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

After figuring out the key point, Bob Hill sat down on the sidelines and closed his eyes to rest, completely ignoring the game on the court.

Upon seeing this, Chen Fang immediately made a bold move and substituted his entire starting lineup with 3 minutes remaining in the second quarter.

With the score fluctuating, the Mavericks went on a 10-0 run in the last three minutes of the first half, taking a 20-point lead into halftime.

China, CCTV building, inside the sports channel studio.

Looking at the huge score difference between the two teams in the first half, Sun Zhengping asked Coach Zhang Weiping a question.

"Coach Zhang, based on the current score and the performance of both teams in the first half, does the Spurs still have a chance in the second half?"

"Difficult!" Coach Zhang shook his head, looking troubled, and said, "I think it's unlikely. The Spurs today didn't seem like they wanted to win."

At this moment, Zhang Weiping also sensed something was wrong with the Spurs.

If we're talking about which Chinese person knows the most about the NBA in this era, then it has to be Zhang Weiping.

He went to the United States to study and work starting in 1988, and his understanding of the NBA can be said to be the best among Chinese people.

Moreover, he was a player and a head coach, so he is excellent in both theoretical knowledge and practical experience.

Based on the Spurs' performance in the first half, he doesn't think they have a chance to turn the tide in the second half.

"So what changes do you think the Spurs need to make to have a chance of winning?" Sun Zhengping continued to ask.

"It's simple, just put David Robinson on the field."

"However, he can't play right now, so this game is probably in jeopardy."

Zhang Weiping gave a truthful evaluation.

Meanwhile, at the game venue, American commentators Moses Malone and Stan Van Gundy were discussing whether the Spurs had a chance of winning in the second half.

Like Zhang Weiping, neither of them had high hopes for the Spurs.

In the locker room.

Chen Fang praised each player. Although the Spurs had given up on the game, the Mavericks players had played very well, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to lead by 20 points.

If they can maintain this form, the Mavericks might even make it to the NBA Finals in their first year of rebuilding.

As for the championship, Chen Fang didn't even dare to think about it.

After all, the Bulls' strength is undeniable; last season, they achieved an unprecedented 72-10 record in the regular season.

This record stood for many years until it was broken in 2015 by the Golden State Warriors led by Curry.

Chen Fang felt hopeless about winning the championship this year, but he was confident he could compete for it next year.

Meanwhile, inside the Spurs' locker room.

Popovich showered Bob Hill and the players with praise.

"Well done, guys. Keep an eye on things in the second half. Just try to catch up and not lose too badly either time."

Sacrificing a season's results is entirely worthwhile for the Spurs' future.

……

There will be a 15-minute halftime break, during which there will be cheerleading performances and some interactive activities with the fans.

Meanwhile, Chinese fans on the other side of the ocean could only listen to the commentary from commentators Zhang Weiping and Sun Zhengping.

The two first chatted for a while about the situation of the two teams in the first half and their outlook for the second half.

Then Sun Zhengping changed the subject, saying, "Coach Zhang, we've talked so much, I almost forgot to give the fans a treat."

"If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten. We're not just here to commentate on the game today; we're here on a mission."

"That's right, we came with a mission."

The two chatted back and forth, immediately piquing the interest of the fans watching the game.

They'd never heard of such a thing before: watching a game came with perks and benefits.

"Coach Zhang, what exactly is this benefit? Please tell us about it."

"Ok, no problem!"

As he spoke, Zhang Weiping took out a pair of white and blue sneakers from under the studio.

As soon as the sneakers were placed on the table, the director quickly zoomed in for a close-up shot.

These are high-top basketball shoes, made of white and sky blue, with the Anta logo on both sides. They look very youthful, stylish, and sporty.

"Look at the color, style, and lines of these shoes, don't you like them?"

"This is the Kobe 1 Sky No. 1 basketball shoe, custom-designed by Anta, a leading Chinese sportswear brand, for their global ambassador Kobe Bryant!"

"In a moment, we will randomly select five lucky audience members to receive the Peerless Sky No. 1 combat boots. How can we become our lucky audience members? Please let Teacher Sun explain to everyone."

After Coach Zhang finished introducing Sky One, he turned the conversation to Sun Zhengping, who was standing to the side.

Sun Zhengping picked up the thread and said, "The method is actually very simple. Just call the following number and leave us a message. We will randomly select five lucky viewers to receive a pair of Sky One shoes endorsed by Kobe Bryant."

Although cell phones were not yet popular in China in 96, pagers were already in vogue.

CCTV then came up with the idea of ​​using pagers to interact with fans across the country.

Fans can leave messages by dialing a special number, and then the system will randomly select lucky viewers from thousands of messages to send them prizes.

This method was naturally Chen Fang's idea. In order to promote Anta's sneakers, Chen Fang took the approach from CCTV in the future.

Kobe was able to get his first pair of custom-made sneakers so quickly thanks to Chen Fang.

On Chen Fang's advice, Kobe Bryant eventually signed with Anta.

After that, Chen Fang asked Anta to prepare the Kobe 1 basketball shoe. This shoe borrowed the design concept of the AJ1 and made certain improvements on it.

In terms of color scheme, Chen Fang chose the color scheme of the later AJ1 North Carolina Blue.

This is why the Sky One was able to be launched to the market in such a short time.

"Teacher Sun, besides leaving a message for us to enter the lucky draw, what other ways are there to get such a beautiful pair of shoes?"

Zhang Weiping smiled and said the lines he had prepared in advance.

Sun Zhengping smiled slightly, "Coach Zhang asked an excellent question. In addition to leaving us a message to participate in the lucky draw, everyone can also go to Anta's exclusive stores to make purchases."

"Currently, Anta's stores across the country are being prepared one after another."

To support the sales of Sky One, at Chen Fang's request, Anta opened exclusive stores across the country and even the world five years earlier than in later years.

The gears of fate for Anta began to turn quietly from this moment on.

In fact, after Chen Fang was reborn, many people's fates were changed because of him.

It's too early to tell whether these changes are good or bad; perhaps only time will tell!