Check out my new fanfics.
A cote x hikigaya crossover.
Ryuga from Beyblade in Pokemon World.
Please give it a go 😊
***
On February 10, 2001, at the All-Star Game halftime show, Harry Connick Jr., who was successful in both music and film, paid tribute to the 50th anniversary of the All-Star Game.
At MCI Center Arena, over 20,000 spectators recovered from the first half of the game and once again enjoyed the performance.
61:58, at the end of the first half, the Western Conference All-Star team led by 3 points.
Unlike previous exhibition games, most of the players on the court this year played hard, and the game's pace was no different from a regular season game, perhaps with only more dunks.
As the halftime show was nearing its end, at the NBC commentary booth, Marv Albert once again lightheartedly discussed the first half of the game:
"A very interesting phenomenon, the Western Conference All-Stars are very efficient, but they can't seem to pull away, the Eastern Conference All-Stars' counterattack is too fast."
"This is a matchup between the frontcourt and the backcourt. Head Coach Van Gundy will likely increase Lee's playing time in the third quarter."
Lee only played 12 minutes in the first half.
After getting the Eastern Conference All-Star team off to a good start, everyone took turns playing.
Doug Collins also liked to see such a game, at least the players were all serious and not just playing casually:
"Duncan and Webber both played very seriously. How to defend against the impact of the small guards in the second half is still a huge test."
"Of course, we can also pay attention to the defensive response of Kidd and Kobe."
Before the start of the first half, unlike Kevin Garnett who was laughing and waving to the front-row spectators, Kobe was still serious, constantly whispering to Kidd.
Iverson, back on the court, also had no smile on his face.
No one wanted to lose two years in a row.
It was a matter of pride.
"Wow!"
Amidst the fans' cheers, Lee received the inbound pass and leisurely crossed half-court with Carter.
Before he even reached the left wing, Kobe was already tightly guarding him.
Noticing Lee protecting the ball, he shook his head.
Anthony Mason, who was near the baseline on the left, immediately moved diagonally to the right elbow.
Lee, who had been holding the ball with his left hand and protecting it with his body turned, suddenly twisted his body, feigning a breakthrough after his teammates cleared space.
Taking advantage of Kobe sliding to the right, he immediately dribbled behind his back.
Kobe could clearly feel the immense force of Lee's dribble.
Facing Lee, who had switched to his right hand and lowered his center of gravity, he instinctively moved backward.
As Lee quickly dribbled between his legs and swayed his body to the left, Kobe slid to the right again.
The moment he reached for the ball with his left hand, Lee suddenly turned quickly.
Kobe, who had misjudged the defense, could only desperately slide to his left-rear, delaying Lee, who was forcefully breaking through with the ball in his right hand.
With two fakes, Lee's speed was extremely fast.
The fans on site only had time to gasp before the two were already entangled and had reached the left elbow area.
After the body contact, Kobe still suffered a hidden disadvantage, being pulled and leveraged by Lee's ball-protecting hand.
Seeing that he was about to break into the paint, Kobe instinctively increased his defensive stride.
Sensing the change in his opponent's center of gravity, Lee suddenly used his left foot as an axis while moving, rapidly spinning like a top against Kobe, and in a blink of an eye, he was at the lower left of the basket.
Completely losing his defensive position, Kobe instinctively jumped to block, but Lee grabbed the ball with his left hand, completely shouldering his opponent away, unaffected, and smoothly tossed the ball towards the backboard.
"Bang swish!" The basketball hit the backboard high and went in.
"Oh!"
At MCI Center Arena, gasps and cheers erupted simultaneously.
As an excellent perimeter defender, Kobe was beaten one-on-one, creating an explosive visual effect.
"Shit!"
He cursed under his breath, and it was no wonder Kobe had a grim expression the whole time.
Young people cared about their pride, and this wasn't the first time this had happened.
61:60, at the start of the second half, Lee once again led the Eastern Conference All-Stars in scoring.
As if it were a regular season game, Duncan was expressionless when he inbounded the ball.
Iverson fronted Kidd. After they crossed half-court, Kobe demanded the ball on the left wing.
Lee didn't defend the reception, and the two were matched up again, causing the crowd to immediately cheer loudly.
The moment he received the ball, Kobe quickly used his right foot for a probing step.
Seeing that Lee still maintained his balance, he simply stepped forward to the left, and as he put the ball down with his left hand, his body's center of gravity lowered, and he forcefully broke through with a crossover step.
While sliding to the right-rear, Lee initiated body contact.
The two quickly reached the left restricted area.
Kobe, who intended to force a breakthrough with an increased stride, slowed down slightly after the contact and still couldn't shake off the defense.
After passing the restricted area, Kobe had no choice but to slow down and begin a strong post-up, instinctively switching to his right hand, then continuously backing down.
Still unable to shake off the defense, Kobe faked a shoulder movement as he neared the paint, then immediately turned towards the baseline.
As he gathered the ball, Kobe jumped and drifted to the right, leaning back significantly.
Lee once again anticipated his opponent's offensive choice, exploding upwards from a standstill and completing a block interference in the first instance.
Kobe's shot, with its elevated arc, ultimately clanked off the rim, causing fans to sigh in regret.
Antonio Davis grabbed the rebound, and Allen Iverson immediately took the ball and ran.
Kidd, retreating quickly, failed to make an effective defense.
After being faked out by Allen Iverson's behind-the-back dribble while moving, he watched as his opponent drove straight to the basket with the ball in his right hand, finally scoring a layup!
61:62, the Eastern Conference All-Stars had just started the 3rd quarter and had already taken the lead.
"It's too fast. At this pace, even with Garnett and Duncan's excellent athleticism, they can't keep up with this kind of counterattack."
Marv Albert couldn't help but exclaim again.
Doug Collins, noticing Kobe's expression, once again chuckled and teased:
"In the first quarter, Kobe was blocked by Tracy McGrady, and Clay Lee also had successful defense. It seems several players from the Eastern Conference All-Stars have done a lot of work."
The Western Conference All-Stars attacked again.
Kevin Garnett at this point actively demanded the ball with his back to the basket at the right restricted area near the free throw line.
After receiving the ball, facing Carter's defense, Kevin Garnett put the ball down with his right hand and continuously backed down, pushing his way into the paint.
He immediately turned quickly and, relying on his height advantage, forced a jump shot!
"Bang!"
The basketball clanked off the rim.
Duncan tipped the offensive rebound, but his second putback missed.
Antonio Davis barely secured the defensive rebound, and the rest of the Western Conference All-Stars had already retreated quickly.
After Lee received the ball, Kobe had already retreated to the mid-court line.
Noticing Anthony Mason stopped at the three-point line, Lee, with the ball in his left hand, accelerated across half-court.
Completely unaware of the movement behind him, Kobe instinctively slid to the left when faced with Lee's quick push-dribble and change of direction, and then was delayed by the moving Mason.
The moment he switched to his right hand, Lee, lowering his center of gravity, broke free from the defense.
Facing Webber, who came to help, he quickly changed direction between his legs while moving.
Without any deceleration, Lee scooped the ball with his left hand, collided with his opponent, and then accelerated again, instantly shaking off the defense.
Kevin Garnett and Duncan, who were near the left and right baselines, immediately started to collapse, and Lee, who had just broken into the paint, suddenly tossed the ball high with his left hand towards the upper left of the basket!
Carter, cutting in from the left corner, was unguarded and leaped high, taking off from behind Kevin Garnett.
After catching the ball in mid-air, he grabbed it with one hand, briefly suspended, and delivered a powerful tomahawk dunk!
"Boom!" The alley-oop dunk was successful!
"Wow!"
Lee drove past two defenders, and Carter's suspended dunk, a visually stunning play, completely ignited the stadium.
The beautiful play even made both benches rise and cheer.
This dunk by Carter was even more spectacular than this year's Slam Dunk Contest.
"Ah!"
After landing, Carter looked up and yelled, then gave Lee a thumbs up before grinning widely again.
With the Eastern Conference All-Star team completely reversing the score to 61:64, Kidd started continuously passing the ball to the inside.
Both sides began scoring continuously. After half a quarter, the Eastern Conference All-Star team brought in Ray Allen, Tracy McGrady, and Dikembe Mutombo.
After Iverson and the two big men came off, the Eastern Conference All-Star team completely transformed into one big and four small.
For the Western Conference All-Star team, Gary Payton, Michael Finley, David Robinson, and Vlade Divac entered the game, maintaining their height with Kobe still on the court.
In the first possession after the substitutions, Lee dribbled the ball past half-court.
At the top of the arc, far from the three-point line, Dikembe Mutombo stopped and set a high pick.
Kobe couldn't squeeze through the screen immediately.
Lee, with the ball in his left hand, executed a simple in-and-out dribble, faking right and driving left, then suddenly pulled up for a stop outside the three-point line.
Vlade Divac didn't pay attention, still sagging inside the three-point line, leaving Lee completely unguarded.
Lee gathered the ball and quickly shot!
"Swish!" The three-pointer went in cleanly.
Then, David Robinson missed a mid-range jump shot from the free-throw line.
McGrady grabbed the rebound, dashed forward with the ball, and came to the left wing.
Without waiting for the opponent to retreat on defense, he immediately pulled up for a quick transition three-pointer that also went in!
Amidst the cheers of the home crowd, Gary Payton drove and dished the ball.
Vlade Divac, who received the ball under the basket on the right, was directly blocked by Dikembe Mutombo on his forced layup attempt.
Carter secured the rebound and immediately passed the ball to Lee in the middle.
Noticing that Ray Allen had already sprinted to the right wing, Lee immediately threw the ball before crossing the half-court line.
Ray Allen, receiving the pass, didn't make any adjustments and just pulled up and shot!
"Swish!" The three-pointer went in cleanly!
75:87.
In less than two minutes, the Eastern Conference All-Star team scored 9 consecutive points, instantly widening the lead to double digits.
Ray Allen, who made the shot, excitedly pumped his fist and bounced around, chest-bumping Lee in celebration.
"Wow!"
Cheers echoed throughout the MCI Center.
Head Coach Adelman smiled and shook his head, having no choice but to call a timeout.
Lee, who was substituted out, returned to the bench and smiled as he bumped fists with Allan Houston, who was preparing to enter the game.
Seeing that Iverson still wasn't smiling, Lee sat down and playfully teased him in a low voice:
"While pursuing victory, we also need to learn to enjoy the game."
"The annual All-Star Game should be played with abandon. There's no need to consider other issues at this time."
Iverson, who obviously couldn't empathize with Lee, who held three championships, didn't forget to "loan" at this time:
"I'm not interested in enjoying the game. I just want to win. I won't lose again this year."
Still wearing a long face, Allen Iverson, who hadn't received a text message reply, was in a bad mood.
He felt for the first time that the 76ers' acquisitions were problematic.
In stark contrast to the cheerful Lee was Kobe, who seemed somewhat displeased after being substituted out.
Upon returning to his seat, he didn't forget to loudly cheer on his teammates.
However, upon seeing Rasheed Wallace, who came off the bench, continuously clank shots, Kobe's face darkened even further.
As Ray Allen hit a three-pointer, the cheers at MCI Center Arena grew louder and louder.
When Michael Finley also joined the brick-laying party, Marbury didn't hold back either, hitting another transition three-pointer!
With a score of 22:39 in a single quarter, the Eastern Conference All-Star team had completely pulled away, leading 83:97 after three quarters.
In the final quarter, both teams still didn't relax.
Kobe continuously demanded the ball after entering the game, responding with mid-range shots.
However, just as the lead was narrowed to 10 points, Lee, facing Kobe's tight defense on the right wing, dribbled the ball continuously between his legs with his left hand, then suddenly stepped back sideways and hit another contested three-pointer!
As the lead was stretched again, Marv Albert suddenly exclaimed:
"The limitations of relying on big men are starting to show. To catch up, they need to bring out an excellent defensive performance in the current situation."
Doug Collins, on the other hand, noticed that Lee was shooting more and more three-pointers in the second half.
After glancing at the statistics, he smiled and offered advice:
"The Western Conference All-Star team's best performer from beyond the arc right now is Kidd, 2-for-4. The team's total three-point attempts are almost caught up by Clay Lee's individual attempts."
"A double-team might be a good option!"
Duncan and Kevin Garnett, who had been very efficient in the first three quarters, also began to miss shots in rotation.
Dikembe Mutombo's Defense played a crucial role, securing all the defensive rebounds.
Jeff Van Gundy feigned shouting a couple of times from the sidelines.
After half a quarter, the Bald Young Coach saw the lead still fluctuating and knew the outcome was decided.
With 2 minutes and 12 seconds left in the game, Carter faced Kobe's Defense on the left wing, then drove past him with a crossover and drove straight to the basket.
Near the paint, Carter jumped with both feet, facing Duncan's help Defense, he spun in the air, evaded the block, and slammed the ball down with both hands!
The exaggerated dunk made the crowd cheer loudly.
The Slam Dunk Contest wasn't satisfying enough, but the All-Star Game made up for it.
When Kidd missed a contested transition three-pointer, Lee, who secured the long rebound, once again initiated a fast break.
Kidd, retreating quickly on Defense, constantly tried to disrupt him.
Lee, with the ball in his left hand, slowed down slightly on the left wing.
Unable to get past the defender, he suddenly tossed the ball off the backboard with his left hand while in motion.
Kevin Garnett, who had retreated to the basket, was momentarily stunned. When he came to his senses, he saw Lee had already dashed to the front of the rim.
The basketball bounced off the backboard and into the air.
Lee leaped high in the paint, grabbed the ball with both hands, completely shaking off the Defense, ignored Kevin Garnett under the basket, briefly glided, and powerfully slammed the ball into the hoop with both hands!
"Boom!" The off-the-backboard dunk was successful!
"Wow!"
The beautiful dunk made many spectators spontaneously stand up and cheer loudly.
On both benches, watching Lee pound his chest after landing, they also cheered and yelled.
With the outcome decided, Kevin Garnett simply smiled and bumped fists with Lee, which infuriated Kobe, who was retreating on Defense.
Ignoring the Western Conference All-Star players, Kobe received the inbounds pass after the baseline and immediately took a contested three-pointer that clanked off the rim.
Allen Iverson grabbed the rebound, initiated a three-line fast break, and directly passed the ball towards the upper right of the rim.
Tracy McGrady, streaking down, grabbed the ball in the air and also shot down a powerful two-handed dunk!
The consecutive dunks once again ignited the MCI Center Arena.
Clearly, the audience thoroughly enjoyed the spectacular dunking display in the final moments.
As the final seconds ticked away, the score was set at 110:123, with the Eastern Conference All-Star team evening the score!
Clay Lee, wearing the Knicks' home jersey, first briefly embraced and greeted the Western Conference All-Star players after the game, then waved to the fans again to express his gratitude.
In 28 minutes played, he shot 11-for-17 from the field, 5-for-9 from three-point range, and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, finishing with 31 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers.
Clay Lee, who scored the highest points in the game, would undoubtedly be named this year's All-Star Game MVP.
Although the Western Conference All-Star players had some regrets, most of them didn't care about the game's outcome.
The big men had tried their best.
It was just that the response shots didn't keep up.
Kobe, who had wanted to perform actively in front of Michael Jordan and also surpass Lee, played 30 minutes, shot 9-for-18, and finished with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 3 turnovers.
He had a tense expression and was feeling somewhat down.
David Stern applauded as he walked to center court.
Although he was not satisfied with the individual competitions the previous night, the All-Star Game had met expectations.
The Commissioner smiled as he took the microphone and immediately expressed his gratitude:
"This is the 50th anniversary of the NBA All-Star Game, and we are very grateful for the city of Washington's support for the league!"
"This year, we enjoyed a wonderful basketball game, and I hope the fans liked this carefully prepared gift!"
"Taking the highest score in the game and leading the Eastern Conference to victory, I think the fans really liked your performance!"
"The 2001 Washington All-Star Game MVP belongs to Clay-Lee! This is the second time he has received this honor in his career, and I hope we can continue to enjoy his performance in the future!"
Stern smiled as he took the trophy, then handed it directly to Lee, who was standing beside him, and most of the players behind him applauded.
Watching Lee raise the trophy, Jeff Van Gundy smiled brightly.
With the two of them working together, winning awards was not a problem.
Holding the trophy, Lee took the microphone, smiling, and thanked everyone repeatedly:
"Victory belongs to all of us. I thank my teammates, and I also thank Head Coach Van Gundy and the fans in Washington."
Further back, Iverson felt annoyed listening to Lee's speech.
He had scored 22 points tonight on 9-of-20 shooting, so in terms of Excel, he really couldn't compare.
Kobe also noticed Iverson, who was in a "displeased" state.
The two exchanged glances but didn't speak.
Thanks to the atmosphere created by the media, everyone disliked each other, so there was no brotherhood.
Looking at Lee, who was chatting and laughing with Mr. Stern, Kobe finally understood why O'Neal didn't come to watch the game at all:
"I should be there!"
After the All-Star Game, media reporters were actually more concerned about Dikembe Mutombo's whereabouts.
Although Duncan ranked third on the MVP ranking list, his topicality was very poor.
Most fans still preferred to discuss players who played "beautifully."
Back in the locker room, Dikembe Mutombo also experienced what it was like to be the center of attention, but as an old-school player, he just smiled and stated when interviewed:
"I'm very happy in Atlanta, and I like the city of Atlanta."
"As long as the team still needs me, I will continue to play here."
Jeff Van Gundy, who had been avoiding interviews, was also cornered.
The Bald Young Coach was quite satisfied with the current roster, so he could only say some polite words:
"The All-Star Weekend is over, and I am only focused on the second half of the season."
"Currently, we are number one in the league, and Grant is about to return from injury. I will not consider other issues!"
In the locker room, Iverson always felt that Mutombo wanted to go to New York.
Noticing that there was no news on his phone yet, his expression became even uglier.
If he lost again in the playoffs this year, Allen Iverson could already imagine how the Philadelphia media, whose patience was almost exhausted, would evaluate him.
On February 12th, the last day of the All-Star Weekend holiday, fans were still enthusiastically discussing the highlights of the All-Star Game, and Clay Lee's self-alley-oop was repeatedly played.
Taking advantage of this popularity, Lee, who flew back to New York, had to continue attending his player card signing event.
After exclusively signing with Upper Deck, Lee could no longer sign autographs for fans at will, and he also had to cooperate with the "harvesting" activities when he had time.
Ewing stayed in Washington to continue participating in Michael Jordan's golf game, and Grant, who had been holding back for half a season, was finally about to make his debut for the Knicks after getting permission from the team doctor!
New York reporters, who were waiting at the Tarrytown Training Center, quickly interviewed Grant:
"I'm ready. Honestly, I can't wait to get back on the court!"
"My ankle is recovering very well, and as for playing time, I still need to communicate further with the coaching staff."
Grant was very confident when facing the interview, and this attitude made the New York Media go into a frenzy again.
However, in the next six games, the Knicks first lost to the Denver Nuggets in a back-to-back on Valentine's Day, and then lost to their former team, the Detroit Pistons, in another back-to-back game.
With a record of 4 wins and 2 losses, most of their opponents were of average strength, and Grant, who averaged only 20 minutes per game, did not have any outstanding performance.
Especially in the game against his former team, Grant, who wanted to show off, shot 6-of-18 from the field, scored only 17 points, and also committed 4 turnovers.
On February 22nd, the Knicks returned to New York and soon saw the big news of the day:
"The 76ers sent out Larry, Theo, Nazr Mohammed, and Pepe Sanchez."
"They acquired Dikembe Mutombo and Roshown McLeod from the Atlanta Hawks."
Larry, who was involved in trade rumors last year, and Theo, who had just been selected as an All-Star this year, were directly traded, which clearly showed that the 76ers no longer "trusted the process."
After the morning practice, Lee was again surrounded by numerous media, as everyone obviously wanted to get the scoop firsthand.
The New York Times reporter also seemed to feel the pressure, as Dikembe Mutombo was a good fit for Allen Iverson, and immediately asked the question everyone was concerned about:
"Lee, what do you think of the trade that happened this morning? Will the 76ers become our biggest opponent in the Eastern Conference?"
Hearing that the other party didn't ask about Grant, Lee looked relaxed and joked with a smile:
"The biggest opponent? No, in the Eastern Conference, we still have no opponents."
"Compared to other teams, we have more playoff experience. If the goal is to win the championship, I don't think the other team will cause us any difficulty."
The New York Post reporter liked this answer, nodded in agreement, and immediately changed the topic:
"Grant doesn't seem to have fully adapted to the team yet. Will this affect our regular season record?"
Lee shook his head again, looked at the crowd in front of him, and said seriously:
"In the regular season, our only goal is to secure home-court advantage."
"So, Grant won't affect the team. Give him some more time. Don't forget he's just recovered from an injury."
Patiently answering the media reporters' questions, Lee spoke truthfully.
With half the season over, his usage rate had increased again, and he had also gained something:
[Michael Jordan's Extraordinary Coordination] has turned purple.
After several seasons of dormancy, this talent has finally changed.
There were no major trades in the Western Conference, and O'Neal made a low-key return from injury.
A winning streak after the All-Star Game also pushed Iverson to the top of the MVP candidate list.
ESPN was clearly stirring things up, and the Philadelphia media also boiled over.
On the 23rd, the 76ers challenged the Hornets on the road.
Before the game started, Allen Iverson, who had achieved his wish, was in a particularly beautiful mood!
Especially after reaching the top of the MVP candidate list, he had a feeling of "I should be there."
The praise from a large number of media made Allen Iverson a bit overconfident.
When interviewed in the visiting team's locker room, he re-emphasized:
"This season, I am the best player in the league, and the 76ers will make it to the Finals."
"You can continue to compare me with Clay, I don't care how you evaluate me, I just want to pursue the championship!"
"..."
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