Six Hundred and Fifty Two: Famous Big Mouth Simmons

If it weren't for Vince Carter's birth in 2000, maybe the NBA would have no such thing as a slam dunk contest.

After Kobe won the slam dunk contest in 1997, the management, media and fans of the league all believed that the slam dunk contest had nothing to watch.

Rod Tone, the NBA's vice president of basketball operations at the time, put it bluntly, "All the dunks have been done, and there will be nothing new."

Of course, what's more important is that there are no superstars in their prime who are willing to participate in this event. Those who came to the slam dunk contest were all rookies with great physical fitness but average performance in official competitions. Without top stars, no business is willing to sponsor. For the NBA, the commercial value of the dunk contest has also fallen to a low point.

So, in 1998, NBA commissioner David Stern really decided to suspend the dunk contest. In the 1998-99 season, the All-Star Game was canceled due to a lockout, and the Slam Dunk Contest was suspended for two consecutive periods.

It wasn't until 2000 that Carter, McGrady, Francis and others contributed perhaps the greatest slam dunk contest in history to the NBA, that this high-profile event climbed out of the grave.

But that was just a flashback of the dunk contest. After 2000, until Dwight Howard played Superman in the slam dunk contest, the slam dunk contest really ushered in the second climax. And after "Superman"? No one knows who will come forward.

Fortunately, now, people have a hot candidate - Link.

Everyone expects him to participate in the slam dunk contest and save another event that is almost over.

However, many media have a pessimistic attitude towards this, especially when Link was interviewed, he was able to touch the ambiguous answer, which made the media get on the line.

"Think about how hilarious it would be if Link lost the dunk contest to a guy like Harrison Barnes."

"If you're a superstar, would you take the risk? And if Link is in the game, everybody's going to want to do everything they can to beat him. Because beating Link is the best way to become famous."

"Don't say anything, I already knew that Link was a softie. If he dared to participate in the dunk contest, I would dare to interview him in women's clothes!"

The next day, Link found that many media were complaining about himself. One of the most striking is the one in the interview wearing women's clothing.

If only a reporter from a small media somewhere said this,

Link doesn't care too much. After all, who cares if a little reporter wears women's clothes? Maybe he still used Link to hype it up on purpose.

But this time the person who raised the bar with Link was not a junior reporter from a third-rate media, but the famous Bill Simmons!

Bill Simmons is a well-known basketball columnist, because he was a screenwriter before, plus he has a very thorough research on basketball and the NBA. With his sharp writing and meticulous point of view, he quickly made a name for himself in the circle.

His book "Basketball History" published in 2009 occupied the top sales chart in the United States for a long time and was regarded by fans as a classic among basketball books.

After becoming more and more famous, Bill Simmons' path has also become wider and wider. He is now not only an NBA columnist, but also a frequent guest court reporter and commentator. He even invites some famous NBA stars to do interviews and talk shows from time to time. It can be said that he is one of the most popular basketball media people in the United States.

Not only in the United States, but Link also knows that many basketball writers in China are writing in the style of Bill Simmons. This shows how powerful this guy is.

Bill Simmons has a characteristic, that is, he makes no secret of his identity as a Celtics fan. His views never mattered whether or not they were worthy, always fond of the deadly opponent of the Black Celts, known as the king of bad jokes and the king of venomous tongues. Simmons even blacked out his own home team when the Celtics were battered.

It can be said that Bill Simmons is the least afraid of all the famous basketball media people.

Now, the Memphis Grizzlies and Link, who have risen, also seem to be the targets of Bill Simmons' poisonous tongue.

Link shook his head. He didn't expect that such a well-known basketball media person would come out to bring the rhythm. It seems that Simmons is quite confident that he will not participate in the dunk contest.

Link was indeed a little angry, saying that he didn't dare to let it go. Bill Simmons used the word "soft egg" directly, and Link felt that it was too much.

Besides, when did I say that I didn't dare to participate, I just wasn't sure yet. After all, it hasn't even been a month since the new season started, and no player in NBA history has ever decided whether to participate in the slam dunk contest so early.

Of course, Link was no longer a child. He won't slap the table and say he wants to participate in the slam dunk contest as soon as he is stimulated. Only children will be seduced by this kind of aggressive method.

Link wanted to put aside the slam dunk contest for a while, but now, the most important thing is to play the game well.

Of course, Link will not forget what Bill Simmons did. If he does participate in the slam dunk contest next year and wins the championship, Link will definitely not let Bill Simmons go.

The words have been spoken and cannot be taken back. At that time, Bill Simmons' women's clothing will have to be worn, or not.

As adults, they are all responsible for what they say.

I thought that as long as I didn't respond, this matter would basically be suppressed. But Link never expected that this guy Bill Simmons would entangle himself.

After the game with the Kings ended, Link led his team to the best ten-game winning streak in team history. The NBA official also announced the latest list of the best players of the week, and Link is on the list.

That night, Bill Simmons sang the opposite of the league on his talk show, "Maybe soon, Link of the Week will have to face the first loss of the new season."

"The Los Angeles Clippers are unstoppable this week. They have won four in a row. Among the four wins, one defeated the Thunder and one defeated the Rockets! There is no doubt that the Clippers are already the first team in the Western Conference this season. "If you've seen the Clippers this season, you'll agree with what I'm saying."

Bill Simmons is as confident as ever, and now he dares to say that there is a person who can definitely break the Grizzlies' unbeaten gold medal, and it is estimated that it is Bill Simmons, a maverick guy.

But Bill Simmons is no different from the Joker if he can only talk. The reason why he is so famous is because he really knows basketball very well, and he has real goods in his stomach.

Next, he analyzed why the Clippers could win.

"Yes, last season, the Clippers were shaved by the Grizzlies in the playoffs. But this summer, the Clippers added coach Doc Rivers, J.J. Redick on the basis of keeping Paul. , Darren Collison, Dudley and others. Well, they are not superstars, they are not as dazzling as Howard's joining the Aerospace City, but these reinforcements of the Clippers are undoubtedly seriously underestimated."

"Last season, the Clippers had probably the worst starting wings in the league -- Caron Butler and Willie Green. They had assists on 82.6 percent and 90.4 percent of their shots, respectively, last season, which means they There is almost no autonomous offensive ability. At the same time, when the Clippers have them on the court, the blood loss is also very serious, giving up 5.3 points and 2.8 points more per 100 possessions. I can't count how many times Link beat Butler into a pig's head last season. ."

"But when the Clippers get Redick and Dudley on their wings, they've improved dramatically. Those two guys are younger and more solid defensively. They're never going to be ace, but they're both high-IQ and reliable. 's team defender. At the same time, both are as good as their predecessors. Crawford and Barnes are still there, so Rivers doesn't have to think about using better but not accurate enough or more accurate but not good enough He's a player, he just needs to use it according to the function."

"Last season, the Clippers were fourth in offensive efficiency and eighth in defensive efficiency. With Doug Rivers coaching this season, the Clippers' defense couldn't have been worse. And their offense will undoubtedly be stronger. As far as the current games are concerned, the Clippers' offensive efficiency ranks second in the league, second only to the Memphis Grizzlies and overshadowing the Thunder! The Clippers' current record is 7 wins and 2 losses, and they have lost one of the two games. It was a loss to the Lakers in the opening game, and a loss to the tough Heat. They are not poor, they are just unlucky. If the Grizzlies also meet the Heat earlier, they may not have any undefeated gold.”

"In the next game, Paul and Griffin are bound to launch a violent revenge. Link, get ready to take the trick. This time, you won't be able to pass the level by just trolling the vegetables."

Link didn't know what supported him to watch a whole episode of Bill Simmons' talk show, but he had to say that Simmons was indeed a professional basketball player, and his analysis of many things was no worse than that of the team's analysts.

The Clippers' data in all aspects this season are indeed perfect. In the win over the Thunder, the Clippers scored in double figures with 6 players, showing their completely different lineup depth from last season.

But no matter how great Bill Simmons is, he's just a reporter, a writer. Basketball is played by players, not by data analysis.

The next day, in the airport hall, Link was interviewed by reporters. There is no doubt that the content of the interview is related to Bill Simmons.

"Link, what do you think of the various remarks Bill Simmons has made to you recently?"

"He's an excellent basketball writer, and I bought two sets of his "Basketball History" and I love it."

The reporters all laughed. They all knew that it was impossible for Link to just praise others. He would never give such a boring answer.

"However, I think he may have misunderstood me and my team. We are the defending champions, the defending champions who hold the O'Brien Cup firmly in our hands. We are obviously more Convincing. I hope he understands that basketball is not a numbers game. I also hope he understands, don't just use the word softball on others, otherwise the consequences will be serious."

After Link finished speaking, he left contentedly. After holding it all night, I finally succeeded in complaining.