Chapter 77
Director Zhang said with a smile: "So now the media is also saying that this Li Chengming is likely to become a player who raises the upper limit of this Magic team. How far can he grow this season? Will he hit the rookie wall? What can we do in the playoffs?"

Each of these questions is very suspenseful and exciting, and I hope that time will pass sooner.

But the days have to pass day by day, and the games have to be played one by one. At least the current momentum of Li Chengming is developing very well, and Van Gundy's positioning for him is becoming more and more clear.

"Okay, Li Chengming is still coming off the bench, but coach Van Gundy will usually bring him up when the first substitution is made, just to let him grab points and lay an advantage."

"The referee's whistle blew, and the two teams were ready to jump the ball...Okay, the game started, Howard easily took off and dialed the ball, and the Magic got the first wave of offensive opportunities."

"Nelson advanced with the ball first. The Magic players in the frontcourt had already settled down. Howard was in the penalty area. The Pacers chose to defend around the front, just because they didn't want him to catch the ball..."

The center of the Pacers is Jermaine O'Neal, who is 211cm tall. He played as a guard in the early years. He didn't expect to grow taller after high school, and he was not fully finalized until he joined the NBA.

And the rookie period was in the "center grave" of the Blazers, and he couldn't play well until he came to the Pacers. In the second season, he grew into a star center with an average of nearly 20+10 per game.

It is a pity that the Pacers began to fall apart due to the Palace of Auburn Hills incident, and then O'Neal was plagued by injuries. In the past two seasons, his attendance rate was worrying and his scoring ability declined sharply.

He was able to average close to 20 points per game last season, but this season he only scored 13 or 4 points.

At his peak, O'Neal was an excellent defender of the penalty area, averaging nearly 3 blocks per game, and was the core of the Pacers' inside defense.

He still averages two blocks per game this season, but his rebounds have dropped significantly compared to last season. With the increase in the offensive rebound rate, it is obvious that the protection of the backcourt rebounds is not good enough.

Fortunately, Xiao Ao's decline is also accompanied by the growth of another core of the team. Granger has gradually become the leader of the team, averaging 20 points per game this year.

Granger has a solid defense and superb shooting skills. He is a rare small forward who can lead the team on both offense and defense. His rebound protection can make up for Jermaine's decline, and his improvement in organization has also made the Pacers more and more integrated.

But facing the Magic today, Granger used his shooting ability more to target Turkoglu's slow defensive footsteps and frequently fired shots from the outside.

In the first half of the first quarter, it was because he hit two three-pointers from the outside and scored 8 points in a row, helping the Pacers quickly establish a 5-point lead.

However, the Magic quickly reacted. Relying on Howard's attack and defense in the penalty area, the team gradually caught up and overtook the score.

Off the court, Li Chengming watched Xiao Ao almost being eaten alive by Howard. Howard was shorter, but his wingspan did not suffer, and his weight was crushed even more.

His lower body strength also depends on the opponent, and there are few in the league with upper body strength comparable, so after letting him get a position at the basket, he can force his opponent with his physical talent.

Jermaine O'Neal may not be able to carry him in his peak period, not to mention that now he is eroded by injuries and will no longer be as brave as before.

Granger tried to come up to double-team him to share the pressure, but he didn't dare to completely let go of Turkoglu, otherwise he would have a way to reorganize the attack even if he didn't shoot directly.

When Li Chengming came on the court, the Magic had already led by 4 points, 25:29.

Li Chengming played against the two-meter-one-one white center Jeff Foster. He was heavier than Jermaine Ao, but because of his personal characteristics, he was more likely to stand up as a cover and then steal the chicken. points.

As a blue-collar, Foster mainly does some dirty work, such as defense and rebounding-mainly because he is not good at doing anything else except this.

With a little leaning, Li Chengming knew that the opponent's foot was very stable, coupled with the center of gravity, when the opponent was much taller than himself, this would not give him too much room to make a move, and he could interfere at any time.

"Li Chengming faced the opposite veteran when he came on the court. Foster is a blue-collar insider, and Li Chengming's defensive pressure will be relatively small. Looking at this ball, the Pacers obviously still have some research on Li Chengming. Foster When I came up, I lowered my center of gravity, and I didn’t want Li Chengming to carry his back too easily.”

Director Sun said: "Half of Li Chengming's scoring this season came from the low post, and because of Howard's habits, he mostly plays back with the ball in the short corner on the right. As long as the opponent is a little weak, he will It's easy to get him inside."

Director Zhang added: "The Magic team also pays great attention to matching his offensive lineup. You can see that when Li Cheng is single-playing, the positions of other Magic team players on the court are convenient for him to draw the ball after he attracts defensive double-teams. And the running position of the second organization attack..."

While they were talking, Li Chengming had already completed an attack on the court.

It is indeed difficult for Foster to stop Li Chengming, not to mention that Li Chengming is in a hot state recently.

So far, the team that came up to defend Li Chengming alone will not have any good results.

After completing the tasks continuously and getting the calorie consumption points, Li Chengming feels that he has become rich and can make some choices. Therefore, the low-level "Standing Taisui" (10) is naturally upgraded to "Standing Taisui". Yama" (20).

The latter directly covers the former, but it is totally worth it from the effect point of view.

Li Chengming didn't know if it was an illusion. Anyway, he felt that as long as he sank in the low position, his feet would feel like they were rooted on the ground. He was the only one who pushed others, and no one could shake him.

Speaking of the two games against the Lakers and Warriors, the feeling of facing Odom and others was obvious.

The same is true in this game. After playing the first shot, he turned around and made a small throw to the basket.

However, the opposite side is in good shape today. Jamal Tinsley hit a three-pointer from the outside and did not open the point difference.

Looking back, Li Chengming pulled out to cover Bogans. Unfortunately, Bogans didn't feel good and didn't get a three-pointer. Li Chengming didn't grab a rebound inside. Earl made a layup.

At 30:31, the Pacers were only 1 point behind.

With more than a minute left in the first quarter, Li Chengming pulled out again to do a pick-and-roll for Arroyo. He received a return pass from Arroyo outside the three-point line and did not shoot directly. Instead, he observed the positions of his teammates. Then after taking two steps down, I didn't see a suitable opportunity.

Missed a turnaround fadeaway after a single against Marquese Daniels, but this time Bogans grabbed a rebound from the rim and scored.

Afterwards, the two teams hit each other once, and the Pacers made another pass error. Li Chengming caught the ball in the low post and hit the iron with a jumper. But this time, Foster was suspected of fouling, and the referee did not whistle for the wrist point. Some helpless.

For the Pacers, Daniels scored two points again. In the last offensive round, with 18 seconds of offensive time, Arroyo brought it to the frontcourt and handed it to Li Chengming. Just before the lights came on, he rolled over and pushed the ball out.

This time, Foster went too far, directly pulling Li Chengming's clothes, causing him to bend his right arm, which naturally affected his shooting.

As a result, the referee still didn't call the penalty after the lights came on. Li Chengming was almost furious and wanted to go up to question him, but Bogans rushed up to stop him.

In the CCTV live broadcast room, Director Zhang began to make up for Li Chengming anxiously: "Li Chengming missed three jump shots in a row, but this is debatable. Today the referee seems to be targeting our Li Chengming player."

Director Sun also nodded and said: "When Li Chengming made the shot, the light hadn't turned on, which means that this shot should be effective. Foster's move is obviously a foul, more obvious than the previous one, but the referee didn't No whistle. I don’t know if it’s because of Li Chengming’s status as a rookie, or because he’s just like Dayao…”

It is already a consensus that Dayao does not get fair treatment in the NBA whistle. It is true that Houston's guards are not likely to play him the ball, and he himself may not be able to catch the ball because of his short and small hands, but buttery hands are definitely not counted. Most of the time it's because the defender made a foul but didn't blow it.

If people like Barkley and O'Neal directly use rules to restrict them, then Dayao obviously uses this invisible method to restrict him.

Otherwise, his data must be much better than it is now, and Houston's record may be better.

Li Chengming had already calmed down when he left the field. After all, it was not the first time for him to be unfairly punished.

To say that since entering the NBA, he has not felt very deeply about the so-called racial discrimination. Occasionally, he will see some bad slogans on the sidelines, especially when playing away games, the fans on the opposite side will not be polite to him.

But what really made him feel restricted by his identity was the double standard of the referee's judgment during the game.

On this point, Li's father and his assistant have also analyzed it for him. The actual situation may be more than that, and there is another one, that is, the league is favoring Durant. After all, he is a local registered permanent residence. When it comes to the best rookie award, the league is definitely not happy to see it still overwhelms the local players.

Among other things, it's not just him and Dayao, like Dirk Nowitzki, has he been treated fairly in the NBA?
The finals in 06 haven't gone far. The penalty scale at that time was obviously a double standard, which was inconsistent for both sides.

And the Mavericks played the Warriors in the playoffs last season, and it might not have been affected by a little scale.

Then when it comes to this, it is said that Nowitzki has too many jumpers, and it is normal to make a floating shot without fouling.

Then Li Chengming and Mr. Dayao are not like this, are they?
As a result, Dayao, a heavy center in the penalty area, averaged 8.6 free throws per game last season, while Li Chengming made the most free throws this season with only 7 free throws, an average of less than 3 times per game. He was more affected than Yao.

After all, foreigners, non-white blacks and rookies, and the league may secretly suppress it. It can be said that the DEBUFF is full.

If Li Chengming's tonnage was not too heavy, and he looked too solid, it is estimated that the criminals would be indispensable.

Because not only the league, but also some malicious Li Chengming as an opponent player can also feel it.

By comparison, Garnett was too nice to just talk trash to him.

Thank you, Kevin!

(End of this chapter)

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