On the 23rd, the 16-to-8 game began.
The Trojans had a full day of preparation practice today.
In the evening, Li Ao, Vivian, and Liam, who had just arrived, came to the Energy Solution Arena to watch the game.
"The environment here is so bad. God, can't God give all cities in the world a comfortable living environment?"
"I just arrived and I'm feeling very unwell, yet I still want to accompany you to watch the game? By the way, lend me your new game console!"
"Oh my god, Vivian, do I have no money? Did you buy me the grandstand ticket?"
Liam was pulled out of the hotel as soon as he arrived, complaining the whole time.
Li Ao responded: "The only tickets they gave to our team were grandstand tickets. How about Aunt Vivian and I go to the grandstand, and you go to the front row alone? The ticket seller should still have tickets."
"Forget it, let's go to the stage with you, just treat it as a new life experience..."
When he got to the stands and sat down, Liam immediately stopped complaining. He found his target and squeezed into a group of female fans.
Liam, who looks like a dog and dresses like a beast, was quickly accepted by female fans.
Li Ao saw Liam transforming into a fan of the Steam Furnace Workers, huddled together with a mature Hispanic sister, and roaring together. It seemed that even the discomfort caused by the climate was instantly cured, and his head suddenly blackened.
Pretend you don’t know me!
Looking around, there are so many seats!
When playing 64-in-32 and 32-in-16 games at Memorial Stadium, the seats were still the standard 20,000 people. The number of seats here may be double.
I heard that the NCAA chose this place as the venue for the Western Conference semifinals and finals this year in order to continue to expand the influence of the NCAA.
This is the border area between the United States and Mexico. The NCAA has been coveting the South American market for a long time. Although it is poor, competitive sports are very developed. Many people live frugally and go to watch games and buy peripherals.
But South America is the world of football. Although the development of basketball is good, the only basketball league that occupies that market is the NBA, and the NCAA also wants a piece of the pie.
At 7 o'clock in the evening, the game started.
Li Ao had heard of the Gonzaga University Matadors of the West Coast Conference, the Steam Oven Workers' opponent, in his previous life, because they would produce an NCAA superstar, Adam Morrison, in the future.
The game was very fierce. The Matadors had the upper hand in the first half and once led by 16 points. However, at the end of the half, the score difference was narrowed to 4 points by the Steam Oven Workers. The Matadors only led the Steam Oven Workers 44 to 40. Entering the second half.
In the second half, the Steam Oven Workers quickly took the lead.
The Matador's 7-man rotation was okay in the first two rounds, but when they met the Steam Oven Workers, they were really not enough, and their physical strength was exhausted much faster than usual.
The Steam Oven Workers scored 35-22 in the second half, and finally reversed the Matadors 75-66, taking the lead in advancing to the quarterfinals.
Li Ao was deeply impressed by the performance of the Steam Stove Workers Team.
This team is not as stable as the Cardinals, and was beaten by the opposing Matadors at the beginning.
They don't have a star with explosive scoring power like the Sun Devils. They don't rely on one person. They only scored 75 points tonight, but 4 players scored in double figures. On average during the season, 5 players scored in double figures per game.
The characteristics of this team are the same as shown in the scouting report - strong ability to withstand pressure.
After seizing the opportunity, they bombed wildly. After taking the lead, they would not be careless at all. They would always try their best to widen the point difference. That was the case tonight. In the middle of the second half, the point difference was once opened to 17 points, with a few remaining points. Minutes later, when the Matadors regained their strength and wanted to counterattack, they were desperate when they saw the point difference.
The Matadors player who impressed Li Ao the most - Brian Cardinal.
He remembers it as one of the future helpers in Dirk Nowitzki's magical championship season.
But the reason Cardinal impressed Li Ao the most was not how well he performed tonight, but his hair.
When he met the players of the Steam Stove Workers Team for the first time the day before yesterday, Li Ao only focused on scolding each other... No, he was just giving friendly greetings and didn't notice the highlights.
Even for a senior player, this amount of hair is too small, and his forehead is bright!
Enter the society directly and save twenty years of struggle!
…
March 24th, game day arrived for the Trojans' conference semifinals.
Albuquerque has seen a massive influx of tourists over the past two days, setting a new record for the number of visitors in a single day in the city's history.
Most of the fans came for the Trojans. When the Trojans' bus entered the Energy Solutions Arena at around 9 a.m., there was overwhelming cheers outside the stadium.
Countless people shouted "Leo".
When we arrived at the underground parking lot, we could still hear the cheers and shouts outside.
Sam Clancy said sourly: "Everyone is shouting your name, making winning the game seem like you alone."
Li Ao also heard the sounds outside. He was excited and sighed - no one asked about him after two and a half years of hard training, and he became famous all over the world.
Well, he has been practicing for less than two and a half years and still needs to work hard.
Seeing that Sam Clancy was so bitter and dissatisfied, Li Ao comforted him: "You want the fans to shout your name, just play better? You are too weak!"
Sam Clancy jumped on the spot and said angrily: "Now you are just lucky, one day your position will belong to me! The cheers of the fans will belong to me!"
White Mamba interjected: "Sam, you have to work hard. Only by performing well can you have so many fans. Listen, there are many people shouting 'Little Lambir' and 'The Fastest Man (Granville)'."
Sam Clancy felt that everyone was bullying him and yelled: "You guys will look at me tonight with your eyes wide open! I will definitely perform better than Leo! I will defeat all my opponents!"
After speaking, Sam Clancy quickened his pace and left angrily.
The teammates couldn't hold back their laughter.
A middle-aged handsome man who did not want to be named next to him lost another opportunity to educate the team members, but he was used to it.
The two titles of 'Super Dark Horse' and 'Super Civilian Team' held by the Trojans are already popular enough, but the media seems to think it is not enough, and also added the topic of 'Rising Genius'.
Li Ao is the 'lucky guy' who was hyped.
Henry Bibby is more worried about this.
Until now, they no longer need external stimulation, they already have enough motivation.
This redundant topic of "genius rises" has pros and cons. If Li Ao performs poorly, or even causes the team to lose because of him, the backlash will increase as his attention level increases.
That's not the most important thing, that kid has a strong heart.
The most important thing is that the 'Rising Genius' is in conflict with the 'Dark Horse of the People', which may divide their relationship within the team.
But he found that he still underestimated that boy's leadership ability!
This unique leadership style really works well for their team.
At first, Sam Clancy was just sour, and the emotions of his teammates were also a little sour.
But Li Ao's words and the encouragement from the boss White Mamba inspired Sam Clancy's anger and fighting spirit.
At the same time, the thinking of other teammates has also changed - if you want fans, you have to rely on performance to win.
People's attention has been successfully transformed into motivation for their team to win!
Thanks to the White Mamba, yes, the kid Henry Bibby is thinking of is the White Mamba.
…
"Leo...Leo..."
"Little Ranbir...little Ranbir..."
"Brian...Brian..."
"The fastest man...the fastest man..."
"Jeff...Jeff..."
At 6:30 in the evening, the day's preparations ended, and the Trojans players entered the field, with tens of thousands of people shouting their names or nicknames.
The loudest voice calling out Li Ao's English name was 'Leo' when his teammates first arrived at the gym in the morning.
But with what the White Mamba said, Trojans players focused on the voices calling their names or nicknames.
win!
We must not disappoint the fans’ expectations!
Li Ao's heart was also filled with excitement... Then the task came, and the overly excited emotions were diverted due to the shift of attention.
"The winning streak is on the way. The 29-game winning streak continues to set a new record in team history. The pace of progress is still far away. How can we stop here...Mission: Thirty has been triggered."
"Only thirty:
Goal: Win this game and win 30 consecutive games.
Reward: 1 level 2 skill upgrade card fragment, 1000 achievement points. "
knock! The rewards are too few!
Li Ao cursed, another mission came.
"The striker sharks are coming. The striker talent that NBA teams pay the most attention to is full of hostility towards the host and the host's team...Mission: Triggered by Fishing Master."
"Fishing expert:
Goal 1: Block Stromaier Swift at least once.
Reward: 300 achievement points will be awarded for each pair of target objects that completes a block.
Goal 2: Steal Stromaier Swift at least once.
Reward: 300 achievement points will be awarded for each pair of target objects who complete a steal.
Goal 3: Complete at least 1 dunk on Stromaier Swift.
Reward: Each pair of target objects will be rewarded with 500 achievement points after completing one deduction.
If all three goals are completed, an additional bounce attribute point will be awarded. "
Is the future No. 2 pick eyeing him?
Li Ao thought that he had nothing to do with this guy, right? Jealous of his handsomeness?
This time, he made a few blind guesses and got it right.
Stromire Swift, the star player of the Tigers and nicknamed himself the Striker Shark, was so upset that he vowed to beat the opponent violently!
Especially the Chinese student known as the 'Rising Genius'.
He just can't stand it!
He looks so handsome and amazing! Everyone is shouting this guy's name!
He swore that he was going to kill this bastard tonight who should be sent to Hollywood to make movies for adults!
Not only him, but also the Tigers players on the opposite side were very upset.
A big city is great. There are more than 40,000 seats at the venue. Looking around, almost all of them are here to support the Trojans.
Their state also has a wealthy and large city, New Orleans, but they are not allowed to play there.
Louisiana State University is also a famous sports school. In basketball, it has produced NBA superstars such as Bob Pettit, Pete Maravich and Shaquille O'Neal. It has reached the Final Four three times in the team's history, and its influence is huge. They are restricted to Baton Rouge, the state capital with a population of less than 400,000, and cannot leave.
They felt uncomfortable with the atmosphere at the scene.
When the 'Front Shark' shouted "Follow me and kick their balls out", the teammates responded in groups!
At 7pm, the game starts.
Swift beat Charles to win the jump ball and the Tigers scored first.
Point guard Torres Bright, who is 193 centimeters and 92 kilograms, has a comprehensive evaluation of 81, averaging 10.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game;
The 193cm, 88kg shooting guard Lamont Rowland has a comprehensive rating of 77, averaging 10.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 0.6 steals per game;
Brian Beshara, a 203cm, 91kg small forward, has a comprehensive rating of 84, averaging 11 points, 5 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 1.4 blocks per game;
Swift, a 206cm, 100kg power forward, has a comprehensive rating of 89, averaging 16.2 points, 8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game;
The 211 cm, 107 kg center Jabari Smith has a comprehensive evaluation of 87, averaging 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.
Li Ao received the position in the top corner on the left side of the free throw line. Looking at the tall team pressing up from the opposite side, he took another look at the player evaluation and discovered a problem - none of the outsiders and centers with top-level personal abilities seemed to be the same. There are no more left.
The top players who reached the Sweet 16 this year are all big pitchers like White Mamba and Kapono.
However, for a player of O'Neal's caliber, who averaged 21.6 points, 13.5 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game in three years in college, he only had two top-32 games and one first-round trip. This phenomenon does not surprise him.
Yes, Li Ao started again tonight, successfully replacing 'Little Laimbeer' and becoming the team's regular starter. The other four starters of the Trojans remain the same.
Seeing Bright advancing through the center circle, Li Ao put away his distracting thoughts and devoted himself to defense.
Brett started a pick-and-roll attack with Jabari Smith from the top of the arc.
Li Ao observed the opponent's offensive movements and began to slowly move toward the baseline.
On the right side of the three-second zone, Swift turned around and ran back to cut into the basket. Jabari Smith's support and timing of the ball was very good.
Swift received the ball on the right side of the three-second zone, took off in one step, and flew towards the basket!
Charles didn't follow to defend the pick-and-roll, and Jabari Smith didn't make a long shot. He moved in advance and held Swift on the right side of the basket, but Swift took off too fast, and with a little space, he jumped very high. With his arms stretched upward, the confrontation did not affect his ability to dunk, and he smashed the ball straight into the basket!
He is the sharpest spearhead of the Zhanhu team, and impact is everything he has on the offensive end!
When the Zhan Tigers start, their frontline sharks always open up the situation and crush everything... "Pop"... Just when the ball is about to hit the basket, a hand hits the ball, and the sound is clear!
Li Ao's bottom line shrinks to cover and block the shot!
He failed to fan the ball directly, but he succeeded in getting the ball out of the control of the second-place finisher, and Swift's dunk bounced off the rim.
Swift did not lose his balance, but he forgot to grab the ball in his shock. After seeing Li Ao get the defensive rebound, he angrily pressed forward and bumped into Li Ao, who staggered. The referee blew the whistle. Swift collision foul!
After just one round on the court, he received a foul. It was another unnecessary foul. John Brady, the head coach of the Tigers, looked at the ceiling expressionlessly.
The good luck seems to have come to an end.
On Li Ao's side, he wanted to push back, but when he saw Swift squatting down with his head in his hands after being fouled, he howled in annoyance and ran towards the backcourt... forget it.
He didn't expect that the real hat would arrive. The explosive acceleration and bullet speed of the potential second place player exceeded his expectations.
Charles moved in advance, but Swift still jumped so high that almost his entire upper body was pressed on Charles' head.
Fortunately, the 'siege level 1' speed +2 bonus during a pinch attack temporarily increases his speed to 91 and his burst acceleration to 85. Otherwise, he would not even be able to provide adequate defense.
This physical fitness is truly incredible!
It's just that when he saw the 2nd place finisher, he realized what it meant to be truly talented from the brain down. Compared with Arenas, he was completely inferior.
Does this guy have muscles in his brain?
This actually resulted in a foul.
Charles, who was 'saved', hugged Li Ao after the referee blew the whistle: "Leo's contraction is so beautiful this time!"
Li Ao came to his senses and said sternly: "It's not a big deal, don't even look at who I am, I'm a genius!"
"screw you……"
Charles laughed and ran upfield.
Li Ao exited the baseline, received the ball from the referee, and sent it to Granville.
Granville advanced to the frontcourt, broke through and passed the ball to Li Ao, who circled to the right side of the free throw line, attracting Swift's excessive defense. Li Ao threw the ball to the right baseline, and White Mamba caught the ball and threw it at close range... ...hollow hit!
When the Tigers attacked, Swift slid down the baseline to catch the ball, turned and hit the ball with a high throw.
After Swift scored, he roared wildly at the two men and bulged his biceps when retreating. He was greeted by wild boos from the fans.
Li Ao's defensive defense had no effect, and Charles's early movement was still a little behind against Swift.
After all, Charles is not a real top-level meat shield. There is no problem in adding top insiders such as Zurich and Lauren Woods with average athletic ability.
But Swift's athletic ability is among the best in the NBA.
No, just relying on his physical fitness, Swift attracted a large number of scouts to watch tonight's game on the sidelines.
However, the Trojans didn't care much about this matter. They didn't think they could completely lock Swift.
Granville received the serve and advanced steadily to the front court. He found that Swift paid too much attention to Li Ao. He took advantage of this and grabbed the ball during the breakthrough. When he took the first step, he made a fake pass to Li Ao. , then in the second step, with a swing of the hand, the ball becomes a lob.
Swift just went to Li Ao to make up for it. When he saw the ball flying towards White Mamba, he immediately turned around and pounced back.
This explosive movement speed startled Granville who was passing the ball!
White Mamba received the ball and was not afraid when he saw Swift flying up. He seized the opportunity to take off and take action...
Swift almost made a shot, but just missed it. White Mamba made a long two-point shot without fear!
In this round, Swift's physical fitness and White Mamba's big heart have made familiar scouts discuss these two people.
However, there are not so many people discussing Swift. He has long been famous. This year's draft prediction once ranked first. There are only a few teams qualified to be interested in him.
The White Mamba, who is predicted to be on the edge of the second round, is the one that scouts are paying attention to.
Selecting a usable player at this pick is the key.
During his freshman season last year, the White Mamba had already attracted the attention of NBA teams. The tall shooter who mainly focused on scoring in tactics was still white, but he had an obvious flaw—cowardice.
But this time, White Mamba showed his improvement in the National Competition, and he has the ability to seize that fleeting opportunity... mainly his courage.
The market is bullish!
Everyone's attention was on these two people, but Grizzlies scout Justin Jones' attention was on Li Ao.
The genius of this flower grower has been in the limelight recently, but he didn't find much information. What he knew about Li Ao before was that he was a genius who was rising rapidly.
You have only been practicing for half a year and you already have such strength. How about two more years of training?
…
…
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(End of chapter)
