The contest between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers, two strong teams in the Eastern Conference, ended with a result that no one expected.
The final score between the two teams was 122:109. The Knicks, playing at home, beat the Pacers by 13 points.
But the focus of this game was not the duel between the two All-Stars Ewing and Miller. Everyone's limelight was stolen by one person - Wang Feng.
Wang Feng, who debuted in the second quarter, ended up playing 26 minutes on the court, scoring 35 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. At the same time, with his appearance, Miller's condition plummeted against him, and the remaining two and a half quarters were
He never scored any goals in open play, and barely scored 3 points with free throws, totaling 21 points.
Anyone who has watched the game knows that Miller scored 18 points very efficiently at the beginning of the first and second quarters, but in the end he only scored 21 points. It was precisely because of Miller's strong performance.
After the Knicks timeout, Wang Feng's appearance completely changed the situation.
On the defensive end, Wang Feng almost kept a clean sheet against Miller, while on the offensive end, he scored 24 points in the second quarter and a game-high 35 points, which was a perfect performance.
As soon as the game ended, reporters eagerly swarmed in Wang Feng's direction.
They know Wang Feng, because in the previous game against the Timberwolves, Wang Feng also scored 21 points in 8 minutes with a super efficient performance. However, at that time, Wang Feng played against the Timberwolves' bench and his strength was limited, so everyone generally believed that Wang Feng could play
Performance like that is just luck.
But today is different.
Wang Feng was facing off against Eastern Conference All-Star guard Reggie Miller, a ruthless man who was not afraid even when facing Michael Jordan.
However, Wang Feng beat this ruthless man to only 3 points in two and a half quarters, and scored 35 points over the opponent's head.
This is enough to prove that Wang Feng really has extremely strong personal abilities.
These reporters know very well that if Wang Feng can continue to maintain this state, he will definitely quickly become a rising star in the NBA... even though this new star is already thirty years old.
Wang Feng is also experienced in dealing with these reporters.
He knew that if he was interviewed by these reporters one by one here, it would be endless.
"If you have any questions, you can ask me at the post-match press conference later. I will attend. Now I want to go back to the locker room and take a shower as soon as possible." With that, Wang Feng left the reporters on the court.
Go straight to the tunnel.
Reporters: "..."
This kid is a bit awkward.
If it were All-Star players like Ewing and Starks, it would be understandable if they were used to being interviewed by reporters.
You are a nobody, but you finally get a chance to become famous, and yet you are so arrogant. If you still have any questions, you go to the press conference to ask. People who don’t know think you are Michael Jordan.
Of course they don't know that the future Wang Feng will be surrounded by spotlights and microphones no less than Jordan. This kind of scene is just a small scene that he is accustomed to.
On the contrary, when he returned to the locker room, Wang Feng felt a little uncomfortable with the enthusiastic congratulations from his teammates.
"Crack!"
Oakley slapped Wang Feng hard on the back and laughed loudly. "Boy, you are so good! It's amazing. That guy Reggie's expression after the game was like he had eaten shit. I remember last time."
The last time he looked like that was when Michael beat him up a few years ago."
"How did you develop your three-point shooting? It's so accurate and has such a long range. How long does it take to practice to reach this level?"
Starks, who watched Wang Feng's three-point performance throughout the game, couldn't help but learn from Wang Feng.
Limited by his own physical limitations, Starks's ability to break through with the ball is limited, and his main offensive method is shooting.
As the league's three-point line shortened, Starks also began to gradually increase the number of three-pointers he took, but his three-point shooting percentage could only be maintained at just over 35%. Although it was not low, it was still
It cannot have the effect of deterring the enemy.
Not only the two of them, but other Knicks players including Ewing also congratulated Wang Feng with smiles on their faces.
If the team can win, it is a great thing for them, especially with the strong support of Wang Feng, the team will be more confident in competing for the championship.
As for the reduction in ball rights distribution caused by Wang Feng's arrival, players in this era do not seem to care as much as they will in the future.
This is normal. Due to salary cap restrictions, in this era, except for top stars, the annual salary difference between other players is generally not very large. Just like Starks, Charles Smith and other main players, even within the team
Even if the positioning changes and the data declines, the contract will not be affected too much.
This is completely different from the future era of sky-high price renewals that can cost tens of millions or even hundreds of millions. The conflict of interest is not very obvious and intuitive.
"The coach just said that you will go to the press conference with me later." Ewing warned Wang Feng: "This is your first time attending a press conference. Don't be nervous. With your level, you will attend in the future."
This kind of situation is commonplace, but you must be careful what you say when facing reporters. Those guys can easily dig holes to lure you into being fooled. Be careful with your words and actions..."
Wang Feng couldn't help but look at Ewing.
Ewing's words sounded somewhat awkward to Wang Feng.
Because Ewing himself is not a cautious person.
Ewing's most famous statement was when he was the chairman of the players union during the league's lockout in 1998. When faced with the problem raised by President Stern that NBA players already earned too much compared with ordinary people,
He gave the bizarre statement that although we earn more, we spend more.
It was these remarks that suddenly changed the image of NBA players from asking for reasonable wages from unscrupulous bosses to a group of millionaires negotiating with multi-millionaires, completely losing the support of fans.
Ewing was also dubbed the stupidest player union president.
Wang Feng was not sure how Ewing would answer reporters when he was a player. After all, the two were not from the same era, and he had not even watched the videos of Ewing's games.
But that famous saying that the more you earn, the more you spend, has always been remembered.
Wang Feng feels that although he has been blaming reporters in interviews, he has not reached the level of exaggeration like Ewing.
"Okay, I understand."
After enduring it for a long time, Wang Feng suppressed the urge to complain and said to Ewing with a forced smile.
…
Ten minutes later, in the press conference room, Knicks head coach Pat Riley, team leader Ewing and Wang Feng calmly sat on the podium under the spotlight of reporters.
The impatient reporters who were already sitting in the audience immediately started asking questions, and the first reporter whose name was called immediately looked at Wang Feng.
"I would like to ask Mr. Wang Feng. According to official information, you are Chinese and have just joined the league, but you are already 30 years old. Which professional league did you play in before? Why did you come to the NBA now?
?”
This question is one that everyone is very curious about.
Wang Feng's strength in the two games far exceeded people's expectations. If the first game was a coincidence, then the second game with Miller can fully explain the problem. Even if the offensive end can be explained by his hot touch and luck,
On the defensive end, Wang Feng restricted Miller completely from scoring and fully demonstrated his strong defensive ability.
"Before, I haven't played in any professional leagues. I just did some systematic exercises on my own, playing in street courts and the like." Wang Feng thought for a while, but chose to answer conservatively: "Joining the NBA is the same.
By coincidence, I was playing in a street court and was noticed by a Knicks scout who asked me to participate in the team's trial training, and then I came here."
Wang Feng's answer silenced all reporters.
The first thought that comes to almost everyone's mind is who the hell are you fooling?
He has never participated in a professional game and just trained and played catch by himself. Can he beat the top shooting guard in the East and All-Star player Reggie Miller?
Moreover, these reporters also have very unique vision. The extremely high team basketball quality and standard NBA professional basketball playing style that Wang Feng showed in the game are not just any so-called geniuses who pop up on the street.
Players can do it.
But Wang Feng said so, and there was nothing they could do.
More importantly, it is not that these reporters have not specifically investigated Wang Feng's affairs. It is precisely because they cannot find anything about Wang Feng that they take the initiative to ask during the interview.
"So Mr. Wang Feng." Another reporter stood up and continued to ask: "You came off the bench today and have been facing off against the Pacers' Reggie Miller. What do you think of this matchup? If you were asked to give a score,
How many points would you and Miller give respectively?"
Riley, who was sitting nearby, raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard this question.
This is not a friendly question, it is meant to be aimed at newcomers who have just entered the league and know nothing.
Once Wang Feng makes any comments or ratings on Miller easily, it will put him in an extremely disadvantageous situation.
Ewing also heard the clues. He couldn't help but look at Wang Feng, wanting to give Wang Feng a wink to remind him.
But Wang Feng didn't look at Ewing at all, but his eyes shone a little.
How could Wang Feng, who has played eight seasons in the NBA in the future, not hear the trap dug for him by reporters? However, this trap is very dangerous for newcomers who have no foundation, but for him, it is a possible way.
A shortcut to quickly becoming famous.
Question: What kind of person is most likely to be widely known?
Answer: Controversial people.
Whether in the NBA or on any other occasion, it is not necessarily good to always maintain the image of a good boy or a modest gentleman, especially for a player like Wang Feng who already possesses the highest level of strength.
Only with confidence will the outside world recognize his abilities more quickly.
Therefore, after thinking for a while, Wang Feng said: "If the full score is 100 points, I will give myself a score of 60, which is considered a passing level. Because of the limited time, I was not able to use my full strength."
Ewing opened his mouth in astonishment and turned to look at Wang Feng regardless of his appearance.
35 points in a single game, only 60 points? According to your kid's calculation, doesn't a perfect score of 100 require 50+ points in a single game?
And what does it mean that time is limited and you can't use your full strength? Does it mean that you haven't used your full strength in today's game?
Riley deadpanned.
He heard the implication of what Wang Feng conveyed to him.
26 minutes of playing time is too little. Wang Feng wants more playing time, and even the starting and core status of the team.
This is actually Wang Feng's way of putting pressure on Riley through external media.
Whether in the Lakers or later the Cavaliers, Wang Feng had more say than the head coach. Wang Feng didn't think there was anything wrong with this kind of domination of the coach, because he was not fighting for power, just for the sake of power.
Can better win the game.
Wang Feng at that stage also had that ability, unless he was a legendary coach like Popovich, or a coach like Walton of the Lakers or Bickerstaff of the Cavaliers who had not proven himself in the team's record.
Indeed, it was not enough to convince Wang Feng, who aspired to win the championship.
A legendary coach like Pat Riley certainly has the qualifications to convince Wang Feng, but at the same time, Wang Feng still needs to obtain the main position of the team as soon as possible.
As for how this behavior looks to Riley, and whether it will be seen as challenging his head coach's authority, it is not Wang Feng's consideration.
The reporter who asked the question took a few seconds to digest Wang Feng's rating for himself, and then asked: "So, what is your rating for Reggie Miller?"
Tu Qiong dagger met.
Didn't you say you gave yourself 60 points? Very good. You scored 35 points and you scored 60 points. That was only 21 points. In the second half of the game, Miller almost didn't score under your defense. How many points can Miller score? Total
It can't be higher than your score, right?
Once Wang Feng said that Miller's score was lower than him, these reporters would immediately record this sentence and report it with added embarrassment, portraying Wang Feng as a person who disdains Miller and gets carried away after even a little outstanding performance.
, a newcomer with an arrogant attitude.
"Come on! Say it!"
The reporters all looked at Wang Feng expectantly.
"As for Miller... I'll give it 10 points."
Wang Feng touched his chin and said thoughtfully.
The reporters were all stunned, as if they didn't understand.
"Are you talking about a 10-point scale?" the reporter who asked the question couldn't help but confirm.
Wang Feng looked at the other person as if he were a fool. "Of course it's on a 100-point scale. What do you think? I use a hundred-point scale, but he uses a ten-point scale?"
Ewing's mouth had grown into an O shape, and he stared at Wang Feng in shock.
What is this guy talking about? Is he crazy?
Give yourself 60 points, but give Miller only 10 points? Does this mean that Miller, an All-Star player, is far inferior to him?
Um... Although it seems to be true from the results of the game, is it really okay to tell the truth so bluntly??!!!