r18novel Chapter 57 Beating Kobe!
Chapter 57 Beating Kobe!
In addition, some people suddenly remembered that Lin Ze was playing well when voting for other stars, so they gave him their vote. There were also fans who disliked Garnett and Duncan, who would give him priority in their votes.
Simply put, most of the Americans who voted for Lin Ze were casual fans.
Many NBA stars have risen through the ranks from high school, and many fans were already fans of theirs during their high school years.
And what about Lin Ze?
When he was in high school in Chicago, his brilliance was completely overshadowed by his classmate Garnett. When he was in college in Los Angeles, he was almost unknown, and many people had no idea who this unremarkable guy was.
Of course, Lin Ze wasn't completely without fans during high school and college, but after entering the NBA, he spent two years on the bench and then wasted another year on a bad team. Even if he had some fans, there are very few left now.
As a result, Lin Ze naturally became the player with the worst basic popularity and the smallest fan base among all All-Star players in the West, and even in the East and West.
When he arrives at the All-Star Game, there will definitely be many reporters and even fans chasing after Lin Ze to ask him related questions.
Because of this, Jackson was actually quite worried about Lin Ze's condition and mood.
With the regular season already halfway through and the playoffs getting closer, it would be terrible if Lin Ze's mentality was affected by the All-Star game and he lost the form he had in the first half of the season!
For example, Penny Hardaway was criticized for playing poorly due to injuries and not deserving of an All-Star starter. Unable to withstand the pressure and public opinion, he forced himself to return to play, which aggravated his injuries and led to his departure from his peak!
What worried Jackson even more was that his top informant, Mendelsohn, told him that Lin Ze was doing extra training at the gym with Kobe!
Upon hearing this news, Jackson became somewhat anxious.
No, who's the kind person who trains with Kobe?
Not to mention Lin Ze.
In Jackson's memory, let alone Lin Ze who has exploded this year, even when Lin Ze first entered the league and could only play as a substitute and watch the water bottle in the Bulls, he almost never did extra training!
I arrive and leave on time; although I don't slack off, I almost never work overtime.
Did he voluntarily add extra training?
That's definitely not normal. Nine times out of ten, it's because of the interference from rumors and gossip, which has caused a problem with his mindset.
If you force yourself to train when you have the wrong mindset, you are more likely to get injured. After an injury, the pressure will make you anxious to return to the competition, which can easily lead to further injury. This creates a vicious cycle, which is terrible!
So Jackson hurriedly drove to the training facility to give Lin Ze a mental massage to help him relax.
When Jackson arrived, Lin Ze was sitting on the sidelines resting, and Jackson beckoned him over to his side.
"You've seen all the reports and news from the journalists, haven't you? You must have made preparations for this trip to Auckland, right?" Jackson knew Lin Ze's personality, so he got straight to the point.
"Huh? What news? What are you preparing for? Playing in the All-Star game? What preparations are needed? It's just an exhibition match!"
Um… Looking at Lin Ze’s expression, Jackson realized he might have made a mistake coming today; he was probably overthinking things.
As he pulled out his phone to message Jenny and continue their date, he decided to ask one last question: "When you get to the Bay Area, they'll ask you a lot of similar questions, like, do you think you're better than Garnett? Do you feel guilty for pushing Garnett out of the starting lineup?"
"These kinds of issues, fan outcry, and media ridicule will almost certainly accompany your All-Star journey, so be prepared."
"Huh? Just ask, there's no need to prepare anything." Lin Ze said casually, "Do I really think I'm better than Garnett and Duncan?"
Seeing Lin Ze so clear-headed, Jackson breathed a sigh of relief and decided to return to Jenny's immediately to continue the unfinished work.
"By the way, there's no practice or game today, what brings you to the training facility?" Jackson asked casually while sending a message.
Jackson was genuinely curious that a guy who never did extra training would suddenly start doing it.
"Oh, Kobe specifically asked me to come, saying he wanted to play a couple of one-on-one games with me. I'm going to oblige him." Lin Ze shrugged and said, "I've got nothing better to do anyway."
"One-on-one? You and him?" Jackson put down his phone, his face full of sympathy. He knew all too well how obsessed and passionate Kobe was about one-on-one fighting. Being entangled with Kobe was an absolute nightmare!
The Lakers still have a legend about Kobe Bryant, who, when he first joined the team, insisted on challenging the retired and overweight Magic Johnson to a one-on-one match.
"Yes." Lin Ze nodded.
"I don't believe it." Jackson shook his head quickly. He knew Lin Ze too well. Would this kid do something that was thankless and difficult? Absolutely not!
Normally speaking, it's impossible. Lin Ze would have to be out of his mind to accept Kobe's one-on-one challenge.
But this time the situation was different. First of all, Lin Ze told a little lie. This time it wasn't Kobe who invited him, but he took the initiative to invite Kobe after training the night before.
Kobe didn't hesitate at all; he was even afraid that Lin Ze would run away.
As for why Lin Ze invited Kobe to a one-on-one match? Well, it was obviously to urge Kobe to train more, improve, and strengthen his skills and training intensity!
"I still don't believe it. Did he give you a lot of money? Otherwise, why would you agree to him? What benefits did he give you? Let me tell you, if it's something too outrageous..."
"Phil! You can't judge people with your old eyes! I'm different now!" Lin Ze said unhappily, "I'm an All-Star starter, and I'll soon become the three-point king. Of course, I have to be more ambitious, work harder, and fight harder! Only in this way can I live up to the team's training, the coach's trust, and my selfless teammates."
"I……"
"There's no one else here, tell the truth!" Jackson interrupted Lin Ze, not believing a single word of what he said.
"I'll set the rules for the one-on-one match!" Lin Ze shrugged and gave Jackson his inside information.
"What rules can you set?" Jackson asked, somewhat curious.
Can you stop Kobe from dribbling? Or stop him from using crossovers or something?
"Then you watch." Lin Ze stood up and walked towards Kobe, who was standing under the basket. "Keep going!"
"Come on!" Kobe wiped his sweat and immediately went onto the court.
Then, Jackson frowned.
How shameless!
The English aren't this shameless, even when they put other countries' national treasures in their own museums!
Jackson watched the two fight one-on-one and thought Lin Ze was really dirty.
Then, Jackson did something he had been wanting to do for months but had been holding back.