Basketball trainer, I created a super giant

Chapter 248 The title of the world's best center, I want it
All-Star Weekend is just around the corner.

This was Michael Jordan's last All-Star Game.

Judging from media reports, the league is clearly taking this seriously.

The jerseys for the East and West were unified; instead of each team wearing their own, they were replaced with the same uniforms as those used in the 1988 All-Star Game.

It is said that a super-sized AMVP trophy was also made.

It has a special meaning.

Last year, Brown contributed his ball, and the Eastern Conference stars worked together to give Jordan the main character script, helping him win his fourth All-Star MVP trophy, tying him with Bob Pettit for the first time in history.

But not enough.

If I win it again this year, I will truly be the first person in history to achieve this.

Therefore, the honors must be unique in history, and the trophies must also be unique in history.

Meanwhile, Jordan surprisingly didn't get an All-Star starter spot.

In the All-Star voting, Carter and Iverson ranked first and second among guards, which directly resulted in Jordan being unable to start in the All-Star Game.

At this moment, McGrady, who was starting at the forward position, suddenly announced that he was willing to give up his All-Star starting position to Jordan.

After he announced the decision, Iverson followed up, saying, "Why do we need you? You're a forward, I'm a guard. Let me make way."

At this moment, Hill also spoke.

He is Grant Hill, Jordan's successor, and one of the most popular stars in the United States. This season, he returned from injury, and in the forward voting, he received only tens of thousands of votes less than McGrady.

He also started in the All-Star game.

So Hill said, "Let me do it."

A group of star players gave him face, but there was one person who didn't fit in.

Carter.

Because Barkley complained, saying that Iverson and McGrady were willing to give way, so why shouldn't Carter?

They also said that Carter was injured this season and played fewer games, so he shouldn't be an All-Star starter.

Also, you're from North Carolina, and you and Jordan were teammates.

Even your positions overlap, shouldn't you be the one to give up your starting position?

As a result, Carter politely declined.

He said that the fans voted for him one by one, and he should live up to the fans' expectations and be responsible for them.

His remarks caused quite a stir.

Even though Jordan has stated that he doesn't need them to let him go, he's already played in the starting lineup countless times.

Carter was still thrust into the spotlight before the All-Star Game.

At this point, it was too late for Carter to back out.

He's stuck here, caught in the middle.

While things are raging here, things are also quite lively on the Knicks' side.

The 6th is the last game day before All-Star Weekend, and the game between the Knicks and the Lakers is a highly anticipated matchup.

It's a battle between the East Coast and the West Coast, a contest between two super centers, Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming, to see who is stronger.

Especially since Yao Ming is from China, he is the first foreign-born number one draft pick in the NBA in the true sense.

Moreover, the Knicks have even proclaimed their path to glory and their ambition to win the championship, which can be considered a preview of the championship.

Both are among the most watched teams in the league, and with New York media covering them extensively, the level of attention reached its peak.

On the 4th, the Knicks easily defeated the Clippers 93-88.

Yao Ming and Houston were both pseudo-starters, playing less than 30 minutes each.

The Knicks had seven players score in double figures, making the win relatively easy and extending their winning streak to 12 games.

This highly anticipated battle is now in its final countdown.

Both teams have started exchanging insults.

Especially Shaquille O'Neal, who was in the spotlight.

Shaquille O'Neal is clearly someone who knows how to create hype.

He also enjoys the feeling of being noticed.

In a pre-match interview with a local Los Angeles television station, he directly stated his attitude towards the showdown.

In the video, he let out a strange laugh, then shouted at the camera in a weird tone, "I don't care if you're called Yao or Wang Zhou, if you want to eat shark meat, then come and get it, I'm waiting for you."

He made a Bruce Lee-style punching motion, then showed off his massive biceps, muttering, "I'll make you eat my big knuckle."

Their attitude was extremely arrogant.

His remarks also sparked discontent among the local Chinese community.

There are a lot of Chinese people in New York too.

Many people called the Lakers to protest against O'Neal, saying that his words were discriminatory.

These words, of course, reached Yao Ming's ears verbatim.

At the pre-game press conference on the 6th, Yao Ming was asked how he viewed O'Neal's provocation.

The audience was full of reporters.

Madison is not a large city, and the media room is not particularly spacious either; it was packed with reporters at the moment.

From the moment Yao Ming entered, the flashbulbs never stopped.

Yao Ming did not rush to answer.

Before the game, Duffy specifically told me about this, telling me not to pay attention to O'Neal, because the media was hyping it up, especially since it involved discrimination. No matter what the final outcome, it wouldn't be good for either of us.

Just say a few polite words to get by.

However, Yao Ming then recalled what Carlisle had said to him after he arrived at the court.

Carlisle told himself, "This is the NBA, you can't be weak."

If your opponent provokes you, then you must tell everyone that you are not afraid, and on the field, you must look them straight in the eye and beat them to a pulp!

With that in mind, Yao Ming silently made his decision.

Clearing his throat, Yao Ming said, "He can't even pronounce my name correctly, so I hope that after this game, he will remember my name forever."

"Because I'll get 30 points on his head!"

These two simple sentences were like a bomb dropped on the scene, startling all the reporters.

There aren't many players in the league who dare to boast about scoring 30 points over Shaquille O'Neal.

"Are you sure? That's 30 points!"

Reporters immediately questioned the reporter.

Without a doubt, it's a reporter from Los Angeles.

His tone displeased the New York reporters, who all turned to look at him.

Looking at the scoring leaderboard, O'Neal is slightly ahead of Yao Ming, but Yao Ming isn't far behind.

Moreover, when discussing who was stronger, Yao Ming or Shaquille O'Neal, the New York media had a particular viewpoint.

It's not enough to just look at the score data.

This season, Yao Ming sacrificed some of his statistical output in order to develop role players.

After all, he scored 36 points in his debut game. If he really goes all out, his stats will definitely be good.

Looking directly at the reporter who was questioning him, Yao Ming nodded without hesitation, his tone firm: "That's right, it's 30 points."

The New York reporters in the audience began to applaud.

Whether Yao Ming can actually do it or not, at least he's gained momentum.

These words were immediately relayed to the locker rooms of both the home and away teams.

"He really said that?" Tang Sen asked in surprise.

Tederski nodded.

Tang Sen raised an eyebrow slightly; this remark had a touch of Larry Bird's style.

Tedsky said, "That may sound satisfying, but I'm afraid he won't be able to do it."

Many players in the league have already experienced the consequences of angering O'Neal.

Tang Sen was quite optimistic: "30 points? I don't think it's a big problem."

Brown was able to go toe-to-toe with O'Neal for 30 points, so with Yao Ming's ability, if he really let loose on offense, Tang Sen felt there wouldn't be much of a problem.

Meanwhile, in the away team's locker room, O'Neal was furious.

"How many points?"

He waved his arms and yelled, "That bastard! I was going to apologize to him, so I even learned a Chinese phrase, and he talked to me like that!"

His remarks sparked outrage among a large number of Chinese people in Los Angeles.

His parents then lectured him.

O'Neal readily admitted his mistake and even secretly learned how to say "sorry" in Chinese, wanting to apologize to Yao Ming after the game.

Who would have thought Yao Ming would say that?

They don't even respect me.

30 point?
Does he really think he's Big Ben, or one of those trash centers in the league?
Go ask Brown and see if he dares to say that.

"I'm going to teach him a lesson and make sure he doesn't get a single three points!" O'Neal roared through gritted teeth.

Jackson, who was standing nearby, quickly coughed to remind him.

Three points is an exaggeration.

At this moment, Kobe said, "Shaq, you'd better be careful. Yao is very strong and not easy to deal with."

He trained with Yao Ming last summer and knows how formidable Yao Ming is.

These words made O'Neal even more unhappy.

He glared at Kobe and muttered, "You'd better mind your own business. The New York fans have all said they've prepared a bunch of Kobe killers to make sure you don't score a single point."

After saying that, he pointed at all the players and said, "You all need to pass the ball to me, then spread out and watch how I destroy that arrogant guy in the paint!"

The people present looked at each other in bewilderment.

Kobe's expression immediately darkened.

"Alright Shaq, sit down first," Jackson quickly interjected, interrupting O'Neal.

He noticed the change in Kobe's expression. The two were getting increasingly at odds.

Last season, they failed to achieve a great three-peat, so someone has to take the blame.

They have to bear the responsibility themselves, and the players have to bear it too.

Some fans say that Kobe was effectively shut down by Sather in the Finals, which was the main reason the Lakers lost.

Kobe fans might argue that while Shaq wasn't completely shut down, he didn't dominate Kwame Brown either.

Even more damaging, O'Neal made a veiled criticism of Kobe during a show last summer, implying that the team's failure to defend their title was due to Kobe's influence.

In any case, the two of them harbored resentment towards each other.

In Jackson's view, the more important issue is that Kobe is becoming more and more mature and is clearly challenging O'Neal's position as the team's leader.

This is the truly irreconcilable contradiction.

Unless O'Neal backs down.

But Jackson thought O'Neal's personality was really a problem.

Fortunately, the team still has a chance for revenge this year and aims to win the championship again. At least on the surface, the two players don't seem to have any major problems.

"Alright, get ready to go on stage."

Jackson waved his hand, signaling everyone to set off.

Madison Square Garden was packed today, and as soon as the Lakers players appeared, a huge chorus of boos erupted from the crowd.

They were determined to give the Lakers a taste of their own medicine.

"really!"

Upon receiving the Knicks' starting lineup, Jackson let out a soft snort.

I guessed right.

As expected, Carlisle pulled out a lineup with two towers.

Anticipating this, Jackson opted to start Horry instead of Samaki Walker.

He needs Horry to draw Chandler out of the paint and give O'Neal opportunities to post up.

However, Jackson also noticed adjustments in other positions.

Houston started the game again.

Jackson breathed a sigh of relief at this, as the media had said that the Knicks' bench was full of Kobe killers, which made him a little nervous.

Billups remained steadfast.

However, the small forward position has been changed again.

Gerald Wallace.

This guy, who was a starter before being relegated to the bench, and then relegated to the water bench again after Calderick Brown's breakout performance, has now started in such a crucial game.

Jackson had a bit of a headache.

I hate teams like this; they keep changing their starting lineups, making all the pre-match intelligence analysis work pointless.

Knowing your roster has great depth, there's no need to be arrogant.

Despite his complaints, once Jackson calmed down, he realized that Carlisle must have had a specific purpose in doing this.

Could it be that after watching water dispensers for a while, Wallace has become quite impressive again?
It's very likely.

Jackson wouldn't be surprised if any player on the Knicks had a breakout performance.

However, the games were about to begin, so Jackson could only play and see what happened.

The tension in the match reached its peak right from the start.

When O'Neal and Yao Ming stood in the center circle, he immediately turned his thumb and made a mocking gesture towards Yao Ming.

Yao Ming immediately furrowed his brow.

The fans in the arena were in an uproar, and Spike Lee on the sidelines was already trash-talking O'Neal with spittle flying everywhere.

The referee was also taken aback for a moment, and then immediately warned O'Neal.

O'Neal didn't care, leaning slightly forward while continuing to mutter to himself.

"Yao Ming, beat him to a pulp!"

Unexpectedly, a unified chant of Chinese could be heard from the stands.

Yao Ming then noticed that a large number of Chinese fans had gathered in one corner of the stands.

And his parents were sitting in the crowd.

Yao Ming knew his parents were there, but he didn't expect so many Chinese people to be there.

Taking a deep breath, Yao Ming calmed down.

Even without these off-court factors, Yao Ming would still work hard and dominate O'Neal.

Yao Ming has been looking forward to this match for a long time.

He's ambitious. There's no first place in literature, but there's a second in martial arts. He wants the title of the world's best center!

The basketball was thrown, and Yao Ming leaped into the air, accurately deflecting it away.

Tang Sen, standing on the sidelines, instinctively straightened his posture.

The game started.

Tang Sen's eyes followed Yao Ming.

I met Yao Ming in 01.

From that time on, I made him lose weight, improve his flexibility, and develop his ball control.

After last year's draft, he took over his training.

Step by step, it's already 03.

Tang Sen could sense that Yao Ming had great ambitions.

Without strong ambition, his current ability would be enough for him to sit back and relax on any team in the league.

But he still trained so hard, wanting to become stronger and achieve greater honors.

He also aspires to become the world's best center.

After this match, some conclusions may be reached.

Yao Ming charged toward the restricted area.

O'Neal was furious, as if the paint was off-limits, and would challenge Yao Ming whenever he approached.

This level of enthusiasm even surprised Jackson on the sidelines.

He rarely saw O'Neal this serious.

The Knicks players automatically pulled away.

This was Carlyle's arrangement.

In the first quarter, when Yao Ming was at his most energetic, he hoped to spread out the defense and leave enough space for Yao Ming and O'Neal to have a good match.

Let's see who's stronger, Guan Yu or Qin Qiong.

Knowing this, he could feel more confident.

The Lakers seemed to share the same idea, automatically spreading out and leaving the paint to the two giants.

The fans in the stadium instinctively held their breath.

"coming!"

Inside the TNT studio, Barkley screamed excitedly.

The Great Wall of China, the Great White Shark of America.

The showdown begins.

The ball was lobbed in.

Yao Ming grabbed O'Neal with one hand and leaned back against him.

He stood on the edge of the penalty area, not deep enough in position.

Upon contact, he felt the weight of 170 kilograms.

Shaquille O'Neal silently exerted force from behind, muttering, "Yao, do you know what respect is? When I entered the league, I didn't dare to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yao Ming started moving.

The ball bounces backward and then pretends to turn towards the top line.

A fadeaway jump shot!
O'Neal's heart skipped a beat. Before the game, Jackson had specifically pulled him aside to watch Yao Ming's highlight reel and tell him which offensive techniques Yao Ming was good at.

He also specifically reminded himself to be careful of Yao Ming's turnaround fadeaway jump shot.

It's extremely difficult to defend against; no one in the entire league can stop it.

But O'Neal dismissed it dismissively.

Just because others can't defend against it doesn't mean you can't.

In the paint, defense is a matter of personal choice.

When you're putting in a lot of effort on defense, you can stop anyone except a handful of others.

He shifted his feet accordingly, preparing to intercept and block.

Then I realized I'd been scammed.

Yao Ming, who had just dangled slightly above the line, pulled back and deftly turned, passing by himself.

I tried too hard and missed.

Yao Ming's turn was far more agile than he had imagined.

A loud crash came from behind.

The scene boiled instantly.

O'Neal turned around and met Yao Ming's provocative gaze as Yao landed.

"What did you say?"

Yao Ming countered with a question.

I didn't hear clearly what they were muttering about respect or not.

O'Neal's face instantly turned extremely ugly.

(End of this chapter)