First in scoring

Chapter 420 419. Emperor Slaying Tactics Version

James' confidence comes from the fact that their strength has greatly improved this season.

There is a piece of data that shows that the Cavaliers have been the team with the largest net increase in total salary for four consecutive years from the summer of 05 to this summer. This season, it has increased to 4 million. In four summers, it has increased by more than 9231 million.

This season, the Cavaliers' total salary surpassed the Mavericks' $9131 million, second only to the Knicks' $9665 million, ranking second in the NBA team salary rankings.

After scattering coins for so many years, this summer, the Cavaliers finally scattered coins where they should be scattered.

This has to mention the "money-spending boy" Bucks. This summer, people's attention has been focused on the Celtics and the Suns, ignoring that the Bucks are also tearing down their home.

But the Bucks are really at their wits' end. After so many years of struggle, first the core players suffered constant injuries. After the core players returned from injuries, the role players ran away. Then the core players fought hard and injured themselves... In five years, the Bucks' efforts in the past five years have yielded no results and they can only start all over again.

The Nets picked up several high-quality role players from the Bucks, and the Cavaliers picked up the Bucks' core point guard Mo Williams!

Moreover, they only paid with draft picks and Eric Snow's expiring contract. Eric Snow retired after being traded to the Bucks. The Bucks had negotiated a buyout with him from the beginning. The last year's salary was paid in three years, 250 million per year, which means that the Cavaliers paid two second-round picks to get Mo Buchuan.

With the addition of Marvin Williams, who was traded from the Celtics for Gooden, the Cavaliers have made qualitative reinforcements both inside and outside the team.

The young potential stocks that the Cavaliers had hoarded before also played well this year. Delonte West, Daniel Gibson and Anderson Varejao all played outstanding performances.

Especially Anderson Varejao, who has made a qualitative improvement at the beginning of this season. His defense and rebounding performances are extremely strong. He can get 21 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per game, ranking first in the league in efficiency. His defense is dirty and wretched. After just a few games, he has been scolded several times by his opponents.

The rookie JJ Hickson selected by the Cavaliers this year is also quite good.

In addition, Big Z is getting stronger with age, Larry Hughes, who has a garbage contract but can still get 20+9+3 in 3 minutes per game, and Szczerbiak, another garbage contract, is also above the standard as a spot shooter...

King: This year, I am super strong! Stronger than ever before!

After the entrance ceremony, James took the initiative to greet the visiting Bobcats' three young players.

Since the other person greeted them openly, Zhang Yang and others had to respond politely.

But after chatting for a few words, the expressions of the three young players of the Bobcats were not very good.

James said with emotion: "Raymond, Emeka, I really miss the time when I won the Olympic gold medal with you. I hope you can accept the invitation again in four years and win the gold medal with me again."

Zhang San: You are pointing at a cripple and scolding him, right?
He was unhappy, but he didn't win the gold medal, so he could only shut up. He couldn't do anything like nagging the champion just because he got the runner-up.

When Kobe was interviewed before the Olympics and was asked about his loss in the finals, he really appreciated his answer - I was the biggest loser last season.

Felton was not happy and asked, "What do you mean by that is that you brought the Olympic gold medal we won?"

Zhang San's eyes lit up: "Boss is awesome! Fight him! Fight him to death!"
James was stunned, and then he forced an awkward smile and said, "Of course that's not what I meant. Winning the gold medal is the result of our joint efforts."

Zhang San: ()Tsk, so boring!

Felton, who was ready to continue firing and had even thought about what to say next, also showed the same expression.

The greeting ended awkwardly. After James left, Felton still felt unhappy and said to Okafor: "It's okay for Wade, Bryant, and Anthony to say this, but who is he? Our role in the Olympics is much greater than his!"

Okafor's reaction was less intense. His poker face showed confusion. He said, "I feel that's what he meant. I have a question. It's fine for him to convey this to the media and his fans, but he said this to us, his teammates who played in the Olympics together... But he didn't seem to be deliberately provoking. I don't understand."

Zhang Yang thought for a moment and said, "Maybe some media and fans keep saying that, and he himself is conveying that message. After so many times, he probably takes it seriously. There's a saying that goes, if you want to fool others, you have to fool yourself first. His performance in this Olympics is indeed much better than the World Championships two years ago and the Olympics four years ago. His score is higher than Kobe and Anthony, and he's almost catching up with Wade."

Felton: "He scored all those points against weak teams, such as Spain, Greece, and you Chinese team. His scores were not as high as mine!"

The angry little fat boss pulled Zhang San and Little Duncan together, and called his teammates together, and hurriedly discussed the details of targeting James... No, it was about the details of defending the Cavaliers. They re-analyzed the things they had discussed and trained during the day, and found out the gaps...

The pre-match preparation time ended and the starting lineups of both teams came onto the court.

Cavaliers: Mo Williams, Delonte West, James, Marvin Williams, Big Z.

Bobcats: Felton, Zhang Yang, Pietrus, Millsap, Okafor.

At 7 o'clock in the evening, the game started. Okafor defeated Big Z to win the jump ball and the Bobcats attacked first!

Felton received the serve and advanced to the front court before passing it to Zhang Yang. He had harder work to do tonight, so he no longer started the game with the main attack like he did in the previous games, but instead moved to the left sideline to assist.

Zhang Yang was blocked as soon as he dribbled to the three-point line. He took a step sideways to create a little space, then went straight forward, pushing Delonte West aside, and made a strong breakthrough, easily passing the opponent, but he did not get the chance for a quick stop jump shot!

James blocked the free throw line and blocked Zhang Yang's space for a quick jump shot. Marvin Williams cooperated and moved to the mid-range on the right. Delonte West chased and double-teamed him while paying attention to the passing route of Pietrus who was circling from the wing to the top arc. Big Z and Mo Williams also cooperated in moving to guard against cuts from the weak side.

The Cavaliers' defensive formation and coordination were similar to last season, but the aging Snow was replaced by the young and somewhat neurotic Delonte West, and the power forward Gooden, who never wanted to stay in the Cavaliers, was replaced by the highly motivated 05 second pick. The overall defense soared to the first place in the league. So far this season, the Cavaliers have only lost 91 points per game, leading by a large margin. The Magic, the second-best defensive team, lost 95.4 points per game. However, Zhang Yang did not stop and pass the ball as the Cavaliers expected, but took the initiative to meet James, rushed to the right elbow area under James' close defense, stopped suddenly, pulled one step to the left to enter the three-second zone, rushed another step, grabbed the ball, switched to his left hand, and shot a layup with his left hand under James' interference... hit!
When Big Z moved back from the left sideline of the three-second zone, Zhang Yang had already thrown the ball. Delonte West, who was following Zhang Yang to defend his step-back shot, did not expect Zhang Yang to go straight to the basket.

The two could only watch Zhang Yang score over James one-on-one.

TNT Sports broadcast the game live, and Kenny Smith exclaimed that Zhang Yang played the ball beautifully and his movements were quick and agile.

Barkley often sings the opposite tune: "These are just the simplest basic skills. He has mastered the basic movements and combined them together."

Kenny Smith followed up by saying, "Charles, you're right, but being able to react in an instant, connecting the basic moves together, and completing the offense so smoothly is enough to show how solid Jack's basic skills are. Such reaction ability is also a reflection of his basketball IQ."

The two commentators praised Yang's face-to-face one-on-one skills in unison, and James, who had just been scored by Zhang Yang, was also surprised.

After not seeing him for more than two months, Zhang Yang's attack has made significant progress!
It's not just the techniques and basic skills, but also the ability to seize opportunities. James feels that this guy's reaction has become faster!
This is not James' illusion. Zhang Yang has the experience of the Olympics, several months of training, and actual combat in the preseason and the first few regular season games. He has made better use of the experience that "art is shooting."

Unlike before when he would force himself to attack at the slightest disagreement, Zhang Yang is now subconsciously looking for better shooting opportunities in singles.

Of course, this is only at non-critical moments. At critical moments, he still prefers to believe in his feelings at the time.

In the transition from offense to defense, James impatiently passed the ball to Mo Bu before he even crossed half court.

Zhang Yang just scored against him, and now he wants to get back at him!

He said that he has been stronger than ever this year, and every one of his four starting teammates can shoot!
After Marvin Williams was traded to the Cavaliers in July, he was immediately called by the Cavaliers coaching staff to practice three-pointers for a summer. He only took 7 three-pointers in 80 games last season. Since the start of this season, he has averaged 7 three-pointers per game, made 2.7 goal, and has a 1% three-point shooting percentage, showing his shooting talent.

Of course, this is not from scratch. Marvin Williams has always been good at long two-pointers. When he entered the NBA, he played for the Hawks, which had a lot of forwards. His only chance to shoot was long shots. In his rookie year, he shot 0% of his long two-pointers. Last season, he averaged 39 long two-pointers per game in 60 games for the Celtics, with a hit rate of 2.5%. The Cavaliers tapped into his three-point ability because they saw his potential.

Mo Buchuan and Delonte Williams have both made over 40% of their three-pointers since the start of the game, and Big Z can also shoot from long range. James' offensive environment has never been better.

But when James received the ball and crossed half court to look at the opposite side, he saw something that surprised him.

Where is the little fat boy?
The one guarding between James and the basket was not Felton, but Pietrus!

James has been targeted by the Bobcats for three years, losing 20 games in a row. In last season's playoffs, he was also targeted by the Magic using the "Bobcats' King-Killing Tactic Plus Version". James must find a way to break the deadlock, and he thought of a way. It's very simple. He can play with an inside player who can shoot three-pointers - playing pick-and-roll with Marvin Williams.

This way he can get rid of Felton's top defense, and as a result, the opponent doesn't need Felton to defend him!

In the first attack of the game, James was defeated by the opponent.

Marvin Williams was waiting for James to call him to initiate the attack with a pick-and-roll, but James had advanced to the top of the arc and had not yet called for a pick-and-roll. He didn't know whether to go up or move away... Finally, seeing James make a one-on-one breakthrough, Marvin Williams quickly moved to the right side for a long two-point distance. He could cut in to score or move away to receive a three-pointer.

If it weren't for Felton's defense, James certainly wouldn't play pick-and-roll. Pietrus' defense was mainly based on physical confrontation, but James was not afraid of this kind of height and wingspan against the outstanding small forward, and he started directly and broke through!

There was no suspense. James easily crushed Pietrus and broke into the inside. Seeing Felton shrinking in from the baseline, he was about to pass the ball, but after a quick look around, he saw people all around him!
Zhang Yang on the left sideline of the three-second zone, Pietrus one step inside the free throw line, Millsap in the mid-range on the right, Okafor under the basket and Felton who was shrinking, formed a circle and trapped him in the middle, so he had no chance to pass the ball in the first place!

Felton, who had retreated in advance, blocked in front of James and reached out to grab the ball. James quickly turned his back to Felton and protected the ball. Just as he was about to use his low-post vision to pass the ball, Zhang Yang, Pietrus and Millsap had already expanded and returned to their defenders.

James, who has studied the Bobcats' game videos since the start of the season, knew that the Bobcats' starting lineup would shrink and expand quickly, but he didn't expect it to be so fast!
But this is not the point. The point is why King is one-on-one with Xiaofei in the low post again!
The situation was already set, and there was no choice but to fight. James took a step forward and tried to knock Felton away, but Felton's 185 cm + 96 kg body was extremely stable, and James' back-to-the-basket power was too weak, so Felton didn't move at all.

James could only turn around and shoot...the ball hit the right edge of the basket, and Felton turned around and grabbed the defensive rebound!

Felton immediately passed the ball to Zhang Yang who started from the left side of the three-second zone, and Zhang Yang launched a counterattack... to no avail.

With two small guards, James, who has unparalleled physical fitness among active players, and Marvin Williams, the power forward who is the only top-level physical fitness man among the four young players of North Carolina, the Cavaliers' four-man retreat formation has a much stronger ability to defend against fast breaks than in previous years.

The Cavaliers' defense, which is the best in the league, is truly outstanding.

Therefore, when Zhang Yang's quick attack failed, he did not get impatient. Instead, he slowed down, advanced patiently, and fought a positional battle.

And he is very excited now - judging from Marvin Williams' position just now, he predicted James' style of play, and the defensive adjustments they made can still limit James!

In fact, their defense just now had a fatal flaw - they were not defensive in the mid-range.

This move cannot be defended against Parker. Although Parker is not good at shooting, his mid-range shooting percentage is barely 40%. Of course, he rarely shoots, and Parker's speed is enough to still have a chance to shoot when rushing to close distance. Parker is amazing at close distance. Since the start of this season, his close-range shooting percentage is 54.5%, ranking first in the league.

He is not good at defending Wade either. Although Wade is not good at post-up shooting, he is still okay. He is not so bad that he cannot even beat Felton, who is shorter than him.

But at this stage, James...can neither make mid-range shots nor post-up shots!

(End of this chapter)