The longest river

Chapter 235 Trampling Old Zhang Underfoot

In the 2002 World Championships, the "Dream Team V" lost to Argentina and the former Yugoslavia in Indianapolis, their home country, failing to reach the semi-finals and ending the Dream Team's 58-game winning streak.

USA Basketball believes that the NBA focuses too much on physical confrontation and neglects the fundamentals of basketball, so the NBA brought in the Skills Challenge at this year's All-Star Game.

Top point guards like Kidd and Payton have announced their participation, and Billups, as a local player, is also on the roster.

Ultimately, in this single-sport event that combines passing, ball handling, and shooting, Billups defeated a host of star point guards to win the championship.

This greatly boosted Billups' reputation and highlighted his current technical strengths. He has transformed from a draft bust into a top-tier point guard with solid fundamentals.

The subsequent three-point contest and dunk contest were both title defense events, and both Stojakovic and Jason Richardson came to defend their titles, and they both ultimately succeeded.

Right after the dunk contest, a reporter on the sidelines interviewed James, asking him if he would like to participate in the dunk contest after entering the NBA, which was quite a show of respect.

James's answer was also very standard.

"Of course, this year's dunk show was so spectacular that I can't wait to see it."

He also revealed that he will participate in the upcoming McDonald's All-Star Slam Dunk Contest, reaffirming his participation this year.

The final day of the All-Star Game is also the All-Star Game that fans are most looking forward to.

The Rose Garden Arena was packed with stars on this day; appearing at the most anticipated All-Star Game in history meant massive exposure.

Roland Emmerich, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Scarlett Johansson also appeared on the sidelines, sitting in the second row of the stands, which was a seat specially arranged for them by Yang Shuai.

The atmosphere at the opening ceremony was incredibly enthusiastic.

This is the first time the All-Star Game has been held in Portland, and the first time it's been such a big event; the fans' excitement is palpable.

When Yang Shuai finally took the field, the overwhelming cheers from the fans seemed to lift the entire roof off.

Yang Shuai responded by making a listening gesture.

Unlike previous All-Star games, Yang Shuai has put in a lot of effort for this year's All-Star game.

On one hand, it's because he's playing on home soil, and on the other hand, he might be leaving here soon, so he wants to leave the fans with more wonderful memories.

During the pre-game warm-up, Yang Shuai sat on the sidelines, and every now and then All-Stars would come over to greet her.

Yang Shuai's previous 83-point game caused a sensation, but many All-Stars have yet to face him since.

Yao Ming also came over.

Yao Ming's experience in the All-Star Game was much smoother than Yang Shuai's, to the point that it could be described as exaggerated.

When O'Neal was traded to the Pacers last season, a superstar in his prime was immediately squeezed out of the All-Star starting lineup by rookie Yao Ming.

He already discriminated against people of Asian descent, and directly cursed the NBA rules as bullshit in front of reporters.

After that, he relentlessly attacked Yao Ming every time he faced the Wizards.

Then this year, Yao Ming was still a starter, and because of Yang Shuai, Yao Ming received even more votes, making him the top vote-getter in the East this year.

However, Yao Ming isn't very interested in the All-Star Game; all he can think about right now is how to compete against O'Neal.

Just like when he wanted to be the number one pick in the draft, he couldn't accept that he was always at a disadvantage in the competition.

After the warm-up, the starting lineups from both the East and West took to the field one after another.

Eastern Conference Team: Kidd, Iverson, McGrady, Carter, Yao Ming

Western Conference: Kobe Bryant, Yang Shuai, Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace, Tim Duncan

Garnett jumped for the ball for the Western Conference team, Kobe dribbled the ball up the court, and Duncan had already set up a screen for Yang Shuai.

Yang Shuai has impressed many people this season, especially in Portland, where the All-Stars are all working hard to support him.

By the time Yang Shuai came out after using a screen, Kobe's pass had already arrived.

Kobe: Tonight I am the Pennsylvania Magician.

Yang Shuai received the ball and swiftly struck Yao Ming.

Yao Ming made a desperate attempt to break free. One of the main reasons he doesn't like the All-Star Game is that he's not very good at performing. Unfortunately, he's not like Vincent van der Mascherano and can't provide enough interference for Yang Shuai.

During the Eastern Conference's offense, Iverson broke through Yao Ming's screen and found McGrady on the sideline. McGrady received the ball and responded with a pull-up three-pointer.

Currently, Yang Shuai ranks first in the league's season scoring list with an average of 37 points per game, followed by McGrady with 32 points.

They are the two players with the best offensive form this season.

Kobe passed the ball to Yang Shuai again when he got to the frontcourt, but this time McGrady bypassed the screen and directly guarded Yang Shuai.

After Yang Shuai scored 83 points, McGrady was the only player to say that he could do it too, or rather, from the beginning of their matchup, it was clear that McGrady considered himself to be on the same level as Yang Shuai.

After seeing McGrady's choice, Yang Shuai smiled and waved to Duncan, who wanted to continue improving the pick-and-roll, to go back. Then he took the ball with one hand and started his one-on-one mode.

What could be better than having people vying to be your backdrop when you're trying to put on a great show for the fans?

The crowd began to boo.

A great performance is never a solo act, but a duet.

McGrady's talent is undeniable, but his development trajectory meant he didn't hone his defensive skills enough.

In defense, besides physical talent, defensive details are equally important.

So when Yang Shuai started to break through, McGrady seemed to be keeping up, but Yang Shuai stopped abruptly and faked a shot, which sent him flying. By the time Yang Shuai turned and leaned back, McGrady was already gone.

"Shh!"

Yang Shuai's shot hit the target again.

A player's touch can fluctuate, but the stronger the player, the better they can control their touch within a relatively small range.

Like Jordan, he only had one game in his career where he scored in single digits, and he was forced to leave the game due to a serious injury caused by a broken left foot.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

What they saw was not how well Yang Shuai was shooting, but rather the visible scoring desire he displayed in his first All-Star game.

However, this will be further demonstrated in the next round.

McGrady wanted to retaliate, but he was matched up against Garnett, and his shot was strongly contested and failed to go in.

Duncan grabbed the defensive rebound, and the crowd roared ahead of time as Yang Shuai had already rushed out of the three-point line.

Since 2003, they have rarely seen Yang Shuai rush forward so far on fast breaks.

Duncan made a long pass from the backcourt, and Yang Shuai received the ball and immediately delivered his signature tomahawk dunk.

The Rose Garden Arena instantly erupted in cheers.

Within just two minutes of the start, Yang Shuai had already scored 6 points, clearly aiming for a high score.

Moreover, his scoring immediately boosted the All-Stars' engagement.

Turning back, Iverson used Yao Ming's screen to drive to the basket and, despite being surrounded by Duncan and Wallace, pulled up for a layup.

When Yang Shuai received the ball in the attacking third again, the Eastern team immediately double-teamed him.

"This is the most special All-Star game I've ever seen."

This scene prompted Ernie Johnson in the commentary booth to exclaim in amazement, "This is the All-Star Game, and it's only been three minutes since it started!"

"Who told him to be Hansen?"

Barkley wore an expression that seemed perfectly natural.

Yang Shuai did not pass the ball when double-teamed. Instead, he suddenly turned to the sideline and used the double-teaming Carter as a screen to break through and accelerate into the paint.

When Yao Ming is forced to come over to help defend, he throws the ball into the air above the basket.

Garnett leaped high into the air with the ball, unleashing a powerful alley-oop dunk.

Then in the next round, a double 21 block blocked Iverson's drive.

Yang Shuai charged ahead again, but this time he didn't continue with the tomahawk dunk. Instead, he leaped high and swung the ball around for a powerful windmill dunk.

Upon landing, he even bounced around a few times on the spot.

He was clearly very excited tonight.

This year's head coach for the Eastern Conference is Thomas.

After seeing that the Eastern Conference team was struggling in the paint, he immediately replaced Yao Ming with O'Neal.

After O'Neal entered the game, he aggressively attacked Duncan in the paint and managed to put the ball in the basket with a hook shot before Garnett and Wallace could surround him.

After scoring, O'Neal flexed his muscles in front of the camera, exuding an air of dominance.

McGrady then adjusted his defensive strategy, starting to limit Yang Shuai's ability to receive the ball.

Kobe and Garnett executed a pick-and-roll, Kobe drove to the basket and passed the ball back to Garnett, who took a powerful jump shot.

The shot was perfectly straight, but I was just unlucky; the ball went in and then bounced out.

O'Neal boxed out Duncan and was about to grab the defensive rebound.

The scene suddenly erupted in chaos the next second.

A figure leaped into the air in front of the basketball.

"Oh!"

Yang Shuai completed a one-handed putback dunk over O'Neal and Duncan!
"Get out! This is my house!"
Barkley was so surprised by Yang Shuai's putback dunk that he shouted out.

Of course, what's even more important is Yang Shuai's consistently high-energy performance after the start of the game, which was like a declaration of sovereignty.

Yang Shuai played for 8 minutes in this quarter before being substituted off the court.

He was greeted with thunderous cheers as he left the field.

He scored 16 points in the first quarter, which is in the All-Star Game, proving who the true star of stars is.

James was also at the game today. After seeing Yang Shuai's scoring performance, he couldn't help but fantasize about how great it would be to be teammates with Yang Shuai!

Not only will the game be won easily, but there will also be no need to force a win like yesterday. Instead, the focus of attention will be on us every day. Just thinking about it makes me incredibly happy.

Unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking. After all, he was a man destined to be the number one draft pick, and it was impossible for him to be selected by Portland. Yang Shuai wasn't substituted into the game until there were still 7 minutes left in the second quarter.

In the very first possession, his mid-range shot went wide of the basket.

However, Garnett grabbed the offensive rebound, turned around and passed it to Yang Shuai again, and then set a solid screen after passing the ball.

Yang Shuai used Garnett's screen to break into the paint and scored two more points with a side step-up layup.

This scene inevitably brings to mind the 1998 All-Star Game, when a group of Jordan's successors were cooperating with him.

This time, however, it was everyone in the Western Army who was cooperating with Marshal Yang.

This was destined to be an extraordinary night.

At halftime, the West team led the East team 70-62.

Yang Shuai played 15 minutes in the first half, scoring 30 points on 13 of 16 shots.

Right at halftime, Barkley and the commentators were already talking about the All-Star Game scoring record.

Because it's obvious to everyone that the Western Conference players are cooperating with Yang Shuai, and Yang Shuai's desire to shoot tonight is extremely high.

Prior to this, the highest single-game score in the All-Star Game was held by Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 42 points as a Warrior in the 1962 All-Star Game.

If they continue playing like this in the second half, Yang Shuai breaking the record is a certainty.

In the second half, the Eastern Conference team significantly increased their defensive intensity. Kidd and Iverson immediately made steals, narrowing the gap to within 5 points.

What Barkley could sense, the Eastern Conference team could also sense, and as All-Stars, they didn't want to become a mere background player like the Pacers had been before.

Amid the excited gazes of the fans and spectators, the two sides engaged in a fierce and intense battle in the second half.

A real game in the first half is extremely rare on the All-Star stage.

Both sides not only followed the standard of competition in terms of intensity, but also in terms of player rotation.

Under this intensity, Yang Shuai will have fewer opportunities to score.

However, as his playing time increased, his scoring did not stop rising.

Especially in the final decisive moments of the fourth quarter, the ball from the Western Conference team would almost always end up in his hands.

This time, it wasn't that the Western team players were cooperating with Yang Shuai, but rather that Yang Shuai was the most confident player on the court.

At this point, the Eastern Conference team dared not attack Yang Shuai indiscriminately. Duncan, Garnett, Kobe, and Wallace were all players they could not afford to leave open.

Yang Shuai finally delivered a thrilling individual scoring performance on the stage of this year's most watched All-Star Game.

No matter whether the Eastern Conference used McGrady, Carter, or Pierce, they couldn't contain Yang Shuai one-on-one.

These All-Stars all have great offensive talent, but their defense is getting worse and worse.

With two minutes left in the game, Yang Shuai faked out Carter and drove to the basket. Despite being fouled by O'Neal, he made a reverse layup and scored a 2+1.

When he stepped to the free-throw line, the chants of "MVP" were deafening.

Because his score had reached 42 points, if he made the free throw, he would surpass Chamberlain and become the record holder for the highest single-game score in the All-Star Game.

"Shh!"

Unsurprisingly, Yang Shuai, who had previously failed to break Chamberlain's record of 100 points in a single game, surpassed Chamberlain in the All-Star Game.

And this is not the end.

Because the score difference was not large, the Eastern team did not give up, and the ball was still in Yang Shuai's hands for the Western team.

Yang Shuai frequently attacked the Eastern Conference team's inside game at this time.

The Eastern Conference's frontcourt is currently filled by Shaquille O'Neal, but they lack a power forward whose abilities match O'Neal's.

With Jermaine O'Neal traded to the Western Conference, the "Big Five" of power forwards are now all on the Western Conference roster, which inevitably puts the Eastern Conference at a disadvantage in the paint.

Yang Shuai's relentless attacks forced them to tighten their defense, and Yang Shuai capitalized on this, sinking a three-pointer at the last moment to help the Western team end the game with a 140-134 victory.

That three-pointer brought Yang Shuai's personal score to 50 points!
Yang Shuai not only broke Chamberlain's record, but also elevated it to a new level.

"Hansen this season is like he felt those records had been held for too long, so he broke them one by one."

Ernie Johnson exclaimed that in all his years of commentating, this was the first time he had ever seen such a crazy season.

"Fans of this era are fortunate; they not only witnessed the era of Michael Jordan, but are now experiencing the era of Hansen."

Kenny Smith couldn't help but reflect, saying that looking back now, retiring before Yang Shuai reached his peak might have been a lucky thing for him.

The MVP award was a foregone conclusion. The moment Yang Shuai received the trophy, the entire audience at the Rose Garden Arena stood up and cheered and applauded for him.

Only such a performance is worthy of this most anticipated All-Star game.

"This city is the best basketball city, and its fans are the best fans. Go, Rift City!"

Perhaps because of the possibility of leaving, Yang Shuai was somewhat emotional during his MVP speech.

If it weren't for the Cavaliers' misfortune, he would have had the opportunity to start another dynasty here.

After the All-Star Game, it's that time of year again for the trade deadline.

Previously, the Bucks were the most talked-about team because one of the team's core players and leading scorer, Ray Allen, had fallen out with head coach George Karl.

There have been rumors that the Bucks are preparing to trade Ray Allen.

However, when that day finally came, the Bucks ultimately chose to keep Ray Allen and then fired George Karl.

Historically, the Bucks chose to trade Ray Allen largely because they had Reed, who had already demonstrated scoring talent comparable to Ray Allen.

However, now that Reed is with the Trail Blazers, when there are no alternatives, the management generally prioritizes players over the head coach.

Moreover, although Karl is a renowned coach, his reputation in the league is mediocre. He always likes to publicly expose internal conflicts within the team, which means he doesn't get the support of his teammates on the Bucks.

The same thing happened in Orlando. Mike Miller, who was originally going to be traded, ended up staying because Drew Gooden went to the Warriors and played well.

I wonder if McGrady will ever have the chance to say, "We're already thinking about our next opponent."

The Trail Blazers did not make any roster adjustments. For them, everything is going well now, and staying healthy is their biggest task for the second half of the season.

So overall, there was almost no activity on the trading deadline day.

In contrast, there was some rather explosive news a few days later on the buyout deadline.

After a year and a half of languishing with the Hawks, Pippen opted to buy out the final year of his contract with the Hawks and then joined the Pacers.

It's clear he hasn't given up and wants to prove himself one last time.

Time flies, and it's already early April. The 2002-2003 regular season has finally come to a close.

In the East, the Pacers, with their new tactical system, finally achieved a record of 60 wins once again.

O'Neal's scoring declined, but his rebounds and assists both hit career highs, averaging 27.5 points, 14.1 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2.9 blocks per game.

Moreover, the Pacers have a significant lead in the standings, while the Nets, who are second in the East, only have 49 wins this year.

There is practically no team in the East that can challenge the Pacers right now, and it's almost certain that they will reach the Finals for the second consecutive season.

In contrast, the competition in the West remains fierce, even unprecedented.

Because this season, three teams in the Western Conference have achieved 60 wins or more!
The Trail Blazers implemented appropriate rest measures at the end of the season, ultimately finishing with a record of 62 wins, ranking first in the Western Conference.

杨帅交出了一份自乔丹之后最为华丽的个人成绩单，他场均贡献36.1分7.8板5.2助攻1.9抢断1.5盖帽，三项命中率为51%/41.2%/91.2%。

Although O'Neal worked hard all season to finally improve the team's record to 60 wins, it is clear that this season's MVP belongs 100% to Yang Shuai.

The Spurs are ranked second with a record of 60 wins.

This was the first season that the GDP trio played together. Although Ginobili was a rookie, he performed consistently and by the second half of the season, he had become the Spurs' sixth man.

The Mavericks are ranked third with a record of 60 wins.

The Mavericks' Big Three performed exceptionally well, and Nowitzki also began to enter his career peak, averaging 25.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3 assists per game.

His progress has also led fans to discuss Barkley's previous "Big Five" of forwards, suggesting that Nowitzki also deserves a spot.

The Lakers, as the defending champions, ultimately won 59 games.

Neither their individual duos nor the team as a whole performed much better than last season, but in the brutal Western Conference, they lost several crucial games and ultimately finished fourth.

The Sacramento Kings are fifth in the Western Conference with 55 wins.

The Timberwolves are ranked sixth with 50 wins.

The Suns are ranked seventh with 44 wins.

The Jazz are ranked eighth with 44 wins.

The Warriors deserve special mention.

The Warriors' second-round pick, Arenas, is averaging 18.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in his second year, showing the potential to become a future All-Star.

Under his leadership and that of Antawn Jamison, the Warriors had a strong chance of making the playoffs at the beginning of the season.

However, an embarrassing thing is that while the Warriors' record was improving, Kwame Brown, whom Jordan had previously handpicked, was performing worse and worse.

While he averaged 7.4 points and 6.3 rebounds in his rookie season, his numbers have dropped to 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds this season.

In the second half of the season, he was even squeezed out of the starting lineup by rookie Drew Gooden.

This has led to rumors that Jordan is planning to leave the Warriors after the season ends.

Looking back at the Warriors' choice in the 2001 draft, it can be said that one wrong move led to complete failure.

If Jordan had listened to Yang Shuai's advice back then, the Warriors' current roster, with Arenas on the perimeter, Jason Richardson on the wing, and Jamison and Yao Ming in the paint, would not only be able to make the playoffs, but would be quite competitive.

With the results finalized, the Trail Blazers' first-round opponent has also been determined.

Just one season later, the Trail Blazers faced the Jazz once again.

However, compared to their last encounter, the Jazz are now truly at their last gasp.

Stockton had previously announced his retirement at the end of the season, which means this will be the last dance of the "Utah Twins".

(End of this chapter)