NBA: Yao Ming at his peak returns to his rookie season

He scored 36 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, ranking first in the Western Conference.

When the final whistle blew, the fans cheered wildly. Even though Yao Ming had never been to this place before, his performance on the court still won over the local fans.

Behind the cheers was an argument among the Olympic Tower management.

David Stern was on the phone exchanging heated words with several senior executives.

Yao Ming is a foreign player, but he is also of Chinese descent.

Many people would disagree with awarding him the All-Star MVP; David Stern even received calls from two team owners.

Even if he is David Stern, the legend who led the NBA from a second-rate league to where it is today, he still has to compromise under the criticism of so many people and so many representatives.

He compromised many times throughout his life.

He even made many concessions during negotiations with the Basketball Association.

Only this time.

David Stern remained firm amidst the criticism: "This MVP belongs to Yao Ming. He will change this court. No one can stop him from winning this MVP today."

"I said it!"

……

February 19, Houston.

Two days after the All-Star Game, the league's games are gradually returning to normal. The ridiculous thing is that the Rockets failed to acquire a suitable power forward and rotation center before the trade deadline.

Tang almost berated Dawson like a grandson.

But the free agent market is currently unplayable for centers, and the price of trading centers has skyrocketed. In the Western Conference, due to the presence of Yao Ming and Shaquille O'Neal, the price of centers has soared. Even an ordinary blue-collar player is being offered a price of Mookie plus draft picks.

Even robbers aren't this brazen.

The final scene of the All-Star coverage, which was also the headline of the newspapers these past two days, was not Yao Ming unexpectedly winning the MVP trophy.

It was Shaquille O'Neal's message on camera: "Kid, I'll be coming to Houston to find you!"

This All-Star event has profound implications.

This surpasses any previous All-Star Game.

The average viewership even surpassed last year's Christmas Bowl. Of course, the NFL does not acknowledge this, as they believe the data is highly inflated, and the NBA's opening ceremony viewership did not exceed that of the Christmas Bowl at the time.

The Christmas bowl remains number one in the United States.

David Stern didn't argue either.

He's very pleased with himself now.

This year's All-Star Game had enough highlights: Carter's dunk, Yao Ming's Rising Stars Challenge, O'Neal and Yao Ming shattering the backboard with their dunks, Kobe and Jordan trading baskets, and Yao Ming's amazingly high three-point shooting percentage in the final moments.

No one in the NBA calls Yao Ming "The Giant" anymore; his new nickname is "The Arrow Tower"!

It can fire crossbow bolts that can breach the city gates!

The sheer volume of discussion has lessened the pressure on David Stern, given how incredibly lucrative the business is – a rate comparable to printing money. He could even let Yao Ming play in the All-Star Game a couple more times!

All-Star Weekend has ended, but the hype hasn't died down even after two days.

Tomorrow, the Los Angeles Lakers will play the Houston Rockets on the road.

This finally diverted some of the Houston fans' fervent emotions.

Yao Ming did not slack off. Upon returning to Houston, he went straight to the training center, where Ewing had prepared special training for him.

Ewing is now experiencing a resurgence in Houston.

First, he was invited to become Yao Ming's special coach for two weeks with a huge salary of 20,000.

Secondly, Yao Ming's special training with Ewing before the All-Star Game and his underwater walk after the All-Star Game went viral. Yes, Yao Ming even did an underwater walk after the All-Star Game.

Despite being extremely fatigued, I completed the "Karl Malone Core Training" task card.

The All-Star Game and Ma Long's core training allowed Yao Ming to strengthen himself again before the crucial game, although it was only a small difference, maybe just a meter faster in the 1 meters.

But that was still very important to Yao Ming.

Moreover, Ewing is very good at creating hype.

The general manager of this sneaker company made an excellent choice. With Ewing joining for just two days and the news of Yao Ming's hit product, their orders almost doubled!

What's even more absurd is that oversized sneakers used to be extremely difficult to sell.

In the end, it's mostly about discounts, or waiting for the arrival of the Great Sage.

But this time, a lot of people are buying the extra-large size shoes, the same size as Yao Ming's, because they want to keep them as collectibles!

Hanging it above the bed can also give you super endurance.

That's incredible endurance!

Yao Ming is training, and the Rockets players are gradually getting used to him; they are gradually adapting to this new superstar.

Some are happy while others are sad.

Despite Yao Ming introducing doctors to Tomjanovich beforehand and insisting on intervention from the Rockets' medical team, Tomjanovich was still on the verge of collapse.

The Rockets' general manager's office.

Dawson, puffing on his cigar, said, "Is there really no other way, Rudy?"

"Nonsense." Tang Shuai took a sip of the Chinese medicine. "The taste is absolutely awful, but it's definitely effective; it doesn't hurt as much."

"Anyway, if you're going to leave, choose the nearest option; you need more time to prepare."

"How old am I?" Tang Shuai was very nonchalant. Although the surgery probability was only 30%, he still showed an open-minded attitude: "Damn it, I'm a little reluctant to part with these young men. If I had three more years, maybe I could lead them to a championship!"

"You're already a champion!" Dawson wiped away his tears. "And, and you'll definitely be alright, the success rate isn't low, is it?"

Tang told his old friend that the probability was 60%.

Please forgive his little lie.

With a sigh, Tomás said, "We need a new head coach."

"No need for Larry? He's made a lot of preparations."

"Larry won't do." The old man quickly shook his head: "As a defender, Larry is great, but his tactics are not suitable for Yao Ming. He himself does not have the ability to coach superstars. Using him will ruin Yao Ming."

Is that so?

Dawson actually intended to have Larry Smith coach the Rockets.

After all, he's cheap, and he's the team's defensive coach, so he's familiar with everyone and there's no need for further training or adjustment.

Dawson's overall understanding of a team is far inferior to Tomjanovich's.

But he has one great advantage: he listens to advice.

Especially towards this former friend.

"Do you have any suitable candidates?" Dawson asked his friend. NBA coaches have regular million-dollar contracts, so it's really hard to find someone on short notice.

We need both a renowned coach and someone capable of coaching a superstar center like Yao Ming.

There's no such thing as an easy thing.

"Actually, I have someone in mind. He really likes Yao Ming and is quite capable. Yao Ming still needs time to develop. Perhaps you will have a good head coach next season, and he should be able to leave gracefully at that time."

Dawson was taken aback.

Such a person is hard to find. He can coach the inside players, help Yao Ming develop, not be disliked by Yao Ming, and leave without any objections.

That's too difficult.

It's hard for anyone to give up the opportunity to coach a superstar.

But then Tang Shuai turned on the TV.

On the TV, O'Neal was angrily spouting nonsense, talking about elbowing and saying Bruce Lee was no good in the locker room.

I don't know who secretly released it.

When Tommy casually mentioned a name, Dawson was genuinely surprised, because Tommy recommended Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar!

Although that guy is also a coach, and he even passed the qualification exam.

But he's nowhere near being a famous coach.

Tomjad smiled knowingly; he was hoping for someone like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a guy who was half-baked, not tough, but respected Yao Ming and had a certain sentimentality.

Dawson thought it wouldn't work because he hadn't seen how much talent Yao Ming had in commanding operations.

Kidd's courtroom management style has been at odds with the head coach for years, a lesson still fresh in everyone's mind. Coach Tomjanovich hopes Yao Ming will have more time and more playing space to maneuver.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a perfect scapegoat.

Everyone got what they wanted.

After all, he dreams of becoming an NBA head coach!