LRAB Chapter 266 The Most Frustrating Finals MVP in History! Jordan Makes Another Decision
Chapter 266 The Most Frustrating Finals MVP in History! Jordan Makes Another Decision
Chapter 266 The Most Frustrating Finals MVP in History! Jordan Makes Another Decision!
101: 100!
In this game where Jordan dominated, tearing apart the Spurs' entire defense and relentlessly humiliating the Spurs players, the Knicks lost, despite leading by 5 points with 1 minute and 30 seconds remaining.
In the final 90 seconds, Jordan missed all three of his shots, while Duncan scored twice in the paint. With 10 seconds left, David Robinson drove to the basket from the top of the key, used his signature face-up attack to get past Ewing and score a layup!
Then, Jordan attempted a game-winning shot for the Knicks, but he missed his third shot in 90 seconds, and the Knicks lost!
The Admiral hit the game-winning shot, sealing the victory!
The Knicks' rise and fall were both due to Jordan, and they unfortunately suffered their first loss in the series!
This was the first time Jordan had lost the first game of the NBA Finals since losing to the Lakers in the first game of the Finals in 1991!
马刺队双塔邓肯拿下31分15篮板4盖帽，罗宾逊25分13篮板5盖帽并命中准绝杀，他们在客场先声夺人，拿下了系列赛的第一场！
In the second game, despite losing the first home game, the New York Knicks were in top form and played very strongly, winning the second game 80-91 and keeping their championship hopes alive.
In this game, Jordan only managed 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists on 7-of-20 shooting, while Ewing shook off the gloom of being blown out in the previous game, scoring 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 blocks on 14-of-27 shooting, once again becoming the guardian of the paint for New York and winning this crucial game!
Then, in the Spurs' home arena, Jordan exploded again in Game 3, racking up 39 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. However, the Knicks lost again...
Then came Game 3, and it was as if Starks was replaying Jordan's style. In this game, Starks rediscovered his old form, rising from the bench to score 11 of 13 shots, including 7 of 8 three-pointers, racking up 31 points! He single-handedly dismantled the Spurs' entire bench and became the biggest contributor to the team's victory!
而乔丹在这一场比赛里，再一次发挥平平：17投7中，拿下24分5篮板6助攻。
Then in the fifth game, the crucial Game 5, Jordan once again underperformed, having played poorly for the second consecutive game. That night, he shot only 8 of 21, scoring just 22 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
But tonight it was Houston's turn to dominate. The mid-range king showed his unparalleled dominance and lethality in the mid-range area. He made 9 of 10 mid-range jump shots, and made 15 of 21 shots in the whole game, scoring 35 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists!
Then, the Knicks won another game on the road, taking the crucial Game 5 and taking a 3-2 lead, putting them one step away from the championship!
In Game 6 of the series, Jordan, who had never played a Game 7 in the Finals and had won all five of his previous Finals appearances in six games, unleashed a terrifying burst of energy once again after returning to Madison!
全场比赛他出手31次，命中19球，其中3分球5投4中，罚球12罚全中！整场比赛爆砍54分10篮板2助攻的恐怖数据！
High efficiency, high output, high intensity!
Jordan's performance tonight was once again perfect!
But the Knicks lost again!
Because the rest of the Knicks' perimeter players were playing like a pile of crap!
斯塔克斯仿佛重新回到了那个18投2中的梦魇之夜，他全场9投0中，3分球7投0中只靠着罚球拿到3分，休斯顿也没了前两场中投王的英勇，7投2中只拿到了6分！
Also, the Spurs' twin towers were in terrifying form tonight!
Especially Duncan!
This guy racked up a monstrous 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists, and 8 blocks! He completely dominated the paint, ferociously racking up a near quadruple-double!
Under his defense, Ewing of the Knicks only scored 13 points and 6 rebounds, Oakley had 0 points and 9 rebounds, and Camby had 2 points, 3 rebounds and 1 block. The combined contribution of the Knicks' frontcourt was barely half of Duncan's!
Adding to the mix was David Robinson, who also had a breakout performance, scoring 24 points and grabbing 12 rebounds with a combination of inside and outside shots!
Under their leadership, the Spurs withstood Jordan's wrath and relentless attacks, and once again, on the road, they secured an incredibly hard-fought victory!
After this game, Michael Jordan was forced into a Game 7 in the NBA Finals for the first time in his career!
Fortunately, the final game was still held at Madison Square Garden!
That night, the entire Knicks team seemed to have shaken off the gloom of the previous game, as if they had finally woken up.
That night, the New York team, led by Jordan, took control of the game from the first quarter. They shot 69% in the first quarter and led the Spurs by 11 points!
Then, in the second quarter, although their shooting percentage started to decline, they still extended their lead to 16 points!
In the second half, after the two teams switched sides, the Knicks gave the Spurs no more illusions or hopes. After Jordan scored 5 points with a combination of inside drives and outside shots, the difference between the two teams reached 21 points!
And since then, the Spurs have never been able to close the gap to within 20 points again!
The entire fourth quarter became garbage time. Even the cautious Van Gundy substituted all his starters just three minutes into the fourth quarter and began celebrating the victory and the championship with his players!
In the end, when the final buzzer sounded, the Knicks easily won this decisive Game 7 with a huge advantage of 111-90, a total of 21 points!
The Knicks have won the championship again after 26 years!
He successfully lifted the Larry O'Brien Trophy and stood at the top of the league!
But...
这场比赛，乔丹虽然全场15投9中，高效的拿下了22分，但同时他只有3篮板2助攻1抢断1盖帽入帐！
He played too easily in this game, which meant that despite his excellent form, he only played for 27 minutes before calling it quits and winning the match.
The Knicks' best stat line was Ewing with 20 points, 20 rebounds, and 6 blocks, while Houston led all scorers with 23 points.
In short, although it was a big win and the championship, Jordan's performance tonight was still not the most outstanding on the team!
Lin Tian casually glanced at the statistics from the seven games on the sidelines. Jordan's performance was impeccable, scoring in each of the seven games:
G1：44分6篮板6助攻2抢断2盖帽。
G2：21分5篮板4助攻2抢断。
G3：39分9篮板9助攻3抢断1盖帽。
G4：24分5篮板6助攻4抢断1盖帽。
G5：22分7篮板3助攻2抢断1盖帽。
G6：54分10篮板2助攻3抢断1盖帽。
G7：22分3篮板2助攻1抢断1盖帽。
In seven games, Jordan averaged 32.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.0 blocks!
An absolutely top-tier performance in the finals, the absolute number one core player, and an absolute candidate for FMVP!
Besides Jordan, the Knicks' second-leading scorer was Ewing, who averaged 20.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game. Following him were Houston, who averaged 15 points per game, and Starks, who averaged 13 points per game.
From any perspective, this year's Finals MVP is none other than Jordan!
But, but, when Lin Tian looked at these technical statistics, he couldn't help but laugh!
Jordan's three best games: 44 points in Game 1, 39 points in Game 3, and 54 points in Game 6, all of which resulted in his team losing!
On the contrary, the team won all the games where he played poorly and scored less than 30 points!
This feeling, he really was...
How to describe it?
My wife is pregnant, and the child is mine, but my wife has indeed cheated on me.
I'm conflicted, upset, and want to cry!
Then, sitting on the sidelines, Lin Tian watched as Jordan hugged Ewing and Starks on the court, and rushed up to the scorer's table to interact with the fans.
Celebrate wildly and enjoy the victory with joy.
Clearly, Jordan was completely unaware of this.
Or rather, they haven't had time to realize it yet.
Lin Tian felt that, as Jordan's best friend and closest person, he had the obligation and responsibility to tell Jordan about his wife's infidelity... Ugh!
Tell Jordan that the better he plays, the lower the team's winning percentage becomes.
"Michael!" Lin Tian stood up from the sidelines and started waving at Jordan a few times. Jordan spotted Lin Tian immediately, grinned, showing his big white teeth, and sprinted towards him.
Then he hugged Lin Tian tightly, excitedly saying, "I did it! I did it! I knew it! I'm the champion wherever I go, and I'll definitely win in the end!"
"Congratulations, Michael! Congratulations, my good buddy! I'm so proud of you!" Lin Tian patted Jordan on the back with a smile, praising, "Seriously, you played absolutely fantastic in this series! Your performance was simply perfect!"
「从系列赛第一场的44分，再到第六场的54分！对了，我记得你还打了一场40+10+10的数据？你的表现真的棒极了！你的状态和伱3-4年前的时候没有任何的区别！你还是那个麦可，那个仅次于我的麦可！」
"What are you saying?" Jordan's expression changed as Lin Tian said this. He pushed Lin Tian away slightly, frowned, and a bad feeling rose in Jordan's heart.
"I'm giving you a compliment." Lin Tian flashed a smile that made Jordan very uneasy—a smile full of innocent, sunny joy: "You're really good at picking teammates, Michael! In Game 2, Patrick scored 35 points and 15 rebounds, and John went 11-for-13!"
"And Allan, I never knew he could be this accurate! I remember he scored 35 points and led the team to victory that game? Oh right, Patrick also had a double-double tonight! That's amazing! I initially thought he couldn't handle the Spurs' twin towers by himself!"
Jordan's face darkened further as memories of the past two weeks began to surface in his mind.
Lin Tian's words made him think more deeply.
The championship has been won, and the Finals MVP is definitely his.
But whenever I play well, the team loses, and whenever I underperform, the team wins...
Disgusting, absolutely disgusting!
Even if Jordan had really performed poorly this year and played terribly, and Ewing had taken the Finals MVP, he wouldn't be this upset right now.
After all, for someone like Jordan, being less skilled, not in good form, or playing poorly are nothing. He can always find ways to improve by increasing training intensity, watching game footage, and refining technical details. He will never give up and will always push himself to improve.
But in this series, he just happened to perform exceptionally well, playing brilliantly and consistently unleashing terrifying energy, and then…
And then it got even more disgusting!
The better he played, the more the team lost. In those few seconds standing there, Jordan went through the entire series in his mind, and then he finally came up with two adjectives that he would never have used to describe himself before.
Statistical padder, a cancer to the team.
Aside from stat-padders and cancerous players, who else can have impressive stats but still have their team constantly losing, and their teammates also performing poorly?
Lao Tzu, have I become a cancer?
Impossible! Absolutely impossible!
Jordan patted Lin Tian on the shoulder, somewhat absentmindedly, then turned and walked towards the center of the court, rejoining the Knicks' jubilant crowd. However, at this moment, he was clearly out of sorts. Although he was smiling, his smile was very forced, and he was not at all in sync with everyone's incredibly excited state.
"Michael Jordan's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 800 experience points!"
Wow! So many!
Lin Tian was stunned. He really didn't expect that a few words from him could generate so many experience points!
However, what Lin Tian didn't expect was that this was not the end of it!
Jordan was clearly out of sorts at that moment.
His expression was blank; clearly, his mind was in turmoil, and he was thinking about many things.
However, apart from Lin Tian, who was keeping a close eye on Jordan, everyone else's attention was elsewhere; they were celebrating, celebrating wildly!
This is the championship that New Yorkers have waited 26 years for!
It was also the only championship for this group of Knicks veterans!
After this, Ewing, Starks, Oakley, and even Houston—their careers were all complete! They got everything they wanted and needed!
They will become the new generation of heroes in New York City, instead of the "New York gangsters" hated by half of New Yorkers!
The awards stage was being set up quickly, and the NBA staff demonstrated a high level of efficiency.
David Stern also appeared on the field quietly, with a smile on his face.
This season was definitely a slow start but a strong finish for him, with some close calls but no major setbacks. Although there were many regrets and unfulfilled goals, Stern was still very satisfied with the final outcome!
From a season that nearly ended in disaster, to a dull and unwatchable start to the regular season, to a massive loss of viewers with attendance at almost all 29 arenas declining, the season gradually returned to normal as players regained their form and touch towards the end, and fans slowly came back to the NBA.
Then came the playoffs, which were in full swing. Apart from the Pacers failing to reach the Eastern Conference Finals due to various bizarre and inexplicable injuries, and Stern being somewhat disappointed that Lin Tian and Jordan, the two most popular stars of the time, could not play each other again in the playoffs, Stern was very satisfied with everything else!
Jordan won the championship again, the Knicks brought the Larry O'Brien Trophy back to the Big Apple, and the small city also made it to the Finals, with the series going to a Game 7 as expected.
This season ended well!
Next season will definitely be better!
Stern strolled around happily, envisioning the next season.
"Lin, you guys have to work hard next season. I thought you could win your fourth consecutive championship this year." Stern strolled over to Lin Tian and greeted him.
"Let's try again next season," Lin Tian said casually. "I'm also very happy that Michael won the championship."
"You'd better come back strong next season! Lots of people are waiting for you to win the championship." Stern was in a great mood. "You and Michael will have to play each other again in the Eastern Conference Finals next year!"
"Of course, Michael has already won his last championship ring!" Lin Tian once again expressed his determination.
But Stern was a little annoyed at this moment.
Well, it's not that I'm upset about Lin Tian's words, it's that I'm not a reporter and I don't have a camera or microphone. What a great juicy detail that was! It could have sparked so much discussion!
Stern immediately came up with the title.
Lin Tian claims that with him on the team, Jordan can forget about winning another championship!
Lin Tian: Michael has won the last championship of his career!
What a pity, what a waste!
Such great news material, yet there's no way for the public to know about it.
The main issue is that, given Stern's position, he can't just leak the information himself! As the president of the league, he still needs to take responsibility.
What a pity, what a pity!
"You go ahead with your work, Lin. I need to prepare for the awards ceremony." Stern waved and quickly left Lin Tian. He was afraid that Lin Tian would say something surprising and insightful, something that only he knew and couldn't share with the public. He was so eager to hear that.
So, it's best to stay away! Ignorance is bliss!
After Stern left, the championship award ceremony officially began.
Stern spoke, and the fans booed wildly. He announced the championship team, and the fans cheered. The entire Knicks team lifted the championship trophy, and the cheers continued!
Then, Stern announced the final winner of this year's Finals MVP.
Without a doubt—Michael Jordan!
Whether it's average stats, highlight games, team standing, or league status, these are all undeniable results!
Jordan accepted his sixth championship trophy with a blank expression, then raised it and gestured to the fans in all directions.
Looking at Jordan's expression, Lin Tian suddenly had a bad feeling, for some reason.
"Come on, Michael, say a few words." Stern squinted and handed the microphone to Jordan.
"Thank you all for your support. It's been an amazing year, a very happy year, and a year where dreams come true. I fulfilled my dream of playing for my hometown team and I also fulfilled my promise to everyone." After Jordan finished speaking, the arena immediately erupted in a frenzy of shouts and cheers!
All the people of New York love Jordan!
After saying this, Stern assumed Jordan had finished and instinctively reached for the microphone, but Jordan ignored him and continued, "At the same time, I also want to announce something in my hometown, on this wonderful night, on this perfect night of winning the championship for our hometown team—"
"I just played the last game of my career, my last game as a Knicks player. Next season, I will retire! My era and my story will come to an end!"
After Jordan finished speaking, he raised his hands and waved to the fans in the arena!
Then he bowed...
Then he handed the microphone to Stern.
But Stern froze, and he didn't take the microphone from Jordan.
Retired?
Stern couldn't accept it. He was retiring just like that? Without any warning, without any prior announcement, without any preparation, he was just retiring like that?
Has he retired again?
Stern looked at Jordan, unable to understand why this guy always chose to retire after winning a championship.
Stern couldn't understand it, and neither could the Knicks players, especially Ewing and Starks, who were closest to Jordan. They stared at Jordan in disbelief, spreading their hands as if asking him if he was serious.
The Knicks fans, who had just been celebrating wildly, were stunned. They looked at each other, mouths agape, hands on their heads, shaking their heads in disbelief.
They were just about to shout "One more time!" and then what happened?
Did the team's star player retire on the spot?
Just like that, without any warning?
Not only the fans at the stadium, but also all the fans watching the live broadcast and the commentators were stunned!
They never imagined that Jordan would retire at this time.
Barkley suffered the most.
As Jordan picked up the microphone to speak, he chuckled and said, "This guy will definitely say some polite things first, and then he'll throw in the tough stuff! We noticed Lin was there, and I think Michael will tell Lin: 'Next season's championship is still ours!'"
"I know him; he'll definitely issue a challenge!"
"Look! He's going to announce it! He's going to say it! He's going to provoke us! Right? He said... he fucking said he's retiring?"
Barkley was stunned.
Lin Tian was also stunned. He really couldn't believe that Jordan would choose to retire so suddenly, right here!
Completely unpredictable!
Perhaps the only thing at the scene that could react to Jordan's retirement was Lin Tian's system.
"Michael Jordan's emotions have fluctuated, causing him to drop a one-time use item: Iron Will (1 use)!"
"Iron Will: Can be activated when the team is down by 15 points, valid for the current game, and increases all abilities by 10% after use!"
Hey!
Looking at the upgrade, Lin Tian temporarily put aside the matter of Jordan's retirement, carefully examined the new item, and then exclaimed, "Wow!"
This is equivalent to giving someone a reverse invincibility cheat!
All abilities! This boosts all abilities!
Even if it was only once, it was essentially handing Lin Tian a victory!
Lin Tian was even thinking that if he was down by 15 points after 5 minutes of the game, wouldn't he be able to have all his attributes boosted for the rest of the game?
It's been so long since any equipment dropped, and this time it's such a great item?
Given the principle that the stronger the system's emotional fluctuations, the better the items that drop, how could Jordan have suffered such a huge blow this time?
Lin Tian looked at Jordan. At this moment, after Jordan announced his retirement, there was a hint of relaxation on his face. It was a sense of relief and acceptance.
Although Lin Tian didn't know what Jordan was thinking at this moment, he felt that Jordan had truly let go.
Regardless of what Jordan thought, or how much shock and upheaval he caused in the basketball world that night, and regardless of how many people either wept, couldn't accept, or cheered because of his retirement.
Tonight, Jordan's retirement will be the headline news in all sports media and a topic of discussion for everyone.
In contrast, the Knicks winning the championship is such a trivial matter that nobody really cares.
A champion? Only one a year, it's pretty ordinary.
But there's only one Jordan! And now he's chosen to leave!
Given Jordan's current age and the perfect timing of his departure, he certainly won't be coming back. Everyone believes he will leave the court forever.
That night, Lin Tian sat alone in his room at the Hilton Hotel for a long time. He unusually refused Hilton's offer to sit with him for a while, and instead sat alone until three in the morning. At that moment, there was a knock on his door.
It's Jordan.
"I thought you'd get drunk and then go find some girls or spend time with your family," Lin Tian said.
"Drinking is fine anytime," Jordan said with a smile as he walked into the room and sat down on the sofa. "But could you please not put dating and spending time with family together?"
"Let's talk about something else, why?" Lin Tian looked at Jordan curiously: "Don't tell me it's because of me, it's because I scared you away, right?"
"Yeah, it's because of you," Jordan said with a laugh. "You really scared me away."
"You've been drinking fake alcohol?" Lin Tian looked at Jordan in disbelief. This villain, this basketball king who had never backed down in his entire career, would actually back down?
"I haven't had a drink all night." Jordan suddenly stood up again, took a bottle of wine from the hotel's liquor cabinet, opened it, and said, "Let's have a good drink."
"What are you thinking?" Lin Tian still didn't understand what was wrong with Jordan.
"The Spurs can't stop me." Jordan suddenly blurted out, "Their perimeter players are a bunch of trash and useless. They have no way to limit me. Every shot I take is very easy and effortless."
"But I couldn't make the shot. I could clearly feel the fatigue. I was very tired. My legs felt like they were filled with lead and I couldn't move. I didn't jump as high as I thought I would, nor did I have the strength I thought I would. I just couldn't do the things I used to be able to do."
Jordan finished his sentence by downing a large glass of rum and continued, "I'm tired. I've trained harder than ever this offseason. I've been working on my body like crazy, using the most scientific methods, hoping to become as strong as possible without affecting my stamina."
"To put it another way, this year is the year I've been best prepared in my life. I've made all the preparations, put myself in the best condition, and then come to welcome this season."
"But what was the result? I couldn't beat you in the regular season. I couldn't score as much as you, I couldn't pass as well as you, and I couldn't even grab as many rebounds as you. In the playoffs, starting from the Eastern Conference Finals, I didn't participate in team training. I was just too tired. I knew I had reached my limit, and that was only with 50 regular season games."
"I know my stamina isn't enough to last me a full season! My stamina will definitely be depleted towards the end of the regular season and playoffs! And if I continue, my performance and fitness will only be worse next season!"
Listening to Jordan's words, Lin Tian really wanted to tell him, "You can take a break!" 20 years later, there was a boy named Kawhi Leonard. He was amazing. He never played more than 50 games in the regular season, and then he would go all out in the playoffs.
Well, even with all that, there are still inexplicable injuries in the playoffs, but it's still a viable path!
"And more importantly, there are even more players I can't defend this year! My defense is deteriorating rapidly, my lateral movement can't keep up, my reactions have slowed down, and I can no longer keep up with the opponent's key ball handler and run all over the court non-stop."
"I know I'm getting old, this time I'm really old."
At this point, Jordan sighed deeply and said, "So I know that if we meet next year, I will definitely be crushed by you! Our team will definitely lose to you. Rather than leaving with defeat and regret, it's better to leave this year."
"Leaving with a championship trophy, swaggering away as a victor! So, I guess you scared me off, but I'll only say that once, and I'll never admit to saying it again!"
"After tonight, if anyone asks me, I'll say I was waiting for you in the Eastern Conference Finals this year, but you didn't come. Don't blame me! You were just too bad to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals! I won the championship and retired with honor, not fled the league!"
"Don't you know that there's something called a voice recorder?" Lin Tian suddenly asked after listening to Jordan's confession.
"You recorded it?" Jordan asked Lin Tian.
"you guess?"
"I'll kill you!"
"I recorded that too! I'll take you to the NYPD!"
……
Jordan's sudden retirement sparked wave after wave of discussions across the United States. People could not accept the departure of the most successful sports star in the NBA and even in North American sports over the past decade, especially since Jordan left behind a series that averaged 32 points per game before leaving.
He left at this time, leaving behind a legacy of legends! It has to be said, the timing he chose was absolutely perfect!
But with the conclusion of the NBA Finals and the start of the championship parade in New York, the discussion about Jordan slowed down a bit, because another incredibly important event in the NBA was about to begin.
On June 22, 1999, at Washington, D.C. Airport, Lin Tian, wearing sunglasses, stepped off the plane and got into a low-key minivan.
"I've had other people drive for me my whole life, and now that I'm old, I'm your chauffeur," Bird grumbled from the driver's seat. "Couldn't you have come a day earlier?"
"If we'd come a day earlier, I would have had to drive," Lin Tian said casually, leaning back in the back seat. "So, what do you think? Who should we choose this time?"
"I'll pick that big guy from China with the 37th pick. We'll see about the 57th pick later. We'll pick whoever falls out of the running. As for the 27th pick, I really don't know what to do. There are too many people who will end up in that position. I have 5 or 6 names in my head, but I still haven't made a final decision."
"There's a Russian guy," Lin Tian thought for a moment, then decided to mention him anyway: "He plays in the Russian league. His national team played a few warm-up matches against ours, and our people said he's incredibly skilled! He's an all-rounder, capable of anything, and he's everywhere!"
"He'll be on every corner of the field, attacking or defending! This guy's stamina, energy, and defensive ability are all something to look forward to! Let me think... what's his name? It's like... Andrei Kirilenko?"
"Lin, you mean you want me to choose a guy that neither of us has ever met, watched, or even knows how to pronounce?" Bird rolled his eyes and said, "I'm crazy, but not this crazy."
Seeing that Bird wasn't taking the bait, Lin Tian was just about to think of a way to persuade Bird again when his phone suddenly rang.
Lin Tian curiously took out his phone, glanced at it, and then smiled, saying, "I think we don't need to worry about who to choose anymore!"
Then Lin Tian asked, "Hey Chris, how have you been lately?"
"This is terrible! This is terrible!" Weber's familiar voice came through: "Lin, didn't we agree on something? I'd stay in Cleveland for a year, and then you'd drag me out of hell! I've really had enough of this place, this awful place!"
"Do you know how bad this place is? Let me tell you, there are only 7 nightclubs and 4 strip clubs in total! The girls here are just moving between clubs! That's it! That's all! The entertainment here is as scarce as a kindergarten! There's nothing here."
"And guess what? The worst part is, they're trading me again! They say they're going to trade me on draft day! This time they're sending me to Milwaukee, where people say they're short a big man! And there's even a rumor that it's Toronto! Nobody wants to play in Canada!"
"Lin, you promised me! You promised me!"
Listening to Webber's frantic, nagging complaints, Lin Tian said, "Chris, but your weight..."
"I've already lost over 15 pounds! This summer, I'm going to lose another 15 pounds! I'll be back to my previous shape before training camp even starts!" Webber said anxiously. "I just don't want to go to Sacramento, I just want to play with you. I'm not giving up my career. I'm completely different from those guys like Vin and Shawn!"
After hearing Webber's words, Lin Tian couldn't help but nod. This man's professionalism was at least much higher than that of Kemp and Vin Baker!
"Don't worry, Chris, even if you didn't call, I was just about to call you to get your bags packed. I'm in Washington right now with Larry, preparing for tomorrow's draft, and we're planning to get you here tomorrow!"
"real?"
"Of course! Larry, say something to Chris and tell him to relax." Lin Tian held the phone to Bird's mouth.
"Don't worry, Chris, I've always wanted you! I'll do everything I can, and this summer, you'll definitely be wearing a Pacers jersey!"
Lin Tian took the phone, chatted with Weber for a few more minutes, and then hung up.
Bird glanced at Lin Tian in the rearview mirror and said disdainfully, "Are you really going to call him?"
"No, I've actually completely forgotten that I promised him," Lin Tian said without the slightest embarrassment. "But it's not too late now! And our draft picks are useful now, aren't they?"
"You really want him?" Bird wasn't joking this time; he looked at Lin Tian very seriously.
"His playing style is a perfect match for me; we're a match made in heaven! Plus, Chris is currently at the lowest price, so buying him now is a sure thing!"
"That's true. Last season, he completely ruined his reputation with alcoholism, weight gain, and overeating!" Bird nodded and said, "So, what about his work ethic and physique?"
"He's already losing weight, and this guy is just entering the prime of his career. Even if it's just for money and a big contract, he'll play well."
After hearing Lin Tian's words, Bird nodded and said, "Since that's the case, and your playing styles complement each other perfectly! Okay, I'll do my best to get him, but let me make it clear beforehand, I can't guarantee I can get him in such a short time!"
"I believe in you, and I'll get Rob to step up his game." Lin Tian said casually, "No, I think with Rob's level of professionalism, he should have already started making moves, asking the Cavaliers to trade Chris to us. I'll call him now and let him know."
As Lin Tian spoke, he made a phone call.
"At least two first-round draft picks and an All-Star caliber player, or at least four first-round draft picks and a matching contract." Pelinka had clearly done his homework: "I've convinced the Cavaliers that they're willing to trade Webber to a team in the same division."
"But the prerequisite is that the benefits must be sufficient!"
(End of this chapter)