Basketball Dragon

Chapter 35 Preseason

Li Hai was a little disappointed by the contract, but it was finally guaranteed for one year.

Rent a cheap house, and then return Xia Weiliang's father the expenses of the two years at Syracuse University.

These days are really tight. Li Hai plans to ask Bruce Baker to find a way to contact him with more advertisements. The identity of the Chinese is not easy for some opponents, but there should still be some advantages in some fields.

Anyway, Baker is the only one of the dozen or so players who has signed the contract now. A few of the others are estimated to go to the lower leagues, and the rest are basically unemployed.

Nix always regretted being so stingy, and when he played it, they would definitely bleed a little more, but Nix was used to being taken advantage of, Li Hai complained before falling asleep, and cheered himself up in this way.

We must work hard to play out and use our strength to raise our own worth.

After the summer league, Li Hai trained hard while following the Athens Olympics with Xia Weiliang.

Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan's American Dream Six team lost its first game to Puerto Rico and then to Lithuania for fourth in the group, before losing to Argentina in the semifinals for a bronze medal .

Even if the Chinese team has Yao Ming as a strong point, they will only get No.8 in the end.

At the beginning of October, the Knicks' training camp officially started. In order to prepare for the preseason, they signed a few more players, but they were all non-guaranteed contracts. Among them was the Chinese player Battelle, who paid 70 a year.

Now Chinese player Yao Ming who plays in the NBA has become one of the core players in the Rockets. Liu Wei has just signed a trial training contract with the Kings. In fact, it is officially confirmed that only three people can add Li Hai to the game in the 04-05 season.

On the day when the team assembled, Li Hai went there very early. He saw Battelle. He greeted Battelle enthusiastically, but overall he was relatively taciturn.

The Knicks actually need a backup center. Whether they can seize the opportunity depends on the individual. Battelle has been in the NBA for a few years, so he should be more aware of the rules here than Li Hai.

After about the same time, all players except for those with injuries have arrived.

In the past few years, the Knicks' players have changed almost every year. "CIC King" Alan Houston has announced his retirement, Shandon Anderson has been waived by the team, and the role players have even changed.

The team's current boss, the self-proclaimed No. [-] point guard in the world, Stephon Marbury experienced a bit of an uncomfortable summer in the Olympics, but he has now adjusted.

Li Hai is not that outgoing personality, but he understands that the relationship with his teammates is very important in the team, even if he can't reach the level of best friends, polite communication is still necessary.

He greeted the players in the team one by one, some responded politely, and some ignored them, but Marbury said with interest: "Rookie, I have watched your game, just follow me in the team." , I will cover you."

Marbury is a New Yorker. Although Syracuse University defeated his alma mater to win the championship, he has a good impression of Li Hai.

After the players arrived, the team's head coach Qiansheng coach Lenny Wilkens also appeared in the arena.

The old man is 67 years old and looks like a very stable type.

He methodically let the players start the first training before the season, and communicated with the assistant coach from time to time.

The NBA's preseason game will start soon. The Knicks announced the starting lineup, with Stephen Marbury at No. 1, Jamal Crawford at No. 2, Tim Thomas at No. 3, and Kurt at No. 4. Thomas, Nazr Mohammed at No. 5.

Except for Kurt Thomas, who is an old man of the Knicks, the other four have not been in the Knicks for a year. Crawford was newly signed in the summer. Marbury, Tim Thomas and Muhammad were all traded in the middle of last season. here.

There is no doubt that the current lineup of the Knicks is not stable, if Li Hai works hard, he will definitely have a chance.

The first opponent of the preseason, the New York Knicks vs. Utah Jazz at home.

Li Hai wore the No. 9 jersey and stepped into Madison Square Garden. He was excited and nervous. No words can express his current mood. He finally set foot on the NBA battlefield.

The Jazz changed their interior this summer, signing center Mehmet Okur and power forward Carlos Boozer, guards Carlos Arroyo and Raja Bell, who were Olympic big-timers, and small forward It was Andrei Kirilenko.

After warming up, Li Hai and Battelle stayed on the team's bench together. Unlike the latter, Li Hai was obviously much more excited.

At the beginning of the game, the Knicks were not in a good state. Marbury and Crawford, the Knicks' new backcourt partners, seemed to be a little uncomfortable with each other, resulting in their shooting being not very accurate.

Marbury was a little sticky to the ball, while Crawford didn't pass the ball very much. With the ball in the hands of these two, Li Hai looked a little awkward on the bench.

The preseason is a time to test the roster, and coach Lenny Wilkens takes the time to change players.

The first batch of substitute players who came on the field did not have Li Hai nor Battelle. At the end of the first quarter, the team trailed by 7 points.

In the second half of the second quarter, most of the substitute players stepped forward to show their faces, but Li Hai and Battelle were still sitting on the bench. At halftime, the team trailed by 38 points at 47:9.

During the intermission, coach Wilkens meticulously analyzed the situation in the first half.

At the beginning of the second half, he was still the main force. It can be seen that even if it is a preseason game, the coach does not want to lose.

However, halfway through the third quarter, the two teams began to make a large number of substitutions again.

This time Li Hai was called by the coach's name, and he walked out of the bench with firm eyes.

Perhaps because of the excitement, in the face of Gordon Girisek's breakthrough, his block was called a foul.

In the second round of defense, Matt Harprin called him another foul.

However, in the offense, he managed to get an open shot, and he didn't make it.

Damn it, damn it, Li Hai cursed inwardly, what the hell is going on, if he doesn't seize the limited opportunities in the preseason, he will definitely become a drinking fountain guard.

He has been on the court for more than three minutes, and the Jazz are making substitutions again, and the Knicks should be making substitutions soon. He is probably going to go down, so why not go down with 0 points and two fouls? Li Hai is very worried. Not reconciled.

Crawford, who was still on the court, made a fancy dribble and then made a three-point shot. The basketball hit the basket and bounced high. Li Hai, like a wolf that saw its prey, pounced on it. A heavy buckle.

(End of this chapter)