After returning from the timeout, the Bruins replaced both Love and Josh Shipp. This is when the starting five are all back.
After this substitution adjustment, although the Devils still clung to the score under the leadership of Xu Yong, they failed to further narrow the point difference.
As shown in the opening game, the Bruins' starting five are not only very talented, but also have high tactical literacy and mental attributes.
However, with the talent of the five Devils on the field, it is incredible to be able to maintain a stalemate.
When the game entered the second half, the score was quickly opened by the Bruins.
Although under the leadership of Xu Yong, they tenaciously kept the score close, forcing Hao Lan to dare not play the main force.
But in the end, the score on the court was fixed at 67-54, and the Devils lost by 13 points.
After the game, the fans at the scene chose to applaud their home team.
The strength gap between the two teams is obvious. UCLA deserves to be in the Pac10 league and the favorite to win this season.
But the fighting spirit the Devils displayed was equally admirable.
"Well done, brother." As an opponent, Westbrook took the initiative to hug Xu Yong during the post-game handshake and expressed respect.
For players, the charm of basketball lies in this kind of competition on the court.
Whether it was Jordan or Kobe, they both convinced their contemporaries.
Although Xu Yong is still far away from them, he won the respect of his opponents tonight.
In fact, Xu Yong won more than just the respect of his opponents.
After the game, the Suns' trident was waiting for him at the tunnel.
Xu Yong had been focusing on the game before and did not notice their arrival.
Seeing the three of them now, he was very excited.
"Son of the Wind" Nash, "Little Bully" Stoudemire, "Hacker" Marion, these running and gunning Suns are part of his youth.
"Now we are your fans." Nash's first words made Xu Yong even more flattered.
"I am also your fan." Although he was excited, Xu Yong still showed excellent emotional intelligence.
And as he spoke, he asked the fans on the side for a signature pen and asked Nash and others to sign their jerseys.
"I will never wash this jersey." After they all signed, Xu Yong said with a smile.
Marion's expression was a little moved at this time.
A player with excellent skills and a tough style of play, who fights tenaciously when encountering strong opponents, and whose off-court manners and conversation make people feel like a spring breeze, is extremely charming.
"I will recommend you to the management." Marion continued.
Xu Yong didn't expect Marion to say that. He smiled and said thank you, but he didn't take it seriously because it was obviously a polite comment.
But speaking of it, going to the Suns is indeed a good choice for him.
First, his technical characteristics are in line with the style of the Suns. With Nash passing the ball, his scoring will become much easier; second, the Suns are going downhill. He has been improving next to Nash for two years and has the opportunity to become the new core of the Suns. of.
When he was first reborn, he didn't think too much because he knew that even if he didn't get sick, it was still too difficult to become an NBA star. At that time, his more realistic goal was to enter the NBA and survive in the NBA.
Don't think this goal is small. With so many rookies entering the NBA every year, it means that at least the same number of players will be eliminated. The competition in the world's highest basketball palace is extremely cruel.
But as he persisted in training over the years, while he felt that his strength was improving rapidly, his mentality was also changing.
Because he can clearly feel that his efforts can bring him to a higher level.
It's entirely possible to become an NBA star and beyond.
…
In the locker room after the game, Sandek praised the team's bench players by name.
"I'm proud of what you've done." The stern Sandecker did not hesitate to praise.
But then, he changed the topic: "But we could have played better and even had a chance to win the game, if our starters could perform as they should."
When he said the next words, Sandek's eyes stayed on Harden for a long time.
In this game, Xu Yong was undoubtedly the best player in the team, followed by several substitutes on the team, and then Ayers and others who also worked hard in the second half.
The one who played the worst was Harden.
After giving up in the first half, Harden did not pick up in the second half, and he did not show the desire to win that he should have as the core of the team.
At the end of the game, he only scored 8 points and made 5 turnovers. Bin Laden was convinced.
If this was a big defeat, perhaps others wouldn't feel it so strongly, but with the comparison of other players, he would look dazzling.
Sandeck did not directly name him, which was to give Harden some face, but in fact everyone knew it.
After leaving the arena, Xu Yong and Harden returned to the dormitory.
Harden was silent along the way and looked a little depressed.
He was so smart, so it was impossible not to know that Sandek was targeting him.
And more importantly, because he knows the importance of this game, he understands that playing such a bad game in front of so many scouts will have a great impact on his draft stock.
If the draft pick prediction is not good, then he may only be able to play for one more year and enter the draft next year.
Xu Yong didn't say anything along the way. He knew that Harden needed some time to buffer now.
After returning to the dormitory and the two of them sitting down, Xu Yong finally said, "James, who is your idol?"
Harden was still thinking about scouting. When Xu Yong asked, he was stunned for a moment, and then subconsciously gave the answer: "Kobe, he is the idol of every child in Southern California."
And after he finished answering, he also looked at Xu Yong: "Where's yours?"
Xu Yong pointed to the number on his jersey that he had not yet taken off.
Harden smiled and nodded.
If there is a player who is regarded as an idol by the most people on this planet, it must be No. 23...
Michael Jordan.
Jordan's influence on a global scale is unprecedented. Xu Yong regards him as his idol. He should have known it from his jersey number.
"James, we can't win UCLA without you." Xu Yong continued.
Harden was stunned for a moment. Xu Yong's sudden words made him unable to react.
"Without you, we couldn't win against Kansas, North Carolina, Memphis, or even Stanford or Washington State. Your talent is the best among us. No one can change this, but you can really do better. We also need you to do better." Xu Yong continued.
"I tried." Harden said with a wry smile.
He tried hard, but those skills just didn't come to fruition against the Bruins.
It's not that he wants to give up, but that he really has no choice.
"James, Michael has a saying that impressed me deeply. He once said, 'I can accept failure, but I can't accept giving up.' When he faced the Pistons, I think the difficulty was far greater than what we encountered tonight. But he didn’t give up after failure, but kept improving himself and crossed that mountain, right?”
Harden was silent after hearing this. Xu Yong said it tactfully, but it could not be refuted.
If it were Sandeck, the same thing would be: The difficulties you encountered today are nothing compared to what Jordan encountered!
"James, have you noticed that you like to use words like 'I tried' or 'I tried my best' to convince yourself. When you played "Halo 3" with Jaylen, you were beaten at the beginning of the third game. You gave up immediately after hitting the remaining health. Or when you were learning table tennis, you gave up after trying for a week.
Yes, those are not big things, but isn’t a person’s character reflected in small things? James, have you really tried, or tried your best? "
Harden was stunned. Smart people can easily know what others are like, but they often don't realize what kind of person they are.
"Kobe is the player who is most like Michael, and he also regards Michael as his idol. I don't think Kobe will say 'I tried', he will only say 'I need to do better'. He doesn't Will give up under any circumstances.
You said that Kobe is the idol of every child in Southern California, so Russell (Westbrook) did not choose to give up after Casey's death. If Kobe is also your idol, you can do it, right? "Xu Yong continued.
Harden looked up at Xu Yong. What he saw in his eyes was not disappointment, but expectation.
At this moment, he figured out something.
Why Xu Yong can train so desperately, why Xu Yong is always so confident on the court, and even why Xu Yong gives people a sense of deja vu when he talks about that 360-degree windmill dunk.
Because Jordan is Xu Yong's idol, it's not just saying "my idol is Jordan", but really trying to do what Jordan did.
