Chapter 266: Wave your whip and treat them as your cattle and horses
At 8:30, the game started and He Zhongqiu and Howard prepared for the jump ball.

In order to save face, Howard jumped with all his strength, trying to surpass He Zhongqiu.

But he jumped too early, and when he reached the top, the ball had not fallen yet. He waved from above and could only helplessly watch himself getting farther and farther away from the ball.

"Snapped!"

He Zhongqiu came from behind and passed the ball to Nash's position.

Barkley said: "Howard's standing reach is 270 cm. His shoulder muscles are more developed than Wolverine's, which affects the ductility of the shoulder joint, which limits his reach. Wolverine's standing reach is said to be more than 285 cm, which is better."

At this time, He Zhongqiu entered the penalty area from the left elbow area, and Howard defended him.

The moment the two men came into contact, Howard collapsed backwards, took two steps back, and almost fell over.

He Zhongqiu steadily entered the basket despite the unsteady pace of Howard, then turned around to position himself and started to ask for the ball under the basket.

Nash certainly couldn't defend against Francis, but Francis couldn't defend against him either. He broke through the opponent with a change of direction and then passed the ball in.

He Zhongqiu used his left elbow to hold Howard down, and the moment he caught the ball with his right hand, he turned around and cut in for a dunk.

"Wolverine, I block you! Aa ...

Howard jumped up with all his strength to block the shot, but at the moment of the aerial confrontation, he was knocked away by He Zhongqiu.

"boom!"

The next moment, an extremely powerful sound of a basketball blast rang out above his head.

"Hoohoo!"

Barkley screamed twice and laughed: "It seems that the rookie No. 1 pick's aerial confrontation ability is not good enough. You need to practice core strength, not just upper body strength."

Magic offense.

Howard actively positioned himself and wanted to enter the penalty area, but He Zhongqiu held him back and he could not move forward. He had to position himself and ask for the ball in the low post on the left wing.

Unfortunately, no matter how eager he was to get the ball, no one passed it to him from the outside.

Francis held the ball in his hand and waved his hand, signaling everyone to move away, saying that he wanted to play against Nash one-on-one.

After faking a shot and shaking Nash, he immediately broke through from the outside.

The Knicks used a three-two zone defense, so Battier in the high position had no chance to be double-teamed in time, allowing him to better complete breakthroughs and shots.

The next moment, he easily broke through Nash.

Sure enough, after he broke through the three-point line, Battier's defense was not in place. Seeing the Postman coming out, he immediately stopped and shot in the two-point position two steps inside the three-point line.

"brush!"

Francis made a jump shot in a small open space.

2:2, Knicks attack.

The Magic also played a three-two zone defense. When Nash dribbled the ball to break through Francis on the right wing, he encountered a double-team from Mobley in the high position.

Fortunately, He Zhongqiu came out from under the basket at this time and received the ball in the right elbow area, and Nash immediately passed the ball through the gap between people.

After He Zhongqiu got the ball, he stood up for the first time and shook Howard into the air, then stood up for the second time and shot off the backboard.

Howard is indeed a monster-level talent. He has a very strong second-jump ability and a very fast bounce speed. He jumped up again to block the shot the moment he landed.

Unfortunately, He Zhongqiu's jumping and jumping speed were not inferior to his. His shooting speed was very fast, and he still completed the shot over his head very calmly.

"Bang! Swoosh!"

The basketball hit the backboard and bounced into the basket.

2:4, Magic attack.

This time it was Mobley's turn to brush Nash.

Another easy breakthrough, then a quick stop jump shot, hitting a long two-pointer.

4:4, the Knicks are attacking, and Rick Carlisle has called a timeout in advance.

After the players came down, he said to Payton: "Gary, you go up later and let Steve see how you play."

"OK."

Payton said excitedly.

The Postman is the main player, and he has long been unwilling to accept being a substitute. If he has the chance to squeeze Nash to the bench, he will definitely do his best.

Nash was stunned. Is this talking about his defense?
He is also self-aware and has indeed reduced his investment on the defensive end.

His physique is not considered strong in the NBA, and he has strong confrontations on the defensive end. He is often knocked down and easily injured.

Now that he has won the championship and a maximum salary contract, and he is 30 years old, he wants to extend his career as much as possible and avoid injuries, so he has reduced his investment on the defensive end.

After Payton came on the court, he focused on defending Francis.

Although he is old, he has rich defensive experience and was able to defend Francis to a low level, helping the team quickly take the lead over the Magic.

Rick Carlisle stood in front of Nash and said to him: "Steve, I hope you realize that even if you can't defend, you must try your best to prevent the opponent from breaking through.

Even if you are knocked down, you must buy time for your teammates to assist and defend. This is your responsibility and you cannot give up this responsibility. "

Nash nodded awkwardly and said, "Yes, sir, I will do it."

In this game, Rick Carlisle did not let Nash play again, as a warning to him.

The Knicks' backcourt is not short of players. In addition to Gary Payton, Crawford and Brent Barry can both play the point guard position.

In the end, the Knicks also defeated the Magic and achieved a record of 13 wins and 2 losses.

The net win number is the same as the Supersonics, both 11 games, and the two teams are tied for first place in the league.

Overnight, the Knicks rushed to Charlotte and defeated the Bobcats in back-to-back games on the 4th, achieving a record of 14 wins and 2 losses.

In this game, Nash's playing time was only 21 minutes, less than Payton's 28 minutes, which made him feel a sense of crisis.

He really doesn't want to leave New York, but if he continues like this, he might be traded. The Knicks are not short of people at the point guard position.

On the same night, the SuperSonics defeated the Pacers, with a record of 15 wins and 3 losses, tied with the Knicks for first place in the league.

The media also praised the Supersonics, and many media believed that the Supersonics will have a great performance in this season's playoffs.

Especially the second-in-command Rashard Lewis, who has made great progress compared to last season, averaging 20.5 points per game and a shooting percentage of 46.2%.

His scoring and offensive efficiency have improved a lot, which can be said to be a price-to-volume increase. He is called one of the greatest second-round picks in the league by the media.

On the afternoon of December 12th, the Knicks arrived in Memphis.

After He Zhongqiu checked into the hotel, he called Jordan.

"Hey, Wolverine?"

After the call was connected, Jordan's voice was heard from the other end.

"Michael, how did you motivate your teammates during the two three-peat periods?" he asked.

Jordan laughed and said, "Haha, I see. Your teammates can't keep up with you. They are slacking off. Is that right?"

"Well, there are signs of this." He Zhongqiu said.

Jordan said: "Then wield your whip, whip them hard, treat them as your cattle and horses, don't treat them as human beings."

"WX! Are you such a beast?" He Zhongqiu cursed. "Haha..."

Jordan laughed and said: "From practice to game, you have to keep an eye on them. You are the leader of the team, don't just take care of your own business.

You have to keep an eye on your teammates, otherwise they will cause you problems and then you will forget about defending your title.

You know, during my second three-peat, in the Finals, that asshole Rodman went out to a nightclub to party with seven or eight girls, and I wanted to kill him. "

He Zhongqiu thought about it and said with relief: "Fortunately, my team doesn't have that problem now. It's just that Nash's defensive attitude is a bit problematic, but everything else is good."

Jordan was stunned and cursed in dissatisfaction: "That's it? Then why did you call me, you bastard? Don't disturb me from playing golf."

At this point, the phone suddenly went offline.

He Zhongqiu put down his phone, thought about it, and felt that Nash’s problem was indeed not serious.

He called Philip and asked him to come over.

"Mid-Autumn Festival, what's up?"

Philip's room was right next to it and he came over immediately.

"Wellington, how many years do you have left on your contract with the Knicks?" he asked.

Philip was stunned and said helplessly: "Zhongqiu, I am just your translator, signed on an annual basis. Your English ability is pretty good now. The management has informed me that the contract will not be renewed after this season."

He Zhongqiu nodded and asked, "So what do you want to do in the future?"

He has been working with Philip for more than two years and thinks this guy is pretty good. Philip helps him with all the things around him.

Philip glanced at He Zhongqiu and suddenly said, "Zhongqiu, why don't I give you a chance to be my boss."

He Zhongqiu laughed, and Philip also laughed.

He thought for a moment and said, "How about this, Wellington, you stay by my side and take care of the chores for me. I need a personal assistant."

"There's no future!" Philip said with disgust.

"Your job position is at the American Zhongqiu Culture and Sports Company, with an annual salary of $100,000. If you perform well at work, I will give you a red envelope," said He Zhongqiu.

"OK, it's a deal." Philip immediately stretched out his hand.

What's not to do? The Knicks only pay him about $30,000 a year, and $100,000 is more than three times the annual salary.

He Zhongqiu smiled and shook his hand, saying, "In the future, when we go away, you don't need to follow me. Just work in the company. I will let Frank Zhang arrange a position for you."

During the off-season, you have to be with me at all times. Wherever I go, you go there, from being a driver to a bath attendant. You have to do everything. "

"OK, no problem." Philip said with a smile.

He Zhongqiu said: "The first job is to resign from the Knicks after returning to New York, and then arrange a few young models for me. I haven't touched a woman for a month."

"Leave it to me. I guarantee absolute privacy." Philip patted his chest and promised.

"Let's go have afternoon tea." He Zhongqiu stood up and walked out.

He planned to have a good talk with Nash over afternoon tea, as Nash was still very important to the team.

This season, there are several teams that pose a threat to the Knicks in the playoffs.

In the Eastern Conference, there are the Heat, and the Pistons can barely count now. In the Western Conference, there are the Spurs, SuperSonics, Mavericks, and Rockets, which can barely count.

The Heat have the Flash on the back line, the Pistons have Billups, the Spurs have Ginobili and Tony Parker, the Supersonics have Ray Allen, the Mavericks have Jason Terry and Michael Finley, and the Rockets have McGrady.

These people can all focus on Nash. If Nash is unwilling to defend on the front line, it will cause great damage to the team.

"Steve, want to talk?"

"OK."

Nash was a little nervous, more nervous than when Rick Carlisle approached him.

He Zhongqiu stared at Nash and said, "Steve, I don't want to waste time. In a word, if you really don't want to defend and don't want to fight, then you'd better ask the team for a trade."

Nash's heart skipped a beat. Wolverine, is this your chat? No, this is your ultimatum.

Payton, who was sitting at the table next to him, was laughing in his heart. He felt that without Nash, the Knicks had a great chance of defending their title this season, as they did not need anyone at the number one position.

However, neither he nor anyone else present dared to reveal anything, because everyone knew what Wolverine wanted Nash to do.

He Zhongqiu took a sip of coffee and said slowly: "The team and I hope to defend the title, or even win three consecutive championships. You know that anyone who hinders us from defending the title will be cleared out.

So Steve, you have no choice, either you defend like you did last season, or you do what I just said."

Although He Zhongqiu's tone was gentle, his momentum was too strong. The nervous Nash was sweating on his forehead and said awkwardly:

"Wolverine, don't worry, I will try my best to defend."

Payton felt a little regretful when he heard Nash say this.

But when he thought that with Nash around, the championship he wanted most would be more secure, this regret didn't matter.

He Zhongqiu nodded with satisfaction, patted Nash on the shoulder, and said, "There are only four of you left from last season's championship lineup. I hope you'll all be there when we defend our title, and don't fall behind."

Witherspoon said with both joy and regret: "Unfortunately, I'm afraid I will have to retire after this season. I hope to retire after defending my title."

"Then let's work together." He Zhongqiu said.

Nash has an attitude, and we will have to see how he performs in the future. If this guy says one thing and does another, we will have to solve the problem decisively.

At the same time, he reminded himself that he should focus more on these guys and keep a closer eye on them, just as Jordan said.

After afternoon tea, He Zhongqiu and a group of people went out to explore the city. The game against the Grizzlies was on the 7th, so they had some free time.

The Grizzlies moved back to the United States from Canada in 01 and moved to this romantic neoclassical city.

In the 19th century, Memphis was the largest slave trading market in the central and southern United States. Now it is an important cotton trading market and the world's first freight center, with an annual freight throughput far exceeding that of Hong Kong.

The city’s biggest tourist attractions are the churches that were built between the 16th and 18th centuries and represent classicism.

He Zhongqiu and others spent two hours visiting these churches. While others prayed, he only took some photos.

After returning to the hotel, after dinner, He Zhongqiu practiced the Three Body Posture for half an hour and the Five Elements Boxing and Twelve Forms Boxing for half an hour.

His three-body style is about to be promoted, and he is only a hundred or so points away from proficiency. He will definitely reach perfection before the end of the regular season.

The main reason is that he has little time to practice. He can't spare some time to practice during the day. His schedule is too tight, otherwise he would have completed it long ago.

After practicing Xingyiquan, I practiced other routines for another half an hour.

After washing up, before nine o'clock, he lay on the bed and began to think about the All-Star Martial Arts Show.

For this kind of performance, it is best to have some new tricks every year while also maintaining high quality. Otherwise, no matter how great its influence is, it will soon lose its appeal.

Wu Jing and Zhang Jin will definitely participate this time. Wang Baoqiang may not be available. Soldiers Assault may start filming in February.

In addition, we promised Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme last year, so they will be included.

This year he plans to focus on weapons performances, as weapon fights are more attractive than fists and feet.

But at least one person must be found, and it would be best if he is proficient in weapons.

After thinking it over, he took out his cell phone and called back home.

(End of this chapter)