Bishop of the Devil

This is the home court of the Trail Blazers. When the home fans watched Robinson being replaced just one minute into the game and replaced by Nowitzki, the seventh overall pick selected by Richard this year, they couldn't help but feel a little dazed.

The last time Richard selected the No. 7 pick was Kobe Bryant. Not to mention that Kobe Bryant has already produced super statistics that shocked the league. It is said that Kobe Bryant in his rookie season seems to be better than Nowitzki now.

At least in terms of hard work, Kobe is much better than Nowitzki...

Nowitzki gives people a feeling of weakness at the moment. There is no youthful vitality in him at all. Not to mention roaring and trash talking on the court, the fans have not even seen him open his mouth.

Nowitzki currently averages about 20 minutes per game with the Trail Blazers, averaging 10.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Compared with Kobe Bryant in his rookie season, it is really incomparable.

But in Richard's view, Nowitzki's performance is actually pretty good. At least it's better than the start of the game with the Mavericks under normal circumstances.

In his rookie season with the Mavericks, Nowitzki averaged 20 minutes of playing time per game, but only scored 8 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist. His shooting percentage was very poor, with a total shooting percentage of only 40.5% and a three-point shooting percentage of only 40.5%. 20.6%…

If you think about Nowitzki's entire career, with a total shooting average of 47.2%, you will know how bad Nowitzki's rookie season was.

But under normal circumstances, Nowitzki's poor performance in his rookie season is actually excusable. The main reason is that Nowitzki did not train properly due to the bad performance in the offseason.

Now the situation is completely different. Nowitzki, who has been training for nearly half a year, is currently shooting 45%, which is much higher than his normal rookie season.

…

Seeing Nowitzki being put on the court, which can almost be regarded as a starting appearance, the fans couldn't help but raise expectations in their hearts.

Is this the rhythm that Richard is preparing to use Nowitzki? !

In this season's draft, Richard got five rookies, but except for Mobley, who was remarkable, the other four were not that outstanding...

It's not a trap, but it's just not as exciting as the 1996 draft!

Some astute fans can figure out the reason for this. In 1996, the Trail Blazers were completely overthrown and rebuilt by Richard, and the newcomers naturally got a lot of opportunities to perform...

Now that the Trail Blazers are a fully mature team, it is unlikely that the newcomers will have so many opportunities to perform.

For example, Nowitzki, if he is given enough playing time and ball rights, he can average more than 15 points per game. With his shooting rate, it will be a piece of cake...

But everyone knows that this is impossible.

…

"Whoa!" Kobe shot a fadeaway mid-range shot. After he succeeded, he grinned at Iverson.

As a result, just ten seconds later, Iverson immediately fought back, causing a defensive foul on Kobe, and the score was 2+1!

The two strongest defenders in the league started a crazy battle mode.

Standing off the court, Richard suddenly remembered the classic battle between Kobe and Arenas in history.

In that game, two guards with excellent offensive abilities started a crazy scoring mode. As a result, one scored 60+ and the other scored 40+...

Well, the one who scored 40+ was Kobe, but Kobe's shooting percentage was much higher, and he had the last laugh and won the game.

In tonight's game, Richard feels that if there are no surprises, Kobe and Iverson may have another classic battle that can go down in history...

But……

Richard must stop it, because the protagonist tonight must be Nowitzki!

That famous spot is really important!

Even if there is only a little famous spot, in Richard's opinion, it is extremely precious...

Think about Yao Ming, his injury resistance is absolutely low. If he has this star point, Richard can use it on Yao Ming in the future to increase his injury resistance to 70 points. The effect will be absolutely amazing!

If the attribute reaches 70 points, it can basically reach the average level of the league...

In this case, extending Yao Ming's career for two or three years should not be a problem. After all, under normal circumstances, it is quite common for a player to play for ten years.

Or this anchor point can be directly used by Ben on his free throw ability, which is another wonderful thing.

…

As for the classic battle between Kobe and Iverson, Richard feels that it is better to wait. Anyway, there will not be many opportunities for these two to compete in the future, and there may even be many opportunities to compete in the finals.

Let’s get those celebrity points tonight first.

The first quarter lasted for 5 minutes, and Richard called a timeout again.

Less than half a quarter into the game, Richard called two timeouts rather strangely...

"Kobe, the matter between you and Iverson is canceled tonight. If you want to compete, wait until the next match!" Richard waited until the players came off the court and immediately said to Kobe with a serious face.

"Ah?! Why..." Kobe was speechless.

At the moment, he has a slight advantage on the court. If the game continues, he feels that he is quite hopeful to win against Iverson, but now Richard has stopped their competition.

"Because I want to test a new lineup tonight, I feel that the 76ers will be our opponent in the finals. You don't want us to lose to the Philadelphia 76ers in the finals, right?"

Richard asked with a smile.

Kobe nodded distressedly. Since Richard had come up with such a high-profile reason, he naturally had to obey the team's arrangements.

"Pass the ball more to the driver. I want the fans to see Nowitzki's real offensive firepower tonight!"

Richard did not forget to remind the other four starting players on the field.

If others don't help and Nowitzki doesn't have the ball in his hands, it will definitely be difficult to score too many points.

But if teammates help, it's not difficult to score thirty points...

Hearing Richard's words, the young players on the bench looked at Nowitzki with envy. They knew that Nowitzki was valued by Richard, and they wanted to vigorously cultivate Nowitzki's rhythm.

It's normal to think about it. Nowitzki and them are not the same thing after all.

Nowitzki is the No. 7 pick. In any case, the treatment he receives in the team cannot be the same as them. Although they are extremely envious, they are not jealous of Nowitzki.

"Okay, driver, give me a good beating!"

"You should know what this game means. This is your best chance to prove yourself!"

"Fight with confidence, no matter how you fight, I will never change your fate!"

Before Richard came on the stage, he patted Nowitzki on the shoulder again and encouraged the old German driver.