On October 3, the SuperSonics held a media day at the Seattle Key Arena, and the players appeared collectively for interviews.
The SuperSonics management has not made any big trades, and the lineup is still simply repaired in the summer.
Center: Patrick Ewing, Brad Miller, Samuel Dalembert, Kevin Willis.
Power forward: Rashard Lewis, Danny Ferry.
Small forward: Bruce Bowen, Stephen Jackson, Mitch Richmond.
Shooting guards: Yang Jian, Dell Curry, Cuttino Mobley.
Point guard: Gary Payton, Anthony Carter, Tyronn Lue.
The team has five core players, Miller, Lewis, Mobley, Yang Jian, and Payton. This lineup is very strong, capable of fast breaks and positioning.
Ewing didn't take a core photo, and he has long since lost the ability to become the team's inside core. His performance with the Warriors last season was not as good as Eric Dampier's, and among the four major centers, only O'Neal was outstanding.
Everyone said that the goal is to defend the title and establish a dynasty again, and they are full of confidence.
Yang Jian has changed a lot of things. The owner, Barry Akoli, has never thought about selling the team. Because of Yang Jian's joining, Akoli has made a lot of money and the team's market value has increased significantly.
George Karl has also been the head coach of the Sonics, and is already a super coach with five championship rings. He has reserved the title of coach of Qian Sheng, and will definitely be inducted into the Hall of Fame in the future, which makes many coaches feel
envious.
Most coaches think George Karl is overrated. I can coach the SuperSonics, just let the players pass to Yang Jian, and he will take care of everything.
The team's training camp opened the next day, and Yang Jian found his form without needing any time to adapt, beating his teammates in the competition.
Under his leadership, rookie center Dalembert can play very well. The Haitian center only needs to cover Yang Jian and then go down to the basket to perform, without the need for complicated tactics.
Yang Jian attracted double-attack points or breakthrough points, assisted Dalembert many times to score easily under the basket, and played four wonderful alley-oop dunks.
Dalembert's shortcomings are obvious, so he fell to the bottom of the first round. He has strong athletic ability, fast speed, good bounce, and good rebounding ability. His lower body strength is weak, and he continuously picks the ball under the basket.
Grabbing rebounds is his strength, and he can help defend and block shots, but he can't stand up to others one-on-one, and he can't open up space offensively.
After practicing with the team for a few days, George Karl thought it would be okay for Dalembert to be a rotation substitute in the new season. His performance was better than the two veterans Ewing and Willis.
The two veterans did not cooperate well enough with Yang Jian. After playing the pick-and-roll, they could neither guarantee the hit rate of the ball or make quick air cuts. Their physical fitness has declined to varying degrees, and they can only rely on experience to play.
Ewing's shots are now all over the place, and his shooting percentage is pitifully low. This will definitely be his last season. Even at his peak, Ewing's mid-range shot was only average, and he could only score efficiently in the penalty area.
Dalembert can be effective as long as he plays with Yang Jian. He is better at eating cakes and scoring than the veterans. Yang Jian likes to feed his teammates and has many passable passes. Most of his assists every season
This is how it all came about.
After the start of the preseason, Dalembert's performance was eye-catching and he fully demonstrated his strengths.
After Sean Kemp left, the Sonics have not had an inside player who is good at attacking the basket and scoring after pick-and-roll for a long time. Dalembert can also share the defensive pressure of Miller, and meet the post-playing center Mi
As the main defender, if the opponent's inside line is relatively thin and not good at post-up play, Dalembert's defensive effect will be better.
Lewis and Mobley are also playing better and better, contributing stable offensive firepower in every game. Even with Payton being lazy and Yang Jian not playing much playing time, the SuperSonics still won 7 consecutive games in the preseason.
Counting last season's playoffs, the SuperSonics have not lost for a long time. In the preseason, the SuperSonics defeated the Lakers twice. It is obvious that the Lakers this season are still not their opponents.
Now "Zen Master" Phil Jackson has been questioned a lot. The Los Angeles media believes that as long as the Lakers mainly play the triangle offense, it is impossible to defeat the Sonics.
Because the Lakers rely too much on OK combinations to score points, the performance of role players is not stable enough. Moreover, the Lakers focus on positional warfare, do not have many fast breaks, and are not flexible enough.
The depth of the Lakers' lineup is also weaker than last season. Horace Grant joined the Magic for free, and the Lakers can only make Donyel Marshall the starting power forward. In addition, they introduced Samaki, who was not reused by the Spurs.
-Walker, his defensive ability is also average.
However, some media are optimistic that the Kings can pose some threats to the SuperSonics. The Kings almost defeated the SuperSonics in the preseason.
The Kings traded point guard Mike Bibby from the Grizzlies, and sent away "White Chocolate" Jason Williams, who had a low shooting percentage and liked to play randomly, adding a stable scoring point.
However, it is very difficult for the Kings to eliminate the SuperSonics in the playoffs. Their center Divac moves very slowly and is severely restrained by Yang Jian. Team leader Chris Webber's performance is not stable enough and relies on jump shots to score.
On October 30, the new NBA season officially kicked off.
The SuperSonics' opponent in the first game was the Kings, and they easily got off to a good start 125-94 away from home.
Webb missed the opening game due to injury. Divac and Scott Pollard partnered inside and were unable to prevent the Sonics' offense.
The SuperSonics flourished at many points, with 6 players on the team scoring in double figures.
Yang Jian made 12 of 18 shots, 4 of 8 three-pointers, 5 of 6 free throws, and scored 33 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists and 2 steals.
The king's top scorer was Divac, who scored 27 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. His performance was eye-catching. However, he was strong in offense and weak in defense, and his poor defense in pick-and-rolls allowed his opponents to score a lot of points easily.
Peja Stojakovic was guarded by Stephen Jackson and Bruce Bowen in turns, and he failed greatly. He couldn't break through, and almost all of his shots were jump shots in front of people. He made 8 of 21 shots from the field and 9 three-pointers.
He made 2 of 2 free throws and 8 of 9 free throws, scoring 26 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Doug Christie was the worst performer among the Kings' starting lineup. He was guarded against Yang Jian. He played 32 minutes and made 2 of 11 shots, 0 of 6 three-pointers, and 1 of 2 free throws. He only scored 5 points and 3 rebounds.
4 assists.
The league also specially arranged a China Derby for the opening game. The Rockets lost to the Bulls 81-89 away from home.
Yao Ming played 22 minutes in the first game, making 6 of 11 shots, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 14 points and 6 rebounds. He did not have a single assist, and his performance was quite satisfactory.
Elton Brand scored 24 points, 13 rebounds and 2 assists, beating the drunken Vin Baker with 11 points and 7 rebounds. The two of them did not seem to be stars of the same level. Brand was just one step away from being selected for the All-Star Game.
Just achievements.
Wang Zhizhi's performance was poor and he was in foul trouble, only scoring 7 points and 3 rebounds.
Olajuwon was traded by the Rockets to the Raptors in the summer. It is said that this was "Dream's" own request, which makes people confused about what he was thinking. The Raptors' lineup in the Eastern Conference is not bad, but no one is optimistic about it.
They won the championship.
In the first game, the Raptors lost to the Magic 91-114 on the road, causing a huge upset.
Vince Carter lost to his cousin Tracy McGrady. He made only 2 of 14 shots, 0 of 3 three-pointers, 7 of 7 free throws, and scored 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.
The Raptors' second-choice player, Antonio Davis, is also a blacksmith. He made 3 of 11 shots, 1 of 4 free throws, 7 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, and 6 turnovers.
Artest and Peterson were also guarded like blacksmiths. They felt terrible and dared to continue shooting when they couldn't make a shot.
Snow, who made 3 of 3 shots, 1 of 1 three-pointers, and 6 of 6 free throws, and scored 13 points and 5 assists efficiently, said he was too tired and couldn't help these pig teammates.
Things were not going well for the Raptors. Carter, who had played in the Finals once, did not become stronger. On the contrary, his mentality seemed to have a problem. He seemed not to work hard enough in the game, his jump shots were not accurate, and he did not know how to adjust his style of play.
After the opening game, all major media and fans were optimistic about the SuperSonics defending their title.
Other teams do not have big-name stars teaming up, and the effects of trade reinforcements are very average. Looking at the game highlights, you will know that no team can compare with the SuperSonics this season.