Chapter 509 Record-breaking All-Star Ticket King for Three Consecutive Years
In the first two seasons, Wang was the vote leader in the Suns. In 1996, it was 1.59 million votes, and in 1997, it was 2.55 million votes. Now in Los Angeles, the Lakers must let Wang win the vote, and the number of votes cannot be less.
Otherwise, the entire Los Angeles and Lakers will be embarrassed.
But there is no need for the Lakers to do any mobilization work. The Los Angeles media went all out to build momentum for Lao Wang and strive to win the vote.
The city's urban population is as high as 3.7 million, and the metropolitan area's population is as high as 12 million. Including nearby areas, the population of the entire Los Angeles metropolitan area is as high as 17 million, and the professional sports team here is dominated by the Lakers.
The foundation is deeper than Phoenix.
In addition, Lao Wang has averaged 40+ points per game this season, making him the number one offensive machine in modern basketball. He is so popular that he is number one in the league.
As well as all Chinese organizations in the Greater Bay Area, including big cities such as New York and Toronto where Chinese people gather, some Chinese organizations came forward and began to canvass votes for him.
However, as a wealthy team, the Lakers have great ambitions. In addition to Pharaoh, the management also plans to support Kobe Bryant, push him to the All-Star starting lineup, and make him a star in Los Angeles.
On the 2nd, the Lakers faced the Hawks at home.
Injuries that are inevitable in professional sports suddenly appeared. Richmond sprained his foot during a breakthrough and had to be sidelined for three weeks. The Lakers' combat effectiveness was once again damaged.
Chris Mullin assumed the main position. The loss of the Lakers' main lineup was not huge, but the bench lineup was weakened.
The Lakers lost the game as a result, interrupting their winning streak.
Of course, it's not just the Lakers who have injuries. Every team has injuries, and they are even more serious.
Also on this day, the Knicks played against the Jazz at home. O'Neal was stepped on by the postman and had to be out for half a month.
The Trail Blazers and Dameng also suffered injuries on the 4th, with a rear injury and will have to be sidelined for at least a month.
On the 6th, Pippen fell during the game and the old injury on his foot recurred. He needed surgery and was immediately reimbursed for the season.
On the 8th, during the Lakers' game against the Jazz, Lao Wang collided with the postman and fell. The postman was underneath him and his left wrist was crushed and injured. He will have to be out for at least half a month. Lao Wang's left ankle also suffered a slight sprain.
There will be a truce for at least a week.
My left ankle was injured last time, and it was injured again this time. It is already an old injury. Fortunately, the injury is not serious and I can just rest.
However, for the sake of insurance, the Lakers management insisted on letting him rest for an extra week to allow the ankle to achieve the best recovery effect.
Anyway, the current record is very good, and the main competitors, the Trail Blazers, Jazz, and Knicks all have core players suffering from injuries, so there is no need to worry too much about the record.
Lao Wang was unlucky and got injured, and at this time the results of the first week's All-Star voting came out.
The voting lasted for four weeks. At the end of the first week, Lao Wang received 750,000 votes, one-third of which were cast by Chinese.
The total number of Chinese in the Los Angeles metropolitan area is close to 400,000. Mobilized by major Chinese organizations, a large number of Chinese participated in the vote.
He ranked first in the league in votes, and Jordan, who was second, only had 370,000 votes, only half of his votes.
Although the data comparison between the two is only in the first week, it also shows that his current popularity is already higher than that of Jordan.
In addition, under the operation of the Lakers, Kobe also received 110,000 votes, ranking second among Western Conference guards, second only to Gary Payton.
On the 9th, good news came from China. Bai Changsheng, the general manager of K-Times Sports Center, called to inform Lao Wang that his basketball gym had been renovated.
Lao Wang received some pictures, which are very beautiful and look a bit like the Temple of Heaven, with Chinese characteristics and cultural style.
On the 12th, Mark Price returned, which is good news given that Lao Wang was injured.
In the second week, Lao Wang's votes exceeded one million, with 570,000 votes cast in a single week, and the total number of votes reached 1.32 million.
However, New York is also working hard. Jordan received 510,000 votes in the second week, bringing the total number of votes to 880,000.
Although they were far ahead in All-Star voting, the Lakers' record began to decline, losing two games in one week.
In the third week of voting, the Lakers lost another game, but Lao Wang was far ahead in votes. With the support of Chinese Americans across the United States, he received 700,000 votes in a single week, exceeding two million.
On the 16th, Cheng Long called from Hong Kong. His new movie "Who Am I" will be released tomorrow.
"Brother Cheng, where is the United States?" Lao Wang asked.
"It's scheduled for September. You have to support me then, Old K." Cheng Long said with a smile.
"September, okay, I'll reserve the place for you then, and all the two thousand people from my martial arts school will be dispatched." Lao Wang said with a smile.
"Haha, thank you in advance!" Cheng Long laughed.
On January 21, the Lakers had a record of 34 wins and 6 losses, still ranked first in the Western Conference.
However, the Trail Blazers' record has also declined, and Duncan has supported the team alone. So far, they have 32 wins and 8 losses, ranking third in the Western Conference.
The Jazz injured Postman and now have the same 32 wins and 8 losses, second in the Western Conference.
In the Eastern Conference, the Pacers had no major injuries, with 35 wins and 5 losses, ranking first in the Eastern Conference and first in the league.
The Kyles also have little injury problems, with 34 wins and 6 losses, second in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks injured O'Neal and now have 33 wins and 7 losses, third in the Eastern Conference.
At this point in the schedule, already halfway through, Lao Wang announced his comeback, and at the same time, Postman and O'Neal also announced their comebacks.
On the 24th, the Lakers challenged the SuperSonics away from home. Wang came off the bench and performed very well. He scored 39 points in 31 minutes and led the team to defeat the opponent and win 35 games.
Next, the Lakers returned to Los Angeles, and their next game was against the Nets at home on the 28th.
Just in time, the Spring Festival is here, New Year's Eve is on the 27th, and New Year's Eve is on the 28th. Wang Aiguo and Liu Damei have already arranged bacon goods. There are bacon sausages and other things hanging everywhere in the villa, and they are covered with a layer of sesame oil to prevent mosquitoes.
On the 26th, Lao Wang’s three-system training was finally completed.
Before this injury, his three training sessions were almost complete, and it took him half a month to complete them. Now he has completed them after training for several days.
His physical fitness has reached the limit of level 105, his speed has reached the limit of level 82, and his explosive power has reached the limit of level 89. This means that his physical functions have reached their peak state.
Technically, although there is still some room for improvement in the future, such as enhancing his mid-range shooting ability, he is a heavy center, and his mid-range shooting ability is just the icing on the cake and is not of great importance to him. In other words, whether it is physical function or technology,
From now on, everything has reached its peak.
Reaching the highest peak is a good thing, but peaking and then declining, reaching the highest peak, also means that his rising period is over, and it will also mean that he will usher in a downward channel.
For him now, the most important thing is how to maintain his peak condition, prolong his peak condition as much as possible, extend his career, and avoid serious injuries as much as possible.
This time, his left ankle was injured again, and it became an old injury. Although the injury was not serious, it was a warning from his body: If you use it sparingly, it will be worn too much, and I may strike at any time.
On the 27th, Lao Wang’s family set up six large tables. In addition to family members, Wang Tielong and other relatives from the five servers in Los Angeles also celebrated the New Year together. Liu Changfeng’s three brothers are all in Los Angeles and are married, and their families are also here.
And Gao Bin also celebrated the New Year together.
Dabao received a lot of red envelopes. The 16-month-old boy is already running around. He is very strong, has obviously excess energy, and his little mouth is also very talkative.
However, according to Wang Aiguo and his wife, Dabao is not as fast as his father when he was a child, but he should be smarter.
The 28th is the New Year in the Year of the Tiger.
Early in the morning, Lao Wang and his family were invited to Chinatown.
The Chinatown in Los Angeles is not very big, not as good as the Chinatowns in New York and San Francisco, and not as good as the Chinatown in Toronto, but it is still quite lively.
As the most famous Chinese in the United States, Wang Tiejun has good relations with major Chinese organizations in the Greater Bay Area, so he was invited to perform the lion dance.
He was not the only one to point out the bright colors, the other one was the Chief Consul General of the Consulate General in Los Angeles, each of whom pointed out one eye.
That night, the Great Western Forum Arena was filled with Chinese colors, a bright red.
Old Bass even asked the management to invite dragon and lion dances from Chinatown to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
In this atmosphere, Wang Tiejun broke out with all his strength, scored 55 points, got a good start in the new year, and led the team to its 36th victory.
On the 29th, the league announced that All-Star voting was over.
Wang won the NBA All-Star vote for the third consecutive season, receiving 2.65 million votes.
This number of votes is also the highest in the history of the alliance, with at least one million votes coming from Chinese votes.
In the past, when there was no Wang Tiejun, few Chinese in North America participated in such voting activities. Even in the past few seasons, not many Chinese participated. However, as Wang's status in the NBA has become higher and higher, in the past two years,
Since the season, more and more Chinese have participated in voting.
Jordan, who was second, received 1.35 million votes, which was 1.3 million votes behind him, almost half of him. Even excluding the Chinese votes, the number of votes Lao Wang got should be higher than him.
In addition, with the promotion of the Lakers and Los Angeles media, Kobe also received nearly 400,000 votes and was successfully selected as a starter for the Western Conference All-Stars.
The Western Conference All-Star starters are Wang Tiejun, Karl Malone, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and Gary Payton.
Western All-Star substitutes, namely Tim Duncan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Vin Baker, Mitch Richmond, Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel, John Stock
Dayton.
The Eastern Conference All-Star starters are Shaquille O'Neal, Shawn Kemp, Grant Hill, Michael Jordan, and Jason Kidd.
The Eastern Conference All-Star substitutes are Dikembe Mutombo, Glenn Rice, Reggie Miller, Anfernee Hardaway, Rick Schmitz, Tim Hardaway, Antoine
Van Walker.
"Kobe, your starting lineup is a bit lacking in gold content!" Lao Wang joked when he saw Kobe smiling from ear to ear.
Kobe jumped up and shouted: "This is popularity. The All-Star competition is about popularity, not data. I am a real All-Star starter. Old K, don't be jealous of me."
"Why am I jealous of you? I also started the All-Star Game in my second season, am I worse than you?" Lao Wang said disdainfully.
"Anyway, you can no longer say that my All-Star starter is not valuable enough." Kobe said angrily.
"Crack!"
Lao Wang directly suppressed it with a slap, and laughed and scolded: "What are you talking about? Do you still want to learn the plum blossom step?"
Kobe was stunned, then laughed and said: "Old K, please teach me. I have been waiting for a long time. If you do something bad one day, wouldn't it be lost? You pass it on to me first, and I will pass it on to you later."
"Dare you curse me?"
With two snaps, Lao Wang slapped Kobe twice in succession, cracking Kobe's teeth and teeth.
However, he also began to teach Kobe Bryant the club steps, which were system-optimized steps. He no longer had to practice on wooden stakes like him, and he practiced with the ball.
Now that his system training is completed, he has a lot of free time, and some time to toss Kobe.
…
On the 30th, the Lakers defeated the Timberwolves again at home, winning their 37th victory and completing the January schedule.
On this day, the Pacers suffered a major injury. Patrick Ewing strained the cruciate ligament in his left knee. Although he did not need surgery, he will need to rest for a month or two and should be able to return in the playoffs.
After Lao Wang got the news, he called and comforted him: "King Kong, this is actually pretty good. If it weren't for the medicated oil massage at K Martial Arts School, you might be dead."
"..."
When Ewing, who was depressed to death, heard these words, if it were not thousands of kilometers away, he would definitely crawl over and beat Lao Wang.
"King Kong, let's do this. It's really not possible with the Pacers. You can wait until the contract is over and come help me." Lao Wang comforted him again.
"Old K, when the day comes, please leave a place for me." Ewing sighed to himself, that was all he could do, it would be better than retiring empty-handed.
He is just afraid. He just signed a new four-year contract with the Pacers this year. After four years, his contract is over, and Old K might not be able to do it by then either.
It is very possible that no matter how strong old K's body is, he is now starting to suffer from injuries. With his style of play, even if his current style of play has changed, he is still very confrontational. How many years can he last?
…
Time entered February, the Lakers defeated the Bulls on the 1st, and on the 4th, the last game before the All-Star weekend, they faced the Trail Blazers at home.
It happened that Dameng came back in this game and came on as a substitute. His condition was average. He only played 23 minutes and scored 13 points.
Taking advantage of the Trail Blazers' lack of strength, Wang once again defeated Duncan, scoring 51 points on his head. He prevented Duncan from shooting 3 of 13, and only scored 9 points including free throws. He led the team to defeat again.
A pioneer.
"Old K, you did it on purpose. Isn't it too much to catch a rookie doing something crazy?" Dameng said with some displeasure after the game.
"If I don't do it, how can I prove that the deal between the Lakers and the Suns is correct?" Lao Wang said with a smile.
"Just wait, we have two more games. Let's meet again after the All-Star Game. I want you to look good then." Dameng said fiercely.
"Who are you trying to scare? Before Duncan's confrontation ability improves, the substitute lineup is not as good as ours, the outside defense is poor, and the efficiency is not high. Why do you want to fight me?" Lao Wang said disdainfully.
Dameng was a little helpless. Although Duncan was at the top when he debuted, he was still a rookie. Facing Old K, the number one active player, he was really beaten all over his head.
Moreover, the Trail Blazers' bench lineup is indeed not as good as the Lakers', and there are also some problems with the outside configuration. There is no defense and the efficiency is not high enough.
However, there is no chance of winning. As long as the outside is explosive and the inside is efficient, the Lakers can be beaten into scum.
So he refused to be outdone and said: "Old K, don't talk too much, don't boast too much. How about this, if we win the next two games, we will get ten cans of medicinal food for free?"
Lao Wang quickly refused and said: "That won't work. Now the martial arts school, no, the club's affairs are not my responsibility. If I go to eat by myself, I have to pay for it. I can't miss a steel penny."
Dameng said with a look of disdain: "Old K, your situation is getting worse and worse now, and you can't manage your own business anymore."
"There is no way. My business needs to be promoted to the world, and management must be formalized. What is this called? Let professional people do professional things, do you understand? I think you don't understand, like you
You old man, you can’t even calculate three times three times three, what do you know?” Lao Wang said proudly.
Dameng is extremely envious. Old K's business is getting bigger and bigger. He hopes that the trading company will also get bigger and bigger, and he can also drink some soup.
However, he couldn't calculate three times three times three. He was not convinced, so he immediately started counting with his fingers, but after a long time of calculation, he still couldn't calculate it correctly.
"I'm right, you big bastard, you illiterate." Lao Wang said with contempt.
