basketball never sleeps

Chapter 218 Go and win the three consecutive championships!
"Mo, we have the champion!"

When NBA vice president Russ Granik opened the envelope, slowly read the name of the Hornets, and showed the name on the card to the camera, Bosh and the new Raptors general manager Colangelo jumped together on TV. stand up.

The Raptors joined the league for the 11th season. They finally moved the league by paying the luxury tax. In addition, Stern is eager to expand overseas markets, and he is still thinking about building a cross-server team in Europe. , in line with the principle of "fairness, impartiality and openness", the Raptors finally "lucky" won the first No. [-] pick in team history.

The brothers who watched the lottery together expressed their congratulations to Bosh happily.

There is no doubt that the Raptors will get a wave of super reinforcements in the offseason, and this guy finally has a chance to show his face in the playoffs.

Although this year is a small draft year, the No. [-] pick is still very bluffing. Looking at the past years, as long as the selection is not too unexpected, it is not a big problem to be a quasi-All-Star.

For Toronto, which can't attract any stars, this No. [-] pick is likely to be a turning point in the next decade.

Bosh was also excited and showing off, and called Mo Wen.

After the routine congratulations to Bosh, Mo Wen suddenly thought of something.

"Chris, I wonder if you have ever cared about this year's draft predictions?"

"what?"

There was a little doubt in Bosh's voice. He had just established himself as the absolute core this year, and he was still quite immature, and he didn't care so much about his teammates' problems.

Moreover, it is not popular for players to participate in the draft these days. Even if you are a leading player, at most you will ask you what type of teammates you want to partner with.

Mo Wen recalled the news he got when communicating with Ah Lian some time ago, and said with a smile:

"If I remember correctly, the top five picks in this year's draft prediction list are all outsiders, and they are still at the bottom. In the draft predictions given by some organizations, even the top five picks are all insiders."

"5...power forwards."

As soon as Mo Wen's voice fell, Bosh's expression on the other end of the phone froze.

Although Bosh's height is enough, he also played a center for a while last season because of the team's staffing problems, but he has not gained weight, and he wants to be Garnett's second.

If the team picks a No. [-] power forward at this time...

Fake!

Bosh, who was still excited for the team just now, suddenly became extremely complicated.

Don't think about it, the first No. [-] pick in team history, even if it is a young draft, the team will not trade it out, and the selected people will definitely be cultivated as the core.

If possible, choose an outside line, a standard center, or a small forward. In fact, if he plays well, the team can choose a power forward...

It hurts!

On the other side, Milicic and Anthony were happy after thinking about it for a while.

This situation is indeed embarrassing enough.

Milicic secretly sighed with some regret.

It would be great if the Raptors could get the No. 7 pick to the Sonics. The Sonics have two first-round picks this year, one is the No. 29 pick that they got by themselves, and the other is the No. [-] pick that was acquired by the Bobcats traded for Lewis. .

If there is no accident, it will be difficult to grab the five power forward "potential stocks" mentioned by Mo Wen, and the Sonics' reserves at the fourth position after Lewis' departure are much weaker, which is also a position that urgently needs signings.

It's really a drought, a drought, and a flood.

Bosh was still struggling, thinking about how to prevent the Raptors from picking a champion who overlapped with him, but Mo Wen hung up the phone and dialed Ah Lian's number.

This kid is also one of the five power forwards that Mo Wen said is expected to be selected in the top five. He and Sun Yue and Tang Zhengdong, who are both predicted to be at the end of the second round of the draft, have already been in trial training for a month.

Yi Jianlian, who received the call, also watched the draft just now, and was very excited, because the Hornets who got the second pick and the Bulls who got the third pick (a gift from New York) both expressed their gratitude to him in the previous trial. In order to be optimistic, although there is no clear commitment, his performance in the trial training is better than Tyrus Thomas and Sheldon Williams.

Mo Wen was not surprised by this. Ah Lian entered the youth team in 00 and the first team in 02. If he hadn’t come to the NCAA this year, he would have been a member of Hongyuan’s three-peat championship dynasty. In terms of professional experience Ah Lian is no worse than the original Dayao. In this time and space, he has adapted to American college basketball for a year in advance. It would be strange if he couldn't hold down a few parallel players whose names he couldn't remember clearly.

The 06 draft can be said to be the worst one after 00.

So much so that in the US media's rearrangement of the top picks over the years, the top pick of the 06 session turned out to be Lowry, one of the "garbage brothers"...

However, these so-called rearrangements are Tu Yile. In fact, with Aldridge, Lowry will not be able to get the No. [-] pick a hundred times. However, this is enough to show the lack of talent in this year's draft.

The Heat players who were idle and bored also discussed possible signings after the team in the hotel room.

After the 3:0 game in the Eastern Conference finals, the Heat have already played with absolute confidence. The whole team believes that the Heat can successfully defend the title. Taboo.

Several old players hope that the Heat can continue the magic of signings in the previous two years in the summer, so that the Heat can continue to easily defend their title next season.

The Heat's salary space is not that big, because only Mo Wen and Rasoul are leaving, and if they are missing, including the salary increase of the rookies, there is only a difference of 200 million to sign a veteran before reaching the hard salary cap.

The mid-level exception was also used when signing Walker and Finley last year.

But fortunately, the Heat's future draft picks are still in their hands. There is a real opportunity to overdraw and build a dynasty in the future, and Riley will definitely not let it go.

Wade did not follow this group of old guys to discuss this seemingly casual but depressing topic.

He also came to the balcony and looked at the scenery as if nothing had happened.

The hotel where the Heat stayed is located on the banks of the Detroit River, and it still has the atmosphere of a modern city as far as the eye can see.

The gardens and roads that are still being repaired not far away seem to show the city's "healthy" metabolism to the outside world.

But when the dust fell from the dead chimneys, the old factory buildings whined along with the wind, and the air that had been turbid due to the dust in the past was only left with the stench passing through the old neighborhood——

Everything tells that the city has come to an end.

The Pistons won the championship two years ago, which also made the city look radiant, but it turns out that it was only a flashback.

With more and more debt, and fewer and fewer companies paying taxes, the current mayor, using the pretext of being a fake among the elite, insists on borrowing money to build, squeezing the last foundation of Detroit.

It is a pity that the blacks who hold most of the votes cannot understand the public financial statements of the municipality, but those who can understand have basically sold their houses early and fled the city.

After hanging up the phone, Mo Wen noticed Wade's arrival, but didn't say anything. The two sat on the chairs and watched the sunset cast a red carpet on the river.

As the gray sky rose from the east and the evening wind blew up the coolness, the two got up and returned to the room in a tacit understanding.

"Theo (Wade's wife) is pregnant again recently, are you interested in being the godfather of our third child?" Wade pretended to be nonchalant and patted Mo Wen on the shoulder.

"Pregnant again?" Mo Wen was a little surprised. History seemed to have changed slightly. In history, Wade should have had two children with this wife.

"Congratulations, but you'd better let UD come. I'm leaving soon, and I can't see the little guy a few times a year... When he is sensible, he watches his godfather beat his father every day, you say Who should he cheer for?"

The relationship between the Big Three of the Heat is good, but to be more specific, the relationship between Mo Wen and O'Pang, two outsiders, is closer, while Wade prefers to find Haslem, who joined the Heat with him, to play with.

Of course, in addition to the division of the relationship between natives and outsiders, there are also income reasons.

"I will defeat you." Wade's eyes were firm and confident, and his tone was full of affirmation.

"Wherever you go, I will, I will beat you."

After getting enough team honors, Wade's self-awareness also began to awaken. Whether it's keeping warm and thinking about sex, or knowing etiquette with sufficient resources, further pursuit of personal value must be the choice of all ambitious players. .

Mo Wen was taken aback for a moment, then smiled.

Drink and grow up.

"Riley wanted me to give you up in the Finals, but I still say, I won't show mercy to anything but Miami."

"You don't need to let me, I won't lose to you this time!" Wade raised his cheeks proudly, full of confidence.

……

Eastern finals G4.

The Pistons fans who were convinced did not come up with the extreme plot of planting bombs in the arena last year.

But their frenzy didn't cut it by much.

At night, many fans gathered under the hotel building to set off fireworks and hold an open-air concert.

They are still fighting for an advantage for the team in their own way.

The former defensive core Big Ben is likely to leave during the offseason. If the rumors are true, this may be the last Pistons Five Tigers.

Under this premise, even if they fail, everyone hopes that they can have a decent ending.

If you fall behind 0:3, you can't turn it over, but at least you have to win the next game, right?

Stern, who lives in the hotel on the other side of the heat, looked at the scene in front of him happily.

The Eastern Conference Finals has lost suspense, and he also came to Detroit with the Eastern Conference Finals trophy that has not been renamed.

Standing on the president's little bald head, he hesitated to speak several times.

Finally, after making sure that no one would disturb him, the little bald head couldn't help but express his thoughts.

"President, I think it is necessary for us to extend this round of the series for the next game. We have two years left in our broadcast contract. This year's ratings have finally increased, so we should play a few more games!"

The president frowned, then wrinkled, and then let go. A classic smile appeared on his face, but his whole expression revealed a bit of dissatisfaction.

"I remember what I taught you before, Adam."

"The best actor is one who makes people forget he's an actor, and the best script is one that makes the audience not realize it's a script."

"The NBA is a commercial league. Everyone who relies on the league to make money knows it, but everyone has a consensus that fans should not know or be aware of this."

"Of course, the magic of a story comes from the unknown, and so does the game of basketball."

"From this point of view, the strength of the Heat will undoubtedly destroy this unknown, let the Heat lose one or two games, leave suspense and imagination for the fans, and make the game more attractive, don't you think so? "

Hearing this, the little bald head nodded fiercely.

This is not only what he thinks, Stern has done it according to this idea before, and even said that Stern has done the thing of directly using the whistle to make the suspense real for the sake of traffic, and the league has long had doubts about the follow-up fans. A set of mature operating templates for dealing with public opinion, which is why he put forward this idea without any scruples.

Stern sighed and shook his head again.

"It seems that you still didn't understand the first half of my sentence."

"When the NBA doesn't have a story, you can use some tools to create a story for the league."

"But when there is a natural legend in front of you, why do you want to make him an ordinary script?"

"The legend of the Heat lies in their strength and invincibility. If you want to forcibly create a story for the so-called suspense, then what you get may not be a story, but an accident."

The little bald head was stunned, but after thinking for a while, he was still not completely convinced, and wanted to say something to him, but he, who was good at observing words and expressions, saw the impatience in Stern's eyes, so he changed his expression and pretended to be "open." The appearance of being taught after enlightenment.

Stern seemed to see his reluctance, and let out a sigh of relief. He also knew that this kid was really thinking about the alliance, or for the sake of everyone's pocketbook, but the pros and cons of some things can't just be based on short-term interests. measure.

The old man nodded on the table, no matter what, entering the garbage time too early in the game will also affect the overall ratings——

"Give you three quarters, don't go too far, in the fourth quarter, no matter what, you have to hand over the game back to the players, it's a test for them."

……

Before the start of the game, everyone in the Pistons used the past few days to make a complete plan.

From offensive and defensive tactics, to serious and unscrupulous basketball skills.

From chicken soup for the soul, to pre-match preparations that advance both science and metaphysics.

Billups brought the beef burger his mother made for him during the championship the year before, Hamilton wore the same mask he wore when he won the championship, Ben wore his hair into the lucky afro of 04, and Rasheed Also put on his daughter to help him put on the red basket rope dead knot bracelet.

Without any assumptions, if they don't win this game, that will be their "last lesson" of the season.

They did all the preparations they could, but they were caught off guard when the game started.

Don't get me wrong, the accident didn't come from the Heat, it came from the referees.

The two Pistons outsiders with firm beliefs did not stimulate their shooting potential by the desperate situation, but accidentally activated the referee on the sidelines.

The Pistons have always pursued that the referee's whistle should be as loose as possible. This call made them feel nervous at first, thinking that today's penalty scale is so tight.

As a result, there was a lot of trouble, and only the Heat were tight.

Don't talk about breaking through, even if it's a shot that basically doesn't hit the whistle, it's well protected today.

Basically, it is a textbook-level penalty-that is, every penalty is due according to textbook standards.

Hamilton was blushing when he was blown. At the end of the first quarter, the referee blew his whistle once after he shot and hit the frame. At first, he thought it was him.

But unexpectedly, the referee actually gave a defensive foul to Rasul who was defending him...

Seeking truth from facts, the referee didn't say that he didn't call the Pistons' fouls at all.

But the gap between the whistleblowing standards of the two sides is equivalent to the gap between Qin Shihuang's "Qin Law" and "Old Liu Meng"'s "Three Chapters of the Agreement".

Wade, who has been taken care of by referees in history, has become the focus of referees today.

Because he has the least experience and the most impatient mentality.

After sensing the referee's intentions, the other veteran players restrained themselves.

Mo Wen directly brought out the defensive skills he had practiced in the "Joke Period" dungeon-bang bang and shot a three-pointer.

Yes, the [-]-pointer is the best defensive technique when you can't defend it.

In contrast, Billups and Hamilton started their careers as "comedians" after tasting the sweetness.

Free throws not only make it easier to score, but also hit the opponent in all directions on both ends of the offense and defense.

The idea is very good, but the two of them are not the kind of players who cheat and foul, and there is nothing to say about their acting skills.

Highlight one beyond words.

Compared with the later "Penalty Mamba", it is still a bit worse than Ajan who is not spreading his hands.

And blindly looking for free throws, it also affected the fluency of the Pistons' overall tactics.

The Pistons were able to lead in double figures at halftime. Thanks to O'Pang's steady performance of daily undercover, he made 10 of 3 free throws in the first half. The moved Detroit fans shouted "Shaq MVP". This is not an exaggeration. O'Pang's free throw hit The rate is around 37%.

He also set a record of missing 8 free throws in 8 consecutive games in two series, and the lower limit was bottomless.

However, with the gradual loosening of the referee in the third quarter, the Heat players who were silent in the first half gradually recovered their form.

Stuffed and excited, Wade thought he finally had a chance to gallop, but he reminded the referees with another dunk that their task was not done.

After two rounds, Wade received his fourth foul of today's game because of a pushing foul, and returned to the drinking fountain in a little confusion.

Pistons fans are extremely excited to see this situation.

One of the Big Three is down and one is out of order, leaving only Mo Wen. They still have the lead, and the Pistons players are in good condition. As long as they expand their advantage and stabilize the final quarter, isn't that all right?
Hey wait, why does the setting of this script feel a bit familiar...

Before the Pistons players and fans were happy, at the end of the third quarter, Mo Wen stood in the middle of the court holding the ball.

When Mo Wen waved his hands domineeringly and let the teammates pull away.

Finally someone remembered.

The 50+ triple-double was exactly the game where Mo Wen singled out the Pacers before!

"Consecutive dribbling, Mo relied on the rhythm to gain an open position again... Throwing, WOW, it's so smooth, and he still scored."

"Mo's left and right hand throws are too unreasonable. Looking at his throws, I feel that there is some wormhole directly connected to the basket in the sky above the court. Are more sure."

"Sudden acceleration, look, even if Wade is not on the court, the Heat can still play fast break...Unfortunately, Ben's defense is still a step behind."

"Turn off the lights, really, the best defense for the Pistons is probably to turn off the lights in time for a fast break like Mo's sudden shift in speed."

In the final quarter, with Wade's return and the whistle returning to normal, the repressed Big Three made their efforts together.

Even though Hamilton made 5 of 4 mid-range shots and Billups hit two key three-pointers in a row with a big heart, he still couldn't resist the Heat's offensive.

4: 0.

After the game, all the other Heat players wanted to be hugged, but Mo Wen was blatantly beaten by this group of bastards who wanted revenge.

"Go and win the three consecutive championships, you bastard!"

(End of this chapter)