Chapter 68: Pretend to be X during the All-Star Weekend (10,000-word chapter)

On February 7, 1997, there were no games that day and the All-Star Weekend was about to begin.

For ordinary players, with a four-day break in the middle of the season, they naturally have to take a peaceful vacation.

The atmosphere team of the Knicks chose to join in the fun. Patrick Ewing was selected as the NBA's 50 Greatest Stars, and Li You entered the NBA All-Star Game as a substitute. It was everyone's common choice to witness history together!

John Wallace was also selected for this year's Rookie Challenge. He was able to appear on TV and participate in the All-Star Weekend, which made the rookie enter a chatty state in the past two days:

"Lee, when it comes to the Rookie Challenge, remember to pass the ball to me more. I want to complete a beautiful alley-oop dunk in front of my family and friends!"

"It's so cool! The 4th Rookie Challenge has an epic feel. I feel like I have become a historical rookie!"

"How many points should I score? The names of the first-year players in the Western Conference are a bit unfamiliar. Have these guys played in the regular season? Why do I have no impression at all?"

"God! Cardinal Auerbach will still be our head coach. I'm already getting nervous. It would be really shameful to make a mistake in front of this legend!"

"Mr. Holtzman will also serve as the head coach of the Western Conference. In fact, I look forward to him coaching us."

After getting on the plane, the newbie John Wallace kept talking beside Li You, and the unique rhythm and accent of black people were vividly displayed.

Li You helplessly held his forehead. After all, he was not a young man, so it was difficult for him to be in the excited mood of John Wallace:

"Okay, John, I guarantee you can get points in the Rookie Challenge!"

"Relax! Treat it like an ordinary exhibition match, a duel between rookies, nothing to be nervous about!"

Charles Oakley on the side was in a good mood. He didn't pay attention to the excited Meng Xin, and just shouted:

"Li, don't let him make a joke in the Rookie Challenge. Remember to dress more formally and don't dress like a street gangster."

"When it comes to the All-Star Game, don't expect that you will have too much playing time. That is a stage for the old guys."

After being promoted to the All-Stars, Li You has finally established a foothold in the Knicks. Although the core of the tactics is still Ewing, everyone will listen to his opinions.

Lemon Spirit believes that Li You was selected because the NBA league needs gimmicks and is a product of the "star-making movement";

But within the Knicks, everyone recognizes Li You's status as an All-Star, and he can already enjoy some privileges.

Lemon's Larry Johnson didn't follow the crowd. "Auntie" decided to forget about this year's All-Star Weekend and finally chose to take a vacation to "heal."

Alan Houston also didn't take the plane with him. He planned to take his girlfriend to the All-Star Weekend to enjoy the two of them first, and then take a good tour of Cleveland.

Li You knew in his heart that Ewing did not want to see him selected as an All-Star.

The team has only one boss. After playing in New York for so many years, Ewing will not give up his privileges even if his physical condition declines.

The Knicks have been circling around Ewing for so many years, and the gorilla has become accustomed to such treatment, 20+10, priority in taking shots, and abandoning the core style of play. This is impossible.

In the same way, Li You will not give up his privileges. Unless one of them compromises, conflicts will break out sooner or later.

"I'm a little curious. Is Mike really not planning to attend the press conference of the 50 biggest stars? This is a historical moment!"

Hearing Li You's low-pitched inquiry and noticing the gloating expression on his face, Charles Oakley pulled his tie and chuckled:

"I don't know. Anyway, he called me and invited me to play golf and have a press conference? Maybe he wanted to give those old guys some color!"

"He is indeed a jerk, but he should also be respected. Four championships, three consecutive championships, and ranked 46th? I think these guys pissed him off."

With the arrival of the All-Star Weekend and the gathering of superstars in Cleveland, the old guys are coming out for air this year. The happiest people are the various sports media.

There are so many stars, and basically all the famous star players have come to Cleveland.

For fans, this is also a basketball feast. No matter what era you were born in, you can always find memories of your youth here.

On the morning of February 8, Li You took John Wallace and met his friends Ray Allen and Travis Knight.

In addition to the Rookie Challenge, Ray Allen will also participate in the Dunk Contest.

Many fans gathered around Gund Stadium, the home of the Cavaliers, and the giant party officially started.

Big man Travis Knight looks like a tough guy with a short haircut.

After joining the Lakers, he didn't have much playing time, but with O'Neal injured recently, Knight has also gotten more opportunities:

"Li, you are a big star now! I see news about you every day in Los Angeles. You may not know it yet, but there are many fans here who like you!"

"Clay God, this move is so cool. How does it feel to pass Michael Jordan? I will watch this goal every day!"

The big man Knight couldn't stop talking excitedly after meeting him. He also felt that it was a great honor for his friend to become a big star.

Ray Allen just smiled and bumped fists with Li You, still talking little as before:

"Second in the Eastern Conference, a well-deserved All-Star. I know how difficult it is for you to perform like this! Don't pay attention to those boring reports!"

Li You raised his eyebrows. He took those doubtful articles and reports as amusement. Ordinary news could not attract him at all. Only the random fabrications of UC News made him smile.

It's just that it's hard for others to believe this situation. Li You didn't explain it. He hugged the two friends in front of him and said jokingly:

"I thought you would bring your girlfriends here. It seems that everyone is focused on basketball, which is good! I am very happy!"

Li You mainly wanted to comfort Ray Allen, saying that long-distance relationships are really difficult.

After introducing John Wallace, the four of them also prepared to visit Cleveland.

Everyone was dressed in sportswear, so I thought they wouldn't attract too much attention, but soon, some enthusiastic fans surrounded them:

"Lee! I came to Cleveland specially to support you. Can you take a photo with me first?"

"You're too young. I didn't dare to confirm it just now. Li, you are cooler than on the TV broadcast! Your same style of arm guards, God! I like your look so much!"

The fans began to chirp, realizing that this was an opportunity to get up close and personal with the All-Star players. Suddenly, the number of people around Li You increased.

After Ray Allen, who has always been calm, realized that he was being ignored, he looked at Li You, who was smiling and taking photos with the fans, and felt secretly like lemon in his heart:

“If I could have gone to Celtic as I wished”

On the afternoon of the 8th, before the start of the Rookie Challenge, the NBA also held a press conference for the top 50 superstars.

Making an appearance in front of the media was a well-established process, but Michael Jordan came up and slapped him in the face.

Michael Jordan didn't go to the press conference at all, choosing to get together with his friends and play golf.

46? Not taken seriously?

Michael Jordan flipped the table and stopped playing! If you don’t participate in the event, you will be punished if you have money!

At the press conference, Chamberlain and Bill Russell were naturally the well-deserved protagonists, and the event held at Gund Stadium in the afternoon was also star-studded.

But without Michael Jordan, the media present always felt that these 50 superstars were almost boring.

Michael Jordan once again showed his huge influence. Without seeing Jordan, the fans went crazy. They bought tickets to attend the event, not to see these old men!

In the end, the event at Gund Arena ended with a lackluster response, and the NBA was outraged and fined Michael Jordan before the Rookie Challenge began.

Stars not present include Jerry West and Shaquille O'Neal.

The NBA believed that taking away Shaq from the Magic during the offseason involved illegal recruitment, so it directly investigated Jerry West.

It’s just that this behavior seems to have touched Jerry West’s bottom line. The legendary superstar believes that the NBA lacks respect for him, so he simply said goodbye and left!

Jerry West declined to attend this year's event, citing ear surgery.

As for Shaq, this one was really injured and didn't come to Cleveland at all. His All-Star spot was replaced by second-year Kevin Garnett.

On the first day of the event, something went wrong, and the happiest people were the melon-eaters.

In the evening's Rookie Challenge, before the game, the rookies were also discussing this matter:

"It's so fucking cool! McQueen should show some color to those old guys, No. 46, go to hell! I support him!"

In the Eastern Conference rookie locker room, Allen Iverson seemed particularly excited and loudly praised Jordan's counterattack.

Antoine Walker seemed very calm. After changing his jersey, he said casually:

"Michael Jordan also has to respect his predecessors. That is Bill Russell, a true legend. He should not miss such an event."

Upon hearing this, Marcus Camby immediately mocked:

"Look at this guy, less than a year after joining the Celtics, his blood turned green! This is what Michael Jordan should do, 46th place? This is humiliating!"

Iverson also immediately responded with a choke. Before the game even started, there was already a lot of hype here.

After Li You exchanged pleasantries with Knicks legend Holzman before the game, he returned to the locker room and found that everyone was noisy:

"Hey, don't tell me there's an internal fight now? If you don't want to win, then I won't pass the ball tonight!"

"With Ray and John, it's enough to take care of the rookies on the other side!"

Returning to his seat, Li You teased the people who were still arguing. When Iverson heard this, he immediately turned his gun again:

"The youngest All-Star player in NBA history? If you weren't in New York, you wouldn't be treated like this at all."

"If I wasn't in New York, I would have averaged 24+10 per game, and you wouldn't have booked the Rookie of the Year award."

Li You smiled and teased Iverson for scoring points, while Antoine Walker's eyes twitched slightly at the side. He was really scoring points for the Celtics, but he still hadn't beaten Iverson.

Ray Allen had been so noisy by everyone for a long time that he had no choice but to say:

"There is no need to argue. Mike has his reasons for doing what he did, but it is too far away from us. I just want to win tonight, and I don't want to disappoint the family present."

Ray Allen's words made everyone stop arguing. Being able to appear on TV to participate in the Rookie Challenge, naturally he wanted to perform well in front of his friends and family.

Everyone reached an agreement on this point. Iverson tidied up his jersey and said coolly:
To be continued...