From sparring to superstar
Chapter 346 Chapter 344
Chapter 346 344. Postscript
The Clippers completed their first dynasty in the 21st century. The Clippers' nickname officially changed from 'Battleship' to 'Aircraft Carrier', rather than what Clippers fans call themselves.
Li Ao, who only turns 23 in more than a month, has already completed two single-season MVP+FMVP and three consecutive FMVP achievements.
When eight-time champion Jordan retired last summer, everyone thought his deity was so solid that it was unshakable, including Clippers fans. After all, Jordan was also a 'Clippers star'.
But now, people have discovered that Jordan's divinity may not be so stable.
Because the Clippers are very likely to do something that only the Celtics have done - surpass three consecutive championships!
The Clippers won the championship this season, which is very different from the Bulls' two and three consecutive championships.
When the Bulls completed three consecutive championships for the first time in 93, even if Jordan did not retire, it would be difficult for the Bulls to continue to win the championship. The Bulls' record in the 92-93 season dropped by 91 games compared to the 92-10 season, and veterans continued to suffer injuries. Pippen, one of the two core players, has also declined a lot. When compared to the second championship, Pippen's scoring, defense, passing, shooting percentage... all declined.
98年公牛队第二次完成三连冠时更是如此，97-98赛季是乔丹单核夺冠的封神赛季，那赛季皮蓬常规赛只打了44场、朗利只打了58场……
But this Clippers team is very different now.
Jordan retired and left as a free agent. The exchange for Kidd emptied out the role players from the previous two championships. This made the Clippers' dynasty road extremely bumpy and made Li Ao's third championship full of gold... At the same time, it also Make the Clippers full of 'life'.
Seeing the list of the main lineup of the Clippers' championship, fans suddenly discovered that the Clippers' third championship in three consecutive championships can be regarded as the first championship!
For the Clippers, they have completed three consecutive championships.
But for the core lineup of Kidd, Li Ao, O'Neal Jr., and Odom, they can really be regarded as having just won the 'first championship' with a brand new lineup of role players!
Their system and cooperation methods are all brand new!
For opponents, this is also a brand new team. Their understanding of this Clippers team is far less than that of the Clippers during the two consecutive championships.
Moreover, the backcourt core of Kidd and Li Ao, coupled with the more mature O'Neal and Odom, are more attractive to veterans and powerful role players who aspire to win the championship than during the Shenxiagui era!
Looking at this Clippers team, fans came up with an idea - the dynasty can be more than three consecutive championships!
Such an idea seems crazy to fans, but they think it is indeed possible!
Celtics fans want to vomit blood - what did their team do in those two years?
The Celtics originally sent two high-quality role players, Kevin Willis and Mark Blount, to the Clippers, who helped the Clippers win the first and second championships. Now they are poaching them. Big hole.
The greatness of eight consecutive championships may be shaken... No, if the Clippers surpass three consecutive championships, the greatness of eight consecutive championships will definitely be shaken!
During the Celtics' eight consecutive championships, there were only 8 teams in the NBA. When the Celtics won their last 13 championships in 11, there were only 14 teams.
The current NBA has 29 teams, and next season it will be 30.
The difficulty of winning four consecutive championships in this era is definitely more difficult than eight consecutive championships in that era!
...
At 28 pm on the 8th, the annual NBA draft begins.
The Hornets have always been high-spirited, the kind of people whose ambitions are as high as the sky but whose destiny is as thin as paper.
In the eyes of their boss, ordinary All-Stars are not worthy of being the core of their team. In the 16 years of their team history, only Alonzo Mourning has been favored by their boss. The other players are Larry Johnson and Anthony Jr. -Mason, Divac, Kendall Gill, Glen Rice...and most recently Baron Davis were all asked to be sold by their owners during their formative years or primes because they could not see themselves becoming superstars. possible.
This year's No. [-] pick is Emeka Okafor of the UConn Huskies, who is recognized as the most capable and mature player in this draft.
But when the Hornets got the No. [-] pick, most media felt that Okafor was out of business.
This time the media predicted correctly, the first name David Stern read was high school student Dwight Howard.
The Hornets have a clear idea of selection-even if the gamble will fail, they must choose the most talented one.
The Sonics, with the second overall pick, did not select Okafor, but instead selected another high school student, Shaun Livingston.
Kwame Brown did not become the No. [-] pick in high school. Under the patient care of Popovich, who is good at polishing rookies, he became a first-class center with top single defense, top assist defense, and outstanding rebounding. He has the possibility of becoming a top center.
Although James was criticized during his rookie season, everyone still recognized his talent and strength.
Plus the original Garnett, Kobe, McGrady, O'Neal...
The Sonics have gathered a bunch of role players and are looking forward to getting talent.
The Bulls with the third pick wanted to select Okafor, but they already had two high school centers. In the end, they chose another talent from UConn-Ben Gordon.
Okafor, who had been hyped as the No. [-] pick for a year, was dumbfounded. He actually fell out of the top three picks!
With the fourth pick, Bobcats executive president Jordan was ecstatic to take Okafor.
It was impossible for the owner of the Hornets to sell the No. [-] pick, and the owner of the Sonics had a bad relationship with Jordan. Jordan was worried because he couldn't give out gifts. He didn't expect that Okafor was selected in the end!
Unlike other teams where players are interviewed after the draft, for Jordan, it was his first time to participate in the draft as a small owner, and NBA officials chose to interview him.
Jordan said excitedly to the camera: "We drafted the next Tim Duncan, and our team is off to a perfect start!"
Li Ao was stunned in front of the TV, and Boss Qiao's vision was simply amazing.
Okafor is definitely not bad, but if the expectation for this already complete college talent is to become a player like Duncan... sometimes it is better not to say anything.
The Suns selected the Trojans' new Final Four MOP Andre Iguodala with the 5th pick... At the 27th pick, the Clippers selected Trey, who was predicted to be around the 10th pick in the second round. Ariza.
Although 04 is not a bad year for the draft, at this position, there is nothing to choose from.
Originally, Li Ao wanted to steal the goal of his next door neighbor. After discussion, Li Ao, Kidd, Gentry, and Wally Walker all felt good about the shooting stability shown by Slovenian pitcher Vujacic in the international arena.
However, because Li Ao "predicted" possible rule changes by the league, and several colleagues at the meeting felt that it was very possible, he finally decided to choose a swingman who can run and defend.
Ariza is a UCLA player, and the Clippers' scouting department is very familiar with him. He is physically strong and willing to play hard. His ability is insufficient in the early stage, but he needs a tough substitute at forward and back to help Gerald Wallace. It's still possible, that way there won't be any need for Li Ao to serve as a 'substitute' for Gerald Wallace.
And for slow-motion pitchers, they already have Kapono. If Kapono is taken away by Boss Joe in the next two days, then if there is really a shortage of spot-up pitchers, Li Ao can also take over.
With Kidd, Li Ao is already the historical ceiling for off-ball pitchers.
Varejao is also a good choice, but the Clippers already have a recruiting target for the center position this summer, and there are more than one. They have to free up the center substitute position, otherwise the opponent will see that you have selected another rookie center and worry. You get no screen time here.
With the 28th pick in the second round, the Clippers selected Ricky Minard of the Trojans. With this pick, there was really no one else to choose from. Wally Walker selected a sophomore from the same city team. In the draft, at least local fans can have some impression of this player... but there is a high probability that they will not sign him unless he proves that he is a hidden talent in the summer league.
On the second day of the draft, it was time for the Bobcats to select.
The Clippers put Kidd, Li Ao, Yaric, Gerald Wallace, Odom, O'Neal Jr., Matt Halprin, and Eddie House on the eight-man protection list.
As expected by Li Ao, their backup shooting guards Bobby Simmons and Drobiak were picked away by Boss Joe.
He is quite heartbroken, but Drobiak is okay, and it can be regarded as boss Joe helping them free up the center position.
Bobby Simmons averaged 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game this season. His offense is online and his defense is active. After being abandoned by the Wizards for two years, he can still have such a game attitude and good psychological quality. Such a substitute, The Clippers need it.
But they really don't have any more protection spots. Boss Joe will definitely pick away the most effective player outside their 8-man protection list.
Even if it's not suitable, even if he doesn't want it, the Clippers star wants to maximize the weakening of his old club.
Compared to the Lakers and Celtics, Boss Joe doesn't want to see his old club continue to win the championship.
Although the relationship is good, Li Ao is quite aware of his old teammate's peeing.
Fortunately, Li Ao was prepared and asked Kidd to recruit a backup shooting guard.
The main backup at the back line and the main backup at the center were picked up, Glenn Rice's contract expired, and the Clippers gave up Robert Traylor's second-year team option.
The Clippers currently have 10 players left and two unsigned rookies.
Point guard: Kidd, Jaric.
Shooting Guards: Li Ao, Eddie House.
Small forward: Gerald Wallace, Kapono, Matt Barnes.
Power forward: Matt Halprin, Odom.
Center: O'Neal Jr.
The Bobcats selected a bunch of low-salary players and raised the salary to 1400 million US dollars. The selection process was ended. The rosters of each team were stable. The options that should be exercised were executed, and the players that should be given up were given up... Quickly The fleet is waiting for the start of the free market on July 7st.
On June 6, NBA owners held a regular meeting, and the main topic was the division of new divisions.
With the addition of the Bobcats, the number of NBA teams increased to 30. The league divided the 30 teams into 6 divisions, still divided into east and west divisions, with each division having 3 divisions.
Pacific Division: Clippers, Lakers, Kings, Suns, Warriors.
Northwest Division: Trail Blazers, Nuggets, Timberwolves, SuperSonics, Jazz.
Southwest Division: Mavericks, Spurs, Rockets, Grizzlies, Hornets. The Hornets are officially divided into the Western Conference.
Southeast Division: Hawks, Heat, Magic, Wizards, Bobcats.
Central Division: Bulls, Cavaliers, Pistons, Pacers, Bucks.
Atlantic Division: Celtics, Nets, Knicks, 76ers, Raptors.
The schedule rules have changed. Each team will play against teams in its own division 4 times during the regular season, 3-4 times against other teams in the same division, and twice against teams in different divisions.
The record ranking rules have also been adjusted. In the past, only the top two in the division were fixed. Now the top three in the division are also fixed. The first place in each division automatically occupies the top three in the division. The first place in the division is ranked according to the record.
In other words, the top team in the non-division will only be ranked fourth in the East and West from the new season.
The division of the new divisions will reduce the frequency of one situation - the Western Conference Finals becoming a civil war in Angel City.
There is also the need to put an end to the situation where three of the top four teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences are from the same division.
At the end of the meeting, a new rule was adopted - high zone defense prohibits overhand confrontation.
Kidd was shocked when he saw the news.
Spider-Man actually 'predicted' right!
Although Spider-Man thought it was very possible when he analyzed the new rules a few days ago, he was still shocked when the prediction came true.
Spider-Man's understanding of basketball and his ability to predict the development of the NBA are simply amazing!
It's scary to be against such a genius, but fortunately he is a teammate...
The media said that this new rule is conducive to breakthroughs and counterattacks. High-position defense is no longer allowed, making breakthroughs much easier.
During the counterattack, you can't block until the opponent's free throw line, and it will definitely be easier to counterattack.
But Kidd feels that this rule does more damage to defense than that. He sees that there are more and more players who are good at three-pointers in the league. Most of the outsiders who have just entered the NBA can make three-pointers, and even many insiders have the ability to shoot from long range.
You can't use it to prevent breakthroughs, and you can't use it to prevent shots. It will also be easier to hit three-pointers in isolation and three-pointers after catching the ball.
Breakthrough, counterattack...
There are also three-pointers in singles and three-pointers after catching the ball... Kidd was down for a while when he thought about this.
Is the league cutting back on defense, or strengthening Spider-Man?
...
On July 7st, the free market opened, and the league announced a new salary cap. Compared with last summer, it was $1 less...
911/2000 did not cause the NBA's revenue to decline, and the Internet bubble did not affect the NBA's revenue growth. As a result, the iron-blooded play reduced the NBA's revenue by more than [-] million US dollars.
Big things happen on the first day of the free market.
The Jazz signed Carlos Boozer for six years and $6 million.
The Cavaliers' efforts to acquire top free agents such as Larry Hughes and Garnett in the offseason have not yet begun. They first lost a power forward who averaged 15+11 per game.
Originally, Boozer signed a 02+2 rookie contract with a third-year team option in the summer of 1. Boozer's agent lobbied the Cavaliers management to give up the third-year team option and renew Boozer's contract with a high salary in advance. Zell, the reason is that Boozer may be an All-Star after one more year of playing, and then the price will not be the same as it is now.
As soon as the Cavaliers management heard that it made sense, they waived the team option.
There is nothing wrong with the operation of the Cavaliers management, but the problem is that giving up the team option is equivalent to giving up the matching rights of the home team. It would be fine if no other team intervenes, but after the Jazz received the news, in the free market As soon as it started, Boozer's agent Pelinka was given a sub-maximum salary contract.
Pelinka tricked the Cavaliers into renewing his contract with a high salary early just to get more money earlier. Now that other teams are offering more money, he immediately runs away with Boozer.
Boozer's "anti-bone boy" incident kicked off this crazy summer.
However, the excitement of this matter did not last long, and big news came soon from Angel City.
The Lakers renewed Kobe's contract with a seven-year, US$7 million contract, and renewed O'Neal's contract in advance with a five-year, US$1.36 million contract.
If no deal occurs, the duo will stay together until 2010.
Many teams are waiting to introduce O'Neal in the summer of 05. Each team believes that even if O'Neal is 33 years old by then, he will still be the number one center in the league. With O'Neal's style of play, it will not be a big problem to continue for three or four years. The five-year maximum salary will definitely not be a loss.
There are rumors that O'Neal wants US$5 million in five years. With more than 1.3 years of playing experience, he can start with a salary of more than US$11 million at most, and his final year's salary can reach US$2000 million, becoming the second player in NBA history. A player with an annual salary of over $3052 million.
When O'Neal asked for this price, other teams felt that their chance to get the Sharks had arrived!
Although the Sharks have fallen from their peak three or four years, they are still the Sharks. The Magic are unwilling to give the 24-year-old Shark 33 million, while other teams are willing to give the [-]-year-old Shark [-] million.
The Sharks chose to accept a salary cut and completed a contract extension with the Lakers with an average annual salary of US$2000 million with no increase, which was beyond many people's expectations.
The enthusiasm for the free market next year will cool down by [-]% a year ahead of schedule.
Some media speculated that O'Neal wanted to defeat the basic skills and Spider-Man, and did not want to be a deserter. That would be too shameful.
Some media also speculated that O'Neal was unable to get more than 1 million U.S. dollars by changing teams, so it would be easier to stay with the team and partner with Payton and Kobe. He has dragged down the Lakers' mid-level contract group for four years, and now he has All have expired, and there is no need to look for veterans with minimum salaries like last summer. Instead, they can compete for talented players.
Kupchak's signing operation last summer was highly sought after, but in fact it was difficult for a clever woman to make a plan without rice. If there are conditions to sign someone who is strong, young and suitable, who would sign a veteran who only has the advantage of being suitable?
In the past two seasons, some teams began to wait for O'Neal, such as the SuperSonics, because the OK team had a bad relationship.
But after the Clippers dominated the league, the relationship between OK and OK quickly recovered, and they had a common enemy.
For the OK group, the hatred they had when they were killed by sophomore Duncan was secondary.
Who is the strongest duo between OK and KILL is what they care about most right now.
The OK group has renewed their contracts, the "Angel City duo" pattern continues, and the trend of stars traveling eastward continues.
Garnett rejected the Suns' offer to sign and trade Marion to form the "Twin Towers for High School Students" and joined the Wizards to join hands with Hamilton and Brand.
Garnett's new contract is worth $5 million over five years, a non-bird-rights maximum salary contract for veterans with 8600-7 years of experience.
The Timberwolves wanted to sign and trade with the Wizards so that Garnett could get the maximum contract under the Bird Rights of $6 million over six years, but Garnett refused.
After earning nothing for nine years in his career, Garnett understood that teammates are more important than getting an extra $9 million per year... Mainly because $300 million in five years is also the maximum salary, and he has already earned $5 million with the Timberwolves. The total salary has exceeded 8600 million U.S. dollars. Now, at the age of 1.2, he signed a 28-year contract. By 5, at the age of 2009, he may be able to get another 33-year, 5 million U.S. dollars contract like O'Neal. At the age of 1, he will not That’s easy to say.
While introducing Garnett, the Wizards sent Steve Blake and Edon Thomas, and acquired 35-year-old veteran Sam Cassell from the Magic.
Magic players, under the leadership of TT, have great respect for Cassel, but the early contract extension given by the Magic management still made Cassel feel the malice of the world. With 3 million US dollars in three years, he was stuck. Serge refused.
Then the Magic traded him for Blake. The Wizards had space and they could save some salary.
With the introduction of Cassell and Garnett, the Wizards became the upstarts in the Eastern Conference!
Brand has always played as a center. Although he is only 203 centimeters tall, he weighs 125 kilograms. On the defensive end, he usually stays under the basket and lets the center partner out. This fits well with Garnett, who is not good at defending at the basket. .
On July 7, the Mavericks made a big move, sending Anthony Walker to the Hawks in exchange for Jason Terry.
After acquiring Terry, the Mavericks refused to give Nash a three-year, $3 million contract extension, and were only willing to give Nash a three-year, $3000 million contract. Cuban said he would give up his Bird Rights if he didn't sign.
Nash left angrily and accepted Colangelo Jr.'s invitation to join the Suns for $5 million over five years.
As if to show that he was not stingy, Cuban turned around and traded an expiring contract + a second-round pick for Eric Dampier from the Warriors at a price of US$7 million over seven years.
Subsequently, the Mavericks completed a three-way trade with the Bulls and Bucks, with Jamison as the core bargaining chip, in exchange for the Bulls' Stackhouse, the Bucks' Keith Van Horn, and the Bucks in the first round. Jameer Nelson, selected with the 19th overall pick...
The Mavericks consisted of Terry, Nelson, Stackhouse, Finley, Van Horn, Marquis Daniels, Josh Howard, Nowitzki, Alan Henderson, Shawn Bullard The lineup of Lee...
After the Suns acquired Nash, they spent $6 million over six years to sign Quentin Richardson, who averaged 4500 points per game with the Nets last season.
The Suns formed a lineup of Nash, Big Q, Joe Johnson, Marion, Jr., Jim Jackson, Steven Hunter, and No. 5 overall pick Andre Iguodala.
The news of transactions and signings between these two teams was very popular. The whole early July was the news about these two teams.
Fans saw the operations of the two teams - what is this?
Compared with the Wizards' introduction of Garnett, the operations of these two teams were wildly ridiculed.
Haven't the Mavericks learned their lesson yet?Last year, two well-known top-salary players were brought in carelessly and suffered a big loss but haven't learned the lesson yet?
Nelson's understanding of the rules is much higher than ordinary people. He couldn't change the fact that Cuban didn't like Nash, but he still embraced the new rules and gave Cuban trading suggestions, creating the most offensive basketball system he thought they could create. line-up.
Little Colangelo...has a good father. After signing Nash, he crossed his legs and smiled while watching the news that mocked him.
The only regret he felt was that Garnett was frightened by the Angel City duo and sent to the East.
Otherwise, the pick-and-roll combination of Nash + Garnett, paired with a small bully and a group of pitchers, is a perfect match for the new era that is about to begin.
The big deal is not over yet. On July 7, a blockbuster deal took place in the Eastern Conference - the Bulls sent out Eddie Curry, No. 12 draft pick Ben Gordon, and Jamison, and acquired Vince Carter in exchange. And he took Antonio Davis's garbage contract with 2 years and $2700 million left.
The Flyers are coming to the Bulls again!
The Lakers' operations are also here.
The Grizzlies successfully renewed Battier's contract at a low price, and Battier can return to the main position.
In this way, James Posey has become a salary burden for the Grizzlies. If the logo man sends him away, where should he send him?
The Lakers traded a first-round pick to acquire James Posey...another day of jumping around for Popovich.
After acquiring James Posey, the Lakers poached veteran P.J. Brown from the Hornets for $2 million over two years.
Payton, Kobe, James Posey, PJ Brown, O'Neal... Popovich looked at the incompetence of this lineup and became furious...
When it came to introducing free agents and trading, Kupchak was even more aggressive than his teacher. He felt that what the media said made sense. Kobe needed someone to carry the forward line, and O'Neal needed someone who could make mid-range shots and help defend. There was room. , then get it back.
The Trail Blazers picked up a lone wolf from the Suns for nothing. After half a season, the two parties broke up not very amicably.
Paul Allen had a bad temper and refused to give him a contract if he said he wouldn't. Marbury didn't lick his face and asked for a contract. After wandering around, he still didn't want to stay in the West. Los Angeles was a bit scary, so he went to the Bucks. During the trial, the Bucks management was overjoyed and offered him a three-year maximum salary contract with a starting salary of US$3 million and a total of US$1225 million in three years.
Originally, the Bucks wanted to show respect for a long-term contract, but the 27-year-old Marbury wanted to sign for three years first and then renew the contract after he had the bird rights. By then, he would be an 3-year veteran and he would have the bird rights. With a bigger contract, the annual salary increase will be higher.
The Rockets once again waved. The dark circles under his eyes have become a little heavier, and the face is getting more and more haggard. The boss is interested in the whole league... There is also a very explosive news. Kenyon Martin refuses to renew his contract with the Nets. The proposed sign-and-trade deal was also rejected. It was rumored that the No. 00 pick in the 1 draft even changed his agent. He wanted to sign a qualifying offer of US$720 million for one year and become a completely free agent after the deal.
The first two weeks of the free market have been particularly crazy, but fans are paying attention to these crazy transactions and signings, and are also curious about why there is no big movement on the aircraft carrier in Angel City?
But seeing that the Clippers already have four top- or sub-maximum-salary players in Li Ao, Kidd, Odom, and O'Neal Jr., I found that the Clippers really don't have the conditions to make big operations.
Fans have discussed whether the Clippers will use Odom and O'Neal as trading chips. Many teams are interested in these two people.
But the Clippers have won three consecutive championships. It is difficult to exchange for players of equal strength, and since it is an exchange of equal strength, it is better to keep these two people.
Is the four consecutive championships over?No, the Clippers' main lineup that won the championship last season, that is, Bobby Simmons and Drobiak were selected by Jordan. Those two are not irreplaceable.
If the Clippers continue to rest on their laurels, the health of the Clippers will be worrying next season regardless of whether their strength will decline.
The Kings have learned lessons from the past. The Kings, who are so good at playing 8-man basketball, only lasted two years.
At this time, people discovered the reason why the Clippers' signings in the past 01 and 02 offseasons were so smooth - there were many rookie contracts.
When Odom and O'Neal Jr. received big contracts last summer, and Bibby and two substitutes were exchanged for the top-paid Kidd, the conditions for the Clippers' signings became particularly difficult.
Moreover, the Clippers have won three consecutive championships and are heading towards four consecutive championships. The situation they face is unprecedentedly difficult.
On July 7, the Clippers finally made some noise, and it was unstoppable…
The Nets completed a buyout with Mutombo. Mutombo's last year of contract was more than 1900 million U.S. dollars, but he only took 1700 million U.S. dollars. The Nets will save more than 200 million U.S. dollars next summer.
The expiring contract is indeed a good bargaining chip, but it also depends on how big the contract is. Mutombo is not suitable for clearing space. It is too big.
On the night when the Nets bought out Mutombo, the Clippers officially announced that they had signed a contract with Mutombo, a partial mid-level contract worth US$300 million, totaling US$624 million over two years, with a player option for the second year.
After acquiring Mutombo, the Clippers used a one-year minimum salary to sign Antonio McDyess, who had only played more than 1 games in the past three seasons combined.
McDyess came back at the end of last season. In 20 games with the Suns, he averaged 5.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The data was not great, but he shot an astonishing 51% of long two-pointers!
Three years ago, before his serious injury, McDyess was purely physical. Three years after his injury, he no longer had the same physical fitness that he once had, but he has improved his shooting skills and his style of play has completely changed to a floor style, which is unexpected. He is very accustomed to being a role player and has no airs of "I was an All-Star" at all.
The Lakers, Pistons, Wizards, Pacers and many other teams made offers to him.
Among them, the Lakers and Pistons were the most willing. One offered an offer of US$1 million over one year, and the other offered a full middle-class offer over two years.
But McDyess never made up his mind, and after the Clippers signed Mutombo, he made the choice he wanted.
Then, the Clippers used the remaining mid-level funds to sign Argentine guard Andres Nocioni for $3 million over three years and veteran point guard Kenny Anderson for one year's minimum salary.
Nocioni had already emerged in the 1999 Pan American Basketball Championship and attracted the attention of NBA teams.
In 01, the 22-year-old Nocioni reached the age of automatic selection. Although many NBA teams were interested in him, because his contract with his old club was still very long, no team selected him, so he automatically became a free agent. players.
This year, Nocioni's contract with his old club ended and he was preparing to enter the NBA. The free market had just opened. Before he could decide where to go for a trial training, he received a call from Los Angeles. His favorite point guard god personally invited him to join. …
Kenny Anderson played as a substitute for the Pacers last season, averaging 5.6 points and 3.3 assists per game. This veteran with 13 years of experience has been favored by many teams. After all, as long as he has a basic salary, last season Bird signed him with a minimum salary.
This is not over yet. The Clippers waived part of Matt Barnes' guaranteed contract for next season, and Li Ao recommended him to the Knicks as a bodyguard for the Little Giant.
Li Ao told Barnes, it's not that you don't work hard or are not good, but that the current situation does not meet the team's current needs for substitutes. If you stay here, you will only be buried like Bobby Simmons.
Yao Ming accepted the recommendation from his seniors, but he only helped Barnes get a spot in the trial training.
The Knicks are also recruiting during the offseason. Although Alan Houston was reimbursed at the end of last season, resulting in the Knicks not being able to beat the Raptors in the first round, they have a big beard and a little giant, and they are also in the eyes of free agents. Sweet and sour food... Mainly because the boss is willing to spend money.
上赛季场均9分7板的中锋纳兹尔-穆罕穆德、场均7分4板的莫里斯-泰勒、场均7分3板1助攻的马里克-罗斯的加入，让小巨人身边的帮手又充盈起来。
The Knicks management prioritizes replenishing the inside line so that Yao Ming can play more easily. As for the outside line, there is nothing they can do for the time being. Alan Houston's [-] million yuan contract blocks their ability to take advantage of Yao Ming's rookie contract to introduce superstars, otherwise they will Go after Garnett.
Since Alan Houston is likely to be reimbursed for the new season, Dolan goes to Stern for tea every day after the boss's regular meeting.
Knicks coach Wilkens gave Yao Ming face and gave Barnes an extra trial.
After seeing Barnes' trial training, Wilkens immediately fell in love with this young player who was fierce in defense. His ability was still a bit lacking, but with his eyes and posture, Wilkens, who has been coaching for 30 years, confirmed that this player would have a bright future. Can be typed out.
But Wilkens was curious, why would the Clippers give up such a promising substitute player?
A team not only needs stars, role players are also very important. He doesn't believe that the Clippers, a dynasty team, will not understand this truth.
Soon he understood...
On July 7, the Clippers signed two players. One was Trevor Ariza, who had just been selected in the first round. The other was the best sixth man of the Bulls' second dynasty, European magician Tony Curry. Kochi!
At his peak, Kukoc could play all positions. As he got older, his positions gradually decreased. Now he mainly plays the third position, occasionally playing the fourth position, but not much. He is 208 centimeters tall but his weight has been reduced to 98 kilograms. He can't hold up most power forwards, and he will occasionally play shooting guard, but he is mainly a wing fixed-point shooter.
Last season, Kukoc averaged 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. The Bucks wanted to keep him, but they couldn't. The Bulls, Heat, Suns, Pistons, and Wizards are waiting for rising teams or championship-level teams. They all want to bring in this experienced veteran.
But Spider-Man came to visit in person, and the Clippers laid off the bench first, showing full respect. Kukoc said that his favorite superhero is Spider-Man, and he can compete with Spider-Man at the age when he is about to retire. It was something he had dreamed of doing.
After the free market opened, the Clippers were silent for three weeks. People, including Clippers fans, thought they would be as ineffective in signings this summer as last summer, but they spent a week shocking the league!
Kenny Anderson, Nocioni, Kukoc, Antonio McDyess, and Mutombo joined in, making the Clippers' second and third lineup extremely full!
Four consecutive championships are more attractive to veterans than the media and fans imagined!
It's not that there are no veterans who want to come to the Clippers, but the Clippers already have clear goals, and these goals are 5 of these 4 people.
Their primary goal is to compete for Alonzo Mourning. Mourning averaged 10.7 points, 7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game with the Celtics last season.
But unfortunately, he was snatched away by the Magic with a two-year mid-level contract.
The Magic also have a dual-core team that competes for the championship, and the salary offered is even higher, and the Clippers have not been able to steal it.
But the Nets gave an assist!
The 1900 million Mutombo contract is a garbage contract, but 300 million a year... is not too good at all!
The core lineup of Kidd, Li Ao, O'Neal Jr. and Odom.
There are three high-quality role players in Jaric, Matt Halprin, and Eddie House.
Gerald Wallace's talent has begun to materialize, and newcomer Nocioni is also a mature young player.
McDyess has transformed into a much-anticipated floor player.
Kapono and Ariza are two first- and second-year substitutes.
Plus Kenny Anderson, Kukoc and Mutombo, three veterans who are still strong...
Clippers fans were naturally overjoyed. They had been suppressed for three weeks, watching helplessly as other teams made reinforcements and acted haphazardly, but there was no movement from their own team. Although they could understand the team's predicament, they could not understand it. It’s very frustrating... Now, they are infinitely arrogant!
As for fans of other teams, they couldn't be happier.
Fans of other teams are united as never before, and their goal for the new season is to siege the Angel City aircraft carrier across the league!
...
In the 04-05 season, the Suns' 7-second offense took the NBA by storm, becoming the most popular phenomenal team just like the Kings back then.
The Suns ended up with a record of 62 wins and 20 losses. Although Nash did not defeat Kidd in the All-Star starting competition, he averaged 11.5 assists per game and defeated Kidd who averaged 10.6 assists per game and won the first assist title in his career.
Not only that, Nash also defeated Li Ao, who led the team to a record of 66 wins and 16 losses, and Garnett, who led the Wizards to 58 wins. He changed teams like a new student and won the regular season MVP in his first year... making Cuban a The object of ridicule.
But the Mavericks performed better than people expected this season. The unlimited singles style of play has become more perfect this season, and the defense has also improved. The Mavericks have played an integrated offensive and defensive performance. After Nelson and Cuban fell apart due to the issue of team shares, After resigning, young general Avery Johnson took over the Mavericks and firmly implemented the unlimited singles flow system left by Nelson. The Mavericks finally achieved a record of 56 wins, overpowering the 54-win Spurs, taking first place in the division and entering the Western Conference. Top three.
The stock dispute between Nelson and Cuban was a legacy issue from the previous boss. When the former boss invited Nelson to join the Mavericks, he promised to give him a small share of the stock and make him the Mavericks' minority owner, but Cuban did not recognize this. It makes no sense to use the sword of the previous dynasty to kill the officials of this dynasty.
The team with the best performance in the regular season was the Clippers who came from behind.
At the beginning of this season, most teams were not very adaptable to the new rules. Strong defensive teams often gave their opponents thirty or forty free throws in a game at the beginning of the season. The probability of leaving the game with six fouls set a new record in NBA history. record.
At that stage, the team that had previously been poor defensively performed well. The Warriors, led by TJ Ford, started with 7 wins and 7 losses. Last time they started with a better record, which was 93-94. What happened in the [-] season was that the NBA was still in the era of offensive basketball, and the head coach was Nelson.
The Clippers also fell into a foul quagmire at the beginning. In the past few years, they have been the most grinding and confrontational team in the league, and the pain was most obvious at the beginning.
But with the blessing of Li Ao's "understanding of basketball rules", Gentry and his coaching staff immediately began planning how to adjust for the new season after the league announced the new rules.
Although the Clippers' period of pain came violently, their speed in adapting to the new rules was ahead of all defensive teams in the league.
The adjustment on the offensive end is even faster. Gentry likes to attack. Coupled with Kidd, who is the league's best in organizing offense and controlling the field, they quickly transformed from a difficult team offensive last season to a top offensive team.
The Clippers did not blindly pursue offensive speed and did not run and play like the Suns.
After discussion, Gentry, Li Ao, and Kidd decided to focus on defensive counterattacks. The offensive system of positional warfare revolves around peripheral shooting, breakthrough attacks from high positions, and ball-free passes in the middle, etc. offensive areas that have been strengthened under the new regulations.
Given insiders like Kidd, Kenyon Martin and Kwame Brown, he can also lead the team in running and playing like Nash.
But the core inside is O'Neal, who is not suitable for playing like that.
Although Odom in the substitute lineup is good at transitioning between offense and defense, his style of play has been fixed in the past four years and he is more accustomed to a complete offensive and defensive system of positional warfare.
The new frontcourt substitutes, Kukoc, McDyess, and Mutombo, are all old, their athletic ability has deteriorated, and they are not suitable for running and playing.
The main reason is that the Stern era was very restrained in encouraging offense. Unless they can produce the offensive firepower of the Suns, the run-and-gun record may not be much better. When Lee Ao Kidd and Nelson led the Warriors to run-and-gun, their record The best record is 48 wins. When D'Antoni led the Knicks team with Anthony, Stoudemire, Felton, Kenyon Martin, Chandler... the best record was only 54 wins.
In the 03-04 season, they ultimately failed to improve their offensive system, which turned out to be a good thing at this time. They adjusted their imperfect offensive system to embrace the 'NHC' rules, which was faster than adjusting their next-door neighbor's triangle offense. Much smoother.
Although the triangle offense also played offensive basketball in the early 90s, the rules that encouraged offense at that time were different from the 'NHC'.
Of course, the Clippers mainly relied on Li Ao to tell Gentry and Kidd all the basketball system tactics of the Suns, Mavericks, and Spurs.
Li Ao's words were very complicated and confusing, but in the eyes of these two people, it was normal. They simply thought that he had thought up a bunch of suitable or inappropriate tactics based on the new regulations. They just wrote down the experiments or used them as reference ideas, and Li Ao didn't bother. .
They are obviously going to win four consecutive championships, and they have become a thorn in the side of every team from the beginning of this season. Every opponent wants to rise up when they encounter them.
Some opponents played better, and some opponents played worse, but no matter how their opponents played, their desperate attitude of trying to defeat them caused them a lot of trouble.
However, they have been targeted by their opponents since the beginning of the season, which has also accelerated their adaptation to new rules and the improvement of their offensive system.
There is greater motivation when there is pressure.
The Clippers entered the state in the regular season much faster than in the 03-04 season, and there were more injuries. They were very lucky to win the championship in the 03-04 season. The injury situation was that Li Ao joined the Clippers. The fewest in four years, but although there were more injuries this season, their lineup depth was comparable to the two years Jordan was here, and they survived that period smoothly.
最终，快船队以66胜16负的战绩，力压引起了跑轰浪潮拿到62胜20负的太阳队、补强了后卫线后在卡莱尔的带领下打出攻防一体表现拿到65胜17负的活塞队，赢得常规赛冠军。
The Clippers averaged 107.2 points per game, ranking third in the league, behind the Suns and Warriors.
They averaged 96.5 points per game, more than ten points higher than in the 03-04 season, but it's not that their defense has declined so much, but that the pace has accelerated, and they no longer play defense without any pressure like last season.
Li Ao's scoring has improved significantly compared to last season. While his shooting percentage has increased to 48%, the second highest in his career, his scoring average has also increased to 35.5 points per game, becoming the second player in the modern basketball era to average 35+ points per game. Overwhelming Iverson, who averaged 33.1 points per game, he won the scoring title for two consecutive years.
Although Kidd lost to Nash in the competition for the assists king, as the team's offensive system improved, his assists per game returned to double digits, averaging 10.6 assists per game, second in the league.
Li Ao lost to Nash in the regular season MVP competition, and many people felt sorry for him.
But it is not easy to find a white point guard with MVP performance. In addition, Li Ao has won two consecutive MVPs. The Suns went from second to last in the league last season to third in the league, winning 62 games... Although people are sorry that Li Ao failed to win three consecutive games. MVP felt sorry, but no one thought there was anything wrong with Nash winning the MVP.
Garnett actually did something similar. In his first year after joining the Wizards, he helped the Wizards gain more than a dozen wins and get the second-highest 58 wins in team history. However, his statistics were a bit worse. , averaging 20.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.2 blocks per game.
远不及纳什以50.2%的投篮命中率、43.4%的三分命中率、90.6%的罚球命中率场均拿到15.5分11.5助攻那么出色。
After the regular season, the Clippers changed arenas and moved to the Great Western Forum Arena in Inglewood.
Although it is not as prosperous as the city center, after the Clippers moved here, it became as lively as it did in the last century.
It's also very happy for the Clippers players.
They no longer have to see the Lakers' dozen championship flags. Only three championship flags hang above the arena. Although they are empty, this is their honor.
Ballmer and Li Ao agreed - there is no need to hang up the regular season championship flag, division championship flag, division championship flag and so on.
After the new arena, the relationship between the Clippers and the Kanter family's Los Angeles Sports Investment Company became clearer. With Ballmer's help, the Li Ao family bought back all the shares from the minority shareholders. Now The Clippers only belong to Ballmer, Vivian, and Caesar Kanter... The calculation of dividends is much simpler.
By the playoffs, the new MVP was in big trouble.
The Clippers won the regular season championship and were naturally No. [-] in the Western Conference.
The Suns are also a team in the Pacific Division and did not win the first place in the division. Although their record is the second best in the Western Conference, they can only be ranked fourth in the Western Conference, while the Lakers with 57 wins and 25 losses are ranked fifth in the Western Conference...
The Lakers beat the Suns 4-1 in the first round, averaging 112 points per game, but limited the Suns to only 104 points per game.
In the first round, the Clippers met the Grizzlies, whose record had declined significantly.
The Grizzlies only scored 43 wins and 39 losses this season, ranking eighth in the Western Conference. They mainly focus on defense. They have been in a slump for a long time this season. It was only after the All-Star Weekend that they gained momentum and broke into the top eight...and then made it to the first round for the second consecutive year. Out and swept by the Clippers 4-0.
In the first round of the other two groups in the Western Conference, the 56-win Mavericks played extremely fiercely with the 48-win Jazz. Sloan was so good at playing in the playoffs that it was delayed until Game 6 when the lineup was obviously inferior to his opponents.
The Nuggets are miserable. Although they are third in the Western Conference, their record is only 49 wins and 33 losses. It is only because they are first in the Northwest Division that they can be ranked third in the Western Conference. When they meet the 54-win Spurs... Anthony is third The second playoff trip was swept.
After the new division is divided, continuing to maintain the top spot in the division will inevitably lead the division. Problems occurred in the first season, and the Western Conference playoff pattern was in chaos.
The regular season MVP was almost swept in the first round!
Although the Lakers only won 57 games in the regular season, everyone knows that they will be one of the best teams in the Western Conference in the playoffs.
The east side is also in chaos.
With Carter, Hinrich led the Bulls to become a 50-win team, winning 51 games.
But they have the Pacers with 56 wins, the Pistons with 65 wins, and the Bucks with 46 wins in the same division. They can't even make the top four.
There are three weak teams in the Atlantic Division. The 3ers won 76 games and did not make the playoffs. The Knicks only won 43 games, but they ranked higher than the Pacers and Bulls.
The situation in the Southeast Division is similar.
Since there is no real possibility of O'Neal leaving the Lakers, the Heat's reconstruction has been on a steady path from the beginning. This season, Wade and Caron Butler have become more powerful, and Eddie Jones, Haslem, and Bryan -Grant maintained his form and had a record of 51 wins.
But in the same division, there are the Magic with 55 wins and the Wizards with 58 wins...
Just after the first round of the playoffs, some media called on the league to change the rule that "the first place in the division must be the top three in the division". It is best to cancel the preferential treatment of the first place in the division and rank them according to the number of wins.
The first-place preferential treatment system in the division was formulated in 1976 and was in line with the situation at that time.
At that time, the NBA and ABA leagues merged, and the number of NBA teams increased dramatically. Due to transportation problems, divisions had to be divided into divisions. However, after dividing the divisions, the strength gap between the divisions was particularly large. The ABA League was overall better than the ABA League in terms of game viewing and player strength. The NBA is far behind. In order to avoid the situation where there is no playoff team in a division and the fan market is lost, this rule was formulated.
But now, more than 20 years later, this rule is no longer in line with the current situation.
Not only are the media calling for it and fans complaining, but the teams are also complaining.
Like the Lakers and Suns, those who lost complained that they had not adapted to the rhythm of the playoffs, and those who won also complained that they had to play against the strongest enemy in the Western Conference so early.
The 'peak showdown' between the Clippers and the Lakers in the second round begins ahead of schedule.
In this civil war in Angel City, both teams played more as a team.
Years of experience in playoff matches tell the two teams that teams in the same city cannot be defeated by just one person, not the Sharks, the Black Mamba, and Spider-Man.
After 6 games, the highly anticipated Civil War in Angel City came to an end.
The Lakers' 60s scene reappears...
The Clippers eliminated the Lakers in the playoffs for four consecutive years, with a score of 4 to 2, and advanced to the Western Conference Finals!
In this regard, the happiest people are not only the Clippers fans, but also the Trail Blazers fans.
In the past few years, they were also brutally beaten by the Lakers in the playoffs for four or five consecutive years.
Now it's finally the Lakers' turn!
In the other group in the second round of the Western Conference, everyone thought the Spurs would win, but it was the Mavericks who had the last laugh.
This series was extremely fierce. The Spurs won one game first, the Mavericks won the next two games, the Spurs won another game, and the Mavericks won another game and led 1-1. In G1, the Spurs relied on Arenas's The long-distance three-point final was dragged into a tie-break, and the tie-break went into overtime... Terry scored three consecutive three-pointers in overtime, making Ginobili and Arenas doubt their lives.
The Clippers made their first Big Western Conference finals appearance against a team outside of California, and the process was very difficult.
In the first game, the Clippers lost their home court advantage 108-115.
第二场快船队105比98守住了第二个主场，但G3又输了，88比95，大比分来到1比2。
The G4 Clippers relied on Li Ao to score two key mid-range shots and narrowly defeated the Mavericks 107-105, narrowly chasing the score to 2-2 and dragging them into the battle of Tianwang Mountain.
After 4 games, the Clippers slowly found a way to deal with the Mavericks. They defeated the Mavericks 5-107 in G101, and won again 6-102 in G93. They won 3 games in a row, reversed the Mavericks 4-2, and reached the NBA Finals for the 4th consecutive year. finals.
In the Eastern Conference, before the start of the playoffs, people thought that the Pacers, Magic, and Pistons would still dominate the Eastern Conference, but it was the Wizards who came to the end!
The Wizards were forced into a tiebreaker by the Bulls, seventh in the Western Conference, in the first round. Public opinion unanimously believed that the Wizards would be beaten by the Pistons in the second round. As a result, the Wizards narrowly defeated the Pistons in tiebreaker and were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Magic team played 6 games.
Garnett met Duncan in the playoffs and played poorly, but he still had Brand.
Cassel met the Magic team who gave him a humiliating offer, and he played very violently. The Wizards eliminated the Magic 4-2 and met the Clippers in the finals!
The Wizards entered the Finals after 27 years. Garnett proved how good his team ability is when he has good teammates.
But it's a pity that they met the Clippers who were in form.
和湖人队、小牛队连续交手，快船队进入全盛期，首战以100比85赢了奇才队15分，第二战以91比84再胜，G3奇才队靠着防守以88比84险胜快船队避免0比3落后，但G4快船队得分又升上去了，95比82获胜，大比分3比1领先。
The Wizards already defended very well, but except for the runaway defense in G3, they were unable to limit the Clippers' scoring to less than 90 points in the other three games.
The Clippers also defended very well, limiting the Wizards to less than 90 points in every game.
到了G5，快船队没给奇才队继续挣扎的机会，李敖30分5板6助攻2抢断4盖帽、基德15分15助攻……快船队以99比86轻取奇才队，4比1，完成4连冠！
李敖以场均34.4分5.2板4.4助攻2抢断3.4盖帽的表现连续4年拿下FMVP，超越乔丹，成为了连续FMVP次数最多的球员！
The Clippers have also become the second team in NBA history to win three consecutive championships after the Celtics in the 60s!
Four consecutive championships also laid the foundation for the Clippers to become a wealthy team!
(End of the book)
(End of this chapter)
The Clippers completed their first dynasty in the 21st century. The Clippers' nickname officially changed from 'Battleship' to 'Aircraft Carrier', rather than what Clippers fans call themselves.
Li Ao, who only turns 23 in more than a month, has already completed two single-season MVP+FMVP and three consecutive FMVP achievements.
When eight-time champion Jordan retired last summer, everyone thought his deity was so solid that it was unshakable, including Clippers fans. After all, Jordan was also a 'Clippers star'.
But now, people have discovered that Jordan's divinity may not be so stable.
Because the Clippers are very likely to do something that only the Celtics have done - surpass three consecutive championships!
The Clippers won the championship this season, which is very different from the Bulls' two and three consecutive championships.
When the Bulls completed three consecutive championships for the first time in 93, even if Jordan did not retire, it would be difficult for the Bulls to continue to win the championship. The Bulls' record in the 92-93 season dropped by 91 games compared to the 92-10 season, and veterans continued to suffer injuries. Pippen, one of the two core players, has also declined a lot. When compared to the second championship, Pippen's scoring, defense, passing, shooting percentage... all declined.
98年公牛队第二次完成三连冠时更是如此，97-98赛季是乔丹单核夺冠的封神赛季，那赛季皮蓬常规赛只打了44场、朗利只打了58场……
But this Clippers team is very different now.
Jordan retired and left as a free agent. The exchange for Kidd emptied out the role players from the previous two championships. This made the Clippers' dynasty road extremely bumpy and made Li Ao's third championship full of gold... At the same time, it also Make the Clippers full of 'life'.
Seeing the list of the main lineup of the Clippers' championship, fans suddenly discovered that the Clippers' third championship in three consecutive championships can be regarded as the first championship!
For the Clippers, they have completed three consecutive championships.
But for the core lineup of Kidd, Li Ao, O'Neal Jr., and Odom, they can really be regarded as having just won the 'first championship' with a brand new lineup of role players!
Their system and cooperation methods are all brand new!
For opponents, this is also a brand new team. Their understanding of this Clippers team is far less than that of the Clippers during the two consecutive championships.
Moreover, the backcourt core of Kidd and Li Ao, coupled with the more mature O'Neal and Odom, are more attractive to veterans and powerful role players who aspire to win the championship than during the Shenxiagui era!
Looking at this Clippers team, fans came up with an idea - the dynasty can be more than three consecutive championships!
Such an idea seems crazy to fans, but they think it is indeed possible!
Celtics fans want to vomit blood - what did their team do in those two years?
The Celtics originally sent two high-quality role players, Kevin Willis and Mark Blount, to the Clippers, who helped the Clippers win the first and second championships. Now they are poaching them. Big hole.
The greatness of eight consecutive championships may be shaken... No, if the Clippers surpass three consecutive championships, the greatness of eight consecutive championships will definitely be shaken!
During the Celtics' eight consecutive championships, there were only 8 teams in the NBA. When the Celtics won their last 13 championships in 11, there were only 14 teams.
The current NBA has 29 teams, and next season it will be 30.
The difficulty of winning four consecutive championships in this era is definitely more difficult than eight consecutive championships in that era!
...
At 28 pm on the 8th, the annual NBA draft begins.
The Hornets have always been high-spirited, the kind of people whose ambitions are as high as the sky but whose destiny is as thin as paper.
In the eyes of their boss, ordinary All-Stars are not worthy of being the core of their team. In the 16 years of their team history, only Alonzo Mourning has been favored by their boss. The other players are Larry Johnson and Anthony Jr. -Mason, Divac, Kendall Gill, Glen Rice...and most recently Baron Davis were all asked to be sold by their owners during their formative years or primes because they could not see themselves becoming superstars. possible.
This year's No. [-] pick is Emeka Okafor of the UConn Huskies, who is recognized as the most capable and mature player in this draft.
But when the Hornets got the No. [-] pick, most media felt that Okafor was out of business.
This time the media predicted correctly, the first name David Stern read was high school student Dwight Howard.
The Hornets have a clear idea of selection-even if the gamble will fail, they must choose the most talented one.
The Sonics, with the second overall pick, did not select Okafor, but instead selected another high school student, Shaun Livingston.
Kwame Brown did not become the No. [-] pick in high school. Under the patient care of Popovich, who is good at polishing rookies, he became a first-class center with top single defense, top assist defense, and outstanding rebounding. He has the possibility of becoming a top center.
Although James was criticized during his rookie season, everyone still recognized his talent and strength.
Plus the original Garnett, Kobe, McGrady, O'Neal...
The Sonics have gathered a bunch of role players and are looking forward to getting talent.
The Bulls with the third pick wanted to select Okafor, but they already had two high school centers. In the end, they chose another talent from UConn-Ben Gordon.
Okafor, who had been hyped as the No. [-] pick for a year, was dumbfounded. He actually fell out of the top three picks!
With the fourth pick, Bobcats executive president Jordan was ecstatic to take Okafor.
It was impossible for the owner of the Hornets to sell the No. [-] pick, and the owner of the Sonics had a bad relationship with Jordan. Jordan was worried because he couldn't give out gifts. He didn't expect that Okafor was selected in the end!
Unlike other teams where players are interviewed after the draft, for Jordan, it was his first time to participate in the draft as a small owner, and NBA officials chose to interview him.
Jordan said excitedly to the camera: "We drafted the next Tim Duncan, and our team is off to a perfect start!"
Li Ao was stunned in front of the TV, and Boss Qiao's vision was simply amazing.
Okafor is definitely not bad, but if the expectation for this already complete college talent is to become a player like Duncan... sometimes it is better not to say anything.
The Suns selected the Trojans' new Final Four MOP Andre Iguodala with the 5th pick... At the 27th pick, the Clippers selected Trey, who was predicted to be around the 10th pick in the second round. Ariza.
Although 04 is not a bad year for the draft, at this position, there is nothing to choose from.
Originally, Li Ao wanted to steal the goal of his next door neighbor. After discussion, Li Ao, Kidd, Gentry, and Wally Walker all felt good about the shooting stability shown by Slovenian pitcher Vujacic in the international arena.
However, because Li Ao "predicted" possible rule changes by the league, and several colleagues at the meeting felt that it was very possible, he finally decided to choose a swingman who can run and defend.
Ariza is a UCLA player, and the Clippers' scouting department is very familiar with him. He is physically strong and willing to play hard. His ability is insufficient in the early stage, but he needs a tough substitute at forward and back to help Gerald Wallace. It's still possible, that way there won't be any need for Li Ao to serve as a 'substitute' for Gerald Wallace.
And for slow-motion pitchers, they already have Kapono. If Kapono is taken away by Boss Joe in the next two days, then if there is really a shortage of spot-up pitchers, Li Ao can also take over.
With Kidd, Li Ao is already the historical ceiling for off-ball pitchers.
Varejao is also a good choice, but the Clippers already have a recruiting target for the center position this summer, and there are more than one. They have to free up the center substitute position, otherwise the opponent will see that you have selected another rookie center and worry. You get no screen time here.
With the 28th pick in the second round, the Clippers selected Ricky Minard of the Trojans. With this pick, there was really no one else to choose from. Wally Walker selected a sophomore from the same city team. In the draft, at least local fans can have some impression of this player... but there is a high probability that they will not sign him unless he proves that he is a hidden talent in the summer league.
On the second day of the draft, it was time for the Bobcats to select.
The Clippers put Kidd, Li Ao, Yaric, Gerald Wallace, Odom, O'Neal Jr., Matt Halprin, and Eddie House on the eight-man protection list.
As expected by Li Ao, their backup shooting guards Bobby Simmons and Drobiak were picked away by Boss Joe.
He is quite heartbroken, but Drobiak is okay, and it can be regarded as boss Joe helping them free up the center position.
Bobby Simmons averaged 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game this season. His offense is online and his defense is active. After being abandoned by the Wizards for two years, he can still have such a game attitude and good psychological quality. Such a substitute, The Clippers need it.
But they really don't have any more protection spots. Boss Joe will definitely pick away the most effective player outside their 8-man protection list.
Even if it's not suitable, even if he doesn't want it, the Clippers star wants to maximize the weakening of his old club.
Compared to the Lakers and Celtics, Boss Joe doesn't want to see his old club continue to win the championship.
Although the relationship is good, Li Ao is quite aware of his old teammate's peeing.
Fortunately, Li Ao was prepared and asked Kidd to recruit a backup shooting guard.
The main backup at the back line and the main backup at the center were picked up, Glenn Rice's contract expired, and the Clippers gave up Robert Traylor's second-year team option.
The Clippers currently have 10 players left and two unsigned rookies.
Point guard: Kidd, Jaric.
Shooting Guards: Li Ao, Eddie House.
Small forward: Gerald Wallace, Kapono, Matt Barnes.
Power forward: Matt Halprin, Odom.
Center: O'Neal Jr.
The Bobcats selected a bunch of low-salary players and raised the salary to 1400 million US dollars. The selection process was ended. The rosters of each team were stable. The options that should be exercised were executed, and the players that should be given up were given up... Quickly The fleet is waiting for the start of the free market on July 7st.
On June 6, NBA owners held a regular meeting, and the main topic was the division of new divisions.
With the addition of the Bobcats, the number of NBA teams increased to 30. The league divided the 30 teams into 6 divisions, still divided into east and west divisions, with each division having 3 divisions.
Pacific Division: Clippers, Lakers, Kings, Suns, Warriors.
Northwest Division: Trail Blazers, Nuggets, Timberwolves, SuperSonics, Jazz.
Southwest Division: Mavericks, Spurs, Rockets, Grizzlies, Hornets. The Hornets are officially divided into the Western Conference.
Southeast Division: Hawks, Heat, Magic, Wizards, Bobcats.
Central Division: Bulls, Cavaliers, Pistons, Pacers, Bucks.
Atlantic Division: Celtics, Nets, Knicks, 76ers, Raptors.
The schedule rules have changed. Each team will play against teams in its own division 4 times during the regular season, 3-4 times against other teams in the same division, and twice against teams in different divisions.
The record ranking rules have also been adjusted. In the past, only the top two in the division were fixed. Now the top three in the division are also fixed. The first place in each division automatically occupies the top three in the division. The first place in the division is ranked according to the record.
In other words, the top team in the non-division will only be ranked fourth in the East and West from the new season.
The division of the new divisions will reduce the frequency of one situation - the Western Conference Finals becoming a civil war in Angel City.
There is also the need to put an end to the situation where three of the top four teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences are from the same division.
At the end of the meeting, a new rule was adopted - high zone defense prohibits overhand confrontation.
Kidd was shocked when he saw the news.
Spider-Man actually 'predicted' right!
Although Spider-Man thought it was very possible when he analyzed the new rules a few days ago, he was still shocked when the prediction came true.
Spider-Man's understanding of basketball and his ability to predict the development of the NBA are simply amazing!
It's scary to be against such a genius, but fortunately he is a teammate...
The media said that this new rule is conducive to breakthroughs and counterattacks. High-position defense is no longer allowed, making breakthroughs much easier.
During the counterattack, you can't block until the opponent's free throw line, and it will definitely be easier to counterattack.
But Kidd feels that this rule does more damage to defense than that. He sees that there are more and more players who are good at three-pointers in the league. Most of the outsiders who have just entered the NBA can make three-pointers, and even many insiders have the ability to shoot from long range.
You can't use it to prevent breakthroughs, and you can't use it to prevent shots. It will also be easier to hit three-pointers in isolation and three-pointers after catching the ball.
Breakthrough, counterattack...
There are also three-pointers in singles and three-pointers after catching the ball... Kidd was down for a while when he thought about this.
Is the league cutting back on defense, or strengthening Spider-Man?
...
On July 7st, the free market opened, and the league announced a new salary cap. Compared with last summer, it was $1 less...
911/2000 did not cause the NBA's revenue to decline, and the Internet bubble did not affect the NBA's revenue growth. As a result, the iron-blooded play reduced the NBA's revenue by more than [-] million US dollars.
Big things happen on the first day of the free market.
The Jazz signed Carlos Boozer for six years and $6 million.
The Cavaliers' efforts to acquire top free agents such as Larry Hughes and Garnett in the offseason have not yet begun. They first lost a power forward who averaged 15+11 per game.
Originally, Boozer signed a 02+2 rookie contract with a third-year team option in the summer of 1. Boozer's agent lobbied the Cavaliers management to give up the third-year team option and renew Boozer's contract with a high salary in advance. Zell, the reason is that Boozer may be an All-Star after one more year of playing, and then the price will not be the same as it is now.
As soon as the Cavaliers management heard that it made sense, they waived the team option.
There is nothing wrong with the operation of the Cavaliers management, but the problem is that giving up the team option is equivalent to giving up the matching rights of the home team. It would be fine if no other team intervenes, but after the Jazz received the news, in the free market As soon as it started, Boozer's agent Pelinka was given a sub-maximum salary contract.
Pelinka tricked the Cavaliers into renewing his contract with a high salary early just to get more money earlier. Now that other teams are offering more money, he immediately runs away with Boozer.
Boozer's "anti-bone boy" incident kicked off this crazy summer.
However, the excitement of this matter did not last long, and big news came soon from Angel City.
The Lakers renewed Kobe's contract with a seven-year, US$7 million contract, and renewed O'Neal's contract in advance with a five-year, US$1.36 million contract.
If no deal occurs, the duo will stay together until 2010.
Many teams are waiting to introduce O'Neal in the summer of 05. Each team believes that even if O'Neal is 33 years old by then, he will still be the number one center in the league. With O'Neal's style of play, it will not be a big problem to continue for three or four years. The five-year maximum salary will definitely not be a loss.
There are rumors that O'Neal wants US$5 million in five years. With more than 1.3 years of playing experience, he can start with a salary of more than US$11 million at most, and his final year's salary can reach US$2000 million, becoming the second player in NBA history. A player with an annual salary of over $3052 million.
When O'Neal asked for this price, other teams felt that their chance to get the Sharks had arrived!
Although the Sharks have fallen from their peak three or four years, they are still the Sharks. The Magic are unwilling to give the 24-year-old Shark 33 million, while other teams are willing to give the [-]-year-old Shark [-] million.
The Sharks chose to accept a salary cut and completed a contract extension with the Lakers with an average annual salary of US$2000 million with no increase, which was beyond many people's expectations.
The enthusiasm for the free market next year will cool down by [-]% a year ahead of schedule.
Some media speculated that O'Neal wanted to defeat the basic skills and Spider-Man, and did not want to be a deserter. That would be too shameful.
Some media also speculated that O'Neal was unable to get more than 1 million U.S. dollars by changing teams, so it would be easier to stay with the team and partner with Payton and Kobe. He has dragged down the Lakers' mid-level contract group for four years, and now he has All have expired, and there is no need to look for veterans with minimum salaries like last summer. Instead, they can compete for talented players.
Kupchak's signing operation last summer was highly sought after, but in fact it was difficult for a clever woman to make a plan without rice. If there are conditions to sign someone who is strong, young and suitable, who would sign a veteran who only has the advantage of being suitable?
In the past two seasons, some teams began to wait for O'Neal, such as the SuperSonics, because the OK team had a bad relationship.
But after the Clippers dominated the league, the relationship between OK and OK quickly recovered, and they had a common enemy.
For the OK group, the hatred they had when they were killed by sophomore Duncan was secondary.
Who is the strongest duo between OK and KILL is what they care about most right now.
The OK group has renewed their contracts, the "Angel City duo" pattern continues, and the trend of stars traveling eastward continues.
Garnett rejected the Suns' offer to sign and trade Marion to form the "Twin Towers for High School Students" and joined the Wizards to join hands with Hamilton and Brand.
Garnett's new contract is worth $5 million over five years, a non-bird-rights maximum salary contract for veterans with 8600-7 years of experience.
The Timberwolves wanted to sign and trade with the Wizards so that Garnett could get the maximum contract under the Bird Rights of $6 million over six years, but Garnett refused.
After earning nothing for nine years in his career, Garnett understood that teammates are more important than getting an extra $9 million per year... Mainly because $300 million in five years is also the maximum salary, and he has already earned $5 million with the Timberwolves. The total salary has exceeded 8600 million U.S. dollars. Now, at the age of 1.2, he signed a 28-year contract. By 5, at the age of 2009, he may be able to get another 33-year, 5 million U.S. dollars contract like O'Neal. At the age of 1, he will not That’s easy to say.
While introducing Garnett, the Wizards sent Steve Blake and Edon Thomas, and acquired 35-year-old veteran Sam Cassell from the Magic.
Magic players, under the leadership of TT, have great respect for Cassel, but the early contract extension given by the Magic management still made Cassel feel the malice of the world. With 3 million US dollars in three years, he was stuck. Serge refused.
Then the Magic traded him for Blake. The Wizards had space and they could save some salary.
With the introduction of Cassell and Garnett, the Wizards became the upstarts in the Eastern Conference!
Brand has always played as a center. Although he is only 203 centimeters tall, he weighs 125 kilograms. On the defensive end, he usually stays under the basket and lets the center partner out. This fits well with Garnett, who is not good at defending at the basket. .
On July 7, the Mavericks made a big move, sending Anthony Walker to the Hawks in exchange for Jason Terry.
After acquiring Terry, the Mavericks refused to give Nash a three-year, $3 million contract extension, and were only willing to give Nash a three-year, $3000 million contract. Cuban said he would give up his Bird Rights if he didn't sign.
Nash left angrily and accepted Colangelo Jr.'s invitation to join the Suns for $5 million over five years.
As if to show that he was not stingy, Cuban turned around and traded an expiring contract + a second-round pick for Eric Dampier from the Warriors at a price of US$7 million over seven years.
Subsequently, the Mavericks completed a three-way trade with the Bulls and Bucks, with Jamison as the core bargaining chip, in exchange for the Bulls' Stackhouse, the Bucks' Keith Van Horn, and the Bucks in the first round. Jameer Nelson, selected with the 19th overall pick...
The Mavericks consisted of Terry, Nelson, Stackhouse, Finley, Van Horn, Marquis Daniels, Josh Howard, Nowitzki, Alan Henderson, Shawn Bullard The lineup of Lee...
After the Suns acquired Nash, they spent $6 million over six years to sign Quentin Richardson, who averaged 4500 points per game with the Nets last season.
The Suns formed a lineup of Nash, Big Q, Joe Johnson, Marion, Jr., Jim Jackson, Steven Hunter, and No. 5 overall pick Andre Iguodala.
The news of transactions and signings between these two teams was very popular. The whole early July was the news about these two teams.
Fans saw the operations of the two teams - what is this?
Compared with the Wizards' introduction of Garnett, the operations of these two teams were wildly ridiculed.
Haven't the Mavericks learned their lesson yet?Last year, two well-known top-salary players were brought in carelessly and suffered a big loss but haven't learned the lesson yet?
Nelson's understanding of the rules is much higher than ordinary people. He couldn't change the fact that Cuban didn't like Nash, but he still embraced the new rules and gave Cuban trading suggestions, creating the most offensive basketball system he thought they could create. line-up.
Little Colangelo...has a good father. After signing Nash, he crossed his legs and smiled while watching the news that mocked him.
The only regret he felt was that Garnett was frightened by the Angel City duo and sent to the East.
Otherwise, the pick-and-roll combination of Nash + Garnett, paired with a small bully and a group of pitchers, is a perfect match for the new era that is about to begin.
The big deal is not over yet. On July 7, a blockbuster deal took place in the Eastern Conference - the Bulls sent out Eddie Curry, No. 12 draft pick Ben Gordon, and Jamison, and acquired Vince Carter in exchange. And he took Antonio Davis's garbage contract with 2 years and $2700 million left.
The Flyers are coming to the Bulls again!
The Lakers' operations are also here.
The Grizzlies successfully renewed Battier's contract at a low price, and Battier can return to the main position.
In this way, James Posey has become a salary burden for the Grizzlies. If the logo man sends him away, where should he send him?
The Lakers traded a first-round pick to acquire James Posey...another day of jumping around for Popovich.
After acquiring James Posey, the Lakers poached veteran P.J. Brown from the Hornets for $2 million over two years.
Payton, Kobe, James Posey, PJ Brown, O'Neal... Popovich looked at the incompetence of this lineup and became furious...
When it came to introducing free agents and trading, Kupchak was even more aggressive than his teacher. He felt that what the media said made sense. Kobe needed someone to carry the forward line, and O'Neal needed someone who could make mid-range shots and help defend. There was room. , then get it back.
The Trail Blazers picked up a lone wolf from the Suns for nothing. After half a season, the two parties broke up not very amicably.
Paul Allen had a bad temper and refused to give him a contract if he said he wouldn't. Marbury didn't lick his face and asked for a contract. After wandering around, he still didn't want to stay in the West. Los Angeles was a bit scary, so he went to the Bucks. During the trial, the Bucks management was overjoyed and offered him a three-year maximum salary contract with a starting salary of US$3 million and a total of US$1225 million in three years.
Originally, the Bucks wanted to show respect for a long-term contract, but the 27-year-old Marbury wanted to sign for three years first and then renew the contract after he had the bird rights. By then, he would be an 3-year veteran and he would have the bird rights. With a bigger contract, the annual salary increase will be higher.
The Rockets once again waved. The dark circles under his eyes have become a little heavier, and the face is getting more and more haggard. The boss is interested in the whole league... There is also a very explosive news. Kenyon Martin refuses to renew his contract with the Nets. The proposed sign-and-trade deal was also rejected. It was rumored that the No. 00 pick in the 1 draft even changed his agent. He wanted to sign a qualifying offer of US$720 million for one year and become a completely free agent after the deal.
The first two weeks of the free market have been particularly crazy, but fans are paying attention to these crazy transactions and signings, and are also curious about why there is no big movement on the aircraft carrier in Angel City?
But seeing that the Clippers already have four top- or sub-maximum-salary players in Li Ao, Kidd, Odom, and O'Neal Jr., I found that the Clippers really don't have the conditions to make big operations.
Fans have discussed whether the Clippers will use Odom and O'Neal as trading chips. Many teams are interested in these two people.
But the Clippers have won three consecutive championships. It is difficult to exchange for players of equal strength, and since it is an exchange of equal strength, it is better to keep these two people.
Is the four consecutive championships over?No, the Clippers' main lineup that won the championship last season, that is, Bobby Simmons and Drobiak were selected by Jordan. Those two are not irreplaceable.
If the Clippers continue to rest on their laurels, the health of the Clippers will be worrying next season regardless of whether their strength will decline.
The Kings have learned lessons from the past. The Kings, who are so good at playing 8-man basketball, only lasted two years.
At this time, people discovered the reason why the Clippers' signings in the past 01 and 02 offseasons were so smooth - there were many rookie contracts.
When Odom and O'Neal Jr. received big contracts last summer, and Bibby and two substitutes were exchanged for the top-paid Kidd, the conditions for the Clippers' signings became particularly difficult.
Moreover, the Clippers have won three consecutive championships and are heading towards four consecutive championships. The situation they face is unprecedentedly difficult.
On July 7, the Clippers finally made some noise, and it was unstoppable…
The Nets completed a buyout with Mutombo. Mutombo's last year of contract was more than 1900 million U.S. dollars, but he only took 1700 million U.S. dollars. The Nets will save more than 200 million U.S. dollars next summer.
The expiring contract is indeed a good bargaining chip, but it also depends on how big the contract is. Mutombo is not suitable for clearing space. It is too big.
On the night when the Nets bought out Mutombo, the Clippers officially announced that they had signed a contract with Mutombo, a partial mid-level contract worth US$300 million, totaling US$624 million over two years, with a player option for the second year.
After acquiring Mutombo, the Clippers used a one-year minimum salary to sign Antonio McDyess, who had only played more than 1 games in the past three seasons combined.
McDyess came back at the end of last season. In 20 games with the Suns, he averaged 5.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The data was not great, but he shot an astonishing 51% of long two-pointers!
Three years ago, before his serious injury, McDyess was purely physical. Three years after his injury, he no longer had the same physical fitness that he once had, but he has improved his shooting skills and his style of play has completely changed to a floor style, which is unexpected. He is very accustomed to being a role player and has no airs of "I was an All-Star" at all.
The Lakers, Pistons, Wizards, Pacers and many other teams made offers to him.
Among them, the Lakers and Pistons were the most willing. One offered an offer of US$1 million over one year, and the other offered a full middle-class offer over two years.
But McDyess never made up his mind, and after the Clippers signed Mutombo, he made the choice he wanted.
Then, the Clippers used the remaining mid-level funds to sign Argentine guard Andres Nocioni for $3 million over three years and veteran point guard Kenny Anderson for one year's minimum salary.
Nocioni had already emerged in the 1999 Pan American Basketball Championship and attracted the attention of NBA teams.
In 01, the 22-year-old Nocioni reached the age of automatic selection. Although many NBA teams were interested in him, because his contract with his old club was still very long, no team selected him, so he automatically became a free agent. players.
This year, Nocioni's contract with his old club ended and he was preparing to enter the NBA. The free market had just opened. Before he could decide where to go for a trial training, he received a call from Los Angeles. His favorite point guard god personally invited him to join. …
Kenny Anderson played as a substitute for the Pacers last season, averaging 5.6 points and 3.3 assists per game. This veteran with 13 years of experience has been favored by many teams. After all, as long as he has a basic salary, last season Bird signed him with a minimum salary.
This is not over yet. The Clippers waived part of Matt Barnes' guaranteed contract for next season, and Li Ao recommended him to the Knicks as a bodyguard for the Little Giant.
Li Ao told Barnes, it's not that you don't work hard or are not good, but that the current situation does not meet the team's current needs for substitutes. If you stay here, you will only be buried like Bobby Simmons.
Yao Ming accepted the recommendation from his seniors, but he only helped Barnes get a spot in the trial training.
The Knicks are also recruiting during the offseason. Although Alan Houston was reimbursed at the end of last season, resulting in the Knicks not being able to beat the Raptors in the first round, they have a big beard and a little giant, and they are also in the eyes of free agents. Sweet and sour food... Mainly because the boss is willing to spend money.
上赛季场均9分7板的中锋纳兹尔-穆罕穆德、场均7分4板的莫里斯-泰勒、场均7分3板1助攻的马里克-罗斯的加入，让小巨人身边的帮手又充盈起来。
The Knicks management prioritizes replenishing the inside line so that Yao Ming can play more easily. As for the outside line, there is nothing they can do for the time being. Alan Houston's [-] million yuan contract blocks their ability to take advantage of Yao Ming's rookie contract to introduce superstars, otherwise they will Go after Garnett.
Since Alan Houston is likely to be reimbursed for the new season, Dolan goes to Stern for tea every day after the boss's regular meeting.
Knicks coach Wilkens gave Yao Ming face and gave Barnes an extra trial.
After seeing Barnes' trial training, Wilkens immediately fell in love with this young player who was fierce in defense. His ability was still a bit lacking, but with his eyes and posture, Wilkens, who has been coaching for 30 years, confirmed that this player would have a bright future. Can be typed out.
But Wilkens was curious, why would the Clippers give up such a promising substitute player?
A team not only needs stars, role players are also very important. He doesn't believe that the Clippers, a dynasty team, will not understand this truth.
Soon he understood...
On July 7, the Clippers signed two players. One was Trevor Ariza, who had just been selected in the first round. The other was the best sixth man of the Bulls' second dynasty, European magician Tony Curry. Kochi!
At his peak, Kukoc could play all positions. As he got older, his positions gradually decreased. Now he mainly plays the third position, occasionally playing the fourth position, but not much. He is 208 centimeters tall but his weight has been reduced to 98 kilograms. He can't hold up most power forwards, and he will occasionally play shooting guard, but he is mainly a wing fixed-point shooter.
Last season, Kukoc averaged 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. The Bucks wanted to keep him, but they couldn't. The Bulls, Heat, Suns, Pistons, and Wizards are waiting for rising teams or championship-level teams. They all want to bring in this experienced veteran.
But Spider-Man came to visit in person, and the Clippers laid off the bench first, showing full respect. Kukoc said that his favorite superhero is Spider-Man, and he can compete with Spider-Man at the age when he is about to retire. It was something he had dreamed of doing.
After the free market opened, the Clippers were silent for three weeks. People, including Clippers fans, thought they would be as ineffective in signings this summer as last summer, but they spent a week shocking the league!
Kenny Anderson, Nocioni, Kukoc, Antonio McDyess, and Mutombo joined in, making the Clippers' second and third lineup extremely full!
Four consecutive championships are more attractive to veterans than the media and fans imagined!
It's not that there are no veterans who want to come to the Clippers, but the Clippers already have clear goals, and these goals are 5 of these 4 people.
Their primary goal is to compete for Alonzo Mourning. Mourning averaged 10.7 points, 7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game with the Celtics last season.
But unfortunately, he was snatched away by the Magic with a two-year mid-level contract.
The Magic also have a dual-core team that competes for the championship, and the salary offered is even higher, and the Clippers have not been able to steal it.
But the Nets gave an assist!
The 1900 million Mutombo contract is a garbage contract, but 300 million a year... is not too good at all!
The core lineup of Kidd, Li Ao, O'Neal Jr. and Odom.
There are three high-quality role players in Jaric, Matt Halprin, and Eddie House.
Gerald Wallace's talent has begun to materialize, and newcomer Nocioni is also a mature young player.
McDyess has transformed into a much-anticipated floor player.
Kapono and Ariza are two first- and second-year substitutes.
Plus Kenny Anderson, Kukoc and Mutombo, three veterans who are still strong...
Clippers fans were naturally overjoyed. They had been suppressed for three weeks, watching helplessly as other teams made reinforcements and acted haphazardly, but there was no movement from their own team. Although they could understand the team's predicament, they could not understand it. It’s very frustrating... Now, they are infinitely arrogant!
As for fans of other teams, they couldn't be happier.
Fans of other teams are united as never before, and their goal for the new season is to siege the Angel City aircraft carrier across the league!
...
In the 04-05 season, the Suns' 7-second offense took the NBA by storm, becoming the most popular phenomenal team just like the Kings back then.
The Suns ended up with a record of 62 wins and 20 losses. Although Nash did not defeat Kidd in the All-Star starting competition, he averaged 11.5 assists per game and defeated Kidd who averaged 10.6 assists per game and won the first assist title in his career.
Not only that, Nash also defeated Li Ao, who led the team to a record of 66 wins and 16 losses, and Garnett, who led the Wizards to 58 wins. He changed teams like a new student and won the regular season MVP in his first year... making Cuban a The object of ridicule.
But the Mavericks performed better than people expected this season. The unlimited singles style of play has become more perfect this season, and the defense has also improved. The Mavericks have played an integrated offensive and defensive performance. After Nelson and Cuban fell apart due to the issue of team shares, After resigning, young general Avery Johnson took over the Mavericks and firmly implemented the unlimited singles flow system left by Nelson. The Mavericks finally achieved a record of 56 wins, overpowering the 54-win Spurs, taking first place in the division and entering the Western Conference. Top three.
The stock dispute between Nelson and Cuban was a legacy issue from the previous boss. When the former boss invited Nelson to join the Mavericks, he promised to give him a small share of the stock and make him the Mavericks' minority owner, but Cuban did not recognize this. It makes no sense to use the sword of the previous dynasty to kill the officials of this dynasty.
The team with the best performance in the regular season was the Clippers who came from behind.
At the beginning of this season, most teams were not very adaptable to the new rules. Strong defensive teams often gave their opponents thirty or forty free throws in a game at the beginning of the season. The probability of leaving the game with six fouls set a new record in NBA history. record.
At that stage, the team that had previously been poor defensively performed well. The Warriors, led by TJ Ford, started with 7 wins and 7 losses. Last time they started with a better record, which was 93-94. What happened in the [-] season was that the NBA was still in the era of offensive basketball, and the head coach was Nelson.
The Clippers also fell into a foul quagmire at the beginning. In the past few years, they have been the most grinding and confrontational team in the league, and the pain was most obvious at the beginning.
But with the blessing of Li Ao's "understanding of basketball rules", Gentry and his coaching staff immediately began planning how to adjust for the new season after the league announced the new rules.
Although the Clippers' period of pain came violently, their speed in adapting to the new rules was ahead of all defensive teams in the league.
The adjustment on the offensive end is even faster. Gentry likes to attack. Coupled with Kidd, who is the league's best in organizing offense and controlling the field, they quickly transformed from a difficult team offensive last season to a top offensive team.
The Clippers did not blindly pursue offensive speed and did not run and play like the Suns.
After discussion, Gentry, Li Ao, and Kidd decided to focus on defensive counterattacks. The offensive system of positional warfare revolves around peripheral shooting, breakthrough attacks from high positions, and ball-free passes in the middle, etc. offensive areas that have been strengthened under the new regulations.
Given insiders like Kidd, Kenyon Martin and Kwame Brown, he can also lead the team in running and playing like Nash.
But the core inside is O'Neal, who is not suitable for playing like that.
Although Odom in the substitute lineup is good at transitioning between offense and defense, his style of play has been fixed in the past four years and he is more accustomed to a complete offensive and defensive system of positional warfare.
The new frontcourt substitutes, Kukoc, McDyess, and Mutombo, are all old, their athletic ability has deteriorated, and they are not suitable for running and playing.
The main reason is that the Stern era was very restrained in encouraging offense. Unless they can produce the offensive firepower of the Suns, the run-and-gun record may not be much better. When Lee Ao Kidd and Nelson led the Warriors to run-and-gun, their record The best record is 48 wins. When D'Antoni led the Knicks team with Anthony, Stoudemire, Felton, Kenyon Martin, Chandler... the best record was only 54 wins.
In the 03-04 season, they ultimately failed to improve their offensive system, which turned out to be a good thing at this time. They adjusted their imperfect offensive system to embrace the 'NHC' rules, which was faster than adjusting their next-door neighbor's triangle offense. Much smoother.
Although the triangle offense also played offensive basketball in the early 90s, the rules that encouraged offense at that time were different from the 'NHC'.
Of course, the Clippers mainly relied on Li Ao to tell Gentry and Kidd all the basketball system tactics of the Suns, Mavericks, and Spurs.
Li Ao's words were very complicated and confusing, but in the eyes of these two people, it was normal. They simply thought that he had thought up a bunch of suitable or inappropriate tactics based on the new regulations. They just wrote down the experiments or used them as reference ideas, and Li Ao didn't bother. .
They are obviously going to win four consecutive championships, and they have become a thorn in the side of every team from the beginning of this season. Every opponent wants to rise up when they encounter them.
Some opponents played better, and some opponents played worse, but no matter how their opponents played, their desperate attitude of trying to defeat them caused them a lot of trouble.
However, they have been targeted by their opponents since the beginning of the season, which has also accelerated their adaptation to new rules and the improvement of their offensive system.
There is greater motivation when there is pressure.
The Clippers entered the state in the regular season much faster than in the 03-04 season, and there were more injuries. They were very lucky to win the championship in the 03-04 season. The injury situation was that Li Ao joined the Clippers. The fewest in four years, but although there were more injuries this season, their lineup depth was comparable to the two years Jordan was here, and they survived that period smoothly.
最终，快船队以66胜16负的战绩，力压引起了跑轰浪潮拿到62胜20负的太阳队、补强了后卫线后在卡莱尔的带领下打出攻防一体表现拿到65胜17负的活塞队，赢得常规赛冠军。
The Clippers averaged 107.2 points per game, ranking third in the league, behind the Suns and Warriors.
They averaged 96.5 points per game, more than ten points higher than in the 03-04 season, but it's not that their defense has declined so much, but that the pace has accelerated, and they no longer play defense without any pressure like last season.
Li Ao's scoring has improved significantly compared to last season. While his shooting percentage has increased to 48%, the second highest in his career, his scoring average has also increased to 35.5 points per game, becoming the second player in the modern basketball era to average 35+ points per game. Overwhelming Iverson, who averaged 33.1 points per game, he won the scoring title for two consecutive years.
Although Kidd lost to Nash in the competition for the assists king, as the team's offensive system improved, his assists per game returned to double digits, averaging 10.6 assists per game, second in the league.
Li Ao lost to Nash in the regular season MVP competition, and many people felt sorry for him.
But it is not easy to find a white point guard with MVP performance. In addition, Li Ao has won two consecutive MVPs. The Suns went from second to last in the league last season to third in the league, winning 62 games... Although people are sorry that Li Ao failed to win three consecutive games. MVP felt sorry, but no one thought there was anything wrong with Nash winning the MVP.
Garnett actually did something similar. In his first year after joining the Wizards, he helped the Wizards gain more than a dozen wins and get the second-highest 58 wins in team history. However, his statistics were a bit worse. , averaging 20.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.2 blocks per game.
远不及纳什以50.2%的投篮命中率、43.4%的三分命中率、90.6%的罚球命中率场均拿到15.5分11.5助攻那么出色。
After the regular season, the Clippers changed arenas and moved to the Great Western Forum Arena in Inglewood.
Although it is not as prosperous as the city center, after the Clippers moved here, it became as lively as it did in the last century.
It's also very happy for the Clippers players.
They no longer have to see the Lakers' dozen championship flags. Only three championship flags hang above the arena. Although they are empty, this is their honor.
Ballmer and Li Ao agreed - there is no need to hang up the regular season championship flag, division championship flag, division championship flag and so on.
After the new arena, the relationship between the Clippers and the Kanter family's Los Angeles Sports Investment Company became clearer. With Ballmer's help, the Li Ao family bought back all the shares from the minority shareholders. Now The Clippers only belong to Ballmer, Vivian, and Caesar Kanter... The calculation of dividends is much simpler.
By the playoffs, the new MVP was in big trouble.
The Clippers won the regular season championship and were naturally No. [-] in the Western Conference.
The Suns are also a team in the Pacific Division and did not win the first place in the division. Although their record is the second best in the Western Conference, they can only be ranked fourth in the Western Conference, while the Lakers with 57 wins and 25 losses are ranked fifth in the Western Conference...
The Lakers beat the Suns 4-1 in the first round, averaging 112 points per game, but limited the Suns to only 104 points per game.
In the first round, the Clippers met the Grizzlies, whose record had declined significantly.
The Grizzlies only scored 43 wins and 39 losses this season, ranking eighth in the Western Conference. They mainly focus on defense. They have been in a slump for a long time this season. It was only after the All-Star Weekend that they gained momentum and broke into the top eight...and then made it to the first round for the second consecutive year. Out and swept by the Clippers 4-0.
In the first round of the other two groups in the Western Conference, the 56-win Mavericks played extremely fiercely with the 48-win Jazz. Sloan was so good at playing in the playoffs that it was delayed until Game 6 when the lineup was obviously inferior to his opponents.
The Nuggets are miserable. Although they are third in the Western Conference, their record is only 49 wins and 33 losses. It is only because they are first in the Northwest Division that they can be ranked third in the Western Conference. When they meet the 54-win Spurs... Anthony is third The second playoff trip was swept.
After the new division is divided, continuing to maintain the top spot in the division will inevitably lead the division. Problems occurred in the first season, and the Western Conference playoff pattern was in chaos.
The regular season MVP was almost swept in the first round!
Although the Lakers only won 57 games in the regular season, everyone knows that they will be one of the best teams in the Western Conference in the playoffs.
The east side is also in chaos.
With Carter, Hinrich led the Bulls to become a 50-win team, winning 51 games.
But they have the Pacers with 56 wins, the Pistons with 65 wins, and the Bucks with 46 wins in the same division. They can't even make the top four.
There are three weak teams in the Atlantic Division. The 3ers won 76 games and did not make the playoffs. The Knicks only won 43 games, but they ranked higher than the Pacers and Bulls.
The situation in the Southeast Division is similar.
Since there is no real possibility of O'Neal leaving the Lakers, the Heat's reconstruction has been on a steady path from the beginning. This season, Wade and Caron Butler have become more powerful, and Eddie Jones, Haslem, and Bryan -Grant maintained his form and had a record of 51 wins.
But in the same division, there are the Magic with 55 wins and the Wizards with 58 wins...
Just after the first round of the playoffs, some media called on the league to change the rule that "the first place in the division must be the top three in the division". It is best to cancel the preferential treatment of the first place in the division and rank them according to the number of wins.
The first-place preferential treatment system in the division was formulated in 1976 and was in line with the situation at that time.
At that time, the NBA and ABA leagues merged, and the number of NBA teams increased dramatically. Due to transportation problems, divisions had to be divided into divisions. However, after dividing the divisions, the strength gap between the divisions was particularly large. The ABA League was overall better than the ABA League in terms of game viewing and player strength. The NBA is far behind. In order to avoid the situation where there is no playoff team in a division and the fan market is lost, this rule was formulated.
But now, more than 20 years later, this rule is no longer in line with the current situation.
Not only are the media calling for it and fans complaining, but the teams are also complaining.
Like the Lakers and Suns, those who lost complained that they had not adapted to the rhythm of the playoffs, and those who won also complained that they had to play against the strongest enemy in the Western Conference so early.
The 'peak showdown' between the Clippers and the Lakers in the second round begins ahead of schedule.
In this civil war in Angel City, both teams played more as a team.
Years of experience in playoff matches tell the two teams that teams in the same city cannot be defeated by just one person, not the Sharks, the Black Mamba, and Spider-Man.
After 6 games, the highly anticipated Civil War in Angel City came to an end.
The Lakers' 60s scene reappears...
The Clippers eliminated the Lakers in the playoffs for four consecutive years, with a score of 4 to 2, and advanced to the Western Conference Finals!
In this regard, the happiest people are not only the Clippers fans, but also the Trail Blazers fans.
In the past few years, they were also brutally beaten by the Lakers in the playoffs for four or five consecutive years.
Now it's finally the Lakers' turn!
In the other group in the second round of the Western Conference, everyone thought the Spurs would win, but it was the Mavericks who had the last laugh.
This series was extremely fierce. The Spurs won one game first, the Mavericks won the next two games, the Spurs won another game, and the Mavericks won another game and led 1-1. In G1, the Spurs relied on Arenas's The long-distance three-point final was dragged into a tie-break, and the tie-break went into overtime... Terry scored three consecutive three-pointers in overtime, making Ginobili and Arenas doubt their lives.
The Clippers made their first Big Western Conference finals appearance against a team outside of California, and the process was very difficult.
In the first game, the Clippers lost their home court advantage 108-115.
第二场快船队105比98守住了第二个主场，但G3又输了，88比95，大比分来到1比2。
The G4 Clippers relied on Li Ao to score two key mid-range shots and narrowly defeated the Mavericks 107-105, narrowly chasing the score to 2-2 and dragging them into the battle of Tianwang Mountain.
After 4 games, the Clippers slowly found a way to deal with the Mavericks. They defeated the Mavericks 5-107 in G101, and won again 6-102 in G93. They won 3 games in a row, reversed the Mavericks 4-2, and reached the NBA Finals for the 4th consecutive year. finals.
In the Eastern Conference, before the start of the playoffs, people thought that the Pacers, Magic, and Pistons would still dominate the Eastern Conference, but it was the Wizards who came to the end!
The Wizards were forced into a tiebreaker by the Bulls, seventh in the Western Conference, in the first round. Public opinion unanimously believed that the Wizards would be beaten by the Pistons in the second round. As a result, the Wizards narrowly defeated the Pistons in tiebreaker and were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Magic team played 6 games.
Garnett met Duncan in the playoffs and played poorly, but he still had Brand.
Cassel met the Magic team who gave him a humiliating offer, and he played very violently. The Wizards eliminated the Magic 4-2 and met the Clippers in the finals!
The Wizards entered the Finals after 27 years. Garnett proved how good his team ability is when he has good teammates.
But it's a pity that they met the Clippers who were in form.
和湖人队、小牛队连续交手，快船队进入全盛期，首战以100比85赢了奇才队15分，第二战以91比84再胜，G3奇才队靠着防守以88比84险胜快船队避免0比3落后，但G4快船队得分又升上去了，95比82获胜，大比分3比1领先。
The Wizards already defended very well, but except for the runaway defense in G3, they were unable to limit the Clippers' scoring to less than 90 points in the other three games.
The Clippers also defended very well, limiting the Wizards to less than 90 points in every game.
到了G5，快船队没给奇才队继续挣扎的机会，李敖30分5板6助攻2抢断4盖帽、基德15分15助攻……快船队以99比86轻取奇才队，4比1，完成4连冠！
李敖以场均34.4分5.2板4.4助攻2抢断3.4盖帽的表现连续4年拿下FMVP，超越乔丹，成为了连续FMVP次数最多的球员！
The Clippers have also become the second team in NBA history to win three consecutive championships after the Celtics in the 60s!
Four consecutive championships also laid the foundation for the Clippers to become a wealthy team!
(End of the book)
(End of this chapter)
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