NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

At the beginning of each season, the league will hold a team open day. On this day, a large number of media will flock to the training halls of each team, visit their training, participate in their work, and then conduct some interviews and ask players questions such as their outlook for the team's new season.

Then a lot of photos will be taken, which are the makeup photos and promotional photos of each team for each season.

This day is the annual team media day!
This is the day for teams to show goodwill, passion and confidence to their fans, the day for them to promote themselves, and the day for teams to show their determination before the season.

Normally, on this day, the league's top traffic teams, such as the Lakers, Knicks, Pacers, the teams with the most fans or the most money, will have countless reporters flocking to their media days, and it is very normal for the entire training hall to be packed with people.

As for those teams from small cities, small basketball markets, and mediocre team popularity, their media days are not deserted, but they are definitely not lively either. At most, the local media will go to interview them and give them face.

Each media outlet also needs to make a choice, because few media outlets can send people to every team, and even if you send people there, there will be no space to report on what you have interviewed, right?
Therefore, in previous years, each media outlet had absolutely enough manpower, and they would dispatch personnel to interview each team based on their own situations and objective reasons.

But the situation this year is indeed a bit special.

There are so many great teams!

Although Malone has left the Lakers, they still have the OK combination in their lineup. Their strength is still top in the league, and they are still the strongest contender for the Western Conference championship.

Although the Timberwolves are located in a remote area and are already very cold at this time, they have two top players in Garnett and Iverson this year, both of whom are top-notch in terms of strength and popularity. These two, in particular, complement each other.

Iverson can score and pass but can't defend, while Garnett can defend, pass and do everything except offense and scoring.

Add Szczerbiak, Sprewell and Cassell...

These five people are now together, at least from the perspective of account and compatibility, what a perfect match!
They are also seen as the team most likely to challenge the Lakers' throne in the entire Western Conference.

Then, the Supersonics and the Jazz, two mid-level teams in terms of strength, welcomed back their former souls and legends: Payton and Malone on this year's media day!
So it makes sense to go to these two places, right?

Although the Spurs are a bad team, they have LeBron James, who just signed the largest rookie shoe contract in history with Nike in the summer.

James hasn't even entered the league yet, but he's become a billionaire without playing a single game. He has to go to San Antonio, right?

Then you should go to the Mavericks and the Kings, two teams that play offensive basketball with a flashy and beautiful style and many top stars, right?

There are so many teams worth visiting in the West alone, and there are just as many teams with more traffic in the East as in the West!

Knicks, Pacers, Nets, Magic, Celtics...

Is it possible not to interview these teams that are either top-notch, have popular stars, or both?

Therefore, except for a few extremely powerful top media, the vast majority of other media have discovered one thing: they are short of manpower!
Fortunately, these American media people have always been decisive and capable of doing anything. The media outlets did not need to discuss with each other and reached a consensus almost at the same time.

All these traffic teams, go!

As for those small teams which are not worth visiting and no one would pay attention to even if you go, let’s talk about it next year!

Almost all media outlets have the same idea!
So, the question that arises is... on Media Day, teams like the Raptors, Grizzlies, Hawks, Cavaliers, and 76ers were really deserted.

There were not even as many reporters as players. Many players even had to queue up on the side, waiting for reporters to ask questions and interview them one by one, before they could answer one or two questions.

How miserable!

And those top traffic teams?
I can’t even squeeze in!
For example, on the Pacers' side, who knows how many people have flocked to their training hall. As the current top team in the league, they introduced a controversial figure like Artest in the summer. Everyone is very curious about the Pacers' playing style and strategy in the new season.

Then, when reporters poured into the stadium, their attention was quickly drawn to Artest!
Then, more than half of the reporters rushed directly towards Artest!

There are actually more people going to look for Artest than those surrounding Lin Tian!

As for the reason?

Artest's entire eye socket was purple.

This guy wasn't wearing sunglasses, didn't cover up anything, and even pointed at the bruise on his face and laughed foolishly.

Looking at his expression, he was simply afraid that others wouldn't see the injuries on his face.

There is a situation!
The reporters with a keen sense of smell immediately felt that there was definitely something going on!

Considering that this team also has the fighting king Lin Tian and Artest's past bad reputation, the reporters even quickly imagined a whole action movie and the grievances and hatreds in the Pacers locker room!
There is definitely a story.

And looking at Artest's expression, this guy must be eager to say what is in his mind.

I must ask him carefully!
As for a veteran like Lin Tian?
With that guy's mouth, what inside information can he get from this interview?

He just talks nonsense when he opens his mouth.

So, for the second time in his career, Artest became the center of attention and was surrounded by countless people.

The last time he did this was when he broke Jordan's ribs.

But this time, it was because someone hit him and left a purple eye socket.

"Is everything okay?" Callie looked at Artest who was surrounded with great concern, obviously feeling uneasy.

"Don't worry, Ron knows what's going on." Bird looked at Artest and said easily, "He'll tell the truth, no problem."

"Ron, are your eye sockets caused by a fight?" A reporter spoke first and asked a nonsense question. The reporters wanted to attack the center directly!
"Yes, I got it from a fight!" Artest pointed at his eye sockets with an expression that said, "Come on, come on, take a closer look." He was as excited as a child showing his latest toy to his friends.

"Who was the one who caused this?" Another reporter gave up beating around the bush and continued to charge forward!

"Lin! I fought with Lin twice. In the second fight, he hit my arm with a backhand straight punch. Then my defensive arm couldn't block Lin's terrifying impact force, and it bounced on my eye. That's it!"

I'm coming!

Stimulate!

The second question revealed the internal strife within the Pacers!
The quick-handed reporters had already started writing the title of the article after hearing Artest's answer.

《Shock! The first dynasty encountered a nightmare start, the team boss and the summer reinforcements fought! 》

"The most failed signing in history? Larry Bird should resign and apologize! His reckless buying of players caused the Pacers to fall apart!"

"Disbandment is imminent! After losing two players in the summer, the Pacers may completely dismantle the team and rebuild before the trade deadline!"

"According to insiders, Lin and Artest fought over a woman in a strip club!"

"Do you hate him?" A reporter continued to guide Artest, hoping that he would reveal more information.

Lin Tian has been so strong and invincible in recent years that reporters can't wait to portray him as a bully, a bastard, and a nuisance!

This is how journalists always work.

When it’s time to praise you, I will praise you to the sky; when it’s time to criticize you, I will want to pound you into the ground!

"Hate? No! Why should I hate?" Artest's answer to this question disappointed the reporters.

Why do you still need to hate? Do you need a reason to hate someone?

Well, yes!
But your eye sockets are like this, don’t you have a reason?

There were many experienced reporters at the scene, and they quickly found the flaws in Artest's answers.

Is it not hating, or not daring to hate?

He remembered the moment he was beaten so clearly, how could he not hate it? Who would believe it?
You are not angry after being beaten like this. Are you a beast or a poultry?
But the reporters are not in a hurry. As long as you have a story, we will definitely dig it out! That's what we do!
The next series of questions came at Artest like a machine gun.

The reporters focused on cutting the Gordian knot and shooting the dead bird with a scattergun. As long as there was a loophole in Artest's answer to a question, they would immediately seize the loophole and launch a fierce attack.

I'm not afraid of not finding problems within your Pacers team.

"Ron, are you guys fighting because you're competing for the position of team leader?"

"Did Lin want you to submit, so he bullied you within the team?"

"Someone said you and Lin fell in love with the same girl. Is that why you started fighting?"

"We heard that you had sex with Lin's woman."

"We heard Lin slept with your sister?"

"Is your sister pregnant?"

"I heard that you and Lin slept with the same stripper, and then both of you were infected with HIV?"

"I heard that after Lin had a fight with you, he was surrounded by more than 20 gang members that night. Does it have anything to do with you?"

"I heard that last night, the Chinese gang organization 'Hongmen' invaded Indiana in large numbers, looking for something. Is it related to the conflict between you and Lin?"

"I have a tip from the FBI that someone purchased a Patriot missile and secretly shipped it to Indiana. Did you buy it?"

"I heard that the two gangs that support you and Lin are buying all kinds of guns and ammunition. Will there be large-scale conflict and bloodshed in your first preseason game at Conseco Arena?"

"Will someone pay with their life for this?"

……

Unfortunately, Artest's answers to these questions from reporters were simple and clear.

"No."

"impossible!"

"I won't sleep with my eldest brother's woman!"

"Lin is my big brother! My elder! I even think of him as my father!"

"How much is a Patriot missile? If I can afford it, I might consider collecting one."

"I'm very healthy. You can go and see my medical report right away! But I won't allow you to insult my eldest brother!"

No matter how hard the reporters tried, and how they asked all kinds of weird questions, this guy seemed to have lost his mind. No matter what the reporters asked next, he said that he had a good relationship with Lin Tian.

Not only do they have a good relationship, but now Lin Tian has become a god in Artest's heart.

This guy’s brain was kicked by a donkey... by Lin?
"You don't know how powerful Lin is. He threw me like a sack! We played for 5 minutes on the first day, and I didn't even touch his body hair before I was thrown all over the place and couldn't even walk steadily."

"The next day we had a boxing match and he pinned me down and beat me up. If he had really hit me, I wouldn't have been able to hold on for three seconds."

"Lin is really a good person. I asked him to beat me up, and he beat me up."

"I told him to beat me according to the rules, and he beat me according to the rules."

"He controlled his strength so well. He beat me all over the place these past few days, but I didn't get hurt at all."

"He's my alpha wolf! He's my leader! I'll listen to him my whole life."

"What's going on with the control of force?"

"No, no, no, of course it's not because I hit him so hard with my counterattack that I increased my strength. How could I have that ability? If I could drive Lin crazy, it would be enough for me to be proud for 30 years!"

"No, 50 years! No, I will be proud of this until I die!"

"Oh, you're asking me what happened this time, right? I asked him to hit me."

"Yes, I begged him to fight me! We fought for a long time that day, but I didn't feel the power of his punches. I could only feel the terrifying speed of his punches rumbling around my ears and body. To be honest, I was terrified."

"But when I turned around and touched it, guess what? Wow! Nothing happened!"

"That was so awesome! That was so exaggerated! What does it mean to stop at the right time? What does it mean to show mercy? I finally realized how big the gap is between me and the top fighting masters! He was able to beat me and make me tremble without being able to hurt me at all!"

"Chinese Kung Fu! This is Chinese Kung Fu! I think Jackie Chan and Jet Li are no match for him! Bruce Lee might be able to fight him!"

"I...oh, you're asking what happened this time, right? Didn't I tell you that I begged him to hit me? This is what happened! At that time, we were playing boxing. What, did I just say this?" "Okay, then where were we just now? I told you guys not to interrupt me. This is what happened. I begged him to hit me."

"Don't interrupt, are you annoying?"

……

Lin Tian felt incredible as he watched the large number of reporters surrounding Artest.

It wasn't because there were more reporters over there than on his side that made Lin Tian uncomfortable or anything. When Artest said he would attend the media day without wearing sunglasses or anything, and was determined to show off his so-called label like a baby, Lin Tian knew that the reporters would surround him crazily.

What shocked him was how Artest's Ren and Du meridians were opened as if by his punch?
Before this punch: he was aloof, quiet, and mostly spoke in single words instead of forming sentences. He gave people the impression of a ruthless, taciturn, cold-blooded killer, just like a bloodthirsty and hungry Siberian lone wolf!
After this punch: he became a chatterbox and a funny guy. When he talked, he would talk endlessly as if he was singing rap. He gave people the feeling that he became a husky who only knew how to destroy things and roar, with wisdom shining in his eyes.

Why is there such a big change?
What part of his personality did that punch bring out?
Now this person couldn’t be called Laura Artest, right?

Big head, quite big head.

Lin Tian rubbed his head and sighed.

He really doesn't know which Artest is in real condition, maybe both of them?

Anyway, he found himself meeting a second person whom he could not understand at all.

Commonly known as neuropathy.

"Lin, we've heard Ron's story. May I ask how did he throw that punch?" Seeing that they could not get any useful information from Artest, the reporters immediately turned their attention and began to question Lin Tian.

Since there is most likely no conflict between the two, we should at least know how this fight went.

"Come on, one of you come up and I'll show you how to do it. Don't worry, I'll handle it with care."

Lin Tian waved to the reporters and said, "Come over and practice together."

Then, a large area in front of Lin Tian suddenly became empty, and the reporters retreated collectively.

Are you kidding? Who knows if you are really going to treat me with care or are taking this opportunity to take revenge?
We are sports reporters, not war reporters.

Are you really going to fight for this little thing?

Not worth it or not.

"No one is coming? I can recreate the scene. What happened to Ron was an accident, and I really didn't use all my strength. But don't be afraid, don't take it to heart, I'm sure I'll be fine this time." Lin Tian even stood up and started stretching his muscles.

The empty area in front of him became larger.

"Lin, what are your expectations for this season? Do you think you can become champions?"

"Who is your biggest rival on the road to your fifth consecutive championship?"

"Which team do you think will be your opponent in the final this season?"

"Did the departure of Michael, Ben and Gilbert bother you much? Did your summer reinforcements meet your expectations?"

"Do you have the confidence to keep the team at the top of the league?"

“How many wins do you plan to get this season?”

"Can you get back the assist title you lost last year?"

"Have you prepared any special celebration ceremony for the opening game?"

The questions asked by the reporters at this moment are so honest, so conventional, and so in line with the atmosphere.

You still have to rely on your fists.

Lin Tian sat back in his chair again and talked to the reporters, telling them his plans and goals for this season.

Simply put, it means five consecutive championships.

To put it more complicatedly, whoever comes will be pinned to the ground and beaten up to let them know who is the king.

The main character is arrogant, conceited and the best in the world.

Anyway, the Americans like this. Lin Tian has been dealing with them for so many years. This year is his 9th year. He knows very well how to lead traffic and how to excite fans and reporters.

As expected, on the evening of Media Day, those major sports websites and forums that had begun to emerge reported on Media Day before the print media did.

The Minnesota duo, the Lakers' new starting five, the Dallas four musketeers, the New Jersey big four, the Magic's two-headed monster inside and outside, and of course the new generation of stars who have just entered the league, such as James, Anthony, and Wade.

And everyone couldn't take their eyes off it after seeing it. Some even couldn't help rubbing their eyes and computer screens to make sure whether they were dazzled, confused, or the screen was broken.

The Pacers' final makeup photo.

Every photo with Artest makes fans rub their eyes again and again to figure out what is going on.

There's nothing we can do about it. Who made Artest's panda eyes so obvious?
Even though his skin was very dark, the purple spot on his eye and the obviously different sizes of his eyes were enough to make people unable to take their eyes away.

What's going on? Is this?

Fans couldn't wait to click on the Pacers' homepage and start looking for what they were looking for.

They wanted to see if Artest could explain what happened, and if anyone could solve the case and analyze what happened.

It is easy to solve the case. Just go to the Pacers homepage and you can see what is going on at a glance.

"Indiana is ready to go, with the goal of winning 5 consecutive championships in the new season!"

"Artest said frankly: Lin hit me, I begged him to hit me, now I regard him as my father!"

"The beast becomes poultry, Artest is tamed by Lin Tian!"

"As obedient as an English shorthair cat, Artest has never been so docile in his life!"

"Artest said he had received a medal of manliness despite having a bruised eye. He hoped the scar would stay with him for a whole year!"

"If I could have met Lin in a fight, I would have boasted about it for 30 years!"

"Artest hopes that Lin Tian can be his brother-in-law or even stepfather. He hopes that he and Lin Tian can become a family!"

"We are one family now! After being beaten, Artest said he has become Lin Tian's brother!"

……

This is probably the first time that Lin Tian has had all the limelight stolen by someone else since he joined the Pacers. Even when Jordan joined the team last year, the media did not report on Jordan so crazily, and the two of them only got about 50-50 space on the page.

But this year, more than half of the news really concerns Artest.

After all, how can we describe his behavior of asking someone to beat him up and then being completely beaten, taking the final photos with dark circles under his eyes, and refusing to put on makeup and not letting anyone photoshop out his scars?
It's too much performance art.

Anyway, Artest became famous all over the United States this time.

At the same time, fans are also looking forward to the Pacers' new season!
They wanted to see what kind of chemical reaction could be produced between Lin Tian, ​​who could tame wild beasts, and his loyal pet!

Fans are looking forward to the start of the season!
Each team is conducting intensive training in the training camp, integrating lineups, practicing new tactics, researching new strategies and playing styles, striving to quickly blend the team into a real team!

During the training camp, the players were indeed sweating profusely and training frantically to find their form, but after all, the ones who were under the most pressure this year were the coaches.

The coaching staff of each team worked overtime and researched day and night, experimenting with new playing styles, reviewing old playing styles, and honing new lineups. They continued to analyze and study after training, and then carried out practical operations the next day to test whether these new playing styles and lineup combinations could be successful.

As for the marginal players and water cooler-level players of each team, they try their best to stay on the team's roster and not be cut.

As the training camp progressed rapidly, some people realized their dreams and finally became official NBA players, but more people could only bid farewell to the NBA this season with regret and go to other places to continue pursuing their dreams.

After a month of training camp, Carlisle and Bird discussed and studied again and again, and finally decided on the team's final lineup for this season!

Center: Brad Miller, Matt Bonner, Zahn Tabak
Power forward: Chris Webber, Udonis Haslem, Primoz Brezec

Small forward: Ron Artest, Josh Howard, Chris Jeffries
Shooting Guard: Doug Christie, Manu Ginobili

Point guard: Lin Tian, ​​Tony Parker, Jamison Brewer

As usual, Bird and Carlisle only decided on a roster of fourteen players, leaving one spot empty in case of emergency.

At the same time, because of the team's performance last season and the personnel turnover this season, Carlisle and Bird almost completely replaced the team's marginal lineup. They need some fresh blood, and they need some new people to join the team to increase vitality.

In addition to Zain Tabak who successfully stayed with the team after grabbing the crucial rebound in Game 4 of the Finals last season and making a great contribution to Lin Tian's buzzer-beater, the Pacers' fringe lineup is definitely brand new compared to last season.

Of course, it is new, but whether it is effective or not depends on how the game goes.

In addition, considering the status of Artest and Christie, it is not suitable for either of them to play as a substitute, and the fact that the Pacers have no other shooting guards except Ginobili, so after research and experiments, Carlisle decided to change the team's core playing style this season!
He wants Christie and Artest to start at the same time, allowing these two top defenders in the league to start at the same time to increase the team's defensive capabilities.

The Pacers must start with defense in the new season!
At the same time, as Christie got older, his speed began to decline visibly, and Artest was not the type who was good at fast breaks and sprinting, so the Pacers' original three-line fast breaks and ubiquitous counterattacks would definitely not be able to be played.

Therefore, the Pacers will most likely focus on defense this season and play more positional battles.

Fortunately, the starting lineup that the team can currently arrange is quite good in terms of defensive ability.

Not to mention the outside trio, all of them are defenders at the level of the Defensive Team of the Year, and the team's inside player, Bratt Miller, is definitely tall enough and has a good size. Although his rim protection and defensive abilities are not as good as Ben Wallace's, they are at an average level.

The only one who will be a drag on the defensive end is Webber.

How to hide Webber and prevent him from becoming the opponent's breakthrough point and scoring continuously, which would lead to the collapse of the defensive system, is definitely one of the Pacers' biggest problems this season.

However, Carlisle did not feel troubled or sad for too long.

He even couldn't see Weber for a while.

In the first two games of the preseason, the Pacers once again set off for China to play in the China Games. This time their opponent was the Toronto Raptors, who were not very popular in China.

This is the result of Stern's thinking.

Given Lin Tian and the Pacers' popularity in China, it would be a waste to pair him with a team like the Lakers, Nets, Mavericks, or Timberwolves to play preseason games.

Traffic overflow!

waste!

Next year, send the Lakers and Nets to play a game to test their firepower and see how the ticket sales and attention will be without Lin Tian.

If it sells well, Stern will have to do other things in the future!

The scale, attention, and ticket sales of these two Chinese games were no different from the previous year. They were still extremely popular, allowing the NBA to make a lot of money again.

What was different this time was that Stern came to China with both teams and also went to the preseason game to give a speech.

Of course, 99% of the people at the scene couldn’t understand what he was mumbling, and they had no mood to listen. Even more than half of the people at the scene didn’t know who this little old man was.

However, the Chinese fans also gave him face. As the saying goes, "A guest from afar is a guest." Instead of booing Stern, everyone gave him cheers and applause.

Stern was embarrassed.

When was the last time he was on the court and not booed? It must have been at least 10 years.

In every NBA arena, people enjoy booing and swearing at him.

So touched!
The people on the other side of the ocean are just great!
Of course, Stern's trip was not just to give a speech and show up at the preseason game. His bigger goal was to have a detailed discussion with the people from China Sports about further in-depth cooperation.

In other words: After the NBA has finally set up this business after years of hard work and losses, it is finally time to close the net and make money.

Stern is looking forward to this! (End of this chapter)