rpbooks Chapter 553 Preheating
Chapter 553 Preheating
Chapter 553 Preheating
At the end of September, the NBA, which had been silent for several months, once again woke up.
Of course, the regular season is not so fast yet, we have to wait until mid to late October.In the first half month, the league will arrange a lot of preseason games to warm up for the whole season.Although it is not included in the official competition, this period of competition is also very important for the league and the team.Through this warm-up, the NBA can refocus everyone's attention on itself.And each team can seize the time to test their own results this summer.At the same time, it is also possible to fine-tune the lineup so that the players can quickly find the state of the game.After all, actual combat is the best way to train.
On September 9, as the 26ers played against Melbourne United, the NBA76-2018 season preseason began.However, in the past few days, An Luo and others could only watch from the sidelines.This season, the Thunder have been scheduled for a total of four preseason games before the start of the regular season.The first game was on October 19, when they faced the Detroit Pistons in Oklahoma City.
Since the Thunder are all tinkering and tinkering in the free market, the lineup has not changed much.Suddenly, the whole team is not particularly concerned about these preseason games.Under such circumstances, Westbrook and Paul George did not play.However, An Luo still played.In Donovan's words, An Luo needs more time to consolidate his gains.Coincidentally, Griffin, the core player of the Pistons, also missed the game, and his insider De Drummond led the team.
Although it was only a preseason game, the atmosphere in the Chesapeake Energy Arena was not worse than the regular season at all.Especially when the Thunder players rushed out of the player tunnel, everyone was very cheerful.There was also a very interesting episode in the middle.When the home DJ introduced the Pistons players and coach, he reported the coach's name as Stan Van Gundy.You know, during the offseason, the Pistons fired Van Gundy and signed last year's best head coach, Devin Casey.To say that this is also a very rare thing, it is indeed a bit unexpected to be fired just after winning the best head coach.
The game started, and the Thunder quickly gained the upper hand.Although Westbrook and Paul George were missing, the Thunder still performed very strongly after An Luo took over the offensive power.
An Luo's first sports game goal is still his iconic three-point long shot.After the basketball passed through the hands of the Thunder players a few times, it returned to his hands.Facing Reggie Barlock, who was about his size, he stepped back, opened up the distance, and then kept dribbling the ball under his crotch, looking for opportunities.Baroque saw that An Luo was far away from the three-point line, so he didn't post it.He just stood hunched over a meter away from An Luo, staring at him.Feeling that the time was almost up, An Luo exerted force on his feet and made a gesture to break through.Baroque stepped back when he saw this, but An Luo swung his right foot and stopped directly outside the three-point line.After opening the distance, An Luo easily pulled up and threw the ball randomly.
Decisive and confident!Such a ball is becoming more and more familiar to An Luo.Of course, he is also very sure.
Just like Westbrook's dunk, An Luo's three-pointer can easily ignite the enthusiasm of the Chesapeake Energy Arena.Amidst everyone's cheers, An Luo waved his hand towards the fans.He likes the sound of everyone applauding for him.
The Pistons responded by playing inside.Drummond dropped his weight this summer.Now in this league, big men must be more flexible.However, doing so is also a double-edged sword.After all, for a player like him, standing at the basket is quite a deterrent.Most importantly, this guy obviously hasn't practiced a reliable long-range shot yet.However, in this game, he dominated the inside.With his stable and outstanding performance, the Pistons have always maintained the hope of winning the game.
An Luo only played 20 minutes, but it was amazing enough.He didn't show much of his newly mastered abilities, relying on three-pointers and mid-range fadeaway jumpers alone to overwhelm the Pistons. 8 of 6 three-pointers, no one can stop him from scoring.At least, not in this one game.
More often, Donovan is still honing his rotation.Players such as Grant, Kanter, and Felton have played longer than An Luo, and this year's newcomers Diallo, Noelle and others have also received a lot of playing opportunities.There are also several players with temporary contracts. The preseason is a very important opportunity for them.Whether they can stay in the Thunder in the end, the performance in these games is crucial.
After easily defeating the Pistons, the Thunder moved to Minnesota.After sending away Butler, who had a good time in the team last season, the Timberwolves basically fell out of the playoff sequence.Even if they signed the former MVP Rose, no one was optimistic about them.Westbrook still didn't appear on the roster for this game, and he didn't even go to Minnesota with the team.Not only him, An Luo also stayed in Oklahoma.However, under the leadership of Paul George, the Thunder easily defeated the opponent.
In the third stop, the Thunder returned to Oklahoma to meet the Atlanta Hawks.This time, Westbrook finally played.In Donovan's words, if it weren't for the expectations of fans and the pressure from NBA officials, he would bring his rotation players to play throughout the preseason.
No one disappointed everyone. Although Westbrook, like An Luo and Paul George, only played 20 minutes, his state is very good.The all-around reach enabled him to average a triple-double for two consecutive seasons. Now it seems that this miracle will continue.
The three-game winning streak in the preseason does not explain anything, after all, everyone is not particularly serious.However, the state and momentum displayed by the Thunder still surprised people.In the end is the defending champion!Every game is easy to win.
After these three games, the Thunder have only one preseason game left.But this preseason game is a bit special!With the in-depth cooperation between the NBA and international basketball, some games are played outside the United States every year.These games are basically concentrated in the preseason.Of course, the regular season is occasionally scheduled overseas.
The Thunder's next preseason game will not be played in the United States.Their opponents are no longer NBA teams.
(End of this chapter)