Basketball: Starting from the Rodman template

Chapter 153 Bragging spreads
Focus back on the Olympics.

The previously invincible "Dream Team" lost to Puerto Rico in its first game at the Olympics.

This is the first time that the American men's basketball team has lost in the opening game since it sent out the "Dream Team".

They then lost to Lithuania in the group stage.

In the end, they only finished fourth in the group stage and narrowly qualified.

However, the "Dream Team" is still a "Dream Team". Entering the knockout stage, they are still a team that other teams do not want to face.

Even though Spain, the top team in Group B, has won all five games, it still feels a little scary facing them.

When these two teams take the field, you can't tell which team is first in the group and which is fourth.

Then, the biggest "unlucky guy" in this Olympics appeared.

The "Dream Team" defeated Spain to advance to the semi-finals.

As for the complete victory in the group stage, Spain, which only lost one game during the entire Olympics, was only ranked seventh because of this defeat...

On the "Dream Team" side, although they defeated Spain, there were not many corrections to the problems exposed in the group stage.They were able to win entirely because of Marbury's explosion. The "Lone Wolf" scored 30 points alone to help this team advance to the "Final Four" game.

But the next opponent is the real "stumbling block"!
America's opponent in the semifinals is Argentina!

It is worth mentioning that the team that ended the American "Dream Team"'s 58-game winning streak in the international arena was none other than Argentina!

In fact, since the 02 World Championships, some American media have said that the current American "Dream Team" lacks systematic training. They have no soul and no vision. The team is full of contempt and arrogance.

This also made them finally taste the feeling of defeat in the 00 Olympics and missed the World Championship championship in 02.

They are still in this state!
Since the group stage, everyone has become even more extreme. They are afraid of losing and being criticized after the game.

The court is a battlefield. When a player is afraid, he is destined to fail!
In particular, what they faced was a group of players from the Argentine team who had been fighting together and working together tacitly since childhood. All the players in this team had played together for a long time.

They have excellent team understanding and chemical reaction, and their tactical movement is also very good. They often know what to do with each other with a gesture and a look.At the same time, they also have a lot of NBA players in their team, plus Ginobili, who won three championships in Europe and then went to the United States to win again. This year, Argentina has a lineup that is not weaker than that of the United States. They rely on smooth Internal and external conduction and tight defense, frequent fast-break counterattacks, and Manu tearing apart the "Dream Team" defense again and again, Argentina's first team shot more than 50% from the outside, maintaining the lead throughout the game, and finally 89 With a score of 81, an 8-point advantage, they defeated the "Dream Team" and stepped on the corpse of the "Basketball Kingdom" to advance to the finals.

And another historic moment for the "Dream Team" was born:
This is the first time that the United States has missed the finals at the Olympics since professional players formed the "Dream Team"!
Even as powerful as the "Dream Team" will fall one day!
On this day, in addition to the American fans scolding, others also completely remembered the amazing Manu and the amazing Argentine men's basketball team!
This is destined to be a magical Olympic Games.

It was not just the Argentine men's basketball team that broke the stereotype, but also a yellow-skinned Chinese 110-meter hurdles athlete.

his name is:
Liu Xiang!

In the final of the 110-meter hurdles, he ran 12 seconds, tying the world record, and also won the Olympic gold medal in this event.

Before this, no yellow man could stand on the starting line of the sprint finals, let alone win the championship.

But from this moment on, all this became history.

To be honest, what impressed Woody the most was not that Argentina defeated the "Dream Team", but the scene of Liu Xiang holding up the gold medal.

The spotlight at the scene made him feel more urge to step onto the stage of international competitions.

One day, he will do the same thing!

The "Dream Team" returned home after defeat, and NBA officials issued a statement at this time, which was also something that had been rumored for a long time:
Starting from the new season, the league officially cancels the hand-check rule.

This statement immediately caused a stir.

Because the NBA originally has many rules that are not found in international competitions, such as "defending for three seconds" and "interfering with the ball." These are reforms carried out to improve the enjoyment of the game and are the "scorpion daddy" of this league. .

But because of these rules, current NBA players are obviously not adapted to the international arena, including the invincible Allen Iverson, who is not so sharp in international events.

Now that contact at the three-point line has been cancelled, how can we play in international competitions from now on?

But David Stern doesn't care if they argue with them.

I don’t usually see how excited you are!

Now you are all anxious!

Why did you go early?
During the "defensive battle" before, I didn't see you saying that we had to do this for international competitions!

David Stern would definitely not listen to these opinions anyway.

But let’s not forget that the previous “Dream Team” was invincible in the international arena. Maybe it was because of the high intensity in the 90s.

For a "super giant" who comes out of that intensity to compete in international competitions, in terms of intensity and scale, it can really be said to be a "dimensionality reduction attack."

Now, on the contrary, the intensity of confrontation in international competitions is getting higher and higher!

Attackers like Allen Iverson, who has won several "scoring titles" in the NBA, have to adapt...

Woody was overjoyed when he heard the news.

Because this means that his "post-up" will become more threatening.

Unable to use your hands, you only rely on your chest to withstand his "back" push?
Humph, I’m afraid I don’t know how many eyes Lord Ma has!
Buckley was also very envious and said: "You have caught up with a good time!"

If this rule had come out earlier, his level of invincibility would have been even higher, and he might have won the championship long ago...

He also knows how powerful his "Public Back Beat" is, and Woody, who has now mastered his true skills, only has two words in his eyes:

Invincible!

No, after finishing the "specific training" for Woody, he returned to New York and appeared in the studio with Kenny Smith. His first words were: "In the new season, everyone will be surprised again because of Woody! I said It’s everyone, including the media and reporters who are already crazy about him!”

Seeing the determination on his face, Kenny Smith, who knew that Barkley was specially training Woody this summer, asked curiously: "What progress has this guy made this summer?"

But Buckley, who has always been "big-mouthed", hesitated to speak this time. After a false shot, he smiled mysteriously: "Guess!"

This sloppy look made Kenny Smith so angry that he really wanted to ask him to have a good taste of his big sausage.

Stab his mouth!
This mouth really doesn't speak when it should be spoken, and keeps talking nonsense when it shouldn't be spoken!
Damn it!Barkley's words were also reported by many media. Miami media reporters were immediately itchy and wanted to schedule an exclusive interview with Woody before the new season.But in the end the answer they got from Johnson was:

Woody has entered the next stage of special training and there is really no time. Just wait for the start of the new season!

These words made this group of media reporters regretful, but also looking forward to it even more.

This summer, Woody seemed to have disappeared.

He usually appears in gossip magazines, but now no reporter can find him at all.

He is constantly engaged in business activities, but so far I have not heard of anyone who has endorsed or stood on stage...

Putting these things together and analyzing them, the reporters immediately reacted:

It seems that Woody spends all his time training!
"In the new season, no one wants to meet Woody!" 》

No, the "Miami Chronicle" immediately reported Woody on the front page, praising him and looking forward to his new season.

Coincidentally, as September approaches, other media have also begun to look forward to the new season.

"Sports Illustrated" mentioned the ten players that deserve the most attention in the new season, and three talented players from the "03 generation" were collectively selected.But the first one on the list is Woody!
It is worth mentioning that in the article about LeBron James, "Sports Illustrated" predicts him to lead the team into the playoffs and average 25 plus 6 plus 8 per game.

The prediction for Carmelo Anthony is: average 27 points and 6.8 assists per game, becoming the representative player of the NBA small forward.

It can be said that they are all "superstar" level prospects.

But when it comes to Woody, this level is obviously a level higher.

According to "Sports Illustrated", Woody will become a "double first team" player in the new season and is very likely to lead the team to the finals.In addition, his name will also appear in the biggest personal award, the regular season MVP ranking.

"There is no doubt that this is a phenomenal newcomer. We cannot predict his performance in the new season based on common sense. Besides, this is not an exaggeration. You know, Woody was already a double-second team player last season. His The performance is enough for everyone to look forward to!”

To say that "Sports Illustrated" is Woody's "mother" and will always support him, ESPN can be said to be the opposite. The person they praise more is LeBron James, but in terms of their prospects for Woody in the new season, They didn't dare to underestimate it.

Even if they want to praise LeBron James, they still add a prerequisite:
In the absence of Woody's ability to hold the ball, LeBron James will once again prove his "number one pick"...

Note that this was before Woody had developed the ability to hold the ball.

Obviously, even ESPN, which deliberately "disparages" Woody for LeBron, dare not say that LeBron James can stabilize Woody's performance in the new season.

In fact, the biggest uncertainty about Woody is whether he can develop the ability to hold the ball.

The general managers who did not choose Woody last year all had the same plan:

If Woody can't develop the ability to hold the ball, then at most he will be a Karl Malone.

And where does Karl Malone rank in NBA history?

The rest of them have already developed the ability to hold the ball, and have superstar status that is visible to the naked eye. Once they mature, they will definitely be among the top 20 historical giants in the league.

As long as there is an upper limit and a lower limit, these general managers are afraid to gamble.

Although draft picks are available every year, a draft of such high quality does not happen every year, and next time it happens, they may not be able to get the No. [-] pick.

Let’s just talk about the teams that got the top five picks in 96 and the top five picks in 03. The Raptors were on the list both times. It can be seen that in these years, there can be a team that makes a difference. A truly rising player.

The key is choice...

But now, with Barkley's remarks at the forefront, these general managers who did not choose Woody have always felt a little uneasy recently.

Could it be that you really made the wrong choice?

Not to mention them, even Pat Riley, who is mature and prudent and has seen big storms, has been feeling scratched recently.He couldn't wait to arrange a physical test training for Woody. He wanted to know how far Woody had grown this summer.

While rumors about Woody were flying in the sky, September came and Woody sent Stephen Curry to the airport.

Normally I haven't noticed, but on the way to take Stephen Curry to the airport this time, Woody suddenly noticed that he seemed to have grown taller.In the past, when I put my arm around him, it was just like "killing him", but this time I was able to put my hand on his shoulder.

Don't look at it, the difference is not big, but it is at least two or three centimeters.

One summer has been so long.

Besides, Stephen Curry is only 16 years old, and he’s very tall!
"Woody, just wait and see, this time I will fight until the finals no matter what!"

It’s not just Stephen Curry’s height that has gotten taller, but also his self-confidence.

This summer, he practiced with Woody for an afternoon. With the help of an NBA-level trainer, he corrected his power movements, became more stable in controlling the ball, and became more agile in changes of direction.He believes he can now move more freely on the court.

And isn't the high school arena a place where one person beats a group of people?

Stephen Curry thinks that based on his current ability, if he can play in the high school league, he can give him a two-word evaluation:

Murder!

Anyone who dares to take another look at him will see a three-pointer when he raises his hand.

Don't look at his breasts, but he is really "big"!
On September 9, Woody also ended his second phase of special training. His weight successfully reached 8kg, and the "big butt" badge was officially activated.

He specially asked the strength trainer to bring a charging mat and give him a few attempts to hit it.

Broken at the touch!
This summer, in addition to gaining weight, Woody only did one thing, which was to control the ball.

Others, such as shooting training, were not done at all.

The reason is also very simple. His overall weight has increased a lot and his body needs to adapt again, including the feel of the ball. Therefore, apart from maintaining the feel of the ball, he did not perform any extra training.

He is not in a hurry now, there is still a month of closed training camp left!
take it easy!

(End of this chapter)