Chương 290: Chapter 289: Paul and Anthony Join the Heat
Although there were no games to watch during this period, fans were still closely following sports news.
On the first day of the free agency market, two players' destinations were confirmed.
- The Suns signed Tracy McGrady for one year at $1.2 million!
- The Spurs signed Manu Ginobili for two years at $14 million!
After that, the free agency market was quiet for a week.
Then, a shocking piece of news broke!
Paul and Anthony held simultaneous press conferences and announced their joining the Heat!
At the same time, LeBron James updated his Twitter, writing, "We are a family!"
The accompanying image was a photo of LeBron, Wade, Bosh, Paul, and Anthony, all wearing Heat jerseys.
The image was clearly photoshopped, but it confirmed the news that Paul and Anthony were joining the Heat.
"True quintuple giants!"
"NBA's ultimate conclusion?"
"Super-team? Super-team? Super-team!!!"
Reactions to this news were mixed—some fans were excited, while others were sarcastic!
However, in NBA history, there had never been a team with five players who could all rank in the top 15 of the league in the same season.
And these five players' positions complemented each other perfectly!
- Point Guard: Paul
- Shooting Guard: Wade
- Small Forward: Anthony
- Power Forward: LeBron
- Center: Bosh
Last season, Paul led the league in assists.
The top five scorers were Wei Dong, LeBron, Durant, Anthony, and Kobe, with Wade ranking eighth. The Heat now had three of the top ten scorers, plus the league's assist leader, and Bosh!
This was a galactic squad!
A lineup that sent shivers down the spine just thinking about it.
Many players commented on this, with few offering congratulations and many being sarcastic.
Charles Barkley, in a talk show the same day, said, "In our era, something like this would never happen!"
"If the Heat face the Suns with this lineup, will they still lose?"
"..."
The host's question made "the Big Mouth" Barkley pause for a moment before responding, "I don't think the Heat can beat the Suns; Wei Dong is unbeatable!"
"I suggest the Suns sign Durant; if the Heat are going to do it, we might as well go all out!"
Barkley added, "I played for the Suns and led them to the finals, so I still have feelings for the Suns."
Paul and Anthony joining the Heat caused a huge stir in the basketball world. Eastern teams were particularly desperate, as their chances of reaching the Finals were now slim to none.
Such an all-star starting lineup left other teams wondering how they could compete.
In NBA history, no team had ever been this terrifying. Not even the 1980s Lakers, 1990s Bulls, or 2000s Lakers had such a lineup.
Draymond Green tweeted, "This lineup will win at least 72 games in the regular season. Congratulations to Paul and Anthony for joining the Heat."
The tweet was quite sour, filled with sarcastic emojis, but as a rookie, Green's tweet was largely ignored.
While the buzz around the Heat's quintuple giants was still high, another shocking piece of news emerged.
James Harden announced he was joining the Lakers!
He would team up with Kobe, Howard, and Gasol to form the Lakers' quartet of stars!
Another galactic squad was born!
Fans were going crazy... What was happening to the NBA? Were teams going to extreme lengths to prevent the Suns from winning three consecutive championships?
Both the Heat and the Lakers would have to pay a hefty luxury tax.
If Stern didn't intervene, the new season could be ignored, and the playoffs could start directly!
Even the first two rounds of the playoffs could be skipped, moving straight to the Conference Finals... Other teams were out of the game.
Western Conference Finals: Lakers vs. Suns.
Eastern Conference Finals: Heat vs. a team.
More fans started worrying about the Suns, as the Lakers and the Heat were clearly targeting them.
Both teams had lost to the Suns in the playoffs, especially the Heat, who had been defeated in the Finals for two consecutive years. They had realized that the Heat's trio of stars alone was not enough to defeat the Suns.
When Wei Dong heard about Paul and Anthony joining the Heat, his first reaction was, "Holy crap! How are we supposed to play against this?"
After the Finals, LeBron had repeatedly emphasized that basketball is a team game of five players.
This is what LeBron meant by five players? This is insane.
The Heat's lineup gave Wei Dong a headache. To prevent the Suns from winning three consecutive championships, this move seemed a bit extreme.
Harden joining the Lakers also gave Wei Dong a headache!
A few days earlier, Kobe and Howard had sent him a video while drinking at home, and they seemed to be getting along well.
Howard had mentioned multiple times in interviews that Kobe was the leader of the Lakers.
With the addition of Harden, even the Lakers were a formidable opponent!
Alvin Gentry, who was in Fujian enjoying Dahongpao tea, also flew to Beijing.
Upon learning about the Heat's quintuple giants and the Lakers' quartet, Gentry felt worried, and his mood for tea was ruined. Fortunately, he was in China and could find Brother Dong for a drink.
In the evening, Wei Dong took Gentry to a small restaurant in a Beijing alley to eat copper pot hotpot.
It was a small, unassuming place with only three private rooms, but the copper pot hotpot was authentic.
Li Pei, who joined them, was responsible for pouring the drinks. After filling Gentry's glass, he said, "Coach Gentry, you can talk about anything; I have a tight lip."
He meant that even if the conversation involved team secrets, Li Pei wouldn't reveal them.
"I don't have anything to hide when talking with Brother Dong."
Gentry took a sip of Erguotou and smacked his lips. "This liquor is quite strong."
"You're getting better at understanding liquor."
"It's okay..."
Gentry wiped his sweat. "It's a bit hot to eat hotpot and drink white liquor in the summer!"
"You don't understand. We have an old saying in China: treat winter diseases in the summer! You should eat some warming mutton in the summer to stay warm in the winter."
"That makes sense! But Phoenix doesn't have a winter..."
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