On April 2, Yang Jian led the SuperSonics to sweep the Lakers in the regular season.
Yang Jian speculated that the Lakers are extremely close to the No. 1 pick. According to the league's practice, it is difficult for the Cavaliers with the worst record to get the No. 1 pick.
It will also be difficult for the Magic to win the No. 1 pick because the Lakers are in an excellent location, and president David Stern certainly hopes they can complete their rebuild as soon as possible.
Coincidentally, both teams have forced away Shaq O'Neal and are now in urgent need of centers. How can Stern bypass the Lakers and take care of the Magic? Orlando's team can just fend for itself.
On April 6, the SuperSonics defeated the Mavericks in an away game 138-128.
The fierce attack between the two teams was a feast for the eyes of the fans.
Neither side could guard the other, and the score was high during regular time. At the last moment, Yang Jian scored three consecutive mid-range shots, and assisted Boozer with a breakaway dunk, sealing the victory.
Yang Jian scored a huge triple-double with 47 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists. Such single-game statistics are not considered a milestone.
On the 7th, the SuperSonics defeated the Spurs in back-to-back away games, 111 to 96.
The Sonics' schedule included many back-to-back games against strong playoff teams, and the league wanted to use this method to reduce the Sonics' winning rate. In the end, this allowed Yang Jian to take advantage of his own advantages and become even more dazzling.
Because he showed super physical fitness, he often played gorgeous statistics back to back. In people's eyes, such statistics are more valuable. In this game, he scored 40 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists, 4010 in two consecutive games.
Desmond Mason is a wing defender who was trained by Popovich. He cannot limit Yang Jian one-on-one. Mason performed very well in the Spurs, averaging 14.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2 assists per game, making him the team's No. 1 player.
Three scoring points.
Mason's physical fitness is superior to that of Bruce Bowen, and his scoring ability is much better. Unconsciously, the Spurs are showing signs of rising again.
On the 9th, the SuperSonics played against the Cavaliers away from home.
LeBron James likes to stir up the atmosphere on the court before the start of games, and his action of spreading magnesium powder looks very domineering. It is said that he liked to sprinkle magnesium powder before the start of games when he was in high school.
Now, James has brought this domineering move to the NBA, exciting the Cavaliers home fans. After the ceremony, the fans cheered for the little emperor while watching him being beaten by his opponents.
In the end, the SuperSonics won 115-91, and the Cavaliers never led once in the game.
James made 6 of 14 shots, 1 of 1 three-pointers, 11 of 15 free throws, and scored 24 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 8 turnovers. Three of his breakthrough points passed directly to Yang Jian, who took advantage of the situation and went on the fast break.
Performed an actual crotch dunk.
Yang Jian led five players in the team to score in double figures and performed comprehensively. He made 8 of 10 shots, 4 of 5 three-pointers, 12 of 12 free throws, and scored 32 points, 5 rebounds, 14 assists and 5 steals.
The Cavaliers management knows that it must sign players in the summer, otherwise there will be no future.
They have problems both inside and outside, and James' best assistant, Ilgauskas, is also of average strength.
Big Z's style of play is a bit similar to that of Brad Miller. They are both white high center forwards with average physical fitness. They can open up space to catch and shoot jump shots, and help teammates cover and create opportunities, but on the defensive end they can only defend the penalty area.
Big Z's mid-to-long-range shooting and supporting passes are not as good as Miller's. He blocks slightly more shots due to his height and wingspan.
The Cavaliers' defense is full of loopholes. James's defense of Yang Jian is commendable, but the effect is not good. Yang Jian will play pick-and-roll and look for misplaced offensive opportunities, and will not directly challenge James in a one-on-one.
James is 203cm tall and weighs 113kg. His straight-line acceleration is very fast and his impact is astonishing. However, his speed of bypassing the screen cannot be as fast as that of a person who is over 1.9 meters tall. This is determined by his size.
James was a little slow to get around, and Yang Jian rushed forward. Moreover, Yang Jian could also use off-ball play to sneak the little emperor into a rhubarb, constantly running around to find cover, and taking action immediately after receiving the ball.
James has just entered the league, and there is no star whistle on the defensive end. He is often called for fouls and cannot be tough. He will have to wait a few seasons to become a super defensive player. Only after winning the MVP can he be qualified to pull and push on defense.
Hug the opponent.
The SuperSonics played back-to-back home games against the Mavericks, winning 119-99 and finishing the regular season with 3 wins and 1 loss.
Once they are familiar with the Mavericks' defensive routines, they are no threat. The Mavericks did not make any big trades in the mid-term for defensive experts, and maintained a strong offensive and defensive lineup.
It's not that the Mavericks management doesn't want to trade, it's just that no team is willing to assist them at that critical moment. Strong interior defenders and wing defenders are both treasures, so how can they take advantage of the Mavericks?
Michael Finley was absent due to injury, and Yang Jian deliberately let the Mavericks' undrafted NBA rookie swingman Marquis Daniels score the highest score in a single game of his career. He made 14 of 18 shots and 1 of 2 three-pointers.
He made 4 of 4 free throws and scored 33 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
If he didn't let go, Yang Jian would have to clock out in the third quarter. Nowitzki was guarded again, making 3 of 15 shots, 2 of 4 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 10 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist.
On the 12th, the SuperSonics lost an unexpected 107-111 away game to the Clippers, their 11th defeat.
Six members of the Clippers team scored in double figures and played a wonderful offensive battle. The underdogs occasionally broke out. The bad news is that the Clippers missed the playoffs this season. Point guard Steve Francis will only lead
Rushing around with his teammates.
On the 14th, the SuperSonics' final game was an away game against the Rockets in the China Derby, easily winning 118-87.
Yang Jian only played 30 minutes, making 10 of 14 shots, 5 of 8 three-pointers, 7 of 7 free throws, and scored 32 points, 3 rebounds, 11 assists, and 4 steals.
When Yang Jian was resting, Ginobili was responsible for holding the ball and attacking the Rockets, but the Rockets couldn't guard him. He played 26 minutes and made 11 of 16 shots, 3 of 6 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 27 points and 2 assists.
The SuperSonics had the best record in the regular season with 71 wins and 11 losses. As before, other teams could only look up to them.
In addition to Yang Jian, the key to the SuperSonics' victory is that the substitute lineup is so strong that even if the defense is poor, it is difficult for other teams to win. Payton, Ginobili, Gerald Wallace, Boozer,
The five Dalembert players can all start in other teams.
Even when Yang Jian is off the court, the SuperSonics can suppress many teams, with stars both inside and outside, poor shots and offensive rebounds.
Not only interior players can grab rebounds, but small forwards like Gerrard are also good at grabbing rebounds. Yang Jian's rebounding ability is also good, but he rarely focuses on grabbing rebounds and gives some data to his teammates to be more active.
The next fast attack.
2-8 in the West are the Spurs, Kings, Mavericks, Timberwolves, Nuggets, Jazz, and Trail Blazers.
The Trail Blazers got on the last train of the playoffs as they wished, and got the chance to be brutally beaten by the SuperSonics in the first round. If they didn't mess up, they would have a total salary of 83 million to compete for eighth place in the Western Conference, and only win 40 games.
Ranked 9-14 are the Warriors, Clippers, Suns, Grizzlies, Lakers, and Rockets.
After all, the Lakers are not worse than the Rockets, ranking second to last with 28 wins. The Rockets are too unsolvable and have a bunch of bad contracts.
Glassman shooting guard Michael Dixon's super bad contract was renewed in 2001. He played a total of 13 games in three years and did not appear this season. His contract has three years left and he has been completely scrapped. Jay
-Williams is even cooler. He will be scrapped immediately after his rookie season and will not come back again.
The Rockets' inside lineup is equally rubbish, with Maurice Taylor and Kevin Cato being highly paid and incompetent. Manager Dawson specifically signs such people. Wang Zhizhi can also be counted among the highly paid and incompetent men because his defense is so poor.
Playing is a loophole. But Wang Zhizhi can at least allow the Rockets to attract some Chinese fans, which is slightly better than those few.
Jason Richardson is the core of the Rockets. He averages 21.7 points, 6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. His performance is not bad. He also wants to leave. There is no future in the Rockets and he will not renew his contract in advance.
Yang Jian caused many butterfly effects, and Yao Ming's not joining the Rockets was the biggest one.
Chapter completed!