I am the Warden Chapter 53: There is a kind of person who has no worries
"Liu is definitely a genius, but I don't know whether he came to the NBA to play basketball or to do something else. When I see him, I think of Bill Laimbeer. He looks like a perfect gentleman in a suit, but in fact he is a complete villain... Laimbeer? I'm much more handsome than him!"
"Liu has an absolutely outstanding talent. He can even imitate his opponent's skills on the spot, and he imitates them very well. But he is wasting such talent. He has not trained well. He is just showing off his talent. When he doesn't like someone, he uses his talent to humiliate the opponent. Barang is a very good person... Big Beard Davis is a good person? He is just short of putting a bandit label on his face! Is he called a bandit for nothing?"
“…”
“…”
"A famous porn star has invited Trail Blazers rookie Jace Liu to spend a night together... Ahem, I'm a serious person, how could I do such a thing... At least post a photo! Some of your American action movie teachers look weird..."
Early the next morning after the game against the Hornets, Liu Xiu flew back to Portland with the team.
On the plane, Liu Xiu looked at the news related to him that he had picked up in the waiting room.
At the beginning it was quite serious, a serious black.
Triple-doubles, there's no denying that, these days triple-doubles are very valuable.
At present, he still holds the record for the highest single-game score among the 2003 rookies. Anthony scored 33 points in a single game, but he is still one point behind Liu Xiu's 34 points in a single game.
The performance, or talent, can no longer be concealed.
Then they attack the character and even the personality.
Later on, they simply brought up gossip, and they had to bring up gossip that had nothing to do with him.
Liu Xiu likes reading newspapers. In his previous life, when he was in the Internet age, he still liked to buy magazines and watch sports news on sports channels. He also liked watching live games on TV more than watching TV... because there were no words floating by...
Looking at these newspaper news, Liu Xiu felt that his path to becoming a high-quality idol was almost blocked, and he was disheartened... After three seconds of silence for himself, he took out the scouting report sent by Kevin Plitt in the morning - the next game would be a home game against the Heat.
Liu Xiu is very interested in playing against Wade, a rookie point guard from the same class!
It was only after Liu Xiu’s rookie season began that he realized that the 2003 class was actually a strong year for point guards.
The label of the top five talented point guards in the class of 2003 is still quite popular now.
They are the No. 1 pick James, the fifth pick Wade, the seventh pick Hinrich, the eighth pick T.J. Ford, and the fourteenth pick Luke Ridnour.
Liu Xiu hadn't noticed one thing before - James was a point guard by profession.
After seeing this, he finally understood why there was the gimmick of "new generation magic bird".
Only when James is the point guard and Anthony is the small forward can they fully connect with Magic Bird.
This was Sports Illustrated's evaluation after the first game week, when he played in one game and was suspended for five games, so he was not included.
To say I don’t care… is a lie!
"It shouldn't be difficult to squeeze out Reedno... Damn! But they definitely won't rate him a second time! Margot..."
Thinking about the matchup with Wade tomorrow, Liu Xiu was looking forward to it, but also felt a little regretful - he had just started practicing the bearded man's front-body change of direction breakthrough!
Lowering the center of gravity, relying on strong upper limb strength to quickly hit the ball, and making large changes of direction while moving... It really suits him. And just like the temporary technical abilities gained directly from the bonuses in the game, this training method is also adjusted according to his actual situation, allowing him to complete breakthroughs similar to Baron Davis from a technical perspective.
In fact, the technical core may be very different from the original one, but based on the feeling of "trying it out" yesterday, it works very well.
"Hey... This time when I played against Wade, my breakthrough skills have just begun to expand. The next time we play, I will be very powerful. Can I heal this genius who has strong confidence in himself?"
Liu Xiu flipped through the team handbook and looked at the schedule.
"The second match will be in February next year. Isn't the interval too long?"
It took Liu Xiu several months to master the "ball control and expansion technique" and show it to others. He was a little uncomfortable with it because it took too long.
Just as he was worrying, Randolph moved and sat next to Liu Xiu with a look of annoyance on his face.
Liu Xiu was curious: "Zack, are you worried?"
"What's wrong? I can't have worries? Wait! Are you calling me stupid? Are you going to say 'Strange, don't stupid people have no worries' next? Right!" Randolph was like a cat whose tail was stepped on.
"When did I scold you? I was just asking a question!" Liu Xiu's face was filled with black lines. Who did he think he was?
"Really do not have?"
"certainly!"
"real?"
"If you have something to say, just say it now! Otherwise, don't disturb me while I'm watching the blocks!"
"Oh, yes, I have something to tell you," Randolph then remembered his purpose and said, "I have to play against Odom tomorrow. That guy is too difficult to deal with." Randolph was worried.
"Lamar Odom, the left-handed magician, he's not as strong as you." Liu Xiu said this with certainty.
Talent does not mean strength.
"You don't know, that guy is weird and sometimes difficult to deal with. We played against each other four times last year. He played very ordinary three times, but in one game he got 15 points, 22 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 blocks and 4 steals." Randolph unconsciously gritted his teeth when he said this.
Liu Xiu joked: "You remember every number so clearly?"
Randolph covered his face and said, "January 15, 2003, Rasheed was suspended that day, and I started my first game in my career... You are laughing at me!"
"No! Don't talk nonsense...Pfft..."
"You laughed again!" Randolph was angry!
Liu Xiu simply smiled and said, "I thought of something happy."
"What happened? If you don't tell me what it is, I'll call for help!"
Liu Xiu secretly cursed this despicable fat man!
In this confined space, he really couldn't escape even if he wanted to!
Fortunately, he reacted quickly: "I thought about the day we met in the summer league. Meeting you is really one of the happiest things that happened to me since I entered the NBA."
Randolph rolled his eyes.
After laughing out loud, Liu Xiu was still curious about something else: "Zack, you're actually bothered by something like this?"
"You're the only one working hard for victory, right? You're the only one who's worried about your opponent being too strong and is preparing hard, right? I want to win, too..."
Randolph's voice trailed off.
Liu Xiu read Randolph's micro-expressions - resentment, helplessness, the desire to defend himself, and shyness... very complicated emotions.
It’s very different from the Randolph that Liu Xiu had in mind!
'Is it because you haven't gone through the brush stage yet?
Or is it just because it is in the early stage of rising and the momentum has not been exhausted yet? '
After speculating for a while, Liu Xiu suddenly understood. Why think so much? Fat Lan, who was eager for victory, was just so fat!
Liu Xiu started the healing mode: "Of course I am not the only one working hard for victory, nor am I the only one who is worried. You and Rashid are the strongest players of our team, our pillars, all our tactics, and now we have won 4 consecutive games, all based on your strength. I know your efforts better than anyone else."
"Then why do you ask?" The fat man was full of resentment.
"Because you shouldn't worry!"
"Why?" the fat man was confused.
"You are the warrior at the front line, the vanguard, the warrior who fights hand-to-hand with the strongest enemy. If you encounter a strong enemy, just kill him! Don't worry about these things."
Warrior! Warrior! Pioneer! The strongest!
Randolph said excitedly, "Jess, I get it! I shouldn't worry about this!"
Liu Xiu nodded with satisfaction, opened his mouth, and finally said a heart-warming healing: "Yes, that's right, a fool should have no worries."
"?...????..."
A few seconds later, a roar spread throughout the cabin—"Jace, I'm going to kill you!"
…
Near noon, the Trail Blazers' charter plane arrived at Portland International Airport.
When the players pushed their luggage to the parking lot, things were a little different from usual.
From time to time, fans would scream or shout, and occasionally someone would come and ask for photos or autographs.
Most of them came for Liu Xiu who performed brilliantly in yesterday's away game.
No matter how the public opinion hypes it up, the "Prisoners of Love" fan group in Portland has begun to grow slowly because of Liu Xiu's performance.
A rookie's good performance always gets more recognition.
The time it took to get to the parking lot more than doubled, and as more and more people gathered, airport security personnel came to force Liu Xiu to pass quickly...
Arriving at the parking lot, Randolph said enviously, "It looks like we'll have to use the VIP channel next time."
Liu Xiu asked in confusion: "Yes! Why don't we go through the VIP channel?"
It was a great feeling to be surrounded by fans, except for the gas.
Someone actually touched his butt while taking a photo! He didn't even know if it was a man or a woman! If he hadn't held back, he would have almost been thrown over his shoulder.
"That's not necessary. The last time a player was treated like you was during my rookie season... You heard us cursing when we came back from an away game in the preseason." Randolph's tone of envy deepened!
"Yeah, I was also curious that time. Since we knew we would be scolded, why didn't we use the VIP channel?"
Is this the point?
The point is that you have fans, okay!
Randolph left in a huff. If he stayed any longer, his teammates would all have left and they might have gotten so angry that they started a fight.
It’s hard to say whether he can win or not, but he doesn’t want to fight with Liu Xiu… Having fought with him before, he knows that this rookie is very ruthless!
…
…
"Brother Dazhi, come on, have a drink. Congratulations on finding a new job!"
"congratulations."
"thanks, thanks."
Wang Zhizhi shyly kept saying thank you.
The Trail Blazers returned to Portland, and the Heat also came to Portland.
In addition to giving Liu Xiu an opponent he really wanted to fight and Randolph an opponent who was eager for revenge, he also brought Liu Xiu good news.
Early this morning, Wang Zhizhi officially signed a one-year, $530,000 base salary contract with the Heat, and arrived in Miami with the team at noon.
Wang Zhizhi played one game for the Clippers at the beginning of the season, playing for 5 minutes, scoring 3 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal, and then he was cut.
Wang Zhizhi received a salary of $2.09 million for each game, becoming the player with the highest average salary so far this season.
Although he was not very familiar with Wang Zhizhi, Liu Xiu was still sad at first because there was one less domestic player in the league.
Wang Zhizhi was naturally happy that he found a new job.
After returning home, he discussed with his uncle and aunt and decided to invite Wang Zhizhi to dinner.
Liu Xiu's aunt helped, and his uncle and Qing'er and her father cooked together, preparing a table of authentic Sichuan and Hunan dishes.
Wang Zhizhi just sent Liu Xiu a text message after arriving in Portland. Unexpectedly, the other party seemed even happier than him... He was really touched!
It’s just that Wang Zhizhi’s introverted personality made him seem at a loss at this time.
Liu Xiu's family are all very outgoing, but when they saw Wang Zhizhi's reaction, their enthusiasm was restrained a lot.
The food was delicious. It had been a long time since I had eaten such authentic Chinese food, but Wang Zhizhi didn’t eat too much.
Liu Xiu noticed this, took a closer look, and couldn't help but said in surprise: "Brother Dazhi, you have lost weight!"
Now, isn't this a topic? Wang Zhizhi responded, "Yes, I started losing weight after I met you last time. I have lost about 15 kilograms in this period."
“Will the impact be significant?”
"A little bit, the power control of the shot has become worse, but the footwork is more flexible."
"Oh...wanna keep going?"
"I want to try it."
"Will this have an impact on your playing career with the Heat?"
"It's possible, but this is my choice and I won't regret it."
“…”
“…”
Well, the topic ends here.
Liu Xiu simply stopped trying to find topics to talk about. He just said a few words occasionally and ate dinner happily.
After dinner, Wang Zhizhi did not stay long and said goodbye and left.
In his communication with Wang Zhizhi, Liu Xiu felt what it meant to be "the friendship between gentlemen is as pure as water"...
…
"Jace, what are your expectations for your performance with the Heat?"
“I hope he can find the most suitable way to play and truly show his abilities.”
"In tonight's game against the Heat, can you continue your performance from the last game? Have you ever thought about getting another triple-double?"
"It depends on how the game goes, how my teammates feel, and how the opponent feels... Winning is much more important than statistics."
The regular season schedule is tight. After returning to Portland and resting for a night, the next day is another game day.
He was called to the Rose Garden by his agent early in the morning to be interviewed by domestic media.
It was either the large-scale interview that Liu Xiu dreamed of before entering the NBA, or an ordinary interview.
For Liu Xiu and Wang Zhizhi, the Chinese Derby does not exist.
The public intellectuals are simply the mouthpiece of the American media in China. A group of domestic basketball players, plus David Stern's vigorous promotion... are no match for these public intellectuals, who are professionals in this field.
Therefore, when Liu Xiu was interviewed in China, the questions he encountered were always the same, and his answers were extremely official.
After all, it’s still because he lacks strength... But he has patience and confidence, and he will take it slow.
