basketball hero

Chapter 173 The First NBA Preseason Game

The media day is coming soon, and the teams have displayed their jerseys for the new season, and the newly joined stars have also appeared on the stage one after another.As one of the few representatives of Asian players in the league, Ying Xiong wore the No. 25 jersey of the Bucks. Under the guidance of photographers, he took a set photo for the new season.

After taking the makeup photo, Ying Xiong was interviewed by a sports magazine.The reporter who interviewed him was a middle-aged white man with a height of 180cm and a bit thin.

"Hello, Ying, as the No. 8 rookie in the first round of this year, do you have any expectations for the new season?" the white reporter asked.

"I hope to be able to display my strength in the new season and help the team achieve better results!" Ying Xiong replied.

"Last season, there was also a player from China like you—Yi, please talk about your evaluation of him?" The white reporter quickly changed the topic.

"Yi is my compatriot. He is a very good insider with excellent shooting ability. He will definitely perform well in New Jersey!" Ying Xiong's skills in dealing with media reporters have already been practiced in CBA. The question is also very old.

"The last question, you chose No. 25 as your jersey number. Does it have any special meaning? Do you want to catch up with Kobe Bryant (Kobe passed No. 24)?" The white reporter's question was very sensitive and full of topics .

Naturally, Ying Xiong would not be fooled by him, and replied calmly: "I chose No. 25 because I wore No. 25 in the CBA league in my motherland last season, and I have no other intentions!"

"That's my question, thank you for your cooperation in the interview, thank you!" The white reporter extended his hand and shook Ying Xiong's hand to express his gratitude.

Ying Xiong smiled and shook hands with him.

On October 10, the Milwaukee Bucks will host the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first preseason game of the season.

Since the "Wolf King" Kevin Garnett left to join the Boston Celtics, the Timberwolves in the West have instantly changed from a strong team in the West to a weak team in the West.Anyone with a discerning eye can see that they are now a rebuilding team.There are no superstars in the team, but more potential stocks and high-ranking rookies.This year, after they selected OJ Mayo with the No. 5 pick, they got the No. [-] pick Kevin Love through a trade.Kevin Love is from UCLA. He is a white big man inside and outside. He has excellent rebounding skills and outside shooting ability.He is logically seen as an important part of the future by this rebuilding team.

The Bucks have had a lot of changes this summer.The team not only changed the head coach, but also traded the main guard Mo Williams to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and traded Yi Jianlian, the No. Chad Jefferson also used the No. 6 pick in the first round of this year's draft to pick Ying Xiong, an all-around backcourt player who is also from China.

But according to the biggest names in American basketball, this Bucks team still doesn't have enough talent to win more games.Their goal this season is still to compete for tickets to the playoffs.

The Bradley Center, home of the Bucks, had a lot of fans today.Although the team performed poorly last season, it did not bring in big-name stars this summer as it wished.But at any rate, it has changed blood and has a new look.Moreover, there were no official basketball games to watch during the long offseason, which made fans hold back for several months.So even if it's an insignificant preseason game, Bucks fans want to watch it.Of course, there is a high probability that the newly joined players this season will appear in this game, which is one of the reasons why fans watch this game.

In the routine practice before the game, Ying Xiong wore the Bucks' training uniform and did shooting practice at Bradley's home court, feeling an indescribable feeling in his heart. NBA arenas far exceed CBA arenas in terms of venue size, supporting facilities, and capacity.Playing here is very different.As soon as you walk into the arena, adrenaline will be secreted naturally, and the desire to play will be very strong.

Ying Xiong was very excited, because this was his first game representing the Bucks. Even if it was just a preseason game, he wanted to deal with it seriously, and strive to play hard to play his own level, so that the team and fans can see him Strength.Coming to the NBA is one of his dreams. Now that this dream has come true, it feels like a dream, and it feels like a world away.

As the game time approached, the lights in the venue suddenly went out, and then the special sound of the live DJ began to appear.He began to mobilize the emotions of the fans and the atmosphere of the scene in various ways.

Then came the home team's appearance ceremony.The home team's first game of the game appeared one after another in the DJ's broadcast.In this game, the starting list of the Bucks is: center - Francisco Elson, power forward - Charlie Villanueva, small forward - Richard Jefferson, shooting guard - Michael Redd, Point guard - Raymond Sessions.

For most NBA teams, the preseason starting lineup will most likely be the regular season starting lineup.Except for injuries, of course.

There is no Yingxiong in the Bucks' starting lineup!For Ying Xiong, he had already been psychologically prepared for this.He knew very well in his heart that even if the team's No. 1 position did not have a particularly outstanding talent, it was unlikely that the team would let him, a rookie, start as the backcourt commander.Not to mention that coach Skiles himself doesn't like himself that much.

But when the first release was not announced before, Ying Xiong still had a little fantasy.At this time, the illusion is disillusioned, and it is impossible to say that there is no disappointment at all.From being the absolute core of the CBA Guangsha team to now being a substitute player competing for playing time in the rotation stage in a fringe team in the NBA playoffs, there is a bit of a gap in my heart, which is nothing more than normal.

The visiting team's Timberwolves starting lineup for this game is: center - Al Jefferson, power forward - Mark Madsen, small forward - Ryan Gomez, shooting guard - Mike Miller, point guard - Randy Foye.

With the whistle of the referee, the game officially began.

Ying Xiong sat on the bench with the newly joined Luke Deno, Tyronn Lue and others this season, cheering for his teammates.

The NBA's game style is completely different from the CBA.Here, Ying Xiong can feel the level and intensity of confrontation between players, even if it is only a preseason game.In addition, the pace of NBA games is also faster, and the physical requirements are naturally higher.

In the first quarter of the game, because the Bucks' No. 8 pick Andrew Bogut did not play, Timberwolves center Al Jefferson could ask for anything at the basket.And this summer newly joined the Bucks All-Star small forward Richard Jefferson played for the Bucks for the first time, injured and left the field in the first quarter, playing only 11 minutes.As a result, the Bucks trailed their opponents by [-] points in the first quarter.

(End of this chapter)