Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

The 98 NBA playoffs had a huge influence in the United States.

Of course, if you want to say that the NBA has a large number of fans across the United States, it is actually not the case. After all, the sports that attract the most attention in the country are football, baseball, and ice hockey. Basketball in the United States can only be a volleyball team at best. Entering the top five.

But this does not mean that the NBA's influence will be smaller. Because of Michael Jordan, even people who don't understand basketball will not feel any strange when they hear the name Michael Jordan.

Fans also know that this year may be the year when the Bulls led by Jordan write a new basketball legend. If Jordan successfully leads the Bulls to win the championship again, Jordan will have six championship rings, completing two rounds of three consecutive championships.

By then, his status in NBA history will be consolidated as never before. No one will question his title of "God of Basketball" anymore. The name of Black Jesus will be deeply imprinted on every fan. in mind.

Even those entertainment media that had nothing to do with sports before had already begun to build momentum for Jordan when the Bulls swept the Pacers and qualified for the qualifying round early. Celebrities and dignitaries from all walks of life also paid attention to this league betting.

The enthusiasm for basketball across the United States is also unprecedentedly high.

Against this background, the stumbling blocks on the road to the Bulls' second consecutive dynasty are also active in the newspapers of major media reporters as villains.

"The rising Asians; the Timberwolves 3-0 the Rockets, Barkley missed two rounds of the series due to injury, and the Rockets led by Olajuwon were crushed."

"The Bulls' old enemy; the Jazz defeated the Trail Blazers 3-1. The Bulls' biggest rival is still the Jazz led by Malone and Stockton!"

"The most dominant center in history; the Lakers 3-1 the Suns, Shaquille O'Neal averaged 30+10 per game in the playoffs, showing his dominance!"

"The strongest twin tower combination; Spurs 3-2 SuperSonics, the most perfect No. pick in history next to the Admiral!"

As the first round of the NBA playoff series progresses, the qualifying teams are being announced one after another. While media reporters are hyping the Bulls' intention to accomplish a historic feat, the Bulls' opponents are also being reported by media reporters. .

Football commentators and media are also actively discussing who is likely to break out of the harsh environment in the Western Conference and finally get on the stage of the Finals to face off against the Bulls led by Jordan.

Yes, the Eastern Conference series has not yet been completed, and fans have already agreed that Jordan can lead the team out of the Eastern Conference. There's no way, the Bulls are really as strong as a cliff in the East.

For the Bulls, the West is really surrounded by powerful enemies.

Jordan has a large number of fans, and naturally many people don't like Jordan and his Bulls. Not only do some extreme fans of Western Conference teams not believe that Jordan has the ability to lead the team to win the championship again, they even preach that " "Weak East Remarks" bluntly stated that if the Bulls were in the Western Conference, they would not even be able to make it to the conference finals.

Such remarks were naturally criticized by Bulls fans, but there are also "neutral" and "rational" fans who think there is nothing wrong with this statement, and it is "well known" that the Western Conference is strong.

This kind of controversy also brings additional topicality to the NBA, and also greatly increases the exposure of these teams in the Western Conference.

Budao obviously feels that there are a lot more interviews these days. Although the Timberwolves have always had dazzling results, a small ball market is a small ball market after all. The exposure of their main players is far less than that of teams with deep foundations. .

Despite Wu Dao's dazzling performance as a new star, in fact, in terms of exposure on the streaming media, he can't even keep up with the Lakers' Kobe Bryant.

Kobe, who has the Purple and Gold Lakers on his back, has a lot more traffic than him. Although Wu Dao does have many fans who recognize his strength, in terms of popularity alone, Wu Dao only has a huge influence in Minneapolis. In other places, to the ears of non-fans, the presence of martial arts is relatively thin.

However, among the Chinese community, the volume of support for martial arts far exceeds that of Kobe Bryant, and even rivals that of Jordan.

Ami is a country of immigrants, and the color of his martial arts color invisibly limits his development. He needs a more powerful performance to break through some people's stereotypes.

The results obtained before actually have limited effect on martial arts.

The second round of the playoffs. This kind of thing means nothing to a true superstar!

If you want to truly enter the ranks of "top superstars" in martial arts, a championship ring is absolutely indispensable!

From the martial arts point of view, those "famous players" who do not have championship rings can brag about their past achievements with young fans, but they should not talk about "dominance" and "historical status."

Just like Maizi, if he "points out" young players, they won't buy him at all, and the celebrities will lose their face.

Wu Dao is a person who has been baptized by the "history books of the years". Now that he has reached this position, he also wants to be the person who can leave his name in NBA history!

The results achieved in front of me are not worth mentioning.

In the Timberwolves training hall, Wu Dao, who got up early, called his trainer and started some low-intensity adaptive training.

Their opponent in the next round has been determined, it is the old rival Jazz.

Facing the Jazz led by Malone and Stockton, Wu Dao did not dare to relax at all.

If he remembers correctly, the last ditch that should have stood in front of the Bulls this season was this Jazz team.

And it was this powerful Jazz team that in turn helped Jordan write the most perfect ending.

"Martial arts, there will be a competition in a few days, I think you should rest for a few days."

"Let your muscles relax and relax."

In the training room, trainer Alfonso Castro put his hands under the barbell, protecting the martial arts training while reminding him.

"I'm not stupid, I don't know how to practice hard."

"It's just adaptive strength training. I never stop. If I don't practice for a few days, my body will not adapt."

"The playoffs are important, but we still have to treat them normally."

The young martial arts mentality is much more relaxed than that of Alfonso Castro. The strong desire for victory in his heart is concealed by him. When Alfonso Castro gets along with martial arts, he always feels The feeling that martial arts gave him was a bit "understatement".

Or a normal mind.

"As long as you're happy, BOSS."

Alfonso Castro shook his head slightly, looked at martial arts with some admiration, and then focused on the training movements and barbells of martial arts.
At nine o'clock in the morning, Wu Dao finished his morning practice and went to the lounge to change clothes and have breakfast. When he walked into the lounge, he saw Garnett and other team members changing into training clothes in the lounge.

When they saw Wu Dao walking into the lounge covered in sweat, their eyes fell on Wu Dao.

Garnett stared at the sweaty Wu Dao for a long time without saying anything. Instead, Wu Dao came to Garnett's side, patted Garnett's arm, and said with a smile: "Are you ready to train?"

"That's great, Kevin!"

"You can still keep exercising even on your days off. It's very self-disciplined!"

Wu Dao is a compliment from the bottom of his heart. He has been in the NBA for some time and has heard about the behavior of some players in the league. They drink alcohol, indulge in nightclubs and "basketball babies", smoke big cigarettes, etc., and look at the whole situation. In the Alliance, there really aren’t many people who can be considered “good people”.

However, this is also true of the general environment. NBA players are generally "black sports students" with low education. It is not easy to control their desires when they suddenly become rich. That is to say, people like Wu Dao who grew up under rules and regulations can barely maintain their moral bottom line, and Wu Dao has self-awareness. He does not think that his self-control is much stronger than others. The way to resist temptation is to start from the beginning. , do not touch these things.

If he really followed someone to a nightclub and chatted with basketball darlings for a few nights, it would be difficult for Martial Arts to control his lower body.

Garnett and others are different from him. They are used to living a hard life, and growing up in a materialistic society, they can resist all kinds of temptations and come to the gym to train honestly. It is really rare.

"Self-discipline. We cannot afford such praise in front of you."

"Martial arts, to be honest, if someone else is called the 'Wolf King', I will definitely not give him a good look."

"But you are the exception."

"We will win, beat the Jazz, and beat all our opponents in the future!"

At this moment, Garnett actually spoke to Martial Arts in a calm and somewhat solemn voice.

Although Wu Dao has been very calm after sweeping the Rockets, training day after day as usual, there are not many private exchanges with teammates, and his thoughts have not been revealed.

But there is always an inexplicable spiritual connection between players.

Even if Wu Dao didn't say anything, Garnett and the others could feel Wu Dao's desire for victory from the bottom of his heart from Wu Dao's daily state.

When it comes to team training, sometimes it really depends on the atmosphere.

Although Wu Dao is not someone who is extremely harsh on his teammates in private like Jordan and Kobe, his self-discipline and diligence are also subtly influencing these Timberwolves players.

Garnett and Marbury are both young players, and they are not yet experienced players. They are actually the most susceptible to infection and change.

"Of course."

Seeing Garnett's sudden solemn look, Wu Dao suddenly smiled and nodded in response.

May 5th.

The Timberwolves, who had been recuperating for many days, finally ushered in the second round of their playoff series this evening.

A home game against the Jazz who came from afar.

Amid the cheers of the fans, the player tunnel in the stadium opened, and players from both sides entered the stadium one after another. What greeted the players was the warm cheers of the fans.

The relationship between the Timberwolves and the Jazz is not a good one. Last year, when the Timberwolves and the Jazz met for the first time in the regular season, they staged an all-out showdown for fans across the United States.

Therefore, fans of the Timberwolves have always been at odds with fans of the Jazz, and the fans also look down upon a "bad team" like the Jazz that likes to do evil things.

The fans in Salt Lake City actually have the same attitude towards the Timberwolves. Timberwolves fans think the Jazz play dirty, and Jazz fans also think Wu Dao, an Asian, has dirty tricks.

The fans of the two teams, who had long had a feud, disliked each other, so when the Jazz players entered the stadium, the fans, led by someone with a thoughtful heart, actually booed.

This kind of operation actually affects the mentality of the players, but it is for young players who have not seen much of the world. These veteran Jazz players are already used to being villains. Amidst the boos in the sky, a group of people are also Take it all in stride.

"After the game starts, let's test the referee's scale first so that we can determine the overall style of play."

"Today's game focused on interior defense, forcing people like the Timberwolves to shoot in inefficient areas."

"Do you remember everything?"

After the players entered the stadium, the lights in the arena returned to brightness.

Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan asked the players to gather around him and gave serious instructions before the game.

On the other side, coach Philip of the Timberwolves also pulled Garnett, Wallace, Roberts, Cherokee Parks and others and gave them careful instructions.

As the sharp buzzer sounded in the stadium, players from the two teams also entered the stadium one after another.

The Timberwolves' starting lineup has been adjusted today. In addition to Wu Dao and Marbury, the other three players are Stanley Roberts, Ben Wallace, and Sam Mitchell.

However, Garnett and Tom, the two regular starters, were placed on the bench and did not play.

As for the Jazz, the starting lineup is very conventional, Malone, Stockton, Greg Foster, Adam Kiefe, and Jeff Hornacek.

The average height of the standard two-small starting lineup is quite different from that of the Timberwolves, but their mobility is higher than that of the Timberwolves.

"Eh? The Timberwolves' starting lineup is different today?"

"Kevin and Tom are actually substitutes?"

"What route?"

The cheers of the fans in the stands stopped as the players from both sides entered the stadium, and then there was a buzzing discussion.

The fans obviously don't quite understand the Timberwolves' starting lineup. In their opinion, in an important game like the playoffs, using all your strength from the start is the normal way to arrange the lineup.

The more important the occasion is, the more important it is to avoid surprise attacks.

Because sometimes your surprise soldiers will be the most unstable factor for your own side.

However, discussions remain discussions, and there is nothing the fans can do to change Coach Philip's arrangements.

As the referee walked into the court with the ball, the stands gradually became quiet.

Players from both sides stood in the center circle, and Wu Dao faced his old rival, "Little Bird" Kife.

As the basketball was thrown into the air, Greg Fosters and Stanley Roberts on both sides of the center line also jumped high and headed towards the basketball almost at the same time.

Foster's jumping ability is better than Roberts, and he took the lead in hitting the basketball and moving the ball to the backcourt.

With Tocton getting the basketball, the second round series between the Timberwolves and the Jazz officially began.

(End of this chapter)