So I am the god of basketball?

Chapter 108: Being number one in the West is miserable, but being number one in the East is glorious.

Shaq is an American through and through.

So he didn't know what Lu Xun said about "good fortune and misfortune depend on each other." Otherwise, he would never be excited just because his life has been going so well recently.

Even too excited.

Directly reflected on the playing field is...

As long as there is a slight chance, he will not hesitate to choose to finish the shot with a dunk.

Originally, he was a player who accounted for a large proportion of dunk finishes. This time, his frequency of dunks on the court was even more exaggerated.

There's no way, Shaq is like this!

As long as he is high, he will show this "high" state all the time.

So tragic...

In the game against the Charlotte Hornets on January 1, after completing a dunk, he accidentally twisted his ankle when he landed. It can be clearly seen through the slow-motion replay that his left foot twisted greatly from left to right after landing. He moved several times, and then he fell to the ground like a hill.

Clutching his feet in pain, he was carried off the court and never returned.

The Magic eventually won the game, but Shaq's test result was:

Severe sprain.

For outside players, this is also an injury that requires a week to half a month to recuperate. For the heavier Shaquille O'Neal, it's even more serious. The doctor's initial judgment is to rest for at least half a month to three weeks.

If the recovery is too slow, then this time will need to be increased.

After all, with Shaq's weight, if he plays early, it is likely to cause more serious injuries due to uneven stress on his feet.

Shaq didn't want to accept such a result, but he didn't dare to make fun of his career, so he could only sit on the sidelines depressedly.

What makes him a little embarrassed is that even if he is absent for the next period of time, the Magic's momentum has not declined at all, and they are still continuing their winning streak. ——From January 1th to January 17th, almost 1 weeks, 30 games, the Magic won 2 of them, and they met the New York Knicks again. They lost, and The Magic could have won that game if Starks hadn't exploded and scored 8 points in a single game.

"Coach, I'm fine, I'm really fine!"

Now, Shaquille O'Neal, who had been unable to sit still, became even more unable to sit still. Only three or four days after the swelling in his ankle had completely subsided, he clamored to return to the team.

He seemed to have a sincere heart, but it was all because the outside media began to push Meng Lang to the position of "Magic boss" again. Unfortunately, Chuck Daly finally decided to let him come back in February. On the last day of January He was not expected to play in the game.

Originally, Chuck Daly was a little worried. Without Shaquille O'Neal, the probability of hitting 70 wins would be greatly reduced. I was anxious and angry about it for a while.

You know, this is the main goal of the entire Magic team now. The entire team is united by this goal. Once the hope of hitting 70 wins is gone, there will be problems in the Magic locker room again.

However, after half a month, he suddenly discovered that he seemed to be short.

Well, my horizons are too short!

This Shaquille O'Neal doesn't seem to be that important to the current Magic team!

There is a dream, no surprises!

Okay, this is just a joke. Chuck Daly also knows that although the Magic's performance during this period did exceed his expectations, a large part of the reason is that they are in the "sweet period" and encounter The opponents are generally not strong, and most of them are at home and have plenty of physical energy. This is why they won 99% of the games without any danger.

However, through observation during this period, he also knows the upper limit of the "Sharkless" Magic. The Magic's last opponent in January was an away game against the Bulls, who are currently ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference. What a hard nut to crack, the strength is not as strong as the New York Knicks, so Chuck Daly simply asked Shaquille O'Neal to come back in February: "Have a good rest, man, there are still a few tough games waiting for you in February. Come back and show off your talents!"

There is no other way, Shaq can only continue to sit on the bench.

Scottie Pippen is definitely taller than Chris Bosh.

The original Bulls lost Jordan and they reached the semifinals. After the "Cobra" also left, the Bulls only had Pippen, but they still guaranteed their top eight ranking in the Eastern Conference in the new season.

Of course, there is one reason why the value of last season’s transaction is reflected in this season:

Kukoc's arrival was favored by all the media at the time, and he lived up to expectations. After Grant left, he took on the responsibility of the team's "second boss", averaging 16.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, plus B.J. With Armstrong as the "third leader" at the main force level, the Bulls' paper strength in the new season can be guaranteed.

With Pippen's ability to lead such a team to ensure a playoff ranking, it's not a big deal.

Among the many stars who can be ranked in the history of the NBA, only one person could not lead the team to the playoffs even though the team had a clear "second boss" and a "third boss" at the main level.

And that person calls himself "goat"!

However, the height he can reach is only among the top 6 and top 5 in the Eastern Conference, and he cannot climb higher.

It's just that Chicago fans don't feel sad. Chicago this season is more hopeful than last season. Because the rumors of Jordan's comeback that have been circulating before the start of this season have not subsided until now.

Especially recently, with the suspension of Major League Baseball, more news about Jordan's comeback has been on the table, so that the whole of Chicago has become increasingly full of expectations. Once this thing comes true, then the era when the league belongs to the Bulls will come back!

Yes, even if Meng Lang and the Magic are gaining momentum, in the eyes of Bulls fans, as long as Jordan comes back, the NBA's surname will still be "Michael"!

This is what Jordan proved in game after game...

They have never seen that kind of dominance from any player, including Meng Lang!

There wasn't much to say about this game. Even facing the Magic without Shaquille O'Neal, the Bulls had little resistance, but Scottie Pippen sat on the bench and suddenly showed off his sneakers. "Nike" logo on the phone, and then hooked his fingers towards the camera:

"Come back man, we all know it's time for you to come back!"

This meaningful remark, everyone knows who it is directed at!

In Meng Lang's view, this is undoubtedly a marketing campaign from Nike.

because……

If Pippen really wants Jordan to come back, then this man really deserves to live in Jordan's shadow for the rest of his life, and can only follow Jordan's butt to drink some soup and eat some minced meat. Such a good opportunity to prove that he is the boss of the Bulls, but he is waiting for the return of "God" in this city all day long. Isn't this coward? What is this?

But no matter what the real situation is, the news about Jordan's comeback has reached its peak at this moment. Jordan's agent David Falk's response to the media this time has become ambiguous:

"Many things, no one knows whether they can come true until they actually happen..."

Meng Lang has another reason to hate Jordan.

Because on February 2st, he won the "Player of the Month Award" for January again, but all the media was discussing was Michael Jordan!

This man has been away for a season and a half, but at this moment, when news about his upcoming comeback sweeps the league, it seems as if he has never left the league:

The discussion about him today also proves this. In the NBA, he is still the top player!

Even when Meng Lang was interviewed with the "Best of the Month trophy", the reporter's first question was related to Michael Jordan: "Dream, do you think Michael will come back?"

Meng Lang snorted in displeasure: "If he wants to come back, come back quickly. There is no need to keep releasing smoke bombs. I hope he can come back before March 3, so that he will not miss the Bulls and Magic." It's the last game of the regular season! I'll let him know that he shouldn't come back!" An extremely offensive statement. Although Meng Lang didn't have much respect when talking about Jordan in the past. But there has never been such an aggressive moment as today.

Is this the alliance's "new king"'s rejection of the alliance's former "legend"?

Well, the media is actually happy to see such a scene happen!

The Los Angeles Times said:

"Dream has reason to be so angry. In the January that just ended, he averaged 25.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game, shooting 48.3% from the field, 43.2% from the three-point range, and 90% from the free throw line. Without Shaq - O'Neal's Magic team achieved a record of 14 wins and 1 loss in January, but on the day he won the best of the month, all the media were asking questions about an old guy who had retired for a year and a half. With the arrogance of his dream, he The media will not be allowed to ignore his existence like this, this is a dream!"

If we say, the Los Angeles media reports are more inclined to analyze the reasons why Meng Lang's words are so offensive.

Then the New York Times is simply taking offense:

"So, are you ready, Michael? Are you ready to face the challenge of the new generation?"

When Jordan was at the height of his popularity, he "coincidentally" participated in a "Celebrity Golf Open". During the game, he scored a "birdie" and won the final victory. He also led reporters to face the game. With a rare smile:

"I'm enjoying my time now, so let me enjoy it for a while longer!"

This passage can be called the best template for "ambiguity", and at the same time it conveys an extremely huge amount of confidence. The media analyzed it for a day and a night, and finally came to these two important conclusions:

1. Jordan is indeed preparing to come back;

2. He hasn’t thought about when he should come back;

Needless to say, this speech allowed him to dominate the list again.

However, this time his traffic did not last too long. The NBA announced the Eastern and Western starting lineups for the 95 All-Star Weekend and the final All-Star "vote leader"!

Following the All-Star Weekend last season, BJ Armstrong became the topic of conversation.

This time during the voting for the All-Star starters, a big topic that set off the United States once again appeared:

Grant Hill!

Just like the original, Hill just entered the league and ignited fans across the United States with his restrained personality and explosive style of play. In the end, he received 128 million votes and became this year's "All-Star vote king", even Meng Lang , also lost to him with 112 million votes, ranking second.

But for Duke, it is definitely a scene that can go down in history.

After all, this is one of the rare times in the NBA that two players from the same university have won first and second place in All-Star votes.

Isn’t it too much to say that this league now belongs to Duke?

The two of them also occupy the two starting spots in the Eastern Conference.

As for the other starting spot at forward, Scottie Pippen secured his starting position with his basic votes.

The center position belongs to Shaquille O'Neal.

And number one...

Belongs to "Penny" Hardaway!

The Magic's backcourt encompasses the "defense line" in the Eastern Conference, which is also rare in NBA history. But Hardaway's style of play is here, and the Magic have 35 "National Live Broadcast" games this season, and it is easy to attract enough fans to vote for him.

and……

Without Jordan, there really aren't any decent defenders in the Eastern Conference right now.

Guards like Reggie Miller are somewhat capable, but because in Indiana, the voting base is still a bit small.

Orlando can be described as a "big harvest". Three players were selected into the "All-Star Starting" lineup at the same time, which also set an NBA record. But if you really want to say it, based on the Magic's record this season, let alone three people being selected as All-Star starters, it is very reasonable for the entire Magic team to be selected as the Eastern All-Star starter. You know, they have only been selected as the All-Stars until now. Just lost 3 games!

Apart from them, the Spurs, who have lost the least, have now lost nearly 10 games.

It shows how fierce the Magic's momentum is this season.

In addition, their playing style is already very gorgeous, so in this fan's festival, they are naturally more popular.

The starting lineup for the Western Conference is:

Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shawn Kemp, Dan Mulley, Latrell Sprewell;

Except for the Suns, which has two players selected, other teams have only one player selected at most.

The Spurs are a bit miserable. They are currently No. 1 in the Western Conference, but no player has been selected as an All-Star starter.

Of course, the main reason is that Olajuwon and Barkley are too popular, which makes David Robinson, the Spurs' only capable general, obviously without any cards. Popovich cried out for his disciples: "This city has not been treated correctly. We have been sitting at the top position in the Western Conference for so long, but everyone is paying more attention to other people!"

Unfortunately, this call did not receive much support.

In fact, it’s not just the Spurs that are miserable in the Western Conference...

The second-ranked Jazz also did not have any players selected into the starting lineup.

Fortunately, after the bench lineup came out, Karl Malone and Stockton were selected as the final Western Conference All-Star bench as in previous years. This brings their number of All-Star players to two.

The tragedy belongs to the Spurs. After Popovich's speech, they still only have one player selected for the All-Star bench, and that is David Robinson.

This is probably the most shameless first place in the Western Conference in the eyes of fans in NBA history!

Well, this may also be related to the image of David Robinson as a "natural coward". He is called the "Admiral", but he is the softest guy in this era and the least able to fight hard battles. Such a player How can you create a good impression in the minds of fans?

The Spurs' base is already small, so no one is willing to vote for them!

How miserable it is to be number one in the West, but how glorious it is to be number one in the East.

In addition to three players selected for the All-Star starting lineup, the Magic also had one player selected for the bench lineup, and that was "Cobra" Grant.

After chasing for more than half a season, Grant finally has an identity that is on par with the Magic's "LV" combination. Of course, if Meng Lang and the other three introduced themselves as "All-Star starters," then he would really have no temper at all!

It is a pity that Anderson was not selected for the All-Star bench. It may be because his averages of 13.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game are indeed a bit far behind. It may also be that the league gives a team the maximum number of All-Star players, which is only 4!

There has never been a "five-star lineup" in the history of the NBA and in the future.

The only exception was when the Warriors acquired Russell through a trade. He became an All-Star player with the Nets and formed a "five-star lineup" with the Warriors' original "Four Kings." It's just that the ending was not very good due to extensive injuries and season reimbursement.

In addition to Grant, Joe Dumars was also selected to the Eastern Conference All-Star bench.

Oddly enough, the Pistons are only ranked tenth in the Eastern Conference, but two players were selected to the All-Star bench.

In addition, this is not an isolated case this year. The Philadelphia 76ers are ranked second to last in the Eastern Conference, but Dana Burrows, the core of the team in the new season, was also selected to the All-Star lineup. Is it possible that being selected for the All-Stars in this era is more about statistics than the team's performance?

Looking at Barros's data again, he averaged 20.6 points and 7.5 assists per game. Well... In an era like this, even trying to get such data is not an easy thing. And Barros is only 1 meters tall, which makes him even more valuable!

(End of this chapter)