20demayo Chapter 121 Provoking Jordan? The noob who almost got beaten to the point of retiring on the spot.
Chapter 121 Provoking Jordan? The noob who almost got beaten to the point of retiring on the spot.
Chapter 121 Provoking Jordan? The rookie almost got forced to retire on the spot!
In the NBA preseason, each team typically plays 6-8 games against opponents who are geographically closest to them. This is to minimize travel fatigue and allow teams to comfortably find their form and rhythm.
The Bulls' preseason opponents are the Bucks, Timberwolves, and Pacers, who are closest to them. They will play each team once at home and once away, for a total of 6 games.
Most of the time, teams don't go all out in preseason games. They might let their starters play for half a game, leaving the rest of the time for role players and fringe players to showcase their abilities.
For players who are fighting for a spot and the last regular season roster spot on a team, this is their last and best chance to shine. If they play well, they can stay on the team; if they play poorly, they may lose their chance to play in the NBA this season.
Simply put: the preseason is an open warm-up game for each team to test their roster, get a feel for the game, and determine the team's final rotation.
Therefore, many teams don't sell well on preseason tickets, and some teams simply give away preseason tickets through lotteries or giveaways to increase the home crowd's excitement.
Of course, top teams like the Lakers, Bulls, and Knicks don't need to worry about this at all. All they have to do is open ticket sales as usual and wait for fans to line up and snap up all the tickets.
In addition, there are some teams with poor performance, lackluster market presence, and disappointing ticket sales. Even with various methods, they cannot fill their home stadiums with spectators during the preseason. These teams will have to think of other ways.
For example, the Milwaukee Bucks.
Although the Bucks have two superstars, Vin Baker and "Big Dog" Robinson, and drafted top shooter Ray Allen from Connecticut this summer, their ticket sales have been consistently disappointing, much like their abysmal record, which has always been at the bottom of the league.
This is not really the Milwaukee fans' fault.
The Bucks are just awful. The last time an MVP-caliber player played for the Bucks was almost 30 years ago with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson!
So, when the Bulls' first preseason game was an away game in Milwaukee, the Bucks' management cleverly launched a season ticket service.
Buy tickets to the preseason Bucks vs. Bulls game and get a free regular season home game ticket!
Yeah, that's so true! Watching the preseason games will give you a head start on the regular season!
This shows just how bad the Bucks' ticket sales are.
This also shows how much influence the Bulls have across the United States!
Even if the team does this, it will be easy for the team's home games and away games to be filled with Bulls fans, but does the Bucks have a choice?
There was no other choice!
Selling tickets is the key!
At 8 p.m. on October 10, the Chicago Bulls players arrived in Milwaukee, not far from Chicago, and entered the home arena for tonight's game with great ease.
Then, a frenzy of cheers, shouts, and howls instantly enveloped the Bulls!
Within Lin Tian and the others' field of vision, there were only a handful of green jerseys belonging to the Bucks, while the entire arena was filled with red and black jerseys or T-shirts representing the Bulls.
A true away game feels like a home game!
However, the Bulls players were already used to this kind of scene. They warmed up and dribbled with ease, occasionally showing off a couple of dunks, which drew screams and cheers from the audience on the sidelines!
Today's Bulls are the target of every team in the league!
They are a behemoth that any team would want to beat, a true dominant team!
But among the fans, they are truly the most popular people!
If fans in places like New York and Indiana have to be mindful of the impact, because their teams are direct rivals of the Bulls, they can't express too much affection for the Bulls.
So, for fans whose favorite team is of average strength and has little chance of winning the championship, their love for the Bulls no longer needs to be hidden!
Just cheer!
"What's wrong with our home fans?" Ray Allen, who had just joined the team and hadn't played a single official game yet, frowned and said unhappily, "I thought the stadium was packed with fans tonight because they were all here for us!"
"But they came for the Bulls, to cheer them on?"
"Ray, you have to get used to it. We're a weak team, and weak teams have to be aware of their weaknesses. It's already good enough that they're willing to come to the court. Who do you care who they're cheering for?" Robinson, who shocked the league with a 10-year, $6800 million contract as soon as he entered the league and changed the league's rookie signing rules as a result, replied nonchalantly.
"I've never played for a weak team in my entire life! I will make the Bucks strong! I will make my team beat the Bulls!" Ray Allen said resolutely, looking at the fans in the arena, making his grand vow: "I will make sure that every time Milwaukee fans enter the arena, it's to watch us play, not someone else!"
Ray Allen was a top basketball star from high school, and in college he was on a top NCAA team. He never knew what losing or being on a weak team meant in his life.
Even the worst team can be turned into a strong team in no time by my shooting grenade!
"Ray, you'd better keep your voice down." The team's veteran, All-Star power forward Vin Baker gestured towards the Bulls' team and said, "Those guys on the other side are notoriously petty."
"Who? Jordan? I'm not afraid of him! Yes, I grew up watching his basketball, but I'm not afraid of him! I will challenge him and beat him!" Allen was full of confidence, his eyes radiating unparalleled self-assurance.
However, to the seasoned veterans Baker and Robinson, his gaze evoked only one feeling—
Foolish and naive.
Then, the old villain Robinson winked at Baker, and after they nodded to each other, Baker was the first to step forward and say, "You have to really have the ability. If you're just talking, then it's meaningless. Anyone can talk."
"Wen, what are you saying?" Robinson immediately chimed in, "Don't corrupt Ray. He's still a kid. He wouldn't go and provoke Jordan! A young man just says a few words, do you really want him to go looking for trouble? Alright, Ray, don't listen to him. Come on, let's practice a few more shots."
"It was my fault. There was no need to provoke Michael. The whole league knows that angering him will not end well. I also believe that Ray is not afraid, right?" Baker said with a wicked smile, adding another sentence.
"Who says I'm scared? I said I'd beat Jordan, and I will! I said I'd challenge him, and I mean it! I'm going to tell him right now, and I'll show you how I'll crush him in the game!"
After Allen finished speaking, he completely ignored the gloating looks from the two older guys beside him. Instead, he picked up the basketball in his hand and walked straight towards the half of the court where the Bulls were warming up.
"Whoosh!"
Stand two steps outside the three-point line.
Ray Allen raised his hand and launched a super long-range three-pointer, which swished through the net.
"FUXX!" Rodman, who was stretching near the midfield, had already seen Allen walking towards them. As soon as he saw Allen come over and throw a super long three-pointer, Rodman immediately jumped up from the floor like a cat seeing a mouse and rushed directly in front of Allen.
"Kid, are you looking for a beating?" Rodman's chest slammed into Allen's, sending him staggering back two steps. Then, he unleashed a torrent of vicious and vulgar trash talk at Ray Allen!
Before he could even say a word, Allen, who had just taken a shot, was completely stunned.
He'd never seen anything like this before in his life.
Who am I? Where am I? Why am I being verbally abused to the point of being unrecognizable?
"Dennis! Don't bully a child like that." Lin Tian stood beside the two with a smile and said, "You'll scare him to death! He's just a child! You weren't this rough with me last year."
"That's because I haven't even had a chance to bully you yet. You took on three people in the locker room without getting hurt. I'd have to be crazy to bully you," Rodman rolled his eyes nonchalantly and grinned mischievously. "Then let's guess who this rookie, who hasn't even grown up yet, is trying to provoke?"
"You'd better come here to provoke me," Lin Tian said, looking at Allen. "That way, at least you won't have nightmares tonight, because I'm gentle and soft-hearted, and I won't beat you up too badly."
"I'm here to see Jordan!" Allen took a deep breath, looked at the two guys in front of him, and mustered his courage to shout, "Jordan! Michael Jordan!"
Jordan, who was practicing his mid-range jump shot, turned around, looked at the three people beyond the three-point line, and walked over curiously, saying, "What? You want my autograph? You'll have to wait in line. I don't give autographs to trash."
"I'm going to destroy you! Tonight, I'm going to destroy you! And you absolutely can't stop me if you dare to go up against me!" Allen said defiantly, barking at Jordan.
"You're calling my name from this distance just for something like this?" Jordan looked at Allen with the same disdain he'd give an idiot. "If I were you, I'd go tell your coach to disqualify you from playing all night!"
"Otherwise, I'm worried your first preseason game will be your retirement game."
After Jordan finished speaking, he didn't look at Allen again, turned around and walked back to his own half of the court.
"100! I bet 100 this rookie will cry!" Rodman shouted. "Who wants to bet with me?!"
"20 points! I bet 100 dollars that Michael will score 20 points in the first quarter!" Pippen, who had come upon hearing the news, also pulled out 100 dollars, indicating that he would also play.
"Zero points!" Langley said in his hoarse voice, looking at the group. "This kid didn't score a single point against Michael!"
Several people set up a gambling game right in front of Allen, showing him absolutely no respect. Allen, who had always been a prodigy and idolized by everyone since childhood, had never experienced anything like this before.
"You lot, that's enough!" Allen said, suppressing his anger and glaring fiercely at the group.
"What, you want to participate too?" Lin Tian looked at Allen and said, "But we won't buy your own shares after Michael beats you up. We can't let you make a profit after you get beaten up."
"I'll participate! I'll bet $100, I can play... I can go toe-to-toe with Michael!" Allen glared angrily at the group. He originally wanted to say that he could beat Jordan, but after hesitating for a moment, reason prevailed over anger, and he changed his tune to say that he would be on par with Jordan.
"Then you have to pay up now, otherwise, based on your condition after the match, you definitely won't pay us!" Lin Tian stretched out his hand and said, "As for the odds, what odds do you want? How about 1 to 500? Anyway, you're definitely going to lose, and you definitely won't get your 100 yuan back. I can take on any odds, no matter how outrageous!"
"1 to 10, do you dare to take it?!" Alan was so angry at this group that he yelled at Lin Tian.
"Okay, but with such a big bet, betting only 100 is a bit stingy, isn't it? How about 1?" Lin Tian looked at Alan provocatively. In his mind, this guy was just here to throw money away!
"Ten thousand it is!" Allen said, stomping his foot angrily, and turned to walk towards his half of the court.
"What a pity, I only got some experience points. I was hoping to get some 3-point shots to play with." Lin Tian muttered, turning around and walking back to his half of the court to prepare for the final warm-up.
After this commotion between the two sides, the originally uneventful preseason game has taken on a rare and exciting element!
Of course, this only applies to Allen himself having the "explosive" ability; everyone else is just happy about it. After all, no one thinks that a newly drafted rookie can pose any threat to Jordan.
Do you really think everyone has cheat codes, and everyone becomes a monster as soon as they join the League?
Ray Allen is indeed a genius, but he's still far from being at his level!
Soon, the game officially began. In the first preseason game of the new season, Jackson didn't pull any fancy moves and used the same starting lineup he had been using since the Eastern Conference Finals last season: Lin Tian, Jordan, Pippen, Rodman and Longley!
According to Jackson's plan, this starting five was enough to cripple and completely suppress most teams in the league. As for the second unit, he had veterans like Kukoc, Wennington, Cole, and Harper who were very familiar to him, as well as new additions like Parish, Williams, Stejena, and Simpkins who were ready to play at any time.
Looking at the abundant, almost extravagant, cards in his hand, even the seasoned and cunning Phil Jackson couldn't help but smile several times during the training camp.
He has never fought such a rich battle before!
With this roster, how could they possibly lose a series? It's incredibly difficult. For the Bulls this season, losing a series is just too difficult!
"Beep beep!"
At that moment, the referee blew his whistle, and the first preseason game of the season began!
With his height and long arms, Lang Li slapped the basketball across the court and passed it to Lin Tian.
After Lin Tian got the ball, he immediately raised his hand and called for an isolation play!
The so-called isolation tactic is a tactic in which everyone spreads out and lets the star player go one-on-one. This was a common tactic used by teams in the 90s when there wasn't much variety in tactics and techniques.
The Bulls' go-to player for isolation plays is undoubtedly Jordan!
He gently wedged Allen with his back, casually chewing gum as he said, "Little virgin, are you ready to become a real man?"
Just as Allen was about to open his mouth to retort, Jordan's merciless elbow had already slammed into Allen's chest. Allen couldn't catch his breath, let alone spout trash talk, he almost passed out on the spot!
"Whoosh!"
Allen didn't even see how Jordan made the shot before the basketball obediently went into the basket!
Turning back, Jordan precisely targeted Allen: "Rookie, do you even know how to attack? Do you know if a basketball is round or square? Want my dog to teach you how to dribble and shoot?"
Enduring Jordan's trash talk and dirty tricks, Allen was incredibly annoyed. He was just about to make a run when the basketball suddenly came into his hands!
"Allen! Take him down! Didn't you say you could handle Michael?" Robinson, with a wicked grin, continued to add fuel to the fire.
"Oh? You can beat me?" Jordan's eyes widened, not caring whether it was true or not, and his hand was already slapping the basketball in Allen's hand.
"Smack!" A crisp, loud sound rang out as Jordan slapped the basketball away. Lin Tian had already started his fast break and, after getting the ball near the center line, didn't dribble at all. Instead, he did a half-turn to face the basket from the side, and then the basketball suddenly flew out from behind him, heading straight for the basket!
A behind-the-back pass that spanned the entire half!
"boom!"
Then came a loud bang!
Pippen leaped off the rim and slammed home the ball with a powerful dunk!
"Whoa!"
"How did he do that?!"
"How did the basketball get to the basket?"
"A behind-the-back pass from that distance?"
"I thought he was talking to the referee!"
"Passing behind the back from this position is pointless!"
"It's pointless, but that damn kid is so handsome!"
Amidst the cheers and shouts of the fans, Lin Tian quickly got into the zone!
The Bucks then passed the ball to Allen again. Although he wasn't directly intercepted this time, his forced drive and shot were ruthlessly blocked by Jordan.
Lin Tian reacted quickly, catching the basketball once again and launching another counterattack!
Lin Tian had the ball in the middle, with Pippen and Jordan sprinting at top speed on either side of him!
As Lin Tian drove all the way to the Bucks' basket, he jumped up to face Vin Baker, who was back on defense. Lin Tian raised the basketball high with both hands, first lifting it into the air, then quickly lowering it and sending it to the left.
Just when everyone thought Lin Tian was going to pass the ball directly to Jordan on the left side, Lin Tian instead went behind his back and passed it to Pippen on the right!
"boom!"
Lin Tian's pass even fooled the cameras! The TV cameras clearly swerved to the left first before quickly returning to their original position to capture the moment Pippen slammed the ball down!
In two consecutive rounds, Lin Tian delivered two incredibly brilliant passes that could definitely be selected as one of the top ten plays of the week!
Bucks fans who bought tickets tonight's game are absolutely thrilled!
Even though the Bucks were down 6-0, and their newly drafted fifth overall pick, Allen, was being repeatedly outmaneuvered by Jordan, who cared about that?
Which respectable Milwaukee local is here tonight to watch the Bucks?!
Everyone's here to see the Bulls!
For the remainder of the first quarter, Baker and Robinson were determined to wear Allen down. They kept feeding Allen the ball while constantly encouraging and cheering him on.
Lin Tian didn't know how much of their encouragement and support Allen heard, but he knew that Jordan definitely heard it all!
So, in the time that followed... whenever Jordan got a chance to go one-on-one with Allen, he would keep trash-talking him!
"Connecticut, huh! Top shooter, huh! You're going to crush me, aren't you!"
"If you put in a little effort, you'll find that the gap between you and me isn't that big, right?"
"My toes are better than yours, what were you thinking, daring to provoke me?"
Jordan was trash-talking non-stop while constantly trying to get more physical contact with Allen, or rather, looking for more opportunities to bully Allen.
Faced with Jordan's fierce, powerful, and ruthless playing style, Allen regretted it!
He truly regretted it. "Why did I have to mess with Jordan? I was completely out of my mind."
At the same time, there's something Allen really wants to say.
"I didn't say those things! Go find Baker or Robinson! Why are you targeting me?!"
However, Allen was ultimately proud and arrogant, and after all, he was a super genius from the prestigious basketball school Connecticut. No matter how much he complained in his heart, asking him to beg for mercy in front of Jordan was impossible!
Not only was it impossible, but this guy finally managed to get out through a screen after about 4 minutes in the first quarter, receive the ball, and pull up for a long-range three-pointer that he made!
"You can't stop me! I can score!" After scoring, Allen seemed to be ignited by a surge of adrenaline, and he unleashed a torrent of abuse at Jordan: "You're washed up, old man! The league will belong to us young guys sooner or later!"
This guy doesn't have cheat codes too, does he? Like mine?
Looking at Allen's almost self-destructive trash talk, Lin Tian really suspected that this guy might also have some kind of cheat code that allows him to gain skills by getting beaten up.
Otherwise, who would be so reckless?
I, Lin, offended Jordan because there was something in it for me. You, Ray Allen…
What's the point?
Can Tu really embarrass himself in front of all the fans in Milwaukee? Can Tu really get beaten to a pulp by Jordan's iron elbows and iron hands?
With Allen's roar, the game completely shifted into Jordan's rhythm.
When he posts up, he no longer takes a fadeaway jump shot; instead, he squeezes under the basket every time and then forces a turnaround to shoot.
Jordan almost never chose to shoot anymore. Instead, whether facing the basket or with his back to the basket, he would use his elbows and knees to force his way into the paint!
On the defensive end, Jordan displayed playoff-level ferocity, not only guarding Allen closely throughout the game but also making significant physical contact with Allen when he had the ball, almost causing Allen to lose control of the ball. When he found an opportunity to steal the ball, he did so with extreme ferocity!
Although this style of play caused Jordan to pick up 3 fouls in less than 5 minutes in the second quarter, he still scored 23 points, leaving Allen completely beating him!
As for Allen, who was matched up against Jordan?
He also returned to the bench early on after accumulating three fouls.
This young man, on whom Milwaukee had placed high hopes, hoping he could lead the team out of the mire, now had both arms almost swollen from Jordan's slaps, and his eyes were lifeless and his expression was blank.
He was completely overwhelmed by Jordan's multi-pronged attack of skill, physicality, and trash talk, and was utterly demoralized.
Is the gap between me and Jordan really that big?
After Allen and Jordan both went to the bench, the game quickly fell into Lin Tian's rhythm, and all of the Bulls' offense was handed over to him to organize and arrange!
Furthermore, Jackson replaced Jordan and Longley with Kerr and Kukoc, and the Bulls have once again entered an offensive mode!
So, the entire Bulls team started running!
Rodman grabbed the rebound and passed it to Lin Tian. Lin Tian dribbled the ball and quickly advanced to the basket. After reaching the basket, he suddenly bounced the ball to Cole in the corner. Cole raised his hand and shot, making a three-pointer!
Lin Tian grabbed the rebound again and pushed the ball up the court. When he reached the three-point line, he pretended to pass to Cole, but suddenly made a no-look pass behind his back, passing the ball to Kukoc who was cutting down the court. Kukoc caught the ball, started his run, and slammed it home with one hand!
Lin Tian stole the ball from Bucks guard Douglas, then bounced it off the ground, sending the ball flying between Douglas's legs and straight to the frontcourt. Pippen arrived in time, grabbed the ball, and started his run, delivering another one-handed dunk!
The latter half of the second quarter completely became Lin Tian's stage. All sorts of unbelievable and imaginative passes were effortlessly executed by Lin Tian, one after another, making the Milwaukee fans completely forget that they were Bucks fans.
"Lin! Lin! Lin! Lin! Lin!"
"Pass it on again!"
"That's incredible! Is this really an NBA game?"
"I feel like I'm on the streets of New York! These streetball moves and passing techniques, are they actually appearing on an NBA court?"
"I want to buy a pair of AND 1 sneakers! They're so cool! I have to buy them!"
"I want to play like that too! I'm determined to learn to play like Lin in my lifetime!"
The crowd erupted in shouts and cheers, and this situation, where home fans turned against their own team and cheered for the opposing players, made the Bucks' situation even worse.
Even when Jordan wasn't on the court, they quickly lost their resistance!
At the end of the second quarter, the Bulls scored an incredible 75 points!
In the second quarter alone, they scored 44 points!
In the first half, Jordan played 13 minutes and scored 23 points, while Lin Tian delivered 13 assists in the first half alone! His passing made Milwaukee fans feel as if they were attending an art exhibition or walking into an art gallery, rather than watching a game.
So cool!
Although Lin Tian, who was having a blast, made four mistakes in the first half, who cares about those mistakes when compared to his gorgeous and elegant passes?
That's not a case of minor flaws overshadowing major merits; it's simply that Lin Tian's teammates are incompetent and don't know how to position themselves!
Can a decent person really focus on other people's mistakes?
Yes, there are.
For example, Phil Jackson.
After the first half ended, he looked at Lin Tian's glaring four turnovers on the statistics, shook his head, and said nothing.
He simply called Clemens over and asked him to continue monitoring Lin Tian's playing style and correct his overly unrestrained new style of play as much as possible during training.
However, Jackson himself was not planning to talk to Lin Tian.
It's just the preseason, I can tolerate it, I can accept it.
Just don't do this in the regular season, or in those close games.
Jackson was never the kind of lifeless head coach like Larry Brown or Jeff Van Gundy who demanded that all players play according to his ideas.
He can endure it as long as it doesn't interfere with his work.
Not to mention, let's not forget that when Jackson was young, he was a hippie at the forefront of the times. Anyone who has seen his outfits and style when he was young knows that he was also a maverick!
With the Bulls scoring nearly 80 points in the first half, the Bucks were naturally overwhelmed and had no chance to fight back.
Ray Allen, the team's hope for the future, was completely outplayed by Jordan in the first half, making only one three-pointer on 1-of-6 shooting, and also committing three fouls and three turnovers in the first half. Allen's debut was incredibly poor.
The rest of the Bucks were completely outmatched by the Bulls' intensity; they were utterly dominated and thoroughly outplayed! The Bucks only managed 41 points in the first half, trailing by nearly 40 points by halftime!
Of course, the Bulls didn't keep the suspense going for long. Less than two minutes into the third quarter, Jordan drew two more fouls on Ray Allen, bringing the inexperienced rookie to five fouls. The Bulls capitalized on this momentum, going on an 8-0 run at the start of the third quarter!
83: 41!
Just two minutes into the second half, the Bulls extended their lead to a whopping 42 points!
Jackson didn't hold back any longer. With a wave of his hand, he made a five-in-five-out substitution, replacing all five key players.
Jackson wouldn't even bother letting his key players play an extra minute during the regular season, let alone the preseason.
Besides, it's a preseason game, there's no grudge between us, do you really want to beat them by 7-80 points?
Ultimately, the score was 123-85. The Bulls' starters, having played only about half the game, defeated the Bucks by nearly 40 points, securing their first preseason victory!
The most tragic person tonight, without a doubt, is Ray Allen.
哪怕第三节和第四节比赛乔丹都不再上场，公牛队也没有继续针对他，可他还是因为上半场被彻底打出心理阴影而导致下半场比赛也打的无比糟糕，他不但10投1中，连罚球都只有6罚3中！全场比赛只拿到了6分2篮板1助攻4失误的糟糕数据！
But that wasn't the worst part. For Allen, the worst part was that as soon as the game ended, Lin Tian teamed up with Rodman, Wennington, and Harper to form a bully squad and cornered Allen at the entrance to the players' tunnel.
"A bet's a bet, Alan! Where's the money?" Lin Tian smiled and held out his hand, saying, "It's just a small business, no delays, no debts!"
Losing the game and losing money, Ray Allen's night was destined to be incredibly bad!
The Bulls' 40-point victory over the Bucks was clearly just the beginning!
In the next four preseason games, whether at home or away, they won by more than 20 points each time. Their form was evident from the preseason. Their ambition to defend their title and their strong performance made all teams even more afraid of the Bulls.
Until the last game of the preseason, Jackson, who had already integrated the roster and its players into a good rhythm, chose to rest all the key players and let their rotation and fringe players play. As expected, the Bulls lost to the Timberwolves, who came to challenge them, without any suspense.
But this kind of loss obviously won't be taken seriously by anyone. Everyone knows that the Bulls didn't treat this as a serious game.
In five preseason games, Jordan averaged only 18 minutes per game, scoring 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists with a 55% field goal percentage. Lin Tian averaged 20 minutes per game, achieving a double-double of 11 points and 10 assists. Add to that Pippen, who averaged 19 minutes per game, scoring 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Bulls' "iron triangle" has quietly begun to shift.
The third corner, besides Jordan and Pippen, is increasingly resembling Rodman, who focuses on defense and rebounding, and more like Lin Tian, who can drive, pass, and score. Some provocative media outlets have even stated that the Bulls' second-in-command should not be Pippen, but Lin Tian!
As for which of these media outlets are purely stirring up trouble, and which may have been paid by other teams to deliberately sow discord, that remains unknown.
Regardless of the off-court reports and news, they did not affect the Bulls' pursuit of their second consecutive championship. The entire team was already in the zone and ready. All the Bulls players knew that this year, they would face even more challenges and greater pressure!
After all, any team that wins 74 games and takes the championship will become the target of all teams in the next season!
Even those tanking teams whose goal is the number one draft pick and who only want to lose will still give it their all when facing the Bulls, hoping to cause them some trouble.
After all, there are 82 chances to lose a year, but the chance to face the Bulls head-on and, if you do, beat them and become famous throughout the country only comes 2-4 times a year! You have to seize it!
Before the start of the new season, the league also announced its broadcast schedule for the season.
NBA broadcasts in North America are divided into two types: local broadcasts and national broadcasts. Local broadcasts are decided by the television stations and media in each state, and if they are broadcast, the target audience is fans within that state.
Generally speaking, local TV stations will focus on the local home team when broadcasting matches, and will only broadcast matches featuring their own region's home team.
National broadcasts, on the other hand, have to consider more factors, such as team market, star players, rivalries between the two teams, reunions of good friends, battles between arch-rivals, and rematches with former teams. These are the aspects that national broadcasts value most.
If you have a story, star players, and high viewership, then you'll get a nationally televised broadcast!
For players, nationally televised games are a fantastic opportunity. A great performance in such a game is 10 times more effective than in a game without national coverage! After all, these games are watched by fans across the entire country! A strong performance on national television will definitely attract a massive number of fans!
Of course, if a player plays poorly and foolishly in a nationally televised game, the negative impact is at least 10 times greater. Fans across the United States will remember that there was such a player who played terribly!
That's why many players put in their best effort and prepare thoroughly when their team is on national television, giving it their all to play well! Some media outlets have even conducted surveys showing that over 9% of players perform better on nationally televised games!
In nationally televised games, these players' stats can improve by as much as 10%-20%!
This shows just how important a game broadcast nationwide is to the players!
After all, the number of games broadcast nationwide is very limited, and it's not something any team can just get anytime.
The number of games a team plays each season that are broadcast nationwide is the best indicator of a team's status and popularity in the league!
For example, teams like the Lakers, Knicks, and Celtics, which have a huge fan base and a large market across the United States, will get a lot of nationally televised games.
Teams like the Timberwolves, Raptors, and Grizzlies, which have poor records, short histories, low popularity, and few star players, will have even fewer opportunities to be broadcast on national television!
Taking this season as an example, the Grizzlies have the fewest nationally televised games, with only 7 of their games being nationally televised, and all of their opponents are top teams in the league!
It's fair to say that although they've appeared on nationally televised stages seven times, they've always been supporting characters! There's nothing they can do about it; they lack star players, a large fan base, and a proven track record.
The Nets and Nuggets also had fewer than 10 nationally televised games, with only 8 and 9 games broadcast nationwide, respectively!
These three teams have become the teams with the fewest fans and the least favored by CBS.
In contrast to them are some of the most popular teams in the league.
The Lakers, who just acquired Shaquille O'Neal, have had 25 nationally televised games this season, ranking third in the league.
The Knicks, a traditional powerhouse, secured second place in the nationally televised rankings with 27 games, thanks to their consistent performance and strong market appeal.
As for the top-ranked team, without a doubt, it is the defending champion, the Chicago Bulls, who won 74 games last season!
They have a total of 31 nationally televised games this season, making them not only the only team with more than 30 nationally televised games this season, but also the first team in NBA history to have more than 30 nationally televised games in a single season!
In terms of strength, popularity, appeal, star quality, and media attention, the Bulls are an absolute behemoth!
Not to mention that when the Bulls' preseason game highlights were broadcast on major TV stations, it sparked an even more frenzied wave of praise and admiration!
With such a strong defense, powerful star players, and incredibly dazzling offense, there's no way any fan could resist them!
After watching the Bulls' preseason highlights, CBS executives even began to regret their decision.
With this kind of playing style, even 40 nationally televised games wouldn't be too few!
Well, CBS executives are regretting it, while China Sports is ecstatic!
During the offseason, they reached another preliminary cooperation agreement with the NBA. This season, for the first time, they will broadcast NBA games in a comprehensive, complete, and systematic manner!
The initial broadcast frequency is three times a week, that is, one NBA regular season game each on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The broadcast frequency for the playoffs will be determined based on the situation.
Needless to say, Huaxia Sports' broadcasting focus is basically solely on the Chicago Bulls!
According to their plan: if there is a Bulls game on the broadcast day, they will broadcast the Bulls without hesitation! Only if there is no Bulls game will they consider which team's game to broadcast.
It is foreseeable that in the new season, both the Bulls and the NBA will welcome a huge wave of enthusiastic fans in China!
And starting this season, the NBA will launch its first official offensive against Chinese fans!
They're going to start competing with football for market share!
It's also worth mentioning that AND 1's first exclusive store in China will officially open in Beijing on November 1st, the day of the Chicago Bulls' season opener!
After spending so much money in the summer, AND 1 is finally ready to start making money again!
(End of this chapter)