Chapter 1023
: Can't handle Lin Tian, but can handle everything else! Another textbook example
Lin Tian thought he had done a good job, but he never expected that as soon as the Los Angeles group's car arrived at the entrance of their hotel, they were blocked by Stern.
"Shall we talk?" Stern looked at Lin Tian and sighed.
"Let's chat." Lin Tian nodded. Seeing this, the others were quite sensible. A large group of people got out of the car, leaving only Lin Tian and Stern in the car.
In the completely enclosed space, the two people sat on two chairs.
"What are you doing?" Stern's brows suddenly furrowed as he saw Lin Tian playing on his phone.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just afraid you'd try to scam me if things didn't go your way, and just lie down on the ground and say I'd beat you up." Lin Tian fiddled with his phone for a while, then found a suitable angle to make sure he was fully in the shot, and then pressed the record button.
"Alright, let's begin. What were we going to talk about again?"
"I'm thinking of getting someone to take an assault rifle and riddle you with bullets." Stern was about to explode.
Where would you find something like this?
Could the things that Lin Tian and I were about to talk about be recorded?
That absolutely cannot be made public!
"That's a blatant threat, a death threat! What's the legal system like here? I have a video recording, don't try to renege on your promise!"
"Who the hell is going to renege on their debt!" Stern cursed, but then shook his head helplessly. This bastard was just too easy to get carried away with. "Anyway, you won't leak it out, so I can trust you."
"Hard to say." Lin Tian felt that the phone was not in a good position, so he moved it a little to make his face look smaller, but he didn't even look at Stern.
Stern also gave up on communicating with this bastard.
Whatever, go to hell!
Stern cursed inwardly, then looked at Lin Tian and said, "I hope you can attend the All-Star Game. I still hope you can play for a while. Even if it's just for a little while."
"No, I've made plans to go to Disneyland with Claire. She's coming tomorrow. Oh, by the way, you haven't met my daughter yet, have you? I'll have her call you 'uncle,' so you'll look younger."
"Disneyland in Orlando closes at 9 p.m.!"
"But the All-Star Game starts at 7 o'clock, and Claire wants to see the parade floats. I can't let her down. Plus, we have to practice in the afternoon, so there's not enough time. Let's do it next time."
"There's no Disneyland in Los Angeles?"
"Not as small as Orlando."
The comment that Orlando wasn't as small almost made Stern spit out blood.
What kind of damn reason is that?
Stern was staring at Lin Tian. He knew that he couldn't catch a wolf without risking his cub. He had to offer some conditions and benefits, otherwise Lin Tian wouldn't give him any face at all.
Or rather... his own face might only be enough for Lin Tian to get to Orlando.
"As long as you're on the field, just play casually, and I'll give you MVP!"
Even if my stats are terrible?
"Sure, I will prepare the follow-up public relations and reasons to ensure that everyone is satisfied and that those star players will not have any objections."
"But I still have to go to Disneyland."
"All-Star Game is such a pain! Why can't you go during the Rising Stars Challenge and individual competitions?"
"But the princess parade is only on Sundays," Lin Tian blinked.
Judging from his expression, Lin Tian was incredibly sincere at that moment, as if the most important meaning of his life was to watch the princess parade on weekends.
Stern believed that Lin Tian, that bastard, liked the princess very much.
But he didn't believe that Lin Tian liked Disney princesses.
"Play well in the All-Star game, and I'll prepare a grand ceremony for you."
"Isn't that a bit unlucky?"
"This season's regular season MVP..."
"You can give it to someone else? We're number one in the West, my stats are about to break records, who are you going to give the MVP to? Do you want to play basketball again?"
"I can name the All-Star MVP trophy the Lin Cup."
"How dare you swear? I am Lin Bei!" Lin Tian cursed in Mandarin before quickly returning to the main point: "This is even more unlucky. Aren't they all named after dead people?"
"Bill Russell isn't dead either!"
“Soon.” Lin Tian said without hesitation, “I bet you he has at most another 20 years to live.”
"He's almost 80! It's a miracle he's even 10 years old!" Stern once again lost his composure and shouted.
"See, it's unlucky." Lin Tian spread his hands, looking innocent, as if he wouldn't live past 10 years if his name were used to name some kind of trophy.
"Can we talk about this? Are there any other options?" Stern had given up on offering Lin Tian a price; the guy's stubbornness was really frustrating.
"Of course there's a solution." Lin Tian chuckled, giving Stern hope again, but that hope was quickly dashed once more.
“Go back to Christmas and stop this from happening in advance! I'm telling you, it's possible. Have you seen Back to the Future or Terminator? All you need to do is send one person back, or get a car, and you can solve everything!”
"Go to hell!" Stern cursed. He knew perfectly well that Lin Tian was playing him. He was ready to leave; if they continued talking, he would really have a stroke.
"Alright, alright, I'm not kidding." Lin Tian waved his hand and said, "Seriously speaking, after I was wronged, I'm not satisfied with just a fair punishment. You have to give me an extra reward."
"I can refund the money you paid, but you've already been suspended. How else can I refund you? How about I let you play one more regular season game? Even if you weren't suspended?" Stern was so angry that he laughed.
“It doesn’t have to be that complicated.” Lin Tian’s face lit up with an innocent smile again: “Have you seen Terminator or Back to the Future? This is very easy to do. You just need to find a robot or a car, and then you can…”
"Go to hell." Stern's hopes were dashed. He was certain that Lin Tian was playing him. He wasn't going to waste any more time. What he needed to do now was to quickly find someone to fill in for the All-Star team and then find someone to fill in for the starting lineup.
Especially since the game is being played in the East, he needs to find someone from the West to come over quickly. What if he's too late and the person can't get to the venue in time?
Stern's mind raced through candidates, trying to find a suitable one for the All-Star team. At the same time, he stood up, ready to get off the bus.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned back to look at Lin Tian and said, "You were dissatisfied with the result, so why didn't you tell me then? Why did you have to hide it until now?"
"First, you didn't ask me if I was satisfied; second, I didn't hide anything, I told you long ago that I wouldn't be playing in the All-Star Game; third, even if I had told you back then that I was unhappy, would you have changed the punishment again?"
"Go to hell, you bastard!" Stern stopped talking nonsense. He knew Lin Tian had made up his mind, so he stood up cursing and got off the bus. Lin Tian followed him off the bus with a grin.
After a long chat, the two people's emotions were completely different.
Stern nodded and said no more, because the answer was already obvious.
Although he values Lin Tian highly, and although Lin Tian will bring countless amounts of money to the alliance, he can't just keep slapping himself on the left cheek before slapping his right cheek, can he? Otherwise, the alliance would truly become a joke.
If there's anything wrong with him, it's that he acted too hastily, failing to call Lin Tian beforehand to inform him of his decision, and instead proceeding directly with it.
FUXX!
Stern cursed again. How could he possibly ask Lin Tian about something like this? He was the president, and he had his pride too. Asking a player for permission for everything, no matter how important or profitable that player was, still made him feel bad!
All I can say is that Lin is a real bastard.
He didn't even want to tell himself in advance that he had already decided not to play in the All-Star game. If that were the case, Stern's contingency plan could have been made even more perfect and reasonable.
At the very least, they could have done some publicity beforehand, saying that Lin Tian couldn't play and that they might have to find someone else.
But the result?
All of these were last-minute notices; there wasn't enough time to do anything.
He even discussed things like the All-Star voting results with himself. Who would have thought that this bastard had already decided not to play?
Who would have thought that this guy would come all the way to Orlando and end up just going to Disneyland?
“Okay, you won’t play in the All-Star game, but you still have to attend the charity events these next few days…” Stern, who had already gotten out of the car, turned back to look at Lin Tian, still trying to get some benefits at the last minute.
"My ankle injury is quite serious," Lin Tian said shamelessly while walking normally, "so I might not be able to participate in some activities."
"Then how the hell can you go to Disneyland?"
"Spending time with my daughter, I think I can ignite extra fighting spirit and energy."
"At the very least, when you go to Disneyland, give me a cast or a wheelchair."
"It'll have a bad impact," Lin Tian said, frowning. "It will make fans think that I'm not taking good care of my injury and am running around recklessly. If I don't perform well in the games after the All-Star Game, everyone will definitely blame this incident."
"Then they will say that I am not doing my job properly, and my reputation and honor will be severely damaged."
"You still have reputation and honor?" Stern laughed again, exasperated. "You'll have to wear a cast or be in a wheelchair." "I won't." Lin Tian finished speaking, stopped arguing with Stern, waved, and walked back to the hotel. At the hotel entrance, he even suddenly jumped up and touched a particularly tall leaf on a tree near the hotel entrance.
Looking at Lin Tian's retreating figure, Stern felt a mix of emotions.
Feeling uncomfortable, frustrated, and disgusted, yet truly helpless against Lin Tian.
Strangely, the old man wasn't angry at all; on the contrary, he found it quite amusing.
These two completely different emotions were hanging over Stern alone, to the point that he even wondered if he was really getting old and needed to see a doctor...
In short, after this negotiation, Stern has now definitively confirmed that Lin Tian will not be participating in this year's All-Star Game.
Fortunately, Stern reacted very quickly. He immediately called Deron to ask his location, and upon learning that Deron was preparing to fly to Orlando to join the fun, Stern made the decision on the spot.
The organization has decided that you will replace Lin in the All-Star selection!
This time, Stern called to confirm first, and then sent a notification. He didn't want to be fooled again. If it was officially announced that Deron would participate, and then Deron said that he was injured or had already gone on vacation to some place in Europe or South America, that would be truly ridiculous.
Fortunately, Delong was a decent guy and was just about to join in the fun.
We made it.
Then Stern once again demonstrated his top-notch crisis management skills by calling Bass again and asking him for help.
Bass, being a seasoned veteran, was completely different from Lin Tian, who would flip the table at the slightest disagreement. Without saying much, he simply said he would definitely help.
After getting all that sorted out, Stern didn't hesitate any longer and promoted LeBron James, the most popular player among all the Western Conference players who weren't in the All-Star starting lineup, to the starting lineup.
At this point, he had completely finished what he could do.
Next, we can only hope that Lin Tian won't be spotted by too many media outlets and won't jump around in Disneyland to show off his physical fitness and health.
too tired.
Stern wondered where he had used his crisis management skills in the past.
When he first entered the league, the entire league was shrouded in gambling and drugs, and the league had a terrible reputation. Then Stern took decisive action.
And they immediately targeted star players. John Drew, a multiple All-Star player who was still in his prime but addicted to drugs, was the first victim and was banned from the league for life.
Then, in less than two years, Stern banned Eddie Johnson, Chris Washburn, and other players for life.
Some of these players were involved in drug use, others in gambling, but in general, Stern adopted a high-pressure policy during those years, cracking down on each player without any leniency. In addition, Bird and Magic Johnson, two guys with excellent images and reputations, simultaneously supported the Celtics and Lakers, two powerhouse teams.
The NBA also ushered in its first period of rapid growth, with the Black-and-White rivalry helping Stern become a top-tier manager sought after throughout North America.
Then in the early 90s, Magic Johnson, the former king of the league, was embroiled in a scandal and had to retire early due to AIDS. Stern and Magic Johnson attended the press conference together, and the two of them shared the criticism.
Then came the 98 NBA lockout, Jordan's retirement, Lin Tian's fight in the Finals...
Each incident was smoothly navigated under Stern's control.
Stern's reputation grew, the NBA grew larger, and owners and players made more and more money; everything was developing rapidly in a positive direction.
Even now, various parties are beginning to predict that the upcoming round of broadcasting agreement negotiations, no matter what price is ultimately settled, will be an astronomical figure, and the league's revenue will at least double!
These enormous benefits and the tremendous progress of the alliance are not solely due to Stern's efforts, but they would certainly not have been possible without him.
But what about now?
What kind of player gets suspended for five games for fighting? What kind of player skips the All-Star Game to go see princesses at Disneyland? What kind of player tells the league two months in advance that he's going to injure his foot?
What the hell is going on?!
Lao Tzu's top-notch public relations and coordination skills, which are on a global scale, are now being used for this kind of thing?
Stern was furious!
But he really had no other choice.
It can only be said that one thing subdues another.
Fortunately, although Stern couldn't handle Lin Tian, he managed to handle everything else.
What happened next was exactly as Stern had planned, and even better.
First, the Lakers issued a statement overnight, or rather, told a story.
The gist of the story is that Lin Tian had been suffering from an ankle injury since a game in early January, but he was unwilling to give up the game, so he did not inform the team about his injury and continued to play despite the pain.
Ultimately, it was when Lin Tian was changing his shoes after a game that the team doctor discovered his swollen ankle, which led to the discovery of his injury.
But the first thing Lin Tian did upon discovering his injury was: Get lost, you're mistaken!
But obviously a professional team doctor wouldn't make such a mistake; an injury is an injury!
Afterwards, the team forced Lin Tian to rest, which caused him to miss the last game before the All-Star Game.
The team originally hoped that Lin Tian would not go to Orlando and would take a good rest over the weekend to recover his ankle, but after saying one sentence, Lin Tian boarded a plane to Orlando on his own.
“Many people spend a month’s or even half a year’s savings to buy a ticket. They may want to see me play, so I can’t let them go empty-handed. So as long as I can still stand up and run, I have to play.”
Unfortunately, Lin Tian encountered another accident on the plane. The plane suddenly encountered turbulence, and Lin Tian lost his balance and twisted his ankle again. Although it was not serious, he was unable to continue playing the All-Star game no matter what.
That concludes the entirety of this announcement.
Of course, there's also a video the Lakers found from a game where Lin Tian did indeed twist his ankle when landing unsteadily during a layup, but he just stomped his foot and continued playing, so nobody paid any attention to it at the time.
But now, the Lakers have turned this into a 'source of the injury' story.
Then, Lakers' chief therapist Gary Vitti spoke: "I have never seen such a strong person. He persisted for half a month and no one noticed! This is our dereliction of duty, and I am willing to accept any punishment."
Then Bass said: "I am proud to have a player like Lin. We share the same ideal, which is to bring the best games to the best fans! After learning about Lin, I couldn't help but shed tears. I finally understand why he is the greatest of all time!"
"Los Angeles will always be Lin's home!"
“But I will not let him step into the soccer arena again until he is fully recovered, even if it means we lose the championship. I will never allow him to play with an injury again! The same goes for everyone else, Kobe, Kevin, Andrew and all the other Lakers players.”
"Playing with injuries is not allowed here!"
Then there were many other Lakers players who spoke, such as the physical therapist who discovered Lin Tian's injury, the uniform staff who noticed the signs early on but were rudely refused further examination by Lin Tian, and a well-known fan who expressed his gratitude to Lin Tian.
In short, the Lakers put on a show that resembled a team-building exercise from top to bottom, making the performance truly spectacular.
The Lakers' enthusiastic cooperation in this performance was certainly not solely due to Stern's influence.
After the Lakers did this, they helped the league resolve a problem, gained Stern's favor, and further solidified the Lakers' reputation as the league's "number one owner" and the team's status as the most humane team in the league.
Some people spend a fortune to buy horse bones, but old Bass bought horse bones for no more than a few copper coins. Why wouldn't he do it?
The Lakers won a resounding victory.
Although the alliance was missing Lin Tian, the public opinion crisis was resolved without even escalating into a crisis.
The fans felt cheated from the beginning, and were furious that it was only at this point that Lin Tian was not going to play.
Before the anger could be vented, it turned into sympathy and emotion.
He treats us like family!
Lin treats us like family, my friends!
Moved fans are no longer venting their anger; they are now expressing their gratitude and best wishes to Lin Tian.
The comments under Lin Tian's latest social media post are almost entirely filled with thanks, blessings, and words of encouragement for him to get some rest.
So touching!
Lin Tian, who was watching all this, actually felt a little embarrassed.
Seriously, is this guy really that great?
How about we skip Disneyland tomorrow?
Of course, Lin Tian didn't dwell on it for too long, because his latest social media post was also to support this public relations campaign.
It's just a very simple sentence: I'm sorry, but I tried my best.
With just this one sentence, he has fooled countless fans into giving him so much emotion and so many likes.
At the same time, it's just that live-streaming e-commerce wasn't popular in this era, otherwise Lin Tian would have raised his arms and shouted, "Family, I've brought down the price! Lin Family Army, follow me!"
Then, if he put a $10 napkin on the shelves, excited fans would probably place millions of orders in an instant… (End of Chapter)