Bishop of the Devil

Of course, turning Rasheed Wallace into a player like Durant is just Richard's wishful thinking!

After all, there have not been many players like Durant who have no solution on the offensive end in the entire history of the NBA...

However, even if Rasheed Wallace cannot become Durant, his own defensive strength, especially when he is not defending high-tonnage third and fourth position players, is enough to take his defense to a higher level.

Especially with the inside combination of Xiao Ao and Da Ben!

It is no exaggeration to say that given two or three years of growth time, the "Obenla" frontcourt combination will definitely be the strongest defensive frontcourt combination in the entire league!

The strongest!

none of them!

Even in the entire history of the NBA, it is absolutely difficult to find such a frontcourt defensive combination!

It is recognized that the strongest frontcourt combination in NBA history is the frontcourt combination of Bird, Chief Parish and McHale. However, although their offensive ability can completely overwhelm Auburn...

Can it be defended? Obengla will really be better than them!

…

Such a strong frontcourt lineup is not Richard's ultimate goal!

Strong backcourt defense is also Richard's goal, which is why Richard chose Kobe in the draft!

In this draft, in terms of backcourt defense, Kobe is number one!

If nothing else, just based on Kobe's defense, Richard has enough reasons to choose Kobe!

If they can find another strong backcourt defender to match with Kobe, the defensive intensity of the Trail Blazers' starting lineup will increase to a terrifying level in the next two or three years!

As for the backcourt partner with Kobe, Richard also has a candidate in mind, but he hasn't heard any news about this guy yet, so he can only wait!

…

While Richard was arranging his troops, Old Philip also came up with the Boilermakers' starting lineup!

The Boilermakers now have seven future All-Star players left, namely Zhi, Pierce, Szczerbiak, Billups, Jamison, Bibby and Hamilton!

Because Ben and Miller both participated in the draft, this team is extremely lacking in insiders, especially those with good defense...

Richard naturally also gave Philip a suggestion, that is, let Da Zhi play the center position. Of course, he will not play a traditional center, but a new type of center...

Jamison plays the No. 4 position. With his height of 206 centimeters, it is no problem to play the No. 4 position!

Szczerbiak and Pierce occupied the second and third positions, while Billups was at the helm of the first position!

The substitute lineup also includes the white devil Bibby and the perpetual motion machine Hamilton. Such a lineup is still inferior to the NCAA.

…

"Dudududu!" Little Brownie served as the referee of this game. After blowing the whistle, this star-studded game officially began!

In terms of the number of stars on both sides, it is not much different from the NBA All-Star Game...

Both sides are gearing up, and both want to have a big fight and beat the other side!

The Boilermakers players are eager to prove that their NCAA overlord has the strength to challenge NBA teams!

Although the Blazers are all newcomers, they are absolutely unbearable to be defeated by the NCAA student team!

O'Neal Jr. and Da Zhi stepped onto the midfield line to execute a jump ball!

Dazhi's physical fitness has improved a lot compared to before, but compared to O'Neal, who has excellent physical fitness, he still suffered a bit. In the end, he lost to O'Neal in the jump ball!

Da Zhi waved his fist in annoyance. He wanted to prove himself in front of Richard so much!

Prove that your own strength is definitely no worse than the players Richard selected in the draft!

Also holding the same thought are Pierce and others, who are also eager to prove themselves in front of Richard!

After the ball reached Kobe's hands, Billups immediately got involved.

Billups is the kind of player who is calm by nature. He rarely takes the ball when he is not completely sure. Kobe controls the ball very steadily and slowly advances towards the frontcourt. Billups also failed to find a good steal. Chance……

We can only retreat step by step.

Richard stood on the sidelines, patiently watching Kobe's performance...

…

When the ball reached the frontcourt, Kobe changed direction and tried to pass Billups, but Billups did not take advantage of this change of direction and still blocked Kobe's path steadily...

Richard is curious about what Kobe will do with the ball next...

…

Just as Richard expected, after seeing that Kobe could not get past Billups, he turned sideways and prepared to take advantage of his height and strength to hit the short and thin Billups with his back...

Although Kobe is as thin as a stick now, he still has a considerable physical advantage over Billups, the enlarged version of Song Xiaobao.

Richard patted his forehead, feeling helpless...

It seems that some things are not so easy to change!

…

When Billups saw this posture, he thought he was going to eat himself alive. How could he give up and attack Kobe directly?

Hand-check!

That is, touch the opponent's body with your hands to track or stop the opponent's movement!

At the moment, this is a defensive technique, a must-have for almost every backcourt defensive player!

A few years later, it would be a defensive foul...

Many fans say that the NBA before the beginning of the 21st century, especially the current 1990s, was extremely defensive and completely different from the NBA of later generations...

There is actually nothing wrong with this statement, at least from the perspective of the backcourt players, there is nothing wrong with this statement!

Before 2004, hand-checking was a legal defense. To deal with backcourt players like Jordan who were good at breaking through, think about how effective it is to be able to use it!

But even in this case, Jordan was still able to score such high scores, and he truly deserves his title as the God of Basketball!

But starting from the 2004-05 season, hand-checks were directly classified as defensive fouls, which completely liberated those backcourt players who relied on breakthroughs to make a living...

For example, Kobe and Iverson are the beneficiaries...

Even some frontcourt players who rely on breakthroughs have benefited a lot, such as LeBron James. In his second year after entering the league, this rule happened to be introduced...

The direct impact of this rule is that the league's average score has increased by nearly four points, and the shooting percentage has increased by one percentage point!

…

Why is the introduction of hand-check having such a big impact? The matchup between Kobe Bryant and Billups on the court is the best example!

If hand-checking is considered a defensive foul, then Billups really has no good way to deal with Kobe's singles...

Maybe it's different when you start using your hands. You can push with your hands, grab with your hands, or even pinch with your hands covertly...

There is even something about grabbing the little grape!

Under this pass, Kobe couldn't resist it. In the end, he could only turn over and hit a fadeaway mid-range shot!

The posture is beautiful...

The sound of striking iron is very crisp...