On the morning of the 26th, the news about Dumas had spread throughout the team.
Buckley cursed angrily: "This damn idiot has caused us to lose another person."
Now that the trade window has closed, Dumars' departure is not good news. The Suns' bench will be much weaker. If Tom Chambers cannot come back in the playoffs, then the Suns will face several strong teams.
That's when it becomes dangerous.
Ceballos, on the other hand, is a little happy that without Dumas, his starting position will be more stable.
Wang Tiejun started a new period of flexibility and coordination training in the morning, and then performed low-post pace training. He had lunch at noon, rested for an hour, and rushed to Madison Square Garden with the team.
This is the second time Lao Wang has come to this arena. The last time he came in was as a trainer. At that time, he had just been picked up from the street by Mr. Colangelo.
"Old K, how do you feel?"
Barkley asked, looking a little excited, after changing out of the locker room and coming to the court.
"What does it feel like?" Lao Wang was confused.
"This is the Holy Land, the Holy Land of Basketball, and you don't feel anything?" Barkley yelled.
"Oh?"
Lao Wang casually glanced around, the decoration was just average, not as good as the Jazz's home court, which is also a holy place?
"I tell you, this is the most watched stadium in the league, with media, Hollywood stars, spotlights, everything. All NBA stars want to perform wonderfully here. How do you feel now?" Barkley shouted.
"I feel...the Knicks won't let us go tonight." Lao Wang said with a smile.
"Ha ha……"
Buckley and the others laughed.
In the afternoon training, he completed rebounding training. Physical training was not carried out today, so the amount of training today was not large, and the most physically demanding weight-gaining training was missing.
During the training break, assistant coach Lewis explained Ewing's technical characteristics to Wang Tiejun.
Although he dunked on Ewing last time, he only played a little time, so it was not a real matchup, and he didn't know this super center.
Lewis said: "Let's talk about his shots first. His offensive ratio and shooting rate at the basket are 31% and 60%, the last two points are 32.5% and 37%, and the two points are 24% and 35%.
, the rest are two-pointers from far away, and I will shoot about two in each game, and the offensive area covers all areas below the three-point line."
"The field goal percentage is less than 40%?" Lao Wang said in surprise.
Lewis glared at Lao Wang angrily and said: "Of the three super centers, only Dameng's two-point shooting rate has reached 40%, and the overall mid-range shooting rate is also below 40%. Do you think mid-range shooting is easy?
?
For such a great scorer like Jordan, he shot 33% of his near two-pointers, 43% of his mid-range two-pointers, 41.7% of his far two-pointers, and his overall mid-range shooting percentage was only 40.8%.
Does Postman Malone, the king of mid-range shots, know? He uses his elbows to clear the way and create space for shots, but his mid-range shooting percentage barely reaches 40%, which is a little lower than Jordan's.
Old K, as a center, if you can hit 40% of your field goal percentage one day, I can guarantee that you will become a historical superstar."
Lao Wang chuckled and said: "So that's it, I underestimated the world's heroes."
"Ha ha……"
Seeing what Lao Wang said was funny, Lewis couldn't help laughing.
Lewis then added: "Let me talk about Ewing's technical characteristics again. His skills are far from as gorgeous as Dameng and others, and they are as low-key as his character."
"That's called being lonely, not being low-key." Lao Wang corrected.
"Are you going to let me say it?" Lewis asked angrily.
"You say it, you say it." Lao Wang said quickly.
Lewis said: "He prefers to shoot from the left midfielder of the penalty area and close to the low line. He is good at low post plays. He mainly relies on floaters for layups. He is tough on defense. He has a one-stop fast break after the steal and a one-step burst from the free throw line."
buckle ability.
His speed is not as fast as Robinson, and he is not as agile as Dameng. His post-up technique does not have that many tricks, but his technical movements are solid and he can shoot with both left and right shoulder turns.
This means that if the defender slips up to guard his right shoulder, he can turn over with his left shoulder and shoot a jumper, and vice versa.
His finishing skills are mainly based on shooting, and the hook is a shortcoming, which is contrary to yours.
There are no false moves in his technical moves. He just relies on blocking the defender to prevent the defense from touching him, and then relies on solid offensive skills to complete the offense.
He also has a signature skill, that is, when encountering a very strong defense, or when the opponent is tightly entangled, he has a trick to avoid jumping.
This is a jump step that allows Ewing to switch from his back to the basket to facing the basket, and then get rid of the defender to complete a jump shot, or drive to the basket for a layup."
"Signature technology?"
Lao Wang scratched his head. He lacked the footwork and mobility that allowed him to quickly get rid of the defender and get to the basket.
He asked: "If he uses a stalking defense, can he also use a free jumper?"
Lewis said without thinking: "Then I'll give you an elbow first. After gaining a certain amount of space, I'll jump with a free kick."
"..." Lao Wang was speechless.
"Ahem..."
At this time, Barkley stood up, glanced at Lao Wang, and said with a smile: "Everyone, cheer up tonight and pay attention to the Knicks. They suffered a loss last time and will not forget it. That Oakley guy
The old gangster is not a good thing."
Everyone glanced at Lao Wang, who said innocently: "Look at what I do, I never take the initiative to cause trouble, they are the ones who provoke me."
"Haha..." The locker room burst into laughter.
At this time, in the home team's locker room, Ewing, Oakley, John Starks and a group of New York gang members were discussing how to make a fuss about the home team.
They were humiliated last time in Phoenix, and the New York media and fans are still scolding them. This hatred is like wine, the longer it goes by, the more honest it becomes.
"Guys, listen up, tonight we have to clearly define the division of labor, chokehold, hug, cover, box, and provoke. We must teach that rookie a lesson.
"
As a famous villain, Oakley was deeply ashamed of his last retreat, and this time he decided to wash away the shame on himself.
"Charles, I support you, let's have a big fight tonight."
John Starks was even more bitter and resentful. He decided not to be merciful anymore. If he had the opportunity to bite his ears again this time, he would not let it go, and he would have to do it quickly.
As for Ewing, being dunked by a rookie would be an even greater shame. However, due to his personality, he didn't reveal anything, and he still looked blank.
At seven o'clock, Madison Square Garden was half full. The game started at eight o'clock, only an hour away, and half of the seats were still empty.
But don't worry, the Knicks' home court is the most expensive home in the league and one of the homes with the highest attendance.
People who come to watch the Knicks game are basically middle-class people, otherwise they cannot afford the expensive Knicks tickets. These people use their time very closely. Watching the game is just a pastime. Many of them come after the game starts.
There were some people who came late, and although they were sitting at the scene, their minds were not on the game.
At 7:30, both sides announced their starting lineup.
Suns: Wang Tiejun, Barkley, Ceballos, Dan Maley, Kevin Johnson
Knicks: Ewing, Oakley, Charles Smith, John Starks, Doc Rivers
The game was broadcast live nationwide on ESPN, with commentators Vince Srollin and Carter Oldman.
On one side is the Suns, who have the best record in the league, and on the other side are the Knicks, who have climbed to second place in the league and first in the Eastern Conference. The attention is extremely high.
"Look, there are many Hollywood stars here tonight, including many beautiful models."
"Yes, there are several rich and beautiful women sitting there."
"I also saw Spike Lee, he seemed to be hooking up with that someone."
"Ha ha……"
The two guys gossiped for a while and then got down to business.
Winston Rollin smiled and said: "I have been looking forward to this game for a long time. In his first NBA game, Old K dunked on super center Ewing, scared off the evil Oakley, and beat John Starks.
He suppressed the Knicks gang by himself, so tonight, I want to see how the Knicks will perform."
"I'm also looking forward to it. Will they fight?" Carter Oldman laughed.
"Who knows, anyway, I saw that there were twice as many security guards at the scene. It seems that Madison Square Garden is well prepared to deal with violent fights."
Winston Rollin said with a smile.
At 7:40, the five Knicks starters left the locker room.
"Patrick, how will you deal with that rookie tonight?" A reporter accompanying the team asked loudly.
"I will blow 50 on his head, I want him to know that the NBA is not that easy to mess with." Ewing's deep voice sounded, full of anger.
The greatest humiliation in his life was being dunked and stepped over by that rookie.
If a superstar did this, he wouldn't be so angry, but if a rookie did this, it would be like a slap in the face.
"Charles, what about you?" the reporter shouted again.
"Kill him!"
Oakley roared, his anger surging and uncontrollable.
"John?" the reporter shouted again.
Starks' sharp voice sounded: "There's going to be blood tonight, and our New York gangsters are not that easy to mess with."
Boom boom, five Knicks starting players came to the tunnel with heavy footsteps.
On the other end, the Suns' five starters also left the locker room.
"Old K, do you think the Knicks will double-team you tonight?" a reporter accompanying the team asked loudly.
"Isn't Ewing a super center? If he has the nerve to call for double-teaming, then he might as well let me be the super center. Anyway, I won't call for double-teaming."
Lao Wang replied disdainfully.
"Would you rather be beaten by him than double-teamed?" a reporter accompanying the team joked.
"Get out!" Lao Wang said angrily.
"Ha ha……"
Buckley and the others next to him laughed.
In the players tunnel, we are enemies, and before we even get close, everyone's eyes are red.
Of course, the main reason was that the Knicks' eyes were red, and the five people on the Suns team were just a little nervous.
"Crack, click, click..." the cameras of the reporters accompanying the two teams rang.
"Damn rookie, I finally saw you!" Oakley shouted with red eyes when he saw Wang Tiejun.
"Who are you?" Lao Wang asked casually.
"..."
Oakley was almost furious. You humiliated me and you still don’t recognize me?
But in fact, Lao Wang really didn't know him and didn't mean to humiliate him.
"Old K, let me introduce you."
Barkley stepped forward, pointed at Oakley, and shouted seriously: "This is the league's famous villain, the locker room leader of the New York gang, known as Old Oakley, Charles Oakley.
When he was with the Bulls, he was Michael Jordan's knife-carrying guard. The Bulls later traded him, and then Jordan was beaten up by the Bad Boys for many years."
When Oakley heard this, he was very unhappy and said: "Klaus made a huge wrong decision. If I had stayed with the Bulls, Jordan would have won the championship long ago. We didn't have to wait until the bad boy got old to win the championship. We could have done it back then."
Get down on the piston."
Lao Wang said disdainfully: "You just play with a lot of tricks, how dare you elbow? Old guy, you are not ashamed, but proud of it. I am ashamed of you. Fortunately, the Bulls traded you, otherwise the Bulls would have turned into a Chicago gang.
Already."
"..."
Oakley was stunned.
Everyone looked at Lao Wang, "Are you trying to completely anger Oakley?"
"Oops, this is the time for a fight off the court." Barkley began to roll up his sleeves in preparation.
"Asshole! Damn rookie..."
Oakley was so angry that he screamed, and in a few steps he was in front of Lao Wang, roaring: "Are you going to fight?"
"Hey, Oakley, don't cause trouble!"
Buckley blocked Oakley and advised: "Calm down, okay? You can't beat us. My brother will take off your pants and swell your butt. It's better for you to be good..."
"Go to hell!"
Oakley was furious, you are trying to make me angry, right?
"Everyone, get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
A team of security guards who had been prepared quickly inserted themselves between the two teams and separated them.
"Barkley, you bastard, just wait for me, today will never end!" Oakley roared through the security guard.
"I'm afraid of you! I've been waiting for today for a long time, so why don't you come on!" Buckley roared without hesitation.
"That's not right, brother, I am the protagonist!"
Lao Wang was very dissatisfied that Barkley had stolen his limelight.
"There's no fight!"
"Yeah, we can only do it on the field."
The reporters accompanying both teams felt a little regretful.
At this time, the visiting team was called outside, and Barkley and others ran out in a swarm, fearing that they would be beaten by the Knicks if they were left alone.
"Shh!"
As soon as the five of them walked out, Madison Square Garden was overwhelmed by huge boos, and countless New York white-collar elites raised their middle fingers at them.
After the boos subsided, a small, middle-aged black man on the sidelines shouted excitedly at Lao Wang: "Rookie, tonight is your sad night. You will be taught a lesson by Patrick and Charles, and you will crawl out of here."
!”
"Who are you?" Lao Wang asked loudly.
"I am Spike Lee. You have humiliated the Knicks. You will never be welcomed in New York in your life." the black man said angrily.
"Your pants are down!" Lao Wang pointed at the black man's underside and reminded him kindly.
"ah?"
Spike Lee hurriedly went to pull down his pants, only to find that he had been tricked and his pants were fine.
"Ha ha……"
Lao Wang, Buckley and the rest burst into laughter, and then ran to warm up one after another.
"Bad boy, you are a bad boy!" Spike Lee jumped angrily.
"Bad boys of the Suns, tonight is our night of revenge!"
"Damn it, old K, you're done!"
Fans nearby also continued to curse.
"King Kong, don't be soft this time, go up and do it, beat me!"
"Old Oak, you are a villain, not a softie!"
"Stokes, tonight is your time to wash away your shame. Are you ready?"
"You are gangsters, not a bunch of cowards. You want to avenge your shame!"
When the home team came out, there were no cheers or applause. The fans kept yelling at them, which made the Knicks players even more stressed than the Suns. They all wanted to fight the Suns right now.
“The atmosphere is quite exciting!”
"There might be something big happening tonight."
"So those celebrity models sitting on the sidelines should be careful not to get splattered with blood."
"Ha ha……"
In the ESPN live broadcast, two commentators joked.
Center circle, jump ball.
Lao Wang and Ewing stood opposite each other close to the center line. The ball was thrown up and they both took off almost at the same time.
"Crack!"
Ewing won, the bullet speed was faster, and the Knicks attacked first.
Ewing was positioned low on the left wing, reaching for the ball.
At this time, Lao Wang came up, and Ewing suddenly took a step up to the left waist position. At this time, the ball was passed in and he caught it smoothly.
Lao Wang immediately followed and stood behind him.
He didn't use his chest to push hard. He had played several games with Dameng, Robinson and the others. If he had used his chest to push against him, with the agility of these guys, they could have beaten him with just one turn. So this time, he guarded Ewing half the time.
step, maintaining the space to retreat.
At the same time, there is another reason: it saves physical energy.
But at this time, Ewing suddenly turned around to face the basket and took a jump shot directly. He took off and blocked the shot, but the bounce speed was not enough, and the ball passed through his fingertips.
"Whoa!"
The water splashed and nearly two points were hit.
"Beautiful! King Kong made a shot and his performance began, and Old K is the audience. This is his only identity tonight."
The on-site commentator roared loudly and received cheers and applause from the audience.
"Fool, what are you doing to protect me?"
Ewing, who doesn't like to talk trash, actually started talking trash this time. You can see why he hates Lao Wang.
"I will only dunk you." Lao Wang immediately replied.
"..." Ewing was so angry that he almost had a cerebral infarction.