It has been five seasons since Bernard King’s serious injury; he only played seven gas when he first returned in the 1986-1987 season.
After being traded to the Washington Bullets, his scoring average dropped to 16 points, only slightly higher than his year in Utah; nobody believed he could return to his peak.
Everyone thought that under the ravages of injury and age, he would beco older and slower and eventually beco a marginal figure in the league due to a lack of defensive and organizational skills.
Unexpectedly, he recovered step by step, painstakingly refining his offensive skills, protecting his knees and body, with his scoring slowly rising from 16 points to 20, and then to 22.
Finally, at the age of 34, he returned to the All-Star ranks and stood on the stage of the Charlotte Arena as the Eastern Conference’s starting forward.
For Bernard King, this was a trendous honor; it had been a whole six years since his last All-Star appearance.
When Bernard King received the call informing him that he was once again part of the Eastern All-Stars, tears welled up in his eyes.
Since Larry Bird was absent from the All-Star ga due to a back injury, King took Bird’s place as a starter.
When he appeared on court, the entire audience greeted him with the warst applause; during the post-ga interview with Bob Costas, an emotional Bernard King almost announced his retirent on the spot.
But he held back, not wanting to make a shocking decision on such a joyful day. Later, he told Ah Gan about it, and Ah Gan asked him if he wanted to play for the Trail Blazers next season, suggesting they could win a championship together as the Trail Blazers needed veterans.
After thinking for a while, Bernard King refused, saying, "I’ve already climbed my Mount Everest; I don’t need to chase a championship, but thank you for your kindness, Sonny."
With that mindset, Bernard King continued to enjoy his NBA career, and in the first ga after the All-Star, the Bullet Team faced his forr team, the New York Knicks.
King called his parents and bought them tickets so they could co and see him play.
The ga was closely contested, but Bernard King went full throttle in the fourth quarter, scoring 23 points in the quarter alone and finishing with a total of 49 points, helping the Bullet Team defeat the Knicks, which had Ewing and Oakley.
In front of his hotown supporters and the Knicks, who had let him go, Bernard King proved himself again, vigorously pumping his fists each ti he scored in the fourth quarter.
However, he wasn’t trying to humiliate New York fans, nor was he trying to show the Knicks they were wrong. He was just declaring, "I did it; I’ve co back from a career-threatening injury."
And the Knicks fans didn’t boo Bernard King; instead, they stood up and clapped in the fourth quarter, cheering for the veteran’s coback.
After winning this critical ga, King returned to Washington with the Bullet Team to face the fury of Charles Barkley and the Phoenix Suns.
Barkley’s mindset was clearly different from King’s; he didn’t have Bernard King’s dramatic ups and downs and was not old enough; many things he couldn’t see through or let go.
Leaving the Bullets, he had an unpleasant departure similar to Monroe’s back in the day. This was also his first return to Washington, and a war of words was inevitable.
During the ga, booing from the crowd was relentless, but Barkley, unfazed, scored wildly while engaging in verbal sparring with the front row fans.
Bernard King kindly reminded Barkley, "Relax a bit, Charles, don’t be so tense."
Barkley replied, "If you want to relax, then why did you score 49 points? I’m going to score 50!"
The Suns were clearly superior to the Bullet Team in strength, with Barkley unleashing all his energy.
He finished the ga with 47 points and 21 rebounds, defeating his old team with a super double-double performance.
When the ga ended, Barkley showed off his muscles to the audience, t with a chorus of boos from the crowd.
Once back in the locker room, Barkley felt empty, sitting on the bench, feeling hollow inside.
This is what he wanted, to thrash the Bullet Team at the Capital Gymnasium, and he achieved it, but why didn’t he feel happy?
Why did things reach this point, why was there no sensation of "revenge"?
Did they really have a grudge?
Barkley didn’t have ti to think more about it as reporters sward in for interviews.
He imdiately put on a different face, proudly stating, "Leaving here was my best decision; look, they can’t defend."
"I don’t belong here; I only like to hang around with low-level people. This place is too pretentious, with bullets flying around every day."
With super stats and a victory, followed by a post-ga outburst, Barkley seed to have won.
Afterward, Barkley led the Suns to consecutive victories over the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks, extending their winning streak to 11 gas.
For the fourth match, they ca to New Jersey to face off against the Nets, with Barkley eager to continue the streak.
Winning this ga would allow them to surpass the Los Angeles Lakers, beco second in the Western Conference standings, third in the Western, and challenge the top spot held by the Trail Blazers.
However, the Sun Team had a tough ti in these gas; none of them were easy, with each one turning into a hard-fought battle.
After all, following the All-Star break, teams had a chance to rest and entered the sprint stage for the playoffs, determined to protect their ho court.
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