Cleveland, Cavaliers locker room.
The team members have just returned from training.
"LeBron, did you watch yesterday's TNT program? That guy Charles said our opening game will be a difficult game." O'Neal wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel and said to James with a smile.
James was tying an ice pack on his leg. He smiled disdainfully and then shook his head: "I don't pay attention to social media. I only focus on the season in front of me."
O'Neal didn't bother with what James said. Instead, he put down the towel and deliberately made a scary expression: "They are still a baby team. Big sharks are infested, and the babies have to hide."
"And the king." Daniel Gibson added from the side.
O'Neal was stunned for a moment and did not answer. Instead, he continued to talk to himself: "That guy Charles is a clown. I must slap him in the face."
James frowned slightly at O'Neal's reaction, but didn't say anything. After all, O'Neal is a man with four championship rings.
As for what O'Neill said... he clenched his fists subconsciously.
When will that boy Ross come to touch him?
Really, the Bulls are still in the Jordan era!
"Shaq, you're right." He then quickly changed his expression and echoed with a smile.
Since the outside world is so hot, this wave of heat must be fully absorbed.
The king doesn't show his power, but he really treats him as a chief!
…
Chicago, United Center.
The Bulls are training in full-court confrontation.
The players shouted one after another on the court, especially Noah's voice, which was the loudest and most frequent.
On the sidelines is Bulls assistant coach Harris directing the training.
As for the head coach Denagro, he was at one end of the court at this time, communicating with general manager Foreman.
De Nagro was distracted and had a sad look on his face.
Originally, he didn't have high hopes for this opening game. After all, what is the lineup of the Cavaliers? What lineup does the Bulls have?
Now that the outside world is making an ordinary regular season so hot, it is basically pushing the Bulls into the fire pit.
"Winnie, do you buy lottery tickets?" Foreman suddenly asked.
Denagro was confused by the question. He was almost worried to death, but Foreman was still in the mood to ask this.
"I've bought it before, but not now," Denagero said honestly.
People who have little exposure to things like lottery tickets still have the illusion that if they buy a few times, they will know that they are doing charity.
Foreman nodded at this and then said, "Don't you think this opener is like buying a lottery ticket?"
Denagro was thoughtful after hearing this.
Forman used an analogy: the probability of winning the lottery is small, and the Bulls' chance of beating the Cavaliers is actually not great.
It's normal not to win the lottery, but it's definitely a surprise if you win. It's normal for the Bulls to lose to the Cavaliers, but it's also a surprise if they win.
so……
"This is an opportunity," Foreman said.
After hearing this, the sad look on Denagro's face instantly dissipated a lot.
Looking at the boys' performance in the preseason, their confidence was built up after the first game against the Jazz.
If we can upset the Cavaliers in the opening game, then maybe the tone of this season will be different.
There are [critical moments] in the game, and this opening game will be a critical moment for their season.
…
Two days later, the 2009~2010 NBA regular season officially kicked off.
The first game to start was a game in the Western Conference. The two teams were the Rockets and Lakers, who had played against each other in the playoffs last season.
McGrady had differences with the Rockets management over injury issues in the summer, and he did not play in this game.
For the Lakers, Pau Gasol, who helped the Lakers win the championship in the summer and also helped the Spanish team win the European Championship, was also absent due to fatigue and a right hamstring injury.
However, the Lakers have "three highs", and even without Gasol, their overall strength is still stronger than the Rockets without McGrady.
But the result of the game was somewhat unexpected. The Rockets finally defeated the Lakers 99-92.
Brooks scored a team-high 27 points, Artest scored 20 points, and Yao Ming also had a double-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists.
On the other hand, for the Lakers, although Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 36 points, no one else from the Lakers scored in double figures except him.
It's not just that Gasol is missing, it's that the entire team except Kobe doesn't look nervous enough.
As the commentator said: "The Lakers seem to be still immersed in last season's championship moment and have not yet woken up."
Now the Jamies on social media are having a collective orgasm.
Because of the state of the Lakers' season opener, there is a high probability that it will be difficult to defend their title.
In other words, the Celtics are old and the Lakers are in poor shape. Are the Cavaliers going to win the championship now?
Then, they are even more looking forward to the upcoming game between the Cavaliers and Bulls.
A good start and let the league tremble for this Cavaliers team!
…
Later in the evening, United Center, Chicago.
The auditorium was already packed.
Since Jordan left, the attendance rate at the United Center has actually been poor, especially since this season is dominated by newcomers, and the record is difficult to guarantee.
Everyone is very busy, and no one has the energy or time to watch whether the new football show (team) will take a long (beating).
But the scolding on social media and the hype made it difficult for Chicago fans not to put down what they were doing.
Social media is attacking hard and showing off, making it seem like there is no one in Chicago!
You can even see many tattooed brothers at the scene, but don’t forget that Chicago is a famous gangster city.
Brother, this gang business has been stopped.
However, at this moment, the live camera showed the entrance of a person, which immediately made the whole audience excited, and even a large number of fans subconsciously stood up and applauded.
With this standard, I'm afraid the president won't be treated like this even when he comes.
But no one thought this was exaggerated or abnormal, because the person who came was Jordan!
It goes without saying what Jordan means to the Bulls and to Chicago fans.
Moreover, what is more important than this is that since his complete retirement in 2003, Jordan has never seen a ball at the United Center in the past 6 years!
There are many reasons for this, such as the conflict between him and Krause, the conflict with Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, and the fact that he is no longer suitable to appear at the Bulls home court after becoming the owner of the Bobcats, and Jordan also Not willing to gain popularity for the Bulls anymore, etc.
But today, after six years, Jordan finally reappeared in the most important arena in his life.
This brought the Bulls fans to an unprecedented high, with endless cheers and applause.
The fans didn't want to stop until Jordan sat down.
Jordan's expression was also somewhat moved.
No one's heart grows from flesh, and everyone has youth. No matter what problems he has with the management, these fans who accompany him are the people he is most grateful for.
He waved to the fans and the cheers rose again.
At this time, players from both sides came out of the player tunnel one after another.
Feeling that the cheers were too loud, they subconsciously looked up at the large LED screen.
Well, then they saw the iconic braised egg.
At this time, the two people were in completely different moods.
James felt subconsciously happy for a while, but then quickly frowned.
Although before entering the league, he said the classic sentence to the media, "Don't be the second Kobe, be the first yourself." But in fact, this sentence has nothing to do with the fact that he regarded Jordan as his idol when he was a child. conflict.
Just like there is no man who falls in love at first sight without falling in love with him, after Jordan, no one wears No. 23 without admiring Jordan.
So when seeing Jordan, James was just as excited as Xu Yong was.
Even James, who later became famous in history, no matter how he calls himself the goat, how he says he should be number one, or how he posts pictures of Jordan worshiping him, he is still respectful in front of Jordan. This is actually a side effect. Proved this.
Flow is flow, heart is heart.
But he changed his expression so quickly because it was obvious that Jordan couldn't be here for him tonight.
So who is Jordan here for?
Xu Yong's expression was very calm at this time.
After experiencing the one-on-one incident at the United Center training hall, Xu Yong's perspective on Jordan has changed.
Just like the goddess you like is not necessarily the goddess you, the Jordan he idolized is no longer the Jordan in front of him.
Or to put it another way, his idol is the god of basketball on the court. It is that god who inspires him to move forward step by step, not the living person in front of him.
Therefore, Jordan's arrival will not make him as excited as before to sign autographs and take photos, nor will he care about why Jordan came to the United Center tonight.
Of course, excitement is inevitable.
Having the opportunity to defeat the first team in the league in front of the original owner of the city of Chicago is something worth looking forward to.
So after retracting his gaze, he turned his attention to the field.
The two teams were warming up, and the live broadcast immediately showed a split shot of James and Rose.
The source of the hype on social media is the two No. 1 picks who won the Rookie of the Year award.
And this is Rose's first appearance of the new season.
The live commentary for this game was ESPN's ace combination, Mike Breen and Reggie Miller.
"I don't think it's a good thing for Rose to come back tonight. The intensity of this game is predictably high. You know, injury recovery is a long process." Breen was warming up for the game.
"Mike, can you control injuries? It's good when you need it, but it's not good when you don't need it?" Miller said with a smile.
Brin shook his head upon hearing this.
"Ross did not play in the preseason. He is from Chicago. There is no reason for him to miss such a key battle when he is healthy." Miller put away his smile and said seriously.
In this era, except for Popovich who occasionally gives the Spurs three senior players a rest with weird excuses like "Duncan is too old", everyone else will play if their injuries are not serious.
Because as Jordan said, fans may only have one chance in their lifetime to watch you play live.
Or maybe it's like Kobe said, he doesn't want to disappoint the fans, because there are many people who have saved money for a long time to come to the scene.
This is an alliance ethos.
While they were talking, the scene began to enter the opening ceremony.
The Cavaliers started as the visiting team: Mo Williams, Anthony Parker, James, JJ Hickson, O'Neal.
This starting lineup has a big Mac and a tough mid-shooting guy on the inside, a weakened version of Irving and 3D on the outside, and paired with James, it is very powerful.
Moreover, Mo Williams was an Eastern Conference All-Star last season. Who said the Cavaliers' lineup was weak?
The Bulls came on stage as the home team.
The lights dimmed, and as the spotlight hit the front of the Bulls' bench, the familiar music sounded.
Sirius.
This music accompanied the appearance of the two dynasties of the Bulls. It is the classic background music of 2K11 in history, "Battle Hymn" and "Bull Execution Song". It is definitely the most familiar melody for basketball fans.
Xu Yong couldn't help shaking his legs at this time, and his hair stood on end.
When I was a child, I sat at the TV spot, stared at the TV broadcast, listened to this music and watched the Bulls players come on stage. That is an unforgettable memory.
Unexpectedly, one day he would play in the NBA as a member of the Bulls.
Dreams come into reality, that’s probably it!
"Now! Let's invite the Bulls' starting lineup, guard, from Arizona State University, 6 feet 8 inches, No. 6, Xu~~Yong!"
With the host's tone, Xu Yong took the lead as the first person to start.
What greeted him was the overwhelming cheers from the audience.
Xu Yong stood up and raised his hands forward, clapping with the mascot Bailey the bull.
His first official NBA game has arrived.
