Chapter 136 The Answer in the Wind and the Answer in the Future
Soon the Eastern Conference semifinals between the 76ers and the Pistons came to an end.
Although Iverson once again played 48 minutes, making 14 of 30 shots and 5 of 6 free throws, scoring a game-high 34 points with 7 assists and 1 rebound, once again proving to the world that he is still the best player in the world.
A terrible scorer. However, Weber, who returned to his hometown again, made only 4 of 16 shots today. He had 11 points, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls, and his performance was seriously abnormal. Samuel Dalembert barely got a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
None of the other players scored more than 9 points, and they were all overwhelmed by the Pistons' efficient and iron-blooded defense.
In the end, the Pistons defeated the 76ers 88-87 at home and met the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The next day, many media used a photo of "Iverson's lonely figure behind the Pistons cheering and celebrating" as their front page.
ESPN columnist John Hollinger wrote specifically for Iverson, "Although he is a tragic figure now, he does not cry. In fact, we have never seen him cry. He is a true
Man, a true warrior. Allen Iverson, he works in the NBA, a large company with the tallest employees in the world, but he is not that big monster, he is only 6 feet. If he stands next to you with his back to you,
You may think that is your junior high school classmate, or one of your male teachers. But believe me, he is worth looking up to, worthy of your heart. Suddenly, it has been nine years since he entered the league, and he is thirty years old.
He is no longer young. He can hardly be called a strong defender, but he has the most injuries. He is no longer the young boy who can dunk but never lay up. He knows how to break through too hard.
After letting himself be bruised and bruised, he learned to use layups and soft jumpers to resolve battles. He never stuck out his tongue and talked trash like Jordan, unlike Bird who sarcastically preached that he was the best scorer all day long.
He doesn't want to provoke anyone with Miller's arrogant sarcasm. He only fights for victory on the court. What remains unchanged is his innocent, perseverance and clear eyes. He still shows arrogance, still has tattoos on his hands and arms, and still has a lot of tattoos on his hands and arms.
Hanging two or three huge diamond necklaces, he still wears black fat clothes, still has furrow braids, still loves basketball and pursues the championship. However, time can also change many things. After a series of tragic defeats, he
He just looked at the scoreboard helplessly and wiped the sweat on his face with his jersey - it wasn't that he didn't work hard, it was just that his hard work was in vain. He no longer fought with the coach, became a frequent visitor to the police station, and no longer complained about the incompetence of his teammates.
No more... I'm afraid he no longer dreams of winning a championship. A championship ring is the answer he has been searching for for many years."
"In this series, he scored breakthrough goals again and again, beating his already broken body on the floor. Although he tried his best, his team still lost, and the most ironic thing is
Yes, his opponent is not at his strongest yet. But if the team loses, it does not mean that Iverson loses. He is still the winner of this series, but the rules do not allow him to show his ability anymore."
"I don't want to blame anyone, but I sincerely hope that next time all the members of the 76ers' front office can come to this arena in person to see how he plays in every game. The 76ers are not a team without
Iverson is not the only good player, but the current configuration of players is still too far away from the championship. For this useless warrior, this answer that can answer everything, you should do more. For example, find a better player
A good coach, trade for an inside player who can be more compatible with Iverson."
Iverson has his own frustrations and problems, and Wallace's suspension has also caused headaches for the Pistons, and Edison has now encountered new troubles.
The first is the change in the team's mentality.
When the playoffs first started, fans and experts didn't have high expectations for the Magic. The most common thing they said in interviews was, "For these young guys, their first priority is to feel the atmosphere of the playoffs.
Accumulate experience in competition and prepare for the future.”….
After eliminating the Wizards and facing the Heat, who are favorites to win the championship, their expectations are still the same, "They have done a great job in eliminating the Wizards. The Heat are a powerful opponent, and you should be able to learn a lot of valuable lessons from them."
Things." You can't say that they despise magic. You can only say that their mentality is very calm, objective and rational, and relatively low-key.
But after sweeping the Heat 4-0, fans and public opinion suddenly made a 180-degree turn. Although many basketball practitioners clearly know that luck played a decisive role in the Magic's victory, ordinary fans don't care.
, they only know that you swept the favorites 4-0, so you should be the favorite now.
So now, people come outside the Waterhouse Center every day to pull banners or hold small gatherings to support the Magic. Even Bianchi's Magic support team has begun to hint, intentionally or unintentionally, how to celebrate winning the championship.
Not only externally, but also within magic, this kind of thinking began to arise.
There have always been three low-IQ legends in the NBA, "the Timberwolves' front office, the Trail Blazers' team doctors, and Jordan in the draft." Now Edison feels that the Magic's front office is challenging the Timberwolves' status, and they are almost to the point of being mentally retarded.
No one from top to bottom knows the rational analysis, they are just following what others say. Now Dev and others are pestering Edison, "Paul, it's up to you now. If we can win the championship, we
This new sponsorship contract will increase the amount by 40%. I am optimistic about you~"
Edison could only think silently, "Hey nmlgb, only you."
In this impetuous atmosphere, the mentality of the Magic's young players has also changed.
Young people are inherently young and frivolous. What they like to do most is self-righteousness. What they hate the most is others being self-righteous. Especially two extroverts, Howard and Josh, who forget about themselves under the influence of their friends. As soon as they speak, they say, "Then the time comes."
You guys passed the ball to me, I turned around 360 degrees and changed hands with my crotch, then dunked on Wallace." Completely forgetting that one was beaten to the ground by O'Neal, and the other was simply removed from the starting lineup.
Come down.
Edison was very anxious about this. If he encountered the piston with this attitude, he would definitely not be able to take care of himself.
Regarding this situation, Edison first tried to analyze the situation for them and told them that he was the weak one now. But they didn't believe it. When they played against the Wizards, Edison said that they should not be careless. Everyone was about the same strength. As a result, the battle ended 4-1. Wait until the Heat.
At the time, Edison directly used this rhetoric, and the result was even 4-0. So now for these young people, Edison has already cried wolf, and they don't believe anything he says.
So Edison was forced to resort to the ultimate trick - corporal punishment.
Since you can't mentally raise the tension of the players, then use high-intensity training to keep your bodies in a state of excitement. So under Nelson's careful calculations, the Magic started high-intensity devil training. This is the Magic
, almost every game is a rotation of 12 people, so there is no need to worry about the physical fitness of the game. If you change the team, you will die before the start.
But this problem is not particularly big. As long as they lose, these guys will know how much they can eat.
But the other problem is not so easy to solve.
Dan Fagan hopes to have some communication with Edison.
Fagan is an American professional basketball agent and is currently ranked 6th among NBA professional agents. He graduated from Yale Law School, established a law firm in Los Angeles, and taught sports law at Pepperdine University School of Law.
He is one of the most controversial agents in the NBA. Over the past 15 years, he has become one of the most prolific and experienced agents in the NBA. In the past 5 years, he has helped players sign more than 7.5 contracts.
Billion dollars. He also has many new methods and skills to strive for the maximum benefits and contracts for his clients. He set a precedent of providing players with one-year contracts, choosing to allow players to sign with the team for one year before seeking a better deal.
contract, this method was affirmed in arbitration with the NBA. According to NBA estimates, the one-year contract option increased the player's salary by more than 100 million in one year...
Everyone is familiar with this person mainly because he is Yi Jianlian's agent. After being drafted by the Bucks, he has been trying to force the Bucks to trade Yi Jianlian. In the end, he succeeded, but the time was delayed by one year.
When Fagan came to Edison's office, he was very polite and gentlemanly, completely different from the arrogant and domineering image Edison originally imagined. But Fagan's politeness was only superficial, and his eyes were as full of oppression as a goshawk.
feel.
"Mr. Edison, I came today to talk to you about Sean. I know that the time I chose now may not be appropriate and untimely, but I know that I can't wait any longer. If I delay it any longer, I don't know what will happen.
What happened?"
Edison spread his hands, willing to hear the details.
"I wonder what Mr. Edison thinks of Marion's strength?" Fagan did not directly elaborate on his topic, but asked Edison a question.
"It turns out it's for him." Edison's heart moved after hearing this. Now he finally knew the purpose of this guy coming to him. There are many players under Fagan's Magic team, including Varejao, Martin, Marion, and Howard.
Under the tent, Edison had never been able to figure out the purpose of his visit.
"Very good, an All-Star player, capable of scoring and defending, with excellent physical fitness. He is an important member of our team."
"However, I didn't see how important he was from his playing time." After Fagan finished speaking, he did not look at Edison, but focused on the coffee in his hand, naturally showing a sense of superiority.
majesty.
After hearing what Fagan said, Edison also smiled, "Mr. Fagan, if you have anything to say, just say it. I don't like to beat around the bush."
"I hope you can give Marion and Martin more playing time. As you said, Marion is an All-Star player, but in the postseason game against the Heat, you put him on the bench.
This is a bit unreasonable. And Martin's current talent has been displayed in front of everyone. He can completely replace Hill and become the main scorer of the Magic. You also said at the press conference before that you will give Martin more information in the future.
More playing time, but based on my observation of the Magic, this possibility is very small. I don’t know what your plans are.”
Edison hates this kind of agent very much. If you bargain with the team when renewing your contract, although Edison will want to stab him, he will not feel disgusted because it is his job. But this kind of running
To blackmail the coach in the hope of letting your players play more games is not what you should do.
So Edison's face sank, "Mr. Fagan, I understand what you mean. I just want to tell you three points. First, I value these two players very much. Second, they both have contracts with the Magic. Third,
3. Now I am in charge of the Magic. So you have to listen to me in everything. I will refer to your suggestions, but the final decision still depends on my mood. I will also guide the team training in a while. If you have nothing else to do
, then that’s it for today.”
Fagan was also a respectable person. When he saw Edison giving the eviction order, he snorted softly, turned around and prepared to leave.
But when Fagan opened the door, he heard Edison mutter one last sentence, "I am not Larry Brown. I hope that every talented player can develop their talents. You can rest assured that I will not let them."
I won't treat them badly if they spend their good time on the bench. But I also hope that you won't talk nonsense after you go out, and everything can be studied after the playoffs are over."
Fagan heard clearly, "It seems that my visit today was not in vain. I wish you good luck, Mr. Edison. I sincerely hope that you can achieve better results this year."
