NBA: Starting with the undercut by Parker and Bowen

"What an annoying brat!"

Kidd cursed under his breath, but it was also filled with envy, jealousy and hatred.

Why does he have such a good touch, while my shooting ability is still so bad no matter how much I train?

What's most infuriating is that the kid won a championship ring in his rookie season and became one of only two rookie Finals MVP winners.

He worked hard and toiled for half his life, and in the blink of an eye, after more than ten seasons, he didn't earn a single penny.

Having reached the finals twice, only to be swept once and defeated 4-2 once, the public even questioned whether they were qualified to enter the finals.

(Note: In the year of the 4-2 series, the Nets won both games by narrow margins, one by 2 points and the other by 1 point; the Spurs won all four games except for one by 5 points, with the other three by 10+ points.)

Kidd also felt wronged, asking, "Can we be blamed for making it to the Finals?"

Who told the other teams in the East to be even worse back then!

Hmm... I'm still a noob.

Last season, the Cleveland Cavaliers were really good guys, sweeping everyone 4-0 and making everyone slowly forget about this group of unlucky guys.

As he received the ball and advanced, Kidd glanced up at the score.

15-8. In the last offensive and defensive possession, the Nets made a three-pointer and missed a shot, and the home team's deficit immediately increased from 4 points to 7 points.

It was only halfway through the first quarter, and the Nets were already trailing and about to fall into double digits.

Kidd frowned slightly, looking somewhat helpless.

He was certainly not blaming his teammates. As the team's highest-paid player, earning nearly 20 million US dollars a year, he had a responsibility to play better.

But in the very last offensive and defensive play, he seemed to have been completely outmatched by a rookie, leaving him somewhat bewildered and filled with self-doubt.

Is it time to leave?

I may not be able to lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy as the team's leader.

So, where will I end up next?

However, his daze only lasted for a moment. The game continued, and the noise from the stadium, along with the "thump-thump" of the basketball hitting the ground, quickly brought him back to his senses.

After crossing half-court, facing Yang Lin's defense, he shouted to his teammates, "Play it safe, aim for a high success rate."

He then raised his right hand and made a gesture, clearly representing a tactic that only Nets players would understand.

Upon seeing Kidd's gesture, the Nets players immediately sprang into action.

Collins set a screen for Kidd, Yao Ming didn't come out, Wilcox switched on defense, and Yang Lin immediately ran towards the open Malik Allen.

Kidd, being smaller, attacked Wilcox, who jumped carelessly and was easily beaten.

Seeing this, Yao Ming stepped up to defend, Collins cut to the basket, and Kidd made a bounce pass.

Collins received the ball with no one in front of him, and before Wilcox could catch up, he took three big strides to attack the basket.

"Pong~~" Slam dunk score.

Seeing the goal completed, Kidd immediately retreated back to defend, clapping his hands and shouting to his teammates:

"Come on, guys! If we can stop one of them, victory belongs to the New Jersey Nets!"

But while ideals are beautiful, reality is cruel!

At the end of the first quarter, thanks to a long two-pointer by McGrady, the visiting Rockets outscored the Rockets 28-18 in the quarter, extending their lead to double digits.

Returning from a three-game suspension, Yang Lin played very aggressively in the first quarter.

In just over nine minutes of playing time, he efficiently scored 9 points and 3 assists.

More than a month into the new season, Adelman's use of Yang Lin has become more regular.

The first quarter lasts eight or nine minutes, the second quarter includes a rotation, and there is a three or four-minute break in the middle.

As expected, the second half will be arranged in the same way.

Of course, if something unexpected happens.

For example, if the score is very close, Yang Lin's rest time in the fourth quarter may be reduced, or he may even play the entire quarter.

During the second quarter rotation, neither team was very efficient.

When Yang Lin was substituted off the court at 7 minutes and 50 seconds, the two teams were tied 5-5 after just over four minutes.

Sitting on the bench, Yang Lin watched the game while drinking a beverage.

When Yang Lin saw Yao Ming sitting in the low post against the opposing center Jason Collins, he couldn't help but frown.

Jason Collins, why does that name sound so familiar?

Oh! Right.

Yang Lin also has a teammate in the Utah Jazz with the surname Collins, I think his name is Gerald Collins, but Yang Lin is not very familiar with him.

The two have very similar names; one is Jason and the other is Jarron, the only difference being the 's' and 'rr' in the middle.

and many more!

Yang Lin recalled some of his old teammates whom he was not familiar with.

Why do they look somewhat alike?

The more I look at it, the more it resembles the real thing.

Yang Lin hadn't noticed before; they were all big, dark-skinned men. If he hadn't been paying close attention, he wouldn't have realized they looked alike.

Scratching his head, Yang Lin asked Uncle Mu beside him:

"Is there any connection between DeCambe, that New Jersey center Jason Collins, and the Utah Jazz's Gerald Collins? They look somewhat alike."

Mutombo previously played one season with the Nets and was an old acquaintance of Jason Collins.

He grinned and said, "They are twin brothers, both rookies from 2001."

"Jason has better basketball talent and was selected 18th overall in the first round; Jaron has less talent and was selected 52nd overall in the second round."

Mutombo remembers it so clearly because there aren't many brothers in the league, and twins are even rarer.

He was Black, unlike Yang Lin who had some face blindness and couldn't tell them apart.

In his opinion, Jason and Jerome look very similar, if not exactly alike.

Boom! A message that Yang Lin had inadvertently browsed in his previous life entered his mind.

In 2010, an NBA player named Collins came out as gay, becoming the first active athlete in North America's four major professional sports leagues to openly come out.

This matter was quite popular at the time.

Celebrities including NBA Commissioner David Stern, former US President Bill Clinton, and then-President Barack Obama have publicly praised it.

Yang Lin didn't remember clearly, after all, it had been a long time.

But he also remembered some information: his name was Collins, both brothers were in the league, and at the time the younger brother publicly expressed his support for his older brother.

After piecing together this series of information, barring any unforeseen circumstances, "that person" is none other than Jason Collins, who is not far away.

Yang Lin doesn't discriminate against that kind of thing, but as a person with normal sexual orientation, he still feels somewhat disgusted.

Fortunately, he was a center, so Yang Lin didn't need to have much contact with him.

Hey hey~~226, what are you doing?

Yang Lin saw Yao Ming receiving the ball with his back to the basket, and Jason Collins was closely guarding him from behind...

Yang Lin, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but feel a tightness in his chrysanthemum.

After the offensive and defensive transition, Collins received the ball with his back to the basket.

Yao Ming raised his hand high, as if he were holding Collins in his arms.

Compared to the 226, Jason Collins, who is 213, looks petite and delicate.

Okay! They were just making normal offensive and defensive moves.

But after Yang Lin learned Jason Collins' true identity, everything seemed to change.

Sigh... It's really painful when some secrets are only known to yourself.

If 226 knew that Jason Collins, who was playing alongside him, was gay, would he find an excuse to leave the game and not play?

After all, losing the game is a small matter, but losing our integrity is a big one.

But Jason Collins is unlikely to publicly come out as gay right now.

Yang Lin certainly wouldn't, since it wasn't his business and there was no need to affect someone else's livelihood.