Chapter 859: I'm a Die-Hard Fan of Boss Qiao! (11,000 Words)_4

Chapter 859: Chapter 266: I’m a Die-Hard Fan of Boss Qiao! (11,000 Words)_4

“Wow! Boss Qiao! I’m your die-hard fan! Especially your moves in the draft!”

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There’s joy in participating in the All-Star game, and if not participating, there’s a certain ease.

Sitting purely on the sidelines watching others play, Zhang Hao felt quite relaxed and comfortable.

Moreover, if it weren’t for withdrawing and having initially prepared to train more during the All-Star Weekend, he might have missed the chance encounter with Jordan and the one-hour pull-up jumper demonstration by him.

Overall, a total win!

With the “Divine System Pull-up Jumper” bonus, plus a training enhancement card reaching the passing line, there’s no need to worry about the early development of the pull-up jumper.

Training a technique, the hardest part is getting started. Since it can be boosted to a passable level through the training enhancement card, entry is assured. Even if it’s not a perfect fit in the end, with the basics established, transitioning to other techniques becomes smoother.

In this scenario, he can concentrate on how to link techniques like the crossover, pull-up jumper, and direct attacks to the basket… and so on.

On the evening of the 10th, the combined events went as scheduled.

First was the Three-Point Contest.

Dale Ellis, Steve Kerr, Tim Legler, Terry Mills, Sam Perkins, Glenn Rice, John Stockton, and Walter Williams, eight three-point sharpshooters, participated in this competition.

Finally, Steve Kerr beat Terry Mills in the finals, 22 to 15, and claimed the championship of this Three-Point Contest.

Next was the NBA’s attempt at a celebrity match, featuring retired NBA players, current players, amateur basketball stars from the entertainment industry, female basketball players, and athletes from other sports, forming two teams, each with 9 players, for a game.

It was novel, but most fans couldn’t even name all the participants…

The Slam Dunk Contest was, once again, uneventful this year.

Chris Kerr, Michael Finley, Ray Allen, Bob Sura, Darwin Hamm, and Lorenzen Wright competed.

Ultimately, Chris Kerr scored 91 points in the finals with a between-the-legs hand switch dunk and a baseline windmill dunk, defeating Ray Allen and Michael Finley to win the Slam Dunk Contest championship.

If there was anything noteworthy about this year’s combined events day, it’s the fact that the two Kerrs won two championships.

During the broadcast, television commentators discussed whether to eliminate the Slam Dunk Contest segment; female basketball players participating earlier looked pretty promising…

On February 11th, the All-Star Game arrived.

Zhang Hao, Barkley, O’Neal, and the Magician attended with family and friends, and most who had time came to Cleveland to watch the game live.

Everyone looked at the spirited Lakers’ four All-Stars, not knowing where to begin to comment — did these four seem injured?

Nonetheless, the game remained exciting; after the 8 PM start, Payton and Jordan showcased an offensive organization battle.

Stockton and Malone also took the court for a bit of pick-and-roll; not long after, Sloan subbed them out. Stockton played for just 11 minutes, Malone for 9 minutes—both recorded the least playtime among all the All-Stars.

Kenny Anderson and Payton logged the longest minutes among the Western guards, with Payton scoring 7 points and 14 assists, and Kenny Anderson racking up 27 points and 3 assists, both put in great effort.

Jordan also played for a long stretch, totaling 31 minutes, scoring 14 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and dishing out 13 assists. This was because the East’s coach was Pat Riley, head coach of the East’s second-seed Heat… Tim Hardaway only received 14 minutes of playtime.

The game was intense, with Olajuwon, Kemp, Payton, Kenny Anderson, and Richmond sticking it out till the end.

But ultimately, Glenn Rice scored 19 points in the final quarter, helping the Eastern Team secure the game in the last moments, defeating the Western Team 121-113.

With 19 points in the final quarter and a total of 26 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal in the game, Glenn Rice earned this year’s All-Star MVP!

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This year’s All-Star Weekend, although missing the Lakers’ four big stars, was of overall high quality and received great praise.

The Lakers’ four big stars’ withdrawal to create an opportunity for Kenny Anderson to make the All-Star team, though with some negative feedback, also became quite a memorable story.

Meanwhile, thanks to this, Divac, Van Exel, and other alternates who were picked as All-Stars saw their market value rise. The Mavericks’ home game ticket prices also increased since they now had an All-Star player with an appealing playstyle…

The benefits from an All-Star Weekend go far beyond mere game tickets and broadcast revenue sharing.

On the day after the All-Star Game, Zhang Hao, Aprile Clark, and Britney boarded the private jet sent by the team, along with teammates who came to watch and participants Fisher and Kenny Anderson, and flew to Minneapolis, rested for a night, and on February 13th, they were set to commence the second half of the season.

Pierce returned to the University of Kansas last night after the All-Star Game, as he has a game this afternoon. Actually, the University of Kansas had a game on February 8th as well, but Pierce was suspended for two games. He got into a conflict with an opponent during a game on January 29th and was suspended by the NCAA for the February 3rd and February 8th games.

Jerry West, who crafted this lineup, was slightly disappointed about this collective withdrawal by the four All-Stars — he couldn’t see the four-man group he assembled appear on the All-Star Game stage, yet Jeanie Buss and Del Harris were very pleased.