The Way of the Center

Chapter 454: Challenge

Cousins ​​was raised by his mother from a young age, and his hometown of Mobile is also a place with a high crime rate.

In such an environment, many children from black families may step out of the house early, join a black gang, and do petty theft. Over time, petty theft turns into armed robbery, it turns into serious crime. What's more, Cousins ​​​​is still a child who is only taken care of by his mother.

But this good boy did not cause trouble for his family. He went to high school dutifully, and his basketball talent began to show in high school.

In addition to being extremely talented in basketball, God also gave Cousins ​​a body that is very suitable for playing basketball. He's always been a lot taller than kids his age, and on the basketball court, there are few people who can match Cousins ​​head-to-head.

So those children who are shorter than him, but actually a few years older than him, will always use some "unconventional" methods to deal with Cousins.

Opponents often flopped when Cousins ​​was making moves around the rim. They often complain to the referees that Cousins ​​elbowed them, and the parents of those children also think that Cousins ​​​​is hurting their flesh and blood. And actually, when those kids couldn't compete with Cousins, they pushed him, hit him, hurt him. Cousins ​​once had his front teeth knocked out four times on the basketball court, and what he's saying now isn't real.

Cousins' "complaint" began at that time. From a young age, Cousins ​​received an educational philosophy that was either black or white. It is precisely because of this concept that Cousins ​​missed the crime. But at the same time, this child with a direct personality will always appear irritable in the face of "unfair" treatment.

Angie's diving and those little moves that brought back his unpleasant memories undoubtedly made Cousins ​​feel unfair. Therefore, his temper also heated up all the way, to the point where he simply fought dirty with An Jie.

But just now, An Jie bumped himself hard with his shoulder, and even spoke out to himself. In this regard, the referee did not say anything, and those Portland fans still regarded Anjie as a hero. All of this is naturally inconsistent with the "justice" in Cousins' heart.

The basketball concept An Jie accepts is: "As long as you can win, there is no distinction between good and evil on the basketball court."

And Cousins' idea,

It is black and white. An Jie hurt himself, Cousins ​​must pay it back!

The collision of two completely opposite concepts is the main reason why Anjie and Cousins ​​are at odds.

Therefore, in the next game, the duel between the two big men will become more and more intense. The fans are all hooked on this wonderful inside hand-to-hand fight, but few people realize that the Kings have fallen into a passive state because of Cousins' willfulness.

As long as the ball comes to Cousins, the rest of the Kings basically don't have to think about receiving the ball anymore. As a result, the Kings naturally couldn't implement any effective tactics. If the tactics can't be executed, Kings coach Geese Smart will yell at Cousins ​​again off the court. Smart's roar will naturally affect Cousins. Anjie's defense was very tight at first, but Cousins' offensive efficiency became unsatisfactory when he was disturbed by emotions.

Taking advantage of the time when the Kings were in disarray, Ricard did not intend to play this kind of housekeeping game with them. Lillard immediately organized several effective offenses, instantly widening the difference between the two teams to 8 points.

After that, Aldridge formed a dislocation with Cousins ​​in another attack. Aldridge made Cousins' second foul with a fake shot after a back hit and a turn. As soon as the foul was committed, Cousins ​​had to rest. After all, the first quarter hadn't finished yet, and Geese Smart didn't dare to risk this grumpy guy.

When Cousins ​​was forced to replace, Ricard also replaced Anjie, Aldridge and Iguodala in turn. It's time for the Trail Blazers to enter the second team, and without the King of Cousins, even the firepower of the Trail Blazers second team can't resist.

When the first quarter ended, instead of venting Cousins' anger, it accumulated more and more. Just now on the court, Cousins ​​did not take advantage of Anjie, and the team is now temporarily behind with a 25-18 lead. None of this could bring Cousins ​​back to calm.

"DeMarcus! You have to pass the ball to me! This is not a game for you alone, you have to lead the team to win instead of focusing on your own goals!" Geese Smart rushed angrily Cousins ​​said.

Cousins ​​had a big fight with this guy the day before yesterday, and now he doesn't want to argue with this guy any more. After Smart finished speaking, Cousins ​​didn't say anything, still holding a wet towel around his neck, his whole head drooping. Smart shook his head, he really hoped that Cousins ​​had listened, even if it was a single word!

As soon as the second quarter started, the Cousins ​​guy returned to the game. Facing the Trail Blazers' substitute insiders J.J. Hickson and Meyers Leonard, Cousins ​​finally proudly showed his comprehensive offensive skills.

Don't be fooled by Cousins' fierce exterior, in fact Cousins ​​is not a center like Howard. His low-post skills are solid and he's good at shooting the ball. J.J. Hickson and Leonard are not like Angie, they neither dare to provoke Cousins, nor can they beat Cousins.

In the case of the Blazers playing with all substitutes, the 8-point advantage was instantly chased by Cousins ​​to only 2 points. Seeing that the Kings were about to start, Ricard was the first to call the first timeout of the second quarter. Although it was called earlier, the purpose of this timeout is also very clear: "Switch into the starting five, and then block the Kings' momentum!"

"Ann, I don't know how you did it. Anyway, help me teach that kid a lesson!" J.J. Hickson suddenly poured Gatorade into his mouth after returning to the bench. It was enough to be cleaned up by Cousins.

"Don't worry J.J, I'll help you fight back." An Jie patted Hixon on the shoulder. You know, Hixon is already a tough insider! This shows how violent Cousins ​​is now. Maybe he will be more difficult to deal with in the second quarter than before.

Sure enough, on the first attack after returning from the timeout, An Jie ate a big hit from Cousins. Facing the Trail Blazers second team, Cousins, who played with confidence and feeling, was much more excited than before.

That goal was a misalignment between Anjie and Jason Thompson. Facing Thompson, Anjie held the ball face-to-face. With a three-threat footstep, he easily broke through and entered the penalty area. Just after An Jie made a layup, Cousins ​​suddenly came back from the side. This guy's take-off height surprised Anjie, because this time Cousins ​​jumped much higher than in the first quarter! Emotional players, their abilities will also be affected by emotions.

Cousins ​​straightened his arms and slapped the basketball away at the last moment before it fell.

After completing the block, Cousins ​​did not hide his joy at all. He waved his fist fiercely and yelled at the Kings stands. This move undoubtedly made the atmosphere on the scene continue to heat up.

"You should come and kiss me, Chinaman!" Cousins ​​whispered to Anjie angrily, in response to Anjie's lips in the first quarter.

Now, the tempers of both Angie and Cousins ​​have been pushed to the brink of explosion.

On the defensive end, Anjie brought Cousins ​​down with an almost wrestling move.

On the offensive end, Cousins ​​threw Anjie down with a "passionate" bear hug.

Anjie's elbow made Cousins' chest tight, and Cousins' knee made Anjie's legs overwhelmed.

The two have been patient, waiting for one of them to lose control first.

The second quarter played like this for a long time, and the Blazers, who were in good shape, quickly re-established their score advantage. As for Cousins ​​facing Anjie, his offensive efficiency cannot be compared with just now.

In the last two minutes, Lillard controlled the ball and hit the inside. This is Brooks hitting the iron from beyond the three-point line, Anjie grabbed the offensive rebound and used a long pass for Lillard to finish the offense.

Brooks' shooting and hitting the iron not only gave Lillard a chance to "take off", but also made Cousins ​​​​very dissatisfied.

If it was before, it would be okay if teammates didn't make shots. But now, when Cousins ​​is already angry because of Anjie and the team's backwardness, he will infinitely magnify his teammates' faults.

So seeing that Lillard is about to complete the dunk, and Cousins ​​​​is still some distance away from chasing the risk. The frustrated Cousins ​​chose to push Lillard directly. In short, he just didn't want to see the Trail Blazers players score under his nose!

Lillard's impact speed is already fast, and the inertia after flying into the air is even greater. Now being pushed like this again, Lillard flew directly out of the court and only landed in the auditorium diagonally behind the basket!

"This ball is too rude! This is an unsportsmanlike foul! I hope Lillard is not hurt!" Even Ke Fan, who was commentating the game in China, couldn't stand Cousins' behavior just now.

An Jie rushed over to check Lillard's situation, but when he passed by Cousins, Cousins ​​picked up the basketball on the ground and deliberately "passed" it to the referee, and the basketball hit An Jie's head heavily . The referee has made a good decision, he put the whistle in his mouth, a second-level malicious foul, and Cousins ​​​​will receive the most severe punishment.

Just when the referee was about to blow the whistle, the scene in front of him stunned the referee. After being beaten, An Jie immediately turned around and hit Cousins ​​with his chest. Cousins ​​was about to turn around in a murderous spirit, but Anjie punched Cousins ​​with an uppercut with his left hand!

Cousins ​​reacted quickly, he quickly dodged to the side, and was not directly hit by An Jie's fist, but was rubbed a little. But even so, the strength of this blow is still not small!

"Fuck you, what are you going to do!?" Seeing that the tense suddenly escalated, Ricard also walked into the stadium. After being punched by Anjie, Cousins ​​immediately prepared to fight back, but Chuck Hayes held back the fist that Cousins ​​was about to throw out. At the same time, players from both sides were in a mess. Some of them were busy separating the two, while others took the opportunity to play tricks.

And what about Anjie and Cousins? The two of them were still trying to break free from the shackles, as if they wanted to fight to the death. The fans were all overjoyed. Didn't they watch this game just for this kind of picture?

"You're finished boy, you're fucking finished!" Cousins ​​yelled, pointing at An Jie's nose in the crowd.

"Come and try if you have the guts, you idiot!" An Jie was not to be outdone.

In the end, under the constraints of their teammates, the two big men gradually regained their composure. Only then did An Jie realize that Ricard's suit, who was pushing him tightly, was disheveled, and Cousins' jersey was completely deformed. It was also at this time that the referee stood between the two groups of people angrily.

"Oh, no. The referee called Ann and DeMarcus a second-level flagrant foul! These two guys will be sent off the field directly!" Mike Breen said in disbelief.

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