I fell in love with Toutiao and became the GOAT.

Chapter 90 Non-Star Players

In the pre-match interview, Lin Bei's declaration essentially placed Irving and himself in a natural position of confrontation.

But in reality, when the starting lineups of "Shaq Team" and "Chuck Team" lined up on both sides of the court, Lin Bei was directly matched up against DeMarcus Cousins ​​of the Kings.

The starting lineup for Shaq is: Lin Bei, Blake Griffin, Paul George, John Wall, and Ricky Rubio.

The starting lineup for "Chuck's Team" is: Cousins, Greg Monroe, Gordon Hayward, Jeremy Lin, and Kyrie Irving.

Jeremy Lin was surprisingly a starter for "Chuck's Team," something Lin Bei hadn't expected before the game.

It can only be said that the peak of "Linsanity" was so high that even though Jeremy Lin's performance declined sharply later, he was still among the most popular players in this Rising Stars Challenge. If he didn't start, no one else could.

Before the jump ball, Cousins ​​deliberately went up and hugged John Wall, appearing quite affectionate.

But by shifting his position, he completely exposed Irving, who was standing behind him.

The broadcast camera even cut to a close-up, which made Lin Bei a little embarrassed.

He shrugged, knowing full well the connection between Cousins ​​and Wall; they were teammates at the University of Kentucky.

The 2010 draft class, known as the "Kentucky Five," was quite famous because all five of them were drafted in the first round.

John Wall was the number one pick, DeMarcus Cousins ​​was the fifth pick, Eric Bledsoe was the eighteenth pick, Patrick Patterson was the fourteenth pick, and Daniel Orton was the twenty-ninth pick.

More importantly, the five of them have an unusually close relationship, especially the single-minded Cousins, who genuinely treats Wall like a brother.

Wall is a good person, and Lin Bei wholeheartedly agrees with that.

Although he had only spent an afternoon with Wall, he realized that Wall was indeed very easy to get along with. Lin Bei made some suggestions, and Wall expressed his willingness to cooperate with them all.

After a warm hug, Cousins ​​returned to his seat.

Lin Bei then jokingly suggested, "Why don't you two just stay on the same team?"

Cousins ​​just smiled sheepishly and didn't reply.

With a whistle, the referee tossed the ball high into the air above the Amway Center. Lin Bei leaped into the air and, before Cousins ​​could react, tipped the ball over.

After winning the jump ball, Lin Bei immediately retreated to the position under the basket.

Ultimately, the Rising Stars Challenge is still an exhibition game.

If he rushes in and starts setting screens and walls right from the start of an exhibition game, he'll really embarrass himself.

Lin Bei himself didn't care at all; he didn't mind continuing to portray himself as a blue-collar player.

The problem is that his teammates who are set up and act as screens for him are likely not happy about it.

In the first possession of the game, Wall was in possession for Shaq's team.

Wall's opponent, Jeremy Lin, was simply not very lucky.

Jeremy Lin knew that Rubio, who wasn't as fast and didn't have a shot, would be easier to defend, but he couldn't beat Irving, so he had to come over to guard Wall.

With a sudden acceleration, Wall passed Jeremy Lin cleanly.

Cousins, positioned under the basket, watched helplessly as Wall charged in, his attempts to help defend appearing rather ineffective.

Wall rushed to the basket, grabbed the ball, and delivered a powerful dunk that hit the rim.

With a loud crash, Shaq scored the first point amidst cheers from the crowd.

Lin Bei was just a bystander in this attack, but he knew very well that offense was not his stage in this game.

With a quick turn, he retreated and used a nimble turn to trap Cousins ​​behind him.

Of course, Cousins ​​didn't struggle much.

After all, in this kind of rookie exhibition game, a second-year center on a lottery team shouldn't expect to get much spotlight.

In the first two offensive possessions, the ball was absolutely impossible to pass to him, so there was no need for him to compete with Lin Bei.

With Cousins ​​making no effort, Lin Bei's fronting defense became exceptionally easy.

On the front, Irving is holding the ball.

In the NBA, Nike's status is beyond question. Before the game, "Chuck Team" head coach Mike Fratello emphasized: "We need to give the ball to Kelly to control."

According to the original historical trajectory, the MVP of this year's Rising Stars Challenge would have been Kyrie Irving.

Kyrie Irving faced off against John Wall, both of whom were number one draft picks at the point guard position. However, Irving's approach to penetration was not like Wall's, which relied purely on speed and explosiveness.

After a crossover dribble, he immediately followed up with a swift change of direction.

Wall defended very hard, and on the first possession he was able to keep up with Irving.

But Irving then spun around and pulled back, beautifully getting past Wall amidst the gasps that erupted in the Amway Center.

In this rookie game, Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley, as team managers, both had to be on the sidelines.

So TNT simply brought up Magic Johnson and ESPN's two controversial experts, Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless, to the commentary booth.

Magic Johnson immediately commented, "This is why Kyrie Irving is widely considered the Rookie of the Year in 2011. Look at his dribbling skills, they're just too dazzling—"

While his words didn't directly criticize Lin Bei, the underlying message was far too obvious.

Just as the magician was about to elaborate on his commentary, Irving, having rushed to the mid-range, had already raised his hand without hesitation, ready to launch a floater—

In that instant, Lin Bei, who suddenly rushed over, leaped into the air with an extremely graceful posture, and with a loud slap, sent the ball flying!

"boom!"

An even louder gasp followed from the entire Amway center.

The magician in the commentary booth was stunned.

Skip Bellus burst into laughter: "Hahaha, buddy, you seem to be exaggerating a bit too early!"

On the court, Lin Bei clenched his fists as he landed and immediately roared, causing the Amway Center to erupt in the most enthusiastic cheers since the start of the game.

Wall rushed up and slammed into Lin Bei's chest, instantly making the atmosphere on the court extremely passionate.

Cousins, watching all this from a short distance away, had a look on his face that suggested he wanted to join in.

Amidst the cheers, Irving had already turned around and walked to the side, pretending as if nothing had happened.

But in reality, a storm was brewing in his heart: this Lin Bei really does seem to be something else entirely.

Jeremy Lin, standing to the side, sneered inwardly: "Hmph, I kindly reminded you, but you wouldn't listen. Now you're suffering the consequences, aren't you?"

The ball went out of bounds, and it was still Chuck's team's offensive possession.

However, they only had eleven seconds left to attack.

After receiving the ball on the sideline, Irving dribbled back and forth at the top of the arc before finally taking a step and launching a strong shot from a high position far from the basket.

With a loud crash!

Lin Bei, positioned under the basket, keenly sensed that Cousins ​​was getting restless behind him. He quickly used the power of his [Talent: Wall] to firmly pin Cousins ​​behind him.

He then effortlessly leaped up and snatched the defensive rebound.

After landing, he turned around and launched a long pass that spanned the entire field.

The moment Irving made his move, Wall had already darted out like an arrow, something he and Lin Bei had planned beforehand that afternoon.

Lin Bei had to thank Steve Cole, who helped him connect with Wall.

With Wall's help, Lin Bei's goal in this rookie game is not only to completely shut down Irving on the defensive end, but also to use Wall to completely overwhelm Irving on the offensive end.

Wall's counterattack was the most crucial part of the plan.

Irving, who was just guarding Wall, had to turn around and desperately chase after Wall, who was sprinting at high speed.

Just as the two crossed the center line one after the other, Wall, who was half a step ahead, steadily received Lin Bei's pass. He accelerated further, completely leaving Irving, who was not as fast as him, behind.

He rushed to the basket and slammed it down with another powerful dunk.

With a score of 4-0, Shaq further extended their lead.

On the sidelines, Shaquille O'Neal, the team's general manager, swung his massive body around, joyfully celebrating the team's early lead.

Wall, who had turned and run back, specifically said to Lin Bei, "Dude, that pass was really good. It's even better than DeMarcus's for a center!"

Of all the centers Wall has ever faced, Cousins ​​was arguably the most technically gifted, but Lin Bei's pass was of far superior quality to Cousins'.

Hearing Wall's effusive praise of Lin Bei, Cousins ​​silently touched his nose and made a mental note of it.

Turning to the Chuck team's offense, Cousins ​​immediately went all out, fighting hard for position.

Lin Bei thought for a moment and simply gave up his seat.

"Come on, here you go in the low post. I want to see if you can catch the pass."

Cousins ​​had no chance of receiving the pass because Irving had no intention of relinquishing possession of the ball.

At the top of the arc, Irving is in control of the ball once again.

Seeing Lin Bei being blocked behind Cousins, he instantly realized that this was a good opportunity to avoid Lin Bei and score.

So he started using his usual crossover dribbling to break through to mid-range, made a sudden stop, and then hit a steady pull-up jump shot.

Swish!

The ball went in, and Irving clenched his fist and roared.

But everyone couldn't help but laugh. They had just been blocked by Lin Bei at the beginning of the game, and now they had this one goal that they managed to dodge Lin Bei's shot. Did they have the nerve to yell?

Off the court, Cole was puzzled. While Shaq was inbounding the ball from their own half, he asked Lin Bei, "Best, why didn't you stand in the position we had pre-arranged?"

Lin Bei shrugged. He really wanted to say, if he went to the waist position, what would happen to Cousins?

While pre-match planning is important, adjustments should be made based on the actual situation during the match.

But Cole ignored all that and said directly, "Don't worry about that, get to the waist!"

Wall showed no intention of relinquishing possession of the ball during Shaq's attack.

But after his breakthrough drew the attention of the "Chuck Team's" help defense, he hurled the basketball high into the air and fed it to Griffin under the basket.

The latter leaped into the air, received the ball, and delivered a powerful dunk.

A loud bang!

Skip Bayless shouted, "Three dunks! Shaq!" This was a complete visual feast, a violent aesthetic!

On the other hand, what exactly has "Team Chuck" accomplished so far?

This is pure and simple comparison and denigration.

At the technical table, Barkley pointed at Skip Bayless, whom he knew fairly well, and gave him a half-joking warning.

Turning his head, Irving knew in his heart that his mid-range shot, which he used to dodge Lin Bei, was not enough to wash away the humiliation of being blocked by Lin Bei at the beginning of the game.

He still didn't want to give up possession of the ball, and Jeremy Lin, standing to the side, had even started standing with his hands on his hips, clearly expressing his dissatisfaction.

At the top of the arc, Irving still tried his best to shake off the defenders. With a speed boost and change of direction, Wall was directly beaten this time, and he was no match for him.

But to his utter surprise, he had just rushed to the vicinity of the free throw line when he bumped headfirst into Lin Bei.

Irving's mind was still racing: How did this guy even get here?

But his hands and feet didn't stop moving at all. His pace was extremely fast, and the moment he bumped into Lin Bei, he turned around and became even more excited.

Because he quickly devised a near-perfect script in his mind—first, he would dodge past Wall, then dodge past Lin Bei, and finally get his revenge!

As a result, just as he turned around, intending to make another change of direction and try to get past Lin Bei, Lin Bei also made his move.

[Talent: Defensive Awareness] allowed Lin Beiji to keenly perceive an excellent opportunity to intercept the ball;

The enormous hands and extended wingspan granted to him by the [McGrady body template] allowed him to seize this opportunity.

A crisp snap!

Just as Irving was still performing his ballet steps on the court, Lin Bei had already slapped the basketball off its original trajectory.

Lin Bei then accelerated and rushed out, easily gaining control of the basketball.

At the same time, exclamations of surprise once again filled the Amway Center.

"Best Lin intercepted the basketball halfway through; his hands were just too fast—"

Irving felt his hand suddenly go empty. When he turned around, he saw Lin Bei holding the basketball high and slowly swinging it across the center line.

Amidst the sudden and increasingly frenzied cheers, Wall sprinted over, caught the ball near the three-point line, and in three quick steps, made an easy layup.

When all that was left was a layup, the cheers from the crowd abruptly stopped, and a chorus of sighs even rose up. Clearly, the fans were expressing their dissatisfaction at not getting another powerful dunk.

Wall turned and ran back to Lin Bei, saying, "How about it? Aren't you a loyal friend? You pass me the ball, and I'll definitely let you assist!"

Lin Bei gave him a thumbs up: "You're way better than Stephen Curry."

Curry, who was watching from the sidelines, was still cheering for Lin Bei's steal earlier and didn't hear Lin Bei's blatant attempt to belittle him.

But Cousins ​​casually remarked from the side, "If I get the chance, I'll tell Stephen Curry everything."

In the center of the court, Irving once again walked to the side as if nothing had happened.

But things just don't go as planned; he unexpectedly bumped into the Shark on the sidelines, who was enthusiastically celebrating his dream 6-2 start—

Irving: "————"

In the commentary booth, the magician also said: "6"

'

A. Smith and Skip Bayless, on the other hand, were having a very lively conversation.

"A big block and a steal, Best Lin completely shut down Kyrie Irving right from the start."

77

Before the game, some people argued that Best Lin was just a blue-collar worker and that he was not qualified to participate in the Rookie of the Year selection.

But now, Best Lin has shown everyone with his actions that Kyrie Irving is not just a star player.

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