The day after the victory over the Jazz, the Rockets had a full day off.

But when it comes to rest, it doesn't take long to rest. The final team to compete in the division finals that night was also produced, with the Boston Celtics narrowly beating the Philadelphia 76ers on free throws at home, and the Eastern Conference finals kick off on Sunday. The excitement of advancing to the Western Conference Finals didn't last long, and a playoff rookie like Yang Yiming hadn't touched the taste yet, thinking about the next game, his nerves were still tense.

"Let's go eat together, celebrate and relax, just the two of us." Girlfriend Meritis sent him a message. It's time to relax, looking at the information, Yang Yiming himself secretly thought that playing in the NBA was too hard to run, and although the two were in love, they often didn't have time to get together. He quickly replied to confirm, and the two set a time and place.

1/

The date was held at an Italian restaurant in downtown Houston. At 7 o'clock in the evening, Jose took Yang Yiming to the first step, and after the receptionist in the front hall confirmed the reservation, he was very intimate and led him to sit down at an inconspicuous table in the corner. This position cannot be directly seen from the dining area of the hall, but Yang Yiming caused a small commotion among the other diners when he was led through the hall. His size and appearance are undoubtedly too conspicuous, and the Rockets are now the focus of attention in Houston, so it is really difficult not to be recognized. Yang Yiming was not nervous about stage fright, and waved and smiled as a response to the "melon-eating masses".

Fortunately, after taking a seat in the corner, the commotion in the hall quickly subsided. Yang played with his phone for a while, and the fifth game between Philadelphia and Boston had just started (there was a one-hour time difference between Houston in the middle and the East Coast), and Meritis had arrived.

"Hey." Yang Yiming got up and kissed each other, helped her pull out the chair at the dining table, and invited her to sit down, "You are so beautiful today." ”

"Thank you." Meritis smiled and sat down, "Thank you, gentleman." ”

Meritis's thank you was certainly teasing, but she was really dressed up today. She deliberately re-coiled her usual ponytail and pinned it with a black hairpin. Jujube red lip gloss, a neat and concise white short skirt, and bare shoulders. The perfume on the body smells light but not greasy, if there is nothing, a pair of light grass green high heels on the feet, is the finishing touch of this outfit.

"You look at the menu and see what you want to eat? I've just looked through it and it all looks good. ”

"Today is for you to celebrate, you choose." Meredith smiled again, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She caught a glimpse of the score screen on Yang Yiming's mobile phone and said, "How is it, is the fight starting?" ”

"Hmm. What about the first section just now..."Yang Yiming turned off the phone screen with some embarrassment. On a rare date, he didn't want to look too inattentive, but he didn't expect his girlfriend to mind at all:

"It's okay, you see. I also want to know who's in the Eastern Conference Finals, hahaha, and don't forget, I'm a basketball fan, too. ”

"25-24, the first quarter ended with the Celtics leading." Yang Yiming turned on his mobile phone again and broadcast the score.

"It's better for the Green Army."

"Hmm." Yang Yiming looked at the technical statistics again, and the Celtics Tatum, Rochel, Jaylen Brown, and Horford all played, while the 76ers were the great Embiid. He added: "Celtic are really not to be underestimated. Coach Stevens really has a hand, whether it is the main substitute, he can play the self-confidence of a superstar. The more adversity there is, the more energy can be stimulated. Their team basketball may eventually overwhelm the talent of the 76ers. ”

"Yes." Meritis took a sip of the cold water and said, "Although it is a completely different style from us, I also love to watch them play, always believe in the system, always believe in my teammates." But I think that thirst for victory and glory is still very similar to us at the core. ”

"Really?" Yang Yiming was a little nervous - after all, he was still a newcomer to the playoffs, and seeing Paul's solipsistic performance the night before, sometimes he couldn't help but wonder if he had the same amount of ambition, which is also human nature - he quickly drank water to hide his nervousness, and said: "I'm still a little blind, I actually went to the Western Conference finals all of a sudden." ”

"yes, I haven't had time to interview you yet."

"No, no, I'm going to interview you: what the hell should it be like to be in the Western Conference Finals."

2/

In the 14-15 season, the Rockets defeated Paul's then club, the Los Angeles Clippers, in a tie-breaker, and met the Golden State Warriors, the opponent of the Western Conference finals, but finally lost the series 1-4. Meritis was just starting to work for the Rockets at the time.

"Let's talk while eating."

"Okay."

The two of them each chose an appetizer, a starter, a main meal, and a dessert. The dish is not fast, but it tastes wonderful. Yang Yiming's asparagus with pan-fried senbei, the senbei is sweet and juicy, the umami is compelling, and the asparagus is grilled to the right temperature, and the special sauce of avocado lime and celery is drizzled to enhance the brightness of the dish.

He took another bite of the creamy clam soup Meredith ordered, which was equally delicious.

"I was still an intern, just around the time of my senior year, I had final exams, I had to hand in my papers, and I had to start working on Team Rocket, and I was so busy almost every day that I could only sleep three or four hours a day, and I was so anxious." In front of mereitis tasting the food, she also ordered a glass of red wine, and her face was completely unresponsive: "At that time, I felt the same as you are now, a rookie, completely overwhelmed, and I didn't care about feeling what it was like to play in the Western Conference Finals." But when I think back to the situation in the years, I feel that the Rockets are still in a different state of mind from now. ”

"Oh, will it be different?"

"Yes." Meritis gently drank the red wine in her glass, her cheeks flushed with a beautiful red, "Now that I think about it, the feeling we made it to the Western Conference Finals was: we have done our job, and every win from now on is an extra victory." We've all done the redemption — we've been eliminated by the Trail Blazers at home the previous season — and the Warriors looked completely invincible, so while the whole team said they were going to fight for the championship, no one took it seriously. This time it's obviously different, after entering the Western Conference Finals and meeting the Warriors again, I think everyone's mood is that the playoff battle has just begun! ”

"Wow, how do you feel like listening to you, the pressure has become even greater! Didn't you say good relaxation, hahaha. ”

"You have to ask yourself, idiot." Meritis raised his wine glass in the air and said, "Cheers, I wish my boyfriend to lead the team to defeat the Warriors and help us complete a new redemption." ”

"Cheers! Then I wish me to live up to my girlfriend's high expectations. ”

Yang Yiming raised the soda cup he was drinking, and the glass collided in the air, making a clear and pleasant sound.