Beijing time on October 29, 2017.

The Houston Rockets, who left Charlotte, started back-to-back road games.

The city ahead of them was Memphis.

1/

With four minutes left in the first quarter, the Rockets maintained their lead after the opening game, with a score of 23-15, and Yang Yiming was substituted.

Trevo Ariza, who was originally expected to return for the next home game, was supported by Eric Gordon due to a temporary stomach discomfort, and Yang Yiming replaced him.

He was joined by the veteran centre-forward who also returned to the line-up for this game, Brazilian Nene.

Six days earlier, the Rockets had just lost a good game at home, losing 90-98 to the Memphis Grizzlies. In this revenge battle, even if the hot state Gordon can't appear, these combat forces join temporarily, and the goal is to be ashamed.

"The first time you played away back-to-back, how did you feel, Yiming?" Before the start of the game, D'Antoni and the team's physicist found him alone in the dressing room.

"I'm ready, coach." Yang Yiming replied in the affirmative.

"How's your fitness reserve? Feeling tired? The physical trainer looked a little worried, after all, they had just finished playing a game against the Hornets in Charlotte the day before, and they had taken off overnight and arrived in Memphis in the early hours of the morning.

"No problem. I feel like I'm fully recovered. Afraid that the coach and the physical trainer would not be at ease, Yang Yiming motioned to Yu Xiaochun to help translate it again.

"Yiming said that he could fight."

"Then get ready." Coach D'Antoni and the physicist looked at each other and added, "If you're tired, tell me in advance to apply for a substitution." Don't be reckless. ”

"Understood!" Yang Yiming and Yu Xiaochun spoke in unison.

Seeing the head coach and the physical trainer walking away, Yang Yiming untied the sneakers and laces on his feet and tied them carefully again. In fact, he knew in his heart that he said that his body was not tired at all, which was a lie. Two days in a row, tiring travel, and two high-confrontation NBA games, which is an intensity he has never experienced in China before. When he woke up in the hotel this morning, he could clearly feel the muscle soreness caused by the decomposition of lactic acid, and his shooting arm was also heavy during the warm-up training, and he couldn't grasp the strength of the basketball. But in this rematch with the Grizzlies, he didn't want to miss out on his own inability!

This is the challenge he is prepared to accept when he comes to the United States!

After debuting, perhaps because of trusting Yang Yiming's fiery hand in the first two games, his teammates passed the ball to him three times in a row. The first two times he faced the Grizzlies' defenders, his shots were deflected. The third time, after Capela attracted two defenders, he cleverly passed the ball from outside the baseline to Yang Yiming, who cut in from the empty position, but the ball speed was slightly faster, and he ran a little urgently, and the basketball did not grasp it at the first time, and then adjusted and prepared to play the board steadily, but was slapped out by Mark Gasol who turned around!

The ball flew straight to the court seats.

Gasol, who defended successfully, roared under the basket.

Hit three shots.

Yang Yiming didn't expect that this challenge was so much bigger than he imagined!

2/

At the end of the first quarter, the Grizzlies closed in on the score, and the Rockets only narrowly led 32-30.

"Feeling tired?" When he walked off the field, Yu Xiaochun handed the towel to Yang Yiming and cared about him.

The latter did not speak, just silently wiped his sweat. Although he had only been on the court for four minutes, the sweat was now running down the ends of his short hair like beads of broken threads.

"Would you like to take a break?" Yu Xiaochun asked in a low voice.

Yang Yiming sat back in his chair and shook his head resolutely.

"Yang." As if seeing Yang Yiming's frustration, Eric Gordon, who was not on the court, moved to the two of them and shouted, "Are you tired?" ”

Yang Yiming still didn't speak.

"If you feel tired and can't move, you can still think of other ways." Gordon waved his arms and gestured as he explained to him, "You can change the rhythm, for example. ”

Changing the pace?

"For example, the first shot just now, maybe you received the ball as usual, and shot it directly. But today your physical condition is not the best, you go around the off-ball block, you shake off the defenders, you run to the receiving position, your stamina is already running out, you jump up and shoot, you need to adjust the arc in order to avoid the block, this ball will not go in nine times out of ten. ”

Gordon's analysis made Yang Yiming's eyes light up.

"You can think differently. When you can't get fast, you can slow down and beat slower than your opponent. Gordon made a feint that seemed to be in slow motion, "Maybe there's a chance." ”

Yiming nodded vigorously.

"Also, look at them," Gordon said, gesturing at the Grizzlies players in the next section, "and remember that in addition to offense, there are defenses and rebounds that can help the team win." ”

Defend and rebound!

It's just a word to wake up the dreamer!

3/

Memphis is a city that really has the same temperament as their team.

It's a prosaic city in the middle of the United States that looks unremarkable at first glance. Even in Tennessee, Memphis is only the second-largest city. When the flight landed, Yang Yiming and the others were surprised to find that the passenger airport named by FedEx was actually pitifully small, with only one terminal and a few sparse boarding gates. Rushing from the hotel to the stadium, the streets where the Mississippi River runs through the city do not have the towering skyline of Houston, and the gray old buildings are scattered among them, and the air is a little cold and gloomy.

It's like this team in a dark blue jersey.

The superstar who has never made a name for himself in the league has gone to the inside line, Hazak Randolph, and the one who is in charge of the team has become Mike Conley with dreadlocks and the team's top salary. Besides Memphis, which team will offer Conley a contract with a maximum salary?

Yang Yiming returned to the court after the start of the second quarter. He got the ball, it shook, and there was a hint of hesitation on his opponent's part. Yang Yiming pretended to shoot, then took a sideways dribble, and the opponent came back from the defense and flew up to block. He hesitated for a moment, waited for his opponent to fall, and then slowly shot and threw the ball in.

In the ensuing counterattack, he gave up the opportunity to attack the basket, but waited early outside the three-point line and hit it easily.

The Rockets lead by 6 points.

However, the Grizzlies, like Memphis, may only look bland and boring.

Memphis Cargo Airport, the home base of Federal Express. It's lit up around the clock and has the second highest throughput in the world.

In the cold, damp streets of Memphis, in those dark taverns, is the warm home of American blues. Artists, including Elvis Presley, have all started here.

The Memphis team, just like the Mississippi River next to the city, no matter what the wind and clouds will bring, only brewing their own strength, flowing silently and never stopping.

And the most amazing thing is that people living in Memphis will recognize and praise the ordinariness of this disguise.

Only here, dedicated veteran Tony Allen will be asked to serve as an ambassador for the city's Memphis Airport before leaving to join the Pelicans this summer.

Only here, Chandler Parsons, the Rockets defect who has been criticized as a parallel commodity after the injury, will be treated gently and carefully cared for until he comes off the bench this night, scoring 24 points, shooting 6 of 8 from beyond the three-point line, and a one-arm dunk that stops and starts in the breakaway, and seems to be dancing and flying again. And you think that the Spaniard Marc Gasol, who has just slapped Yang Yiming, is a foreigner? He's a native of Memphis!

Only here, the fans who are behind and lose will not be frustrated, and the defense will be glorified. Although Yang Yiming fell into a physical crisis again in the second half, he did his best for the Rockets on the defensive end, and finally scored 9 points but grabbed as many as 12 rebounds, plus 2 steals and 1 block, helping the team drag the suspense to the decisive moment in the fourth quarter.

Before leaving the court, Yang Yiming jumped in order to rescue a frontcourt ball that was about to go out of bounds, his whole body was almost level with the floor, and the ball was held by his palm at the moment before it would touch the audience, and it was thrown back into the field from the back of his head and fell into the hands of his teammates. He himself fell hard.

Fortunately, there were spectators and photographers on the sidelines at the landing place, which helped him cushion the power of landing.

There was a sigh of false alarm in the arena of the Federal Express Center.

When Yang Yiming immediately got up and walked back to the venue to accept the replacement, there was applause!

Although the Rockets ultimately lost here, Memphis's applause was dedicated to the opponent.

Tenacious young Chinese.

Yu Xiaochun, who was watching the game from the sidelines, looked up, and the Memphis fans in the entire arena stood up at this time and applauded a saving performance - this really looks like a very special place.

Perhaps it is not surprising that Karonsky II would have asked me to meet in this city.

When Yu Xiaochun thought of this, he couldn't help but look forward to it.