Chapter 13 And one
Discrimination against Asians has always existed in the NBA, and it still exists today, but it was much more severe in the early 21st century than it is now.

No matter what, basketball is a sport that places great emphasis on physical talent, and the physical talent of the Asian race has always been weak, so they are always discriminated against.

Kurt Thomas usually pays little attention to the media, so although he has learned some information about this yellow man from certain places, he does not know him well enough.

In his opinion, this guy is destined to be a second-round pick!

But now the team's head coach and general manager are actually going to use the lottery pick to choose this yellow guy.

Did they go out without their brains?

Don’t they know that the media has always been very harsh on them and how much pressure the team will face once they make this decision?
Kurt Thomas didn't want this teammate, he absolutely didn't want it.

He must find a way to stop this from happening.

The method was obviously very simple. He looked up and said to Zheng Yang with a smile.

"Hey, can you play two balls with me? I'm feeling itchy."

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of the other people present froze for a moment, and then they all looked at Kurt Thomas with different eyes.

What does he want to do by letting a rookie who is here for tryouts play against him?
Kurt Thomas played in the NBA for 18 years. Although he never won any awards and has always been unknown, the fact that he was able to survive in the league for 18 years is enough to prove his strength.

He cannot be a star player and cannot lead a team to win the championship, but he can be a substitute in a strong team and a starter in a weak team. He is what people often call the championship puzzle.

He is currently 31 years old and averaged 14 points per game this season, the highest in his career. It can be said that he is currently at the peak of his career.

And it's such a person, going to fight with a high school student, is there any chance of winning?
Although Zheng Yang's physical talent is better than his, physical talent helps players establish advantages when they have equal strength.

When the gap in strength between two people is too big, that little physical difference is of no use at all.

Besides, the two are not even players of the same position. Kurt Thomas, who plays power forward, is taller and stronger than Zheng Yang, and he can win the game just by playing in the inside.

What do you want Zheng Yang to fight with?

"Zheng is already very tired, let him rest for a while!"

Eric Fleischer was the first to jump out and speak. If Zheng Yang lost to the opponent, it would definitely affect his status in the hearts of Don Cheney and Thomas.

Even though everyone knows that there is a huge gap in strength between them, there is still a knot there.

There is no need to create unnecessary complications when you have already received a draft commitment.

Therefore, he declined the invitation on behalf of Zheng Yang, and his words were very tactful, taking Zheng Yang's face into consideration.

"Kurt, let Zheng have a good rest. He is very tired. You will have many opportunities to play basketball in the future."

Don Cheney also stood up to speak for Zheng Yang. He knew that Zheng Yang was indeed very strong, but he did not think he could compete with a player who averaged 14 points per game in the NBA.

He is still too young and needs more time to grow.

Kurt Thomas did not give up and continued.

"No, I didn't mean anything else, I just wanted to play basketball with him.

Hey, don't you want to fight me?"

He looked at Zheng Yang. Eric Fleischer wanted to say something, but Zheng Yang was already standing in front of him.

"Then let's give it a try. I also want to see the difference between me and NBA role players."

Zheng Yang shrugged and said nonchalantly, which made the smile on Kurt Thomas' face stop abruptly.

Very good, this damn yellow guy, he succeeded in irritating him.

Zheng Yang seldom talks trash, but that doesn't mean he doesn't do it.

He asked to play one-on-one with me twice during my tryout, which was obviously a provocation, so there was no need for him to go easy on him verbally.

Don Cheney wanted to say something, but Thomas tugged at his shirt, stopping him.

It would be nice to let these two guys play against each other. He really wants to see how Zheng will perform when facing NBA players.

But Eric Fleischer didn't want this to happen. After giving everyone an apologetic smile, he quickly pulled Zheng Yang aside and said.

“I know you’re not happy, but we came here for a tryout and now we’ve achieved our goal.

No matter how much you hate Kurt Thomas, you can find a chance to teach him a lesson later. There is no need to rush now.

If you lose this duel, it might affect your position between Don Cheney and Thomas."

He didn't know why Zheng Yang, who was usually gentle, was so irrational today.

He had to explain to him the interests involved.

But Zheng Yang still shook his head and spoke calmly and seriously.

"It's okay Mr. Fleischer, I thought about it, if I lose, people will just say I lost to Kurt Thomas who averaged 14 points per game, and tell me that I need to work hard instead of being arrogant.

I just lost face at that time, but it doesn't erase my previous performance because everyone knew I was playing against an NBA player.

But what if I win, I mean if I win this game, I will have more possibilities.

Besides, I really want to play against NBA players. I want to see how big the gap is between me and them.”

Zheng Yang's words made Eric Fleischer feel conflicted, but hesitation was not his character. After a brief consideration, he patted Zheng Yang on the shoulder.

"Then go ahead, young man. Show that man a lesson and let him know that he is just older than you, but not stronger than you."

"okay."

Zheng Yang returned to Kurt Thomas and spoke to him.

"Let's go."

He then returned to the court with the basketball. Although his muscles were still a little sore at the moment, Zheng Yang still decided to play this one-on-one match.

Winning or losing doesn’t matter, but you can’t lose your momentum!

I have all the top talents, but I am still bullied and looked down upon. What's the use of these talents?

"11 points, change of serve!"

After Zheng Yang said this without any emotion, he walked to the free throw line and shot the ball. The ball went into the net and the ball belonged to Zheng Yang.

“Maybe you played well in high school, but I’m not one of those good kids. I will leave you a deep impression in today’s game.

By the way, next time please remember my name, Kurt Thomas, not role player."

Kurt Thomas started talking trash as soon as he came on the court, but obviously, his trash talk was not that sophisticated and Zheng Yang didn't even have the desire to fight back.

He held the basketball in a triple threat stance, ready to attack. Kurt Thomas, the power forward, did not step back to prevent being passed by him in one step.

He put his hands on the opponent's waist to feel the changes in Zheng Yang's body center of gravity, so as to judge whether the opponent was going to break through or shoot.

Of course, he can also exert some strength secretly and do some small tricks.

Hand-check had not been cancelled in 03. Due to the restrictions of this rule, outside players generally had a hard time playing.

After all, others can easily judge your next move, and no matter what you do, it is difficult to get rid of the defender. Although Zheng Yang has faced this kind of defensive actions before, the pressure they brought was not as heavy as that brought by Kurt Thomas.

The opponent not only has good physical talents, but also has rich experience on the court. If you are not careful, the basketball in your hand may be taken away.

So you have to be careful at all times.

"Kote's defense is very strong. In my opinion, it is difficult for Zheng to score over his head. We all know the gap between them."

Seeing Kurt Thomas defending so seriously, Don Cheney shook his head and gave Thomas a shot of prevention.

He was afraid that the other party would change their mind because of Zheng Yang's poor performance. He liked this young man very much and believed that he could train him into an All-Star player.

"Don't worry, Tang. I like this young man too. No matter how he performs in this game, I will choose him."

He liked the young man just as much and he wasn't going to miss him.

The camera returns to the court. Facing Kurt Thomas' defense, Zheng Yang first launched a physical confrontation. Although he failed to push the opponent far away, he still used this to create some space.

Then he took another step back, creating more space and giving himself enough distance to complete the acceleration.

Then he broke through to the right, and when he noticed Kurt Thomas moving towards him, he suddenly turned to the left, then controlled the ball with his left hand and directly blocked his body with his right hand.

At this moment, he had already passed Kurt Thomas, but the latter was still following him. When he noticed Zheng Yang jumping for a layup, he jumped up and threw himself on Zheng Yang.

The latter shouted "And one" and threw the basketball in his hand at the same time.

The basketball bounced on the rim a few times and then fell in.

Zheng Yang leads 2:0.

Although Kurt Thomas just committed a foul, there is no such thing as a free throw in a one-on-one match, so Zheng Yang still got two points.

Seeing Zheng Yang's layup, Eric Fleischer excitedly waved his fist and whispered loudly, "Yes! Well done."

"His touch was so soft that he lost his balance, but the basketball still fell into the basket."

Don Cheney said with light in his eyes. At this moment, Zheng Yang was like a treasure in his eyes. No matter where he dug, he could always dig out gold.

"shit!"

Kurt Thomas was unhappy. He was actually scored a two-plus-one by this yellow guy. What he wanted just now was to shut him out.

He will definitely not let him score again next time.

Next was Kurt Thomas's offensive turn. His offensive style was much simpler and more brutal. He just ran into the restricted area with his butt sticking out. No matter how hard Zheng Yang put his arm around his waist, it was of no use.

After entering the inside, Kurt Thomas scored directly with a bank shot.

Easily!

"Your defense is nothing but air in my eyes!"

Kurt Thomas said while pounding his chest, but Zheng Yang glanced at him, didn't even respond, and simply ignored him.

When facing such people, he likes to use cold violence the most!

The pressure Zheng Yang faced in this attack was even greater than before, because Kurt Thomas used all his skills.

It hasn't been long since the end of the Knicks season, and he has been training during this period, so his condition is in particularly good shape.

Zheng Yang did not choose to break through this time, but suddenly stepped back from the mid-range position and made a long two-point shot.

It's a pity that due to the soreness and weakness in my arm, the shot missed.

……

Neither side missed in the next few offensive rounds. Kurt Thomas maintained his inside play from beginning to end and made every shot easily.

Although Zheng Yang couldn't be as relaxed as him, he still used his speed advantage, combining shooting and breakthroughs to keep the score close.

Soon it was Kurt Thomas' last offensive round. He had already scored ten points, while Zheng Yang had eight points. As long as he could score in this round, he would win the game.

Although allowing this annoying guy to score eight points right over his head was totally inconsistent with his initial idea of ​​a clean sheet, it didn't matter, as long as he could beat him.

He once again made it into the paint, but when he stood under the basket, he bent his knees slightly, then jumped up, holding the basketball high in his hands, ready to dunk over his opponent.

He wants to kill the game in the most cruel way!
But when Zheng Yang was chased to the basket, he did not just stand there waiting for the opponent to dunk on him. He also jumped up.

Although he jumped later than Kurt Thomas, thanks to his fast jumping speed, he caught up with the opponent's height, and then a big hand also pressed on the basketball.

He pressed the ball down forcefully.

"Shit! I saw something, well done, Zheng! Well done."

Eric Fleischer couldn't hold it back anymore. He stood on the sidelines and yelled. The whole arena was filled with his voice.

But no one thought he was noisy, because at this moment everyone's attention was focused on Zheng Yang, this high school student who was not even an adult yet, and he really had endless potential to be tapped.

Kurt Thomas, who fell to the ground and could hardly stand, instinctively felt a sense of shame and anger in his heart.

He was actually caught by a high school student and was pinned down in mid-air.

This is a huge humiliation for every NBA player.

He must get this place back!

Of course, if he wants to get back the advantage, he has to wait until the next round. Now it is Zheng Yang's turn to attack.

He also stood outside the three-point line in a triple-threat posture, with Kurt Thomas sticking closely to him. Zheng Yang was currently three points short. As long as he didn't let go of the three-pointer, he would still have a chance to win the game even if the opponent scored two points.

Zheng Yang also understood what he was thinking, but he wanted to let the other party know that some balls cannot be defended just because you want to.

For example, the following one...

Zheng Yang did not choose to dribble to look for opportunities. After squeezing out a little shooting space through physical confrontation, he directly shot from the spot.

Although Zheng Yang has the same basketball level as Jordan in his senior year of high school, his shooting posture does not look like his.

Maybe it was because of the size difference between the two, maybe it was because of the angle of the shot, maybe it was because of the way the force was applied...

All in all, Zheng Yang's shooting has a lighter and more stable feel.

No matter how urgent his shot is or how unbalanced his body is, his shooting posture is very stable and the basketball can still be shot into the basket.

After realizing that the opponent was planning to shoot a three-pointer, Kurt Thomas immediately jumped up to interfere. Although he was tall and had a long wingspan, he was half a beat late and his jumping speed was not as fast as Zheng Yang's. In the end, his fingertips did not touch the basketball in Zheng Yang's hand.

"Shh!"

The basketball went into the net, and Zheng Yang fell to the ground due to the collision with Kurt Thomas, but his eyes were always fixed on the basketball.

After seeing the goal, Zheng Yang could no longer remain calm. An emotion surging from deep within his heart made him roar out loudly.

"And one!"

(End of this chapter)