The longest river

Chapter 80 Bird II
Yang Shuai never got the answer to that question, because he and O'Neal never spoke again after that.

Camp, on the other hand, seemed to find himself getting along well with Yang Shuai and even invited him to go to a bar for drinks together.

After realizing that Yang Shuai was only 18 years old and couldn't drink alcohol, and that he was still single, he said he would introduce him to a few girls from Indiana.

Yang Shuai is now certain that Kemp is definitely the type who's secretly passionate.

After the All-Star Weekend officially began, Yang Shuai entered an unprecedentedly busy period.

He was busy traveling to various brand events, holding all sorts of meet-and-greets with fans, and then filming all sorts of short videos and commercials.

The suffocating busyness he felt during the draft returned; every minute of his day seemed to be completely filled, and he couldn't even get enough sleep.

This resulted in him always appearing drowsy during the rookie games.

The rookie tournament of this era is very different from the rookie tournament that Yang Shuai knows.

This tournament, which was only established two years ago, not only did not have any second-year players participating, but it was also only this year that it was divided into East and West divisions.

Moreover, unlike the exhibition matches that Yang Shuai remembered, the rookie matches of this era are real.

Although he was a little sleepy, Yang Shuai still scored a game-high 30 points, leading the East team to victory and winning the MVP award for the Rookie Challenge.

This result was somewhat unexpected, but upon closer examination, it makes perfect sense.

In terms of season statistics, the most impressive rookies in this draft class are undoubtedly Stackhouse and Damon Stoudemire, with the former averaging 20 points per game and the latter averaging 20+10.

But their respective teams are currently ranked last in the Eastern Conference, and second to last in the Eastern Conference.

The deceptive nature of data becomes apparent at this point.

In fact, the best performer on the Western Conference side was Michael Finley, the Suns' 21st overall pick this year, who scored 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.

This may be the difference between playing for a strong team and a weak team. Rookies playing for a strong team, given enough playing time, will grow faster in the short term.

On the second day of All-Star Weekend, no other activities were scheduled because participants had to take part in the Three-Point Contest and the Slam Dunk Contest.

This gave Yang Shuai a rare opportunity to rest.

In those days, there weren't even skill challenges; the only individual competitions were the three-point contest and the dunk contest.

When Yang Shuai arrived at the stadium, it was already packed with people.

However, since it's not yet the main game, the upper area is still not open to the public and is covered by a huge curtain, including Spurs-themed flags and flags with retired numbers.

In the front row of the stands, Jordan, Olajuwon, Barkley, Ewing, Karl Malone, O'Neal, Grant Hill, and the other All-Stars selected for the main game were already seated.

Before the individual competitions begin, the league organizes warm-up training sessions for the Eastern and Western Conference teams, which is also part of the All-Star Weekend.

When Yang Shuai appeared, Barkley stood up and gave him a high-five and a hug.

"I think you're sure to win a trophy this year."

This superstar, who was already considered a promising talent during Nike's training camp, still has high hopes for him.

"Why not two?"

Yang Shuai's answer made Barkley burst into laughter.

This is something only someone who says "I want to be the first version of myself" would say.

Before the individual competitions began, TNT reporters, as the broadcaster, interviewed the athletes one after another.

When Yang Shuai's image appeared on the big screen, a huge cheer erupted from the audience.

As the only high school guard in the league, coupled with his outstanding performance before the All-Star Game, and most importantly, his challenge against Richmond, he is currently receiving a lot of attention.

"Is there anything you'd like to say now?"

When the reporter asked the question, the scene suddenly fell silent. The audience was hoping that Yang Shuai could say something tough to Richmond before the game to make the three-point contest more exciting.

However, Yang Shuai's answer was different from what they expected, or rather, it exceeded their expectations.

He gestured for the camera to pan down, then pointed to the Pacers-colored Reebok sneakers on his feet, and calmly said:

"I will wear these shoes to the top of the podium."

Upon hearing this, the audience was stunned.

This statement translates to "I'm not targeting Richmond, I'm targeting all the players tonight," and its arrogance is comparable to Bird's famous line, "Are you here to compete for second place?"

It's worth noting that this year's Three-Point Contest participants, besides Richmond, include established three-point shooters like Dennis Scott, Glen Rice, and Steve Kerr.

However, another round of cheers soon erupted from the crowd.

What youthful arrogance?

What Bird 2.0!
This kind of personality is just as annoying as it is loved in the world of basketball.

Moreover, on a deeper level, Yang Shuai's actions can be considered entirely justified. Since Richmond claimed that Yang Shuai participated in the individual competitions for publicity and to sell shoes, Yang Shuai simply made it clear that he was doing so.

We don't know what others think, but Reebok employees are probably overjoyed again; they've really found a top-notch spokesperson.

It's fair to say that Yang Shuai's words have raised the audience's expectations to the max.

If Yang Shuai wins the championship this time, given his background with the Pacers, he will most likely solidify his title as "the second Bird".

But if he fails to do so, he will become a complete joke, just like Paul Pierce in the McDonald's All-Star Game.

Like the Rising Stars Challenge, the rules for the Three-Point Contest in this era were different from what he knew; it was not a two-round system, but a three-round system.

第一轮8进4，然后第二轮4进2，决赛则是1对1的PK。

This method tests the athletes' stamina and stability more than the two-round system.

The game is about to begin, and the first player to take the court is Tim Legler, a 1.93-meter guard from the Bullets.

Compared to those established shooters, Legler was virtually unknown. As an undrafted player in 1989, he only managed to establish himself in the NBA in the last two seasons.

He is a typical product of the rules.

Before the league shortened the three-point line last season, his three-point shooting was unremarkable, with his best season averaging only 1.8 attempts per game and a 37.4% success rate.

However, after the league shortened the three-point line, he shot the league's best three-point percentage for two consecutive seasons. This season, he averaged 3 attempts per game from beyond the arc with a success rate of over 52%.

His performance perfectly illustrates this point. His performance at the two bottom corners was relatively average, but his performance at the two 45° angles and the top of the arc was frighteningly accurate.

Yang Shuai counted, and it seemed that he hadn't missed a single shot.

Legler ultimately scored an impressive 23 points.

This immediately caused a stir at the scene.

Legler looks set to be the biggest spoiler of tonight's three-point contest!
His performance put immense pressure on the players who followed him. Steve Kerr only scored 16 points, while the defending champion Glen Rice scored a shocking 12 points.

When Yang Shuai appeared, the crowd erupted in cheers.

The toughest words have already been spoken; now we'll see if it's genuine bravado or just empty boasting.

When Yang Shuai was about to shoot, the arena suddenly became eerily quiet.

Especially since the Alamo Dome is a large stadium, the invisible pressure brought by that open space seems to be able to crush a person.

However, once the match started, Yang Shuai's performance was very stable.

Yang Shuai dared to say those things because, like Bird back then, he had absolute confidence in his abilities.

As for his mental fortitude, he has already proven that he is quite good.

He ended up scoring the same 23 points as Legler.

After throwing the last ball, he pointed to his shoes again, drawing whistles and cheers from the crowd.

The first round of preliminary matches has concluded, and the semifinalists are Legler, Yang Shuai, Dennis Scott, and Richmond.

Scott has the most three-pointers made this season, scoring 20 points.

Richmond, who came on last, withstood the pressure and scored 18 points to advance at the last minute.

In the second round of the semifinals, Richmond took the court first and scored 18 points again.

In fact, you could see from the Pacers' game against the Kings that Richmond, as an All-Star, has a very strong mentality.

He faced just as much pressure as Yang Shuai tonight, but his performance in both rounds was very consistent.

Scott, who followed closely behind, had an off night, scoring only 16 points.

After Legler once again delivered a miraculous performance, scoring 22 points, all the pressure fell on Yang Shuai.

If he scores less than 18 points, he will be eliminated from the finals; if he scores more than 18 points, he will eliminate Richmond himself.

Before the match, fans were hoping that Yang Shuai and Richmond would both make it to the final, but now, with Legler's emergence, the situation has become even more thrilling and exciting.

The scene fell silent once again, and the pressure was once again on Yang Shuai.

Then Yang Shuai showed everyone with his 4 out of 5 hits on the first point that pressure is nothing in the face of absolute strength.

When Yang Shuai made the second shot into the last spot, the cheers from the crowd were deafening, as his score had reached 19 points.

Every goal he scored after that seemed more like a celebration.

Yang Shuai ultimately scored the same 22 points as Legler, successfully advancing to the final!
Right after making the last shot, Yang Shuai turned around and waved goodbye towards the players' bench.

This scene was captured on the big screen, igniting a frenzy of excitement throughout the stadium.

With such talent and charisma, it's hard not to like Yang Shuai!
(End of this chapter)