After the season ended, Li Ao rested at home for a few days, occasionally paying attention to the playoffs. Most of the time, he played mahjong with his parents and the hospital assistant, or went to visit famous attractions together. The cameraman took pictures.
The NBA playoffs are still in progress, the Eastern Conference is very anxious, and the two conference finals teams in the Western Conference have been announced.
The Kings advanced 4-1 and met the Lakers, who swept the Trail Blazers 4-0, in the Western Conference Finals.
Although the big scores for promotion are similar, just looking at the scores of the second round of the two teams, you can see how difficult it is for the two teams to advance.
Although the Clippers were eliminated without any suspense, Spider-Man, Zuo Mo, Xiao Ou, Big Q, Maggette, Captain... many young players have emerged in this series.
Getting more attention than winning the first round.
In 5 games, the average points per game comparison is 88.2 to 92.8, and the gap is not particularly large.
The Kings and Jazz played to tiebreaker in the first round, and the average points per game comparison was 93.8 to 89.4.
After the series, the media and fans analyzed the reasons for the Clippers' loss-experience, offensive ability, and lack of ball-holding points in the back line.
Against the Mavericks, Greg Anthony and Boykins were barely enough, but when they faced the Kings, whose defensive level was similar, it was not easy.
Many fans feel sorry for the Clippers. Even if they are Spider-Man haters, it is a pity to see a young team like the Clippers lose to a group of veterans - they will not be able to hate Spider-Man for a long time. The hit rate is up.
In the series between Li Ao and the Kings, he averaged 19 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 3.2 steals and 1 block per game.
The fewer blocks are due to the fact that the Kings pass the ball well, but the Kings pass more and make more mistakes. Li Ao did an excellent job of cutting off the opponent's passes.
As a defensive support pitcher, apart from his low hitting rate in this series, he really can't find much to blame.
The most regrettable thing is the Lakers fans. They are more sad to see the Clippers eliminated than the Clippers fans.
They really want to beat Spider-Man head-on in the playoffs, which can alleviate their unwillingness.
The media rarely analyzed the series between the Trail Blazers and the Lakers. Except for the Trail Blazers' struggle in G3, which was ineffective, the Trail Blazers were beaten in other games, worse than the Timberwolves in the first round.
In the Western Conference, in addition to the Clippers' rise, the hottest topic is - is it possible for the Kings to win a game in the Western Conference Finals?
Based on the strength shown by the two teams in the second round, Lakers fans have shouted the slogan 'FOFOFO', hoping to repeat the history of the 11-game winning streak in the Western Conference playoffs led by Magic in the 1988-89 season and go straight to the finals. Best partition performance.
When Li Ao saw the remarks of Lakers fans, he hoped that the Kings could give some support.
But it's unlikely...then look forward to Iverson!
On Duncan's side, Li Ao feels that at least this year's Magic team should not be as strong as the Spurs team where Duncan stayed.
The gap between role players is too big. In order to clear up three maximum salary spaces, the Magic let go most of the high-quality role players who scored 41 wins and 41 losses last season. The signing of Hill also gave away some of last season's main players, leaving the rest The players on the roster are low-paid players and players on rookie contracts.
The Spurs have seven shooters with a 39%+ three-point shooting percentage who match Duncan, as well as the admirals who still have some power, plus the generals, Malik Rose, Elliott, Samaki Walker and others. , should be better than McGrady and Mike Miller plus a group of not-so-good role players.
He remembered that even the Spurs, who had accumulated a lot of players, became the background of explosive heads in the Western Conference Finals. Kobe established his super giant status in the Western Conference Finals with the Spurs.
A stable team is miserable in front of divine players.
…
On May 18th, Li Ao's father went back to China. He still had work to do at the factory, so he would wait until the finals to watch the game.
It has been one season since their son entered the NBA. Li Weidong and Zhou Limei have gradually become basketball fans. At first, they just paid attention to their son's work performance, and then gradually began to pay attention to other teams and other stars. In this regard, I can also chat with Li Ao for a few words.
Li Ao took a 6-day break and started summer training.
The indoor court at home has been built, so I don’t have to travel so far. During training breaks, I can play games with my hospital assistant, read news online, and help my mother with cooking.
The two team trainers responsible for Li Ao's training were numb. They thought they could take a vacation, at least for two or three weeks, and continue to work in June. However, they continued to work within a week.
Although the salary at work is much higher than the salary during vacation, when the trainer received the work arrangement from the general manager, he still couldn't help but complain a few words.
The trainer regretted it after he complained. This general manager is very ruthless.
But unexpectedly, Wally Walker's response was - "Thank you for your hard work, so be it. If you work more than 4 days a week during the offseason, your weekly salary will be increased by 500 yuan."
The two trainers immediately stopped complaining and were so enthusiastic about their work that they rushed to Li Ao's house carrying the training equipment needed for passing and controlling.
Wally Walker knows how to mobilize the enthusiasm of his colleagues for work. His ruthless way of dealing with work mistakes and his generosity in salary and benefits are all to improve the work efficiency of the team's logistics... Anyway, the big boss has Money can make a difference.
What Li Ao needs to practice now is shooting, ball control, and passing.
When it comes to shooting, you should first practice the basic skills of three-pointers, mid-range shots, and close-range shots. The subsequent skills will be expanded to the beginning of the offseason.
Controlling the ball, the coach cuts in with the ball and counterattacks with the ball, step by step, first practice what is most needed at the moment.
Pass the ball, the coach passes the ball while moving.
The reason why he made more mistakes later in the season is that he is not used to passing the ball on the move. During his college days and the first half of his rookie season, he mostly made fixed-point passes, so he needs to strengthen his efforts.
The basic skills of passing should also be improved. As his passing is more and more valued by opponents, relying on the 'transit expert' to improve his passing accuracy to 85 is not enough.
Time passed day by day, while Li Ao was training, keeping in touch with the team, and paying attention to the NBA playoffs.
The team has begun to contact rookie candidates. He learned from Gentry that the team wanted to select a player from a local university in the first round, one of his juniors.
Their draft picks are not high. Although they are only ranked seventh in the Western Conference, their record is ninth in the league and they only got the 21st pick. The Timberwolves with the 20th pick had their pick canceled. They can take the 20th pick. Pick people in order.
The first-round pick obtained from the Trail Blazers was not obtained. The Trail Blazers ranked sixth and received the 24th overall pick.
According to the agreement, this pick was extended to next season and became lottery protection.
Li Ao didn't pay much attention to the draft. Now their team has no shortage of talented young players, and they can no longer train them.
For example, Kenyon Dooling, a lottery pick, did not show his immediate ability. He was abandoned by Gentry in his rookie season. He occasionally had the chance to play in the regular season, but in the playoffs he did not get a single second of playing time.
If there are potential stocks, they won't be the next Warriors.
If possible, he hopes to switch this year's draft pick and next year's draft pick to a defensive line shooter or a strong point guard.
He hopes that Wally Walker can give some help, and Brevin Knight can be replaced all over the league...
In the playoffs, the two sets of series in the second round of the Eastern Conference both reached tiebreakers, and the intensity far exceeded the expectations of the media and fans.
With the assistance of Charles Oakley, Antonio Davis, Dell Curry, Maurice Peterson, Alvin Williams, Chris Childs, Geon Clark... and others, Carter 7 bloody battles with TT combination.
In the end, the cousin who was sitting in midfield and holding the stone Buddha had the last laugh.
In the tiebreaker, Mike Miller made 6 of 9 three-pointers and scored 27 points. Duncan made 10 of 17 shots. In this game, he was amazingly accurate in free throws, making 8 of 11 free throws. In the second quarter, he made 6 of 6 free throws. Disrupted the Raptors' shark-cutting tactics, scoring 28 points and 21 rebounds in a single game, beating Oakley and Antonio Davis.
Coupled with McGrady's first playoff triple-double performance of 17 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, the Magic won the tiebreaker 104-95 and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
On the side of Iverson and Ray Allen, Iverson proved that he is the number one shooting guard on active duty.
In the tiebreaker, Iverson made 17 of 33 shots, scored 4 three-pointers, and made 6 of 7 free throws. He scored 44 points and 7 assists. He played the best game in the playoffs in his career so far, which was better than his game in G2. The efficiency and practical effect of 50 points must be strong.
99 to 91, the 76ers won the tiebreaker and met the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The playoffs are in full swing, and the teams that have not made it to the playoffs and those that have been eliminated began to make moves in late May.
Not surprisingly, Li Ao saw the news about Wally Walker using Brevin Knight to make quotes everywhere. In fact, he just wanted to find a reason to talk about it first. If a transaction really happened, he might not have any money with Brevin Knight. What does it matter?
Regarding the transaction, Li Ao had quite complicated feelings. After all, he had been with this group of teammates for so long. If someone left, he would definitely be reluctant to leave.
A while ago, I saw Jeff McGinnis go to a gold store and steal a $600 ring. He was caught and was released after paying a $50,000 bail. Li Ao still missed this teammate.
Among the trade rumors from other teams, he saw the most news about Juwan Howard and Marbury.
After the Mavericks were eliminated in the first round, Cuban directly stated that he would not keep Juwan Howard on the team.
On Marbury's side, he was touted at first, but after the regular season, he actively applied to be traded away.
There is also a rumor that the media and fans are skeptical of-the Suns are trying to trade Kidd.
…
Li Ao spent the second half of May in training.
By May 30, after two weeks of training, his overall evaluation improved to 81!
The ball control has improved a lot, reaching 69, which is close to a good level.
Passing has also been improved to 84. If it is improved a little further, part of the bonus of 'Transfer Expert' will be invalidated. However, his biggest improvement in this aspect is the stability of passing after receiving the ball and moving.
The biggest improvement is shooting from close range! The layup finally increased to 90!
This is mainly because his ability to cut into the frame with the ball has improved, and his basic hook skills have also improved to 73.
As for the playoffs, the Western Conference Finals started on the 20th and ended yesterday. The Lakers replicated the best record in the division in team history, going straight to the finals with 11 wins and 0 losses.
The Kings are the team that caused the most trouble for the Lakers. The score in G1 was 108 to 105, the score in G2 was 96 to 90, the score in G3 was 103 to 90, and the score in G4 was 120 to 88. In addition to the collapse of G4, the Kings could still struggle in the first three games.
In fact, Li Ao regretted not being able to fight against such an opponent.
It's different in the East. Each team wins a game in turn. The current score is 2 to 2, and the average points per game comparison is 83.5 to 81.75.
The Eastern Conference finals were fierce, and Li Ao, who was just watching the excitement, was very happy. The game was good to watch!
On the 31st, Li Ao had a day off and had work. In the morning, he participated in the launch of AJ's sneakers. In October, before the start of next season, his signature shoes will be officially released.
After the publicity work was over, Li Ao attended the dinner hosted by Jordan at noon.
The people who came included James Worthy, Gentry, and the famous star David Thompson, whom Li Ao had just met.
The topic of conversation during the dinner was training in June.
Jordan is a ruthless person. He recovered from his injury in March and began rehabilitation. In April, he began to lose weight. Two months later, his weight dropped to 105 kilograms.
After losing weight, Jordan prepared to teach Li Ao how to hit from behind.
The other party was so enthusiastic. Although Li Ao was speechless, he did not refuse. He was an experienced baby again.
After losing weight, the basketball god will be rewarded with more achievement points, right? It should be possible to drop experience packs, right?
After the playoffs started, he had no bag to play for a long time, and Snake refused his training invitation every time.
sad!
As for the basketball god personally teaching, Li Ao was a little panicked.
But it doesn't matter, James Worthy and David Thompson serve as sparring partners.
With two Hall of Fame players teaching and the God of Basketball as a sparring partner, Li Ao thought he should record a video of his afro next door. This kind of good thing must be shared with good friends.
But now he has a problem.
Li Ao asked the head coach: "Alvin, is Skywalker your brother?"
"Of course, can I still lie to you? He is here."
"but……"
"Yes, I'm just so untalented. Compared with David, I'm far behind. I didn't even make it to the main team of my university. I'm not as good as my younger brother in Orlando."
Li Ao was stunned. Their team's head coach actually learned to answer quickly!
Jordan and James Worthy, who were watching, couldn't help laughing.
What on earth has the head coach of the Clippers gone through, and he was forced to do this!
After coming back to his senses, Li Ao affirmed: "You are right."
Jordan, James Worthy, and even David Thompson couldn't hold back their laughter this time.
Gentry: "..."
"But your relationship with David seems to be much better than the two in the east. You even helped introduce jobs to your brother."
"David has taken good care of me since I was a child. After he became a superstar and a millionaire, he has been supporting me and helping me complete my studies. I embarked on the path of professional coaching, and it was David who introduced me to him. Larry Brown, the head coach of the Nuggets.”
With his curiosity satisfied, Li Ao said nothing more and started eating!
Today is mainly about Cobra, Skywalker and the God of Basketball communicating about the training content. Cobra knows very well what he wants to practice.
In fact, he still had a doubt, but he didn't ask.
Why did Gentry come to join in the fun of the four of them's training and introduce his cousin to them? But that's not right. Skywalker is the idol of the God of Basketball, and the two of them look very familiar...
Asking for a monthly ticket!
(End of chapter)
