Chapter 77

At the moment Collins roared, the director had already switched to the replay footage, showing Randolph turning around, Yang Mo forcing him to his death, Randolph lowering his shoulder to charge, and finally, the desperate backward jump shot that was blocked... The replay was crystal clear.

Yang Mo's move was very clean, with no foul play at all. On the contrary, Randolph was suspected of traveling and lowering his shoulder to charge.

When this footage was shown, the fans watching on the big screen all covered their eyes, unable to bear the sight of Yang Mo's fierce block. It looked too much like a cruel butcher, even though Yang Mo was very handsome, fitting both Eastern and Western aesthetics. However, his expression was just too fierce. The fact that Randolph's face was covered in blood further proved that Yang Mo was a violent defender.

"Indeed, there was nothing wrong with the defense," Barkley said objectively after patting his chest to calm down.

"The defense was indeed not a problem, but... his expression was too fierce, and he used too much force in the block. Now that Randolph's face is covered in blood, he definitely can't continue the game. Undoubtedly, this was a premeditated block," Steve Kerr said, clearly with a subjective bias.

"This was absolutely not a premeditated block," Barkley strongly rebutted. "No one can predict what will happen on the court in the next second, not even Michael Jordan. Moreover, if Yang wanted to hurt Randolph, he could have landed on Randolph to cushion his fall, rather than falling to the side of the floor, which would have caused more harm to himself."

"Why was his expression so fierce? Why did he use so much force? He could have lightly swatted the ball away, wouldn't that have been more amicable?" Steve Kerr argued, and as they argued, the studio began to have a bit of a hostile atmosphere. However, the audience loved it. Since Yang Mo and Randolph entered the one-on-one mode, TNT's ratings had soared by several percentage points.

Hearing this, Barkley couldn't help but sneer, clearly with a contemptuous tone. "Sorry, I can't discuss the defense in the paint with an outside three-point shooter. You guys focus on the soft touch for your three-pointers, while we in the paint talk about muscle, passion, and the determination to fight for every ball. No one with a weak heart can survive in the paint. I admire Yang, I really do. I think there was nothing wrong with this block. This is the best block of the year, even the best block of the century, no doubt about it, and no one can deny it."

Barkley became more and more agitated, almost ready to roll up his sleeves and challenge Steve Kerr.

Seeing Barkley so agitated, the host Collins quickly intervened, "Alright, let's not argue about this. The referee didn't call a foul, so... this was a normal block."

The TNT commentators were arguing, but the CCTV studio remained harmonious. They were using the signal from TNT, so they could hear their arguments and even use them as a topic.

"Regarding this slightly bloody block, our American colleagues are arguing like a pot of porridge. The former NBA sharpshooter Kerr thinks Yang Mo was too cruel. The former rebound king Barkley, who once kissed a donkey's ass for mocking our Yao Ming, is now on Yang Mo's side, thinking this was a very good block," the CCTV host Yu Jia said, clearly favoring Yang Mo, after all, he was Chinese, and if he didn't support his own, who would?

"I think Barkley might have learned from our Yao Ming. Last year, he was very optimistic about Yi Jianlian, and this year, he is firmly in favor of Yang Mo, almost becoming a good friend of the Chinese people," the commentator Yang Yi also favored Yang Mo.

The two of them echoed each other, like a comedy duo, not feeling that there was anything wrong with Yang Mo leaving the court with blood on his face and eating a hot dog. After all, he was their own, and if Yang Mo had been the one bleeding, they would have protested and condemned it.

When your own child hits someone, you might say a few words in public, but if your own child is hit, you would definitely make a big fuss.

This is human nature.

No matter how the commentators argued, Yang Mo didn't care. He glanced at the bloodied Randolph a few times and decisively returned to the bench. After all the commotion, he was a bit hungry again, so he bought a hot dog from a passing vendor and chewed it nonchalantly.

He didn't feel disgusted or guilty. On the court, anything can happen. If he had been the one bleeding, he wouldn't have blamed the other person, as long as they didn't violate sportsmanship.

Is basketball without blood still basketball? Who hasn't had their eyebrow split and bled?

Yang Mo himself didn't think it was a big deal, but the fans thought he was too cruel. Just after making someone bleed all over the floor, he could turn around and eat a hot dog with blood on his face. Wasn't he naturally cold-blooded?

"Yang, that was a good play," Pat Riley walked over to Yang Mo, found a bench, and sat down, sincerely praising him. When he coached in New York, he had a group of tough, hard-fighting players, and he loved this kind of iron-blooded player.

So what if he made someone bleed and then ate a hot dog? That's just the way tough guys are, deal with it!

"Randolph is too weak," Yang Mo said, his mouth full of the last bite of the hot dog. "I think we can win this game. The Knicks' frontcourt will definitely be afraid to attack the paint I'm guarding after seeing all this blood."

"Of course, the current Knicks don't have a single tough guy," Pat Riley said with a relaxed expression. In fact, a few minutes ago, he was still at a loss due to the score deficit. He was increasingly convinced that drafting Yang Mo with the eighth pick was a wise decision, one that would be a highlight of his career.

"Then..." Yang Mo took advantage of Pat Riley's good mood and asked, "Can we forget about me not returning to the hotel last night?"

"Let's talk about it after we win the game!" Pat Riley smiled, clearly not willing to pursue it.

Seeing this, Yang Mo was very happy. He grabbed another hot dog and pointed at Cooper, "Get the money from Cooper later."

Cooper looked miserable, "Why me? You guys haven't even paid for the beef and pasta I bought just now."

However, he didn't dare to complain to Yang Mo. Looking at the pool of blood on the floor, he felt a chill down his spine.

...

[Third update delivered, please recommend and collect. PS: Thank you to "Fēisè Jiǔtiān" for the 588 coins and "Fēngqǐ Jīnlíng" for the 100 coins. We're almost at 500 recommendations, can we get eight updates? It's up to you, brothers!]

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