Wild Cornfields Chapter 089 Bird: I'm on the sixth floor
By the end of the fourth quarter, the Pacers had already taken a 22-point lead.
Artest, Miller and O'Neal didn't touch the ball until garbage time. The entire game was all about the performances of the two new players, Wayne and "Martial Saint".
Although it was only a preseason game, the Pacers still showed the strength that the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference should have.
And the two new players have brought great improvement to the team.
Jackson scored 22 points today, including 3 of 5 three-pointers.
In general, Jackson is a very suitable candidate for the Pacers' No. 2 position. He is tough on defense, reliable in three-point shooting, and because he has been influenced by the Spurs culture, he is not competitive and is willing to play a supporting role. He is just right next to Gangtai and O'Neal.
Of course, not fighting or competing is only for internal use. To the outside world, this guy is definitely a headache.
Today, he exchanged trash talk with the opposing players more than once, making the Wizards players very angry.
If the Pacers' performance wasn't so good, they would probably be ridiculed by fans as the Prison Team 2.0.
And Wayne's performance once again told all Indianapolis fans: "You didn't wait in vain."
23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. People were surprised to find that Wayne's statistics were almost the same as during his NCAA period!
This seamless connection is too exaggerated.
And in the game, Wayne can be said to have shown all his selling points.
Agility, shooting range, height advantage, positive attitude and excellent help defense.
All those good things about Wayne in the scouting report, you can see in this game.
Unlike the high school No. 1 pick who was always smiling, people discovered after the first warm-up game that his so-called mid-range shooting accuracy and delicate technique were all nonsense.
As for how much of his stuff is bullshit, that is unknown.
Compared with Wayne and Howard, it can be said that "the goods are genuine and the transactions are honest."
Moreover, against Jamison, Wayne's shortcomings of being too light and lacking confrontation at the power forward position were actually concealed.
He is truly a perfect upgrade package, allowing Wayne to have a perfect preseason debut!
Today, Jamison had no way to stop Wayne's shooting and could only watch Wayne shoot in.
Kwame Brown, who was helping defend the basket, also had a habit of playing poorly, so Wayne could come and go freely in the penalty area.
If Wayne was assigned to play with someone in the first game, his debut would probably be a failure.
But Wayne is lucky in this preseason schedule.
In the end, the Pacers won the game 101-84 at home.
It is indeed very rare for the Pacers to score more than 100 points. Last season, the Pacers averaged only 91.4 points per game.
They compete with each other to see who can score lower. If I score 70 points, I dare you to only score 60 points.
But today, the Pacers played some very nice offensive basketball.
At the end of the game, the fans in the stands were shouting Wayne's name wildly.
Artest was jealous when he saw this. Damn, my position as the number one player in Indianapolis is no longer secure?
Eh? Why use "又"?
Artest couldn't help but look at O'Neal.
In fact, when O'Neal was becoming famous in Indianapolis, Artest was still a small player averaging 10 points per game.
He was never the best in Indianapolis.
After the game, Jamison, who scored 16 points and 5 rebounds, was stopped by reporters at the player tunnel.
Jamison played well on the offensive end today, and after adjusting, he also scored a few good goals over Wayne's head.
But the defense was really bad and was beaten by Wayne.
Jamison originally wanted to pretend that he didn't see the reporter, but this reporter with no tact jumped sideways in front of him.
"Antoine, can I spare you a few minutes?"
"Yes, sure..."
Can I? The microphone is right in my face!
"How does it feel to play in the Wizards jersey for the first time?" The first question was lukewarm.
“I feel like I’ve found some chemistry with everyone and I’m really looking forward to this season.”
"So, what do you think of Wayne, the MOP of last season's NCAA Final Four? He had an excellent performance today with nearly 20+10."
With the second question, the reporter went on the offensive.
Jamison was instantly embarrassed. Isn't this a public execution for me?
"Well... he performed very well and has great potential. But this is just the preseason. I hope he is ready to face more difficult challenges, hehe." Jamison forced a smile and walked away from the reporters.
What this means is: "I didn't give my best in the preseason, so I let him get 20 points. In the regular season, there is no way I will lose to him! Absolutely!"
Well, this wave of forced explanations made the reporters laugh.
Really skr stubborn upgrade package.
You look very handsome now when you are chatting and laughing, but you looked really embarrassed when you were elbowed just now.
On the court, Wayne naturally became a hot topic in the eyes of reporters.
After all, his NBA debut was much more amazing than Yao Ming's back then.
If I were to use one word to describe Chairman Yao's first few games in the NBA, it would be that he was at a loss.
However, Wayne's performance on the court was like a fish in water, and he didn't look like a rookie at all.
Before Jamison had the chance to bully him, he gave the senior a greeting gift.
Didn’t you see that Kwame next to him was scared silly?
"Wayne, you played a great game today. You basically suppressed your opponent. Do you feel like this is not the case in the NBA?"
At this time, a Chinese reporter asked Wayne the same soul-searching question that he had asked Chairman Yao.
"I can't say it's nothing special, but I did prepare a lot for the NBA. All the sweat I shed during the holidays was for the ten or twenty minutes on the court.
I have to keep working hard to perform better.”
Wayne faced the camera and answered very straightforwardly.
Aunt Jenny had already prepared the answers to these routine questions for Wayne.
The reporter gave him an approving look. Although the child was young, he spoke in a mature manner.
There is no other way. If I find a mature press officer, I will become mature.
"In the last preseason game, the Pacers will play against the Mavericks in Houston. How do you feel about meeting your compatriots on the NBA court?"
“I’m very excited and hope to bring a wonderful game to Chinese fans.”
At this time, "Martial Saint" Jackson just walked past Wayne from behind.
When he saw the footage from the Chinese reporter, he couldn't help but give the camera a thumbs up.
“He’s great, great.”
Jackson took the initiative to interact with Chinese reporters, and Chinese fans' favorability increased by +10.
Wayne also laughed. To be honest, this team was not as "scary" as he had imagined.
Of course, it is unknown whether it was caused by the elbow he gave Artest on the first day of training ...
In short, up to now, these Pacers guys have not made any excessive demands on Wayne.
The only time he went to buy a drink for old Miller was once, and other than that he was never ordered around by anyone else.
Things like carrying bags and shoes are even more impossible.
Well, Gangtai and Xiao Ao don’t order Wayne around, so it doesn’t seem to be the case when other people order him around.
This is probably what is called "elbow diplomacy".
When he finished the interview and walked back to the player tunnel, Artest happily went up to high-five Wayne: "That elbow was very good! Didn't you notice that Jamison didn't dare to mess with you afterwards? Keep it up!"
Wayne was really convinced. I scored so many good goals on the court today, but you only remember that elbow?
O'Neal Jr. walked behind the two of them, smiling silently.
He and Artest have been teammates since 2001.
Over the years, Artest has never been so close to any of his teammates.
That's right, although Artest looks carefree , he is actually very lonely in the locker room and has never become friends with anyone in the true sense.
Perhaps because he grew up in Queensbridge, he seems to be naturally hostile to everyone.
As for Wayne? Before the season started, he and Artest were photographed watching the US Open together.
Now we are getting close again.
Maybe it’s because... Wayne can always tolerate Artest’s weird topics?
Things like watching tennis with your eyes closed...
O'Neal Jr. felt that his personality was a little too serious and solemn, and he really couldn't get along with Artest.
In fact, he didn't want to get together with Artest and didn't expect Artest to suddenly turn into a "good guy".
He just hoped that guy didn't blow up the locker room.
At least not this season!
I hope Wayne can keep Artest in such a happy mood forever.
In the following days, the Pacers won consecutive games in the preseason, showing the momentum that the team that was No. 1 in the Eastern Conference last season should have.
Finally, at the end of October, the Houston Rockets, who had returned to the United States after playing in China, met the Pacers.
This time, the two sides faced off at the Toyota Center, with hundreds of millions of Chinese fans glued to their televisions to watch this long-awaited clash.
In 2004, the market dividends brought by Yao Ming to the NBA began to emerge. Not to mention the first China Games, according to statistics, 51% of the visits to the NBA official website came from outside the United States.
So this game can be regarded as a preview of the much-anticipated derby battle between Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian a few years in advance.
Bird exclaimed, wow! This team from the cornfield has never been so popular.
Who will dare to call us country bumpkins in the future?
NBA Gene Kelly was also very considerate and let Wayne continue to start today, and he played for 35 minutes in one go.
On the other hand, on the Houston Red Team's side, Baldy Fan only let Yao Ming play for 20 minutes before protecting him.
It's not that I don't want Yao Ming to play, I'm just really afraid of those guys on the Pacers...
Everyone saw how the Eastern Conference Finals went last season. Who could withstand those elbows and kicks?
Playing against such a team, Van Gundy really didn't dare to let Yao Ming play for too long.
Little Tracy, the scoring champion who had just joined the Red Team, scored 18 points under the care of the "Martial Saint", but her shooting percentage was only 33%.
Since this was the last warm-up game before the official start of the season, the Pacers played very seriously.
Jackson didn't let McGrady off at all.
Chairman Yao played for 20 minutes and efficiently scored 15 points and 7 rebounds. It can be said that he basically penetrated the Pacers' inside line.
This is mainly because NBA's Gene Kelly brought out the inside combination of O'Neal and Wayne today.
It is becoming increasingly difficult for O'Neal to defend against Chairman Yao who is in great form, and as for Wayne...
Wayne faced off against Yao Ming three times today, and Yao Ming could bounce Wayne away just by sticking out his butt.
This is the horror of traditional behemoths.
His strength was not enough to compete with Chairman Yao after he gained weight.
But at the same time, Yao Ming was also beaten badly by Wayne and O'Neal.
O'Neal can shoot from mid-range, and Wayne's shooting range can even extend to the three-point line. Yao Ming couldn't defend against them, and he lost his temper when he was shot at.
If the Red Team had a reliable power forward to help Yao Ming, Yao Ming wouldn't be in such a mess.
Well, if there was a Wayne, would the Arcane Pirates be so rampant?
It’s a pity that Wayne is on the side of the Archer.
In the end, Wayne scored 17 points and 5 rebounds, including 3 of 4 three-pointers, which is not a power forward's statistics at all.
O'Neal had 26 points and 11 rebounds, showing his third place in the MVP rankings.
Wayne and O'Neal had a good fight with Chairman Yao.
94 to 86, Wayne finally won this much-anticipated Chinese derby.
After the game, although Yao Ming lost the game, he was very happy and took the initiative to walk up and shake hands with Wayne.
"You played well Ave, you are much better than I was back then."
He had an emoji-like smile on his face.
"No way, you are my goal and idol. I am still far away from you." Wayne looked up at Yao Ming. It has been a long time since he has experienced the feeling of looking up at someone...
Moreover, Wayne, who was used to Yao Ming retiring in the future, was still a little dazed when he saw Yao Ming when he was an athlete today.
To be honest, Wayne has met many NBA stars so far, but the only one who can make him feel so respectful is Chairman Yao.
"Fight well. If you encounter any difficulties in the United States, you can contact me."
"Yeah, I know, Brother Yao."
"Well, go celebrate your victory with your teammates. We won't let you win easily in the regular season."
Yao Ming left with a smile. On the other side, McGrady was being interviewed by Chinese reporters.
Chinese fans have high expectations for this combination.
pity……
At this point, the Pacers' preseason is over.
During the preseason, Wayne averaged 20.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.3 blocks in 30 minutes per game .
For a first-year player, that's pretty good.
Most importantly, both Bird and Carlisle saw the feasibility of letting Wayne play the three position.
In the preseason, Wayne's switching between the three and four positions was quite smooth.
Bird was relieved now, as his deal proved to be a success.
Wayne and Jackson both played as expected. Next, Bird will continue to make further adjustments to the lineup.
Unlike Walsh who likes to pursue big names, Bird knows very well that a team will not win more by having more big names.
The key to reinforcement is not fame, but finding the right players.
Walsh's recruitment is still looking at the second level of fame, which forced someone to say that I am already at the sixth level.
This time, he set his sights on a veteran.
If he comes too...
The Pacers are probably really going to be tough.
