Chapter 75: 42 points in the first half! King Nuo: My sword is not bad either!
Byron Scott's confidence in Wang Yan's mid-range shooting is mainly based on Wang Yan's training performance.

Byron Scott once witnessed Chris Paul's mid-range shooting training when he was coaching the Hornets.

Even Chris Paul, a master of mid-range shooting, did not reach Wang Yan's shooting percentage.

So Byron Scott always believed.

Wang Yan is a mid-range shooting master whose strong offensive and defensive abilities overshadow his others.

So, today Byron Scott came up with the idea of ​​making the Purple and Gold Lakers a test for Wang Yan's mid-range shots.

The break in the first quarter ended quickly, and the substitutes of both teams competed against each other on the court for a while.

The bench lineups of both teams are capable of strong scoring. Thomas of the Cavaliers averages 15 points per game and is one of the league's top offensive sixth men.

The Lakers have a super sixth man who is good at both offense and defense, the master of human prostitution, Lamar Odom.

Both teams played extremely well, but when you look at the score, the Cavaliers were only two points ahead of the Lakers.

This intense game set the tone from the start that it might last until the very last minute.

The Lakers replaced the recently traded Ramon Sessions and Kobe Bryant, and retained Lamar Odom who performed well during his bench period.

The inside line continues to be a double-high lineup of Gasol and Shaq.

The Cavaliers slightly delayed Kyrie Irving's playing time.

Isaiah Thomas is paired with Jrue Holiday and Jimmy Butler to form a three-outside lineup.

The inside line continues to be occupied by Wang Yan and the Eight Wise Kings.

"It looks like the Lakers won't change their defensive strategy."

Seeing the substitutions between the two sides, Charles Barkley said: "As long as Wang Yan is on the court, the Lakers will immediately put out a double-high lineup of Pau Gasol + Andrew Bynum."

On the court, the Lakers attack.

Bang!
The basketball fell into Kobe's hands. He held the ball with his back to the basket and pushed it inward, feeling the resistance of Holiday, and then turned around and made a fadeaway jump shot without any extra skills.

Kobe has carefully studied the Cavaliers' game videos and is familiar with the defensive habits of every outside player. Holiday is extremely good at confrontation and lateral movement.

However, the only flaw is his height, which is only 1 meters. When facing such an opponent, don't face the basket and just use your height to shoot hard.

Swish!
Kobe scored his first points in the second quarter with a fadeaway jump shot from the baseline.

"Hoohoo!"

The graceful posture made Charles Barkley's eyes sparkle: "Without any warm-up time, he made a difficult mid-range shot right after he came on the court. Kobe's touch today was really outstanding!"

Swish!
However, as soon as he finished speaking, Wang Yan received a high-speed breakthrough pass from Thomas during the counterattack and responded with a mid-range jump shot.

"Same words to Wang Yan!"

Charles Barkley immediately shouted again: "Wang Yan was also substituted in the second quarter, but his touch continued the hot feeling in the first quarter!"

On the court, Gasol is a little confused now.

He looked at the KFC man with his arms folded on the bench. The latter's calm expression made him realize that he should continue with the defensive strategy.

But the problem is that Wang Yan almost made 10 mid-range shots before he even got to the scene...

Fortunately, the Lakers' offensive firepower was still online. Lamar Odom used his height to eat Butler, and after shrinking the defense, he assisted Sessions on the outside, who scored a three-pointer.

Unfortunately, Isaiah Thomas's ability to tear through the defense was still a headache. Wang Yan received an assist from Isaiah Thomas and made another mid-range shot from the baseline.

"Another mid-range shot. Wang Yan has already made his 10th mid-range shot of the game. Shouldn't the Zen Master change his defensive strategy?"

But as the commentator spoke, the camera on the scene also turned to KFC Grandpa.

The language of the lens is ready to emerge.

However, at this time, KFC Grandpa's expression was still calm, with his signature smile on his lips, as if he was accustomed to big scenes.

"Man!"

At this moment, a deep voice came into KFC Grandpa's ears.

After Wang Yan scored the corner shot, he looked back at the Zen Master and said, "Do you also want to see me score 80 points in a single game?"

At the end of the normal attack, Wang Yan also added an AOE critical hit with his hands spread out.

Beneath the calm smile of Grandpa KFC, his heart was already somewhat shaken.

These open mid-range shots by Wang Yan reminded him of an opponent he once faced during the Chicago Bulls' coaching dynasty.

The handsome mid-range shooter who put them under tremendous pressure in the finals.

Karl Malone!

Wang Yan's open mid-range shot accuracy is not inferior to that of Karl Malone, and he can also make some difficult one-on-one mid-range shots that even Karl Malone cannot do.

"Could this kid possibly have Dirk's mid-range shooting ability?"

On the court, Kobe missed the shot against Holiday, and the Lakers switched over and got a chance to switch defense. Facing the 2-meter Odom, Wang Yan leaned on his shoulder, pushed the ground with his left foot at the free throw line, raised his right foot, and raised his arms high.

The expression of the KFC grandfather, who had his arms crossed over his chest, suddenly froze.

Golden Rooster is independent!

Here we go again!

Wang Yan raised the ball to the highest shooting point, and at the same time the arc was raised to an extremely high level.

Swish!
The basketball drew a healing arc, and then the healing sound of the net was heard again.

"OH! MY! GOD!"

There were double exclamations from Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith in the commentary booth.

"Another one-legged stand. Wang Yan has used this technical move twice in this game!"

"The one-legged stand is Dirk Nowitzki's signature move. You have to know that this is an unsolvable move!"

"Wang Yan has better static and dynamic talents than Dirk, and can also maintain Dirk's shooting accuracy. This move of his will become an epic and unsolvable technique!"

"Shit!"

The KFC boss, who is always known for his calm smile, finally put away his smile this time, as his heart was already surging with emotions.

"This guy really isn't Carl, he's Dirk!"

This one-legged stand is exactly the same as Dirk Nowitzki's.

And who is Dirk Nowitzki?
That was the finals MVP last season when he single-handedly led the team to defeat the Heat Big Three!

His mid-range one-on-one shooting ability is far better than Karl Malone!

This is even not inferior to Kobe's existence.

However, even so, KFC still did not change its defensive strategy. Until the end of the first half, the score between the two teams was 59 to 54, and the Lakers were 5 points behind at halftime.

It can be said that in the second half of the second quarter, the Lakers just watched Wang Yan score one goal after another and held on with gritted teeth.

Wang Yan continued his shooting run in the second quarter, making 2 of 12 shots and scoring 9 points.

He also scored 42 points in the first half, breaking the personal scoring record in the first half of the Christmas game!

The Kentucky Fried Chicken was already sweating profusely, and his shirt and suit were soaked with sweat.

As it turned out, he made a wrong bet.

"Whether the Lakers will change or stick to their defensive strategy in the second half is a philosophical question!"

"Zen Master Jackson ordered Pau Gasol to leave Wang Yan open and shoot mid-range shots, which allowed Wang Yan to score 42 points in the first half!"

Barkley directly stated: "It can be said that Jackson's choice in the second half is a gamble on the glory of his entire coaching career!"

. . . .

"What The Fu#k?!"

United States, on a plane from San Antonio to Dallas.

The Silver Horn King, with his unshaven beard and curly blond hair, was watching the live broadcast of the game between the Lakers and the Cavaliers on his tablet computer.

Because the Mavericks-Mavericks game is the appetizer for the Christmas game, all the Mavericks players flew back to Dallas after the away game.

This period of time coincided with the finale between the Lakers and the Cavaliers, and the entire team was on the plane watching this highly anticipated battle.

then.

It was as if Dirk Nowitzki had met the enemy of his life.

"I guess he must have watched a lot of your game videos." Jason Kidd, who was watching nearby, was also a little distracted: "Every move is so similar to yours."

"I hope he just had some dumplings today."

Nowitzki sighed, but he didn't have the airs of a double MVP: "His physical talent is far superior to mine. If he can practice this move well and achieve the same shooting percentage as me..."

"This move of mine ranks second in the league."

The king is not like many black athletes who always look dissatisfied and angry, and talk nonsense. If you don’t know him, you might think he is the goat of the basketball world.

The king of pop is often the type who says the most humble words but does the hardest things!

"Don't worry Dirk, he must have just eaten some dumplings."

Jason Kidd said: "There are many people who can do what you do, but to achieve the same hit rate, it takes at least 10 years of precipitation and accumulation."

Wang Yan is just a rookie, and it would be good enough if he could achieve Wang Yan's mid-range shooting percentage.

I want to fully master the skill package of standing on one leg during my rookie season.

Are you kidding me?
This is the result of the king's more than ten years of professional career.

"I hope so. Our road to defending the title this year will be much more difficult."

The Angry King gave a bitter smile.

It's exactly what he said.

The Lakers are full of fire for revenge, while the Thunder are full of young talent.

The Heat's Big Three in the East have been getting along well.

As a result, this group of young knights has arrived again.

The old guys surrounding the king are all one year older.

The Mavericks' road to the championship last year was already historically difficult.

It is indeed more difficult for the Mavericks to win the championship this year than last year.

but.

Fearlessness of everything is the king’s basketball creed!
Last year, he also defeated his nominally stronger opponents one by one amid widespread doubts.

Why not this year?
"I'm looking forward to the game against the Cavaliers early next month." King Nowitzki smiled.

"You are expecting Wang Yan to stand on one leg."

Jason Kidd looked at the king and said, "Do you want to test whether his sword is sharp?"

Looking at the elegant Wang Yan on TV, the king's deep eyes shone with a serious light, and the corners of his mouth curled up evilly.

"My sword is not bad either!"

. . . . .

At this moment, the atmosphere in the Lakers' halftime locker room was dead silent.

This silence revealed depression, and Kobe's Black Mamba eyes made his teammates around him dare not speak at all.

Kobe scored 33 points in the first half, which is his highest scoring record in the first half of this season.

Of course no one would question Kobe's scoring ability.

However, in the past three seasons, Kobe has rarely had such moments of taking on so much responsibility.

Right now, the Lakers are still trailing by 5 points despite Kobe's explosive performance in the first half.

The crisis has already struck. If Kobe's touch declines, the score difference will instantly widen to double digits.

“We had a pretty good first half offensively.”

Zen Master Jackson pushed open the door of the locker room, breaking the silence, and got straight to the point without any unnecessary nonsense: "But the problem is on the defensive end!"

"The defensive strategy I formulated failed, and Wang Yan's mid-range shots had a considerable impact on us."

When facing his own mistakes, the Zen master did not escape at all.

It is his responsibility, and he always faces it head on instead of shirking it.

This is also the reason why he is respected among the star-studded Bulls triangle, OK combination, and Kobe and his wife combination.

"Phil, we're going to change our strategy in the second half, right?"

Kobe looked at Jackson, his voice still cold, but his words were full of respect.

"Yeah, he was like Dirk tonight."

The Zen Master said: "We certainly can't let Dirk Nowitzki shoot from mid-range."

"Paul should stick to Wang Yan and not let him take easy mid-range shots. I know it's difficult to take into account Wang's mid-range shots and breakthroughs, but this is basketball."

"What if I get passed over?" Gasol asked.

He wasn't too worried about Wang Yan shooting randomly in front of him, but Wang Yan's speed was comparable to that of a defender.

"Put down the inside line as quickly as possible and never let Wang Yan score inside."

"We can leave Jimmy Butler, Jamison, Jrue Holiday and other players open for three-pointers."

The bad news is that they allowed Wang Yan to find his best mid-range shooting touch this season.

But the good news is that they are only 5 points behind.

Everything is still unpredictable!
. . . .

"We're already late."

At this moment, in the VIP room of Staples' home court

All the Lakers' top executives gathered here.

There is no one who doesn't regret the Lakers' operations in the trade market this summer.

When the draft started, the Lakers had spared no effort in pursuing Wang Yan.

Unfortunately……

When faced with the Cavaliers' trade chips of Pau Gasol + Shaq Bynum + Lamar Odom, the Lakers still chose to give up.

"If I could go back in time, I would definitely agree to the Cavaliers' request."

Lakers owner Jerry Buss sighed
Now it seems.

Even if we have to throw away the chips in our hands, as long as we can form a lineup of Kobe + Wang Yan.

That’s also a huge profit!

Wang Yan plays power forward, and it is not difficult to get a blue-collar center to partner with Wang Yan in the trading market.

And even if the sixth man Odom is sent away, the Lakers can still pick Isaiah Thomas in this year's draft to supplement the firepower of the bench.

The 33-year-old Kobe is at the peak of his career with a fusion of experience and physical skills.

It is entirely conceivable that they will join forces with Wang Yan to achieve another three consecutive championships.

After three consecutive championships, Kobe gradually declined and completely led the Purple and Gold Lakers.

This is enough to make me laugh even in my dreams.

"We may have missed a great opportunity to win three consecutive championships. It's too difficult to win the championship now that so many teams are competing in the league."

Old Bass took a puff of his cigar and his voice sounded a little melancholy.

"Try it again."

Magic Johnson said.

However, if we want to trade with Wang Yan now, the chips we had back then are not enough.

I guess the entire Lakers lineup will be emptied.

Even so, Wang Yan may not be for sale to the Cavaliers.

As long as Wang Yan doesn't come to the Lakers for one day.

Then he will be the Lakers' number one enemy!

(End of this chapter)