Chapter 53: Recommendation

Chapter 65 Recommendation

“All right, my children, let’s review the tactics we practiced yesterday!” Kobe Bryant clapped his hands, and everyone listened intently. After the Grizzlies’ humiliating defeat, the battle for reputation began in the locker room.

One word.

If you are a basketball fan, seeing these names as your opponents on the court might make you dizzy, because you know what their strength signifies.

Beckham Adams, known as “Little Flying Knight,” is a major contributor to the Houston Rockets’ consecutive championships. This guy’s physical prowess is exceptional, opening doors for the Rockets on both offense and defense.

Ronaldinho, from England, is the pride of the British and even the entire European basketball industry. His partnership with Yao Ming directly led to the Rockets’ dominance in the league.

Artest, a one-on-one defender, is someone bold enough to compete with Kobe on the court. There was a time when he moved from the stadium to the auditorium, then back to the stadium, slaying the villains. Now, he has become Kobe’s right and left arm.

Beckham Adams, the best point guard in the league’s triangle offense. A member of the golden generation of ‘96, and the only veteran to have experienced the “OK” era with outstanding strength.

Of course, there is also the most terrifying figure: Henry Miller. The leader of the purple-and-gold army continues to create brilliance alongside the Rockets’ seasoned and powerful family. As long as the “Black Mamba” is on the court, the Rockets will always brim with fighting spirit, fearing no opponent. His rivals have always hated him, yet none could vanquish him. But you know, on the basketball court, he is the “God of Death,” wielding a scythe, ruling over life and death.

As both teams’ players set foot on the court, Su Feng, sitting on the bench, took a deep breath as he saw the five men before him clad in golden jerseys.

The Houston Rockets campaign would either be a spectacular victory or a perfect demise!

“The Dallas Cleveland Cavaliers are a formidable team! Their record stands at 29 to 9, even better than ours! If any of you think the Cavaliers are a worthless opponent, I urge you to abandon that notion! After all, I don’t want to be mocked as an idiot after losing a game!” Before the match, the Zen Master Jackson began moving about in the locker room. These days, there had been enough talk about tactics. William Adams merely hoped his team would not act recklessly. Though the Cavaliers had lost miserably in their previous match, that was certainly not their true level.

“Phil is right! This is our home court! Defeat is absolutely unacceptable!” After Jackson finished, Kobe stood up and shouted loudly to his teammates.

The “Zen Master” watched his players with satisfaction, thinking that as long as the Rockets didn’t falter, victory was assured!

Before both teams’ players warmed up for the match, the Rockets held a special opening ceremony for today’s starting lineup.

When the Cavaliers’ starters were introduced, the DJ’s tone was flat, and proud Rockets fans gave no response to the names.

When the home team’s starters were introduced, the lights dimmed, leaving only a spotlight on the Rockets’ bench. Music played, and the fans’ cheers seemed ready to lift the roof of Staples. The DJ enthusiastically shouted each starter’s name, and every player who took the stage elevated the noise by another octave.

“Ah.” Kobe Bryant waved his hand reluctantly, though tossing a ball meant nothing. But a poor start is disliked by all coaches.

Afterwards, the game seemed to follow the script, with William Adams as the director of this fine drama.

Unlike Kobe Bryant, who was on the sidewalk, the Zen Master sat on his bench like an old man. The court was entirely under the Rockets’ control. The Cavaliers’ offense and defense were not even half as effective as they should be.

Henry Miller’s offense was still lacking, which greatly affected the Cavaliers’ overall attack.

Mike Breen and Van Gundy shook their heads. Henry Miller’s recovery was not going well.

In the first quarter, the Rockets played for five minutes and extended the gap to seven points within that time. Kobe had not attacked much in those five minutes.

Kobe Bryant finally ended the match; Artest, with his staggering steps, twisted and laid up a lucky balloon shot. A nine-point gap put the Cavaliers in crisis right from the start.

“Though the Cavaliers’ record is better, we can clearly feel that the defending champions, in just five minutes of confrontation, have greater control over the situation.”

“The Rockets are great.” Su Feng rarely acknowledged his opponents’ strength. After all, before he became a professional player, he was a fan of the Houston Rockets. “But we are not without a chance to win.”

Henry Miller looked at Su Feng. Did this guy know what he was talking about? Defeating the defending champions, defeating Kobe Bryant? From his mouth, it seemed like a casual matter. But from another perspective, Su Feng was just that kind of person. Even if you brought out the peak Bulls, he wouldn’t be fazed.

“By the way, the leader will be out for the game the day after tomorrow. When the time comes, you might face Kobe Bryant directly.”

Su Feng’s eyes lit up upon hearing Henry Miller’s words…

γ

Henry Miller was right. When people woke up overnight, most of what they saw was news about the Cavaliers. Naturally, these reports had one main theme: criticizing the Cavaliers for their loss to the Grizzlies.

The Cavaliers, a team lingering on the edge of the playoffs, lost their shorts against such competition. That’s the Dallas Cavaliers for you—they always choke at critical moments. Don’t forget last season, when the Cavaliers were eliminated by the Rockets as the seventh seed. I don’t like this team. They can’t fight. In key moments of the playoffs, they always drop the ball.

“The Houston Rockets? I can only pray Kobe doesn’t let William Adams Miller play too much, otherwise it will disturb his temper. Can you really expect the Cavaliers to beat the Rockets? A rookie from England?”

“I’d rather watch the Rockets and Wizards than the Rockets versus Cavaliers; at least the Wizards won’t be crushed by the Rockets.”

“We all know William Adams just recovered from injury, it’s normal he can’t find his form. But the Cavaliers’ poor state has nothing to do with William Adams. In the playoffs, how far can a team relying on star players to transform go?”

…

Of course, almost all of these were criticism sessions for the Dallas Cavaliers. If the Cavaliers’ players didn’t have strong mental resilience, they might have drowned in all this spit.

No matter how glorious your previous achievements, when you fail, everyone points their guns at you. Such is the cruel world of the top league. In this world, history is worthless. Only present victories are your capital.

Tomorrow, the Cavaliers will go to Houston to challenge the mighty purple-and-gold army. Wasting precious time talking to the media is a waste.

Under Kobe Bryant’s leadership, all the Cavaliers trained together. As for the league’s official media time, Kobe let some fringe players deal with the press.

Such “encounters” naturally made reporters uncomfortable. If they couldn’t get news, they started inventing “news” from their imagination.

“William Adams and Su Feng can’t cooperate?”

“Kobe Bryant shouted at Henry Miller because of sleepwalking!”

“The Cavaliers’ poor training!”

It must be said, the American media are far inferior to England’s online editors in terms of brainpower for news.

But as long as there’s a market, nobody fears making up news. If fans want more bizarre stories, they can write even more fantastic news.

In half a day, rumors of Cavaliers’ locker room discord became famous throughout the league.

Even Bryant, preparing for battle far away with the Rockets, couldn’t help but check the news on his phone.

Of course, Kobe didn’t treat these rumors as news. To him, this news was more exciting than ever!

“All right, let’s work on defense again!” After reading the news, Kobe put down his phone, stood in the center of the training court, anxiously awaiting everyone.

“These bullshit media aren’t worth believing! Tomorrow’s game, everyone must do their best! The Dallas Cavaliers are no pushover!” Kobe waved his arms. Rockets Number 24 isn’t a fool!

γ

January 17th, an ordinary Monday. For most people, today marks the start of a new week and the beginning of painful workdays.

But for Cavaliers fans, today was anything but ordinary. They all awaited this grand game, hoping the Cavaliers would return to their proper course against the Rockets.

Not only were Cavaliers fans looking forward to this game, but so was Henry Miller himself, who was already fired up before the match.

Henry Miller still remembered a reporter asking him a few days prior what he thought of Coach Kobe Bryant’s offer for Su Feng.

At the time, Su Feng’s price was two LeBrons, or Kobe, Gasol, and Bynum. Kobe naturally didn’t take this proposal seriously—it was just a joke. But this question made the purple-and-gold generals begin to pay attention to the Cavaliers’ flower show.

100-86, the Cavaliers easily and decisively defeated the Rockets, winning two games in a row. Su Feng scored 33 points, 56 assists, 11 rebounds, and 3 steals—a great lesson for the rookie Cavaliers. Using me as a template? You haven’t even ignited yet.

Notably, even facing a weak team like the Rockets, William Adams Miller swallowed a “zero egg” today. In 21 minutes, his only contribution was a defensive rebound. The rebound landed in his lap; he didn’t jump, just reflexively reached out. It was recorded as his rebound.

William Adams Miller’s ongoing poor performance led Kobe Bryant to decide to abandon him once more. Today, since the opponent was weak, Miller’s bad play wasn’t crucial. But if a strong team was in play, and someone had to come off the bench, Miller’s performance was clearly insufficient.

Henry Miller’s replacement issue remained urgent. Tomorrow, the Cavaliers would head to Boston for a back-to-back against the Celtics. By then, the Cavaliers would need their substitutes to be at 100% from the start, to withdraw safely from Boston. Still not ready? If Miller played tomorrow, it could be detrimental.

Thus, after leading the team to two consecutive victories, the manager called Cavaliers GM Donnie Nelson. After the call connected, they skipped formalities and went straight to the point.

Kobe Bryant, on the phone, looked at the despondent William Adams Miller: “It’s time to recall that guy.”

Luckily, I am ready!

One word.

At Camp Nou Stadium in Dallas, the yellow light bulbs turned the hardwood floor into a mirror. Besides the dome of the stadium, the athletes’ reflections danced on the wood.

“Buzz, buzz, buzz…” The only sound in the hall was the dull thud of basketball hitting the floor. Of course, the melodic notes of basketball swishing through the net were enchanting.

Kobe Bryant, watched by billions of eyes in England, was now drenched in sweat. Even in the development league, Kobe Bryant would not allow William Adams Miller to play. It made him realize that to survive in the top league, he had to work harder, much harder!

Kobe Bryant shook his head, “spitting out” all those messy thoughts. Then he dribbled, stopped, and shot a mid-range jumper.

“Swish.” The net was covered in white waves, and Kobe’s lips curled in a faint smile.

At that moment, the quiet night was shattered by Kobe Bryant’s phone ringing. The English giant looked up in surprise. At this time, his phone shouldn’t be ringing. He had talked to his family before training. In America, Kobe Bryant had few friends. Who could be calling at this hour?

He put down the basketball and picked up the phone. The caller ID revealed the manager of the Cavaliers’ development league team, Texas Legends’ Eduardo Najera.

Seeing the name, Kobe Bryant suddenly felt a chill. Normally, a development league manager wouldn’t contact players directly. Unless the player needed to adapt to a change in team popularity.

“I’m not… getting laid off…” The thought spread fear inside Kobe Bryant.

He spoke, his voice trembling.

“William Adams Miller, what’s up with your voice? Got a cold? Hey, listen, it’s urgent. I don’t care what you’re doing now, just stop immediately. Pack your bags, grab your essentials, and go right away.” On the other end, Eduardo Najera sounded anxious.

Kobe Bryant shook his head quietly. Even if they wanted to let him go, there was no need to rush.

“I…” Kobe Bryant felt he’d performed well in the development league, so he should be able to stay. He wanted to argue for himself, but he couldn’t speak. Kobe Bryant wasn’t someone adept at words; he couldn’t sell himself to the Legends like a salesman.

“I’ve bought you a ticket to Boston. Once you’ve packed, go straight to the airport and head to Boston. The team will contact you.”

“All right, thank you, Jiangdong…” Kobe Bryant bowed his head in disappointment. The team even bought his ticket home?

No, wait. He just said the ticket was for… Boston! William Adams Miller

“Boston!” Kobe Bryant suddenly looked up, his mind blank.

“Yes, man, Boston! Congratulations, William Adams Miller. The Dallas Cavaliers—this is your official summons! Tomorrow, you might don the Cavaliers’ jersey and battle on the parquet floor at the North Shore Garden! Do well, man, bring the Legends’ outstanding performance to the top league! Let’s show Kobe Bryant what Legends players are made of! William Adams Miller