After the media day, the Knicks took their final makeup photos for the new season.
Li Yan was very cooperative with the photographer. After all, it was going to be used as a poster for promotion, and Li Yan still wanted to make himself look more handsome.
Before the start of the new season, the Knicks have 7 preseason games.
Then comes the opening game.
This year's opening game is very interesting. In the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks face the Cleveland Cavaliers at home.
In the West, the defending champion Denver Nuggets face the San Antonio Spurs at home.
I have to say that the NBA understands traffic.
The Nuggets and Spurs have become absolute mortal enemies after their confrontation in the Western Conference Finals last season. Especially in the last game of the series, the Nuggets severely humiliated the Spurs at the Spurs' home court with the largest playoff point difference in history.
Then, during the Nuggets championship parade, hundreds of thousands of people simultaneously chanted, "San Antonio, Who's yOUr daddy!"
The crazy scene has become a classic, and the hatred between the two teams even rose from the team to the city.
Although Li Yan is gone, the Nuggets will definitely give their best at home.
The game between the Knicks and Cavaliers was also full of highlights.
Li Yan became a god immediately after winning the FMVP. He is younger than James and is in the limelight.
Although LeBron James produced good statistics in last season's Finals, James' shooting weaknesses were exposed to the public by the Nuggets in an extremely cruel way.
The Cavaliers were swept 0-4. James made 8 of 47 jump shots in 4 games, including 4 of 27 mid-range shots. Neither field goal rate exceeded 20%.
After being swept in the Finals, James apprenticed to famous shooting coach Chris Janet.
Janet quickly found James' shooting problem:
“His feet and body couldn’t balance well, so he couldn’t aim well, so we started with his feet to get him to coordinate his feet and body when shooting.
Also, his elbows are too turned out and his shoulders are too wide, so we just start with the feet first and then the hips.
Because the hips also swing when shooting. Then there are the shoulders and elbows, both of which work in tandem. "
James conducted arduous shooting training in the offseason.
According to sources, James’ regular training content is as follows:
90 minutes of shooting training is conducted before regular training every day, six days a week, with optional additional training in the evening.
Each shooting training focuses on mid-range jump shots, with a total of 6 points.
A rough estimate is that James trains with thousands of balls every day.
Before the start of the new season, Chris Janet publicly stated in front of the media: James' shooting ability has been greatly improved, please wait and see.
Many media and fans are expecting James to beat Li Yan in the opening game and shine.
Compared to Li Yan, who was "lazy" during the offseason, they believe that their "chosen son" is so diligent and is the one more worthy of winning.
After taking the solo photo, Nicks took a group photo.
Li Yan naturally stood in the absolute C position holding the bouquet. It is worth mentioning that Yi Jianlian participated in the final group photo.
This was interpreted by the domestic media as a symbol of the UAE gaining the main position.
When head coach Isiah Thomas was asked about this question, he smiled: "Yi is a player we like, and of course it may take some time to adapt to the NBA.
I can't guarantee the starting position, but he will have plenty of playing time and he is part of our future. "
…………
The preseason schedule is not easy, almost every game is two days.
Thomas originally wanted Li Yan to give him a proper beating, but Li Yan refused.
Li Yan believes that the Knicks' lineup has changed a lot, and as a point guard he should cooperate more with his teammates, which can shorten the running-in time.
Thomas was very moved by Li Yan's words. The pressure on the "Smiling Assassin" was not small, and Li Yan's performance made him feel at ease.
He saw in Li Yan the character of the previous generation of players.
Time flies quickly, the Knicks have played 6 preseason games, and they have achieved 3 wins and 3 losses.
Li Yan averaged 25 minutes per game and was able to contribute 26.5 points, 7.5 assists, 5 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2 blocks.
Li Yan's performance was impeccable, but the Knicks' performance was not good.
The biggest problem is Randolph. His individual singles on the offensive end are acceptable, but he does not cover runs according to tactics.
As for the defensive end, Randolph did nothing and was simply a "big colander."
Although Randolph's defense is average, the difference is definitely a matter of attitude. He often watched helplessly as the opponent sent the ball into the Knicks' basket.
Thomas made various insinuations about Randolph, but the "Black Bear" couldn't get enough of it.
Although he didn't resist, his attitude was quite negative.
These days, Li Yan has been observing his teammates. As the cornerstone of the team, he feels that he needs to do something.
After losing to the Pistons in the sixth preseason game, Li Yan returned to the locker room and walked straight to Randolph.
"Zach, come on!" Li Yan's tone was not friendly.
Sitting in front of his locker, Randolph was a little surprised. He did not regard Li Yan as the boss of the team.
"If you have anything to say, tell me directly. Don't put on any airs of FMVP in front of me." Randolph raised his head and snorted coldly.
"Come to the shower room, just the two of us." Li Yan said coldly.
"Fake, you want to preach to me, do you think I dare not beat you?" Randolph heard the meaning of Li Yan's words and jumped up.
Everyone in the locker room stood up almost at the same time, feeling the tense atmosphere on the scene.
"Lee, don't be impulsive." Nate Robinson advised: "Don't do it."
As a result, before Li Yan could speak, Randolph scolded him directly: "Shut the hell up, I don't see what qualifications you have to dare to talk to me like this."
Li Yan ignored Randolph and walked straight into the shower room.
"Don't interfere. Zach, come in. Things must be settled today."
Li Yan turned back to his teammates and said, "Don't worry, I always convince people with reason."
"Where did you get the courage? You asked for this." Randolph moved his body and said fiercely. He followed Li Yan.
The two walked into the shower room and the door was quickly locked.
"I'm going to call the coach now." David Lee said: "You guys keep a close eye and don't let reporters know about this."
Richardson and others guarded the door nervously, and if anything went wrong, they would break in.
In their opinion, although Li Yan is Chinese, Randolph is much heavier than Li Yan.
Moreover, Randolph has a reputation for being vicious. He broke Patterson's orbital bone with one punch in the Trail Blazers.
Looking at it this way, it is obvious that Li Yan will suffer.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
In less than a minute, there was a violent noise in the shower room, and it was obvious that a conflict had occurred inside.
Nate Robinson and others kicked the shower door, but the quality of the door was much better than they expected.
Richardson kicked him twice, but he didn't kick him away.
Just as they were sweating nervously, the door opened.
Li Yan stuck his head out and shouted to Artest: "Ron, come in too."
