Source/ESPN
By Andrew Lopez
Translator/kewell
The second Lonzo Bauer got the ball, there was only one goal in his mind.
It was on March 2, and the Pelican was six points behind in the opening of the third quarter against the Jazz. After Mike Conley hit the three points, Brandon Ingram took the serve from the sideline and gave it to Bauer, who immediately turned to observe the battlefield. He immediately found the 20-year-old man who cut in from the sideline. He was 2.01 meters tall and weighed 129kg. He had already passed three Jazz defenders. They knew what tactics he was going to play, but they were unable to stop him.
With a slight push of his wrist, Bauer set his tactics at the free throw line and threw a long pass nearly 20 meters away from his target. Zion Williamson jumped from the left side of the free throw line to the basket, caught the cross court long pass, and gently put it into the basket.
Such a fit will take several months to run in. It may even be several years. It takes time to establish a chemical reaction. Everything will start from the first training match between Williamson and Bauer in the Pelican Stadium in 2019. Since then, they have become one of the most destructive and explosive duos in basketball.
"Seriously, the moment he caught the ball, I knew he was going to throw it," Williamson said. "When he passed the ball and took it out, I knew it would be a goal."
From beginning to end, this excellent air to air connection only took about a second. But the most exciting play in this game is quite complicated, not just a drop shot and a dunk. This requires years of trust between teammates, nonverbal signals, deliberately chosen bad passes, and bold finishing ideas.
This also requires time and strategy, and sometimes tropical fruits are even used as tactical slogans.
* * * *
For some players, a look is a signal. For others, it may be a nod. In the eyes of others, it is a light finger. Every excellent air pick cooperation starts with a question: how can a player let his teammates know that he intends to let the ball fly directly to the basket, but can't make the opponent alert?
Dwight Howard, the center of the 76ers, has served as the receiver of 984 empty receptions in his career. For him, one word is enough.
Pineapple.
Yes, pineapple. In most of Howard's career, he relied on nonverbal eyes to sprint towards the basket, which is the habit of cooperating with his teammates in Orlando, Hido Turkoglu and Jamil Nelson for many years. But after nine years of playing for six teams, he no longer has time to develop this nonverbal understanding with his teammates, so he changed to Fruit.
"Pineapple! Pineapple!" he said. "Use something crazy to distract the defenders."
For Hall of Fame star Shaquille O'Neill, it is a dessert: ice cream.
"If you are a guard and stand in front of me, I will say ice cream, which means that when you get close to the basket, you can throw it anywhere," he said.
Not everyone is so secretive. Jazz teammates often make fun of Rudy Goebbels, because he will point at the air when he has time to pick up the opportunity.
"When I feel the chance to catch an empty pass, I will point up excitedly," Gobel said.
Donovan Mitchell has sent a total of 65 air calls to Goebbels in the past four years, so there is no need to point out so much between them. In the process of training and studying the video, he has developed a sense of smell, and can feel when Gobel should and is willing to cooperate with air contact. Now, Goebbels can not rely on his fingers to reveal tactics, and Mitchell can adapt.
Few people are better than LeBron James at detecting the hidden art of air pick opportunities. He is second only to Drummond Green in the league in the efficiency of looking for air pick assists.
"As a passer, I always look for opportunities in the second row of defense in half court positional warfare," LeBron said. "There will always be someone ready or helping to catch the ball. I want my teammate to go to the right position, and then all he needs to do is take off to catch the ball."
People like LeBron who have a deep understanding of air pick learning should be his friend Chris Paul. Since 1996, when the league began to count air pick data, Paul's air pick assists number is the second in history. Ask Paul this question, and he can come up with a long article on how to make a perfect connection.
"Cover, right angle, let the shooter ambush in the wing position," he said. "It's all about looking for angles and reading low positions through cover."
Then he paused.
"To be honest, it sounds easier for me to say so than to actually do it."
* * * *
In the past five seasons, James Harden has received the most assists in the NBA. 475 assists are more than twice as many as the second place Trey Young (235) and the third place Russell Westbrook (233).
Harden's air catch pass is as difficult to defend as his throw. He has already played this skill with Clint Capella in the Rockets, and now he can cultivate a tacit understanding with air threat Jordan and Claxton in the Nets.
"I have a three-point threat and can break through the basket to attract defense, so I learned how to control the ball and communicate with my teammates," Harden said. "They need to know what preparations they need to make when I break through."
For Goebbels, the best defensive player of the two times, Harden's ability to pass and pick up when he made a breakthrough made him basically unable to defend.
"If the opponent is not good at passing or finding a good angle, it is very simple to defend," Gobel said. "Harden is very good at it, so as long as I help too much, he will throw an empty catch upward, and Clint will always be in the right position."
Forest Wolf guard Ricky Rubio said that as a passer, he would pay attention to which teammate took off on which leg, left or right, high point or low point of receiving, simple point or fancy point. Howard tends to act simply and make the job of passing the ball as simple as possible.
"I told them to throw Jerry West or the flag, and I could catch it," he said, referring to the logo posted on every backboard.
However, the situation on the court is changeable, and air contact is often not perfect. When Harden breaks through, he will observe the distance of the defenders in the distance to see if they are ready to interfere with the pass. These factors may hinder the completion of the pass, but Harden said that this is not necessarily a bad thing.
"Sometimes the worst pass leads to the most beautiful empty catch," he said. "This challenges the receiver to see if he can twist his body or jump higher, use his arm to catch the ball, and put the ball in whether he uses his left or right hand."
Ronzo also likes to aim at the target Howard likes, but his passing is not to keep accurate in return.
"In fact, if I saw the opportunity, I would throw it out directly, hoping for the best results," he said.
I hope there will be the best result, perhaps it is the habitual thinking of air contact enthusiasts. His brother Ramelo said that he didn't aim when passing the ball.
"I just threw it out and let God control the steering wheel, really," he said.
* * * *
On February 22, the Hawk took a big lead in the fourth quarter of the first game against Denver. Yang dribbled the ball to the front court at will and made a crotch change when passing the middle court. He came to the left side with the ball, and Jamal Murray kept close to the defense.
Young is looking for -- and waiting for -- his favorite passing target, John Collins. They began to cooperate like this when they were teammates in the Utah Summer League three years ago. After that, they went to play the Las Vegas Summer League again. At that time, Yang knew that their tacit understanding was deeply rooted.
At 2.06 meters, Collins was very able to jump, and he also liked to complete all the aerial pickup on the flight path, so he was also looking for Yang at that moment. They made eye contact and nodded to each other. Collins pretended to run to the outside line, then turned around to cut in from the low line. He is completely vacant.
"I just decided not to go outside with the ball, but to run back, and I must finish this air pick," Collins said.
When people on the ground pass the ball to people in the air, the final action is the most important part.
"It's about 20 to 80. 20 is responsible for passing the ball, and 80 is responsible for the person who must take off to finish it," Rubio said.
For Conley, having an empty receiver becomes a new experience.
"I still need to get used to hanging the ball to a big guy, because God bless Marc Gasol, but he really can't jump up and finish many empty catches," Conley said. "Now, my reading process from throwing to air receiving has changed because of Gobel. I am adapting to his receiving range."
The charm of air pick is far beyond its scoring efficiency. Of course, there are not many easier ways to score than this, but air contact still has its compound effect.
"It would be a bit discouraging," said Goebbels. "I will also be buckled. This kind of ball will boost the morale of the opponent."
This is why the combination of empty connection can be so unforgettable. Collins still remembered a game he played in NCAA four years ago. His opponent was the University of Kansas. When he got rid of the joint defense,
"The defender jumped early, and I was in the penalty area, and the point guard passed the ball," Collins said. "The defender tried to jump back when he saw it, but was intercepted. I dunked it on his head. It's really cool."
When asked about his favorite air pick, Williamson stopped. He needed time to think.
"It's hard to choose," he said. He paused for a while again, sifting through countless memory fragments.
Then he thought.
"The top 16 universities," he said. "The opponent is my current teammate, Alexander Walker. Trey Jones is the point guard, and he steals the opponent."
He continued, his tone becoming more excited with the richness of details.
"I ran to the right wing. At that time, the score was very tense and it was a championship, so the pressure was very high. I remember Trey should have seen my position."
"He threw the ball straight out. The ball was in the sky, and I had to take off with one foot to catch it. I remember I caught it, and the whole stadium went crazy. I was thinking at the time, this is the NCAA game, this is crazy March. It's crazy."
In Williamson's rookie season, people's expectations of his celestial slam dunk can't be higher. And when he and Bauer began to practice together, Williamson had already planned.
"I think before making any statement, let me see how he can pass the air, or whether he can pass in the fast break," he said.
"I did that, and every time he came with the ball, he could do it."
This is the birth process of one of the NBA's best air pick teams. Even the injury of tearing the meniscus in the preseason did not stop them.
"We didn't miss a beat," Williamson said. "I can finish it just by watching him pass it on."
This is exactly what Bauer needs.
"When I trust the other party to catch it, I can throw it anywhere," said Longzo.
