Author: Dong Wangyi

On the court, Zhou Quan lay down for a while and then accepted a live interview with TNT TV station.

"Iron Fist, everyone said that your performance in the playoffs will decline, but you have performed more efficiently. What makes you so efficient?" the reporter asked.

"The team is in trouble tonight. I have to get closer to the basket and perform efficiently to help the team. This is the reason." Zhou Quan said with a smile.

The reason why he was so efficient tonight was because of the huge effort he made in terms of physical fitness. He kept pushing forward and getting up again after being knocked down. In addition, he did not hesitate to defend with physical strength and did not hesitate to get injured. Otherwise, how could he have performed like this?

The only regret is that he is more likely to make mistakes after entering the crowd. He probably did not meet the system's requirements for assist-to-turnover ratio. This needs to be made up for in the next series.

Back in the locker room, the team doctor massaged his calf and then soaked it in an ice bucket.

Others were not as tired as he was. They were still very excited when they returned to the locker room, shouting, talking, and thinking about how to win in the second home game.

Indeed, being able to win even though it was so difficult today gave them great confidence.

Self-confidence has improved, which is a good thing, but Zhou Quan is not as optimistic as them.

Today, he has exhausted his physical fitness. It is almost unrealistic for him to perform like tonight in the G2 game. His physical fitness is only level 92.

But if the Assassins, Joe Dumars, and Rodman can step up, there is hope for two consecutive victories, because in real terms, the Knicks will not be better than them, otherwise the rebound tonight

The advantage was so great, why did he lose?

"Iron Fist, these are your statistics for this game." Assistant coach Musk handed over a statistics table.

"Thanks."

Zhou Quan took it and looked at it.

Sure enough, the assist-to-turnover ratio was 2.5, which did not reach the excellent level of 3.

Chuck Daly talked to McCloskey outside for a while, then came in and began summarizing the game.

"Gentlemen, you played good defense tonight, which is worthy of praise. We played a stronger defensive performance than the Knicks. This is the most important reason why we won the game."

"I would also like to praise Iron Fist. You know why, it was our rookie point guard who performed at a superstar level, so we had a chance to win the game."

"I won't talk about the poor performance of some people. You must also have a sense of shame. I hope you can perform better in the next games and don't put the pressure on Iron Fist alone."

Having said this, he looked at the Assassins, then at Joe Dumars, and at Rodman.

These three guys, two main players and one important substitute, didn't perform well tonight, but everyone else performed well.

Although Joe Dumars scored 16 points and his shooting percentage was not low, he did not have a single rebound, no breakthrough, and no damage. He was very dissatisfied with Joe Dumars' performance today.

Joe Dumars' performance increased the pressure on Iron Fist. Although he won tonight, Iron Fist's excessive physical exertion will definitely affect his performance in the next game.

Then the players began to take a shower, Daly called Joe Dumars out, and the two began to communicate in the corridor outside.

"Qiao, why don't you rush in tonight? That's what I ask of you." He asked seriously.

Joe Dumas said awkwardly: "Chuck, I don't have the breakthrough ability of Iron Fist."

Dai Li shook his head and said: "The inside line comes out to cover you. There is not completely no space inside. You can rush in. I know you have this ability.

So tell me what you think? Is it because you have two championships and you don’t want to fight anymore? You promised Iron Fist that everyone should work together, and you are still the leader of this team."

"No, of course not."

Joe Dumars shook his head quickly and said helplessly: "Oakley and Ewing's defense is quite rough, especially Oakley's defense is fighting. Iron Fist was knocked down by him at least five times today. I am also older now."

If he gets injured, he may be like Isiah and no longer be able to help the team."

A trace of sadness flashed in Chuck Daly's eyes. Once upon a time, as long as Laimbeer stood under the basket, who in the other teams in the league would dare to rush in?

And now, as the main shooting guard of the Bad Boys, Joe Dumars actually doesn't dare to attack the Knicks' basket.

After all, I have still lost my spirit. With two championships and an FMVP, I will no longer do everything for honor.

Look at Tekken, how much did you pay to win a G1 battle?

But he understands that this is the difference between the old and the new.

The G2 game is on the 25th. Now he just hopes that Zhou Quan's physical fitness can recover.

At this time, he suddenly discovered that although the nominal leader of the team was still Joe Dumas, in fact, the replacement of the old and the new had been completed, and Zhou Quan had become the most important person. Whether it was unintentionally or not, Joe Dumas

It was still intentional and the burden had been handed over to Zhou Quan.

But at this time Joe Dumars said: "Jack, don't worry, I will work hard in the next games. I am really just afraid that I will be injured and unable to help the team. If you want me to increase breakthroughs, I can."

"That's good. But don't really get hurt. Without you, Iron Fist can't carry the piston now." Chuck Daly nodded happily, and his mood improved.

"Coach Musk, have the results of those three games come out?" In the locker room, Zhou Quan took a towel and was about to take a shower, then stopped and asked.

Rick Musk nodded and said: "The green team defeated the Pacers, 113:124, winning by 9 points."

Joe Dumas, who just came in, said in surprise: "The score is so high, haven't they strengthened their defense?"

Musk laughed and said: "They all felt good today, and their shooting percentages actually exceeded 50%.

One thing they are similar to us tonight is that the Green Team grabbed 48 rebounds, while the Pacers only had 24, and the gap was even bigger than us."

Zhou Quan and others couldn't help laughing. They were 24 rebounds short, and the Pacers were still able to score 113 points. They were indeed strong enough.

Musk added: "The Western Suns defeated the Spurs, 111:117, and the score was also very high. The Warriors lost to the SuperSonics, with a score of 117:109."

Defensive coach Lelo Wilt laughed: "The Warriors were third in the Western Conference and lost to the sixth-place SuperSonics. They had offense but no defense. It's not surprising at all that they lost."

"It seems that the game between us and the Knicks is the least interesting to watch." Zhou Quan complained and walked to the bathroom.

"No, Iron Fist, although the score of our game is low, it is not bad to watch. You can often pass some incredible balls, and you and others can often hit alley-oop dunks. There are always several times in a game.

The ratings for our regular season games are not bad."

Joe Dumars followed in with a towel.

"Yeah?"

Zhou Quan became happy.

If the ratings are poor, there will be fewer live broadcasts across the United States, which will definitely affect him. Therefore, a team's style of play is also very important and must be entertaining, at least in the regular season.

An hour later, the post-match press conference was held.

In the Knicks press conference hall, reporters were very enthusiastic about asking questions.

"Coach Riley, what was the reason for losing today?" a reporter from the New York Daily News asked.

Riley said seriously: "There are many reasons, the most important are three points.

First, the Pistons played a strong overall defense, which prevented us from playing an efficient offense.

Second, we suffered a loss at position 1 and were unable to organize an attack.

Third, our own defense did not do its best. The most typical example is that we did not successfully limit Tie Fist's performance on the offensive end. He frequently went to the paint area, caused damage, assisted, and scored by himself, which posed a huge threat to us.

.

Finally, coupled with too many turnovers, these combined made our offense a mess, and even with a huge advantage in rebounding, we could not win the game."

"What changes do you think should be made in the next game to win the away game?" the reporter asked.

Pat Riley said: "There are not many ways. The Pistons are so strong. They are the strongest defensive team in the league, so it is possible for him to beat us and for us to beat him.

My approach is to maintain our strengths while improving our weaknesses.

To be precise, it means strengthening our defense, preventing opponents from attacking our penalty area, and continuing to maintain our advantage in rebounding."

"Patrick, are you satisfied with your performance today?" a reporter asked Ewing.

Ewing hated reporters the most. When he heard this question, a look of impatience flashed in his eyes.

He had a dull face as if hesitating, tilted his head and thought for a while, then smacked his lips as if he was organizing his words, and finally said expressionlessly: "I will work harder."

That's it? Just that, you thought about it for two minutes? The reporters below were simply speechless.

The atmosphere on the Pistons side is much better than that on the Knicks side.

"Iron Fist, you performed so well tonight, shattering those who said your performance would decline in the playoffs. What do you want to say most at this moment?" a reporter asked.

"The team's victory is the best thing tonight, personal statistics are not important."

After Zhou Quan said these lofty words, he felt that his image became a little more majestic.

However, isn't it a bit hypocritical? For the sake of system tasks, he still attaches great importance to personal data.

"Pa bang bang..."

Applause broke out at the scene, with Pistons general manager McCloskey leading the applause.

He was becoming more and more fond of the young man he had chosen. Today, Iron Fist's breakthroughs again and again made him seem to see the sharpness that an assassin at his peak possesses that could pierce through anything.

"Iron Fist, can you still perform like tonight in the next series?" a reporter asked again.

Zhou Quan told the truth: “I am only responsible for playing the game with my best, and the result is something that God can decide.

Well, God, you can understand it as your God."

"Troy?"

McCloskey called his assistant Weaver out of the press conference hall, went to a secluded area and said, "Troy, are you ready?"
To be continued...