bayedsolid Chapter 409 Was I Nervous in the First Playoff Game?
Chapter 409 Was I Nervous in the First Playoff Game?
"Welcome to the 22-23 NBA playoffs."
"TNT will bring you the first-round highlight game at Barclays Center: Nets vs. Knicks."
"O'Neal and Barkley will provide live commentary for you."
The game is about to start, and O'Neal and Barkley are already in action.
Furthermore, to emphasize the importance of the game, neither player wore suits, but instead wore Nets and Knicks jerseys respectively.
Shaquille O'Neal, wearing an oversized Nets jersey, seemed quite pleased.
But Barkley, wearing a Knicks jersey, didn't look so happy.
Inside the field, the players have returned to the bench.
After a piece of music, the host began to introduce the Knicks players.
As the host read out each name, boos were heard from the fans in the audience.
This is Brooklyn, after all.
Soon, the names of the Newcastle players were introduced in a streamlined manner.
The lights suddenly went out.
The announcer shouted, "Next up are the Brooklyn Nets' bench players: Thomas, Watanabe, Zeng Fanbo, Simmons..."
One by one, the names were read out.
Then one by one, the players stood up from the bench and went onto the field.
Soon, these substitute players formed a tunnel.
"Now, let's introduce today's starting lineup, Claxton..."
As the announcer called out, Claxton stood up, clapped his hands on the hands of the substitute players on both sides, and then stood at the back to continue forming the human wall.
"Royce O'Neal..."
"Westbrook..."
"Wang Xiucheng..."
When Wang Xiucheng's name was mentioned, the large screen on the dome began to play a series of classic pictures of Wang Xiucheng.
The images scrolled quickly, finally settling on a picture of Wang Xiucheng sitting on the top of the backboard during the dunk contest.
Everyone stood up and applauded Wang Xiucheng.
This world-famous painting even graced the cover of Time magazine in March, which speaks volumes about how breathtaking Wang Xiucheng's performance in the dunk contest was.
"Last one, Durant..."
The Nets still put Durant last in the lineup, which shows that, at least on the surface, Durant is still the leader of the team.
Although everyone knows that even without Durant, this team cannot do without Wang Xiucheng.
However, as a veteran who has played in the league for more than 15 years, Durant's contribution is still extremely needed in the playoffs.
Durant stood up, patted the players on both sides, went to the last position, and then shook hands with Wang Xiucheng in a way that was already very familiar, but still looked complicated.
The lights in the venue were restored, making it as bright as day.
Everyone gathered together, stretching out their hands and stacking them on top of each other.
"Fuck him!" Durant yelled.
"Fuck him!"
All the players and staff shouted.
Even the fans who were nearby joined in the shouting, even though they didn't know what the phrase meant.
Westbrook also shouted out.
He went from being somewhat embarrassed at the beginning to now "giving up".
Anyway, it's not like I'm the one who shouted it, so we'll all lose face together!
Nash didn't say anything more.
This is Wang Xiucheng's first playoff appearance, and he is somewhat worried that Wang Xiucheng will be nervous.
This is why teams are so afraid of Durant getting injured in the playoffs.
Wang Xiucheng is only 20 years old and lacks experience.
Wang Xiucheng tucked his jersey into his shorts and slowly walked onto the court.
I looked up at the massive Barclays Center.
And so, my first playoff game arrived.
"take it easy."
A large hand slapped Wang Xiucheng on the head.
Wang Xiucheng looked over and saw it was Durant.
"Do I look nervous?" Wang Xiucheng asked, puzzled.
Durant didn't answer Wang Xiucheng's question, but instead said to himself, "My performance in the first playoff game wasn't great either..."
But halfway through his conversation, Durant noticed that Wang Xiucheng had gone to the other side and was shaking hands with Brunson and others.
The referee, holding the ball, stood in the center circle, waiting.
After Claxton and Mitchell Robinson stood in the center circle, the referee looked around and, once he found everyone in position, tossed the ball high into the air.
The match officially began at this moment.
The two jumped toward the basketball.
Mitchell Robinson is strong, standing at 2.13 meters tall with a 2.24-meter wingspan. He is also very fast and excels on defense.
It's fair to say that Brunson is the primary contributor to the Knicks' success this year, but Mitchell Robinson's defensive prowess in the paint is also undeniable.
With a snap, the basketball was slapped by both players almost simultaneously.
The basketball flew to the side.
Brunson intercepted the ball first, then leaned against Wang Xiucheng behind him, and began dribbling forward under the screen of Mitchell Robinson.
All the fans in the stadium stood and did not sit down.
Even though the opening challenge was already decided, the fans were still standing.
Brunson quickly moved to the frontcourt and, once again under Mitchell Robinson's screen, entered the paint.
Wang Xiucheng followed behind him the whole time.
Brunson could sense Wang Xiucheng, so he didn't dare use his preferred throwing technique.
Hart circled around the perimeter, shaking off his defender, and ran to the outside. Brunson immediately passed the ball to him.
But Westbrook appeared in the ball's path at some point and intercepted it.
He caught the ball, but instead of dribbling forward, Westbrook threw it out again.
He saw that Wang Xiucheng had already started the process.
And there was no one with him.
With a thud, the basketball fell to the floor. Wang Xiucheng arrived just in time and caught the ball with one hand.
After slightly altering his route, Wang Xiucheng ran towards the basketball hoop.
"The king's dunk is coming..."
O'Neal stood up and shouted.
Everyone knew what it meant when Wang Xiucheng charged across the halfway line alone.
Wang Xiucheng quickly moved into the three-point line and stepped onto the free-throw line a step later.
In an instant, Wang Xiucheng seemed to be propelled by a spring, flying out with the basketball held high above his head.
His legs were slightly bent, as if he were stepping on something.
And at that moment, Wang Xiucheng's body began to spin.
Everyone's phone was pointed at Wang Xiucheng, as if afraid of missing even a single frame.
Finally, Wang Xiucheng, having spun 360 degrees, slammed the ball into the basket with one hand.
With a thud, Wang Xiucheng landed on the ground, taking two steps to cushion the impact.
Then, Wang Xiucheng stood under the basket, looking at the fans in the stands.
Suddenly, all the fans who hadn't yet sat down turned around and started dancing the Poznan dance.
Many fans held up their phones and recorded themselves dancing along with Wang Xiucheng's figure on the field.
For Wang Xiucheng, it was just an ordinary 360-degree free throw, but it already excited the fans.
Wang Xiucheng smiled as he looked at the wave of fans, then turned around and gave Durant and a few others a high-five.
Am I nervous?
Wang Xiucheng suddenly asked Durant.