Chapter 468 champion
“Hello, Mr. Hawksman, nice to meet you.”
“Hello, Mr. Colangelo.”
Soon after, in Colangelo’s room, the three met.
The three talked for nearly an hour before Hawksman left Colangelo’s room and went to Pharaoh’s side again.
“From the attitude of the Colangelo family, they still want you to stay with the Suns and support your championship goals,” Hawksman said.
Among them, Little Colangelo has the most determined attitude. After all, he is a young man, and he still has a lot of momentum. He hopes to complete a dynasty with three consecutive championships.
But the attitude of the old Colangelo is also very clear, he still hopes to continue to support you in the Suns championship, and even hope that you complete your entire career in the Suns.
I estimate that the Suns will be handed over to Colangelo Jr. in the future, if their family can still control the team. ”
When he said this, he paused and then said: “At least, Colangelo Jr. made it clear that he hopes the team can have the opportunity to complete the dynasty of three consecutive championships, which shows that they are likely to continue in the next two seasons. maintain adequate funding.”
“That’s good, two years is enough. If you can’t complete the three consecutive championships, just leave.” Lao Wang breathed a sigh of relief.
Hoxman added: “But at present they are facing pressure from small shareholders, so Mr. Colangelo hopes to find a big local rich businessman or a consortium to take over the Suns and buy the shares of those small shareholders at a premium. So continue to maintain a high level of commitment to the team.”
“Will they sell it?” Pharaoh asked.
Hawksman smiled and said: “Everything has a price in the United States. As long as the price is high enough, why not sell it?”
Lao Wang scratched his head and asked again, “The person who bought it is not a fool? If you continue to invest heavily, but you can’t make money, and you have to spend a high price to buy shares, who would do it?”
Hawksman shook his head and said, “Old K, you have to take a long-term perspective and take into account the overall development and growth of the NBA.
For example, in 1995, the Grizzlies and the Raptors joined the NBA, and the franchise fee was $125 million, and this franchise fee was evenly distributed to all teams, and it was not so expensive before, because the league has grown to the scale it is today. Fei has also risen and all ships have reached this standard. This is growth, and the entire league is appreciating.
Now most teams in the league are losing money. Why can they continue to operate? Because the league as a whole is moving forward, so the market value of each team is also rising as a whole.
It’s really hard to make money in a short time by buying a team at a high price now, but the investment behavior that can really make a lot of money is long-term investment, otherwise the owners of the losing team would have already sold the team, so you don’t want to. Worrying about finding such investors, there are too many investors with long-term investment vision in the United States.
In addition to investing, rich people also need to preserve the value of their assets, and NBA teams are now considered a high-quality value preservation and appreciation asset, even if they do not make money in the short term, there will be investors willing. ”
Old Wang nodded, understanding a little, then shook his head, not too understanding.
Hoxman smiled and said: “Mr. Colangelo mentioned your K martial arts hall just now. I hope that after the finals, you will hold a special party and invite local VIP customers from Phoenix to participate. He hopes that among these people, you will hold a special party. , to see if we can find the most suitable investors.”
“No problem.” Old Wang nodded.
…
On the evening of June 10, 1997, the final G5 battle.
This battle is the Bulls’ third and last home. If the championship cannot be decided, the Suns will have two home games.
From this morning, the United Center began to gather a lot of fans. These fans were Bulls fans, Jordan fans, and most of them were both.
By evening, the outside of the United Center was overcrowded and became a sea of people.
But the atmosphere was nothing like the finals should have been, sadness, anger, disappointment, all of that.
The game officially started at 8:00, and admission started at 5:30. By 7:00, the United Center was full.
In the locker room of the visiting team, the staff is bandaging Wang Tiejun’s feet and then putting on ankle pads.
The feeling of tightness in his left ankle is still there, which means that he needs to rest his body now. If he continues to play and the left ankle is not rested, it is likely to accumulate injuries and increase the possibility of accidental injuries.
“Old K, I think the Bulls have collapsed. There is no suspense in this game. You can play less and stabilize the situation on the court.” Danny Angie warned.
He nodded. If he doesn’t need his shot, then it’s best. He doesn’t want to be injured. The performance of the first four games is enough for him to win the FMVP.
At 7:40, in the player tunnel, Wang Tiejun saw Jordan again.
Unlike the last game, Jordan was like a daredevil who was going to go to the battlefield, but now, Jordan is like a sea, unfathomable, but it can set off waves of anger at any time, a bit moody.
“Flying Man, where are you going?” Old Wang was the first to break the silence.
“Old K, next year, you won’t be so easy.”
Jordan’s voice sounded, and the seemingly calm sea revealed a hint of fighting intent as soon as he opened his mouth.
“That’s the best.”
At this time, the visiting team played, Jordan of the old dynasty nodded and walked out.
Jordan shouted from behind: “Old K, you will have this day too.”
“Haha, don’t bother you.”
Pharaoh’s feet couldn’t help but pause, then left a sentence and walked forward again.
This time, he was a little strange. He was booed, and it seemed that it was not as good as before. Have the fans of the Bulls changed their minds?
Not long after Jordan’s appearance, he realized that the voices of the Bulls fans were preparing for Jordan. The shouts that were so huge that they broke the diaphragm made the entire United Center fans tremble.
At eight o’clock, the game officially started.
seems to have exhausted Jordan’s energy in the last game. In this game, he made 0 of 3 shots in the opening game, and the Suns played a 12-0 attack wave.
“brush!”
But on the Bulls’ fourth offense, Jordan was still determined to take the ball and hit a mid-range shot.
“Boom!”
At the moment when the hit, the United Center erupted in huge cheers.
Next, it seems that it is time for his performance.
Drive layups, pull-up jumpers, three-pointers, defense, everything.
Whether the Suns used Kevin Johnson or Kobe, or Kidd to defend Jordan, they were all beaten up one by one.
“brush!”
In the 9th minute of the second quarter, Jordan used a precise three-pointer to equalize the score. At this time, he had scored 24 points, and the shooting rate was 51.5%, which was not very high.
Pharaoh has been controlling his offensive desire. He only scored 15 points in the half-time, and now he has to increase his offensive.
On the ABC live booth, Magic Johnson analyzed: “Jordan is still Jordan, and there is no thought of giving up the game because the Suns won the match point.”
Larry Bird said: “He can lose, but he won’t give up.”
Abdul-Jabbar nodded and said: “His willpower is indeed too strong! The team fell behind by a large score, the opponent got the match point, and faced being traded by the team. The position of the first player in active service was taken away by the old K, the first player in history. The position is also challenged by the old K, and he can still play such a performance, incredible willpower!”
But no matter how strong Jordan is, he can’t beat the Suns alone. He can be consistent, but his teammates can’t.
After the G4 war, the Bulls have actually lost the finals, plus the team is facing disintegration, the spiritual leader Jordan will be traded, and the fighting spirit of Pippen and Rodman has been lost.
Pippen is thinking about renewing his contract with the team ahead of schedule and getting a bigger contract.
Rodman also wants to get a big contract, he did not renew it in advance, and now he has plans to leave the Bulls.
Rick Schmitz also wanted to escape from the Bulls, and at the end of the last game, he and Rodman were injured again. This game played with injuries and didn’t want to work hard at all. It would be bad if they were injured again.
These main players have lost their will to fight, and the other role players are even more panicked, worried that the team will clean them up, how can they still play with all their strength, and all are in poor condition.
In this quarter and a half, the rest of the Bulls had no desire to attack, were not active in running, watched Jordan shoot alone, were not active in defense, etc., all of which showed that they had lost the will to fight.
So when Wang Tiejun started to intensify his attack, the bull immediately collapsed.
Stern, who is sitting on the sidelines, hates the Bulls. Just trade Jordan. Can’t you follow the Suns? He also made it known to everyone in advance, making the finals like this, it’s abominable!
But he also realized that he must pay attention to a balance. If the strength of the two teams in the finals is too skewed and one-sided, it is absolutely impossible.
In this finals, it was because Old K and Jordan were too powerful, and they both recorded super-explosive data in a row, otherwise the ratings would not be so good.
Two hours later, almost ten o’clock, with a whistle, the whole game ended, and the 96/97 season finals officially ended.
Wang Tiejun scored 41 points. In the five finals, he scored 50+ twice in a single game, scoring a total of 233 points, averaging 46.6 points per game.
Jordan scored 45 points. In the five finals, he scored 50+ twice in a single game, scoring a total of 232 points, averaging 46.4 points per game.
“yeah!”
The 2,000 Suns fans were ready, and when the whistle sounded, they all stood up and cheered.
The entire Phoenix, Arizona, was equally jubilant.
Far away on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, Fengshen Street, Wuqi Brigade, all over the country, at the moment of winning the championship, countless people cheered.
“Congratulations to the Suns for the third championship! Congratulations to Wang Tiejun!” Zhang Lili said excitedly in the CCTV live broadcast.
“I hope Old K will make persistent efforts to defend his title next season.” Su Qun said excitedly.
“Congratulations to the Phoenix Suns, you won the NBA championship in the 1996/97 season!” Magic Johnson shouted loudly at the ABC TV live booth.
“Congratulations to the Suns and Old K for their third championship.”
After sending his own celebration, Larry Bird said: “Congratulations again to old K, you played three finals series in 1993, 1995 and 1997, all in a single year, and in three times. You’re the only one among all the leaders of your kind with a 100 percent win rate in the Finals.”
“Congratulations, Mr. K!” Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar immediately celebrated again.
Larry Bird added: “In 1993, the Suns beat the Bulls, in six finals, you averaged 24.9 points per game and scored 149 points.
In 1995, the Suns swept the Bulls again. In the four finals, you averaged 50 points per game and scored 200 points in total.
This time, the Suns have three wins over the Bulls, and in five Finals games, you averaged 46.6 points per game for a total of 233 points.
In 15 Finals games, you scored a total of 582 points, averaging 38.8 points per game.
Congratulations, old K, you surpassed Rick Barry’s average of 36.3 points per game and became the person with the highest scoring average in the history of the finals. You are the first person in the history of the NBA in this data. ”
“Congratulations, Mr. K!”
Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gave their third celebration.
…
At the end of the game, veteran Wilkins burst into tears and burst into tears.
It has been 14 seasons. At the end of his career, he finally won a championship, and his career finally had a happy ending.
“Brother, congratulations.”
Gerald Wilkins came over and hugged him.
“Gerald, you don’t know, it’s amazing! It’s amazing! It’s amazing! I wish you could experience that feeling of winning one day, but you probably won’t have a chance at Magic. .” Wilkins looked extremely satisfied.
Well, Gerald Wilkins really wants to beat his brother with one punch. How can you be so humiliated by your own brother as you hug your thighs?
“Congratulations, Dominic.”
Wang Tiejun and Lightning, who were smiling, came to Wilkins and sent his congratulations after they celebrated.
“Thank you, old K, without you, I wouldn’t have a chance to win the championship, thank you so much!” Wilkins said excitedly.
“By the way, Dominic, your contract is over, are you planning to retire?” Pharaoh asked with a smile.
Wilkins breathed a sigh of relief, nodded and said: “Yes, I can’t beat it. Now that I have won the championship, I don’t have that motivation anymore. I choose to retire.”
Pharaoh nodded, Wilkins retired, the Suns’ bench lineup lacked a stable sixth man, and the loss was still huge.
There is also Lightning. Although there is still one year of contract left, it is not guaranteed that he will choose to retire. After all, he has already won the third championship. He has been injured twice this season, so there should be no motivation to continue.
Horry may not get a big contract and leave, and Kidd may also choose to leave, he hopes to be the core of the team.
There are also two veterans, Williams and Tisdale, as well as some role and marginal people, either retiring or cleaning some of those who have lost their desire to win the championship. The personnel flow of the Suns will not be small, and it is not stable enough.
But he quickly put those thoughts aside. Now is the time to celebrate. He continues to celebrate the championship with other teammates and friends.
“Congratulations! Trust me, we will meet again in the finals.”
“I look forward to that day!”
On the court, Jordan wiped away the tears and sweat on his face, stepped forward to shake hands with Wang Tiejun, sent congratulations, and then issued the gauntlet.
“Michael, please say a few words to your fans.”
At this time, the host of the scene ran over and handed the microphone to Jordan.
Pharaoh took his teammates to the sidelines and gave up the place to Jordan.
Jordan took the microphone, looked at the auditorium, turned his feet, and saw that the field was full of his home jersey No. 23, countless hands were waving at him, tears welled up, and there was no way to stop it.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I couldn’t bring you the championship before I left.” As soon as he opened his mouth, his voice was hoarse.
“Michael…”
Countless Jordan fans burst into tears at this moment.
The Suns’ championship celebration was terminated and became Jordan’s farewell party in Chicago, but no one had an opinion, including Wang Tiejun.
“An athlete who has attracted so many loyal fans with his performance is worth it no matter how hard he works.”
He stood on the scene, watching Jordan, who was a little uncontrollable, bid farewell to his fans, and was very emotional.
Jordan’s farewell lasted for half an hour. He said goodbye to his fans, and then to the stars and stars at the scene one by one. Then he waved goodbye. After being held by countless fans, he waved and left the stadium.
Looking at the back of him leaving, on the spot and in front of the TV, I don’t know how many fans covered their faces and cried, and I don’t know how many fans scolded the management of the Bulls and the boss of the Bulls.
Barkley sighed: “When Sir Barkley was traded by Philadelphia, I left with a smile. Michael was so sad.”
“You want to go to the Suns to win the championship, does he need it?” Da Meng said.
“…”
Buckley’s eyes widened, do you want to fight?
After Jordan and the Bulls players left, the Bulls fans also began to leave, leaving the United Center to the Suns, and the Suns officially began to celebrate.
But it’s not a home game after all. There are only 2,000 Suns fans in the away game, and the atmosphere is much deserted.
When Lao Wang came to the sidelines to celebrate with Lao Hu Dayao Chenglong and the others, a large group of reporters gathered around, congratulated him for winning the third championship, and then conducted an interview.
“Old K, after the last game, you said you want to pursue a three-peat dynasty, so do you think Jordan’s whereabouts will affect your dream?” ABC reporter asked.
Pharaoh pondered for a while and then said: “Of course it will have an impact. He is not a person who will give up. Victory is the goal he will always pursue. If he joins a strong team, he will probably be my obstacle.”
“Then which team do you think he is most likely to join? Or which team do you least want him to join?” the reporter asked.
Pharaoh smiled and said: “Ignoring other factors, just from the lineup, if he goes to the Knicks, I think it will be the biggest threat to me.
Our perimeter will be blasted by him, and I will have a big offset with O’Neal on the inside, and we will be very difficult. ”
“So you don’t want him to join the Knicks?” the reporter asked with a smile.
Pharaoh thought about it carefully, but shook his head and said, “No, this is related to other very practical issues. For example, salary space, lineup configuration under the salary cap, etc.
If he really joins the Knicks, if the league allows it, then the Knicks must only calculate his virtual space in the salary cap, otherwise it cannot be traded at all.
And his virtual space is close to 6 million US dollars, right? O’Neal seems to be more than 8 million, and two people account for more than 14 million. This is not small. How much space is left for the others? The presence of the two of them will definitely affect the Knicks’ configuration for other positions, and can only use some poor role players and fringe people.
So I don’t really care, O’Neal and Jordan alone can’t conquer the world. They also need other very good helpers, and we won’t necessarily lose.
If someone said that Jordan and O’Neal joined forces, it was the finale, then I can only say to him, brother, you think too much. ”
“By the way, there is one more thing…”
Having said this, he smiled and said to the live broadcast of ABC: “Wilkins is going to retire, we will leave some people, if any veteran wants to win the championship and is willing to join the Suns with a basic salary, please call me.
Of course, the premise is that you still have oil in the tank. ”
When he said this, some of the older NBA stars in front of the TV were really moved.
Even some of the young players who are now free agents are immediately considering whether to join the Suns.
But it was just mentioned that Jordan might join the Knicks, and these people are also considering the possibility of going to the Knicks.