There were more than 3,000 fans present, most of whom were actually Lakers fans.
The Lakers are already very popular, and just after winning the championship, the number of fans has surged.
Lakers regular season tickets are too expensive, but summer league tickets are cheap enough. Act quickly and get front row tickets for only $20. Add $2 more to buy a set meal that also comes with burgers or popcorn and Coke. The ones at the back are You can even buy a set meal for $10.
Even if you can't see the OK combination, you can also look at the performance of the Lakers' young players. What if one of them will be successful in the future?
You can brag about it then - I've watched all the games played by so and so when they were noobs.
However, the eyes of everyone present today, including the Lakers fans, were all focused on Li Ao as he entered the court, and by the way, he saw the round-headed rookie carrying two bags.
Different from yesterday, it was time to play a game, and the teammates communicated more with Li Ao.
After getting along for a day, they discovered that Li Ao was not that scary and could actually make jokes.
The courageous Maggette was sometimes criticized by Li Ao so much that he couldn't help but reply, but the other party just continued to reply.
Apart from Big Q, the person who took the most initiative to talk to Li Ao was Jermaine O'Neal.
He didn't see Li Ao's brutal scene, but he just heard from his teammates that after actually getting along with him, he felt that he was actually easier to get along with than the gangsters in Portland.
At least he's a reasonable person.
That's right, watching Li Ao actively communicate with his teammates about the game, how to defend and what to do when cooperating with offense... O'Neal Jr. felt——
This young man is too cautious!
Little O'Neal was a little speechless and said to Li Ao: "Leo, you may have overestimated the group of people opposite."
Li Ao: "Huh?"
O'Neal Jr. didn't explain either.
California in the summer has clear skies.
The scorching sun was shining on the players, and Li Ao felt that this was a test for their physical strength. Fortunately, the stadium would be paved with floors during the game, so that they would not have to play on the cement floor, which would be a serious fall.
The game is about to start, and the combination of Li Ao and Kenyon Dulin, Big Q, Odom, and Jermaine O'Neal comes on the court.
The system's competition prompt came, winning 100 achievement points and losing 50.
Li Ao muttered, "The appearance fee is too cheap." He looked at the other side and became more cautious.
Point guard, Tyronn Lue, class of 1998.
Shooting guard, after being undrafted in 1996, he went to Europe to play for 4 years. This summer, he signed with the Lakers for a minimum salary of US$320,000 for one year, Mike Panpesi, a former local genius in California.
Small forward, Devin George, the 23rd pick in the first round of the 1999 class.
Power forward, Mark Madsen, the 29th pick in the first round this year.
Center, Medvedenko, Ukrainian center, 21 years old, signed up for the draft in advance this year and lost.
On the bench, there is also Sam Jacobson of the 1998 class, a swingman at forward and guard. Jacobson was traded away by the Lakers last season and was waived before the season was over. He returned to the Lakers this summer. Work.
Tyrese Knight, a white center, is a player of the true 1996 golden generation. He was selected by the Bulls with the 29th overall pick in the first round after graduating from college at the age of 22. He was traded to the Lakers that night. He performed well in his rookie season and was as good as Kobe Bryant. His teammates were selected to the All-Rookie Second Team at the same time, but he did not expect that year to be his peak. By last season, he could only score 1.7 points and 2 rebounds. The Lakers did not renew his contract, but took him to play in the summer league and helped him find a job. .
There are also 7 NBA players on the opposite side, and 5 of them have experience playing in the NBA, all of whom are currently active!
The difference between the opposite side and their side is that the head coach of the team is Zen Master's assistant, Charlie Rose, whom Li Ao has met once. Zen Master himself did not come, and they directly became the head coach.
At 10 o'clock in the morning, under the fiery sunshine, the summer league game between the Clippers and Lakers began!
O'Neal easily beat Medvedenko to win the jump ball, and the Clippers attacked first.
Kenyon Dulin broke through with the ball, and the Lakers shrank without thinking. He turned his head, and sure enough, he saw a handsome face at the most comfortable angle of the ball, and immediately passed the ball.
Li Ao caught the ball from the left baseline and took a long two-point shot...hit!
Listening to the cheers of the fans at the scene, a question mark popped up in Li Ao's head.
But I didn’t think much about it and just played hard.
When the Lakers attacked, Tyronn Lue didn't let go of the ball. He made a throw inside and was interfered by O'Neal. Odom grabbed the defensive rebound and advanced toward the frontcourt.
Many fans shouted "Left Hand Magic" when they saw this scene.
In Los Angeles, Odom is quite popular. The Clippers relied on him to sell tickets last season.
Odom came to the top arc and began to dribble continuously from his hips.
Defensive Mark Madsen felt like he was spiraling into the sky.
Is this scene serious?
A guy taller than him can dribble faster than the opposing point guard!
Odom cross-stepped and changed direction, easily passing Mark Madsen and rushing inside.
Li Ao saw the defensive movement of the opposing player and cut in decisively. When he reached the right side of the three-second zone, the ball came!
Odom took a step inside the free throw line to attract Medvedenko to block the ball and passed it to Li Ao.
Li Ao caught the ball and took a step forward to smash the ball into the basket with one hand!
After Li Ao scored, he immediately turned around and retreated, high-fiving Odom on the way.
While high-fiving, he glanced behind him and hurriedly ran back.
After Tyronn Lue dunked on Li Ao, he immediately asked Medvedenko to serve back and quickly attacked, trying to beat the opponent's unsteady footing.
The Clippers' defense was very loose this time. Tyronn Lue passed O'Neal Jr., Odom, Big Q, and Kenyon Dulin all the way to the opposite three-point line.
Only Tan Hualang on the opposite side retreated to the basket!
Tyronn Lue became excited. He rushed towards Li Ao and jumped towards Li Ao. He wanted to torture the rookie!
He has already seen the scene where he made headlines as a rookie dunking!
"Snapped"
Li Ao slapped the ball accurately, and even the ball leader knocked Tyronn Lue, who was holding the ball, to the ground.
He glanced at Tyronn Lue who was lying on the floor in front of him in confusion, and then ran straight forward to the frontcourt. The ball he slapped was snatched by Big Q who ran back.
Tyronn Lu, who was lying on the ground and was stunned, saw Li Ao stepping towards him and quickly moved to the side.
It would have been better if he didn't move. Tyronn Lu moved just in the direction where Li Ao turned, and when he moved, he raised his butt and his head jumped up.
Li Ao saw a head hitting his head and quickly jumped away.
Then the place erupted into laughter and boos.
Li Ao jumped over Tai Lun Lu's head!
The expressions of both of them were wonderful, especially Tyronn Lue, who wanted to die.
He just saw the light reflected from the lens!
Maybe it was photographed!
…
Li Ao and Tyronn Lu did not conflict. Li Ao was not to blame.
As a result, Tyronn Lue, who was ashamed and angry, played even more alone.
After a few rounds, Li Ao finally understood what O'Neal meant.
In this year when the Development League has not yet been established, the level of the summer league is quite poor. The players participating are mixed. When each team selects players as sparring partners, there is no game record as a reference.
Every player who plays in the NBA comes here and plays casually. Most of the opponents he encounters are undrafted players, players from lower-level leagues, and some players from other countries’ national teams who are not very good... Tyronn Lue That style of play can really kill people indiscriminately.
But the Clippers have always been unethical. They couldn't win games in the regular season, so they came to the summer league to find a sense of presence. Odom and Olowokandi were both sent out. Now Olowokandi has been replaced by a junior O'Neill is even more brutal.
Although the opposite Lakers also sent 7 NBA players, these people had no cooperation on the offensive end. From Tyronn Lue to Jacobson, they all just got the ball and went it alone, trying to show their abilities.
On the defensive end, no one is cooperating with anyone. They all go to the person with the ball, trying to steal or block shots.
Most of the NBA players on the Lakers are rookies, players who have just finished their rookie season, have played at most their second season, and have little playing time. They were all stars in college, and most of them were helped by their teammates on the defensive end. In the summer league, there is no OK combination, not even a starting player. They all want to be the boss.
As a result, Li Ao played more proactively!
On the offensive end, at first he mainly moved to support and take the blame, but now he actively moves to ask for the ball and shoot.
Gentry asked others to give Li Ao more opportunities to perform, which was considered to test Li Ao's actual combat ability.
Several NBA players on the Clippers, including Chris Mihm, never had a chance, so I have no objection.
Odom doesn't care about summer league games, he plays them like a joke.
Maggette and O'Neal have already demonstrated their abilities in previous games, killing each other indiscriminately.
Big Q supports it unconditionally.
Kenyon Doolin thought that Li Ao was playing catch-and-shoot. Passing the ball to Li Ao, the team's best midfielder, would equal an assist, and he had no objection.
So, when Li Ao played more proactively, his teammates began to be responsible for passing the ball, and Li Ao was responsible for making random shots!
On the defensive end, Li Ao also figured out the opponent's playing style and took the initiative to shrink the flank to increase the data.
He played a lot of time, playing 8 minutes in the first quarter, 7 minutes in the second quarter, 9 minutes in the third quarter, and 5 minutes in the last quarter. In summer league games, each quarter was 10 minutes.
In the 29 minutes of playing time, his teammates were all trying to pass the ball to Li Ao. He made 24 shots and made 15 of 24 shots, including 2 of 6 three-pointers, plus 8 of 10 free throws, scoring 40 points!
In addition, he also got 2 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks from the opponent one by one. The second master didn't have the strength, but he learned all about the second master's disease and wanted to be more unique and more unique. He easily got a 3+3 defense. data.
The only thing he regrets about this game is rebounding. Odom, O'Neal Jr., and Mihm are so good at grabbing rebounds. The opponent, Mark Madsen, who averaged 9+ rebounds per game in college, has no temper, let alone him.
Gentry looked at the score of 98-76 and didn't care much about it.
40 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals.
marvelous!
Playing an NBA game for the first time, even though it was a summer league, the opponents were all adults, starting at 21+, and their top prospect had no stage fright!
The offensive awareness is shown. The opponent's defense is poor, but they can often get into the right shooting position. Not many people can do it.
In addition to being inexperienced, overly aggressive, and committing too many fouls on defense, for a rookie, it is difficult for Gentry to find fault with Li Ao's personal defense.
In fact, what impressed Gentry the most was that after Li Ao developed a three-pointer, he really dared to throw it when he had the opportunity.
At first, he was actually leaning towards Baylor's argument that their third-round pick was a waste and it was just business.
But now he recalled that the Lakers almost got the second pick and snatched him away, and he broke out in a cold sweat. It was too dangerous!
He almost missed the chance to meet this young man!
…
The theory that all rookies this year are imported has become popular.
Li Ao has not participated in the summer league before, but there are already rumors that he will be a parallel import, and there are still many people who support him.
Because Li Ao has not yet participated in the competition, those who deny it cannot refute it yet.
In an interview yesterday, Gentry confirmed that Li Ao would participate in the game today. Many fans are waiting for the result of the game.
Many people are looking forward to Li Ao's failure. It is better to watch others suffer misfortune than to watch others build tall buildings.
If Li Ao is also successful, then this rookie class will be interesting.
As a result, Li Ao scored 40 points in a single game!
Just talking about 40 points is not that amazing. After all, it is the summer league.
The 17-year-old Kobe also scored 36 points in the summer league.
Jamal Crawford also scored 33 points this year.
But Li Ao's efficiency was too high. According to reporters at the scene, most of Li Ao's points were scored by mid-range shots.
It is quite rare for a rookie to use mid-range shooting as his main scoring method.
Mainly because of comparison, while others either had poor statistics or poor shooting percentages, Li Ao scored 40 points with a shooting rate of 15 of 24, which was amazing.
Some media even put Li Ao's 40 points in a single game on the front page of sports news!
The picture used - Tyronn Lue cried and fainted in the toilet.
Another day passed, on July 21, the Clippers played a game with the Canadian national team.
101 to 77, the Clippers won without any suspense.
In the Southern California Summer League in 1997 and 1999, the Clippers won both games. They had too many high-ranking rookies, and they also had first- and second-year players with no ethics.
Li Ao played 27 minutes in this game and made 14 of 21 shots, including 1 of 4 three-pointers, plus 5 of 5 free throws. He scored 34 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 1 block.
He's learned the right way to open up in summer league.
Just throw it and that’s it!
Da Q listened to Li Ao's words and actively ran, cut, and made fast breaks. He also performed well in this game, scoring 19 points.
Odom didn't care, Maggette had already killed enough, and O'Neal acted like "I'm here to be the boss" and let the two rookies and Dulin provide assists.
On July 23, the Clippers played their last game against the Vancouver Grizzlies.
In this game, Li Ao did not continue to kill randomly. O'Neal, Mim, and even Odom were all very interested.
Li Ao took the initiative to discuss with them. He was responsible for passing the ball, and the three of them were responsible for attacking Swift.
After playing two more games, Swift's statistics improved slightly, averaging 8 points, 5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in 8 games.
Just like Tyronn Lue saw the top pick and wanted to abuse the opponent, the Clippers' interior trio also wanted to abuse the opponent when they saw the No. 2 overall pick.
The difference is that each of these three brothers can really abuse each other!
The 21-year-old Mimu, who is 213 centimeters tall and 118 kilograms, couldn't hit Swift offensively, but he squatted under the basket and Swift cried.
And Swift's defense against Odom or O'Neal can be described as tragic.
He really wanted to tell the head coach that he wanted to go to the center position, but he didn't dare. He couldn't give in. He was the No. 2 pick.
Grizzlies head coach Sidney Lowe saw Swift being abused and chose to let him continue to play against those two, so he had to practice and practice.
But Sidney Lowe was still very unhappy. If Bibby had participated, would they have been so miserable?
But Bibby refused to take the rookie to practice in the offseason.
Li Ao showed his passing skills in this game, making 5 of 8 shots, including 1 of 1 three-pointers, and 4 of 4 free throws. He scored 15 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
Relying on O'Neal Jr.'s 22 points, Odom's 21 points, and Li Ao's 15 points, the Clippers defeated the Grizzlies led by the second overall pick Swift 98-67 and won 8 consecutive victories.
On July 25, the Clippers faced the Nuggets in the final game of the summer league.
The Nuggets were unlucky this year and drafted two big centers measuring 213 centimeters tall and 110+ kilograms, but neither of them has the ability to play in the NBA.
In college, relying on the lack of defensive three seconds and the cooperation of teammates, the defense looked very strong, but by the summer league, its true colors were revealed.
Li Ao knew that he was looking forward to playing the Nuggets, but as James Posey was a defensive pitcher, the Nuggets did not bring him to play in the summer league.
So, Li Ao started the random killing mode again, and his teammates made assists.
It was the last summer league game. In order to save money, their boss only signed up for this summer league game. Li Ao played extremely hard.
In 31 minutes of playing time, he made 16 of 28 shots, including 1 of 3 three-pointers, plus 4 of 5 free throws. He scored 37 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block. He caught the ball but did not pass it.
102 to 88, the Clippers easily defeated the Nuggets and won the Southern California Summer League for the third consecutive time!
Although he felt a little ashamed, Li Ao and his teammates lifted the trophy and saw O'Neal win the MVP with an average of 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 3 blocks per game. He was still very happy.
In these 4 games, Li Ao didn't feel that there was any training.
In terms of harvest, he has 400 achievement points in 4 games, but there is no reward for winning the championship. This harvest is enough for his physical therapy function during the 4 days of competition.
But it feels good to participate!
He has a deeper understanding of several rookie teammates, quasi-second-year teammates, and teammates whose careers have officially started.
…
On the 26th, Li Ao returned to Los Angeles with the team. When he arrived at the training hall, Gentry announced that he would be disbanded and on vacation. See you next season.
There is no team celebration banquet, don’t ask, the general manager will not reimburse you.
Gentry spent his own money to treat the whole team to dinner tonight. He spent the money and didn't want to have the team's name on it.
When the team members heard about the free dinner, they immediately went home and took care of their families.
Gentry didn't care either. Only 6 regular players of the team and 1 unsigned prospect came back this time. The rest of the summer league team ended this summer league and went to the next summer league. The Las Vegas Summer League starts at the end of the month. This year's scale is unprecedentedly large, with as many as 21 teams participating, including the Clippers. The entry fee and travel expenses are more expensive.
Li Ao ordered a car and was about to leave, but Gentry stalked him and kept him, forcing him to sign a contract.
"Sign it tonight. I said yesterday that I would definitely sign it. Why don't you believe it?"
"I believe it, but I can't wait any longer."
"My agent is not here!"
"I called him and he's already here."
"..."
The head coach quickly became thick-skinned, and Li Ao had no choice but to wait for his agent and Clippers management to sign the contract, and stayed in the training hall for lunch.
Don't mention it, the Clippers don't have a nutritionist in the summer, but the lunch is pretty delicious.
This made Li Ao understand one thing-the team did not provide lunch subsidies to employees.
Everyone pays for the meals themselves, and the electrician from the engineering department works part-time as a chef for free because of his good cooking skills.
He thought that the team owner was very stingy, but he didn't expect that he could be so stingy.
After lunch, Schwartz hurried over with legal matters, and the Clippers owner and Baylor also came.
All the conditions that need to be negotiated have been agreed upon, and the signing went smoothly.
Li Ao's attention has always been on Sterling. He always felt that Fang Yintang's darkening seemed to be an ominous sign.
He wanted to remind him kindly, but was stopped by Schwartz.
Now that Li Ao opens his mouth, he is afraid!
There will be an extra update tonight for those with over 200 monthly tickets ~ around 12 o’clock.
(End of chapter)
