Chapter 45: How to Prove?
With the 76ers' home victory over the Pelicans, Ding Wei's 3-game intra-team suspension has officially ended, in these 3 games, Hollis Thompson, who replaced Ding Wei into the team's squad, played quite well, and the playing time in every game is increasing, and with Jakar Sampson's sluggish performance after the suspension, his position as the first bench of scoring guard has gradually been replaced by the former, if Ding is not released for this game, Thompson even has a chance to usher in his first start of the season.
The upcoming road game against the Pistons is the final of the 76ers' two consecutive back-to-backs, and they are a little tired after playing three games in four days, and in this case, the team's rotation is naturally the first thing for Brett Brown to consider.
The Pistons' current record is 16-25, which is enough to give them the confidence to challenge for a playoff spot, and their current strength on paper is enough to wrestle with some strong teams, but when it comes to winning the battle, they are not too sure, so their main direction of attack is still some soft persimmons outside the playoff zone, and the 76ers look like they can be kneaded by them.
"If they think so, it's a big mistake," Ding Wei said to Thompson next to him, sitting in the spacious cabin box, "From the perspective of the whole team, we are indeed not in very good shape at the moment, but I dare say that it is okay on a few key points." β
"For example?"
"The first one is Knowens, who had a double-double and five blocks in his last game against the Pelicans."
"Well, does this have anything to do with today's game?"
"In the last game, his opponent was Anthony Davis, although he didn't play, but you know, and in this game, his opponent is ......"
"Drummond...... Oooh! β
"So do you think Nolens will let go of this opportunity to prove himself once again?"
Andre Drummond, nicknamed "Zhuang Shen", was the No. 9 rookie in 2012, and was also the favorite for the top pick, but the final pick was even more tragic than Nolens Noll, he quickly proved with his strength that he was not much inferior to Anthony Davis, it is impossible for Noel to back down in front of such an opponent, Thompson can even make up Anthony Davis is smiling at Noll, "Want to fight me?" Let's win that kid first. β
"Well, he won't." Thompson shuddered at the two big teeth that Anthony Davis suddenly showed in his mind, and then nodded repeatedly.
"The second is the boss, who has been the team-high in scoring during this time."
"Does that have anything to do with today's game?"
"Haven't you noticed that the boss has been a lot more positive lately? And I practiced with him. β
"Hmm......"
"It shows that he has a strong fighting spirit both on and off the pitch and has no physical problems."
Thompson nodded, indeed, no one would force up their training when they already felt they couldn't keep up.
"The third is," Ding Wei cocked his thumb and pointed to himself, "Huh? β
"What do you say?"
"Niu B, don't explain."
Thompson Khan, the longer he gets along with Ding Wei, the more he can find that this guy is different from ordinary Asians, his skin is thicker than the city wall, his face is faster than turning a book, and he is shameless when he says he is shameless.
"The last one," Ding Wei pointed at Thompson with his index finger, "it's you." β
"Me?" Thompson never dreamed that he would be a key factor in the team's victory.
"Because you're next to Niu B, don't explain."
"You're really enough......"
"Seriously, do you think you have any physical problems?"
Thompson shook his head.
"Where's the status?"
"It's not bad, I can feel that I'm getting better and better, but ......"
"It's not stable enough, is it?"
"How do you know what I'm trying to say?" Thompson was surprised.
"I can't explain your IQ," Ding Wei spread his hands, and then said again, "Actually, there are two reasons here, one is that you have too little playing time before, and any marksman has to rely on bullets to feed him." β
"That's right." Thompson clenched his fists, he is not a player born with the attribute of a microwave oven, he has to go through game after game to get back to his form, although he worries about his survival every season, it does not mean that he is not even the slightest bit ambitious to fight for more opportunities.
"Two, your integration with the team is not so perfect, but this problem is very easy to solve because I am sitting next to you."
"Uh......" Thompson was confused, he couldn't grasp Ding Wei's out-of-the-box thinking at all.
"In this game, the boss will probably start K.J. and let me get on the court in the second half of the first quarter to find my form, and I'll try to stay on the court as much as possible from then on, Tony had a little bit of a minor injury last time out, and out of an abundance of caution, the head should have him on the bench for the whole game, which means I might play point guard in some situations."
"And then?"
"And there's a good chance you and I will play at the same time, you're hopelessly stupid." Ding Wei was speechless about Thompson's IQ, "I'll feed you more balls, but you must make sure to throw all the balls into it, otherwise, hum." β
"How do I do this?" Thompson sweated profusely, and Ding Wei's requirements were too much pressure for a pure shooter who barely managed to maintain a 40% shooting percentage.
"If you can't do it, you'll die, and I won't pass you the ball anyway." Ding Wei turned his head with a smile, and said viciously in his mouth.
Thompson looked at the back of Ding Wei's head and sighed, turning his gaze out the window, the pale gray mist tangled in his eyes, making him a little confused.
Is my future like the clouds outside? Thompson looked up at the sky at a 45-degree angle, his eyes full of bright sadness.
β¦β¦
"Oh! Brandon Jennings hit 2 straight 3-pointers! The Pistons got off to a perfect start at home, and it looks like they're really hopeful of making the playoffs this season. Jennings' two consecutive 3-pointers were playing on the big screen in the T-N-T live room, and he scored eight straight points in less than three minutes to help the Pistons take a nearly overwhelming 15-4 lead in the opening game.
"Could it be that the exhaust fumes of the Motor City have reborn him? Oh, sorry I was wrong, but the vast majority of cars in Detroit are parked in scrapyards right now. Charles Barkley said with a poisonous tongue.
"The Pistons' interior setup is still very strong in this day and age, but I don't think Greg Monroe and Drummond together can match who I was back then." "Big Shark" O'Neal made an exaggerated gesture and gushed that he was attending the match as a special guest.
"Yes, they're not even a third of what I was at my peak." Barkley replied lightly.
"Are you provoking me, Charles?" O'Neill stared at Barkley with two bull's eyes, and the sabre-rattling scene seemed to be about to erupt.
"Hmph," Barkley moved his somewhat bloated body out of his seat, standing in the middle of the studio looking like a ham, still with his head down, "If you have the ability, let the horse come." β
"The grievances between you will be resolved after the end of the relationship, if you have to settle them here, why not make a bet? For example, who will win today's game. Kenny Smith laughed and rounded, bringing the conversation back to the game.
"Detroit." Barkley was about to speak, but O'Neill took the lead, who winked at him triumphantly, so disgusted that he almost vomited the beef burger he had just eaten before the broadcast began.
"76ers, of course I'm rooting for Philadelphia." Although deep down he is not optimistic that the 76ers can win this game, as a "son of Philadelphia", Barkley certainly has to support his team, especially if O'Neal is working against him.
"What about the bets?"
"Everyone knows about the gamble between me and Kenny about Yao, and I'd love to give Shaq a taste of what a donkey's ass is like." Barkley grinned, proud of the experience of kissing a donkey's butt.
"I'd love to see Shaq's face when he faces the donkey's ass, but it doesn't seem to be a bit new." Kenny Smith shook his head.
"That's right, it's too cheap to let Charles kiss the donkey's ass again, we can have a more exciting one this time, how about a monkey." O'Neill happily mimics the monkey's ear and cheek scratching, and this big man is a big man who can instantly grab everyone's attention wherever he goes.
"That's what you said."
"That's right, you're just waiting for the moment when you get up close and personal with the monkey's ass, I can look forward to it very much, hehehehe."
βMeοΌtooγβ Buck responded with a slewd smile to O'Neal with the roll of his eyes.
"Okay, let's get back to the game, the timeout is over, the 76ers have replaced Hollis Thompson, who has not done anything in the 3-point race before, and it seems that Brett Brown is still planning to deal with the change...... However, wouldn't it be better to replace it with Ding? Kenny Smith, who returned his attention to the big screen, hesitated to voice his doubts.
"Oh, it's that Chinese kid, in my impression Chinese unless you grow to be as tall as Yao, you must be useless......"
"Hehe, I don't agree with you, but I'm glad you think so, Shaq." Barkley smiled mysteriously, thinking of the next scene where O'Neal was slapped in the face, he was already starting to be dark, rookie, don't let me down.
"I don't understand what you mean, but I, Aristotle, am not going to give up my opinion." O'Neal held his head high triumphantly and looked at Barkley with a downward gaze, although there was a large degree of performance in it, but his stinky expression still made Barkley work hard for a long time to suppress the urge to jump up and pump him.
The 76ers' substitution did not change the situation of the game in the slightest, following Jennings, Kyle Singler suddenly became powerful outside the 3-point line, and he immediately got Jennings's full support, under the leadership of the point guard who once scored 55 points in a single game, but is now willing to make a wedding dress for others, the Pistons continued to maintain the previous strong offense, but the 76ers seemed a little shrunken on offense, and Hollis Thompson's several shooting choices were very strange, Sometimes hesitating in the face of open positions and not knowing what to do, sometimes suddenly brainless shots in the face of defenders, even teammates have a hard time grasping what he wants to do in the next second, and several consecutive turnovers allowed the Pistons to further extend their lead, and Coach Brown had to call another timeout.
"Huh." O'Neill laughs.
"Hmph." Barkley sneered.
"Hollis, I think I should probably apologize to you," Ding Wei looked at Thompson, who was wiping his sweat with a towel, but there was no apologetic expression on his face, "I think I overestimated you." β
βοΌβ
"So I retract what I just said, and solemnly make a new suggestion to you," Ding Wei said half-mockingly, half-comfortingly, "I think you should go to get a police officer's license now, just like Shaquille O'Neal, I think this promising job as a police officer is quite suitable for you." β
"Well, you don't have a fever, do you?"
"No, I'm very sober now, and I'm very glad I came to my senses in time, it seems that you are not particularly happy with this career plan, then go and become a poet, remember Etang Thomas of the Wizards is a poet, 'There is no doubt / I make pie / is the best in the whole world', what do you think?"
"Ding, I suggest ......"
"NONO, IT SEEMS THAT YOU MAY NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT I MEAN, THIS FIELD IS A BATTLEFIELD FOR MEN, AND NOT ALL PEOPLE WHO HAVE THAT THING IN THEIR CROTCH CAN BE CALLED MEN, BUT I STILL RECOMMEND THAT YOU GO TO THE HOSPITAL FOR A CHECK-UP, MAYBE YOU REALLY ......"
"I mean, I suggest ** shut your dog's mouth!" Thompson, who was almost completely depressed by Ding Wei's chatter, suddenly broke out, "Shut up! You son of a bitch! β
"Hehe, I didn't expect you to have the potential to be a water army, five cents per post, 10,000 posts a day is five hundred dollars, and you can sit in front of the computer all day long, just like when you sit on the bench, oh, I forgot, sitting on the bench can also make money......"
"Ding!" Even Nolens-Noll on the side couldn't listen anymore, he stood up in front of Thompson, and stared at Ding Wei sitting on the bench with Erlang's legs crossed with angry eyes, as if he was about to swallow the latter alive.
"Nolens, if you still want to win this game, you'd better calm down," Ding Wei stood up quietly and gently pushed Knoll who was in the way in front of him, "Some of us have fallen behind, so we have to do what they have to do together." β
Although he said "they", Dante's eyes were always on Hollis Thompson.
Thompson stared at Ding Wei with red eyes, like a bull about to burst out at any time, but Ding Wei completely ignored his almost burning gaze, walked straight to the center of the field, and did not forget to turn around and add:
"Whether the boss still keeps you on the field or not, I won't pass the ball to you."
Thompson's eyes turned redder.
"Oooo Look here, look here, look here, what's going on? Shaquille O'Neal excitedly watched the commotion on the 76ers bench on the big screen, the angry glances between Ding Wei and Nolens Noll made him excited, and the rapid stop of the turmoil also made him feel regretful, "Hey, it's really a group of guys with no eggs, and even the infighting has failed so much." β
"Watch out, Shaq." Kenny Smith reminded that O'Neal's remarks have gone beyond the bottom line of the show, and it is estimated that there has been a lot of scolding in the live broadcast now.
Charles Barkley coughed, still holding his arm and not speaking.
Ding Wei stood in the center of the court with his waist crossed, coldly watching the Pistons players who were playing the court talking and laughing to themselves, the score of 31-12 made them regard this game as something in their pockets, and the infighting that the 76ers just had made them look at the other side with mockery, and did not hide their disregard and contempt for the 76ers.
"It's a familiar rhythm...... Ding Wei narrowed his eyes, his body, which had not experienced such a high-intensity confrontation for several days, was gradually regaining his sense in the sound of his sneakers rubbing against the floor, and he couldn't wait for the next game.
"Ding."
Ding Weitie turned around with a blushing face and looked at Thompson not far away, the other party's eyes were still a little red.
"I can do it," Thompson looked at Ding Wei with a determined gaze, "and I'll prove it to you." β
Ding Wei smiled: "How to prove it?" β
Thompson was stunned for a moment, he really hadn't thought about it.
"Hopefully you'll find this answer before the end of the game," Ding Wei whispered in his ear, "otherwise I wouldn't have retracted those words just now, good luck." β
Before the words fell, Ding Wei had already put on a defensive posture, and the game started again.
(A belated update, fortunately, it's Saturday, so I can have time to catch up with the progress during the day, ask for recommended tickets and collect!) Next Thursday we will have the first recommendation! Happy and happy! οΌ