At this time, the final quarter of the game began, and the Bulls' offensive and defensive strategies still did not change.
Let’s not talk about the defensive tactics. There is no way to defend the old K inside. The effect of shrinking the double team is not too big, but may cause injuries. The defense on the outside has been decided, so we have stuck to the defensive strategy of the first three quarters.
On the offensive end, the spread tactics did not work well in the first three quarters. Old K's quick defense greatly suppressed the Bulls' low-post offense. If it was normal, changes would need to be made.
But Phil Jackson believes that Old K’s physical energy consumption in the first three quarters is huge. The offensive end, defensive end, rebounding, organizing and supporting the offense, everything is indispensable for Old K’s investment, so Old K’s physical fitness in the final quarter should be
It won't be too good.
This is the reason why he does not plan to change his offensive tactics. The continuous spread of tactics can continue to consume a lot of K's physical energy. This is also the tactic he has decided to use once he encounters the Suns in the finals.
Moreover, the finals are a series, and this tactic can play a greater role than the current regular season. After a few games, even if Old K can persist in one or two games, but after the entire series, Old K’s physical fitness will
They will definitely be defeated by this tactic. As long as Old K collapses, half of the Bulls can defeat the Suns.
But in the end, the Suns won the game. When the Bulls did not invest more intensity in perimeter defense, they relied on Lao Wang's super efficiency in the low post. They won 106:113 at home by 7 points.
In the final quarter, Lao Wang's physical fitness was indeed a bit insufficient. His performance in all aspects was exhaustion in all aspects. His efficiency declined somewhat in the final quarter, but he still persisted until the end of the game and preserved the victory.
He played 44 minutes in the game, with an average of only one minute of rest per quarter. He made 20 of 28 shots, a shooting percentage of 71.4%, and 8 of 16 free throws. He scored 48 points, 21 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 7 blocks, 3 turnovers and 5 fouls.
A double-double, and refreshed his regular season single-game scoring record and single-game blocks record.
Drexler's performance under Jordan's defense was mediocre. In a one-on-one duel, Jordan scored 38 points. He only scored 21 points, and his efficiency was not as good as Jordan's. Judging from this performance, he and Jordan are indeed not the same.
A class star.
At the end of the game, as the man of the match, Lao Wang accepted an interview with the on-site media. The interview was with TNT TV station, and it was also the last part of the real-time broadcast across the United States.
"Old K, regarding the victory in this game, do you think the Suns are indeed better than the Bulls?" a reporter from tnt asked.
Lao Wang hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth and not tell lies. He nodded and said, "Yes, I think so."
The reporter was a female, black man in her thirties. When she heard his answer, she was visibly startled and asked in surprise: "Do you really think so?"
"Of course." He nodded.
The black female reporter shrugged and asked: "The Bulls' perimeter defense is obviously weak, can't you see it?"
"Of course I saw it. Jordan and Pippen didn't double-team Perry, which allowed Perry to give me a lot of the ball," he said.
"Then why do you still think that this victory is because the Suns are stronger than the Bulls, rather than because the Bulls let go?" the reporter asked again.
He chuckled: "Because if they help defend Perry, their defense against Drexler and Dan Marley will inevitably be weakened. As long as we move the ball quickly and respond well, I believe no matter how strong their perimeter defense is,
It is also impossible to completely cut off our internal and external connections.
What's more, we still have Lightning, and as long as he can come back, I believe we are fully capable of defeating this Bulls."
After hearing this, the female reporter thought for three seconds and reluctantly accepted Lao Wang's statement.
At least she didn't know what she was thinking, and Lao Wang didn't care. After answering this question, the on-site interview ended.
Although the Bulls let off some steam, I was still very happy to win against the Bulls. When I returned to the locker room, the atmosphere was very good and everyone was chatting and laughing.
Lao Wang soaked in the medicine in the bathroom and chatted loudly with his teammates from time to time.
Liu Changfeng is giving Drexler a massage, followed by Dan Marley and the others. There are two masseurs in the Suns team. He has the best skills, is the most popular, and is also the busiest.
Only Colangelo was a little worried, because the issue of K's early contract renewal was publicly raised by TNT, and he was worried about causing some undesirable changes.
He and Hawksman have not yet met in person, but they have talked twice on the phone. The other party made it clear that he will not renew the contract in advance. Although he is disappointed, the other party also promised him that he will not contact other teams before the end of the season.
This made him feel relieved a lot.
tnt just mentioned Larry Johnson’s 100-million-yuan contract. That contract included some reward mechanisms. It was not actually a real 100-million-yuan contract, but he believed that this did not prevent Lao K from also wanting to get such a contract.
The demonstration effect of that contract is too great, which player wouldn't want it?
For example, Robinson, the No. 1 pick in 1994, almost drove the Bucks crazy when he signed a rookie contract with the Bucks because of Larry Johnson's billion-dollar contract.
Offered a 10-year, $68 million rookie contract.
And this contract is actually no worse than Larry Johnson's 100 million yuan contract, because there is no reward mechanism, this is a real contract.
This contract alone makes Robinson's average annual salary exceed that of Jordan, and even exceed that of almost all players in the league.
So he had to be mentally prepared for Lao K to ask for a contract like this. Lao K liked money very much, and the purpose of coming to the United States was to make money, not to mention that there was CAA behind him.
And there may be other teams offering a crazy contract to Old K, so in other words, he really has to be mentally prepared to pay a 100 million yuan contract.
There are many teams that can compete with him for the old K.
Although the New York giants Knicks have super center Ewing, they are the number one ball market in the league and have too much money to spend. They do not rule out the possibility of stealing Knicks to use the twin tower strategy. Knicks picked him up from New York without spending a penny.
As a half-New Yorker, he had to be more careful.
The Lakers, like the Knicks, are the second-largest ball market in the league, a giant with a tradition of centers, but now they are short of a powerful center like K.
He will not underestimate the attraction of a wealthy club to a player. Playing in a luxurious club and playing in an ordinary team are completely different feelings and worlds.
Take Houston, for example. The luxurious twin-tower lineup of Damn and Ralph Sampson failed to win the championship back then. Now that they have the opportunity to form a twin-tower lineup, they may decide to sell Barkley and get K.
The Bulls are crazy about wanting Old K. Except for Jordan, everyone else may become a bargaining chip.
Forget it, thinking about this made him upset, so he simply didn't want to think about it.
He also didn't want to talk to Lao K about this issue, lest it cause unexpected changes. If the discussion was not settled, it would affect everyone's friendship.
He analyzed the situation the Suns will face and the preparations they need to make.
Regardless of whether the Suns can win the championship this season, Danny Manning and Drexler are going to leave. They both only have contracts for this year and cannot stay, unless they don't want to renew K's contract.
Danny Ainge's contract is also over. He can retire directly and join the coaching staff, which will save another US$2 million in space.
AC Green should be traded away. The salary is too high, more than 7 million, which is equivalent to three old players. This is absolutely not possible. He went crazy last year and only gave such a contract.
After cleaning up these contracts, Lao K's contract space is almost enough to accommodate it.
His bottom line is that the annual salary for the 1995/96 season is about 10 million, and there will be a 10% increase in subsequent seasons. The contract period will not be less than seven years. Calculated based on seven years, the total contract amount will be close to 95 million, which is close to 100 million yuan.
The contract is not much different.
This is very high. We know that Jordan only made 4 million this year, and some of the three super centers don't even make 4 million.
Of course, Lao K is the most valuable because he is young. Presumably, if O'Neal renews his contract, it will not be lower than this contract.
The annual salary is limited to about 10 million, which is based on the salary cap, because the salary cap this season is only 16 million. If the salary cap next season can reach 20 million, then in addition to the salary of old K, plus the next two
If he selects a few usable rookies in three years and signs a longer contract, the total salary will not explode too much and will still be within the range he can afford.
The next few years will be the team's growth time, striving to grow into a finals-level team after a few rookies have grown up, and once again participate in the championship competition.
This is his vision for the Suns in the next few years. The Suns' ball market is so big, and the upper limit for growth is there. He can only operate according to this upper limit. The team's lineup cannot exceed this upper limit, otherwise the ball will
The team's operations will collapse and bankruptcy is possible.
Therefore, he must be cautious about the renewal of Old K's contract, because he cannot let Old K's contract break the balance of the team, otherwise the lineup will be too poor, and even if the contract renewal is completed, the team will not be competitive and it will be difficult to stay in the future.
old k.
Another point is the vision of the draft. This is the time to test his ability and the ability of the team's scouting system. If he cannot select useful rookies, the Suns' reconstruction will be considered a failure.
Therefore, trading up draft picks is the safest approach. The higher the pick, the smaller the chance of making a mistake.
When thinking about the signing, he thought of the rookie contract between Chris Webber, the No. 1 pick in 1993, and the Warriors.
In that year's draft, the Warriors traded picks with the Magic to acquire Webber, and then gave Webber an incredible contract of $74 million in 15 years, and Webber had a player option in the second year.
This contract caused a sensation no less than Larry Johnson's 100 million dollar contract.
What made the contract cause a stir was not only its long time, but also its large amount. Another point was that Webber was given a player option in the second year. How much trust does this show in Webber?
In fact, Webb did not "disappoint" the trust of the Warriors executives. He only played with the Warriors for one year, and this season he exercised his player option, abandoned his 15-year contract, and went to the Bullets.
It only took one year to become the No. 1 pick, and the Warriors executives burst into tears. From scouts to management, several people were fired by the boss.
Well, Colangelo originally wanted to sign a long-term contract like that with Old K, but when he thought of what Chris Webber did, he immediately gave up the idea.
Besides, CAA wouldn't let Mr. K sign such a contract, it's absolutely impossible.
There are many similar contracts, and there are also examples of them lasting forever. For example, after Magic Johnson finished his rookie season, the Lakers gave him a 25-year, $25 million contract, which was a direct commitment to each other for life.
However, that contract was considered a big contract at the time, and Magic must have suffered a loss later on, so after he retired, Bass also sold him 5% of the team's shares and invited him to join the management.
A disguised form of compensation.
After beating the Bulls, the Suns began a wave of away games.
On the 26th, they lost to the Pacers in an away game.
Old K seemed to have fought too hard in the game against the Bulls. He was not excited enough in this game. He only scored 21 points and 12 rebounds, and he was even less active on the defensive end.
Then in back-to-back games on the 27th, the Suns lost to the Philadelphia Digital Team, losing a losing streak.
In this way, the Suns completed 41 regular season games, exactly halfway through, with 29 wins and 12 losses, ranking second in the Western Conference.
The Spurs began to exert their strength and surpassed the record, winning one more game than the Suns and ranking first.
The Jazz also began to exert their strength, ranking fourth in the Western Conference behind Mosaic, and are still chasing.
Mosaic's record has not been very good when Barkley was injured at the beginning. It was not as good as last season. After Barkley came back, the lineup was complete, but there was no rush to catch up. It should be that they had reservations.
In particular, Barkley played quite mediocrely. It was not a crucial game and he had no intention of exerting any force.
After losing two games in a row, Lao Wang was also a little depressed. After returning to the hotel in the evening, he made a phone call to Barkley, who also lost the away game. The two chatted, both trying to find some comfort from each other.
"Brother, have you not recovered from your injuries? If not, you can come back. When you are old, you have to accept your old age. Don't fight hard in Houston." He said.
"Brother, after losing to two bad teams, the Digital Team and the Pacers, are you going to die?" Barkley said angrily.
"If the Spurs win the first place in the Western Conference, you will be in the same conference with them and automatically leave the top three. It seems that you are ready to get fourth. When are you going to let the Jazz overtake you?" Lao Wang said.
"Fart, sooner or later we will overtake you in second place," Barkley said angrily.
"Haha, even if you get second place and make the playoffs, as long as the Spurs are ahead of you, don't you still have to be fourth?" Lao Wang laughed.
"this?"
Barkley was speechless, and he really made a mistake. As long as they can't surpass the Spurs, they will be ranked fourth in the playoffs and will not enter the top three.
"So stop struggling. The second and third junior positions are not suitable for you. The fourth position is the most suitable position for you. We will be the third ones, and Jazz will let them be the third ones." Lao Wang joked.
"Hmph, then let's unseat the Spurs and take the first position. Old K, do you think we can't do it?" Barkley said unconvinced.
"Of course you can't do it. Do you think it's still last season? You're another year older and your condition is no longer good." Lao Wang continued to stimulate Barkley.
"Yes, yes, I'm really not very good now. I have injuries everywhere and I don't dare to exert my strength. Okay, kid, let's stop chatting. Old K, you really don't know how to chat." Buckley hung up angrily.
Telephone.
But in fact, after hanging up the phone, he seemed to be in a good mood.
"Charles, why is old K calling?" Da Meng, who was in the same room, asked at this time.
"This kid has lost a streak and wants to gain some sense of presence from me, so I'll satisfy him." Barkley said with a proud smile.
Da Meng thought about it and laughed. He also understood the strategy of arrogant soldiers.
Mosaic's current plan is not to go all out in the regular season, because Barkley has a lot of injuries, and he doesn't want him to get injured again, and wants to save his strength for the playoffs.
The Jazz are currently fourth. Regardless of whether they can surpass Mosaic in the end, based on the playoff ranking rules, as long as the Jazz maintain their current position, they will enter the top three. They are ranked fourth in the playoffs, which is a good position.
The team's plan is to be in fourth place in the playoffs, and it won't be a problem to face the teams in the bottom half of the first round.
In the second round, they will face the winner of the first and eighth place in the Western Conference playoffs. Based on the current ranking, they are the Spurs, and they have a chance of winning against the Spurs.
Based on this calculation, they will probably face the Suns or Jazz in the Western Conference Finals.
The Suns have a better lineup this season than last season, and they would rather play the Jazz.
However, who they will play in the end will not depend on their will. If they encounter the Suns in the Western Conference Finals, they must make preparations in advance.
Including psychological warfare, arrogant tactics, showing the enemy weakness, etc. It is extremely beneficial to use these factors to win a victory.
If Old K had the intention of underestimating the enemy because he thought that Barkley really couldn't fight and was no longer able to fight, he would suffer a big loss.
Although Barkley has some problems now, he has recovered well from his injuries in the past few months and has not had any major problems. When it comes time to fight hard, he can still fight for a while and still has the ability to make Old K suffer a big loss.
