NBA: The Basketball Miracle

On July 18, 1996, the Lakers officially signed Shaquille O'Neal.

The Lakers had been constantly clearing up salary space, so the media knew that the team was going to make a big move, but when they actually signed Shaq, the onlookers were still stunned.

With 120 million US dollars in 7 years and Jerry West's big offer, Shark finally left the Magic.

The combination of Anfernee Hardaway and O'Neal, who had reached the finals in 1995, was a complete failure.

But with the return of Michael Jordan, the Bulls rose again, and this highly anticipated combination broke up.

Of course, O'Neal's decision to leave was also related to the choice of the Magic management. After Mourning signed a 7-year, $105 million contract with the Heat, the Shark felt that his value could not be lower than that of the other party.

But the Magic management did not take O'Neal's idea seriously and believed that Anfernee Hardaway was the real core of the team.

In addition, the local media and fans fanned the flames, bringing up old issues and mocking O'Neal for always being swept out.

As a result, the Shark went west and stopped playing in the East.

This deal has caused a huge response. The topic on ESPN and TNT in recent days has been what kind of results the Lakers can achieve next season.

In addition, most media sang praises for Jerry West's operation, while the New York media took advantage of this opportunity and then, as usual, started to dig up the past,

"Maybe we should make a change. Patrick Ewing is the reason why the team's performance cannot go further!"

The New York media also linked this to the previous trade rumors involving Michael Jordan.

There are rumors that the Knicks actively recruited Michael Jordan and offered him a huge contract, but on the 13th, Michael Jordan issued a short statement:

"I am very happy to continue playing for the Chicago Bulls, and I hope to help the team win the championship again!"

For 30.14 million US dollars a year, Mike Jordan got the highest one-year contract in the sports world at that time. Of course, this was indeed the compensation he deserved.

The Knicks may just be a tool for Michael Jordan's team to raise the price, and the other party has no intention of coming to New York at all.

After living in Manhattan for almost a month, Clay Lee has thoroughly experienced the power of New York media.

As the largest media market in the United States, many local TV stations, radio stations, and newspapers in New York pay attention to the developments and performances of the Knicks.

MSG is a cable television network dedicated to broadcasting the Knicks and other New York sports events. It has exclusive broadcasting rights for the Knicks and provides pre-game, in-game and post-game programs for New York fans.

Programs such as "Knicks Game Night" and "Knicks Overtime" are very popular among New York fans.

In addition to MSG, WNBC, the NBC affiliate in New York City, will also report on the Knicks and invite some celebrities to comment during the playoffs.

Programs such as "NBC 4 Sports" and "Sunday Sports Final" also have very good ratings.

WFAN, a radio station located in New York City, is the first radio station in the United States to broadcast sports programs 24 hours a day.

As the official broadcasting partner of the Knicks, it has been broadcasting non-stop during the off-season.

In addition to TV and radio stations, there are also a lot of print media:

The New York Times is a national newspaper with great influence in the United States. Its professional sports pages always reserve some space for the Knicks.

The New York Post is an urban newspaper with light-hearted and humorous content, mostly clickbait headlines, and the Knicks are always on the sports page.

The Daily News and Newsday also comment on the team in different ways every day, and the weekly Village Voice and Sports Illustrated also report special news about the Knicks.

The Lakers signed Shaquille O'Neal, and the New York media began to attack Patrick Ewing!

It's no wonder that Ewing has a bad relationship with the New York media. If anyone else is repeatedly consumed and belittled by the media, they will not be in a good mood.

On the morning of the 20th, after breakfast, Lee was reading the New York Post in his hand with relish:

"Knicks' Pretty Boy: Clay-Lee's Charm!"

The reporters in New York are indeed professional. They took photos of Lee, Melinda and several other girls walking around Central Park together.

(A/N: Don't ask me about Melinda. Original author added her as an OC but I've added a pic so you can fulfill your wet dreams. Check comment section.)

(Pic Here 👌)

The whole article is basically mocking Lee for being useless, even though he hasn't played a single game yet. The New York media, which has been taking criticism recently, didn't even let go of the newbies and started to criticize them indiscriminately.

Also, his statement during an interview at the draft, "College basketball and the NBA are no different," was brought up again and has been ridiculed repeatedly in the past few days!

Looking at these newspapers and programs, Lee regained some familiar feelings, and those clickbait articles made him feel even more at home!

"These articles are still not interesting enough. They should make a bet and eat something. This will make the show more interesting. I'm starting to like the New York media!"

Unable to surf the Internet, Lee's source of happiness is reading newspapers and magazines of the time.

Mark Bartelstein shook his head helplessly when he heard Lee's words.

At first, I was worried that Lee would not be able to adapt to life in New York, but after observing him for a few days, I found that my worries were unnecessary:

"Just adapt to life in New York. The media in Chicago is similar to that in New York. Don't pay attention to what they say. As long as you play well, you can shut these guys up."

Lee just smiled. He really enjoyed reading these fabricated news reports.

"There are some issues with the trainer. The people who accepted the invitation are more focused on strength training, which is not what I want!"

How to train scientifically and how to adjust the diet structure is indeed a technical job, but in the unique environment of this era, most trainers currently fail to meet Lee's requirements.

Mark Bartelstein has no better solution to this problem. The most famous private trainer at present is Tim Grover. As Michael Jordan's personal trainer, he is the most famous in the industry.

"Perhaps, you need a trainer of the follower type. I will help you find some suitable candidates in a few days!"

"Lee, don't go play at an amateur venue. I've arranged for you to become a member of the New York Athletic Club."

Mark Bartelstein was afraid that Lee would be bored and go to places like Rock Park to exercise.

Lee readily agreed. He was not interested in showing off in the so-called street basketball mecca.

Rafer Alston, who has become famous recently, is about to become the king of streetball, but this title is useless.

When you really get to the NBA, you can't use any of those fancy moves, and the offense has to follow the requirements and give the ball to the big guys in the low post first.

At the end of July, Lee received good news from big man Travis Knight.

The Bulls had no intention of signing Knight after selecting him with the 29th pick and he was released soon after.

After struggling for more than half a month, the Lakers finally picked up this big white guy.

"I almost thought I would have no ball to play. This was a nightmare experience! I still don't understand why the Bulls picked me and then gave up!"

Knight seemed a little excited on the phone, and Lee comforted his old teammate:

"Everything is over. Los Angeles is a good place. When we play away games, we can rely on you!"

After the call ended, Lee looked at his newly bought rainbow-colored Motorola StarTac and once again showed a nostalgic mood:

"A classic flip phone that weighs less than 100 grams. This $1,000 is well worth it!"

...

By the way, don't forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me :)