T-mobile Arena is located on the famous Las Vegas Strip, next to the New York Hotel, MGM Hotel, and the fantastic Excalibur Castle Hotel.
The debut of "Dream 12" was held in this arena that can accommodate 18,000 people. For the Dream Team, a 37-point victory over Argentina is not a dream, and for Irving, who has just won the championship, as the player with the most playing time on the American team, scoring 9 points on 3-of-8 shooting can only be considered decent. But a big win is a big win, and when Owen was interviewed, he looked relaxed and stress-free.
Irving made a decent debut
It's a pleasure to be a teammate with Durant
Durant joins the Warriors, leaving Irving and the Cavaliers with tougher opponents next season. What is it like to be a teammate with Durant in the national team?
"It feels good, he's a really good player, but a better guy and I'm looking forward to playing with him at the Olympics," Owen replied.
This sounds a bit like officialdom, but during the game, you can also feel that the two have some chemistry. At the beginning of the game, Irving quickly attacked the frontcourt, did not choose the layup he was best at, but passed to Durant, who followed. After Irving was fouled by an opponent on a layup, Durant patted Owen on the head as a sign of encouragement.
Durant scored the highest points in the team, but the United States won in rebounds. If you only look at the shooting percentage, the United States does not have much advantage, but they have an absolute advantage in rebounds, Cousins alone grabbed 15 rebounds, while the Argentine team only had 30 rebounds. "It felt great, we grabbed a lot of offensive rebounds, that's what we need because we conceded a lot of balls and we need to get better on both ends of the floor," Owen said, "It's just an exhibition game, we knew what was going to happen, we made some mistakes, everybody was going to get ready and fit into the rhythm, we wouldn't have any problems." ”
James didn't have to give advice
Owen played for Team USA in Las Vegas, and James was also in Las Vegas. From Spain to Hawaii to Las Vegas, James is enjoying his vacation to the fullest. After jumping out of the second year of the contract, because he did not sign with the Cavaliers, strictly speaking, James is no longer a Cavaliers player. Of course neither the Cavaliers nor Irving had the slightest concern, because James made it clear that he would sign with the Cavaliers, just not sure when.
"Former teammate" James, did you give him any advice on playing international games?
Owen shook his head slightly, "No, I probably know about international competitions, there is more physical contact, playing at the World Championships has given me a lot of experience, and I will apply that experience to the Olympic Games." ”
Bryant gave me the number 10 jersey
Irving was the MVP of the 2014 World Championships, and he was wearing the number 10 shirt at the time, which was also the number 10 shirt at this Olympic Games.
"You wear the number 10 jersey because Kobe bryant also wears the size 10?" Tencent Sports asked Owen.
"He gave me number 10," Owen replied.
Owen is famous for being "Komi". When Irving scored three points in the Finals, he said he was thinking of the "Mamba Spirit." In the game when Kobe Bryant retired, which was also the last game of the Cavaliers regular season, the Cavaliers arranged for Irving and James to truce, and Irving put on a pair of Kobe's sneakers, hoping to play to pay tribute to Kobe, but was finally stopped by Tylen Lue.
It's great to play for Coach K again
Coach K coached Irving
The head coach of the U.S. national team is Duke University head coach Mike Shashevsky, and Irving played at Duke University for a year before entering the NBA. This time the master and apprentice reunited again, Owen felt that there was a special meaning, "It feels fantastic, we are all very excited, because we know this is the Olympic Games, it will be an exciting process, I look forward to it, I am grateful for this opportunity to play for him in the Olympic Games." 」 ”
During training the other day, Owen imitated Coach K, and the coach scolded Irving with a foul mouth, but he didn't expect that there was a microphone in his body, and Coach K's dirty words were included in the TV. If it is not a good relationship between the two, it is estimated that there will be some turmoil.
Perhaps the game was too simplistic for Coach K, who sat on the bench for most of the game, leisurely watching the Argentine coach walk around the sidelines, or spread his hands or fork his waist, suffering. (Reporter Bao Renjun Photography Qin Shaolin)