CHAPTER 454: CHAPTER 366: REFUSING TO PLAY? THREATENING THE LEAGUE!

"Lu Xun once said: ’Zeng Xingyang will be the person to change the era of basketball.’"

"Damn, I’ve never heard that quote before."

"Any famous quote you haven’t heard can just be attributed to Lu Xun."

"The Nuggets have won 10 straight playoff games, which is crazy. Who can beat them?"

"Awesome, awesome, I have nothing more to say."

"Zeng Xingyang has redefined my understanding of a superstar; he is absolutely the playoff MVP!"

The fans on the domestic network are reaching a climax.

Major forums and the website Live Bar have been ignited.

The fans’ emotions have been continuously stirred up.

Zeng Xingyang once again delivered an extremely outstanding performance, a kind of unique influence.

In the country, watching Zeng Xingyang’s games has already become a trend, and more and more fans who don’t usually watch him play are being affected.

In the locker room.

At the post-game press conference.

Zeng Xingyang, Jokic, Butler, and Mike Malone attended together.

A reporter asked: "Zeng, you’ve completed another buzzer-beater, what does it feel like to hit such frequent buzzer-beaters?"

Zeng Xingyang said: "Honestly, I don’t feel anything anymore. I know I have to step up and take them down at the last moment. What I do is simply put the ball in."

The reporter continued to ask: "How do you evaluate KD’s change in the Warriors?"

Zeng Xingyang said: "He’s trying hard to fit into this team, but it feels a bit awkward watching him. He should find his rhythm there."

Zeng Xingyang never misses an opportunity to attack opponents, even though Durant is a great fit for the Warriors, he still claims he’s not.

The reporter continued to ask: "Will you be able to sweep your opponents?"

Zeng Xingyang said: "I’ll try my best to do so."

The reporter asked: "How do you evaluate Zaza Pachulia’s footwork?"

Zeng Xingyang furrowed his brow and said: "He wants to ruin my career, he did it on purpose. The NBA should kick this player out of the league. Otherwise, I will refuse to play games because I can’t ensure my personal safety on the court."

Wow!!

Upon hearing Zeng Xingyang’s words.

"Click click click!!"

The reporters quickly got excited.

Zeng Xingyang’s words were very strong, directly putting extreme pressure on the league.

This is the first time Zeng Xingyang has used his influence to pressure the league.

Butler seriously said: "I stand with Zeng."

Jokic said: "Me too, I can’t ensure my survival on the basketball court."

Mike Malone said: "We condemn this behavior, it sets a bad example for basketball fans worldwide. Our management fully supports Zeng."

The Nuggets are absolutely united at this moment.

They were genuinely frightened at the moment when Zeng Xingyang was footed.

The opponents want to ruin their season, and they won’t let them off either.

The post-game interview quickly concluded, and the entire Nuggets team boarded the bus to the airport to fly to Golden State.

.....

Zeng Xingyang’s remarks quickly caused a huge stir on social media.

"Damn, Xingyang is so tough."

"Boycott Pachulia!!"

"Damn, why is this person still playing basketball? Just looking at him seems so sinister."

"If you want to disable someone, you have to pay the price."

The scene where Zeng Xingyang was footed was repeatedly replayed in slow motion, and everyone believes it was intentional, making Pachulia quickly become a target of public outrage.

Many NBA players have voiced their support for Zeng Xingyang.

Wade said: "The league needs to address this issue and ensure players’ personal safety on the court; this is extremely bad."

O’Neal said: "This foul is extremely vile, the league needs to handle it quickly."

Magic Johnson: "This is a pinnacle showdown series, I hope it won’t be affected by such things."

...

More and more veterans are urging the league to deal with it quickly.

New York.

Adam Silver looked at the NBA investigation team’s report, deep in thought.

According to the rules, Zeng Xingyang didn’t suffer too serious an injury, and Pachulia’s footwork being suspended for a game is already the highest penalty.

Yet Zeng Xingyang demanding that this person be kicked out is somewhat against the regulations.

Adam Silver convened the executives to handle this crisis.

What Zeng Xingyang said to the media was too assertive.

"This doesn’t conform to the regulations," said one executive.

"Zeng wasn’t injured, we can’t just fire Pachulia," said another executive.

"What if the penalty dissatisfies him and Zeng refuses to play?" Adam Silver directly asked.

The executives remained silent.

They couldn’t fathom the impact of this event, which would be one of the biggest scandals the NBA has ever faced.

"Do we want the Nuggets to pressure Zeng?"

"No use, I’ve communicated, the Nuggets won’t force Zeng to play."

"First privately discuss preliminary penalty results with Zeng, then announce the penalty decision." Another executive said.

"What about the Warriors?"

"They definitely don’t want to cut Pachulia; Zeng wasn’t injured and he even hit a game-winner against them."

Adam Silver waved his hand; there’s no need to communicate too much with the Warriors now. They’re in the wrong, and their intention to take out Zeng Xingyang is clear.

"Who will negotiate with Zeng?" Adam Silver asked.

The executives exchanged glances; finally, Adam Silver said: "I’ll talk with him."

Adam Silver prepared to negotiate with Zeng Xingyang by offering "to reduce the suspension for the Nuggets’ three rookies and increase Pachulia’s suspension."

The communication process wasn’t smooth.

Zeng Xingyang directly refused Adam Silver’s request, emphasizing that Pachulia must be kicked out of the league.

This negotiation did not reach a consensus, and Adam Silver issued the suspension according to his plan.

The Nuggets’ three rookies are suspended for two games, and Pachulia is suspended for five games.

This penalty is quite serious; basically, it prevents Pachulia from playing in this series.

But the demand for Pachulia to be expelled from the league was not realized.

At this time, journalists were very curious about whether Zeng Xingyang would stand firm.

The league had clearly increased the penalty for Pachulia.

....

Pre-game press conference for Game 3.

Facing numerous cameras, Zeng Xingyang shook his head in disappointment and said: "The league’s protection of such evil behavior is disgusting."

"I will fulfill my promise and refuse to play tonight."

Zeng Xingyang is not short on money right now; he’s just venting.

When even a nobody like Pachulia dares to mess with him, if he doesn’t teach him a lesson, what’s the point of playing ball in the future?

Jokic and Butler didn’t try to persuade Zeng Xingyang; they just decided to follow him.

At this point, winning or losing is no longer the most important thing.

"Wow!!"

"Click click click!!"

The reporters quickly posted Zeng Xingyang’s words online.

Whether Zeng Xingyang, Jokic, and Butler would play suddenly became uncertain.