The Pope of Basketball Community

On the 17th, the Lakers defeated the Clippers 113-89.

This Clippers is much worse than Yang Rui's previous life. Without the two major scorers Maggette and Brand, they are left with Quentin Richardson, a blacksmith with a very unreasonable playing style. The core of the outside line is actually Bao. Bee Simmons.

Simmons was with the Wizards in 2002 and was a second-round pick in 2001. At that time, Yang Rui didn't like him at all, so he was sent to the Clippers along with Kwame Brown as a replacement for Maggeti. Due to the Clippers' lack of attacking points, Simmons averaged 16.5 points, 6 rebounds and 2.5 assists this season.

2003 rookie Chris Kaman is even more powerful. He has obtained the franchise this season, averaging 18.1 points, 11 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.8 blocks per game, playing star statistics.

However, because of the presence of Kwame Brown, Kaman played as a power forward. Both of them are powerful insiders. They are slow to change pick-and-rolls. They were forced to form twin towers and were very poor at outside defense.

The media rarely had good things to say about Kaman, and some simply called him a defensive black hole.

Facing a weak team with poor defense, Yang Rui ordered a non-defensive tactic. He played as fast as he could and gambled steals on the defensive end. The game looked like an All-Star.

Kobe scored 44 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, 40+ points in two consecutive games, and continued to lead the scoring list.

Yao Ming only scored 10 points in a fast-break tactic. He grabbed rebounds and was responsible for passing the ball. Often, just after half-court, his teammates had already shot. But he played 35 minutes, grabbed 19 rebounds, including 17 backcourt rebounds, and had 4 assists and 4 blocks.

Basketball experts analyzed Yao Ming and believed that his improvement after joining the Lakers was mainly due to two points, one is playing time, and the other is rebounding efficiency.

His transformation largely depends on Yang Rui. Yao Ming said in an interview that the two teams are different.

In the Knicks, the relationship between Yao Ming and Larry Brown was very poor. In the first season, Brown did not even want to talk to him directly and often asked an interpreter to speak to him. Yang Rui, on the other hand, has always regarded Yao Ming as a good friend, and the two of them get along equally.

"He likes to talk to me, which is really important." Yao Ming said: "If a person trusts you so much that you can't believe it yourself, you must be willing to work hard for him on the court and do your best."

Yang Rui gave Yao Ming trust and respect and arranged appropriate tactics for him. Rebounding and defense, enthusiasm and game concentration are of course important, but the coach's arrangements are even more critical.

In Yang Rui's previous life, Van Gundy would let Yao Ming guard Boozer and switch to guard the point guard in man-to-man tactics. Yang Rui would not do this. He would let Yao Ming stay on the baseline, grab rebounds and block shots. In the zone defense system, defense on the perimeter relies on rotation. The poor defense is due to Damon Jones, not Yao Ming.

During the Van Gundy era, Hyde and Alston had poor defense, and Yao Ming took a lot of the blame. Now, Yao Ming's tactics benefit.

The most obvious example of tactical benefit is DeAndre Jordan. Before Doc Rivers joined, he averaged the highest rebounds per game in a single season, 8.3. After Rivers became the Clippers coach, he immediately won two rebounding titles.

In the 14-15 season, Jordan averaged 15 rebounds in 34.4 minutes per game. He averaged more than 13 rebounds per game for four consecutive seasons, with the lowest being 13.6.

Yao Ming's physical fitness cannot be compared with Jordan's, but he is better than him in height. As long as the defensive end does not leave the penalty area and his teammates help block people, he can easily get backcourt rebounds and get it done with just a tiptoe.

After a day off, the Lakers' challenge came, playing against the Suns away from home.

On the morning of the 19th, after the Lakers training ended, Phoenix reporters waited for Yang Rui and conducted a brief exclusive interview with him.

"The Lakers have an astonishing record of 8 wins and 1 loss this season, while the Suns have won eight games in the beginning. What do you think?"

"It's normal. I said it when I was with the Wizards. Nash is a super point guard, even with the ability of MVP. His specialty is enough to change a team and is suitable for a fast-paced offensive team. D'Antoni is good at running and gunning. People are a perfect match.

"

The reporter asked: "The Lakers have salary space in the summer, why didn't you dig Nash?"

"He must have the ball in his hands to perform. He is suitable for the Suns, but not for the Lakers. In the Lakers, the first choice for offense with the ball is of course Kobe, who has stronger offensive power. If Nash joins Los Angeles, his talent will probably be wasted, 1 If the No. 1 position can shoot, that’s enough for us.”

The reporter asked: "The Mavericks gave up Nash and brought in Dampier. Dampier did not play well in the new season. What do you think?"

"The Mavericks are very strong this season. They are not a fast-paced team and need to strengthen their interior defense. Dampier's data has indeed dropped, but the Mavericks need a meat shield center. There are no particularly outstanding free agents in the summer. You don't have to choose, a reasonable lineup is the most important thing." Yang Rui said with a smile.

This Suns is no weaker than the Suns of Yang Rui's previous life in the 2004-2005 season, and is even slightly better. Laga Bell joined in advance. Although Joe Johnson left, there is experienced Grant Hill.

Hill's life changed. He shared the ball with the Knicks and Sprewell, and then shared the ball with two star teammates in the Suns. This led to an early change in his style of play, reducing breakthroughs with the ball and focusing on catching, shooting and defense. aspects of development.

The Suns medical team did a very good job of maintaining Hill's knee. Hill was very healthy in the second half of last season and it also played a role this year. The only weakness is that Hill's three-point shooting ability is not as good as Joe Johnson's.

Marion and O'Neal Jr. can play run-and-gun, and they can also fight in position. Backup guard Barbosa has made significant progress this season and has become the Suns' best sixth man. The swingman also has Jim Jackson, a high-quality veteran.

The most important person in the Suns is of course Nash. After joining the Suns, he took to the water like a fish in water. He launched counterattacks, organized passes, caught and shot, and broke through with the ball. He did everything very well.

The most important thing is that this Suns team's defense is better than Yang Rui's previous life. Except for Nash, the four starting players are all good at defense, averaging 110.6 points per game and only losing 101 points. Their offensive power is second only to the Lakers, ranking second in the league.

This game is the focus of this round. Countless fans around the world are waiting to watch. When promoting the league, in addition to the star showdown, it also launched the "Yang Rui VS D'Antoni" gimmick, a battle for the best coach.

That night, the Suns' home court was full.

The team's record improved, and the number of Suns spectators also increased, making it a famous devil's home stadium in the league. When the Suns star came out, he received warm applause, while Kobe was booed when he came out.

Yang Rui shook hands with D'Antoni on the sidelines and exchanged a few words.

Both are strong contenders for the best coach award, with D'Antoni having a slight advantage.

The Suns' improvement in winning percentage will definitely not be greater than that of the Lakers. D'Antoni wins because he has not won the best coach. Yang Rui has already won three times. If he wins again, Yang Rui will be the first in history. Both the league and reporters will definitely take these factors into consideration.

Bell and O'Neal also greeted Yang Rui. They have all cooperated with Yang Rui and won the championship and increased their worth. They are very grateful to Yang Rui.

After the warm-up, players from both sides came out.

Lakers five: Mo Williams, Kobe, Iguodala, Rasheed Wallace, Yao Ming.

Suns Five: Nash, Bell, Hill, Marion, O'Neal.

Just looking at the lineup, you can tell that Yang Rui is serious. He did not let Jones, the worst defensive player, play, but used the faster Mo Williams in order to strengthen the defense, otherwise Nash would definitely show off his power.