Legendary star

Chapter 421 New Season

"James, pay attention to fill the position, NN is watching your defender, don't miss someone." On October 2002, 10, in the preseason game between the Pacers and the Heat, Meng Xu pointed at the tactical board while holding the tactical board. There was loud yelling in the arena.Due to Larry Bird's physical discomfort, all the Pacers' preseason games this year were led by assistant coach Lester Conor. O'Neal, Reggie Miller, Mutombo and others seldom play. A game can only be played for 16 minutes at most. Meng Xu even plays for a symbolic ten minutes. In his spare time, sitting on the sidelines is a little bit The boring Meng Xu also cameo as an assistant coach, snatched the tactical board from Lester Connell, and took over the command of the game.

"Leicester, the rookies on our team this year are very good." Before the end of the third quarter, the Pacers led the Heat by nearly 3 points. Therefore, as the "coach", Meng Xu is in a good mood now .

"Yeah, Larry's eyes are still as good as ever. Maybe this season, we can really successfully defend the title." Lester Conor, who was sitting on the sidelines, nodded towards Meng Xu after hearing Meng Xu's words. , The Pacers have brought a lot of newcomers this summer, Mutombo who joined as a free agent, Hamilton who was traded, and two rookies NN-Hilario, and Tyshawn-Prince, their The performances are very good, not only quickly integrated into the team, but also played very well in the summer league and preseason.Although the new season has not yet started, the current media agree that the Lakers will regain their championship in the new season, especially the media in Los Angeles, even shouting to break the Bulls' regular season record of 72 wins and 10 losses.As for the defending champion Pacers?Who are they? In front of a team composed of four superstars, any team is the end of the mantis.And with these newly joined players, one by one performed better than the other. Compared with last season, the Pacers' lineup depth and team strength have also been greatly improved. It's the opening game, and it's time to wrestle with this "historical team" in the media's mouth.

After Mutombo came to the team, he quickly completed a seamless connection with Jermaine O'Neal. The inside combination of the two showed absolute dominance in the preseason. In 20 minutes of playing time , two people can work together to contribute more than 5 blocks. Although they have not yet competed with the Lakers, but in the face of the Pistons who have been suppressing the Pacers' inside line last season, the Pacers have the upper hand. Clifford - The inside combination of Robinson and Ben Wallace was completely suppressed by Mutombo and Jermaine O'Neal.

Not only Mutombo, but Hamilton, who was traded from the Wizards, averaged 19 points per game when Meng Xu rarely played, becoming the Pacers' top scorer in the preseason. Hamilton's The style of play is almost exactly the same as Reggie Miller. He does not need the ball, has first-class off-ball running ability, and can adapt to any tactics of the team. Whether it is around Meng Xu or around Jermaine O'Neal, he can adapt well.And Hamilton's defense is also very good. Although like Reggie Miller, Hamilton does not have excellent physical fitness, but relying on tireless running, excellent position sense and anticipation ability, almost no one can easily get rid of Hamilton's close defense.In addition to slightly worse hit rate, Hamilton can replace Reggie Miller's role in the Pacers.

As for this year's two rookies, NN-Hilaryo and Tayshaun Prince, apart from the lack of game experience, they have fully adapted to the rhythm of the NBA game. NN-Hilario has excellent physical fitness and footwork. Flexible, and has a very good sense of rebounding. Although he will not be able to take on any important responsibilities in the Pacers for a while, but in a few seasons, NN-Hilario can grow into a very good insider. In Bird's plan, first let NN-Hilary serve as a substitute for Mutombo for a few seasons, and then wait until Mutombo is unbearable, NN-Hilario is replacing Mutombo, the Pacers The inside line also successfully completed the replacement of the old and the new.And Tyshawn Prince, who was almost picked up for nothing, has a good 3-pointer, although he doesn't have many offensive methods, which is very suitable for the Pacers' current tactical system.And Tyshawn Prince's defense is also very good. He and James Posey are completely two styles of defenders. Posey has excellent physical fitness and first-class defensive awareness. However, Posey has little advantage when defending a super scorer like Kobe and a shooter like Reggie Miller Hamilton who does not need to hold the ball, while Tyshawn Prince is completely another This style, super long wingspan, excellent speed and flexibility, coupled with excellent running and jumping, Tayshaun Prince is simply a nightmare for outside shooters like Reggie Miller and Hamilton, a season for the Pacers and Bucks In the previous game, Ray Allen was 11 of 2 from the field when he was defended by Tyshawn Prince.

"Yeah" and Lester Conor looked at each other and smiled, and Meng Xu sat down on the seat next to Lester Conor. Originally, with the continuous reinforcement of the Lakers and the formation of an unprecedentedly powerful F4, The haze that was hanging over the Pacers was swept away with the Pacers' outstanding performance in the preseason.

Of course, the Pacers are not without problems now. After Mutombo and Hamilton joined, the Pacers’ starting lineup changed a lot last season. Lorenzen White was pushed to the bench. Jimmy Le has also become a false starter, so after replacing the two starting Pacers, it needs to be re-run. Fortunately, Mutombo said that as a defensive center, the Pacers themselves do not need him to score, as long as he can play The defensive end completes its own tasks, and it is enough to share the pressure for Jermaine O'Neal.And Hamilton, perhaps from the core of the team to the second in command, and then abandoned by the team, after being traded to the Pacers, he is not even the third child. The huge psychological gap has brought a lot of psychological pressure to Hamilton, so Although Hamilton completed the training sessions conscientiously and meticulously implemented the arrangements of the head coach no matter whether it was on the training ground or on the field, anyone with a discerning eye can see that Hamilton's spirit is obviously not high now, and there is also a lot of tension between him and his teammates. Less communication, perhaps in Hamilton's view, after the Pacers finish this season and the contract ends, he may leave.

On October 10, the last preseason game between the Pacers and the Cavaliers ended. The Pacers won all 23 preseason games. Looking forward to the new season.With the end of the preseason, the 8-2002 NBA regular season will also kick off. On October 2003, the Pacers will sit at home and face the first opponent of the new season, the Los Angeles Lakers.

(End of this chapter)