I made all five of my shots right from the start, and the whole league was stunned.

2009年4月18日，下午3:00。

Three days before the start of the first round of the playoffs.

A tweet shattered the silence.

Posted by: Woj (Woj God).

The content consisted of only one short line, yet it acted like a nuclear bomb, instantly igniting the entire sports world:

[Source: ESPN's "Straw Poll" of 120 journalists with MVP voting rights has released its results. The poll boasts a 100% accuracy rate historically. LeBron James will be selected without a doubt.]

This wasn't an official announcement, but in those days, it was tantamount to a verdict.

Subsequently, the detailed distribution of votes was revealed.

1. LeBron James: 88% first choice rate.

Reason: Record is king (66 wins). Undeniable dominance.

2. Kobe Bryant: 8% first choice rate.

Reason: The Lakers' core player, the top seed in the Western Conference.

3. Dwyane Wade: 3% first choice.

Reason: Exceptional individual performance, a lone hero.

4. Li Xiangbei: First choice rate 1%.

reason:……?

In fact, more than half of the judges did not even include this top scorer and steals leader in their top five votes!

Anger spread like wildfire among Knicks fans.

It wasn't because they didn't get first place that they were angry—after all, the Cavaliers' 66 wins were indeed terrifying, and James' performance certainly deserved it.

Rather, it's because the logic behind the rankings is a thoroughly disgusting double standard.

During an ESPN interview, a senior judge with voting rights offered the following explanation in response to questioning from the host:

"Why not Li Xiangbei? Well, when we compare him to LeBron, we look at the win-loss record. 66 wins is better than 48 wins, it's simple, this is an award about winning games."

The host countered, "Then why is Wade ranked ahead of him? The Heat are only fifth in the East, and their record is even worse than the Knicks (fourth in the East). If record is the primary factor, Li Xiangbei should be ranked ahead of Wade."

The judges suddenly changed their tune, looking completely matter-of-fact: "Oh, for Dwyane, we value his 'individual performance.' He's had several breakout seasons. The lone heroism he displayed in adversity was truly moving. His stats were very well-rounded; he gave it his all on both ends of the court."

"And what about Li Xiangbei? He's the scoring champion, the steals champion, and he's also the sole star leading the team! His stats are even more explosive than Wade's!" the host pressed.

The judge shrugged and offered that invincible, and also most shameless, reason:

"Because he's a rookie."

"There's no precedent in history for awarding the MVP to a rookie (except for Chamberlain and Unseld). It's a tradition, a rule. He still needs time to prove himself, to learn to 'wait in line,' and to learn to respect the league's seniority."

The judges reserve the right of interpretation.

When you talk to him about achievements, he talks about individual performance; when you talk to him about individual performance, he talks about seniority.

This is a dead end.

No matter what you do, no matter how incredible your stats are, they'll always find a reason not to give them to you.

This is a complete case of "seniority discrimination," a collective attack against "outsiders."

……

2009年4月18日，下午5:00。

Times Square, New York.

A sudden downpour swept through Manhattan.

The red neon lights cast a hazy glow on the wet asphalt, like the blood flowing through the city.

Pedestrians hurried along in the rain, holding umbrellas, trying to escape the sudden chill.

Just then, the most central and expensive Nasdaq screen in Times Square suddenly burst forth with a dazzling golden light.

That was Nike's doing.

They couldn't even wait for the official procedures to be completed before they eagerly launched this "coup"-style marketing campaign.

This is an arrogant "established fact"—I say it's him, so it's him, would the league dare not give it to him?

A huge silhouette appeared on the screen.

LeBron James, wearing a Cavaliers jersey, spread his arms, looked up at the sky, and made his signature magnesium powder-scattering gesture.

Golden dust danced across the screen, as if he were receiving a baptism from God.

The caption consisted of only three huge words:

THE ONLY KING.

A powerful golden light pollution instantly enveloped everything around it.

The orange-red GG sign that originally belonged to the Knicks has become dull.

The entire Times Square, the heart of New York, seemed to have become a colony of Cleveland at that moment.

It was as if the whole world was bowing down to the man wearing the number 23 jersey.

……

Tarrytown Training Center, New York.

The torrential rain outside the window continued to rage, the raindrops pounding against the glass curtain wall with a crackling sound, which intertwined with the monotonous and rhythmic sound of basketballs hitting the floor inside the arena, creating a somber symphony.

Li Xiangbei is practicing his shooting in the empty stadium.

He was soaked through, sweat mingling with the heat from his muscles, and his focused expression made it seem as if the world consisted only of him and the basketball hoop.

"brush!"

"brush!"

Every move he made was like a precisely calculated mechanical motion.

General Manager Donnie Walsh pushed open the door and walked in, looking at Li Xiangbei who was still practicing hard, his expression somewhat complicated.

"Lee." Walsh's voice echoed in the empty arena.

Li Xiangbei stopped what he was doing, holding the ball, and turned to look at him.

Walsh cleared his throat and began to relay the "top instructions" from the league office.

"The president asked me to tell you that the league fully respects the voting rules for the MVP. There's no behind-the-scenes manipulation; it's just a matter of 'different perspectives.' It's normal for the judges to have traditional biases against rookies; it's a process everyone goes through."

Walsh paused, his tone becoming earnest:

"The commissioner hopes you won't get emotional. You're a professional player; you should use your performance on the court to 'convince' and 'conquer' those who hold the votes. That's the rule of survival in the NBA."

Then, he tossed out the carefully wrapped "candy".

"To recognize your performance this season, the league has decided to award you the Rookie of the Year (ROY) award ahead of schedule. You were elected unanimously. They hope you will show the demeanor of a future superstar when you receive the award, rather than acting like an angry bad boy."

After listening, Li Xiangbei did not fly into a rage or sneer as Walsh had feared.

He simply wiped the sweat from his face calmly, a knowing smile curving his lips.

"Conquer them?"

Li Xiangbei's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a sense of confidence.

"Donnie, tell the president that he's made a mistake."

"The lion doesn't need to 'conquer' the sheep's votes. The lion just needs to eat its fill."

"I will accept the award, I will cooperate, because this is the reward I deserve for my work. But I don't need to prove anything to them."

Li Xiangbei casually tossed the basketball in his hand, and it landed precisely in the basket in the distance.

"I'll beat them until they feel like idiots. I'll beat them until they feel like they don't understand basketball at all if they don't vote for me."

Walsh paused for a moment, then nodded with a wry smile. He knew this kid would never be tamed; he had his own pride.

……

Just then, the locker room door was pushed open again.

A huge figure walked in.

Zach Randolph.

He was covered in sweat, clearly having just finished a high-intensity sparring test in the weight room inside.

His muscles were well-defined, and his eyes were bright and full of desire, showing no signs of the previous decline caused by injuries.

Team doctor Lisa followed behind him, casually handing the medical examination form to Li Xiangbei:

"100% healthy. Zach rested for a month, his bone fatigue disappeared, and because of the ample rest, his physical reserves have even recovered to the level at the beginning of the season."

Randolph glanced at the MVP news screens on everyone's phones that were still open, then cracked his neck.

"Boss."

"I sat on the sidelines for a month. Watching you guys lose to the Cavaliers, seeing Nike put up those rubbish posters in Times Square, I was so frustrated I was about to explode."

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Right now, all I want to do is play one game—to let off some steam."

Li Xiangbei smiled as he looked at the fully recovered interior behemoth.

This means the Knicks in the playoffs will have an overflowing, insatiable interior weapon. Meanwhile, their opponents, the Heat, will be struggling with Jermaine O'Neal and Udonis Haslem.

……

While Randolph's return is encouraging, Wilson Chandler and David Lee are still upset about the MVP rankings they just saw.

"Why is Wade ranked third? That's so unfair!" David Lee complained. "Is his record worse than ours just because he's playing the victim in Miami?"

"Shut your mouth."

Li Xiangbei took a sip of water; his voice wasn't loud, but it was extremely penetrating.

The entire room fell silent instantly.

Li Xiangbei walked to the tactics board, picked up a pen, and heavily circled the Heat's name on it.

"Complaining here that the judges are blind only makes us look like a bunch of crying, complaining women; it does absolutely nothing."

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"The judges said Wade was third and I was fourth. They felt that it was more difficult for Wade to lead the team, and that Wade was more like a lone hero."

"very good."

Li Xiangbei's eyes sharpened like knives.

"Then we'll do the judges a favor."

"In this series, we'll crush this so-called 'third place'."

"I want the whole world to see what happens when the 'third place' meets the 'fourth place'."

Li Xiangbei looked at the fully healed Randolph, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Zach, the Heat's interior defense is in your hands. I want you to turn their paint into a real meat grinder."

Randolph grinned, revealing a set of white teeth; the smile was ferocious and terrifying.

"Leave it to me, boss. I'll make them regret stepping into the restricted area."

Li Xiangbei put on his coat and gave the final instructions:

"Stop looking at Twitter. From now on, focus on the game."

"Let's go tell those judges together tomorrow."

"How ridiculous their vote was!"