Basketball's No. 1 Anti-Fan

Chapter 261 Return to Memphis

After two days of warm-up training, the Cavaliers also began the tactical training phase.

The traditional one-star-four-shooting strategy is centered around the inside line.

Olajuwon or Howard holds the ball and plays one-on-one in the interior, attracting double-teaming and then passing the ball to the outside.

This style of play mainly uses back-to-the-basket defense, consumes relatively little physical energy, and is easy to attract double-teaming, so there is a great chance that the tactics will work.

Hansen's low-post back-to-the-basket threat is not small now. If he is matched with four shooters, for example, when Cunningham is the power forward, he can play like this.

But from the perspective of the team's defense, as a mobile inside player with excellent assist defense, the Cavaliers need him to start.

So more often than not, the Cavaliers' style of play on the court should be more accurately described as "one star, three shots and one pass."

In this style of play, Hansen's offense needs to be based on face-to-face breakthroughs.

Irving is also a face-up player, and his main role is also in this system.

This is actually somewhat similar to the magic ball rocket in the "history" that Hansen knows.

The difference is that they are not as extreme as Moneyball.

Moneyball abandons mid-range shots and pursues efficiency to the extreme, but if you encounter a poor touch from the outside, or the referee uses the whistle to intentionally limit your breakthrough, you will be blocked.

However, both Hansen and Irving have mid-range shooting capabilities, especially Hansen's offensive versatility is much stronger than Harden, making it difficult for opponents to fully target him.

But this is another reason why the Cavaliers need Thompson to start.

Because whether it is mid-range or three-pointers, there will be touch problems, and at this time Thompson, who averages 3.5 offensive rebounds per game in his career, can play a huge role.

Of course, there are many tactical details involved.

For example, in terms of player positioning, Hoyes basically does not go inside on offense, but stands at the top of the arc at the three-point line.

In addition to pulling out the opponent's big center, another very important point is that it allows Hoyes to retreat in time.

Another example is the details of tactical initiation. In addition to one-on-one breakthroughs, there will also be the initiation of tactical pick-and-rolls.

The tactical direction will be different depending on whether the person initiating the pick-and-roll is TT or Hawes.

The tactical principle of "One Star, Four Shooting" is simple, but Ma Long has practiced all the tactical evolutions.

Only in this way can the Cavaliers find the most suitable set of players when the official game begins.

Time flies, and it is already October.

Hansen's villa in Cleveland has begun construction, and the Cavaliers have also ushered in their journey of the new season.

In the first preseason game, they traveled to Indiana to challenge the Pacers.

The Pacers were the second strongest team in the Eastern Conference after the Heat in the past two seasons, but they suffered a heavy blow this summer. Paul George, the core player who had just reached a five-year super-max contract extension with the team, suffered a Livingston-style broken leg injury in the warm-up match of the US Dream Team preparing for the World Cup.

However, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. The other core members of the Pacers are still there, and their strength should not be underestimated.

It was in this game that the Cavaliers first showed their potential.

The Pacers' previous defensive system was very three-dimensional, with George Hill + Allen + George on the outside and West + Hibbert on the inside. You had to work hard to score.

George cannot play this season, and Lance Stephenson, who had a bad relationship with the team last season, has joined the Bobcats. The person who replaced him in the starting lineup is Solomon Hill, the 23rd pick selected by the Pacers last year, who also has good defensive ability.

The preseason games were mainly focused on rehearsing tactics and running-in lineups, with the Cavaliers using more pick-and-rolls to initiate the game.

Allen's ability to circumvent pick-and-rolls is still top-notch, but the Cavaliers have two starting points for offense.

However, the biggest victim on the court was not George Hill or Solomon Hill, but Hibbert.

Although Hawes is slow, his pick-and-roll ability is not bad.

Last season, he scored 76 points and 1.11 points per pick-and-roll for the 1.07ers and the Cavaliers, respectively, both of which were among the highest in the league.

This is mainly due to his ability to shoot three-pointers from outside.

The Pacers' defensive method was to go around the screen, because Hibbert was out of position and it was impossible for him to keep up with either Hansen or Irving.

Then Hawes fired from the outside.

In the first five minutes, he received four passes from the outside, made two of them, and also assisted Irving to score a three-pointer when the Pacers were rotating their defense.

Hibbert is excellent in protecting the restricted area. Even with the restrictions of the [vertical jump rule], he is still one of the top inside defensive players in the league. However, facing the Cavaliers' style of play, he directly became "Gao Yuanyuan", and his defense was useless.

And Hawes got off to a good start tonight, and the Cavaliers had a hot hand from the outside. In the first half, they took 14 shots from the outside and made 7 of them, with a hit rate of %.

At the end of the first half, the Cavaliers led the Pacers by 61 points with 46 to 15, fully demonstrating the explosive scoring power of this style of play.

Hansen only scored 12 points in the first half, but he also had 4 rebounds and 5 assists. According to ESPN's standards, he is going to become an all-around shooting guard this season.

The second half of the preseason was basically training, and the Cavaliers' main players didn't play much in the second half, and Hansen also went off the court early to rest.

It was during this period that James Johnson had an outstanding performance on the court, especially in defensive counterattacks, where his defense and fast breaks were outstanding.

Even when the opponent focused their attention on him, he made two very beautiful passes.

When he became famous by knocking out James in the finals, he was labeled as a "thug" and a "bodyguard".

This summer, he was traded to the Cavaliers along with Hansen, which further deepened this impression.

But in fact, he was in the same class as Han Sen, and his ranking was only two places lower than Han Sen, so his talent was not bad.

Although he has not been given many opportunities in the Grizzlies over the years, he has found his position after years of accumulation.

The preseason is proceeding in an orderly manner, and the outside world's attention to the game is relatively limited.

After all, the main players basically only play half of the game, and the team's true strength cannot be seen. Only fans who care about the team's rookies or marginal players will pay extra attention.

However, it was during this period that James did something really great.

The Lakers have one preseason game against the Bucks, and it's an away game.

It is more than 2800 kilometers from Los Angeles to Milwaukee, which also made James express his doubts about the schedule.

It’s just that his way of expression is a little special. He, who previously claimed that “I don’t pay attention to social media”, asked directly on social media:
"Can someone explain to me why we have to fly to Milwaukee for a preseason game?"

This immediately attracted a lot of complaints from fans. After all, the salary that NBA players can get is far higher than that of ordinary people, especially superstars like James. The 1+1 contract he signed with the Lakers this season is worth more than 2100 million US dollars a year.

"That's why they pay you over 2000 million just to play a game."

This is the comment with the most replies from fans under his social media, and his number of likes even exceeds the social media content posted by James.

Because the incident was so popular, when the Cavaliers flew to Sacramento for a preseason game, Hansen was also asked about his opinion on the incident. "It takes more than 29 hours to drive from Los Angeles to Milwaukee, so I guess flying there would be more efficient." Hansen made a joke directly.

After Silva took office, there have been many personnel changes among the league's staff, which is normal. After all, a new emperor appoints new ministers. However, this has also led to some unreasonable situations in this year's preseason arrangements.

As a player, this is actually a small matter, after all, you have to fly farther during the regular season.

Milwaukee is still considered a central city in the United States, while Los Angeles and Boston are the farthest away.

In the finals between the Lakers and the Celtics that year, no player complained about the flight. We can only say that James is spoiled by it.

But the interesting thing is that now James and Kobe are on the same team, and no one knows what Kobe's expression would be when he was asked this kind of question by reporters.

The preseason games are all over and the 2014~2015 season is about to officially begin.

It was at this time that the league officials also ranked the strength of each team.

The Lakers, Rockets and Heat from the Nike camp ranked in the top three, the Grizzlies ranked sixth, the Cavaliers ranked tenth, and the Warriors ranked twelfth.

The maker of the list is still Stan, but this time he changed his style and did not conduct a rational analysis based on the team's adaptability. Instead, he simply wanted to compare the influence of the giants.

"The best scorer and the best organizer in the NBA are on the same team, just like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson teaming up. This is a team that everyone is watching and the strongest team in the new season."

When it comes to the Cavaliers, the style of painting has changed a lot.

"The Cavaliers have missed the playoffs for four consecutive years. Han's arrival can change something, but it is doubtful to what extent he can do it."

This list has also attracted a lot of questions from fans.

You know, the reason why Stan was recognized by so many people in the first place was because he did not succumb to the pressure from Nike and conducted rational analysis.

However, Stan's response to the fans proved that he might be more than just giving in.

Because when fans reminded him that the best scorer in the league right now is Hansen, this was refuted by him.

"If you put Kobe in that Grizzlies team, he would probably be able to do what Han did. Similarly, if you put Han in the Lakers last season, he would not be able to succeed."

If the previous evaluation still contained some reasonable doubts, then Stan’s remarks now can be said to have completely overturned the foundation of his position.

You have to know that he really became popular in the 2012 playoffs. When the outside world was not optimistic about his team, he supported Hansen and the Grizzlies all the way, and became a legend when the Grizzlies finally won the championship.

But now, his views have taken a 180-degree turn from before.

This also attracted more fans, especially Han Mi, to question him.

After Hansen achieved a dynasty with the Grizzlies, he won more than just the support of Memphis fans.

The Cavaliers' first opponent is the Grizzlies.

Although the league had some problems with the arrangements for the preseason, the arrangements for this kind of focus game will definitely not go wrong.

Although Heisley repeatedly emphasized that the trade of Hansen was Hansen's own decision, Wallace, who knew the situation, had never commented on the matter, and Hansen's original statement that he was forced to leave was still the mainstream voice.

Therefore, the game between the Cavaliers and the Grizzlies is no less interesting than their game with the Lakers.

And because the Grizzlies will hold the championship awards ceremony at home, the scene will definitely be very interesting.

The day before the opening game, the Cavaliers flew to Memphis.

When Hansen showed up at the gate, a large number of Memphis fans showed up to greet him.

Han Sen went over to sign as usual, and Owen behind him unconsciously showed admiration in his eyes.

Irving is a self-aware person and will not blindly listen to the media.

He doesn't believe in any official or Stan information, he only believes in his own understanding.

Players know players best. Han Sen’s current strength does not need any dynasty to prove it.

When you are an opponent and your coach tells you that it takes two or even three people to double-team someone on the court to defend him, you know that person is the strongest.

So he used to idolize Kobe, and now he idolizes Hansen.

Of course, there was still yearning in his eyes, wondering when he could become like Han Sen.

After dropping off their luggage at the hotel, Malone took the Cavaliers to the FedEx Center for warm-ups.

Although the preseason running-in was pretty good, the regular season is obviously different.

Especially tonight's game is destined to be more different because of Han Sen.

If nothing else, he definitely wanted to win the game for Han Sen tonight.

So he needs the team to be in as good a shape as possible before the game.

The training was not open to the public, but when they came out of the training hall, there were already a large number of reporters outside.

They were all aimed at Han Sen.

Han Sen didn't want to be interviewed at first, but there were so many reporters that they were all squeezed and couldn't get through, so he simply stayed to be interviewed so that his teammates could go back first.

The reporters asked questions on all kinds of subjects, and Hansen only answered some of them.

"What do you think about the league officially ranking the Cavaliers only tenth?" This is a sports reporter from FOX.

"I never cared about it, but it was motivation for our team."

In fact, if you just use your brain, you will know why Stan changed his position.

Money can make the world go round.

Stan's way of becoming famous is very similar to Barkley's, that is, going against the mainstream argument, so as long as he bets right once, he can become famous.

This season, Nike is launching a crazy counterattack against UA and will not miss any opportunity. Active top media figures like Stan are naturally included in their plans.

This is the uniqueness of Barkley. Barkley can change his position at any time, but it is difficult to make him change his position.

"What does it feel like to be a visiting player at FedEx Center?" asked a reporter from ESPN.

"Very excited, I feel like I can get 100 points tonight."

"If Michael Haisley is here," Hansen added.

As we all know, he is not a petty person.

(End of this chapter)