James stopped biting his nails and smiled.
"Exactly. Before, we were just trying to lull them into a false sense of security and make them think we were pushovers. But when the regular season starts, we'll show them what we're really made of and just how stupid and ridiculous their comments were."
A flicker of surprise crossed Paul's eyes, but he quickly caught on. "Exactly. Tonight, let's go out there and give it everything we've got. Let's wipe the smirks off all the haters' faces!"
With all three big names saying that,
the whole team's energy surged.
Everyone raised their fists. "Let's give it everything we've got!"
Soon, it was time for the press conference.
It was the usual pregame trash-talk session.
Generally speaking, today's players were pretty savvy—or at least had decent people skills—and rarely said anything at press conferences to rile up their opponents.
But today, Wang Yi dropped another bombshell.
At the press conference, a reporter asked Wang Yi, "Wang, you didn't play very well in the preseason, and now all the experts are a little disappointed in you. Tonight, you're facing the 76ers, and every expert is picking against you. What do you have to say about that?"
Wang Yi chuckled. "Experts have to drum up controversy to make money, don't they?"
These days, Wang Yi was usually unfiltered at press conferences, saying whatever came to mind, so the reporters weren't surprised to hear him say that.
A reporter followed up, trying to lead Wang Yi on. "So, do you think you'll win this game?"
Wang Yi shook his head. "No."
His answer surprised every reporter in the room. Even General Manager Divac, watching from the side entrance, shook his head.
Paul and James, standing beside Wang Yi, looked at him in surprise too.
Wang