From sparring to superstar

Chapter 335
To deceive Big Q... No, it's just to appease him. The deal has already happened. We can't let his old teammates go to the next city in frustration. The contract year is about to come, so Big Q has to be able to stand up next season.

After leaving Da Q's house, Li Ao went to Jaylon Collins' house to chat with his teammate.

It's always hard to let go of a teammate who won the first championship together when he was traded away.

The next time they meet on the court, they will be rivals.

After getting this done, Li Ao continued to devote himself to training...

Time came to August 8th, at a private basketball gym in Los Angeles, the annual 'Kobe Bryant Training Camp' began.

Li Ao finally met his new teammates and almost burst out saying "We were already the championship before you came here", but luckily he held it in.

Kidd feels very complicated now, and he actually became teammates with this guy.

He didn't want to admit it, but for the past 20 days or so, he had been so excited just thinking about being teammates with the big spider that he couldn't sleep.

Look at the players in front of you, Li Ao, O'Neal Jr., Odom, Gerald Wallace, Matt Halprin, Yalic...

When has he ever fought such a rich battle!
Die, Duncan!Don’t be soft next season 1
Kobe and Payton looked at the group of people with their arms akimbo, wondering whether to call the Sharks to support the scene.

But think about it and forget it, don’t tire out Pangpang.

Also, I heard that Pangpang is struggling with his appetite. If he is called for training, it will be like giving him an excuse to eat openly.

After getting acquainted with Kidd again, Li Ao continued to invest in training, mainly practicing three-pointers, mid-range shots, and passing and controlling. After the big guys' training, he went to Kobe to learn the singles rhythm and occasionally sparred.

In fact, Jordan said he could teach him skills this summer, but he refused.

He felt that Boss Qiao wanted to delay him.

Jordan, who was transforming into a boss, said that he hoped to see his Spider-Man win three consecutive championships, so he just listened. There was no telling what this guy was thinking.

Li Ao didn't care what Jordan thought specifically. Anyway, he heard Jordan say that, so he made malicious speculations.

After all, Boss Qiao’s amazing teaching ability...

The new Kidd had little impact on the training of his teammates. He practiced his basic skills by himself. After training, he watched the training of his new teammates and understood their technical movements.

He has never been good at coaching his teammates. At most, he can give guidance on the passing training of his substitutes. However, Jaric is a player from the former Yugoslavia and has very solid basic passing skills, so he has no need to teach him.

The Clippers players are training hard and improving day by day, and the management and coaching staff are also busy, busier than ever.

The summer signing plan was disrupted. Although the final signing result was better than expected and a superstar was welcomed, it was already mid-August and their main lineup had not yet been assembled.

After the introduction of Kidd, including the newly selected Kapono, they only have 8 people left in the team.

At that time, it was already late July, and most of the high-quality free agents had already been snatched up by various teams.

After they introduced Kidd, other strong teams became more active in competing for the few remaining high-quality free agents and raised prices crazily.

The transaction was also not smooth. The first reason was that they had no leverage, unless they used Odom and O'Neal Jr. to split the change. But these two people had just completed the signing and were still in the protection period. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't split it. Moreover, They were reluctant to dismantle it.

Another reason is related to their introduction of Kidd. They have won two consecutive championships. Now that they have added an MVP-level superstar, other teams are even less willing to help them, even if it is a weak ball. Team, in the face of their inquiries, they also asked for prices.

The Clippers management can only start the 'rag picking' mode. Fortunately, they have freed up some salary space before. When they introduced Kidd, they provided enough players and did not affect that part of the space. At the center position, Well done on recruiting.

Signed 600 second-round center Pedegra Drobiak for $01 million over two years.

Signed Robert Traylor for $1 million in one year.

The common characteristic of the two insiders is that they are strong!

and slow.

Drobiak is 211 centimeters and 122 kilograms. The player selected by the SuperSonics in the second round in 01 did not match the average annual quotation of US$300 million. For non-championship teams, paying US$200 million is too expensive.

Robert Traylor, nicknamed Tractor, is 206 centimeters tall and weighs 129 kilograms. His highest career achievement is becoming a bargaining chip in the Nowitzki trade.

Li Ao felt very complicated when he knew that these two people had been introduced.

These two centers are not as effective as Jaylon Collins in regular games, right?

Not counting rookie Kapono, their main lineup has 7 players, emmm...the ultimate version of the Kings?A more extreme style of play than last season's Lakers?

The mood is very complicated, so let’s blame Kidd first!You can't blame yourself.

However, although his mood is a bit complicated, he is not anxious. He has won two consecutive championships. This situation is normal. Their lineup... is better than the depth of the Lakers in the 01-02 season.

...

Four weeks passed quickly, 'Kobe Bryant Training Camp' ended, and it was mid-September.

After an offseason of hard training, Li Ao's three-point shooting improved to 90, his catch-and-turn shooting improved to 93, and his catch-and-shoot jump shot improved to 91... What excites him most is that the mid-range shot finally moved and improved to 93. [-]!

The overall rating also successfully broke through the top, and even took an extra nod, reaching 91.

He estimated that this was related to his ball control improving to 82. He estimated that his singles breakthrough points with the ball should be better than their leading point guard.

Just so confident.

In the new season, he already has a direction to improve his face-to-face ball-holding offense - continue to strengthen the three-threat style of play and develop mid-to-long-range singles and step-back shots.

With his static conditions and rhythmic flow lines, these techniques are very suitable.

Also, in the original time and space, these technologies had been developed to the extreme 20 years later. He was impressed enough to know more ways to use them.

After a day of rest, on September 9th, Li Ao came to Memorial Stadium and met several new teammates. Three days ago, on the 14th, after they signed Bobby Simmons with a minimum salary of US$3 million over two years, The roster has reached 11 people, and the signings are finally over.

He heard Gentry say that their next goal is to collect 20 training camp contracts. These training camp contract players are not randomly found. They have to sign at least one player from them to complete the 1-man roster. Complete registration for the new season.

Bobby Simmons, a second-round pick in the 01 class, is 201 centimeters tall and weighs 95 kilograms. He can play two positions: shooting guard and small forward. He has good athletic ability and diligent defense, but his offense is too poor, only 39% last season. ’s shooting percentage, averaging 3.4 points per game.

This player Li Ao has an impression and will receive the Most Improved Award in the future.

He guessed that Bobby Simmons was so depressed during his rookie contract that it was because his teammate at the same position was Hamilton. He didn't get much playing time at all, so his progress was naturally very slow.

Matt Barnes, the second-round pick of the Grizzlies in 02 by the man with the logo, was later taken away by the Cavaliers in a trade. The Cavaliers did not sign a contract with him, gave up the draft rights, and went for a walk in South America. This summer, he came to Los Angeles for a trial training and was spotted by Gentry.

How can Li Ao feel about these two new teammates...it's very complicated.

In two or three years, after two or three years of training, these two people will become good players. Now... they just make up the roster.

The last one is finally a real signing - Li Ao's old rival, Eddie House.

Eddie House has performed very well for the Heat over the past three years, certainly as a relief pitcher.

Last season, Eddie House averaged 8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Like his senior year, COSCO shot accurately and had certain passing ability.

The disadvantage is that he is relatively short and can only play point guard. He cannot guard anyone on his own, especially those violent combo guards in recent years who cannot be guarded at all. He is not tall enough for team defense.

But the price is cheap, $3 million over three years.

After Li Ao exchanged greetings with his new teammates, he came to the lounge and thought about the current lineup.

Point guards: Kidd, Jaric, Eddie House.

Shooting Guards: Li Ao, Bobby Simmons.

Small forward: Gerald Wallace, Matt Barnes, Kapono.

Power forward: Matt Halprin, Odom.

Center: O'Neal Jr., Drobiak, Robert Traylor.

Only 8 people, including him, Kidd, Jaric, Eddie House, Gerald Wallace, Matt Halprin, Odom, and O'Neal, are sure to be able to fight. The others , we can only watch it in the new season.

In Kidd's eyes, he has never fought such a rich battle since he had the ability to lead the team on his own. There are people in every position. Even the weakest small forward position, Gerald Wallace, is talented. Top talent.

But here in Li Ao... what the hell!

His team's lineup has never been so carefully searched!
If nothing else, we will have to work on defense in the new season...

...

A week later, on September 9, the Clippers gathered to start training camp.

Li Ao met several temporary teammates with training camp contracts, and several veterans he knew.Glenn Rice played 62 games with the Rockets last season, averaging 9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game and shooting 39.8% from three-point range.

Initially, Glen Rice's intended team was the Lakers, but the Lakers chose Wesley Person instead of him.

Li Ao felt like he was being used as a spare tire... Maybe this is why their team didn't immediately guarantee the contract for this veteran?
That's right, the championship team still has to be a little arrogant.

Alden Polynis and Doug Overton are two veterans who entered the NBA in the late 80s and early 90s. Their performance last season was not that good. It can only be said that they have rich game experience.

There is another person that Li Ao has an impression of. Randy Livingston of the 96 golden generation is not a man who looks exactly like Karen Mok. He is an ordinary second-round pick in the 96 class. He cannot be said to be old. He is 28 years old and is in his prime, but his strength is not good. There are more injuries.

After analyzing it, Li Ao patted his junior brother on the shoulder and said: "Gerrard, I can only rely on you on the forward and defensive lines in the new season."

The junior brother's body was shocked. Has he finally been recognized by his senior brother and become his trusted player?
The first day of testing, the second day, Gentry began to lead the team training.

Just as Li Ao thought, Gentry made huge changes to the tactical framework this year.

With Kidd joining, regular tactics must revolve around Kidd, and defensive counterattacks have become the focus of their training camp.

The distribution of playing time has also undergone huge changes-concentrated on the eight main players.

The biggest change - O'Neal Jr. has to take on more responsibilities, and he himself is quite excited about it.

The two consecutive defending champions have made restructuring changes to their playing style. This is the first time in NBA history, and the process is not so smooth.

With Kidd, a strong defensive point guard, even the defensive system had to be rebuilt. During the training camp, the entire Clippers team felt one thing - not enough time!
They have encountered a problem - Kidd and Li Ao are both better than Gerald Wallace in top arc single defense, but Gerald Wallace's defensive talent is there, perhaps better than Kidd and Li Ao. He had to be strong but had to give him a chance. This made Gentry hesitate for several days. Finally, he decided to give the role of the first defensive point on the outside to Gerald Wallace.

Making such a choice is as difficult as the original decision to let O'Neal take the traditional center route and let Odom play the sixth man.

But this time he had to be much more decisive, and Gentry made his decision within a few days.

Two consecutive championships have given him enough confidence to not limit his sights to the immediate future, but to the longer-term future.

Two weeks passed quickly. The framework of Gerald Wallace's single defense from the top of the arc, Kidd and Matt Halprin's flank defense, Li Ao's tandem defense, and O'Neal's frame protection had just been set up. It's preseason.

The actual training finally came. The Clippers played in the first two games of the preseason... It's hard to describe.

Although Kidd's ball holding rate is lower than Bibby's, his presence in regular time is too strong. Although he does not hold the ball for a long time, his control of the ball is much better than Bibby's.

Not to mention that O'Neal Jr., Matt Halprin, and Odom were not able to adapt, even Li Ao, who is known as the "most versatile player in the league," couldn't cooperate in the first round.

It's not that Kidd's leadership ability is bad, but that the Clippers have been the most successful team in the NBA in the past two years. The players' cooperation habits have been solidified, and he needs time to integrate his basketball concepts into this team.

Fortunately, Gentry was very courageous. He put aside the offensive coordination first, coached the defensive counterattack, and solved the easiest part first.

Kidd is no longer as young and energetic as he once was. He was beaten by the Magic for two consecutive years. He clearly realized that he alone could not even touch the floor of the Finals.

He knows that not only does his teammates need to adapt to him, but he also needs to adjust his offensive organization according to the playing habits of his teammates.

This is not a team like the Nets where every player was chosen just for him and he was immediately able to capitalize on his abilities, but a team built around other people.

The eight preseason games passed quickly, and the whole Clippers team felt again - how could time fly by so fast.

Their defensive cooperation has just found a feeling, and the preseason is over. The intensity of the regular season games is much higher than that of the preseason, and the difficulty of running in will increase again.

Kidd, the newcomer, should be the most anxious one.

Before he came, this team won two consecutive championships. If the team's strength drops too much after he comes, wouldn't the blame be his?

And Spider-Man's bad mouth has been irritating him a lot these days.

But just when he was anxious and anxious, Li Ao said to him: "Why are you panicking? Since now is our most difficult time, it means that the situation will not get worse. As long as we can make progress, then it will be It's getting better day by day, don't worry, I'm here, if the offense is not going well, just give me the ball and I will throw it in."

Kidd finally understood why the big spider could thrive in the team despite having such a bad mouth. The old players on this team had great trust in him. Even O'Neal, who said he wanted to steal the boss, Consider it the backbone.

When something goes wrong, Spider-Man really rushes to the front to shoulder the pressure!
This feeling of someone carrying the burden was the first time in Kidd's basketball career. He calmed down again and devoted himself to every training. He took the time to understand the playing styles of his teammates and adjust his own offensive methods...

Of the seven players with training camp contracts, as Li Ao expected, only the veteran Glenn Rice was left.

After Wally Walker held it for a month, he gave Glenn Rice a one-year veteran's minimum salary contract with a reluctant expression, which was regarded as helping the big boss save face.

At the beginning, they were competing with the Lakers at the same time for Wesley Persson and Glenn Rice. In the end, these two people left them hanging and considered the Lakers first, which made Ballmer so angry that he smashed his water glass. .

Now that Glenn Rice has been left out for a month, Ballmer finally calmed down.

This can be regarded as suppressing the arrogance of the veteran Glenn Rice.

As the former 'second shooting guard in the league', Glenn Rice was selected to the second team in the 96-97 season. He was second only to Jordan among all shooting guards. He was a very proud player and always put on a show during the training camp. With the attitude of "I eat more salt than you eat rice", I rely on my old age to show off my old age.

After being idle for a while, in the preseason, Glen Rice's attitude became much more correct.

On October 10, the Clippers' regular season opener arrived.

Clippers players and fans are very sorry that this year's opening game opponent is not their next door neighbor, but the Magic, their two consecutive finals opponent.

There are laws in history - prosperity and decline.

The Magic made it to the Finals for two consecutive years, and in the second year they just missed out on winning the championship. For most teams, this is definitely the 'peak', and the Magic are the majority of them. one of them.

The Magic lost Clifford Robinson in the offseason, and the team's defense suffered a big blow.

However, this loss was within control. Cassel successfully renewed his contract with a two-year contract worth US$2 million. The outside pillar of the offensive end was retained, allowing McGrady to play small forward and be responsible for the series defense.

Rivers did the same thing. In the preseason, he put Mike Miller on the bench as the sixth man, and used Keith Bogans, a mature swingman selected in the second round this year, as the starting shooting guard.

In terms of system construction, Rivers is still very good.

But the management couldn't stand it and after the team became prosperous, they started to make another showy move - signing Juwan Howard with a full mid-level salary of US$6 million in 3561 years.

Juwan Howard averaged 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists per game for the Nuggets last season. The mid-level contract is definitely not a loss. It is indeed a lucrative signing based on his strength.

But he is not suitable for McGrady and Duncan. The two have never paired up with a power forward with such poor defense.

Moreover, Juwan Howard likes to sit and play in the low post. In the preseason, he often moved his position and collided with Duncan...

The two finals teams last season are facing huge challenges in the new season. In contrast, the Clippers, whose lineup is deeply exhausted, are in a better situation.

Gentry has a clear direction to adjust, but it just takes time to do it slowly.

Rivers was confused by the management. It would be fine to give the entire middle class to a blue-collar insider with less strength. It doesn't matter if he can't score, but he just created a defensive black hole with a core scorer's style. Anyway, from the early stage It took more than a month from the beginning of training camp to the start of the regular season, and he didn't know how to deal with this top scorer.

At 8 p.m., the finals between the Clippers and Magic begin.

The new Kidd is playing very hard!

Not only because he is new and will be the one to take the blame if he loses, but also because he saw 6 old teammates who stayed on the team, the God of Basketball and others get championship rings... and the opponent in front of him is the one who has been in the past two games. Kill their enemies in the Eastern Conference Finals!

首节20比18、第二节25比19，快船队防守反击打得飞起，半场以45比37领先魔术队8分！
During the defensive counterattack, Li Ao's quick line selection, judgment of his teammates' movement lines, and timing of the ball distribution... all made Kidd's eyes shine!
What amazed Kidd the most was that after his teammates received Li Ao's transfer ball, their shooting rhythm seemed to have improved.

Isn't this the core of the striker that perfectly suits him?
More suitable than the original Marion!

In fact, Li Ao had already shown such ability in the preseason, but at that time their lineup was messy, and the effect of his playing like this was not good. In the regular season, the main rotation of 8 people, plus Kapono and Kapono, who had good combat ability, With Bobby Simmons starting to realize his talent in a better tactical role, the effect has soared!

This relies on Li Ao's excellent counterattack awareness and the bonus of 'Insight Level 3'!

"Insight Level 3: When the host performs tactical movements, the tactical awareness is improved. If the host chooses to pass the ball after receiving the ball during the tactical movement, the concentration is improved. If the teammates get open shooting opportunities through the host's support, the rhythm of catching and shooting will be improved. .”

After Kidd joined in late July, Li Ao began to think about how to cooperate with Kidd. This skill that was of little use last season came into his sight.

Tonight, he confirmed that he and Kidd are a good match, a perfect match!

Entering the intermission, the two of them looked at each other, almost like a bastard looking at a mung bean...

In the third quarter, the Magic began to exert their strength, with Cassell, Duncan, and McGrady taking turns.

Cassell, who turns 34 in half a month, seems to be stronger than last season. Duncan and McGrady also performed very solid offensively. The three led the team to score 30 points in a single quarter, defeating the Clippers' defense.

But with the three of them playing like this, the Magic's strongest point last season - stability, collapsed!

Kidd's general tactical plan is not as good as Gentry's, but his on-the-spot command ability is better than Gentry's head coach. He constantly launches counterattacks and rushes even when he tries to counterattack.

The effect is quite good!
The Magic's three major stars focused on offense and could maintain their retreat speed at the beginning. However, as the offensive end became more and more consumed, the defense became messy. In the first half of the quarter, the Magic led 15 to 11 by 4 points, narrowing the total point difference to 5 points, but in the second half of the quarter, the Clippers scored 20-15!
The Clippers scored 31 points in the third quarter and continued to expand their lead at halftime!
Although the Magic relied on their stronger star players to score 25 to 19 in the final quarter, the Clippers were unable to counterattack in the final quarter. Their singles were not as accurate as Cassel and Duncan, but the lead was large enough. , endure it slowly and keep your advantage until the end!
邓肯31分12板2助攻、卡塞尔22分6助攻、麦迪18分7板5助攻、朱万-霍华德10分……不敌27分5板6助攻的李敖、17分6板8助攻的基德、15分9板的小奥尼尔、8分9板3助攻的奥多姆、替补上场投进了3个三分球的埃迪-豪斯！

95 to 92, the Clippers defeated the Magic and won the opening game!
(End of this chapter)