Wild Cornfields Chapter 88 I Can Do It Too
October 11th, the day when the NBA preseason game between Pacers and Wizards began.
Wayne was busy early in the morning and began to accept various interviews.
After the Olympics, the whole of China is now caught up in an NBA fever.
Because in addition to Yao Ming and Wayne, the Kings also offered a short contract to Chinese guard Liu Wei and invited him to play in the preseason.
At the same time, three Chinese players will appear in the preseason, which undoubtedly arouses the enthusiasm of the fans.
Moreover, Liu Wei and Wayne will each compete against Yao Ming, which makes Chinese fans even more excited.
In this trend, Wayne's popularity can be said to be high.
In addition to the interview, Wayne also received a text message from Chairman Yao in the morning: "Don't be nervous, play well."
Well, it seems that I have attracted the attention of Chairman Yao. In this case, it is impossible for other people in the country to ignore me.
Maybe we will play in international competitions next summer?
It was not until noon that Wayne finished the interview and gathered with the team at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Although it is a preseason game, everything today will follow the regular season process.
From adapting to the venue to warming up, every step is strictly controlled.
In addition to China, the basketball city of Indianapolis is also very powerful.
When Wayne was riding in Mancias' car on the way to the stadium today, he could see a lot of people outside the stadium.
This is only the preseason, and the arena is expected to be full.
Under the guidance of the trainer , Wayne was doing pre-game warm-ups seriously.
Although the preseason games are not particularly important games, Wayne is still well prepared.
In fact, many teams play preseason games just to observe fringe players and let the main players get a feel for them.
During the preseason, a team can bring more than 20 players, but before the start of the final season, each team's roster must be reduced to a maximum of 15 players.
This means that in the short period from the preseason to the start of the regular season, dozens or even hundreds of people will be cut, disappear from the league, and find other ways out.
This is the NBA. Behind the superstars and the spotlight, there are ordinary players whose names people cannot even tell, fighting in a pool of blood to build this pyramid of basketball.
Therefore, star players like O'Neal and Artest were very relaxed today, and Miller Sr. was chatting and laughing with Carlisle on the bench.
As the main players, they are not the protagonists of the preseason.
But Wayne is just a rookie, so he must play at his best even in the preseason.
This is the fastest way for him to impress the coach.
Moreover, getting into good shape in the preseason will also help to stabilize performance in the regular season.
Halfway through the warm-up, people from the other half arrived.
The Washington Wizards players came on stage.
Arenas looked relaxed. The face of the Wizards after Jordan probably wouldn't play for too long today.
Jamison, last season's best sixth man, had a serious expression.
As a new player, he must have more time to get used to the team, so his playing time today must be at least 25 minutes.
And he also knows who his opponent will be—the famous MOP in the semi-finals!
Jamison wasn't worried that he couldn't beat a rookie, and after all, what was the point of playing in the preseason? Was it about winning or losing?
No, it's about human relationships and social etiquette... That's a misinterpretation. It's all about getting used to each other. There's no need to be too serious about winning or losing.
Since there’s no need to take winning or losing too seriously… then MOP shouldn’t even think about winning!
In this kind of situation, let me, the senior, take care of it!
Anyone who wants to play the role of a rookie upgrade package can do so, but as the best doesn't do that.
Therefore, Jamison was also very serious when warming up to avoid any setbacks.
Last night, he read the scout report. The MOP was about 2.06 meters tall and weighed less than 100 kilograms.
Jamison's current official height is 2.06 meters, but his actual height is only about 2.03 meters.
Based on Jamison's experience, Wayne's height must have been reported lower.
But it doesn’t matter, this is not the first time Jamison has faced off against a player taller than him.
When the time comes, just kill him!
The game is about to begin and both teams are about to take their positions.
In the stands, Indiana fans were already getting agitated.
Wayne found that many Chinese fans held up signs with their Chinese names on them and shook them continuously.
This momentum is no less than Chairman Yao’s NBA debut.
Indiana fans were more creative. They waved playing cards with Batman masks on them to show their support for Wayne.
Because of Wayne's name, it is easy for American fans to think of the famous comic character Bruce Wayne, the one with a lot of money.
And who is the most famous Chinese Kung Fu star in America? Bruce Lee.
Combine this famous name with Wayne, and you get Batman!
This is the earliest nickname Wayne received in the league.
"Wei, come here, I want to tell you something."
The game was about to start, but Artest, who did not start today, waved to Wayne.
Wayne was speechless. It was fine when everyone called him by his full name in school, but now that he was on the Pacers, everyone called him Wade, which always made Wayne feel uncomfortable.
Because it sounds like: "Hey, come here."
Walking to the sidelines, Artest whispered something in Wayne's ear: "When a soldier goes to the battlefield, he must first make the other side afraid of him. If he doesn't stand up, everyone will bully him.
Have you seen Jamison? He must be using his stupid brain to figure out how to deal with you.
"You should treat him the same way you treated me during training that day. Go ahead! Stop him from having any bad ideas!"
"Oh...oh..." Wayne was really ashamed after hearing this.
Is this the style of play of the best defensive player?
Just let yourself do other people's work.
If you don’t know me, you might think you’re a side coach in a fighting competition.
But Gangtai's words are true. The NBA is a place where the strong prey on the weak.
Just look at how many people in this league want to dunk on Chairman Yao.
In the distance, Jamison watched Artest talking to Wayne and suddenly felt a little scared.
Damn, that guy won’t teach the rookie some weird things, right?
And...why does it feel like Wayne is so much taller than Artest!
How tall is this thing?!
After a short episode, the competition officially began.
The Pacers' starting lineup is center Scott Pollard, power forward Wayne, small forward Michael Curry, shooting guard "Martial Saint" Jackson, and point guard Anthony Johnson. It is basically an experimental lineup.
On the other hand, the Wizards' backcourt duo Arenas and Larry Hughes are both sitting on the Diaoyutai, and Jamison can basically be said to be the Wizards' strongest force on the field.
The Wizards got the first attack, and Juan Dixon controlled the ball across half court.
"The game begins. Today is Wayne's first appearance in an NBA game! Although it is not an official game, it is still a challenge for him!"
CCTV5, Mr. Sun Zhengping’s voice can instantly wake up the fans who are watching the game early in the morning.
Back in the 1990s, preseason games were rarely broadcast live on television.
But after entering the millennium, preseason games have also become a part of the NBA's money-making process.
That’s right, today’s preseason game was broadcast overseas.
Jamison is ready to sneak past Wayne outside the three-point line, and most power forwards can't keep up with his speed.
But he soon discovered... this guy was not slow!
As long as Jamison doesn't meet a power forward like Garnett, he can basically hit the ball accurately.
But today, he was cornered by a rookie.
And Jamison discovered that... the youngster's 2.06 meters was probably a bit too fake.
It is understandable to report height lower by two or three centimeters, but Jamison estimated that Wayne must be over 2.1 meters tall!
Who gave him the courage to report a height of 2.06 meters?
As we all know, in the NBA, 2.06 meters and 2.06 meters are not the same.
Jamison had no chance to run away, but as the strongest player in the Wizards' lineup, he still received the ball.
Then, Wayne, with his arms open, stood like a wall in front of Jamison.
The moment Jamison got the ball, he felt like his mentality was about to collapse.
With this defensive range...I'm afraid he can even play as the center.
So, last season's best sixth man took two steps back, intending to use his speed to break through Wayne!
After a beautiful change of hands under the hips, Jamison accelerated past Wayne and took the lead by half a body length.
Halfway through the breakthrough, Jamison stopped suddenly and prepared to shoot.
This move of his often causes most power forwards to lose their defensive positions.
But Wayne is not in the majority.
He almost made the sudden stop with Jamison, then raised his long arms to cover Jamison's face.
As a player who also likes to pull-up jump shots, Wayne already has a trick up his sleeve.
Jamison made a blind shot and the basketball bounced out of the rim.
This is not the first time Jamison has faced someone taller than him, but there are indeed not many who can complete the interference as quickly as Wayne.
Why? It feels like Wayne is more of a three-position player than Jamison.
"Good shot. The opponent attacked Wayne right from the start, but Wayne didn't let him do what he wanted. Now it's the Pacers' turn to attack."
In this Pacers lineup, Wayne was the first choice.
Carlisle wanted to try whether Wayne could bear the responsibility of the sixth man.
Jamison stuck close to Wayne. He thought Wayne was a high-altitude player who had no other offensive means except catching the ball and shooting.
However, Wayne, who was originally lying in ambush at the bottom line, suddenly moved forward.
Wayne's first step was fast to begin with, and his strides were so long that he easily left Jamison, who was not prepared, behind.
When the "Martial Saint" Jackson saw Wayne get rid of his opponent, he thought, "Wow, boy, you have some skills. I'll let you show off to the end."
So I just threw the ball high.
Wayne saw it was a high ball, so he jumped up and caught the ball steadily in the air.
This time, Jamison didn't even have the chance to foul and could only watch Wayne smash the ball directly into the basket.
"Alley relay! At the beginning of the game, Wayne ended the attack with a very beautiful dunk! It can be seen that Wayne and his teammates have formed a tacit understanding. The previous training camp has been effective."
Chinese fans all shouted along with Sun Zhengping on TV: This is how a beastly striker should play!
On the Pacers bench, players were applauding Wayne's dunk performance.
After scoring the goal, Wayne ran up and rubbed the "algae" on Jackson's head to thank him for the pass.
At the beginning, some people were worried that the Chinese players would not get along with the Pacers, a group of "bandits".
But now it seems that Wayne has integrated into this circle very well.
Some people may seem handsome and elegant on the surface, but they are exposed once they meet others of the same kind.
In the Wizards' subsequent attack, sophomore forward Galvis Hayes missed a half-court shot.
The Wizards' offense doesn't have much routine, it's basically one-on-one. If Arenas is there, they can pass the ball, but now Dixon is playing point guard, and everyone is directly playing one-on-one.
Wayne jumped up immediately to grab the rebound, but the moment Wayne jumped, Jamison skillfully pulled Wayne's jersey.
Although the changes in HC rules have made the NBA more offensive-minded this season.
But in this era, the whistle was still not as strict as it would be a decade later.
If this kind of pulling under the basket does not cause any major impact, it is generally not taken seriously.
Wayne almost fell when he landed because of Jamison's pull.
The NBA is damn dangerous.
So after landing, Wayne raised his elbow while turning around, as a return gift to Jamison.
“Boom!”
Jamison only felt a burning pain in his ribs. Damn, are all the rookies this year so social?
Jamison suffered a loss. He originally wanted to play a dirty trick on Wayne, but Wayne played the dirty trick on him instead.
"Hahaha, good shot!" Artest was extremely excited in the audience. Only he understood what Jamison felt at this moment!
Carlisle looked at Artest speechlessly. Damn, if you shout so loudly, the referee will see what he couldn't see.
Wayne passed the ball to Anthony Johnson before Jamison recovered, but he did not linger behind slowly, but immediately followed up to participate in the counterattack.
By the time Jamison ran back holding his chest, Wayne and the others had already crossed the midfield line.
This ball was equivalent to 5 against 4. Wayne cut directly from the middle, then received a pass from his teammate and took three steps straight to the basket.
Kwame Brown, a fourth-year high school No. 1 pick, slid to the basket to defend, but Wayne did not slow down.
Anyway, we have a "body of steel", so let's just charge forward with the basketball in our arms.
As a result, Kwame Brown was intimidated by the aggressive Wayne.
Mainly because Jamison was elbowed like that just now, Brown was a little scared...
Moreover, Brown is still living in the shadow of the old gangster and is still not very confident in himself.
Therefore, when confrontation arose, the top scholar's confrontation was not very fierce.
Wayne relied on Brown to successfully score a layup, 4-0!
After Wayne scored the goal, he looked at Brown in surprise. He clearly had a chance to defend the ball, but he actually dodged it?
Sure enough, Artest is not lying to me! The first thing to pay attention to when playing in the NBA is to keep your elbows straight!
The deterrent effect is absolutely perfect!
After that, Jamison imitated Wayne and cut into the basket for a layup, but missed again due to Wayne's extremely high defensive range.
In terms of height, Jamison was completely suppressed.
It’s not just about his height, the main thing is that Jamison doesn’t have much advantage in flexibility.
This time, after Wayne grabbed the rebound, Jamison hid far away.
"I'll give you the ball, don't get close to me!" Last season's best sixth man shouted in his heart.
Seeing Jamison immediately three steps away from him, Wayne wanted to say, "That's it? He's the best sixth man last season? I can do that too!"
Come to think of it, isn't my role as sixth man this season?
Well, maybe I can try.
A dog will never mind a poor home, and a reward will never mind being too small!
The game continued. Although it was only a few rounds, Jamison found that...
The way Wayne looked at me, it seemed like he really thought of me as an upgrade package...
