Chapter 758: Did This Kid Get Tricked Again?
In the commentary booth, Reggie Miller, Steve Kerr, and Marv Albert chatted and laughed.
The 3 of them were calling tonight's All Star Game.
Each had already made a prediction for the All Star Game MVP.
Reggie Miller believed Chen Yan would win the award. Shooters often had a soft spot for other great shooters, and Chen Yan had long been his favorite active player.
Steve Kerr chose Kobe Bryant.
Kerr's reasoning was simple. Whenever Kobe stepped onto the court, he gave everything he had, whether it was a regular season game, a Playoffs battle, or an exhibition.
Albert displayed the greatest awareness of the setting and selected Howard.
This was Orlando's home court, so mentioning Howard was guaranteed to please the crowd.
During warmups, the players relaxed and entertained the fans on the court. Several All Stars had brought their sons with them.
Bronny immediately attached himself to Chen Yan.
Although he was still in elementary school, he had already been a devoted Chen Yan fan for 5 years.
Chen Yan played with Bronny for a while and crossed him over 5 times before beginning his shooting routine.
Bronny eagerly helped retrieve the basketballs.
After warmups, an ESPN reporter interviewed James, who was holding Bronny in his arms.
"He really likes Chen," James said with a smile. "Our house is full of Chen's posters. One morning, I woke up and discovered that the lock screen on my phone had been changed to a picture of Chen."
"Every time we play the Knicks, Bronny insists on watching from the arena. It was the same for tonight's All Star Game. But I understand. Everyone has an idol when they are young, and Chen is the idol of their generation."
The reporter placed the microphone in front of Bronny.
"I saw you helping Chen retrieve the ball. What is the difference between retrieving shots for Chen Yan and doing it for your father?"
Bronny rarely appeared in front of cameras and seemed somewhat shy.
James encouraged him.
"Hey, Bronny. Be brave. Say what you really think."
Bronny nodded.
"I prefer picking up the ball for Uncle Chen because I only need to stand under the basket. When I pick up the ball for Dad, I have to run everywhere."
The moment he finished, James became visibly awkward.
All he could do was laugh loudly to ease the atmosphere.
The arena lights dimmed.
As the representative of the host city, Howard delivered a brief speech before the game.
Howard leaned toward the microphone and read with such exaggerated rhythm that anyone who did not know better might have thought he was rapping.
His natural sense of rhythm was undeniable.
Before the game began, both starting lineups removed their warmup jackets.
When the camera moved toward Chen Yan, he was talking with Bill Russell.
The legendary center greatly admired Chen Yan.
Russell had once publicly stated that if Chen Yan were his son, he would be extremely proud.
Many retired All Stars shared that admiration.
They truly understood basketball and judged players by what they accomplished on the court, not merely by reading statistics.
After talking with Russell for a while, Chen Yan walked toward the sideline.
He was wearing fluorescent bright green sneakers, the special All Star edition of the Yan Wu.
His signature shoe line had already reached its 5th generation.
The arena screen displayed the career scoring leaders in All Star Game history.
Michael Jordan ranked 1st with 262 points.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar followed with 251.
Oscar Robertson had scored 246.
Kobe ranked 4th with 244.
"If everything goes smoothly, Kobe will become the leading scorer in All Star Game history tonight," Kerr said.
"Scoring 18 points is not difficult for Kobe," Reggie Miller replied. "The only question is whether he wants the record."
Albert nodded, agreeing with both of them.
The starting lineups stepped onto the court.
The Western Conference started Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, and Marc Gasol.
The Eastern Conference started Chen Yan, Wade, Durant, James, and Howard.
Everyone looked relaxed.
Before the opening tip, players exchanged high 5s and greetings.
A scene this friendly could only happen at an All Star Game.
The referee tossed the ball into the air.
Howard immediately performed a trick, rotating 180 degrees during his jump.
Howard possessed a strong instinct for entertainment.
Unfortunately, he sometimes took it too far and made himself look slightly foolish.
Marc Gasol won the tip.
Paul immediately passed the ball to Kobe.
The Western Conference players knew Kobe was only 1 step away from becoming the leading scorer in All Star Game history, and they were happy to help him reach that milestone.
Kobe faced the basket, took 1 dribble, stepped back, and shot using a Nowitzki style fadeaway.
It was not Kobe's usual shooting motion.
Chen Yan, who was guarding him, did not defend with full intensity. He merely extended a hand as a token contest.
Swish.
The basketball dropped cleanly through the net.
Western Conference 2, Eastern Conference 0.
Kobe smiled, raised 2 fingers in a victory sign, and returned to the defensive end.
The All Star Game was rarely played seriously during the 1st 3 quarters.
If the score remained close in the 4th, only then would the game become a true contest.
Chen Yan dribbled past half court.
The Eastern Conference ran a simple action, allowing James to receive the ball on the wing beyond the 3 point line.
Chen Yan moved to the corner and watched his teammates perform.
James had no intention of stealing the spotlight either.
He lobbed the ball into Howard in the paint.
As the only player representing the host city in the All Star Game, Howard drew loud cheers the moment he touched the ball.
The sound immediately energized him.
Howard put the ball on the floor and began backing down Marc Gasol.
Marc Gasol could not jump as high as Howard, but his lower body was far more stable.
He held his position firmly.
Howard immediately turned to face the basket, took 2 lateral steps, and attempted a shot.
Slap.
Marc Gasol knocked the ball away.
Throughout the possession, he kept his body pressed against Howard and prevented him from elevating properly.
Howard looked confused.
Was this not supposed to be an exhibition?
Why was this kid already playing serious defense?
Marc Gasol was participating in his 1st All Star Game and had not yet adjusted to the relaxed entertainment atmosphere.
He was treating the possession like a regular season game.
The Western Conference attacked.
Griffin decided to entertain the crowd and actively called for the ball before dribbling it across half court himself.
Griffin possessed some ball handling ability, but his short arms made the motion look slightly awkward.
He reached the 3 point line, suddenly paused, then spun and fooled James.
Griffin drove along the edge of the paint.
Many fans rose from their seats, expecting a dunk.
Griffin was known as the White Superman because of his explosive athleticism, and the crowd knew exactly what he could do above the rim.
Instead, Griffin stopped sharply outside the paint and shot a floater.
Swish.
4 to 0.
The game had only just begun, and Griffin's body was not fully warm yet.
He decided against immediately attempting a violent dunk.
Wade brought the ball across half court.
The Eastern Conference starters simply took turns handling the ball.
Chen Yan, Wade, James, and Durant were all capable of initiating the offense.
After crossing half court, Wade passed to Chen Yan at the top of the arc.
Chen Yan passed to James.
James looked toward Durant.
The fans laughed.
Were they playing hot potato?
The Eastern Conference starters did not appear eager to attack.
Durant eventually became too lazy to continue passing and simply pulled up over Griffin.
Missed.
Paul grabbed the rebound and pushed the ball forward, though he did not move particularly fast.
From 2 steps beyond the 3 point line, he immediately looked for Griffin.
The 2 were teammates with the Clippers and understood each other well.
Griffin received the pass and attempted a 3 pointer.
Missed.
The Eastern Conference failed to secure the defensive rebound, and the ball bounced beyond the 3 point line.
Paul recovered it and passed directly to Marc Gasol.
The paint was empty.
Marc Gasol rose for a 2 handed slam, recording the 1st dunk of the night.
6 to 0.
That dunk immediately lifted the atmosphere inside the arena.
The Eastern Conference also began increasing the pace.
Chen Yan dribbled near the center court logo and threw a long pass to Durant.
Durant caught it and attacked the basket aggressively, drawing a foul from Kobe.
Durant missed his 1st free throw.
He had been too relaxed, and his core was loose throughout the shooting motion.
Durant adjusted and made the 2nd attempt.
6 to 1.
Durant scored the Eastern Conference's 1st point.
The Western Conference also began playing faster, but because the players were temporary teammates, their coordination remained somewhat awkward.
Paul threw a pass toward Kobe with too much force.
The ball struck Kobe's fingertips and flew out of bounds.
Possession changed.
The Eastern Conference quickly inbounded the ball.
Wade sped into the frontcourt, while James stepped forward to set a screen.
Using the screen, Wade burst toward the edge of the paint and attempted a short floater.
Clang.
The shot bounced off the rim.
Howard swung his long arm and threw the rebound directly toward Chen Yan, who was standing 1 step in front of half court.
"Shoot!"
"Shoot!"
"Shoot!"
The entire arena began chanting in unison.
Chen Yan saw that the crowd had created the perfect atmosphere.
Refusing to shoot now would have been impolite.
He launched a super long 3 pointer from near the logo.
The moment the ball left his hands, Chen Yan turned around.
He was not deliberately showing off.
He simply did not care whether the attempt went in.
The basketball remained in the air for what felt like an eternity before dropping straight through the net.
Swish.
6 to 4.
The arena erupted.
Chen Yan spread his hands and shrugged, acting as though he had thrown the ball up casually.
Yao Ming burst into laughter on the bench, his expression instantly becoming perfect meme material.
That kid was showing off again.
.....
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