Pick Westbrook

Chapter 316 Best Rookie Award

Watching the scene of the Cleveland fans actually looking forward to a dunk of a visiting team player, rather than applauding for their home team.

More importantly, Irving felt that these fans did not applaud him, and he was very angry.

"Tristan, give me the damn ball, I'm going to show them why the earth is flat."

Tristan Thompson, who was serving from the sideline, looked at Irving in a daze for a while, and murmured, "What is flat?!"

The Cavaliers attack.

Irving pushed forward with the ball again, Leonard switched defenses ahead of time, and it was still a matchup between the two.

This time Irving did not recklessly try individual singles, but took the initiative to ask for a pick-and-roll.

It stands to reason that Varejao should mention the high pick-and-roll at this time, because Jordan's ability to defend and protect the frame in the interior belongs to the league's first-class level.

Even if Irving can break through to the basket with his own ability, he will still suffer a lot of defensive pressure when facing Jordan's defense during this period, just like Irving was blocked in the last offensive round.

But Varejao stood completely indifferent on the inside, and he didn't have the slightest idea of ​​bringing up the pick-and-roll

"The management and owners of the Cavaliers are quite stupid. They announced that Kyrie Irving will be the future of the Cavaliers and the cornerstone of the team on the night they selected Irving."

"But what's interesting is that in the team lineup, the Cavaliers did not match Irving with a reasonable lineup, and they didn't even choose to clean up the team's older meritorious players."

"And then put Irving directly on the team, and just let him face the team's locker room and the veterans alone."

"That's never a good thing."

Du Feng told what he had heard one by one.

Hearing this, Stevens was silent for a while, and finally couldn't help sighing and said: "This is the NBA."

Anderson Varejao in the Cavaliers was the player who played in the Finals with LeBron James that year.

After James decided to join the Heat, he did not choose to leave the team like the big Z Zajunas-Ilgauskas and continue to follow the little emperor James, but decided to stay with the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers' management was extremely satisfied with Varejao's loyalty, and did not hesitate to sign a slightly premium new contract with Anderson Varejao that summer, worth $6 million for 4820 years.

So even if the Cavaliers selected Kyrie Irving, the cornerstone player of the team, they still have no plans to clean up Varejao, but instead let him stay in the Cavaliers.

"Most NBA teams have one or two cliques."

"It is not easy for new players to integrate into this small group, so at this time, the team management or coaching staff needs to come forward to help this player integrate into the team as soon as possible."

"Only when all the players work together, and everyone works together, can the players exert their full strength."

Du Feng, who was born as a player, is well aware of all the things in the locker room.

The locker room of each team is like a microcosm of a school or society, where birds of a feather flock together and people are divided into groups.

They get together a lot, and it's fine to say they're forming a clique, and ask them what they do when they get together, and it's nothing more than whistling to the good-looking cheerleaders, how did the mouth fight against the Quartet last night thing.

"Irving obviously didn't integrate into the Cavaliers' locker room, and he only made friends with fellow rookie Tristan Thompson or some low-salary players who didn't have any right to speak in the locker room."

Stevens just glanced at the pick-and-roll round just now and said with great certainty.

Li Lai naturally also saw some clues from the pictures on the court, and he could understand such things very well.

After all, even in the showtime era of the Lakers, Tiangou Kareem expressed dissatisfaction with the rookie Magic Johnson more than once.

If it weren't for the coordination of the Lakers' management, the magician Pat Riley suggested that Abdul-Jabbar slowly delegate power to help Magic Johnson grow into the new leader of the Lakers.

I'm afraid the showtime era will never appear, and it will be difficult for the Lakers to become a dynasty team during that period.

"But this Cavaliers."

Li Lai shook his head again and again.

In his opinion, the management and coaching staff of the Cavaliers are as stupid as Du Feng said, otherwise James would not have wasted years of time and never made the last step.

In addition, Kyrie Irving, who is nicknamed Ou Shenxian, is not a man of good faith, but he is the guy who dares to talk to his idol one-on-one this season.

Therefore, the Cavaliers' locker room must have already become a mess. The reason why there is no negative news about this team in the media news is probably because veterans like Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker are in the locker room. The room holds the place.

However, can Irving really be accepted by his teammates in the end and integrate into this team?He really has the ability to become the leader of this Cavaliers?
Li Lai shook his head decisively.

Think about the difficulties Kobe had when he wanted to become the leader of the Lakers. Irving, who is as bratty as the opponent, is destined not to get the support of most of his teammates.

His only chance is that the Cavaliers broke the boat like the Lakers and traded all the players who refused to accept Kobe. In this way, Irving is naturally a well-deserved team leader.

This is also the reason why Irving in his previous life could not become the boss of the Celtics in the Celtics. How could he be as clever as Angie and trade away Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

"The Cavaliers are destined to have a difficult season this season."

on the field.

Irving used TT Tristan Thompson's pick-and-roll to change direction and go directly to the basket.

Leonard chose to squeeze through the pick-and-roll and still follow Irving himself.

"Leonard is actually not as quiet as his character in terms of defensive will and court struggle. Instead, he is a very purposeful and even strong player."

"Otherwise he wouldn't deliberately choose to squeeze the ball through the pick-and-roll early."

Stevens said with a little surprise.

Because Leonard only made friends with Butler, Vince Carter and Lee in the entire Hornets, Stevens didn't know the details and personalities of each other.

Coupled with the fact that most of Leonard's training is in charge of his uncle, it is even more difficult for Stevens to know most of Leonard's situation.

Originally, Stevens expressed his dissatisfaction with Li Lai once after learning about this incident. He also believed that Leonard's practice of completely leaving the team's coaching staff would be detrimental to the team's future.

Stevens reminded Li Lai that once Leonard is separated from him in the future, it is very likely that no one in the Hornets will be able to contact him.

Of course, Li Lai also knew the disadvantages of this matter, but he still acquiesced in Leonard's approach.

"For a child who has lost his father, all he wants is to have his closest relatives by his side no matter where he is."

This is also the softest part of Leonard's heart.

Of course, Li Lai was extremely satisfied with Leonard's performance throughout the season.

In fact, the other party is not as silent as he seems on the surface. Leonard has always been able to fight for some honors and awards.

on the field.

Irving saw Leonard rushing up from behind. He knew the opponent's exaggerated wingspan and palms as early as the first few rounds, so he didn't dare to layup directly.

Instead, he made a more difficult jelly layup, completely denying Leonard any chance to block himself.

Swish!
in!

"Irving's jelly layup is really easy and comfortable."

On-site commentary desk Kenny Smith praised again and again.

Seeing Irving's dazzling past three in a row before, and now seeing the opponent's beautiful jelly layup, Du Feng finally believed in Li Lai and Stevens' evaluation of Irving at this time.

"He's really good at playing."

The first quarter ended quickly.

When Varejao left the field, he clapped his teammates very hard.

Throughout the first quarter, Irving almost played singles with the ball, without creating any offensive opportunities for his teammates.

Even if the Cavaliers have players in very good positions and the Hornets fail to defend well, Irving is still going his own way to attack.

This is why Varejao led all his teammates to isolate Owen in the locker room.

"As a point guard, you don't pass the ball, but play like a shooting guard with the ball in a row. Are you a youth team bully?"

Kenny Smith enjoyed Irving's gorgeous performance throughout the game. At this time, he was also curious about Irving's data performance in the first quarter.

But after seeing Owen's data, Kenny Smith frowned very tightly.

“凯里欧文单节11投4中，罚球2罚2中，得到了10分2篮板2失误的数据。”

“防守他的黄蜂队球员伦纳德单节6投3中，三分球1投1中，得到了7分3篮板1助攻1抢断的数据。”

"More importantly, the score on the court was 26:20, and the Hornets led by a full six points."

Barkley also admired Irving's highlight-level performance in the first quarter of the game, but he wanted to say that Irving couldn't win the ball by playing like this.

Except for Irving who played happily and comfortably on the offensive end, the other players of the Cavaliers almost ran back and forth throughout the game. Only when they grabbed defensive rebounds or offensive rebounds, did they have their own offensive scoring opportunities.

"There is only one ball on the basketball court, but there are five players on the court, so most of the time the ball is not enough."

"This is the team basketball and more efficient tactical play."

"Like the Eagles, Spurs, and Hornets, these teams are teams that pay special attention to overall offense and teamwork."

"Of course, the former Bucks were also the benchmark in NBA team basketball. Now under the leadership of Coach Tyronn Lue, they have also started more individual offenses with the ball."

"It's not a good thing."

Cavaliers coach.

Byron Scott looked at Irving, Varejao, Antawn Jamison and others sitting silently on the player's bench, and he couldn't help frowning and sighing.

Irving's unlimited firepower is decided by the owner of the Cavaliers, but the management of the Cavaliers and Byron Scott himself believe that if it is a player like the Spanish golden boy Rubio or Kemba Walker of the Bobcats, give the opponent There is absolutely no problem with unlimited firepower and possession of the ball.

Because both Rubio and Kemba Walker know when to pass the ball to their teammates and how to help everyone play a more comfortable offense.

But Irving, he only has his own singles in his eyes, and they are still endless singles.

Byron Scott and Kobe were teammates. He knew that the black mamba was also obsessed with singles in the early days of his career. Even the Zen master once had no way to deal with him. He bluntly said that Kobe was the most difficult to discipline him. players.

But with the growth of game experience and Zen Master's return to the Lakers, Kobe himself knew that if he wanted the team to win, he could no longer play like he did when he was young.

Only then did the triangle offensive tactics integrate, and Kobe became the terminator on the offensive end. Even when Kobe wanted to pass the ball in a game, he could send more than 10 assists.

Byron Scott approached Irving more than once to talk heart-to-heart, and told Kobe's story and growth experience to each other, but Irving's response was yes.

"Dude, I'm not one of those star-chasing high school kids who shout Kobe, Kobe whenever they see Kobe Bryant."

"I'm looking for his one-on-one player, just in the Cavaliers' game against the Lakers in the regular season this season."

"Fifty thousand dollars as a bet, do you dare to bet that I can beat Kobe single-handedly."

Hearing this sentence, Byron Scott was very speechless. He reminded Owen: "I know your father, I think you have to discuss with your father about singled out Kobe, and he will give you the most sensible advice. suggestion."

"Your father will definitely say: Son, are you crazy? How dare you go to Kobe for a duel."

At that time, after Irving heard that Byron Scott used his father to press him, the breath of the black mamba in his blood immediately burst, and he directly sprayed his head coach and said.

"Listen, the era of Kobe seeking defeat alone is over. No matter how hard he tries to defend against me, he may not be able to defend against me. You are just as strong as a licking dog who keeps licking Kobe."

"Haven't you seen my game? See if the opponent can defend me alone?"

Hey ~
Byron Scott came back from the memory, he wanted to tell Irving: child, do you know that Kobe's singles has already reached the point where it is difficult for two people to defend, the gap between you and him is at least There is a Kyrie Irving.

The second game.

Seeing that the Cavaliers' bench lineup is full of players like Anthony Parker, Daniel Gibson and Donald Sloan, Li Lai told JR Smith and Jimmy Butler and others.

Don't underestimate the enemy because the Hornets are stronger. In the fierce competition in the Western Conference this season, the Hornets have no capital to underestimate the enemy.

JR Smith has always looked like a dick. How can he underestimate the enemy? When he sees a player who is weaker than himself, he even wants to go up and step on a few more feet.

Jimmy Butler has already sat itchy off the court, and can't wait to rush to the court to teach the Cavaliers a lesson.

Under Diaw's combing, the Hornets played a terrifying 20:6 performance in the second quarter, which established the victory of the game in one fell swoop.

Second half of the game.

Irving still goes his own way in all kinds of coquettish singles on the court, completely disregarding the victory of the game.

Li Lai still arranged for Leonard to match up with him.

On the offensive end, Leonard easily crushed Irving's scoring in the penalty area under the team's overall tactics. On the defensive end, he continued to put a lot of defensive pressure on Irving.

Coupled with the defense and help of Jimmy Butler, Jordan Jr., Paul and other players on the defensive end, Irving's scoring efficiency dropped sharply in the second half of the game.

And Irving is also the master of attacking more and more. Facing the layers of double-teaming and defense of the Hornets, he just doesn't pass the ball, and just focuses on his offense and singles with his head depressed.

This style of play hurts the morale of the team the most.

After all the Cavaliers players knew that Irving would not pass the ball tonight, they worked harder on both the defensive and offensive ends.

By the end of the third quarter, the score on the court had reached 80:65, and the Cavaliers almost stepped into the abyss with one foot.

Kenny Smith, who was still admiring Irving's singles skills before, shook his head repeatedly at this time.

"The Hornets are one of the top defensive teams in the league. The Cavaliers are now 15 points behind this defensive team. It may be difficult for them to come back in the last quarter."

Barkley chuckled and said, "Be more confident and get rid of fear."

"Looking at the spirit of this Cavaliers team on the court, I don't think they have the possibility of overturning the Hornets in this state."

The Cavaliers' record so far is the second-worst in the league, second only to the Bobcats, who are also in the Eastern Division.

It's just that the Bobcats are doing their best to train rookie Kemba Walker. From the team owner to the management to the coaching staff, they are all helping Walker grow as soon as possible.

In order to achieve this, team owner Jordan even traded the team's main point guard DJ-Augustin to the Pacers.

Look at this Cavaliers team again, a bunch of stupid things in the locker room have not been sorted out until now.

In Barkley's view, it is absolutely impossible for this Cavaliers team to return to the level before James, at least for now, there is no hope at all.

"I really can't think of anyone who can surrender Kyrie Irving in the Cavaliers and help him fully demonstrate his offensive talent as soon as possible and use it to help the team win."

Post-match interview.

A reporter curiously talked about Irving's performance in tonight's game.

"Coach Li Lai, Irving scored 26 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist in this game. Do you think he is the best player in this rookie class?"

Li Lai deliberately took Leonard to the post-match press conference. After hearing the greeting, the latter put his hands on the interview table with erratic eyes.

Li Lai said: "26 of 10 shots, do you think this efficiency can be regarded as a good player?"

"The Cavaliers lost to us 90:110, do you think Kyrie Irving's 26 points are still important?"

"Why don't you look at the data of Leonard and Butler?"

The reporter quickly saw how Leonard and Butler played tonight.

伦纳德16投8中，砍下了21分6篮板2助攻2抢断1盖帽的数据。

巴特勒12中5中，得到了12分5篮板2助攻，同时还有全场最高的4记抢断。

In terms of the point difference to help the team win, one of the two is +8 and the other is +10. Compared with Irving's -16 point difference, the advantage is too great.

Li said: "Regardless of the player's performance or the player's influence on the game on the court, I think Leonard should win the best rookie award."

(End of this chapter)