After a while, UCLA started warm-up training. Harden and Xu Yong found a comfortable position and observed through the gap of the bench.

Then, they didn't speak for a long time.

The group of people on the field are not only talented, but also have very high tactical qualities.

What surprised Xu Yong again was Westbrook. Unlike his impression of him rushing to the inside as soon as he stepped on the accelerator, Westbrook played the positional battle very reasonably at that time.

This is probably related to UCLA's offensive system. They play the UCLA pass-and-cut tactics invented by John Wooden. The point guard does not need to organize the offense too much in this system. That is more what Love, the center, has to do.

But when UCLA began full-court practice, one thing about Westbrook was the same as he remembered, which was that the speed of transition offense was really fast.

Basically, as soon as the defense gets the rebound, he has already passed half court, and as long as the ball is given, it is basically a dunk.

That’s right, this guy can never miss a dunk during training, as if he has endless energy.

That is, after Westbrook completed another dunk, the two sat back.

"I met Russell when I was ten years old, at a basketball training camp in 1998, and we became friends after that," Harden said.

Xu Yong looked at Harden with surprise. In his impression, Harden and Westbrook became teammates only after they joined the Thunder. He didn't expect that they knew each other so early?

"I know his story," Harden continued.

"Story?" Xu Yong became more and more curious.

"Did you notice the bracelet on his wrist?" Harden asked after nodding.

"Bracelet?" Xu Yong said as he stood up again and searched for Westbrook on the court. He soon found him and discovered a bracelet on the latter's hand.

A plain looking plastic white bracelet.

"That's why he plays so passionately." Harden continued after Xu Yong sat down again.

This aroused Xu Yong's curiosity. He didn't understand why an ordinary bracelet could make Westbrook so rich.

Then, Harden told him a story, or an episode in the past.

When Westbrook was young, he had a very good friend named Casey Barrs. The two lived on the same street, went to school together, and played basketball together.

Of course, more often than not, it was Balls who taught Westbrook basketball skills and helped the latter grow.

Because Westbrook was very thin at the time, but Bars was very tall. He was 2.01 meters tall when he was a sophomore in high school. He also had excellent basketball skills and was as famous as "Little Handsome" Durant. He was known as the best young player in California and once scored 50 points in a single game in high school.

"In his sophomore year, Russell had already started to grow taller, and he and Casey agreed to enter UCLA together, and then participate in the NBA draft together."

Xu Yong listened and nodded. Needless to say, Westbrook is now playing for UCLA and will become an NBA superstar. And according to Harden's description, if nothing unexpected happens, Bars will also become an NBA player with a bright future.

But when he searched his memory, there was no such person as Bals.

"Then the accident happened," Harden continued. "In a game in 2004, Casey collapsed. Because of heart expansion, he woke up for a while, but he eventually died that day."

When Xu Yong heard this, he was stunned.

He did not expect this result, and unlike others, he felt a strong resonance at this moment.

Because in a sense, he and Bars are the same.

The only difference is that he lost his basketball dream due to illness, but Bals, who was equally talented, lost his life.

"Maybe he was reborn in another world." Xu Yong said.

Upon hearing this, Harden glanced at Xu Yong and continued his story.

After Bars' death, Westbrook was hit so hard that he didn't talk to anyone for a while, but in the end, he did not choose to give up.

He first made this bracelet with the words "KB3" printed on it. KB is the abbreviation of Casey Barrs, and "3" is Barrs' jersey number.

Then, he started using Bars's style of play.

Bars loves to attack the basket, and he threw down crazy dunks during the game;

Baars likes to yell on the court, and he roars at the audience after every dunk.

"He told me that Casey is not dead, but lives in him and has become a part of his life. He is not only playing for himself, but also for Casey. They are still fighting side by side."

Harden's words touched Xu Yong deeply.

It turns out that Westbrook's violent style of play throughout his life was because of Bals.

It is Westbrook's luck to have a good friend like Baars, but at the same time, it is also Baars' luck to have a good friend like Westbrook.

He stood up again and looked at the court. This time Westbrook switched to the substitute group.

With suffocating defense, Bamford stole the ball from his teammate, and Collison flew down the court as fast as lightning. But at the moment when he was about to make a fast break layup, Westbrook chased him and blocked the ball, sending it flying out of the court. After landing, he roared at Collison, then subconsciously glanced at the bracelet.

"Do we really have a chance to win?" Harden asked again.

Although Xu Yong said before that they would have a chance if they could gain an advantage at the beginning, with Westbrook, UCLA not only had better player talent and tactical qualities than them, but also had stronger spiritual attributes.

This is probably the reason why UCLA was able to beat its opponents by nearly 20 points per game in previous games. They are already extremely mature.

Can they really defeat such an opponent?

"How do you know if you don't try?" Xu Yong turned around and asked, still with that confident look on his face.

Facing a strong enemy, he knew he might not win, but he would not question it, nor would he feel fear.

Because the greatest charm of basketball is not how many championships you have won or how many points you have scored, but in challenging the strong, then making progress, and then challenging stronger opponents.

…

That night, the Wells Fargo Arena was packed.

There were many UCLA fans at the scene, but there were even more fans from Arizona State University. They held up signs, and some even held flags exclusive to the Devils, fully demonstrating the enthusiasm of Tempe fans.

Of course, in a game like this, it’s not just the fans who come.

In the middle of the audience, there were a few guys in suits and carrying laptop bags, their attire was clearly different from the surrounding fans.

They are scouts from the NBA, and their key targets for tonight's game are Westbrook and Love from UCLA, and Harden from Arizona State University.

It wasn't even just the scouts, because the crowd was already boiling with excitement before the players from both teams entered the field.

Three familiar figures entered the venue. They were the three core members of the Suns team next door: Marion, Stoudemire and Nash!

Especially when Nash, the "Son of the Wind" and two-time MVP winner appeared, the scene went crazy.

The Suns have been a championship contender for several seasons in a row and are very strong. Plus, this is in Phoenix, the Suns' "home nest."

Their appearance added more highlights to this already highly anticipated game.

For example, who are they here for?

After the pre-match warm-up, the opening ceremony began and the starting lineups of both sides were announced one after another.

On the Bruins side, No. 2 Darren Collison, who is 1.85 meters tall, and No. 0 Westbrook, who is 1.90 meters tall, partner in the backcourt. On the front line are No. 3 Josh Shipp, who is 1.96 meters tall, and No. 23 Luke Richard Mbah a Moute, who is 2.03 meters tall and weighs 117 kilograms. The center is No. 42 Kevin Love, who is 2.03 meters tall and weighs 117 kilograms.

The Devils team is led by "Satan" Xu Yong and "Bal" Harden, plus Ayers, Shipp and Glaser.

"Steve, why did you choose this game? It's hard for the Devils to win." Marion couldn't help but ask as he looked at the players who had already started playing.

As the Suns player who is most familiar with the NCAA, he knows how dominant UCLA is in the PAC10 league.

"Sean, the more difficult the game is, the more you can see a player's ability." Nash said with a smile.

These words made Stadler on the side nod his head. What is more important than winning or losing is the performance in adversity.

Because temporary victory or defeat cannot determine the future, but if you have the quality to rise up in the face of adversity, you are destined to achieve something in the future.