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Chapter 266 It's Not the First Time Anyway

As early as the 70s, the Sonics discussed the sword twice in Huashan, and won the NBA championship in 1979. It has been nearly 20 years since then.

In the 80s, the Sonics entered the playoffs five times. After the 5-1985 season, the Sonics ended the "Wilkens era" and then embarked on the road of reconstruction.

With the 1989th pick in the first round in 17, the Sonics selected controversial high school forward Sean Kemp.

The reason for the controversy is not that Kemp is not talented enough, but that Kemp’s mentality and character are considered to be somewhat problematic. When graduating from high school, Kemp was rejected by the University of Kentucky for stealing, which directly ruined the opportunity to enter the university for training.

This draft is a new chapter in the Sonics' sinking history.

In the second year after Kemp was selected, the Supersonics selected Gary Payton with the second pick. Since then, the famous duo of Gary Payton + Sean Kemp has formed, and the Supersonics have embarked on the road to the championship.

Built around these two, the Supersonics have always been at the forefront of the West, but they always seem to be a little short of the championship.

Until the 1996 draft, the 29-year-old and 30-year-old Kemp ushered in the most important helper in his playing career, Qin Fei, a rookie player in the first year of Georgetown University.

Qin Fei participated in the election as a shooting guard back then. He is characterized by outstanding static talent, defensive awareness and skills at the upper level of the NBA.

In the first year of his career, Qin Fei played 82 games as a substitute for the Sonics, averaging 9.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.2 blocks per game.

In the second year of his career, Qin Fei played an important role on the offensive end and became the second-best scorer in the Sonics. In the playoffs, he became the actual No.1 scorer in the team, averaging more than 20 points per game.

In this era, if you score more than 20 points, you can be called an excellent scorer, and it is the sweet pastry in the eyes of many teams.

That is, in this year, the Sonics' lineup was sublimated, so they defeated the Rockets, Spurs, Jazz and other strong teams along the way, and finally defeated the defending champion Bulls 4-2 in the finals.

It is also very difficult for fans to review the history of the Supersonics.

Kemp is 29, Payton is 30, Schramf is 35, Sam Perkins is 37

These guys have never tasted the taste of the championship.

And when their careers were nearing the end, or when they had just passed their peak, they stood on the highest stage as the main players of the team

Both Schramff and Sam Perkins couldn't help crying.

Standing off the court, Perkins and a group of teammates hooked up shoulder to shoulder and couldn't help hugging each other.

Members of the coaching staff, a large number of staff, and all the fans also began to hug and celebrate.

"We won the championship!"

"Yes, finally won the championship!"

George Karl was very emotional. He started coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1984, served as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, and even served as the head coach of the Real Madrid basketball team in Spain. Later, he came to the Supersonics.

The Sonics built a lineup completely in accordance with his mental vision. Being able to win the championship is a proof for the offensive and defensive system he has insisted on for many years. It shows that the system he built can be successful in the NBA and can win the championship.

The pressure on George Karl is also very high, especially after winning the best head coach this year, the pressure responsibility is even greater.

The moment the Supersonics were sure they could win the championship, he seemed to relax all of a sudden, sat down on the seat, and covered his head with his hands.

hey he sighed

A little sad, but also a little gratified

On the field, with the final red light on, the Supersonics defeated the Bulls 6-99 in G91, eliminated their opponents 4-2 in the series, and won the championship trophy for the second time in team history.

They did it, they ended the Bulls dynasty!

Everyone was waiting for the moment when the buzzer sounded, and the audience erupted. They all rushed into the arena, and countless victory ribbons were sprayed out from the arena.

Zhang Weiping and Sun Zhengping laughed happily.

"Champion, NBA, the 1997-98 season champion is the Seattle SuperSonics!"

All the people rushed up to surround Peyton, some of them surrounded Kemp, Qin Fei smiled and applauded alone, and a camera was aimed at him to shoot.

He clenched his fist and waved it, and jumped happily again, like a child.

Amidst the noisy noise, Qin Fei saw the blue data constantly fluctuating and refreshing.

Below the field of vision, the reward after winning the championship appeared again.

Except for the talent badge [Iron Waist] that he played at the beginning, it seems that every time he wins the championship, it can bring him some magical changes. Before winning the NCAA championship, he won [Quick Response].

Quick response and defense with the ball, in terms of the ability to compete for the ball, it is obviously better than ordinary players, which brings a qualitative change to his defense.

What kind of talent is obtained is completely random.

Qin Fei looked over almost impatiently.

Talent Badge——

【Perpetual motion machine】

activation! ! !

[Perpetual motion machine]: When you play aggressive defense against defensive players, the rate of physical loss is relatively slow.

Looking at the badge, Qin Fei felt inexplicably that the exhaustion accumulated over the past season suddenly faded away. What happened to the sudden sense of strength?

While silently thinking about the possible changes this talent badge might bring, someone rushed over from the side.

The excited Snow still held the baseball cap representing the new championship in his hand.

"Win the championship!"

He put the hat on Qin Fei's head, and the two smiled at each other and hugged each other.

The baseball cap is an indispensable part of the baseball game. The sunshade function provided by the baseball cap can allow players to better participate in the game.It is also because of this that every year when the team wins the championship, the team will prepare the baseball cap for the championship, because the baseball cap is also the "hero" for winning the championship.

This tradition has been gradually borrowed by other leagues. The NBA has also formed a championship baseball cap for the championship team every year when it wins the championship. It is one of the most popular championship souvenirs for the day.

The camera is from far to near, and there are reporters everywhere who have identified the players to shoot.

On the sidelines, the black and red Bulls are about to leave.

The Bulls who lost the game retained their demeanor and hugged the Sonics players one by one.

The host said that the history of the Supersonics this year is like a revenge story.

They defeated the old rival Jazz in the playoffs, completed the revenge of last year's Western Conference finals loss, and then defeated the Bulls, completed the revenge of the finals.

When Qiao Dan and Qin Fei hugged and saluted, their mentality was already very peaceful.

Although Jordan regrets, he feels that he has given everything. This season is a meaningful season worth remembering.

The height of the two is similar, and they are both very handsome. Putting aside Jordan's "doubts" about Qin Fei's style of play, Qin Fei is really the most perfect successor in the legend.

"There's no successor who's going to play like you."

Jordan patted Qin Fei on the shoulder and whispered in his ear, even the words of farewell were full of God's domineering.

Qin Fei laughed heartily, not being obedient when he got the advantage.

"But I still want to congratulate you, you are worthy of the honor of the championship, you are the best basketball team this year, congratulations." Jordan finally said.

Qin Fei replied: "God of the ball, will you take revenge next year?"

Jordan:

This is a formal invitation, which is a bit provocative. Jordan's eyebrows twitched, subconsciously wanting to accept the challenge.

In the end, he prevaricated and blurred the meaning.

"Next year, who knows, just like you never know who the next president is."

After Qiao Dan said this, Qin Fei retorted frantically in his heart.

No, I know!

Jordan was really ready to leave.

God has a thank you feast, the last dance is done, it's time to say goodbye.

He finally looked at the Seattleites celebrating wildly on the court, and before leaving, there was a smile on his face.

Sometimes, imperfection is also a kind of perfection.

His stature on the court, his stature in history, will not be diminished by a loss in a series.

He has become a great symbol of an era, and has far-reaching significance for leading and promoting the sport of basketball.

After this round of the series, people will definitely talk about how strong Jordan is, and if the Bulls don't fight among themselves, the Sonics actually have no chance

This is a proposition that will inevitably be discussed.

After winning the championship every year, the losing side will definitely make guesses in this regard.

It has nothing to do with respecting or disrespecting the new champion, but as fans or supporters, they hope to continue to express their support for their loved ones in this way.

Qin Fei and head coach George Karl embraced deeply.

George Karl touched his disciple's head, his face full of pride.

"You're the best 20-year-old basketball player I've ever seen, bar none."

Qin Fei was praised by the coach, showing a rare 20-year-old youthfulness and shyness, rubbing his head, and smiling innocently.

The staff quickly set up a simple stage.

There was a wave of celebration in the key arena, and the fans regained their composure.

The players all stood on the podium, and their eyes were already attracted by the golden O'Brien Cup.

However, this is not the time yet, the alliance has rules for awarding awards, this last moment of happiness must be witnessed by the official.

So, when David Stern stepped onto the stage, this was the real start of the awards presentation.

"The team that won the NBA championship in the 1997-98 season is the Seattle SuperSonics!"

"Congrats Seattle SuperSonics!"

After David Stern's announcement, the audience cheered deafeningly again, and the whistle continued. Some people even threw their hats into the sky, and when they fell, they found that the hats were gone.

"Who stole my hat!"

The crowd swarmed forward, and the staff sprayed out a large number of ribbons.

With the ribbons flying all over the sky and the passionate DJ roaring, the leader of the team, Gary Payton, raised the championship trophy in the center.

Then there was a freeze-frame picture condensed into a permanent memory, and everyone's faces were filled with smiles.

Qin Fei, who is one of the core members of the team, stood at the back, having fun with Snow over there, looking heartless.

"But I finally won the championship, brother, all this is like a dream, it's too unreal!"

Qin Fei felt very interesting after listening to Snow's words.

"What is dreamlike?"

Snow laughed and said loudly: "I mean, this is fantastic. Without you, would we have reached the finals and won the championship? I often think that this may be the greatest significance for me to continue to stay in the Sonics."

Qin Fei was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Do you see that I am standing here properly? This is called reality."

Snow believed deeply, and said with a smile: "So the reality is really beautiful. We actually beat the Bulls. Brother, this is crazy. They were the best team in the 90s, and they were the signature of the league. We defeated the signature of the league? Beat Michael Jordan?"

That's okay, we beat a shaky Bulls team that probably wouldn't have been possible in our prime.

Qin Fei thought so in his heart, but he didn't say it out of his mouth, he just smiled and said nothing.

The players in the front row were still celebrating wantonly, and they didn't see the two guys chatting on the sidelines.

After a while, assistant coach Bob Withey leaned over.

"Why don't you move forward?"

"Why do you want to go forward?"

Qin Fei waved his hand, with a free and easy attitude of "flicking off his clothes when it's over, hiding his merit and fame". He has done everything he can, and the next step is to watch everyone perform.

Bob probably knew something, and patted Qin Fei on the shoulder as a sign of encouragement.

Then he whispered in his ear: "I think you are the best player in the finals. You kill your opponent, you score crazy points, and you are full of energy on the defensive end, so there is no doubt about it."

Qin Fei looked at Bob in surprise. The other party had always been Qin Fei's staunch supporter, but this time he was too sincere.

And it was under such a situation, so Qin Fei also said very seriously, "Thank you!"

The two shook hands and hugged.

It was like this when the finals came to an end, with constant hugs and hugs, Qin Fei communicated with everyone, including the staff on the sidelines.

Everyone encouraged and praised each other, and punched in madly for each other.

The first half of the awards ceremony has been completed. After Stern announced the championship and completed the awards, NBC reporters interviewed the general manager, coaches and others in succession.

Then came the highlight of the other half, the award ceremony of the "Most Valuable Player of the Finals".

The Finals Most Valuable Player Award, also known as the FMVP Award, is a heavyweight award in the NBA, used to recognize the most outstanding players in the NBA Finals.

The FMVP trophy is also large, with a golden basketball-shaped sphere adorning the top and a black base.

The gold content of FMVP is very high, but as a reward to the core of the team, it is actually quite accidental, because there are only seven games in the finals.

In comparison, the MVP is an achievement achieved by a player who has consistently maintained his competitive state in nearly 82 months of 6 regular season games and can prove his personal ability.

In terms of purely reflecting the player's ability, MVP is a better honor.

The awards presentation in the 98 finals was relatively simple and straightforward. A black table was placed in front of the simple stage. On the table were the championship trophy and the FMVP trophy. After the championship trophy was taken away, only the FMVP trophy remained.

David Stern was invited to the stage again.

After the host made arrangements, David Stern announced.

"In the 1997-98 season, the winner of the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player was—"

"Gary Payton of the Seattle SuperSonics"

"Let's congratulate Gary Payton."

Cheers erupted, and the crowd surrounded Gary Payton, watching him lift the championship trophy.

Gary Payton averaged 21.5 points, 6 rebounds, 9.83 assists and 2.83 steals in six games in the finals. Among them, the number of assists and steals is the team's first, and he is the core of the team.

Off camera, Bob, the assistant coach next to Qin Fei, patted Qin Fei on the shoulder to express his relief.

Qin Fei's performance is also very good, and even contributed lore, but the data is actually not as good as Gary Payton. In addition to averaging 25.1 points per game higher than Gary Payton, he averaged 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2 steals per game, all of which are below Payton.

No way, the tactical status of the two is different. Although in the previous round of the Jazz, it was confirmed that Qin Fei would take the shot to solve the game at the last moment, but most of the time, the ball was in Payton's hands.

Moreover, Payton played longer than Qin Fei, with an average playing time of 44 minutes per game, and played the second half of every game.

This is what Qin Fei couldn't do before.

After Payton won the FMVP award, he praised the performance of every player, especially Qin Fei.

"Qin is a second-year player. I have never seen a second-year player as good as him. His performance in the playoffs is obvious to all. He beat the Bulls at the buzzer in Game [-] of the Finals. He was the key factor for the team to beat the Bulls."

After Payton finished the interview with the FMVP trophy, the reporter immediately approached Qin Fei.

Qin Fei said: "It should be said that we have to respect the Bulls we defeated, especially Michael Jordan, he is a real fighter."

"If one day, Michael Jordan went to the security check, there was no metal on his body, but the metal detector rang, it must be because he had a willpower like steel."

"I grew up watching Jordan's games. I felt like I ended my youth by beating Michael Jordan."

The reporters are crazy, every sentence is a news point, this guy is indeed a natural news machine.

Is this a joke or a tribute to Jordan?

Forget it, anyway, this guy is not the first time to tease Jordan

(End of this chapter)