On the day of the game against North Carolina, the University of Texas conducted a special tactical drill of full-court pressing.
In fact, they had trained this tactic before.
Because it is different from systematic tactics like triangle tactics.
You can think of it as the most common tactic like pick-and-roll.
But there is a difference between practicing and practicing in a targeted manner.
Who can't do pick-and-roll? But who can play it as well as the Jazz?
That's the difference.
The results of their training were very good.
So far, the most dazzling player of the University of Texas is definitely Durant, followed by Lin Ying.
But they are not the only ones who can contribute to the team.
In the pressing tactic, James can play the biggest role.
He is similar to Corey Brewer at the University of Florida and is the team's defensive spearhead.
This is determined by his current technical characteristics.
His shooting and dribbling are not very good, and his scoring methods are relatively simple;
But he has excellent athletic ability, outstanding rebounding ability, active defense, and is best at defensive counterattacks .
Coupled with his excellent wingspan, he is indeed the most suitable person to lead the defense.
After the morning training, the team members were free to move around.
Barnes did not arrange training in the afternoon and allowed them to go out for a walk, hoping that they could get their physical and mental condition into the best condition before the game.
Lin Ying and Durant went straight back to the hotel.
Durant even went downstairs and bought a game console.
He is indeed a senior otaku.
However, he didn't get to play it in the school video room before, so this can be considered as making up for his regret.
It feels great to see two grown men playing video games in the room.
They all ordered takeout.
Because there were few authentic Chinese restaurants near the hotel this time, Lin Ying ordered some Chinese food.
The takeaway arrived, and the two stopped playing games to eat.
Durant was full of curiosity when he saw Lin Ying eating Chinese food, and finally couldn't help but try it.
In the end, he gave up after taking just one bite.
There is still a huge difference in taste between Chinese and Western food.
It is possible that a small number of people can accept it, but most people's reactions will be similar to Durant's.
This is why most Chinese restaurants make improvements and serve dishes like General Tso’s Chicken.
The market determines demand.
Those who express their love for authentic Chinese food after taking a bite and give it a thumbs up crazily are just trying to make money from the Chinese.
As for the novel "My Shooting is So Accurate" that Lin Ying had read before, which said that the teammates couldn't put it down after it was burned out, it was obviously typed out on the keyboard.
After dinner, the two of them lay down to rest.
When it is time to train, they train hard, and when it is time to rest, they would lie down and never get up.
And science has proven that lying down after a meal is the best way to keep healthy.
It’s just that after entering the top 32, there are fewer games and fewer live broadcasts they can watch.
There was no game going on at the moment, so Durant switched to TNT and watched the latest episode of "NBA Insider".
"What were those 'friends' who filmed the video thinking?"
Seeing what happened between Ricky Davis and Haslem, Durant couldn't help but complain.
If this matter is exposed, the fine will be small, and it is very likely that the player's career will be ruined.
He really was willing to go through fire and water for his friend.
Lin Ying was relatively calm and even picked up the water beside him and started drinking it.
There are all kinds of birds in the forest. D'Angelo Russell even recorded a video of Nick Young's cheating remarks in the locker room and posted it online.
The person you think he is may not always be who you think he is.
"It seems I have to use a secondary account on social media from now on, otherwise..."
"puff!"
Lin Ying spat out a mouthful of water.
Good job!
What did he hear?!
So this is why Durant likes to use a trumpet?
"What's wrong?"
Durant didn't expect Lin Ying to react so strongly.
"I choked, it's fine, I'll protect my privacy."
Lin Ying continued.
In fact, most celebrities use trumpets, so there's nothing strange about it.
"Just don't cut the wrong number."
He couldn't help but remind her.
Durant smiled and nodded after listening.
How could he make such a low-level mistake?
Soon the show moved on to the NCAA segment.
It was a pretty good feeling to see the University of Texas become the focus of TNT's Big Three.
We play ball to win and also to gain recognition from others!
A game without spectators is boring even if you win.
Soon, they started discussing Lin Ying.
"This guy doesn't understand you at all! Just like he didn't understand Yao before!"
When Durant heard Barkley's comments on Lin Ying, his displeasure was written all over his face.
However, Lin Ying fell into deep thought.
He had never really had any contact with Barkley and didn't know the purpose of Barkley's words.
But from a rational point of view, there is nothing wrong with this "suggestion".
Lin Ying turned around and looked at Durant who was still complaining.
Whenever he had any problems, he would discuss them with his only good friend.
However, as to whether he should participate in the draft this year, he can only keep it in his heart because it is related to Durant.
But just like Durant at the beginning, he had actually made a decision after the last chat between the two.
Durant can choose to play one more year in college for him.
Then he will also run for the election this year for Durant!
So what he will do next is to try his best to make the University of Texas go further, and also try his best to show himself so that his draft pick can be as high as possible.
The show soon reached its most entertaining part.
Listening to Barkley talking about "Jordan's Law of Losing", Lin Ying couldn't help but laugh out loud.
He knows this Jordan joke better than anyone else.
He wondered if he would actually see Jordan there.
If Jordan really went there, from a metaphysical point of view, the University of Texas would have already secured the spot!
…
The game between the University of Texas and the University of North Carolina is at 8 pm.
The game being played in prime time shows that the outside world is paying close attention to this game.
The schedule for each stage is determined before the start of the competition, and the University of Texas benefited from North Carolina this time.
If they don't get upset, tonight will be a contest between North Carolina and Georgetown.
At five o'clock in the afternoon, they had dinner and rested for a while, and around six o'clock they took the bus to the stadium.
I went there two hours early because I needed to warm up.
Otherwise, if they don't train in the afternoon and warm up in the evening, their physical condition will not improve.
When the bus arrived, many fans were already queuing outside the Edward Jones Dome to enter.
Compared to when they were in Atlanta, the fans' enthusiasm seems to be even better.
"Kevin, look over there."
Augustine shouted at this time.
Following the direction of his finger, Lin Ying and Durant turned their heads unconsciously.
Wow, it turns out that a sexy female fan was wearing a jersey with Durant’s head printed on it!
Noticing the bus coming, she was waving and cheering towards them along with other fans.
And because of her big breasts, her head looks particularly three-dimensional, and it keeps shaking.
Lin Ying felt a little dizzy after watching it.
There was a whistle from teammates on the bus, and Durant blushed a little.
It’s not that he’s shy , but the occasion.
If we met alone, he would definitely leave a contact method!
This was just a small episode. After the bus entered the stadium, the players changed their equipment and went to the stadium to warm up.
Fans came in one after another, and with still an hour before the game started, the stadium was almost full.
They are really hungry for the game.
Lin Ying looked around but didn't see Jordan.
It looks like Jordan didn't come tonight.
After a while, there was a commotion on the bench.
He turned and looked.
TJ Ford is here!
Ford, looks old.
Although not as exaggerated as Oden, he looks like 34 years old at the age of 24.
But this gives people a very mature feeling.
When Durant went over to shake hands, he wiped the sweat off his hands with his jersey.
This is meeting a living legend.
Ford seemed to admire Durant and kept praising him.
Look at Durant again, he looks embarrassed.
That scene is quite rare.
Lin Ying also followed.
He looked at Ford with eyes full of admiration.
There is a classic line in "Iron Man": A mortal being is on par with gods.
Ford had that disease but still set so many records. Now he has established himself in the NBA. This kind of person deserves admiration.
"I watched the video of your game against Georgetown. It was incredible. You will create new history for the University of Texas."
Ford's arrival was a great spiritual encouragement to the University of Texas, and his final words gave the players a boost of confidence.
After Ford returned to the audience seats, Springman took Lin Ying to the player tunnel.
There was someone waiting for him there, because he arrived at about the same time as Ford and had been waiting for a while.
Lin Ying went over to take a look.
Yang Yi is here.
And this time he was not alone, there was a tall and strong man standing next to him.
Ma Jian!
Unlike Yang Yi and other well-known commentators, Ma Jian is a representative of athletes turned commentators.
And to be honest, Ma Jian is the first person in history to play in the NCAA and was almost selected by the NBA.
History has no assumptions, but if Ma Jian had played a little better and been selected by the NBA, the historical opportunities of domestic basketball would have been very different.
At the very least, there will definitely be a considerable number of young players trying to squeeze into the NCAA league.
You should know that there are many ways to succeed in this world, but the most stable way is to follow the path others have taken.
Yang Yi knew Lin Ying's personality, so he spoke quickly and said everything he needed to say.
Lin Ying was also shocked after hearing this.
Yes, very shocked.
Because the two of them appeared here tonight not just for an interview like in the past, but because the game tonight will be broadcast domestically!
To be more precise, it should be a certain wave that will be broadcast online!
It's normal for Lin Ying to be shocked.
Because from what he knew about history, the NCAA did not have live broadcasts until very late, and very few people watched it.
Although theoretically this is possible.
The reason why few people watch NCAA is simply because there are no Chinese people and they don’t know the players.
Now that he is playing well, Basketball Pioneer continues to follow up with reports. I am afraid that fans in China already know all the players at the University of Texas.
It is even possible that, like the Rockets, the nicknames have already been chosen.
"The Light of Texas" Durant, "AJ" Abrams, "Big Baby" Pittman, "Sword Guard" James...
But at this time you suddenly tell him that there is a live broadcast, he can understand, but is still shocked.
Because this is so advanced.
Yang Yi seemed to have guessed his expression, so he explained as well.
A certain channel did not reach a long-term broadcasting agreement with the NCAA, but bought the games one by one.
The person who made all this happen was Ma Jian who was standing nearby.
It may sound unbelievable, but Ma Jian took an overnight flight to discuss this, and has only slept for two hours so far.
This guy must be crazy.
However, after Ma Jian and Lin Ying exchanged a few words, when he heard that last sentence, he understood it all at once.
"1.3 billion people across the country are watching you, you must do your best!"
Ma Jian actually has the same idea as PJ Tucker did back then.
They all hope that Lin Ying can make up for what they failed to accomplish!
It’s just that Ma Jian’s emotions are much stronger.
This has to start with Ma Jian’s experience.
Ma Jian was invited by the NCAA in 1992 and then played in the NCAA in 1993.
Wang Zhizhi was selected by the NBA in 1999 and officially entered the NBA in 2001.
If you know the tortuous experience Wang Zhizhi had in entering the NBA, you can easily imagine how difficult it was for Ma Jian at that time.
When he was preparing to join the NCAA, the Basketball Association directly threatened that if he went, he would be permanently disqualified from the national team.
Ma Jian chose to fight hard, and then he never appeared in the national team again.
However, perhaps the biggest regret for Ma Jian is not that he no longer plays for the country, but why he couldn't play better in the NCAA.
You should know that in his first year at the University of Utah, his statistics were 8.2 points and 3.7 rebounds.
If the team had not recruited Van Horn, who would have been the No. 2 pick in the future, in the second year, and if he had not lost to Brent Barry in the final moments of the preseason, his NBA dream might have come true.
Then the time when Chinese people entered the NBA would be directly advanced by 6 years, and perhaps the development of domestic basketball would be different.
So I can totally understand how regrettable it is for a basketball player to encounter these things.
It is completely understandable why he is crazy.
Because after many years, someone has taken the path from NCAA to NBA again!
Moreover, Lin Ying and Ma Jian are very similar in physical condition.
Ma Jian is 2.02 meters tall, has a wingspan of 2.10 meters, and plays as a power forward, also with a shooting style.
You say that when he sees Lin Ying, it's like seeing another himself. It would be irrational if he isn't crazy.
After the conversation, Ma Jian and Yang Yi returned to the audience.
Because it was a live broadcast, they were not qualified to provide live commentary and had to wait until the game was over before they could do some interviews.
Lin Ying also went back to warm up.
But this time his feeling was completely different from before.
He felt tremendous pressure.
1.3 billion people is a bit exaggerated, but this is the time when domestic basketball attention is at its peak.
Even if it was the NCAA, which they had never watched before, the number of viewers must have been in the tens of millions.
If we just talk about the ratings, it will definitely exceed 100 million.
After all, just like when Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi entered the NBA, this moment will also be historic.
The pressure was like a mountain, making it hard for him to breathe.
He took a deep breath.
"are you OK?"
Durant noticed Lin Ying's strange behavior and came over to ask with concern.
Lin Ying nodded to indicate that she was fine.
It was stressful, but it was something he had to learn to adapt to.
The only difference is whether it is the current NCAA or the future NBA.