basketball player

Chapter 599 Chapter 597: Meet old friends

"The Pacers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1 and meet the Golden State Warriors in the Finals!"

"Warrior VS Pacers, the confrontation between the new dynasty and the old order, the war of the century is about to begin!"

"LeBron James: Pacers are strong, good luck to them."

"Henson: It's all just a warm-up."

On May 5, the day after the Pacers eliminated the Cavaliers, the eyes of the whole world fell on the Pacers and the Warriors in an instant.Regarding the encounter between the two parties, people have been looking forward to it since Henson announced his return last year.And at this time, the long-awaited dream showdown is finally about to take place.

With Curry, Thompson, Durant and Green, and the Warriors who have not yet been defeated in the playoffs, they met the Pacers who lost only one game in the East and reached the Finals. Just thinking about it makes people feel excited.

In the two years since Henson retired, people have been discussing whether the Pacers could beat the Warriors if Henson was still there.It seems that people are always discussing who is better, Kobe or Jordan.

But now, fans don't have to assume.Because this drama of "Guan Gong fighting Qin Qiong" will soon become a reality.

On June 6, the NBA Finals will take the lead in the Bankers Life Arena.After the fierce scolding battle between the Golden State Warriors and the Pacers, who can win the final victory, the answer is about to be revealed.

However, before the start of the finals, the head coaches of both sides made a decision at the same time-let the teams take two days off.

Both Henson and Cole know that proper relaxation can sometimes have better results than non-stop training.And the finals are just around the corner, so they don't have to worry about the players relaxing too much.

After all, in front of the O'Brien Cup, no one can really relax.

However, in fact, Henson gave the team two days off not only to let the players rest, but also to give himself some time to deal with some "private affairs".

"What? You're going to Chicago? What are you doing there? The combine hasn't started yet." So Bird was surprised when he heard that Henson was going to Chicago during the vacation.

It is normal to rest for two days, but few coaches and players will run around before the finals.

"Hehe, I was so busy during the Eastern Conference Finals that I even missed my daughter's birthday. When she was blowing out the candles, I could only accompany her in Cleveland through video. Therefore, some things should always be made up. These two days, I plan to take them to Chicago. Anyway, Chicago is only a few 10 minutes away from Indianapolis by plane."

Bird had no reason to refute Henson's explanation.Indeed, on the first birthday of the youngest daughter, Henson had no way to accompany her.As a father, this must have made him very guilty.

But in fact, Henson didn't tell Bird everything.Traveling is just one of the reasons to go to Chicago.But another reason is Henson's personal affairs.

※※※

A gust of wind blew by, making the sound of "crash clatter" come from the woods.

As a result, leaves fell to the ground, and sweepers had to remove them all.

Chicago has four distinct seasons. The hottest month of the year is July, with an average maximum temperature of 29°C.In winter, the average low temperature can reach minus 11°C.However, in May, the temperature in Chicago is still very pleasant.

The warm sunshine on the face is comfortable and not particularly exposed, so it is not very hard for the sweeper to step on the green lawn to clean up the fallen leaves.

After cleaning for a long time, the sweeper saw a man wearing sunglasses beside a tombstone.

Behind the man was a tall young woman holding a little girl about one year old in her arms.

Today is not a holiday, and not many people come to the cemetery to visit the dead.Therefore, this pair of men and women who looked familiar attracted the attention of the floor sweeper.

He took a closer look at the man who was standing in front of the tombstone muttering. He was wearing an expensive Armani suit and his hair was combed back meticulously.The man has a beard on his chin, which makes him look extremely stable.

Of course, the most striking thing is his yellow skin.

The sweeper suddenly widened his eyes and suddenly realized that he knew who that man was!But he didn't bother the man, but walked away very politely and silently.

It is very immoral to disturb others when they are mourning the dead.
The sweeper glanced at the name on the tombstone as he passed the man.Sure enough, it must be him.Because it says on the tombstone—rest in peace, Craig Sager.

※※※

"Here I am, with my wife and kids. I wanted to come and see you when you were playing in Chicago, but now is the best time to come. See what this is? I did."

Henson spoke to the tombstone, as if he was really facing Sager.He took out a few tickets from the inner pocket of his suit. These are the tickets for this year's NBA Finals!

Every year, Henson can get a few free tickets from within the team, but he never knows exactly who to give the tickets to.

His friends are all figures in the basketball circle, and he doesn't need a ticket at all if he wants to watch the game.Besides An Jiali and her daughter, Henson has no relatives in this world.Unlike the players, who gave their tickets to their seven aunts and eight aunts.

But this year, he finally knows who he should give his gift ticket to.

"What is this!? A ticket to the NBA Finals! I'm going to the Finals, buddy. I've fulfilled the promise between you and me. Now, I'll give you the ticket, and you can go to the Finals to watch my game live! Remember to come, don't miss the appointment."

Henson waved a few tickets in front of the tombstone, his voice trembling.Of course he was very sad. After all, the old man lying down here had given him great encouragement and was regarded as one of his mentors.

Henson took out a lighter, lit a few tickets in his hand, let them float with the breeze, and flew into Sager's hand.Watching those expensive tickets disappear, Henson didn't say anything, just stood there blankly.

Without Sager, Henson might have given up fighting this season.But it was precisely because of Sager's enlightenment that Henson, who was used to winning, was able to persevere in adversity, to win the first place in the regular season, and to reach the finals!
Therefore, Henson did not feel a pity to "gift" these tickets to Sager.He firmly believed that that guy would be in the Bankers Life Arena, watching him silently and bringing him good luck.

Because this is a promise between them.

After adjusting his emotions for a while, Henson turned his face to his wife and daughter.At this time, the smile had returned to his face, but no sadness could be seen.

Henson never liked to bring any negativity to his wife and children.

"Let's go, let's go to Lincoln Zoo now, Emily will definitely like it." Henson touched Emily's head, and the beautiful little mixed-race girl smiled brightly at Henson.

"Henson, you."

"Don't worry about me, Ann, I'm just visiting an old friend. But I have a request. Today, can I have a cigar?"

An Jiali nodded with a smile, and then took Emily to the outside of the cemetery to avoid getting children.

Henson took out a cigar from his inner pocket and smelled the charming aroma.Then, light the cigar head bright red.

In the past, Henson was so wild that he would smoke a cigar after winning a game, or simply light a cigar during a press conference.For this reason, he has received a lot of league tickets.But now, Henson has not done those youthful and frivolous things.Well, although Henson was not too young at that time.

Henson felt that in the past few years, he had really grown a lot and calmed down a lot.And he was able to complete the transformation without the help of too many people.

Anjali, Emily, Byrd, Popovich...and of course, Craig Sager.

Henson put the cigar in his mouth, took a deep breath, and then exhaled the smoke rings out.

The championship must be won.Otherwise, he would have failed Sager, Bird, all the players of the Pacers, and himself.

After taking only one puff, Henson extinguished the cigar and followed An Jiali's pace.

One taste of victory is enough.

(End of this chapter)