basketball kingdom

Chapter 26 The hidden danger under the champion
The simple-looking black guy saw the ball go into the net without being too excited, and began to retreat conscientiously.

Xu Tian probably remembered that his name was George Crittenton, other than that, he didn't have any more impressions of this simple-looking black boy.

George Crittenton's three-pointer ignited the enthusiasm of the players on the field. From this point on, the Rockets' overall offense and defense have improved to a higher level, and they began to suppress the Timberwolves on the scene.

Defense on the basketball court requires experience and physical condition, but there is another thing that can affect a team's defense, and that is defensive attitude.

The Rockets players have been mobilized in the midfield, and now all the players on the field are fighting hard, crazily snatching the offensive space of the players on the Timberwolves field, making it difficult for the Timberwolves to move forward on the offensive end.

Neither the fans nor the commentators knew what the Rockets experienced during the intermission, and they looked at the situation on the court with some astonishment.

When the Timberwolves fans were at a loss, the Rockets fans were not idle. They shouted for the players on the field unrestrainedly, releasing all the energy in their bodies.

The score on the court was like the momentum of the two teams, and the lead gradually came to the Rockets.

Downs and Zach LaVine felt the strong impact of the defensive players. Although they didn't understand what happened, they still tried their best to attack.It's just that facing the crazy defense of the Rockets, they can only stand on the free throw line and hit those free throws one after another.

Summer league fouls require ten fouls, which is four times more than the normal six fouls in the NBA. .

Capela gave full play to his energy. After the start of the second half, he and Towns have been wrestling secretly in the penalty area, fighting for a little position in the penalty area.

With George Crittenton opening up the space outside the three-point line, the Timberwolves' defensive area has been further expanded. The defense on the inside has naturally relaxed, giving Capela more offensive space to consume Towns. physical strength.

With these convenient conditions, Capela scored 10 points in a single quarter. At the end of the third quarter, he helped the Rockets overtake the score and lead by 72 point 71-1.

"Did I have hallucinations? The Rockets seem to have changed a group of players in the first and second half. Their tenacity and teamwork are completely different from those in the first half." Kenny Smith's voice seemed a little excited, He remembered the bet at halftime, and said to his partner, "Charles, should we continue the bet at halftime? You can bet on the Timberwolves, and I bet on the Rockets."

Charles Barkley was not stupid, and said with a smile: "Kenny, I'm not a fool! Now the situation on the court is gradually becoming clear, and anyone with a discerning eye can see that the Rockets are very close to their Summer League championship."

During the break in the third quarter, Kevin Garnett walked to the front of the Timberwolves' bench and mobilized them passionately.If you want to mobilize the enthusiasm of the players, no one on the Timberwolves side is more suitable than him.

When the Timberwolves players were about to play, their morale also became very high, and they greeted the decisive battle in the fourth quarter with the fullest state.

The two sides launched a more intense confrontation in the fourth quarter, and the score remained stalemate until the final stage.

There is an old saying in the NBA-superstars are not everything, but without superstars is absolutely impossible.This sentence is to describe the playoffs, but it also applies to this game.

Although Xu Tian is not yet a superstar, in this game, if he really wants to attack, there is no way for the Timberwolves to stop him.

The final stage of the game became Xu Tian's personal performance show. He successfully turned the Las Vegas stadium into a temporary home court for the Houston Rockets.At the final stage, the fans at the scene were all shouting Xu's name with emotion.

They saw the shadow of a rising star in Xu Tian.

Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley also became fans of Xu Tian in the final stage of the game, and they praised Xu Tian's performance at critical moments.

Competitive sports are like that, when you excel, the accolades will come to you.

When the final whistle sounded, Xu Tian, ​​who scored 37 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists, threw the basketball in his hand high into the sky, and ended his game this summer with an emotional cry.

It was Xu Tian's continuous attack at the last moment that allowed Towns to score 32 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists, which became a footnote in this game.

Rockets 92-86 Timberwolves, Xu Tian ended the Summer League trip with a championship and Summer League MVP.

……

The first time Xu Tian walked into the locker room, Bickerstaff came over and gave him a big hug, and kept saying champion! Champion!words, until later, his eyes were a little moist.

Harden, McGrady and Howard all came to the locker room to celebrate the victory with the Rockets Summer United players.

McGrady saw Xu Tian who was slumped on a chair, walked over and said, "Congratulations! You have helped the Rockets win a championship."

Xu Tian didn't know where his strength came from. He clearly felt that he was about to collapse, but he still stood up quickly.The two briefly shook hands, followed by an awkward silence.

The interpreter was very understanding. Seeing Mai Di and Xu Tian standing together, he took the initiative to walk over, and first asked Xu Tian: "Do you need my help?"

It was the first time that Xu Tian felt that the translator was a little cute, and said, "Since everyone is here, please translate for me."

"Congratulations, you won this championship." McGrady got some information from Xu Tian from Kobe, knowing that Xu Tian doesn't know much English yet, so he repeated what he said just now.

Xu Tian simply said thank you. He originally thought he had a lot to say, but at this moment, he suddenly realized that he didn't know what to say.

McGrady felt that Xu Tian was not particularly excited, and said: "You can take a break first, and we will talk about it when the whole team celebrates tonight."

Xu Tian was very tired now, so he didn't reject Mai Di's proposal, and sat back on the chair behind him.Now that he is a member of the Rockets, it is quite easy to meet McGrady, there is no need to rush.

Harden and Howard were talking to Bickerstaff, wondering why the team played so differently in the second half.

Bickerstaff pulled the pair aside and recounted what happened in the locker room at halftime.

After listening to Bickerstaff's words, Howard looked in Xu Tian's direction with deep eyes.He was a teammate with a player who was a bit paranoid about victory, and he knew the character of players like Xu Tian very well, and he was basically incompatible with him.

Harden met McDaniels yesterday, the famous little prince of nightclubs. He had already visited the nightclubs when he first arrived in Las Vegas.From McDaniels' mouth, I learned that Xu Tian didn't like going to nightclubs very much, and my first impression of Xu Tian was not particularly good.

But seeing Xu Tian's strong performance today, his inner view of Xu Tian has changed a bit, and now he heard Bickerstaff's story, which made him even more curious about Xu Tian.

Naturally, Xu Tian didn't know what Harden and Howard were thinking, so he walked to the locker and took out his mobile phone from the locker.

It is ten o'clock in the evening in Las Vegas, and BJ's time is now one o'clock in the afternoon of the next day. He knows that many people must have sent congratulatory text messages.

Kobe's text message was at the top, and Xu Tian clicked on it directly.

The content is very long, it has been translated by the translation software, and it is the Chinese version, "First of all, I want to congratulate you for leading the team to win the Summer League championship. I saw your whole performance on the computer, and I have a sense of your presence on the court. Impressive. But I also saw the hidden dangers around you, so I have to warn you. You should know that in the 2012-13 season, I was teammates with Dwight Howard. Although I have no prejudice against him, I Feel like he might not be a good fit for a championship contender, and if your goal is an NBA championship, you need to think carefully about your situation.

I don't mean to spoil your mood, these cold water words are just my reminder.

I have good news for you that my trainer Gary Vitti has agreed to give you a private session while I am away from the US.You have to know that he only helps the Lakers players to train, and it is not easy to agree to your request. You must cherish this time! ! ! "

Gary Vitti is the meritorious trainer of the Lakers and Kobe's personal trainer. He retired in the same year as Kobe.Vitti has worked for the Lakers for 2015 years as of 32, has experienced the Lakers 12 finals, and helped the Lakers win 8 times.

(Since the meritorious trainer of the Lakers is mentioned, here is also the "Voice of the Lakers" - the legendary Lakers commentator Zeke Hearn. He dedicated 42 years to the Lakers and explained 3338 consecutive Lakers games Team game, because he passed away in 2015 of this article and could not play, so give him a paragraph.)
After Xu Tian read the text message, he looked in the direction of Harden and Howard. The two had a good chat with Bickerstaff.

Harden and Howard are the bosses of the Rockets now, and they both have some problems in their private lives, and they are a bit out of tune with Xu Tian, ​​a training freak.

What Kobe said was exactly the reality that Xu Tian would face next.

Xu Tian, ​​who was still happy about winning the summer league championship, suddenly felt a little depressed.In the summer league, he is the boss and can control everything in the team, but when it comes to the real Rockets, what kind of status can he have as the No. 18 pick?

But Xu Tian quickly discarded such thoughts and turned to think about some positive things.At least this summer he can train with Gary Vitti, which is undoubtedly very good news for Xu Tian who wants to improve.

As for the prospects of the Rockets this season, who cares, won't you know by then...

(End of this chapter)