First in scoring

Chapter 521 519. You are against God (Part )
"During the 1991 offseason, the Knicks, who had just defended their title, were in a huge crisis.

The contracts of many main players and even core players are expiring or are about to enter the contract year. At the critical period of contract renewal negotiations, head coach Stu Jackson submitted his resignation on the grounds that his personal pursuits were inconsistent with the current work, and the Knicks' team work immediately came to a standstill.

控卫位置主力替补、80年代曾5次入选最佳防守阵容其中4次一防、4次入选全明星的莫里斯-奇克斯，在卫冕赛季季后赛场均拿到7.4分2板4.7助攻1.7抢断，收到老鹰队2年300万肥约报价，尼克斯队因管理层震动未能及时做出反应，失去了这位控卫线防守大闸+战术大师。

With the first person leaving, other players began to contact the teams that made offers more frequently. Faced with the team's out-of-control situation, David Hamilton, the young general manager who had taken a big gamble and used the first 500 million-dollar annual contract in history to bring you from Boston to New York, was forced to resign.

The resignation of both the general manager and the head coach triggered competition among several unemployed former NBA management personnel and former head coaches. Pat Riley was the most active, and his brilliant coaching record received widespread support from the New York media.

Larry Bird asked if you were willing to let him be the head coach. After receiving the inquiry, he acted decisively. As a member of the coaching staff, he seized the opportunity of being close to the Knicks and directly found Charles Dolan, the owner of Cable Group, the parent company of the Knicks. After elaborating on his team's operating guidelines, team building philosophy, and coaching ideas, he won the favor of Charles Dolan.

Charles Dolan sent an order to Knicks President Dave Chekster, appointing Bird as the new general manager.

Charles Dolan's actions triggered criticism from the New York media, which was very unfavorable to Bird, and derogatory words flooded the reports of major media.

After Bird took office, he first renewed his contract with Ewing with a starting salary of 490 million and a total of 3 million over three years. After meeting Ewing's salary increase request, he also ensured that you would still be the highest paid player in the league next season.

Bird then convinced Charles Oakley to put the championship first and continue the previous salary level, completing the contract extension for 2 years and $210 million.

The contract renewal issue for the twin towers in the interior was resolved, and the situation immediately stabilized.

Those talented players and veterans are thinking about leaving, mainly because they are worried that Ewing will leave the team. In that case, they can foresee that you will not stay with the team after the end of next season.

The Knicks, who lost the league's second-best center in the second team and second defense, are no longer meaningful to you, who are pursuing the championship, in the eyes of your teammates.

Then, Bird gathered the whole team and gave a speech on the theme of "Dynasty Dream". As one of the strongest players in NBA history, the only one in the modern basketball era to win three consecutive MVPs and four championships...his speech was very successful.

接着首发小前锋杰拉德-威尔金斯以起薪50万、2年合计110万续约；以起薪45万、2年合计100万与得分后卫替补约翰-斯塔克斯完成续约。

Mark Jackson, who was clamoring to renew his contract early, also put the matter on hold for the time being.

The three starting players and the young shooting guard as the main substitute have completed their contract renewals, plus the remaining one-year contracts of you, Kiki Vandeweghe and Mark Jackson have expired. Although the team was unable to completely retain the nine-man core lineup that defended the title last season, as the two main outside substitutes Maurice Cheeks and Trent Tucker left, Bird has stopped the losses to the maximum extent and resolved the crisis of "collapse without illness" after winning the championship.

The New York media's evaluation of Bird quickly changed from pessimism and doubt to constant praise.

Chinese sports media used the phrase "supporting a collapsing building" to describe Bird.

7人核心阵容稳固后，伯德进入自由市场，以2年49万签下小安东尼-梅森；用86届5号秀、锋线摇摆人肯尼-沃克为筹码，从开拓者队换回了今年首轮第12顺位新秀格雷格-安东尼。

Anthony Mason Jr. was selected by the Trail Blazers with the third pick in the third round of the 88 draft, but failed to sign a contract. He played for the Nets in the 3-3 season, playing in 89 games. In the 90-21 season, he got a 90-day short contract from the Nuggets and played in 91 games. He has no appearance record after November 10, 3.

But his outstanding performance in the Albany, New York, home team of the Continental Basketball Association in the 90-91 season attracted the attention of Bird, who was then the coaching consultant of the Knicks.

Greg Anthony, a senior at the University of Nevada, is 23 years old and a very mature point guard who excels at speed and counter-attack passing. Bird believes that he is very suitable for passing the ball to you in the second lineup.

Towards the end of the offseason, Bird became involved in the free agent competition for Xavier McDaniel.

Xavier McDaniel, a small forward selected by the SuperSonics with the 85th pick in the 4 draft, was once a talented rising star and a future superstar. He averaged 4+20 for four consecutive seasons starting from his sophomore year, but suffered a serious injury at the end of the 8-89 season. After returning from the injury, his athletic ability was no longer there. He was abandoned by the SuperSonics after playing 90 games last season and was sent to the Suns with two second-round picks. His statistics plummeted to an average of 15+15 per game. After the end of the season, he refused to renew his contract with the Suns, who played a fast offense under the leadership of Kevin Johnson, and entered the free market.

The fast-paced Supersonics and Suns are not suitable for McDaniel, but for teams with strong inside players, McDaniel, who has solid skills and can make mid-range shots, is still a popular choice. The Rockets, Spurs, and Celtics have all entered the fray.

In the end, Bird defeated his old team, the Celtics, and signed McDaniel to a 4-year, $800 million contract, using no other means but Chandor.

Charles Dolan gave a salary budget of 2000 million. Bird decisively used the second highest salary in the league to retain Ewing. When renewing the contract, he was stingy and sold feelings and marketed the dream of a dynasty, just waiting to use it when competing for free agents.

In this era where players earn two to three million a year, superstars generally earn three to four million a year, with a maximum of five million, and main players' annual salaries just over one million are considered high-paid, all players want the highest salary or better opportunities, or a balance between the two. Only those veteran superstars who are already financially free can cling to others.

注：1991-1992赛季，湖人队总薪资为1572万，其中包括已经退役被买断的埃尔文-约翰逊的薪水；公牛队总薪资为1672万，斯科特-皮蓬已经签下7年2100万长约。

Bird successfully snatched the player from the Celtics, who were short of small forwards, and won the support of the New York media and was officially accepted.

Bird took the opportunity to announce that he would concurrently serve as the team's head coach...

After the start of the 91-92 season, the Knicks' road to defending the title was not as promising as at the beginning of the previous season.

The team was in turmoil. Although Bird did very well in the free market later and Smith and McDaniel were both considered excellent signings, the head coach who led the team to two consecutive championships resigned to go back to college to study management. The newly appointed Bird had retired only a year ago and had no coaching experience.

However, in the new season, under your leadership, the Knicks started with 10 consecutive wins, slapping the faces of those who looked down on you.

Bird continued Stu Jackson's offensive philosophy and made major adjustments to the formation.

You and Ewing are the core of the starting lineup, and your teammates become Jackson, McDaniel, and Oakley, focusing on positional offense.

The rotation lineup focused on your and Greg Anthony's fast offense. Bird boldly put Mason at the center position, and with the physical swingman Gerald Wilkins placed in the second lineup, the speed was pushed to the extreme.

The addition of two new players, Greg Anthony and Mason, liberated your fast break ability. In the first 15 games in the first month, you averaged 31.2 points per game, surpassing Michael Jordan who averaged 30.8 points per game, ranking first in the scoring list, and started a fierce competition with Jordan, who has won the scoring title for five consecutive seasons.

In terms of record, you and Jordan were in fierce competition. At the end of March, the situation was still tense. You averaged 3 points per game and had 30.4 wins and 61 losses, while Jordan averaged 12 points per game and had 30.6 wins and 60 losses.

In the decisive April, Jordan had a bad start and the Bulls lost to the Celtics. Your former substitute Reggie Lewis broke out, limiting Jordan to only 4 points on the defensive end with 28 of 12 shots and 26 points on the offensive end. Kevin McHale scored 31 points and Rick Fox scored 20 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists. The three of them led the team to an upset victory over the Bulls 11-117.

Knowing that you were two games ahead of the Bulls, you were full of energy and won all nine games in April in one go. Together with the three consecutive wins at the end of March, you ended the regular season with 4 consecutive wins, got 9 wins, and became the first team in NBA history to get 3 wins, setting a new best record in history.

You danced alone in the final game of the regular season against the Hawks. Your matchup with the 'league's fourth point guard' Dominic Wilkins was the league's final hot game, but Wilkins ruptured his Achilles tendon in late January and was out for the season. Without your opponent, you put all your energy into shooting, playing 1 minutes, making 39 of 40 shots, including 25 of 12 three-pointers, plus 7 of 15 free throws, scoring 13 points, 70 rebounds, 10 assists and 0 steals.

Thanks to this single-game 70 points, your average score soared from 30.5 points to 30.98 points. In the last game, you surpassed Jordan who averaged 30.7 points, ending Jordan's five-game scoring streak!

常规赛你取得70胜12负的战绩，打出场均31分7.1板3.3助攻2.9抢断0.9盖帽的数据，投篮命中率50.1%，三分命中率42.9%，力压67胜15负、场均30.7分6.2板6助攻3抢断的乔丹，赢得常规赛MVP，并入选一阵一防。

Bird's first season as a manager and head coach was legendary, just like his college and NBA career. He defeated Cavaliers general manager Wayne Embry to win the Best Manager Award and Warriors head coach Don Nelson to win the Best Coach Award.

You and Bird were named the best partnership in history. From players to coaches and players, no matter how you team up, you are the strongest.

到了季后赛，首轮你场均出场31分钟拿到25分，率队3比0轻松横扫已经崩盘的坏孩子军团活塞队，第二轮4比1稳稳击败篮网队，晋级东部决赛，与3比0击败步行者队、4比2击败骑士队的公牛队会师。

In the first 6 games, you and Jordan led the team to defend all home courts, and the score was tied at 3-3.

It is now May 1992, 5, the day after Game 30 of the Eastern Conference Finals..."

Zhang Yang woke up and a bunch of information flooded into his mind. After receiving the information, he felt that his career on this timeline was really bumpy. He won two consecutive championships and was about to win the dynasty. The future vice president quit his job and wanted to change careers and go to college. It was outrageous!

But this is New York, and after the surprise, he felt it was normal.

However, this time, the first experience was a "decisive battle", which was the first time.

The East has not even made it out of the game, and the "decisive battle" has already begun? He really thinks so. The Lakers beat the West in the 80 years of the 10s, and they haven't recovered yet. Whether it's what he saw from the training information of the first few times of the 80s line, or his impression, the West was the worst in the first two or three years of the 90s.

It was not until Barkley joined the Suns and started a trend of stars moving westward that the West gradually regained its "vitality". Then the Eastern Conference became chaotic and defeated them again. This time it was even more ruthless, and the Eastern Conference did not recover for more than 20 years.

There was just one thing that he felt a little "ashamed" about - in the closing match, while the essence of the human movie was gone, he "scored" 70 points and snatched the top scorer.

Is he paving the way for the Admiral's future? No, it is also possible that he has blocked the Admiral's path to the scoring title. It is also possible that neither the Admiral nor the Sharks will be able to win the scoring title, and he and Jordan will continue to compete for the championship.

He just wanted to say that the 70 points were a great score! If he were to do it himself, he would only shoot harder...

After digesting the training information, Zhang Yang's mind moved, and the "door" appeared in his sight.

“Name: Zhang Yang.

Age: 28 (Date of birth: June 1963, 6.)
Height: 196 cm, wingspan: 216 cm.

Weight: 96 kg.

Ability evaluation: three-pointer 95, mid-range shot 95, layup 95, ball control 93, passing 87, speed 94, strength 89, jumping 90, physical strength 96... (80 line peak)
Gains from the training: Steve Nash's sense of ball control rhythm (intermediate), continuous jumping ability improvement, the devil's pace of the demon sword, the rhythm of Bird's back-to-the-basket play (intermediate), a slight improvement in core strength, small wins big, the art of back to the basket, I age slower (intermediate), the god of death (beginner), art is shooting, there are many kinds of peaks. "

Seeing all the shooting basics that have reached historical levels, Zhang Yang wanted to shout "Awesome!" at the top of his lungs!
His strength is probably not as good as Jordan's, and the gap in jumping ability should be huge, but he has an advantage in speed, which he had before and should be even bigger now.

In terms of mid-range shooting, he estimated that it was hard to say who was better between him and the 29-year-old Jordan, as Jordan was better at attacking the basket than him, but in terms of three-point shooting, he was far better than Jordan and was the best three-point shooter in history so far.

He is only a week away from turning 29, and his physical fitness and skills are at the peak of their peak... He can't wait to go on the court and face Jordan head-on.

After taking a deep breath and calming down, he knew that he couldn't rush now and some things had to be done first.

He got up from the bed. This was obviously not his home but a hotel. Looking at the training information, he knew he was still in Chicago. The Knicks had 70 wins, the most in history, and they would definitely play Game at home, which should be on Children's Day.

After taking a shower, he felt refreshed and came to the small living room of the suite. He wanted to look through the phone book to call the editor, but the videotapes were on the table. He took a look and found that except for the video of G6 last night, all the previous five games were available.

He quickly reviewed the offensive portion of the G1 video and understood why this training session started directly with a 'decisive battle'.

He looked at the detailed statistics of the first five games next to the video. He averaged 5 points and 34.5 assists per game. He really just kept shooting. Mark Jackson, Greg Anthony, Anthony Mason Jr., and Ewing basically took care of all the passing work.

In terms of tactics, in positional offense, Bird basically picked up the system of the future vice president and used it, but he did it to the extreme, with an extremely slow pace, which made it difficult for Pippen and Jordan to speed up.

Fast break, Bird's vision is really sharp. Greg Anthony, this little point guard made a deep impression on Zhang Yang in his own era. He is a good passer who can push Iverson, Anthony, Kenyon Martin and Nene.

Anthony Mason Jr. was absolutely amazing at center, bringing to life the small-ball style of play that Nelson Sr. created in the late 80s.

Using a small player to play center, Russell was considered a small player, 206 cm, which was normal in the 70s and 208s, but after the s when there were more giants, this situation became rare. The cm Buck Williams was often questioned when playing center, even though he was selected for the first defense, he was beaten in many ways when facing Dream, Gorillas, and Admirals.

But in the 86-87 season, Nelson used the 206 cm + 100 kg swingman Terry Cummings as center and proposed the concept of "pure offensive basketball"... Then he was fired by the Bucks in the summer of 87, and after being unemployed for a year, he joined the Warriors. The Warriors owner was willing to go crazy with him.

Bird is not as extreme as the mad scientist. Anthony Mason Jr. plays center and does a good job in basic defense. Here, 'he' and Gerald Wilkins form the front-back defense gate, plus Anthony Mason Jr., who puts pressure on defense, steals and counterattacks... It is obvious that they are going to compete with Jordan and Pippen, and they have prepared such a lineup for the playoff match against the Bulls.

Zhang Yang speculated that winning 70 games, MVP, best coach, best manager, etc., were probably unexpected "byproducts". Bird's adjustment of the system was purely aimed at Jordan...

The team's positional offensive system is a 'familiar' style, and he only needs to seize scoring opportunities on fast breaks.

In the video, his personal skills are no different from what he showed in the training camp report yesterday. Is his movement smoother and more natural? Is his instinctive reaction better? He will know these things after he steps on the court and actually feels them.

...

In the morning, Zhang Yang studied the offensive and defensive clips of the first five games twice, and gathered with his teammates at noon to go to the airport.

Entering the training mode, the sealed memories have been unlocked. Facing Mark Jackson, Ewing, Vandeweghe, Oakley, Starks and other teammates who won the first championship together in 90, Zhang Yang felt very familiar and there was no sense of strangeness in the communication.

After getting on the plane, assistant coach Sam Vincent gave Zhang Yang the G6 video that the editor had prepared overnight.

Zhang Yang's eyes widened when he saw Vincent, and he "dreamed back" to his own timeline, but the Vincent here was much younger than he would be a dozen years later.

He remembered that when he first came to the 80th line, Vincent was his teammate, but he did not get a chance to play in the playoffs. Although he was a first-round pick, he was a "fake", averaging 3 points per game in his rookie year. During the playoffs, he guarded the water dispenser with Carlisle, who also did not get a chance to play.

He realized belatedly that the relationship between the two brothers was established so early. They guarded the water dispenser together when they were players, and they stood next to the water dispenser together after becoming coaches. They deserved the title of "Water Dispenser Brothers".

But Bird was really ruthless. After being squeezed out by the Celtics, he turned against them without showing any mercy. Vincent, a tactical genius and excellent assistant coach from the Celtics, was snatched away directly. And McDaniel was also snatched away from his old club.

It's just what Zhang San likes!
Unlike McHale, who ate other people's food and thought about his old club, but tried his best to send people to his old club. When he was fired by the Timberwolves and wanted to work for the Celtics, Ainge ignored him. In the end, he went to the Rockets and got the lowest salary of all the head coaches in the league...

On the plane, Zhang Yang was studying the video. After returning to the big house he rented in New York, he continued to study the video and practiced shooting on the basketball court in the backyard. The next day, he actively participated in the preparation training for the seventh game that Bird had made targeted adjustments for... He devoted himself to the preparation.

It is June 6st, the last day of the divisional finals.

At 7:40 p.m., the entrance ceremony began at Madison Square Garden in New York, and the visiting Bulls entered first amid boos.

Zhang Yang looked at the starting players from the opposite side who came out one after another. He could no longer control his excitement. He immediately wanted to go on the court and face Jordan head-on!

Last night, the Trail Blazers narrowly defeated the Jazz 4-3 and advanced to the finals.

He watched the live broadcast and there was an obvious gap in level compared to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Trail Blazers were missing Buck Williams, who was snatched away by the Celtics. The Jazz still don't have a reliable shooting guard and a meaty center, and they rely solely on the two killers to hold the scene. No one is willing to go to Salt Lake City... Even so, the two teams played to a seventh game, and neither was as strong as the Lakers in 90.

The commentators all said bluntly that whoever wins between the Knicks and the Bulls will win the championship.

When the last starter of the Bulls, Michael Jordan, ran out of the player tunnel, Zhang Yang's excitement soared to the extreme!
At this time, the "door" popped up, and the empty experience task section in between had words on it.

"Basic Task: You are the enemy of God..."

(End of this chapter)