Barnes naturally responded to Durant by rolling his eyes.
The tough guy becomes tender for a moment because he can't help himself when his love is strong.
Barnes' words after the team lost to Kansas showed his tender side.
But that point has passed, and he is still the same "Angry Rick".
Durant shut up tactfully, but he couldn't hide the worried expressions on the other players' faces.
This schedule is really a bit too much!
If it were an ordinary person, the first thought after seeing this schedule would probably be: just come back next year?
But the seeds have already been distributed, and they have no choice but to consider themselves unlucky.
If anyone is to blame, it's themselves for losing the big12 final.
If they win the final, no matter how the other team is ranked, they will be a top 8 seeded team in the region.
Moreover, the NCAA ranked them 13th in the region, which is basically in line with their season performance and strength.
"Maybe some of us saw it as a difficult schedule, but what I want to say is that we have earned a chance to create a legend."
As soon as Barnes opens his mouth he sounds like a master of chicken soup.
"If we can accomplish our goal this year, believe me, you will not only make history in school history, but also make the most prestigious Elite Eight in NCAA history. You will become a legend!"
Barnes' next words made the players eager to try.
This is chicken soup, but it's also the truth.
Difficulties and opportunities always coexist.
Let’s not talk about the distant past, just take the NBA championship as an example.
The Lakers in 2010, the Mavericks in 2011, the Cavaliers in 2016…
Those that fans talk about with relish after dinner must be those that are full of legends.
At this time, Lin Ying and Durant turned to look at each other at the same time, and saw the burning fighting spirit in each other's eyes.
Barnes was talking about the quarterfinals, but they were always thinking about the championship.
If they can still win the championship under such a schedule, then they will not only get a championship, but may be the most legendary championship in NCAA history!
In poetic words:
This league will always have legends about them! Just like the story of TJ Ford was passed down in the University of Texas!
After rekindling the players' fighting spirit, Barnes then began to talk to them about the opponents they would face in the first round.
The goal is ambitious, but the road must be taken step by step.
Especially in "Crazy Three", if you take a wrong step, you will be eliminated.
The Georgetown Hoyas were ranked third in the NCAA's first "Power List," higher than Kansas.
Although their performance has had some ups and downs throughout the season and their ranking has also dropped a bit.
But their strength is unquestionable.
This year they won the Big East Championship again after 18 years!
The Big East is one of the most competitive conferences in the NCAA Division I.
They include the University of Connecticut (which I am familiar with), Villanova University, Syracuse University/Syracuse University, St. John's University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Cincinnati, West Virginia University and other NCAA powerhouses.
Another more intuitive data is that last year, 8 teams in the Big East League entered the "Mid-Season Three", breaking the team record for a single season!
There are a few fewer this year, but there are still 6 teams shortlisted!
If it weren't for the geographical relationship, they would have become the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the region.
And let me mention it again. This team made it to the semifinals in history, but eventually lost to Ohio State University led by Oden in the semifinals.
Facing such an opponent in the first round is simply hell for the University of Texas.
Of course, Barnes had said that, and the Texas players were ready for the challenge.
Barnes also talked about Georgetown University in detail at this time.
Part One: Team Members.
In the first issue of "Power List", the approximate composition of this team has already become familiar to the outside world.
But after a season, the players' conditions are different and key figures will also change.
In addition to the most dazzling Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the most crucial figure is junior point guard Jonathan Wallace.
Wallace averaged 9.7 points and a team-high 4.6 assists per game this season, forming the "troika" of the Hoyas with Green and Hibbert.
In addition to the three horses, their starting power forward is also particularly worthy of the University of Texas' attention.
Dajuan Summers, as a freshman at Georgetown, averaged 9.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.
His height is just over 2 meters, the same as Lin Ying's, and he also has a 34% three-point shooting percentage.
Except for the different skin color, this is a replica of Lin Ying.
Among the other newcomers, outstanding performances include McDonald's High School All-Star player and Virginia Basketball Mr. Vernon McLean, and Jeremiah Rivers, the eldest son of current Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.
Then, there is the sophomore forward Jesse Sapp in the starting lineup , and the team's sixth man, Patrick Ewing Jr., the son of "Gorilla" Ewing.
Just by looking at this roster, you can tell how tough they are.
Part 2: Head Coach.
Georgetown University has a legendary coach named John Thompson Jr., who coached at Georgetown for 27 years.
The players you are familiar with, such as Ewing, Iverson, Mourning and Mutombo, were all his disciples.
Nine Big East Conference championships, four NCAA Final Fours, and one NCAA championship are the legacy and glory he left for Georgetown University.
The current head coach of Georgetown University is John Thompson III, son of John Thompson Jr.
Thompson III is only 41 years old, very young for a head coach.
But like father, like son. Last season, Thompson III led Georgetown University to defeat Duke University, which was ranked first in the country at the time, for the first time in 21 years, and reached the Sweet 16 that season.
If they hadn't met the eventual champion University of Florida in the round of 16, they would have gone further.
Then this year, he led the team to regain the Big East championship after 18 years.
And Thompson III brought more than just these achievements to Georgetown University, that is the more important third part.
Part Three: Tactics.
The tactic Georgetown University is currently using is the Princeton tactic, which is as famous as the triangle tactic.
You might think that with so many great big men coming out of Georgetown University, they should have been using them as early as the John Thompson Jr. era.
Actually, it’s not.
The reason Georgetown University used this tactic was entirely because of Thompson III.
Although Thompson III followed in his father's footsteps, he had not previously taught at Georgetown University.
As you've no doubt guessed, his previous experience as an assistant and head coach was at Princeton University.
He served as an assistant coach for five years and head coach for four years at Princeton University. If his father had not retired, he would probably have created his own legend at Princeton University.
But he came back, and he brought the Princeton play back with him.
The final result was just as the fans saw, he led Georgetown University back to the NCAA powerhouse series.
After Barnes finished speaking, Springman continued to focus on Princeton tactics.
As a tactic as famous as the triangle tactic, it is certainly not simple.
The core concept of triangle tactics is "read and react", while the core of Princeton is "people move, ball move, and coordination".
The motto of the triangle tactics is "to create mismatched singles opportunities for the strong against the weak", while the motto of Princeton is "the strong can take advantage of the weak, and the smart can take advantage of the strong."
Do they look a bit similar?
This is the ultimate destination in fantasy novels.
However, although the two tactics are similar, their focuses are completely different.
If the triangle tactics emphasizes individual plays, then Princeton emphasizes team play.
The collision of these two tactics will surely create intense sparks.
Lin Ying had been listening, and after listening he felt the invisible pressure.
He actually doesn't need to analyze this.
To summarize what Barnes said, Georgetown University has talent, tactics and an excellent head coach, which is an absolute tough team.
Of course, as a master of chicken soup, Barnes also gave them a shot of encouragement after analyzing their opponents.
He gave an example that couldn't be more relevant: the Kings and Lakers at the beginning of the century.
That was the most classic collision of triangle offense and Preston tactics on the highest stage.
The final result is well known to everyone.
The Kings and Lakers met in the playoffs for three consecutive years, with the peak battle being the seven-game Western Conference Finals in 2002.
But without exception, the Lakers are the ones who have the last laugh.
The talent, the whistle, those are the things that most people see.
But as coaches, they see more tactical things.
Phil Jackson was clearly better at countering Adelman's moves.
In particular, the zone defense effectively restricted Preston's tactics.
"The Lakers can win, and so can we."
Barnes' final words also gave the University of Texas players confidence.
…
After mobilizing the players, Barnes and Springman returned to the office.
Sitting down on the soft chair in the office, Barnes' expression looked much more serious than when he was on the training ground.
"Damn the Alliance Committee!"
And he immediately started swearing.
He had to give everyone confidence in front of his teammates, but when he returned to the office he couldn't help but curse.
They were clearly being used as cannon fodder.
Springman didn't dare to speak at this time.
After Barnes calmed down a little, he then made a suggestion: let Lin Ying play the five position.
"Um?"
Barnes gave Springman a quizzical look.
He hadn't expected Springman to say that.
Seeing that Barnes was interested, Springman then expressed his own ideas.
Like the triangle tactics, the Princeton tactics also have basic plays: low series, high series and chin series.
Among these three styles of play, one or two are the most commonly used, and all of them are initiated by the center.
As Pete Carell, creator of Preston, said:
Most of Princeton's passes were from small guys to big guys, but the one who made the most crucial pass must be the big guy.
Therefore, defending big players is also a top priority on defense.
This is also the reason why Springman suggested that Lin Ying play the five position.
If Hibbert launches an attack from the high post, Lin Ying's predictive ability and his wingspan can put more pressure on Hibbert.
As for the low post, Wendel will not be much better than Lin Ying in defending Hibbert.
Moreover, Lin Ying has already proven his low-post defensive ability in past games, and his heading and blocking abilities are also excellent.
Maybe he can defend Hibbert even better than Wendell.
And that's just on the defensive end.
On the offensive end, if Lin Ying pulls the ball to the outside, then whether Georgetown University can defend or not will be their biggest headache.
While listening, Barnes took out some dried kiwi fruit from the drawer and ate it.
Springman's proposal is quite thoughtful and bold.
But the risks are no less significant.
Although Lin Ying has very long arms, he is only over 2 meters tall.
As for Hibbert, his height of 2.18 meters and wingspan of 2.26 meters are a bit too much.
"And one more thing, that way it would allow Damai and Jeff Green to face off, which would be the best for us."
Seeing that Barnes didn't say anything, Springman added.
Barnes nodded at this time.
"Go say hello to Lin first. We can arrange some training for tomorrow, but we'll see the details during the game."
Barnes is still relatively stable.
…
In the evening training session, Lin Ying and Durant first conducted some basic training, and then followed by their respective targeted training.
Durant was practicing his shooting under confrontation, while Lin Ying was still practicing his footwork and hook shot under the basket.
Springman came in and smiled when he saw Lin Ying training.
This was not the first time he had seen Lin Ying practice this. He had even seen Lin Ying use it during the Big12 League playoffs.
It’s just because Lin Ying’s skills under the basket are still immature, and he didn’t mention this in his conversation with Barnes just now.
But this is also a clever move, especially if Lin Ying really plays the center position, occasionally making a few unexpected shots under the basket, it might have a miraculous effect.
"Let Ying go against Roy Hibbert? Rose, are you serious?"
When Springman told Lin Ying about his proposal, the one who reacted the most was Durant rather than Lin Ying.
Springman considers the issue from the team level, but Durant considers it from the perspective of a friend!
With a height difference of nearly 20 centimeters, Lin Ying is truly a cannon fodder!
Springman nodded in response to Durant, but his eyes were always on Lin Ying.
The idea of ​​letting Lin Ying play the five position was something that suddenly came to him after the afternoon training session, so he discussed it with Barnes without having time to ask Lin Ying first.
If Lin Ying said he couldn't do it now, he could discuss it with Barnes later.
After all, Barnes' current attitude is not completely supportive, and the team has not started training yet.
So the key lies in Lin Ying’s own wishes.
“You can try.”
Lin Ying thought for a moment and replied.
What Springman said does make sense.
And from his perspective as a time traveler, Springman's proposal was also very advanced.
Because this lineup...
It's the Death Five!