The Fifth Point Guard

"Mr. Shen Tong, can you talk about your views on the next Chinese Derby?"

"Do you have a personal relationship with Wang Zhizhi?"

"After the last game, Kobe thought you were a rookie with great potential. What do you have to say about being selected in the second round?"

"We are reporters from the Basketball Pioneer, can I make an appointment with you for an exclusive interview?"

"I heard that Adidas intends to sign you to compete with Wang Zhizhi who has signed with Nike. Have you received an offer?"

The flurry of foreign languages ​​made Shentong feel dizzy.

But from the reporters' questions, Shentong obtained a key message.

Chinese Derby!

Under the protection of the Nets' bodyguards, Shen Tong was able to get out of the encirclement and enter the safe area of ​​the hotel.

Seeing this formation, Jefferson was quite excited.

"Shen, I didn't expect you to be so popular that reporters started to follow you."

Shentong glanced outside, 80% of them were Chinese journalists.

Shentong can understand that in 2001, two Chinese players represented different teams in the NBA at the same time, which was the first time in history.

"Richard, I just happened to encounter a hot topic that can be hyped."

"What topic?"

"Chinese Derby, do you know? Our next opponent, the Dallas Mavericks, also has a Chinese player named Wang Zhizhi."

After hearing Shen Tong's words, Jefferson suddenly realized.

"Ah, I heard you say, Wang, a well-known player in China, unlike you, he never played in the United States before he came to the NBA."

"Yes, you know, it's the first time that two Chinese players have played against each other on the NBA stage."

"Oh, you made a piece of history, buddy."

"That's right, that's why this game has attracted so much attention."

Jefferson blinked and asked Shen Tong: "Shen, I have always heard that China has a large population. How many people are there, 500 million?"

Shen Tong smiled and replied, "According to official statistics, the population should be 1.3 billion."

Jefferson's mouth opened wide enough to swallow several golf balls.

"Wow~~ 1.3 billion people! My god! Shin, the fan group behind you must be huge, not only the number of fans, but also the market potential and so on."

After a pause, Jefferson asked, "Shen, why don't you hire an agent?"

broker?

This concept entered Shentong's mind for the first time.

In the two days before the game against the Mavericks, the media headlines were overwhelming, and words such as "Chinese Derby" and "making history" were absolutely indispensable.

"Beijing Youth Daily" basketball reporter Yang Yi wrote an article "The first year of the new era of Chinese basketball, a tribute to two Chinese basketball pioneers", which attracted the attention of many media and fans.

The young reporter, who graduated from the Sports Journalism Department of the Shanghai Institute of Physical Education, described Wang Zhizhi and Shen Tong as the pioneers who opened up new prospects for Chinese basketball.

For a long time, Chinese basketball has been a top-notch team in Asia, but its international performance has been unsatisfactory.

In the 1994 World Championships, the golden generation headed by Hu Weidong and Ah Dijiang, without a super center, ended the embarrassment of the Chinese Men's Basketball World Championships against European and American teams, and created the most Chinese basketball in the World Championships. A good eighth place.

In the 1996 Olympic Games, with Zheng Wu's lore, the Chinese men's basketball team defeated Argentina and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games.

The breakthrough of the World Series in the past few years has brought Chinese basketball onto the world stage and also attracted the attention of the NBA.

As the overlord of basketball in the world, the NBA League is the highest hall of dreams for basketball players around the world. Being able to play in the NBA is not only a technical recognition, but also a symbol of a player's status.

In Yang Yi's words, reaching the top eight in the world means the end of the prehistoric period.

And when Chinese players ascend to the highest hall in the world, it means that the Chinese men's basketball team has entered a new historical period.

From this we can see how much attention has been paid to this game at home and abroad.

Before the game, Scott announced the team's starting roster.

Although Corey Kidders came out of the injured list, Shen Tong is still arranged as the starting shooting guard.

Now Jefferson is completely out of control.

Because Jefferson once denied the $500 bet, thinking that Shentong's starting lineup was obtained by relying on Kiedles' inclusion on the injured list, not by his own strength.

But unexpectedly, when Kidders returned from injury, Shentong was still firmly in the starting lineup.

"Richard, don't try to deny it this time, accompany me to buy the cassette of "Flame Dragon Knights" after the game."

"Got it." Jefferson said angrily.

Mark Lodge, Martin, Van Horn, Shen Tong, and Kidd are still the starting lineup for the last victory over the Lakers.

Dallas Mavericks.

The starting center is Sean Bradley, the tallest man in the league nicknamed "Big Bamboo Pole".

Bradley, who was born in Landstuhl, Germany, is still a fellow with Nowitzki.

Bradley, who played for the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets in his career, found a sense of belonging in the Mavericks.

In the wonderful 50+ win season last season, Bradley did not miss a game and played with full attendance.

82 games, 35 starts, averaged 7.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game, took on the heavy responsibility of inside defense and won the trust of the team.

This season, Niles Sr. listed Bradley as the team's first choice at center.

The 2.29-meter Bradley will be behind Nowitzki, supporting the Mavericks inside.

There is no doubt that the starting candidate for power forward is "German Chariot" Dirk Nowitzki.

This big man with a height of 2.13 meters can almost shoot the ball without missing a shot, and the advanced signature move of leaning back and back - golden rooster independence, is even more difficult to guard against.

The most important thing is that this big man actually has a three-pointer.

Looking at the entire league, only Chinese players Wang Zhizhi and Nowitzki have the same template. The league really couldn't find another player who played like them.

Last season, Nowitzki started all 82 games, averaging 21.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. He made 47.4% of his two-pointers and 38.7% of his three-pointers. The outbreak contributed a lot to the Mavericks' 50+ victory.

What's even more frightening is that Nowitzki is still on the rise, and this season is only his fourth.

The starting small forward is the Mexican Edondo Najera. The 2.03-meter-tall Najera was traded to the Mavericks after being selected by the Rockets in the 2000 draft.

Last season, Najera had just experienced his rookie season, and his performance was quite satisfactory, but the old Nelson had a discerning eye and put Najera, who has a stable mid-range shot, into the starting lineup.

Najera shot 52.3 percent from two-point range last season.

There is no suspense at the position of shooting guard, the king of Dallas Michael Finley.

In the past four seasons, Finley, who has been fully present and served as the starter, can be called an iron man. He has contributed an average of 20+5+4 per game in the past four seasons. Finley's treatment here is comparable to that of a king. figure.

Point guard Steve Nash.

At that time, Nash had just emerged last season, forming the new Dallas Trident with Nowitzki and Finley.

Nash, who was firmly in the starting lineup last season, ushered in an explosion of personal data.

The scoring average increased from 8.6 points to 15.6 points per game, and the assists averaged from 4.9 per game to 7.3.

Nash, who has made more than 40% of his three-pointers in his career, aims to become the top point guard in the league's first echelon.

Bradley, Nowitzki, Najera, Finley, Nash.

The confrontation between the two teams is exciting.