NBA preseason has always been a period of adjustment and adaptation for the team's new lineup.
Because wins are not counted, teams can adjust their rotations with confidence and boldness.
The Cavaliers directly fielded their planned main lineup for the new season in their first preseason game.
The starting five are point guard Irving, shooting guard JR Smith, small forward Wang Feng, power forward James and center Love.
This lineup is similar to the Warriors' top five. Except for Love, the other four are extremely mobile and can switch offense and defense very quickly. Irving, J.R. Smith and Wang Feng
Both have good outside shooting abilities, and James' ability as a point forward is far superior to Draymond Green.
As soon as this lineup appeared, it made people's eyes bright.
Among them, Wang Feng’s experience is particularly clear.
As a player who mainly attacks without the ball, although the Warriors began to gradually increase their ball-handling offense in the second half of the game, after strengthening their ball-handling ability during the Olympics, their ball-handling offensive ability is not weaker than that of first-line defenders.
What Wang Feng is most familiar with is the method of shooting immediately after receiving the ball. The existence of the catch-and-shooter badge also allows him to play better in this way.
As a point forward, James' ability to control the rhythm of the game and pass the ball is completely top-notch in the world. Looking at the current league, the only two traditional point guards who can compare with him are Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo.
As soon as the game started, Wang Feng realized how powerful James was.
He habitually came to the left corner beyond the three-point line. As soon as he took up his position, James started to break through with the ball, forcefully crushing the players defending him, attracting double-teams from the opponent, and then the basketball was passed through the gap.
came out and landed accurately in Wang Feng's hands.
Wang Feng immediately made a three-point shot, and the badges of catch-and-shooter, corner three-point shooter, and quick shooter were activated at the same time.
The basketball hit the net.
In the next few rounds, the situation is exactly the same.
No matter what position or angle he is in, James seems to be able to find out from the crowd that his teammates in that position have better opportunities and have a way to get the ball to the opponent's hands.
Relying on James' personal ability, other players on the Cavaliers have more or less got a lot of good shooting opportunities.
Being teammates with James made Wang Feng deeply understand why some people always say that James is a player with his own system.
Indeed, as long as James is on the court, he will be the team's first offensive core, and the entire team's offensive rhythm completely revolves around James.
The benefits of this are quite obvious. Some players who lack the ability to handle the ball independently can perform well under James' system.
But for some players who need a certain amount of ball rights to perform at their best, partnering with James often means a reduction in personal data.
Wade, Bosh, Love and others are all typical examples.
But this kind of thing may be a bad thing for the individual players, but it is the best choice for the team.
The personal data of the above players are indeed affected by James, but the direct reason for this result is that James' offensive efficiency is much higher than theirs when holding the ball.
It is a matter of course to leave the basketball to more efficient players.
Although their personal data have declined, the team's record has skyrocketed, which is an indisputable fact.
Just like Love, before joining the Cavaliers, he was a double-double machine averaging 20+10 per game. At his peak, he averaged 26 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. His performance seemed to be at the MVP level.
Love's personal statistics are soaring, but his Timberwolves have never made it to the playoffs.
After joining the Cavaliers, Love's personal data shrank significantly, averaging only 16 points and 9 rebounds per game. However, the Cavaliers have a strong dominance in the Eastern Conference, reaching the finals for many years in a row. If Wang Feng hadn't burst out of nowhere, he would have already.
Got a championship ring.
It can only be said that James succeeds and James fails.
Whether personal data is more important or honor is more important, no one can give an exact answer.
But if this question is asked to Wang Feng, he will say that I want them all.
The first preseason game.
Wang Feng played the most minutes among the five starting players. He played a full 27 minutes and scored 24 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals, helping the Cavaliers win their first victory.
The reason why Wang Feng has been allowed to play for so long is that head coach Tyronn Lue may want to use this method to prove to Cavaliers fans that their summer signings are successful. Wang Feng's arrival will definitely make the Cavaliers even stronger.
On the first floor, there is every chance of winning the championship.
In the subsequent preseason games, Wang Feng's playing time remained close to 30 minutes, and he almost scored 30+ points in every game.
Facing the substitute players of each team, Wang Feng's long-range shooting from the three-point line and breakthrough ability are like a dimensionality reduction attack.
This result indeed makes Cavaliers fans quite satisfied.
After all, Wang Feng seems to be quite strong, and his technical characteristics are consistent with James' one-star, four-shooter system.
Although in terms of personal strength, Wang Feng may not be as good as Durant.
But looking at the forward position in the league, apart from James, Durant, Leonard and other top All-Star forwards, there seems to be no player better than Wang Feng.
More importantly, Wang Feng's one-year contract of 18 million is really not expensive. Compared with Harrison Barnes and Chandler Parsons next door, it is definitely cheap and high-quality, but it is a pity that it is only for one year.
time.
Compared with the high-profile actions of the Cavaliers and Wang Feng, the Warriors seem to be quiet.
The four main players, Curry, Durant, Thompson and Green, only averaged more than ten minutes per game, and most of the rest of the game was left to substitute players.
The Warriors don't seem to have any intention of harmonizing their lineup, and in fact they don't need to.
Thompson and Green were both Durant's teammates during the Olympics, and they already had a certain tacit understanding with each other. As for Curry, there was no problem. Just the two of Curry and Durant playing singles repeatedly on the court.
Enough to beat most teams in the league.
This can be seen from the winning odds offered by bookmakers.
The Warriors rank first in the league with a winning odds of 1.75, which is almost comparable to the 1996 Bulls when Joe was at his peak.
The second-ranked Cavaliers, even after acquiring Wang Feng, still have odds as high as 4, which is much higher than the Warriors.
Except for the Warriors and Cavaliers on the list, the San Antonio Spurs' winning odds are 10, and the other teams are all above 20.
It can be seen that the Warriors in the new season will definitely become the new master of the league, heading towards three consecutive championships, and the only possible opponent on the road is the Cleveland Cavaliers.