basketball court controller

Chapter 5 Old Bird, Thank You for the Hospitality

How to prepare for the new season, under the supervision of "Iron Coach" Pat Riley, the Miami Heat players are training and training desperately.

The team's tactics are not complicated, with Alonzo Mourning as the core, emphasizing physical confrontation and defense.

Training, going home to sleep, training, Zhang Chen's life during this period was simpler than when he was in school.

He also kept a low profile when he was in the team. He has suffered too much and doesn't want to repeat the same mistakes.

On February 1999, 2, the hastily started NBA game started in full swing. The Miami Heat's first opponent in the regular season was the very troublesome Detroit Pistons.

After the disbandment of the "Bad Boys", the Detroit Pistons have been fighting, but the strength of the Pistons' front and back line is very good. One of the "Jordan successors", Grant Hill, who was in the first team in the league last season, can basically explode. In addition to the Heat's forward and defensive line, plus Jerry Stackhouse and Lindsay Hunter who were playing in their prime, Joe Dumars, one of the members of the "Bad Boys Corps" at the time, is old, but It can also create threats.

In the first game of the regular season, Pat Riley chose Heat veteran Keith Askins to replace Jamal Mashburn in the starting lineup. The Heat's starting lineup became Tim Hardaway, Keith Askins Skins, Dan Marley, PJ Brown and Alonzo Mourning.

The Pistons started with a small lineup of Lindsey Hunter, Joe Dumars, Jerry Stackhouse, Grant Hill and Bison Dele.

The inside line could not stop Alonzo Mourning, and the Pistons chose to interact with the Heat.

At the beginning of the game, the Heat got the ball, and Mourning opened the prelude to the Heat's attack in the new season with a mid-range.

But Grant Hill immediately fought back. Even the defensive experts in the NBA couldn't contain this versatile forward, let alone the devastated front line of the Heat.

From the very beginning, the Heat's forward and defensive lines were scrambled. Although Mourning was on the inside, the battle was often resolved on the outside.

The score only took the lead once at the beginning, and then it has been behind.

Pat Riley pulled a face, standing on the scene and shouting constantly.

"Wonderful disguise, wonderful mid-range shot, Grant Hill's performance is as good as ever, the Heat's perimeter can't give him the slightest pressure, look, Tim Hardaway is 33 years old, Dan Marley is 34 years old, They can't hold up the Heat's perimeter anymore."

"Mashburn is injured again. Pat Riley should find a more reliable helper for Mourning. This tough guy is in a hard fight."

Facing the one-sided situation, the commentator thought of a way.

Zhang Chen was sitting off the court anxious. It was the first time he was sitting on the bench in an NBA game. He was eager to play against those strong players. He liked basketball. He just liked the feeling of sweating and fighting against strong players.

But assistant coach Stan Van Gundy called out Terry Porter and Clarence Witherspoon.

These two are the kind of immediate combat power that can provide firepower on the court. It's just that although the two are not rookies, they only joined the Miami Heat this season. They are not familiar with the team's tactical system and other members.

After the substitute lineup came on the field, the Heat played even more chaotically.

Throughout the first half, Zhang Chen watched the team get into trouble from the sidelines, "Coach Van Gundy, can I get a chance to play?" Ask Pat Riley directly. Zhang Chen didn't dare to speak to the assistant coach. .

"Don't worry, coach Pat Riley has his own arrangements." Big Van Gundy said calmly, he can't decide this matter at all, unless he becomes the head coach like his younger brother Jeff Van Gundy.

At the end of the first half, the Heat trailed by 16 points, Pat Riley was very angry, "Do you think that kid scored 40 points on your head, or 50 points, stick it up, stick it up for me, even if you get passed It doesn't matter, there is Alonzo at the basket, don't tell me that you have no energy after resting for more than half a year, if you can't keep up with your opponent in the first game, all you have to do is to practice more..."

In the second half, the Heat's players became more active defensively, but the pit had already been buried.

The time for substitutions was approaching, and the Heat still hadn't improved much. The point difference had been fluctuating around 16 points. Head coach Pat Riley explained to Stan Van Gundy, and Zhang Chen finally heard the call.

He stood up excitedly and showed the No. 10 team uniform in his coat. He chose No. 10, a niche number in basketball, because Zhang Chen liked the animation of Slam Dunk.

While everyone was not paying attention, he secretly let the system use the props drawn in the lottery worth 10 system points, the crazy shooting card (shooting ability increased to 99 in one game, only used in the regular season).

Most of the substitute lineup are new players, and there is no tactical system. Pat Riley only ordered four words, "Do your best to score."

Zhang Chen stepped on the NBA court for the first time, and his heartbeat accelerated a lot. He took a deep breath, and directly made the Pistons substitute Jude Buichler, who was facing him, happy. A millennium substitute who has no pursuits feels very good.

"Rookie, don't be nervous, I will tell you how to gain a foothold in the NBA."

For this, Zhang Chen doesn't care much at all. As a fan, the name he has never heard of must be a complete trick.

"You still think about how you can be self-sufficient in the NBA."

His running position was very active, but Terry Porter obviously didn't care about him, a rookie, and he pulled out his hand directly. The ball hit the basket and bounced out. Zhang Chen quickly squeezed past Zhu De - Buichler's side picked up this rebound that popped a little far.

When the opponent followed, Zhang Chen had already made his first shot in the NBA.

During the substitute time, the commentator was not very enthusiastic, and he was slowly introducing Zhang Chen, who appeared in the NBA for the first time, "No. 10 is Zhang Chen from the University of Utah, this year's second-round rookie, the NCAA champion The experience in the NCAA is really lacking except for the last few minutes of last year's finals. Such a player got a chance to play in the first game because of the lack of outside personnel in the Heat..."

"He's going to feel the cruelty of the NBA very quickly, and if he doesn't impress Pat Riley, he's going to have a tough first season... the ball goes in, the basketball almost falls into his arms, he's lucky Nice boy."

As the basketball went into the net, Zhang Chen swung his arm heavily, and his nervousness faded a lot. This is the basketball game, something he likes and is most familiar with, so there is no need to be nervous.

A team like the Pistons who play from the perimeter basically plays blindly when it comes to bench time. Whoever has the ball usually shoots, but this time the offensive ball is still in the hands of Judd Buichler. It's a trick, but it's also an old trick. If you want to get back on the field, your teammates will still give you a face.

It's a pity that Judd Buichler's offense with the ball is not very good. Zhang Chen is a rookie and a second-round rookie, but when it comes to basketball, he is not a rookie.

To be honest, the iron-blooded defense emphasized by the Heat is very appetizing to him. If you are afraid of physical resistance, you should not play competitive sports that involve physical contact. This has always been his philosophy.

What is skill sports? It's a man's game that replaces war.

As soon as Jude Buichler got the ball, Zhang Chen stuck it up. The most important thing in defense is to keep up with your feet. Zhang Chen's footsteps are not particularly fast, but it is more than enough to defend a dragon, especially if this dragon is not that kind The attack power is very strong.

There was no unnecessary movement of his hands at all, but his body squeezed up fiercely. This squeeze was obviously beyond the opponent's expectation, and he didn't protect the ball well at once.

Zhang Chen's wingspan is not a vegetarian. The moment the opponent half-turned to protect the ball, he broke the ball. When he dribbled the ball to the opponent's half, a player of the Pistons had already retreated.

Zhang Chen made a slight disguise, and with the speed of the impact, he wiped away the opponent in one step, and took another step, jumping up was a one-handed slam dunk.

With his 99 shooting ability, if he chooses to shoot, he will definitely be sure, but he chooses to finish with a dunk. The excitement of the first NBA game makes his body like an exploding powder keg. He wants to vent it, so that he can to calm down.

He raised his head and roared, showing his domineering arrogance. He said silently in his heart, "NBA, here I come."

Pistons head coach Alvin Gentry immediately reminded the players on the court loudly that they should not let their guard down.

It's a pity that the head coach, who spent most of the time as an assistant coach, wasn't vigilant enough himself. By the time he had no choice but to hand over the timeout, Zhang Chen had already made all 7 shots and led the team's substitute to beat the opponent's substitute lineup. A 16 to 2, the point difference suddenly narrowed to 2 points.

"This NCAA champion member seems to have continued his touch in the NCAA Finals. The Heat may have found a treasure."

"And the Pistons obviously forget that some rookie players don't need time to adapt to the NBA game, such as Grant Hill on their team, well, that's the third pick."

During the timeout, the narrator also made a joke.

After the timeout ended, the main players played. Coach Pat Riley kept Zhang Chen, who was in hot form, on the field and replaced Keith Askins as the team's second position.

The Pistons are also doing their best. Zhang Chen’s opponent has become Jerry Stackhouse. Zhang Chen is very familiar with this guy. He is the "best high school student" in the United States, and he is Jordan’s junior. Of course, he is most famous for his phrase "I'm not afraid of Jordan" without knowing the heights of the sky and the earth, and of course he was severely abused by the Qiao gang leader who likes to bully newcomers.

Although Stackhouse no longer dared to utter wild words to Jordan, he also had a habit of abusing food. After the timeout, he took the ball over from the Pistons' offense, signaled the other players to get out of the way, and began to back Zhang Chen.

Strength is strength. Stackhouse's strength is very good. Zhang Chen tried his best and was pushed near the three-second zone by him. Then he made a beautiful step-back jump shot, and the basketball hit the net.

"Haha, rookie, welcome to the NBA."

The contemptuous tone coupled with his ugly face made people irritated. When it was the Heat's turn to attack, Zhang Chen also had to play the ball. During the timeout, Pat Riley asked him to give him more, and Tim Hardaway also fulfilled him. .

Just as Zhang Chen was about to dribble two steps after catching the ball, Stackhouse posted it up. His defensive center of gravity was very low. Thinking about what he said was still very difficult for Zhang Chen now.

So Zhang Chen made a direct pull, and the basketball drew a beautiful arc and flew into the basket.

"Old bird, thank you for the hospitality..."

(End of this chapter)