basketball boulder

Chapter 30 Rookie opener, coming off the bench
After the meeting ceremony, the players return to the locker room to change their jerseys, and the training will officially begin.

Li Lei's jersey is No. 15.

When choosing the jersey number, Bill Duffy suggested No. 44. Many second-round picks will choose the draft number as the jersey number to motivate themselves.

Of course Li Lei disagrees. Although he is not superstitious, the number 44 is really unpleasant and not a good sign.

With the 15th pick in the second round, Li Lei simply chose the 15th pick.

Wade is No. 3, Alston is No. 11, Beasley is No. 24, and Haslem is No. 40.

Taking advantage of the time to change clothes, the players also began to greet each other.

This Heat team does not have a clear boss, but the main force is two people, Eddie Jones and Odom.

Jones had 18.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists last season.

Odom had 14.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists last season.

The main characters of the two teams are relatively easy-going, so the atmosphere in the entire locker room is good.

It's just that when Li Lei greeted Cato, the guy didn't respond.

Li Lei didn't think too much about it, but thought that this guy might be quiet and didn't like to talk to others. After all, it was the first time the two of them met.

After changing the jerseys, the players assembled again.

Coach Da Fan announced the bad news: "Due to injuries, Caron may have to rest for about 15 games."

Caron Butler was a rookie last year. Last season, he averaged 15.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He was the team's starting small forward.

His absence is even worse for the rebuilding Heat.

But last season, the third-to-last Eastern Conference, the Heat with 25 wins and 57 losses could be worse.

For Li Lei personally, this is good news.

He and Butler overlap.

Butler's absence will give him more opportunities.

In his rookie season, Li Lei seemed to have had a golden start.

In the subsequent training session, Li Lei really got a lot of opportunities.

Li Lei grasped it decisively and was recognized by the coaching staff.

Haslem also performed well.

The extra training in summer was not in vain.

But Jerome Beasley didn't play well. Coach Da Fan couldn't help shaking his head when he saw it.

Soon, the preseason begins.

The Heat struggled to fit the roster, but with little success.

In the end, the preseason ended with a record of 2 wins and 5 losses.

In this process, the Heat's preliminary lineup is basically determined.

Starting:

Center: Cato.

Power Forward: Grant.

Small Forward: Lamar Odom.

Shooting guard: Jones.

Point guard: Wade.

Main bench: Li Lei, Haslem, Alston.

The regular season of the 2003-2004 season is about to begin, and Li Lei's rookie season has begun.

Maybe the Heat's games in the Mourning era were too ugly, and the league's arrangements for the Heat were very unfriendly.

The Heat team during the reconstruction period will usher in a nightmare start.

On October 10, the Heat vs 28ers (away).

October 10, Heat vs Celtics (away).

October 10, Pistons vs Heat (home).

November 11, Heat vs Mavericks (away).

November 11, Heat vs. Spurs (away).

November 11, Timberwolves vs Heat (home).

November 11, Heat vs Mosaic (away).

With 7 away in 5 games and 2 back-to-backs, the Heat are definitely the team with the cruelest schedule at the beginning of the season.

It can be seen from this how much the Heat in the Mourning era were not liked by fans and the league.

Almost all the media unanimously predicted that the Heat will start with 0 wins and 7 losses.

On October 10, the opening game.

The league has scheduled three games.

Mavericks vs. Lakers.

Suns vs. Spurs.

Heat vs 76ers.

That night, at the Wachovia Center Arena.

Iverson's appearance detonated the entire arena.

This is Iverson's site, Iverson's city.

Whenever he plays, the Wachovia Center is packed.

It was the first time that Li Lei felt the atmosphere of a superstar appearance, excited, envious, and nervous.

The 76ers are a strong team, with a record of 48 wins and 34 losses last season.

During the offseason, the team introduced "Big Dog" Glenn Robinson to form a luxurious lineup of Robinson, Coleman and Iverson.

However, the big dog missed tonight due to injury, and the 76ers only had two champions left.

But even so, the home team fans are full of confidence.

Not only because of the existence of Iverson, but also because the Heat are a big team, not at the same level as the 76ers.

Sure enough, the 76ers launched an offensive as soon as they came up, making a 7:0 start.

The Heat's two main players, Lamar Odom and Jones, were stared at by Kenny Thomas and Eric Snow, and made 4 of 0 shots in the start.

Instead, rookie Wade opened up the situation for the Heat and scored 2 points for a layup.

Coach Da Fan's eyes lit up.

But immediately, Iverson educated Wade and grabbed the basketball from Wade twice in a row.

The offensive end can't be played, and the defensive end is spent. This is the true portrayal of the Heat's current situation.

Mike Brin, the ESPN gold medal commentator who served as the live commentary, joked: "No one will believe that this Heat team was once a representative of the league's iron blood and toughness. I even thought I was commenting on a WNBA (Women's Basketball League) game. !"

Special guest NBA star Bill Walton also laughed: "Kenny Thomas, who is 201cm, can do whatever he wants in the paint area of ​​the Heat. Mourning will definitely rush out of the operating room in anger."

Mike Breen got a little more serious: "Hope Mourning recovers from kidney transplant soon."

Coach Da Fan even called two timeouts, but they couldn't awaken the team's fighting spirit.

Jones and Odom are not strong characters who can support a team.

And Wade is too young to take advantage of the duel with Iverson.

Eight minutes later, the score of the two teams was already 8:18, and the 9ers doubled.

Coach Chris Ford replaced Iverson.

Iverson has more and more injuries, and the coach wants to protect him as much as possible.

Moreover, Iverson doesn't seem to need to play for a long time to play the Heat's big team.

Coleman and Thomas can settle the fight.

Coach Dafan also made adjustments, replacing Cato and Odom, who were clearly out of shape, with Haslem and Li Lei, who are good at defense.

Heat lineup: Grant, Haslem, Li Lei, Jones, Wade.

Upon seeing this, Mike Breen said: "With so many rookies replaced at once, Stan's adjustment is questionable. The Heat are already weak, and the rookies will be even more difficult to play."

Walton nodded: "Stan Van Gundy, this is his first year as head coach, young."

Game start.

In Li Lei's first regular season game, he came off the bench.

There is no broadcast of this game in China, but Su Qun is sitting on the sidelines. He has returned to the United States and will follow up and report every game of Li Lei's rookie season.

Seeing Li Lei's appearance, Su Qun was very excited: "Stone actually got on the stage so quickly, thanks to Caron Butler!"

But he is also worried that the paper strength of the Heat is too young.

Wade, Li Lei, and Haslem are three rookies!

Coach Da Fan is really daring!

(End of this chapter)