Chương 20: Respect Earned: Jersey Exchange with Blake Griffin
Looking back, Lian Dao found himself mismatched against Blake Griffin. Lian Dao followed Griffin closely, feeling his heavy panting. Griffin had been on the court for more than 30 minutes straight, and even the physically formidable "White Warcraft" was struggling.
Griffin's steps had slowed. At the beginning of the game, Griffin's speed wasn't better than Lian Dao's. However, considering Lian Dao plays the 3rd position and Griffin the 5th, Lian Dao should naturally be faster. The fact that their speeds were nearly the same highlighted that Lian Dao's speed, while impressive for his position, was still somewhat stretched. Griffin's physical fitness was simply monstrous. Even in the NBA, Griffin transformed the Clippers into a "city of lobs" playing at the 4th position.
But that was then in the NBA. Now, an exhausted Griffin seemed slow to Lian Dao. Panting heavily while dribbling, Griffin was trying to regain his strength.
Lian Dao's eyes were fixed on the bouncing basketball, and he finally caught Griffin's mistake. He extended his right hand, tapped the ball, and continued to control it with his left hand. He quickly passed it to Lewis, who had the most energy left. The tired Oklahoma players couldn't keep up with Lewis, who scored a layup.
These two plays epitomized the game. Lian Dao once blocked Griffin's turnaround mid-range shot and stole a pass from Taylor Griffin to Blake Griffin. On the other end, he hit a three-pointer and completed two assists.
USC outscored Oklahoma 12-0 in these four minutes, changing the score from 67-66 to 67-78. Lian Dao and his teammates took the lead and extended it to 11 points.
Seeing no chance for recovery, Oklahoma's head coach Jeff Capel substituted his main players during a dead ball, effectively conceding the game. Tim followed suit.
The game ended at 77-84, with USC taking the victory on Oklahoma's home court. During the handshake, although Griffin lost, he still held Lian Dao's hand.
Then Griffin did something that surprised Lian Dao.
"Your threes and passing are really good," Griffin said.
Lian Dao was taken aback by Griffin's compliment. The three-pointers from earlier in the game had left Griffin feeling powerless, and Lian Dao's defense in the fourth quarter showed that he wasn't just a sharpshooter but also tough defensively. Defending the "White Warcraft" isn't easy, even for someone as slim as Lian Dao.
Their repeated physical confrontations and frequent contact made it feel like hand-to-hand combat on the court. This was something Griffin hadn't encountered in the first three quarters.
But Griffin's next move surprised Lian Dao even more.
Griffin removed his jersey in front of him and smiled.
"Can we swap jerseys?" he asked.
Jersey swaps usually occur when both players recognize each other's strength and feel mutual respect.
"Of course," Lian Dao responded after a brief hesitation, then took off his own jersey.
Lian Dao's strength was well demonstrated in this game, with a game-high 23 points, 9 assists, and 3 rebounds. If it were just good statistics, Griffin might have recognized Lian Dao's talent, but he wouldn't have considered exchanging jerseys. However, Lian Dao's intense desire for victory, when matched with Griffin's own drive, created a bond. When two passionate players meet, they either become lifelong rivals or mutual admirers.
Clearly, Griffin respected Lian Dao.
The jersey exchange signified mutual recognition of each other's prowess, which made Lian Dao feel respected and happy. Being acknowledged by ESPN's No. 1 player, Blake Griffin, was particularly gratifying.
"See you in the national championship. Next time, we will win the final!" Griffin declared after exchanging jerseys.
"Then you would have to defeat... me first, and I will not lose", Lian Dao responded. He initially wanted to say Griffin would have to defeat North Carolina to reach the semi-finals. However, realizing it was still preseason and division assignments would be made after the knockout rounds, Lian Dao adjusted his statement.
The two shared a smile, bumped fists, and walked towards their respective player tunnels with each other's jerseys.
In fact, only Lian Dao knew that Oklahoma City would not reach the semi-finals in the 2008-09 season. They were placed in the Southern Division, which was very competitive.
In his previous life, USC was in the Midwest Division. They encountered the No. 2 seed, Michigan State University, in the 32-to-16 game and lost, stopping in the top 32.
Thinking of Michigan State University, Lian Dao felt a weight on his heart. The name of their basketball team, the Spartans, perfectly reflected their style: warlike, brave, and united. Would the Trojans fall to the Spartans' tactics again, like in ancient history?
In his previous life, the Trojans succumbed to the Spartans' man-to-man defense tactics. In this life, Lian Dao was determined to break through it. Quick movement to shake off defenders and effective pick-and-roll plays among teammates were crucial, similar to the future NBA Warriors' strategy of unlimited pick-and-rolls. This required the team to have one or two players with excellent three-point shooting. In his previous life, Lian Dao didn't meet this standard, but in this life, he would be the longbow aimed at the Spartans.
However, Lian Dao still needed to address his slower movement speed.
[Congratulations to the host for completing the second task: defeat the opponent in the division competition and acquire a game jersey (must be a player who will enter the NBA or is an active NBA player).
After evaluation, Blake Griffin will enter the NBA through the draft. The jersey qualifies.
Rewards distributed: a jersey talent lottery.
Do you want to draw now? ]
A mechanical voice devoid of emotion echoed in Lian Dao's mind.
The second task is completed, but what is this jersey talent lottery?
[The jersey talent lottery refers to the basketball template, talent skills, life talents, and training bonus cards you exchange with the jersey owner. Would the host like to do the lottery now?]
"Yes!" Lian Dao commanded.
Following Lian Dao's order, the projection of Oklahoma's No. 23 jersey in the system shattered and merged into a large turntable with sections in four colors: purple, blue, green, yellow, and red, each representing different prizes.
Purple: Blake Griffin's all-talent template. Probability: 5%.
Looking at the purple Blake Griffin all-talented template, Lian Dao's eyes glowed with excitement. If it weren't for being in this space, he might have jumped with joy. Blake Griffin's all-talented template is incredibly high value for the current Lian Dao. Integrating this template would transform Lian Dao, enhancing both his physicality and range.
But with only a 5% chance, it seems like a reward reserved for those who have saved the world in their previous life.
Blue: Maximum limits of bounce talent, explosive power talent, strength talent, stamina talent, etc. Probability: 10%.
Green: All skill training effect 2x bonus card (one month), strength training effect 4x bonus card (24 hours), speed training effect 4x bonus card (24 hours), physical training effect 4x bonus card (24 hours), bounce training effect 4x bonus card (24 hours). Probability: 15%.
Yellow: Strength training effect 2x bonus card (24 hours), speed training effect 2x bonus card (24 hours), physical training effect 2x bonus card (24 hours), bounce training effect 2x bonus card (24 hours). Probability: 30%.
Red: Baseball skills, laundry skills, driving skills, game skills. Probability: 40%.
Damn, was this designed by Xiao Ma? Isn't it obvious that such a large red area will prevent people from getting good rewards?
As the rotating pointer on the roulette wheel slowed down, it crossed the large red area and approached the purple area, making Lian Dao feel a surge of excitement.
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