...... a day ago

"Knock knock."

Henson, who was watching the video of the game in his office, heard a knock on the door.

"Please come in". Henson didn't lift his head, but shouted at the door.

Henson could guess that now that training was over, most of the people who came to him were members of the coaching staff. And the purpose of finding yourself should be to report on the team's training today.

After all, All-Star Weekend has just ended, and Henson does need to know the status of his players in real time.

"Boss, are you busy?"

However, when the visitor spoke, Henson immediately looked up in surprise. Because this voice does not belong to anyone on the coaching staff, but to one of his players – Victor. Oladipo.

"Not busy," Henson saw that the visitor was different from what he imagined, so he immediately paused the video, "What are you looking for me?" Victor. ”

"I want to ...... Well...... Talk to you. ”

"Of course that's good, what are you talking about?" Henson smiled kindly, knowing full well that having a player come to you in private is no less important than directing a game.

At first, Henson was also concerned that Oladipo was unhappy with his current role as a substitute. If that's the case, Henson will have a lot of headaches. Because now he doesn't plan to push Oladipo into the starting line-up, and he doesn't have any words to calm the players' emotions.

But as soon as Oladipo spoke, Henson immediately let out a sigh of relief. He didn't come today to start.

"I feel a little frustrated...... This year's Eastern Conference All-Star bench, they picked Millsap instead of me. I do not know...... I just want to be an All-Star once. I think I have the ability, but others just can't see it. ”

Oladipo began to pour bitter water on Henson, but Henson was not bored, but listened patiently. When a player is willing to pour bitter water on the coach, it proves that he has full trust in you.

Henson knew Oladipo and was always underrated. At the time of the draft, the Cavaliers would rather pick Bennett than Oladipo because he was a junior.

At Magic, Oladipo was not appreciated by management and even played as a substitute. You know, playing on the bench with the Magic and playing off the bench with the Pacers are two completely different concepts. For the Pacers, Oladipo was a tactical substitute. But with the Magic, he was a real substitute because of the displeasure of management.

I thought that after returning to Indianapolis, where he had created glory in college, Oladipo would be able to find himself. But I didn't expect that last season under Vogel, Oladipo also struggled very much.

After last season, Oladipo was also questioned by all sides. Among them, there are even some local media in India that defended him very much at the beginning.

So, as Henson said, Oladipo has always been underrated.

"I know, it's actually unfair to you. I'm sure you have the all-star calibre. And you've played really well this season. It's just that most people, they still don't want to admit it. ”

Oladipo nodded, and Henson's words simply said that his heart was in trouble.

'But I never underestimated you, I always saw you as the most important part of the team. And I know exactly what you're capable of. What you have to do now is to let others know what you are capable of, and then make those who didn't choose you to be an All-Star regret it! ”

"That'...... How can I let others know about me. Oladipo looked at Henson eagerly.

In fact, Millsap's selection as an All-Star this year is not an exaggeration. It's fair to say that Millsap is the absolute heart of the Eagles this year. And his average of 18.1 points per game is also a career high.

But Henson certainly couldn't tell the truth, he fooled a "kid" like Oladipo, which was not a set.

"In the next game, there's a chance for everyone to remember you."

"Next?" Oladipo's eyes lit up, "Our next opponent is the Cleveland Cavaliers, right?" ”

"That's right, it's the Cleveland Knights." Henson smiled, his eyes unconsciously glancing at Korver, whose movements were frozen on the computer screen.

This time, you've got a tough opponent to mess with, man.

※※※

The Cleveland Cavaliers Quick-Loan Arena, which is Henson's second visit this season.

In the previous three years of the dynasty, Henson had no impression of the Quick-Loan Arena. After all, the Cavaliers at that time were still a fish belly team led by Irving.

But now, Cleveland has become very different. The small town finally has a professional sports league champion of their own, and of course, they are also terrifyingly competitive.

It can even be said that James' presence has stretched the GDP growth of the whole of Cleveland. The Cavaliers are undoubtedly a classic case of a small club counterattacking the big market.

Henson stood on the sidelines, looked around and saw that half of the fans were wearing James' number 23 jersey. And just now on the streets of Cleveland, Henson also saw huge posters of James everywhere.

Said LeBron. It is no exaggeration that James is the native emperor of Cleveland.

But today, Henson believes in LeBron. James won't be the main character. Henson gave Oladipo a stage, and on this stage, he wanted to be the protagonist!

"Victor, how are you preparing for the game?" In between warm-ups, Henson beckoned Oladipo to his side. This scene of him also attracted the attention of the narrator.

"What is Coach Henson doing? Could it be that today, he will push Oladipo into the starting line-up? "On the commentary stage, Mike. Brin craned his neck curiously.

"I ...... I'm excited, sir. Oladipo nodded beside Henson.

Of course, the others didn't know what they were saying.

"Well, keep that excitement going. Then, remember what I said to you before the game. When you come on the pitch today, your first task is to defend first. You've got to see Korver first, I don't want to see him shoot any more from three-point range like 8-of-9. After you defend him, I will naturally give you the right to make a move, and then you will torture his nerves. And prove to everyone that you're a All-Star caliber player! ”

Even if it was just whispering in his ear, Henson's tone was full of confidence.

Oladipo nodded slightly, and since then, his gaze has never taken off Korver.

Half an hour later, to the cheers of the Cleveland fans, the game officially began.

During the jump game, Henson saw that the Cavaliers' starting lineup remained unchanged. Owen and Shambaugh partnered in the back line, Tristan. Thompson and James pair up front. Kevin. Love stepped into the No. 5 position and continued to do the work of opening up space and fighting for rebounds.

Since the two teams had just played each other half a month ago, they knew each other very well. As soon as the game began, James and Antetokounmpo each gave two beautiful dunks to the fans.

James used his body to push George away, and then slashed Huashan and scored with a one-handed dunk.

After passing, Antetokounmpo used a beautiful forward change of direction to get past Tristan. Thompson, and then won the dunk under Lefou's weak block.

James is eager to break through the shadows of those three years, but let's not forget that Antetokounmpo has always been angry with the Cavaliers. He hasn't forgotten how humiliating he was in losing the last game.

The dunks of James and Antetokounmpo are almost the epitome of this game.

After that, the Cavaliers and Pacers went back and forth. Paul's side just threw in and scored, Kelly. Irving hit a layup with a butterfly step.

Love received a long-range shot from James, and George hit a pull-up jump shot with his favorite ball-carrying screen.

All three stars on both sides have played their worth, but because of this, the scores of both teams have been alternating upwards.

That continued until the seventh minute of the first quarter, when James took a three-point lead with a direct long-range shot from the dribble, and Henson called the game out.

"Well done, good job, everyone! The Cavaliers played well today, but we still bit the score. Trust me, though, this scorching situation won't last long. Victor! ”

With Henson's shouting, Oladipo immediately stood up and took off his training clothes, "Boss! I'm here! ”

"When it's rotation time, the Cavaliers will definitely switch to Korver. Remember the assignment I gave you? Start defensively. Keep an eye on him and make him scared of you. Then, use your offense to completely open the score. To hell with those who underestimate you! ”

※※※

Korver has been looking forward to this game for a long time, after all, the game where he shot 8-of-9 half a month ago allowed him to surpass Kidd in three-point shooting in the regular season and move up to seventh in NBA history. That night was a milestone night for Korver.

Tonight, seeing the Pacers again, Korver is confident he'll still be favored. After all, with James, Irving and Love to draw the defense for him, he can get a lot of easy shots. And when he just warmed up, Korver really felt that he felt good.

At the end of the timeout, when Korver came out, he also received a cheer from the Cleveland fans. Everyone is expecting, expecting the white shooter to play a magical performance again.

But as soon as he came on the pitch today, Korver felt a chill down his spine. He couldn't help but turn his head to look at his opponent, Oladipo, only to find that the other party was like a black panther, staring at him with bloodthirsty eyes.

"Wait and see, the show begins."

Seeing Korver swallow at Oladipo's eyes, Henson smiled and sat back on the bench.

Don't use the Pacers as an ATM, today could be another career night. But this career night won't belong to Korver, it's to Victor. Oladipo.

Henson won't allow himself to be in the same place and fail twice!