LeBron James, your house got robbed.

Chapter 140 The Script the Alliance Prefers

As expected, this is the league's favorite scenario.

The first day of competition featured five matches, each a clash of rivalries, a battle of titans, and guaranteed to draw massive viewers.

The simultaneous rise of the Los Angeles duo and the New York duo is probably the most welcome thing for the league.

Since the ABA and NBA merged, there has almost never been a time when these four teams stood together.

Even in the past decade, the Knicks, Nets, and Clippers were once among the worst teams in the league.

The league did consider helping, but the management of these teams was simply incompetent.

Now, through a series of coincidences, they have come together.

With the financial backing of its Russian oligarch, the Nets moved to Brooklyn, across the Hudson River, and naturally aim to achieve success in their first season in the new arena.

Clippers owner Donald Sterling, envious of the Cavaliers' success, also made a "best-in-class" roster upgrade.

The Knicks unexpectedly snagged Andre Iguodala during the offseason, which can be considered a stroke of luck.

If I hadn't later learned the background of this deal and realized it was Riley's doing, I wouldn't have known.

Chen Shuo once suspected that Stern was using a deus ex machina to give New York one last helping hand before retiring.

the other side.

After the Big Three were broken up, Bosh was sent to the Magic, adding a layer of grudges to the Florida civil war.

The Cavaliers, Spurs, Thunder, and Hornets are the best teams in small-market leagues.

The two groups of dialogues also had their own grudges.

For many years to come, the Spurs and the Thunder will be each other's biggest rivals in the Western Conference.

Whether the Thunder took over the reins from the Spurs or the Spurs' experience proved superior remains to be seen.

As for the Hornets and Cavaliers...

Chen Shuo could come up with a script even with his feet.

There are too many things that can be hyped up.

The two top scorers are a perfect combination, one elegant and the other fierce.

Their playing style alone can attract many fans, and the league will definitely support them to create a young and dynamic team.

Since Adam Silver took over the league's public relations department, he has become adept at creating buzz and generating traffic. His heavy-handed hype about the Cavaliers' trade of Kyrie Irving, creating a new rivalry, is just the most basic tactic.

The pairing of Anthony Davis with his draft-era comparisons to Garnett and Chandler is a compelling storyline.

The Pacers, ranked 6th in ESPN's power rankings, and the Grizzlies, ranked 9th, were not favored by Adam Silver.

Chen Shuo's gaze froze.

He always felt that Bird was about to make a big move.

Among the teams in the Eastern Conference, neither of the two New York teams has yet posed a threat to the Cavaliers.

This season's Stoudemire is already a low-health version.

Although he is only 30 years old, which is still the prime age for a basketball player.

Most in the league thought he would make a comeback, but Chen Shuo already knew the fate of this beastly power forward.

The Nets are in a slightly better situation, with Hawks' Joe Johnson experiencing a smoother decline.

In Chen Shuo's view, the two teams in the East that pose a threat to the Cavaliers are the Heat and the Pacers.

The Pacers may pose an even greater threat.

After all, Chen Shuo didn't know what Bird was planning; the unknown is always the most terrifying.

"Beep"

With the sound of the whistle, the game came to an end.

The Cavaliers defeated their opponents by a large margin of 108-79 at home.

Leonard scored a game-high 18 points and dished out 3 assists, perfectly demonstrating the results of his summer training.

Aside from his spot-up three-pointers and cuts last year, Leonard showcased his one-on-one skills against Walton.

In Leonard's seven isolation possessions, he was forced to pass the ball twice, assisted Chandler once, and made three of his four attempts to finish the shot, which was quite efficient.

Chen Shuo watched almost every singles round with his full attention.

Receive the ball, observe, develop, and finish.

In the four stages of receiving the ball, Walton, limited by his natural talent, did not provide Leonard with any interference.

In terms of ball control and observation, Leonard did a decent job. When the opponent didn't apply pressure, he was able to assist Chandler in the paint.

When Irving came up to double-team, it became noticeably difficult for him to pass the ball, and he was unable to deliver a high-quality pass immediately, requiring Lowry to come up and receive it.

His advantage lies in his excellent ball protection; even when double-teamed, he tries his best to shield the ball with his body, preventing Irving from easily scoring.

Leonard excels in both development and finishing.

With skillful footwork, solid ball control, and the ability to maintain a straight body position and jump to the highest point before shooting, one can already see glimpses of his peak performance.

Of course, all of this is based on the premise of facing Wharton.

Chen Shuo used the "Little Whip" to check Leonard's badge during the game.

After a holiday of training, [Frame-Cut Jordan] has been activated and is currently at the most basic Bronze stage, not far from the Silver stage.

According to Chen Shuo's understanding, the Bronze stage means that one has just gained the ability to launch an attack independently and can only bully weaker opponents.

Leonard is probably at the peak of his early career; he's a master at picking on weak opponents.

At the same time, Chen Shuo noticed that Leonard's "Death Coil" had officially entered the gold level.

After observing the playoffs, Chen Shuo discovered that badge progress could not only be achieved through training; playing well in high-quality matches could also significantly improve badge progress.

It was this discovery that led Chen Shuo to defy public opinion and, with his authoritarian style, suppress the coaching staff, deciding to hone Leonard's ball-handling skills in actual games.

At this rate, after a few more games, [Frame-Cut Jordan] will be able to break through to Silver rank.

If Leonard's "frame-breaking Jordan" can break through to the Gold level before the Eastern Conference Finals or the NBA Finals, then the Cavaliers' title defense will be a sure thing.

Besides Leonard, both new players performed exceptionally well.

Lowry delivered the best performance of the game, scoring 17 points and dishing out 11 assists, demonstrating proficiency in ball-handling, offense, playmaking, and defense.

That year, Lowry began to reach his peak, already possessing All-Star level skills; the only thing he lacked was his stats.

He could play the role of the third option on any team, but on the Cavaliers he could only be Paul's backup.

Once Paul returns and Lowry travels at off-peak times, facing the opponent's bench lineup will be a complete game-changer.

Another new signing.

骑士今年的25号秀德拉蒙德·格林，则贡献出来五单数据—9分6板8助攻3断2盖帽o

Especially during garbage time, Dream played with complete ease, excelling on both offense and defense, playing like a god of war.

After winning the opening game, the Cavaliers flew directly to Philadelphia to begin a week-long road trip.

Fortunately, the opponents are all Eastern Conference teams, so there's no need for a long flight.

The excitement of receiving the championship rings hadn't yet subsided, and the entire cabin was buzzing with excitement.

Garnett and Paul, as the team's core players, took the lead in playing the "Bree" poker game.

This has basically become a tradition for the knights.

Whenever you're happy, you should play a few rounds to celebrate.

Paul's inability to play in the game brought his competitive spirit to the poker table, where he dominated and was invincible.

The players can relax at this time, but the coaching staff obviously cannot.

After a season of adjustment, the Cavaliers' coaching staff has developed a strong rapport, with each member having a defined role and task.

Mike Langabady, as a defensive assistant coach, doesn't easily get involved in discussions; he's only responsible for building the system and developing players' defensive techniques.

Langabadi spends a lot of time on the training field.

One-on-one defensive instruction to refine details, two-person pick-and-roll defense training, three-person rotation drills, and five-person defensive system drills.

Langabadi thoroughly enjoyed these training sessions.

Various defensive systems, pressure, control, 3-2 zone defense, 2-3 zone defense, and different ways of playing.

There's nothing we can do about it; the Cavaliers have deep pockets and plenty of defensive players, so they can do whatever they want.

Langabadi has his own cognitive system.

According to Langabadi's classification, defensive players are divided into three roles based on their type.

The defensive core, sweeper, or filler, as well as the defensive vanguard.

Chen Shuo had studied this system in detail.

The role of the defensive specialist is mainly responsible for one-on-one defense, which is basically the same as the role of the lead defender after 2020.

Players like Beverley, Paul, Lowry, Danny Green, Thompson, Leonard, Ariza, and Tucker are all excellent lead defenders, used to guard opposing guards or forwards who are developing their offense.

The roles of sweepers or fillers are responsible for assisting in defense and rotating to fill in gaps.

They are often quick on their feet, have a large defensive coverage area, and possess excellent insight and basketball IQ. They can anticipate the opponent's next move and help their teammates complete double-teams or rotate to cover for them.

Langabadi's most admired "filler" was Pippen.

"Pippen was everywhere on the court; he would appear wherever the team needed him."

Coincidentally, in the league today, Rongabadi's most admired player is Iguodala.

He certainly lived up to his nickname, "Pippen of the East Coast."

The role of the "filler" is usually played by forwards, who often match up against players who do not have the ability to attack independently, so that they can sweep and roam the field.

Only Battier is a historically top-tier player who can fill that void in the Cavaliers' roster. Ariza also has the physical attributes, but his defensive IQ is not good enough, so he can only serve as a defensive anchor.

Leonard was also highly regarded by Langabadi.

As for the highest-level defensive core, as the name suggests, a playoff-level defensive system can be built around it.

The current version of Garnett primarily attacks the area around the free-throw line.

Any player who dribbles into this area, whether to shoot or drive further, will be interfered with or blocked by Garnett.

Kobe's long two-point shooting range was within Garnett's control area.

When James drives in, Garnett will also limit his speed.

Normally, Garnett only needs a big, strong guy to stand behind him to protect the rim and backboard.

Chandler is clearly the upgraded option.

He can form an absolute barrier in the area near the penalty area thanks to his excellent mobility.

In particular, the offensive players he faced had all been suppressed by Garnett's defensive line.

This allowed Chandler to easily deal with any opponent who broke in.

A partner like Chandler is a rare find.

Generally speaking, he would be paired with a physical center like Perkins.

The most terrifying aspect of the Garnett-centric system is that it liberates perimeter defensive players.

They can confidently and boldly defend one-on-one, and even make some aggressive, risky defensive plays.

Daring to make bold moves can transform a qualified defender into an excellent one.

Ray Allen and Paul Pierce both benefited from this system during their time with the Celtics.

At his peak, Garnett could even extend beyond the three-point line at any time to double-team his teammates and then quickly return to his position.

Langabadi and Chen Shuo emphasized this point when they talked about it.

I'm talking about the entire game.

"Back then, KG could do that non-stop."

Chandler's core system tends to focus more on protecting the rim.

Simply placing two forwards around the free-throw line is enough to keep the paint intact; the downside is that they are vulnerable to three-pointers.

In the 11 NBA Finals, the Mavericks used this system to shut down LeBron James, who was afraid to shoot from the outside, and ultimately won the championship.

Dream Chaser is the next generation defensive core chosen by Chen Shuo, a point that was also recognized by Langabadi after the training camp.

Besides Rongabatdi, the other player responsible for defense at the Cavaliers' Round Table was Nick Nurse, who had returned from Europe.

The two had different focuses.

Langabadi's main approach is to mold the system and players into a finished product, providing it to the team for use, while also serving as an instruction manual and receiving consultation at any time.

In reality, the on-court defensive system is determined by Nurse.

After being poached from the Development League by Chen Shuo, Nurse no longer had time to play in the band; he was treated like a slave from the moment he opened his eyes every day.

Nurse was assigned to the team's scouting department.

The scouting department's detailed reports on the next opponent are all handled directly by Nurse, who then introduces them to the coach.

Practice group.

As the coach who knows his opponents best and has considerable experience in defense, it's naturally up to Nurse to decide which defensive system to adopt.

In addition, Nurse was also responsible for working with Kerr to build the team's offensive system.

Last season, the Cavaliers' offensive system was relatively simple, basically consisting of pick-and-rolls initiated by Paul, connecting with Garnett and Thompson on the weak side off-ball, and then passing to other finishers on the court.

With the addition of Lowry and Green, and the improvement of Leonard and Thompson, the Cavaliers are poised to further upgrade their offensive system this season.

Nass has been so busy lately that he hasn't even been home.

In reality, Nurse is more like the team's head coach, responsible for both offense and defense, while Langabadi and Cole are two advisors.

Nash arrived earlier, and under Chen Shuo's deliberate control, some of Cole's role was downplayed.

It's not that I'm afraid Cole will steal my skills.

However, Kerr could leave at any time, and the Cavaliers must be prepared for that.

Besides discussing offensive partnerships with Nurse, Kerr played a more strategic role with the Cavaliers.

As the most experienced and accomplished member of the entire coaching staff, Kerr needs his experience to guide him in many things.

It could be said that Kerr is more accustomed to coordinating with Chen Shuo from a macro perspective.

For example, Kerr's definition of the first twenty games.

"Chen, for a strong team with championship potential, you must understand that each stage of the regular season has its own fixed tasks."

Chen Shuo's eyes were unfocused.

He could vaguely grasp something.

They can sacrifice their regular season record, but they don't know the specific direction or which way they should strive.

Cole didn't keep them in suspense at this point.

"Generally speaking, the first twenty games are used to extend the rotation and get to know each player's condition."

"Try combining different players and observe the effects and strengths and weaknesses of different combinations."

"This is also a time for a team to experiment with new things."

"Especially us, we are being watched by all the teams, and if we don't come up with something new, we will easily be eliminated."

Cole suddenly became serious as he spoke.

"Chen, we all acknowledge that you are a genius."

"But you also have to believe that people who can coach in the NBA are not much worse than you."

"This is such a professional league, each team has dozens or even hundreds of smart people, they will always find a way to deal with you."

"Therefore, if you don't advance, you fall behind."

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