The world's best combo guard

Chapter 181 178 [Purple and Gold Twin Stars]

Before the start of each new season, ESPN will publish a league strength list, mainly to analyze the record of each team in the new season.

This season is no exception.

With 3 days left before the regular season opener, ESPN released the list.

Every time there is a disturbance, this time, it will be no exception.

First of all, judging from the situation of the entire league, ESPN believes that the situation where the west is strong and the east is weak in the new season not only still exists, but even has a strengthening trend.

This allowed them to draw their first conclusion, whoever can win the Western Conference Championship will basically win the league championship.

Next is the situation of the teams in the West that people focus on.

After losing Shaquille O'Neal, the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers are looked down upon by espn. They believe that the Lakers will win about 45 games in the new season and will advance to the playoffs with the No.4 record in the Western Conference. In the next game, relying on superstars, the Lakers may break through the first round of the playoffs, but they will eventually stop in the Western Conference semifinals. As for the defending champion, that possibility is hardly 20.00%.

On the contrary, ESPN is most optimistic that the Minnesota Timberwolves can advance to the playoffs with the No.1 record in the Western regular season, and they are also optimistic that they can break through the playoffs with strong players and advance to the finals.

The basis given by espn is that Kevin Garnett ushered in the peak of his career last season. He not only won the regular season MVP but also led the Minnesota Timberwolves to a very good record. The Timberwolves hope to go further, and their overall strength will be further enhanced.

Ranked second on the list is the San Antonio Spurs. According to ESPN, last season's Spurs had the strength of a championship. They just had bad luck and met Li Hao, who just broke out. However, this season is different. With Ke O'Neal leaving, even if Li Hao still performs well, the Lakers will eventually be pierced by the Spurs inside.

It is worth noting that the Houston Rockets, who got two-time scoring champion Tracy McGrady from the Orlando Magic in the offseason, were ranked third in the West.

ESPN maintains expectations for the MM combination. They believe that when the MM combination can perform at the level of the ok combination, the Houston Rockets will also be one of the most powerful contenders for the championship.

Many people have expressed great doubts about this list, mainly Lakers fans. They feel that ESPN has underestimated the Lakers. Shaquille O’Neal’s departure has indeed affected the strength of the Lakers, but don’t forget, During the period when Shaq O'Neal was absent in the regular season last season, the Lakers' record was also the best in the league. Moreover, Lamar Odom is an insider with great potential. He was considered the team's leader in the Miami Heat. In the future, who can guarantee that he will not rise in the Lakers in the new season?
The most important thing is that everyone feels that ESPN underestimates the combination of Kobe + Li Hao. It is a bright spot for the Lakers to retain Derek Fisher this summer. At critical moments, with Kobe's level, he can be qualified for the small forward position.

In this case, Li Hao and Kobe will not have too many positional conflicts, which is conducive to maximizing the power of the super shooting guard and super point guard combination.

As for the Chinese fans on the other side of the ocean, they have been dissatisfied with ESPN for a long time. A month ago, ESPN released the list of the top [-] active players in the NBA.

As last season's All-Star vote leader, the best rookie, the second team of the best defensive team, the first team of the best rookie, and the fmvp of the finals, Li Hao was only ranked 35th on this list.

Judging from the qualifications of entering the league, it is not a problem for Li Hao to be ranked 35th, but judging from Li Hao's field performance, game data and honors obtained last season, this is absolutely inconsistent.

ESPN’s conclusion under Li Hao’s name at the time was: As a first-year rookie, Li Hao performed very well in the first season of his career, but everyone knows that the Los Angeles Lakers were an OK combination last season For the team, the ok combination may squeeze his performance, but conversely, how much can Li Hao perform after leaving the ok combination?This needs him to prove.

fuck espn!

The Chinese fans were very angry. They didn't know what the proof in ESPN's mouth meant?
Everyone knows that if the series with the Spurs in the playoffs last season was not because of Li Hao, the Lakers would have been eliminated by the Spurs long ago.

Where were the espn talking bastards back then?
.........

In such pre-match public opinion, the NBA2004-2005 regular season finally ushered in the opening game.

As the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers became one of the protagonists of this opening game.

At 2004:10 pm on October 25, [-] local time in Los Angeles, the Lakers played at the Staples Center. As the two protagonists of the opening game, players from the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets were already making final warm-up preparations on the court. Start immediately.

Los Angeles Lakers: Li Hao, Kobe Bryant, Devin George, Lamar Odom, Medvedenko
Denver Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Andre Miller, Earl Boykins, Marcus Camby
The starting lineups of the two teams have appeared on the big screen at the scene.

For the Los Angeles Lakers, head coach Rudy Norwich did not mention Caron Butler and Brian Cook, who performed well in the training game, to the starting lineup in the first game, but arranged a relatively stable set. starting lineup.

As for the Nuggets, the starting lineup also looks very luxurious. Like Li Hao, Carmelo Anthony, who is also a talented star in the 03 class, has undoubtedly become the new leader of this team. Whether it is Kenyon Martin or Andre Miller is an excellent player.

To a certain extent, the upper limit of this Nuggets team is also very high. If they can have a good chemical reaction in the new season, there is hope that they can occupy a place in the Western Conference where there are strong teams.

For the fans who pay attention to this game, there are many things to watch in this game. The first is the duel between Kobe and Marcus Camby, both outstanding representatives of the 96 golden generation. The second is the 03 genius The contest between rookie Li Hao and Carmelo Anthony.

Of course, because of overall strength, people are still more optimistic that the Lakers, who are playing at home, can win this game.

On the court, the game has already started, and Odom's jump ball helped the Lakers get the ball to attack first.

After Li Hao advanced to the front court with the ball, without the constraints of the triangle offensive tactics, Li Hao did not deliberately suppress the rhythm, but directly rushed to the basket with the ball.

Li Hao's decisive breakthrough obviously exceeded the expectations of the Nuggets players. Before Camby and Kenyon Martin even settled down, they could only watch Li Hao put the basketball into the basket.

"yes, Lee looks good, even though he hardly played in the preseason, but tonight his desire to attack was revealed from the beginning"

Staples fans burst into cheers for Li Hao's decisive breakthrough at the beginning. For everyone, this is the familiar No. 10 of the Lakers. Li Hao often did this kind of breakthrough last season.

On the court, in turn, is the Nuggets' offense. As of now, the only rookie in the 03 class who can be compared with Li Hao is Carmelo Anthony.

Among the top rookies in the 03 class, LeBron James is good at physical confrontation and tank-type breakthroughs, Dwyane Wade is good at speed, explosive breakthroughs and blocking shots, and Carmelo Anthony is good at various scoring methods on the offensive end. Reece Bosh is an all-round forward to a certain extent, while Li Hao is the most offensive and defensive player.

On the defensive end, Li Hao faced Anthony who was holding the ball. On the left side of the paint, the two rookies of the 03 class staged a head-to-head confrontation ahead of schedule.

Facing Li Hao's defense, Anthony dare not be careless even if he is confident. Li Hao's defensive ability is not covered.

However, this couldn't help him. With his excellent skills, he still successfully hit the shot.

Li Hao was not surprised by this, and he felt that he could easily defend against Anthony in this kind of game.

Rather than restricting Anthony on the defensive end, he wants to be different from this rookie with excellent scoring ability on the offensive end.

Therefore, when he came to the free throw line with the ball, facing Anthony's defense, Li Hao did not intend to pass the ball, but adjusted his position slightly.

For this ball, he intends to single Anthony.

Anthony is obviously aware of this, but he is not surprised by it.

Defense isn't Anthony's strong suit, even though he appears to be athletic.

Therefore, facing Anthony's defense, Li Hao also easily completed the shot, but this scoring method instantly attracted the attention of many people.

"A fadeaway? Michael's signature?"

In the TNT live broadcast room, Kenny Smith looked at Li Hao in disbelief.

It’s not surprising that Li Hao knows how to shoot a fadeaway jumper. After all, Li Hao used a fadeaway jumper last season. What’s really surprising is that the movement of Li Hao’s fadeaway jumper is so similar, it’s exactly the same as the former basketball god. .

You know, last season Li Hao absolutely couldn't make such a standard and picturesque fadeaway jumper.

"This Chinese defender doesn't seem to be idle in the offseason that just ended." Kenny Smith took a deep look at Li Hao. He knew that he could use an offseason to practice the movement of the back jumper. To achieve such a standard is definitely going to take a lot of hard work.

I don't know why, but from this moment on, Kenny Smith felt that this young man, who was previously ranked 35th on the list of top [-] players, might start the face-slapping mode again. He did it like this last season.

Perhaps the Lakers fans who came to watch the game tonight are the happiest, because after everyone enjoyed Li Haoxing's flowing fadeaway jumper, their other idol Kobe also started.

Kobe has the aura of Jordan's successor, so his fadeaway jumper is absolutely picturesque.

When Kobe continued to make fadeaway jumpers in the subsequent offensive rounds, the entire arena was boiling.

"Picturesque fadeaway jumper, super combination is coming soon"

The fans finally couldn't help giving this pair of super guards a new name-Purple and Gold Gemini!
Whether it's Li Hao or Kobe, the feeling is very hot tonight, and the two of them seem to have discussed it. If they can use the mid-range fadeaway jumper, they will definitely not use other methods. If they must use it, then only Could be bombing the rim.

Both of them are the kind of players with explosive breakthrough ability. This game can be regarded as hard for Kenyon Martin and Camby. The two of them will be dunked from time to time. It is really a horrible game experience.

56: 46!

At the end of halftime, the Lakers had a 10-point lead.

To a certain extent, this is beyond the expectations of some people. The Nuggets are by no means a weak team. They did not expect the Lakers to take a 10-point lead so easily.

And even though this game has only played halftime now, in everyone's eyes, there is no suspense in this game, because the rhythm of the game has been firmly grasped by the Lakers.

"At least judging from the first half of the opening game, ESPN may be slapped in the face. The defending champions are not as vulnerable as they say. On the contrary, after losing Shaq, they seem to play more easily feel free"

During the intermission, someone said so.

"Lamar, you have to try to finish. We always feel bad. I don't want the inside line to be just a transfer station. You have to know that you have the ability to finish."

In the Lakers locker room, Kobe, as the leader of the team, did not feel complacent even though he scored 15 points in the first half. On the contrary, he is trying to play the role of leader at this time. He hopes that Odom can take the initiative To end the offense instead of passing the ball out again, as he said, there is always a game where the Lakers need someone to stand up and score inside. He doesn't want Odom to become a blue-collar insider.

Li Hao was surprised by Kobe's performance. However, from the bottom of his heart, he praised Kobe. Last season, Kobe would never ask for advice from his teammates. Now he is trying to make changes, which means he hopes The Lakers in the new season can prove themselves to everyone.

And this happened to coincide with myself.

Therefore, after the start of the third quarter, Li Hao took the initiative to hand the ball to Odom intentionally or unintentionally. As the point guard of the team, he is one of the biggest helpers for Odom's rise. Therefore, He will help Odom without hesitation. Only a selfless team can be strong. Li Hao understands this truth very well.

Once Pat Riley could be regarded as the future of the Miami Heat, Odom does have a strong talent and potential.

The team leader Kobe Bryant's suggestion during the halftime break, coupled with the intention of the team's second leader Li Hao at the moment, made Odom finally usher in an explosion. He succeeded in consecutive singles on the offensive end. Throughout the third quarter, it seemed Became Odom's solo show.

11 points!
Odom, who scored 11 points in a single quarter, became the most gratifying point for Lakers fans.

Who said that after Shaq left, the Lakers' inside line lost its power in a slump?

With Lamar Odom, who is full of potential, the Lakers' inside line is still a point that others dare not underestimate...

(End of this chapter)