Extra Story: Our Journey(1/2)
I've been hesitating about how to unfold my final chapter? First of all, I can't give you the answer. It's 2015 and I can't tell you how my life is like after retirement, and I don't know if I can devote my entire career to Motor City like Dor.mo, Grant, Garbage Dog, Louis, Dajia and others.
You just need to know that until 2015, I still played for the Pistons, and I reached a four-year deal with the team in the summer of 2015.
Now I may need to start with the opening match in 2013.
It was the opening game, the flag-raising celebration, and the night of the retirement of Dor.mo and Grant's jerseys.
They are so special to the Pistons that the team is reluctant to delay the days of retirement jerseys.
In fact, the NBA team will not put grand days together.
What are the most feared in Manman’s 82 regular season games? It’s boredom.
With gimmicks, it can attract audiences. The Pistons will also hold the flag-raising ceremony and the retirement of the legendary player jersey on the same day, which is actually not in line with the rules.
I believe the management has taken a lot of considerations. Later I learned that they chose to retire the jersey on this day, just because Dor.mo is only willing to come to the United States on this day.
So it was decided.
We ushered in the most special opening game in history.
NBA has never had an opener battle so serious in history, it was like the day of the league's disbandment.
All seats in the Imperial Axis Arena are full.
There are countless people piled up in the square outside the stadium.
The existence of the super large screen allows fans outside to see it even across the street.
How many people were there? I can't explain clearly.
That day, we defeated our opponents under the witness of Dor.mo and Grant and others.
Then the real highlight began.
The official produced a touching collection of tributes, with the collection of Dor.mo and Grant being put together, just as they have run through each other's careers.
The peak of dor.mo is filled with Grant's figure.
Grant played 7 years more than Dor.mo, but his best 11 years were spent with Dor.mo.
They each gave speeches.
Dor.mo is still the same, he doesn't thank anyone in particular. In his eyes, we are the ones who should thank him. I must say that he is not wrong at all. He doesn't need to thank anyone.
This is the dor.mo I know.
Whether it is his series of "Please Witness" legends, the consistent coolness, or the trash stories that fans talk about, it is those things that constitute the dor.mo.
I haven't been able to witness their peak, but I'm lucky enough to work with them, so it's not bad either.
When the number 9 of dor.mo and number 33 of Grant were rising, I heard the fat boy say, "Will we do this one day?"
"It's a must." Brandon didn't embarrass him.
I hummed softly, although I believe from the bottom of my heart that all three of us will receive the favor of Dor.mo and Grant in the future, is it better to go against Fatty? How can I not object to him?
"What are you humming?" Did he really not understand or pretend not to understand?
"snort!"
I am consistent.
Seeing that I didn't explain, Fatty also snorted proudly. Brandon rolled his eyes in place, and I'm sure he was calling us stupid in his heart.
After the show ended, Grant came to us to greet him. When we asked about where Dor.mo was going, the result was that he had left.
To be honest, we have some regrets.
We have rarely been contacted since he retired. As far as I know, only Brandon has contacted him. Brandon is a piece of glass and often needs a warranty. Dor.mo is the best doctor. Although he doesn't have surgery, a reliable doctor can make a plan to operate on him. In addition, only Grant and him are in a fixed connection.
It sounds like he is heartless.
But after thinking about it carefully, nothing is wrong.
There are not many Pistons players who joined the team in the Millennium who can establish a private friendship with Dor.mo. Fatty may be one, but he always keeps silent about the whereabouts and current situation of Dor.mo.
Since 2000, dor.mo has established his status as a sacred person, and he has become a sacred existence in the eyes of young people.
Outsiders see him as fearful as a tiger, and we suffer even more.
Many times, we don’t even dare to look up to him, so what’s the intention to establish friendship with him? And he doesn’t want to bring the connections on the court.
So when he retired, the only connection between us disappeared.
We are not the kind of relationship that is compatible with brothers and friends, but the influence he brings on us and the mark he leaves on us will accompany us for life.
Leaving nothing but a few words may be the best greeting.
He is still him, and I believe he also hopes that we are still us. It is the group of hopeful young people who he has confidence in delivering to the team.
We embark on the journey of the new season.
The first two months were smooth sailing, and in 2014, Brandon was injured.
We are used to him being injured whenever he performs well. Even if it is a minor injury, the team will start the highest level of preparation plan.
Losing the All-Star Level Control, our record has fluctuated.
After suffering a series of losses, the winning rate of a single month is only 50%.
I was furious in the locker room, using all the vulgar words to teach young people a lesson.
I saw the rookie who had just joined the team being sprayed out of control by me but had no enjoyment, and I felt sad.
If the dynasty is to be continued, it is not possible to rely on a few of us alone.
Dor.mo and Grant had already found a suitable successor when they were at our age. This is another big problem that has troubled us.
The Pistons can complete the supreme dominance of ten consecutive championships, which requires not only stable core players, but also endless stream of fresh blood.
From 1995 to 2007, that is, during the 12 years of Dor.mo in the team, we can still win in the draft even if we don’t have the highest draft picks.
When Dor.mo retired, the tradition of Taobao was retired.
The current core team is still left by the previous generation.
With me, Fatty, Brandon, Gerald, Michael (Conley), and Big Webster (Webster) as the core.
Michael is just average, Big Weber's development is not as good as expected, Brandon is injured many times, and the fat boy is not healthy, and even I can't guarantee attendance.
The reason for traceability is that our management can no longer introduce high-quality fresh blood like it did back then.
There have been rumors that Dor.mo controls the Pistons' draft. At first, no one believes it, but looking at our drafts over the years, I have to believe it if I don't believe it.
Just when I was feeling emotion, the fat man spoke.
He comforted the collapsed novices and told me to stop my temper.
"It's not the time to cry, we still have something to do." Fatty said calmly. I rarely see him being so serious. "The task of Dad and Mom has been completed. They have helped the team win ten consecutive championships. Now, the baton is handed over to us. What do you plan to do?"
I couldn't help asking him: "Maybe you can tell us what to do."
“I think we have our mission.”
"for example?"
Eddie Curry said loudly: "Let the Imperial Axis Arena raise more championship flags than the Garden."
Many people say that our transformation lies in the winning streak after the All-Star weekend, but I will tell you that the transformation begins at this moment.
We have goals, just like dor.mo and others.
The All-Star Weekend ended and Brandon made a comeback. We entered March unstoppable and did not lose the whole month.
In April, I lost only 2 games.
We, who were originally at a disadvantage, went to the top of the helicopter league list.
Moreover, there has been huge controversy about the selection of mvp.
Brandon Roy – I have to call him all – he played only 66 games and snatched his crown from LeBron’s hands.
Brandon becomes MVP!
The judges' basis is not that he averaged 22 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists per game, but that in the 66 games he played, the Pistons lost only 4 games.
In terms of scores, he is not as much as me;
In terms of the comprehensiveness of the data and the importance of the defensive end, he is not as good as Fatty;
But he has exactly what Fatty and I are missing.
He has the courage to kill and decisively and his mother's lenient manner, but unfortunately it is unhealthy, otherwise he would have become the best defender of this era.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, my fateful showdown with LeBron was staged again.
There are three iconic moments in this series.
game2, Brandon misplaced to beat LeBron, hitting the decisive kill;
game5, the fat boy swallowed Chris Bosh.
game6, I scored 40 points, and the Miamis failed to drag the game into tiebreak.
To be continued...