"Target, second in the Atlantic Zone!"

As soon as this sentence came out of the training venue, it got into Justin's ears, and the blonde boy was a little stunned when he heard it, and he was in a trance for a while before he reacted:

That's a great headline!

Coming to the 76ers team center today, Justin's purpose was not to make a report, but to get acquainted with the team staff, and by the way, help the editor-in-chief ask for an autographed basketball.

Although it has not been a long time since he entered the professional media circle, Justin is also a top student who graduated from a prestigious university majoring in journalism, and after hearing this sentence, he secretly pondered and felt that the first report with the team should be done with such a theme, and the effect should be quite good.

As mentioned earlier, the Philadelphia City Newspaper has spared no effort to support the 76ers for various reasons, on the one hand, in order to win over young readers, they need this kind of coverage that supports passionate dreams to attract attention. On the other hand, with the 76ers not being favored by the media throughout Philadelphia, the newspaper's distinctive style is obviously easier to stand out in the newsstand.

"Second in the Atlantic......

Thinking about it carefully, as a die-hard fan, Justin can basically retell the ranking of the East so far this season.

The 76ers are currently 10th in the East, and if they want to make the playoffs, they need to cross two opponents are Indiana and Orlando.

These two opponents are indeed a good opportunity for the 76ers, the two sides have almost the same record, Orlando is currently eighth, the difference in wins is only 2 games, and there is still a lot of hope to catch up with more than 20 games remaining.

The most important thing is that if the three teams end up with the same record, because in the regular season meeting, the 76ers have the best record against both teams, so they can end up being one head higher. It will be 76 people.

This is also one of the most significant characteristics of the 76ers this season, against strong teams, they basically lost a lot of money, they didn't have the slightest power to fight back, and the balls that should be won against weak teams were also thrilling, and against opponents of comparable strength, the 76ers were better in terms of luck and fighting spirit, and achieved several key victories.

A few unobtrusive wins may seem inconsequential in a long regular season, but when it comes to the playoffs. These accumulated little advantages will play a special role.

It can be said that the current record of the 76ers is basically the same as their strength, and they play a little extraordinarily, and the current record is basically the best embodiment of the 76ers' combat effectiveness in the league.

"Even if it overtakes Orlando and Indiana, which is eighth in the East and second in the Atlantic? Can this be done? ”

Justin couldn't believe Coach Cheeks' ambitions. Walking on, I finally figured it out the moment I stepped into the training ground.

This season's Atlantic Division, but the weakest and weakest in the Eastern Conference, is currently the second Nets team in the Atlantic Division. The winning percentage will be in the early 50 percent, and the 76ers do have a chance to catch up if they break out a few games.

The most important thing is to follow the current ranking. If they enter the playoffs in seventh or eighth place, the 76ers will face Detroit or Cleveland in the first round, which are definitely the big devils in the East now. The seven-game format has erased too many surprises and surprises, and it will be too difficult for the 76ers to overcome these two opponents.

But if you can enter the playoffs with the second ranking in the Atlantic Zone, the overall ranking will rise, and the ranking of about sixth, against the current third Raptors in the first round, the 76ers still have a good chance!

And after entering the training ground, Cheeks's next words also confirmed Justin's speculation.

"Detroit are very collective, both offensively and defensively, and it's going to be very difficult for us to get four wins against them. Cleveland has superstars, and limiting the play of superstars is our weakness, and it's very difficult to beat them as well. But if against Toronto, a team that doesn't have a superstar and is as committed as we are, we have a good chance! ”

Cheeks did not shy away from telling the truth, and the players ran back and forth on the pitch doing basic exercises, showing no dissatisfaction with Cheeks' words.

Theoretically, Cheeks' words are a little deflated, the playoffs are still far away, and when there is no word here, he first praised the opponents who may be playing, isn't this discouraged?

But when he thought about it, Justin understood the doorway.

If Cheeks were only speaking with the goal of hitting the playoffs at this time, the players would immediately think that after entering the playoffs, we would most likely play against a super strong team in the first round, and if we were swept home, it would be better not to enter the playoffs!

Although everyone has bonuses to get to the playoffs, most of the team is now rookies, and the contracts are very small, so the bonuses are naturally less proportionally. For this money, to go to the national live broadcast arena to lose face? Can we lose this man?

But what if they could overtake the Nets and become second in the Atlantic region......?

The Raptors, we played against them in the opening game of this season, and in the end they won, they had a psychological advantage, and the sixth beat the third, although it was also the following gram, but it sounded a little more reliable than the black seven and the black eight, right?

Cheeks took advantage of this subtle psychological change in the players to set what seems to be a bold goal. Whether it's to compete with Toronto, or to avoid Detroit and Cleveland, the players will practice more and more, and the desire to win will be stronger.

"Hello sir, this is the training ground, you can't ...... Oh, it's the reporter with the team, which media? ”

The assistant coach stepped forward and just wanted to kick out Justin, who was standing by the door to watch the team's training, but at a glance, he saw the freshly baked team press card hanging around Justin's neck, and asked in a friendly manner.

"Uh...... Oh! I'm a reporter for the NBA section of the Philadelphia City Journal, and I've just registered as a reporter with your team's public relations department, and this is my business card, and my name is ......."

"Justin!"

A shout came from the direction of the court, Justin was busy taking out his business card here, and when he looked up, it was Chen Mu who finished his training and walked off the field, wiping his sweat with a towel while waving to himself.

“…… Yes! Middle...... Old! ”

Justin was so frightened every time he saw Chen Mu. "Medium...... Chen: "This kind of title that changes his words halfway through is probably only understood by a few players who have had a relationship with him.

"YO, press card with the team?"

Another voice also came, Carney saw Justin's iconic blonde hair, grinned and came up, and he didn't shy away from it, reached out and grabbed Justin's press card and played with it, and laughed at the end: "A dream come true?" ”

“…… Well! ”

Although it was only the second time I had spoken to these people, for some reason, this core group represented the future direction of Philadelphia. It feels good to give Justin.

These people are about the same age as themselves, Chen Mu is even younger than himself, and everyone has their own temper and character, but after a little contact, you will find that these people are different from other players.

NBA players, even if they are just watching the water cooler, are the strongest basketball players in the world, and they are always a little arrogant in their hearts. If it weren't for being unfriendly to the media, it might cause criticism. Most of the players don't bother to deal with the media.

What's more, some famous stars or famous coaches not only don't like to deal with the media, but also take pleasure in making reporters look ugly. The most typical example is Barkley. The mention of this name in the Philadelphia media circle until now will make many reporters feel cold behind their backs, and they have not choked to death by a word from the fat man at the press conference? You must not be a good journalist.

and the cold-faced smiling man (fog) Bobozogovich, who everyone likes very much, how many times has he embarrassed the famous T-N-T sideline reporter and the man in color Craig Sagel to be unable to say half a sentence in the interview, and the interview with Popovich was even jokingly called "the final exam to become a qualified sideline reporter" by reporters in the circle. Triggering a chorus of approval.

However, although the NBA is a business league, people will always have feelings after a long time of contact. Look at it now. Barkley, once the atomic bomb of Philadelphia's media circle, has now turned into a commentator and joined a vast army of media. And Popovich also said to the camera after the news of Sagarh's leukemia came out, and he said to the camera during the game broadcast in the United States, "Come back quickly, I won't bully you anymore, and I must be interviewed well".

The sports media circle and the professional sports circle are originally one family, so why do they have to fight for the blood?

What makes Justin feel warm is the enthusiasm and peace of the 76ers boys, everyone does not put on a show, not only will not deliberately embarrass themselves, but also help themselves out, this atmosphere naturally moved Justin who has just entered the media circle.

Now Carney stepped forward to "flirt", Justin also knew that the other party was just joking, and after a few haha, he coughed and said: "Starting today, I will represent the city newspaper and become a reporter for the 76ers, I hope everyone can support my work more in the future, I am very grateful!" ”

“YO~！ What a touching scene~! ”

Carney was still not serious, and his words caused everyone to laugh.

Chen Mu also stepped forward with a smile and nodded to Justin: "It should be that we want you to support us a lot, and we must help us write reports so that everyone can see our fighting spirit, brother!" ”

“…… Be! ”

Chen Mu's "brother" is definitely not a rare word on the basketball court, or even just a mantra-like word.

But being able to be called a "brother" in front of everyone by the team's future core still made Justin almost moved to tears.

And Chen Mu's next words made Justin immediately make up his mind and become Chen Mu's brainless fan.

"Everyone remembers this young man, if he comes to interview in the future, give a face, and cooperate more, their city newspaper is on our side!" (To be continued......)