basketball never sleeps

Chapter 231 Listen, I promise

"That is to say, if this subsidy policy is really passed, then no matter how much the subsidy amount is in the end, when accepting the subsidy we must renew the stadium contract and promise not to move out within a certain number of years?" Presti asked with a frown.

"Yes, most subsidy policies come with conditions. I can strive for more room for maneuver for the team within this framework, but the framework itself is formulated by them and is impeccable in terms of fairness and reasonableness." The bespectacled lawyer explained seriously.

"Fuck, what I want is not a bet on renovation subsidies. If they really want to keep the team, they should approve the 5 million budget for the construction of the new stadium. Renovating the stadium is useless!" Bennett kicked the table in annoyance.

"But if we refuse, it will be difficult for us to use profit issues as an excuse in the future." Presti looked at Bennett in embarrassment.

"Don't tell me that. I had already thought of this when that damn bastard congressman brought it up to me. What I asked was what should we do!"

“…wait, wait for the bet project to fail in the referendum, or wait for the bet’s additional clauses to expire.”

The lawyer at the side said helplessly, "Of course there is another possibility. The team's performance is too poor, which makes us unable to obtain sufficient subsidies, so we can negotiate on the subsidy amount and the length of stay in the team, but..."

Bennett thought for a moment, his eyes lit up and he looked at Presti, but Presti shook his head at him.

"The team's transactions need to be reported to the league for approval. If the chips are not equal and involve insider trading, the league has the right to stop and investigate according to regulations."

"Then let them investigate! We are just doing a business deal! There will always be times when you suffer losses when doing business, right?" Bennett said without any scruples.

"The problem is not this. The main thing is that the league or Mr. Stern does not encourage or even hates the teams' tanking behavior. If you want to move away from the team, you must first get the league's approval, so..." Presti spread his hands.

Dead end.

The so-called choice is nothing more than the difference between buying funds or buying stocks when 5000 companies are diving.

"Fuck!" Bennett couldn't understand how the congressman came up with such a vicious proposal.

"Boss, you don't have to worry too much. It's still a question whether such a high-budget clause can be passed. Moreover, think about Mo's operations during the offseason. The team's situation may not be ideal in the future..." Presti comforted him against his will.

In fact, with his ability, he can see the team's thriving trend, but there is really no solution at the moment.

Bennett let out a long breath, but the unhappiness in his heart was still hard to dissipate. He walked to the window and looked at the nearly full auditorium below. The feeling of making money made him even more crazy.

Damn, why is it so difficult to lose money these days!

……

That night, Nester from the NBA Commissioner's Office reviewed the email edited by his secretary, and then sent it out using the commissioner's account with satisfaction.

The content of the document is very simple. It simply praises and encourages Bennett for this wave of hype operations in cooperation with the Seattle municipal government, expresses the league's support, and hopes that he can do a good job in Seattle.

"It's easy to work with smart people. Adam, do you understand Clayton (Bennett)'s operation?"

Stern took a sip of coffee and looked at the little bald guy who looked like a "little Xiaozi" beside him with an instructive attitude.

"Now, I think I understand it." The little bald man nodded confidently to Stern.

"Before taking over Seattle, Mr. Bennett had been announcing that he would buy a team and bring it back to his hometown, using his natural identity background to put pressure on the Seattle municipal government and local fans."

"Then, right after buying Seattle, they announced an impossible new arena plan, giving them the legal means to move out of the arena."

"At this point, whether it's finding an excuse to move the team away or forcing the Seattle municipal government to provide subsidies, the initiative is already in Mr. Bennett's hands." The little bald man raised his glasses with his hand, and a touch of classic insight flashed across the lenses.

"The so-called gambling subsidy by the Seattle municipal government is just a cover to silence citizens and an excuse to save face. After all, although the NBA is not short of miracles, the championship never relies on miracles. So, I guess they must have discussed the subsidy amount privately and formulated this seemingly harsh gambling agreement based on the results."

"However, I think Mr. Bennett is still a little overconfident. Player injuries are difficult to avoid. If they are not handled properly, the benefits of their bets will be greatly reduced."

Stern nodded with satisfaction. Apart from anything else, his deputy was very professional in business.

"You're right. Some accidents are unavoidable. But, Adam, do you know what the job of an air traffic control tower is?"

"The Heat have shown people what strength is king in the past two years, so much so that many people no longer believe in miracles."

"Perhaps the Heat will continue their conquest, but to a limited extent I don't mind adding a little more luck to that lucky little guy."

"The Sonics need a miracle, Seattle needs a miracle, and the league needs a miracle."

After saying this, Stern took another sip of coffee.

"Yeah, too much sugar."

……

In the crowded Key Arena, the DJ played preset songs one after another without even tuning the sound.

"Hey man, play some exciting music! Our players are about to go on the court." The control keeper came over and patted him on the shoulder.

DJ raised his eyebrows, gave a mysterious smile, and shook his head.

"unnecessary."

"Huh?" (Cat sticks his head out.jpg)

"Wait for my trump card!"

DJ curled his lips and pointed at himself with his thumb confidently.

The person in charge twitched his lips and asked hesitantly.

"Can you do it?"

"It's not about whether I can do it or not. You should ask Mo."

The person in control seemed to have thought of something and his eyes widened.

"That song... is it Mo's?"

"Bingo!"

DJ snapped his fingers.

"Can you tell me the name of this song?" The man's eyes were shining, just like an ordinary fan.

But DJ didn't tell him directly, but made a "listen" gesture to him.

In the Sonics locker room, Mo Wen was conducting the routine pre-game mobilization.

"Are you ready guys?"

"Yeah!!!"

"What are we?"

"Supersonic!"

"Where are we going?"

"Right above it!"

Just as the Sonics in the player tunnel raised their hands and shouted "end", the song "Fighter" familiar to the fans on the field also came to an abrupt end.

Just when the fans were all wondering, the sound of a trumpet broke the sudden silence like a sneak attack.

Followed by piano, drums, bass guitar... complex but not noisy.

The song doesn’t have a single word of lyrics, but the energy and hope it contains can make everyone who hears it feel real and excited.

The Sonics players who came out to the audience following this song all had the urge to sing, "We are five-star high school students, come on, buddy can beat ten of them."

"His speed is like lightning, his jump is like flying, his three-pointer is like Apollo's sword, he is our sharpest blade, let us cheer for him loudly, welcome Ray Allen!" Although the DJ in the stands did not want to disrupt the music, as a professional, he still passionately introduced the players to the fans.

"He is an angel shining on the court. His dexterity and sharpness are amazing... Please cheer for him, Dak Milicic!"

"He is the perfect combination of speed and strength, his flying dunks are amazing, and his defense is like Hercules... Let us warmly welcome Tyson Chandler!"

To be honest, although most people are "old guys" who have experienced many ups and downs, many people are still embarrassed by the somewhat childish introduction words accompanied by this passionate music.

But no matter how embarrassing it is, everyone is still looking forward to how DJ will introduce Mo Wen in the end.

"Finally, let's give the warmest applause to welcome the 2004 championship winner, 2005 second team second defense, MIP, championship and FMVP winner, 2006 first team first defense, championship and FMVP winner, our new king, the king—More Winnnn!"

It was a long string, and by the time the DJ finished reading, the music, which was not long to begin with, was over.

Mo Wen raised his hand in response to the fans around him who stood up and cheered for him.

"Mo!"

The DJ who was supposed to finish the performance returned at this moment.

"Mo, you will lead us down there, right?!"

The sudden situation took most people by surprise.

But Mo Wen asked the host for the microphone as if he had expected it.

"Is the song just now good?" Mo Wen did not rush to reply to the DJ but looked at the audience around him.

“Sounds great!!”

After a brief pause, the audience on the sidelines gave a warm response.

"I wrote it." A proud smile appeared on Mo·Qiubujiao·Wen's face.

"WOW!!" The audience in the audience shouted in surprise.

"Do you know the name of this song?" Mo Wen asked again, but this time he didn't wait for the fans to guess and answered himself.
"Right above it!"

Mo Wen turned around and glanced at his teammates.

“But this song actually has another name.”

"Listen, I promise." Mo Wen tapped his heart with the microphone and then pointed it at the DJ.

The music that just ended suddenly sounded again from the climax.

But the music didn't last long before it was drowned out by the cheers of the audience.

But this thunderous cheer still failed to shake the confidence revealed by the grinning man on the court.

Stern was watching the live broadcast with his mouth open, as if he saw the figure of the boiled egg again.

“Are there really born superstars in this world?”

……

"This guy is so crazy! Even crazier than that Bryant!" Rajabell, who was standing opposite, tugged at Nash's jersey.

"Although he is very strong, he obviously doesn't take us seriously by talking like that, don't you think so, Steve?" Marion thought of the old grudges and touched Nash's head angrily.

"Damn, I've disliked this guy for a long time. If he dares to make a promise, we will break his promise!" Jaylen Rose, who was traded to the Knicks and then pardoned to join the Suns, elbowed Nash with jealous eyes.

My face turned green.

No, what do you mean? You think the opponent is pretending to be annoying, and then you click on me?
Everyone in the world knows that the person who has the deepest grudge between the Suns and Mo Wen is Nash.

Last year, Mo Wen snatched away the assist king title and then lost the MVP title.

The status of the No. 1 active point guard and one of the top five point guards in history, which was originally a sure thing, was reduced to that of an ordinary superstar of the era.

Even the most indifferent person to fame and fortune cannot remain indifferent to this situation.

But I also know my own worth.

I'm still counting on you, if you don't stand up, how can you rebel against me?

Mo Wen's gaze on the court also fell on Nash.

If he didn't think it was impolite, he would have patted Nash on the shoulder.

Now I'll leave it to you, ma'am.

……

As the stadium was ready, the fans on the sidelines gradually cooled down from their enthusiasm.

All glory must be won on the battlefield in the end. Whether it is a lie or a prophecy will be revealed after the game.

At this point, many people can feel the danger if they look at the stadium again.

Opening game?
It’s no exaggeration to say that this is a life-and-death battle for the supersonic speeds.

The Seattle municipal government’s $2.6 million bet was hyped up at the start, but if they lose the opening game, everything will collapse at the speed of light.

Many people think that Mo Wen chose the wrong opponent.

Although the Supersonics won two consecutive games at the start, their opponents were just the bottom-ranked teams and bad teams in the Northwest Division.

As for the Suns, not to mention the glory of last season, at the beginning of the season, they defeated the Spurs first and then the Clippers. The value of their two consecutive victories against strong playoff teams is obviously much higher than that of the Supersonics.

Even with the home field advantage, the Sonics' foundation for reorganizing the team cannot be changed.

After witnessing everything in the private room, Bennett also came out of his sad state.

I didn't expect that, with mountains and rivers so high and rivers so deep that there seemed to be no way out, Mo Wen went straight to a dead end!
Can the Suns be challenged by a reorganized team like the Supersonics?

It's stable, this wave is stable!
The betting agreement hasn't come into effect yet, and the Supersonics are already -10!
As both sides took up their positions, the Suns players all looked towards Mo Wen unconsciously without exception.

Feeling the unfriendly gaze from the opposite side, Mo Wen was not panicked at all and even grinned at me.

The current Suns lineup has not changed much from history, and there is no doubt that they are strong.

Historically, if Horry had not set the stage by himself, and Dio and Stoudemire were suspended in the decisive game, the winner of that series would be unknown, and it can even be said that the ownership of the championship would be questionable.

But that's the Suns that have been well-adjusted.

Now Stoudemire has just returned from injury and was able to play for only ten minutes in the first two games. Dio also had surgery in the summer and his playing time also needs to be controlled. With both inside players unable to perform, the Suns are far from being that scary.

Not to mention, the gap between him and Nash in personal strength...

There’s no need to say anything unpleasant.

Suns starting lineup: Nash, Barbosa, Raja Bell, Marion, Kurt Thomas;
Barbosa had to fill the starting spot because Rajabell moved to the front line. Jaylen Rose was too slow to keep up with the starting lineup.

Sonics starting lineup: Mo Wen, Ray Allen, Gay, Milicic, Tyson;

Considering the speed of defending the Suns, Gay got the chance to start in place of Damien.

The whistle blows for the ball.

With Stoudemire still on the bench, Tyson won the cheers of the home fans without much pressure.

The Suns, having anticipated this, quickly took up a defensive formation.

After two years of hard work, even if D'Antoni still doesn't pay much attention to it, he has to face up to the value of defense.

Especially when the rhythm was not set, the defense arranged by Suns assistant coach Gentry was still quite good.

Lagabell led the defense, Marion assisted in the cleanup, and Kurt Thomas waited in the pit.

It also looks layered.

But the problem is that Nash and Barbosa cannot provide positive defensive value.

Other teams have two people defending one superstar, but the Suns want one person to defend two superstars.

Mo Wen saw that the Suns' retreat was quite orderly, so he did not pass the ball randomly.

He made a gesture to his teammates to move away and was ready to duel.

It is important to show momentum in the first shot of the game. It is safe to just call for a pick-and-roll against Nash or Barbosa, but it is somewhat inconsistent with his explosive opening.

From a rational point of view, it is stupid for someone like Kobe to pick on the opponent's defensive experts and force them to play.

But this is also the simplest and most direct way to prove one's superstar ability.

Lagabell took a deep breath. Ever since he choked Kobe in the playoffs last season, he has made his future clear.

After learning that Mo Wen came to the West, he spent the entire offseason studying this man who snatched Nash's assist title.

After watching a lot of Mo Wen's game videos and studying Mo Wen's detailed data, he has developed a complete methodology on how to defend Mo Wen last season.

Today is the day for him to blossom and bear fruit!

The alternating dribbling between the legs, the sudden change of direction by Hardaway, the lateral pull and then the breakthrough... I have seen through you!

As Mo Wen completed his familiar starting move, countless scenarios of Mo Wen breaking through him had already gone through Lagabel's mind.

[With this shoulder and ankle movement, you need to break through to the right! ]

Sliding to block Mo Wen's breakthrough path, Lagabel was ready to appreciate Mo Wen's surprised expression.

His prediction was correct. Mo Wen did choose the right road, but the imagined forced stop did not occur. Instead, a huge force came and pushed Rajabel forward.

Boom—tap—boom!

Kurt Thomas was still guarding Tyson, but when he turned around, Mo Wen was already in the frame.

The fans at the scene couldn't help but cheer for this goal.

Congressman Mark, who was sitting in the front row, jumped up excitedly with his son.

Dunking is always the best way to arouse the enthusiasm of fans.

Looking at his teammates' inquiring eyes, Rajabel touched his nose.

He was just careless just now, or he hadn't gotten into the groove yet. Otherwise, there was no way to explain how Mo Wen could break through his defense so easily.

The Suns counterattacked, and the speed of "Brazilian Lightning" + "Son of the Wind" was really unique in the league. The speed of leaving you behind at a moment's notice fully demonstrated the tactic of using space to trade time.

The two sides tied 2:2.

Coming back, Rajabell still doesn't want support and continues to defend alone.

After changing direction several times, Mo Wen created half a body's worth of space and used his body to break through again. Rajabell failed to hold him back. Mo Wen went in to attract Marion's help in defense and then passed the ball to Milicic.

Milicic easily scored a layup in an open position and made a mid-range shot.

On the other hand, the Suns continued to play a fast-paced fast break. Nash was aware of his disadvantages. It would be suicidal to compete with Mo Wen in positional warfare efficiency. The two had experienced this countless times before.

The swingman's body size is a bug among point guards, there is no comparison at all.

However, even though the tempo was picked up, the Suns still did not gain any advantage.

The Sonics have more players who can rush to the basket, they are taller, and have good athletic ability. Their fast break efficiency cannot be matched until their two inside players return to full health.

Unexpectedly, the first person to lose his mentality was not Nash, who was called out by Mo Wen later, but Rajabell, who was initially defending Mo Wen.

He had spent most of the offseason preparing for the technical-style defensive guidelines, but when he turned around, he saw Mo Wen actually starting to use the physical style!
　It seems like I still haven’t coded enough and I can’t hold on any longer. I’ll go to sleep first and make up for it later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)