ESPN's explanation was immediately ridiculed by many media people.

"If ESPN is so bullish on the Suns, why are the Suns only two percentage points more than the Pistons?" TNT TV.

"Although ESPN says that they are very optimistic about the Suns, their faces have been swollen by the Pistons, so their stats are the best way to show their hearts, and with a two-point difference, they are afraid of being slapped in the face by the Pistons again." ABC TV.

"These peers of ours are so shameful!" After seeing the two stations' comments on their data, Urnes said angrily.

……

"Charles, do you think ESPN's data is true? Just a reminder, Jazz, you're currently being broadcast live across the United States, and at least 20 million people can hear you. ”

TNT reporters interviewed Barkley over the phone, which took place during the live broadcast of the midday news.

"Oh, wait a minute, I'll turn on the TV."

Barkley turned on the TV, tuned in to TNT, and then grinned and said, "Of course, I love ESPN, their stats are all right." ”

"Do you think you're going to win the first championship of your career?"

"There is no doubt about it."

"Do you regret the league vetoing that deal?"

"No, a fool would regret it, I'm on one of the best teams in the league right now, and we're going to make it."

"Iron Fist, do you think ESPN's predictions are accurate? As a reminder, this is a nationwide live news program, and Barkley has just been interviewed by phone with us. ”

The program then interviewed Zhou Quan by phone.

Zhou Quan also turned on the TV, tuned to the TNT channel, and said: "It has been proven that ESPN's predictions for the NBA playoffs have been on the wrong path, and the only thing they show is their non-professionalism, especially in terms of predictions about the Pistons, their prediction level is not even as good as the ninety-year-old grandmother next door to me." ”

"Haha, Tekken, do you think you're going to win the first championship of your career?"

"I'm looking forward to it."

"What do you think of Barkley?"

"I wish him a successful career, and even though it's hard to achieve, it's my kindness and I hope he will accept it."

"I'll take a fart!"

Barkley burst into foul language.

"Charles, don't use foul language, okay?"

His wife, Maureen, said in an accentuated tone.

"I'm sorry, dear."

Barkley shrugged his shoulders and said, "But this kid curses me, and I'm going to teach him a lesson." ”

"Don't get into the ring with him, you can't hit him with a hundred punches, don't learn from Oakley and Larry Johnson." Maureen reminded.

Barkley said angrily: "I'm only going to go to the wrestling ring with him, I'm going to fall him to death." ”

Maureen said with a headache: "I don't know why you have such a stiff relationship with him, he is also a superstar NBA star now, if he achieves a certain amount of success in boxing and golf in the offseason, he can really get out of the circle, and his influence will completely surpass you, even Michael Jordan."

You've been playing basketball for so many years, but out of the NBA circle, what influence do you have? Shouldn't you befriend someone with such potential as him? You have to have your own social circle, don't revolve around Michael Jordan. ”

Barkley muttered, "Can I be blamed for this?" He and Michael are mortal enemies, and I support Michael, so this kid is not happy with me. ”

Maureen shook her head helplessly, her husband himself was a person with good emotional intelligence, but it was a pity that he messed up in his relationship with Iron Fist.

……

That night, ABC TV did a show about the finals, hosted by Bill Walton, and invited Magic Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar, Pippen, Carl Malone as guests, and also invited Bill Rand Beal.

The show started at half past eight, and at seven o'clock, the magician and a few others came to the dressing room.

Pippen was a little restrained, and took the initiative to sit in the corner of the dressing room, very quiet.

Including the host Bill Wharton, the rest of the guests are superstars, not to mention the magician, a real supergiant, and he is just an ordinary all-star, not up to the level of a superstar.

As for Ranbir, he doesn't make comparisons at all, he is a white rich second generation, he treats all the superstars in the league as nothing, and his family property can buy the entire league's team, he, a poor black boy from the South, has an inferiority complex from the bottom of his heart, and he doesn't dare to answer.

"Bill, I'm curious, you haven't shown up much in two years, how are you willing to take on this job today?" Karl Malone asked curiously.

Billland Bill glanced at the postman disdainfully, and said, "Do you think I'm just like you, for a few notices?" ”

"Poof!"

The magicians laughed, sorry, postman, I really couldn't hold back.

Pippen didn't dare to laugh, for fear of being beaten by the postman, but he couldn't help it, bent down, buried his head between his legs, and his body trembled.

The postman's face is three points blacker than coal, damn Ranbill, you deserve to be raped by an iron fist, but when he thinks of this, he himself is actually worse than Ranbill, his ribs are broken several times, and his black face can't help but be three points darker.

He asked very dissatisfied, "Ranbir, did I provoke you?" ”

Ranbir snorted coldly and said, "No." ”

"Poof."

The magicians laughed again.

The postman was so depressed that he was about to vomit blood, you are so insane, I didn't provoke you, you shot at me? We're people in the trenches, we have the same enemy.

As the host who invited them to come, of course, he had to control the situation and not let everyone really turn his face, Bill Wharton finally suppressed his laughter and said, "Okay, Carl, Bill's character is like this, you don't say a few words." ”

At half past eight, the show began.

Zhou Quan also turned on the TV at this time, tuned to the ABC channel, and prepared to watch this program.

When I saw Ranbir, I was stunned, this guy is said to have been drunk and dreamed of death every day for the past two years, how did he participate in this show?

"Ladies and gentlemen, all right, now our show begins. The centerpiece of tonight's show is the upcoming NBA Finals, and we have a lot of topics like ......"

Speaking of which, he looked at Ranbier and asked with a smile: "Beal, the Pistons have reached the Finals again, will you go back to Auburn Hills Palace to watch the Finals?" ”

Billland Biller was willing to come to the show, so he was mentally prepared and immediately said, "No." ”

"Why?" Bill Wharton asked.

"There's no why, if you don't go, you don't go." Ranbir said stiffly.

In his heart, he was cursing the management of the Pistons, those damn guys, who had never invited him to watch a game since he was forced to retire, did he have to buy his own tickets?

"Then why are you here for this show?" Bill Wharton asked curiously.

Ranbir was invited by him, but he just tried it and it worked, so he didn't actually know why Ranbir wanted to come.

Ranbir hesitated, as if he was a little ashamed, but said, "I'm going to make a change, I don't want to drink anymore, I want to go back to basketball." ”

“……”

The magician and the others looked at each other.

"Damn, don't let him come back."

"Are the Pistons going to reorganize the Bad Boy Army? This is absolutely not a no-go. ”

"That's a problem."

"He dares to come back, Iron Fist will not let him go."

At this time, a large number of league players who watched this show complained one after another, and at this moment, in their hearts, Zhou Quan became the protector of preventing Ranbir from returning to the NBA.

"Bill, how are you going to return to basketball?" Bill Wharton asked tentatively.

"I ...... I'm going to be a coach. Ranbier said.

"Whew!"

Almost all NBA players breathed a sigh of relief.

Bill Wharton also breathed a sigh of relief and asked with a smile, "That's a good idea, Bill, I hope you can succeed." ”

"I think so."

Ranbir had a hard mouth, but he wasn't sure in his heart, what he said just now was a temptation for him, and he hoped that the team would give him this opportunity.

"So when it comes to the Finals, who do you think has a better chance between the Suns or the Pistons?" Bill Wharton asked, scanning a few people.

Abdul-Jabbar spoke first: "No doubt, of course it's the Pistons. ”

"I know he's going to choose that, and Skyhook has always supported that guy with Iron Fist." Phoenix, Barkley said to Maureen.

"People are alumni, and that's called a network." Maureen said.

"Why?" Bill Wharton asked.

"First of all, it's the physical advantage, which is very critical, and I doubt the Suns will be able to recover from the first two home games after the tiebreaker, and if they lose one home court, then the series will be in trouble."

"Fitness? ESPN doesn't think it matters, do you agree with them? ”

"Of course not, fitness is very important, it's an advantage that the Pistons can't ignore, and if the Suns don't pay attention to it, they will end up miserable." Abdul-Jabbar said.

"The league is too biased towards the Pistons, and should give us two more days off." Barkley said unhappily.

"Erwin, what about you?"

Bill Wharton knew that the Magic had always been unsupportive of the Pistons, and of course that was when the Pistons played against the Bulls, but he wanted to find something to talk about.

But the Magician's answer disappointed him, and the Magician immediately said, "I also think the Pistons have a better chance." ”

"Why?" He asked, surprised.

Magic Johnson smiled: "Karim said the advantage of the first Piston, and I'll talk about the second, which is the advantage of the No. 1 position." ”

"You think lightning is inferior to Iron Fist?" Bill Wharton said with a look of surprise.

Although he is an alumnus of Zhou Quan, this is just a personal relationship, and he is doing a show now, so he has to let go of his personal relationship and try to create attention.

Magic Johnson nodded: "The Lightning is my old rival, I know him very well, we have been competing for various honors for multiple seasons, he is very strong.

However, I think Iron Fist is stronger, and I use their playoff stats to prove me right. ”

"Damn, Erwin actually changed his mind?" Barkley said in surprise and dissatisfaction.

"People are smarter than you, and they won't go all the way to the dark." Maureen complained.

At this time, ABC TV listed the data of the lightning and Zhou Quan in the first three rounds of the series.

The Lightning had 17.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 10 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.3 blocks, 4.3 turnovers and 2.8 fouls in the first round, shooting 47.7% from the field and 2.3 assist-to-turnover.

Zhou Quan had 32 points, 7.3 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 4.3 steals, 1 block, 2.3 turnovers and 3.3 fouls in the first round, shooting 55% from the field and 4 assists to turnovers.

The Lightning had 20.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 9 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.8 blocks, 2.7 turnovers and 1.5 fouls in the second round, shooting 53.2% from the field and 3.3 assist-to-turnover.

Zhou Quan had 27.1 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, 4.57 steals, 0.57 blocks, 3.29 turnovers and 4.71 fouls in the second round, shooting 50.3% from the field and 3 assists to turnovers.

The Chargers had 15.9 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.7 blocks, 3.6 turnovers and 2.6 fouls, shooting 46.6% from the field and 1.9 assist-to-turnover.

Zhou Quandong had 31 points, 5.6 rebounds, 12 assists, 4.4 steals, 1.4 blocks, 2.8 turnovers and 4 fouls, shooting 58.2% from the field and 4.2 assists to turnovers.

After the data appeared on the TV screen, the magician pointed to the data analysis and said, "In the three-round series, Iron Fist's scoring ability is stronger than Lightning, and not a little. Rebounding, too. Assists, the gap between the first two rounds is not big, but in the third round of the series, Iron Fist is obviously a notch better, averaging five more assists per game.

Defensively, the Lightning's defense is good, averaging close to two steals per game, but compared to Tekken, it is obviously not on the same level.

Passing stability, you can also see that Iron Fist's passing is more stable, only in the second round against Jordan, it is slightly lower than the Lightning, but the assist-to-turnover ratio of 3 has also reached the level of an excellent point guard.

Based on these data, I think that if Lightning can't use his speed advantage against Iron Fist, he is likely to be suppressed in all directions under the full force of Iron Fist. ”

"Shit, Erwin, are you kneeling and licking Iron Fist to get him to the Lakers?" Barkley was extremely dissatisfied.

"Suppress me in all aspects?"

Kevin Johnson, who was also watching this show, snorted coldly, he was absolutely not convinced by the statement of the magician, no one in this league could suppress him in all aspects, even if the magician himself played, he couldn't do it.

"All-round suppression, you say?" Bill Wharton was really shocked.

He didn't understand, the magic had belittled the Pistons and Iron Fist many times before, but now he praised Iron Fist so much, took the wrong medicine, or did he think that if he praised Iron Fist a few times, Iron Fist would run to the Lakers?

Magic Johnson smiled and said, "Actually, we don't have much to say, so let's let the person with the most say here answer, and let him compare Iron Fist and Lightning." ”

"The most vocal person?"

Bill Wharton was stunned at first, then reacted immediately and looked at Pippen, this guy is the one who was eliminated by Iron Fist himself, and he is indeed the person with the most right to speak.

Pippen said embarrassedly: "Actually, Michael should be judged, after all, it's not me who defends the iron fist." ”

"Poof!"

Both the sky hook and the magician laughed, Pippen, are you going to die?

Bill Wharton held back a laugh and asked the postman, "Carl, do you want to rate it?" ”

Karl Malone rolled his eyes and said, "Lightning is definitely no worse than Iron Fist, these data have limitations, such as the strength of the opponent. ”

Pippen opened his mouth, trying to remind the postman that there was Michael Jordan among the people facing the iron fist, but when he saw the postman's meaty face, he closed his mouth again, not wanting to do much.

"Haha......"

The magician had already laughed on the couch, and so had the Sky Hook.

Ranbir angrily said to the postman, "Shut up, you kid, who is stronger against the Lightning than Michael Jordan?" ”

The postman choked, smiled awkwardly, and stopped talking.

Bill Wharton grinned and said, "Okay, let's get back to business, which of you will predict the chances of the Suns and Pistons winning the championship?" ”

Ranbir said first: "Pistons, of course. The Suns grabbed five in the first round, played six games in the second round, and tied seven in the Western Conference finals, playing 18 games. The Pistons swept in the first round, grabbed seven in the second round, played five games in the East finals, only played 15 games, and rested for a few more days, and the physical advantage was too great.

From the analysis of the lineup, the Pistons have a stronger defense, and three people have been selected to the All-Defensive Team, two of which are in the first line, do the Suns have them? Not a single two-formation.

On the offensive end, who can stop that guy? Buckley? I don't think lightning can stop him. ”

Magic Johnson nodded: "Of course the defense is stronger than the Pistons, and the Eastern Conference Finals made me realize that we all underestimated the Pistons' defense, and even though they weren't the best team to defend in the regular season, once they're serious, they can defend any team." ”

Abdul-Jabbar said: "It's a tactical fit, and Coach Chuck Daly is really an admirable head coach and his tactics in the Eastern Conference are fantastic. ”

Magic Johnson exclaimed: "Use the strong individual defensive ability of Iron Fist, Joe Dumas, and Rodman to limit the opponent's offense, and immediately use fast to play slow, small to big, and use fast-paced offense to make the Knicks unable to establish a defensive system, and take advantage of both offensive and defensive ends, Coach Daley's tactics are indeed too targeted!" ”

Abdul-Jabbar said at this time: "I'm also optimistic about the Pistons, unless Barkley's play is more consistent, if he can play 40+20 in the Western Conference finals, then I choose the Suns." ”

"Haha......"

The magicians laughed.

Ranbir scolded: "40+20 per game, that idiot at Barkley wants to eat fart." ”

"Ranbir, you idiot, don't let me see you, or I'll beat you to death!" Barkley jumped up from the couch in anger.

"Be quiet, Charles, rest quietly, excitement will waste energy, quiet will make your physical recovery faster." Maureen persuaded.

"Haha......"

Zhou Quan was also happy when he heard Ranbir scolding Barkley.

He knew that Barkley had beaten Ranbir, and the two had a holiday.

However, judging by Ranbill's attitude, this idiot still has feelings for the Pistons.

The Magic said that he could suppress the Lightning in all aspects, he didn't think too much about this possibility, the speed of the Lightning should be a little faster than him, and the defense is not bad, if you play fast break, it will not be as easy as playing the Knicks, John Starks is really slow.

At this time, Magic Johnson said: "The Suns play the Pistons, the defense is not as good as the opponent, but it also has an advantage, Barkley, we don't talk about it, let's talk about the Pistons' strongest outside line."

Actually, we need to know that the Pistons are at the No. 1, 2, and 3 positions, and with their lineup, it's really hard to get enough people to play the Suns.

The Assassins started in the Eastern Conference finals, but can he still start against the Suns? Can he protect against lightning or lightning? No, now he can't run, neither the speed of lightning nor the height of Lei Gong.

If the Assassins don't start and let Joe Dumas return to the No. 2 position, who will play the Pistons' No. 3 position? They don't have anybody. ”

Hearing this, Zhou Quan couldn't help nodding, his team did have flaws in the lineup and facing the Suns.

As for the Suns' bench lineup, it is indeed strong, All-Star forward Tom Chambers, All-Star guard swingman Danny Angie, and small forward Ceballos, all three of whom average 10+ points per game in the regular season, all ranked in the top six.

Fortunately, the Pistons' bench lineup is not much worse, Terry Mills, Polinis, Mark Aguirre, can still be used.

……

(End of chapter)