The longest river

Chapter 86 The Bible

"God!"

Brin exclaimed in surprise once again, this time with an even more exaggerated expression than before.

After all, there was Coleman as a precedent for dunking over O'Neal, but Yang Shuai is definitely the first to dare to do this to O'Neal, and it's unlikely that there will be another like him.

It took a while before O'Neal was pulled up from the bench by his teammates.

That solid impact, without any human cushioning, would have put most people in a wheelchair, but O'Neal is tough and resilient, so he was basically unharmed.

Of course, he was physically fine, but he was mentally very upset; he felt he had suffered a great humiliation.

He turned around and wanted to go and fight Yang Shuai.

His teammates and staff members quickly pulled him back.

If he really gets through, the basketball court will turn into a boxing ring tonight.

Ultimately, the referees reacted quickly, issuing two technical fouls to both Yang Shuai and O'Neal, ejecting them from the game.

"This is Hansen's second ejection this season, which is not a common number for a rookie." Looking at Yang Shuai's back, Brin couldn't help but sigh.

"I think NBA players need to reassess Hansen Young; he's not as easy to mess with as he seems," Hubie Brown chimed in. If he remembered correctly, Young had already received a technical foul in his very first game.

Back in the locker room, Yang Shuai felt refreshed and energized.

Just like against the Knicks, he was ejected and traded one-for-one with the opponent's star player. No matter how you look at it, the result is not a loss. The Pacers will most likely win tonight's game.

Moreover, O'Neal provided him with a whopping 8,000 points, which was the amount he would earn in a week of games in the past.

Hopefully, O'Neal can maintain this momentum, then it won't be long before he dethrones Kobe from the top spot.

An hour later, the game ended, and the Pacers successfully won.

However, to Yang Shuai's surprise, Ma Long came to the locker room and chatted with him for a while.

It mainly concerns the conflicts he had on the field.

His popularity and attention are much higher now than at the beginning of the season, and the league has also promoted him on its official website.

Therefore, personal image is still very important. You should know that although there are still many fights in the NBA, Stern has been working hard to improve this aspect.

After the conversation, Yang Shuai went to the press conference with them.

"I need to apologize to the fans. They come to the stadium to watch a great game, which is something the league has always been committed to promoting..."

Yang Shuai began reciting his prepared remarks in front of the reporters.

Since the league has made a request, he will certainly have to put on a show as well.

He didn't want to make a fool of himself and become a target of the referees like Edwards.

"Will you try to mend your relationship with Shaq after the game? Like having a meal together or something?"

The reporter then asked a question: In the NBA, it's common for grudges to be resolved over a meal.

"No, I would never do such a thing."

Yang Shuai refused without even thinking about it; he wouldn't go even if O'Neal wanted to invite him to dinner.

You fucking bastard, you almost crippled me, and you expect me to forgive you?

Keep dreaming!

Yang Shuai's tone immediately drew a flurry of flashes from the surrounding cameras.

Because of last season, the Pacers and Magic were already arch-rivals.

Now that Yang Shuai and O'Neal have irreconcilable conflicts, if these two teams meet again, it will definitely be a spectacle.

Another month has passed in the blink of an eye.

It was already late March, and Yang Shuai's rookie season was coming to an end.

However, the past month has been the most exciting period of his career since he entered the league.

The main reason was that he suffered a groin injury in March and was sidelined for nearly half a month.

The groin is a groove-like area located at the junction of the abdomen and the root of the thigh. It is an important area where lymphatic tissue gathers and is also a passage for blood vessels, nerves and tendons.

NBA players are highly susceptible to groin injuries, primarily due to fatigue caused by the intensive game schedule.

Yang Shuai is quite lucky to have persevered to this stage before suffering this injury, considering he's a rookie.

Although he couldn't play during that period, he still traveled with the team to various cities.

It was during this period that his attention, which had been constantly focused on the game, began to be drawn to something off the field.

The most obvious example of this was when they played against the Lakers in Los Angeles.

Because the Pacers are in the Eastern Conference, they play against Western Conference teams twice a season, once at home and once away, so this is their only trip to Los Angeles this season.

Then, outside their hotel, a large group of women gathered and tried to flirt with them.

Yang Shuai was somewhat dazed for a moment.

Because those women weren't streetwalkers; they were the kind of breathtakingly beautiful women that Yang Shuai and Pierce had seen sitting in the passenger seat on Shaw Street.

What once seemed so far away is now within his grasp, easily attainable.

As a hot-blooded high school student, it's really hard for Yang Shuai not to act impulsively.

Especially when you see Robertson, and even Scott, bringing women to their rooms. The NBA seems to do absolutely no regulation in this regard.

This is probably related to the atmosphere of the league. Starting from the 60s, the era dominated by Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor, and Chamberlain, a number of fanatics emerged in that period of history.

The most famous example is Chamberlain's killing of 10,000 men.

Former Lakers player Lou Hudson once said: They were just "responsive to requests".

So even in the 90s, this seemed to be a common practice.

Ultimately, at the urging of Scott, a former Lakers player, Yang Shuai also took a young woman to the room.

However, there was a period of turmoil before that.

Before going upstairs, Yang Shuai asked the front desk if they had protective covers for safety measures, but the answer was no.

The woman next to him overheard this and whispered in his ear that she could totally accept not using that thing.

However, Yang Shuai eventually went outside and bought some more.

It's not that he's a germaphobe; it's just that there's the example of "Magic" Johnson before him.

He didn't want to ruin his life for a moment of pleasure.

When Yang Shuai woke up from the hotel the next day, he felt completely drained.

Having been a high school student in his previous life, he naturally had no experience in this area.

He even got the business card and contact information left by the other party.

High school students still have a lot of energy.

However, even the most vigorous person can't withstand such play, if it weren't for his injury.

So the next day, Yang Shuai talked to Scott about how to avoid these women.

Scott also joked that he had been a sage for a while, but after the joke, he still gave Yang some ideas.

Mark Jackson, who previously played for the Pacers, did a good job in this regard, but the GOAT is none other than AC Green.

Green's solution was to hold the Bible in his hands.

When a woman approached, he would take out his Bible and keep her out of the door.

This trick worked every time, so much so that later on, when the women all knew he was a devout believer, they stopped bothering him.

Yang Shuai felt that was a bit too extreme. After all, the experience of one night had opened the door to a new world for him and left him with endless aftertaste. Asking him to really abstain from sex like a monk would be worse than killing him.

No, even a monk might do more behind the scenes than you do.

However, he still imitated Grimm by taking a Bible and putting it in his bag. When he didn't need it, he would read it to enrich his knowledge, and when he needed it, he would take it out as a shield.

Due to injury, Yang Shuai missed many games, such as the game against the Heat and the game against Drexler, which caused him to miss many opportunities to earn points.

The good news is that he returned to play in the second game of the season against the Magic.

The previous match was more of a physical confrontation between the two, but the second one was more of a verbal exchange.

After the match, Yang Shuai had scored more points than in their previous encounter.

Although Yang Shuai still doesn't understand where O'Neal's initial negative energy towards him came from, he is certain that O'Neal is a petty person.

Thanks to O'Neal, Yang Shuai was able to accumulate 50,000 points before the end of March.

According to his original plan, he wanted to exchange for a B-grade agility pack to improve his defensive capabilities to 80+.

But at this moment, an unexpected event disrupted his plans.

That was a game between the Pacers and the Pistons.

As the season drew to a close, the competition for rankings in the East and West became increasingly fierce.

In the Eastern Conference, apart from the Bulls, who are on a roll toward the best regular season record in NBA history, and the Magic, who are on their way to their best record in franchise history, the records from third to seventh are all very close.

Thanks to their outstanding performance over the past month, the Pacers have now overtaken the Cavaliers to take third place, but only by two wins.

The Pistons and Hawks behind them are actually only 3 games behind the Pacers.

The difference between third and seventh place is enormous, making this competition exceptionally intense.

It was during this game that Miller was elbowed by a Pistons player while shooting, fracturing his orbital bone.

Due to the severity of his injury, Miller's regular season is over.

Even if he can return, it will be in the second round of the playoffs.

The loss of their star player for the season is undoubtedly a devastating blow to the Pacers, who are aiming for the championship.

Especially given the intense competition in the Eastern Conference this season, they, who were originally leading the second tier, are likely to lose their home-court advantage.

Moreover, even if they manage to gain home advantage, without Miller and facing equally strong opponents, advancing to the second round will be extremely difficult.

However, this is an opportunity for Yang Shuai.

With Miller out for the season, and as the team's primary bench player, it's almost certain he'll be a starter.

-Dividing line-

①: This is a true historical event.

(End of this chapter)