The Warriors’ championship journey last season, characterized by an insane average of twenty-eight three-point attempts per ga, has profoundly influenced this era.
Even Gregg Popovich, who once thought Qin Yue should shoot fewer threes, spent last sumr searching worldwide for shooters.
Perhaps, in a ga like tonight with frequent physical confrontations...
Whether a three-pointer can be made ultimately depends on fate.
But without the offensive space provided by three-pointers, the players on both sides are destined to beco increasingly fatigued and inefficient as the ga goes on.
Entering the latter half of the second quarter, Shane Battier’s hand remained hot, hitting threes for the Lakers successively from the arc and the left corner.
As for Richardson, who Qin Yue had high hopes for...
He perfectly displayed his other side as an erratic shooter.
Fortunately, Qin Yue, who drew the short straw with Richardson, had Mike Dunleavy as a quick heart-stopping redy.
Having put a lot of hard work into his three-point shooting last sumr, Dunleavy further optimized his shot release with the help of a shooting coach nad Bruce Fraser.
Fraser mainly honed Dunleavy’s process of raising the ball after receiving it, as well as his preparatory motion before catching the ball.
These are two very inconspicuous details.
However, it was these two inconspicuous details that evolved Dunleavy into the Warriors’ undisputed top shooter this season.
On the court, another offensive possession for the Warriors.
Dunleavy, always ready to crouch and gather strength, used his increasingly distinctive running style to circle around Artest and Richardson’s screens to move to the right side of the court.
Then, he stepped and caught the ball while simultaneously adjusting his balance...
Dunleavy quickly shot the basketball into the Lakers’ hoop with swift release speed.
As the most stable outside scoring point for the Warriors this season.
With a three-point shooting percentage of 42.4%, Little Deng Liwei has embarked on a path completely different from Qin Yue’s previous life.
Although in this highly centralized Warriors team, Little Deng Liwei’s ball-handling skills will inevitably deteriorate.
Yet by channeling all his talent into off-ball abilities, Little Deng Liwei has beco a daunting challenge for the Warriors’ opponents.
Qin Yue dare not speculate on the transformation Little Deng Liwei is experiencing and how it will change him.
But one thing Qin Yue can be sure of.
The current Dunleavy has already beco a valuable asset to the Warriors.
Late in the second quarter, Gasol beca the offensive core for the Lakers.
With Gasol’s arrival, the Lakers gained a stable second scoring option, greatly reducing Kobe’s pressure compared to last season.
Previously, Biedrins had turned Gasol into a background player, but after returning to the floor in the late second quarter, he seed more like a Barbie doll at Gasol’s rcy.
Biedrins’ strengths lie in his sweeping abilities and, with his growing age, the activation of his talent, providing the team with frontal rim protection.
Yet against the low-post footwork master Gasol...
Biedrins is like an innocent young girl, unable to resist falling for Gasol’s tricks despite knowing he’s deceiving her.
Seeing this, to prevent Biedrins from collapsing ntally against Gasol...
Qin Yue had no choice but to take up the heavy task and personally defend the greatest Spanish legend in basketball history.
At Staples Center, following a Warriors switch-up, the Lakers’ first offensive possession saw Qin Yue forcing Gasol’s turnaround shot to bounce off the rim with intense interference that left Artest nodding in approval.
Before Gasol beca "hardened" after losing that Finals, he often preferred avoiding high-intensity confrontations.
And this plays right into Qin Yue’s hands.
Because it allows Qin Yue, already shielded by star-call protection, to ramp up the intensity against Gasol.
In the final monts of the second quarter, Gasol twice faced Qin Yue in the low post, both tis ultimately turning into stellar achievents for Qin Yue.
On TNT TV Station, Barkley sharply comnted, "Hey, Paul, what are you afraid of? Why do you look like you can’t make a move in front of the ssiah?"
As the half ended, 55 to 48.
Returning to the locker room, Biedrins asked Artest for advice, "Why does the ssiah easily defend that Spaniard?"
Upon hearing this, Artest patted Biedrins on the shoulder and earnestly said, "Don’t try, it’s a defensive style you can’t learn.
Trust , if you use the sa thod to defend that Spaniard, you’ll only send him to the free-throw line."
Artest knows full well that the reason Qin Yue can make Gasol wilt in his presence...
Is purely because Qin Yue doesn’t have to worry about Gasol’s fake moves.
Trying to fool with footwork?
Alright, let elbow you first.
Oh, attempting to lure my balance with a shoulder fake?
Fine, here’s another elbow.
In short...
Amidst those repeated elbows, no matter how glamorous Gasol’s offensive skills are, they ultimately deform into the Warriors’ backcourt rebounds.
This defensive style aid at destabilizing the opponent’s physical center...
Without considerable experience and standing, recklessly learning will only result in a cheap imitation.
"Who taught you these defensive skills?" Leaving Biedrins where he stood, Artest actively approached Qin Yue and asked.
"Tim Duncan taught how to probe defensive limits to apply intensity on the opponent’s inside players.
Kevin Garnett taught how to use that intensity to disrupt the opponent’s physical center," Qin Yue responded to Artest’s inquiry.
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