On the 29th, the Suns defeated the bad Spurs at home, and then lost back-to-back away games to the Warriors the next day.
After the regular season in November, the Suns had 10 wins and 5 losses. They were not ranked high in the Western Conference, ranking fourth. The Trail Blazers were first in the Western Conference, the second was the Kings, the third was the Mavericks, and the fifth was the Lakers.
The league announced the MVP rankings, and Duncan ranked first, averaging 25 points per game.
Lao Wang is still second. The team's record has dragged him down, and his personal data advantage is not that great, with his average points per game dropping to 30 points.
He doesn't care about this at all now, but is fully cooperating with the team and honing the Suns' tactics. The most important thing is all for the championship.
The third in the mvp ranking is Kobe, who leads the league in scoring average, up to 35 points per game, which is higher than Pharaoh.
Fourth is Garnett, averaging 23 points per game.
Fifth is McGrady, averaging 33 points per game.
Sixth is Dayao, averaging 26 points per game.
Seventh is Iverson, averaging 28 points per game.
Eighth is Nowitzki, averaging 24 points per game.
Ninth is Ben Wallace, averaging 11 points per game.
The Lakers' OK combination is only in their second season together, and they are already full of contradictions. The locker room is in trouble. Kobe rarely passes the ball to O'Neal on the court, and O'Neal is limited to early double-teaming tactics. This season's data has dropped significantly.
It has fallen out of the top five in the mvp rankings, and Kobe has entered the top five.
Although O'Neal won the championship, as a senior and the only beast-level super center in the league who could compete with Old K, he was not willing to be Kobe's little brother. In the Lakers, he must at least maintain his status as one of the two cores.
, the team must give him enough shot rights.
Kobe, on the other hand, was too paranoid about basketball. He wanted all his teammates to get up before dawn to train like him, so he was very disgusted with O'Neal's laziness. With Old K ahead of him, he looked down on O'Neal even more.
The conflict between the two gave the management a headache. They racked their brains, but there was no way to resolve it.
Jerry West really had no choice but to come up with a solution that was not a solution, which was to trade one of them. Anyway, the ok group was having internal strife, so he turned from passive to active and took the initiative.
Who to trade, of course, can only trade O'Neal, that's for sure, so he approached the Trail Blazers, hoping to trade O'Neal for Duncan, a one-way exchange.
The Trail Blazers refused directly. Although the Sharks were delicious, Duncan had just won a championship for the team and was a few years younger than O'Neal. O'Neal was also entering a downward spiral from his peak, and the management had no reason to trade him.
On December 4, Jerry West, who was rejected, turned to the Nets, hoping to trade O'Neal and Yao for one.
The Nets also refused, because Yao is 8 years younger than O'Neal and has reached the peak of his career at the same time, so it is not cost-effective to exchange him alone.
The Lakers' pursuit of a trade was done in secret. O'Neal didn't know about it, but he couldn't hide it from David Stern.
If it were another strong team in the Western Conference, Stern would be happy to be broken up and strengthen the Eastern Conference, but now it's the Lakers, which makes him very annoyed.
He didn't want to see problems arise in the league's second-largest ball market. The interests were too great and he had to intervene.
How to intervene? There is no other way. Unless the Lakers can exchange O'Neal for a player of the same level and maintain the strength of the Lakers, he will not approve the relevant transaction.
The regular season schedule continued, and the Suns were building an offensive and defensive tactical system step by step. By the end of 2002, it was already in shape.
On the offensive end, the problem of turnovers is slowly improving, but when encountering opponents with strong defenses, Nash's efficiency declined, and the Suns' performance was significantly worse.
After repeated discussions with the coaching staff, D'Antoni and the coaching staff decided that once they encounter this kind of team, the Suns will focus on positional warfare, with Old K as the absolute core of the offense.
On the defensive end, the defensive system with Lao Wang as the absolute core is getting better and better.
Wang Tiejun now devotes at least 60% of his energy to the defensive end, and there are many times when he defends three-pointers. Nash, Hardaway, and Stoudemire's defense are average, and he needs to frequently cover for others.
If he reduces his investment on the offensive end, opportunities will come for others.
Marion's data returned to last season, scoring 228, and his offensive efficiency was also 47.5% higher, two percentage points higher than last season. Only his rebounding data dropped because of Wang. He is also the Suns' second scorer.
point.
Nash is the third scoring point, averaging 15 points and 10.5 assists per game.
Stoudemire and Hardaway are the fourth and fifth scoring points respectively, averaging 13 points and 10 points per game.
The five main players jointly contributed an average of 90 points per game.
So far, the Suns have averaged 103.2 points per game, ranking first in the league, and have conceded 93.2 points per game, ranking 10th in the league. Although they currently have a strong offensive and defensive style.
At the end of December, the Suns played 31 regular season games and had 21 wins and 10 losses. They lost 5 more games this month and still ranked fourth in the Western Conference, followed by the Lakers.
The Lakers are unable to seek a trade and can only go back to work on the OK combination. Although Kobe hopes that the team will trade O'Neal, there is no way to do so now. The team's record cannot be too bad. If it is too bad, he will lose face and can only coexist with O'Neal.
.
In addition, Phil Jackson gave part of the ball to Fisher, who passed the ball to O'Neal, temporarily appeasing O'Neal.
With the cooperation of the ok combination, and the fact that O'Neal's condition has actually begun to decline from its peak, the Lakers' record has not improved significantly.
However, this does not mean that the Lakers are not strong enough. Although O'Neal's condition has begun to decline, Kobe's current strength really has the momentum to challenge the league's No. 1 player. According to media analysis, the current Kobe should have 70% of Jordan's peak strength, and with experience and
In terms of technology, there is still room for improvement in terms of strength. If Old K had not come back, he might have been the number one active player. The Lakers' record cannot improve because there are indeed too many strong teams in the Western Conference this season.
Time passed in 2003, and the league announced the MVP rankings for December 2002. Duncan still ranked first, and Wang still ranked second.
On the 1st, the league announced the start of All-Star voting.
There is a change in this year’s All-Star voting, which is the addition of online voting, especially the opening of China’s online voting channels.
This news made domestic fans very excited, because this method gave them a sense of participation. Countless fans ran to Internet cafes and started voting.
On the 2nd, the Suns defeated Philadelphia at home.
On the 3rd, at 1 noon, the Lakers arrived in Phoenix.
On this day, a large number of reporters from all over the world rushed to Phoenix.
After the Lakers settled down in the hotel, at 2:30, at the request of many media, a press conference was held in the hotel.
"Shaq, you said you were going to press Old K to the floor and rub him. Have you forgotten what you said?" a local reporter asked.
O'Neill swallowed dryly and said, "Yes, well, it seems so."
"It doesn't seem like it, you just said it." The reporter immediately reminded.
Staring at the reporter, O'Neal said unconvinced: "So what, if I had as many shots as Old K, I could average 50 per game."
This stirred up a hornet's nest, and reporters raised their hands one after another.
The host specially selected a reporter from the Los Angeles Daily News, hoping that the reporter would be merciful, but he was disappointed as soon as the reporter opened his mouth.
The reporter took the microphone and asked: "Shaq, even if you are given so many shots, do you have the physical strength like Old K? Can you maintain the terrifying offensive efficiency like Old K from beginning to end?"
Moreover, Old K was able to complete the dynasty with the Lakers and defeat you and Jordan not only by his offense, but also by his defense, rebounding, organization and other contributions. Can you compare with him in these? You are as good as him
Indestructible willpower?”
Next to him, Kobe had a disdainful sneer on his face. He was a lazy shark. Why should he be compared with Old K? He was not the only one who thought so. If you look at the media in Los Angeles, you will know that O'Neal, a big fat man, is not popular in Los Angeles.
O'Neal almost vomited blood from the reporter. This was a reporter from Los Angeles, and he didn't show mercy at all? No face at all?
Damn it, Old K has left the Lakers. Now he is a Suns player, and I am a Lakers player. Do you have any brain problems when you target me like this?
When he came to Los Angeles, in addition to being upset by Kobe, another thing that annoyed him was that the Los Angeles media always compared him with the old K. Now he regrets coming to Los Angeles very much.
"Tie Jun, how long do you think the OK combination can last?" Zhang Lili, who came over to have a meal in Lao Wang's villa, asked.
Lao Wang looked at O'Neal and Kobe on the TV, thought for a while and said: "Now they are barely tied together, but as long as O'Neal's condition shows a significant decline, they will definitely break up. The management will sell off and trade O'Neal."
of."
In the evening, Kobe came to Lao Wang's house and brought many specially prepared gifts to Zhou Zhou.
"Old K, why didn't you bring Dabao here instead of leaving him alone in China? I still want to teach him to play ball."
As soon as he got off the car and saw Lao Wang, he started shouting.
"He doesn't want to come over. The brat has no hair. Now he is more interested in picking up girls than playing ball." Lao Wang started arranging his son without hesitation.
"What nonsense are you talking about? My son is only in the first grade of elementary school, and Sissi is older and has already made her debut. Don't talk nonsense outside, the media will write about it."
Brother Fei came out, followed by little tail Zhou Zhou. Hearing Lao Wang's words, he rolled his eyes at him.
"Dabao doesn't want to play ball?" Kobe asked in surprise.
"I have been practicing, but I don't pay much attention." Lao Wang shook his head.
"Zhouzhou, come here, the car is full of your gifts." Kobe didn't ask anymore, but opened the car door, and the back seat was filled with various toys.
Lao Wang picked one up casually. It was a kind of warship assembly toy. The large one required a lot of patience and a lot of brainpower. But Zhou Zhou liked this kind the best. He dismantled the warship into parts and then assembled them to restore it. He felt that
My daughter should have the talent of an architect or designer.
"Kobe, did you and O'Neal fight in the locker room?" Lao Wang then asked after sitting down in the living room.
When O'Neal was mentioned, Kobe became unhappy and complained: "Old K, if you don't return to the Lakers, then let Yao come to the Lakers. I really can't stand O'Neal."
"You want to join forces with Dayao? Has the management sought a deal?" Lao Wang said in surprise.
Kobe nodded, then shook his head and said: "The Nets despise O'Neal, so the trade didn't work out. The management also tried to trade Duncan, but it didn't work out either."
Lao Wang smiled. O'Neal is one year older than him. Now that he has suffered injuries, and his weight is so big, he has actually begun to decline from his peak this season. Although he still relies on his terrifying weight, his dominance at the basket is still the same.
He is ranked first in the league, but it can be predicted that his condition will continue to decline in the next two or three years. As long as O'Neal, the Blazers and the Nets' management are not bad, they really shouldn't trade him.
But he can't solve the Lakers' problems, so the Lakers are just unlucky.
In order to get him, the Lakers chose to trade Duncan. When he retired, the Lakers got nothing, but he also left a dynasty with the Lakers, and he did not owe the Lakers anything.
The 4th, match day.
At eight o'clock, the two teams announced their starting lineups.
Suns: Wang Tiejun, Amar'e Stoudemire, Marion, Anfernee Hardaway, Nash
Lakers: O'Neal, Samakie Walker, Rick Fox, Kobe Bryant, Fisher
This game will be broadcast live across the United States by TNT and also broadcast live on CCTV.
"The Lakers and Nets are somewhat similar. They are both too poor at the fourth position. The Nets did not retain Van Horn. Danny Fordson was seriously injured last season and was thrown away by the Lakers to the Warriors. If both teams had better power forwards,
, their strength this season can completely compete with the Trail Blazers and Kings." Kenny Smith said.
Barkley shook his head and said: "Actually, I am not optimistic about the Kings. I think they are just a regular season team. Their prospects in the playoffs are not good. They cannot get past the Trail Blazers and Suns. Even the Lakers and Mavericks
It may not be possible."
Kenny Smith asked in surprise: "The media has been saying that there are five first-tier teams in the Western Conference, the Trail Blazers, Kings, Mavericks, Suns, and Lakers. These are also the top five teams in the Western Conference now. Do you think the Kings are among the five teams?
What level is it at?"
Barkley said without hesitation: "Like the Mavericks, they are both pseudo-strong teams and they just play well, but when they enter the real playoffs, they are not competitive enough."
"What about the Suns? Their current style of play is also very good to watch, and the viewing experience is by no means lower than that of the Kings." Kenny Smith said.
"With Old K in the Suns, there will be defense, which the Kings don't have. And on the offensive end, when others fail, Old K can take over everything. The Kings don't have such a person either. Old K can lead the Suns and
The Lakers have won five championships, who in the Kings has the ability?" Barkley asked.
Five crowns? Kenny Smith is speechless, Charles, aren’t you afraid of being beaten by Old K?
He immediately asked: "Then, among these five strong teams, who do you think is most likely to reach, um, the Western Conference Finals?"
"Kenny, why don't you ask about the finals?" Barkley asked curiously.
"Because obviously, this year's Western Conference Finals will be more attractive than the Finals." Kenny Smith said.
"That's a sad thing, haha!"
After Barkley finished speaking and laughed a few times, he said: "Who can reach the Western Conference Finals depends on how these teams meet in the first and second rounds. If they meet in advance, of course, there will definitely be players among them.
The teams will meet in advance, but if we only analyze the strength, I am more optimistic about the Trail Blazers and the Suns."
"Are you optimistic about the sun? Is it because of your friendship with Lao K?" Kenny Smith asked.
"Of course not!"
Buckley immediately denied it.
"Old K, Barkley swallowed up one of your championships. He has been spreading rumors that you led the team to five championships in ten years. The other championship belongs to him. If it weren't for you, how could he have beaten Jordan?" Home team
Changing room, Dameng said.
He just arrived in Phoenix and is now settled in Los Angeles to run his training camp and earn some extra money. He came here specifically to watch this game today and accuse Barkley of his tricks.
"This fat man is always trying to beat me up. He always uses me as a stepping stone." Lao Wang nodded.
"When are we going to invite a group of people to the club for dinner, let them treat them, and beat them to death?" Dameng suggested.
"Good idea." Old Wang said.
"Ah owe!"
Barkley suddenly sneezed, and some information in the commentary box flew up and fell to the floor.
"Patrick, good luck to you."
"David, good luck to you too."
Courtside, Ewing shook hands and hugged David Robinson.
The two of them were lamenting to each other. Unexpectedly, the opponents who fought hard for various honors back then were now hugging the lap of young people, and they had fallen for the sake of the championship.
Many media reporters nearby also lamented that the three super centers in the Megatron League, whose dream of winning two championships had come to an end just like Barkley, but the fate of these two super centers was unlucky and they actually fell into the position of hugging each other.
