NBA backer king

Chapter 373 God Can Decide the Lottery
At this time, two guests came to visit Stern's house. They were Jerry Buss and Jerry West.

Stern received them, and the three talked in the reception room.

After exchanging pleasantries, Old Buss went straight to the point and said, "David, do you have any opinion on our Lakers?"

When Stern heard this, he immediately understood, and smiled: "Of course not, Jerry, did you misunderstand me?"

"Old Fox!"

Jeri Buss complained in his heart, and immediately said: "David, I plan to rebuild the team, do you have any opinion on this?"

Stern immediately understood the purpose of Bath, what is needed to rebuild the team, rookies, high potential rookies.

Half an hour later, the two of Bass left Stern's house.

At eight o'clock, the game between the Knicks and the Magic begins first.

After Angry Shark met Penny Hardaway, it was fire from his eyes and smoke from his nose.

Although the two did not fall out publicly, there is actually no difference between them. After being teammates for two years, they didn't say a word after meeting, like enemies.

Ewing returned to Madison Square Garden with extremely complicated emotions. Looking at the fans outside the player tunnel, his eyes were cold.

After he was traded, not many of these New Yorkers kept him, and even cheered, which made him extremely chilled. He vowed to take a victory from here today, to make these fans regret it, and to make the Knicks management regret it.

At the beginning of the game, O'Neal jumped high, took the ball away first, then entered the paint area, squeezed Ewing to get close to the basket, and after catching the ball back, without any extra movements, he just forced Ewing behind him.

The big shark, which had lost a lot of fat, jumped high and fast. Ewing tried his best to defend against it, but was crushed by the former's huge tonnage weighing 140 kilograms, and couldn't get up at all.

"boom!"

"Oh oh oh……"

With the sound of violent basket explosions and Ewing staggering backwards, Madison Square Garden instantly turned into a sea of ​​boiling water.

"Ewing can't stop Old K, so he can't stop O'Neal." In a VIP room at the scene, Knicks president Dave Chakot said excitedly after seeing this scene.

Next to him was Pat Williams, the general manager of the Magic. Hearing this sentence, he felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart.

"Anferni, it's up to you."

At this time, he can only hope for Hardaway.

Hardaway did not disappoint him. The Knicks first asked point guard Derek Harper to defend him, and after being overwhelmed by him, he then asked shooting guard John Starks to switch defenses. He was still overwhelmed and couldn't defend at all.

Once the outside blockade is broken and the inside line is opened, the Knicks' restricted area is at the mercy of the Magic.

Wang Tiejun was watching the game at home. He told reporters that he was more optimistic about the Magic, and he was not just joking, because the combination of Ewing and Hardaway, plus Cobra Grant, is indeed very strong.

Both Ewing and Grant can pull away, and after Oakley and O'Neal, the double-O inside combination, are pulled out at the same time, the Knicks' restricted area is empty, and it is easy to break through from the outside.

After the first quarter, as he expected, the Magic led by 2 points in the away game. O'Neal even scored 15 points in the quarter with a ticket, but failed to prevent the opponent from taking the lead.

The Magic's tactics are very simple. The inside line is opened and the outside line breaks through. The efficiency is very high.

It's only the first quarter, and O'Neal is still physically fit. Once it's the second half, or even the last quarter, how much stamina can the Sharks have when they run around inside?
Lao Wang watched a section, then tuned to the TNT channel to watch the Supersonic and Mosaic games.

The game had just started, and as soon as he changed the channel, he happened to see Dameng knocking Sean Kemp down, and then made a layup.

"As long as these three old guys are not injured, the Supersonics will be beaten." He chuckled.

"Then you don't want to fight the three of them in the Western Conference Finals?" Yu Feihong asked.

"Probably yes." He nodded.

"How sure are you?" Yu Feihong asked again.

He hesitated for a moment, stopped talking big in front of his wife, and said modestly: "[-]%, either lose or win."

Yu Feihong gave him a blank look, who are you fooling, you stupid big man? With your character, there is a [-]% chance that you would have already clamored to sweep them away.

Old Wang chuckled. With the current lineup around him, it is too difficult to defeat the Big Three without injuries.

Finley was reimbursed, and Wilkins's performance in the first round of the playoffs was mediocre. After all, he is old and can't stand the toss of the playoffs. The weakening of the substitute lineup will inevitably increase the burden on the main lineup.

Big Ben doesn’t need to count on his scoring. Person and Horry really have limited talent. They all rely on the openings he creates. When there are defenders in front of them, they can’t count on their offense. Lightning can’t take too many shots.

Fortunately, both Person and Horry are now open for three-pointers, which can help him open up the defense and make him less pressured in the low post.

He watched the game of the Big Three again. Although the Supersonics were very strong, there shouldn't be too much suspense.

"You don't like the Knicks?" Yu Feihong asked.

"These two teams are really five-on-five, and anyone has a chance to win."

He nodded, then shook his head and said, "If the Knicks want to win, they must defend against the Magic's breakthrough from outside.

In fact, the Knicks are capable. Starks and Derek Harper's defense on the outside is good. Hardaway is just physically strong, talented, and has a quick first step, so he can't defend.

But as the game progresses, Hardaway's physical fitness declines, and his breakthrough speed decreases, and his breakthroughs will definitely decrease. Add some jump shots, and the offensive efficiency will drop.

The opponent's offensive efficiency has decreased. O'Neal should strengthen his low-post offense. The Magic can't prevent him, and the Knicks still have a chance to win. "

In this game, the Magic finally won the Knicks. The Big Three of the Magic jointly contributed 80 points, 109:105, and won the G1 game in the away game.

In order to retaliate against his home team, Ewing went all out and scored 33 points on 58% shooting and grabbed 14 rebounds.

Hardaway also scored 30 points, shooting 54% from the field, and sent 9 assists and 4 steals.

Cobra Grant scored 17 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.

For the Knicks, O'Neal also scored 35 points efficiently, shooting 63% from the field, but his free throw percentage was a bit low. He made 15 of 6 free throws, only 40%, grabbed 15 rebounds, and sent 4 blocks .

The other four starters also scored more than 10 points, but none of them exceeded 15 points, and the efficiency was not good enough.

In another game, Mosaic, the true Big Three, successfully defeated the Supersonics. The Big Three teamed up to score 85 points and crushed their opponents.

Both games were won by the visiting team.

On the 7th, the other two groups will compete in the second round.

At three o'clock this afternoon, Stern arrived in Phoenix, and he brought the Maurice Podoloff Cup.

Just last night, he received the visiting Lakers owner Jerry Buss at home, and the two talked for a long time.

He wants to support the Lakers very much, and hopes to see the Lakers regain their strength in the show time era. That is definitely a good thing for the league. Unfortunately, for the balance of the Eastern and Western Leagues, he can't let O'Neal come to the East. He really owes the Lakers.

So he understood the Lakers' request, but he didn't agree, because the lottery is sacred and cannot be influenced by human factors. Whoever wins the No. [-] lottery is a matter for God to decide.

In the evening, Yu Feihong, accompanied by Tian Xiaofen, a nurse, and some martial arts brothers, came to the Meixi Arena.

Today is the day when Wang Tiejun won the MVP trophy, so she came to the arena with a big belly.

The old Colangelo left a private room for her, which is a closed private room, where the fetus can be prevented from being affected by the loud noise at the scene.

The game starts at eight o'clock, and another game between the Bulls and the Pacers is at 08:30, half an hour later.

At 07:30, the Suns and Jazz announced their starting lineups.

Jazz: Felton Spencer, Karl Malone, Chris Morris, Jeff Hornacek, John Stockton

Suns: Wang Tiejun, Ben Wallace, Robert Horry, Wes Liperson, Kevin Johnson.

The Suns' second-round series was broadcast live across the United States by TNT, and the narrators were Marv Albert and Kevin Harlan.

Albert took over the starting roster handed over by his assistant, glanced at it, and said with a smile: "The Jazz's No. [-] position was replaced by Chris Morris from David Banteno, but this is of no use. These two players are just role players. They average a few points per game, their rebounding ability is not good, and their defense is mediocre. They have changed back and forth. The No. [-] position is the Jazz's weakness."

Kevin Harlan said with a smile: "Although Robert Horry's strength is not outstanding, he should still have an advantage in this position.

However, with the style of the Suns and Horry's offensive ability with the ball, he won't get much possession. The Suns only need him to hit the open ball. With the ball in his hands, it is usually a transition, so the Jazz don't have to worry too much about being blown up at the third position. "

"Well, that's right."

Albert nodded and said with a smile: "What the Jazz have to worry about is how to deal with the old K. It seems that the Jazz also met the Suns in the second round last year. The postman was hit by the old K and broke three ribs. I don't know if he left a psychological shadow, but his physical fitness is now close to 130 kg, which is not much smaller than the old K. I think it has a certain impact."

"Last year, he was 127 kilograms. Now he looks a little fatter and has gained some fat. I think this is right. O'Neill was knocked over by the old K many times but was not injured. It is because the fat rate is high enough to relieve the force and protect himself. The thick fat layer can act as a buffer. The postman obviously made a wise decision." Kevin Harlan said.

Albert continued: "Both sides' current bench lineups are mediocre, relying on the main lineup to solve the problem. The Jazz's own bench lineup is not very good. The Suns' bench lineup performed well in the regular season, but now Finley is injured, Wilkins is also old, and his performance in the playoffs is average. I heard that some injuries have recurred, which has also affected the state."

"This is a veteran. You can rely on the stability of a veteran at critical moments, but you can't expect a veteran to help you carry a team. And Wilkins' efficiency in the playoffs has always been lower than in the regular season." Kevin Harlan laughed.

At the CCTV live broadcast, Zhang Lili analyzed at this time: "The Jazz's lineup this year has not changed much from last year, and has not been strengthened.

The fifth position is still the meat shield Spencer, and the third position is still very weak. The main lineup relies on the offense of the Iron Triangle, and the main scoring pressure is on Karl Malone and Hornacek.

But the Suns are also in a difficult situation now. The substitute lineup can't be counted on. The main force must win the opponent, otherwise no one will help the main force fill in the hole.

The main lineup of the Suns, Lightning can be counted on, but his efficiency in the playoffs is not as good as in the regular season. The other three, except for Ben, the other two, Horry and Person, barely contributed about [-]% in the playoffs. "

Su Qun nodded and said: "Lightning averaged 17 points per game in the first round, two points lower than the regular season, and the shooting percentage dropped by three percentage points. Person averaged only 9 points per game in the first round, and his scoring and efficiency were not as good as the regular season.

Robert Horry performed well and was very stable. He was the only one of the three outsiders whose scoring and efficiency were similar to those of the regular season. He averaged 13 points per game in the first round and his efficiency was 47%, which was only one percentage point lower. "

"Tie Jun has to come by himself, just thinking about it makes me tired!"

Zhang Lili sighed, and then said: "Also, don't underestimate the iron triangle combination of Black, White and Hornacek, they are still very strong.

Their biggest weakness is the lack of a strong low-post offense.Then point guard Stockton doesn't have any outstanding finishing ability. Once he can't find his teammates, it is difficult for him to complete the offense alone. "

Su Qun said at this time: "Director Zhang, what do you think of Michael Finley? I like him very much. When we interviewed him, his attitude was very good. It's a pity that he was injured in the first round. Without him, the Suns' bench lineup also lost a scoring point."

Zhang Lili smiled and said: "His personality is very good, he is very gentle, his style of play is calm, and he also has good talent. After playing, he is suitable for the second master.

It is indeed a pity that this injury has cost him a chance to practice in the playoffs, and it is also bad luck for the Suns.

I think he still has some problems playing the third position. His ability to break through with the ball is not enough. His naked height is 198 cm. It is just right to play the second position, and his height does not suffer.

He still has defense, and if he can practice three-pointers, the Suns will try to put him in the second position, and he can be trained again next season.

He plays the main force at the [-]nd position, and Horry is the main force at the [-]rd position. I think this lineup will be very good. It has more development potential than the current main lineup where Person plays the [-]nd position. "

At this time, in the player tunnel, ten starters from the two teams met.

The postman Karl Malone glanced at the old K on the opposite side, then looked away and looked at the stadium outside.

This year is no better than last year, which was swept by the Suns last year, but this year's Suns are not last year's Suns. He is very confident to kill the Suns and reach the Western Conference Finals of his dream.

Just because he has the confidence to make it to the Western Conference Finals, he doesn't want to provoke Old K and cause unnecessary off-court troubles.

The rest of the Jazz were also very quiet. Only Hornacek came up, greeted Kevin Johnson, and said a few words to Lao Wang.

"Jeff, come back if you want to win the championship. There is no hope in the Jazz." Lao Wang said to Hornacek with a smile.

"Bastard!"

The postman's fists were clenched tightly in an instant. Old K dug his corners in front of him. Did he really think he had no temper?

The corners of Hornacek's eyes twitched, and he couldn't help but look back at the postman, only to see that the postman's face had hardened into an iron plate, three points blacker than iron.

"Let's talk about it, the contract is not over yet." He said with a wry smile.

It is impossible to say that he does not want a championship. He was also an All-Star, not an ordinary role player, and he pursues honor.

It's a pity that luck is bad. The parent team traded him for Barkley, and missed the next two championships. Now he is 33 years old and can't play for a few years. The West is so strong. He wants to win the championship in the Jazz.

However, it is possible to pass the Suns this year, but after reaching the Western Conference Finals, it is difficult to pass the Mosaic, and the hope of the finals is still slim.

Then the two teams played, and when Pharaoh played for the last time, the shouts of the Sun King resounded through the audience.

Next, is the moment Wang Tiejun is most looking forward to, the MVP trophy is coming.

"MVP! MVP! MVP..."

As David Stern appeared on the court with the trophy, the fans stood up and shouted.

"Old K, congratulations! I hope you will continue to perform well in the NBA, not afraid of any difficulties, and achieve greatness that belongs to you!"

David Stern presented the trophy and sincere congratulations.

"Thank you, Mr. Stern."

Pharaoh happily took the trophy. After thanking him, he took a hard look at the trophy in his hand, and then raised it high towards the fans in the audience.

"what!"

In an instant, the cheers of the audience climbed to the top like a volcanic eruption.

Turning around in a circle, he shook the trophy in his hand in the direction of Yu Feihong, and the latter waved his hand in the private room.

The live host handed over the microphone at this time, he took it, and shouted excitedly: "Believe me, this is just the beginning!"

"Oh!"

The cheers of the audience suddenly climbed to a higher peak again.

"Clap clap clap..."

David Stern clapped continuously, then shook hands with Wang, and sat courtside with Colangelo Sr., next to the Suns bench.

He has already received a report from a group of market investigators sent to China*, and the content makes him very excited. In that country, the basketball market is extremely large and thriving. Old K has a huge influence among the basketball fans there, perhaps it is a symbol of the basketball circle in that country.

Although the consumption power there is not high now, it is about to be re-opened there, and he believes that everything will be better.

For the Suns and Jazz, he wants to see the Suns make it to the Western Conference Finals, not the Jazz.

He doesn't like the Jazz team. There is no gorgeous style of play or style of play, except for the boring pick-and-roll, which is the pick-and-roll. Except for shooting, it is still shooting, and even a dunk is rare.

At the same time, he doesn't like the rigid city of Salt Lake City very much. The development potential of the ball market there makes him not confident. The economy is average and the spending power is far inferior to Phoenix.

(End of this chapter)