From sparring to superstar

Chapter 81 79. Final Four! (full 800 monthly tickets plus more)

The players of the Steam Furnace Workers team were immersed in the passion of their successful tactical run, and their star star was about to hit a three-pointer, when they were suddenly intercepted, no one else reacted, and Cardinal couldn't catch up.

Li Ao rushed to the frontcourt, grabbed the ball with one step outside the free throw line, took two consecutive big strides to close range, took off vigorously, and smashed with a tomahawk!
The fans of the Trojans team who had just been suppressed were instantly ignited. More than [-] people cheered wildly, shouting "Leo" loudly, and the momentum suddenly overtook the opposing fans.

Li Ao's teammates were also very excited, and Bai Mamba, who had just been annoyed by the blacksmithing, immediately cheered up.

So what if he strikes iron?

He has teammates!He is not fighting alone!
He still dared to shoot the next ball!
That's right, the White Mamba found out that their little handsome guy seems to be able to dance better than before?

However, he is in the beautiful 18-year-old youth, and his body has developed a bit, which is normal.

It's just that he's a bit sour, as if his jumping hasn't improved since high school...

With 3 seconds left in the first half, the Steam Furnace Workers sent the ball. Jalan Cornell took two quick dribbles and made a shot at the buzzer in the middle circle...he was slapped by Li Ao, who never let go until the whistle sounded fly.

With steals + dunks + blocks, Li Ao helped the team to overtake the Steam Furnace Workers 43 to 42 and enter the intermission by 1 point!
Now it's John Allison's turn to be annoyed.

Why are you only thinking about three points?
For the ball just now, Li Ao didn't care about the off-ball pick-and-roll at all, and rushed to steal Cardinal. If he didn't just think about throwing a three-pointer, Rodney Smith would have a chance to catch the ball and attack the frame directly.

But I want to think about it this way, but when it comes to the next attack, the players of the Steam Furnace Workers will still choose the most daring attack method.

This is the way of 'coal-powered' steam ovens, go forward bravely and fearlessly!

...

Came back from halftime, and Sam Clancy was all the rage right now.

That guy, I have to beat him again!
The adjustment of the head coach just now allowed Li Ao to reduce the regular time to attack, to respond more, to find a suitable containment position, and to focus on defense.

But Sam Clancy didn't pay attention to one sentence, or chose to ignore it.

When necessary, Li Ao can take the initiative to command his teammates.

When is the moment of necessity?

This Henry Bibby didn't say anything, that is, he gave Li Ao the command on the field in a different direction!

Li Ao didn't question the arrangement of the coaching staff. Looking back on the first half, he felt that this choice was very appropriate.

Now that his teammates can hit regular goals stably, it is indeed a more favorable choice for him to do more things.

He believes in his teammates!
Intermission ends and the second half begins.

The Trojans sent Nate Hale, Li Ao, Sam Clancy, Shelby Jordan, and Brusenthal.

After the game restarted, Li Ao quickly discovered another benefit of the middle-aged Sao Nan's adjustment to his play style-the opponent's emphasis on his defense has increased!
He played 15 minutes in the first half and scored 9 points, not many, but the goals he scored were very important.

The mid-range shot at the start, the 2+1 slam dunk when the opponent was about to overtake the score, the throwing shot when he came back from a 5-minute break in the middle of the offensive and defensive transition, and the foul made two free throws, and the final steal and counter-slam dunk.

In fact, he was 7 of 3 in the half, and his efficiency was mediocre in terms of his style of play, but he couldn't help but impress the opponent with every goal. During the intermission, the Steam Furnace Workers strengthened their defense against him.

This makes Li Ao's adjustment of play more effective!
Finding an opportunity to respond is much easier than finding an opportunity to catch and shoot the ball. He doesn't need to get rid of the opponent's poor rhythm or anything, but actively seeks to switch defenses, look for pincers, and create opportunities for his teammates to eat cakes or play misplaced.

Originally, Henry Bibby’s goal at this stage was to consume the opponent with hand-to-hand combat, and it was enough to continue to cling to the score. As a result, relying on Sam Clancy’s impact at the basket and Brusenthal’s mid-range and short-range shots, they beat each other. An 8-4 start, 51-46, the Trojans took a 5-point lead!
The head coach of the Steam Furnace Workers, Keane Dekay, called a timeout for substitutions and adjusted tactics.

Henry Bibby also made substitutions, praised Sam Clancy, "You are the biggest contributor to the score", and replaced Nate Hale and Sam Clancy with Charles and Granville.

Sam Clancy is used to the role of the chargeman during the rotation stage, and he usually goes up for a few minutes at this time. Today, he was praised, and he sat down cheerfully, and sent a provocative look to Li Ao.

Li Ao: -_-||
This thing is really fooling around.

Back from the timeout, the Steam Oven Workers attack.

Li Ao followed Jalan Cornell, Shelby Jordan followed Cardinal, the Trojans' defensive space was widened, and the Steamer workers' backup point guard Maynard Lewis and backup center Gregg - McQuay went straight to the basket after the pick-and-roll.

McQuay had a shot, Charles was pulled out, Li Ao and Shelby Jordan couldn't shrink in place, Maynard Lewis excitedly went deep into the basket, took off, and he wanted to dunk...

Brusenthal has made a contribution!A slap blocked Maynard Lewis' raised ball, and Li Ao grabbed the rebound.

Obviously he can make a quick layup or a close-range throw, but he has to dunk. He didn't pay attention to Brusenthal, and he was blocked!

This is not a small blow to the players of the Steam Furnace Workers.

When the Trojans attacked, Li Ao noticed that the opponent began to relax their marking on him and strengthened their defense against Brusenthal.

He cut in decisively, Granville passed the ball tacitly, Li Ao came to the basket to receive the ball, McQuay shrank quickly and made up for it, but Li Ao resisted McQuay and raised the ball to hook...

McQuay tried his best to interfere, but it was too short, and he watched Li Ao hit the hook!

麦克维尔是个很优秀的替补中锋，场均8.3分5.5板1.5助攻1抢断，110公斤的体重移动速度却很优秀、补防协防快、挡拆切入强、甚至还有一手31%命中率的三分，所以他去挡拆能轻松把中锋拉出去。

But the problem is that he has a height of 201 cm and a wingspan of 200 cm. Even with a tonnage of 110 kg, he can only stare blankly when the opponent's inside line stops him under the basket.

However, he usually shrinks to withstand other small forwards, and can often rely on his weight and strength to support the opponent's unsteady stand. He never expected that Li Ao could barely hold it!

And this guy looks so immature, but plays so concisely and efficiently, it seems that there is no extra movement at all, he is too mature!

He never thought that Li Ao's playing is simple, because he only knows those simple things...

But when he switched to the coaching staff of the Trojans, what he thought was—playing with his brain!
The attack and defense of the Trojans severely damaged the morale of the Steam Furnace Workers!

With a difference of 7 points, after the Trojans gradually replaced the strongest firepower lineup, it became extremely difficult for the Steam Furnace Workers to overtake the score again.

After Li Ao scored two points, he began to switch his supporting style of play to reduce the consumption on the offensive end, because the opponent paid more attention to his defense.

His simple offensive method, from the long two-point coverage to the effective scoring area under the basket, the players of the Steam Furnace Workers can't tell when he will take the initiative to attack, so they can only keep watching.

When the Trojans deployed the strongest lineup of Granville, Trepagnier, Li Ao, White Mamba, and Brusenthal, the Steam Furnace Workers fought back and could only play well There is a return.

Fighting against such a strong opponent, Li Ao learned a lot and enriched his style of play.

At 14 minutes and 32 seconds into the second half, the Trojans attacked.

The Steam Furnace Workers team is taking extra precautions, because they are really dangerous now!

76 to 84, they are already 8 points behind.

There are more than 5 minutes left in the time, the single-digit point difference, and there is still hope. The point difference reaches double digits. With the strength of the opposing Trojans, they themselves think it is impossible.

Li Ao flanked the white mamba to pick and roll, and the opponent switched defenses very quickly and was extremely active.

Granville didn't play this sudden point + flank pick-and-roll combination, but it doesn't matter, the 35-second attack time is only halfway through.

Li Ao continued to run. He watched the opponent's defensive position and movement, and came up with an idea, let's try it!Anyway, they take the initiative.

He was beckoning for the ball while running toward the top arc.

Although Granville was puzzled, he protected the ball well, and when Li Ao made a braking action, he immediately passed the ball.

McQuay, who was at the top of the power forward position, switched to Li Ao when he was defending the pick-and-roll just now. Seeing Li Ao running towards the top arc, he hesitated for a second and chose to follow.

Seeing Li Ao catch the ball from the top arc, McQuay remembered that the scout report said that the opponent had no three-point ability, and he had never seen the opponent hit a three-pointer in the video.

However, Li Ao scored several key goals earlier. At this point in time, in such a situation, McQuay can only choose to follow up. If the opponent makes a three-pointer this time, they will be finished.

On Granville's side, after the ball was passed, his first thought was 'what am I supposed to do next? ', confused for a moment, he chose to go around the bottom corner, and then run back for a short distance, as he usually does when Brusenthal close-range singles or Trepagnier flank singles.

However, he successfully ran back and left behind Carson Cunningham who was chasing him. He didn't see his teammates on the other side of the three-second zone when he ran like this. He felt lonely when he ran, and the opportunity came. Yes, but there is no ball...the ball is coming!

Granville suddenly saw the ball appear on the left front floor and bounced in front of him. He subconsciously exploded and stepped forward to catch the ball.

John Allison under the basket immediately rushed forward, Glanville grinned and threw the shot, John Allison struggled to take off, but still failed to touch the ball.

Glanville's small tosser arced extremely high and came down...into the box!
At the same time as the goal was scored, John Allison, who had confiscated his feet, threw the grinning Glanville to the ground. The two screamed at the same time because of the pain of the bump. The big man with 208 cm and the small man with 175 cm, This posture, this voice, this picture is so beautiful...

The people around forgot to help people for a moment.

Li Ao couldn't stand it anymore, stepped forward and pulled John Allison away, and asked, "Are you all right, Brandon?"

Seeing the other party gritted his teeth but nodded, Li Ao lifted Granville up and put him down.

Li Ao's action of pulling John Allison away made the players of the Steam Furnace Workers team who had already opened up to 10 points due to the point difference burn with anger, but seeing Li Ao picking up his teammates like a baby...

Listening to the laughter from the fans at the scene, well, they think that John Allison is not that miserable, and John Allison, who was the most angry, is not angry anymore.

John Allison recalled a famous scene he saw two days ago - Li Ao almost knocked down the strongest scorer in the pac10 league, but he protected the opponent, but when he stabilized the opponent, it was Lift the opponent directly and put them on the ground to stand firm.

He was fortunate that he was so big that the other party couldn't lift him up, otherwise he would have died.

The referee saw that the two were fine. Although the scene just now was funny, he was professional and signaled Granville to make a free throw.

Granville is used to it, and it's not the first time. This is an away game, and there are outsiders, and the fans of their team laughed more restrainedly.

At home, the laughter was deafening.

Granville walked to the free throw line, the fans cheered and booed, and Li Ao picked him up. He hit 2+1. The excitement and pain brought by his upper body faded a lot, and he calmly added a penalty... Come in too!
87 to 76, the Trojans led by 11 points!
For the first time in this game, the point difference reached double digits, which was a huge blow to the players of the lagging Steamworkers.

But this team is really tough!

At this time, they tried their best to defend and failed to defend, and the point difference was widened, but they still did not give up. Instead, they tried their best to launch a final counterattack. With that momentum, it felt that the point difference was not 11 points, but 1 point. It's like being able to overtake.

But the Trojans had known this characteristic of the opponent for a long time, and they paid special attention to it. They did not relax after leading by 11 points, and followed suit with all their strength.

蒸汽炉工人队先打出了一波6比3，但紧接着特洛伊人队就还了一波7比4，比分来到86比97。

When it came time for the Stove Workers to attack, Jalan Cornell hit a single three-pointer against Trey Pagnier's defense. The score came to 89 to 97, with 1 minute left, and they still didn't give up!
However, when the Trojans attacked, Li Ao caught the ball and turned around and made a mid-range shot. With 58 seconds left, the point difference came back to 10 points!
The Steam Furnace Workers team wanted to defend the ball and counterattack, but in the end they made a tactical foul. They had already made 7 fouls, and they just had to foul the opponent's player with the worst free throws.

But Li Ao hit the ball and killed the opponent's last hope!

The last tens of seconds passed quickly. Before the final whistle sounded, Cardinal threw the last shot of his college career directly from his own three-point line to the opposite basket. ...

With the long whistle at the end of the game, the ball actually hit the backboard and bounced into the frame, causing the audience to exclaim.

However, this has no effect on the outcome of the game.

靠着李敖的18分5助攻、白曼巴的21分、格兰维尔的9分7助攻3抢断、布鲁森塔尔的16分9板2助攻……特洛伊人队以102比94力克蒸汽炉工人队！

The Trojans fans cheered wildly, shouting "We want a championship", "The Trojans are about to be great"... But the voice was drowned out by the fans of the Steamer Workers.

The Steam Furnace Workers team, which brings together fans from major cities in Indiana, is very unwilling now!

They have a chance!If they have the opportunity to return to their home city to play the final four games, they have the strength to win the championship!

However, it was a little bit, every time the overtake was a little bit, every time it was going to start, it was a little bit.

When the big screen was placed on Li Ao, the boos and curses of the Steam Furnace Workers fans reached a boiling point!

This crazy momentum shocked the Trojans fans.

It's too crazy!
But it was embarrassing to the Steamers players, who felt like they were being booed.

As for the Trojans players, if they were booed, they would be booed, they won!

How to celebrate how to celebrate!
However, seeing the two teammates walking towards the middle of the court, the Trojans players and coaches became restless.

Shouldn't...

Vaco!

When the two came to the venue, one waved his arms upwards, shouting "Speak up, haven't you eaten?", and the other acted to listen.

The fans of the Trojans exploded instantly, cheering wildly.

The boos and curses of the steam furnace workers team were overtaken!However, they were mainly surprised by the actions of the two people on the court, which was the first time they encountered such a situation.

When they reacted, they were going crazy with anger!

The teammates hurriedly dragged the two coquettish teammates away, and the scene was about to riot!

...

In a coffee shop near the Energy Solutions Arena, Vivienne, Liam, and a mature and charming young lady sat together to eat.

The main reason was that Vivienne, who was hungry, was eating because he yelled too hard in this game.

She swallowed the last bite of steak, wiped her mouth, and said: "Thanks to my quick response, I called you to go together, otherwise, people at Purdue University are so crazy today, even if Liam, you can run faster than dogs, I guess you will also be beaten."

"Am I afraid of them? I want to hit ten!" Liam retorted on the spot.

However, even though he said so, he was still quite afraid. It was not that he had never fought before, and it was not that he had never been beaten before.

But I just made an appointment with a mature young lady, and it would be embarrassing if I was beaten face to face.

Seeing someone outside, Vivian didn't poke Liam's hide. Suddenly, she found that someone was missing, and asked, "Where did Jessica go?"

Liam replied: "She said she went back to the hotel first, you may not have heard it because you were too absorbed in eating."

"Oh... No! When I picked her up at noon, she said she hadn't booked a hotel yet!"

Vivienne and Liam looked at each other, the soul of gossip was burning!

"Could it be... Liam, I'm going back to the hotel, how about you?"

"I'm going too... Wait, Sabella, let's watch the excitement together?"

A young lady named Sabella, who graduated from Southern University ten years ago, is doing a small business in this city. When she heard the anecdote that she could watch the stars of her alma mater's basketball team, she immediately agreed.

The three of them hurried back to the hotel and asked the front desk, but Li Ao hadn't come back yet.

The three of them waited in the corner holding a newspaper to cover their bodies. They didn't wait long, and they saw Li Ao returning to the hotel early, followed by Jessica who was eating dinner and leaving early!

　Ask for a monthly ticket, ask for a recommendation ticket!The recommended ticket is still close to 1W, and there is more to add~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)