Chapter 1022
The Orlando All-Star Game begins! But I'm not playing!
This year's All-Star Game was held at the Amway Center, home of the Orlando Magic. All the All-Star starters, reserves, and players from other competitions from both the Eastern and Western Conferences gathered in Orlando this weekend to experience the unique charm of the city.
The voting results for the All-Star starters were actually announced as early as the beginning of February.
As for the result, the Lakers won by a large margin!
Kobe and Durant were starters last year, and with Lin Tian joining the team this year, it's no surprise they'll continue to start.
Lin Tian, the former king of the alliance who almost completely monopolized the title of the All-Star Voting King, did not disappoint when he returned after 3 years.
He once again became the All-Star Game's top vote-getter, and the influx of votes from all over the world kept the NBA headquarters extremely busy for countless nights.
In the end, Lin Tian's vote count settled at a rather absurd number.
8 digits!
The first player in NBA history to receive over ten million votes in the All-Star voting has been born!
Lin Tian!
10895562 votes!
What Lin Tian knew even more clearly was that Stern had secretly called him after the voting channels were completely closed: "Your real vote count is even more outrageous than what you can see. Votes from all over the world are sweeping through the Alliance Semi-Formula like snowflakes."
"But considering that you could retire at any time, the league's attention would drop significantly again, and the votes for all players in the league would also drop. In order to prevent the drop from being too exaggerated and ugly."
"So we appropriately reduced your vote count, and also reduced the votes of others proportionally, to avoid the kind of mess where you could get 1000 million votes when you were playing, but after you retired, the top vote-getter only got a damn 300 million votes."
The reason Stern communicated with Lin Tian was because he genuinely felt that the number of votes Lin Tian received was too outrageous and exaggerated, and that the league needed to edit it later. He wanted to show off and share his shock.
After Silver fell out of favor, Stern often felt lonely and that there was no one around him who could make him laugh.
Unfortunately, he chose the wrong person this time.
Lin Tian isn't some kind of nice guy who can joke and tease you.
After hearing Stern's words, Lin Tian said directly, "You overestimate your people. If I really retire, your top vote-getter can only get 200 million votes, then he'll be amazing!"
Lin Tian's words angered Stern so much that he cursed out loud.
Do you have to be so arrogant, you bastard?
Do you really think you're invincible and that the league can't do without you?
Lin Tian: Isn't that right?
……
Oh, right, also Bynum, who, despite a decline in stats this season, still averages 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game, has been selected as an All-Star starter this season.
Although a large part of his becoming an All-Star starter was due to the contrast with his peers.
After all, in the entire Western Conference, the best interior players are basically power forwards. The older generation like Nowitzki and Garnett, the middle generation like Aldridge and David Lee, and the younger generation like Anthony Davis, are all power forwards without exception.
And what about the center position?
Bynum's biggest rival is Nene Hilario of the Denver Nuggets.
As for the third, it all slips down to players of the caliber of DeAndre Jordan, Haywood, and Gortat.
It can only be said that the golden age of Western centers is over. While we can't use the derogatory term "when there are no heroes, even a nobody can rise to fame," it's certainly fair to say that "when there are no great generals in Shu, Liao Hua becomes the vanguard."
The Western Conference has truly lost a generation of centers.
Or rather, the entire league is facing a terrible generational gap in centers.
Excellent centers are visibly disappearing and becoming increasingly scarce.
Regardless of the future of the league or whether there will be another great center to take over, the fact that four Lakers players were selected as All-Star starters is a new milestone in Lakers history.
The Lakers had a history of having four players in the All-Star Game, but not all of them became starters.
But this time, four players simultaneously became All-Star starters!
Regardless of how scarce the talent pool is at the center position in the league, the Lakers have broken a record by having four players start at the same time!
But that's not all.
Los Angeles has accomplished much more this year than that.
Not only did the Lakers' four players become All-Star starters, but the last starting spot for the Western Conference All-Star team was also taken by the Los Angeles team.
Clippers' Griffin!
This year’s voting for Western Conference All-Star forwards is definitely the most intense and crazy one in years!
At first, Durant, James, Nowitzki, Garnett, Aldridge, Griffin and others started the fierce competition, fighting tooth and nail to become this year's All-Star starters.
However, as time went by and the voting results became clearer, many people fell behind.
By January, only Durant, James, and Griffin remained as potential All-Star starters.
If we consider factors such as the type of votes cast at the time, the number of fans, and the league standing, James would actually be ranked first, with Durant close behind and having a high probability of being selected, but Griffin would be somewhat left behind.
But at this very moment, the Mavericks had an internal conflict.
Terry's departure for personal reasons, James' flirting with Deron Williams, and various rumors, gossip, and revelations of dubious veracity have once again severely damaged James' image.
The incident of defecting from the Spurs to join their division rivals a year ago has barely passed, and he has already become a jerk who ostracizes his teammates and is overly pragmatic.
In addition, Terry already had a huge following in Dallas, and his exclusion directly led to many Dallas residents being unwilling to vote for James.
As a result, James's vote growth rate began to decline significantly, and he was quickly overtaken by Durant, falling to second place.
Not long after, he was overtaken by Griffin and fell to third place.
This time, there were no reversals or comebacks. James was unable to surpass Griffin again, and reluctantly ended his record of being an All-Star starter for six consecutive years.
Of course, from all perspectives, James's selection for the reserve team is a sure thing, and there won't be any problems.
Ultimately, he achieved his goal of being selected as a Western Conference All-Star reserve alongside teammates Nowitzki, Milicic of the Nuggets, Paul and Aldridge of the Warriors, and Nash and Garnett of the Suns.
In the East, the Cavaliers' Wade and Anthony, the Knicks' Stoudemire, and the Bobcats' Rose and Yao Ming were all selected as the starting five for this year's Eastern Conference All-Star Game. On the bench, the Celtics emerged as the biggest winners, contributing three players: Duncan, Howard, and Parker.
Then there's Johnson from the Hawks, Curry and Beasley from the Heat, and Iguodala from the 76ers, all of whom were selected as All-Star reserves.
The 24 most popular, most talented, and most anticipated players in the league have finally gathered together again for the annual All-Star Weekend!
On the Lakers' side, apart from the four players who topped the rankings and were selected as starters, no other players were able to participate in similar rookie games or individual competitions.
Well, of course, strictly speaking, there are three people.
Lin Tian is a petty and vengeful person; he hasn't forgotten about that incident yet.
However, the league's decision not to include Isaiah Thomas and others in the Rising Stars Challenge is most likely a way of maintaining a balance of power.
For example, although Isaiah Thomas only averages less than 8 points per game, apart from Kyrie Irving, the other guards in this year's rookie roster don't have much better stats than Thomas. Not to mention, Thomas is a member of the league's top team, so his stats are even more valuable!
But he wasn't selected, which can only be attributed to Stern's intention. He felt that since the Los Angeles players had already secured five starting positions, they shouldn't interfere in other matters and should leave some opportunities for others.
So this time, the four of them, along with head coach Jackson, went to Orlando to prepare for the game.
Orlando has had a run of bad luck in recent years.
At the beginning of the century, they assembled a roster that resembled a super team, but unfortunately, they rarely even made it to the conference finals, and they rarely faced the Pacers, the dominant force in the league at the time, and were eliminated one after another.
Then came endless injuries, infighting, and departures from the team.
After that, the Magic completely dismantled their team and acquired Allen Iverson, who could drive ticket sales, allowing him to rack up points. While Iverson was racking up points, they were also selecting high draft picks to accumulate talent.
Unfortunately, Iverson never won a scoring title from the end of his prime until his retirement, while the Magic drafted from start to finish but failed to find any talent who could revitalize the team, and the team remained incredibly mediocre.
After all, they are the host team this year. Even if it's just to give the Magic some face, the league's coaches will definitely select a Magic player for the bench, so that the All-Star team has a player from the host team.
But no one was selected this year.
That means they really can't even give you face.
Too mediocre.
Why is it that, while their record is poor, they don't even have a player who averages 20 points per game or has enough popularity and status in the league?
Is it appropriate for you to put Jameer Nelson, who averages 16 points and 7 assists per game, into the All-Star team while leading his team to the bottom of the league?
The All-Star Game is being held at your home arena, not at Nelson's house. This isn't the kind of respect you're giving.
Ultimately, the only ones who can truly represent Orlando are second-year center Greg Monroe and first-year rookie Jimmer Fredette. Both of them have been selected for the Rising Stars Challenge and will face off in an Orlando derby.
Of course, nobody really cares about this derby.
Including Orlando natives.
If people really want to watch the Rising Stars Challenge, they should watch the point guard duel between Irving and Wall. The offensive battle between these two explosive point guards is 50 times more exciting than your team derby between Fredette and Monroe.
Anyway, the Magic were in an awkward position, but the Orlando fans' good mood wasn't really affected by the fact that no one on the team was selected for the All-Star game.
After all, this small city in the southeast is filled with countless joys.
Disney chose to build their park here not because the land was cheap, but because the people here really know how to enjoy themselves and find ways to relax.
The All-Star Game is traditionally held on the second weekend of February each year. On Thursday or even Wednesday, star players who don't have any games to play before the weekend, as well as players who want to join in the fun, will arrive at the All-Star Game venue early to celebrate with everyone.
In short, while Orlando residents were excited to welcome the All-Star Game, this year's game was truly embarrassing for them.
However, the Orlando residents are in an even more awkward position.
Before the All-Star Weekend, Stern still harbored illusions because he felt that his relationship with Lin Tian had been repaired. He hoped that Lin Tian would change his mind, or simply forget the harsh words he had made, and then swagger to Orlando, participate in various interviews, and finally participate in the All-Star Game. Ideally, he would even win an All-Star MVP award, which would be perfect.
No, as long as Lin Tian is willing to play, even if it's forced upon him, Stern will still give Lin Tian an MVP award!
After all, Lin Tian didn't announce that he really wouldn't fight, did he?
Unfortunately, Stern's dream was only partially realized.
It was the part where Lin Tian swaggered into Orlando, but just as he and his Los Angeles buddies got off the plane and were being interviewed by the media outside the airport, Lin Tian said something that hurt all the fans.
"I can't play." Lin Tian took off his sunglasses and said apologetically, "I'm getting old, and my ankle injury is very serious. I didn't play in the last game, so I really can't play in the All-Star game. Our goal is the championship, so I can only give up some games to keep myself fully healthy."
"I can only apologize to my friends who have supported me."
Lin Tian's statement and on-site interview clearly caused countless people to sigh with regret, and some fans who were also at the scene even shouted for a refund.
Unfortunately, Lin Tian's mind was made up; no one could change his mind once he had decided.
After saying a few polite words to the media, Lin Tian left directly.
Along the way, Kobe and the others looked at Lin Tian differently.
Is this thing injured?
What the hell is this letter?!
This kid just yesterday thrashed Isaiah Thomas and Murphy in the Lakers' simulated dunk contest, successfully becoming the Lakers' dunk champion!
Now he says he has an ankle injury?
Yes, Lin Tian did not play in the last game before the All-Star Game, but wasn't that Jackson's way of letting him rest and have a good rest, so he didn't let him go with the team to cold Detroit?
Kobe and Durant also received this kind of treatment, so why did they get injured even though they got it?
"It's better if they don't play." Jackson was quite relaxed and nonchalant: "I'd rather Kobe, Kevin, and Andrew all get injured and not play! What's so fun about this lousy All-Star Game? If there weren't any injuries that would prevent me from sitting on the sidelines, I'd fucking want to get injured and miss it."
"What exactly is going on?" Compared to Jackson's casualness, Kobe was more worried about Lin Tian, wondering if he might actually have some kind of injury.
"What could be wrong?" Lin Tian shrugged and said, "They just don't want to fight."
It must be said that Lin Tian was still kind-hearted; he didn't reveal that he had threatened Stern, that Xiao Hua was unable to take over, and a series of other things. He still saved face for Stern.
After all, the old man has had a hard time too. He has shown the sincerity he deserves and given the spectacle he deserves, so we can't be too pushy, can we?
If you keep your promise, that's fine.
If you really don't give me face, Lin Tian won't even come to Orlando. What can Stern do to Lin Tian then?
Even though the notification was very last minute, they still managed to make sure everyone was respectable.
It's possible that the ankle injury worsened due to sudden turbulence on the plane!
Lin Tian believed he had done everything he could. He hadn't leaked the information, hadn't simply abandoned the person, and had offered all the necessary pleasantries. If the old man still had objections, then that was going too far! (End of Chapter)