Chapter 1 Lakers' Defense

The Lakers' weak side double-team came quickly, and Lin Shuhao immediately cut inside.

But Tang Tian attacked even faster. He swayed left and right, then spun around and faded away for a jump shot.

Tang Tian had practiced his turnaround fadeaway himself; without a skill bonus, its deception wasn't that great.

As he faded away, Shumpert still managed to get close.

But Tang Tian's fadeaway was deep.

The effects of his previous training began to show.

Yoga had greatly enhanced his body's flexibility, while street dance had improved his coordination.

Although he hadn't shaken off Shumpert with the turnaround, his fadeaway had won him enough space to shoot.

The home fans' eyes widened.

That fadeaway was beautiful!

Perhaps only Kobe on the other side and "His Airness" Jordan could compare.

Before, Tang Tian's pull-up jumper was a picturesque sight; now, his fadeaway was just as beautiful.

Regardless of whether it went in, that fadeaway alone had won him countless fans.

The most important thing in playing basketball is to look good!

After fading away far enough to create space, Tang Tian released the ball.

Unlike before he had Kobe's fadeaway, he could clearly feel that the ball had a chance to go in as soon as it left his hand.

This was the change brought about by the significant improvement in shooting stability.

This shot was going in!

The fadeaway was the most difficult shot to block. Although Shumpert defended well, he could barely interfere with Tang Tian.

He turned his head in mid-air and watched the ball fly towards the basket.

"Swish!"

A crisp sound echoed as Tang Tian's picturesque fadeaway went in!

A burst of cheers erupted in the arena.

Tang Tian's score was timely.

And the key was that it was both beautiful and accurate!

Shumpert shook his head helplessly. Defending Tang Tian's drives, shots, and passes was already difficult enough, and now he had to deal with an unstoppable fadeaway.

Was he really not giving people a chance to survive!

"Iman! Stay focused!"

D'Antoni shouted at Shumpert from the sideline.

He didn't believe it.

Davis had found his shooting touch in the last game against the Lakers, and now Tang Tian was mastering a new offensive weapon in this game?

Impossible!

How could the Pelicans be so lucky!

Just now, Tang Tian was forced to shoot because the other Pelicans' players were having an off night.

It was normal for that kind of difficult shot to go in once, but it was unlikely to happen a second time.

On the Lakers' offensive end, Kobe continued to isolate Ariza. He stopped abruptly after a drive and faded away for a jump shot, the ball barely clearing Ariza's fingertips.

"Clang!"

Kobe was old after all. The previous consecutive scores had consumed a lot of energy, and he missed his first shot of the game.

Whiteside secured the defensive rebound under the basket.

The Pelicans advanced to the frontcourt, and this time Tang Tian called for the ball on the right high post.

Kobe saw this and moved inside in advance.

This time, Tang Tian's choice was even more decisive. He received the ball and immediately turned towards the baseline for a fadeaway.

Kobe was too late, and Shumpert was the first to pounce.

This time, Tang Tian didn't make any preliminary fakes. Shumpert defended perfectly, his hand blocking Tang Tian's face as he jumped.

But Tang Tian was fading away, and with a very deep fadeaway, their cylinders were no longer in the same position.

With distance created in the air, Shumpert could only watch Tang Tian shoot again.

The reason why excellent fadeaways, including those of Jordan, Kobe, and Nowitzki, were difficult to defend was because of this.

It was a mid-air technique. Unless the defender attacked from behind, it was impossible to interfere.

The ball drew a high arc in the air, under the expectant eyes of the home fans.

"Swish!"

The basketball went through the net cleanly again!

This was the effect of a red skill!

Tracy McGrady's pull-up jumper added 20% stability, while Kobe's fadeaway added 40%!

As long as he could complete the shot, and as long as he had a good touch, he could get whatever he wanted!

"Damn it!"

D'Antoni couldn't help but curse from the sideline.

Tang Tian's consecutive fadeaways gave him the feeling of the peak Kobe, the man who once scored 81 points in a game and averaged 35.4 points per game!

He was coaching the Suns back then, and there was really nothing he could do about Kobe.

Now that Kobe was old and he was coaching him, the Pelicans had another one!

With consecutive fadeaways made, the Pelicans narrowed the point difference to 3 points.

Back on the defensive end, the Pelicans' defensive enthusiasm soared.

Kobe was double-teamed, and his jump pass resulted in a turnover, going out of bounds, and the possession changed hands.

Kobe shook his head after the turnover.

This scene was a bit sad to watch. The opening consecutive 9 points, coupled with that fierce face, reminded people of the Black Mamba.

But this stretch of missed shots and turnovers also made people realize that the Black Mamba was old, eager to kill the enemy but unable to do so.

On the Pelicans' offensive end, just as Tang Tian leaned against Shumpert to ask for the ball, Lin Shuhao immediately double-teamed.

They weren't even giving Tang Tian a chance to catch the ball.

Holiday saw this and shot a three-pointer directly.

"Clang!"

Holiday's three-pointer didn't go in, but Whiteside fought hard for the offensive rebound and flicked it to Tang Tian.

Tang Tian received the ball and accelerated to the right for a crossover to drive to the basket.

Yi Jianlian in the paint lunged out, extending his arm to prevent Tang Tian from pulling up.

Tang Tian saw this and waited for him to come up, then leaned in and spun around for a fadeaway at the free throw line.

Yi Jianlian couldn't keep up with his speed.

One second it was Shumpert and Yi Jianlian surrounding him in a difficult situation, and the next second he had faded away into his own world.

"Swish!"

Beautiful form, the ball went in again!

Tang Tian had scored 6 consecutive points!

Kobe's fadeaway was jokingly referred to by fans as iron tetroxide (Fe3O4), but that was mostly a joke.

Because fadeaways were almost impossible to interfere with, they were one of the most unsolvable offensive methods.

During Kobe's peak, he had good core strength and a wide fadeaway range, and opponents could only double-team or even triple-team him, but sometimes they still couldn't stop him.

Although Tang Tian hadn't completely mastered the fadeaway yet, this was the first time he had used it in a game, and it was difficult for the Lakers to adapt all at once.

On the Lakers' offensive end, Kobe drove to the basket and drew a foul on Davis' hand.

He made one of two free throws amidst the boos, and he regained a 2-point lead for the Lakers.

On the next possession, Kobe directly signaled that he would defend Tang Tian himself.

Tang Tian had scored 6 consecutive points, and he had used his best fadeaway to do it. He had to stand up.

Tang Tian received the ball and saw that the person defending him was Kobe, and the Lakers didn't intend to double-team, so he immediately turned his back to the basket.

He faked a turnaround to the left, then went to fadeaway to the right.

Kobe took a step to the right front, seizing the defensive position before Tang Tian jumped.

He was best at using the fadeaway, so he naturally knew the best way to defend against it: take away the space for the fadeaway, and that was the best way to stop that offensive method!

But just as he lunged out, Tang Tian didn't jump, but instead gathered the ball and directly turned back and accelerated towards the basket!

Kobe was faked out, and it was too late to turn back. He could only turn his head and watch Tang Tian break into the paint.

Whiteside pinned Chandler under the basket. After Tang Tian jumped, he threw down a one-handed dunk for another 2 points!

He had scored 8 consecutive points!

The cheers at the scene continued.

With the fadeaway, Tang Tian not only had another weapon to kill the enemy, but also his offensive threat had greatly increased!

The difficult part of Kobe's fadeaway wasn't just his fadeaway. If you really tried your best to defend his fadeaway, he could use other ways to finish you!

Tang Tian had just used the turnaround layup.

Although he hadn't exchanged the back-to-the-basket skill yet, so he wasn't that skilled at using it, his three consecutive fadeaways earlier had successfully fooled Kobe!

The Pelicans had tied the score again!

D'Antoni was dumbfounded on the sideline. He even had the illusion that Tang Tian in front of him was harder to defend than the peak Kobe!

Lin Shuhao's floater stopped the bleeding for the Lakers. The Lakers' offense felt pretty good overall in this game.

The two sides traded the lead, and the game was becoming more and more intense.

The fans at the scene were having a great time watching.

On the Pelicans' offensive end, Tang Tian ran off the ball to get the ball. As soon as he turned his back to the basket, Yi Jianlian in the paint and Kobe on the perimeter both came to help defend.

The Lakers were not only double-teaming, but directly triple-teaming!

Seeing this, Tang Tian didn't force a shot. After a fake turnaround fadeaway, he directly passed the ball to the basket with a bounce pass.

The ball went to Davis at the baseline. Davis made a close-range bank shot.

After being with Tang Tian for a long time, not only was his personality like Duncan's, but even this bank shot was somewhat similar.

The Pelicans tied the score again!

D'Antoni shook his head helplessly at this time.

His feeling just now wasn't an illusion!

Tang Tian was indeed harder to defend than the peak Kobe!

Because the peak Kobe would definitely shoot himself in that kind of triple-team situation just now.

But Tang Tian passed the ball, and Davis got an easy scoring opportunity!

This was really not giving him, the coach, a chance to survive!

He felt that he was really unlucky. Davis broke out in the last game, and the Lakers' loss was also related to Kobe's poor touch.

In this game, Kobe's touch was better, but it was Tang Tian's turn to go wild.

Kobe's pull-up jump shot in the frontcourt missed, and Davis secured the defensive rebound.

Tang Tian received the ball again in the frontcourt. His previous pass directly turned into an assist, and the Lakers didn't dare to double-team him casually.

After seeing this, Tang Tian leaned against Shumpert and spun around to drive towards the basket.

Shumpert stayed close to him to maintain his defensive position.

D'Antoni felt that Tang Tian was stronger than the peak Kobe, but that was actually an illusion.

In terms of offense alone, Tang Tian was actually a bit short, the biggest area being his back-to-the-basket game.

Offense was divided into facing the basket and facing away from the basket. Because he had the pull-up jumper and the drive, Tang Tian's offensive threat while facing the basket was great, but because his back-to-the-basket ability was average, his back-to-the-basket game was average.

The unsolvability of the peak Kobe was largely due to his unsolvable back-to-the-basket offense combined with the fadeaway and other techniques.

So, if Tang Tian wanted to surpass the peak Kobe in the future, he had to strengthen his back-to-the-basket skills.

Otherwise, just like now, Shumpert could still keep up with him after he turned his back to the basket.

Breaking into the restricted area, Tang Tian didn't shake off Shumpert, and Chandler also lunged out to help defend.

The space in the restricted area was too small, and there was no space to pass the ball to Whiteside, so Tang Tian directly chose to stop abruptly.

Yi Jianlian blocked him with his long arms, and Tang Tian took advantage of the situation to fade away.

Opening up the distance from Yi Jianlian in the air, Tang Tian shot another elegant fadeaway.

The form was picturesque.

The ball went over Yi Jianlian's head.

"Clang!"

The basketball smashed against the back of the rim.

Tang Tian had only just exchanged Kobe's fadeaway after all, and he wasn't very confident with this kind of difficult fadeaway.

But Yi Jianlian lunged out, and Davis had a chance, so he directly scored with a put-back layup.

Bank shots, put-back layups… Davis was really going for Duncan 2.0.

The Pelicans took the lead again!

The cheers at the scene continued.

Williams couldn't hide the smile on his face at all.

With Tang Tian's fadeaway trained, his offensive threat had greatly increased, and even if he ultimately missed, he could create scoring opportunities for his teammates.

Lin Shuhao's floater in the frontcourt didn't go in, and Whiteside secured the defensive rebound.

Tang Tian took the ball to the frontcourt and continued to attack Shumpert. This time, he chose to drive while facing the basket and then pull up for a jump shot.

He hadn't fully mastered the fadeaway yet. Using the fadeaway as a surprise attack was okay, but it would take time to kill the enemy with one move, so it was better to alternate.

It was the same as having a baby. The process of preparing for pregnancy was painful, but changing positions and styles more often, there was always a way to get pregnant.

"Clang!"

But maybe Kobe's fadeaway was poisonous. The one before was missed, and Tang Tian's pull-up jumper went in but bounced out.

Chandler grabbed the defensive rebound.

Kobe's shot in the frontcourt was off, Whiteside pinned Chandler, and Tang Tian turned around and grabbed a defensive rebound.

The Pelicans advanced to the frontcourt, and the ball continued to be given to Tang Tian.

Tang Tian faced the basket and drove past Chandler, stopping abruptly for a fadeaway again.

The form was still picturesque.

Chandler had a strong body but couldn't interfere.

The ball went over Chandler's head.

Tang Tian's close-range shot.

"Clang!"

The ball hit the back of the rim and bounced high.

Chandler turned back and secured the defensive rebound!

After scoring 8 consecutive points, Tang Tian had missed 3 shots in a row!

D'Antoni breathed a long sigh of relief when he saw this.

Sure enough, in the end, it proved that it was still his illusion.

Tang Tian's consecutive fadeaways earlier were just because he had a good touch for a while.

The Lakers had a chance tonight!

Perhaps in response to his thoughts, Kobe scored a basket with a breakthrough layup in the frontcourt, and the Lakers tied the score again!

The first quarter was almost over, and the two sides made substitutions during this dead ball time.

Price and Jordan Hill came on for the Lakers, while Cole and Jokic came on for the Pelicans.

But Tang Tian and Kobe both stayed on the court.

Pelicans' offense.

Tang Tian received the ball again in the frontcourt. The Lakers didn't double-team directly. They knew that Tang Tian's touch had declined during this period.

Tang Tian leaned on Shumpert a bit, turned around and drove towards the basket, stopping abruptly 11 feet away from the basket for a fadeaway.

Shumpert flew out to interfere.

D'Antoni showed a smile when he saw this.

Tang Tian had learned the fadeaway, and it seemed like he was possessed by Kobe. After missing three consecutive shots, he still continued to shoot.

Shooting like this when his touch was cold was just being wasteful, just being willful, completely not taking the team...

"Swish!"

D'Antoni's thoughts came to an abrupt end!

Because Tang Tian had made the shot!

The Pelicans took the lead again!

A burst of cheers erupted in the arena.

People with different positions had different ideas. D'Antoni felt that Tang Tian was throwing away the game, but the Pelicans fans at the scene saw the Mamba Mentality in Tang Tian!

It didn't matter if he missed, there was a chance if he dared to shoot!

Tang Tian also smiled when he saw the ball go in.

He missed three consecutive shots, triggering Kobe's fadeaway's passive skill, "Four Misses Become Three Iron" (四仰化三铁), the fourth shot was guaranteed to go in.

It was very normal for players to have fluctuations in their touch, and he couldn't avoid it either.

Moreover, because he was the core, if his touch was not good, the opponent would shift their defensive focus to his teammates, and before Davis' low-post ability was strong enough, the Pelicans' offense would inevitably stagnate.

This passive skill directly ended his cold touch, which was a bit powerful.

ps: Shui Duanqiao is back quietly.