basketball boulder

Chapter 460 BJ Olympics

Then 3:2, 3:3...

Until the tiebreaker, the 76ers defeated the Magic and entered the finals again.

So far, the Lakers and 76ers have met in the finals.

……

On the other hand, the Grizzlies' season is over, and it's time for the annual break.

Li Lei packed his things and prepared to return home.

Because this year is 2008, China will host the Olympic Games at its doorstep, and the whole country will pay attention to it, so Li Lei also plans to return to China early to participate in the training camp of the national team and prepare for the Olympic Games.

But while Li Lei was packing his things, old man Jerry West, coach Rick Carlisle, and Jeff Van Gundy came to the door together.

Li Lei made coffee and the three of them tasted it.

"Are you ready to go back so soon? Why don't you take a good rest?"

the old man asked.

Li Lei smiled: "Going back to rest is mainly to cultivate a tacit understanding with my teammates. I will pay attention to the intensity of training."

Last season, Li Lei was injured due to overtraining.

Since then, Li Lei still maintained high-intensity training, but he also began to pay attention to the combination of work and rest, and relax.

"If you have anything to say, just say it directly, do we still need to be so polite?"

Li Lei said bluntly.

The three of the old man came to the scene in person, so formal, there must be something important to say.

If it's a small matter, in fact, a phone call will do.

Carlisle and Van Gundy Jr. looked at the old man. The three of them looked at each other and nodded at each other. The old man smiled: "In that case, I'll just say it."

"It's like this. The team fell to the Western Conference Finals for two consecutive years. There are some voices among the fans. Have you heard?"

Li Lei nodded.

At the press conference of the last game, Li Lei said that his teammates performed very well, so don't blame them.

But there are still some Memphis fans who can't help but speak out against the rest of the Grizzlies.

"At the critical moment, no one can stand up and help Li Lei."

"If these people are a little stronger, we won't lose in the Western Conference Finals for two consecutive years."

"Stone needs better teammates."

"If we want a championship, we must equip Stone with better helpers."

……

Li Lei's performance was impeccable.

But at the critical moment, Li Lei was the only one who couldn't fight against the Lakers teamed up by Kobe and Garnett.

This made Memphis fans very dissatisfied.

It’s fun to say. Before Li Lei came, the Grizzlies had made the playoffs three times, but they had 12 losses and 0 wins. At that time, the Memphis fans’ goal for the Grizzlies was to continue to make the playoffs, and the latter won a game .

And now, these guys dare to fantasize about the championship!

This is the hope and confidence that Li Lei brought to Memphis.

But relying on Li Lei alone is not enough, Li Lei needs a strong helper.

The old man Jerry West said: "Actually, I also want to find a stronger helper for you to hit the championship. But there are more problems now."

"First, Michael (Heisley) ranks low in assets among NBA owners, and it is difficult for him to pay a huge luxury tax."

"Secondly, Memphis is a small city, and the football market is too small. I have researched and found that there are almost no stars who are willing to come here. Except for you, the stars have always left Memphis instead of coming to Memphis."

"Third, there are not many big fish in the league this summer, and there are almost no helpers suitable for you. It is difficult to complete reinforcements this summer."

……

The old man said slowly.

Li Lei nodded.

What the old man said is the truth.

In other words, next season, it will still be difficult for the Grizzlies to hit the championship.

Li Lei was silent for a while.

"but……"

The old man continued: "It's not that we have no chance at all."

Li Lei raised his head and glanced at the old man, he is really old and smart!

First hit Li Lei, then gave Li Lei hope, and made Li Lei interested and asked questions.

Seeing that Li Lei was interested, the old man knew it.

"Rick, it's your idea, let's talk about it."

Carlisle nodded.

"We're no better than L.A. or Philly when it comes to top-notch combat. But we're not bad when it comes to role players. Paul, Grant, Darko, Kevin, Rudy are great role players. I mean, hopefully next season Let them play a bigger role."

Allowing Gasol, Hill, Milicic, Lowry, and Gay to play a greater role means "reducing" Li Lei's role.

Carlisle continued: "In terms of personal ability, you are already the top star in the league and you will not lose to anyone. But it is difficult to get to the end just relying on you. So we need other players to take on more tasks, and you only Stand up when it matters most."

Li Lei still didn't understand.

The old man explained: "Jordan, who got up early, was as omnipotent as you, but he didn't reach the altar until he learned to sacrifice his own data."

"Duncan's personal ability is extremely powerful, but he doesn't care about personal data, and even does some dirty and tiring work."

"Last season, Yao Ming and Iverson would both sacrifice their ball rights."

"Similarly, Kobe and Garnett gave up a lot this season."

……

"If you give up, you will get something."

After explaining for a while, the old man, Carlisle, and little Van Gundy looked at Li Lei together, a little nervous, waiting for Li Lei's answer.

If Li Lei didn't agree, what they said would be meaningless.

After a while, Li Lei asked, "If we do what you say, can we win?"

Carlisle shook his head: "I can't guarantee it, but I think there is more hope than Zheng."

"In that case..." Li Lei said firmly, "I agree."

The old man, Carlisle, and Van Gundy Jr. were all overjoyed.

……

In this way, without anyone knowing, the foursome of the Grizzlies completed a very important conversation that will affect Li Lei's career and the future of the entire NBA.

……

Then, the finals started.

The Lakers and the 76ers fought six games, and the Lakers beat the 4ers 2:76.

The Lakers reached the top and became the final winner of the 2007-2008 season.

科比场均24.3分6.7篮板4.9助攻1.8抢断0.7盖帽荣膺FMVP。

This is the fourth championship of Kobe's career and his first FMVP.

Kobe was so excited that he punched the sky.

And Garnett cried with joy, tears streaming down his face.

Under the leadership of Iverson, the 76ers team also showed a fairly broad mind, expressing their celebration and blessings to the Lakers.

That night, a grand spontaneous championship parade broke out in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles fans walked the streets, shouting "Kobe Bryant" and "Lakers champion".

……

6 month 27 day.

The 2008 NBA Draft begins at Madison Square Garden in New York.

With the first pick, the Chicago Bulls chose without any suspense the University of Memphis point guard, Derrick Rose.

This little fan of Li Lei called Li Lei not long after.

Li Lei was happy for him: "Anyone who has seen your performance will choose you. Chicagoans are not stupid."

There is an episode in this.

Rose's talent is too good, his speed is amazing, his explosive power is terrifying, and his core strength is extremely good... There is no suspense in choosing him as the No. [-] pick.

But the Bulls once hesitated because Rose's brothers had a gang background.

But Rose told the Bulls directly: "If you can't stand my brothers, please don't choose me!"

Rose, who has always been gentle, was very tough.

But fortunately, the Bulls finally chose Rose.

With the second pick, the Heat selected Michael Beasley.

Beasley is a good friend of Durant. He is a striker who can do three things and four things. He has comprehensive offensive skills and strong scoring ability.

The disadvantage is that it is neither three nor four.

It's not flexible enough to play the third position, and it's short to play the fourth position.

With the third pick, the Timberwolves selected OJ Mayo of the University of Southern California.

How good is Mayo's talent?

In one sentence: template, Jordan!

Yes, Mayo's online template is the "God of Basketball" Michael Jordan.

In high school, Mayo even overwhelmed Rose and was elected the number one high school student in the United States.

However, after going to college, his improvement is no longer developed, and he is a little disadvantaged playing shooting guard.

Plus, he lost a head-to-head match against Rose and was eliminated by Beasley's team.

Therefore, OJ Mayo fell to No.3.

fourth overall.

The Hornets moved to Oklahoma this summer and officially changed their name to the Thunder.

In the Thunder's first draft, they selected Russell Westbrook.

This is a defender with an extremely strong style of play.

With the fifth pick, the Houston team chose Kevin Love, a white and fat man who likes to play "World of Warcraft".

With the sixth pick, the New York Knicks selected small forward Danilo Gallinari.

With the seventh pick, the Los Angeles Clippers selected shooting guard Eric Gordon.

With the eighth pick, the Milwaukee Bucks selected Joe Alexander.

With the ninth overall pick, the Charlotte Bobcats selected DJ Augustin.

With the tenth pick, the Nets, who moved to Brooklyn, New York, selected big man Brook Lopez.

With the No.15 pick, the Phoenix Suns selected big man Robin Lopez.

That's right, the two Lopez are brothers.

With the No. 16 pick, the Philadelphia 76ers selected Mars Lispitz.

With the No.17 pick, the Toronto Raptors selected big man Roy Hibbert.

With the No.18 pick, the Washington Wizards selected center JaVale McGee.

With the No. 20 first pick, the Brooklyn Nets selected Ryan Anderson.

With the No.20 fourth pick, the Oklahoma City Thunder selected Serge Ibaka for their second first-round pick.

With the No.20 fifth overall pick, Houston chose Nicolas Batum.

With the No.20 sixth overall pick, the San Antonio Spurs selected George Hill.

With the No.30 fifth overall pick, the Clippers chose DeAndre Jordan.

With the No.40 fifth pick, the Spurs chose Goran Dragic.

……

The quality and quantity of this draft is very good.

Rose, Mayo, Beasley, Lopez Brothers, Westbrook, Ibaka, Jordan, Gordon, Love, Hibbert, McGee, Hill, etc. are all very good players.

In particular, there are surprisingly many big players, even surpassing Yao Ming, Stoudemire, Nene, Gooden in 2002...

By this time, Li Lei had already returned to China.

In addition, Yao Ming, Zhu Fangyu, Wang Zhizhi, and Yi Jianlian also returned to the motherland one after another.

However, considering the long season, the national team did not warn everyone immediately, but gave everyone a week to rest.

After the national assembly, Yao Ming and Li Lei did not go directly to high intensity because they had just finished the game, but focused on recovery first.

This is actually Li Lei's proposal. He wants Yao Ming to have more rest time and avoid injuries caused by too intensive games.

The coaching staff and the national team leader thought it was reasonable, not only specially approved Yao Ming to rest more, but also allowed Li Lei to rest more.

However, Li Lei and Yao Ming didn't rest for too long, and they devoted themselves to training.

They have been preparing for the Olympics for too long.

Since the Athens Olympics in 2004, the Chinese men's basketball team has been preparing for the competition for four years.

In the past four years, we have played many international competitions and Asian competitions, and we have already established a tacit understanding.

The roster of the Chinese men's basketball team was subsequently announced:
Center: Yao Ming.

Power forwards: Wang Zhizhi, Yi Jianlian, Du Feng.

Small forwards: Li Lei, Zhu Fangyu, Li Nan.

Defenders: Liu Wei, Sun Yue, Chen Jianghua, Wang Shipeng, Wang Lei.

Subsequently, the grouping of the Olympic Games will also be decided.

Group A: Argentina, Australia, Iran, Lithuania, Russia, Croatia.

Group B: China, United States, Spain, Angola, Germany, Greece.

The 12 strongest basketball teams in the world.

In fact, of course, the US team is the most watched.

Because in the last Olympic Games in Athens, the Dream Six team lost three games and lost consecutively to the Chinese team, Puerto Rico team, and Argentina team, which greatly stimulated the US team.

After a painful lesson, they sent out almost the most luxurious lineup this time.

The head coach of the US team, Old K, even shouted: "Now, our best player is here!"

The best player naturally refers to Kobe.

Kobe is now the No.1 active player in the NBA, and he has just won the NBA championship and won the FMVP trophy.

Here's a look at Team USA's roster:

Center: Dwight Howard.

Power forwards: Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh,

Small forwards: Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Tayshaun Prince
Shooting guards: Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Michael Redd

Point guards: Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Deron Williams.

The whole world is crazy.

The lineup of the US team is really scary, and it looks invincible.

This session of the US team is also known as the Dream Eight.

Fans even compared this team to the Dream Team.

"Is there a team in the world that can beat the Dream Team?"

"Of course!"

"Which one?"

"Dream Team themselves!"

This is what the fans say about the Dream Eight team.

The roster alone of this dream team is terrifying opponents all over the world.

"Team America is unbeatable."

"Other national teams are just going to compete for second place."

"Other teams are doomed, they have no hope at all!"

"Even Spain and Argentina can't stop the dream team's revenge!"

……

(End of this chapter)