The technique of turning and leaning back is actually not difficult, especially for Xu Yong today.
Because just like McGrady's pull-up shot, there are three basic elements to its power: bounce, air stay, and core strength.
Jumping is the basis of the fadeaway technique, because if you jump high enough, you will face less defensive pressure. This is why Pierce's fadeaway gives people the feeling that he is about to lie on the ground, because he can't jump high, so he can only rely on increasing the fadeaway amplitude to avoid being blocked;
Staying in the air is the main factor affecting the difficulty of the fadeaway. Why Jordan's fadeaway looks easier than Kobe's is mainly because of the longer time spent in the air. "Shooting after the defender falls" is indeed the exclusive label of Jordan's fadeaway technique.
Core strength is the key to the stability of the fadeaway shot, because without sufficient core strength, the fadeaway shot will most likely fail. In addition to completing the shot, it is also the key to countering defensive interference.
On the one hand, these are due to talent, and on the other hand, they are the result of long-term hard training. Xu Yong now has all of these.
But unlike what you might imagine, Grover and Xu Yong only talked about these basics.
"They all have their own exclusive skills, but they seldom share them with others, so if you want to get advanced training, then my advice is that you'd better find a chance to talk to them. If you are ready, I can try to arrange it." Grover suggested to Xu Yong.
The "they" Grover was referring to were naturally Jordan and Kobe.
An opportunity to meet with them was still easy for Grover to do.
However, Xu Yong has Kobe's contact information, but he doesn't think Kobe will really share it, so the only one left is Jordan.
But would Jordan be willing?
Although he has now replaced Anthony as AJ's top star, AJ previously announced that his signature shoes will be released on June 23 in the summer of 2011.
But he had personally experienced Jordan's character. When he defeated him in the training hall, was it possible that the other party would teach him everything he knew?
If it's just a formality, it doesn't mean much.
Perhaps sensing Xu Yong's thoughts, Grover looked at Xu Yong and said, "You know what? When people face Michael on the court, there are generally three attitudes: the first type will say to Michael, 'I'm going to beat you'; the second type will choose not to say anything to Jordan; the third type will keep complimenting Michael."
Xu Yong looked puzzled. He could understand what Grover said, but he didn't understand what Grover wanted to express.
"But there was one guy who did something different than anybody else," Grover continued.
"Who?" Xu Yong asked tentatively.
"Kobe."
Xu Yong looked a little surprised when he heard Kobe's name, because in his impression Kobe should be the first type of person. After all, Kobe's words "Put away your damn pick-and-roll, I want to duel with Jordan" are too deeply rooted in people's minds.
"When Kobe first met Michael, he said, 'How can I be like you?'"
Grover's next words surprised Xu Yong, but also made him feel as if he had suddenly realized something.
No one would be stupid enough to go head-to-head with the God of Basketball right away. That's not being tough, that's being foolish.
If you think about it, Kobe was already in the second grade when he said that.
Moreover, top basketball skills cannot be achieved by imitation alone, just like the puppy walk. If Kobe hadn't taught him, Xu Yong himself would not have been able to figure it out.
So Kobe's turn and fade away is similar to Jordan's because Jordan taught Kobe everything he knew.
This actually relates to a mentality: the apprentice mentality.
As the saying goes: A true master always has the heart of an apprentice.
You should know that Kobe learned footwork from Olajuwon and asked Wade for advice on breakthroughs. Even before he was about to retire, he was still asking Jamal Crawford how to move quickly.
Grover's words were a great inspiration to Xu Yong.
A few days later, at a restaurant in Charlotte, Xu Yong met Jordan with the help of Grover.
The last time Xu Yong saw Jordan was in the opening game of last season in Chicago. When he sees Jordan again now, Jordan looks a lot rounder.
It seems that Jordan has had a very comfortable year.
"Tim said you have something to say to me?" Jordan's time was precious, so he got straight to the point after sitting down.
"I want to know how to turn around and shoot like you." Xu Yong went straight to the point.
Jordan's expression was obviously stunned for a moment, and then he suddenly laughed.
Xu Yong didn't smile, his expression was very serious.
After seeing this, Jordan gradually stopped smiling, took out a box of cigars from his pocket, slowly took out a cigar and lit it up.
During the whole process, Xu Yong waited quietly for his answer without saying a word.
Jordan took a puff of his cigar, then looked at Xu Yong and said, "I seem to have heard someone say that Chicago no longer needs God because they already have Satan."
Jordan's words were somewhat unexpected to Xu Yong, but he still replied calmly: "I don't know who Chicago needs, but I know I have to become as strong as you to bring a new championship to the team."
Jordan was stunned for a moment, then he couldn't help laughing.
When he finished laughing, he put down his cigar, packed up his things and stood up.
Seeing Jordan's actions, Xu Yong's heart tightened.
It still doesn’t work.
But he still stood up unwillingly: "I can do anything, no matter how much effort it takes."
Now that you have decided to be an apprentice, you must do it thoroughly.
Jordan picked up his clothes and walked out.
Xu Yong was stunned when he saw this. As expected, how could Jordan be willing to teach someone who had defeated him?
When Jordan came to Chicago for the opening game, it was only because he signed a contract with AJ and came to show his support.
But just as Xu Yong was thinking this, Jordan suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at him with a black question mark face: "You're not leaving?"
Xu Yong didn't understand.
"You don't think I could teach you in a restaurant?" Jordan asked.
Xu Yong suddenly understood that Jordan had agreed, but it was obvious that he wanted to teach him a lesson because of what happened before.
He didn't care and immediately left his seat with a smile.
"You pay." Jordan said seriously when he walked up to him.
Xu Yong smiled and nodded. Buy, buy, buy. As long as you teach me, I can buy this restaurant.
After a while, in a private training hall next door, Jordan changed into training clothes and began to teach Xu Yong the technique of turning and leaning back.
As Grover said, what Jordan taught were all his personal "private things".
It does not refer to how this technology should be used, but how to better utilize it.
The first point Jordan mentioned is to feel the defender.
Don't use your back, because it's easy to lose your balance in front of an experienced defender.
Instead, you should use your legs. When your legs feel the defense, that is the defender's center of gravity. You can seize that point to choose the direction to turn.
The second point is to protect the ball.
When you're doing a turnaround fadeaway, the most likely scenario against a top defender is not being blocked, but being chipped.
So as you turn, you don't keep the ball low, you lift it up.
Of course, it's not just about lifting the ball, you also have to learn to use your elbows reasonably. The purpose of everything is to protect the ball in your hand.
Xu Yong felt this deeply, because when he imitated Allen's way of defending Durant, dribbling the ball or cutting the ball was a very crucial link.
The third point is space.
The purpose of turning and leaning back is actually to create distance from the defender.
If McGrady's pull-up shot creates vertical space for shooting, then turning around and fading back creates horizontal space.
So in order to achieve this, the pivot foot should start to pull back when turning, increasing the distance from the defender to ensure that there is no interference when shooting.
The fourth point is posture.
Jordan doesn't do a scissor kick in the air, but his feet are spread out in the air, and he will let his pivot foot face the basket when shooting. This can not only maintain balance, but also reduce the chance of being blocked by the defender.
This is somewhat similar to Nowitzki's one-legged stand, but the amplitude is much smaller.
All in all, most of the things Jordan taught were things that Grover had never told us, and as a player, Xu Yong also knew that they were practical and useful.
In other words, Jordan taught everything he knew without holding back.
This seems somewhat unexpected, but not surprising at all.
Because Xu Yong could also feel that Jordan's mentality was the same as what Kobe said at the beginning.
They all want their skills to be passed on. After all, compared to being surpassed by others, it is more important to have someone to carry on their skills.
What's more, Jordan has retired now, and he is more willing to do this than when he taught Kobe.
Especially since Xu Yong is a rising star, and a rising star of the Bulls, he has the opportunity to continue to develop his unique skills.
"When can you win the championship?" Jordan looked at him and asked as they parted ways after coming out of the stadium.
"This season." Xu Yong showed his absolutely confident character.
Jordan looked slightly surprised.
“I wasn’t sure at first, but now that I’ve learned your unique skills, I believe I can do it this season,” Xu Yong added.
Jordan burst into laughter after hearing this and couldn't help but pat Xu Yong on the shoulder.
Why hadn't he noticed before that this little guy was so talkative?
…
Xu Yong's training was carried out in an orderly manner, and the Bulls' record was steadily improving.
Whether other fans like it or not, the Bulls are getting closer and closer to the No. 1 Eastern Conference/conference that they expect the Heat to be.
However, the Bulls have also encountered troubles, the most important of which is the physical problems of the veterans.
First, O'Neal's old injury finally recurred, but fortunately Gibson stepped up in time.
It was at this time that Thibodeau realized that he had always underestimated the team's sophomore.
As an inside player, Gibson is a little small in size, but in other aspects, he is good in both one-on-one defense and help defense. He also has a very stable mid-range shot on the offensive end, and he pairs very smoothly with Yao Ming.
Then there was O'Neal.
O'Neal's problem is different from O'Neal Jr.'s because his body's reaction is not from an old injury, but more of a weight problem.
Although it is not realistic for O'Neal to lose weight at this stage of his career, Thibodeau is indeed forced to reduce his playing time to avoid injuries.
This gave Asik some opportunities, but compared to Gibson, his role was obviously limited.
Time flies and it is already mid-December.
Christmas, the most important day for Americans, is approaching, and for basketball fans, the annual Christmas game is naturally also eye-catching.
Last year's Christmas battle between the Cavaliers and the Lakers, the scene of 23VS24 is still vivid in our memory.
But this year, not to mention that James changed his jersey number to 6, Stern's focus this year has also shifted.
Where did it go wrong? The opening match showed it all.
That’s right, the two teams facing off in this year’s Christmas game are the Heat and the Bulls.
Although these two teams made Stern very angry during the offseason, how could he only use the traffic of these two traffic-rich teams once?
The two teams will play against each other three times a season, once in the opening game, once on Christmas Day, and once after the All-Star trade deadline.
When it comes to traffic, Stern is second and no one dares to claim to be first.
Moreover, over the past half month, the situation of the two teams has changed a lot.
The veterans on the Bulls side began to encounter some troubles, and their overall combat effectiveness declined slightly.
As for the Heat, after entering December, as the schedule became better and Spoelstra began to use more lineups of one big and four small players, the team's defense improved significantly. They won 11 consecutive games in December and their record quickly climbed to second place in the Eastern Conference.
Therefore, this Christmas battle is a battle between the first and second in the Eastern Conference. Compared with the opening game, it has a more real flavor of a strong dialogue.
Moreover, before the Christmas game started, some of James' words made this Christmas game gain a lot of attention.
"Whether you love me or hate me, you have to respect me."
This is the status James posted on his personal social media.
This status was not posted without reason, because ever since the Heat Big Three formed the team, there has never been a lack of doubts about James. After all, winning the MVP for two consecutive years, leading the team to first place in the division, and then running to another team to form a giant is unprecedented in history.
This voice reached its peak in November when the Heat had a poor record.
Even though the Heat have won 11 consecutive games by December, fans are still more willing to support the Bulls in the upcoming Christmas game.
So this status of his is to remind fans to give enough respect to him and the Heat.
However, in the normal cognition of most fans, respect is earned by oneself, not by demanding, so these words only make them feel that the upcoming Christmas game is more exciting.
Because if the Heat lose again, their underwear will be exposed.