From being the starting point guard for the Nuggets to falling to a reserve point guard for the Mavericks, although Van Exel was unwilling, in terms of the team's overall strength, Van Exel had climbed to a higher branch! Perhaps, he could use the Mavericks as a platform to curb He Xi Meng's arrogance...
As a result, before the game even started, He Xi Meng and Ginobili ran to the Mavericks' player bench and hugged Dirk Nowitzki to say hello!
This made Van Exel even more confused! How could the German Tank, as the core player of the Mavericks, have such a good relationship with two core players from their arch-rivals, the Spurs?
Moreover, He Xi Meng is a Chinese player, Ginobili is an Argentinian player, and Nowitzki is a German player. What on earth is going on with players from three different countries getting together?
In fact, this was due to Van Exel's ignorance.
He Xi Meng, Ginobili, and Nowitzki, along with this year's Rookie of the Year, Pau Gasol of the Grizzlies, had all participated in the Nike Hoop Summit in the same year!
Other members of that edition included Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, Wang Zhizhi, Tyronn Lue of the Wizards, and Jermaine O'Neal of the Pacers!
Looking back at that Hoop Summit now, it truly was star-studded!
He Xi Meng and Nowitzki's friendship was forged at that Hoop Summit.
After that, whenever they encountered each other in the league, He Xi Meng would greet Nowitzki enthusiastically. No matter how fierce the rivalry between the Mavericks and the Spurs was, it did not affect their friendly relations off the court.
Work is work, and life is life.
The league is only so big. If one were to hold grudges in personal relationships due to poor performance in games, then every player in the league would be an enemy to each other, which is entirely unnecessary.
What surprised Van Exel even more was that after catching up with Nowitzki, He Xi Meng approached Van Exel again.
"I'm very sorry, Nick, that looking after Big Yao might have affected your performance... With your skill, you can definitely be a starting point guard for a team..."
"Uh..." Van Exel had not expected He Xi Meng to use such a tactic, and his words were all reasonable. "Actually, I think so too..."
"But you can't blame Big Yao entirely for this! I later had friends probe the intentions of the Nuggets' management, and it seems they are determined to start tanking! Tanking, as veteran players like you and I understand, means the management's first move is to get rid of the strongest players on the team! Otherwise, how can they tank?"
"Hmm... That makes sense!"
"So, it's not unfair that you were the first one the Nuggets got rid of! If you were on the team, how could the team tank? How could they lose games? You can't be expected to throw games, can you?"
"That's impossible! I am a professional player with principles. I am filled with a desire for victory. Being asked to lose would be worse than killing me..."
"Exactly! The management knows your temperament, so they had no choice but to reluctantly let you go! Frankly, the Mavericks' management is quite good; they want to make a mark in the West, and the team's overall strength is very strong... It's just a bit of a waste of your talent..."
"Alas, who says not!" These words from He Xi Meng struck a chord with Van Exel.
"But, speaking of which! The Mavericks' bench also has many good players! If you can patiently play as a sixth man here, you can to some extent utilize your strengths of strong scoring ability and excellent organizing skills..."
"What do you mean?" Van Exel suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Dare you gamble again?"
"How do we gamble? Now we have a starter and a reserve, and our playing time is completely unequal. Are you trying to take advantage of my situation?"
"How could I be that kind of person?" He Xi Meng said, pointing to Yao Ming beside him. "What do you think of that big guy?"
"A good rookie!"
"My fellow countryman has some talent coming off the bench! But logically, he shouldn't be able to compete with players like you who are starting-caliber but playing as reserves. However, he did just win the Sixth Man of the Year award..."
"Are you crazy? You're comparing a center to me?"
"Don't look down on centers; they can score a lot too! Think of Shaq! What do you say, are you interested in gambling with him on who scores more?"
"You're comparing him to Shaq?" Van Exel shook his head in disbelief. Emotionally, he supported gambling with He Xi Meng, believing that as a sixth man, he should be able to beat Yao Ming, who was also a sixth man. However, his rationality reminded him not to gamble with He Xi Meng, as He Xi Meng would never willingly give him an easy win.
"What are we gambling on?" Van Exel prepared to confirm the stakes before deciding whether to gamble with He Xi Meng.
"One hundred dollars!"
"One million... Wait, what did you say?" Van Exel thought he misheard. "Is it one hundred, not one million dollars?"
"Yes, you heard correctly, it's a bet of one hundred dollars!"
"I've been wasting all this time talking nonsense with you, and you're betting me a mere one hundred dollars?" Van Exel felt a strong urge to curse.
"A small bet is for fun..." He Xi Meng laughed. "How about we raise it to one million dollars?"
"Damn it! One hundred dollars one moment, one million dollars the next. Do you misunderstand the concept of a small bet?" Van Exel was already ready to grit his teeth and bet a million, but after He Xi Meng's initial hundred-dollar proposal, his morale was completely gone. Now, mentioning a million again made him feel like He Xi Meng was trying to trick him out of his money...
Van Exel took a deep breath. "It's just one hundred dollars, not one million! For fun!"
"Deal!" He Xi Meng smiled like a little fox.
"Just play happily!" He Xi Meng said, patting Van Exel on the shoulder.
Van Exel grabbed He Xi Meng's hand and moved it away from his shoulder. Although his expression was displeased, he did not say anything too extreme.
Perhaps, Van Exel himself had not realized it. Although He Xi Meng had tricked him several times and they had developed quite a few grudges, through repeated interactions, Van Exel's relationship with He Xi Meng was becoming more and more like that of old friends.
This subtle transformation was, in itself, quite remarkable.
After their reunion, He Xi Meng returned to the player bench. Duncan slyly leaned over and whispered to He Xi Meng, "Gambling with Old Fan again? Is it still about who performs better this time?"