From sparring to superstar

Chapter 110 108. McDyess Shocked Armspan
O'Neal roared excitedly after he landed. He was dunked just now, and he returned it immediately, attracting boos from the fans.

O'Neal knew that Li Ao fed the ball well this time, and he just ate the cake.

After yelling, he turned around and asked Li Ao to give him a high-five to express his thanks... He couldn't find anyone, and then turned his head to see that Li Ao had already run out of the three-point line and retreated.

彡(-_-;)彡

Really... a positive defensive attitude.

When the Nuggets attacked and was dunked, McDyess went directly to the inside, and O'Neal also took the initiative to switch defenses with Odom and stayed beside McDyess.

McDyess was in the 95th class, O'Neal was in the 96th class, and players who entered the NBA at the same time.

Although the two have played against each other in the past 4 seasons, the total number of rounds is less than two hands.

两人之前压根不是同一级别球员，麦克戴斯在98-99赛季就已经全勤打出场均21.2分10.7板1.5抢断2.3盖帽的顶级内线表现，那年小奥尼尔还在心心念念着新秀合同终于要结束了，海阔天空任鸟飞……

But now that O'Neal is starting, he really wants to challenge this top insider who entered the NBA at the same time.

McDyess, on the other hand, has strong hostility towards high school players, and was very upset when he was dunked just now.

McDyess leaned against O'Neal on the left sideline of the three-second zone and asked for the ball. Van Exel lobbed the ball.

Jermaine O'Neill quickly pressed on and was fooled!As soon as he turned around and landed on the ground, McDyess immediately started to break through, and O'Neal was completely passed.

McDyess entered the basket and was about to jump for a dunk when he slammed to a stop.

Li Ao retracted from the bottom line on the right to the basket!
Shrink defense, 'siege level 2' is triggered, speed +3, the speed is amazing!

Just now if McDyess took off and dunked directly, Li Ao would most likely be able to catch it.

McDyess, who stopped, was astonished at why Li Ao was so fast, but his body movements didn't stop. He saw that O'Neill was passed and immediately turned around to catch up.

McDyess chose to hold high and fight directly!

With a height of 206 cm and a wingspan of 228 cm, McDyess, who is in excellent static physical condition, stands on tiptoe and throws his hand... "Pa"... Li Ao took off on the spot, and threw a solid slap at McDyess Go on the ball!

Big front hat!

The bottom line fans let out a burst of exclamation, and McDyess was also shocked when he saw Li Ao's long arms.

On the other side, after the ball was blocked by Li Ao, it hit the free throw line. Odom grabbed the ball and counterattacked.

Odom, who was taller than McDyess, dribbled the ball behind his back like a small guard to avoid Van Exel's pounce, and accelerated to rush to the frontcourt.

Odom entered the opposite three-second zone, Voshan Leonard and James Posey retreated to the basket, James Posey took the initiative to press, and Odom jumped to avoid it.

Arriving at the position one step before the reasonable collision zone, Odom ignored Voshan Leonard who took off, stretched his long arms, and made a basket!

The fans booed violently.

The fans' attention was attracted by Odom's counterattack that looked outrageous to the extreme.

McDyess focused all his attention on Li Ao.

This rookie, his arms are almost as long as him!

This arm span, you tell me it's only 215 cm?

As a defensive expert, even in the preseason, he has carefully studied the scouting reports of every opponent.

He clearly remembered that this guy was 203 cm tall and had a wingspan of 215 cm!

Also, what about the average athletic ability?

Except for Van Exel, McDyess couldn't think of anyone else who could move at such a fast speed just now!

Li Ao was very excited.

Front cover McDyess!

Although this is due to the opponent's carelessness, if the opponent is more cautious and takes the initiative to find a confrontation and fight high, if he doesn't jump up, he can't beat McDyess, a physically fit man with a slightly better height and wingspan than him.

However, the wingspan of 227 cm is really good!
Before participating in the draft, Li Ao's wingspan was already 217 cm. The biggest highlight of his physical fitness during college was his excellent static physical condition.

Before the summer league, "I want to be longer" has begun to play a role. The wingspan has increased by 1 centimeter to 218 centimeters, giving the Clippers players the feeling that the wingspan is also very long.

Then, as his height increased by 2 cm, his arm span naturally grew by 3 cm. With the change in height, he could not see the change.

The remaining 7cm growth effect of "I want to be longer" slowly increased his arm span over two months, adding 3cm to his shoulder width, and each of his two arms grew a little more than 1cm. The fingers are each a little over 0.5 cm longer.

The overall growth is based on the extra effect that does not affect the appearance of the body, plus the muscle gain. It gives people the feeling that he has 'grown up' this summer when he just turned 19.

Compared with the slender body before, his upper body is thicker, and his chest has been strengthened after muscle gain, making him look more sunny and positive.

Not to mention others, even the auntie who is most familiar with him, didn't realize that there was something wrong with his exaggerated wingspan of 227 cm. The auntie thought that her Leo was more handsome and had a better figure.

This is the strongest effect of 'I'll be longer'!

The Clippers led 4-2, and the Nuggets continued to attack.

McDyess no longer pays attention to O'Neal, and O'Neal's dunk is just a piece of cake.

He set his sights on Li Ao who blocked him from the front!

However, as the game progressed, McDyess found that he had nothing to do with Li Ao!
He and Li Ao were out of position, and he found that Li Ao seemed to only run off the ball on the offensive end.

Li Ao received the ball and when he actively made up for it, Li Ao immediately passed it.

Not to mention that his supplementary defense did not play any substantial role. The Nuggets' already good team defense also became full of loopholes because of his overactive supplementary defense.

This made him feel unbelievable. For a young man, if you don't hold the ball and swing it in the preseason, does it make sense?
Not to mention McDyess as the opponent, even the teammates who were ready to let Li Ao shoot softly were surprised by Li Ao's choice of play today.

They thought that Li Ao would throw more than 20 times in a game like the summer league.

But Li Ao played like this, they were naturally happy and played more actively.

Because if they have a shooting opportunity when Li Ao catches the ball, they can really get a shooting opportunity!
This rookie has excellent vision!The accuracy of passing the ball and the comfort of feeding the ball are also top-notch!

In addition to the defensive end, McDyess is also trying to find a way to target Li Ao on the offensive end. He frequently asks for the ball to attack the basket in singles, trying to attract Li Ao to defend, and then dunks him.

However, Li Ao's shrinking block wasn't aimed at McDyess, he didn't target anyone in the Nuggets, he treated him without discrimination, and exercised his ability to supplement defense and assist defense.

McDyess's deliberate style of play not only failed to achieve his goal, but also gave O'Neal a chance to interfere in place.

Seeing that the score was 6 to 14, which was close to a double-digit difference, McDyess had to give up "revenge" and prepare to play hard to catch up with the score.

Even if it is a preseason game, a game is a game, who wants to lose.

Even if it doesn't matter whether you win or lose the preseason, it can't be because you lose when you are on the court.

However, the strength of the Nuggets team is mediocre. McDyess played in the beginning, and the rhythm of both offense and defense of the Nuggets team was directly messed up. The season has just started, and the preseason game is only the first game. It can't be done at all.

McDyess was very annoyed, regretting the slap in the face just now.

But there was a situation that made him want to scold the street!

After he stopped defending, Li Ao started running to catch and shoot!

Of course, when Li Ao started catching and shooting, it was a good opportunity to shoot. If his teammates can eat directly and have an open shot, and he happens to receive the ball again, he will still choose to respond.

Without McDyess' early move to defend, Li Ao faced James Posey's pursuit and defense with ease, passing and shooting with ease.

James Posey's best defense against off-ball shooters is that his 203 cm tall and 219 cm wingspan interferes with the opponent's shot.

But as long as Li Ao runs to catch the ball and make a good shot, James Posey can't interfere.

At the same height, Li Ao's wingspan is even better than James Posey!
At 9 minutes and 36 seconds into the first quarter, Li Ao made an emergency stop on the left side of the free throw line and received a point from O'Neal, turned around and took off to face James Posey who was catching up, and made a mid-range shot...

James Posey took off to defend with all his strength, but the interference was ineffective. Li Ao didn't care whether he would be capped or not, so he made a steady shot and made a steady hit!
26 to 11, the Clippers lead to 15 points!
The Nuggets called a timeout again!

Seeing James Posey's annoyed look, Li Ao comforted: "Is your defense like this? I am looking forward to playing against you. It's a pity that you didn't play me in the summer league. It's really disappointing."

James Posey, who was already on the defensive, looked at Li Ao angrily, only to see a serious handsome face.

This made James Posey even more mad.

You have a kind of singles with the ball!See if I don't prevent you from dying!
James Posey still didn't say that.

Although he is in the class of 99 and just a sophomore, he is already 23 years old and entered the NBA after graduating from college. He has already shown mature defensive skills in his rookie season, coupled with his positive attitude and top defensive awareness, he has become a well-received player. An eye-catching single-defense genius.

However, his defensive talents are all focused on single defense, and his off-ball defense is average.

He is not good at defending off the ball, but let someone who is not good at holding the ball single him, thinking about it makes him feel ashamed.

However, looking at Li Ao's back as he turned and left, James Posey was really angry when he thought that this guy was talking about him so seriously just now!
...

Li Ao returned to the bench and was very happy to see his teammates very excited. Before the end of the first quarter, he led by 15 points. Although it is a preseason game, a win is a win!
Just like masturbating, wanting to win the qualifying match doesn't mean that you don't want to win the matchmaking match.

But he didn't have any complacent thoughts. The opposing Nuggets were no stronger than their side. At the beginning, the opponent's leading star was still messing around. It's normal for them to lead.

Seeing that Li Ao came back after provoking the opponent's defensive genius, Big Q immediately leaned forward and asked in a puzzled tone: "Boss, why do you take so few shots? It feels like..."

"Blue collar?"

"Correct!"

"In the preseason, rookies who are good at breakthroughs choose crazy breakthroughs to be capped; rookies who are good at shooting outside singles choose to shoot a lot of shots, which is the right choice.

I am good at running, catching and shooting, supporting, and defending. Of course, I have to choose the style of play I am good at and adapt to the NBA game. "

That being said, the onlookers wanted to give a thumbs up.

But, you are right, but why does it sound so awkward?

Who is the connotation!

Teammates looked at each other—did you get blood capped by brainless beatings in the preseason in your rookie year?I don't!Have you hit the iron?Anyway I didn't!
Whether you admit it or not, you can find evidence if you have the ability.

The veterans did not admit that they had such a bad past. Kenyon Dooling, who was replaced after being capped twice after playing for 2 minutes, felt ashamed and angry.

Jermaine O'Neal and Big Q seem to have realized something.

The coaching staff were all very pleasantly surprised!

They all thought that Li Ao was the most out-of-the-ordinary one in the team, they didn't think so, they were sure.

But when it comes to the court, how to describe it.

It's very compelling!

Although it was because the opponent's defense was messed up at the beginning, their offensive opportunities were good, but Li Ao's ability to seize the opportunity to connect the whole team's offense is his ability!

No wonder the Trojans, who were originally only marginally strong in the Crazy Three, have become a strong team with a complete victory!
In the next three quarters, Gentry gave Li Ao a lot of playing time, allowing Li Ao to appear in different lineups.

Gentry returned to thanking Sterling for his legacy.

The NBA stipulates that if a team has less than 14 officially contracted players when it comes to training camp, the training camp must be filled to 20 players, and the roster must be filled to 14 players before the end of the summer league.

But the training camp players have to pay for food and accommodation, and the training camp contract requires money for preseason games. Although it is not much, it is still money.

Since there must be 14 players in the end, Sterling chose to sign all the players in the summer, and there is no need to spend extra money when it comes to the training camp stage.

So by the end of summer league, their 15-man roster was full.

Now Gentry doesn't need to think about training camp contract players, and jumps directly to the progress of selecting 12 main players.

The selection of the main force must be based on the characteristics of Li Ao's style of play.

Li Ao didn't play blindly in the preseason, and quickly entered the state, and the progress was advanced again.

In the following time, Li Ao did not disappoint Gentry.

He insisted on his style of play, his teammates played well, he wouldn't get too excited, his teammates didn't perform well, and he didn't complain.

He already understood one thing in college—teammates are always strong and weak, but no matter strong or weak, every teammate is very important. After enjoying the help of strong teammates, one has to accept the fact that there are weak teammates. thing.

But there were also teammates who were really dissatisfied, two teammates who scored too much alone -- Kenyon Dooling and Jeff McInnis.

Although Boykins is alone, his breakthrough sharpness and efficiency are justified, and he is only good at this.

Kenyon Dooling and McGinnis obviously have very good physical conditions and can do more things that are conducive to tactics, but they played a few games blindly, only thinking about expressing themselves, Li Aoguo stopped spraying.

When Gentry saw Li Ao getting angry at the two, he was also very angry with the two, and decisively replaced them. In the following time, when Li Ao played, neither of them was replaced.

Of course, he also gave the opportunity. When Li Ao rested, let the two take turns to watch their performance.

The situation of the game, as the Clippers entered the rotation, their advantage became smaller. When they played badly, the opponent had a stage of chasing points quickly, but fortunately, they led by 15 points at the beginning, and the Clippers also had offensive highlights in the next three quarters. In the middle of the fourth quarter, when Li Ao was replaced, he still led the Nuggets by 11 points.

In the end, the Clippers beat the Nuggets 104-94.

Li Ao won the first game of his NBA career... a preseason victory!
When the final whistle sounded, the system prompt came.

"Congratulations to the host for winning the game, type of game: NBA preseason, host's game statistics: 14 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks. Congratulations to the host for winning 540 achievement points. Note: NBA preseason and regular season, When you win, you will be rewarded with 1 achievement points for every point or rebound, 1 achievement points for every assist, and 10 achievement points for every steal or block; if you lose the game, you will be rewarded with 1 achievement points for consolation."

Compared with the NCAA competition, it has doubled!
The consolation prize was also doubled, and he seized the opportunity to make a fuss—he hasn't tasted the feeling of a consolation prize yet...

His biggest feeling in this game-teammates are much better than they were in college!

If you don't consider that the opponent is much stronger, and only look at the overall ability of the individual, he really feels that the weakest teammate on the team is stronger than the strongest teammate in the university.

Getting assists is easier than college!

But this is only a preseason game, and the opponent is not yet a strong team. Although he stunned for a double-double in the first game, he did not drift.

He also discovered his current flaw - physical strength!
他首节打了9分钟，拿到6分1板3助攻1盖帽。

第二节打了8分钟，拿到4分2板2助攻1抢断1盖帽。

Played 9 minutes in the third quarter and scored 2 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists.

Played 6 minutes in the fourth quarter, scored 2 points, 2 assists and 1 block.

He only played 33 minutes in the whole game. It's not that he doesn't want to play longer, it's impossible!
The first quarter was okay, with sufficient physical strength, and I didn't feel much after playing for 9 minutes in a row.

But starting from the second quarter, you need to take a break in the middle.

A wider range of running, stronger confrontation, better single-defense ability of the opponent, and the opponent pays more attention to him as a Tanhualang, which makes him consume more in the game!
Of course, it is also related to his positive playing style. He is very focused on both offense and defense, especially defense. He regards it as the foundation of his life and will try to defend when he has the opportunity.

After a summer of hard training, his physical strength has actually improved a lot compared to when he was in college, and he can maintain an efficient performance for about 30 minutes in NBA-level confrontations.

The physical strength of efficient performance for about 30 minutes is enough in college, and a college game is 40 minutes, but an NBA game is 48 minutes!

Seeing that Li Ao was happy for a while, then frowned again, Gentry came to him.

He was just hugging and celebrating Li Ao's performance tonight with his assistants and management staff. He was delighted that Li Ao could adapt well to the NBA game. He was excited by Li Ao's talent. However, he saw their talented violent handsome guy frowning ?
"Leo, what are you thinking? Are you still dissatisfied with your performance?"

Li Ao shook his head: "It's not this, I know I'm doing well, I'm thinking about how I can improve my physical strength, I've only been playing for more than 30 minutes and I'm so tired."

Gentry: ( )
(▼ヘ▼#)
(σ-`д)
"You're only 19 years old! Why bother with this!"

(End of this chapter)