On August 6, 1998, after readjustment, the two sides resumed negotiations.
The players union proposed increasing revenue sharing between teams, causing commissioner David Stern and owner representatives to walk out.
This situation also made the players' union a little embarrassed. The other side was resolute and the negotiations broke down again.
Major sports media have repeatedly reported this news. Many players already feel that something is wrong. If the team cannot pay their salaries, everyone is ready to play in other leagues.
Not every player has savings or sponsor support. Most players spend money lavishly. The bottom players have no wages, and it is even harder to support their families.
Li You didn't have these worries and came to Chicago to receive training from Tim Grover as planned.
The training gym is located in an industrial area in the southwest of Chicago. It covers an area of 6.5 acres and has 6 basketball courts, a baseball field, a professional gym, yoga room, massage room, ice bath, hyperbaric oxygen chamber and other professional facilities. .
As Michael Jordan's trainer, Tim Grover has soared to the sky with Michael Jordan. The company he just founded is the result of many years of hard work.
As a VIP client, Li You is accompanied by Tim Grover every day, and the training plan is constantly changing.
Even by the late 1990s, most players didn't care about strength training. Generally speaking, outside players were not very enthusiastic about investing in strength training.
The private lives of NBA players are chaotic, and Cha Yezi is even more common.
Among the Knicks, Li You is considered a self-disciplined player. He never compromises on warm-up training before and after games, and he is also quite particular about his diet.
Although Michael Jordan once promoted his "Breakfast Club", most stars who have made a lot of money don't want to suffer:
"I can win with my talent, so I don't have to practice so hard."
Starting in the morning, Li You will first conduct speed and agility training, mainly skipping rope, alternating left and right feet, accelerating at the end, and changing the rhythm.
Next comes strength training, mainly upper and lower body resistance band exercises.
After that, the continuous shooting practice turned into mixed aerobic training.
Most of them are compound group exercises, which are close to actual combat and can also increase endurance.
After a week of observation, combined with physical data and other conditions, Tim Grover finally confirmed one thing:
"Li You is more durable than he thought"
Among the guards he came into contact with, Michael Jordan was an anomaly, because although the opponent was a shooting guard, his playing style was close to that of a striker.
Watching Li You continue to bomb, shoot, and run back and forth accompanied by other trainers, without affecting the stability of his shooting, Tim Grover decided to increase his efforts in the future:
"Practice until you vomit and then continue practicing. This is what a ruler should do!"
In the afternoon, in addition to completing training, Tim Grover will also have some spiritual communication.
In the yoga room, Li You was doing stretching exercises, while Tim Grover was seriously delivering Chicken Soup for the Soul:
"Li, after nearly a week of observation, I think you can become stronger."
"What I mean by strong is not just physically, but also the attitude toward basketball."
"After so many years of observation, I would classify players into three categories: passive, controlling, and dominant."
"McKun is the ruler. He is absolutely confident and has unparalleled intuition and skills. Even if he misses consecutive shots, he still believes that he will hit the next shot!"
"Some players may train themselves until they vomit and stop when they feel unwell, while rulers continue to train after vomiting until the next time they vomit, and so on, constantly beating themselves!"
"There is no need for encouragement, or even self-encouragement. A ruler has to complete his task, and his task is to win."
The staff on the side all nodded in agreement with serious faces. Li You was a little confused. It was like a pyramid scheme, self-hypnosis?
Noticing Li You's listening attitude, Tim Grover nodded with satisfaction, and then continued to deliver Chicken Soup for the Soul:
"Rulers only care about results. You don't need to care about what others think of you. You have done a great job in this!"
"It's okay to shoot more three-pointers. That's your game style. You can put the ball into the basket and you can score steadily from beyond the three-point line. Why should you care what other people say?"
"They haven't played, they don't understand the mentality of a true dominant player."
"Everyone has a "dark side" in their heart. All you have to do is embrace it. That surging power remains true and wild, and it will drive you to success!"
"Tell me, what do you really desire deep down?"
"Boobs, wins and money! I want to pursue these!"
He almost said what he was talking about, but Li You held his forehead and continued to look serious.
Tim Grover nodded with satisfaction, motioned to Li You to keep moving, and then continued:
"There is nothing wrong with craving money. All you need to do is use your dark side to defeat external interference. After you understand yourself, you will become stronger!"
"When you are powerful enough, you can enter the "white-hot space". It is a very scary state. Maikou has mastered the method of entering this state."
“Once you’re in the white-hot space, it’s just you, the basketball in your hands, and the basket in front of you.”
"You will stay away from all negative emotions. You will feel that the defensive players on the field slow down and speed up to get rid of the opponent. The basketball game will become extremely simple!"
Li You was confused when he heard this, and he started to complain crazily in his heart:
"Why don't you tell me about Heizi's basketball!? Isn't this just entering the ZONE?"
Tim Grover doesn't know what Li You is thinking. His theory is very mature. As long as he uses McDunner, most players will believe it.
As for the body's inability to handle the intensity of training, it's a matter of talent. He is only responsible for tapping his potential:
"Believe me, maintain a dominant mentality and complete every training session. This offseason, you will complete your transformation!"
"."
In the following period, the production team's donkeys were not as miserable as Li You!
[Karl Malone’s extraordinary physique] makes it difficult for him to practice until he vomits, and he can challenge the limit again and again;
[Michael Jordan’s extraordinary core strength] allowed him to be beaten constantly during strength training;
As he increased strength training and his weight increased, Li You's body shape also began to change.
At this time [Michael Jordan's extraordinary coordination] played a key role.
Tim Grover was still worried at first, but as time went by, he found that after Li You gained weight and muscles, his explosive power, jumping ability, and stability of basketball movements were further improved, so he continued to increase his efforts.
When everyone confirmed that Li You's increased muscle mass did not affect his shooting touch, the training session completely let go and entered the "Dominator" training mode.
Media reporters in Chicago had long discovered that Li You was being trained by Tim Grover. After failing to interview McDuck, they chased Li You every day.
The Chicago Tribune criticizes Li You's love life every now and then, happily gossiping about how many female partners he has had in the past two months.
On September 25, 1998, due to no progress in the collective bargaining agreement negotiations, the NBA announced that the preseason was officially canceled and the training camp was postponed indefinitely.
In the first episode of Saturday Night Live on the 26th, fans in New York also saw Li You again.
"Clay-Lee and His Goldilocks"
"Clay-Lee and the Crazy Gambler"
The end of being a star is comedy and sketches. Tina Fey, who only joined Saturday Night Live last year, combined real-life events and wrote two good books for Li You
One is teasing his personal preferences, and the other is gossip about the Knicks:
"Don't play cards with Li, he will win all your money!"
Li You served as the guest host of the show for the first time, and the musical guests were the Beastie Boys. The ratings were very good, at least, New York fans particularly liked it.
It's just that most players are not in the mood to watch these programs.
Time came to early October, and the negotiations still made no progress. On October 20, the outcome that the players least wanted to see occurred:
"A league arbitrator ruled that team owners do not have to pay players during the lockout."
As soon as this news was announced, there was a complete explosion within the players' union, which meant that the employer would gain a huge advantage in negotiations.
Taking this opportunity, the NBA announced again that games in the first two weeks of the 1998-99 season were officially cancelled.
After negotiations continued to make no progress, all 99 games in November were cancelled.
At this time, Li You did not plan to play in other leagues like other players. Instead, he returned home to Hartford to walk his dog and train.
By the end of October, the weather in Hartford has become cold and dry, and every precipitation brings the temperature down.
Happy the husky likes this kind of weather very much, and runs around with Li You every day to vent his energy that has nowhere to go.
After attending Saturday Night Live, Li You also made new friends. Jimmy Fallon has been bored recently and wanted to experience the life of an NBA player. He vomited on the first morning after arriving in Hartford.
Li You likes to go for morning runs near Elizabeth Park in Hartford, and Happy the Husky also likes it very much.
Although the surrounding scenery was beautiful, with the red leaves and green grass complementing each other, Jimmy Fallon, who was dressed in sportswear, couldn't hold back when he saw Husky Happy's smiling face:
"I should stay in New York. I'm an actor, so I shouldn't try this damn training!"
Li You smiled and watched the other party gasping for breath, and continued to joke:
"Staying at home and playing games? Your daily life is boring. There are no parties or girls. You have to change yourself. Come on and keep running!"
"Happy, go help him!"
"Woof!"
Milinda almost turned the working dog into a little doll. The month after Li You came back, the wild nature of the husky was completely stimulated.
Looking at Happy who was no longer smiling and barking, Jimmy Fallon showed a bitter face and shouted:
"Shet! I run! This guy is not cute at all!"
"."
When he returned home in the evening, Jimmy Fallon was no longer with Li You. He ran away overnight and made an appointment to meet in New York.
Milinda took good care of this elegant Victorian villa and even added a fireplace. Although it was somewhat inconsistent with the architectural style, they both liked it very much.
Happy the husky has become accustomed to the noise every night. After a tiring day, he falls asleep soundly in the den next door.
The flames in the fireplace were still burning. Li You hugged Milinda, looked at her rosy face, and entered the sage mode again.
Not caring that she was naked, Milinda whispered into her ear:
"Life without competition is also very good, I hope the suspension lasts forever!"
Li You kissed the girl in his arms and sent sweet words:
"You are getting more and more beautiful, and I like this life too!"
After a couple of hugs, Milinda quickly fell asleep with a smile on her face. Li You felt a little sad when he thought that his big contract was gone:
"The damn collective bargaining agreement, can't it add a talent player clause?"
The three talents of [Michael Jordan's extraordinary core strength], [Michael Jordan's extraordinary coordination], and [Karl Malone's extraordinary physique] have turned silver.
Thinking that his body seemed to have entered a bottleneck period, Li You stopped thinking about things he couldn't change and fell asleep peacefully with girl Dabo in his arms.
All matches in November were cancelled, and negotiations between the two sides continued, but the results remained fruitless.
The team did not pay wages, and it was almost December with no results yet. The bottom players were the first to be unable to withstand the situation.
The players union headquarters is located on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, close to the Empire State Building. This location was chosen to increase the influence of the players.
In mid-November, Li You would visit here every day, and most of the people he saw were low-level players asking for help.
Li You didn't see Ewing for about two months. When he saw him in the hall, he was immediately startled:
"Shet! Why are you so fat?"
"."
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(End of chapter)
