240: 110: How is one enough?
The ever-evolving young King!
(Vote for monthly tickets!) 240: 110: How is one enough?
The ever-evolving young King!
(Vote for monthly tickets!) Pat Riley arrived, and I don’t know about a clear sky, but the Heat sure became very noticeable.
Rod Thorn, NBA’s Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, primarily in charge of discipline, rarely mentioned the Heat during an interview with journalists, but the affection for this team couldn’t be contained in his expression, “Fuck, what’s this team doing?
Do they think this is professional wrestling?”
Before, Rod Thorn wouldn’t think about the Heat once in a whole year.
But now, try to say the Heat don’t weigh on his mind.
Can’t say he’s obsessed, but they’re definitely a thorn in his side.
Enforcing discipline in this league is just too hard!
Rod Thorn was simply impressed, a person like Pat Riley should be banned from changing teams.
Because he’s like a cult preacher, making the basketball atmosphere thick with smoke wherever he goes.
Before Riley, the Miami Heat used to be an offensive team centered around Stevie Smith and Glenn Rice, with an elegant playing style.
The three-pointers from Stevie Smith and Glenn Rice amid chaos could indeed whip up a heat wave in American Airlines Center.
But just three months after Riley’s arrival, the Miami Heat were transformed.
Gone were the heat waves, replaced by the icy steel of their defense.
Just set up the New York Gang, now here playing the role of Scarface.
You really think you’re Al Pacino, huh?
In the past, although the Magic and Heat were both in Florida, there wasn’t much tension between them.
But now, Orlando fans undoubtedly hate the Heat to death, and there’s a real sense of powderkeg rivalry between the two state teams.
The Heat think they’ve got the right man, and New York fans think so too.
Now you don’t have to worry about Roger going crazy in Madison Square Garden, as Riley successfully redirected Roger’s rage to South Beach.
New York fans believe that even if Riley hides at the southernmost tip of Florida, in Key West, Roger would drag him out of Hemingway’s old house and dunk his head in the ocean, letting him experience “The Old Man and the Sea” firsthand.
This is undoubtedly a scene New York fans would love to see.
But before he gets a hold of Riley’s head, Roger has his own troubles to deal with.
O’Neal being out for two months is a huge challenge for the Magic’s start of the season.
Brian Hill has given Roger unlimited fire rights, which sounds great, but it’s really a move born of necessity.
If not Roger, then who?
Even more unreliable.
Someone who during the last conference finals managed an average of 18 points thanks to his teammates being double-teamed?
Is your scoring just a matter of how hard your teammates are double-teamed, relying on others to create open shots for you?
Is that what passes for a real scorer?
With Harper and McKey unreliable, and Grant the same, who can the Magic count on?
Roger’s the only one left.
Last year in Oakland with the Warriors, it took Roger just half a game.
“Ka-ching,” he was up 40 points.
So, the only person Brian Hill can count on is Roger.
As for Marciulionis, the new player traded to the Magic Team, his preseason form was disappointing.
Even when given the opportunity, he hesitated to shoot.
This resulted in lousy shooting rhythm and a low field goal percentage.
His passes always lagged, making him prone to turnovers.
Already a defensive black hole, Marciulionis was ineffective on offense, leaving him on the court essentially just to run back and forth.
The worst performance was in the fourth preseason game, where Brian Hill gave Marciulionis a full 30 minutes of play.
The result was 0 for 6 shooting, with 3 turnovers, nearly causing Brian Hill to burst a lung in frustration.
After the game, he expressed his disappointment very tactfully, “For players who have been through major injuries, they need time.
I thought Saru was ready, but it seems he needs more time.”
However, Brian Hill won’t give him any more time after that game.
He had already decided to put Marciulionis on the DNP list, not planning to include him in the regular season rotation.
What’s strange, though, is Marciulionis always seemed in great form on the practice court.
In practice games, he shot with precision, made decisive moves, and his passing had the spirit of a European player.
Roger couldn’t understand why there was such a huge difference between someone’s practice performance and their game performance.
The Magic Team’s practice games may not get as real as Riley’s teams, but they’re played quite seriously.
With his form in practice games, he shouldn’t have performed so badly.
God knows why, but in any case, with no reliable offensive players, the pressure on Roger to perform for the first two months of the season will be immense.
Roger just arrived at AdventHealth Training Center today and ran into Marciulionis, who was also parking.
Seeing Roger, he immediately smiled and greeted him with a thick Eastern European accent, “Hello!”
Marciulionis is very approachable and has a gentle personality.
Although his English isn’t that great, he always offers a polite smile when he sees anyone.
O’Neal just commented on him in front of the media the day before, “If you spend a whole day with him, you’ll think he’s an overly polite real estate salesman.
I don’t mean it in a bad way, but he even looks the part!”
Roger greeted him back, “Can you teach me your Euro step today?”
“Of course, but actually, I don’t have much to teach you.
You have more Talent than I do.
Like I’ve said before, the key to the Euro step is the distance at the start; too close, and you’ll run into the defender, too far, and it doesn’t fake them out.
And that distance, you can only really get it through practice, it’s hard to explain clearly.”