NBA opening draw to twilight Shaquille O'Neal

Chapter 633 Youth is the greatest capital!

The University of Texas Longhorns belong to the Big 12 Division, a sports league composed of 12 universities in the central United States, headquartered in Las Conlinas, Texas.

Compared with basketball, in fact, the football of the Big 12 league is stronger in the competition in the same field, and it is also in the upper reaches of the country.

Aldridge's alma mater, the University of Texas, had a record of 20 wins and 13 losses during the regular season.Their opponent, Butler University, belongs to the Big East Division, which currently consists of 14 sports leagues from the Northeast, Southeast, and Midwestern universities in the United States.

The record of Butler University during the regular season is 22 wins and 10 losses. It seems that the record is better than that of the University of Texas.

Because Texas has always been a strong team in the South.In contrast, Butler University has never been a strong traditional basketball school. There have been 5 NBA players in history, but the most famous of them is Gordon Hayward, who is now playing for the Utah Jazz.

The most glorious period in its history was the 10 and 11 seasons. Under the leadership of the young coach Brad Stevens, who was only in his early 30s, Butler University reached the finals for two consecutive years.

However, after Stevens announced his entry into the NBA and became the coach of the Celtics, Butler University also fell into a slump.

In this first-round elimination round, the outside world is generally more optimistic about the University of Texas, because the University of Texas recruited Michael Turner, a five-star high school student genius center who is well-known throughout the meter last year!

Turner, who is 2 meters tall and serves as a power forward and center, graduated from Trinity High School in Pennsylvania. He was ranked 11th in ESPN's 2014 high school rankings and ranked 10rd among players in the same position.

Joined the University of Texas Longhorns in 2014. As a freshman, Turner averaged 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. He was elected as the rookie of the year in the Big 12 league, and was selected to the third team of the best team and the best rookie team.

And the shooting percentage of 45.5% also ranks third in the league, and the average rebounds per game ranks sixth!

The arrival of Turner has made up for the lack of the Longhorn team's general ability to protect the frame inside. He partnered with sophomore guard Isaiah Taylor, who averaged 13 points, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game on the outside.

……

……

19pm on the 16th.

Wang Zelin and his team got off the plane and went straight to the home court of Butler University - Lucas Oil Arena.

Interesting to say, the school team of the University of Texas is called the Longhorns, while the school team of Butler University is called the Bulldogs.
Unexpectedly, they ran into two acquaintances as soon as they arrived at the gate of the arena.

Seeing the person coming, Aldridge smiled and stepped forward to say hello:

"KD, Augustine, we meet again!"

That's right, the people here are Du Xiaoshuai, one of the active superstars, and his good partner in college, DJ Augustin, who was traded to the Thunder by the Pistons not long ago.

"...LaMarcus, are you here too?"

"Old senior, long time no see!"

Durant greeted with some embarrassment, but while speaking, his attention passed over the old senior, and he focused all on Wang Zelin.

After some communication between them, Wang Zelin found out that Aldridge, Durant, and Augustine were actually college alumni.

Of course, the three are not from the same class, and they never played with Aldridge in college.

Because a few months before Durant and DJ Augustin entered the University of Texas in 06, Aldridge had already participated in the NBA draft, and was finally selected by the Bulls with the second overall pick, and then traded to the Trail Blazers.

Now that they met at the door, Durant and his little brother Augustine also joined the small group of the three young men, and the five of them entered the Lucas Oil Arena together.

Entering the arena and coming to the Longhorn team's rest area, Aldridge, Durant, and Augustin were very excited.

At this time, everyone saw a hale and hearty white old man with silver hair, wearing a blue suit and an orange tie, organizing the Longhorn players to warm up, and his words were even louder.

This person is Aldridge and Durant's university mentor - Rick Barnes!

Coach Barnes' coaching philosophy is relatively loose, and he is extremely good at training players.

For the two, Coach Barnes is definitely a noble person in their basketball career.

Aldridge, who was still a freshman, only played 16 games in his first season when he suffered a hip injury and was reimbursed for the season.While recuperating from his injuries, Coach Barnes specially showed him two All-Star power forwards, Tim Duncan and Rasheed Wallace, playing videos, and pointed out that the characteristic of these two is that their shooting points are very high.

This style of play inspired Aldridge, so after watching the video, although he couldn't stand up, he still insisted on sitting on the wooden board and looking up at the basket, practicing one-handed shooting again and again.

From the dunk under the basket at the beginning, the board was pulled farther and farther, and finally pulled beyond the three-point line.

The shooting training looks very weird to outsiders, but after returning from injury and returning to normal posture, Aldridge's shooting ability suddenly became much stronger.

In Durant's first year in college, coach Barnes was so impressed by Durant's talent that he later even gave up his plan to develop offensive tactics for Durant.

"Durant is the kind of player that can only be seen once in a lifetime. We are very lucky to have him." Coach Barnes said, "Only Durant's tactics will limit his talent. It is better to let him play freely and let him control the game!"

At that time, the Longhorn team's offensive tactics were extremely simple. Augustin took the ball across half court and then handed it over to Durant.

It's quite simple and rude, and has no tactical content, but the opponent just can't defend it!
In the classic battle where Durant scored 37 points and 23 rebounds, Augustin, who is also well-known to fans, sent 14 points and 11 assists.

Later, Augustin participated in the draft one year after Durant and joined the Hornets with the ninth overall pick.

Although he failed to become a star player like Durant, the reason why he was able to play in the NBA for more than 10 years and still be able to get a job is partly due to the careful training of Coach Barnes in college and the solid basic skills he laid for him.

Afterwards, Coach Barnes also noticed the arrival of Aldridge and others, and walked over excitedly, saying goodbye to the old man, naturally some pleasantries were indispensable.

At 19 o'clock in the evening, Lucas Oil Arena.

To the deafening cheers of nearly 7 fans, players from the University of Texas Longhorns and the Butler University Bulldogs took to the stage in March Madness.

As Michael Turner scored the first point of the national championship with a dunk, the voice of Reggie Miller in the commentary booth also spread to thousands of households in North America:
"Now, March Madness officially begins!"

"Everyone, welcome to the Land of Dreams!"

At the media table.

In addition to Millikin Media, media from various countries also sent team reporters to report on tonight's game.

At this time, Zhang Manyuan, a reporter from the Imperial TV Station, stood in the media seat, excitedly counting the celebrities on the stage in the audience seats in the front row.

"Brother Lou, look over there. That's Gordon Hayward, head of the Jazz, and his teammate Derek Favors."

"And here, it was reported that Pacers boss Paul George, Thunder boss Kevin Durant, and Alder and Rice..."

"Oh my god, the king is here too! And it's so close to us!"

"Brother Lou, why don't we go say hello to the king."

Zhang Manyuan screamed suddenly. With one hand, she pointed excitedly at Wang Zelin sitting in the VIP auditorium, and with the other hand, she tugged at the collar of Brother Lou, who was also the photographer, next to her.

This move immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding people.

"..."

Noticing a change in the rear, Wang Zelin turned his head curiously, and looked behind him, only to see an Asian girl of Xiaojiabiyu's type looking at him excitedly.

Hey, wait, he underestimated a bit, he is not small at all, he definitely has hard goods!

Moreover, he always felt that he had seen that little beauty somewhere before.

Immediately afterwards, I saw a photographer holding a sign of "NBA Frontline" next to the beauty, and I dared to feel that it was my own.

"Comrade, hello, can I meet you?"

The two were not far away, and they were compatriots in China. Wang Zelin greeted each other warmly.

"Pfft..."

Zhang Manyuan was amused by the sound of comradeship, and her chest heaved with laughter.

"Hi, my lord, I'm Zhang Manyuan, the anchor of "NBA Frontline"."

Zhang Manyuan!
Isn't this the hottest beauty reporter from the imperial court?No wonder there are top hard goods on him!

Next, since the game had already started, the two just had a brief chat. After exchanging contact information, their attention returned to the field.

At this time, the game had already played several rounds, and the two sides went back and forth.

8:6, Butler University is temporarily behind by two points.

"Pitbull! Pitbull! Pitbull!"

The Lucas Oil Arena can accommodate 68000 spectators, and it is naturally full tonight, and 99% of the spectators support Butler University.

The uniform shouts of nearly 6 people made the players of the University of Texas Longhorns very guilty.

Even head coach Rick Barnes, who has seen such a big scene on the sidelines many times, doesn't have much confidence in his heart.

Even if you have experienced the home atmosphere of NCAA games time and time again, you can’t help but be shocked by the enthusiasm of the scene when you are actually playing away games.

You know, this is only the first round of the March Madness Championship!

Wang Zelin, who was watching the game on the spot, also showed a look of surprise. He was also frightened by the crowd of fans at the scene. This kind of explosive atmosphere can only be felt in the NBA playoffs and even the finals.

Unexpectedly, there is such a terrifying influence on a group of college players who have not yet entered the NBA!
The game continued, and with the deafening cheers from the audience, Butler University gradually gained the home court advantage.

Halfway through the first half, at 36:30, the trailing side became the University of Texas.

Seeing that the point difference is getting bigger and bigger, no one expected that Durant suddenly stood up in the next second and yelled at the juniors on the court:

"Defense! Defense! Where is your defense!"

"Texas must win! The Longhorns must win!"

The fans at the scene were stunned for a second, because no one expected that Kevin Durant, who is an NBA superstar, suddenly became so "tempered".

However, only a second later.

Louder shouts resounded through the arena.

Who cares if you are Durant?
This is the home of Butler University!
This is our place!

Lucas Oil Arena, only us can decide!
Immediately afterwards, something even more unexpected by Wang Zelin happened.

Aldridge and Augustin next to him, as well as Lillard, who had never played for the Longhorns, also followed suit to cheer for the Longhorns.

On the other side, Haywardella's good brother Favors couldn't sit still, stood up and waved a towel, competing with Durant and Aldridge.

On the field, a group of immature young people are fighting for their dreams, at the last drop of blood;

On the sidelines, their respective seniors also put aside the reservedness of being an NBA star player in the past, and cheered for the juniors from the bottom of their hearts.

With all this in front of him, Wang Zelin, who came to the scene for the first time and experienced the charm of NCAA March Madness, couldn't help but feel great pride in his heart.

At the same time, the blood in his chest continued to boil.

At this moment, he strengthened his belief in assisting Dayao to reform the domestic basketball world.

If one year is not enough, it will be two years, if two years is not enough, it will be three years, until ten years, 20 years, anyway, I am still young, and Dayao is only in his early thirties.

He believes that one day there will be such a basketball atmosphere in China.

……

……

The two teams fought fiercely for two hours.

In the end, the University of Texas Longhorns narrowly defeated the tenacious Butler University 18:12 by virtue of the brilliant performance of talented center Michael Turner with 3 points, 65 rebounds and 61 blocks, and advanced to the next round.

赛后，砍下18分12篮板三盖帽的特纳和拿到14分5助攻2抢断的泰勒，合砍34分的两人，成为了现场媒体记者争相采访的对象。

At this time, elites from all walks of life in the auditorium also left the stadium one after another.

In this game, Wang Zelin followed Aldridge to personally experience what "March Madness" is, and at the same time, he strengthened his beliefs. This trip has been worthwhile.

After the interview, Turner saw that his senior Aldridge and his idol Wang Zelin hadn't left the arena yet, pushed through the crowd, and quickly came to the two.

"Hey Wang, I'm glad you came to watch me play. I'm a big fan of yours, can you sign me on the jersey?"

"You may not know, I have been watching you play since high school, and my shooting posture is still imitating you!"

"And your opening performance during the All-Star period. I have practiced all three dances in private, especially the Gini in the first year is so beautiful, it's so cool!"

Wang Zelin stared blankly at the black guy, but he didn't expect him to be so enthusiastic.

The so-called reaching out and not hitting the smiling face, he also smiled and responded: "I didn't expect you to be my fan. I thought your idol was LaMarcus. He is your old senior!"

"Humph!"

As he said that, a muffled hum suddenly came from the side, and then he saw Aldridge turn his head away.

Hahaha!
After secretly enjoying himself for a while, Wang Zelin smiled and signed autographs for his new fans, and then took a group photo for souvenirs. Then he left the arena contentedly and got on the plane back to Portland.

……

……

On the morning of the 20th, Wang Zelin, Aldridge, and Lillard went to Orlando to join the team.

Facing the Orlando Magic with a record of only 21 wins and 49 losses and ranking last in the Eastern Conference, Wang Zelin had little interest in the whole game. After scoring 23 points and 11 rebounds in less than three quarters, he changed into warm clothes and completed today's clock-in and off-duty tasks.

Aldridge, on the other hand, took 28 crazy shots and hit 15 goals. He scored a game-high 37 points and a large double-double with 14 rebounds.

This is also the first time he has scored more than 30+ points in two consecutive games this season.

In the end, the Blazers easily defeated the Magic in the away game 111:104 and won a wave of three consecutive victories.

But the good situation of the Blazers did not last long. The Blazers who were still playing away games arrived in Memphis and had not had time to rest. On the night of the 21st, they played back-to-back against the famous tough Grizzlies in the West in double overtime.

In the end, at 107:106, Mike Conley made a lore in the away game.

After this battle, the Grizzlies also became another team besides the Spurs that double-killed the Trail Blazers in the season.

Originally, the game entered March, and the players were very tired physically. What's more, apart from Lillard, the previous five main players of the Trail Blazers had suffered injuries one after another.

Thanks to Wang Zelin's early return from a hand injury, he almost supported the team by himself, and this continued the Trail Blazers' record of No. [-] in the league.

Therefore, at the end of March, Wang Zelin was very tired at this time.

Not only is the recent training intensity much lower than at the beginning of the season, but after each game, he also spends a certain amount of time cooperating with a physiotherapist for a full-body massage to relax.

It is precisely because of this that he can show the terrifying endurance that has left countless people dumbfounded.

But after all, he is not a body made of iron. If he keeps playing like this, he will collapse.

In fact, if you think about it carefully, if it weren't for the temptation to break the 96-win record of the Bulls in the 72 season, Wang Zelin would probably have to lie on the rotation list from time to time at the end of the season just like last year.

After Conley's lore in double overtime, the Blazers' record also came to 58 wins and 10 losses. In theory, as long as they can maintain a winning streak in the next 14 games, they can review the Bulls' record of 72 wins.

But is it really worth it?
Even if they get 14 consecutive victories, they will only tie the record of the Bulls if they reach the sky. They are equal and share the first place in history.

Is such a result really what the Trail Blazers want?

So, on the 22nd, the management and coaching staff stopped the training and had a collective meeting with the players.

Finally at the meeting, everyone established a united front:

In other words, the championship defense is the top priority!
During the regular season, while ensuring the No. [-] record in the Western Conference, the Trail Blazers will no longer pursue the best record in history.

Anyway, the main players of the Trail Blazers are still young, especially Wang Zelin, who has developed organization and physical fitness in the first two years of his career, and this year he has shown the long-lost magic sky hook. Maybe next season he can come up with some new tricks.

The big deal is to complete the defending first this year, and give the young people a summer of evolution time, and it will not be too late for them to hit the best in history next year.

Yes, they are so confident.

After all, youth is the greatest capital, and the Trail Blazers can afford to wait!
(End of this chapter)