NBA: I really just want to be a second-in-command

Chapter 183

The Zen master first hugged Popovich.

The two of them can also be regarded as old rivals. Since 2000, they have basically met each other in the Western Conference Finals.

Respect each other.

"It's a pity for you last year. You didn't win the leading situation in the end. If we win, we may have to fight a few games." Popovich said.

"It's okay, it's true that the strength is not as good as Phoenix, and we really can't solve their pick-and-roll." Zen Master said self-effacingly.

"But you have a good chance this year." Popovich said, "The kid you drafted this year is not bad."

"Average, do you think he is good?" Zen Master said modestly.

"Come on," Popovich said with a smile, "you still can't see it? Anyway, I haven't seen such a talent for a long time, you, don't pretend to be confused, Phil, I've already I have a hunch that this year's West will still be the two of us."

Zen master smiled, "I hope, old man."

Zen master hugged him again and was about to leave when Popovich said, "Hey, let your kid come over here, I have a question for him."

"Who?"

"Who else, your rookie." Popovich said.

The Zen master waved to Lu Yusheng who was in the distance.

At this moment, Lu Yusheng was greeting Tim Duncan.

"Good play, kid," Tim Duncan said, "but learn to respect your seniors."

Lu Yusheng smiled. He knew that he was referring to his unhappiness with Tony Parker on the field just now.

Lu Yusheng just nodded, of course he couldn't tell Tim Duncan, that was his tactic.

Tony Parker obviously still had a grudge against Lu Yusheng, so he didn't say hello to Lu Yusheng at all, and just bypassed him.

"Good luck." Tim Duncan patted Lu Yusheng's head, turned and left.

It's over, Lu Yusheng thought to himself, he will probably become bald too.

Hearing the Zen master calling him from a distance, Lu Yusheng hurried over.

Seeing Lu Yusheng approaching, Popovich hugged him with a smile.

"Did you think about your back attack a long time ago, or... a temporary decision?" Popovich asked.

Lu Yusheng laughed, it seemed that he still cared about this tactic he had come up on a whim.

"It was decided temporarily," Lu Yusheng said. "After all, my speed is too slow to get past Tony Parker. I can only use my height to bully him."

Popovich also smiled, and nodded, "Yes, a point guard has actually practiced a back-up technique, which is commendable, but don't be complacent, I tell you, after this game, everyone will be wary of your move of."

"Being on the defensive is not necessarily effective, right?" Lu Yusheng laughed, "After all, they will also be wary of Tony Parker and Duncan's pick-and-roll, but how many people in the league can guard against it?"

"Very good." Popovich appreciated, "You just need to have this kind of confidence, come on boy, but I want to tell you, I have already thought of a way to limit you, and you won't play so comfortably in the next game gone."

"In the next match, you will definitely not be able to beat us." Lu Yusheng said.

Popovich and Phil Jackson looked at each other and smiled.

Kobe came over and exchanged pleasantries with Popovich.

It can be seen that Popovich likes Kobe from the bottom of his heart, which can be felt from the way he looks at Kobe.

Lu Yusheng kept smiling and greeted the Spurs.

The media at the scene had already been waiting for a long time, and they immediately surrounded them.

"Lu, you played very well in this game. Even without Kobe, you played against the powerful Spurs until the last second, but lost the game in such a regrettable way. What are you thinking in your heart at this moment? asked a reporter.

Lu Yusheng said in his heart that you really deserve a beating. If you lose the game, what else can you think?
"Oh, it's like this. In this game, without Kobe, we really played very difficult, especially in certain periods, when our tactics were restricted, we really needed someone who could stand up and lead us forward like Kobe. Okay, that time was really difficult,
But fortunately, everyone worked hard and got through the difficulties. I am very grateful to my teammates. Of course, I am even more grateful to the fans who came to support us. It was their encouragement that allowed us to fight against the mighty Spurs until the last second. Although Ginobili was the lore in the end, I really enjoyed the whole process and thank them again. " Lu Yusheng said.

Another reporter asked, "Lu, we noticed that when you were on the court today, you played really well, because all the media before the game thought that without Kobe, it would be difficult for you to be the opponents of the Spurs.
But to everyone's surprise, you played against them to the end, especially you, who performed particularly well. Whenever the Lakers faced difficulties, you always stood up and solved them, just like Kobe often As it was done, the hero came on, got it all done,
So we noticed that at some point, the audience even gave you the honor of MVP. We are very concerned, is your status in the team now equal to Kobe? "

What the hell!

When Lu Yusheng listened to his question, at first he felt that what this guy said was a dog, but he didn't expect that he was digging a hole here and waiting for him.

Isn't this just a show of provocation?
"Hey, buddy, I won't take you to pick things up so clearly," Lu Yusheng said, "I admit that since I came to the Lakers, I have indeed gained some fame, and my hard work has also reaped some rewards. But this is what I and the team give each other. The Lakers have always been a historical giant. Without me, they still have a very high degree of attention and have the most basketball fans in the world.
And buddy, you have to know that Kobe has always been the son of the Lakers. He has been with the Lakers since he was a rookie. You said that the MVP matter is actually very simple. We all know that in the Lakers, there is only one person worthy of this honor, and that is Kobe, and there will be no one else. "

"But they did give you this honor today." The reporter was still relentless.

"I think they were just trying to encourage me, you know, man, I was really tired and exhausted at that time, and they were purely kind to give me some encouragement and let me lead the team to win this game. the game, that's all,

I won't make any superfluous thoughts, and I want to tell you that Kobe has always been my idol and my basketball mentor. He has a profound influence on me, including the post-up technique I show today , It was completely taught to me by him, so what I want to say is that in the Lakers team, no one will ever challenge his status. If there is, I will be the first to say no. " Lu Yu said firmly.

Lu Yusheng's answer aroused the agreement of all the reporters, and they all nodded.

……

Finally dismissed the reporter.

Lu Yusheng then went to the locker room.

In the player tunnel, Lu Yusheng found that there were still many fans who hadn't left.

When he was about to leave the field, they all shouted his name, applauded him and cheered him on.

This made Lu Yusheng extremely moved.

But without the cheers and the spotlight, Lu Yusheng's mood immediately dimmed.

In his mind, he was still replaying the last goal just now, and he still couldn't let go of this defeat.

Obviously victory is right in front of our eyes, but just watching it slip away like this is really uncomfortable.

He kept thinking that if he could predict where the ball would fall earlier, if he could get closer to Ginobili faster and block that ball, then the victory would already belong to them.

At this moment, they are celebrating their eight-game winning streak.

But the game is like this, there is never a way to do it all over again.

like life.

The taste of failure is really bitter, making it hard for him to accept.

Back in the locker room, the atmosphere in the locker room is still dull. They have been winning consecutively since the beginning of this season, probably because their teammates have long been used to winning, so they are somewhat unable to accept this sudden defeat.

In particular, it is still a failure in this regrettable way, and I am really unwilling.

Although Lu Yusheng was also very sad, seeing everyone like this, he cheered up and planned to give everyone encouragement.

But unexpectedly, at this time, Kobe and Zen Master walked in talking and laughing.

"Hey, what are you all doing with frowning faces?" Zen Master came in and said, "I lost in the playoffs last year. Do you still care about winning or losing this regular season?"

"No, no, Phil, you can't say that." Kobe said, "I'm still very happy to see them in this state. At least, they really hate losing."

"However," Kobe said, "we hate failure, but we must also be able to accept failure. More importantly, we must learn from failure, learn from failure, know where our shortcomings are, and know where our shortcomings lie. Where, to adjust and change, to develop a better version of us, understand?"

"clear."

Weak.

"Got it?" Kobe asked again.

"Understood!" Everyone replied with momentum.

Kobe looked up, saw that Lu Yusheng hadn't answered, and said, "Lu, stay for a while after the interview, I have something to tell you."

Lu Yusheng nodded.

In the post-match media interviews, the questions asked by the reporters basically didn’t have much new ideas. It was still the routine just now. First, they praised Lu Yusheng’s performance in this game, and then dug a hole in the back for Lu Yusheng to jump. .

One of the reporters even asked the same question as the reporter on the field before.

Moreover, it was actually asked in front of Kobe.

"Lu, what do you think of the Lakers fans at the Staples Center today giving you the title of MVP? We know that your recent performance is indeed outstanding. Even without Kobe, you led the Lakers to many games. With repeated victories, I feel that in the hearts of Lakers fans, your weight is almost catching up with Kobe, what do you think about this?"

Lu Yusheng was asked such stupid questions twice in a row, and he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

He was just about to get angry, but he was stopped by Kobe beside him. Kobe took the microphone over and said with a smile, "Your question is a good question. Indeed, everyone can see that after Lu joined the Lakers this season , Regarding the help we have brought and the improvement of our team, as for what you said, whether the weight in the hearts of Lakers fans is about to catch up with mine, I think you obviously have reservations about this question, I Guess what you really want to ask is whether his status in the Lakers is equal to mine? Because on the court, one of your colleagues has already asked Lu Yusheng the same question."

Lu Yusheng was taken aback for a moment, but he didn't expect him to hear it.

The reporter didn't expect Kobe to expose his purpose directly, but he wasn't embarrassed, but asked directly, "It can also be said, Kobe, what do you think about this?" Kobe didn't expect that this kid would be so determined , smiled, "Let me tell you this, since I came to the NBA, I have only one goal, that is to win more championships, and that is the only goal. I have paid a lot for this, I also sacrificed a lot, especially when we won three consecutive championships, I made a lot of sacrifices in my style of play, and even in many playoff games, I sacrificed my shooting guard position to play the [-]st position , actually, it's a big sacrifice for my numbers, you all know how much I like to score and how much I don't like to pass, right?"

Bryant's self-deprecation drew laughter from the reporters.

"I said these old things, there is only one meaning, and that is to tell you that in order to win the championship, I can sacrifice anything. When that fat man was around, I did that. I rarely care about these things.

Back to your question, regarding Lu Yusheng’s status in the team, in front of you and other media, I can assure you that if he can really do what O’Neal did and help us win the championship, I don’t mind at all Give him my so-called position. "

Sitting next to him, Lu Yusheng watched the sincerity in Kobe's eyes when he said this, and was extremely moved in his heart.

He took the microphone over, "No, what I want to tell you is that no matter when, no matter how much honor and success I achieve in the future, this guy will always be my boss, and I'm here just to help him complete of his dreams."

Seeing that Lu Yusheng and Kobe's answers were almost perfect, and they couldn't find any loopholes to make an article about, the reporters were disappointed for a while, so they could only ask some other questions.

One of the reporters asked Zen Master, "Phil, since Lu Yusheng showed extraordinary performance from the first game, many teams have shown great interest in him, and we have been hearing some things about him. Trade rumors, I even heard some time ago that the Wizards wanted to trade Lu with their All-Star player Jamison, what do you think about that?"

(End of this chapter)