NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 116 Oklahoma City Chinese Restaurant

Back in Oklahoma City, Jia Fei logged into the system. He didn't complete the mission in the last three games, but thanks to the anger accumulated in each game, he earned 3654 points. Adding the 701 points in his account balance, he now has a total of 4355 points.

Jia Fei redeemed these points, raising his "Iverson Peak Technique Integration" from 34% to 35%!

The Thunder swept the Rockets 4-0, but the team was far from happy. Westbrook's injury, judging from the initial post-game tests, was not something that would heal in a short time.

Beverley is ruthless; he's practically targeting people. This kind of underhanded tactic is truly despicable. Your elimination was inevitable, so why resort to violence?

This kind of harmful action is euphemistically called "toughness." If all actions are this kind of "toughness," then the NBA should become the WWE.

The media after the game were divided. One side believed that Beverley did not intentionally hurt anyone; he was just being aggressive and trying his best. The other side believed that Beverley played too dirty and that the league should investigate such intentional acts of violence to clean up the atmosphere on the court.

February has arrived...

On May 1, Westbrook underwent an MRI in Oklahoma City, and the results showed that his knee tested positive... This means that his knee has substantial damage, which basically means that his season is over.

Jia Fei remembered that in his previous life, Westbrook was not only out for the rest of the season, but also for the next. He wondered what would happen this time.

Westbrook's injury report is a devastating blow to the Thunder's championship prospects. It's important to remember that he's not an insignificant role player; he's one of the team's two All-Stars and the engine of their backcourt. Without him, Durant alone is not enough to contend for a championship.

But reality is what it is, and you have no choice but to accept it.

On May 2nd, the Thunder held their first practice since the first round of the playoffs. Neither the head coach nor the players showed any joy at the series victory; everyone was worried about Westbrook's injury.

Westbrook is not only one of the team's core players, but he's also very popular within the team, and nobody wants to see this situation. Naturally, Beverley has become the team's public enemy.

"Russ is injured, which is unfortunate news, but our playoff journey is not over yet. Everyone needs to cheer up, carry on his efforts, and march toward the championship!" Thunder head coach Brooks encouraged the players.

But his chicken soup for the soul was clearly not enough to energize them, and everyone still lacked spirit. No wonder, he usually just fed the players chicken soup; that stuff gets boring after a while, and without changing things up, the marginal utility diminishes.

Durant has never been the kind of team leader who commands absolute respect. He likes to play hard and set an example on the court, but sometimes a team leader needs to do more than that. If playing well yourself affects your teammates, then you're just a key player, not a leader.

After training, Jia Fei, Reggie, and Lamb's small team went to a Chinese restaurant in Oklahoma City to eat so-called Chinese cuisine.

There are very few Chinese restaurants in Oklahoma City. It took Jia Fei and his group a lot of effort to find one. After they sat down, Jia Fei naturally ordered the food, and then they waited for it to be served.

Seeing the familiar Chinese characters on the wall, Jia Fei felt incredibly warm and fuzzy. There was no way around it; it was indeed not easy to see Chinese characters in the United States, as not every city had a Chinatown or a Chinese community.

The Chinese restaurant was decorated in a typical traditional Chinese style, with a strong Chinese flavor everywhere. However, what made Jia Fei somewhat amused and exasperated was that none of the restaurant's employees or owner were Chinese. The owner was Indonesian, and most of the employees were from Southeast Asia. They all appeared to be of Asian descent, but were clearly different from their compatriots back home, with darker skin.

That's fine. Just because someone isn't Chinese doesn't mean they can't cook Chinese food, as long as the taste is authentic.

Jia Fei ordered several of the restaurant's signature dishes, and the waiters quickly brought them out one by one.

The first dish was "General Tso's Chicken," a signature dish in many Chinese restaurants in the United States. Although it's called General Tso's Chicken, it actually has no direct relation to General Tso, and it's very difficult to find this dish in most restaurants in China anymore.

Jia Fei picked up a piece and tasted it. The flavor was strange; he was certain he had never eaten chicken with this flavor in China. If you had to describe the taste, you could think of General Tso's Chicken as a sweet and spicy version of Kung Pao Chicken.

Why is it called "General Tso's Chicken" instead of "Li Hongzhang's Chicken" or "Zeng Guofan's Chicken"? Jia Fei naturally couldn't answer that. Wasn't General Tso a big figure in the United States? He seemed to remember that it was Li Hongzhang who visited the US at the time!

Another dish was "Mongolian beef," which Americans call "Mongolian beef," but it actually has absolutely nothing to do with Mongolia. It's just beef stir-fried with broccoli...

The third dish was "Orange Chicken," which is said to be an improved version of Hunan-style tangerine peel chicken, but the preparation method is more like fried chicken pieces drizzled with sweet and sour syrup.

……

After eating a piece of orange chicken, Reggie asked Jia Fei, "Jia, do you think these Chinese dishes are authentic?"

Jia Fei was both amused and exasperated. Could these dishes be considered authentic? He could only say that these dishes were Chinese food that suited American tastes, but Chinese cuisine is vast and profound, and these few dishes obviously could not represent it.

"Uh...it's alright!" That was all Jia Fei could say.

Lamb wasn't particularly interested in Chinese food, so he ate less. He started gossiping: "Where do you think we could have gotten if Russ hadn't attacked?"

Reggie sighed and said, "If he doesn't play, it'll be really difficult. Although I'm very confident in my abilities, if Russ is really out for the season, the next round will be very tough for us, whether it's the Clippers or the Grizzlies."

Jia Fei agreed with Reggie's point of view: "I think so too. The Clippers and Grizzlies have complete rosters. The Clippers have both inside and outside strength, while the Grizzlies have good defense and are good at physical contact. Neither of them are easy teams to beat."

Lamb asked tentatively, "Do you think I have a chance of making the rotation?"

Jia Fei and Reggie exchanged a glance and said in unison, "It's unlikely!"

Lamb slumped back in his chair like a deflated balloon and sighed, "If you all say that, then there's no hope. Sigh, why is it so hard to even get a playoff spot!"

Jia Fei didn't know how to persuade him, but it was indeed the truth! Knowing Coach Brooks's style, even if it was the second unit playing against the main lineup, he wouldn't play Lamb. What a stubborn and conservative coach he is! Does he think everyone is Popovich?!

Jia Fei remembered that in his previous life, the Thunder lost to the Grizzlies in the semifinals and missed the Western Conference Finals, and they only won one game in the series. He wondered what their fate would be this time.