Chapter 31: This is the NBA

Downtown Indiana, Bankers Life Arena.

Mark Baum didn't drive his Ford Mustang this time. Instead, the driver drove the latest Rolls-Royce Phantom through the streets and slowly drove into the parking lot next to the arena.

Zhang Yu believed that if it was just him and Mark Baum, he would never enjoy the treatment of riding in a luxury car. The reason why Mark Baum did not drive himself was Curry in the car.

"Boss, how did you meet such a rich friend?" Curry approached Zhang Yu's ear and asked in a low voice.

"I met by chance." Zhang Yu said lightly.

Curry touched the seat under him, staring intently at the low-key and luxurious decoration inside the car, with a hint of longing in his eyes.

"Why, are you envious?" Zhang Yu laughed softly.

"A little bit, but I like the Porsche better," Curry replied.

The United States is a real "country on wheels", with a high number of private cars per capita, especially for boys, who often own their first car in high school. Curry has never bought a car because of his strict family education. , which made him even more eager to have his own car.

"Driving carefully in the future, don't get into a car accident." Zhang Yu smiled slightly as he recalled the news he had seen in his previous life.

"Ah?" Curry responded in a daze, but Zhang Yu turned to chat with Mark Baum and didn't continue.

Curry felt a little depressed, the boss was fine with everything, but sometimes he often said things that people couldn't understand, which was inexplicable.

"Mark, do you still have time to watch the football game?" Zhang Yu laughed.

"It seems that Todd didn't tell you that I am a die-hard Pacers fan, and I will watch every home game of them." Mark Baum replied.

While the two were chatting, the Rolls-Royce finally parked, and the three got out of the car and walked to the Bankers Life Arena.

Mark Baum called Zhang Yu yesterday and invited him to watch the game. Zhang Yu readily agreed, asked for an extra ticket, and called Curry.

Although Curry has watched countless NBA games since he was a child, it can be said that he grew up in an NBA arena, but of course he would not refuse the invitation from the coach.

On the way, Zhang Yu took the tickets handed over by Mark Baum, a little surprised that it turned out to be the game between the Pacers and the Warriors.

"Ronan, what's the matter?" Mark Baum asked looking back at Zhang Yu who was staring at the tickets in a daze.

Zhang Yu raised the ball ticket and said with a smile,

"It's nothing, I happen to be a fan of the Warriors, thank you, I have never watched a Warriors game live."

"Boss, are you a Warriors fan?" Curry's eyes widened.

"Warriors? You actually like the Warriors?" Mark Baum also looked very surprised.

"Why are you all so surprised, can't you?" Zhang Yu raised his eyebrows.

"Of course not, I just didn't expect anyone to support the Warriors... Oh, sorry, I mean, the Warriors are a team with no story, and you are Chinese, I really can't compare you to the Warriors In connection, I have met many Chinese, they generally support the Rockets, Yao is the top three center in the league, I always thought you were a Rockets fan." Mark Baum shrugged and explained.

While joking, the three of them had already entered the arena through the dedicated VIP channel. Zhang Yu chuckled lightly and said:

"Trust me, the Warriors this season will be amazing."

It's no wonder that Mark Baum is so contemptuous of the Warriors in his words, the current Warriors are really bad.

The last time they made the playoffs was 12 years ago.

In the past 12 years, the Warriors have always been a well-known player in the league. They have won the worst record in the Western Conference many times, and of course they have also drawn many high-ranking draft picks.

But the Warriors fans are very lucky. The management level of the team they support is the same as that of the Clippers uniform group, which can be called "crashing dragon and phoenix chick".

They have contributed several well-known parallel rookies to the league, keeping the team sinking in the mud, adding a lot of jokes to the NBA every year, and making great contributions to setting off the heroic achievements of other teams.

"Maybe, but the Pacers will definitely win today." Mark Baum laughed.

"That's not necessarily true, let's wait and see." Zhang Yu smiled lightly.

Although he didn't watch the Warriors' games this season, to be precise, he didn't watch the NBA games, but he clearly remembers that the Warriors left a deep footprint in the playoffs this season, and joined forces with the Mavericks to contribute The most legendary "Black Eight Miracles" in NBA history.

Nowitzki's embarrassment when receiving the MVP trophy has become the best footnote for the term "soft guy". If it weren't for the 11-year single-core championship, he would be nailed to the pillar of shame forever.

The three of them walked out of the VIP passage, just in time for the players' entrance ceremony. The arena was pitch black, and only the players under the spotlight were the only focus. They went to the front row to sit down in the dark.

Mark Baum has a perennially reserved box at the Bankers Life Arena, but he hardly watches games in the box, saying that he "doesn't feel like watching a game."

Soon, the player entrance ceremony was over, the players of the two teams did a final simple warm-up on the court, and the game began immediately.

Zhang Yu looked past the shooting players and looked to the opposite side of the court. The white-haired old Nelson was tall and ruddy, and he was whispering something to Rick Laller, who was not bald.

NBA "Jim Carrey" looks very serious. The performance of the Pacers this season is mediocre, even worse than that of the same period last season. He is facing a lot of pressure.

But the "mad scientist" looked relaxed. Unlike Carlisle, old Nelson is the only three-time best head coach winner in NBA history. He is the coach of Qiansheng and a famous warrior. He can boldly experiment with his crazy tactics without worrying about the risk of getting out of class.

Zhang Yu looked at them with a delicate mood. This was the first time he was so close to the NBA. Just now, Baron Davis dribbled past him and almost dribbled the ball to his feet. He just had to move forward. Take one step, you can set foot on the NBA arena.

But he knew that this was just a brief encounter, and after this game, he still had to return to the Bulldogs.

Finally, the warm-up is over and the game begins.

"gogogo!"

"Fuck those Jinzhou guys to death!"

"Jermaine, you are invincible!"

The Bankers Life Arena seemed to come alive. The fiery shouts rang through the entire arena under the mobilization of the live DJ. Everyone seemed to be wrapped in boiling emotions, and they wanted to pour out all their enthusiasm in the shortest possible time.

Mark Baum also stood up and yelled a few words, bent down to Zhang Yu's ear, and shouted:

"Ronan, welcome to the NBA's most passionate home court in hell! Accept the noise of Conseco (another name for Bankers Life Arena)!"

Zhang Yu heard his voice, but didn't hear it. He was staring blankly at the field.

Zhang Yu is not a person who has never watched football. He is used to the fiery atmosphere of Hinkle Arena, but Hinkle Arena can only accommodate more than 8000 people, while Bankers Life Arena can accommodate [-] people. More, nearly double the size of Hinkle Arena.

Moreover, the fans of the Bulldogs are limited to the students of the school and some local residents of Indiana. The arena is full of seats in almost every game, but the Bankers Life Arena is full, and the fans are even more enthusiastic. Kerr Arena is much better.

This made Zhang Yu, who came to watch an NBA game for the first time, feel shocked. For the first time, the charm of the NBA was unreservedly exuded in front of him.

Every night, thousands of people are in different cities, shouting wildly for the teams they support. Basketball arena.

Zhang Yu suddenly had an infinite yearning for the NBA. It was the first time he had such a deep understanding of Yuanshen's obsession with coaching an NBA team. Maybe many people just regarded this as a business, but there were still many people with a fiery passion. Dream and fight for it.

Since time travel, Zhang Yu has led the Bulldogs to rank No. [-] in the Horizon League. He has also successfully raised original funds and invested them in the financial market. The foreseeable huge wealth is in front of him. The illusion that everything is within reach.

But now, he completely put this idea behind him.

Although he is a time traveler and can predict the future, standing in front of him is a handful of the most talented basketball talents in the world, omnipotent but superstars, champion coaches who can be considered exhaustive, and tenacious role players ... They fought fiercely for the O'Brien Cup without giving in.

The NCAA is just playing around. The strongest players here are only 22 years old. They only have immature bodies and immature skills. Many NCAA legendary coaches, such as Rick Pitino and John Calipari...these people In the NBA, he failed to achieve anything, so he could only return to the NCAA in despair and continue to call the shots.

A deep sense of uneasiness emerged in Zhang Yu's heart. Can he really realize the "great wish" he made before crossing?

"Boss, Baron Davis is so strong!" When Zhang Yu was full of thoughts, Curry pumped his fist excitedly and shouted at him.

Shocked, Zhang Yu came back to his senses, turned his head to look at Curry, who was blushing, and then looked at the field. Baron Davis easily broke through the inside line, carried O'Neal on his shoulders and made a layup. After landing, he let out a roar. The beard trembled accordingly, looking majestic.

A smile gradually formed at the corner of his mouth.

I don't know if other traversers have a system, anyway, he doesn't, but he has Curry.

"Warrior, come on!" Zhang Yu suddenly put his hands to his mouth and shouted loudly.

Baron Davis, who was retreating, heard Zhang Yu's words, turned around and gave him a thumbs up, grinning and saying:

"Thank you, man!"

Throughout the game, Zhang Yu, as a Warriors fan, shouted selflessly, frequently attracting the attention of the Pacers fans around him.

Almost all the fans who can watch the game in the first row are loyal fans of the home team.

Mark Baum even faced Zhang Yu tit-for-tat. Every time the Pacers scored a goal, they would mock Zhang Yu.

At 1 minute and 28 seconds of the fourth quarter, Jermaine O'Neal assisted Jamal Tinsley to make a successful mid-range shot. The Pacers 102:104 the Warriors. Mark Baum shrugged proudly at Zhang Yu.

In 40 seconds, Baron Davis made a breakthrough layup, the Pacers 102:106 Warriors, Zhang Yu made a 4 gesture to Mark Bomb.

In 34 seconds, Al Harrington shot a cold arrow, a long-range three-pointer shot into the net, the Pacers 105:106 Warriors, Mark Baum jumped up excitedly, and raised his eyebrows at Zhang Yu.

At 12 seconds, Baron Davis made a mid-range shot, and Mark Baum, who had been watching nervously, raised his arm suddenly, almost tearing his suit, while Zhang Yu hugged his head in frustration.

Afterwards, the Pacers had the ball, Danny Granger slowly dribbled the ball at the top of the arc, suddenly pulled up and shot, a three-pointer!

But Jermaine O'Neal grabbed an offensive rebound from the basket and passed it to Stephen Jackson. There was only one second left in the game.

After the basketball left the hand, the red light turned on immediately, and everyone in the Bankers Life Arena focused their attention on the basketball, which will determine the outcome of the game.

brush!

The basketball traveled an exceptionally long distance and finally fell into the net!

The Pacers beat the Warriors with a three-pointer at 108:106!

boom!

The entire Bankers Life Arena woke up from the silence of waiting in an instant, and a huge sound wave like a tsunami burst out in an instant.

Mark Baum even threw several punches in a row regardless of his image, jumped and shouted:

"We won! We won!"

Stephen Jackson yanked his jersey violently, let out a roar, and was then overwhelmed by his teammates who rushed forward.

On the other hand, Zhang Yu hammered the seat angrily, but he immediately broke free from this emotion.

He's not a Warriors fan after all.

Looking at the cheering fans, the Pacers players celebrating wantonly, and the Warriors generals in despair, a faint smile appeared on Zhang Yu's face.

This is the NBA, where miracles happen.

Curry leaned over and said loudly:

"Boss, aren't you a Warriors fan? Why are you still laughing?"

"It is now, but not necessarily in the future." Zhang Yu also replied loudly. At this time, the arena is full of noise, and the sound is too low to be heard at all.

"Why?" Curry asked.

"Maybe one day, I will become the head coach of the Warriors." Zhang Yu turned his gaze back to the field.

"Boss, you can definitely do it, but unfortunately I can't play under you." Curry shook his head regretfully.

"Why?" Zhang Yu asked back.

"There are no head coaches in their 20s in the NBA. When you enter the NBA, it must be more than ten years later. If I can really enter the NBA, I will retire by then." Curry explained seriously.

"Maybe before you entered the NBA, I became the head coach of the Warriors?" Zhang Yu laughed.

"Then I'll go to the Warriors to play for you!" Curry thought Zhang Yu was really joking, and replied casually.

"Okay, then we've made a deal!" Zhang Yu laughed.

"You two are almost done," Mark Baum pouted and interrupted them, "Ronan, don't be sad, I'll take you to meet someone."

"Who?"

"Larry Bird!"