CHAPTER XXXV
The All-Star weekend is over after all, this is the first time the East has played against the West after losing Joe again, from the process, although the East has been pressed and beaten, but it is not all powerless, but the interior advantage of the West is too strong, Duncan and O'Neal played a dominant double-tower cooperation, although Reggie Miller and Houston began to soar three points in the last moments of the East, but the outside of the West has a good defense, and the two of them hit a three-pointer in the whole game except for Miller. Even if no one hit a single three-pointer from the outside, Iverson and Carter forced themselves to shoot two three-pointers, but it didn't help. The pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info the west won this victory without danger.
This time, the All-Star MVP is rarely shared by the two, Duncan and O'Neal, although it seems a bit far-fetched to share this MVP with Duncan from a statistical point of view, but only after really watching the game can I understand that this big fat man is still very strong to play well, but All-Star, O'Neal is a man who wants to be in charge of entertainment.
Especially when he took the trophy after the game, Mo Xi heard O'Neill say very clearly: "You already have a championship trophy, give this to me!" ”
Last year, Duncan led the Spurs and raced all the way, and the Spurs' iron riders ran over the bodies of the Lakers frantically, and there was no room for people to recall what happened, and then looking back, the Spurs were already 3:1. At this time, O'Neal is very strong, but Duncan is also very strong, and David Robinson is also very strong, but Kobe has not really grown up, and although Popovich has just been a coach for a short time, he has already shown strong tactical literacy. O'Neal has a deep grudge against Duncan, and finally got rid of a big god, full of joy and thought that it was finally time for him to kill the Quartet, who would have thought that at this time a "roadblock" suddenly popped up, O'Neal is a stingy but big-bellied person, to Duncan, he just complained about it, and at the same time grabbed a trophy or something. (I think,This thing is a bit said.,Duncan hasn't won this All-Star trophy once.,Although it may be Popovich's strategic abandonment.,But the point is not here.,The point is that a year ago, the Spurs could still suppress the Lakers steadily.,But after giving up the All-Star trophy this time.,Duncan was seriously injured.,The first year was defeated by Kevin Johnson's legendary comeback.,After two years of not playing the Lakers))
As for the all-star rookie Mo Xi, he should actually be like a fish in water in such a game, because of his strong back skills, his style of play is still attractive to fans, and his weaknesses don't matter to the All-Star. But in fact, Mo Xi played eight minutes, made one of four shots, only got two points, zero boards, two assists and two turnovers, for a center who attaches great importance to the basics, let him show off his skills on the All-Star? If he hadn't spent time on the streets of Los Angeles and New York, he would have been as overwhelmed as he was when he first played in the league.
In short, the noisy All-Star weekend is finally over, and the only thing that can still leave a deep impression on everyone in the past few days is this slam dunk contest, which is really a battle of kings, and finally one Vinson Carter is crowned king of kings.
For the fans, the excitement is over, but for the teams, an invisible war has only officially begun to enter the climax, the league's trade deadline is just around the corner, and the teams that intend to strengthen are starting to operate.
As last year's Eastern Conference champion, the Knicks are undoubtedly at the center of all the rumors that they can both weaken their opponents and strengthen themselves, so why not? What's more, the New York Knicks also have a "very good" management.
Now Van Gundy is annoyed, but a little helpless, because at the end of the day, he's just a coach, or a coach who isn't very good, and he has a lot of seniority, and even though he has an Eastern Conference title, it's useless for the Knicks, unless you're winning a championship for the Knicks, or someone in your management is called Phil Jackson.
Compared with other teams that have won the championship, the Knicks' strengths are not strong, nor are they outstanding, but the weaknesses are very prominent, one is a point guard, the other is rebounding, this is only a big aspect, there are small places such as bench depth at the small forward position is not enough, relying on a single John Wallace has no effect at all, as for David Wingedy, if it weren't for the assistant coach's reminder, he would have almost forgotten about this person. And, as always, the Knicks' interior line is too bloated. Patrick Ewing and Larry Johnson Although these two men are starting to decline due to age and injuries, there is really no one in the Knicks who can completely replace these two. Then there are two young defensive stalwarts such as Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas, and after the departure of Herb Williams, the Knicks have Chris Dudley as a rebounding powerhouse in the locker room, and now there is also Andrew Long, if it weren't for Murphy's excellent performance on the offensive end of the interior during Ewing's injury, he may not have been able to get much playing time now.
As a result, the bloated Knicks have become the preferred target of all teams looking to strengthen the interior, and Mo Xi, who has just been selected as an All-Star, has become the object of consideration by various teams.
Amid the pile of paper inquiries, there are a lot of deals that have made Knicks management excited, and among these teams, the most eager, are the Bucks and Mavericks. It's really strange to Van Gundy, these two teams are bombardment, where will they be interested as a center who has just had some small mid-range shots, the Bucks are better, there is no center who can play the starter, but on the Mavericks' side, you already have Bradley!
Van Gundy has some right to make suggestions on these transactions, but he has no right to decide, but he can't bear to see many offers.
The Bucks directly sent Sam Cassel plus Danny Manning, with a second-round pick to take away Mo Xi and Chris Charles, and coincidentally, Charles had already had an idea in New York, plus Danny Mourning can completely make up for the lack of interior offensive firepower caused by Mo Xi's departure, this deal, it seems that the Knicks will not lose money.
The Mavericks' new owner, Cuban, is a rookie, young and vigorous, and the requirements for Don Nelson are simple, I want to win, I want to win beautifully! Money is not a thing. Such an owner is simply too hungry for Nelson, not to mention that the young Cuban also has a good personal relationship with the team's new star Nowitzki, and takes care of all aspects of the team. The Mavericks' chips are more ruthless, Bradley plus Nash (Nash at this time is really not strong, or Nelson's system under Nelson's play space is not high, because Nelson's tactics do not pay much attention to the play of point guards, and the offense is completely up to the players themselves, and there is no need to use a point guard to organize) for the Knicks' Ward and Moxi. In terms of potential, Nash is definitely better than Ward, and the arrival of Bradley can make up for the Knicks' rebounding problem, such a trade is simply tailor-made for the Knicks.
After that, there were other teams such as the Timberwolves, Wizards, Hornets and other teams that made offers, but there was also a trade request that Knicks management felt the most tempted.
The Pacers traded Austin Klohill plus Mark Jackson and Rick Schmitz for the Knicks' Ward, Murphy and the Knicks' first-round pick for the next two years. Needless to say, if the deal is confirmed by both parties, it will definitely be a multiplayer deal that will shock the league, and while there are no superstars in it, there is no doubt that there are a few key puzzle players on the trade list on both sides who could be broken by the big guys. Larry Bird perfectly hit the itch of the Knicks, the Knicks' management may love to win, but they love the media more much, the high money in the hands of the fans, this kind of multi-person trade, regardless of whether there is a player who can get it, will cause a sensation, not to mention that there is also a new Eastern All-Star player, Larry Bird submitted the trade list at the same time, but also spread the news to many places through his connections, especially the media in New York.
Knicks management really faltered.
Larry Bird sat leisurely in his office in Indiana, resting on his desk and listening to the phone.
"Why, old man, you're not dead yet." Although it is very disrespectful, it is not difficult to hear Bird's concern and longing from it.
"Gigglesha, I haven't finished smoking my cigar, so how can I lie down?" A very bold old man's voice came from the microphone.
"I heard you've been conquered by death, haven't I?" Bird said with a sneer.
He was answered by a moment of silence as Auerbach tried to build on Bird's Celtics in 1986. He cleverly picked up a draft opportunity and picked a talented player, Bias. But just hours after he was selected, the genius, the child of the fantasy of a future superstar who was supposed to fill in the lack of athletic talent for the Celts, who was supposed to win glory for the future dynasty of the Celts, died of cocaine poisoning. After that, Auerbach seemed to be a little depressed, and when captain Lewis died in training a few years later, he was even more disheartened and completely relegated.
It's been a long time since he's interfered with the workings of the Celtics, even if they're in an absolute slump.
Auerbach was silent for a long time, but finally said, "I want that lad very much." ”
Larry Bird quipped, "You know, I'm all young lads here, except me. ”
Auerbach seemed to feel a little helpless, he knew his disciple's temper, and he said: "It's the Chinese center of the Knicks that you want to get recently." ”
Bird continued to say in a non-contemptuous manner: "So, you also watched one of his games? ”
Auerbach exclaimed, "You should know what my criteria are!" ”
"Of course, of course, blacks, Latinos, and country buns like me, and now you're in love with the yellow race, aren't you, race collectors?" ”
Auerbach no longer has the strength to yell at people like he used to, let alone one of the most annoying trash talk he knows, he said: "I saw victory in the eyes of that young man, although his defense, really vegetable, not my favorite type, but at least, I like to see him fight for victory, just like you back then." ”
This time it's Bird's turn to be silent, and an old man like this who plays the emotional card with you if he doesn't agree with you is the most annoying.
Neither of them spoke, just silent, as if they were both thinking about something.
Then, Bird spoke, saying, "I can let it go, but do the Celtics have any bargaining chips?" In my opinion, the current Celtics are not an exaggeration to say that they are a fish belly team. ”
Auerbach smiled, as if Bird's acquiescence was already a sign of his success, and he said: "Antoine Walker, he likes to shoot threes more than wins right now, I want to trade him for a Murphy plus a second-round pick, I want to rebuild the Celtics, Green has been silent for too long." ”
"Then you need a No. 1, a No. 2 and a No. 4, there's a long way to go, and, to be honest, I don't think the Celtics have enough of it right now, even though he's a good player in the NCAA," Bird said. ”
Auerbach laughed and said, "Are you asking about my strategy and planning to snipe me?" The quality of next year's draft isn't very high. ”
"But as long as you choose it, it's going to be of high quality," Bird said. ”
Both let out a burst of old fox laughter, and Auerbach smirked, "But, it's more likely to be a second-round pick, and it's a pitcher, I don't think you need it anymore." ”
Bird said, "Let me guess, Eddie House? ”
Auerbach on the other end of the phone smiled mysteriously and said, "You think so, right?" ”
Bird thought about it for a moment and felt that it must be Auerbach's trap, making him think it was Eddie House, but in fact he was using him to attract firepower, and in fact there was someone else, but it could be the other way around.
Bird reminded Auerbach "kindly" at the end, saying, "I want to tell you that there are many people who want her, and your disciple Don Nelson is one of them. ”
Auerbach laughed and said, "Larry, you know, there are only two types of coaches in this league, the Celtics and other coaches. ”
So, will Mo Xi really move away and start his new journey in Boston, a famous academic city with a long history waiting to be rebuilt?
Van Gundy must know what to do, nonsense, the protagonists are all gone, wouldn't the Knicks be completely ruined.