Champion, please stay!

Chapter 146, Section 144: "Development" Over, A Nighttime Legend
Yi Shui felt like she had been on a roller coaster.

If he had been the second to announce his results, and his vote count had been lower than Howard's, he probably wouldn't have had such a strong emotional reaction.

Stu Jackson's actions made him nervous; when he heard he had received over 360 million votes, he jumped up.

The ups and downs of life are just too exciting.

Calm and collected? Forget it, jump up and have some fun!

His teammates insisted on treating him to a meal, and Yi Shui readily agreed. He even promised to visit D'Antoni and Walsh, who were with the team, that evening, and spend an extra day in Los Angeles on his first day off... provided they won the game.

His teammates were incredibly excited, yelling that they were going to beat the Clippers. Then Yi Shui sent them back to their rooms. He planned to take a nap to recharge, knowing that he would be incredibly busy at the Staples Center that afternoon.

But Yi Shui didn't get any sleep during that half hour. The phone rang. It was her agent calling, saying that people from the Hook team were coming to the hotel soon.

The phone rang again shortly after I hung up. It was my agent again, an interview on CCTV, filming of an all-star documentary...

...

Meanwhile, Yi Shui was in a frenzy of activity. Online, the All-Star starter voting results, once announced, sparked a heated discussion among fans.

Although Yi Shui had already shown signs of overtaking Howard when the second round of votes was announced.

But Howard is, after all, the NBA’s key representative of the new generation of American centers. Adidas, in order to generate buzz, has invested a lot of money in promoting Howard, even though he doesn’t sell shoes. This season, all sorts of topics have been generated.

'Most Trade Valuable Player,' 'The Next Generation Superman,' 'A Deluxe Version of The Admiral,' 'A Single Star Leading His Team to the Championship,' 'A Combination of Stoudemire and Mutombo'... The more exaggerated the hype, the better.

When Yi Shui truly defeated Howard to become the top vote-getter, the entire sports world focused its attention on him.

It's not just about winning the most votes; he also has the added advantage of being a 'rookie'!
The NBA All-Star Game truly gained market recognition and began to consistently create stars every year in 1975.

The All-Star players introduced in previous All-Star games were not well-received by the market. To be precise, since the event was first held in the 50s, it has been stuck in an awkward situation of "self-indulgence within its own territory".

Before 1975, the All-Star Game was either selected directly by the NBA, based on team record, or based on ticket sales. There were also attempts to have players from each team vote for starters, head coaches select reserves, and each team must have at least one All-Star regardless of their record or performance. But no matter how it was changed, it was never what the fans wanted. The only 'stars' that fans generally recognized were Mikan, Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

In the summer of 1974, Larry O'Brien, then NBA vice president and soon-to-be president, proposed at an NBA owners' meeting to revamp the All-Star Game, leveraging his connections as former U.S. Postmaster General. This proposal was approved by the team owners, leading to the introduction of the 'January Voting'.

On January 1, 1975, thanks to the connections of former Postmaster General O'Brien, the NBA opened polling stations in post offices across the United States. Every day after the voting deadline, the ballots were sent to New York as soon as possible. After the headquarters completed the counting, the ballots were posted in the lobby, and at the same time, the local post office polling stations were notified to 'announce' the latest ballot count to the fans in real time.

In retrospect, this action may not seem special, but at the time it was groundbreaking and became the final straw that broke ABA's back.

This move greatly inspired the enthusiasm of fans, and from then on, the NBA All-Star Weekend truly became a major event that attracted nationwide attention, and 'NBA All-Star players' truly became basketball stars in the hearts of basketball fans.

Suddenly, ABA stars became 'worthless'. Fans no longer recognized their stars as stars, TV stations stopped broadcasting ABA games, and the ABA couldn't even copy their methods. In those days, the NBA was able to complete the 'nationwide vote' purely because of O'Brien's political connections.

Then in the winter of 1975, the ABA went bankrupt, and most of the teams went out of business. In the summer of 76, the ABA teams that had not yet gone out of business joined the NBA, and NBA teams also took in the best players from those ABA teams that had gone out of business. O'Brien unified the North American basketball market and officially became the commissioner of the NBA.

During that period, it wasn't just the NBA that faced the awkward situation of the All-Star Game being nothing more than the league's own self-indulgence; the other three major sports were in the same boat. The NFL, for example, launched the 'Star Bowl' in 1970, but it failed to gain market acceptance. Seeing O'Brien's success, they decisively followed suit. The NFL didn't have O'Brien's political connections, but they had money…

Since the first January vote in 1975, O'Brien pioneered the concept of the "vote leader". Since then, who is the NBA All-Star vote leader every year has been one of the hottest topics in January. Even the NFL playoffs can't overshadow the competition for the NBA All-Star vote leader.

Before Yi Shui, there were two players who became the top vote-getter in their first year in the NBA.

The first one is Julius Erving, who entered the NBA in 76 and joined the 76ers. He became the top vote-getter in his first season, but he actually started his professional career in 71, so he is not considered the 'rookie vote-getter'.

There was only one rookie vote leader who was truly recognized by both the official team and the fans before – Grant Hill, the third overall pick in the 94 draft.

Since then, no rookie has achieved the phenomenal popularity of Hill, not even LeBron James, whose popularity in his rookie year far surpassed Hill's.

More than a decade has passed, and both the media and fans believed that it was impossible for a rookie like Hill to appear again... but now one has appeared!
The second rookie vote leader in NBA history!

...

After a busy afternoon, with the help of Battelstein, Yi Shui finally managed to coordinate the schedule of the upcoming events with the various brands.

Although it was mentally and physically demanding, he was happy about the busyness... because he made money!

Several major brands that had previously signed short-term contracts of only one year are now calling Bartelstein to request early renewals.

With his outstanding looks, he became the top vote-getter after winning the election, and luxury brands started inquiring about his price!
Yi Shui left all these matters to Battelstein and Shen Zhiyu to handle. Those two were birds of a feather, greedy for money, and would definitely not suffer any losses.

At 8:40 p.m., the Knicks, playing away, entered the Staples Center first.

When Yi Shui entered the stadium, he was greeted with cheers from the away team.

He's not as popular in Los Angeles as he is in the Bay Area, but he's still pretty popular. If he plays the Lakers, the cheers will be even louder.

After the opening ceremony, Love and Chris Douglas Roberts went over to chat with their classmates Yi Shui, Curry, and Chalmers.

Roberts, who let Rose's teammates down by missing consecutive free throws during the Memphis Tigers' game against the Kansas City Hawks, was selected by the Clippers in the second round.

Lefu congratulated Yi Shui on becoming the top vote-getter, and expressed his envy.

When talking about his rookie season, Love was even more envious.

In terms of lifestyle, there isn't much difference between the two cities, and Los Angeles even has more fun things to do.

But given the team environment, Love was genuinely envious of the three Knicks players.

After drafting Yi Shui, the Knicks spared no expense in clearing out all the players they could, even at a loss. They didn't even recall Eddie Curry and Jerome James, fearing that these two "veteran retirement home members" would negatively impact Yi Shui and the others.

For the Clippers, Love joined at a time when the team was at its worst in recent years.

Brand suffered a serious injury and left; Cassell and Mobley were traded last season, the former being sent to the Celtics to contend for the championship, and the latter being traded in multiple deals to acquire Camby, before being bought out by the Knicks; Maggette was traded to the Warriors for Baron Davis...

The Clippers team from around 06, with its formidable leadership, is gone. The new addition, the bearded Anthony Davis, is older, his skills have declined, and his temper is even worse than it was during his time with the Hornets and Warriors.
In the game, second-year player Thornton, completely unconvinced by Baron Davis's severely declining performance, was vying to rack up points.

Inside, Kaman and Camby both looked down on each other. Kaman thought Camby was a stat-padder, while Camby thought Kaman was a slow, stupid, big white guy. And then there was Tim Thomas on the perimeter, always vying for shots…

Faced with such a team environment, Love had no choice but to join in, fighting for possession and rebounds. And let me tell you, this environment really helped him improve; he felt his rebounding skills improved rapidly! When Kaman suffered a serious injury in mid-December and was sidelined for the rest of the season, Love's rebounding took off that month, earning him the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award.

Actually, more than the statistics, Love really wants to win! Especially compared to Yi Jianlian and Rose, he wants to win even more.

But being in this place, he can only compete with Campbell to see who has the better brush.

Rookies from the same cohort naturally feel a sense of closeness when there is no conflict of interest.

Aside from one matchup in college, Yi Shui didn't have much interaction with Love and Roberts. Meanwhile, almost all the well-known rookies from the 08 draft class lost to Yi Shui, Curry, and Chalmers in college. It wasn't just the two of them; everyone lost, so no grudges formed. When they met again more than half a year after the draft, their greetings were quite pleasant.

After exchanging pleasantries, Yi Shui returned to the away team's bench, opened the system, and checked the notifications he had received when he woke up that morning.

"Secondary development: Completed. You have grown into the player with the physique you wanted to be. ... Height: 211 cm, Wingspan: 231 cm, Weight: 105 kg..."

速度91、力量91、弹跳91、灵活性91、体力91……”

Finally, puberty is finally over!

The system subtly hinted that he wanted to become expressionless, and he was no longer willing to complain.

Speed, jumping, and agility all dropped by 1 point, which is a bit of a pain, but at least they won't drop any further. There will be opportunities to earn more points in physical fitness in the future.

With Clark's help, his weight gradually increased to 105 kg through diet and the 'Day 7' training. His strength also increased to 91, which was already very close to his target. It was a natural result of the weight gain.

There's still some work to go before reaching the 'limit' of 114 kilograms, but there's no rush. Take it slow, and you'll get stronger eventually.

What made him happiest was that when he measured his feet in the morning, they hadn't grown any longer, so he didn't need to order new shoes. After he grew to 209 centimeters, he was already wearing size 54 shoes, a size bigger than Yao Ming.

However, Clark and Mark Jackson were both happy about his big feet, saying that they were less likely to get injured, would allow him to maintain better balance during contact, and would make it less likely for him to slip when breaking through defenses.

He even specifically asked the Nike side if this was the case, and the other party replied that it was true, and also revealed that Durant's shoe size was one size larger than his.

...

At 9 p.m., the Knicks will play the second game of their back-to-back road game.

The Knicks' overall performance tonight was noticeably worse than last night, likely due to the back-to-back games.

Especially on the boards, they were completely outplayed by the Clippers, with Camby and Love dominating the boards.

At the beginning of this season, before Kaman was sidelined, the Clippers led the league in rebounds with an average of 46.2 per game in the first month, and they are still in the top five in the league with an average of 44.6 per game... but their strength is only in rebounding.

The offensive rebounding second-chance scoring conversion rate is extremely low, and the defensive rebounding conversion rate is also extremely low. Despite ranking among the top five in the league in rebounding, they only average 95 points per game! That's fifth-worst in the league!

They allow an average of 104.1 points per game, which is worse than the Knicks, Warriors and Suns. They don't allow as many points as these three teams, but their pace is not as fast, with just over 80 possessions per game.

Despite the Knicks' mediocre performance, they still dominated the Clippers throughout the game. At least the Knicks played with some discipline, while the Clippers were truly playing haphazardly...

易水20投11中，其中三分球7中3，加上2中2的罚球，拿到27分6板8助攻1抢断3盖帽。

Free throws are scarce, and when you drive in, the opponent either mindlessly collapses into space or completely ignores you.

David Lee stepped up tonight, shooting 11-for-19 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line for 26 points.

The two led their team to a solid 107-98 victory over the Clippers, securing their third consecutive win!

In this match, Yi Shui experienced the effects of 'development' firsthand, though it wasn't an accurate description—the feeling of gaining weight after overeating and drinking.

Fortunately, he has maintained high-intensity training and has a strong adaptability. He can adjust quickly in the game, reducing his change of direction and rhythm-based style of play, and increasing his reliance on "heavy tanks" and "inside tyrants" for direct and violent attacks from the outside and inside, as well as the proportion of pull-up shots.

He wasn't too anxious about it. Since he wouldn't grow any taller anyway, he figured he could just practice more, play more matches, and get used to it.

...

After the match, Yi Shui was interviewed a lot and didn't get back to the hotel until the early hours of the morning. The interviews didn't have much to do with tonight's match; they all revolved around the topic of the 'vote king'.

He took some time to mention to Walsh and D'Antoni that he wanted to stay in Los Angeles for a day to catch up on the 'first month's Player of the Month' party he had been owing and the team celebration for being voted the leader this time.

The two naturally agreed to this small request. Neither of these matters was insignificant to their team, and they deserved a celebration.

They also want to celebrate their performance this season. Currently, they have a record of 32 wins and 15 losses. The final record is hard to say, but they are going to surpass their best record of 39 wins during their 'retirement home' period. They can play however they want.

By noon the next day, the boss, having received the message, flew from his vacation villa in Miami to Los Angeles.

Dolan absolutely loved the party; he not only came, but also provided a luxurious estate in Manhattan Beach, Los Angeles, and brought along a group of socialites and celebrities.

The team throws a party to celebrate two major awards for their star player, but makes the star player pay for it? Dolan can't afford to lose face like that.

However, although Yi Shui saved money, the afternoon's excitement had nothing to do with him; he went to three endorsement deals in one afternoon.

At noon, it was officially announced that they had signed a two-year, 20 million yuan endorsement deal with American Airlines. This is the largest new endorsement deal since the wave of signings in June and July.

接着易水与功能饮料官宣完成解除旧合同，用3年2100万，直接覆盖了原本的1年450万，可以看成续了2年1650万。

Yi Shui, adhering to the principle of asking questions when he didn't understand, asked Bartelstein the reason for this operation. The other party replied: "Roy and Wade's endorsement fees are both 450 million. Your fans have been expressing dissatisfaction, feeling that this is not in line with your value. They must raise your contract to the same level as Bryant and James."

At 4 p.m., Yi Shui's most important task for the day began.

Nike rented a large space at the Staples Center to hold a press conference and officially announce the Yi Shui signature shoe project. The name of his signature shoe was officially announced as The Big Emperor.

"Big Brother" and "Emperor" are both nicknames Yi Shui had in college and the NBA, with the goal of making the most catchy one.

At the press conference, Yi Shui answered questions for more than an hour using a prepared script. It was more tiring than playing a competition!
After finishing his work, Yi Shui, with his boss's permission, took all the people from the company and the agent team directly to the boss's estate, which was said to be worth more than 5000 million yuan, and combined the celebrations of "Monthly Player of the Month", "All-Star Vote King" and "Signature Shoe Announcement" into one event.

Those two groups naturally wouldn't object. Whether they were preparing a victory celebration or Yi Shui was making a fuss, they couldn't possibly do it as well as Dolan, this fun-loving guy. And it would be difficult to find such a good place in a short time.

Yi Shui's arrival made the party even more lively, attracting a large crowd of beautiful women. Yi Shui even spotted several big stars.

These female celebrities have a very extravagant lifestyle in private. Legend has it that Yi Shui is incredibly popular, and everyone who comes to the party wants to see just how popular she is.

When Yi Shui first went to New York, he was indeed very interested in female celebrities. After a few times, he stopped caring about them and preferred to satisfy his own aesthetic sense, choosing female companions according to his preferences.

Previously, with only his own strong physical fitness and the added benefit of his "golden gun", Yi Shui was always quite cautious and never forgot to take safety measures, which sometimes made him feel unsatisfied.

Now with the 'Never Falls Over' feature, balloons are automatically loaded, ensuring 100% safety while leaving virtually no trace when touched.

Tonight, he left behind a legend in Los Angeles, taking home three Eastern European women and defeating a formidable opponent without using performance-enhancing drugs...

Happy times always pass quickly.

On the morning of February 3rd, the second day off, Yi Shui and his teammates were woken up early. With a flight time of more than five hours, they had to board the plane before 10 o'clock, otherwise it would affect their rest that night.

The listless teammates, seeing Yi Shui's radiant appearance, couldn't accept it even though they were used to it.

This morning, the whole manor was buzzing with news of Yi Shui's victory last night!

Yi Di: If we don't have time for extra practice when playing back-to-back games, can we bring a sleeping partner? While 'Golden Spear' isn't as effective as 'Day 7,' it's still much better than just resting...

(End of this chapter)