Chapter 62: The Strange Flu
Villanova University is the best in the NCAA rankings this season, and while their record doesn't affect teams that aren't in the same league, just looking at their 15-0 unbeaten record is scary enough.
Such an anti-sky team is undoubtedly the focus of attention of major media, and even Chang Wei, a thick-skinned guy, can't help but blush when they see the articles in those newspapers, this group of reporters is so undisciplined that they have blown Villanova to the sky, and even faintly want to compete with UCLA led by Abdul-Jabbar back then. You must know that the latter is a super team with 88 wins and 2 losses in three seasons, and now Villanova is a big cut behind them!
In addition to blowing the team, players are also the focus of the media's hype. In the latest draft projections, Villanova's three stars Maddy, Brand and Battier are all predicted to be selected with the top 10 picks, and the two role players Brown and Allen, plus Selesstad's best sixth man, are also favored to be selected in the middle and late stages of the first round.
Chang Wei basically dismissed this prediction as a joke. That's right, Maddy, Brand and Battier themselves have the ability and potential of the top ten picks, in the previous life Brand was the champion in 1999, Battier was the sixth pick in the first round in 2001, and even Maddie was the ninth pick in the first round in 1997, you must know that he was just a high school student at that time, and now he has been tempered by the NCAA, how can he say that he has to go further than the ninth pick in his previous life, right?
Selesstad still has hopes of being drafted in the first round, but it would be too much to think that Brown and Allen will be drafted in the middle and late stages of the first round, and even they themselves don't believe that there will be such a high pick. Brown only wants to be a second-round pick, Allen is even worried about whether he can make it to the NBA, isn't that on draft prediction websites?
In fact, apart from die-hard media, other media that have no fixed tendencies are the most painful. The team performs well, and they are the ones who blow the most, and once they perform badly, they are the ones who criticize them the most, so it is really difficult for them to talk about people and nonsense. And any team is not afraid of battering, only afraid of killing, after all, young players always have a hard work in their hearts, belittling does not work, only by making them proud can a team be fundamentally destroyed.
Now Villanova has undoubtedly been killed, and almost every newspaper on the market has blown them to the sky, which is easy to breed pride in the players and hate the team. The former team can also do the work for the players, while the latter can only watch the opponent go crazy against them.
Fortunately, Christmas is approaching, which gives Villanova the whole team a chance to breathe. It's no wonder that the winner of many long-distance running events is often not the one who is at the front at the beginning, but the record of winning all the games is really cool, so I can only be painful and happy.
This year, heavy snow fell in the eastern part of the United States, and many flights were delayed or even canceled for a long time, Chang Wei had to give up his plan to return to China, he did not want to run across the entire United States to the West Coast, and then take a plane back from there. But Chang Wei still found something to do for himself, and it was really time-consuming to read a book and look at video clips or something in the apartment, in fact, Chang Wei usually spent his boring days like this when he was fine.
Because he was too lazy to go out, when Maddie and the others called for dinner on Christmas Day, Chang Wei refused very decisively, he didn't want to trudge through the knee-deep snow, and maybe he would leave his shoes in the snow at some point. He was just seriously asking the guys to drink less, and then hung up.
Chang Wei was extremely excited that night, because Laurie gave him a black-and-white video of the Lakers during the Show Time period, and he stayed up all night to see it in the early morning of the next day, and then fell asleep. But early the next morning, Chang Wei was woken up by the ringing of the phone, and he muttered and picked up the microphone when he saw that the genius was bright.
On the other end of the line was Rappers's voice, a little hoarse, but also with a hint of panic: "Chang, something happened!" Hurry up to the hospital now, according to the doctor, the little ones who came out for dinner last night have to be hospitalized! With that, he directly reported the address to Chang Wei, which was the best hospital in Villanova.
Chang Wei's drowsiness disappeared all of a sudden, and he thought of the phone call Maddie made to him last night, and suddenly had an ominous premonition. Although Rappers did not tell him who was taken to the hospital, it is likely that the majority of the team's main players were there! If that's the case, then it's bad, you know that the day after tomorrow the team is going to play the first game after Christmas, the so-called illness is like a mountain, the illness is like a thread, it is estimated that Villanova will be broken this season's unbeaten golden body.
But now is not the time to care about the outcome of the next game, Chang Wei hurriedly got dressed, rushed out of the door without washing his face, and ran to the hospital with one foot deep and one foot shallow. When they arrived in the lobby of the hospital, Rappers was already waiting there, the middle-aged man who had always paid attention to his personal appearance looked very sloppy, not to mention his tie, even his shirt was crumpled, his trouser legs were covered with mud, and his eyes were full of bloodshots.
Chang Wei didn't care about greetings, and stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Did the doctor diagnose what the problem was?" How many of our team are being treated in there right now? ”
Rappers irritably unbuttoned the second button of his shirt and said in a hoarse voice, "The doctor said it was the flu, huh!" Go for the special flu! I'm in my forties and fifties, so I can't tell if it's the flu or not? ”
Suddenly, Rappers closed his mouth, scanned the surroundings nervously, and then put it on Chang Wei's ear, and said in a voice as thin as a mosquito: "It is said that they were constantly vomiting when they were delivered, I see that their symptoms are somewhat similar to food poisoning, and they all ate in the same restaurant last night, I feel that this is a pool of deep water......"
Chang Wei also involuntarily lowered his voice again: "Is the doctor's diagnosis right or not to put aside for us first, how many people have been recruited this time?" What about our game against Boston University the day after tomorrow? ”
Lappers' face wrinkled into bitter melons at the mention of the upcoming match, and he shook his head and said, "Don't you care about the game, isn't it just a loss anyway?" I'm telling you, Elton, Tracy, Howard, Malik, John, and a couple of other second-team players were sent to the emergency room this time......"
Chang Wei couldn't help but smile bitterly: It's really a big trouble this time!