Imagine that when Ross stands in front of you and says, "Hello, Simon! You are my idol. I grew up watching your basketball. My dream has always been to defeat you on the basketball court..."
As the words fall, Ross uses a crossover step to break through, forces his way past He Xi Meng, and finally scores with a signature euro-step layup.
After landing, Ross gives a shy smile and walks away, leaving a panting He Xi Meng behind.
Next, Westbrook runs up behind Ross.
"Hello, Simon! You are my idol. I grew up watching your basketball. My dream has always been to defeat you on the basketball court..."
As soon as the words are spoken, Westbrook, with his strong build, shoves He Xi Meng into the paint, leaps into the air, and dunks with one arm over He Xi Meng.
Westbrook, after landing, is very excited, striking a bodybuilder's pose, flexing the biceps of his arms.
Before He Xi Meng, who was stumbling out of bounds after being bumped by Westbrook, could even curse, Curry runs over again.
"Hello, Simon! You are my idol. I grew up watching your basketball. My dream has always been to defeat you on the basketball court..."
Before he finishes speaking, Curry gives He Xi Meng no chance to refuse and hits a deep three-pointer from near mid-court! Curry, hitting a Logo three-pointer, happily jumps for a wave dance at mid-court...
Thinking of these tragic scenarios in the future, He Xi Meng suddenly understands why Jordan announced his retirement at his peak! Being defeated by children who grew up watching you play basketball is really not something to be happy about.
Recalling Jordan's unfortunate comeback at an advanced age after joining the Wizards due to restlessness, He Xi Meng seriously considers a question for the first time: is a career that is too long also a burden? Perhaps, retiring early would be a good choice...
In this game, He Xi Meng gained a bit of enlightenment thanks to Stockton.
However, as far as the game itself was concerned, He Xi Meng did not hold back.
Before the game officially started, Stockton received a nonsensical declaration of admiration from He Xi Meng: "Hello, John! You are my idol. I grew up watching your basketball. My dream has always been to defeat you on the basketball court..."
Stockton, usually very calm on the court, couldn't help but pull a long face this time and retorted to He Xi Meng, "You've already defeated me and my team for at least three or four seasons... What are you trying to do?"
He Xi Meng scratched his head awkwardly and explained, "Sorry, I just wanted to make up for the regret of not confessing my admiration when I first met you four years ago..."
Stockton, angered, raised his right index finger and roared one word in clear, distinct tones: "Get lost!"
He Xi Meng sheepishly returned to the Spurs' huddle. Duncan poked his head out and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong? Why did you go and provoke that old man John? What did he do to offend you?"
"Provoke him? I just went to express my respect for him!"
"You can forget it! Can showing respect cause such great anger?"
Duncan didn't believe He Xi Meng's explanation at all, and more importantly, He Xi Meng couldn't explain the reason clearly to Duncan. Fortunately, the game was about to start, and their conversation was interrupted.
Stockton played very aggressively in this game and was not dominated by He Xi Meng. However, the Jazz still lost the game, 79-86, because the Spurs' twin towers played normally, and He Xi Meng also played normally.
Now, the Spurs, as long as their core players play normally, or even just play acceptably, they can easily defeat the current Jazz.
On the last game of their three-game road trip, the Spurs flew to Seattle to challenge the SuperSonics.
After paying tribute to Stockton, He Xi Meng immediately paid tribute to Payton!
During the offseason, the SuperSonics paid a considerable price to bring in Ewing from the Knicks, but Ewing's condition was not as excellent as the SuperSonics had anticipated. The combination of Payton and Ewing, which the SuperSonics management had hoped would be like the Jazz's dynamic duo, did not show enough competitiveness. In fact, when you think about it carefully, Ewing is already how old? Thirty-eight! A 38-year-old player, like Stockton, inevitably experiences a decline in his athletic ability, let alone a dominant inside player like Ewing! Just being able to appear on the court healthy is a remarkable feat, and one shouldn't expect Ewing to shoulder too much responsibility.
Moreover, Ewing is not the only player in poor condition. Payton's condition is also not what it used to be. As the soul of the SuperSonics, Payton's condition largely determines the team's overall performance.
Therefore, in this game, David Robinson, with Duncan's help, still outplayed Ewing and defeated Van Exel. He Xi Meng also casually paid tribute to "The Glove" Payton on the perimeter, angering Payton so much that he stopped his usual trash talk on the court and silently embodied the saying "silence is golden."
The third game of the Spurs' three-game road trip was to Sacramento to challenge the Kings. The Kings had already completed their initial rebuilding. Their core players included Webber and Divac in the frontcourt, and Peja, Christie, and Jason Williams in the backcourt. The sixth man off the bench was Bobby Jackson, Jon Barry, Hedo Türkoğlu, Scot Pollard, and Vlade Divac...
Compared to the peak Kings of the future, they were still missing Brad Miller in the frontcourt and had replaced Jason Williams with Mike Bibby in the backcourt. However, overall, the Kings' framework had been established, their bench depth was gradually increasing, and Adelman's system was being refined. The groundwork for their ascent was complete, and they were just waiting for the opportunity to take off.
Therefore, this game was a tough one for the Spurs. On one hand, the Kings' current strength could not be underestimated; on the other hand, it was the third game of the Spurs' three-game road trip, and the players were generally fatigued.
The two teams battled it out until the final minute, with the Kings desperately clinging to the score, wanting to make one last push against the Spurs.
However, He Xi Meng first broke through and passed to Duncan under the basket. Duncan spun around and drew a foul from Webber, making one of his two free throws, helping the Spurs extend their lead to 3 points.
Afterward, Webber counter-attacked and hit a mid-range jump shot, narrowing the deficit to 1 point again.
The Spurs had the last possession, with He Xi Meng controlling the ball, still intending to pass to Duncan. However, the Kings were well-prepared and did not give Duncan a chance to receive the ball. Seeing that it was not going to work, He Xi Meng decided to go for it himself!