pertwk Chapter 315 Pacers Internal Strife? Los Angeles' Underhanded Tactics!
Chapter 315 Pacers Internal Strife? Los Angeles' Underhanded Tactics!
Chapter 315 Pacers Internal Strife? Los Angeles' Underhanded Tactics!
On the court, Lin Tian and the Pacers players celebrated excitedly for a while, then went to the sidelines to interact with the fans for a bit before heading to the press conference!
After such a crazy match, tonight's press conference is bound to be crazy and fun too!
Lin Tian, Bird, and Lewis, who scored a career-high 17 points in the playoffs tonight, all came to the press conference together.
"Congratulations! Congratulations to the Pacers on another fantastic game! Larry, how do you feel after winning this game?" As soon as the three sat down, a reporter immediately began to ask with a smile.
"Very good," Bird said casually. "Although as a coach I prefer a comfortable 20-point blowout, honestly, Lin tonight made me forget I'm a coach! I completely became a fan, completely entered the fan's perspective!"
"So, I absolutely enjoyed it! I think I just witnessed one of the most exciting NBA Finals games in history!"
"But thankfully, Larry hasn't completely forgotten that he's still a coach," Lin Tian chuckled. "If he forgot to make substitutions and call timeouts, that would be really bad."
Lin Tian's joke drew laughter from the reporters, and then one reporter said, "Larry, we all saw your personnel choices tonight, and I must say, they were fantastic and very unconventional!"
"The team's second-best player, Webber, only played 21 minutes and scored 7 points. I even think that if Wallace and Davis hadn't gotten foul trouble, he probably wouldn't have gotten any playing time in the fourth quarter!"
"Furthermore, the use of Lewis and the substitution of veteran Perkins in the final minute both had a remarkable effect! What are your thoughts on this?"
"Chris wasn't playing well tonight, and the Lakers defended him very well, which made it difficult for him! But I have to say, his performance wasn't bad at all! He made very good contributions, first and foremost in passing and playmaking. I know his assist numbers aren't high, but who delivers the game-winning assist after a pick-and-roll with Lin in the most crucial moments?"
"Who delivered so many beautiful passes and orchestrated the team's offense during regulation time? Without Chris, we probably wouldn't have scored 100 points tonight! He was truly amazing! And then there's his least favorite area, defense, which is always criticized, but tonight he actually did it to the best of his ability!"
"His help defense against O'Neal, especially his anticipation and choice in drawing that traveling violation from O'Neal, was perfect! Chris didn't score many points tonight, but I'm very satisfied with his performance! I think he played great!"
After supporting Webber, Bird paused for a moment and continued, "Also, I think tonight we should focus more of the conversation and the camera on the young man next to me."
Bird patted Lewis on the shoulder and said:
"On the night he exploded in the Eastern Conference Finals, I told him it would be the brightest night of his career so far, but looking back, I clearly underestimated him! He's better than I thought, stronger than I thought!"
"In less than two weeks, he reached a whole new personal peak!"
Bird's sudden praise made the 20-year-old Lewis very embarrassed. He scratched his head, realizing that he had never seen such a grand occasion before.
One reporter immediately understood Bird's meaning, stood up, and said, "So, Rashad, tell us how it felt to make four three-pointers in the fourth quarter?"
"Fantastic! I still can't believe I scored 12 points in the fourth quarter! I can't believe I made every single one of my shots! Especially after seeing the final score and thinking that if I had missed even one shot, we could have lost, it's even more incredible!"
"Priceless! That's how Lin described my goals after the match. He said every single one of my goals is priceless!"
"We've all noticed, this is the final year of your contract!" Another reporter stood up at this point, and the reporters finally couldn't resist starting to tease: "With such a good performance in the playoffs, will you be looking to leave the team in the offseason?"
"No!" Lewis said firmly, "This is my home, I love Indiana, I..."
"You'd better not talk about Rashad," Lin Tian suddenly interrupted Lewis. "If some teams offer you a nine-figure contract, you'd better go and take that damn money."
"Nine figures?" Lewis was stunned for a moment. He had obviously never thought he could get such a big contract.
"You deserve it!" Lin Tian patted him encouragingly. "My buddy deserves every contract! He won't let anyone down!"
Lin Tian's magnanimity and open-mindedness truly moved Lewis. Looking at Lin Tian's profile, he silently made a decision in his heart!
"As long as the contract is roughly finalized, I'll definitely stay in Indiana! I'll stay here and build my empire!"
As for if the difference is too great
A contract worth hundreds of millions. Leaving isn't out of the question!
Lewis stated that he would definitely condemn everyone who wanted him to leave Indiana!
Unless they give an excessive amount.
The subsequent press conference turned into a showcase of Lin Tian's arrogance.
"A triple-double of 60+? I didn't really feel anything, just a bit tired, since I played almost the entire game tonight. As for the stats, I didn't even look at them."
"The ball that you passed to the other person? No, no, no, I never practiced it, never. I just suddenly felt like I could do it in the air, so I did it, and it turned out pretty good. I'd give this move a 9 out of 10!"
"The highest score in Finals history? It's alright. After all, I could have broken this record a long time ago if I wanted to, right? It's just that it wasn't necessary before. Shaq and the Lakers forced me to give it my all."
"Other teams would have been crushed long ago when I did this. I could have gone to the bench to rest after scoring a maximum of 45 points."
"Give Shaq some advice? Don't score so many points next time. If he got 25 points and 10 rebounds and then lost, at least he wouldn't be so upset. Scoring 60 points and still losing, that feeling is terrible! I know exactly how he feels right now, I understand!"
"Hmm? I wouldn't say I empathize with him, but I have seen Michael looking heartbroken and almost crying."
"Yes, that was two years ago, after he scored 66 points in the Eastern Conference Finals. I saw Michael's shoulders trembling; he must have been crying."
"I hope Shaq doesn't cry."
That's utter bullshit!
Nonsense!
FUXX!
Your great-grandmother was the one who cried!
Far away in Washington, Jordan, who was riding high and extremely happy and was about to officially announce that he would be in charge of the Wizards next season, smashed his incredibly expensive Cuban cigar on the TV in anger.
I'm so angry!
When did I cry?
How dare you slander someone's innocence out of thin air?
Jordan could imagine the next time he appeared among those jerk star friends, those jerks would be laughing at him.
Then they burst into all sorts of mocking laughter.
What? "I heard Lin beat you up and you cried?"
"I watched that match, you got completely thrashed by Lin!"
What could Jordan do?
To explain the matter between the basketball god and his former teammates, he said that being beaten wasn't a complete stomp, but rather a friendly exchange.
Wouldn't that fill the whole scene with a joyful atmosphere?
What's most disgusting about this is that Jordan can't explain it. No matter how he tries to explain, it all seems fake and like he's trying to cover something up!
Nobody believes it!
Or rather, even if everyone knew Lin Tian was talking nonsense, they were still willing to believe him.
After all, he found it hilarious to hear that Jordan had been beaten to tears!
What else could Jordan do but swallow this bitter pill?
There's nowhere to go!
However, Jordan has already confirmed that he will lead the Wizards in the new season, so...
Heh heh, I'll have plenty of opportunities to get my revenge on you, you bastard, next season!
Aside from Jordan himself, Lin Tian was the first person to know that Jordan was unhappy.
"Michael Jordan's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 200 experience points!"
A pleasant notification sound rang out, and Lin Tian exclaimed: "That feels good! Very good!"
He knew it; Jordan, that peeping Tom, was definitely watching the game on TV right now!
Happy wool-gathering, wool-gathering remotely, the sheep has plucked itself bald and then the wool is delivered to its door.
happy!
In contrast to the Pacers' incredibly joyful press conference, which was filled with laughter and jokes, the atmosphere at the Lakers' press conference was far less relaxed. Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Jackson all walked into the venue together.
The reporters were relatively friendly at first, asking standard questions such as how it felt to lose the game, issues with Jackson's tactics, and whether O'Neal was disappointed to lose despite scoring 60+20.
But after warming up, the reporters couldn't wait to reveal their true colors.
"In the final moments of the game, Kobe missed two shots and had one stolen from him. What are your thoughts on that? Was it part of your strategy, Coach Phil?"
They're starting to stir up trouble!
"It was my strategy! I was the one who arranged for Kobe to shoot whenever he had the chance, and I was the one who let him handle the ball. It's just that there was a problem with the result tonight. What if Kobe had made all three of those shots? Would he have become a hero then?"
"Isn't it a bit too obsessive to have a guy who once airballed four consecutive three-pointers in the playoffs take these crucial offensive shots repeatedly? Maybe Kobe should have opted to drive to the basket at that moment?"
"No, Kobe has made many similar shots. He has the height advantage, he has enough range, he can do all that! So he should shoot!" Jackson continued to defend Kobe: "Like I said, what if he made it? His shots are all good opportunities, it's just that he was a little unlucky."
"So, Shaq," the reporters said, seeing that Jackson was unmoved and giving them no chance to stir things up, they immediately switched their focus to O'Neal and asked, "As an interior giant capable of scoring 60+ points in a single game, if you didn't receive the ball at all in the last few possessions, would you be angry?"
"Why should I be angry?" When it was time to protect his younger teammate, O'Neal didn't hesitate to support Kobe: "Didn't I make a mistake at the end? I was double-teamed at the end, completely surrounded by two guys. If I had passed the ball to him, wouldn't that have been stupid?"
"Without my teammates feeding me the ball, I could only score a maximum of 20 points tonight! Without Kobe drawing attention and passing me the ball, I probably wouldn't even have gotten 30 points tonight! My teammates have tried their best, doing everything they could to create space for me and give me opportunities to play one-on-one!"
"I didn't do well enough. If I hadn't been guarded by the fronting play, if I hadn't committed that offensive foul, if I had blocked Lin's floater at the end, we would have won tonight!"
"So, I'm furious about the behavior of you guys who are criticizing my good brother, my little brother, afterwards! All I can say is: if the next game is like this again, if Kobe gets this kind of opportunity again, then keep shooting!"
"I believe he'll make it next time! Even if he misses, I'll grab the rebound for him! I'll always support my little brother!"
Kobe was deeply moved by O'Neal and Jackson's perseverance. He patted O'Neal on the shoulder to express his gratitude, then said, "I played terribly tonight! There's no denying it, terribly is terribly, garbage is garbage!"
"If I hadn't been so terrible, we definitely would have won!"
"This is the last time! This is the last time this season I'll drag my teammates down. I'll go back to practicing hard, I'll go back to watching the game tapes! I'll show everyone that I can be even better! And then, next time, I'll make that damn shot!"
Jackson continued, picking up where Kobe left off: "My players did everything they could in this game! But the Pacers did just as well. These kinds of games are essentially a contest of luck. It's perfectly normal for either team to win or lose when both did everything they could."
"Tonight, the Pacers were obviously closer to perfection than us, that's all."
"Oh, and I also have to praise the Pacers players! Everyone except Lin Tian played fantastic tonight!"
"If I remember correctly, Rashad is in the final year of his contract, right? Hahaha, I'll get Jerry to keep an eye on him, give him a huge contract, and bring him to the Lakers! And Chris, honestly, it's not all bad for Chris and Lin to be on the same team. After all, if the two of them are together, I only need to have a headache with one team."
"If they each lead a team, that would be really bad, because then we'd have to face two top teams led by super talents!"
"That's much harder than dealing with a single team!"
After Jackson finished speaking, his eyes narrowed behind his glasses. Even though this kind of sowing discord would have 99% no effect, he was already satisfied as long as he felt happy after saying it!
A satisfied Jackson stood up and winked at Kobe and O'Neal.
Then, the three of them got up and left the press conference together.
Next, they had other things to do.
Exhausted and on the verge of vomiting, O'Neal needed to hurry back to the hotel to rest.
Jackson then needs to start watching the game replays to find ways for the team to improve.
As for Kobe, he's going to do extra practice.
After returning to the locker room, he pulled aside two assistant coaches and told them that he wanted to practice his ability to shoot three-pointers against strong defense, as well as his reaction and ball protection skills when his shot is stolen!
Even though Game 2 of the Finals is just two days away, Kobe still wants to improve himself as much as possible!
Even if he couldn't stop getting the ball stolen from him, Kobe had to be able to react quickly after it was stolen from him, protect his basketball immediately, and prevent the opponent from launching a fast break!
In short, he wanted to torture himself!
Although both Jackson and O'Neal expressed their recognition and support for Kobe, Kobe himself was clearly not satisfied or resigned to his fate!
He knew very well that the team lost in the final moments of the night because of him! He failed to score, and his consecutive missed shots and mistakes led to the team's defeat!
………………
The most insane NBA Finals in history has been born! A 66-point triple-double versus a 60+20 performance!
So what if it's a terrifying prehistoric shark? God descends upon the Indiana stadium!
Kobe's three consecutive offensive misses led to the Lakers' loss! If he continues this poor performance, the Lakers may be swept!
Webber had a terrible game with only 7 points and 7 rebounds! If he continues to perform like this, the Pacers may be swept!
Multiple incredible records were set overnight! A detailed look at the numerous Finals records broken by Lin Tian tonight!
The worst loss in history! 60+20+7 couldn't save the team; a look at five players who suffered even worse losses than Shaq!
The Lakers are united! Jackson and O'Neal expressed their support for Kobe!
Is the Pacers facing a major overhaul this summer? They're already on the verge of disintegration even before winning a championship!
"Go get that damn money! Lin Tian's words expose the Pacers' biggest problem: up to five players could leave this year!"
Lewis may be signed without a contract, Webber could opt out, Carter's contract expires next year, the Pacers face numerous difficulties this summer!
Is Lin Tian the Pacers' salary cap culprit? That 7-year super contract might ruin the Pacers' future!
Warning! Webber reportedly lost his temper in the locker room after the game, claiming he was "underpaid"! Webber and Bird's relationship has reached a breaking point!
Who's the culprit? With the championship within reach, rumors of internal strife have surfaced within the Pacers!
It's all about money! The Pacers have one of the top five highest payrolls in the league, and if they keep their current roster, their salaries will increase even further!
The new luxury tax scheme will be implemented starting in the 01-02 season. How much more money will the Pacers have to pay if they maintain their current roster?
If the Pacers retain the trio of Lin Tian, Carter, and Webber, they will have to spend an additional $02 million annually starting in 3000!
What is a luxury tax? A detailed look at the latest clauses in the NBA's 99 collective bargaining agreement!
Sources reveal that three teams will offer Lewis contracts worth over ten million dollars!
"A guaranteed max contract! At least 7 teams are ready to scramble for Webber!"
Kobe Bryant signed a 6-year, $7000 million contract extension; Vince Carter will likely get at least a 5-year, $6000 million or more contract!
How many more max contracts can Indianapolis afford? Rumors suggest Reggie Miller also wants a big contract extension!
In order to retain their core offensive unit, the Pacers have put Ben Wallace on the trading block!
Between the first and second games of the Finals, a flood of news and reports poured in, with the media frantically reporting on everything related to the Finals.
But this time, there is one big difference compared to the previous finals that Lin Tian participated in!
That means at least one-third of the reports were stirring up trouble!
For example, when Lin Tian was reading the newspaper, he saw all sorts of reports about the Pacers' internal strife, salaries, contracts, salary cap space, and so on.
This is during the finals!
Normally, this kind of news only starts to be reported wildly after the season ends, but this year, it inexplicably started half a month earlier!
This is very abnormal!
While the media across the United States love to stir up trouble and are good at it, they won't cause any trouble during the Finals unless they are mortal enemies or have a real blood feud!
After all, the media would much rather see an incredibly exciting series than something that causes trouble!
That's where their money comes from, and that's the tacit understanding between them and the league.
After all, we can't kill the goose that lays the golden eggs or drain the pond to catch all the fish!
But this year, everything is different.
Lin Tian, feeling somewhat annoyed and confused, was actually very worried when he entered the locker room. He knew very well that the emergence of so much news at this time could have a serious negative impact on the team and could really affect the team's chemistry!
He was very worried about what problems might arise in the team's locker room.
It's not that I'm afraid I can't solve the problem, nor am I afraid that someone will cause trouble.
Lin Tian was confident that he could solve all the problems.
He's just annoying and disgusting!
Simply disgusting.
These media outlets really have no bottom line when they stir up trouble at this time.
But as soon as Lin Tian arrived at the locker room door, he heard bursts of laughter and commotion coming from inside.
Then Bird's laughing voice came through.
"What's this?! Back when I played the Los Angeles team in the Finals, guess what? The Los Angeles media were saying that McHale and I were gay!"
"For some inexplicable reason, I became the spiritual leader of that bunch of gay idiots! FUXX! Do you know what was in my inbox during that time? It was full of those trashy love letters! It disgusted me to death!"
Upon hearing Bird's words, Lin Tian finally understood.
Los Angeles media are stirring things up!
As the entertainment capital of the United States and even the world, a city that boasts the most paparazzi, media, entertainment reporters, and the greatest media power in the world, their aggressive and disruptive tactics during the finals, relying on their media influence, are indeed their usual underhanded tricks.
It has to be said that Bird, this old guy who has had a long-standing feud with the Lakers, really knows the Lakers' tactics inside and out!
Furthermore, the experienced Bird clearly anticipated that the team would experience some psychological issues due to the commotion caused by the Los Angeles media. That's why he arrived at the team's locker room early in the morning to talk to the players and share some old news, the truth of which is anyone's guess, to cheer them up.
"Larry, you're not gay after all?" Lin Tian pushed open the locker room door and walked in. "Don't try to whitewash yourself by telling them stories!"
"Get lost! I like women! I've liked women since I was 3! I'll still like women when I'm 80!" Bird said, giving the middle finger without any regard for his image. "But I have to say, the Los Angeles bastards' ability to pull off some kind of stunt is really much worse than before."
"They used to be able to come up with even more elaborate tricks, but what they did this year was really boring."
"Would we really have internal strife over something so trivial? That's ridiculous!"
Bird shrugged and said, "The era of showtime is gone forever, and the Los Angeles media of that time has degenerated to the point of being unwatchable."
"Stop spouting that useless Larry nonsense!" Lin Tian waved his hand dismissively. "Just look me straight in the eye and say you're not gay!"
"Fuck you!" Bird cursed, "I'm not!"
"You swear to God, you absolutely don't!"
"I swear to God, I'm absolutely not!"
"Not what?"
"No way! FUXX! Are you never going to stop?!"
The banter between Lin Tian and Bird filled the Pacers' locker room with bursts of laughter, effectively dispelling the nausea the players had felt after seeing various reports that morning.
But Lin Tian, who had just sat down in his seat and started packing his things, was well aware that although the Los Angeles media was deliberately stirring things up, what they were saying was indeed true.
The Pacers' salary situation is indeed not very optimistic, and they will encounter considerable trouble this summer.
First, there's Chris Webber's contract. He can opt out of his 6-year, $5700 million contract this summer and become a free agent. Given his performance and ability, he absolutely deserves a 7-year, $9000 million max contract!
Dale Davis's contract also expires this year. This tough defensive player, who can rebound, block shots, and help defend, is valued at between $600 million and $800 million this year.
Next, Lewis' two-year minimum salary will also expire this summer, and he will also face contract renewal.
Then there are veterans Mullin and Perkins. If they win the championship this year, given their current form and age, they will most likely retire.
Looking at it this way, Bird's workload this summer is absolutely enormous!
Even if Webber, who is the most difficult to deal with, doesn't opt out of his contract and waits until next year, Bird's workload next year will still be enormous.
Because Carter and Christie's contracts will expire next year, Carter will definitely get a maximum salary, and Christie, with her level, can at least get a mid-level contract, which is $5 million to $700 million.
And then there's Reggie Miller, whose contract has also expired. After taking such cheap contracts for so long, shouldn't the team give this veteran a proper send-off?
My head hurts!
Just thinking about it gave Lin Tian a headache for Bird!
Especially considering that his salary will reach $1970 million starting next season, this means that next year he will surpass Garnett and O'Neal to rank first on the league's salary list!
However, Lin Tian was also very confident. He firmly believed that every penny he received was well worth the money, and he also firmly believed that he deserved to receive the highest salary in the league!
Only cowards and insecure losers would take pay cuts to find good partners and strong teammates. When did Jordan ever take a pay cut? When did Shaq ever take a pay cut? They should take what they're entitled to, without having to consider the capitalists' expenses and difficulties!
I, Lord Lin, am perfectly justified in receiving the top salary!
Of course, there is another type of person who, after receiving a maximum salary, starts complaining that the team doesn't make any signings, that the team isn't competitive enough, and demands that the team trade them.
Lin Tian felt that this kind of person was just as shameless as the previous kind.
Do what you're paid for. If you've taken up a portion of the team's budget, then grit your teeth and make the most of the extra money you've earned!
Wanting more money while also wanting the team to bring you top-notch help to compete for the championship—that's the classic case of wanting to have your cake and eat it too!
Simply put: If you're not capable, you'll take less; if you are capable, you'll take more.
Do as much work as you're paid for!
Lin Tian believed that he deserved the highest salary in the league!
At the same time, just as Lin Tian said at the press conference: he will not use things like brotherhood to ask one of his teammates to take a significant pay cut to stay with the team!
If I could have earned 1000 million, but for the sake of the championship and personal feelings, I would have stayed with the team for a friendly price of 900 million, then I would have stayed.
But if someone could originally take 1000 million, and you insist that they take 500 million for some dream, ideal, or brotherhood, then that's pure robbery.
So Lin Tian had already made preparations. If Bird asked him to persuade Webber and Lewis to stay with the team this summer, he would help them if they were just a little short, but if they were far short, Lin Tian would definitely encourage them to go for big money!
"Lin, come here for a second." After chatting with the players in the locker room for a while and completely eliminating the impact of the underhanded tactics by the Los Angeles media, Bird waved to Lin Tian, signaling him to come out with him.
Reaching the locker room door, Bodra pulled Lin Tian into another room, then closed the door and asked, "So? What do you think?"
"What do you mean, what do you think? Let's crush them! Let's beat them to a pulp! Let's make sure the Los Angeles media won't be able to utter a single word after that!" Lin Tian expressed his confidence without hesitation.
"That's not it," Bird shook his head. "I'm asking you, what do you think about this year, or rather, this year and next offseason? I can't keep everyone."
At this point, Bird sighed and said, "I've talked to the owner. He's willing to pay the luxury tax, but only a small amount. If he's supporting a player like you who's worth $2000 million or even $3000 million, plus Chris and Vince, who are worth $1500 million each, and then there are other players like Ben, Doug, and Reggie."
"The team pays $3-4000 million in luxury tax every year. The owner definitely can't afford it. In the end, although our owner is willing to spend money, he doesn't treat money like a stone to be thrown around. Apart from the New Yorkers and Los Angelesers, I'm afraid no other team would spend money like that."
After listening to Bird's explanation, Lin Tian understood what Bird meant. Bird was asking Lin Tian's opinion and asking him to make a choice among his teammates who were about to become free agents!
Who will stay, and who will leave?
"Chris has to stay," Lin Tian said almost without hesitation. "He's practically irreplaceable. His abilities and skills are unmatched in the entire league. Therefore, he must stay!"
"As for the others, just do your best!"
After Lin Tian finished speaking, Bird visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
He was genuinely worried that Lin Tian might say he would disregard everything and leave everyone behind so the team could continue to win the championship.
Then he really had no other choice!
There's even a sentence that Bird didn't actually say.
That was told to him by the Pacers' owner.
If Lin Tian really does disregard everything and insists that Bird keep the current roster and continue to compete for the championship, then the team will have no choice but to seek some major changes!
How huge is it?
The boss didn't say it, but Bird understood what he meant.
Trade Lin Tian!
While Lin Tian's trade value is at its peak, the team should sell him at a high price to acquire other top players and draft picks, allowing them to remain competitive!
It may be ruthless, but that's the NBA, that's business.
If there were no luxury tax, then we would grit our teeth and keep it, but the luxury tax system, which will be officially implemented in the season after next, will definitely make 90% of the owners in the league more careful when spending money.
After all, it will be a doubling-down model where you spend 1 yuan and pay 2 yuan back!
Aside from New York and Los Angeles, business owners elsewhere really wouldn't dare to do this!
Including Chicago! If there had been a luxury tax in the 90s, Reinsdorf would never have hesitated when negotiating that $3000 million contract with Jordan. He would have even personally bought Jordan's plane ticket and driven him to the plane to New York.
Go wherever you want to play!
Don't come back, have a safe trip!
The same applies to the Pacers. It's true that Lin Tian can bring championships and glory, but if the team owner has to spend 1 million a year on player salaries alone in this era just for a championship, then they will definitely say: Goodbye!
Rather than letting Lin Tian cause trouble for the team and lead to a decline in the team's performance and Lin Tian's trade value, it would be better to sell him as soon as possible while he is at the peak of his trade value, so as to maximize profits.
Fortunately, Lin Tian's words relieved Bird and made him completely relax.
At least we don't have to completely fall out, right?
Happy to everyone!
As for who will stay in the summer, and who will leave?
At least for now, it's certain that Webber isn't leaving, right?
With Lin Tian and Webber on the team, Bird was confident he could maintain a very high level of performance! As for the others...
Let's talk about it next summer!
In the training facility that the Lakers had booked, Jackson had the curtains drawn and all the lights turned off, making the entire training facility pitch black. The only light was the projection on the white wall.
The movie playing above is "Saving Private Ryan".
The entire Lakers team was watching intently.
Well, except Hubble.
This guy had seen this movie several times with Jackson when he was with the Bulls, and now he's completely lost interest.
If he weren't afraid of being targeted by Jackson, he might already be asleep.
Fortunately, the movie was nearing its end and the credits were about to roll, so Hubble had finally made it through.
But then, just as the movie ended and Hubble breathed a sigh of relief, Jackson walked up to the projector with a smile, took out another tape, and put it in.
Mabinogi 5!
A 1990 sports inspirational film, written, directed and starring Sylvester Stallone, which is also the key IP that enabled Stallone to become a top Hollywood actor!
For many Lakers players, especially young guys like Kobe who grew up in Italy and rarely watched old movies, this 90 film is one they've never seen before!
But Hubble couldn't help but scream after seeing the opening credits.
What Hubble wants to do most right now is to find Sylvester Stallone and beg him to hurry up and make the sixth Rocky movie.
Otherwise, he would really get sick of looking at it.
Just how much did Michael Jackson love these old movies, and how much did he enjoy watching them over and over again?
Did he ever imagine that poor Harper would play for the Bulls for so many years and then turn around and come to the Lakers?
frenzied!
frenzied!
Who knows how many times Hubble has watched Rocky with his teammates!
As someone who doesn't particularly enjoy watching movies or boxing, this kind of movie was incredibly exciting the first time I watched it, truly awesome the second time, and worth watching even the third time.
But can we just keep watching it again and again?
Kill him!
Hubble feels that his youth was wasted watching old movies. He now even misses Jackson's yoga classes and the book he gave him, what was it called again, "War and Peace"?
It doesn't matter, Hubble never even finished reading the preface anyway.
But at the very least, Hubble now prefers to read books rather than watch Rocky V!
Perhaps the only good news for Hubble is that Saving Private Ryan takes 169 minutes, while Rocky V only takes 107! He can avoid a whole hour of torture.
Well, because he'd watched them so many times, Hubble knew the exact length and details of these classic inspirational and action-packed war films by heart.
Then Jackson said: You're too young!
Mabinogi 4!
The good news is that Rocky only had 5 movies, and at least now Hubble no longer wants to urge Stallone to make Rocky 6. He even hopes to destroy all the DVDs and videotapes of the first five movies.
Well, another piece of good news is that Jackson finally didn't let his players watch any longer because there wasn't enough time.
Jackson didn't let them watch the remaining 1-3 Rocky movies.
The bad news was that Jackson didn't ask anyone to open the curtains; he just told everyone to rest, stretch, and use the restroom.
Then?
Then came the yoga session that Hubble had been longing for and missed so much!
"Relax your mind and forget about the unpleasant things that happened before."
Forget all the noise and chaos, forget all the failures and setbacks.
"Even forget about the series, forget about your profession and the Lakers."
"Empty your mind, completely empty yourself."
Imagine yourself as a butterfly.
(End of this chapter)