Four Hundred and Forty-One: The Real Basketball Holy Land

On the plane to Indianapolis, Iguodala sat next to Link.

Link didn't care much at first, after all, Tony Allen and his gang started gambling on the plane again.

When Tony Allen and O.J. Mayo got into a poker fight on an airplane, Lionel Hollins banned players from gambling on airplanes. But with the Grizzlies changing coaches, that rule no longer exists.

Stevens, of course, knew what happened that year, but he didn't ban players from playing cards on the plane. As a result, Stevens has confidence in the current Grizzlies team atmosphere. Second, it is normal for the players to relax occasionally.

To put it bluntly, competitive sports dishes are the original sin. Before the game, Jordan ordered a pizza because of his cravings and got food poisoning, but he was still able to lead the team to win the game with a high fever. In this way, people will only remember Jordan's feverish battle, and not at all why a professional player would order pizza on a big night.

But if the grades are not good, you can't eat an egg-filled pancake.

So, as long as the results and team atmosphere can be guaranteed, Stevens thinks there is nothing wrong with letting players play cards on the plane.

And not everyone on the Grizzlies is interested in poker, such as Link, who almost never takes part in his teammates' bets. Now, one more player the Grizzlies don't like to play cards with is Iguodala.

Therefore, seeing Iguodala sitting beside him, Link was not surprised. People who don't like playing cards will definitely not sit in the middle of a bunch of gamblers and make a fool of themselves.

"Link, although it has been several days, I still want to say, thank you for your Christmas present." As everyone knows, Iguodala spoke as soon as he sat down.

"Ah? Don't be so polite. There will be more opportunities for us to send gifts to each other in the future." Link waved his hand, but Iguodala came to express his thanks.

"Haha, all my years with the 76ers...to be honest, I've never received a gift like this."

"Because you were in the Sixers era and tablets weren't popular," Link joked with Iguodala.

"No, I mean greeting cards. It's true that most people send cards to each other. But it's the first time I've seen you written with such care. I'm glad you treat me with such respect, Link. Just like in the card. Say, we can do more together. I'd love to do something with you here. You know, this is my contract year, and this summer, I'm going to be a free agent. To be honest, just came to Memphis At the time, I hadn't decided whether to renew or not. But now, to be honest, Memphis is my first choice."

After Iguodala finished speaking, he patted Link on the shoulder, then got up and left to read a book.

Link didn't expect that a small greeting card he sent would have such great power. It made Iguodala suddenly give himself a "true confession" on the plane.

Maybe now, Iguodala has found a place in Memphis too? No, he has said that he prefers big cities like the Bay Area or Los Angeles, which helps him grow in business.

He may not have such deep feelings for Memphis, but Link is sure that at least he loves the Grizzlies now.

With a "Great Dharma Protector" beside him, Link instantly felt a lot more at ease.

In the card, he said what he would do with Iguodala. Maybe it won't take too long, this season, maybe they can really do something.

※※※

After the plane arrived in Indianapolis,

The local reporters were so enthusiastic that they filled the entire waiting hall with water.

Basketball isn't actually the most popular sport in many cities. Sports such as rugby and baseball may be more popular.

But in Indianapolis, basketball is absolutely loved. This is a city with a glorious history of basketball, with a huge audience, from high school basketball to college basketball to professional basketball.

Basketball is comparable to a religion in Indiana. In the Pacers' home stadium, there is even a sentence written - "Indiana may not have created basketball, but basketball created Indiana." New 81 Chinese website updates the fastest computer:

Indeed, Indiana produced a lot of basketball celebrities. For example, Larry Bird, who is still talked about by people, is one of the greatest pitchers in the history of the league, Reggie Miller, and the mentor of Isiah Thomas, the "Smiling Assassin". , the legendary coach "Hot Daddy" Bobby Knight, who led the 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team to the championship.

Therefore, whenever a major game is played in Indianapolis, reporters here will go out in full force, doing their best to bring fans first-hand coverage.

Link looked at the enthusiastic reporters around him, as if he could already feel the hot atmosphere in the Bankers Life Arena tomorrow night in advance.

It's really a basketball mecca, and no wonder there are people like George and current Grizzlies coach Brad Stevens. . . .

Speaking of which, in Indianapolis, the most popular Grizzlies is not Link, but Stevens.

Countless reporters surrounded the coach who led Butler to two NCAA finals and asked him many questions. On the contrary, Link is like a little transparent, as if no one cares.

When Link got on the team bus and was about to leave for the hotel, Link took out his mobile phone and read the news, only to realize that in Indianapolis, someone still cared about him.

Lance Stephenson: "I'll burn Link at Bankers Life Arena."

"Trash talk? He can't spray me because I'm the kind of guy who always talks trash in games and makes them uncomfortable. I'll make him uncomfortable, and I'll definitely keep doing it. , and fight him to the end."

"We're not afraid of being No. 1 in the league. We will aim to beat No. 1 in the league."

In the news, many media outlets put Stephenson's remarks in the headlines. God knows how hard this guy said when facing a microphone.

But since the other party was Stephenson, Link was not surprised. This guy who was born in a slum and has been ridiculed and excluded since he was a child is naturally impossible to grow into a handsome gentleman.

And Larry Bird also said that Lance Stephenson is a player who is eager for big scenes. The bigger the scene, the more excited he is, and he has no fear. No matter if you are James or Link, as long as he stands on the court, he has the aura of daring to challenge the number one in the world.

The more important the game, the stronger the opponent, the more boiling the arena, the more it can accelerate the adrenaline secretion of this guy. starter

There's still a whole day left until the game starts, and this guy can't wait. It seems that this time his adrenaline is a little too secreted.

When the bus arrived at the hotel and Link got off the game, a group of reporters immediately reached out and asked Link about Stephenson.

"What do you think about Lance Stephenson's provocation?"

Link originally wanted to wave his hand to leave, but suddenly had an idea, so he stopped and faced the microphone.

"Who are you talking about?" Link asked.

"Uh...Lance Stephenson."

"Stephenson? I don't know, is it higher than me in the All-Star voting?"

Seeing the reporter's surprised expression, Link turned and left with satisfaction.

That's a warning, tell Stephenson that bastard - I'm a fucking bastard like you, don't think you can fool me with just a few words!

The jerk meets the jerk, and the game has not yet started, but it has become interesting.