The next morning, Barkley's agent, David Falke, officially announced Barkley's departure from the Houston Mosaics in an interview with the media in New York.

Although Barkley is no longer at his peak, his popularity is still very good, he can sell tickets, and after he entered the free market, he immediately aroused the interest of some teams, and they began to contact David Falke.

Mosaic can let Barkley go, but will not easily let Big Dream go, under the urging of Alexander, General Manager Dawson desperately contacted Big Dream, but he just couldn't get in touch, he could only contact Dan Fagan, but Fagan made it clear that Big Dream would not renew his contract, and he didn't even see him, which made Dawson very helpless.

"Hey, Carl, are you still going to stay at the Jazz?"

At noon that day, Da Meng privately contacted the postman and asked him about his plans.

"No, I might go to the Lakers." The postman said.

"What? You and O'Neill teamed up? ”

Da Meng was shocked, he didn't expect the postman to move so fast, so what should he do?

"Hakim, don't reveal this news, the deal between the two sides has not been discussed yet, it is just an idea of Mr. Jerry West." The postman said.

"Do I really want the East?"

Da Meng hung up the phone and began to think about his next home.

He then informed his agent, Dan Fagan, of the postman's news, and Fagan said, "Hakim, you're still one of the best centers in the league, so at least a five-year contract with a total salary of at least $50 million."

If you don't take it now, at your age, once your state declines, you will never be able to get it, you should know this.

So you have to think about whether the championship is more important, or the money is more important, and figure this out before you can decide which team to go to.

Anyway, now I've received offers from the general managers of more than a dozen teams, and you're a libero and they'd love to get you. ”

Da Meng sighed secretly, he will be 35 years old next year, what Dan Fagan said he knows very well, this is the last time he fights for the championship, and it is also the last time to fight for a big contract, a dilemma!

That afternoon, the SuperSonics returned to Seattle to await the Grand Final.

That night, in the G4 game of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls, who wanted to sweep the Heat, ushered in a defeat on the road and lost the game.

Jordan was in poor shape, being defended by Payton with only 9 of 33 shots, shooting only 27.3 percent, 0 of 8 three-pointers, 11 of 13 free throws, and although he still scored 29 points, he only had one assist.

Pippen also scored just 14 points, and no third player scored in a double-double.

Mutombo made five big hats, grabbed 14 rebounds and scored 13 points, but also failed to help his team win.

The Heat had five players score in double figures, playing fairly evenly on offense, and shooting 8 percentage points higher than the Bulls overall.

Zhou Quan once again deepened his impression of Payton's defense, which was really the same as his nickname, covering his opponent like a glove.

But Payton can limit Jordan, but not him, because he's faster, more agile, and more powerful than Jordan right now.

On the 27th, although the Eastern Conference Finals are not over yet, the media and some league stars can't wait to start making various analyses and speculations about the Finals.

Magic Johnson was interviewed by ESPN TV in New York, saying: "The Bulls double-beat the SuperSonics in the regular season, plus they have made up for the weakness of the interior line, I still prefer Michael and them.

Of course, the supersonic are also strong, with three sweeps, and they have a better record than the Bulls in the first three rounds, so of course they have a chance. ”

"Erwin, aren't you optimistic about the supersonic impact for three consecutive championships?" The journalist asked.

Magic Johnson nodded: "To be honest, in the regular season, I was very unoptimistic about them, and the large number of injuries was a headache, but after entering the playoffs, their performance was eye-catching, and a three-round sweep is not something that ordinary teams can play."

It's just that their Finals opponent is the Bulls, the No. 1 Bulls in the league, and I think it will be very difficult for the superSonics to defend their dynasty, and they will probably fall at the feet of the Bulls. ”

"Isaiah, what do you think are the chances of Iron Fist completing the Triple Crown?"

A reporter interviewed him at the Raptors' headquarters, in the office of Isaiah Thomas, vice president of administration.

Thomas said without hesitation: "Mr. Reporter, I'm very busy right now, I'm going to be busy with the team draft, and I still have a lot of rookie information to see, so I'll answer your question in one sentence." ”

"Please." The reporter was busy.

"Iron Fist will definitely be able to fulfill the dreams that neither I nor the magician, the trapeze, nor the big bird have ever fulfilled." Thomas said firmly.

"Why?"

Thomas said embarrassedly: "Sorry, I don't have time, I'm busy." Well, I'll say it again. Why? Because Mutombo simply can't keep up with the fast-paced offense and defense of the supersonic, and Jordan can't guard against the iron fist, that's why. ”

"Isaiah, there's one more question......"

"Okay, I'm really going to get busy, so I'll answer you one last question. By the way, sir, do you want coffee? ”

"Huh?"

Half an hour later, the Assassin concluded the interview.

The New York Times sports headline ran an article by the paper's sports editor-in-chief, which read: "The newspaper believes that the Bulls have a 65 percent chance of winning the championship, and only a 35 percent chance of a supersonic three-time dynasty."

The reason is that it is difficult for the supersonic to break through the Bulls' interior and exterior defense in positional warfare, and the Bulls can also limit the offensive and defensive rhythm of the supersonic through various means.

As for the individual offense of the Iron Fist King, he may be able to get some points, but when the Bulls lock up others, they will limit the Iron Fist King's most terrible direct assist ability, and they will not be able to revitalize the offense of the whole team. ”

The Chicago Daily reported: "We have the best defense in the league, the SuperSonics are going to have a head on our defensive system, and we're going to win a championship with our defense." ”

On the night of the 28th, the Bulls defeated the Heat, eliminated the opponent by a score of 4-1, and reached the Finals.

The league immediately announced that the finals will start on May 31, with a best-of-seven system, a two-three-two home-and-away system, and the Bulls have home-court advantage.

The Finals series will be broadcast live across the United States by NBC and will feature Elgin Baylor and Oscar Robertson.

On the evening of the 29th, the sports channels of major TV stations organized a program about the finals.

Zhou Quan used to watch these shows, but he didn't want to watch them this time, so as not to mess up his mind.

The company's affairs are very busy, but Zeng Li is still very worried about Zhou Quan, because this finals are too critical for Zhou Quan.

She knew that Zhou Quan didn't read newspapers or watch TV now, so she didn't dare to tell Zhou Quan the news she saw.

Now the media in the United States is almost overwhelmingly optimistic about the Bulls, believing that the chances of the supersonic team defending their title three times in a row are very small, which worries her.

On the morning of the 30th, the league announced the best team and the best defensive team, and Zhou Quan was selected for the double team for the fifth consecutive season.

At noon that day, major media announced the chances of the Bulls and the SuperSonics winning the championship.

The vast majority of media are more optimistic about the Bulls, such as ESPN, whose chances of winning the championship are as high as 65%, and the supersonic is only 35%.

NBC, which broadcasts the Finals live, also released its own data, with the Bulls having a 61% chance of winning the championship and the SuperSonics 39%.

In the afternoon, supersonic arrived in Chicago.

Along with the arrival, there was also a group of wives and a large number of supersonic fans.

In this Finals series, the Bulls and SuperSonics are still the same as before, preparing 2,000 away tickets for each other.

Zeng Li also followed him to Chicago, no matter how important the company's affairs are, of course, not as important as Zhou Quan's finals.

On this day, a large number of celebrities arrived in Chicago.

There are more media reporters, not only sports reporters, but also a lot of entertainment reporters, as well as countless paparazzi.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, Supersonic held a press conference at the hotel.

"Iron Fist, the media is almost one-sided and not optimistic about the supersonic championship, what do you think yourself?" A Washington Post correspondent asked.

"It's not surprising that they didn't like us before, and our confidence doesn't change in any way because of what the media thinks." Zhou Quan said with a smile.

At this time, the Bulls finished training and held a tactical meeting at headquarters.

Phil Jackson said very seriously at the beginning: "Gentlemen, I remind you, don't think that our strength is better than them because of the double kill of the SuperSonics in the regular season, it is likely that it is just an illusion of yours, and you must not be influenced by the media."

We and the SuperSonics are old enemies, three finals, one win and two losses, this finals, for us, can't lose.

Once they lose, the SuperSonics will step on us three times to complete their three-game championship dynasty, which is a failure that we can't afford for the team, or for individuals, you and me. ”

By the end, his expression was very serious.

"I think so too."

Jordan's face also became extremely serious, and he nodded and agreed: "Anyone must fight with all their might, and whoever dares not to play seriously, I will not let him go." ”

This season, Mutombo has strengthened the Bulls, and the Bulls have also won the league, which has made his relationship with Phil Jackson better, and it is no longer as divided as it was during last year's Finals, so in general, he is very supportive of Phil Jackson's work.

Phil Jackson and Jordan both said so, and everyone else nodded.

Then Phil Jackson began to do tactical analysis, saying: "They beat us, the conventional tactics are fast attack, and the second is the breakthrough tactics of positional warfare.

First of all, we have to suppress their fast-paced offense and defense, limit their fast sending and fast passing, no matter who it is, we must follow your people, and we must not let them play fast attacks, and we must not give them empty positions.

We're not as fast as they are, and once we get them up the pace, there's no way we can build up the defensive lineup, it's going to be quite passive. ”

Jordan said with a solemn face: "Supersonic mosaic is constantly fast attacking, and Da Meng and Barkley are dragged down like that."

And their fast attack, not everyone is fast together, generally two guards are fast, and others are dragging behind, mainly the fast attack of Iron Fist is the most impactful. ”

Pippen said: "The attack power of that guy with Iron Fist is too strong, he is fast alone, and the only people who can barely keep up with him at supersonic speed are guards, but the guards have no way to defend against his fast breaks, and they are often knocked over, so they force Big Dream and Barkley to defend quickly." ”

Phil Jackson said: "So to limit their fast serves, fast passes, with our defensive ability, we can do that. ”

Then he added: "In positional warfare, how to prevent the Iron Fist burst tactics, we didn't do well before, but now with Deacon Bay, we did well in the two regular season games, so we continue to play like that in the finals."

It's up to Michael to defend on the outside, and once he breaks through, there's no need to pinch the left and right wings, and you're responsible for killing the other SuperSonics, and Tekken is up to Deacon Bay and Michael to take care of him. ”

Jordan said at this time: "Phil, you have to pay attention to one thing, the current iron fist is different from the regular season, he didn't feel good in the regular season, so he focused on bursting, but at the end of the regular season, his hand began to improve, the breakthrough score decreased, and the jump shot increased." ”

Phil Jackson nodded: "So when you defend him, you mainly shoot against him." He chose to break through, and there was Deacon Bombey in it. He opted for passing, Pippen and Ron would have their eyes on his teammates and not give him a target for passing. ”

Jordan nodded and said no more.

On the other hand, after the press conference, SuperSonics had dinner and also held a tactical meeting.

This kind of tactical meeting was held once yesterday, and then through the tactical drills within the team to find problems, today is just to make up for yesterday's tactical shortcomings.

Once the men were ready, George Karl began to analyze the tactics.

"After the Bulls had Mutombo, they rarely used outside wraps for Iron Fist, and when they burst in, it was only Mutombo who packed, and everyone else was one-on-one, which was very troublesome."

"On the offensive end, try to play fast when the offense and defense are switching. Only then will we be able to get rid of Mutombo's defense, and only then will we be able to keep the Bulls from building their defensive system. ”

"The Bulls will definitely find a way to limit our fast serve and pass, so we have to have someone in the backcourt to answer and play the ball quickly. Iron Fist is the fastest, and in principle, you can get down quickly. Jose Hawkins, man, you're in charge of picking up at the backcourt. Of course, your position determines which of you gets down first, and that's a foundation. ”

"If we get caught up in a positional war, the situation will most likely be tilted in favor of the bulls, and then we will probably only be able to watch the iron fist fight alone, and the others will not be able to get rid of the people who are staring at you."

"So in positional warfare, everyone must run, constantly counterattack, cover, intersperse, air cut, etc., to run out of empty positions. Pippen and Ron are very strong defensively, and I hope you guys can run out of the open slots, otherwise we're going to be in trouble in positional battles. ”

"Defensively, we're the same."

……

(End of chapter)