That night, several mainstream media such as NBC and TNT promptly adjusted the odds of the Bulls and SuperSonics winning the championship.
For example, on NBC, the Bulls' chance of winning is only 10%, while the SuperSonics' chance of winning is as high as 90%.
This is to save face, and some are not. For example, many Seattle and Detroit media said that the Bulls' chance was directly reduced to a duck egg, and the SuperSonics' chance of winning the championship was as high as 100%.
At noon on the 9th, David Stern arrived in Chicago with the championship trophy.
That night, TNT put on another show in Chicago.
The host was the Magic Birds again, and then invited four guests, namely Chamberlain, Bill Russell, George McCann, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The six people are all proud of their respective eras. It can be seen that TNT has also invested money in order to develop this program before the finals.
Among these people, George McCann is the oldest and most senior, he is 72 years old this year.
The NBA's first true superstar, during his peak period, his annual salary reached the highest level in the NBA at that time, with an annual salary of US$35,000. Therefore, he had to work part-time as a lawyer while playing in the NBA.
In that era, wages were too low. A superstar-level Hall of Famer like Bob Cousy only had an annual salary of $8,000.
This program is produced by TNT and has only one theme, which is Zhou Quan or Michael Jordan, who is stronger at the moment.
Compare from all aspects, personal strength, career honors, social status, social influence, wealth, impact on the NBA league, etc.
In the hotel, the management reserved a bar, and people from all over the Sonics, including the wives and girlfriends, all watched the show together.
Jordan didn't want to watch this show. He originally wanted to go to the casino to play a few cards, but he still wanted to know who was stronger between him and Zhou Quan in the minds of these six people, so he turned on the TV.
However, he didn't want to watch this program with his family, so he hid in the smoking room of the villa alone, lit a cigar, asked his wife to make him a pot of coffee, and watched the program quietly alone.
Larry Bird went straight to the point after his opening remarks and said: "Everyone knows the subject, let's get started. George, why don't you come first?"
The already senile George McCann also did his part, nodding and saying: "The result of this finals is basically irreversible. Behind 1 to 3, the possibility of the Bulls coming back is too low. Iron Fist will win the championship for the third time. My Who objects to this statement?”
Everyone shook their heads, even Magic Johnson, who supported Michael Jordan the most, had to nod.
"I object."
The whole world agrees with George McCann's words, only Jordan objects. Even when he is at his most desperate, he will not give up.
George McCann continued: "Then both of them have triple crowns, and Iron Fist will tie Jordan in the most important honor.
As for other honors, I think as long as Iron Fist's career continues and there are no major injuries that affect his career, he will slowly catch up with Jordan. "
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said: "I agree with what George said, in terms of honor, Iron Fist is at least as good as Michael Jordan."
"What about you?" Larry Bird asked with a smile.
Chamberlain said: "Today we are comparing their present and past, not their future, so I don't think Iron Fist has tied Michael in terms of honors."
Magic Johnson echoed: "This is exactly our theme, now, not in the future. Although Iron Fist has received a lot of honors, it is obvious that Michael has more hard honors."
Bill Russell finally said: "If we only compare now, then I also think Jordan's honor now is more advantageous."
"Well, if you want to compare it this way, Iron Fist is slightly inferior." George McCann said helplessly.
Then he added: "In terms of personal data, in the first four games of this finals, Tekken has surpassed Jordan in all aspects, and this regular season is the same. So can we think that in terms of personal strength, Tekken has surpassed Jordan?"
Everyone looked at me and I looked at you, and finally nodded.
Neither Magic nor Chamberlain had any objections. After all, the only comparison now was that Iron Fist's data was better.
George McCann added: "Personal strength and honor, each of them has an advantage, and then the rest is social status, influence, wealth, and influence on the NBA.
In terms of social status, they each have a trip to the White House personally invited by the president, and they often attend high-society yacht parties. I think they have considerable social status. "
Everyone nodded, and George McCann continued: "Social influence, since Tekken won the world boxing championship last year, he has surpassed Michael Jordan and has global social influence."
Having said this, he looked at the crowd again, and after seeing everyone nodding, he said: "As for wealth, Iron Fist is the number one money-making machine in today's sports world, but Jordan has a longer career, and he has made more money in front of him, so I think On this one, the two are tied.”
"Yes, you can think so."
Magic Johnson nodded, and the others didn't object.
George McCann added: "In the first five items, Jordan has an advantage in one, a tie in two, and a disadvantage in two. Iron Fist has an advantage in two, a tie in two, and a disadvantage in one. Overall, Iron Fist has the advantage.
The last item is the influence on the alliance. In fact, I think this item should be expanded to have more influence in the entire sports world, which is more fair to Tekken. "
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said: "George, I think so too. Since we compare all aspects, our influence in the entire sports world should not be ignored."
Chamberlain said: "But we are both from the NBA, so it is more appropriate to compare the influence of the NBA."
George McCann and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar immediately looked at the Magic Bird. These two are the hosts and it should be up to them to decide.
Larry Bird did not ask the magician for his opinion, and immediately said: "Whether it is social influence or social status, what we compare is global and all aspects, so for the last item, I think we need to compare the two. The impact on the entire sports world.”
The magician disagrees with this statement. According to George McCann's comparison, Michael is already at a disadvantage. If he continues to stipulate this, he will definitely lose.
But he couldn't object because that would be too biased, so he didn't say anything.
Just as Chamberlain was about to speak, Russell said first: "What you said makes sense. Please listen to what I have to say first."
After everyone nodded, he said: "From the perspective of the NBA, Michael Jordan is undoubtedly a great star with extraordinary influence.
Even before he won the championship, before Iron Fist entered the league, he took the league to a new level with his outstanding personal influence. "
Everyone nodded again, and Russell continued: "If we only compare the influence on the NBA, then no matter how good Iron Fist is now or how high the ratings are, he will always stand with Michael Jordan and Larib. Virtues and magicians on your shoulders.”
Seeing everyone nodding, especially Magic and Big Bird, their faces broke with laughter. He also smiled and said: "So speaking only of the NBA, there is no doubt that Michael's influence now exceeds that of Iron Fist.
As for whether Tekken can take the NBA to a new level in the future, sorry, what we are comparing tonight is the present and the past. "
"Six categories, a tie." Magic Johnson said with a smile.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hesitated, and then said: "Larry, Irvin, you must have not forgotten the SuperSonics' regular season ratings this season, right?"
Mentioning this, everyone's faces immediately showed looks of envy and shock.
Magic Johnson immediately said: "Kareem, I know what you mean, but the influence Iron Fist has brought to the SuperSonics. This change has only appeared in SuperSonics games, and the ratings of the entire league have not. What an improvement.
I mean, only if the league's overall ratings go up a bit can his influence on the league be proven. "
Larry Bird said: "It's not that there is no improvement. This year's league regular season has increased by 10% year-on-year. This is already a big change. I look forward to continued improvement."
Magic Johnson said: "Compared to the increase in Supersonic speed, this range is too small. It cannot even be attributed to the influence brought by Iron Fist. There is a natural increase."
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar frowned and said: "Then you should know the ratings of this finals best. The G1 game has 39 million. So far, the average ratings of the four games are as high as 26 million, which is higher than the 25 million of last year's finals.
You must know that in 1991, when Jordan defeated the Lakers to win the championship for the first time, the average viewership of the Finals was only 8.5 million, which was three times that of that year. "
Magic immediately said: "This is indeed very high, which shows that the influence of Michael and Iron Fist is amazing. But I think this influence is declining. You must know that the G6 game of the finals last year had 56 million ratings, but this time it was only 39 million.
Karim, so I think the influence brought by this kind of crossover is only temporary. It cannot be lasting at all and cannot fundamentally provide impetus for the development of the alliance. "
Chamberlain also said: "At the time of last year's finals, Iron Fist was not the world boxing champion, and then he became the world boxing champion, but the ratings of this year's finals were not as good as last year, so I agree with Erwin, his crossover has indeed impacted It’s a huge force, but it’s just a temporary novelty, and many new fans don’t stay.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar shook his head and said: "In any case, even if it is not as good as last year's finals, the current ratings are far higher than before. This is an indisputable fact."
The magician smiled and said: "Let's see, in a few seasons, if this kind of ratings can continue, and the ratings of the entire league during the regular season can be significantly improved, then Iron Fist's influence on the league can be proven.
After Jordan entered the league, it took many seasons to slowly cultivate a large number of loyal fans. The league's overall ratings have continued to increase significantly. Iron Fist now only has a short-term influence. "
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar thought for a moment, nodded and said, "Let's see in a few seasons."
Russell nodded and said: "This is our only evaluation of the impact on the NBA. If we expand the scope to the entire world and the entire sports world, then Tekken will undoubtedly dominate. So now it is up to TNT to decide the result. This is your thing."
Everyone shrugged and looked at producer Tom Maxon who was sitting outside the camera.
Maxon also shrugged, stood up and said: "What we mean is to evaluate and compare globally and in the entire sports world. And you all have to express your opinions, not George alone.
In addition, I would like to remind you that influence on the sports world refers to the real contributions they have made and the changes they have brought to the sports world, not just a name, achievements and honors, or money earned. How much.
For example, Michael Jordan brought the NBA to a new level and brought it to the third place in the four major North American professional sports leagues. This is the real influence. He changed the status of this league. "
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said with a smile: "In that case, although Iron Fist has won the world boxing title, he really has not changed the influence of this sport."
Tom Maxon nodded: "So our comparison and evaluation must be more rigorous."
In the hotel bar, Zhou Quan no longer pays much attention to this program, feeling that it is not interesting.
Because he feels that he and Jordan are not from the same era. He is nine years younger than Jordan. He is now entering his peak period. Jordan has begun to decline. Jordan's career has entered the late stage, and he has just entered his peak period. Comparing them together is unfair to Jordan and unfair to him.
Over there, Jordan turned off the TV directly.
No matter how he compares, he can't beat Iron Fist, at most he will be tied.
And what he wants most now is a comeback.
This show lasted for an hour, and in the end everyone was talking about their own opinions, but no result was reached. In the end, it was nothing, and the fans watched it in a hilarious way.
On the 10th, the G5 game day of the finals was also the Bulls' last home game.
In the evening, the United Center was brightly lit with stars and high ratings, attracting celebrities from all walks of life.
The championship trophy is placed at the exit of the tunnel, with David Stern sitting courtside, Jerry Reinsdorf on the left and Ballmer on the right.
He was very satisfied with this finals. The average viewership exceeded 26 million, which was higher than last year's finals.
The highest one reached 39 million. Although it was not as good as last year's finals, he believed that this was the data after precipitation.
This data makes him even happier than last year's finals data. Last year, there was a sudden surge and too much water. This year's data shows that a large number of new fans have become real NBA fans.
The two strong forces are fighting against each other. This is the influence of Iron Fist + Flying Man. He is very proud of the situation of black and yellow fighting for hegemony that he has created with his own hands.
Such ratings were unimaginable a few years ago. Even when Jordan defeated Magic 4-1 to win the championship in 1991, the highest ratings were only over 10 million, and the average ratings of the finals were only 8.5 million. In just a few years, it has tripled.
He also watched the TNT program last night. As for the influence of Jordan and Iron Fist on the NBA, he certainly believes that Jordan has a greater influence.
But now Iron Fist is also affecting the development of the league. Last year's finals and this season's ratings are the best proof. As long as this influence lasts for a few seasons, Iron Fist's influence on the NBA can catch up with Jordan.
Moreover, the influence of Iron Fist is affecting the promotion of NBA around the world. In fact, the NBA has made a lot of money just from the copyright purchased by TV stations all over the world during the playoffs, which is also extremely important.
He hopes that this influence can last. Iron Fist's peak period has just begun, and he hopes that his peak period can last as long as possible.
But good stars also need to meet a good opponent. The current lineups of Jordan and the Bulls are okay. He does not want to see the Bulls team disintegrated and rebuilt now.
"Jerry, strengthen what needs to be strengthened. The league hopes to see the Bulls continue to appear in the finals." He said to Reinsdorf.
What else could Reinsdorf say? He nodded and said: "David, I will try to keep the lineup stable. I also hope that Jordan and Pippen will stay in Chicago."
Stern nodded, turned around and said to Ballmer: "Steve, your investment in the SuperSonics is great. Originally, I was worried that the SuperSonics' market in Seattle would be squeezed out by the other three major leagues. Now... …”
"It's them they should be worried about now, haha!" Ballmer said proudly.
David Stern's face turned into a smile and he said: "In the first two games of the finals, the ratings in Seattle exceeded 90%. This is really great!"
"The new stadium is almost ready and is being renovated. After it is put into use in 1997, I think the SuperSonics will become even better." Ballmer said with confidence.
(End of chapter)
