Chapter 227 I said, the Lakers will be swept
On the sidelines, He Zhongqiu was being interviewed live by TNT.

Barkley took over the job of the interviewing reporter and asked, "Wolverine, what do you think of O'Neal's performance tonight?"

He Zhongqiu immediately said, "Lao Zhu, I can tell you very clearly that he can't squeeze me when he is positioning without the ball, and he can't get to the deep position.

When he's posting up with the ball, he can use his impact to knock me over, but I'm faster than him and can get back to stop him in time. He consumes a lot of energy and can only get into the close shooting area at best, but can't get to the basket.

If Doc hadn't screened for him tonight, he wouldn't have been able to get close to the basket, not even once.

It was the same today and it’s the same in this series.”

"Oh!" Barkley screamed.

There were also some people around, such as photographers, TNT reporters, Dream and Kenny Smith, they all understood the meaning of Wolverine's last words very well.

Wolverine was telling them that O'Neal's performance tonight would also be his performance in this series.

"By the way, Wolverine, who is the doctor you are talking about?" Buckley asked knowingly.

"Karl Malone, isn't he Dr. Iron Elbow?" He Zhongqiu said.

"Haha..." A group of people burst into laughter.

The postman was about to leave the stadium with Kobe and the others. As he ran by, he heard the conversation between He Zhongqiu and Barkley and was so angry that his eyes widened.

"postman."

A grinning Barkley gestured.

He Zhongqiu looked back and laughed, "Doctor, don't rush to retire next season. Let the Lakers management sell O'Neal. You guys can strengthen the team and maybe you can beat us."

"Wolverine!"

O'Neal gritted his teeth and wanted to bite Wolverine to death.

"Humph!"

The postman was so angry that he felt like vomiting blood, and he quickened his pace and walked away.

Kobe's face was so cold that frost could be scraped off. He glanced at He Zhongqiu coldly and left quickly.

After finishing the interview with TNT, Zhang Heli and others from CCTV came over to chat for a while.

"Zhongqiu, you're not hurt after fighting against the giant shark, right? If it were anyone else, their chest would have been broken." Zhang Heli asked with concern.

He shook his head and said, "It's okay, although his impact is strong, it can't break my iron shirt.

Besides, I can also take some of his impact away by moving my steps actively, so he can’t hurt me.”

"Wolverine……"

Johnson came over with McMahon at this time and introduced them.

He Zhongqiu had a brief chat with McMahon and got to know The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar and John Cena.

The Undertaker wore sunglasses and hid his face under a big hood, so his face could not be seen at all. Just like in the WWE script, it created a mysterious atmosphere.

There was not much time to chat, and later, through Frank Zhang's introduction, I got to know Bob Arum and a bunch of other boxing celebrities and some boxing champions.

"Wolverine, do you have the courage to fight me in the boxing ring?" Tyson said, raising his fist.

"Haha, Iron Man, are you so impatient? But I think you're getting old."

He Zhongqiu was not talking nonsense. Eyes are the windows to the soul. From Tyson's eyes, it can be seen that this guy who once swept the heavyweight boxing world is now losing energy and blood. His eyes are no longer as bright and sharp as those he had seen on TV before.

"You're talking nonsense, I'm not old yet." Tyson said angrily.

He Zhongqiu smiled and had no time to pay attention to Tyson. Frank Zhang introduced him to Nobuyuki Sakakibara, Tsar Fedor, and Dana White.

Finally, after saying hello to Yang Xue and the others, he returned to the locker room.

An hour later, the post-match press conference was held.

At the Lakers' press conference, when the questions began, many reporters immediately raised their hands high, showing great enthusiasm.

The host flipped over the Los Angeles Times card, and the reporter immediately asked, "Shaq, what do you think of tonight's game?"

O'Neal put his hands together on the table and said in frustration, "It's terrible."

"Shaq, what kind of defensive effect did the Wolverines' defense have on you?" the reporter asked again.

O'Neal took a deep breath and said aggrievedly: "His strength prevented me from getting into position in the penalty area. That's bad, yes."

"So do you still have hope for the finals?" the reporter asked again.

"I, I don't know." O'Neal said a little confused.

At this time, the host turned over the second reporter's card, the New York Times.

The reporter asked: "Kobe, have you lost hope in the finals?"

"Never." Kobe said firmly and coldly.

"How do you think the Lakers should play to have a chance to beat the Knicks?" the reporter asked again.

Kobe was silent for a moment and then said, "That's the job of the head coach and the coaching staff."

"Do you think the OK group should be broken up?" the reporter suddenly asked.

"Oh!"

There was an exclamation in the hall.

Kobe's eyes twitched, and he looked at O'Neal with mixed feelings, then said coldly: "That's a problem for management to consider, not my problem."

Since he joined the Lakers, he has been growing under O'Neal's wing. Deep down, O'Neal has always held a very high position in his heart.

It was not until his strength improved and he won three consecutive championships that his ambition grew and he became dissatisfied with O'Neal's training attitude, which led to his dirty deeds.

"Mr. Kupchak, have you ever considered breaking up the OK combination?" the reporter asked, turning the gun around.

Kupchak immediately shook his head and said, "No, never. We are the best combination in the history of the league, bar none."

The third question was from the Washington Post, who asked, "Coach Phil Jackson, what do you think is the Lakers' chance of winning the Finals?"

Phil Jackson pondered: "We will try our best to win the second away game. If we can achieve our goal and return to our home court, we will have an advantage in the series.

If we can't win, we will also equalize the score in the three home games. I believe we have the strength to do this.

I have always believed that as long as we don’t want to lose and as long as we unite, no opponent can defeat us.”

……

On June 6, He Zhongqiu received praise from major media.

"31:14, Wolverine won a complete victory in the match against the Sharks, and the current No. player is in New York." New York Times.

"Wolverine, who has the ability to shoot mid-range shots, is impossible for the Lakers to defend. Wolverine will lead the Knicks to destroy the OK combination." New York Sports Daily.

"OK combination of the dance of doom, Wolverine is rising." TNT TV station.

"Wolverine, the pride of the Republic of Korea. But we seriously protest that Madison Square Garden refuses entry to Korean media." Hankook Ilbo.

At around nine o'clock in the morning, He Zhongqiu was enjoying the photos while eating breakfast.

These photos were taken by Yang Xue and Liu Yifei. They all showed the completed courtyards. The uncompleted ones were not photographed.

All the completed buildings are very beautiful, with great effort put into the interior and exterior. Every door, window, and eaves are decorated with carved beams and painted buildings. He is very satisfied. Yang Xue pointed to some photos and introduced them, "This is the third courtyard, which is also the main courtyard. The place where you live and the second courtyard in front have all been built.

Now only the first and fourth courtyards are not yet completed, and the side yard, which is mainly a garden and a flower hall, has not been completed yet. "

He Zhongqiu nodded with satisfaction and said, "Sister, if the budget is not enough, let them tell you. Give me the best materials and labor."

"Thirty million is enough."

Yang Xue immediately shook her head and said, "If you want to show off, when the yard is built, you can buy some high-end mahogany and sandalwood furniture and antiques.

Those things are expensive, and the prices are very high now. You have to find someone who knows the business to buy them, otherwise you will lose a lot if you buy fakes. "

"it is good."

He Zhongqiu nodded.

"Sanjin, what do you... think of that girl Qianqian?" Yang Xue suddenly asked.

"Her? She's fine, no bad habits." He said casually.

"Do you think it's good?"

Yang Xue became happy and said hurriedly: "Then you can sign her to your company. It's an overseas film and television contract, not a domestic one."

"she?"

He Zhongqiu was stunned.

"It seems like she can't get any roles in China anymore," Yang Xue said.

"Why?" He was a little surprised.

Yang Xue shook her head and said, "I don't know. I guess it has something to do with Tangren and Huayi Company. Both companies wanted to sign her, but she refused."

He Zhongqiu said thoughtfully: "Isn't this a ban?"

Yang Xue said: "I am just guessing, if you don't know, don't tell others about it."

"Oh, then just sign it."

He nodded and said, "Let's make a name for ourselves in Hollywood, and then fight our way back to China."

……

On this day, the media and some NBA stars changed their predictions for the finals.

Previously, media speculation was basically fifty-fifty, with the Lakers and the Knicks evenly matched, and there was even a chance of a Game 7.

But after G1, this situation changed.

TNT's prediction for the championship is that the finals will end in five games, or at most six games, the Lakers can win at most two of their three home games, the series will not be dragged into a game seven, and the Knicks have a 65% chance of winning the championship.

ESPN's guess is even bolder, believing that the finals will end at the Lakers' home court and the Knicks have a 70% chance of lifting the championship trophy at the Staples Center.

“We overestimated this so-called four-star Lakers Big Four,” Barkley said on TNT’s NBA Finals telecast that night.

Gary Payton is old, and Nash can easily get rid of his defense with the help of pick-and-roll.

The Postman is old and injured, and his knees are no longer able to bear the burden, but his defensive target is Wolverine, so he was beaten in Game 1, and Wolverine easily scored 31 points on his head.

O'Neal couldn't get into the restricted area on the offensive end, and he had almost no chance to show his dominance under the basket. He had to rely on the postman's screen to get in. I would like to ask, have the Lakers considered this problem before?

Kobe, subject to Battier's death coil blocking method and Wells's powerful defense, is still the best among the four superstars. "

At this point, he took a breath and continued, “At the same time, we also underestimated Wolverine’s strength.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, we also underestimated Wolverine, and then he took out a mid-range shot, but at that time, the mid-range shot was only two-pointers, not long two-pointers.

Then in Game 1 of the Finals, he scored two points from a distance, which caught the Lakers off guard. The Lakers had never thought that he had this ability, so they couldn't come up with an effective solution on the defensive end.

I think in the next series, the Lakers may still not be able to solve the problem of Wolverine, either on the offensive end or on the defensive end.

For the Lakers, I am very pessimistic. If you don't work hard, you will have a chance in the finals. Remember, I said, be careful of being swept by the Wolverine team. "

One stone can cause a thousand ripples. Barkley's remarks that the Lakers might be swept immediately triggered a rebuttal from the Los Angeles media.

That evening, many Los Angeles media outlets published articles on the Internet to refute Barkley.

June 6nd is the day for the G2 match of the finals.

On this day, the Los Angeles media was in an uproar. Both print media and television and radio media began to refute Barkley. It was very lively.

In the morning, Magic Johnson was interviewed at a New York hotel and said: "I don't agree with Barkley's opinion. He underestimates the Lakers.

I believe in Shaq's ability more. Wolverine can defend him for one game, but the Big Shark will definitely explode.

When the energy of the Big Shark explodes, I believe no one in this league can stop him."

O'Neal was also very angry. In an interview with a New York TV news broadcast, he said:

"That Feizhu guy is talking nonsense. He doesn't understand the finals at all because he has never won a championship."

"This guy, he's just like Michael, always saying I don't have a championship, it's annoying when you run into him."

Barkley saw O'Neal's interview on TV and screamed in anger.

"Brother, but you really didn't, he was right." Dream, who was with Barkley, comforted.

"Yeah!" Kenny Smith agreed.

Barkley felt like he was stabbed in the heart twice. Is this a brother? A brother who stabs you in the back?
He felt that he should make a phone call to communicate with O'Neal and clarify his meaning to avoid any misunderstanding.

After all, their relationship is very good, and their mothers are very good friends. If the relationship becomes strained, they will be scolded when they get home.

"Hey, Shaq, let's talk?" he said immediately after the call was connected.

"Charles, what do you want to talk about?" O'Neal asked unhappily.

"It's okay, I just want to explain why I said you might be swept by the Knicks?" Barkley explained.

"Well, tell me, why?"

The fat guy Barkley gave in, and O'Neal on the other end of the phone felt a little relieved.

Barkley said: "Isn't it because you have a history of being swept in the series? Five times, one of which was swept in the finals. You are the one who has been swept the most among the superstars..."

Da Meng and Kenny Smith next to them were already laughing.

"..."

O'Neal's eyes widened. Barkley, are you sure you're giving in? Aren't you mocking me?
"Charles!" he roared angrily.

"Uh, Shaq, did I say something wrong?" Barkley was stunned.

"Just wait." O'Neal hung up the phone angrily.

Barkley put down his phone innocently and said to Dream and the others, "I just started telling the history. I haven't explained it yet, but Shaq got angry. He's really impatient."

"Ha ha……"

The two of them burst into laughter.

(End of this chapter)