noveldrama
Chapter 1004 1004 582 The End of an Era_3
Chapter 1004 1004 582 The End of an Era_3
?Chapter 1004: Chapter 582: The End of an Era_3 Chapter 1004: Chapter 582: The End of an Era_3 “I’m clearly more suited for the senior All-Star game,” Kobe joked during the promo shoot.
“If there really is one, you should call me up too,” Yu Fei quipped.
Irving screamed, “No way, GOAT, we can’t do without you!”
Everyone teased along with “Uncle Drew”, making GOAT feel embarrassed for once.
“I’m really fed up with you guys!” GOAT said, blushing, “Don’t let me run into you in the playoffs!”
Upon hearing this, Irving shamelessly said, “Then you definitely won’t run into me!”
Due to Roy’s persistent injuries, the Supersonics were leading this season solely by Irving.
A few years ago, dubbed “The Empire”, the Supersonic dynasty now lacked talent severely, without stars, it simply couldn’t compete.
Irving, although flamboyant in playing style, wasn’t the kind of core guard who could lead the team forward, more like a sharp scalpel that needed to be held.
If Roy were there, things might have been better; but with Roy absent, all Irving could offer the fans was a show that couldn’t win. This remark made all the stars present laugh out loud.
When the All-Star Game began that evening, Yu Fei finally found out where his contemporaries had gone—they were all starting for the Eastern All-Star Team.
At a glance, Wade, Durant, James, Aldridge, and Yao Ming—either old rivals or old acquaintances, this was the All-Star lineup that Yu Fei liked best.
Not much memorable happened at that night’s All-Star game, only three things were somewhat noteworthy: Irving’s breakout, Howard’s slump, and “the interaction between Yu Fei and James.”
Irving was the only player willing to go all out that night to entertain the audience.
He indeed played with a flair that guaranteed the price of admission. His unstoppable dribbling with both hands, his ability to find the basket from any angle, and his outstanding shooting skills, he was the sort of supporting player that big cores like Yu Fei and James dream of having.
Unfortunately, Yu Fei had already left Seattle, and James didn’t know that he should have fought alongside Irving.
Irving was so excited on the court, attacking with the ball and completely forgetting that New Orleans’s host was Anthony Davis.
There’s always been a tradition in All-Star games to spotlight the home stars, but occasionally some come to spoil the show, like Yu Fei once did in the Los Angeles and Houston All-Star games, stealing the AMVP from Shaquille O’Neal and McGrady.
However, both incidents had their reasons; stealing Shaquille O’Neal’s AMVP was due to a longstanding feud, while McGrady’s was purely accidental.
Though Irving acted like the person most desperate for the AMVP in the world, the Western All-Star Team’s poor performance made it difficult for him to achieve it. By the fourth quarter, the Eastern All-Star Team had a lead of 24 points, and Irving’s performance, aside from delighting the fans, had no real significance.
As a rookie All-Star, Anthony Davis lacked enough influence on the ball due to his juniority, disappointing the fans who hoped to see him star that night. But that’s the All-Star game, where the leading role is often decided by chance.
Just like once before, a white player named Tom Chambers, in an All-Star game attended by Jordan, Magic Johnson, Bird, Thomas, and other superstars, unexpectedly dominated and took the AMVP.
That night, the Eastern All-Star Team won, and Durant lifted the AMVP trophy.
After the game, there was also a retirement ceremony for David Stern.
Stern delivered a speech for several minutes in public and then, under everyone’s eyes, handed over the future of the League to his successor, Adam Silver.
This marked the end of an era.