The East and West division finals have ended, and the two opponents in the finals have been finally determined.
This year the battle between the two sides has changed and it has become the Cavaliers VS Trail Blazers.
But strictly speaking, the two protagonists are actually the same as last year. They are still the two current super giants James and Wang Zelin.
Just as fans are discussing on social media, the second meeting between the two in the finals is a lot to watch.
Can the son of Akron, who returned to Cleveland after four years of college with the Heat, bring the city of Cleveland its first championship in history, and then further consolidate his position as the league's No. 1 player?
Can Wang Zelin defeat James with his own hands again and successfully become the number one player in the league?
Whether the Trail Blazers can defend their title and then look forward to a dynasty;
Even including whether Cousins can prove himself in a direct confrontation with Wang Zelin;
This year's finals obviously have much more highlights, gimmicks and topics than the East and West conference finals.
Fans can't wait, but there are still three days until the finals start.
The season is coming to an end and the intervals between games are getting longer.
The time is not short, but there are many things to watch during the offseason. Players from both sides took the time to rest and train. At the same time, they did not forget to talk to each other in front of the media, entering into the pre-match talk that fans love to see.
Major TV stations have been busy these days, organizing a group of authoritative experts to make predictions about the upcoming finals every day.
Today they unswervingly said that the Trail Blazers will win, but tomorrow they can immediately change their tune and say that the Cavaliers will win.
By slapping themselves in this way, they quickly achieved the result of attracting attention and attracting attention.
Facts have proved that their choice was correct.
After rounds of crazy warm-up, ticket prices during the finals were soaring and successfully reached a record high.
On June 3, according to ESPN reports:
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers is undoubtedly a very anticipated finals. The first game between the two sides will start in Portland's Rose Garden Arena in a day's time, and the second-hand of this game
The market ticket price has even reached a new high in the history of the finals!
According to data from the Trail Blazers’ official second-hand ticket website:
The average price of Game 1 of the Finals reached 1,058 yuan, and another ticket-seeking website showed it was 1,653 yuan. This ticket price is almost 1,000 yuan higher than the ticket price for the first game of the NBA Finals in the past five years.
What is even more shocking is that the second-hand ticket price for the front row ticket for this game has been sold to rice yuan, which is equivalent to about one yuan in RMB!
It is reported that last year's Finals G1 between the Trail Blazers and the Heat was also held at the Rose Garden Arena, and the average second-hand ticket price was only 620 yuan. In the 2013 Finals G1 between the Heat and the Spurs, the average second-hand ticket price was 558 yuan.
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Going back further, the average ticket price for Game 1 of the Finals between the Heat and Thunder in 2012 was 655 yuan; and the average ticket price for Game 1 of the Finals between the Heat and Mavericks in 2011 was 458 yuan.
Since there are significantly fewer tickets in the secondary market this year than in the past, and the finals will officially kick off tomorrow, ticket prices are expected to only rise, not fall!
These days, the Blazers management is like Qin Shihuang eating Sichuan peppercorns - it's crazy!
At this time, TNT TV station also came out to join in the fun.
They invited Wang Zelin and Jordan at the same time in the program before the finals!
Since the last time he was invited to the TNT program, Jordan seemed to be a little addicted, and Wang Zelin couldn't refuse the kind invitation from Flying Pig and Shark.
In any case, the former can change from the former Wang Hei to the number one Wang Mi, and the latter has always been optimistic about himself from the beginning of entering the alliance, so he still has to give him the face he deserves.
Besides, he still has time to record a program.
The topic of this episode is naturally the upcoming finals!
"I believe that I can defend the title and complete the season's Grand Slam honors. To be precise, I think he can do what Shaquille and I did - three consecutive championship dynasties!"
When asked by O'Neal about his views on the upcoming Finals, Jordan chose to support Wang Zelin and the Trail Blazers without even thinking about it, and by the way, he also praised O'Neal sideways.
Of course, as long as you combine the subtle relationship between Jordan and James, it is not difficult to understand why Jordan publicly supported the Trail Blazers to win the championship.
Looking back, when James made the decision to "bring his talents to the South Coast" in 2010, Jordan publicly expressed his disappointment and said:
"I never called Magic or Bird and said, 'Let's win the championship together.' All I was thinking about was how to defeat my opponent."
Even after James won his first career championship in 2012, when asked who to choose between Kobe and James as the cornerstone of the team, Jordan firmly chose the former.
Including some subsequent events, such as Jordan's nod to produce "The Last Dance" on the day of the Cavaliers' championship parade celebration in 2016, and when he went to the training camp to interact with young fans in 2017, Jordan once said the famous phrase "
5 is greater than 3” theory.
Later, someone once delved into the complicated relationship between the three of Djokojan. As a junior, it goes without saying that Kobe admired Jordan. Jordan also admired Kobe because of Kobe's style of play and his attitude towards Jordan.
The paranoia and desire to win are indeed more like Jordan than James.
The friendship between Kobe and James is also very good, because both of them have witnessed each other's peak period and cherish each other.
But the relationship between Jordan and James is very subtle.
Maybe it's because James has changed careers many times, which is regarded as a treasonous move by Jordan's old-school stars;
It may be because James' remarks about calling himself "GOAT" after leading the Cavaliers to the championship in 2016 offended Jordan.
It may also be due to the media's constant hype and the enthusiastic participation of fans that the discussion about who is the "first man in NBA history" between Jordan and James has intensified, so much so that many current NBA stars and retired celebrities have been involved.
It is undeniable that under the influence of multiple factors, the relationship between the two parties has gradually become more and more subtle. After all, people compete for a breath, and Buddha competes for a stick of incense!
"Ahem..."
Gang leader Qiao came up and launched his ultimate move, which made Wang Zelin choke and cough. He once again deeply felt the overt or covert rivalry between the two No. 23s.
There is a saying that Wang Zelin has never cared about the so-called "GOAT" dispute between Jordan and James and has not much interest.
Because he also has his own pride in his heart!
To put it bluntly, after he came to this world with a cheat, he firmly believed that as long as he was given time, he could surpass everyone!
The so-called "GOAT" is just a joke in his eyes.
Of course, before he has accumulated enough convincing honors, he knows that he still needs a period of development.
You must not follow James' example and just call yourself "GOAT" after winning the third championship and it's not a dynasty, otherwise it will be a joke.
Even if he wants to shout the slogan of the first person, he must at least complete the defense of the title this year. After he continues his efforts and officially establishes the three consecutive championship dynasty next year, it is not too late to shout it again!
On the other hand, Gang Leader Qiao is known for his "poisonous taste", and Wang Zelin does not want to be sucked to death by his poisonous mouthful and die before leaving the battlefield.
Therefore, he hurriedly interrupted Jordan's speech.
"Ahem, actually LeBron and the Cavaliers are still very strong. I think it will be very difficult for us to win!"
After Wang Zelin coughed, he frantically gave Jordan hints.
"No, no, no, I know very well your dominance over the game. You have the courage to compete for victory, just like I did back then."
However, Wang Zelin's eyes were like those of a blind man. Jordan seemed completely unaware of Wang Zelin's hidden meaning and still sat in his seat with his legs crossed and boasted.
Wang Zelin almost spit out blood.
"We haven't found a defensive strategy to limit LeBron yet!"
He could only grit his teeth and continue to add.
"It's okay, the Cavaliers can't restrict you either, and controlling the basket means controlling the whole court. I believe you can do it!"
Jordan continued, his face showing a hint of confidence in Wang Zelin's strength.
Wang Zelin was completely speechless. The master not only wanted to poison him, but also specifically increased the dose!
God, can you let me go?
At worst, I'll let you be the first person in history for a few more years!
"???"
Gang leader Qiao: "In the clouds of Chao Ci Bai Di, the coin is actually beside me! I sat up in shock while dying of illness, the clown is actually me!
…
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Barkley and O'Neal on the side laughed and gloated.
The TV station made huge sums of money to invite Jordan and Wang Zelin, isn't it just for the effect of this program?
Now I know with my toes that the ratings of this TNT program will definitely explode again.