On April 13, 2017, the regular season of the 16-17 season officially came to an end, and the top eight teams in the East and West have all been born, and the West from the first to the eighth place are the Warriors, Spurs, Clippers, Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, Thunder, Rockets and Mavericks. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

The order from top to bottom in the East is the Knicks, Cavaliers, Raptors, Hawks, Hornets, Bulls, Pistons and Pacers, and in the first round series, the Knicks will face the Indiana Pacers.

At the end of last season, the team's head coach Frank Vogel had the last year of his contract, and team president Larry Bird did not choose to renew Vogel's contract, which was almost exactly what Wang Zhuo had expected.

Vogel's tactical system is known for its strong defense, and its defensive efficiency at its peak ranked first in the league, but now NBA small-ball tactics have become popular, and Vogel's traditional defensive tactics are out of step with the trend, so "Big Bird" chose to part ways with Vogel.

After ousting Vogel, Bird promoted the team's assistant coach Nate McMillan to the new head coach of the Pacers, and the Pacers embarked on a rebuilding path centered on Paul George.

Despite the arduous road to rebuilding, George, who has grown into one of the league's top stars, was not willing to watch the team sink and carried the team forward on his own, finally fighting for the last ticket to the playoffs just before the curtain of the regular season ended.

Compared with the regular season record, the Knicks won 22 more games than the Pacers, on paper, the hard power gap between the two sides is quite obvious, Rao is so, Wang Zhuo has never underestimated the Pacers, after all, there is no weak team in the NBA, anything can happen on the stage of the playoffs, and the "Black Eight Miracle" has not happened.

"No matter who your opponent is, you must maintain 100% spirit!"

In order to avoid capsizing in the gutter, before the first game of the first-round series, Wang Zhuo solemnly warned every player present in the locker room.

"Victory! Victory! Victory! ”

Before entering the field, all the players of the team formed a circle, folded their right palms together, and shouted slogans loudly to boost the morale of the players and the belief that they would win.

"Miracles are created by people, and Reggie can complete the lore miracle of 8:09.8 in Madison, so why is it impossible for Black Eight?"

Bird's tone of voice remains the same, the same as when he was a player, and he still speaks like that in front of the media.

"Larry is great, admirable, the Pacers are tenacious, and the Knicks will give it their all and respect every opponent."

Before the game, the media stopped Wang Zhuo and asked Wang Zhuo for his opinion on what Bird said, and Wang Zhuo cleverly avoided the important and said lightly.

Bird said that he was used to talking big, and he had enough capital to blow big words when he was a player, and although there were clever operations from time to time since he became president, the Pacers never met expectations and could not reproduce the glory of the Miller era.

Wang Zhuo is not afraid of entanglement with Bird, the reason is very simple, the Knicks' goal is the championship, and the Pacers are just the weakest stumbling block on the Knicks' road to the championship.

The media also wants to create some gimmicks, using Bird's reputation and the Knicks' league top position as a breakthrough, which is absolutely eye-catching, Wang Zhuo is not willing to engage in smokescreen bombs and other things, so the answer given completely deviates from the original intention of media reporters, but there is no way to take Wang Zhuo, some reporters do not give up and continue to ask, Wang Zhuo simply kept silent and responded silently.

At 8:30 p.m. on April 15, the Knicks' first game against the Pacers officially began at the Madison Square Garden Arena, where the head coaches and players of both teams had already entered the arena and were on their respective benches.

"Hi Jalen, as a professional player who has played for two teams, it's fair to say which team you would prefer to win."

In this game, the on-site commentators were Mark Jackson and Jalen Rose from ESPN, and Jackson used Rose as a starting point to start chatting about the topic.

Jalen Rose was one of the "Michigan Five Tigers" in college, and he played for the Pacers for 6 years when he entered the league, which is equivalent to dedicating the most brilliant period of his career to the Pacers.

After retiring, Rose signed with ESPN and became a basketball commentator, and he also made surprising remarks, such as when Yao Ming was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Rose did not shy away from pointing out that Yao Ming was not eligible to enter the Hall of Fame at all, and his own attitude towards the Chinese was not very friendly.

"I've played in New York? Oh, it seems like an experience, but it's not so impressive at all that I have to remind me to remember, Mark. ”

Ross replied in feigned surprise, his words full of dissatisfaction and rejection of the New York Knicks.

New York fans were quite dissatisfied with Rose's words, and responded with boos in return, and some fans even burst into foul language, demanding that Rose get out of Madison.

"Uh-huh, Jay, I already know your attitude."

Jackson turned his face sideways and glanced at Rose, who had already drawn Rose's opinion from his demeanor.

"I know it's hard, but I still believe that the Pacers can do wonders because the Pacers have Paul, he's so good, and in my eyes, he's as good as LeBron."

Rose didn't seem to mind the fans' boos at all, and even said bluntly that he was very vocal in his support for the Pacers' Black Eight.

Wang Zhuo has no feelings for Jalen Rose, and he will not be angry at him for favoring the Pacers as a basketball commentator, all Wang Zhuo has to do is play this series and silence those who doubt.

As the game entered the pre-season, Rose and Jackson announced their starting lineups, with the Knicks and regular season lineups unchanged and the Pacers featuring George, Teague, Ellis, Turner and Thaddeus Young.

Judging from the starting lineup, after Vogel stepped down, the Pacers completely abandoned the team's original defensive system, followed the current atmosphere of the league, and changed to the run-and-gun tactics of the five-small lineup, which is the same as Wang Zhuo's original prediction.

At the start of the game, players from both sides went on the pitch to prepare, Noah and Thaddeus Young jumped the ball in the middle circle, and the referee blew the whistle and threw the ball high over the arena.

Thaddeus Young was at a height disadvantage, but the bounce was better than Noah, and before the referee blew the whistle, he tried to bend his body to accumulate strength, and when the referee blew the whistle, he burst out violently, grabbed the ball before Noah, and dialed it to Teague, and the Pacers executed the first attack of the game. (To be continued.) )