the rest, only noise

Chapter 1195 Never underestimate the heart of a champion

After that, Bryant will participate in unofficial tryouts for other teams.

Although Kobe has the market at the end of the lottery, it can be regarded as a gamble for NBA teams to use the lottery pick on a non-insider high school player in such a draft year.

Because of Kobe's status as a high school student, many teams don't believe that his confrontation can reach a professional level, so the invitations to him for trial training are all informal.

Until the San Antonio Spurs' move caught Louie's attention.

The Spurs first gave Bryant an informal tryout invitation.

Because the Spurs have this year's No. [-] pick, Kobe, who felt that he was no worse than anyone else, readily went to the trial training, and he was very excited.

It was this informal workout that brought Bryant into the sights of Spurs general manager Gregg Popovich.

Popovich soon invited Bryant to a second workout, this time a formal one.

With Louis' current relationship network, as long as he wants to know about anything in the league, there is nothing that cannot be heard.

According to intelligence inside the Spurs, Bryant completed a workout in front of Popovich that he had never seen before.

Popovich has long believed that judging a player's prospects is as much about reading his heart as it is about his performance on the court.It requires observers to find those truly great attributes, which can be difficult, and even seasoned scouts can get it wrong.

But for Popovich, Bryant's workout was so impressive, his desire, his competitiveness, his aggression, his blatant ambition and drive to get better, is enough to show how wonderful his future is.

"So, is Greg going to take Kobe with the No. [-] pick?"

"This." The person who provided Louis with information hesitated, "The possibility is very low."

Louie continued: "If Kobe really completed a trial training that made him feel excited, it is only natural to choose Kobe with the first pick for the sake of safety?"

"No, considering that Kobe is only a high school student, even if he has completed such a good workout, Greg is unlikely to use the first pick to select him." The other party said, "Allen Iverson is the number one pick that everyone expects, Kobe. His expected pick should be around the tenth pick."

The other party's words made Louis calm down a little.

As long as Popovich doesn't lose his mind enough to choose Kobe with the No. [-] pick, the Lakers have room to maneuver.

"Coach Lu, you value Kobe so much, could it be that you have taken a fancy to him?" the other party asked playfully.

"Indeed, I'm tired of coaching Benj and I'm planning to trade him. I think Kobe is good. What do you think about replacing Benj with him?"

The other party knew that Louis was joking as soon as he heard it, so he didn't answer the call, just said hello to each other, and then hung up.

Then, news came from Jerry West.

He's already settled with the Seattle SuperSonics.

"The content of the transaction?"

Louis wants to know whether the LOGO man is doing well or not.

"I did my best and Michael Finley was the only player they wanted."

"As long as the return is good enough, Michael is not for sale."

"In return, Seattle will give us the 10th pick in the first round and the 19th pick in the first round this year," West said.

"By the way, they also brought in a Chinese player named 'Wuki'."

Wuki?

Oh. Is it Wu Qi?

Like Du Shuai, Chu Nan, and Kang Chengbiao, he all came from the third phase of Luyuan's trip to the United States, and he is a power forward with a lot of life.

"What do you think of this deal?" West was really worried that Louis would open his mouth and ruin his efforts to stay in the office for several days.

"Well done Jerry, my suggestion is to get this deal done before the other party backs out, and remember to call Michael before the deal is done."

West let out a sigh of relief.

Louis once again confirmed West's ability to work.

Among other things, West's negotiation and operation skills are better than Baylor's. Angie is the pinnacle. He feels that he has earned Finley for the tenth pick.

This can only show two things. The Sonics are extremely optimistic about Finley, and at the same time feel that the No. 19 and No. [-] picks cannot select particularly good players.

But is the No. [-] sign enough?
If the Spurs didn't pay attention to Bryant, Louie would think that taking Bryant at No. [-] was a good plan.

Now, he can only keep an eye on the Spurs' movements all the time, and he has to be sensitive to all the troubles before the draft.

Like a deer living on the prairie.

Fawns without vigilance will not live to adulthood.

Even if you are an adult, if you feel that the hunter can't catch you, you will be eaten up sooner or later.

Then, this season's NBA Finals ended in an incredible way.

When the Blazers made it to the Finals for the fifth consecutive year, no one was optimistic about them.

"Sports Illustrated"'s preview of the finals wrote: "Michael Jordan is still, and may always be, the best uncrowned king in NBA history."

In terms of lineup, the Knicks have a clear advantage.

Patrick Ewing is the best defensive anchor in the NBA since Bill Russell, but he can also score 20-30 points if necessary.

Sean Kemp achieved transformation after the nightmarish 1994-95 season and completed his revenge on Danny Manning, proving that he is one of the strongest power forwards in active service, and Clifford Robinson and his like are not his opponents at all.

Reggie Miller just had the best series of his career, surpassing Dale Ellis in 1988 in every way.

Also Scottie Pippen, John Stockton, Sam Cassell, Alan Houston, Doug Christie, Alex Stevens, James Worthy and Brad Lowhouse.

The only problem with the Knicks is the wave of injuries some time ago, but although there are injuries, they are not the kind of serious injuries that can restrict people from playing.

Like Pippen's back injury, if he had a 2 rating in 93K, the current injury would put him at -3.It has an impact, but still has a competitive level of more than 90%. For a player who is eager to win the championship, minor injuries and illnesses are not enough to affect their progress.

After all, most athletes carry long-term injuries.

After Alonzo Mourning was injured and reimbursed for the Blazers' injury, the only position with a clear advantage was the second position.

Other positions, such as Isiah Thomas, Rex Chapman, and Clifford Robinson after major injuries, are good but not enough to match New York.

Pat Riley knew this too, so before the Finals, he did two things.

One is to brainwash Dameng, saying to him all day long, "Do you want to keep your head up in front of Patrick?", "I don't think you are worse than him.", "Patrick has so many championships because he has a better team, and it's the same with you.", "Go and prove yourself." Words.

In terms of mental state, Big Dream is full and high-spirited.

Another thing Riley did was reactivate Dennis Rodman.

Riley knew why Rodman left New York, and also knew that Rodman and Ewing were at odds. Now facing the Knicks in the finals, Rodman definitely has a reason to go all out.

Unexpectedly, Rodman actually said: "Beat Patrick? I have already proved this in Miami."

Riley didn't want to anger Rodman, so he said euphemistically: "That Heat team is the strongest in history."

"Then why they can't beat New York without me?" Rodman asked.

Riley forcefully said: "So this is your ultimate challenge. If you can beat New York in Portland, you can fully prove your worth."

Rodman rolled his eyes on the spot: "What else do I need to prove?"

In this way, although Riley did not persuade Rodman, he obtained the other party's consent to reuse the latter in the finals.

Game1
This is a very typical Blazers-style loss.

Jordan scored 45 points, and Dameng also had 26 points and 13 rebounds, but apart from the two of them, only Chapman scored in double figures among the remaining Blazers players, and everyone else was restricted by the Knicks.

Ewing didn't score as much as Dameng, but his defensive role clearly surpassed Dameng's offensive advantages. He scored 18 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 blocks.Facing his big brother Rodman's matchup, Kemp also showed his own progress, scoring a team-high 24 points and 9 rebounds.

Except for Ewing and Kemp, the Knicks did not have outstanding players overall, and easily won the first game through the depth of the lineup.

Game2
With a stern face, Jordan asked Riley not to replace him unless he wanted to rest.

Then, Jordan did not ask for instructions to rest all night.

He played a full 48 minutes, blasted Miller and Houston inside and out, scored 55 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, led the Blazers to capture the Garden of Eden, and evened the score 1-1.

"We can no longer let Jordan do whatever he wants!"

The loss of Game [-] made Tomjanovich very angry. They must not be dragged into Game [-] by the Blazers, because the biggest flaw of this Knicks team is the lack of a player like Jordan who can hold the ball and break the game when the stalemate is stalemate.

Tomjanovich activated the "Jordan Rule."

Jordan's treatment of "laws" is not as immature as it was back then, but for a strong defensive team like the Knicks, they will definitely be able to limit Jordan by using "laws", it's just a matter of how much they limit.

When Jordan can't find the feeling of the game quickly, the Blazers need someone else to stand up.

Dameng is the one who has to come forward.

Tonight, Dameng kept asking for the ball, trying to break through Ewing's defense.

In fact, at the one-on-one level, he did it.

Throughout the game, Dameng had 14 rounds to choose and Ewing to single out, of which 9 rounds were successful.

Ewing's single defense can be penetrated, not only Dameng can do it, but also Sampson, O'Neal, and sometimes, even David Robinson.

But Ewing may be the only super insider who understands that personal wins and losses are not enough to change the outcome of the game, except for Sampson.

Ewing's defense was blasted by Dameng at a single point, but his defensive influence has not declined, nor has he lost his mind and fell into a foul crisis because he was scored consecutively on him.

Ewing opened the game with a defensive pressure of 90 points. By the end of the game, he could still maintain this defense. Dameng could break Ewing's defense, but others could not.

Ewing's help defense, restricted area sweep, pick-and-roll, screen, and offensive finishing skills after the pick-and-roll are all at the top level in the league. He doesn't need to be singled out with Dameng.

大梦砍下35分12篮板赢得了个人对决，而尤因以16分15篮板8助攻5盖帽的数据率队取胜。

2 is better than 1
In this campaign, Jordan "only scored" 32 points, and the Blazers lost by 14 points in the end.

"Patrick, what do you think about the suggestion that you got away with the dynamism of Reggie Miller and Scottie Pippen?"

The Portland media asked very unkindly.

But Ewing said murderously: "Isn't it my honor? You can ask Michael to see if he would like to have such a teammate."

It's so clear that when Jordan scores less than 40 points, the Blazers will lose to the Knicks by double digits.

Sure enough, Jordan publicly challenged his teammates after Game 3.

He felt that the team was not tough enough, the defense was not strong enough, the offense was not decisive enough, and some veterans had problems thinking, and pointed the finger at Isiah Thomas and Dennis Rodman.

Thomas had nothing to say. He was originally an advantage of the Blazers, but a serious injury took away this advantage. He found that he could no longer do what he could do casually in the past.

But Rodman did not have the corresponding self-awareness.

He humiliated Jordan like this in the locker room: "The biggest difference between you and Benj is that you never know how to be a good boss. You are not as good as that idiot Ewing. He at least knows how to hold Benj's thigh tightly at critical moments, but you always feel that others are holding you back. I don't care about you so much. How can a pig like you win the championship!"

The Blazers' locker room was out of control. In order to stabilize Jordan, Riley greatly reduced Rodman's playing time in the fourth game.

As a result, Sean Kemp was supernatural, smashed Clifford Robinson's defense face to face, scored a series-high 39 points, led the Knicks to an away victory, and took a 3-1 lead in the Rose Garden with 3 match points in hand.

At this point, the Knicks can be said to be the winner.

Riley, who is not human inside and out, knows very well that if Rodman is not put in the original position, the Knicks will easily win the fifth game. Therefore, he went to Jordan to discuss this matter, and the latter had no objection to Riley's ideas.

Rodman then returned to his original position and began the "performance" of the enemy's best sixth man.

First of all, he made Kemp uncomfortable on the defensive end. Under Rodman's marking, Kemp's shooting percentage was less than [-]%.

This is Rodman's only positive contribution.

Rodman greedily grabs rebounds, and he will get angry at anyone who steals his rebounds.Riley asked him to provide more help to Olajuwon and Jordan, and Rodman retorted: "Let them tell me themselves!"

How could the proud Jordan bow to Rodman?
But Olajuwon still wanted to win the championship, so he asked Rodman for help in the fifth game of the series.

However, Rodman's response made Olajuwon completely disappointed: "Isn't it? You can't even beat Patrick and still want to win the championship?"

Rodman's tumor-like performance and negative influence completely angered Dameng.

However, even though Rodman is such a jerk, the Blazers still dragged the series to the sixth game.

Tonight, Jordan scored the second 50 points in the series. After being irritated by his teammates, Dameng completely beat Ewing. The audience was 40+10, and the internal and external dual-core scored 90+ points. The Blazers narrowly beat the Knicks and brought the series back to Madison Garden.

On the eve of the sixth game of the finals, Louis, who was nervously preparing for the draft in Los Angeles, received an invitation from New York.

Even though he's been out of New York for two years, he still has a front row seat at Madison Gardens.

The Knicks hope to invite him to watch the game live.

This approach can be explained in many ways. The worst explanation is that the Knicks want to prove that they can still win the championship without Louis. The best explanation is that they hope that Leader Lu, who built the Knicks dynasty, will come back to witness their eighth championship together.

However, Louis is now the president of the Lakers, and this year's draft is very important to them. It is impossible for him to take the time to watch the Knicks game live.

So for this invitation, he declined, and made a serious explanation.

That night, Ewing made a rare phone call.

He was very direct, and he asked Louis immediately: "Can you really not come to watch the game?"

"Really not." Lu Yi laughed, "Anyway, whether I go or not, you can win the championship."

"It makes more sense if you're there," Ewing said.

"Hmph, don't be so hypocritical, Patrick." Louis said on the phone, "Go and prove to everyone that you are the world's number one center forward."

Game6 is a complete game.

Why do you say consummation?Because this game is full of on-the-spot plots required for various dramas.

First of all, Ewing's strength is full when he comes up, and if his shooting touch is divinely assisted, he is in a state where he will not miss no matter how he shoots.

Therefore, Riley hopes that Rodman will help Dameng share the defensive pressure.

As a result, Rodman retorted: "I'm too lazy to help that bitch!"

Riley was furious, but he didn't dare to replace Rodman.But Rodman didn't need him to replace him. Within a few minutes, he provoked trouble on the court and was expelled by the referee.

Dameng's role on the defensive end is far inferior to Ewing, but tonight, Ewing seems to be doing better than him on offense.

This made Dameng desperately looking for offensive opportunities.

Jordan is still the same Jordan, and he desperately wants to drag the series to the seventh game.He takes the ball, jumps, post-ups, drives, fast breaks, counters, blocks, steals. He does everything with a terrifying desire to act like it's as important as breathing oxygen.

The Knicks don't have a [-] to compete with him.

But Miller has a three-pointer and Houston can make a mid-range shot. They all have a skill. Although they were blown up by Jordan, they can both seize the opportunity to bite each other back.

Stockton played the best performance in history against the Trail Blazers, constantly sending out assists, allowing Ewing, Miller, Kemp, and Houston to easily score.

But tonight's protagonist is still Ewing.

He is still doing the things he usually does, but doing more and better than usual.

Those unshakable positions, those rock-solid pick-and-rolls and screens, those just-right pick-and-roll catch-and-shoot shots, those Georgetown-style low-post offensive combinations, those defenses, those energy, those desires, those things that Louis placed high hopes on, broke out the brightest light this night.

Jordan tried to attack, but no matter what he did, the point difference was within 5 points.

Until the end of the game, 116 to 110.

4 is better than 2
The Knicks beat the Blazers for their eighth championship in nine years.

尤因砍下42分19篮板4助攻6封盖，系列赛场均23分16篮板5助攻5.5封盖，毫无争议地当选了总决赛MVP。

"I've got one more ring than Benj from now on," Ewing told NBC reporters at the ceremony.

The Dolans were very excited at the scene. This is the second year they took over the team, and such a championship gave them the illusion that it is easy to succeed in the NBA.

Tomjanovich, who was full of emotion in his heart, uttered the classic words on the championship stage: "There are many people who want to see us fail, because the success of the New York team is always more likely to attract hatred. When we fail, everyone spurns us. Those people say, without Louis, we will achieve nothing. However, this is the most precious wealth that Louis left for us. No matter when and where, you can believe that we can complete the Jedi counterattack. For those haters who are hostile to us, look down on us, and are surprised by this result. , I have only one sentence to offer—never underestimate the heart of a champion!"

The Knicks are celebrating to their heart's content, while Portland is emotional.

Jordan, who lost his mind, completely broke his defense when asked by reporters what aspects he needed to improve to help the team win the championship.

"I'm averaging 40 fucking points per game!" Jordan yelled crazily. "Why the fuck do you always want me to do better? Why can't my teammates do better? Why can't I just feel like I have a teammate to help me once? Why?

Jordan left the press conference with red eyes.

It was certainly a terrible news accident.

It is also Jordan's version of "Are we talking about training?", which has been with Iverson for a lifetime.

It is foreseeable that the three words "why" will also accompany Jordan to the end of his career.

(End of this chapter)