Chapter 35: The Rookies' Debut (3)
“One、Two!”
“One、Two、Three!”
“...”
Rhythmic shouts and the sound of sneakers scraping against the floor resounded in Toronto's Sky Dome Arena.
Dressed in a blue training suit, assistant coach Don Channey held his stomach and ran behind Li You.
simply bypassed the obstacle dribbling training, but Li You added some tricks.
At present, the basketball used for training is specially made, the weight is heavier, and Li You wears gloves, so if you want to complete the technical movements quickly, you have to spend more effort.
Crotch dribble, change direction in front of body, dribble under crotch, dribble behind back, change direction in front of body...
Li You, who was doing basic exercises, was not affected in the slightest, and completed these basic movements meticulously.
The sound of "thump" was heard frequently in the training hall, and on the other side, the old guy who was stretching was used to these training events.
"What an enviable talent, 5 years old to get into basketball? I've come to believe that New York media! ”
Charles Oakley lay on the floor stretching his legs, sighed, and then pouted at the sycophant Charlie Ward.
The heart is just lemon, although Charlie Ward got a starting spot tonight, with his recent excellent training performance, squeezed out Chris Childs, who has just joined the team.
But this sycophant carefully knows that Li You's projection performance is better, and his style of play seems to be gorgeous but is actually stable, and he can get the starter, mainly because he is more suitable for these veterans and likes to pass the ball to Ewing...
"Lee, take a break, the coaching staff should really add some young people!"
Qian Downey stopped, beckoned Li You to rest by the way, and said that he would supplement the young man, but this one was reluctant to give up his position.
"Thanks to old Mike's custom training equipment, Donnie, it's time to lose weight!"
Lee Woo casually handed the ball to the budding new John Wallace and patted the assistant coach's belly with a smile, unlike Thibodeau, who usually prefers to explain some offensive routines.
"Don't worry, Lee, you're going to get a start, but you've got to be on the bench for a while, and that's what Jeff sometimes does."
Qian Downey drew another cake, to which Li You smiled happily on the surface, but disdained it in his heart:
"Do you start to pass the ball to the old guys and then just stand outside the three-point line and wait for the ball?"
Seeing John Wallace on the side showing envious eyes, Li You wanted to say "pattern", the current starters are all "big brothers", and the ball is pitiful...
In the morning, the stretching activity was completed, and the warm-up was completed, and before the tactical session in the afternoon began, the team had some problems:
Charles Oakley shaved...
The new Walter McCarty secretly showed a gloating smile, he was miserable by the old guy, and he was happiest to see Oakley unlucky.
Jeff Van Gundy sighed helplessly, which can be regarded as his poor supervision, replaced by Pat Riley, no one dared to eat indiscriminately:
"Buck, you go to the starting lineup tonight and pay attention to the rebounding protection."
Hearing the coach's words, Larry Johnson lost his smile again, knowing that he liked to play the No. 4 position the most, but he always pressed him to the No. 3 position.
When Li You heard that the 36-year-old veteran Buck Williams was starting, he couldn't help but complain:
"It's so old and slow now!"
...
The Sky Dome Stadium was full that night, and there were also many Chinese in Toronto, and Li You's arrival also helped the Raptors increase some attendance.
Kick-off at 19:30, the Raptors just changed their head coach this year, and Darnell Walker has a tough task this year, and if the team's record is not ideal, he will have to be responsible for the mess.
After a flurry of screams, both sides finished their appearances, and the Raptors' home commentator John Sanders was a little disappointed when he saw the starting lineup:
"Looks like we're going to have to wait a few minutes to see Marcus Camby make his debut!"
"At the back, we still know Damon Stoudemire and Doug Christie, with Puoperje Jones and Walter Williams up front and Zaan Tabak at centre."
Li You, who was warming up at this time, looked at the Raptors players opposite him and felt that the other party was shorter than he imagined.
Damon Stark Demeyer was selected by the Raptors with the No. 7 pick last season and has been a starter since he arrived.
The information shows that he is 5 feet 10 inches tall, but Li You feels that the other party is less than 1.78 meters...
The Raptors have a large and four small lineup, except for the starting center Tabak who is 2.11 meters, and the forward line is more than 2 meters tall.
The Knicks got off to a classic start, with Patrick Ewing running to the front court after a successful jump shot, and quickly backing up to the left low post.
Charlie Ward, the starting sycophant, dribbled past half-court and came to the left wing from beyond the three-point line to deliver a lobbed pass.
After Ewing received the ball, everyone pulled away in turn, with Larry Johnson standing near the elbow on the right side of the free-throw line and veteran Buck Williams moving to the right near baseline.
Alan Houston began to move towards the top of the arc, and Charlie Ward cut in without the ball and ran towards the bottom right corner.
The big center attacked in the low post, and the others pulled away, and Li You, who was on the bench, finally remembered where this strong sense of familiarity came from:
"That's how the tactics of Team Rocket will be in the future..."
A simple and rough low-post attack, Ewing, who put the ball on his right hand and played with his back, slammed the opponent into the paint area, and then turned around to the bottom line, the basket was lower left, and the opponent was easily hooked!
"Huh!" A two-pointer from the basket hit a solid shot.
The fans at the scene didn't care, maybe they had already lost last season, and Ewing didn't react to the goal.
The Raptors' offense was relatively simple, blocking and pick-and-roll on the line, and Damon Stoudemire accelerated to break through with the ball in his left hand.
The Knicks' defense immediately contracted, and Williams, who was near the baseline on the left, got an open opportunity, caught the ball and made a jumper, and hit it easily!
Li You, who was sitting on the bench, had completely relieved himself, and this intensity was no different from the preseason.
The game was lethargic to watch, the Knicks were slow-paced, and the Raptors made many mistakes and threw blind chickens in a row.
The most important thing is that Patrick Ewing doesn't play well, with a jumper near the paint area on the left side and a jumper in the elbow area on the left side of the free throw line.
There is no violent dunk, at most squeeze into the inside line to make a foul...
Jeff Van Gundy stood on the sidelines and commanded loudly, and after seeing the opponent's mistake, the sycophant Charlie Ward slowed down and fell into position, so angry that he turned around and greeted Li You:
"Lee, get ready to play and seize the opportunity of the opponent's mistake!"
Li You, who was on the bench, was a little surprised to hear Jeff Van Gundy's words, and looked up to see that only 6 minutes and 25 seconds had passed in the game:
"Okay, Coach, I'm ready!"
Taking off his training clothes, Li You moved his body.
Tonight he opted for a pair of hooked AIR More Uptempo full-palm cushioned high-top sneakers, which are also the latest trend.
Blue and white striped sneakers, blue long arm pads, and some wide blue jerseys of the Knicks, Li You has not yet played, and there are already fans cheering.
Taking advantage of the opponent's center Tabak's free throws, Jeff Van Gundy immediately replaced Charlie Ward, and the sycophant just walked to the sidelines, and was sprayed wildly...
In the noise of the scene, Tabak hit the second free throw, and Ewing grabbed the rebound.
After receiving the ball, Li You, who had just come on the right wing outside the three-point line, immediately put the ball with his right hand and accelerated through the halfcourt.
At this time, most of the players on both teams were still in the previous slow-paced game, and Damon Stoudemire was quick and returned to the three-point line as soon as possible.
Just got a foothold, Damon Stoudemire only saw Li You come to the three-point line to lower his center of gravity and dribble under his crotch, thinking that he would stop, but he didn't expect Li You to immediately push the ball sharply and change direction.
Caught off guard, Damon Stoudemire was passed by Li You in one step...
At this time, there was no one under the basket, close to the paint area, Li You immediately jumped with both feet, took advantage of the situation to pick up the ball in the air, and then grabbed the ball with his right hand and dunked his arm!
"Oh!!"
The powerful windmill burst into action, which ignited the atmosphere of the scene at once, and many fans cheered loudly, and Li You quickly returned to the defense after landing, and smiled at everyone in the Raptors by the way:
"The fast attack is not active, there is a problem with the brain!"