Chapter 94 [Knight Kingdom]



After the game, players from both sides shook hands.

Xu Yong met Ayers, who did not get a chance to play tonight, and the two made an appointment to have coffee together later.

It was at this moment that he realized that James had left long ago.

It seems that the grudge between the two of them is quite serious tonight.

But he didn't care too much. After all, he came to the NBA to compete for honors and improve his strength, not to make friends.

What's more, James' behavior only made him feel that he had no class, and he didn't want to have anything to do with the other party.

Just after the handshake ceremony, Xu Yong saw Jordan walking towards him.

And along with him came the gazes of a group of people around him.

Even after Jordan retired, his influence is unparalleled.

Especially in the United States, his influence is undoubtedly the greatest in sports history.

Yes, not limited to basketball.

If you were to vote for the best athlete in the United States, he would definitely be number one in history.

Xu Yong didn't know what Jordan was here for. After all, the last time they had an unpleasant experience in the training hall,

But when he got closer, Jordan smiled and opened his arms towards him.

Seeing this, Xu Yong did not refuse Jordan's face, but went up to hug Jordan.

After all, the AJ he is currently endorsing has close ties with Jordan.

"Good job, keep it up." After the hug, Jordan said some words of affirmation and encouragement to him.

Xu Yong also responded politely.

Naturally, this scene was also captured by the media.

Jordan encouraged fans who once beat North Carolina?

This title sounds very UC.

Jordan didn't say much and quickly left with his men.

At this time, Xu Yong could more or less guess that Jordan's action just now was most likely related to his endorsement of AJ.

After all, judging from his last experience, Jordan has a small temper.

It's impossible that he changed his attitude just because he won once?

How could the God of Basketball be a masochist!

The Cavaliers locker room.

When the other players returned to the locker room, they found that James had already taken a shower.

And James was humming a song while getting dressed.

O'Neal was stunned.

Because he has worked with Kobe and Wade, he subconsciously compares James with them.

If it was Kobe tonight, he would definitely still be practicing in the gym right now.

If it was Wade, he might have already brought people to rob the Bulls' locker room.

But how did James act like nothing happened and seem to be in a good mood?

"Shaq, wanna go out tonight? I heard the nightclubs in Chicago are pretty good." Seeing O'Neal looking at him, James even asked.

O'Neal shook his head. Although he was an optimistic and playful person, he really couldn't go out partying the night after being defeated.

"Don't worry, Shaq, it's just a regular season game!" James then downplayed it after being rejected by O'Neal.

His words quickly attracted the attention of others in the locker room.

"We just underestimated our opponent. Let's play again tonight. Do you think they beat us?" James asked.

O'Neill was stunned.

At this moment, he didn't know how to describe his feelings.

Although what James said is actually correct.

The Bulls won tonight because of Xu Yong, but they didn't actually pay much attention to Xu Yong.

Although you are the second pick, you are still just a rookie after all. Can a rookie influence the game? Do you really think you are Jordan?

Then, Xu Yong scored 25 points.

This is the consequence of underestimating the enemy.

If the two teams played another game in the same place, and they paid more attention to Xu Yong and targeted him more, the Bulls would basically have no chance.

But that's true, but it's not the Bulls who force you to underestimate the enemy!

And if you lose, you lose. It feels like being beaten up in public and then being told that you were just careless and didn't dodge?

However, the old players of the Cavaliers all laughed after hearing what James said.

The atmosphere in the Cavaliers' locker room seemed to become cheerful at this moment.

It was like I had found a reason for losing the game. The burden in my heart was gone, and losing the game didn’t matter anymore.

O'Neal, who had played in the league for nearly 20 years, widened his eyes at this moment. This time he was in trouble and his eyes were opened.

After being interviewed by Zhang Weiping and others on the sidelines, Xu Yong and Rose were taken by De Nagro to attend the team's post-match press conference.

When they arrived, the room was already packed with reporters, and there were even some people at the door who wanted to go in but were stopped.

With such a focus battle and the unexpected post-match result, reporters were eager to get in.

After they went in and sat down, the reporters below raised their hands in unison.

"Xu, you scored 25 points in your professional career debut and led the team to defeat the Cavaliers. How do you evaluate your performance?" The first reporter who was called asked Xu Yong.

The other reporters also looked at Xu Yong.

There is no doubt that Xu Yong is the focus of attention tonight.

"I don't think it was 'I' who led the team." However, Xu Yong's first words surprised everyone.

Even Ross and Denagro turned their heads.

"It was Coach De Nagro who arranged the targeted tactics, it was Derek who was in charge of the team's main offense, it was Joakim who tried his best in the penalty area, it was Lohr who was in charge of defending LeBron... and I just did what I was supposed to do."

After Xu Yong finished speaking, the reporters in the audience were surprised and nodded involuntarily.

They didn't know whether Xu Yong was really such a team player or was just pretending to be so, but one thing was certain: this young rookie did not become complacent after having such a great debut, which was already an excellent quality.

"How did you know that LeBron would choose to pass the ball at the last moment?" The next reporter asked Xu Yong again.

The reporter at the scene who asked this question also laughed.

James has been in the league for six years, and it is nothing new that he likes to pass the ball at critical moments.

"LeBron is a selfless player." Xu Yong said. He did not lower himself to the same level as James just because he was a bad boy.

"So I chose to block his passing route. At that time, Anthony Parker was completely open, and that was the most likely passing route." Xu Yong paused, "But more importantly, I believe my teammates can protect the restricted area."

This time, the reporters looked at Xu Yong with more certainty than before.

Every sentence mentioned is true team player, and anyone, unless they have obsessive-compulsive disorder, can tell that Xu Yong is a true team player.

And if you really look at the statistics, although Xu Yong scored a game-high 25 points, his number of shots ranked behind Rose, and he also made 4 assists in a limited amount of time touching the ball.

These may not attract attention at the beginning, but they are the best proof at this moment.

"Do you think we won tonight by luck? The Cavaliers didn't seem to take you seriously. They underestimated their opponent." Another reporter asked Xu Yong.

Xu Yong frowned slightly when he heard this.

It can be said that he had watched quite a few NBA interview clips before his rebirth, such as "Asking Durant why he is called KD" and "Asking O'Neal if a poisonous snake bit your mother's chest would you help suck out the venom" and so on.

But when he saw that the other party was from ESPN, he understood instantly.

"Luck can help you score a goal, but it can't help you fight your opponent all night long." Xu Yong shook his head.

"But the Cavaliers are stronger than you. If you play again, they will have a greater chance of winning," the reporter continued.

"We won." Xu Yong reminded.

"I mean, if this is a playoff series, best of seven, if you guys meet, the Cavaliers have a better chance of winning," the reporter continued.

"No, I believe we can still win." Xu Yong answered simply.

This answer finally made the reporter stop asking questions.

Obviously, he got the answer he wanted.

Teamwork, maturity, and overflowing confidence.

It was after this question that the group of reporters in the audience had already formed an initial but very comprehensive impression of the newcomer Xu Yong.

After the press conference ended and he walked out of the venue, Xu Yong saw Ayers waiting at the door.

After saying hello to Ross, he immediately went out for coffee with Ayers.

Even though the two hadn't seen each other for only two months, since they lived in different cities and had just joined the league, they always had a lot to talk about.

In particular, the cities where the two people are located are so special. One is in the capital of gangs, and the other went to the legendary "K Village".

"Do you remember Detroit when we played the finals? It was a smaller Detroit." Ayers couldn't help but complain when they met.

"So exaggerated?" Xu Yong had never been to Cleveland, and he had only heard that it was a small city.

"It's a declining industrial city with a small population. If you stay there for a long time, you will really miss the days in Tempe," Ayers continued to complain.

Xu Yong smiled bitterly when he heard this. It seemed that Cleveland was really worse than the rumors.

“And…” Ayers said, lowering his voice, “The Cavaliers are really depressing.”

"Depressed?" Xu Yong was puzzled.

"You know when we were on the Devils we could say whatever we wanted, but there you have to be careful about what you say, afraid you might say the wrong thing," Ayers said.

"This is normal, Jeff. The NBA is a commercial league and is different from the NCAA. You have to get used to it," Xu Yong counseled.

"No, I know that difference, but it's different there. Compared to a team, it's more like... I don't know how to describe it, but even Shaq has to pay attention to LeBron's eyes when he speaks." Ayers seemed to have finally found the right adjective.

"Knight...Kingdom?" Xu Yong subconsciously thought of a word.

"Yes! That's the word! You know, in that small city, but with one of the most talented players in history, his status in the team is really like a king, and he seems to enjoy being a king." Ayers said bitterly.

Xu Yong was stunned when he heard this. He really couldn't imagine the scene that Ayers described, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for Ayers. Not only did he go to that kind of place, but he also didn't have a chance to play. It was really unfortunate for him to be selected by the Cavaliers.


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