Chapter 51: Each Wins the Field
When he set off the next day, I didn't know if it was because of Ye Feng, and the fear in Loew's eyes faded a lot. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info But Ye Feng himself didn't expect a few words to be able to make Loew instantly become a superman wearing underwear like Popeye's spinach, and he was already very satisfied with being able to do it to this extent. And he also very solemnly considered when to invite Abby to have a meal as a reward for her, you must know that although the relationship between the two has improved a lot, if Ye Feng wants to take the initiative to invite the other party to dinner, it will be the first time in the world. This also shows that Abby's suggestion is still very reliable.
Seeing Loew's calm face, Holland's eyes widened. It was indeed his idea to let Ye Feng do ideological work for Loew, but he didn't expect that the effect of doing so would be much better than expected, so he began to wonder whether Ye Feng should be allowed to serve as the team's psychologist. Of course, Ye Feng didn't guess what his head coach thought, he was just happy about Loew's change, but if he knew that Holland wanted to arrange a "part-time job" for him, he would definitely regret what he said last night.
Loew sat quietly in his seat, thinking about what Ye Feng had said to him the night before. As the team's starting center, Loew knows his status in the team, but he didn't expect Ye Feng to have such a high opinion of himself, but this is also because he doesn't pay much attention to the relevant media reports, in fact, many experts and insiders have praised his performance, and they are quite looking forward to this UCLA game against Kansas State. In a way, it's a game to decide who is the NCAA's No. 1 interior player, and the focus is on Loew's vs. Beasley's matchup.
Loew certainly knows why he was scared because he put himself in the challenger position from the start, especially since this game was played on the road. However, he felt that Ye Feng was right, although this game was very important, it had no impact on the team's record in his division, and he could put down his burden and fight Beasley happily. Loew doesn't intend to compete for the NCAA's No. 1 interior title, and it's useless for him to outperform Beasley in terms of stats, the most important thing is to get the team to win. That's right, he's always been a good player who puts the interests of the team first.
But where are your strengths? Loew pondered the question all the way, but could not find an answer. Even so, he has a lot less fear in his heart and some anticipation for the upcoming showdown. From the perspective of his inner activities, Ye Feng, a "psychiatrist", is still very reliable, which can at least allow Loew to play at a normal level in the game, so that the team's victory will be assured. After all, Beasley is just a man, and there may be myths of one man beating a team, but it is absolutely impossible for him to happen.
When the team walked into the stadium at the Kansas State Coliseum, Loew was surprised to find that there were so many more media than previous games, and he didn't know why such a game would attract so many sports reporters. But Ye Feng on the side quickly guessed the reason, and what everyone wanted to see was nothing more than Loew VS Beasley, which can be called the top interior competition in the NCAA this season. Both coaches are also very well connected, and both Holland and Kansas Wildcats coach Frank Martin intend to let their interior aces go one-on-one in the game, in part to cater to the preferences of the media and fans.
When the two sides were warming up, Ye Feng asked Loew with a smile while shooting: "Kevin, aren't you nervous now?" You'll be the center of our offense later! Loew shook his head and said, "I'm not nervous, but I don't know where my strengths are, and I can't use my weaknesses to compare with the strengths of the other party, right?" Ye Feng patted him on the shoulder and said earnestly: "It is absolutely impossible to stick to your own style of play, you don't care what his advantages are, as long as you use the techniques you usually use, the more you think about it, the more you may make mistakes, sometimes the easiest way is the best." Loew smiled gratefully and nodded.
In the other half, Beasley, who was wearing the No. 1 jersey of the Wildcats, didn't even look at this side at all, in his opinion, he was already the strongest interior player in the NCAA, no matter who was standing in front of him, Beasley believed that he could easily blow him up. And his teammates are also full of blind confidence in him, and while UCLA is in the limelight this season, they don't think it will be difficult for the team to win under Beasley's leadership.
However, Martin saw it very clearly that he was very cautious about the tactical arrangement of this game. He didn't plan to rest on his laurels, and although he had already thought of using Beasley as the team's main point of attack, he still fielded his team's strongest lineup: point guard Jacob Pullen, shooting guard Kyronte Stewart, small forward Bill Walker, power forward Andre Gilbert and center Michael Beasley. Martin's idea is simple, UCLA has a reputation for toughness, it's good to win, it's not a big deal if you lose, the key is to see Beasley's play. As long as he plays well, the team still has a chance to win.
On the UCLA side, not only did the coach want Loew to face Beasley, but even the players had communicated privately, and everyone agreed that Loew must create conditions to beat Beasley, and when it came to the overall strength of the team, the UCLA Bruins steadily suppressed the Kansas Wildcats, and everyone felt that not only did the game have to be won, but Loew must not lose to Beasley. However, these are the results of the players' discussions with Loew, and if Loew knows, maybe the pressure will be even greater, and if he plays abnormally because of this, it will be more than worth the loss.
Even the other two members of the Bruins' troika, Ye Feng and Westbrook, were ready to keep feeding Loew the ball without hesitation. In their eyes, the statistics are not the most important thing, and maybe even the team's wins and losses will come in second place, and in this game, they value Loew the most, and for this reason they can sacrifice themselves to achieve him. This is not only because they want to fight for a higher pick for their good friend in the draft, but also because they have extraordinary trust in Loew's strength, in the eyes of Ye Feng and Westbrook, as long as he gives the ball to Loew, he can beat Beasley, which is a trust that extends from friendship.
The two have been competing since the jump ball. After the referee threw the basketball, before the ball could start to fall from the highest point, Love and Beasley jumped to the ground, and both big hands, one black and one white, stretched out to the basketball with all their might. Although Loew is a rebounding harvester, Beasley's rebounding skills are not far behind, and Loew's rebounding grabbing relies more on positioning and judgment, while Beasley tends to rely on his bounce and physical fitness. There was no doubt that Beasley had the upper hand in the scrum, and at this point the slots and judgments were of little use, and the Wildcats got the ball in the first round.
Pullen received the ball from Beasley and quickly dribbled into the Bruins' halfcourt. The rest of the Wildcats pulled away very tacitly, leaving Beasley with a huge amount of space to play alone. Unlike other centers, Beasley doesn't like to sink into the three-second zone, preferring instead to attack directly with the ball in the high post. Pullen had long been accustomed to Beasley's preference, and it was easier for him, as he didn't need to dwell too much with Westbrook.
Seeing Beasley pull directly to the free throw line to receive the ball, Loew felt very uncomfortable, after all, it was not an area where he often moved, but he couldn't help but take Beasley's threat seriously, and he could only follow the close defense of the opponent. Beasley didn't look at Loew's defense as if he were nothing after receiving the ball, and he went straight from carrying the basket to the face frame, obviously trying to break through with the ball directly. You must know that in the NBA in the future, Beasley can swing to the No. 3 position, which proves that his ball handling skills are quite skillful. In the face of Loew's defense, Beasley easily played the individual forward change of direction and directly shook Loew, and at this time, the other players of the Bruins also followed the Wildcats players to pull away, and there were only two of them in the middle, and Loew's breakthrough meant that Beasley was flat in front of him. He dunked the ball into the basket and sneered at Loew when he landed.
Beasley's disdainful expression made Loew's teeth itch with hatred, and he clenched his fists as he looked at the back of the No. 1 shirt, and his eyes seemed to be dancing with fire. Seeing this, Westbrook encouraged: "It's okay Kevin, this is only the first round, and we are not very familiar with the guy's technical characteristics. It's just two points, you can just hit him later. Loew gritted his teeth and nodded, running towards the front.
When Westbrook dribbled the ball to the Wildcats' half, Loew quickly got stuck under the basket, and it was very deep, which was a dangerous position for the Wildcats. Westbrook easily got away from Poolen's defense and gave the ball straight into Loew's hands. Loew received the ball and pushed it back, and Beasley, who was 10 kilograms lighter than him, was on guard, but the weight disadvantage made him feel very difficult. Loew felt Beasley's movement with his back, and the continuous turns directly turned Beasley into a daze, licking the basket with his low hand and scoring the ball directly.
Beasley's eyes finally began to have a hint of jealousy, he can indeed use his ball-handling skills to break through Loew's defense, but Loew's back singles and basket footsteps also make him unbearable, the two can be said to be good at winning, no one can help anyone, it is likely to form a "coo" situation. Since the two are close to exploding each other, they will have to compete with the strength of the other players, so that the Wildcats can still win? At least Beasley found it difficult.