That night, TNT TV station hosted a live show about the NBA Finals in Seattle. It invited several guests and was hosted by the Magic Birds.
At eight o'clock, the show starts.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to our Magic Bird Era."
After the Magic Birds made a few opening remarks, they invited the guests to enter.
The guests invited were very interesting, including O'Neal who had just been eliminated, Dameng and Barkley, and the Smiling Assassin. There were four people in total. TNT spent a lot of money on the announcement.
"Gentlemen, there is only one topic tonight, the Finals." Larry Bird said with a smile.
Magic Johnson said: "There will be some topics derived from the finals, such as Jordan and Iron Fist, such as the ownership of the current No. 1 player, such as the Jumpman era and the Iron Fist era. You can also talk about it. You can speak freely."
"Does it also include the topic of the number one point guard in history and the god of point guards?" the assassin shouted.
"Pfft!" O'Neal laughed.
Magic's face is a little dark, and he is a little bit resentful of Big Bird. This guy he hates was invited by Larry Bird. There are many superstars, so why invite him?
Larry Bird smiled and brought up this embarrassing topic for Magic and said: "Whoever comes first, let's discuss which team has a greater chance of winning the championship."
The assassin did his part and said: "Of course I am qualified to comment. None of them have the qualifications to be a championship, and I have three. I don't think they can analyze the situation correctly."
Dameng, Barkley, O'Neill and others' faces turned pale, and their eyes revealed that they might pounce on the assassin in the next second.
"I think the Sonics must win, because Jordan has never proven that he can guard against Iron Fist, and Ron Harper's defense is worse, and he can't guard against Iron Fist." The assassin said.
"But the Bulls' strong perimeter defense can prevent others. Schrempf will be marked by Pippen, Jordan will be marked by Hawkins, and the Sonics can only rely on Iron Fist to score on the outside." Barkley immediately retorted.
Dameng also said: "In terms of the inside, Rodman's offense can be ignored, Gilliam averaged 10 points per game in the Finals at most, and Matt Geiger was even worse.
And in terms of the substitute lineup, it seems that the Bulls are better, and the SuperSonics will definitely not be able to take advantage of the substitute time.
Under the Bulls' strong perimeter defense, the Sonics' offensive firepower will be forced to focus on Tekken alone. Others can't attack offensively. Even if he scores 60 or 70 points, it will be useless. "
O'Neal immediately retorted: "Maybe Iron Fist can average 10 steals per game. If Jordan is locked up by him, the Bulls will lose."
"That's impossible. Do you really think he is a god?" Buckley shouted immediately.
"He is the god of stealing. I don't think there is any doubt about that." O'Neal immediately retorted.
"this……"
Barkley choked and argued forcefully: "His career is too short to fully prove his stealing ability. I think he needs to average more than 5 steals per game for at least seven or eight seasons before he can be called the God of Stealing." Bar?"
"hehe!"
The assassin and O'Neill sneered.
The assassin sneered: "That means we can't talk about the god of point guards and the number one point guard in history, otherwise you will say again that his career is too short and cannot fully prove his point guard strength. You have to maintain the average per game for at least seven or eight seasons...Fliggy, how many assists do you want? Is 15 enough?"
"In terms of statistics, he averaged 15 assists per game and maintained this level for seven to eight seasons during his peak period. Am I wrong?" Barkley said unconvinced.
Dameng supported: "I think Charles is right. If you want to be called the god of point guards, your data should be better than what Charles said. Otherwise, why should you be called a god? At most, he is the king of point guards."
Barkley received the support of Dameng, and his confidence increased greatly, and he added: "Also, to be called a god, it must be matched with a considerable hard honor, a hard honor that overwhelms all point guards in history, and it is an overwhelming honor.
For example, Erwin has 5 championships. Iron Fist needs at least 5 championships and a three-peat dynasty to prove that he surpasses Erwin in this regard.
I think this should be the case, otherwise he has no qualifications to compete for the number one point guard in history, let alone the god of point guards. "
The assassin thought, well, that's true. Iron Fist is indeed still a little behind and has insufficient qualifications. This is only the fifth season.
In front of the TV, Zhou Quan heard this and felt that he still had a long way to go. It was impossible for these Americans to easily convince him as a Chinese. As Buckley said, it was an overwhelming hard honor.
What is overwhelming? It is an unquestionable advantage, a comprehensive advantage, an uncontroversial advantage, and an absolute advantage.
But he is not in a hurry. The so-called coffin conclusion, given his current status in the world of sports, will eventually be given a fair evaluation. The US media and these NBA players cannot affect the conclusion of the media around the world.
…
June 2, 1996, the day of the G1 game of the NBA Finals.
On this day, many celebrities and NBA stars arrived in Seattle.
More media from all over the world, not because of the influence of the NBA, but because of the influence of the crossover king and the professional heavyweight world boxing champion.
At noon that day, the team headquarters informed Zhou Quan that 175 international media had applied for press licenses from the SuperSonics, including 65 Asian media. Including American media, the number exceeded 240 media.
Zhou Quan estimated that two rows of seats on the sidelines would have to be removed to accommodate so many reporters and their weapons.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, several boys with crew heads arrived at the Seattle Airport.
"Oh, is that Allen Iverson? The hottest No. 1 pick this year."
"And Kobe Bryant, I recognize him. That high school student was very bold and refused to accept anyone."
"Stephen Marbury, one of the favorites for the No. 1 pick."
"And Ray Allen, Raheem, Marcus Camby."
"Oh, aren't they attending the NBA's official rookie training camp in New York? I remember it started on the 17th."
"Yesterday is over. I didn't expect a few of them to show up here today."
As soon as the boys appeared, they were spotted by some reporters waiting at the airport and rushed over immediately.
"Allen Iverson, are you here to watch the Finals?" a reporter asked first.
"Yes, everyone wants to come and see it, and so do I, so here we are." Iverson seemed very happy to be asked the first question and nodded.
"Your hairstyle is similar to Iron Fist's. They are all the same. Are you following his hairstyle?" another reporter asked.
Iverson touched his head and said with a smile: "Yes, this is called a crew cut. This hairstyle is more popular now. It looks very energetic."
“This is popular right now.”
Marbury also said, Kobe and others also nodded.
"Jordan, Iron Fist, who do you like more?" a reporter asked.
"I used to like Jordan more, he is my idol." Kobe said first.
"Why?" a reporter asked.
"Because he is more pure. I am a shooting guard. I just like to score and keep scoring."
Kobe shook his head and said. At this point, he changed the subject and said: "But now I seem to like Iron Fist more."
"Why?"
Kobe was very excited and said: "Because he is the professional heavyweight world boxing champion and the king of crossovers. This is incredible!
And this season he has scored so many 50+ points, 50+ points in half games, and averaged 37.3 points per game this season. In the Western Conference Finals, there were two consecutive games with 50+ points and 30 points in a single quarter.
God, his offense this season has been explosive. I just discovered that he can score so much. It's so surprising!
What’s more, his defense is also very good. He has super strong steals and blocking abilities, especially his stealing ability. That is a crazy defensive ability. Anyone who encounters him will go crazy. He is now my new idol. "
"What do you most want to learn from him?" the reporter asked.
"Boxing." Kobe blurted out.
"What?"
Several reporters who interviewed thought they heard wrongly. Aren’t you a basketball player? Could it be that your hidden occupation is boxing?
Kobe said excitedly: "I also want to cross the border. It is so profitable. He has also received worldwide attention, which is ten times more influential and famous than Jordan overseas. These are the things I admire most about Iron Fist."
"I see."
A few reporters finally understood.
"Alan, what about you, who do you like more?" a reporter asked.
Seeing that Kobe Bryant was talking a lot and stealing the spotlight, Iverson quickly said: "I used to like Jordan, but now, like Kobe, I prefer Iron Fist.
I think he is better than Jordan, and his offense may be about the same, but his assist ability, defensive ability, and especially shot blocking ability. My God, he actually played 5*5 in the playoffs twice, which is incredible! "
Marbury rushed to speak and said: "I like to watch those super centers who block dreams the most. There are many of them in this Western Conference Finals. God, the point guard blocks super centers. It's so enjoyable! I also hope that one day Being able to do that.”
Iverson added: "But what I want to have most is Tekken's stealing ability. Oh, it's incredible. I'm learning his stealing skills."
In fact, he didn't say a word. What he really wanted to have the most was Tekken's ball-holding and core style of play. He also wanted to control every ball possession like Tekken.
"I also want to have his stealing skills." Kobe immediately shouted.
Ray Allen was the quietest, saying at this time: "I want to have his defensive ability and offensive ability."
After a few people were stunned, Kobe curled his lips and said, "Lei, you think more."
"Haha..." Several people laughed.
At this time, a reporter said: "But none of you have his draft template. Kobe's template is Grant Hill, Iverson's template is the Smiling Assassin, and Marbury's template is Kenny Anderson. Why?" "
A few crew cuts, you look at me, I look at you, Kobe suddenly said: "Everyone has different talents. We are all unique. In fact, I don't want to be a template."
"Me too."
Iverson and Marbury said at the same time.
The faces of the three people all showed a rebellious look.
At the end of the interview, after Iverson and others left, several reporters started discussing there.
"This year's draft is said to be a great year, and Magic Johnson and the Smiling Assassin Thomas, Jordan, and Iron Fist have single-handedly ushered in the era of super guards. The draft prices of these rookie guards this year are indeed very good."
"It's a good time for them. They haven't even entered the league yet, and they have signed signature sneaker contracts. Kobe Bryant and Ray Allen also make millions of dollars a year."
"Yes, Tekken only signed a signature sneaker contract when he was an All-Star in his rookie season. It was very sensational at the time. This shows that the NBA has really developed rapidly in the past few years, and even rookies can get signature sneakers."
…
"Xiaojun."
"Brother, sister-in-law."
At six o'clock in the afternoon on the 1st, Zhou Quan and Zeng Li picked up Zhou Jun at the airport. Zhou Jun was actually two months older than Zeng Li.
He happened to have a summer vacation, which lasted three months. This time he planned to stay until the finals, and then the three of them would return to China together.
"Xiaojun, how are you doing at UCLA?" Zhou Quan asked after getting in the car.
"With your signature here, brother, I didn't encounter any problems there. Even racial discrimination rarely happened to me." Zhou Jun said with a smile.
"That's good." Zhou Quan nodded and smiled.
Zhou Jun said with admiration: "Brother, since you won the world boxing title, you have become more influential at UCLA. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton are not as famous as you on campus. Your name has been In the column of UCLA’s most famous alumni.”
"It seems like we have to donate some money. We can't lose the school's network." Zhou Quan said thoughtfully.
"Brother, how was the finals? Is it okay to defend the title? People ask me this all the time in school. But the most asked question is when will you defend your title and when will you fight Tyson." Zhou Jun asked again.
"Don't worry about this. Tell me what you gained from studying at UCLA for a year?" Zhou Quan asked while driving.
Zhou Jun sighed and said: "What a harvest! Tuition fees and accommodation fees are so expensive. I didn't know that before, and you didn't tell me, brother. I found out later that most American students apply for student loans. I heard they are better." It takes many years to pay it off, and some people have not paid off their loans even after they retire.”
"You've retired and haven't paid off your college loan yet?" Zeng Li asked in surprise.
Zhou Quan said with a smile: "Those are a minority. They are doing so poorly. The average middle-class person should be able to repay the loan after working for ten to fifteen years. They should be in their forties."
Zeng Li was a little dumbfounded. What was the difference between this and a lifetime?
Zhou Jun said: "Brother, now I know why you wanted to play basketball and ice hockey. My family can't afford your expenses at UCLA."
Zhou Quan nodded and said, "My family could only scrape together the money for the first semester. If I wasn't going to play ice hockey or basketball, I would have to wash dishes and work part-time while studying. My family had to continue to lend me money, Dad said. You might have to continue to think of ways to make money at work, and if you don’t do well, you might have to fall into trouble.”
Zhou Jun sighed and said: "So it was not easy for you at that time. Now I don't care about anything but studying."
Zhou Quan smiled and said: "You study hard, I told you, after you finish your studies, you will return to China to develop, don't even think about staying here.
The country is developing in the past few years, and there are new changes every year when you go back. Don’t miss it. If you miss it, you will regret it in the future.
In my opinion, the next twenty or thirty years will be a critical period for our country. The Zhenguan rule in history will last at least several decades.
When I go back this time, I plan to let Dad start some business. By the way, as I mentioned to him a few years ago, selling cars and setting up 4S stores, as the economy develops and people's income increases, their spending power will increase. There will definitely be a huge demand for cars in the country in the future. Look around the world, wherever the economy develops, cars are a necessity.
There are also real estate and the Internet. These are now very popular investment industries in the United States. The investment returns are huge, and they will surely take off in China sooner or later.
In addition, manufacturing is the only way to industrialize, and the same is true for our country. If we want to industrialize, we must and will definitely vigorously develop manufacturing. This is also an industry that can be invested. "
"Can my coffee shop be opened in China?" Zeng Li asked.
"Of course, we can try opening one in BJ first. We can also open one in Shanghai, but I'm afraid we can only open a mid- to low-end store like Starbucks. The current domestic consumption power is still not enough." Zhou Quan said.
"It's not good to mix styles. I think it's better to re-establish a company one brand at a time," Zeng Li said.
"Okay, if you want to do it, you can go back this time. You can make preparations now. Call my dad first. He will be in the capital during this time and ask him to find a store for you first." Zhou Quan said.
"Sister-in-law's branch will open tomorrow, right?" Zhou Jun asked.
"Yes, I just want to use your brother's popularity in the finals to advertise." Zeng Li said with a smile.
"Then I wish my sister-in-law's coffee shop will open all over the world sooner or later." Zhou Jun immediately sent his congratulations.
Zhou Quan said doubtfully: "Xiaojun, you have been here for a year, your mouth has become sweeter, and you can talk. I think you are almost the same as Xiaozi."
"Brother, I'm older now, so I've definitely changed a lot. I also participated in many social activities at UCLA and joined some social groups." Zhou Jun said sheepishly.
"This is a good thing. I'm complimenting you." Zhou Quan smiled.
"Thank you, brother!" Zhou Jun said happily.
…
(End of chapter)
