The longest river

Chapter 79 All-Star Feud
When the game paused, recalling the boos before the start of the match, Yang Shuai immediately put his right hand to his ear and made a "listening" gesture again.

This caused a stir among the crowd.

This is yet another instance where Yang Shuai has collectively embarrassed them.

Despite being proven wrong this time, they felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

If Yang Shuai is indeed selected by the Kings, he will definitely help the Kings improve their record.

His defensive ability, in particular, is a lifesaver for the Kings.

What amazed them even more was Yang Shuai's ability to learn and improve. At the beginning of the season, his defense was mediocre, especially against high pick-and-rolls.

However, his defense now shows the potential of a top-tier defender, and he handles high pick-and-rolls with ease.

Faced with such performance, it's hard for them not to feel "if".

After all, Yang Shuai is only 18 years old!

They felt as if they had really missed something.

Ultimately, the Pacers defeated the Kings 89-78 on the road.

This was a very typical Pacers victory; they overwhelmed their opponent with excellent defense.

杨帅出场28分钟，8投6中得到14分5板4抢断2盖帽。

He played most of the night alongside Miller and Schmitz, and didn't have much playing time on the offensive end, but he performed very efficiently.

Moreover, his most impressive performance tonight was clearly on the defensive end.

里奇蒙德第一节连得9分状态火热，但是全场比赛打下来他21投7中仅得18分，而且还出现了多达5次的失误。

Such a performance is absolutely terrible for an All-Star or even a superstar.

Yang Shuai also won the opportunity to attend the post-match press conference once again.

The scene was packed with reporters.

Compared to the rookie Stackhouse and Jim Jackson padding his stats on a weak team, Richmond is far superior in both skill and reputation.

Yang Shuai's performance tonight was absolutely praiseworthy, even without those off-court issues.

As soon as Yang Shuai sat down at the press conference, he saw a bottle of Gatorade in front of him.

Without making a sound, he simply picked up the Gatorade and placed it under the table.

The press conference began quickly, with Brown and Miller being the first to be asked questions.

Miller was on fire tonight, scoring 30+ points in a defensively focused game, once again demonstrating his superior level compared to other shooters.

"Young's defense against Richmond was key to our victory."

Brown also made an unprecedented move by praising Yang Shuai at the press conference.

The reporters quickly handed the microphone to Yang Shuai.

What do you think of Richmond's assessment of you as a "businessman player"?

Just as Yang Shuai was about to answer, a staff member noticed that the Gatorade in front of him was missing and immediately turned around and placed a new bottle on it.

Yang Shuai moved the microphone in front of him to prepare to answer, and then casually took the Gatorade under the table.

His behavior drew laughter from the reporters.

He couldn't have done this if he wasn't a high school student.

Yang Shuai also realized that this time it seemed a bit too blatant.

He smiled to cover it up.

However, his smile only drew even louder laughter from the reporters.

Regarding the question about "businessmen players" that the reporter just asked, Richmond made that statement because Yang Shuai has signed many new endorsement deals.

Among those endorsements, the most famous is undoubtedly Sprite, a brand under Coca-Cola.

Although Yang Shuai didn't say anything, the effect he created was no less than when he wore Reebok slippers for an interview.

"If we follow Richmond's logic, MJ should be called a 'businessman player'."

……

"Ah!"

While Yang Shuai was being interviewed, Jordan, who was spending lavishly at a Las Vegas casino, suddenly sneezed.

Then, he lost a hand of cards worth tens of thousands of dollars.

……

"Are you participating in both the Slam Dunk Contest and the Three-Point Contest just for show and to sell shoes?"

The reporter repeated Richmond's description.

“If I remember correctly, Richmond has made more three-pointers than me this season, so why would he miss out on a chance to put on a show and sell shoes?”

This time, Yang Shuai did not answer directly, but instead asked a question in return.

He then extended an invitation:
"If I have the chance in the future, I hope I can compete against him in the three-point contest. I don't think he would refuse, right?"

At this point, Yang Shuai added:
“After all, he’s ‘The Rock’!”

Yang Shuai's taunts, which even included references to Jordan's actions, caused a huge uproar after the game.

This time, Yang Shuai made headlines in major sports newspapers without Vaccaro's intervention.

If there's an element of chance in a game, then Yang Shuai's provocation fully demonstrates his confidence. This time, it wasn't just Indiana fans, but fans throughout the entire league who felt the impact of this high school student.

It's like suddenly throwing a piece of sodium into a calm lake, causing it to explode with activity.

Unfortunately, just a few days later, Hubert Davis, who was originally on the roster for the Three-Point Contest, suffered a wrist injury and is expected to miss the All-Star Game.

The league needs a player as a substitute.

Richmond has undoubtedly become the most popular player.

You know, fans love watching these kinds of rivalry matches the most.

Stern, the league president who is best at creating stars and generating buzz, naturally wouldn't let go of such a golden opportunity, and the league quickly extended an invitation to Richmond.

Richmond has no choice but to go now, or his nickname "The Rock" will truly be shattered.

Richmond's addition instantly made this year's Three-Point Contest a focus of attention for fans.

It's worth noting that individual competitions generally don't receive much attention in previous years. Not to mention the lack of innovation in the slam dunk contest, the three-point contest simply couldn't come up with anything new.

But this time, Yang Shuai really piqued the fans' interest.

This year's All-Star Game will be held in San Antonio, Texas.

Yang Shuai will arrive early to attend a Reebok event.

Before the trip, Johnson had already prepared everything for Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai opened it and checked it. Everything inside was there, including a schedule that detailed what he needed to do at what time.

Moreover, Johnson arrived in San Antonio earlier than Yang Shuai.

After Yang Shuai arrived, he picked him up from the airport and then took him to a local Chinese restaurant.

These are all things that Yang Shuai would experience during away games before. Johnson's presence has greatly enhanced Yang Shuai's NBA experience.

After finishing his meal and resting for a while, Yang Shuai went to the Reebok event venue.

That event took place on the first floor of the Alamo Dome, the home arena of the San Antonio Spurs.

As its name suggests, it differs from the home arenas used by most NBA teams; it is a multi-purpose dome-shaped stadium.

The stadium has a maximum capacity of 65,000 people and is also used to host football and ice hockey matches, and even concerts.

Yang Shuai has been in the league for so long, and this is the first time he has ever seen a multi-functional stadium used as a home court.

However, this stadium is really suitable for hosting the All-Star Game because it is big enough.

For example, their events are really like being held inside a football stadium, with a considerable number of fans present.

At the event, Yang Shuai met Reebok's other two brand ambassadors, Shaquille O'Neal and Shawn Kemp.

Both of them were selected for the All-Star Game this year and are now Reebok's face.

At the beginning of the event, the three people were separated into different areas.

Yang Shuai also observed the two of them during the break.

O'Neal was very active and would occasionally act silly, which made him very popular with the public. He was pretty much as Yang Shuai remembered.

In contrast, Kemp surprised Yang Shuai; he seemed very introverted and quiet.

This stark contrast to his violent playing style on the court is truly impressive.

Halfway through the event, the three of them were gathered together and were scheduled to go on stage together to interact with fans through a Q&A session.

The three of them greeted each other.

However, just as he was politely shaking hands and introducing himself to them, the system notification in his mind made Yang Shuai think that the system had malfunctioned.

"Negative energy from Shaquille O'Neal +218".

"Positive energy from Sean Kemp +88".

He looked at O'Neal in surprise, only to find that O'Neal had already turned his head to talk to other people.

Kemp, however, was still looking at him, as if he really wanted to continue talking to him.

Seeing this, Yang Shuai also took the initiative to start a conversation with Camp.

During their conversation, he learned that the other person was a player from Indiana.

“My friends call me and tell me how special you are. They say you’re like top-quality bourbon whiskey poured into a glass of ice water.”

High-quality bourbon whiskey has a high alcohol content and a strong burning sensation and burst of energy on the palate, which perfectly matches Yang Shuai's current playing style.

The Pacers emphasize discipline and defense, and are described as cold and emotionless; this description is quite apt.

Yang Shuai can now understand why Kemp had such a positive influence on him.

Although Kemp plays in Seattle, just like Johnson and DiFrancisco, who are alongside Yang Shuai, are from Cleveland, his core circle of players should still be from Indiana.

When people around you tell you how popular a player on your hometown team is, you'll naturally develop a liking for him.

After they had finished talking with Camp, the staff guided them onto the stage.

It was at this moment that Yang Shuai looked at O'Neal's back with a puzzled expression.

If Kemp's goodwill towards him came from the people around him, then where did O'Neal's malice towards him come from?
-Dividing line-

①: Although Indiana is not Kentucky (the core bourbon producing region), it is also one of the important whisky producing regions in the United States, especially known for producing high-quality bourbon and rye whisky.

(End of this chapter)