Miami, USA.
Heat general manager's office.
Due to the time difference, it's still afternoon in Miami.
Just after watching the match between China and Greece in the office, Pat Riley leaned on the sofa chair with a far-sighted smile on his face.
"This Lin is really becoming more and more charming as a superstar!"
Pat Riley is becoming more and more confident about the Heat in the new season.
At this moment, someone knocked on the door and walked in. It was Heat coach Stan Van Gundy.
"Mr. Riley, what do you want from me?"
Pat Riley motioned for Van Gundy to sit down on the sofa, then frowned and said:
"I'm going to trade Eddie Jones, what do you think?"
Stan Van Gundy was shocked. He didn't expect Pat Riley to trade Eddie Jones, who was the Heat's scoring leader last season.
Eddie Jones was the No. 10 pick in the first round in 1994. He has been the starting shooting guard for the Lakers since his rookie season. In his peak season, he scored 20.1 points, allowing Kobe to serve as a substitute for two consecutive seasons.
A three-time All-Star and four-time member of the defensive team, Eddie Jones is absolutely top-notch at forward and back, with defense being better than offense.
In fact, Pat Riley wants to trade Eddie Jones, and Stan Van Gundy can completely understand it. After all, Wade needs to be corrected in the new season, and Jones and Wade's on-ball play styles are highly overlapping.
Although Eddie Jones was the Heat's regular season scoring leader last season, in the second half of the season, Wade began to rise rapidly and overtake in corners.
After the Heat played two rounds of playoffs, rookie Wade's scoring average soared to 18 points per game, while Eddie Jones dropped to 13.6 points.
This also shows that even Wade in his rookie season is more capable of fighting tough battles than Eddie Jones.
Moreover, Eddie Jones's contract for the new season is also the highest among the Heat except O'Neal, reaching more than 14 million US dollars.
"It's not impossible to trade Jones, but I don't know if it can be exchanged for suitable chips. After all, his current market price can be either high or low!"
Pat Riley frowned and said: "Eddie will be 33 years old soon. While he is still at his peak and his trading value is still some, the most appropriate choice is to trade him as soon as possible!"
"It is most suitable for the small forward to replace a role player who is mainly defensive and can also shoot three-pointers, such as Shane Battier of the Grizzlies. I am still very optimistic about this player!"
Stan Van Gundy nodded and said: "Well, Sean is indeed a good player and has a lot of room for growth. He has been on the bench for the Grizzlies for the past two seasons and has not been reused!"
"But Mr. Jerry West is not a fuel-efficient lamp. If you want to get Shane Battier, I'm afraid you will have to go through a lot of troubles!"
Pat Riley nodded and asked again: "There is still a problem with the starting point guard. What are your good plans?"
Stan Van Gundy has recently been thinking about who should be the team's starting point guard in the new season. After all, Wade is the core of the ball, and the point guard should find a role that can switch freely between with and without the ball. This way is the most suitable.
At the same time, he and Lin Fei on the bench can also produce sufficient chemical reactions in the rotation transition period.
"There are only a few good point guards in the league now, and the others are mediocre!"
"Other teams will definitely not let go of a good point guard, and we don't have enough leverage. There are a lot of inferior point guards. If you don't choose well, you will lose it!"
"The most important thing is to have a starting point guard who can match Dwayne, which is even harder to find!"
Pat Riley said resolutely: "Well, if it doesn't work, just renew Rafe Alston's contract. Try it first. If he doesn't get along well in the new season, then trade him!"
"I would say that the most suitable person to partner with Wade in the backcourt is Lin. As long as his defense can be improved a bit and he has basic dribbling ability, it will be perfect!"
Stan Van Gundy smiled and said: "That's right. Lin's backcourt defensive strength shown in this Olympics is still good and has improved!"
"The day after tomorrow, the United States will play China in the semi-finals. What do you think are the chances of winning?"
Pat Riley is not optimistic about this edition of the American Dream Team. He knows that the two losses in the group stage were not accidental. This dream team lineup is quite deformed and has too many internal problems.
"I feel like it's 6-4 at most. Although the overall strength of the Chinese men's basketball team is weak, it has become more and more united along the way. However, this group of players from the United States are fighting on their own and are scattered!"
…
As the Chinese men's basketball team defeated the host Greece to advance to the semi-finals of the men's basketball team in the Olympic Games, the Chinese fans were also rejoicing and eagerly looking forward to the semi-finals and the American Dream Six game.
There are also endless voices from fans on major sports forums and Olympic forums, making the semi-final match between China and the United States very popular.
At least domestically, the focus of this semifinal has already exceeded this year's NBA Finals.
"The U.S. Dream Six is not that scary. Otherwise, how could they lose two games in a row in the group stage? Although our chances of winning are not high, we definitely have a chance!"
"After the decisive victory over Greece, I feel like the entire China Men's Basketball Team has been elevated. At least this drive of unity is much better than the scattered top six of the American Dream!"
"Being able to reach the semi-finals is already an extraordinary performance. If you want to eliminate the United States and enter the finals, it is basically impossible. You must know that the United States just pretended to be dead in the group stage. Didn't they beat Spain in the knockout round?"
"I watched the knockout match against Spain. The United States played without any tactics at all. It was Iverson's performance alone. Duncan also restricted Gasol's performance in the paint!"
"With Allen Iverson and Marbury in the Dream Six, this is a great test for our men's basketball team's defense. Only Lin Fei can defend. How can this be enough?"
"FIBA doesn't have three seconds of defense. With Yao and the twin towers guarding the penalty area, Iverson and Marbury can't even think about rushing in. If they want to shoot, they can completely let them go. If they are shot to death, they will have to admit it!"
"Don't forget who is the coach of the American team. Flip Saunders is the coach of the Timberwolves. He knows how to use Lin Fei best, and naturally he also knows how to defend against him!"
"No matter how powerful the United States is, it doesn't matter how powerful it is, just do it and defeat the wolf of American imperialism and capital!"
With the enthusiastic expectations of the fans, the time finally came to August 27.
The competition at the Yadian Olympic Games has also entered the final three days.
For Chinese football fans and sports fans, this day is a very important match day.
Not only will the Chinese men's basketball team face the American Dream Six in the semifinals, but Liu Xiang will also participate in the 110-meter hurdles final, striving to achieve a breakthrough of 0 medals in the Chinese men's track and field Olympics.
At seven o'clock in the evening local time, it is still the Olympic Stadium, and the game between the men's basketball team and the United States will start soon.
At this time, on the basketball court, players from the United States and China were warming up.
Compared with the highly unified head shape and skin color of the Chinese men’s basketball team,
The players of the American team are full of flamboyant personalities. They have various tattoos on their shoulders and arms, and their hairstyles are also unique.
Even though this is the Dream Team with the bleakest overall star power of the American team since NBA players were allowed to participate in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics,
But there are still NBA superstars like Iverson and Duncan in the Dream Six. There is an endless stream of European fans in the stands. To put it bluntly, they are here to watch these American stars play.
Although the game is a battle of life and death, the players on the Chinese men's basketball team can't help but cast admiring glances at the stars on the American side.
In particular, several young CBA players, such as Zhu Fangyu, Ah Lian and Liu Wei, were waiting for Iverson, Marbury and Duncan to get autographs and photos after the game.
Zhu Fangyu’s idol in the NBA is Kobe Bryant, but he also likes Allen Iverson. After all, Iverson singled out OK in the 2001 Finals, which is enough to make him famous around the world.
Liu Wei prefers Marbury to Iverson. He believes that Marbury is as good as Iverson, but has worse luck.
When watching NBA games on weekdays, Liu Wei also watches Marbury's games more than Iverson's.
The UAE's idol is Michael Jordan, but he has to learn more from Tim Duncan to become a qualified power forward.
"Lin Fei, who is your idol in the NBA?"
Being asked by Zhu Fangyu really stumped Lin Fei, who was shooting. He said that his idol was Nowitzki, but Zhu Fangyu probably didn't believe it either.
After all, Nowitzki has not won any honors in the NBA at this stage, neither MVP nor championship.
But it would be even more ridiculous to say that his idol is Curry.
"Iverson and Kobe, these two guys are my idols!"
Zhu Fangyu said excitedly: "Lin, Marbury is the point guard, and Iverson is the starting shooting guard tonight. He happens to be facing you. You can use your three-pointer to pay tribute to your idol!"
Lin Fei glanced at Iverson, who still had furrow hair on the opposite court, and smiled: "Yes, the best way to pay tribute to your idol is:"
"Blow him up!"
Liu Wei obviously didn't have enough courage: "I'm going against Marbury tonight, damn, I hope I don't get intercepted by him too many times!"
Li Nan directly punched Liu Wei in the chest and said coldly: "Don't fucking inflate other people's ambitions and destroy our own prestige. If he steals you, you turn around and knock him down directly!"
Xiao Li still has the momentum of flying knives, but the iron-blooded spirit of a soldier cannot be allowed to increase the prestige of the American emperor.
He was generally full of fighting spirit and nodded in agreement:
"My male brother is right. On the playing field, don't engage in idol worship. Even if you are facing Jordan, you must have the courage to show off your sword!"
Yao stared coldly at the "little bully" Amare Stoudemire on the opposite court.
Knowing that Amar'e Stoudemire is the starting power forward tonight, Dayao's fighting spirit will be even higher.
Stoudemire and Dayao were both rookies in 2002. Dayao was the No. 1 pick and Stoudemire was the No. 9 pick in the first round.
At the beginning, Stoudemire publicly mocked Yao in front of the media as not worthy of being the No. 1 pick. He was the best candidate for the No. 1 pick.
After the 2002-03 season, Stoudemire also got the Rookie of the Year award as he wished, leaving Yao behind.
But in terms of the two players' averages per game that year, the "Little Overlord" averaged 13.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks, while Dayao averaged 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.
The statistics of the two are completely comparable, and Dayao's shooting rate is higher.
Therefore, Dayao was not reconciled to being robbed of the Best Rookie Award.
Coupled with the usual taunting and ridicule in front of the media, as well as the various targets during the Suns and Rockets games,
Dayao secretly made up his mind that in tonight's life-and-death battle between the United States and China, he must make Stoudemire his loser.
"I dare not say that I can beat Tim Duncan, but this Stedemeyer, I will definitely beat him tonight!"
On the other hand, during the warm-up half of the American team, the players had much less friendly exchanges, and they seemed to be divided into several different camps.
As teammates in the Suns, Marion and Stoudemire naturally have a close relationship, but the two are actually fighting for more shots in the team.
In the new season, the team has Steve Nash, and the two have become a team. Let's see how many tricks this 30-year-old guy can have.
Marbury and Iverson are both from the golden generation of 1996, so they naturally have a good relationship.
It is said that when he first entered the league, Marbury was dissatisfied with Iverson and believed that he was more worthy of being the No. 1 pick. The two often went against each other in games.
But in 2001, as Marbury encountered trouble from gangsters in a bar, Iverson helped Marbury resolve the difficulty with a phone call, and the two became good friends off the court.
The three rookies, James, Wade and Anthony, have obviously become a small camp on their own and have nothing to say to the veteran players.
Deng Dadai was even more low-key. He did not talk nonsense with the players, but just chatted with Phillip Saunders. This clearly meant that he wanted to join the assistant coaching team.
Boozer betrayed the Cavaliers because he went back on his word and signed with the Jazz. Now he has nothing to say to James. The two had quite a conflict over the ball last season.
As for the new No. 2 pick Emeka Okafor, he has completely become a water cooler keeper. In the previous six games of the American team, he only played less than 10 minutes and grabbed 2 rebounds. All other statistics were zero. .
Such a loose team, the American Dream Six, could still win the bronze medal in the original world. In fact, it is already very powerful. It really relies entirely on individual strength to make a name for itself.
Lin Fei also had a friendly exchange with Phillip Sanders on the sidelines before the game started.
After all, he was his mentor in the Timberwolves last season. Lin Fei still respects Flip Saunders, although there is no way to cooperate with him in the new season.
Flip Saunders also affirmed Lin Fei's good results in this Olympics and congratulated him on his better development with the Heat in the new season.
The time soon came to eight o'clock, and at the referee's whistle, the game officially started.
The starting five for the Tianchao Men’s Basketball Team are:
Point guard (PG): Liu Wei,
Shooting guard (SG): Lin Fei,
Small forward (SF): Zhu Fangyu,
Power Forward (PF): Approximately,
Center (C): Dayao.
The starting five for the American team are:
Point Guard (PG): Stephon Marbury,
Shooting Guard (SG): Allen Iverson,
Small Forward (SF): Shawn Marion,
Power forward (PF): Amar'e Stoudemire,
Center (C): Tim Duncan.
In the past few games, Flip Saunders has always played Richard Jefferson at small forward and Shawn Marion at power forward.
But Jefferson's performance was not good, and his personal condition was average, so tonight when facing the Chinese Men's Basketball Team, Flip Saunders took the initiative to change the formation and let Marion and Xiaobawang partner up front.
Although Marion is only 2.01 meters tall, he has a strong body, excellent jumping, and amazing speed. He also has a long wingspan and is very tough on the defensive end.
On the court, Marion can play power forward and small forward, and can defend from 1 to 5 on the defensive end. After only playing 5 seasons in the league, he has been selected to the All-Star twice in a row.
The Suns also offered Marion a six-year, US$79 million contract early.
On the bench of the American team,
The three brothers James, Wade and Anthony were talking and laughing while biting their fingernails, while Okafor was playing with himself with the towel in his hand.
Flip Saunders deliberately asked Stoudemire and Yao to jump into the center circle. This time Stoudemire relied on his better bounce speed and reaction to fly the basketball one step ahead of Yao.
"Snapped!"
Marbury received the ball and advanced, and the crowd cheered loudly. The American team took the lead in attacking at the beginning.
Facing a somewhat nervous Liu Wei near the three-point line in the frontcourt, Marbury took a decisive attack step with his right foot after a triple threat. Liu Wei subconsciously took a step back.
Marbury took advantage of the situation and started a cross step, followed by another sudden stop and dribble retreat. The change in rhythm was quite skillful. In an instant, he was three meters away from Liu Wei, and he made a threatening shooting posture.
Liu Wei was afraid that Marbury would take a big shot, so he naturally rushed forward again.
Marbury took advantage of the situation and made an attack swing to the right, floating the ball with his right hand, causing Liu Wei to subconsciously move one step laterally to block the right side.
"Whoosh!"
At this time, Marbury suddenly made another cross-step change and went to the left to pass Liu Wei instantly. Seeing that the defense did not come up immediately, and Dayao was guarding the penalty area.
Marbury stopped suddenly and jumped decisively out of the distance.
"Uh-huh!"
"boom!"
The moment the basketball hit the net, Liu Wei also lost his center of gravity and was knocked to the ground.
Marbury, who was returning to defense, smiled and spread his hands, making an apologetic gesture to Liu Wei who fell to the ground.
"OMG man, at your level, are you worthy of playing in the Olympics?"
China (0): (2) United States.
Lin Fei frowned and his eyes were sharp. Marbury's breakthrough just now was completely treating Liu Wei like a monkey. With his strength, he didn't need such complicated movements to score.
It seems that this is obviously intentional, and it will give the Tianchao men's basketball team a showdown at the beginning.
After the last two victories and training, Lin Fei finally improved his defensive attributes to 70 points.
But with 70 points of defensive attributes, can it prevent Marbury's breakthrough just now?
Obviously impossible, Lin Fei is self-aware.
If Marbury can't guard him, wouldn't it be more troublesome to face Iverson?
In the Tianchao men's basketball team's offense, Liu Wei made another mistake in passing the ball to Yao in the low post, and was directly intercepted by Stoudemire who was going around.
"Snapped!"
Stoudemire's pass was very quick, and Marbury quickly started a fast break.
"Swish swish!"
Lin Fei chased Iverson and retreated quickly, clearly seeing the Chinese character "loyalty" tattooed on his neck. However, Marbury passed Liu Wei in the middle and went straight into the penalty area. He missed the empty basket and threw the ball high above his head. steel backboard.
"boom!"
The basketball flew over the head of the chasing Liu Wei. Marion, who quickly followed up from the left, caught the ball and jumped over half of the penalty area, delivering a powerful dunk.
"Boom!"
There was thunderous cheers at the scene, and most of the European fans were cheering for the United States.
Del Harris, who was standing on the sidelines, frowned. The gap between the point guards was really too big.
This time it was Liu Wei who was injured again. When Marion jumped up, he rushed towards Liu Wei's face with a diagonal thrust, and his knee just happened to scratch Liu Wei's nose.
Liu Wei held his nose and felt a sharp soreness, and nosebleeds immediately seeped out from between his fingers.
(End of chapter)
