Chapter 154 Act According to My Expression

A few days flew by.

This year's slam dunk contest is nothing to watch. There is no Air Jordan, no glider Drexler, and no Wilkins, the essence of human movies. The championship was won by the Heat's rookie Hadro Miner. As for the three-point contest, it was won by Mark Price of the Cavaliers.

And then comes the highlight, the All-Star Game.

…

The All-Star Game has always been a high-visibility game to attract fans, because the participants are all the most popular players in the league. For these people to come together and compete on the same field, it is really rare for fans in the long regular season schedule. A great sight at first sight.

Although the previous All-Star games were all about real-life combat, officials considered that the defensive intensity of the main games in recent years has not been strong for the sake of viewing. The east and west sides have let go of each other's firepower to attack each other. The game has become more exciting, and it is very common for the scores of both sides to reach more than 130 points. Even the 1987 All-Stars scored an astonishing 149:154.

However, it is relative to say that the defensive intensity is not strong. It is impossible to have no defense at all. More often, it is left to the opposing players to attack and defend one-on-one. After all, the only players who can make the All-Stars are the first-line players in the league. Who has not yet done so? The brush.

…

The starting lineup of the Western Conference: David Robinson (Spurs), Charles Barkley (Suns), Clyde Drexler (Trail Blazers), the rest is the Utah duo of Malone and Stockton , and the head coach of the Western Conference is Suns head coach Paul Westphal.

As for the east…

Needless to say, the starting lineup is all old acquaintances, and among the substitutes... Li Shengli is most concerned about the center position, Gorilla Ewing from the New York Knicks, because the head coach of the Eastern All-Stars is the Knicks. Head coach Pat Riley.

"My playing time... isn't much!"

It’s finally the All-Star game, but it’s hard for Li Shengli to be happy, because if you think about it, you know... the good news doesn’t go to outsiders, and Riley will more or less take care of his player Gorilla Ewing. , and Ewing takes up a certain amount of playing time, which is equivalent to compressing his time.

…

The game started immediately, and players from the East and West began to appear one after another. As players selected for the All-Stars, each one had a high enough popularity base. The fans at the scene naturally gave enthusiastic cheers, and what they wanted to see even more It is these players who provide them with a visual feast.

"Li, sit down on your bench and watch me perform!"

"Get out, get out!"

"Hey, are you treating the starter like a substitute? Just wait, maybe we can have a chance to join forces. To be honest, I'm really looking forward to playing a game with you as a teammate."

O'Neal rubbed his hands and walked onto the court arrogantly, while Li Shengli was very angry on the bench. Speaking of which... he has always been the absolute main starter since the NCAA, and now he is sitting on the bench. It was an unprecedented first time for me to watch other people play ball.

On the bench, Li Shengli and Ewing sat next to each other. Ewing had a cold face and obviously didn't want to talk to Li Shengli, including O'Neal who was already on the court.

In fact, it's not his fault. Two rookies suddenly appeared and put pressure on himself, an NBA veteran, during the All-Star voting. No one would be angry, but Li Shengli didn't care. After all, he was not a popular person. A dollar of love can make everyone like you.

…

The referee stood at the midfield line and signaled both sides to prepare for a jump ball.

O'Neal in the East and Robinson in the West, there is no suspense about the candidates for the jump ball. Even if this is an All-Star game that is mostly for performances, we cannot let the backcourt players jump for the sake of gimmicks.

O'Neal stuck his butt out, and so did Robinson. When the referee ran the ball, O'Neal took the lead and successfully moved the ball to the back. In the first round, the Eastern team took the lead.

After all, this game was an All-Star game. Both teams were first-tier players in the league, and there were a bunch of people waiting to come on as substitutes. Therefore, the ten people present were at full power from the start, drawing cheers from the entire audience.

Needless to say, Jordan, as the biggest star in the Eastern Conference, staged a flying battle with Drexler, the glider in the Western Conference. One was a flying man and the other was a glider. The two rarely shot, but they all broke through and rushed to the basket, making consecutive passes. Made a few difficult dunks.

As Jordan's gold medal partner, Pippen also performed well, linking up with O'Neal in the paint and repeatedly breaking the Western Conference basket.

If Jordan, Pippen, and O'Neal are having a great time together, then Thomas and Johnson are also actively looking for a sense of presence, but... they feel a hint of 'malice' from the Utah duo in the Western Conference.

The first is Stockton. Defending Thomas is like playing in the playoffs. As a textbook point guard, his defense is also good. Although this is the All-Star Game, facing Thomas... he obviously doesn't want to let this old man go. opponent.

The second is the matchup between Johnson and Karl Malone. In this kind of game, using iron elbows is not very authentic, but Malone relied on more than just elbows to reach the peak of his current position. He repeatedly challenged Johnson to a head-on confrontation, although Johnson also He's a muscular man, but compared to Ma Long, he's still a size smaller, and he's been trained to be submissive.

…

Uncomfortable!

It’s so uncomfortable!

Thomas and Johnson were really uncomfortable, and the other three were having fun because their opponents' defense was all over the place. However, the two of them suffered a double defeat from Utah and completely entered the playoffs. Their statistics were so bad that it was ugly.

Until the end of the first quarter.

The score between the East and West was 28:33, and the East team was 5 points behind. Thomas had 4 points and 3 assists, and Johnson had 4 points and 3 rebounds.

Johnson didn’t say anything yet.

As a point guard, Thomas holds the ball. Even if he encounters Stockton's defense, he will definitely score more than 4 points by quickly breaking through the basket, but... Malone doesn't want to let him go. If he breaks through Stockton, he will face Malone. And thinking about Ma Long's iron elbow, he felt terrified.

But he didn't want to pass the ball to the other three, so he just stared at Johnson to feed the ball. However, the problem was Malone... This big brother targeted Thomas and Johnson, which turned the Eastern Conference upside down. Fortunately, Jordan and Pippen teamed up. Wanting the ball, plus O'Neal's rebound, stabilized the score.

…

Section 2.

There is not much emphasis on substitutions in the All-Star Game. The biggest consideration is to take care of everyone's playing time, so... O'Neal and Thomas were replaced, and Ewing came on happily, accompanied by others who had just received Three-Point Contest Champion Mark Price of the Cavaliers.

Because Thomas was knocked down, Stockton's defense against Mark Price immediately dropped, but Johnson had not yet stepped down. Malone maintained his high-intensity suppression. Without Thomas's special care, Johnson really wanted to Crying, he became the top player on the Eastern Team.

Except for Johnson, who was a little miserable, the others on both sides attacked each other wildly. They played all kinds of dunks, windmills, tomahawks, and alley-oops. The scoring turned on the furious mode until the end of the half... The score of the two sides reached 70: 75, the Western team still maintains a 5-point lead.

…

In the third quarter, Li Shengli finally got his chance to play.

Because the game is relatively intense in the fourth quarter, the starting players are usually present, so the third quarter is all handed over to the substitutes, but it is worth mentioning... O'Neal, the starter, also played in the third quarter, and looking at Riley's appearance , probably wanting to give Ewing time in the fourth quarter.

At this time, the Eastern team was playing Thomas and his Pistons teammate Dumars in the third quarter, plus Wilkins, and the remaining two were...Li Shengli and O'Neal.

Li Shengli and O'Neal join forces? !

Who knows what kind of arrangement this is. If both of them pile up to the basket, then... can the Western team get close to the basket? ! However, the All-Star game emphasizes viewing, and it is basically one-on-one offense and defense, so there is not much of a problem.

…

"It's finally my turn!" Li Shengli couldn't wait.

"Oh, hell, my guess was indeed right, Lee, we really joined forces!" O'Neal was also very excited, "Look... Olajuwon and Kemp are joining forces in the West, who are you going to guard against? "

"You make your own choice, it doesn't matter whoever comes to me!"

"Then I'll guard Olajuwon, and you go and guard Kemp!"

Shawn Kemp was the 17th pick in the 1989 draft. Although his pick was not high, his athletic ability and physical talent were very strong.

Logically speaking... with his ability, it wouldn't be a big problem to get the No. 1 pick that year. After all, the No. 1 pick in 1989 was Pervis Ellison, the Bullets who clamored to compete with Li Shengli in style and level. Centers and parallel import top picks are on the list.

But Kemp comes from the slums. Although he has great talent, he is an extremely angry and undisciplined player. To put it simply, he is easy to get into trouble on the court and cannot control himself off the court. He didn't have a very impressive performance in his rookie season, but as time went by, he averaged 17.8 points and 10.7 rebounds last season, which is on the rise.

As for Hakeem Olajuwon, he is one of the top centers currently in the league.

Unlike the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference also has Admiral David Robinson, so he has also been reduced to a substitute. However... even if he is a substitute, no one dares to underestimate such a top center. After all, All-Star votes cannot represent strength.

…

"Are you sure?" Li Shengli glanced at O'Neal with a smile, "Seriously, if you get slapped in the face by Olajuwon, it will be ugly. How about... I go against him instead?"

"Shit, do you think you can be better than me?! Anyway, defense is just a matter of course. I can't stop his offense, but he can't even try to suppress me." O'Neal expressed dissatisfaction.

"It's up to you, call me if you can't hold it anymore!"

"Get out of here, hold Kemp down first! Have you seen Thomas? You unlucky guy, don't even try to catch his pass, so for a while..." O'Neal grinned and whispered to Li Shengli, for fear of being caught. heard.

"Fuck, bro, is this fucking okay?"

"Why not? Look at my face and act!"