From South China Tiger to NBA King

The second quarter started quickly and Jianghu returned to the court.

While on the sidelines, Jiang Hu looked at the Mavericks' lineup and couldn't help but smile.

But he didn't mean to laugh at it, but found it interesting.

The first is because the leader of the Mavericks' bench is Jose Barea.

Yes, that's the Jose Barea who "is like a mountain in Portoglia, and he can defend him in the finals at the top."

Barea signed up for a height of 1m83, but his actual height was only 1m77. However, he was able to defend James alone in the finals and performed as a substitute on several occasions. Barea is therefore called a mountain in Puerto Rico. This short player has been in the league for 12 years and still has his own place.

Looking back on Barea's career, in addition to lamenting his unyielding fighting spirit and energy, his simplest skills in basketball are the most fundamental reason for supporting him all the way. As a defender, he has a strong body, excellent rhythm change ability, and most importantly, the ability to handle the ball after the pick and roll. Perhaps he is not at the NBA level in terms of absolute talent, but in terms of fully realizing his talent, he has achieved the ultimate, and his career is inspiring enough.

But what makes Jianghu interesting is not Barea. After all, he has proven in his past career that he is a substitute defender with outstanding abilities.

Because Carlisle didn't just play Barea, he directly used a two-back lineup in the second quarter. More importantly, the other defender he used was less than 190cm tall...

This defender is Jaylen Brunson, whose registered height is 188cm, but his actual height is only 185cm at most.

Yes, that's the player affectionately called Big Head by Mavericks fans.

One is less than 1 meters, and the other is 8cm. Looking at history, the Mavericks' substitute backcourt lineup may also be quite explosive.

Speaking of which, Jiang Hu and Brunson also have some connections.

During the offseason, his first thought was to let Ainge choose Jaylen Brunson, because his pick was quite low and he would have excellent immediate combat ability in the future. He would average 25 points per game in the future. He also has high efficiency and is a candidate suitable for long-term team building.

However, Brunson is the Celtics' second choice. The first choice is of course Alexander, who has better physical conditions and will be more powerful in the future.

Jianghu originally thought that Anji's deal would not be so smooth, and there was a high probability that Alexander would not be able to get Alexander. Brunson would be his teammate this season.

But he didn't expect that Anji's transaction efficiency was so high that Alexander was directly traded, and the Celtics didn't pay an unacceptable price.

With Alexander, you can actually choose Brunson.

However, Jianghu considers that he wants to play as a defender, Leonard also needs a certain amount of independent offensive ball rights, and Alexander is the backup point guard. If he chooses Brunson, he may delay his growth. He is not as good as Anji. Make this suggestion.

Brunson still didn't know that his destiny was deeply bound to the Celtics, but the Celtics made a better choice after weighing the pros and cons, and in the end there was no connection between the two.

At this time, Brunson didn't think so much. He was full of thoughts on how to seize his only opportunity to help the team after he came on the field.

Because now if the Mavericks want to compete with the Celtics in the transition period, they can only rely on their explosive scoring ability.

"I hope Jiang won't be guarding him, otherwise it will be difficult for Jaylen to perform."

Carlisle looked at Brunson from the sidelines and couldn't help praying in his heart.

Brunson on the court was smiling and looking relaxed and happy.

He is very confident in himself!

After all, he is the core player of two NCAA championship teams. Although he is always looked down upon because of his short stature, Brunson thinks that is nothing special.

One day, he will prove to the world that his two-time NCAA championship was not for nothing, and that he is an All-Star player!

Sooner or later, he and Doncic will become the "double young men" of the Mavericks.

"Just use yourself as the defending champion of the remaining team to sacrifice your sword and let fans all over the world see my true strength!"

Seeing the score so close, Brunson was full of motivation.

In fact, Brunson's thoughts are also the reason why most regular season performances of the defending champions will decline in their second season.

Every team regards you as a grindstone and a benchmark to test the team's strength. When they beat you, they go all out. Can your record not decline?

When Brunson was thinking about it, Jianghu had already walked to his side, stepped forward, and started to get stuck and ask Alexander for the ball.

"Hey, it's not that easy to hit me from behind. I'm not afraid."

Brunson opened his mouth to talk trash, but in the middle of his words, Jiang Hu suddenly turned his head and looked at him.

This look was cold and aggressive!

Brunson shut his mouth instantly and didn't finish the rest of the sentence.

A second later, Brunson reacted and suddenly felt very humiliated.

"Listen, I'm not intimidated by you, I just think you are the MVP and you should still be given the necessary respect."

Brunson said to himself.

But Jianghu ignored him and seriously directed his teammates' movements.

Soon, the ball was handed over to Jiang Hu. After Jiang Hu caught the ball, he hit him with two powerful back blows. Brunson didn't expect Jiang Hu to attack like this, and he staggered directly after being pushed. Unable to stop retreating.

By the time he stabilized his center of gravity, Jiang Hu had already turned around and completed the layup!

The Celtics beat the Mavericks 34 to 33. In the first round after Jianghu came back, the Celtics regained their advantage.

"The Mavericks were obviously not mentally prepared for their defense. They actually asked Brunson to defend Jianghu. Although Brunson's strength is not bad, Jianghu's strength and tonnage were that he used to play forward, but now he has changed his position. , there is definitely a strength bug among defenders."

In the CCTV live broadcast room, Yu Jia commented timely.

"Carlisle's lineup arrangement is really incomprehensible. Facing a defender with the same height as the magician Jianghu, they actually put two short players in the backcourt. These two people are already short, and if they suffer in confrontation, the defense will be like nothing."

Zhang Weiping added.

As soon as he finished speaking, Barea's mid-range throw was seriously interfered by Jianghu, and it missed the ball badly.

Jianghu soon made a comeback and once again caught the ball in the low post. This time, the Lone Ranger decisively chose to double-team.

Of course, it wasn't Barea who came to double-team, but substitute small forward Dorian Fannie Smith.

But Jianghu predicted Carlisle's prediction. He knew that the kind of defense in the last round would only be played once or twice at most in this game, so he made more decisive moves.

Before Finney Smith was in place, Jianghu turned in the other direction, and then faced Brunson's defense and shot backward!

Brunson tried his best to jump to interfere, but to no avail. The basketball drew a beautiful arc in the air and hit the net!

Celtics 36 to 33 Mavericks.

After being singled out twice in a row, Brunson's face became a little unbearable. During the transition between offense and defense, he started dribbling the ball directly from the backcourt.

After Jianghu retreated to his own half, he suddenly came up with a plan and said to Alexander: "Shay, let me switch defenses with you. I will guard Jaylen."

Alexander was stunned when he heard this, but out of instinct he still chose to believe Jiang Hu. He nodded and ran away.

After Brunson saw that Jiang Hu was guarding him personally, he immediately decided to fight this attack himself!

"My offense is better than my defense. You can't stop me."

Brunson couldn't help but talk trash again.

Jianghu could tell that this guy actually had no confidence in himself at all, and he only spoke to embolden himself. He was completely PUA.

Jianghu ignored him and only had eyes for the basketball in his hand.

Because masters generally choose to remain silent, they will only talk trash to opponents of the same level. For those who are obviously inferior to themselves, trash talking is a waste of time.

After being ignored, Brunson became increasingly driven to prove himself.

He made continuous crotch dribbles, and then made a huge crossover towards Jianghu!

Unfortunately, none of these fake moves could deceive Jianghu. When Brunson started to break through, Jianghu blocked him with a sideways movement and forced him to the sideline.

Brunson rushed forward and found that his offensive route had already changed from a "straight line" to a "curve", and he was still far away from the penalty area.

"You can't rush anymore. If you rush deeper, his size advantage will be greater."

Brunson thought to himself.

As soon as he thought this, he stopped suddenly, turned to the left, leaned back and took action!

Unfortunately, Brunson's every move has long been seen by Jianghu. Jianghu doesn't like to defend, which does not mean that his defense is poor. On the contrary, Jianghu's defense is second only to Leonard in the team.

The moment Brunson took action, Jiang Hu stepped forward and jumped at the same time.

"Snapped!"

Jiang Hu hit Brunson's head with a big hat, knocking Brunson's hat to the ground!

"woo"

There was an exclamation of exclamation at the scene.

The fans at the American Airlines Center were all surprised by Jiang Hu's devastating shot.

"Jiang is too cruel, this block is too disrespectful."    "I hope the young man can hold on and his confidence will not be destroyed like this."

"It's so cruel Jiang, you just flipped my hat on someone in front of him like that."

Just when the fans were worried about Brunson, Big Head bounced off the ground like a carp and then rushed towards the rivers and lakes.

The fans at the scene were immediately overjoyed and cheered for Brunson in unison, hoping that he would respond.

The next moment, the two rushed to the Lone Ranger half, one after the other.

Jianghu observed Brunson's position out of the corner of his eye, then took three steps from the free throw line with a plan in mind.

He deliberately slowed down near the free throw line.

After Brunson rushed to his side, Jianghu deliberately created a physical confrontation before making a layup.

"Beep!"

When the whistle sounded, the basketball also fell into the net.

Two points scored, plus a penalty!

When Brunson saw this scene, he just stood there and didn't move for a long time. It must be said that this was indeed a blow to his confidence.

On the sidelines, Doncic stood up and walked to head coach Carlisle and whispered: "Coach, my physical fitness has almost recovered, why don't you let me play?"

Carlisle shook his head: "Wait a little longer and trust your teammates."

Doncic's eyes were filled with anxiety, but he still turned around and returned to his seat.

Nowitzki saw everything and said nothing.

He feels that Jianghu has no ill intentions, and it is not necessarily a bad thing for Brunson to be beaten by Jianghu. Using a game to let him see the gap between himself and the league's top players may even further stimulate his fighting spirit.

As Jianghu made the extra free throw, the score became Celtic 39 to 33 Mavericks.

The Celtics have gone on a 7-0 spurt since the start of the second quarter.

Moreover, these 7 points were all earned by Jianghu.

The rest of the Celtics haven't even taken action yet. On the other hand, the Mavericks' core player on the bench, Jaylen Brunson, has been firmly suppressed on both offense and defense.

If it weren't for the confidence that two NCAA championships brought him, he might have been on the verge of collapse.

It can also be seen from this that talent is the most important thing in basketball games. Brunson's talent and world are indeed not in the same dimension.

In the next two minutes, Brunson still had no improvement on both offense and defense.

On the Celtics side, others have also begun to exert their efforts. Alexander and Jaylen Brown have also continued to use their personal abilities to score points for the team.

Soon, the Celtics' lead reached double digits, and Mavericks coach Carlisle had no choice but to call a timeout.

During the dinner, Brunson lowered his head and said nothing, completely losing the high-spiritedness he had at the beginning of the second quarter.

He is very worried that with his performance, it may be difficult to get a lot of playing time in this game.

But he didn't expect that Carlisle didn't blame him, but smiled and touched his big head, then turned around and said to the team members sincerely:

"Sorry everyone, there was something wrong with my game strategy. I underestimated the strength of the Celtics without Leonard."

"Next, I will make sure that at least one of Luka and Harrison is on the court."

"The timeout is over, Luca, you come on instead of Jose."

"As for Jaylen...you continue to stay on the court and continue to defend Jiang. Remember, carefully experience the feeling of playing against Jiang, that will benefit you a lot!!"

Brunson heard the coach's explanation, his face glowed again, and he nodded heavily.

He could also see that Carlisle regarded Jianghu as his experience treasure, and he should seize this opportunity to learn more and try not to disappoint the coach.

Soon, the timeout ended and the game resumed.

Both teams have made some adjustments to their lineups.

The Mavericks' lineup is: Doncic, Jaylen Brunson, Harrison Barnes, Finney Smith, and DeAndre Jordan.

The Celtics sent: Alexander, Jiang Hu, Jaylen Brown, Danny Green, and Aron Baynes.

The game continues, and the Lone Ranger serves from the backcourt.

In Doncic's first attack after coming on the court, he suddenly took a shot from outside the three-point line. His shooting arc was very flat, but this time the trajectory was extremely positive and went straight into the net.

Celtics 46 to 38 Mavericks.

After the ball was scored, Doncic made an OK gesture with his hind legs, and the American Airlines Center burst into wild cheers.

Alexander touched his nose, turned around to catch the ball, and switched offense and defense. Alexander started a pick-and-roll tactic with Baynes at a 45-degree angle on the left.

With the help of the screen, Alexander successfully got rid of Doncic's defense.

Jordan didn't dare to step forward and huddled at the free throw line.

Alexander put the ball forward, stepped on his left and right feet, and made two consecutive feints. At this time, Jordan was overwhelmed, and his feet seemed to be glued to the floor.

Seeing this, Alexander changed direction and switched the ball to his right hand, and then took three steps to attack the basket.

Doncic, who had been following behind with his waist down, now also took steps and took off at the same time as Alexander.

It was too late, but it was too late. In the blink of an eye, Alexander suddenly threw the ball towards the basket!

Under Doncic's surprised gaze, the ball was caught by Baynes who followed up.

"BANG!"

Baynes made a one-handed dunk through Doncic, pouring cold water on the Mavericks who were just about to get up.

The Celtics were 48-38, and the point difference returned to double digits again.

In the next round, Doncic bypassed the screen at the top of the arc and made another jump shot for a three-pointer.

"Duang!"

The ball hit the front of the basket and bounced out. Baynes collected the rebound and handed the ball to Alexander.

The next moment, Alexander turned into a bolt of lightning and ran towards the frontcourt again.

Although Alexander holds the ball, most of the Mavericks are staring at Jianghu, observing his movements.

Doncic retreated quickly. He did not look at Jianghu. The coach asked him to look at his opponent. Soon, the "True Twins" of the 18th class, two powerful technical guards in the same year, ushered in their professional career. The first head-to-head confrontation in his career.

No pick-and-roll, no cooperation, just a confrontation between two people!

Doncic's attitude is very focused. Although he is not good at defense after entering the NBA, as long as he defends seriously and relies on his excellent height and good confrontation ability, he rarely suffers.

However, this time he faced the challenge of Alexander. Apart from Jiang Hu and Leonard, few people in the Celtics could guard against his fast break!

Morris Jr. can't do it, Caruso can't do it, and it's even harder for ordinary guards.

Soon, Alexander rushed to the free throw line and took three steps against Doncic's defense!

There was obvious physical contact between the two in the air.

Although Alexander was thin, he relied on his strong core strength to tuck in his abdomen after the confrontation, move to the other side of the basket in a flash, and then flick his wrist to score the ball!

Celtics 50 to 38 Mavericks.

After the ball scored, Alexander turned around and walked away expressionlessly, as if he just scored an ordinary fast break layup.

But Doncic was extremely angry. He grabbed the falling basketball and slammed the ball to the floor. After the basketball bounced, it flew high, almost reaching the audience.

The referee at the bottom line was so startled that he threw the whistle into his mouth, but he did not blow it in the end.

There is no way, this is the home court of the Lone Ranger after all, and the prince of the Lone Ranger still has to be given some preferential treatment.

(End of this chapter)