At the end of the game, the players from both sides held a post-game handshake ceremony.
Xu Yong met Ayers, who did not get a chance to play tonight, and the two made an appointment to have coffee together later.
It was at this time that he realized that James had already left.
It seems that the gap between the two of them is a bit big tonight.
But he didn't care too much. After all, he came to the NBA to compete for honors and improve his strength, not to make friends.
Moreover, James' doing this only made him feel bad, and he didn't want to have anything to do with the other party.
The handshake ceremony had just ended when Xu Yong saw Jordan walking towards him.
And with him came the gazes of a group of people around him.
Even if Jordan retires, his influence will be unparalleled.
Especially in the United States, his influence is undoubtedly the first person in sports history.
Yes, not just basketball.
If you vote for the best athletes in the United States, he is definitely the number one in history.
Xu Yong didn't know what Jordan was going to do here. After all, the two of them had an unpleasant quarrel in the training hall last time.
But when he got closer, Jordan smiled and opened his hands towards him.
When Xu Yong saw this, he didn't refute Jordan's face. He went up and hugged Jordan.
After all, AJ, whom he currently represents, is inextricably linked to Jordan.
"Well done, keep up the good work." After the hug, Jordan said some words of affirmation and encouragement to him.
Xu Yong also replied politely.
This scene was naturally captured by the media.
Jordan encouraging fans who once beat North Carolina?
This title sounds very UC.
Jordan didn't say much and quickly left with the people.
Xu Yong could more or less guess at this time that Jordan's actions just now were most likely related to his endorsement of AJ.
After all, judging from last experience, Jordan is very small-minded.
It's impossible to change your attitude just because he won once?
How could the God of Basketball be a jerk!
…
Cavaliers locker room.
When the other players returned to the locker room, they found that James had already taken a shower.
And James was getting dressed there while humming a song.
O'Neill was stunned.
Because he has worked with both Kobe and Wade, he subconsciously compares James with them.
If it was Kobe tonight, he would definitely still be practicing in the arena right now.
If it were Wade, he might have led someone to destroy the Bulls locker room.
But how did James act like nothing was wrong and seemed to be in a good mood?
"Shaq, are you going out tonight? I heard that the nightclubs in Chicago are very good." Seeing O'Neal looking at him, James even asked.
O'Neal shook his head. Although he has a more optimistic personality and is more playful, he really can't go out to party the night after being killed.
"Don't worry, Shaq, it's just a regular season game!" James then wrote lightly after being rejected by O'Neal.
His words also quickly attracted the attention of others in the locker room.
"We just underestimated the enemy. Let's play tonight's game again. Do you think they beat us?" James asked.
O'Neill was stunned.
He didn't know how to describe his mood at this moment.
Although what James said is actually correct.
The Bulls will win tonight because of Xu Yong, and they actually don't pay much attention to Xu Yong.
Although you are the second pick, in the end you are just a rookie. Can a rookie influence the game? You really thought it was Jordan!
Then, Xu Yong scored 25 points.
This is the consequence of underestimating the enemy.
If the two teams play again on the same spot and they pay more attention to Xu Yong and target him more, the Bulls will basically have no chance.
But that's true, but it's not like the Bulls are forcing you to underestimate the enemy!
And if you lose, you lose. To put it this way, it feels like being beaten to the ground in public, and then saying that you were just careless and didn't dodge?
But the veteran players of the Cavaliers all laughed one after another after hearing what James said.
The atmosphere in the Cavaliers locker room seemed to become cheerful at this moment.
It's like finding a reason to lose, the baggage in my heart is gone, and the loss doesn't matter anymore.
O'Neal, who has been playing in the league for nearly 20 years, his eyes widened at this time. This time, it was a knife that opened his eyes.
…
After being interviewed by Zhang Weiping and others on the sidelines, Xu Yong and Rose were taken to the team's post-game press conference by De Nagro.
When they arrived, the place was already crowded with reporters. Even at the door, some wanted to go in but were blocked.
With such a focus battle and an upset post-game, reporters didn't want to squeeze in with their heads sharpened.
After they entered and sat down, the reporters below all raised their hands.
"Xu, you scored 25 points in your career debut and led the team to defeat the Cavaliers. How do you evaluate your performance?" The first reporter named asked Xu Yong.
Other reporters also looked at Xu Yong.
There is no doubt that Xu Yong is the focus of the topic tonight.
"I don't think it was 'I' who led the team." However, Xu Yong's first words surprised everyone.
Even Ross and Denagro turned their heads.
"It was coach Denagro who arranged the targeted tactics, it was Derek who was in charge of the team's main attack, it was Joakim who tried his best in the penalty area, it was Luol who defended LeBron... and I just did it. Things I should do.”
After Xu Yong finished speaking, the reporters in the audience were surprised and nodded involuntarily.
They don't know whether Xu Yong is really a member of such a team, or whether he is pretending to be like this, but one thing is for sure, this young rookie is not complacent after playing such a beautiful debut. It's very good quality.
"How did you know at the last moment that LeBron would choose to pass the ball?" The next reporter asked was still Xu Yong.
The reporters at the scene who asked this question also burst into laughter.
James has been playing in the league for six years, and his love of passing the ball at critical moments is nothing new.
"LeBron is a selfless player." Xu Yong said. He did not put himself on the same level as James because of his lack of character.
"So I chose to block his passing route. At that time, Anthony Parker was completely open. That was the most likely passing route." Xu Yong paused as he said, "But more importantly, I trust my teammates to protect the paint."
This time, the reporters looked at Xu Yong with more certainty than before.
Every sentence mentioned, unless you have obsessive-compulsive disorder, anyone can hear that Xu Yong is a true team player.
And really looking at the statistics, although Xu Yong scored a game-high 25 points, his number of shots ranked behind Rose, and he also sent 4 assists in a limited time touching the ball.
These may not be noticed at first, but at this moment they are the best proof.
"Do you think it was luck to win tonight? The Cavaliers don't seem to take you seriously. They underestimate the enemy." Another reporter asked Xu Yong.
Xu Yong frowned slightly when he heard this.
Before he was reborn, he actually watched a lot of NBA interview clips, such as "Ask Durant why he is called KD", "Ask O'Neal if a poisonous snake bit your mother's chest, would you help suck out the venom" and so on.
But when he saw that the other party was from ESPN, he understood instantly.
"Luck will help you score a goal, but it can't help you struggle with your opponent all night." Xu Yong shook his head directly.
"But the Cavaliers are stronger than you. If we play again, they have a greater chance of winning." The reporter continued.
"We won." Xu Yong reminded.
"I mean, if this is a playoff round, best of seven games, if you encounter it, the Cavaliers have a better chance of winning." The reporter continued.
"No, I believe we can still win." Xu Yong answered simply.
This answer also made the reporter finally stop asking questions.
It was clear that he had gotten the answer he wanted.
Team, mature, and confident.
Just after this question, the reporters in the audience had an initial but very comprehensive impression of the newcomer Xu Yong.
…
After finishing the press conference and walking out of the venue, Xu Yong saw Ayers waiting at the door.
After saying hello to Rose, he immediately went out to drink coffee with Ayers.
Although the two haven't seen each other for only two months, they live in different cities and have just joined the league, so there is always a lot to talk about.
In particular, the cities the two of them live in are so special. One is in the gangster capital, while the other has gone to the legendary "Ke Village".
"Do you remember Detroit when we played in the finals? It was a smaller Detroit." Ayers couldn't help but complain when they met.
"So exaggerated?" Xu Yong has never been to Cleveland, and he has only heard that it is a small city.
"Towards a declining industrial city with a small population, if you stay there for a long time, you will really miss your days in Tempe." Ayers continued to complain.
Xu Yong smiled bitterly when he heard this. It seemed that Cleveland was really worse than the rumors.
"And..." Ayers said, lowering his voice, "the Cavaliers are really depressed."
"Repressed?" Xu Yong was puzzled.
"You know when we were with the Devils, we could say whatever we wanted, but there, you were so careful about what you said and did, afraid that you would say something wrong," Ayers described.
"This is normal, Jeff. The NBA is a business league and is different from the NCAA. You have to get used to this." Xu Yong enlightened.
"No, I know the difference, but it's different there, it's more like... than the team, I don't know how to describe it, but even Shaq has to watch the look in LeBron's eyes when he talks. ” Ayers seemed to have finally found the right adjective.
"Knight...Kingdom?" Xu Yong subconsciously thought of a word.
"Yeah! That's the word! You know, being in a small city like that and having probably one of the most talented players in history, he's really like a king on the team and he seems to be enjoying being one. King," Ayres said bitterly.
Xu Yong was stunned when he heard this. He really couldn't imagine the scene described by Ayers, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for Ayers. Not only did he go to that kind of place, but he also didn't have a chance to play. Being selected by the Cavaliers was really a blessing for him. Unfortunate thing.
