roccoschili Chapter 171 The opening battle (4 chapters, please subscribe)
Chapter 171 The opening battle (4 chapters, please subscribe)
Chapter 171 Opening Battle (four thousand chapters, please subscribe)
Lin Yue was thinking about his jersey number for the new season, at least he wanted to keep the number 24, but after entering the NBA, this childish idea stopped.
He's a Kobe fan, but that doesn't mean he wants to be Kobe.
Just like Kobe chose the No. 24 jersey, Lin Yue wants to wear the No. 25 jersey in the NBA. He wants to become a top star at No. 25 and become the best version of himself.
Just as Lin Yue announced the jersey numbers for the new season, the Thunder immediately produced them and posted them on the official website immediately. Obviously, with Lin Yue's influence, the sales of the jerseys must be guaranteed.
At the same time, Tu Yun has already negotiated a sneaker contract, a four-year 1200 million sneaker contract with Adidas, which is a relatively large contract for a rookie. Adidas valued Lin Yue's huge commercial value, and behind it were fans from a big country.
In addition to Adidas, Nike also offered offers. However, Nike has too many stars and has a higher global influence. They did not offer many contracts, and they believed that Lin Yue would be happy to sign. There is no reason, because they are Nike.
In the end, Lin Yue, who was short of money, readily signed the four-year sneaker contract with Adidas for the simple reason that he is short of money now.
During this period of time, Lin Yue specifically talked to Tu Yun about his business plan. He wanted to create a sports brand by himself. After the four-year contract ended, this brand would come out directly. What Lin Yue has to do in these four years is to quickly make a name for himself and earn more money.
As for the specific planning, he left it to Tu Yun. He believed that with Tu Yun's social circle and ability, it could be done. What he did was as simple as playing well.
And make friends with these stars as soon as possible, grab talents before other sneaker contracts, and also dig some talents in charge of sneaker technology. His current annual salary of 1000 million US dollars is not enough.
The expenses of NBA players are really high. Lin Yue saw that Durant has his own trainer, nutritionist, and private training arena, as well as buying luxury cars and houses. He really doesn't know where Durant got so much money.
This rookie contract is not enough for him at all. If you have money, you have money, and you spend more than you earn.
No wonder Durant looks like a dick, who is not a player trapped by money.
Thinking of this, Lin Yue devoted himself to training early.
"Lin, what time did you wake up?" Curry woke up from his sleep, squinted his eyes and walked to the yard, and found that Lin Yue was training early in the morning.
"About four or five o'clock." Lin Yue said casually. In fact, he also knew the exact time. It might be earlier. He was so excited that he couldn't sleep at the thought of developing a business. Now is the time when he is short of money, and he must sell his worth as soon as possible.
"No wonder I keep hearing the sound of hitting the ball. It's you playing here. I thought I had over-trained recently and had auditory hallucinations." Curry said weakly, still in a state of not waking up.
"Okay, you two are secretly training behind my back again." Durant walked towards them after speaking, and immediately took the training equipment to join the practice.
"No wonder I panicked in the morning, and I always felt a little uncomfortable. It turned out that you guys were training together while I was sleeping. There's no need for that. We're all roommates. Don't leave me behind to get stronger." Durant was unhappy. Lin Yue and Curry were teammates at University, but he still is now, and he was thrown out of training because he often felt that he couldn't fit in.
A little emotion is also normal.
"No, I can't get up. This man is like a lunatic after training, going into a state of madness." Curry pointed to Lin Yue and said.
Durant thought about it and felt that what Stephen said made sense. He had never seen the other party get up early in the morning. This guy was very lethargic. It seemed that Lin Yue was secretly practicing alone.
Durant's resentment disappeared immediately, as long as he wasn't carrying him behind his back.
At the same time, he also admired Lin Yue's attitude. In these days of training, other people either completed a fixed amount of training, or thought about how to reduce it. Only this guy was different. Every time he trained first and left last.
Inspired by a rookie, Durant didn't know what to say, so he pulled Curry to train together.
At six o'clock in the morning, the young Thunder's third youngster started his solo training before going to the arena.
Attitude is something that will be affected by people around you. When you see a person working hard in front of you, you will unconsciously follow. This is a common thought in everyone's mind.
Lin Yue's life creed is gradually affecting Curry and Durant, hard work will become stronger, and it will be applicable in many places.
……
After a long offseason, Lin Yue finally ushered in the opening game of his NBA career.
There were a lot of media at the scene, and many Chinese came to the Ford Center Arena. This time, their eyes were all on Lin Yue. Yao Ming's return date has not yet been determined, and people pin their future on this 20-year-old boy.
After Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue lost in the Tianjin Asian Championships, they were criticized by the fans. At this time, they realized that the Chinese men's basketball team without Yao Ming is actually not very strong, even in Asia, they can't get the first place.
Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue, two young people with high hopes, did not do well enough. Yi Jianlian didn't say anything, but his expression could tell that he was also blaming himself.
After the defeat, people naturally thought about Lin Yue, who was not here, whether he would have won the championship if he had been there.
Some media accused Lin Yue of being unpatriotic, not participating in the Asian Championships but going to the Summer League in Las Vegas, and attributed the loss to him.
What's even more frightening is that everyone echoes what others say. Before the start of the NBA game, Lin Yue attracted attention.
The pressure of public opinion did not affect Lin Yue's training status, he had to prepare well for the opening match.
Some media wanted to interview Lin Yue before the game, but they were stopped by Coach Brooks one by one, "Players need a good training environment, and they will not accept interviews before the game."
Lin Yue put himself into the warm-up with peace of mind. This game was not broadcast live across the United States, but it was broadcast live nationwide in China. The public opinion he aroused made the attention of this game unprecedentedly high.
When did the players of the Sacramento Kings see such a scene? Before the game started, the atmosphere at home was created. This opening game symbolized the state of the start of the game.
Whether it is the coach or the fans, it is very important.
Miller, the commentator of TNT TV, is very interested in the current strength of the Thunder. As early as in the NCAA, he has paid attention to the Davidson Wildcats. Since winning his alma mater, he has been very impressed with Stephen Curry and Durant.
Last season, Stephen Curry and Derrick Rose were always on the same starting line when they competed for the best rookie. If it were not for injuries, it would be possible for anyone to win in the end.
There is no doubt that the strength of the Thunder this year will be improved to a higher level. It is still unknown how far this team, which the media regards as a youth team, can go this season.
With the end of the warm-up, the game between the two sides officially began.
For the Thunder, Ibaka did not play, and the starters were Stephen Curry, Lin Yue, Durant, Sefrosa, and Nick Collison.
The Kings started with point guard: Kevin Martin, shooting guard: Evans, small forward: Desmond Mason, power forward Sean May, and center Jason Thompson.
In addition to the first-year Evans, the Kings' starters can only see Kevin Martin and Desmond Mason.
Kevin Martin's scoring average can be maintained at around 20 points per game. He is a good scorer, but his position overlaps with Evans, so he can only be forced to play point guard.
The 201cm Kevin Martin dribbles well, but he is thin, only 93 kg. In today's matchup with Curry, he has an advantage in terms of height alone.
Desmond Mason was the slam dunk champion in 2001. He has outstanding physical fitness. With his super physical fitness, he often staged difficult dunks.But he relied too much on his body to play, which led to premature overdraw of his body, constant injuries, and a sharp decline in his state.
He once averaged 17.2 points per game in his peak season, but now he can only be a blue-collar player, relying on good physical fitness to grab rebounds and so on.
As long as Martin and Evans can be restrained, the Thunder can easily win this game.
"It's finally here. On this stage, the surrounding lights are a bit dazzling, and many media are focusing on me. NBA, here I come." Standing on the stage of the Ford Center Arena, Lin Yue was a little excited, and his breathing became heavy.
The game attracted a lot of attention and pressure, and he had heard a little bit about the domestic public opinion, and he understood it.
When a game is lost, someone will always stand up and take the blame. Even if they lose, all they say is an excuse, but the audience will always point the finger at the public opinion, and Lin Yue is forced to become the one who takes the blame.
That being the case, use this performance to silence them.
"The game officially started, and the Thunder got the ball first," Reggie Miller said.
Nick Collison is an honest player. Since he was selected by the Sonics in 03, he has worked hard in the past few years. Even if the team is in a low point, he has no idea of leaving.
This kind of player is not only respected by the team, but also loved by the fans.
Stephen Curry dribbled the ball across half court while Kevin Martin harassed him.
Lin Yue came to the top of the arc to cover, and Curry took the opportunity to break into the inside line and try a mid-range jumper.
The ball hit the front of the basket and popped out, and the Kings protected the defensive rebound.
There are actually many options for this ball, but as a shooting player, Curry's touch is very important. It is understandable to try a goal in the opening game.
After receiving the pass from his teammate, Kevin Martin quickly went down, confronted Curry on the move, and scored a layup.
The Kings took the lead with two points.
"The Kings' offense is very thoughtful. They can't take advantage of frontal positional battles. Playing transition offense will get good results."
Kevin Martin is also a veteran who has played for several years. He has outstanding offensive talent. When and how to play has become the instinct of the body.
In the next round, Curry passed the ball to Lin Yue after leading half court, trying to turn the ball around.
After Lin Yue pretended to break through, he passed to Durant on the flank. The latter faced the defense of the former dunk king Mason, and he caught the ball and pulled out his hand.
Mason has good physical talent, but Durant doesn't make any physical contact with him at all. The 196cm Mason can give limited interference, even if he doesn't lose his position, Durant can shoot directly.
With a sound of "shua", it entered the net hollowly.
It is not easy for the Kings to solve the Thunder's offense.
The overall height of the Thunder team is tall, the shortest Curry is also 191cm, and the rest of the players are all over two meters. If you want to prevent this kind of matchup, you can only fight with your body.
Kevin Martin received the screen from his teammates and tried to shoot outside the three-point line. Lin Yue made up the defense in time and stretched out his hand to interfere.
The ball bounced off the rebound. After Durant got the rebound, he pushed and switched alone. He suddenly changed his direction and passed Evans, who was defending, and dunked in before the others were in position.
"Durant dunked with both hands and scored two points. This talent overflowed the screen. This ball is completely a manifestation of personal ability. Once the speed is high, it is difficult to put it on. The pace is large and the speed is fast." Reggie Miller praised the ball, not to mention Tyreke Evans, even he can't defend it.
Players who came out of the 90s are very outstanding in confrontation ability, and they are all trained in real fighting. Today's players are more skillful.
Durant's talent is absolutely historical.
If the Thunder can score, it will be difficult for the Kings to find a flaw in the opponent's defense.
Sefolosha's defensive ability is outstanding, and his defensive steps are good. Whether it is a single defense or a switch defense, it greatly restricts the Kings.
After Evans jumped over Lin, he was stopped by Sefolosha's defense.
"The offense of the Kings is very difficult, and the defense of the Thunder is very good." Reggie Miller is worried about the offense of the Kings.
Evans did not make a strong shot and turned the ball to Kevin Martin at the top of the arc to reorganize the offense.
After Kevin Martin pointed Curry, he entered the penalty area and fell to the ground after the confrontation, winning the referee's whistle.
"Fuck, is this considered a foul?" Lin Yue said.
Collison didn't even press down on the ball. Is there a risk of fouling with his hands stretched out?
"He made a foul, hit his arm, and then made a shot." Curry said.
Lin Yue was dumbfounded. He was either rushing to the layup with the ball, or for fouling.
"This is only useful for people who are good at free throws, so don't even think about it." Durant seemed to guess what Lin Yue was thinking, and complained.
"If you don't speak, no one will think you are dumb, cut." Lin Yue didn't take his time to fight back immediately.
Martin stood at the free throw line and made two free throws steadily. This level of proficiency can be seen as an old habitual offender.
Curry served the ball to Lin Yue, and Evans immediately pressed the audience. It seemed that he was worried about the Xialian matter. In fact, he didn't play for a long time in that game, which is really unlikely.
Seeing Evans looking like he wanted to steal the ball from him, Lin Yue passed it back to Curry.
"Forget it, let him lead the halftime."
Even with the pass, Evans clings to the shower, leaving him no room to catch the ball.
Curry couldn't pass even if he wanted to. He had no choice but to face Kevin Martin's defense and directly shot a three-pointer.
After training his shooting speed and shooting posture this offseason, Curry's three-point ability is even more terrifying.
The basketball got into the net, and in just a few possessions, people could see the Thunder's explosive scoring ability.
"Why is this possible?" Lin Yue felt helpless against Evans' defensive attitude, and he couldn't win.
Next, Evans broke into the inside and was blocked by Sefolosha.
Durant counterattacked and scored a layup.
Seeing that the situation was unstable, the Kings took the lead in calling a timeout.
(End of this chapter)