The longest river

Chapter 234: Teammates with James?
"We did everything we could, we did all we could."

At the post-match press conference, Thomas looked quite helpless.

The Pacers shot a remarkable 54% from the field and an impressive 58% from three-point range. They were also on par with the Trail Blazers in terms of rebounds and turnovers, yet they still lost the game. It's truly inexplicable.

"Weren't you guys talking about who had the greater scoring performance, Hansen or Michael? Now you have your answer."

Thomas is a number one critic of Jordan, but this time, he doesn't even need to make a fuss about it.

"Hansen had the flu last week and wasn't in the best physical condition. At halftime, I had planned to have him play less in the second half, but you all know what happened afterward."

At the subsequent Trail Blazers press conference, Carlisle revealed some inside information, which caused a stir among the reporters in the audience.

If you get 83 points when you're not in your best physical condition, then if you were in your best physical condition, wouldn't you get... 100 points?!

"I was just trying not to disappoint the fans who came."

Yang Shuai explained the source of his scoring desire tonight: those who come to the arena to watch the game on Christmas Day are all die-hard fans.

Did you expect to score 80 points tonight before the game?

"No, I never thought anyone could score 80 points until the end of the third quarter. It was a game that can't be replicated, including by myself."

Forget about Chamberlain's 100 points. That era was the real era of scoring. Not to mention Chamberlain's 50+ points per game in a single season, the top six scorers that year averaged 30+ points per game, and Oscar Robertson even averaged a triple-double.

Or to put it more bluntly, when a league lacks fan attention, it will inevitably have to find ways to generate explosive data to attract the attention of new fans.

In modern basketball, 60+ is the limit, 70+ is already considered scoring high, and 80+ is purely a fluke.

In fact, he wouldn't have gotten that score if he hadn't had a game-high shooting performance in the third quarter, like Klay Thompson, so it's something that can't be replicated.

Although information was not readily available in this era, because it was a Christmas Day game, shock reactions from all sides began to emerge after the match ended.

The day's sports news was broadcast as if it were an emergency, with a sudden interruption to report that Yang Shuai had scored 83 points.

Miller: I felt like I had a nightmare all night.

Mark Jackson (0 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists in this game): Hansen and I combined for 83 points.

McGrady (who scored 62 points on 33 shots before Christmas): If I had taken 46 shots, I would have had a chance to get that score too.

Bird: At least we didn't let Hansen get 100 points.

Pierce: I was watching the game live, and I was hoping he wouldn't make that game-winning shot because if it went into overtime, he would have had a chance to score 100 points.

Carter: A friend texted me, and I thought he had made a typo, until I saw the news and I thought, oh my god, this is not something a human being can do.

Kobe: Hansen looks like he's playing video games. Next time I play against the Pacers, I'll try to score 100 points.

Nowitzki: Without a doubt, this was a greater scoring performance than Chamberlain's, and it will never happen again.

LeBron James: Unbelievable*3! Cleveland's pride & crown!

Ray Allen: What impressed me most was the 37 points in a single quarter. That's the impact of the three-pointer on basketball. A great scoring performance.

Garnett: As Isaiah said, Hansen is putting on the greatest scoring performance in NBA history.

Phil Jackson: Michael probably won't be able to sleep tonight.

David Stern: If Hansen wants to move the Trail Blazers to the East, we'll agree.

The next day, media coverage was even more extensive.

With 37 points in a single quarter and 83 points in a single game, Yang Shuai's performance had been consistently high-energy, but it still felt like something was missing. However, that missing part was made up for after this game.

"Even if Hansen were playing with four elementary school students, he could still win the game."

In the latest episode of TNT's "NBA Insider," Barkley once again uttered a memorable quote, but this time it wasn't his grandmother who made the remark.

On that same day, the domestic sports weekly newspaper sold like hotcakes, with Yang Shuai's score of 83 points causing a sensation among fans across the country.

Even media professionals writing articles are calling on the Basketball Association to break with convention and naturalize Yang Shuai before the 2004 Olympics.

Although the World Basketball Association did not have a clear naturalization system at that time, the boundaries of naturalization were very blurred.

Basically, as long as you acquire citizenship, you can represent the national team in matches.

Moreover, not only in China, but as time went on and the information spread, Yang Shuai's scoring performance became known to fans all over the world.

This greatly enhanced Yang Shuai's influence globally.

In addition to the surge in sales of the HY series, Yang Shuai's new documentary "Throne of Thorns" also received invitations from both the Berlin and Venice Film Festivals at the same time.

Paul even struck while the iron was hot, bringing in renowned writer Roland Lazambi to write Yang Shuai's first personal biography.

Because of this 83-point performance, Yang Shuai suddenly became busy again.

Ten days later, when the first round of voting results for the 2003 Portland NBA All-Star Game were released, it caused an uproar.

In the first round, Yang Shuai received 180 million votes, breaking the NBA All-Star voting record by a whole level.

Moreover, given this momentum, it's a foregone conclusion that Yang Shuai will break the All-Star voting record again. The key question is how high he can elevate this record.

Yang Shuai's personal influence is rising rapidly.

However, Yang Shuai's personal statistics declined after entering January.

It's not that his form has declined or that he's been overworked during the season, but rather that as he continues to perform at a high level, just like Barkley said, "he can win even with four elementary school kids," the media, while praising him, always subconsciously belittles his teammates.

Praising one while belittling another is a common human tendency.

This had some negative impact on the team atmosphere within the Trail Blazers.

Just as Pippen once said, once Jordan reached his peak, he was no longer noticed by the media for occasional lapses in performance; instead, his teammates were scrutinized under a magnifying glass by the media.

Yang Shuai is not Jordan; he did not condone such voices but chose to give his teammates more opportunities.

For example, in a fast break during a counter-attack, if he sees a teammate following up, he will give the opportunity to the opponent.

For example, after breaking through the defense in a positional attack, if he has the option to shoot or pass, he will choose to pass the ball to a teammate.

Reed became the biggest beneficiary of these adjustments. Even with Yang Shuai and Wallace on the Trail Blazers, he still averaged 15 points per game, fully demonstrating his scoring explosiveness.

However, Yang Shuai's strict attitude towards his teammates has not changed.

All the adjustments were made so that the Trail Blazers could regain the championship.

As January drew to a close, the results of the 2003 NBA All-Star voting were announced.

Yang Shuai was ultimately elected All-Star vote leader without any suspense, and his final vote count was 410 million, an extremely exaggerated number.

It's worth noting that the previous All-Star vote record was 245 million votes set by Jordan in 1997, and this is almost double that.

This was in 2003, before Twitter and Facebook even existed!
This number also determines that this year's All-Star Game will be the most watched ever.

The day before All-Star Weekend began, Yang Shuai met with a dozen actresses and their agents on the second floor of a local Portland coffee shop.

HARK has been established for 5 years, and with Yang Shuai's success, the company has become quite wealthy.

Although they have been slow to venture into other fields according to their previous plan, they have tried some investments over the years, some successful and many unsuccessful, and they have accumulated a lot of experience from them.

With their two previous successful documentaries, they already had the qualifications to be on the table in the film industry, and now they are finally going to enter the film industry.

The film they are now investing in is a disaster film approved by Yang Shuai, titled "The Day After Tomorrow".

Although Yang Shuai is a post-00s generation, he was also very fascinated by this classic disaster movie back then.

Because it was the first time, and Yang Shuai had the memory, he needed to oversee the selection of key personnel.

The director is Roland Emmerich, who has already directed "Godzilla" and is also the historical director of "The Day After Tomorrow".

The male lead is Jake Gyllenhaal, who starred alongside Anne Hathaway in "Love Potion" and also played the main villain in "Spider-Man: Far From Home," as well as the famous "Brokeback Mountain."

Yang Shuai recognized these two, but he couldn't remember the female lead. After all, apart from those he had met during his youth and those who were well-known, he couldn't recognize most of the Western actresses.

Yang Shuai didn't recognize any of the first few female celebrities, but when a female celebrity appeared halfway through the event, he was completely stunned.

It wasn't that the other person was particularly amazing, but rather that he was all too familiar with this person.

Scarlett Johansson, the "Black Widow," is Marvel's future top female star, and Kevin Durant would only want to drink her bathwater!
At this time, Scarlett was only 19 years old, and she was slightly taller than Liv Tyler, whom Yang Shuai had first met in Hollywood.

Even though she's only 19 and her face is still a bit youthful, her sexy figure is already quite evident.

After all, she was once considered the woman in America who most resembled Marilyn Monroe, and the world's sexiest woman, bar none.

Yang Shuai recalls that Scarlett Johansson did not star in the movie "The Day After Tomorrow," but he thinks that this change may not necessarily be a bad thing.

So after the interview, he immediately decided to cast Scarlett as the lead actress in the movie.

The day after the deal was finalized, Scarlett became Yang Shuai's date and they appeared together at the All-Star game.

The first day of All-Star Weekend was the Rising Stars Challenge, and as expected, Yang Shuai and Scarlett Johansson's appearance on the court quickly attracted strong attention from the outside world.

The last time Yang Shuai appeared in public with a female celebrity like this was with Ivanka Trump; it's unexpected that he's changed female companions so quickly.

Driven by curiosity, many people began searching for information about Scarlett Johansson.

This is part of HARK's marketing strategy.

Yang Shuai is currently enjoying immense popularity, and his every move attracts intense public attention. This move will quickly boost Scarlett Johansson's fame. Then, after the All-Star Game, HARK Entertainment will take the opportunity to announce its plans for the film "The Day After Tomorrow."

Filming will officially begin in May. As it is a science fiction disaster film, there will be special effects in post-production, and it is expected to be released in the first half of next year.

During this process, Yang Shuai will also participate in filming after the season ends and make a cameo appearance.

Yang Shuai was already used to those stares.

However, Scarlett's face appeared flushed, and she seemed quite excited.

Besides watching the rookie game from the sidelines, Yang Shuai also brought Scarlett along for the rest of the day.

During a break in the event, while resting in an office, Scarlett finally couldn't help but ask Yang Shuai a question.

"Mr. Yang, why did you choose me?"

For Scarlett Johansson, she's at best a third- or fourth-tier Hollywood actress. The people being interviewed that day included many first- and second-tier actresses, including Dennis Richards, who had previously been rumored to be dating Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai looked at Scarlett, seemingly surprised that she would suddenly ask such a question.

He was thinking about how to answer Scarlett.

After a moment of silence, Scarlett, who had been being stared at by Yang Shuai, suddenly seemed to understand something. She took the initiative to walk towards Yang Shuai, and before Yang Shuai could react, her pink lips touched his.

It was a very soft and long kiss, and Yang Shuai only realized that Scarlett's lips seemed to have misunderstood something when they moved away.

"You think I'm interested in your figure?"

Yang Shuai asked Scarlett a question in return.

Scarlett was stunned for a moment, and after thinking about what Yang Shuai had said, she realized that her behavior just now seemed a bit rash, and she quickly apologized.

"In my eyes, you are a talented actress with the potential to become a world-class star."

"Don't ask why, because that's my vision. Just like this movie I invested in, it's destined to be a huge hit and go down in film history." He silenced Scarlett before she could speak.

Scarlett's eyes showed doubt. If it was about basketball skills, she would absolutely believe it, but film investment... that seems a bit of a crossover.
However, besides her doubts, there was also an undisguised excitement in her eyes.

Unlike most actors who are discovered by talent scouts, Scarlett Johansson was born into an entertainment family. Her mother was a film producer, and her brother and sister were both actors. Even her name, "Scarlett," was a tribute her mother made to the character in "Gone with the Wind."

In this environment, she developed an interest in acting at a young age and became a child star.

However, as she grew up, her figure became so sexy that directors and producers treated her as just a pretty face.

For example, there's "Lost in Translation," which just helped her win the Best Actress award at the 57th British Academy Film Awards, and "Girl with a Pearl Earring," which she just finished filming.

"sorry."

Scarlett apologized again, but this time not for her earlier behavior, but for her misunderstanding of Yang Shuai.

Seeing Scarlett's reaction, Yang Shuai couldn't help but think of Monica Bellucci, whom he had met in Italy.

So, in the acting industry, being too sexy isn't necessarily a good thing?
This is commonly referred to as having a narrow range of acting roles.

However, Yang Shuai knew that Scarlett was different from the others.

Well, more importantly, Scarlett isn't famous enough right now, so Yang Shuai isn't actually that interested in her.

Only when Scarlett becomes the "Black Widow" and puts on that black leather suit can she inspire enough desire to conquer.

Just like Taylor and Richards before, skin bonuses are very important.

After the event ended, Yang Shuai called Rondo to his side and they talked about something.

How is Marvel doing now?

After chatting with Scarlett, Yang Shuai suddenly became interested in Marvel.

Rondo is now in charge of film investment, so he naturally has some understanding of Marvel and then shared Marvel's history over the years.

Marvel's peak was in the 80s, when they came close to acquiring DC Comics.

By 1989, Ron Pereman had acquired Marvel for $8500 million, and then this short-sighted waltz capitalist began selling off all the big IPs he could.

By 1993, the time Yang Shuai traveled through time, their stock price had plummeted from $38 to $3.96, and by 1996 they were on the verge of bankruptcy.

However, after Marvel underwent restructuring, and with the emergence of a capable individual like Avi Arad, they bought back the IPs, corporatized their film division, and began producing IP movies. Films like Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man all received positive reviews.

Although it hasn't taken off yet, Marvel has finally caught its breath.

Well, after hearing this, Yang Shuai felt like he had traveled back in time too late, because he didn't have that much money when Marvel was about to go bankrupt.

"It's still not too late for us to invest; they are in dire need of money right now."

Marvel's movies these days are all co-productions with other companies; they don't have the funds to make them on their own.

Yang Shuai became interested again upon hearing this.

Because he had just gleaned a key piece of information from Rondo's account: Marvel is still an independent company and has not been acquired by Disney.

So even putting aside the movie production, by buying as many shares as possible while the other party is short of money, you can make a big profit when Disney acquires the company.

Yang Shuai previously wanted to buy/build a team, which was a project worth hundreds of millions of yuan.

Rondo is a man of action; once he received instructions from Yang Shuai, he immediately began to take action.

However, before taking action, he asked Yang Shuai one more thing.

Google will list on Nasdaq in August this year, with an expected price of around $85 per share and a market capitalization of $23 billion.

Yang Shuai previously bought 2% of the shares for 100 million yuan, but the shares will be diluted after the listing, and it is expected that only about 0.4% will remain.

That is to say, more than 8000 million.

Considering that the shares may be diluted in the future, Yang Shuai needs to decide whether to sell them.

Because investing in Marvel would require a significant amount of capital.

After thinking for a while, Yang Shuai decided to remain still. In his previous life, as a student, he didn't have many opportunities to get involved with stocks, so he didn't know exactly how much Google's stock would rise in the future. However, he knew that O'Neal had made a considerable amount of money from stocks in history.

Moreover, the number of shares Marvel is willing to sell is certainly limited.

The second day was the All-Star individual competition, and Yang Shuai and the All-Stars warmed up together before the competition.

It was at this moment that James appeared in the audience.

The James of today is a completely different person from before. He led St. Vincent-St. Mary High School to three Ohio high school championships in four years, doing three times what Yang Shuai did back then.

Moreover, in the past year, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School was ranked the number one high school in the United States by USA Today.

Last summer, James's popularity skyrocketed. Sports Illustrated and Slam Dunk magazines featured him on their covers, and his games even required paid live streaming by ESPN.

He also earned the nickname "King" during his senior year of high school.

The media's assessment was that if James announced his candidacy, he would become the number one pick in the 2003 NBA draft without any doubt.

If James runs for the NBA draft, Reebok, Adidas, and Nike will all pursue him aggressively, and it is expected that they will offer him an unprecedentedly large endorsement contract.

Before the draft, LeBron James' popularity was far greater than that of Yang Shuai back then, and even greater than that of Iverson.

Even at the All-Star game, his appearance attracted the attention of the live broadcast cameras, and many reporters came up to interview him.

When James was asked why he came to the game, he pointed to his number 16 Trail Blazers jersey and answered without hesitation: "I came to see Hansen!"

Previously, Yang Shuai realized that James was too shrewd, so he interacted with him less, but James didn't seem to care. He seemed to be Yang Shuai's little fanboy.

Even when the All-Star training was almost over and reporters started to come up for interviews, he was the first to go up and greet Yang Shuai.

It was only at this point that Yang Shuai discovered James's existence.

Seeing James wearing his jersey with a fanboy expression, Yang Shuai smiled and hugged James.

Although Yang Shuai felt that James was a bit too shrewd, his overall impression of James was still similar to that before he transmigrated: he didn't like him, but he didn't hate him either.

Then came a group photo session.

Right after taking the photo, James took the initiative to chat with Yang about the McDonald's High School All-Star Game.

Yang Shuai didn't realize what was going on at first, assuming it was James coming to learn from him. It wasn't until a reporter asked James if he would choose to participate that he realized what was happening.

Here's a little-known fact: high school students can generally only choose one All-Star game to participate in, otherwise they will lose their NCAA eligibility.

However, James had already participated in the All-American High School Ball Classic. If he were to continue participating in the McDonald's All-Star Game, it would essentially be equivalent to announcing his withdrawal from the NCAA and directly entering this year's draft.

"Yes, I've decided to follow in Hansen's footsteps and participate in the McDonald's All-Star Game!"

When James announced his decision next to Yang Shuai, Yang Shuai almost couldn't hold back his emotions.

Good grief, are they using me as a human billboard?
It's really hard to guard against.

However, at that moment, Yang Shuai suddenly realized something.

If he successfully helps the Trail Blazers get revenge this year and announces his return to Cleveland... will this extremely shrewd high school student become his teammate?

(End of this chapter)