At this time, Roger Philip came to Zhou Quan's house to talk to him about the contract extension.

Zhou Quan's three-year contract has ended, and Whithit has contacted Philip several times to negotiate his next contract.

However, it is only necessary to negotiate the content of the contract first, not to sign it, his contract must be very large, and it is best to leave it to the end to sign.

Zhou Quan's last contract had only been signed for three years, and now that he was thirty years old, it was most reasonable to ask for a long-term contract of five to six years.

"Zhou, Whithitt was worried that something would go wrong, so he wanted to get it done early. His main concern was the other teams, and he was right to be concerned, and the other twenty-eight teams in the league had been contacting me. Philip said with a smile.

"Oh, a team offered me a sky-high contract?" Zhou Quan asked casually.

"There are a lot of sky-high contracts, and there are even team owners who have made the same commitment as Mr. Ballmer. He promised to sell you 30% of the team's shares when you retired, and you would have the right of first refusal if he didn't want it later. Philip said.

"Who?" Zhou Quan was very surprised.

As far as he knew, what Jordan wanted most was a stake in the Bulls, but unfortunately he sold his life to the Bulls for so many years, and the Bulls owners were unwilling to sell him a little stake, so they had to buy the shares of the Wizards.

"Pioneer owner. Mr. Allen is not very easy to talk to you directly, so he only talked to me once. Philip laughed.

Zhou Quan nodded, Paul Allen is one of the Big Three of Microsoft, and he has a very good relationship with Ballmer, and he has a good relationship with him over the years, so it is indeed not easy to dig into the corner directly.

"Seattle's current ball market is so hot that as long as there are supersonic games, NFL football games have to give way, and owner Ballmer said that as long as you open your mouth, you can sign any contract." Philip said.

Zhou Quan shook his head and smiled: "I'm not short of this money, as long as I can get by on the face, you can discuss it with the management, and pay a little less luxury tax." ”

"Jordan got an annual salary of close to 30 million in the 90s, and I think it must be more than 30 million annual salary to be worthy of your status in the league." Philip said.

Zhou Quan nodded, face is wanted, of course, it can't be too little, just not too high.

Philip said: "Zhou, Karl Malone and O'Neal both have contracts of $20 million a year, I mean an average of 40 million a year, six years in terms of tenure, what do you think?" ”

Zhou Quan thought for a while and said, "Between three and forty million, you and Mr. Whithitt decide, don't let the team's operation have problems." ”

"Absolutely not." Philip said with a smile.

"Okay then." Zhou Quan nodded.

……

April 20, 2002, the first round of the playoffs G1 match day.

At 10:35 a.m., Philip called and said that he had negotiated a contract with the management, a veteran contract, $250 million for six years, with a starting salary of $32 million, and $5,270 for the sixth year, with an annual increase of 10.5%.

Zhou Quan calculated that SuperSonics would have to pay nearly $200 million in luxury tax for his contract in the next six years, plus his contract, more than $400 million in expenses over six years, an average of more than $66 million per year.

However, the benefits he brings to the supersonic must exceed this number, large-scale national live broadcast, overseas TV broadcast revenue, regional TV broadcast revenue, advertising revenue, ticket revenue, jersey sales revenue, etc., the supersonic's operating income has long been the first in the league, surpassing the Knicks and Lakers.

That night, the SuperSonics defeated the Jazz to win the first round of G1.

Zhou Quan thinks that Kirilenko, who delivered 4 big hats and 2 steals tonight, is not bad, and is more versatile, especially the defensive area can cover half court, from the basket to outside the three-point line.

But this guy Kirilenko is too infatuated with Jerry Sloan, and he can't dig it, so he can only appreciate it.

In the other game in the West, the Lakers beat the Mavericks.

In two games in the East, the Nets beat the Pistons, and the Raptors beat the Numbers on the road.

Iverson vs. Vince Carter is still an efficiency problem, shooting only 26.7 percent from the field, and such offensive efficiency is difficult to win the series.

Raptors veteran super center Olajuwon only played 21 minutes, but he also delivered three blocks and one steal, two of which went to Iverson.

However, Zhou Quan feels that the number team should still have a chance to win this series, the Raptors don't have any good defenders on the outside, and Iverson's state can't always be as sluggish as tonight.

Next, the first-round series continues.

On the night of the 26th, the SuperSonics completed a sweep of the Jazz in Salt Lake City and took the lead in the second round.

On the 27th, the Kings completed a sweep against the Trail Blazers.

The SuperSonics and Kings were also the only two teams to advance to the second round by sweeping.

On the 28th, the league officially announced the results of the MVP selection, and Zhou Quan won the MVP for three consecutive years, which is also his fifth MVP.

On May 1st, Da Yao and Da Zhi Bus came to Seattle one after another.

The three of them made an appointment to come over on this day and return home after watching the series between the SuperSonics and the Lakers.

"Are you going to pick up your family?" Zhou Quan asked while chatting.

"I'm going to pick up my parents, and I've already agreed with them, and the house here is also rented. Rent, so as not to be traded by the bull and have to deal with the property. Da Yao said.

The bus said, "I'll forget it, the next house hasn't been done yet." ”

Zhou Quan said: "Dabus, you don't have an agent, it's better to sign Philip first, let him find you a team, come to the NBA, you can't play for a year and go back." ”

"Brother, I won't say anything if I thank you."

The bus had nothing to think about, Zhou Quan was taking care of him, and immediately nodded and agreed.

"Nothing to be polite."

Zhou Quan asked Dazhi again, and Dazhi shook his head and said: "My wife is in the real estate business in China, and it is impossible for her to come to live in the United States." ”

Zhou Quan nodded and didn't ask again.

On May 3, the Lakers arrived in Seattle.

As a landlord, Zhou Quan made a phone call to O'Neill, ready to greet him, and after thinking about it, there was no good topic, so he asked, "Shaq, did you buy apples?" ”

"No, I never eat apples."

Hearing Apple, O'Neill, who was about to speak, immediately fell silent, and then hung up the phone after only one sentence.

ZHOU QUAN LAUGHED, O'NEAL EXPECTS APPLE TO RETURN TO THE PRICE BELOW THREE YUAN, BUT THAT IS PROBABLY A PRICE THAT CAN NEVER BE RETURNED, WITH THE HOT SALES OF IPOD, NOW APPLE HAS COME TO LIFE, AND THE STOCK PRICE HAS RISEN TO FIFTY DOLLARS.

That night, the first round was over.

In the West, the Lakers defeated the Mavericks by a score of 3-1 and faced off with the SuperSonics in the second round.

The Spurs defeated the Timberwolves 3-2 to face the Kings in the second round.

In the East, the Nets defeated the Pistons 3-1, the Raptors beat the Numbers 3-2, the Celtics beat the Hornets 3-2, and the Magic beat the Pacers 3-2.

On the 4th, the second round series between the SuperSonics and the Lakers will be played on the day of G1, and the remaining three groups of games will be played on the 5th.

These are the two NBA teams that have attracted the most attention, and they are also recognized by the media as the two strongest teams at the moment, and many media outlets have dubbed this series as an early Finals.

The Lakers have been swept out of the series for four consecutive years, and after Zhou Quan's comeback, they have swept the Lakers out of the series for two consecutive years, crushing the OK combination by one person, and this time, many gambling companies have opened a handicap for the second-round series between the SuperSonics and the Lakers.

That year, Zhou Quan led the SuperSonics to defeat Jordan's Bulls in the Finals for three consecutive years and completed the three-consecutive championship dynasty, and this time many gambling companies opened a handicap that the Iron Fist King led the SuperSonics to sweep the Lakers in the series for the third time in a row.

In the past few days, Zhou Quan has also taken a look at the handicap offered by these companies, the odds of the supersonic are very low, and the odds of the Lakers are very high, which means that the major gambling companies are very optimistic about the supersonic sweeping the Lakers.

However, he had no intention of ending, and he didn't even want to be funny, so as not to be known by the media and cause some unexpected trouble.

……

In the evening, the Seattle New Center Gymnasium was star-studded, and countless people crowded the square, forming a huge sea of people.

The supersonic ball market is so hot that now it is not only people from the Seattle metropolitan area who rush to the city center to watch the supersonic game, but people from the entire Washington state drive to Seattle to watch the game, and even people from nearby continents drive for two days and one night across thousands of miles to watch the game.

At half past six, the venue opened, and people who had bought tickets began to enter, and more people had to continue to crowd the square.

At the scene, many celebrities and celebrities were interviewed by the media, and some were chatting, just like a big show.

Zhou Jianguo is a frequent visitor here, and has become a hardcore supersonic fan, and the three of them sat together and chatted lively.

Today, Zeng Li's son also came to the scene, standing and chatting with a large group of Hollywood stars, while some media were taking pictures next to him.

Two-year-old Zhou Yuan was playing with a basketball, and his dribbling movements were quite skillful, and he had a good eye, which attracted many reporters to take pictures.

The little guy's appearance follows Zhou Quan, that is, his eyes are like Zeng Li, a handsome guy, very popular with the media, and the headshot has long been on the cover of many magazines, and he has taken a lot of manuscript fees.

At half past seven, the two sides announced their starting lists.

Lakers: O'Neal, Samaki Walker, Rick Fox, Kobe, Derrick Fisher

Sonics: Ben Wallace, Rashad Lewis, Bowen, Cory Magetti, Zhou Quan

This series is the hottest series, which was grabbed by TNT TV, and the commentators are Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith.

After getting the starting lineup, Kenny Smith said: "The Lakers used Samaki Walker at the No. 4 spot, he was the No. 9 pick in the first round in '96, and he was very high, but for so many years, he only played as a role player. ”

"He's got good rebounding, averaging seven rebounds in 24 minutes per game in the regular season, and the Lakers are definitely going to have to improve their rebounding control," Barkley said.

With Rashad Lewis at the No. 4 position for the SuperSonics, he averaged only 7 rebounds in 36 minutes per game, Ben Wallace's rebounds were a little stronger than the Big Sharks, and with Samaki Walker, the Lakers were able to maintain a balance with the SuperSonics in rebounding. ”

Kenny Smith nodded: "Although the rebounding ball can maintain balance, and the big sharks can also eat Ben Wallace on the offensive end, the key is the outside." ”

Barkley said: "Bryant is stronger than last year and I'm looking forward to seeing how he plays. ”

Kenny Smith shrugged his shoulders and said, "No matter how much Kobe Bryant's strength improves, he is some distance away from Michael Jordan, and the Iron Fist King has completed a three-game winning dynasty on Jordan's head." ”

Speaking of this, he glanced at Barkley, whose face was a little ugly, and said with a smile: "And this supersonic team has become stronger and stronger with the growth of young people, and 74 wins are not blown."

The key is Ben Wallace, who, along with the Iron Fist King, has won five individual stats titles, which is an incredible thing, something that has never been done in the decades-long history of the entire league.

So the SuperSonics are the team that has conceded the fewest points per game this season, their defense is very strong, and they are also the team with the highest points per game, their offensive firepower is the strongest in the league, and their offense and defense are the first in the league. ”

Barkley said arrogantly: "That's just against other teams, the supersonic inside line against the big sharks, there is only one result, which is to be crushed." ”

Kenny Smith smiled: "That's true, but supersonic hoarded two meat shields, plus Big Ben, it is three meat shields, how much physical strength does the big shark consume on the three of them?"

And now it is possible to contain people without the ball, once the supersonic are determined not to let O'Neal score, how can the Lakers play?

The two inside wrap O'Neal, the Iron Fist locks Kobe Bryant and cuts off the connection with the OK combination, Bowen restricts Rick Fox's play, whether it's Fisher or Samaki Walker, can they shoot supersonic on the outside? ”

Barkley opened his mouth and forced: "The big sharks without the ball in advance will inevitably produce empty spots, and the Lakers will not necessarily lose."

And the SuperSonics fought too hard in the regular season, and 74 wins must have consumed too much physical reserves, and they may be running low on physical strength in the playoffs. ”

"But the SuperSonics have the strongest rotation in the league, and they have a very good rotation," Smith laughed. ”

At this time, the five SuperSonics starters arrived one step early, and then the Lakers also arrived.

Seeing Zhou Quan holding an apple and gnawing on it, O'Neill was dumbfounded, Iron Fist King, you have repeatedly stabbed me with a knife, can you still be friends?

"I ate too much half-cooked steak for dinner, and I ate an apple to supplement my vitamins." Zhou Quan explained with a smile.

"Hold you out." O'Neill said angrily.

Zhou Quan ignored O'Neal's idiot anymore and said to Kobe: "Kobe, play with the ball or without the ball tonight?" ”

"Hold the ball." Bryant said firmly.

"Can Coach Phil Jackson allow it?" Zhou Quan was suspicious.

"Humph!"

Bryant snorted back.

Zhou Quan glanced at O'Neill, the fat man's face was not very good-looking, and it seemed that there was a small internal contradiction that could not be resolved.

He understands O'Neal, once Kobe Bryant has the ball, the outside offense must be frustrated, how can he win the game alone?

The visitors go first, and the Lakers come next.

(End of chapter)