Look back at the Olympics.

The "Dream Team", which had previously been invincible at the Olympics, lost their first match to Puerto Rico.

This is the first time that the American men's basketball team has lost in the opening game since sending the "Dream Team".

They then lost to Lithuania in the group stage.

In the end, he only finished fourth in the group stage and qualified in a thrilling way.

However, the "Dream Team" is the "Dream Team" in the end, and when they enter the knockout stage, they are still the team that other teams do not want to face.

Even Spain, who are the top team in Group B, have won all five games, and they are a little apprehensive to face them.

When these two teams are on the pitch, you can't tell which team is top and which team is fourth in the group.

Then, the biggest "unlucky egg" of the Olympics appeared.

The "Dream Team" defeated Spain to advance to the semifinals.

As for the group stage wins, Spain, who have lost only one game in the entire Olympic stage, are only in seventh place because of this defeat......

On the side of the "Dream Team", although they won against Spain, the problems exposed in the group stage were not corrected much. They were able to win because of Marbury's outburst. The "lone wolf" scored 30 points alone to help the team advance to the "Final Four".

But the next opponent is the real "roadblock"!

The opponent of the United States in the semifinals is Argentina!

It is worth mentioning that the team that ended the 58-game winning streak of the American "Dream Team" in the international arena was none other than Argentina!

In fact, since the 02 World Championships, some American media have said that the current American "dream team" lacks systematic training, they have no soul and no vision, and the team is full of contempt and arrogance.

It also made them finally taste the feeling of defeat at the '00 Olympics and miss out on the world championship in '02.

They're still in this state!

From the group stage, this one by one has become even more extreme, they are afraid of losing, afraid of being blamed after the game.

The stadium is the battlefield, and when a player is afraid, he is doomed to fail!

In particular, they are facing a group of players who have worked together since childhood, and all the players in this team have played together for a long time.

They have great team chemistry and tactical movement, often gesturing and looking at each other, knowing what to do. At the same time, they also have a number of NBA players in the team, plus Ginobili who ran to the United States to win the championship again after winning three championships in Europe, Argentina this year has a lineup that is not weaker than the United States, they rely on smooth internal and external transmission and tight defense, frequently play fast offensive counterattacks, coupled with Manu tearing apart the defense of the "Dream Team" again and again, Argentina's whole team has a shooting rate of more than 50% on the outside, and the whole court maintains a lead, and finally 89-81, 8 points advantage, defeated the "Dream Team", stepping on " The corpse of the "Kingdom of Basketball" made it to the finals.

And another historic moment was born for the "Dream Team":

This is the first time since professional players formed the "Dream Team" that the United States has missed the finals in the Olympic Games!

As powerful as the "Dream Team", there will be a day when it will fall!

On this day, in addition to the American fans scolding, others also completely remembered the magical Manu and the magical Argentine men's basketball team!

It was destined to be a magical Olympic Games.

It is not only the Argentine men's basketball team that breaks the stereotype, but also a yellow-skinned Chinese 110-meter hurdles athlete.

His name is:

Liu Xiang!

In the final of the 110m hurdles, he ran 12.91 seconds, tying the world record and winning the Olympic gold medal in the event.

Before that, no yellow man could stand on the starting line of the final of the sprint event, let alone win the championship.

But from this moment on, all this became history.

Seriously, what impressed Woody the most was not Argentina's defeat of the "Dream Team", but the picture of Liu Xiang holding the gold medal high.

The spotlight on the scene made him feel more impulsive to step onto the stage of international competitions.

One day, he's going to do the same!

The "Dream Team" was defeated and returned home, and the NBA official issued a statement at this time, which is also a thing that has been rumored for a long time:

Starting with the new season, the league has officially lifted the Hand-check rule.

This statement immediately caused heated discussions.

Because the NBA has many rules that are not available in international competitions, such as "defending for three seconds", and "interfering with the ball", these are reforms carried out in order to improve the spectacle of the game, which belongs to the "scorpion poop" of this league.

But because of these rules, the current NBA players are obviously not suitable for the international arena, including the invincible Allen Iverson, and he is not so sharp in international competitions.

Now that the contact at the three-point line has been canceled, how will it be played in international competitions in the future!

But they quarrel with them, and David Stern doesn't care.

I don't usually see you guys coming!

Now you're in a hurry!

Why did you go earlier?

When I was in the "Defensive War" before, I didn't see them say that they had to do it for international events!

David Stern is adamant that he won't listen to these opinions anyway.

But not to mention, the previous "dream team" was invincible in the international arena, which may really be due to the high intensity in the 90s.

On the "supergiant" that came out of that intensity to play international events, in terms of intensity and scale, it can really be said to be a "dimensionality reduction strike".

Now, on the contrary, the intensity of confrontation in international competitions is getting higher and higher!

Allen Iverson, an attacker who has won several "scoring titles" in the NBA, has to adapt a bit......

Woody was overjoyed to hear the news.

Because it means that his "back singles" will become more threatening.

Can't get started, only rely on his chest, and want to resist his "back" push?

Hmph, I'm afraid I don't know how many eyes Lord Ma has!

Barkley was also envious: "You've caught up with a good time!" ”

If this rule had come out earlier, he would have been invincible to a higher level, and maybe he would have won the championship a long time ago......

also knows how powerful he is "Babbit's back beating", and now Woody, who has his true biography, has two words in his eyes:

Invincibility!

No, after ending the "targeted training" of Woody, the first thing he said when he returned to New York to appear in the studio with Kenny Smith was: "In the new season, everyone will be surprised by Woody again!" I'm talking about everyone, including the media and journalists who are already fanatical about him! ”

Looking at his determined face, Kenny Smith, who knew that Barkley had specially trained Woody this summer, asked curiously: "What kind of progress has this guy made this summer?" ”

But Barkley, who has always been "big-mouthed", stopped talking this time, and after a false shot, he smiled mysteriously: "Guess! ”

This look was so angry that Kenny Smith really wanted to ask him to taste his big sausage.

Poke him in the mouth!

This mouth is really, don't say it when you should say it, and don't stop talking nonsense when you shouldn't!

it!

Barkley's remarks were also reported by many media outlets, and media reporters in Miami were suddenly itching and wanted to have an exclusive interview with Woody before the new season. But in the end, the answer they got from Johnson was:

Woody has entered the next stage of special training, and there is really no time, so you can wait for the new season to begin!

Although these media reporters regretted these words, they looked forward to it even more.

This summer, Woody seemed to have disappeared.

He usually goes to gossip magazines at every turn, and now no reporter can find him at all.

He has been in constant business activities, and so far he has not heard of anyone who has endorsed or stood up......

Putting these things together and analyzing them, these reporters immediately reacted:

Looks like Woody spends all his time training!

"New season, no one wants to meet Woody!" 》

No, the Miami Chronicle immediately reported Woody on its front page, praising him and looking forward to his new season.

Coincidentally, as September approaches, other media outlets are also starting to look ahead to the new season.

"Sports Illustrated" mentioned the ten players worth paying attention to the most in the new season, and the three Tianjiao of the "03 Generation" were collectively selected. But in first place, it was Woody!

It is worth mentioning that in LeBron James's article, Sports Illustrated's prediction for him is: lead the team to the playoffs and average 25 plus 6 plus 8 per game.

The prediction for Carmelo Anthony is: 27 points and 6.8 assists per game, becoming the representative player of the NBA small forward.

It can be said that they are all "superstar" level prospects.

But when it comes to Woody, it's clearly another level.

In the opinion of Sports Illustrated, Woody will become a "double-first-team" player in the new season, and is likely to lead the team to the finals. In addition, his name will also appear in the biggest personal award, the regular season MVP leaderboard.

"There's no doubt that this is a phenomenal newcomer, we can't predict his performance this season with common sense, and besides, it's not an exaggeration, you know, Woody was already a double-player last season, and his performance is enough to make everyone expect!"

To say that "Sports Illustrated" is Woody's "mother's home" and will always support him, ESPN can be said to be a small half of the opposite, and the person they tout more is LeBron James, but they don't dare to underestimate Woody's outlook for the new season.

Even if they want to tout LeBron James, they still add a precondition:

With Woody not working on his ball-handling ability, LeBron James will re-prove his "No. 1 name......

Note that it was Woody who didn't develop his ability to handle the ball.

Obviously, even if it is ESPN, which deliberately "belittles" Woody for LeBron's sake, he does not dare to say that LeBron James can play a stable performance against Woody in the new season.

In fact, the biggest uncertainty for Woody is whether he can develop his ball-handling ability.

The general managers who didn't choose Woody last year all had the same plan:

If Woody can't get on the ball, then it's a Karl Malone at best.

And how many places does Karl Malone rank in NBA history?

The rest of them are all supergiants who have developed the ability to hold the ball, have a superstar visible to the naked eye, and once they become talents, they will definitely be the top 20 historical supergiants in the league.

There is still a lower limit for this upper limit, which has already made these general managers dare not gamble.

Although the draft lottery is held every year, it is true that such a high-quality draft conference does not occur every year, and the next time it appears, they may not be able to get the champion pick.

Let's just say that these teams that got the top five picks in 96 and the top five picks in 03 are on the list twice, so it can be seen that these years can have a player who makes the team really rise.

It's all about choice......

It's just that now, Barkley's remarks have made the general managers who didn't choose Woody feel a little uneasy lately.

Could it be, really the wrong choice, right?

Not to mention them, even Pat Riley, who is old and serious and has seen strong winds and waves, has a feeling of scratching his heart recently. He couldn't wait to arrange a physical test training for Woody, and he wanted to know how far Woody had grown this summer.

While rumors about Woody were flying, September arrived, and Woody took Stephen Curry to the airport.

I don't usually pay attention, but on the way to the airport this time, Woody suddenly found that he seemed to have grown taller. When I hooked my hand to hug him before, it was directly a "wiping neck", but this time I was able to put my hand on his shoulder.

Don't look at the difference, but at least it's two or three centimeters.

It's been a lot in one summer.

Besides, Stephen Curry is only 16 years old when he is full, and he is long!

"Woody, wait and see, I'm going to make it to the final this time!"

It's not just Stephen Curry's height that has gotten taller, it's also his self-confidence.

He spent an afternoon working with Woody this summer, and with the help of an NBA-level trainer, he corrected his power movements, became more stable on the ball, and changed direction more flexibly. He believes that he can move more freely on the field now.

And the high school arena is not a place where one person fights a group of people?

Stephen Curry thinks that in terms of his current ability, to play in the high school league, he has a two-word evaluation:

Killing!

Whoever dares to look at him more, he raises his hand to make a three-point shot.

Don't look at his milk, but he's really "Biao"!

On September 8, Woody also finished his second phase of special training, and his weight successfully reached 105kg, and the "big belly" badge was officially activated.

He specifically asked the strength trainer to take the charge pad and try to bump it a few times.

Shatter at the touch of a button!

This summer, apart from gaining weight, Woody has only done one thing, and that is to keep the ball.

Nothing else, such as projection training, was done.

The reason is also very simple, he has gained a lot of weight throughout his body and his body needs to re-adapt, including the feel, so he does not do extra training except to maintain the ball feeling.

He's not in a hurry now, and there's still a month of closed training camp!

Take your time!

(End of chapter)