At this time, Zhou Quan was accepting a post-match interview on TNT TV station.
In addition to the TNT reporters and cameramen, there were also a group of reporters, three floors inside and three outside, surrounding him.
"Congratulations, Iron Fist, you got the match point in the finals 3-1. There has never been a comeback in the history of the league." TNT reporter said with a smile.
"Thank you, we will definitely let this historical record continue without any surprises." Zhou Quan said with a smile.
The reporters laughed, and the TNT reporter continued to ask: "In addition, you sent 21 assists in the Finals, tying Magic Johnson's historical record. What do you want to say about this now?"
"I know this record. After all, I am a point guard like him. What I pay most attention to is the record of point guards."
Zhou Quan nodded happily and said, "I also hope to be as great as him and become a symbol of an era. This is what I want to say."
The reporter seemed to be a fan of Zhou Quan and said excitedly: "King of Iron Fist, ever since you won the WBC World Professional Heavyweight Championship, you have become a symbol of this era."
"It's not enough now, far from enough." Zhou Quan shook his head and smiled.
He has a dream that he has never told anyone, that is, to be crowned king twice.
The outside world said that he straddles the worlds of boxing and basketball. He has won both the NBA championship and the world boxing title. He has already won both titles, but he believes that he has not yet completed either of the real titles.
In the NBA, generally speaking, only three consecutive championships can be called a dynasty, and a dynasty shows its absolute dominance over the entire league. Without a dynasty, what qualifications do you have to be crowned king?
In professional boxing, how can a WBC world title qualify him to be crowned king?
The four major boxing organizations in the world plus the IBF, there are a total of five top and first-class professional boxing organizations in the world. The five major world titles are gathered together to unify the heavyweights of the five boxing organizations in the world. He is the real king.
What he wants is to win three consecutive NBA championships, and to win the professional boxing heavyweight title in a unification match. This is such a double championship.
The home team's locker room really felt like a dead person. The atmosphere was so heavy that it made people collapse, and it was very depressing.
Phil Jackson said nothing, leaning against the wall next to the door, looking up at the ceiling, his eyes had no focus at all, and he didn't know what he was thinking.
Jordan was sitting in front of the first closet by the door, covering his face with a white towel, leaning on the back of the chair, panting like a beast.
In the entire locker room, only his breathing was the clearest. Others seemed to be cautious in breathing, for fear of attracting his attention.
Outside the door, the owner Jerry Reinsdorf didn't look very good and didn't come in. When Jordan was angry, he wouldn't even give him face. He was thinking about the problem. What should the Bulls do next?
Kevin Willis is leaving, and his agent has informed the team.
Pippen is arguing about his contract again and wants a salary increase. This is the third time. He is already annoyed with this guy.
Jordan still has two years of contract. In order to win the championship and compete with Iron Fist, he will definitely force the team to strengthen and increase large investments.
What he needs to consider most now is how to deal with Jordan and what the team will do in the future.
Thinking of this, he thought of Jerry Krause, an old guy he fired.
In fact, he never wanted to fire Krause, but due to pressure from Jordan, he had no choice but to fire Krause.
After one season, he felt that Phil Jackson couldn't help him in the position of general manager, and now he wants to bring Jerry Krause back.
But with the bad relationship between Michael Jordan and Krause, this idea is difficult to realize.
In the locker room, Jordan made some noise, wiped his face with a towel, and then pulled it off. His action relaxed the atmosphere in the entire locker room, but still no one dared to speak.
No one knows what Jordan is thinking at this time. Maybe everyone in the locker room is waiting for a thunderous wrath that will definitely come.
But it didn't happen. Jordan then entered the bathroom, and everyone looked at each other. What's wrong with Michael today? He didn't scold us?
There was even a sense of joy among them, including Pippen.
Only Phil Jackson felt something was wrong. This kind of Jordan felt strange to him. Maybe there would be some changes?
He didn't know what the boss was thinking now. Reinsdorf didn't talk to him just now. The attitude of the boss and Jordan made him feel completely out of control of what happened next.
In the home team's locker room, although they got the match point, under Zhou Quan's control, there was not too much celebration. He quickly finished taking a shower, Zhou Quan went to attend the press conference, and the others were interviewed in the locker room.
"Tekken, do you want to win the championship on the road or at home?" The first person to ask the question was a reporter from the Seattle Times, who asked very excitedly.
This question made many local reporters unhappy, but with the SuperSonics in hand, they were helpless and lacked the confidence to refute.
"Of course it's the home court." Zhou Quan said with a smile.
"Then the next game will be an away game. Do we have a chance to celebrate the championship on the road?" the reporter asked again.
"It's possible that we won't deliberately pursue winning the championship at home." Zhou Quan said with a smile.
The next questioner was a reporter from the New York Times, asking: "Tekken, this year is the Atlanta Olympics. You participated in the World Championships the year before last, so you should participate in the Olympics this year, right?"
"certainly."
"So what is your goal in the Olympics?" the reporter asked.
"We were fourth in 1994. In this Olympics, we strive to be in the top three and compete for medals." Zhou Quan said directly.
"Do you think it is possible for the Chinese men's basketball team to achieve this goal?" the reporter asked again.
"This is our goal, and we will do our best to achieve this goal. I also think we have the strength to achieve this goal." Zhou Quan said.
The next questioner was a reporter from the Los Angeles Times, asking: "Tekken, the Olympics are coming soon, starting on July 19th. So, should your boxing title defense be held before or after the Olympics? Who is your opponent?"
Zhou Quan did not expect that it would be another question that had nothing to do with the finals, but he still replied: "Time is too tight, we have already discussed with the WBC and my opponent, and the title defense will be placed after the Olympics.
As for who the opponent is, sorry, I have already said that the information about the title defense will not be announced before the end of the finals.
Okay, now is the finals period, I hope the next questions will be some questions related to the finals and the NBA. "
"Iron Fist, I heard that you are getting married?" asked the next reporter.
This is another question that has nothing to do with the NBA. Did you guys discuss it? He smiled helplessly: "Yes, after playing the finals, we will get married when we return to China."
"Congratulations!"
Domestic reporters took the lead, and a large group of reporters immediately sent congratulations.
On the other side, the atmosphere at the Bulls press conference was not very good.
Jordan would rather be fined than attend the press conference. Only Pippen attended.
"Phil Jackson, trailing one to three, do you think the team still has a chance to come back?" a reporter from the Chicago Daily asked.
Phil Jackson looked gloomy and replied officially: "Anything can happen."
"If you lose this finals, will you resign as head coach?" the reporter asked again.
Phil Jackson felt a sense of sadness come over him. He had been with the Bulls for so many years and had won three championships. Are the local media so eager to let him resign?
He thought about it, and his relationship with Jordan was already very bad, and his relationship with Pippen was even worse. The boss might not support him anymore, and the media didn't want to see him. So just leave. With his qualifications, it's not like he has nowhere to go. .
"My decision will be announced after the finals," he said.
"oh!"
The reporters below were surprised.
After all, local reporters are only a minority. Most foreign reporters are very surprised. Will the Bulls let go of the championship coach who holds three championships?
Even local reporters, there are only a few who hope that Phil Jackson will resign, and the majority do not want him to leave. After all, after he leaves, who will take over and his future record are all unknown. No one can guarantee that he will be better than Phil. Jackson did better.
"Jerry, do you want Phil Jackson to leave?"
The next person to ask a question was a reporter from the Chicago Sports News. He didn't want Jackson to leave, so he threw the question to his boss.
Jerry Reinsdorf hesitated, glanced at Phil Jackson next to him, and then said: "I hope the team will stabilize. Although the finals are unfavorable now, we have reached the finals after all. For us, It is also a success.
Facing a superstar like Iron Fist and a team like the SuperSonics, who can guarantee that they will win? "
"Mr. Reissdorf, do you mean that you don't want the team to disintegrate and the Bulls to rebuild?" the next reporter asked.
"Of course," Reinsdorf said.
"Scotty, what about you, do you intend to leave the Bulls?" the next reporter asked.
"I don't know." Pippen said indifferently.
He couldn't say clearly that he was ready to leave if the Bulls didn't give him a raise.
He doesn't have the paranoia of Jordan who regards the championship as his life, nor does he regard honor as his life. For a poor boy like him who comes from the slums, money is the most important thing, and love cannot generate electricity. of.
After the press conference, Jerry Reinsdorf made a phone call to Jerry Krause.
The two have also been colleagues and friends for many years. He actually trusted Kraus very much. After greetings, he asked directly: "Jerry, how do you think the Bulls should develop in the future?"
Jerry Krause has been resting for a year and has really been restless recently. He said: "Jerry, I have been paying attention to the Bulls. This team can still be sustained for now. Jordan and Pippen are still there." If we can play, we can at least maintain championship-level strength for one to two seasons.”
"You don't think there's any need to rebuild?"
Reinsdorf doesn't want to enter the reconstruction period now, and he is a little happy.
Jerry Krause said: "Jerry, I want to know, what is your next goal? Is it to continue to pursue the championship, or to maintain the current ball market?"
Reinsdorf fell silent, and then said after five seconds: "Maintaining the ball market is definitely one of the goals. If this lineup does not require additional investment, the championship is also the goal."
Jerry Krause said: "If they continue to chase the championship, the Bulls will hope to keep Jordan, but the lineup needs to be strengthened and investment continues.
Moreover, although Jerry Jordan is still very powerful and can defeat anyone in the league except Iron Fist, the number one player currently active is indeed Iron Fist.
If they want to regain the championship from Iron Fist, the Bulls must vigorously strengthen their offense and defense inside, as well as rebounding. If these three abilities cannot be supplemented, it will be very difficult.
I have a suggestion here. Rodman's contract has ended. Get him. This way we can strengthen rebounding and interior defense, and we can greatly weaken the Sonics. "
"Not bad."
Reinsdorf praised Rodman repeatedly, but suddenly thought of Rodman's age and worried: "But Jerry, he is 35 years old and will be 36 next season. How long can he maintain his condition? From the news I heard, he But I want a long-term contract.”
"After Kevin Willis was seriously injured, you were all willing to bet, why not bet on Rodman?" Jerry Krause said.
Reinsdorf was a little embarrassed. Klaus was still dissatisfied with him and was deliberately trying to spite him.
Jerry Krause said: "Rodman has been following Iron Fist since the Pistons. Iron Fist is used to his presence. With Rodman's presence, he doesn't have to worry about interior defense and rebounding. Get him away from Iron Fist. For For Iron Fist and Sonics, it will definitely cause a lot of losses.
Believe me, Jerry, Rodman is in good shape now. You know this. In the first four finals, he averaged 14.6 rebounds per game. His rebounding was an important factor as to why the Bulls lost to the SuperSonics. "
Jerry Reinsdorf nodded. He felt that if the Sonics didn't have a big bug, they might not be able to beat their own Bulls.
"OK, then I'll let...uh, Jerry?"
He was originally going to ask Phil Jackson to contact Rodman's agent, but he realized that the matter had not been resolved yet.
"Jerry, what do you want to say?" Klaus asked.
Reinsdorf hesitated and then said: "Now Michael has a conflict with Phil Jackson. Because of the loss, Michael no longer trusts Jackson so much. If he resigns, Jerry, will you come back?"
"Does Jordan want to see me come back? I no longer want to see him calling me a fat pig in front of so many people." Klaus's voice became a little cold.
Reinsdorf shook his head helplessly. Jordan's temper was indeed very bad. What if he had been replaced by Iron Fist?
"How can it be?"
He shook his head. Michael Jordan was already a symbol of Chicago and the God in the hearts of Bulls fans. He believed that even the Iron Fist could not replace Michael's position in the hearts of Chicagoans.
"How about, Jerry, I take a chance to test Michael's attitude?" he said.
"To be honest, Jerry, I have already received invitations from several teams, including the Mavericks, Warriors, and Knicks. I don't necessarily want to return to the Bulls." Krause said reservedly.
"Jerry, give me a chance. You know, I didn't want to leave last year. And I know you don't want to leave the Bulls or Chicago. Stay and help me." Reinsdorf said hurriedly.
"Well, old man, I hope Jordan has room for me."
Klaus had stayed in Chicago for so many years and his home was here. He didn't want to leave too much, so his attitude softened.
"Okay, then we have an agreement. I hope you will come back and continue to serve as the general manager, and Phil Jackson will only be his head coach." Reinsdorf said happily.
…
(End of chapter)
