NBA: The God of Basketball Begins with Precise Scoring

Chapter 59 Curry's Family Dinner Reveals His Ambition: The 6th Black 8 Miracle?

Ayesha opened the door with a smile, her skin glowing slightly against her light gray tracksuit.

Her long, dark brown hair was loosely tied back, which accentuated her slender and well-proportioned figure. The gold bracelet that swayed slightly when she reached out also highlighted her unique air of a noblewoman.

"Hi, Andrew, Star—Chen—"

"I often go to watch your matches live, you guys are all so amazing!"

"It's an honor for Stephen and me to invite you all to our home for a gathering."

"Please come in, dinner is almost ready!"

Ayesha's pronunciation of Li Xingchen's name was a little awkward, but it didn't dampen her enthusiasm at all.

However, what followed was mostly just polite talk.

Dinner was indeed very lavish, and Ayesha would introduce each dish individually, using phrases like "This is Stephen's favorite" and "Stephen loves to eat this," which was quite a show of affection for Li Xingchen.

Wiggins doesn't seem to care that his second daughter was born two months ago, but could he please consider the feelings of Li Xingchen, a single woman?

However, to be fair, Ayesha truly deserves her reputation as a professional culinary master; even a simple dinner for her guests was incredibly delicious.

Bacon-wrapped scallops, roasted lamb chops, cheese-baked tender chicken, curry chicken breast, and her most classic signature dessert, pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream, which she reportedly brought to the event and shared with all the Warriors players. Unfortunately, at that time, Li Xingchen was still struggling in the Development League and was not a formal member of the Warriors.

Today, I can say that I finally made up for the regret of not being able to eat it before.

After enjoying a delicious meal, Curry opened a bottle of low-sugar grape drink and invited Wiggins and Li Xingchen to have a good drink.

There was no other way; after all, it was during the playoffs, so drinking alcohol wasn't appropriate. We could only find some beverages that looked like alcohol to replace it.

"Andrew, Xingchen, there are some things I want to say to you when I invited you to my home today."

"Almost all of my Warriors teammates have come to my house for dinner, including Klay, Draymond, Andre, and others."

"Both of you only joined the Warriors in the last season or so. I know the team is currently in a slump, but doesn't want to give up on championship hopes. This environment isn't really suitable for young players like you to develop."

"Fortunately, you two have both made very rapid progress, which has given me renewed hope. So, I will need your help in the days to come!"

……

That night, Curry talked a lot.

This includes his own basketball journey, both the public and the unknown.

This includes the Warriors' rise and peak, as well as their regrets and decline.

This includes all the honors he has received and the ones he has missed along the way.

This includes his stress and anxiety, as well as his dissatisfaction and ambition...

Li Xingchen knew more or less about many of the stories, but the feelings he had when hearing the people involved tell them were completely different.

He also understood why Curry had a deep talk with him and Wiggins at this time. To put it nicely, it was to improve team cohesion; to put it bluntly, it was just psychological manipulation, hoping they could work hard for the team.

But Li Xingchen still listened to him.

He already had a good impression of Curry. Such a powerful superstar is so approachable. He never puts on airs during private training sessions and is willing to do a lot of off-ball movement and screens on the court to create opportunities for his teammates. He might even be willing to start from the bench when he recovers from injury...

He doesn't compete or fight for anything, he's not greedy or selfish, and he always puts the team's interests first. Where else can you find such a good team leader?

Moreover, for Li Xingchen, after all, his first achievement was with the Warriors, and his first gain of fans was also with the Warriors, so he must have some special feelings for this team.

Plus, Curry's charismatic personality made Li Xingchen feel that staying with the Warriors was a good option, even if it meant taking a pay cut...

Wait, something's not right!

It seems like... I really was subjected to PUA (Pick-Up Artist) tactics?

Li Xingchen shook his head with a wry smile.

He has signed a two-year minimum salary contract, with the second year being a team option that the team can choose whether to exercise.

If the Warriors want to keep him, they definitely won't exercise the option; instead, they will opt out of his contract and sign him to a new, high-paying, long-term deal.

However, this will definitely happen during the offseason. What salary he will receive then will depend on how well the Warriors perform this year and how well Li Xingchen performs on the court.

Therefore, even disregarding his loyalty to his home team and Curry's charisma, and even if it were entirely for the sake of his next contract, Li Xingchen would definitely do his best to help the team go as far as possible.

But putting aside any utilitarian considerations, after the fun one-on-one match this afternoon and the dinner party tonight, Li Xingchen felt that he had gotten much closer to Curry and Wiggins.

Perhaps they were just "teammates" before, but now they can be called friends.

……

On the evening of June 4th, at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

The upcoming match is Game 6 of the 2020-2021 Western Conference first-round series between the No. 1 seed and the No. 8 seed.

Before this series began, or even before Game 4 of the series, almost no one on the internet believed the Warriors had a chance to win.

Although the Warriors have a superstar like Curry, the rest of their teammates are simply not good enough to form a playoff team – Klay Thompson, who is on a max contract and recovering from injury; Draymond Green, whose offensive performance has declined to an abysmal level; Looney, a blue-collar center; Poole, a erratic player; and other rotation players whose names you probably can't even remember.

The only player who can be considered a qualified playoff rotation member is Wiggins.

Of course, this is a consequence of reaching the Finals for five consecutive years, so it's normal, and no one would think Curry has a chance to win the championship this year.

But all of this was changed by an Eastern player who suddenly appeared in the playoffs, and that player was Li Xingchen.

They frequently respond on offense, lock down the opponent's offensive core on defense, show no mercy in crucial moments, and lead the entire league in clutch shot accuracy.

Without him, the Warriors wouldn't have been able to shut down Mitchell and win Game 4 at home; without his clutch layup and game-winning mid-range jumper, the Warriors wouldn't have won the crucial Game 5.

The Warriors, now the eighth seed in the West, have taken a 3-2 lead in the series, and Game 6 will be played in Golden State.

It seems we are just around the corner to create the sixth "Black Eight" miracle in NBA playoff history!