In the afternoon, Chuck Daly led the coaching staff to meet with people from the university training team.
Meng Lang also met several remaining members of the college sparring team, such as North Carolina center Eric Montrose, Chris Webber's teammate, and the NBA's first "Mr. Billionaire" Juwan Howard.
Daley didn't say anything too important. He just told them that it would take two or three days for the "Dream Team" to arrive here. During this time, they were allowed to warm up and train in the arena.
After he left with the coaching staff, the members of the sparring team dispersed one by two without saying much and started basic training.
About half an hour later, Hardaway took two shots of the fairway: "What's the point of just practicing? Why don't you play training games?"
As he said that, he stretched out his hands to pull people into groups.
Mashburn noticed that Hardaway was pulling him towards Meng Lang's gang, and quickly swatted Hardaway's hand away: "I must be on the same team as Alan!"
Just kidding, how could he be paired with Meng Lang?
Just after dinner and returning to the hotel to rest, Alan Houston asked him again: "Do you really think that Chinese guy can shoot better than me?"
It shows how much he cares about this matter.
At this time, he must prove with actual actions:
Alan, my comradeship with you is unwavering!
Houston was pleased with Mashburn's reaction.
At the end of the grouping, the three Dukes were in a group. Apart from the three of them, the other two were Juwan Howard and "Garbage Dog" Jerome Williams.
The remaining ones are Hardaway, Alan Houston and Mashburn. Chris Webber and North Carolina center Eric Montrose are on the first team.
After being divided into groups, Hardaway seemed very confident in his grouping. He turned his finger on the ball twice and asked, "Would you like some bets?"
Hill, as the representative, said: "What do you want to bet on?"
"Let's see..." Hardaway thought of something and became playful, "Aren't we going to play a training match with the Dream Team? If whichever team loses, then send a representative to challenge the Dream Team!"
As soon as he said this, everyone was stunned.
This is an elite dream team!
Michael Jordan, "Magic" Johnson, Larry Bird...
Besides Laettner, who else is not an NBA legend?
Even the reason why most people in this field chose the path of basketball is because of the name of one of them.
"Are you going to play so big?"
Mashburn swallowed. Although he looked like a "monster", he was an honest man.
Hardaway waved his hand towards him: "Don't worry, we will definitely win!"
He is so confident that it would be too ungrateful for him not to agree.
"Then come on!"
Hill agreed without saying anything else.
"At 23 points, whichever side wins 23 points first wins... The ball is in my hand, so we serve first?"
Hardaway showed his shameless energy, but Hill, who has always been a gentleman, did not accept his tactics. Stick to the jump ball.
As Mashburn said, the bet was indeed a bit big, and everyone was very serious, as can be seen from the jump ball in the opening game. As representatives, Jerome and Montrose were not just pretending.
The right to attack first belongs to Hardaway's side.
The ball passed half-court.
Facing the thin Hurley, this kid was not polite at all, and he just dominated with the ball.
First, there was a small change to the left, and then suddenly a large change to the right, breaking through to the other side. His signature "Hardaway change of direction" is here.
Hurley didn't hit hard either. He knew that his body was suffering, so he chose to put him in. Waiting for the support of his teammates, Jerome appeared in time, but Hardaway had already noticed his movements. He hit a through ball close to his side and hit the basket. Eric Montrose took the ball. A one-handed chop.
2-0!
"Nice!"
Hardaway shouted toward Montrose.
Hurley over there has already held the ball for half the game.
"Come on, come on, Bob, come back!" Hardaway crouched down and clapped his hands to challenge Hurley.
Hurley showed his calm side and did not rush to attack. Instead, he waited for Hill to come around from the wing to catch the ball. But the moment Hill stretched out his hand, he suddenly forced a breakthrough along the left side.
This step was very sudden. Fortunately, Hardaway's physical fitness was good enough and he caught up in time.
Want to conduct a sneak attack?
Are you still trying to trick me with this little trick?
"Bang!"
There was a dull sound.
Hardaway hit a wall and looked up to see it was Juwan Howard.
As Hill moved, he also quietly moved to Hardaway's flank, forming a wall.
However, Chris Webber also caught up immediately and successfully delayed Hurley's breakthrough to the basket. After Hurley dribbled the ball on the spot, he immediately threw it toward the basket.
A figure flashed there.
It's Meng Lang!
He successfully cut to the basket.
After holding the ball, he paused and did not take a shot.
He saw two figures flying over his head. The first came from behind him, coming from Houston, who was following him to defend; the second came from Montrose, who squeezed away the "junk dog" and hurriedly defended.
The basket became completely open.
Meng Lang then put the basket into the frame.
2-2 draw!
Alan Houston's defensive ability is not bad, especially when defending without the ball. He is an expert in running without the ball. Coupled with his flexible movement, he is even more of a good player.
Meng Lang scored the goal too easily.
So that everyone was slightly stunned.
Except Hardaway.
He shouted at Houston heartlessly: "See, this is Meng's strength, hahaha, Alan, are you too inferior? I thought you were going to fly to the ceiling."
Alan didn't say anything, but his slightly unhappy eyes and active movements showed what he was thinking at the moment. He wanted to return the favor.
Hardaway noticed this and couldn't ignore it. He slowed down his attack and waited for the ball.
Bypassing the screen provided by Mashburn, Houston successfully ran out of space.
His ability to move without the ball is indeed top-notch.
This is why Hardaway is willing to wait to feed the ball.
However, the ball flew out of Hardaway's hand, and just as it bounced off the ground, he saw a big hand covering it, holding the ball firmly.
An early steal from Meng Lang!
"start running!"
With a shout, Meng Lang dribbled the ball twice. Seeing that Hill was leading the way, he quickly gave the ball to his hands. After holding the ball firmly, the "Duke Gentleman" was already in the opponent's penalty area. He jumped up and made a one-handed chop. buckle.
The graceful posture is like dancing "air ballet".
4-2!
This guy is not a chick!
Rich experience and high golf quotient!
This is what Hardaway's team said about Meng Lang after this round.
When he stole Hardaway's ball, he clearly predicted Hardaway's intention to play the ball for Houston. Therefore, when Mashburn helped with the pick-and-roll, he immediately changed his mind and no longer chased Houston, but quickly predicted Hardaway's goal. Ball route, trying to steal.
The series of changes here all require rich experience and keen judgment.
Houston is also aware of this. As a person involved, his feelings are even deeper.
After Mashburn successfully delayed the game, Houston looked at the large gap and chose to be greedy, so he deliberately distanced himself from the three-point line.
Unexpectedly, the time he ran to the wing of the three-point line gave Meng Lang a chance to intercept in advance.
How stupid!
"Grant, when they pick and roll later, we will switch defense..."
Meng Lang succeeded with one blow, but when he returned to defense, he took the initiative to discuss changing defense with Hill.
Houston's ability to run without the ball is too good, and coupled with Mashburn's coverage, this is not something he can solve alone.
If one person can't solve it, then two people can solve it together. This is one of the principles of the court that Meng Lang believes in.
Hill was stunned for a moment. Meng Lang's serious look at this moment was completely different from when he was playing 3v3. He nodded in agreement.
While they were talking, Hardaway dribbled to the frontcourt again. Chris Webber stepped up to provide support at this time. The Hill team chose to put his teammate Juwan Howard to face him.
Weber simply faced the frame and played singles with the ball.
Before becoming the cornerstone of the "Gorgeous King," Weber's dream was to become a figure like "Magic" Johnson. All kinds of fancy dribbling, handy. It's just that Zhu Wang was too familiar with him, so he just watched him motionless. Feeling bored, Weber shot a high jump shot, but at the same time as he shot, Zhu Wang got up and interfered smoothly.
During the confrontation, the "North Carolina center" grabbed the rebound.
But as soon as he landed, a hand suddenly appeared from behind and poked the ball out of his hand.
It's Meng Lang again.
When did he appear in that position?
It was just such a question, and there was no time to think about it. Hardaway's side fought back to defend. Because the ball is in Hill's hands again. His top-notch vision and physical talent are most vividly reflected in fast breaks.
The Hill team easily scored another 2 points.
6-2!
The scorer was Juwan Howard, who high-fived Hill on his return.
Being called into a fast break again, Hardaway was obviously a little anxious. After getting the ball in the backcourt, he immediately raised his hand to direct, asking his teammates to move, completely unaware of the dark figure quietly approaching behind him.
"Snapped!"
"careful!"
The sound of picking up the ball and the reminder from his teammates sounded at the same time. By the time Hardaway reacted, the ball in his hand had "disappeared" and was transferred to another pair of larger hands.
Needless to say……
It's still Meng Lang!
Turning your head is a counterattack.
8-2!
Hardaway watched Meng Lang pass in front of him and said "hi" to him, with a look of pain on his face and a bit of surprise. It was like getting to know Meng Lang again.
This rookie is so stubborn!
He was the only one who got to know Meng Lang again.
Hill and Hurley looked at Meng Lang with astonishment on their faces and a strange look in their eyes.
They played more than a dozen games with Meng Lang, and this was the first time they played a full game with Meng Lang. Damn, this guy looks like this when playing 5V5?
This is too heartfelt... No, this IQ is too high, right?
Hardaway still had a doubt and asked Chris Webber, who was serving the ball: "How did he go around behind me?"
Weber shook his head.
He really didn't pay attention.
When he saw Meng Lang about to take out the ball, Meng Lang was already about to take out the ball.
Not only did he not see it, but the rest of Hardaway's team also didn't notice how Meng Lang got around.
Including Houston.
As a pitcher, he can't just look at the opponent's position, he also has to observe the strong side and weak side of the opponent's entire defensive position. Avoiding the strong side, going around to the weak side, and completing the shot are the basic qualities of a top pitcher.
Therefore, he subconsciously ignored Meng Lang's position.
Obviously, Meng Lang knows the offensive ideas of top pitchers very well.
He was set up again.
Damn it!
This feeling of having your IQ pressed to the ground and being rubbed is really unpleasant.
This time he specifically checked to see if Meng Lang was following him.
Just in time to meet Meng Lang's eyes, the latter stood next to him with one hand on his hips, with a little bit of innocence in his eyes, as if to say:
I'm here, I didn't run away this time.
Hardaway also took a look at Meng Lang first, and then began to direct his teammates' movements normally.
Team Hardaway successfully scored another 2 points.
It’s not easy either.
It was their first goal since the opening goal. During this period, Hill scored 4 goals in a row.
And the reason for all this...
It’s all because of this newcomer from China.
Before the game, no one on the Hardaway team expected that after the game started, the person they needed to pay attention to most was not Hill or Juwan Howard, but this Chinese rookie!
Relying on their early advantage, the Hill team had the last laugh, winning the training match 23-17.
Hardaway looked at Meng Lang with an indescribably "blue and thin" expression.
After Meng Lang succeeded in stealing the ball for the first time, Hardaway's team's eyes were temporarily focused on him. But as the game continued, Grant Hill and Juwan Howard became the main scorers of Hill's team. It was also concentrated on these two guys.
As a result, in the last attack just now, Hardaway dribbled the ball across half court and allowed Meng Lang to sneak in from behind.
What a bastard!
With similar expressions to his, there are also the Kentucky "Double Heroes"...
Meng Lang "emptied out" Hardaway and used "calling tactics" to make the two of them lose their temper.
As long as Houston and Mashburn play a pick-and-roll, Meng Lang will immediately switch defenses with his teammates.
If the ball goes to Houston, Meng Lang will switch defense with Hill; if the ball goes to Mashburn in the low post, Meng Lang will immediately switch defense with Juwan Howard. "Uncle Huo's" defense is average, but he is in the low post. He has a height advantage over Mashburn and can interfere with him very well.
This "team game" is really for him to understand.
It was a bad game, but there are even worse things waiting for Team Hardaway next.
They also have to pick someone to challenge the "dream team."
Chris Webber suggested: "Then... Anfernee! Raise your hands if you agree!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand first.
Hardaway glanced at him in disbelief. Before he could breathe out his anger, Alan Houston also raised his hand: "I also agree. He was intercepted twice by Meng. The mistake was too big, and it was his suggestion." !”
Wow……
Forget it about Weber, Hardaway really didn't expect that Alan Houston, a guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, would be so good at "insert knife".
When the remaining two people also raised their hands, and the vote passed unanimously, he suddenly felt that Meng Lang was not just a dogma, but his teammates were the real "dogs"!
I knew I would choose Meng Lang!
Hardaway was trembling with anger, but he could only "the minority obey the majority", and then cast a complaining look at Meng Lang. Meng Lang spread his hands and said he couldn't blame me.
The more you think about it, the angrier it becomes. The more you think about it, the more you lose.
Looking around, Hardaway found that he was the only one who had suffered a loss, and shouted, "One more!"
Chris Webber asked: "Is there still a bet? If there is still a bet, then I will team up with Meng."
Mashburn also nodded and wanted to "add 1".
Before he could "plus 1," Houston had already "plus 1." So he has no psychological burden.
Hardaway was "dumbfounded". In the training games, are they all Meng Lang's people? However, he also admitted that Meng Lang's stubborn style of play was indeed a "big killer" in this kind of training match where there was no tacit understanding with each other.
In this way, it is obvious that "gamble" is no longer possible.
Hardaway waved his hand and compromised: "Okay, okay, then just have fun!"
