Chapter 271: Super Center Era, Has It Ever Existed?
On the morning of the 8th, the team did not train. Lao Wang did not get up until 9 o'clock. After making breakfast, he walked in the yard to eat.
"Old K, can you accept an interview?"
His villa was not big, and some reporters were standing outside. When they saw him, they asked loudly through the fence.
He walked over and said through the fence: "Hello, have you had breakfast? I still have some bread and steak that I can bring to you."
"Thank you, Old K, we have already eaten hamburgers and Cokes." Several reporters laughed.
"You can ask." He nodded and said.
"Old K, which game were you watching last night?" a reporter asked first.
"I've seen it all," he said.
The reporter quickly asked again: "So what do you think of the on-court conflict between Jordan and Reggie Miller?"
He laughed and said: "The league should add Jordan a technical foul. He punched Reggie Miller, just like he punched me on the court the year before last. I have already said that he should be included in the top ten villains. He meets the standard."
"Haha..." several reporters laughed.
"Old K, what do you think of the duel between O'Neal and Ewing?" another reporter asked.
He thought for a moment and then said: "When O'Neal reaches 140 kilograms or more, except for me, he is unstoppable in this league.
Although Ewing is good, he has no confrontation ability in front of O'Neal, and he can't hit it at all, so his efficiency is shockingly low.
I'm not surprised by the performance of O'Neal and Ewing last night, it was their normal performance."
"Old K, may I assume that you think it is normal for Ewing to be defeated by O'Neal on both offense and defense?" the reporter said in surprise.
"You're right, that's what I meant." He said.
The reporter asked: "In the next series, do you think the matchup between them will be the same as last night's game?"
"Absolutely. Maybe O'Neal's performance will not be as strong as in the G1 game, or Ewing will occasionally explode, but he is unable to change the general trend between him and O'Neal." He said.
Another reporter asked: "Old K, do you agree with what Gomez said last night that the league will usher in an era of monster centers?"
Lao Wang laughed twice and said: "Actually, over the years, the media has been praising the era of super centers, but Ewing's Knicks have been suppressed by the Bulls and Pistons and cannot break out of the Eastern Conference, while David Robinson's Spurs and the Big Ten
The mosaic of dreams cannot break out of the West.
From the era of the black and white duo to the era of bad boys, and then to the era of Jordan's Flyers, the three super centers have always been suppressed.
What I want to say is that super centers are definitely not the absolute force that controls this league. Whether their era still exists is a false proposition in itself, isn't it? Because they have never dominated this league, I even think there is no such thing as their era.
As for the era of monster centers, O'Neal and I have to continue to work hard, and our current results are far from enough."
At noon, his words were put on various media outlets, including sports news on TV stations.
"Charles, we are going to kill the Spurs, go to the Western Conference Finals and kill him again." In the restaurant of the Mosaic training base, Dameng stared at the TV and said rather angrily.
While scratching his bald head in distress, Barkley encouraged: "Keep it up, Hakeem, I believe you are capable of defeating Old K. You did it in the last Western Conference Finals."
Dameng nodded heavily, feeling a surge of confidence in his heart.
But Barkley still couldn't hold it back and reminded: "But what about our outside line?"
Da Meng was stunned, yes, what should I do on the outside?
"Damn Clyde, why did he go to the Suns?" When he thought about this question, he wanted to whip the glider.
If the glider comes to him, then he has absolute confidence that there will be no surprises in defeating the Suns and Old K again this year.
But now that Glider is with the Suns, it's his turn to have a headache.
"Brother, I have talked with Clyde. If the Suns want to renew K's contract, they will never give him a big contract. As long as our management gives him a big contract, he will definitely come to us. We will win the championship next year."
Opportunity." Dameng suddenly said excitedly.
"Will Alexander give it?" Buckley asked quietly.
Dameng was stunned again, then suddenly became furious, glared at the management not far away, and shouted: "If we can't get Drexler, I will apply for a trade."
Some managers looked at each other, looking at each other in confusion. Is Dameng trying to force him into the palace?
The news quickly reached the ears of general manager Steve Patterson and new owner Alexander, causing them headaches.
Dameng still has a one-year contract for next season, worth 5.31 million US dollars. If he cannot meet his requirements and really asks for a trade, and Barkley is old, then the team has only one way to go, and that is to rebuild.
And if Dameng quits after next season, Mosaic will suffer even more losses, and the pace of reconstruction will be delayed by at least five years.
Barkley still has two years of contract, and the Suns brought him over, which will be 4.76 million US dollars next season and 4.7 million US dollars next season.
The salary of these two people alone will reach 10.07 million US dollars next season. The salary cap this season is 16 million. The salary cap next season should exceed 20 million, but even if it exceeds 20 million, these two people will account for
Half of them are gone, what about the other 13 people?
Glider's appetite is definitely not small. Without millions of dollars a year, it is impossible to sign him. It is impossible for the Mosaic team to recruit Glider with a big contract, unless the stingy Alexander is willing to pay a large amount of luxury tax.
At this time, a reporter from the Mosaic team ran up to Dameng and asked a few questions.
"Hakeem, Old K said there has never been an era of super centers. Do you think he is right?"
"That's right!" Dameng cursed directly.
The reporter is not surprised. He has followed the Mosaic team for many years and knows Dameng too well. He is an old gangster who is even more gangster than Jordan.
Dameng scolded in annoyance: "That foul-mouthed boy from Old K, didn't he just hold Barkley's lap and win a championship? What qualifications does he have to talk about this issue?"
Barkley was a little embarrassed next to him.
In fact, in the regular season, Old K was still a bit weak. He was not strong enough on the offensive end, and even less on the defensive end. He was just a coolie for him. But after entering the second half and the playoffs, Old K developed a more powerful offensive ability. He and Old K
There is no one who can hug the other's thighs. Old K's performance in the playoffs and finals is not worse than him.
"So Hakeem, do you think there is an era of super centers in the league?" the reporter asked again.
Dameng fell silent and did not answer the question immediately.
Since he and Ewing entered the league, and later David Robinson, the media has been calling the era of super centers over the years. He has become accustomed to this title and statement. Now Old K comes out and thinks that there is no era of super centers.
This made him very angry and uncomfortable.
However, he really couldn't refute. Old K had a ring in his hand, and he got it as the main center, and he didn't have enough hard honor as the basis for him to refute.
"Bang!"
Depressed and angry, he punched the dining table, startling the people next to him.
"Tell that kid that if we make it to the Western Conference Finals this time, he won't get anything good. Whatever they did last season, we will do it this season."
He simply stopped eating, stood up suddenly and walked out, leaving a sentence as his answer.
Buckley, who was sitting at the table, stared at Da Meng who was leaving and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Dameng is extremely unlucky. He had such a good opportunity last season, but his energy was exhausted by Old K and the others in the Western Conference Finals.
This season, the Suns got the Glider again, and the strength of Mosaic's lineup pales in comparison.
Dameng has entered his peak period in the past two years. His physical condition is still at the end of his peak, but his experience and skills have reached the peak. Dameng has been the strongest in the past two years, but unfortunately he has been unlucky.
"What luck!"
He couldn't help but sigh, feeling that he was really lucky. Fortunately, he won a championship with the Suns. If he had gone to the Lakers, he might still be empty-handed now.
After thinking about it, he took out his mobile phone and sent a text message to Lao Wang: "Old K, you are really messing with Da Meng by denying the era of super centers. He is going to do what you did in the last Western Conference Finals."
Lao Wang was also having lunch in the restaurant at the headquarters. He read the text message and laughed.
This year's situation is different from last year. Last year, they were only a little behind the Mosaic team in terms of strength, and they lost until the tiebreaker. If they meet the Mosaic team again this year, he is confident that they will not reach the tiebreaker, and his big dream will be exhausted.
With their energy, this idea is absolutely impossible to succeed.
Spurs, David Robinson was also very angry when he saw Wang Tiejun disparaging the era of super centers, but he always relied on his status as a social elite as a highly intellectual and disdained the illiterate Wang, so he did not take the initiative to respond.
Ewing was equally angry, but his character was too dull and he hated reporters the most, so he didn't take the initiative to respond.
However, the media would not let this topic go. They called them one after another, and reporters were surrounded outside the house. They could only accept interviews.
David Robinson stood outside the gate of his house and was interviewed by some reporters.
"David, do you agree with what Old K said about the era of super centers not existing?"
"He is not qualified to say such things. As the core of a team, I think his attitude should be more cautious." David Robinson said.
"So do you think there is an era of super centers?" Another reporter asked.
David Robinson looked at these reporters coldly. He actually hated these people in his heart, because it was these media who came up with the idea of the super center era. Now when you ask this question, it seems that this statement was made by the three of them. It's so abominable.
.
But like Dameng, he doesn't have enough hard honors and doesn't even have a championship. How can he rule an era?
He can only explain it from another angle: "The era of super centers in my opinion refers to the playing style and team building model with the traditional center as the core. Most teams in the league are trying to rely on the traditional center as the core lineup.
, and this is also the consensus of the media, isn’t it?
So what Lao K said is a false proposition. He confused two concepts and his understanding ability is limited. I can understand this, after all, he only graduated from elementary school and spent half of his time fighting."
In New York, Ewing endured the disgust in his heart and accepted an interview with the media at his home.
"Patrick, Lao K said that it was normal for you to be defeated by O'Neal. What do you think?" a reporter asked.
Ewing was angry in his heart, but he was not very good at speaking. He stammered for a long time and said: "Old K, that big mouth, thinks that by raising O'Neal, he can raise himself. I think he made a mistake. O'Neal can't do what he said.
That way, the Knicks will eventually advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, and the facts will slap him in the face and tell him that he should keep a low profile."
"That bastard actually said I graduated from elementary school?"
After learning what David Robinson said from the reporter, Lao Wang became angry.
This is an absolute slander. His junior high school diploma and technical secondary school diploma are genuine and not fake.
As a scumbag, he hates people stepping on his academic qualifications the most, and is most annoyed by people who look down on him based on his academic qualifications. This kind of person is the most shameless, and he is a bastard. If he encounters the Spurs in the future, he will do it to death.
"Bang!"
In the hotel room, the postman slammed the phone on the TV screen. The Lukia phone was fine, but the screen was damaged.
He had just watched all the channels. What made him angry was that, let alone other media, even the local media in Phoenix had no news about the Jazz. It was as if the upcoming game was nothing without them. The focus of the news
All focused on the bullshit topic of whether the super center era exists and Old K. As a superstar, he has no topic at all.
"Don't even think about passing us easily and entering the Western Conference Finals, old K, I'll fight with you for my life!"
He stared at the cracks on the TV screen with fierce eyes, and the postman had a strong look on his face.
On the afternoon of the 8th, Yu Feihong rushed to Phoenix to cheer for Lao K.
The opponents in the first round were not that strong, but the Suns were guaranteed to advance to the second round. She didn't ask for leave. They played the Jazz in the second round. Although they had a good chance of winning, they didn't have as big an advantage as the first round. She specifically asked for leave.
Anyway, she has made a decision not to take any acting classes in the past two months, and will focus on her part-time film management class, which is not very stressful.
Lao Wang had to train in the afternoon and arranged for her brothers from the martial arts gym to help pick her up at the airport. After she left her luggage at home, she went to the K martial arts gym for dinner, and then everyone went to the American West Arena together.
The game time was 8:30, and at 7 o'clock, the American West Arena was already overcrowded, and the buzzing noise was deafening.
There were some celebrities from all walks of life, including Hollywood and some sports stars, mainly NBA stars.
Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson were among them, sitting in the front row and chatting.
The postman injured Divac's elbow, causing the Lakers to be eliminated by the Jazz. These former inside and outside partners came here together specifically to support the Suns, purely to make the Jazz sick.
Reporters kept coming to interview them, and they patiently answered questions. Anyway, no matter what the question was, there was always some personal information. Aite called the postman, and connoted the postman's elbowing behavior.
For example, a reporter asked: "Ervin, who do you think has a better chance of reaching the Western Conference Finals, the Suns or the Jazz?"
Magic Johnson said firmly: "This is not a professional issue. The postman's elbow will never be able to handle Old K, so the Jazz will also be unable to handle the Suns. It is certain that the Suns will advance to the Western Conference Finals."
Next to him, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar nodded and said: "Yes, if the postman dares to elbow K indiscriminately, he is asking for trouble. He might as well find a bathroom to chat with K in order to avoid embarrassment."
"Ha ha……"
Magic Johnson and the Suns fans in the audience laughed.
"Karim, do you think Lao K's statement that the era of super centers does not exist is correct?" a reporter asked.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar smiled and said: "He means the era of the three super centers. I think this is what he means. Mr. reporter, do you think it is right?"
"Well, that should be it."
The reporter was startled. It seemed like this was the case, so he nodded.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar chuckled and said: "That's right, when I was with the Lakers, I still had some achievements, and I also had some dominance over that era.
As for the current three super centers, it is indeed inaccurate to say whether they have an era.
How to put it, they just represent a way of building a team with a traditional center.
We can call it the era of super centers, but as Old K said, the three super centers have not yet proven themselves with championships, so they cannot be said to own an era and dominate that era."
Magic Johnson continued: "The luck of the three super centers is very average. In the early stage, there was me and Larry Bird, in the mid-term, there was the Bad Boys. In the later stage, they entered their peak period, but met Michael Jordan, and now they have reached their peak.
At that time, their luck was still bad, and two giant beasts were born in the alliance, blocking their way.
Whether they can prove themselves needs to be determined by themselves. Defeating the two behemoths, defeating Jordan, and establishing their era is the best way to prove it."
At this time, Yu Feihong and a dozen people from K Martial Arts Hall came in. Of course they took the free tickets from Lao Wang and walked past the magician and the others.
After Magic Johnson saw Yu Feihong, he suddenly stepped forward and said hello: "Hello, miss, I know you. You are Old K's girlfriend. You once watched him play against our Lakers at the Atlantic Cultural Arena. I
He’s a good friend of Lao K, can I get to know him?”
"Of course." Yu Feihong stopped and motioned for others to sit down first.
Magic Johnson introduced himself and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's identities, and Yu Feihong also introduced himself.
"Miss Yu, I really hope to see Old K appear at the Atlantic Forum as a home player." Magic Johnson said sincerely after the greetings.
"Yes, only a big team like the Lakers can accommodate a superstar like Old K." Kareem Abdul-Jabbar nodded in agreement.
He looked back at Wang Tielong and the others, and suddenly asked: "Miss Yu, are they the martial arts masters from the K martial arts hall?"
"Yes, they are all brothers from the old K family." Yu Feihong said.
"When I see them, I think of the time when I learned Jeet Kune Do with Bruce Lee. That is really nostalgic." Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said with emotion.
"The K martial arts gym has expanded to the United States with Old K's reputation. It is now the most famous martial arts gym in the United States. Old K has done a really good job." Magic Johnson said with a smile.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar smiled and said: "Service, service, Mr. Bass once said, he said he would call Old K."
"Really, that's great!"
Yu Feihong was a little confused and chatted with the two of them for a few words before leaving. She didn't quite understand the purpose of the two of them talking to her. Did they want Lao K to go to Los Angeles to play ball?
Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sat down again. In fact, they had another purpose for their trip, to find a way to chat with Old K.
Although Jerry West prefers to get O'Neal, O'Neal's contract with the Magic still has one year, and Old K is likely to jump out of the last year of his contract, so what the Lakers have to do now is to prepare for bringing in Old K.
West has contacted CAA, but unfortunately, there have been some major problems with CAA's senior management recently, and there is some internal chaos. It also involves Lao K's agent, who is CAA's vice president, Jay Maloney, so there is no way to talk.
Although he also contacted Lance Hoxman, Lao K’s executive agent, Hoxman has been busy with Je Maloney’s affairs recently and has no time for him to take care of him.
Therefore, the Lakers have no choice but to send people directly to Phoenix, hoping to open a breakthrough directly from Old K.