Chapter 177 So, the alliance is unwilling to pay?

Soon, the second half began.

Popovich only ordered the Spurs to strengthen their perimeter defense, let Ginobili strengthen his breakthroughs, and let Bowen lock down Nash. Without Tony Parker, many of the Spurs' offensive and defensive tactics could not be implemented.

The Spurs attacked, Ginobili broke through and made a quick stop jump shot.

The Knicks attacked, He Zhongqiu forced his way to the basket, but Duncan did not block him, but went around to defend.

His strength advantage was fully demonstrated in this positioning under the basket. His right elbow pushed Duncan away and provided valuable space to receive the ball under the basket.

But Duncan's defense was also very strong. He immediately turned around to defend sideways, pressed his body against He Zhongqiu, and their elbows were entangled together.

The confrontation between the two was very intense. Duncan wanted to squeeze He Zhongqiu when he was catching the ball, causing him to make a mistake in catching the ball.

But He Zhongqiu's feet seemed to have taken root and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move them.

At this time, Nash's ball came in.

Even with one of his arms entangled, He Zhongqiu still caught the ball with one hand. The next moment, he jumped up and dunked, and Duncan jumped up to block the shot at the same time.

At this time, the difference in their jumping ability was again reflected.

"So fast!"

Duncan's block this time was in rhythm, but when he jumped up, he found that Wolverine was already above his head.

"boom!"

He Zhongqiu made a one-handed dunk, which hit the Spurs' basket.

"Pretty!"

Michael Breen praised: "Wolverine's bounce speed is obviously faster than last season. Duncan jumped in time, but his bounce speed was crushed."

Tom Howard nodded and said, "It's like Wolverine's feet are equipped with boosters. This speed makes him more difficult to defend under the basket, unless you jump into the air and wait for him."

The team was behind, and Bowen started to make some small moves.

In the third minute of the third quarter, Nash was attacking with the ball. When Bowen approached him, his knee directly hit Nash's left groin, causing a loss of the ball immediately.

After Bowen stole the ball, the Spurs took the opportunity to counterattack and Ginobili made a layup.

"Stephen, what's wrong with you?"

He Zhongqiu was unable to catch up and turned around to see Nash standing motionless in the frontcourt, looking a little uncomfortable, so he hurriedly asked.

"Damn, Bowen hit me here with his knee and it gave me a little cramp." Nash said unhappily, touching his groin.

He Zhongqiu turned around and looked at Bowen, who hurriedly explained: "NONONO, I didn't mean it, really, Wolverine..."

Nash angrily said, "You did it on purpose. This is not the first time we've played against each other. Last season, you tripped Carter and made him rest for 20 days. Kobe Bryant, Iverson and McGrady, who hasn't suffered from you?"

"I really didn't mean it, I swear to God."

Bowen felt that Wolverine's eyes were getting sharper and sharper. A huge pressure emerged and sweat began to appear on his forehead.

At this time, the referee realized that there might be a problem, so he ran over and said to He Zhongqiu, "No. 18, calm down, okay?"

Duncan also ran up and said, "Wolverine, it was just carelessness. Give me some face."

"Is there a conflict?" Tom Howard asked in surprise in the ESPN live studio.

"That needs to be handled carefully, otherwise the Spurs could become the second Pacers," Michael Brin warned.

Tom Howard said: "It should be that Bowen made a small move in defense just now, let's watch the replay."

Michael Breen shook his head helplessly and said, "This is Bowen's brainlessness. Your little tricks can be used on anyone, but against Wolverine's teammates. Can you withstand Wolverine's wrath? Idiot!"

On the court, He Zhongqiu ignored Duncan and the referee because the previous scene was being replayed on the ceiling screen.

Popovich really didn't want to replay the scene, but that was the right of the TV broadcaster ESPN and he couldn't stop it.

After watching it only once, He Zhongqiu said to Duncan and the referee in a bad mood: "Gentlemen, did you see it clearly? He used his knee to push on purpose. He used force. I have practiced martial arts for so many years, I can tell whether there is force at a glance."

As evidenced by the video, Tim Duncan was overwhelmed and quickly comforted him: "Wolverine, I will persuade him, don't worry..."

"What the hell! Do I need your advice?"

He Zhongqiu cursed angrily and said, "Normally I wouldn't do it, but if he does it again, I can't guarantee that you Spurs will be able to get five players together for the next game."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone on the Spurs who heard them felt a chill running down their backs, especially Bowen and Popovich on the sidelines.

Popovich knew that Wolverine was threatening the Spurs and didn't dare to really cripple the Spurs.

At the beginning, the Pacers attacked Wolverine first, and they beat him up as a group, but the Spurs would never do that.

So if Wolverine really dares to take action, he will definitely destroy his own future. The entire NBA, or even the entire United States, will not tolerate him.

But he really didn't dare to gamble. After all, there was the example of the Pacers. How could he dare to use this promising Spurs team to bet whether Wolverine would go crazy?
At this time, the referee and two referees came to the recording table and discussed with several league officials.

There is a unanimous opinion that the Osaiko violence must never be allowed to happen again and that possible conflicts must be nipped in the bud.

So the referee made a surprising decision and changed the verdict.

Changing a call is a very rare thing in the NBA. Even in a very important finals, even if the referee knows he is wrong and can make amends, he generally will not change the call.

Michael Breen was very surprised and said, "Oh, the call was changed? Ginobili's score was cancelled, Bowen was sent off for a flagrant foul, and the Knicks had two free throws."

"I can't believe it, this is so rare! And it's the Spurs' home court." Tom Howard said with a smile.

Rick Carlisle replaced Nash, gave him a rest, and replaced him with Charlie Ward.

He Zhongqiu didn't dwell on this matter anymore. After all, small tricks are too common in the NBA. It's better to quit while you're ahead. He believes that Bowen will not dare to do small tricks on the Knicks in the future.

Popovich did not roar, but quietly accepted the referee's change of decision.

Nash was examined by the team doctor off the court, rested for five minutes, and then returned to the court.

The Spurs lost Bowen, and their perimeter defense was not strong enough to limit Nash. In the following games, the Knicks had the upper hand.

But Duncan was obviously a little angry and tried his best on both offense and defense.

In the two regular season games last season, he did not play at full strength when playing against He Zhongqiu. He just played casually. Anyway, there was no competitiveness between the two teams.

Therefore, He Zhongqiu had some difficulty in the next game under the top offensive and defensive player Tim Duncan.

Fortunately, Duncan was missing Tony Parker and Bowen, so he couldn't do anything to the Knicks alone.

At the end of the game, the Knicks defeated the defending champion Spurs on the road and achieved their second consecutive victory.

贺中秋再次砍下30+，轰下32分12篮板2助攻4抢断5盖帽2失误3犯规的数据，但命中率只有48.9%。

邓肯拿到26分11篮板4助攻1抢断2盖帽5失误2犯规的数据，命中率只有41.5%。

Michael Breen concluded after the game: "Thanks to Nash's pass, Wolverine scored 30+ points. The two played several fast breaks and had several beautiful passes and cuts. Wolverine's dunks were very eye-catching.

But in some positional battles, Duncan played very good defense, which caused trouble for the Wolverines and reduced his offensive efficiency.

Duncan did not get enough outside support, and with the Wolverines' defense, it was difficult for him to enter the penalty area and shoot, so his efficiency was low.

In this game, winning or losing is actually not important to the two teams because there is no competitiveness between them in the regular season.

However, even if the Knicks traded Kurt Thomas and lost some defense, their strength should be improved compared to last season. I mean, the Knicks have a chance to reach the finals this season, and the defending champion Spurs are the strongest championship contender, so there is actually competition between the two teams.

I hope that Popovich and Coach Carlisle can see their own shortcomings and the weaknesses of their opponents from this game and prepare for the possible finals in the future."

"Let me talk about Duncan and Wolverine's individual performances."

Tom Howard also concluded: "Duncan played at least 80% to 90% of his strength today. If he goes all out in the playoffs, he should be able to play 120% of his strength, so tonight was not a reflection of his full strength.

But Wolverine's performance was even more surprising, as he performed better on both offense and defense than Duncan, a top-notch offensive and defensive superstar.

Of course, the reason why Wolverine performed so well tonight against Duncan was also due to Nash's support. Nash assisted Wolverine 7 times in the game.

If the Spurs have a complete lineup and limit Nash's support for Wolverine, I think Wolverine's performance against Duncan will definitely decline by a level, or even more.

Charles Barkley said the day before yesterday that the Eastern Conference will have a dominant center, and I think his words are likely to come true.

This season's Wolverine is much stronger than his rookie season. With Nash's passing support, he is likely to have explosive data in the regular season."

"Finally, I would like to talk about Duncan's defense."

Michael Breen added: “There is no doubt that Tim Duncan’s one-on-one defense and help defense are first-class, and he has his own defensive system.

In the finals a few months ago, he faced Kenyon Martin and scored 6 points and 24.2 rebounds in 17 finals games, while Martin only scored 14.7 points and 10 rebounds.

尤其是最关键的G5G6战，他防得马丁只拿到4分9篮板和6分10篮板，命中率分别只有25%和13%。

I have to say bluntly that it was because he suppressed Kenyon Martin that the Spurs finally won their second championship.

Kenyon Martin, like Wolverine, has a violent style of play with beastly talent, and is a famous violent power forward in the league. "

"Michael, what you mean is that Wolverine can take advantage tonight, but if they really meet in the finals, you prefer Duncan?" Tom Howard said.

"No no no."

Michael Breen shook his head and said, “I just said that Kenyon Martin’s style is the same as Wolverine’s, which is a violent style.

But the biggest difference between them is that Wolverine has the strongest power in the league, so he also has a strong attack under the basket that even Duncan can't defend.

Under Duncan's defense, can Kenyon Martin easily get deep in the paint? Impossible, if he could, the Nets would not have lost last time.

Under Duncan's defense, the Wolverines can get to the deep position in the penalty area, but Duncan has no way to get to the deep position. In the contest of strength, Duncan is no match.

This is a completely opposite result, and it also shows the gap between Kenyon Martin and the Wolverines. They are not players of the same level.

Wolverine has a very strong dominance under the basket. He can even dominate Duncan under the basket, while Kenyon Martin can't be said to have dominance under the basket. "

"So if the Spurs want to defend Wolverine, they have to start with perimeter defense."

Tom Howard said, and then suddenly said: "I think if there is anyone who can defend Wolverine under the basket, it is only the current Lakers. The Big Shark and the Mailman should be able to join forces."

Michael Breen shook his head and said, “That’s not necessarily true. The Sharks are also getting old. On defense, he can’t keep up with Wolverine’s pace. Wolverine is probably moving faster than last season. He is on the rise.

The injuries of the Postman cannot be ignored, especially the knee injury, which has been bothering him. He is not the Postman of his peak period. "

On the 3rd, the Knicks won their second away game against the Magic and got their first three consecutive wins.

He Zhongqiu scored 31 points again, averaging 34 points in the first three games, temporarily ranking first in the league in the scoring list.

On November 03, 11, the Knicks returned to New York.

When he got home at three in the afternoon, Mary had prepared afternoon tea. He and Philip were drinking coffee when their two agents, Mike Johnson and Ross Lewis, came over.

"Mary, please prepare afternoon tea for them."

After giving the order, he asked, "Mike, Ross, what's up?"

Mike Johnson spoke first, "Bos, the NBA official contacted me this morning. It was Vice President Loshua Daley who contacted me personally. He invited you to perform a martial arts show at the carnival before the All-Star Game."

"That's good news," Philip said with a smile.

"Ah."

He Zhongqiu nodded. After the last All-Star Game, his popularity skyrocketed because he performed the wardrobe-tearing trick with his bare hands at the All-Star Game.

Mike Johnson added: "Wolverine, Mr. Daly also said that this time you can invite one or more martial artists or Hollywood action stars to be your opponents."

"Really?"

The first person He Zhongqiu thought of was Wu Jing.

Aside from Wu Jing, there are only a few action stars in Hollywood who have actually practiced it.

For example, Lundgren, Johnson, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Steve Siegel, these few have really practiced it, but the others can be forgotten.

These guys were all there at the last All-Star Game, and only the least famous Jean-Claude Van Damme was willing to play against him. The others probably wouldn't be willing.

He also thought of Chenglong and Li Lianjie, but he didn't know them and had never met them. Even if he knew them, there was no way these two would be able to fight against him in the All-Star Game.

So after thinking about it, the only option is Wu Jing.

"How much appearance fee did the league pay me as the guest I invited?" he asked.

There is an appearance fee for the All-Stars. He got $50,000 last time. It doesn’t matter whether the team wins or loses, and whether the starters or substitutes are the same. There is no difference.

In addition to the alliance paying for the round-trip airfare, food and accommodation for the performing guests, they also receive appearance fees.

But he never asked, so he didn't know how much. It should be divided by status, and the appearance fees of big stars and small stars are different.

Mike Johnson was startled and said quickly, "Boss, celebrity performers are almost unpaid. If they are paid, it's only the minimum salary required by the union."

"Is that so?" He Zhongqiu was stunned.

Ross Lewis then said: "It's the same for Hollywood stars to attend the Super Bowl, it's almost free.

But there is a lot of potential benefit for these stars if they participate in the Super Bowl halftime show or NBA All-Star performance.

Those who can participate in the performance are generally singers. The most direct benefit is that their album sales will skyrocket on the same day, even several times higher.

They can also gain a lot of new fans, and have great gains in terms of business income, industry reputation, and the latest topics.”

"Right, that is it."

Mike Johnson nodded and said, "But the NBA All-Star Game and the Super Bowl are two completely different concepts. The Super Bowl even has a viewership of hundreds of millions of people, while the All-Star Game is generally watched by only a few million people."

At this point, he said happily, "But when Boss performed the wardrobe-tearing show with his bare hands during the All-Star Game this year, the ratings reached 20 million. Otherwise, the league wouldn't have arranged for you to perform martial arts again next year. They obviously got the benefit of the trade."

"So that's it."

He Zhongqiu asked Mike Johnson: "So, the league is not going to give money?"

Mike Johnson nodded and said, "We only provide round-trip airfare, room and board, and a small minimum salary."

He Zhongqiu said unhappily: "I didn't invite a singer, but an action star. Maybe I will have to invite someone from China. Their performances cannot bring in commercial income, and they may get injured during the performance.

How about this, Mike, you contact Vice President Daley and negotiate with him to give me some appearance fee, otherwise I will perform alone and not do fighting performances. "

"OK, I'll contact him now."

Mike Johnson said, then stood up and walked aside to make a phone call.

(End of this chapter)