After the collective bargaining ended, Stern announced that the first game of the regular season of the new season would start on February 5 and end on May 5, with 50 games.

And because of the shrinking season, there will be no All-Star Weekend this season, for the first time in history.

This season has undoubtedly been a big challenge for all the players.

Because All-Star Weekend is actually a bit of a "mid-season break" for players.

While the fans enjoyed the show, the players were able to catch their breath.

But now the shrinking season has led to a much higher schedule density, and there is no respite for All-Star Weekend.

Everyone only entered the state of sprinting with all their strength from the beginning, and rushed to the end, and whoever stopped and slowed down was the dog.

The new season is about to begin, and the NBA is back in the heat again.

As the most trafficked player in the league, Shay is naturally the most mentioned in the news.

The whole world is watching Shay's recovery, and they are all speculating whether Shay can reach the peak and create the miracle of four consecutive championships!

If this is put last season, no one will question the strength of the Lakers, and no one will dare to say that "the Lakers can't win the championship".

But this season, NBC TV polls show that 89% of fans think it will be difficult for the Lakers to defend their title again!

Three consecutive championships is difficult enough, and four consecutive championships are almost impossible to accomplish in modern basketball.

Pat who was invited to the show. Riley also moved out of his "greed" theory again:

"Winning the championship three years in a row, I believe the mentality of the Lakers players is different.

Someone wants more wages, someone wants more minutes and team status.

The high-intensity battles day after day make them physically and mentally exhausted.

What's more, the Lakers aren't young anymore.

Rodman is 38 years old, Mutombo is 33 years old even according to the official age, and God knows what his actual age is.

Dell. Curry is 35 years old, his son has become an 11-and-a-half-year-old, and his son is expected to be able to dunk in a few years.

Green is 36 years old and Sam Perkins is 38 years old.

Green's brothers probably want him to retire soon.

It's hard to imagine what kind of starters the Lakers will have next season.

Is it for these old men to continue to play the starters? Or let Ben. Wallace and Jermaine. O'Neill's two young men who are not strong enough to play the starter?

Moreover, Shay himself was in trouble.

No one knows if he can fully regain his original form after being injured for so long.

No matter which way you look at it, the Lakers are unlikely to win the championship. ”

Pat. Riley once predicted that the Lakers would fall apart in the summer of '94 when Shay and Barkley won their second championship.

Therefore, what he said still carries a lot of weight in the hearts of fans, and almost everyone believes that Riley will once again accurately predict the fate of the Lakers next!

After all, the Lakers really haven't been in a good situation this year.

The retired are retired, and the old ones are too old.

Shay will have to miss a month or two of the game.

This is simply the right time and place, and everything is not touched.

Not to mention the championship of the Lakers, people don't even know if they can return to the Finals!

There are also many experts who suggest that Shay simply retire on the spot:

"If Shay loses the series this season, his godhead will definitely suffer.

In the minds of the fans, he is a man who will not fail.

He's never lost the Finals, and he's only lost once in the playoffs except in his rookie season.

Shay is perfect in the minds of the fans and is invincible.

But this season, if Shay insists on playing, people will be disappointed to find that Shay is just a mortal!

So, retire.

Anyway, according to the new rules, Shay can now sign an annual salary that is only a quarter of what it was before.

Anyway, the three consecutive championships are already in hand.

He's already a legend anyway.

If it's me, I'm not going to have a thankless season. ”

Shay looked at the news and shook his head.

Sure enough, experts at home and abroad are the same. For them, Shay advises them not to advise!

This is the first time since Shay won his third title that he has not been favored before the season.

No, it's not that it's not unfavorable, it's completely underestimated.

It's not like Shay hasn't thought about taking a break for a while, but it's not because this season is too difficult, it's because winning last season was really boring.

Just like playing a game, you will find it boring to play too much on a computer with easy difficulty.

Whoever plays 2K likes to win the opposite two or thirty points in every game.

But this year, public opinion is so unfavorable to the Lakers, but it has aroused Shay's desire to win, and let him find the joy of playing.

The more you talk about my pills, the more I want to win!

Finally, on the day of pre-season training camp, Shay attended the first press conference of the new season.

It is estimated that there is no team in the league that has a more lively press conference than the Lakers.

The media center of the Great Western Forum was so full that some reporters even had to set up their cameras at the door of the media center, and those who came to cover the news broke through the threshold.

Shay just walked up to the stage and didn't say a word when the shutter of the camera came over like a chorus.

This is the first person in the league!

As soon as Shay sat down, countless reporters raised their hands and began to ask:

"Shay, how does your ankle feel?"

"Needless to say, people have suggested that I retire on the spot. If I were to say that it was fully recovered, it would disappoint a lot of people. So, all I can tell you is that I'm recovering mediocre. ”

Shay joked with reporters, and seeing him so relaxed, the Los Angeles media breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that Shay has not been intimidated by this highly targeted season.

He's still the basketball god who can handle any adversity.

Immediately afterward, the reporter asked Shay: "What do you think are the chances of you successfully defending your title this season?" ”

Shay immediately retorted, "Who do you think can be my opponent?" ”

Shay's rhetorical question made the reporters speechless for a moment.

Although public opinion says that the Lakers will die this season, no one really dares to say that any team can finish Shay.

Shay's domineering and self-confidence made many ill-intentioned reporters a lot more honest.

After the press conference, Shay walked backstage and found that the old Buzz and Logo were different from their relaxed faces, and they both looked solemn.

The grumpy Logo is still yelling, "Damn Atlantans, they're just beating me up like an idiot!" ”

Shay looked at the logo that went from long hair to gray hair, he hadn't seen West so angry in a long time:

"What's wrong?"

"I asked the Eagles to quote your old friend Kristen. Leitner, they actually told me: Oh Jerry, we're not going to trade Leitner unless you bring Shay, he's an important part of the team.

But just now, I learned that the Hawks sent Leitner to Detroit, and only got Scott, who averaged less than 10 minutes per game last season, from Detroit. Pollard and a first-round pick!

Leitner wasn't a big part at all, they just didn't want to trade with me! ”

Although Leitner, who was in college and was in the rain, did not become what people expected after entering the NBA, he did not make it to the All-Star, and averaged 18.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game in the Hawks in the '97 season.

Logo thought that getting him to play the number four position could solve the problem that the attack power of the fourth position was too weak.

Allowing for joint defense next season, Shay's offensive space would be disastrous if Rodman continued to play as a starter.

And Leitner's ability to shoot is just the way to solve that problem.

But the Eagles would rather sell Lightner to Detroit than work with Logo.

Now the whole league doesn't want to trade with the Lakers!

Because the whole world knows that this is the best chance to take out Shay!

The whole league is an opponent with eye on the Lakers, and is ready to dismantle Shay, the down-and-out lion king.

The Lakers are the most trafficked team in the league, kill the Lakers, and the traffic is yours!

It's not the first time this year that Logo has been deflated in trades, and his plans to bring in reinforcements this year have been repeatedly frustrated.

It's not easy to be an enemy of the whole people.

Shay just shrugged his shoulders after hearing this, normal, that's it for a long time.

Seeing Logo and Old Bass sullen, Shay patted them on the shoulder:

"The whole world is looking forward to our ends, including Stern's old boy.

In such a situation, if we can really win four times in a row

Don't you think it's fun?

Regarding the recruitment, don't worry.

Actually, I don't think our squad can't cope with next season.

Jermaine. O'Neill and Ben. Wallace's two boys, but they're always improving.

Stephen who plays in Europe. Jackson, we can recall him too.

I still have confidence in our team.

Of course, if you have to bring in new members, I'll give you a name.

Look at it, find a way to get him. ”

Seeing that Shay is still confident, Logo's self-confidence for next season has also improved a lot.

I think that at the beginning, it was the Logo that calmly strategized and controlled the overall situation.

I didn't expect that one day I would need players to motivate.

However, after seeing the name of the reinforcement Shay gave him, Logo doubts life again.

This guy Shay, are you serious?

Shay seemed to understand what the expression of the logo meant, so he immediately smiled:

"Trust me Logo, that guy just doesn't have anyone going to train him.

You know me, I'm a good hand at training.

If you give him to me, he will be of great use! ”

Shay then whistled and headed for the training ground.

If at the press conference, Shay may have pretended to be confident in front of outsiders.

So now, Logo is really convinced, and Shay feels confident that he will win the championship for the fourth time in a row.

Can.

Logo itself is not confident!

But the only thing he can do now is to cooperate with Shay as much as he can.

While the Lakers struggled in the transfer market, other teams were in a race to topple the Lakers' rule.

For example, the Knicks, who lost in the Eastern Conference Finals half a year ago, made a trade.

With Terry. Cummings, Chris. Mills and John. Starks, from the Warriors to Lakers veteran Sprewell!

There is no other reason for the madman to be traded, and what can the icy and jade Sprewell do out of the ordinary? It was just that he almost strangled his head coach to death on the spot.

Again, the Lakers are players, and their "basic skills" are generally very solid.

The Knicks' move is mainly to alleviate the team's lack of consistency in outside firepower, and they really don't want to see Kobe Bryant crazy on the outside and unable to do anything about it.

This deal, in Shay's opinion, is a very good reinforcement.

In the original history, the Knicks lost Ewing in the 98-99 season, and as a result, the team relied on a resolute defense to fight with Sprewell, Allan. Houston's score, stunned all the way to the finals!

The madman in the 99 season was notorious because of the coaching incident, and he was afraid of losing his job, so he was playing very seriously this season.

And now, the Knicks have put Allan . Houston was replaced by the maturing Kobe, the injured Ewing was replaced by a healthy O'Neal, plus the former Lakers veteran, Clifford who showed defensive strength after allowing the joint defense. Robinson.

You can imagine how powerful they can burst out!

As for the dressing room atmosphere, don't worry about it at all. Although Kobe Bryant is domineering and fights back, Sprewell is not expected to make much trouble in order to keep his job.

After the deal was finalized, the Knicks immediately held a new press conference at a luxury hotel, announcing that the Zen master who had taken a year off would return to the mountain and would become the head coach of the Knicks next season!

As we all know, the Zen master is a good man, and he will only go out when he smells the smell of the champion.

The Knicks' competitiveness speaks for itself!

In addition to the Knicks, the San Antonio Spurs have not been idle.

Facts have proven that the combination of the most watery champion + intelligent back general in history is very competitive.

Last season's Spurs, however, counterattacked from decadence and reached the second round.

The Spurs' interior defense has been invincible, and the biggest problem is that they don't have great outside players.

So the Spurs won the greatest third in Chicago's history and the strongest deputy in history in free agency - Scott. Pippen!

In the original history, Pippen was going to the Rockets to hug the thighs of Olajuwon and Fliggs.

But in this history, Fliggy is no longer playing, and Olajuwon is alone in Houston.

So, Pisan landed in San Antonio!

In the Spurs, Duncan is first, the general is second, and Pippen can play the third position he is most familiar with~

In addition to the Knicks and Spurs, the strength of other teams has also grown greatly.

Although the Suns lost Fliggy, Grant. The three chicks, Hill, Webb, and Roaring Tianzun, have all risen to the top.

Webb, who was 99 years old in the original history, has led the king to become a powerhouse in the West.

In the original history, Tianzun in this period has been regarded as the top brand by the Trailblazers, and the Portland Prison Team has reached the Western Conference Finals for two consecutive years under his leadership.

Now, these two inside lines are combined, and a peak Hill has to be added.

It's terrifying!

In the history of the Sacramento Kings, after the unsuccessful trade of Webb, the Sacramento Kings used Jordan's "second quarterback in the league" Richmond + Shay's old sandbag Billy. Owens, from the Mavericks to the man who deserves to be mentioned, Jason. Kyd!

In this history, although the Dallas 3J was also torn apart by the quarrels of his peers, Kidd was not traded.

Only now, he finally left Dallas and was taken under the king's command.

Although Kidd and Webb are not at all the same style of player, he is also very suitable for Adelman's Princeton system!

Not to mention, Philadelphia has AI and KG that have grown up.

The Indianapolis are still eyeing the championship.

Utah Twinsch and Alain. Houston is still going strong.

Next season, it's a crowd of demons!

In the short one-month offseason transfer market, fans can see exciting news every single day.

Only Lakers fans found that the team did little to no longer renew their contracts.

Using bird rights, the Lakers successfully extended Shay's contract with a maximum salary, and then renewed Sam's contract with a base salary. Perkins.

On top of that, Michael Murray, who is quite sought-after in the free agent market, was left behind. Finlay.

Finley improved dramatically last season, averaging 18.8 points per game and is Shay's most effective assistant.

So this summer, a large number of teams are pursuing Finlay.

But fortunately, the Lakers had Finley's bird rights and were able to keep Finley and keep the basic market.

Finley himself has no ambition to be the boss of another team, his personality is like this, he doesn't fight or grab.

But apart from regular contract extensions, the Lakers have hardly brought in new signings.

The only two new signings were high school student Rashad Brown, who was at the end of the first round of the draft in the summer of '98. Lewis and the second-round Catino. Mobley.

However, the rookies at the end of the first round and the second-round picks did not seem to help the Lakers to the outside world.

As for the guy Shay recommended to Logo, unfortunately, the Logo deal failed again.

All teams are deliberately wary of the Lakers and will not easily trade with the Lakers.

But Logo didn't give up and was bound to take him down before the trade deadline!

Oh yes, the Lakers have one more signing.

Signed Terry. Teague is the Lakers' equipment manager!

This wave of rehiring, so that Terry. Teague is back in his favorite job - helping Shaiti carry water!

Although the identity is different, but. It's still the same job!

Later, Shay's entire game outfit was made by Terry. Teague, the equipment manager, is personally responsible for making sure Shay plays comfortably every game.

Not to brag about what thickness of protective gear Shay likes to use, Terry. Teague knows it all!

In terms of offseason operations, the Lakers are far behind the rest of the team.

With this extreme lineup of the old ones who are too old, the little ones who are too small, and the players who are playing too few for the time being, and in the absence of Shay for the time being.

The three-time champion Los Angeles Lakers started this destined extraordinary 98-99 season.

However, I thought that without Shay at the beginning of the season, the Lakers' start would already be considered hellish.

Who knows, the Lakers' start is even more difficult than expected!

At the start of the season, Rodman suffered an injury and was left behind.

He had pain in the gastrocnemius muscle in his calf, and after examination, it was found that Rodman had a severe calf muscle strain.

Carrying those players who are several times bigger than himself for many years, shooting himself to the floor for many years, and the hardcore playing style for many years, this rebounding demon has finally stopped wreaking havoc.

At this time, many people suddenly remembered that the guy who dyed his colorful hair, married himself in a wedding dress, and always giggled and laughed, but he was also 38 years old!

Rodman's return date was undecided, and a month after the start of the season, Mutombo fell again.

In the process of scrambling for rebounds and landing on the ground, Uncle Mu accidentally sprained his knee.

In the end, the Lakers team doctor diagnosed a sprained knee ligament and had to miss two to three months.

That said, Mutombo may not be back until the playoffs!

But here's the thing

Do the Lakers still have a playoff game?

At the end of the first month, the Lakers' record was 4-11!

Michael. Finley has done everything he can to pick up the lead without Shay, averaging 21.5 points per game, and he's like a leader.

But, he was never Shay!

In the second month, after losing Mutombo, the Lakers also had a record of only 4 wins and 9 losses!

No Rodman, no Mutombo, old Dell. Curry's scoring average has dropped to just single digits per game, and O'Neal Jr. and Big Ben are getting used to feeling more responsible.

By March 24, the Lakers had an 8-21 record after losing to the Kidd-led Kings!

It is at the same level as the Denver Nuggets, who were the bottom of the West last season, and second only to the Vancouver Grizzlies, the king of the lying flat!

For a time, the Lakers became a joke all over the world:

"We were worried at the beginning of the season that the Lakers would be going to be difficult to get back to the Finals, and it turned out that we were wrong, and we were a little bit unwarranted.

Because the Lakers can't even make the playoffs this year! ”

"The Lakers' chance of making the playoffs this season is only 0.1%! It's not 10%, it's not 1%, it's 0.1%! Let's put it bluntly, it's impossible! ”

"This is the fall of an era, this is the irreversible fall. Why should we even focus on the Los Angeles Lakers? Let's look at the matchup between the Spurs and the Knicks, times have changed. ”

"Ben. Wallace's offense is not as good as that of a high school student, Jermaine. O'Neill is incredibly thin, Stephen. Jackson is fierce but not consistent, and Mobley and Lewis are too young.

Finley tried his best, but he couldn't beat with a bunch of newcomers! ”

"I know that Shay's return date is on March 26, which is the next game, against the New York Knicks, who are No. 1 in the East.

But if I were Shay, I wouldn't be coming back.

What if he returns?

You know, there are only 50 regular season games this season, and the Lakers have played 29 games!

Even if Shay returns, it won't help!

Even the gods of basketball, even the most vicious basketball devils, have to accept the fact that the Lakers have failed this season! ”

Not only the media, but even Falck persuaded Shay to simply give up this season!

Having stopped this season with a direct injury, Shay's image and personal value will not be affected in any way.

But if he can't save the situation when he returns to play the game, Shay will really fall off the altar!

But at this time when the whole world is looking down on the Lakers, Sir Charles Flying Pig, who most wanted to see Shay overturn and most wanted Shay to lose without any bottoms, went against the current and expressed a different point of view:

"Do you know what you're talking about? Do you know who you're suspicious of?

That's Madfakshay!

The man who could have lost only 10 out of 82 games!

The man who can win the championship with only one loss in the playoffs!

That can put the second best thing next to me, Michael. Jordan hits the retired man!

Let me tell you, the Lakers' lineup is actually fine, but there is no star to lead it!

The Lakers are going to make the playoffs, I'll put it here, you guys watch it! ”

Barkley's words, naturally, drew a burst of laughter.

Everyone said that he was abused by Shay to get PTSD, and he naturally had the gene of kneeling and licking Shay in his body.

The morale of the Lakers team also plummeted, and Finley even closed himself, he didn't expect that the first time he led the team alone, Nima was going to lead the team to be the champion.

If this is brought for four years, it will not be guaranteed three champions?

Before Owen became a god, Finley had already become a god!

To tell the truth, Finley's ability to lead the team alone is really average.

In the original history, in the Mavericks, he led the team every year until Nowitzki and Nash grew up.

However, there are still some Lakers fans who don't believe in evil and believe that everything can change after Shay's return.

In fact, Shay himself thinks so.

As Fliggy said, the Lakers' lineup is actually not bad.

Xiao Ao and Big Ben actually showed good strength, although the offense was average, but because of the cancellation of illegal defense, the joint defense was allowed, and the defensive ability of these two assistant defense monsters has been completely liberated.

The Lakers are still a strong defensive team, but the offense is too poor, and Finley is not like Shay who can carry the scoring task of the whole team alone.

The Lakers only need to solve two problems – one to replace the elder Deer. Curry's excellent starting guard, a firepower sixth man.

And the day before Shay's return, Logo helped him solve this problem.

At the time, Shay was lying in bed preparing for bed.

As a result, Logo suddenly called:

"Shay, I've finally got the person you want!"

Shay hung up the phone and smiled slightly, the Lakers' defending season has officially begun!

Let's start with the next comeback battle!

(End of chapter)