NBA: Back to 97, to be the Jagged Bishop

Chapter 224 You Want Me To Die!
The game passed minute by minute. Although Yao Ming had a great advantage at the basket, it was a pity that Da Zhi also had a great advantage when he was facing Ratliff.

As a result, the gap between the two sides has never been widened.

By the time the game entered the fourth quarter, the 76ers were only leading by three points.

As an extremely experienced veteran, Uncle Mu gradually learned to be smart when he faced Yao Ming.

Try to defend Yao Ming around the front as much as possible, so that he can't get the ball. If Yao Ming gets the ball, then stand beside Yao Ming and don't fight against Yao Ming. Anyway, Yao Ming will always make a shot. Wait until Yao Ming makes a shot In an instant, it's not too late to block it again.

This defensive strategy is still very effective, causing Yao Ming's offensive efficiency at the basket to drop considerably.

Reed hit a three-pointer, and Payton immediately returned one.

Houston made a mid-range shot and Kirilenko immediately scored two points.

The two sides really interpreted what it means to fight back and forth. No one can say who will win until the last second of the game.

When there were 14 seconds left in the game, the 76ers only led by two points, and the Knicks still had the ball.

If the Knicks hit a three-pointer, they will be the final winners tonight, but the Knicks' three-pointer is not the top, and it is unlikely that they will hit a three-pointer. After all, old Thomas is not that kind adventurous person.

Then it is only possible to score two points, Kumbu deploys defensive tactics, and Big Zhi has at least a [-]% probability of executing this goal. Whether he can defend it depends on Ratliff.

After taking charge of the Philadelphia 76ers, Comb didn't make too many lineup adjustments. Ratliff, the original starting power forward, was left in the lineup by him, and he was still a starter most of the time.

In fact, Comb had the opportunity to sell Ratliff in exchange for some bargaining chips such as draft picks, because with the addition of Barkley and Oakley, two power forwards, the 76ers are not very short of players at the fourth position.

But Ratliff can play the [-], and he is good at defending space players, so Combe finally kept him.

During the offseason, Comb had already predicted that their biggest opponent this season would be the Knicks, and keeping Ratliff would definitely be of great use.

Just as Kumbu expected, the Knicks really let Big Zhi handle this attack.

Big Zhi received a pass from his teammate inside the three-point line and tried to back Ratliff.

Because the strength attribute had also improved a lot before, Da Zhi was able to push Ratliff back again and again.

After reaching the proper position, Da Zhi turned over and fell back.

Ratliff relied on his amazing jumping ability to fly to block the shot.

Although he failed to block the block, it still affected Dazhi's shot.

"boom!"

Da Zhi's game-winning shot was missed, and Yao Ming at the basket also grabbed the rebound.

Moments later, the referee blew the whistle, and the Philadelphia 76ers narrowly won Game [-] at home.

Although the game was won, Kumbu, the generals of the 76ers and even all the fans of the 76ers were not too excited. The game was too anxious and it was too difficult to win.

You must know that this is still the home court of the 76ers. If it is the home court of the Knicks, the 76ers may have to lose tonight.

Kong Bu sighed, it was at this juncture, and there was no other better way, but to take one step at a time.

Seeing old Thomas standing on the sidelines with a dejected expression, Combe squeezed out a smile and walked over.

"Old man, it seems that your luck is not very good."

Combe laughed.

"It's true that luck is not very good, Kong, your luck is still as good as ever."

"Even if your luck is slightly worse tonight, you will lose."

Old Thomas said angrily.

"What if we are also lucky in the next three games?"

"Old man, you usually do more good deeds to accumulate virtue for yourself."

"In this way, luck will naturally improve."

Hearing what Kumbu said, old Thomas rolled his eyes even more. Doing good deeds will bring good luck?You, Kongbu, have done so many bad and breathable things, and you are not just lucky.

In the next Eastern Conference Finals G2, the 76ers lost at home, which is not the most deadly.

At the end of the third quarter, while defending Big Zhi, Ratliff stepped on Big Zhi's foot when he jumped up and landed. He was injured on the spot and will miss at least half a month of the game.

Without Ratliff, the 76ers have nothing to do with Big Zhi.

The old Barkley or Oakley can't be allowed to defend Big Zhi. No matter the speed or jumping of these two, Big Zhi will be overwhelmed, and they can't keep up with Big Zhi's footsteps.

Kumbu had no choice but to let Kirilenko take the fourth position and Ginobili the third.

The current 76ers have made Comb really realize what it means to be able to cook without rice. The flaws in the lineup are too great, and the number of players who can play is too small. Once a player is injured, it will be a disaster for the 76ers.

The next third and fourth games were the Knicks' home games. The Knicks won all of them and directly led the 3ers with a big score of 1:76.

The situation is already extremely pessimistic for the 76ers.

The old Thomas was grinning from ear to ear, and he was only one step away from eliminating the 76ers. After killing the Lakers in the finals, he will usher in his first championship trophy in his coaching career.

The player career is extremely successful, the top five point guards in history.

His coaching career will also become extremely successful. If he wins a championship trophy in the hands of Kumbu, then he must be at least one of the top ten coaches.

If he wins a few more championship trophies in the future, he will really become a god, a double god in the history of NBA players and coaches.

In the fifth game of the Eastern Conference Finals, when the old Thomas was sitting on the sidelines and preparing to reap the victory, when he eliminated Kumbu with a big score of 4:1, a sudden change occurred. When the game was in the middle of the third quarter, Payton was injured.

Payton played 73 games in the regular season this season, averaging 32 minutes per game. He was well rested by the old Thomas and maintained good health.

But when it came to the playoffs, he couldn't take a rest.

The first round of the playoffs was okay. They swept their opponents 4:0 and advanced. In the second round against the Raptors, Payton played seven games and averaged 44 minutes per game.

At this moment, in the Eastern Conference Finals game, he averaged an astonishing 46 minutes per game in the first four games, and he hardly took a break.

The reason for this situation is because of Iverson.

Iverson worked too hard and didn't end at all.

As long as Iverson doesn't leave the field, Payton has to stay with him on the field all the time. There is no way to leave the field, because as long as he is off the field, Iverson can immediately play an incredible offensive against Yao Ming.

What's more terrible is that Iverson has been trying to consume Payton's physical energy, and he has to run back and forth with Iverson almost the entire game.

If it was Payton when he was young, he wouldn't be afraid of this style of play at all, and he didn't know who would kill who in the end.

But now that Payton is old after all, how could he consume the young and vigorous Iverson.

In fact, during the intermission, Payton already felt that something was wrong, and his knee was extremely sore.

But tonight is the deciding game, and after winning, he can rest for a few days. He simply gritted his teeth and persisted, thinking that his body could carry it through.

It's a pity that under the high-intensity confrontation, he couldn't hold on in just 5 minutes.

With Payton's injury, Iverson's offensive firepower was directly released.

Even though the 76ers were 9 points behind, when the referee blew the whistle for the end of the game, the 76ers still won and beat the Knicks by [-] points.

The 76ers fans, who were completely desperate about the situation, once again had hope in their hearts.

Payton injured?The Knicks are definitely a dead end. If no one can limit Iverson, why should the Knicks win.

The next morning, the Knicks officially announced Payton's injury, and he will have to rest for at least three months, which means that he will be completely unable to play this season.

Kong Bu breathed a sigh of relief, the 76ers are really desperate.

If Payton persists for even another 10 minutes, the 76ers may be eliminated.

Now with Payton's injury and retirement, Combe feels that their chances of advancing to the finals have reached at least 8%.

Old Thomas was frowning, and things were in trouble.

Payton was injured, and Mark Jackson was the backup point guard.

The old Mark has no problem on the offensive end. His one-handed back at the point guard position is enough to change the rules. His organizational skills are also outstanding, and he has maintained more than 8 assists on the sidelines.

It's just that the defense is awkward, he is older than Payton, and his athletic ability is not outstanding. For a player like Iverson, his defense is almost equivalent to air.

However, the Knicks really don't need a point guard to be strong on the offensive or organizational end. The only thing they need is to limit Iverson's performance.

Obviously old Mark couldn't complete this task at all.

It was only then that Old Thomas remembered Childs, the point guard he had discarded.

Childs' offense is not very good, and his organizational skills are not up to the mark, but he is desperately defending.

How can a player like him who came out of the secondary league not defend desperately? This is the capital for him to gain a foothold in the NBA.

Although the defensive strength is definitely not as good as Payton, it is definitely much stronger than the old Mark.

"Where is Childs? Where is Childs?!" Old Thomas yelled at his coaching staff.

Everyone looked at each other, Charles?If no one released him on bail, he would probably still be locked up in the Philadelphia police station.

In fact, Childs has now been released on bail, but he is in a lawsuit with Mark Lodge.

Mark Lodge insisted that Childs ruined his career, and that he should have a bright future under Combe.

Now that this kind of thing happened, I couldn't play in the Eastern Conference Finals, which has already caused Kumbu's dissatisfaction. It will be difficult to get playing time in the 76ers.

Charles insisted that Mark Rock was originally a drinking fountain watchman and had no future at all. Even without this incident, it would be impossible for him to play in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Anyway, the two sides are entangled endlessly around whether Mark Rock has the potential to play out.

This is related to the amount of compensation.

In the end, the trouble came to Kongbu, and Mark Rock asked Kongbu to come out of the mountain to be his own witness.

How can Kumbu have that time, but at the press conference, facing the reporter's questions, he must also favor Mark Lodge.

"Since I keep him, it means he must be a valuable player."

"As for why you said I didn't give him a chance to perform, is it because he doesn't deserve playing time."

"It's too layman to ask this kind of question. When Jermaine O'Neal was in the Trail Blazers, he was a second-year player like Mark Lodge. He was also guarding the drinking fountains. Can you say he is worthless?"

"Kirilenko and Ginobili have been selected for a whole year, let alone play, they have not signed a team, and now they are playing."

"Carter played for me as a backup for two years, now? He's a top-five shooting guard in the league."

Comb's "testimony" made the lawsuit no longer suspenseful.

What a joke, a player who is regarded as valuable by Comb may have his career ruined, so how much is it to pay a few million dollars?

Just when Childs felt that he was going to die, he received a call from Thomas Sr., asking him to report to the team immediately.

Then Thomas Sr. made another call to Combe.

"Kong, there's no need to go too far with this kind of thing, right?"

"It's just a fight. How can a young man not fight? Why don't you ask him to pay so much?"

Old Thomas had come to intercede for Charles.

"Huh? What do you mean by telling me this? How does it feel like I ordered Mark Lodge to blackmail people?"

"It's nothing to do with me, it's not me who hit me."

"In addition, don't you have to respect the law in this kind of thing? If there is a fight on the field, even if Mark Rock is killed, I won't say anything."

"After all, it is off-court now, so everything should be done according to the law."

Kong Bu said plausibly.

Old Thomas knew Kumbu too well, and knowing what Kumbu said, he definitely didn't want to care about this matter.

He hurried to Michael Curry again.

This Michael Curry is none other than the current head of the players union. He plays for the Pistons and is considered an old acquaintance of Thomas.

After Ewing stepped down from the head of the players union, the little-known pawn Michael Curry took over.

"Mr. Thomas, you want me to die!"

"Let me negotiate with Kongbu? Do you have any misunderstandings about me? Can Kongbu buy my account?"

"I just need to say one wrong word, and he can let me be laid off that night, do you believe it or not?"

Michael Curry said to Thomas Sr., dumbfounded.

In the past, the heads of the players' union were some top stars. From 88 to 94, it was Thomas Sr., then Ram Buck Williams, and then Ewing.

As a result, Ewing became a scab and betrayed the vast number of middle- and lower-level players. Later, when the leader was selected, he stopped choosing top stars and chose a representative figure of middle- and lower-level players like Michael Curry.

"You have to try it? The players pay you protection fees every year. Now that something like this has happened, you can't ignore it, right?" Old Thomas said angrily.

The players have to give part of their wages to the union every year. In theory, the union is indeed responsible to Charles.

"Should I ask the union to refund Childs' money?"

"You can't let me risk losing my job for the tens of thousands of dollars, can you? And the money didn't go into my pocket."

Michael Curry has been in the league for so many years, and he understands Comb's influence all too well.

Don't provoke Kumbu if you have nothing to do, this is the consensus of the entire league.

(End of this chapter)