As for the western side, the overall situation has already been decided.

The Spurs are at the top of the West with 56 wins and 20 losses, the Sacramento Kings are second in the West with 53 wins and 23 losses, and the SuperSonics and Mavericks are both 51-25, and they are both tied 2:2 against each other, but because the Mavericks and Spurs belong to the same Southwest Division, the Mavericks are only second in the Division, and the SuperSonics are in the Northwest Division, the first in the Division, because the Mavericks are in third place.

In addition to the top four, the winning gap in the lower rankings is relatively large.

The fifth-place Minnesota Timberwolves are just 46-30, the sixth-place Trail Blazers are 45-31 and the eighth-place Jazz are 41-35.

And it was last season's champion team that surprised the entire league......

The Los Angeles Lakers, with only 42 wins and 34 losses, are seventh in the West.

O'Neal is obviously much more lazy this season than before, 3 consecutive honors make the big shark a little floating, so far this season, he has missed a full 22 games without injury, and the team training is often absent, but he frequently appears in various programs, singing, dancing, rap...... To put it simply, it's not doing business.

And this is obviously unacceptable to Kobe, who has always been extremely strict with others and himself, and it is logical that the OK combination broke out in the locker room.

This made the invincible OK combination that was unbeatable last season a mediocre performance in the regular season this season, but fortunately, with the persuasion of the Lakers' top management, coupled with the temptation of four consecutive championships, by the end of the season, O'Neal barely retracted his heart, and won a wave of five consecutive wins with the team, including defeating the Mavericks and Pistons, two tough battles, and pulled the Lakers back to safety from the eighth goalkeeper position in the West.

With the addition of a prodigal son's comeback, the re-aligned OK combination has also rekindled fans' expectations for the Lakers, and although they are only ranked seventh in the West, they are still one of the favorites to win the championship.

At this stage of the regular season, the cautious eyes between the teams actually begin to circle.

With the league just restructured, the playoff order is no longer as uncertain as it once was.

The east and west are the first pair of eighth, the second pair of seventh, and the first round of the playoffs canceled the previous three-win system and changed to a tie-break system, which makes the schedule of the first round of the playoffs also increase, and the consumption of physical strength increases.

Therefore, picking a suitable opponent for their first round of the playoffs is something that every team will consider.

After all, the Kings still have three tough games to play in the remaining six games, including against the Spurs and Lakers, and the SuperSonics have almost finished the schedule of strong teams in the first half of the season, and the opponents in the last few games are not strong, and the only tough battle is only to face the Eastern Wizards.

But the problem is that now there are more Lakers in the way......

With the Lakers' current wins, even if they win the remaining games, there will be little change in the rankings, and if the SuperSonics rush up to second place, then the first round of the playoffs will have to face the three-time championship team that is the favorite to win the championship.

Bob and the others have been closely monitoring the schedules and standings of each team during this time.

One is to look at the Kings, and the other is to look at the Trail Blazers and Lakers.

If the Trail Blazers lose in the next few games, they are likely to be surpassed by the Lakers, and the SuperSonics will have to fight for second place.

And if the Kings want to choose the last swing and fall to the third or fourth place to avoid the Lakers, then the SuperSonics will have to control the victory, and it is impossible to deliberately release one or two games if necessary.

…… Lin Dong basically doesn't care much about these tactical avoidance choices, and he doesn't contradict them, the team has its own experts in this area, how to arrange it, listen to the team.

What he's more concerned about now is Payton's recovery.

After a season, newcomers such as Sakuragi and Iguodala have already practiced a lot of combat power, but after all, they are still newcomers, and it is almost impossible to expect them to lead the team to lead these newcomers to the playoffs.

If you want to win a championship, Payton is absolutely essential for this SuperSonic.

At present, it seems that Payton, who has returned to five games, is in good shape, from 8 points and 5 assists in the first game, to 21 points and 11 assists in the last game, and returned to the double-double ranks.

This reassured Seattle fans a lot, but Lin Dong could see it.

Payton was comfortable with two double-doubles before the injury, but the two-doubles in the last game were already a little struggling.

The persistence of physical strength has regressed to a certain extent compared to before the injury, and the explosive power has also decreased, and what is more fatal is the accumulation of water in the knee.

——Mansha Peninsula, Lin Dong's lakeside villa.

There were four people in the room, Lin Dong and Sakuragi were sitting on the sofa on the side, Peyton was lying on the bed with a few silver needles on his knees, and Yohei was holding a smoker and doing moxibustion on Peyton.

The renovation of Yohei's spa shop is not yet complete, and it is estimated that it will take at least two or three months to open, but after hearing about Peyton's injury, he volunteered to recommend a set of physiotherapy procedures.

Moxibustion ventilation, acupuncture and blood circulation.

For his knee hydrops, Western medicine can only perform surgery, but at this juncture when the playoffs are about to begin, Payton obviously doesn't want to lie down in the operating room, and after trying Yangping's set, he feels obviously better, so he comes here every day during this time to get it, but ......

"I don't feel like it's getting any better these days." Yangping touched Peyton's knee while doing moxibustion: "Physical therapy is not as good as surgery, the effect is relatively slow, and it needs to be combined with recuperation, I suggest that the last three regular season games should not be played again, and even the first round of the playoffs is best to rest, haven't you already stabilized the third place in the West?" The first round should be the sixth Tuo, and if you want to collide with the Lakers, it will also be the second round, so I suggest that you rest until then it is better to play. ”

"It's okay, isn't it still you!" Peyton laughed and patted Yohei on the shoulder: "I believe in your craft!" ”

"It's not a matter of my craft, it's hard to stop the waterlogging, it's time to recover, but if you don't let it recover, it will get worse...... This disease is all accumulated. ”

"There are a lot of people with water in their knees in the NBA, which is called an occupational disease, how can it be so easy to have problems, not to mention that I feel that I have been in good shape recently." Peyton said nonchalantly: "Just two months of the playoffs, when the playoffs are over, I promise to lie down here every day, so that you can recuperate!" ”

"I've heard that the playoffs are very intense......"

"Oh, don't worry, I'll pay attention to the playing time in these few games."

This guy didn't listen to persuasion, and Mito Yohei couldn't laugh or cry when he heard it, and looked at Lin Dong and Sakuragi on the other side: "Persuade? ”

"Old Pee......" Sakuragi really spoke, but before he could finish a sentence, he was interrupted by Peyton.

"Stop, stop! You shut up! "Peyton really doesn't dare to compliment this apprentice's nickname, of course, 'Old Pei' is his default title, anyway, it's better than 'shooting' and 'Peppa'.

"Hi, Boss." Lin Dong also spoke: "Believe us, we can win these games, it's very easy, even including the first round of the playoffs, the Trail Blazers' lineup is not a threat to us, I also think you better recover first, ...... when you play the Lakers"

"Hey, hey, hey, I'll ......" Peyton looked at Lin Dong with a smile: "Lin, Yangping and Sakuragi don't understand, don't you understand this guy either?" ”

"It's not just my legs that I'm going to recover......"

"Yes, in these regular season games, even if I don't play, there will be no accidents, even if I don't play the Trailblazers in the first round, I don't even if I can't, I believe Lin Dong can lead the team to win, but then what?"

"Let me use my previous 8 points and 5 assists to directly face the Lakers in the second round? If I can't win, it will become a burden, I need to play, I need to warm up, I need to find the state of the playoffs! Hehe, these regular season games don't really matter to the team, I know you can win, but to me, they couldn't be more important. ”

Lin Dong frowned: "I know, but the problem of water accumulation in your knees ......"

"I'll be careful." Peyton interrupted Lin Dong's words with a wave of his hand, and didn't let him continue: "So, don't mention this again, it will only make me daunted." ”

He is obviously well aware of the dangers of knee hydration to a professional player, although it is not fatal, but the risk is present at any time, and it can erupt at any time, he has seen too much, not to mention, Jordan last season was in the first game of the playoffs because of this play and reimbursed the entire playoff schedule.

He smiled and said slowly: "Seriously, I have been in the league for 12 years, thanks to having a good wife, thanks to no bad habits, my financial situation is not bad, I am not short of money now, and I don't expect to play any data this year to get a big contract, and I don't lack the so-called honor, but ...... I just want a championship. ”

"Before I entered the league, no matter what high school game or college game, I never lost in the end, but after entering the league, for 12 years, every year I could only watch other people pick up that thing, you know what it feels like for a proud person?"

Peyton was smiling, but as he spoke, the smile on his face gradually turned into calm, and in this calm, there was a burning longing lurking.

"When people talk about Payton, they always talk about the gloves, the best defensive point guard of all time, and even the Finals in '96, and they always say, 'Oh, that's a classic series,' and the gloves are the only player who has kept Jordan averaging less than 30 points per game in the Finals, as if it gave me a lot of glory and a big classic."

"But......" Peyton's eyes flashed with a fierce color, and his voice gradually became louder: "What about the classic fart?" Glory fart? The most annoying thing in my TM life is that others mention this! I lost, in the closest thing to my dream and the most important series of my life, I lost! ”

"What's the glory of losing? If even being someone else's backdrop is an honor, then it's too cheap! ”

"Now, with the forest, the sakuragi, and the run that the whole league is looking at, I feel like this year is going to be the closest I'm going to win a championship."

"Don't tell me about next year, I know that next year you will definitely be stronger, and next year the supersound will have more chances, but...... Hehe, look at me now, if I can't even survive this playoffs, how much form will I be able to keep next year? Can you still win the championship as the absolute core? I'd like to pick up that trophy with my own hands, rather than relying on a few of you to give it to me......"

"So, what is the accumulation of water in the knees, as long as I can win the championship, even if I have a broken leg and want to retire after this season, it doesn't matter! But if I fall in the playoffs because I'm afraid, I'm afraid I won't be able to get out of this hurdle in my life. ”

Peyton said, his voice returned to calm, and he said lightly: "So, if you guys are really good for me, then don't say anything more, just do your best, and let's go and win the championship trophy together!" ”

The room was finally completely silent.

Lin Dong, Sakuragi, and Yohei are all a little awe-inspiring, feeling the 34-year-old veteran's thirst for the championship.

This is by no means the level of Lin Dong's imagination of 'I want to be the king of the league', or Sakuragi's promise to Coach Anzai's 'I will give you a championship ring', but even through the belly, you can feel the irrepressible and uncontrollable desire that emanates from Payton at this time.

It was like nothing in this world could stop this guy from climbing to that dream trophy.

“…… I'll add some wormwood. Yohei Mito was the first to break the silence in the room.

"I—I'll go back to the gym for training!" Sakuragi, who had always been the most susceptible to incitement, turned around and ran out the door, only to hear his roar suddenly in the hallway: "...... Down with the Lakers! Down with the Spurs! Down with the Wizards! ”

The remaining three people in the room couldn't help but laugh.

"This guy is a millionaire, but it's still like this." Yohei Mito shook his head with a smile.

"What do you have to say?" Peyton looked at Lin Dong triumphantly, he felt that he should have leveled this young man, saving himself from making noise in his ears all day long.

I saw Lin Dong smiling and pulling out a golden box from the cabinet next to him.

"Well, the first time I bought this thing, I was going to take it out to celebrate when I won the championship." Lin Dong opened the box, which was full of cigars, and he smiled and handed one to Peyton: "I don't smoke this either, I don't know much, just buy it depending on the expensive one, come and come, give the champion a taste in advance, and see if I have been deceived." ”

"The King of Denmark?" Peyton's eyes lit up suddenly, and he took it with a laugh: "You kid is quite good at buying, can this be wrong?" Sure, yes, we're going to be the kings of the season! ”

(End of chapter)