NBA: Starting with the undercut by Parker and Bowen

On the afternoon of the 22nd, the Rockets players went to the United Center in Chicago to familiarize themselves with the environment.

At Gate 4 of the stadium, Yang Lin took the opportunity to pay his respects to Danzi's bronze statue.

I must say, Danzi's statue is quite handsome.

Adding the inscription "Unprecedented and unparalleled" instantly elevates its prestige to the highest level.

In the realm of NBA player statues, perhaps only Wilt Chamberlain's statue at the Valchera Center in Philadelphia can rival Danny's.

The statue of the general is a bit of a cheat, divided into two parts: the upper part is in a dunking posture, and the lower part is squatting down with one hand catching the ball.

It is said to be his domineering presence at the exhibition and his humility offstage.

And the inscription is quite pretentious: A person's value is measured by the size of their heart.

Yang Lin originally thought that the statues should all be of Danzi, Dashuai and the like.

After all, it was created for publicity, and if it's too offensive, fans and tourists wouldn't feel comfortable coming to take photos with it!

Then came the statue with the large jawline.

Yang Lincai suddenly realized that statues could be made so ugly.

It is said that Wade was deeply involved in the creation of the statue and offered many opinions and suggestions.

What does this tell us?

Outsiders should not meddle in insider matters.

What you think is just what you think.

The finished product and the image in your mind are two different things. Otherwise, why would they be professionals?

Hmm... it's also possible that the creator got annoyed by his big jaw and ended up sabotaging him.

See? This is the result of your nagging.

At 8:00 PM sharp, the Rockets' away game against the Bulls officially began.

Because the match was scheduled for 10:00 AM on a Sunday in China, CCTV chose to broadcast it live.

Before the match started, Zhang Heli, the commentator for this game, promoted it to the camera:

"For basketball fans in China, voting for the NBA All-Star Game is in full swing, and domestic fans can also vote through the official website."

He then began campaigning, saying, "Everyone, remember to vote for the three Chinese players; they are our pride."

"The voting method is very simple: Open the NBA Chinese website → Click on the All-Star voting page, which lists 120 candidate players from the East and West."

"First, open the Western Conference, find Yao Ming at the center position, and check the box; at the guard position, find Yang Lin, and check the box; find Kobe Bryant, and check the box..."

"Huh?" Yu Jia, the host next to her, widened her eyes instantly.

Old man, you can even bring in side jobs here?

Wei Ping-Bryant truly lived up to his reputation.

Yu Jia couldn't stand it any longer and coughed to remind her:

"Coach Zhang, Yang Lin and Kobe are vying for the Western Conference vote leader! In the end, they might even become the overall vote leader."

"Oh dear, I forgot about that! There's also the honor of being the top vote-getter!" Zhang Heli suddenly realized.

In a mere instant, Coach Zhang tossed aside the "surname" Bryant and addressed the camera:

"You can hold off on voting for Kobe for now, but you absolutely must vote for Yang Lin."

He even worried that domestic fans might vote for Yang Lin and Kobe together, causing their votes to rise together, and he added mischievously:

"Kobe is very popular in the United States, and many American fans vote for him. Yang Lin is a recent rising star, and he doesn't have many fans there, so he naturally gets fewer votes."

"They support their own countrymen, so of course we should support our own players. Therefore, everyone remember: for the Western Conference guards, one should check Yang Lin, and the other should definitely not check Kobe Bryant."

Ok!

During wartime, Coach Zhang would never betray his cause.

Yu Jia, who was standing to the side, was much more quick-witted. He chimed in:

"There are actually many excellent guards in the West. When voting, you can choose: Yang Lin Kobe duo, Yang Lin McGrady duo, Yang Lin Nash duo, Yang Lin Iverson duo, etc."

"Don't stick to one group. This way you can support Yang Lin and also support your favorite star player."

Afterwards, Zhang Heli also campaigned for Yi Jianlian and gave instructions to fans on how to vote.

With three Chinese players, we can't just ignore Yi Jianlian, can we?

Don't say things like "not good enough" or "not a star player".

We side with our relatives, not with what's right.

This is a public vote. You gave your permission, so I voted. Then there's no problem with anything.

If there's a problem, it's only a problem with your rules.

McGrady's sudden arrival even surprised head coach Adelman.

Considering the season goals and the fact that McGrady has already been injured twice this season, Coach Adelman actually doesn't want him to play.

But McGrady was stubborn, holding onto the certificate from the team doctor that showed he was fit to play, and insisted on returning for the Rockets' game against the Bulls.

Ultimately, the coach couldn't argue with him and had to put him in the starting lineup.

Perhaps he wanted to prove that there was really nothing wrong with his body.

In the Rockets' first offensive possession after the game started, McGrady called for the ball from Yang Lin as soon as he crossed half-court.

Yang Lin passed the ball to McGrady, who was dribbling and preparing to break through.

However, Ben Gordon stole the ball and launched a fast break, helping the home team, the Bulls, score the first points.

McGrady was embarrassed and annoyed by the mistake at the start of the game.

Seeing Wilcox inbound the ball from the baseline, he yelled at him, "Chris, give me the ball!"

Wilcox glanced up at Yang Lin, saw him shake his head and turn away with a smile, and then passed the basketball to McGrady.

After crossing half-court, McGrady once again dribbled past Gordon.

This time he succeeded.

However, just as the shot was about to be taken, Joe Smith came over and slapped the basketball with his big hand.

Kirk Hinrich retrieved the basketball and immediately launched another counterattack, ultimately assisting Luol Deng for a two-pointer.

One mistake and one block finally calmed McGrady down, who was eager to prove himself.

Yang Lin regained possession of the ball and initiated an attack with a pick-and-roll with Yao Ming, providing a steady assist to Yao Ming to score the team's first two points.

The game then became a close contest between the two teams.

In the first quarter, thanks to McGrady's early turnover and block, the Bulls led the Rockets 26-21 by 5 points.

Just when the Rockets thought tonight would be another fierce battle, no one expected that the Bulls, playing at home, would suddenly collapse.

第二节33比18，火箭单节赢下15分，半场54比44领先公牛10分。

During halftime, in the home team's locker room, Bulls head coach Scott Skiles shouted at his players with all his might:

"Defense, we need to stop Houston's offense... Guys! You guys are capable of defense. Think about last season, our defense terrified our opponents, that was the key to our victories."

"We must continue our offensive; we must cooperate with each other..."

Unfortunately, Skiles's desperate shouting did little to wake the Bulls' players.

In the third quarter, the Rockets led 35-21, winning the quarter by another 14 points.

Live broadcast from the Imperial Television Station.

As the third quarter ended, Zhang Heli said in a regretful tone, "Oh dear! How did the Bulls suddenly collapse like this?"

"The Rockets are now leading by 24 points, so the fourth quarter is basically garbage time. Yao Ming and Yang Lin probably won't play anymore."

"It's a rare weekend, and domestic fans want to see more of Yao Ming and Yang Yang!"

Yu Jia chimed in, "Actually, things are fine as they are now. Yao Ming and Yang Lin can finally rest."

"Tonight's game is their third of four games in five days. The games on Thursday and Friday were tough and physically demanding."

"We have back-to-back games tomorrow, so we should try to play as few games as possible today."

"Yes, yes, yes! Yu Jia, you're right!"

Coach Zhang nodded quickly, "Actually, tomorrow's game will be much more exciting! It's a pity it's a weekday, and the station won't be broadcasting it live."

While Coach Zhang and Yu Jia were chatting idly, Yang Lin and Yao Ming were also chatting on the bench.

Yao Ming looked up at the score and couldn't help but sigh at the huge difference in points:

"How did the Bulls suddenly collapse? They were pretty good last season!"