Since the beginning of the summer league, Li Kaiming has mastered the routine of NBA pre-game press conferences. Unless there is any breaking news, generally speaking, there are only a few questions before the game. Either how to deal with the opponent's defense, or how to deal with the opponent's defense. How do you defend the other side...
In response to these questions, Li Kaiming has already written some templates in his mind. As soon as the reporter opens his mouth, he can find the most suitable one and give a perfect answer.
There was nothing in tonight's interview that required his attention. He dealt with the reporters in just a few clicks.
The reporters had to smile bitterly when they saw that although Li Kaiming was young, he already had the feeling of interviewing a veteran.
Even if he is mature in playing, he is so mature off the court. They all wonder if Li Kaiming has a sixty-year-old heart hidden under his childish appearance.
After the press conference, Li Kaiming quickly returned to the stadium to start the pre-match warm-up. There were still a lot of fans tonight. Li Kaiming estimated based on his feeling that there should be no less fans than at the Amway Center in the last game.
Tonight's game, although the Hawks are at home, they are playing back-to-back games. This is their third game in four games, which does give the Wizards some opportunities.
Before today, the Eagles won the Memphis Grizzlies in the opener on the 27th, and then won two consecutive away games in Philadelphia on the 29th. That is, as of now, the Eagles rank No. 1 in the Eastern Conference with a record of 2 wins and 0 losses. one.
Although the No. 1 player in the Eastern Conference is a bit sloppy, the Eagles' strength can still be vaguely seen.
Being able to win consecutive away games is a sign of a strong team.
In the Eagles' home opener of the season, the team was naturally not pompous. They sang the national anthem and introduced the players before the game according to the procedures. Li Kaiming watched the Eagles players walk out of the tunnel one by one.
After introducing the home team players, the starting lineups of both sides appeared on the LED screen.
The home team Atlanta Hawks, point guard Mike Bibby, shooting guard Joe Johnson, forward Josh Smith, power forward Marvin Williams, center Al Horford.
The visiting team Washington Wizards, point guard Kirk Hinrich, shooting guard Nick Young, forward Al Thornton, power forward Li Kaiming, center Andre Blach.
The referee on duty tonight was No. 74 Curtis Blair. Seeing that the time was up, Blair stood in the midfield with the ball, and after the whistle blew, he threw the ball up!
Although Blatche is much taller than Horford, his explosive power is a little less than the latter. Horford passed the ball to Mike Bibby's hand. Zheng
Mike Bibby was the second overall pick in 1999. He showed the potential of an excellent point guard as a rookie, averaging 6.5 assists per game. However, he was not satisfied with this and began to strengthen his scoring ability. At his peak, he was with the Kings. Averaging 21 points and 5 assists per game, he is a proper All-Star guard.
Even last season, he still averaged 9 points and 4 assists per game, firmly establishing himself as the Hawks' starting point guard.
Mike Bibby controlled the ball past half-court and reached out to call Horford to pick and roll. Blatche squatted near the free throw line and did not dare to go out. Horford made an open shot. Mike Bibby passed the ball to Horford, who hit a two-pointer from the mid-range to win the opening game. one cent!
Blatche was a little annoyed. Horford was not someone like Howard who could only look at the basket except for the restricted area. He needed to defend out.
When the Wizards attacked, Hinrich started a pick-and-roll with Li Kaiming after halftime. Marvin Williams, who faced Li Kaiming, was a short power forward with good health and speed. Hinrich was not sure that he would be able to defeat him alone by breaking through, so he had to pass the ball. To Li Kaiming in the low post.
Although Marvin Williams was fast, he was not good enough in front of Li Kaiming. Li Kaiming turned around and feinted, shaking Williams with a fake move, and then turned around from the other direction to break through!
Horford is also a short center under the basket. The rising Li Kaiming is unstoppable. Howard can't do anything, and Horford can't do anything!
Fortunately, Horford's experience is quite good, and he didn't have to pay for the foul with his hands. Li Kaiming succeeded in a one-arm dunk!
Li Kaiming, who performed well in the last game, had been the focus of the commentators long before the game. Now his first sports goal was a dunk, which naturally aroused discussion in the commentators' seats.
A white male commentator with glasses sighed, "It seems that Li Kaiming is very easy to deal with Williams. Maybe he will score very high in this game!"
The black guest on the other side spread his hands in disbelief, "Come on, man, this guy scored 46 points against Dwight Howard! You actually doubt whether he can score high points?"
The man with glasses smiled and shook his head, "My bad buddy!"
…
The Eagles served to Mike Bibby, who reached the frontcourt and handed the ball to Joe Johnson in the mid-range low post. The latter got a good position with Nick Young behind his back and received the ball from Mike Bibby.
Joe Johnson was the 10th overall pick in 2001. At 201cm tall, he swings between the 2nd and 3rd positions. His height and confrontation ability are enough for him to face most forwards in the league without any disadvantage.
Of course, his biggest feature is his singles ability, which is also the origin of his nickname "Singles Joe".
What supports his abnormal singles ability is his offensive ability that covers the entire half of the court without blind spots. The title "offensive kaleidoscope" is the best summary of Joe Johnson. He is proficient in all offensive techniques.
In addition, he also has an impressive big heart. He ranked first in history in the number of buzzer-beaters during the regular season.
Faced with such a player, Nick Young, the new starter, obviously cannot bear it.
Joe Johnson only arched his back, and Nick Young was carried away by half an arm's length. Then Johnson decisively turned around and shot a fadeaway jumper, hitting the target in a cool way!
This is Joe singles, simple and concise, not sloppy at all, but deadly!
4 to 2!
The core of the Wizards' ball control is still Li Kaiming. This time Li Kaiming stood on the outside and got the ball, and Hinrich went to run.
Marvin Williams seemed to have made preparations before the game. He did not leave any space for Li Kaiming outside the three-point line, and would rather let Li Kaiming pass by in one step.
This is what Eagles head coach Larry Drew means, you can score high points, but don't even think about shooting three-pointers!
But Li Kaiming is not picky about scoring. Since he walks to the basket without a chance for a three-pointer, Li Kaiming's defense is no different from a wooden stake. He reaches the three-point line in one step.
Josh Smith and Mike Bibby at the top of the arc returned to the penalty area to help Horford defend Li Kaiming.
And Li Kaiming, after getting in front of the three opponents, suddenly threw the ball away!
The person receiving the ball was Hinrich at the top of the arc. Facing the large open space without defense, Hinrich adjusted his posture on the spot and then hit a three-pointer!
4 to 5!
…
Both sides went back and forth, and the first quarter of the game passed quickly. Although the Eagles had a deep lineup, they were exhausted back to back, so they played a half-match with the Wizards.
After one quarter, the Eagles temporarily led the Wizards by 1 point, 29-28.
Li Kaiming played 8 minutes in the first quarter and scored 9 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.
Tonight, the Hawks were determined not to let him throw three-pointers, so he didn't take a single three-pointer in the first quarter. Instead, his teammates got many three-point opportunities.
Nick Young scored 6 points on 2 of 3 three-pointers, Thornton had a bad touch and scored 0 of 2, Hinrich scored 5 points on 2 of 4, and Blach scored 4 points after eating two cakes under the basket.
But the good news is that Yi Jianlian took advantage of the few minutes Li Kaiming left to score 4 points, with 100% efficiency. It seems that the training is still effective.
The Eagles' scoring was relatively balanced. Joe Johnson had a team-high 6 points and 2 rebounds, Horford had 5 points, Mike Bibby had 2 points and 3 assists, and Marvin Williams had 4 points and 2 rebounds.
