"119 to 108, the Cavaliers finally defeated the Spurs at home, welcoming a victorious start to December."
"This victory was crucial for the Cavaliers, as their performance in November had been scrutinized by the public."
"But more important than the victory, they gained a qualified starting center."
"32 minutes, 13 shots, 8 baskets, one three-point shot made from one attempt, six free throws made from six attempts, 23 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals, 3 blocks."
"These were the stats Jokic put up during the game."
"Even Hansen, who had encouraged Jokic before the game, had not anticipated such a performance."
"After the game ended, Jokic enjoyed a mineral water pouring celebration in the locker room from his teammates."
"Unlike his serious demeanor during the game, Jokic was shouting and cheering with them after being doused."
"Perhaps for him, the experiences he now had were more exciting than any stats he could achieve during the game."
"After the locker room settled down, Hansen took Jokic with him to attend the post-game press conference."
"This was the second time in Jokic’s career to attend a press conference, but unlike the last ’temporary replacement’ for Irving, this time he earned it with his performance on court."
"Once at the press event, Hansen showed his bias by moving the microphone directly in front of Jokic, signaling the journalists to ask him questions first."
"And when Jokic faced the first question, his reaction made everyone in the room burst into laughter."
"It was a common question where the journalist mentioned his stats for the night and asked him to rate himself."
"’I scored 23 points, that many points?’"
"You should at least check the stats after the game even if you didn’t look during the game!"
"After getting confirmation from the journalist, he scratched his head out of habit."
"’I knew I scored quite a few points, but didn’t realize it was that many.’ He looked at Hansen subconsciously as he spoke."
"When Hansen previously told him he scored 20 points in his debut, he thought he could never do the same."
"Hansen played along, grabbed another microphone from in front of Malone and added, ’I only got 20 points the first time I started.’"
"This elicited laughter from the audience, making Jokic scratch his head faster, clearly embarrassed by what Hansen said."
"’I must thank my teammates, Kyrie, old... Han, KG, and of course Coach Malone. I’m just a rookie, it’s them passing me the ball, giving me the chance to score, constantly telling me the right things to do. Not all rookies get that kind of opportunity.’"
"Once the formal reply started, Jokic also showcased his high emotional intelligence, providing a perfect answer."
"’Tonight’s atmosphere was amazing. We have the best fans in the entire League, and playing at home is less tiring since there’s no traveling involved, which feels even more awesome. I hope all our games could be at our home court.’"
"But soon, he ’exposed’ himself."
"And a journalist even mentioned the nickname O’Neal had given him."
"He originally wanted to say he didn’t like it, but when he heard it was O’Neal who had done it, he nodded with a laugh."
"This also triggered a wave of laughter from the journalists, appreciating his authentic personality." Get full chapters from 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖·𝕟𝕖𝕥
"After Jokic’s interview, the journalists passed the microphone over to Hansen."
"After answering some routine questions, Hansen once again turned the topic back to Jokic."
"’When I said a month ago here that Nikola would become an All-Star, I think most people thought I was joking. But after today’s game, I believe more people will be willing to believe it. He is gold, and gold will always shine.’"
"When the conference was over, Hansen didn’t take Jokic back to the locker room but directly returned to the arena."
"He had someone waiting there he had arranged to meet in advance."
"As Jokic walked in and saw who was waiting, his eyes immediately lit up with excitement."
"Because it was O’Neal!"
"’Go on, go greet your idol,’ Hansen began."
"Jokic turned and looked at Hansen with a surprised expression."
"Back when Hansen had taken them shopping, Jokic had only casually mentioned that O’Neal was his idol. He couldn’t believe Hansen remembered!"
"Thinking back on Hansen buying those shoes for Powell did make sense. Unlike his careless demeanor, Hansen was a very attentive person."
"’You’re not shy, are you?’ Hansen said, seeing Jokic’s reaction and urging him on."
"Jokic shook his head and then excitedly approached O’Neal."
"Then quickly, he turned into a bashful big lad."
"He was indeed shy, but who wouldn’t be shy in front of their idol?"
"O’Neal, for his part, didn’t try to hide his fondness for Jokic, even initiating a photo together."
"Speaking of which, O’Neal had always been encouraging towards the new generation of centers. He had high hopes for Howard, but, unfortunately, Howard’s skills had not improved over the years, much like James, which extremely disappointed him and could not contain his criticism."
"Now that centers were completely out of favor, like his commentary displayed, finding a good center prospect was exceedingly rare."
"After the photo, Jokic thought it was over, but Hansen’s next words were completely unexpected."
"’Shaq, I’m leaving him in your hands next.’"
"Not only had Hansen arranged their meeting, but he also got O’Neal to give Jokic some pointers!"
"With Hansen and O’Neal’s relationship, this wasn’t a difficult task, especially since O’Neal liked Jokic too."