Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 316 This is a season to look forward to.
After losing to the Raptors, the Clippers began their road trip in the Western Conference.

Although it was just a short journey of two away games, it was filled with emotion for Chen Fang.

Spurs and Thunder.

The Spurs need no introduction. The trade of the honest DeRozan and Leonard has gone smoothly so far, with their average points per game not decreasing. However, compared to the Raptors and Leonard's explosive performance this year, it's hard not to feel a bit wistful.

Especially after just losing to the Raptors, DeRozan naturally has some competitive feelings. If he wants to prove himself, then beating the Clippers is the best option.

Therefore, Chen Fang knew that this battle wouldn't be easy.

For the Thunder, life at SGA wasn't as carefree as it was with the Clippers in their previous life.

In his previous life, West treated SGA as his crown prince. He played for 26 minutes, averaging 10.8 points per game, and consistently delivered outstanding performances.

The Thunder traded Schroder for SGA, also because they saw his potential.

Back in college, Thunder scouts noticed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's potential and continued to track him.

The reason why the Clippers got there first in the previous life was due to factors such as not having a draft pick and internal resistance.

But the biggest reason is that the Clippers gambled on Chen Fang.

Chen Fang's amazing performance undoubtedly spurred the Thunder's management to believe that taking a gamble was better than playing it safe.

So they sent Schroder away, quickly acquiring this gem before other teams paid any attention to him.

But at this moment, the Thunder are full of strong players and are on their way to the championship. Alexander's playing time has been severely reduced to less than 15 minutes, so his stats are naturally very poor.

So far, let alone the All-Rookie First Team, even the Second Team has been very inconsistent. In the league reporters' vote, Alexander is still a nobody, trembling in the corner.

The Clippers will visit the Spurs and Thunder's home courts on the 13th and 15th, respectively.

Just as Chen Fang predicted, DeRozan started strong, completely unlike his previous image as a kind and gentle elder. He scored 11 points in the first quarter alone, leading the Spurs to suppress the Clippers.

Chen Fang naturally wouldn't show weakness; instead, he was determined to win the game, win the statistics, and win over all the killer intent.

At the start of the second quarter, Chen Fang gained possession of the ball. After dribbling past midcourt, he took the initiative to attack against DeRozan's defense.

He first waved for Jaren, who had run out of the screen, to move away, indicating his willingness to go one-on-one.

Seeing DeRozan panting heavily and fully committed to defending him, he suddenly dribbled to the right after a series of crossovers. After taking a step, he suddenly stopped and stepped back, shaking off DeRozan who was sticking to him. With only half a body length of defensive distance, he pulled up for a three-pointer.

Seeing the ball swish through the net, DeRozan was a little surprised. He shouted to Chen Fang, who was still standing there in his shooting posture, "Great, that's it! Come on, come on, I'm going to return the favor."

Chen Fang shook his head with a straight face: "This one won't work, brother."

He was met with an even fiercer attack from DeRozan.

Aldridge's presence drew the Clippers' interior players away, leaving them open. DeRozan first positioned himself on the wing, then turned his back to the ball in the elbow area. Previously, he was being guarded by Dillon, but after the mismatch, Chen Fang came over to help defend him.

Chen Fang's role on the court now is to provide full-area defensive support, covering positions 1 through 4.

He withstood the first blow, but the second one was fierce, and Chen Fang staggered back a step. DeRozan, who is arguably the best player in the league with his back to the goal, immediately seized the opportunity.

He rolled over and got up, but Chen Fang reacted quickly and reached out to stop him.

The best way to defend against a post-up jump shot is to make physical contact with the opponent as they make the move, causing them to lose momentum and balance.

If you are thrown off balance by a shoulder movement, the only thing left to do is cover your eyes.

The full name of blindfolded defense is face guarding.

This is an unconventional defensive interference move that is only considered a foul in the NBA; even in the NCAA, it would be considered a foul.

The most famous example of the "eye-covering defense" was Battier's performance against Kobe in the first round of the playoffs, a game between the Lakers and the Rockets, and the effect was such that Kobe himself never responded.

Interestingly, when Chen Fang and Kobe were practicing one-on-one, Kobe kept nagging about Chen Fang's actions.

Chen Fang naturally understood that covering his eyes was bound to be useful, because the logic was very clear. Just like how making big money is actually written in the criminal law, any action considered a violation of the rules is essentially one that brings huge benefits.

DeRozan was affected; his shot missed the rim and bounced off.

Zubac grabbed the rebound and immediately went to find Chen Fang's position, almost instinctively.

In every training session, Chen Fang would loudly remind him that during defensive possessions, in addition to cleaning up the paint and protecting the rebounds, the most important thing was to constantly refresh the positions of his teammates, especially those on the perimeter.

"I need you to instinctively know who you're going to pass to the moment you grab the rebound."

He saw Chen Fang, who had already started running with a half-turn. Chen Fang then threw the ball with one hand, sending it in a long arc towards the paint.

Just as Chen Fang saw Zubac make the throwing motion, he began to accelerate, quickly reaching full speed within two steps. The moment the ball left Zubac's hand, he roughly confirmed the direction.

The 20,000 fans at the Spurs' home arena also witnessed this incredible offensive and defensive transition.

Chen Fang intercepted the basketball flying through the air with one hand near the free throw line, took a step and leaped into the air. He didn't even make any adjustment movements. His large hand played a decisive role at this moment.

Intercept the ball, grab it, lift it up, flip your palm, follow the gliding posture in the air, change from raising it high to spreading it at shoulder level, and finally use a side-slashing swing with a strong sense of hang time to smash it into the orange-red basket.

All the movements were completed in a single leap, without dribbling or adjustments, yet it was perfectly natural. Chen Fang performed with the elegance of a swan taking off and landing.

All of this happened so fast that the fans didn't start screaming until Chen Fang landed.

"How can a person be so fast?" Duan Ran felt incredulous, but even more exaggerated was the Clippers' official commentator David, who stood up and shouted: "Flash, this is the real Flash! The offensive and defensive transition only took two and a half seconds. Compared to someone's historic fast break, Chen Wang is even faster. Maybe the reason is that he took a few fewer steps."

At the end, he even took the opportunity to make a few sarcastic remarks. This is not David's fault, because ever since the Lakers got James, the wind in Los Angeles has changed. The group of dejected Lakers die-hards who used to be dejected have been revived and are stirring up trouble everywhere. There are more and more topics surrounding Chen Fang, from statistics to his post-game life, and the ridicule is everywhere.

As a die-hard fan of Chen Fang, and even his personal commentator, David naturally couldn't stand it. He decided to fight back and also wanted to tell these people that the Clippers were not to be trifled with, and they had better keep their distance.

From that point on, Chen Fang started to get excited. He enjoyed the duel with DeRozan, which was also his way of finding happiness on the field.

At halftime, the Clippers had taken the lead and entered the second half with a 4-point advantage.

"Don't be discouraged, we still have the second half! Bro!" Chen Fang grabbed DeRozan as he was leaving the field and shouted.

"Of course, this is also the best game I've had since joining the Spurs. Bro, I won't let you get away with this so easily." DeRozan was serious, but his eyes shone.

At halftime, Mazura, acting as the Clippers' defensive coach, adjusted the defense.

So Rivers fielded the Clippers' best defensive lineup in the third quarter: Beverley, Jrue Holiday, Dillon, Bridges, Jaren, and Chen Fang.

"We need to completely shut down the Spurs' offense in the third quarter, go on a scoring run, and quickly widen the gap," Rivers explained.

As Mazzula's abilities were recognized by the coaching staff, management, and players, many of his theories were put into practice.

The most important of these was the optimized playing plan for Mazura, which immediately won the approval of Rivers and Chen Fang.

Mazura divided the Clippers' 15 players into three tiers, each for different opponents.

First, the underlying logic behind Mazura's proposal is how to improve the performance of every player on the team while ensuring the team's record. This is crucial to the entire regular season and whether the team can improve individual skills and thus enhance its overall strength through the long competition.

Therefore, Mazura divided the league's 29 teams into three tiers.

These are the lottery zone, playoffs, and championship race.

As the name suggests, the Lotto zone consists of 14 teams that cannot make the playoffs.

The playoffs are contested by teams ranked 5th to 8th in the East and West, while the championship is contested by the top four teams in the East and West.

The Clippers' 15 players, divided into three levels, correspond to these three ranges.

For example, all the rookies from the last two years are classified in the B category. They participate in all games across all three levels, with a minimum playing time of 20 minutes.

All the veterans—Beverley, Richon, Rose, Lou Williams, and Harrell—were placed in the C zone, participating in all lottery games and occupying the majority of playing time.

Chen Fang, Zhu Huoledi, Dillon, and Zubac, within the scope of A, mainly participated in the championship-contending teams, which is the competition of 7 teams.

Mazura's plan solved the problem of developing rookies, alleviated the complaints caused by the sharp reduction in playing time for veterans, and more reasonably protected the physical exertion of core players.

Within each of these three areas, there is a central figure.

Brunson and Jaren are the core of the rookies, Lou Williams and Rose are the representatives of the veterans, and Chen Fang is naturally the core of the lineup.

This plan is being tested systematically. It's not a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather a gradual process of letting the teams adapt through the schedule, like a gentle spring rain nourishing the land.

If this plan is announced abruptly, it will inevitably cause a stir. Regardless of what the players think, once the outside world finds out, the resulting uproar will be enough to make the Clippers uncomfortable.

Currently, only Chen Fang, Mazura, Rivers, Brian, and Lawrence know about this plan.

Everyone cooperated seamlessly, constantly adjusting based on the actual situation. Therefore, this midfield adjustment was Mazura's way of giving Chen Fang a kind return.

Since the Spurs are not in the championship race, according to this plan, Chen Fang should not have played more than 35 minutes. However, there are always interpersonal relationships to consider. It is obvious to everyone that Chen Fang's sudden excitement must be because of DeRozan.

Therefore, there's no need to spoil Chen Fang's fun. To put it bluntly, Chen Fang is undoubtedly the number one player on the Clippers right now.

Chen Fang knew perfectly well that just before going on the court, he whispered to Mazura, "Half a quarter is enough."

No one doubted Chen Wang's promise; it was a respect earned through countless games. After watching Chen Fang go on the court, Mazura approached Rivers and said, "Mr. Doug, he said he only needs half a quarter."

The Clippers' future head coach is very likely to be Marzola, but Marzola has never become arrogant. He respects Rivers very much and almost always asks for his approval. He never oversteps his bounds, let alone dares to overstep his authority.

Rivers's reward was to delegate authority and support him, and he also balanced the opinions of the coaching staff in this regard.

"Joe is a coach of the new era, and if we want to continue to survive in this league, we need to put aside our seniority prejudices and open our minds to embrace new theories."

Rivers himself came to this point by staying home later and spending a lot of time studying Mazura's Moneyball theory and his new definition of defense.

"Everyone needs to be able to shoot threes, everyone should be able to defend 3-4 positions, everyone must participate in offensive and defensive transitions, everyone needs to have the ball, attack, cut to the basket, and do everything that scorers and defensive stalwarts do."

"This is the best lineup for the future of the NBA. Anyone who can't do it will have their weaknesses exploited and will never be able to advance far in the playoffs."

"Furthermore, this theory must be based on one or two absolute strong points, with everyone serving them, clearing scoring obstacles for them, and reducing the physical strain caused by defense."

"Faster, farther, longer."

Mazura continuously shared his basketball theory with the coaching staff and management, summarizing it into three key points and providing interpretations.

"Faster switching speed, faster offensive and defensive transitions, and faster pick-and-roll cuts."

"Further range, further defensive zone."

"More consistent playing time for key players allows them to have more time on the court."

"This is not something that can be accomplished in a few days or months, and may even take several years, but sooner or later it will become the strongest theory to dominate the league, just like the Curry world of the Golden State Warriors."

"What we need to do now is to build a Chen world around Chen and the Clippers."

As if to validate Mazura's dream, the Clippers used an impenetrable defense in the third quarter to cut off the connection between DeRozan and Aldridge, and even their ability to receive the ball became problematic.

Dillon battled DeRozan, while Bridges and Jaren Jr. surrounded Aldridge, leaving the Spurs in a predicament where no one could score and no one dared to handle the ball.

Popovich immediately called a timeout and substituted Gay and Mills to strengthen the perimeter offense. However, the Clippers were playing at full intensity, pressing the Clippers from the half-court and forcing Mills into several turnovers, allowing them to launch fast breaks.

There's always an end to how many timeouts there are, and Popovich can only adjust things by shouting from the sidelines.

Chen Fang not only excelled in defense, but also became increasingly sharp in offense.

A three-pointer from the top of the arc, a drive to the wing, a cut to the baseline – in five minutes, he scored 15 points, bringing his total to 31.

As Chen Fang was positioned at the top of the arc, facing Gay's defense, he made a simple crossover dribble, then suddenly took a step to the side and used a step-back jumper to shoot a three-pointer, bringing the point difference to 20.

"85 to 65!"

"The Clippers are terrifying; they crushed the Spurs in just one quarter."

"After losing Leonard, the Spurs lost their only weapon to contain Chen Wang. Neither DeRozan nor Gay could do it."

"Think about how the Raptors beat the Clippers the day before yesterday, and how Kawhi restrained Chen Wang."

"It's a pity. I have to say, this trade was terrible. Although I know it was something the Spurs management had no choice but to do, I'm really sorry. Without Kawhi, the Spurs have lost the right to compete with the league's top teams."

The Spurs' home commentator was extremely frustrated, and his remarks represented the mainstream view of the Spurs this season.

"The Spurs need to start thinking about rebuilding. Hopefully, this time, we can come back sooner!"

Chen was taken off the court with 45 points and 4 minutes remaining in the game.

His exit from the game earned him applause from many fans in the arena. Whether they were Chinese fans who came specifically to watch the game or local Spurs fans, Chen Wang's performance today could be described as spectacular.

"Chen Wang is playing a really cool game. It's not only practical and effective, but also a pleasure to watch. No fan in the stadium could disagree with that." David was praising him, but deep down, he meant it.

"Looking at the entire league, Chen Wang is already among the top in terms of both technique and scoring methods."

"He is more efficient than KD, more effective than Harden, and more threatening than Curry."

"I'm happy for all the fans. Chen Wang's arrival has brought a continuous source of energy to this league and this sport."

"I believe the league has seen all of this, and the unshakeable number of votes for the All-Star Game starting lineup is proof of that."

Just as David finished his eloquent speech, the final buzzer sounded.

The Clippers won today's game 114-97.

Chen Fang walked across the court to the Spurs' bench and grabbed a somewhat dejected DeRozan.

"You need to distinguish between what's on and off the field, bro," Chen Fang said with a smile. "I'm still waiting for your treat."

“You’re right, I’ve already booked the place.” DeRozan also relaxed a little and hugged Chen Fang: “You played great today, I’m proud of you.”

"Thank you."

The image of the two embracing and whispering was also captured on camera and broadcast to countless households.

"DeRozan is a benefactor to Chen Fang. He and Harden are childhood friends, and it is because of Harden and USC that the three of them have a strong friendship."

"Over the past few years, Chen Fang has grown from Harden and DeRozan's little brother into a towering tree. At this moment, every game of their duel provides us fans with the most wonderful viewing experience."

"That's the charm of basketball, it's wonderful!" Duan Ran exclaimed, launching into a long and enthusiastic commentary.

After the match, when faced with pointed questions from reporters, Chen Fang shook his head and refuted them.

"No, that's not the case."

"I have absolutely no intention of venting my anger because of being guarded by Kobe. Such a thought is simply absurd." Chen Fang was very serious, and his expression even made the reporters feel that he was about to get angry.

"Demar is my older brother, and I respect him very much. Because of this respect, I will do my best to perform on the field. Any slackness would be a great disrespect."

"Please do not make unfounded speculations and conjectures for the sake of traffic."

Almost simultaneously, in the Spurs' locker room, DeRozan gave an interview to the team's reporters, expressing the same sentiment.

"Of course, Chen is already the best player in the league. He is capable of facing any challenge. I don't think he will keep losing to Kawhi. On the contrary, I am very sure that he will get his revenge in the next game against the Raptors."

"He played very well today, and I'm happy he did everything he could. We'll do a good review. As for the scoring drought in the third quarter, that was my fault."

"It's too early to talk about whether we'll make the playoffs. The Spurs are still the team that all teams fear, because the soul of the Spurs is the coach, Mr. Greg."

When asked by a reporter to make a prediction about the Clippers' prospects this year, DeRozan answered without hesitation.

"The Clippers will be the biggest problem in the entire league. The Rockets, Raptors, and Warriors all see them as the biggest obstacle."

A few hours later, when DeRozan escorted Chen Fang to the door, the two stood there supporting each other, both slightly tipsy, and Chen Fang heard DeRozan whisper.

"Maybe, I mean maybe, one day I'll come to the Clippers, would you welcome me?"

"Of course, any time of day is fine."

“If we don’t have a champion by then, let’s win one together!” Chen Fang replied, his eyes sparkling. This sparkle made DeRozan happy from the bottom of his heart, and some of the deep-seated worries in his heart disappeared instantly.

"A word is settled!"

"Always effective!"

As they were parting, DeRozan remembered something and asked Chen Fang, "We're playing the Warriors soon."

“Yes, but the Warriors aren’t strong these days.” Chen Fang chuckled lightly, and after saying this, he started the car, put his hand on the window, and waved goodbye to DeRozan with a flourish.

DeRozan remained motionless for a long time, watching the car disappear at the end of the road.

A cold wind was rising, but his heart was warm.

"This is a season to look forward to!" he murmured to himself, gazing at the night sky with its few stars.

(End of this chapter)