The longest river

Chapter 55 A Ruthless Spirit

Shortly after Yang Shuai arrived in Cleveland with the team, he received a call from Fraser.

It turns out that the Cavaliers planned to hold a press conference for him before the game at the request of the media.

When Yang Shuai heard this, he felt that this matter was outrageous.

There's no such thing as an official post-game press conference during the preseason, but now they're having one specially organized for him, a rookie.

This is a good thing in terms of attention, but he hasn't played a single game yet, which is tantamount to praising him to death.

He initially intended to refuse outright, but Fraser saw it as an opportunity.

He understands Brown better than Yang Shuai. Brown is a conservative and stubborn man, and it's not easy for rookies to get playing time from him.

Moreover, Brown's relationship with management has always been rather strained, and he won't change his mind because of management's attitude.

But the media is different. An NBA coach's reputation in the media affects his image and can put pressure on him.

After discussing it, the two decided to move the pre-match press conference to after the match, and then decide whether to hold it at that time.

After all, if Yang Shuai still doesn't get a chance to play, then there's no need to hold this press conference.

After returning to Cleveland, Yang Shuai went home after training, had dinner with his family, and delivered tickets to the game that evening.

Although he may not play tonight, Lin Hsiu-lan and others certainly wouldn't want to miss his NBA debut, even if it's just a preseason game.

Unfortunately, Rondo is currently studying at the University of Pennsylvania, so he won't be able to attend this game.

The Gund Arena was nearly 80% full that evening.

Although preseason tickets are cheap, such attendance is rare for a preseason game.

The main reason is naturally Yang Shuai.

The numerous KT boards held up in support of Yang Shuai at the scene prove this point.

Both teams continued with their regular rotations in the first half, and Yang Shuai did not get a chance to play in the first quarter.

This worried the fans at the stadium. Shortly after the start of the second quarter, some fans began chanting "We want Hansen!"

However, this did not affect Brown, who still did not bring Yang Shuai in during the second quarter.

Faced with this situation, fans could only silently curse Brown, that stubborn old man.

When about seven minutes had passed in the third quarter, a cheer erupted from the crowd.

Brown finally managed to get Yang Shuai up from the bench!
Yang Shuai took off his training clothes and ran quickly to the technical table. He wiped his hands with magnesium powder from the table and then took a deep breath.

He was really going crazy from sitting on the bench any longer.

The players on the court at this moment are: Cavaliers: Trier Brandon, Bob Sura, Dan Mallley, Teyron Hill, and Michael Cage.

Pacers: Best, Young, McGee, Antonio Davis, Schmitz.

Yang Shuai was matched up against Sura, who was also selected by the Cavaliers with the 17th pick in this year's draft.

Unlike Yang Shuai, Sura entered the rotation in the first preseason game and his playing time was relatively stable.

Although Yang Shuai was getting impatient waiting on the sidelines, he was also observing potential opposing players.

He could see some of the things Sura was showing: firstly, his versatility; at 1.96 meters tall, although he was white, he had a very strong jumping ability, and in the first half, he had a powerful dunk that was "in your face";

Then came the passion of the game, with players running all over the court and giving 100% to every ball. In the first half, there was a scene where he threw himself into the air while fighting for a rebound and almost got injured upon landing.

Yang Shuai quickly realized this after coming on, as his off-the-ball runs failed to shake off Sura.

However, the Pacers' offensive focus at this time was on Schmitz in the paint.

Schmitz received the ball and backed down Cage's turnaround hook shot. The whole move was very smooth, but unfortunately, he was a bit unlucky, and the ball bounced out after going in.

Cage grabbed the defensive rebound and then passed it to Mallley.

After receiving the ball, Marli looked up and saw Sura sprinting towards the front. He then launched a long pass from the backfield.

After receiving the ball, Sura sprinted towards the front of the field.

A cheer erupted from the crowd beforehand.

Sura is also quite popular with Cleveland fans because of his passionate playing style.

Sura rushed to the free-throw line in the frontcourt, took a big step and soared into the air, about to unleash a one-handed gliding dunk.

But at that moment, the cheers from the crowd suddenly grew louder.

Just as Sura thought the fans were cheering for his choice, he suddenly felt a lightness in his hand.

"Oh!"

"boom!"

Sura's hand landed on the rim, but the ball had already flown out of bounds.

Yang Shuai caught up with him from behind without him noticing and delivered a powerful volleyball-style block, sending the ball flying!

That chase-down block excited the Pacers players, with Scott even waving a towel around. The fans who came for Yang Shuai also enthusiastically waved their KT boards.

Although they also liked Sula, they had to let Sula suffer because Yang Shuai was on the other side!

Yang Shuai's chase-down block boosted morale, and the Pacers successfully defended the possession.

As the game switched between offense and defense, the Cavaliers adjusted their defensive strategy, with Cage beginning to front Schmitz.

Schmitz reached out to have Best lob the ball high, but Best tried and wasn't sure he could get the ball in place. Schmitz had no choice but to turn and leave the three-second zone to avoid the offensive three-second violation.

The Pacers' first offensive play was successfully dismantled, and Best then signaled for a pin-down play.

Yang Shuai made a run using Davis's screen, but Sura, with his passion, managed to get into position to help defend after Yang Shuai received the ball.

Moreover, Brandon, the Cavaliers' core player, successfully read the Pacers' tactics and positioned himself between Young and Best, preventing Young from passing the ball back.

The Pacers' second offensive attempt was also successfully thwarted, leaving them with little time to attack.

This incident also reveals the impact of the Jackson trade on the Pacers; Best's current ability is clearly not enough to be a backup point guard for a strong team.

However, Yang Shuai reacted quickly and took responsibility. He did not force the ball to Schmitz, but instead directly signaled Schmitz to move to the high post to run a pick and roll.

Schmitz was somewhat surprised to be directed by a rookie, but with limited time on offense, he didn't have time to think about it too much.

A solid pick-and-roll was set up at the high post, and Yang Shuai seized the opportunity to change direction and accelerate his breakthrough from the right side.

He suddenly made a very decisive move, and his whole body was radiating a strong energy. After Cage was out of position and was beaten, he couldn't even manage to pull him back.

With a gust of wind, Yang Shuai charged into the paint like a car with its accelerator floored, and then leaped into the air.

Mali was heading towards the basket to help defend, but after seeing Yang Shuai's unstoppable momentum, he gave up jumping.

"Oh!"

Yang Shuai pulled the ball high with his right hand and slammed it into the basket with a tomahawk dunk.

The immense impact caused the rim to make a dull thud.

After landing, he pounded his chest and roared, releasing all his pent-up emotions at once.

The cheers from the crowd were deafening.

Although this is just a preseason game and the points won't be counted in the players' statistics, Yang Shuai's offensive and defensive performances after coming on fully demonstrated his strength.

Of course, he also proved with his actions that his previous lack of playing time was not due to a lack of ability, but simply because he hadn't had the opportunity.

And this dunk was just the beginning.

With 10 minutes left in the third quarter, Yang Shuai had another opportunity to drive to the basket.

At this point, the Cavaliers had made a substitution in the frontcourt. Starting center Cage was replaced by John Amich, an undrafted player this year.

Yang Shuai once again took off, and after dodging Amic's block in mid-air, he slammed the ball into the basket with his right hand over Amic's defense.

This dunk sent the Gund Arena into a frenzy.

Yang Shuai made many spectacular dunks when he played in Cleveland High School, and he can still dunk now that he's in the NBA!

The Cavaliers players on the court could also sense that Yang Shuai was clearly holding back a lot of energy, ready to dominate the basket at any opportunity.

However, just as they were thinking this, and Sura, who was guarding them, subconsciously took a half step back during the defense, Yang Shuai quickly punished them.

In the final possession of the third quarter, Yang Shuai received the ball, made a fake drive, and immediately followed up with a step-back three-pointer.

"Shh!"

After the basketball traced a long parabola through the air, it fell directly into the basket like a cannonball.

After scoring, Yang Shuai raised his right hand and made his signature Bridges-style three-point celebration.

The scene was in a state of excitement.

You can't tell at first glance which team's home stadium this is.

Yang Shuai scored 7 points in just 5 minutes on the court!
This scoring explosiveness makes it hard for Cleveland fans not to have "what if" thoughts.

If Yang Shuai had been drafted by the Cavaliers, he would have gotten more opportunities with them, and they would have been able to see his performances every night!

Ultimately, Yang Shuai played 12 minutes in his preseason debut, shooting 5 of 8 and contributing 12 points and 4 rebounds, including 3 spectacular dunks, making for a very impressive performance.

With such an outstanding performance, the originally scheduled press conference was naturally held as a result.

Unlike media day, this time reporters focused on why he hadn't been able to play before, his performance tonight, and his expectations for his future with the team.

After delivering such a brilliant debut, Yang Shuai's confidence has been greatly boosted.

“I follow the coach’s instructions. He is one of the top coaches in the league (no).”

"I just showed what I've been practicing. I know there will be a lot of competition on this team, but I'm ready (get me some playing time)."

"As for the future, you know, our team's only goal is the championship, and I will do everything I can to help the team achieve that goal (yes, that's it)."

　The character stats in Chapter 42 were revised earlier because the second high school NSAA season was written in fast-forward, and the points from that season's games were missed. The protagonist used them all on his running and jumping abilities, where his sprint dunk was already 76. Later, the protagonist exchanged for explosiveness, and now his sprint dunk ability is close to 80, with the other dunk attributes also over 70. I didn't mention this before, and many people disliked the stat boosting, so I didn't boost it either. I apologize for causing confusion for some readers who read it early.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)