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The return of Itachi
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***
On February 14, 2004, most NBA players had already started their holidays, while those who enjoyed the excitent gathered in Los Angeles.
The Lakers, as the host team, should have been the most popular, but due to their diocre record, their star player Shaq losing his starting spot, and Kobe's legal issues, their popularity inevitably suffered.
During the afternoon photoshoot, Shaq wore a long face, as if everyone owed him millions, remaining silent and refusing interviews throughout.
It wasn't just about the All-Star Ga.
His demand for a big contract also wasn't very successful.
Turning 32 in another month, Shaq would not compromise in the final stage of his career.
This was his last chance to make big money!
This year, the Eastern Conference All-Star team would wear blue jerseys with "EAST" diagonally across the chest, while the Western Conference would wear white jerseys.
Both teams had the sa style and uniform.
Shaq was definitely a veteran, but he hadn't secured a starting spot for two consecutive years, which naturally made him lose face.
In contrast, Kevin Garnett called everyone "Bro," greeted reporters warmly, and constantly smiled, making it clear to everyone that this MVP candidate was in high spirits.
During the photoshoot at Staples Center, Kevin Garnett seed to be on his ho court, taking Shaq's place and rallying the Western Conference All-Stars.
Noticing that several people had long faces, Kevin Garnett seed displeased with their expressions, clapped his hands, and said loudly:
"Smile, guys! Tim, smile, don't be so serious!"
Yao Ming was simply nervous, while Steve Francis smiled happily.
The San Antonio Spurs had a 35-18 record before the All-Star Ga, and Duncan was suppressed by Kevin Garnett, so he naturally couldn't smile at this mont.
Among the reserves, Sam Cassell supported Kevin Garnett, showing a brilliant smile, though the alien's appearance wasn't great, and he looked better with a long face.
Peja, Dirk Nowitzki, Andrei Kirilenko, and Brad Miller were just along for the ride, and Ray Allen maintained a serious face, so none of them smiled.
As for Shaq, his face clearly showed displeasure.
He still had to take more photos with Yao Ming, and Shaq always felt this was an insult to him.
Kevin Garnett helplessly realized that his teammates seed to be in low spirits, and few people paid attention to him.
"Jealousy is useless!"
With no one cooperating, Kevin Garnett simply entertained himself, standing in the center with a brilliant smile, and making funny faces while holding the ball during his solo photo.
Finally, when Kevin Garnett and Sam Cassell took a photo with Head Coach Saunders, their mouths almost stretched to the back of their heads.
He felt like he had beco the protagonist of this All-Star Weekend.
On the Eastern Conference All-Star side, everyone was happy except for Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, and Tracy McGrady, who were in low spirits.
Jason Kidd rarely secured a starting spot, and although he brought his family to Los Angeles for this All-Star Weekend, it couldn't dampen his good mood.
New York Knicks players occupied most of the All-Star spots, so everyone naturally gathered together to take photos happily and enjoy the mont.
Although Baron Davis was always getting beaten up, he was never as arrogant as Allen Iverson and had long beco a Clay Lee fan.
The bearded man enjoyed this year's All-Star Weekend and specifically asked the photographer to take a separate photo of him and Clay Lee.
As Lee sat down holding the ball, Davis made a crown gesture beside him, while loudly exclaiming:
"At the end of this season, the greatest player in history will be Clay!"
Everyone joined in the commotion, and Lee was montarily amused and helpless, shaking his head and saying:
"I'm only 26, don't make
sound 36. I'm still a young player!"
Allen Iverson watched from the side, his eye twitching slightly.
He couldn't stand everyone's flattery, and after finishing his solo photo, he remained silent.
Ron Artest, who successfully squeezed out Pierce to be selected for the All-Star, was particularly excited and didn't care about the sowhat silent Western Conference All-Star team, grinning broadly and enthusiastically saying:
"The All-Star Gas in the past few years have been too soft. This year, as long as I'm on the court, I'll give it my all. I'll help Lee win the award!"
Grant Hill followed suit, posing for photos with a happy smile.
The loudly shouting Ron Artest was eventually glared at by Shaq.
As the host, he should have started and won awards.
After days of constant provocation, Shaq was about to lose it.
Vince Carter and Nike had so disputes about his shoes, and he had been playing passively recently.
What bothered him even more was his relationship with the Toronto Raptors.
Despite being selected for the All-Star Ga, Vince Carter, still injured, remained in low spirits.
Ben Wallace also joined in the fun, pulling Lee and a few others for a New York Knicks team photo.
"Big Ben" had accumulated honors in recent years, and although he still disliked Ron Artest, the two were united in such group activities:
"Lee should have won the award last year. With us here this year, I think the league can present the award early!"
Letting his hair down, the bushy-haired Ben Wallace started showing off after the photo, shouting that he would win the ga and get Lee a trophy.
Kobe heard several players from the Eastern Conference boasting wildly, predicting the AMVP, and his smile beca even more forced.
Nike, who had intended to switch teams, had gone silent after the legal issues, and with sponsors terminating contracts and coaches and teammates starting to dislike him, Kobe's popularity declined, and he remained very subdued during the photoshoot on his ho court.
Head Coach Carlisle didn't care about the players' words.
After taking two photos with Jermaine O'Neal, he chatted with Flip Saunders.
For this All-Star Weekend, both Head Coaches could just sit back and relax.
After both teams finished their photos, Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki greeted each other.
Both were international players, and having faced each other repeatedly in European competitions in recent years, they had so common topics.
After interviews, everyone could go their separate ways.
There was still the Rookie Challenge in the evening, which was free ti.
Yao Ming still had to participate in the evening ga and stayed by Steve Francis's side at this ti.
Many chinese sports dia personnel also ca.
Recently, Yao Ming won the "Shaq-Yao" showdown and secured a starting spot in the All-Star Ga over Shaq, and this victory boosted everyone's confidence significantly.
After satisfying so staff mbers' requests for photos, Lee also greeted Yao Ming, perhaps due to his previous life:
"Enjoy the ga, don't mind the dia reports, and even less the emotions of Los Angeles fans. Winners are not welco here."
Shaq, the host, had his starting spot taken, and the Los Angeles sports dia wouldn't say anything good, already being sarcastic before the All-Star Weekend began.
Yao Ming still cared a lot about these external evaluations, and Lee knew that he often surfed the internet, so he would definitely be booed during tonight's ga, so he naturally reminded him.
After hearing the theory of the "Basketball Capitalist," although Yao Ming didn't change his own views, he gradually got used to Arican basketball culture:
"I know! I haven't read the newspapers lately!"
...
Before dinner, Lee returned to his apartnt in Westwood.
Scarlett chose to stay here, mainly because it was close to UCLA and convenient for shopping.
The safety of this neighborhood was actually not very good.
In '88, there was even a gang shootout here.
After many years of revitalization, this area still declined, in contrast to the recent construction boom around Staples Center, where so high-end residential projects attracted more wealthy people.
When he returned to the apartnt, Hunter opened the door for Lee, looking sowhat dejected, seemingly annoyed by his sister's nagging.
Clothes were strewn everywhere, and Scarlett, while gesturing in front of the mirror, loudly complained about her brother's girlfriend:
"That bitch wanted a gift just because you touched her hand once. Who does she think she is?"
"Are you very rich?! Why don't you find a girlfriend in New York and co to Los Angeles to be scamd?"
The girl in the oversized T-shirt seed to get angrier the more she thought about it, throwing her clothes aside and turning to punch her brother.
Giving away her own things, Scarlett was clearly infuriated.
Lee embraced the girl, and although Hunter had grown to 190 cm, he still couldn't help but hide on the sofa:
"I only gave her a brooch…"
Scarlett waved her fists, huffing and puffing.
In recent years, she had casually swiped her card, and the items she bought were never cheap.
That little bitch sold the gift as soon as she received it, and Scarlett was naturally furious when she heard about it.
"Go start the car! I need to change. Don't let
hear about that bitch again!"
Not giving Lee a chance to speak, the young woman scolded her brother away.
There are many gold diggers in Hollywood, and charming rich n is their specialty.
Hunter was still too young and couldn't handle it.
He was tricked by "true love" after less than two months in Los Angeles.
Lee caressed the young woman's curly hair, helped her take off her T-shirt, and said jokingly:
"You weren't angry yesterday. Actually, being tricked a few tis is quite good. It's a lesson learned."
With her fair skin and so red marks on her chest, Scarlett didn't feel shy.
Instead, she puffed out her chest and said dejectedly, "Those reporters will laugh at us when they get the news. I even suspect they did it on purpose!"
Lee supported her waist, looked at her in the mirror, helped the young woman put on her bra, and then chose a white, vintage-cut shirt.
After comparing it, he also chose a pair of beige casual pants.
Lee nodded, which gave him the feeling of a real-life action figure.
Scarlett giggled as she changed her clothes.
Lee then fastened her belt.
Looking at the beautiful girl in the mirror, with her contradictory blend of youthfulness and maturity, he couldn't help but nod again.
The young woman twisted her body in front of the mirror, very satisfied with her current look.
She turned and threw herself into Lee's arms, kissing him passionately again.
They often played this little ga.
The girls would often buy clothes for Lee and dress him themselves, which could enhance their relationship.
A passionate kiss made the young woman's breathing quicken.
Clay Lee held her, and seemingly discovered sothing else, turned and picked up a lipstick.
Seeing her tilt her pretty face, he carefully applied it:
"You look stunning tonight!"
Hearing the complint, Scarlett hooked Lee's arm with a smile, looked at herself in the mirror, and imdiately said happily:
"Tonight, I'll outshine those two big singers!"
The main reason for dressing up so exquisitely was that Beyoncé, a "winning fan," would also be watching the ga with them tonight.
After going solo, Beyoncé achieved great success at this year's Grammy Awards.
For this Los Angeles All-Star Ga, this popular singer was also the halfti perforr.
Besides Beyoncé, Christina Aguilera was also present, and she would be performing the opening song.
Perhaps influenced by Valentine's Day, Scarlett, when alone, was especially happy, chattering incessantly after getting into the car.
Hunter, who was driving, was depressed and silent.
Even after going to college, he still had to be a laborer and a punching bag.
He only relaxed when he saw Lee subtly raise his eyebrows at him:
"I should have stayed in Manhattan."
That night's Rookie Challenge brought together the 2003 Platinum Generation.
The first-year team featured four highly anticipated Rookies: Carlo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron Jas.
The second-year team included Amar'e Stoudemire of the New York Knicks and Tayshaun Prince.
Adding Yao Ming, Manu Ginobili, Carlos Boozer, and Mike Dunleavy Jr., the many familiar faces brought a flood of mories to Lee, who was sitting in the front row.
In the Staples Center, as the Rookies on both sides slamd down dunks, the atmosphere in the arena began to Heat up.
The director frequently aid the cara at Lee's direction on the sideline.
Beyoncé and others were there, plus Grant Hill and his singer wife, naturally attracting the attention of the onlookers.
Having dyed her hair black, Aguilera began to dress boldly to shed her teenage image, and she also added so accessories to her body.
From ti to ti, Aguilera teased Hunter next to her, smiling and glaring at Scarlett, clearly having also seen the gossip.
Beyoncé's figure at this ti was curvaceous and at its peak.
Lee was not paying attention to the ga on the court, but was occasionally whispering to the big singer next to him.
"If you have a chance, you can consider Axe Capital. Your agent is very strict with us, but actually, we are the most stable hedge fund."
The future rich woman is definitely a good client.
Lee has been looking for investors for his company these past few years, which involves true financial freedom later on.
Beyoncé's father always believed that Wall Street was full of scamrs, but after spending so ti in New York, she also generally understood the composition of Lee's wealth.
Hearing the teasing, Beyoncé didn't mind.
Although the occasion wasn't right, she still gave her promise:
"My father is just worried about . If I invest, I will definitely prioritize you!"
Beyoncé, dressed in a black dress, attracted a lot of attention.
Although she and Jay-Z had announced their relationship, with a goalkeeper, one can still score.
In the eyes of many players, she was the perfect goddess.
After winning the Grammy, no one would doubt her financial future.
The two chatted quietly about gossip, while on the court, Amar'e Stoudemire continuously scored.
The players weren't playing Defense.
LeBron Jas and Carlo Anthony frequently slamd down dunks.
The Head Coach of the first-year Rookies was Doug Collins, and the assistant coach was A.C. Green.
Both of them occasionally stood up and shouted loudly.
The Head Coach of the second-year team was Lakers legend Michael Cooper, and the assistant coach was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
In the second half of the ga, the second-year team was always leading, so the two just sat on the bench idle, smiling when the cara swept over them.
At the comntary table, Marv Albert and Mike Fratello were discussing Amar'e Stoudemire's performance for the New York Knicks this season:
"Although affected by injuries, Amar'e Stoudemire has still made great progress this season."
"He has improved his finishing efficiency under the basket, and his defensive positioning has also significantly improved."
"The New York Knicks coaching staff has not been stingy with playing ti. After his Rookie contract ends, Amar'e Stoudemire will have a chance to get a starting position."
Mike Fratello looked at the incredibly talented Amar'e Stoudemire, who was continuously scoring, and couldn't stop praising him for a while.
Marv Albert was more focused on Tayshaun Prince's performance.
As the New York Knicks' ho comntator, he knew this low-key Rookie very well:
"Carlo Anthony and LeBron Jas are both excellent, but in my opinion, Tayshaun Prince's performance is better. He knows how to help the team win."
On the court, Tayshaun Prince had just completed a steal, dribbled past half-court, and then had a 1-on-0 fast break, finishing with a two-handed dunk!
The Lakers fans in the arena imdiately booed.
They would boo any player from the New York Knicks.
Both teams' players had a blast dunking tonight, and the second-year team ultimately won the ga 144-116.
Amar'e Stoudemire, who scored 36 points, was ultimately nad the Rookie Challenge MVP.
Clay Lee and the others also stood up and applauded.
Yao Ming was not suited for such an exhibition ga, so he didn't play much and was cheering from the sidelines.
LeBron Jas scored 33 points, but the first-year team lost by too much.
Although they played well, losing ant no awards.
Carlo Anthony scored 17 points, and he secretly pouted as he watched Amar'e Stoudemire lift the trophy, while Dwyane Wade next to him showed an envious look.
The New York dia always mocked him. Dwyane Wade also wanted to win so awards to prove himself, but unfortunately, the Heat's record was always diocre, and the All-Star Ga was none of his business.
In the Skills Challenge, Baron Davis lifted the trophy, but the bearded player failed to break Clay Lee's record.
In the Three-Point Contest and Dunk Contest, the players perford poorly.
Voshon Lenard of the Denver Nuggets barely advanced after scoring 18 points in the first round.
In the finals, Peja scored 16 points and Kyle Korver scored 15 points.
Ultimately, Voshon Lenard successfully won the championship with a more consistent performance, scoring 18 points.
In the Dunk Contest, despite Magic Johnson being invited as a judge and the atmosphere being heavily promoted, the competition itself was not very entertaining.
Fred Jones of the Pacers defeated Jason Richardson to win the championship.
On Sunday, the 15th, sports dia began to criticize this year's individual events again:
"The Dunk Contest's excitent wasn't even as good as the in-ga dunks in the Rookie Challenge!"
"No one has been able to break Clay Lee's record in the Three-Point Contest to this day. Why are our players' shots still so bad without Defense?"
Instead, news from so gossip tabloids attracted more attention from the public, as Lee and Beyoncé were photographed still together after the ga.
Despite Scarlett being by his side, these paparazzi swore that "Jay-Z got cuckolded."
All sorts of news allowed Lee, who was reading the newspaper early in the morning, to get a taste of the Los Angeles lifestyle.
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant both didn't go to watch the ga last night, which was over-interpreted by the dia.
The Los Angeles Tis wrote in an inside-source style:
"Shaq and Kobe haven't spoken in months. Kobe is about to be traded in the offseason, and Phil Jackson has given managent an ultimatum."
"."
This news was written especially genuinely and seed well-founded, after all, Shaquille O'Neal was the team leader, and getting rid of the fourth player was an easy matter.
However, none of the reports ntioned Shaquille O'Neal's age.
Everyone automatically ignored the fact that Shaq was already an aging star.
As the broadcaster, TNT's All-Star Ga ratings were not high.
In the afternoon, while warming up for the main ga, Charles Barkley brought up the discussion of star quality again:
"What's the reason All-Star Weekend no longer attracts fans? Naturally, it's because people don't like these stars anymore."
"In my opinion, the gap between All-Star players is actually even wider!"
"Without Lee participating in the ga, people just don't like it. Although I don't like so of his performances in the ga, in so ways, Clay Lee really saved this era."
Kenny Smith saw his partner blaming the decline in ratings on the players and could only say helplessly:
"It's also related to the format. Perhaps we should make so changes instead of always sticking to tradition."
"I am still very much looking forward to the All-Star Ga tonight. I believe everyone will put on a wonderful ga for the fans!"
Ernie Johnson also didn't give Barkley a chance to interrupt, imdiately taking over to summarize:
"Tonight's ga should be a showdown between Clay Lee and Shaquille O'Neal. It is said that everyone on the Eastern Conference All-Star team supports Lee winning the AMVP. I think fans will definitely like to see such competition!"
"."
When the All-Star Ga began at 8 PM that night, Lee was heavily booed by the Los Angeles fans.
His experiences over the past few years had made Clay Lee the most hated star among Lakers fans.
From the start of the player introductions, boos continuously erupted.
With boos overwhelming cheers, Lee naturally wouldn't put in an extra effort to perform in such an environnt.
When you complete a beautiful crossover, but then see so front-row fans stand up and boo loudly, your emotions will naturally be affected.
After the ga started, Kidd was stifling a laugh.
He loved seeing Lee getting booed.
Throughout the first half, in his limited playing ti, Lee beca a ruthless scoring machine.
Kidd also cooperated with his passes, and soon he found that the two had a special chemistry.
With 5 minutes and 8 seconds left in the first half, both teams' starting lineups re-entered the court.
Shaquille O'Neal replaced Yao Ming, becoming a starter in the ga.
Shaq had just completed a dunk under the basket, and the Eastern Conference imdiately inbounded the ball quickly.
Kidd jogged all the way, rushing with the ball.
Grant and Clay also had good chemistry.
In the semi-transition offense, Grant stopped early at the left elbow, setting a screen without the ball as Lee accelerated into the cut.
Kobe, who had been guarding tightly with wide eyes, was delayed and instantly lost his defensive position.
Lee drove straight into the paint from the left wing, and Kevin Garnett also didn't rotate back in ti to cover.
Before he even reached the three-point line, Kidd passed the ball high towards the upper left of the rim.
Lee, having shaken off his defender, approached the paint and imdiately soared into the air.
After catching the ball with his right hand, he briefly hovered, then swung his arm and slamd it down!
"Boom!" An alley-oop dunk went in!
The beautiful dunk finally brought cheers to the Staples Center, but soon, the boos from Lakers fans also erupted.
After landing, Lee gave Kidd a thumbs-up.
The pass's height was just right, and it only took one quarter for the two to find a bit of chemistry.
The Western Conference big n, running back and forth, could only run back to half-court again.
Shaquille O'Neal still wanted the ball in the low post, but Pau Gasol worked hard to front him, not giving Steve Francis an easy passing opportunity.
Eventually, Kevin Garnett ca up for a screen, received a pass at the free-throw line, and took a jump shot that clanked off the rim.
Carter grabbed the long rebound, and the Eastern Conference imdiately launched a counterattack.
Kidd, who received the pass in the middle, accelerated past half-court.
As he reached the top of the arc, Lee on the right wing first faked an acceleration into a cut, then imdiately moved horizontally and cut back.
Briefly shaking off Kobe's chase, Lee successfully received the ball on the right wing.
He faked a shot, and Kobe imdiately rushed forward to defend.
Successfully shifting the defender's center of gravity, Lee imdiately put the ball down with his right hand and drove with a step-through.
Kobe quickly twisted his body and slid, but before he could react, Lee pulled the ball back between his legs, quickly stepped back, and shot from the right wing!
"Swish!" The three-pointer swished through the net.
On the Eastern Conference All-Star bench, everyone raised their right arms and held up three fingers together.
Watching the lead expand again, O'Neal, running back, couldn't help but glare at Kobe:
"Don't treat this like an exhibition ga!"
Whispering this, O'Neal still felt indignant and continued to grumble a few more sentences, finally provoking Kobe.
Kobe, who had been defending diligently, suddenly slacked off in the following minutes.
Both sides played with real intensity, and the Eastern Conference All-Star team began to double-team the big n and leave the periter open.
Lee and Kidd demonstrated textbook Defense on how a point guard can disrupt a big man's ability to receive the ball.
The perfectly tid double-teams made Shaquille O'Neal uncomfortable every ti he got the ball.
Coupled with Kobe's two turnovers, which easily led to transition scores, Shaq was completely frustrated by halfti.
58:69, the Western Conference All-Star team trailed by 11 points at halfti.
After the 3rd quarter began, Clay Lee continued to score.
In the latter half of the quarter, he entered the rotation, and Ray Allen shot wildly, clanking off the rim.
30:38, after three quarters, boos continuously echoed through the Staples Center.
Looking at the 88:107 score, from the comntary booth, Marv Albert habitually said:
"Clay Lee will finish the ga in the fourth quarter. Tonight, he's completely in scoring mode!"
Mike Fratello also didn't expect both sides of the All-Star Ga to play so seriously.
The ga was even a bit dull:
"I actually appreciate this kind of ga. Compared to a high-scoring shootout without Defense, this level of competition is more rare in an All-Star Ga."
On the Eastern Conference All-Star team, Allen Iverson also had an undercover performance, but Head Coach Carlisle understood what the players wanted, so he didn't give the small guard much playing ti in the 4th quarter.
Although the Western Conference All-Star team tried hard to catch up, and Shaquille O'Neal constantly demanded the ball, Clay Lee always responded in ti, and Kidd shrewdly began to control the ga's tempo.
With 2 minutes and 6 seconds remaining in the ga, with the shot clock about to expire, Lee received the ball at the Logo and unleashed a sudden long-range shot.
"Swish!" The three-pointer swished through the net.
118:130, the Eastern Conference still maintained the lead.
When O'Neal started stepping to the free-throw line, the boos from the crowd grew even louder.
As he missed several free throws in a few possessions, Shaq completely lost it, cursing out loud on the court:
"Fuck! You guys are doing this on purpose!"
"Buddy! We just want to put on a wonderful ga for the fans."
Kidd replied, then started to run down the clock, eventually drawing a foul from Steve Francis.
Both sides started a free-throw shootout, and Lee also laughed.
When the final buzzer sounded, boos echoed throughout the Staples Center.
123:136, the Eastern Conference ultimately won the ga.
At the end of the ga, Clay Lee raised both hands and clapped repeatedly, thanking the fans present.
12 of 19 from the field, 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, 4 of 4 from the free-throw line, 33 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals.
Clay Lee, who scored the highest points in the ga, would undoubtedly win the award.
Head Coach Carlisle saw the emotional Shaquille O'Neal start to vent, and the boos from the crowd grew louder and louder.
For a mont, he could only shake his head and smile bitterly:
"This truly was a wonderful All-Star Ga."
.....
By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate
:)
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