NBA: Goat is actually me

Chapter 138 Catching an adulterer

139:135.

The entire Great Western Forum was silent. The Lakers called a timeout symbolically and made a three-pointer.

"Magic" Johnson missed the hasty shot and time ran out.

The Chicago Bulls defeated the Lakers on the road, ending 1988 perfectly.

"Magic" Johnson stood there for a while with his hands on his hips, licked his lips, looked up at the scoreboard, and accepted the reality.

He scored 37 points, 13 assists and 7 rebounds tonight. Except for the pass in the final moments, his performance was perfect.

When interviewed by reporters, Magic didn't want to say much. He said, "I don't think there is anything wrong with the last pass. The defender in front of Byron fell down, and I wanted to pass the ball as soon as possible. It's not that I didn't observe the situation on the court. Before I passed the ball, Meng and James (Worthy) were in the left corner. God knows how he rushed to the three-point line. It was a weird steal. I won't let this happen again. The Lakers will definitely not lose next time we meet."

The reporter found James Worthy and asked him why he didn't keep an eye on Meng Jin.

James Worthy got mad after hearing this: "Why didn't I keep a close eye on him? You better understand the rules of basketball before you ask me questions. I was on offense and he was on defense. Have you ever seen an offensive player keep a close eye on a defensive player?"

"Excuse me, do you have any good way to restrict Meng Jin?"

The reporter's question was very mean. Meng Jin scored a career-high 58 points tonight. Asking this question at this time was obviously intended to provoke James Worthy.

"You ask me how to defend him? When the coach takes him off!"

James Worthy slammed the door and left the locker room after saying a few words. James Worthy is a low-key and honest man, but honest people will also lose their temper when they are pushed into a corner.

Jordan met James Worthy in the player tunnel. Jordan greeted the North Carolina big brother warmly. He has always respected this North Carolina senior. James Worthy was angry at the time and ignored Jordan and walked out.

Jordan didn't care. It was normal for athletes to be a little angry after losing a game. Jordan walked into the press conference room.

Jordan's stats in this game were 24 points, 19 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. His scoring tonight ranked only third in the team. In addition to Meng Jin, Grant's 28 points were also higher than him. But Jordan was very proud tonight. In front of various media, Jordan said: "If anyone says I can't make my teammates better like Magic and Bird, I will show him the tape of tonight."

The reporters were amused by Jordan's serious attitude. Jordan has become mature this season, but not completely mature.

Reporters asked Meng Jin a question that all fans were curious about: "How did you get to that position and steal the ball at the last minute?"

Meng Jin replied: "First observe, then start, and finally complete the steal."

reporter:"……"

Meng Jin's words seemed to explain the cause, process, and result, but in fact he said nothing.

Meng Jin really didn't know how to explain to this group of ordinary people that what seemed incredible to them was really easy for Meng Jin to do. During the whole process, fans felt that the most difficult thing was how Meng Jin could complete a steal from the bottom corner to the three-point line within one second, which was exactly the easiest thing for Meng Jin.

"Magic said they won't lose the next time they meet," the reporter said.

"I don't know if the Lakers will lose to us next time we meet, I just know this is the last time the Lakers lose to us this year."

Meng Jin was a little naughty because it was already December 12th.

After leaving the Great Western Forum, Meng Jin did not return to the hotel. He, Grant and Jack Harry went directly to a nightclub in Los Angeles.

Meng Jin had a great time playing tonight and is still in an excited state. He won't be able to sleep when he goes back anyway, so he might as well come out and vent his energy.

"Meng, don't you know a lot of Hollywood girls and models? Why don't you just go find them? Why come to the bar?" Grant asked.

"Do I have to hunt for girls when I come to the bar? I just want to have a drink and relax. Our world should not only be about basketball and sex. Sometimes it's nice to have a drink and chat with friends and relax, isn't it?"

Grant nodded. This made sense. He was just being superficial.

But when Grant turned his head, he found that Meng Jin was hooking up with a beautiful woman with brown hair and red lips.

Grant turned to Jack Harry beside him and asked, "What did he just say?"

Jack Harry laughed: "You actually believed it?"

Not far away, Meng Jin started chatting enthusiastically with the hot girl.

“Are you a model?”

"What do you think?"

"I don't know. I only know that you have a typical model figure."

“I used to be on the volleyball team in college.”

"Volleyball team? No wonder you're so tall, you must be very athletic."

"of course."

"I like those with strong athletic ability." Meng Jin said and moved closer to the hot girl: "I like your eyes, they are very deep, but I like your red lips more."

Meng Jin kissed her right after he finished speaking, and the hot girl subconsciously dodged: "No, no, no, I can't."

Meng Jin: "Can't what?"

"I mean we can just chat normally and be friends."

"You should have said this before I flirted with you. Now that I've fallen for you, I can't hold back any longer."

The Americans are very open and like to play it straight. Sometimes the more direct Meng Jin is, the more girls like him.

The hot girl obviously couldn't bear it anymore, she stood up and prepared to leave. Meng Jin thought this was just a tactic of playing hard to get. Meng Jin put his arm around her slender waist and kissed her.

After the kiss, Meng Jin whispered in her ear: "Let me show you how steel is made."

The hot girl's eyes were blurred and she was completely lost. She looked down and said, "I didn't see any steel, I only saw an iron rod."

For the next hour, the two of them studied the classic novel "How the Steel Was Tempered" in the bar bathroom.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Julie! Damn it! I know you're in there. My friends told me. Open the door and get out, you slut!"

Meng Jin pulled up his trousers and said with a smile: "Looks like they are here to catch someone having an affair. I'll go out and see who the unlucky guy is later."

The hot girl didn't say anything. Her face didn't look very good. Meng Jin noticed something and asked cautiously, "What's your name?"

“Julie.”

"Damn it!"

Meng Jin looked at Julie in horror. I was the unlucky one?

"Don't be nervous. You need to stay calm at times like this. I'll be out first. You stay here and leave later."

Julie nodded. As soon as Meng Jin opened the door, a pair of big hands grabbed his collar. Meng Jin subconsciously pushed the other person away: "Hey! Buddy, calm down!"

"Calm down? You just fucked my wife!" Meng Jin looked carefully and saw that the person in front of him was none other than Michael Thompson, the Lakers player who had just played against him on the court.

"She's your wife?" Meng Jin pointed at Julie in the bathroom: "I swear I don't know. I have my bottom line."

"You bastard, she's a mother who has given birth to a child, don't say you can't feel it!" Michael Thompson yelled.

"Sorry, I really can't feel it, it might be my size... Sorry, Michael."

Meng Jin really didn't know the relationship between the two. Los Angeles is so big, who would have thought that this woman was Michael Thompson's wife.

Michael Thompson turned around and yelled at Julie, "Is this how you treat me? Is this how you act as a mother? You came out to fool around when we just had our first baby. Are you worthy of that little guy Mitchell?"

Julie cried, "That's not the case, Michael. I just want to have a drink with my sisters to relax."

"We're done, it's all over!"

The two were arguing, and Meng Jin's focus was on their child Mitchell. He then remembered that Klay Thompson was Michael Thompson's second child. If the two ended like this, then Klay...

Meng Jin kept thinking about this question after escaping from the bar.

"It's chaos, everything is chaos."

Grant put his arm around Jack Harry's shoulders and whispered, "What's wrong with Meng? He's been repeating this since he came out of the bar."

"He must be irritated," whispered Jack Harry.

"He's upset? He just slept with someone else's wife. The one who's upset should be that unlucky guy from the Lakers!"

"Shh, keep your voice down." Jack Harry covered Grant's mouth.

The results of the first phase of All-Star voting are out. Meng Jin is very popular this year and is currently ranked only behind Jordan and "Magic" Johnson.

However, Meng Jin didn't pay attention to these things. He fell into deep thought. The butterfly effect he brought had not only changed the fate of some people, but could even cause some lives to disappear.

In the first few games in early January, Meng Jin's condition was not very good. In the game against the Los Angeles Clippers on January 1, he made 3 of 14 shots and scored 6 points, 16 rebounds and 7 assists. However, Jordan stood up in this game, scoring 2 points, 43 assists and 12 rebounds, leading the team to a narrow victory over the Clippers 11-127.

Jordan didn't say anything after the game. A season is so long, and everyone has a few days of bad form, which is normal.

Two days later, the Bulls lost to the Cavaliers 95-103 in Cleveland.

Meng Jin's offensive desire tonight was even lower than in the previous game. He only took 13 shots and scored 17 points.

Jordan scored a near triple-double of 36 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds, but he still couldn't stop the Cavaliers from scoring from multiple points. In this game, five Cavaliers players scored in double digits and three scored over 20 points. Their firepower was balanced and terrifying.

In a back-to-back game against the Jazz a day later, the Bulls lost again. Meng Jin's condition improved and he scored 22 points and 9 rebounds, but this was obviously not his best level.

After the game, Jordan couldn't help it anymore. He found Meng Jin alone and asked, "How the hell are you doing lately? Have you been taking drugs or taking them? Why are you in such bad shape?!"

"I will adjust my condition for the next game."

Meng Jin did not explain to Jordan, and did not want to argue with him. He did have big problems in these few games. His bad condition can be divided into physical and mental levels. It was obvious that Meng Jin had problems with his thinking.

He has been distracted these days because the bar incident made him think of many things and his mind was very confused.

The coaching staff also noticed Meng Jin's problem. Phil Jackson volunteered to have a talk with Meng Jin, and Collins agreed. Phil Jackson was a marginal figure in his coaching team. Collins usually didn't let him interfere with the team's tactics, but he could still do things like psychological counseling.

"You are worried about something." Phil Jackson handed Meng Jin a cigarette.

Meng Jin: "I don't smoke."

Phil Jackson: "I know, I saw that you haven't been in good shape recently."

Meng Jin: "A little bit of pressure."

Phil Jackson lit up his cigarette and took a puff: "But it's definitely not the pressure of the game."

Phil Jackson has observed Meng Jin for more than a season. He knows that this guy is a player with a big heart. The pressure of key games in the playoffs can't overwhelm him, let alone the regular season.

Phil Jackson is very capable. He wanted to help Meng Jin solve the problem but would not ask about Meng Jin's privacy. He spoke to the point and found just the right measure.

Meng Jin doesn't like Phil Jackson's tactical theories, but he likes his way of chatting. This way of chatting with a sense of boundaries at least doesn't make him uncomfortable.

After chatting for a few minutes, Meng Jin asked, "Phil, if your presence changed a person's fate, or even destroyed a person's fate, what would you do?"

Phil Jackson looked into Meng Jin's eyes and said, "Listen, if your presence changes a person's fate, then this is his original fate."

"Don't feel guilty about things like this. If you still can't find peace of mind, meditate."

Meng Jin: "Meditate on what?"

Phil Jackson: "Close your eyes and imagine that you are in the championship parade, imagine that you made a shot in the final minute of the game, and think about what makes you happiest."

Meng Jin: "What makes me happiest? I'm afraid it has to be in bed."

Phil Jackson: "It's meditation, not sexual fantasy! Meng, start with your breathing, feel your breathing, listen to your breathing, and the whole world is just you, let all the worries and problems disappear."

Phil Jackson guided Meng Jin to practice meditation for 15 minutes. When he opened his eyes again, Meng Jin breathed a sigh of relief and felt very good.

"Meng, you need more practice to become calmer," said Phil Jackson.

Meng Jin: "Phil, would you like to consider changing your career?" Meng Jin asked.

Phil Jackson: What?

Meng Jin: "Psychological counselor."

Phil Jackson laughed and said, "That sounds good. Will you help me attract customers?"

Meng Jin smiled and said, "Of course, no problem. I will bring in my friends and those unhappy guys in the NBA. You look very professional, and those guys will be willing to pay a high consulting fee."

Phil Jackson looked up and smiled: "It sounds like a profitable business. If I get fired one day, I might consider it."

On January 1, in the game against the Atlanta Hawks, Meng Jin, who had been in a slump for three games, had an outbreak and scored 10 points and 46 rebounds.

Dominique Wilkins said: Okay, okay, you feel depressed when playing against others, but you get excited when playing against me, right?

Wilkins didn't know what was going on with Meng Jin, he felt that this guy was targeting him.

Wilkins regarded Meng Jin as his imaginary enemy. Not only did he practice his left hand desperately, he also signed up for this season's dunk contest. After each training session, Wilkins would practice for an extra hour, and what he practiced was nothing but dunking.

Wilkins did not make it to the finals of last year's dunk contest, and this year he plans to avenge his defeat.

Unable to beat the Bulls in the game and unable to win more All-Star votes than Meng Jin, Wilkins can only make up for himself in the dunk contest. As the champion of the last dunk contest, Meng Jin will definitely participate in this year's dunk contest.

The Chicago Bulls defeated the Atlanta Hawks 112-104.

This is the third time the Bulls have defeated the Hawks this season. In the first two games, the Atlanta media could use the excuse that the team was still getting used to each other. But this time, it is hard to say anything. After all, the season is almost halfway through, and any further improvement will have to wait until next season.

The Hawks' current record is 20 wins and 12 losses, which is actually a very good record, ranking fourth in the Eastern Conference, but the media and fans are not satisfied because the Hawks' lineup is a galaxy battleship, but they have only achieved an okay record. How can the outside world be satisfied?
(End of this chapter)