The longest river

Chapter 51 Opening Banquet

The night before the training camp officially started, the Pacers held an opening dinner in the first-floor restaurant.

All the team's players and coaching staff were present.

This was also the first time Yang Shuai had met the team's head coach, Larry Brown.

When he saw Iverson at the Nike training camp, he immediately thought of Brown.

His father shared every bit of the love-hate relationship between the master and apprentice with him.

Brown was only 55 years old at the time, which was considered young among coaches, but his forehead was already shiny and his hair was half white.

The job of an NBA head coach doesn't look easy.

Although it was a dinner party, Brown was dressed very formally, in a suit, tie, and black-rimmed glasses, and his expression remained serious throughout.

This person looks like the kind of person who's difficult to deal with.

However, Yang Shuai doesn't need to deal with him now; the people he needs to deal with are his teammates.

This is a great opportunity for him to get to know his teammates.

However, to his surprise, most of his teammates treated him with the same indifference as Miller.

What he did that was so outrageous that it angered both heaven and man?
But this was the first time he had met these people.

Moreover, seeing that they were chatting and laughing together, and even Best and Hoiberg were able to exchange a few words with them, it didn't seem like the situation Bird described.

Of course, not everyone is like that; Yang Shuai had a very good chat with one of them.

Byron Scott.

Yang Shuai never expected to encounter this "legendary figure" with the Pacers.

During the last two years of Kobe's career, the way Scott, then the Lakers' head coach, fawned over Kobe was truly memorable.

当时有一场比赛，湖人在同城德比中以89比114惨败快船，科比打了28分钟，12投2中，拿了4分8板7助攻6失误。

Kobe was nearing retirement at the time, so those stats weren't particularly noteworthy. However, after Scott angrily criticized the other players in the locker room following the game, he then said something to everyone:

"You should learn from Kobe. As a superstar, even if you're not shooting well, you should still dare to shoot and take responsibility. That's the spirit of a great player."

These words greatly shocked Yang Shuai, who was still a primary school student at the time.

However, Scott, who was still a player at the time, was humble and polite, showing the demeanor of an elder.

During his conversation with Scott, Yang Shuai also gained a preliminary understanding of the team's personnel structure.

The giant standing out from the crowd with his mustache is Rick Schmitz, from the Netherlands, who is 2.24 meters tall.

Yang Shuai had only seen Yao Ming on TV before, but now that he has seen someone as tall as Yao Ming in real life, he is overwhelmed by the feeling of being a giant.

And that guy who's about the same height and build as Garnett, but with a shorter wingspan, is called Dale Davis, and he's the team's starting power forward.

Standing next to Davis is a muscular, dark-skinned, and tough guy also named Davis, Antonio Davis. He is a swingman and the team's sixth man last season.

"He plays small forward?"

When Scott introduced the team's starting small forward, Derrick McGee, Yang Shuai was somewhat surprised.

McGee looks to be around 2.06 meters tall. With that height, can he keep up with the opposing small forward?
"He was named to the All-Defensive Second Team last season."

Scott's answer made Yang Shuai even more impressed with McGee; this guy definitely had something going for him.

Because of his previous interactions with Bird, Yang Shuai will pay extra attention to potential competitors.

Speaking of which, Scott is a shooting guard, making him a direct competitor of Scott's.

However, with his height, he could play as a swingman in the NBA, and small forward wouldn't be a problem either.

Then another one, Eddie Johnson, is worth paying attention to.

Johnson is also a veteran player. According to Scott, Johnson was a rookie in 1981 and was the star player of the Kings in his early years, averaging 20+ points for three consecutive seasons. Later, when he went to the Suns, he even averaged 20+ points off the bench and won the Sixth Man of the Year award.

He briefly left the NBA last season to play in Greece, and is returning to the NBA this season.

Moreover, he has a very good three-point shooting ability. In a game in Greece, he made four three-pointers in the last minute to help the team come back from behind.

With Miller and McGee in the starting lineup, Scott and Johnson on the bench, and a swingman named Dunn Ferrell on the flanks, the Pacers' lineup perfectly illustrates the characteristics of strong teams' wing configurations in this era: solid.

Just like how every team had several defensive players when Shaq was at his peak, you couldn't contain Jordan if you didn't have depth on the wing.

Of course, this configuration also means unprecedented competition, and it will be no easy task for Yang Shuai to snatch playing time from this group of people.

"Where's Sammy Mitchell?" Yang Shuai suddenly remembered the small forward who had played one-on-one with him during his Pacers tryout.

"His contract expired and he went to Minnesota."

Hearing this, Yang Shuai felt a little regretful, since he had a pretty good impression of Mitchell at the time.

However, going to the Timberwolves would be good news for Garnett.

Halfway through the dinner, Brendan Malone, who was also the team's first assistant coach, asked the players to sit down and then asked each of them to say something about their outlook for the new season.

Scott was the first to speak.

Scott reviewed the Pacers' experiences over the past two years: in 1994, the team reached the Eastern Conference Finals, but unfortunately lost to the Knicks 3-4;
Then in 1995, which is this year's playoffs, they eliminated the Knicks 4-3 in the conference semifinals to complete their revenge.

Although they unfortunately lost to the Magic 3-4 in the Eastern Conference Finals and missed the NBA Finals, they have made steady progress year by year, and this year they will definitely make it to the NBA Finals for the first time in their history.

These words immediately livened up the atmosphere, and the team members were all eager to try.

Yang Shuai sat next to Scott and knew why Scott had become an NBA head coach after retiring—his eloquence was quite impressive. Malone led the applause for Scott's speech.

Scott's words were so effective not only because of his eloquence but also because of his own experiences.

He was a core member of the Lakers' "Showtime" era, Magic Johnson's backcourt partner, and has three championship rings.

For the others present, Scott was the spiritual leader who brought them the championship gene.

Following Scott, other players have successively shared their outlook for the new season.

With Scott taking the lead, the overall trend is still quite positive.

However, by the time Miller arrived, the wind direction had suddenly changed by 180 degrees.

Miller's speech was serious because he mentioned Jordan.

Jordan returned last season, but the Bulls ultimately lost to the Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals, leading many to believe that Jordan was no longer the basketball god.

But Miller doesn't think so.

He believes there are two main reasons for the Bulls' failure last season: first, Jordan, who returned mid-season, did not have enough time to regain his form; and second, the Bulls lacked interior strength after losing "Cobra" Grant.

However, both of these issues have been resolved in the new season. Jordan had a summer to regain his form, and the Bulls also acquired Rodman.

As for Rodman's troublesome nature, he felt it wasn't a problem at all, because Jordan would tame him just like he tamed his other teammates.

Therefore, he believes that the team's number one opponent in the new season is not the Magic, but the Bulls.

The Bulls will become the familiar team, and each of them will have to give it their all to have a chance to beat them.

After Miller finished speaking, the atmosphere at the dinner party became somewhat heavy, but Yang Shuai understood that there was a reason why this thin figure could become the leader of the Pacers.

As a player, you can maintain an optimistic attitude, but optimism alone cannot defeat your opponent.

After Miller finished speaking, the room fell into a long silence.

At a crucial moment, Malone changed the order of events, letting rookie Best say a few words.

He was clearly trying to ease the tension.

It was at this time that someone suggested that Best sing a song, and it was a folk song by a female singer.

Making a Black person do this is clearly putting them in a difficult position.

"These guys are playing pranks again," Scott said to Yang Shuai in a low voice.

Upon hearing the word "prank," Yang Shuai immediately understood.

Veteran NBA players sometimes do things to embarrass new players; it's a form of prank, but also a way of welcoming them to the NBA.

Yang Shuai had heard about this in his previous life.

Things like stuffing popcorn into the car, demanding that fans carry their backpacks, and hanging all the luggage around the necks of the newcomers, etc.

Although he knew what was going on, Yang Shuai still sensed something was off.

Because the person who made the suggestion was Haywood Workman, whom Scott had previously mentioned was last season's backup point guard.

With Mark Jackson traded, the Pacers will definitely need a new starting point guard.

Since they couldn't find a suitable candidate on the free market, Workman and Best became potential candidates.

This should be what Bird meant when he said that "veteran players see rookies as a job threat".

Best initially wanted to decline, but the others were jokingly urging him to hurry up.

Clearly, this is something rookies have to do.

Best was finally forced to speak, and soon whistles and laughter erupted from the crowd.

Although Black people are considered to be a more musically gifted race, that refers more to African American Blacks, and Best doesn't seem to have that talent.

However, judging from the results, the purpose of this prank was clearly achieved: Best was embarrassed, and the atmosphere of the banquet was restored.

After Best, it was soon Yang Shuai's turn.

This time, the one making things difficult was Eddie Johnson.

He demanded that Yang Shuai tell a true story, and that he make everyone in the audience laugh in order to be considered successful.

This may seem difficult, but it's actually not simple at all.

Judging from Best's experience, these people definitely won't let him pass easily.

Knowing he couldn't refuse, Yang Shuai told the following story:
Personnel from the Newfoundland Coast Guard in Canada detected an approaching vessel on radar and immediately radioed it, saying, "Please change your course 15 degrees south to avoid a collision."

They quickly received a reply: "I suggest you change your course 15 degrees north to avoid a collision."

The Canadian became anxious when he saw that the other side had not changed course: "No, you must change your course 15 degrees south to avoid a collision."

At that moment, the other party revealed his identity and spoke in a very arrogant tone: "I am the captain of a U.S. Navy warship. I'll say it again, change your course."

The Canadian's tone became even more anxious upon hearing this: "No, I'll say it again, change your course."

However, what he received was a response that went from arrogance to anger: "This is the USS Abraham Lincoln, the second largest aircraft carrier in the US Atlantic Fleet. We are sailing with three destroyers, three cruisers, and several support ships. I demand that you change your course 15 degrees north."

After saying that, the other party added a friendly reminder: "I'll say it again, 15 degrees north, otherwise we will take countermeasures to ensure the safety of our fleet."

The Canadians had no choice but to say helplessly, "This is a lighthouse."

(End of this chapter)