First in scoring

Chapter 454 453. Difficulty Raised Again
“…In the first round of the playoffs, you averaged 27.7 points per game in the game against the Warriors, the seventh-ranked team in the Western Conference, and led the Lakers to a 4-2 victory over the Warriors and advance to the second round.

In this series, you were forced to engage in a three-point battle with Stephen Curry. You averaged 8.1 three-point attempts per game and made 3.1 of them, with a hit rate of 38.6%; Curry averaged 7.1 three-point attempts per game and made 3 of them, with a hit rate of 42.2%. The fans jokingly called you "winning by quantity". Since your shooting was not as accurate as the opponent's, you would stare at the opponent and defend him desperately, and then shoot more than the opponent.

With the team at a disadvantage in many positions, Curry relied on his league-leading three-point shooting to lead the Warriors to drag the series to Game 6 and once again shine brightly in the playoffs.

After this series, Curry replaced Blake Griffin, and the media and fans are arguing about who is the best player in the 09 class among you, Curry, and James Harden.

In the second round, you met your old club, the Spurs. You lost the first game, but you kept the second home game. After losing the first away game and falling behind 2-2, you and Bryant exploded together in Game 1. You made 1 three-pointers and Bryant made 2 mid-range shots, scoring a total of 4 points. You led the team to beat the Spurs, who were in excellent form, 6-10, tying the score.

During this period, you were selected to the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive First Team, completing the double-team achievement with Joakim Noah and Chris Paul, the first time in your career.

It is now May 5th. The day before yesterday we played Game 9 against the Spurs, and tomorrow we will have our decisive match against the Spurs..."

"Experience Mode:
Name: Zhang Yang, Age: 25 (June 1988, 6).

Height: 196 cm, wingspan: 216 cm, weight 96 kg.

Ability evaluation: three-pointer 93 (upper limit 95), mid-range shot 93 (upper limit 95), layup 93 (upper limit), ball control 91, passing 87, speed 93, strength 89, jumping 91, physical strength 95 (upper limit)...

Gains from the training: Steve Nash's sense of ball control rhythm (intermediate), continuous jumping ability improvement, the devil's pace of the demon sword, Bird's back-to-the-basket rhythm (intermediate), a slight improvement in core strength, a small win over a big, the art of back-to-the-basket, I age slower (intermediate), the god of death, art is shooting. "

He is less than a month away from turning 1 and has already been selected to the first team. Zhang Yang feels that he is quite promising here.

However... his mind moved, and the content on the 'door' changed. His own ability, here, and 80 years old in the 25 timeline, three ability assessments were listed side by side.

The 'he' here, judging only by his offense, is not much stronger than himself.

It's just that his physical fitness is better, in terms of weight, strength, and stamina, among which the difference in strength is the biggest. Because of these, in terms of actual role on the defensive end and the energy that can be invested, the 'he' here is stronger than himself.

Compared with the 80 timeline, at the same age of 25, the 10 timeline is obviously weaker. For example, the physical strength is already 80 at the age of 25 on the 96 timeline, and the mid-range shot is also 94; the attacking the basket here is even fixed at 93... and this is only achieved after brushing up a few more talents, and the mapping talent here is higher than that of the 80 timeline.

It was still caused by different starting points. The "he" here, like himself, started training at the age of 15, and the first time he started training was 10 years old. At that time, his talent had not been refreshed to a certain level. Basically, he played for 7 years with his initial talent, and only started to improve rapidly when he was 21 or nearly 22 years old;
The 80 timeline was unlocked only after he had gained a lot of talent points. He started playing basketball since he was a child and entered the NBA after graduating from his senior year. The time he spent playing basketball before entering the NBA almost doubled.

However, the same age in the 80 timeline cannot compare to him... What Zhang San can do for the 'him' in the two timelines is to work hard to complete the tasks, brush up more talents, and raise the heights that these 'brothers' can reach in their golden careers. For example, here, at the age of 25, after the growth period, the speed has increased by 1 point compared to the last time he came.

When he thought of this, he looked at the "I age slower" in his experience gains. The upper limit of "he" here is definitely not as high as his own, but the length of his peak period will definitely be as long as his... Can he experience the deputy combat goat father and son in advance?
After taking a shower, Zhang Yang reread the training information, then went to the study and checked online... This place is better than the 80 timeline, and information can be easily obtained.

Sure enough, just as he thought, in the past year, 'he' here was far from as smooth as simply described in the training information. Take the record for example. After the first two months, they only had 18 wins and 13 losses, a winning rate of less than 50 wins.

当时的具体排名他不知道，常规赛最终战绩排名是雷霆队59胜第一、湖人队57胜第二、马刺队56胜第三、快船队54胜第四、开拓者队54胜第五、火箭队52胜第六、勇士队51胜第七、灰熊队50胜第八。

From the final ranking, we can see that after the first two months of games, the Lakers will most likely be ranked ninth or tenth in the Western Conference, which was exactly what ESPN predicted.

The reason for this situation is mainly due to the competition between him and Kobe as the core scorer. In the first two months, he averaged 25 points per game and Kobe averaged 24 points per game.

The training message said that Kobe was "stimulated by the media's disdain" and took the initiative to team up. This happened in 2014. "He" was so fierce that he used the old man's tactics to make Kobe resigned to his fate...

Then in January they had a 1-13 record, which was a slap in the face. At the end of January, the record increased to 3-1, ranking fourth in the Western Conference... It can be seen here that while competing with Kobe, he is still very professional. He cooperated with Budenholzer to build a new tactical system. This also shows from the side that the poor record in the first two months was not entirely due to the competition between him and Kobe, but also the impact of the team's new system.

However, the troubles encountered in this regular season are not limited to these. In February, the Lakers fell into an injury wave. Nash missed 2 out of 9 games, Kobe also missed 8 games and missed the All-Star Weekend. He also suggested to the league that Curry replace him in the starting position. Stern decided on the substitutes for the last time before his retirement and agreed to Kobe's request... In February, the Lakers only got 5 wins and 2 losses, and the record dropped to 5 wins and 4 losses, falling to seventh in the Western Conference.

Fortunately, Kobe and Nash recovered in March, and he and Gasol also performed well. Ed Davis and Kent Bazemore, who were traded from the Warriors for Blake before the trade deadline, injected more vitality into the Lakers... They tied their performance in January, with 3 wins and 1 losses, and a record of 13 wins and 3 losses, entering the competition for the top spot in the Western Conference, and played an excellent performance of 49 wins and 23 losses in April. Unfortunately, the Thunder ended their 4-game winning streak, won all 8 games in April, and finally ranked second in the Western Conference with 2 wins and 11 losses.

More detailed information could not be found even after searching the past news for half an hour, and Zhang Yang did not continue to search in depth. It was enough to understand these.

He summed it up, he is Zhang San is brave! Kobe is really second! Just thinking about it is exciting!

However, Blake was traded away, which made him a little reluctant. He was very happy to partner with Blake in the last training session. He admired this not-so-famous point guard's ball distribution ability, tactical execution, and shooting confidence. His ability to control the game was also remarkable.

He opened the NBA official website to look at the current Lakers roster.

Point guard: Bazemore, Nash, Kenta Marshall.

Shooting guards: Kobe Bryant, Marshon Brooks, Jodie Meeks.

Small forward: Zhang Yang, Wesley Johnson, Xavier Henry.

Power forward: Jordan Hill, Ed Davis, Ryan Kelly.

Center: Gasol, Kaman, Sacre.

It's a pretty good lineup. The center and center are relatively weak, but the two, three, and five positions are all very strong. The starters are all All-Stars, and they can definitely be called the 'Big Three'.

The functionality of role players is a bit too single, but for a "giant team" like theirs, the top four players earn a combined $4 million, and the salary cap is only $7400 million. Add to that all the troubles last season, and no quality veterans or talented young players are willing to come. Having this group of role players with outstanding characteristics already demonstrates Kupchak's professional ability, and is very suitable for Budenholzer, who came from the Spurs during Duncan's fourth peak period.

After turning off the computer, Zhang Yang thought about it and a "door" popped up to check the tasks for this training. "Basic Task: System Player? Lead the Lakers to eliminate the Spurs.

Optional Task 1: King of the New Generation, lead your team to the Western Conference Finals and defeat the Thunder's duo in the Western Conference Finals. If you lead your team to the Western Conference Finals and the Thunder do not advance to the Western Conference Finals, the task will be completed directly.

Optional Mission 2: Restore glory and win the championship. "

After a little thought, he decisively chose the second optional task.

The basic task is to enter the Western Conference Finals. The optional task is to win the Western Conference Finals. If we win the Western Conference Finals, how can we not compete for the championship?
The taskbar content on the 'door' changes.

“Basic mission: System players… Rewards: There are many types of peaks.

Optional mission: Glory Returns... Reward: 1 Physical Talent Point."

Zhang San: There are many peaks... related to the idiot? Physical talent, it must be Brother Blacksmith...

...

Leaving a note on the bedside table saying "I'm going to work", Zhang Yang put on casual clothes and went to the Lakers' training hall, Toyota Center.

He had just changed into his training clothes in the locker room when he learned that the team's editor, deputy director of player development, and assistant coach Drew Anthrop, who had already arrived at the training hall, had handed him the edited video of the first four games against the Spurs.

It was 'he' here who requested it in advance, which saved him a lot of trouble. He exchanged pleasantries with Anserop and went to the locker room. Before his teammates arrived, he watched some video clips and learned about the team's playing style.

Anthrop is the Lakers' "secret weapon" and one of the best video editors in the league. Zhang Yang specifically learned about it when he came here last time. His salary is the highest among all editors in the league. Kobe praised his tactical and judgment abilities as being stronger than many NBA head coaches. In his more than ten years of career as an editor, he has received many invitations to become the head coach of other teams, but he rejected them all because Anthrop is a socially anxious person and likes to stay in a small room waving his keyboard around, editing and analyzing.

When Zhang Yang was watching the editing, he picked out the regular offensive and defensive clips. The playing methods in the stages of tight scores and key balls were actually of little reference value from a tactical perspective.

He watched the video of two games, and before he finished watching the third game, the team's cornerstone Sacre came to the locker room and asked him to go to a meeting.

Although he hasn't finished watching the video, he already has a clear understanding of the team's playing style. It can't be said that it is looking in the mirror with the opposing Spurs team, but there are at least five or six points of similarity. It is obviously a tactical system based on the Spurs system with targeted modifications.

He is very familiar with the Spurs system. The last time he came here to train, he won the championship playing in the Spurs system. Although there have been changes, most of the changes are centered around his scoring...or it can be said that Budenholzer moved the Spurs system from that stage when Zhang San was on the Spurs, retained his part, and made adjustments based on the differences of other players.

He simulated it in his mind and was able to get started right away without even having to adapt.

However, this also made him understand why they were so passive in the first four games of the series. What tactics they were going to play and what on-the-spot responses Budenholzer would have were probably all transparent to Popovich on the opposite side!
But this cannot be blamed on Budenholzer. It is only his first year here, and it is not easy for him to achieve the current level.

At this time, as a player, assuming that the head coach has not made any mistakes, he should stand firmly on the same front as the head coach and try to win the game. Only in this way, his and the head coach's efforts this season will not be in vain.

Next, he attended the team meeting and prepared for the training. No one noticed that he was a "newcomer". He spoke less and concentrated on preparing for the game, but this was normal in the eyes of his teammates. The opponent was the Spurs, who had fallen out with him, and the score was now tied at 2-2...

After getting home from get off work, he would stay in the study watching videos. Ana Armas, wearing cool and breathable clothes, wanted to play poker with him, but when she saw his "not interested in women in a war" look, she complained a little and then went to play by herself.

...

It was the evening of the next day. After Zhang Yang finished his pre-match warm-up, he and his teammates went to the player tunnel.

Two full days was too short a time. It was barely enough for him to go through tactical training, watch videos, and understand the playing style and habits of his 'new teammates', as well as the adjustments to the playing styles and habits of Kobe, Nash, and Gasol. There was really no time for more, so he could only go up and do it.

I came to this timeline four times before, twice I played as a member of the Spurs system, and this time I played against the Spurs system...

Nash noticed Zhang Yang's nervousness and said, "Jack, don't worry, you will definitely be able to get revenge on the Spurs. You and Kobe are the best forward and guard combination in the world. James and Wade are not as good as you."

Zhang Yang saw the camera of the imperial court nearby, rolled his eyes at Nash, and said, "James will definitely hear what you said. He should pay attention to the news in our country. Steve, you have offended James."

Nash's pupils widened. Oh my god! He was kind enough to comfort this kid... Although he did have the intention of showing a good image of "caring for Zhang San" in front of Chinese fans, this kid actually set a trap for him!

He came close to Zhang Yang and whispered viciously: "If you don't say that, he won't think so even if he sees the news report!"

Zhang Yang tilted his head to look at the ceiling and replied, "Oh, sorry, I'm not afraid of him anyway."

Nash felt relieved when he saw Zhang Yang's reckless look. It seemed that the boy's nervousness was more due to excitement rather than negative emotions caused by the unfavorable situation. So there would be no problem.

He said indifferently: "It's only a matter of time before we offend him. We will definitely beat them in the finals. Besides, I'm not afraid of him."

Kobe on the side smacked his lips and said nothing, he just felt that these two teammates were really confident!
They haven't even made it past the second round yet, and the Thunder or Clippers are waiting in the Western Conference Finals, but they're already thinking about beating the Heat in the Finals? This old blacksmith is really... admirable!
Especially Zhang San. If it weren’t for this kid’s extreme self-confidence, he, the old blacksmith, would never have given in and become his deputy.

There was one thing Zhang Yang couldn't guess no matter how much he checked the news or thought about it - Kobe competed with him for the core scorer position in the first two months of the regular season to test whether he could withstand the pressure, whether he had the determination, and whether he was worthy of being the "Mamba's successor."

Sometimes it’s really hard to use common sense to figure out what old-school players are thinking…

(End of this chapter)