pertwk Chapter 67 Making History! The Lowest-Scoring 3-Point Contest Champion in History!
Chapter 67 Making History! The Lowest-Scoring 3-Point Contest Champion in History!
Chapter 67 Making History! The Lowest-Scoring Three-Point Contest Champion in History!
"These young people nowadays—" Miller couldn't help but laugh as he stood on the sidelines, "Not a single one of them respects Karl!"
"Don't even mention Karl, even if Michael were here," Mutombo said, looking at the arrogant Iverson and Lin Ze, "they'd criticize just as much."
At the gambling table, Iverson hadn't even finished gloating when his hand, which was reaching for the chips, was suddenly knocked away by a flying cigar.
"I'll say the same thing to you, Allen. There are plenty of people in this world who could pull strings against you!" Lin Ze said dismissively. "Of course, that doesn't include me, but this hand is mine!"
Lin Ze turned over his cards: a 2 of spades and a 3 of spades.
These two cards alone seem insignificant, but when combined with the Ace, 4, and 5 of spades from the community cards, Lin Ze created a straight flush!
"F*** you!" Ma Long shouted angrily, "A 2 and a 3, and you bet that much? Do you even know how to play cards?! Cheating, you bastard, you definitely cheated! Was it you?"
Ma Long, panting heavily, glared at the scantily clad young woman, who was so frightened that she took two steps back.
"I told you Shaq was a sore loser, right?" Lin Ze snorted. "Let me guess, after eliminating the Lakers in the playoffs a couple of years ago, wasn't this guy very courteous, always shaking your hand to express goodwill and encouraging you to keep going?"
"That's right!" O'Neal knew exactly what he should say.
What did they do after that?
"How would I know?" Pippen said, suppressing a laugh. "He disappears as soon as the game is over. How would I know what he does?"
"Look, the case is solved!" Lin Ze spread his hands and said, "This is the real Karl."
"Fuck your mother!" Malone slammed his fist on the table in anger, glaring at Lin Ze. "You have to give me an explanation! A 2 and a 3, why did you dare bet over 10?! There's no way you could bet that much except by cheating!"
"Karl, Karl," Lin Ze said calmly, "A two and a three, both of the same suit, and the first two community cards dealt included an Ace of Spades. Do you know what that means?"
"This means I have 10 chances to bet on a flush, a great chance of getting a straight, and with luck, even a straight flush!"
"Can you count how many cards are in a deck? If I'm not going to gamble with such a high probability, I might as well just go home and grow sweet potatoes." Lin Ze said, looking at Ma Long with disdain, wanting to see what else he had to say.
"I'll kill you!" Ma Long roared, then went around the table and charged at Lin Ze.
Losing money is a small matter; what's a big deal is losing face after being provoked by Lin Ze all night. He's furious to the extreme.
Stockton tried to stop Malone, but his small frame was no match for Malone. Meanwhile, Garnett and Iverson, who were sitting next to Malone, both had a grudge against Lin Ze, and they were not friends with Malone either. They were more than happy to see the two of them fight!
Trying to mediate a fight? Don't even think about it!
"What are you doing?" O'Neal showed his big brother demeanor at this moment, standing in front of Lin Ze.
"Calm down, I'll handle this." Kida nudged Lin Ze and then tried to step forward to defuse the conflict.
But Lin Ze's words made him change his mind.
"Shaq, you hold off this sissy, I'll go kill his 'dick' and then come back to help you!"
Huh? You're not going to fight Malone, but instead you're going to beat up Stockton?
You should have said so earlier!
Kidd didn't ask why Lin Ze wanted to cause trouble for Stockton, nor did he care about the logic behind it. He simply let go of Lin Ze's hand, indicating that the sky was the limit for him.
As is well known, there are two types of point guards in this league.
Stockton, and those who wish Stockton dead.
Although Malone wasn't afraid of O'Neal, he panicked when he saw that Lin Ze was actually going to bypass him and cause trouble for Stockton.
It would be a miracle if Stockton could be a match for Lin Ze.
If it really turns into a 2v2 fight, they will definitely suffer a great loss!
Fortunately, apart from those who had a grudge against them or those who wanted to watch the show, there were still some people at the scene who were able to remain calm.
"Enough! You bunch of bastards, that's enough!" Miller, the veteran, stepped into the center of the conflict, blocking Lin Ze while turning to glare at Malone and Stockton: "Shut up! No matter what you want to say, if you two bastards utter another word, I'll stop caring about anything else!"
"Not only will I leave, I'll also drag everyone away and lock the gate! Let the four of you have your fill of fighting here! FUXX!"
I'm talking about you, Shaq! Shut up! Don't say another word, and calm down!
"Hey guys, we're here to have some fun, aren't we?" Mutombo stepped forward, the only one in the room whose age was uncertain, and said in his hoarse voice, "Let's forget about our troubles, go for a drink, go swimming, and find a girl to calm down in a room, isn't that better?"
"We have an alliance event tomorrow, nobody wants to show up in front of the public with a swollen face, right?"
"Let's go with Shaq," Lin Ze shrugged. "See you in the playoffs!"
Without saying a word, O'Neal snorted and turned to leave with an air of authority.
"Don't rush!" Lin Ze said, "The money! We haven't taken the money yet!"
"You told me to leave," O'Neal said, looking aggrieved.
"Don't go, kid!" Malone, having regained his composure, said, "You win the money and then leave? Don't you know the rules?"
"I don't understand. This is my first time in the All-Star game, and I don't know any of the rules." Lin Ze quickly collected the money, tidied it up, and stuffed it into his bag.
"Now I'm telling you, that's very rude of you! Nobody leaves right after winning money!"
"That's because you hadn't met me before," Lin Ze said without batting an eye. "I'm the kind of person who doesn't follow other people's rules."
.
"I told you to sit down!"
Lin Ze finished tidying up the money, glanced at Malone, and then turned to Miller, saying, "I'm giving you face, Reggie. You're someone I respect, so I won't criticize him."
After Lin Ze finished speaking, he whistled and swayed away from the gambling table to find O'Neal.
Lin Ze didn't care at all about the roars and table-slamming sounds that followed from inside.
He was not only unafraid of Malone, but he also knew that when clashing with Malone, the more people there were, the more advantageous it would be for him, and the less likely he would suffer a loss.
Because Malone is so annoying, both on and off the court, he's a complete scumbag.
"That kid." After Lin Ze and O'Neal left the room, Miller couldn't help but shake his head and say, "I've never seen anyone so stubborn, so sharp-tongued, and so shameless."
"This guy seems to have Larry's mouth, Mourning's temper, and Stockton's personality all at the same time."
"I think it's more like Jordan's temper and his mouth, and Rodman's personality," Kidd added to the discussion.
"Then I'll pray for everyone who might face them in the playoffs," Mutombo said with a laugh. "It'll be very interesting!"
Right next to the three, Pippen, who had been listening intently, watched them disperse with a puzzled look on his face.
What about me? Am I even human?
Not even a single mention?
Even if his Dick is the same as mine, what if?
Most people were happy that night.
Including Iverson, who won big after Lin Ze left and quickly became immersed in the joy of winning money.
Garnett was practically invisible tonight. He had originally intended to teach Lin Ze a lesson at the poker table, but Lin Ze ended up teaching Malone a lesson instead.
Knowing all too well that he should fight and retreat when he can't win, Garnett wisely chose to back down tonight.
At the same time, he had already quietly crossed Lin Ze off his list of enemies in his mind.
Just kidding, Lin Ze dared to provoke Ma Long, dared to have such a personal grudge with Ma Long, this kind of madman is not someone he can mess with.
It's just a few trash talk and being squeezed out of the All-Star game.
It's no big deal at all.
Robinson shared similar ideas with Garnett.
When the yacht returned to port, it was already 6 a.m. Most of the players were still asleep. No one wanted to leave at this time, but they had no choice. They had league events this morning, and they still had to go to nursing homes and slums to deliver warmth!
So, as the players listlessly disembarked from the boat and headed to the event location, the dull day began.
Another boring day has come to an end.
At 7 p.m., after a day of slacking off and half-asleep, the stars arrived at Oracle Arena full of energy again, joining the packed crowd in anticipation of tonight's dunk contest.
Because of Carter's participation, and because it was the first year of the new century, this year's Slam Dunk Contest was given countless hype—
And the most resounding title among them is "The Battle of the Century"!
Lin Ze, who had watched this year's Slam Dunk Contest in videos and highlights, has two impressions of the competition.
Carter is invincible.
And because the opponent was too weak, Lin Ze felt that Carter didn't even break a sweat, and didn't even have to use his special skills to win the championship.
In this respect, Carter and Kobe, the previous Slam Dunk Contest champion, are quite similar.
Kobe dunked between his legs while wearing his training uniform, which became the only memorable image of that year. He also won the championship with the attitude of "I haven't even exerted myself yet, how did I win the championship?"
The only difference between the two is that Kobe couldn't dunk any better even after taking off his training clothes, but if you give Carter a player like LaVine or Gordon, who knows what kind of tricks he could pull off.
Unfortunately, the question of how many of Carter's secret weapons he had hidden will forever remain a mystery, and no one will ever know.
However, it is precisely because of everyone's anticipation for the dunk contest that the three-point contest before the dunk contest has become nothing more than a prelude.
The fans' listless shouts seemed more like a routine assignment rather than genuine interest in how many baskets the players made.
Tonight's three-point contest was, frankly, quite disappointing.
The first round went well; Lin Ze scored 18 points, Hornacek 17 points, and Nowitzki 16 points.
These three finished in the top three in the preliminary rounds and advanced to the finals!
Although neither of them scored more than 20 points, it was at least a thrilling chase.
But in the finals, the situation took an even more dramatic turn.
Nowitzki was the first to take the court. Perhaps due to nervousness, or perhaps because the 1v2 game last night had left him exhausted, he only managed to score 11 points.
Hornacek, who came on after Nowitzki, also had a poor performance, scoring only two goals in total from the first two spots. If it weren't for his four consecutive goals from the third spot, including a fancy shot that earned him five points, Nowitzki, with 11 points, would probably have finished second.
Then, on the fourth point, Hornacek only managed to score 2 points. His poor performance made Nowitzki, who was originally just lying down, nervous.
No way! With only 11 points, I still have a chance to win the championship?!
After his initial lackluster performance, Nowitzki clenched his fists as Hornacek threw the final ball.
Forging iron, forging iron!
He missed both of his opening shots, and an excited Nowitzki was practically ready to draw a little figure to curse this old Salt Lake City bastard.
Unfortunately, Nowitzki's chance ended there.
In the final three shots, Hornacek rediscovered his winning form as the defending champion, hitting three consecutive shots to secure a dramatic victory over Nowitzki!
However, Hornacek was clearly not satisfied with his performance, shaking his head as he walked off the field.
Lin Ze then sidled up to Nowitzki and teased, "You really think you have a chance, huh?"
Nowitzki's little scheme was exposed, and he blushed: "I just felt that maybe there was a chance to get second place?"
Germans have very high emotional intelligence!
Lin Ze looked at his younger brother who had been his substitute last year and chuckled, saying, "Now you have a chance to be second."
""
"Really?" Nowitzki's eyes lit up for no apparent reason, as if second place also meant a trophy and prize money.
"It's fake!" Lin Ze smacked him on the head in annoyance. "Watch my performance!"
After Lin Ze finished speaking, he walked towards the court with his head held high and chest out.
This year's three-point contest championship is already his for the taking!
He has absolute self-confidence.
If I can't even score 13 points, I might as well go home and grow sweet potatoes.
So Lin Ze went on the field, and on his first attempt, he only managed to score one goal.
The second point, two goals were scored, giving us 3 points.
The third point, again, only resulted in one goal.
With the competition halfway through, Lin Ze has only scored 7 points.
After throwing the third point, Lin Ze couldn't help but curse.
Is this damn basketball hoop covered or has someone tampered with it?
Seeing Lin Ze's performance, Hornacek and Nowitzki on the sidelines both became nervous.
Hornacek: I actually have a chance to win the championship?
Nowitzki: Could I really be second?
On the fourth attempt, Lin Ze only scored 3 points, bringing his total to 10 points after shooting from all four attempts.
He was just lucky; he hit all four of the flower balls.
If he only scored regular goals, he would only have 6 points right now!
When everyone else was unpredictable, Lin Ze's luck had an absolute advantage.
"Go home and farm, you idiot!"
"You're only allowed to lick Jeff's ass tonight!"
At this moment, Ma Long, who was sitting behind the players' rest area, suddenly opened his mouth and angrily berated Lin Ze.
This guy couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't wait until Lin Ze lost before he started criticizing him. He wanted to open the champagne at halftime!
Of course, it wasn't just because he couldn't help it; he also wanted to put extra pressure on Lin Ze and cause him to lose his composure due to tension and anger.
"Thanks for the assist!" Lin Ze gave Ma Long a thumbs up as he ran from the fourth spot to the final corner.
At the last point, Lin Ze didn't rush to attack. Instead, he paused to take a deep breath and compose himself. Ma Long's mocking laughter arrived as expected: "He's gone soft! He'll probably never get hard again!"
As Malone trash-talked, Lin Ze took a shot.
First ball, in!
Second ball, in!
The third ball, iron.
Fourth ball, iron!
The last ball, the flower ball!
When Lin Ze received the ball, there were still 2 seconds left on the clock, so he paused for a moment before shooting.
The moment he took the shot, Lin Ze felt there was absolutely no problem!
The top marksman's prediction was right!
So, the instant he landed after making his move, he swiftly turned around, pointing one finger at Malone and placing the other hand near his ear.
"Tell your dear father if that ball went in or not! Hurry up and tell me loudly!"
"Whoosh!"
Almost simultaneously, Lin Ze's last flower ball hit the target!
14 points!
Lin Ze sealed the victory against Hornacek, becoming the champion of tonight's three-point contest!
At the same time, the fans in the stadium finally woke up from their listless state and cheered wildly!
Lore!
Even the three-point contest had a game-winning shot!
That was so exciting!
Although this year's three-point contest was of average quality, with no one scoring 20 points and the total score hitting a new low, it was still incredibly exciting!
But in the final moments of the game, Lin Ze suddenly unleashed a burst of energy and delivered the ultimate game-winning shot!
Oakland fans showed their utmost respect and enthusiasm to Lin Ze, something that was originally reserved for Carter.
"Was he celebrating prematurely?" Wilmarcus, the commentator for tonight, had a keen sense of opportunity. "He started celebrating before the ball even went in! Let's take a look at the replay!"
"Don't watch the replay!" Smith's intuition was even sharper; he stopped the director who was trying to switch to the replay with an almost shrill shout: "Watch the live stream!"
At this moment, the live camera was naturally focused on Lin Ze, and everyone saw that this guy did not celebrate or interact with the fans, but instead took two steps.
He stood almost directly in front of the ashen-faced Malone, continuing his taunts: "Can't you hear your father talking to you? Huh? Trash?"
"Are you fucking asking for it?" Malone couldn't take this. He jumped up from his chair, his head touching Lin Ze's, and growled, "You think I wouldn't dare kill you in the All-Star game?"
"If you had the guts to kill, you piece of trash wouldn't have slept with underage girls, and you wouldn't be refusing to pay child support." Lin Ze launched into a moral judgment: "Even among trash, you're the dirtiest and smelliest kind!"
"Sit down! Sit down!" Hornacek quickly stepped between the two, while Stockton, who was next to Malone, grabbed one of Malone's arms.
At the same time, Nowitzki stepped to Malone's side, grabbed his other arm, and shouted, "Calm down!"
Holy crap! This is a golden opportunity!
Lin Ze, who hadn't originally planned to fight in this situation, couldn't resist the urge to give Ma Long a couple of blows when he saw this textbook opportunity.
Nowitzki truly embodies the spirit of playing under Don Nelson and spending a year with him; he's learned the ropes.
However, Lin Ze held back.
It wasn't just because players like Allen, Bibby, and Sura, who had been eliminated, all came over.
Also, because this is the All-Star Game, there has to be some bottom line.
To fight tonight would be a public slap in the face to the league.
It's unnecessary; it's absolutely not worth the risk.
The commentators, Wilmarcus and Smith, were also very experienced. Wilmarcus quickly remarked, "It seems Lin is quite popular; several of the participating players came over to celebrate with him!"
Smith glanced leisurely at his companion who was blatantly lying, and then said, "Lin and Karl Malone seem to have some disagreements. Malone obviously wants his old buddy to successfully defend his title."
"But the overly joyful atmosphere at the scene prevented these two guys from really causing any trouble! By the way, let's watch the replay. I really want to know if Lin started celebrating the moment he released the ball, before he even saw if it had gone in!"
The director immediately followed up, quickly switching the camera to replay the footage of Lin Ze's last shot.
"That was definitely an early celebration! So arrogant! So confident!" Wilmarcus exclaimed excitedly. "I love this! I love Lin so much! He's such a unique player!"
"Lin's early celebration reminds me of Larry Bird back in the day!" Smith added, "Larry's famous line, 'Are you all here to compete for second place?' has become a classic for decades, and Lin's early celebration tonight will also become a classic!"
At this moment, the replay of Lin Ze's entire shooting process began, and then Smith noticed the problem and shouted, "Look! Malone really did trash talk to Lin first, and then Lin gave him a thumbs up! Haha, interesting! This year's three-point contest is so interesting!"
Will Marcus once again championed Lin Ze, saying, "Fans will absolutely love Lin! After watching tonight's Three-Point Contest, who can say Lin doesn't deserve to be in the All-Star Game? Fans come to All-Star Weekend for this kind of thing!"
"Lin was born to be an All-Star! He was made for this kind of event."
On the court, Lin Ze and Ma Long were finally separated. Taking advantage of being surrounded by the crowd and out of the camera's view, Lin Ze mouthed to Ma Long, "See you in the playoffs, you damn trash!"
Then Lin Ze quickly turned around and gave high-fives and hugs to Nowitzki, Allen, and others.
He then went to the center of the stadium, where a rather makeshift podium and host were waiting for him.
"Hi! Lin, congratulations on winning the three-point contest! Do you have anything to say?" The host kept smiling, needing to fill a little more time before the awards ceremony.
"I'm very happy. My shooting touch wasn't actually that good tonight, but I was lucky. I even suspect I broke some record," Lin Ze said. "The lowest-scoring three-point contest champion in history."
"Let me ask!" Lin Ze interrupted the host, then suddenly took off his sneakers and showed everyone the phone buttons on the bottom of the shoes.
"Wow!" The entire crowd immediately gasped in surprise, and then the big screen quickly found O'Neal on the sidelines, who had also taken off his shoes.
"Hey Shaq, am I the lowest-scoring Three-Point Contest champion in history?"
"I think it is," O'Neal said, holding his phone to his ear. "The previous lowest scorer was—well, I don't know! Hahaha!"
Shaquille O'Neal proudly and happily showed off his shoe logo again before putting the shoes back on.
He now thinks Lin Ze is truly a genius!
As for Kobe, who was sitting next to him and had been looking disgusted ever since he put his sneakers on his face to make a phone call, Shaq completely ignored him.
This guy has absolutely no sense of humor.
"Haha, Shaq is right, you are indeed the lowest-scoring Three-Point Contest champion in history. The previous lowest scorer was Larry Bird with 16 points. But you also broke another record: you are now the tallest person to have won the Three-Point Contest in NBA history! How do you feel about that?"
"I hope the three-point contest won't be canceled next year because of this. After all, Kobe told me a lot before I came here, like how the dunk contest wasn't canceled because of him, and how his dunk championship wasn't that bad."
"I completely understand how he feels now."
"What?" Kobe, who had just looked disgusted, was now shocked.
What's it to me! When did I say any of that?
Why do you have to drag me into such an embarrassing thing?
I'm not the lowest-scoring dunk champion in history!
"When I get back, I'll practice my three-pointers hard, and I hope I can get my all-time high score next time I come here," Lin Ze said with a smile and a wave.
"We noticed something seemed to happen between you and Karl Malone before the last point started; did you two exchange trash talk?"
"He just gave me some motivation," Lin Ze said with a smile. "Without his support, I wouldn't have won this championship."
""
"So, is there anything else you'd like to say?" The host, knowing that time was almost up, asked one last question.
"I hope the dunk contest and three-point contest can continue next year, otherwise Kobe and I will hug each other and cry."
After saying that, Lin Ze accepted the trophy and walked off the field.
His stage has temporarily come to an end; next up is Carter's show.
A few minutes later, Lin Ze, having changed his clothes, sat between Kobe and Shaq. As soon as he sat down, Lin Ze said directly, "If we meet the Jazz in the playoffs this year, we'll definitely fight!"
O'Neal, eager to try, said, "I've wanted to beat them for ages!"
"Practice when you have a spare moment, Shaq! We can't afford to lose."
Kobe, standing nearby, said, "I'll practice too!"
"You'll be in charge of Sloan then," Lin Ze glanced at Kobe, "Get him sorted out!"
"Fuck!" Kobe cursed. "I'll take care of Malone!"
"At most, I'll let you deal with Stockton." Lin Ze shook his head and said, "Forget it, Hornacek it is."
"What do you mean?" Kobe was annoyed.
"It means that when adults are fighting, kids should stay away and not get in the way," O'Neal laughed. "Lin and I will take care of the fighting, and you'll take care of protecting yourself."
"If Shaq and I get ejected," Lin Ze, being kind-hearted, couldn't bear to continue rubbing salt into Kobe's wounds, "someone has to clean up the mess. We have to win fights, and we have to win basketball too!"
"Hmph!" After giving a cold snort, Kobe didn't say anything more.
Clearly, he was quite pleased with Lin Ze's comment that "someone needs to cover the game."
Soon, Carter, McGrady, Francis, and others took to the court, and the dunk contest began.
O'Neal quickly pulled a DV camera out of his pocket; he didn't want to miss a single dunk tonight.
At least 7-8 other stars made the same move as O'Neal. Almost all the stars selected for the All-Star Game came to the scene tonight. They all wanted to see what kind of dunk Carter could pull off and what his special skills were!
Lin Ze was too lazy to read the pre-match introductions and player appearances. After glancing at the time, he stood up to pay the water bill, so he wouldn't feel uncomfortable when Carter came on stage to perform later.
A few minutes later, when Lin Ze returned to his position, O'Neal was shouting and cheering wildly. Francis had just slammed a super difficult folding dunk, successfully igniting the entire court.
"Where's Kobe?" After O'Neal finished celebrating, Lin Ze realized that Kobe was gone.
"I don't know, this guy saw you leave and then followed you."
"Gone?" Lin Ze looked at the empty spot Kobe had left behind and suddenly wondered if Kobe had thought he was going to practice, so he went to practice too.
If so, that would be wonderful!
Lin Ze is now undoubtedly the person in the world who most desires Kobe to become stronger.
The subsequent dunk contest broadened Lin Ze's horizons.
Although he had watched Gordon and LaVine's epic battle on TV, he had also witnessed countless spectacular dunks in real games after traveling to this world.
But none of those can compare to the shock and excitement of watching Vince Carter at his peak in the Slam Dunk Contest live.
A perfectly fluid and graceful dunking motion, an effortless visual effect, and overwhelming power—all these combined make up Carter's dunk.
His dunks are by no means top-level difficult; many dunkers can easily replicate his dunks.
But to possess the soul of Carter's dunks is even more difficult.
The only regret is that no one can force out the strongest Carter.
With that, all the individual events for the evening came to an end. Fans, still wanting more but having seen everything they wanted to see, began to leave the stadium. The players, in small groups, also quickly left the stadium, discussing where to have fun that night.
All that's left of this season's All-Star Weekend is the final highlight.
All-Star Game!
24 top-tier players, selected by fans and coaches with a single goal, possessing both skill, popularity, and statistics, will be divided into two teams tomorrow night for the most luxurious, popular, and anticipated showdown of the year!
For the stars, the more fun and enjoyment the All-Star Weekend night is, the more boring the daytime will be.
Especially during the daytime on Sundays.
Because starting at noon, the players will face an endless barrage of media attention.
The media will follow and film everything from the two teams' training sessions. They must stay focused at all times, keep smiling, and make people feel their kindness, positivity, humor, and fun anytime, anywhere.
Then came the so-called "roundtable meeting" after training, where the 24 All-Stars each found their own seats and sat down, and reporters who wanted to interview them surrounded them to ask questions.
This segment is basically the best way to see a player's popularity and status.
Those average All-Star fringe players with mediocre popularity and status might only have three, five, or even fewer reporters interviewing them.
The stars usually answer reporters' questions with a smile, as long as they aren't too outrageous or offensive.
After all, nobody wants to be associated with diva behavior during All-Star Weekend, as that would affect their income!
Hmm—yes, there are some.
For example, Allen Iverson always had a deadpan expression. No matter who he was facing, he always looked half-dead.
Overall, however, the filming and interviews went quite smoothly.
Lin Ze, as this year's most unexpected starting dark horse, was surrounded by a considerable number of reporters, including Allen Iverson,
Aside from superstars like O'Neal and Carter, Lin Ze had the most reporters in front of him.
Several Chinese reporters managed to squeeze to the front, led by Su Qun, who rarely comes to the front lines anymore. Su Qun was quite cunning, asking questions in Mandarin as soon as he opened his mouth.
This not only prevented their American counterparts from getting a chance to interject, but also made it impossible for them to understand what Su Qun was saying, which meant they couldn't even use Su Qun's questions.
Lin Ze also took good care of his own people, answering half of the questions in Mandarin.
While Lin Ze was chatting happily with the reporters, he didn't notice the resentful look in Ma Long's eyes not far away. Ma Long stared intently at Lin Ze, as if he wanted to tear Lin Ze to pieces immediately.
This was because the number of reporters in front of Lin Ze was twice that in front of him, and also because Lin Ze had angered him so much that he almost resorted to violence twice.
He genuinely hated this Asian bastard!
Tonight, I'm going to teach that kid a lesson!
After finishing their interviews, the star players now have nothing to do but wait.
Waiting for the host to introduce the program, waiting for the performances of the various celebrities, and waiting for the cheerleaders and mascots to warm up the atmosphere.
-
This entire process takes more than two hours, during which time the stars have almost nothing to do except chat in small groups in the locker room.
"How about we don't pass him the ball?" Malone cornered Garnett, and it was obvious who he was referring to.
Garnett nodded. He also disliked Lin Ze, but he also had a question: "But the three of us are all power forwards, so we don't get many opportunities to play together, do we?"
"We still have John," Malone said. "As long as John is on the court, he'll definitely have the ball, and we won't let that bastard pass us a single pass!"
"Of course, I need to find some more allies. Remember when everyone in the East wouldn't pass the ball to Michael Jordan when he was making his first All-Star appearance?"
"That kid won't be getting the ball tonight!"
Garnett nodded again: "If I play with him, I won't let him get a single rebound!"
"very good!"
Malone left satisfied and began looking for his next target.
In his view, Stockton was one of his own, so if he could also get the two point guards, Kidd and Payton, on board tonight, his plan would be at least 70% successful!
He had watched Lin Ze's videos. This guy was extremely dependent on his teammates for passing the ball. Without the defenders feeding him the ball, he was just an insignificant wooden stake.
So he went to Payton first.
"Gary, how about we don't pass him the ball tonight? Let's isolate him!"
"Get lost." Payton glanced at Malone out of the corner of his eye and said impatiently, "Who do you think you are, expecting me to listen to you?"
"Win a championship first, then talk to me about this!"
Payton has a notoriously foul mouth. He didn't give Malone any face at all, shooing him away like a fly and telling him to get lost.
Ma Long forcefully suppressed his anger.
Now is not the time to get angry and argue; he needs to keep a low profile.
As for the arrogant Payton, see you in the game!
Malone continued his seemingly aimless stroll, and soon he came to Kidd's side.
"Jason, how about we not pass the ball to that kid tonight?"
"Karl, I really want to say yes, but I honestly think you're an idiot." Kidd looked at Malone with a hint of pity for someone mentally challenged: "Couldn't you at least consider the personnel ratio between your two sides?"
"I've got it!" Malone, sensing an opportunity, sat down and said, "They're just three people! I've already recruited a few more, and with John, we have more than them!"
"Did you forget one?" Kidd asked. "Guess who the head coach is tonight?"
Oops!
Ma Long cursed inwardly.
Because that old fox Jackson was slacking off, he didn't show up from the afternoon practice to the subsequent interviews, and had assistant coach Mendes fill in for him the whole time, so Malone completely forgot that Jackson was the head coach tonight!
"There's something else, Carl." Kidd felt he shouldn't bully someone with intellectual disabilities, and he couldn't stand seeing Malone wandering around like an idiot, so he decided to give him some information: "Before you decided to isolate Lin, he had already been isolating you."
"That's why I can't agree to your request. I just agreed to join Lin's team. You know, even though we're brothers, I can't let Lin down."
"After all, there are four of them!"
Kidd's words almost caught Malone off guard.
What is that?
He's isolating me? He's just an All-Star rookie, isolating me, a seasoned All-Star with over ten appearances, an MVP-caliber star and a face of the league?
This is utterly upside down!
What Ma Long didn't know was that even more rebellious acts against the Heavenly Gang were still happening.
"John, if you and Karl go on the field together later, how about you don't pass the ball to him?" Lin Ze sat down in front of Stockton, coaxing him gently: "I've already rallied nine people, and they've all agreed not to pass the ball to Karl. If you don't pass the ball to him either, he'll become a laughingstock tonight!"
???
Stockton stared wide-eyed at Lin Ze. He had played basketball for so many years and had never heard such an outrageous suggestion.
He couldn't help but remind Lin Ze, "Karl and I have been partners for over ten years."
"I know," Lin Ze said matter-of-factly. "So, if even you betray him, how will he feel? That would be a fantastic sight! Don't you want to see a desperate Karl?"
Ah, this—
Stockton didn't say anything, but his brain actually started to consider Lin Ze's suggestion.
"Damn it! What are you doing?" At this moment, Malone ended his conversation with Kidd. He noticed his backyard was on fire and rushed to Lin Ze's side: "Are you looking for death?"
Lin Ze made no attempt to hide his true feelings, stating matter-of-factly, "No, I'm inviting everyone to isolate you, to make sure you can't receive a single ball on the court, to make you run back and forth like an idiot whenever you're on the field. So what?"
"You think you have more connections than me? You think you have more influence than me?" Malone retorted angrily.
"Pfft!" Lin Ze couldn't help but burst out laughing. He then stopped talking to Ma Long and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Tonight, experience what a nightmare feels like."
Then Lin Ze left, and O'Neal, who had rushed over from the other side, worried that he would be taken advantage of, brazenly and unabashedly began to mock him: "You know Shaq? That's unbelievable, that idiot Karl actually thinks he has good connections in the league!"
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