NBA: Goat is actually me

Chapter 109 Answer
In May 2024, at an auction at Sotheby's, a pair of MJ first generation shoes worn by Meng Jin in the first round of the 5 playoffs were put on the auction table. In the end, the shoes were sold for US$1988 and the buyer was the well-known collector Nick Fiorella.

After taking down his favorite collection, Nick Fiorella smiled and said: "What attracts me most about this pair of shoes is the story behind it. MJ wore this pair of shoes to defeat the Bucks and made a little fan on the sidelines cry."

After hearing this story, netizens jokingly called the pair of shoes "crying shoes."

The little fan back then is now a 45-year-old uncle.

The Twitter blogger found the young fan based on the clues and interviewed him.

他在镜头前说道：“我那时候不太懂事，当我看到雄鹿的球员被MJ暴揍，被他按在地上摩擦时，我脑子里只有一个想法，他是个坏人，十足的坏蛋，所以当他赛后把球鞋给我的时候，我才会做出摔球鞋的举动，哈哈哈，天呐，上帝！我当时干了什么？现在的我都想掐死当时的自己，幸好我的父母做了个英明的决定，他们把球鞋捡了回来，说实话，当时我觉得MJ是世界上最坏的家伙，但现在我比任何人都爱他！”

Bram Wachter, head of modern collectibles at Sotheby's, said that this pair of shoes is not Meng Jin's most valuable pair of shoes. Although there is an interesting story behind it, this pair of shoes is not signed by Meng Jin after all, and it is only the shoes he wore in the first round of the playoffs.

……

……

The moment the game whistle sounded, Jordan couldn't hide his excitement and trotted into the player tunnel.

As soon as he entered the locker room, Jordan pumped his fist and yelled, "Round 2, here we come!"

Meng Jin glanced at Jordan. Is it really necessary to be so excited?
Isn't it just a first round?
Jordan's experience is different from Meng Jin's, so his state of mind is naturally different.

Meng Jin entered the second round of the playoffs in his first year of his career, but Jordan was different. He didn't get rid of the title of "first-round man" until his fourth season.

Jordan just wants to say one thing now: It’s been four years, do you know how I got through these four years?

Jordan's celebration didn't last long. He wasn't the type to be easily satisfied. After venting his anger, he gathered all his teammates together and said, "Kill the Celtics!"

After entering the second round, the Chicago Bulls' slogan also changed.

"Kill the Celtics!"

All the Bulls players shouted this slogan with confidence.

Earlier this evening, the Celtics defeated the Pacers 3-1.

Game 1 between the Bulls and Celtics is scheduled for May 5, three days later.

That night, Meng Jin called Reggie Miller. He must feel bad about being eliminated from the playoffs.

"Reggie, how do you feel?"

"It's terrible. I'm lying in bed now and don't want to do anything. These past few days, we were pinned to the ground and rubbed repeatedly by Larry Bird, Danny Ainge, and McHale. We had no power to fight back. I think I'm going to have nightmares these days."

Meng Jin is not very good at comforting people. He just told Reggie Miller that he would teach the Celtics a lesson on his behalf, and if he wanted to come to the scene to watch the game, he could contact him at any time.

But Reggie Miller is not the only one having nightmares these days.

"Damn it!"

Cummings woke up from his bed halfway.

The wife turned on the lamp and saw Cummings, who was sweating profusely, and asked, "Darling, are you having a nightmare?"

Cummings shook his head: "No, I just dreamed about Meng Jin."

The wife whispered, "That's worse than a nightmare."

Cummings turned and asked, "What did you say?"

The wife shook her head: "Nothing, go to sleep."

Cummings stayed awake until dawn, the image of being rubbed by the bull playing over and over in his mind like a slide show.

The person who appeared most frequently in the slides was Meng Jin, who gave him a strong sense of oppression tonight.

The scene that Cummings replayed the most in his mind was the scene where Meng Jin pushed him into the air and pointed his left index finger at him after completing the dunk.

But this was not the most painful thing for him. What was most painful for him was that he was crushed by Meng Jin in all aspects throughout the series.

这轮系列赛孟进场均可以拿下27.5分7.5篮板3助攻1.5盖帽，卡明斯的场均数据是24.5分7篮板2.5助攻。

You should know that in the round of games that eliminated the Bulls in the 84-85 season, Cummings' statistics even surpassed Jordan!
In that series, Cummings averaged 29.5 points per game, which exceeded Jordan's average of 29.3 points per game.

In the previous parallel universe, throughout Jordan's career, he faced 270 opponents in the playoffs, and Jordan scored more than 269 of them, but not Cummings.

Compared with the statistics, Cummings felt that the gap in physical talent between the two sides made him feel more suffocated.

During the regular season, Cummings had felt Meng Jin's physical strength, but the playoffs were different. He needed to play against Meng Jin for four consecutive games. The more he studied Meng Jin, the more terrifying he felt this person was. Sometimes he knew clearly what he was going to do but just couldn't defend against him.

I knew he was going to make a fast break, but I couldn't run as fast as him, and my steps weren't as big as his. I knew he was going to dunk, but I couldn't jump as high as him.

If it was a player with average talent, maybe he wouldn't think it was a big deal, but Cummings is a gifted player with off-the-charts athletic ability. In the past, he was the only one who used his speed and jumping ability to bully others, but in this series, he became the one being bullied.

This gap hurt Cummings.

Cummings is a low-key and introverted person. After G4, he felt that he would not touch basketball for a long time and he needed time to adjust his mentality.

The next day, major sports media were reporting news about the playoffs.

Breakthrough! Michael Jordan advances to the second round for the first time in his career

"Meeting the Celtics again, can the Chicagoans complete their revenge for last season's playoffs?"

"With a total score of 3 to 1, the Chicago Bulls defeated the Milwaukee Bucks cleanly!"

"Chicago youth vs Boston veterans, the most interesting matchup in the second round of the playoffs!"

Bob Verdi, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune, wrote: This is definitely a moment of joy for Chicago fans. The team has not entered the second round of the playoffs for six consecutive seasons. Fans have almost forgotten what it feels like to be in the second round. Many people think that the reason for the qualitative change of the Bulls this season is that Michael Jordan changed to play point guard. I don't deny that Michael used his superb organizational ability to make the team's offense smooth and fast, but did Michael learn to organize this season? The answer is no. He has always been a good passer, but why didn't he show such outstanding organizational ability in the previous seasons? The reason is simple. He didn't have a teammate who could share the offensive burden with him. Meng Jin's joining solved this problem very well. He liberated Jordan, and Jordan led the whole team, so I always felt that Meng Jin was the "answer" that the Chicago Bulls had been waiting for.

This report caused quite a stir, and many local Chicago fans began to call Meng Jin "The Answer", and a new nickname spread.

Boston Sports Daily columnist Peric-Murray also wrote about the upcoming second-round playoff matchup:

"The Chicago Bulls? They have performed well this season, but only well. The Boston Celtics' opponent is still the Los Angeles Lakers. I think many fans are over-focused on this round. The Bulls will not cause us any difficulties. Here I will list a set of data. In the 80-81 Eastern Conference semifinals, the Celtics swept the Bulls. In the first round of the 85-86 playoffs, the Celtics swept the Bulls. In the first round of the 86-87 playoffs, the Celtics swept the Bulls. It seems that the Chicago Bulls were born to be swept by the Celtics."

The article went viral, with fans in Boston already making signs that read "Sweep the Bulls" before the game, and fans in Chicago were outraged by the content of the article and by Celtics fans.

Before the game even started, the smell of gunpowder had already spread over the two cities.

May 5, 8 a.m., Lincoln Park, Chicago.

"Do you get up so early every morning to run?" Donald couldn't help asking after running for half an hour.

Donald has been visiting Chicago recently, and today he suddenly had the urge to ask Meng to come for a morning run.

"I run every day. When I can't sleep, I get up early. Sometimes I run after training, and sometimes I run at night. It's not fixed." Meng Jin replied.

Meng Jin's current [Endurance] potential value has reached 90. In order to quickly improve his endurance, he basically runs for an hour or more every day.

When he plays away games, he goes to the gym and runs on the treadmill, but compared to the gym, he prefers running outdoors and breathing fresh air.

Meng Jin has always been seen as a playboy outside, but he has never neglected his training. It is no exaggeration to say that his training volume is at least better than 95% of the players in the league.

Hard work pays off. Now Meng Jin's [Endurance] attribute has reached 88. So far, this value is sufficient. However, it may be a bit difficult to encounter tough battles + overtime. Meng Jin is well aware of this, so he has been committed to improving this attribute.

Meng Jin and Donald ran along the riverside all the way to North Wabash Street. It was still early and there were not many pedestrians on the road, so Meng Jin was not worried about being watched by fans.

When he ran to this section, Donald suddenly stopped and said, "Phew~ I like this place, a prime location in Chicago, next to the landmark Wrigley Building. I plan to build an international hotel here, called the Chicago Donald International Hotel."

"That's a good idea." Meng Jin smiled and turned around: "Donald, you are in good physical condition. How can you keep up with me?"

"Of course, I love sports," Donald said.

"No matter what sports you love, sex doesn't count," Meng Jin said.

"Didn't I tell you that I was a star player on the baseball and football teams when I was young? Later, I joined the football team for a while. If I had played basketball, we might be teammates on the Bulls now." Donald said. "Damn, I didn't realize you were an all-rounder?" Meng Jin said.

"Of course." Donald nodded, revealing his signature arrogant expression.

"Can you play golf?" Meng Jin asked.

"Golf? Let me tell you, my love for golf is more important than money, and I am among the top players among amateur golfers," said Donald.

Meng Jin looked at Donald with doubt. Meng Jin usually didn't believe everything he said because he was a bit of a boaster.

"What was your score in your most recent game?" Meng Jin asked.

Donald stroked his hair and said, "Are you questioning my level? Let me tell you, my handicap is 2.5. I think if I keep training every day, I should be able to become a good professional golfer."

Meng Jin nodded: "OK, teach me next time, my golf skills are not good enough."

"No big deal, as long as you have time. Why are you suddenly interested in golf?" Donald asked.

"It's not that I'm interested, but I'm afraid of losing. Michael has been asking me to gamble on football every day recently. I plan to practice golf hard during the offseason and teach him a lesson in the new season!" Meng Jin said.

"Michael Jordan? Haha, I played against him once. He's a good gambler, but his level is average. He plays with your mind and will say some weird things when you're playing. I'll give you special training for two months and I guarantee that you'll be the one who wins the money when you come back in the new season."

The two stayed on North Wabash Street for a while and then returned to Meng Jin's home. After taking a shower and changing clothes, Meng Jin drove to the Bulls training hall. Donald had his own business to take care of.

At noon, the two made an appointment to have lunch together, and the location was set at Bannigan's Restaurant.

Donald is a man who speaks without restraint. Meng Jin likes chatting with him and finds him very interesting and real.

Donald felt similarly about Meng Jin. For a wealthy man like him, there were too many people with impure motives around him. He liked to play with pure friends.

"What the hell is this music? Waiter, change the music to Billie-Jean."

Donald is a die-hard fan of Michael Jackson. His favorite music is Billie Jean. He listens to it whenever he has time. He feels uncomfortable if he doesn't listen to it.

"Excuse me, sir, the music in our restaurant is fixed."

Donald took out $500 from his wallet and said, "Then ask them to add this song to the regular repertoire of your restaurant."

"Sir, this..."

Before the waiter finished speaking, Donald immediately took out another 2000 US dollars. The waiter took the cash with both hands, and 30 seconds later, the melody of Billie-Jean sounded in the restaurant.

"I generally don't like to waste time on things that can be solved with money." Donald showed a proud expression again.

"I understand. This is called money ability. I've also been learning this skill recently."

Meng Jin has recently taken on two more endorsements, but both are small-time deals. His main source of income now comes from the share of the revenue from sneakers.

The two sat down and chatted for a few words when a middle-aged couple walked in.

The two men went straight to Donald.

"Excuse me, Mr. Donald, for interrupting your meal. I'm Leonard Bosack, and this is my wife Sandy Lerner. These are some documents about our company, Cisco. We're currently looking to expand. If you're interested after reading this, please contact us."

Donald glanced at the cover of the project introduction, squinted his eyes and said, "I like your directness, but I also hope you understand my directness. I will not invest in this project."

The couple was a little disappointed because they had visited 70 venture capital companies before and no one was interested in this project.

After the couple left, Meng Jin asked Donald, "Why did you refuse without even looking at it?"

Donald said calmly: "They don't have the potential to be successful. Their personalities are doomed to failure in the business world."

Donald prides himself on being a good judge of people. While he was talking, Meng Jin kept thinking, why does the name Cisco sound familiar?

After a few seconds, Meng Jin suddenly rushed out.

"Meng? Where are you going?" Donald shouted at Meng Jin's back.

At the restaurant entrance, the couple was waiting for a taxi.

Their expressions showed some disappointment, but more of anxiety. How could they not be anxious when the company urgently needed to expand and couldn't find funds?

Leonard Bosack had just grabbed the door handle of the taxi when a pair of big hands pressed on the door: "Are you interested in talking about investment?"

The couple was overjoyed. Leonard Bosack said: "Mr. Donald changed his mind."

Meng Jin shook his head: "No, I want to vote."

Meng Jin remembered that in that parallel universe, Cisco was the world's largest network technology company, with a peak market value of 5500 billion US dollars.

Meng Jin felt that he was lucky as he had encountered such good things.

The couple looked at each other first, and then both of their eyes lit up at the same time. They didn't know Meng Jin, but they had just seen him having dinner with Donald, so his status must be high.

Leonard Bosack asked cautiously, "Sir, how much are you going to shoot?"

Donald was right. This couple was definitely not cut out for business. They didn't even ask Meng Jin's name but directly asked him how much money he could invest.

In that parallel world, Cisco was able to succeed thanks to their major shareholder Sequoia Capital. Sequoia Capital controlled Cisco's personnel management and voting rights, and the couple was only responsible for technology.

But Meng Jin doesn't care about these details, as long as he can make money.

Meng Jin took a pen and a piece of paper from the restaurant front desk, wrote down the address and said, "I plan to invest 50 yuan. Come to my house to discuss the specific contract details."

With the current sales volume of MJ Generation, Meng Jin could have invested more money, but doing so might have triggered a butterfly effect. If Sequoia Capital had not invested and the couple had been left to run the business, his investment would have certainly gone to waste.

"You didn't just go to invest in that couple's project, did you?"

Donald asked immediately after Meng Jin returned to the restaurant.

“I love this project.”

Donald bluntly stated: "Goods are goods, and businessmen are businessmen. Good goods need good businessmen to sell them. It is difficult for them to succeed because of their personalities. I hope you didn't invest too much."

"Five hundred thousand U.S. dollars," said Meng Jin.

"It doesn't matter. When you are bankrupt, you can stay at Donald Hotel. I won't charge you any money." Donald said with a smile.

He knew that $50 was a huge sum of money for a professional player at that time, and Meng Jin's salary was less than $50 after tax deduction.

"Do you have any good investment projects?" Meng Jin asked.

"Usually I don't do business with my friends. You know, there will be a lot of disputes involved. But I can give you some advice. It's a good time to invest in real estate. If you need it, I can tell you which cities and locations are better for real estate investment."

Meng Jin nodded. He had already been investing in real estate, but not in the United States, but in his hometown of China. Last month, he bought 10 courtyard houses at the foot of the imperial city. At that time, courtyard houses were simply cheap for him. He spent less than 10 yuan in total on 20 houses. Next, he planned to buy more properties. After achieving financial freedom, playing basketball would be a different mood and a different state of mind.

On the evening of May 5, all members of the Bulls flew to Boston. Before boarding the plane, Meng Jin finalized the investment in Cisco. He invested US$8 and held a 50% stake.

This money solved Cisco's urgent needs. The company's current situation was not optimistic. They even set up their office in their parents' home. In order to meet the capital requirements for the company's operations, they applied for a large number of credit cards and used advance payments to pay for the expenses.

However, Leonard Bosack will not stop attracting investment. If the company wants to become bigger and stronger, it must have more money.

On the plane, the atmosphere was obviously not as cheerful as during the first round against the Bucks.

Everyone knew that a tough battle was waiting for them.

Jordan repeatedly read the local Boston newspapers, which were filled with articles mocking and ridiculing the Bulls.

Meng Jin knew that this guy was accumulating anger in advance, just like the 97 boxing champion who was gathering energy. Jordan would accumulate a wave of anger before each big move.

Meng Jin felt that it was unnecessary. He thought that as long as he stepped into the NDRC, his anger would naturally rise.

Please give me a monthly ticket! ! ! ! ! !

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(End of this chapter)