Basketball: Starting from the Rodman template

Chapter 156 The Opening Match Arrives

The Heat had a second-round pick this year, and in the end, Pat Riley used this pick to select Pep Sow.

This is a Serbian guy.

The 2-meter power forward has a figure similar to Woody last season. He is both strong and strong, but he is far behind Woody in terms of athletic ability.

This was not discovered before the draft.

He was born as a player of the Italian League.

Second-round picks are originally used to draw the lottery on these players, and they are about immediate combat ability.

He showed very good athletic ability in the Italian League and became the kind of player Pat Riley prefers.So he became the only rookie on the Heat this year.

In the 6 preseason games, Stan Van Gundy gave him a lot of playing time.

With Odom and Grant being sent to the Lakers, the Heat are relatively short of players inside this year.

The regular rotation studied by Stan Van Gundy is Woody, Haslem, Shaq and Mourning.

Among them, Mourning's situation is basically clear. He will definitely not be able to last for too long. Stan Van Gundy must also provide him with insurance.

Put another rotation behind him.

Therefore, Stan Van Gundy also has high expectations for this Serbian young man.

It's a pity that after the first two games of the preseason, he was decisively abandoned by Stan Van Gundy.

场均29分14秒的时间，他只能拿到5分3篮板，场均会出现4次失误以及5次犯规。

One of the two games was fouled and left the field.

As a 23-year-old rookie, with such a performance, it can only be said that he is completely unprepared for NBA-level competition.

The Heat have undergone huge changes this year. The entire team only has one month to adjust in the closed training camp. At present, the team has adjusted the starting lineup, but it is still unknown whether this lineup is useful or not. .

Before the new regular season officially starts, Stan Van Gundy always has to let this team practice in the preseason.

Therefore, the time he gives this guy is only these two games. If he performs well, then he doesn't mind giving him more time, but based on his current performance, giving him two more games or three more games will have the greatest impact. There is basically no difference in function.

forget it!
And this is the NBA. Players like Pep Sow only have one or two opportunities. If these opportunities are not grasped, what awaits them is endless rotation or as a trade addition. .

But there is no way...

This is where strength speaks for itself.

If you don't grasp it, you can only blame yourself for your lack of ability.

In the first two games of the preseason, the Heat lost 100-106 and 89-94, marking their second consecutive defeat.

Although the main players like Woody and others only played about 20 minutes in these two games, and did not even play in the fourth quarter, some media have already begun to "carnival" and think that this is a "hot team" in the eyes of many media It is very likely that it will become a team that "overturns" in the new season.

In fact, this kind of remarks have already appeared after the new season schedule came out...

The Heat's schedule at the beginning of this year's season is very devilish.

In the first ten games, their opponents were the Timberwolves, the No. 76 team in the Western Conference last season, Adelman's "Gorgeous Kings", the Washington Wizards, the Pacers, who played seven games against last season's championship Pistons, and the New Jersey Nets. , the San Antonio Spurs, the Bobcats that were just formed this summer, Allen Iverson's Philadelphia 5ers, the Hornets that ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference last season, and Carmelo Anthony's Denver Nuggets, plus "China Derby” Houston Rockets…

Except for the Bobcats, several other teams were playoff teams last season, and some even reached the Western Conference Finals.

The more difficult point is that not only are the opponents strong, but there are also big troubles in the schedule. For example, the Bobcats and the Philadelphia 76ers, who are not that strong, are the Heat's first "back-to-back" this year!
Therefore, these ten games are enough for the Heat to drink a pot.

And for a team like the Heat that has gone through large-scale changes, it definitely needs games to get used to it in the early stages of the season. If it keeps losing, God knows what adverse reactions it will have.

There are countless teams in the history of the NBA that have overturned with great results on paper.

When Stan Van Gundy saw this schedule, he was really under a lot of pressure, otherwise he wouldn't have squeezed the newcomers' playing time so tightly.

For Heat newcomers, opportunities are fleeting, and for him, it's not the same.

This is the core "double" that reached the Eastern Conference finals last season plus Shaquille O'Neal. If he doesn't show dominance, the voice of dismissing him will probably be heard immediately.

Isn't this a lot of pressure?

To put it bluntly, Stan Van Gundy now also belongs to the category of "the mud Buddha crosses the river and cannot save himself."

Just after the Asian Games, do EDG fans dare to come out and say something?

Starting from the third game of the preseason, the playing time of Woody and others soared from about 20 minutes to 30 minutes.

The Heat, with their main players at their best, began to show their strength. In the next four games, almost at the end of the third quarter, the Heat were already leading by about 4 points.It's easy to win.Every time there are four or five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Woody and the others can already sit on the sidelines, wipe their sweat with towels, and chat by the way.

They even looked like spectators when the buzzer sounded to end the game.

这4场比赛，伍迪场均可以拿到19.5分12.5篮板2.5盖帽以及3.5助攻，投篮命中率55%！

沙克-奥尼尔场均可以拿到18分8篮板4助攻1盖帽，投篮命中率65%！

Wade averaged 17.5 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists per game, and shot 45% from the field!

……

You know, this is only about 30 minutes, and if the data is converted into 36 minutes... Miami's "3C" data will be even more exaggerated!

But even if these three people performed like this, Stan Van Gundy smiled mysteriously when he mentioned these people: "Listen, if you are surprised by the performance of these three people now, then wait until the regular season starts. , believe me, you will be even more surprised, this is definitely a historical trio in the NBA, even if there are two second-year rookies among them!"

Well, don’t ask. If you ask, even if I feel pressure, I will also put pressure on you...

Although Stan Van Gundy is not lying, these three people are indeed not completely serious yet, but with him holding such a high position, even these three people should be under pressure, right?

Anyway, his words caused huge discussion in the outside world, which made the Heat's first game of the new season even more interesting!

They are all looking forward to what kind of performance the three Heat players can perform when they show their full strength!

As for Kevin Garnett and the Timberwolves, as the first team in the Western Conference last season and reaching the Western Conference Finals, they are definitely a very good "touchstone"... Before the game started, Kevin Garnett also Was asked about Woody by a reporter.

"Wolf King" said: "He is a newcomer that everyone in this league is paying attention to. I believe he will train harder this summer, but to be honest, the one who attracts more attention on this team must still be Shaq." -O'Neal, there's no doubt about it!"

Obviously, Kevin Garnett only has Shaquille O'Neal in his eyes.

But this is normal. As the two most dazzling power forwards in the early 00s, Tim Duncan met Shaquille O'Neal, and they even won a playoff game. No matter what, they proved that they have the toughness of Shaq. -O'Neal's Capital.

If he had to say that when he faced Shaq in the playoffs, he lost more than he won, then Tim Duncan could calmly reply: "When did he enter the league, and when did I enter the league?"

It is not easy to defeat Shaq at his peak at an age when he is entering his prime.

Then Kevin Garnett is the pure "Shark designated fermented bean curd"!

You really can't beat Shaquille O'Neal!
There are even rumors that Kevin Garnett played power forward just to avoid Shaquille O'Neal.For this reason, he deliberately shrunk his head when measuring his height.

Speaking of which, Popovich put Tim Duncan at the power forward position just so that he could get more honors.

Tim Duncan has always played as a "power center", but functionally he can do the same things as a power forward... This has a lot to do with his personality.

The two most dazzling power forwards in the 00s both changed their positions because of Shaquille O'Neal, which fully shows Shaquille O'Neal's dominance. It is not surprising what Kevin Garnett said.

Moreover, it is true that even now Woody and Wade are still far behind in the league compared to Shaquille O'Neal.

It's just that in Miami, foreigner Shaquille O'Neal also had to bow to Woody. This is the rule of the world...

The strong dragon does not suppress the local snake!
In the history of the NBA, anyone who can "cross the river" is either the original "team boss" who is really not a big deal, or the original "team elder" who has unparalleled benevolence and righteousness, and has low emotional intelligence:

Brainless!
A reporter told Woody what Kevin Garnett said.

Woody said: "Shaq is indeed a dangerous person, but when the game starts, you will find that this team has more than one dangerous person..."

His positive response was very tough, which made Kevin Garnett, who just won the regular season MVP last season, very unhappy.

This is a mutual compliment between the regular season MVPs. Why are you here to join in the fun?Little brother in the second grade, isn’t what I said clear?Of course, Kevin Garnett did not express this directly, but secretly muttered in his heart that he wanted to teach Woody a lesson.

Although Woody performed well last season, his performance was suppressed by him in the two games against him.

I heard that this kid has increased his tonnage in the new season, but considering his figure, he should have gained some weight. Not everyone is like him, Kevin Garnett. Even if he is thin, he will be full of meat even if he takes off his clothes!

To put it bluntly, this is also the impression from the two games last season. Even though Woody is hyped up outside, in Garnett's eyes, Woody...

just so so!

Let him know tonight that if you want to reach the level of regular season MVP...

I'm rough!

Have you grown so much?

Kevin Garnett has also seen the reports on Woody these days.

But he had to ask, how did these reporters take photos?
Why does the photo look a little different from the actual look?

Originally, he was a bit stubborn about the reporters calling Woody "the next Malone", but now he has to say that he does look a bit like the early Malone. As long as his arms are a little thicker, he will definitely be the "second generation Malone".

He subconsciously rubbed his chest muscles...

Tonight, brothers are going to suffer!
He suddenly thought of Woody's words:

This team doesn't just have one dangerous guy in Shaquille O'Neal.

The game hasn't started yet, but he feels...

What Woody said may be true!
This is the first impression Woody gives to his opponents now.

Very direct sense of violence!

At this time, a certain figure in the audience could not help but tighten her thighs as she looked at Woody's current appearance.

"Woody..."

Unable to hold herself back, she stood up directly and waved to Woody.

The already red and eye-catching woman stood up and shouted, attracting more attention, and the scene suddenly burst into cheers.The fans had just entered the venue at this time, so they didn't notice it at first. It wasn't until the big screen showed a close-up shot that they realized Scarlett was here to watch the game.

"Girl with a Pearl Earring" was released. With this movie, Scarlett once again won the 61st American Film and Television Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in the Motion Picture - Drama Category. Her popularity has increased again. She now has many of movie fans.

Many of them, including now, are considered her casual fans.

Woody came up to say hello to her, and the latter's eyes were a bit resentful.

She came to Miami specifically for vacation in the summer and wanted to stay at Woody's house, but Woody chose "read and don't reply" and ignored her at all.Before leaving Miami, she made a special call to Woody to talk about the past, but the answer she got was "definitely next time."

At that moment, Scarlett felt that her charm had declined...

This time to watch the opening match, she didn't come here on a special trip. She had just joined the new crew, which was in Miami. There were still a few days until filming started. She happened to have time, and she came to the scene by accident.

She even put on the most stunning red dress.

She didn't believe it. She couldn't win over Woody after meeting him!

As a result, Woody actually came to say hello and gave her a "gentleman hug."Scarlett took the opportunity to scratch Woody's hand with her fingers, and Woody, understanding, shook her hand and responded.

Get it!

Scarlett's depressed mood finally came out.

What Woody thinks is that it's time to relax... He has been holding back this summer!
The big screen at the scene gave the starting list of both sides:
"Heat team: No. [-] Alston, No. [-] Wade, No. [-] Gerald Wallace, No. [-] Woody, Woody Shaquille O'Neal!
Timberwolves: No. [-] Cassell, No. [-] 'Madman', No. [-] Szczerbiak, No. [-] Kevin Garnett, No. [-] 'Sugar Man'! "

(End of this chapter)