On the night of December 25, the Kings won their 25th straight game to open the season.
Their record stood above the rest of the Entire League.
Wang Yi scored 42 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in this game.
On top of that, he put up an outrageous 24 blocks.
After Wang Yi and James finished their courtside interviews and entered the locker room, the rich scent of champagne filled their lungs.
The players all held bottles of champagne and sprayed it around without a care.
Twenty-five straight wins to start the season was a historic achievement. How could they not feel proud to be part of it?
Meanwhile, Paul and Anthony were both filled with hope.
They were dreaming of winning their first championship.
They had spent nearly twenty seasons battling in the NBA and earned countless honors, but a championship was the one thing they still lacked.
And given how things were going, their dream might come true by next summer.
Gallo, Anthony, was old now, and Paul was old too.
With two powerful new teammates, James and Paul, joining the team this season, Gallo's playing time had been cut even further. His form had also slipped, and his scoring average had dropped to 8.2 points.
Paul's scoring average had fallen to 9.4 points this season as well.
Honestly, with their pride, neither of them would have stayed in the league after putting up numbers like that.
But without that championship, retiring now would leave them with a lifelong regret.
So they had to swallow their pride and stay on the court, fighting for the dream they'd held all their lives.
James was quietly thrilled too. There was a good chance he'd win the fifth championship of his career this year.
That would at least bring him level