pinnacle swinger

Chapter 64 Young Guards

Oklahoma is located in the south-central United States, with the Red River to the south and across the river from Texas.As the capital of a state, Oklahoma City has a large population and a superior economy.

The Ford Center is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Oklahoma City. Like most NBA arenas, it is also used for concerts, social events and ice arenas.It is worth mentioning that in the 05-07 season, before the Thunder officially entered the Ford Center Arena, the city of New Orleans affected by Hurricane Katrina was severely damaged, so the New Orleans Hornets temporarily moved to Oklahoma City. Homer City, using the Ford Center as a temporary arena for those two seasons.

In 08, the citizens of Oklahoma City passed a renovation plan of more than 1 million US dollars, not only to renovate and expand the venue, but also to build a practice venue at the same time.

The Supersonics, which moved from Seattle, changed their name and team logo, and integrated into the entire league with a new mental outlook.

In the past two years, they have completed the renewal of the entire team with the draft and side trade.From the bottom three in the Western Conference in the 07-08 season, it became the seventh in the Western Conference last season, and it stood out from the Western Conference with many strong teams. It is only 7 wins away from the Lakers who are the first in the Western Conference.

The head star Kevin Durant just turned 9 in September, point guard Russell Westbrook, power forward Serge Ibaka and other main players are also just in their early 22s. The young Thunder has become The league's most famous youth guards!
For such a team, its vitality and impact are terrifying. What's more, they have made great strides this season. They are currently ranked third in the Western Conference and ranked No. 5 in the NBA last week.

Before the game, on the basketball games, the home team allowed the visiting team a full eight points, which indirectly reflected the fans' confidence in the victory and defeat of the two teams. It is estimated that even the fans of the 76ers supported the team's victory emotionally and bought it rationally. The home team won.

Tang Wenlong and his teammates arrived in Oklahoma City the day before. After a hasty rest on the first day, they stayed in the hotel arranged by the government.

In the early morning of the next day, Tang Wenlong practiced his body in the morning habitually. After running around the quiet street outside for a few laps, he returned to the lobby of the hotel with slight sweat on his forehead.At this time, the hotel has arranged breakfast for the players, and people like Nocioni, Meeks and others have already got up and sat at the dining table to enjoy their milk and bread.

Tang Wenlong pulled away the chair, sat down unceremoniously, moved a plate over, and devoured it hungrily.

"Hey, Tang, do you get up so early every day?" Meeks greeted Tang Wenlong.

Jody Meeks was a rookie last year. After playing half a season in the Bucks, he was traded to the 76ers. When he entered the league, he finished this university, so in front of Tang Wenlong and others, he had to show a little Be more mature.These days, his state has gradually improved, and he has slowly entered Collins' important rotation.

"Yes." Tang Wenlong responded with a smile, and then handed over a newspaper that he had just passed by the door.

"Wow, great deal!" Nocioni shouted, attracted by the headlines of the newspaper, and forgot to continue eating his bread for a moment.

"What big deal?" Meeks obviously didn't pay much attention to the news. He didn't know the news from yesterday.

"Hornets and Raptors complete a big deal involving five people!"

Nocioni glanced over, then settled on a line, and continued: "The Hornets traded Peja Stojakovic and Jared Bayless for Raptors guards Jarrett Jack, David Anderson and Marcus Banks."

"Oh, Peja went to the Raptors." Meeks was a little surprised. I didn't expect the Hornets to be so determined to send away the absolute main force of the team in the past few years.

Nocioni's eyes are very calm. He has been in the league for many years. The 76ers are actually his third team. The essence of trading.After carefully looking at the details of the entire transaction, he suddenly showed a clear look, and blurted out: "When the Raptors traded Chris Bosh in the summer, there seemed to be a special case of more than 400 million. I won’t really ask Peja to supplement the team, and I will probably choose to buy out the remaining one-year contract of Peja, which can save a lot of salary space.”

After listening to Nocioni's vicious analysis, Tang Wenlong was noncommittal, and just finished drinking a whole glass of milk at this time.

After the three of them chatted in the dining room for a while, there was a constant sound of opening the elevator, and 76ers players kept getting up and coming to have breakfast.

The team did not arrange training in the training hall in the morning. After noon, the team bus showed up at the entrance of the hotel, and everyone set off from the hotel directly to the Ford Center with their bags filled with the necessary equipment for playing basketball.

In an ordinary city like Oklahoma City, even though the Thunder have achieved a very good record, the ball market is still not as good as New York or Los Angeles, which are always hot.It's just that Durant's superstar performance has indeed attracted a large number of fans. In the streets and alleys of Oklahoma City, the team's overall posters and Durant's personal promotional posters have gradually appeared.

When I came to the arena for training in the afternoon, the Thunder had already started training, and coach Scott Brooks was stricter in this regard.

A few acquaintances from the two teams joined together during training in the afternoon. For example, Tang Wenlong didn't know anyone, so he practiced honestly on his own court.

When night fell, the 76ers players who had just rested returned to the locker room and began to arrange their clothes for the last time before the start of the game.

After a leisurely dinner, the fans drove to the Ford Center Arena.Then one after another, on the indoor field, patches of blue began to appear. They were a group of fans who came to support the home team, the Thunder.

The coaches of the two teams finished their last speeches before the game and led the teams into the arena.

The referee watched the players of the two teams walk into the field, and asked the staff to start checking whether each incoming player was included in the 12-man roster reported before the game.Under normal circumstances, an NBA team can have 15 players, but only 12 players enter the roster, and the remaining 3 players display status as inactive.

Among the 12 players, there are only the top 8 in the truly stable rotation lineup. Some teams with relatively good reserves may expand to 10 players, but the last 2 players must be on the court as a last resort or during garbage time. , also known as the water dispenser administrator.

The cruelty of the NBA can be seen. For the vast majority of people, their playing time is precarious. Today they may get 20 minutes of playing time in a burst. After a few days, if their status declines, they may be sitting on the bench again.

Before the start of the game, the players shake hands to indicate the principle of friendly competition.

Tang Wenlong never took his eyes off the tall and thin black athlete opposite him who looked like a bamboo pole and had met him several times. Even if he was several meters away, he would be shocked by his terrifying arm span.

"Hi, Tang." Durant had participated in this year's draft and was deeply impressed by Tang Wenlong.

Tang Wenlong immediately saluted and held Durant's palm.

Durant was slightly startled, he felt as if his little hand was wrapped by a bear's paw, "Oh my god, why is this guy's palm so big?"

Durant's own palm is average in size, so he is very envious of players with big palms. Players with big palms will increase their strength by three points out of thin air. Inside representatives such as O'Neal are more powerful in rebounding and dunking. Outside representatives such as Jordan, fake The movements are even more confusing. Once you have a big palm, it's hard to describe the magical effect in the game.

After the trivial pre-match preparations, the referee blew the whistle for the game.

Ibaka, who looked like a King Kong god, rubbed the ground and quickly rose to the highest altitude. Hawes, who was below, tapped his toes awkwardly, watching the young man vigorously fly the racket.

Tang Wenlong and the other three starters were already ready, and they regressed back to the half court in an instant, falling into position.Apparently there was no hope for Hawes' jump ball.

The Thunder's starting lineup is very conventional, with Nenad Kostic, a center with a certain low-post offense on the inside, and Ibaka, a shot-blocking madman with amazing bullet speed and excellent defense, and Durant on the outside as a scoring type. The small forward is the core of the team's offense, and then Westbrook, who has excellent scoring ability, is used in the backcourt, and Safolosha, who has excellent defensive ability and three-point shooting ability, is used in the backcourt.

No matter which angle you look at, it is a team with a very balanced offense and defense. If there is a real loophole, it is that the interior defense is still too weak. Neither Krstic nor Ibaka is the kind of single defense. Players, if you encounter an All-Star insider, it will be difficult to stand up.

The similarity between the 76ers and the Thunder is that they are both perimeter offensive teams.

Westbrook with the ball passed halftime, and suddenly, all the fans in the Ford Center Arena, led by DJ, shouted "Attack, attack!"
Tang Wenlong was taken aback by the sudden burst of high decibel sound, his body froze and almost prevented Saflossa from slipping away from him.

There was a look of horror on his face——

"Why is the cheering sound of the Thunder at home so terrifying?"

(End of this chapter)