bayedsolid Chapter 588 The Boy Who Became a Chinese Citizen!
Chapter 588 The Boy Who Became a Chinese Citizen!
On November 14, the Nets will continue to host the Magic at home.
This match is still part of the Mid-Season Championship.
The Magic are currently 5-4, and it seems that after several years of tanking, they finally have the strength to make a playoff run.
However, the absence of Fultz and Gary Harris from the Magic in this game had a significant impact on the Magic's strength.
Meanwhile, Lofton, the Nets' star player, has been suffering from diarrhea for some unknown reason and will not play today.
Joe Harris sprained his ankle during practice and may be sidelined for a week.
Fortunately, compared to last season, Joe Harris, who was traded and then returned on a veteran's minimum salary, has become a substitute. Whether he plays or not has no impact on the Nets.
At the start of the game, the Nets, playing at home, took the initiative.
Durant made several pull-up jumpers, and Westbrook also drove to the basket multiple times and scored, drawing fouls in the process.
The Nets started the first quarter with a 14-5 run before the game was even halfway through.
After a timeout, the Magic hit consecutive three-pointers, narrowing the gap in the score.
But Durant once again took on the opponent's star player one-on-one, and second-year rookie Ban Cairo scored, allowing the Nets to maintain a slight lead.
In the 9th minute, Udoka substituted Durant, Westbrook, and Towns.
After paddling for 9 minutes, Wang Xiucheng began to take over the game.
Wang Xiucheng, who had only made one basket with two layups and drives, led the Nets to an 11-3 run in the final three minutes with a combination of drives, shots, and passes.
At the end of the first quarter, the Nets were leading 33-24.
Returning for the second quarter, the Magic seemed to have found their offensive rhythm. Led by Wagner's brother basketball, they went on a 12-2 run while Wang Xiucheng was resting, and even took the lead over the Nets at one point.
Durant and Towns' three-pointers, for some reason, seemed to be impossible to shoot, as if the rim was covered.
Westbrook once again went on a crazy performance, missing one of his dunks.
When Wang Xiucheng returned after his rest, the Nets were already down by double digits.
The two sides then reached a stalemate, trading baskets.
At the end of the first half, the Magic were leading the Nets 60-57.
Strangely enough, neither the fans at the stadium nor the players like Wang Xiucheng seemed to feel any disappointment about losing the game.
It's as if the Magic, not the Nets, are the ones that are falling behind.
In the second half, under Wang Xiucheng's direction, Durant and Towns, who had been surprisingly cold in the second quarter, made several crucial shots from beyond the arc.
Bencaro's individual abilities began to shine for the Magic, but it wasn't enough for them to keep the score close.
In the fourth quarter, the Magic suddenly went cold again, unable to make any shots.
Without rest, Wang Xiucheng began his personal show, hitting three consecutive three-pointers and drawing a foul to make the free throws. Wang Xiucheng scored 10 points in a row, leading the Nets to a 15-3 offensive surge.
Seeing that they were powerless to turn the tide, the Magic substituted their key players.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Nets easily defeated the Magic 124-104 at home.
Wang Xiucheng, who mostly coasted through the game, played 37 minutes, shooting 12 of 18 from the field, including 5 of 10 from three-point range, 7 of 8 from two-point range, and 5 of 7 from the free-throw line, scoring a game-high 34 points, along with 11 assists and two steals.
Durant and Towns' performances tonight were only average, with the former scoring 20 points and the latter only 15.
Fortunately, Towns grabbed 10 rebounds tonight, which somewhat made up for the lack of offense.
After winning this game, the Nets' record improved to 7 wins and 4 losses, tying the third-place Philadelphia 76ers who lost Harden.
This game is also part of the Mid-Season Invitational. The Nets, who have already played three Mid-Season Invitational games, have a record of two wins and one loss, keeping their hopes of advancing alive.
However, the Nets then suffered two consecutive losses.
The Nets first lost to the Heat on the road, and then lost to the Philadelphia 76ers at home.
The Nets are currently ranked 5th with a record of 7 wins and 6 losses.
On November 22, the Nets played the Hawks on the road.
Unlike cities like New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, Atlanta doesn't have a large Chinese population.
But tonight, the Hawks' home arena, Phillips Arena, still had quite a few fans of Chinese descent in attendance.
With 20 minutes to go before the match starts, both teams' players have already begun warming up.
The reason it is described as "basic" is because Wang Xiucheng arrived late.
Wang Xiucheng emerged from the player tunnel 10 minutes before the start of the match.
As soon as they stepped out of the players' tunnel, shouts from many Chinese fans rang out.
Wang Xiucheng waved his hand, and was about to sit on the bench to tie his shoelaces when he saw two people sitting in the fan section behind him.
Wang Xiucheng walked around the bench, came to the two men, hugged them both, and asked in Chinese, "Are you Chinese now?"
“Yes,” a black teenager who looked to be only about 1.8 meters tall replied in broken Chinese.
This boy's name is Zhu Zheng.
He is an American with one-half Chinese ancestry.
Of course, I am a Chinese person now.
In the first half of this year, Wang Xiucheng had Yao Ming contact this person to inquire whether he had any intention of becoming a Chinese citizen.
The result was good. Whether the teenager did it for money or because he said in an interview that he "identified with his bloodline," he completed all his naturalization procedures a month before he turned 16.
From now on, Zhu Zheng will be a Chinese player and will not occupy a naturalization quota like Li Kaier.
The Chinese national team doesn't receive the same treatment as South Sudan, where six or seven naturalized players are allowed without any issues.
"Which city is your registered residence in?" Wang Xiucheng asked in English this time.
He knew that Zhu Zheng's Mandarin was still difficult for him to communicate with.
"The business world," Zhu Zheng, sporting dreadlocks, said with a smile.
Wang Xiucheng laughed upon hearing this.
Chairman Yao is really something. Whether it's Li Kaier or Zhu Zheng, he made them all registered as business owners. Do you think he didn't have any ulterior motives?
In fact, although Zhu Zheng obtained Chinese citizenship before the age of 16, he is eligible to represent China in this year's World Cup.
However, both Wang Xiucheng and Yao Ming believed that given his abilities and age, it would be better to wait a little longer.
Even 18-year-old Zhao Weilun was repeatedly outmatched in the World Cup, so Zhu Zheng, who is only 16 and far from being fully developed, is naturally not suitable to go to the World Cup so early.
Zhu Zheng enrolled at Alabama A&M University this year, which is only about 300 kilometers away from Atlanta, which is why he was at the competition today.
After exchanging pleasantries, Wang Xiucheng was about to return to the court to shoot a few balls to warm up when he found that everyone had already returned.
Warm-up is over!
Wang Xiucheng could only lower his head and sit on the bench, adjusting his jersey as if nothing had happened.
One minute later, everyone was standing on the field.
With countless hands clasped together, Durant yelled, "Fuck him!"
"Fuck him!"
Everyone shouted the same thing, then came to the field to prepare for the match.
Zhu Zheng, sitting behind the Nets' bench, paused, blinked, and looked at his father.
"Dad, did they just swear in Chinese?"
Zhu Zheng's father was also astonished, looking at the five Nets players on the court with disbelief.
These foreigners are actually using Chinese swear words as slogans?
Moreover, he shouted it so smoothly!
This shows that these people have been shouting like this all along!
Are you sure you were watching an NBA game, not a CBA game?