Standing pretty old

Chapter 22 The elite eight are beckoning

"Brother Yao, hello, I'm Ruan Erniu from UCLA!" I have to say, this is a terrible opening.

But Dayao is an athlete with super high emotional intelligence. He quickly resolved the embarrassment with an even worse answer: "Oh, Brother Niu, hello, I am Yao Ming from the Houston Rockets!"

Now, Ruan Erniu and Yao Ming laughed at the same time.

After laughing, Yao Ming congratulated first: "Brother Niu, I would like to send a late congratulations, congratulations on becoming the first Chinese person to win the John Wooden Award."

"Brother Yao, you can just call me Erniu. You are the leader of the men's basketball team. If I have a chance to enter the national team in the future, I will rely on your care!" Ruan Erniu said.

"Okay, since you are so straightforward, I won't talk nonsense anymore. I am willing to be your referrer! Er Niu, you have caught up with the good times! If it was a few years ago, I might not be able to help you!" Yao Ming couldn't help it. Said without emotion.

Ruan Erniu asked modestly, "Brother Yao, what do you say?"

"It's very simple, you caught up with the Olympic Games in the imperial capital! Even Dazhi has gone back, so it's a matter of course to recruit you!" Yao Ming's words were quite meaningful.

How could Ruan Erniu, who also came from the system, not understand, some things can only be understood but not expressed in words!However, in the face of the glorious task of winning glory for the country and showing the best of yourself at home, everything can be compromised and negotiated!

"So, you don't have to think too much, just concentrate on preparing for the NCAA. When you successfully participate in the NBA draft this year, other problems will come naturally." Dayao said.

……

Dayao and Erniu also talked about a lot of topics. They are strangers in a foreign land, and the two Chinese people who have made milestone contributions in the basketball field naturally have many common topics.

Finally, Dayao wished Erniu to lead UCLA to the NCAA championship, and Erniu also expressed his hope that Yao Ming would win the NBA championship as soon as possible.

Now that the agent's affairs can be postponed, the national team's affairs are guaranteed again.That means that Ruan Erniu finally has no worries.He set his sights on the next opponent-the University of Pittsburgh basketball team, but before him, there was already a person in the UCLA team who had started to study opponents very early.

"Hey, Kraft, have you noticed that Coach Holland seems to take our opponent very seriously!" Westbrook asked casually.

"It's just as it should be. The No. 3 seed in the Western District eliminated Virginia Commonwealth University, which killed Duke. No matter how you look at it, it's a strong opponent!" Ruan Erniu, who looked at the information and studied the opponent, said.

However, it was quickly proved that Ruan Erniu's research was not in place.

"It turns out that you don't know! Before Ben coached us, he stayed at the University of Pittsburgh for 4 years, and the opposing coach, Jamie Dixon, was an assistant coach who had followed this coach for many years. Before leaving Pittsburgh, Ben recommended He became the manager, so you understand where Ben is now?" explained Aaron Afflalo.

Of course I understand!The older the acquaintance, the more they want to show their best side to each other after separation.To put it more simply: no one can afford to lose that person!
"Faster, defend, defend, defend! Containing the opponent's attack is the key to victory!" Ben Holland kept yelling.

Ben is going crazy, that's what Ben Holland's assistant coach said.The game has not yet started, and the coaches of UCLA have already entered into an excited fighting state.

Of course, this was accompanied by the wailing of the Bruins players!
On March 3, HP Arena in San Jose, California, across the bank is the Oracle Center where the Golden State Warriors are located.

The semifinals of the NCAA West Division are enough to attract the attention of NBA star players.Before the game started, Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson came to the stadium to cheer.

Especially Baron Davis, he came to UCLA's locker room specially, wishing them a win and a smooth promotion.

reason?Very simple, this bearded man is also a member of the UCLA gang in the NBA. The current boss of the Golden State Warriors encourages his younger generations with his deeds and achievements.

Big Beard himself probably would not have imagined that a month later, he would usher in the most brilliant chapter of his career - the Black Eight Miracle.And the driver of the German chariot Novi who just won the NBA regular season MVP ended his 06-07 season amidst the sound of "soft eggs".

Back in time, the game between UCLA and Pittsburgh officially started.

The annual NCAA schedule has reached the Western Conference semifinals. There are more and more media and cameras on and off the court. The first to steal the spotlight is not the players on the court, but the coaches on the sidelines.Coach Ben Holland opened his arms and kept calling for "defense", which became the hottest scene after the start of the game.

The combat ideas of both sides are obsessed with the defensive end, so the shooting percentages of both teams are in the diving zone.

Ruan Erniu was the first to stand up. Whether he was facing the opponent's power forward Levin Kendall, or he was dislocated against the main core of the inside line, center Aaron Gray, he showed a very high level of attack.

Both Kendall and Gray were deceived by his beautiful footwork, either being shot by YAN in the high post, or being forced by the low post.The weakness on the defensive end also made them lose themselves on the offensive end. Facing Ruan Erniu, who was obviously not as tall as them, they still couldn't play an efficient offense.

Er Niu exploded in the interior, but UCLA's perimeter skills are still not going well. Afflalo's touch has not returned for a long time. He only made 11 of 3 shots in the whole game. Lalo still showed his basketball IQ in key battles, and he used breakthroughs to cause damage time and time again.Although he scored less in the sports game, relying on 10 of 10 free throws, he still scored 17 points efficiently and contributed to the team.

Although, Pittsburgh rallied in the second half and narrowed the score to single digits at one point.However, someone from UCLA also stepped forward. Josh Shipp, who has been compressed in game time, stood up at the critical moment, hit consecutive 3-pointers, and scored 16 points in the game, laying the foundation for UCLA's victory. .

Pittsburgh's core center, Aaron Gray, has not been able to recover his shooting percentage from the beginning to the end under the double-teaming of Mata and Ruan Erniu. The data of 10 points and 6 rebounds is more like an ordinary role player.

What's even more funny is the guy who is directly facing him, Lorenzo Mata. Mata only made 37% of his free throws this season, but he made 2 free throws at critical moments.

Seeing this scene, the UCLA bench suddenly fell into a sea of ​​joy, and Westbrook even laughed so hard that he fell to the floor, knocking on the floor and shouting "Oh! MyGod!" what strange scene)
And Mata's free throws can be regarded as a microcosm of UCLA in the whole game, relying on 26 of 23 free throws and Ruan Erniu's overwhelming inside. 55:69, UCLA successfully eliminated the opponent and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

After the game, Coach Ben Holland and Coach Jamie Dixon hugged each other affectionately.

Coach Holland said to reporters: "It makes me very emotional. I have a lot of good friends over there. I hope we will never be forced to fight each other again."

Ruan Erniu bit Wei Shao's ear not far away: "Why are the winners always so compassionate? If I laugh out loud at this time, will I be killed?"

Westbrook squinted and didn't answer, with an expression on his face that you know too much.

(End of this chapter)