I am Really an Insider

One year ago, May 20, 2008.

The day before the start of the Western Conference Finals between Trail Blazers and Lakers.

After the training, everyone went back to rest early.

Only Pao'er and Wayne remained in the locker room, and they were going to do some indescribable things alone.

Pao'er sat opposite Wayne with a serious expression.

Wayne stared at Paul, trying to look calm.

"You know, this series will be difficult. After all, Gasol is not able to play yet." Wayne spoke first. After all, he was the one who took the initiative to have this conversation.

"Yeah but we're going to win, right?"

"We must win, because there is not much time left for us." At this time, Wayne finally opened the skylight.

The team did not extend Paul's maximum salary in advance, and Paul knew why.

Because he had just been selected to the All-NBA Team, Wayne's clause was triggered.

To renew the contract, it is to renew the contract with 30% of the maximum salary.

This means that the three players of the Trail Blazers will take up nearly 90% of the team's salary space.

This is an extremely unhealthy salary structure for the team.

Naturally, the team will not rush to renew the contract, not because Paul Allen is unwilling to spend money to pay the luxury tax.

But as someone who once experienced "thinking that you can succeed by just throwing money at it", he knows better than anyone that some things can't be solved by just throwing money at them.

To run a team well is far from a simple numerical issue as being willing to pay luxury tax.

If you can succeed as long as you are willing to pay the luxury tax, then the Knicks, Lakers and other teams will never fail.

But that’s not the case. Success is much more complicated than that.

First of all, the first question is that the NBA is about human relationships.

Yes, people are wise.

Players and coaches on a team can only achieve results if they are close to each other.

After Paul's contract extension is completed, it means that Paul's salary will be higher than Wayne's.

Although they are both 30% of the maximum salary, the salary calculations are very different in different contract renewal years.

Wayne is the MVP, and Paul is just his deputy. Paul's salary is higher than Wayne's? Would Wayne have any ideas?

This is the first thing the Blazers need to consider.

Although Pao'er and Wayne are getting along very happily now, don't forget that Kobe and O'Neal also got along very happily at the beginning. The Lakers never expected that the two would eventually turn against each other.

And the key reason why Shaq left in the first place, besides being at odds with Kobe, was because his salary was lower than Kobe.

As the saying goes, there is no room for two tigers in one mountain, except one male and one female.

If you, like my sister-in-law, don't have to worry about these problems.

But Paul.

He is an extremely competitive guy, but also a guy who needs the ball to be effective.

In these two points, he and Kobe are very similar.

Unlike Shaq, Wayne is an international player.

International players are a bit special in this league, because few people are willing to play second fiddle to an international player!

Why is Cuban so willing to spend money, but the Mavericks still have no particularly big-name players willing to join?

It's simple, because Dirk is an international player!

Similarly, after Paul has fully grown up, he may not necessarily want to be Wayne's second-in-command for the rest of his life.

The OK group has established a dynasty and has to break up, let alone the Trail Blazers who just won one championship.

Therefore, for the sake of the team, or to be precise, to stabilize Wayne, the Blazers currently dare not act rashly.

It would be fine if they don't break up, but if they do break up in the end and make Wayne unhappy, the Blazers will be the ones who suffer the most.

It's hard to explain this thing about interpersonal relationships.

Jordan and Pippen seem to be such a good combination, but in fact there are many contradictions behind them.

The second question is - is Paul's health and strength worth a 30% maximum salary?

Paul was injured at a critical moment in the playoffs last year, and Paul is also injured in the regular season this year.

Although they were not serious injuries, they showed that Paul did have a body that was easily injured.

The Trail Blazers did not hesitate to give Wayne 30% of the maximum salary, because Wayne has proven his strength as a star player.

But what about Paul?

He may be a good young man, but is he really worth 30% of the maximum salary?

The Blazers didn't confirm either.

The last question is also the one that Paul Allen is most concerned about - how high can the upper limit of the combination of Paul and Wayne be?

Using 30% of the maximum salary to keep Paul, all salary space is locked, which means that the Blazers have no chance to try and make mistakes, and can only go all the way.

Because under such circumstances, even if the lineup needs to be changed in the future, it will be a small change.

But what if this lineup doesn't make it?

After Wayne led his team to win the championship last season, Paul Allen was eager to win consecutive championships or even establish a dynasty!

If we miss out on players like Wayne, we don't know if there is still a chance to build a dynasty.

Therefore, Paul Allen's trial and error costs are limited.

How many five years can a player's career last?

How long can the peak period last?

If this combination fails to succeed, the team will need a period of pain to make changes after both Wayne and Paul's contracts expire.

After doing this for seven or eight years, is the window for the Blazers to establish a dynasty still there?

For these various reasons, the Trail Blazers did not renew Paul's contract in advance.

They are still waiting to see how the season goes.

If Wayne + Paul can still win the second championship without Gasol, that would be the best.

If you can't get it, then you have to carefully consider whether the second 30% maximum salary is worth it.

Of course, the team has not discussed these matters with Paul. After all, they are relatively sensitive topics.

Bringing it up at this time is just looking for trouble.

We are all adults, and although we all understand, there is still a big difference between whether the membrane is removed or not.

But Wayne knew that blind escape was not the answer.

This kind of thing will have to be faced sooner or later. Keeping it in your heart without talking about it is more likely to cause suspicion and conflicts, which is not conducive to unity and troublemaking.

Therefore, today, Wayne wanted to speak clearly to Pao'er.

"There is not much time left for us, but before that, I hope we can work together to leave something behind. No matter what happens in the future, at least there should be no regrets now.

Hey, I've never played in the Finals with you, and I've never won the O'Brien Cup with you.

Chris, let's create a glory that belongs to us together.

I. Want to win once with you! "

Win it once with you, that's the promise between Wayne and Paul.

Commitment between men.

Now, May 19, 2009.

It's also the Western Conference finals, and it's also against the Lakers.

At the end of the first quarter, the Trail Blazers led by 8 points.

Almost all fans at the scene were proud of the magical performance of Wayne and Paul in the first quarter.

On both offense and defense, Wayne and Paul did their best.

Paul scored 6 points, 3 assists and 2 steals in the first quarter.

Wayne scored 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks in the first quarter.

If it weren't for Kobe Bryant's three-pointer just 5.8 seconds before the end of the first quarter, the Lakers would have already fallen behind by double digits in the first quarter!

Although the Blazers' performance in the first quarter was perfect, they completely suppressed the defending champion.

But Pao'er and Wayne, who were resting on the bench, were not complacent.

After failing to win the championship last season, it means that this season is almost the last chance left for them to fulfill their promise.

This is why, even though Wayne averaged 40.7 points per game in the Western Conference semifinals, he had to advance as safely as possible.

This is why Paul is so excited today.

Although I know that in the summer, I will discuss the issue of contract renewal and decide the follow-up of my career.

But Pao'er can keep his mind clear of distractions, and let's deal with the damn Lakers first!

We must, must, win together!

We must leave this legend of father-son-brother unity in the history of the NBA!

"Wei, Chris, Gaso, please rest for a while after the second quarter starts. Kobe just played a whole quarter, and he will definitely need to rest at the beginning of the second quarter.

Take this opportunity to take a break for a few minutes. "

Carlisle yelled loudly, not because he was angry, but because in this noisy scene, communication basically relied on yelling.

The Blazers family of three nodded, and then Carlisle turned to look at the two rookies who were about to appear.

At the end of the first quarter, Dragic and Jordan didn't play much time, and the game was over before anything could be seen.

But then, they must withstand the Lakers' counterattack to maintain their advantage.

Therefore, Carlisle would inevitably have to talk to them a few more words.

On the other side, Master Zen really planned to let Kobe take a break first. At the same time, let Yao Ming take a break for a few minutes.

Because he believes that Bynum is enough to kill the guy named DeAndre Jordan.

Although Jordan was only selected at the end of the first round, he is still very famous in the circle.

After all, it can be said that everyone knows that he sat in the little green room until the end of the first round.

The Zen master knew that Jordan was a guy who showed his appearance.

He had almost no chance to play in the playoffs, and during the regular season, except for a few free throws, he had almost no impressive performance.

How can this be compared with a talented player like Little Shark?

Little Shark is also very confident. Playing the sixth man role this season, he averaged 10.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

At the same time, he can also send out 1.3 blocks.

For a substitute, his performance was quite good.

Although the playoff data has shrunk severely, it will not affect Bynum's honey confidence.

Jackson wants to see how long the Trail Blazers can last with this rotation.

After the start of the second quarter, the generals of both sides were almost off the court.

On the Trail Blazers' side, the five players on the field are Dragic, Tony Allen, Parker, Tucker and DeAndre Jordan.

The Lakers added Fisher, Vujacic, Ariza, Odom and Bynum.

Among them, P.J. Tucker appeared at the beginning of the second quarter for the first time.

The Zen master also pushed up his glasses. Who is this Tucker?

Yes, Master Jackson is very unfamiliar with Tucker, who had not had many opportunities to perform before.

In the first quarter of the game that just ended, the Trail Blazers' substitute No. 4 was Outlaw instead of Tucker.

But Carlisle believed that Outlaw did not do a good enough job in rebound protection, so in the second quarter, he finally replaced the stocky forward who was favored by Jazz.

When Tucker came on the stage, Jazzy Ba, who was sitting in the locker room, couldn't help but stand up.

Well, even if players are suspended and cannot play, they can still sit on the sidelines and watch the game.

But it would be more miserable if the coach was suspended, because he didn't have to play in the first place, so if the coach was suspended, he wouldn't even be able to go to the sidelines.

So today, Fliggy can only sit in the locker room and watch TV.

Buckley stared at the TV and suddenly became nervous for some reason.

It seems that he is the one who has to go on the field to be tested.

"You must win the championship for me, brat." Sir Ba muttered.

The game started, and the Trail Blazers attacked first.

Dragic passed the halftime steadily, while Lao Yu immediately took up his stance.

He thought to himself, there's no way the little bastards in this grade could be so good!

Facing the old cuckold, Dragic called Tucker to come up and cover.

Dragic immediately bypassed the screen, and the veteran was speechless. Damn it, do you keep using screens to hit a veteran in the face?

In the playoffs, there is nothing to be ashamed of.

Since your weakness is to defend against pick-and-rolls, of course you will be caught and beaten to death!

Although Tucker is not tall, he is wide enough

Laoyu was really blocked by Tucker.

Dragic didn't get stage fright after taking advantage of the screen to get the opportunity, and made a sudden stop in the mid-range for a jump shot!

The old fish stretched out his arms to interfere, but Fisher, who was 185cm tall, was a full six centimeters shorter than Dragic.

So the jamming isn't too tight this time around.

Just like that, the Slovenian pushed the ball softly through the air.

Bynum opened his arms to hold the stunned Jordan behind, preparing to grab the rebound handsomely.

However, the basketball went directly into the net, and the Blazers' offense was successful!

"I'm holding it in my mouth. Can someone else persecute me!?" The old fish man was dumbfounded. He just let Paul persecute him in the first quarter.

In the second quarter, he will be tortured by a first-year rookie. The key is still a second-round pick?

I have no gaming experience with you guys!

After Dragic scored, before he could celebrate, Paoer stood up and yelled at everyone on the bench: "What are you doing standing still? Everyone stand up and applaud!"

Everyone looked at Pao'er, then all stood up and applauded for love!

"Wipe!" Kobe, who had just taken a few breaths, felt as if he was being pressed into the water again.

The point difference has been stretched to double digits again, so please be more careful!

I can't play 48 minutes, my family! ?

But soon, Kobe regained his composure.

It doesn't matter, the Lakers can also score one.

After Laoyu attacked, he handed the ball to the real point guard Odom.

Odangdang looked at Tucker, who was much shorter than himself, and prepared to break through on his own.

So, he made a triple threat move and immediately accelerated.

"Come on, boy!" Sir Bastard's buttocks tightened as he watched the TV. The sense of immersion was so strong!

Tucker did not disappoint Jazz. He originally started on defense since high school.

He once guarded Anthony in high school, which made him famous.

Tucker quickly moved laterally and then took down Odangdang.

The moment Odangdang bumped into Tucker, his expression was holy.

Is this...are today's outside players so tough?

Soon, Tucker forced Odom to stop.

There is no other way, Odom can only hand the ball to Tiezha.

Tiezha caught the ball in the mid-range and pulled it out. Parker's reaction was half a beat too slow, allowing the Lakers to score the ball.

Although the ball went in, Odom was still shaking with fear.

Good guy, what did you eat to grow up? You are so powerful! ?

I can't knock it open!

Fortunately, the ball was scored, otherwise tonight would have been another exciting night with Kobe.

The Lakers barely narrowed the point difference to single digits, and Zen Master thought that it would not be difficult to continue narrowing it.

However, the Blazers' offense remained unhurried.

Dragic controlled the tempo well and didn't act like a first-year rookie at all.

After passing the midfield line, facing Lao Yu's defense, Dragic separated Lao Yu with one hand and waved at Tucker with the other hand.

Keep playing pick-and-rolls!

Odom smiled, you new recruit, who do you look down on?

If I beat you once, can I beat you a second time?

Sure enough, this time when Dragic bypassed the screen and shook off Lao Yu, Odom immediately stepped in behind Lao Yu.

An extremely confident smile appeared on his face.

Little one!

Look how I trample you. Eh?

Odom thought he and Lao Yu could trap Dragic, but Dragic passed the ball back without looking back.

Odom and Lao Yu collectively raised a small question mark. Outside the three-point line, Tucker, who received the pass, was unmarked.

"Can he shoot a three-pointer? No, right?" Seeing Tucker shooting without hesitation, Odom prayed in his heart.

However, defense cannot rely on praying.

Over the past three years, Tucker has been working hard to practice three-pointers.

Nowadays, even if he is not a shooter with many shots, he is still very sure of the wide open space.

Tucker caught the ball and shot and hit the net with a three-pointer.

The points difference that the Lakers finally narrowed was stretched to double digits again!

"Good shot, damn it's okay, kid!" Barkley had an orgasm in his head. Tucker's attack and defense really didn't embarrass him.

Odom watched the basketball hit the net, and the sweat was dripping down his forehead.

Odangdang swallowed and looked at the bench.

Sure enough, Kobe was sitting on the bench, staring at him with vicious eyes.

Odom shouted in his heart: "Oh!"

Listen to my explanation, boss, I left this person out just to make up for the old fish!

After Kobe stared at Odom with death, he turned to look at the Zen Master.

hehe.

The Zen master also frowned.

Zen didn’t panic, he panicked!

He certainly didn't expect that the Trail Blazers' rotation lineup could be so tough after losing three important rotations.

It was a surprise that the Lakers were not allowed to narrow the point difference.

Kobe shook his head, so don't underestimate Wayne's team!

At this time, Kobe shouted: "Phil, I'm ready!"

After saying that, he went to the technical platform on his own.

The Zen master didn't say much. At the moment,

Really can only let the main force return early.

However, Zen Master did not call a timeout, but waited for the ball to die before making substitutions.

At this time, the Lakers attacked and the ball was given to Little Shark.

When Little Shark faces off against Jordan, that's called confidence.

Don't tell me, the names of these two guys are quite bluffing, they are both Sharks and Jordan.

After holding the ball, Little Shark took two steps in with his back, then turned his back and broke through.

During the breakthrough, Bynum also gave Jordan an elbow very secretly.

The Lakers have put a lot of effort into cultivating Bynum, and his skills in all aspects have improved rapidly.

But if there is one technique that he has improved the most, it is undoubtedly - elbow strike!

This guy's elbow strikes are secretive and ruthless. If you train him well, he will be the next big killer on the court.

Jordan was hit by an elbow, and his breath stopped immediately.

But Jordan still stayed close to Bynum and didn't take a step back!

This elbow is indeed not delicious, but little Jordan is used to it.

In normal training, Jazzy Ba, Wei Ge, and Birdman are all the masters who make friends with their elbows.

In almost every training session, Jordan would be elbowed so hard that he felt like dying.

I never expected that once I develop my ability to resist blows, I can actually use it in competitions.

Little Jordan received the most severe beatings every day and developed the thickest armor.

So, with Jordan's defense, Bynum's casual layup was directly blocked.

Kobe, who was sitting on the technical stage, covered his forehead. He couldn't watch the ball!

Not a single one is used!

After Jordan blocked the shot, Dragic's keen sense allowed him to pick up the basketball.

Then, in advance. Dragic saw the right moment and hit the ground hard from a distance!

The basketball passed through the crowd like lightning and went straight into the penalty area.

At this time, people discovered that Tony had already cut in, and Dragic guided it accurately!

Tony dunked the ball and scored easily.

There was jubilation in the Rose Garden. The rotation lineup that I thought was at a disadvantage actually beat the Lakers' rotation to a pulp!

The Zen master stood up and had to pause the game.

This is really unbearable.

Next, the main lineup must be allowed to come up and reduce the score as soon as possible.

but.

On the Trail Blazers side, Wayne, Paul and sister-in-law are also ready!

Even if the Lakers' main players are on board, they may not be able to narrow the point difference!

Wayne walked up and hugged and high-fived every teammate who came off the field.

Then, he turned around and looked at Paul and his sister-in-law excitedly: "Let's go, it's time for us to go up and make them completely despair!"

Wei Ge is gearing up, the Lakers are gone!

Ten thousand words updated, please vote~