Chapter 412: The American Basketball League with Circles Everywhere
The All-Star Weekend in New Orleans lasted for three days, and the arrangement of the games was the same as in previous years. The difference was that in this year's All-Star Weekend, although Gui was the ticket king, Lin Yu was the one who dominated the whole process.
In the early morning of the first day, Lin Yu took off from New York and arrived in New Orleans near noon.
After a simple meal, he immediately participated in a community service officially organized by the league.
Lin Yu arrived early. When he arrived, the staff told him that he had a partner. Before he could ask who his partner was, the fans watching at the scene cheered and started making noises.
"CP3! CP3! CP3!"
"..."
From a distance, Lin Yu saw his partner, Chris Paul, who was wearing sunglasses and holding a Shar-Pei.
"Isn't this guy too popular?" Lin Yu shook his head secretly. With the arrival of Paul, the atmosphere at the scene immediately became heated, and he became sour.
Amanda Gray stood next to Lin Yu and told Lin Yu: "This is New Orleans, even Michael Jordan can't compare to CP3."
Lin Yu nodded: "I know, I just sighed."
This year's Paul's status in the New Orleans area is comparable to that of Cleveland's James. The root cause is because the Hornets' performance this year was so good. They rushed to the top of the Western Conference early in the season. By the middle of the season, they even
Launched an impact on the No. 1 throne in the Western Conference.
Paul's personal performance is even more impressive, averaging 21.1 points, 11.3 assists and 2.7 steals per game, ranking first in the league's assists and steals list.
Under his leadership, the Hornets were promoted from the lottery last season to the favorites for the championship this season, and he himself has become a strong contender for the regular season MVP this season.
When it comes to being a strong contender for MVP this season, Lin Yu wants to say that he used to be too.
Part of the reason why James' mentality exploded during the period when the Cavaliers had the best record was that Lin Yu was ranked ahead of James in many articles predicting this season's MVP.
But he was not the first one. It was Kobe who led the Lakers to make progress this season. Then there was Paul who gradually walked up to Lin Yu and gave Lin Yu a big hug.
Lin Yu has always been ranked outside the top two because he was divided by votes from James on the same team.
After leaving the Cavaliers, although the Knicks' poor record was not caused by him, the media gradually ignored Lin Yu, who had no playoffs to play in.
James also failed to successfully impact the top two due to the Cavaliers' record decline. It can be said that at this stage of the season, the MVP competition is between Kobe and Paul.
In his previous life, Kobe relied on a direct duel between the Lakers and the Hornets to secure his MVP trophy with one victory. Lin Yu had no idea how this time and space would end.
After all, his little butterfly has gradually evolved into a hurricane.
At the event, Lin Yu's thoughts drifted into the distance, then quickly brought them back. After hugging Paul, the two chatted for a few words, and then devoted all their energy to this community service activity.
The task of the event is very simple. Behind them is a Catholic church that has been abandoned for many reasons. During these days of being abandoned, the church was occupied by a group of homeless people and drug addicts. The interior was chaotic and dirty.
, no one manages it.
Because the neighborhood was suddenly transformed, the church also attracted attention.
Volunteers began to clean up the church, and people like Lin Yu, who had become rich because of basketball, were naturally caught.
Lin Yu's task was simple: wipe the church floor that had been initially cleaned.
Lin Yu, who is familiar with American culture, knows very well that this is different from some domestic activities. This is not just a formality, but a real fight.
So, more than two hours later, with the help of many volunteers, the church floor finally began to shine, and Lin Yu and Paul's mission was completed.
"Huh, what do the alliance think? Let us big guys clean the floor. My waist is almost useless..."
Lin Yu shook off the towel that was completely stained black in his hand and couldn't help but complain.
Paul smiled, did not respond, then raised his head and changed the topic to another side: "Are you going to the game tonight?"
Lin Yu shook his head. The game in the evening was just a star game and a rookie game. It was really not interesting. He would not go there, and if there were no other invitations, he would stay in the hotel to rest.
Of course, when Paul asked this question, Lin Yu immediately understood that he was about to receive an invitation.
"Then come with me later."
Paul didn't explain where he was going to take Lin Yu, or what specific arrangements he had, and Lin Yu didn't ask. This group of NBA upstarts get together during holidays or All-Star Weekend, and it's just a few things.
Doing things, playing cards, drinking, surrounded by all kinds of girls...
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Paul took Lin Yu to the seaside of New Orleans, and then boarded a large yacht. The yacht was already filled with black and white girls wearing various bikinis.
Lin Yu was used to this kind of very exciting environment. He had a lot of fun and soon met Wade, Anthony, Bosh, and James who came later...
"Another gathering of the Pan-03 generation. This time, let us welcome the newcomer, Ben Gordon!"
Ben Gordon was brought in by James. This guy was the third overall pick in the 2004 draft. He can barely be considered one of the core members of the Pan-03 generation. It seems that James is very satisfied with his new teammate.
When he reunited with James, Lin Yu acted very calmly, and so did James. It seemed that the two of them were not the ones who fought in the first half of the season.
But Lin Yu knew very well that everything was just as normal on the surface, and secretly, there was still some competition between the two.
For example, during the party, several people present mentioned the recent performance of their team and themselves. It was Anthony who brought up this topic first.
The reason why Anthony talked about this topic is because the conflict between him and Allen Iverson is gradually being revealed.
"Qiqi (Vandeweghe) intends to make changes, but he should wait until the season is over. From this point of view, the playoffs will be the key."
Then, Lin Yu intervened: "Hey, hey, friends, stop discussing issues related to the playoffs, okay? With this discussion, where do you put me, who is destined to not be able to play in the playoffs this year?
"
Lin Yu's original intention was not to over-discuss this sentence, because it involved conflicts between superstars, and everyone present could not help but look at Lin Yu and James, so Lin Yu wanted to change the topic.
As a result, James suddenly gave Lin Yu a thumbs up: "Ignore the Knicks' previous record. After you went to New York, the Knicks' record is 2 wins and 1 loss, which is already great."
"It's a pity that I won't be able to meet you in this year's playoffs..."
Lin Yu was still smiling, but in his heart he understood what James really wanted to express: after the transaction, he could continue to compete for the O'Brien Cup, while Lin Yu could only go fishing in advance.
fishing?
By the way, fishing!
Lin Yu's eyes suddenly lit up, and everyone present was a little confused.
Lin Yu just smiled and thought about who started fishing first...
And a party that was not particularly harmonious in appearance and heart gradually came to an end and ended with a burst of laughter.
In the miscellaneous competition the next day, Lin Yu did not go to the scene. Instead, he was called by Dayao to gather with Kidd, Carter, and Tracy McGrady, a group of cross-era opponents.
After two gatherings, Lin Yu discovered that NBA stars also have circles.
For example, the circle between him and James, Wade, Anthony, and Paul, which is said to be the pan-03 generation circle, actually still lacks a core like Dwight Howard.
Lin Yu knew that Howard also had his own circle. His best playmates were Josh Smith and Nine-fingered Gerald Green.
In addition, Lin Yu and Dayao were in the same circle. Although they got together with Kidd, Carter, and Tracy McGrady, it was just a makeshift gathering.
Lin Yu knew that Dayao and McGrady couldn't pee in the same pot.
"There are circles everywhere. Looking at it this way, it's not easy to stick together..."