in2ebook Chapter 603 Mid-Season Tournament Champion!
Chapter 603 Mid-Season Tournament Champion!
Standing on the sidelines, Uduka gave a high-five to Wang Xiucheng and the others, and breathed a deep sigh of relief.
I finally got my first championship trophy!
This summer, many teams sent him invitations to coach their teams.
Raptors, Rockets, Philadelphia, Suns, etc...
But he chose the Nets.
And he chose the Nets without hesitation.
This is certainly related to his long-standing acquaintance with Cai Congxin, but more importantly, it reflects his recognition of the Nets' strength.
Or to put it more bluntly, it was his recognition of Wang Xiucheng's abilities.
Unlike other teams, the Nets are the most consistent team.
As long as Wang Xiucheng doesn't leave the Nets, the Nets will be strong contenders for the championship for at least the next decade or so.
Even if Durant retires, then Towns retires, and even if everyone else is replaced, as long as Wang Xiucheng is there, the Nets can continue to build their team around him.
Will Wang Xiucheng leave the Nets?
Obviously impossible!
Wang Xiucheng is a minority owner of the Nets, which means he's essentially tied to the Nets!
Therefore, choosing the Nets was the best decision!
Udoka stood on the sidelines, unusually with his arms crossed, waiting for the final minutes to run out.
At this moment, all the fans in the stadium were standing, waiting for the final moment to arrive.
Finally, when the referee blew the final whistle, all the Nets' substitutes rushed onto the court.
The Nets ultimately defeated the Lakers 124-107 to win their first-ever Mid-Season Tournament trophy.
Wang Xiucheng, draped in a towel, came onto the court and embraced the somewhat dejected Lakers players.
"Aren't you tired?" James asked, looking at Wang Xiucheng.
"Of course I'm tired," Wang Xiucheng smiled. "But the thought of beating you fills me with energy."
James shook his head helplessly, "Hopefully we'll meet again in the playoffs."
Wang Xiucheng was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening.
The Nets and Lakers belong to the Eastern and Western Conferences, respectively. If they want to meet in the playoffs, there is only one possibility.
That means the two teams will meet in the finals.
Wang Xiucheng has a lot of confidence in the Nets, but he still has some doubts about the Lakers, especially given their form and ability tonight.
"I said, the Lakers can't beat the Nets if their three-point shooting doesn't fall."
In the Penguin Live broadcast room, Yang Yi was loudly announcing, "Davis scored a whopping 41 points and 20 rebounds tonight, and James also had 24 points and 11 rebounds."
"But the Lakers took 13 three-pointers tonight and only made two. How could they possibly beat the Nets, who rely heavily on three-pointers!"
"The Nets attempted 41 three-pointers tonight, more than three times that of the Lakers, and made 17 of them for a 41% success rate."
"The difference in outside scoring made it difficult for the Lakers to win the game, even though they had a huge advantage inside."
"Tonight's game taught us that both NBA teams and our national team must rely primarily on outside shooting."
Although Yang Yi was still eager to continue, Wang Meng interrupted him, saying, "I just received news that the MVP voting is complete. There were a total of 20 votes. Wang Xiucheng got 15 votes, James got 3 votes, and Davis got 2 votes."
Yang Yi suddenly chuckled, "I'd really like to know who cast those 5 votes."
"The awards ceremony is about to begin. We're back on set. After the ceremony, Xiao Wang and Xiao Cui will come to our live broadcast studio for an interview. Please stay tuned."
Inside the arena, when Wang Xiucheng raised the championship trophy for the first Mid-Season Championship on behalf of the entire team, confetti cannons suddenly erupted from the sidelines.
Wang Xiucheng quickly handed the trophy to Durant, whose eyes were already glued to the trophy.
Durant accepted the trophy, squatted slightly, and then, amidst the cheers of everyone, surprisingly raised the trophy back up.
Then Westbrook, Towns...
Everyone participated in the process of raising the trophy, and the fans applauded enthusiastically time and time again.
After the simple yet solemn awards ceremony, the Nets players went off to give their respective interviews.
Wang Xiucheng and Xiao Cui followed Meng Chao, who had been waiting on the sidelines, to the Penguin live broadcast room.
Yang Yi and Meina had already given up their seats, and Wang Xiucheng and Cui Yongxi sat in the middle.
"First of all, congratulations to the Nets on winning the first Mid-Season Tournament. We know that Xiao Wang and Xiao Cui are very tired, so let's ask a few questions."
Wang Meng glanced at the question he had prepared earlier: "Excuse me, Xiao Wang, when did you start to feel like you could win the Mid-Season Championship?"
Wang Xiucheng shrugged. "It was only after defeating the Pacers that I realized it was possible to win this championship."
“You know, some teams in the league aren’t really that serious about this game, but when you get to Las Vegas, it’s a different story.”
After Wang Xiucheng finished speaking, Yang Yi glanced at the computer in front of him and then asked, "Tonight the Lakers were only able to make two three-pointers because of the Nets' defense. Can you explain what happened from the opponent's perspective?"
"Of course, it's because our defense was very good." Wang Xiucheng chuckled. "Whether it was Dillon or Westbrook, they maintained the pressure on the opponent from the start to the end, and Towns was also constantly battling Davis in the paint."
"We wouldn't have won this game without their contributions on the defensive end."
Yang Yi looked at Meina and, as agreed beforehand, each of them asked a question.
But at this moment, Mina's eyes were fixed on Wang Xiucheng's profile, especially the small red ribbon on Wang Xiucheng's temple.
Reflected by the stadium lights, Wang Xiucheng seemed to be shining in her eyes at that moment.
Upon hearing Yang Yi's words, Meina was stunned for a moment before she realized what he meant and quickly glanced at the note on the table, which contained the questions she had prepared in advance.
But now, she couldn't bring herself to ask any of them.
These questions are all about Wang Xiucheng.
"Do you have a girlfriend?"
Do you mind if your girlfriend is older than you?
Do you like the personality of people from Northeast China?
How many children do you want in the future?
Mina didn't know why she wrote such a question.
Looking up, Mina asked casually, "Little Cui, how are you planning to spend this 50 yuan prize money?"
Choi Young-seok paused, then asked himself a question.
Yang Yi and Wang Meng hadn't expected this either, but at this moment, they were also somewhat grateful to Mina.
It's all thanks to Tencent's top female executive; she knows to take care of Cui Yongyuan, otherwise they would have forgotten about her.
"I gave it to my family." Choi Young-seok smiled shyly. "I'm doing very well in New York. The team arranged accommodation for me, provided transportation, had places to eat, and even hired an English teacher for me. I don't have many expenses."
Choi Young-seok looked at Wang Xiu-cheng, knowing that Wang Xiu-cheng had done all of this, even though it was done in the name of the team.
……
It was already past midnight when I got back to the hotel from the stadium.
Despite winning the mid-season tournament, the Nets didn't celebrate wildly. Instead, the whole team had dinner together at one of the best restaurants in Las Vegas before returning to their hotel to rest.
The Mid-Season Championship title, while not necessarily important, is still a title.
It's important, but not that important.
The Nets' next game is against the Kings on the road in two days.
The good news is that Sacramento is located in California, very close to Las Vegas, where the Nets are currently based.
The bad news is that the entire Nets team will not be able to go home for the time being.
Otherwise, if they had to travel from Las Vegas back to New York, 3500 kilometers away, and then from New York back to Sacramento, 4000 kilometers away, the entire Nets team would be completely exhausted from all the travel.
That's not all; there's even worse news: starting with the Kings, the Nets will play five consecutive road games in the Western Conference.
Perhaps he's still basking in the glow of winning his first Mid-Season Championship, or maybe he's been away from New York for too long.
The Nets lost to the Kings 118-131 in their first game of a road trip.