NBA Backer King Chapter 219

   Chapter 219 Planning for All-Stars

   As the best in the field, Pharaoh accepted a live interview on ABC TV.

   "Old K, congratulations, got the first triple-double." The reporter laughed.

   "Thank you!" he said.

   "What the fans are most interested in now is that they want to know why your playing skills are so good, can you tell me?" the reporter asked.

   He nodded and smiled and said, "There's nothing mysterious about it. My punching skills rely on my punching skills."

   "Oh, can you tell us how your power generation skills are trained?" the reporter said in surprise.

   He smiled and said: "It's very simple, my power-generating skills come from the cultural accumulation of my nation for thousands of years, and I'm just an inheritor."

   "Oh, thousands of years of cultural accumulation? It's too mysterious!" The reporter opened his mouth wide, but he couldn't understand his ridicule at all.

   "Then can you talk about the feeling of flying two superstars at once?" the reporter asked again.

   He curled his lips and said, "In general, that's it. From last season to tonight, the big dream fell at my feet at least ten times. I'm used to the feeling of knocking him off."

   The reporter's face was almost gone, but he couldn't refute it, because this was the truth.

  Pharaoh continued: "It was the feeling of hitting Barkley that made me very novel. It was a brand new experience. I really saw a pig flying in the air."

   "Puff!"

   The reporter and the people around were all laughing.

   "Damn, old K, don't run!"

  Buckley was passing by. Hearing this sentence, his nose became so angry that he rushed over and tried to beat Pharaoh, but he couldn't support him, so he had to stop after two steps.

  Chicago, in the Bulls headquarters, Phil Jackson's office, he watched the game with Jordan.

  From the beginning of the first quarter, when Wang Tiejun sent out four assists in a single quarter and led the team to the lead, their expressions became serious.

As soon as the game was over, Phil Jackson said: "We must immediately adjust our thinking about the opponents in the finals. The Mosaic team may not be our only potential opponent in the finals. The possibility of them being killed by the Suns exists. "

  Jordan stared at Wang Tiejun, who was being interviewed, with a sharp cold light in his eyes, and said coldly: "It seems that the tactics of using a meat shield to contain him won't work, Phil, do you have any ideas?"

Although Phil Jackson, like Jerry Krause, has always believed that the Mosaic team is the strongest opponent of the Bulls this season, he is not unprepared for the Suns. After all, this is a defending team that prevents them from winning three consecutive championships. team.

   He said: "There are many ways, as long as there are people in hand, it is not very difficult to beat this Suns team.

  We have Clifford Robinson, the offensive end is widened, you and Pippen rush in to play, improve the offensive efficiency, the old K's movement ability has improved now, but it is too far behind you, he has no chance to return to defense. "

  Jordan nodded, the speed of old K was not in his eyes at all.

Phil Jackson added: "Since Clifford came here, I let him start training three-pointers, and he has already had some results. His shooting talent is good, and he has been practicing this season, and he will definitely be able to use it in the playoffs. That's right, he'll have a bigger pull-off ability and pull the old K near the three-point line, even if his speed increases a little bit again, it's useless."

  Jordan nodded again, this time Krause finally got a good center, making up for one of the biggest weaknesses of the Bulls these seasons.

Although Kerry doesn't have the ability to play low post, but facing people like Old K and Da Meng, ordinary back play is useless. It is better to open up, which is more suitable for the style of the Bulls. It is more convenient for them to rush in from the outside. , and more efficient.

   "What about the defensive end?" he asked again.

   This is what he is most concerned about. Who is he afraid of on offense? The last time I failed in the finals was because I couldn't guard against that animal.

He and Phil Jackson later carefully analyzed the last quarter of the most crucial G6 game. Old K not only played a high-quality offense himself, but also assisted his teammates 5 times in a single quarter. At the same time, he also exploded on the defense that he was not good at. This led to the defeat of the Bulls.

   In other words, when it comes to defending the old K, the difficulty is multiple. It is necessary to guard against his offense and his points. This is the most difficult type of person to defend.

   Just now, with such a strong defensive force as the Mosaic team, they were unable to guard against the old K. Although their inside line was far superior to last season, it was still far behind the Mosaic team.

   "Tactical use."

After Phil Jackson said the word, he nodded again, as if confirming his own words, and said: "Tonight the Suns' tactics were used well, and the players on the court executed very well. As in the last game, an effective strong-side low-level double-team was formed against the old K.

   As for Da Meng's weak-side assist defense, under AC Green's pull and restraint, the effect tonight was not very good, and he was a little constrained.

   If we play the Suns, it is impossible to arrange a stronger post defense than the Mosaics. That being the case, let's hit our strong point. Our strong point is the outside line, so we should concentrate on the outside line's defense and cut off the Suns' connection between the inside and outside lines.

   Today they let Daniel Marley contain Barkley. Barkley's defense is strong, but he is an insider, and his outside defense can only be considered average.

  Then we will use Pippen to kill Dan Marley. Pippen's perimeter defense is definitely stronger than Barkley. I think he has a chance to kill Dan Marley. "

   Jordan nodded again and again. This defensive idea is indeed correct. He also believes that on the perimeter, Barkley's defense is not as good as Pippen's.

  Phil Jackson added: "You switch to Kevin Johnson, stare at him, old K can't get the ball below, we will increase the rhythm of offense and defense transition, let him be exhausted, and completely wear down his physical fitness.

   Our lineup does not have tonnage, but we have the overall speed that they do not have. As long as we play our specialties and use our strengths to overcome our weaknesses, the victory is in our hands. "

Jordan smiled. Whether it was Cobra Grant or Kerry, these two insiders have no tonnage, they belong to the brisk insiders, and their speed cannot keep up with the old K. Phil Jackson's ideas are suitable for the characteristics of the team and style.

   Next, the Suns beat the Celtics and the Philadelphia Numbers in a row at home, with a record of 19 wins and 7 losses, still the third in the Western Conference.

  The Suns completed all the games in December, the 1993 games were also all completed, and the regular season has passed two months, one third of which has been completed.

   The next game will be at home. On January 4, 1994, the Supersonic challenge was met. There were no games for several days in between.

  On the 1st day at 9 am, the league announced the latest MVP rankings through several major TV stations and some newspapers.

  The first is Jordan, the second is Da Meng, the third is Ewing, the fourth is Wang Tiejun, the fifth is David Robinson, and the sixth is O'Neal.

   Karl Malone, who ranked sixth last month, is out of season and has disappeared from this ranking list.

   And David Robinson and O'Neal fell in the rankings because of the team's record, and were overtaken by Wang Tiejun.

   The Spurs are now 18-11 and the Magic are 16-12, all of which are far behind the Suns. In terms of three-person data, O'Neal is the best, dragged down by the team's record.

  The Bulls still have the first record in the league, the second is the SuperSonics, the third is the Mosaic team, and the fourth is the Knicks, but the SuperSonics are not a star play style, so no one can enter the top ten of this ranking.

  Wang Tiejun's current average is 39.2 minutes, 25.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 0.8 steals, 2.5 blocks, 2 turnovers and 3.2 fouls.

   Compared with the previous month, the time has been shortened.

  According to the arrangement of the coaching staff, his next time will be further reduced to about 35 minutes, and the rest of the time will be allocated to Thorpe.

Thorpe's strength is still good, but it doesn't match him. When he is on the court, Thorpe has to sit on the bench and can only pick up ten minutes of playing time from AC Green's men, which is too wasteful for him. strength.

   And with some less playing time, he will have better physical reserves after entering the playoffs.

   "On the second Monday in January, the All-Star voting starts. Can I get the next two guys, Da Meng and David Robinson?"

   Seeing this ranking list, the first thing he thought about was the All-Star issue. As for MVP, he didn't think about that possibility at all. That's not what he should consider now. All-Star is the most practical issue.

   He called Lewis, the assistant coach, and asked the other party to check the data of the big dream duo to see the gap between him and the two All-Star competitors.

   After ten minutes, Lewis called and said, "Old K, listen, David Robinson's average is 40.5 minutes per game..."

   "Fuck, Robinson is getting old, he's been playing for so long?" he said in surprise.

"Hehe, old K, he has not been in the league for a few years. He only came in in 1987. This is his fifth season. Now he is only 28 years old. He is the youngest of the three super centers." Lewis laughed. .

   "That's it, you continue." He laughed.

   "29.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.7 steals, 3.3 blocks, 3.2 turnovers, and 2.9 fouls. The offense and defense are extremely balanced. The average data of Dameng is... All three of their super centers can be said to be monsters with their own offensive and defensive systems," Lewis said.

   "Tsk tsk..."

  Pharaoh feels that the All-Star position is getting further and further away from him.

   However, his current scoring ability, assist ability, rebounding ability, and confidence will not be much weaker than the opponent. Only defense is still a big shortcoming.

  Only after his athletic qualities have really improved, will he be able to fully compete with these super centers. He will need at least a year, or two years.

   "Old K, why are you asking about their data?" Lewis asked curiously.

   "Oh, the All-Star voting is about to start, let me see if I can compete with them for the All-Star spot?"

   He didn't hide that any player in the league doesn't want to be an All-Star, even Jordan, that's a status symbol.

"Old K, the 10 All-Star starters are voted by fans, players, and head coaches, and the 14 substitutes are voted by all head coaches. Each head coach must choose at least seven people, including at least two guards and two forwards. A center, but you can't choose your own team's players..." Lewis introduced the rules.

   "I see," he said.

   "In addition, David Robinson was the All-Star starter in the first two seasons, and the big dream came off the bench." Lewis said.

   "Coach, how about I participate in the All-Star ballot as a striker?" He asked in a flash.

"Ha ha…"

  Lewis laughed and said: "This is a good idea. In the western forward position, your main competitors are Barkley and Sean Kemp. Come on, old K, I'm optimistic about you."

  Pharaoh hung up the phone and died of the idea of ​​participating in the All-Stars this year.

Don't look at Barkley's current stats not as good as Big Dream, but his popularity is very high. This guy has a high emotional intelligence. Fans like him very much. All-star votes have always been high, more than Big Dream and David Robinson Gao, he won the four hard honors in a single season last year. If you want to compete with this fat man, it is better to compete with Da Meng and the others.

   All-star voting is a place for popularity. He is not an American, and naturally belongs to the weaker party.

   But after thinking about it, he was not reconciled, just in time for a phone call from his agent Lance Hawksman.

   "Lance, is something wrong?" he asked.

   "Old K, I will be in Phoenix this afternoon." Hawksman said.

   "Anything?"

   "Of course. Old K, the All-Star vote will be opened soon. We at CAA hope that you can enter the All-Star this year and further enhance your business value. This time, prepare to operate." Hoxman said.

   "Can it be done?" he asked a little excitedly.

Hoxman laughed and said: "There should be no problem with the bench position. Let's just say, CAA can also package those blockbusters with hundreds of millions of investment in Hollywood. Although CAA has not officially entered the sports industry, one We still have confidence in the NBA's All-Star bench position. If we can't even get that, CAA can shut down."

   "Haha, that's great, but what if I want to start the All-Star Game and let Soft Egg and Admiral replace me?" He said excitedly.

   This is nothing to be polite. If you can start, who wants to be a substitute? Since CAA is willing to operate, he will certainly not be polite.

  Hawksman was startled, and then said: "Old K, I have discussed this matter with Mr. Jemarone, and he promised to arrange for a few first-line stars to support you and vote for you.

   But how big the effect, those fans will buy it, no one knows. But the effect is definitely there, and their combined fan base is too large. "

   "Forget it, it's not bad to be able to function as a substitute." Pharaoh said quickly.

Over there, Hoxman was also using his brains. After thinking about it, he said: "Actually, old K, the Suns won the championship last year, which was the only championship of the four major sports leagues in Arizona. The Suns are very popular, you It's not without foundation there, your Mammoth Signature sneakers have been selling well in the state, that's proof.

   I arranged it like this. When I arrive in Phoenix, I will discuss it with the management. I have already made an appointment with the management of the Suns. This time, if it works well, it is not that there is no chance for the starting team. But no matter what, at least one reserve position is guaranteed. "

   "That's fine, I'll leave it to you." Wang Tiejun laughed.

   At the Suns headquarters, the coaching staff did not rest today, and there were many things at hand. Head coach Westphal asked at this time: "Lewis, what does old K want David Robinson and their data for?"

  Lewis said with a smile: "He wants to be an All-Star, but I think it's very difficult. Whether it's a center or a forward position, Dameng, Admiral, Rain Man, Fliggy are more popular than him."

   "Don't think about the forward position, the league won't allow him. He is a pure power center, how can he look like a forward?"

Westphal was stunned, and thoughtfully said: "But compared to popularity, Old K is actually not bad. In the center position, he has won the most commercial contracts. Just the propaganda of those sponsors can help him. He has attracted a lot of attention. Compared with his performance and statistics, he is not bad whether he is against Da Meng or an admiral. If, if Mr. Colangelo is willing to operate, it is not impossible to get a chance to be a substitute."

  Lewis was startled: "Can it be operated?"

   Westphal smiled and said: "In this world, even war can be operated, what can't be operated as an All-Star substitute?"

   "That's right." Lewis laughed.

After    dealt with the matter at hand, Westphal went to Colangelo and chatted with him about the All-Star.

   "Boss, do you see any players from our team who have the chance to be selected as an All-Star this year?" he said.

   "I'm thinking about this too..."

Colangelo didn't think much, and said: "Dan Marley was an All-Star substitute last year. This year's data is 16+4+4. It should be impossible to be selected as an All-Star. Kevin Johnson is in very good shape this year, and he is better than last year. Well, with 20+9 data, he might be selected as an All-Star. Others are unlikely."

   "Where's old K?" Westphal asked.

   Colangelo laughed and said, "Paul, you know how fierce the competition is in the center position. Old K is only in his second year, and I can't guarantee that he will be an All-Star this year."

Westphal said: "But we are the defending team anyway. If we don't have an All-Star, it would be a shame, right? And Old K is fourth in the MVP rankings this time, and he can't be selected as an All-Star. That list is too watery.”

Colangelo scratched his head, but the head coach still didn't understand what he said, so he said: "Of course, Phoenix really needs an All-Star. In fact, I'm going to communicate with the league, and the old K will play all-star. Celebrity substitutes are still qualified, regardless of their popularity and strength, they are not weak."

   "That's great, old K will be very happy if he knows." Westphal laughed.

Colangelo said with a smile: "Official communication is one thing, the All-Star vote is still to be won, and we have to prepare both hands. After all, if the number of votes is dominant, the old K will be more confident to take a substitute position and will not fall into the limelight. ."

   nodded, Westphal said: "Now is the time for the media to exert their strength. I hope our Phoenix and the entire Arizona media can do their best."

Colangelo suddenly smiled and said: "Except for Jordan's superstar who is influential in the United States, he can get some votes all over the United States. For three consecutive years, the number of votes has exceeded one million, and the votes of other stars are mainly All depend on the city where the team is located and have a strong regional character.

  Dameng and Robinson are in Texas. They have accumulated high popularity in their respective cities for so many years, but because of this, their popularity has been scattered.

   And old K is the best sports star in our state. As long as the media is strong and the publicity is in place, he will get a lot of votes. I even expect his votes to surpass Da Meng and Robinson. "

   Westphal was refreshed, it was possible.

   After all, there are three NBA teams in Texas, and other sports leagues are also very strong. Even the strongest in Texas is not the NBA, but the NFL.

  For example, in Dallas, the Mavericks are not the most popular. The Cowboys, which belong to the local NFL league, are the most popular sports team in Dallas.

   But Arizona is where the Suns dominate. If the old K can win the state's votes, it is not a dream to surpass the big dream and David Robinson.

Colangelo said again at this time: "Old K's agent will be here soon. CAA also hopes that old K will be an All-Star this year. We have already made an appointment to communicate and cooperate with each other. I hope this time we can count on the votes in one fell swoop. Defeating Da Meng, no matter how bad it is, with the help of CAA, a bench position can be determined."

   "This is the best." Westphal said happily.

   (end of this chapter)

Chapter end