The invincible kryptonite of basketball

According to the news released before the game, Duncan will choose to retire today, which is also related to the Pelicans.

After all, the teammates he cares most about, Parker, Ginobili and Diaw are still in the Spurs, and the only one who left is Tang Tian of the Pelicans.

The next day, the two teams played at the ATT Arena in San Antonio.

There were no empty seats at the scene, and Duncan's big-headed KT boards could be seen everywhere in the arena.

This is probably the last time fans lift it in the arena.

Before the game, Tang Tian also met Duncan in the front row of the auditorium.

It's just that I haven't seen him for a while, and Duncan's beard and hair are already very gray.

It seems that the job of repairing a car is much harder than playing basketball.

The two met and smiled at each other, and then had a big hug, touching each other's heads while hugging.

This is the best way to say hello and reminisce.

The game between the two sides started quickly, and the Pelicans showed their strength after the opening, playing steadily and gradually expanding their lead.

At halftime, they led the Spurs by 55 points, 43 to 12.

The game entered the intermission, but the players of the two teams did not return to the locker room, because Duncan's jersey retirement ceremony was about to be carried out.

The on-site staff had already set up the stage, just like Yao Ming's jersey retirement ceremony, there were also many celebrities and Duncan's players present.

On one side are league president Silver, team owner Holt, team general manager Buford and Duncan's high school coach Dave Odom.

On the other side are Popovich, Parker, Ginobili and Tang Tian.

Both sides are the most important people in Duncan's career, but the atmosphere on both sides is a bit complicated at this time.

And the person who made the atmosphere complicated was Tang Tian.

Buford was the one who blamed Tang Tian for leaving the Spurs, and was almost depressed because of Tang Tian's affairs;

Needless to say, Holt had a heart attack because of Tang Tian;

Of course, the most important thing is Xiao Hua, but Tang Tian just ran afoul of the president of the alliance not long ago.

At this time, the two sat facing each other, and the scene looked inexplicably joyful.

Spurs commentator Elliott served as the host of the scene. His sentence "Owning Duncan is our happiness" ignited the ATT Arena.

Duncan's contribution to San Antonio is unmatched, and he is already one of the symbols of the city.

Tang Tian felt the enthusiasm of the fans and felt a lot of emotion.

This is the charm of one person, one city. If the Spurs hadn't given up, he should have become San Antonio's next totem.

But because of some people and some things, he can only be from New Orleans now.

After Elliott, Silver, Holt, Buford and Dave Odom made short speeches one after another.

Silver talked about Duncan's contribution to the league, Holt and Buford talked about Duncan's contribution to the team, and Odom reviewed some past events in Duncan's high school.

These speeches were quite satisfactory, but when it came to Popovich's side, the atmosphere on the scene became lively.

The order here is just reversed, Tang Tian was the first to give a speech.

"I have to thank Tim."

As soon as Tang Tian opened his mouth, there was a burst of cheers from the audience.

Tang Tianren has left the Spurs, but the first sentence he spoke at the Duncan jersey retirement ceremony was to thank Duncan.

"Thank you for being merciful to me, otherwise my current hairstyle must be the same as Manu's."

However, what Tang Tian said next caused the audience to burst into laughter.

Only the Spurs players knew about Duncan touching Tang Tian. Now that they said it, the fans realized that Ginobili was not the only one who was murdered by Duncan!

Duncan was also amused, and he recalled some interesting things with Tang Tian in his mind.

Davis couldn't help touching his mohawk at this time, and he suddenly realized that Tang Tian liked to touch his head probably because of Duncan's influence.

"I also have to thank Tim, he taught me a lot, even though he really doesn't talk much."

Tang Tian's humor continued to detonate the ATT Arena, and San Antonio fans found that Tang Tian was the person most like GDP in the end.

If the Spurs had kept him...

"Happy retirement, Tim."

Tang Tian finally said to Duncan with a smile.

These words brought the atmosphere of the scene to a peak.

Duncan is the number one power forward in history, and the current No.1 in the league used to be his younger brother. This is what Spurs fans are most proud of.

After Tang Tian, ​​Ginobili and Parker made speeches one after another.

They are also full of punchlines.

"If the team is not playing well, Tim will stand up and take responsibility. He will come to the arena very early the next day. Thank you Tim. You have always been my role model. I am willing to follow in your footsteps. , in addition to the style of dress."

"As Parker said, the first few years of our NBA careers were stressful and we needed hugs and support, Duncan was the one who gave us that, and that's why I got bald, Don, not just because of the pats. "

Ginobili also interacted with Tang Tianlai, and the laughter on the scene lasted for a long time.

This is probably the happiest football jersey retirement ceremony ever.

ps: I recommend a friend's urban book "Guide to the Survival of Modern Killers", which is not bad, if you are interested, you can read it.

Chapter 9: FOX Reveals the History of Tang Tianhei (The third update!)

After Ginobili finished speaking, it was the last person's turn and the most important person to Duncan, Popovich.

"It was a very 'difficult' decision to choose him back then, so difficult that even the kittens and puppies in your family could make this decision."

Popovich's daddy humor is on display in the first sentence he opens his mouth.

This sentence also evokes the memories of many people on the scene. At that time, in order to choose Duncan, Popovich and "Cardinal" Auerbach competed to play badly.

In the end, the goddess of luck favored San Antonio, and also made the Spurs a strong history of more than 20 years.

"He loves carrot cake, I can't remember how many times I've brought it to him for almost 20 years, it's so 'annoying'."

Popovich also shared a little secret between him and Duncan in the speech that followed.

This secret also fully reflects the relationship between the two, like a master and apprentice, and like a father and son.

"I don't want to talk about the statistics of scoring or rebounding. I just want to say that he makes everyone better. I thank him for giving me the opportunity to coach this team. Because of him, I can use my own way. Lead the team.

He is the most sincere and stable person I have ever met. He has been like a day for more than ten years. I want to tell the parents of Tim who has passed away that Tim is the same as when he came here. He has not changed. "

Popovich's last words are also very sensational.

Duncan's eye circles turned red unconsciously. Maybe he is not good at expressing his feelings with words, but the relationship between the two of them no longer needs words to describe.

When Popovich finished his last sentence, there were endless applause and cheers at the scene.

Popovich and Duncan, the two most important totems in San Antonio, are also their best memory, a long, long memory.

After Popovich finished speaking, Duncan took the initiative to come over and hug him, and the two hugged for more than a minute.

When the cheers fell, the two separated, and Duncan also took over the microphone, preparing for his speech as the protagonist.

"Last night was the hardest night of my life because I had to give a speech that was longer than 30 seconds, and that was super difficult."

Duncan revealed a part of his sincerity when he opened his mouth, but made the fans laugh.

This is indeed a bit embarrassing for Duncan.

"But I finally got it done, on one of the most important occasions of my career, and I have to thank a lot of people who did it."

Duncan's next words made the scene laugh even more.

Duncan, like many college students who graduated, directly found a template to make a speech!

"Thank you San Antonio fans..."

But anyway, Duncan began his thanks.

In this regard, like Tang Tian, ​​he puts the fans first.

After the fans come the teammates, after the teammates come the management, and finally the coaches.

When talking about his teammates, he specifically looked at Popovich and said a word.

"Coach, I think I should tell you that since Don came to the team, the carrot cake you gave me has been eaten by that guy. That guy is the ultimate cake lover."

Popovich froze for a moment, he obviously didn't expect such a thing, but then he laughed.

After laughing, he couldn't help but shook his head.

He used to think that Tang Tian would become the next Duncan, and that he could coach Tang Tian until the day he retired.

If that were the case, his carrot cake might not be broken by retirement, along with the wine he now has in his fridge.

Duncan concluded by thanking the two most important coaches in his life.

"Thank you Coach Odom for giving me the opportunity, thank him for being here, thank Popovich, we win together, create team culture together, you are not just my coach, you are more like my father."

Duncan's final speech was as sensational as Popovich's.

One is a steady old man, the other is an old guy who is not good at words, and the two resonate unconsciously.

And in the final epilogue, Duncan also rarely used his humor, although it was a bit cold.

"I didn't wear jeans today, I wore a suit, but I didn't wear a tie, and my speech was longer than 30 seconds."

One sentence is echoing Parker's ridicule of his dressing style, and the other is self-deprecating.

It was very cold and humorous, but it drew cheers from the scene for a long time.

After all, this is the first joke Duncan made in public.

Duncan's speech ended, and the scene entered the final jersey unveiling.

Like the unveiling of the championship banner, the black curtain covering the surface of Duncan's jersey was slowly pulled away, revealing the unique jersey inside.

Duncan, No. 21, 1997~16.

Like the retired Spurs jerseys beside him, Duncan's name, like them, will always hang above the ATT Arena.

After the jersey retirement ceremony, Duncan stayed to watch the second half of the game.

Inspired by the retirement of the jersey, the Spurs played a perfect half in the second half, and they finally managed to overtake the score.

At the last moment of the game, Ginobili dreamed of returning to the top, and consecutive difficult three-pointers helped the Spurs narrowly beat the Pelicans to win the game.

The Pelicans' 19-game winning streak was terminated, but it is nothing to them to lose a game, and no matter how strong a team is, it is impossible not to lose a game.

And it's understandable to lose on a night like this.

After the game, Tang Tian was dragged by Duncan to a bar party. Parker, Ginobili, Dior and Leonard all went.

Last time in Rio, Duncan missed the party in a flashy way, and this time he organized it himself.

But for them, this will be a very meaningful gathering.

While Tang Tian and Duncan were at the party, FOX Sports continuously reported some black history related to Tang Tian.

The news quickly made headlines on social media.

"When Tang Tian was playing for the University of Connecticut, he used to go to the New York street court to participate in the street court heads-up to win money. According to the NCAA regulations, this is not allowed."

"When I signed the contract with the Spurs, it was Tang Tian who insisted on signing a two-year contract, which eventually led to the incident of leaving later. In other words, if the two parties signed a three-year or four-year contract, Tang Tian is now Still a Spurs player."

"Tang Tian has been involved in the management decision-making of the Pelicans over the years. He is a player who has more serious interference with the management than LeBron James."

"Tang Tian once gave opinions on the signing of Whiteside's contract, suggesting that the team sign with a longer low-salary contract. This is also a major reason why Whiteside left the Pelicans last summer."

……

This series of news broke out, causing an uproar immediately.

Especially the heads-up winning news during the NCAA period and the Spurs' signing period.

These are things that the outside world has never known before.