NBA: The Basketball Miracle

The All-Star Weekend in Oakland left Starks disappointed.

The "road to home" was more difficult than he had imagined.

Starks did not like the Bay Area.

He missed his life in New York and liked the atmosphere of the Knicks.

In New York, he had the support of old fans and everyone in the team gave him face.

In the Warriors, Starks felt that he had lost and no one among the new players was willing to listen to him.

Antawn Jamison was the future of the Warriors.

Starks, who was at the end of his career, was not in the team's plan.

On February 13, the last day of the All-Star Weekend, near noon, when Lee was still attending a sponsor's event, Ewing and Oakley also had a small gathering at Starks' home.

Not far from the Oakland Arena, Starks rented an apartment.

His wife and children were in New York, and he did not consider this place as his home.

"Just as I expected, Grunfeld will not trade with the Warriors at all."

"Even if it's a draft pick, the team will not give up the current lineup. Unless the Warriors trade to Dudley, there's no chance of this happening."

Oakley sat back in his chair and drank coffee.

He had been training hard these two days and could only rely on this thing to stay awake.

Dudley's playing time was reduced and his salary was 7.1 million US dollars.

No team was willing to take over.

Even if the Knicks were willing to give up their draft picks, there was still no chance of this happening.

Ewing was in high spirits at this time.

He was old and fell asleep in the middle of the night last night.

The gorilla hopes to see his old friend return to the Knicks.

Currently, most of the team members are new faces:

"It's a good thing that John returns to the team. Kukoc is also unstable. It's better for our own people to work hard for the team!"

Kukoc, who came from the Bulls, was not very popular in the Knicks.

And Kukoc, who won the championship, was not interested in getting close to the old guys.

Even a fool knows who is the future of the team.

The outdated Ewing can't scare Kukoc.

Oakley didn't say anything more.

Since he knew that the Warriors were going to trade Starks, Ewing didn't receive a call, and there was no news in the media.

The old guy knew that Lee must have said "No".

The General Manager would communicate with the core players. If Lee didn't nod, the deal was unlikely to happen.

The three of them actually knew this in their hearts.

Until now, Starks hasn't received any notice, and the result is self-evident.

Talking about the championship hurts feelings.

Everyone didn't make it clear, and it was also for the sake of meeting each other in the future.

Looking at Ewing's round and fat face, Starks sighed secretly.

Big Brother is outdated:

"Maybe it will take some time, but I don't have much hope. The Knicks will win the championship this year."

"."

Vince Carter once again proved his talent to the world through his wonderful dunk.

Before the All-Star Game started, Carter had already absorbed all the heat.

In the 1998 New York All-Star, because the dunk contest was too boring, the league finally cancelled this individual event at the suggestion of fans.

This year's dunk contest made everyone feel the passion they hadn't felt for a long time.

It's not that the individual events are bad, but the players in recent years have been lagging behind!

On the evening of the 13th, the All-Star Game was about to begin.

After the fan activities in the afternoon, several newcomers who participated in the All-Star Game for the first time also became familiar to everyone.

Grant Hill was still polite and chatted with everyone in the locker room.

Mutombo, who had already tied his feet and changed into his Hawks jersey, was still praising Carter's performance in the dunk contest:

"I swear to God, your dunk is definitely not inferior to Michael Jordan, it's so exciting, this is definitely the most exciting dunk contest in recent years!"

Mourning also supported his big brother and joked:

"It's hard to imagine that there will be players who will surpass this dunk contest in the future. I will keep the video and watch it twice when I have time!"

Carter, who is not a ostentatious person, just accepted the praise with a smile.

On the other side, Reggie Miller was still pretending to be cool and making sarcastic remarks:

"This year's three-point contest was really ugly. Maybe I should agree to the league's request!"

Everyone can make a hindsight comment, and everyone laughed.

Only Iverson's face turned black and he pursed his lips without saying anything.

He was angry at Miller.

Clay Lee and Larry Bird heard everyone's laughter when they returned to the locker room after being interviewed by NBC reporter Jim Gray.

Lee smiled and fist-bumped everyone, then smiled and said:

"The strongest frontcourt in history, seriously, we are in trouble!"

Larry Bird hadn't spoken yet, Reggie Miller immediately took over:

"Strengthen your shooting, if you can't make the shot, you will lose, and we are likely to lose the rebounds."

Several newbies didn't speak to express their opinions.

There is no real No. 4 position in the starting lineup of the Eastern Conference.

There is a huge disadvantage in height.

After all, Alonzo Mourning is a short center, and the opponent has three tall people.

It is really difficult for the starting lineup to withstand the opponent's low-post attack.

Larry Bird will not say discouraging words.

He clapped his hands and encouraged simply:

"Play to our strengths, and the big guys on the opposite side can't stop us!"

The Oakland Arena was packed tonight.

This year's All-Star Game halftime show is more down-to-earth, and some big-name singers were invited.

Country music Martina McBride, rapper LL Cool J, Montel Jordan, Mary J. Blige.

Def Jam Records is also in New York, but Lee really can't appreciate some of these rapper due to era diffrence.

Lee favourite is still foul-mouthed Eminem.

He only had a nodding acquaintance with New York's hip-hop artists.

Many people buy tickets not only to watch the game, but also to watch the halftime show.

When the players of both teams came on the court, in addition to the DJ on the scene shouting, there were also cheerleaders on both sides to act as the atmosphere group.

When introducing Lee, the last player to enter for the Eastern Conference All-Star, there was a clear difference from other players:

"The youngest MVP in the NBA, two-time FMVP winner, 6 feet 4 inches tall, from the New York Knicks — Clay Lee!"

"Wow!"

Hearing these titles and cheers, the Western All-Star starters all lost their smiles.

Wearing a New York Knicks blue practice uniform, Clay Lee entered with a smile, high-fived the Eastern Conference All-Star players, and then stood at the very back of the line.

After the singing segment ended, the atmosphere in the American Airlines Arena became even more heated.

While both teams' players were warming up, the director frequently focused the camera on their core players.

The "strongest frontcourt in history" received much attention.

Magic Johnson, who was occasionally chatting and laughing with friends courtside, was also particularly eye-catching.

At the NBC commentary booth, Doug Collins was still praising the Western Conference All-Star's frontcourt combination:

"If a team had this kind of frontcourt combination, I even think they could achieve what the Celtics achieved back then!"

"Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan will make the paint impenetrable. Even if you get past those two, Shaquille O'Neal is still under the basket."

"Kidd and Kobe on the perimeter are also excellent defensive backcourt combinations. This lineup is just too perfect!"

Bob Costas, looking at the significantly shorter Eastern Conference All-Star, could only offer words of encouragement:

"Clay Lee and Allen Iverson will definitely respond on offense, but their defensive impact is too small."

"As for Carter and Grant, unfortunately, they really can't handle big men. The physical disparity is too great."

"But I believe the Eastern Conference All-Star team will play beautiful offense!"

As the referee motioned for both teams' players to come to center court, the cheers from the crowd grew louder and louder.

Shaq, seeing Mourning on the opposite side, couldn't help but reveal a confident smile.

During the tip-off, he easily tapped the ball to his own half-court.

Kidd gained control of the ball and quickly advanced it.

He came to the left wing, and Lee symbolically led the Defense.

Shaq crossed half-court and immediately demanded the ball with his back to the basket in the left low post.

After receiving Kidd's pass, he put the ball down with his right hand and arched a step towards the basket, pushing past Mourning, and easily scored with a floater.

Phil Jackson watched the retreating Shaq with a chuckle.

His mission tonight was to give the AMVP trophy to Shaq.

In the Eastern Conference All-Star backcourt, Clay Lee and Allen Iverson both wore white home jerseys, and "fully armed," they both wore white armbands.

On the opposite side, Kidd and Kobe wore elbow pads, still in Michael Jordan's classic attire.

When all the young players hadn't achieved much, everyone might have been laughing and joking, playing an exhibition game, but this All-Star Game was different.

Kidd's lead defense wasn't half-hearted at all.

Only Mourning was under the basket, everyone else spread out, quickly taking positions beyond the three-point line.

Lee, holding the ball with his left hand at the top of the arc, suddenly lost his footing after slowing down, then quickly performed a "scissor step" before suddenly lunging forward and accelerating.

The flashy move immediately drew a gasp from the crowd.

Kidd quickly slid backward to the right.

As their bodies collided, Lee immediately stopped short, powerfully dribbled the ball on the spot, and then quickly changed direction with a crossover.

Near the free-throw line, Kidd was first caught off guard by Lee's forceful ball-handling arm.

When he tried to slide and adjust his center of gravity, Lee had already driven past him with a shoulder drop.

In the blink of an eye, he was already charging into the paint with three big steps.

Shaq, closest to the basket, quickly shuffled his feet and jumped up to help defend.

However, Lee's breakthrough was too fast, and his takeoff spot was too close to the basket.

Shaq, unable to fully jump, found that after the mid-air collision, Lee had the ball in his right hand and easily evaded his block.

Amidst the fans' second gasp, Lee twisted slightly in the air, completely evading the block, and with a contorted body, he tossed the ball towards the backboard with his right hand!

"Screech!"

The whistle blew, and the ball went in.

After a high bank shot, the basketball accurately dropped into the hoop.

The beautiful shot immediately made the Oakland Arena erupt.

On the bench, Dikembe Mutombo immediately stood up, leading everyone in continuous applause and loud cheers.

Having committed a foul early on, Shaq didn't complain to the referee.

He just watched Lee smile and close his eyes to make the free throw. He was so angry that he cursed secretly.

Oakley and Ewing, sitting in the front row, both grinned widely.

This had almost become a fixed routine for the New York Knicks to mock Shaq!

The fans also joined in with loud jeers.

No one liked to see both sides tacitly padding their stats.

Doug Collins, at the commentary table, also laughed loudly.

Seeing Shaq actively demand the ball, he immediately said loudly:

"It seems Shaq is going to exert himself early. If there's no double-team, this isn't good news for Mourning."

Although Lee tried his best to interfere with Kidd, who had come to the right wing, and Mourning also cooperated with a half-front defense, Shaq suddenly made a nimble move towards the basket, and Kidd smoothly delivered a lob pass.

Receiving the ball in a deep position, Mourning had no way to stop him.

He watched Shaq grab the ball with his left hand and directly threw down a powerful arm-swinging dunk!

"Boom!"

The rim rattled loudly from Shaquille O'Neal's pull, showing the immense power of the dunk.

Lee had taken all the glory, and Mourning, who was almost posterized, let out a long sigh of frustration.

Soon, the two teams displayed completely different playing styles.

Clay Lee and Allen Iverson could drive and pass, while Vince Carter and Grant Hill had incredible athleticism, leading the Eastern Conference All-Star team to a series of alley-oop dunks!

The Western Conference All-Star team, now fully serious, frequently fed the ball to the paint, as their shorter forwards couldn't withstand Duncan's Shock.

Meanwhile, Kevin Garnett continuously crashed the offensive boards, suppressing the Eastern Conference All-Star's transition offense.

The game was full of tension, and a frustrated Mourning even fouled Shaquille O'Neal when he was trying to establish position.

Lee cut in from the 45-degree angle to the left, and before even reaching the restricted area, he immediately passed the ball towards the upper right of the rim.

Vince Carter, who had cut along the baseline first, jumped up, caught the ball in the air, and easily completed a reverse two-handed dunk!

"Wow!"

The fans were still cheering loudly when Jason Kidd quickly inbounded the ball, and Kobe Bryant received it on the right wing, taking a step-through drive.

Facing Allen Iverson's Defense, he casually tossed the ball directly in front of the rim.

The cutting Kevin Garnett also leaped high, caught the ball with both hands in the air, and immediately slammed it down with force!

The two sides went back and forth, with no one attempting three-pointers.

The players understood that fans preferred dunks and crossovers, so the defensive intensity slightly decreased, and everyone took turns showing off.

The game tempo was extremely fast; even though the Western Conference All-Star team had three big men, all three could keep up with the pace.

At the 6:56 mark of the first quarter, Phil Jackson called the first timeout, and the rotation players began to enter the game.

The turning point of the game also began to appear at this time, as the rotation players who entered the game for the Eastern Conference All-Star team, including Reggie Miller and Glenn Robinson, kept clanking shots.

The Western Conference All-Star team still had a bunch of big men on the court:

David Robinson, Karl Malone, and Rasheed Wallace were all there, while Stockton and Gary Payton were in the backcourt.

Clay Lee, who had already returned to the bench, felt a bit helpless watching the opposing big men run fast breaks like tigers.

Grant Hill was very open-minded about the outcome of the game.

Noticing that the score had been overtaken, he instead smiled and joked from the bench:

"Big men can also run fast breaks; this year, the opposing lineup perfectly counters us."

"In terms of running and jumping ability, they don't lose to us by too much, Lee, just enjoy the game!"

Lee shook his head helplessly.

Allen Iverson, who was beside him, also didn't want to lose the game, so he suggested loudly:

"Let's play faster, and in the later parts of the game, add some three-pointers, just like Reggie Miller said, as long as we can make them, we can still win against our opponents."

Reggie Miller's suggestion was good, but he was the first to start clanking shots after entering the game.

By the end of the first quarter, the score was set at 28:34, with the Western Conference All-Star leading by 6 points.

Karl Malone and Stockton were just there for the ride, but David Robinson, Chris Webber, and Rasheed Wallace, these three big men, had no intention of holding back.

Michael Finley was also highly motivated, and Gary Payton was still thinking about giving Clay Lee a tough time.

Dikembe Mutombo was overwhelmed, and the Eastern Conference All-Star team had too few big men, quickly being completely dominated by their opponents.

Beautiful basketball sometimes cannot win games, and Clay Lee and Allen Iverson's fancy passes sometimes couldn't be converted into points.

The game was exciting, but as the opponent started grabbing the defensive rebounds, Lee knew that tonight would likely be a loss.

Missed shots would likely lead to the opponent consistently scoring, and in the end, the big men of the Western Conference All-Star team had the last laugh in this lively All-Star Game.

With a score of 131:137, the Eastern Conference All-Star team, failing to close the gap, regrettably lost the game.

Tim Duncan had 24 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, and 2 turnovers on 12-of-15 shooting.

Shaquille O'Neal had 22 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks, and 4 turnovers on 11-of-20 shooting.

When Commissioner David Stern announced that the two would share this year's All-Star Game MVP, smiles appeared on both Duncan's and Shaquille O'Neal's faces.

After jointly holding the trophy, Shaquille O'Neal, in high spirits, started showing off again:

"My goal this year is the other two trophies; the All-Star Game trophy, I can give it to Tim Duncan!"

"..."

Playing 26 minutes, Clay Lee still delivered an efficient performance with 28 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 2 turnovers on 10-of-16 shooting, 3-of-6 from three-point range, and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.

Also playing 26 minutes, Allen Iverson had 24 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers on 9-of-16 shooting, 2-of-3 from three-point range, and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.

Watching the crowd of people engage in commercial praise, Allen Iverson felt a bit envious and suddenly whispered to Clay Lee beside him:

"Shit! With a little more playing time, we could have won the game!"

Tim Duncan on the opposing team played 35 minutes, and Shaquille O'Neal also played 31 minutes.

Phil Jackson did not practice egalitarianism like the Eastern Conference All-Star team.

Clay Lee shrugged his shoulders; it was an exhibition game, and everyone was giving Larry Bird face:

"We just couldn't make our shots; if we had made a few more three-pointers, the game would have been completely different!"

After the All-Star Game, all the commentators changed their tone:

"Athletic big men are the future of the league!"

The Los Angeles media even went on a frenzy praising Shaq's performance:

"Shaquille O'Neal's era is about to arrive!"

No one would doubt this statement.

Regardless of the team's win-loss record, O'Neal's dominance in the paint was currently the best in the league.

On Valentine's Day, February 14th, local sports media in Oakland suddenly "unearthed" the Golden State Warriors' planned trade.

New York fans, busy celebrating the holiday, didn't forget to gossip.

Upon hearing the news that Starks had a chance to return to the New York Knicks, some old fans were very excited.

General Manager Grunfeld immediately issued a statement after seeing the news:

"The team has no plans to change the lineup. Currently, the New York Knicks are getting into their stride, and there is good chemistry among the players."

After giving a clear answer, some old fans were dissatisfied, and some tabloids also followed up with gossip:

"Lee prevented this trade and John had a chance to go home."

Old fans who valued sentimentality also had some complaints about this, mainly because Kukoc's performance in the first half of the season was not stable enough.

Players who haven't joined the team are always the best; that's the fans' view.

On the TNT program, the unfulfilled three-way trade was also discussed, with Kenny Smith believing that the New York Knicks made the right choice:

"Perhaps some fans still expect Starks to become the team's best Sixth Man again."

"But I believe the management made the correct choice. The New York Knicks currently need big men!"

Mike Fratello also discussed the trade from a coach's perspective:

"Kukoc can enrich the New York Knicks' tactical play. Head Coach Van Gundy has already designed several tactics for him, and so far, the results have been very good."

"As a pivot point, Kukoc is the most suitable player for the New York Knicks under current conditions."

Ernie Johnson flipped through the documents in his hand and then asked with a smile:

"How about the draft picks? Scouts have given very high evaluations for the 2000 NBA draft!"

Kenny Smith immediately shook his head.

He had also won a championship with the Houston Rockets and deeply understood the New York Knicks' recent situation:

"I don't think Starks' current physical condition can support the New York Knicks' bench offense."

"There are no other complex reasons. From a basketball perspective, this is the most correct decision!"

"..."

In the afternoon, as the news spread, more rumors claimed that it was Lee who said "no."

The sudden revelation of the news slightly damaged Lee's reputation, and some small media outlets labeled Lee as "ruthless."

The trade not only affected the Golden State Warriors and the New York Knicks but also the 76ers.

Larry Hughes naturally felt uneasy knowing he was on the trading block.

Business is business.

Players will all face such situations.

In the All-Star Game, Kobe Bryant performed adequately, but the Los Angeles media went on a frenzy praising him:

"Kobe Bryant has grown into a first-class guard in the league!"

Shaquille O'Neal, who won the AMVP, also couldn't hold back and started making statements upon returning to Los Angeles:

"In the second half of the season, the Lakers will continue to exert effort, and I will get my MVP!"

"As for the championship, the team will not disappoint the fans! We already have enough talent, and we also have the best Head Coach in the league!"

"..."

No matter how the outside world's opinions changed, Lee remained very low-key during his rare vacation.

He was quietly making a fortune, since the end of January, Lee had been continuously selling off his remaining stocks.

The media couldn't get interviews with Lee, while Ewing and Oakley kept making polite remarks.

On the evening of February 16th, the New York media finally saw a smiling Lee in the locker room.

Larry Johnson noticed that everyone had surrounded Lee and once again muttered softly:

"Why are there such trade rumors? John's attendance this season has been average, and his efficiency is also very average. Putting sentimentality aside, he is no longer suitable for the current New York Knicks."

"Grandma" didn't intend to go the sentimental route.

With his physical condition declining, he only wanted to win three consecutive championships now.

Allan Houston's performance in the All-Star Game was average, but he didn't care about statistics.

At this moment, he also spoke seriously and quietly:

"At the end of his career, wanting to return to New York is understandable!"

"However, I think the team made the right choice, and I support Lee!"

Kukoc, sitting on the other side of the locker room, had a calm expression, listening to the gossiping group.

No one came to interview him, and it seemed no one cared about his feelings.

As everyone went to the players' tunnel, preparing to make their official entrance, Lee chuckled, patted Kukoc, and comforted him:

"Toni, don't mind those trade rumors; everyone believes in your strength!"

Kukoc smiled, feeling a bit better, and then also promised:

"In the second half of the season, I will do my best!"

....

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