Reborn in 96, I started by taking charge of the Dallas Mavericks.

The All-Defensive First Team is as follows:

Alonzo Mourning (Heat)

Tim Duncan (Spurs)

Karl Malone (Jazz)

Kobe Bryant (Qilin)

Gary Payton (SuperSonics)

The All-Rookie Team is as follows:

Yao Ming (Qilin)

Dirk Nowitzki (Qilin)

Paul Pierce (Celtics)

Vince Carter (Raptors)

Mike Bibby (Grizzlies)

With this, all the major awards for the 1998-1999 NBA regular season have been announced.

Although Jordan has retired, the announcement of the MVP award has once again brought him up in the media and among fans.

Of course, this is just a comparison with Kobe Bryant, who is currently the best player in the league.

The phenomenon of newcomers surpassing veterans is a topic that is always talked about in the NBA.

In an evening interview on ESPN.

ESPM's star commentator Mike Brin mentioned Michael Jordan.

"Even though Michael has retired, he was still mercilessly trampled underfoot by Kobe."

"Haha, it's a good thing he's already retired, otherwise I don't know how he would face the fact that a junior is better than him."

"Having entered the league for three years and won the MVP award three times in a row, this may be a record that can never be broken."

"Indeed, looking at it this way, Kobe's dominance is definitely a cut above Michael's!"

"Perhaps the only difference between Kobe and Michael now is two championship trophies!"

"No, it's one. Do you really think the Dallas Kirin can't defend their title this year?"

"According to you, I think there's not much of a gap anymore, and Kobe has even surpassed Michael to become the greatest player in NBA history!"

"After all, considering the current roster and the age of the players, the Qilin team is capable of winning more than four championship trophies!"

After he finished speaking, everyone in the studio burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, far away in Chicago, Michael Jordan, who was enjoying his retirement, angrily stubbed out his cigar.

Although he was very unhappy about being compared to Kobe again, he had to admit that Kobe had surpassed him.

They debuted at their peak, and it's unknown how long this peak will last.

Michael Jordan felt relieved when he realized it took him seven years in the league to win his first NBA championship.

Although he lived a very carefree life after leaving the league.

But looking back on the past year, he still felt somewhat resentful.

He was originally supposed to be the protagonist of a hot-blooded anime, but he ended up becoming Kobe's stepping stone.

……

Just as the NBA officially announced the major awards.

The playoff journey for each team has not stopped.

Two days later, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The Lakers fans did not lose faith in their team despite being down 0-2.

After all, the Lakers are the greatest franchise in NBA history.

Since the 80s, the Lakers have undergone a long rebuild and are now making a run for the championship.

Their arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics, are now unable to even make the playoffs.

In comparison, they felt much happier.

After all, the Lakers have now reached the Western Conference semifinals.

More importantly, they have the best center in the league today, Shaquille O'Neal.

Although O'Neal's performance in the first two games was below par, overall he was still the best player on the team.

If the others had performed a little better, they might have been able to defeat the Kirin team.

Of course, this is just Lakers fans' own speculation.

……

Before the match, in the away team's locker room.

When Coach Bu approached Chen Fang with a solemn expression, holding a list of referees for tonight's match, Chen Fang knew things were in trouble.

as predicted!

When Chen Fang saw the list, his expression changed instantly.

"What do we do now?" Coach Bu asked anxiously.

What can he do? What can he do?

Of course, it should be served cold.

Although Chen Fang has some influence in the league now, he can't get the league to temporarily replace a referee.

Even if it were possible, it would be too late to change the referee now.

Moreover, the referee officiating tonight's game is Dick Bavetta, the league's official referee.

Speaking of these "official referees," the NBA has had such referees in every era.

Generally, referees like these are able to effectively implement the league president's will.

To put it bluntly, it's about manipulating the game to steer it in a direction that best serves the league's interests.

Dick Bavetta was the most famous referee in the NBA during the 1990s, without a doubt!

This future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee was known for his stern face.

He treats all players equally and never gives you any preferential treatment just because you are a superstar.

They won't offer any help just because it's the team's home ground.

From this perspective, the referee seems to be very fair and just.

But you're wrong to think that way.

Dick Bavita is not just fair and just, he is extremely fair and just.

Because he really dares to eject superstars from the field.

In the 1980s, he once ejected Larry Bird, the Celtics' star player at the time, from a playoff game, which made him famous.

More importantly, this guy was in the 1993 Game 7 between the Suns and the SuperSonics.

They were given an astonishing 64 free throws in a single game, setting an NBA record that remains unbroken to this day.

This also secured a spot on the Phoenix Suns team for the NBA Finals.

There was another version of events circulating at the time.

That is, the league wants to see Barkley vs. Jordan in the Finals.

This brings a perfect end to the race for the regular season MVP.

The final result satisfied NBA Commissioner David Stern.

That year in the NBA Finals, the Bulls and the Suns battled for six games, with the Bulls ultimately winning 4-2.

Michael Jordan was named Finals MVP that year!

Now, in Game 3 between the Kirin and the Lakers.

The league once again sent out its go-to referee, Dick Bavetta, clearly not to help the Kirin advance easily.

David Stern's intention was quite clear: he didn't want this series to end so easily.

With the help of the prophet Chen Fang, he quickly understood David Stern's intentions.

It seems this match is more than just a contest on the field.

How to win 5 against 8 will be the key to today's game.

But so what?

In the face of absolute power, all petty tricks are futile.

Even if we give the Lakers a victory, the Lakers' strength is not enough to stop the Qilin team from advancing.

It's just a matter of playing a few more games in this series!