NBA: Magic Johnson opens the season, crowned MOP

The Bulls players who just won an away playoff game were already in a"carnival", as if they had won the whole world by winning a game against the Heat... On the same day in the playoffs in the West, Joey, who was secretly hated by Noah, had led the Spurs to successfully clock out the game in three quarters.

The ATT Arena was packed!

"Swish!"

Joey broke into the paint with the help of a screen and encountered Bogut's backup defense. The former suddenly passed the ball to Danny Green who was lying in ambush at the baseline and scored a three-pointer. Halfway through the fourth quarter, the score difference was more than twenty points.

Popovich, who was already familiar with the Warriors' style of play, made adjustments quickly in this game. The outside defense was tight on the"Splash Brothers", and Joey and Duncan were ready to open up inside to create breakthrough space for Parker and others.

The offense focused on the Princeton system, sharing the ball and creating the best scoring opportunities; the defense relied on Joey and Leonard's assist and backup defense capabilities that almost covered the entire half of the court, sweeping the Warriors' outside shooters and strangling the Warriors' chances of a comeback from the root; after three quarters, the Warriors coach Mark Jackson, who had been pulled away by twenty points, directly replaced all the main players and announced his surrender.

The"sense of oppression" on the court of this Spurs is too strong!

It is much stronger than the"old" Spurs in the original history that almost harvested the Heat in six games!

The addition of Joey is not only a reinforcement of the Spurs system, both on offense and defense, but also completely"makes up" for the last absence of this Spurs."——

That is the player who can stand up and play"superstar ball" at the critical moment!

In the original historical finals, Leonard missed the free throw in G6, and Ray Allen made the"shot of the century". In the overtime, the Spurs were originally responsible for playing the"superstar ball". However, due to a fatal mistake, the Heat finally won the game and paved the way for Miami's victory in the seventh game.

(The so-called"fatal mistake" is that in the overtime, the Spurs, who are known for their teamwork, fell into a vicious cycle of infinite singles, especially Manu's mistakes in two consecutive rounds of singles were intercepted, which made things worse!)

And Joey's joining is to make up for the last"shortcoming" of the global team!

In the regular season of the Spurs this season, Joey led the team to play counterattacks countless times, relying on his league-leading passing and control level, and those seemingly incredible goals... In the first five months of the regular season, the Spurs were once"on par" with the Miami Heat, who had the longest winning streak in team history. Several games that were about to be lost were turned around by Joey, GDP, Xiaoka and others at the critical moment.

The second game of the regular season, the buzzer beater against the Thunder, was the game that best demonstrated Joey's"clutch ball" ability and big heart!

Popovich's vision of people is indeed as he said, rarely making mistakes!

And Manu's"accidental injury" made Joey the team's sixth man, which made Popovich confirm his guess - perhaps Joey, the rookie he"overwhelmed with opposition" selected, is truly a combination of"GDP"The existence of the trio!

Duncan's stable output, Parker's ability to attack the ball, and Manu's"20-minute Jordan" at the critical moment.

In addition, the above three are still in their"prime period", and the team also has top 3D assistants such as Green, Leonard, and Mills...

For the first time in his career, Popovich felt that if he doesn't take the championship, who will?

If he doesn't praise the O'Brien Cup, who will?

I, Sima Laothie, have been"doing good deeds and accumulating virtues" all my life. At the end of my career, I will create the first dynasty in the history of the Spurs!

"Beep——"

The electronic prompt sound that resounded throughout the ATT Arena, which was the sound of the end of the game,"awakened" Popovich, who was imagining the future.

After the game, Joey stayed on the court and high-fived the Warriors players one by one to show his respect...

At this moment, the old thief no longer concealed his inner"satisfaction" and"admiration""

"Hey, Greg, when did we change the snack supplier at our home stadium?"

"How come there is unlimited supply of popcorn and beer in the stadium starting today?"

An abrupt male voice, accompanied by the sound of continuous chewing,"broke into" Popovich's ears.

Turning back, he saw Manu Ginobili, dressed in casual clothes, sitting two rows behind the bench, holding two large buckets of popcorn in his hands, and his mouth was stuffed full, asking with a"curious" look.

Sima Laozei was instantly brought back to reality by this strange style of painting.

His face quickly darkened, and regardless of the many media cameras on the sidelines and the fans who had not yet dispersed, he loudly"scolded":

"Damn you asshole, you should be getting your f**king checkup right now instead of sitting on the sidelines eating this junk that's going to slow your recovery down!"

"Damn Manu.……"

Before the master could finish his breathless scolding, the Argentine vulture shook his head, dropped the food and beer in his hands, and slid away as fast as if his feet were greased. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared among the fans of the Holy City on the sidelines, leaving only a mess on the ground waiting to be cleaned up.……

"Damn you old bastard!"

Sima the old thief slapped his chest angrily. He was very good at cultivating his Qi, but he always lost his defense when it came to things related to Manu. Sometimes he even thought of pulling out all the few hairs on this guy's head!

"Mike (Budenholzer)!"

Popovich, who was so angry that he had nowhere to vent, could only put the"pressure" on the team's chief assistant coach.

Budenholzer, who was checking the post-match statistics at the technical desk, staggered and almost fell down:

"Where are the people I asked you to send to supervise Manu's rehabilitation?"

"Why is this the sixth time this month I've seen him sneak into the stadium and always eat the fans' snacks?"

——————

"Mr. President, I think it's time to give the Spurs some strong warnings!"

In the office of the league president, the bald Xiao Hua was sitting in front of the president's desk and said with a serious face:

"After eight games in the series, the Spurs' playoff ratings were the lowest, because often before the game even started, the fans had already determined that the Spurs would win!"

"The league doesn't need this kind of unpredictable game. I hope you can take timely countermeasures.……"

A trace of viciousness flashed in the triangular eyes behind Xiao Hua's glasses.

The Jewish old man sitting behind the desk seemed to have a different opinion.

He carefully looked at Adam Xiao Hua standing in front of him. What he was thinking about was not how to"sanction" the overly strong Spurs in the West, but whether he had chosen the wrong successor...

Indeed, as a commercial sports league, the first priority of the NBA president is to strive for the maximum profit dividend for the league and the owners of each team!

This is understandable. Since taking office, Stern has also secretly regarded this"unwritten rule" as an iron rule.

But in order to strive for"interests", he has his own set of criteria for making choices.

Among them,"excessive interference with the game" is a red line!

In order to maximize the benefits that have been targeted, within the scope permitted by the rules, various means such as referees, schedule arrangements, and trading regulations can be used.

But the premise is that the"ending" of competitive sports cannot be changed!

Otherwise, it will be like the 2006 Finals and the 2000 Western Conference Finals, leaving countless"talking points" for future generations, and at the same time, it will also make fans all over the world question the"fairness and justice" of the NBA league!

And Silver's"thoughts are just on the edge of this"red line", and there is a possibility of crossing the red line at any time...

As the president and soul of a commercial sports league!

His responsibility is first to promote the sport, and then to"seek maximum benefits"; and Silver seems to have put this"responsibility" upside down...

This is a very dangerous warning!

Stern secretly breathed a sigh of relief - fortunately he discovered it early, although he had already decided to announce his retirement time after the end of this season.

But fortunately, he still has at least one year in office, enough time to teach and change Silver.

After Silver takes office, he can also retire safely and enjoy a good old age.……

"In competitive games, the most taboo is interference from external forces……"

"This will make the game unfair and thus damage the reputation and fame of a league!"

Stern stood up, walked behind Xiao Hua, and said earnestly:

"Adam, you still have a long way to go.……"

As he said that, he sighed and walked out of the office, neither confirming nor rejecting Silver's opinion.

Stern meant to let Silver think about the issue of controlling the"degree" of involvement in the game.

He didn't notice that when he finished the last sentence, Adam Silver, who was dressed like an elite, had clearly visible blue veins on his fair face!