readytorunbook Chapter 92 Wang Xiucheng's locker location has changed!
Chapter 92 Wang Xiucheng's locker location has changed!
On the Rockets' private plane flying back to Houston from Oklahoma City, Fertitta, having received the news, made a video call to Silas.
Have Silas turn the phone volume up to the maximum and call Wood and Little Potter together.
"How are your injuries? Do you need to rest for a while? How about a month? Or maybe the whole season?"
Fertitta's voice was transmitted to everyone on the private jet via cell phone.
Wang Xiucheng saw from behind that Wood and Little Potter's necks were sweating.
"Boss, we're fine. The team doctor said we'll be fine after a night's rest."
Several seconds later, Wood stammered.
"That's good. If you don't feel well, tell Silas right away. By the way, to protect you guys, it's okay if you play a few games as substitutes first, right?"
Upon hearing this, everyone was startled, and the next moment someone looked at Wang Xiucheng, who was sitting at the back of the plane.
As everyone knows, Wang Xiucheng has taken over the position.
And it was an order personally given by the boss.
Porter Jr. and Wood frowned, but had no choice but to agree.
Porter Jr. even gave Wood a somewhat resentful look, thinking, "If it weren't for supporting you, I wouldn't be playing as a substitute."
Fertitta didn't waste any more words, only saying a few words to Silas, basically saying that the past few games had been good and the players had performed very well.
That's how the matter between Porter Jr. and Wood was resolved.
It's also their own fault for encountering one of the league's most meddling owners in team affairs.
So today, when everyone arrived at the Fengtian Center players' locker room this afternoon, they found that Wang Xiucheng's locker had been moved.
As an undrafted player, Wang Xiucheng's locker was located on the outermost side, closest to the main entrance.
There weren't even numbers on them; they were lockers for players temporarily transferred from the Development League.
This position is closest to the gate, which is usually convenient for rookies to serve tea and water to the team's leader.
Unless the team leader actively requests a specific position, he is usually placed in the innermost, most spacious position.
Wang Xiucheng was originally on the outermost side, closest to the gate and also closest to the table with various foods.
But now, Wang Xiucheng's locker has been moved inside, and the number "12" has been pasted on it.
Although it's not the innermost spot, it's still a pretty good location.
This spot used to belong to Porter Jr., but now it belongs to Wang Xiucheng.
That best position, it initially belonged to Harden, then to Gordon, and now it's marked "4," belonging to Jalen Green.
Wang Xiucheng and Shen Jing were positioned on either side of Jalen Green.
Clearly, this arrangement tells everyone that the Rockets are focusing on developing these three players.
Wang Xiucheng and Shen Jing were both stunned for a moment, but under the urging of Gordon and the others, they had no choice but to sit in the spot where they could see the entire locker room.
Porter Jr. and Wood looked grim; their positions had been changed, indicating that the Rockets' management was already very dissatisfied with them—this was a warning.
On the contrary, old Gordon, who gave up the best spot, wasn't unhappy at all.
Since he's leaving anyway, it's a good thing he voluntarily gave it up.
Yesterday, a staff member from the team called him to discuss the matter, and naturally, he didn't object.
In today's game against the Magic, Wang Xiucheng continued to start, along with Shen Jing, Gordon, Tate, and Matthews, who has been performing well recently.
The Magic, like the Rockets, are also a tanking team.
Therefore, it is believed that the Rockets are likely to continue winning this game.
During warm-up, Wang Xiucheng went to the sidelines and gave Francis a bear hug.
The Rockets brought in Francis today. This guy, who even Yao Ming calls "Big Brother Francis," has a very high status in the hearts of Chinese fans.
Stoudemire once dunked over Yao Ming, who had just entered the NBA, and then stared at Yao Ming while cursing.
Francis was furious. He jumped up and shoved Stoudemire twice while spewing trash talk.
From then on, even though Francis was traded for McGrady, Francis's status among Yao Ming and Chinese fans remained exceptional.
“I watched the last game against the Thunder, it was a great performance,” Francis said to Wang Xiucheng.
"Thank you," Wang Xiucheng replied modestly.
After a brief interruption, the competition officially began.
Under Wang Xiucheng's orchestration, the Rockets scored their first point and quickly gained the upper hand.
Tate, Shen Jing, and even Matthews all benefited from Wang Xiucheng's assistance.
Like the Rockets, the Magic have a group of young players, especially this year's high draft pick Wagner, who is highly anticipated.
However, the Rockets controlled the game throughout the first quarter. Neither Wagner nor Bamba had many good opportunities and relied more on their individual abilities to score.
Last year's Magic rookie, Cole Anthony, was clearly not in form yet, especially after being tricked into committing two fouls by Wang Xiucheng, which made him seem somewhat hesitant.
At the end of the first quarter, the Rockets led 31-24.
In the second quarter, Porter Jr. and Wood finally came on.
The two players, who were seething with anger, immediately led the Rockets on a 9-2 run.
But Magic quickly figured out the two's tactics.
These two are basically a two-person show; the basketball rarely gets to anyone else's hands.
Gradually, magic began to take the initiative.
A 12-4 run brought the score back to 44-38.
The game was paused, and Porter Jr. and Wood had perfectly completed their tasks.
But neither of them smiled.
Wang Xiucheng and the others went on stage again.
However, the Magic had already established their momentum, and Cole Anthony had regained his touch, making his passes more threatening.
After Wang Xiucheng came on, the Magic surprisingly went on another mini-run.
At halftime, the Magic led the Rockets 56-54 by 2 points.
After halftime.
The game between the Rockets and the Magic became very close.
Until the very last minute of the game, the two teams were still separated by only one goal.
After Cole Anthony hit a three-pointer, the Magic took a 116-115 lead.
There were only 7 seconds left in the game.
Silas called the final timeout.
The Rockets' final possession could decide the fate of the team once again.
The timeout ended, and Shen Jing served from the center line.
Cole Anthony stuck to Wang Xiucheng, preventing him from receiving the ball.
Wang Xiucheng ran back, using his speed to shake off Cole Anthony, and then received the ball from Shen Jing in the last second before the inbounds violation.
After receiving the ball, Wang Xiucheng quickly moved forward, crossed his arms and spun around Cole Anthony's legs, leaving Cole Anthony behind.
There are 3 seconds left.
Wang Xiucheng crossed the center line and entered the offensive half of the court.
All the Magic players were letting Wang Xiucheng drive to the basket and pass the ball inside.
The Rockets are down by only one point; they just need one two-pointer to win.
However, just after Wang Xiucheng crossed the center line, he jumped up, stepping on the Rockets logo, and threw the ball high into the air.
Everyone was watching the ball, their eyes following its movements.
Swish!
The basketball traced a beautiful arc, like a shooting star falling into the net.
The logo is divided into three parts, then it goes in.
beep!
The final whistle blew.
The Rockets defeated the Magic 118-116 at home.
Wang Xiucheng did not retract his shooting hand, but held it high, like a victor.
For Wang Xiucheng, driving in for a layup or passing to the inside player is far less effective than activating the [Guaranteed Three-Point Shot Card].
The Houston Rockets have won five straight games at home!
But no one knew that the Rockets' winning streak was far from over.