The Rest, Only Noise

After that, Bryant will participate in informal tryouts with other teams.

Although Bryant has the lottery end of the market, for NBA teams, it can be considered a gamble to use the lottery pick on a non-interior high school player in such a draft year.

Because of Kobe's status as a high school student, many teams do not believe that his confrontation can reach professional standards, so the invitations to his trial training are informal.

Until the San Antonio Spurs move caught Louie's attention.

The Spurs first gave Kobe an unofficial workout invitation.

Because the Spurs have this year's No. 1 pick, Kobe, who feels no worse than anyone else, is willing to go to the trial training, and he is very excited.

It was this unofficial workout that brought Kobe Bryant into the line of sight of Spurs general manager Popovich.

Popovich quickly invited Bryant for a second tryout, this time a formal one.

With Louie's current network of connections, as long as he wants to know about anything in the entire league, there is nothing that can't be heard.

According to internal Spurs intelligence, Bryant had a workout in front of Popovich that he had never seen before.

Popovich has long believed that in order to judge a player's prospects, it is necessary to read both his performance on the court and his heart. It requires observers to find those attributes that are truly great, which is hard, and even a seasoned scout can get it wrong.

But for Popovich, Kobe's workout was just too impressive, his desire, his competitiveness, his aggression, his explicit ambition and drive to get better, Enough to show how wonderful his future is.

"So, is Greg going to pick Kobe with the No. 1 pick?"

"This..." The person who provided Louis with information hesitated, "The possibility is very low."

Louie continued: "If Kobe really completed a trial that made his heart move, for the sake of safety, it's a matter of course to choose Kobe with the first pick?"

"No, considering that Kobe is only a high school student, even if he has completed such a good trial, Greg is unlikely to use the first pick to select him." The other party said, "Allen Iverson is the The expected No. 1 pick, Kobe...his expected pick should be around the 10th pick."

The other party's words made Louis calm down a little.

As long as Popovich isn't crazy enough to use the No. 1 pick in Kobe, the Lakers have room to maneuver.

"Coach Lu, you value Kobe so much, is it because you like him?" the other party asked playfully.

"Indeed, I'm tired of coaching Benj, and I'm planning to trade him. I think Kobe is good. What do you think about replacing Benj with him?"

As soon as the other party heard it, he knew that Louis was joking.

Then came news from Jerry West.

He's already negotiated with the Seattle SuperSonics.

"Transaction content?"

Louis wanted to know if the LOGO man had a good job or a bad job.

"I tried my best and Michael Finley was the only player they wanted."

"As long as the returns are good enough, Michael is not for sale."

"In return, Seattle will give us the 10th pick in the first round and the 19th pick in the first round this year," West said.

"By the way, they also brought along a Chinese player named 'Wuki'."

Wuki?

Oh...is it Wu Qi?

Like Du Shuai, Chu Nan, and Kang Chengbiao, he all came from the third phase of the Road Academy in the United States.

"What do you think of this deal?" West was really worried that Louie's mouth would ruin his efforts to stay in the office for days in a row.

"Good job Jerry, my advice is to get this deal done before the other party backs out, and remember to call Michael before the deal is done."

West let out a long breath.

On Louis's side, West's ability to work was confirmed again.

If nothing else, West's negotiation and operation skills are better than Baylor's. Angie, I feel like I'm making a profit to trade Finley for the No. 10 pick Louis. There is still the 19th pick in the first round. I want one more Wu Qi.

This can only mean two things. The Sonics are extremely optimistic about Finley, but at the same time feel that the 10th and 19th picks are not particularly good players.

However, is the 10th sign enough?

If the Spurs hadn't noticed Kobe, Louie would have thought that taking Kobe with the 10th pick was a good plan.

Now, he can only keep an eye on the Spurs' movements and be sensitive to all the bells and whistles ahead of the draft.

Like a deer living in the grasslands.

A deer that lacks vigilance will not live to adulthood.

Even if you are an adult, if you feel that the hunter can't catch you, you will be eaten and wiped sooner or later.

Then, the NBA Finals this season came to an end in an incredible fashion.

When the Blazers landed in the Finals for the fifth year in a row, nobody liked them.

"Michael Jordan is still, and probably always will be, the best uncrowned king in NBA history," said Sports Illustrated's preview of the final.

On the lineup, the Knicks have a clear advantage.

Patrick Ewing is the best defensive pillar in the NBA since Bill Russell, but he can also score 20-30 points for the team if necessary.

Sean Kemp transformed after a nightmarish 1994-95 season and took revenge on Danny Manning, proving himself to be one of the best power forwards in service, not Clifford Robinsons opponent.

Reggie Miller just had the best series of his career, surpassing 1988's Dale Ellis in every way.

Also Scottie Pippen, John Stockton, Sam Cassell, Alan Houston, Doug Christie, Alex Stevens, James Worthy and Brad Low House.

The only problem with the Knicks is the wave of injuries some time ago, but although there are injuries, it's not the kind of big injury that can restrict people from playing.

Like Pippen's back injury, if he had a 93 rating in 2K, the current injury would give him a -3 rating. There is an impact, but there is still more than 90% of the competitive level. For a player who is desperate to win the championship, minor injuries are not enough to affect their progress.

After all, most athletes come with long-term injuries.

The only position the Blazers have a clear advantage over after Alenzo Mourning is injured is at the 2.

Other positions, such as the injured Insaiah Thomas, Rex Chapman, Clifford Robinson, etc., although the strength is good, but not enough to match New York.

Pat Riley knew that, so before the Finals, he did two things.

One is brainwashing the big dream, saying to him all day, "Do you want to keep your head up in front of Patrick?", "I don't think you are worse than him.", "Patrick has so many championships just because he has one A better team, and you are the same.", "Prove yourself." Words.

In terms of mental state, the big dream is full and high-spirited.

Another thing that Lilly did was to reactivate Dennis Rodman.

Laili knew why Rodman left New York, and also knew that Rodman and Ewing were at odds. Now facing the Knicks in the finals, Rodman definitely has a reason to go all out.

Unexpectedly, Rodman actually said: "Beat Patrick? I have proved this in Miami."

Laley didn't want to anger Rodman, so he said politely: "That Heat team is the best team in history..."

"Then why did they leave me and they couldn't beat New York?" Rodman asked rhetorically.

"So that's your ultimate challenge, if you can beat New York in Portland, you can fully prove your worth," Laley forced.

Rodman rolled his eyes on the spot: "What else do I need to prove?"

In this way, although Lai Li did not convince Rodman, he obtained the other party's agreement that the latter would be reused in the finals.

Game1

It was a very typical Trail Blazers loss.

Jordan scored 45 points, Da Meng also had 26 points and 13 rebounds, but apart from the two of them, only Chapman scored in double figures among the remaining players in the Blazers, and everyone else was restricted by the Knicks.

Ewing did not score as much as Dameng, but his role in defense clearly exceeded Dameng's offensive advantage, scoring 18 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 blocks. Kemp also showed his progress in the face of his big brother Rodman, scoring a team-high 24 points and 9 rebounds.

With the exception of Ewing and Kemp, the Knicks as a whole did not have players with outstanding statistics, and easily won the first game through the depth of the lineup.

Game2

Jordan's face was ashen, and he always asked for instructions not to replace him unless he wanted to rest.

Then Jordan didn't ask for a rest all night.

He played the full 48 minutes, blasting Miller and Houston inside and out, scoring 55 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, leading the Blazers to capture Yindianyuan, and the score was tied 1-1.

"We can't let Jordan do whatever he wants!"

The loss in Game 2 made Tomjanovich furious. They must not be dragged into Game 7 by the Blazers, because the biggest flaw of this Knicks is the lack of a Jordan-like player who can break the ball when the stalemate is deadlocked. player of.

Tomjanovich invoked the "Jordan Law."

Jordan's treatment of "rules" has long been less immature than it was back then, but a strong defensive team like the Knicks, they used "rules" to limit Jordan, it's just a question of how much.

When Jordan couldn't get a feel for the game quickly, the Blazers needed someone else to step up.

Da Meng is the one who has to come forward.

Tonight, Da Meng kept asking for the ball, trying to penetrate Ewing's defense.

In fact, at the one-on-one level, he did it.

In the whole game, Big Dream had 14 rounds to choose and Ewing singled out, of which 9 rounds were successful.

Ewing's one-on-one defense can be penetrated, not only by Big Dream, but also by Sampson, O'Neal, and sometimes, even David Robinson.

But Ewing may be the only super insider other than Sampson who understands that individual wins and losses are not enough to change the outcome of a game.

Ewing's defense was blown up by Dameng at a single point, but his influence of help defense did not decline, and he never lost his mind and fell into a foul crisis because he was continuously scored on himself.

Ewing opened the game with a 90-point defensive coercion. At the end of the game, he could still maintain this defense. The big dream could break Ewing's defense, but others couldn't.

Ewing's assist defense, restricted area sweeps, pick-and-rolls, screens, and offense-ending skills after pick-and-rolls are all top-notch in the league.

Da Meng scored 35 points and 12 rebounds to win the personal duel, while Ewing led the team to win with 16 points, 15 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 blocks.

2 to 1

In this campaign, Jordan "only" scored 32 points, and the Blazers lost 14 points in the end.

"Patrick, what do you think of people saying that you got away with the liveliness of Reggie Miller and Scottie Pippen?"

The Portland media asked very unkindly.

Ewing killed and said: "Isn't this my honor? You can ask Michael if he wants to have such a teammate."

It was so clear that the Blazers would lose to the Knicks by a double-digit margin when Jordan was below 40 points.

Sure enough, Jordan publicly attacked his teammates after G3.

He feels that the team is not tough enough, the defense is not tough enough, the offense is not decisive enough, and some veterans have problems with their minds, pointing the finger at Insaiah Thomas and Dennis Rodman.

Thomas has nothing to say. He was originally an advantage point for the Blazers, and a major injury took this advantage away. He found that he could no longer do what he could do casually in the past.

But Rodman has no corresponding self-consciousness.

He humiliated Jordan in the locker room: "The biggest difference between you and Benj is that you never know how to be a good boss. You are not as good as that idiot Ewing. He at least knows to hold Benj's thighs at critical moments, and you always I just think that someone else is holding you back, and I don't care about you so much, how can a pig like you win the championship!"

The Blazers' locker room was out of control, and in order to stabilize Jordan, Lilly greatly reduced Rodman's playing time in the fourth game.

As a result, Sean Kemp directly superseded, smashed Clifford Robinson's defense face-to-face, scored a series-high 39 points, led the Knicks to an away victory, and took a 3-1 lead in the Rose Garden. 3 match points in hand.

At this point, the Knicks can be described as winning.

Lai Li, who is not a person inside or outside, knows very well that if Rodman is not put in his original position, the Knicks will easily win the championship in the fifth game. Therefore, he went to Jordan to discuss the matter. The latter's thoughts on Lai Li No objection.

Rodman returned to his original position and began the "performance" of the enemy's best sixth man.

First of all, he made Kemp uncomfortable on the defensive end. Under Rodman's marking, Kemp's hit rate was less than 40%.

That's Rodman's only positive contribution.

Rodman grabbed rebounds greedily, whoever grabbed his rebounds, he would get angry. Laili asked him to provide more help to Olajuwon and Jordan, and Rodman retorted: "Let them tell me themselves!"

How could the arrogant Jordan bow to Rodman?

But Olajuwon still wanted to win the championship, so he turned to Rodman for help in Game 5 of the series.

However, Rodman's response completely disappointed Olajuwon: "Isn't it? You can't even do Patrick and still want to win the championship?"

YY

Rodman's tumor-like performance and negative influence completely angered the big dream.

However, despite Rodman's bastard, the Blazers still dragged the series to Game 6.

Tonight, Jordan scored the second 50 points in the series. After Da Meng was provoked by his teammates, he completely blew Ewing, the audience was 40+10, and the internal and external dual cores scored 90+ points. Brought the series back to Madison Gardens.

On the eve of Game 6 of the finals, Louie, who was nervously preparing for the draft in Los Angeles, received an invitation from New York.

Although he has been away from New York for two years, he still has a VIP seat in the front row at Madison Gardens.

The Knicks wanted to invite him to watch the game.

This approach can be explained in many ways. The worst explanation is that the Knicks want to prove that they can still win the championship without Louis. The best explanation is that they hope that Leader Lu, who built the Knicks dynasty with one hand, will come back to witness their eighth championship.

However, Louie is now the president of the Lakers, and this year's draft is very important to them. It is impossible for him to take the time to watch the Knicks game.

So for this invitation, he declined and made a serious explanation.

That night, Ewing made a rare call.

He was very direct, and when he came up, he asked Louis, "Can't you really come to watch the game?"

"Really not." Louis laughed, "Anyway, whether I go or not, you can win the championship."

"It would make more sense if you were there," Ewing said.

"Hmph, don't be so pretentious, Patrick." Louie said on the phone, "Go and prove to everyone that you are the number one center in the world."

Game6 is a complete game.

Why do you say complete? Because this game is full of on-the-spot drama that all kinds of dramas need.

First of all, Ewing is full of strength when he comes up, and his shooting feel is like a god, and he is in a state where he will not lose no matter how much he shoots.

Therefore, Lai Li hopes that Rodman will help Da Meng share the defensive pressure.

As a result, Rodman retorted: "I'm too lazy to help that bitch!"

Laili was furious, but did not dare to replace Rodman. But Rodman didn't need him to be replaced, and after a few minutes, he was on the court to stir up trouble and was ejected by the referee.

The big dream is far inferior to Ewing on the defensive end, but tonight, Ewing seems to be even better than him on offense.

This leaves Da Meng desperately looking for offensive opportunities.

Jordan is still the same Jordan, desperate to drag the series to Game 7. He gets the ball, jumps, hits back, drives, fast breaks, counters, blocks, steals... He does everything and shows a terrible desire as if those things are as important as oxygen.

The Knicks don't have a 2 to contend with.

But Miller has a three-pointer, and Houston can make a mid-range shot. They both have a skill. Although they were blown up by Jordan, they could seize the opportunity to bite the other side.

Stockton played the best performance in history against the Blazers, constantly sending assists, allowing Ewing, Miller, Kemp, and Houston to have easy scoring opportunities.

But tonight's protagonist is still Ewing.

He's still doing the things he usually does, just more and better than usual.

Those unshakable positions, those rock-solid pick-and-rolls and screens, those pick-and-roll catch-and-shoots that were just right, those Georgetown-esque post-up combos, those defenses, those energy, those desires, those things Louis had high hopes for. , burst out the brightest light on this night.

Jordan tried his best to attack, but no matter what he did, the difference was 5 points.

Until the end of the game, 116 to 110.

4 to 2

The Knicks beat the Blazers for their eighth championship in nine years.

Ewing scored 42 points, 19 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 blocks, averaging 23 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists and 5.5 blocks per game in the series, and was undisputedly elected the finals MVP.

"From now on, I've got one more ring than Benj," Ewing told NBC's reporter at the ceremony.

Dolan and his son were very excited at the scene. This is their second year in charge of the team. Such a championship gives them the illusion that it is easy to succeed in the NBA~www.novelmt.com~ Tom Janovy with infinite emotions in his heart Qi said the classic words on the championship stage: "There are many people who want to see us fail, because the success of the New York team is always more likely to attract hatred. When we fail, everyone spurns us, those people Said, without Louis, we will achieve nothing. However, this is the most precious treasure that Louis left for us. No matter when and where, you can believe that we can complete the Jedi counterattack. For those who are hostile to us and despise us, Haters who were surprised by this result, I have only one word - never underestimate the heart of a champion!"

The Knicks were celebrating, and Portland was emotional.

The irrational Jordan completely broke the defense when asked by reporters what aspects he should improve to help the team win the championship.

"I'm averaging 40 **** points!" Jordan roared frantically. "Why the **** do you always want me to do better? Why can't my teammates do better? Why can't I have one time? Feel like a teammate can help? Why? Why do I have to take it all? Why do I have to take it all alone? Why me? Why? Why do I do everything and still can't win? Why? Why? Why? I can't Endure such failure again!

! "

Jordan left the press conference with red eyes.

This is undoubtedly a terrible news accident.

It's also Jordan's version of "Are we talking about training?" that's been with Iverson for the rest of his life.

It is foreseeable that the three words "why" will also accompany Jordan to the end of his career.

Read the rest, only noise latest chapter please follow()