Chapter 903 902.40+ Still Going on (Asking for Monthly Votes)

Yao Ming took Liu Mang and the others to the parking lot and saw the Rockets players taking out some cardboard boxes and placing them in an open space in the parking lot.

After a while, the fans came out one after another, and there were a lot of them. They put the hamburgers given to them by the staff at the end of the game into the large cardboard box that Mutombo had prepared, and then drank Coke and left.

The key is that at this time, almost no fans came to ask for autographs or photos. They all spontaneously put the hamburgers neatly in the box and left.

Most of the fans came without driving. Houston is one of the largest cities in the United States with heavy traffic. Many people took the light rail to watch the game. They came to the parking lot specifically to "turn in" hamburgers.

There were more than twenty boxes in total, each box could hold more than 100 hamburgers, and there were almost 3,000 hamburgers in total. It wasn’t until half an hour later that no fans came, and the cars in the parking lot were almost gone. Mutombo and Mike- James drove over in two very wild and spacious pickup trucks, and the Rockets players loaded the hamburgers into the vehicles.

Liu Mang's head was filled with questions: Are these people trying to steal hamburgers from fans? It's so shameless...

Of course, Liu Mang himself didn't believe this weird idea and looked at Yao Ming in confusion. What's going on?

"Do you know why we performed much better at home after the team gave out hamburgers and Coke to the fans as long as we scored over 100 points at home? At the beginning, we lost 8 games in a row at home.

Later, we were 9-7 at home, and our home record improved so much. It was because of the suggestion of Du Bekan and Mike. They organized an event to deliver hamburgers to the children in the slums. Many fans responded to us, but of course, they did not respond. Yes, we won’t force them to give us hamburgers. If we don’t win the home game, we will collect 10,000 yuan to buy 3,000 hamburgers and send them to the volunteers.

We have not disclosed this matter to the team or the media. As long as we have the opportunity to score 100 points at home, we will never give up.

Although we players all have money, it doesn’t just fall from the sky. Many players go bankrupt soon after they get old and retire. Now many players understand this and have some awareness, so they won’t spend money lavishly.

So when we do charity, it is better to use our appeal to mobilize everyone together. If we each donate 1 million, why not use our influence to encourage everyone to donate a few dollars? Burgers like these are originally part of the team. Many people are willing to accept money given to fans..." Yao Ming said to the Hawks players, mainly to Jason Terry, who obviously had a grudge.

Liu Mang now knows that when the Rockets were trailing by 9 points in just a few seconds at the last moment, Mike James suddenly rushed forward to steal Jason Terry and counterattacked for a dunk, raising the Rockets' total score to 100. point.

It was not for the two points and a steal, but for the fans, that's why he did such an act that could almost be regarded as provocative without hesitation.

Liu Mang understood why a $4 hamburger and Coke meal could make Rockets players so excited.

The Eagles players were silent. Jason Terry was a good guy with a big mouth, but he was indeed a good guy. After hearing Yao Ming's explanation, he walked up and found the guy who had just loaded the burgers into the car with his teammates and was about to drive. Mike James who went to the ghetto.

"Mike, I'm sorry." Jason Terry apologized simply and directly, without all the bells and whistles.

Mike James was stunned for a moment. The guy who used to have his nose turned upside down when he looked at him actually apologized!

The black brothers are very nervous. When Mike James heard Jason Terry's apology, all the grudges in his heart disappeared. He smiled and hugged Jason Terry: "Haha, it doesn't matter, I still made money. Well, one more steal and one more assist.”

Jason Terry felt very complicated, and he felt like he was a bad guy. Of course, this feeling might disappear after a sleep, and it was not a big deal, but he felt very complicated at the moment, so he didn’t talk to Mike James more, but first left.

Mutombo and Mike James left in the pickup truck. The volunteers were still waiting for the hamburgers to be delivered. It was already past 11 o'clock.

The Rockets players said hello to the Hawks players. The relationship between everyone is still good, but there were some minor disputes during the game.

Now that the players on both sides have settled the minor conflict, it's nothing. Liu Mang and Yao Ming didn't fight. Jason Terry and Mike James even hugged each other. Players from both teams returned to the arena from the fan tunnel together.

…

Back in the locker room, the Eagles players saw the furious Coach Krueger.

"Where have you been!" Coach Kruger stared with big eyes, his forehead flashing coldly under the light.

We couldn't find any players for the post-game interview just now. Not to mention Liu Mang and McGrady didn't go, forget it, Jason Terry didn't go, we couldn't even find Kwame Brown, not even Watts at the end of the bench. Lejo is gone, and coach Kruger is on the verge of going berserk.

"..." The Eagles players stared at each other and forgot about the team's affairs. They were all touched by what happened with the Rockets at that time.

Donating hundreds of thousands of dollars would make anyone feel heartbroken. Everyone is young and the vast majority of players have no income after retirement.

But doing charity in this way does not cost much money. Most of the time, it only takes time and gas. It is not particularly difficult, but they have never thought of it.

But now I can't care whether I'm touched or not, Coach Kruger is going to bite!

Liu Mang looked around at his teammates, found the easiest one to bully, and kicked Iguodala on the butt and pushed Iguodala out.

"*&...&*..." Iguodala cursed in a slang, turned around and saw Coach Kruger's unfriendly expression, and immediately said: "Coach, I'm not scolding you, I'm scolding myself for forgetting to tell you in advance that we just helped the Rockets to carry hamburgers to the children in the slums."

Liu Mang saw that Iguodala reacted so quickly and was extremely shameless, so he gave a thumbs up, and it was not in vain that he had been with me for so long.

There was a reason for the incident. Coach Kruger's expression eased a lot, but he still said coldly: "Next time, tell us in advance if there is something. We will send security to accompany you. This is an away game. Be careful when you go out."

Most people are kind by nature, and Coach Kruger is certainly so. When he heard that it was related to the child and nothing happened, his anger subsided for the most part, and he turned around and left the locker room. He was angry when he saw these guys.

Seeing Coach Kruger leave without pursuing the matter, the players breathed a sigh of relief, and the locker room began to make a fuss again.

There are only five games left before the All-Star Weekend, which feels like the winter vacation in a few days when I was a student.

For most players, the All-Star Weekend is the winter vacation.

Liu Mang went to take a shower, and the sweat was dried, and he felt uncomfortable all over.

After taking a shower, he saw McGrady making a phone call at the door, holding a pen and writing something, and he curiously approached.

"...42K6..., OK, I got it, DiBakken, I will ask my agent to donate 500,000 to your charity fund. I can't do anything, I can only do what I can... It's okay, you are the one who has the hardest time, I'll leave it to you." McGrady promised to donate 500,000 US dollars to Mutombo's charity fund, put away the notebook and prepared to put it in the bag in the closet. Just turned around, he saw Liu Mang looking at him with a surprised look.

"Ah, I'm going to do physical therapy first, take a shower, Tracy." Liu Mang didn't reveal anything.

Unexpectedly, this stingy guy, who was the one with the coldest expression in the parking lot just now, donated money behind his back.

Liu Mang really couldn't tell that the guy who was so stingy that he often cheated gasoline from him was not stingy in this regard.

McGrady said nothing, still with that casual look. Liu Mang can now take a shower in the bathroom first and others can take a shower after he finishes. McGrady didn't argue with anything. Liu Mang has finished showering now, and some other teammates have already taken a shower. McGrady also took out a bath towel to take a shower.

…

…

Liu Mang scored 40+ for the 17th time this season, when he played against the Rockets. There are 36 games left, and he needs to get at least 12 more 40+. Liu Mang continues to fight.

The game between the Hawks and the Rockets created a lot of topics for the fans, such as the conflict between the Hawks and the Rockets, which became the focus of discussion among the fans, and the Rockets' poor bench lineup. The Rockets' highest-paid player this season is Morris Taylor, who earns 9 million US dollars, which means he doesn't even earn 10 million per year. Yao Ming is in the third year of his rookie contract, and Richard Jefferson is in the fourth year of his rookie contract. The Rockets have a salary of more than 48 million US dollars. Logically, there should be a lot of high-quality role players with 4 or 5 million US dollars.

As a result, the Rockets have many players with 4 or 5 million US dollars, but they are either old or contract year players...

The Rockets' management was criticized again.

After defeating the Rockets, the Hawks won another 5-game winning streak. With a record of 39 wins and 7 losses, they are ranked first in the Eastern Conference. Whether they can win 10 games in a row before the All-Star Weekend has become a matter of concern to people. This season, only the Suns and the Pistons have won at least 10 games in a row. Do the Hawks have a chance to become the third team to win 10 games in a row?

The Hawks still have 5 games before the All-Star Weekend, 5 games in 10 days, and two back-to-back games. Although the opponents are not very strong, the Supersonics are probably the only strong enemy, but the schedule is tight. Although the Hawks are in good shape recently, it seems that they have started the mid-season rest strategy every year. Therefore, fans are concerned about whether the Hawks can win 10 games in a row before the All-Star Weekend and enter the rest time of the All-Star Weekend to accumulate some advantages for the next brutal schedule.

On the afternoon of February 1, the Hawks returned to Atlanta and rested for a night. The next day, they conducted team training and began to prepare for the back-to-back games against the Clippers and the Bulls on the 3rd and 4th.

Very tight preparation time, the Hawks have been like this since the 2002-03 season, and in the middle of the season, on the evening of the 3rd, the Hawks ushered in the first back-to-back game against the Clippers.

The Hawks began to rest, and at this time the advantage of the Hawks' lineup depth was reflected.

Usually the lineup depth does not play a big role, the main players are the five starters, plus Terry, Muhammad, and Mourning, the playing time of others is not stable, mainly because the rookies really can't play the role of those old players. When they play, the strength of the Hawks is obviously reduced. A strong team like the Hawks can't give too much playing time to rookies or sophomores. Too many opportunities to play to train, unless they can become the team's core scorer in the second year like Liu Mang, but Liu Mang's performance in the first and second years is at the historical level, and these rookies obviously don't have that kind of strength.

Even Calderon and Iguodala, who are the most capable players among the first and second year players, will only play when needed, and Josh Smith's playing time is not stable.

This is how it is for rookies with potential and good physical fitness to play in a championship team. They can learn from excellent predecessors, but they must also have a calm mentality. Willie Green, who was traded away in the middle of last season, was abandoned by the Hawks because he could not play and was idle outside the court.

However, although these rookies have obvious shortcomings this season, their advantages are also obvious, and they have become part of the future plan.

In the game against the Clippers, the Hawks rested McGrady and Rasheed Wallace, and used Liu Mang, Korver, Prince, Muhammad, and Kwame Brown to start.

The Hawks' rest strategy is to take turns resting McGrady and Prince, who are strong in single defense, and use Korver, who is strong in supplementary defense, to make up for the decline in strength caused by rest to the greatest extent.

The Hawks coaching staff and players will not be under much pressure when playing against the Clippers. If the Rockets and Spurs play against the Hawks, then Liu Mang is good at playing against the Clippers.

The Clippers are basically training young players this season. Kaman is still in his growth period. He averages 9 points and 6 rebounds per game, which is a lot of progress compared to last season. However, they have a group of strong forwards, at least second-rate stars, including Brand, a power forward who averages 20+10 per game all year round, but they don’t have a good point guard. They play singles or singles. After Odom and Andre Miller left the Clippers, the Clippers don’t have anyone who can organize the offense.

The Clippers are quite good at singles, with a record of 19 wins and 28 losses, which is a big improvement compared to the same period last season. However, compared with the Hawks, the Clippers are miserable. They learned the Mavericks' style of play, but their strength is just like the difference between their 44 million, the last in the league, and the Mavericks' salary of more than 90 million. It feels a bit like a fool imitating a fool.

Liu Mang's strength is strong against the Clippers' singles style. He scored 14 points in 9 minutes in the first quarter. After Jason Terry came on, he also scored 15 points from the end of the first quarter to the whole second quarter. Liu Mang also scored 7 points when playing with Jason Terry. Liu Mang scored 21 points in the first half.

In the third quarter, Liu Mang and Jason Terry led their teammates to continue to rely on singles to score against the Clippers. Liu Mang scored 20 points in the third quarter, three of which were passed to him by Jason Terry. Jason Terry didn't know when he became so good at passing the ball. When he partnered with Liu Mang, he always had more assists. What Jason Terry was most puzzled about was why the Clippers chose to double-team him instead of Liu Mang?

Clippers players double-teamed Liu Mang, a physical freak who could run without the ball? Those players who waited for the end of their rookie contracts to jump to get big contracts would not do such tiring things. Jason Terry's style of play with the ball was to work, and standing still without the ball was the favorite of Clippers players.

Liu Mang scored 41 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in three quarters, and scored 40+ in two consecutive games. Jason Terry scored 17 points and 7 assists in three quarters. The Hawks led the Clippers by 22 points, 87 to 65, in three quarters. Liu Mang clocked out in three quarters, and Jason Terry continued to play with the bench lineup.

113 to 97, the Hawks easily won their sixth consecutive victory.

After playing against the Clippers, they will play against the Bulls again. McGrady, who wore a suit for a game, and Liu Mang on the bench began to laugh sinisterly...

...

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