Els made himself a cup of coffee and turned on the TV, which was playing an early morning fitness show.

A lot of people think that old things like fitness TV shows are gone, but they're just going to be aired before you wake up.

Just as Els sat down with his coffee and was about to enjoy the wonderful posture of the gym girls on the TV, there was a knock on the door of the duty room.

Els looked up at the window of the duty room, his eyes widening. The visitor was a little familiar, but Els couldn't remember who it was, so he asked loudly, "Who are you kid?" What's going on early in the morning? ”

Els was one of the guards on duty here when it was called Conseco Arena. Over the years, he'd seen Antetokounmpo leave the arena at three o'clock in the morning, but he had never seen anyone linger near the arena at half past five in the morning.

Even a homeless person wouldn't choose to spend the night outside the Banker's Life Arena. After all, it's not as warm as a fire in an alley.

"Uh..... Sir, I'm Pascal. Siakam, is a ...... of Fort Winne No, it's the Indiana Pacers guys, and I want to get on the court and practice. Siakam wanted to say he was a Fort Wayne Ants player, but eventually proudly changed his tune.

Now he is an NBA player!

"Pascal. Siakam? Oh! I remember who you are, the rookie you were traded by Henson two months ago! Remembering who Siakam was, the doorman smiled kindly.

Siakam hadn't played much in the NBA after all, and most of the players usually entered the players' tunnel from the underground parking lot, and rarely walked through the main entrance. Therefore, it is normal for the doorman to not remember who Siakam is for a while.

"Little one, you came to train so early? It's only half past five in the morning! The doorman looked at his watch and walked out to help Siakam open the door.

"I couldn't sleep all night, so I just came to training. You know what, sir, I'm going to play in Miami today! I want to keep my best on the pitch and I don't want to disappoint Coach Henson! Starting training early should be good for my fitness. ”

"Haha," Els smiled after listening to Siakam's explanation, "I want to say that resting well is good for improving his condition. Henson said, I'm going to take you to play today? ”

"Hmm!"

"Behave well, boy. I've seen too many previously unknown players shine under Henson. He's a good coach and he's done great things for Indianapolis. As long as you work hard under him, I am sure that you will become a well-known star in the future. Hey, why don't you sign me up? When you're famous, everyone will know I'm the first to get your signature! ”

Excitedly, Els took out a pen and paper from the duty room and handed them to Siakam, who scratched his head shyly and signed his name in a less skillful handwriting.

"Now, you've got your first die-hard fan. Behave well, Pascal, and kick the Miamians in the ass! ”

Siakam walked into the Banker's Life arena with a smile, he had never thought it was so nice to be a professional footballer.

※※※

"I deliberately didn't tell you about it yesterday, first of all I have to apologize. I just wanted to surprise you, but I also know it's delaying your pre-match preparation. Then, I'll put you off the bench for today's game. If you're doing well, I can even give you more minutes. ”

"Excuse me? No, no, no! I should thank you for giving me this opportunity! Sitting in Henson's office, Siakam looked very nervous.

Early this morning, Siakam was called into the office by Henson. Since they were going to play on the road, the Pacers players would meet at the arena and take the team bus to the airport to board the plane for Miami. When they arrive in Miami, they begin simple adaptation training and tactical drills.

Siakam, however, had been training for hours, after all, he had already arrived at half past five.

"Are you nervous? Why are they all straight? Henson smiled as he gestured at Siakam's hand gripping his pants.

"No, sir. I'm just, I'm just excited, right, excited...... Don't worry, I'm going to do my best, and I'm going to do whatever I can as long as I'm on the pitch. Although Siakam said it strongly, his nervous expression did not decrease in the slightest.

"Well, I'll make a bet with you. I'm betting that tonight, you'll be able to score in double digits. If I lose...... There's no way I'm going to lose. But if you lose, you're going to have to stay in the first team and listen to me every day nagging like a weird-tempered guy, how about that? ”

Henson's little joke made Siakam relax a lot, and he also believed that Siakam was "losing" this time.

In fact, Siakam's lack of confidence comes not from his personality, but from a draft pick that didn't meet expectations and what happened to him being dropped from the Raptors. When everyone is not optimistic about you, your self-confidence will definitely take a hit.

So to solve his self-confidence problem is actually very simple, and that is to recognize him!

This morning, both goalkeepers Els and Henson have endorsed Siakam. Siakam, on the other hand, is just one goal away from regaining his confidence.

When he found out that it wasn't that hard to score on the heads of NBA players, Henson believed that Siakam would be out of control!

※※※

At the American Airlines Center in Miami, the Pacers have been unpopular with local fans. After all, if it weren't for Henson and the Pacers, God knows how many championships the Heat Big Three would have won.

Of course, now even Pat, who let Wade go. Riley is not loved by Miami fans, let alone Henson.

When Henson warmed up with his players, the stands were full of boos. But compared to when they played in the Eastern Conference Finals, these boos were nothing at all.

Before the start of the game, Henson was approached by ESPN reporters, and many other players were interviewed by sideline reporters. But Siakam was the only one who was silently warming up.

He first tried his hand from beyond the three-point line, and then practiced catching and making layups in interference under the guidance of Frazier.

Many reporters have only swept past Siakam, and many don't know exactly where he is playing, or even his name. But no one cared about that, because they believed that this somewhat strange guy would definitely not be able to play today.

Of course, the fact that journalists are indifferent to Siakam does not mean that Spoelstra is also indifferent to Siakam.

Seeing an unfamiliar face suddenly appear on the Pacers' lineup, Spoelstra immediately became nervous. He is well aware that it is impossible for Henson to cram any redundant players into his squad. Why did he put such a strange guy in the Heat today?

Although the Heat have a poor record this season, they still have a chance to make the playoffs. So, Spoelstra will try to win every game, even against a strong Pacers.

Therefore, looking at the "stranger" of Siakam, Spoelstra was still a little nervous.

"That guy's information, hand it over to me in ten minutes." So, the Filipino coach turned around and gave his assistant a task.

He is well aware that Henson always likes to interrupt the rhythm of the game with unexpected substitutions. But if you know Henson's players in advance, even if it's just a little transparent, you can reduce the chances of losing the game as much as possible.

Ten minutes later, Siakam's basic information appeared in front of Spoelstra's eyes. When he saw that Siakam was the No. 27 rookie this year and had spent most of his time playing in the NBDL, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

A player who averages only 13.4 points per game in the NBDL shouldn't be much of a threat. Maybe Henson called him back just to send him on the field during garbage time?

"Damn Henson, he's already thinking about garbage time!" Spoelstra clenched his fists, he wouldn't let Henson get his wish!

In this way, Siakam was successfully ignored by Spoelstra.