Chapter 6: Over the Shoulder Throw
The next afternoon, Wang Tiejun followed the Suns to Madison Square Garden.
"Is this an underground parking lot? There are so many small cars!"
"Wow, this blonde girl's waist is thicker than my bucket!"
“There are so many toilets!”
It was my first time entering such a large stadium. Everything felt very new to me. I looked around all the way, feeling very curious.
The coaching staff and trainers of the Suns were very uncomfortable with the sudden appearance of Lao Wang. They didn't understand why the boss wanted to bring in such a Chinese.
After arriving at the locker room, the players and trainers and coaching staff first changed their equipment and then went to the court for adaptive training.
As a sparring partner, Wang Tiejun also got a full set of equipment, from training clothes to sneakers, which made him so happy that his chin dropped to the floor.
It is difficult to buy extra-large-sized sneakers in China. He wore sneakers in his first year of three years in the sports school. In the next two years, when his height exceeded two meters, he could only wear cloth shoes made by his mother and sisters.
"Fuck, it's this big?"
When he followed the team to the stadium and saw the large stadium that could accommodate nearly 20,000 people, he was truly eye-opening.
Especially the hanging screens above, he had no idea what they were. They looked like TV screens, with dozens of them densely packed together. What were they doing hanging there? It was a bit tiring to look up from the bottom.
"Lao Wang, come here." Barkley waved and shouted.
He has a bad temper and is therefore disliked by the digital team management, but this is somewhat similar to Wang Tiejun, and the two of them hit it off right away.
He is also a very enthusiastic person. When he was playing in Philadelphia, he sponsored a teammate who was on a minimum salary and provided him with food and accommodation. Knowing that Wang Tiejun's situation is not very good, he now wants to help.
"Charles, do you want me to practice with you?" Lao Wang ran over happily and said.
"Come, let me introduce you first."
Barkley introduced some teammates to Wang Tiejun, especially Kevin Johnson and Tom Chambers, two locker room leaders of the Suns, and All-Star Danny Ainge, who was traded to the Suns like him this season.
Kevin Johnson, nicknamed Lightning, is the main point guard and outside core of the Suns. After Magic Johnson retired, he can even be said to be the best point guard in the active league, or at least one of the best point guards. He is also the true originator of offensive point guards.
He once scored 20+10 (assists) for four consecutive seasons. Under his leadership, the Suns also made it to the playoffs for four consecutive seasons. Even now that Barkley has joined the Suns, he is still the core of the outside line and one of the leaders in the locker room.
After retiring, he entered politics, became the mayor of Sacramento, and was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame.
Tom Chambers, a white man, has been an All-Star for several times and has won the AMVP. He is 33 years old this year. In the past few seasons, he has been the main power forward and center of the Suns. Kevin Johnson is the core of the outside line, and he is the absolute core of the inside line.
After Barkley came this season, he retreated to the bench and played the role of sixth man. His importance on the court was still very great and his status in the locker room was also very high, which was not comparable to that of Mark West and others.
Danny Ainge, a white man nicknamed Angel, is good at open three-pointers. He is already at the end of his career and is a two-time champion member of the Celtics. This is the qualification that Barkley envies the most.
With Barkley's introduction, the three people also accepted Wang Tiejun's existence. But it was just acceptance, and it didn't mean anything else.
"You call me Lao Wang."
Lao Wang patted his chest and said, "If there's a fight in the future, just call me, I'll stand at the front."
"Lao Wang, are you good at fighting?" Kevin Johnson asked with great interest.
"I know Kung Fu." Lao Wang laughed.
"Wow! Lao Wang, I also know Kung Fu. I'm a yellow belt in Jeet Kune Do." Chambers also became interested and immediately demonstrated a few Jeet Kune Do moves.
"real?"
Lao Wang was surprised, he had heard of the fame of Jeet Kune Do. He also heard that it focused on actual combat and the term Kung Fu came about because of Jeet Kune Do and Bruce Lee.
Barkley said with a smile: "Old Wang, are you also a Jeet Kune Do practitioner?"
Shaking his head, Lao Wang said: "I practice Chuanwu, which is the traditional martial arts of our country."
"Can you try boxing?" Barkley also demonstrated a few boxing moves.
Lao Wang smiled and said, "My turtle fist is also very good. Let's try it out when we have a chance."
"Just give it a try and see how powerful your turtle punch is." Barkley said eagerly.
"Count me in." Chambers said eagerly.
With the help of several team leaders including Barkley, Wang Tiejun quickly integrated into the team.
Mark West came up to him and said, "Chinese, practice low-post confrontation with me."
This was Wang Tiejun's job as a sparring partner. He nodded and walked away.
"boom!"
In the first confrontation, Mark West slipped up and hit Wang Tiejun in the neck with his elbow, making him red in the face and almost suffocating.
"boom!"
In the second confrontation, Mark West held the ball with both hands to his chest, made a fierce sweep, and elbowed Wang Tiejun in the chest again.
"Kid, this is confrontation, learn from it." West said proudly.
Both elbow strikes were too obvious and powerful. Everyone could see that he was looking for trouble with Wang Tiejun, but Wang Tiejun couldn't object because that's what he does.
"Go and have a look."
Barkley and others came to the side.
Wang Tiejun took a deep breath and stood behind Mark West again.
"boom!"
The third confrontation began, and Mark West's elbow came again. He turned around and elbowed Wang Tiejun on the forehead.
“Fuck!”
Things never happen more than three times. If they happen three times, they will turn against each other. For this job, he endured it three times. When he couldn't endure it anymore, he would not endure it anymore.
“Bang!”
Slide the right foot forward, initiate the Iron Mountain Move, and instantly lean the right shoulder forward to strike.
"Well!"
West groaned and was knocked backwards, without even enough time to step back.
But at the moment he fell, Lao Wang grabbed his jersey in front of his chest with his right hand, moved his left hand and grabbed his right arm, and then... the whole person flew up.
"stand up!"
Wang Tiejun used Bajiquan's grappling skills, shouted loudly, and then threw Mark West to the ground with a bang.
“…”
Mark West's soul was shattered, his eyes were staring straight, his mouth was wide open, and he couldn't breathe.
"oh!"
Everyone present was dumbfounded.
"Separate them quickly."
Barkley reacted quickly and ran up to pull Wang Tiejun away.
"Mark, are you okay?"
Tom Chambers asked as he pulled Mark West up.
"I, I, I..."
Mark West, who had recovered his breath, was so ashamed and angry that he couldn't speak.
"Okay, this is over. You elbowed him three times and he threw you down once, so it's a tie. Remember, don't do this again next time. Your sparring partner has no obligation to take your elbow. This is not a normal confrontation, it's a flagrant foul. Don't treat people like fools."
Chambers said something evasive and left. He ran to Wang Tiejun and asked excitedly, "Old Wang, was that throw just now a turtle punch?"
"That's what I was going to ask. Come on, Old Wang," Buckley yelled.
Wang Tiejun chuckled and said, "This is a free-hand technique in our traditional Chinese martial arts. It is different from a routine. It is a practical technique called a shoulder throw. It is a type of throw along with a hug throw and a leg hug throw."
"I'm good at wrestling. We agreed to try it one day," Barkley said excitedly.
"Just go back to Phoenix and try it," Tom Chambers said quickly.
