The Fifth Point Guard

STO’s third-generation signature sneakers “Four Elephants” have once again dominated the major sneaker rankings.

The top management of Adidas can smile crookedly.

Some top executives of Adidas have even begun to propose signing a lifetime endorsement contract with STO. After all, there are rumors that Nike has prepared an "impossible to refuse" sky-high contract to STO in order to poach Adidas.

Lifetime endorsement contracts are also on the agenda.

This includes the company's most precious equity, etc.

Otherwise, Adidas really has no confidence that it can compete with the contract offered by Nike, which has deep pockets.

Regarding the rumors that Adidas and Nike are competing for itself, STO did not explain much.

He is the focus of competition. At this time, if he doesn't wait for Adidas to raise the price, should he take the initiative to stand up?

Although STO has no intention to change the endorsement of sports brands, at least Adidas needs to show more sincerity.

The "Four Elephants" correspond to the third generation signature shoes of the four "skins" of Qinglong, White Tiger, Suzaku and Xuanwu from east to west, north and south, and have become the objects of collection by many fans.

Just like many game fans like to collect the skins of King of Pesticide, many fans directly bought four third-generation sneakers just for collection.

This has resulted in the sales of the third generation sneakers far exceeding those of the first two generations.

It must be said that STO’s operational and business acumen were definitely forward-thinking in the early 2000s.

Who allowed Shentong to stand on the shoulders of the "Giant Horse".

While killing everyone on the court, STO also began to lay out and prepare to build its own men's clothing brand.

As previously agreed by Ivanka, Shentong established its own men's clothing brand-GOD.

Ivanka also holds a small stake in GOD, and STO uses Ivanka's market connections and resources as well as her personal charm and popularity to build momentum for its men's clothing brand GOD.

This brand mainly targets high-end clothing, with 100% suits and leather shoes, symbolizing successful people and elites. The market target is middle- and senior-level employees or senior white-collar workers in major companies.

With STO as the spokesperson and Ivanka’s operational capabilities, the GOD brand quickly became a well-known high-end clothing brand.

In the face of capital, STO has not refused. It welcomes capital investment and uses the influence of all parties to expand its brand and market value.

Originally, if you don't use the time when your popularity is at its peak to quickly gather capital from all parties, why don't you wait until you retire to build your own brand?

STO's ambitions are actually not small, and it has successfully promoted the GOD brand to Nasdaq.

But this matter cannot be rushed.

At the same time, STO also combined GOD with its own charitable foundation.

In other words, capital’s investment in GOD is actually contributing to STO’s charity fund.

STO's popularity and influence have gradually penetrated into the basketball field and developed into various industries.

The season is coming to an end, and the Cleveland Cavaliers played by Shentong have secured first place in the Eastern Conference ahead of schedule!

Due to the incident at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers, two Eastern Conference teams, have been more or less affected. Therefore, experts and fans generally believe that the Cavaliers will be very hopeful this season under the leadership of Shentong and James. finals!

Barkley made a bold statement: "Looking at the Eastern Conference, which other team can compete with the Cavaliers? The Miami Heat are one, but it is still unrealistic to win the championship in the first season with the cooperation of O'Neal and Wade, and the Detroit Pistons are also Barely one, but they have experienced too much this season, and the overall state of the team is not as good as last season. I am not optimistic about them. As for the Boston Celtics? If they can reach the Eastern Conference finals, it is a victory."

After locking in first place in the Eastern Conference in advance, the Cavaliers began to implement a rotation system to ensure that the players have a healthy body to face the playoffs.

April 20, 2005, the last day of the regular season.

The Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets are fighting for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

There is only one win between the two teams, and the game starts at the same time, so both teams are working hard to win.

The 76ers have 42 wins and the Nets have 41 wins, but the Nets and 76ers have a record advantage, so if the Nets win and the 76ers lose, the Nets can still squeeze out the 76ers in the final round. Advance to the playoffs.

If this is the case, then the results of Iverson's hard work for a season will be in vain.

In comparison, the 76ers' final game had some advantages.

They play at home against the Atlanta Hawks, who are also of average strength.

The Nets are playing away from home, and their opponent is the Boston Celtics, who are ranked fourth in the Eastern Conference.

The Hawks have missed the playoffs, and the Celtics are locked in fourth place, so neither team looks like they'll give their all.

The Philadelphia 76ers, playing at home, broke the suspense in the first quarter.

One wave of 37-19, another wave of 30-19, the Eagles were completely going through the motions.

Iverson only played 12 minutes in the first half, and the 76ers sealed the victory.

However, although he only played 12 minutes, Iverson scored 16 points.

In addition, Korver scored 21 points and 6 rebounds, Iguodala had 12 points, and Willie Green, Josh Davis and Mark Jackson also scored in double figures.

In the end, the 76ers, with six players scoring in double figures, defeated the unmotivated Eagles 110-86.

The most eye-catching performance of the Hawks was the new dunk king Josh Smith. He scored 18 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks, but was unable to reverse the defeat.

In another game, the Nets and Celtics were fighting fiercely.

At the end of the first half, the Nets trailed their opponents by 11 points, 47-58.

But after halftime, the Nets, led by Jason Kidd, suddenly broke out and stunned the Celtics with a wave of 32-8.

Vince Carter scored 37 points in this game, and Kidd also contributed a near triple-double with 19 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists.

Kostic scored 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The Celtics had reservations. Pierce played only 26 minutes and scored 21 points. Delonte West contributed 15 points and 7 assists. No one else scored in double figures.

It looks like the Celtics want to help the Nets.

But the Nets' efforts went unrewarded.

Due to Philadelphia's home victory, the Nets could only finish ninth in the Eastern Conference in the 2004-05 season and missed the playoffs for the first time in the past five years.

Looking back at the time when the Nets had three bouncing men in Martin, Shentong, and Jefferson, coupled with the alley-oop city formed by Kidd, it is sad that they are so lonely now.

When he learned from the media that the Nets would miss the playoffs, Shentong still expressed his respect for the Nets and Kidd.

"Although they failed to reach the playoffs, the league is so cruel, which only shows that other teams are playing better. However, I still wish Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Wen Carter, wish them good luck and come back next season."

In addition, the Lakers also had a game on the last day. They lost to the Trail Blazers 103-106 on the road.

Kobe was still brave, making 10 of 20 shots and 17 of 21 free throws, scoring 37 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, but the team still lost.

The Lakers also missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1993-94 season.

Regarding the fact that the Lakers missed the playoffs, O'Neal's reply to the media was not as polite as STO.

"It's not surprising that they didn't make the playoffs because Los Angeles doesn't have the Sharks. Now that they've made a choice, I can only say that their choice is unparalleled. They can take a good rest for a while and then look at the offseason. Can I find some helpers during the period? As for me, I have to prepare for the playoffs with my good partner Dwyane Wade. Our goal is the Eastern Conference championship. Although we are second in the Eastern Conference, I am not Think the Cavaliers are invincible.”

Bryant did not respond to the media regarding O'Neal's statement.

He said that he would take a good rest, take a vacation with his wife Vanessa, and show off the results of his military training.

With the end of the playoff schedule on the last day, a total of sixteen teams from the East and West that have reached the playoffs and their final rankings have been determined.

Top eight in the Eastern Conference:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers, 60 wins and 22 losses;

2. Miami Heat, 56 wins and 26 losses;

3. Detroit Pistons, 52 wins and 30 losses;

4. Boston Celtics, 48 ​​wins and 34 losses;

5. Chicago Bulls, 47 wins and 35 losses;

6. Washington Wizards, 46 wins and 36 losses;

7. Indiana Pacers, 44 wins and 38 losses;

8. Philadelphia 76ers, 43 wins and 39 losses.

Top eight in the West:

1. Phoenix Suns, 62 wins and 20 losses;

2. San Antonio Spurs, 59 wins and 23 losses;

3. Seattle SuperSonics, 52 wins and 30 losses;

4. Dallas Mavericks, 58 wins and 24 losses;

5. Houston Rockets, 51 wins and 31 losses;

6. Kings of Sacramento, 50 wins and 32 losses;

7. Denver Nuggets, 49 wins and 33 losses;

8. Memphis Grizzlies, 45 wins and 37 losses.

Although there are also 60-win teams in the East, looking at the record rankings of the East and West, it still shows that the West is strong and the East is weak.

In the West, the 50-win Kings can only be ranked sixth, while in the East, they can be ranked fourth.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are undoubtedly the most disappointing team this season.

Sprewell's contract renewal issue has become a time bomb for the team, causing the power of the three-headed monster to be completely different from last season.

Garnett still played a decisive role, averaging 22.2 points, 13.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, showing an all-round performance.

However, the Timberwolves' record is only ranked ninth in the Western Conference and misses the playoffs.

Therefore, the media once teased after the playoff roster was released, saying that Kobe and Garnett, the high school brothers, could go fishing together.

According to the rankings, the Cleveland Cavaliers, No. 1 in the Eastern Conference, will face the Philadelphia 76ers led by Iverson in the first round of the playoffs.

Cavaliers players and fans will definitely be familiar with the 76ers this season, because their first defeat this season was due to Iverson and his 76ers.

It is for this reason that the Cavaliers did not dare to be careless about their opponent, the 76ers.

STO even told the media: "Allen Iverson is capable of defeating a team by himself, not to mention they also have Chris Webber, so we cannot be careless and must eliminate the first and second The concept of eight, in my mind, the opponent is the Philadelphia 76ers, the opponent who gave us our first defeat this season, we must cheer up and take this game seriously."

Paul Silas also said that the Philadelphia 76ers are a very strong opponent and it will not be easy to defeat them. The Cavaliers will prepare for this series very seriously.

A compliment is a compliment and a competition is a competition.

On April 23, 2005, the playoffs of the 2004-05 season officially started.

The Cavaliers faced the 76ers who came to challenge at home.

Before the game, Paul Silas specifically talked to DaJuan Wagner.

"If the Cavaliers want to ensure they beat the 76ers, guarding Allen Iverson is the key. DaJuan, can you do it?"

"I can!"

"Allen Iverson is the ceiling of point guards in the Eastern Conference. If you can guard him, you have enough strength to replace him."

"I can definitely do it! There are 365 days in a year, 24 hours in a day, and 60 minutes in an hour. I can handle Allen at any time!"

In the first game, the Cavaliers defeated the 76ers 106-85 by 21 points.

Wagner was like a mad dog biting Iverson.

This 100% genius, who was once dubbed the "large version of Iverson" in high school, truly challenged Iverson with his own strength!

Under Wagner's tireless pressing, Iverson felt cold throughout the game and was out of shape.

He made only 9 of 27 shots, 0 of 4 three-pointers, and made 8 free throws, but he made all of them.

Although he scored 26 points, his efficiency was very low and he made 6 turnovers. In addition, he did not have enough contact with his teammates and only had 5 assists.

Although Wagner focuses most of his energy on defense, he is also unambiguous on the offensive end.

He made 1 of 2 two-pointers, 2 of 3 three-pointers, plus 2 free throws, scoring 10 points. In addition, he had 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.

All two blocks were given to Allen Iverson in the first quarter, which also had a certain psychological impact on Iverson in the subsequent games.

Weber performed well in the first game, scoring a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Dalembert also had 10 points and 18 rebounds.

For the Cavaliers, Willie Green couldn't guard Shentong at all. The latter got everything he wanted on the offensive end, scoring 38 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

James had 21 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists.

In the second game, the Cavaliers defeated the 76ers 99-84 by 15 points, winning by 36 points in the two games!

In this game, Iverson still received the focus of the Cavaliers team, but he made some improvements in organization and connecting teammates.

The performance of 19 points and 10 assists looks good, but 19 points is not Iverson's normal score, and his shooting percentage of 7 of 24 shots was not even as good as the first game.

Weber also stalled in this game, scoring only 15 points and 4 rebounds.

If it weren't for Dalembert's 14 points and 11 rebounds, I'm afraid the 76ers would have collapsed early.

For the Cavaliers, Shentong scored 23 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, James had 20 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists, and Wagner had 15 points and 6 assists.

Five Cavaliers scored in double figures, with Big Z and Reggie Miller also contributing 9 points each.

The overall strength of the Cavaliers is far higher than that of the 76ers.

Judging from the first two games, Philadelphia has no chance of winning.

But the stubborn Iverson said that when they arrive in Philadelphia, they will give Shentong and his Cavaliers a look, and will return to Cleveland with a 2-2 score.