"Bill, did the Pacers win?" Lao Wang asked assistant coach Botka.

"Won by 8 points, Ewing scored 21 points. Reggie Miller played average, shooting 1 of 5 three-pointers and only scored 15 points. Mourning also played well, scoring 23 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks, but

Two fists are no match for four hands," said Potka.

Lao Wang asked: "With Reggie Miller's performance, the Pacers still win. Is Ewing very efficient, or is there someone else who steps up?"

Botka shook his head and said: "Ewing's efficiency is average, 44.4%."

Nodding, Lao Wang felt that Ewing would defect to him sooner or later. With such efficiency, it would be useless to reach the Eastern Conference Finals, and he would just give up his life.

"How is my fellow countryman doing?" he asked.

Potka gave a thumbs up and said with a smile: "Old K, I think we can recruit Hu, and it was he who stepped up tonight.

Hu made 4 of 7 three-pointers tonight, scored 21 points, and shot 52% from the field, helping the Pacers defeat the Heat."

"good."

Lao Wang praised him and said: "Whether the Lakers recruit him or not, it's up to the management to decide. But I guess it's not possible. There is a high probability that he will jump out of the last year of the contract and enter the free market, but he won't come if the contract is small.

, we don’t have that much space.”

After saying that, he took out his mobile phone and called Hu Weidong.

"Tiejun, haha..."

As soon as the call came through, Hu Weidong laughed and seemed to be in a very good mood.

"Lao Hu, you did a good job. You heard me right. Just throw it when you seize the opportunity. That's what shooting guards do." Lao Wang said with a smile.

Wang Tiejun spoke in English, and Kobe was stunned when he heard it, "Old K, that's not what you said to me."

Kobe, get out of here if you dare to throw wildly! Kobe, if you take any more random shots, I'll trade you! Kobe, your shots must be reasonable and efficient! Kobe, don't throw random shots! Kobe, pass the ball...

The atmosphere in the visiting team's locker room was like iron.

Everyone in the Jazz, from the management, coaches to players, no one thought that the game would turn out like this. They thought it would be as inextricable as the regular season with the Lakers.

Jerry Sloan thought that Old K would play a tough style of play, but he did not expect that Old K would mainly play in that style. He originally thought that Old K would still mainly play in the regular season, occasionally playing hard, and be mentally prepared.

not enough.

But even if he had expected it, there wasn't much preparation he could do. Sabonis, who was old and seriously injured, simply couldn't withstand Old K's strong confrontation.

He can't let the Postman guard Old K, otherwise Sabonis will be pulled out by Hill or Fordson and break his leg, and the Lakers will get a completely wide space outside.

There is no way to change anything. This helplessness is a kind of pain, and now everyone in the Jazz team is suffering from this pain.

Jerry Sloan washed his face, sobered up and began to think about the next series.

Obviously, Old K is targeting Sabonis. Even if Sabonis can play, the Jazz's defensive tactics will be extremely passive. For the current plan, he feels that the only choice is to abandon Sabonis and use Postman and Big Worm as the inside combination.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but smile bitterly. I took great pains to trade Sabonis, but now I can't use it.

However, the defensive effect of Postman + Bug seems to be better. Perhaps he should have let Sabonis come on the bench long ago, and the effect may be better.

"How is Arvidas' injury?"

Glancing at Sabonis who was soaking in an ice bucket, he asked team doctor Moricas, who shook his head and said: "There is a little swelling. If the swelling cannot be reduced in time, you will not be able to play in the next game. If the swelling is reduced, there will be no problem in the end of the game."

.”

Jerry Sloan nodded, and Jerry Sloan made up his mind to put Sabonis on the bench, and then he announced his decision coldly.

Sabonis was helpless and couldn't help but beat his left knee holding the ice pack. If he had a pair of healthy knees and if he could be a few years younger, even the old K might not be his opponent.

The postman, on the contrary, was a little happy.

He believes that Sabonis' role in today's game is not as big as imagined. Although pulling out can indeed form a high fort, on the defensive end, Sabonis can only defend the low post and be targeted by Old K. This is too passive.

If he joins forces with Big Chong, the effect should be better. He can hold the old K and Big Chong helps defend, and the restrictions on defensive tactics will be smaller.

He was afraid that Old K would hit him sideways, but he was not afraid of the arch of his back, which would hit his bones. Old K's style of play today could not target him.

Soon after, the post-match press conference was held.

"Coach Sloan, why did the Jazz have such a big disadvantage in the G1 game?" a reporter asked in the Jazz press conference hall.

Jerry Sloan said: "NO, I don't think it's as big a disadvantage as you think. I think everyone, including you, has seen that our players just have some problems with their touch, and our shooting percentage is low.

The Lakers are close to 7 percentage points. This is an away game. This situation is something we can foresee and is not surprising."

"Coach Sloan, do you think there is a problem with the Jazz's morale? Is it because of old K?" a reporter asked.

"No, everything is normal with Jazz, and our morale is still high. The postman is the strongest warrior in this alliance. As long as he is here, no one can destroy Jazz's will, not even Old K." Jerry Sloan said.

"Postman, do you think Old K has dealt a psychological blow to the Jazz today?" a reporter asked.

"I said he is indeed very, very strong, but winning and losing is normal and we will adjust. As for the problem you mentioned, it does not exist. We are not rookies and will not suffer psychological consequences due to a loss.

Affected," the postman said.

The next day, the media and some stars commented on the performance of the two teams last night.

Lightning Kevin Johnson and a group of others were shopping on the Avenue of Stars, met the media, and accepted interviews with them.

"Lightning, do you think the Lakers' 17-point victory over the Jazz last night was a true reflection of the strength of both sides?" a reporter asked.

"Yes, what you saw was not an illusion, haha!" Buckley laughed jokingly.

Lightning continued: "The Jazz were obviously not mentally prepared last night. They didn't expect that Old K would play the strongest confrontation, but even if they did, they couldn't do anything, because in the previous seasons, they couldn't do anything against Old K.

So in fact, that is the true manifestation of the strength of both parties."

"So do you think the Lakers can still maintain their advantage over the Jazz in the next series?" the reporter asked.

Glider said: "That's not necessarily true. Everyone knows that the existence of Sabonis is both beneficial and detrimental to the Jazz. He is not the person who can carry the Jazz best, but he has to carry Old K on the defensive end. This

It is very passive, so if this is changed, it is likely to trigger some new changes, which is an important point that affects both parties."

On the night of the 5th, the Knicks battled against the Celtics, and the Trail Blazers battled against the SuperSonics.

Lao Wang's house was very lively. In addition to Barkley and the others, the big brother arrived, and Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Rick Fox, Chris Mullin, Richmond, Danny Fortson, and Mark Price also made appointments.

Come over together to join in the fun, have dinner, and watch the game together.

Da Zhi originally planned to stay here for two days and then return to China, but Lao Wang did not let him go and asked him to stay and train more during the offseason just like last year.

Last year, he asked Dameng and Glider to teach Yao and Lao Hu. This time, he planned to let Barkley accompany Da Zhi to practice the offensive and defensive skills in the low post. After he eliminated the Blazers, he would let Dameng join in and give Da Zhi a good practice.

.

If you don’t practice anything else, in fact, as long as other skills are okay, you should learn low-level offensive and defensive skills. Low-level offensive and defensive skills include strong confrontation.

In addition, let Da Zhi come into contact with these stars to change his personality.

Da Zhi, who had not returned to China last year, really wanted to go back, but after Lao Wang spoke, he had no choice but to stay and practice more.

However, he wanted to bring his parents, whom he had not seen for a year, to the United States. This was no problem. Lao Wang immediately asked someone to help him with the procedures in China.

In the evening, a group of people turned on two TV sets in the movie room.

Lao Wang took out a box of fine Cuban cigars, handed one to each person, turned on the exhaust device above his head, and everyone started puffing away.

"Who wants to bet against me?" Buckley said with great interest.

"Where's the bet?"

Lei Gong's interest also came, and this guy often made small bets.

"A thousand dollars each." Buckley said with a smile.

"OK." Lei Gong smiled.

"I'll join one." Kobe said eagerly.

"Me too."

Lightning and others joined in one after another, and even Lao Hu also participated. Da Zhi was the only one watching the fun and not talking much.

"Da Zhi, don't you join in the group activities?" Lao Wang asked.

"I, then, well, count me in."

This is gambling, what kind of group activity is it? Well, group gambling can be considered a group activity. Under Lao Wang’s coercion, most of them could only nod and join in.

Barkley said with a smile: "I bet that the Trail Blazers and Knicks will win two consecutive games. You bet against me. You will win only if both teams lose."

"That's not okay, Charles, this is too much. As long as one of their two teams loses, we will win." Lei Gong immediately refused.

"If that's a bet, I'll quit," Kobe threatened.

"That's right, Flying Pig, your bet is unfair." Glider also said, and others nodded in support.

"Okay, okay." Everyone objected, and Barkley could only agree.

The game between the Trail Blazers and SuperSonics begins first.

Lao Wang asked people to prepare some food and drinks. While everyone was eating and drinking, they discussed the performance of the players on both sides.

"Duncan's performance is really stable. His offense is so concise that Vin Baker can't guard him." Barkley praised.

"Dameng felt average today and made zero of three shots. I think he is getting further and further away from the basket now," Glider said.
To be continued...