My days of working at the NBA

Chapter 53 Is this...right?

Hansbrough didn't even turn his head, pretending not to hear.

But Du Ze was not about to let him off easily, and continued to nag, "To be honest, before the game started, I had great respect for you. People said you were tough, could fight against beasts, had fundamentals comparable to Tim Duncan, and were recognized as the best center in the United States."

"But look at yourself now, you're like a leftover tomato bought home the day before, all water and rotten. How dare you wear the crown of being number one in America?"

"Honestly, I'm ashamed for you..."

Du Ze spoke loudly, and almost everyone from the center circle to the top of the arc heard him.

To stomp on someone so openly in public is an absolute and blatant humiliation.

It's like killing someone and then destroying their spirit...

Hansbrough's face turned pale, but he still managed to hold back his anger.

Just because he remained calm doesn't mean others had such a rational mind.

Upon hearing this, Dion Thompson, who was cutting in, suddenly changed direction and crashed straight into Duze.

boom!

With the slightest touch, Du Ze twisted like a braided vine, spinning three and a half times before falling to the floor and being dragged a long way.

Beep!

The whistle blows.

The referee quickly came over to check.

Du Ze was still rolling on the ground, his tightly knit features filled with pain, and his wails not only did not diminish, but grew louder and louder.

"Hiss... Ah..."

The Missouri team members rushed over to check on them, their faces filled with worry.

The North Carolina team members were all dumbfounded.

Dion Thompson, in particular, was completely lost and helpless. For a moment, he fell into deep self-doubt, wondering if he had really used too much force just now.

The referee ran to the technical table to review the replay.

Shortly after, he returned and decisively gave Dion Thompson a Flagrant Foul 1.

Dion Thompson tilted his head back, slowly closed his eyes, and looked as if the word "regret" was tattooed on his forehead.

Hansbrough knew his teammate was standing up for him, so he quickly came over to comfort him: "This isn't your fault..."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Du Ze, who was still rolling around.

only……

Before he finished speaking, Du Ze rolled over and got up, his face no longer showing any sign of pain.

Du Ze tiptoed, stretched his body, and looked refreshed, showing no signs of injury.

Hansbrough's defenses crumbled instantly: "Wardfa..."

He quickly went up to the referee to argue: "Sir, this is clearly a dive! Look, he's faking it!"

Dion Thompson also realized what was happening and immediately launched into a tirade against Duze: "Ugh, you're not some kind of coin pool, is it really that funny to put on this show like a little snack?"

Du Ze replied casually, "You can insult me, but you can't insult the referee."

This infuriated Dion Thompson even more, and he rushed over to argue with the referee, his expression extremely agitated: "Sir, you heard that, he admitted he was faking it!"

The referee replied expressionlessly, "I have two questions for you: Did you bump into him? Did you do it on purpose? Please answer me."

Dion Thompson, who had been jumping and hopping around, seemed to have been put on pause, and his whole demeanor returned to calm.

Why?

Because in fact, he deliberately knocked Du Ze over; he was aiming at people.

Regardless of whether the other person was faking it or not, the fact remains that you deliberately knocked them over.

Any sophistry is powerless in the face of facts.

Hansbrough, who was standing nearby, immediately fell silent.

Clearly, he was also aware of what had just happened.

But as he passed by Du Ze, he couldn't help but mock him, saying, "This isn't real basketball. I despise this kind of behavior."

Du Ze looked surprised: "So, you mean I deserved to be knocked over on purpose?"

He paused for a moment, then chuckled, "How can you be so noble? If you're so noble, go to Paris. There's a deep red alley next to Notre Dame where there are many thirsty men. You can selflessly dedicate yourself to them."

Hansbrough had never heard such cryptic trash talk before, and his face flushed red: "I'm not going to argue with you. You know what you've done."

Du Ze chuckled: "You're right. Stop talking and show me your skills as the best center in the US and beat me."

A decisive goal.

A decisive blow that left no room for argument.

Hansbrough was immediately silenced.

Du Ze walked back to the frontcourt and made both free throws.

8:0.

No one expected that Missouri, as the underdog, would have such a dream start.

This is absolutely beyond the public's imagination.

Before the tournament, North Carolina was touted as a triumphant return amidst a deluge of media coverage. They were considered far ahead in terms of roster structure, offensive and defensive matchups, and roster depth, and almost all predictions suggested that their victory was a foregone conclusion.

Missouri's best result in history was only reaching the quarterfinals of the tournament. This year, their unstoppable run to the finals makes them a dark horse among dark horses.

No one believed this dark horse could continue its dark horse run, because there was a clear gap in strength between the two sides, and the star power of the players was far inferior.

The objective facts are clear: Missouri is just a dish served to North Carolina, ready to be devoured at any time.

As it turned out, the first minute of the game completely surprised everyone.

The game continues.

A flagrant foul of level 1, two free throws and possession.

Missouri still has possession of the ball.

TJ Taylor continues to serve from the center line.

North Carolina's head coach, Williams, was really anxious on the sidelines, shouting with a tense face, "Just play well, don't let them affect your mentality!"

Despite his anxiety, he remained remarkably clear-headed. He knew that Du Ze's repeated matchups and even his obvious flopping were all aimed at disrupting his players' mentality.

This happens frequently on the field and is not unusual.

However, Du Ze was even more blatant. As soon as the referee blew the whistle, he acted as if nothing had happened, without even pretending, which was indeed very infuriating.

The ball was served quickly.

Du Ze received the ball and passed it back, then quickly moved towards the basket.

Others started setting screens.

The entire North Carolina team dared not be careless in this round, and their defense was extremely serious and solid.

Missouri never found an opportunity.

With little time remaining, Du Ze moved up again to receive the ball on the weak side.

As a result, Lawrence and Lyons circled around but failed to get the ball.

Seeing this, Du Ze subconsciously shifted his weight and walked forward.

Hansbrough and Ty Lawson started almost instantly, both pressing forward to win the ball.

This was the moment Du Ze had been waiting for.

Collect the ball.

Take off.

Another through ball.

Lawrence has already rushed to the basket.

He licked the basket again after receiving the ball.

Two more points.

This was also part of Anderson's tactical plan: to exploit Duze's dribbling weaknesses to create a trap, induce the opponent to press, and then pass the ball directly to the basket.

Anderson, standing on the sidelines, clapped enthusiastically, clearly very satisfied with the boys' execution of the tactics.

After this goal, the score became 10-0.

The mighty North Carolina has yet to score a single point and has been thoroughly thrashed by their opponents.

Is this... correct?