basketball never sleeps

Chapter 243 The Glorious Era Returns

"He never smiled at the fans. In the past fifteen years, he has only left a gloomy face to the audience. He has set personal records that others can hardly match, but he has not won, earned, bought, stolen or picked up a championship ring."

This sentence comes from "Say Goodbye to the Sad Face of Despair", a "anti-thief manifesto" published in the New York Post in 2000 against a big man who refused to leave.

At the same time, a short guy also fell into a crisis of confidence.

Continuous negative personal news, discord between the coach and the generals in the locker room, and poor team performance have all become weapons for people to attack him. His trade has even gone through most of the process, but it failed to go through because his teammate Geiger, who was also the "commodity" in the trade, was unwilling to give up part of his salary, affecting the Pistons' salary space.

A year later, he broke all doubts with a miracle, and the trade of Iverson became a joke.

Six years have passed slowly on the train of time, and rumors of trading Iverson have once again appeared in the sky over Philadelphia.

Philadelphia fans are not as mean and indifferent as New York fans, so the media changed their way of expression.

A reporter selected and released a list of "City Heroes" at the beginning of the season.

Kobe, Garnett, Nowitzki...even people like James whose rookie contract has not yet expired are on the list, but Iverson is the only one missing.

Why? Because Iverson no longer seems irreplaceable.

As for who will replace Iverson in the future, will there be another result like the 92ers trading Bad Boys to assist the Suns in the 76 season, which was a loss at the expense of oneself and benefiting others... The atmosphere has been set to this point, why bother about those things!

This is also thanks to the 76ers' general manager Billy King. Since the end of last season, various media have been reporting a lot of "trade insider information" that came from nowhere, and the corresponding rumors have intensified in the summer.

Billy King's attitude towards the trade of Iverson seemed to be bearing and complying with the pressure of public opinion, changing from a tough rebuttal at the beginning to becoming more and more negotiable later on.

The media all think that Iverson must want to leave. He is already 31 years old and it is difficult to guarantee that he can maintain his condition for a few more years. The team is not competitive enough now. At least in the next three years, they don’t see any hope of winning the championship again.

He also "definitely and definitely" wants to leave!

Because this is in line with maximizing interests.

Although Iverson has been emphasizing that he really wants to spend the rest of his life in Philadelphia——

"If I leave Philadelphia one day, it will never be because I want to leave. I will only be sent away if the team trades me. ... I still love this city and I hope to stay. I can accept a career without a championship and be proud of my efforts."

"I'm not a deserter, I'm not a deserter, even though the task is difficult, I'm not used to dealing with simple things."

But the outside media could not withstand waves of questioning and so-called insider exposure, and most importantly, the team's tacit attitude of letting things go.

Have you eaten yet? When are you leaving? Where are you going? I heard that...

finally--

"Although I don't want to talk about this issue, I can't avoid it after all. I just want to say, please give me a clear explanation as soon as possible."

"I don't want my daughter to run to me and cry and ask her dad when we will move. She also hopes to have a clear answer as soon as possible, because her classmates ask her the same question every day - when will her basketball star dad leave Philadelphia? This is too cruel. She is still young. She shouldn't live in fear because of things between adults. That's too bad, so please give me a final answer as soon as possible, no matter what, it's up to you!"

……(The above are the original words of the interview)

The sky in Philadelphia is similar to that of Detroit, with the flavor of an old industrial base.

After getting off the plane, Mo Wen picked up a newspaper of the day from the airport. The front page was very eye-catching.

The Last Mile

In the player circle, everyone knows that Iverson has been put on the shelf by the 76ers, and it is only a matter of time before he is traded.

But when the real transaction news was released, everyone was still shocked.

Come on, this is AI, who has played for Philadelphia for 10 years and can be regarded as the symbol of Philadelphia!

Many Philadelphia fans will not deliberately imitate Iverson in various aspects like other fans, because they feel that they are Iverson and Iverson represents them.

In the summer, a fan of Kevin Johnson was shot for protecting his No. 3 jersey, and Iverson paid for his funeral.

The Carter trade caused a lot of trouble before, but when Carter chose to play badly as a means of resistance in order to leave the team, most of his halo was shattered. Iverson has been working diligently so far, and he even won the scoring title last season.

Perhaps the only people in Philadelphia who have a grudge against him are the 76ers management.

No one doubts his affection for Philadelphia.

"At the end of the day, business is business."

Payton tilted his mouth at the newspaper and shook his head.

There is also a close-up of Iverson on the cover of the newspaper, and the Chinese character tattoo on his neck is clearly visible.

"Loyalty"

Combined with his rebellious eyes, it seems to have a sense of black humor.

“Will this game be his last in Philadelphia?”

For some reason, Ray Allen was also feeling a little down at the moment.

"The report said that the trade negotiations have ended. If they submit it to the league for review, he may not be able to play tonight due to protection regulations." There was a hint of regret in Mo Wen's tone.

Theoretically, Iverson is not retiring. If he is traded to the Nuggets as in the original history, their future encounters may be more than if AI did not transfer.

But, without AI on the 76ers, it always feels like something is missing.

Mo Wen had competed with Iverson during the Nuggets' double-gun period many times in previous copies. It was hard to describe the difference, but it was obvious.

In fact, whether Iverson plays or not, there is no suspense in tonight's game.

Even though the 76ers have the second-highest salary expenditure in the league (including luxury tax expenditure of about 9600 million), surpassing the Mavericks, no one believes that the 76ers can pose a threat to the Supersonics.

——Of course, the highest-paid player can’t do that either. (The Knicks’ luxury tax is about $1.4 million.)
The 76ers had a good record at the beginning of this season, winning four games in a row, which seemed to be a sign of a comeback.

Then, I kept losing until now.

After a summer of rest, Webber's condition has not improved. His average points per game is almost falling below single digits, and his shooting percentage is even worse than Ben. His body now feels like he took too many blue pills when he was young and is now paying off the debt.

Of course, it is also possible that he was affected by the local feng shui and there were too many leaves flying.

As the first city to fall in "Zombie Nation", there are already a large number of "infected people" in the slums of Philadelphia. In the future, Kensington Avenue will be occupied by these "living zombies" who abuse drugs, forming a "beautiful landscape".

Third-year player Andre Iguodala is trying his best, but if trying hard is useful, then what is the point of having a genius?

The Supersonics were lucky, as the 76ers confirmed on the morning of the game that Iverson would still be able to play.

Maybe after the verbal deal was reached, Billy King came to his senses and realized that there was no need to send Iverson away in such a hurry. They could still sell a wave of sentimental tickets.

That night, the Wachovia Center's attendance was over 105%.

Although Billy King did not say that this was Iverson's last game in a 76ers uniform, no one dared to bet on the conscience of the capitalists. Even if it was not the last game, it was one less game to watch.

"7-time All-Star, 7-time All-NBA selection, 4-time scoring champion, 3-time steals champion, 2001 season MVP, he is the answer, from the University of Georgia, Allen——"

"Iverson!!!"

Iverson, who was the last to appear on the court, had a faint smile on his face and waved his hands to the fans around him. He didn't know how long it had been since he had heard such loud cheers, so long that he even forgot how to do his signature "listening" gesture.

There is a profound and timeless line in "The Legend of 1900" - the endless city has everything, except the end, which has no end.

He used to be so convinced, but now the flowers and cheers at the end tell him that there is no road without an end.

Amid the noise, both sides took their positions.

76ers: Allen Iverson, Andre Iguodala, Rodney Carney, Andre Iguodala, Dalembert;
Supersonics: Mo Wen, Ray Allen, Damien, Milicic, Tyson Chandler;
"I thought I could see your tears." Standing opposite Iverson, Mo Wen teased.

"A true 76er won't cry easily, even though crying doesn't mean weakness." Iverson bumped into Mo Wen's shoulder. "Also, what you said is really annoying, damn it."

"If you're angry... I'm quite happy. I just want to have another game with the 76ers' Answer. Tell me, am I wrong?" Mo Wen raised his eyebrows.

"Iverson is always Iverson." Iverson took a deep breath and pulled up his pants. "But Payton seems to have passed the title of bitch to you."

In fact, even without Mo Wen's stimulation, Iverson would definitely give his all today.

Because he originally wanted to have a good fight with Mo Wen.

In last season's playoffs, he tried his best but failed to win a playoff game from the Heat's Big Three. This season, he watched Mo Wen having a great time in Seattle.

Perhaps it was jealousy, or perhaps it was reluctance. He also wanted to win against Mo Wen in a fair fight.

As for the strength that Mo Wen had shown before, wasn’t that even better?
Snapped--

Tyson Chandler made a successful jump ball.

Mo Wen did not show off his ball control in front of the three-time steals champion. After the ball was passed to Ray Allen and passed through a circle, Iguodala became the one defending Mo Wen.

After all, the scenes in hot-blooded comics are difficult to replicate in reality. It is obviously an impossible task for Iverson, who weighs less than 75 kilograms, to defend Mo Wen, who weighs nearly kilograms. Even if Iverson is born with supernatural powers, it will not work because of the existence of Newton's third law in this world.

As for why an 82kg guard could defend against a nearly 120kg forward's back-to-the-basket attack, you'd have to ask the Trisolarans.

With the ball in hand, Mo Wen did not stick to it. Seeing Milicic push Webber away, he estimated the lead time and then passed it.

Weber's lateral movement obviously couldn't keep up, and Milicic pushed the ball into the goal easily.

Mo Wen and Iverson both wanted to have a good fight, but they both knew that the point of the fight was still the game, one-on-one or something. If they really wanted to fight, finding time for a one-on-one duel would be much more exciting than playing the whole game.

However, Iverson still glanced at Mo Wen with a mocking look.

What kind of man is it who picks on loopholes and weaknesses? If you have the ability, just take the ball and do it yourself!
Mo Wen also noticed Iverson's eyes, but didn't say anything and even glanced back. It was impossible for him to stick to the ball if his teammates had the opportunity. After all, he was still counting on his teammates to play well. You guys don't have a chance.

Iguodala was sandwiched between the two big guys, and his heart was in his throat as he watched their eye contact.

Then he thought about how he would be the boss after Iverson left, and would have to shoulder the responsibility of confronting Mo Wen… That would be fine, it seemed like he was doomed.

When it came back to the 76ers, Iverson pulled Webber to do a pick-and-roll on the outside.

Don't ask why he didn't just change direction and break through when facing Mo Wen, who obviously had a higher center of gravity than him. The reason he did it was to give his teammates a sense of participation.

Don't even mention that this 1900 million (Webber's annual salary this year) screen is the opening. Although Webber can't break up the ball and can't shoot accurately, Iverson is fast.

Milicic didn't switch defense, Mo Wen was a step slow in setting the screen, and Iverson shot.

wow——

The cheers of the fans drowned out the sound of the basketball hitting the net.

Because of Mo Wen's existence, there are very few outside shooters in this space and time who don't pay attention to three-point shooting, even including Xiao Pao.

After practicing three-pointers in the summer, Iverson's offensive threat after pick-and-roll was magnified by 10%.

Originally, after a pick-and-roll or a breakthrough, Iverson would either find space in the three-point step to shoot a long two-pointer, or he would need to pass three or four players to get to the basket. But after practicing three-pointers a little, he has a normal guard-level three-point shot, which is more efficient than his previous style of play.

Iverson is not a natural shooter, and he did not practice shooting enough in the past. Not to mention his mixed shooting percentage, his free throw percentage of less than 80% for many years is very telling.

But for a guard who doesn't train his strength much, a 35% three-point shot is not difficult to achieve, as long as he is willing to put in the effort.

Originally in history, Iverson's free throw percentage in the 15 games during this period reached a new high (88%), which means that he was not unable to practice shooting.

Iverson doesn't like training, but it's not that he doesn't know what he should train, nor is it that he is unwilling to work hard to improve himself.

A person works extremely hard on the court, has a strong desire to win, and knows that he is not good enough, but then he acts like a coward off the court. This kind of behavioral logic is usually used by academic masters to deceive people.

It can be said that Iverson off the court is very similar to Kobe on the court. They are rational and normal people most of the time, but they leave too deep an impression when they are irrational.

In the next round, Mo Wen saw that the 76ers had no obvious loopholes under the Sonics' running position, so he asked Damien to set a screen and started to call on Iverson.

Iverson grinned. Here it comes again. WW (Wen Wei) from last season’s playoffs is here again!
Iverson really has no good solution to this kind of roll call that involves weight and skill. As I said before, the action of force is mutual.

Iguodala wisely came up to protect the ball, forcing Mo Wen to turn his back to the basket.

The reason why Gay was not started today was to give full play to Damien's three-point shooting ability, and the 76ers knew this very well, so Rodney, who was defending Ray Allen, quickly rotated over to provide backup defense, and Dalembert in the interior was unwilling and could only move out to watch Ray Allen.

As for Tyson under the basket, there was nothing he could do. Webber, who had poor legs and feet, was still smoking with Milicic in the other corner. He could only wait a while before letting Dalembert suffer... if he could defend back.

Mo Wen raised the ball and observed his surroundings with his peripheral vision. He had a rough idea in his mind. He shook off the arms of the two men, squatted in a horse stance, straightened his body, twisted his hips, turned around and jumped... turned.

Tyson Chandler dunks directly in an alley-oop—BOOM!

Iverson shook his head helplessly. This is how he plays basketball. If he can't steal the ball, he can't force it.

76ers coach Cheeks was yelling at the players on the sidelines to speed up their rotations. Faced with Mo Wen's vision that seemed to have eyes behind his head, and with Iverson and Webber, the others had to fight hard on the defensive end.

The offense and defense changed, and Iverson had a strong desire to attack. Maybe Mo Wen's words stimulated him. Today he turned on the "full force" mode, depressing the pass button and just raising his hand to do it.

Was the defense targeted?

It doesn’t matter, he’ll fight back on offense!
With a hot hand and the cheers of the fans, teammates are all willing to cooperate in playing without the ball (spreading hands).

Until halftime, he scored 27 points!
He played so easily, as if he had forgotten something...

It's like the glorious days have returned again...

(End of this chapter)