On the court, Jordan tried his best not to sit on the floor, but put his hands on his knees, tears and sweat mixed together and dripped on the floor.
After all, he lost, and where did he lose? He knew very well that Old K had a chance to make a splash on the court, but he didn't. And O'Neal was not as good as him and Old K in terms of physical fitness.
One quarter and six finals games are all the same.
He will not retire, unwilling to do so!
If he wins, he will most likely choose to retire and end his career as a winner. But now that he has lost one, two, three, and four, why should he retire? Retire as a loser?
His ears were filled with the crazy celebration sounds of the Lakers, and he couldn't hear anything. He turned his head and took a look. His sweat and tears were mixed together, and he couldn't see clearly.
After wiping his face and wiping his eyes, he managed to straighten his waist, raised his legs and walked towards O'Neal. He stepped on a large pool of sweat dripping from him and fell directly to the floor with a bang.
O'Neal was lying on the floor in the shape of a big letter, breathing like an ox, with a lot of ribbons and debris falling on his body.
He stared blankly at the bright lights on the ceiling and the endless ribbons and debris scattered from the dazzling lights, and his head was empty.
Suddenly a shadow appeared above his head, it was Jordan.
"Shaq, are you willing to work hard with me for another season?" Jordan's voice rang.
O'Neal's dazed eyes gradually began to focus, looking at Jordan, struggling for a while, trying to get up, but he had no strength, so he lay down again.
Jordan stretched out his hands, Oakley also came over at this time, and O'Neal used the strength of the two to stand up.
"Can we beat him?" O'Neal asked, staring at Old K.
"Shaq, you should know, we didn't lose because of ourselves, we lost because of the depth of the lineup, because of the role players, and because of physical fitness," Jordan said.
"Hey, Michael, Shaq, Charles..."
At this time, Wang Tiejun's voice sounded. Jordan and others looked and saw that Old K had walked to them and stretched out his hand to them.
"Congratulations, old K."
Jordan stretched out his hands and shook them together, and then said: "But it's not over yet. Let's come back next season."
"You really don't want to retire?" Lao Wang said in surprise.
"Why should I give up? Do you think I can't face failure?" Jordan said firmly.
Lao Wang nodded and said as he let go of his hand: "Then I hope you stay in good condition and the Knicks build a better lineup."
After seeing the Knicks off the scene, Lao Wang went to celebrate with Feige's son and friends, and the media also gathered around.
He took the time to look at the system, and there was a new prompt: "Congratulations to the host for winning the championship for the fourth time, and defending the title as an individual and as the core of the team. I hereby award 3,000 points."
"I X!"
He exclaimed in his heart. The reward for defending the title is 3,000. If he leads the Lakers to defend the title next year, it will be at least 5,000. If it is a dynasty, how much will the reward be?
At this time, the award ceremony began. A smiling David Stern took the microphone and said: "Congratulations to the Lakers for winning the 1997/98 season championship."
Amid the cheers at the Great Western Forum Arena, owner Jerry Buss took the O'Brien Cup from Stern and raised it, adding to the cheers. Lao Wang took the trophy.
At that time, the cheers reached their peak.
"King! King! King..."
Then, the results of the FMVP selection came out, and when Stern opened the envelope, the audience kept cheering.
"Congratulations to Old K, who was unanimously elected as the MVP of this finals." Stern read aloud.
When Lao Wang took the FMVP trophy from Stern and raised it high, the Great Western Forum Arena was boiling again.
He opened the system and looked at it, I am X, the reward is only 200 points. This is the defending FMVP. Is FMVP so worthless?
Barkley said at this time: "Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few votes for Michael in the FMVP selection."
Bill Walton nodded and said: "At the age of 35, Jordan averaged 37.3 points per game in six Finals games. It is really shocking."
Kenny Smith said: "I wonder what Michael Jordan will choose? His contract is over, will he choose to stay in New York, or will he retire?"
"I can bet that he will never retire. This is not in line with his character." Barkley shook his head.
"If he doesn't retire, what will happen next season?" Kenny Smith asked.
Bill Walton said: "So far, the labor negotiations have been bankrupt, and the future of the NBA is still uncertain. Maybe it will affect the next season? But one thing is clear. The league should learn from MLB and introduce a luxury tax system.
What I mean is that Jordan should stay in New York, and with the financial resources of the Knicks and owner James Dolan, the Knicks should be able to build a stronger lineup next season."
Barkley said: "Los Angeles is not bad, and the Trail Blazers are the same. The owner is richer, so next season we should continue to compete for hegemony."
Kenny Smith posed another question and asked: "So what do you think is the chance of the Lakers defending their title next season?"
"It's hard to say."
"It's hard to say."
Barkley and Bill Walton shook their heads at the same time.
The two looked at each other and smiled, and Barkley said: "As for the Lakers, Chris Mullin and Mark Price will be one year older. They probably won't be able to help the Lakers like they did this year, and Richmond will also be one year older.
We won't know until next season what his condition will be."
Bill Walton laughed: "So the Lakers' lineup will be older. Although Kobe will be more mature, I think if the Lakers' lineup remains unchanged, the strength should not be as good as this season."
Barkley smiled: "I would like to advise the Lakers to trade away a few veterans, because they have won the championship. At their age, there is a high probability that they will lose the motivation to continue chasing the championship. If they are retained, the Lakers' strength will be improved."
A big decline, and the chance of losing to the Knicks is very high.
Of course, they may not even make it to the finals and fall at the feet of the Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals. The strength of Duncan and Dameng is no joke. As long as the lineup is more reasonable, it is entirely possible for them to take down an aging team.
The Lakers have lost their aggressiveness."
Kenny Smith nodded and said: "A team with too many veterans will indeed have a lot of turnover."
Barkley said: "This season there are six championship-level super teams, the Eastern Knicks, Pacers, Celtics, Ewing is seriously injured and his condition has declined seriously. I estimate that the Pacers will be out of the first team next season.
, the other two teams will still be in the first pot."
Bill Walton said: "The Pacers may seek a trade, right? But Ewing's contract is very big. He has only played for one year, and there are still three years of big contracts. I don't think any team has the space to accept him, nor does he."
Maybe if we give up this big contract, things will be very difficult."
Shaking his head, Barkley said: "Although Ewing's current state is not as good as before, he still has strength. The Pacers can't find a better center than him if they trade him. There are still some opportunities to keep him.
In fact, the Pacers have good strength and a good lineup. If the combination of O'Neal and Jordan were not too strong, they would have a good chance of reaching the finals this time.
I can say that if K and Ewing were swapped teams, K could definitely lead the Pacers to eliminate the Knicks. The Pacers are only one K away from the championship."
Kenny Smith smiled helplessly: "The Knicks actually lost the Finals, I think they lacked a strong third point.
Although Oakley is good, he is blocked by Fordson on the offensive end and cannot help the team. He does not have the cutting ability of the Cobra back then, and his rebounding is not as good as Rodman and Fordson. He cannot bear the responsibility of being one of the iron triangle.
If Oakley is replaced by Big Bug, I think the Knicks have more hope in this finals. The key is that Big Bug can defend five positions and provide more rebounds, which Oakley can't do."
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore."
Barkley shook his head, picked up the topic just now, and said: "I think the Jazz are no longer viable among the three super teams in the Western Conference. Hornacek's contract is over, and he may not stay. Even if he stays, the Jazz can't beat them.
Lakers, old K is a postman, Stockton has no finishing ability, Sabonis is old and injured, and can't beat old K.
The Western Conference will be a battle between the Trail Blazers and the Lakers for hegemony. If the boss is willing to invest, the Trail Blazers will definitely be stronger next season."
"If the Jazz and Pacers drop out of the first bracket, next season will be a battle between the top four of the East and West." Bill Walton said.
At this time, the Lakers and fans had finished celebrating and returned to the locker room. What awaited them was a champagne shower.
Lao Wang was condescending and would sneer at anyone he saw. Gao Bin provided him with firepower from behind, opened bottles of champagne, and then handed him over to sneeze at others.
The boss, Jerry Buss, came in and was sprayed all over, as were the rest of the management, and everyone enjoyed it.
Not long after, the dressing room was flooded with champagne.
In the six finals, each player can get an equal share of millions of dollars. This is the ticket share, distributed by the league. There is no salary in the playoffs. This is the players' income.
After taking a shower, the large group of people were dragged to one of the most upscale nightclubs in Los Angeles for an all-night party.
Lao Wang brought cigars and handed one to each of them. While drinking, he admired the dancers' dancing and chatted with his teammates.
Next, the Lakers held a championship celebration and caroused for three full days.
Lao Wang will still need some time to deal with his business activities, and plans have been made to return to China at the end of June.
Lao Wang's family has packed their luggage and is preparing to return home.
Wang Aiguo and Liu Damei have been in Los Angeles for eight or nine months and have long wanted to return to China. They can't wait after the finals.
A group of people from Yao Da to Lao Hu and Liu Wei have returned to China. Lightning and Dameng and a group of people have been eating and drinking at Lao Wang's house for so long. This time they will go to China with Lao Wang to participate in Lao Wang's summer camp and become a voluntary worker.
Coach of time.
The players have entered the offseason, and the management has become even busier.
On the 16th, as soon as the celebration ended, the Lakers management, the general manager department headed by Jerry West, got into work.
Due to the trade of Teyon Hill, the Lakers no longer have a first-round pick this year, so there is very little work on the draft, mainly on lineup construction.
We have already considered that we need to purge a few marginal players, and then talk to a few veterans to determine their attitude towards the future and make a decision on whether to purge them.
He plans to leave the main position at the second position to Kobe. Richmond still has a one-year contract. If he retains it, he will play the main position at the third position.
But trading is the best, you can exchange for some chips, because next year he will definitely not leave any more rocks. It is most cost-effective to trade him this year, and it is best to exchange for draft picks.
Chris Mullin and Mark Price both still have contracts, and their contracts are not big. If they are still pursued, they can stay to enrich the bench. If they are not pursued, then trade them.
However, this year's transaction may be very difficult, because the old K has four championships in six years and the Lakers' 12th championship. Both individuals and the team have become public enemies of the league after winning this championship. If the Lakers want to make a good deal, they may
Very little sex.
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Therefore, he hopes that it is best for these veterans to continue their pursuit of the championship and that it is best for them to stay.
In New York, Knicks front office, along with owner James Dolan, are discussing Jordan's new contract with Jordan and his agent, David Frank.
Jordan has already confirmed that he will stay, and his contract aspirations are not very high, which means the requirements are not high. An annual salary of 20 million is enough, and he only signs for one year.
James Dolan agreed quickly. He didn't care about money, and promised Jordan that as long as the league passed the luxury tax rules in the subsequent labor negotiations, he would not hesitate to invest to build a more luxurious championship lineup.
On the 18th, the Jazz announced that they had reached a contract extension agreement with Hornacek.
Wang recruited Hornacek, but the veteran chose to stay with the Jazz. He said that if Wang was still with the Suns, he would be willing to return to the Suns, but forget it with the Lakers. He chose to end his career with the Jazz.
The 24th is NBA draft day.
Lao Wang didn't pay attention, since the Lakers didn't have a first-round draft pick anyway.
On the 25th, the league announced that it will implement several new rules starting from next season.
First, cancel illegal defense and allow zone defense rules.
Second, in the last two minutes of each quarter, if a foul is committed against a person without the ball, the rule of two free throws and one penalty will be implemented.
Third, cancel the anti-isolated singles rule.
Lao Wang did some research and decided to cancel the anti-isolated singles rule. It didn't matter, because once zone defense was allowed, the most restrictive effect of this rule would be gone.
The biggest impact on him is the first one, which allows zone defense.
A few days later, Lao Wang's family, as well as Lightning's gang, boarded a plane to the capital.
Da Ya and Er Ya have not returned to China. They are both very busy and will stay in the United States during this holiday.
At two o'clock in the afternoon on the 28th, the plane landed at the international airport.
"God, Old K, does this all belong to you?"
Standing outside the gate of K-Times Sports Center, Barkley was dumbfounded.
"nonsense."
Lao Wang was too lazy to pay attention, and he was also looking at his sports center with dizzying eyes.
The entire sports center has basically been completed. Only the hotel is still undergoing interior decoration, but the exterior decoration has been completed, so it actually looks like the entire center is completed.
A basketball gym, five-star hotel, a swimming pool, fitness center, sports plaza, supermarket, community clinic, etc. are all available.
"Let's go in."
Lao Wang waved his hand and entered the sports center gate with his wife, son, parents, and a large group of friends.
Bai Changsheng, the general manager of the sports center, made an introduction at the front and took everyone around in a circle to the outside of the basketball stadium.
This arena looks much more beautiful than the Great Western Forum Arena. It has profound Chinese characteristics. It can accommodate up to 19,800 people and can host various indoor cultural and sports activities. Lao Wang is very satisfied.
"Wow! Wow..."
Walking into the arena, everyone kept making exclamations of exclamation along the way.
After visiting the arena for more than an hour, everyone came outside the hotel.
Bai Changsheng said to Lao Wang: "Boss, there are still a few months of internal decoration time, but many companies have already come to negotiate leasing contracts with us.
In addition to the hotel, I plan to build a high-end shopping mall and some mid-to-high-end restaurants in the building..."
Lao Wang waved his hand and said: "You should make plans first. From now on, I plan to hand over the management of this center to my second sister. She will come back after a while to reorganize Fengshen Street and K Times Sports Center together."
"good."
Bai Changsheng was startled, glanced at Yu Feihong, and nodded quickly.
Lao Wang ignored Bai Changsheng. Lao Bai was introduced by Brother Fei and was also a friend of his father-in-law. It was inevitable that they would be closer, but in terms of ability, it was certainly the best decision to leave it to the second sister to manage him.
…
Lightning and the others stayed in China for a month, half of the time playing and half of the time coaching in summer camps. They returned to the United States in early August.
During this time, Lao Wang was also very busy and was not in the capital.
Starting from the finals stage, large-scale floods occurred in China. Lao Wang organized a group of people to participate in disaster relief until mid-September.
During the disaster relief, he suffered several skin injuries. This was not important. The trouble was that he injured his left ankle again and needed time to recuperate.
At this time, the NBA's labor negotiations have broken down many times, the date for reaching an agreement is far away, and the lockout continues.
The league is suspended and transactions cannot be carried out. Both labor and management are in trouble.
In September, Lightning called him and told him that he had entered the school and started further studies, and would enter politics as planned.
At the end of the month, Erya returned to China and reorganized Fengshen Street and K Times Sports Center to establish China K Times Co., Ltd.
This company is not affiliated with several K-era companies in the United States, but the boss is the same person.
October, still suspended.
The new season cannot start as planned and the preseason games are canceled, which has affected many people, from players to team owners, and their interests have been greatly affected. Both sides are eager to reach an agreement.
This situation is not disappointing for Lao Wang, because he has participated in disaster relief for more than two months, plus hundreds of high-intensity games throughout the season, his body is very tired, and his left ankle was injured again.
The lockout just gave him a chance to rest.
Time entered November, and that day Kobe called.
"Old K, what should we do in the new season?"
"Have you finished gaining weight?"
"It has been completed a long time ago. Now I am 99 kilograms. I am very strong. I can knock over Jordan."
"Where's the technology?"
"I think my plum blossom step is already pretty good, my Iron Mountain Back is getting better and better, and I have perfected my step-back jumper, but my turnaround and fadeaway jumper are still a bit behind."
