Generation Z Artists

Chapter 203: Not a Smooth Strike, Can Fang Qiao Really Do It?
The Wizards lost six games in the preseason, but the entire basketball world was cheering wildly for them.

"Damn, the Star River and Mike are a fucking insane combination!"

"The league's top teams, it's time to tremble!"

"The most spectacular attack wave in history! The genius god-king duo delivered an absolute visual feast!"

"Star River is absolutely a great organizer, yes, great!"

"Unbelievable! SR is just a complete greenhorn, but this level of control over the game... Damn it!"

"Media outlets that previously referred to the Wizards as a team of old, weak, sick, and disabled players should apologize!"

The reason they were praised despite losing is because the Wizards were clearly using the game for practice.

They had just assembled their starting five and spent most of the game practicing tactics rather than pursuing victory.

The Wizards' style of play went from chaotic at the beginning to orderly at the end in just 6 games.

They won the seventh game with a little more effort.

If we need a more detailed explanation of how they successfully integrated, then it would be something like this—

The Wizards played a fixed formation on the first possession of the game.

Fang Xinghe has the ball at the top of the arc, Dan is on the 45-degree wing preparing to cut inside, Robinson is waiting at the 45-degree angle on the other side, Hamilton is positioned in the corner, ready to start, while Campbell is inside to hold off the opposing center.

The moment everyone is ready and begins to move, Fang Xinghe will make a simple assessment.

Sudden attack, throw, pass.

If the opposing point guard chooses to keep his distance, and Campbell and Jordan have a relative positional advantage, then Fang Xinghe will directly take a three-pointer.

At first glance, it looks like a wild shot, but it's actually a low-interference shooting drill. The accuracy is already quite good, and Campbell's positioning and Dan's aggressive play can also give them a slight advantage in rebounding.

If the first three-pointer goes in, the next offensive possession will force the defender to stick close.

If you miss, keep trying.

With 89 points in three-point shooting and 99 points in coordination for added stability, making two out of three shots is a piece of cake when you're in a half-open position.

Therefore, after about the first three attacks, the opposing defender will inevitably stick close to the player.

At this moment, a sudden opening occurs.

Given Fang Xinghe's speed and such a huge space, once he gets inside, he can either dunk like a rocket or draw a foul on a hastily moving center. There is no third possibility.

After two such goals, you can usually force the opponent to stop playing.

Next, the opponent must choose one of several poisoned drinks.

Most head coaches chose to leave Robinson open and double-team Fang Xinghe.

At this point, the Wizards' tactics continued to evolve.

Fang Xinghe forced his way through, drawing the opposing power forward to follow, and then passed the ball back to Robinson. If Robinson was in good form and could hit an open three-pointer, then they would continue playing like this.

If Robinson isn't having a good shot, then he should dribble forward and take a mid-range jumper from the elbow area.

If Robinson's shooting touch is off and the opponent moves quickly enough to get back on defense, then Robinson will run a pick-and-roll with Hamilton to create a handoff opportunity for Hamilton.

Hamilton's career ended.

If Hamilton's shooting touch is also off, Fang Xinghe will move out to the outside to receive the pass again, but this time, Fang Xinghe and Dan will be on the same side.

The two players' teamwork is basically inside-out.

Fang passed the ball to Dan in the low post, who then cut inside without the ball. Dan could then choose to either post up or pass the ball to Fang Xinghe for a play.

Danzi's passing ability is severely underestimated; if he wanted to, averaging 10 assists per game would be a piece of cake.

Even if Danzi's touch isn't good, Fang Xinghe, who cuts inside, can still be the last line of defense.

The claim of 89 points in positioning ability is obviously ridiculous. Fang Ge has no positioning ability with the inside players, but he also has 89 points in rebounding instinct and sprinting ability, which is just too abnormal.

He can quickly judge the landing point during a breakthrough, jump quickly, and jump again quickly, and can grab more than 3 offensive rebounds per game.

Alternatively, you can receive the ball at the basket, jump, and attack the center head-on. If the opponent's rim protection is not strong enough, you're in big trouble; any erratic movement could result in a 2+1 play.

If the opposing center is extremely good at protecting the rim, Fang Xinghe can always make excellent passes after fully utilizing the defense in mid-air.

At first glance, the Wizards' half-court offense seems extremely simple, sometimes even chaotic—Robinson's passing choices, Hamilton's running routes, Dan's post-up playmaking, Campbell's positioning in the paint…

However, no matter how many problems there were, Fang Xinghe, as the core of the organization, always managed to provide support at the most opportune moment, and then recklessly charge into the basket, giving everyone a second chance.

The Wizards lacked chemistry and were extremely unfamiliar with their offensive tactics, but as long as they could find Fang Xinghe, they could always manage to keep going, albeit with some stumbles.

Not to mention the fast break and counter-attack tactics, once Fang Xinghe rushes out from the top of the arc, as long as the pass isn't too far off, it's a sure thing to score 2 points.

The first quarter of a game usually ends in this kind of chaos.

The rhythm was fragmented, both sides were like that.

The Wizards' disarray was to be expected, but the opponents' disarray was forced out by Fang Xinghe's sheer force.

Point guards usually launch attacks from the top of the key. Fang Xinghe guarded the top of the key, defending against drives but not shots. With his lateral movement, no one except Iverson could get in.

The opposing point guards are basically afraid to take risky shots and can only pass the ball.

Once the ball is passed, Fang Xinghe will consciously pull out to the outside, not participating in defense, but instead drawing the opponent's point guard to follow, causing the lineup to become disjointed.

The point guard rarely follows him and continues to cut inside; no one can afford to trade points with him.

In the second quarter, with a semi-substitute lineup, Danzi started to step up his game.

To reduce the number of rounds and minimize Danzi's running, the second quarter is usually a low-post offense in positional play.

He takes his time, like an old man, slowly positioning himself, shooting a few balls, making an assist, and if he's in a good mood, cutting inside again...

Around the 6-minute mark of the second quarter, Fang Xinghe replaced him and continued to score wildly.

In the third quarter, with the full starting lineup, Fang Xinghe proactively reduced his aggressiveness and began to hone his tactics using the traditional point guard approach.

Typically, the Wizards lose more points and make a lot of mistakes in this quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Fang Xinghe and Jordan stopped playing, allowing the semi-starting lineup to get to know each other better. They observed and discussed from the sidelines.

Thus, they lost six preseason games in a row.

In Game 7, the Wizards players, who had finally developed some chemistry and familiarity, fully showcased their individual strengths.

Robinson stayed put outside the three-point line, either shooting, passing, or facing up to isolate, but he just wouldn't go inside, which annoyed his opposing power forwards.

In today's league, apart from Garnett being able to both guard him and provide strong help defense, all other power forwards are suffering terribly.

If Fang Xinghe chooses to initiate a pick-and-roll with Robinson, switching positions to exploit the power forward's weakness, then the power forward's pain will be doubled.

Actually, without Fang Xinghe's top-notch skills in driving, shooting, and passing, Robinson's offensive power beyond the three-point line would be quite average. But there are no "ifs" in this story. With Fang Xinghe protecting him, Robinson is incredibly awesome.

Anyway, when he can't make shots or score, he can just pass the buck and Fang Ge can reorganize the offense. He's so happy, right?

Hamilton was finally able to show the disgusting side of marathon runners.

He hardly participates in the midfield transition; once he gets to the frontcourt, he just runs without looking back.

Sometimes it's a fixed route prescribed by tactics, and sometimes it's just when I'm in a good mood, I'll sneak around people randomly.

As long as you can get a wide-open space, the ball will definitely be there, so what's there to think about? Just run away!

With Fang Xinghe and Jordan on the court, no opponent could afford to allocate perimeter defensive resources to him, so Xiao Han really enjoyed running and shooting.

He quietly racks up 16 or 7 points per game, which doesn't seem like much at first glance, but his shooting percentage is a whopping 57.8%! The best in the entire league!

Isn't that outrageous?
Regardless of winning or losing, Xiao Han is all smiles every night, feeling incredibly comfortable.

Danzi's preseason scoring was also not high.

He averaged 20.1 points per game, playing 31 minutes per game, primarily focusing on finishing and secondarily on playmaking, and recorded 5.8 assists and 6.5 rebounds.

The hit rate was unremarkable at 51.2%.

Sit down, sit down, as is standard procedure.

Anyone with eyes could see that Danzi wasn't exerting his full strength, and his inside-outside passing and cutting coordination with Fang Xinghe always caused a tsunami of viewers.

The number one goal in the preseason's top ten was a combination between the two players.

Fang Xinghe passed to Jordan and then cut inside. Danzi backed down to position himself, faked a shoulder movement, and then made a no-look backhand bounce pass.
Fang Xinghe received the ball and drove to the basket, drawing the attention of all the defenders. Danzi suddenly turned and cut inside, taking a big step and jumping, arching his back in mid-air.

Just as Danzi got into position, the basketball suddenly came into his hands. The opposing center was staring wide-eyed at Fang Xinghe, but Danzi slammed the ball into his face.

Even after the ball went in, the opponent still couldn't react. The ball was clearly in Fang Xinghe's hands, so how did it get past him?
The big screen slowed down the shot. Fang Xinghe dodged the steal by pulling to the side, took three steps to lay up, his eyes fixed on the basket. In reality, he flicked his left wrist upwards behind his back, relying entirely on the power of his wrist and palm to accurately and discreetly pass the ball to Da Dan. Then he suddenly stopped and spread his arms wide, facing the center.

The center was stunned.

Huh? Where's the ball?

boom!
The balls are on my face, two of them.

This goal has sparked a frenzy of speculation about Qiao Fang's future among sports media worldwide.

Oh, America is Joe Fang, Asia must be Fang Joe.

For the time being, Fang Xinghe's basketball fan base in the United States is far smaller than Jordan's, while in Asia it is roughly the same—referring specifically to basketball fans, not all fans.

True fans are mostly fans of champions or strong players; the proportion who judge by appearance is not high.

Therefore, it's normal and reasonable for Fang Xinghe to lag behind in this aspect. However, there's no doubt that the Wizards have become the home team for fans all over Asia.

Professional media believe that the Qiao-Fang duo has the potential to reach the Eastern Conference Finals in their first year as a team, and after adding a strong center, they could challenge the dominance of the OK combination.

Even the most insane person wouldn't believe that Qiao Fang could defeat OK with such a lineup.

What is the Wizards team now?
A group of elderly, weak, sick and disabled individuals.

Fang Xinghe, a freshman in the first grade, is only 16 years old.

Third-year shooting guard Hamilton is a relatively unknown player with no independent offensive capabilities.

Danny, a 38-year-old small forward, is old and frail; he can't even beat the younger players in a one-on-one situation.

Power forward Robinson, a soft perimeter player, had his peak honor at making the All-Defensive Second Team last year.

Center, Campbell, 34 years old, 10 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks. His only offensive weapon is picking and rolling to the basket for easy baskets; he's a pure rim protector and role player.

Backup point guards Chris Whitney and Coach Lue combined for 20 points and 6 assists.

Hubert Davis, the backup small forward, is passable.

Backup power forward Popeye Jones, nicknamed "Bullet Eye," is a poor scorer with 7 rebounds and 7 points.

Backup centers Jahidi White and Zeiko Rebraka are pure expendable resources, their purpose being to "Hack-a-Shaq" and to relentlessly wear down the opposing center's stamina...

The Wizards don't even have a qualified backup shooting guard.

Fang Xinghe is a backup shooting guard.

He decided to increase his playing time to 42 minutes, resting only for 6 minutes in the second quarter, and then play the full game.

It's really tough, but there's nothing we can do. The Wizards are just a bunch of freaks.

Good news: The Wizards have an extremely healthy salary structure.

The team's total salary is only 3711 million, which is far from the salary cap of 4250 million this year.

The bad news: There's room for improvement, but we can't find the right people to fill those gaps!
The league would certainly like to see Joe and OK meet in the Finals, but the team owners may not be so willing.

Not to mention playoff teams, even those rebuilding bottom teams need to accumulate talent. Why should they trade their quality assets for your mediocre players?
Ultimately, the management only managed to secure one free agent – ​​Jim Jackson.

A defensive forward, 32 years old, with only one or two years left in his defensive prime.

The salary is 400 million, and the main selling point is that it's cheap.

At this point, management has essentially filled all the available slots, with only one trading exception remaining.

They originally wanted to acquire a backup shooting guard who was average on both offense and defense to clear out the point guard and bench positions, but Fang Xinghe waved his hand and said, "Let's get a tank center too!"

The atmosphere within the team suddenly became strange.

The starters and substitutes huddled together, whispering cautiously, "Are we really going to make a run for the championship?"

"I can't believe it..."

"Who the hell would dare? But that's probably how it is now..."

"What did Jordan say?"

"It seems like they've agreed?"

"Holy crap! Are we really about to do something big?"

"Shut up! Damn it, you're making me nervous..."

Without Fang Xinghe and Jordan, the Wizards were practically a losers' league.

The new are new, the old are old, and no one has ever tasted the flavor of victory.

Although Fang Xinghe had repeatedly emphasized publicly that his goal was to win the championship, they didn't believe him, thinking it was just empty talk to attract attention.

It wasn't until this moment, when Fang Xinghe abandoned his search for a reliable backup point guard and shooting guard and instead added a defensive center, that they finally realized the team's young leader was serious.

"Can it be done?"

"do not know."

"Damn, I'm so restless!"

"Shut up, SR boss is looking over here!"

A subtle excitement permeated the group, and even the hot-tempered and easily angered Robinson began to train hard.

NBA players always seem to unleash tremendous energy when aiming for their first championship, while those who win a three-peat often show signs of exhaustion in the final title.

The Wizards have now assembled a group of veteran players without a championship. Regardless of their abilities, at least their morale is being boosted.

Another interesting thing is the team atmosphere.

The veterans all knew what kind of tyrant Jordan was, so they would never provoke him.

In fact, Danzi did not act irritably.

He would still occasionally reprimand players who didn't train hard enough, or trash talk during internal scrimmages, but he was clearly in control and often applauded and encouraged teammates who made good plays.

Outside of practice, especially in the locker room, he would tell jokes and complain with his teammates about a league superstar who had become or was about to become an opponent.

The team atmosphere wasn't as high-pressure as everyone had expected.

As for Fang Xinghe... he does not participate in internal management.

During the adjustment period, he didn't swear.

But he will call a temporary pause.

If anyone's positioning is problematic, then before the figurehead head coach can even speak, Fang Duiba will stop the game and patiently explain the tactical intent behind the positioning and the tactical objectives that should be achieved.

This task is particularly detailed because it requires maximizing the use of space. Everyone needs to be careful to set screens for their teammates and create space for key finishers.

In fact, Campbell was somewhat out of place in positional play, but Fang Ge still designed a lot of pick-and-roll tactics for him.

Although this rough guy can only block and not dismantle, and his only offensive move is to finish off opponents, he has an extremely solid blocking effect. As long as he creates a little space, Fang Ge, Danzi, and Xiao Han are all capable of finishing them off instantly.

Brother Fang is a true brother, patient and virtuous.

The virtue of martial virtue.

In one training match, Robinson made several wild shots and didn't follow the tactics. He wouldn't listen when he was told to. Fang patiently corrected him twice, and the third time he just clenched his fist and charged at him.

Robinson only then realized that the guy opposite him was the acknowledged NBA martial arts master, so he immediately waved his hands and kicked back.

"Stop, stop! I was wrong, SR boss, I know I was wrong!"

Fang was quite disappointed that he didn't get hit.

However, from then on, Fang Ge, who never cursed, became even more terrifying than Qiao Ge, who loved to curse. When he spoke, everyone had to strain their ears to listen carefully.

On the defensive end, Fang Ge didn't take on too much responsibility, handing over command entirely to Danzi, Kambe, Robin Hood, and the newcomer Jim.

You guys can discuss how to defend the paint, but I'll handle the perimeter defense one-on-one.

In fact, Fang Xinghe's one-on-one defense against guards was quite effective. He had top-notch lateral movement, excellent physical strength, accurate anticipation, and quick shooting. It's just that he didn't put in much effort to defend during the preseason and early regular season; he was just good enough.

Occasionally, he would move up his position, leaving his marker exposed, to hone the coordination and help defense among the inside players.

Ahem, it's really not that I'm being lazy~~~
Why take a non-highlight game in the regular season so seriously?

However, he was not completely uninvolved in the defensive system. On the contrary, he proposed a clear defensive system that was only used for desperate measures.

Strong pressure, limited switching, forcing the ball into the hands of the opponent who is least good at passing, and then suddenly double-teaming and harassing them.

This high-intensity defensive strategy could only last for one quarter, so Fang Xinghe started it in the third quarter.

The lineup consists of Fang Xinghe at point guard, Danzi at shooting guard, Jim at small forward, Robinson at power forward, and Campbell at rim protection.

During this period, Fang Xinghe no longer focused on one-on-one defense at the top of the arc, but instead moved closer to interfere, forcing the point guard to move the ball, and then followed closely behind, double-teaming the opponent with Danzi, Jim, or Robinson.

If Dan, Jim, or Robinson need to switch on defense with high intensity, they have the ability to do so, and can all defend positions 2 through 4.

Once possession falls into the hands of an opponent who is not good at moving the ball, the closest player immediately double-teams them, while the others cover for each other, leaving the opponent at the farthest end open.

At this point, although a large open space has appeared, the opponent is unable to make accurate passes and is extremely prone to making mistakes.

Once a steal occurs, your brother Fang will charge out like a mad dog, and then... bang!

This tactic also has a finishing option – a three-pointer.

But during the regular season, Fang Xinghe never demonstrated this possibility; he only made fast break dunks.

Those who can keep up with his speed are not as strong as him; those who can withstand his strength in combat cannot keep up with his speed; the very few who possess both speed and strength are bound to be the core of the opponent's offense and defense, so let's just wear each other down.

Relying on this aggressive, steal-heavy style of play in the third quarter to close the gap, the Wizards went through a mixed bag of wins and losses in their first 10 games, but then steadily climbed the scoreboard, becoming a mature defensive counter-attacking team before December.

Before the Christmas Day game, they had a record of 16 wins and 10 losses, ranking fourth in the Eastern Conference. They were showing the potential of a strong team, but not quite that strong, having lost three consecutive games to strong Western Conference teams.

Overall, basketball media outlets are quite disappointed with and have a low opinion of the Joe & Fang duo, not believing they have the ability to contend for the championship.

Even so, the Christmas battle still attracted 3800 million subscribers in the United States and billions of viewers in Asia.

Because the God-King duo is finally going to face off head-on.

This is a Christmas battle destined to go down in history; it's already heating up without any publicity.

(End of this chapter)