69novels Chapter 49 Who's Real and Who's Fake
Chapter 49 Who's Real and Who's Fake
"Compared to Steve, Byron is not a qualified team leader. He loves music and movies more than basketball, and his poor shot selection shows that he only cares about his own stats on the court, not the team's victory. Steve puts the team on his shoulders. Even with Amare out for the season, he still led the team to a 10-6 record. Look at Byron, the Warriors play more rationally when he doesn't handle the ball. Warriors' management, it's your turn to make a choice."
Phoenix media outlets made the following report before the Suns' away game against the Warriors.
Because of Stoudemire's season-ending injury, the Suns' record after the start of the regular season was not satisfactory, but Nash is an MVP-caliber player after all, and he led the Suns to victory in their last 7 games.
It has to be said that Nash really had a knack for it. His physical condition was average, but as long as the team needed him, he could contribute his energy.
In the previous game where the Warriors played the Suns on the road, Baron Davis repeatedly used his physical advantages to bully Nash, which made Phoenix fans and media resentful. Moreover, the Warriors actually took a victory in Phoenix, which made the local fans and media even more dissatisfied.
When the Warriors won four straight home games, Bay Area media proclaimed that the Warriors were the most offensively potent team in the league, and that their run-and-gun offense was the most authentic. This further fueled the excitement of Phoenix fans and media.
However, from the perspective of the league's development history, the Warriors can indeed be considered pioneers of the run-and-gun offense.
Although the Lakers had their "Showtime" era in the 80s, it was the Warriors led by Don Nelson who truly brought the run-and-gun style of play into the mainstream of the NBA.
It just so happens that the Warriors' general manager is Chris Mullin, and the Suns' performance last season made the run-and-gun offense extremely popular. So now the debate is raging over which team is truly running-and-gun and which is just pretending.
Some say the Suns' seven-second offense executes the run-and-gun offense more thoroughly, while others say the Suns have the run but not the offense, and their three-point shooting can't compare to the current Warriors.
With Wang Kai on the roster, the Warriors are indeed among the league's top three-point shooters. They currently average 27.1 three-point attempts per game, making 12.4 of them, making them the most three-point attempts and the team with the highest success rate in the league.
Completely provoked, the Phoenix local media began attacking Byron, partly to curb the arrogance of the Bay Area media, and partly to create some division within the Warriors team.
Baron Davis saw the Phoenix media reports and was indeed affected.
Black players are often easily swayed, and the words of the media and fans can easily affect their emotions. Baron Davis is no exception. He can accept Wang Kai's unintentional competition, but he cannot accept the provocation from the media.
On December 7th, the Phoenix Suns' away game against the Golden State Warriors officially kicked off.
Because of the controversy between the two teams before the game, the league specially arranged for the game to be broadcast live across the United States.
"Hey, softie, you're here again. Welcome."
Upon seeing Raja Bell again, Wang Kai immediately and habitually poked his lung tube.
Raja Bell ignored Wang Kai, knowing he couldn't win an argument with him.
"Hey Steve, I'm going to win this game."
Baron Davis immediately expressed his desire to win after meeting Nash.
"Byron, it's still uncertain who will win."
Nash may seem mild-mannered, but he can be quite sharp-tongued.
In the center circle jump ball, Wang Kai used his speed advantage to win against Kurt Thomas once again.
The Warriors took the first possession, with Baron Davis dribbling the ball up the court and then driving hard past Nash.
Raja Bell's timely help defense blocked Baron Davis's driving route and prevented him from gaining full speed.
Once a heavy guard like Byron gets going, he's incredibly fast and difficult to stop, especially for teams lacking interior defense.
Baron Davis played with anger, directly changing direction to continue his drive.
However, the Suns did a lot of preparation for this game, and they practiced highly targeted defensive tactics in advance.
Don't say the Suns have no defense. Their defense is indeed average compared to those top teams, but last season the Suns averaged 110 points per game and allowed opponents to score 103 points. This means their defense was effective to some extent, but they could only play that way due to roster limitations.
In this game, the Suns' defense emphasized the speed of rotation, especially creating a pocket play against Baron Davis.
Since Byron always uses his strength to force his way past Nash, why not just let him into the paint and then surround Byron Davis in the middle at the right moment?
Baron Davis was eager to score his first basket and prove himself to the fans and media, but after the Suns' fast-paced defense, he was forced to take a shot over Marion's defense.
Byron missed his shot, and Kurt Thomas held Wang Kai firmly behind him, even using small tricks to pull on Wang Kai's fans.
After grabbing the rebound, Shawn Marion immediately took off and quickly advanced the ball up the court.
The Suns' fast breaks were indeed swift, and with just a few passes, they reached the Warriors' three-point line.
The Warriors had prepared before the game and their defense was quick, but they were caught off guard by Nash's sudden three-pointer.
In previous games, Nash rarely chose to take such shots; he always prioritized leading the team's offense. However, Nash played quite aggressively today.
Nash started strong, hitting accurate three-pointers.
Wang Kai served from the baseline and made a long pass directly to Byron near the center circle.
The Warriors also shared a consensus in this game: to help Baron Davis counter the media's provocations.
Wang Kai didn't want to get rid of the team's "leader" after getting rid of the head coach. Although this "leader" was sometimes not very competent, it has to be said that Baron Davis helped Wang Kai a lot. If it weren't for Baron, Wang Kai would probably still be sitting on the bench waiting for his chance.
After receiving the ball, Baron Davis immediately dribbled towards the Suns' backcourt. Although Marion got back on defense, he was unable to stop the opponent's layup as Baron had already gone all out.
Baron Davis's drives are not simply about being aggressive; his movements are wide-ranging and his rhythm is varied.
Both teams started very directly, with the Warriors being more direct and decisive, while the Suns were not to be outdone, and the two teams went all out from the very beginning.