NBA backer king

Chapter 278 Sign Up for the Draft
After eating and sitting for a while, the five left and rushed to Salt Lake City to prepare for the real-time live broadcast of the G3G4 battle.

Pharaoh then also drove to the Suns headquarters, ready to go to Salt Lake City.

He wasn't going to let Yu Feihong go to Salt Lake City, a second-round series, there was no need to run back and forth.

That night, the Bulls defeated the Pacers in the away game, but the Magic lost to the Knicks in the away game, with a big score of [-]-[-].

However, the Suns did not sleep well, and Jazz fans made various disturbances to help the home team get some home court advantage.

At ten o'clock, in a low-end private hotel, there was no TV in the room. Zhang Lili and others crowded at the front desk after watching the game and were about to go to bed. When Lao Zhang's pager rang, he borrowed the phone from the front desk to call.

"Hello, Director Zhang?"

"Ma Jian? Is it a pony?"

"Yes, it's me, Director Zhang, hello."

"Ouch, you haven't contacted me for a long time."

"That's right, Director Zhang, I've signed up for this year's NBA draft."

"Good thing, you have also played in the NCAA for two years, are you sure?"

"Well, it's hard to say, I don't pay much attention, and few scouts pay attention to me."

"Oh, it's okay if you don't pay attention. Generally speaking, the team's draft will only be selected based on the scouting report. The scouts even have to follow up for several years, with hundreds of pages of information. You don't pay attention at all, and no one knows about you. The draft is very disadvantageous." Zhang Li sighed.

"That's it, Director Zhang, I just want to talk to someone." Ma Jian's tone over there was very disappointed.

Lao Zhang frowned. This Ma Jian can be said to be Wang Tiejun’s hometown, or Wang Tiejun’s senior in the provincial team. Both of them play in the United States. The relationship should actually be well established, but Ma Jian doesn’t know what to think, and has never had much contact with Wang Tiejun.

He is not familiar with Ma Jian. When he left the national team coaching position, Ma Jian hadn't entered yet, but now that Ma Jian is begging him, he has to help.

"Xiao Ma, why don't you go to Wang Tiejun tomorrow night. He is very talkative and willing to help. If you have nothing to do, contact him. There are a lot of media around him, and reporters surround him wherever he goes. Let him introduce you, and the attention will come." He said.

"Is that so?"

Zhang Lili persuaded: "Don't hesitate, the draft is over after the playoffs, and there is only more than a month left. How can you have time? Let me tell you, you have already delayed the time. If you contact him earlier, the situation will be better than now. Look at the media, including the media in Utah, where is there any news about you? You are like this, I won't lie to you, [-]% of you will lose the draft."

"I didn't have much contact with him before. Whenever I asked him for help, I just felt a little embarrassed." Ma Jian still hesitated.

"What's the embarrassment, you and him are fellow villagers, if you don't look for him at critical times, you're looking down on him." Old Zhang said.

"That's fine, I'll listen to you." Ma Jian said.

On May 5th, the Western G12 match day.

At 9 o'clock, at the dining table, Wang Tiejun looked at his teammates who were yawning, and he himself was the same, knowing that tonight there would be a difficult game far beyond the G1G2 battle.

"The Jazz must win! The Jazz must win! The Jazz must win..."

At one o'clock at noon, the Suns' bus arrived at the Delta Center Stadium, surrounded by hundreds of Jazz fans, and the shouts of fans were everywhere.

"Boom bang bang..."

The bus was clattered by the fans, which made the players uneasy. They didn't sleep well, and they became even more irritable.

"These bastards, we're going to kill them tonight." Lao Wang looked at the Jazz fans and cursed.

"Calm down, don't let them affect us. Old K, especially you, you are the leader of the team, you must face everything calmly, and remember that it will not be smooth sailing in the away game." Assistant coach Lewis immediately reminded.

"I see." Old Wang said.

During training in the afternoon, the Suns also encountered various problems.

For example, there was no water or electricity in the dressing room. The weather in May was already very hot, and it was terribly stuffy inside. After changing clothes inside, everyone was sweating profusely and couldn't wait to run out.

Another example is that during training, it was found that the floor was very slippery. Several people slipped and fell to the ground while running back and forth. Substitute Tracy Murray accidentally injured his ankle.

One was injured before the game started, which made the Suns even more annoyed.

"The floor has not been treated with anti-slip at all, they are playing tricks." A staff member of the Suns said angrily after checking.

Colangelo was furious, went to the management of the arena, and asked what was going on.

The management investigated for an hour, and the explanation given was that the warehouse staff had made a mistake in the floor. Colangelo squirted in anger and forced the management of the arena to replace the non-slip floor immediately.

However, due to this delay, the Suns' afternoon training was basically ruined. After the floor was replaced, there was no time left. In the end, they just did warm-up activities for 10 minutes, and there was no time for shooting training.

The game started at 08:30, and when it was almost eight o'clock, the Delta Arena was already overcrowded.

At this time, a tall and strong Chinese youth found the visiting team's locker room and told the staff outside that he was looking for Old K.

Lao Wang came out and saw that it was Ma Jian.

Lao Zhang contacted him this morning and said that this fellow villager would come to him and ask him for help, which is of course possible.

"Brother Ma, long time no see, how have you been?"

"I haven't seen you in two years, old K, you've made a name for yourself."

The two met once during the All-Star Weekend in 93. Zhang Lili took Ma Jian to meet Lao Wang at a restaurant. The All-Stars were also in Salt Lake City that year.

Ma Jian was very emotional, but he didn't see him for two years. He didn't expect that this little fellow had become a top star in the NBA, earning tens of millions of dollars a year, and his team had also become one of the most powerful contenders for the NBA championship.

"Brother Ma, what community college are you still in?" Old Wang asked.

Ma Jian quickly said: "No, I only played there for half a year, and then I went to the University of Utah to play in the NCAA."

Nodding, Lao Wang has no NCAA complex, and doesn’t pay much attention to this college league, which is hotter than the NBA. Lao Zhang also didn’t mention Ma Jian playing in the NCAA. He didn’t even know that Ma Jian was playing in the NCAA.

Ma Jian nodded and said, "Yes, I have signed up."

Old Wang said: "Okay, you follow me during this time, and I will expose you to the public."

"Really?"

When Ma Jian heard this, his eyes became hot.

In the 94/94 season, he played the main role at the University of Utah and performed well. However, in the 94/95 season, his position was robbed by Van Horn and he became a substitute.

Now that Old K is taking him, he will have more exposure opportunities, maybe scouts will pay attention to him, even if he still loses, there will be more opportunities to try out some NBA teams in the future.

When I came to see Old K today, he mustered up his courage and wanted to try his luck. Before he could speak, Old K offered to take him with him, which moved him very much.

"Old K, can you introduce me?"

Team reporter Hammers Larry couldn't understand after listening for a long time, because Lao Wang and Ma Jian spoke Changshan dialect.

"Oh, this is Ma Jian from my hometown. He used to be a member of the China G National Men's Basketball Team. He played in the NCAA for two years at the University of Utah. He is a power forward. He has signed up for the NBA draft this year. He is very capable. He focuses on defense and also has a mid-range shot, which is similar to the postman's style." According to some information about Ma Jian introduced by Zhang Reasonable, Lao Wang said.

"Crack Kacha!"

Hammers Larry clicked the shutter on Ma Jian first, and then asked: "Ma, do you also know the old K's technique of relying on fighting?"

Ma Jian was very happy. Once he found Old K, he immediately attracted the attention of the media, and the effect was immediate!

But when he heard this question, he was taken aback, and couldn't help complaining wildly in his heart, how could I have his low post technique, and the position can be taken away by Van Horn?As far as Van Horn's bamboo pole is concerned, he is afraid that he will be directly knocked into the air.

"Hey, brothers, let me introduce you. This is Ma Jian. You can call him Pony. He has already reported for the draft..."

Lao Wang then brought Ma Jian into the locker room. There is nothing to visit. This is the visiting team's locker room, not Phoenix. He introduced Ma Jian to his teammates of the Suns.

……

At eight o'clock, the G3 game between the Spurs and the Mosaic team started. At the same time, the two teams here also announced the starting list for tonight.

Suns: Wang Tiejun, AC Green, Drexler, Dan Marley, Kevin Johnson

Jazz: Karl Malone, Tom Chambers, David Benoit, Jeff Hornacek, John Stockton

"Have you heard, Winston, the hotel where the Suns stayed last night was not quiet." In the ESPN commentary, Carter Oldman said with a smile.

"It's understandable for the fans to play outside the game, but they don't pay much attention to the tricks of the Delta Arena." Luo Lin shook his head.

"What did you hear?" Oldman asked quickly.

"The arena changed the wrong floor and installed a floor that did not have anti-slip treatment. The Suns injured a substitute in the afternoon training, and the training time was delayed." Luo Lin said.

Oldman said with a smile: "The floor needs anti-slip treatment in the factory. This is a necessary process. This excuse is too outrageous."

Luo Lin nodded and said, "Who knows?"

In the commentary booth of CCTV, Zhang Lili said: "The Suns should be careful tonight. The Jazz can't lose this game. If they lose, the series is basically over, so the defensive action must be very big. This is their home court, and the whistle must be biased towards them."

"Don't get hurt," Su Qun said.

At this time, in the player tunnel, ten starters from the two teams were standing against the wall separated by a team of security personnel, waiting to play.

No one spoke, and the atmosphere was oppressive.

Lao Wang didn't want to say anything harsh, he didn't sleep well last night, and now he didn't want to waste his energy off the court and beat them up on the court.

"Shh!"

When he appeared on the stage, there was a shocking booing, as if something tangible rushed towards his face, he couldn't help but suffocate his breath.

"Old K, get out of Salt Lake City!"

"Chinese, this is the territory of jazz!"

"Asshole, the postman will teach you a lesson."

The Jazz fans on both sides of the passage cursed loudly, there were many small movements with their hands, and even threw a lot of debris.

Pharaoh settled down and ran forward unhurriedly.

Several Suns staff protected him on both sides, covering him from the sundries.

At [-]:[-], the warm-up is over.

When Lao Wang left the field, he ran under the east stand and said hello to Ma Jian who was sitting in the second row.

There were several players from the University of Utah sitting in that row, including head coach Rick Majors. The NCAA season ended at the end of March. Several players here signed up for the draft and came here to watch the game specifically for exposure.

Among them, the most popular is the main power forward Keith Van Horn, a 208 cm 100 kg big bamboo pole, the draft prospect is an iron lottery pick, and the position is very high.

His strength is very good, otherwise he would not have taken Ma Jian's position as soon as he entered the University of Utah. He has good shooting skills and can shoot three-pointers, similar to the Bulls' Clifford Robinson.

Thanks to the Bulls' widening tactics, the league is now beginning to pay attention to insiders like him who have a very strong widening ability. ESPN gave him a draft position even among the top three in the first round.

"Ma, you know old K very well? Why haven't you mentioned it before?"

Seeing old K waving his hand towards them, he was still a little stunned, but he was even more surprised when he saw Ma Jian standing up.

"Ma, why didn't you say you knew old K?" Head coach Rick Majors also asked curiously.

"He and I are fellow villagers, and we were teammates in the past. We have contacts in private." Ma Jian said foolishly.

"You and him used to be teammates?" Several people from the University of Utah were startled.

"Coach, I would like to ask for a period of leave. Old K invited me to watch his next game." Ma Jian said to Majors.

"OK!"

Majors nodded and said, "If you can train with him for a period of time, it will be of great benefit to you. You must cherish this opportunity."

"I see, thank you, sir." Ma Jian nodded.

He is really grateful to Majors. If it weren't for this coach, he would have returned to China a long time ago, and he would have no chance to play in the NCAA.

Now he only regrets that he didn't contact Old K more. If he trains with him often, his strength should be much stronger than now.

At least he should go to see old K every summer vacation, wasting too much time and opportunity.

……

At 08:30, the game begins.

Jump ball, Suns attack.

Wang Tiejun ran to the basket, and the postman was pulling and dragging on the right side. He rushed into the paint area from the free throw line for two steps, suddenly stopped and turned around, stretched his arms, stuck the latter behind him, and began to ask for the ball.

The postman didn't dare to let it go, and if he put it in again, he would go into the basket, and he could only die behind him.

Kevin Johnson made a sudden bad luck + lateral movement, and passed the ball in after flashing John Stockton.

"Snapped!"

The ball was in hand, and after Tom Chambers' double-team hadn't come in, his back kick started.

"Oh!"

With a fierce backward slap, the postman's center of gravity was jolted a little.

In the next moment, after turning to the right, he jumped out of the postman with one step, and his figure exploded with the second step.

The postman waved his hand and adopted foul tactics, directly pulling him down with the ball.

"Di!"

The referee blew his whistle, drew a foul, and made two free throws.

"Director Zhang, is this going to kill Old K? Isn't it worthwhile?" Su Qun asked.

"It's really not very cost-effective, especially with an absolute core like the postman. There are six fouls in total. How many times can he score? He got two fouls in the first quarter, so he can't play well in today's game." Zhang Lili nodded.

Su Qun said: "Even in terms of free throw percentage, Old K's percentage in the playoffs is no lower than in the regular season, more than [-]%. The slashing tactics are of no use to him."

Zhang Li thought about it for a while and said: "The Jazz should have nothing to do, you can't just watch Tie Jun dunk, you can only foul.

The last time the Iron Army aggressively attacked the basket, one heavy dunk after another heavy dunk, it dealt a huge blow to the morale of the Jazz, and the Jazz should want to avoid this from happening. "

"boom!"

The first free throw was missed and short.

"What the hell, is this the idea of ​​these bastards? If I can't kill you tonight, I'll read it backwards." Old Wang waved his hands. He had thrown twenty or thirty balls in the afternoon, and his hands hadn't warmed up yet.

"boom!"

The second free throw was missed again, with too much force, the ball bounced off the basket and hit the board, and was caught by Chambers.

The Jazz attack, the players run very actively, and they are constantly doing pick-and-roll tactics with each other.

On the contrary, the Suns players were not very excited, and they were not very active in following, allowing the Jazz to get open positions in a row.

"brush!"

Jeff Hornacek made a mid-range shot, not only hit a goal, but also caused a foul by Drexler, making it a two-plus-one.

0:2, the Jazz lead.

"Beautiful, the death ray gun kills with one shot, the Suns want to sweep us, absolutely impossible!"

"Jeff, you are doing a great job! Look, your three little princesses are cheering for you..."

On the sidelines, two on-site commentators shouted loudly.

The live camera is also very powerful, aiming at the seat next to the Jazz bench.

There sat Hornacek's wife, Stacy, and his three daughters. At this time, the three little girls were cheering for their father on the field. The youngest daughter, Abby, who had just turned one year old, was also babbling with open hands.

Seeing a close-up of his wife and daughter appear on the hanging screen above his head, Hornacek smiled and blew a kiss to his wife and daughter on the sidelines, and then started free throws.

The Jazz has two players whose free throws are well-known and unique throughout the league, and Hornacek is one of them.

He stood on the free throw line, after receiving the ball, he dribbled the ball three times, and then gently stroked his right cheek with his right hand three times, from top to bottom.

This is his unique way of free throws, which was formed after his younger daughter made a shot. He dribbled the ball three times and touched his face three times, which represented him saying hello to the three precious daughters.

When he touched his face, Rowling jokingly read along in the ESPN commentary: "This is touching Ryan, this is Taylor, this is our cutest little Abby, all on Hornacek's face, haha..."

"brush!"

Splashes appeared, and the free throw was added.

"Jeff's free throw percentage this season is as high as 88.2%, and the free throws blessed with love are really accurate." In the ESPN commentary booth, Carter Oldman laughed.

0:3, the Suns attack.

Lao Wang insisted on getting a position at the basket. He didn't believe that the postman dared to foul again. If the postman really dared to commit a second foul at the beginning of the game, he would be able to play the Jazz in two quarters today.

Forcing the postman is the first reason, and the second reason is that because of insufficient warm-up, he wants to get closer to the basket and has a higher success rate of shots.

The confrontation between the two was still very fierce, and the postman who committed the first crime was even a little unscrupulous, with his elbows up and even hugging and throwing movements.

In this kind of confrontation, Wang Tiejun wanted to get into position within three seconds. To be honest, it was quite difficult. He had to leave the basket first and go to the low post on the left wing.

The referee was on the sidelines, turning a blind eye to some rough actions of the postman.

In the ESPN commentary booth, Rowling said: "This is the home court advantage. The postman has to fight. He can't get the home whistle. There is no way for the Jazz to win the Suns in this game."

Oldman said with a smile: "He won the fight, and the league is the last thing to want to have a sweep."

On the CCTV commentary table, Zhang Lili reminded: "The postman is very aggressive. Tie Jun must control his emotions to avoid being targeted by the referee. But be careful not to get hurt."

At the low position on the left wing, Wang Tiejun suddenly turned around and slid to the bottom. Under the bear step, he stepped inward with his feet, and waded into the paint area one step at a time.

At this time, the postman retreated quickly, and he reacted immediately, his feet stopped instantly, the six forces combined into one, and the movement turned into a blow, and the back of his right shoulder hit the former's chest with the most ferocity.

"Oh!"

The moment he was hit, the postman's body weighing 127 centimeters was directly uprooted backwards. He was in the process of retreating and had no strength to resist at all, and he had no room to display his own strength.

"Oh!"

In the center of the delta, countless jazz let out huge exclamations.

"boom!"

The next moment, the sound of violent bombing made them dead silent, and only the cheers from the Suns were left in the arena.

Tom Chambers was standing not far from the basket. He returned to defend the basket just now, but he didn't dare to block Old K's attack. The postman was knocked into the air, and he was afraid of being hit to death.

"Hohohoho..."

The postman was panting with his mouth wide open, he was still lying on the floor, the feeling of being crushed in his chest was still there, and that huge force still seemed to be hovering over his chest.

Wang Tiejun was standing next to the postman's head, surrounded by Kevin Johnson and others, who were yelling at him excitedly.

He is also panting, because he didn't sleep well last night, and he has some physical problems. This kind of high-explosive beating is very exhausting.

He looked down at the postman on the floor, with a sneer on the corner of his mouth, and suddenly yelled at his teammates: "Brothers, follow me and kill Jazz tonight!"

"Get rid of Jazz!"

Lightning and the others snapped back in excitement.

"Don't think about it!"

The postman who was pulled up by his teammates roared angrily.

Wang Tiejun was walking forward, when he heard the words, he turned his head and stared at the postman, and said coldly, "But you can't stop it!"

"asshole!"

The postman was furious.

(End of this chapter)