NBA: My template has no limit

It would be a lie to say that Xu Feng wasn't excited about breaking records. He would even happily flip through the newspapers while eating to see how the major media outlets were analyzing him.

But someone on the team seemed even more excited than him.

"Xu Feng, look at their reports about you! The two youngest guys!"

"Newman, perhaps 'young' would be a better word to describe him?"

Xu Feng was practicing his mid-range shot on the court, while Perry and Newman sat on the sidelines stretching, putting their newspapers on the ground and carefully studying the media reports about Xu Feng.

"Our team has a nationally recognized superstar now! Who will say that even dogs don't come here anymore? Xu Feng is here, isn't he?!" Newman punched the air, looking very excited.

"How come there are so many records in the league? Just add any condition and there will be an extra record."

Then I could also be the first person to play basketball without underwear, the first person to play basketball with underwear on the outside, the first person to put underwear over their head...

Newman's thoughts were racing until Muqi walked in with Gatorade and handed water to his older brothers.

Another second-round pick, Jeff Noldegaard, was waived by the Bucks earlier this month and went to play in Europe, which made Mookie feel even more insecure.

In Xu Feng's memory, it should have been Mookie who was cut, not Jeff. Mookie was the first rookie to lose his job in 96.

But reality seems to have changed a bit because of him. Perhaps the Bucks had more garbage time, which made Chris see that Mookie still had some contribution to the team?

"Xu Feng's physique is a natural basketball god body. He's much better than Iverson or Kobe!" Mookie promptly offered his flattery.

Perry strongly agrees with this view:

"Indeed, Xu Feng's physique is too exaggerated. I strongly suggest that the league should issue a rule to protect players under 1.85 meters tall!"

After saying this, they looked at the weekly All-Star voting summary in the newspapers, reported by USA Today and Sports Illustrated, which only listed the top ten votes from the East and West.

In the first week, Michael Jordan was undoubtedly the top guard in the Eastern Conference, leading by a wide margin with 32 votes. Grant Hill of the Detroit Pistons was the top frontcourt player in the East, with 289000 votes.

The top Western Conference guard is Gary Payton with only 145800 votes, while the top Western Conference forward is Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets with 278000 votes.

These are all veterans of the league, nothing surprising, but things get interesting as you go on.

"Holy crap, Xu Feng! Look... who the hell is this? Xu... Feng, isn't that you? It really is you!"

Perry pointed to the name of the fourth-ranked Eastern Conference defender in the newspaper, read it out haltingly, and looked at it several times before confirming it.

Xu Feng received 148521 votes, less than 10,000 votes behind Reggie Miller, who came in first.

Below him is the Pistons' Joe Dumars with 92652 votes, and sixth is Iverson with 68762 votes.

Glenn Robinson is 8th in the Eastern Conference forward line with 107683 votes, followed by Vin Baker in 9th place with 85298 votes.

"You kid, you didn't make the All-Star team in your rookie year, did you? Glenn waited two years and it still wasn't his turn!" Newman looked at Xu Feng with equal surprise.

"Don't be fooled by the number of votes. If we don't make it into the top five, it's not certain whether we can be a substitute." Xu Feng got excited for a moment, then tried to calm himself down.

He clearly remembers that in Iverson's first year, he finished third among guards in the Eastern Conference and didn't make the All-Star team.

Although he received the most votes among the reserves, the coaches believed that Iverson was just a padding player on a weak team, and given his rookie status in his first year, they ultimately didn't draft him.

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment; he tried his best not to be too heartbroken when the time came.

Next, the Bucks faced the Celtics once again.

The Celtics are like a life-saving booster for the Bucks after they've overcome a challenge; after each game against a strong team, the Celtics need to be thrashed by the Bucks to get them back on track.

Ray Allen was almost brought to tears by Xu Feng's performance. Every time he faced Xu Feng, he would pour out his pain to Rick Fox after the match.

"Why is Xu Feng so much more outstanding than his fellow rookie born in 96?"

After the game against the Celtics, Robinson, unable to sit still, disregarded the doctor's advice and rejoined the team.

If I don't come back soon, that kid will steal everything from our house! Although it was already almost completely robbed to begin with.

He couldn't believe that the All-Star spot he had been desperately pursuing for two months was so easily obtained by Xu Feng! That kid's votes would have been enough to make the All-Star starting lineup in the West!

He didn't understand. Why?! Was God playing a joke on him?

"Damn brat!"

Every time Robinson returns, the Bucks face a tough battle; last time it was the Charlotte Hornets, and this time it's the Los Angeles Lakers.

On December 18, 1996, the Los Angeles Lakers played against the Milwaukee Bucks on the road.

The day before, in the Bulls' game against the Lakers, O'Neal was shut out by Rodman in the second half, and the Bulls' 22-point lead was reversed.

As soon as the match ended, the media launched a massive barrage of attacks and ridicule against him.

O'Neal was furious and came to Milwaukee, determined to vent his anger on the Bucks!

Before the game, Chris Ford told the Bucks team, "We don't need to worry about O'Neal. Andrew just needs to prevent him from easily attacking the basket. What we need to defend is their three-pointers and cuts."

"Just go head-to-head with them, O'Neal will get tired."

In an era where most teams would mindlessly double-team Shaquille O'Neal, the Bucks chose to go head-to-head with the Lakers' fast-break team led by Nick Van Exel, a gamble for Chris Ford.

Perhaps it's an unconventional approach, perhaps it's the brute force that defeats the expert, or perhaps the Bucks simply have no defense to begin with, which is why this tactic, which others dare not use, is so effective for the Bucks.

Xu Feng was guarded by Eddie Jones, a 1.98-meter tall forward/guard who also played a high-flying style. He was selected to the All-Rookie First Team last season.

Eddie Jones is like a scaled-down version of Xu Feng in terms of both physique and offensive skills, but he is superior to Xu Feng in defense.

He kept a close eye on Xu Feng; his excellent physical fitness allowed him to keep his opponent occupied for the entire match without getting tired.

If he continues to harass Xu Feng, who hasn't yet developed the ability to break through mid-range shots, he will truly suffer a Waterloo.

But then, Robinson the big dog intervened.

Robinson's return from injury may be a new buff. Tonight, his shooting percentage against Jerome Kissy was extremely high. In the first five minutes, he made five of seven shots and scored 10 points.

The dog, with its extremely high shooting threat, prompted Del Harris to yell at the Lakers players:

"Don't let him play one-on-one anymore! Go up and limit him, double-team him!"

Jones was forced to focus on defending Robinson, giving Xu Feng an opportunity. He used off-ball movement and Sherman's simple screen to find an opening and launch a three-pointer!

The two coaches seemed to be the two most in sync in the world. After seeing the Bucks' style of play, Silver Fox decided on the same tactic in a fraction of a second.

He believed O'Neal could do it, and Chris also believed Xu Feng and Robinson could do it.

The Bucks don't double-team O'Neal. Their strategy is simple: give the ball to O'Neal and let him score one-on-one indiscriminately under the basket.

Andrew Lang simply couldn't stop O'Neal. In fact, no one in the entire league could guard O'Neal one-on-one. Andrew tried to stop his dunks but ended up committing fouls instead.

Boom! —

"And one! No one can stop Shaq from scoring in his area of ​​expertise!"

His strength lies in positioning himself under the basket, but moving to the free-throw line is not.

Sure enough, the basketball bounced off the front edge of the rim, and O'Neal's massive body positioned him to grab the rebound. He then shoved Andrew aside once more and dunked the ball!

One point becomes two. Looking at O'Neal's smug smile, no one knows if he had calculated it. Is this the pinnacle of strategic battles on the basketball court?

In this game, Vin Baker completely abandoned the inside battle and instead moved around outside the paint.

He moved up a step inside the three-point line to set a screen for Xu Feng. Xu Feng bounced out to the three-point line, but Jones still clung to him.

Xu Feng made a sharp crossover step, pretending to break through to the right, but Jones immediately took a big step to block him.

Jones' defense is indeed very strong; he can quickly block the attacker's path to the basket.

Xu Feng had no intention of breaking through.

Halfway through his one-handed in-out move, Xu Feng flicked his wrist, sending the basketball flying. The ball landed precisely between Jones's spread legs.

A through-the-legs pass! The basketball bounced up and reached Vin Baker, who cut to the elbow area and launched a mid-range jumper that went in cleanly!

"A magician on the court! Xu Feng is toying with Eddie Jones; his connection with Vin Baker is so smooth!"

The Bucks have the pick-and-roll combination of Xu Feng and Vin Baker, and the Lakers also have the ace pick-and-roll of Van Exel and O'Neal.

O'Neal's screen was solid, making Sherman feel like he had hit a wall. Just as he was about to continue to harass Van Exel, he looked up and saw that the three-pointer had already been launched!

Swish! A clean hit.

At halftime, the Bucks led 54-61.

Chris Ford stood on the sidelines with his arms crossed, looking smug.