The Pope of Basketball Community

The cold in Denver made Yang Rui want to go home as soon as he left the airport.

The Nuggets' Pepsi Center is 1,606 meters above sea level, on the edge of the Los Angeles Mountains, on the east bank of the South Perrette River, on the Colorado Plateau. How can anyone be in the mood to play in such a harsh environment?

Probably many people think so, so the city's All-Star Weekend atmosphere is the most deserted in several years.

Everyone followed the staff who picked them up and checked into the hotel. Except for the giant portraits of the stars printed on the hotel's curtain wall, there was no sign related to the All-Star Game within a 50-meter radius. Even one of the pedestrians on the road was wearing a jersey. Yes, it’s also the sky blue color of the Nuggets.

The next morning, the weather was good enough for the All-Star Game. The cloudy sky the day before had completely cleared up. Yang Rui called Yao Ming and Ye Li, and asked his bodyguard to rent an extended luxury Lincoln sedan and drive to the western suburbs of Denver. of a steak restaurant.

This restaurant has been introduced in "A Bite of America". The steak and lobster are also good. Due to its remote location, there are not many customers.

The All-Star Weekend in Denver only affected the city center, where hotels, restaurants and nightclubs were overcrowded. Restaurants and shops in other places were experiencing bleak business, and bosses were complaining.

After eating for a while, the two talked about basketball.

Yang Rui smiled and said: "Don't be polite in the All-Star Game. If you have the opportunity, take bold shots. The defense in the All-Star Game is not very strict. I suggest you practice three-pointers during training, and then shoot three-pointers wildly."

Yao Ming was embarrassed. "That's not good?"

"In 1998, Kobe participated in the All-Star Game for the first time. He took the most shots in the Western Conference. He dared to challenge Jordan and the whole world knew him. Now you have to fight for opportunities and show yourself. I will arrange for Nash to play pick-and-roll with you and pass the ball to you. The ball. You're probably going to be facing Iverson's defense."

"If I shoot a lot of three-pointers, won't my teammates have any objections?" Yao Ming said with a wry smile.

Then you shout: "Don't let me pick and roll, I want to duel with O'Neal."

"..."

"It's just a joke, I know you can't shout."

Yao Ming asked: "Aren't you going to arrange tactics for Kobe?"

"Nothing will happen without him this time. The fans will definitely boo when he comes out. Didn't you notice that he is not in any mood? Don't you want to come?"

Because of the Eagle County incident, Denver fans booed Kobe more loudly than any other NBA city. During the last away game, countless fans shouted, and some fans held up "guilty" signs to mock Kobe.

Perhaps Nuggets fans resent not only the Eagle County incident, but also the decisions made by the Nuggets management. In 1996, the Nuggets, holding the No. 10 pick, could have selected Kobe, but then-team president and coach Bernie Bickerstaff believed there were no players worth selecting and traded away the No. 10 pick.

This is probably one of the worst trades in the history of the Nuggets. Not only did they miss Kobe, but they also missed the entire 1996 golden generation. There are many stars behind them. Bickerstaff is absolutely blind.

Ye Li, who accompanied Yao Ming to the Star Weekend, said: "Don't hesitate. Brother Yang is the head coach this time and can help you arrange tactics. You will have no chance in the future. Don't you want to win a few more awards?"

"My brothers and sisters are right. It's good to play as a team in normal times, but in this kind of entertainment game, you should let it go. You can also play fast breaks, dribble the ball through, etc. It doesn't matter if you don't score. You have to show yourself. Your skills will surprise the fans. If you only play for a while and score a few points, the Chinese fans will be disappointed."

"Okay, I'll practice three-pointers. If I encounter a tight defense, will I help pass the ball?" Yao Ming made up his mind. Who doesn't want to be a star among stars? This is your own honor and also brings glory to the country.

"Yes, pass the ball to the cutter and get assists. You also have to wait for opportunities to cut and grab offensive rebounds. The Western Conference has a lineup of big men and has an advantage in the interior, especially when O'Neal is not there. If O'Neal is here, he will He won't come out to interfere with your jump shot."

O'Neal usually doesn't want to guard pick-and-rolls, and he certainly won't leave the penalty area in the All-Star Game. This is a weakness that can be exploited. If the All-Star Game requires hard defense, he probably won't want to participate.

In the afternoon, Yang Rui and the celebrities participated in a community event.

He accepted an exclusive interview with a Chinese reporter and assured Chinese fans in Chinese that Yao Ming would be given enough playing time.

"This is the first time a Chinese player has participated in the All-Star Game, which is of extraordinary significance. I hope Yao Ming performs well. The showdown between Yao and Shark in the All-Star Game will be exciting."

Yang Rui never forgets to promote other players in the team. "Tomorrow's slam dunk contest is also very exciting. Iguodala has prepared new tricks. Fans remember to pay attention and don't miss the exciting scene."

As soon as the news came out, Chinese fans all began to look forward to the star game. Yao Ming has a low-key personality, but everyone has full confidence in Yang Rui.

"What Yang Rui is best at is not leading the team to win, but helping the stars to improve their statistics. Whoever he arranges tactics for will definitely explode."

"I look forward to soaring points in the All-Star Game. If Yao Ming beats O'Neal again, he will be crowned the number one center this year."

"I think O'Neal has been abused by drug addicts. The West must win."

In the evening, the rookie game started first, and the second-year team won easily. Now those who participated in the star game can also participate in the rookie game without conflict. Anthony played at home, scored 31 points and won the MVP.

Last season, David Stern expressed his dissatisfaction that the rookie game had turned into a complete exhibition game. Today, the defense and physical confrontation between the two sides have been significantly strengthened.

In real terms, the 2004 rookies had no power to fight back against the impact of the golden generation.

When the awards were presented, the home fans cheered. Anthony couldn't help but be happy during the interview. "It feels great to be able to win something you want on your home court. He's another highlight on my career resume."

His last bright spot dates back to when he was the NCAA champion and Final Four MVP. This year, Anthony's news is all black spots. If he is not playing at home, he may not be selected.

Moreover, with this award, Yang Rui doesn't have to give face to the home stars during the star game. He specially arranges tactics to help Anthony win the MVP. He is just a substitute and has little popularity.

On Saturday, in the mixed shooting competition, the Suns' trio of Shawn Marion, Tauris, and Dan Marlier took a total of 28 seconds to complete the game, won the championship, and took away a $30,000 prize.

The second event, the Skills Challenge, was another performance time for the Suns players. Nash was worthy of being a super point guard. He shot and passed with ease. He completed the game in just 25.8 seconds and easily won the championship.

In the three-point contest, Mo Williams only scored 13 points and was eliminated in the group stage. He is usually used to running around to catch and shoot, and his shooting percentage is quite high. However, in the three-point contest, he took the ball and shot by himself. The rhythm was different from usual, which affected his feel. This is also the reason why many excellent pitchers perform poorly in the All-Star Game.

Damon Jones reached the finals and scored 18 points to defeat the Mavericks' Joe Johnson to win the championship.

Joe Johnson's three-point shooting percentage was as high as 47.1% in the regular season. He also performed best in the preliminaries, scoring 20 points. However, he lacked luck after entering the finals. He missed the last three flowers and only scored 17 points.

Luck is very important in shooting contests. In Yang Rui's previous life, Stephen Curry was an example. He was invincible in three-pointers. His star weekend performance has been unstable and he only won once.

Finally, the final dunk contest is about to begin.

Yang Rui helped Iguodala think of moves, plagiarized future ideas, followed other people's paths, and left others with no way to go.