NBA: I have 3 but no D, and I still can’t dribble.

As the team that has been fined the most luxury taxes in the NBA so far, the Knicks are notorious for giving "Central Shooting King" Alan Houston a six-year, $2001 million maximum salary contract in 6.

Even though Alan Houston has retired for three seasons, he still occupied the Knicks' salary space of more than $1500 million last season.

Although starting from this season, the garbage contracts of Alan Houston and Anfernee Hardaway have been ended,

However, while basically maintaining the main lineup, signing Lin Fei with a maximum salary has inevitably made the New York Knicks once again bear the high team luxury tax this season.

The new league salary cap for the 06-07 season is US$5616 million, and the luxury tax line is US$6435 million.

The Knicks' highest-paid player in the new season is still Stephon Marbury, with a salary of $1718 million.

Lin Fei's maximum salary contract is US$1685 million in the first year, ranking second on the team.

Jalen Rose's $1460 million ranks third. The former Michigan Five and the most improved player of the season are no longer at their peak.

After sending away Alan Houston and Anfernee Hardaway, Jaylen Rose came back. Now, at the age of 33, he has become one of the highest-paid and incompetent players in the league this season due to injuries.

Plus Eddie Curry’s $817 million, Quentin Richardson’s $753 million, Jamal Crawford’s $720 million…

The total salary of these 6 players alone has reached 7150 million US dollars, which exceeds the luxury tax by more than 700 million US dollars.

Coupled with several other role players and rookies, the Knicks' team salary this season is as high as more than 8500 million, which is more than 2000 million US dollars more than the luxury tax.

The NBA has a normal luxury tax ratio and a super luxury tax ratio, because starting from the 2003-04 season, the Knicks have touched the luxury tax line for four consecutive seasons.

For such serious violations of the rules, penalties will be imposed in proportion to the super luxury tax.

For every dollar above the luxury tax line, there will be a fine of $1.5.

Therefore, the luxury tax the Knicks need to pay to league headquarters this season has exceeded $3000 million for the second consecutive year.

And this is after dealing with old players such as Malik Rose and boldly using rookies.

Having paid a high luxury tax for three consecutive years, but finishing last in the Eastern Conference for three consecutive years, the hatred and anger of Knicks fans towards James Dolan is completely understandable.

For James Dolan, who is stupid and rich, these luxury taxes are nothing at all. After all, the Knicks' market value is soaring every season.

Now that Lin Fei has joined, Knicks fans have regained hope. The luxury tax of more than 3000 million US dollars in the new season may actually be able to exchange for a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The league arranged a total of three focus games on the opening day of the 06-07 season.

In addition to the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers games, there are two other games, the Dallas Mavericks vs. the Houston Rockets, and the Denver Nuggets vs. the Miami Heat.

As the championship winners last season, the Heat will naturally hold a championship ring awarding ceremony in their home opener.

Now that Lin Fei has joined the Knicks, he will have to wait until he goes to Miami to receive the championship ring.

Madison Square Garden is bustling with people. At 6:30 in the evening, the auditorium on all sides of the arena is already packed.

Looking around, many local Knicks fans have already put on Lin Fei's new No. 22 jersey, and various banners and slogans echo each other.

Warmly welcome and look forward to NBA superstar Lin Fei’s debut with the Knicks.

Swift, who was born in Pennsylvania and settled in New York with her father Scott Swift since she was a child, was naturally overjoyed that Lin Fei joined the Knicks.

Swift has been waiting for this opening game for too long, and tonight she even came to the front row, wearing Lin Fei's No. 22 jersey, to cheer for her idol.

Sitting next to Swift was her girlfriend and manager Qin Dongmei.

Qin Dongmei has now officially graduated from Stanford University. In order to support Lin Fei's career, she also came to New York and prepared to open a sports agent company in Manhattan.

Swift's father, Scott, is a senior stock investor and also has close business contacts with Lin Fei and Qin Dongmei.

After releasing her first single "timmcgraw" in June and becoming popular all the way, Swift also officially released her first music album of the same name: "taylorswift" on October 6 under the active planning of her contracted company.

Now, just one week after the release of the new album, the physical record sales have exceeded 4 copies, ranking 200th on the US Billboard 16.

The release of this album's 12 songs finally made 16-year-old Taylor Swift a hit, and she gained a certain reputation in the American music circle.

Naturally, the scandal between Swiftie and Lin Fei has been re-hyped by major media outlets, adding fuel to the fire.

Seeing Swift and Qin Dongmei sitting in the front row watching the game tonight, the curious fans naturally couldn't help but speculate:

"Sure enough, Taylor Swift came to watch Lin's game. It seems that the scandal between the two of them is not groundless!"

"What's going on? Swift is actually with Lin's girlfriend Qin? The two seem to be communicating happily. Shouldn't they be love rivals?"

"Although that Qin is good-looking, he is just an agent for a top student. How can he be worthy of Lin? Our Swifty is a super talented girl, so he and Lin are the best match!"

"I have listened to all the songs in Swift's album. One of them, "Descendants Of The Dragon", is very nice. The background is from Eastern mythology. Could it be another song dedicated to Lin?"

"Let the game start quickly. I can't wait to see Lin running on the court wearing a Knicks jersey!"

"Although we may not be able to beat the Lakers led by Yao Ke in tonight's game, Lin's Knicks debut will definitely score high points, not to mention against Kobe!"

"If it weren't for Lin's limited shooting rights in the Heat last season, Kobe might not have been the scoring champion. The scoring champion in the new season should be the competition between Lin and Kobe!"

In a luxurious box on the roof of the hotel, Knicks owner James Dolan was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, a cigar in his mouth and a proud look on his belly.

"A new era for the Knicks is coming. I have a hunch that Lin can score at least 50 points tonight!"

"Tell Isaiah Thomas that this opening game is just for Lin. The Knicks can lose, but they must give Lin unlimited firepower and unleash his most terrifying potential!"

James Dolan had the same idea as the fans at the scene. Everyone came to watch Lin Fei's performance.

Tonight, not only was there a huge crowd inside the Madison Square Garden Arena, but there were also huge crowds outside the arena, and the excitement was unprecedented.

With Lin Fei, the Knicks have absolute box office guarantees and star appeal, and the products derived from the team will sell more popular. As the owner, Dolan will naturally make more.

Of course, what fans are eagerly looking forward to tonight is, in addition to Lin Fei’s debut with the Knicks and the on-field effects of Kobe Bryant and Dayao teaming up.

There is also an unofficial popular performance, that is, Charles Barkley will fulfill his promise and kiss the drum of a little female donkey in front of the fans.

As tonight's on-site commentators, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith were also prepared backstage in advance, and officially performed the Donkey Skin Drum performance 10 minutes before the start of the game.

"Haha, although Charles likes to talk, he really dares to say and do what he says. I'm impressed by this!"

"Three years ago it was because Dayao kissed a female donkey skin drum, and now it's because Lin wanted to kiss a female donkey skin drum and perform at the game. It seems that Charles is destined to fall into the hands of Chinese players! "

"I also watched the live broadcast of the finals of the World Championships at that time. Who would have thought that with such a huge advantage, the American Dream Seven could still be defeated by Lin?"

"For Lin's century-defining half-time three-pointer, Charles performed a donkey-skin drum live. Isn't it a different kind of tribute?"

"Haha, I can't wait to witness the love between Charles and the female donkey!"

Amid the ongoing discussions among the fans at the scene, Erin Andrews, a beautiful ESPN reporter on the sidelines, also took the initiative to interview Lin Fei:

"Lin, what do you think of Charles Barkley's next performance of kissing the little female donkey? After all, without your magic three-pointer in the World Championships, there would be no wonderful show tonight!"

Lin Fei shook his head and smiled, and spoke humorously into the microphone:

"It's a great honor to witness the love between Charles and Donkey live. This opening match is destined to be even more unforgettable for the fans because of Charles' performance!"

"If Charles and Kenny want to continue betting on tonight's game, I would welcome it!"

As the lights of Madison Square Garden dimmed, a bright stage light also hit the logo area in the center of the stadium from the roof of the stadium, and Chaplin's movie soundtrack sounded mischievously.

The 20,000 fans present and the Knicks and Lakers players standing on the sidelines all had aunty smiles on their faces, looking forward to the next explosive performance of Flying Pigs.

As the bright light focused and moved, Kenny Smith led a little gray female donkey, neither fat nor thin, out of the player tunnel. There was even a big red flower tied around the little female donkey's neck.

It looks very much like the mule that carried the daughter-in-law to her wedding in the movies of the Chinese dynasty.

Madison Square Garden suddenly burst into laughter, and then the little female donkey was led to the center circle of the stadium by Kenny Smith. The bright light of the cylinder hit the female donkey accurately.

"Dear ladies and gentlemen, I believe you will never forget the noble Sir Charles's speech in the TNT live broadcast room at the men's basketball world championship finals in early September!"

"Originally, I didn't believe that the Chinese men's basketball team could reverse the American Dream Seven and win the championship, but Lin's superb three-pointer not only changed that game, but also contributed to tonight's performance!"

Amid the cheers, applause and boos at the scene, Kenny Smith did not show off any more and spoke loudly into the microphone in his hand:

"Next, we invite our dear Sir Charles to present his most sincere and passionate performance: The Story of the Flying Pig and the Little She-Donkey!"

Amid the roars of laughter from countless fans at the scene,

The paunchy Charles Barkley, wearing Lin Fei’s Knicks No. 22 jersey, slowly walked out of the tunnel with his big belly.

When he walked to the sidelines, he even came over to give Lin Fei a hug, as if he had whispered something into Lin Fei's ear.

Then, under the focus of the bright stage light, he walked to the center of the stadium, stood in pairs with the little female donkey, and spoke loudly with the microphone in his hand:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am not the only one who feels that this little female donkey has beautiful features, right? If any fan wants to give him a kiss on my behalf, you can raise your hand now!"

Kenny Smith, who was standing aside, smiled and replied: "Charles, this beautiful little female donkey only belongs to you. We will never steal it from you!"

Driven by the atmosphere of fans chanting "kiss", Barkley's eyes widened and his expression was exaggerated. He spread his hands and bent down, raised his mouth sideways,

He slowly walked towards the little female donkey's skin drum...

The high-definition four-sided screen above the head also clearly captured a close-up of Buckley's little female donkey skin drum, and the audience burst into cheers.

In the square outside the arena, tens of thousands of New Yorkers gathered at this time, laughing and watching Charles Barkley's crazy performance.

"My, God, I kissed you. I really kissed you this time. Haha, Charles Barkley will never be able to live without his donkey for the rest of his life!"

"Why is this little female donkey so docile? If it were a bull, she might have kicked the flying pig away with just one hoof, right? That would be a great plot!"

"If Buckley really fights with this donkey, I don't know who will win!"

"This female donkey must weigh at least four to five hundred pounds, right? At the peak of his fighting power, Buckley might have been able to defeat this female donkey with one punch, but now, I'm afraid Buckley is no longer a match for him!"

"Haha, I think for at least one year in the future, Charles' wife will not let flying pigs touch her again, right?"

At this time, the stadium logo area was the center of the focus of the beam. Before Barkley could finish the kiss and stand up, the little female seemed to be frightened. She took two steps forward in a panic, and then let out a loud fart.

"Pfft!"

The strong smell rushed to his face, spraying directly on Buckley's face without any bias.

Buckley straightened up, his expression seemed to be frozen, his eyes widened and his mouth curled up in an extremely exaggerated manner.

The Lakers and Knicks players on the sidelines saw it clearly. They were all laughing so hard that they couldn't stand up straight. The little she-donkey's fart was a precise response after being teased by Barkley.

Kenny Smith immediately trotted up to meet him, gloatingly handed the microphone to Barkley's eyes, suppressing a smile on his face, and couldn't wait to interview him about his feelings at this time:

"omg, Charles, before I even have time to ask you what it feels like to kiss a little female donkey's skin drum, I can't help but want to ask you what it feels like to have a little female donkey fart!"

Buckley's frozen expression remained for a few seconds, and he sniffed and stared at Kenny Smith, with a murderous look that couldn't be hidden:

"Kenny, this tastes really great. I highly recommend you give it a try!"

Amid the unstoppable laughter of the fans at the scene, Charles Barkley looked at Lin Fei on the sidelines and said with a hint of provocation:

"Lin, my performance is over. I hope you won't lose your temper next time!"

"If you don't score 50 points tonight, neither I nor the little female can accept it!"

The beam hit Lin Fei's face on the sidelines. Lin Fei picked up the microphone handed over by Andrews and said with a smile:

"Charles, I will score 60 points tonight. Can you partner with your little female donkey to perform again?"

Lin Fei's rhetorical question pushed the embarrassing problem back to Barkley. Amidst the cheers of the fans at the scene, Barkley spread his hands and said with a smile:

"If you really get 60+ tonight, I can promise to treat you to a delicious roasted donkey leg after the game!"

Kenny Smith stared at Buckley with an exaggerated expression, pretending to be shocked and said: "Charles, the little female donkey is so cute, you actually want to eat it?"

"But having said that, can you share it with me?"

With the successful conclusion of Barkley's pre-game performance, the live atmosphere in Madison Square Garden was also mobilized to its climax, and the two TNT gold medal commentators returned to the commentary stage.

In addition to the two on-site commentators, the former King of New York, Patrick Ewing, also sat in front of the commentator's desk. As a guest commentator, he joined Barkley and Smith to explain tonight's focus of the Knicks vs. Lakers. Opening game.

The time soon came to 7 o'clock in the evening, and at the referee's whistle, the game officially started.

The New York Knicks’ starting five are:

Point guard (pg): Stephon Marbury,

Shooting guard (sg): Lin Fei,

Small forward (sf): Trevor Ariza,

Power Forward (PF): David Lee,

Center (c): Eddie Curry.

The starting five for the Los Angeles Lakers are:

Point guard (pg): Derek Fisher,

Shooting guard (sg): Kobe Bryant,

Small forward (sf): Luke Walton,

Power Forward (PF): Al Jefferson,

Center (c): Dayao.

During the offseason, the Lakers not only traded Odom from the Rockets for Dayao to form the Yao-Ke combination, but also re-traded and brought back old player Derek Fisher.

And in a deal that included Farmar, Turiaf and a first-round pick, power forward Al Jefferson was acquired from the Boston Celtics.

The Lakers' lineup in the new season can be said to be a major overhaul. Like the Knicks, it also requires a long period of running-in. The team's true strength remains to be seen.

"Zen Master" Phil Jackson, who was sitting in the head coach's chair on the sidelines of the Lakers, had a calm demeanor and was obviously much higher than Isaiah Thomas.

Tens of millions of Chinese fans have been waiting in front of the TV for a long time, waiting for the game to start. After a long offseason of more than 4 months, the new season has finally arrived.

"Is Barkley going to laugh me to death? From now on, I can no longer look directly into this guy's face. When I see him, I will think of a donkey!"

"Barkley has worked so hard. Fei Ge should indeed perform well tonight. At least he can't have a 50+ game?"

"Before, in the Timberwolves and Heat, Lin Fei's right to take shots was restricted. Now that he is the boss in the Knicks, can't he let himself go? He will take 25 shots tonight at least, right?"