There's a new person in the village!
Early the next morning, Li Ao took Da Q and knocked on the door of his two new teammates.
Matt Halprin and Brevin Knight were very nervous when they saw Spider-Man coming.
This super genius has a good reputation, and the two of them were worried that this guy brought his little brother here to give them a blow... Then they felt how terrible the fear of society was.
When we went to have breakfast together, the lively Blevins Knight even wrote a love letter to the high school girl next door when he was in elementary school. The girl's father posted it on the community bulletin board. He was laughed at for 5 years. Everything was told.
Li Ao also learned about what happened to the two yesterday.
The Cavaliers are currently on consecutive away games and just finished playing the Pistons the day before yesterday.
The deal was completed yesterday morning, and when the Cavaliers left Detroit at noon, they were left without them.
The two were suddenly traded, and they were confused for a long time before realizing that they had been abandoned. They could only comfort each other, contact the Clippers, and arrived in Minneapolis at midnight last night.
After listening to Brevin Knight talk about their tragic experience yesterday, Li Ao said: "Hey, if only we played the Pistons today, then we could be in Detroit yesterday."
Brevin Knight said movedly: "It would be great if that were the case. We wouldn't be so lonely after being traded, with you here."
"Huh? Sorry, I didn't think about it that much. I mean I'm sorry I didn't see the two of you looking stupid when you were left in the parking lot."
Vaco! Blevins Knight is now not only moved, but even the sadness caused by yesterday's experience is gone.
Matt Halprin has a more reserved personality and is taciturn. He can only hold back a sentence or two when Li Ao takes the initiative to ask questions.
But when it comes to playing games, Matt Halprin talks a little more.
When asked what his goals were when he came to the new team, he replied: "Run without the ball, run into gaps, fight for rebounds, stay focused and seize easy scoring opportunities at the basket, make free throws, and complete what the coach assigned me. All defensive tasks.”
"Well, Matt, some tasks can't be completed, such as guarding O'Neal."
"Goal! I'm talking about goal!" Matt Halprin's voice suddenly rose and broke.
Seeing Matt Halprin finally break through the defense, Li Ao was in a good mood.
After breakfast, he left a message, "Matt, we are quite similar. I think we will work together happily on the court" and left first.
He also has to go to the target center in advance to practice back shots and mid-range shots.
Practice more and strive to reach a level where you can complete the level 1 training task of basic back training as soon as possible, and you will get an additional 20% training results.
The mid-range shot also needs to continue to improve. Turning around to catch and shoot without the ball can trigger the 'catch and shoot expert', but it is not good to play with the ball in the back. I am used to top mid-range shots and only have a first-class level in singles, which always feels unsatisfactory.
The hotel they were staying in now was a 15-minute walk from the Target Center, so they walked slowly there just in time to eat.
After Li Ao left, Blevins Knight and Matt Halprin were speechless for a while.
Blevins Knight asked: "Matt, what do you think of Spider-Man?"
"It's not bad. After chatting with him, I no longer have the mind to think about being traded."
"It really is……"
Blevins Knight found that although he had the urge to start a fight, his mood was indeed much better than last night.
But thinking of what Li Ao said when he left...
"Matt, Spider-Man said you look a lot like him."
Blevins Knight didn’t even know what to say.
Matt Halprin nodded: "It's very similar. What I said is what he did on the court, and that's what I have been working hard for."
Brevin Knight thought about his teammate's style of play, and it seemed that it was indeed very similar to Spider-Man's style of play.
However, Brevin Knight was a little disillusioned by associating Spider-Man with Matt Halprin. In his perception, Matt Halprin, who usually couldn't even make a fool of himself, and Spider-Man Completely two worlds.
Bridge beans sack!
Blevins Knight suddenly woke up. This old teammate with thick eyebrows and big eyes who looked calm and serious, could it be that he was licking the new boss just now?
How can it be repaired?
Such a good thing didn't come to him!
…
Li Ao arrived at the target center at 8:15 and started additional training at 8:30.
He first practiced two sets of turn-over jump shots. At first, James Worthy, the team's personal coach, stared at them.
When did Spider-Man secretly practice the transformation of God?
But after watching the ball for a few more times, he said "oh" and it turned out to be just a layer of skin.
There is only one movement that is picturesque, with almost no skills. The turning movement is more like turning around with one step, and only the shooting movement looks like it.
Li Ao defeated the Lakers, completed mission goal 3 of 'Counterattack OK', and got the 'Backup Random Action Pack'. What he drew was not actually Jordan's turn-over jumper action pack, but Kobe's turn-over jump shot related to the OK combination. Action pack…
But the movements are indeed too similar, and Li Ao only turns over, there are no other steps behind his back, and there is no detailed distinction between movements when facing the defense.
In fact, the difference between the full-motion schematic diagram of the turn-over jump shot package that Li Ao got and his impression of Jordan's turn-over jump shot are quite obvious. The difference in physical fitness between Kobe after 30 years old and Jordan after 30 years old is much greater than that of Jordan after 30 years old. He must be bigger before he is 35 years old. At the age of 35, Jordan was still waiting for his opponent to fall in the air. Although Kobe's physical fitness was still at the top of the league before his Achilles tendon rupture, the gap with Jordan at the same age was already obvious. He had more ability to avoid interference when turning over and making jump shots. action details.
Just from the perspective of James Worthy, Li Ao first asked Jordan to learn how to play from behind, and Kobe Bryant still plays with a face-to-face style, with a back-up style, but it is far less powerful than a face-to-face style, and James Worthy didn't get involved anyway. With his discerning eyes, he naturally thought that Li Ao secretly followed the video to practice Jordan's turn-over jump shot.
Maybe in the future, when Kobe is over 30 and plays mainly from the back, James Worthy may not be thinking of Jordan when he sees Kobe's turnaround jump shot...
After practicing two sets of turn-over jump shots and enjoying himself, Li Ao devoted himself to training on post-ups and mid-range shots.
At 9:30 in the morning, after Li Ao completed an hour of extra practice at the separate small training ground, he came to the visiting team's training ground to watch the test of the two new teammates.
All the other Clippers players also came to get to know their new teammates and new intra-team competitors.
Gentry is very satisfied with this atmosphere. Last season, no one cared about this.
And finally there is no need to worry about the team atmosphere being affected. Seeing that the team has gained cohesion, if McGinnis is really given a few more opportunities to get good data, given the character and brains of the former player, he will think about it horrible.
On Li Ao's side, he carefully observed the technical characteristics of his two teammates based on the player evaluation report, and how he wanted to partner with these two new teammates.
The team has not prepared the video yet and has no time to watch it. They have no experience in playing against each other, but it is always good to know more about the technical characteristics of the two.
Matt Halprin, with a comprehensive rating of 77, averaged 28 minutes per game, 11 points and 4.4 rebounds.
There are no close shots, mid-range shots, or three-pointers, and the shooting rates are 34%, 29%, and 25% respectively.
But the long two-point shooting rate is an exaggerated 48.9%, averaging 3.1 long two-point shots per game and scoring 1.5.
He averaged 3.6 shots per game and scored 2.3 goals at the basket, with a shooting percentage of 63%.
The total field goal percentage is a very good 45.6%.
The flaws are also obvious. He is poor at holding the ball and has some breakthrough ability but not much.
On the defensive end, Kenyon Dulin and Maggette, who has returned from injury, will serve as sparring partners.
Li Ao was eager to give it a try, but was heartbroken by Gentry.
"He will definitely not be able to outrun you in a long-distance race."
Li Ao glared at the head coach indignantly, but the opponent immediately responded with a "I'll endure it as long as he can't kill me" attitude. He could only watch Matt Halprin's defensive test in frustration.
Strong body, large muscles, 201 cm + 105 kg in weight, fierce and active in confrontation, mobility is better than his body size, full of defensive pressure, but rarely reaches for the ball, defensive method against interference, solid footsteps .
The defensive style is a bit like...Afro.
However, although he weighs 10 kilograms more than the Afro, the confrontation effect is not that good. He does not have the outstanding explosive power of Kobe. He can defend against the light-footed Kenyon Doolin. He is not as flexible as Kobe and can defend players. The types are not that broad.
Just looking at this test, Matt Halprin's performance... did not meet Li Ao's expectations.
If this is such a defensive level, then even if this new teammate combines offense, it cannot be said to be particularly good.
He rates Matt Halprin's offense very highly based on the fact that he is an excellent wing defender.
If your expectations are too high, you will be disappointed even more.
On the contrary, it was Brevin Knight, a small point guard who he had not looked down upon before, and his performance in the test was eye-catching.
Brevin Knight's speed test and passing test were so exciting.
Boykins, the fastest player on the team, was asked to compare his speed. The onlookers cheered wildly as his teammates cheered wildly, as if they were watching a track and field competition.
The passing accuracy is also amazing. In the previous game against the Jazz, Li Ao was amazed by Stockton's ultra-long ground pass from one baseline to the other free throw line. Blevins - Knight also took the initiative to perform this trick during the test.
Compared to Matt Halprin, who talks less, has a stern expression, and has a majestic build, Brevin Knight, who has a lively personality and a more entertaining style of play, is obviously more popular with his new teammates.
Everyone welcomed the addition of Brevin Knight, except Boykins who said "Welcome to our family" to Matt Halprin.
Boykins noticed the disappointed look in Li Ao's eyes when he looked at Matt Halprin. After the team's pre-match training, he found Li Ao.
"Leo, the new Matt, you can be more patient with him, you will find that he is very good."
"Um?"
Boykins realized that what he said was not quite right. Spider-Man's eyes were filled with disappointment, that is, with expectation.
He rephrased his words and said: "Leo, Matt is the kind of player who you may not look at at first glance, but will never let you down."
Li Ao responded: "Maybe."
Boykins emphasized: "He is a player who keeps sprinting forward. Time will tell."
"I'll watch, but I have a question now."
Seeing Li Ao's expression full of doubts, Boykins asked: "What's the problem? I would tell you if I knew."
"When you welcomed Matt to join just now, he didn't pay any attention to you..." Li Ao's expression changed from doubtful to suddenly enlightened: "So it turns out that he only sees the front and his ears don't work well, so he didn't see you?"
Boykins: (へ╬)
Believe it or not, I will jump up and hit you on the knee!
Li Ao stopped teasing Xiao Chong and asked seriously: "Earl, you and Matt have a good relationship?"
"We are high school classmates."
"Oh, old teammate! No wonder you spoke for him."
"We are not teammates..."
"You are fired?"
"You just got kicked out! He was the captain of the football team in high school and I was the captain of the basketball team, not teammates of course.
When he was 14 years old and still in the 8th grade, he was borrowed by the high school team to be the main player and helped the school team win the city championship. When he was a senior in high school, he led our high school football team to win 32 consecutive victories and win the championship. All the colleges wanted to recruit him and he was as popular as Allen Iverson.
But in the end he chose to play basketball. I heard that he had never liked football. It was only because his father, grandfather, uncle, and brother were all professional football players that he left home after going to college, so he had the opportunity to devote himself to the sport he loved. .
We both entered the NBA in 1998, and he and I both played for the Magic and Cavaliers before that, but the interesting thing is that we were never teammates.
We really aren't close friends, he's not a very social person and won't speak up if he doesn't think he has anything to say...it's not because I'm short and he can't see it! "
"Really, eh? Earl, where are you? Why is there only sound? Are you a ghost..."
Li Ao stood up straight and looked around, his expression gradually becoming frightened.
Boykins could no longer restrain himself and jumped up to hit Li Ao, but Li Ao moved flexibly and easily dodged again...
…
In the evening, the game between the Clippers and Timberwolves started as scheduled.
After 2 hours and 23 minutes of play, the Timberwolves narrowly defeated the Clippers 95-89, bringing the Clippers back to 50% victory again, with 19 wins and 19 losses.
Li Ao played 36 minutes tonight and made 8 of 17 shots, including 1 of 3 three-pointers, plus 4 of 6 free throws. He scored 21 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 blocks.
His several dunks against Garnett in the last game are still intimidating tonight. Flip Saunders will not play tricks tonight and directly use regular tactics.
Of course, Li Ao's intimidation by dunking on Garnett will not be lost because of this. He has many mid-range shooting opportunities and many passing opportunities.
In terms of rebounding, in this game, O'Neal Jr. and Chris Mihm, who came on the bench, both changed their ways of grabbing defensive rebounds. When Li Ao was shrinking to make up for the wing cut, both of them chose to block and cooperated with Li Ao to complete the game. Guarding the boards, Li Ao got more rebounding opportunities and grasped them well.
However, the Clippers' ability to maintain the possibility of reversal tonight is not due to Li Ao.
Newcomer Matt Halprin got 31 minutes of playing time in the first game, and he played as a power forward!
At the beginning, Gentry sent 206 centimeters and 111 kilograms Brian Skinner to start. After being beaten, he chose to let Matt Halprin come on.
Garnett encountered Matt Halprin's defense and was despised...and then was tortured by Matt Halprin.
In one-on-one defense, Matt Halprin did not defend Garnett very well, but his movements were rough and his defensive continuity was excellent. As long as Garnett stopped, he would be stuck and forced Accept physical combat.
Garnett didn't expect that the Clippers would have such a No. 1 role. He played very well in the first half, shooting 5 of 8, but only 1 of 6 in the second half. The goal he scored in the second half was thrown out of frustration. The three-pointer went in.
Garnett made 6 of 14 shots, including 1 of 1 three-pointers, plus 4 of 6 free throws to score 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. His performance was below his season average.
However, the Timberwolves also had Trill Brandon with 17 points and 9 assists, Szczerbiak with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Anthony Pillar with 16 points, who finally had the last laugh.
It was just the first time they played together, and Li Ao was amazed by Matt Halprin's performance.
After lowering his expectations, he was even more pleased with the feedback he received.
This new teammate is indeed implementing the 'goal: complete all defensive tasks assigned by the coach'.
As long as the task is not completed, keep doing it with all your strength, even if it cannot be completed in the end.
He is truly a player who will not let you down!
And Brevin Knight...the reason why he was given up by the Cavaliers can be felt in the first game when Li Ao partners.
This is not a bad player, but he is fundamentally different from Boykins.
Boykins is positioned as a scorer. When he comes on the court, his teammates know that he is going to shoot, and they do not need his teammates to accommodate him. He will look for opportunities himself, find opportunities to find shooting opportunities.
He can pass the ball and organize offense, but his first goal is to shoot and score.
Brevin Knight is the complete opposite. This is a core-playing player.
Moreover, his scoring ability is extremely poor. He cannot rely on his personal ability to drive his teammates. He needs the whole team to move around him in order for him to be effective.
Matt Halprin is plug-and-play and can contribute immediately, while Brevin Knight struggles to integrate right away.
Li Ao is actually more suitable to partner with Brevin Knight. In terms of passing, this new teammate is indeed very good. He has good vision and can stably deliver the ball when he sees opportunities. His assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.1 to 1 so far in his career is quite good. sharp.
But teammates may not be able to adapt to this style of play where one person holds the ball and the whole team moves.
However, Li Ao did not pay attention to Brevin Knight. How to integrate this new teammate is a matter for the coaching staff. It is best if he can integrate. If not, he can't control it.
His current focus is on improving his personal abilities and how to help the team win.
…
On the 17th, the Clippers came to Milwaukee for back-to-back away games against the Bucks, and suffered a disastrous defeat 101-122.
Li Ao met Ray Allen, who was completely different from the Celtics version in his impression. He was good at shooting, excellent at organizing offense, and got 7 assists in a single game.
However, Li Ao's defense was okay. Ray Allen made only 8 of 21 shots and only scored 22 points.
Ray Allen shot 44% of his three-pointers this season, but Li Ao defended him and only made 2 of 6 shots tonight.
His breakthroughs are not as sharp as those of Iverson and Tracy McGrady, his retreats, emergency stops, and frame attacks are not as quick as those of Kobe Bryant's, and his scoring methods are not as comprehensive and powerful as Carter's.
Ray Allen's physical condition and playing style are exactly restrained by Li Ao.
But the Bucks still have a big dog who still scored 21 points on 9 of 19 shots under the mad-dog defense of Matt Halprin.
And the Aliens who soared with 32 points and 14 assists tonight!
Li Ao made 10 of 19 shots tonight and scored 27 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. His performance was quite good, but the opponent was too fierce.
The firepower of the first-generation Three Musketeers was so fierce that Li Ao could only sigh that they were worthy of being the league's top scoring super offensive team.
After a day's rest, on the 19th and 20th, the Clippers then played back-to-back games against the Pacers and Hawks.
After adapting in two games, Matt Halprin quickly integrated into the team's defense.
Gentry put Matt Halprin into the starting lineup against the Pacers, starting with Greg Anthony, Big Q, Li Ao, and O'Neal Jr.
With this lineup, just looking at defense, the Clippers have reached a new level.
But the offense is shockingly poor. Positions 2-4 are all players who mainly play without the ball. O'Neal is not in the same offensive state as when he played against the Lakers tonight.
In the first half of the quarter, the Clippers defended the Pacers and only scored 6 points, but they only had 4 points themselves...
Later, Gentry asked Li Ao to practice his back hitting on the court... and he performed pretty well!
Gentry, who was standing on the same side, was numb. He was fully prepared. Their Spider-Man had only developed a post-up game for a month. Tonight, under the defense of Jaylen Rose, Li Ao turned around and shot from behind, and turned around and cut quickly without the ball. When he stopped catching the ball and shooting, he was already looking good, and he shot 2 of 4!
Although Jaylen Rose has devoted all his energy to offense this season, his defensive performance is far less than last year, and his defensive enthusiasm is not as crazy as when he stepped on Kobe. From a first-class offensive and defensive player, he has become a scorer of 20+ and assists of 5+ He is an all-around offensive player who is strong in offense and weak in defense.
But the progress of Spider-Man's development still shocked Gentry.
What he originally expected was that next season Li Ao could use back-up play as a usable offensive method with the ball...
In the end, the Clippers lost to the Pacers 71-79.
Li Ao scored 18 points and 11 rebounds, the second double-double of his career, plus 3 assists, 1 steal and 4 blocks.
The defense did a good job, but the offense struggled.
But Li Ao didn't miss having someone who could lead the attack when McGinnis was there. In the short half-month since McGinnis' rise, their defense was almost lax.
Now it's hard to find a leader on the defensive end... Yes, Matt Halprin has won the respect of his teammates on the defensive end in just 3 games since he came to the Clippers.
If there is a shortage of ball-handling players, we can wait.
But the defense that was finally tightened fell apart, and it will be more difficult to tighten it again.
In addition to this, Li Ao also has a little selfishness.
Odom hasn't come back yet. It's difficult for them to win. They can't win. Let McGinnis dominate the ball and play in isolation. It's better for him to practice playing in isolation a few more times...
…
On the 20th, the Clippers finally won.
105 to 79, the Clippers defeated the Hawks again in an away game.
Although the Hawks lost the last time they played against the Clippers, Terry performed very well personally, but once his style of play becomes iron, it is really iron. He made 2 of 9 shots tonight and scored 8 points and 6 points. Assists, and 7 turnovers...
With Li Ao's single defense, Matt Halprin's wing defense, and O'Neal's frame protection, Terry missed a wide shot from the outside and could only squat and count his socks after the game.
O'Neal Jr. was guarded by Mutombo again tonight... No matter how ruthless and courageous he is, he can't beat the difference in strength.
But the Hawks' outside defense was very poor. Li Ao made 9 of 18 shots, including 2 of 5 three-pointers, plus 10 of 10 free throws. He scored 30+ points in a single game for the sixth time this season, 30 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 6 steals. Block shot!
He avenged O'Neal, who was blocked three times, and also blocked Mutombo three times.
This season, one thing about Duncan has attracted a lot of attention - he was blocked 60 times in 40 games, averaging 1.5 blocks per game.
But in fact, Mutombo, whose age is unknown and averages 9 points per game and has a shooting percentage of only 47%, is the king of being blocked. He has been blocked 70 times in 35 appearances.
Not only is his offensive ability poor, he is also poor at eating cakes, and his awareness of avoiding blocked shots is also poor...
Blevins Knight played 31 minutes tonight and got 9 assists in just 31 minutes!
When the opponent's perimeter defense is not tight, he can use his speed to penetrate at will, which works wonders!
Gentry found an opportunity to use Brevin Knight - to attack weak teams.
A point guard with an average annual salary of nearly 5 million US dollars can only be used as a fish belly. It is too luxurious, but it is better than having no way to use it.
And you can use it like this first to see if you can develop more uses.
…
They are halfway through the regular season and have played 41 games, with a record of 20 wins and 21 losses.
Clippers fans are very satisfied, and the coaching staff and most of the players are also very happy with this record, which has surpassed their 15 wins last season.
As for Li Ao...he has learned to use training to share this part of the pressure.
After five consecutive away games, the Clippers got two days of rest.
At noon on the 21st, the Clippers returned to Los Angeles.
After Li Ao got off the plane, he couldn't wait to drive back to the apartment.
The day before yesterday, on the morning of the 19th, Yingjiang’s family time, his parents had already arrived in Los Angeles!
When he returned to the apartment, he saw that his small apartment had been vacated...
I went to the hospital assistant's place. Well, it hadn't been vacated. The tables, chairs, sofas, TV cabinets, etc. were all still there.
but! That’s all!
Not to mention that the other things had been moved cleanly, they were not much different. It even seemed to have been cleaned by a cleaner, making it look like it was being rented out.
Li Ao looked embarrassed.
His family had moved, and the hospital assistant's aunt didn't tell him. The day before yesterday, his mother called and chatted with him for half an hour, but she didn't tell him either.
And this is not his hometown, but the home where he lives now!
He went downstairs with murderous intent and drove to his new home. He parked the car on the road outside the yard, got out of the car, and was about to go in and question the hospital assistant's aunt and father... Then he saw the hospital assistant's aunt who was dressed very ladylike and was fiddling with the outer fence of the yard. Potted plants inside.
Usually, the hospital assistant aunts that Li Ao saw were either wearing work clothes, or wearing close-fitting pajamas, or tight sportswear. Their usual casual clothes were mostly T-shirts, sweaters, and jeans.
She suddenly put on a dress with a fluffy skirt. For a moment, he was stunned.
Vivian heard the sound of the engine. When she looked up, Li Ao had already got out of the car and looked at her. She was a little nervous at first. Although she looked younger than many of her students, she was 31 years old after all, and she was worried that Li Ao would dislike her. Pretend to be young.
But seeing Li Ao's stunned look, a smile appeared on her lips, she ran out of the yard and raised her neck to look at Li Ao.
Li Ao subconsciously moved his head closer, but Vivian did not resist. The two hugged each other gently and kissed...
On the side of the road, the two of them couldn't bear to carry anyone on their backs.
But there was no one on the road now. On the basketball court in the front yard, two people were hiding behind the basketball posts, covering their mouths and watching the scene.
Both of them are not short in stature. Li Ao's mother, Zhou Limei, is just over 170 centimeters tall. She was a flower in the supply and marketing cooperative and also worked as an art soldier.
His father, Li Weidong, was born in the army. He is nearly 1.9 meters tall and is now very strong.
The two of them hid behind the basketball pile, hiding from their loneliness. That is to say, the two people outside got tired of talking after kissing, and they didn't notice them at all.
Zhou Limei was very excited. She tried her best to lower her voice and said: "I told you that our Xiao Ao must have fallen in love with his teacher and moved in together. You still don't believe it!"
Li Weidong was very puzzled and asked in a low voice: "Daughter-in-law, didn't the news say that Ao Zi likes 18-year-olds? All the female celebrities he dates seem to be 18 years old."
In the eyes of a mother, if her son is his son, he will not be the one who suffers.
Zhou Limei guessed: "Uh... maybe Xiao Ao, who looks like 18 years old, also likes it?
(End of chapter)
