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Chapter 305 Epilogue - Seven Years - Part Three

Compared to the past few offseasons
2014年夏天，大部分自由球员选择与各支球队签订“2+1”或“1+1”短约的意向明显变高了。

This is because, before the free agent market opened, the NBA officially announced that the new television broadcasting contract would take effect in the summer of 2016.

Bobby Marks, a senior expert from ESPN, said in his column: "Under the current collective bargaining agreement, once the new television broadcasting contract takes effect, the salary cap space of each team in the league will increase significantly in the future."

What does a significant increase in the salary cap mean for a player in the NBA?
In Qin Yue's previous life, the official NBA salary cap for the 15/16 season was approximately $7000 million.

By the 16/17 season, this amount had soared to $9500 million.

Therefore, starting in the summer of 2016, the income of players who sign new contracts with various teams is bound to increase significantly.

In addition, the NBA is currently in a period of contract transition, which will benefit teams that had previously lost room for maneuver.

For example, the defending champion Warriors, which Marks specifically mentioned in the article.

In the summer of 2012, Stephen Curry signed a five-year, maximum-salary contract extension with the Warriors, starting at $14.5 million and totaling $80 million.

However, under the new television broadcasting agreement...
Curry's maximum salary contract, which doesn't expire until the summer of 2018, has ironically become a cheap child labor contract.

Based on the current salary cap growth in the NBA...
In the 2017/18 season, the salary cap for all teams in the league will definitely exceed $100 million.

At that time, Curry's max contract will only account for 15% of the Warriors' total salary cap.

Although the Warriors are not the only team in the NBA to benefit from the transition between old and new contracts in the future.

But for the Warriors, who are about to enter the "4.0" era, the signing of the new television broadcasting contract has quietly become a shot in the arm for them to continue to dominate the NBA.

This means that the Warriors, who currently need to reach contract extension agreements with several restricted free agents, will likely end up with a bunch of new "rookie contracts" in the future.

Whether it's Curry's 5-year, $8000 million contract.

It's still Danny Green on a 5-year, $4000 million contract.

Or perhaps it's Jimmy Butler, who just signed a 5-year, $5500 million contract extension with the Warriors.
Once the new television broadcasting contracts take effect, their contracts will become extremely cost-effective.

Of course, at this point, some people might ask...
With the salary cap about to increase significantly, why didn't Butler choose to sign a short-term contract with the Warriors this summer?
This is because in the NBA, restricted free agents and free agents are two completely different things.

Especially under the new labor agreement.

Even if Butler wanted to sign a short-term contract, he could only choose a "3+1" contract.

However, the flaws in this contract are also obvious.

That is, for Butler, who just became the Warriors' starting small forward last season, he doesn't have the same ability as Qin Yue or James to challenge the team.

Simply put, if Butler's development doesn't meet expectations, who will be responsible for his future?

Therefore, compared to free agents who have a choice...
Only those restricted free agents who have money in their pockets are truly theirs; they can only prioritize the present over the future.

After all, no matter how delicious the future pie may be, it's none of your business if you can't eat it.

In short, the free agent market in the summer of 2014 was nothing short of chaotic due to the impact of the new television broadcasting contracts.

For example, the Lakers signed the renowned Joe Johnson from the free agent market using only a "1+1" mid-level exception.

For example, in order to strengthen the roster, they offered Zach Randolph a four-year, $70 million "sky-high" contract and recruited him to the Grizzlies.

Some free agents choose to take short-term contracts this summer for future benefits.

What were once exorbitant contracts will become child labor contracts in two years.

That summer
Even the most seasoned NBA experts cannot predict which player will sign with which team, or which team will offer a "sky-high" contract to players who seem overpriced.

Amidst this chaos, the regular season of the 14/15 season officially kicked off in November of that year.

In the summer, the Golden State Cavaliers, who brought in several former LeBron James teammates, encountered trouble early in the regular season.

In December, during a game against the Grizzlies, Qin Yue accidentally sprained his right index finger.

Following that, Danny Green was sidelined due to plantar fasciitis.

Despite Warriors head coach Mike Malone's consistent efforts over the past five seasons to secure more rest for key players during the offseason, the Warriors have consistently strived to do so.
However, during the five-peat, the Warriors' key players, including Qin Yue, suffered from overwork due to participating in too many high-intensity games.

Furthermore, after winning five consecutive championships, the Warriors players' decline in ambition became an irreversible trend.

Even when playing with injuries, GOAT always uses his competitive spirit to drive the defending champion forward.

However, Kwame Brown, who has joined TNT, expressed a pessimistic view, saying, "This season, the Warriors have lost more games due to their own complacency and underestimation of their opponents than in the previous five seasons combined."

这一季，轻伤不下火线的秦岳在总计为勇士出战的82场比赛里，场均能够贡献36.8分14.4篮板9.1助攻3.8封盖1.6抢断。

Judging solely from his performance on the field, the GOAT is still the same GOAT.

However, in terms of the team's overall record, the Warriors have dropped from 70 wins last season to 61 wins this season.

Although many fans believe that the defending champions will regain their fighting spirit once they enter the playoffs.

But Brown, who has been through it all, boldly predicted in a TNT playoff preview program: "Without strong willpower, you are destined to be unable to overcome the fatigue your body brings you."

In my opinion, perhaps only a single loss will make the Warriors players understand that even the Messiah's individual abilities have their limits.

The defending champions, who had not faced many challenges in the first two rounds of the playoffs, indeed faced an unprecedented test in the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers, just as Brown had predicted.

Especially after Qin Yue's old injury recurred in the second game of the Western Conference Finals.

Due to a sprained right index finger, Qin Yue's shooting touch was affected, and the Warriors experienced a scoring drought that lasted for five minutes.

In stark contrast to the Warriors were the Lakers players who seemed to have an unstoppable presence on the court.

This Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals became a microcosm of the entire series.

In Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, Qin Yue single-handedly built a 7-point lead for his team before leaving the court. When he returned to the court in the final quarter, the score had reversed, with the Warriors trailing the Lakers by 9 points.

Indeed, Klay Thompson was on fire that night, making 11 of 14 three-point attempts.

The Lakers' new acquisition last summer, Joe Johnson, perfectly complemented Kobe Bryant's declining performance.

However, unlike in the past, this season, Qin Yue's teammates have clearly developed various problems.

TNT's Brown summarized this by saying, "What is the Warriors' biggest problem? It's that most of the young players on this team have achieved success easily without experiencing hardship."

After a pause, Brown added, "I know that in many people's eyes, my Warriors career can only be described as smooth sailing, but before that smooth sailing, my teammates and I also experienced the season when Messiah was sidelined with an injury."

Ultimately, due to deliberate targeting by the league, the defending champions fell to a 3-4 defeat in that year's Western Conference Finals.

After the game, regarding the collapse of the Warriors dynasty, Qin Yue said in an unusually calm tone: "You can't only praise your teammates when you succeed. In my opinion, the Lakers deserved to be in the Finals more than us this season, that's all."

As one of the "criminals" of this Western Conference Finals series, Curry said with tears in his eyes, "I swear, no one will want to face us next season, absolutely!"

In the NBA, the sweeter the taste of winning the championship, the greater the blow to the entire team after losing the chance to advance to the Finals.

But for the Warriors, who have already won five consecutive championships...
The collapse of the Warriors' first dynasty may not necessarily be a bad thing.

Because of the collapse of the old dynasty
This often also signifies the beginning of a new dynasty.

About three weeks later, the Lakers defeated the Knicks 4-3 in the Finals, who were "given a chance but couldn't take it", and won the NBA championship that year.

Although in terms of roster, the Lakers, with their Gasol brothers, Klay Thompson, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, and Joe Johnson, can only be described as evenly matched with the star-studded Knicks.

However, as an observer, Qin Yue witnessed Harden's mysterious disappearance and Howard's mental breakdown once again during the Finals.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that in the final Finals MVP voting, Kobe also won the 14/15 season FMVP with an average of 22 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists per game, beating his teammates Joe Johnson and Klay Thompson.

What? You're asking where Chris Paul, who was ranked second in the Finals MVP odds before the Finals started, went?

That is of course
The Knicks have their own "Sleeping Dragon." The Lakers may well have their own "Young Phoenix."

All I can say is that in this "battle of the loose ends," Klay Thompson and Joe Johnson of the Lakers teamed up to save Private Paul.

Meanwhile, the Knicks...
Ultimately, Durant's "forgiveness" was not enough for him to lead "mistake king" Harden to the championship.

"This is absolutely the most wonderful moment of my life."

At Staples Center, Kobe Bryant, holding up his fifth NBA championship trophy, said with tears in his eyes, "Although I have always told myself that I cannot give up easily, to be honest, I still did not expect that I could lift the championship trophy for the Lakers again before my career was coming to an end."

In this lifetime, Kobe, who spent the later part of his career trying to transform himself, was both unfortunate and fortunate.

Unfortunately, in this era known as "Qin," Kobe and the Lakers' record against Qin Yue and the Warriors can only be described as one of repeated defeats and repeated attempts.

Fortunately, thanks to the Lakers' management's various "miracle moves" and his own perseverance, Kobe still managed to win the same number of championship rings as Qin Yue remembered in the later stages of his career.

However, on this night that should have been a night for Los Angeles to celebrate for at least three days and three nights...
As Kobe officially announced that he would be embarking on a "retirement tour" next season, the entire City of Angels was instantly filled with a sense of reluctance, just as Qin Yue remembered.

Although Kobe Bryant didn't suffer a major injury at the end of his career and could have played two more seasons, he said in an interview: "In my opinion, my career is completely complete. You know, I'm not one to lie to myself, so when I think it's time to end it all, I will not hesitate to put an end to my career."

……

The 14/15 season has now come to an end.

A week later, the 2015 NBA Draft was held as scheduled at the Brooklyn Nets' Barclays Center.

This summer, the Warriors, who did not intend to re-sign Robert Sacre, selected Kevin Looney, whom Qin Yue remembered as the hardworking "Master Lu," with the 30th pick in the first round.

After five years of embarrassing runner-up finishes, the Knicks made a big gamble in the draft, trading Dwight Howard to the Philadelphia 76ers for Latvian unicorn Kristaps Porzingis.

The Knicks didn't exactly make a huge profit from this trade.

can only say.
New York fans' patience with Howard has reached its limit.

In fact, if possible, New York fans would even prefer the team to trade Harden away as soon as possible.

Because Harden has consistently faltered in recent seasons, he has become a thorn in the side of Knicks fans.

In addition, the day after the draft, the Knicks announced that Leon Hollins, Mike Malone's lead assistant coach, would replace Mike D'Antoni as the team's new head coach.

As for the Warriors, who just had a disappointing season?
Although at Ma Long's request, Qin Yue can only touch the basketball he longs for when the regular season begins.

But Qin Yue had a much more fulfilling summer that year than in previous years.

This is because the chubby guy named Nikola Jokic officially began his NBA career after his contract with his European parent team ended.

July, San Francisco, California.

Jokic, who thought he needed to prove himself in the Summer League before heading to the United States, was dragged to the renowned Qin Shi Huang Basketball Center by several burly men as soon as he got off the plane.

Then, Jokic met the man he had only ever seen on television.

The man known to the world as the God of Basketball.

“I’ve already spoken to the team. You don’t need to play in the Summer League. You’ll stay here for individual training until the preseason starts.”

At that moment, Jokic, who was in a daze realizing that the Warriors valued him far more than he had imagined, was clearly unaware of what he was about to experience.

"During that period, I thought about it almost every day: Why did I choose to play basketball?"

"At his request, the intensity of training I received on the training ground was something I had never experienced when playing in Europe."

"And whenever I wanted to give up, he would team up with my brothers, and they would at least beat me, kick me, and at worst..."

"In short, it was an experience that I feel like I'd rather be dead whenever I think about it."

"But in my opinion, it was that experience that prepared me to play in the NBA."

"Yes, without that experience, there would be no Nikola Jokic as we know him today."

In October, with Jokic ready to play in the NBA under the GOAT's guidance, the 15/16 NBA regular season kicked off.

Compared to the previous season.
This season's Warriors team seems to have only one thought in mind.

That is to rebuild a second dynasty of warriors that will command the respect of the world on the ruins of the collapsed first dynasty of warriors.

"That season, all we could think about was how to prove ourselves," Curry said in a later interview. "Even in games where we had a big lead, we kept reminding ourselves that we needed an even bigger win to show the world that we were still the unstoppable Golden State Warriors."

Draymond Green, who was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in the 14-15 season, became the Warriors' most surprising player at the start of the 15-16 regular season.

In the first two months, Tie Niu not only achieved a nearly 40% three-point shooting percentage, but also... ①
Furthermore, as the Warriors' second playmaker, Green's rapid improvement on both ends of the court has greatly reduced Qin Yue's workload on the court.

In his previous life, Qin Yue was a short center who was only 198 centimeters tall. Although many people would scoff at Green's defense because of his various dirty tricks, he was still a player.

But in fact, apart from his dirty play, Green's three main defensive strengths are the key to his long-term ability to maintain his DPOY level in the NBA.

The first advantage is Green's outstanding static talent.

That is, Green's wingspan of nearly 218 centimeters.

Secondly, there's Green's excellent lateral movement ability.

This ability ensures that Green can switch to defend the perimeter at any time and cover for his perimeter teammates.

Finally, Green has had a respectable ability to read defenses since his college days.

This ability ensured that Green could always keep up with Qin Yue's pace on the court.

Simply put, if Qin Yue wants a rebound, Green will immediately use his big butt to assist Qin Yue with the rebound.

If Qin Yue tries to block, Green will use his strong defense to drive the offensive player into Qin Yue's rim protection area.

Moreover, considering that at this point in time, the 5-year, $5000 million contract extension that Green signed with the Warriors this summer will also become a very cost-effective "new rookie contract" in the future.

Therefore, how could one not be pleasantly surprised by such a Green?
Of course, it was different from what Qin Yue remembered.
This season, Tie Niu's breakout performance on the court was mainly due to...
Jokic, this "heavy catfish," puts a lot of pressure on Iron Bull in daily training.

Although, in the short term, Jokic's main personal mission is still to level up.

But as time went by...
Jokic's confidence was built up by those interior players who even his teammate Green couldn't break down on the court.

"Boss, is 'Dray's' defense really that good?"

"He's alright. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should have a chance to make the All-Defensive First Team this season."

"Then, boss, why is it that when I'm training, hitting 'Dray' is as easy as eating and drinking?"

That day, looking at the innocent expression on young Jokic's face...
Qin Yue understood perfectly.
It's only a matter of time before a monster from Serbia breaks free of its enclosure.

Why does Jokic play against Green as easily as eating and drinking?
Because he is seen as the future best active player in the NBA.
Even among geniuses, there are differences.

“Nikola, starting tomorrow, I will spend two hours each day giving you extra training sessions.”

After patting Jokic on the shoulder, Qin Yue said, "If you can play as easily against me as you do against 'Dray,' then you'll have no rivals in this world."

It must be said that in the NBA, some people's starting point is already an unattainable finish line for the vast majority of players.

However, what made Qin Yue both laugh and cry was
Regarding this opportunity to play against the GOAT, which is something most people can only dream of, Jokic said: "So, boss, if I beat you, can I drink a Coke?"

……

PS: Postscript 3: I had a painkiller injection last night, and today the "golden pill" finally calmed down a bit.

① Historically, in the 15/16 season, Green had a regular season three-point shooting percentage of 38.8%, and in the 16/17 playoffs, he even achieved a 41.7% three-point shooting percentage. So, as I said before, please don't judge a player's career based on stereotypes. Just like how the now-famous writer A Qiao once wrote 67 words in a single month.

(End of this chapter)