"Coach Riley, what chance do you think the Knicks have of making it to the second round?" An ABC reporter asked.

"We have a lot of confidence to beat the Pistons, and that confidence comes from a strong lineup and a high will to fight......"

"We have a super center Ewing, we also have the strongest defense, the toughest style, we are like an army, we will crush any enemy ......"

Pat Riley, who is good at oratory, immediately began his performance, full of seductive words, coupled with powerful auxiliary movements, so that the scene was immersed in his speech, and ten minutes had passed after the speech.

"Mr. Oakley, what do you think about the fact that you four villains have all suffered under Iron Fist, and Iron Fist can be called the vanguard of the Alliance's anti-evil eradication?" An ESPN reporter asked.

Oakley was so angry that he couldn't speak, his hands were shaking, the vanguard of shit, his iron fist was the biggest villain in the league.

"Mr. Oakley?"

Seeing that Oakley did not answer, the reporter immediately urged.

Oakley said angrily: "He has played so many people this season, and even Big Dream has been beaten by him and has been lying in the hospital for more than a month, if it weren't for the league to protect him, he should have been banned for the whole season, not just two games." ”

"Charles?"

Pat Riley immediately spoke out to stop it, and the boy said that anyone can do it, but don't attack the alliance, when Stern doesn't dare to touch you?

"Charles, last time you suffered a big loss under Iron Fist, do you regard the Pistons as mortal enemies?" A reporter asked again.

Oakley nodded without hesitation, "Absolutely." ”

"Do you think you can beat him?" The reporter asked again.

Oakley looked at the nameplate hanging on the reporter's chest with an ugly face, the Detroit Worker Daily, and glared at the reporter before he said sullenly: "I was careless last time, and this time I want to make him look good." ”

"Charles, last time you were only knocked out by Iron Fist, why did you lie in the hospital for more than a month? You shouldn't be that badly injured. ”

The reporter ignored Oakley's fierce eyes and continued to ask.

"Am I going to tell you that I went head-to-head with him off the field and was beaten up by him again?" Oakley thought angrily.

He thought for a moment and said, "The team let me stay for a while longer for safety reasons. ”

Pat Leliley next to him was a little worried, Oakley was not going to do it, he could only deal with other people, and the iron fist had to rely on Mason to deal with it, Mason's neck was thick enough now that he should be able to carry it.

"Charles, what do you think of Iron Fist's violence on and off the field?" A reporter asked.

"Why do you keep asking me, why am I not a football player?"

Oakley scolded in his heart, and as soon as he became angry, he said a little irritably: "He is the Detroit Killer King, are you satisfied with this answer?" ”

"Oh!"

The reporters exclaimed.

Anthony Mason glanced at Oakley dissatisfied, this is my predetermined nickname, I am the ultimate killer king in New York.

"Patrick, in the second round of the '90 playoffs, your team was eliminated by the Pistons by a big score of 4-1, this first round meeting, are you confident that you will make it to the second round?" A reporter asked Ewing's head.

Ewing was silent for a long time before he said, "Yes." ”

"Can you say more?" Journalists look forward to authenticity.

"Of course."

Ewing snorted again, and then fell silent, as if pondering what to say.

The reporter waited for a while, Ewing was still thinking, and after waiting patiently for a while, Ewing was still thinking, so he was desperate, took the initiative to surrender, and handed the microphone in his hand to the staff, saying that I didn't wait.

With the end of the Knicks' press conference, Zhou Quan's nickname of the Detroit Killer King, under the spread of the media, spread far and wide.

……

At five p.m., the Pistons ended their in-house practice and held an official press conference at headquarters at the request of the media.

"Coach Daley, you are the head coach of the national team, and the national team did not recruit assassins, is it because Jordan did not allow it?"

The first reporter to be flopped was a New York Journal reporter who asked a question that made Chuck Daly want to pull out a gun and shoot someone.

He understood that the reporter must have asked this question in a targeted manner, and wanted to use it to influence his relationship with the Assassins, destabilize the Pistons' locker room, and put the Knicks in an advantageous position.

This question is really difficult to answer, he is not only the head coach of the Pistons, but also the head coach of the national team, and the interests of both sides need to be protected, and he has been avoiding this question for a long time.

And he regrets very much, as the head coach of the Pistons, there is no way to bring any of his disciples into the national team, he is the only representative of the Pistons.

He is very clear about the reason why Thomas can't be selected, and it does have a relationship with Jordan, but the biggest reason is that the league doesn't allow it.

Jordan is now the person who is highly praised by the NBA league, and he is also the biggest signature star in the league at present, with a gorgeous style of play and very fans, so Stern hopes to use the opportunity of this Olympics to let Jordan help the league to develop the international market.

And considering the relationship between Jordan and Thomas, even if it is described in the most euphemistic words, that is, cold as ice, it is best to meet without fighting, and let them stay in one team for dozens of days, I am afraid that there will be unexpected changes that the league and the national team do not want to see.

In addition to the league and Jordan's reasons, there is also Magic Johnson.

Magic's relationship with Thomas used to be good, but this year it has taken a turn for the worse, and Magic has also secretly resisted Thomas joining the national team.

Coupled with Thomas's poor popularity, the final result was that he was not selected for the national team.

Even, Joe Dumas was replaced by John Stockton because of his role as the head coach of the national team.

Isaiah Thomas, who was next to him, also looked ugly, this year's Olympics was the first time that FIBA allowed professional players to participate, but he lost the opportunity to participate in the Olympics.

He doesn't blame Coach Daley, because Coach Daley, as the head coach of the Pistons, must avoid suspicion, and he is facing pressure from many sides and can't help him, which is not something that a head coach can decide.

Even, he didn't ask Coach Daley once what the reason for his not being selected was, and what the criteria for selecting players for the national team were.

Up to now, as his competitive form has declined sharply due to injury, in fact, even if he is allowed to enter the national team now, he does not want to go, he definitely does not want to show weakness in front of Jordan and watch Jordan show off in the international arena.

But in the end, this matter is a thorn in his heart, and it will be very uncomfortable to be mentioned in public.

In the end, Chuck Daley responded: "This question, you'd better ask the basketball association, it's their responsibility, I'm just the head coach, not the selection of players." ”

"Iron Fist, do you approve of the nickname Detroit Killer King?" A reporter asked about Zhou Quan's head.

Zhou Quan has a good personality and never changes his face easily, but this question almost made him jump: "What Detroit Killer King?" ”

"Oakley said he thinks you're the Detroit Killer?" The reporter replied with a smile.

"Nonsense! This is slander. ”

Zhou Quan immediately decided that he couldn't spare that bastard of Oakley, how could a person as suave as him have such a terrible nickname? As soon as this nickname spread, how could his sneakers be sold?

"Iron Fist, for the first round opponents, we and they are both defensive-oriented teams, how do you think we should deal with them?" A local reporter asked.

Zhou Quan put down the question of the Killing King, a smile appeared on his face again, and said: "This question reminds me of an ancient battle in our country, the Battle of Xiangji Temple. ”

"The Battle of Xiangji Temple?"

Many journalists reminisced about the word inarticulately.

"Yes, it was the largest battle in our country in ancient times."

Zhou Quan didn't talk much about the battle of Xiangji Temple, saying that they didn't understand, and said with a smile: "We played five games with the Knicks in the regular season, and we know each other's tactics, strengths, weaknesses, etc. very well, so to speak, we don't actually have any hole cards to hide from each other."

Now in the first round, all we have to do is to play gongs and drums with the Knicks, and play a few games head-to-head, and whoever wins or loses is possible.

What we compare is not tactics, nor lineups, but willpower, on-the-spot performance, tactical execution ability, the desire and pursuit of victory, the ability to pivot, and the ability of stars to stand up. ”

"Iron Fist, do you think you can step up at a critical moment?" The next reporter is a reporter from the New York Sports News.

Zhou Quan smiled: "I don't brag about myself, I don't have this ability at the moment." But we have people like that, and we have people who can stand up when it matters most. ”

"So you're not the most important person on this team?" The reporter asked.

Zhou Quan smiled gently: "I'm just a rookie, you know." ”

"When Magic was out injured in Game 6 of the Rookie Season Finals, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar stepped up and won the championship in one fell swoop, winning the FMVP, and he didn't say he was a rookie at that time." The reporter said with a look of disdain.

Zhou Quan laughed and said: "Thank you for comparing me with the magician, I also hope to be as great as him, this is every player's dream, and I will work hard for it." ”

The reporter didn't let Zhou Quan go, and continued to ask: "The Magic's data in the regular season in his rookie season is that he averaged 18 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 2.4 steals, 0.5 blocks, 4 turnovers and 2.8 fouls per game. ”

"It's hard for you to be able to recite data for such a long time." Zhou Quan gave the reporter a thumbs up.

"Haha......" The scene burst into laughter.

The reporter didn't look embarrassed, I just came to trouble you, of course you have to be prepared.

Zhou Quan smiled and said: "If you say that I brush data, then how do you explain our record?" Third in the East, that's not a record that a team that can brush up on stats, so sir, you're playing hooligan by using the Magic's performance in the first Finals to dismiss me.

According to your logic, all the superstars who didn't win the championship in their rookie season, are they all brushing data, are they all parallel imports? Otherwise the Magic could win the championship in their rookie season, why can't they?

For example, Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, many, many more.

None of them won the championship and FMVP in their rookie season, and most of them haven't even won the championship yet, so do you want me to name them one by one? ”

"You? No need. ”

Hearing Zhou Quan's words, the face of the New York Sports News reporter turned black with anger, I can play hooligan, why are you playing hooligan?

Before he could ask again, the staff went straight up and took away his microphone, so angry that he couldn't help glaring at the staff.

"Assassin, will you still play as a substitute in the playoffs?" The next reporter is ABC.

"You'll find out tomorrow." Thomas smiled.

"Will you be the one who stepped up at the moment of truth for the Pistons?" The reporter asked.

"Perhaps, every one of us might." Thomas smiled calmly.

After the press conference, after six o'clock, his brand shoe store had already closed for business, and the statistics should be out, Zhou Quan contacted Philip to ask about sales.

"Rogge, how's the sales today?"

"Zhou, it's not bad, today Detroit sold 6,253 pairs of sneakers, Los Angeles is also okay, 1,625 pairs were sold, plus other cities, a total of 9,258 pairs were sold, and the sales amount reached 230,000 US dollars, so it seems that 8 million sales a year should be achievable."

He breathed a sigh of relief, eight million a year, an average of more than $20,000 a day in sales, should be achievable.

However, it will require him to continue to play well, otherwise his shoes will definitely be unsold.

Philip said happily: "Skechers is also very happy, they estimate that the annual sales should reach about 10 million to 15 million US dollars, an average of 30,000 to 40,000 US dollars a day, the company should not lose money."

Week, if you make it to the All-Star next year, there's certainly room for improvement in that estimate. Now that your branded shoes are off to a good start, if you play hard in the future, your fans will grow more and more, and the situation will get better and better. ”

……

That night, ESPN put on a show to discuss the NBA playoffs.

The host was former NBA player Matt Goocas, and four guests were invited, namely the old duo of Magic Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar, as well as Dr. J. Julius Irving, and Bill Wharton.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to ESPN NBA ......"

After the show began, Gookas made an opening remark and then smiled and said, "We're going to talk about the upcoming playoff tonight, so which teams do you think have the most championship qualities?" Which teams in the first-round series are confident of advancing to the second round? ”

The four guests look at me, I look at you, and finally Bill Wharton plucked up his courage and said, "Let's, let me speak." ”

"Bang Bang Bang ......"

The other three, along with Goucas, applauded.

The reason for their applause is because Bill Wharton has a stutter and is not good at expression, and he has been treated in the past two years, and he has improved a lot, and he is currently planning to work as a narrator, but he still lacks some courage and is encouraging him.

Bill Wharton nodded gratefully at the group and said, "I, I think, think, the Bulls of the East, the Bulls of the East, and the Knights, the ...... of the West The Trail Blazers, and the Suns, will make the cut, and they also have the most championship temperament. ”

"Bill, you're saying a good thing, and I'm looking forward to partnering with you." Gookas smiled.

"Thank you! I, I'm too, looking forward to it. Bill Wharton laughed.

Magic Johnson has been treated for a period of time, and his condition has been basically controlled, so he is in the mood to participate in tonight's show, and then said: "I agree with Beal, the Bulls, Cavaliers, Trail Blazers, and Suns, the four teams, should be sure, and the possibility of an upset is too low." ”

"Erwin, aren't you optimistic about the Lakers' upset?" Gookat asked with a smile.

Magic Johnson shook his head and smiled bitterly: "The Lakers want to black eight on the Trail Blazers, and the probability is slightly equal to zero." ”

Gu Orcas nodded, and said, "So how many groups are left, who do you think has a better chance of making the cut?" ”

Abdul-Jabbar said: "The Jazz should be able to knock out the Clippers, and the black and white are still quite powerful. The Green team should be able to eliminate the Pacers as well, and don't underestimate the Big Birdies team, they even have the quality and chance to make it to the Eastern Conference finals. ”

Dr. J immediately nodded and said, "The strength of the green team is not weak, and I think he, like the four teams you just mentioned, should be able to advance smoothly." ”

Gookas smiled: "So the rest of the teams that you think may be the best match, are the Warriors vs. the SuperSonics, and the Pistons vs. the Knicks?" ”

Bill Wharton nodded and said: "SuperSonics, this team has changed, changed the coach, George Carr, yes, he, he has a lot of ability, he has a strong control over the team, I am optimistic about this team." ”

"Bill, you're getting better!" Abdul-Jabbar gave Bill Wharton a thumbs up, and the others echoed.

"Thanks, I think I will, better and better." Bill Wharton smiled confidently.

Magic Johnson followed Bill Wharton's words and said: "I agree with Beal, the SuperSonics have a chance to cause an upset, after all, the Warriors' style of play, their defense has a lot of problems. ”

Abdul-Jabbar said: "Yes, the defensive intensity of the playoffs can make the Warriors' offense problematic, and I think the team that the Donnkeys have built is a regular season team that can do a limited amount in the playoffs. ”

Gookas smiled: "Then only the Pistons and Knicks are left, and it is difficult for everyone to determine who will advance, so let's discuss these two teams first."

The four most championship-minded teams that Bill just mentioned do not include these two teams, and you all agree, why?

I think they're very strong, the managers are Pat Riley and Chuck Daley, both are championship coaches who are in charge of the game, and the squad is good. ”

Bill Wharton said: "Theirs, their luck is not very good, they meet in the first round, they are similar in strength, they will fight to the death, this is the reason why I am not optimistic about them winning the championship." In addition, their lineup has its own weaknesses and lacks the strength to compete for the championship. ”

"For example?" Ancient Orcas began to steer the conversation.

(End of chapter)