The reporter then asked Zeng Xingyang, "Zeng, you showcased your dunking ability multiple times on the court, which is somewhat different from the regular season’s playstyle. What were you trying to express on the court?"
Zeng Xingyang said, "I wasn’t trying to express anything special. At that moment, dunking was simply the best way to finish, and I was just using the most reasonable way to attack."
The number of dunks tonight was indeed a lot, but Zeng Xingyang didn’t think much of it, as his talent allowed him to easily perform these dunks.
The experience in the NBA regular season progresses faster than in the NCAA.
Soon, the Nuggets’ interviews were completed, and everyone drove home separately.
The advantage of playing at home is also obvious, as both pre-game and post-game time arrangements are relatively more relaxed.
Paul, Griffin, and Rivers sat on their seats with very serious expressions.
"Chris, what do you think about tonight’s loss?" an ESPN reporter asked.
Paul frowned and said, "It’s very regrettable. This game completely exceeded our expectations. We didn’t estimate our opponent’s strength accurately; they played at an intensity that made us uncomfortable."
The reporter continued to ask, "Do you think your team is at an absolute disadvantage in this series?"
Paul replied, "Of course not. This is just the first game; we still have many opportunities to turn the situation around. This is also a challenge for us, and we won’t give up."
Paul appeared very confident on the surface, but he knew very well.
If things continue , it’s not hard for the Clippers to win a game, but it’s very difficult to win the series.
The reporter asked, "You’ve been targeted on mismatches on the court, do you have any solutions?"
Paul replied irritably, "In the next game, I’ll let them feel the intensity and know that this strategy isn’t a good one."
Paul was fed up with being frequently targeted by Zeng Xingyang.
Each time Zeng Xingyang succeeded against him, his leadership status on the team would be challenged.
After all, no team’s star player wants to become an ATM for the opponents.
This would lead to being looked down upon by other players and is detrimental to the team’s morale.
Afterward, the reporter asked a few more questions before letting Paul go.
The reporter then asked Rivers, "Doc, how will you adjust for the next game?"
Rivers said, "We are already studying the latest countermeasures and will make adjustments based on the weaknesses identified tonight."
The reporter asked, "How do you evaluate Zeng Xingyang’s debut?"
Rivers said, "Zeng is an extremely great player. If you treat him as an ordinary rookie, you’ll suffer a lot. He taught us a profound lesson on the court. In the next game, we’ll pay more attention to him and try to create some problems for him."
Afterward, the reporters wrapped up the interview with a few more questions for the Clippers.
This series, compared to other series, doesn’t have as much attention.
The media are quite aware that this series won’t hold much suspense.
Zeng Xingyang’s playoff debut caused a significant sensation online.
Many fans were paying attention to him.
After all, Zeng Xingyang is now considered the strongest rookie in history.
Both fans and critics of Zeng Xingyang wanted to see how he performed in the playoffs.
Zeng Xingyang’s performance did not disappoint his supporters; he delivered a perfect debut.
As a rookie player, posting such great stats in his playoff debut was already impeccable.
Various magazines and websites were hyping up this news.
Zeng Xingyang wasn’t too concerned with the news and went to rest early.
The next morning, Zeng Xingyang received a call from Anta.
They said a truckload of basketball shoes would arrive at Zeng Xingyang’s home today for him to sign off.
Zeng Xingyang’s first signature shoe was about to be released.
This was the first shoe Zeng Xingyang participated in designing.
In a flashy gradient of purple and red, it embraced a cool style!
Anta requested Zeng Xingyang to wear these shoes for the second playoff game.
"Of course, that’s no problem, I’m very happy, thank you for your hard work," Zeng Xingyang said.
By noon, Zeng Xingyang received a truckload of sneakers, and his management team took him to attend Anta’s shoe launch event.
Zeng Xingyang announced at the launch that the first 100 purchasers of the shoes would have his handwritten signature on them.
Then, the shoes worn during the second playoff game would be raffled among the buyers.
Without any surprise.
Zeng Xingyang’s new shoe launch immediately set off a frenzy among China-US basketball fans.
Anta purchase links crashed instantly, and the buyers couldn’t even access the rush purchase page.
Many fans started lining up for reservations at Anta’s offline stores.
As the most popular athlete in Asia right now, Zeng Xingyang’s signed shoes and jerseys fetched very high prices in the market.
The starting price for autographed shoes was already five figures.
Zeng Xingyang’s trading cards saw a significant increase in price.
All of this stemmed from Zeng Xingyang’s increasingly outstanding on-court performance.
That night, Anta announced that all in-stock items were sold out, instantly switching to pre-sale mode.
Even in pre-sale, the earliest fans would have to wait at least a month to get their shoes.
Zeng Xingyang had to personally urge Anta on Weibo to increase production lines as quickly as possible.
Fans who got the shoes quickly started showing them off online.