Just like the tacit fist bump between Shentong and Jefferson before taking the court, Karl Malone and John Stockton on the opposite side also hugged each other and greeted each other before taking the court.

According to official media, Malone and Stockton did not negotiate contract extensions with the Utah Jazz during the offseason. Some media broke the news that this season will be the last season for the two Utah veterans with this team.

Lian Po is old, can he still make a living?

As time goes by, age increases, and competitive status declines, even though they were once the league's leading violent power forwards and passers, this evergreen pair has to face the situation of withdrawing from the stage of history.

Judging from the four games on the first day of the regular season, this game for the Nets looks to be the easiest.

In this game, there are no surprises in the Nets' starting lineup.

The center is Dikembe Mutombo, who just joined. After joining the New Jersey Nets, Uncle Mutombo quickly integrated into the team and was appointed by Scott as one of the team captains.

Mutombo's rough voice often sounded in the locker room and training field.

Jefferson once told STO that he suspected Mutombo was more than 36 years old.

Shentong answered him that maybe Mutombo himself does not know his true age...

After all, the trees in his backyard were cut down as early as 2001...

Although Uncle Mu is older, he moves not too slowly, and he is taller and has longer arms. Compared to Mark Lodge, he does have the ability to guard a side by himself.

In the new season, fans at the Continental Airlines Arena can't wait to see Uncle Mu's stunt - Kato Finger!

The other four positions remain unchanged from last season.

Kenyon Martin serves as the power forward, Richard Jefferson is the small forward, and the two partners on the back line are Shentong and Jason Kidd.

...

On the other side, although Utah's two elders are old, their skills are still there.

Even though they are facing retirement, the two senior players are still unshakable starters.

Karl Malone and John Stockton are still the team's starting power forward and point guard respectively.

The center player is Greg Ostertag, who is 2.18 meters tall. This player has been playing here since he was selected by the Jazz with the 28th pick in the first round of 1995.

But it is a pity that his performance is definitely blue-collar among blue-collars. The best season of his career was only 7.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks.

However, he is partnered with Karl Malone, so he only needs to do his part of the job, and that is enough for the Jazz.

In terms of small forward, the Jazz have welcomed a newcomer, Matt Halprin, who played for the Philadelphia 76ers last season.

With the addition of Keith Van Horn, Halprin, who had the same position and function, had no room for personal development, so he left Philadelphia, which was in decline, and came to Utah, which was full of waste.

Although the team is facing reconstruction, reconstruction also means opportunities. Halprin hopes that he can play his own role here.

In terms of shooting guard, Carl Porter-Chaney, who came from the Denver Nuggets with a gun, became the team's starting candidate.

This veteran has also played in the NBA for nearly 10 years. He has a long-range shot and basically does not occupy the ball. He is a good match for Stockton.

In addition, sitting on the bench of the Jazz is a man whom the Utah media calls his successor.

All-around forward Andrei Kirilenko, this Russian-born player was the same rookie as STO last season. Last season, he averaged 10.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.9 blocks per game.

Performance, he was selected to the All-Rookie First Team, and these data were completed in just 26 minutes.

In short, judging from the current situation of the Jazz, it may be difficult for them to make it to the playoffs, but the classic pick-and-roll cooperation between the two Utah veterans is still one of the highlights of watching Jazz games.

Before the game, Byron Scott also specifically told the players to study and observe the pick-and-roll cooperation between Malone and Stockton. After all, this season will be the swan song of their tacit cooperation.

...

Mutombo and Ostertag stand in the center line.

As the referee blew his whistle, the ball was thrown high into the air.

Uncle Mu hugged him with his long, dry arms, and the ball was put into Kidd's hands with contempt.

The atmosphere at Continental Arena is extremely fiery. Ever since the Nets overcame their decline last season, advanced to the Finals and lost 6 games against the mighty Lakers, the sports market here has completely exploded.

The shortage of game tickets is even more exaggerated than last season. Even the family tickets guaranteed by the players themselves are being asked to contribute if there are any spare ones to meet the needs of more fans.

However, the fact is that the players' relatives' votes are not enough for themselves.

STO is also facing this problem. Due to Lao Shen's business relationship, in New Jersey, where Chinese people gather, friends often ask STO for game tickets, so STO itself is too busy to take care of itself.

The basketball atmosphere of the Nets is evident from this!

...

The first attack is the most familiar taste.

Kidd dribbled the ball from the outside, Martin moved to the high post, and the Chicken combination took the lead in attacking.

Malone followed up, Stockton was blocked by Martin, Kidd rushed to the penalty area, and then Martin immediately followed in. This kind of tacit pick-and-roll double alley-oop cooperation has been played countless times in the Nets!

Although Malone tried hard to turn around and return to defense, it was obvious that the aging Malone was no longer a high-spirited cowboy. He could only watch Martin take off in front of him, and then press Kidd's pass into the basket!

Martin scores the New Jersey Nets' first goal of the season!

An alley-oop dunk.

The moment Martin scored, the Nets' home court seemed to turn on the loudest stereo bomb, and it was so noisy!

Even when Shentong shouted "Two idiots" next to Jefferson, Jefferson just responded with a silly smile and reached out to give Shentong a high-five...

...

Amid the fanatical "defensive" cheers from Nets fans, the Utah duo, who doesn't eat pancakes and drink porridge, was unambiguous.

Stockton dribbled the ball with a low hand under Kidd's defense, and Malone came over without even saying hello.

Stockton skillfully used Malone's pick-and-roll to get rid of Kidd and walked inward against Martin's defense.

Different from the double-under alley-oop of the chicken combination, the cooperation between the two Utah seniors is pick-and-roll.

While Martin was on defense and Kidd was back on defense, Stockton made a behind-the-back pass with his left hand to Malone, who was standing near the penalty area.

The iconic mid-range shot, a sure hit!

In the 18 seasons since his career, Malone's two-point field goal percentage is 51.6%, which is comparable to many centers who can only score dunks.

Post players with strength and a basket are quite rare.

...

However, just after Malone and Stockton showed a standard pick-and-roll cooperation, the two back wavers also became angry.

Shentong received the pass from the outside and passed his opponent Chaney in just one step, causing Halprin and Malone to immediately step forward to prepare for defense.

After tearing apart the Jazz's defense, Shen Tong passed the ball from between the two to Jefferson, who slid down the baseline.

After receiving the ball, Jefferson faced Jazz center Ostertag and launched a two-handed dunk directly in front of him, full of momentum!

After scoring the goal, Jefferson and Shentong, who ran over, had a passionate chest-to-chest collision!

...

The two veterans of Utah are already preparing to call their curtains, but the stage for these new stars has just risen.

Assistant coach Brett shouted to Scott in a noisy environment: "These boys seem to have improved a lot compared to last year!"

Scott nodded and looked at the two championship flags hanging in the arena.

That was the era when Julius Erving played for the Nets, and the team won championship banners in the ABA League in the 1973-74 and 1975-76 seasons.

After joining the NBA in 1976, the New Jersey Nets have never won a championship.

It has been 27 years now.

Scott withdrew his gaze and looked at the court again.
Chapter completed!