Cleveland.

James was dining with Fu Paul in his mansion.

In Cleveland, no one else at the king's table was generally allowed to sit up, with the exception of Fu Paul.

As he was eating, Fu Paul's phone vibrated for a while, and he picked it up and looked at it for a while, with a look of joy on his face.

"Great news, king." Fu Paul couldn't hide his excitement and put down his knife and fork.

James looked at him suspiciously.

"Derrick Rose is out for the season and we have the best chance we have!" Fupaul seemed so happy that if he wasn't eating, he would have prayed to God and thanked him.

James was also happy, but quickly regained his composure.

"Are you not pleased, king?" Fu Paul was a little puzzled.

James shook his head: "Of course I'm happy." ”

Hearing James's perfunctory words, the clever Fu Paul gradually realized the problem.

Rose is important to the Bulls, but not to the point where they are indispensable, and the Bulls' real roots now are the Iron Triangle.

In other words, if the Bulls' previous power was 98 (out of 100), then they still have at least 90 now, which does make them lose strength, but it only reduces them from championship favorites to championship favorites, and the Cavaliers still have no absolute chance of winning.

Conversely, if the Cavaliers lose to such a Bull, it will be another blow to James' career.

"King, I have an idea that I don't know whether to talk about or not." After pondering for a moment, Fu Paul spoke cautiously.

"Richie, you know, I hate this way of speaking the most." James frowned.

"I'm sorry, King, but it's a bold idea."

"If we can beat the Bulls this season and then win the championship, it's perfect, and if we can't, then I think we might as well consider joining the Bulls." After seeing James frowning again, Fu Paul then immediately said that James re-signed a 1+1 contract with the Cavaliers last summer, and the autonomy is still in his own hands.

James instantly turned his head to look at Fu Paul, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Fu Paul, even let him join the enemy!

He has been wandering all these years, although he has not been successful, but there is one thing, he has always wanted to beat Xu Yong and the Bulls.

As for wanting to join the Bulls in 2010, the situation at that time was different from now, at that time Xu Yong and Rose were still young and had not yet succeeded, but now that the Bulls are in full swing, if he joins, he will be ridiculed for the rest of his life.

"King, listen to my analysis first." Seeing that James was anxious, Fu Paul hurriedly explained.

"Look, Danny Rodman was playing in Detroit and had a hard time with Michael, but in the end he didn't join the Bulls? Not only did he not be infamous, but he became one of the Bulls' iron triangles and became famous.

Of course, I'm just giving an example, of course you can't compare that guy to the King, but if you join the Bulls, you can achieve far more than he can compare. ”

James' widening eyes slowly closed, but he still felt that something was wrong.

"Rose is the time bomb of the Bulls, the Bulls can win the championship when he's healthy, and the Bulls struggle after the injury, which means two things, one is that even if they get lucky enough to make it to the Finals this season, it's hard to beat the Warriors or the Mavericks, so joining them at this time is even if it's a losing team." Fu Paul paused.

"Two?" James asked.

Hearing this, Fu Paul's face was overjoyed, and he immediately said when he knew that James was interested: "When it comes to this summer, Rose only has the last year of his contract, and if the Bulls fail, then he will inevitably choose to trade, and the one-year contract will be completely traded." ”

James nodded subconsciously, and Fu Paul's analysis was still reasonable.

"Then when the salary cap skyrockets, what reason does the Bulls have to refuse to complete the roster upgrade?" Fu Paul finally asked rhetorically.

Although James is now playing the No. 3 position, he is not unable to play the No. 1 position, and Butler can defend the No. 1 position, which means that he can still play the opponent's No. 2 and No. 3 positions on the defensive end, which is not a problem at all.

James, Butler, Xu Yong, West, Adams, it's not too much for this lineup to win eight consecutive championships, right?

James didn't speak, and it was clear that what Fu Paul said had a lot of viability.

Even taking a step back, even if the Bulls win the championship, it is still feasible, because Rose's injury is estimated to have worn out the patience of management, and it was a surprise that the Bulls did not take the opportunity to trade Rose last summer.

As for the question of historical status, it is unlikely that he can replace Xu Yong, but can't he replace Butler?

He can do everything Butler can do and do better, and he can do the same things he can't.

But is becoming "Pippen" his career goal? Apparently not.

But that could be a way out of his career, especially this season after experiencing the league treatment of Adi's players.

……

Fast forward to early February, and All-Star Weekend is here.

It was at this time that Chris Bosh, who was originally selected for the bench, will miss this year's All-Star Game due to a calf injury, and his place will be replaced by the Pistons' center "Zhuangshen" Drummond, who averaged 17.8 points and 14.8 rebounds per game this season and is the league's current rebounding leader.

Then this year's Jimmy Butler is not injured again, this will be the first time in his career to appear in the All-Star Game, and at the same time, this is also the first time that the Bulls have three people appear in the All-Star Game since Yao Ming retired, which is probably the most interesting game in years.

So as early as a week before All-Star Weekend began, the all-star atmosphere in Chicago had already begun to appear, not only the surrounding malls of Union Center, but also the other shopping malls and streets of Chicago, and Chicago hotels had already begun to fill up early.

By the time it was All-Star Weekend, the streets around the United Center were congested, and many people chose to park on the side of the road, abandon their cars and walk to the arena.

There are not only local Chicago fans, but also a large number of fans from all over the world.

If the popularity of the Bulls was only a text description before, then the current pomp and circumstance is a good reflection.

This popularity was further demonstrated the day before All-Star Weekend officially began.

When Xu Yong appeared at the fan carnival, the scene was really surrounded by three circles inside and three circles outside, if the team hadn't made a plan in advance, this might have been dangerous.

It was under such a grand occasion that on February 13, the curtain of the Chicago All-Star Game officially opened.

Like the All-Star Game at other times, this year's All-Star Game in Chicago has a main arena for the individual and main events, while the secondary arena is used for the Masters and Rookie games.

Because Xu Yong wanted to participate in AJ and the league's official activities, he did not go to the annex on the first day, but waited until the second day of the individual competition to arrive at the United Center.

Before the start of the individual competition, there is an open public warm-up session for the All-Star Open, and the All-Stars from the East and West will be present.

Xu Yonggang shot a three-pointer at the top of the arc, and someone passed the ball in time, and when he received the ball, he found that the person who passed the ball turned out to be James.

He was really stunned at this moment.

Is this an oolong?

It wasn't until James gestured to shoot that Xu Yong was sure that it was for him.

And when Xu Yong finished throwing this ball, James actually picked up the ball and passed another one to him, this is the sun playing the west and coming out, James acted as a caddy for him?

Xu Yong didn't know what was going on, but it seemed like it was not bad, after all, who would refuse a king to serve him? Even if he's just from Cleveland.

Of course, this process did not last long, because Butler, who felt uncomfortable after seeing this scene, also went to the basket, grabbed the ball with James, and finally drove James away.

Xu Yong shook his head with a smile, these media reporters are watching, you really don't respect the king at all.

After the end of the public training, the players began to be interviewed by reporters on the sidelines, and Xu Yong was naturally the focus of the reporters' interviews.

"What are your goals for this year's All-Star Game?"

"Deliver the best game for the fans."

"Do you have any ideas for winning MVP for the next consecutive year?"

"Yes."

Xu Yong's answer was more direct, after all, he was destined to be the protagonist in this year's All-Star Game, and as long as he could lead the Eastern Army to win, he would basically be the MVP of this year's All-Star Game.

After the interview, the players didn't have to go back to the locker room, because the individual event was coming up soon.

Xu Yong and Butler sat in the first row, and on the other side of him was Paul George.

George's performance has changed qualitatively this season, averaging 26.4 points per game this season, and now leads the Magic team to sixth place in the East, and is very likely to lead the team back to the playoffs, and is directly selected to start the All-Star Game.

And as can be seen from last season's All-Star, he now belongs to Xu Yong's fan brother.

"Senior, I feel that something is not quite right with him." Butler leaned over his ear at this time and said to Xu Yong.

Hearing his words, Xu Yong turned his head and realized that James didn't know when he changed seats with someone and sat next to George.

Xu Yong was also puzzled, and the most likely explanation he could think of was that James was beaten by society after endorsing Adi this season, and then eased the relationship with him.

"Senior, he probably wants to come to the Bulls, right?" At this moment, Butler leaned into Xu Yong's ear and said.

Xu Yong was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.

It shouldn't, not rather, it can't be.

Even if James wanted to come, the Bulls wouldn't want it.

Even if the Bulls wanted it, he would oppose it.

After all, there are living cases of the Heat's Big Three, and he doesn't want to be released by 8 points.

But whatever, people have a hot face, and his ass is still cold.

This year's individual competition has attracted a lot of attention, because it is a rare game where both the three-point contest and the slam dunk contest are highlighted.

During the three-point contest, Curry and Thompson staged a peak matchup, and finally Curry threw the highest score of the game tied Xu Yong's 28 points just last year in the final, defeating Thompson to win the three-point contest.

"If you participate, I think you should be able to defend your title."

Xu Yongzheng applauded Curry's performance, and when he turned his head, he heard a familiar voice in his ears.

When he turned to look back, he found that James had already sat down next to him after switching places with George.

Xu Yong turned his head and pretended not to hear.

James wants to come to the Bulls or not, and it is impossible to ease relations, after all, who would ease relations with someone who is trying to put their feet on their feet, and more than once?

After the three-point contest is over, it will be followed by the slam dunk contest.

Then Xu Yong enjoyed the dunk duel between LaVine and Gordon live, which was far more exciting than what he had watched in front of the TV in his previous life, and indeed deserved the title of the most exciting dunk duel in NBA history.

As for the 2010 slam dunk contest he participated in that year, there was no way, his opponent in the finals at that time was James was too weak, or how to say that great games need strong opponents?

Thinking of this, he turned his head and found that James was no longer next to him, and it seemed that the king's hot face still couldn't stand the temperature of his cold ass.

On the last day of the All-Star Game, Xu Yong still sat in his place.

Because they used the same locker room, except for the three people who entered the main game, the rest of the Bulls' wardrobes were temporarily cleared out for the rest of the All-Stars.

Anderson's place is now assigned to Paul George.

"I'll pass the ball well and defend well." George patted his chest with Xu Yong and wrote a letter of guarantee.

"Isn't it my job to pass the ball?" Butler asked across the street, his closet on the other side near the doorway.

"If you want to say that, I'm a point guard." Wade interjected with a smile.

There was laughter in the locker room, and it could be seen that everyone's goal this year was very clear, that is, to put the ball in Xu Yong's hands, and the rest was to watch Xu Yong's performance.

Xu Yong couldn't help but smile and shake his head at this time. Looking at it this way, he is going to be ready to shoot 30 or even 40 times a game in the evening.

"I think the person I'm most worried about right now is probably the All-Star scoring record because it's about to be broken." Just then, James spoke.

When these words were spoken, almost everyone looked surprised, and George even plucked his ears with his hands to make sure that he had heard it wrong.

Now, James is openly making friends with Xu Yong.

"I don't think [the Emperor] should be able to worry about that." Xu Yong looked at James and said teasingly.

Chamberlain was the All-Star Game single-game scoring record holder (42 points), and then he was nicknamed the Emperor of Basketball.

This is also the reason why it is translated as a little emperor when it is translated in China, this is not an emperor before James, of course, people have to add a small to distinguish, just like Kenyon Martin's son, called Kenyon Martin Jr.

And Chamberlain's words have been buried in the ground since 1999.

There was laughter in the locker room again, and I don't know if I was laughing at Xu Yong's humor or Xu Yong's ridicule.

James was instantly embarrassed, this was the third time that his All-Star Game had put his hot face on Xu Yong's cold ass.

That night, the All-Star Game was officially staged at the United Center.

Seo Yong was the last to appear, and in DJ's elongated introductory tone, Seo Yong walked from behind the scenes to the front of the stage, just a smiling wave of his hand, which had already sent the United Center into a frenzy.

Feeling the enthusiasm of the fans, he turned his head sideways and made a listening motion, and the cheers of the audience instantly became like the steam of a pressure cooker, about to tear down the roof of the United Center.

After the ceremony, the two sides had a short warm-up, and then the starters were ready to take the stage.

One interesting thing is that there are no big men in the starting line-ups of both teams this year, not even power forwards, which means that the pace of the opening game must be very fast.

The game started immediately, with both starters coming in one after another.

West: Curry, Westbrook, Kobe, Durant, Leonard;

East: Wade, Butler, Xu Yong, Paul George, James.

When jumping the ball, the two sides spoofed and let Xu Yong and Curry jump the ball in the middle circle, and the atmosphere of this year's All-Star Game is still relaxed.

In the end, Xu Yong didn't jump much, and with a slight flick, the ball was dialed back to the half, and the game officially began.

Wade controlled the ball and advanced to the frontcourt, and after signaling to pull away, he gave the ball to Xu Yong in the low post.

The western side did not flank the attack, so let Durant defend Xu Yong in the low post.

Xu Yong turned around and leaned back after a back hit, and Durant separated and threw out his long arm to interfere.

"Huh!"

However, with a crisp sound, Xu Yong hit steadily against the defense.

Looking back, the Western Army was led by Curry on the outside, and Curry's off-ball escape was very beautiful, and he basically got a complete shot space.

"Phew!"

But his shot was ultimately denied by the basket.

There was a sudden commotion at the scene, what Chicago baskets, which also have automatic identification.

The rebound was picked up by Xu Yong, and he threw his hand to Wade, who was already almost down, and the Eastern team quickly launched a defensive counterattack.

At this time, the difference between the All-Star team and the ordinary team is out, this fast speed is really fast, from Wade who is advancing to his teammates who are following up, the camera is a little unable to catch up.

Wade hit the front court, looked back, and he didn't shoot when he had a chance to score directly, but threw the ball directly into the air, and then opened his arms to make a celebratory gesture.

Xu Yong was led by the ball and took off into the air, and completed the air catch and dunk under Wade's celebration.

What is it? This is [Xu Wei Connection]!

But it's still celebrating here, Durant is fast in the backcourt, and Westbrook has gone down to the backcourt of the Eastern Army in an instant to score a one-handed dunk.

This rhythm, even if the fans have foreseen it, but they still think it is too fast, and if they really play like this, maybe both teams will have to break the 200 mark.

I don't know if it's the whole court, but the opening is really like this, because just after Westbrook dunked, Butler served in the backcourt, and Wade had quickly advanced to the frontcourt.

And when Wade reached the three-point line in the front court, he changed hands and gave the ball to Xu Yong, which felt that the tactics were too slow.

Xu Yong was also simple, holding the ball in one hand outside the three-point line, a feint to break through with a falling step, and then directly pulled out a three-point shot.

The ball in the low post in front is more of a test feel, and the feel is online, so you can shoot more.

"Huh!"

When the crisp sound sounded, the fans cheered everywhere.

Okay, now it's completely certain it's your own basket.

The Western Forces continued to fight fast, but the Eastern Forces retreated early this time to block Westbrook, and he defended carefully everywhere.

In the end, Durant shot a three-point answer ball at the top of the arc, but unfortunately the basketball smashed out of the frame, and the rebound was directly placed by James.

James didn't choose to pass the ball, turned around and played a fast break on his own.

The eastern army advanced, although Xu Yong was also fast, but he didn't follow up very actively, because he knew that a fast-attacking madman like James would most likely attack by himself, not to mention that he gave the other party a cold ass one after another.

But what he never expected was that when he landed at the top of the arc of the frontcourt, James actually came to look back at the moon and pass.

At this moment, he thought it was yesterday's public training session!

"Huh!"

He raised the knife in his hand and hit the three points again.

Tonight, my basket is like the sea.

And even James is passing the ball to him, and there really is no one to stop him from breaking the single-game scoring record tonight.

In the first three quarters of the game, the two sides played three quarters of high-speed bombardment, playing a super high score of 162-157, basically starting from 50 points in a single quarter.

The scenes of you coming and going are also dizzying and addictive.

And the most important thing is Xu Yong, the Eastern Army doesn't say that every ball is given, but as long as Xu Yong is there, as long as there is an opportunity, every ball will come.

Xu Yong also proved one thing with practical actions, when the four All-Stars fed the first person in the league, what terrifying statistics he could play.

At the end of the third quarter, Xu Yong made 21 of 27 shots and 5 of 8 three-pointers, and he had already scored 50 points!

What is Chamberlain's All-Star Game single-game scoring record, and does it take a full court to break it?

You know, this is the All-Star Game, Xu Yong is not there all the time, and he only played 27 minutes in the first three quarters.

"I don't know how many points Xu can score tonight, but I'm not surprised how many points he scores." Barkley said this sentence with the corners of his mouth twitching, because he knew that Xu Yong had a characteristic that in addition to scoring points, he also had a characteristic of being extremely persistent.

If this rhythm continues, he and even Xu Yong have a chance to score 70+ in the All-Star Game!

But when the game came to the final quarter, things changed.

Because it was related to the outcome of the game, the two sides began to fight hard.

Xu Yong's defender also changed from Durant to Leonard, and he was assisted in the defense.

However, although Xu Yong's scoring momentum is not as fast as the first three quarters, he is still cutting points.

Three minutes before the end, he had already scored 60 points to 63.

At this time, as soon as he received the ball, he had already begun to be sandwiched by three people from the Western Army.

However, this gave the Eastern Army an opportunity, and Wade and George cut points one after another, and the Eastern Army gradually established an advantage.

When the game came to the last minute, the difference between the two sides was only 3 points, and Xu Yong did not dare to pinch the ball from the Western side, and he shot a three-pointer after shaking off Leonard with a sideways drag.

He hadn't made a move for two minutes before that, and there would be some problems with his hand.

But soon, Xu Yong proved that that was not the problem.

With the sound of the basketball hollowing out, he also scored a game-killing goal.

In the end, the score between the two sides was fixed at 192-186, and the eastern army defeated the western army by 6 points and won the battle.

Xu Yong shot 27 of 39 and scored 66 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Regardless of the rest, this scoring record has forcibly raised Chamberlain's scoring record by two notches, and it really responds to the sentence on the Jordan statue at the United Center at this time: The best there ever best there ever will be (no one before and no one after).

(End of chapter)