Chapter 823 - 31 Reconciliation_2

It has been five seasons since Bernard King’s serious injury; he only played seven games 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 become older and slower and eventually become 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 tremendous 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 game 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 warmest applause; during the post-game interview with Bob Costas, an emotional Bernard King almost announced his retirement 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 game after the All-Star, the Bullet Team faced his former team, the New York Knicks.

King called his parents and bought them tickets so they could come and see him play.

The game 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 hometown supporters and the Knicks, who had let him go, Bernard King proved himself again, vigorously pumping his fists each time 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 come 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 comeback.

After winning this critical game, 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 game, 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 me 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 game with 47 points and 21 rebounds, defeating his old team with a super double-double performance.

When the game ended, Barkley showed off his muscles to the audience, met 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 time to think more about it as reporters swarmed in for interviews.

He immediately 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-game outburst, Barkley seemed 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 games.

For the fourth match, they came to New Jersey to face off against the Nets, with Barkley eager to continue the streak.

Winning this game would allow them to surpass the Los Angeles Lakers, become 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 time in these games; 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 home court.