The first-round game between Green's Michigan State University and New Mexico State University, like Memphis, was held at the Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington.
It's just that the game between Michigan and New Mexico is at 7:30 pm on the 19th, and the game between Memphis and Maryland is at 9:30 pm the following night.
So the two teams happened to go to the same nightclub on vacation, and what’s even more coincidental was that they fell in love with the same girl!
Li Kaiming was a little speechless. How could he meet his colleagues even when he went to a nightclub? And this peer may be their opponent in the next round!
Before the fight even started, the smell of gunpowder was already filling the nightclub...
During the team training in the morning, except for Li Kaiming, everyone else seemed to have lost their souls. They were either making poor shots or making various bizarre mistakes. What was even more exaggerated was Elliott Williams. This guy was fighting in groups. When he got the ball, he mistook it for the basket. After running all over the court in a flashy manner, he smashed the ball into his own basket!
Seeing the depressed state of these guys, Pastner on the sidelines puffed his beard and glared angrily, regretting that he gave these guys the opportunity to indulge last night.
But fortunately, this is just an internal training match, and winning or losing does not matter.
After the training, Pastner caught Williams and others and scolded them. His outrageous words made Li Kaiming, who was watching the show, couldn't help but turn his head...
The coach scolded him for more than ten minutes without repeating any words...
After entering March Madness, the media exposure and reports were obviously much greater. As soon as Li Kaiming left the stadium, some reporters who were squatting outside immediately pounced on him like a dog that had been hungry for a week and asked about the fishy smell. They crowded around, their microphones ready to poke into the lungs of Tigers players.
"Lee, this is your first time representing the University of Memphis in the national championship. What is your goal?"
Li Kaiming said without hesitation, "National champion!"
"So what do you think of the next game's opponent, the University of Maryland?"
Li Kaiming stopped, glanced at the reporter who asked the question, smiled slightly and said, "The University of Maryland is a very good opponent."
"Is that all?" the reporter asked again reluctantly.
Li Kaiming replied, "Of course, a very good opponent, very suitable as a stepping stone for us to enter the top 32."
reporter:……
This interview quickly appeared in the headlines of local sports media in Washington and caused an uproar on the Internet!
A large number of netizens also expressed their opinions on this.
"This guy has played a few good games and doesn't know what his last name is!"
"Haha, young man! It's normal to be arrogant, but the players at the University of Maryland this year will teach him how to behave."
"I can't wait to see the press conference after Memphis loses..."
…
Of course, there are also supporters of Li Kaiming who are confronting anti-fans online, and their comments have received a lot of likes.
"He has this strength, what's wrong with telling the truth?"
"I think those guys above are just jealous of my brother Kaiming. Also, there are not many people in the world who are as handsome and good at playing like him."
"Collect the smell upstairs, the water is dripping on my head..."
Of course, the media will not let go of the University of Maryland players, especially since Li Kaiming said such arrogant words. Of course, Maryland's reaction also aroused great curiosity.
Everyone wanted to see how Maryland would respond to the provocation from the big man in Memphis.
Especially last season, Maryland lost to Memphis in the second round. The combination of old and new grudges has aroused everyone's appetite before the game even started.
Soon after, Maryland's response came. The core of their team, No. 21 starting defender Graves Vazquez, also made harsh words on behalf of the team:
There's no point in talking nonsense. The truth will be seen on the court on March 19th, and Maryland will avenge its shame!
This brief and powerful response once again filled the firewood for the game that had not yet started, causing tens of thousands of people to turn their attention to Washington, and the tickets for March 19 were all snapped up in an instant!
There was even a handicap for this game on a certain gray website, and a large amount of money poured in the moment the market opened.
In ESPN's latest secret ballot, the popularity of Memphis against the University of Maryland also surpassed UNLV and Northern Iowa's game in just one day, becoming the most eye-catching game in the first round of March Madness. The presence.
The stage has been set, it’s time for the actors to perform!
——
At 9:30 pm on March 19th, American time, Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington.
The stadium with more than 12,000 seats was packed with people. The bright stadium was full of people and the fiery cheerleaders danced to the rhythm of the DJ, adding a beautiful scenery to the upcoming game.
The CBS Sports Channel's live broadcast has been set up, and scouts from dozens of NBA teams are ready in positions with the best views. On the big screen in the arena, the starting lineups of both sides are displayed above.
University of Memphis Tigers: Point guard Willie Kemp, shooting guard Elliott Williams, small forward Daniel Mack, power forward Wesley Weatherspoon, center Kaiming Li.
University of Maryland Terrapins: Point guard Sean Mosley, shooting guard Graves Vazquez, small forward Landon Milburn, power forward Ersin Levante, center Jordan Williams.
The referee blows the whistle and the game begins!
As expected, Li Kaiming won first, beating the opponent's center with a jump ball, a man with Jordan in his name.
The University of Maryland seemed to have made sufficient preparations in advance. After the jump ball failed, all players immediately returned to defense, leaving no possibility for Memphis to break fast.
University of Maryland coach Gary Williams, who was on the sideline with his arms wrapped around his chest, looked confident.
And Pastner is not a vegetarian here in Memphis. The Tigers were uncharacteristically. After Kemp dribbled the ball past half court, he handed the ball to Williams, and then Li Kaiming and Weatherpens stepped forward to give it to Williams. Pick and roll.
Under the solid cover of two big men over two meters tall, Vazquez, who was guarding Williams, felt that the sky was turning dark in an instant, and Williams easily got an open shot. He immediately took off. After taking the shot, the basketball flew steadily into the basket.
"Memphis scored first, and Williams succeeded in the mid-range shot! It seems that Memphis has changed its strategy and shifted the team's offensive focus to the outside!" The on-site commentator was experienced and immediately started analyzing the situation on the court into the microphone.
Pastner on the sidelines smiled slightly when he heard this, "You think I have changed my strategy? That's good, I'm afraid you think I haven't changed!"
It turns out that the strategy formulated before the game was to use Williams as bait to guide the opponent's defensive focus to shift to the outside, and then the actual offensive core Li Kaiming suddenly exerted force to catch the opponent off guard!
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