Chapter 59

By the fourth quarter, the game was officially declared a garbage time, and both teams had substituted their bench players. The Nets fans, who had been cursing furiously, gradually left the arena after their throats were hoarse from shouting. Today, they had come to see Brook Lopez teach Yang Mo a lesson, but instead, they ended up with their faces bloodied and their pride shattered. If they had known they would spend money to feel so bad, they wouldn't have come to watch the game at all.

The Nets fans left in disappointment, which was a very celebratory moment for Yang Mo. Watching the Nets fans walk back with their heads hanging low, he couldn't help but recall their arrogance at the start of the game. The two contrasting scenes made Yang Mo smile involuntarily. At that moment, he really wanted to ask them again: "Nets fans, are you having fun? I am!"

With the fans dispersing, the players on the court also lost their motivation. Yang Mo, with nothing to do, decided to sit next to the Girls' Generation and chat with them.

"YoonA, how do you think I played today?" Yang Mo asked with a smile.

"Awesome!" YoonA cutely extended her thumb, and then, feeling that one thumb wasn't enough to express her excitement, she extended the other one as well. She then asked shyly, "Opa, can you send me a dunk like the one you sent to Jessica?"

"Sure, no problem," Yang Mo replied without much thought.

Yang Mo's immediate agreement made YoonA almost jump for joy. However, Jessica, sitting next to Yang Mo, pinched his waist, leaving Yang Mo very confused.

Jessica, with a hint of jealousy, whispered, "You're not allowed to send a dunk to her, only to me."

"What are you talking about?" Yang Mo was a bit taken aback. He didn't consciously consider Jessica as his girlfriend, so he found her jealousy unwarranted. They were all just friends, so what was the big deal about sending a dunk?

While Yang Mo didn't see Jessica as his girlfriend, Jessica saw Yang Mo as her only one. Women are creatures with strong possessiveness; they don't allow anyone else to have what they have claimed.

At this moment, Taeyeon asked softly, "Opa, I want one too. Can you send me a dunk?"

Before Yang Mo could respond, Jessica pinched him again.

This time, it was harder, and Yang Mo let out a "Ouch!" The women around him didn't know what was wrong with Yang Mo, so he quickly stood up and said, "I... I forgot, the general manager needs me for something. We'll talk later!"

Yang Mo left quickly.

After Yang Mo's clever departure, Jessica couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh: "Opa is actually quite cute."

The other women were a bit puzzled. Why did he suddenly run off when they were chatting so well?

Yang Mo ran to the bench, where Pat Riley pulled him aside and asked with a smile, "How would you rate your performance today?"

"Eighty-five points," Yang Mo said seriously. "Actually, I played so well today partly because the Nets didn't know me. Once other teams understand my style, I might have a harder time."

"Right," Pat Riley nodded, appreciating Yang Mo's attitude. He wasn't arrogant or impatient, unlike some players who get cocky after a good game. Not all good players are self-reflective, but those who are generally are good players.

"Oh, by the way, sir. I don't want to go to the press conference later," Yang Mo said suddenly.

"Why?" Pat Riley was surprised. In his view, being invited to a press conference was a great honor for a player, and players needed exposure.

"I'm afraid I might come off as too arrogant," Yang Mo scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.

Pat Riley chuckled. "Okay, if you don't want to go, you don't have to."

"Also... I want to take the night off..."

Before Yang Mo could finish, Pat Riley smiled suggestively. "To be with your girlfriend? I approve, but you must be at 100% for the game against New York the day after tomorrow. Can you do that?"

"No problem!"

"Alright, you can arrange your time as you see fit." Pat Riley managed Yang Mo quite freely; he didn't want to interfere with Yang Mo's personal life because he knew Yang Mo was a disciplined player, and a disciplined player wouldn't act recklessly.

"Thanks."

After some time, the boring game finally ended. The Heat won 118-89.

After the game, as Yang Mo was about to slip back to the locker room, an ESPN reporter stopped him: "Yang, I want to ask you..."

"Don't ask me, I don't know anything," Yang Mo waved his hands, unwilling to cooperate with the camera.

"You're the star of the night, how can you not know? Say a few words," the ESPN reporter, an experienced veteran, calmly set a trap for Yang Mo. "What do you think of Lopez?"

"I think he's very tall and has a big mouth," Yang Mo said simply.

"What about his skills?"

"Very good. If he played in the CUBA, he would definitely dominate the game," Yang Mo said, getting into the spirit. He didn't want to do the interview, but the old reporter's questions about Lopez made him inadvertently reveal some truths.

"So, you think he can't beat you, right?"

"You've seen it, I don't want to say more. I'm afraid people will think I'm too arrogant," Yang Mo shrugged, speaking calmly. He added, "Actually, I'm a very humble player. I never say I'm going to dominate someone, but Lopez does. He's a great speaker and very good at boosting his opponents' morale. I'm very grateful to him."

Ha!

The old reporter couldn't help but laugh. He thought Yang Mo was boring when he refused the interview, but he turned out to be quite interesting. So, he asked, "Who do you think is the MVP of this game?"

"Dwyane Wade." This time, Yang Mo didn't fall for the trap. He firmly said Wade's name: "He led us to victory. He's a great leader and has proven himself in the finals. This season, he will definitely lead us to great achievements. I have 100% confidence in that."

Yang Mo's answer was a bit formal, and the old reporter found it lacking in excitement. So, he tried to set another trap, but Yang Mo had already thanked the camera and waved goodbye, quickly running back to the locker room, leaving the old reporter to finish the segment alone.

In the ESPN studio, the team burst into laughter upon hearing Yang Mo's interview.

"This kid has the potential to be a great wit. Bill, as a veteran in the wit world, what do you think?" Mike Breen laughed and threw the topic to NBA columnist Bill Simmons.

"Indeed, his words were great. I especially liked his line, 'He's a great speaker and can boost his opponents' morale.' I might use that in my next article. But... I have to say, Yang isn't good enough yet. His strong performance today was because the opponent didn't know him, and the Nets' interior defense was too weak," Bill Simmons praised but then added a bit of wit.

"I agree with Bill, but I don't doubt that Yang can make it in the NBA," Jeff Van Gundy briefly shared his thoughts.

Marco Jackson basically echoed the same sentiment.

In other words, despite Yang Mo's dominant performance, scoring 12 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 blocks, he still didn't gain the full recognition of the experts. They still doubted whether he would perform well against the next opponent.

Yang Mo had anticipated this. After all, it's impossible to change someone's preconceived notions with just one game. All he could do was continue to fight, defeat one opponent after another, and conquer one arena after another.

Life is a journey, and the fight never ends!

There are people who exist to fight. They will never live in others' mouths. Let others say what they want; the path is under their own feet.

---

Page AD begins

Page AD ends