Chapter 237 Jordan: Old K is the sixth man of our Bulls
The training lasted until five o'clock in the afternoon. Wang Tiejun went home after taking a medicated bath and doing a medicated oil massage. It was almost eight o'clock when he got home.
Although Liu Changfeng is no longer his personal masseur, he is the core of the team and he is the first person to serve him. After he is done, it is the turn of others.
When I got home, I turned on the TV, turned on the Wanyan VCD player, and put Forrest Gump in.
This is what he brought from China this time. It is said to be the world's first VCD machine with very good audio-visual effects. Now the United States is also imitating this kind of VCD machine, and the video tape machines have begun to be phased out.
Speaking of Forrest Gump, Hollywood has produced many good movies this year. In addition to Forrest Gump, there are also Pulp Fiction, The Killer Isn’t Too Cold, True Lies, Speed, Passionate Years, Stranger in Disguise, Meet the Vampire, etc. These movies
He hasn't watched it yet, but he has bought the disc.
While looking at A-Gump, he checked the system and took a look.
The rewards of the current system are basically the points you can get for completing some professional achievements, and there are no tasks anymore.
He calculated his total points. After playing 138 regular season games in two seasons, he currently has a total score of 2982 points, a total of 1501 rebounds, a total of 467 assists, and a total of 336 blocks.
In other words, you can get a total score of 3,000 points in the first game of the new season. No, it seems that you only get 5,000 points.
However, you can get the reward of 2,000 total rebounds and the reward of 500 total assists this season. As for the total blocks, it is 164 short of 500. If calculated based on 82 games, it is exactly two blocks in a single game. This is also
It should be done.
After watching Forrest Gump, he felt it was still early, so he watched The Nine-Pin Sesame Official again.
This is Zhou Xingxing's new film, which was released in Xiangcheng in April this year. I think it's pretty good, but the disc is a pirated one I bought in the capital. It's cheap, only five yuan. It's just a bit stuck, but otherwise there's nothing wrong with it.
"Ha ha……"
Seeing Zhou Xingxing's words "Close the door and let the dogs out", Wu Mengda couldn't help laughing when he was being roped into biting Liang Kun.
…
As the new NBA season approaches, the media has begun to analyze each team and predict their prospects.
ESPN gave a prediction of the championship rankings for the new season. The Bulls who regained the championship ranked first, with a chance of winning as high as 60%. The second place Mosaic was directly cut in half, with only 30%. The third place was the Spurs, with a 25% chance of winning.
, the fourth place is the Knicks, 20%, the fifth place is the Magic, 15%, and the Suns are sixth, with only a 10% chance of winning.
This probability prediction is simply licking the bulls, because at this time last year, ESPN gave the Bulls a 46% chance of winning the championship. This time it is directly 60%. It is almost a direct replacement for the NBA and will give the Bulls a championship.
ESPN gave its own explanation for each team's championship predictions.
The Bulls, the defending championship team, had the best regular season record in history last season. They swept the playoffs in three rounds and defeated Mosaic 4-1 in the finals. They only lost one game in the four-round series, finishing with 15 wins and 1 loss.
Winning the championship with playoff record and super strength.
Although Grant is lost this season, substitute power forward Toni Kukoc can step up and there is no loss in strength. Moreover, no team in the Eastern Conference can stop the Bulls in the slightest, not even the Knicks and Magic can stop them from defending their title.
, so it is still the only team in the league.
The Mosaic team will face the Spurs this season. The Suns have a strong impact. Just like the last Western Conference Finals, they were exhausted after the tiebreaker with the Suns. The same situation may happen this season, so the prospect of winning the championship is not great.
There is also the possibility of being killed by these two teams due to carelessness.
Although the Spurs brought in Rodman last season, Rodman did not obey super center David Robinson and was not originally competitive for the championship.
But in the offseason, Sean Elliott, who swapped teams with Rodman, did not choose to renew his contract with the Pistons, but returned to the Spurs. The return of the former Spurs' second scoring point will help the Spurs return.
Returning to the championship competition is also the reason why the Spurs are ranked third.
It doesn't seem surprising that the Knicks, a team built by Pat Riley, ranked fourth, but the Bulls are dominating the Eastern Conference and have magic gearing up. The Knicks' chances of making it out of the Eastern Conference are very slim.
Probably smaller.
The fifth Magic has Shaquille O'Neal who is most likely to become the fourth super center, Penny Hardaway has also grown up, and with the addition of Cobra Grant, the Magic in the new season are no longer the team that was swept in the first round.
magic.
The Suns, who are sixth, only have a 10% chance of winning, which is 1% lower than last season.
The explanation given by espn is that Kevin Johnson, Dan Marley, and Danny Ainge are one year older, and the Suns' outside strength will decline significantly this season.
As for Danny Manning, who signed a one-year short-term contract, his status is uncertain and he is prone to injury, so he was abandoned by the Clippers. His joining has improved the Suns' interior scoring ability, but his rebounding ability is
A weakness cannot improve the Suns' internal strength as a whole, and due to physical reasons, he will be a hidden danger for the Suns. Once injured again, it will definitely affect the Suns' record.
At the same time, Thorpe and AC Green are also one year older, and their strength will also decline. However, their entry into the substitute lineup will strengthen the strength of the substitute lineup. But Thorpe has already proposed a trade. Can the Suns keep him?
is a question.
Overall, from the current point of view, the inside line has improved to a certain extent. The Suns, which have declined on the outside line, can be ranked sixth. This is because they reached the tiebreaker with Mosaic last season. Otherwise, they would not even be ranked in the top ten.
Enter.
For example, the SuperSonics, the No. 1 team in the Western Conference last season, have disappeared from ESPN's top six for winning the championship, ranking only seventh, behind the Suns, with only a 9% chance of winning the championship.
In fact, the SuperSonics' strength in the new season has not weakened. On the contrary, due to Payton's growth, its strength should be improved.
ESPN's view of the SuperSonics is that their playing style is too average. They may have a good record in the regular season, but in the playoffs dominated by superstars, they are not strong enough, so they can only be ranked seventh.
Ranked eighth is the Jazz. ESPN's reason is that this season, K may cause trouble for the postman again, and the postman may be injured again. Ranking eighth is enough honor.
For breakfast, Wang Tiejun fried a large portion of steak, kneaded some noodles, steamed a few large white and fat steamed buns, sliced the steak and put it inside the steamed buns, smeared it with tomato sauce and peanut butter, added some lettuce, and it was done.
Two burgers combining Chinese and Western styles.
While eating, he opened the newspaper and read it.
"Nah, only 10%?"
ESPN does this every year, and he doesn't bother to complain.
But now he really understands how difficult it is for a team to strengthen and become a finals-level team, let alone rebuild.
Don’t the three super centers not want to win the championship? Don’t their teams want to strengthen? Of course they do, but why can’t they win the championship after so many years? Because it’s not easy to strengthen.
For example, the Hawks, who were second in the Eastern Conference last season, rebuilt as soon as they talked about rebuilding. Not only did they throw away Wilkins, the team's leading scoring point, but they also lost their protected first-round draft picks for the next two years, but they got Dan.
Niemanning ran away after playing more than 20 games. The last time such a loss occurred, the Eagles did not collapse directly, which is considered a good foundation. If other teams with poor lineups, they would collapse directly.
The Suns sold Barkley in exchange for Thorpe who did not play the main role, which means that they did not get immediate combat power. The decline in strength is predictable and understandable.
However, there are still two future first-round draft picks from the Mosaic team in hand. This is the basis for the Suns' reconstruction. They hope to select two useful guards, but it will take time and luck.
It's possible that the lottery spot is of little value.
This kind of reconstruction, even if you are lucky and select the person you want, will still take several seasons, because the rookies also need to be cultivated and have a long growth period.
What's more likely is that it was bad luck, the person you wanted was not selected, and the reconstruction failed.
The Suns' rebuilding situation is actually quite good. They can actually remain among the first-tier teams and maintain their impact on the championship. This is unimaginable for other rebuilding teams.
"You can't give up even if there is a 10% chance. You still have to fight. If you don't fight, there will be no 1% chance." He murmured.
He really doesn't want to wait for the team to slowly strengthen. He doesn't want to be like the three super centers who are almost past the peak of their careers and have yet to win a championship.
He didn't dare to bet that the team's reconstruction would be successful. What if the reconstruction failed?
Although he has a championship in his hands, it is a championship with Barkley and Kevin Johnson as the core, and he is just an ordinary main member.
The championship he wants is a championship with him as the core. He wants to win FMVP.
Even if Thorpe and Green leave, so what?
Now that his physical fitness has reached level 99, it should be enough for him to toss around. This season, let's give it a try, and take advantage of the fact that Lightning and Thunder are not completely old, and they can fight for one or two more seasons.
"Ha ha……"
He looked down again and saw ESPN's comments about the Jazz. He couldn't help but laugh out loud. He almost choked on the food in his mouth and cursed with a smile: "Unprofessional ESPN, the postman didn't say anything to cause trouble for me. Eat enough."
Are you trying to sow trouble between me and the postman? That's so stupid, you don't need to sow trouble between me and him."
He was indeed right. The postman was sitting at the dining table reading the newspaper at the moment. When he saw the part about ESPN vs. Jazz, he laughed out loud and tore up the newspaper.
As for the hatred towards Wang Tiejun, it can't be washed away even if it is poured into the Pacific Ocean.
He was injured by Old K for two consecutive seasons, especially last season when he was almost crippled. If he hadn't been in good physical condition, it would be hard to say whether he could recover. He wanted to eat Old K's flesh.
But, from the bottom of his heart, he no longer wanted to have any off-field conflicts with Old K. He really couldn't beat him. If he could beat him, he would have killed Old K long ago.
This is his 10th season in the Jazz. After so many years of construction, the lineup has barely become competitive. Now he has to put all his energy on the court, and the conflicts and grudges with Old K have to be resolved on the court.
.
…
Under the enthusiasm of the media, the Bulls shouted out the call to defend their title.
On the 30th, the Bulls held a media meeting day for the new season, and Jordan led the team to accept interviews from the media.
In the interview, he announced the Bulls' goals for this season very forcefully, saying firmly: "We have only one goal, and that is to defend the title."
"Michael, are you confident in building a three-peat dynasty?" the next reporter asked excitedly.
Hearing the words dynasty and three consecutive championships, Jordan's eyes gleamed obviously. He suppressed the excitement in his heart and said: "There is no denying it, and I don't want to deny it. That is our pursuit."
"What do you want to say about Grant leaving?" another reporter asked.
Jordan hesitated and then said: "Everyone has their own reasons for their choices. I am very sorry for his departure. After all, he is my partner in three championships."
"Does his departure have something to do with you?" the reporter asked.
Jordan glanced at the reporter's name tag, Shet, this is a reporter from Phoenix, what the hell do you want to ask?
He said unhappily: "Of course it has nothing to do with me. I have already said that it is his own choice."
"Michael, who do you think will be the Bulls' strongest opponent in the new season?" the next reporter asked.
"Mosaic."
Jordan said: "Actually, I'm not praising Hakeem. If he had performed as horribly as he did in the Western Conference Finals in the last Finals, we wouldn't have won so easily.
So here I want to thank Old K. He promised me during the All-Star Weekend that he would help us kill the Mosaic team. He did it. He is the true sixth man of our Bulls."
This sentence gave Lao Wang an additional nickname, the Bulls Sixth Man.
On this day, the Mosaic team also held a media meeting day for the new season.
Dameng faced the media and expressed his dream of chasing the finals, saying: "No matter who our opponent is, we will overcome all difficulties and win the championship. That is our only purpose."
Barkley expressed his support for Dameng and expressed his willingness to help Dameng strive for the championship.
"Hakim, which team do you think will be the Mosaic's strongest competitor in the Western Conference this season?" the reporter asked.
Dameng didn't hesitate. He had already considered these things and said: "The Spurs and Suns are both very strong, but I think the Suns will still be our strongest opponent."
"Why not the Spurs? In terms of lineup, the Spurs have a general and a big bug inside, who are both offensive and defensive, and have guaranteed rebounds. Sean Elliott returns at the third position, and the more mature young general Avery Johnson also returns.
The Spurs, their lineup is stronger than the Suns." The reporter asked.
Dameng shook his head and said: "There is a problem in the Spurs' locker room. Last season, the media repeatedly exposed the problems between the general and the tiger. This is not a secret. Their combat capabilities cannot be combined.
The Suns are different. Their locker room is very stable. Although the lineup is aging, the old K should be more mature. I believe they can bring us a greater threat than the Spurs."
"Hakim, what do you think of Old K? Do you think he is a real superstar?" the next reporter asked.
Dameng hesitated for a moment and said: "It depends on how you define a superstar. If you only count the offensive end and his performance in two seasons, he can be regarded as a true offensive superstar center.
But if you want to count the defensive end, his single defense is actually okay, but if he is not good at assist defense, he definitely cannot be considered a superstar who can combine offense and defense. His defense lowers his evaluation.
Anyway, taken together, he is a first-class center on both offense and defense."
…
On this day, Zhang Lili and a group of people from CCTV rushed to Phoenix.
CCTV has a lot of funds this season and has increased the number of live broadcasts, and the increase is very large, with one broadcast per week.
The Suns, where Wang Tiejun plays, is considered the home team of domestic NBA fans and will be the main team broadcast on CCTV, followed by the Bulls.
"Why is your station so generous all of a sudden?" Lao Wang was a little surprised when he heard that CCTV had one show a week.
Zhang Lili introduced the domestic situation. It turns out that a large amount of international funds have flowed into the country in the past few months. The foreign exchange situation has improved immediately. CCTV, a department that is not short of money, has also received more U.S. dollars.
The confidence is one game a week.
"I see."
Su Qun asked at this time: "Old K, is there any hope of challenging for the championship this season?"
Zhang Liyi said: "Tie Jun, I have analyzed it and found that your current lineup is further aging, and it is aging in multiple positions. It is almost impossible to win the championship."
Su Qun said: "No wonder Mr. Colangelo sold Barkley last year. It seems that he really has a vision. They say 1996 is a big year for the draft. You have two first-round picks in your hands. I hope you can gain something."
Zhang Lili said: "Unless the Mosaic team collapses in the 1995/96 season, its first-round pick is also the last pick, and its value will not be too great unless it is traded up.
It’s really not easy for the Suns to maintain their ability to compete for the championship and at the same time complete their reconstruction! If they choose to play poorly, there is still a chance of getting a good pick.”
Lao Wang smiled and said: "It won't be bad if it's bad. I will never be bad in my life. If the Suns choose to be bad, I will definitely choose to leave.
I still have the same attitude as last year, just give it a try. If you don’t give it a try, you won’t have any chance. If you give it a try, with luck, you may get a good result.
If we are lucky and the opponent has problems of their own, such as injuries, won't our luck be there?"
"Haha..." Several people laughed.
Lao Wang added: "Although our lineup is aging, it is not deteriorating rapidly, and our strength is still there.
As long as the management stabilizes the current lineup, we will have an advantage on the inside. Even if we face Mosaic, we will have a certain advantage on the inside. We are not weaker than them on the outside. We are actually very strong this season."
Hearing what he said, Zhang Lili's mind immediately started to move. This analysis seemed to be true. He said: "You can keep Thorpe, do Green's job well, and let them contribute in the substitute lineup.
You guys are really better than Mosaic inside, and their substitute inside is not as good as yours. But can you keep Thorpe? Is Green willing to play as a substitute?"
Lao Wang smiled and said: "I don't know about this, but the transaction didn't go through, and it's impossible for them to leave."