Bishop of the Devil

【Who can stop the pirates? ! 】

The Buccaneers' game the next day made ESPN's headlines because the game was so amazing.

This game was Oden's first start, and he produced such shocking statistics.

And Paul's game was amazing enough. Although he failed to break Skiles' single-game assist record, he tied with Stockton for fifth place in the single-game assist record.

Two shocking statistics appeared in one game, which were quite astonishing.

ESPN directly wrote that the Pirates have a high chance of defending their title this season. Judging from the current situation, it is difficult for other teams to be opponents of the Pirates.

…

Richard sat on the sofa in the hotel, looking at the newspaper in his hand, and couldn't help but feel happy.

To defend his title this season, Richard is not worried at all. What he wants to do most now is to have a perfect season.

What kind of season can be called perfect? Naturally, the more wins, the better, and the stronger the players' statistics, the better.

…

"Brandon, I need you to shoot more three-pointers in training and games this season." Roy sat in front of Richard, who called him to his side, ready to talk about the mission. things.

Roy was still a little surprised. He didn't expect that Richard would ask him to increase the number of three-pointers he took.

"Coach, my three-point ability can only be said to be average, not very good..."

"If we increase the number of three-pointers, it may affect the team's overall offensive firepower." Roy said with a worried look.

Richard waved his hand, "You don't need to worry about this. The only thing you need to do is to practice three-pointers well, and then make more three-pointers in the game."

"As for the impact on the team's overall offensive firepower, you can think carefully about the current strength of the Pirates. A little less offensive firepower actually doesn't have much impact." Richard said with a smile.

Roy nodded. This is true. The Pirates are so strong. Even if his offensive efficiency is lower in the game, the impact will not be great. The Pirates should win the game.

…

In the next away game, the Buccaneers faced the Los Angeles Clippers.

Under the management of Stevens Jr., the Clippers are now thriving. However, with their lineup, it is the second round of the playoffs, and it is difficult to go further.

Stevens Jr. has outstanding coaching ability, but it is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice. There is still a big gap between the Clippers' lineup and the top players.

Chris Kaman, Brand, Maggette, Mobley and Alien Cassel.

These five people are Stevens Jr.'s starting lineup, and it seems to be a really strong one...

But the actual combat power is far less than the fame of these players.

Older and older, injured and injured...

Alien Cassel is only one year younger than Richard, and is already 38 years old. His actual combat power at this age may not be as good as Payton, who won the championship with the Pirates last season.

Mobley, an old cat from West Lafayette, is not very old now. At 32 years old, he is on the tail end of his prime.

At the moment, Mobley is no longer at his peak, averaging about 13 points per game, and has completely lost the chance to return to the All-Star level.

After Maggette had his peak season in 2005, he is now celebrating the Chinese New Year, and every year is worse than the last.

There are two remaining insiders, Brand and Kaman. Kaman is good, but only good. It is definitely unrealistic to expect him to block and kill the gods in the inside.

As for Brand...

Richard clearly remembers that this season was a turning point in Brand's career!

Before this season, although Brand's performance in leading the team was not good, he averaged 20+10 per game, which was not difficult at all.

But after this season, Brand immediately went out of control, and his data in all aspects dropped sharply.

The reason why this happened is because Brand suffered a serious injury this season, which resulted in a season reimbursement.

What's even more tragic is that Brand was reimbursed after just a few games at the start of the game, causing the Clippers to fail to make the playoffs this season.

After all, the team's boss has been reimbursed, and there are still some old and weak players left. It is not that easy to enter the Western Conference playoffs.

…

The night before the game, Stevens took Brand and Mobley to treat Richard to dinner.

Stevens looked proud. In the first four games of this season, they had a record of three wins and one loss, and the season started very well.

This is also a characteristic of the Clippers. No matter what kind of players they are, no matter what kind of coach they are, they can give fans a lot of surprises at the beginning...

But surprises are often followed by huge shocks.

"Elton, be careful on the court and pay attention to your health." Richard reminded Brand.

Although he also knew that this reminder might not have much effect, he must still do what he should do.

Brand didn't seem to take it to heart. Every player values ​​his health. After all, without health, everything is empty talk.

But the situation on the court is unpredictable. Who knows which action he made caused his injury?

If you really want to avoid getting injured, the best way is to stay on the bench.

…

Mobley was lamenting. He had won a championship with the Blazers at their peak, so he had no regrets about the championship ring.

It's just that he played in a team like the Peak Blazers, and later wandered to several teams, and he felt more and more terrible about the Peak Blazers.

In his opinion, maybe the Pistons team Richard later formed was not as strong as the Trail Blazers.

This is not what Mobley thinks alone. Many people feel the same way. Even Richard himself feels that the Peak Blazers are stronger.

"Coach, do you think your Pirates team is as good as the Peak Trail Blazers?" Mobley asked curiously.

Although his real coach Stevens was right next to him, he still respectfully called Richard coach.

Stevens wasn't impressed either. He was well aware of Richard's status in the hearts of West Lafayette players.

"I don't know. How can I know who is stronger without fighting, but I feel it shouldn't be much different." Richard nodded.

The Peak Blazers are very strong, but this Pirates team is not bad either, and they have also put in countless efforts.

…

At eight o'clock in the evening, players from both sides began to enter the stadium.

The Clippers' strength is okay, but it is obviously impossible to match the Buccaneers' opponent.

The old Shark gave the white center Kaman a hard lesson in the paint...

Kaman is actually quite well-known in the United States.

This guy is a traitor...

He was born in Michigan, USA, and is an authentic American. He is half a fellow countryman to Richard.

But this guy has now become a German citizen, joined the German men's basketball national team, and will represent the German team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics next year.

Even in the United States, this kind of thing is not acceptable to any fans.

At least O'Neal on the court couldn't accept it, and he spat Kaman with all kinds of rubbish.

Although Kaman was relatively active in fighting during the game, he did not like physical confrontation like other centers. As a result, this game was quite miserable by O'Neal.

O'Neal's current strength is still strong. Even if he is playing with the Suns, O'Neal can still perform 40+ in a single game.

This is really not a joke. In February 2009, at the age of 37, O'Neal scored 45 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block.

This may be why O'Neal is called the most dominant center in history.

…

Roy was shooting three-pointers like crazy on the court. In just half of the game, he had already shot 11 three-pointers.

In these 11 three-pointers, Roy hit 4, with a hit rate of less than 40%, which is considered Roy's current normal level of three-pointers.

It's a bit low, but relying on a large number of three-point shots, Richard hit 4 three-pointers in the half, and Richard is still quite satisfied.

In the second half of the game, Richard replaced Oden, and the other main lineup remained unchanged.

Less than two minutes into the third quarter, only a painful wail was heard on the court, and Brand fell to the ground in pain.

When Brand was fighting for a rebound, his landing was unstable and he sprained his ankle...

Richard's face was startled. Did what was supposed to come still come?

Brand was reimbursed for the season not long after the start of this season. As a result, his entire career began to decline. Richard never expected that Brand would be injured in this game.

Brand's injury made Stevens look a little ugly. Brand's role to the Clippers is basically equal to Duncan's role to the Spurs.

Can the Spurs still be a strong player in the Western Conference without Duncan? Definitely not.

And without Brand, the Clippers are basically counting on Kaman inside...

Now Stevens is praying that Brand's injury will not be serious and that he will not be out for too long.

…

"Beep!" The referee blew the whistle to end the game. Without Brand, how could the Clippers be the Pirates' opponent?

In the end, the Pirates won on the road by 17 points and continued their undefeated record in the regular season.

If Richard hadn't replaced Sun Yue, Ingram and others in the last half of the game, I'm afraid the Clippers would have lost by more than 17 points...