dognovel Chapter 18 Reeves: This guy is an undrafted player? Then what am I?
Chapter 18 Reeves: This guy is an undrafted player? Then what am I?
Staples Center was packed with fans early today, and there seemed to be more Chinese faces than at the last game.
The big screen displayed highlights from the previous game between the two teams, with Wang Xiucheng's dunk being played repeatedly.
Of course, what no one knew was that Wang Xiucheng was taken for a urine test after the competition.
Staples Center has always been a stage for stars to showcase themselves, and today is no exception.
Wang Xiucheng saw former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with his son at the game.
When Schwarzenegger saw Wang Xiucheng looking at him, he waved and said something to his son, seemingly introducing Wang Xiucheng.
On the other side, Wang Xiucheng also saw Robert Downey Jr. wearing sunglasses.
Iron Man was talking to Rihanna, a die-hard James fan, not far away. The two even put their arms around each other's shoulders from time to time, looking quite intimate.
To Wang Xiucheng's surprise, Jenna came again.
Courtside tickets for the Lakers' home games aren't something you can just buy with money.
If you don't have a certain level of fame and status, it's practically a pipe dream to get into Staples Center and sit in the front row.
The lights dimmed as the players were introduced.
The audience members were all seated and applauded their favorite players.
The Rockets fielded Green, Porter Jr., Wood, Tate, and center Shen Jing in this game.
With Theis sidelined due to injury, this marked Shen Jing's first time starting a match.
And the facts have proven that Shen Jing deserves a starting position more than Tai Si.
From the start of the match, the two teams displayed their distinct playing styles.
The Lakers continued to play star-studded basketball, with every offensive possession going through the hands of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and most of the time, the game ended with a score.
The Rockets, on the other hand, have a completely different style.
During counterattacks, the Rockets, led by Green and Porter Jr., played very quickly, often scoring before James and Davis had even gotten into position.
Once the game turned into a positional battle, Shen Jing's passing vision and playmaking left the Lakers struggling to find a way to counter him.
With 3 minutes and 07 seconds left in the first quarter, the Rockets were tied 28-28 with the Lakers playing at home.
This surprised many people.
Vogel called a timeout, firstly because it was time for rotation, and secondly because he was also very dissatisfied with the game's performance.
"Well played." Silas was obviously satisfied. "Make substitutions later. Maintain the aggressiveness, pay attention to defending key players, and don't let them shoot easily. Davis is off the court, so watch out for rebounds."
Then Sylas looked at Wang Xiucheng and said, "Go up and play position one, and pay attention to the rhythm."
Wang Xiucheng nodded.
He didn't expect to appear in regular time today, which was also related to Gordon not playing today.
Everyone knows that Gordon is not in the Rockets' future plans, and it's no secret that he wants to leave the Rockets; it's just that no good offer has come in yet.
The Rockets ended an era the moment Harden left them.
The system task is issued at this time.
[Task 1: For every point earned, you will be rewarded with 10 system points.]
[Task 1: Earn 10 system points for each assist.]
[Task 1: For every point Jalen Green scores, he will be awarded 10 system points.]
After reading it, Wang Xiucheng was also a little confused.
The third task required Green to score so that he could receive the reward.
It seems I'll have to bring Green along.
Task 2 and Task 3 are clearly linked.
Passing the ball to Green and Green scoring is equivalent to getting an assist yourself, plus the bonus from Green's score, which is at least 30 points. It's very cost-effective.
The game resumed, and the audience noticed that Wang Xiucheng, who had performed impressively in the previous game, had come on as a substitute during regular time.
Suddenly, cheers in Chinese rang out from the crowd, leaving the American fans momentarily bewildered.
The last time Chinese fans were this enthusiastic was during the "Linsanity" phenomenon.
Besides Wang Xiucheng, the Rockets also fielded this year's No. 2 pick, Jalen Green, Martin, Christopher, and Garba.
A small-ball lineup.
The game restarted. Lakers' Reeves had the ball, and Wang Xiucheng was closely guarding him. DeAndre Jordan came over to set a screen, and Reeves created space and pulled up for a three-pointer.
Bang!
The basketball bounced off the rim, Green grabbed the rebound, and was about to dribble forward when he saw Wang Xiucheng reaching out for the ball.
Perhaps recalling the alley-oop Wang Xiucheng gave him in the last game, Green passed the ball to Wang Xiucheng and then ran towards the frontcourt.
Before the first quarter was over, Green had already scored 5 points. If he wanted to go one-on-one, no one would say anything.
Wang Xiucheng wasn't in a hurry. He slowly dribbled the ball forward, while Reeves maintained a distance of one meter from Wang Xiucheng, which should be enough time for him to react.
At this moment, Garuba ran over, and Wang Xiucheng suddenly accelerated, trying to circle around Garuba to the other side.
Reeves reacted quickly, arriving early on the other side of Garuba to take his position.
However, Reeves did not find Wang Xiucheng.
He immediately realized he had been tricked and looked back at the original spot.
Wang Xiucheng stood still, but the ball in his hand had disappeared. Little Jordan, who came out with Garruba, was now slowly falling with his arms outstretched.
Inside the paint, above the unguarded basket, Jalen Green gripped the ball with one hand and slammed it down.
Ah!
Jalen Green landed and roared fiercely, tilting his head back.
That was so fucking awesome!
With a loud slap, Jalen Green and Wang Xiucheng gave each other a hard high five, then quickly took their positions to defend.
Reeves received the serve, took a deep breath, and then began to dribble forward.
But his eyes were fixed on Wang Xiucheng in front of him.
He felt that he was not in the same league as Wang Xiucheng.
Not only in terms of ball control skills, but also in his ability to read the game, he admitted that he was far from reaching Wang Xiucheng's level.
Is this an undrafted player?
How ridiculous!
How could a player with such ability be an undrafted player just like me?
Are all the managers in the league blind?
Reeves became an undrafted player because his agent said he didn't want to go to another team.
If he were to actually make the selection, Reeves knew he would at least be a second-round pick.
But Wang Xiucheng definitely has the ability to be a first-round pick, or even a lottery pick.
But in fact, Wang Xiucheng was a player who did not make the final cut.
So what am I?
Reeves felt the NBA was getting stranger and stranger.
Reeves dribbled to the three-point line, and this time he chose the simplest method, lobbing the ball to DeAndre Jordan.
Garruba is much shorter than DeAndre Jordan, so in a positional game, scoring through Jordan would be the simplest and most effective way.
This was the conclusion Reeves reached, and he was curious to know what Wang Xiucheng would choose if he were in his position.
With a snap, DeAndre Jordan received the ball and dribbled it just one step when Draymond Green, who had somehow circled around, reached out and swatted the ball away.
The basketball flew towards the sidelines. Wang Xiucheng and Reeves were both very close to the ball, and they started moving almost simultaneously.
But after two steps, Wang Xiucheng overtook Reeves, leaped up, grabbed the ball, glanced back, and the next moment, the basketball flew out like a cannonball.
There stood Jalen Green, who had already shaken off his defender and started running.