Chapter 348: Carrot in One Hand and Stick in the Other
To be fair, Yang Mo has a more direct way to establish his authority, which is to directly kick the two people out of the locker room and then sell them off cleanly.
However, this is more or less a bit like suppression by force rather than a complete conquest based on basketball skills. After all, we all play basketball, and it is undoubtedly best to solve it with basketball.
When the group arrived at the basketball court, most of the media reporters had already left the stadium with a lot of anger towards Yang Mo. They were already planning in their heads to use those vicious words to attack Yang Mo. In this regard, Yang Mo didn't care. You can slander as much as you want. Anyway, Super Yang has no shortage of supporters, even die-hard fans. The New York media can force Steve Marbury to a mental breakdown, but it can never defeat Super Yang. Because he came to this world's first city with rampant material desires just to conquer, just to become the king of New York!
And now, the first stumbling block for him to become the king of New York is Jeffries and Larry Hughes in front of him.
Soon, the staff cleaned up the half court, and they were very interested in this internal matchup. In fact, Isaiah Thomas, D'Antoni and Dolan Jr. on the sidelines also knew about it. Dolan Jr. wanted to stop it because he didn't want to see an internal fight on the first day of his new team.
However, D'Antoni tried his best to stop him and said sarcastically: "If Yang Lian can't deal with the two of them, how can he lead our team to the top?"
D'Antoni undoubtedly has more confidence in Jeffries and Larry Hughes, although these two are not his direct players. But in his eyes, Yang Mo is the direct descendant of his mortal enemy Isaiah Thomas. The friend of my enemy is my enemy, this is D'Antoni's philosophy of life.
De Dantoni's intention is obvious. He just wants to see Yang Mo suffer a loss and make Yang Mo lose his prestige in front of everyone.
Although Isaiah Thomas is not smart enough in running the team, his vision is extremely accurate. The two second-round picks he selected have now become the backbone of the Knicks, while D'Antoni's sixth pick Gallinani is still a three-pointer.
Others may think that Yang Mo is not good enough, but in the eyes of Isaiah Thomas, Yang Mo is comparable to LeBron James. So he immediately echoed D'Antoni's words: "Yes, if Super Yang can't even handle these two rubbish players, how can he lead us to the finals and win the championship ring?"
Dolan was a little confused when he heard what Thomas said, and couldn't help but said doubtfully: "I know Yang is very good and has great potential, but can he really handle these two players who are known for their defense at the same time? You know, Jeffries is famous for his help defense, and Larry Hughes's head-on steals are also first-class in the league."
"Haha." D'Antoni laughed sinisterly and said sarcastically, "Maybe Super Yang has some tricks up his sleeve?"
"Why use any strange tricks to deal with these two scum? Just crush them directly." Isaiah Thomas laughed, his expression full of dominance.
Before D'Antoni could say something in response, the confrontation on the court had already begun.
As soon as the referee Harrington blew the whistle, Larry Hughes immediately stuck to him like taffy, and Jeffries also came over from the side to help, trying to strangle Yang Mo directly.
But, how could Yang Mo be strangled to death so easily?
With a slight sideways movement and a raised butt, Larry Hughes was pushed back two steps. At this time, Yang Mo had already dribbled the ball... Bang ! When Yang Mo slapped the basketball, his footsteps had already flashed past Jeffries who was defending. Then, with the second step, he completely shook him off, rushed straight into the restricted area, and fiercely delivered a tomahawk dunk that was as powerful as a rainbow!
This dunk was not fancy at all, but the players and staff on the sidelines couldn't help but open their mouths in shock. Because Yang Mo combined strength and speed so perfectly, his dunk was like a bomb thrown from the air, exploding directly on the basket, and the huge power was conveyed through the shaking and trembling of the basket, which made people marvel.
"When did Super Yang's starting speed become so fast? You can't tell that his ankle was seriously injured?" Dolan Jr. on the sidelines asked Isaiah Thomas next to him with great surprise.
"The doctor's diagnosis is that the ankle muscle and ligament reorganization and systematic and continuous training have led to increased explosive power." Isaiah Thomas also replied happily: "I have said long ago that Super Yang will be our savior. As his personal trainer, I know better than anyone how much progress he has made. As long as he sticks to the right path, he can become a top 5 or even top 3 player in the league in three years."
Isaiah Thomas had very high expectations for Yang Mo, but D'Antoni was disdainful of him. He didn't think that Yang Mo, who was less than 6 feet 5 meters tall, could reach the status Isaiah Thomas said. So he curled his lips and said lightly: "No one can predict what will happen in the future. This ball is actually because Larry Hughes and Jeffries' defensive tacit understanding is not enough."
"Haha." Isaiah Thomas sneered and did not argue. Instead, he looked at the court. He knew that Yang Mo would definitely slap D'Antoni in the face with his actual performance.
At this time, Yang Mo was standing outside the three-point line again, and this time Larry Hughes learned his lesson and did not immediately defend him closely. Jeffries next to him also quickly took a defensive position and was not in a hurry to double-team him, with an attitude of not moving unless the enemy moves.
The reason they took this stance was because they felt they had a psychological advantage. After all, they were now two people defending one, and they were taller than Yang Mo, so they didn't have to worry about his shooting or breakthroughs. They just had to be patient and wait for him to show a flaw.
But at this moment, Yang Mo suddenly took a tentative step to the left. Since Yang Mo's tentative step had already been practiced to perfection, the two of them subconsciously shifted their defensive focus to the left. But at this moment, Yang Mo suddenly pulled up for a jump shot... When Yang Mo shot the ball over their heads, the two of them reacted. They tried to block it, but it was too late.
Pull-up jumper? Yang Mo dared to pull up and shoot while surrounded by two tall opponents. Wasn't he afraid of being blocked? It was really too bold. Pull-up jumper is obviously a repertoire for top forwards and guards over 6 feet 6 inches tall, right? In the entire league, only Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady and Kobe can show the charm of pull-up jumper. After all, pull-up shooting tests not only the feel of the hand, but also the physical fitness.
But...swish!
The moment the basketball fell into the net, all doubts were shattered.
Yang Mo arrogantly stretched out three fingers and shook them at Jeffries and Larry Hughes with disdain: " Can you two losers be any more incompetent?"
Yang Mo's words made the two of them gnashed their teeth, wishing they could eat Yang Mo up. But they still suppressed their anger, walked to the side with their arms around each other's shoulders, and discussed tactical operations in a low voice.
Yang Mo paid no attention to their mutterings, and even walked aside to take a sip of his drink.
"When did Super Yang start using pull-up shots as a regular weapon?" Dolan Jr. asked Isaiah Thomas with some surprise.
Isaiah Thomas smiled and said mysteriously: "This summer, Super Yang has developed many new weapons. When the new season comes, you will know how strong he is on the offensive end."
"I don't believe his offense can achieve a qualitative leap. After all, last season, he could only shoot three-pointers and dunk in the restricted area." D'Antoni couldn't help but say more. Although the situation is very unfavorable to him now, he has not reached the point of desperation. After all, there is still a ball.
"You forgot one more thing. His post-up play last season was pretty good, although it was still a little behind his three-point shooting." Isaiah Thomas did not deny D'Antoni's words, but he also put forward his rebuttal: "The reason why he seemed so cramped on the offensive end last season was because his ball-handling ability was not outstanding enough. But now, his ball-handling ability is at least 70% of my peak level, and he is even more imaginative than me. With the improvement of his ball-handling ability, he has been able to connect many offensive modes, and he will soon become one of the best forward-guard swingmen in the Eastern Conference."
"Oh, you said his ball handling ability is already 70% of your peak level?" Dolan looked at Isaiah Thomas in surprise. He didn't have high expectations for Yang Mo, but his father wanted to acquire Yang Mo and sold him original shares at a very low price, which he thought was too stupid. However, if Yang Mo can really be as good as Isaiah Thomas said, this is definitely a win-win business. Because the loss of equity will soon be greatly offset by the soaring stock price.
"Of course, didn't you watch the Asian Championship? He fooled the entire Iranian defense line by himself, and often scored by going into the penalty area with one on three." Isaiah Thomas said with great pride. In his opinion, Yang Mo's improvement in ball-handling ability was entirely his own achievement. The more Yang Mo killed people outside, the more face he had.
"Asian competitions are different from the NBA. Any NBA guard can do well in the Asian Championships and can even do better than Super Yang." D'Antoni said unconvincedly. He looked down on the level of the Asian league in his heart.
"Haha." Isaiah Thomas still laughed and did not argue with D'Antoni verbally. Because he believed that Yang Mo would soon teach D'Antoni a vivid lesson.
At this moment, Jeffries and Larry Hughes, who had finished their discussion, came up and prepared for the final showdown with Yang Mo.
Before serving, Yang Mo asked them a question: "By the way, do you want me to finish you off with a layup or a dunk? If you want, I can also satisfy you with a shot."
Yang Mo asked sincerely, but to Jeffreys and Larry Hughes, it sounded completely ironic.
At that moment, Larry Hughes responded viciously: "Don't be so arrogant, brat, I don't believe you can dunk."
"Okay, then I'll dunk for you to see." Yang Mo raised his chin proudly: "Serve!"
After Yang Mo finished speaking, Larry Hughes quickly passed the ball to Yang Mo. As soon as he passed the ball, two people rushed over at the same time. They were actually preparing to catch Yang Mo off guard and started defending from the moment they served the ball.
However, Yang Mo was faster than them.
As soon as he passed the ball, Yang Mo flew over and caught the ball directly. Then he slapped the ball hard, turned around as fast as lightning and instantly passed Larry Hughes who was flying over behind him. Then he took a quick step and rushed one step into the free throw line.
At this time, with Yang Mo's speed, if he took one more step, Jeffries behind him would not be able to catch up even if he tried hard to catch up.
However, Yang Mo stopped and turned around while dribbling the ball: "I suddenly realized that it would be meaningless to defeat you two losers like this. Come on, I'll give you one more chance. Just think of it as a buy three get one free!"
As he said that, he dribbled out of the three-point line and hooked his fingers at the two of them with extreme contempt, as if he was waving a red cloth to provoke an angry bull.
Yang Mo's behavior can be called domineering or arrogant.
But no matter which adjective it was, it shocked the teammates on the sidelines: This guy really wants to be the boss, but he is so unscrupulous!
"What is Super Yang doing?" Little Dolan said in confusion: "He has obviously won!"
"Just showing off his strength and humiliating his teammates at the same time." D'Antoni said angrily.
D'Antoni said this, and Isaiah Thomas finally couldn't help but said, "If you dare to challenge the position of leader, you must be prepared to be humiliated. Moreover, this is not showing off strength. This is called establishing authority. There is a Chinese proverb called killing chickens to scare monkeys. Now those players on the sidelines are the monkeys, and Jeffries and Larry Hughes are the chickens on the chopping block."
"Humph, it's not certain whether we can kill these two roosters?" D'Antoni sneered in response.
"No matter when and where, it is easy for Super Yang to deal with these two garbage players who haven't even come out of the offseason yet. Cats like to play with the mouse before eating it, and now Super Yang is playing with his prey." Isaiah Thomas said this, and he couldn't help but show his domineering attitude, as if he was going to beat you.
"I hope you can be arrogant until the end." D'Antoni said this and concentrated on playing.
And Isaiah Thomas still said: "Haha!"
Then he closed his eyes leisurely. He felt that there was no suspense in this duel, because he knew Yang Mo's strength too well. Moreover... in this one-on-one situation, one-on-two is actually similar to one-on-1.5, because there is no support from the defense system, the defense of the two people will more or less overlap, and may even cancel each other out.
But at this time, D'Antoni's smile became more and more intense. Because Yang Mo had been forced into the encirclement of Jeffries and Larry Hughes, in his opinion, the complacent Yang Mo was finally going to capsize, and he couldn't wait to see Yang Mo lose the basketball under the double-team.
However, the basketball jumped back and forth between Yang Mo's hands very flexibly. It seemed that the encirclement of Larry Hughes and Jeffries had a strong advantage, but in fact, it did not hurt Yang Mo at all. Yang Mo felt like a fish in water in the encirclement and was very happy.
After playing for about ten seconds, Yang Mo smiled faintly: "Okay, the game is over."
As he said that, he suddenly turned back, and before the two could react, he turned back again, and rushed through the gap between the two with the ball. They wanted to defend, but they couldn't stop this powerful impact. In the end, they could only watch him break through the defense they thought was impenetrable, and then rushed into the penalty area, jumped high, and unscrupulously dunked... Boom!
After Yang Mo finished the dunk, he did not land immediately. Instead, he held the basket with one hand and pointed at Larry Hughes with the other hand arrogantly: "You useless guy, didn't you say I can't dunk? How about this?"
Yang Mo spoke condescendingly, like an arrogant king, and Larry Hughes and Jeffries undoubtedly became his slaves.
However, it is obvious that these two people do not want to be slaves. They came to New York to live a good life, so how could they be bullied so wantonly?
"You're just taking advantage of the fact that we just came back from the break and are not very tired." Jeffries said stubbornly.
After hearing this, Yang Mo walked forward...bang!
It was just a slap in the face, and the whole gymnasium was filled with noise.
The players on the sidelines looked at each other in bewilderment, and the staff and managers on the sidelines did not expect Yang Mo to take action directly. Only the few reporters who stayed behind went crazy, and they kept taking pictures with their cameras or video cameras.
Jeffries was obviously a little unresponsive after receiving the slap. At this time, Yang Mo had already pointed at his nose and said, "The people I hate most are those who can't afford to lose. Failure is not scary, but not daring to accept failure is scary. I hope you remember this slap."
After saying that, he turned around and said to the other players, "Who else doesn't accept me as a leader?"
After Yang Mo put it down, there was complete silence and no one dared to respond.
"Who else?" Yang Mo asked again!
Still no one answered.
At this time, Yang Mo smiled and said, "Okay, since everyone obeys me, then come and enjoy the food and drinks with me. I will take you all to relax tonight. Just prepare your stomachs and your drivers. Tonight, we will not return until we are drunk!"
When Yang Mo said this, there was an uproar at the scene.
Nate Robinson quickly asked, "So, are there any beauties?"
"Of course!" Yang Mo nodded in response.
Suddenly, the scene was filled with wolf howls.
At this time, David Lee also raised his hand and asked, "So, Super Yang! Will there be any big stars to help out?"
"This is also possible." Yang Mo also agreed.
"Yes!" Immediately, there was a scream at the scene. The players were extremely excited. How could they not know Yang Mo's status in the entertainment industry? This was the boss of Baofeng Entertainment Company. How could the girls he brought out not be beautiful?
Seeing other teammates so excited, Larry Hughes and Jeffries were undoubtedly a little lonely.
At this time, Yang Mo turned around and said, "Do you want to come together? But you have to drink three cups as punishment!"
When Yang Mo said this, both of them were a little surprised. They didn't expect that Yang Mo would actually invite them.
While they were surprised, Yang Mo had already stretched out his hands and hooked them on their shoulders, saying with a smile: "Basketball is basketball, life is life. Come on, come with me tonight and relax."
Since Yang Mo had invited them, it was difficult for them to refuse. They had already wanted to go, so they nodded subconsciously.
At this time, Yang Mo called Jeffreys, whose face was half swollen, aside and prepared to negotiate with him alone.
Watching the atmosphere on the court instantly change from solemnity to joy, from confrontation to harmony.
Little Dolan couldn't help but be a little surprised, and quickly asked Isaiah Thomas next to him: "What is Super Yang doing?"
"Using both kindness and force, this is what a good leader does!" Isaiah Thomas laughed and said, "Super Yang told me about this tactic, it's called using the carrot in one hand and the stick in the other."
"Haha!" Little Dolan laughed heartily and said, "Super Yang is indeed Super Yang! I don't have to worry about the problems in the locker room anymore if I leave the team to him. These players are no match for him!"
