NBA: Back to 97, to be the Jagged Bishop

Chapter 269 Boss and Coach

Kobe scored a goal with his first shot tonight. This is of course a happy event for Kobe himself, but it is also not bad news for Comb.

It is better to let Kobe make crazy shots than let O'Neal make crazy shots.

Moreover, the more physical energy Kobe consumes on the offensive end, the less physical energy he can consume on the defensive end, which allows Gerrard to get more comfortable three-pointers.

Then came the offensive round of the Philadelphia 76ers. The defensive arrangement made by Zen Master was to let Kobe close to Gerrard to defend closely, and then let Malone and Fox each entangle Randolph and Kirilenko. The first time to give Gerrard the opportunity to create a pick-and-roll.

This kind of close-fitting defense is actually one of the best ways to defend three-pointers, because in a close-fitting situation, the opponent has no space to take off and is easy to be blocked. Time to keep up.

But everything has advantages and disadvantages. Close defense has many advantages, but there is also a fatal disadvantage, that is, it is easy to violate the opponent's cylinder and be called a foul.

Especially when the opponent shoots a three-pointer, it is too fatal to be called a foul.

Zen master is smart because he knows Kobe's status in the league, and he knows that the referee can't be too tight on Kobe's defensive action. As long as it doesn't jingle Gerrard's arm, the referee will probably turn a blind eye. only eye.

Kumbu also noticed Kobe's close-fitting defense and smiled disdainfully. He found that the Zen master had become more and more slippery, and he was not as elegant as when he first met him.

But think about it carefully, after losing for so many years, even the best demeanor will lose.

It's a pity that the slickness is the slickness. Comb has already anticipated the situation on the court. Gerrard was asked to shoot a three-pointer at the beginning. In fact, scoring is secondary, mainly because he wants to draw Kobe's defensive attention.

Kobe is the new force of the Lakers and the player most likely to create miracles.

Ao Pang is indeed strong, but his strength has an upper limit. At worst, using foul tactics to send him to the free throw line can interrupt his offensive rhythm.

But Kobe is different, his upper limit is too high. Once it reaches the upper limit, he will be a Jordan-level player. This is a scene that Comb really doesn't want to see. Come out with a Jordan.

This requires Gerrard to involve Kobe as much as possible, consuming his energy and physical fitness, anyway, he can't let Kobe explode.

After Iverson saw Gerrard's situation, he directly chose not to pass the ball to him, and started playing with the old Stockton with the ball by himself.

Another old man tactic.

After controlling for a while, Iverson saw that Kirilenko was in a good position, passed the ball decisively, and then led Stockton to run without the ball in the half court.

Kirilenko's shot failed to score, and Malone picked up the rebound.

After the first three offensive and defensive rounds of the two sides, they all scored two goals, but Philadelphia scored two three-pointers, so the current score is 6:4 and temporarily leading.

In the following time, Gerald beat Kobe, and Iverson beat Stockton. Neither of them took many shots. The offensive focus of the Philadelphia 76ers began to tilt to the inside.

Stockton is getting more and more angry here. He actually knows that Iverson's off-ball ability is not very good, but now it is the stage of the finals, he can't ignore Iverson's off-ball running.

So he could only keep running with Iverson, and after only a few minutes of playing, he was already a little out of breath.

Although Stockton's physical fitness is considered top-notch among whites, especially strength, it is extremely top-notch even in the black group.

But his age is here after all. In fact, in the 97-98 season, his average playing time has been reduced to about 28 minutes per game.

Is it because Jerry Sloan doesn't want his favorite disciple to play more?Obviously not, but Stockton's physical fitness is only enough to play at his best for such a long time, and it won't work any longer.

Even in the playoffs in 98, the Jazz made it to the finals. Facing an opponent like the Bulls, Stockton's average playing time was still 29.8 minutes per game, not more than 30 minutes.

If the physical fitness is enough, Jerry Sloan would definitely want to put Stockton on the court for 48 minutes in this red-eye moment.

Kirilenko on the Philadelphia 76ers' side has become the team's ball transfer point. Iverson often holds the ball to the frontcourt, then hands the ball to Kirilenko, and then Kirilenko distributes the ball.

With the advantage of his height and long arms, Kirilenko has a good vision of passing the ball, and can often pass the ball comfortably to Yao Ming from tricky angles.

Yao Ming didn't hesitate to play against Ao Pang at the basket. As long as he had the ball, he immediately beat Ao Pang.

Although the hit rate is not amazing, it is completely within the team's tolerance.

After playing like this for almost half a quarter, Zen Master Jackson saw that Stockton was in poor condition, so he quickly replaced him and let Fisher, who was on the bench, play.

When Fisher came on the field, Philadelphia's offensive tactics changed immediately.

From the original mainly shot by Yao Ming and Randolph, it has become Iverson's various singles Fisher.

Faced with Fisher's natural shortcomings, it would be a crime not to single him out.

In just 2 minutes, Iverson scored five consecutive points on Fisher's head, making 3 of 2 shots, including a 2+1, which beat Zen Master to shame, and quickly replaced Stockton on the court.

Comb's response here is to replace Iverson with Parker on the bench, let Iverson rest and let Parker continue to suffer from the old man.

Judging from his performance this season, Parker's off-ball ability is actually stronger than Iverson's. During the two months when Iverson was absent, Parker played quite well.

Under such circumstances, Stockton certainly did not dare to relax, and could only run around with Parker.

In addition to Parker, Combe replaced Ginobili to play the second position, won Kirilenko, and let Gerrard play the third position.

The advantage of doing this is that it can greatly increase the offensive firepower of the second and third positions on the field. Fox can't prevent either Ginobili or Gerrard at all. play space.

The thick bench depth is one of the confidences that Kumbu feels can win the Lakers.

It's a pity that the Lakers' combat power is indeed terrifying. Even in this situation, the Philadelphia 76ers did not have a clear advantage.

By the end of the first half, the Lakers were only five points behind.

Being behind by five points at halftime is not an irreparable disadvantage. As long as you are lucky, you may be able to recover in two rounds.

It's a pity that the Lakers' situation is not as optimistic as they appear.

Stockton had already played 20 minutes in the first half, and his old face was flushed at the moment. This high-intensity 10-minute game consumes more energy than the 28 minutes in the regular season.

"Thank you, John."

"But for this championship trophy, I hope you can continue to grit your teeth and persevere."

The Zen master patted Stockton on the shoulder to encourage him.

Stockton could only smile wryly. Is this something that can be persisted through gritted teeth?I can stay on the field all the time, but only God knows what level I can play when I don't have enough physical fitness.

"We didn't fall behind very much, we could recover in two rounds."

"We have the best players in the league, and this year's championship must be ours."

The Zen master clapped his hands and began to cheer up the generals.

"And the best coach." Fisher Fisher said while licking his face.

It's no wonder that he can still be the main player of the Lakers with this kind of defense. This flattering skill is really unmatched by ordinary people.

The Lakers do have the best players, and Zen Master can really be called the best coach in the league. After all, he still has one more championships than Kumbu.

At the end of the intermission, the two sides returned to the field.

After playing for another half a quarter, the Zen master's encouragement did not have any effect. The original five-point difference came to nine points, and it seemed that the double was about to be broken.

Stockton has barely played any role on the court.

Not only has the defensive end been completely unable to keep up with Iverson's footsteps, even because of physical problems, he has also been unable to form an effective cooperation with Malone on the offensive end.

要知道斯托克顿是1962年3月出生的，眼下是2002年6月，斯托克顿都已经超40岁了。

At such an age, no one can expect him to play 10 minutes at his peak on the court, let alone Stockton, not even Jordan.

When the fourth quarter started, Kobe exploded for 3 minutes, scaring Kumbu into a layer of cold sweat, but his explosion didn't last long.

In the end, the Philadelphia 76ers won the game very hard, and in the end they only won by 4 points, which was considered a narrow victory.

Considering that this is the home of the Lakers, this victory makes the Philadelphia 76ers feel confident.

Originally, they had one less home game than the Lakers, but now both sides have three home games left, and their Philadelphia 76ers will win the next game first. The situation in this round of the finals has already tilted towards their Philadelphia.

After the game, Zen Master walked onto the court with a bitter old face and shook hands with Kumbu.

The two didn't say anything, just shook hands, and then led the players back to the locker room.

The next game was the Lakers' home court. Comb led the generals back to the hotel. He had just entered his room when he received a call from Jordan.

Ever since they agreed to fight for the ownership of the new army with Kongbu, the relationship between Jordan and Kongbu has become much closer.

It's just that Jordan's work schedule is very strange, and the time to call Kong Bu is usually in the early morning.

"Kong, congratulations, after winning this game, you are very close to your fifth championship ring."

"You said that the new team we will build in the future, on the day we grow old, how many championships can we win in team history?"

Looking forward to the future, Jordan asked.

"Get old? Old man, are you not old enough yet?"

"I'm the youngest? What are you talking about? I'm an active player and I can score 20 points per game!"

"I'm talking about how many championships we can win in team history on the day we turned 80!" Jordan said angrily.

"80 years old? Then there must be at least twenty championship trophies?"

"Old man, if you call me at this time, you're not just here to have a sweet dream with me, are you?"

Combe asked curiously.

"Of course not. Just now Stern informed me that we should prepare to submit written documents."

"In addition, the funds should be prepared in advance. The league will conduct capital verification after the finals."

"By the way, at the end of June, after the draft is over, the league will hold a shareholder meeting to discuss the matter of military expansion. We have to go to the scene then."

"Go to the scene as a contender for the new army."

Jordan brought a very important message to Comb, that is, the alliance has already started to expand its military.

The expansion of the army cannot be completed overnight. It may take a year or so to negotiate with the Zheng government in Charlotte.

What kind of tax incentives and subsidies the government will give are all subject to negotiation.

An NBA team can bring countless benefits to the local government, increase countless jobs, increase urban GDP, etc., so the government must give tax incentives and various subsidies.

The previous owner of the Charlotte Hornets even thought about asking the Charlotte ZF to pay for the construction of a new arena, and then they would use it for free.

Too bad it didn't work out.

Comb's plan now is to negotiate with Charlotte on the construction of the new arena after he wins the ownership of the new army.

The old arena that the Hornets are currently using is simply too shabby. Every time Comb leads his team to play an away game in Charlotte, it feels like playing a charity game in a slum.

It will take at least a year and a half to build the arena.

So in 2004, it would be nice to really pull the team together.

"Michael, I have a question that I haven't been very clear about."

"You said that if I really become the boss of the new army, can I continue to be the coach?"

"The boss can also serve as the general manager or other positions. I know this is possible. Players cannot concurrently serve as the team's management team. I also know this."

"Whether it is a player, a coach or an owner, they can own equity in other basketball league teams. I also know that."

"The question now is whether I can be the owner of the NBA and also be the coach of this team."

Combe asked with a sigh.

He likes the job of coaching very much, no matter how much money he earns, he simply likes it.

If he can no longer continue to be a coach after becoming a boss, Kumbu may have to start thinking about whether he should give up his favorite career in order to be a boss.

Jordan was also stunned, "Should it be possible?"

"It seems that the league has not issued relevant rules. In addition, there is indeed a precedent in history for a team owner to also serve as a head coach, but that is a negative teaching material."

"Why do I feel that your life trajectory is gradually moving closer to Cunningham?"

A well-known name in NBA circles popped out of Jordan's mouth, Billy Cunningham, nicknamed Kangaroo Boy.

He played for Jordan's alma mater North Carolina in college, and was selected to the All-American team twice. He was selected by the Philadelphia 1965ers with the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 76 draft.

He has won championships in his NBA career, been selected to the All-Star and the best team many times, and won the regular season MVP. He is a first-line star who can't be more standard.

After retiring, he went through jersey retirement ceremonies, and now his No. 32 jersey is still hanging above the Philadelphia Arena, then the Hall of Fame, and then the top [-] superstars in history.

It can be said that he is the most outstanding existence among NBA players.

After retiring, he began to work as a coach. He coached for eight seasons, with 454 wins and 196 losses, with a winning percentage of nearly 1983%. He led the team to the finals three times, and led the team to win the championship in [-].

Even as a coach, he is also a legend. How many coaches can do this in only eight years of coaching?
Then he went to CBS as a TV commentator, and he did a great job.

Jordan said that Comb and Cunningham are very similar. The most important thing is that Cunningham became a shareholder of the Miami Heat during the NBA's 1987 military expansion.

As a perfect coach, he has completed the transformation of becoming a team owner.

(End of this chapter)