The longest river

Chapter 78 Rocks? Stepping stones!

After landing from the ground following his block, Yang Shuai flexed his biceps in front of the spectators on the sidelines, making a "muscle-showing" celebration gesture.

There was a commotion in the place.

Yang Shuai's performance in blocking and shutting down Richmond in this round was truly surprising.

After the ball went out of bounds, possession remained with the Kings, who still had 2.6 seconds left on the shot clock.

Grant inbounded the ball from the sidelines, and Richmond then began running off-the-ball tactics from the far end.

The Kings set up multiple screens for him.

Compared to Jim Jackson, whom Yang Shuai had previously matched up against, Richmond's off-the-ball movement was much more mature.

He basically runs close to the side of the person setting the screen, and he also changes direction while moving.

McGee was repeatedly shaken off by his positioning.

But Yang Shuai, you've got him!

In fact, it was evident from the previous game against the Mavericks that Yang Shuai now has a certain level of understanding of the puppy's footwork.

For example, Robertson's earlier statement that it was "almost like a sheet of paper going through a door" meant, in his understanding, minimizing the area of ​​direct contact with the screener.

To achieve this, you need to position your body sideways before encountering the screener.

With his quick steps and instantaneous turns, he successfully evaded the Kings' continuous screens.

Because of limited attacking time, Richmond turned and shot quickly after receiving the ball.

However, as soon as he jumped, he saw the face of the high school student that had once terrified him.

He worked hard to raise his shooting angle; he certainly didn't want to be blocked twice by the same person in one round.

The ball barely passed Yang Shuai's fingertips, but its excessively high trajectory meant he ultimately didn't even touch the rim.

The scene was in an uproar.

The ball wasn't blocked again, but it was defended so well that it missed completely!

Upon landing, Yang Shuai turned around and saw this scene. Naturally, he wouldn't miss such an opportunity. He smiled and looked at Richmond, then asked with concern:

"Rock, why have you become soft?"

Richmond's face turned ashen. In one round, Yang Shuai's defense blocked his shots and resulted in several airballs, leaving him utterly humiliated.

However, he is an All-Star player who has seen big games, and he was able to remain calm in the face of Yang Shuai's provocation that went straight to the point.

Yang Shuai frowned because he did not hear the system notification in his mind.

He now felt that the nickname "Rock" was actually quite fitting for Richmond, after all, the only ones who could remain calm in the face of such provocation were turtles and rocks.

During the transition from offense to defense, after Yang Shuai moved to the frontcourt, Richmond marked him closely, literally.

Yang Shuai tried to make a move several times but didn't get a chance, so he couldn't help but say, "I'm just a weak-side playmaker, you don't need to push me so hard."

Richmond remained unmoved.

Seeing this, Yang Shuai felt helpless and put his hands on his hips, activating the classic 2K bottom corner smoking mode.

In fact, he did not participate in the Pacers' offensive play.

Schmitz made a turnaround fadeaway shot from the low post.

After this offensive and defensive play, the Pacers regained the lead.

The camera then focused on Richmond.

The Sacramento Kings have never been a defensively strong team. In an era where most teams allow 90+ points per game, they have allowed over 110 points per game in six of their ten seasons in the NBA.

The situation improved slightly this season with the addition of Jackson, but they still conceded 103 points.

They always win by attacking.

Tonight, their ability to keep pace with the Pacers relied mainly on Redmond's offense.

However, Richmond was entangled by Yang Shuai again when he got to the frontcourt.

Yang Shuai is not only good at one-on-one defense, but he's also full of energy right now.

Seeing this, Mark Jackson once again signaled for an off-ball screen.

This time, Yang Shuai was not able to keep up completely.

The quality of off-ball tactics basically depends on two things: the receiver's off-ball movement ability and the quality of the screener's screen.

The Kings' previous sideline inbound play failed, largely due to the poor quality of the pick-and-roll they provided.

Their center, Polynes, is 2.11 meters tall but weighs only 100 kilograms. Unless a center of this size has the speed of Garnett, his pick-and-roll performance will not be good.

However, this time, Grant, who was originally serving from the sidelines, was also on the court.

He has a lot of body width, which allows him to provide a higher quality screen, and he is also a veteran. When setting a screen, he takes small, deliberate steps towards Yang Shuai.

This is one of Draymond Green's signature little tricks.

Richmond looks like he's finally getting rid of Yang Shuai.

Mark Jackson's pass had already been delivered in advance.

Everything seemed to be at the perfect time.

However, just as Richmond was about to run out, he suddenly paused.

Grant, who was setting the screen, stared wide-eyed.

Because Yang Shuai pulled on Richmond's jersey right under his nose!

Yang Shuai, who seemed very polite when he greeted everyone, was surprisingly good at making subtle moves.

This slight delay caused Richmond to receive the ball a fraction of a second too late, and Jackson's well-timed pass went directly out of bounds.

The referee blew his whistle, signaling that the Kings' team was out of bounds.

"Hey! Can't you see? He's pulling my jersey!" Richmond couldn't hold back this time and yelled at the referee. If it were Jordan, the referee would probably have blown the whistle immediately after such a shout, but Richmond's shout only made the referee frown.

"Referee, he's saying you're blind." Yang Shuai quickly translated from English to English upon seeing this.

"duo~"

The referee blew his whistle again, issuing Richmond a technical foul.

Richmond looked completely bewildered.

Yang Shuai then raised his hand to applaud the referee's fair decision.

"Negative energy from Richmond +515".

Finally, Richmond looked at Yang Shuai with eyes blazing with fury.

It wasn't because of Yang Shuai's trash talk—he remained calm in the face of trash talk—but because Yang Shuai, despite being a rookie, was making too many underhanded moves!
Yang Shuai simply shrugged at Richmond's reaction.

Another insight he gained from watching the video was the conclusion that "clean defense simply cannot stop a person" in this era.

In the videos he watched, top defenders routinely used tactics like pulling jerseys, pushing, and elbowing.

Of course, learning these moves is not easy, because you not only have to grasp the scale, but also learn to avoid the referee's line of sight.

However, Yang Shuai, as a high school student from China, is best at studying.

Miller made the technical free throw, giving the Pacers possession in the frontcourt.

This time, Yang Shuai was even more decisive, slowly moving to the corner, and then putting his hands on his hips in front of Richmond.

Richmond's emotions, which had just begun to calm down, were instantly stirred up again.

How can this not make people angry? Because Yang Shuai is only playing a distraction role now, and he doesn't even have the chance to retaliate with dirty tricks on the defensive end.

He glanced at Schmitz's offensive tactic of receiving the ball in the low post and couldn't help but swear.

But just as he turned around, he suddenly froze.

What about people?

Yang Shuai, who was standing in the corner with his hands on his hips just a second ago, has disappeared!

When he turned around again, he saw that Yang Shuai had already made a quick cut towards the basket while he was turning his head.

By then it was too late for him to chase after them.

Yang Shuai has no sportsmanship!
Schmitz, with his height and wide field of vision, noticed Yang Shuai cutting in and tossed the ball to him.

Yang Shuai receives the ball, takes a step, and leaps into the air in a signature tomahawk shot.

"Oh!"

Polynes, who was under the basket, had just turned around and was caught off guard, becoming a mere backdrop.

The scene was in an uproar.

Yang Shuai has not only contained Richmond on the defensive end, but is now also starting to contribute on the offensive end!

"You're an All-Star player, how can you be so naive as to believe a high school student?"

After landing from his dunk, Yang Shuai turned to Richmond and posed a probing question.

"Negative energy from Mickey Richmond +668".

Finally, Richmond couldn't hold back any longer.

Turning back, Richmond also started using subtle tactics. He pushed Yang Shuai aside during an off-ball movement, received a pass from Jackson, and hit a three-pointer.

After hitting the three-pointer, Richmond unleashed a furious roar at Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai's face, however, remained expressionless.

He used underhanded tactics, and of course, he allowed Richmond to use them as well.

Richmond's three-pointer reignited the passion of Kings fans.

Led by the on-site DJ, the Arco Arena began to resound with unified defensive chants.

The Kings' defensive intensity is increasing.

Miller failed to create a suitable opportunity, and Schmitz was also surrounded and defended by Polynes.

At that moment, Yang Shuai made a drive towards the basket against Richmond, which forced Richmond to take a big step back as a reaction.

Then, seizing this moment, Yang Shuai quickly ran to a 45-degree angle.

Richmond realized it was too late and gave up the chase.

His time with the Warriors gave him excellent shooting skills, but it also instilled in him many bad defensive habits.

Robertson had already spotted Yang Shuai's movement and immediately passed the ball over.

Yang Shuai received the ball while moving and then quickly launched a three-pointer.

"Shh!"

With a crisp sound, Yang Shuai hits a three-pointer!

That three-pointer instantly extinguished the Kings' momentum that had been building.

Their attack then faltered, with Richmond's breakthrough being intercepted by Yang Shuai.

After stealing the ball, Yang Shuai took the lead and, during the fast break, saw that no one was chasing him from behind. Instead of using a tomahawk dunk, he swung the ball around and unleashed a powerful windmill dunk on the fast break.

He's warming up for the dunk contest!
The Kings called a timeout, causing an uproar in the arena.

The camera immediately focused on Yang Shuai.

After Yang Shuai entered the game, he not only limited Richmond, but also scored 7 points in a row.

Richmond isn't a rock tonight; it's clearly being used as a stepping stone for Yang Shuai!
(End of this chapter)