Chapter 193: Take the Magic lightly and fight the Heat again
8 million yuan in 4 years, this is the fee paid by Gatorade Company to invite Wang Zelin to become its spokesperson.
Of course, this is only the initial contract. If Wang Zelin has no problem, we can discuss more in-depth cooperation with Wang Zelin.
After hearing this, Wang Zelin understood that the price of this contract still had room to increase. Under Zhou Yang's guidance, after arriving in Orlando early the next morning, Wang Zelin took his Hummer and Zhou Yang to arrive.
Make an appointment with the person in charge of Gatorade at the location.
At the Waldecost Hotel in Orlando, Wang Zelin met with the Gatorade company, and the person in charge sent to negotiate the endorsement was a woman.
Ms. Ellie was the first to introduce: "Hello, Wang, I am the person in charge of the Asia-Pacific region of Gatorade Company."
"Hello, Miss Ellie, nice to meet you." Wang Zelin shook hands with Abby.
The person in charge of the Asia-Pacific region, Ellie, personally took action, which just shows that Gatorade headquarters is determined to bring Wang Zelin into Gatorade.
After Yao Ming retired, Gatorade's domestic market has been deteriorating in recent years. The signing of Jeremy Lin resulted in mediocre results and was only a drop in the bucket. Until Wang Zelin came out of the blue, it gave Gatorade a new hope.
Wang Zelin has long become the darling of major brand merchants, including in the beverage field.
Previously, Japan's Pocari Sweat, Thailand's Red Bull, America's Coca-Cola, and Pepsi-Cola beverage brands could all consider signing Wang Zelin.
But he rejected them all one by one.
Wang Zeming is very self-aware. Although he likes money very much, there is actually no need to rush into crazy endorsements.
And Zhou Yang is a professional in this area, so he doesn't like to use his brain very much in his business sector...except for buying a house.
The most typical example in this regard is Carmelo Anthony.
Before Anthony even entered the league, he signed a six-year, 18 million contract with Joe. The average salary was only 3 million per year. The early signing prevented Anthony's commercial value from being further developed.
As far as Anthony's own business development is concerned, he undoubtedly failed in the first six years of the NBA. Even though he performed as a super scorer in the league, his commercial value increased repeatedly, and his signing fee doubled several times, he wanted to earn more.
For more money, you have to wait until the end of the contract.
All I can say is that the power of idols is greater than money!
Therefore, Wang Zelin's agent, Zhou Yang, needs to be smarter, neither impatient nor impetuous, and knows how to raise the price without hesitation. This has made Wang Zelin's worth rise, and the signing fee has increased significantly compared to the amount at the beginning of the season.
After a fight, Abby, the head of Gatorade's Asia-Pacific region, had to raise Wang Zelin's signing fee again.
"Zhou, you are an out-and-out vampire. Let's give in to each other. 15 million in 4 years is impossible. At most, 12 million in 4 years."
Ellie sat back and sighed.
"make a deal!"
Zhou Yang turned around, looked at each other with a smile, and agreed to the quotation.
In addition to the formal contract, there are also many incentive clauses.
If you are selected as an All-Star this season, a certain amount of bonus will be added to the endorsement fee. Bonuses will be paid if you are selected as All-Star MVP, regular season MVP, Finals MVP, etc.
After the contract was officially signed and the person in charge of Gatorade was sent away, Wang Zelin felt so happy.
There is a saying: people feel refreshed when happy events happen!
night.
The Magic face the Trail Blazers at home.
The Magic have undergone a major team overhaul this season, and the team has become younger, resulting in an immature team. Now it has long lost the temperament of a strong team in the Howard era, and even in the weak Eastern Conference, it is a situation where everyone bullies everyone.
Except for JJ Redick and Vucevic, Wang Zelin couldn't recognize anyone tonight's opponents.
Therefore, Magic is undoubtedly a tragedy.
Before the game, the news that Wang Zelin signed a contract with Gatorade had spread throughout the United States, making this originally unpopular game more interesting. People in the media wanted to see with their own eyes how Wang Zelin, who had just signed a big contract, would perform.
After the start, Wang Zelin succeeded in two attacks, taking the Blazers' first 4 points.
In addition to the offensive end, Wang Zelin gave the Magic's rebuilding core Vucevic a huge block on the defensive end.
With 1 minute and 03 seconds left in this quarter, Lillard hit a three-pointer from the outside. The Trail Blazers led the Magic by 11 points, 28:17, and Wang Zelin left the game early to rest.
There were no accidents in the second quarter, and the game was completely crushed.
The Trail Blazers had an absolute strength advantage, and the final score was set at 108:83, giving the Orlando Magic their 13th consecutive defeat with a huge score of 25 points.
It is worth mentioning that the Magic's last 13-game losing streak dates back to April 2004. Tonight, the humiliation reappears.
The Trail Blazers improved their record to 39 wins and 13 losses, successfully overtaking the Thunder and becoming second in the Western Conference.
Wang Zelin was successfully elected as the best player of the game with 29 points, 20 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks.
…
Goose City is not far away.
The Thunder's Big Three faced the Miami Big Three at home, which was undoubtedly one of the most eye-catching games this season. The game was quite ups and downs. The Big Three led the Heat to a 7:2 lead at the beginning, with Perkins and Williams
Shao joined forces to equalize the score.
Then James began to take over the game, with a dunk and a three-pointer that caused Safolosha to foul and then made three free throws. He scored 8 points in one breath. The Heat put the Thunder into a timeout at 24:13.
Durant wanted to respond eagerly, but was dissatisfied with the referee's decision and received a technical foul. Then the Heat ended the first quarter with 32:17.
Back in the second quarter, it was James' turn to take the T, and Durant began to exert his strength, trying to recover the score, but the Heat's Lewis could always hit a three-pointer, widening the point difference again.
In the end, even though Durant scored 22 points in the final quarter, he had no choice but to resent being swept by the Heat with a score of 110:100.
James scored 39 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists, a near-triple-double. Among them, 39 points tied the highest scoring record this season. Unfortunately, the shooting rate of 14 of 24 failed to reach 60%.
The record of scoring at least 30 points and shooting over 60% in six games was interrupted.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! In the two encounters between the Thunder and the Heat this season, they were easily defeated by the latter, making more and more Thunder fans miss the team's super sixth man Harden.
Once upon a time, we also had a James...
After this defeat, the Thunder general manager's Twitter account fell into trouble again.
…
At the post-game press conference after playing the Magic, Wang Zelin was told that he had won the Western Conference Player of the Week.
Of course, this Weekly Award is completely expected. Except for the Trail Blazers No. 36, other players in the Western Conference may not be too embarrassed to get it.
Averaged 25 15 5 per game... an exaggerated double-double, plus a shocking 5 blocks, Wang Zelin is well-deserved to be the Western Conference Player of the Week!
After defeating the Magic, the Blazers did not celebrate after the game. The entire team set off overnight to head to Miami with the power of nine consecutive victories.
Counting the three-game winning streak at the end of January and the six-game winning streak in February, the Trail Blazers have won nine consecutive games.
In ESPN's latest team strength rankings, the Trail Blazers reached the top five for the first time this season, ranking fourth.
Top of the list are the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Many people think this ranking is fairly fair.
As the defending champions, not only do their records rank first in the league, but the Big Three have shown a higher level of tacit understanding and cooperation since the start of this season.
Especially the leader LeBron James, everyone has seen his technical improvement. James this season is so incomprehensible.
As for why the second place is not the overall runner-up Thunder but the Spurs, first of all, the record of being first in the Western Conference is very convincing.
Secondly, the Spurs' GDP seems to be old, but once the season starts, these three people can always generate amazing energy. To borrow an old saying, never underestimate the heart of a championship!
What is more surprising is that the Thunder and Trail Blazers, ranked third and fourth, are the ones receiving the most attention.
The reason is simple~Young!
These two teams are so young and have extremely bright futures.
Since the second decade of the new century, there have been several youth storms in the league.
The first to bear the brunt is undoubtedly the Bulls' star player, the No. 1 pick in 2008...Derrick Rose!
Two years ago, countless Bulls fans saw Chicago's second opportunity to rise after Jordan in the Windy City Rose.
Under the leadership of Windy City Rose, the Bulls once defeated the teams of LeBron James and Dwight Howard and led the Eastern Conference.
It’s a pity that the injuries are as severe as tigers!
Then there are the three Thunder players who made it to the Finals for the first time in history last year.
Although they lost the finals with a huge score of 1:4, their star player Kevin Durant has become the well-deserved second small forward in the league, and has even shown the temperament of the future number one in the league.
As for the Portland Trail Blazers, it can be said to be the biggest surprise of the season.
The two rookies selected by the Blazers management this year, one with the sixth pick and the other with the eighth pick, have successfully dominated the top two picks in the rookie draft since the beginning of the season.
Especially Wang Zelin, the eighth pick, showed incredible adaptability as soon as he entered the league. What's even more frightening is that he keeps improving as the regular season progresses.
To this day, Wang Zelin has set many new historical records in the league.
Compared with Howard, who has declined significantly, many people have even begun to shout, "Wang Zelin is the new number one center in the league!" ~ and this voice is getting louder and louder.
As we all know, the playoffs are known as the stage for superstars.
If Wang Zelin wants to successfully establish himself as the league's number one center, he must first prove himself in this year's playoffs.
Just like what a certain basketball commentator who always broadcast live in the sauna said later: No matter how hard you play in the regular season, it won't have much reference value. If you hit the sky, you will just be called a "regular season star" and you will never become a superstar in your life.
Only players who truly prove themselves in the playoffs can be called "league superstars" and can truly be recognized by fans and media.
After looking at the top four, the bottom four on the player strength list are the Clippers, Celtics, Nuggets, and Bulls.
According to ESPN, if the top four have the strength to advance to the finals, then the bottom four have the strength to advance to the division finals.
For example, the Green Army is one year older.
The Celtics currently have a record of 27 wins and 25 losses, ranking only sixth in the Eastern Conference, but no one dares to underestimate them.
With Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett both declining, Rajon Rondo stepped up.
This season, Rondo averaged 13.7 points, 11.8 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game, making him a new giant among fans.
According to the current trend, Rondo is very likely to be crowned the regular season assists king again after averaging 11.7 assists per game in the 2011-12 season.
For Green Army fans, this is a breath of fresh blood.
For other teams, Rondo's growth is a variable in whether the Celtics can make a difference this year.
…
On the afternoon of February 13th.
Inside American Airlines Arena.
"Wang, you guys have been very good recently. You just won nine games in a row without thinking. It's so scary!"
During the pre-game warm-up session, James took the initiative to come to the Trail Blazers half court to chat with Wang Zelin.
"LeBron, please pull him down. Who doesn't know that the Heat's record is the best in the league." Wang Zelin looked at the No. 23 rookie in front of him speechlessly.
"Player: LeBron James
…
Overall score: 99!”
James' ability rating and detailed data are almost the same as the last time he checked. The key point is that the rating is still 99 points - the ceiling!
No matter how many times he watched it, Wang Zelin still couldn't control the shock in his heart.
99 points!
I don’t know how many seasons it will take me to reach this level!
"King! King?"
Seeing that Wang Zelin didn't speak for a long time, James, who was staring at him with goosebumps, was filled with doubts.
Did I say something wrong just now?
James began to recall everything he had said to Wang Zelin...it seemed like there was none!
I also thought back to my remarks about Wang Zelin on social media and in official interviews - they were all highly praised.
Originally.
He was about to play against a rookie center that he was very optimistic about. James was extremely excited, so he ran over during the warm-up session to prepare to exchange more feelings with Wang Zelin.
Although we can't play brother basketball now, who can say for sure what will happen in the future...
As a result, he had been here for a long time and he was still talking, while Wang Zelin was focused on practicing shooting... He understood this.
He always appreciates players who take training seriously.
But no matter what, Wang Zelin would reply perfunctorily at first, but now...
You make me look stupid like this!
After coming back to his senses, Wang Zelin felt an unspeakable resentment suddenly coming from behind.
"Ahem, LeBron, why do you keep staring at me?"
Wang Zelin asked curiously.
"..."
Brother, it's obvious that you were the one who kept staring at me first.
James said: "I saw you didn't reply for a long time just now..."
"I just thought of other things and got distracted, sorry!"
"Oh, what did you think of?"
Wang Zelin could clearly feel that James' mood suddenly became excited.
You are so excited!
"I'm thinking about how to kill you later!"
Wang Zelin replied directly without thinking.
"What a coincidence, me too!"
"..."
This time it was Wang Zelin's turn to start doubting life.
Is this guy's temper so good?
What he just said sounded a little offensive even to himself, but James was unmoved.