Chapter 73 The Importance of Excel (7900 words chapter)

The 1996-97 season suddenly became the so-called "proof season" for Michael Jordan.

Before the start of the regular season, the top 50 NBA superstars were ranked 46th. They had 4 championships, including three consecutive championships, but the results were still not respected.

At the end of the regular season, the Bulls led the league in record and remained in first place. As a result, the MVP was still in doubt. This award was selected by the media, and these people did not respect it.

With 4 championships, do you still have to prove yourself again in the end?

Being repeatedly consumed by the media made Michael Jordan's mood worse and worse. After losing to the Knicks, his bad mood reached its peak.

The media in New York are not afraid of being slapped in the face. Anyway, after winning tonight, everyone feels comfortable. They must take this opportunity to ridicule them as much as they want. It is not easy to win against the Bulls:

"McKen, can you talk about why you took so many shots in this game? You scored 36 points on 32 shots. How would you evaluate your efficiency?"

In a roundabout way, he satirized Michael Jordan for playing too uniquely, and the media in the audience happily looked at the league's number one player who had always been famous in the past.

"I didn't pay attention to how many times I took the shot. Maybe 32 times wasn't enough, at least it didn't bring victory."

"Efficiency is not a concern for me. I don't play for data. I will remember the feeling of losing, which will give me extra motivation."

Michael Jordan had heard too many old-fashioned criticisms, and he had completely calmed down his depression. At the press conference, Michael Jordan just secretly noted the defeat, and by the way, he also noted the comments in the audience.

Unscrupulous media.

"Mike, how would you evaluate the performance of the Knicks and Jazz this season?"

After going around for a while and returning to the topic of MVP, Michael Jordan felt that all the people in front of him had amnesia:

"53 wins and 8 losses, this is the Bulls' record. We are still first in the league. If they can surpass this result, I will give an evaluation at that time."

"."

Throughout the press conference, Michael Jordan answered questions with a "we are all clowns" expression, which made the media in the audience very unhappy:

"What do losers feel proud of!?"

NBA superstars not only have to deal with problems on the court, but their relationship with the media must not become too tense.

We all eat from the same pot, and we can't see each other without looking up. It can be said that we are interdependent.

It's just that Michael Jordan has never liked to consume his media frequently, and with his super strength, the brands behind him also help Jordan.

Therefore, there is disharmony between the two sides. For the sake of the United States, most media have bowed their heads. But this season is different. Michael Jordan slaps the NBA in the face, which gives everyone a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity:

"If you have a good record, you get the MVP? Who recognizes it?"

"."

On the morning of March 10, Li You happily watched the Bulls being ridiculed in the newspapers at home. The reporter who wrote the article was so angry that he once again ignored the opponent's status as the number one team in the league.

Perhaps they felt that their friends had been blinded by the MVP. The losing Bulls went directly to Boston, and no one was in the mood to stay in New York.

4 of 18, 1 of 8 from beyond the arc, and only 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists in the game. With such an excellent performance, Pippen can be called the sixth man of the Knicks.

You don't need to think about it to know that the newspapers on the second day were full of ridicule. It is not the style of the Bulls to stay and accept the criticism.

The NBA also announced its Player of the Week, and Patrick Ewing of the Knicks successfully won the award.

Ignoring the first three brutal games, Ewing had a perfect performance against the Bulls:

12 of 18, 8 of 13 free throws, 32 points, 14 rebounds and 3 turnovers. Therefore, the Gorilla deserved the award of the Week.

When Mark Bartelstein arrived to give away game tickets, Li You also got out of the fun mood.

"A few tickets to the UNC game. The Knicks only have two games next week. Remember to go to the game. You need to be in front of the fans all the time."

"It's a pity that Connecticut didn't make the tournament this year, otherwise the effect would have been better."

Players need exposure, and Mark Bartelstein worries about Ray Allen every day.

Compared with ordinary players, Ray Allen is still a talent that attracts much attention, but just looking at Li You's treatment in New York, Ray Allen will also feel sad

"North Carolina game? Vince Carter? His popularity is getting higher and higher recently!"

After entering March Madness, Li You can always see reports from Tim Duncan and Vince Carter.

The former has basically locked up the No. 1 pick in 1997, but the latter is extremely popular, and everyone loves beautiful dunks!

"As the NBA league is updated, there is a high probability that the focus will shift to outside players."

"The league will present what the fans want to see, which is a good thing for small players."

Mark Bartelstein has also been busy with the company's business recently. He can't get big-name players, so it would be good to sign some small outside players.

Once you successfully scratch the lottery ticket, you will have a good income

Li You looked at the tickets in his hand and felt that he should take some rest. The schedule from late February to early March was so intensive that he almost vomited.

After the game against the Bulls, the team has achieved its phased goals. With a lot of rest time this week, the players will naturally be given a day off.

On March 11, the Knicks challenged the Mavericks away from home. In the last meeting, the opponent had not made a deal and the team was in internal strife. However, in this meeting, the Mavericks began to falter.

With 20 wins and 41 losses, the Mavericks can only reach the playoffs unless they win all subsequent games.

However, there are too many bad teams, and with such a poor record, they are ranked 11th in the Western Conference, with three teams behind them.

It's hard to describe the game that night. Perhaps it was due to the law of conservation of character that Ewing was in poor form at the start.

The Mavericks' defense wasn't great either. They simply couldn't make shots and the Gorillas were inaccurate.

On the contrary, Charles Oakley was in surprisingly good shape during the game. Not only did he rush wildly for offensive rebounds, but he also made several mid-range jumpers without a hitch.

Li You, who originally planned to take advantage of the situation, saw that the score was not even open at half-time, so he had no choice but to play seriously.

Fortunately, the opponent really didn't want to win and gave the Dallas fans a collective thumbs up in the second half.

In the end, 98:90, the Knicks defeated the Mavericks with difficulty.

Ewing made 4 of 15 shots in this game, relying on free throws to score 14 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 3 turnovers. When he returned to the locker room, the gorilla was depressed.

"Pat, don't worry about the statistics, we won anyway, that's the most important thing!"

It was time to go on vacation soon. Charles Oakley was in a good mood, and the old guy comforted his friend again.

Starks naturally saw that the boss wanted to brush up the data!

Karl Malone's Excel is better than Ewing's. If you want to select the MVP, and neither team is No. 1 in the league, Excel becomes the key factor.

Ewing said a few words of encouragement in the locker room, and then said:

"Do you want to go to the Georgetown game with me? I guarantee you will get front-row tickets."

Everyone shook their heads. Apart from cheering for their alma mater, no one wanted to bother with this rare holiday.

Li You didn't say anything and followed the gorilla, turning into a bag-carrying boy. He was not interested in watching the Georgetown game.

Jeff Van Gundy is in a very good mood. Ever since he defeated the Bulls, the bald young coach has been smiling from ear to ear:

"Everyone has a good rest this week and strives to achieve a complete victory in March!"

"The regular horse racing is over soon. If you feel uncomfortable, remember to communicate with the team doctor in time. Your performance is important, but more importantly, your health."

"I don't want to see the team attrition before the playoffs even begin!"

Assistant coach Thibodeau has set his sights on Ewing. Gorilla's knees are always at risk of injury. If the players don't need data, the coaching staff will even take the initiative to reduce Ewing's playing time.

After some warnings, the coaching staff announced a holiday, and everyone can move around freely tonight.

Alan Houston was in a bad mood in these two games:

"Li, where are you going to go during the holidays? Are you still going to practice?"

The shooter needs tactics, and more importantly, the right to shoot, and his shooting status is stretched. Li You can only console him:

"After playing games for so many days in a row, it's time to relax. Don't worry about data problems. The next games can't be any worse!"

On March 12, Li You returned to New York and happened to meet up with his friends. Young people have recently been affected by Yahoo, and Ivan was fascinated by the Internet.

"Believe me, the future must be the era of the Internet, and this is what young people should do!"

Perhaps because they drank too much of Jerry Yang’s chicken soup, everyone fantasizes about creating the next Yahoo, and then being sought after by capital and reaching the pinnacle of life.

Li You looked at Ai Wen, who was talking endlessly about the future of the Internet, and couldn't help but joked in a low voice:

"I remember you also said that the insurance industry will flourish, and finance and insurance are the real future!"

Alvin didn't care about the teasing, but continued with a smile:

"Finance and insurance are indeed the future, but the Internet can definitely make a lot of money!"

"Everything I say is true. Look at Yahoo now. Young people like him. I'm sure they can make a lot of money even from selling ads."

The blond girl Aaliya on the side secretly rolled her eyes. Seeing her boyfriend starting to daydream again, she immediately said angrily:

"What you should do is prepare for the bar exam, instead of fantasizing about it every day!"

After hearing his girlfriend's words, Alvin could only shrug his shoulders, but the emotion shown on his face was "a woman's opinion".

Milinda has been leaning in Li You's arms, looking at the two of them with a smile:

"We don't know how to implement those technologies. You don't want to go to investment banking, do you? Then you might as well study actuarial science!"

Ivan simply nodded and admitted that the opportunity to make a lot of money was right in front of him, and there was no reason not to give it a try:
To be continued...