“I almost got traded to Detroit?”
Buckley also knew the news, which made him feel heartbroken, as if he had lost the most precious thing, and he sighed.
He was originally traded to the Suns and was very happy to join forces with the Lightning. He had the best record in the league in the regular season and was aiming for the championship. He was so high-spirited before the first round of the series. Unfortunately, in the first round The first round of the series was like a stick. The Lakers' one hit made him dizzy.
That's the Lakers, it's the Lakers. When the Digital Team negotiated a deal with the Lakers, they seemed to be overjoyed. He really hated Billy King. If he was in the Lakers now, how strong would the Lakers be?
And the Pistons, God, can join forces with that Iron Fist guy. Without him, they can sweep the Hornets. If they add him, they can sweep the Bulls!
He, he actually missed two opportunities to win the championship in one offseason? Damn Billy King! Damn David Stern!
"well!"
But now, he can only lament that he can't do anything but play the G5 game with the Lakers. If he is cheated by the Lakers, he will be finished.
The thought of missing two championship opportunities and the possibility of being cheated, these two emotions from the peak to the lowest, made him have the urge to vomit blood.
"Jerry, I want to see Iron Fist's name appear on our lineup for next season." At this time, Lakers boss Buss made a phone call to general manager Jerry West.
"I see."
West is very clear-headed and is not affected by the current situation where the Lakers are tied with the league's number one Suns at 2-2. The Lakers' lineup must be strengthened or even rebuilt, and Iron Fist, there is no doubt, He has the strength and potential to become the core of the Lakers' reconstruction.
Before the 1991 draft, Tekken came to the Lakers for a tryout. He missed that opportunity. At that time, he could not forget the greatness of Magic and looked down on the ordinary Tekken. But he had long known that he was wrong. Now he wants to seize this opportunity. Opportunity to bring Iron Fist back to Los Angeles.
Unfortunately, he contacted Zhou Quan's agent Philip, but did not get through.
Like the Lakers, many team general managers are trying to contact Philip at this time, including even the Warriors who originally drafted Zhou Quan, but no one can get through his phone.
The happiest person about this matter is David Stern.
He vetoed the trade, but the reason for his veto was that he was worried that Barkley would make the Pistons too powerful.
After vetoing the deal, he did not let the league announce the vetoed deal to avoid further irritating the Pistons and the Digital Team. But now that it has been revealed after so long, he can just use this opportunity to operate Zhou Quan. Go to a Western Conference team.
Because this revelation by Barkley and Zhou Quan attracted media attention, even the G5 game between Mosaic and the Clippers was affected. During the game, the commentator occasionally dropped the game and mentioned this news.
In the end, Mosaic defeated the Clippers, eliminated their opponents with a big score of three to two, and reached the second round with difficulty.
On the 8th, the media began to officially speculate on the transaction news between Barkley and Zhou Quan.
At 9 o'clock, the NBA announced the MVP winner through ABC TV. Barkley defeated Jordan and Olajuwon to win this honor.
This was also the biggest and hardest honor of Barkley's career. It made him shed tears immediately, and the damage caused to him by last night's news was instantly made up for.
He feels that there is still a chance this time. As long as they defeat the Lakers in tonight's G5 game and advance to the second round, the Suns should go more smoothly.
Before going to work in the morning, many fans came to the Pistons headquarters one after another. By 9 o'clock, hundreds of people had come. They had only one purpose, to scold the management.
Before eight o'clock, Troy Weaver rushed to the headquarters. He didn't dare to go through the main entrance, but only dared to take the small door. Fortunately, there was a small door, otherwise he really wouldn't be able to get in.
The first thing he did after going to work was to hold an impromptu press conference at the headquarters, invite some media, and deny the transaction rumors.
The league will not disclose this rejected deal anyway. As long as Billie King does not leak it, he is not afraid of the lie being exposed.
The fans who blocked the door were naive and were fooled by him.
But his words could not fool the media, and few reporters believed him.
At 9 o'clock, Zhou Quan and Christina arrived at the headquarters.
"Iron Fist, will you choose to leave the Pistons?"
"Iron Fist, if you were traded, which team would you like to go to?"
When they saw his car approaching, the media reporters waiting outside the headquarters immediately swarmed up.
"Sorry, all my energy is focused on the second round series right now, so I can't comment on anything unrelated to that."
He responded by lowering the window, then closed the window and waited for the security personnel to come and help clear the crowd.
After a while, after entering the parking lot, I saw the assassins and others had arrived, along with some family members.
Seeing that Zhou Quan was no different, the assassins, Joe Dumas and others were relieved, and Chuck Daly was also relieved.
This sudden news made the old coach feel a little tired. He encouraged Zhou Quan and others a few words, and then got on the bus alone.
"Zhou, please listen to my explanation, this is definitely a lie..."
A staff member notified Weaver, who immediately rushed to the parking lot. When he saw Zhou Quan, he wanted to explain, but Zhou Quan waved his hand and said:
"Troy, I understand your position very well, so there is no need to say anything unnecessary. Let's make every effort to prepare for the second round of the series. We can't let this news affect us."
Understanding does not mean support. Weaver sighed secretly, mentally calling the person who broke the news a dog, but he understood that there was an irreparable rift between him and Zhou Quan.
At 10 o'clock, the plane took off and arrived at the airport at 12 noon.
"Iron Fist, do you have any regrets about this rejected deal?"
"Iron Fist, do you wish to leave Detroit?"
A large number of reporters were waiting at the airport. When they saw the piston coming out, they rushed up.
"Sorry, this is false news. I have no comment on your questions." Zhou Quan responded to all transaction-related questions with this sentence.
At one o'clock, after settling down in the hotel, the Pistons held a press conference.
At the press conference, Zhou Quan still had the same attitude, and Weaver kept insisting that this was fake news. In the end, the media had to change its direction.
"Iron Fist, the Pistons have reached the Eastern Conference Finals for six consecutive years, so will this record be broken in your hands this year?" a reporter from the Chicago Daily asked.
Zhou Quan smiled and said: "Reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for six consecutive years? Our Pistons are really strong enough. Thank you for your praise."
"I praise you as a ghost." The reporter's face twitched and he cursed secretly.
Zhou Quan added: "We are fully prepared to meet the Bulls in the second round this time. We regard every game as the last game of our career and we will do whatever it takes."
He didn't answer the reporter's question, but what he said made all the local reporters nervous.
Before the Eastern Conference Finals last season, he was worried about the morale of his teammates. In order to boost morale, he arranged a gathering early in the morning for communication and so on.
But this time, until now, he has not had any communication with his teammates about the Eastern Conference Finals.
Except for Sekali and a few substitutes, the main lineup has the same teammates, with only one less John Salley, Joe Dumars and Rodman. They are one year older, and their morale should not be as good as last season, but he But not as worried about morale as last season.
Of course, there is only one reason. Last season, he couldn't stand up on his own and relied heavily on his teammates. But it's different now. His dependence on his teammates has been greatly weakened.
At critical moments, he can stand up on his own and score again and again to boost the morale of his teammates, so using words to boost morale before the series is not so important.
On this day, Troy Weaver received a call from these managers.
At this point, facing the situation where Zhou Quan is likely to apply for a trade after the end of the season, he has no choice but to make two preparations.
Poor Philadelphia Digital Team, Barkley's trade for weekly rights was rejected. They traded Barkley to the Suns. The Suns succeeded, but they themselves fell to the bottom and failed to rebuild.
So this time, Billie King personally contacted Weaver and showed great sincerity. The entire team can be selected by the Pistons and matched with future draft picks.
For the Lakers, Jerry West's bargaining chip is the entire defensive line, plus a future first-round pick.
The Warriors are willing to trade for Tim Hardaway.
The Magic also hope to trade Zhou Quan, and are even preparing to take out the first-round pick that will be drawn this year, saying that even if they win the No. 1 pick, they are willing to trade, and then build the entire back line.
Weaver mainly cares about the Western Conference teams, and he certainly will not leave Zhou Quan in the Eastern Conference.
That afternoon, Roger Philippe rushed to Chicago to cheer for Zhou Quan.
Many team managements contacted him, and he kept detailed records of these calls to pick out a team that would be most suitable for Zhou Quan.
Philadelphia is also good, a big market, but the lineup is a bit worse, and it is difficult to improve the record immediately after the trade. Moreover, it is an Eastern Conference team, which is not easy to trade. It can only be used as a backup tire, not the first choice.
Needless to say, the Lakers and Warriors are both big cities with very good economies and a large number of Chinese people.
Even for the Warriors, as long as they have a record, the ball market will definitely pick up, and the team's lineup is okay, so they can be considered as the first choice.
As for the Magic, like Philadelphia, the Pistons probably won't let Zhou Quan stay in the East, but if they can join forces with O'Neal, Zhou Quan will definitely be very happy.
In the afternoon, Zhang Lili, Sun Zhenping, and a three-person camera team arrived in Chicago.
Thanks to the alliance's arrangement, Zhang Lili and the others stayed in a luxury hotel this time, so they didn't have to look for a motel.
Zhou Quan treated them to a dinner and then returned to the hotel for an interview.
"Xiao Zhou, what's the news about the transaction?" Zhang Lili asked tentatively during the interview.
"False, there is currently no official source of information." Even if it was one of his own, Zhou Quan said cautiously.
Zhang Lili did not ask this question again during the interview, but after the interview ended, he turned off the camera and microphone and asked again: "Xiao Zhou, this news cannot be false, right? The Pistons have really thought about trading you?"
Zhou Quan shook his head and said, "I don't know, maybe. I don't want to distract myself from this matter now. Brother Zhang, let's talk about something else."
Zhang Lili nodded quickly, and Sun Zhenping also quickly changed the subject and asked with a smile: "Xiao Zhou, it would be great if we can beat the Bulls this time. There is a high probability that we will meet the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. You eliminated them in the first round last year. It shouldn’t be a problem this year either.”
Zhou Quan smiled and said, "Don't think so far ahead. All my energy is now in the second round."
Zhang Liji smiled and said: "You are considered successful in the NBA. You are already a first-tier star in terms of strength, influence and popularity.
At present, the domestic sports world has not yet been professionalized. You are considered a pioneer of domestic athletes, and you are so successful. You should be their role model. "
"If it's not considered a success, where would I be now?" he said humbly.
"You're welcome, it's the truth."
Zhang Lili smiled and said: "You are a pioneer, there must be someone who wants to follow your path. By the way, won't that Ma Jian come out soon?"
Sun Zhenping shook his head and said: "Ma Jian came out by force, and the quarrel was very tense. Xiao Zhou was trained by his own family, and he and the domestic athletes were trained by the state. They have food, drink, clothing, and wages. After training, After many years, you can’t just leave, right? Xiao Zhou, what do you think?”
Zhou Quan smiled and said: "I can't say this. I should take everything into consideration, but I really can't just leave. The NBA allows trades, and you can use trades to make up for the losses of your team. Let's see what happens in the country in the future. Basketball If we want to become professional, we will definitely face players leaving."
"Forget it, forget it, this matter is very complicated and it's none of our business. Let's change the topic." Zhang Lili said quickly.
…
That night, the Suns and Lakers, SuperSonics and Jazz began the final battle of the first-round series.
In the end, the Sonics defeated the Jazz and the Suns defeated the Lakers. They also advanced to the second round with a big score of 3 to 2.
In this way, the second round matchups between the Eastern and Western Conferences are announced.
In the East, the Bulls face the Pistons (No. 9) and the Knicks face the Cavaliers (No. 10). The former team has home court advantage.
These four teams are also the top four in the Eastern Conference regular season, and there has been no upset.
In the West, the Suns face the Spurs (No. 10) and the SuperSonics face the Mosaic (No. 11). The former team has home court advantage.
During the regular season, the SuperSonics were third in the Western Conference, but their record was the same as Mosaic's, both with 55 wins. In terms of mutual record, the Sonics were three to one against Mosaic, so in the playoff rankings, the Sonics were third in the Western Conference. Second, occupy the home field advantage.
Of these four teams, the Spurs are fifth in the Western Conference. They eliminated the fourth-place Trail Blazers and reached the second round, which is not a real upset.
But except for the Spurs, who eliminated the Trail Blazers with a big score of 3 to 1, the other three teams ranked first, second and third in the Western Conference in the regular season all struggled to advance with a big score of 3 to 2. Therefore, the media has no confidence in these three teams. The evaluations are far inferior to the Spurs.
On May 9, 1993, the second round series kicked off.
The Pistons did not arrange to train at the United Center. They contacted the University of Chicago, where Zhang Lili originally worked, and trained there all afternoon. At five o'clock, they took the bus to the United Center.
First, I went to the locker room to put down my luggage, and then came to the court to check out the situation. At this time, the game floor had been replaced, so I could observe the smoothness of the floor and so on.
After watching the scene, they went to a restaurant for dinner.
At 6:30, Zhang Lili and Sun Zhenping were already sitting in the narrow commentary room. On the east side of the stands, the positions were arranged quite well. Opposite the stadium was the bench. The screen in front of them was facing the bench. The screen was still being adjusted. middle.
He collected a lot of information, all translated into Chinese, and arranged a large pile of information. He arranged for a member of the camera team to help as an assistant, responsible for organizing and delivering the information to them.
The remaining two camera crews, Fang Lin and Wu Qifeng, had already arrived at the stadium, set up cameras in the media box behind the baseline, and began to debug the equipment.
Next to them, there happened to be two reporters and cameramen from Japan's TV Tokyo, which also broadcast the series live.
On the other side was Liu Fangping, a reporter from Xiangcheng ATV.
ATV mainly broadcasts Bulls games. The regular seasons are all recorded and broadcast. Now of course the playoffs are broadcast in real time. However, they did not send commentators. They just purchased satellite signals and the live broadcast room is at the back.
"China's?"
He glanced at the CCTV logo on the camera that Fang Lin was playing with, with some disdain in his eyes, and asked coldly in English.
Fang Lin ignored Liu Fangping, who was busy. Wu Qifeng asked, "Yes, are you from Xiangcheng?"
"The Pistons will definitely lose this time. Michael Jordan will beat the Pistons into scum." Liu Fangping sneered.
Wu Qifeng and Fang Lin looked at each other and shook their heads. They knew that Xiangcheng people looked down on mainlanders, so they ignored Liu Fangping.
Liu Fangping also laughed proudly and ignored the two of them.
(End of chapter)
