Chapter 0006: The Marvelous Third

Unstoppable! Liu Mang at most impeded Francis for half a second, forcing Francis to change direction, as directly colliding with Liu Mang would likely result in an offensive foul for Francis himself

Receiving the ball and shooting is different; firstly, the rhythm is good, and secondly, even when picking up the ball and preparing to shoot, if the opponent rushes in, one can still dribble away.

Francis looked towards the basket, and Ratliff stood like a guardian deity, shielding Eddie Griffin and Kevin Cato. The two found it difficult even to maneuver around to receive the ball, both fearing Ratliff's formidable elbows

The advantage of the Hawks in the paint is too significant. Francis felt the murderous gaze of Coach Rudy Tomjanovich from the sidelines, which reminded him of his less than 30% shooting accuracy from beyond the arc, prompting him to quickly turn around and return to defense

Francis looked at Liu Mang, who was approximately two meters away from him, filled with anger.

If the shooting is accurate, what else can be called the boss

Rahim has an impressive physique, standing at 2.06 meters tall, making him a solid small forward. He towers over Kenny Thomas by quite a margin, easily pushing Kenny Smith into the three-second area. Since Hakeem Olajuwon left, the Rockets' interior defense has been so weak that it is hard to believe they are a traditional center-heavy team. Rahim is completely unstoppable when he drives to the basket, forcing his way through Eddie Griffin and Kevin Cato to score a 2 + 1.

Rahim directly threw the ball into the forward field

Muhammad and Ratliff, two iron-blooded muscle men, made the "lucky rookie" who irritated Francis shrink back, standing at the free-throw line while completely ignoring the three-point line, with a substitute shooting guard from the 1996 golden generation squatting beside them

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Liu Mang's flying leap to catch the ball, followed by a shot taken while losing his balance, found nothing but net

Do not say that the defensive strategy conceived by Popovich for the future is indeed quite effective for athletic perimeter players with limited shooting ability. Francis found himself in a difficult situation, unable to shoot from the outside. Generally speaking, catching and shooting a three-pointer provides the best rhythm. If one attempts to shoot a three-pointer while dribbling, most players need to make adjustments. This adjustment allows the defending player to close in quickly, making it difficult to escape. Dribbling again would result in a violation, and passing may not be executed immediately. Attempting a contested shot is not a wise choice, as not everyone possesses the same audacity as McGrady, nor does everyone have the same capital to play as recklessly as he does.

Liu Mang came up and made three shots, each of which ignited the atmosphere on site

However, this force...! ... Truly worthy of being a small forward, that throw was too powerful! When Liu Mang rushed to the front court to receive the ball, he completely couldn't stop his momentum and was about to fly out of bounds!

Liu Mang realized that he was in the iron-blooded era of the early century, and instantly felt very calm. At this time, the best three-point shooter was Reggie Miller. It was not that Liu Mang looked down on Reggie Miller, but because three-point shooting was not valued at all during this period. There were not many players practicing three-point shots; at least among point guards, apart from top stars like Nash and Mike Bibby, most did not shoot three-pointers.

Liu Mang is quite familiar with Francis, after all, he was a teammate of Yao Ming during the early stages of his career and is respectfully referred to as "Old Francis" by domestic fans

Francis charged into the inner line while holding a bundle of explosives

The game is paused, and the Rockets have possession of the ball

Francis truly wanted to shoot a three-pointer directly like the other party

But in just this half a second, it was already enough; Aimanual and Muhammad had already closed in.

Francis looked at Liu Mang running back with great frustration, saying, "You are a point guard! You didn't even touch the ball during an entire possession. Are you even a point guard?"

Francis received the serve from Kevin Carter and advanced to the front court, then almost shot in frustration, but fortunately held back; otherwise, he would likely have been scolded harshly by the coach

Although Liu Mang is not a professional basketball player, at least at this moment, he is! He knows he cannot allow Francis to charge directly into the paint; he cannot give way! If he does, even with a fortress formed by Ratliff and Mohammed, Francis would likely dunk right over them! When Francis charges, unless it is O'Neal, even if Mutombo and Ben Wallace were here, they would only serve as background players!

Therefore, even for the best three-point shooter to date, such as Reggie Miller, the catch-and-shoot remains the primary option

As for the sudden flash of inspiration during the steal, for a ball handler of Francis's caliber, it can be considered a stroke of luck. If he were to apply tight pressure like Klay Thompson, Liu Mang would likely find himself in a perilous situation.

However, Liu Mang's quick pass was surprisingly to the corner, and Rahim's pass was also to the corner, and it was even overshot!

Rahim secured the defensive rebound and was initially set to pass to Emmanuel for the advance. However, he noticed a teammate already fast-breaking, and that teammate was, of course, Liu Mang. The opposing team was quick to shoot, which is characteristic of Klay Thompson, who sprinted towards the left corner of the front court the moment Francis took his shot

The scene was utterly silent, this is simply too exaggerated

Liu Mang gritted his teeth and charged towards Francis

In this era, even the strongest Reggie Miller, in his best career year, only averaged 2.8 three-pointers made per game, with most years averaging around 1.5. However, in the era of Liu Mang, averaging 1.5 three-pointers made per game was not typical for a point guard, but rather for a center

Bang

At this moment, Liu Mang instinctively made a shooting motion, and after leaping to catch the ball, he smoothly pushed the ball towards the basket

At the moment of contact, Liu Mang felt as if he had been charged by a bull. He was not particularly strong to begin with, and Francis was one of the most physically gifted point guards in the NBA. This situation was akin to how Chinese guards struggle to advance past half court when facing American guards in international competitions, resulting in a complete physical domination.

Liu Mang watched as Francis charged in wearing a red Rockets jersey, like an angry bull. If this were the world of Running Man, there would definitely be red flames burning nearby

The cameraman, who was knocked down by Liu Mang at the sidelines, was stunned by Liu Mang's miraculous goal. Liu Mang could only helplessly get up by himself and rub the places where he was hurt from the collision

The fans at the scene immediately began to cheer as Liu Mang fast broke, believing that a powerful dunk was about to happen. Although they did not think that a Chinese player could deliver a particularly violent dunk, they felt that it should not be a problem for a player who is nearly 1.9 meters tall to make a dunk.

At this moment, the DJ on site was the first to react, shouting loudly: "Woooooooooool...... Ai Ai Ai ... ... Ai Si ... ... Liu !"

Francis is about to lose his temper, the Hawks are driving him to his limits! The interior defense is simply a fortress!

Liu Mang once again retreated directly to the free-throw line to distance himself from the defense. Indeed, Liu Mang is treating Francis as if he were the future Little Emperor. Regardless of whether it is Francis or the Little Emperor, they are both players that he cannot be stopped by; they are simply not on the same level as him. This physical quality is a complete domination over them.

In the era of Liu Mang, a point guard would feel embarrassed to call themselves a point guard if they did not attempt an average of seven or eight three-pointers per game. Later on, Stephen Curry directly averaged 12 three-point attempts per game, with his best year averaging 5 three-pointers made.

There was another explosion at the scene

What is the significance of the iron barrel formation!

Francis felt utterly desperate! The gap in strength between the two teams is indeed too great! Especially in the paint, after Olajuwon was traded from the Rockets to the Raptors, the Rockets' interior defense has essentially collapsed. When Francis first entered the NBA, Olajuwon was still around; even though Olajuwon was older, his physical presence was still formidable, and no one dared to underestimate him. But now, the Hawks are even willing to have Ratliff defend against the Rockets' two big men all by himself! And those two big men are indeed timid, they don't even dare to confront him.

However, for Francis, Marbury, Carter, McGrady, Baron Davis, and a host of other perimeter players, what does defense even matter

When the fans saw Liu Mang receiving the ball and about to fall out, they began to sigh, believing it to be a mistake. However, unexpectedly, in the midst of losing his balance, he managed to throw the ball!

Do whatever comes to mind, this is Francis, directly pulling up for a three-pointer

Swish

Emanuol advanced to the front court, Liu Mang created space at the three-point line from a 45-degree angle, while Rahim positioned himself in the low post to receive the ball for a one-on-one play

The sound of hammering is commonplace, as Ratliff overpowers Eddie Griffin to secure the defensive rebound

Francis attempted a shot but missed