69novels Chapter 53 Metamorphosis
Chapter 53 Metamorphosis
On November 8, 2005, a sunny and breezy day, the Warriors players were celebrating their victory in a luxury villa in the Monlotock neighborhood of San Francisco.
The villa now belongs to Baron Davis, but he didn't buy it; he rented it long-term.
The reason for choosing to rent instead of buying directly was actually due to the advice of Baron Davis' childhood friend, Cash Warren.
In 2004, when Baron Davis arrived in the Bay Area, he originally planned to buy the luxury villa, which was worth more than 12 million dollars, and was willing to take out a loan for it, but Cash Warren stopped Baron's impulse.
Cash gave Byron a breakdown of the costs: property taxes alone would amount to over $140,000 a year for the villa, and with other expenses, it would far exceed the annual rental cost of $360,000 to $400,000.
Moreover, Cash Warren knew Baron Davis's love for Los Angeles, so he advised Baron against taking out a loan to buy the mansion.
Cash, on the contrary, suggested that Byron Davis buy more middle-class and high-end apartments in San Francisco, especially properties in the city center. He argued that the entire Bay Area population was moving to San Francisco because it was safer than other areas, attracting mostly middle-class and stable-job groups who needed such housing. He believed that the rental income alone could cover all costs, not to mention the annual property appreciation.
So, on the advice of his childhood friend, Byron Davis became the landlord of San Francisco ahead of schedule.
The night before, after Byron completed that spectacular alley-oop dunk for the game-winning shot, he invited the entire Warriors team to his villa to celebrate.
"Byron, I didn't realize you were so rich. This villa must be worth over ten million dollars."
When Wang Kai first arrived at Byron's house, he was indeed surprised by the luxurious villa. It was so big. Moreover, after being reminded by Lao Ke, he realized that he would have to work for four or five years without eating, drinking, or paying taxes to afford it.
"This is rented, brother. I also suggest you don't buy luxury property when you're young. Wait until you plan to live in a certain place permanently before considering buying a house."
Byron probably wouldn't have spoken so frankly to others, but with Wang Kai now, Byron truly treats him like a brother.
"Hey kid, this guy's not bad. What he's telling you is true. After the financial crisis of 07 and 08, luxury villas like these became dirt cheap."
After hearing Byron's words, Old Ke reminded Wang Kai.
Wang Kai did buy a property in San Francisco, but it was just a typical middle-class house, enough for Wang Kai and his parents, and it was in a mid-range community with a large Chinese population.
At least Wang Kai's father can speak Mandarin, but his mother can't even speak Mandarin fluently; she speaks with a strong Northwestern accent and simply can't live without living in the Chinese community.
"Thanks for the gift, bro. I bet you brought beef and stir-fry. Seriously, I'd love to eat that once a week. How about I invest in your parents' restaurant in Monlotoc?"
After tasting the dishes cooked by Wang Kai's parents at Wang Kai's home last time, many Warriors players couldn't forget it and urged Wang Kai's family restaurant to open as soon as possible. However, the US immigration authorities are very strict in reviewing Wang Kai's parents' business activities, so their restaurant has not yet started operating.
The party began with the arrival of the Warriors members.
"Guys, listen to me. Yesterday's game was great, and we won. Of course, we also encountered some difficulties. I want to say that in the future, we will achieve more victories and overcome more difficulties. We are united as one, and you are all my family."
From then on, the Warriors' "Family Warriors" were born.
Byron did not explicitly apologize for his poor performance in the first quarter of yesterday's game at the party. He was still a bit too proud to admit his mistakes in front of his younger teammates. However, Byron decided to try to restrain his tendency to take wild shots in future games.
This gathering marked the beginning of a transformation for the Warriors. Their previous lax attitude began to disappear, and they developed a true core on the court.
Wang Kai began to take control of the game without hesitation. Although he was sometimes impulsive, he was much better than Byron. After all, everyone's position on the court gradually became clear, and the Warriors' main tactical ideas were basically established.
A day later, the Warriors hosted the Pistons at home.
Although the Warriors ultimately lost the game 109-106 at home by a narrow margin of three points, the fact that they were able to push the Pistons, who had been strong contenders for the championship in previous seasons, to this point is enough to demonstrate the Warriors' transformation.
Wang Kai and Byron combined for 58 points, but the Pistons played too well in this game.
Billups, Rasheed Wallace, and Richard Hamilton all scored over 20 points, with Billups delivering an outstanding performance of 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Byron's relentless defense forced Billups to reveal his truest and most powerful side.
In this competition, Wang Kai met someone who could run even faster than him, and this person was also a childhood friend of Kobe Bryant.
Richard Hamilton and Colin Firth played in the AAU league together during their teenage years and were roommates. They later became rivals in high school.
Coach Kobe tried to get Wang Kai to use Hamilton's little secret to provoke his opponent during the game, but unfortunately Wang Kai still couldn't reveal the little secret Coach Kobe mentioned.
Besides Wang Kai and Byron's outstanding performances, Jason Richardson also scored 21 points, and Fisher made nine of ten free throws for 15 points.
The game was decided with 5.4 seconds left. Rasheed Wallace passed the ball inside to Ben Wallace, who scored two points under the basket, giving the Pistons a three-point lead. On the Warriors' final possession, Wang Kai took a shot, but unfortunately, he couldn't make the buzzer-beater against Prince's tight defense.
Despite losing this game, the Warriors now have a record of 13 wins and 7 losses, putting them at the top of the Pacific Division, which is full of strong teams.
At that time in the Pacific Division, the Kings and Suns were both regular playoff contenders, and Kobe was averaging 31.3 points per game. Although his 9-9 record was not particularly impressive in the Western Conference, no one dared to underestimate Kobe's scoring explosiveness.
Four days later, the Warriors defeated the SuperSonics 110-107 on the road. Ray Allen made 7 of 10 three-pointers and scored 35 points, but Wang Kai made 20+ triple-doubles and Baron Davis scored 32 points. Seven Warriors players scored in double figures, and Ray Allen became the leader of the empty stats group.
The Warriors' record has improved to 14 wins and 7 losses, with a winning percentage of 66.7%.