Hello everyone, I'm A-Du.

Chapter 7 vs. the Trail Blazers

At 3 p.m., the entire team returned to the Thomas & Mark Center by bus.

The SuperSonics will face the Trail Blazers in a back-to-back game tonight.

Unlike yesterday, almost all 18500 tickets were sold out today, and the stadium was packed!

Before the game, a reporter from the Portland-based Oregonian interviewed Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge during their warm-up.

"Brandon, as last season's Rookie of the Year, why are you still playing in the Summer League? Many people think it's too low a level for you."

"The Summer League is very important to us. It's an opportunity for LaMarcus and me to build chemistry, and also a time to help everyone integrate into the system. Personally, I care more about the contribution I can make to the team." Roy is a mature and steady player, and after more than a year of regular season play, as the team's new leader, he has become adept at dealing with the media.

What are your thoughts or expectations for tonight's opponent, the SuperSonics?

"I watched their game yesterday, especially Durant, he was fantastic, and I'm really looking forward to tonight's matchup."

Seeing that Roy couldn't be found to have any outstanding performance, the game reporter approached Aldridge, who was practicing his hook shot under the basket, and asked him more directly this time: "LaMarcus, what do you have to say about Durant's performance yesterday? I know you were both second overall picks and you both came from the same school."

As the home team's media, it might seem a bit unfair to dig a hole for your team's core player, but that's the NBA. Traffic is everything. There's too little NBA news material during the offseason, so it's not unacceptable to sacrifice your own core player to generate some news so everyone can make a living.

"Yes, Kevin played great yesterday, and I'm happy for him. His 61-point record will probably stay on the Summer League's individual leaderboard forever. But I still need to focus on warming up. You can continue the interview after the game." Aldridge was a humble black kid, known for his low-key nature, and didn't want to exploit his junior, so he politely declined to answer after giving a brief reply.

In fact, after the dark days of the Portland Prison Team, the team's management underwent a major overhaul, and the players with big mouths were kicked out long ago. The remaining players are all of good character and conduct, so it's not so easy for them to make headlines.

"Kevin! Do you have a moment?" Du Xiaoshuai, who was practicing his mid-range shot, turned around and saw a slightly plump blonde woman with a refined and elegant demeanor walking over with a microphone.

The visitor was Doris Burke (D.B.), a live commentator and analyst for ABC/ESPN, a major sponsor of the league. Du Xiaoshuai knew her from the 2K game.

White women tend to develop earlier and age faster. Fortunately, Doris Burke, who was just over 40 at the time, must have been taking good care of herself. She was just a little fuller-figured, with few wrinkles on her face, and her abundant collagen made her look even more charming.

Du Xiaoshuai admired her greatly because more than a decade later, she referred to Alexander as a penalty-scoring machine during a commentary.

"Of course." Durant stopped shooting, put his hands on his hips as if ready to answer questions, and said, "Ms. Burke, I'm a fan of yours. I've watched your basketball commentary and analysis programs on ESPN. Your demeanor and professionalism have impressed me."

"Oh my God, it's such an honor. Your performance yesterday was incredible." Doris was delighted to see Du Xiaoshuai being so sweet-talking. She covered her mouth with a shy, overly surprised expression, not wanting to dig a pit right away: "I watched your game yesterday and was so excited that I flew to Las Vegas overnight. We really want to know everything about you, especially about basketball."

"I'd love to tell you my basketball story. Yesterday's game wasn't anything special; the impressive stats were just an accident," Du Xiaoshuai winked and said, "Perhaps that's the charm of playing basketball."

"So, what are your expectations for the Trail Blazers tonight, who have Rookie of the Year Roy and All-NBA First Team Aldridge?" Doris asked enthusiastically in response to the energetic black slender boy's feigned humor.

"I will take victory with me," Du Xiaoshuai said earnestly, head bowed.

"Oh—a confident answer. I noticed that your lineup seems weaker than theirs—or rather, unreasonable. This means that if you want to win, you'll have to perform even better than yesterday," Doris said, glancing habitually at her cue card.

"Yes, we will not underestimate any opponent," Du Xiaoshuai said, downplaying the main point.

"Hmm, you're more experienced than a rookie. So, let me ask a more practical question: how many points are you planning to score tonight? Will you score more than yesterday? Because today looks even tougher."

Du Xiaoshuai slowly straightened his back, raised his right hand—his shooting hand—with his five fingers fully spread and palm facing forward, glanced at D.B., said nothing, and coolly continued warming up.

Doris stared with her big, eyeliner-lined eyes, her mouth slightly agape, somewhat surprised by his abrupt departure. She then smiled and tried to smooth things over for the camera, saying, "Perhaps Kevin will tell us the answer during the game."

......

Despite losing a top draft pick, the Trail Blazers in the Summer League should not be underestimated.

Brandon Roy, the Trail Blazers' 6th overall pick last year, is a shooting guard/swingman and the 06-07 Rookie of the Year. He's a mature, older rookie and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, is likely to be selected for the All-Star team this year.

LaMarcus Aldridge, a traditional power forward, was the second overall pick in the 06 NBA draft. He is also a technically mature and well-rounded center, and was named to the All-Rookie First Team last season.

Martel Webster, the 6th pick in 05, was also a shooting guard/swingman.

In addition, there are other low draft picks this year, such as Sergio Rodriguez, Josh McRoberts, Taurean Green, and Demetrius Nichols.

A perfect blend of inner and outer qualities, brimming with talent!

Over the years, the Portland Trail Blazers, nicknamed "The Prison," have emptied out their toxic players through trades, tanked, and rebuilt. With plenty of money, they have indeed accumulated a lot of talent, which is gradually starting to materialize. If it weren't for the team's incompetent medical staff, they could have taken off like the Thunder later this year.

Because their talent pool is actually more balanced than that of the Thunder's young trio, and it is more in line with the rules of basketball in this era.

Trail Blazers starting lineup: Point Guard: Sergio Rodriguez, Shooting Guard: Brandon Roy, Small Forward: Martel Webster, Power Forward: LaMarcus Aldridge, Center: Justin Williams (due to Oden's absence).

In addition to this year's low draft picks, the rotation reserves include invited players Rodney Carney, Derrick Bias, James Mays, Justin Williams, Joel Freeland, and others.

Summer League rules can be quite interesting sometimes. For example, Joel Freeland is currently still playing for the 76ers, but he was allowed to be invited to play for the Trail Blazers in the summer, although his playing time would be negligible.

Interim head coach Monty Williams, Nate McMillan's lead assistant coach, is known in the industry for his teamwork and defensive discipline.

The SuperSonics' starting lineup is the same as yesterday: point guard Andrian Griffin, shooting guard Jeff Green, small forward Kevin Durant, power forward Mohammed Sini, and center Robert Swift.

The jump ball was played, Aldridge tipped the ball back to his own half, Webster grabbed the ball, dribbled it across the center line, and passed it to Roy.

Du Xiaoshuai retreated while keeping a close eye on Roy's dribbling, his hands slightly outstretched, without uttering a word.

The highly anticipated one-on-one offensive and defensive duel kicked off right from the start!

Roy is around two meters tall, with a fragile but strong build. He is nearly ten centimeters shorter, but his weight is similar to that of Kevin Durant. He has a balanced ability to drive and shoot, and he is the kind of player who likes to go up to men in the Mamba style. In China, he was later nicknamed "Yellow Mamba".

In the American basketball world, there have indeed been calls for him to be Kobe's successor in the past two years.

That's right. After years of playing the role of the leader and racking up stats to build his reputation, Kobe, who was once Jordan's successor, is now starting to have a successor.

The sign is quite impressive.

So this tells us that if you have the power, you must become the leader!

Suddenly, Roy's dribbling pace quickened, and he bent over and rushed to the right. Du Xiaoshuai stretched out his leg and blocked Roy's path of breakthrough. So the opponent pulled the ball back and rushed to the left. Du Xiaoshuai barely moved one foot, tiptoed with his front foot, and returned his center of gravity. His upper arm and half of his body were still blocking the opponent's left breakthrough route, blocking the sky and the sun.

This is the advantage of the Spider-Man's body type in defense. As long as there is no overwhelming strength or weight, the combination of being tall, thin, and having long arms can still cause significant disruption to the offense under the current basketball defensive rules.

Because of his tall, slender, and agile physique, even if the opponent makes two dribbling and footwork maneuvers, he still has time to adjust his body posture to shorten the distance and keep up with the pace.

In Chinese terms, it means "Let him move as he pleases, the breeze caresses the mountain ridge, I stand tall and majestic, my arms outstretched."

If the opponent continues to drive hard, he only needs to follow behind, and the pressure of a chase block will make the attacker hesitant to make a layup or shot.

Unless someone comes to help with the screen, but this is just the beginning of a one-on-one matchup.

Without driving forward, the shooting space is more limited, and it is almost impossible to shoot when facing the basket. The only option is to back down, lean back, and then raise the release point, which inevitably reduces the shooting percentage.

Roy's height isn't actually a disadvantage among swingmen in the league, but after facing Durant, he realized that it's very difficult to easily make shots with his skills alone. Like Josh Howard, his first thought was to mindlessly push the ball up the court. Even Spider-Man's size isn't invincible; he's most vulnerable to strong forwards who can easily break through his defense. Although he's a bit fragile, he's still very strong when he's healthy.

He pulled the ball back, pushed forward with his shoulder and chest, and buried his head to gather strength and squeeze, but when his shoulder hit the opponent's chest, he did not retreat as expected. Du Xiaoshuai still steadily withstood Roy's charge, and his big hand swept across his lower body like a laser beam, almost stealing the basketball from him.

Plan B failed, so Roy changed tactics again, pressing his shoulder against the opponent's chest, pulling the basketball back a big step, and shooting.

With over twenty years of basketball experience instilled in him by the system, Du Xiaoshuai knew Roy was going to step back as soon as the opponent made his physical exertion. He jumped up with force from both feet, his body stretching out in the air. The fans on the sidelines seemed to see a giant night owl taking flight, creating an overwhelming sense of pressure!

His exaggerated height and wingspan completely blocked the opponent's shooting space, but by this time Roy had already gathered the ball and completed most of the shooting motion, so he could only raise the shooting arc again to shoot.

Good news, Du Xiaoshuai didn't block the shot; bad news, he airballed it!

But Aldridge has a keen eye for rebounds under the basket. He snatched the ball over Mohammed Sini, who was well-positioned, turned around, and delivered a powerful dunk.

Aldridge tugged at the rim and jumped down, roaring at the stands! Cheers erupted from the crowd, and the momentum instantly shifted back!

Playing on opposing sides, Griffin inbounds the ball, and Durant receives it in the half-court, dribbling leisurely outside the three-point line, as if waiting for a double team.

Roy spread his arms to defend, and Du Xiaoshuai dribbled and changed direction, but Roy allowed the drive but not the shot, and instead took a step back.

Du Xiaoshuai was amused by this defensive approach; it seemed the opponent hadn't watched any of yesterday's game footage.

With a large hand gripping the basketball, Du Xiaoshuai, who had been bent over, straightened up and, too lazy to gather the ball, quickly released it in a Curry-esque fashion and shot.

"Whoosh!", 3-2.

The crisp sound is so pleasant to hear.

Du Xiaoshuai swung his arms and ran backwards with small steps, his eyes fixed on Roy, his face expressionless.

Roy looked a little embarrassed. He received the ball in the half-court, waved his hand, seemingly making a tactical gesture, and saw Aldridge move to the high post, so the two started a pick-and-roll.

This was a commonly used tactic by the Trail Blazers in the second half of last season's regular season, and it was practical and efficient.

On the sidelines, SuperSonics coach Blair saw Aldridge run out from the low post and yelled at the other players about defense.

It's only the second round, and the other side is already using tactics. It's utterly shameless!

The SuperSonics' Summer League lineup consisted mostly of scattered players who hadn't gelled at all. Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers' young core players from last season were both on the court, almost matching their regular season roster. Yet, they still managed to bully the Blazers with tactics!

With Aldridge's groin grab providing cover, Roy shook off Durant and charged into the paint, dunking over Swift and showcasing his explosive physical talent.

"Bang! — Roar!"

4-3.

The Trail Blazers' momentum remains undiminished.

"Double-team! Double-team whoever gets inside!" Blair shouted from the sidelines.

Durant received a pass from Andrian Griffin at halftime, nodded, and dribbled one step from the three-point line at the top of the arc. Roy stepped forward again, but Webster also closed the distance behind him as the second line of defense. Even if Jeff Green ran to the corner to smoke, he didn't care.

Is this because they know Durant won't pass?

You have a really good eye for people!

However, it wasn't decisive enough. Since someone was left out, why not double-team them?

Du Xiaoshuai dribbled the ball and executed another series of crossover steps, making Roy look like a tumbler. When Webster and the others came to double-team him, Du Xiaoshuai raised his hand and shot!

"Whoosh!"

Another one in!

Is it possible to be this accurate with three-pointers?

Roy turned around, hands on his hips, watching his teammates serve. After only two rallies, he suddenly felt a little tired.

I and Ade jumped and charged around, working ourselves to the bone to get 4 points, while the opposing team never even stepped inside our three-point line, scoring 6 points with two shots. Even if the team scores one more basket, it will only be a tie.

The most crucial point is that Durant scores so easily; it seems impossible to contain him.

He suddenly understood how he got 61 points yesterday.

In another offensive engagement, the Trail Blazers changed their tactics again. This time, the offensive initiator was no longer Roy, but rather the pass was placed to Aldridge in the low post.

Du Xiaoshuai moved to the inside, drew away Sini, and prepared to defend Aldridge one-on-one.

Speaking of which, Durant and Aldridge were also alumni of the University of Texas. Judging from Aldridge's move to the Nets at the end of his career, their relationship was not bad, but compared to the Banana Boat crew, they were definitely not as close.

Aldridge is technically versatile but plays a relatively traditional style. In high school, he once went head-to-head with Bosh in the McDonald's All-Star Game, scoring 24 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Given his age, he actually had a chance to catch the last train of the high school draft in 04, but he was persuaded by the kind Shaq to stay and play college for two more years.

Traditional power forwards are more blue-collar workers, doing the dirty work of defense. Aldridge's biggest problem at this position is that his body can't keep up. He was misdiagnosed as clinically dead at birth and almost sent to be cremated. He also suffered from heart disease. In addition, he was malnourished as a child, which caused him to miss dozens of games in his first year in college and then enter the league. Otherwise, it would be unknown whether his teammate Roy would have won the Rookie of the Year award.

Aldridge, who is already 2.11 meters tall, has a wingspan similar to Durant's at the moment. He weighs 15 pounds more, and his strength, which is at the level of a qualified center, is not a disadvantage. He has also passed on all the refined low-post skills he honed in his two years of college to his juniors.

Step forward, dribble, shift weight, recover footwork, pivot again, fake layup, recover the ball, back to the basket, turn to face the basket, hook shot, bank shot, the ball spun half a circle on the rim and fell.

6-6.

Du Xiaoshuai watched as the other person twisted and swayed in front of him for five seconds, somewhat speechless. They were from the same school, so why hadn't the coach taught him these tricks?!