Chapter 1183 1182. Garnett's Movement

Neither the players nor the coaching staff of the Hawks felt that the sky had fallen after losing one game, and the Hawks fans didn't think it was a big deal, as they just lost the first game.

McGrady's weird and reckless shooting moves, Liu Mang and Jason Terry's three-pointers that went farther and farther and missed, Iguodala's second-chance dunk that was blocked, Rasheed Wallace's extreme pull-up that imitated Kobe's three-pointer that didn't touch the ball...

Hawks fans are much calmer than those who are advocating that the Pacers will be eliminated in the eighth round online.

Although there are some people pretending to be Hawks fans online who are "angry at their lack of fighting spirit", real Hawks fans are much calmer. They express their dissatisfaction in a self-deprecating way, but at the same time they encourage Hawks players.

Of course, not many people really think that the Hawks will be eliminated in the eighth round. Fans just like to join in the fun, and not many media say that the Pacers may be eliminated in the eighth round.

A black eight requires some very specific factors, among which the key is that you need to be better than your opponent in some aspects. For example, the Knicks black eight, Sprewell and Larry Hughes shot the Heat; the Nuggets black eight, Mutombo averaged 12 points and 12 rebounds per game, the key point is that Mutombo averaged 6.2 blocks per game, and the Sonics could hardly score in the interior; the Hawks black eight, it was a strength crush.

And the Pacers, it was an upset, fans and media did not see how the Pacers were better than the Hawks, the only strong point is concentration.

However, the Hawks lost the first game of the playoffs, which is indeed a big deal. Many media could not interview the Hawks players, and the Pacers kept silent, just saying that their efforts were rewarded, and did not deliberately emphasize that they won.

So the media went to interview players from other teams.

But no one wants to be slapped in the face, especially those teams trying to compete for the championship, wanting to expect the Hawks to be black eight in the first round of the playoffs... That kind of words are too embarrassing.

Garnett, who did not make the playoffs, said in an interview: "They are the Hawks, and they were eliminated in the eighth round? What are they thinking! They have Ace Liu, Tracy McGrady, and Rasheed Wallace. They can't lose. You might as well write about how angry the Hawks will be next and what consequences the Pacers will encounter. I have experienced this."

……

On April 22, Garnett, who was on vacation in Los Angeles, was interviewed in the morning. Later, he went to a private club in Los Angeles with his agent in the afternoon to talk with the Timberwolves management, that is, Celtics legend Kevin McHale.

Garnett's words resonated with the fans. Except for a few people who were whimsical, most fans are now looking forward to the Hawks' next performance.

Just as Garnett said, the Hawks' group of vindictive players, especially the notoriously petty Liu Mang, are looking forward to what they will do next.

Garnett has already applied for a trade with the Timberwolves after the regular season.

Garnett will be 30 years old on the 19th of next month. He is already a veteran who has played in the league for 11 years. Now the Timberwolves have almost nothing to do with the championship, and they can't even touch the edge of the playoffs. Garnett can't wait any longer.

Originally, Garnett waited until he was 31 years old, that is, in the middle of the 2006-2007 season, and applied for a trade after he was completely desperate. This time, because there are five strong teams in the West and the Hawks in the East seem to have a long-term dominance, Garnett can't wait any longer. He didn't wait until next season, but applied for a trade after this season.

McHale, after the regular season, discussed with the team owner and some other team management for a few days, and came to Los Angeles today to negotiate with Garnett who was on vacation.

"Kevin, every time I call your name, it's like looking in the mirror. Kevin, are you sure you want to leave?" McHale first tried to get close to him, and then asked.

McHale and the Timberwolves owner did not want to keep Garnett. The five-year contract signed by Garnett in 2004 expired in 2009. If the Timberwolves kept Garnett, Garnett, who was already 33 years old in the summer of 2009, would not have been likely to go to other teams. He might have simply signed a long-term contract to retire, and the Timberwolves would have a "one man, one city" superstar.

But the Timberwolves owner is quite humane, otherwise he would not have agreed to the agreement given to Joe Smith, and McHale had other purposes.

Of course, if a superstar in his twenties and twenties, who is at his peak, applied for a trade, the management would not agree.

But the peak period of a star is only a few years, and Garnett is already 30. It is hard to say how many years he can maintain his status. The situation at this time is very different. The superstar wants to leave, and the team will not be able to do anything if he stays, so the Timberwolves owner chose to agree very humanely, in exchange for some chips, and he can also play badly to fight for draft picks.

With Garnett, the Timberwolves dare not play badly and have to work hard to win. But without Garnett, fans will not think it is a problem no matter how many losses they suffer.

Garnett heard McHale's words and answered without hesitation: "I can't wait. I want to win the championship, but my best teammate is Ricky Davis. I don't see any hope. I want to go to a more competitive team."

McHale was not surprised. Garnett must be leaving. McHale asked tentatively: "Kevin, what do you think of Paul Pierce? If you play with him, I think you can do something big."

"Paul Pierce? Is he as good as Tracy McGrady?" Garnett asked back.

Garnett has no interest in the Celtics with 27 wins and 55 losses.

If there were no Hawks in the East, O'Neal's peak was obviously less than two years away, and there were no other super teams in the East, Garnett would still be excited about partnering with Pierce.

But now there are Hawks in the East. Although Pierce is good, he can't even touch the edge of the playoffs when leading the team alone. There is a clear gap with Coelho Macca. It is obvious that Pierce has never proved that his team is competitive without All-Star teammates. In the early stage of his career, there was Antoine Walker. After losing Antoine Walker, Pierce's data is good, but the results of leading the team are as bad as they can be.

It's right to have a big heart, but it needs to be based on the team's inherent strength, so that Pierce's big heart can play a role.

Moreover, this time, the Sonics are still a top four team in the West, and the Sonics are still playing in the playoffs. The Celtics have no chance to offer Ray Allen. There is only one Pierce there to support the facade, and Garnett doesn't even look down on him.

The owner of the Sonics wants to sell the team, and needs some stars in the team. Before the team is sold, it is unlikely to break up the lineup that can dominate the Northwest Division.

McHale felt a little tricky when he heard Garnett's question.

Garnett's consent is not required to trade, but if Garnett is sent to the Celtics, Garnett is still not satisfied and still wants to apply for a trade, which means installing a time bomb for his old club!

And just as Garnett asked, Pierce... is really not good enough. The biggest honor Pierce has won now is only a third team and four All-Star substitutes. Although he is a top star in the league, the gap with those superstars is obvious. Pierce has never been a top three player in his position, and the player ranking has always been between 15 and 20. It's good, but it's still a bit far to be the core to attract Garnett.

The negotiations ended early, and McHale had no second plan. He was not a very capable management, otherwise he would not have made such a contract with Joe Smith.

Timberwolves fans all felt that McHale could sit in the position of Timberwolves CEO for so many years, probably because he had taken a bullet for the Timberwolves owner...

The first negotiation between Garnett and the Timberwolves management was fruitless.

…

…

Although I don’t think the Hawks will be eliminated, other championship teams at least see that the Hawks also have weaknesses!

The Hawks finally showed the complacency of the defending champions!

This is a very exciting thing for other championship teams.

After the Hawks’ game on the 21st, the Nets defeated the Pistons 73-69 in the other three games played on the same day.

It was not an upset. Before the playoffs, the media predicted that the Nets had a higher chance of advancing in the series between the Nets and the Pistons. After all, the Nets’ playoff performance in the past few years was much better than that of the Pistons.

The Pistons did not live up to people’s expectations, and their strength proved that they would definitely collapse after this season.

The Lakers beat the Nuggets 120-97. Kobe made 12 of 20 shots, scored 35 points, 6 rebounds and 10 assists. Yao Ming made 8 of 12 shots, scored 20 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists, and even had three steals. Camby made all the steals. The two taught Anthony and Camby a lesson.

Although the Mavericks are fifth in the West, their record is better than that of the fourth-placed Supersonics in the West. The Mavericks have the home advantage and fought against the Supersonics at home. The Mavericks are too restrained by the Supersonics, a team that plays a sudden scoring style. The high-speed rotation defense, if the Supersonics' three-point shooter can't shoot the ball against the opponent's high-speed rotation defense, it will be too difficult to beat the Mavericks.

123-114, the Mavericks defeated the Supersonics at home.

On the 22nd, the other four games in the first round of the series were also decided.

The highlight of today is the series between the Heat and the Bulls.

Last year, the Heat were eliminated by the Bulls in the first round. This year, many fans are still looking forward to the Bulls doing something.

But without Eddy Curry, who is heavier than a white bear and can compete with O'Neal on offense, the Bulls defended the Heat's three-pointers well, but could not limit O'Neal's singles and Wade's breakthrough passes!

Although Eddy Curry is fat, he is better at dealing with O'Neal than Ben Wallace or even Yao Ming.