At this time, Nash was already thirty years old. He had played in the league for eight seasons and earned a total salary of just over 20 million.
This is naturally related to the fact that he has not paid his dues in three years of his rookie contract. He only averaged 7 points and 5 assists per game in his third season.
At that time, Mavericks owner Cuban was willing to give him a five-year contract worth 23 million, which already satisfied Nash.
But Nash reached the peak of the first stage of his career during this period, and was twice selected as an All-Star substitute and the All-NBA third team.
Cuban's team believes that Nash has reached the peak of his career and it is difficult to have greater potential, so they are only willing to give him 36 million in 4 years at most.
This obviously dissatisfied Nash and his agent Bill Duffy.
After all, he is also an outstanding defender among the 1996 golden generation. Now Iverson, Marbury, Kobe, Ray Allen and O'Brien in the same class all have annual salaries of more than 13 million.
Even if Nash is not as good as the brothers above, he is still a two-time All-Star substitute and the league's top point guard, with an annual salary of tens of millions as the bottom line.
Nowitzki nodded and smiled:
"What Steve said is right. An off-ball player like Lin with accurate shooting, coupled with Steve's first-class passing and control ability, will definitely get more opportunities to catch the ball and shoot!"
"But I don't believe that a rookie player's three-pointers can continue to be so accurate. This is not scientific at all!"
Nash's eyes were shining. As a top point guard, he felt a little regretful when he saw Lin Fei running on the court and failing to get the ball when he had a fleeting opportunity.
Partnering with a shooter like Lin Fei who has top off-ball movement ability comparable to Hamilton is indeed something that makes Nash ready to move.
In Lin Fei, Nash's keen and far-reaching gaze seemed to see a new era.
When a new club is confirmed this offseason, Nash will definitely suggest that the management pursue Lin Fei and try to sign this undrafted Chinese player with unlimited potential.
Of course, when talking about the two people's defense, the corners of Nash's mouth twitched involuntarily.
This is a picture of attacking with a kaleidoscope and defending from thousands of people...
On the court, the fourth quarter has begun.
For the Timberwolves, Garnett and the "Madman" continued to stay on the court, hoping to pursue the victory, continue to expand the score, and seal the victory in one fell swoop.
The Lakers naturally counterattacked with all their strength, and Kobe and O'Neal also stayed on the court.
As the league's top power forward today, he watched Garnett lead the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals, and with Lin Fei emerging as a surprise player,
It seems that they have reversed the momentum of the Lakers and entered the finals, and King Nuo is naturally very envious.
But when it comes to personal strength, Nowitzki is not convinced by the Wolf King. In the Western Conference playoffs in the 2002 season, the Timberwolves and Mavericks met, Nowitzki completely destroyed the Wolf King on the offensive end, averaging 36+12 per game. , leading the team to sweep their opponents and advance.
Although in terms of defense, King Nuo admits that he is not as good as Garnett, but in terms of offense, he is really far ahead of his opponents.
In terms of scoring ability at the power forward position in a single round, Duncan has to give up to Nowitzki.
It's a pity that the Mavericks are not united this season. The conflict between Nelson and Cuban has intensified. In addition, Nash is likely to leave.
Nowitzki is also worried about the prospects of the Mavericks in the new season.
However, Nowitzki is not someone who likes to interfere in management matters. He only needs to play his own game.
Early next month, Nowitzki will return to country D, join the national team, and prepare for the 2004 Olympics.
Look back to Staples Center.
With the physical exertion, the shooting feel of both sides began to decline significantly.
The Wolf King and the "Madman" fought hard one after another, and Szebiak also missed a three-pointer.
O'Neal, who stood on the free throw line continuously in the third quarter, finally slowly regained some touch. Not only did he make 3 of 4 shots from the free throw line,
Then he made a 4-meter two-point shot when he was let go from mid-range.
"Uh-huh!"
Although Lin Fei was not on the court in the first half of the final quarter, the "Zen Master" of the Lakers asked Fisher to continue playing. With the pressure on the defensive end reduced, the old fish felt warmer on the offensive end and hit an outside three-pointer.
"Uh-huh!"
Kobe gritted his teeth and continued to cause damage by driving to the basket, with two free throws left.
The situation in the game suddenly changed, and the momentum at home was rekindled. The Lakers used an 11:3 wave to narrow the point difference to only 2 points.
Timberwolves (80): (78) Lakers.
On the timer, there were only 5 minutes and 06 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Phillip Sanders quickly called a long timeout.
The Wolf King and "Madman" Sprewell came off the court sweating profusely and panting heavily. They barely got much rest tonight. They were indeed too tired at the end of the game, and it was inevitable that they would become distracted on the defensive end.
"Madman" is still complaining that the referee gave Kobe too much whistle care. So far, Kobe has stepped to the free throw line 9 times and made all free throws.
But there's no way, this is the Lakers' territory.
"Lin, you come on next and replace Hoiberg!"
"Once Lin is on the court, the Lakers' defense will focus more attention on him. On the one hand, it will chase the defensive switch and increase delays, and on the other hand, it will cut the passing lane."
"So from now on, Lin's movement and everyone's coverage will remain the same, but the burden of offense still has to fall on Kevin and Latrell!"
"In addition, Darik and Wally can also do more cuts inside the basket!"
"On the defensive end, we must pay attention to restricting Kobe's breakthrough. Trenton should try to let him go to the left side. The Wolf King and Szebiak should pay attention to the timing of defense."
"Try to defend yourself as much as possible first, and then kill the shark if it doesn't work!"
Phillip Saunders' eyes were solemn, and he carefully planned the offensive and defensive tactics.
In the last five minutes of the game, several of the Timberwolves' main players had already committed a lot of fouls. The Wolf King and "Madman" both had four fouls, and Szebiak, Hassell and Martin also had three fouls.
"Come on, don't have any psychological pressure, we are still in the lead now!"
On the Lakers side,
The "Zen Master" made a dangerous move and replaced the defensively disadvantaged Stanislav with rookie Luke Walton.
At the same time, more breakthrough tactics were arranged for Kobe and Devin George on the offensive end, and the pick-and-roll cooperation of the OK combination was increased to continue to cause damage to the Timberwolves penalty area.
"Although we are still two points behind, our momentum has risen, and now the pressure has shifted to the Timberwolves!"
"This is the best chance for a comeback. If we play well in these last five minutes, the Oscar Robertson Trophy (Western Conference Championship Trophy) will be ours tonight!"
Phil Jackson changed his usual calm and confident attitude and inspired the players. He really didn't want to see the team go to the Target Center Arena to play the tiebreaker.
Of course, the current Lakers team's overall dominance is no longer as good as it was during the three consecutive championships, and the "Zen Master" no longer has the capital to win.
"For Lin's defense, it is still pursuit + defense delay. Always pay attention to cutting off the source of the pass and don't let him catch the ball easily!"
"Victory is right in front of us, cheer me up, this is our home court!"
The Lakers players also formed a circle, folded their hands together, and shouted loud slogans.
After the timeout, the game entered the final 5 minutes.
Timberwolves (80): (78) Lakers.
Lin Fei maintained enough physical strength at this time, and continued to run through the Lakers' defense after coming up.
After a cross screen from the "Madman" in the high post on the right, Fisher did not catch up immediately. Kobe deliberately paid attention to the passing line from the Wolf King to Lin Fei in the middle.
The "Madman" seized this fleeting opportunity, decisively threw Kobe away and accelerated to the basket. After receiving the ball from the Wolf King, he leaped up and made a one-handed dunk.
"Boom!"
The Timberwolves regained the lead to 4 points. When returning to defense, "Madman" smiled and high-fived Lin Fei, but ignored the Wolf King who assisted him.
Obviously, the "Madman" believed that Lin Fei's screen contribution was the greatest in this ball, which directly attracted Kobe's attention.
Even if he doesn't score, Lin Fei has been able to give the team obvious help on the offensive end.
The Timberwolves widened the point difference to 4 points again.
The Lakers came up with their trump card. The OK combination picked and rolled in the high post. Kobe bypassed the defense and accelerated to the basket.
The Wolf King could only turn around to pursue the defense, but O'Neal decisively went down the other side. After receiving the pass from Kobe, he deliberately jumped up against the Wolf King and delivered a brutal dunk.
"Boom!"
"Beep!"
2+1.
The Wolf King stretched out his hand in a hurry, but his physical strength was so exhausted that he had no time to make the most correct choice.
The steel backboard was shaking, and the home fans at Staples Center let out deafening cheers.
"Reversal, reversal, reversal..."
"Clang!"
O'Neilga, who stepped to the free throw line, missed the free throw, and the Wolf King grabbed a defensive rebound.
The Lakers returned to defense quickly, and the Timberwolves played positional warfare at a high pace.
This time the "Madman" had the ball in hand, and with the help of the pick-and-roll with Lin Fei, he made fake shots from east to west and accelerated into the penalty area.
But Kobe's defense did not lose its position, always squeezing and interfering with the "Madman"'s shot on one side.
After reaching such a deep position, "Madman" simply didn't have enough ability to play the ball, so he could only bite the bullet and push past Kobe for a layup.
"Snapped!"
After all, he is already 34 years old and has played almost the entire game. The "Madman" is not as explosive and physical as Kobe Bryant at his peak. This layup was slapped away by a fierce big hat shot from Kobe Bryant who was leaping up.
"Snapped!"
The ball fell into Fisher's hands, and the Lakers quickly counterattacked with great momentum.
Lin Fei had no choice at this time and could only quickly chase Fisher. Kobe, Devin George and Luke Walton quickly followed up, and O'Neal also ran forward huffing and puffing.
The Lakers are determined to reverse the situation.
Relying on the restraint of his teammates, Fisher fought against the poor defense of Lin Fei, all the way from the midline to the basket, deliberately looking for Lin Fei's body contact, and crooked his body for a layup.
"Uh-huh!"
"Beep!"
The ball goes in and the buzzer sounds, 2+1.
The assistant referee signaled a foul to the Timberwolves' No. 22 shooter. This was Lin Fei's fifth foul tonight.
As long as there is one more offense, he will be expelled from the game.
Kobe was the first to rush forward and pull up Fisher, who was lying on the ground. The old fish's counterattack of 2+1 was a real effort, and it was also of great significance.
Not only did it allow the team to tie or even overtake the score immediately, it also caused Lin Fei's fifth foul.
Tonight, Fisher, who had a tough time chasing Lin Fei on the defensive end and allowed the opponent to hit six three-pointers, finally felt proud at this moment and clenched his fists and bumped into Kobe's chest.
At the same time, he turned over and roared domineeringly at Lin Fei who had committed the foul:
"Lin, your defense is like a drunken bitch, you're so handy!"
Lin Fei shook his head helplessly. The defensive attribute was 0. What could he do?
The Wolf King and "Madman" came up and patted Lin Fei on the shoulder, giving him comfort and encouragement.
The home fans were all excited at this time, and they all mocked and whistled, and the noise was loud:
"Haha, this Lin is so interesting. How accurate the three-pointer is, and how weak the defense is!"
"As long as the ball is not passed to Lin's hands, his role on the court will be completely negative!"
"Derrick's 2+1 is really great. I strongly recommend that he start in the starting lineup and put Payton on the bench!"
In front of the courtside commentary desk,
At this time, Barkley began to be elated again, and Kenny Smith languished.
"Haha, Kenny, there are only 3 minutes left in the game, and Lin is still 2 three-pointers away. I'm really worried for him, after all, he has already committed 5 fouls!"
"Charles, don't be too happy. The game is not over yet. Three minutes is enough for many miracles to happen!"
Despite his tough words, Kenny Smith felt that he might really lose this bet.
