Practice is the only criterion for testing truth. Similarly, actual combat is the only way to test tactics.
The University of Texas tasted the sweetness of the triangle tactics against Texas Tech, and in the next month or so, they elevated this sweetness to sweetness!
Just four days after beating Texas Tech, they crushed the Baylor Bears 72-53.
In the following week, they defeated the fourth-placed Colorado Buffaloes 77-66 and the second-placed Oklahoma Sooners 79-71!
After using the triangle tactics, the University of Texas achieved the longest four-game winning streak of the season!
During this winning streak, their average points per game exceeded 70+!
Before, they were being hit by 70+ points every night, but now the situation is reversed and they are the ones who are being hit by 70+ points every night on their opponents!
Durant's statistics also exploded. In this four-game winning streak, he averaged 27.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game!
This is an NCAA game with 35 seconds per round and 40 minutes of game time!
This scoring ability is more than just "terrifying" enough to describe!
It is also thanks to this performance that Durant's popularity has reached a new level. Many media have described him as being on the same level as Oden.
Of course, the University of Texas has also faced challenges during this winning streak.
For example, in the game against the Sooners, they were targeted from the start.
The opponent's center knew that Wendell would block him, so he often rushed over to double-team Durant.
Durant's weakness in passing the ball poorly when double-teamed was also exposed again.
Fortunately, the University of Texas' triangle offense is more than just a form.
If it's hard to play in the low post, use the corner pick-and-roll. If the corner pick-and-roll doesn't work either, use the weak side pick-and-roll!
This is when other players at the University of Texas have room to shine.
Augustine showed his talent as a five-star high school student with a breakthrough and a three-pointer.
Of course, Lin Ying’s performance cannot be overshadowed.
Augustine's points all came from his wonderful passes, which basically led the team forward.
"I haven't seen a big man who can pass the ball so well in a long time. He is easily reminiscent of Lamar Odom or Scottie Pippen!"
His performance also drew praise from the commentators on the sidelines.
Just like Durant made them feel like Jordan before.
Because we are playing a triangle offense, this association is very natural.
"Did you hear that? They say you're Pippen! I'm Michael, you're Pippen, we're the Bulls! The Austin Bulls!"
After the game, the team won and Durant once again pulled Lin Ying and shouted.
He has a habit of slamming the door loudly and shouting "I'm going out to buy food" when he leaves the dormitory.
His reaction after the game was exactly the same as that one. He couldn't hide anything at all, including his own feelings.
Lin Ying smiled and nodded this time.
Because there is one thing that probably only a few people know, and Durant didn't pay attention to when he shouted:
The Austin Bulls are real!
Although Austin does not have an NBA team, it has a NBDL team, the Spurs' Development League team, and its name is the Austin Bulls.
…
Durant's explosive performance made him famous, and the attention the University of Texas received in the NCAA also increased.
The most direct manifestation is that the University of Texas' ranking on the NCAA power list has soared from 58th to 33rd!
This shows that the NCAA's official assessment of them has risen from "qualifying for the tournament" to "having a chance to enter the second round."
In addition to the rise in rankings, another equally obvious change is that there are many more NBA scouts coming to see the University of Texas.
They all came for Durant.
Durant was ranked in the top three in all major sports media's 2007 draft prediction lists.
In other words, if the draft started from this moment, Durant would at least be the third pick.
Against this backdrop, Durant's life went through an experience that all "successful people" must go through.
Of course, Durant's special personality also makes his experience somewhat special.
Because they wanted to know more about him, some development players from NBA teams would squat outside the classroom waiting for him to finish class. Or, during evening training, people from the school would bring reporters claiming to be from some media, wanting to interview him.
Some of the media outlets, I don’t know who knew his preferences from, and specifically looked for some beautiful female reporters!
This made it difficult for Durant to refuse.
Finally one day when they returned to the dormitory, Durant mysteriously gave Lin Ying a business card.
It has the name, contact number, and even a miniature photo of the man in professional attire stuck on the back.
Well, it's quite tempting.
"Are you going?"
Lin Ying couldn't help but ask when she saw Durant's eager look.
Durant goes to Facebook every day to check out sexy photos of beautiful celebrities, and is also a VIP member of certain adult websites.
After repeated trials and tribulations, it is ready for actual combat.
This reporter hit the nail on the head.
"No, I brought it to you."
However, Lin Ying was surprised by Durant’s answer. This guy actually handed him his business card!
Lin Ying stood there in a daze.
"I'm not a casual person."
Durant was just teasing him and threw the business card into the trash can.
Lin Ying nodded, picked up the business card from the trash can, tore it into pieces and threw it back in under Durant's distressed gaze.
Well, he believed it.
These are things that happened after Durant's popularity skyrocketed, and it has to be said that they did have some .
Because sometimes those interviews took longer than expected, his training had to be delayed or even canceled.
It wasn't a big deal in the first few times, but gradually the impact began to show up and his performance in the game became a little fluctuating.
But before Lin Ying reminded him, he went to find Springman and said that he would never accept those interviews again.
He said it, and then he did it.
After that, he ignored all the scouts from the NBA and reporters from the media.
Then soon, the outside world labeled him as "cold"!
Looking at the media reports, he was so angry that he cursed.
But despite the scolding , he did not change his attitude.
This is Durant, very real.
It was with these things that the University of Texas got through their February games.
Compared with January, the team's record has fluctuated due to Durant's personal performance, but the overall performance is still on an upward trend.
On the last day of this month, they will finally face the big test of the season: the second match against the University of Kansas!
The day before the game, Durant was so excited that he couldn't sleep again.
Although there were some minor incidents in the middle, overall things were developing in the expected direction.
They practiced three times a day, and their individual strength improved. The team's triangle offense also took shape...
Just as originally envisioned, they have become stronger and are now capable of competing with the University of Kansas!
Of course, it is not easy to defeat Kansas just by having the capital.
As of now, Kansas' record is 15 wins and 1 loss, not counting the invitational tournament!
Since the beginning of the season, they have only lost one game within the Big12 league!
To the University of Texas, they are now like a primitive man with a spear.
Standing before them was a saber-toothed tiger with fangs.
They have the spear and the opportunity, but if they are not careful they could become a meal.
Not only Durant, Lin Ying also tossed and turned and had trouble falling asleep.
Neither of them could sleep, so they just gave up and ran to the gym to continue their shooting training.
In the gym late at night, the only sounds are the sound of dribbling and basketballs going into the net, which is quite unique.
After the practice, the two men sat against the wall, wiping their sweat and catching their breath.
What frustrates them is that it is almost two o'clock after the training and they are still not sleepy at all.
This feeling is undoubtedly "pre-exam syndrome".
"Do you think Ford will come to our game?"
Durant asked after taking a breath.
When they first came to the University of Texas, Springman introduced them to the great deeds of TJ Ford.
This season, Ford also played the best performance of his career with the Toronto Raptors, averaging 14 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. All statistics, including shooting percentage, were career highs.
At this time, in this crucial game, if Ford could come to the scene to watch the game, it would definitely be a great encouragement to their morale.
Lin Ying didn't say anything.
Tomorrow's game is very important to them, but for Ford it may just be an ordinary game at his alma mater.
If it was coming, Barnes or Springman would have told them long ago.
But there is no need to break Durant's fantasy at this time.
Just like they want to win the championship, what if?
"If we win, the Big 12 will probably let us go to the media conference."
Durant didn't hear Lin Ying's response, so he continued speaking.
He really has a lot on his mind...
This time Lin Ying just said "hmm".
Unlike the NBA, which holds press conferences after every game, the NCAA only holds media meetings at certain times.
The next media meeting will be in early March.
Tomorrow night's game is one of the few games of their season that will be broadcast live nationwide.
If they can get it, they will most likely be invited.
"Do you think we can win?"
After thinking about some beautiful things, Durant brought his thoughts back to reality.
"meeting."
This time Lin Ying replied in a very affirmative tone.
Durant turned and looked at him in surprise.
When their eyes met, Durant saw a firm look in Lin Ying's eyes that he had never seen before.
Two months ago, Lin Ying’s answer to the same question was “it should be possible”, but now the answer has become “yes”.
This shows that the team's progress in the past two months has given him enough confidence.
"Yes, I will!"
Durant's answer was the same as two months ago, but it was obvious that the confidence with which he spoke was different.
They will definitely win!
He muttered to himself.
…
The two were woken up by the sound of balls hitting each other in the morning.
I don't know how long the two of them talked last night, and they fell asleep leaning against the wall while chatting.
Neither Wright nor Pittman, who came to practice in the morning, noticed them.
They stood up and greeted Wright. Under Wright's puzzled gaze, the two turned and went to the bathroom. After a simple wash, they came back.
Another day of training.
Because it was a match day, the second of their three training sessions of the day was with the team.
Just after the training, Barnes brought a "hot" news to the players.
This time it will be broadcast live across the United States, TNT celebrity "Big Mouth" Charles Barkley and his gold medal partner Kenny Smith will be on the scene!
These two big guys have such a high status in the commentary world that they usually don't come to the NCAA arena, let alone an internal game in a minor league.
The only explanation is probably their interest in Durant.
Because Durant had previously refused all private interviews from the media, this may have made the media more interested in him.
Well, it’s the same principle as when you pursue a girl.
This is really explosive news and it's good news for everyone at the University of Texas.
This is a rare opportunity for them to be noticed by such a well-known media person!
Lin Ying had accidentally appeared on a TNT program before, and gained some fame.
If they can produce something that impresses both of them, it will be of great help to their draft prospects.
…
The Frank Erwin Center was packed that night.
"Longhorn!"
After the final pre-game mobilization in the locker room, the University of Texas players jogged out of the player tunnel.
Although they were mentally prepared, they were still stunned when they saw the scene in front of them in the stadium.
What was different from the time they went to Lawrence to play was that nearly half of the fans at the scene were fans of the University of Kansas!
Although the fans did not wear uniform T-shirts like in the NBA playoffs, the KT boards they held, the banners they held, and even the team flags that were more than a meter tall clearly distinguished them.
This kind of scene is usually only seen during Crazy Three, but now it has appeared in front of them in advance!
And it wasn't just the fans. In the front row of the audience, there were also a large number of media reporters carrying cameras and taking pictures.
Even the stadium's security personnel are twice as many as usual.
The games broadcast live across the United States are just different!
"Look, PJ!"
At this moment, Randy Williams suddenly shouted excitedly towards the stands.
As he shouted, everyone's attention shifted over.
There, a man with curly hair, a young face and a full beard was smiling and waving at them.
That was none other than PJ Tucker, the team's main small forward who was selected by the Raptors last year and played at the University of Texas last season!
Most of the players from the University of Texas were excited to see Tucker appear.
Half of this team played alongside Tucker last season!