Generally speaking, seasoned fans rarely found much worth watching in the pre-season.
No team cared about winning or losing those games, much less showed any fierce competitive spirit in them.
Especially when the matchup was between two bottom-feeders.
But today's game was a little different.
Because the Spurs were playing, and they had Victor Wembanyama.
Fans around the world were eager to see what Wemby could do now that he had entered the League.
Just as they had once looked forward to watching Jalen Green, Zion Williams, and LeBron James.
For many fans, the real focus of this game was how Wemby would perform. And on the Trail Blazers' side, what would Chet, Brother Fengxue, and Ausar Thompson show them?
It was only a pre-season game, but for fans who had waited all summer, it was enough to quench their thirst for the moment.
Before long, the game ended.
Wemby had played exceptionally well.
Better, in fact, than the vast majority of fans had predicted.
He played 19 minutes, shooting 8-for-13 from the field and 2-for-5 from three, finishing with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block.
There were also 4 turnovers and 3 fouls, but those blemishes hardly overshadowed his performance.
Clearly, he had more than lived up to the hype and the fans' expectations.
In this game, Wembanyama had displayed extraordinary potential.
Terrifying physical talent, speed and agility that no player his size should possess, refined ballhandling skills, and an outside shot.
That combination was downright frightening.
And the scariest thing was not his finishing around the basket, his outside shooting, or even his terrifying deterrent effect as a rim protector.
It was how he could initiate an attack with the ball beyond the three-point line, drive all the way to the basket himself, and then