Basketball fans who stayed in front of the TV to watch the live sports broadcast on American cable television were so sleepy that many of them switched off the channel. When the game was over to see the results, advertisers were crying...
But Li Ao, who was on the court, felt a kind of happiness that he thought was very twisted.
He understood why every player on a team that plays tough defense works so hard.
Don’t you know that such a game is ugly, hard to watch, and doesn’t attract stars?
Of course those people knew.
However, defense is also part of basketball!
If you don't play well on offense and play well on defense, you are also proving that you are an excellent basketball player!
Look at the player opposite, Charlie Ward. Apart from a pick-and-roll three-pointer, he has no other effective offensive methods.
Childs also only had pick-and-roll breakthrough throws and long-distance two-point shots after splitting.
Alan Houston has almost no offensive ability at the basket. His shooting performance from close range is not as accurate as three-pointers. One-on-one, he can post up against shorter opponents. Other than these, he is just a running three-pointer.
Camby, the current aunt, only has two offenses, Kurt Thomas only has two offenses and mid-range shots...
Ewing was driven away, leaving only Madman in personal offense.
Originally, the Knicks introduced Eric Strickland, who was born in the 1996 class, in the offseason. He averaged 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.5 steals per game with the Mavericks last season. He is a good one-on-one player at the point guard and is also on the defensive line. The fourth-year Nash started most of the season.
But Eric Strickland is good at fast-paced sudden scoring play. The Mavericks averaged 101 points per game last season, and the Knicks averaged 89 points this game...a signing that was dissatisfied on both sides.
If this group of people has to say where they are strong on the offensive end, then the only thing is passing. Even Camby's passing accuracy is online.
If you give up your defense, you'll be doomed immediately.
Li Ao looked at Van Gundy. It was rumored that Dolan wanted to throw the team's meritorious coach out and take the blame.
The media and fans in New York are very interesting. When Ewing was there, they nudged Dolan to drive Ewing away because Ewing was old.
But when Ewing left, they called Dolan heartless.
After a two-minute rest, Gentry continued to make defensive adjustments.
Their violent and handsome guy has a high IQ, and in the second half of the first quarter he came up with an effective way to suppress the opponent's offense, so let's keep playing!
Li Ao's supplementary defense of "bullying the old, weak, sick and disabled" is very useful in the iron-blooded battle.
Originally, it was difficult for the Knicks to find easy scoring opportunities. They finally created scoring opportunities for the most neglected players, but Li Ao told them that this way was impossible!
Gentry is both happy and depressed now. Their violent and handsome boy not only has good offensive talent, but also has mid-range shooting ability that has never been seen in this age group, but his defensive talent seems to be as good as his offensive talent.
Especially based on Li Ao's current playing style, it seems that he can better develop his talents.
Are we going to go back to our old ways?
Then why did you run away from Larry Brown and Pat Riley?
In the mid-1980s, he worked as an assistant coach for Larry Brown at the University of Kansas. Later, he entered the NBA and continued to work as an assistant coach for Larry Brown for two years before running away.
He fled to the Heat and worked as an assistant coach for a few years. Pat Riley came and he fled again.
Now that we have gone round and round, is it possible to return to the starting point?
Gentry seemed to hear a piece of BGM and wanted to yell: "No!"
…
The second quarter started, and the defensive efficiency of both teams dropped a lot at the beginning.
The Knicks did not send Camby, who played the entire first quarter, and the Clippers did not send Li Ao.
Without these two players who connect the inside and outside defenses, both sides' defense declined and their offense improved.
Since Odom was not sent in, the Clippers' offensive performance was inferior.
After playing for more than 5 minutes, the Knicks and Clippers scored 13 to 10. The Knicks opened the point difference to 6 points, leading 29 to 23, and the Clippers called a timeout.
Gentry was a little regretful. O'Neal Jr. did a good job in attacking in the past few minutes, but he still needs time to grow. At present, he can only be used as a blue-collar player.
However, this deal is still profitable. Although the Sugarmen's performance of 12 points, 11 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game is better than the current O'Neal, O'Neal is only 22 years old and is improving faster, so there is no need to worry about him. , works hard without any supervision.
Gentry sent a combination of Big Q, Maggette, Li Ao, Odom, and Chris Mihm.
Keep playing defense!
After this timeout, the Clippers took the initiative!
Li Ao played more aggressively on the offensive end, but did not run out of space. He chose to 'copy' the mid-range shooting king's play style, catching the ball and shooting directly against the defense.
Let Maggette and Odom rush.
Maggette breaks through and beats the Madman, which is quite easy to beat. Although the Madman has the edge level defense of the best defense, it is not good at dealing with Maggette's brutal charging opponents. However, as long as the Knicks forward moves to block in advance, Maggette can block the Madman. Getty's breakthrough was of little use, and the Knicks' defense was quick when he split the ball.
Since his teammates only scored 7 points in the second half of the first quarter, Li Ao chose to do it himself.
Unlike Houston's large-scale running, Li Ao does not choose to get open shots as his goal. With his height and wingspan, it is much easier to catch the ball than Houston.
In the last 7 minutes of the second quarter, Li Ao made 3 of 7 shots and scored 8 points on 2 of 2 free throws, leading the Clippers to 12 points.
On the defensive end, the Clippers did not fall behind and defended better than they did in the second half of the first quarter.
The Knicks' style of play is very mature, but also very solid. Their only variable, the madman who has the ability to raise the team's upper limit, only made 1 of 3 shots in the half quarter and failed to surge.
Little Van Gundy can't think of a way at this time. He will never make adjustments randomly when he has no other way. The head coach of the iron-blooded style has a very unified way of solving problems - no change, there will be no more problems, and when there is no good idea Forcing changes under certain circumstances will most likely cause more problems.
In these 7 minutes, the Knicks only scored 6 points.
23 to 19 in a single quarter, and at halftime, the Clippers led the Knicks by 1 point, 36 to 35!
Li Ao was able to score 8 points in 7 minutes, completely relying on his mid-range shot, shot rhythm, height and wingspan, that is, purely on personal ability.
But this only made the teammates even more excited!
Just like with Li Ao shrinking to cover leaks, they can safely expand to cover and assist in defense. With Li Ao guaranteeing points, they can also devote themselves to defense with more confidence!
During the halftime break, Gentry had very little time to make tactical adjustments. He emphasized a few words and was done.
But the Clippers players spontaneously gathered together to discuss defense.
Gentry was very moved by this scene. In the past, his players did not have such enthusiasm. Last season, their team even had a fast shooter who took advantage of the halftime break to have a fight with the flesh and blood.
Now that there is a chance to win, a chance to defeat a team like the Knicks that has been strong for more than ten years, the whole team has become active.
That's right...why are we talking about defense!
…
Back from the intermission, the third quarter begins.
The Clippers team is full of momentum!
The Knicks players defended very hard, but the Clippers relied on Li Ao's mid-range shot to open a gap in the Knicks' defense.
Odom, who was rare and serious tonight and wanted to beat his hometown team, seized the opportunity and led the Clippers to 21 points in a single quarter.
More importantly, they continued their defense in the first half and held the Knicks to only 16 points in a single quarter.
After three quarters, the Clippers had a 6-point lead at 57-51!
Completely take the initiative!
After a few minutes of rest, the fourth quarter began.
The Clippers sent a combination of McGinnis, Maggette, Li Ao, Odom, and O'Neal Jr.
The Knicks sent a combination of Childs, Rick Bronson, Houston, Kurt Thomas, and Larry Johnson.
The Clippers attacked first, and Odom broke through to the inside and hit a basket, extending the lead to 8 points.
The fans at the scene continued to cheer wildly, victory is just around the corner!
When the Knicks attack, they are obviously more impatient.
Childs saw Kurt Thomas cut behind the wing screen and had a chance to score, and passed the ball without thinking.
Kurt Thomas took two steps for a layup...Li Ao's 'siege level 3' was triggered, shrinking the defense at a faster speed, and took off from behind Kurt Thomas. As soon as Kurt Thomas lifted the ball, he was blocked by Li Ao down.
The fans started cheering when they saw Li Ao rushing in. When Li Ao hit the ball, the cheers were boiling...
Just when Li Ao was about to land and enjoy the cheers, Kurt Thomas, who was below him, not only did not dodge, but he pushed directly back and hit him.
The cheers of the fans at the scene suddenly stopped and turned into screams of horror.
Li Ao lost control in the air and fell heavily to the floor!
Li Ao was stunned by the fall, and then the pain in his arms, wrists, and right ankle that hit the ground first made him unable to care about anything else. He stopped moving to avoid worsening the pain.
Players from both teams, including the Knicks, were stunned. No one thought that Kurt Thomas would do this.
When the Clippers players reacted to hit Kurt Thomas, the Knicks players still gathered around to help Kurt Thomas. Players from the two teams began to push each other, and the referee tried hard to separate the two sides...
On Li Ao's side, his teeth were itching with hatred, but the injury was unknown, so he didn't dare to move, and it was really painful. At this time, the system prompt came!
He was stunned for a moment, but made a decision immediately! Then I felt dizzy and fainted!
…
Li Ao fell and fell into coma and was carried back to the locker room.
The referee and the coaches of the two teams finally separated the two sides and prevented the conflict from expanding.
After watching the replay, the referee gave Kurt Thomas a first-level flagrant foul, and the Clippers got two free throws.
This decision made the Clippers coaching staff and fans at the scene very dissatisfied.
However, the commentator analyzed that based on the scale of the confrontation between the two sides tonight and the previous ordinary fouls, such a penalty is not a big problem.
The Clippers were angry, but unable to change the referee's decision, they could only re-enter the court like a group of angry bulls.
On the other side, in the locker room, the team doctor performed a preliminary examination on Li Ao and determined that he might be in coma due to concussion. His right hand and right foot that landed on the ground had injuries of varying degrees. Through joint stimulation tests, it was temporarily determined that there was no structural damage. The team doctors Breathed a sigh of relief.
Someone has already prepared a vehicle to take Li Ao to the hospital.
But just when they were about to carry Li Ao into the car, Li Ao woke up.
"The right wrist is strained. It consumes 1,500 achievement points. The ligaments and soft tissues of the right wrist are being repaired."
"The elbow joint was slightly injured, 1,000 achievement points were consumed, and the elbow joint is being repaired."
"Mild concussion, 2000 achievement points consumed, brain balance adjustment is in progress."
"The right ankle is sprained. It consumes 1,500 achievement points. The soft tissue and muscle repair of the right ankle are being repaired."
"The host needs to sit quietly for 15 minutes to accept the results of the treatment."
Li Ao sat up. The team doctor wanted to help him, but he waved his hand to stop him.
6000 achievement points, his heart was bleeding!
Open the task interface. When you just confirmed to use the treatment mode, the task was triggered.
"King's return:
Goal: The host needs to return to the game and lead the team to victory.
Reward: 5000 achievement points, 1 basic speed attribute point. "
Maggot!
After completing the task, you will still lose 1,000 achievement points. Fortunately, there is still a bonus of 1 attribute point.
He waited impatiently for the countdown to end. From the time he fell on the floor and used the treatment mode, there were still more than 9 minutes left to complete the treatment.
If it weren't for the pain in his hands and feet, he would have wanted to get out now.
If you delay for 1 minute, the probability of losing will increase by 1 point.
The team doctors did not urge him to get on the stretcher. They judged that Li Ao might have a slight concussion and it was good to sit down and rest.
Time passed minute by minute, and finally, the countdown ended and the system prompt came.
"The host has completed treatment and all injuries to the wrists, elbows, ankles, and head have recovered. 300 achievement points can be spent to cure the external swelling of the wrists, elbows, and ankles. Do you want to use it?"
No need!
He moved his hands and feet and felt no more pain, so he stood up and walked to the tunnel.
The team doctor quickly asked: "Leo, where are you going?"
Li Ao responded without looking back: "Go back and win the game."
The team doctor ran up to stop him: "Your injury..."
"I'm fine."
"How could it be okay..."
"I said I'm fine."
Seeing Li Ao's violent expression, the team doctor let go of his hand.
He was the only member of the former team's medical team who stayed on the team. He had personally seen Olowokandi being beaten into a pig's head by Li Ao.
He stopped his colleagues from trying to stop Li Ao, not because of their good relationship, but because he didn't want to harm Chi Yu.
He could only pray that Li Ao's injury would not worsen...
…
Li Ao quickly came to the players' tunnel, his emotions under control.
When he walked out of the tunnel, fans soon spotted him, and the scene began to commotion.
At this time, Houston made a mistake in catching the ball and went out of bounds under Maggette's confrontation. Gentry quickly called a timeout and ran to Li Ao. His teammates on and off the court also ran over.
"Leo, why don't you go to the hospital?"
"I'm fine, let me play!"
Gentry's first reaction - the violent handsome guy is going to hit someone!
But no, if you want to hit someone, just go there instead of asking him for a chance to play.
Faced with Li Ao's unwillingness to refuse, and the team doctor who wanted to say something in the tunnel but didn't dare to say it... Gentry could only nod.
The teammates cheered collectively, waiting until their Spider-Man came back, they were about to fall into an unfavorable situation, which might be reversed... no, it would definitely be reversed!
After receiving the response, Li Ao looked at the technical desk... very surprised!
Still leading!
Seven minutes had passed in the fourth quarter, and the Knicks scored 14 points after he was carried out.
But their side also scored 11 points after he was carried out!
Although the Knicks have begun to get closer to the score, and the Clippers' desperate play style can hardly hold on, they have not yet been overtaken!
80 to 75, they still maintain a 5-point lead!
Gentry made personnel adjustments and replaced McGinnis with Li Ao. Big Q, Maggette, Odom, O'Neal Jr. and Li Ao played together.
Now that Li Ao is back, he must be coming back with the goal of winning. Gentry did not regard Li Ao as an injured player when he arranged the tactics. In such a game, he must go all out.
After the timeout, Li Ao walked onto the court, and the live camera showed the injured position that had been revealed before.
Red and swollen elbows, swollen wrists, and congested ankles... fans in front of the TV saw these close-ups, and many of them became fans.
What a strong will! What a strong competitive spirit! To be able to run back to the court immediately after 'waking up'?
Originally, the fierce battle in the first three quarters caused the real-time ratings of the game to fall to the bottom, but after the conflict, the ratings surged, and many fans temporarily paid for viewing rights. The Knicks, the criminals, everything seemed to have Something is going to happen.
On the court, the referee repeatedly asked Gentry whether he should let Li Ao rest. After being refused, he could only hope that nothing would happen tonight.
This referee has also heard of Li Ao's "notoriety".
However, after the game restarted, the referee found that his worries seemed to be unnecessary.
Even when faced with the triumphant expressions of the Knicks players, Li Ao calmly carried out tactical moves.
The referee thinks that the Knicks players are mentally ill. What should the criminals be proud of?
Right, such a basketball genius, so handsome, would definitely not do that kind of revenge. As expected, nine out of ten rumors are false.
When Li Ao returned, the worries of the fans at the scene were wiped away. The fans cheered wildly and the Clippers players were also very excited. The fatigue caused by the whole physical battle seemed to be gone.
On the Knicks' side, the defensive moves are as big as ever, but no one dares to make bad mistakes now.
They are not afraid of fights, but they are worried that fighting will lead to suspensions and affect their record.
It is very important for them to maintain the rise of the 'Knicks' third peak period'. Being a member of the 'Knicks' third peak period' is the most proud thing in the careers of most of their players.
O'Neal Jr. ran out of position, caught the ball from close range and threw it to the basket. The ball landed on the basket, circled around, and fell into the frame.
82 to 75, the Clippers lead by 7 points.
When the Knicks attack, the madman breaks through and throws high to avoid O'Neal's defense, and bounces into the frame!
At critical moments, Madman is trustworthy!
Looking back, Li Ao took advantage of his opponent's unpreparedness to turn around and cut to close range. Facing Auntie's top defense, he received the ball and quickly hooked...hit!
Seeing Li Ao's quick cutting movements and smooth hooks, Gentry's heart was finally relieved.
Although the swelling in the injured area looks scary, the twist is probably not serious.
When the Knicks attack, the madman breaks through, Odom moves to the position in advance to attack, the madman distributes the ball to the aunt, but the aunt misses the shot!
Jeff Van Gundy sees the big picture.
Fortunately, the Clippers then passed a high and low pass out of bounds, and he replaced Charlie Ward with Kurt Thomas.
Since the Madman mainly attacks with the ball, there is no need for open space. Just let Auntie rush to the basket and respond. Kurt Thomas responds from the mid-range. Houston, who has not been able to move much after playing for 40 minutes, goes to the wing to open up and connect. Than flank cover.
When the referee saw Kurt Thomas being replaced, he felt bad.
He looked at Li Ao... slightly relieved, but the handsome boy still had the same cold expression.
The idea was a good one, but after the timeout, the Knicks' offense started. After receiving the ball from close range, Auntie took off and dunked... but was pressed down by the shrinking Li Ao!
Seeing Li Ao who had grabbed the ball by himself, the aunt was shocked. This rookie actually dared to defend like this!
Fans near the baseline shouted "Spider-Man" at the top of their lungs, and fans on site were cheering for Li Ao or cursing the Knicks.
The Clippers players are also excited!
The Knicks were shocked by Li Ao's "Return of the King" appearance.
If it were them, they had just been fouled, and they wouldn't dare to fight like this on defense.
Then the two sides entered into several rounds of blacksmithing battles.
At 11 minutes and 25 seconds, O'Neal Jr. stole the ball from Camby and passed it to Odom. Odom counterattacked and connected with Big Q to complete the alley-oop.
Big Q leaped high and smashed the ball into the basket. The score reached 88 to 81, and the Clippers' lead reached 7 points!
Relying on the morale boost brought by Li Ao's return, mid-range shooting, and interior defense, the Clippers played an 8-6 wave and firmly maintained their lead!
With 35 seconds left, the momentum of the Knicks players' counterattack was eventually extinguished.
If Camby scored the goal, they still had hope, but they didn't and were intercepted and scored by the opponent on counterattack. Their fighting spirit was completely annihilated.
None of them can score 8 seconds and 8 minutes, they are the ones who are beaten by 8 seconds and 8 minutes.
The Knicks players seem to have seen the media ridiculing them for losing after the game. They are helpless, but... they are very accepting of this kind of thing.
Playing in New York, you are very receptive to public opinion.
Next, Houston missed a three-pointer when Big Q defended him. Turning around, Big Q caught the ball and made a three-pointer. The game was over...
Li Ao returned to the court after being knocked unconscious by a criminal. He scored 4 points, 1 rebound and 2 blocks in 5 minutes, leading the Clippers to an 11-6 victory and holding on to the victory!
91 to 81, the Clippers defeated the Knicks at home, improving their record to 6 wins and 3 losses!
When the final whistle sounded, the scene boiled over again. Clippers players and coaches poured into the court one after another, and the players on the field also rushed to their teammates to celebrate.
Li Ao saw the system prompts that he had obtained 5,000 achievement points and 1 basic speed attribute point. He turned off the system and came to Thomas who was biting his teeth.
Seeing Li Ao coming over, Kurt Thomas, who was unhappy after losing the ball, was ready to scold him. He guessed that the opponent was mocking him for playing dirty tricks after winning the game.
However, what Li Ao asked was: "Have you decided which hospital you want to stay in?"
Before Kurt Thomas could react, Li Ao slapped him in the face.
(End of chapter)
