; he doesn't have as many sophisticated tactics. His previous success in half-court sets relied on Yang Shuai's strong individual offensive threat. Now that Yang Shuai isn't on the court, those ordinary tactics seem somewhat clumsy against the Pacers.

If James continued to pass the ball in a predictable manner, the Pacers would easily figure it out.

Tinsley made a steal, and after the Pacers were hit by several fast breaks, they finally managed to get back on the Cavaliers' end. Mercer received the ball and dunked on the fast break.

The somber atmosphere at the scene instantly returned.

Since the first method didn't work, James had to try the second one.

After seeing that his teammates hadn't created a good opportunity, he dribbled the ball and drove to the basket.

His starting speed wasn't particularly fast, and although Mercer, who was matched up against him, kept up, he was still knocked away by Mercer's bull-like body.

If you successfully get past your defender, the attack is half successful, because theoretically, as long as you draw the help defender, you can then break through and pass the ball.

However, in reality, Malone, who was guarding the basket, did not help defend James, but instead gave him a big mid-range opportunity.

It was clear that the preseason exposed James's weakness in shooting, and the experienced Malone exploited this weakness.

James ultimately did not choose to take a mid-range shot, nor did he even choose to finish near the rim. It was not that he did not want to, but rather that his finishing methods, such as floaters and turnaround fadeaways, were just as unreliable as his mid-range shots.

He ultimately opted for a layup after the challenge.

Given his physical attributes, once he gets going, it's usually very difficult for an inside player to stop him, and even if they could, they would easily commit a foul.

Unfortunately for him, he was facing Karl Malone, the bodybuilding champion.

As a result, James, like a bull, crashed into a wall and was bounced away, with the ball flying out of bounds along with him.

The referee signaled that the ball was out of bounds, and possession belonged to the Pacers.

James became somewhat agitated after seeing the referee's call and ran up to the referee, indicating that Malone had committed a blocking foul.

However, the referee ignored him.

At that time, James was just a rookie, and Reebok already had Young, so he didn't have any special privileges.

After seeing the referee's reaction, James helplessly shrugged.

This scene drew cheers and jeers from the fans in the stadium.

They recalled the scene on Media Day when James took out Yang Shuai's biography. From fast breaks to shrugging, James really is very much like Yang Shuai.

However, he clearly only learned the form but not the meaning. Yang Shuai's shrug was a mockery of the opponent's defensive failure, but James used it as a tool to express his dissatisfaction with the referee's call.

The Cavaliers are struggling in half-court sets, so they can only hope to perform well on the defensive end and score through fast breaks, just like before.

However, this time, their defense collapsed when Malone attacked the basket, and Harrington hit a three-pointer from the outside.

The Pacers' F4 lineup is old and lacks spacing on the court, but their bench lineup is the same as last season's one-star-four-shooter lineup, which has a lot of spacing.

In the final three minutes of the quarter, the Cavaliers were outscored 8-0 by the Pacers, turning a 13-point deficit into just 5.

After that failed drive, James didn't attempt any more individual offensive plays.

At the start of the second quarter, Scott substituted James out of the game and brought in Ricky Davis to lead the team.

Davis wasn't able to help the Cavaliers widen the gap again, but his ability to penetrate and dish helped stabilize the situation on the court.

It's clear that Davis's leadership on the court is stronger than James's.

"LeBron needs to improve his shooting. When your opponents know you can't shoot, it becomes very easy for them to defend you," Smith pointed out the key difference.

"I think he should play in the G League," Barkley said, making a surprising statement.

"He seems to have lost confidence in his shooting and offense, and he needs to go there to build that confidence."

However, the reasons he gave later made some sense.

His reason for saying this is related to his experience with the Trail Blazers. In his last season with the Trail Blazers, Pippen was somewhat "refusing to shoot," which was more damaging to the team than missing shots.

About five minutes into the second quarter, both teams gradually substituted their starters back into the game. After Yang Shuai entered the game, the Cavaliers quickly returned to their form from the first quarter, widening the score gap again through aggressive, collapsing defense and Yang Shuai's consistent half-court offense.

James, who had been somewhat lost at the end of the first quarter, regained his composure and scored repeatedly through fast breaks and cuts, bringing his score to double digits by halftime.

Throughout this first half, even fans could clearly feel that the Cavaliers' style of play had somewhat countered the Pacers'.

Can the Pacers turn this situation around?

The answer is, of course, yes.

The spacing between substitutes shows that it's key to breaking down the Cavaliers' defense and fast breaks.

It was the Cavaliers' first game of the season, so their defensive coordination wasn't very good.

The best solution is to replace Payton and Malone with Tinsley and Harrington, or replacing one of them would be barely enough.

However, Thomas did not make any changes to the lineup after halftime.

It's not that he's stubborn, but both Payton and Malone are veterans who have been established in the league for a long time. They gave up a lot of salary and came to join the team on minimum contracts. If you take them out of the starting lineup after playing half a game, where will they put their faces?
Thomas is thinking about the long term, but the Cavaliers won't let this opportunity slip by.

Yang Shuai also began to contribute more to the defensive end, demonstrating his improved help defense ability and launching counter-attacks with a series of steals.

His improved flexibility was also evident in a defensive round.

After he stole the ball, Miller tried to foul him, but he dodged to the side and flung the ball away.

The Cavaliers unleashed another youthful storm in this quarter, and the Pacers suffered a series of defeats.

By the end of the third quarter, the Cavaliers had extended their lead to as much as 20 points.

Even the most optimistic fans would never have imagined the game would turn out this way. This is the Pacers' F4 team, while the Cavaliers were at the bottom of the league last season!
This situation perfectly illustrates what it means that "basketball is not a math problem"; it is not simply a matter of adding things together on paper.

Whether it's the "new F4" of Nash, Kobe, Gasol, and Howard, or the "luxury cruise" of Harden, Leonard, Beal, Paul, Brook Lopez, and Collins, they all prove this point.

Tactics, form, space, physical fitness, injuries, and many other factors influence a team's performance.

Of course, it would be a mistake to conclude that the Pacers' "F4" combination was a failure based on just one game. Any team that undergoes significant changes during the offseason needs time to gel, especially since Payton and Malone are both transitioning from core players to role players.

Similarly, one game is not enough to indicate that the Cavaliers are about to take off, after all, the Cavaliers' playing style clearly counters the Pacers.

However, at least one thing is clear: the Cavaliers have much to look forward to in the new season!
"Before Hansen went to Portland, it was a chaotic team that made major personnel changes every year. But Hansen helped that team win the championship in just two seasons and then four championships in six years. We all know that Hansen is very capable individually, but we still underestimated his ability to lead a team. He has the ability to turn the impossible into reality."

Barkley has already settled into his daily routine.
"Moreover, Hansen is stronger now than he was back then, and his influence on the field is also greater."

This statement, which almost made Yang Shuai "fight five against one," did not elicit a rebuttal from Kenny Smith, because, in terms of tonight's game, the difference between Yang Shuai's presence and absence was too great.

When Yang Shuai is on the court, the Cavaliers seem capable of anything; but when Yang Shuai is off the court, they seem to revert to the struggling team they were last season.

In the final quarter, Thomas sent the F4 into the game early to make a final push, but Yang Shuai's consistent performance extinguished their last hope.

With six minutes remaining in the game and the Pacers still unable to close the gap, Thomas ultimately sealed the game's early end with a five-in-five-out substitution.

The Cavaliers' starters were all substituted off the court, but James was still kept on the court by Scott.

Barkley's suggestion to "go down to the G League" is just talk; having James play in this situation would be a more effective approach.

James scored 15 points in the first three quarters, but he had a breakout performance in the third quarter, scoring 10 points and bringing his total to 25 points, which put his debut in the ranks of great players.

Moreover, he completed the most spectacular offensive play of the game in this quarter. He suddenly abandoned his defender and broke out from Anthony Johnson's blind spot to steal the ball. Then, like a cheetah, he sprinted from the backcourt to the frontcourt and delivered a tomahawk dunk.

Ultimately, the Cavaliers defeated the Pacers 112-96 to secure a winning start to the season.

杨帅得到33分6板8助攻打卡，詹姆斯砍下25分5板6助攻，里基·戴维斯17分，伊尔戈斯卡斯有15分11板的两双数据，布泽尔13分7板。

O'Neal, who wanted to defeat Yang Shuai before the game, struggled under heavy pressure, scoring only 16 points and 13 rebounds on 7-of-18 shooting.

At the post-game press conference, Yang Shuai and James attended along with Scott.

In his first game coaching the Cavaliers, Scott defeated a season favorite by a large margin, and he couldn't stop smiling at the press conference.

Having used "exaggerated defense" to defend Jordan during his playing days and Yang Shuai during his coaching days, he is now finally experiencing what it's like to coach these top players.

He praised it so much he couldn't stop smiling.

“We all know who Hansen is. He’s the GOAT. Nobody can stop him. I don’t have to do anything. I just have to put him on the court.”

When asked about his performance, James also praised it highly.

“I just checked the stats, and LeBron’s scoring in his debut game ranks eighth all-time, tied with Elgin Baylor and Grant Hill. That’s an amazing ranking, and he’s only 18 years old. It’s crazy.”

"If you were to give LeBron a score, what would you rate his performance tonight?" The reporter then posed a question related to James' performance to Yang Shuai.

After the reporter finished asking the question, not only Scott, but James also turned to look at Yang Shuai with an expectant expression.

"8 points."

Yang Shuai gave his score.

A flicker of disappointment crossed James' eyes; he had thought Yang Shuai would at least give him a 9 out of 10.

The reporter was also somewhat surprised. Yang Shuai should have given a score of 25 points for his debut, the kind of score that "didn't give him a perfect score to prevent him from becoming arrogant."

"LeBron has shown his talent, his physical attributes are amazing, and as the coach said, he is only 18 years old and he looks like he has unlimited potential."

After praising James, Yang Shuai immediately changed the subject.
"But he needs to improve his shooting as soon as possible, because our opponents won't give you easy scoring opportunities all the time."

Data can be deceptive at times. Excluding the 10 points in garbage time, James' performance tonight was not fundamentally different from the last three preseason games.

Moreover, all of James's points came from the paint; he didn't score a single basket.

That's normal, though. Less than a week had passed between the two seasons, and it's already quite good that James was able to perform similarly in the regular season as he did in the preseason.

But if the Cavaliers' goal is to contend for the championship, simply being "good" is far from enough.

Neither James nor anyone else on this Cavaliers team had ever experienced the process of competing for a championship, nor did they know how many difficulties they would face in doing so.

At times like these, Yang Shuai, as the team leader, must use his strictness to drive the team forward, just as he did in his last season with the Trail Blazers.

(End of this chapter)