The strongest champion puzzle

Chapter 21 Pressure
With 20 points and 5 rebounds, as the starter at the third position, it can be said that he has successfully completed the task.

"The Spurs have picked up a treasure. This is simply an enhanced version of Leonard."

"The Rockets' lineup is at the summer league level, and Zhang Xiaotian can only score against marginal players, which is at the summer league level."

These are the two voices of the media towards Zhang Xiaotian after the game. In the world's top league like the NBA, professional players will be talked about if they play well.

Compared with Zhang Xiaotian, Jeremy Lin, who played a little abnormally, was criticized as useless. The so-called experts bluntly said that the Rockets signed Jeremy Lin was exaggerated.

Although it is a playoff game, the game between the Spurs and the Rockets has received much more attention than the average regular season, especially on the other side of the ocean.

On the one hand, because of Yao Ming's relationship, many fans on the other side of the ocean regard the Rockets as the home team. On the other hand, the NBA has no players from the other side of the ocean this season. spiritual sustenance.

This can be regarded as an alternative derby, Zhang Xiaotian is obviously the luckier one.

After the game, Yang Feiyu sent a message immediately for the first time, congratulating him on being able to start. Obviously, this girl has some basketball knowledge, and some words are like entries on the Internet.

Next, the Spurs will go to the East to play two consecutive games, but before that, they will return to San Antonio for six days of training. After all, it is only a preseason game, so it is impossible to be so tired.

When I went to the training hall the next day, the atmosphere was not right.

Seeing that there were already a few fewer people, Zhang Xiaotian knew that the team had already started laying off people.

Wesley Witherspoon, Derrick Brown and Tyler Wilkerson have all left, and the rest feel the crisis.

Zhang Xiaotian went to the bathroom and secretly called Eddie to inquire about the progress of the contract issue.

Eddie was a little bit hesitant, he probably got hurt by Zhang Xiaotian that day, and he was a little sad these days.

"The Spurs haven't let go yet. You're playing so well. Do you want to contact other teams? Based on your performance, I can pat my chest right now and guarantee that I can find a next home."

"Looking for a new home? You thought it was a relationship. You signed the contract in black and white. Now the initiative is in the hands of the team. Don't mess with your career. If the Spurs can give me a chance, we will all make money."

"That's right, I found that your fan base is growing very fast, do you want me to contact you with some advertisements?"

"You can be more reliable, but staying in the NBA is the most important thing."

Some people leave, it has no effect on Zhang Xiaotian's training, he is still responsible for facing Leonard.

To be honest, he didn't perform well in actual combat in training. First, Leonard was difficult to deal with. Second, he also lost his skill bonus and that amazing feeling. He looked like a hard-working engineer.

Zhang Xiaotian estimated that this is one of the reasons why the Spurs did not make up their minds to make his contract a regular one.

After all, the teams in the preseason didn't care that much, and his performance scores have to be discounted.

The first stop of the preseason Eastern Expedition is Miami. The Heat's LeBron James is on a truce, and Ray Allen, who they snatched from the Celtics in the Eastern Conference in the summer, will start.

The Spurs are the regular starting lineup, Leonard only took a rest, and his position in the team is still very strong.

At the beginning of the game, Leonard, who was already a little uncomfortable, played very actively, scoring 5 points in a row.

Zhang Xiaotian saw the corner of the head coach Popovich's lips curled up, revealing an imperceptible smile. It has to be said that this old man really has a way of grasping young players.

However, Wade and Bosh of the Heat showed their power one after another and quickly caught up with the score.

When it came time to rotate, the Heat's Mike Miller and Rashard Lewis hit consecutive three-pointers outside, but Ginobili didn't feel good, and the Heat took the opportunity to take the lead.

After coming off the bench, the tempo of both teams increased very quickly. Zhang Xiaotian just ran up and down a few times, and left the field before he had time to do anything.

Speaking of efficiency, it is true that the Heat's bench players are higher.

During the Spurs' rotation, it depends on Ginobili. He is a strong point, but when he does not perform well, other players also find it difficult to perform.

This game gives people the feeling that the Spurs are already moving closer to the regular season, and the substitute players only give Nando De Colo and Gary Neal more opportunities. It is estimated that they are examining who is more suitable to be Parker's substitute.

In the third quarter, Duncan continued to show off inside, while the Heat on the other side completely opened up the outside.

The two sides took the lead alternately, and Zhang Xiaotian also came off the bench. His opponent was Mike Miller, whose athletic ability had seriously degraded.

But it was this white forward who made him feel very uncomfortable, because the opponent played too smartly and didn't fight him physically at all. They just looked for teammates to cover during the attack, and Zhang Xiaotian had nowhere to use his strength.

What's depressing is that when he was about to feel a little defensive, he was replaced by Popovich.

A small substitute has no human rights. Playing a starting game for more than 20 minutes seems to have exhausted his character. In this game, he only played 8 minutes. Fortunately, he grabbed a rebound without scoring a point, otherwise he would have zero data.

In the fourth quarter, Popovich didn't give him a chance. He could only watch the Heat's new aid Rashard Lewis hit two consecutive three-pointers to seal the victory.

When entering the player tunnel, a reporter suddenly extended the microphone, "Are you going to die when you meet a championship-level team? Have you realized that you may not be able to stay in the NBA?"

Zhang Xiaotian suddenly felt a surge of anger, and just as he was about to explode, Popovich walked up to the reporter and waved Zhang Xiaotian to go to the locker room first.

"Ma'am, are you a reporter from an entertainment newspaper, maybe we can chat about today's weather."

Popovich is very experienced in this kind of thing, so he didn't say much to the other party. The staff of the Spurs came over and told reporters that the player needs to rest, and if he wants to interview, he must apply in advance.

After losing the game and performing poorly, Zhang Xiaotian has no time to adjust. The next day the team will go to Orlando to play against the Magic.

The hotel in the early morning was not as comfortable as home, so Zhang Xiaotian woke up early and began to pay attention to the news.

He is the kind of person who will have something on his mind if he doesn't see the media reports with his own eyes, just like he has to stare at the blood for an injection to be at ease. No matter whether the outside world evaluates his performance is good or bad, he can only devote himself wholeheartedly to it after knowing it. In the new training game.

"Zhang Xiaotian is not the Linsanity of the Spurs. He can't adapt to the rhythm of the NBA. The team should cut him."

"Back to the original form, Zhang Xiaotian angrily refused reporters' questions because his future was uncertain."

Although he guessed that some people would not say good things, Zhang Xiaotian was still very upset when he was accused of not playing well in a game.

"Those reporters are too unprofessional. Brother Zhang, don't worry, I will help you fight back against those bastards."

When I turned on the phone, I saw several messages. The latest one was from Xu Yi. He turned off the phone after the game in a bad mood yesterday. His heart still needs to be stronger.

(End of this chapter)