In this year's preseason, the Knicks were scheduled to play against the Heat.

As a team whose top management has close ties with the Knicks, the Heat's rocket-like rebuilding speed since entering the league two years ago is impressive.

Heat general manager Lewis Shafir has therefore entered the discussion for General Manager of the Year for two consecutive years.

This past summer, Shafir took a step further and became president of basketball operations in addition to serving as the Heat's general manager.

"Miami Morning News" affectionately calls Shafir the godfather of Miami professional basketball and the founder of the Heat's future dynasty.

But he was so proud.

"Coach Lu, what kind of godfather am I? You are the godfather. You are the best godfather in the league. No, the best in history. Compared with you, I am just a ray of fluorescence under the full moon and not worth anything."

It’s not worth mentioning!”

Shafir said it sincerely because Louie was joking about what the Miami media was saying about him.

When Louis said, "You are already a godfather, you shouldn't need my help in the future, right?" Shafir became anxious.

The Heat's signings this summer are also considered effective.

In the draft, after Louis' suggestion, he changed the third pick to the fifth pick and selected Kendall Gill. He also selected Antonio Davis in the second round and Tony Cuoco in the first round.

strange.

Originally, according to the plan, Kukoc's signing rights were sent to the Knicks as a major part of Bowie's signing. Later, Louis was afraid that someone would gossip, and Krause had retired from the Bulls. There was no need to further attack, so he let Shafi

I retain the rights to sign Kukoc.

The night Louis spoke with Shafir, the Knicks and Heat played a preseason game in Las Vegas.

It was the first appearance of both sides in the new season, and the Knicks played more seriously.

The Heat's core inside player, Hank Gathers, played easily and efficiently.

However, the Knicks, whose lineup is far deeper than the Heat, has always been in control of the game. After Sean Kemp came on the field with the second team, he established an absolute advantage.

Ewing scored 26 points in 19 minutes of playing time.

After the game, he said frankly: "I hope to lead the team to defend the championship and become the team's scoring leader."

Ewing is about to enter the sixth season of his career. In the previous five seasons, he did not lead the team in scoring in any of the seasons.

Dell Ellis, McHale and Wilson, these three have won the Knicks' scoring title in the past five seasons.

Why is Ewing suddenly interested in scoring?

Louis figured it out with his toes. Ewing believed that the reason Wilson was more popular than him and was considered stronger than him was because of his scoring. And scoring has always been a statistic that he ignored. Before last season, Louis also

He will not deliberately give him a chance to attack with the ball.

Now that he has strengthened his offensive capabilities, he should get more ball rights.

The Knicks ended the preseason with a undefeated record. Ewing averaged 24 points per game. As the player with the least playing time per game, he won the team's scoring title.

Although the preseason data is a "reference only" thing, it can also be seen that his game tendencies have changed.

Louis went out of his way to chat with him.

"If you want to win the team's scoring title, I have no objection, but if your efficiency is not high, I will stop you."

"Do you think I'm the kind of person who doesn't care about the overall situation for my own data?" Ewing looked at Louis angrily.

"If you're not, then who is?" Louis looked at him suspiciously, "I think now you have been so stimulated by Benj's contract that you have lost your mind."

"Excitement? What can I be excited about?!"

Ewing became excited.

It's the kind of excitement that speaks without hesitation.

"Isn't he the highest-paid player in the league in the new season? What's so great about it? I've been the highest-paid player in the league for several consecutive seasons. What's so special about this?"

"Will I be stimulated? You really love to joke, haha!￥@%"

What follows is a long section of Jamaican dialect that Louis doesn't understand and doesn't want to understand.

Louis looked at him doubtfully: "If you are not stimulated, then why are you going against him all day long? Didn't you find that he has been tolerant?"

"Who is going against him all day long? Isn't this the competitiveness you want? Or do you like peaceful team training? If you like it, I won't fight from tomorrow on."

If Ewing insists on saying that the antagonism between him and Wilson is their pre-existing competitiveness, Louis really has nothing to say.

He doesn't admit that he has a problem with Wilson, what can he do?

"Okay, you can say whatever you want. I won't stop you from winning the scoring title, but I'm warning you to pay attention to the distribution of ball rights. If our chemical reaction doesn't come out because you take a lot of shots,"

Ewing said tacitly: "You can't forgive me."

"Fuck your dad, I will kill you directly!"

Ewing doubted Louis' ability to kill him.

Although there was a legendary story about Louis KOing a referee with one punch in his early years, that happened 6 years ago. Now, Louis has passed his peak. Even if he has no muscle lines on his body, he has worked hard to lose the belly.

The belly fat has also been regained and grown through unhealthy eating habits.

"Did you hear that?"

"Um."

"louder!"

"Yeah!!!"

Louis also talked to Wilson.

Although Ewing and Wilson have different temperaments, they are both team-first players.

Ewing cares about personal appearance, but Wilson is the kind of person who can sacrifice himself for the team.

Louie wants Wilson to be mindful of the impact while competing against Ewing.

As soon as he finished speaking, Wilson interrupted him with a smile: "Don't worry, coach, Patrick and I will control the scale."

"Don't say it too soon. Once things get serious, I don't think that Jamaican bastard knows where the bottom line is."

Also, even if Wilson himself doesn’t want to fight, what about the team behind him? Will they also not fight?

"Coach, I won't let anything affect our defense of the title."

Wilson said again.

"Of course it's best if you think so." Louis sighed softly, "Sometimes, I also wonder, where is the end of the road to defending my title?"

"Eight consecutive championships?" Wilson tried.

"That was the end of Reed Auerbach. He ran out of steam after eight consecutive championships, and me? I don't know, I'm not a lack of motivation."

Louis remained silent.

But he is a person who loses motivation if he lacks challenges.

Now, the Knicks, like all dynasty teams, have problems that plague them from outside the team to within the team.

Ball rights, data, tactical status, big contracts, off-field influence, only tactical status can be controlled by Louis.

However, he can control the tactical status of the players, but he cannot control the hearts and minds of those who are dissatisfied with the status quo and self-aggrandizing.

"Coach, let's have a sip of Coke." Wilson stopped Louis's wandering thoughts.

For the Knicks' first game of the season, the opponent the league prepared for them was the Boston Celtics.

October 29, 1990, New York, Madison Square Garden.

Madison Avenue filled every seat at MSG.

This is the NBA's first game back on NBC.

NBC hired Marv Albert, who previously commented on Knicks games, as the main commentator for the national broadcast.

In addition, former 76ers head coach Matt Guokas, retired NBA legendary center Bill Walton, and former NBA coach Mike Fratello have also joined NBC's NBA commentary team.

The garden hosted a grand pre-game show.

The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, was present in person.

The subject of a sideline interview at the first NBA game hosted by former NFL player and media personality Ahmad Rashad for NBC was Louis.

"Coach Lu, after returning from Team USA, have your views on the game changed?"

"No." Louis shook his head and said, "The rules of FIBA ​​and NBA are only partially different. Basketball is still basketball, and the size and height have not changed."

Rashad asked again: "How do you feel as a participant in the first live NBA game after the NBA returns to NBC?"

"Great, I hope the Knicks can join the league and NBC in climbing higher mountains in a new era."

Louis met Isiah Thomas, who had been having a bad temper all summer.

Thomas waited every day for the news that he was being traded, but he didn't wait.

The Celtics would rather keep him in their hands than sell him in exchange for some inferior assets.

For Thomas personally, this was a tragic outcome.

He gave everything for the Celtics and created a dynasty with the team as the third-leading player, but did not get the fame and fortune of Bird and Sampson. Now, he will also leave his name in the history of the Celtics.

His name will be equated with Joe-Jo White in the 1970s, a powerful but selfish arrogant and selfish man who never cared about the glory of the Celtics.

"Isiah, how does it feel to be hated by everyone?" Louis asked with a smile.

Thomas smiled and said sarcastically: "Why do people in Boston have the nerve to ask this question when they angered the whole of Boston five or six years ago? Don't you know what it feels like?"

"Hehe!" Louis mocked, "I didn't stay in Boston during my peak years, and I never expected them to like me. You are different, Isiah, you have done so many things, but you have never been rewarded.

How do you feel when they forget your contributions to this city and hate you for a legitimate request?"
Chapter completed!