bayedsolid Chapter 34 O'Neal: Yao Ming wants me to take care of his little brother
Chapter 34 O'Neal: Yao Ming wants me to take care of his little brother
"Yao Ming..."
The name made Barkley's eyebrows twitch, and he subconsciously touched his mouth.
"whats the matter?"
Barkley became interested.
"It's nothing, he just asked me to take care of his little brother. When I go to China, he'll treat me to a big meal, a Chinese feast."
Shaquille O'Neal tilted his bald head upwards, looking quite pleased with himself.
Yao Ming, who has always been a self-reliant person, is not the type to call people casually.
"Wang Xiucheng?" Barkley glanced at Wang Xiucheng, who was shooting three-pointers on the court but hadn't made a single one, then pointed to the two stacks of money on the table: "Is this how you take care of his little brother?"
O'Neal also frowned slightly. Yes, Yao Ming said that if possible, he should take care of Wang Xiucheng, but he was actually taking money from Wang Xiucheng.
That's bad enough, but he was the one who lost to the gambling king, Xiu Cheng.
The more O'Neal thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Suddenly, he said, "How about we switch? I, the King of Gamblers Xiu Cheng, won't get the ball stolen. You bet on him getting it stolen."
"Impossible." Barkley shook his hand like a fan, directly refusing.
What should I do?
If Yao Ming finds out, it will be hard to explain to him. If I break my promise to Yao Ming, even my father in heaven won't let me go.
Suddenly, O'Neal slapped his forehead and said, "How about this, we'll pool our money, and whoever can steal the ball from Wang Xiucheng will get the money."
Barkley found this interesting.
Standing on the same side will save the two of them from arguing all the time.
"That's a good idea."
Barkley slapped his thigh in agreement, fearing O'Neal might back out, and immediately posted the new bet online.
And soon, this bet caused quite a stir.
The live broadcast director even displayed a screenshot of Barkley's bet posted on his personal platform on the big screen.
The screenshot of the bet didn't disappear until the match started.
The first quarter began amidst a huge cheer from the fans.
The Rockets still fielded the same starting lineup of Wood, Tate, Theis, Green, and Porter Jr.
The Warriors fielded a lineup of Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney, Stephen Curry, and Poole.
Klay Thompson, who has been sidelined with a long-term injury, also sat on the bench today to cheer on his teammates.
Both sides played an open and fast-paced game, but the Warriors had a higher shooting percentage, and the score gradually widened to double digits.
With four minutes left in the first quarter, the Warriors led 33-21 by 12 points.
Both sides began to rotate players. Wang Xiucheng brought three teammates onto the court, while Jalen Green stayed on the court to cooperate with Wang Xiucheng.
The entire arena erupted in applause, and many fans wearing Warriors jerseys were even holding signs with Rockets jerseys bearing the number "12".
When Wang Xiucheng received the serve, Payton immediately closed in.
Wang Xiucheng frowned slightly. Payton's defensive ability was undeniable, but did he not know that he had already shaken off several people?
Or does he want to give it a try?
Wang Xiucheng wasn't sure either, but since the other party dared to stick close to him, Wang Xiucheng wouldn't be polite.
Payton Jr. spread his arms to expand his defensive area, with one foot in front of the other, the front foot positioned right under Wang Xiucheng's groin, making it difficult for Wang Xiucheng to move to either side.
Wang Xiucheng's choice was to go backward.
As Wang Xiucheng dribbled the ball behind him, he took a step back, widening the distance between himself and Payton.
Little Payton seemed to have been prepared all along, and was about to stick to it again.
Just then, Wang Xiucheng made his move.
Wang Xiucheng dribbled behind his back twice quickly, and made a feint with his upper body. Just as Payton's front foot landed, Wang Xiucheng rushed to the left like the wind.
Payton Jr. slid his front foot forward, instantly widening the distance between his feet, attempting to block Wang Xiucheng's lower body.
But Wang Xiucheng quickly pulled the basketball back and took a step, the basketball went around the head of the short Payton, and Wang Xiucheng was already on the right.
Curry on the bench was about to yell "traveling!" to put pressure on the referee.
But the next moment he saw Wang Xiucheng's basketball fly forward.
Then, the basketball hit Shen Jing on the back, who was standing still at the center line.
Wang Xiucheng arrived just then, and with one hand, he scooped the basketball up from below like he was scooping dumplings.
However, it seemed that too much force was used, and the basketball went out of control, flying towards the three-point line.
Rooney jumped high, trying to intercept the ball, but only managed to tap it once before it changed trajectory and flew to the right.
A red figure appeared there; it was Jalen Green.
He leaped high into the air, grabbed the basketball with both hands, and slammed it into the hoop.
Curry jumped to his feet.
He had seen this kind of ball in the Rockets game videos that the team prepared before the game.
Cole crossed his arms, squinted, and looked at Wang Xiucheng in the distance, who was reaching out to wait for Green.
Just as the team's scouting department said, he has top-notch speed and ball control skills, and seems to have been consistently lucky.
And the ability to make decisions instantly.
When Wang Xiucheng got past Payton, he almost committed a traveling foul because he had already taken two steps while circling the ball over Payton's head.
However, Wang Xiucheng cleverly used Shen Jing's back to pass the ball to himself, thus avoiding a possible foul.
Making so many predictions in such a short time is something that most players can't do.
However, in this era, without exceptional ability, it's impossible to become a superstar.
Kerr didn't want to use the term "superstar" to describe Wang Xiucheng; it was the scouting report that used that term first.
The game continued, and the Warriors attacked. After a screen, Moody missed a three-pointer, and Green grabbed the rebound and passed it to Wang Xiucheng.
This time, Payton kept a meter's distance from Wang Xiucheng.
His ankle was in a lot of pain, and he felt he couldn't run at full speed anymore, but he couldn't say it; he couldn't bear the shame.
Green, who was running forward, turned back to screen for Wang Xiucheng. Wang Xiucheng dribbled forward and, just as Payton came over again, passed the ball to Green.
Swish!
Green pulled up for a three-pointer, which swished through the net.
Kerr checked the time and abandoned the idea of calling a timeout.
In his view, Wang Xiucheng's playing style is similar to Doncic's, which is a core-player style, and the ball almost always has to pass through his hands.
Unfortunately, Wang Xiucheng lacks a three-point shot, but his assist ability is better than Doncic's.
Just then, Christopher intercepted the ball from Otto Porter Jr., and then started dribbling wildly without looking at anyone.
Christopher passed the ball to Green beyond the three-point line after bumping into Payton. Green, in a hot hand, ignored the defender and launched another three-pointer.
But the ball didn't go in. Fortunately, Shen Jing blocked the player and tipped the basketball into the basket.
The Rockets scored 7 consecutive points.
33:28.
Kerr shook his head, stepped onto the court, and called a timeout.
"Keep an eye on the others. As long as Wang is on the perimeter, let him do whatever he wants. Keep an eye on the others and don't let them receive the ball. In the last minute, don't let them score again."
Kerr held the tactics board, drawing and talking as he went, until the timeout ended.
The game begins again.
The Warriors were on offense. After several high-quality screens and picks, Otto Porter Jr. hit a three-pointer and was fouled by Christopher.
Additional penalty.
Four-point shot.
The Warriors extended their lead to 37-28.
With 27 seconds left, Wang Xiucheng received the ball and slowly dribbled it across half-court.
Payton was covered in sweat and looked very tired, but he still kept a close eye on Wang Xiucheng, remembering Cole's instructions not to let anyone else receive the ball.
Wang Xiucheng controlled the ball, watching the time.
This time, Payton didn't try to steal the ball, which puzzled Wang Xiucheng, who wondered what Cole was up to.
With 7 seconds left on the attack timer, Wang Xiucheng made his move.
He stepped into the three-point line and was about to shoot.
The position was right next to Payton Jr., and Payton Jr. instinctively jumped up to block it.
Although Kerr had instructed that Wang Xiucheng could shoot, sometimes it's hard for people to fight against their subconscious actions.
Especially when you are under a lot of mental stress and focus.
After jumping, Payton realized that Wang Xiucheng had indeed caught the ball, but his feet had not jumped.
He saw Wang Xiucheng pass the ball behind him with one hand, and Green happened to appear behind Wang Xiucheng. Green caught the ball and jumped up to shoot.
Swish!
Three points in.
beep!
The whistle blows.
Payton Jr. committed a foul.