radicalducati Chapter 7 The Big Contract, Here I Come!
Chapter 7 The Big Contract, Here I Come!
2009 years.
March 20, Friday, 1:25 p.m.
Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho.
In the Missouri Tigers' locker room, a small, elderly man with a full head of silver hair strode in, slapping the table with his tactical board: "Everyone, come here for a moment."
Du Ze got up and walked over, joining the others to surround the old man.
And this little old man is their head coach, Mike Anderson.
A stubborn, yet very good communicator, old man.
In his memory, he had never seen the old man get angry. Whenever they made a mistake or did something wrong, Anderson would use a pattern of pointing out, analyzing, and encouraging, and it was quite effective.
After finishing this bowl of chicken soup, there are still three more bowls to go...
Young people like that.
Anderson put down his tactical board, clapping and speaking animatedly: "Warriors, your battle is about to begin. I anticipate that the whole process will be very difficult, but I believe that as long as we dedicate ourselves to every minute and second of the game, and give our all in every round, then we will eventually reap victory after victory, until we lift the championship trophy."
The hoarse voice, combined with the powerful body language, made the speech very infectious.
of course.
The old man wasn't just talking.
The foundation upon which the Missouri Tigers thrive is a relentless, high-pressing tactic known as the "40 Minutes of Hell." Every minute, every second, every possession of the game, they exert all their strength, employing a tenacious, full-court press.
That's right.
It lasted a full forty minutes, throughout the entire event.
This is another thing the old man can be proud of, besides chicken soup.
As it turns out, this seemingly unsophisticated tactic proved surprisingly effective, as evidenced by the Missouri Tigers' achievement of reaching the tournament's top 64 as the third seed.
He paused for a moment.
Anderson pointed to Carroll: "DeMarre, you are the team leader. I hope you will be a role model for everyone. Show your determination to win and your fighting spirit to win this game and cheer for our championship."
Carroll pounded his chest and roared, "I will lead the team to this damn victory!"
Everyone chanted, "Victory!"
The word "victory" was uttered as if it were the sounding of a battle horn.
At that moment, passion seemed to ignite in the air.
The group skipped along, their eyes revealing a wild and passionate spirit.
Without a doubt, they can't wait to get on the field and take that damn victory.
The old man Anderson nodded. "I've explained the specific tactics against Cornell countless times, so I won't go into detail here. I only require one thing: follow the established tactics on both offense and defense. Anyone who is passive or negligent will receive a severe kick to the butt."
"Listen carefully, I'm going to kick his ass hard, I'm not kidding."
These words, instead of creating tension, actually lightened the atmosphere.
The old man still has a good sense of humor.
But as soon as he said that, Lawrence subconsciously looked at Duze.
The latter remained expressionless and showed no reaction, as if he hadn't heard anything.
Anderson: "Alright, we have half an hour left. Let's make the final preparations."
After saying that, he left.
The crowd dispersed, returned to their seats, and began tying their shoelaces and tidying their jerseys.
After Du Ze sat down, he took out his sneakers, looked at them, and said, "Hmm, this is a pair of LeBron 6s. That's right, this is my LeBron's sixth generation of basketball shoes, the red and white version, which looks pretty good."
The original owner's aesthetic sense was still good, but her personal taste needed improvement.
Why would someone like the Executive Vice President GOAT?
That's a really unique flavor!
However, thinking about it carefully, LeBron James was indeed quite fierce at this stage. He had been in the league for five seasons and had already reached the Finals once, although he was swept 1-0, which looked quite bad.
But the finals.
A fourth-year student led the team to the finals!
This achievement is quite remarkable.
Moreover, given this year's momentum, the MVP award is practically a sure thing.
The most important thing is to watch LeBron James's soaring tomahawk dunks, which are a real visual treat. He's a regular on the top five plays. What young man can resist this charm?
of course.
Duze, as a young man of the new era, can still hold his own. After all, he knows LeBron James inside and out. Next summer, LeBron will tell the world on live television that he is taking that damn talent to the South Beach.
Yes, we want to win more than one, two, three, four, five, six, seven championships.
Unfortunately, he went offline before he could finish his boast.
He carried the train back to Cleveland overnight.
Lawrence's voice rang out: "What are you standing there for? We're all ready to start."
Du Ze snapped out of his daze and quickly put on his shoes.
After he finished dressing, he paced back and forth a couple of times. Hmm, he looked quite proper.
The quality doesn't seem very good; the heel is already showing signs of coming unglued.
Lawrence lowered his voice and leaned closer: "At the start, let's play it low-key, following our tactics."
Du Ze rolled his eyes: "Matt, you're getting more and more timid. What's wrong? Are you getting old and can't even play unconventionally anymore?"
Lawrence, startled like a frightened bird, stammered, "Shh, keep your voice down..."
Du Ze knew what the other person was thinking and reassured him, "Don't worry, we will definitely win this match."
Lawrence suddenly dropped his joking demeanor and said seriously, "Although Cornell is the 14th seed, their strength should not be underestimated. No team that can make it to the tournament is easy to beat, so we still need to take them seriously."
Du Ze stared at him and chuckled, "Looks like I'm really getting old; I don't even have this much confidence."
Lawrence: "Please, I'm serious."
He paused, then began to list Cornell University's specific situation: "Cornell achieved a 21-10 record this season, successfully winning the Ivy League regular season championship and setting new team records for total points and three-pointers made in a single season. They made a total of 241 three-pointers with a three-point shooting percentage of 38.6%, and their scoring explosiveness is simply terrifying. If they're not careful, they could easily follow in Yale's footsteps and be upset by a dramatic comeback."
Du Ze: "Okay, okay... I understand. I will always put victory first."
Upon hearing this, Lawrence felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders, and his furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
Du Ze watched all of this and found it amusing.
Isn't this being a bit too cautious?
The Missouri Tigers are a team that made it to the Elite Eight, so their strength is beyond doubt. Beating Cornell in the first round would be a piece of cake for them.
Moreover, in this life he is bound to Josh Smith's physical talent, making him many levels stronger, which will only enhance the team's overall fighting power even more.
Basically, it's a stable and secure happiness.
unless……
There shouldn't be an exception, right?
Du Ze's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
It's true that he's become stronger.
But his arrival causes the butterfly's wings to flutter, making the unexpected truly unpredictable.
Why is the word "crazy" added to NCAA March Madness?
Because it's really crazy.
An upset.
A comeback.
A decisive goal.
That's truly everywhere.
One second you're in heaven, the next you could be in hell.
So, well... let's keep a low profile and stick to the tactical plan for now.
Once we've established our advantage, it's not too late to go on a scoring spree.
And so it was decided happily.
Time flies.
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
The energetic music outside was already roaring inside the stadium, and the DJ's heart-wrenching shouts added even more passion and excitement.
"Next, please welcome our Missouri Tigers' center, number 23, Duze."
The sound trailed off, accompanied by the exhaust plumes of the jet engine, and the lights shone down instantly, illuminating Du Ze.
As Du Ze felt the deafening cheers, his heart involuntarily quickened a few beats. He slowly raised his hand to signal, "One to the left, one to the right."
Large contract.
I'm here...