Chapter 1000 - 325: Let them hate us! (Vote for the monthly ticket!)_3
This summer, Big Ben trained with Stoudemire at Roger’s training camp, so he knows just how much Stoudemire has improved.
Everyone was expecting Amar’e Stoudemire to make progress on defense, but they overlooked his rapid improvement on offense.
As soon as Roger passed the ball, Rasheed Wallace immediately lunged at Stoudemire. A big man capable of mid-range shots poses no threat to the Pistons. In last season’s finals, even the Admiral had a precise mid-range, but still couldn’t help the Spurs kill the game, because the Pistons were very mobile, and even Rasheed Wallace was more agile than most centers.
Stoudemire raised the basketball; the Yelling Maestro raised his arms to interfere. But when the Yelling Maestro got close to Stoudemire, Stoudemire suddenly pulled back the ball and drove with a dribble!
Rasheed Wallace tried to chase, but Stoudemire was just too fast, slipping past him in an instant!
The mid-range brings more than just an additional offensive tool for Amar’e Stoudemire. In basketball, each skill complements another.
Last season, Stoudemire’s mid-range was unstable, so everyone defending him knew to give him some space, and they wouldn’t lunge forward like Rasheed Wallace did.
Because of this, it wasn’t easy for Stoudemire to break into the paint.
But now that his mid-range threat has increased, as soon as someone dares to guard him closely, Stoudemire can easily break through!
This is the importance of the jump shot. Imagine if LeBron James had an excellent mid-range, would he need to spend so much effort studying complex footwork?