On the 29th, the G4 game of the Western Conference Finals.
"It's about the honor and disgrace of the Lakers!" Los Angeles Times.
"We refuse to be swept!" Los Angeles Sports.
"If the Lakers really suffer a third consecutive sweep, then the entire management should resign en masse." Chicago Daily News.
"OK Group proves its own battle." New York Times.
"It is recommended that the Lakers management use OK combination to trade the Iron Fist King." Los Angeles Economic Daily.
Having breakfast with his teammates in the morning, Zhou Quan flipped through the newspaper. All the news about the NBA was about the Western Conference Finals. The Eastern Conference Finals were rarely mentioned.
Including this day, in fact, before the start of the Western Conference Finals, the US media's attention was focused on this series, and the Eastern Conference Finals only received some attention from the corners.
The tens of millions of ratings for the Western Conference Finals and the tens of millions of ratings for the Eastern Conference Finals also prove that the media's attention is not wrong.
"Boss, Gary Payton ridiculed your Chinese national team last night. You won a silver medal last time. He underestimated you." Corey Maggette said.
Zhou Quan has nothing to say. Without him joining the men's basketball team, God would have blessed him to be in the top eight in 1996. Without him this year, there is a high probability that he would not even be in the top eight.
This men's basketball team is actually very good, but most of them are old and have a lot of injuries, otherwise they wouldn't lose to Bangzi.
But that guy with gloves still needs to find an opportunity to teach him a lesson, he really has a bad mouth.
Rodman flipped through the newspaper and said with great joy: "There is no Eastern Conference Finals, no Eastern Conference Finals, haha, there is still no Eastern Conference Finals, only the Western Conference Finals, no wonder the gloves are complaining, I have to complain too, haha!"
"It doesn't matter, we will end the Western Conference Finals tonight, and then all the attention will go to them in the Eastern Conference Finals. Hoho, Gloves should thank us. He will finally get attention, haha..." Brent Barry said with a smile.
"Wow!"
In a hotel restaurant in Miami, Gary Payton threw the newspaper in his hand to the floor.
He looked through these newspapers. Except for the media in Miami and Indiana, which had detailed reports, the other media only reported on the Western Conference Finals, and at most gave a sentence to the Eastern Conference Finals.
For example, in last night's game, the Heat were defeated by the Pacers, and the two sides tied at 2-2. Or, in G4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pacers win.
"Don't be angry, the world is like this, the media is all about praising the high and downplaying the low. Just get used to it." Alonzo Mourning comforted.
Thinking about when he entered the league with O'Neal, his statistics were not bad, but as the fifth center, he has been suppressed by O'Neal in these years, and few people paid attention to him. He can best understand Gary Payton's mood at this time.
"Used to it?"
Payton feels a toothache, why should I get used to being ignored?
In the evening, the G4 game of the Western Conference Finals begins.
Before playing, O'Neal said to Zhou Quan in the player tunnel with a serious face: "Iron Fist, we refuse to be swept..."
Zhou Quan interrupted O'Neal and asked curiously: "Shark, I can understand your mood now. But I want to know, last year and the year before that, were you willing and agreed to be swept by the Jazz and Spurs?"
"Ah! Iron Fist, you bastard!"
These words were so hurtful that O'Neal screamed hysterically, wishing he could eat Zhou Quan like a hamburger and then turn it into poop and flush it away from the sewer.
"So whether you are swept or not has nothing to do with whether you refuse to be swept." Zhou Quan said with a smile.
O'Neill stared at Zhou Quan and said angrily: "From now on, I want to change my nickname."
"What nickname should I change?" Zhou Quan asked curiously.
"The big sewer." O'Neill said.
"What do you mean?" Zhou Quan was confused. This nickname was too weird.
"I'm going to flush you away from me like poop." O'Neal said proudly.
"Pfft!"
The two teams laughed together.
Zhou Quan's face was a bit dark. What kind of bullshit nickname is this?
…
"Pa bang bang..."
When Zhou Quan entered the stage, the people in Los Angeles had very mixed emotions, but they still gave him a very warm applause.
"Tekken King, come back to Los Angeles to play." Fans shouted loudly on both sides of the corridor.
But he didn't hear these words. The noise at the scene was too loud. In the arena with 22,000 people, as long as half of the people made a sound, the noise would be very loud.
Two hours later, the G4 game ended, and the Lakers were swept out by the SuperSonics.
O'Neal tried his best to attack the basket at all costs, but under the pressure of Ben Wallace's three meat shields, he only got 16 shots. He made 8 of 16 shots and only 8 of 23 free throws. He scored 24 points and 11 rebounds. .
In the four games of the series, he scored 29 points and 12 rebounds, 31 points and 13 rebounds, 33 points and 10 rebounds, and 24 points and 11 rebounds respectively, averaging 29.25 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.
Kobe's performance was a little better than in the previous game. In 33 minutes, he made 5 of 15 shots, 3 of 4 free throws, and scored 13 points.
In the four games of the series, he scored 11 points, 19 points, 19 points, and 13 points respectively, averaging 15.5 points per game.
The Lakers were defeated in the third quarter, and the OK combination did not play again in the final quarter.
Zhou Quan checked in three quarters and made 18 of 28 shots. He was not as invincible as in the third game, but his field goal percentage was as high as 64.3%. He made 3 of 7 three-pointers, plus 12 of 12 free throws. He scored 51 points in the game and played a professional game. The 10th 50+ individual score in career playoffs.
Throughout the four games of the series, they scored 50 points, 56 points, 65 points, and 51 points respectively, averaging 55.5 points per game.
He set two more historical records in the series, with four consecutive 50+ games, and also broke the historical record for points per game in the series.
"Pa bang bang..."
The moment the game ended, the Staples Center burst into overwhelming applause. All fans of both teams stood up, as did all the media, applauding Zhou Quan's performance.
Zhou Quan stood up from the bench and waved to the fans. Staples' applause lasted for more than three minutes.
He wanted to say a few words to O'Neal before being interviewed by the media, but unfortunately the Lakers had already left the scene.
"Tekken King, how would you evaluate your own performance in this series?" an ESPN reporter asked.
"I actually don't want to praise myself, so I might as well leave it to you to evaluate me." Zhou Quan said with a smile.
"Ha ha……"
People around him laughed.
"Then how do you evaluate your opponent?" the reporter asked again.
Zhou Quan said seriously: "Shaq is undoubtedly the most powerful dominant center in the league now, and he is even the most dominant center in the history of the league.
As for Kobe, I see the shadow of Michael Jordan in him. He has great potential, never slacks off on the game and never gives up. I had to defend him as hard as I could in this series. "
There were many reporters who couldn't squeeze in and started interviewing other people.
A reporter interviewed Magic Johnson and asked: "Erwin, how would you evaluate the performance of King of Iron Fist in this series?"
Magic pondered for a moment and said: "Four consecutive games with 50+ points, including one with 60+ points, an unparalleled performance. I even doubt that even he himself will be able to replicate such a series again."
"How do you evaluate the performance of OK Group?" the reporter asked again.
"Well, they're actually pretty good, too," Magic Johnson said briefly.
"So do you think Phil Jackson should bear the responsibility for being swept?" the reporter asked again.
When asked about this, Magic Johnson became serious and mused: "The coaching team must bear responsibility for the loss, but I still think Coach Phil Jackson is still one of the best coaches in the league."
The reporter asked: "Erwin, does the management intend to change the coach and replace Zen Master with you?"
The magician shook his head and said: "I don't know the management's intentions. You know, I don't serve in the management."
"So do you think the Lakers should change their coach?" the reporter continued to ask.
"To a certain extent, Phil Jackson is the head coach who knows the Iron Fist King and the SuperSonics best. I suggest that the management should consider the head coach issue more carefully, because currently, there is no better head coach suitable for this team. Team." The magician said seriously.
Outside the home team's locker room, the players went in, but Phil Jackson stayed outside and did not go in. Following some reporters, he prepared to be interviewed outside.
He doesn't want to be kicked out of the Lakers in such a dejected manner, and it's not like he has no support in the Lakers. Some people want him to stay.
"Coach Phil Jackson, the Lakers are planning to change coaches, right? Will you resign?" A reporter asked very straightforwardly.
Phil Jackson smiled politely and said: "Sorry, the management has not communicated with me about this yet, so I don't really understand your intention to change the coach."
"Coach Phil Jackson, you have been the head coach of the Lakers for two seasons and were swept by the Spurs and SuperSonics. Do you think you should be responsible for this?" Another reporter immediately asked.
Phil Jackson smiled very gentlemanly and said: "I don't want to shirk responsibility. As a head coach, I should indeed bear some responsibility.
But is the head coach’s entire responsibility for a team’s failure? The construction of the team, the configuration of the lineup, these are all related to the fate of the team, but these are the jobs of General Manager Jerry West.
Our lineup is obviously not as deep as the SuperSonics. In terms of the main lineup, except for the fifth position where we have the advantage, we are restrained by the SuperSonics in the other four positions.
At the fourth position, Green is too old and will retire soon, but we have no one available, so we can only let him play the main role.
At the third position, Glen Rice only has the function of a pitcher. After Kobe was locked up by the Iron Fist King, it was difficult for us to have someone on the outside to attack with the ball.
At the No. 1 position, Harper is about to retire like Green, and he can hardly run anymore.
In the second position, Kobe took the greatest pressure because he was beaten by the Iron Fist King, but he should not bear the responsibility because that was the Iron Fist King.
Of the five main players, two of them are veterans who are about to retire. How can they compete with the SuperSonics?
If the main lineup is like this, our substitute lineup is even worse, but the main lineup still has to fill holes for the substitute lineup, and there is no way to play. "
Hearing Phil Jackson's complaints, several reporters became excited, and one of them asked: "Phil, are you saying that Mr. Jerry West should bear responsibility for the team's loss?"
Phil Jackson shook his head and said while pushing open the door of the locker room: "Sorry, the management has not relieved me of my duties. I still have work to deal with."
After saying that, he entered the locker room and closed the door.
Several reporters were about to leave the locker room when Jim Buss and Jenny Buss arrived. To their surprise, they immediately went up to them for interviews.
"Mr. Jim Buss, are the Lakers planning to change their coaches?" a reporter asked.
Jim Bass snorted in his heart, changing the coach? It’s just Phil Jackson. Does he need to go to war in such a big way?
He glanced sideways at his sister Jenny Buss next to him, then with a smile on his face, he said to the reporter: "We still need to consider this matter carefully. Mr. West hopes to change the coach, but no final decision has been made yet. .”
"West wants a coaching change?"
Hearing this sentence, the eyes of several reporters couldn't help but light up.
"Mr. Buss, do you think Mr. West should be held responsible for the Lakers' consecutive sweeps?" Thinking of Phil Jackson's words just now, a reporter immediately asked.
A smile flashed in Jim Buss's eyes, and he immediately said: "NONONO, West is an indispensable person for the Lakers. My father respects him very much. Even if we are responsible, our Buss family will not..."
At this point, he made an expression as if he had let something slip, and quickly made up for it: "Sorry, I mean, I didn't mean that Mr. West was responsible, that's not what I meant... Oh, I just said, We have great respect for Mr. West."
Having said this, he waved his hand and said: "Sorry, gentlemen reporters, the team has been swept again. I still have a lot of things to deal with. Let's stop the interview here."
After saying that, he turned around and left.
"Ms. Buss, do you think the Lakers should not change their coach? Do you think Mr. West should bear the responsibility, not Coach Jackson?"
"Miss Bass, will you support Phil Jackson?"
Jim Bass left, and several reporters immediately turned the microphone to Jenny Buss' mouth and asked their own questions.
Jenny Buss naturally hopes that Phil Jackson will stay. The two have been in love since last year and don't want it to end.
And she appreciates Phil Jackson's ability. The Lakers have been swept continuously, and the responsibility should not be borne by Jackson alone.
But she has little say in the Lakers and is only responsible for the team's business operations. In terms of player and coaching team management, her second brother Jim Buss is in charge.
But Jim Bass doesn’t have much power in his hands, that stuff is all in the hands of Jerry West.
Jerry West's prestige in the Lakers is too high. He became a Lakers player in 1960, and her father only joined the Lakers in 1979. By that time, West was already a member of the Lakers management. Te has been with the Lakers for forty years and has a higher prestige than her father in the Lakers. There is a rumor from the outside world that the world only knows West but not Buss. This sentence is not a joke, it is actually very true.
But this time, Jim Bass found her and discussed a plan with her to use this opportunity to "clear the emperor's side" for his father.
(End of chapter)
