216. The 2006-07 Playoffs Begin
During the awards ceremony, the National Team players were moved to tears as they watched the national flag rise over Saitama.
Li Chen was also struggling to control his emotions, but having lived two lives, he managed to restrain himself. This was just the beginning, he thought to himself.
After the international competition concluded, Li Chen returned to New York to begin preparing for the next season.
It's worth mentioning that Lowry, Paul Millsap, and others performed well in the Summer League, while only Tucker underperformed.
However, as a transmigrator, Li Chen knew that PJ Tucker would definitely make it; it was just a matter of time.
During this time, Li Chen took the opportunity of his birthday to bring Avril back home, as the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
The two talked all night, but Avril couldn't continue the conversation... and didn't get up the next day.
She regretted it a little; she shouldn't have been angry with Li Chen.
It's worth mentioning that Li Chen's former Clippers teammate, Charliedson, joined the Knicks.
This guy has a pretty good shooting percentage, and that's why Alvin Gentry signed him.
On November 2nd, the Knicks played their first game of the 2006-07 season.
Li Chen did not play in this game, but the game was very intense, going into three overtime periods. Richardson scored a team-high 31 points.
Wang Zhizhi also scored 21 points.
The Knicks then went on a three-game winning streak.
Their opponent in Game 4 is the Spurs.
Li Chen is always very aggressive when playing against the Spurs, especially since this game is a home game against the Spurs.
Even the peak GDP couldn't save them, and the Knicks easily defeated the Spurs 110-105.
Duncan was going crazy. They just couldn't understand how someone could be so petty. How many years had it been? Three years and this guy was still holding a grudge.
From the 2002-03 season onwards, Li Chen's record against the Spurs is an astonishing 100%! Can you believe it?
Li Chen was like an insurmountable mountain, blocking the Spurs' path.
At this moment, Popovich truly regretted his actions. Li Chen in his normal state was manageable, and peak GDP could also be handled, but the enhanced version of Li Chen was really difficult for them.
As the saying goes, "If you don't court death, you won't die," and this is all Popovich's own doing.
Li Chen continued his outstanding performance in this game, scoring 35 points and dishing out 15 assists.
Their next opponent was none other than the Three Musketeers, the Rockets.
It's worth mentioning that JR Smith, that unruly guy, has publicly challenged Tracy McGrady, saying that the Rockets only need those three players and they don't need sickly guys.
These remarks almost made Tracy McGrady back down.
But he had nothing to say, after all, he had a congenital illness.
The match started very intensely, and the score remained close until the very end.
But in the end, Li Chen deliberately allowed JR Smith to win the game against the Knicks despite his defense.
Li Chen's move boosted JR Smith's popularity; Li Chen is the league's best defender!
It has to be said, Li Chen is really cunning. He wasn't satisfied with just getting rid of Yao Ming; he also wanted to get rid of Tracy McGrady.
Morey exclaimed, "What the hell did I do to deserve this? I didn't do anything!"
Having defeated the Knicks despite being guarded by his teammate, JR Smith was incredibly arrogant and overconfident, as if the entire United States couldn't contain him.
With the support of his friends, he became even more reckless in his attacks on Tracy McGrady.
After playing the Rockets, the Knicks will face the Spurs again, but this time the Knicks will be playing on the road.
However, for Li Chen, there was no difference between playing at home and away.
However, playing at home gives the Spurs a significant advantage.
From the start of the first quarter, the two teams were neck and neck.
During the second quarter rotation, rookies like Lowry clearly struggled to adapt to the Spurs' high-intensity defense, and their performance was inconsistent.
Alvin Gentry didn't plan to make any substitutions; it was just a regular season game, and he didn't care much about it anymore.
But Li Chen cared, so he started to play one-on-one. But an extremely frustrating scene unfolded: the Spurs, known for their defense, couldn't stop Li Chen.
Because whenever he encounters Li Chen, Bowen becomes timid, and crossing Bowen is as easy as crossing a street in the early morning.
Popovich was furious at the sight, but there was nothing he could do. Bowen was just going to do this, and there was nothing he could do about it.
If you say you'll terminate his contract, the Spurs desperately need a player like him; but if you don't, he's really soft when playing against Li Chen!
In the second quarter, thanks to Li Chen's strong performance, the score remained close.
However, after Wang Zhizhi hit two consecutive three-pointers at the start of the third quarter, he seemed to have turned on the switch for the Knicks' offense, with other players hitting three-pointers one after another. In this quarter, the Knicks hit ten three-pointers.
The Spurs were completely crushed. Spurs were ultimately defeated 120-100.
Li Chen scored 45 points and had 18 assists in this game.
The Spurs suffered a crushing defeat, prompting an angry post-game press conference from Popovich who suggested the league abolish the three-point shot.
He really couldn't understand why the Knicks' rookie draft picks were all so amazing, and their three-point shooting was incredibly accurate. He was going crazy.
The Knicks went 16-1 in November.
Ranked first in the Eastern Conference.
In their first game of December, the Knicks faced the Pistons, a team Li Chen disliked. As a result, Li Chen performed exceptionally well, scoring 30 points and dishing out 20 assists.
They ultimately defeated the Pistons 108-100.
On New Year's Day 2007, Pinduoduo, an online shopping platform, began its trial operation.
Pinduoduo's free shipping for members on orders under 1000 yuan has attracted a large number of merchants, and the platform's commission is half that of Taobao.
Therefore, there are a lot of merchants on the platform. That's how people are; there are always good and bad ones. Even so, there are still unscrupulous merchants who sell counterfeit goods or shortchange customers.
Li Chen no mercy to such merchants, fully embodying the essence of a capitalist. He first fined them 10,000 yuan the first time, doubled it the second time, and so on, doubling the amount each time.
Li Chen also puts a lot of effort into user-reported violations, offering rewards ranging from 100 to 1000 yuan if the report is found to be true.
Of course, for a boss who doesn't care about making money, employee benefits are a given.
Originally, the company only needed 1,000 people, but Li Chen hired 3,000, with employees working in three shifts. He took his wealth and capriciousness to the extreme.
In terms of express delivery, we offer door-to-door delivery in both urban and rural areas.
The courier's benefits are also the best in the industry, with five social insurances and one housing fund as a must, and the price per order is also higher than that of other couriers.
Although the pay is good, the requirements for delivery drivers are also very high; if a customer gives a bad review, their pay will be deducted.
Of course, this excludes giving negative reviews without a valid reason.
Li Chen's move nearly brought the express delivery industry to its knees. However, they later felt relieved.
Jack Ma cried too; he was about to be Pinduoduo.
Half Taobao the merchants on Pinduoduo, causing Alibaba's stock to plummet and resulting in losses of tens of billions of RMB in just one week.
Unfortunately, Taobao has started lowering its platform commission rates, but merchants on the platform are still not seeing much improvement because they don't have the trump card of free shipping.
After all, other courier companies wouldn't work for Jack Ma without making a profit.
Furthermore, Pinduoduo Express does not accept business from external parties; it only serves Pinduoduo, so it does not affect the interests of other express delivery companies at all.
Unless Jack Ma also sets up his own courier company.
Pinduoduo does have its drawbacks, namely that it does not support Alipay payments; it only supports WeChat Pay and bank card payments.
Li Chen is no longer hiding anything. I'm just going to have a run for my Taobao, so do whatever you want.
However, quite a few merchants have still joined the Taobao platform.
Yes, those merchants who were fined by Pinduoduo and engaged in dishonest practices have all moved to Taobao.
Their arrival further damaged Taobao's reputation, with some users canceling their Alipay accounts and switching to Pinduoduo.
At the same time, in order to support domestic products, Li Chen granted the company a zero-commission policy.
His only requirement is that the quality be up to standard, the price be low, and the platform give him sufficient resources. Uh... except for Li Ning.
Li Ning protested his innocence, but Li Chen refused to accept any rebuttal.
That's how things sometimes are; you do something with the intention of not making money, but then you unexpectedly reap unexpected rewards.
That's how Li Chen is. He started Pinduoduo with the intention of not making money due to fierce competition, but with its huge user base, the profits are very considerable.
Li Chen was also somewhat surprised by this phenomenon, so he pressed on and pushed the competition to its extreme, offering another 10 billion yuan subsidy. Of course, he wouldn't lose money to promote the product, after all, he still had his shareholders to consider.
Wow, with this big move, even JD. com can't sit still.
But Li Chen didn't care. This is how I play. Do whatever you want.
After achieving success in the domestic market, Pinduoduo is also preparing to expand into overseas markets.
Li Chen's questionable actions caused Alibaba's stock to continue to plummet.
Meanwhile, Lei Jun has already selected a location for his company, Xiaomi is about to be launched ahead of schedule.
On NBA All-Star Day in February, Li Chen delivered an unstoppable performance with 35 points and 20 assists, winning the All-Star MVP award once again.
David Stern went from initial excitement to eventual helplessness, his old eyes filled with disdain.
It's as if it's saying, "Why is it you again?" I'll say it or not, don't Easterners have a spirit of humility? Can't you let others experience what it's like to be in this position?
Li Chen winked, as if to say, "Didn't James win last season?"
Kobe was frustrated; he realized that as long as Li Chen was around, he had no future!
At the end of the season, the Knicks led the league with a 72-12 record.
They have three more wins than the Dallas Mavericks, who are currently ranked first in the Western Conference.
On April 22, as the Playoffs began, the regular season MVP was also announced.
Li Chen won the regular season MVP award again with 33 points, 15.8 assists, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.5 steals.
Meanwhile, Li Chen achieved a field goal percentage of 55.5%, a three-point percentage of 50.7%, and a field goal percentage of 97.5%, entering the 200 club for the first time.
He was also the first genuine member of the 200 Club.
It's worth mentioning that this season, Nowitzki is averaging 24.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 0.7 steals per game, with a field goal percentage of 50.2%, a three-point percentage of 41.6%, and a free throw percentage of 90.4%. He has entered the 180 Club for the first time.
Unfortunately, with Li Chen's 200 Club preceding him, his 180 Club appears somewhat lackluster.
The Knicks' first-round Playoffs opponent is the Wizards are ranked eighth.
The Knicks showed no mercy, sweeping the Wizards 4-0.
The Miami Heat, ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference, also swept the Eastern Conference -ranked Raptors 4-0 to advance.
The Pistons also swept the New Jersey Nets 4-0.
The Cavaliers swept the Bulls 4-0.
Goodness, all the Eastern Conference teams advanced with sweeps!
Western Conference.
Dirk Nowitzki, who gained nothing this year, was still upset by the Warriors in the first round, and the Warriors' head coach is none other than the mad scientist Old Nelson, the former head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.
This result left Nowitzki somewhat frustrated.
The Suns defeated the seventh-ranked Nuggets 4-1.
The Lakers, ranked third, battled the Rockets in a seven-game series before the Lakers narrowly secured a victory.
It's worth mentioning that Tracy McGrady is injured again, and the Rockets are basically being carried by Rockets three sharpshooters.
JR Smith rarely complains in the media about Tracy McGrady, who has the highest salary, yet he either underperforms or gets injured in the Playoffs.
JR Smith's words made Morey fall into deep thought. He thought to himself, "Indeed, the players I picked are the most reliable. I'll trade Tracy McGrady next season."
The fourth-ranked Spurs defeated the Jazz 4-2.
On May 6, the second round of the Playoffs began, with the Knicks hosting their old rivals, the Miami Heat.
Unfortunately, with Shaquille O'Neal's performance declining further, the Miami Heat were swept 4-0 by the Knicks in this matchup, as expected.
The Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the third year.
On the other side, the Cavaliers displayed their prowess, eliminating the Pistons with a 4-2 series win and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time.
Western Conference.
The Spurs swept the underdog Warriors 4-0.
The Lakers battled the Suns to seven games again, and then faced the Spurs once more in the Western Conference Finals.
After successfully losing weight this season, Yao Ming's injury rate has decreased significantly.
Therefore, Kobe believed that they would definitely be able to defeat the Spurs this season, advance to the NBA Finals, meet Li Chen's Knicks, and finally win the championship.
"The perfect script, "Kobe thought to himself with delight.
The Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and the Lakers tipped off on May 21 at the Frostbank Center.
The Spurs, with home-court advantage, took the first game.
On the other hand, Li Chen knew that the US financial crisis would erupt in July, and Google's stock had already reached over $400.
But Google's stock continued to rise, however, Li Chen didn't want to wait any longer.
It's currently at $410, but historically, stocks have risen to over $430.
Fearing uncertainty, Li Chen decided to sell his stocks.
So he called Bill Duffy, and before Bill Duffy could ask any questions, Li Chen said, "Bill, it's about time. We can move in."
Bill Duffy finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although the stock had been rising steadily over the past few months, he couldn't feel happy at all; the word "anxious" wouldn't be an exaggeration.
After Li Chen said that today, I finally felt relieved.
Li Chen holds a large number of stocks, so he has reached an agreement with Larry Page to sell them without affecting the stock market.
Li Chen's stock represents approximately 13.3% of Google Company's stock.
Of course, there are requirements for Li Chen's cooperation.
His demand was that Xiaomi reduce its future purchases of smartphone chips by 10%.
Of course, Larry Page won't compromise so easily.
Li Chen eventually had to give up 10% of the Google Company to agree to the agreement.
Of course, Li Chen wouldn't give up these shares; if Old Lei disagreed, then forget it.