Rekindling the dream of becoming a star

Chapter 356 A Real Man Fights Back

Tang Jun patiently replied to the comments on his short video account, and after replying to the seventh comment, he made a decision.

It would be easier to delete the video, start a live stream, and then make a video clip.

Yesterday, he published an analysis of the Clippers' strengths and weaknesses this season, and combined this with Chen Fang's connection to these factors, concluding that the Clippers are powerless to resist without Chen Fang.

They lost three straight games to the Warriors.

But then news broke that Chen Wang was going to make a comeback. So, under this latest video, a lot of Chen Wang's fans were asking if he had been given pain-relieving injections or if the company was forcing him to play.
Frankly speaking, some of these questions are completely illogical, and some are so difficult to distinguish between true and false.

Tang Jun nervously sent a message to Chen Fang via WeChat, then browsed the internet to find reliable information. After seeing Chen Fang's statement on Twitter, he felt much relieved.

It's perfectly normal that Chen Fang didn't reply to him; at Chen Fang's level, Tang Jun should be self-aware.

As soon as the live stream started, the number of viewers began to rise, and it didn't stabilize until it reached five or six hundred.

Tang Jun waited until this number of people was reached before starting to get to the main topic; the preceding part was just small talk and chatting about off-topic matters.

"First of all, Chen Wang's left foot injury is Grade I, which is the mildest sprain. The NBA's nursing and rehabilitation level is definitely the best in the world. It has been 11 days since the 20th. Theoretically speaking, there should be no problem for him to participate in the competition."

Tang Jun spoke while reading the live comments, and he answered the questions with the highest repetition rate.

"Yes, Chen Wang is not the impulsive type. He does things very methodically. If there is a huge risk, I believe he will consider it carefully."

"Playing time? I don't think it will be much. The symbolic significance of the sixth game outweighs its practical significance."

"No, these are all my personal speculations. They are not what Chen Wang told me. I just have his contact information, but the relationship is actually just that of a star player and a fan."

Tang Jun didn't take the opportunity to show off; instead, he denied some of the rumors circulating in the underworld.

As he was speaking, Tang Jun's phone suddenly rang. It was a video call invitation. Just as he was about to turn it off, he glanced at the profile picture and was immediately dumbfounded.

My head suddenly exploded.

"Chen Wang?" Tang Jun blurted out. He suddenly realized that he was still live streaming, so he immediately got up and moved away from the camera.

Regardless of whether he had been exposed or misunderstood, Tang Jun hurriedly ran to the balcony and nervously answered the call.

As soon as the video call connected, Chen Wang's smiling face came into view.

"Brother Tang, thank you for your concern!" Chen Fang's first words warmed Tang Jun's heart.

"No, no, it's only natural. Why is it daytime here... Oh, look at my head, I got too excited." Tang Jun covered his face, realizing he was overreacting. It's nighttime in China, so it's daytime in the US.

"Haha, I was being presumptuous. I just landed in San Francisco," Chen Fang laughed.

Actually, ever since he announced his comeback today, there has been a lot of news, both domestic and international.

But the first message Chen Fang saw after getting off the plane was from Tang Jun, which brought back many memories. He calculated the time and guessed that Tang Jun was still awake, so he called back.

“I’m live streaming right now, and everyone is very concerned about you, especially about your injury.”

Chen Fang was quite interested. Ever since he listened to Beverly's podcast, he had felt that this thing was very effective at debunking rumors, so he had an idea.

"Can we exchange live streams?"

Tang Jun was startled and asked incredulously, "What do you mean?"

"It's just to say hello to the viewers in your live stream." Chen Fang had a very good impression of Tang Jun. Over the years, except for issues during the Chinese New Year, he never bothered Tang Jun or used Tang Jun's name for anything.

He opened an account to stream because he is a professional basketball blogger.

"I can project it onto the TV, then adjust the focus and lighting, and the result is indistinguishable from the real thing."

"Okay, you can test it first, and we'll contact you again when we get to the hotel."

The team bus drove directly to the Four Seasons Hotel, which is only 2.4 kilometers away from Oracle Arena.

This time, there were even more medical staff accompanying them, and Chen Fang still received the best treatment. His room was not only the largest and had the best lighting, but it was also the quietest.

In the team, only the main players and coaches are assigned single rooms or suites; most people, including the accompanying staff, are in standard rooms.

Generally, NBA teams sign contracts with hotel chains, and the hotels reserve one or even two floors, about 40 rooms, for the teams.

After putting the things down, Enross examined his ankle as usual, and frankly, he remained skeptical until this point.

This has revolutionized our medical understanding of sprains.

"We are giving him 20 minutes of playing time."

Chen Fang neither confirmed nor denied this; he needed to determine on the court how long he could play.

After Enross left, Chen Fang dialed Tang Jun's video call again.

Tang Jun had already made preparations, but he didn't give any advance notice. It wasn't until he saw Chen Fang's video invitation again that he took a deep breath and said to the more than 700 people in the live broadcast room: "I have a huge surprise. King Chen wants to talk to you about some recent events."

"It's true. I'm collecting questions here and relaying them."

As soon as Chen Fang appeared on the television screen, Tang Jun's entire live broadcast room erupted in excitement.

There was no time to question it; the people in the live stream were frantically spamming the chat with comments.

"Hi everyone, I'm Chen Fang!"

After greeting everyone, Chen Fang turned the camera around and said, "I'm in my room. I just arrived in San Francisco."

"The match starts at 8 PM, so there are still 10 hours left."

"Yes, I have no problem. This match is very important, not just symbolically, but to save the match point."

Tang Jun would select suitable topics and relay them to Chen Fang, who would respond quickly.

"Foul? Okay, I knew you'd ask that."

Chen Fang thought for a moment and said, "First of all, injuries are part of the game. As for whether it was intentional or unintentional, that's impossible to judge. The result is that the Warriors won three games in a row. How can I convince myself of that?"

Tang Jun was stunned. This was the first time Chen Fang had expressed his opinion on Green's foot-planting. There was no doubt that Chen Wang did not agree that Green's judgment was unintentional.

"But that doesn't mean I'll retaliate in the same way; that's not my style."

"I will respond with winning. This is a basketball court, not the UFC."

"Will I play in the World Championships this year? Of course I will. It's the most important competition for me next. Nothing is more important than this."

Are you confident about today's match?

"Haha, how should I put it? I'm confident I can drag the series into a Game 7. That's the reason I came to San Francisco."

"Watch out for the Warriors' sneaky moves?"

"I will be careful. This time, I will be even more cautious."

"Are we going to beat Green to a pulp?"

"If he tries to defend against me, I'll beat him to a pulp. No doubt about it, he's no match for me."

Tang Jun's breathing quickened. Chen Fang's answer was too assertive, unlike any other domestic player. The confidence and sharpness he exuded were awe-inspiring.

Meanwhile, he noticed a massive influx of people into the live stream. Clearly, the administrators had granted access, unleashing a flood of traffic. 50,000, 60,000, 70,000—the number of viewers increased by thousands. After answering just a few questions, the number of viewers in the live stream jumped from 700 a few minutes ago to a staggering 100,000+.

This is the charm of King Chen.

"I know everyone has a lot of questions. To be honest, I've been working hard to recover for the past ten days or so. This season is a very rare opportunity to compete for the championship for the Clippers and for myself."

“We’ve been preparing from the beginning, and I don’t want an accident to ruin a season’s worth of effort.”

"This is unfair to me, to the team, and to everyone who follows the Clippers."

"That's why I have to make a comeback. I can't be defeated by despicable means. I can't allow myself to be so weak."

"There are still ten hours left. Let's see what tricks the Warriors have up their sleeves."

Chen Fang felt he had said everything he needed to say, so he voluntarily ended the live stream.

As soon as he left, the traffic started to drop, but Tang Jun didn't care at all.

Facing the camera, he repeated Chen Wang's words: "Brothers, there are still ten hours left. Let's cheer for the Clippers and shout for Chen Wang together."

"I can't put it into words. In my mind, no matter what the outcome of this match is, his historical status is still rising."

"He didn't have to come back. Nobody would have said anything. In the regular season, he led the Clippers to the top of the Western Conference. In the playoffs, he broke the Clippers' franchise record. In the 10 games he played, he won all 10. He is a god of war. Among active players, I can't find a better player than him."

"Curry and James are no match for Chen Wang this season. Brothers, if you agree with me, type 'yes' in the chat!"

Instantly, the live stream room was filled with huge couplets, like the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, stretching endlessly.

Tang Jun was overwhelmed with emotion. He felt that his twenty years of dedication to basketball had finally paid off.

Too much value!

Chen Fang's unexpected appearance in the live stream caused a sensation and ignited the Chinese internet.

Hupu immediately pinned the live stream clip to the top of its feed, and major portal websites also reposted it.

Overnight, Tang Jun's account gained the attention of millions of people.

Chen Fang's comments regarding his foul on Green, his game statement, and his attitude towards the World Championships have all become hot news topics.

North American media were naturally unaware that Chen Fang had pulled off a reverse export strategy. Historically, news from the league has always originated in North America, so who would have thought that Chen Fang would generate new information through Chinese social media?

But at this moment, all the media in North America were already focused on this life-or-death battle.

For the Clippers and for the Warriors, it's the same concept.

If the Warriors win, they'll advance to the NBA Finals.

If the Clippers win, the Warriors will have to go to Los Angeles for a Game 7.

Frankly speaking, if Chen Wang can't even beat the sixth match, then there's no need to imagine how terrifying he is in the seventh match.

Therefore, the consensus among the media is that if the Clippers drag the Warriors into a Game 7, their probability of advancing to the NBA Finals will be over 80%.

How much fighting strength Chen Wang still has, after experiencing such a terrible ankle sprain, has become the biggest suspense of the match.

So at 2 p.m., the Clippers arrived at Oracle Arena for court familiarization and warm-up. The number of media gathered exceeded the arena's registration and entry standards. After 20 extra spots were urgently released, the Warriors' management and coaching staff quietly kept an eye on the situation through their own channels.

On the court, Chen Fang appeared in front of the media for the first time. He looked calm and chatted and laughed with his teammates.

The camera repeatedly panned across his left foot.

This is a shoe wrapped in thick protective gear and worn on a shoe that is clearly a size too big.

It was clear that Prince Chen's injuries had not fully healed.

This is a forced comeback.

With the help of medical staff, Chen put on his sneakers and then got up and walked onto the court.

Countless eyes were on him.

Many reporters shook their heads when they saw that Chen Fang's gait was noticeably unsteady.

Then Chen Fang stood at the free throw line and began practicing shooting with the help of his sparring partner.

A few minutes later, Cole, who was hiding in the shadows, said to head assistant coach Ron Adams, "This is a discovery that has mixed feelings."

Ron nodded. To be honest, Green's foot-planting incident caused the Warriors' reputation to plummet. Never before in history have they been so universally despised.

It is foreseeable that even if they reach the Finals again and even if they beat the Raptors, the value of this dynasty will be underestimated and greatly diminished.

Within the team, Green swore to everyone, using his mother's name, that he didn't do it on purpose.

But KD still felt uncomfortable. As a top scorer, and with the mutual respect he felt for Chen Fang due to their competition, Durant was extremely disgusted by the incident.

Despite Durant's dedication in these three games, it was clear that he wasn't happy.

He scored the most points in all three wins, but refused to participate in the post-game press conferences each time, which speaks volumes.

This is an ordeal for the Warriors. Regardless of whether they win or lose, the impact of this series will be profound.

Half an hour later, Chen Fang left the field, and a group of medical staff immediately surrounded him.

"How does it feel?" the team doctor asked.

"Don't worry, it's all good." Chen Fang blinked, which made the anxious Enros understand.

Good grief, they were just setting up a smokescreen.

Chen Fang's ability to act is far from being as poor as it appears, but this is a calculated move. Whether the warriors believe it or not, they will make mistakes in their troop deployment.

When the official competition arrived and Kerr wanted to make changes, Chen Fang had an even bigger surprise waiting for him.

Mazula pulled over: "Today we'll have two tactics: spot-up shooting and post-up play in the paint."

"Yes, I'll contribute more points without affecting the overall offense and defense." Chen Fang nodded; this was the result of his communication with the coaching staff.

When it comes to switching between offense and defense, Chen Fang can't help, but he's fine with positional warfare.

The whole team will set screens and create space for him, and Chen Fang will patiently wait for an open opportunity on the weak side.

But that's not enough. Chen Fang will use the first half to lull the Warriors into a false sense of security, and then in the second half, at a crucial moment, deliver the most fatal blow to the Warriors.

"Please don't take any risks," Mazura cautioned.

"No, actually I feel pretty good today," Chen Fang replied confidently.

He can manage to perform the normal procedure while enduring the pain.

He wanted to personally return this cause and effect to the warrior.

Just as he stated in his live stream, a real man retaliates in kind.

(End of this chapter)