Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 242 The Reality of Professional Players
Some things are always wonderful, like a reincarnation or a new journey.

On September 2017, 9, Rockets owner Leslie Alexander reached an agreement with Houston local billionaire Tilman Fertitta to sell the team for $6 billion.

This deal, which had been rumored in July, finally came to fruition after two months.

Alexander, who acquired the Rockets for 1993 million in 8500, made a fortune in the past 24 years. However, even though the Rockets won two consecutive championships while Jordan was away playing baseball, the team's market value actually declined. In the first few years of the 21st century, Alexander's personal net worth was only 8000 million US dollars, making him one of the "poorest" bosses in the NBA.

But Yao's arrival has caused the Rockets' market value to rise steadily like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

So Alexander, who has always been known for being stingy, will sincerely say to Yao Ming: Thank you when he retires.

At that time, whenever the Rockets played a home game, the swarm of black-haired Chinese reporters became a beautiful landscape of the Houston Toyota Center. Chinese elements were everywhere, and Chinese people were everywhere.

After 2011, when Yao left the league, Yi returned to Guangdong in 12. From then on, Chinese reporters were like geese returning east, never to return.

When Chen Fang entered the NBA as the second pick and became a member of the Clippers, the Rockets also welcomed a Chinese.

In the summer of 17, Chinese basketball was very lively, and reporters with oriental faces reappeared in the NBA.

Only this time, they bought a ticket on a Clipper Boat.

Lawrence and Chen Fang were chatting on the sidelines. He glanced around and said to Chen Fang, "They're all your compatriots. Do you feel any pressure?"

Chen Fang smiled and shook his head: "I'm used to it."

"Maybe you don't know, but I used to work with Yi. I was the head coach when he was with the Nets," said Lawrence.

"Oh, I really don't understand."

"Yi was in great form at the time and I pushed him into the starting lineup, but it didn't last long and he got injured soon after."

"You are completely different from him, both inside and out. Yi is just as talented as you, it's a pity. If it were now, I believe with you around, Yi's NBA journey wouldn't be so short."

Lawrence's words made Chen Fang shake his head in denial.

"I think this may be too wishful thinking." Chen Fang said: "I have contact with Yi in the national team. It is difficult for him to change his personality. Even though there are rumors that he may be with the Lakers this summer, I think his heart is no longer in the NBA."

"Besides, I can't help much. My compatriot Zhou's position in the Rockets is very marginal. What can I do about it?"

Lawrence had to admit: "Yeah, it's difficult."

"NBA is a world where only the strong survive. There is no point in having friends. Whether you can survive depends on yourself." Chen Fang added immediately: "Kobe said that, but I think it's right."

"Yes, no one can help. There are many players in the NBA who are cousins or even brothers, but no one can guarantee their jobs. You can see this clearly."

"Manager, I guess you're not here to chat with me. Tell me, how can I help you?" Chen Fang felt that the greetings should end.

Lawrence shrugged: "I can't hide it from you. After the game, whether you win or lose, you will have to attend a press conference organized by the Chinese side."

"China?" Chen Fang was surprised.

"Yes, a large number of Chinese manufacturers want to place advertisements, and we need your cooperation. Do you mind?"

"I don't mind. The Clippers pay me."

Lawrence was amused by Chen Fang's humorous answer. He was very busy and really couldn't chat any more. He patted Chen Fang on the shoulder and said, "Take care of yourself. This is the first season, so there's no need to rush."

"Thank you."

After watching Lawrence leave, Chen Fang returned to the court and continued his warm-up.

He glanced at DeRozan who was warming up seriously on the opposite side, and thought, well, I think the big brother may not want to lose face in front of the younger brother, so he will probably play seriously today.

DeRozan didn't even say hello to him, but Chen Fang could already smell a fierce aura. But it didn't matter. There were so many games in a year, and none of them would be easy. It wouldn't be a bad thing to feel it early.

Before the game, it was usually the coach who came to accept media interviews, while after the game, there were more players. Many Chinese reporters looked at Chen Fang who was so close, but no one dared to disturb him. Rules are rules. If you don't follow them, you will be kicked out.

As the spectators entered the stadium, the team ended their warm-up and returned to the away locker room.

Rivers began to make pre-game arrangements in his deep yet loud voice.

As early as half an hour ago, Chen Fang knew that he was no longer a starter. As a rookie, he would have to wait until the second half of the first quarter to play depending on the situation.

The starting guard is Teodosic. Although he is also a rookie, he is already a top guard in Europe. In every way, there is no problem for him to be the starter.

Because of the appearance of Chen Fang, Paul did not go to the Rockets, so there was naturally no amazing 7 for 1. Beverly could not come, and the chosen sixth man Lou Williams would not appear. The entire Clippers lineup also changed.

History took a completely new path on that June day.

The Clippers' starting five: Teodosic, Austin Rivers, Daron Gallinari, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan.

An extremely full and powerful inside lineup, but a weak outside line.

The Raptors' starting five: Kyle Lowry, Jamal DeRozan, Bruno Caboclo, Gilgeous-Alexander Ibaka, and Jonas Valanciunas.

The Trash Brothers continue to be a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference and look forward to the new season.

When seeing the starting lineup, Chinese reporters were a little disappointed, but they also understood that this was normal. Rookies usually gradually increase their playing time and order. In this process, if you don't perform well, the probability of being promoted will decrease. There are only a few opportunities, and if you miss them, they will be gone.

For example, Zhou Qi of the Rockets, maybe he doesn’t understand what he missed.

A reporter made an interesting guess. In a round of draft picks and 82 regular season games, the top ten may have 60 chances, the middle 10 may have 40 chances, and the bottom 10 may have 30 chances.

Second-round picks, at most ten times. The lower the ranking, the fewer opportunities you will be given. If you don't seize them, you will be demoted, and then it will depend on your game status and training in the Development League.

Generally speaking, no matter how good the draft pick is, there are only two years left, and NBA playing time is worth its weight in gold.

The Raptors' home stadium is called Scotiabank Arena, which can accommodate 19 people. Two years later, nearly 800 Raptors fans witnessed the moment when Kawhi Leonard became a god.

But now, no one thinks that the championship is so close to them. The whole of Toronto has been driven crazy by the trash brothers.

There are about 15,000 spectators present today, many of whom are Chinese, and this is because of Chen Fang.

There are quite a few Chinese people in Canada. You can see many people in the audience holding up signs with their Chinese names. The characters aren’t very good, but they are eye-catching.

Chen Fang sat on the bench, chatting and laughing with his teammates.

Sang Weir was obviously a little nervous, his feet kept shaking, but Chen Fang didn't say anything, just said to him: "If we are on the court together, you must be prepared to shoot resolutely."

"Yeah, I know, I know." The bearded man Sangweier kept nodding.

Chen Fang patted him on the back, trying to ease his mood.

"The most important thing is that you have to defend. Your opponent today is DeRozan. Lowry has been selected as an All-Star."

"Yes, I understand." Thornwell took a deep breath.

"But I have confidence in you. I've played against DeRozan before. He likes to shoot. You keep your center of gravity on top and try to interfere. He will step back and pull up. If that happens, don't jump too hard."

"Don't send him to the free throw line."

Faced with Chen Fang's on-site teaching, Sangweier listened carefully.

"Beep beep." Just as the two were talking, the preseason game between the Clippers and the Raptors began.

While in China, where the game was being broadcast live, it was already 11:55 p.m. and the fans could finally put down the agony of waiting.

CCTV did not broadcast this match, but TX Sports got the broadcasting rights.

Because of Chen Fang, CCTV once again began to discuss the purchase of Clippers broadcasting rights. This is obviously a money-making deal. In the past, whatever the NBA pushed would be broadcast on Channel 5, but now, CCTV obviously wants to return to the Yao era and not consider anything else except the Clippers games.

Now, it has gathered all the well-known media in the country, not to mention WY, SOHU, TX, SINA, and some print media.

At this moment, colleagues are rivals, and it depends on who can get the first-hand information from Chen Fang.

It can be said that now everyone is showing off their magical powers.

However, Chen Fang's low-key attitude and the lack of sympathy he displayed during the audition stage made everyone afraid to act rashly. Even Duan Ran had to think for a long time before sending a message, let alone others.

The game has started, both sides played normally, the offense and defense were neither fast nor slow, and the defensive strategy was to use positions to convert fast breaks. DeRozan was obviously in good shape today, he made the first shot and scored the first point for the Raptors.

But after coming to their senses, Teodosic and Gallinari, two Europeans, made a standard European pass and cut. Theo used a skipping technique at the top of the arc to bypass Ibaka and passed the ball to the Italian who penetrated into the paint area. The latter received the ball and easily hit the rebound to score the first point for the Clippers.

Then, according to the coach's arrangement before the game, the Clippers tried their best to score in the interior, while the Raptors, under the pressure of DeRozan and Lowry from the outside, fought back.

The offensive tempo of both sides gradually quickened. After all, this was only the preseason, and there were many rotations, and the substitutes were also eager to try.

Seven minutes into the first quarter, the officials forced a timeout.

The NBA has forced timeouts. If neither side calls for one, the officials will enforce it in the third and seventh minutes, first for the home team and then for the away team.

In a game, both sides have 7 timeouts during regular time. The officials will allocate 8 of them, and the remaining 6 are basically put in the last quarter. Therefore, many old fans who watch the NBA know that the three or four minutes of the last quarter seem very short, but if the score is very tense, it is no problem to spend half an hour.

The pause time is based on the broadcast level. If it is a national live broadcast, the pause time is up to 3 minutes and 15 seconds, or 195 seconds.

If the coach calls a timeout himself, it will only be 75 seconds, so unless the coach is particularly uncomfortable with the situation on the court, he will usually hold it in and wait for the official to force a timeout.

Therefore, in the NBA, forcing the opponent to call a timeout is also a strategic and tactical success.

Rivers called Chen Fang over and said to him, "It's your turn!"

Without waiting for Chen Fang to answer, he began to instruct: "After you go up, shift the focus from the inside to the outside. I need three-pointers. I'll put Kuzma in for you to increase the pressure on the outside. Griffin stays, Jordan comes off, and Zubac comes on."

Chen Fang thought about it and nodded: "I understand."

"Okay, I need to score from the outside and draw people out of the penalty area." Rivers explained his idea.

Then he began to make other arrangements, telling each person on the court what to do in the last five minutes of the first quarter.

The moment Chen Fang stepped onto the court, the Scotiabank Centre was filled with the long-lost bustle.

Reporters were frantically pressing shutter buttons, murdering film, while fans were waving placards, most of which contained Chen Fang's name and the nickname "Da Falcon".

Chen Fang didn't look around, but just stared at the Raptors players on the court.

It’s actually off-peak travel!
DeRozan and Lowry both left the court, and it was the undrafted VanVleet, rookie Anunoby, and long-armed Siakam, three main rotation players, who played the last five minutes.

Don’t think it’s easy, these three will be the main players in the future and have proven their worth.

Especially VanVleet, known as Van Jordan, got a maximum salary contract with the Rockets.

The Clippers' lineup at this time is Chen Fang, Rivers Jr., Kuzma, Griffin, and Zubac.

In addition to the three players just introduced, the Raptors also have center Poeltl and small forward C.J. Miles, who was just traded from the Pacers.

This lineup was very predictable. Raptors head coach Casey judged that the Clippers were going to play Chen Fang, so he directly replaced him with more outside players and played 32 defense.

He gave rookie Anunoby a task, which was to keep an eye on Chen Fang.

Both of them are 201cm tall. In terms of weight, Anunoby is 108kg, a typical heavy forward. He has 12kg more flesh. This alone will not make Chen Fang feel comfortable.

At the same time, he instructed VanVleet and Miles to fill in for Anunoby very quickly.

What are we playing in the preseason? Aren’t we playing against rookies?
Casey just wanted to see if the guy he selected at No. 23 could hold his own against the No. pick.

Judging from the draft template, Anunoby is both offensive and defensive. On defense, he uses his strong body to more easily break off opponents. His arm span and good lateral movement make him an excellent help defender.

From previous training and the summer league, Anunoby has shown defensive potential, and it is a good idea to let him face Chen Fang.

But what Cathy didn't expect was that there was a dark brain behind Chen Fang.

Never fight a battle unprepared. As early as on the plane, Chen Fang had already read the strengths and weaknesses of every Raptors player, and based on the matchup guesses given by Black Brain, he had already thought of who would be facing him.

Anunoby was ranked third.

First and second are Miles and DeRozan.

And Anunoby is ranked third among the people who need the most attention given by Black Brain.

After Teodosic left the field, Chen Fang became the only one holding the ball. He dribbled forward from the backcourt. Anunoby did not rush to greet him immediately, but alertly kept a distance of four meters from his teammates and looked at Chen Fang from a distance.

Rivers wanted to set a pick-and-roll for Chen Fang, but his size was easily broken by Anunoby's screen.

Chen Fang, who was moving to the right wing, came into physical contact with Anunoby for the first time. The surging power and burst of energy turned into a diagonal accelerating force in front of Chen Fang, who was well prepared.

He headed towards the bottom corner, and when Anunoby caught up with him, he pulled back with his leg to the same side and jumped up with the ball.

Chen Fang's first shot in the preseason came so quickly.

As he watched the basketball accurately pass through the net, Chen Fang heard cheers.

Looking at Anunoby, Chen Fang did not provoke him, but turned and went to his own half.

Seeing Chen Fang score on his first shot, many people felt relieved, including Rivers.

He needed to score from the outside, but when he saw the Raptors replace a group of forwards and guards, he knew he was being tricked. He did not adjust immediately because that would be tantamount to slapping himself in the face. He had to act confident and fully trust Chen Fang.

Turning around, the future Van Jordan took advantage of his low center of gravity and heavy chassis, and was not afraid of Chen Fang. He made continuous sideways moves, and with the help of his teammates' pick-and-roll, he went straight to the Clippers' ribs from the wing.

Faced with Griffin's inability to make up for the defense, Zubac was out of reach and used a drifting throw to try to hit the backboard to score two points.

As soon as the ball was released from his hand, there was a loud bang.

The exclamations from the stands, the basketball bouncing on the ground, and Chen Fang standing right in front of him were all telling Xiao Fan that he had been blocked.

Where did he come from?

Van Vleet was amazed. He looked up and watched the replay, then he understood.

Chen Fang never gave up the chase from the beginning. He bypassed the cover of his teammates and jumped up before he made a shot, which led to the following scene.

Jump ahead?
Predicted my move?
VanVleet was even more puzzled, and with confusion, his next offensive choice was obviously hesitant.

He never expected that Black Brain had accurately assessed VanVleet's offensive characteristics and his preference for quick stop and float shots, especially in the short corner after a breakthrough.

Chen Fang was just following the instructions.

In the next attack and defense, Chen Fang also encountered difficulties facing Anunoby.

This is not called biting defense, but like a slug that sticks to your hands and you can't get rid of it.

Anunoby relied on his wingspan and outstanding strength. As long as he got within one meter of Chen Fang, he would endlessly move his hands and constantly interfere.

After being forced to pass the ball, Chen Fang's brain started working quickly. He needed to find a better solution. If he was asked to fight with Anunoby throughout the game, then this debut would be completely ruined.

After calling Kuzma and Rivers Jr., the three outside players had a brief communication.

In the next round, Rivers Jr. met Chen Fang at the center line. After giving him the ball, Chen Fang first went to the top of the arc, and then accelerated to the wing under Kuzma's off-ball screen.

Rivers passed the ball to Anunoby, who was hesitant to react. He hadn't expected the ball to arrive so quickly. Seeing Chen Fang about to shoot, he took the initiative and leaped up to block the shot. But it was just a fake move. Chen Fang released the ball and rushed forward. Facing the Raptors' rotation, he passed back to Rivers, who had moved to his previous position.

The latter used a three-pointer to digest the finishing right.

Rivers, his father, was very happy off the court. He said to assistant coach Brian: "I thought I needed to call a timeout to adjust."

"He's very smart and knows how to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses," Brian replied.

With this three-pointer, the Clippers tied the score and planned to overtake in the final period of the first quarter.

Casey watched from the sidelines with his hands behind his back. He was satisfied with Anunoby's performance, but the Chinese on the court reacted quickly. He waved his hand to remind his players to come up with a second plan.

In the next round, the person defending Chen Fang became VanVleet. He was able to keep up with Chen Fang's defense, while Anunoby acted as the assisting defender.

Chen Fang didn't notice this change, his shot was interfered with, and the ball bounced out, and the Raptors counterattacked.

The pace is fast.

This is the NBA.

I defeat you, and you turn around and use a deadly move to kill me back.

In the next few minutes, the Raptors continued to use these two defensive strategies, constantly rotating the people defending Chen Fang. At the end of the first quarter, Chen Fang came off the court panting.

He sat on the chair with an indifferent expression.

Got 2 points, 1 block, 1 assist and 1 rebound.

This data is definitely not good. Chen Fang shouted to Griffin: "I'm being targeted."

"I know, what do you need me to do?" Griffin said.

"You have to pull it out, you have to open up the situation."

Rivers did not stop their communication. The established strategy has not changed, but the details will continue to change. This is the job of an NBA head coach.

To put it bluntly, the most important ability to be a head coach in the NBA is on-the-spot performance.

Rivers prefers to see players fix their own problems, and only intervenes if they can't. This coaching style can effectively mobilize the players' enthusiasm and state.

At the beginning of the second quarter, Rivers adjusted the lineup.

Griffin, Jordan Jr., Chen Fang, Rivers Jr., and Thornwell.

The change in this lineup lies in Thornwell. Rivers needs to free Chen Fang, so he needs to send a guard with a sword to solve the problem for Chen Fang.

Sure enough, after the coach whispered to him, Thornwell immediately understood what he had to do and went to find Anunoby as soon as he got on the court.

The two men were entangled in a physical fight, but Chen Fang, who was not worried, faced Van Vleet and used his height and arm span to start directing the offense without any obstacles.

He cooperated with Griffin twice in a row, and the latter made one shot. On the third time, Chen Fang broke through on the move, pretended to pass the ball to Griffin to deceive the Raptors' inside player, and actually passed the ball to Jordan who was ambushing on the other side.

A half-high ball thrown just a little above the horizontal plane of the basket is equivalent to feeding the ball to Jordan's mouth. He can swallow this kind of ball in one bite.

Casey called a timeout. He needed to adjust his defensive strategy to give the Chinese less passing space and breakthroughs.

"CJ, I need you to pay more attention to Chen Fang."

"clear."

"Hit him hard, even a foul!" Casey knew what the rookie was afraid of.

"Yes." Myers had just arrived at the Raptors and he needed the coach's trust, so Casey was confident in arranging him to go.

Chen Fang set a pick-and-roll with Griffin, but Miles did not switch defense. Instead, he rushed towards Chen Fang who had the ball at a faster speed.

"Beep!" The sharp whistle, Chen Fang lying on the ground in pain, Griffin in a rage, and Miles pretending to be innocent, form a very familiar picture.

NBA, it's normal.

Chen Fang, who felt like he was out of breath, lay on the ground for a long time to recover. The team doctor, Enros, half-knelt on the ground and asked him, "Where does it hurt?"

"It's okay, I'll just slow down." Chen Fang shook his head in denial.

Ten seconds later, Chen stood up again with the help of his teammates. He stared at Miles, who had been isolated by his teammates.

And instead of showing fear, Miles glared back at him.

Griffin came up to ask about the situation: "This is intentional, I'm here to vent your anger."

"No, I can do it myself!" Chen Fang rejected Griffin's kindness.

The Raptors' offense seemed very monotonous because of the absence of DeRozan. VanVleet's three-pointer missed. Chen Fang grabbed the rebound, but did not speed up. Instead, he waved to let his teammates get into position. He walked forward, step by step to the left wing, and he made a tactical gesture of separating the strong and weak sides.

So, except for Chen Fang, the other four people stood on the weak side and gave the left half of the court to Chen Fang.

Those who came to watch the game all liked to watch this kind of feud. Seeing Chen Fang standing alone on one side, facing Miles who had just invaded him, they immediately started to make a noise.

As a Raptors fan, of course he supports the home team more, but in Chen Fang's ears, all of this turned into one voice.

Fuck him!

He first turned sideways and pretended to lean against Miles, then turned around abruptly and changed hands to catch the bouncing ball, cut to the baseline to break through, and after Miles stepped back and moved sideways, he reset his steps, spread out his steps up and down, and connected with a crotch move to let the ball return to his right hand.

What followed was a large change of direction in front of the body, but at the start, he directly switched to inside and outside dribbling.

The continuous techniques and movements allowed Miles to passively adjust his center of gravity three times in just one and a half seconds. When Chen Fang INOUT, he could no longer control his center of gravity, fell forward, lost his balance, and supported himself on the ground with his hands.

Chen Fang rushed in, and the Raptors' inside players were forced to meet him, but he made a hidden hand-to-hand pass to Griffin who was rushing in.

Griffin is worthy of being the pinnacle of violent aesthetics. He took off the moment he received the ball. He jumped high outside the vertical line of the right penalty area, lifted the ball with one hand with his standard domineering hand, and then slammed it down hard.

The huge impact and surging power destroyed the Raptors' basket.

The three inside players were all running around, and all the Clippers' bench stood up and cheered.

Griffin landed and was hit hard in the chest by Chen Fang, and then the two hugged each other.

"That's it!" Chen Fang yelled at Griffin.

Griffin raised his head proudly: "This is not enough, I have to express my anger."

Seeing that the situation was not good and that it would be difficult to suppress the Clippers, Casey replaced all the main players.

DeRozan did not chat with Chen Fang when he came on the court. Instead, in the next round, he used a strong back-to-the-basket shot to tie the score again.

Miles has already left the court, and now he is facing DeRozan.

Chen Fang passed the ball to Rivers and went to position himself. This obvious back-to-the-basket move immediately attracted attention.

DeRozan didn't feel like cursing. He felt that Chen Fang was using his arm span and downward posture to forcefully demand the ball, so he could only push forward immediately.

When the ball came, Chen Fang made an obvious jump to catch the ball. Many fans thought that if he wanted to catch the ball like this, why did he have to position so deep before that?

This is the game.

Before receiving the ball, fierce confrontation can easily cause the opponent's center of gravity to lean forward. When the defender expands outward after receiving the ball, there will be a brief imbalance. If you can seize this moment, it is easy to score.

Kobe taught him step by step, and Chen Fang added his own understanding.

As soon as he received the ball, he turned sideways and started to raise the ball. When he was facing the basket completely, his whole body was completely straightened, and it couldn't be more like a shooting posture. DeRozan reached forward to block it, but the moment Chen Fang saw DeRozan extend his arms, he let go of the ball and spread his legs. He dribbled with one step and rushed into the paint area, passing by DeRozan.

Facing Siakam's defense, Chen Fang jumped high, stretched out his left arm, held up the basketball, and changed his posture in the air from facing the basket to gliding sideways.

Speaking of this move, the best player in the NBA is none other than McGrady.

The first template for Chen to enter the NBA is McGrady. Except for the skin, the other actions are almost 100% restored.

After picking up the ball and watching it hit the backboard and fall into the basket before landing, Chen Fang winked at DeRozan who turned around to see the result.

Siakam, the long-armed guy, didn't expect Chen Fang to use a trick and use a left-handed jump shot to break his block. He expressed his helplessness and spread his hands.

Many people felt that this goal scene was familiar, and even Rivers murmured to himself: "My goodness, how many stars' signature moves did he steal?"

"Maybe more!" Brian replied.

Only DeRozan was the most excited. In Chen Fang's goal just now, the first half was scored by Kobe, but the second half was scored by McGrady. Neither of them could perform the other's moves, but magically, in Chen Fang, they were perfectly integrated.

This is the most shocking thing.

But this was a game, and DeRozan quickly calmed down and devoted himself to chasing points.

In the following process, the two sides formed an offensive confrontation. Chen Fang attacked continuously and consumed too much physical energy. He began to delegate power and distribute the ball to other people.

And he was looking for an open position and switched to become a pitcher.

In the sixth minute of the second quarter, Chen Fang received a pass from Griffin from inside to outside, and he hit his first three-pointer in the bottom corner.

This also brought his score to 7 points. Just when others thought that the Chinese player would not score in double digits in the first half, in the next round, Chen Fang changed his pattern of passing the ball after crossing the midfield, seized a half-transition, and suddenly shot at the top of the arc, hitting his second three-pointer, which also brought his score to 10 points.

Rivers didn't wait and replaced Chen Fang.

After the game, Chen Fang sat down, moistened his throat, and looked at the data.

10 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 block.

He played for 11 minutes, which is considered efficient.

Chen Fang, who was thought to play in the second half, found that Rivers DNPed him.

He couldn't ask, but just glanced at the head coach a few more times. In this game, Griffin played very well in the second half, and the others were also very active. Teodosic also made adjustments, and his coordination made the team run smoothly.

As for the Raptors, DeRozan didn't play long in the second half as it was just a warm-up.

In the first half of the fourth quarter, the Clippers led by 14 points and maintained this score until the end.

It wasn't until the end of the game that Rivers explained to Chen Fang.

"Quit while you're ahead. This is the first game, and the data is enough. Now you just need to adapt."

Faced with the head coach's explanation, Chen Fang would not refute it. Although he did not agree with it, he still had to respect the head coach's decision.

Half an hour later, Chen Fang came to the press conference specially set up for him. Rivers took Griffin to another place to face other media, leaving Chen Fang alone to face the Chinese capital.

"He only played for 11 minutes. What was the consideration behind this?" asked the NetEase reporter.

"I'm still adapting, especially the collision. The coach did it out of protection." Chen Fang had to make excuses for Rivers.

"Are you satisfied with this data?" asked the Sohu reporter.

"It's good. I feel pretty good today."

"After that collision, why did you choose to single out Miles? What was your mentality?" asked the Sina reporter.

"It's just a coincidence, it's a tactical arrangement." Chen Fang replied calmly.

The next questions were about life and looking forward to the next game, and Chen Fang answered them one by one. When asked about the Rockets' game against the Thunder the day after tomorrow and Zhou Qi, Chen Fang had to cheer up.

Lindsay had previously given Chen Fang a lesson on how to answer questions from the media, which mentioned Zhou Qi. She thought Chen Fang's answer was too condescending, which would cause unnecessary misunderstandings. (Thanks to my friend [好喜] for reminding me, I had indeed overlooked this, so I used the plot to patch it up.)
"Yes, I'm looking forward to Zhou Qi's performance. He has great talent and I believe he can get a good chance with the Rockets. The Rockets are a very strong team. Being able to play in such a team has already proved his strength."

"Have you guys been in touch?"

"We have been in contact, but we haven't met yet. It's a pity that I believe Zhou Qi is also not available. Now we are all working hard to gain a firm foothold. I believe there will be an opportunity soon."

Then the focus was on playing time. Chen Fang replied: "It's not up to me. I need to use better performance and training attitude to strive for more playing time."

At the end of the interview, Duan Ran, as a TX reporter, asked a question that made Chen Fang think for a while.

Duan Ran said: "Chen Fang, you played in the summer league, participated in the training camp, and played your first preseason game today. I want to know, has this changed your previous expectations for the NBA?"

"There are indeed some changes. The competition in the league is going on every day, like boiling water, constantly churning."

“Only with greater mass can it not flip over.”

"I have to work harder!"

After the meeting, Chen Fang returned to the locker room. Most of his teammates had changed their clothes, so Chen Fang simply took a shower.

The NBA locker room is divided into several areas, including players' personal locker area, shower area, massage area, rest area, etc.

When Chen Fang changed his clothes and it was time to leave, some teammates had already packed their luggage. They wanted to get back to Los Angeles as soon as possible, maybe they could have dinner at home.

After boarding the plane and sitting in my seat, DeRozan's text message came.

"See you the day after tomorrow," he said in the text message.

"See you the day after tomorrow." Chen Fang replied without showing any weakness.

Neither of them mentioned Miles' collision, even though it was judged as a level one flagrant foul after the game, but this is the NBA, and everyone knows that it was just a threat against the rookie Chen Fang.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, Chen Fang was already on the team bus and returned to the training center. He underwent a routine physical examination and was busy until half past six before he was allowed to leave.

As soon as Chen Fang got out of the car after arriving home, Wu Zi came out to greet him.

The first thing she asked was if her chest still hurt. Chen Fang shook his head: "I checked it, it's fine, but I think you should help me wipe it tonight."

After dinner, the two sat in the backyard looking at the stars. Today was meaningful. It was Chen Fang’s first away trip. It was a bit like commuting to get off work, but with a bit more trepidation and confusion.

Anxiety is what is coming, as there are more away games to play. Confusion is what will happen in the long future. Is this the normal tune of life?
"Will there be a possibility of injury in every competition in the future?" Wu Zi recalled watching the competition at home and feeling terrified when she saw Chen Fang being knocked down and lying motionless on the floor.

"Don't worry, your husband is not that stupid. I will hide."

Wu Zi moved his lips but still didn't say anything.

This is Chen Fang’s job and also her dream. What can she say?

Chen Fang could sense Wu Zi's uneasiness, so he could only hug her tightly and comfort her: "You can tell from my face that I am blessed with a long life and will not be hurt that easily."

"Oh!" Wu Zi stroked Chen Fang's cheek and could only sigh.

Chen Fang didn't know what to say about this. How to stabilize his family and work suddenly became Chen Fang's most important thing.

In a trance, Chen Fang felt the reality of becoming an NBA professional player.

No job is as easy as it looks.

(End of this chapter)