If not Vince. Carter came out of nowhere in 2000, and maybe there is no such thing as a slam dunk contest in the NBA.

After Kobe Bryant won the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest, both the league management, the media and the fans thought that the slam dunk contest was no longer interesting.

The then NBA's vice president of basketball operations, Rod Brown. Thorn bluntly said, "All the dunks are done, and there will never be any new moves." ”

Of course, it's more important that no superstar in his playing year wants to participate in this tournament. The people who came to participate in the slam dunk contest were none other than rookies with great physical fitness, but average performance in official games. Without top stars, there are no businesses willing to sponsor. For the NBA, the commercial value of the slam dunk contest has also fallen to a low point.

So, in 1998, NBA commissioner David Brown. Stern really decided to pause the slam dunk contest. Then in the 1998-99 season, the All-Star Game was canceled due to a suspension, and the slam dunk contest was interrupted for two consecutive periods.

It wasn't until 2000 that Carter, Maddy, Francis and others contributed to the NBA, perhaps the greatest slam dunk contest in history, that this high-profile event crawled out of the grave.

But that's just a flashback of the slam dunk contest, from 2000 onwards until Dwight. Howard played Superman in the slam dunk contest, and the dunk contest really ushered in its second climax. And what about after "Superman"? No one knows who will stand up.

Fortunately, now, people have a hot candidate - Link.

Everyone is looking forward to him participating in the slam dunk contest and saving this event that is about to end again.

But many media outlets are pessimistic about this, especially when Link was interviewed with ambiguous answers, which made the media go online.

"Think about it if Link loses to Harrison in the slam dunk contest. What a comical picture it would be for a player like Barnes. ”

"If you're a superstar, would you dare to take that risk? And if Link were to compete, everyone would want to do everything they could to beat him. Because beating Link is the best way to become famous. ”

"Don't say anything, I already knew Link was a softie. If he dares to participate in the slam dunk contest, I dare to interview him in women's clothes! ”

The next day, Link found that a lot of the media was complaining about himself. One of the most striking is the one that wears women's clothes for the interview.

If it was just a reporter from a small media somewhere who said this, Link wouldn't have paid much attention to it. After all, who cares if a young journalist wears women's clothes or not? Maybe he's deliberately using Link to hype.

But this time, the person who raised the bar with Link was not a small reporter from a three-media stream, but the famous Bill. Simmons!

Bill. Simmons is a well-known basketball columnist because of his background as a screenwriter and his thorough knowledge of basketball and the NBA. With his sharp writing and meticulous point of view, he quickly made a name for himself in the circle.

His 2009 book "The History of Basketball" has occupied the top sales charts in the United States for a long time and is regarded by fans as a classic among basketball books.

After growing fame, Bill. Simmons' path is getting wider and wider. He is now not only an NBA columnist, but also a frequent guest appearance as a sideline reporter and commentator. even invites some famous NBA stars to do interview programs and talk shows from time to time, and it can be said that he is one of the most popular basketball media people in the United States.

Not only in the United States, Link also knows that many domestic basketball writers are learning from Bill. Simmons' style writes things. This shows how influential this guy is.

Bill. Simmons has a trait that he makes no secret of his identity as a Celtics fan. His opinion never cared if it was impressive or not, and he always liked the opponent of the deadly Black Celts, who were the famous king of bad jokes and the king of poisonous tongues. When the Celtics were playing poorly, Simmons was even black on his home team.

It can be said that Bill. Simmons is the least fearful of all the well-known basketball media people.

And now, the Memphis Grizzlies and Link, who have risen, seem to have become Bill. Simmons' poisonous tongue object.

Link shook his head, he didn't expect such a well-known basketball media person to come out and lead the rhythm. It seems that Simmons is quite confident that he will not participate in the slam dunk contest.

Link was indeed a little angry, saying that he didn't dare to forget it, Bill. Simmons directly used the word "soft egg", and Link felt that it was too much.

Besides, when I said I didn't dare to participate, I just wasn't sure yet. After all, it's not been a month since the start of the new season, and there has never been a player in NBA history who has decided so early whether to participate in the slam dunk contest.

Of course, Link isn't a kid anymore. He doesn't slap the table as soon as he is stimulated to say that he wants to participate in the slam dunk contest, only children are seduced by this kind of agitation.

Link wants to put aside the slam dunk contest for the time being, and now, it's still the most important thing to play the game well.

Of course, Link doesn't forget Bill. Simmons' actions. If he does participate in the slam dunk contest next year and wins the championship, Link will definitely not let Bill go. Simmons.

The words have been spoken, and it is impossible to take them back. When the time comes, Bill. Simmons's women's clothes have to be worn and not worn.

Adults are responsible for what they say.

I thought that as long as I didn't respond, this matter would basically be suppressed. But Link never expected that, Bill. Simmons got pestered by himself.

At the end of the game against the Kings, Link led the team to a team-best 10-game winning streak after the start of the game. The NBA has also officially announced the latest edition of the Player of the Week list, and Link is prominently listed.

That evening, Bill. Simmons contradicted the league on his talk show, "Maybe soon, Link of the Week will have to face the first loss of the new season." ”

"The Los Angeles Clippers have been unstoppable this week, and they're on a four-game winning streak. Of the four victories, one defeated the Thunder and one defeated the Rockets! There is no doubt that the Clippers are already the first team in the West this season. If you've seen the Clippers play this season, you'll agree with what I'm saying. ”

Bill. Simmons is as confident as ever, and now he dares to say that there is a team that can definitely break the Grizzlies' undefeated golden body, and it is estimated that Bill. Simmons is a maverick.

But Bill. Simmons, if he could only talk hi, would be no different from a clown. The reason why he is so famous is because he really knows basketball very well, and he really has it in his stomach.

Next, he analyzed why the Clippers were able to win.

"That's right, last season, the Clippers were shaved by the Grizzlies in the playoffs. But this summer, the Clippers added Doug to the addition of Paul. Coach Rivers, J.J. Redick, Darren. Collison and Dudley et al. Well, none of them are superstars, no brighter than Howard joining Space City, but these reinforcements for the Clippers are undoubtedly seriously underrated. ”

"Last season, the Clippers had probably the worst starting wing in the league – Culon. Butler and Willie. Green. The duo took 82.6 percent of their shots last season and 90.4 percent of their shots from assists, respectively, which means they have little to no autonomy to attack. At the same time, the Clippers also lost a lot of blood when they were on the floor, conceding 5.3 and 2.8 more points per 100 possessions. I can't count how many times Link knocked Butler into a pig's head last season. ”

"But when the Clippers swap the wing combination for Redick and Dudley, their improvement will be very noticeable. These two players are younger and more solid defensively. They will never be aces, but they have a high ball IQ and are reliable team defenders. At the same time, both of them are not inferior to their predecessors in archery. Crawford and Barnes are still around, so Rivers doesn't have to think about whether to use a better but not accurate player or a more accurate but not good enough player, he just needs to use it according to the functionality. ”

"Last season, the Clippers were fourth in the league in offensive efficiency and eighth in the league in defensive efficiency. This season has Doug. With Rivers in charge, the Clippers' defense couldn't have been worse. And their offense will undoubtedly be stronger. Judging from the current few games, the Clippers' offensive efficiency ranks second in the league, second only to the Memphis Grizzlies, overshadowing the Thunder! The Clippers currently have a 7-2 record, losing two games, one in the opener to the Lakers and one in the opening game against the tough Heat. It's not that they're out of strength, they're just unlucky. If the Grizzlies had also met the Heat in advance, they might have no undefeated gold body long ago. ”

"In the next game, Paul and Griffin are bound to take revenge. Link, get ready to take it. This time, it's not like you can get through the test by abusing the dishes casually. ”

Link didn't know what sustained him after watching Bill. Simmons has a whole talk show, but I have to say that Simmons is indeed a professional basketball person, and many things are analyzed no worse than the team's analysts.

The Clippers' stats this season are indeed perfect in all aspects, and in the win over the Thunder, the Clippers scored six players in double figures, showing that their roster depth is very different from last season.

But Bill. No matter how good Simmons is, he is just a journalist and a copywriter. Basketball, on the other hand, is won by players, not by data analysis.

The next day, in the airport lobby, Link was interviewed by reporters. There is no doubt about the content of the interview and Bill. Simmons related.

"Link, what do you think of Bill. What Simmons has said about you lately? ”

"He's a great basketball writer, and I bought two sets of his Basketball Chronicles, and I love it."

The reporters all laughed, they all knew that Link couldn't just praise people, he would never give such a boring answer.

"I guess he might have misunderstood me and my team, though. We are the defending champions, the defending champions who hold the O'Brien Cup firmly in their hands. Compared to the ethereal data, we are obviously more convincing. Hopefully, he understands that basketball is not a numbers game. I also hope that he understands that he should not use the word soft egg on others casually, otherwise the consequences will be serious. ”

After Link's words, he left satisfied. After holding it all night, I finally succeeded in complaining.