Chapter 356 Impossible Mission

Just as the Dream Team was ready to show the world its new face, the United States sports scene at the same time was anything but calm.

Or rather, for sports fans, this year was like a nightmare.

David Beckham's foray into the United States was so overhyped it became nauseating; Barry Bonds, who was proven to have used performance-enhancing drugs, broke Hank Aaron's home run record, tainting the glorious milestone with disgrace; in comparison, NFL star Michael Vick's reprehensible acts of illegal dog fighting seemed almost less abhorrent.

The NBA appeared calm, which is exactly what David Stern wanted.

His league was recovering quickly, and although it had yet to reach the heights of the Jordan era, Yu Fei's rise infused professional basketball with a new vitality.

As long as scandals like the Eagle County incident from the summer of 2003 didn't recur, Stern sensed they could return to the early '90s status within a few years.