Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 272 The Hurricane Is Still There
Many people know that this is the first time that the two Red Devils kings have competed against each other in the NBA.

This is also the first time the Clippers will face the Celtics this season.

But few people realized that this would be the prologue to a classic series of confrontations.

In the Clippers' high tower VIP room, West and Ainge sat together.

Except for owners like Cuban and Ballmer who really like basketball and watch the game in the first row of the stadium, most of the team owners in the league will not do so. They just regard the team as a high-level networking platform, and watch the game from a high position with friends in the luxurious box to relieve fatigue.

More topics, more breakthroughs in friendship, that's all.

Seeing Chen Fang and Tatum hugging each other warmly on the big screen, there was a hint of regret in Angie's eyes.

But facing the absolute boss West, he had no right to act rashly. Instead, he complimented him: "Sir, this is another masterpiece of yours."

"Jason is also very good. I heard that you started paying attention to him a few years ago."

Ainge smiled. This was his masterpiece. Although the rookie season was only halfway through, no one questioned the selection of the No. 1 pick. Tatum's versatility was widely recognized.

"But his performance is far inferior to Chen Fang's. He seems to have no bottleneck and his adaptation to the league is almost at the speed of light." Ainge exaggerated sincerely. He couldn't help but feel some regret. First, he didn't choose Chen Fang. Second, he was the first one to come into contact with and discover Chen Fang's talent. Third, there was a chance that he could bring Chen Fang and Tatum to the NDRC.

Yes, he has the capital, Brown + future draft picks, and there is a chance that he can get them from the Lakers. Although the two sides are arch-rivals, it will not affect the Lakers' interest.

However, this thought only flashed through my mind, and it's no use regretting it now.

West smiled. Of course he had heard about it. If it wasn't the Celtics, but other teams, he might even have a chance to get Tatum.

Both sides had the same idea one day last year.

Angie feels regretful and West feels helpless.

They all want to get the Red Devils' duo, and are very confident that this pair of kings from Chaminade can also become kings in the NBA.

As the referee tossed the ball up, both players turned their attention back to the court.

Today's Celtics lineup: Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Morris, Al Horford.

The Clippers' starting lineup: Rose, Chen Fang, Kuzma, Griffin, and Jordan Jr.

Although the Celtics lost Haywood in the first game this year, their fighting power has not been damaged. Halfway through the season, they are second in the Eastern Conference, third in the league in defensive efficiency, and eighth in offensive efficiency.

This is a typical strong team with balanced offense and defense.

In contrast, the Clippers have experienced trading fluctuations and an unstable lineup, and they are not favored even when playing at home.

The only highlight is the brotherly duel between the No. 1 and No. 3 picks. It remains a suspense how Chen Fang, who has returned from injury, will lead the Clippers, who have undergone a large-scale blood transfusion.

But once he started, all these thoughts were swept away by Irving.

As the leader of the Celtics this season, after losing Haywood, Irving led the team to excellent results, averaging 24 points per game and becoming a genuine starting point guard for the February All-Star Game.

Within three minutes, Irving made a series of breakthroughs and shots, making the former Eastern Conference All-Star starting point guard Rose look bad.

11: 4.

The Celtics established a 7-point advantage. Chen Fang made one of three shots, and he and Griffin each scored two points, which was a bit embarrassing.

Rivers immediately replaced Rose with Beverley to restrain Irving.

This substitution had an immediate effect. Beverly's harassment prevented Irving from acting recklessly, so the Celtics entered the star singles mode.

Brown's impact and Tatum's scoring versatility are equally lethal when facing Chen Fang and Kuzma. Tatum grabs Kuzma and attacks him, while Brown relies on his strong body to attack Chen Fang.

Horford and Griffin are of the same type in a sense. They both have mid-range shots, but there are also differences. Horford's defense and assist defense abilities are higher than the latter. You can say that the Celtics are Irving's team, a team with two rookies, but the Celtics without Horford have lost the qualification to provide defensive support.

Coupled with Marcus Morris's pulling and assisting, the entire first quarter was caught up in the Celtics' rhythm of one-on-one fighting and reasonable assisting defense and switching.

Rivers kept replacing newly traded players, Channing, Tony, and Harrell. This was more like letting Chen Fang get familiar with them, but it didn't help much in terms of offense or defense.

After the first quarter, the Clippers fell behind at home.

33 to 24, lost by 9 points.

The fans began to feel dissatisfied and booed. Chen Fang only scored 4 points and 2 assists, and his performance was far worse than before.

Duan Ran in the commentary booth explained: "The entire Clippers have changed players, the system no longer exists, Chen Fang needs to get familiar with his teammates, and his teammates also need to get familiar with him."

"And the Celtics won't give them the time they are familiar with. This game is tough for the Clippers."

On the Clippers bench, Chen Fang was not impatient. The problem in the first quarter was on offense, but even more on defense.

"I'll go to the 3rd position, Pat, you're at the top of the key, Tony, I need you to be ready to help on the other side at any time, Blake, pull Horford out, I need space to attack."

After Rivers gave instructions on defense, Chen Fang immediately added.

"We need to switch defense faster. Their shooting is not good enough. They rely more on impact and protecting the frame. We play fast counterattack."

Chen Fang's words surprised the newcomer. He wanted to find Rivers, but found that he had already left.

"Guys, catch up in the second quarter. They are fighting on their own and we can just defeat them one by one." Chen Fang called the four of them together and gave them instructions before they went on the court.

As soon as he came on the court, Chen Fang's first touch of the ball boosted morale.

With Tony's screen and position change, Chen Fang found Tatum. When the two met on the wing, they aroused the booing of the audience. After receiving the ball, Chen Fang did not make a three-threat, but dribbled along the situation. His eyes were still observing and his feet were retreating along the three-point line. Kuzma was running towards him at the top of the arc.

All this looked more like a sign of waiting for a pick-and-roll, so Tatum began to prepare for the screen. He pressed upwards and changed his body to a sideways stance with up and down steps.

Kuzma cut down and ran towards the free throw line. At this moment, Chen Fang also turned around, changed his direction, and rushed towards the bottom corner.

Not only did he avoid Brown's double-team, he also shook off Tatum.

Rushing towards the restricted area along the baseline, Kuzma threw the ball before Morris could catch up. He rushed into the restricted area from the free throw line without slowing down. Seeing Chen Fang's pass, he jumped high, caught the ball with one hand, and slammed it into the basket.

By the way, he knocked Horford, who was protecting the rim, to the ground.

"A wonderful alley-oop cooperation, it's the moment of Clippers supernova Kuzma. After successfully staying with the Clippers, Kuzma needs to take on more offensive tasks!" In the commentary booth, Clippers' official commentator David raised his arms and shouted.

This is also the tacit understanding between Chen Fang and Kuzma. Chen Fang only needs to give Kuzma a look and the latter will understand.

Often, wonderful cooperation is difficult to sustain, but it is the best wake-up call to force the opponent to change its defensive strategy. Brown should pay more attention to Kuzma's actions and not attack Chen Fang at will.

As a result, Chen Fang had more space to face Tatum.

The two knew each other's background, but over the past few months, they had not grasped each other's changes.

In the last round, Tatum backed up Chen Fang and suddenly did an atypical retreat dribble and turned around for a jump shot, leaving Chen Fang helpless. In the next round, Chen Fang shook his head and tried to block Tatum, who was about to shoot, and scored with a layup.

Both of them were using techniques that the other side had not anticipated to explode each other. When Brown and Irving were restricted, the scoring of the two suddenly became the theme of offense and defense.

"The beginning of a legend. Two high school teammates who never met in the NCAA finally fought each other in the NBA. Both sides knew each other too well. You have a ladder, and I have a plan." Duan Ran said with emotion.

Sometimes, watching a game is worth the price of the ticket just for these few scenes. The matchup between Chen Fang and Rex Rabbit has always been what the media and fans want to see most.

The score was closing as Chen Fang began to threaten through his own strength and delivered deadly assists, giving Griffin and Kuzma better shooting opportunities.

But Irving was also adjusting quickly. He used his dribbling advantage, juggling Beverley, and starting a breakthrough and passing mode, which also gave Horford and Morris good opportunities to attack the basket directly.

"It was a ghostly dribble, Irving's Eurostep completely fooled Kuzma, and he scored with a left-handed throw. What an unparalleled touch!" Ke Fan was excited. He has always admired Irving for daring to break away from James. Even though the commentary today is about the Clippers, he still wants to sing praises for Irving.

57: 51.

There are 2:34 seconds left in the first half.

But as Chen Fang finished testing the entire Celtics team, the situation on the field suddenly changed.

Beverly dribbled across half court. Chen Fang, who played as a shooting guard, first set a screen for him, then stepped out and received the pass. He stood outside the top of the arc, three meters away from the three-point line.

Brown didn't get too close, standing outside the three-point line and staring at him.

Tatum guarded Kuzma on the other side, Griffin started to go to the short corner, Jordan moved from the free throw line to the top of the arc, and Beverley went to the bottom corner to take Irving down.

Chen Fang was the only one left at the top of the arc.

Chen Fang started dribbling and came to the top of the arc. Brown chose to move horizontally and Chen Fang approached. Just as Brown was about to move forward, Chen Fang accurately read his footsteps changes. The moment Brown stepped on the ball, his breakthrough came.

The two men's bodies rubbed against each other under the basket. Chen Fang used inch power. He did not really break through. He was just looking for a reasonable opportunity to get rid of Brown's blocking threat and give himself more shooting space.

Taking advantage of the recoil, Chen Fang took a step back after blowing the ball, then jumped up and made a long-distance mid-range shot.

Brown had no time to block the shot, and before he turned around to see if it went in, he heard cheers from the stands.

Brad Stevens, the Celtics head coach frowned, he had a bad feeling.

Thirty seconds later, Chen Fang faced Brown again at the top of the arc. He used a unilateral drag step to move Brown's feet, then stepped back again to avoid Brown's right hand blocking range, and used a jump shot for a three-pointer to narrow the score to only 1 point.

Brad understood.

Brown's defense is very good. His 215cm wingspan and 102kg weight give him the ability to defend from 1 to 4. His defense is stronger than his offense at this moment.

But Brown has a flaw. His lateral footwork and concentration are not good, especially his concentration. It's not that he is distracted during the game, but he is half a beat slower when reading the opponent's offense.

The Chinese player obviously caught this flaw and used a sudden change of footwork to get rid of Brown's defense. At the top of the arc, Brown couldn't see his teammates at all. In his eyes, there was only Chen Fang and the empty frontcourt.

This increases the possibility of his distraction.

But this timing made Brad hesitate. Substituting Rozier in the first half, which was about to end, had no effect.

While he was thinking, Brown used his body to force Chen Fang to layup, which calmed Brad down. But ten seconds later, he began to regret it.

Because Chen Fang called out Brown at the top of the arc again, his continuously changing footsteps made Brown immobilized. After Chen Fang broke through, he passed the ball to Jordan Jr., who dunked and scored another two points.

The score difference is still only one point.

Tatum took the initiative to switch positions with Brown, but was rejected by the latter. So in the last 21 seconds, Chen Fang pressed the ball until the last five seconds before taking action. He half-turned to mislead Brown again, and after getting in, he made a mid-range shot and finally reversed the score at the last moment of the first half.

"He played really smart." Angie sighed in the box.

"He spent a quarter and a half reading your defensive layers, clearly capturing the defensive range of Brown, Tatum, and Morris, and started attacking in the gray area where the three did not intersect."

Angie was surprised to hear what West said.

"This is a bit exaggerated." Angie couldn't believe it.

"If you didn't call and go to the locker room, I would tell you more." The old man smiled.

Anji, embarrassed, tried to hide his guilt with laughter. He shrugged and spread his hands, "I'm willing to listen to your opinion here, sir."

"It was just a little joke, don't mind it." After revealing Anji's thoughts, the old man continued, "If you remember his shooting points in the first half, you'll find that he was stepping on landmines, using his offense to test the minefields and safe zones."

"The top of the arc and the bottom corner are safe areas. He read Brown's one-on-one defense flaws, and when he moved Brown to the top of the arc, he made the consecutive hits just now."

Ainge understood after hearing half of the sentence. He smiled bitterly: "The Celtics' current weakness is No. 4 and No. 5. Whether it is Horford or Morris, their control area is not enough, which causes the three outside players to shrink further inside the three-point line in order to achieve the effect of five-man switching."

“So it’s very difficult for you to make up for the corners and the top of the arc quickly.” The old man understood after watching half the game.

"Yes, Haywood's injury has a huge impact. Originally, I needed Tatum to play 3-defense-4, and this shortcoming can be infinitely reduced. If I choose a high-mobility 5th position, it will be perfect."

"Smart would be a good addition, but the problem remains that it's difficult for the Celtics to solve this problem in a short period of time."

"You have no chance against the Warriors and Rockets. Even in the Eastern Conference, it's very difficult." West didn't mind saying more, because at least it seemed that it would be difficult for the Celtics and the Clippers to have a direct conflict for the championship.

"Yeah, I still need to look around for players who are more suitable for this system."

"Sir, what about the Clippers? I can help if it is within my ability." Ainge expressed his respect for West and asked a sly question.

The old man smiled. He naturally understood what Anji meant.

In an alliance, any transaction involving three or four parties is more or less influenced by human relationships. Adding one more person can make the unreasonable become reasonable and satisfy more people.

"The Celtics' first-round pick is too low. If you were asked to think about it, what would you do if you got a high draft pick next year?" West asked, ignoring the second half of the sentence.

Anji was stunned by the old man's sudden change of subject. He lowered his head and thought seriously. After a while, he replied, "Gambling is very risky. I would rather have a targeted communication after the lottery is over and based on the draft market situation."

“Who do you think will win next year?”

This was more like a test. Angie immediately realized that this was the old man's real intention in calling him to the box. He understood and felt at ease.

“Is it a cornerstone or a puzzle piece?”

"It's all right. I plan to recruit some people next year. If I can get more professional references, it will save me a lot of energy."

West's forthright attitude made Angie sigh. He knew that if he didn't reveal something today, it would be difficult to get through.

"If I had a high pick, I would choose Luka. This Slovenian guy would be a great cornerstone for the team."

West didn't interrupt, just listened quietly.

So Ainge had to bite the bullet and squeeze out a little more of the intelligence he had worked so hard to get: "Trae Young has the ability, but his body and personality may hinder him from becoming an All-Star. Ayton is good, but he lacks the temperament that a No. 5 should have. Maybe he is a championship puzzle, but the probability is that he will fail."

"Porter Jr. is good, but the premise is that his back injury can be completely healed. However, based on the current information, this is difficult. This is a candidate with high risks and rewards."

"Sexton will be a good defender, but his style of play is unique, which brings hidden dangers. Bamba is a work in progress, and no one knows how long it will take to reach the finished product. It could be a year, or a lifetime."

"Jalen is a very good defensive core player, which is what I want most. It's a pity that his draft pick will not be lower than 5." Ainge sighed.

"Both Bridges have the potential to win the lottery, and there is a high probability that they will not fall out of the top ten."

Seeing that West hadn’t spoken yet, he couldn’t help but said, “My focus this year is on the free market and the buyout market.”

"That's enough, thank you." West gently let Angie go.

Ainge only mentioned high picks because he knew the Clippers couldn't possibly get a high pick. This little fox really has a good brain.

But the old man had achieved his goal, and he felt much more relieved. If even Ainge didn't discover Alexander, then it was likely that other teams in the league didn't really pay attention to this young man.

It’s just that West is worried about one thing.

Can Alexander form a dual core with Chen Fang?
From his life and philosophy, the dual core outside players can never get around the problem of ball possession. Curry, Klay and Durant can share the ball because their functions and off-ball abilities are at a historical level.

Chen Fang is very good at playing without the ball, but that doesn’t mean he is willing to play without the ball.

Because he plays with the ball better!
According to West's current thinking, there are two sets.

Find a core inside player for Chen Fang, or an outside player, it all depends on how many first-round picks are in hand.

Alliances have always been places where smart people gather. When everyone realizes that you are unstoppable, they will unite and target you intentionally or unintentionally.

The better Chen Fang performs, the faster this anxiety and consensus will be reached.

The Clippers' comfortable period will last until 19 at most. After that, the Clippers will be hated by all teams like the Warriors.

Just as West was worried, the second half of the game between the Clippers and the Celtics began.

After just five minutes of watching, Ainge was really convinced. It was indeed as West had judged. Chen Fang started the one-on-one mode, and both Brown and Tatum were attacked indiscriminately by him.

Although Irving is scoring, he cannot compare with the 201cm tall Chinese player in terms of scoring ability and leadership ability.

This is not to say that Irving is not good enough, but that he is more adapted to playing in a system with fast offense and defense transitions. His role in positional battles is far less than that of Chen.

Because there are very few players who are good at both positional warfare and offense-defense transition. Tatum is not one of them, Brown is not one of them, and Irving is not one of them.

Looking at the entire league, Chen Fang and James are the only ones who can do this.

The difference between the two is that the former is better in shooting, while the latter's advantage is more obvious in system, and there is also a huge gap in attendance rate and stability.

But this is enough. Angie's regret increases every time he looks at Chen Fang.

Throughout the third quarter, Chen Fang led the Clippers, expanding their 1-point advantage in the first half to 8 points and keeping it under tight control.

This is also the invisible talent of the Chinese. As long as he wants, it is difficult for him to shut down. Data shows that in the games with Chen Fang on the court, once the Clippers lead by 8 points after the fourth quarter, the winning rate will reach 75%. If it exceeds 10 points, it will be %.

The box was very quiet. The two real big names in the NBA watched the entire process of the Clippers winning the game calmly.

"This is a good template for reviewing the game." When the buzzer sounded to signal the end of the game, Angie stood up and said.

West also stood up. He knew Ainge was leaving, so he politely extended his hand and shook it: "I believe that in the near future, the Celtics will return to their peak and win their 18th trophy."

"Maybe before that, the Clippers will break team history and win their first championship," Ainge replied flatteringly.

"Then wish us all the best."

On the court, Chen Fang hugged Tatum and comforted him: "There is something wrong with your system. It's not your fault."

"Thank you." Tatum still took winning very seriously. It was difficult for him to remain calm. After he said that, he turned and left.

Glancing at his back, Chen Fang wasn't angry. That's how competition is. It would be the same even if he lost.

The victory today was not only due to his 26 points, but also to Lou Williams' 18 points and Beverley's suppression of Irving.

Although Harrell only scored 6 points, his 8 rebounds were important, especially in limiting Morris.

These three people, just like in their previous life, are a perfect match for the Clippers, which makes Chen Fang feel in awe of fate.

I thought that if Paul went to the Lakers in exchange for me, the deal with the Rockets would not happen, but unexpectedly, the three main players in the deal still came to the Clippers.

And they played at a high level in the first game and gave a satisfactory result. From Rivers' expression, Chen Fang knew very well that the three of them would occupy a lot of playing time in the future.

Chen Fang continued to observe everyone. This was what he was going to do at the beginning. Through observation, he tried to capture everyone's inner thoughts and thus gain more control over the situation.

He saw the frustrated Rose. He didn't score a single point today. His precious starting position was beaten down by Irving. The front wave was beaten to death on the beach by the back wave.

Channing and Tony smiled. Since they were both planning to retire, it was hard for anything to affect them.

He looked at Zubac who was about to return to the locker room. He played for 8 minutes today, with 2 points and 3 rebounds. His performance has been poor recently and he was almost dropped out of the rotation.

Kuzma was smiling. He scored 14 points today, which is a good number. You can see that he is very happy. Well, this guy really doesn't have any ambitions and is very satisfied with his current situation.

Thornwell had a calm expression. He did not play today, but he did not show any sign of being depressed. He knew his shortcomings and was quietly accumulating energy.

What were Griffin and Jordan talking about? He scored 21 points today and Jordan scored 11 points. This is normal, so their expressions are also normal.

Chen Fang looked around and probably understood what everyone was thinking. Reporters also came over. As the best player of the game, it was his turn to say a few words.

"We use this victory to welcome new teammates and wish good luck to every brother who leaves the Clippers," Chen Fang said briefly.

"Does today's victory over the second-ranked Celtics in the Eastern Conference mean that the Clippers' playoff plan remains unchanged?" the reporter asked.

Chen Fang, who had already walked a few steps, stopped and replied, "It has never changed. The hurricane is still there."

(End of this chapter)