Basketball boy, starting to shine from the slam dunk

“I lost even though I did this.”

"The Lakers were missing Lopez and Rose, but they still couldn't win. It's really disappointing."

"No wonder the record this season is so bad. We really can't beat weak teams, and we can't beat strong teams either."

"That can't be said. Harden and Westbrook played very well today. Both of them had very impressive statistics."

"What's the point of having fancy statistics? Everyone can just brush up the statistics, the key is to win the game..."

Some home fans were complaining, and more fans had already turned away in disappointment.

The man also left with his daughter in disappointment.

As he walked out of the arena, the man said, "It's a pity that Harden didn't pass the ball to Westbrook at the end, otherwise we might have won."

"You can't win even if you pass it," said the daughter.

"Lillian." The man was a little angry and frowned. "Although you are a fan of Harden, it is wrong to favor Harden like this. Harden's shot was too forced. He should have passed the ball. Westbrook was in a better position."

“Who said I’m a Harden fan?”

"what?"

Lillian's eyes lit up and she said, "I am now a fan of Zhuang Yu. He is so amazing. Harden and Westbrook combined are not as good as him. From today on, he is my idol."

This...just throws Harden away?

You changed your idol just for one game?

The man was stunned and could only smile bitterly. After all, he was still a child and had no determination at all. How could he give up a player he liked so easily?

What's more, that's the Lakers, not the Rockets!

He suddenly realized that he and his daughter might argue more fiercely when watching games in the future, such as when the Rockets played against the Lakers.

......

Toyota Center.

This is the Rockets' home court, but the only ones left are the Lakers' fans. They all stood up and shouted loudly toward the court: "MVP, MVP..."

Zhuang Yu's performance today was definitely the best of the game, with 55 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists, almost a triple-double.

And Zhuang Yu’s scoring performance today was really dazzling.

Not only did he score a lot of points, but his efficiency was also very high, with a hit rate of 61%. If the number of shots taken by Zhuang Yu, Harden and Westbrook were put at the same level, Zhuang Yu really could take on both Harden and Westbrook alone.

It took a long time before the teammates let Zhuang Yu go.

At this time, the reporter came over, handed the microphone to Zhuang Yu, and asked with a smile: "Zhuang Yu, congratulations on setting a new personal score record. Do you have anything to say about your performance today?"

A group of photographers carrying cameras all pointed their lenses at Zhuang Yu and kept pressing the shutter buttons, making a continuous clicking sound.

In fact, it was not only Zhuang Yu who played well for the Lakers today, but other players also performed well. Clarkson scored 19 points, Holiday scored 18 points, Anderson scored 12 points and 5 assists, and Zubac also scored 10 points...

But none of the halos can compare to Zhuang Yu's 55 points, which are too dazzling.

Zhuang Yu said with a smile: "I have been looking forward to today's game for a long time. I am excited just thinking about playing against the combination of Harden and Westbrook on the court. So I did not hold back at all today. I think it is a respect for Westbrook and Harden. They are both the best players in the league. I enjoy the feeling of competing with them."

"As for scoring 55 points, I actually didn't expect that I would feel so good today."

"When I threw the ball, I knew it was going to go in. It was an amazing feeling."

He shrugged his shoulders and joked: "You know I'm Chinese, I don't believe in God, but maybe today God really chose to stand on my side."

Ha ha......

The reporter laughed and asked, "So what do you want to say about Harden and Westbrook's performance today?"

Zhuang Yu said sincerely, "I've already said that they are the best players in the league. They played very well today. They almost scored 30+ points. This is rare in the same team. I can only say that they were unlucky today."

The reporter asked again: "Do you think the Rockets are a strong team?"

"of course."

"You were able to beat a strong team like the Rockets without Lopez and Rose, so does that mean it doesn't matter even if they're missing?"

What do you mean, are you here to cause trouble?

Zhuang Yu looked at the reporter unhappily. He would not tolerate people's bad habits. Some reporters just liked to stir up trouble and wanted to create gimmicks and topics.

"I'm very angry when you say that." Zhuang Yu said, "Although we have won some games, we still need Lopez and Ross. They are members of our team and our brothers. They have contributed to our past achievements, and we will move forward together in the future."

After saying that, he pushed the microphone away: "Okay, I'm tired, goodbye."

Without giving the reporter a chance to ask any more questions, Zhuang Yu turned and left.

......

Late at night, in a bar in Houston.

The bar was full of strange lights, with colorful lights flashing, and even the places where the light could reach were not bright. Men and women were swaying on the dance floor, and the air was filled with the smell of hormones, cigarettes and alcohol.

Zhuang Yu doesn't like this kind of environment very much. It's not that he has any prejudice against people who go to bars, but he just thinks it's too noisy.

This kind of noise is different from the noise during a game in the stadium.

During the game, whether it was cheers or empty noises, it was a pleasure for Zhuang Yu.

However, he couldn't enjoy the noise in the bar. If Westbrook hadn't dragged him here, he would never have come.

"If you have something to say, tell me now." Zhuang Yu said impatiently, "I still have to go back and have a video call with my wife. If she knew I was in the bar, I would be dead."

Westbrook rolled his eyes and thought to himself, your family status is really worrying, how come you don't act like a man at all, what's wrong with going to a bar?

However, seeing Zhuang Yu's impatient expression, he was too lazy to waste time with Zhuang Yu and went straight to the point. He sighed and said, "Do you think I made a mistake by coming to Team Rocket?"

Zhuang Yu really doesn't like the noise in the bar.

Although the women twisting and turning on the dance floor are wearing cool clothes and look very stimulating, it is actually just a novelty at the beginning.

It becomes boring if you watch it too much.

Instead, he was afraid of being recognized and attracted some unknown people to chat up, so he wore a baseball cap. He reached out and pushed the baseball cap down, saying, "Why are you talking about this now? Besides, it's not up to you to decide whether to come to the Rockets or not, right?"

What the hell!

Westbrook's face darkened.

This is a bit heartbreaking.

Indeed, whether to come to the Rockets or leave the Thunder is not entirely up to Westbrook himself, but also depends on the team's choice.

And there is obviously no point in saying this at this time. If he really can choose, he will go to the Lakers.

But is that realistic?

Obviously unrealistic.

"I just kind of..." Westbrook opened his mouth.

Before he could finish, Zhuang Yu spoke up, "You just feel a little frustrated, right? You feel like you're not respected enough and you're no longer the team leader. Do you feel a sense of loss?"

Westbrook was stunned, but admitted frankly: "Yes, that's the feeling."

Zhuang Yu rolled his eyes. "Although I can understand your feelings, I think it's hypocritical to say this. You don't see hope in the Thunder, neither you nor the team management see hope, so you left the Thunder and wanted to pursue the championship. Since you want to pursue the championship, you must pay a price, and I think this is the price you need to pay."

"But......"

Before Westbrook could finish, Zhuang Yu interrupted again. Since the relationship between the two was clear, there was no need to be polite. "Russell, I don't think the problem lies here at all. It's that you and Harden have conflicting styles of play and on-court positioning. We are all professional players and should have sufficient professionalism. Since you have come to the Rockets, you must want to play well, right?"

"Right." Westbrook nodded without hesitation, "That's right."

Zhuang Yu has no doubts about Westbrook's professionalism, his love for basketball, and his enthusiasm for the game.

Westbrook is always full of passion on the court.

In Zhuang Yu's opinion, mentality can be adjusted, role positioning can also be adjusted, and sometimes it is not necessary to distinguish between big and small kings.

The Rockets' biggest problem is the conflict between Harden and Westbrook's role positioning and playing styles.

This is not a problem of mentality, but a problem of reality.

This is a difficult problem to solve.

"Russell," Zhuang Yu said, "This is not your problem. What you need to solve is the problem of you and Harden getting used to each other. It's a problem of compatibility. For example, in today's game, do you really think that as long as you and Harden can distribute the ball fairly, you can win the game?"

Westbrook thought about it, then shook his head: "I'm afraid not. It's hard to become a truly strong team relying on a single core. It's almost impossible to win a championship in this era. I tried it with the Thunder. Even if there is at least one top player on the court for the entire 48 minutes of the game, it is impossible to do this."

Westbrook still has a say in this regard.

After Durant left, he was the only core of the Thunder, averaging 36.5 minutes per game, and scoring, rebounding, and assists, averaging a triple-double and averaging 30+10+10.

But in the end, the best he could do was help the team make the playoffs. It was impossible for them to win the championship, and they couldn't even make it to the Western Conference Finals.

In other words, even if he and Harden separated and each led the team for 24 minutes, ensuring that there was a superstar on the court at any time during the 48 minutes of the game, their best case scenario would be to make the playoffs, and it would be almost impossible for them to win the championship.

Zhuang Yu spread his hands and said, "So you don't need to worry about it. There's nothing wrong with you. The problem is with the Rockets and the combination of you and Harden."

"Okay." Westbrook nodded in agreement with Zhuang Yu.

He was silent for a while and then asked again: "Do you think if we trade Love, can this problem be solved?"