The opening three-pointer in basketball

The NBA headquarters building in New York and the president's office were extremely quiet at this time.

League president Stern, his deputy Xiao Hua, and league operations director Willock sat in three directions.

The three of them each have a cup of coffee in front of them.

This was just served by the secretary.

The secretary with a sweet smile brought the coffee and left in a hurry.

It could be seen that she was a little nervous.

As the boss, Stern had a sullen face and his mouth was trembling, as if he was suppressing the anger in his heart.

Willock didn't dare look at Stern.

Xiao Hua had a cold face and glanced at Willock from the corner of his eyes, with a hint of coldness.

"President, that's what happened. Now it seems that there is nothing worth looking forward to in the Eastern Conference Finals. Let's withdraw the previously arranged budget."

Willock is in charge of league operations, but Stern is a person who likes to have power, and most of the time, he, the operations director, has no right to interfere.

It's only the little things that Stern would let go of.

This time, since the popularity of the Eastern Conference Finals was too low, Stern felt that this would not work. He should increase the popularity of the Eastern Conference Finals, lest everyone forget about the Eastern Conference Finals.

So Stern specifically approved $10 million in operating expenses to be used for public relations and media, and to hire Internet trolls to hype up the Eastern Conference Finals.

Before the game between the Heat and the Hawks, through observation from the media or forums, I had the illusion that the game was very hot and that a lot of people were paying attention to the game.

But when the game really started, the secret was revealed immediately.

Although the Hawks performed well, they simply couldn't match the Heat.

Their team doesn't have any of the top ten stars in the league, and they don't have any players with explosive style.

Under such circumstances, no media or fans paid attention to this game at all.

The vast majority of fans felt that this game was a one-sided contest, and the Hawks were not worthy of comparing with the Heat's Big Three.

Even if the Hawks win, it will be due to league favoritism.

Under normal circumstances, the Eagle has no chance of winning.

As a result, the Eastern Conference Finals was exactly what the fans expected. The Hawks players tried their best, but the talent gap was too big. They were still very reasonable, as if they were destined to lose the game.

The process was very smooth, without any ripples.

The Hawks don't deserve to be the Heat's opponent at all.

The Heat's opponent should be the Bulls.

The Hawks were just lucky. Rose was injured, allowing them to take advantage.

"Okay, withdraw all the previous budget, it's boring."

Stern frowned and nodded.

They originally planned to hype up this game, but it turns out that the fans are not fools.

Even the gambling dogs find this game boring. It is said that according to the statistics of the betting company, the game between the Timberwolves and the Thunder is extremely popular, and gambling dogs all over the world are paying attention.

According to statistics from several live broadcast platforms, the game between the Heat and the Hawks only had a total of 3 million viewers.

In other words, it's almost the same as a slightly hotter regular season.

Not to mention the Christmas game, even the ratings of the Lakers, Timberwolves, and Thunder couldn't compare.

This is really bad.

On the other hand, the game between the Timberwolves and the Thunder was watched online by approximately nine million fans across the United States.

It is even more terrifying in Asia. It is said that in China, it has an audience of 20 million.

Several live streaming platforms in China are selling ads like crazy.

This is all money, and of course Stern wants to make more money.

If he had known this, he might as well have used the money to hype the game between the Thunder and the Timberwolves.

But in this case, can the game between the Heat and the Hawks have two million viewers?

The more Stern thought about it, the more irritated he became. However, as he has been the leader of the NBA for decades, he quickly understood that now was not the time to lose his temper. Since the game between the Thunder and the Timberwolves was so popular, there should be more games in this series.

A few games, let everyone make a profit.

Otherwise, why would ESPN, TNT, and Fox Sports buy the live broadcast rights of the NBA?

Stern then looked at Xiao Hua and said, "You must arrange the game between the Timberwolves and the Thunder well and hype it appropriately."

Xiao Hua touched his reflective bald head and smiled confidently, "Don't worry, there is absolutely no problem on our side. Bai and the Third Young Master of Thunder are the battle between the dragon and the Three Musketeers."

"Let us wait and see whether Bai Yi will fight to become a god, or Thunder Young Master will defend his dignity."

What Xiao Hua said about the hype between the Thunder and Timberwolves.

Stern's eyes lit up, he thought this copywriting was good.

"Okay, very good, but Bai played very well in the first two games. Can the Thunder withstand it?"

What he meant was that if the Thunder lost, wouldn't the series end early?

The league should be prepared.

Don't let the Thunder lose too early. It's best to fight in seven games.

Xiao Hua nodded, "I understand, I will arrange it. There will never be less than six battles between the Thunder and the Timberwolves."

Stern nodded with satisfaction.

Xiao Hua looks a bit gloomy, and he looks a bit like someone who does things unscrupulously.

But it is undeniable that they arranged it properly.

"Bai's performance is very good. He is expected to become our new signature. You should also think about other copywriters."

Stern reminded: "After this playoffs, it will be the Olympics. By then, the Chinese team and the beautiful Chinese team may be able to meet."

"You know what I mean, we want to promote their sense of destiny, just like Kobe and Iverson, Duncan, and Garnett."

Kobe was the face after Jordan, and all outstanding players were called Kobe's enemies.

When Iverson was good, it was Iverson, but when he wasn't, he was replaced by McGrady, then Duncan, then Garnett, and later, even James.

In short, all players have their enemies. Maybe the enemies are different, but they must confront each other when necessary, and they must have a sense of history and destiny.

Xiao Hua reacted very quickly, "Bai is the test stone for whether the Thunder's three young masters can transform. If the Thunder's three young masters can defeat Bai, then they will become players competing for the championship level."

"If not, then the Thunder's three young men are not worthy of being compared with Bai. They must defeat Bai in the days to come to be eligible to compete for the championship."

Stern nodded, "That's it. This is the sense of fate between players."

"Bai is still a rookie, but he is so strong. We can also mold him into the league's devil. He is a nightmare for the younger generation of players."

"The new generation of players, whether it's Irving Curry or the Thunder's three young men, can only be qualified to challenge the strongest player in the league if they defeat Bai Bai."

Willock sat aside and watched Xiao Hua and Stern talking with envy.

Stern will abdicate soon. He and Xiao Hua are both candidates. Stern has great power of recommendation. Now it seems that it is impossible for Stern to give up his position to him.