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Godfather Warrior
This year, the old era slowly comes to an end and the new one begins. This year the Warriors continue to be the butt of jokes. Liam has promised that the world will see a golden dynasty.
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After his encounter with Anthony, James experienced firsthand the terrifying accuracy of Wang Chong's mid-range shooting.
Wang Chong's true strength in mid-range shooting doesn't just lie in its accuracy; it's his height and wingspan that add an extra dimension to his game. These physical advantages make his shot release particularly challenging to defend.
If Wang Chong were the same height as James or Anthony, he wouldn't be able to shoot as effortlessly as he does now. Even Anthony, who isn't known for his defense, could contain Wang Chong's shooting in that case.
But here's the catch: Wang Chong stands at 2.09 meters with a wingspan of 2.26 meters, which is significantly taller than a typical small forward. His body is built like a traditional center, yet he plays on the perimeter, leaving opponents confused.
At this moment, James was bewildered. How do you defend against a player like Wang Chong?
Wang Chong thought to himself that James was only confused now, but he'd be even more puzzled when he faced the Warriors in the Finals over a decade later.
In back-to-back Finals, James would find himself in a similar position, facing Kevin Durant. At critical moments, Durant would make game-changing three-pointers.
Durant is nearly unguardable. The only players who might defend him successfully are Westbrook... or perhaps Kyrie Irving.
The Cavaliers took possession of the ball next.
When James crossed half court, he noticed that Wang Chong still wasn't defending him directly.
Wang Chong's strategy was clear: while he wanted to compete with James, he didn't need to outplay him on both offense and defense.
Whether it's Durant in his prime or Wang Chong at his current stage, their defensive abilities are only slightly above average in the league, so it's unrealistic to expect them to stop James.
Instead of wasting precious energy on a futile defensive effort, it was better to focus entirely on offense and use offense as a means of defense! If James wanted to win, he'd have to outscore Wang Chong.
James called for another pick-and-roll, and this time, he didn't wait for Wang Chong to match up against him. He used the space created by the pick-and-roll to accelerate straight into the paint.
There's no denying that James's driving ability is impressive—both in terms of strength and speed. Especially after a pick-and-roll, his short-distance acceleration is unmatched; once he gets going, he's nearly impossible to stop.
Lakers' backup center Horace Grant stepped up to defend James, but as he got in front of him, he realized that James, who had already taken off, was at an astonishing height.
It was too late to raise his hands to contest the shot.
"Boom—!"
James almost leapt over Grant, slamming the ball into the basket with one hand. The play was electrifying, making Wang Chong a bit envious.
To be honest, if he had the choice, Wang Chong would prefer James's skill set over Durant's.
While James's career is full of controversies—like taking shortcuts, forming super teams, and proclaiming himself the greatest of all time—his physical fitness is undeniably exceptional, arguably the best in history.
A perfect blend of strength, speed, and explosiveness. The only downside is his overly muscular build, which somewhat limits his shooting form. But in every other way, James's physique is the gold standard for basketball players.
And let's be honest, compared to precise mid-range shots, a series of explosive dunks is far more thrilling and more likely to attract fans.
"Squeak—!"
The referee blew the whistle. Not only did James score with the dunk, but he also drew a blocking foul on Grant.
James completed a potential 2+1 play… or rather, it was a 2+0.
While James's free-throw shooting isn't as abysmal as Shaquille O'Neal's or Ben Wallace's, it's still quite poor for a perimeter player. If James, who already has superstar status and physical gifts, had an 80% free-throw shooting percentage, he could have broken Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time scoring record at least a year earlier.
As expected, James went to the free-throw line, went through his routine, and missed the shot.
The Lakers went on the attack next.
This time, Wang Chong did not opt to receive the ball on the perimeter.
Under James's defense, his weakness in driving to the basket was quite evident, and his efficiency in attacking from the perimeter wasn't high.
Basketball has never been a one-on-one game. Even players as great as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant relied heavily on pick-and-rolls and off-ball movement to score in games.
For Wang Chong, whose current strength is mid-range shooting, off-ball offense is the most efficient way to maximize his scoring ability.
On this possession, Wang Chong ran along the baseline with James. After reaching the perimeter, he used a screen set by a teammate to create separation from James. Receiving a pass from Fisher, he took the shot without hesitation.
James arrived late, helpless as he watched Wang Chong take the shot.
"Swish!"
Although the play was less dramatic than James's dunk earlier, the result was the same—two points.
"Damn it…"
After missing two consecutive defensive assignments, James grew a bit anxious. He couldn't help but glance at his nearby teammates after being screened off.
A bad team is a bad team. The Cavaliers had mediocrity ingrained in their bones. They didn't even have the awareness to provide defensive help. If someone had stepped up to contest Wang Chong, he wouldn't have had such easy looks.
Why should Wang Chong care what James thought? After all, scoring efficiently was the name of the game. Wasn't that also James's usual philosophy?
In the next few possessions, Wang Chong continued the same tactics—either running off-ball and shooting after receiving the pass or catching the ball in mid-range and immediately pulling up for a jumper. In short, he stuck to his principle of attacking in ways that made it difficult for James to defend effectively.
On the other end, James, who wasn't directly matched up against Wang Chong, maintained a decent scoring efficiency. However, there's a significant difference between scoring off the dribble and scoring off the ball.
Every time James drove to the basket, he had to deal with the Lakers' center's help defense, while Wang Chong, once he shook off James, often had wide-open shots.
As a result, over these few minutes, both players put up points—quite different from the situation when the starters were on the court. Their individual scores started to climb quickly.
What thrilled Lakers fans even more was that Wang Chong outscored James!
Neither team's main players returned to the court until the end of the first quarter. In less than 8 minutes, Wang Chong and James accounted for over 80% of their respective teams' shots.
Wang Chong shot 6 for 10, scoring 12 points.
James shot 4 for 9 and made 3 of 5 free throws, scoring 11 points.
The duel between the two rookies temporarily ended with Wang Chong narrowly edging out James.
Wang Chong managed to go head-to-head with James without backing down!
(End of this chapter)
Note: I will continue uploading as promised 4-5 chapters every day until 100, after 100 1-2 per day, with stones, reviews, and collections I will upload more don't worry.
Tomorrow more :)