Chapter 14: The Journey to Win
11: 10!

This was a result that no one expected, including Zheng Yang!
Before the game started, he didn't know whether he could win. After all, he had never competed with NBA players before and had no idea whether he could win.

Eric Fleischer, Don Cheney and Thomas felt that Zheng Yang had no hope of winning at all.

Who is Kurt Thomas?
He is a real NBA player, and not just a water dispenser manager. His strength is absolutely beyond doubt.

And what about Zheng Yang?

He's just a high school student. He hasn't even played at the college level. The two of them are not on the same level at all.

In addition, Kurt Thomas is taller and heavier than Zheng Yang, so the latter has no hope of winning.

But the final result was that Zheng Yang won. He killed the game with a pull-up three-pointer and defeated this "role player".

"We shouldn't have let him play in this game. You know, after this game was known by the media, he would definitely be picked up by other teams."

Don Cheney didn't have time to be happy, and immediately said in annoyance that this young man is not their player yet, and the draft pick they have is only the ninth pick.

There are too many variables ahead, and no one would be willing to let such a good seedling slip away from them.

"My fault, my fault."

Thomas also thought of this and said quickly, but in his heart he began to think about whether the team had the possibility of trading up.

As long as I can get Zheng, it doesn't matter what the price is.

But the possibility of this happening is too small. This year is a big draft year and every lottery pick is worth a fortune. No one would be willing to trade with them.

At this moment on the court, Kurt Thomas spoke to Zheng Yang very unconvinced.

"Let's fight again! Let's fight again."

He made a mistake just now, he didn't perform well just now, and he didn't use his full strength just now.

He refused to accept and wanted to fight again!
How could he lose to a high school student? How is that possible?

This is simply impossible!

Zheng Yang shrugged and pouted.

"Practice well for a while before you come and fight me."

After saying that, he turned and left.

What a joke! I've already defeated you once, why should I fight you again?

What if I lose this time?
Continue to fight with you?

I'm not stupid!
Kurt Thomas was extremely angry, but there was nothing he could do. He knew that he would be in the newspapers of New York media tomorrow.

……

As he left Madison Square Garden, Thomas implicitly told Eric Fleischer to keep the fact that Kurt Thomas lost today a secret.

He felt a little embarrassed when he talked about this. An NBA player actually lost to a high school student?

Is this guy really from the NBA?

If it wasn't for the possibility of selecting Zheng Yang, he would have been too embarrassed to ask for it.

Eric Fleischer patted his chest and assured that this matter is known to God, the earth, you and me!
But after leaving the stadium, Eric Fleischer immediately patted his chest and assured Zheng Yang.

This will definitely be all over the news tomorrow.

With such great promotional material, how could he not hype it up?
……

The next morning, when Thomas and Don Cheney saw the headline of the New York Sports Daily, they knew that they wanted to select Zheng Yang with the ninth pick, unless the previous eight general managers were all blind.

Otherwise it is absolutely impossible.

The headline of the newspaper was: "Zheng: NBA players, nothing more than that!"

What they were talking about was, of course, how Zheng Yang defeated Kurt Thomas in yesterday's tryout. The content was so detailed that if you didn't know, you would think they were all watching the game on the spot.

A rookie, and a high school rookie at that, can actually beat a real NBA player, which is of great help to his draft chance.

Why can LeBron James secure his position as the No. 1 pick and is unrivaled?
It was obvious that Zheng Yang performed no worse than him in high school, and even beat him in the game between the two teams.

But LeBron James still sits firmly in the No. 1 pick position, and even Anthony and Wade cannot shake it.

Is it really just because of his fame and good physical fitness?
In fact, there is another very crucial factor, that is, in the summer of his senior year in high school, James was invited by the Cavaliers to participate in training together.

The 17-year-old James completed a slam dunk over the Cavaliers' main center Mihm, shocking the Cavaliers' management.

During that training session, James demonstrated his many talents in scoring, passing, and of course, his strong physical fitness.

Since early contact with high school students violated NBA regulations, the Cavaliers had to pay a fine, but they didn't even blink.

It’s worth paying the fine for a genius like James!
Therefore, under such a premise, no matter how well the other rookies in this class perform, James' position as the No. 1 pick is unshakable.

Of course, you can say that other people may also have the potential to be the top pick, but when you already have a perfect answer, why do you still consider whether other players also have the possibility of getting a perfect score?

Therefore, when Zheng Yang was able to defeat a real NBA player in a one-on-one match, it meant that he really had the ability to score in the NBA.

After entering the league, he will quickly adapt to the rhythm of the league.

Since we mentioned that Wu Huang participated in NBA team training and dunked the team's center when he was in high school, we have to mention another thing.

As the saying goes, there is retribution in life and no one can escape it!
When Wu Huang entered the league, he once played against college students in a training camp. During the game, a college student dunked over Wu Huang after a breakthrough.

Immediately after the game, Wu Huang collected all the videos and photos from the scene.

Of course, everyone knows that Wu Huang is a goat, so he is definitely not doing this to save his own face. He just doesn't want young players to be immersed in things that they can't control.

After all, the water is too deep in there!

……

Zheng Yang's tryout performance with the New York Knicks shocked countless NBA teams, and they all sent tryout invitations to Zheng Yang, basically all individually.

Obviously, Zheng Yang's weight in their hearts has increased a lot at this moment.

But after discussing with Eric Fleischer, they decided not to participate in tryouts with other teams.

His performance with the New York Knicks is already good enough. If he performs poorly elsewhere, it will have a negative impact.

Instead of this, it’s better not to go at all!

Next, I will practice hard and wait for the draft. All the results will be revealed then. …

The draft is getting closer, but the major media have reduced their reports on rookies' tryouts. After all, it's the playoffs now, and no matter how famous these rookies are, can they be as famous as NBA superstars?

Therefore, apart from some very exciting news like Zheng Yang beating Kurt Thomas in a one-on-one match, the news published by major media outlets are basically all about the playoffs.

For so many years, we have been suppressed by these guys. This victory means a lot to me. We don't want to lose to this team again. It's far more than just ending their title defense. I mean, winning is more important to me. We don't want to stop them from defending their title, but we don't want to see our season end here and we all go home. - Duncan said in an interview with the media after winning the semifinals.

The Lakers dynasty finally fell to the Spurs led by Duncan. The 26-year-old power forward will face the Mavericks led by Nowitzki in the Western Conference Finals. Who will win this game? - ESPN Magazine

We have the best combination in the league. Our guard Kobe is omnipotent and can score on anyone. Our center O'Neal is indestructible and no one can defend him, but we still lost the game. Maybe they need other help. - Los Angeles Sports

According to relevant sources, O'Neal and Kobe have a bad relationship. They once had a quarrel in private. Will this playoff defeat be the fuse that breaks up their relationship? Perhaps the Lakers management should seriously consider who is their future? - "New York Sports Illustrated"

After overcoming the Lakers dynasty, the Spurs led by Duncan faced their old rivals, the Mavericks. Before the game started, no one knew who would win the series, but no one would give up the fight for the championship.

Because that is the highest honor in the NBA.

The Spurs took six games to win both the first round and the semifinals of the playoffs, so they consumed a lot of energy, but the Mavericks, who came from afar, consumed even more energy.

Because they played their opponents to seven games in the first round and semifinals of the playoffs, and that's how they stumbled all the way to the Western Conference Finals.

The first game was held at the Alamodome, the home of the Spurs. The exhausted Mavericks, who came from afar, performed better in this round.

A total of three players on the team scored over 20 points, with the highest scorer being the team leader, "German Tank" Nowitzki.

他一人就砍下了38分15篮板，约等于NBA军事家“11詹”的5倍，其中罚篮17中17，百分百命中率。

On the Spurs side, although the "Stone Buddha" Duncan's 40 points and 15 rebounds were enough to match Nowitzki, there was no other player on the team who scored more than points.

In the end, the Spurs lost to the Mavericks by three points.

In the second game, thanks to the outbreak of Malik Rose off the Spurs bench, he scored 25 points and helped the team win the game with a 13-point advantage.

In the third game, the Spurs beat the Mavericks by 13 points again. The "Stone Buddha" showed his power again, scoring 34 points like cutting melons and vegetables, and also grabbed 24 rebounds. It was so terrifying.

"French Sports Car" Tony Parker also provided firepower assistance with 29 points.

The Mavericks performed poorly as a whole, with no one on the team scoring over 20 points.

Even more unfortunately, Nowitzki was injured in this game and eventually missed the next few games.

There is also a very interesting story here. Before the start of the fifth game, the Mavericks' team doctor said that Nowitzki could play with an injury, and the latter was willing to give it a try for his championship dream.

But when the team owner Cuban approached coach Nelson and asked him to allow Nowitzki to play with an injury, the other party rejected the request.

Later, he told Nowitzki's family: "In Germany, you are Dirk's parents. In the United States, I am Dirk's father. I will definitely love and care for him to the greatest extent. So I will be responsible for his health and I will send him back to Germany as it is."

This is a touching story, but the opponent will not show mercy because of being moved.

The Mavericks without Nowitzki are like a tiger with its teeth pulled out. Although they still look ferocious, their fighting power is only one tenth of what it was before.

In the fourth game, although three Mavericks players scored 20+ points, Duncan, who grabbed 20 rebounds, and the first-year rookie "Demon Sword" Manu Ginobili, who scored 21 points, won the game together.

At this moment, the score has reached 3:1, and the Spurs only need one game to advance to the finals.

But the resilient Mavericks did not give up. Michael Finley scored a game-high 31 points and led the team to win the game.

In the last game, "Martial Saint" Stephen Jackson became the highest scorer of the game. Although the Mavericks still maintained the lead at the end of the third quarter, after losing Nowitzki, no one was able to stand up and score in the fourth quarter.

So when the Spurs scored 34 points in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks only scored 9 points as a team.

The Spurs once again advance to the finals, and the young, serious, and skillful power forward is going to pursue his second championship ring.

Who are their opponents?

It is the civilian Nets led by Jason Kidd, nicknamed "The Engine"!
This is their second year in the finals. Last year they lost to the Lakers, and were shut out 4-0, becoming the stepping stone for the Lakers dynasty.

But this year, they are still not favored. After all, the league is in a pattern of strong West and weak East. Whoever can break out of the West will basically win the championship.

But the development of the story is not as simple as people imagined. The Nets are indeed not as good as the Spurs in terms of paper strength and lineup depth.

But since they have made it to the finals for two consecutive years, they must be quite capable.

Therefore, after the first four games, the two teams were tied 2:2 and were about to face the decisive fifth game.

Although in the first four games, the Spurs won two games, one by 12 points and one by 5 points, and the Nets won two games, one by 2 points and one by 1 point.

But the NBA doesn’t look at goal difference. If you win, you win. No one cares by how many points you win.

The decisive battle of the fifth game is particularly important at this moment. Whoever wins, whoever can get the match point first, will take the initiative.

The Spurs controlled the situation on the court from beginning to end of the game. Although the score was not significantly different, they gave the Nets a feeling that they were insurmountable.

No matter how they score, the opponent can always respond in the next round.

In the end, even though Jason Kidd of the Nets exploded, scoring 29 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, it was still of no avail.

The Spurs won another game and took the match point.

They only need one last victory to win the championship that countless people dream of.

In the last game, the Nets showed great tenacity. Although the score showed that the Nets lost by 11 points in the end, they were actually leading by 6 points entering the fourth quarter.

But unfortunately, they met the explosive "Stone Buddha", a man who has been standing still since entering the league, and he gave his all in this game.

In the end, he scored a near quadruple-double of 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 blocks, leading the team to win the game.

As for who is the winner of FMVP?
Any questions then?

"Stone Buddha" Duncan, who averaged 24.2 points, 17 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 5.3 blocks in the finals, is the best choice!
This game can be described as "the stone Buddha appearing" rather than "the Buddha appearing as zero".

The 02-03 season has come to an end!

In the new season, with the addition of the 03 Platinum Generation, what kind of ups and downs will happen in the league?
Let us look forward to it!

Of course, before that, let us focus on June 2003, 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York, where this year's draft is being held!

Who will win the hearts of these rookies?
No one knows until the final results come out!

Perhaps, this is also one of its charms!

　I am a student and I don't have that much time to write, so I will probably update once tomorrow, or twice if possible. I will update twice on Tuesday. The reading on that day will affect whether it can be included in the next round of recommendations. I hope everyone will support me!

　　My updates are pretty fast. Each chapter has 4,000 words, and I focus on providing a large amount of content!
　　

(End of this chapter)