The longest river

Chapter 243 Portland Championship *4!

This is a judgment on the referee's missed call, and even more so, a judgment on O'Neal's fate.

When Shaquille O'Neal uttered those words "qing chong yang" to the media, his fate was sealed.

The cameras immediately focused on O'Neal, who was standing there with his mouth agape and a blank stare.

Unlike Kobe and Duncan, his emotion at this moment was not confusion, but despair.

Nine years ago, he was swept by Hakeem Olajuwon in the Finals. At that time, you could say he was a young shark, but now he has no excuses.

Moreover, after the breakup of the OK group, Kobe already had a championship to fall back on, but he doesn't yet, and it seems unlikely that he will.

The rest of the Pacers team were helpless.

When Yang Shuai was there, they won the championship the first time they made it to the finals.

After Yang Shuai left, they made it to the finals twice but ultimately lost both times.

If Yang Shuai had stayed with the Pacers, perhaps they would have had a dynasty like the Trail Blazers!
The Trail Blazers players had already started rushing onto the court in a frenzy of celebration.

Yang Shuai was then lifted up by the Portland Trail Blazers players, who were acting like madmen, and thrown into the air.

This kind of celebration, usually only seen in international competitions, appeared on an NBA court, which shows just how excited the Trail Blazers players were.

They've finally gotten back what they lost last season!
Moreover, with four championships in six years, they were even more dominant than the Bulls of that era!

The feeling of weightlessness briefly emptied Yang Shuai's mind.

Looking at the scene before him, which stretched from afar to near and then back to afar, and at the lone championship banner fluttering above the stadium, Yang Shuai was suddenly overcome with emotion.

So in the end, he still couldn't win a championship at home!
Stern, watching from the stands, was overjoyed at the sight, and the weight that had been hanging in mid-air finally lifted.

The Cavaliers' situation is about to be perfectly resolved, and team owners will inevitably increase their investment in the new season.

He's really looking forward to seeing how the team owners will react when they find out Yang Shuai is going to Cleveland!

When Yang Shuai landed again, the cameras focused on him, and thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the crowd.

Just like three years ago, he still enjoys immense popularity here as a former hero of Indianapolis.

Yang Shuai smiled and raised his right hand in response to the fans. As the fans' cheers continued to rise, he put his right hand behind his right ear to "listen" to their cheers.

At that moment, the cheers from the crowd seemed to be enough to lift the roof off the stadium.

After a brief interaction, the two teams shook hands for the last time.

Miller's expression at this moment revealed a hint of bitterness.

What's the point of being champions in the East year after year if you can't win the championship?

No matter how many runner-up finishes you have, it won't bring you a championship.

When the handshake ceremony ended, Yang Shuai noticed that O'Neal was absent again; the guy really was as absent as ever.

However, the thought that they will be in the same division again next season is still very exciting.

After the handshake ceremony, the Trail Blazers players returned to the locker room to celebrate.

Yang Shuai was drenched in champagne by his teammates.

Winning the championship again after a season of failure to achieve a four-peat is something even Jordan couldn't do; it's something that only happens in fairy tales. Only Yang Shuai could lead them to do it.

Carlisle then gave the soaking wet Yang Shuai a tight hug.

By regaining Coach of the Year and leading his team back to the championship, Carlisle proved himself.

Yang Shuai's emotions seemed somewhat complicated during this process.

Because only he knew that this was his last moment with his teammates.

Especially Wallace and Sabonis, their old teammates, who went through the whole journey together.

Even Carlisle, who is now the best coach in Portland's history, is unlikely to follow him to Cleveland.

But that's part of the fun. After playing six seasons here, he's curious to see what it would be like to return here as an opponent and face the Trail Blazers.

He can't imagine it now, but it should be different from when he returned to Indianapolis.

After the locker room celebration, the Trail Blazers players returned to the game.

The awards ceremony was all set up. When Stern saw Yang Shuai, his face lit up with a big smile. He went up to Yang Shuai from a distance to shake hands and congratulate him, his hand trembling with excitement.

During his tenure, he created two NBA golden ages, which is truly something to be proud of.

"This is their fourth championship in six years. They are one of the greatest teams in NBA history. Let's congratulate them, the 2003 NBA champions, the Portland Trail Blazers."

Stern's words sounded quite unusual to others; he had never expressed himself this way before, because it gave the impression that he was very happy about the Trail Blazers achieving such a "monopoly" of championships.

But only Allen and Yang Shuai knew that Stern was saying these words to them.

But that's not necessarily a bad thing. After all, receiving blessings from the league after accomplishing such a feat is something to be happy about.

As the championship trophy began to be passed around, reporters started their interviews.

"Hanson has brought incredible achievements to the Trail Blazers, and I am grateful for what he has done for the team over the years. He is a city hero of Portland and deserves all the praise."

In the interview, Allen specifically praised Yang Shuai. Like Stern, this sounded like a farewell, but it was actually a formal expression of gratitude to Yang Shuai in public.

Although his focus is no longer on basketball, Yang Shuai will never forget what he did for the Trail Blazers.

When the microphone came to Yang Shuai, he mostly thanked his teammates.

In order to regain the championship, he is being more demanding of his teammates this season than in previous seasons.

Although that led to their ultimate success, it wasn't the best way to lead a team, so he was grateful for his teammates' contributions.

"Hansen, without you we are nothing."

When the microphone was handed to Wallace, the only deputy who had followed Yang Shuai for the past six years, he spoke from the bottom of his heart.

The season before Yang Shuai arrived, the Trail Blazers were swept by the Jazz, which was the most humiliating experience of his basketball career.

Without Yang Shuai, he didn't know if they could have succeeded in getting revenge.

Yes, Pippen's addition will make them a strong team, but without Yang Shuai, they simply cannot win a championship, let alone establish a dynasty.

Because of Yang Shuai's arrival, they had the opportunity to step onto the highest stage time and time again, and that's why they have such high popularity.

By the end of the interview, the Finals MVP voting results were in. Thanks to his outstanding performance in the first two games, Reed received two votes in the Finals MVP selection. It's easy to imagine that with Yang Shuai's departure, Reed's stats will inevitably rise, providing him with significant leverage for his next contract.

Yang Shuai received all the remaining votes, winning his fifth career title and his fifth Finals MVP trophy.

At this moment, he officially tied Jordan's record. As for whether he can become the true GOAT and silence the doubters, perhaps only his Cavaliers career can provide the final answer.

After the championship award ceremony, Yang Shuai returned to the locker room, where his phone was filled with missed calls and congratulatory text messages.

While he was replying, Paul sat down next to him and waited quietly.

After he finished his work, Paul drove him to a nightclub where the Trail Blazers would be celebrating their championship that night.

On the way there, Paul and Yang Shuai talked about something very important: the timing and manner of Yang Shuai announcing his departure from the Trail Blazers to join the Cavaliers.

This is actually a very difficult thing to handle.

For Portland fans, they had just witnessed their hero lead the team to reclaim the championship and seemed poised to usher in a new dynasty, only to be told that Yang was leaving.

At this point, even the most rational fans would probably find it difficult to accept such an outcome.

It's not impossible for things like storming homes and burning jerseys to happen.

Therefore, Paul's suggestion was for Yang to go to Cleveland first, then have Allen issue a thank-you letter, and then for Yang to announce his decision.

Alternatively, he could first arrange for someone to spread some rumors, giving everyone a psychological expectation, and then, once the free agency period begins, have Yang Shuai directly announce that he has signed with the Cavaliers.

Yang Shuai listened to these somewhat familiar methods, pondered for a while, and then shook his head.

"During the champion's parade speech, I suppose."

Yang Shuai finally shared his thoughts.

Since leaving is inevitable, it's better to say it openly and honestly.

Although that might cause a commotion at the scene, it's better than the kind of backstabbing that Paul mentioned.

Paul didn't say anything more. That approach would put more pressure on Yang Shuai, but since Yang Shuai chose to do it, he must have been mentally prepared.

A few days later, Portland held a massive championship parade.

Because it was a reclaimed championship, this parade was almost as large as the dynasty parade two years ago.

When the parade returned to the Rose Garden Arena, tens of thousands of fans gathered there.

The scene made Paul uneasy; he was genuinely afraid that some fans might lose their temper.

However, seeing Yang Shuai's calm demeanor, he had no choice but to believe him.

The speaker was Carlyle.

Just before the championship parade, yesterday, the Trail Blazers' management, coaching staff, and players had all received news that Yang Shuai was leaving.

Last night was a sleepless one for everyone on the Trail Blazers, but they were also mentally prepared for any unexpected situations.

Carlisle also repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Yang Shuai during his speech.

For the Trail Blazers, just like at the championship award ceremony, they have no reason to criticize Yang Shuai's departure, because it was Yang Shuai who brought them to such heights.

They may have regrets, but they are mostly grateful.

The microphone eventually ended up in Yang Shuai's hands.

Yang Shuai also expressed his gratitude.

It was Allen who brought him to the Trail Blazers and made him a leader of the team.

It was teammates like Wallace and Sabonis who made him feel a different team atmosphere than he had in Indianapolis.

If they were all like Pippen, there would inevitably have been a period of internal strife for him, who had only returned from injury after more than half a year, and the Trail Blazers would not have achieved success so quickly.

He also thanked the coaching staff and management, who often chose to listen to his opinions throughout this long journey.

This kind of atmosphere is also very precious.

It's worth noting that Jordan and the Bulls' management were at loggerheads back then, and such situations easily lead to rumors of players controlling management.

Finally, and of course, Yang Shuai is most grateful to the Portland fans.

He had already felt the passion of Portland fans when he was a player for the Pacers.

It's no exaggeration to say that without these passionate fans, Nike might not have moved its headquarters from Portland.

Ultimately, it's the fans who decide the sneaker market. If Portland fans continue to buy shoes according to past habits, Nike won't be forced to stay in business.

Of course, what's coming will come eventually. In the end, Yang Shuai talked about what the Cavaliers are going through.

"...I've done everything I could and needed to do in Portland, but my hometown team is going through the toughest time, and Cleveland looks like it could lose an NBA team at any moment. I'm ready to go back home."

After Yang Shuai said those words, despite the previous build-up that had made them vaguely aware of something, the fans at the scene still caused a huge commotion.

Many fans were incredulous, and as Paul had predicted, some excited fans lost control of their emotions.

Yang Shuai didn't say anything more, giving the fans time to process their emotions.

The chaos at the scene lasted for several minutes until things gradually calmed down, and most fans eventually accepted it.

As Yang Shuai said, after winning the championship again for the team, he has done everything he needed to do in Portland.

Not leading the team to a second three-peat is not something he needed to do, but simply a regret he couldn't achieve.

At that moment, Allen reached out to applaud Yang Shuai, and his teammates on stage also applauded Yang Shuai, even reaching out to pat his body.

Gradually, this sentiment spread to the fans at the stadium.

The room was quickly filled with applause.

No one present wanted Yang Shuai to leave, but knowing that Yang Shuai was leaving to save his hometown team, all they could offer at that moment was their blessings.

Paul finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As it turns out, Yang Shuai's choice was correct. Things weren't that complicated, because sincerity is the key to effective communication between people.

Portland fans accepted the result, but as news of Yang's decision spread, the entire league was thrown into an unprecedented upheaval.

Undoubtedly, this is a major reshuffling of the alliance landscape, which will inevitably bring about a series of chain reactions.

(End of this chapter)