NBA: A collection of super busts

Chapter 95 Give it to Yao Ming! Give it to Yao Ming! Give it to him! That's how you play!

In the first week of the season, the Grizzlies achieved a fantastic 4-0 record, tying for first place in the Western Conference with the Timberwolves and Spurs, becoming the biggest dark horse of the season so far.

The Lakers, who had experienced a tumultuous summer and the most glamorous offseason in history, had a poor start to the season, going 2-2 and playing terribly.

Unlike the Timberwolves and Spurs, these two teams have a clear core: one is led by a trio of wolves, while the other is led almost single-handedly by Duncan after Robinson's retirement.

The Grizzlies, on the other hand, play team basketball where everyone contributes.

In the first week of the competition, three players on the team averaged more than 15 points per game, but no one averaged more than 18 points per game. They played standard team basketball.

Of course, some voices say that this style of play may limit the potential and talent of the two top rookies, but at least for the Grizzlies, victory can cover everything.

It's worth mentioning that James' original plan to release his new shoes a week after the start of the season has been temporarily shelved. He did not immediately begin selling his new shoes after Ye Feng's shoes were released.

Nike has launched a new campaign, changing its mind and deciding to give all fans a grand Christmas gift.

Clearly, they didn't want anyone to think that James was a follower, or that James and Nike released the new sneakers under the assumption that "we only have them because Adidas and Ye Feng have them."

What the outside world didn't know was that Nike was also going through a turbulent period internally.

"It can't be that much of a coincidence! Absolutely not! The fact that they released their sneakers a few days earlier than us means there's definitely a mole who leaked our plans!"

"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly! Is there any corruption involved? Are there any problems? You must investigate!"

While Nike was experiencing internal turmoil, Ye Feng's sneakers had already begun selling worldwide. Sales in the North American and European markets were only so-so, and there weren't many people buying his sneakers yet.

But that wasn't the reason Adidas signed Ye Feng in the first place.

Their main market is Asia!

Last year, they watched Reebok dominate Asia, especially China, and they were green with envy.

Last year, many people reported that some Chinese people flew to Reebok stores in the country specifically to buy a pair of Reebok sneakers because there were so few Reebok stores there.

Adidas, on the other hand, believes that its customer base in China far surpasses that of Reebok, with more than ten times the number of its stores and a completely different level of sales volume compared to Reebok.

What they are most looking forward to this time is the Chinese market!

"How's it going?" Sonny sat at his desk, surrounded by several Adidas executives, all anxiously awaiting the first week's sneaker sales figures.

Normally, in this day and age, no one would be in such a hurry to compile statistics on the first week's sales of sneakers, after all, sneakers...

Jerseys and similar items are mostly long-term possessions that require gradual accumulation.

But Adidas couldn't wait.

They were anxious.

"That was a beautiful dunk! Absolutely amazing!" Williams exclaimed excitedly, then asked, "So, what exactly is 101 types of passes?"

"I'll tell you during the timeout..." Ye Feng originally thought this was a long story that he wouldn't have time to tell on the court, but when he saw Van Gundy on the Rockets' side press down with his hand again, signaling Francis to be more composed, he changed his mind.

"Forget it, it's not too late to explain now. Their offense is as slow as a snail. Steve plays like he's carrying a 60kg bald old man on his back."

Francis wanted to refute Ye Feng, to retort with a few words, but before he could even open his mouth, his brain told him, "He's right, what's there to refute?"

Yeah, what's there to argue about?

Should Ye Feng be told that Van Gundy is only 40 years old and not an old man at all? Or should Ye Feng be told that although Van Gundy looks thin, he actually weighs 70 kg?

"When I was in high school, there was a saying among my classmates called Jason," Ye Feng said, ignoring what Francis wanted to explain to him. While quickly returning to defense, he told Williams a story: "God personally taught several top defenders how to pass the ball."

"He told the defenders, 'I have 100 ways to pass the ball, which one do you want to learn?'"

"The Magician learned the 20 most dazzling tricks, Stockton learned the 20 most effective ones."

"When God asks you, you say you want to learn His 101st passing move."

Williams' eyes lit up when he heard Ye Feng's little story, which was widely circulated on the Chinese intranet.

"That's right!" Williams said. "Although I haven't seen God yet, if I had the chance, I would definitely do it!"

"Your high school classmates are all savvy! They're fucking savvy! When are we going to play an away game near your high school? Let's call them all out, and I'll treat everyone to some fun!"

After the two had exchanged so much, Francis finally managed to dribble the ball up the court.

This is Van Gundy's requirement.

Don't rush, it's best to cross the half-court line just before the 8-second violation deadline.

Once in the frontcourt, the Rockets resumed their dull and uncreative style of play. Francis tried to pass the ball inside, but he wasn't naturally good at it. After realizing he couldn't get the ball in, he could only call Cato to set a screen, then use the screen to drive to the free-throw line and pull up for a jump shot.

Ye Feng had been completely focused, and when Francis jumped, he followed suit, trying to disrupt his attack.

With a loud "bang," the basketball bounced off the rim and was caught by Williams. Then, when he looked back, he saw that James had already crossed half-court!

Williams, who was overjoyed by Ye Feng's praise, immediately took the ball with one hand and passed it towards the frontcourt.

The ball was extremely fast and at a tricky angle, even bouncing once on the floor, which allowed it to pass through the Rockets' entire defense.

Unfortunately, the ball also slipped through James's hand and flew directly out of bounds.

"Jason," James said, shrugging, "it needs to be higher; the arc of this shot is too low."

"Ye can handle it." Williams was about to raise his hand to apologize for his poor pass, but James spoke first, so he immediately changed his tune, saying, "He never complains! He's even taller than you."

"Newbies should learn to take the blame first before they try to shift the blame!"

It's Ye again!

James glared at Williams, then gave Ye Feng a second look.

However, he did not get into an argument with Williams on the field.

Because Brown shouted first: "Jason! Don't pass the ball like that! Remember your position! Remember what I told you!"

""

Williams didn't resist Brown, but he glared at James again before taking a defensive position.

He's very unhappy right now.

He had just been praised to the point of almost ascending to heaven by Ye Feng, and now he was being criticized by James and Brown. It felt like being forced to pull out right after being put in. No one could be happy at this moment.

Williams has always been an emotional player; his emotions always dictate how he plays.

After being criticized by both Brown and James, this guy's mentality became a bit off.

It's somewhat like the saying, "The more you forbid me from doing something, the more I want to do it."

So, for the last two minutes of the first quarter, this guy's performance was practically that of an undercover agent.

A haphazard three-point attempt missed, a forced pass resulted in a turnover, and a risky steal went awry...

After a series of poor performances, Brown lost his patience. He called a timeout and then spit on Williams from the sidelines, as if he wanted to spit all over Williams' face.

Then, in a fit of rage, he made a substitution, taking Williams off and replacing him with Persson.

"LeBron, play point guard."

After the substitution, Williams sat listlessly in the corner, while James's smugness was palpable. He dribbled the ball up the court, called for a screen from Gasol, and then strode towards the basket.

Then came a loud "smack," and the 226-centimeter-tall Yao Ming, like a pillar supporting the sky, slapped James' layup away to the three-point line.

Coach Zhang immediately grinned and laughed: "So young! Trying to get blocked, huh? Hahaha, Yao Ming taught James a good lesson!"

Francis got the ball and was finally able to launch his favorite fast break, dribbling the ball all the way down the court.

Then gather the ball, take a step, and pull it up.

He rarely got such an opportunity, so he arched his body in mid-air, and after a brief pause, his body shot towards the basket like an arrow.

But at that moment, a figure suddenly appeared and blocked his path between him and the basket.

With a "smack," a large hand collided head-on with the basketball in Francis's hand—Ye Feng!

He got back on defense and successfully blocked Francis's attack on the basket.

The two players battled fiercely in the air. The fans even thought they paused for a moment before Francis lost control of his body and the basketball, completely losing control and falling backward.

Williams, who had just looked half-dead, immediately screamed and jumped up from the bench. He and Haslem next to him were as excited as if Ye Feng had just hit the game-winning shot.

Brown couldn't help but look over. Since he joined the team last year, Williams had been scolded by him quite a bit. In fact, the entire team combined hadn't been scolded as much as Williams alone.

In the past, every time Williams was scolded, he would be depressed for a few minutes, or even for the whole night.

But now, this guy revived in less than 20 seconds?

Perhaps I could try a different approach to train Williams?

Ye Feng took the basketball and passed it to Battier, who was chasing back. Battier then quickly passed the ball to Posen, and the Grizzlies launched another attack.

"Oh, Francis! You're making things worse!" Coach Zhang's stance shifted again. "Slow down the ball, wait for Yao Ming!"

Yu Jia has completely stopped talking.

He really wouldn't accept the suggestion that the guards who have already driven to the basket wait for the center when the team is on a fast break.

On the field, the rhythm and situation of the game between the two sides returned to calm, or rather, uninteresting.

The two teams began their battle at an extremely slow pace, trading blows back and forth.