The rest is just noise

"The curse is still there!"

"Where?"

"On Earvin 'Tragedy' Johnson!"

Since 1980, we have made it to the finals 10 times in 12 years and have been runner-up eight times in a row.

Even if it is made of iron, it is time to collapse.

The tragedy master took a deep breath and turned his head to the sky.

Louis drank Coke, a symbol of victory.

Because of Louis, taking a sip of Coke during success became part of pop culture.

Tonight's Coke symbolizes Louis' fifth ring.

To this day, his ring can cover his whole hand.

Opposite them, the tragedy master shook hands with Ewing, Wilson, and Miller, congratulating them on their victory.

Knicks players expressed their respects to the tragedy...

Fate was so unfair to him. As the most perfect ball-handling core in history, it was difficult to win a championship in his prime years.

As the Tragedian's number of runner-up finishes tied with Baylor, in the eyes of many people, he became the incarnation of tragedy, completely surpassing Baylor.

This seems unfair because he is not a complete loser.

He won two rings in the first three years of his career, unlike Baylor, who had already won them.

But this is the price of NBA commercialization.

Just like the image that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is remembered for, he is an alien-like man who is mean and unkind. Every time he meets Sampson, he is beaten to the point of insanity. Except for the length of his career, nothing can compare to Chamberlain.

loser.

The same goes for Tragedy. He was active during the league's rise, when live television broadcasts increased significantly, and the number of people watching games far exceeded those of Baylor's era.

The image of his failure is even more profound in people's hearts.

The tragedian came to Louis.

In 1984, the year when his nightmare began, standing in front of him was Louis.

At that time, he said that he should train hard and let the Celtics repay him twice as much.

As a result, they didn't beat the Celtics after Louis left Boston.

"Coach Lu, do I still have a chance to be sprayed with champagne in June?"

the tragedy master asked sadly.

"As long as you pay more attention to your private life and find ways to extend your sports career, I believe there will always be a chance."

Louis understands better than anyone else what the word tragedy means to each other.

Because he knows what the tragedian is like in a world without his interference.

"Maybe I'm too greedy. I once had everything."

But now it's all gone like smoke.

"Eleven years ago, when we went to Philadelphia without Kareem, I sat in his seat," the tragedy man told Louis. "I stood in Kareem's seat and said we were going to win the world championship.

.We did it, I was so young at the time, the joy and pride only lasted for a short period of time. I didn’t know how hard it was to win the championship.”

"Coach Road"

The tragedy master's tone trembled, and he tried his best to keep the smile on his face, which was his signature and something he would take with him to heaven even after he died.

"I believe that there is another me in the world outside the world." The tragedy man said with tears in his eyes, almost breaking down, "He will not always lose to the Celtics and Knicks, he will win them all.

In the finals, he will stand at the top of the league. He is Mr. June. He has something that I can’t even risk my life to get. He must exist.”

Louis patted the tragedy master on the shoulder, "Take care, Evan, don't lose confidence, and pay attention to your physical condition. As long as you play long enough, you will always wait for an opportunity, but before that, you have to take care of yourself."

The Knicks' season ended with their fourth consecutive championship, and another great player was beaten to tears by Louis' team.

Louis felt like a villain.

It's hard to describe his mood in words. Of course he was happy to win the championship. They became another team after the Celtics to win four consecutive championships.

In addition to being happy, Louis also thought that the biggest obstacle to winning the championship is not the Celtics or the Lakers, although they are the Knicks' main competitors. But they either have flaws in the team structure and incompetent coaching staff; or they are too old and the lineup is too old. The depth is far from enough.

On the road to four consecutive championships, the most difficult thing is not external pressure, but internal pressure.

Until the sixth game, the competition between Ewing and Wilson did not stop.

For FMVP, Ewing also improved his statistics in garbage time.

If he can get this year's FMVP, his number of FMVPs will be three.

However, the thing he usually didn't value the most hit him hard at this moment.

Ewing is a player who doesn't like the media.

Even though he averaged 27 points, 13 rebounds, 5 assists and 3.3 blocks per game in the finals, the media still voted Wilson, who averaged 25 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists per game, as the FMVP.

What Ewing values ​​​​is not the bonus that the FMVP honor itself brings to him.

He doesn't care much about historical status.

In his mind, the best player in history is Bill Russell, but if he wants to surpass Russell, he has to win more championships than his opponent. Is this possible?

Even if the Knicks have won four consecutive championships, he doesn't dare to hope.

He believes that there will be a place for him in NBA history, and this is not why he desires FMVP.

What Ewing values ​​​​is his status within the team.

Since last year, Wilson has surpassed and matched him in several aspects.

Honor, Wilson achieved a personal grand slam last year.

Secondly, there is salary. Wilson received the league's first salary, which is nearly $1 million more than his salary this year.

Then there is FMVP.

Although FMVP cannot directly explain a player's status within the team, it can explain who is the winning team's most valuable player (or one of them) in the finals. If someone considers himself a team leader, then isn't it natural to win FMVP?

If it is lost once, it is an accident. What is it if it is lost twice?

Ewing feels that he is the leader of the Knicks and the boss of everyone. No matter how good Wilson is, he must be below him. But now that the opponent is either equaling or overtaking him in terms of honors and annual salary, how can he be regarded as the boss?

Ewing's excitement plummeted.

The Knicks' locker room was still dominated by celebrations.

Everyone aimed the champagne at their colleagues.

It's no wonder that Louis was criticized. Usually everyone recognizes him as a coach, but tonight is the end of the season, and they can celebrate unscrupulously.

"Very few people can do what they want to do when they are young, and this group of people followed their ideas to the end."

Louis praised the players in every way during the interview.

"I have nothing to say."

“They are great!”

Once the busy season is over, there is still work waiting for Louis.

This year's draft can be regarded as a big draft year. There are many talents, and they are distributed comprehensively. You need centers, power forwards, small forwards, shooting guards, and point guards, all of whom are worthy of being the top pick.

"There are probably only five college players who can make a difference."

Zhao Yuanzheng reported on this year's draft in Louis' office.

"LSU's Shaquille O'Neal, Georgetown's Alonzo Mourning, Wake Forest's Harold Yu and Duke's Christian Laettner and Grant Hill.

"

Zhao Yuanzheng affirmed: "If these five people all invest in this year's draft, then this year will surpass 1984 and 1985 and become the most talented draft in history."

"What are you talking about, Harold? It's not like you haven't seen Xiao Yu before, so don't mention his bullshit English name in front of me." Louis complained, "I really don't know what that kid thought of choosing this name."

Zhao Yuanzheng could only smile bitterly.

However, Louis had foreseen that Yu Tiancan would be paying attention to scouts across the United States today.

A man with a height of 2.2 meters and athletic ability like a 2.1 meter monster like him will definitely be a hot commodity as long as he is not injured.

The coaching staff of Wake Forest University devoted their efforts to training him and improved his major problem of rough inside skills. He broke out in his junior season, averaging 18 points, 11 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game. In terms of statistics alone, O'Neal and Mourning were completely worthy of him.

.

Regarding the draft, Louis wants to let them make their own decisions.

They will consult with Louis when making decisions, and he will only provide advice and not take the lead in college selection.

Yu Tiancan didn't tell Louis about running for election in advance, but it seemed that he was determined to stay in college for his fourth year.

The same goes for the others mentioned by Zhao Yuanzheng. They all lack interest in participating in the draft early, even though the NBA has now introduced a standard rookie contract. If you enter the league late, you will be one year late in making big money.

The reason they are trapped is simple.

Teams with the top five picks are not in a good place.

Holding the No. 1 pick is the Los Angeles Clippers, the most notorious team in the NBA.

The one holding the second pick is the Sacramento Kings. Do you understand the value of "basketball hell"? If you don't understand, do you know that there was a team that went 1-40 in the 1990-91 season? Yes, it was the Kings.

The Charlotte Hornets hold the third pick, but the talents don't think they can fall to third.

The Minnesota Timberwolves hold the fourth pick. No one likes cold places, especially Americans.

The Orlando Magic hold the fifth pick, which isn't a bad spot, but who wants to fall to the fifth pick?

At a glance, among the teams with the top four picks, three are disgusting teams.

Therefore, O'Neal did not run for the election, Mourning decided to play for four years in college, the two at Duke originally planned to play for four years, and Yu Tiancan never thought of running for this year.

Louis quickly put down the list in Zhao Yuanzheng's hands.

Whether they run for the election or not, they are destined to miss the Knicks.

This year, the Knicks' goal is still to add two high-quality newcomers.

In last year's draft, the Knicks selected Lionel Simmons and Elton Campbell.

Their qualifications are good, but Campbell is not the ideal backup center in Louis' eyes. Simmons was addicted to video games and suffered tendonitis and was banned from the team for a long time. It was not until the finals that Louis gave him a chance.

If there was a suitable offer, Louis would trade both of them without hesitation.

After all, with the 15-man roster in the team, Brad Rohaus is enough. He can't stand two more.

What's more, these two can't be regarded as common losers. It's just that one is not easy to use and the other is not easy to train, so he simply packs it up and sends it away. Good things come in pairs. He continues to draw cards, otherwise he, a time traveler, will only watch others perform in the talent show.

Isn't it boring?

In order to sing, to draw cards, for the future of the Knicks, for the child labor contract, for the competitiveness within the team, and to reduce Luo Haos's fans, it is imperative to add new blood.

"Tell me, what candidates are there this year? For example, a center that fits our tactical system, or a point guard who can plug and play, or a small forward who can hold the ball."

Louis is not a picky eater, really.