NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

The schedule after tonight is not much different from previous All-Star Weekends.

The star players all gather on Thursday, and various community activities and services begin on Friday morning, culminating in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday night.

This year's Rising Stars Challenge was quite exciting. The second-year players, Roy and Aldridge, are already recognized as having All-Star level and strength, while the first-year players, Durant, Horford, Yi Jianlian, and Green, are all excellent rookies with good immediate impact.

The two sides traded blows, neither giving an inch. In the end, the second-year students, having played for a full year longer, were better and more refined in terms of ability, experience, physical strength, and development than the first-year students. They secured the victory thanks to Roy and Aldridge's crucial scoring in key moments!

Aldridge scored a game-high 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds that night, making him the undisputed MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge.

As it turns out, this guy was also petty; when he received the trophy after the competition and gave his acceptance speech, he didn't leave any room for his former team.

"I am grateful to them for choosing me and then abandoning me. I am grateful to them for having faith in me and then not giving me any chance. The past year has been the darkest and most desperate year of my life. I even resigned myself to my fate and felt that I was not worthy of playing basketball and could not play basketball well."

"Fortunately, Chris and the warm-hearted people of the Bay Area helped me regain my confidence and dignity. I am grateful for their trust, and also for the other side of their distrust! I will always remember these things."

Aldridge's remarks did spark a wave of discussion.

That is to say, just how bad was Jordan's eye for talent, and what level of rookie could Brown possibly develop?

These two are just too outrageous.

If Aldridge weren't only a sophomore, the NBA's unwritten rule wouldn't award the Most Improved Player award to a rookie in his developmental stage; otherwise, he would have already secured the award.

……

Then Saturday is another full day of community service and other activities.

In the evening, the individual events will take place.

The first event was the Shooting Stars competition, a brand-new program that came out later than the Skills Challenge. It was mainly about having fun and relaxing, with almost no competitive element. It was mainly for the stars to have some fun on the court, and incidentally, it could also help WNBA stars gain some popularity and attention.

Lin Tian sat on the sidelines quite relaxed, because he would be shooting three-pointers in a while. So Lin Tian was wearing a Knicks training uniform tonight. He didn't need to change clothes when he was shooting, he could just go on the court to warm up.

Then the Shooting Stars competition began, and less than 30 seconds later, the competition ended.

The first team to take the court, the Knicks, displayed excellent shooting skills and top-notch luck.

Houston, Stoudemire, and WNBA's Jessica Davenport played seamlessly together, each making the first shot, and all five of their shots went in on the first try.

Even at the last point, the three-point line at the center, Houston and Stoudemire each missed one shot, but Davenport made the third one!

28.8 seconds!
It was almost a perfect score, a near-perfect result that was difficult to improve upon.

Unless KING Bosh chooses to participate in this game next year, this 28.8 seconds will likely remain the all-time best time for many years to come.

After the New York team made that shot, the next three teams were completely relieved of their psychological burden and pressure.

28 seconds? Who the hell can shoot that fast?

Let's finish this quickly and move on to the next project!
So, the next three teams took turns shooting, and the time it took to finish the game ranged from 40 seconds to 1 minute and 30 seconds. In any case, none of them made the fans or the New York team feel any tension.

The match ended without posing any threat whatsoever.

Little S and his teammates successfully lifted the trophy.

But what no one knows is that this Shooting Star trophy is just the beginning!
In the following skills challenge, four players from the 03 draft class faced off. In the first round, James and Ford exposed their inconsistent shooting and low accuracy in the top-of-the-arc jump shot. The two missed 3-4 shots in a row before finally making a shot.

After so many attempts, neither of them could catch up with the incredibly fast Wade and the abnormally accurate Anthony.

The gap between the top two and bottom two was huge, so the spot in the final was naturally a foregone conclusion.

Anthony vs. Wade!

These two are about to engage in a showdown of epic proportions!

And then, the winner was Anthony!

This guy once again delivered an outstanding performance, not only making every pass to him, but also making up for his lack of speed compared to Wade with his last long-range shot, finishing the comeback.

Wade, on the other hand, missed two consecutive shots at the top of the key, leaving him only in second place.

Carmelo Anthony earned the Knicks their second individual award of the night!
He also became the tallest champion in the history of the Skills Challenge.

Then it's time for tonight's special guest performances and the host's narration. This serves two purposes: firstly, to make tonight's individual competition less dry and more lively; and secondly, to give the TV station a chance to air some commercials and increase revenue.

As all the interludes came to an end, the Conseco Center erupted in the most frenzied, enthusiastic, and longest-lasting cheers and shouts of the night.

Just by hearing that cheer, you know what's happening.

Lin Tian is on stage!
The three-point contest begins!
Lin Tian, ​​who has the most three-pointers made so far in this year's regular season and the highest shooting percentage among all players who have made more than one three-pointer in a single game, and is also the most prominent player among the participants, easily stood in the last position.

As is customary, the host interviewed the first five contestants one by one, asking questions such as whether they were confident, how many points they thought they could get, and who else besides themselves was most likely to win the championship.

Then it was Lin Tian's turn.

"Lin, are you confident tonight?"

"Have."

Do you think you can become the champion?

"can."

"Besides yourself, who do you think is most likely to win the championship?"

"No more, tonight is my turn."

"Haha, our Lin is as confident and arrogant as ever. So, one last question: say something harsh to your competitor."

"Have you guys decided who will be second?"

In Indiana, on Bird's turf, in front of Bird and all Indiana fans, Lin Tian paid tribute and did a cosplay.

The on-site director immediately and tactfully split the camera into two, one focused on Lin Tian, ​​and the other on Bird, who was sitting on the sidelines laughing so hard he was doubled over.

These two players are, respectively, the greatest NBA player ever born in Indiana and the greatest player Indiana has ever had.

These two are also master and apprentice and good friends. At this moment, the two completed a dream collaboration.

The fans at the scene went wild, chanting Lin Tian's name.

Of course, there was a small group of fans who shouted Bird's name a few times, but they were completely drowned out by the sounds of "Lin, Lin, Lin".

At least for now, Indiana's number one hero is no longer Bird, but Lin Tian.

Even forget Bird, even Granger, the current star of Indiana University who also participated in the three-point contest, although he also received a lot of applause and cheers, was obviously not good enough compared to Lin Tian, ​​and they were not even in the same league.

After Lin Tian once again proved his terrifying popularity and support in Indiana, the 3-point contest officially begins tonight!
When the first five players shot, Lin Tian didn't even bother to check how many points each of them had scored.

Only when the home fans let out a sigh of regret did Lin Tian know that Granger must have shot poorly and failed to advance to the final. So he immediately stood up and hugged Granger.

The fans are giving him face, so he has to give face to the Pacers' current star player, right?
Then Lin Tian walked onto the court, and after Granger, it was his turn!

Game start!
"Stable! So stable! I've always felt that Lin's three-point shooting has improved this year, and he's even more consistent than before!" Another Indiana hero, Miller, said from the commentary booth: "I don't care about Lin's performance and stats tonight, but I'm looking forward to the replay and slow motion later."

"Then you'll know just how artistic Lin's shooting style really is!"

"What do you think of him compared to you?" Payton asked with a mischievous grin next to Miller, "Even if we only compare three-pointers."

“I’m not as good as Lin.” Miller shook his head without hesitation. “I might only be better than him in the area of ​​catching and shooting after running, but you have to understand, there are countless ways to shoot a three-pointer.”

"Long-range three-pointers, dribble three-pointers, tough shots against defense, catch-and-shoot, pull-up three-pointers, and all sorts of other shooting techniques—in these aspects, I simply can't compare to Lin! In terms of the most direct statistics like accuracy, consistency, and number of shots made, I am far inferior to Lin."

"I'm no match for him, that's all I can say."

The fact that Miller, a guy who's practically the godfather of shooting, holds Lin Tian in such high esteem, practically worshipping him, speaks volumes.

Miller's words also made many people not even notice that Lin Tian lost two regular balls and one fancy ball in the preliminary round, and easily advanced to the final with a score of 26 points, ranking first in the preliminary round.

Because everyone is looking forward to the next replay.

They all wanted to see what was so special about Lin Tian's shooting that was worth watching in slow motion.

"Exactly the same!" When the first replay ended, and the camera repeatedly showed close-ups of Lin Tian's shooting motion, Miller finally gave his answer: "Lin's shooting motion is almost exactly the same every time!"

"The height of the jump, the timing of the release, the angle between the arms, the leg swing, the hand shape at the moment of release, and the follow-up movement after the release..."

"All of this, like a work of art, is like a beautiful painting, without any flaws."

"More importantly, no matter how he throws, where he throws, or how many he throws in a row, his movements are exactly the same, without any deviation, not even the slightest deviation!"

"I know many people will say: Isn't this just the consistency and muscle memory that a good shooter must have?"

"But what I want to say is that five of the world's best shooters just took a shot and gave the best answer. Go and compare them, review and study them carefully, and you will know how incredible Lin's consistency is."

"And the most important and most amazing thing is that even in the game, even when moving at high speed, after great exhaustion, and in fierce physical confrontation, Lin can do all of this!"

"He's even better than every season before. This season's Lin, at least in terms of consistency, is better than any previous season!"

“We all thought Lin had disappeared during the entire offseason, spending the whole time with his family and taking care of his children. He even gained weight because of it. We all thought he hadn’t touched a ball all summer. We all thought he had lost his motivation for basketball and that’s why he chose to retire.”

"We all thought he wanted to go back to his family and was too lazy to continue training to maintain his form, so he retired."

"But after half a season, we will find that he definitely did not rest or slack off during the offseason. He is still improving. He has adjusted his shooting and continues to refine his details and improve."

"The greatest player in NBA history, a monster who has almost monopolized all the championships in the past ten years, a superstar who has broken countless records, still maintained his hunger, ambition and hard work in the last year of his career."

"I hope every young player remembers this story, and I hope every young player can take Lin as their goal! Even if you can't reach Lin's level, you should at least maintain his hunger and passion."

"He is unparalleled!"

Because Miller and his team were broadcasting live, Lin Tian could hear all the praise.

How could Lin Tian respond to Miller's praise?

He could only wave his hand when the host handed him the microphone, casually indicating that this was all he should do, just his job.

After all, he can't tell everyone: I really didn't touch a basketball at all this summer and was focused on raising my child. As for my improved shooting and stable performance this season...

It all comes down to one word—

hang!
Lin Tian's casual personality and humble answer naturally drew cheers and shouts from the fans at the scene and those watching on television, further elevating his status in their hearts!
That's why people say humans are complex animals.
When you're a complete novice and inexperienced, they love it when you're arrogant and challenge authority. They wish you could always be cocky and think you're the best in the world.

But once you've achieved great success and reached the top, they'll appreciate your humility, politeness, calmness, and composure.

Hmm... that might not be the case.

It's also possible that they simply like Lin Tian. If you, Lin Tian, ​​are strong enough, then whatever you say is right, reasonable, and pleasing.

After demonstrating an exceptionally high level of performance and scoring a record-breaking 26 points in the preliminary round, Lin Tian was once again the last to appear in the final.

The two players ahead of him, Kapono and Ray Allen, scored 21 and 19 points respectively.

If he scores another 22 points, he can lift the three-point king trophy once again.

Then, when Lin Tian stepped back onto the court, he once again demonstrated his consistency and terrifying touch.

I only managed to hit 3 balls; I missed two regular balls and one fancy ball.

In fact, the three balls that Lin Tian hit were the third ordinary ball at the left 45° angle, the first ordinary ball at the top of the arc, and the fancy ball at the bottom right corner!

In both rounds of the competition, Lin Tian used the same amount of time, scored the same amount of points, and missed shots in the exact same places!
Furthermore, the large screen and television set at the scene once again displayed two images simultaneously.

Lin Tian in the preliminary round and Lin Tian in the final round!
The two Lin Tians, wearing the same training clothes and sneakers, started shooting from the same spot.

Then everyone made an incredible discovery: they were exactly the same!
From any angle, method, and detail, the effects of the two Lin Tian throws are almost exactly the same!
Aside from the different seating positions, expressions, and actions of the other participants on the bench, the different reactions from the fans in the stands were all different.

Everything related to Lin Tian himself was almost exactly the same!
In any case, the naked eye cannot distinguish any difference!
"Incredible. How can anyone in this world be so outrageous?" Even Miller was incredulous this time.

Shooting two 26-pointers in a three-point contest isn't difficult, and even missing the same spot twice in two rounds is just a matter of luck.

But for someone like Lin Tian, ​​everything is like looking in a mirror or replaying a scene...

Miller's attitude is: I can't do it. Whoever thinks they can, go and try it yourselves.

I surrender!

It's so scary.

It's practically a machine!
No, even machines, even the most sophisticated machines, will have differences and bugs. But Lin Tian's two rounds were exactly the same!
At this moment, another, even more outrageous idea came to mind for many people.

That bastard Lin Tian, ​​those missed shots, could they have been intentional?

If even missing shots is intentional, specifically to replicate the shooting performance in the first round, then this person's touch and shooting consistency are truly outrageous.

"Now I believe it." Payton, who was usually the most sarcastic and loved to nitpick at Lin Tian, ​​finally said, "When it comes to basketball, Lin is in a league of his own, and the rest of them are in the second tier."

"He stands alone at the top of the pyramid, enjoying all the praise and accolades alone. He is unique, and no one can catch up with him, get close to him, or challenge him."

"At least for now, there is no such person. Perhaps in 10, 20, or even 50 years, we will see someone who can challenge Lin appear."

"I just don't know if I'll ever be able to see it again."

“You short-lived wretch, you definitely won’t make it,” Barkley said with a wicked grin. “But I definitely can! I’ll live a long life.”

"Even if you live a long life, you might not see it." Miller shrugged, saying casually, "Do you really think someone like Lin can just wait and expect to see a second one?" (End of Chapter)