chsdbacks Chapter 280 The First All-Star Game of the New Century! Old Fox Si
Chapter 280 The First All-Star Game of the New Century! Old Fox Si
Chapter 280 The First All-Star Game of the New Century! Even the old fox Stern has his forgetful moments!
Besides the two shocking trades by the Spurs, another trade involved the Los Angeles Lakers and their current top rival in the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers.
The management did hear about Jermaine O'Neal's trade request, but they didn't take it too seriously. They simply spread the word about wanting to trade O'Neal in the league and then didn't follow up much.
The trade market for Jermaine O'Neal is clearly not very good. About half of the general managers in the league don't even know that the Trail Blazers have such a player, and the other half, even if they do know him, aren't really prepared to make an offer to acquire him.
To reiterate, a young center at the end of the bench isn't worth haggling over. The best option for Jermaine O'Neal right now is to be included in a trade as a filler to make up the numbers.
But not all the managers in the league are clueless!
For example, Jerry West of the Lakers!
This old fox had been observing the talented rookies of that year's class as well, when he was scouting Kobe Bryant four years ago.
Aside from superstar rookies like Iverson, Marbury, and Raheem, whose potential is obvious to anyone with eyes to see, West's focus was more on high school students and non-lottery players.
He has had a vivid memory of Jermaine O'Neal since 96. Of course, that was only at the time. Now that time has passed, West's memory is not so good!
He would have completely forgotten about the guy if he hadn't coincidentally heard that the Trail Blazers were going to trade Jermaine O'Neal.
After all, four years ago, his impression of Jermaine O'Neal was that he was talented and had strong defensive ability, far from the point that he thought the guy had any amazing top talent.
But now, this kid has spent three years on the bench in Portland, so his mentality must have been honed to a certain extent, and at this point, he's at a low price point.
After thinking about it, West called the Trail Blazers.
His thoughts are actually the same as Popovich's.
Buy the dip!
He certainly wouldn't miss such a good opportunity to buy at the bottom, especially since Jermaine O'Neal is the type of player whose price is extremely low, who makes a fortune if he performs well, and who doesn't make a big difference if he doesn't perform well, so it's practically zero cost!
So, after several rounds of negotiations with the Trail Blazers, West acquired Jermaine O'Neal from the Blazers in exchange for two second-round draft picks!
Compared to the Spurs' two trades, West's move went almost unnoticed. Everyone thought it was West buying insurance for the team, in case their current starting power forward, AC Green, got injured, so someone could fill in at the power forward position.
Ok……
Of course, anyone familiar with AC Green would know that having this insurance is essentially the same as not having it at all.
This NBA's greatest ironman only missed 3 games in his second year of his career, and played every game for the remaining 13 seasons!
Absolutely the NBA's number one ironman!
Buying him insurance in case he gets hurt is like buying insurance for the Pacific Ocean in case it dries up.
It's not impossible, but it's almost certainly a waste of money!
Besides these three trades, another significant deal involved the Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, and Philadelphia 76ers, with the three teams engaging in a three-way trade involving draft picks, Larry Hughes, and Toni Kukoc.
The 76ers finally couldn't stand the situation where they had no other reliable scoring options besides Allen Iverson. They traded Larry Hughes as the core player to the Chicago Bulls for European superstar Toni Kukoc!
The Warriors traded draft picks and acquired Hughes, a young forward with immense talent.
As for the Bulls, they cleared salary cap space and acquired future draft picks!
After this trade, the 76ers have paired Iverson with a versatile forward, Toni Kukoc, who is contributing 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists this season! His firepower and all-around abilities will definitely provide Iverson with plenty of help!
Meanwhile, the Bulls, having acquired top draft pick Brand and the promising "Beast" Artest, have officially begun their rebuilding process! Players like Kukoc, the "veterans" and old hands, are naturally the first to be let go.
At his age, he's no longer suitable to rebuild alongside younger players. Sending him to a playoff-caliber team, even the Bulls, would be somewhat humane.
As for the Warriors, they have also found a promising perimeter player during their years of rebuilding. They are looking forward to Hughes and Jamison leading the team to glory together!
Apart from these few trades that could potentially impact the league's landscape, the rest of the trades were minor adjustments that were not worth mentioning. As for the Pacers, they were naturally sitting back and not in a hurry at all.
They have the best record in the league and plenty of depth in every position. They don't need to rush. Let's see how the market develops first!
According to Bird, unless there are any serious injuries or unforeseen circumstances, the Pacers' roster is unlikely to change this year! He is very satisfied with the team's current performance!
Moreover, there are still more than two months until the trade deadline. The reason why this year's arms race has started earlier is because of the Spurs' two trades.
Presumably, the Spurs made the trade early to allow the roster ample time to gel, giving the team more than half a season to work together, adapt, and prepare for the playoffs!
In January, the Pacers finally emerged from their poor form at the end of December, and their momentum once again became unstoppable!
Throughout January, the Pacers won all 15 of their games!
The entire team was in great form throughout the month, with no one faltering. Even Miller, who had a terrible start to the season, rediscovered some of his peak form this month!
Throughout the month, the Pacers outscored their opponents by 17.1 points, undoubtedly the highest in the entire league! In a third of their games, the game turned into garbage time early, with their key players not getting any playing time in the fourth quarter!
With reduced playing time, the average statistics of the key players have inevitably declined.
林天这个月场均登场时间只有36.1分钟，场均拿下22.8分11.2次助攻5.1篮板和3.1次抢断！
Chris Webber's playing time dropped to 34.4 minutes, and his average stats declined to 19.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists!
Other players such as Carter, Ben Wallace, Christie, and Miller also saw their stats decline to varying degrees due to reduced playing time.
With the starting players' playing time and statistics decreasing, the substitute players' statistics naturally improved!
The best performer was Rashard Lewis. After a year of adjustment, this sophomore has shown the prowess of a top high school player this season. In January, he averaged 8.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, with a three-point shooting percentage as high as 49%!
He's already showing signs of replacing Mullin as the Pacers' second-leading three-point shooter off the bench!
With the team's undefeated streak and 36 minutes of playing time, Lin Tian's stats weren't as explosive as last month's, nor could they match O'Neal's 30+14+3 performance this month. However, Lin Tian still won the league's Player of the Month award for the second consecutive month!
Given that the league only selects the best player for one month each month, Lin Tian, who has won the award twice in a row, has already secured two-thirds of the MVP trophy!
As January drew to a close, the league announced something incredibly important for the season.
The NBA All-Star voting results for this season have been announced!
After more than two months of fan voting, five players from each conference became the All-Star starters for this season!
Fans who had refrained from voting for a year went on a voting spree, unleashing their passion and successfully raising the total All-Star vote count for this season to a whole new level!
This year's total All-Star votes and the All-Star vote leader's votes have both increased by a level compared to two years ago!
Yes, of course, the main contributors to the votes were Lin Tian and the Chinese fans!
This year, Lin Tian unsurprisingly became the vote leader for the second consecutive All-Star Game!
Since receiving a record-breaking 98 million votes in 400, Lin Tian has achieved another brilliant season, accumulating a total of 560 million All-Star votes! This number made Stern grin from ear to ear!
Great! Great! Although All-Star voting is free, Stern is really happy to see Lin Tian garner over 560 million votes by himself!
This is the best proof of the NBA's global popularity!
Furthermore, since All-Star votes are always cast in sets, Lin Tian was able to get 560 million votes, and the number of votes for others naturally followed suit, rising accordingly!
All NBA players have seen a significant increase in votes this year!
For example, there are 7 people in the entire alliance who have received more than 200 million votes!
If this happened in a year before Lin Tian participated in the All-Star voting, 200 million votes would have easily made him the All-Star vote leader. But this year, 200 million votes has almost become the minimum number of votes for an All-Star starter.
Lower than this? Then you're basically out of the running for an All-Star starter!
The second-highest vote-getter in the East is Vince Carter, who garnered 270 million votes! It's worth mentioning that because Carter and Christie's positions kept fluctuating, it was very unclear who would be second and who would be third. Lin Tian didn't even know this until he saw the All-Star voting results.
Carter was selected as an All-Star starter as a forward!
With Carter starting as a forward, the happiest person is undoubtedly Allen Iverson, who received 250 million votes! If Carter had been registered as a guard, Iverson would have missed out on starting again this year!
The other Eastern Conference forward who started alongside Carter was, of course, a Pacers player! Chris Webber, who received 230 million votes, is the Pacers' second-in-command. With his all-around skills and dazzling playing style, Webber's selection to the All-Star team is absolutely well-deserved.
It's worth mentioning that he only managed to become a starter thanks to a surge of support from fans in the final days before the voting deadline, barely overtaking Grant Hill who received 220 million votes.
This position is basically the only starting position in the East where there is still some suspense.
After all, Reggie Miller and Gary Payton, the third and fourth-ranked guards in the East, only received 170 million and 160 million votes respectively, which is far less than Lin Tian and Iverson.
As for the center position, there was no suspense at all. Mourning received 210 million votes, while Ewing, who came in second, only received 90 votes, less than half of Mourning's total!
Therefore, the starting five for the Eastern Conference All-Star team are: Alonzo Mourning, Chris Webber, Vince Carter, Lin Tian, and Allen Iverson!
It's actually a very reasonable and traditional combination of two large and three small!
One thing that's very similar between the West and the East is that their All-Star five-man lineups are also almost a foregone conclusion!
For example, the top vote-getter in the West was Shaquille O'Neal from the Lakers. This big man received 350 million votes, ranking second in the league. The second-ranked center in the West was David Robinson, who only received 98 votes. With more than three times the number of votes, O'Neal was selected as an All-Star starter without any doubt!
Well, of course, this guy's days of happily making it into the All-Star starting lineup are numbered. Another All-Star voting maniac is about to join the NBA!
In the forward position, Garnett received 230 million votes and Duncan received 190 million votes. These two number 21s became the starting forwards in the West. Scottie Pippen, who ranked third, pitifully only received 110 million votes, far behind Duncan.
At the guard position, Jason Kidd, the "Son of the Sun," received 220 million votes, and Kobe Bryant, who was selected as an All-Star starter for the second consecutive time, received 201 million votes!
Third in the Western Conference backcourt is Jason Williams, the Sacramento Kings' charismatic point guard known as "White Chocolate"! However, he only received 150 million votes, a huge gap from Kobe Bryant, and didn't put any pressure on Kobe at all!
Ultimately, the Western Conference starting lineup was: Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Jason Kidd, and Kobe Bryant!
Judging from the voting results, the biggest winner of this year's All-Star voting is undoubtedly the NBA! After last year's All-Star Game was canceled due to the lockout, they achieved a huge success with this year's All-Star voting! Regardless of where these votes came from, the NBA has indeed successfully and quickly brought fans back!
This year's All-Star Game received more than double the total votes of any previous edition! This alone demonstrates just how much attention this All-Star Game garnered!
As for the big winners at the team level, the Lakers and Pacers are undoubtedly the top contenders.
The Lakers started with Kobe and Shaq, while the Pacers fielded all three of them!
These two teams alone account for half of the All-Star starters!
The next suspense is who the league's coaches will vote for as All-Star reserves.
But before the final results are announced, Stern decided to do something special! He wanted to elevate the already incredibly successful and highly anticipated All-Star Game to another level!
As for how to create an even bigger and more sensational gimmick?
Stern said: Too easy!
Why not just raise the profile, hype, and prestige of the participants in the individual competitions?
In today's league, who has the most traffic and the highest level of popularity? Without a doubt, there is only one answer!
He was also the first person Stern called!
"Hey Lin! Congratulations on becoming the first player in league history to receive over 500 million All-Star votes!"
"Let's get to the point, Mr. President. You called me two years ago to congratulate me on becoming the first person to surpass 400 million votes." Lin Tian and Stern were never polite, and Lin Tian asked directly, "What do you want me to do?"
FUXX!
Stern cursed inwardly, thinking, "This Lin is really too good at how to make people angry and unhappy!"
I'm the CEO! I'm the King of this alliance!
Before I could say a word, you asked me what I needed from you?
I, Stern, hailed as the most successful commissioner in NBA history, have no pride?
Thinking of this, Stern rolled his eyes and said directly, "Lin, I'm planning to invite your teammate Vince to participate in the dunk contest, but it's not very interesting for him to go alone. Most importantly, he's only a second-year student. If he gets nervous and doesn't dunk well, it would be a bit of a shame."
"As the team leader, why don't you help him out? You should participate too, give him some confidence."
"Okay."
"You don't need to rush to answer me. You can think it over carefully, and then discuss it with Vince to see if he really needs you. And this time..." Stern paused, then suddenly realized he might have missed a crucial clue. After a moment's hesitation, he said incredulously, "You agreed? You actually agreed?"
Stern knew better than anyone how lame his excuse for inviting Lin Tian to the dunk contest was, and he knew that it was completely unconvincing and might even be met with a sharp retort from those hot-tempered guys.
"What do you mean? I'm only good for being a foil for my little brother?" With just one sentence, Stern was completely at an impasse.
But Stern really had no other reason to use.
Fame, profits, the title of Slam Dunk Champion, online traffic, fan adoration...
Lin Tian doesn't lack any of these things!
Especially since this guy had rejected Stern several times before, Stern thought he was completely unyielding and that the only way to persuade him was to try appealing to his emotions.
But Stern never expected that Lin Tian would agree so readily.
"Are you serious?" Stern couldn't help but ask again.
"Of course! I'll participate in this year's dunk contest, and if there are any spots in the three-point contest, I'd even like to try my hand at it." Lin Tian said with a smile, indicating that he wasn't joking!
Participating in this year's dunk contest was something Lin Tian had planned long ago!
Before this year, Lin Tian had no interest in competing against Kobe, the worst dunker in history, nor did he care to bully Barry, who claimed "white people can fly."
Honestly, the past few Slam Dunk Contests have really been a battle of the weak!
It was so bad that the 1998 All-Star Game simply canceled the Slam Dunk Contest.
Well, of course, the main reason is that Lin Tian knows very well that even if he were to go to a dogfight, he probably wouldn't be able to win during those two years.
Their dribbling was terrible, and Lin Tian's own dribbling wasn't good either!
But right now, Lin Tian is full of confidence!
Although his "Leap of China" talent didn't increase his takeoff height, it greatly improved Lin Tian's gliding distance! Combined with the upgrade before the season, Lin Tian's jumping ability reached the S- level!
Although Lin Tian's absolute height after jumping is still not comparable to monsters like Carter and Francis, who says that you have to jump high to win a dunk contest? It's not a high jump contest!
In short, Lin Tian is very confident about this competition!
At the same time, Lin Tian also has great ambitions for this Slam Dunk Contest, which will be ranked among the top three or even top two in the NBA and will go down in history!
Beating Carter, Francis, and McGrady in the Slam Dunk Contest is way more impressive than beating Kobe, Barry, Dee Brown, Ray Allen, or anyone else.
Another reason why Lin Tian agreed to Stern's offer so readily was that he had actually promised Stern two years ago that if Stern canceled the Slam Dunk Contest in 98, he would participate in the next one.
Hmm... obviously, Stern forgot about that.
But I, Lord Lin, always keep my word and never go back on my word!
Especially when there are benefits!
Ultimately, Lin Tian was full of ambition for the first All-Star Slam Dunk Contest of the new century in 2000!
He wants to make his mark in this year's NBA Slam Dunk Contest, the most prestigious dunk contest in NBA history!
Kill Carter and make him the next Aaron Gordon!
No, wait, it's about making Aaron Gordon the second Vince Carter!
Let Carter also become an uncrowned king!
I wonder if anyone would dare to give Carter a 9 in the dunk contest?
Wade is only a teenager this year and has no idea that 9 points can bring Carter a lot of extra income, attention and honors.
In any case, Lin Tian's willingness to participate and the fact that the league has finally gathered enough dunkers are definitely great news for the league!
So while restarting the All-Star Game, the league also took this opportunity to revive the Slam Dunk Contest!
The first All-Star game of the new century must be exciting!
But of course, Lin Da Guanren is no saint either. Since Stern has forgotten that he promised him he would participate in the dunk contest, he has to take the opportunity to squeeze him dry again!
"However, I have conditions!"
"Go ahead and suggest it!" Stern was very enthusiastic at this moment. Lin Tian participating in the dunk contest was a fantastic thing! Stern was already imagining the scene that night, with fans all over the world cheering, setting off firecrackers, waving red flags, and crowds of people watching the dunk contest!
I'm so excited just thinking about it!
"It's simple. You know that training camp that Dolan and I ran, right?" Lin Tian said with a smile. "There's a second season this offseason. Come and guest on two episodes! Give us a speech at the opening of the first episode, and present an award at the end. It's not difficult, is it?"
"Is it that simple?" Stern knew very well how popular Lin Tian's "Produce Camp" was! Wade, Arenas, Randolph, Hinrich... these young people who gave outstanding performances in that "Produce Camp" are now all famous throughout the United States and have gained a lot of attention!
Countless people have developed a biased view of them, paying extra attention to their high school or college games, which has led to a significant increase in the viewership and popularity of NCAA and high school leagues.
In other words, these young people, even before entering the NBA, have already gained their first wave of fans across the United States and even the world because of their outstanding performance in the talent show!
Under these circumstances, the second season of Produce Camp will inevitably have higher ratings, more attention, and more talented participants!
Stern even heard that the NCAA, having benefited from this year's incentives, is preparing to send some players to participate in the talent program to bring extra attention to the league!
Therefore, although he doesn't usually attend business events in his personal capacity, Stern wouldn't refuse an opportunity to represent the league on a nationally renowned program and showcase the league's image!
Everyone benefits! So Stern agreed without hesitation and reached a deal with Lin Tian!
After hanging up the phone, Stern was immediately filled with energy!
He is full of expectations for this year's All-Star Game!
This time, we're sure to get this new century off to a good start! So Stern took over the work from his subordinates and started going through the player roster himself. He was going to call each player individually to invite them to the dunk contest and the three-point contest!
After all, Lin Tian had just agreed to participate in the three-point contest!
Hehe, the first player in NBA history to participate in the three-point shooting contest, dunk contest, and the regular season game in the same year!
This trend can be hyped up!
Stern, that old fox, would never miss any opportunity to generate buzz!
Meanwhile, Stern first called his assistant into his office and asked him to find the media to publicize the news that the league was going to invite Lin Tian to participate in two individual competitions at the same time!
Well, it starts with an invitation from the alliance, then it's a question of whether Lin Tian might participate, whether he might not, and finally, it's confirmed that he will participate.
Hehe, the main thing is to make one thing into a hundred or eighty different forms and keep hyping it up for half a month!
Anyway, there are still about two weeks until the All-Star Game. Stern will not waste an hour of these two weeks. He will do his best to make this All-Star Game the most successful and influential in NBA history!
What we lost last year by not holding the All-Star Game, Stern will take it all back this time!
Stern made one phone call after another, and almost every time his first question was: "Lin is also participating in the three-point/dunk contest, do you want to come and beat him?"
Well, this incredibly difficult guy finally agreed to participate in the individual competition, so Stern is determined to completely squeeze out any remaining value from Lin Tian and can't waste this opportunity!
After all, Stern knew exactly how annoying Lin Tian was, and how many people wanted to find an opportunity to get rid of him!
It's tough on the court, but what about individual events without any contact?
This is an extremely rare opportunity to kill Lin Tian!
Many players wouldn't miss this opportunity!
As Stern made his calls one by one, and with league officials and media collaborating to hype the event, the rosters for the individual competitions gradually surfaced. The league used incredibly skillful and professional methods to create a variety of surprises and suspense surrounding the rosters of the individual competitions, raising the fans' expectations to the highest level!
However, despite the teasing, the league was in no hurry to fully announce the list of participants for the individual events. In the days leading up to the announcement, they used words like "possibly," "probably," "perhaps," "intentionally," "honestly," "highly likely," and "almost certain" in their promotional materials.
The main point is to just rub against it without actually going in!
Stern and the league will absolutely not release the final roster in its entirety unless they raise the fans' expectations to the highest level!
While the league is using its magic to manipulate public opinion, the NBA season will not stop, and the games will continue!
February 5, 2000, Chinese time, was the most important day of the year in China: the first day of the Lunar New Year!
This is the first day of the Chinese New Year, a day when the whole of China bids farewell to the old year and welcomes the new, celebrates with families, and visits relatives and friends to exchange New Year's greetings!
In the late 90s and early 21s, the Chinese New Year was full of festive spirit! Young people looked forward to delicious food, lucky money, and all kinds of fireworks, while adults, after a year of hard work, would finally sit together and chat about everyday life.
More importantly, this was the real Spring Festival Gala, featuring sketches by Uncle Heitu, crosstalk by Niu and Feng, sketches by Aunt Zhao, and rare appearances by numerous singers and movie stars.
At this time of year, the Spring Festival Gala is truly a wonderful program and a great moment for the whole family to enjoy!
The Spring Festival at this time is the real Spring Festival, and it is the day that almost everyone in China looks forward to the most.
The NBA, whose goal is to completely expand its market in China, certainly wouldn't miss this auspicious day! On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, they arranged a match that Chinese fans were most looking forward to, most eager to see, and least likely to miss!
The Indiana Pacers will play the Dallas Mavericks on the road!
At the same time, it's also Lin Tian vs. Da Zhi!
This is the first time China has faced off against another Chinese team in the NBA! It's also the first-ever China derby!
The NBA has scheduled this game for the first day of the Lunar New Year, which shows that they have put a lot of effort into pleasing Chinese fans!
At this time, the NBA and the Chinese government were in a honeymoon period!
Although he didn't participate in the Mavericks' Summer League this season, he did participate in the Mavericks' training camp and preseason games in their entirety. He didn't go back to play any of those lousy games like the Universiade or the National Games during the entire regular season.
This season, Dazhi is wholeheartedly honing his skills and playing well for the Mavericks! In addition, with Lin Tian's influence, although Nelson won't give Dazhi any special treatment or extra playing time, Nelson has indeed arranged an assistant coach specifically to teach Dazhi how to play and refine his technical details!
Knowing full well that he received such treatment only because of Lin Tian's reputation, and not wanting to embarrass Lin Tian, he devoted 120% of his energy and focus to training and playing throughout the season!
His efforts certainly paid off!
At 22, Zhi Da is in the prime of his development, absorbing knowledge and skills like a sponge. He is completely different from the Zhi Da in Lin Tian's memory who arrived a year late, only played 5 games in the first year before returning to participate in some domestic competition, and did not participate in the training camp at all in the second year!
Of course, this difference isn't as exaggerated as some fans claim, like "not inferior to Nowitzki," which is pure nonsense from fans who haven't watched any games.
The gap in talent between him and Nowitzki is still quite obvious!
This season, Nowitzki has grown into the team's second-leading scorer, averaging 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, and is rapidly moving towards becoming one of the league's top power forwards.
After half a season of hard work, he has established himself in the Mavericks. So far this season, he has played 46 games, all as a substitute, but his average playing time has reached 21 minutes, which is the seventh most on the team!
He averages 6.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. He has now become a regular in the team's rotation and is Nowitzki's number one backup!
Although he couldn't compare to MVPs and team leaders like Lin Tian, he did manage to establish himself in the Mavericks.
More importantly, for Chinese fans, they don't really care how much playing time or how many points Zhi Da gets with the Mavericks. What they really look forward to is Lin Tian and Zhi Da competing against each other in the NBA!
The thought of two Chinese players facing off on the court of the highest level of basketball league is enough to excite fans all over China!
Well, it wasn't just excitement; there were also arguments.
"Mom, you guys go to Grandpa's first. I want to stay home and watch the NBA! It starts at 8:30 and ends at 11:00. I'll definitely be there before lunch!"
"Have you gone too far? What kind of nonsense is more important than going to Grandpa's house? It's the first day of the Lunar New Year! If you dare go to Grandpa's house at 11 o'clock, your dad will break your legs! Get dressed and leave right now! Hurry up! Otherwise, I'll tell your dad, 'Hey? Where's your dad?'"
"Honey, let's go a little later tonight. I need to watch this game too. If I don't, I won't be able to have a good year. Why don't you go first?"
"Li Jianjun, have you gone too far?! Going to your dad's house, you want me to go first? I can't live like this anymore! You two are just trying to drive me crazy!"
……
"Dad, my stomach hurts! The dumplings from last night seem to have gone bad. Can I stay home and rest today?"
"Honey, my stomach hurts too. The dumplings from last night must have gone bad. Let's stay home and rest for a bit."
"So you two think my cooking is terrible, huh?"
……
"Son? Husband? Hmm? Where are they? Where did they go so early in the morning? Let me make a phone call."
"Wife? Oh, my son and I couldn't sleep at seven this morning, so we came to Dad's first. Don't rush, take your time, we'll wait for you, it's okay."
……
"Grandpa, I want to watch the NBA! Please!"
"What NBA! Just watch a replay of the Spring Festival Gala!"
"But today's NBA game is Pacers vs. Mavericks, an American league, and there are two Chinese players on that team!"
"Two Chinese fighting American devils? Look! Which channel is it? I'm watching now!"
……
"Where are you? Hurry up! Su Qun has already started giving New Year's greetings! If you don't get here soon, you'll be watching the second part!"
……
"Honey, you cook today, we guys are going to watch a game!"
……
"Dad, I didn't do my winter break homework. I want to do it at home today!"
"Nonsense! When did you ever do your homework on your own? Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Let me tell you, it's 8:15 now. If you hurry up and leave, we can still watch the game at Grandpa's house. If you dawdle any longer, don't blame me if I can't watch the game!"
……
Similar situations are constantly unfolding across China. This Spring Festival showdown truly gave Chinese fans the feeling of a second Spring Festival Gala!
Every household, young and old, men and women, gathered in front of their own television sets. Some families who were not well-off and did not have televisions went to their neighbors' houses to watch together. In some villages, people even set up televisions in the square so that the whole village could watch together!
"Hello everyone, first of all, Happy New Year and may all your wishes come true! Now, welcome to Huaxia Sports' special Spring Festival program, the NBA regular season game, Indiana Pacers vs. Dallas Mavericks!" Sun Zhengping appeared on the screen with a smile, and said to Su Qun beside him, "Mr. Su, please wish everyone a Happy New Year too!"
"Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous New Year!" Su Qun said with a smile, "However, I think everyone isn't very interested in our blessings, so let's see how the people who are truly interested in giving us their blessings!"
As soon as Su Qun finished speaking, the television camera immediately switched to Da Zhi's somewhat reserved face, and next to him was Yang Yi, a special correspondent from Basketball Pioneer.
"Hello everyone, I'm with one of tonight's main characters: Dazhi! Come on, Dazhi, say hello to your fans." After several years of experience, Yang Yi is now a seasoned veteran, and he handles the interview with Dazhi with ease.
"Happy New Year, Happy New Year everyone." Dazhi smiled and was about to continue when a white guard with messy hair, like a hedgehog, walked past the two of them, looked at Dazhi, and suddenly smiled and said a sentence in Chinese.
"Happy New Year!"
"Haha, it seems like Dazhi is quite popular with the Mavericks! Let me introduce you all. This is the Mavericks' backup point guard, and one of Dazhi's best friends in Dallas: Steve Nash! He's played a lot with Dazhi and has delivered many beautiful passes to him!"
"Steve, wanna chat for a bit?"
Upon hearing Yang Yi's last English sentence, Nash immediately walked over to Zhi Da with a grin, then made a fist with one hand and a palm with the other, performing a traditional Chinese greeting before saying, "Happy New Year!"
Then, somewhat embarrassed, he scratched his head and said, "That's the only Chinese phrase I know."
(End of this chapter)