This Forward is Not Serious

The first day of the All-Star Weekend has three main contents, namely the Masters Game, the Rookie Game, and this year’s additional Hall of Fame Ceremony.

The competition venue is held in the Science Gymnasium, the auxiliary hall of the All-Stars.

The attendance rate of the stadium was quite high, and many Chinese fans came to the scene.

Not only because of the Hall of Fame ceremony, this year's Masters Game is also very unique. It adopts the format of Team Canada VS Team USA.

The Canadian team is star-studded, and the head coach is Steve Nash, the current player development coach of the Nets.

In terms of players, McGrady will also represent the Canadian team because he once played for the Raptors.

Moreover, this is the first time that a Chinese person has appeared in the competition, Canadian-Chinese Wu Zhuan.

For the U.S. team, the head coach is the famous comedian Kevin Hart, and his star power is even greater.

Iverson and Billups, former Nets teammates, will lead this American celebrity team.

Lin Ying also came to the game and was dressed very formally.

Iverson's Hall of Fame ceremony was something he still valued as a good friend.

Of course, he was in a more relaxed mood at first. After all, there were Masters and Rookie Games before that.

There is an appearance ceremony in the Masters Game. When Iverson came on the court, he very intentionally showed off the hat on his head.

It was under the spotlight that fans realized that the "BIG3" on the front of his hat had a meaning.

Of course, the meaning is left to the fans to guess.

Both sides played very happily in the Masters, especially Iverson, who had a strong desire to attack and performed very well.

It seems that he has been training.

At the end of the game, the United States defeated the Canadian team. Iverson scored 18 points and was elected the Masters MVP.

In his acceptance speech, Iverson showed the hat again and then explained the meaning inside.

Next season he will host a league called "BIG3" in Brooklyn. The league is a 3V3 in half-court mode, and he will also join it.

So he left the Nets to hold a personal training camp, and then worked hard to win the MVP, all in preparation for his own league.

Lin Ying knew about this league, which was the NBA Retirement League, which gave a stage to retired players who could not play in the NBA.

But he didn't know some of the details, so this was a revelation.

After the Masters Game, there is the Rookie Game.

Jokic appears.

He shared the MVP with Wiggins last year and became the focus before the game.

Lin Ying went down to say hello to the little fat man.

Of course, it wasn't just the little fat man, there was also someone running towards him.

Booker was also selected for the rookie game this year.

And the involution scene appears again.

If Jokic is an overseas fan that Lin Ying doesn't know about, then Booker is Lin Ying's local loyalist in North America.

It is no exaggeration to say that Lin Ying has watched Booker grow up all the way.

After saying hello, Lin Ying sat back in the auditorium to watch the game.

After the game started, Jokic... hung up immediately.

This guy has no pursuit of honors other than the championship, not to mention that he has already won the MVP.

However, Wiggins played very excitedly, with three-pointers and dunks coming one after another.

He averaged 23 points per game for the Nuggets this season, and his performance has improved compared to last year.

But in the end, Team World still failed to beat Team USA.

The MVP was won by LaVine of the US team, who scored 30 points on 13 of 20 shots.

Booker also performed well, scoring 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting.

After the rookie game was over, the venue began to be arranged, and Lin Ying also went from the audience to the guest seat in the middle to take a seat.

Lin Ying saw many old acquaintances here. In addition to the three people who were going to take the stage, Yao Ming, Kobe Bryant, and Wade, who had arrived in Toronto, all came to the scene.

They are also more or less connected to the three players who will play tonight.

Lin Ying sat directly next to Yao Ming, and the two chatted about this summer's Rio Olympics.

Although Yao Ming has lost weight, injuries and dominance have continued to decline as he ages.

Especially his left foot, which has seriously affected his performance this season.

If it weren't for the sake of playing in the Rio Olympics, he might have chosen to retire.

So the two talked about the Olympics and were still looking forward to it.

If he can complete one more title defense before retiring, Yao Ming will have no regrets in his life.

While they were chatting, the Hall of Fame ceremony was about to begin, and Tatum himself delivered the speech.

It’s rare for the NBA Hall of Fame ceremony to be held at the All-Star level, but this should also be one of Tatum’s micro-manages.

The purpose of this is to take advantage of this opportunity to show the importance the NBA attaches to these celebrities.

And regarding the Hall of Fame, there is a rule change this year.

Originally, according to previous rules, players could only be eligible for Hall of Fame selection five years after retiring.

However, this rule has caused a lot of controversy in the past few years, so during this year's selection, the league changed the rule to three years.

So both McGrady and Iverson are eligible for selection.

Each Hall of Fame player will have his own speech time, and the first one to take the stage is O'Neal.

In addition to O'Neal, four other people including Bill Russell and Mourning appeared on the stage. These are all already in the Hall of Fame and are O'Neal's introducers.

O'Neill's speech soon began.

"Big Shark" is a very humorous person.

Although his speech was formatted, he went from introducers to parents to teammates on each team.

But there was some humor in it that still made Lin Ying laugh.

For example, when talking about his Lakers teammates, O'Neal's words made Kobe even laugh.

"I'm grateful to Kobe. He pushed me to win three consecutive championships, and then pushed me to leave the Lakers and push me to Miami."

However, it can be felt from these words that the relationship between "OK Group" has basically eased.

Moreover, O'Neal also mentioned Iverson who will appear next.

"I want to apologize to Iverson. For players of his height, I like to touch their heads, but if I touch him, he will counterattack five times and even dominate the game, so I stopped doing it later."

These words also caused a burst of cheers from the crowd.

There are some words that players would not say when they are still playing. If you bring them up on such an occasion, it is the greatest respect for your opponent.

Of course, O'Neal will inevitably mention Yao Ming.

"I thought he didn't speak English. There was one game when I said to him, 'Nice footwork,' and he said to me, 'Thanks, buddy.' That's when I realized he could speak English." "

The camera was focused on Yao Ming, and Yao Ming couldn't help but laugh and even said something.

Lin Ying heard it from the side.

"He didn't even ask me if I knew how to do it."

Lin Ying was also very touched after hearing this.

The NBA is the stage for the highest level of basketball in the world, but in fact the circle is not that big.

After O'Neal, Iverson came on the stage immediately.

Iverson showed off his talents in the Masters Game just now, and O'Neal helped him warm up. When he came on the stage, there was constant applause and cheers.

Then, Iverson was swaying from side to side when he came on the court.

"Is he changing directions during his speech?"

Yao Ming smiled and said to Lin Ying at this time.

Lin Ying was stunned for a moment, then looked at Iverson for a while, and couldn't help laughing.

Don't tell me, they really look alike!

Iverson's speech was briefer than O'Neal's, but his content was very different.

He thanked his mother and father one by one, and then mentioned Jordan, although that man was not here today.

This was also the first time Iverson called Jordan his "idol" in public, and he used a very exaggerated tone.

“Growing up watching him play.”

A few years from now, when Jokic and Booker retire, the target may change from Jordan to Lin Ying.

"I would also like to thank one person. Without him, my career would be full of cold tones. It was he who made me feel the warm tones of basketball.

Lin, my brother. "

After Iverson finished speaking, the live camera focused on Lin Ying in the audience.

Lin Ying applauded Iverson in front of the camera.

"I was extremely eager to win the championship in 2001, but then I knew I might not have a chance in this life until I met Lin.

We had a chance in Denver and we didn't make it because of some factors, but we did it in Brooklyn and I'll never, ever forget those experiences.

Although we can no longer fight side by side, I will always be your fan. "

Iverson's words drew a burst of whistles and cheers from the audience.

The experiences between Lin Ying and Iverson are indeed a good story.

Lin Ying said something to Iverson on the stage.

The staff on the side had quick eyesight and quick hands, and handed over the microphone immediately.

"Can I join your 'BIG3'? That way we can continue to fight side by side."

Lin Ying's words made Iverson on the podium stop his "changing direction" and looked at Lin Ying with some surprise.

Soon, his eyes turned red.

He understood what Lin Ying's purpose was in saying this. It was to promote his league!

"Of course, if you want to come and participate, you can always."

Iverson said with a choked tone.

Lin Yingzhen's appearance at the "BIG3" scene will bring unprecedented attention.

Even just one game can generate tens of millions of dollars in revenue.

Lin Ying smiled and nodded and handed the microphone to the staff, and Iverson's speech continued.

He then began to thank the fans, and the focus was entirely on the Chinese fans.

On such an occasion, Iverson didn't need to mention it deliberately, but he mentioned it anyway.

Because after he retired, whether he was an assistant coach with the Nets or running a personal training camp, he would travel to China every year.

"Chinese fans are the best fans in the world. You will know if you have been there. I hope I can go to China every year for the rest of my life."

This statement also attracted bursts of cheers from the Chinese fans at the scene.

And perhaps because of the twists and turns he has experienced throughout his career, the word that appears most frequently in Iverson's speech is "thank you."

At the end of his speech, he also thanked everyone who had supported and helped him.

After Iverson came Tracy McGrady.

McGrady's speech was somewhat similar to O'Neal's, but there was one more detail.

When talking about his teammates, he put Yao Ming first.

After McGrady retired, he did not go to play in the CBA as in history, but directly changed his job to become a commentator.

However, during the commentary, his words caused huge controversy.

"My teammates in my prime, they were not players like Russell Westbrook, nor players like Kevin Durant, Ibaka, nor players like Kobe Bryant or Pau Gasol. I've never played with such a superstar."

Because of this sentence, he encountered huge controversy.

Although he deliberately emphasized his peak period, after all, he had been cooperating with Yao Ming in the Rockets.

Now he puts Yao Ming first, which can be regarded as a response to those remarks.

Alternatively, it can also be understood as clarification.

When McGrady's speech ended, the Hall of Fame ceremony also ended.

Lin Ying had many emotions, and he couldn't help but imagine what it would be like when he entered the Hall of Fame.

…

Because of the Hall of Fame ceremony, the first day of the All-Star Weekend is more about arousing fans' emotions.

Then the next day was a fierce competition.

From the beginning of the skills challenge, this tone was set.

This year's skills challenge is divided into big and small groups, and will end with a final between big and small.

This kind of reform is also due to the advent of the small ball era and the increasing number of big men with comprehensive skills.

Jokic's expression was quite serious at this time.

Even if you come here, you will always bring a trophy back.

But it was a pity that he met Towns in the first round and was eliminated by Towns.

Towns can be said to be one of the most perfect inside players in the small ball era. The most important thing is that he is faster than Jokic.

The little fat man's face was filled with anger after losing. Looking at this attitude, he wants to take revenge next year!

The three-point shooting contest after the skills challenge pushed the intense tone to a climax.

The "Splash Brothers" faced off again, with Jokic playing in his second consecutive event.

Then, he G again in the first round...

He only scored 11 points in the first round.

This made Lin Ying happy.

Co-author Jokic is here to make everyone happy today.

When Jokic came down, Lin Ying opened his mouth to comfort him.

"When Kevin participated in the three-point contest for the first time, he shot 6 points."

When Jokic cast a doubtful look at Durant, Durant immediately became anxious.

However, Lin Ying's next words made his butt that had just left the ground sit back down again.

"But in the second year he participated, he scored 16 points and entered the finals, almost winning the championship, so you have a good chance next year."

Hearing Lin Ying's comfort, Jokic's expression improved a lot.

After the first round, Booker and the "Splash Brothers" advanced to the finals together. The scores of the three in the preliminaries were 20, 21, and 22 respectively.

None of the scores were too high, but the final was exciting.

Because Thompson made a high-profile announcement before the game that his goal in the three-point contest was to defeat Curry.

And Booker is indeed suitable for big scenes. He performed well in the rookie game and the three-point contest, which is difficult for rookies.

It's a pity that he only scored 16 points in the final and was eliminated early.

The final battle was predictably between Curry and Thompson.

Curry came out feeling hot and scored 7 goals in a row, but his performance afterwards was a bit up and down, and he finally scored 23 points.

Although it's not very high, it's enough to put pressure on Thompson.

Then under the heavy pressure of Thompson, he started to exert force from the top of the arc, and by the last ball point, he directly hit all 5 shots.

In the end, he scored 27 points. With an extremely brave attitude, he tied Curry's record last year and defeated Curry to be elected as the new three-point king!

After winning, Thompson jumped up and down with an expression like "I'm so proud of my win."

Lin Ying was filled with emotion as he watched.

Thompson like this probably wouldn't have thought that one day in the future, he would be cast aside by his favorite fans because of injuries and a big contract.