The assassin said: "Actually, the Big Three are still very strong, but the lineup configuration is not good, the glider is old, the No. 1 position is too poor, and the substitute lineup is too bad.

So I think that they were eliminated, in fact, it was expected, but they were swept away, and I'm afraid no one could have thought of it. ”

"But almost all the media were more optimistic about Mosaic before, including ESPN, are you questioning the professionalism of these media, such as ESPN?" Ranbir asked curiously.

The assassin was stunned and glared at Ranbier, damn Bill, I still have to rely on ESPN to eat, don't smash my rice bowl, okay?

After the celebration, Zhou Quan was interviewed by ESPN TV, and media reporters surrounded the inner and outer three floors.

The reporter asked: "Iron Fist, in the first round of the 88 playoffs, the Bulls vs. the Cavaliers, Jordan G1G2 hit 50+ in a row, played five games, the Bulls eliminated the Cavaliers 3-2, Jordan averaged 45.2 points per game." ”

When Zhou Quan heard this, the smile on his face became a little bigger, and the reporter also laughed, and continued: "In this round of the series, you also scored 50+ in two consecutive games in the G1G2 battle, with an average of 45.25 points per game, so I want to know, is it planned to score 40 points tonight?" I'm sure you didn't give it all tonight on your individual offense. ”

Zhou Quan snorted, and then said with a smile: "Actually, it's not, it's just a coincidence, my score tonight was mainly concentrated in the first three quarters, and I got ...... It seems like 35 points, right? Only 5 points were scored in the final quarter.

Then we broke them down in the first three quarters and secured the win, so I didn't have to go all out in the final quarter, it wasn't planned. ”

"So Iron Fist, supersonic swept the mosaic, what do you want to say to the triumvirate who are out?" The journalist asked.

Zhou Quan said with a smile: "I remember saying at the Supersonic Media Day before the start of the season, I said that we should be more tolerant of the Big Three, after all, they are all old......"

"Poof......" The reporters around laughed.

He continued to laugh and say: "The glider is actually long past its prime, and I never thought of him as a huddle when he went to Mosaic. ”

The reporter asked again: "The glider's contract is over, and Barkley has only one year left on his contract, do you have any intention of recruiting them?" ”

Zhou Quan smiled: "The first job of our team in the offseason is probably not to recruit other players, but to renew contracts within the team, because many of us have contracts that have ended. ”

An hour later, the post-match press conference began.

The glider did not attend the launch, only Big Dream and Barkley participated.

"Big Dream, this season's Big Three lineup is the strongest lineup in recent seasons, but it was swept by the SuperSonics, what do you think about this?" A reporter asked.

"I'm disappointed, I never thought I'd be swept in the Western Conference finals, it's a shameful exit." Big Dream is depressed.

"Do you still have a championship dream?" The reporter asked again.

"Of course." Big Dream Qiang cheered himself up.

"But I'm afraid your peak is over, and Iron Fist has just entered his prime, how can you get past him?" The reporter asked.

“……”

Big Dream was silent for a while.

The Big Three were swept by the lineup, and he was very, very disappointed with the result, even if both Glider and Barkley stayed to help him, but like Glider said, they will all be a year older next year, and he is not confident that he can beat the SuperSonics.

Owner Alexander is very stingy and it is almost impossible to come up with the money to build a better roster, in fact, now he realizes that it is almost impossible to want a championship, in Mosaic, or even in the West.

"Charles, do you have any plans for the future?" The next reporter asked.

"I don't know."

Barkley was silent for a moment, then confused.

Far away in Orlando, in the middle of the hotel, Jordan couldn't sleep in bed.

SuperSonics actually swept the mosaic, which was beyond his expectations, and Iron Fist's performance in this round of Western Conference was also beyond his expectations, he thought that Iron Fist was stronger and much stronger than it was this time last year.

A strong opponent gave him a lot of pressure and a lot of motivation, and he couldn't sleep, not because of nervousness, but because of excitement.

The next day, the media began a round of praise for Zhou Quan and the supersonic sweep.

"With the exception of rebounding, Iron Fist is the strongest in history in four of the five positive stats. He is the super point guard with the most offensive ability, the super point guard with the most assist ability, the super point guard with the most steal ability, and the super point guard with the most blocking ability, and Tekken will be the point guard god on the planet. Tokyo Daily News.

"Congratulations to Zhou Quan, my country's famous professional heavyweight world boxing champion, who reached the NBA Basketball League Finals for the fourth time." Xinhua reported.

"The Big Three and Olajuwon are out in the humiliating way of being swept away, and O'Neal and the Magic are about to be swept away, which is both a failure of the giant lineup and a failure of the traditional center as the core team, and the league will completely enter the era of super guards." New york times.

Because Jordan's performance in the first three games of the Eastern Conference finals was average, and Zhou Quan played a great performance, it was difficult to see his news in the media during this time, and the attention and heat were crushed by Zhou Quan.

That night, on the 27th, the G4 battle of the East Finals.

What Zhou Quan was looking forward to came out, and the Magic overturned the Bulls on their second home court.

O'Neal had 28 points, 17 rebounds and 6 blocks, Hardaway had 35 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, and the Magic grabbed 48 rebounds.

For the Bulls, Jordan scored 28 points, Pippen scored 18 points, Kevin Wells, who was pinned on by the Bulls, only had 7 points and 5 rebounds, and the Bulls only grabbed 32 rebounds as a team.

"Good job, Sharks, try to win another game on the road." Zhou Quan sent O'Neill a celebratory text message after the game.

Soon after, the shark returned a text message: "Iron Fist, we'll see you in the finals." ”

On the 29th, the Bulls defeated the Magic at home and advanced to the finals with a score of four to one.

Jordan had the best performance of the series, scoring 45 points while shooting 69.6 percent from the field and making 10 of 14 free throws.

Pippen scored just 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting.

Kevin Willis had 14 points and eight rebounds.

O'Neal and Hardaway both scored 28 points and were unable to return to elimination.

"Shark, don't come to the west, or you'll be as desperate as Big Dream, so stay in the east." Zhou Quan sent a text message and went to sleep without waiting for a reply.

When O'Neill saw this text message later, he really thought about it seriously.

Jordan averaged 29.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks per game in the Eastern Conference finals series, and he was still very strong.

But Tekken was stronger in the Western Conference finals, averaging 45.25 points, 5.2 rebounds, 15.5 assists, 6.25 steals and 3.4 blocks per game.

In contrast, Tekken is a completely one-of-a-kind performance.

If he runs to the west, his fate is probably similar to that of a big dream, right?

At this time, O'Neill didn't have any honor, and under Zhou Quan's super performance, he had no confidence to compete at all, and a text message messed up his mentality, and even began to affect his decision.

……

With the end of the East and West Finals, the schedule for the finals has also been released.

The G1 game will start on June 2, and the SuperSonics have home-court advantage, best-of-seven games, and a home-and-away schedule of 232.

On the 30th, Zhou Quan got up at eight o'clock, and his spirit had recovered very well.

The cultivation of Sleep Dangong is the essence and spirit, which has a recovery effect on both spirit and physical fitness, but now the realm is limited, or his essence and spirit are limited, and continuous bursts will only overdraw the potential, so the biggest effect is to adjust the state and come to the next wave of outbursts when it is most needed.

This point is actually very important to him, especially at home, with the advantage of heaven and earth, as long as the home team is not lost, the series is assured.

In the morning, I took Zeng Li's fox around the lake, went to play golf for a while in the afternoon, and continued to practice Sleeping Dandong Gong in the evening.

On this day, the major media also made their own predictions for the upcoming finals.

ESPN: 55% chance of winning the championship for the SuperSonics, 45% for the Bulls.

NBC: The SuperSonics have a 54% chance of winning the championship, and the Bulls have a 46% chance of winning the championship.

The New York Times: The SuperSonics have a 51% chance of winning the championship, and the Bulls have a 49% chance of winning the championship.

……

With the exception of the Chicago media, the media's predictions turned out to be almost one-sided, with the media favoring the supersonic defending title significantly more than the media favoring the Bulls.

This year's finals were broadcast live by TNT TV in the United States, and the commentators temporarily invited the magic bird group with a high salary.

On the 31st, Larry Bird appeared alone at the Seattle airport and was interviewed by the media.

"Larry, who do you think has a better chance of winning this year's championship between the Bulls or the SuperSonics?" A reporter asked.

Larry Bird was clearly prepared, and without hesitation, he said: "Against the Magic, Michael shouldn't be playing at full strength." And in the face of the Big Three, Iron Fist must have played at full strength.

Therefore, the data of the two of them in the East and West finals cannot actually be a sufficient basis for judging their performance in the finals. ”

"You're saying that Iron Fist's stats in the Western Finals have moisture?" The reporter asked.

Larry Bird shook his head and said, "It's just that his opponent in the number one position is too weak, so it makes his performance stronger, that's a fact."

In fact, Iron Fist and Michael have been competing for several seasons, with two wins and two losses in the playoffs and one win and one loss in the finals.

And now Iron Fist has entered his peak and has become the first person in the active team, Michael Jordan should be said to be coming down from his peak, so this season is the last season they are closest to strength, and after this season, in terms of individual strength, they will open up a bigger gap. ”

"One up the hill, one down the hill? So who are you more optimistic about? The reporter asked.

"Both teams have their strengths, the Bulls have a stronger perimeter defense, a more balanced offense and defense, and a stronger interior offense than they did last year," Larry Bird said.

And the supersonic speed is strong at the point of Iron Fist, as well as Rodman's rebounding and defense, as well as the fierce and fast pinch defense and rotation defense, and all role players can also score.

Overall, I think it's all possible, 5-for-50, and I don't have a clear inclination for this series. ”

Magic Johnson had arrived from New York, where he had just received a round of cocktail therapy, and had also traveled to Seattle, where he met up with Larry Bird and was interviewed alone at the hotel.

"Erwin, who are you rooting for?" The journalist asked.

"Michael, my friend."

"Who do you think more of?"

"Bull."

"Why?"

"Because the Bulls have a stronger roster. Michael didn't play super in the Eastern Conference finals, but the Bulls still swept the Magic, which is why I think the Bulls are stronger. ”

"Elwin, I heard you and Iron Fist had a face-to-face?"

A reporter suddenly asked a question that embarrassed and angry the magician, but he couldn't admit it yet, so he said with a straight face:

"No, no, I've always had a good relationship with him. As for the opinion of the Bulls vs the Hypersonics, I just think about the comparison above the lineup, and nothing else. ”

On June 1, a large number of NBA stars and Hollywood stars rushed to Seattle.

Basketball emperor Chamberlain also came to Seattle and was interviewed by a Chicago sports reporter at the airport.

"Wilt, Iron Fist mocked you for not having two consecutive 50+ games in the playoffs, do you have anything to say to him?" A reporter asked.

Chamberlain was so angry that he hurriedly touched the medicine bottle, and the reporter saw that he was in trouble, this kind of person couldn't be messed with, so he hurriedly ran away.

"What are you running? I'll answer you after taking the medicine. Lao Zhang was even angrier, but the reporter ran faster.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the Chicago Bulls arrived in Seattle. At five o'clock, a press conference was held at the hotel at the request of the media.

"Michael, are you confident in stopping Tekken from defending his title?" A reporter from the New York Times asked.

"We are very confident about the future." Jordan said.

"You averaged 29.5 points per game in the Eastern Conference finals, which was lower than in the second round, did you do your best?" The reporter asked again.

Jordan pondered for a moment and said, "I know what you want to know, but to be honest, I think I can do better." ”

"What will happen to you if you lose this time? Like leaving the bulls? The reporter asked again.

"The finals are just around the corner, and I don't think about anything else." Jordan shook his head.

The next reporter to ask a question was a reporter from the Washington Post, who asked, "Michael, what do you think of this tendency when the media is more bullish on the hypersonic at the moment?" ”

Jordan's face was a little ugly and said: "I think I know after fighting, I don't think supersonic is stronger than us." ”

The next question was asked by a reporter from the Los Angeles Times, who asked, "Coach Phil Jackson, you also took on the role of general manager and brought in center Kevin Willis.

And he played 10.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in the regular season and 8 points and 7.5 rebounds in the playoffs, and his performance has dropped a lot from last season, at most he is about the same level as Matt Geiger, the supersonic backup center, and now the offensive ability is not as good as Gilliam, do you think this trade is the right one? ”

When it comes to Kevin Willis, Phil Jackson is a little dark-faced and in a bad mood.

Kevin Willis, who he traded from the Heat, had a major injury last season, but he thought he was recovering well and didn't expect the decline to be so severe.

After a pause, he said, "Every trade comes with risk, and there are so many uncontrollable factors that I can't guarantee that every trade will be successful." ”

The reporter said: "But Mr. Jerry Krauss has been very successful in every trade and introduction, such as he traded Pippen from the SuperSonics, selected Cobra Grant, and for example, you were also brought to the Bulls by him, and you became the head coach of the Bulls." ”

"Poof!"

Many of the reporters below burst into laughter.

Phil Jackson's old face was a little stiff, embarrassed and angry, and he pushed the bridge of his glasses with his middle finger with his right hand, and said with a calm face: "I don't know what you want to express, are you trying to interfere with our preparations?" ”

The reporter sneered and said, "I just want to know, if you fail this championship, will you resign as general manager like Jerry Kraus?" ”

The reporter's question was like a knife, Phil Jackson's face turned iron-blue, and after a few seconds, he said:

"One failure doesn't mean anything, that's what I think. No one does anything that will succeed every time, including you, sir.

We've won three championships and I don't think I'm doing badly, I even think we've done really well, I really think so, and if you don't agree with our results, it's a shame, that's your problem. ”

The presenter showed up to address the Los Angeles reporter, confiscated his microphone, and handed it to the next reporter, who was a reporter from the Chicago Daily News.

The reporter asked with some excitement: "Coach Jackson, if you were given a chance, Michael and Iron Fist would be exchanged, would you trade?" ”

Everyone present was stunned, including Jordan and Phil Jackson.

"Is this a journalist from Chicago? I doubt it. Jordan's eyes were filled with murder.

"Never!"

Phil Jackson is unequivocal.

……

(End of chapter)