Chapter 111: A Closed Heart, A Closed Person
That same night after the Celebrity Game ended, there was still the highlight of All-Star Weekend: the Slam Dunk Contest.
But before that, All-Star Weekend had already featured a showdown for the young players—the Rookie Challenge. As one of the most talked-about rookies this year, Xu Ling naturally made the Rookie team.
In the Rookie Challenge, Xu Ling played relaxed and casual, facing loose defense, using precise jump shots and quick drives to score 24 points, warming up for the weekend.
However, that was just an appetizer after all, and the media’s focus was soon drawn to the more topical Slam Dunk Contest that followed.
Ever since a certain self-proclaimed naturally gifted stud who claimed he could easily win the Slam Dunk Contest repeatedly skipped the event invitations, later players have also started shunning the event.
No way around it, you have to look up to your idol.
Because everyone is crossing the river by feeling the stones of their seniors, Kobe wanted to become Jordan, so he painstakingly honed his skills and actively signed up for the Slam Dunk Contest, while others wanted to be their own master like that heaven-sent stud, he didn’t want to be defined by dunks, so naturally others didn’t either.
With no traffic stars participating, the Slam Dunk Contest increasingly became a stage for players with athleticism but little fame to try to make a name for themselves with one dunk.
The league had no choice but to go with the flow and put effort into the judges.
This time, the league gathered Jordan, Kobe, Dr. J, Dominique Wilkins, and Magic Johnson—who seemed completely unrelated to dunks—all together as judges.
Thus, the judges’ table at the Slam Dunk Contest unusually became a more captivating sight than the event itself.
Xu Ling brought Arianny Celeste to the scene, and their appearance drew gasps from many, after all, the aftermath of the afternoon Celebrity Game had not yet faded.
However, to Xu Ling, the Slam Dunk Contest was a boring event.
Because when he started seriously following basketball in his previous life, whether NBA or CBA, the Slam Dunk Contest had become the main stage for those folk dunk experts, the league invited them to the site to show their talents, they showed in the live broadcast moves they had done multiple times in various dunk contests, then the judges symbolically gave tens, they won thunderous applause and took home the championship.
But is that what fans want to see? If fans just want to see high difficulty, any highlight reel from an internet street dunk contest is a hundred times more exciting than this.
But this trend shows no sign of easing, players will only cherish their feathers more and more, treating dunk performances as the lowest rung in basketball, disdaining to participate, only wanting to watch amateurs show off, but this isn’t all bad, at least these amateurs can guarantee a sufficient floor.
However, it’s now 2008, how far had the Slam Dunk Contest fallen?
Xu Ling was very interested in this, he wanted to know the difference between NBA and CBA, because his dislike for the Slam Dunk Contest stemmed from CBA, he would forever remember a player named Wang Zilu who signed up for the Slam Dunk Contest and told the on-site host he would give his all to show himself, then like a barely able to dunk passerby, showed two reluctant dunks not even worth 1 point in front of everyone and quickly rolled off.
That was the most embarrassing thing Xu Ling had ever seen on a basketball court, no others.
Then Xu Ling saw the NBA version of abstract art.
First was Rudy Gay, when he took the court, the director specially gave Xu Ling a shot, and in the shot, Xu Ling was chatting with Arianny, the two laughing and talking, clearly the Regicide hadn’t forgiven Gay yet.
And Gay seemed completely unable to let loose, showing no McGrady-level physique in front of the five legendary players, barely completing his first dunk after several attempts, ultimately getting 37 points. Then Howard self-tossed from behind the rebound for a windmill slam dunk to win full points, nine-finger dunk king Gerald Green’s abstract performance began, he first had someone place a small box of cake with lit candles on the rim, then had a teammate lob to him, he had to blow out the candle when completing the alley-oop.
That was an embarrassingly brainless idea, and he tried several times before finally blowing out the candle on the rim, Kenny Smith exaggeratedly yelled, but the crowd’s reaction doesn’t lie, that suffocating embarrassment made even Xu Ling, who fast-forwards through cringe clips, feel uncomfortable all over.
Boring, cringey creativity, until Howard donned Superman’s red cape and performed a heavenly flying flat-rim smash dunk, like the real-life version of Fire God Daiki’s meteor slam dunk from the fantasy basketball anime Kuroko’s Basketball.
Howard naturally won the Slam Dunk Contest championship.
The next day
Xu Ling went early to the New Orleans Arena as required to meet his Western Conference All-Stars teammates.
This was deep in the corridors of the New Orleans Arena, far from the roaring crowd, with a strange silence. This was the exclusive area prepared for the All-Stars, the air filled with the scent of floor wax mixed with cologne.
Xu Ling wore his warm-up gear, together with the other Western Conference All-Stars, guided by staff like a group of priceless exhibits, doing the final rehearsal before entrance.
“Alright, gentlemen,” a director wearing an earpiece, tone urgent, clapped his hands, “Listen, when your name is called, walk out that entrance, to the spotlight in the center of the court, wave, smile, enjoy the applause. Simple, right? Remember your positions, don’t get them wrong!”
Dwight Howard had already started improvising, simulating entrance moves, letting out low roars, making Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony burst out laughing, LeBron James stood with Dwyane Wade, talking softly, a relaxed smile on his face, but his eyes occasionally swept toward the Western Conference All-Stars direction.
Moreover, those Eastern Conference stars who claimed to be James’s friends also occasionally turned their gazes to the Western Conference All-Stars’ No. 1 spot.
Xu Ling just quietly stood in his assigned position, watching all this. He felt it was like a carefully choreographed puppet show, but this was the celebrity duty they had to fulfill.
When the staff prepared for the group photo, the Eastern and Western stars mixed together, carefully arranged by height and status by the staff. Xu Ling was placed in the second row, and to his left was Jason Kidd wearing the Eastern Conference All-Star jacket.
Although Kidd had been traded to the Grizzlies, the votes he got from playing for the Nets were enough to make the Eastern Conference All-Star team, so he still had to represent the Eastern Conference All-Stars.
“How’s it feel, Jason?” Xu Ling joked, “From New Jersey to Memphis, from Western Conference All-Star to Eastern representative, what a season.”
Kidd’s mouth twitched at that, staring ahead, replying in a voice only they could hear: “That’s still nothing compared to you, Eli. You’re the only one in the world who can win global headlines in Memphis. Enjoy this front-row seat, it’ll be your fixed spot from now on.”
At that moment, the staff made a minor adjustment, signaling James to move a bit more to the center. This adjustment put James diagonally in front of Xu Ling, with only one Carmelo Anthony between them. In an instant, the subtle balance in the air was broken.
James seemed to feel the gaze from behind his side, his broad shoulders stiffening almost imperceptibly. He didn’t turn back, nor try any eye contact with Xu Ling, just slightly lifted his chin, making his profile lines appear colder. The King deliberately said something to Wade beside him, letting out a slightly exaggerated laugh, as if building an invisible barrier to isolate the existence behind him.
Xu Ling took it all in. He didn’t act deliberately like James, just slightly tilted his head, gazing at James’s back with an almost analytical look, like appraising an interesting exhibit.
Wade, sandwiched between them, felt the invisible pressure, shifting his feet uncomfortably, his smile becoming forced.
He tried to talk to Xu Ling to ease the mood: “Hey, Eli, first All-Star, feels good, right?”
Xu Ling then shifted his gaze from James’s back, smiled at Wade: “Not bad, Dwyane, way more fun than being asked anywhere how to do the finger wag.”
The atmosphere where everyone clearly disliked each other but had to pretend harmony was almost torn apart by one sentence from the Regicide.
Then Yao Ming, unsure of the situation, spoke up: “Sigh, tonight I must make a three-pointer.”
“Come on, Yao!” Garnett complained, “People are tired of watching you shoot threes, you need some new tricks!”
“OK, I’ll ask Eli how to hit a half-court shot.”
The mood was thus eased by Yao Ming.
Thanks to Yao Ming, the group photo was finally completed amid fake harmonious smiles.
Flashes popped, freezing this photo that would be referenced repeatedly in the future.
In the photo, James smiled brightly, gaze firmly forward at the camera; behind his side, Xu Ling wore that classic inscrutable half-smile, his eyes seeming on the camera, yet also past it, to somewhere farther.
Rehearsal over, players dispersed to their warm-up areas. Passing the mixed interview zone, reporters targeted them, microphones mainly at Xu Ling and James.
“LeBron, any special interactions with Eli tonight?” a reporter eagerly asked.
James immediately put on his flawless public face, smile appropriate: “Tonight is about enjoying basketball and giving back to the fans. Eli and I are both here to deliver a great show for the fans, that’s the focus.”
On the other side, facing the same question, Xu Ling’s answer was much simpler: “Interactions? On-court interactions are the best interactions.”
The two different answers to the same question perfectly illustrated their public images.
Sam Smith, famous NBA reporter for writing the Jordan Rules, completely mapped James and Xu Ling onto the black-white duo: “LeBron is like Magic Johnson, all-around, selfless, team-first; Eli is like the yellow-skinned Larry Bird, sharp, biting, direct, I believe their rivalry will be the league’s main theme for the next decade!”
Then New Orleans fans witnessed the Eastern and Western All-Stars’ opening show, but this year without the antics-loving O’Neal, the opening show was clearly less fun than in the past.
After the opening show, the Eastern and Western All-Stars began warming up.
Major TV stations introduced the game’s basic situation.
Veterans sat courtside, tonight’s biggest name veteran undoubtedly GOAT Jordan, and people noticed the big GOAT had a stunning lady beside him, Cuban model Yvette Prieto whom old Joe met not long ago, reportedly love at first sight, quickly sparking, now in the honeymoon phase.
“Michael,” Yvette’s voice gentle with curiosity, not just a simple question but to start a real conversation, “Besides Kobe, among these young players now, is there anyone whose playing style makes you see something… hmm, worth pondering?”
Jordan smiled at that, habitually nodding toward LeBron James, tone with a senior’s approval: “LeBron, no doubt, he’s a born leader.”
However, Yvette keenly noticed that as Jordan spoke, his sharp falcon-like eyes only briefly glanced at James, then like a hunter seeking prey, precisely locked onto the No. 1 warming up at the other end of the court.
Yvette didn’t press Jordan on his feelings about that No. 1.
Because this man hadn’t yet decided to fully open his closed heart to her.
