The Nets' first-round opponent is the powerhouse Knicks.

The reason it's called a powerhouse is because the Knicks' owner is incredibly wealthy; he even boasted that... neither the Rockets' owner Wang Wei nor the Nets' owner Zhang Wei is as rich as him.

This wealthy man has repeatedly hinted in public that the Knicks are willing to pay double whatever the Nets offer Wei Guo, as long as Wei Guo comes to the Knicks next season and can bring them a championship. He said he would even double the amount if Wei Guo could do so. However, Wei Guo has not responded to any of these hints.

The Knicks' roster isn't weak; they always seem to offer big contracts to players whose fame exceeds their ability.

Why do we say that fame outweighs ability?

For example, some players are nearing the end of their careers, or have been injured, or have disagreements with their former teams. In short, they have had glorious moments, and the Knicks still have high hopes for them.

For example, this year...

The Knicks roster boasts a host of excellent players, including Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway, Allan Houston, Mutombo, and others.

......

Before the game started, Cummings noticed several of his teammates had dark circles under their eyes but looked excited, and asked curiously, "Didn't you guys sleep well last night?"

"Yes..."

Zoran said, "I get excited just thinking about playing in the playoffs."

If Cummings was the benchwarmer, then rookie Zoran was the benchwarmer, as he barely got any playing time throughout the season.

In his first professional season, he averaged 11 towel wavings, 17 cheering gestures, and 13 drink handouts per game. In some ways, he was even better than Wei Guo... because he averaged a triple-double per game that Wei Guo couldn't even do.

Cummings said, "I can understand Zoran's excitement, but what's going on with you guys?"

Zoran isn't the only one with dark circles under his eyes; it's just that Zoran's skin tone makes his dark circles more noticeable. As for the other players, you have to look closely to see that their dark circles are darker than their skin tone.

"I'm just excited."

Stockton waved his hand and asked, "Where are Wei and Lao Jin?"

"Old Jin went to the farmers' market."

"Brother Wei... he might be a little late. My wife just finished filming her movie and came over yesterday."

"Ooh ooh ooh..."

The Nets players looked sly, as if they were about to see Wei Guo clutching his back and leaning against the wall.

Stockton and his teammates couldn't sleep because they were excited. The playoffs were finally here. As for their first-round opponent, they didn't care at all. They thought the Nets could go toe-to-toe with the Knicks even without their starters.

The Nets also have a significant advantage: playoff experience.

Most of the players on this team have extensive playoff experience, and two of them have won championships: Wei Guo and Cummings.

Besides defending the country...

Players like Kenyon and Kiddell made the playoffs last year, not to mention veterans like Stockton, whose playoff experience is arguably the most extensive on the team. The reason Wei Guo recruited Stockton was precisely for the playoffs.

These players, with their incredible playoff experience, were so excited about the team making the playoffs that they couldn't sleep, something Cummings couldn't understand.

......

Around 3 p.m., Wei Guo and Britney appeared hand in hand at the stadium.

Then...

Wei Guo went to the locker room, while Britney went to the competition venue. Spectators were already entering the venue, and they were incredibly excited to see Britney sitting in the front row playing on her phone.

Britney Spears is now developing her career in film, television, and music, and with her company devoting all its resources to promoting her, she is showing signs of becoming a top star in the entertainment industry.

This means that on the basketball court, if they appeared in public, Britney would have more fans than Wei Guo.

......

Around 5 a.m., the Nets players entered the court to warm up.

The Knicks' team bus has arrived, and the players have entered the arena to prepare for the game. Even though they are ranked eighth in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks will not give up on the game.

Getting a black eight is a really cool thing.

Starting lineup for this match:

Brooklyn Nets: Stockton, Hill, Wei Guo, Kenyon, Mourning

Knicks: Marbury, Houston, Thomas, Kurt, Mohammed

Penny Hardaway wasn't in the starting lineup, but he'll likely get plenty of playing time. He'll probably be on the court for a few minutes in the first quarter. If the Knicks want to beat the Nets, Marbury and Houston alone won't be enough; every player needs to perform exceptionally well.

certainly...

Marbury remains very confident.

In his view, the Nets were nothing but a paper tiger. Apart from Wei Guo, the team only had the seriously injured Hill and Mourning, and veteran Stockton. As for the other players, he didn't take them seriously at all. The Knicks were not without a chance to win.

Star players are often arrogant; they always think they can go toe-to-toe with Wei Guo.

The match begins...

Mourning jumped for the ball again, Mohammed slapped the ball into Marbury's hands, Thomas slipped to the three-point corner, Marbury made a long pass, and the ball ended up in Thomas's hands.

No one is defending!

Thomas receives the ball and shoots a three-pointer!

Perhaps he wasn't prepared, or perhaps he was too excited... In any case, Thomas's shot was incredibly powerful, flying all the way behind the backboard!

"That shot! Hahaha..."

Gentry slapped his thigh and laughed uncontrollably. After a while, Gentry's face fell, and he said in a low voice, "Forgive me...forgive me...this laugh has cost me ten years of merit."

Marbury demanded, "How did you shoot that?!"

"My hand slipped..."

Thomas smiled and said, "I'm sorry, I'm not ready yet."

The Knicks don't have many players who can shoot three-pointers, but Thomas is definitely one. However, that shot was a bit off; the ball flew out of bounds, and possession went to the Nets.

Stockton kept the ball firmly under control!

Compared to Marbury, Stockton, who has played in the professional league for twenty years, is much more composed. He did not rush to pass the ball, but instead had Wei Guo come up to set a screen and then passed the ball to Wei Guo. When Wei Guo received the ball, he was only three steps away from the basket.

Muhammad and Thomas moved towards the basket.

but...

Instead of attacking the basket, Wei Guo used a floater, a move he rarely employs.

"Whoosh!!!"

The basketball swished through the net!

Muhammad was very surprised, "He knows all of this?"

There aren't many players in the league who are good at the floater, and most of them are small players. They use this move to prevent their shots from being blocked by big men. But how many people can block Wei Guo's shot?

Therefore, it's quite possible to see Wei Guo score with a floater on the court...

This deepened Muhammad's respect for Wei Guo. With such a well-rounded player as Wei Guo constantly improving his skills, what reason did they have not to work hard?