jdhmnovel Chapter 190: Why is Wang Xiucheng playing as a substitute? What serious illness does Nash have?
Chapter 190: Why is Wang Xiucheng playing as a substitute? What serious illness does Nash have?
Apparently due to a protest from Tencent Sports, the NBA has limited CCTV Sports' signal to two games per week, with a maximum of one Nets game.
Therefore, CCTV Sports will not be broadcasting the Nets game today.
As a result, many fans flocked to the Penguin and Migu live streaming rooms again, wanting to watch Wang Xiucheng's game.
Then everyone discovered that the Nets game, which was free in the previous game, had become a paid game again.
So those with connections started looking for illegal signals with blurry images, while those who didn't want the hassle simply subscribed to a membership.
When they came in, Wang Meng was reading out the starting lineup, and surprisingly, Wang Xiucheng wasn't on it.
play?
You're telling me Wang Xiucheng didn't start?
You still dare to charge fees even though Wang Xiucheng didn't start?
Who gave you the courage?
As more and more members entered the live stream, the dissatisfaction in the comments section grew.
Gradually, some fans who didn't turn off the live chat found that their phones had frozen again!
I just got the latest model phone, what's wrong with it!
Wang Meng and the others in the live stream also noticed this situation.
Yang Yi said directly, "Nash still has a lot of ideas."
As soon as he said that, the chat quieted down considerably, and everyone waited for Yang Yi to make amends.
Everyone knows that Yang Yi is the biggest Wang fanboy in China.
If he dares to claim second place, no one dares to claim first.
Ironically, Yang Yi's boasts always seem to make a lot of sense.
Yang Yi didn't keep everyone waiting long, speaking as the camera switched to footage of the players warming up.
"Everyone knows that the Nets' biggest problem is not their superstars, but their bench."
"Everyone still remembers the last game. When Wang Xiucheng started alongside Durant and Ben West, his efficiency was lower than when he was a substitute. Why?"
"Because neither Claxton nor Benci has a three-point shot, this greatly limits Wang Xiucheng's passing ability."
"Just let Durant, who's in the starting lineup, swing all he wants."
"But the substitutes are different. Wang Xiucheng has four shooters with him. Their defense might be a little weak, but they can shoot the opponent to death on offense."
"and……"
Yang Yi paused for a moment: "And Zeng is still on the team today. If he plays with Wang Xiucheng..."
He didn't say what he meant after that, but everyone knew what he meant.
Yang Chui is right. If Zeng and Wang Xiucheng play together, Wang Xiucheng will definitely pass the ball to Zeng on purpose.
At this point, the comments section suddenly became much more civilized.
It's just a few dozen yuan for a team pass, I'll buy it.
Is this little bit of money worth it just to see Wang Xiucheng and Zeng Fanbo?
Wang Meng breathed a sigh of relief. "It's still you, Yang Chui!"
As the only NBA team outside the United States, the Raptors have an extremely large fan base in Toronto.
Toronto is also a city of immigrants, with nearly 15% of its population being of Chinese descent.
Therefore, at this game, at least 30% of the fans had Chinese faces.
The ratio is so exaggerated that at first glance you might think it's a preseason game being played in China.
Looking at the familiar stadium, Yuta Watanabe couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.
"What are you looking at?"
Yuta Watanabe heard the sound and turned around.
Wang Xiucheng stood to the side, holding the ball in one hand, also looking at the stadium known as the Land of the North.
"I just feel that the players are sometimes quite helpless," Yuta Watanabe said.
Wang Xiucheng didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly.
He felt this deeply.
After glancing at Watanabe Yuta, Wang Xiucheng said nothing more and went to warm up on the side.
At least on the surface, the two get along well.
Wang Xiucheng even intentionally approached Watanabe Yuta, wanting to inquire about other Japanese players.
But this guy is also cunning. He always talks about trivial things, and sometimes Watanabe will even try to find out more about him.
At these moments, the two men, each with their own ulterior motives, would chuckle in unison.
However, his wife is truly beautiful, something even Wang Xiucheng couldn't help but envy.
The game started soon.
When the starting players from both sides took the field, the fans in the stadium were a little confused.
Soon enough, some fans with Chinese features started booing.
Because Wang Xiucheng didn't start, but instead sat on the bench.
Not only were the fans stunned, but even the Raptors' head coach Nick Nurse was dumbfounded.
Although the assistant coach had already given him the starting lineup for the Nets, he didn't even look at it.
In his opinion, is it even necessary to look at the opponent's starting lineup?
With only a few people, how could they possibly be substitutes?
At that moment, Nick Nurse quickly found a piece of paper in his back pocket, which showed the Nets' starting lineup.
Wang Xiucheng actually played as a substitute?
Nick Nurse looked at Nash in the distance in disbelief. "You're making Wang Xiucheng a substitute? Are you seriously ill?"
There was no time to think further; the referee had already arrived in the middle of the field.
The Nets' Durant started with Claxton, Ben West, Royce O'Neale, and the returning Joe Harris.
The opposing team fielded their strongest lineup: Anunoby, Siakam, Trent, VanVleet, and Barnes, last year's All-Rookie First Team member.
From the start of the game, the Raptors, playing at home, quickly took control of the pace of the game.
Pascal Siakam, who made the All-NBA Third Team last year, is a center but also has excellent passing ability, making him a very well-rounded player.
Meanwhile, defensive stalwart Anunoby was tasked with guarding Kevin Durant, the Nets' strongest player on the roster.
Although it was expected, Durant still missed his first three shots due to the defense.
It wasn't until the fourth minute that Durant drew a foul on Anunoby and scored his first point of the game from the free throws.
It seemed they had found a solution, and Durant started to score repeatedly, netting 7 points with a combination of field goals and free throws, which is why the score remained close.
Besides Durant, only Ben West scored two points on a second-chance opportunity after grabbing a rebound under the basket. Royce O'Neale and Joe Harris both attempted three-pointers, but neither made them.
While the Raptors focused on defense, their 12 points came from four different players, except for Barnes, who hadn't scored yet, showing a well-rounded attack.
The Nets had possession, and Ben Simmons passed the ball to Durant after crossing half-court.
Apart from Durant, the only other player in this starting lineup who seems to have decent scoring ability is Joe Harris.
This is still compared to Benci himself.
Durant took a step forward to receive the ball, then lowered his arms to shield it between his legs.
Durant has long arms, so this move isn't difficult for him.
Anunoby, who was defending him, only tried to steal the ball once before immediately pulling his arm back.
He was also afraid that Durant would continue to draw fouls on him.
Just as he pulled his arm back, Durant suddenly pulled up and shot the ball.
Anunoby reacted only half a step too late; by the time he jumped again, it was too late.
Durant is taller and has longer arms, so Anunoby, who jumps later, has no chance of defending Durant without committing a foul.
Bang!
The basketball hit the rim and bounced out, landing squarely on VanVleet, the shortest player on the court.
After dribbling the ball a couple of times, VanVleet turned and passed Joe Harris before passing the ball from a distance to Barnes, who was already charging forward.
The latter dribbled into the paint and slammed home his first point of the game with a powerful dunk.
The score was now 14-9.
The time was exactly 6 minutes.
Nash glanced at the referee, seemingly waiting for the referee to call a timeout.
The referee didn't call a timeout, but Nick Nurse did.
There's nothing he can do; even if he hadn't called the timeout, the referee would have charged him with it if he had.
Nash's face betrayed no emotion; he simply took the time to discuss the matter with his assistant coaches.
While they were discussing, Nash kept glancing at Wang Xiucheng, who was sitting on the bench.
The timeout ended quickly, and Nick Nurse put away his clipboard and looked up.
The Nets made a five-in-five-out substitution.
When did the Nets become so wealthy?
Nick Nass was a little puzzled. He looked at the five people, and only Wang Xiucheng was the one he had expected.
The other four were Thomas, Mills, Daron Sharp, and a Chinese man he had never even met before.
It would be an exaggeration to say he hadn't seen it before; during the pre-match meeting, he saw highlights of the previous game on the video team's screen.
This Chinese player made 5 three-pointers.
Nick Nash simply didn't remember his name.
One match wasn't enough for him to remember the name of a Chinese person.
Even for Wang Xiucheng, it took almost twenty matches for him to remember him.
Nick Nurse fielded the starting lineup without making any substitutions.
It's only been 6 minutes, I don't know what the Nets are up to.
The referee stood on the sidelines and gave the ball to Mills, who was preparing to serve.
Wang Xiucheng stood in the backcourt, and VanVleet stood in front of Wang Xiucheng.
Wang Xiucheng made no move, seemingly not even wanting to receive the ball.
Thomas caught the ball on the frontcourt and glanced at Wang Xiucheng, who was practically walking towards him.
In the past, Isaiah Thomas would have already driven to the basket and taken the shot.
But he wouldn't dare do that now.
Seeing that Wang Xiucheng didn't seem to want the ball, Thomas then began to drive into the paint.
If Wang Xiucheng doesn't want the ball, then these people who want him to pass the ball might as well just go to bed early.
After shaking off his opponent, Thomas launched a floater, but unfortunately the basketball slammed into the rim with a loud thud.
Delon Sharp and Pascal Siakam both jumped up and reached for the basketball behind them.
The two players are about the same height, with Daryl Sharp even being a little taller, but Pascal Siakam's arms are too long, with a wingspan of about 2.20 meters, allowing him to touch the ball first.
But he only touched the ball; he couldn't control it.
So he flicked the ball outwards and saw VanVleet standing there, with no one else around.
wrong!
Siakam realized something was wrong the moment his hand left the basketball.
He didn't spot Wang Xiucheng from the air!
It was as if Wang Xiucheng had disappeared.
Just then, a yellow hand began to rise rapidly from below.
Siakam watched as the hand touched the basketball, then the palm seemed to rotate slightly, adjusting the contact area with the basketball.
The basketball then flew towards the corner with a whoosh.
Siakam had just landed at that moment.
Swish!
Before he could even look for the basketball, he heard the beautiful sound of the net coming from behind him.
Did that ball go in?
Siakam looked on in disbelief.
At the bottom corner, another Chinese man whose name he didn't even know was slowly withdrawing his hands.
Siakam immediately turned around and looked at Wang Xiucheng.
Wang Xiucheng intercepted his own ball in mid-air and then passed it directly to another player who was in an open position.
Throughout this process, at the very last moment of contact with the ball, neither Siakam nor VanVleet noticed when Wang Xiucheng had disappeared.
Wang Xiucheng retreated to the center line and bumped fists with Mills and Zeng Fanbo respectively.
Zeng Fanbo looked at his hand; his first three-pointer had gone in!
He felt that his shooting percentage had improved significantly since he started playing in the NBA.
VanVleet had already brought the ball over, and Wang Xiucheng went up to him, reaching out to grab the ball, but the experienced VanVleet blocked him with his arm.
Wang Xiucheng was afraid that Van Fleet would brush past him, so he took a small step back to face Van Fleet directly.
Siakam came over to set a screen, and VanVleet, taking advantage of the screen, actually shot a three-pointer.
Swish!
They actually made it in.
The short but strong Fred VanVleet, who was an undrafted player, was able to help the Raptors win the championship in the 19-20 season, and there's a reason for that.
Zeng Fanbo picked up the basketball, went to the baseline, and then passed the ball to Wang Xiucheng.
Wang Xiucheng waved his hand, signaling everyone to move to the front field; no cover was needed.
Facing VanVleet's defense, Wang Xiucheng dribbled between his legs to change direction, but VanVleet didn't move.
Does that mean everything is fine if nothing is moved?
Wang Xiucheng suddenly switched hands and accelerated straight towards the bottom corner.
Many guards in the league who aren't very fast on their feet would rather let Wang Xiucheng pass than fall to his feints.
Wang Xiucheng, who had completely left VanVleet behind, had moved to the wing, and Anunoby, who had abandoned his defender, immediately came to cover.
Wang Xiucheng flicked the ball towards the inside, and the basketball bounced off the ground and landed in the hands of Daron Sharp, who had just entered the paint.
Deron Sharp blocked Siakam behind him and slammed home a two-handed dunk, scoring his first point.
After patting his chest and high-fiving Wang Xiucheng, Daryl Sharp immediately returned to the backcourt to defend.
Siakam slammed the ball as it bounced up, then, seeing the referee staring at him, he immediately picked it up and went to the baseline to inbound the ball.
VanVleet dribbled the ball up the court and passed it to Trent, who then passed it to Siakam in the paint.
Siakam didn't hesitate, using his footwork to create space and then slotting the ball into the net to score two points.
Daryl Sharp looked somewhat frustrated, seemingly unhappy that he hadn't been able to stop the ball.
Just then, Zeng Fanbo somehow arrived at the baseline, grabbed the ball, and threw it out.
The basketball arced through the frontcourt.
Wang Xiucheng and VanVleet, both of whom were on the perimeter, charged toward the ball.
There was no third person present.
Wang Xiucheng, relying on his height and wingspan, as well as his superior jumping ability compared to VanVleet, caught a basketball.
VanVleet didn't even jump; he was still self-aware enough to know his own limitations.
His chance came the moment Wang Xiucheng scored.
So VanVleet reached out his hand in advance, so that he could touch the ball as soon as it hit the floor.
However, Wang Xiucheng caught the ball but didn't dribble at all. Instead, he ran forward three steps and reached the three-point line. He then turned sideways, raised his arms, and shot the basketball.
Van Fleet's expression changed because Wang Xiucheng's arm was still wrapped around his arm.
A bad feeling arose.
Swish!
VanVleet heard the beautiful sound of the Nets behind him.
at the same time……
With a whistle, the referee rang out and pointed at VanVleet.
Defensive foul.
The three-pointer went in, and an additional free throw is awarded!
VanVleet's face darkened instantly.
Because Wang Xiucheng committed a traveling violation on that play!