Chapter 565 The Ultimate Challenge Target

The news of Phil Knight's death had spread during the halftime break. As one of the top richest men in the United States and the largest partner of the NBA, the NBA and the God Arena chose to report this matter during the halftime break.

There was an uproar at the scene.

Ordinary fans naturally cheered. After all, they had been speculating that Lin Dong was assassinated by Nike. Now they can only say that retribution came too quickly. Being scared to death by a "living" Lin Dong was simply a great relief.

Many wealthy people on the sidelines had already picked up their mobile phones and phones.

They may not have economic dealings with Nike, but the United States is a market for capital. Nike's previous bad news, the rise of Under Armour, the breakup between NBA and Nike, etc., have already pushed this behemoth to the edge of the cliff. Now the helmsman is dead again. Nike has a few successors who can take over, but that refers to Nike's smooth transition under calm conditions. In the face of the current predicament, those people have no means to save Nike at all.

Those who have Nike stocks must sell them quickly. Wall Street's capital tycoons are afraid that they have already started to short Nike. They will not give shareholders time to react.

If there are business dealings, they are even more anxious. Many people left the scene to deal with various affairs. There are countless people who want to collect debts from Nike and urge payment for goods.

As for Nike's suppliers and sellers, they have already felt a major crisis that can affect the entire industry.

Nike is definitely going to collapse, but the sports goods market is still there. Although Adidas and Reebok have long been squeezed to the edge of the US market by Nike, they are still strong and have a good reputation in the United States. This will inevitably divide up a large piece of the market pie.

At the same time...

"Adidas and Reebok both have their own factories and OEM factories. Their business focus has been placed on Europe and the United States. It will take time to try to return to the US market." In the VIP box of the God Arena, Chu Bufan was smiling and saying to the phone: "So, how long do you think it will take for them to acquire your OEM factory at a fair price? Half a year? A year?"

"It's only 15% lower than the market price, which is not a small amount. A cold winter is coming in the US sports market. Although it will definitely pass, can you hold on until then? The price may be lower by then. It's not worth it for this 15%."

"Hahaha! Mr. Fick is really a straightforward person. Then it's settled. I'll have someone go to your company to sign the contract tomorrow."

After hanging up the phone, Chu Bufan and Plank looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.

Most of Under Armour's expansion in the first half of the year was arranged in stores, using hunger marketing to raise the brand's market value and expectations.

This move will definitely not last long, but they are just waiting, waiting for Nike to fall... When that time comes, Nike's factories and OEM factories across the United States will have a large number of vacancies in orders, and those manufacturers and workers will not be able to eat, and Under Armour will be able to reap this wave of wealth at the lowest price.

I thought it would take until next year, but I didn't expect Phil Knight to die in advance.

This is just the first one, and the one with the most information. Less than half an hour after Phil Knight's death, there will soon be a second, third, or even hundreds of factories... These OEM factories are enough to quickly seize the entire US market for Under Armour!

A blonde with a very explosive figure poured amber red wine into two glasses.

Chu Bufan took it from the girl with a smile.

For this financial tycoon from Longguo, the thing he is most proud of has never been his achievements in his career, but his record of killing thousands of people.

In Chu Bufan's words, riding various big horses is to win glory for the country.

Of course, today's "brilliance" has to be a little less publicized, after all, it is SoftBank's first major battle in the field of sporting goods.

He won beautifully, not only toppling one of the world's largest sporting goods companies, but also successfully supporting Under Armour to take over.

Adidas and Reebok want to share the cake? They really think too much.

In the first half of the year, Under Armour had already used several popular sneakers and Lin Dong's influence, plus hunger marketing to fill the appetite of the entire US market. Once it receives this wave of dividends from Nike, the market will be eaten up by Under Armour before Adidas and Reebok return to the US layout!

"Cheers!"

Chu Bufan raised his glass to Plank.

"Ah!" Chu Bufan paused, stretched out his hand and patted the blonde's raised buttocks.

"Pour another glass." He smiled and said to the very capable secretary: "We still have a shareholder."

As he said, he and Plank stood up together, and the secretary held the glass for the shareholder who had not arrived.

Chu Bufan smiled at Plank and Lin Dong who was resting on the bench below and said, "Hahaha, two super rich people, welcome to join the Forbes Billionaire Club!"

…………

The 'billionaire' in the field looked relaxed at this time.

Although this was the NBA Finals, it was G4, which was only one step away from the championship, and it was the fourth consecutive championship for the Supersonics.

But at this time, there was no excitement or impetuousness on his face, only a smile and indifference.

He had just heard about Phil Knight's matter. For this old guy who was deliberately trying to kill him, such a destination might be his best result.

Lin Dong turned his head to look at the Cavaliers bench, and just happened to see LeBron's eyes when he turned his head.

In the World Youth Championship, Lin Dong also saw LeBron's eyes change from bright to dim, mixed with confusion, fear, escape... But this time it felt a little different.

His eyes were dim, but this time they were much clearer, as if there was a little more calmness, the kind of dead calmness.

He looked at Lin Dong woodenly, and finally turned his head to the other side silently, his eyes were empty, and his heart was dead.

Lin Dong smiled.

He knew that LeBron was useless.

He was too easily influenced by capital, and he must have a lot of troubles now. These troubles were actually destined from the day he chose to tie himself to Nike.

But to be honest, he had no interest and no time to guess LeBron's thoughts.

Lin Dong looked up at the score on the electronic scoreboard, which had reached 74:39. Only half a game, the Supersonics had already led by a full 35 points.

This is not because the Cavaliers are weak.

Perhaps many commentators have analyzed the Cavaliers' loopholes and problems, but in fact, even without Artest and LeBron, the Cavaliers still have the strength of a super battleship.

Although O'Neal is at the end of his career, his strong physical fitness still allows him to compete with any center in the league today, and his power under the basket is still there.

Wade's skills have already matured. This season, he ranks second in the regular season scoring average, second only to Lin Dong. He is also active enough on the defensive end. He is already a replica of a boiled egg. The only thing he lacks is a kind of domineering and self-confidence that makes him unable to return to the state of returning to nature.

After all, he has a Lin Dong on his head, which seems to be the sorrow of all other players in this era, because that is a mountain that no one can climb over.

Not to mention Kidd, who has been famous for a long time and is one of the best point guards in the league, enjoying the reputation of an engine.

In addition, Larry Hughes, who replaced Artest, was also selected to the league's best defensive team last season and ranked fourth in the regular season steals list. His defense may not be as strong as Artest, but he is definitely a defensive stalwart.

Even Donyell Marshall, who replaced LeBron in the end, is nearing the end of his career, but he was once an All-Star player who averaged a double-double in the regular season. He also had a heroic performance of 20+ rebounds in two consecutive games. This season, when the Cavaliers replaced LeBron, he also averaged 7.6 points per game, which is definitely not a weak player.

In addition, with the coach Lanny who has rich coaching experience, if this team configuration was put in two or three years ago, I dare not say that it swept the league, but it would definitely be a top-notch team with a chance of winning the championship easily greater than 50%, but now...

It's not that they are weak, but this Supersonics is too strong!

In terms of personal strength, Iguodala and Rukawa are both quasi-All-Stars, and they are energetic and have clear tactical positioning. Chandler and Payton should be considered in the same tier. The former has All-Star data, while the latter has All-Star performance, using his experience to make up for his physical shortcomings.

As for Sakuragi Hanamichi, his growth this year is almost equal to the sum of the previous years.

Lin Dong gave him too many opportunities. Against Kobe, LeBron, and all the trump cards in the league, his rapid growth in defensive skills has made him leap from a standard All-Star rookie to a super giant, and he is now the only No. 1 defender in the league who can defend from position 1 to position 5.

As for Lin Dong... is there anything else to say?

His existence is not only superior to all other players, but also selfless ball possession, team leadership, and various advanced tactical play that surpass the current NBA league... It can be said that his existence, in addition to being a BUG, ​​is enough to improve his teammates around him as a whole!

In this way, the Sonics have a basketball god and three superstars, as well as two All-Star substitutes, and all the players cooperate skillfully and tacitly, and the tactics are natural!

Inside, forward, outside, there is no shortcoming, and the tactics are ahead of this era.

Lin Dong is very sure that no one can beat this Sonics, whether it is the 96 Bulls or the 99 OK combination, or the future 10 Heat and 17 Warriors.

Beat the Cavaliers? That's a matter of course.

Maybe the Sonics will not be so strong next year. Even without Nike's intervention, the league will not let a team dominate so much. They can even beat their opponents by 50 points in the finals...

At the same time, his rookie contracts with Sakuragi Hanamichi and Iguodala have expired. The first two will definitely be the highest salary, and the latter, as a hero of four consecutive championships, plus he has been selected into the league's best defensive second team, even if Iguodala himself is willing to reduce his salary, according to the league rules, he can't reduce it at all, and he must be a high-paid middle-class.

Chandler's salary is probably matched with Iguodala's, and even Rukawa Kaede will most likely get a middle-class contract.

To put it bluntly, if the Sonics want to keep this lineup, the luxury tax for next season must start directly from the fourth-tier luxury tax. Although the Sonics have indeed made a lot of money in recent years and Lin Dong himself is not short of money, it is impossible to let a team run at a loss just to keep the lineup. That is not in line with business principles, nor does it meet the expectations of the league and everyone.

The journey of the Supersonics may not be over yet, but for the Supersonics and himself, this league has no challenges.

At this moment, Lin Dong felt as if he understood Jordan who retired that year.

The guy who chose to retire to play baseball at the peak of his career, his first retirement was because his father passed away and because his father once hoped that he would take the professional path of baseball.

But what about the second time?

No challenge, no passion, no expectation of glory and victory, all of which have long become boring...

No, speaking of challenges, there are still some after all.

That is the 2008 Olympics!

At that time, it might be difficult for me to be stronger than now. After reaching the real peak, it is difficult to go further. Instead, it requires continuous high-intensity training to maintain the current level.

However, the Dragon National Team is far inferior to the configuration of this Supersonics, even if this national team is equipped with myself and Dayao.

Only in the 2008 Olympics to defeat the United States and fulfill the wishes of all Dragon people in another world will it be my ultimate challenge and goal!

Now... let yourself and the world feel the power of this Supersonics!

Beep!

The referee blew the whistle to return to the second half.

The Cavaliers still didn't play LeBron, but they obviously didn't intend to give up the game. The five tigers lineup was Wade, O'Neal, Kidd, Larry Hughes and Marshall.

As for the Supersonics...

It is said that after leading by more than 30 points, the Supersonics would change the substitute lineup to practice, at least let the main players go down for rotation.

But this is the last game of the four consecutive championships after all, after all, it is the focus of everyone's attention and expectations. The Supersonics did not hesitate in the selection. Except for Payton who was indeed panting and sitting down to rest, the Supersonics also played the full main lineup.

Lin Dong, Sakuragi Hanamichi, Chandler, Iguodala, Rukawa Kaede!

Seeing the Supersonics line up this lineup, Lanny, Wade and other Cavaliers couldn't help but sigh secretly.

This really didn't give them any chances...

If we only look at the second half, the game is still exciting.

The Cavaliers began to focus on the connection between Wade and O'Neal. After knowing that they were destined to lose, Wade, who was determined to go all out, faced Lin Dong's defense and played several beautiful performances. Various magical shots were staged, which helped the Cavaliers win a lot of applause from the fans on the scene. After Chandler committed four fouls, he began to restrain his offense against O'Neal.

First, the Sonics had a huge lead and there was no need to hack the Shark. Second, after the Cavaliers lost LeBron, there was no one who could partner with O'Neal in the twin towers. Sakuragi Hanamichi's help defense could also make up for Chandler's defensive loopholes to a certain extent.

Chandler gave up the foul and Sakuragi Hanamichi also began to block the outside line, which gave O'Neal an opportunity to play under the basket. Under the control of the Sonics' 80% defense and Kidd, the Cavaliers supported the Cavaliers in the second half on both offense and defense, and fought back and forth with the Sonics who slowed down a little.

However, the 35-point difference could not be narrowed at all. Although it did not continue to widen, it made the entire second half of G4 without suspense.