The 20~21 season is destined to be affected by the flu, and there is a high probability that it will shrink by a loss.

Many free Amelika people don't really care about this little cold, they should eat and drink, and by the way, they complain about the cowards who stay at home every day.

Although Li Ze is as strong as a cow, he will protect himself every time he goes out, and the situation in New York is not very optimistic, and most of the staff of the Nets have fallen.

By mid-July, the NBA league announced the salary cap for the new season:

In the 20~21 season, the salary cap is 116 million US dollars, and the luxury tax threshold is 141 million US dollars.

Compared to last season, the salary cap has only increased by about 3%, and the flu has really taken a toll on the league.

The events in the park were not well received by the fans, mainly because the Clippers won too easily, Li Ze was a newcomer, and Leonard was definitely a bag to move in.

The impact of the Clippers winning the championship again is that the Lakers' championship window is further narrowed, and the Rockets are completely disbanded.

The combination of Paul and Harden hasn't even touched the floor of the Western Conference Finals for three years, and the league's strongest backcourt combination has become a joke.

Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta even publicly blasted Paul's high salary and low ability:

"The thing I regret the most is giving Chris Paul a big contract, he's not a leader at all! The success of the Clippers was just a fluke. ”

"God knows what the Clippers would have achieved without Kayce-Li, we're going to start over!"

The flu made the melon-eating masses more fond of home-based gossip, and the Rockets owner sent Paul away just after the offseason began after his speech at the end of June.

The Suns felt Devin Booker was a good fit for Paul, sending away Ty Jerome, Jalen Lake, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Ricky Rubio for a 2022 first-round pick in exchange for Chris Paul and Bruno Capocollo from the Rockets.

The hard-bearded baller, the flowing teammates, the Rockets still insist on Harden as the core, and the championship is no longer the team's pursuit.

With the Warriors' injuries, the Rockets' disintegration, the Lakers' LeBron James getting a year older, and the Clippers' salary explosion, the Western Conference newcomers all see an opportunity.

After the free agency market opened, Li Ze called Gary Sachs and had a pleasant exchange, and Nets general manager Sean Marx immediately brought in a third party.

On July 19, the Nets, Clippers, and Pistons reached a three-way deal.

The Nets traded Saddiq Bey, Jalen Hanz, Zanan Musa and a 2021 second-round pick to the Pistons; trading Jay Scroeb to the Los Angeles Clippers;

The Pistons traded Bruce Brown to the Nets; trading Luke Kennard, Justin Barton, 2nd round pick in 2023, 2nd round 2025 pick to Los Angeles Clippers;

The Los Angeles Clippers traded Connaughton and George Niang to the Nets; Trade Rodney McGruder and cash for the Detroit Pistons.

The three sides took what they wanted, with the Clippers sending away firefighters and welcoming new recruits again, saving some luxury tax, the Pistons needing some instant power, and the Nets getting a rotation.

The Nets don't stop there, with Joe Harris and Caris LeVert having a good season last season before being sent away just after signing contracts.

Two significant rotation players plus a '22 first-round pick, a '24 first-round pick, and a '26 first-round pick in exchange for Jrue Holiday and Sam Merrill from the Pelicans.

At this point, the Nets' rebuild is completely complete.

Next season, Durant's salary will be as high as 41 million, Irving will also have 35 million, plus Holiday will have 25 million and Dinwiddie's 11.5 million, and the salary of the four will be close to 124 million US dollars.

Fortunately, Connaughton, George Niang, and Bruce Brown are not big contracts.

Jarrett Allen on the inside is still on a new contract, and his salary next season is only $3.9 million, plus Reggie Bullock's $7.5 million next season, the Nets still haven't paid the luxury tax.

By the end of July, the Nets had been inactive, and new head coach Steve Kerr had taken on a low-key role.

Amika's sports media has always been consequential.

Coach Rivers took over the Warriors and reached the Finals in his first year, while Steve Kerr pulled his hip in the Western Conference Finals for several years in a row, which polarized the reviews of the two.

Coupled with the buff of the black championship coach, even if the Warriors fished badly last season, Rivers' evaluation was heavenly.

Most players in the league are very supportive of his own man, and the Warriors are very happy with Coach Rivers internally.

Steve Kerr, on the other hand, rested at home all of last year and did not return to the commentary world or accept offers from other teams.

The title of regular season head coach is on the back of his mind, but Steve Kerr is powerless to argue that the Warriors have indeed not made it to the Finals under his coaching.

Only Mark Jackson spoke out and evaluated Steve Kerr's coaching career with the Warriors fairly and objectively:

"There were a lot of times when the results weren't decided by the head coach, and the Warriors had 73 wins, and Steve's tactical play had a huge impact in the league."

"Doug is good, but I would say he's also lucky, Kayce left the league, Paul George had an injury, and the Warriors won the Clippers with a broken roster in that tie-breaker."

"Injuries are part of the game and I'm sure Steve will prove himself again in the future."

It's just that such an evaluation was eventually drowned out in the ridicule of everyone, and Rivers' success even made many sports media come to an outrageous conclusion:

"If it had been Doug Rivers who took over the Warriors, maybe they would have won a championship by now!"

“...”

In early August, Li Ze and Steve Kerr had a brief meeting, and Nets general manager Sean Marx was in a good mood, recruiting James Harden failed, but getting Holiday was also a good option.

After a year's break, Durant is fully back to full health, and the Nets don't have to worry about offensive firepower.

Kyrie Irving, who ended left shoulder surgery after the playoffs and is currently recovering well, is both considered prime players, and as long as the tactics are reasonable, the Nets can theoretically make it out of the East.

At present, the main lineup has been determined, and it will be randomly adjusted in the future.

Defenders: Jrue Holiday, Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, Patrick Connaughton;

Forwards: Kevin Durant, Reggie Bullock, Taurin Prince, Jeff Green, George Niang;

Centres: Jarrett Allen, Nicholas Claxton.

Atmosphere group: Sam Merrill, Mike James.

Mike James has won a lot of honors in Europe, but after logging into the NBA, he was not adapted, he had been in the atmosphere group of the Suns before, and this time he came to the Nets, naturally he wanted to prove himself again.

At present, the contract has not been officially finalized, but the atmosphere group is at most 500,000 US dollars, and according to past data, the contract salary is about 250,000 US dollars.

The Barclays Center Arena is about to change hands, but Kaizi still hasn't held on, the flu made the Nets unprofitable last season, and coupled with the previous debt, it was another year of loss.

continued to sell shares, the stadium was eventually sold to Big Machine Records, Amerika's basketball was not fun, and under the shrinkage of assets, Prokhorov cashed out and ran away...

The facilities in the arena are still not outdated, and the training equipment has not deteriorated, after all, the Nets have been rotten every year, and the players who come here have not bothered to train hard.

However, compared to the Clippers' IntuitDome arena and the Warriors' Chase Center, Barclays Center is still a bit old-fashioned.

"It's not bad at all compared to the home of the Bulls, Spurs, Suns, Warriors, but it could take many years to turn the market around."

Dressed in the Nets' training uniform, Steve Kerr is in a good mood, and the team is currently in a good position to have good talent on the outside in addition to being weak on the inside.

"This is New York, as long as you can win the championship, there is no shortage of fans, it just so happens that my patience has always been good, and I understand the plight of the teams in the same city."

Also wearing a Nets training uniform, Li Ze also looks like a member of the coaching staff.

Steve Kerr just smiled, he understood what Li Ze meant, compared to the Clippers, the Nets are in a good situation.

The predecessor of the New Jersey Nets also had the experience of the Finals, and if it hadn't met the Spurs that year, they might have won the championship long ago.

General Manager Sean Marx laughed along with him, and then whispered to Steve Cole:

"Steve, what more players do we need to add, there are still places in the squad at the moment."

Steve Kerr naturally hopes that the team can replenish the experienced big men, but the big men in the league are all treasures at the moment, plus Allen's talent is not bad, and finally just smiled and said:

"Let's make a decision before and after the All-Star break, with our current roster, as long as we stay healthy, we still have a chance to make it to the Finals."

“...”

The Holiday family only officially moved to New York in mid-August, and housing prices in Brooklyn are not cheap, so they didn't buy a house directly after moving here.

Britney Spears specially entertained the following college friends.

Lauren had just given birth to her second child the year before last, and looked at her friends who were no different from her college days, and said enviously for a while:

"Is God really so kind to you, 31 years old? Incredibly, 21 is about the same. ”

Despite some exaggeration, Britney really doesn't look like an Amerika girl of her age.

The praise of her friend naturally made the silly girl feel happy, but she just looked at Li Ze, who was talking and laughing with Holiday on the other side, and couldn't help but stare quietly.

She hasn't done any safety measures in these years, but the man-making campaign has not been very successful, according to the plan, she should have had a child last year, but unfortunately in the end she didn't get her wish.

"You're going to get used to life in New York, it's a little noisier than New Orleans, but it's safe."

“...”

The two are naturally very happy to catch up, Amerika's conflict has deepened, the past two years have not been peaceful, Britney knows that Lauren has to think about the problem of her children's schooling, and gives advice in advance.

Holiday saw his wife's smiling face, and he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, everyone wanted to live a stable life, and he didn't want his wife and children to follow him around.

"I really didn't expect the Pelicans to choose to develop Ball, and it seems that after selecting Zion Williams, management intends to completely rebuild."

Hearing Li Ze's words, Holiday smiled wryly, when the team has Anthony Davis, as long as they hold on for a few more years, maybe they can also gain something.

But the Lakers traded away the team's future, leaving him out of the Pelicans' plans.

After spending a few years in Philadelphia, he stayed in New Orleans, where Holiday hosted Keds' camp every year and was deeply connected to the local community.

Being traded by the team in such a situation is naturally uncomfortable.

"I don't think Zion is going to be the face of the league, maybe he's talented, but he's a little bit worse than Davis."

Holiday is still a little resentful of the old club, and when there is a newcomer, he forgets the old one, coupled with the reaction of the local fans, he can't help but turn into lemon essence at this time.

Li Ze patted his friend on the shoulder, one person and one city are not so easy to do, the team pursues interests, and the two sides are naturally opposed.

...

Affected by the flu, the 20~21 season has also shrunk slightly, the free market opened half a month later than before, and the regular season officially started on December 22.

The NBA league naturally followed the hot spots, and the opening game was scheduled for the Warriors vs. Nets, Lakers vs. Clippers.

Despite not adding big-name star players, the Nets are a championship contender as long as Durant is healthy.

Before the start of the new season, the Nets added Nicholas Batum.

This is a lottery signing, and Batum, who was seriously injured, almost couldn't find a job, but Li Ze felt that this signing was not a loss.

The opening game was also a grudge between the two sides, with Rivers being quiet with the Nets and eventually succeeding with the Warriors.

Steve Kerr had a lot of success with the Warriors, but in the end he had to leave the game in despair.

After Durant's "cat and dog" theory, this is the first time the two sides have met.

The Warriors also gained a high pick in the swing - James Wiseman, plus the additions of Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre Jr., and the starting talent is also very good.

It's just that Stephen Curry, who returned from injury in the game that night, didn't feel anything at all, while on the Nets' side, Kyrie Irving was in explosive form.

Durant fished and played 25 minutes, clocking out before the third quarter.

Steve Kerr was pleased with the defensive attitude shown by the starting lineup.

Holiday and Bullock can lead the opposing backcourt, Durant is responsible for sweeping and assisting, and Allen on the inside can concentrate on rebounding.

Kyrie Irving's disadvantage is compensated, and it is his job to concentrate on scoring.

At 96:128, Dinwiddie's bench lineup was also merciless, with Connaughton and George Niang, who got the chance to play, rain three-pointers, and veterans Batum and Jeff Green also followed suit.

Although the Nets didn't show too many complicated tactics, and Steve Kerr didn't bring the pass-and-cut system here, it still taught the Warriors' newcomers a lesson with their excellent defense.

Under the coaching of Coach Rivers, the Warriors' tactical play has also changed a lot.

Graymond Green is still injured and Klay hasn't recovered, so the Warriors are just giving the ball to Curry.

This kind of tactical play that relies too much on stars definitely depends on the state of the players, and Coach Rivers doesn't care after the loss, and entering the finals again can ensure that he will not lack work for the next 5 years.

After the game, Curry looked at the smug Durant and just pursed his lips, the Nets have a lot of people playing, which is somewhat similar to the former Warriors, Curry has begun to miss Klay and Green...

After the start of the new season, the Nets quickly encountered their first difficulty, not because of the problem with the players, but because the New York City government tightened the flu rules.

Kyrie Irving, who yearns for freedom, is reluctant to get an injection, which is understandable, after all, Amika's side has no credibility in medical care...

At this time, it is up to the team to come forward, after all, the policies of each state are different, which means that this matter is negotiable.

Before the All-Star Game, Li Ze briefly reassured everyone on the Nets:

"Give me a month and I'll take care of this!"

If you want to change the policy of the New York municipal government, it must be useless to rely on Li Ze and the Nets alone, but the influence of the Yankees and the Mets (New York's baseball team) is different.

New York's sports leagues protested en masse, and the lobbying team worked hard, but the flu was no match for the American knife after all, and after the All-Star Game, the new rules were soon introduced:

"Allow professional athletes and performers to be exempt in the workplace."

In the end, Kyrie Irving only missed a few games before the All-Star break, and then played with peace of mind.

Amerika's sports media also discovered the strength of the Nets, and at the end of the regular season, a ball critic finally shouted:

"Nets Championship!"

At the end of the regular season, the Nets have a 53-19 record and are in first place in the league.

In the Eastern Conference, the 76ers are second with 49 wins, the Bucks are third with 46 wins, and the Knicks next door are fourth with 41 wins;

The 5~8 places are the Hawks, Heat, Celtics, and Wizards.

In the playoffs, the Nets had a very easy schedule, facing Bradley Beal's Wizards who were fighting with an injury in the first round, and swept the opponent 4-0 neatly.

In the Eastern Conference semifinals, against the Hawks, who were successful in the following rounds, Holiday made Trae Young completely lost with his tough defense

With a big score of 4:0, he easily advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Bucks relied on the excellent play of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the black foot, to defeat Tatum and Embiid, and pushed all the way to the division finals.

It's just that at this time, the outside public opinion has exploded, and Giannis Antetokounmpo is still not thick-skinned enough, and was finally shot by the Nets' three-point shot...

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Nets eliminated their opponents 4-2 and successfully reached the Finals.

After allowing the fans to enter, the fans of the fun were also boiling at this time, good guys, this is to make history!

Durant was already inflated by this time, and the Warriors were eliminated by the Grizzlies in the playoffs, and he reached the Finals.

Steve Cole didn't expect this year to go so well.

Batum, who scratched the lottery, is getting better and better, and Aldridge, who joined the Nets with a base salary with a hitchhiking veteran at the end of March, also played well.

The Clippers came out of the Western Conference again, only the Western Conference semifinals Leonard fell, and in the Western Conference finals, Paul George also lay down...

After a hard-fought seven-game battle with the Suns, Jokic beat Ayton and sent a triple-double in the next three games to lead the team to win the division finals.

Coming to the Finals, although Jaylen Brown and Siakam played well, with the strongest tactics, Durant and Irving played better.

On the evening of July 20th, the Barclays Center Arena was completely boiling.

At 102:106, the Nets, who were playing at home, did not give the Clippers too many chances, and defeated the opponent with a big score of 4:2 and won the first championship in the team's history.

Jokic was a little disappointed in the loss, but the lack of two core players to make it to the Finals has been very successful.

Li Ze and Steve Ballmer hugged and greeted each other under the basketball hoop, and a happy smile appeared on their faces.

Durant and Irving in the center of the court are already smiling, and several veterans are cheering loudly as they make history.

All members of the Nets changed into championship T-shirts, and as the owner of the team, Li Ze was naturally the first to raise a glass.

Doris Burke felt the joyful atmosphere in the Barclays Center arena and smiled and asked Li Ze:

"Kayce, what are you thankful for seeing you on the stage of the finals again, winning the championship in a different capacity?"

Li Ze casually handed the O'Brien Cup to Kyrie Irving on the side, and when he heard this question, he just replied jokingly:

"Jeff, I fulfilled my promise and brought you the championship!"

Jeff Green laughed when he heard Li Ze's words, and Durant also applauded happily on the sidelines.

The original Thunder team, everyone expected to win the championship together, but unfortunately they lost to the Lakers in the first year, which was also a regret at the beginning.

Picking up the FMVP trophy as he wished, Durant lifted his hat and raised the trophy to receive cheers from the fans at the scene.

Li Ze smiled and applauded on the side, and sighed silently in his heart:

"The Nets also have a bright future ahead of them..."

...

On October 13, 2021, the 75th anniversary, the NBA league announced the top 75 superstars, and Li Ze and Mike Jordan tied for first place.

Later, at the All-Star Game, the two played in the finale, and LeBron James in the audience saw it hot, and secretly made up his mind:

"I want all the stats and the championship..."

The newcomers are aggressively challenging for the championship, while the Clippers and Nets are in the way of the championship.

After the Nets won the first championship in team history, Li Ze became more and more low-key, and fans could only occasionally see him at the home court of the Clippers and the home court of the Nets.

Fortunately, Li Ze always shares his life on social media, but he is getting farther and farther away from basketball.

On August 13, 2025, in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame welcomed Ze Li.

As an introducer, Mike Jordan, who has already appeared old, took the stage and gave a simple speech with a smile:

"8-time NBA Champion, 8-time Finals MVP, 6-time regular-season MVP, let's welcome Kayce-Li!"

The audience applauded thunderously, and Li Ze, who was dressed in a formal suit and had no change in appearance, got up with a smile and came to the stage to hug Michael Jordan.

Standing in front of the podium, looking at the familiar faces in the audience, Li Ze had mixed feelings for a while, and then said affectionately:

"Hello, dear basketball!"

---------Finish--------