Author: Feng Yuanhua

208,training camp

At the end of September, the Olympic Games have just ended, and NBA training camps are about to start.

The schedule for the new season has been announced, and on October 31, the opening game will officially start.

The opening game will be played by the Trail Blazers and Lakers.

As last season's opponent in the Western Conference Finals and having played seven life-or-death battles, this game was full of suspense.

Many media even said that the Lakers just had better luck last season.

If the Trail Blazers had better luck and eliminated the Lakers in the tiebreaker, they would also be able to get the key.

So, the Eastern Conference teams are so bad?

Well, in fact, the pattern of the NBA in recent years is indeed that the west is strong and the east is weak. It is an obvious fact.

The teams in the Western Conference, whether they are the Lakers, Trail Blazers, or even the SuperSonics, are all strong.

That's right, in the strength rankings released by the media not long ago, the SuperSonics ranked third in the league.

The two opponents ranked in front of him happen to be the Lakers and the Trail Blazers, who are also in the Western Conference.

Then, there are the Pacers.

That's right, the Eastern Conference champions are so hopeless that they can only be ranked fourth on the strength list.

This is not surprising. After all, the SuperSonics and Trail Blazers caused a lot of trouble for the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals and Western Conference finals.

On the contrary, in the finals, the Pacers had to rely on the aging Reggie Miller to have any chance of winning.

Even if Kobe was injured for two games, the Pacers' performance was still difficult to highlight.

You know, in the Western Conference Finals, the Trail Blazers fought the Lakers in seven games, and life and death could be decided in an instant.

As for the SuperSonics, in addition to their performance in the playoffs last season, signings are also an important factor.

With the addition of Gorilla Ewing, the Sonics seem to have a way to deal with O'Neal.

Yes, Ewing is 37 years old, but the problem is that as a former superstar, he is still unable to move.

Indeed, Ewing's age and physical condition do not support him maintaining a high level of performance in normal games.

However, as long as he can guarantee his performance for 25 to 30 minutes, it will be worthwhile for the Sonics.

After all, they still have P.J. Brown.

Ewing, Gary Payton, P.J. Brown and Wang Hao, one Best Defensive Player, one All-Defensive First Team, two All-Defensive Second Teams.

This kind of defense is simply luxurious.

It can be said that on paper alone, the Sonics are already one of the best defensive teams in the league in the new season.

Of course, this is only theoretical. As for the actual situation, it depends on the Sonics' defensive system.

However, it shouldn't be a big problem.

From this point of view, it is reasonable for the Sonics to surpass the Pacers and rank third on the strength list.

October 1st is China's National Day. All compatriots are enjoying the holiday, but Wang Hao has to work hard.

He didn't deliberately squeeze in time to go to the training hall. There was no need, so he left it to others.

It's not that I don't care, but there are still some old comrades in this team, so there's no need to grab them.

Instead of fighting for these false reputations, let's do something real.

"Hi Brent, hi Rashad..."

Although Wang Hao did not deliberately play in the finale, when he arrived at the training hall, there were already many people there.

Why I came a little late is because I didn't plan the time well.

Now, Wang Hao no longer lives in the team apartment. After all, the place is too small and very inconvenient.

For example, some female fans take the initiative...

No, what he means is that sometimes training is needed and the apartment is not convenient after all.

As for the fact that the apartment is right next to the training hall, this issue has been automatically ignored by Wang Hao.

He signed a four-year contract with the SuperSonics. No matter what, he will stay in Seattle for a while.

Moreover, Seattle is also a very good city and quite suitable for buying real estate.

Therefore, Wang Hao simply chose to settle down, and a villa worth more than 4 million US dollars became his new home.

Adjacent to Lake Washington, the scenery is beautiful and the climate is quite comfortable.

The so-called million-dollar mansion is really unnecessary, after all, he usually lives alone.

At most, one or two more people show up occasionally.

Don't think too much, what he means is that his parents come back to see him occasionally, or friends come over.

The villa occupies a small area, but according to Wang Hao's request, there is a large area behind the house.

Here, Wang Hao will build an indoor training ground with a basketball court and professional training equipment.

Having just received such a big contract and having so many commercial endorsements, Wang Hao is not worried about running out of money at all.

What's more, the money you make is not just for spending it.

It was the first time I drove to the training center by myself. It was inevitable that I was not familiar with the road conditions, so Wang Hao was late.

As for his car, since he endorses Mercedes-Benz, it is naturally a large off-road vehicle provided by Mercedes-Benz.

As for what model?

Well, he's not very familiar with it either. Cars don't all have four wheels. They just need to be able to drive.

For him, it is enough that it looks strong enough and secure enough.

After all, there are a lot of speedsters on American roads. Sometimes if you don't hit someone, they will hit you!

Many of them are teammates from last season. Although they haven't seen each other for a few months, they are already familiar with each other after playing side by side for a season.

When they saw Wang Hao, everyone's eyes flashed more or less with a hint of envy.

They naturally know about the big contract Wang Hao just signed with the team, and they know it very clearly.

But, everyone is just envious, but not jealous.

After playing in the basketball circle for so many years, they have learned very well that only the strong are entitled to get more.

More performance opportunities, more playing time, more important tactical position, and now a bigger contract.

"Hi PJ, hello and welcome to Seattle."

PJ Brown is a very kind player. Although he is from a black background, he has a somewhat gentle feeling.

At this moment, he also smiled and said: "To be honest, although I have only been here two days, Seattle is really a very good place.

To be honest, I can't wait to play with you and Gary."

Wang Hao also met the team's two rookies, Quentin Richardson and Michael Reed.

When there was a slight surprise, Michael Reed seemed a little listless and not very high-spirited.

This is not surprising. As a second-round pick, his future is actually uncertain, so he is naturally more confused.

Especially in the summer league, his performance was not outstanding.

Especially with a teammate in the same position beside him, Quentin Richardson performed very well.

As a result, Quentin Richardson received more praise, but Michael Reed was a little confused.

Of course, Wang Hao didn't know about the summer league.

However, he is quite concerned about these two newcomers. They will be the key to the team's bench in the new season.

However, the technical characteristics of the two are somewhat similar, and both have very good three-point shooting.

At the same time, Quentin Richardson is still making a good breakthrough.

"Wow, look who's here!"

At this time, someone suddenly walked into the training hall again, and they were two people together.

It's just that they are two people, one tall and one short.

That's right, it's Gary Payton who just finished participating in the Olympics, and Patrick Ewing who just joined the SuperSonics.

To be honest, it was quite unexpected for the two of them to appear together.

After all, I just played the last Olympic finals the day before yesterday and participated in the closing ceremony yesterday.

As a result, one day later, Gary Payton rushed back.

It can be seen that Gary Payton attaches great importance to the upcoming start of the new season and sees hope.

Since reaching the Finals in the 1995-1996 season, this is the Sonics' best chance.
To be continued...