Kobe ran over, leaning over and guarding and retreating.
Zhou Quan smiled and pointed to the right side and said, "Watch it, Kobe, I'm going to start to break out."
"Another preview?"
Kobe said angrily.
"Bang!"
The next moment, amid the powerful blast of the ball, Zhou Quan started to charge from the right.
Kobe turned around with all his strength to follow the defense. Although he couldn't keep up with Zhou Quan's rhythm, he was forced past.
He lost half a step from the beginning. When Zhou Quan reached the top of the right arc, he was already one step behind, with a distance of more than one meter, and he couldn't catch up.
Zhou Quan reached the right elbow area, and power forward AC Green came out to defend. He swayed, and then killed him on the left side of Green whose center of gravity was shaken.
As soon as Green was caught, O'Neal, who was under the basket, quickly adjusted his position to the front left side of the basket, but he was half a beat late. While he was still adjusting his position, Zhou Quan was already flying with the ball.
"This bastard wants to dunk me?"
O'Neill's eyes widened when he saw Zhou Quan flying towards him.
He wanted to hug Zhou Quan and pull him down, but it was already too late. Zhou Quan bumped into him in the next moment, but the sound of the basket exploding in his imagination did not sound.
"brush!"
With the sound of the basket being brushed, Zhou Quan completed a layup over O'Neal.
"Beep!"
The referee's whistle sounded, he pointed at O'Neal, made a gesture to block the foul, and added a free throw.
"Oh ho!"
His own super center was beaten two plus one by his opponent, but the Los Angeles fans gave him the warmest cheers.
"Haha, O'Neal was so angry with his own fans that he was beaten two plus one, but the fans cheered for his opponent instead." Kenny Smith laughed.
On the court, O'Neal breathed a sigh of relief. It's fine if he didn't dunk. The cheers from the fans for Tekken are nothing. Los Angeles has always been half of Tekken's home court. Which city doesn't have his fans?
"Shark, I'll dunk you next time." Zhou Quan said with a smile.
"Duck me, and I'll pull you down. I don't care if you get hurt." O'Neal said fiercely.
"Tekken King, why didn't you dunk the shark just now? You have a chance." At this time, a reporter in the media box asked loudly.
"Because I want to save the opportunity to dunk him until the Western Conference Finals. That would be more enjoyable." Zhou Quan replied.
"Don't even think about it! Don't listen to him, he's bragging." O'Neal shouted.
In this preseason game, in order to thank the fans, Zhou Quan played 32 minutes. He made 10 of 19 shots on Kobe Bryant, a shooting percentage of 52.6%, 2 of 5 three-pointers, and 9 of 10 free throws, scoring 31 points. 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers and 2 fouls, completing his first show after his comeback.
Against Kobe, Zhou Quan defended him and made 5 of 17 shots, a shooting percentage of 29.4%, 0 of 3 three-pointers, 3 of 4 free throws, and scored 13 points.
However, 101:106, the SuperSonics still lost the game by 5 points.
O'Neal scored 41 points in 35 minutes, shooting 71% from the field, blasting Campbell and substitutes Brad Miller, Otis Thorpe, and Ben Wallace.
Paul Westphal arranged double teams and triple teams, but they couldn't stop the Sharks from getting the ball under the basket.
In the next few preseason games, Zhou Quan reduced his playing time, but he would play two quarters in each game, lasting about 25 minutes.
Ben Wallace and six young men like Reuben Patterson, Bruce Bowen, Rashard Lewis, Corey Maggette, and Brad Miller all got opportunities to play.
Corey Maggette had the most opportunities, he was a lottery pick and even got a chance to start.
Then there are Patterson and Lewis, the second and third picks in the second round, who played about twelve minutes each.
Undrafted picks Ben Wallace and Bruce Bowen had the fewest opportunities, but also had six or seven minutes per game.
Also as an undrafted player, Brad Miller got almost as much playing time as Maggette, and his performance was okay.
Zhou Quan paid special attention to the performance of these six young people, and after a few preseason games, he got to know them better.
Corey Maggette has a very strong body, especially his upper body muscles. He is good at rushing in and scoring. He has a bulldozer style of play. He has a strong ability to draw fouls when rushing in, and he is also good at free throws.
But his jumping ability is average and he needs a run-up to dunk. Some mid-range shots, but no three-pointers. The outside defense relies on tyrannical strength to limit the opponent, and the effect is not bad.
In short, Corey Maggette, the 13th pick in the first round, has the potential to become a star.
Rashard Lewis is a bit soft. He shoots well, but is not good at defensive rebounding. His athletic ability is very average, and he cannot pass the ball. He relies heavily on his teammates to create shooting opportunities for him, and his independent offensive ability is poor.
But beside him, Lewis's style is positional, and he can wait for open shooting opportunities, but he is a burden on the defensive end, which he doesn't like very much. If he can practice defense, it would be better to be a 3D player. Now There is no three-pointer, and neither is the defense.
In these games, Rashard Lewis has been Cory Maggette's substitute, playing the third position and performing averagely.
Of the two young men, he prefers Maggette because his defensive performance is better, but Lewis is also good as a substitute at the third position. After his outside shooting ability has improved, he is a very good complement in the substitute lineup.
Reuben Patterson, a swingman at forward and guard, is 196 centimeters tall. He mainly plays as a substitute at the second position and is Barry's first substitute.
The main focus is on breakthrough points. When Zhou Quan does not break out, he will make breakthroughs. His performance is not bad, worthy of being the second pick in the second round, and his performance is better than Lewis.
Ben Wallace didn't let him play center because he was too short. Paul Westphal let him play the fourth or even the third position. He had little playing time and no performance.
Bowen did perform well in perimeter defense and open shooting in his limited playing time, and his performance was much better than that of Ben Wallace. He especially worked hard on defense, but there were a lot of small moves.
Brad Miller, a white center, has a similar style to Campbell. He mainly focuses on shooting, has poor offensive ability in the low post, and good pick-and-roll tactics in the high post. His shooting percentage is two percentage points higher than that of the main center Campbell. He lacks explosive power and is not as good at blocking shots. Campbell has a good defensive attitude, but as a center he is not strong enough and his defensive effect is not good.
Zhou Quan also has his own opinions on the performance of several other teammates.
Although old buddy Rodman is almost 39 years old, he still has fuel. After a few preseason games, he averaged 18 minutes per game and grabbed 6.6 rebounds. His performance was quite good. This season's contract is over. If he signs for two more years, he should be fine.
It's just a matter of controlling playing time, taking as much time off as possible during the regular season, and then playing a role in the playoffs.
Campbell, the main center, is not satisfied. As a center, his shooting percentage is only 46%, and his offense is not as good as Miller. This is still the preseason. If we enter the regular season, this efficiency will definitely decline.
His view of Campbell is that he is a blue-collar center who cannot attack, but is good at defense and has better physical fitness than Miller.
In terms of rebounding ability, Miller seems to be a little better, but this requires more time to observe and the accumulation of data.
There are two players, Campbell and Miller. Currently, he is more willing to have Campbell play the main center because the defense is better.
The main shooting guard, Barry Jr., is not very outstanding in ability. He is far not as talented as Barry Sr., but he is a little better than Jon Barry.
But next to him, Barry is capable enough, has perimeter defense, and is good enough at three-point range to play the main shooting guard.
After the preseason, the Sonics had three wins and four losses, and he had a deeper understanding of his team.
Among all the people, there is no one who stands out, that is, there is no second in command.
The three veterans no longer have that ability. Even if the remaining young people have potential, they still need time to grow. Now he can only rely on himself to start this team.
…
During the preseason, major media also analyzed the situation of each team and the league. The media enthusiasm far exceeded that before the start of last season. Before the start of the regular season last year, the media paid very little attention to the NBA, and the amount of coverage could not increase. .
As the television broadcaster of the NBA, NBC's NBA channel conducted various analyzes on 29 teams and then ranked several championship-level teams.
In the West, the first place is last season's championship Spurs, the second is the Trail Blazers, and the third is the SuperSonics. Neither the Lakers nor the Jazz have entered NBC's championship ranks.
The reason given by NBC is that the Lakers and Jazz both fell in the second round in last season's playoffs. The Lakers were swept by the Spurs and the Jazz were defeated by the Trail Blazers four to two, so they have no championship potential.
NBC only gave one reason for the Sonics to enter the championship series.
“The King of Iron Fist team is of course capable of winning the championship.
This reason is very arrogant. Even if some people are dissatisfied, no one stands up to oppose it.
In the East, NBC believes there are only two championship-level teams.
The Knicks, who ranked eighth in the Eastern Conference last season, ranked first, while the Heat, who ranked first in the Eastern Conference during the regular season last season, did not enter the championship ranks.
The reason is simple, because in the first round of the Eastern Conference last season, the Knicks completed the eighth round. The first-place Heat were eliminated in the first round, and then the Knicks made it all the way to the finals.
The second is the Pacers coached by Larry Bird. They were second in the Eastern Conference last season and also reached the Eastern Conference Finals.
Reggie Miller is very excited. This is the first time the Pacers have entered the championship level as assessed by mainstream media. He feels that he is finally joining the championship competition.
Ewing saw that NBC ranked the Knicks first in the Eastern Conference and the only second championship-level team in the Eastern Conference. He was happy but also a little sad.
Because now the team's strength has improved, but his body is not good, so he is actually very pessimistic about the hope of winning the championship and has no confidence.
O'Neal was a little depressed when he saw that NBC did not rank the Lakers in the championship. But being swept last season really left him unable to find the confidence to refute. He could only hold his breath in his heart and try to make a comeback this season.
The postman chose money, and he basically lost his temper. He didn't have much objection to the fact that the Jazz did not enter NBC's championship ranks.
The Trail Blazers are a team that plays as a team. The leading scorer, Rasheed Wallace, is not even an All-Star, and he is not considered the boss in the team. Although the Trail Blazers have entered the championship series, pay attention to the Trail Blazers. There are not many media outlets, but there are more media outlets that pay attention to the Blazers boss.
Zhou Quan didn't care. The SuperSonics' regular season record should not be better, and entering the top half would be the best result. So when he was interviewed, he said cautiously:
"I'm very happy that the Sonics can enter the championship level as assessed by NBC television, but we are a brand new team, very young, and our young people need time to grow."
…
On October 23, the league officially announced the number of national live broadcasts for each team.
The SuperSonics have played 41 times, ranking first in the league. All home games are broadcast live in the United States. Counting the national broadcasts of away opponents, there may be 80-90% of the games broadcast live in the United States.
The second place is the Lakers with 35 games and the Knicks with 32 games.
After the announcement of the national live broadcast, the SuperSonics welcomed another wave of sponsors, which can be regarded as a compensation for the SuperSonics from the league.
…
On October 24, SuperSonics management held its last meeting.
There was only one topic at the meeting. Season ticket sales will start tomorrow. The price has not yet been decided. Several meetings have been held for this. Today is the last day and it must be decided.
The SuperSonics were the first team to start selling season tickets, and the Knicks and Lakers were also in this group. After Jordan retired, the former Bulls were excluded.
The ball markets of these three teams are the most promising in the league. If the season ticket sales of these three teams are satisfactory, it will be a booster for the season ticket sales of other teams in the league and help to save the slump. of football market.
Last season's SuperSonics season ticket price was US$1,025, an average of US$25 per game, but the sales rate only reached 45%, with only 2,570 units sold.
The season tickets for the 1996/97 season were as high as 4,715, and the price per game was as high as 115 U.S. dollars, which was higher than the Knicks, Lakers, and Bulls. It ranked first in the league, with 8,560 units sold, accounting for half of the seats in the old Central Stadium.
The 1995/96 season was $85, the 94/95 season was $45, and the 93/94 season, Zhou Quan's first season with the SuperSonics, was only $21.
"I think we can be bolder. $80 is no problem."
"What do you mean by boldness? I think $120 is fine. King of Iron Fist is worth that price."
"Isn't it a bit too aggressive? If the sales are not satisfactory, we will lose the reputation of King of Iron Fist. I think it should be more suitable to set it at 90 US dollars."
"But the setting is too low. If sales explode, how much money will we lose?"
"Think again and don't be impulsive."
After repeated research by the management, the SuperSonics season ticket price this season has been set at 4,100, an average of 100 US dollars per game, which is four times that of last season. A set of season tickets has skyrocketed to nearly 3,000 US dollars.
A set of 41-game season tickets is of course cheaper than buying a single-game ticket. After this price is set, the average price of regular season tickets is also set. On the basis of season tickets, it will increase by 20% to $120. On the other hand, That is, season tickets are about 16~17% cheaper.
Of course, ticket prices are not fixed. First, they must fluctuate to a certain extent according to different opponents; second, they must be adjusted in a timely manner based on changes in regular season results and attendance.
For example, in the opening game, because Zhou Quan is back, the ticket price will definitely be very high, and it may even be several times higher than the normal regular season.
After the decision was made, management notified the league of season ticket prices.
(End of chapter)
