At this time, Lao Wang was on the phone with O'Neal, and it was Shark who called.
"Old K, give me the fulcrum. I can't lose. If I lose to Ewing and Hardaway, what dignity do I have?" O'Neal shouted anxiously.
"The Magic lineup is a little better than the Knicks, so it's natural for you to lose." Lao Wang said.
"What are you talking about? We friends have nothing to do anymore, let's fall out." O'Neal was angry.
"I think the Knicks still have to find you an outside helper. Starks' mental knife can't help you." Lao Wang said with a smile.
"Don't talk about him. He made 2 of 15 shots and was turned into a blacksmith by Hardaway." O'Neal said in frustration.
"Jordan's contract is over, go get him to the Knicks, and you will have a big leg to hug." Lao Wang said with a smile.
"Hell, I don't want to be the boss, I want to be the boss." O'Neal said angrily.
From simplicity to luxury, from luxury to simplicity, he is now entering his peak period. He has become the boss of the Knicks and has become the true core of the team. It will be difficult for him to give up this position, even if
It's Jordan, and he won't do it willingly.
After chatting nonsense with the shark, Lao Wang hung up the phone and called Barkley again.
"Charles, with your performance today, how can you stop me in the Western Conference Finals? I think Larry Bird is right, your Big Three are in name only!" he said proudly.
"Old K, you idiot, we stopped playing in the regular season, there is no physical problem at all, this game is just a rest." Barkley cursed.
Drexler said from the side: "Old K, it's just a bad performance in one game. Don't believe Larry Bird."
"Old K, just wait for me. Xijue will kill you three times in a row." Dameng's violent roar finally sounded.
"Hey, everyone can tell lies."
Lao Wang left a string of sneers and hung up the phone.
Dameng was so angry that he had nowhere to vent his anger and said to Barkley and Drexler: "Will you two help me? The three of us can't win a championship together, so who can think highly of us? We all wait.
It will be sold by Alexander at a low price."
Barkley and Drexler looked at each other and nodded in unison. The latter said: "Hakeem, it's not like I won't help you. I'm in a bad state today. I'll help you deal with the Spurs next game."
Barkley also said: "I have tried my best every game, but my condition is out of control. Hakeem, you'd better get a few cans of chicken to replenish us. The condition must be good."
"Yes, yes, you should make up for it before watching the series. We are in extremely good condition. We have won two consecutive away games." Drexler said quickly.
Dameng was so angry that he vomited blood. Are these blackmailers finished?
On the 11th, Lightning Kevin Johnson was injured for one game and did not play in the Suns' G3 game against the Jazz. The Suns had no main point guard and the backup point guard was completely out of shape under Sterkton's defense. The Suns lost their first game.
In an away game, they still lead by a big score of 2 to 1.
In the Eastern Conference, the Bulls easily defeated the Pacers without Reggie Miller, with a score of 3-0, gaining match point in the second round.
On the 12th, O'Neal exploded, scoring 44 points, 18 rebounds, and 8 blocks in a single game. He went completely crazy, completely defeated Ewing, and led the team to defeat the Magic and tied the score to 2-2.
In another game, the Spurs wanted to continue their efforts, but unfortunately the Big Three broke out. Even Drexler scored 23 points and jointly contributed 84 points. They defeated the Spurs and won with a big score of 3 to 1.
To the match point.
On the 13th, the Bulls took the lead in sweeping the Pacers and easily advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
And this night, the Lightning came back and sent out 13 assists. Together with Wang Tiejun, they defeated the Jazz, leading by a big score of 3 to 1, and got the second round match point.
The score was 101:94, only a 7-point win, and the advantage was not big.
Wang Tiejun did not focus all his energy on the offensive end, but put a lot of energy on the defensive end. Ben was still too young and still couldn't handle the postman. His help in defense was crucial.
He played 46 minutes and only rested for two minutes, scoring 42 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 5 blocks, 1 turnover and 4 fouls.
Of the 5 big hats, four were given to the postman in assisting defense.
In this game, Wilkins was out of form and far inferior to his performance. He only made 3 of 15 shots and scored 8 points. The Suns' bench was not strong.
However, in the main lineup, Person stood out and made 3 of 5 three-pointers. He efficiently scored 19 points and helped the team win.
"Be careful with the Jazz. This Jazz is almost growing up. Its lineup is very solid and its lineup is getting stronger. Within two years, it will become a real powerhouse in the Western Conference." After the game, Zhang Lili commented.
road.
The Suns returned to Phoenix the next day, followed by a home game, if not finished, then an away game, and finally a home game.
On the night of the 14th, the Knicks returned to their home court and lost again. Ewing and Hardaway jointly contributed 60 points. O'Neal, who scored 32 points, could only swallow the defeat. The Magic defeated the Knicks 3-2.
Big score, got the match point.
In another game, the Big Three defeated the Spurs on the road, 4-1, and the Mosaic team took the lead in advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
In New York, Knicks headquarters, after the loss, president Dave Chalcot was under great pressure and worked overtime overnight to study this year's draft and how to strengthen the team.
Now the Knicks have accumulated a lot of 1996 first-round picks, the 18th and 19th picks, and the 21st pick. He needs to choose carefully among these three picks.
Nelson had already communicated with him and hoped that the team would trade Oakley away and build a new lineup with O'Neal as the core. He was still hesitant, but he did not refuse.
It was Oakley who he hesitated about because he wanted to keep this villain and prepare for the introduction of Jordan soon.
When Oakley was with the Bulls, he had a good relationship with Jordan and was his bodyguard with a knife. This was a favor.
Last year, he talked with David Frank about introducing Jordan. When he signed a contract with Ewing, he even asked Frank to cooperate and did not give Ewing a long-term contract, but only a two-year short-term contract.
However, because of the exchange of O'Neal and Ewing, he was offended by David Frank. Recently, the communication between him and the agent was not smooth over Jordan's matter, so Oakley needed to help.
He promised to give Jordan an annual salary of 20 million last year because he did not have Jordan's Bird Rights. He even obtained Stern's permission to make up for the shortcomings of the contract in other ways.
After this season, he plans to renew O'Neal's contract with Bird Rights. O'Neal's virtual space is 8.55 million U.S. dollars, and the salary cap next season may reach 24 to 25 million U.S. dollars. Therefore, the Knicks want to introduce Jordan with a 20 million U.S. dollar contract.
There is not enough space, and it is not enough to give all the space to Jordan.
So this time, he still has to obtain Stern's acquiescence and use other methods to make up for the shortcomings of the contract.
However, the Bulls are likely to keep up with the annual salary of 20 million, so the price he offers must be a price that the Bulls cannot match, 25 million or even higher.
On the morning of the 15th, Dave Charcot contacted David Stern.
This was something that was allowed last year. At that time, Stern did not refuse, but he also did not directly agree. Instead, he expressed his support for Jordan and the Knicks, the NBA's No. 1 team, with a tacit attitude.
But this time, his attitude changed somewhat, because the situation was different.
He brought O'Neal to the Knicks in the hope that the Knicks could rebuild their lineup with O'Neal as the core and maintain the New York market.
The Knicks are now thinking of moving Jordan to New York. If successful, the New York football market may be better, but the Chicago football market will be gone, which should be more negative than beneficial to the league.
However, he still did not refuse, because Jordan's contribution to the NBA was too great, and he always hoped that Jordan could get a big enough contract, so that he could show his unique status.
It's just that he not only agreed to the Knicks, but also agreed to the Lakers. It depends on which one of the Lakers and Knicks is more generous. No matter who gets Jordan, he will allow it to operate.
But, having said that, what he most hopes to see is for Jordan to stay with the Bulls. The Bulls' boss can be more generous and support Jordan's career, instead of becoming a wanderer like Barkley who no one will cherish.
On the evening of the 15th, the second round G5 game between the Suns and the Jazz began at the American West Arena.
At 7:30, the starting lineups of the two teams were announced.
Jazz: Felton Spencer, Karl Malone, Chris Morris, Jeff Hornacek, John Stockton
Suns: Wang Tiejun, Ben Wallace, Robert Horry, Wes Riperson, Kevin Johnson.
At eight o'clock, the game officially begins.
Lao Wang didn't let Ben jump the ball this time, he and Spencer jumped the ball, and the Suns attacked.
"Old K jumps the ball by himself, so there should be a very explosive start." Su Qun guessed.
On the field, the Jazz still chose the meat shield Spencer to face Old K, and the postman to face Ben Wallace, responsible for the weak side defense.
Lao Wang was in the low post on the left wing asking for the ball. Spencer was stuck inside like a wall of flesh. Ben was in the low post on the right wing. The postman was in and out of the basket and the right wing in the low post.
On the outside, Person suddenly ran from the right wing to the top of the arc to set up a pick-and-roll for the Lightning. The Lightning shook off Stockton, pulled to the right, and then passed the ball to the low post.
Lao Wang raised his right hand high to catch the ball. Before the ball arrived, his eyes quickly swung to the weak side. Sure enough, the postman who was under the basket just now disappeared and must have jumped behind him.
The next moment, he suddenly took a step forward, jumped up and grabbed the air with his right hand, catching the falling basketball.
At the same time, the postman had emerged from behind Spencer.
The next moment, Lao Wang, who was on the ground, turned left, threw the ball to the floor with his right hand, stepped into the paint area from the waist position, and held the ball from Spencer's upper side.
It was too late for Spencer to take a step up, and the postman below him quickly turned around and rushed towards the basket.
But at this time, Wang Tiejun had already taken off the ball, with his left arm stuck in position, facing the postman rushing from the left side of the basket, holding the ball with his right arm, and slashing down toward the basket.
"Bang!"
At the same time as the rim exploded, the postman bumped into him, and his arm could not resist the full force of the former.
"careful!"
Zhang Lili and Su Qun shouted urgently.
"What the hell!"
Lao Wang's hand on the basket was knocked off, his fingers hurt, and he fell down. After landing, his feet tilted, and he was hugged by Ben.
But the postman didn't fare well. Under Lao Wang's huge impact, he bounced out. After landing, he pushed his foot and took two steps back. His back hit the basket frame hard, causing his canthus and teeth to crack in pain.
tooth.
"oh!"
The first attack and defense were so intense that the American West Arena erupted in exclamations.
"Old K, are you okay?"
Seeing Old K shaking his hands violently, Kevin Johnson and the others quickly ran over.
Lao Wang shook his right hand, rubbed it a few times, shook his head and said, "It hurts a little, it's okay."
Over there, the postman was moving his body. He just hit the basket frame and hit his left latissimus dorsi. Fortunately, there was a protective pad on the basket frame.
The Suns replaced Wang first and asked Tisdale to step up. Team doctors Andrew John and Aaron Nelson checked his right index finger and found that it was indeed a strain.
This was his first injury in four years. Although it was just a finger, it also attracted the attention of the coaching staff and management, who suggested that he give up the game.
"This is impossible. I don't want to go back to Salt Lake City. I have to deal with the Jazz today." He immediately shook his head and the game must continue.
Aaron Nelson sprayed him with some medicine, then tied his index finger and middle finger together to fix it, and warned: "Old K, if the pain gets worse or swelling occurs, you must leave the game immediately. Do you understand?"
"Understood." Lao Wang nodded.
Next, he came on the court again, and the game continued. The Jazz, who wanted to save the match point, fought with all their strength. The scene was very intense.
Su Qun said: "Old K is injured. This is really not good news. His efficiency has been affected, and his shooting percentage has dropped from more than 60% to 50%. Fortunately, it can be maintained."
Zhang Lili analyzed: "In the series between the Suns and the Jazz, the Jazz didn't give Tie Jun a chance to play in low singles at all, because Big Ben couldn't get away, and the postman was always very close to him, and almost every time he pounced on him to help defend.
, causing great obstacles to his offense, forcing him to make many attacks from the outside. This is why his shooting rate is always only in the early 60s, and he cannot play more efficiently. Now his finger is injured.
It only dropped by 10%, which is already a good performance.”
Su Qun nodded and said: "But we should still be able to win the game. No matter how much the postman assists in defense, Lao K's efficiency can reach over 50%. This is already very good, higher than the postman's efficiency. Ben Wallace alone
You can’t guard against the postman, but with the addition of Lao K, the postman’s efficiency is even worse, just over 40%.”
On the field, the game continued. Wang Tiejun continued to attack with all his strength. Although the postman tried his best to help defend, he still couldn't defend him.
However, the injury to his right index finger affected not only his shooting, but also his ball control, so he didn't get to the basket very much. Most of them were close to two-point shots, using hooks, rebounds, and throws to finish the offense.
Although he cannot be said to be an offensive kaleidoscope, these three finishing techniques are all top-notch. Two have reached level 95 and one has reached level 90. He can use them unambiguously when facing double teams.
Facing a double team, with his height, wingspan, and jumping ability, the height of his shot is not something that the two postmen can guard against. These two are not good at jumping, and they have very strong confrontation.
His ability and shooting stability are super strong. Even if his fingers are injured, his shooting percentage in double teams is still 50%.
This level is far less than the 80% mark when they played the Bulls in last season's finals, but it is barely enough to deal with the Jazz, whose lineup and strength are not as good as the Suns.
In the end, at 91:96, the Suns won the G5 game with some difficulty, eliminated their opponents with a big score of four to one, and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
However, the game was won, but the problem with Wang Tiejun's right index finger became more serious. He didn't feel it during the game. After the game, he felt the pain worsened. After tearing off the tape, the finger was already swollen.
The two team doctors quickly treated it, sprayed it with medicine, and then applied ice.
Westphal regretted very much and said: "Old K, I shouldn't have allowed you to play. We don't have to worry about this game. If we lose, we can win it again."
Danny Ainge said: "Your own weight at the time, coupled with the force generated by the postman hitting you, even if the finger was made of iron, the injury should be serious. You really shouldn't be allowed to continue hitting it."
"It's okay, my fingers are so thick, they will be fine in two days." Lao Wang said nonchalantly.
Andrew John said: "With an injury like yours, you usually have to be out for at least half a month."
Lao Wang glared at John, "If you take half a month off, what's the point of playing in the Western Conference Finals? If you get a little injury, you'll have to stop playing. Am I that weak?"
Aaron Nelson warned: "Old K, the swelling may be more severe tomorrow. There are still two days left in the Western Conference Finals. It can no longer exert its strength. Do not do any more ball training and upper body strength training. Try to let it recover."
.”
"I know." He nodded.
"Old K, are your fingers injured?"
At this time, a group of reporters rushed up, preparing to conduct on-site interviews.
"There is a small problem, not serious." He responded, and then began the interview.
Next to him, Colangelo Jr. and Westphal discussed Wang Tiejun's injury problem and how to play in the Western Conference Finals.
In principle, Lao Wang will not be allowed to play with injuries. This year is originally about rebuilding. The winning rate against the Big Three is too small. It is not cost-effective to play with injuries. It will be troublesome if the injury is added to the injury. Don't let the rebuilding be completed before building the team.
The cornerstone was damaged.
Specifically, it depends on the recovery situation in the past two days. The Western Conference Finals is on the 18th and the Eastern Conference Finals is on the 19th. If it recovers, of course you can give it a try. If it cannot recover, then you can only give up.