Chapter 759 - 684: Who Can Guard McGrady

Chapter 759: Chapter 684: Who Can Guard McGrady

The soccer portion was a friendly match, so Kobe, Hill, and the others could go out on the field and just have some fun.

But the basketball game, on the other hand, was a proper preseason match.

Baggio and the others were just there to warm up the crowd and participate in some pre-game activities.

In truth, there was no need to warm up the crowd; the entire Tianhe Stadium was already packed.

Kobe and Yao Ming, Hill and Tracy McGrady—any one of them was a superstar, more than enough to attract fans.

Chen Yu also sat quietly on the sidelines, ready to get a good look at this game.

Both the Lakers and the Magic were major rivals the Phoenix Suns would have to overcome to win a championship.

Amidst the roar of the crowd, the game officially began.

The Lakers rolled out a starting lineup of Yao Ming, Odom, Granger, Kobe, and Fisher.

The Magic fielded their championship-winning lineup from last year: Howard, Gudeng, Hill, Tracy McGrady, and Nelson.

It was almost the exact same lineup from last season’s Finals.

The only change was Danny Granger.

Chen Yu’s gaze fell upon the young man in whom Jackson had placed such high hopes.

The Lakers had used two first-round picks to get him.

After the draft, Jackson had praised Granger on multiple occasions, saying he was exceptionally talented, a plug-and-play guy, and exactly the kind of player the Lakers needed.

The key was that "plug-and-play" quality.

Granger was an older rookie, having completed all four years of college and earning his degree before entering the draft.

Chen Yu wasn’t in a position to judge that decision.

It was said he did so at his father’s request.

According to media reports, Granger’s father had four children, three of whom were academic standouts. He clearly placed more importance on his children’s studies.

That was why, even when it came to high school, he didn’t send Granger to a basketball powerhouse, but to a school where he could balance his studies.

In fact, entering the draft right after high school would have been a good option for him.

In his senior year, he averaged 24.3 points, 12 rebounds, and 5.5 blocks, earning a spot on national high school player rankings.

With a performance like that, he absolutely could have been drafted and landed in the NBA.

But in the end, at his father’s insistence, he went to college.

He first attended Bradley University, then transferred to the University of New Mexico in his junior year.

During his senior year, he put up a well-rounded stat line, averaging 18.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.1 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game.

He was a true two-way player.

He also made the all-conference first team for two consecutive years.

That was a pretty solid achievement.

The Mountain West Conference, where the University of New Mexico played, had no shortage of basketball powerhouses, such as Duncan’s alma mater Vickson University, the University of Utah, and the University of Oregon.

Making the all-conference first team in a league like that was a testament to his skill.

But having played through his senior year, his skillset was largely set in stone.

His scouting report labeled him as a physical forward who excelled at shooting and defense.

His physical tools for defense were excellent.

He was 6’7" with a staggering 7’1" wingspan and weighed in at 225 pounds.

His wingspan and weight were almost identical to Marion’s.

So he possessed excellent defensive tools.

His ability to drive to the basket was a bit weak, but like Anthony, he could use a variety of jab steps and back-to-the-basket moves to get his shot off.

He could also spot up on the wing for three-pointers.

And that was exactly what the Lakers needed.

In last season’s Finals, the Lakers got blown out, and a key reason was their lack of a wing defender who could stop Hill.

They couldn’t even do so much as slow him down.

By giving up two first-round picks to get Granger, Jackson’s intentions were crystal clear.

Now, it was just a matter of seeing the results.

The Magic’s offense still initiated through Hill.

And this time, Granger was the one standing in front of him.

Hill didn’t underestimate Granger just because he was a rookie. The man was disciplined; even after winning a championship last season, he had still diligently gone to Phoenix over the summer to train with Chen Yu.

He was still in peak form. With a quick change of pace, he tried to blow past Granger.

But it didn’t work.

Granger had quick lateral movement and decent defensive experience.

But Hill was more experienced. He instantly pulled the ball back, gave a pump fake that sent Granger into the air, then exploded again, dipping low to slip past him.

His skillset was simply more complete.

He got by him, yes, but Granger quickly turned and recovered.

He was also strong, forcing Hill right into Yao Ming’s path.

Hill knew he wouldn’t have any room to shoot if he went any closer to the basket, so he came to a sudden stop and put up a turnaround jumper.

The ball rimmed out.

On the sidelines, Jackson immediately started clapping in approval.

The fact that Granger could keep up with Hill’s rhythm and use his strength and weight to bother the shot was good enough.

This was Grant Hill, the best small forward in the league. Completely shutting him down was an impossible task.

Just lowering his field goal percentage was a win.

So from that perspective, the decision to pick Granger was absolutely the right one.

To be honest, Jackson found it unbelievable that Granger had fallen to the 17th pick.

In this rookie class, besides Marvin Williams, there probably wasn’t a better small forward than Granger.

Sure, he had a history of knee injury risks, but that wasn’t even on Jackson’s radar.

Not with Chen Yu around.

Jackson figured it was Granger’s age that had caused his draft stock to fall.

Chen Yu took note of Granger’s performance.

Clearly, Jackson was using him as a defensive stopper.

This tactic was very effective against the Magic, as their primary scoring option was Hill, the team’s leader.

Shutting down Hill offered the most bang for their buck.

But the Phoenix Suns were a different story.

The Suns’ primary scorers were Hardaway and Nowitzki.

This adjustment by the Lakers was merely a case of patching a hole after the fact; it wasn’t a proactive improvement and would have a limited impact against the Phoenix Suns.

But as he continued to watch, Chen Yu got the distinct feeling that the Magic had made some adjustments.

It seemed they had shifted their offensive focus to Tracy McGrady.

Chen Yu glanced over at Gentry.

Gentry was a coach known for his offensive schemes.

The offensive set he was running was clear: Nelson would bring the ball past half-court, then hand it off to Hill to orchestrate the play.

Hill would use his individual talent—whether by attacking off the dribble or driving and dishing—to draw the defense’s attention and create isolation opportunities for Tracy McGrady.

And it wasn’t just Hill; Gudeng and even Howard would come out to set screens for Tracy McGrady.

As for Nelson, his role had been reduced to spotting up on the perimeter for three-pointers.

He did have a reliable three-point shot.

And right now, Tracy McGrady was incredibly efficient in isolation.

After several years in the league, his jumper was polished. Often, he would just catch the ball, give a simple pump fake, and rise up for a shot. His release was incredibly quick, his wingspan was outstanding, and his touch was soft, which all contributed to a high field goal percentage and made him extremely difficult to guard.

Even with Kobe guarding him, he still went 4-for-6 from the field in the first quarter.

’If the Magic decide to build their offense around this strategy for the season, that could be a problem.’

Tracy McGrady was tough to defend.

He had the size of a typical small forward but the agility and quickness of a shooting guard.

He created a natural mismatch.

With years of refinement, he also had a mature, veteran-like jump shot.

Under these circumstances, limiting him would be incredibly difficult.

Kobe was an elite defender, but even he was struggling to contain Tracy McGrady.

This was especially true when McGrady could run off screens.

One screen gave him an inch of space, and he’d pull up for a shot. It was simply impossible to defend.

Chen Yu couldn’t help but consider how the Phoenix Suns would deal with the Magic if they made it to the Finals this year.

They had Marion for Hill. Their past Finals matchups had shown that Marion could limit Hill effectively.

That was enough.

The key now was Tracy McGrady.

The Phoenix Suns didn’t have great defensive options for him.

Against McGrady, Ben Gordon would be an ATM—an easy source of points.

At the other positions, however, the Phoenix Suns had the advantage.

Nowitzki could dominate Gudeng, and Hardaway could school Nelson so badly he wouldn’t know which way was up.

In the paint, Howard would also struggle to get the better of Chandler.

The only problem was Tracy McGrady.

And the same problem would arise against the Lakers.

Chandler had been dominated by Yao Ming in the past, and even now, he couldn’t completely stop him. However, Yao Ming’s advantage could be offset by Nowitzki’s.

So you could consider the matchup in the paint a wash.

That left the problem on the perimeter: Kobe at the two-guard position.