Soul of the Golden State

Chapter 43 The New Season
Time soon came to October 10, which is the day of the NBA opener.

The NBA at this time is different from the pattern of strong west and weak east in the 21st century. It is a typical pattern of strong east and weak west.

The East is full of heroes, and the wealthy Celtics are at their peak. They are real giants, not the false giants of later generations that only have history.

The championship last season not only allowed the team to win two championships in three years, but also helped Larry Bird win the third championship of his career.

Although the defending champions lost their potential star Len Bias this summer, the championship lineup was still preserved and they were still heading for their team's 17th championship.

In addition, the Eagles, Pistons, Bucks, and 76ers are all powerful, and no one can underestimate them.

In contrast, the west appears to be much calmer.

In the West, the Lakers are the absolute kings of the West. Although they capsized in the gutter last season and were accidentally killed by the young Rockets, this does not affect the fact that the Lakers are still the strongest in the West.

Apart from the Lakers, there is no second super team in the West. Even the young Rockets, who have been given high hopes this season, are still not enough to shake the Lakers' dominance.

Therefore, this is the best era for the Warriors. With the advantage of insufficient competitiveness in the Western Conference, they can imagine that they can climb over the mountain of the Lakers and enter the show of the finals like the Rockets last season.

All is ready except for the opportunity.

"Dear viewers and friends, good evening everyone, the long offseason will end today, the new season of the NBA has kicked off, there are 9 games to be played today, and what CBS brings to you will be Golden State Warriors game away to Phoenix Suns."

"Hi everyone, I'm the live commentator Dick Stockton, the commentator I invite you today is my old friend, Mr. Billy Cunningham, who was just elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame this year."

The figures of the two on-site commentators appeared in front of the TVs of thousands of households. It has to be said that TV really saved the NBA, and it was an important pillar for Stern to turn the NBA into a profit.

"Hello, audience friends!" Cunningham, who is only in his 40s, combed his hair into threes and sevens in order to cover the embarrassing hairline on his forehead, looking a bit bureaucratic.

"Billy, let me introduce the lineups of both sides, especially the Warriors. We all know that Moses Malone in the Warriors was once your student and won the championship under your leadership."

Billy Cunningham, nicknamed "Kangaroo Boy", is a small forward with comprehensive capabilities. He has won championships with the 76ers as a player and as a coach.

The time when he won the championship as a coach happened to be the 1982-1983 season, which was the time when Moses Malone won the championship. Therefore, Dick said that Malone was his disciple.

After eight years of coaching the 76ers, he announced in 1985 that he would no longer coach, and then became an NBA commentator for CBS TV.

"Okay, no problem, let's talk about the Suns first, their main lineup is basically the same as last season, a strong inside combination of Larry Nance and James Edwards, and their ace swingman Walter Day Weiss, the weakness is still obvious, lacking the core that can lead the team to win the game, if there is no personnel change, it means that they are still just a team that is making an impact on the playoffs this season."

"As for the Warriors that everyone cares about, we all know that they have undergone a major change this offseason. The addition of six first-year rookies has made them the youngest team in the league in one fell swoop. The average age is only 6 years old. The biggest was actually Moses Malone in his prime."

"Although the team's lineup is very young, the performance of the Warriors in the preseason is still very good, but the preseason is not a regular season after all. What is the performance of the Warriors this season? Look at the game. However, in my opinion, I still believe in Moses' strength."

"Very well, thanks Billy for the introduction, I'm here to announce the starting lineup for you, the Suns: Jane Humphries, Walter Davis, Ed Pinckney, Larry Nance and Al Wan Adams, we can see Edwards coming back from injury but still being put on the bench by coach John McLeod..."

Li Weisi in the locker room couldn’t hear the TV commentary introduction. At this time, like other teammates, he was wearing a retro yellow vest, shorts, stockings and Nike Air Force 1, listening carefully to Don Nelson’s tactics Arrangements, well, except for Rodman.

Who knows what this guy with ADHD is thinking right now, but it doesn't matter, anyway, there is a high probability that he won't be able to play today.

In today's NBA, Nike is rapidly encroaching on Converse's sneaker market, and this pair of Air Force 1982, which was born in 1, is the spokesperson for the "first six", one of which is the team's current big brother Moses Malone.

It is worth mentioning that the team assistant Jamal Wilkes is also one of the original six.

In addition, the reason why this pair of shoes is named Air Faore 1 is also inseparable from Malone.

So I have to talk about the season when Malone won the championship and the famous "fo, fo, fo". It is precisely because of this that the classic pair of sneakers Air Force 1 was born.

The stingy Ma Long gave each team a pair of Air Face 1 before the game.

Why did he say he was stingy when he gave away the sneakers?That's because it was paid by Nike, and he would be reluctant to let Ma Long pay for it instead.

Don't look at Malone's current salary is the highest in the entire team, but he is the most frugal person, so players have nicknamed him "Stingy Malone" in private.

"Listen, although Edwards doesn't start, it seems that the Suns have an opportunity inside, but the first quarter today must not start with Moses in the low post." Don Nelson was slapping the tactical board at this time. Then he pointed at Li Weisi with the marker pen in his hand and said, "West, at the beginning of the game today, you will play a pick-and-roll with Moses at position [-]. At the beginning of the game, the opponent will definitely catch Moses and go down. Don't take it lightly at this time." Pass the ball, jump or shoot, you can handle it yourself. It is best to force the opponent's defense to expand and then pass the ball to Moses. ?"

May I?Please remove the word "?", how can a man say no?

"I can!"

At this time, Rodman seemed to be awakened by Li Weisi's voice. He looked at Li Weisi who had been entrusted with an important task, and his eyes revealed the envy that was about to condense into reality.

"Old Li, here is a pickled fish!"

The door of Baiweitang was pushed open, and a middle-aged man of Chinese descent in formal attire walked in.

"Go, go, no time, I'm busy!" Li Wantang waved his hands without looking back.

"What are you playing crazy about? What time does the door close?" Niu Caixia pushed Li Wantang, and quickly greeted the visitor: "Come, sit down, I'll let him cook!"

"What are you cooking for? The competition will start soon, I have to do it for you!" Li Wantang turned his head and gave Niu Caixia a look.

"Hey, Lao Li, what is the game? You care so much? You don't even do business?"

"My son has entered the NBA, today is his game!" Li Wantang proudly pointed to the black and white TV set on the cabinet in the lobby.

"Hehe, that's terrible. I heard from the young people in my supermarket that the NBA will be millionaires after entering the NBA!"

"Really? So much? I really don't know. He didn't tell me how much he earned. At the beginning, I was against his playing, so he didn't tell me about it." Li Wantang was obviously shocked by this figure. .

"You, you've been around the stove all your life, and you can't see the long-term. Many young people in my supermarket watch football. They dream of entering the NBA and making a lot of money. Why do you stop them?"

"Hey, don't I think my job is unstable? And I have a young meal, what can I do if I can't play in the future? Besides, it's useless for me to stop him. Isn't it better to let him play?" Li Wantang was a little embarrassed road.

"Okay, let's not talk about this for now." The visitor waved his hand, then turned his head and said to Niu Caixia: "Sister-in-law, since Lao Li won't cook for me, it's up to you, you can't let me go hungry?"

"What are you screaming for?" Niu Caixia grinned and slapped the visitor's arm, and said, "Okay, Lao Wang, you sit down first, and if you don't dislike my craftsmanship, I'll do it for you!"

"Stop arguing, let's start!" Li Wantang interrupted.

The visitor Lao Wang followed Li Wantang to look at the black and white TV, and saw two big men over two meters tall standing in the big circle in the middle of the court on the screen.

(End of this chapter)