Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 302 The Pirate King's Attack

As soon as the Clippers' plane landed in Los Angeles, reports about the Clippers' first preseason game began circulating online.

The local Los Angeles media, being their own, did not overly criticize the narrow 87-82 victory, believing that everyone was getting back into form during the long offseason.

Chen Fang's stats of 15 points, 3 assists, and 4 rebounds didn't receive much comment, considering he only played 21 minutes.

But media outlets outside of California are not so polite.

ESPN's NBA columnist Felipe was critical of the preseason game, expressing his bewilderment at the Clippers' ugly defense and 33 fouls in his article.

"The Clippers players seem to be there to fight, not to play basketball."

"The Australian NBL league is known for its high intensity and aggressive play, but the Sydney Kings were as innocent as street thugs encountering the Chicago mob in front of the Clippers."

"Dillon fouled out after three quarters, and was actually quite smug, waving to his teammates on the bench. Beverley followed suit immediately, and two minutes later, he also fouled out."

"Of the Sydney Kings' 82 points, 31 came from free throws, which is a terrifying statistic."

Regardless of his stance, Felipe's words are true, so when a reporter asked Justin, the league's executive chairman of the disciplinary committee, about it, the latter looked bewildered after hearing the reporter's summary and then hurriedly replied: "I need to know more before I can give an answer, but the style of play is an extension of the coach's wishes, and the league has no say in it."

The Clippers' main problem in the first game was the excessive number of fouls, which made the game disjointed and even drew boos from the more than 10,000 spectators in the arena.

Even Chen Fang, who played for 21 minutes, committed 3 fouls.

Rivers' comments during the post-game interview caused a huge uproar.

"We are reshaping our defensive system. I'm sorry, but this is just the beginning."

NBA columnist Randfen didn't hold back on Twitter, sarcastically commenting: "Please don't lie to us, this is simply a case of poor defense, and they're just making up for it with fouls."

The Clippers, back in Los Angeles, ignored the media's mockery, because they knew all too well that there would only be more to come.

On October 3, the Clippers hosted the Timberwolves at home.

The Timberwolves are currently plagued by rumors. All-Star player Jimmy Butler requested a trade and was not included in Thibodeau's lineup for this game. The starting lineup consisted of Towns, Wiggins, Covington, Teague, and Gibson.

In his previous life, Rose experienced a resurgence with the Timberwolves, where he not only had his mentor Thibodeau but also his former Bulls teammate Gibson.

CJ Williams, who was cut, was claimed by the Timberwolves. Evans hugged CJ before the game and asked about his current situation.

CJ still has a two-way contract. This is the cruelty of the league. If you're not good enough and can't help the team, you don't need to look at anything else; you can tell just by looking at the contract.

Chen Fang didn't play today. He was dressed casually and sat next to Mazura, the two chatting and laughing.

The Timberwolves weren't strong enough, and Rivers didn't want to put too much offensive pressure on them, so he had Chen Fang watch from the sidelines.

The 17,000 fans who came were disappointed, having missed Chen Fang playing for half a year.

The Clippers' starting lineup today was also quite unique.

Zubac, Jaren Jr., Bridges, Rose, Dillon.

This is a defense-oriented strategy. It maintains three tall, mobile players on both the inside and outside lines, effectively protecting the paint while also suppressing threats on the wings.

As for letting Rose play, it was also because of his connection with the Timberwolves.

As soon as the game started, Mazura got busy. As the lead defensive assistant coach, he had a lot of work to do. Meanwhile, Brian seemed to be taking it easy. At present, the Clippers' focus is on improving their defense, and there are no changes in their offense.

After all, without Chen Fang, it's difficult for the Clippers to produce high-quality offense.

The Timberwolves' strength lies in whether Towns and Wiggins can create opportunities for their teammates by threatening in their respective positions.

In the first round, Tangshan dribbled the ball down the wing and charged into the penalty area. You could say he was weak, but you can't deny that everyone longs for a center who can dribble and score independently.

Towns' strength lies in the fact that it's difficult to find a defender who can keep up with him in the half-court. His ball-handling skills are actually no less than those of the average point guard in the league. His high release point, quick release, and shooting range are all unique advantages of Towns.

The weakness lies in the fact that when the opponent has a well-structured defensive formation, their poor ability to score in the paint and their fondness for three-pointers will be magnified.

So strictly speaking, Towns needs a strong outside ball-handler and a three-point shooter on the wing who can draw defenders, so that he can get the ball and move to the three-point line, which will improve his efficiency whether he shoots or drives to the basket.

Towns in the 18-19 season was still weak, and with the Timberwolves' system not yet fully developed, the Clippers coaching staff did not think the Timberwolves could pose a problem for them before the game.

As expected, Towns was completely helpless against rookie Jaren.

In terms of speed and footwork, the latter is better. Although Towns is absolutely superior in offensive skills, Dillon will interfere from the side whenever he chooses to drive, not to mention that Zubac is also in the paint.

In the first five minutes, Towns had the ball six times, but only earned four free throw opportunities.

Thibodeau was very dissatisfied. He substituted Towns and brought in Gerki Jayne, a blue-collar center, shifting the offensive focus to Wiggins.

Therefore, Wiggins began to test Bridges and Dillon's defensive abilities.

But Chen Fang, watching from the sidelines, wasn't worried. You can't say Wiggins is soft, but he's definitely not a tough player. He slacks off in the regular season, let alone the preseason.

After a breakthrough, Wiggins was pulled down hard by Dillon, and his eyes cleared up when he took the free throws.

The Clippers began to control a large portion of the ball possession for role players, and both of the Timberwolves' strengths were contained by the Clippers.

At the end of the first quarter, Gerald, the commentator for the game, even yawned a little: "Both sides are taking wild shots, their offensive efficiency is low, and the score of 25 to 15 is simply a joke."

"When did the Clippers' scoring start to decline to this level?"

"But didn't you notice that the opponent fared even worse? The Timberwolves scored 15 points in one quarter, 7 of which came from free throws!" Many reporters at the scene started discussing, as they felt unfamiliar with the current Clippers.

This was almost a microcosm of the entire game; after four quarters, the score was 92-74.

Only now are some columnists beginning to seriously examine the Clippers' game.

In his post-game comments after criticizing the Clippers in the first game, Felipe said: "We won by 18 points, limiting the Timberwolves to only 74 points in four quarters. The Clippers committed an astonishing 35 fouls, with 13 players on the court averaging 2.7 fouls per game."

Beverley was the first to foul out, and Dillon became the second.

In both of their preseason games, they fouled out 12 times, and the two of them alone gave the opponent 9 free throw opportunities, contributing a total of 15 points.

However, the two players suppressed any player they matched up against. Wiggins only scored 12 points, Covington 8 points, Teague 11 points, and Gibson only scored a high of 14 points.

In this game, Clippers' star player Chen Fang and last season's All-Defensive First Team member Holiday did not play.

The Timberwolves have all their players except Butler.

I have reason to believe that Rivers was not lying; the Clippers are rebuilding their defense and are using aggressive fouls to increase their intensity.

Felipe's words, however, only drew more ridicule.

"If fouls are all it takes to rebuild, then sorry, the NBA would become WWE." Randfer continued on Twitter: "This is just a facade. Once the regular season starts, the league's referees will make the Clippers coaching staff realize how naive they were."

On October 5th, the Denver Nuggets visited the Staples Center.

Chen Fang started the game, and the other starters were Zubac, Jalen, Dillon, and Jrue Holiday.

That's right, the Clippers fielded their best five players.

Because the Clippers are facing the Nuggets today, who are also rebuilding with a young team.

By trading Nurkic away, Jokic was established as the core of the team, and with the third-year Murray, the combination of an inside and outside player began to show its ferocity.

The presence of Harris, Barton, and Millsap makes the Nuggets' offense and defense more balanced.

Rising stars Monte Morris and Beasley have expanded the team's flexibility.

Their starting lineup today is: Jokic, Millsap, Murray, Barton, Harris.

In Chen Fang's eyes, the Nuggets are almost a carbon copy of the Clippers.

This season, the Nuggets are roughly an S- (Jokic) alongside a group of A-level players (Murray, Harris, Millsap, Morris) and a group of B-level players (Beasley, Mason Plumlee, Trey Lyles, Craig, Barton, etc.).

To put it simply, it's about thickening the rotation.

This is the same as the Clippers.

Chen Fang, an S-level player, is accompanied by a group of A-level players (Junior Holiday, Jalen, Zubac, Lou Williams), and a group of players who are expected to be promoted to A-level (Dillon, Brunson, DiVincenzo, Bridges).

Add to that a bunch of sticks and veterans (Beverley, Harrell, Richaun, Rose).
This kind of rotation builds a stronger foundation.

This is why the Clippers determined that the game against the Nuggets was the most valuable preseason game.

When Chen Fang came on stage, Duan Ran in the commentary booth was very excited: "Chen Wang looks even stronger. After returning to the United States from China, he underwent two months of intensive training in seclusion, and his muscle definition is clearly visible."

Chen Fang stood with one foot in the front court and the other in the back court. He looked at Murray, who was right next to him, and greeted him with a smile: "Hey, it's been a while."

"Yes!" Murray said seriously. He looked up at Chen Fang, who was taller than him, and wondered what Chen Fang would be like this season.

He found out ten seconds later.

The referee tossed the ball up, and Zubac couldn't beat Jokic, but the ball landed in a direction slightly off-center. Chen Fang leaped up and grabbed the rebound before Harris could jump.

Chen Fang landed to protect the backboard and waited for the Nuggets to retreat before passing the ball to Holiday.

Holiday's arrival solved a major problem for Chen Fang and the Clippers: when Chen Fang played point guard, the shooting guard position was awkward, and when Chen Fang played point guard, the point guard position was equally uncertain.

But Holiday solved that problem. He can orchestrate the offense, he can score, and when Chen Fang has the ball, his playmaking and dropping back effectively hinders the opponent's transition offense and defense.

When Chen Fang was organizing, he was still able to create a deterrent effect at the top of the arc, preventing the opponent from freely flanking Chen Fang.

When the Clippers' small forward is good enough, Bridges will generate more three-pointers and drives, and Chen Fang will be double-teamed even more.

This is the Clippers' ultimate dream: a Chen Fang brimming with energy, who is absolutely terrifying.

Chen Fang moved to the wing and set an off-ball screen for Dillon. He positioned himself against Barton and easily turned sideways.

The Nuggets' current problem is still at the small forward position. Barton is 196cm, and Ribs and Harris are 193cm, which is too short.

Millsap is getting old and his defensive rotations are slow.

Brian suggested that Chen Fang launch a fierce attack on the Nuggets' flanks, which would cause the opponent's defensive formation to collapse.

Chen Fang had already decided to do just that.

Dillon, now freed up, set a screen for Holiday at the top of the key, then cut to the other side. Jaren, who was switched with him, quickly ran to the short corner on the same side according to the tactical movement, forcing Millsap to collapse in as well.

At this point, Jokic's attention was also drawn to Zubac, leaving only Chen Fang and Barton on the right wing.

This situation will be short-lived; the Nuggets won't allow it to continue, but this amount of time is more than enough for an offensive player of Chen Fang's caliber.

Holiday passed the ball to Chen Fang, who turned to receive it. The moment he controlled the ball, he turned and dribbled past the defender.

With plenty of space on the right flank and disregarding the possibility of being surrounded, Chen Fang boldly charged towards the baseline. The weak Patton was immediately pushed away the moment he got close to Chen Fang.

Chen Fang took a step forward, and before Jokic could pounce, he pulled up for a jump shot and scored on the team's first shot.

The Staples Center erupted in cheers. Being able to see such a beautiful pull-up jump shot again after half a year was the greatest joy for the fans.

After scoring, Chen Fang slowly retreated, as did his other teammates.

Dillon went to the baseline to interfere with the Nuggets' baseline pass, while Jrue Holiday also closely guarded Muller, who was about to receive the ball.

Barton suddenly realized he couldn't serve the ball. Luckily, Joel turned around, otherwise he would have committed a service violation.

The ball was flying through the air when a white shadow darted out and poked it.

Upon landing, Chen Fang slightly changed direction, took a large step forward, and regained control of the ball.

The Clippers' defensive players immediately surged back, while the Nuggets looked bewildered.

Chen Fang didn't let this opportunity pass him by. He accelerated towards the Nuggets' interior with the ball. Murray rushed over, but Chen Fang passed the ball to Jrue Holiday in the corner.

He caught the ball and shot, but unfortunately it slid off the rim.

Holiday's three-pointers are not yet his primary weapon.

But Chen Fang was still under the basket. He jumped up immediately, grabbed the rebound, leaned against Murray, slid to the front of the basket with a side swipe, jumped up fiercely, straightened his body, picked up the basketball with both hands, and slammed it into the basket.

"Incredible! Wow, the muscular Falcon tore Murray apart! Such explosive power!" The commentator was stunned. He hadn't expected Chen Fang to dunk like that under the basket.

Furthermore, it was a dribble followed by a spin dunk, which was visually very impactful.

"King Chen, you truly live up to your title of king. In just six months, Chen Fang's resistance has become effortless and utterly violent!" Duan Ran exclaimed.

After scoring four consecutive points, the Nuggets felt the power of Chen Fang.

At this point, Jokic was already showing signs of being a demon king. He didn't panic at all. After setting a screen for Muller at the top of the arc, he rolled to receive the ball, turned around and dodged Zubac. Facing the onrushing Jaren, he used skillful step-backs to flick the latter up and easily laid the ball up for two points.

"Both teams' key players have shown their strength, and this match will be very exciting."

Chen Fang continued to carry out his mission, relentlessly attacking the Nuggets' wing. Malone knew that if this continued, he would be giving away points, so after the first official timeout, he substituted Barton with Gomez, who had a 206 rating.

The protagonist of "The Winning Scout" filmed in 22 is still very young. He was signed by the Nuggets in 16, but his development trajectory did not meet expectations. His problem is that he is still confused about offense and defense.

Facing Juan, who was taller than him, Chen Fang did not change his style. The feeling of strength he gained from building muscle made him want to give it a try.

After repeated pressure and pressure, Chen Fang received the ball with his back to the basket and dribbled, putting intense pressure on Juan. Juan had to reset his footwork to adjust his balance, but Chen Fang keenly sensed some changes in Juan by looking at the arm that was against his waist.

He immediately flipped over and jumped up. Juan, who was still adjusting his center of gravity, could only reach out to interfere, but Chen Fang jumped first and then looked for the face frame, so Juan posed no threat to him at all.

With a firm wrist press and a flick of the fingers, the ball traces a small arc before falling into the basket.

"OMG, I can hardly think of any weaknesses in Big King. Even Juan with 206 points can't stop him."

"Whether on the three-point line or in the paint, Chen Fang can always find his own rhythm for shooting."

Malone sighed helplessly to his assistant coach, "That's the terror of superstar players; we need tough opponents like that!"

"It's a pity. So far, only the talent show from two years ago produced two people of this type, and they even went to the same school! It's a miracle," the assistant replied with a shrug.

When the Nuggets were forced to commit more defensive resources to the wings, Rivers brought in Bridges, replaced Zubac, moved Jaren Jr. to center, and moved Dillon to the power forward position.

The Clippers' lineup suddenly became the "Death Lineup".

The faster pace of offense and defense caused the Nuggets' defense to break down, unable to close the gap, and their defensive switches became slow. Even with Jokic's exceptional skills, he had no place to use them in the high-paced offense and defense.

Malone continues to make substitutions; his arsenal still has plenty of weapons.

Isaiah Thomas, who once boasted that Danny Ainge would drive an armored truck to sign him, joined the Nuggets on a veteran's contract.

Monte Morris is a very promising rookie. He is incredibly fast and excels in transition offense and defense.

Malone's idea was to follow the Clippers' "death lineup," but this was just a trap set by Rivers.

He substituted Holiday, Dillon, and Chen Fang, bringing on Beverley, Brunson, and DiVincenzo.

Beverley came up and stuck to Thomas, and Brunson's display of injury was far beyond what one would expect from a second-round pick.

DiVincenzo's three-point shooting ability on the wing is beginning to show its potential.

Malone was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected that the Clippers' bench would harbor a group of thugs.

"It seems the Warriors left a deep impression on the Clippers last year in the playoffs." Malone smiled wryly. "Isn't this just a Warriors version of the Clippers?"
What good is it to be well-prepared on the day, no matter how well you perform?

Throughout the game, Rivers' "death lineup" of 12 players completely overwhelmed the Nuggets.

Chen Fang was not the team's highest scorer; he only played 18 minutes, scoring 12 points and 4 assists.

The highest score was Brunson's 21 points, followed by DiVincenzo's 18 points, including six three-pointers, which were dazzling.

Bridges' 12 points and 7 rebounds surprised many experts and reporters.

Jaren's all-around performance of 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks made everyone realize that the No. 4 pick was not a bust.

Dillon and Beverley didn't foul out this time, but they still had the most fouls on the team, five each, tied for the lead.

Jrue Holiday contributed 8 points, 5 assists, and 6 rebounds, which is reassuring.

The Clippers defeated the Nuggets 121-106, a 15-point victory.

A high-scoring game not only silenced all the media, but also made the league realize that the Clippers were following the mainstream and adopting the Warriors' offensive and defensive system.

Rivers shook his head in denial, but in the locker room, when reporters interviewed Chen Fang, his answer was even more domineering.

"No, we are not copying the Warriors; we are building our own offensive and defensive understanding."

"Could you give a definition?" the reporter asked.

Chen Fang thought for a moment, then picked up the microphone and answered, "One Piece!"

He left without explaining, just smiling.

That evening, Clippers beat reporter Tomer Azali attempted to explain Chen Fang's definition on Twitter.

"A brutal defense, sharp wing attacks, powerful high post playmaking, ubiquitous corner three-pointers, and flexible rim protection."

"The Clippers have assembled a group of bench players, replicated the Warriors' high-tempo offense and defense, and paired them with monsters like Beverley and Dillon."

"Under the command of Chen Fang and Holiday on the outside, an integrated offensive and defensive system was formed."

"The Clippers are growing wildly on their way to evolving into a pirate ship."

At home, Chen Fang finished reading the tweet and laughed.

"Attack on Pirate King".

"really interesting!"

He is very satisfied with the changes in the Clippers, which are close to what he believed in.

Even though it was just a preseason game, Chen Fang believes that the Clippers' winning culture is already taking shape.

“Perhaps, soon, we will begin to instill fear in the Alliance!” he muttered to himself.

(End of this chapter)