Basketball UFO

Chapter 22

The first round of All-Star voting has come to an end.

Carter ranked 16th among all candidates, and there is a vague tendency to impact the influence of famous stars.Carter's style of play does attract fans, and many fans voted for Carter's demeanor.

However, in the starting position of the Eastern Conference forward, Carter only ranked fourth, behind the Pistons' Grant Hill, the Bulls' Scottie Pippen and the Bulls' Dennis Rodman.

Carter's position happens to be a small forward, so tick the number of votes in the forward option.

Even on the back line, Carter couldn't surpass Jordan and Anfernee Hardaway, ranking third at most, and he was also unable to enter the starting list.

For the center position, Ewing and Mourning have the highest votes in the Eastern Conference, with Mutombo in third place.

In the West, Olajuwon, O'Neal, Barkley, Kemp, Malone, Payton, and Stockton are all ranked at the forefront, and the All-Star lineup is quite luxurious.

Carter hasn't paid much attention to the All-Stars yet, only focusing on the recent games.

The next few opponents are not very strong.

Carter worked hard, and finally brought a wave of three consecutive victories to the Nets as the New Year approached.First, they challenged the Raptors away.

Crazy breakthrough and dunk, which made the Raptors unable to parry. He scored 37 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. He also sent 2 blocks and 3 steals, extremely comprehensive statistics.

Lead the team to a narrow victory and beat the young Raptors by 2 points.Toronto fans even cheered for Carter.Many fans turned their backs on the spot and supported Vince Carter.

Marcus Camby, a model in the same class, played 24 minutes and scored 13 points and 9 rebounds, almost a double-double.It's a pity that all the light was taken away by Carter.

Followed by back-to-back consecutive games against the Pacers, rookies pecking at each other.

The Nets took the lead and defeated the Pacers at home. Carter scored 41 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. The madness continued.The Nets won at home by 15 points, a wonderful game.

Then he scored 42 points in the away game, setting a new personal high score in two consecutive games.

Larry Brown was helpless. The team was unable to produce fighting power and the defensive end was very fragile. "Vince Carter tore our defense apart. If we cannot gain a foothold on defense, it will be difficult for this team to win."

On the Pacers' side, the record is poor, and they actually have the idea of ​​​​fighting for the No. [-] pick, but they can't lose face, so they just play badly, making the team and players feel uncomfortable.

Eric Dampier, the rookie of the same year, started the first game between the two teams and played 16 minutes, scoring 6 points and 5 rebounds. In the second game, he was removed from the starting lineup and played only 7 minutes, scoring 2 points and 2 rebounds.

"Reggie Miller is a bit injured, he can't play 100%, but we believe that the team will get back on track." Larry Brown added again, looking for some excuses for the failure.

In fact, the Pacers are out of control, but Larry Brown does not admit his mistake.

Facing the media, Calipari, in addition to continuing to sing praises for Carter, also focused on the inside players, "Sean Bradley has scored double-doubles in a row. He is a very good player and has provided the team with heights. Also has the ability to score and he continues to improve, which is great."

"There is also Royce Daniels. He is very good. He has found his rhythm recently and has become an important rotation for the team." In these games, Calipari deliberately let Daniels score more points to encourage confidence.

The media also intensively reported the victory of the Nets. Carter led the team to a rare three-game winning streak. The weak Nets seemed to have the power to fight.Carter himself even scored 40+ points in a row, which immediately attracted more fans.

After this wave of winning streak, the Nets' ranking has quietly risen to eighth in the Eastern Conference, and is expected to hit No. 7 and secure their playoff qualification.

At this stage, Adidas and Converse tacitly increased their advertising efforts for Carter's shoes. You can almost see Carter on the TV when you turn on the TV.

"Carter is really amazing. He is just a rookie, and he can play 40+ consecutive performances. This is a very rare player." Many media also gave Carter more coverage.

"I have to say that Carter performed very well, and led the team to win three consecutive victories, and the Nets also entered the playoffs."

"The season is still long, and maybe the Nets can continue to grow, but Carter really injected unlimited possibilities into the Nets."

The fans of the Nets are already overjoyed. They even began to look forward to the possible playoffs, "Maybe Carter can really lead the Nets to the playoffs and achieve our goal. The team has not made the playoffs for a long time."

Carter's All-Star votes unknowingly increased a lot.

At this time, the NBA officially announced that Carter, who led the team to three consecutive victories, won the best player last week.

"Vince Carter won Player of the Week for the first time, remember his name."

Not Rookie of the Week, not Rookie of the Month, but League Player of the Week.

"Carter has begun to compete with famous stars. This growth rate is really surprising." Many media secretly voiced.

For the first time to get the best of the week, Carter also got a small trophy.And recorded a video, thank reporters and fans for their support!At the end of the video, he wished the American fans a happy new year!

He put the trophy in his honor room. In addition to Rookie of the Week and Rookie of the Month, he finally got some new honors.Carter is confident that he will create his own glory in the future. When he first entered the league, he consciously collected his own gadgets.

"Will you write an autobiography in the future? Commemorate my career?" Carter laughed at himself.

On the last day of 1996, the Nets ushered in a game against the Knicks and went to Madison Square Garden, preparing to challenge the fourth team in the East.

Charles Oakley found Carter before the game and threatened the supernova with a smile, "Hey, if you enter the restricted area today, I will pull you down."

Ewing also looked at Carter, hammering his chest with both hands, "Roar!"

"Big Mom" ​​Larry Johnson kept stretching his muscles. It was another good fight today. He was beaten uncomfortable by Carter last time. Even if the team won the game, he still felt uncomfortable.

"Rookie, I won't show mercy today." Larry Johnson turned his lower back, feeling a little sore and slightly injured on his back.

"I'm afraid that you will show mercy and defend me with your best condition." Carter is not afraid. His physical fitness is also superhuman, and he is also full of confidence in the face of Larry Johnson.

Calipari once again reiterated that more opportunities should be given to inside players to score.

Both sides appear on the stage and the game begins.

Ewing won the jump ball, and point guard Chris Childs controlled the ball and passed it to Larry Johnson. "Big Mom" ​​disliked it too early and passed it to the outside. "Central Shooting King" Alan Houston received the ball, but found that Carter was defending him. .

A direct jump shot. Unexpectedly, Carter's bounce and speed were amazing. When he hit the basketball, Houston missed the mid-range shot.

When trying to grab a rebound under the basket, Ewing and Oakley were on guard, but they didn't get it.Carter, who was turned around, picked up the rebound.

He threw it forward quickly, and Cassell had started to speed up. Although the speed was not fast, he started early, making Chris Childs unable to keep up. He rushed to the basket and made a layup.

Fast break to get the 1st point, no, the first 2 points.

Jeff Van Gundy suddenly had a bad feeling, "Is the Nets going to play a fast break?" His team has a big center, players are not fast, and the positional battle is strong enough, but the fast break is one of them. There are no fast players.

The Knicks reorganized their offense, and it was still a half-court offense and defense.Ewing carried Bradley and scored this time, starting for the Knicks.

Cassel quickly passed the cut to Carter.Carter used his powerful explosive power to speed up in one step and passed Larry Johnson.

Charles Oakley immediately came to help defend, but Carter was not afraid. He had long been accustomed to Oakley's defensive intensity.

With a light dodge, he passed Oakley in just one step, and then succeeded in a backhand dunk.

The fans at Madison Square Park gave Carter a sparse round of applause, and I have to say, this dunk was indeed beautiful.

The Knicks continued to attack and defend in the half, but today the Nets' defense was very aggressive. Ewing and Oakley cooperated inside, but failed and turned to Houston.

Carter defended the Knicks' arrowhead, allowing Alan Houston to find space to shoot, again to Johnson.There were people inside, so Auntie had no choice but to choose a mid-range shot. She was unlucky and missed.

Another rebound, Oakley was blocked by Williams, failed to control it well, and was shot out by Kendall Gill.

Cassell catches the ball and continues to smash forward.After halftime, there was no one in front.

At this time, Carter shot diagonally, very fast, and caught the ball near the three-point line.He took a dribble, adjusted his rhythm, and took a half-step to the free throw line.

Fly to the hoop as nearly 2 New York fans watch.

"Wow, Carter's gonna dunk again."

"It's really exciting. Does Carter break away from gravity at such a high flying distance?"

Space Jam, Carter once again performed a beautiful dunk action.This time, the fans in the audience were in a state of excitement, and everyone cheered for Carter's dunk.

"I have to say, this dunk is too beautiful. Vince Carter, super player!"

"Carter's dunk was so explosive, both powerful and beautiful. He is unique in dunking." The on-site commentator was already impressed by Carter's dunk.

Not long after the opening, Carter performed two beautiful dunks, which made the New York fans cheer.They don't pay attention to the outcome of the game, as long as they play well, it is the best game.

At this time, Sean Bradley was replaced, allowing Williams to defend Ewing.Tony Masenberg comes on, fighting Oakley.

Facing Ewing, Williams directly chose to go around and prevent Ewing from receiving the ball.

Although Ewing has a mid-range shot, his speed is really not fast and he is uncomfortable.Also choose to let teammates play more.Alan Houston used the screen to avoid Carter and made a mid-range shot.

Carter responded immediately and shot directly from outside the three-point line.This time, the personal score has risen to 7 points.

The Nets continued to work hard and used crazy defense to fight the Knicks.

"Hey, Oakley, I'm just a substitute, you are the main force, don't use big moves." Massenberg doesn't care about offense or not, his task is to stick to Oakley.Oakley has no ability to score independently and is a blue collar among blue collars.

Ewing was defended around the front, played uncomfortably, and scored intermittently.

At halftime, the Nets actually led the Knicks.

There are not many leading points. After all, the strength of the Knicks lies there, with a difference of 4 points.

Carter made 4 free throws in the half, which happened to be the team's leading number.He broke into the paint many times, causing Ewing to foul 1 time and Oakley to foul 2 times.

This is lethality, slowly allowing the opponent's main force to accumulate fouls.As long as you get 4 fouls too early, the inside players will throw the mouse, and the game will fall into a passive state.

Van Gundy has never been able to find a way to break through Ewing. The team's point guard lacks the ability to break through with the ball. The main scoring point is Alan Houston. Today, he was particularly uncomfortable being guarded by Carter. He only scored 8 points in the half, which was not good. .

"Guys, this game is the playoffs, show me the most fierce momentum." Calipari hopes to sharpen the team with a strong team.

Only by competing more with playoff teams will players grow faster. This is the accumulation of experience.

Carter also stood up, "When you are in doubt, just give me the ball. We have to win this victory and work hard to the last drop of sweat."

"After the game...everyone knows, cheer me up." Carter put down his harsh words again.

Robert Parker immediately came to the spirit.

At the beginning of the second half, Robert Pike and Sean Bradley took the lead, with Kendall Gill taking over from the outside.

While Ewing was still resting, Bradley's height advantage was brought into play, and he immediately scored 4 points and grabbed 1 rebound, raising his personal data.

Robert Parker's method is simple and rude, that is, continuous breakthroughs, either causing damage or passing to the inside.Even Daniels got two open three-pointers and took one.

"When did the Nets' bench become so strong?" Upon seeing this, Van Gundy immediately changed into the main lineup.

The substitutes carried two waves of offense and couldn't find many opportunities.The main force of the Nets is back on stage.

Kendall Gill took the opportunity to take a break, and Daniels continued to be on the court, using his coquettish running to tie up the Knicks' defense.

Ewing was circled forward again and punched Williams hard. The small hook missed. Carter jumped from the crowd and grabbed the rebound.

Before looking at your own players, throw it to the frontcourt.

Robert Pike and Daniels went down quickly from both lines, and Chris Childs defended one against the other, with no advantage.Parker rushed to the inside and passed the ball from behind to Daniels.

Daniels catches the ball and jumps high, making a dunk.A little bit reluctant, but still successfully dunked in.

Back to a 6-point lead.Both sides scored fast breaks, the Nets scored 10 points, and the Knicks still scored 0 points, with no fast break points.

Van Gundy adjusted his tactics, the team showed strong strength and succeeded frequently.The Nets fell into a brief scoring drought.

Cassell chose to give the ball to Carter.Then Williams came up for a pick-and-roll, but it had no effect and he couldn't get out of the shooting space.Carter faced a change of defense and suddenly changed direction. Ewing and Oakley locked up the space.

Unexpectedly, Carter had an idea. After dribbling from behind, he turned to the front and suddenly jumped out of the defensive circle with both feet.

When he got to the basket, he made a simple layup, and the clouds were calm.

"Is there still such a move?" The on-site commentator was stunned for a while, "Jumping with the ball can also be used as a scoring method. Carter's tricks are hard to guard against."

"This action is so smart. Carter's jump step turned Ewing and Oakley into bulky gorillas." The fans became excited.

Van Gundy's mind sank, another super player was about to appear.

(End of this chapter)