The rest is just noise

The internal atmosphere of a team can be glimpsed in daily training.

The Knicks haven't had that sense of unity in a long time.

Although there are many atmosphere-boosters on the training ground, it still feels a bit lacking.

Beating the Trail Blazers on the road means a lot, but they still have two more games to play at Memorial Coliseum.

If the Trail Blazers win, they will return to New York with match point.

If the Knicks win one of them, that would be the best result. They can have a life-or-death battle at their home court.

Of course, the most ideal result is to win three consecutive games in Portland and defeat the Trail Blazers 4-1.

But even the most ardent believers in the Knicks dare not have such delusions.

Louis was prepared from the beginning to play seven games in this series.

Although the internal chemical reaction of the Knicks has not yet reached its optimal level, the players' condition has basically met the level required for the finals.

Louis is delighted by the touch of shooters like Miller and Rauf.

But he also felt that the internal atmosphere was too stiff, so he took the initiative to propose a shooting contest with stakes.

The rules are simple, there are 10 balls in total, and they are shot from the basket to the logo position in sequence, but there is one thing, if you miss the shot during the period, you will stop immediately and the result will be locked.

To participate in this competition, you have to spend $10,000, and there is no second place, winner takes all.

"That's interesting. Are you ready to give me money?" Miller muttered.

The final sign-ups were Wilson, Miller, Rauf, Ainge, Williams, Stevens, Rodman and Louis.

However, Louis invited Wang Mukong to participate in the competition as his representative on the grounds that "I haven't played ball for several years."

The players had no objections and the game started.

Rodman, the least favored contestant, got off to a trick start.

He came to the easiest shooting spot under the basket and said with disdain: "That's it, I can shoot with my back to the basket."

Rodman's confidence in this is not without reason. After all, for operations like shooting under the basket, ordinary people can achieve a high shooting rate even with their backs to the basket, not to mention NBA players?

As a result, Rodman actually closed his eyes in order to pretend to be competitive, and then hooked the ball upwards, hoping for a crisp rebound, but ended up hitting the timer on the upper edge of the backboard.

Westbrook calls him an expert!

"Dennis, you are good in every way, but you are not good at all. You are too generous. You don't have to do this if you want to give us money!" Louis teased.

Rodman was so angry that he used his money power on the spot, signed another check for US$10,000, successfully bought the resurrection coin, and was resurrected on the spot - Louis discovered that this was a bug. If it was not corrected, as long as he was willing to spend money, he could theoretically have it.

There are unlimited shooting opportunities, so Louis reminded: "Unless one of you misses the first shot like Dennis, there will be no second chance."

Even with a second life, Rodman only lasted until the fourth ball - which was outside the three-point line. He deliberately chose the top of the arc, which was his most confident position.

However, this time his shot not only missed, but also hit the top of the backboard and almost hit the timer.

"Can we find another idiot who's willing to pay $20,000 for five shots?" Reggie Williams quipped happily.

Rodman was a bastard. Although he was ridiculed as a fool with too much money, he knew very well where Williams' weakness was.

"It's okay, Ruth, I'm different from you. I can do whatever I want with my salary!"

This really stepped on Williams' tail.

Low salary and high energy are Williams' characteristics, and he feels endless regret for this.

When he heard Rodman mention this, he was very angry: "It sounds like your salary is very high. How can you be higher than me?"

"That's different. No matter how small my salary is, I still make 1.6 million US dollars a year. What about you? Besides, I have so many off-site endorsements, can you compare to them? I don't care about the salary at all, okay, oh ho ho ho..."

The more Rodman talked, the more proud he became. He never thought he was so "capitalized."

In terms of annual salary, Rodman’s salary is US$1.6 million per year, expiring next year.

Williams' salary is $650,000 per year, expiring in 1995.

They are all very cost-effective players.

But Rodman's salary level is still relatively low in the league. Williams's words can be intuitively understood with a ruthless evaluation - it is not as good as a rookie contract.

However, no matter how you calculate it, Rodman's joke about Williams' salary is that it's only half a step to laugh.

Because under the new labor agreement, the salary of both of them should start at 3 million.

Williams, who was disturbed by Rodman, performed abnormally.

The first point is an easy hit.

The second point was a half-shot basket in the paint area, which almost missed.

The third point was the free throw line, and he missed it.

"Ugh~~~Ruth, your shooting is worse than mine." Rodman said in disgust.

Williams angrily kicked the basketball that rolled in front of him.

Louis thought, he was here to liven up the atmosphere in the team, but why did it have the opposite effect?

However, Williams' contract is indeed a problem.

For a versatile player like him, the annual salary of 650,000 is really the price of a beggar. No wonder he is unhappy.

Unlike Rodman, he was influenced by the "angry black man" guiding spirit of Georgetown University. He was indifferent to public attention such as the media, just like Ewing.

Therefore, his off-field income is not much.

Like Rodman, who can arouse the curiosity of the media just by his hair color in every game, and become a national celebrity through his passionate love affair with Madonna. As one of the most famous bad boys in the contemporary era, his endorsements and advertisements

It's normal to be soft-hearted and look down on the contract salary.

"Ruth, come with me."

In line with the principle of solving a problem if it can be solved, Louis called Williams ten meters away.

"Coach, Dennis is such a son of a bitch!" Williams scolded.

"You know, he means no harm." Louis smiled.

Williams said: "He means no harm, because he treats everyone like this, because he has the privilege of not training on time and disappearing at any time!"

Louie addressed Williams squarely: "Are you accusing me of favoring Dennis, Ruth?"

Williams asked: "What if I did what Dennis did?"

Louis smiled and said: "I will happily trade you, and then use this to warn Dennis, if he still misses the spotlight in New York, if he still wants to become a world-famous bastard, he must do his job honestly, otherwise, I will

Trade him to Indiana or Sacramento."

"Honestly, I've been waiting for someone to do this. Ruth, would you like to 'do' me this favor?"

Williams didn't expect Louis to be so "real" and he didn't mean to fool him with some nonsense.

He had no doubt about the authenticity of Louis' words.

He also knew that Rodman was privileged because his absurdity off the court did not extend to the court. As long as he played, he was a reliable player.

Rodman's importance ranks among the top five in the Knicks, which is why Louis indulges him.

Williams understands this clearly, he is just dissatisfied with the status quo.

"Now, let's talk about your contract."

If the conversation ended here, Louis would be digging a hole for himself, which would do nothing but drive a wedge between Williams and himself.

All he can do is to expose the bleak reality to the other party, make the other party feel embarrassed, and then give him some sweetness.

Williams didn't know why Louis chose this time to negotiate a contract with him.

Because the operating window has now passed, he cannot sign a new contract. What's more, the Knicks' salary cap does not allow them to sign a new contract with Williams.

So, Williams remained silent, wanting to hear what Louis had to say.

"It is true that I cannot give you a new contract now, nor can I give you a new contract next season, but by next summer, the league will complete a new labor agreement, and the salary cap will usher in a new round.

A sudden increase. At that time, I promise that I will give you a new contract, and, considering your financial losses over the years, I will make concessions to you on the contract amount."

Louis drew a big picture, what will happen tomorrow? No one knows.

Just like Louis himself can't guarantee whether he will still be in New York at that time, but what people like Williams need is hope.

If you don't give him hope, he will become an unstable factor in the team.

At the end of the conversation, Williams said emotionally: "I'm grateful, coach, and I apologize to you for my previous actions."

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