"Coach, why don't you just take the team over? Why do you have to pull me? When Brown expressed his hope that Chang Wei would go to Washington for All-Star Weekend, Chang Wei wanted to refuse outright, preferring to watch the live broadcast in his room.

What's more, as a time-traveler, Chang Wei has seen the more fun, more frenetic, and more diverse All-Star Weekends in his previous life, so there is really no need to experience the 2001 All-Star again.

Seeing Chang Wei's reluctant look, Brown widened his eyes: "I'll let you go, mainly to ensure everyone's physical condition?" If someone gets injured while participating in a competition, I don't have a place to cry. Besides, you've never experienced an All-Star beforehand, have you? You didn't take such a good opportunity this time? ”

Brown blinked as he spoke: "As the All-Star coach of the East, I can use my power for personal gain to let you take photos with the stars, you can choose the East and West, and it's not a big deal to sign a name, you must give me a face." ”

That's a nice bonus! Chang Wei couldn't help but think of the lineup of this year's All-Star Game in the East and West, starting Iverson, Carter, Maddy, Antonio Davis and Anthony Mason (Hill is out injured), and the bench includes Ray Allen, Marbury, Robinson, Sprewell, Stackhouse, Mutombo and Houston.

The West is even more star-studded, with Kidd, Bryant, Webb (O'Neal out injured), Duncan and Garnett in the starting lineup, and McDyes, David Robinson, Divac, Rasheed Wallace, Payton and Malone on the bench. If you can take photos with so many stars and mix a few autographs, it will definitely be a lot of money?

Moreover, Brown's reasons are very valid, Chang Wei can indeed help the 76ers' players avoid injuries as much as possible, the All-Star Game means that there are less than two months left in the regular season schedule, and many teams will start sprint mode after the All-Star Weekend, in case the core players of the 76ers are injured because of participating in the All-Star Game, it is simply a tragedy.

Besides, this is also a publicly-funded tour, at least you don't need to spend your own money on tickets or anything, that is, you can go around the various arenas, and look at Reed's rookie challenge, Lewis's three-point contest and the All-Star Game. Chang Wei felt a little regretful that he missed the 2000 slam dunk contest, which can be called the most exciting in NBA history, and the thought of Carter and Maddy, two cousins, competing for each other on the court, as long as the fans will be enthusiastic.

On the morning of Feb. 8, the 76ers were all on a plane to Washington, D.C., and everyone was in a good mood, after all, they defeated the Rockets 97-86 the day before, and had a good record of 39 wins and 11 losses in 50 regular season games that have been played, firmly occupying the top spot in the East, and throwing the second-place Pacers away by four wins.

On the plane, everyone did not race against time to rest as if they were going to the away game, the players either chatted casually, listened to music and watched movies, and some even took out their game consoles to play against each other with great interest. The coaching staff's topic was also rarely unrelated to the post-All-Star schedule, leaving Brown alone to find a quiet place to start thinking about Eastern All-Star tactics.

Chang Wei stretched his neck, barely seeing Brown writing and drawing on the tactical board, and he joked: "Coach, what other tactics are there to be arranged in the All-Star Game?" Wouldn't it be the end of letting this group of top stars decide the outcome of the game? ”

Brown shook his head and said, "You might think it's an entertainment game where it doesn't matter who wins or loses, but I don't want to see the East lose." Of course, if I'm coaching the Western All-Stars, I don't want the West to lose. And I believe that Rick guy must be holding back his strength to prove himself, his king is firmly pressed by the Lakers, and everyone will be depressed, and if he beats me in the All-Star game, he must be able to vent the depression in his heart. ”

The Rick he is talking about is none other than Western Conference All-Star head coach Rick Adelman, an offensive coach who has turned the Kings into the most flamboyant team in the league today, and although he can't beat the Lakers in the playoffs, at least the ratings are guaranteed, after all, every fan likes to watch the offense flow in the game.

Interestingly, before that, Brown could have been a mirror image of Adelman, and if the 76ers hadn't drafted Iverson in 1996, the team would have been very likely to be coached by Brown to be a defensive winning team, which is his usual style. Of course, under the countless persuasions of Chang Wei, Brown is consciously changing his style, and this season the 76ers have performed very well on both offensive and defensive ends, which is the fundamental reason why they can dominate the East.

Chang Wei thought for a while and said, "Why don't you directly use defense to contain his attack?" I feel like the Eastern Conference All-Star team can still play a good defense, so we have a big chance of winning. ”

Brown smiled wryly: "It's okay to defend with a lot of intensity in the decisive moments, but I'm going to keep going for most of the game. As much as I would love to win, the All-Star is still a recreation in the league, and I can't risk the world's condemnation to emphasize defense throughout the game, or what would the fans pay a lot of money to watch in the stadium? ”

"And," Brown's eyes sharpened, "I'm just going to beat Rick in what he's good at!" Doesn't he like flashy offenses? Then I'm going to be more gorgeous than him, and see who wins and who loses! ”

Seeing Brown's scrappy appearance, what else could Chang Wei say? The old man is just too competitive, but it's a good thing for the team. If even the manager doesn't do his best to win, can he expect his players to fight hard? However, Chang Wei also believes that an old coach like Brown has a scale in his heart and will not directly drag the team into the quagmire.

The plane soon landed at Washington's Dulles International Airport, which is still more than 40 kilometers from the city, but it is obvious that the city has been enveloped in the atmosphere of All-Star Weekend, and you don't have to step out of the airport hall to see many huge posters of All-Star Weekend, and of course, Iverson and a few people.

Many of the team had never been to the All-Stars before, and it was shocking to see that even the airport was being used as a promotional prop. Brown walked towards the VIP aisle with the others, and said, "Don't stand there stupidly and watch, when you get to the All-Star Game arena, are you afraid you won't see enough?" ”