Chapter 135 The Scoring Maniac
"The contract between Iverson and Kobe? I've heard about it. I don't understand how two young boys are qualified to take this money." Glen Rice of the Hornets was indignant, as the current scoring leader at the small forward position , he considers himself one of the best players at the small forward position, but he still doesn't have such a good sneaker contract.
"50 million? 30 million plus shares? It's crazy. If it's Jordan, it's Penny, it's not surprising that Hill gets this kind of contract. It's just two rookies, they don't deserve it." Gary Payton heard the news Later, he was aggrieved, and his sneaker contract was only an average of 1 million per year. He openly clamored in the media that the next time he meets Kobe and Iverson, he will show them a good look.
"They took more money than I have in my career combined. It's not fair!" Dennis Rodman's speech resonated with many players. 1000000. Even though he signed a two-year, $13.5 million contract with the Bulls this summer, he still feels jealous of Kobe and Iverson.
Countless players and the media are attacking and ridiculing the sneaker contracts that Kobe and Iverson got, thinking that they do not deserve this contract. Everywhere pays attention to a seniority ranking, and the same is true in the NBA. Many old players are not reconciled to the fact that their salaries after years of hard work can't keep up with the sneaker contracts of these two rookies, especially some insiders.
The sneaker market pays attention to an insider who does not sell shoes. Even if they are as strong as the four major centers, their sneaker contracts and sneaker sales are not optimistic. One reason is that the inside sneakers are generally bulky, and the other reason is that most of the fans are not that tall, and the wild beasts inside cannot give them a sense of substitution.
Flying guards like Kobe and Iverson, outside players who challenge inside giants are more likely to make them feel a sense of substitution. They've been bullied by a lot of big guys on the court, and they want to ride on those big guys like Kobe.
Although Kobe's sneaker contract has not been officially disclosed, eBay has released some news to build momentum. The sneaker contract signed by Kobe and Iverson at the same time caused great waves. Both current players, retired players and media critics have a lot to say about these two endorsement contracts.
There are also some players who took the opportunity to question their sneaker endorsers, why are the two brats bigger than my contract?
The media, on the other hand, is generally pessimistic about these two contracts. They believe that a single injury may cost tens of millions in vain. This is completely a gamble.
The match between Kobe and Iverson started in this fierce public opinion atmosphere.
On December 29, the second day after Kobe and Iverson signed the contract, they played at the Lakers' home stadium, the Great Western Forum.
The record of the Philadelphia 76ers is 11 wins and 15 losses. This record has greatly improved compared to last year. Many people think that Iverson will have the opportunity to lead the team to the playoffs in the first year. Once he can pull it off, he'll be far ahead in the Rookie of the Year awards. Even though Kobe's record data is better, he is always the second master. The defensive pressure on a second player is quite different from that of the first player.
"Allen, congratulations on signing a big contract." Kobe and Iverson sat chatting in front of the technical table before the game.
"Man, you too." Allen's eyes showed joy, but he pretended not to care.
"A lot of people say that we don't deserve this contract. Let's prove it to them today?"
"I will prove to them that this contract is not worthy of us!" Allen raised his chin proudly, and he also heard the media's speech, just like Kobe. Some time ago, the media that was madly touting him suddenly changed their tone and began to belittle him.
Kobe knew that this was a hatred of the rich, and those media reporters and players were simply jealous of their income. If Kobe and Iverson play well, it's fine. When they play badly, they will go crazy and make trouble.
The game starts quickly, Philly's starting lineup is PG Allen Iverson SG Jerry Stackhouse SF Clarence Witherspoon PF Derek Coleman C Scott Williams s.
Both the point guard and the shooting guard are our old acquaintances. Jerry Stackhouse walked up to Kobe with a bitter face. In this game, their coach John Davis assigned himself to defend Kobe.
Clarence Witherspoon is a 1.98-meter forward, the No. 9 pick in 1992, and his early career data is very good. In the second season, he averaged 18.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.
Derek Coleman was the No. 1 pick in 1990. He is 2.08 meters tall and has excellent physical fitness. But he gradually became addicted to alcohol and drugs, and his performance continued to decline. Even so, he was still a stable 18+10 power forward all year round.
Scott Williams was the number one insider substitute in the first dynasty of the Bulls, but after the 76ers signed him and put him on the starting lineup, he did not contribute the performance the team wanted, and did not inject victory culture and championship culture team.
Kobe was ready before the game, and this game will be up. It is a very pleasant thing to score against Allen Iverson, especially when they both need to use a game to silence the media.
The referee tossed the ball and O'Neill jumped the ball to win.
Just after half court, Kobe held the ball, facing Stackhouse's defense, he suddenly accelerated and went straight to the basket.
The 76ers' defensive enthusiasm at the beginning of the game was good. Clarence Witherspoon quickly made up the defense, and Kobe made a mid-range jumper with great vigor and hit the board into the frame.
"Kobe's offensive desire is so strong today." Harris on the sidelines saw Kobe's decisiveness from the first ball.
The same is true for Allen Iverson. With the help of double pick-and-roll inside, he blocked Kobe's position and shot a three-pointer!
The same determination, the same hit!
The eyes of the two point guards met, and the fighting spirit in their eyes was undisguised.
In the first quarter of the game, Kobe was uncharacteristically aggressive at the beginning of the game. He scored 13 points in a single quarter with 8 shots and 5 goals. This is very different from the usual Kobe, who usually only breaks out in the third or fourth quarter. It's not because of lack of physical fitness, but as an offensive initiator, he must always pay attention to keeping his teammates from getting cold hands.
Allen Iverson also made crazy shots, even more determined than Kobe. The 76ers shot 23 times in a single quarter, and Iverson alone accounted for 12 times, hitting 5 goals and scoring 11 points. A large number of shots were exchanged for offensive data comparable to Kobe's. Even though the shooting percentage was slightly lower, Iverson's defense against Kobe was no longer helpless.
His shaking is more realistic, and he used the front of his body to shake Kobe away to score many times. Compared with Kobe's helpless defense in the last game, Allen Iverson is stronger in this game!