Gortat rubbed his bald head and smiled shyly.
"From now on, our safety on the court is in your hands!"
"No problem, leave it to me! Anyone who dares to provoke you on the court on purpose, I'll beat them up!"
"Excellent! Marcin, your words give me a great sense of security."
Saying that, He Xi Meng didn't bump fists with Gortat, but chose to shake hands with him.
As expected, the Polish Hammer had a powerful grip!
"Marcin, you need to highlight your strength advantage. First, you must establish a tough performance on defense! Second, on offense, you need to train your pick-and-roll ability and the ability to roll to the basket for a direct score after the pick-and-roll..."
"Okay, Xi Meng, I know what to do!"
"I hope you don't forget what Xi Meng just told you!"
Head coach Kerr stepped forward to summarize, "But it's okay if you forget. I will repeatedly emphasize the direction you should focus on during the upcoming training sessions! Don't doubt it, these suggestions will greatly benefit your professional careers..."
With He Xi Meng's guidance and Kerr's strict training, several new players on the Celtics made rapid progress.
In the preseason, the Celtics, with five rookies plus last year's rookies Ariza, Tony Allen, and Perkins, achieved a record of 7 wins and 1 loss, getting off to a good start for the new season.
On November 1, 2005, the new season's opening game kicked off simultaneously in four cities.
As the defending champions, the Celtics were naturally not to be missed.
And before the game officially started, Mr. Jordan had prepared a rather grand championship ring ceremony for the players.
Mr. Jordan would never miss such a moment of glory.
He Xi Meng successfully received his first green clover ring, and his sixth championship ring in his player career.
And the team witnessing this magnificent achievement was their opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals last season: the Miami Heat!
In terms of provoking rivalries, David Stern was indeed a professional!
Dwyane Wade and Alonzo Mourning looked envious, while Antoine Walker looked furious.
Yes, if he hadn't been traded away by Ainge back then, would Antoine Walker also be a member of the championship Celtics team now?
Payton was very happy. As a member of last season's championship team, Payton received his championship ring in the first game of the new season, enjoying virtually the same treatment as the home team.
"Don't worry! This season, I will help you win a championship ring!"
After receiving his championship ring, Payton smugly comforted Wade and O'Neal.
Wade replied solemnly, "Excellent! The bench will be relying on you this season..."
It seemed that Flash had high hopes for the veteran Payton, wanting him to carry the offensive load of the rotation.
O'Neal, facing Payton's smugness, was somewhat indifferent, "I have several of these at home! When I got the first one, I was very excited, but now, it's just like that! It doesn't matter if I win the highest, or if I don't! It's good to be happy! You know, the most important thing in playing basketball is to be happy..."
O'Neal said it casually, but Wade wanted both happiness and a championship ring, so Wade decided to treat this opening game of the new season as an Eastern Conference Finals!
This summer, to further enhance the team's strength, the Heat management optimized the roster through trades.
Larry used Eddie Jones to acquire Jason Williams from the Grizzlies, and used Damon Jones, Rasual Butler, and others to trade for Antoine Walker from the Mavericks.
In the new season, the Heat's starting lineup was: Center O'Neal, Power Forward Haslem, Small Forward Antoine Walker, Shooting Guard Wade, and Point Guard Jason Williams.
The main reinforcements on the bench were Payton, who transferred from the Celtics, and the shooter Kapono, who transferred from the Cavaliers.
The Celtics also made some adjustments to their starting lineup.
Josh Smith was sent to Atlanta to become the "Eagle King" and in return, they acquired the French player Diop.
Diop's weight had not yet ballooned at this time, so he wasn't fat, just a strong forward. His position was unclear. Last season with the Hawks, when Tyronn Lue was off the court, Diop sometimes played the role of the team's playmaker.
And when Antoine Walker was off the court, Diop could also fill in at power forward, able to contend with most of the league's big men.
Therefore, the Hawks' head coach Mike Woodson never figured out how to use Diop.
Diop's laid-back playing attitude and his habit of brewing coffee in the locker room with a coffee machine before every game also greatly displeased Mike Woodson.
As a result, in the first two seasons of his career, Diop was a fringe player on the Hawks' bench.
He had stable playing time, but no stable tactical support. He was slotted in wherever the coach needed him.
And Diop himself didn't express much about the coach's attitude, continuing to leisurely drink his coffee and live his own life, completely an anomaly on the NBA court.
But He Xi Meng knew Diop's potential!
He could defend against ordinary centers internally and act as a forward playmaker externally.
He could serve as an offensive hub in a team game, and he could individually defend the league's top scorers.
This versatile player, who could play from the 1 to the 5 position, was a rare and top-tier "Swiss Army knife" player in the league.
However, much of his talent was still hidden behind the coffee machine, not yet fully showcased.
As for drinking coffee... was such an elegant habit wrong?
"Boris, get me a cup too!"
Before the opening game of this season began, the first thing He Xi Meng said upon entering the locker room was to ask Diop for a cup of authentic French coffee.
Compared to Italian and American coffee, French coffee is more niche.
This is because French coffee has a milder taste, not as rich as Italian coffee, nor as bland as American coffee. However, the preparation process is slightly complex, requiring skill and attention to presentation.
The coffee machine used to make French coffee is a pump-press type with lower extraction pressure, requiring high-quality coffee beans and skillful operation. This way, the extracted coffee will have a thin layer of crema on top. And each extraction yields no more than 4 cups. Unlike American coffee machines that make a large pot, enough for the whole team to have a cup.
"No problem!"
Upon hearing He Xi Meng's request, Diop was very happy. He opened the coffee machine in his locker, carefully brewed a cup of coffee, and with extremely skillful hands, drew a lifelike ring pattern on the surface of the coffee with milk.