Chapter 1000: 325: Let them hate us! (Vote for the monthly ticket!)_3
This sumr, Big Ben trained with Stoudemire at Roger’s training camp, so he knows just how much Stoudemire has improved.
Everyone was expecting Amar’e Stoudemire to make progress on defense, but they overlooked his rapid improvent on offense.
As soon as Roger passed the ball, Rasheed Wallace imdiately lunged at Stoudemire. A big man capable of mid-range shots poses no threat to the Pistons. In last season’s finals, even the Admiral had a precise mid-range, but still couldn’t help the Spurs kill the ga, because the Pistons were very mobile, and even Rasheed Wallace was more agile than most centers.
Stoudemire raised the basketball; the Yelling Maestro raised his arms to interfere. But when the Yelling Maestro got close to Stoudemire, Stoudemire suddenly pulled back the ball and drove with a dribble!
Rasheed Wallace tried to chase, but Stoudemire was just too fast, slipping past him in an instant!
The mid-range brings more than just an additional offensive tool for Amar’e Stoudemire. In basketball, each skill complents another.
Last season, Stoudemire’s mid-range was unstable, so everyone defending him knew to give him so space, and they wouldn’t lunge forward like Rasheed Wallace did.
Because of this, it wasn’t easy for Stoudemire to break into the paint.
But now that his mid-range threat has increased, as soon as soone dares to guard him closely, Stoudemire can easily break through!
This is the importance of the jump shot. Imagine if LeBron Jas had an excellent mid-range, would he need to spend so much effort studying complex footwork?
In the blink of an eye, Big Ben, guarding under the basket, saw Stoudemire rushing right towards him. Stoudemire’s explosiveness and speed were astonishing, and even Big Ben couldn’t react in ti, only managing a hasty defense.
With the ball in hand, Stoudemire leapt into the air, Big Ben leapt up to block. Both of their jumping speeds were extraordinary, but Stoudemire, with an earlier jump and superior height, completed a monster dunk over Big Ben!
“Ah!”
“Boom!”
The terrifying noise and low roar made all the Detroit fans clutch their heads and gape.
Their DPOY, their team leader, suffered a poster dunk in his first defensive play of the new season!
After scoring, Stoudemire let out a roar, then high-fived Roger.
anwhile, the Chinese fans knew that Hua Mountain was going to have a tough ti on the CCTV Top Five Plays tonight.
That slam dunk from Stoudemire was so powerful, the basketball hoop shook for quite a while before settling back down.
Stoudemire had been holding back for so long, since last season when he said he wanted to be the best defender and everyone laughed at him, he had been waiting for this season.
He wanted to shut those clowns up, starting from the very first ga!
The ga continued. Big Ben wasn’t dejected by the poster dunk; instead, he clapped his hands and encouraged his teammates: “It’s okay, the battle has just begun!”
The Pistons attacked, with Chauncey Billups controlling the ball to stabilize the pace. Double Wallace began to set screens for Hamilton, while Artest lurked for a chance to cut inside.
Billups keenly spotted this opportunity, slicing through the Warriors’ defense with the basketball like a scalpel, aiming straight for the heart.
After receiving the ball, Artest prepared to attack the basket, but the experienced Mutombo quickly rushed back under the basket, raising both arms high.
This mountain was hard to climb over, yet Artest didn’t go straight to the basket; instead, he jumped to draw the defense and then threaded the ball to Big Ben behind Mutombo!
Mutombo hurriedly turned around, but it was already too late to do anything, and Big Ben was about to complete a dunk.
This was almost a guaranteed basket until Amar’e Stoudemire stord the paint, swatting Big Ben’s dunk off the backboard from the side!
Mike Breen could hardly believe his eyes: “Amar’e Stoudemire, at the perfect mont, made the perfect help defense!”
This wasn’t just about physical prowess. Stoudemire didn’t fully abandon Rasheed Wallace just to go for blocks. As Mike Breen noted, Stoudemire made the right defensive decision at the right timing, maximizing his athletic ability. Such outstanding defensive judgnt was sothing Stoudemire lacked last season.
If it was last season, faced with a similar situation, he either would have completely left Rasheed Wallace, or just watched dumbly as Big Ben ravaged the hoop.
But now, he has silenced the ho court of the defending champions!
Since the start, Amar’e Stoudemire had consecutively defeated the DPOY in two possessions, leaving all the fans watching the ga with one question: Just how much has this guy improved?
And soon, Stoudemire scored with another accurate mid-range shot, completely boosting his presence on the court.
Again, it was Roger running the pick-and-roll, passing to Stoudemire after being double-tead.
However, Rasheed Wallace was wary of Stoudemire’s drive, so his forward lunge wasn’t as determined as before.
With a bit of space, Stoudemire calmly hit the mid-range, helping the Warriors push the score to 4-0.
“Amar’e scored again. He is undoubtedly the most eye-catching player from the start of the ga until now. Can his touch continue for the whole ga? We’ll have to wait and see.” After Mike Breen said this, he gulped, wondering if Stoudemire’s touch wouldn’t last.
If Amar’e Stoudemire could maintain this level of mid-range shooting throughout the ga?
From these two possessions, Stoudemire seed like a top-tier pick-and-roll terminator.
If he continues to perform like this, even the Pistons would struggle to stifle the Warriors’ offense.
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