Chapter 536 Jordan: I will never accept four losses!
At the same time, the Knicks also held a tactical meeting at the New York Knicks headquarters.
Phil Jackson was the first to mention Lao Wang and said: "Old K must have played the whole game..."
Just this sentence made O'Neal and Jordan's nerves tense, as did other players.
This is the pressure from the number one player on active duty, not to mention that the number one player on active duty can still fight non-stop. Even Jordan felt great pressure.
Phil Jackson continued: "O'Neal, I will arrange for you to play for 40 minutes and take a two-minute break in each quarter. Can you persist?
And you have to know that when you are on the court, you need to compete with Old K in any field, and you also have to consider the strong confrontation with him.
If, if you really can't bear this responsibility, I can reduce your playing time, after all, that is Old K, the number one center currently in service."
O'Neal's face twitched, who are you going to challenge? Phil, you and Michael are both bad guys and just want to exploit me.
But he could only nod, and he had to nod. Even if possible, he wanted to play the whole game like Old K, and compete with Old K every second.
In six seasons, this is the first time to reach the finals and the first time to face the old K in the playoffs. He is very eager to use this opportunity to prove himself.
He wants to prove to himself that this era of giant beasts is not the era of old K alone. It is called the era of giant beasts, not some bullshit era of giant beasts.
"Forty minutes is no problem, Phil. I can guarantee that within forty minutes, old K and I will form a mutual explosive situation, and I will not pull down defensive rebounds."
He opened his voice and shouted filial piety, and his voice was so loud that it spread outside through the closed door.
"That's good." Phil Jackson nodded with satisfaction.
Jordan also nodded slightly. Only by activating the strongest shark can the Knicks have a chance to defeat the Lakers. Otherwise, facing the old K, he can only lose one, two, three, and then four?
"Pooh!"
Damn it, lose one, lose two, lose two, lose four. He was a little annoyed that he thought of this bullshit again.
At this time, Phil Jackson said: "Michael, Old K and O'Neal will definitely not be called double-teams when they are facing each other. Then the Lakers are very likely to help defend you from the outside and double-team you. You have to be careful.
But Mark Price's defense is average, so this is an opportunity we can take advantage of. If he helps defend you, I believe you can handle it."
"Phil, you can trust me." Jordan said calmly.
"Of course, I have always trusted you." Phil Jackson nodded and smiled.
On the morning of the 31st, Hu Weidong came to Los Angeles and stayed at Lao Wang's house.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, the Knicks' special plane arrived in Los Angeles, and the finals were about to begin.
After settling in at the hotel, it was already dinner time, and the team went to the hotel restaurant for dinner.
"Michael, look, Pippen lives in Old K's villa, along with Barkley, Dream and the others." While waiting for the food to be served, Oakley pointed to the TV in the restaurant and said.
The TV was playing an entertainment news segment, which was an interview with a celebrity program on a Los Angeles TV station in Beverly Hills. Pippen and Barkley happened to be out together and were met by the reporter.
"This guy is just like Barkley's dream. He has completely embraced Old K. It's shameful!" Jordan said with disdain.
Oakley smiled. If possible, he would also like to hug Old K's golden thigh. Old K is the best player in the league at investing and the most successful player in investment.
Maybe, after your contract is over, you can go to the Lakers and get a basic salary?
At this time, a Mercedes-Benz parked in front of the hotel. A staff member from the K-era Private Club got out of the car. He took out two insulated boxes from the trunk. After handing the keys to the parking attendant, he took the insulated boxes with him.
Entered the hotel.
"Mr. Jordan, this is the medicinal meal you ordered."
Not long after, the staff member came to the restaurant, found Jordan, and presented him with a jar of medicinal food.
"Thanks!"
Jordan nodded, took out his wallet, and tipped a hundred dollars.
"Mr. O'Neill, this is yours."
The staff came to O'Neill again and took out another earthen jar from another incubator.
"Thanks!"
O'Neal also took out his wallet and tipped a hundred dollars, but his tipping action was not as refreshing as Jordan's, and he was a little reluctant to part with it.
However, if you give less, you will lose face, because in the K era private clubs are full of rich people, and a tip of one hundred dollars is common. A jar of medicinal food worth three thousand dollars is only a 3.33% tip, and it is delivered to your door.
It's not high, but if you give me less, you'll definitely get the reputation of being a stingy person, and you'll be laughed at by other members.
After the staff left, Oakley asked: "Michael, Shaq, you guys eat this stuff every day and you're not tired of it yet?"
Jordan looked weird and said: "It's strange. This chicken has a medicinal taste. Basically, I eat it three times a week and I don't feel tired."
"Me too, I want to eat it every three days. But I still hope that the club can launch a few more medicated meals of this level. It would be nice to change the taste." O'Neal said.
Oakley said with envy: "Old K's business is getting bigger and bigger. Within a few months, the club has expanded to many big cities.
Nowadays, not only our NBA, but also the other three major sports leagues and many sports are being promoted. They are very popular among first-line and top star athletes. Being a member of the K-era private club has become a status symbol.
In addition to the sports world, the same applies to other industries. I don’t think it will take a few years for K-era private clubs to expand all over the world.”
Jordan said disdainfully: "He just has a good sister. If it weren't for his second sister to help him, how do you think his martial arts school will develop? It may go bankrupt."
"That's true. Old K usually doesn't like to use his brain very much." Oakley nodded.
"He only likes to do things." O'Neal joked.
"snort!"
Oakley and Jordan's expressions froze, and they glared at O'Neal fiercely.
"What about me?"
O'Neill's face turned bitter, why are these two uncles so difficult to serve? Sooner or later, you will be kicked away.
…
On June 1, 1998, the NBA 97/98 season finals series officially started.
"Grand champion! Grand champion! Grand champion..."
"Twelve! Twelve! Twelve..."
Since noon, the Great Western Forum Arena has been filled with countless Lakers fans, and enthusiastic and high-pitched cheers can be heard from time to time in the crowd.
There are fans wearing golden home jerseys everywhere, and most of the jersey numbers are No. 31.
At around 10 o'clock in the morning that day, Cheng Long and Li Lianjie arrived in Los Angeles.
Cheng Long's "Who Am I" is a huge hit in Asia and is now preparing to be released in Hollywood, scheduled for September.
He is already well-known in Hollywood, but Li Lianjie still lacks a movie to make him famous in Hollywood.
However, Li Lianjie also has a movie to be released in Hollywood next month, in which he plays a supporting role. The movie is called Lethal Weapon 4.
…
At 6:30 p.m., Lao Wang and his Lakers bodyguard Geas Locke drove to the Great Western Forum Arena. A large group of reporters were waiting for him. After seeing his car coming, they gathered around him.
In order to prepare for the finals these days, he has not accepted interviews from the media. Now when reporters see him, he is like a wolf seeing blood, his eyes are red and bright.
"Old K, the Sun said that if you and Jordan are in the same draft, there will be a situation where K will be selected and K will be selected, and Joe will be selected without K. What do you think?" a reporter asked loudly.
Lao Wang laughed and said modestly: "This is a false proposition. Just listen to it for fun and don't take it to heart."
"Old K, if Jordan is replaced by a shark, do you think the K will choose K, or the shark will choose the shark?" the reporter asked.
"Well, sir, don't you think this question should be asked to anyone else?"
Lao Wang still refused to answer such hypothetical questions, because no matter how he answered, it was not the best choice.
After getting rid of the reporters and approaching the locker room, he met the Lakers cheerleaders. They were all very beautiful and sexy white girls. Lao Wang secretly glanced at their underwater parts in a very obscene manner.
Why do every high-leg action of the NBA cheerleaders attract the love of countless fans? Because according to NBA rules, for the sake of appearance, cheerleaders are not allowed to wear underwear except stockings because there will be obvious marks. So
These cheerleaders' skirts are all vacuum-filled.
His little move could not escape the eyes of a group of cheerleaders who were staring at him and ogling him. While they were laughing, a group of beauties suddenly stopped him and started playing with their legs high in front of him.
action.
"I X!"
Lao Wang quickly ran away and forced his way through a group of beauties. They all came up to defend him with all their strength. In an instant, there were countless little hands touching and squeezing him.
He didn't dare to provoke these girls. The magician fell into their hands in the first place, and he didn't have the guts to follow in the magician's footsteps.
"Ha ha……"
Seeing Lao Wang running away, the cheerleaders laughed proudly.
…
"Old K, the Los Angeles Daily News said Jordan would lose one, two, three, and four. What do you think?" Another reporter asked immediately.
"Of course."
There was no hesitation about this question. Lao Wang replied directly: "I will definitely give Mr. Jordan the fourth loss. This is his destined destiny."
"There is no such thing as four losses. I will never accept failure this time."
On the other end, just outside the visiting team's locker room, Jordan was blocked by reporters as he returned to the locker room with his teammates after dinner. One reporter asked a question about four losses, which made him angry.
"Michael, there are rumors in the media that you will retire after four losses. Is this true?" the next reporter asked.
Hearing the word "four losses" again, the veins on Jordan's forehead jumped a few times, and he gritted his teeth and said, "I won't retire until I beat old K."
…
Lao Wang came to the locker room. Most of his teammates were there and changing their clothes. He said hello to everyone and started changing their clothes.
The left ankle, which had been injured twice before, was the focus of protection. A trainer came over to help him tie a bandage. After it was tied, a layer of customized ankle brace was put on the outside.
Another staff member helped him take out a new pair of sneakers from the closet and put on customized insoles.
Among sneaker equipment, insoles are the most expensive, far more expensive than sneakers, so generally speaking, sneakers can be given away to fans, but insoles cannot.
This pair of sneakers is the sixth generation of K shoes, and the quality is very good. Mengmaem has set up a factory in China, and the cost has dropped significantly. The K series are now all produced in domestic factories and shipped over by sea.
Then I put on kneepads and footpads, went to the bathroom with slippers and put on tight underwear, then sports underwear, and then put on button-up pants, etc. It cost more than 20 to change from bandages and other equipment.
minutes time.
After finishing dressing, he had time to look around the dressing room.
Okay, now he realized that the atmosphere was a little tense.
Among all the players, only he and Kobe have played in the finals, and no one else has, so nervousness is inevitable.
In particular, several veterans, including Richmond, were a little nervous. Some All-Star veterans were even more nervous than a few fringe players because they cared more about the championship.
They came to the Lakers just for the championship. Now that they have reached the finals, hope is in front of them, and their worries about gains and losses suddenly become heavier.
"Pa bang bang..."
Lao Wang stood in the middle, clapped his hands, and after his teammates focused their attention on him, he said in a very relaxed tone: "Who can tell me why the Knicks can beat us?"
Everyone looked at each other, why? The Knicks have Jordan.
But when they thought about this, they immediately thought of Jordan's one-loss, two-loss and three-loss results when facing Old K in the finals.
This thought immediately relieved half of the pressure in their hearts, and half of the tension disappeared.
So besides Jordan, who else can the Knicks beat the Lakers? Is it O'Neal?
But O'Neal and Old K debuted in the same year, and they have always been suppressed by Old K. There is no championship, no MVP, no scoring champion, no first team, nothing, why should he win against Old K?
This thought made some of their stress and tension disappear.
At this time, Lao Wang said in a disdainful tone: "Don't think that if O'Neal and Jordan join forces, they will be invincible. Even the Pacers can win against them in the Eastern Conference Finals, let alone us Lakers?"
At this point, he looked at Richmond and said: "Mitch, what advantage does Jordan have over you? Average ten points per game?"
Richmond thought for a moment and said: "If it were the regular season, in terms of scoring alone, if he didn't break out, he would not be able to surpass me by ten points in normal condition.
But now it’s the finals, and it’s another series. If you include efficiency, 10 points is probably not enough.”
When he said this, he completely let go of his own face and admitted that the gap between himself and Jordan was larger than what Old K said. This was because he wanted a championship, so he didn't want Old K to make a mistake in his judgment and needed to calculate Jordan.
More powerful.
Lao Wang nodded and said: "If you want to count efficiency, my efficiency is higher than that of the Sharks. I think ten points per game is enough. What do you think?"
Richmond was right. His efficiency was lower than Jordan's, but K's efficiency was higher than O'Neal's. The two sides were offset, so he nodded.
Lao Wang smiled and asked: "Mitch, do you think I can beat O'Neal by 10 points per game in the series? I am very confident myself."
"hiss!"
Everyone couldn't help but gasp.
O'Neal averaged 31 points per game in the first three rounds of the playoffs. If we use this standard, Old K will have to average 41 points per game in the finals. Can he achieve that?
If O'Neal makes some breakthroughs, won't Old K have to average 50 per game again?
But this is O'Neal. Even if the Sharks' defense is not top-notch, standing there with such a big body is a huge natural defensive barrier. It is not comparable to the weak inside players of the Bulls. Old K can really win the championship again.
Averaged 40+50 points per game in the finals?
But think about it, with Old K's defense, it should be difficult for O'Neal to average 30 per game, right? Then O'Neal's scoring will be weakened, and Old K's scoring pressure will be reduced a lot.
Based on this calculation, everyone, including Richmond, felt there was a chance.
At least, based on Old K's calculations, it won't be easy for the Knicks to beat the Lakers.
What's more, the Lakers' eight rotation players are even thicker than the Knicks' lineup, so it's not impossible to alleviate some of the burden on Old K.
After many calculations, their worries about gains and losses settled down.
…
At seven o'clock, the Great Western Forum Arena was already packed.
Hollywood's big stars appeared together, making the entire stadium star-studded.
Countless media from all over the world gathered in the arena, each looking for interview targets and photography subjects. The entire Great Western Forum Arena became a huge world-class show.
Lao Wang's family also appeared at the scene. Dameng, Barkley, Cheng Long, Li Lianjie and a large group of people were together, becoming the focus of the media pursuit.
In addition, the lowest ticket price for the Lakers home game today is US$850, which is much higher than the lowest ticket price of the Western Conference Finals of US$620. The average price also exceeds the US$1,920 of the Western Conference Finals, reaching US$2,480. In other words, one game is enough.
Generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue for the league.
This average price directly broke the league's finals ticket record. The previous record for the finals was US$765, set in the G6 game of the 1992 Finals. It was lower than the Lakers' Western Conference Finals this time, which just illustrates the value of this finals.
The popularity also shows that the Lakers' basketball market is not comparable to Chicago's basketball market.
There is no doubt that the reason why the tickets are so high is because this finals has two of the most powerful teams and two of the league's signature stars, and there are many things to watch, which is a bit exciting.