Chapter 1082 1081. Create a Troublemaker in the West

Paul's talent and combat effectiveness exceeded Liu Mang's expectations.

"Chris Paul, ability rating 82, offense 84, defense 78, passing 90, three-point 65, mid-range shooting 86, layup 87, speed 94, strength 86..."

This ability rating is actually a rookie!

The focus is on mid-range shooting!

When Liu Mang watched a live broadcast of a Hornets game, he felt that Paul's half-court lob after a breakthrough was very accurate, and a small forward who was 20 centimeters taller than him could also have a hit rate of nearly 40% in the mid-range.

Liu Mang predicted that Paul would become a first-class star after his rookie season!

However, when Liu Mang thought that Paul, a junior in the 07-08 season, could compete with Kobe for MVP and be selected as a second-team defense, he felt that this seemed normal!

Liu Mang believed that in 2008, before Paul's left knee cartilage ruptured and the devastating injury of the meniscus occurred, when his explosiveness and speed had not declined, he should have had James-level talent.

James was in his third year, and he was not at the point where he could compete for MVP!

Of course, this is largely because James was only 21 years old at the end of last month, and Paul was already 20 years old in his rookie season. The two are only five months apart, and James entered the NBA two years earlier.

Liu Mang felt it was a pity. Why is Paul in the West?

If the Hornets had not moved to the West, they could play more games with Paul in a year.

Mission goal 2 of the natal position suppression: The 2005 NBA draft is a rare year for point guards, making rookie point guards feel that the host is unmatched.

Liu Mang looked at this task and originally just wanted Paul to feel the "warmth" of the NBA, but Paul is a bit amazing!

For ordinary starting-level stars, that is, stars before the 70-79 ability evaluation, if the star is not a single-function player, such as a pure defensive player, the superstar can basically crush the opponent.

But if there is the strength of an 80-level quasi-first-class star, then there is a chance to do something.

Liu Mang called McGrady, Prince, Josh Smith, Kwame Brown to his room, and together with Iguodala, they discussed how to play... No, how to get close to Paul. Except for Prince, the others were "colleagues" in the same company. It was their first encounter, so they had to take good care of their little brother.

…

The Hawks came to Oklahoma City, and the fans in Oklahoma City went crazy. When Liu Mang, McGrady and others appeared on the street waiting for the taxi, they attracted a large crowd of onlookers, and then there was a traffic jam...

In August in the summer, New Orleans was hit by a hurricane, which turned New Orleans from a very wealthy seaside tourist city in the southern United States into a ruin.

New Orleans began to rebuild, and the Hornets will spend the next two seasons in Oklahoma City.

The Hornets' schedule this season is very bad. On the day the Hawks came to Oklahoma City, that is, on the 2nd, they played the Mavericks in the first back-to-back game, and on the 3rd they played the Hawks.

Since the Chinese New Year is in January this year, the Hawks' January schedule is more brutal than in the past three years. There must be many games for Chinese fans to watch to boost ratings.

After the big game with the Lakers rekindled the enthusiasm of fans, there are 16 games in January, many back-to-back games.

The Hawks played the Hornets and Timberwolves back-to-back. Originally, the Hornets were used to consume the Hawks before playing the Timberwolves, making the game between the Hawks and the Timberwolves more intense. Liu Mang and Garnett, the superstars of the two teams, are still very attractive.

The Timberwolves only have Garnett, so the league has to create some trouble for the Hawks so that the Timberwolves, who are at home, can have more advantages.

Unexpectedly, the Timberwolves really fell into a slump, which is worse than last season. The Hornets have become a strong team, competing for the seventh and eighth in the Western Conference in the third echelon.

The Hornets were treated as a team that was giving away wins this season. The schedule was pitiful. They played back-to-back games against the Mavericks and the Hawks...

In the afternoon, Liu Mang discussed with several teammates who might play a role in defending Paul, and then took a break. At 6 pm, Liu Mang, McGrady, Kwame Brown, Iguodala, Josh Smith and a group of five people went to the Ford Center, which was temporarily converted from here, to watch the game between the Hornets and the Mavericks.

Originally, Prince, Jason Terry, Rasheed Wallace and others were called to watch the game together, but since it was their first time in Oklahoma City, most people chose to go shopping. They couldn't play at night, but they could still play in the afternoon.

Knowing yourself and the enemy will ensure victory in a hundred battles. Liu Mang was going to study on the spot how Paul could bring a team that was the second-to-last and the last-to-last in the Western Conference last season to the ninth place in the Western Conference.

Liu Mang and others got rid of the overly enthusiastic fans and came to the Ford Center. The Hornets staff were already waiting. Liu Mang asked Schwartz to make a phone call, and the Hornets general manager immediately agreed to give tickets.

It was already 6:30 when the group arrived at the Ford Center. When they checked their tickets to enter the stadium, the two teams' entrance ceremony was about to begin.

The fans at the scene were very enthusiastic. Goose City had never had a team in the four major leagues. Although it only had a team temporarily, the fans were still very excited and enthusiastic. After Liu Mang and others came to the sidelines and were discovered by people, the scene began to get agitated!

The Hornets are unlucky but lucky. Last summer, Nike and Air Jordan held an event together. Liu Mang took Paul with him to promote in the imperial and magical cities of China. Similar to the summer of 2004 when he brought James, some domestic fans got to know Paul. , Paul played so coquettishly in his rookie season and attracted much attention in the country.

Paul also has a very good image and is taken seriously by David Stern. When being interviewed by a Chinese reporter and asked who could pose a threat to Liu Mang in the future, David Stern always listed Kobe, James, and Paul. The more times he put it on his lips, the more Paul became known to others.

Although the two back-to-back games of the Hornets were not broadcast live in the United States, both games happened to be broadcast live on the Imperial TV on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Liu Mang and others met today's commentator on the court, Xu Jicheng of Xinhua News Agency, on the sidelines.

"Director Xu, long time no see. Will you come to live broadcast tomorrow's game for us?" Liu Mang asked as he stepped up to shake hands.

"Oh, Ace, I just said that Zi Qidong is coming today. It turns out that you are here to watch the game live, Ace. Of course, I have grabbed the opportunity to broadcast your game live tomorrow. I can't always let Director Zhang enjoy watching your game live." What fun!" Xu Jicheng laughed.

"Director Zhang must be a little depressed recently, Kobe... No, it was Zen Master who lost again, and I got a quadruple-double." Liu Mang was a little excited to say bad things about people behind their backs.

"Haha, Ace, when Director Zhang heard this, he had to deny that he was a Kobe fan. Oh, the players are about to enter the stadium, and I have to go for a pre-game interview." Xu Jicheng saw that the lights dimmed and the spotlight had already hit the visiting team players. He walked into the tunnel, said sorry, and went to wait at the home team's bench.

NBA regulations have stipulated that starting from 2006, the head coaches and players of both teams can be interviewed before games, during breaks, timeouts, etc. The interview must first obtain the consent of the head coach.

There were also cheers when the visiting team players came out. The Mavericks played very well this year. After the Lakers lost to the Hawks, they returned to third place in the Western Conference. Their record of 24 wins and 11 losses was half a game ahead of the Lakers.

Although Oklahoma City fans are very enthusiastic about the Hornets, they do not regard the Hornets as the real home team. When a strong team comes to visit, the place is completely neutral, and you can cheer for whoever you like.

Nowitzki came out and received loud cheers from the fans.

The home team players entered the stadium, and Chris Paul was the first to come out, immediately triggering cheers again.

Paul is not yet the Hornets' best player. The Hornets' best player is David West of the 2003 generation, a strong contender for the Most Improved Award.

In terms of function, Paul is definitely better than David West, but he is still a rookie, so he keeps a low profile and does not compete for the boss position from the beginning.

But... Liu Mang and Iguodala's eyes widened when they saw Paul running out and high-fiving the substitutes.

The training uniform that Paul wore was a little different from the others. It actually had a number on it!

And it's not the number 3 worn by Paul, but a two-digit number.

The right breast is 5, the left breast is 8...

Liu Mang and Iguodala looked at each other and quietly came to the Hornets bench. Paul came out and was interviewed by Xu Jicheng.

Xu Jicheng was also curious about what the two numbers on his chest meant.

"No. 58, this is Ace's encouragement to me. He hopes that I can become a player like Kidd and Bryant. I am ready to regard this as my goal and a symbol to motivate myself to move forward. One day, I can be like Like Kidd and Kobe, he became Ace's opponent," Paul said seriously.

On the one hand, he does regard this as motivation to motivate himself. On the other hand, anything related to China can attract the attention of Chinese fans. After discussing with Schwartz, Paul decided to do this. There is another On the one hand, Liu Mang is coming to watch the game tonight, and Paul knows that. Although Paul has no intention of changing his jersey. He likes No. 3, but Paul is still willing to do it to satisfy Liu Mang from the training uniform.

There was a bit of a rush today. Originally, Paul was going to ask someone from the team's clothing department to embroider the number on his ball in Chinese red.

When Liu Mang heard this, he and Iguodala quietly disappeared before the lights came on...

Liu Mang returned to the bench and muttered: "If one day in this world you are still beaten by 58 points, don't blame me! It wasn't me..."

…

After the players from the two teams finished playing, Paul and David West, two Hornets stars, Nowitzki, Stackhouse, Crawford and many other Mavericks stars came to meet with Liu Mang, Tracy McGrady, Kwame Brown and others say hello.

Top current players came to watch the game, and the players from both teams were very motivated.

However, when Paul and Liu Mang hugged, he felt that Liu Mang was a little too enthusiastic, as if he "owed" him, and Paul was a little puzzled...

There was not much suspense in this game. In this game, the Hornets were beaten by the visiting Mavericks.

The Hornets were no match for the Mavericks from the beginning, and the strength gap between the two teams was huge.

But Paul's performance was very impressive. He didn't look like a rookie at all. He had a steady style of play, accurate mid-range shooting, and great passing.

By watching the game live, Liu Mang knew why Paul had an ability evaluation of 82 and was hailed as the successor of Kidd and Nash.

It is so comfortable to watch Paul play. He has excellent scoring ability, but he is not like another 183 player in his rookie period who only cares about his own offense. He organizes the offense tightly. If his teammates were not the team that won the last place in the Western Conference last season, only David West increased from 6 points per game to 18 points. Paul has no other helpers and even few shooters. The Hornets will be better!

McGrady, Iguodala, and Josh Smith all praised Paul's organization of offense, but from the perspective of organizing offense, the three agreed that he is better than Liu Mang.

However... Liu Mang felt a little regretful when he saw Paul's almost non-let-go style of play.

This style of play can guarantee the team's lower limit, but it is difficult to make a difference in the playoffs!

However... it is really good-looking!

The Hornets' cooperation is very smooth. Except for the inability to make shots from the outside, there are no other shortcomings. They lack a big center who eats cakes under the basket and a few shooters. With Paul as a passer and David West as an excellent mid-range single player, they will rise soon!

But it's still a long way to go, and the playoffs are still a problem.

After three quarters, the Hornets were 61 to 80, 19 points behind the Mavericks, and there was basically no possibility of a comeback.

Paul had already put on his training suit and probably wouldn't play in the fourth quarter. Paul scored 9 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and only 1 turnover in three quarters, which was a perfect performance for a rookie, but it was already garbage time.

Liu Mang and McGrady and others didn't plan to watch the garbage time either. They said hello and goodbye to the stars of both teams and left.

Leave early to avoid traffic jams.

When returning to the hotel, Liu Mang took a taxi alone. After getting in the car, he called Schwartz.

"Jeff, I'll send you a few lists later. Please suggest to the Hornets management to recruit players."

"Help the Hornets recruit players?"

Liu Mang heard Schwartz's puzzlement and smiled, "Well, I think Chris's help is not good enough. He is so outstanding, how can he not have a good helper?"

Liu Mang secretly felt that he was really great, selflessly building a good lineup for Paul.

"..." Schwartz on the other end of the phone heard this and didn't believe it from the bottom of his heart, but he couldn't figure out why. He could only think that Liu Mang wanted Paul to have a better record and more popularity so that he could make more money.

After hanging up the phone, Liu Mang sent Schwartz the names of several players who he thought were suitable for the Hornets but would not affect his own team.

He separated from his teammates just for this matter.

Liu Mang wanted to make the Hornets a troublemaker in the West, so that a certain No. 8 player would have another tough opponent when competing with him for the MVP in the future. Liu Mang felt so excited just thinking about it...