The best teammates in the NBA

Chapter 185 Mental Changes and the Shadow of Contract Renewal (8000 word chapter)
The 34-year-old Tim Duncan may not be able to play a dominant performance on both ends of the offense and defense like he did when he was young, but when the veteran gave up the offense properly and defended with all his strength, he still showed the level of the league's top insider .

The most important thing is the 10-11 season. The NBA has not yet received an appeal from a certain king with a good brother. The current cylinder defense rule is that players can turn around in the air as long as they keep in their own cylinder to take off and defend. The referee It also allows defenders to turn sideways to block offensive players while in the air.

Therefore, the current version of inside players still has a great advantage, but the Thunder is an outside team, focusing on shooting, and the referee's whistle is friendly, and they can always get free throws, which has little impact on the whole.

The outside team is afraid that their offense will be cut off. Tonight, the Thunder's outside line suddenly became constipated. Because the Spurs strictly guarded Li Ze from the outside, Jeff Green got a lot of outside opportunities, but he failed to make a hit in the first quarter shoot.

At the end of the first quarter, at 1:35, the Spurs used their efficient offense to successfully lead by 30 points. Although the team fell behind, the mood of the audience in the Ford Center Arena was not affected at all, and everyone was still very happy.

During the intermission, Li Ze saw that Jeff Green was feeling a little depressed, so he immediately comforted him:

"It's okay, buddy, don't put too much pressure on yourself in the regular season, just keep shooting when opportunities arise, and I will continue to pass the ball to you."

"Thanks! Bro, I hate playing against fat guys, DeJuan Blair should lose weight!"

Jeff Green said with a depressed face.

Seeing Jeff Green's expression, Li Ze couldn't help but think about the current situation in the Thunder's locker room. Because the Thunder's offensive rhythm is fast, almost every game in the regular season has about 90 shots.

Durant has the largest contract, the most money, and his ability is not weak, so he has about 19 shots in each game. Li Ze also enjoys the same treatment, but in many cases, he will also distribute his shots to the turtles. It's a little tricky, especially this year is still a contract year for good brothers, the data still has to be refreshed!

Adding the tortoise's 16 or so shots in a game, the trio accounted for half of the team's shots, and other teammates will compete for the remaining shots. Jeff Green's contract has not been negotiated. It was the time when data was needed, so Li Ze understood Jeff Green's depression.

After all, data is a beauty, without data is absolutely impossible, Excel is very important when negotiating a contract!

In the rotation stage of the second quarter, for the Thunder, Li Ze and Jeff Green played together, and the Spurs also took Tony Parker and George Hill again, plus DeJuan Blair, Ma Te Bonner, Antonio McDyess, this lineup is exactly the same as the rotation in the playoffs last season.

The Thunder took the lead in attacking. After halftime, Li Zeyun immediately played a high pick-and-roll with Ibaka. He noticed that Matt Bonner and George Hill directly chose to pinch. The ball was passed from behind, and it was accurately passed to Ibaka who was running down.

The latter caught the ball and dunked easily with both hands at the basket!

"Kang" to eat cakes easily.

"Brilliant pass from Kayce! Opened the defense easily and the Spurs paid for their defense! Come on lads!"

Te Wen, the home commentator on the sidelines, praised Li Ze passionately.

Looking back, Tony Parker quickly held the ball across half court, used Antonio McDyess's pick-and-roll to get rid of Li Ze's entanglement, and went straight to the basket with the ball in his left hand. Noticing the Thunder's defensive contraction, he immediately passed the ball to the third In the hands of Matt Bonner from outside the point line, the latter catches the ball and makes a quick shot from outside the three-point line.

"Shua" three-pointer hollow into the net.

"Shhh!!"

As soon as the Oklahoma City fans saw that the Spurs scored a three-pointer, they immediately booed loudly, trying to create pressure on the visiting team players.

After quickly throwing the baseline ball, Li Ze came to the top of the arc after halftime. George Hill saw that Li Ze was about to play singles, and his scalp felt numb. Very low, the right hand holds the ball to accelerate the breakthrough.

Li Ze's crotch dribble is not the same as the popular technique these years. It is more about using hip rotation to block the body, and does not seek to pass people completely. When breaking through to the free throw line, Li Ze's right hand suddenly He dribbled the ball behind his back, then exerted force with his feet, and retreated beyond the three-point line.

Ignoring George Hill, who jumped up to block the block, he quickly shot a jumper.

"Shua" three-pointer hollow into the net.

Seeing Li Ze hit a three-pointer, George Hill instantly remembered last year's playoffs and became numb.
"Oh!!"

Seeing that Li Ze successfully scored the response goal, the audience started to cheer loudly. The head coach Popovich thought of his substitute lineup, shook his head helplessly, and then gestured to Blair on the field. Signal to attack according to plan
In the next few minutes, the Spurs began to guard against Li Ze's three-pointer, and Blair's pincer attack gave Jeff Green a lot of opportunities and hit several open shots. The scores of the two sides began to rise alternately.

In the second half of the second quarter, when Li Ze came off the court to take a break, the Spurs were still leading by 2 points. The 2-year-old Tony Parker had gradually entered his peak period. All kinds of rapid breakthroughs were really difficult to defend, especially The opponent's top turned around at a super fast speed!

At the end of the half, 66:62, such a score is not the Spurs. Coach Popovich has indeed changed the Spurs' style of play, and began to emphasize more offensive space and increase three-point shooting.

After the start of the third quarter, the Spurs still maintained their efficient outside shooting. Coupled with Duncan who focused on inside defense, the score rose sharply, but the Thunder's offense was a bit overwhelmed. Duran Te and Guigui hit iron continuously.

What made Li Ze feel even more strange was that Durant stopped taking shots after a few shots. Seeing that Matt Bonner still made a three-pointer, Li Ze began to shoot three-pointers, trying to respond. But under the opponent's targeted defense, the shooting rate is not ideal.

After more than 4 minutes in the fourth quarter, the point difference was still 7 points. Coach Brooks began to replace the main lineup. throw in the towel
In the end, at 119:109, the Thunder team ushered in their first defeat of the season at home. The Spurs made 20 of 12 shots from beyond the three-point line in this game. Matt Bonner scored 10 of 7 shots by himself. exploded.

李泽17中8，其中三分球8中2，罚球4中4，拿到23分5篮板8助攻2失误，表现的中规中矩。

After the game, everyone on the Spurs team was in a good mood except for George Hill who was defended by Li Ze with a 10-of-1 defense. Everyone on the Spurs team was in a good mood. After shaking hands, they each walked back to the locker room.

Since this game was broadcast live on NBATV in the United States, Durant, who scored the highest score of the team after the game, was interviewed on the sidelines. In this game, he scored 26 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover and 1 block.

"Kevin, it's a pity that the Thunder team failed to maintain their winning streak tonight. For this game, where do you think the Thunder team lost?"

As soon as Durant heard such a question, he immediately started the official formula:
"Our offense is not good enough, but we must also praise the Spurs' outside line. Their three-point shooting rate has reached an astonishing 60%. Hard to win, I take my hat off to them!"

"Kevin, I noticed that you made 5 of 1 three-pointers in tonight's game. The Thunder's three-pointers in the new season don't look stable. Will you adjust your tactics?"

Durant's heart tightened when he heard the reporter's question. When he heard that the other party did not compare his data with Li Ze's, he breathed a sigh of relief and answered with a smile:

"Every team's outside shooting will have some fluctuations. We will continue to stick to this style of play. We have reached the Western Conference Finals last season. We have proved that relying on outside shooting can also achieve good results. Losing will only let the Let's train harder!"

"Kevin, thank you for accepting my interview, I will vote for you in the All-Star game!"

"Cool! Thanks for the support, man!"

After returning to the locker room, Durant talked and laughed with everyone on the surface to discuss the gossip in the league, but the sense of urgency in his heart increased again. In this game, he made 18 of 8, including 5 of 1 three-pointers. 9 of 9 free throws.

When the team needed a three-pointer, Durant did not shoot with a cold hand as before, because he began to worry about his data. When he thought that the crazy blacksmith might find media reporters questioning, Durant gave up. scored a three-pointer, and began to hit the basket desperately
Got good data, but lost tonight's game, which made Durant a little depressed, but thinking that this is just a regular season, he couldn't help but comfort himself:
"I'm sharing the ball! The statistics in the regular season are better. If I work hard in the playoffs, I can't be compared with Kayce. I am the star of the team."

With the Thunder losing, the Spurs successfully reached the top of the league by virtue of the relationship between victory and defeat. This surprised the media in Amerika. In the early days, the Spurs suddenly jumped out!
This kind of result also embarrassed the Heat, who had advertised the entire offseason. The stage was set, but the protagonist was robbed, and more than one team robbed the scene. The Bulls in the East still occupy the first place in the East. position, who is the protagonist?Depends on grades.
The Thunder's loss tonight did not affect the good mood of the tortoise. He was humming in the car and returned home in a happy mood. However, before he had time to take a good rest, he received a call from his agent Ted Faucher. (Thad Foucher) on the phone.

"Good evening, Ted! Do you have any good news for calling me so late?"

The agent on the other end of the phone, Ted Faucher, was not polite when he heard what Guigui said, and immediately said:
"Russell, there may be some problems with our contract extension. On the one hand, it is the problem of the Thunder team. On the other hand, the NBA may face a lockout next season. The league and the players union are still unable to reach an agreement. Seriously, It is not a wise choice to negotiate a contract at this point in time!"

As soon as Guigui heard about the contract, she immediately perked up and asked:
"We reached the Western Conference finals last year. Why doesn't the Thunder want to renew my contract with a maximum salary? The team will definitely retain the main frame, and as long as we add big players, we will definitely win the championship. We only need to pay a little extravagance. Taxes are fine."

Agent Ted Foucher knew Guigui as early as UCLA, so he naturally knew his employer, and said straight to the point:
"Russell, I have to consider your best interests. There is no problem with renewing the contract. Kevin occupies 25% of the salary cap. Even if you and Kayce are added, the three account for 75% of the salary cap. The Thunder I will definitely sign you without hesitation."

"However, the conflict between the league and the players' union is that the players want more money, and the owners think the players' wages are too high."

"People in the industry generally expect that if the two parties can reach a settlement, the players may make some concessions on wages, but some additional terms will be added!"

"We have to set aside time for these terms. The Thunder want to complete an early contract extension with you, but this is very likely to damage your interests. I will not agree to it. Russell, now I want to hear from you idea."

Guigui never expected that there would be such troublesome things, and suddenly felt dizzy, but after all, this was his first big contract. After pondering for a while, he opened his mouth and said:
"You are right. My performance in the playoffs last season deserved a maximum salary contract. The Thunder should pay for our performance. We will win the championship, Ted. I don't know about the terms of the contract. But I want to get my share!"

"I get it, remember what I said, if Presti talks to you about the contract, don't show your strong intention to renew the contract, I will help you deal with these things! That's it, this season is very important , Russell, I have a chance to win more honors!"

When Guigui heard the manager's words, she immediately replied energetically:

"Don't worry! With Kayce here, the number of shots and assists is not a problem. My regular season data is definitely better than last season! I will successfully enter the best team of this season."

"That's it! Get some rest, Russell!"

When Nina heard that Guigui ended the call, she immediately became concerned about her boyfriend, and said softly:
"Russell, is there a problem with the contract? The league won't really shut down, will it? It doesn't matter, even if we don't play for a year, we still have enough money to live on. I have saved most of your salary!"

Seeing his girlfriend Nina's concerned expression, Guigui immediately replied with a smile:
"Even if there is a lockout, it won't last long, and there is no problem with the contract. You know, my data has not been bad. The Thunder will definitely pay. Don't worry about it. Hurry up and give me two chocolate sweets." Donuts!"

"No! I'm going to rest soon, you can't eat dessert anymore!"

Seeing that his girlfriend had returned to her usual appearance, Guigui immediately started laughing and fighting. The future can only be left to time.

At the same time, when Li Ze returned to his home in Oklahoma City, he saw a piece of news about Dayao while surfing the Internet. The Rockets officially confirmed that Yao Ming suffered a stress fracture in his left foot and was reimbursed for the season.
On the 10th, when Dayao was just injured, Li Ze called to greet him. It can be heard that Dayao was relatively optimistic about the injury at that time, but now he has been diagnosed with a stress fracture. For a traditional center Simply devastating injuries.

After seeing this news, the Chinese fans on the other side of the ocean were all blown up. They just played 5 games in the new season and were reimbursed for the season again. This season the Rockets must be dead.

And this injury looks very serious. Considering that this year is still Dayao's contract year, such an injury is simply worse.
"Are there any brothers who study medicine? Come out and explain this injury, it looks very serious!"

"This is a broken foot, and it's still a contract year. It's really hard to say. It still depends on the recovery."

"Replacing Bynum, Dayao hurry up to Crouching Tiger, join hands with Volute, the championship will definitely win!"

"Komei get out, you are everywhere! Hey, the competition in the Western Conference is still too fierce. It seems that the choice of the United Arab Emirates is right. It is okay to throw a three-pointer and reduce hand-to-hand combat. It is good for your career! I will never Hei Alian Jagged made a jumper."

"It's a pity that we won't be able to see Li Ze and Dayao join forces at the Asian Championships next year."

"The Rockets may be rebuilding. From now on, we will watch the Nets and the Thunder. Don't say anything, the Thunder will be the champion!"

After confirming the news, the media reporters and football critics from China all exclaimed that it was a pity. After all, Yao Ming had just broken through the first round, and the age of 30 is also the peak period of a player. It is too difficult to get injured at this time.

Afterwards, everyone thought about the upcoming Asian Championships. This competition related to Olympic qualifications must not be lost. It is definitely not safe to rely on the Arab League and the two of them alone. It is time to recruit Li Ze this time, right?
However, many media outlets think of Deng Huade's current public opinion environment, and it's really hard to say.
On November 11th, the Thunder team flew to Salt Lake City. They will challenge the Utah Jazz in an away game. It has only been half a month since the last time the two teams met.

The Energy Solutions arena was full tonight. After the opening, under the leadership of the live DJ, Jazz fans kept cheering for the home team, and the atmosphere was particularly hot:

"Defense! Defense! Defense!"

But such a fiery atmosphere is of no help to Mengxin Hayward. After chasing desperately, seeing Li Ze catch the ball on the left wing outside the three-point line again, Hayward suddenly felt a tight heart, and then died. Staring at Li Ze's movements.

After receiving the ball, Li Ze first feinted and pretended to shoot, which made Hayward's defensive center subconsciously move forward, then swung his body to the right, and at the same time took a quick tentative step with his right foot. Quickly release the ball, cross step dribble breakthrough.

After dribbling the ball vigorously with his left hand three times, after using his body to push Hayward away, Li Ze jumped up with both feet, ignoring Al Jefferson who was back on defense, and grabbed the ball with his left hand.

"Kang" broke through the buckle successfully.

"Oh!!"

"shush"

In the away game, Li Ze didn't do too many celebrations, and quickly returned to the defense with a relaxed expression. The fans of the Jazz began to boo hugely. The Thunder started too well, which made everyone very uncomfortable to watch.

Al Jefferson was staggered by Li Ze, and almost hit the basketball stand after landing. Seeing Hayward's innocent face, he suddenly became angry:

"Hey! Rookie, you can't let Li break through easily, you have to do a good job of perimeter defense!"

"I will work hard"

Hayward, who was wronged, could only speak in a low voice, but when he thought of the matchup between himself and Li Ze, he was so depressed that he was dying. His speed, strength, and all were at a disadvantage.

In the next few minutes, Hayward really wanted to go back to the bench, and Li Ze began to frequently catch the ball with his back at the waist, and only used one move after receiving the ball.

His left foot got stuck in the middle of Hayward's legs, and then Li Ze put the ball with his right hand, and after a hit, he quickly turned back and shot a jumper.

"Shua" sighed, and hit the two-pointer steadily.

After Li Ze fought for three consecutive rounds, the old coach Sloan finally couldn't help asking for a timeout. At this time, the audience was also cut off by Li Ze, and the enthusiastic shouts gradually disappeared.

Seeing that Hayward, who had returned to the bench, kept his head down, Coach Sloan couldn't say much.

"Millsap, pay attention to the defense against Lee at the position below the free throw line, Hayward, just like we arranged before the game, don't let Lee catch the ball easily in the low post, your task in this game is to do a good job of defense. "

When Hayward heard that coach Sloan did not blame him, but chose to continue to let him play, he suddenly said a little excitedly:

"I will definitely defend well, coach!"

After returning from the timeout, the Jazz attacked. Facing Li Ze's defense, Hayward, who was suffocating, chose to respond. After receiving the ball from outside the three-point line, he first feinted, and then accelerated the breakthrough with the ball in his left hand.

Hayward has already put all his energy into feeding at this time, and only hopes that he can quickly break through the defense, but just after two dribbles, he feels that the defensive intensity on his side suddenly increases. After the physical confrontation, the dribble The rhythm is totally ruined.

Before Hayward had time to react further, the ball with his left hand was also fired. After seeing Li Ze successfully stealing, Hayward rushed over subconsciously, trying to stop the fast break with a foul.

But maybe it was because of the sweat on the floor, Hayward moved his feet and lay on the ground, watching Li Ze rushing across the half court, there was only one thought in his mind:
"Why me again? Destroy it"

Although Li Ze was a little surprised that the opponent did not use tactical fouls, he would not give up this opportunity. He accelerated with his right hand and hit 1 in the frontcourt. Just one step past the free throw line, he took off from a long distance and came extremely stretched. A 0-degree turn and dunk!
"Shhh!!"

Apparently, such a fancy dunk action caused the audience to be very dissatisfied, and the Jazz fans began to boo Li Ze.
But Xu Sheng couldn't stop Li Ze from scoring. He made 6 of 6 points in a single quarter and easily scored 12 points. At 35:26, under Li Ze's outstanding performance, the Thunder led by 9 points in the first quarter.

During the intermission, Turtle was a little depressed. Tonight's game, Deron Williams started desperately, which cost him a lot on the defensive end, and also caused him to feel bad on the offensive end. 4 in 1
Head coach Brooks is very satisfied with the team's performance, with back-to-back games and a good shooting percentage, victory is beckoning to him!

"Change the defensive formation. In the second quarter, use 2 zone defense directly. Korver did not make the roster. The Jazz should have a short rotation tonight. Let go of Kirilenko's perimeter. Let's protect the basket!"

Both the Jazz and the Thunder belong to the Northwest Division. The two teams played against each other frequently. The Jazz didn't want to be double-killed by the Thunder at the beginning of the season. Mengxin Hayward, replaced by CJ-Myers, the main force continued.

It’s just that Li Ze, who hit the No. 1 position, can also be regarded as a ball-handling thick guard. Deron Williams may be able to take advantage of the turtle, but facing Li Ze’s defense, he immediately misfired. Weight, speed and strength are completely crushed
In the first attack in the second quarter, the continuous changes in front of the body still could not get rid of Li Ze's defense. Seeing that the attack time was running out, against Li Ze's defense, he went straight to the basket and shot with his left hand helplessly.

"Bang" hit an iron with anger.

The rebound was protected by Ibaka, and the first pass found Li Ze. The Thunder quickly launched a conversion attack and rushed through the half court. CJ-Myers immediately posted up to delay Li Ze's attack.

Li Ze glanced at the defensive position of the Jazz, and noticed that CJ-Myers was very close. He suddenly in and out with his right hand, and then dribbled the ball behind his back to open up some space. With a twist of his body, his left hand was extremely fast The crotch changes direction, the center of gravity of the body is lowered, and the right hand holds the ball to accelerate at full speed.

This set of slow and fast shaking caused CJ-Myers to lose half of his body in an instant. He slid desperately, and at the same time used his body to resist Li Ze from his side, but Li Ze suddenly fell on his crotch while he was walking. Pull back, followed by a nimble step-back, back to the three-point line in an instant.

Noticed that CJ-Myers was swayed by him for a big split. After Li Ze adjusted, he easily shot a jumper.

"Shua" three-pointer hollow into the net.

"Oh!!"

".Shh."

Seeing Li Ze's performance, the Jazz fans couldn't get any more excited. They lost their temper after being beaten, so they could only exclaim, looking for a sense of presence. Unable to defend, the Jazz lacks a defender who can match up with Li Ze.

Li Ze, who retreated quickly, smiled slightly. After his core strength was improved, this kind of step-back jump shot became easier.

Coupled with the addition of a lot of silver badge shooting stability, as long as the defense is shaken, the shooting rate is almost close to 5%, and the three-pointer's offensive method is very cost-effective!

The trend of the subsequent game was the same as the last match. Durant successfully struck out in the third quarter, and the Thunder once again played a wave, easily establishing the victory of the game.

It's just that when the game was officially suspended in the fourth quarter, Deron Williams seemed to talk back to coach Sloan, which made everyone in the Thunder shout in disbelief.

"Is this guy crazy? Talking back to the head coach, and that's Sloan! The meritorious coach of the Jazz!"

The game was depressed and only scored 20 points. After returning to the bench, Guigui couldn't help complaining in a low voice.

"Maybe there is a small situation within the Jazz, and the management must be on Sloan's side."

The memory of the future is a little unclear, but Li Ze still knows that something should happen to the Jazz this season.

"Never mind that, guys, I need help in trash time too!"

When Li Ze heard Jeff Green's words, he shook his head helplessly. This is the player of the contract year.
The rest of the time ran out quickly. In the end, at 115:104, the Thunder successfully won the back-to-back games. In this game, Li Ze scored 26 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 turnover and 2 steals efficiently.

Li Ze's happiness is of course based on Mengxin Hayward, who scored 4 points, 2 assists and 2 turnovers tonight, which also led to Li Ze not seeing the opponent at all after the game.

After the game, Durant nodded satisfied with his technical statistics, 18 of 9, 4 of 2 three-pointers, 6 of 6 free throws, 26 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist, 5% shooting, no turnovers, such a performance Definitely not black!

On November 11th, everyone in the Thunder team, who returned to Oklahoma City for a simple day of rest, will play against the Houston Rockets at home tonight. After Dayao's season was reimbursed, the Rockets began to lose consecutively. So far, they have only achieved 17 wins and 3 losses. record.

Coach Adelman also has a hunch that maybe this is his last season coaching the Rockets. The Rockets supplemented Courtney Lee on the outside during the offseason, and also traded Jordan Hill and Brad Rice on the inside. Le, looks good, but there is no chemistry between the players.

In this game, except for Scola who performed bravely and scored 26 points and 8 rebounds, the other players all played piecemeal, and the game showed a one-sided situation early.

In the end, at 99:116, the Thunder easily defeated their opponents at home. Li Ze also clocked in three quarters again, scoring 22 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. To put it in a heart-warming word, he is already thinking about his opponent in the next game .

The day after tomorrow, everyone from the Thunder team will fly to Boston to challenge the Celtics away.

After the Celtics lost last time, TNT began to warm up the game. The battle of revenge, this gimmick, is deeply loved by Amerika fans!

Li Ze didn't pay too much attention to the talk before the game. After returning home at night, he went to bed early, because after playing the Celtics, the game against the Bucks was immediately followed. For the subsequent back-to-back games, he had to adjust Take care of your physical condition.

In the dream training space, Li Ze heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the upgraded badge: "Long-distance take-off, bang bang, dunk is still effective!"

Achievement Badge [Unlimited Takeoff]: 3/500
Increases the success rate of players starting dunks or layups from longer jumping distances, and recovers a little stamina after successfully finishing an attack.

Li Ze saw the newly added attributes, and then thought of the effect of [Space Button Master], he couldn't help but look weird:
"Is this the so-called recovery badge? Is it to encourage me to increase dunks?"

　Thank you for your subscription support~
　　Adjust the competition, tomorrow is still the [-]D chapter~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)