No.1 in basketball scoring-Chapter 833 - 355. The corner no one cares about_2

But by last night, as the media began promoting the NCAA basketball Final Four, most fans’ attention returned to college basketball. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

Zhang Yang wasn’t surprised. It’s March Madness, after all. To steal the spotlight during the day before the Final Four is already quite an achievement.

This morning, Zhang Yang left for the arena earlier than usual, arriving at the parking lot just past 7 a.m., but it wasn’t for training...

When he reached the third training court, apart from a few veterans, most of his teammates were already there.

Seeing Zhang Yang, Felton came over and whispered, "Jack, everything’s ready, shall we start?"

That sneaky look on Fat Boss made Zhang Yang take a step back involuntarily and replied at normal volume, "Boss, we’re not thieves, why are you whispering? Let’s go, let’s act quickly, so we don’t get caught red-handed. He’ll be here soon."

Felton: "..."

Your volume doesn’t sound like a thief, but your words are even more like one!

The group, carrying large bags, chatted about how to pull off the prank as they quickly moved toward the boss’s office, with Okafor leading the way without saying a word.

The staff members who saw them on the way pretended not to see and didn’t dare to stop or ask them any questions...

Just after 8 a.m., Jordan arrived at the arena.

During the first few days of each month, he would come to the arena very early to demonstrate his diligence as the boss, although he’d come in later on the second day and even later on the third...

But it didn’t matter; he’s the boss after all. Does he have to punch in like everyone else?

It’s not like he’s running an all-female bar.

However, today he felt something was off. Usually, when he came in this early, the staff would enthusiastically gather around him, saying nice things like, "I want to take Michael as my role model and work hard." Hearing this made him feel good, so he’d reward them with a bonus of three or five hundred US dollars. But today, no one said anything nice; instead, everyone was diligently working, and the staff cleaning the court seemed busier than the Cardinals.

Qiao Tu: No, guys, just saying you’ll work harder is fine, but you’re actually doing it?

Feeling a bit out of place, but as the boss, Jordan was still relatively happy to see his employees working hard. However, a bit of flattery wouldn’t have hurt.

Oh well, let’s go light some incense for Guan Yu first.

Passing by the conference room and lounge, he peered in and saw the coaching staff and the Big Brother Group having a small meeting, which pleased him.

The team’s situation wasn’t just good; it was very good!

Arriving at the office, Jordan went straight to the God of Wealth to respectfully offer incense.

In his early years, he wasn’t very religious; he’d pray at church but wouldn’t go out of his way. But after becoming a boss, he grew more superstitious, noticing that many things were not just about effort.

Effort is, of course, important, but luck is more crucial.

When he entered the NBA, it was pure luck meeting William-Willis; without him persisting on signing with Nike and not compromising with the then ultra-popular Converse, the shoe legend and the AJ brand wouldn’t exist.

And on the day of the trial three years ago, if he hadn’t impulsively come to watch, he might not have chosen this junior instead of Shawn May with the 13th pick of the first round.

Shawn May’s talent and immediate impact were decent, matching the late lottery pick.

But this junior let loose right after getting his rookie contract. In April 2005 during the March Madness finals, he weighed 113 kilograms, with a height of 206 cm, making him a monster inside the paint in college and bound to have decent immediate impact in the NBA.

But by late September 2005, when he reported to the Timberwolves, he weighed 128 kilograms, having spent months indulging in excess, ruining his body.

He played 23 games in his rookie year with the Timberwolves, averaging 8 points and 5 rebounds; then was traded to the Kings in his second year, playing 35 games averaging 11 points and 7 rebounds; this season he’s been injured all along, has yet to play a game, had three major knee injuries in three years, and his NBA career is pretty much over.

While his talent and immediate impact matched the 13th pick, in terms of self-discipline, Jordan thought a late second-round minimum or an undrafted non-guaranteed contract might be more suitable for this junior.

Jordan was grateful he went to check out the trials and discovered another junior, who the alma mater later forced into a legend status!

After offering incense, Jordan felt exceptionally good, thinking today was another lucky day.

He was about to lounge in his office chair waiting for his secretary, but he was dumbfounded as soon as he turned around.

The photo he thought was very handsome in his youth, which originally hung on the wall, was gone.

It was replaced by this picture.

A line was attached below the photo — A Man I Never Defeated.

The walls on either side of the photo were plastered with enlarged newspapers and magazines, covering everywhere except the area where Guan Yu was.

The content was so clear even from several meters away. The news showed his playoff eliminations in the first six years of his career, mostly after being knocked out by Big Bird.

He even saw Barkley’s commentary on Big Bird’s statement "God wore number 23 to play," remarking that Big Bird just meant even God couldn’t beat him, and Michael foolishly thought Big Bird was praising him.

A pile of stuff on his desk was all gone, leaving only a gigantic bird plushie...

A few seconds later, a roar of rage erupted from the boss’s office.

"Fa*ck**** Who did this!"

...

After roaring for a while, Jordan furiously asked an employee who had entered his office; the employee said a bunch of people went in, too many to count.

Fuming, he stormed into the conference room, where the coaching staff and players had just gathered, and twenty pairs of eyes stared straight at him.

When he demanded to know who did it, the players responded with innocent eyes...

Seeing this, he naturally knew who did it, or who led the prank, but couldn’t say it out loud. Frustrated, he fined everyone on the team $500 each, only to have two juniors generously pay everyone’s fines.

What a disaster!

Jordan regretted: I should have resolutely chosen that junior back then; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been pranked... No, I still must choose this junior.

He regretted again: I shouldn’t have arrived so early in the month to showcase diligence. If I only came sporadically, I might not be the target of the prank.

Seething with anger, he returned to his office and, without knowing why, read through all the headlines pasted on the wall one by one.

As he read, he became less angry and instead felt a wave of nostalgia.

The time 20 years ago, when he struggled in the East playoffs, replayed in his mind.

Recalling these events, he didn’t lament like other failures, nor did he ponder ’what if I had done this or that to win’; he purely reminisced.

Because later, he won, defeating all his opponents, claiming six finals victories over five of the era’s strongest rivals.

He even took revenge on the assassin Thomas, who had beaten him three consecutive times, and did so with a sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals, the pinnacle of the East.

So, he, along with his fans, regarded the setbacks of the 80s as growth nutrients, praising those who had once defeated him instead of disparaging them.

Yet, there remained one regret in his heart as he turned to look at the photo of him and Big Bird on the wall. This was the only opponent he’d never beaten in the playoffs.

He had thought about facing the peak Green Army of ’86, led by the three-time MVP and champion Big Bird, in his championship seasons, wondering who’d prevail... He wasn’t sure.

After reading the news plastered on the wall, an odd thought, even to himself, emerged: These mischievous kids were quite thoughtful; some of these articles I’ve never seen before, yet they collected them all!

Wait, how am I supposed to deal with all this stuff on the wall? Should I hire someone to clean it up? And after cleaning, I’d have to redecorate!

Fa*ck! I should’ve fined them more!

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