Chapter 756: Chapter 756
Livingston backed down Ross in the low post and scored with a textbook turnaround fadeaway.
On the return play, Ross blew by Livingston one-on-one, drove into the lane, and drew a defensive foul from Bell, granting him two free throws.
As Ross stepped to the free throw line, there were scattered MVP chants from the crowd.
Hansen also turned his gaze toward Ross at this moment.
This scene was somewhat reminiscent of when Cavaliers fans used to chant MVP for him, but in truth, there’s a big difference.
This time, the MVP chants for Ross carried the nostalgia of some fans.
The title of the youngest MVP had garnered Ross substantial popularity.
And speaking of the current Ross, his form actually isn’t bad, he could easily start on a weaker team.
However, just as Malone planned for him, the ball possession in weak teams is often reserved for nurturing young players, who would hand it to a player whose career is basically considered concluded?
Even though he’s only 29, injuries have long since battered him to the point he can’t carry a team anymore.
Serving as the sixth man for a championship-contending team is the best he can hope for.
Ross made both free throws, scoring 6 consecutive points since he came on the court.
This performance made Malone smile like a scheming Zhuge Liang, something Cole hadn’t expected at all.
When Ross, holding the ball, used Dedmon to run a pick-and-roll to attack, the Warriors double-teamed Ross straight away.
Ross, trapped in the double-team, passed the ball to Dedmon who had rolled out.
McGee glanced at Dedmon who seemed ready to shoot, and turned around to prepare for the rebound.
But within moments, he saw the basketball draw a high arc right before his eyes, and then it fell straight into the basket.
Even McGee was stunned by this; Cole was also left in a daze.
No way, how many "surprises" do you have up your sleeve for this new season!
Not to mention Ross, even though he’s out of the spotlight and is on a weak team just racking up numbers, his performance last season with the New York Knicks has been his best since his injuries.
He appeared in 64 games, averaged 18 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game with a 47.1% shooting percentage, and had the lowest turnover rate of his career at 2.3 times.
The only issue was his abysmal three-point rate of 21.7%, and he averaged less than one three-point attempt per game, essentially abandoning the three-point shot.
But what about this Dedmon?
The only real impression he had of this guy was the few minutes he played at the start of the second quarter in last season’s Finals G1, where he showed some strong defense.
But now he suddenly can shoot threes?
Cole’s reaction was completely understandable.
Even Kenny Smith over at the commentary desk started checking the stats.
The result was, Dedmon had been in the League for four years, during which he attempted only 1 three-pointer, and it didn’t go in, so his prior three-point percentage was 0%!
So this three-pointer Dedmon just made was truly historic for him.
But with that shooting form and confidence, it clearly wasn’t a lucky shot.
This muscular guy suddenly figuring out that he can make threes is indeed surprising.
However, hardly anyone focuses on Dedmon, a small role player, in preseason performances like these.
If it weren’t for this three-point capability, there’s no way he could push Nene out of the rotation.
After the interchange section between the first and second quarters ended, the score on the court was 36 to 41, with the Cavaliers not only overtaking the lead but also establishing a 5-point advantage.
The Cavaliers fans in the stands had faces full of smiles.
People shouldn’t be unlucky all the time, although the Cavaliers’ starters except for the duo weren’t playing great, their bench performed well!
This also forced Cole to bring his starters back on the court earlier.
In response, Malone swapped Hansen and Jokic back, but made adjustments with other positions, pairing them with Korver, Covington, and Conningham.
Clearly, Malone’s recent conversation with Hansen wasn’t just a chat, but rather, he had already detailed tactical arrangements.
These three players paired with the core are currently the team’s best spacing options, maximizing the chance of avoiding collapse double-teams when initiating pick-and-roll tactics.
However, as the game progressed, Malone’s tactical intentions didn’t materialize as expected.
It wasn’t that the players couldn’t adapt to the new tactical system; rather, just as Hansen thought, the gradual tactical system was fine.
The problem was that the Cavaliers just couldn’t hit shots tonight.
Malone had no choice but to bring Wade back in by switching him for Conningham, allowing Jokic to pop out more during pick-and-rolls, while Hansen attacked the basket more.
After making these changes, the pick-and-roll tactics finally began to yield results.
Jokic didn’t just bulk up during the summer.
Curry: You want to test the sharpness of my threes?
Bulked-up Jokic: My three-point is no less effective!
If you told someone that a player bulked up but still enhanced his three-point shooting skills, they would probably call it nonsense.
But if you said this person’s name is Jokic, they would probably smile knowingly.
There’s no choice, that’s talent. Check latest chapters at novel•fire.net
Moreover, once Jokic can lure Cousins out of the paint, when Hansen and Wade are on the court together, Green’s defensive pressure in the paint will accordingly skyrocket.
And sure enough, Hansen cut to the basket to receive Jokic’s pass, saw Green coming over to help, and preemptively leaped for a glide dunk.
Green knew he couldn’t stop it, slowed down midway and didn’t end up as part of the poster.
"What were you standing there for?" Hansen turned around and questioned Green after completing the poster dunk.
Green’s face turned crimson.
It was clear that Hansen was not only targeting Green’s defensive choice in that moment but also the trash talk Green had spit out before the game.