On the Rockets team bus.
"Where’s James? Why hasn’t he finished the interview yet?" Head coach McHale asked the assistant coach next to him.
"Wait a bit, it seems someone’s waiting for him," the assistant coach replied.
As the biggest star of the team, Harden being late because of interviews delaying the team bus wasn’t a first.
The crew was used to it, anyway, the team’s private jet would wait for them.
Just as the assistant coach said, Harden was stopped by Zeng Xingyang who had just finished his interview as he was about to leave the arena.
It wasn’t because Zeng Xingyang wanted to punch Harden.
Rather, Zeng Xingyang wished to discuss scoring techniques with Harden.
"Zeng, what’s up?" Harden looked at Zeng Xingyang with confusion, his first thought was that Zeng Xingyang wanted his autograph.
"James, I want to know how you draw fouls on your opponents? Really, no other intentions, I just want to know some tricks," Zeng Xingyang asked frankly.
While Harden’s foul-drawing skills were indeed annoying, having done it to him three times that night, Zeng Xingyang admired the technique.
He tried to figure it out himself but always missed the key points.
Scoring by the rules is nothing to be ashamed of.
Zeng Xingyang knew clearly that to survive in the NBA, he needed to seize every opportunity.
Harden gave Zeng Xingyang a deep look, a bit surprised by the question, but he appreciated Zeng Xingyang’s learning attitude.
Other players scoffed at such scoring.
Harden said, "Let’s go, we can chat as we walk, my teammates have been waiting a while."
As they passed, Faried, Lavine, Harris, and others looked at the interaction between the two.
If Zeng Xingyang intended to start a fight with Harden here, they wouldn’t hesitate to join in and gang up on Harden.
They’d have Zeng Xingyang’s back no matter what.
They clenched their fists.
Fortunately, seeing the two chat amicably, the nearby folks relaxed their fists.
Harden was unaware that he had just dodged a potential beatdown.
Walking alongside Harden, Zeng Xingyang listened as Harden said, "The key to faking is to throw your opponent off balance. Once their balance is off, you can lean into them."
"When you make contact, make sure to protect the ball, and extend your body as much as you can so the referee can see the foul..."
"Of course, all this is based on your dribbling and core strength reaching a certain level, you can focus on training in those areas..."
Harden openly shared his foul-drawing techniques with Zeng Xingyang.
Even though Zeng Xingyang had made a game-winner against the Rockets, Harden still showed his generosity.
Zeng Xingyang occasionally posed small questions, engaging in mutual discussion with Harden.
Throughout their exchange, Zeng Xingyang could feel that Harden was very NICE.
Harden’s high emotional intelligence allowed him to easily grasp the key points Zeng Xingyang wanted to understand.
They chatted for a while beside the Rockets team bus.
After exchanging contacts, Harden finally boarded the bus and departed.
Sitting next to Harden, Ariza curiously asked, "James, what did you and Zeng talk about?"
Harden replied, "Nothing much, just some technical basketball exchanges."
Ariza said, "That rookie is definitely something else."
Harden didn’t say anything further, closing his eyes to rest.
Although the Nuggets had made a game-winner against the Rockets tonight, Harden didn’t see the Nuggets as a playoff contender for the Rockets in the West.
The Rockets’ real competition was teams like the Thunder and the Warriors.
Tonight’s post-game exchange was just a minor episode for Harden.
After seeing Harden off, Zeng Xingyang turned and headed back into the arena.
Not for extra training, but his car was parked in the underground lot of the arena. He needed to walk back through the main entrance and head down to the players’ tunnel.
This time, Zeng Xingyang was stopped by others.
It was two women who stopped him.
One he recognized as Ms. Barbecue, a female reporter from Penguin Sports, and the other one he did not know.
Coral, Lu Qing, a collaborating reporter between Penguin and ESPN, had provided several post-game interviews for Penguin NBA after ESPN signed a broadcasting deal. She often interviewed Zeng Xingyang, making them acquaintances.
Although she looked good and had quite a figure, the age gap between them was a bit large, and she couldn’t attract Zeng Xingyang.
She shared the same skin color and language, so Zeng Xingyang would give some leniency during interviews.
Ms. Barbecue was without a microphone, and there were no cameras around, indicating this was a non-work setting.
"Hi, Xingyang, finally got you," Ms. Barbecue greeted Zeng Xingyang enthusiastically.
"Ms. Qing." Zeng Xingyang smiled and nodded in reply politely.
"Not interrupting you, am I?"
"No, I was just about to head home, what’s up?"
"Let me introduce you to a new colleague, Song Xue."
"She’s a newly hired female host for Penguin NBA, and she’ll assist me with interviews for a while. Please take care of her during future interviews."
Ms. Barbecue succinctly explained why she was there.
"Xingyang, h-hi, I’m Song Xue. I’ve been a fan of NBA since I was young, and I’m a fan of yours as well," Song Xue greeted with a smile, her voice a bit nervous.
Song Xue was about 175cm tall, dressed in sleek jeans matched with a white shirt, her legs straight and long, her figure slender and graceful.
Her delicate appearance, elegant but vibrant, her smile carried some charm.
Though she was also beautiful, Zeng Xingyang had seen many beauties and didn’t find her particularly special.
From young, watching NBA?
Probably if asked who holds the record for three-pointers in history, she’d say Michael Jordan....