The next day, December 1, the media conducted extensive and in-depth coverage of the game, and some league stars also expressed their opinions on the game.
One more thing. ESPN adjusted its championship odds overnight after the game last night. The Suns' championship odds were adjusted downward to 8%, ranking tenth in the league.
Knicks head coach Pat Riley accepted an interview with New York Sports and said: "The Bulls have strengthened the five position and are now a team with a balanced offense and defense inside and outside. Of course, they still focus on the outside, but the inside has
It's not their loophole anymore.
If they could do this last season, then Michael Jordan would have completed his three-peat dynasty, what a shame!
Retired Lakers superstar Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times: "The Bulls have found a way to defend Old K in the near two-point area. They no longer press and double-team, but use interference double-team defense to let Old K
Take action, but reduce his efficiency.
But when Old K entered the basket, they still had no choice unless they put a human shield in there.
I don't quite agree with the Bulls' current attitude, because the Bulls were in great shape tonight and their breakthrough and inside tactics were very good, which improved their efficiency.
However, this does not happen every time. If they cannot play with such high efficiency next time, their offense at the basket will decrease and their offensive efficiency will decrease.
On the contrary, Old K's efficiency at the basket will not decrease.
What I mean is that the Suns don’t have no chance, and the Bulls can’t guarantee their victory 100%. Only when they can really limit the old K, can they guarantee that they can really beat the Suns.’
"So Kareem, do you think the Mosaics can win against the Suns?" the reporter asked.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said with a smile: "Actually, in my opinion, the Mosaic team's lineup is more competitive this season. Their strength is too invincible on the inside. The Bulls' strength is on the outside, and their strength is on the inside. They are more
Close to the basket, their offensive efficiency is easier to maintain and improve, so their performance should be more stable."
"So can you evaluate the Suns? Do they have any hope of defending the title? How big is it? ESPN just lowered their chance of winning. It used to be 11%, but today it has become 8%." The reporter asked again.
"Can
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar smiled, thought for a moment and said: "The Suns' main problem is interior defense.
Without Barkley, Old K cannot become a defensive gate inside. Neither Thorpe nor AC Green can make up for Barkley's defensive role. This has weakened the Suns' interior defense a lot, so last night
The Bulls' breakthroughs often succeeded.
But I think this is only temporary, the Suns have a chance to improve, and there is still a regular season, they have time to make up for it. Why do I say this?
Because AC Green's defensive performance in the Lakers is very good, and Thorpe is also the strongest defender around Dream in the Mosaic team. Their defense is quite good, and their current performance is average, mainly because they have just arrived in the Suns.
, failed to integrate into the team's defensive system.
At the same time, the more serious problem is that because Old K is not a big center with his own defensive system, the Suns do not have a defensive core, so there is no defensive system. On the defensive end, they work independently and cannot form a whole.
So the Suns need to rebuild their defensive system, and this will take time. It may be done in one season, or it may never be done.'
The Suns then boarded a plane and flew to Detroit, where they were going to play the Pistons.
"Damn ESPN, they reduced our chances of winning the championship to only 8%." Kevin Johnson threw away the newspaper in his hand in anger.
Wang Tiejun picked it up, looked at it, and complained: "They are always like this and look down on our Suns. It's okay. We still have time. Don't be discouraged. Sooner or later, we will slap them in the face again.'
Head coach Westphal and Colangelo were sitting at the front, discussing lineup issues.
"Paul, does the insider need to trade?" Colangelo asked.
"It would be great if we could get Oakley from New York. Green's defense is good, but not fierce enough. We need a stronger inside line. At the same time, Oakley's stretching ability is also good and his rebounding is better." Westphal. said.
Colangelo rolled his eyes, could he get this? Even if the Knicks were willing, Oakley wouldn't come. He was beaten by Old K, so why should he come here to fight?
However, he felt that there was still a chance.
The Knicks originally led the Bulls 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, but were defeated by the Bulls. Both Ewing and team leader Oakley were criticized. Ewing definitely cannot be traded, but Oakley may not be. .
"I'll give it a try," he finally said.
In the afternoon, the Suns arrived in Detroit.
On this day, the league announced the Player of the Month for November, and Jordan won this honor.
At the same time, in this month's Rookie of the Year rankings, Chris Webber topped the list, averaging 17 points, 9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.1 blocks per game in the first month.
This data is very good, but compared with O'Neal last year, it is far behind.
In addition, the league also announced the MVP ranking list, with Jordan ranking first, Olajuwon second, David Robinson third O'Neal fourth, Ewing fifth, Karl Malone sixth, and Wang Tiejun seventh.
Among the top six, there is only Jordan as an outside player, all four super centers are included, and the last one is the postman whose career has been reimbursed.
Among the top seven, there are six interior players and five centers.
This list shows that this era has completely entered the era of super centers.
However, they were still pinned down by a defender.
In the hotel, Wang Tiejun flipped through the newspaper. He was happy to be in the top ten, but he was a little unconvinced.
His average data per game this month is 40.5 minutes, 26.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 2.5 blocks, 2 turnovers and 3.1 fouls.
His data is very good, not worse than Ewing and Karl Malone's data, but his record is not as good as the Knicks. The Knicks had a record of 9 wins and 2 losses in the first 11 games, but they are better than the Postman Jazz.
What he was dissatisfied with was that the postman was actually in front of him. Was this compensation given to him by the alliance?
"Here I go, the Magic have 6 wins and 5 losses. O'Neal's statistics are a little better than mine. He averages almost ten points more per game. He actually ranks 4th. Doesn't the MVP consider the team's record?" he said.
"Tie Jun, what does MVP mean?" Liu Changfeng, who was sorting out his medicine bag, asked casually.
"Oh, if I get that thing, I'll make at least a few million dollars more a year," he said.
"What?'
Liu Changfeng's hand shook and he almost dropped the packet of concoction in his hand.
"But it's too difficult. Our lineup is not good and our record can't improve! And I'm not an American, so I have a disadvantage in competing," he said.
At this time, a large group of people including Kevin Johnson came in and congratulated him for entering the top ten of MVP.
"Come on, you're welcome, I've got enough cigars.
He generously announced his invitation and handed out a cigar to each guest.
After a few puffs of the cigar, the room was filled with smoke as if it was on fire. At this moment, the alarm suddenly sounded, and the closed sprinkler head on the ceiling was activated and started spraying water crazily.
"It's over, forget about this!'
"Old K, you take full responsibility and be prepared to pay for it."
"Damn, my new suit? It's worth two thousand dollars! Old K, what's wrong with your treat? Let's all smoke cigars together.
A group of people ran out shouting and laughing.
After changing to another room, Wang Tiejun soaked in the medicine bucket and turned on the system.
He has completed the second period of fifty medicated baths and medicated oil massages. His physical potential level has been improved from 96 to 97, his injury resistance has been improved from 88 to 89, and his potential has been improved from 96 to 97.
In addition, his two-month physical fitness program has been going on for one and a half months, and he has been upgraded to level 95 some time ago.
The next day, the Suns defeated the Pistons and achieved a record of 8 wins and 4 losses, still third in the Western Conference.
After the game, they rushed to the Nets overnight to play a back-to-back game tomorrow night.
On the night of the 3rd, the under-physical Suns lost back-to-back games, 8 wins and 5 losses, and rushed to Milwaukee the next day, where they played the last away game of this round, the Bucks.
On the 5th, the Suns defeated the bad Bucks, got a record of 9 wins and 5 losses, and returned to Phoenix.
Next, they will have a home game to play on the 9th with a few days of rest in between.
Being able to achieve this record without Barkley is actually recognized by the Suns' management and fans, as well as by the local media.
Basically, Wang Tiejun, the new core, has been recognized by fans and management, and he has become Arizona's leading sports star.
On the evening of the 6th, Wang Tiejun started thinking about exchanging functional cards without having anything else to do.
He only had 500 points in his hand now, so he decided to continue to improve several basic qualities, so he exchanged a speed training card and a coordination training card, and only 100 points were left.
As soon as the training content came out, he was given a surprise. Both trainings lasted three months and were completed on March 6, but they were all able to improve to level 6, and the improvement speed was obviously faster.
The potential level of speed is level 77, and now it is level 69. If it is increased by 6 levels, his speed will reach the ceiling before entering the playoffs.
But the speed of 75 is already very good for a big center, and the gap between the three super centers and O'Neal is narrowing.
His mobility will increase a lot. Not to mention the offensive end, but on the defensive end, his ability to assist defense will definitely improve, and the defense will cover a larger area.
It's a pity that the system rarely issues tasks, and relies entirely on completing some professional achievements to obtain some point rewards.
"It seems that when I encounter a weak team, I have to score more points and get more points as rewards. That stupid ass O'Neal has already scored 3013. My quality has improved a bit now, so I can't lose to him!'
After thinking about it, I felt a bit selfish. The team had changed two starters. Now it is in a running-in state, and the defensive system has not been established. His deficiencies on the defensive end still need to be made up for by his teammates. If he just brushes up the data regardless of it,
Does he, the core leader, still want to be shameless? I'm afraid if people don't say it to his face, they will criticize him behind his back, right? It will seriously cause unrest in the locker room, right?
Besides, his physical fitness is also limited. If he does too much systematic training besides team training, his physical condition may repeat the same mistakes as last season.
His playing style is different from O'Neal's. It is a rigid sitting style. Shark is not. That animal is more mobile than him and uses a lot of steps. However, he mainly fights head-on, and his physical consumption is not at the same level.
of.
In the end, he decided that nothing should change and he could not rush for quick results. He could just steadily improve his strength. The day when his physical fitness would break through level 100 would be the time for him to compete for those hard honors.
That night, the Bulls faced the Mosaic team at home. The two teams that had the best chance of winning the championship fought hard all night. As a result, the Bulls lost at home, losing for the first time this season.
After defeating the Bulls, who were even stronger than last season, Da Meng was so excited that he was incoherent during the on-site interview after the game.
"I hope that in June next year, we can also take away the victory that belongs to us here." He said excitedly. This is his oath to the championship. The most powerful team this season issued a declaration of victory for the championship.
call.
On the 9th, the Suns defeated the Bullets at home. On the 11th, they defeated the Mavericks on the road. On the 13th, they returned to home and defeated the Bucks twice. On the 15th, they also defeated the Warriors twice. The Suns won a wave of five consecutive victories and achieved 13 wins and 5 wins.
With a negative record, they are still third in the Western Conference.
"How come the SuperSonics are so strong this season? They have only lost two games so far."
"The Mosaic team has lost three games, and the SuperSonics are really strong.
"The Bulls are still the strongest. They have won 18 consecutive games and haven't lost a game yet. Jordan is playing like crazy."
"He was robbed of the championship by us, and the dynasty of three consecutive championships is gone. It would be crazy if he wasn't crazy.
"Play magic the day after tomorrow, old K. Do you think they will double-team you?"
"Of course, the sewers alone can't protect me.'
"Maybe this season it will be Jordan's MVP again, what do you think?'
"He has three MVPs, maybe this time it will be given to Dameng.'
"The data is too different. I'm still more optimistic about Jordan.'
"Dameng's statistics are also good, and he has two systems of offense and defense.
"The three super centers combined have not even won an MVP or a championship. They are all crushed by Jordan. This time I am more optimistic about Jordan."
All the Suns players were in good spirits after winning the game and chatted endlessly in the locker room.
In the bathroom, Wang Tiejun soaked in the medicine bucket and listened to the gossip. He felt that those super centers were indeed a bit humiliated. Although this was an era of traditional centers, there was an Air Jordan on their head, and they didn't even have a chance to stand up.
.
"What about me, will I have a chance to overthrow the Flyers in the future? I don't want to be like those guys, who have been fighting for so many years and still come up empty-handed.
Although he has robbed Jordan of a championship, he is still very clear-headed. Only by winning the championship as an absolute core can he legitimately defeat Jordan.
At four o'clock in the afternoon on the 16th, the Magic arrived in Phoenix.
At almost five o'clock, Wang Tiejun received a call from O'Neal.
"Old K, just wait, I will kill you tomorrow night.'
"I suggest you gain another ten kilograms so that you can stop me."
"Impossible, my current tonnage is enough.
"How old are you now?'
'How much are you?'
"126.
"132, can you stop me?'
"Of course I can stop it.'
"You're lying. You can't even do anything about Team Mosaic's 130-kilogram human shield. I'll blow you up."
"That's because there is a flying pig next to me, and there is a big dream on the weak side to help defend me. Do you have a pig and a dream next to you?
"Uh, damn, see you tomorrow, just wait to be beaten up by me." O'Neal yelled and hung up the phone.
"This idiot is now called the fourth super center by the media. Forget it this season, he can't compete with you. I will compete with you next season.
Lao Wang put down his cell phone, thoughtfully.
In a few years, when the three super centers will all be old, the center position will undoubtedly belong to O'Neal and his era. Jordan will also grow old, and O'Neal will be his main opponent.
There is only one hard honor for all. If it is given to O'Neal, it will not belong to him. The fierce competition between them will be the same as the current three super centers. Fierce competition will begin between the two of them.
Even from now on, the battle between the two of them may become one of the factors in evaluating who is stronger and who is weaker.
Well, this means that he will not admit that O'Neal is the fourth super center.
