stonecrandall Chapter 51 Is the smell of gunpowder rising?
Chapter 51 Is the smell of gunpowder rising?
Monday, June 6th.
9:20 p.m. Eastern Time.
Ford Arena, Detroit.
Once again, the black and blue colors collided, and the scene resembled two converging oceans, surging and undulating in a magnificent manner, with shouts resounding through the sky.
Du Ze stood in the center of the field, hearing a series of booming sounds.
He glanced ahead, where blue flags were waving in the wind. On the seats, a row of bearded men stood out. They had their backs to him, swaying their fat hips as they turned back to provoke him.
This was the first time he had experienced such a grand scene, and he almost burst out laughing.
The ceremony ended quickly.
The lights are turned on.
The referee went up to inspect the ball and then to the technical table to check the equipment.
Once everything was ready, they signaled for both teams' players to come over.
Duze walked to the center circle and began to scrutinize Hansbrough.
This guy is indeed quite handsome. Luckily, he's the handsome son of Daniel Wu, so there's no need to avoid his brilliance.
It remains to be seen whether this top-ranked center in the nation is truly as formidable as the rumors suggest.
Looking at the other people, they were all familiar faces.
Point guard Ty Lawson, a Shandong legend, was drafted by the Minnesota National Team but was immediately traded to the Denver Nuggets.
Although he was tossed around like a ball at the beginning, he still made a name for himself and became the starting point guard for the Denver Track and Field Team. At his peak, he averaged 17.6 points and 8.8 assists per game, showing signs of becoming a top-tier point guard.
But to everyone's surprise, his demise was as swift as a shooting star.
In the summer of 2015, after being traded from Denver to Houston, his personal statistics plummeted from a peak of 15.2 points and 9.6 assists per game to 5.8 points and 3.4 assists, completely relegating him to the sidelines of the bench.
Even worse, before the season was over, he was ruthlessly bought out by the Rockets, kicking him out of Houston.
Even more heartbreaking is that, full of ambition, he was injured in his debut game with the Pacers and then disappeared from the public eye.
Shooting guard Wayne Ellington, despite his name, is not a Gotham City bully. After entering the NBA, he was only a decent rotation player, moving between many teams.
The small forward position is held by Danny Green, a player Duze is very familiar with. This "Iron Man" has had a truly legendary career.
He was selected 46th overall by Cleveland, and he played alongside LeBron James, but he couldn't escape the fate of being a leftover player.
With LeBron James running away with a bucket, Draymond Green was immediately waived.
He began his journey to San Antonio, but before he had officially joined the government, he only signed a short-term contract and played two games before being dropped by the old scoundrel Popovich.
Unfortunately, he had no choice but to play in the Development League, where he performed quite well, averaging over 20 points per game with his excellent three-point accuracy.
The following March, the Spurs scouted him again and gave him a formal contract, which finally put him at ease.
In the 2011-12 season, he finally established himself and gained the trust of Gregg Popovich. At the same time, he shot an excellent three-pointer, averaging 1.6 three-pointers per game with a three-point shooting percentage of 43.6%.
In the 2012-13 season, he took it a step further, averaging 2.2 three-pointers per game with a 42.9% success rate, finally becoming a regular starter. He also had a brilliant performance in the Finals, hitting 7 three-pointers in a single game, which was quite impressive.
In the 2013-14 season, he helped the Spurs win the championship, finally donning the yellow robe and becoming the well-known "Emperor Father," thus giving birth to the first 3D concept god.
But his twists and turns go far beyond that.
In the 2018-19 season, he was packaged with Kawhi Leonard, then the Spurs' crown prince, and sent to the cold Toronto. However, Green's touch was not frozen. He averaged 2.5 three-pointers per game with a field goal percentage of 45.5%, both career highs, and became one of the contributors to the Raptors' championship.
In the 2019-20 season, he returned to the Lakers and, as a key player, with the support of LeBron James, he once again reached the top, becoming a legendary three-time champion.
Without a doubt, Lin Dan's career was a success, a true example of a legend from humble beginnings.
However, the current Emperor is as green and unripe as a hawthorn fruit on a tree, both green and astringent.
Dion Thompson, tough and dark-skinned, a leftover player in the second round next year.
This is the famous North Carolina Five, all of whom made it to the NBA, demonstrating just how formidable their overall strength was.
With the referee's signal, Du Ze finally came to his senses.
Everyone on the field had a serious expression on their face, and it was clear from their expressions that a fierce battle was about to begin.
The whistle blows.
The ball rose into the air.
Du Ze leaped high and successfully took the lead.
However, after landing, he discovered that Hansbrough's foot had somehow extended between his feet, and if he stepped even slightly off-center, he might step on the other's instep.
I wonder if it was intentional?
Regardless of whether the other party acted intentionally or not, Du Ze did not choose to tolerate it, because that was never a word in his dictionary.
He glanced at Hansbrough sideways: "Hey, I can only handle giants like Thabeet, but dealing with you is more than enough. You, a toad who can't even jump, dare to compete for the ball?"
Hansbrough, who was about to push Duze away, paused for a moment upon hearing this, his face showing a hint of bewilderment. He clearly hadn't expected to be provoked by Duze in the first round of the jump ball.
But instead of responding, he expressed his dissatisfaction through his actions.
He straightened his arm and placed it on Du Ze's chest, then pushed him away.
Du Ze hadn't expected that this pretty boy would actually make a move.
He stumbled backward, and then... fell to the ground.
The entire venue erupted in cheers.
Is the atmosphere already tense before the competition even starts?
The referee glanced back, but still blew the whistle.
They probably sensed the gunpowder was getting too strong and didn't dare to tolerate it.
In such situations, sounding the whistle can still prevent the conflict from escalating.
But Hansbrough looked wronged and chased after the referee to explain: "He faked the fall; he deliberately fell backward."
The referee did not respond and went straight to the scorer's table to review the replay.
Hansbrough didn't chase after him, but instead walked back while chewing on his braces, just in time to see Duze being helped up by his teammates.
As he approached, he chuckled and said, "You're so fragile, why are you even playing basketball? Just go home and lie down."
Duze, naturally, wasn't about to back down: "Is this the tough performance of the nation's number one center? You're really tough, using your elbow to bump someone and then turning around and blaming them?"
Hansbrough snapped again, "Stop acting like a girl, okay?"
Du Ze sneered repeatedly: "How can you compare to me, tough guy?"
The two were arguing loudly.
The referee returned, blew his whistle again, and gestured, awarding Hansbrough a foul.
The action of pushing someone with a straight arm is too obvious; directly elbowing someone with the elbow is definitely not acceptable.
But Hansbrough, like a wronged child, chased after the referee again: "That was definitely a dive, sir, I guarantee I did not commit a foul."
The referee was equally blunt: "You almost elbowed someone in the face. If you have any objections, you can submit a video report to me after the match."
Upon hearing this, Hansbrough immediately shut his mouth.
Because, in fact, he knew what he had done.
By forcefully elbowing Du Ze, he was actually testing the referee's judgment. His insistence on an explanation was simply a way of putting pressure on him.
This is based on his experience from many years of competition.
Many young team members dare not appeal, thinking that things should be done as they should be, but as a veteran of four years, he understands a principle: the child who doesn't cry gets no milk.
Similarly, if you don't appeal to the referee, you're likely to be ignored.