NBA: Back to 97, to be the Jagged Bishop

Chapter 250 Desperate McGrady

It is definitely not easy to become the owner of a new team, especially in recent years, the NBA's market value has skyrocketed, and the threshold is much higher than when the Raptors and Grizzlies expanded.

When the Raptors expanded their army, the deposit was only about [-] million U.S. dollars.

The following Charlotte's military expansion was raised to 5000 million U.S. dollars.

It seems that the threshold is very high. In fact, compared with the NBA's military expansion plan 20 years later, the two hundred and fifty million US dollars can hardly be called the threshold.

The deposit after 20 years is 25 billion US dollars!
Therefore, entering the market at this time can be said to be a huge profit. Not to mention that Kongbu has sufficient cash in his hand, even if he doesn't, he has to borrow the money everywhere.

Seeing what Stern means, he still supports himself as the new boss of Charlotte, which reassures Comb a lot.

As long as Stern can support it, then everything is fine.

However, military expansion is still just a plan after all. The Charlotte Hornets have not yet moved to New Orleans, and Combe can only wait patiently.

……

The All-Star Game starts, and the coach of the Eastern Conference is Old Thomas.

On the west side is Popovich of the Spurs.

After the game started, Iverson played like a wandering spirit, absent-minded throughout the game.

He didn't have the energy to play, and Yao Ming's side was also deeply affected, because no one else would pass the ball to him.

The main reason is that Yao Ming is thin-skinned and embarrassed to take the initiative to ask for the ball. Even if he grabs an offensive rebound, he is too embarrassed not to give it to Carter or McGrady. So he only took three shots in 23 minutes of playing.

In the end, the West won the All-Star Game, and O'Pang won the AMVP. This has been called the most dominant center in history, and finally won an All-Star MVP.

After the All-Star Game, Combe felt that it was not a problem for Iverson to go on like this. Taking advantage of two days before the start of the game, he decided to have a good chat with Iverson.

"Allen, do you think we still have hope of winning the championship this season?"

Comb called Iverson to his office and asked straight to the point.

Iverson was taken aback for a moment, not understanding why Combe would ask such a question.

"Boss, although our recent record is not very good, this is the regular season after all. I think we will be able to play a dominant role after entering the playoffs."

Kumbu shook his head directly, "No, Allen, do you think our team is still dominant with the current mental state?"

"Don't talk about the Knicks, we can all lose to the fifth-ranked Timberwolves in the West now."

"I'll tell you the truth, I can't stay long in Philadelphia."

"I can stay for another two years, maybe a year, and maybe even leave Philadelphia tomorrow."

"If you don't cherish this last chance to win the championship, do you think you will have another chance in the future?"

What Comb said was a bit exaggerated, but he does have the idea of ​​leaving Philadelphia now, after all, he is going to compete for the ownership of the Charlotte Hornets.

Iverson's complexion changed drastically. He had never considered this question. What would he do if Combe left.

With the current strength of the Philadelphia 76ers, even if Combe leaves, as long as Yao Ming is still there, they will still be the favorite seed team to win the championship.

But that was just the favorite to win the championship. The Raptors in the past two years were not the same. They had a rich family background left by Comb, but they still failed to win the championship, and they didn't even make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Iverson's goal is to build a dynasty like Jordan did. If Combe leaves, he feels that his dream will also be shattered.

"Allen, you are the soul of this team. Even if Yao Ming rises to the point where he can compete with Shaq, in the eyes of many people, you are still the leader of the team."

"As the boss of the team, you have to act like the boss and lead by example."

"You played carelessly on the court, how could those young players not follow your example."

Combe continued.

Only then did Iverson realize that the reason for the team's current downturn was him, the boss of the team.

"Boss, I know I was wrong."

"In the next game, you can see my performance."

Iverson quickly stated that he didn't want to have only one championship ring in his career.

……

On February 2, the Philadelphia 21ers played against the Orlando Magic at home.

In the blink of an eye, McGrady has joined the Magic for more than a season.

Their record last season was very unsatisfactory, mainly due to Grant Hill's reimbursement for the season. The team lacked a top-salary player, and their combat effectiveness was greatly affected.

It is rumored that Hill will come back this season, but two-thirds of the season has gone on, and Hill's comeback is still far away.

McGrady was forced to be impatient, a bit like Kobe led the Lakers alone later, he grabbed the ball and his personal data exploded.

Today, McGrady's average data per game has reached 33.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.8 steals, and his shooting percentage is higher than 45%. It can be said that this is the season with the strongest personal strength since McGrady entered the league.

It's a pity that the Magic's lineup is really bad. Even if McGrady has played this level of data, the Magic can still only rank seventh in the Eastern Conference.

Fortunately, the Magic won the strong Mike Miller in the draft before, otherwise they would not even be ranked seventh now.

Miller is a player similar to sharpshooter Korver. His athletic ability is not very good, but his three-pointers are very accurate, especially the three-pointers at critical moments, which can always surprise people.

He played for the Heat in his later generations, and he was a helper next to the Big Three of the Heat. In Game 8 of the finals against the Thunder, he made 7 of [-] three-pointers and took the Thunder away.

On the night of the game, after seeing the Magic's starting lineup, Comb understood why McGrady kept looking sour, as if the whole world owed him 500 million.

Magic's starting center turned out to be Ewing!

It is said that a skinny camel is bigger than a horse, and Ewing overturned this common sense. He is really not as good as some third-rate centers. It is no exaggeration to say that Mark Rock, who was sent by Kumbu as an extra, is worse than the current one. Ewing is strong.

The Zhengyin center in the team is of such a level, it is no wonder that McGrady is dissatisfied.

The point guard is Darrell Armstler, an inspirational little guy who lost the draft.

It is equivalent to saying that the Magic has a lot of shortcomings at the beginning and the end. Generally, if the fifth position is not enough, the team must at least have a decent first position, or if the first position is not enough, they must have a decent fifth position.

The Magic are good. The [-]st and [-]th positions are both next-best choices. Although McGrady has won three championships, he doesn't want to lose all the time.

Especially tonight he is facing Kongbu, and he is eager to prove himself in front of Kongbu.

The Philadelphia 76ers are complete tonight, Yao Ming, Randolph, Gerrard, Reggie Miller and Iverson.

As soon as the whistle sounded, Yao Ming succeeded in jumping the ball, and then Iverson took the ball to the frontcourt, suddenly scored to Yao Ming, and completed an alley-oop dunk.

Although there is no aesthetic feeling, Yao Ming hardly took off, but it was an alley-oop anyway, and the fans cheered and shouted.

Even the fans can feel that Iverson is different.

After two months of depression, tonight Iverson looked high-spirited, and became that fearless little fighter again.

When it came to the Magic's offensive round, Darrell Armstler originally wanted to control the ball to the frontcourt and hand the ball to McGrady. This is the Magic's only tactic.

It's a pity that he was still careless. As soon as he took possession of the ball past the midfield line, he was immediately intercepted by Iverson with a gambling steal.

Seeing that Iverson was so active, Comb was relieved a lot.

After the steal was successful, Iverson did not make a shot, but assisted Reggie Miller and scored another three-pointer.

In less than 1 minute of the opening, Iverson has scored 2 assists and 1 steal, which is completely different from the previous state of bewilderment.

It is still the Magic's possession of the ball.

This time Armstrong defended Iverson like a thief, and he stumbled to control the ball to the frontcourt. Because he was a little far away from McGrady, he didn't dare to pass to McGrady, but chose to pass the ball to the team's second offensive point. Le.

Miller shot with open hand, and also hit a three-pointer.

Gerald glanced at Miller, like a beast staring at its prey, and it was obvious that Miller's life was going to be difficult.

It was another round for the Philadelphia 76ers. Iverson chose to make a shot alone this time, but unfortunately he failed to score. His mid-range shot from the emergency stop was a bit off, and the rebound fell far away. Yao Ming didn't get the offensive rebound.

The rebound was taken by Cobra Grant.

The Magic's inside partners are Gorilla and Cobra. The age of the twin towers combined can go to the Civil War.

When the Magic's round, Armstrong continued to pass the ball to Mike Miller.

This time Miller wanted to repeat the three-pointer from the previous round, but unfortunately he was already being targeted by Gerrard.

Compared with the current Artest, it seems that Gerrard is more suitable for the nickname of the beast.

Miller looked at Gerrard's majestic body, and immediately lost the desire to make a shot. Of course he could make a shot, but the hit rate was off the mark, and he might even be blocked by the beast on the opposite side.

As a player who plays with his head, Miller passed the ball to Tracy McGrady.

Looking at the NBA players named Miller in this way, it seems that none of them rely on their physical fitness to play, such as center Brad Miller, point guard Andre Miller, and Reggie in the Comb team. -Miller.

After McGrady received the ball, he pulled directly in front of the old Miller and easily hit two points.

The old Miller looked embarrassed, not because he didn't want to defend, but because he really couldn't defend. McGrady's way of shooting reminded him of Jordan in his peak period.

It is true that McGrady's strength is far from Jordan's height, but his shot height is not inferior to Jordan's at all, and Miller can't block the block at all.

After playing a few more rounds, Miller took the initiative to ask for a timeout with the technical table, and he was ready to leave.

As a veteran player, he no longer cares much about playing time, and he has no intention of competing with these young rising stars.

Knowing that you can't defend against McGrady, then you simply can't defend yourself and let those who can defend play.

In this way, Kirilenko was carried on the field.

To say that players in this league can really threaten McGrady on the defensive end, Kirilenko will definitely rank first. He seems to be born to defend against players like McGrady.

The top-level blocking ability, 206 height and 228 cm wingspan, because of his thin body, his jumping ability and speed are not bad.

Especially the 228 cm wingspan is definitely the existence that makes Yao Ming silent.

Yao Ming is 20 centimeters taller than Kirilenko, but his wingspan is 8 centimeters shorter than Kirilenko's, which is quite outrageous.

Therefore, it is not unreasonable for Kirilenko to become the only outside shot blocker. His physical fitness belongs to the fact that he was born in Rome, and he can't block shots if he wants to.

Some people were born in Rome, some people were born as cattle and horses. Kumbu felt that he was a cattle and horse. If his physical fitness could be better, he even thought about becoming a player. Unfortunately, this is a fantasy that is doomed to be unrealized. .

With Kirilenko's debut, McGrady's offensive efficiency immediately decreased a lot.

The magic coach Doug Rivers on the sidelines was anxious like an ant on a hot pot. McGrady, the team's top offensive point, was restricted by Kirilenko, and the second offensive point was restricted by Gerrard. How can this ball be played?
He quickly called a timeout, replaced Ewing, and replaced the swingman Jalen Jackson on the bench.

Combe suddenly became interested.

In NBA history, there are many examples of father and son being NBA players, including Ewing, whose father is strong and whose son is weak, and Curry and his son, whose father is weak and whose son is strong.

Jalen Jackson and his son belong to the latter.

The old Jalen is 198 cm tall and plays the second and third positions, but his son Jalen Jr. is 211 cm tall. He was the No. 2018 pick in [-]. He is a rookie in the same class as Ayton and Doncic. He became the king of blocked shots in the third grade And he was selected for the first round of defense, and his achievements are much higher than those of old Jalen.

It's a pity that the appearance of old Jalen didn't play any role. The Magic still couldn't start the situation on the offensive end.

If you can't open the offensive end, then the defensive end is even worse. This Magic is not good at defense.

By the end of the third quarter, the score had been stretched to 27 points, and it was almost [-] points.

McGrady became more and more angry, did not play in the fourth quarter, sat on the sidelines with a towel covering his head and said nothing.

When he joined the Magic, he thought he would not care about the team's record and only wanted to check his personal data, but when the team's record was really unsatisfactory, he regretted it.

I am used to tasting the taste of victory, and this feeling of losing often is very uncomfortable.

If McGrady didn't become a dynasty member in the Raptors at the beginning, he might not be so eager to win now.

In the fourth quarter of the game, Kumbu also put on a pure substitute lineup, which didn't make the Magic lose too ugly.

The pure bench lineup of the Philadelphia 76ers is really a pure bench. The five players are all players that Kombu asked Billy King to trade for in the summer league, and none of them have NBA standards.

After the five of them played, they began to send points. At the end of the fourth quarter, the Magic only lost by seven points.

Although they didn't lose much, facing the defending champion Philadelphia 76ers, they only lost by seven points. What more bicycles are needed, but Doug Rivers and Tracy McGrady are still extremely desperate.

The gap is really too big, so big that people can't give birth to the idea of ​​catching up.

(End of this chapter)