Carrying an old science teacher with him

Chapter 57 Two Middle Fingers in North Shore Garden

After losing to the Nets on the road, the Warriors still have three more road games in the Eastern Conference, against the Celtics, 76ers, and Pistons.

Four consecutive away games, including a back-to-back away game against the Celtics, present a significant challenge for the Warriors.

Although the Celtics' record was mediocre, with only 9 wins and 14 losses before the game against the Warriors, their home atmosphere truly opened Wang Kai's eyes.

Wang Kai was stunned by the conditions of the away team's locker room at the North Shore Garden Arena. It was the first time he had ever seen an away team's locker room with no hot water, clogged drains, and even short chair legs.

"Kid, this is TD Garden. You'd better be prepared. The fans here aren't so friendly."

Kobe reminded Wang Kai to be prepared, knowing the nature of Boston fans—those "scum" were capable of anything.

Just as Kobe predicted, when Wang Kai walked out of the player tunnel, a Boston fan next to the tunnel threw a banana in front of him.

Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Kai raised his middle fingers with both hands and strode towards the court.

"Put it down right now, kid, don't let the cameras catch you, or you'll be in big trouble."

Lao Ke knew Wang Kai wouldn't tolerate it, but he didn't expect Wang Kai to be so bold as to directly provoke the fans at the scene.

Wang Kai's actions drew boos from the entire TD Garden arena, but fortunately, all the cameras were focused on the home team and didn't capture much of Wang Kai's movements.

As Wang Kai walked onto the court, he looked around. Although he had prepared himself mentally with Kobe's reminder, he hadn't expected the atmosphere to be so welcoming.

There were posters depicting the image of "Fu Manchu" and braided wigs deliberately hung around the neck.

These things infuriated Wang Kai. He didn't understand why some fans here hated him so much.

This is Boston, a city that even Bill Russell, the greatest "legend" of the Celtics, didn't want to live in.

Despite being a renowned academic city in North America, Boston's xenophobia is ingrained in its very being.

Byron walked over at the opportune moment and patted Wang Kai on the shoulder; he could feel the anger in the young man's heart.

"Play well, we're going to take this victory away from here."

After the game started, the Celtics attacked first.

Marcus Banks dribbled the ball upfield and passed it to Ricky Davis at a 45-degree angle.

This "legendary" star, who thought LeBron James was there to assist him, wanted to test Wang Kai's mettle from the start. After a probing step with the ball, he suddenly accelerated, got rid of Jason's defense, and headed straight for Wang Kai, who was helping to defend.

Facing Ricky Davis, who was jumping to dunk over him, Wang Kai showed no mercy. Relying on his greater height and longer wingspan, Wang Kai blocked Ricky Davis and the ball together.

Wang Kai has no intention of holding back in this match.

After Baron Davis grabbed the basketball, he immediately accelerated towards the frontcourt, and Wang Kai followed closely behind.

The Celtics' defensive transition was slightly slower; they had Perkins, a big center, in the paint, who wasn't much faster than Yao Ming.

After advancing to the frontcourt, Byron did not attack the basket directly, but instead passed the ball between his legs to his back.

Wang Kai, who was following up, received the ball and stepped into the free throw line, then jumped up and slammed it in with his arm.

A deafening chorus of boos erupted at TD Garden; the fans there certainly didn't like seeing a rookie so cocky.

Wang Kai raised his hand to his ear as if listening, which only made the boos louder.

"Hey Fake, newbie, don't go too far. This isn't your territory."

Paul Pierce walked straight up to Wang Kai, feeling that the Chinese rookie was going too far, showing no regard for whether the fans here were being unreasonable.

"Goufaco has Selfo, your territory is full of maggots and garbage. Clean up your own territory before you talk to me."

Wang Kai shows no weakness whatsoever; he will fight to the very end in this match.

The two sides clashed right at the start of the match, which made the atmosphere of the game even more intense.

The referee separated the two sides but did not give Wang Kai and Pierce a technical foul, since the game had only just begun.

The Celtics are on offense, and Paul Pierce is directly posting up against Wang Kai to ask for the ball.

Wang Kai knew he wouldn't be able to defend Paul Pierce well in the low post, so he kept getting in front of him and blocking Pierce's receiving lanes.

Having received training in low-post one-on-one techniques from Kobe Bryant, Wang Kai had heard about Paul Pierce's exploits from Kobe and admired his incredible resilience. However, Wang Kai also knew how outstanding Pierce's low-post skills were at that moment, a survival skill that Pierce relied on for his livelihood.

However, thanks to his teammates' passes, Pierce still managed to receive the ball in the low post.

Wang Kai tightly marked Pierce at the top of the post. He had learned from Kobe that Pierce liked to turn around at the top of the post in the low post and then use the change of rhythm to shoot.

However, Wang Kai underestimated Pierce's low-post skills. He pushed up the baseline but suddenly turned around and easily scored two points with a reverse layup.

Wang Kai didn't care that Pierce scored so easily. He dribbled the ball forward and passed it to Byron. Then he started making crazy runs with Pierce on his heels.

Byron knew Wang Kai was going to score as soon as he received the ball; his off-ball movement followed by a catch and shot was his most accurate weapon.

The Warriors' positioning changed as Wang Kai moved, with Troy Murphy and Jason Richardson providing screens for him one after another.

The Celtics' defense also changed accordingly, but Pierce lost track of Wang Kai.

Wang Kai circled from the baseline to a 45-degree angle, and Byron passed the ball to him at the right time. Wang Kai received the ball and, facing the chasing defense of Marcus Banks who is only 188 cm tall, directly shot a three-pointer and made it.

Boos for Wang Kai rang out again from the audience.

Pierce continued to try to post up Wang Kai, but the Warriors immediately double-teamed him after he received the ball.

Pierce passed the ball to Ricky Davis on the perimeter, who missed a three-pointer.

Wang Kai grabbed the rebound and immediately launched a fast break, rushing to the frontcourt and stopping abruptly to shoot a three-pointer from one meter beyond the three-point line.

In many previous games, Wang Kai rarely took such shots. Today, Wang Kai was determined to play freely, showing no mercy and taking a crazy number of shots.

Wang Kai's shot was too sudden; Pierce and the Celtics players who had chased back didn't have time to block it.

The basketball swished precisely into the net, and Wang Kai scored three consecutive baskets to start the game, netting eight points in a row.

The boos at TD Garden grew louder; the fans there were not only xenophobic, but also disliked anyone taking so many shots to score.

Pierce then stopped posting up and moved to the perimeter, letting Ricky Davis drive to the basket.