Head coach Paul Westphal added: "On the defensive end, we need to strengthen the protection of the paint area. Be careful of the powerful destructive power of Rainman. At the same time, strengthen the defense of Payton and try to cut off the passing routes of him and others.
, while strengthening defense against Ricky Pierce.”
After the tactical meeting, the team headed to the SuperSonics' home arena.
This arena is too old, and the decoration is not very good. A new arena is under construction. I heard that the name has been decided, and it will be called Key Arena.
After stretching his muscles, Wang Tiejun began to practice his pace training.
After watching for a while, the chief trainer Aaron Nelson said: "Old K, your low post pace is very unique, just like your low post shooting technique."
Barkley also noticed it and came over and said: "In these two games, Old K, you have increased the number of turns and slides, and your turn speed is faster."
Lao Wang stopped training and said proudly: "I just practiced this pace and my turning speed increased."
Aaron Nelson said: "Your absolute speed is still about the same and has not increased, but the speed of turning and starting is a little faster. Is this the same as your back hitting, which is caused by the force-generating technique?"
Lao Wang gave Aaron a thumbs up and said: "Yes, whether it's a low post shot or a low post pace, I have my own unique power-generating skills in relying on the strike, turning and starting."
"Who taught you this? Was it your personal trainer, that Lao Zhang?" Buckley asked curiously.
"Absolutely impossible, the time doesn't match up." Aaron Nelson shook his head.
"Don't think too much, this is my own improvement of the force-generating technique, and it is the force-generating movement that is most suitable for my body."
Lao Wang didn't explain it either, because it would be too troublesome to explain, and the system thing is difficult to explain.
At seven o'clock, the arena was already full of people.
The SuperSonics' market is still good. Rainman has been here for four seasons. His explosive style of play has brought a good market to the team.
"Sean, will you dunk on that old K tonight? I heard he is very crazy."
"Be careful, that guy is a violent maniac, don't provoke him easily."
"Better put a dunk on Barkley's head, I think he's shorter than me."
"Ha ha……"
In the home team's locker room, the SuperSonics players were chatting animatedly.
Rainman Sean Kemp tied his shoelaces awkwardly, stood up, and an exaggerated smile appeared on his honest face, and shouted excitedly: "Guys, I can tell you, tonight I
To play on top of their heads, I have to look down at them from high altitude, including the Chinese."
"Oh ho!"
A strange beast-like roar rang out from the locker room.
Payton smiled. After being drafted by the SuperSonics in 1990, he and Kemp grew up together. With their combination of inside and outside, he even had the confidence to challenge Jordan. These two seasons were crucial, and he wanted to hit the NBA championship.
Champion, I feel excited just thinking about it. This is only his third season.
However, the Suns are also very strong this season. They picked up a Chinese player at the center position and strengthened them a bit. They are a very strong opponent for the SuperSonics.
At 7:30, both sides announced the starting lineup.
Suns: Wang Tiejun, Barkley, Cedric Ceballos, Dan Marley, Kevin Johnson
SuperSonics: Michael Cage, Shawn Kemp, Derek McKay, Ricky Pierce, Payton
This game was broadcast live across the United States by ESPN, and the commentators were Winston Rollin and Carter Oldman. At this time, they got the starting lineup and immediately began to conduct relevant analysis.
Winston Rollin said: "The Supersonics' highest height is Rainman, who is 208 centimeters, which is not as good as the Suns' old K, but among their five starters, there are three guys who are over 206 centimeters, while the Suns' five starters,
There is only one with a height of more than two meters, which is at the bottom of the league, so the average height and supersonic speed are higher.
Let me talk about the fifth position first. Although Michael Cage is only 31 years old, he no longer has the superstar demeanor that he had in competing with Barkley for the rebounding title in the 1987/88 season."
Carter Oldman nodded and said: "After the knee injury, he deteriorated greatly. But that year, he averaged 15.7 rebounds per game in his second season, 14.5 rebounds in his third season, and grabbed 10 rebounds in the last game.
30 rebounds and stole the rebounding title from Barkley, he is a real rebounding beast."
Winston Rollin said: "The aging Michael Cage is not as good as the Suns' Old K in terms of height or tonnage. He can only compete with the young Old K with his rich experience and strong defensive ability.
At the fourth position, Rainman and Barkley will have a battle, but I'm sure that Old K, who has average mobility and defensive ability, will suffer when faced with Rainman's attack on the basket tonight."
Carter Oldman laughed and said: "Old K can't deal with opponents with excellent mobility, and Rain Man's threat to the penalty area is fatal. He can't guard Rain Man, that's for sure."
Winston Rollin continued: "McKay in the third position is taller than Cage in the fifth position. He is 208 centimeters and weighs only 95 kilograms. He is a person who is free from the third and fourth positions. Ceballos of the Suns
It's hard to guard him."
Carter Oldman laughed and said: "At the second position, Ricky Pierce and Dan Mulley can attack each other, and Payton's defense at the first position will give Kevin Johnson a headache."
Winston Rollin said: "I think the No. 1 position is critical. If Kevin Johnson is restricted by Payton, then the Suns' organization will be filled by Barkley. He has this ability. The Sonics must be careful."
Carter Oldman smiled and said: "Overall, the two teams are about the same strength. They are also ranked first and second in the Western Conference. There should be a battle tonight."
At 7:40, the starting lineups of the two teams came to the player tunnel, waiting to go out.
Familiar players from the two teams greeted each other in a friendly manner.
Lao Wang observed Rain Man Kemp, and he envied and hated the opponent's terrifying talents, whether it was jumping or explosive power.
Kemp smiled broadly at Lao Wang. His face looked very honest, but the smile showed a beast-like ferocity.
"Be careful!"
Lao Wang reminded himself that he must keep an eye on this guy tonight and don't let him dunk him.
At eight o'clock, the game starts.
Lao Wang and Rain Man stood opposite, preparing to jump the ball.
To be honest, he was a little nervous, because by jumping the ball, you could see how terrifying Rain Man's bounce was.
"Damn it, are you a rocket?"
The next moment, when he saw the rainman rushing towards him and slapping the ball away, he couldn't help but curse inwardly.
Supersonic offense.
Rainman landed, immediately rushed forward, and went straight to the basket.
Barkley quickly retreated and faced Rainman Kemp.
At this time, SuperSonics center Michael Cage suddenly went over to block Barkley.
"Pick and roll?" Barkley was surprised.
He was trying to bypass Cage, but it was already too late.
Shawn Kemp used the wall to throw Barkley away, and while moving towards the basket, he looked sideways and looked outside. The next moment, he saw the scene of expectation, Payton's ball was passed, and he flew up.
"Bang!"
An extremely explosive and wild flat-basket dunk, instantly blowing the Suns' basket over.
"yeah!"
SuperSonics home fans raised their arms and roared with excitement.
"Look, I said that Old K can't guard against Rain Man. He just can't guard against him. He can't keep up with the rhythm at all." Winston Rollin laughed at the ESPN live broadcast.
"He went to fight Michael Cage and didn't switch defense in time. This is because he didn't understand the pick-and-roll tactics enough." Carter Oldman laughed.
"..."
To be honest, Lao Wang didn't react to the Sonics' dunk after the pick-and-roll. He had only played in the game for more than a month, and his understanding of the use of various tactics was very limited. He was still in the early stages of a rookie, so he was a little confused.
If his tactical ability were stronger, he would immediately switch to the rain guard and return to defend the basket when Michael Cage was doing the pick-and-roll.
But fortunately, he went after Michael Cage and was not under the basket, otherwise he might have been dunked.
And this dunk also made his vigilance towards Rain Man rise to another level, even to the highest level.
"Rookie, why aren't you under the basket? Haha..."
After succeeding, the adrenaline in Yuren's body surged like a broken water pipe, and his emotions reached a very strong peak. He turned his head and smiled strangely at Lao Wang, with an extremely exaggerated look on his face.
smile.
A cold light appeared in Wang Tiejun's eyes. Is this guy determined to dunk him?
The Suns attacked, came to the frontcourt, and he moved directly to the basket.
SuperSonics head coach George Karl has his own frustrations regarding who should guard Wang Tiejun.
He is a former NBA player, a shooting guard, and the future coach Qian Sheng. His coaching philosophy is that there are no superstars, and everything depends on team play. Therefore, the Sonics scored evenly in his hands. This season, no player averaged more than 10,000 points per game.
Score more than 20.
He knew that it was difficult for Michael Cage to guard against Old K, and it was also difficult for McKay at the third position. Although he was a little taller, his tonnage was too light. If Old K touched him, he would be knocked away, and Rainman, the largest forward, also
Only 105 kilograms, but Barkley is the Suns' first scoring point, so in the end, Michael Cage can only be used to defend Old K.
When Wang Tiejun moved to the basket, the rest of the Suns were pulling away, and Michael Cage adopted an interference defense, anyway, just hanging around the former.
Although he is a center, next to Rain Man, their functions have changed. He helps Rain Man do the dirty work and looks like a power forward.
Even with a Michael Cage wrapped around him, Wang Tiejun easily got close to the basket.
At this time, Kevin Johnson was still some distance away from the top of the arc. Payton took a step to defend. He saw Wang approaching the basket. Without thinking, he pulled the ball up from the floor, pushed it with both hands, and the ball went from Payton.
Suddenly it flew over.
No matter how good Payton's defense was, he only had time to stretch out his hand.
Seeing the ball flying over, Wang Tiejun's feet suddenly stopped, his waist and abdomen twisted, and his left shoulder and chest suddenly leaned toward Michael Cage who was leaning against him.
Cage's whole body was shaken by the strength, his upper body leaned back slightly, and his body could not help but stiffen. Wang Tiejun took the opportunity to take off, grabbed the ball, then slightly adjusted his feet, forced Cage away, and then took off a second time.
, attacking the basket with one arm.
"Bang!"
The basket roared, and Wang Tiejun responded with a dunk.
During the ESPN live broadcast, Winston Rollin said: "The Sonics' biggest flaw is that they are too weak at the center position. Even if Michael Cage is at his peak, with his height and tonnage, it may be difficult to guard against him.
After all, even Dameng and Robinson can hardly prevent him from dying."
Carter Oldman nodded and said: "The SuperSonics, like the Suns, want to challenge for the championship this season, but I also think they are still missing a piece of the puzzle at the fifth position."
"If Old K goes to the SuperSonics, I think the combination of him and Rainman will make the SuperSonics more competitive for the championship." Winston Rollin said with a smile.
Carter Oldman smiled and said: "Actually, the Suns this season have the best record in the league and are very strong. The Spurs and Mosaic, where Dameng and Robinson are, are slightly inferior to the Suns in overall strength. The Suns are expected to reach the NBA Finals.
finals.
In the East, if Ewing's Knicks cannot reach the finals, then I think that once the Suns reach the finals, the most likely opponent will be Jordan's Bulls, with Old K at the fifth position.
It’s the bull’s biggest headache.”
At this time, the Sonics attacked, and Payton hit Kevin Johnson with a back-up shot.
This is his specialty, but in fact, his tonnage is not as good as Kevin Johnson, but his strength and quality are very good, his strength is not weaker than the latter, and through the constant rotation of his body, Johnson behind him cannot defend him with all his strength.
, so he continued to crush the latter, pushing back like a bulldozer, and then suddenly turned around and made a step-back jumper and hit a goal.
When Wang Tiejun saw Payton's back attack, he felt that he had learned another trick. He used the rotation of his back to relieve the force. It was really good, so that the defender behind him could not defend with all his strength.
During the ESPN live broadcast, Winston Rollin laughed and said: "Payton's physical condition is quite good. Not only is he strong in strength, but he is also 193 centimeters tall, 8 centimeters taller than Kevin Johnson, and his wingspan is 203 centimeters.
Centimeters, the height of his shot is difficult for Kevin Johnson's defense to achieve."
2:4, Suns attack.
Barkley farted against Rain Man, arching and arching, as strong as Rain Man. Although the explosive power was terrifying, it was insufficient in tonnage and its absolute power was far inferior to Barkley. He was also losing ground. Then Feizhu made a turnaround jumper to equalize the team.
score.
Lao Wang, who was on the weak side, was sweating coldly at the sight. The monster Rain Man jumped high and fast, as if there were springs under his feet. He also had a good wingspan and was only a little short of blocking Barkley's ball.
Siping, Supersonics attack.
Michael Cage's offensive ability is limited. Wang Tiejun is very close to the basket because the Rainman pulls to the right wing and relies on Barkley to ask for the ball. After receiving the ball, he plays in singles.
Although Yuren's athletic ability can shock people's attention, he is not a rough guy who only relies on his ability to make a living. He has a comprehensive range of skills.
His back-up skills are not top-notch, and his usage rate is not high. After taking the ball to face the basket, he cross-steps and changes to the passer.
He has a stable mid-range shot, and these are his common offensive methods after getting the ball on both wings.
This time, after he got the ball, he chose to face the basket.
There was a big center standing inside. In this era, being able to dunk over a big center would be exciting, so he wanted to go in and dunk on Lao Wang.
"Bang bang..."
While leaning down and dribbling, Rainman made a cross step, then drastically changed direction, bypassed Barkley and started to break through with the ball.
Buckley retreated quickly, but was unable to block the front in time. He could only follow closely to one side, using his strength and tonnage advantages to push Rainman outward as much as possible.
At this time, Rainman completed a cross-step change of direction and was already half a step ahead. He immediately changed to a long three-step to forcefully squeeze away the defender and began to attack the basket.
He stopped dribbling, and under the pressure of Barkley, he took the ball and rushed into the paint area, shook off Barkley, and rushed to the basket.
Wang Tiejun never stood under the basket. His position was towards the left wing. Seeing the rainman, he broke through Barkley, forced his way in, and quickly made up for it.
After two steps, Yu Ren suddenly rose up and tried to forcefully block Wang Tiejun.
His jumps were like those of a wild beast that pounced on food, full of explosive power and bloodthirsty momentum.
"Don't even think about it!"
With a cold look in his eyes, Wang Tiejun jumped up with all his strength and blocked the shot with both hands.
Although his jumping height is much lower, his height and wingspan are more advantageous. However, even so, his defensive height is not as high as Rain Man's offensive height. This is just because Rain Man is a rush jumper and his jump is too high.
His hands were still almost a foot lower than the ball.
However, he still has the advantages of tonnage and strength. If Rain Man wants to forcefully dunk him, in his current position, he must put pressure on his head and forcefully dunk him.
"Bang!"
There was a collision in the air, and sparks hit the earth. The two men groaned at the same time, each rolled backwards, and fell to the floor without even stopping.
"oh!"
The stadium was filled with exclamations from fans.
Rainman failed to knock over Wang Tiejun in the air, failed to complete the strong dunk, and the ball fell to the floor. Barkley quickly grabbed the ball with quick eyes and hands, and did not think about the referee's whistle. Neither an offensive foul nor a defensive foul was called.
So he immediately switched from defense to offense and played a fast break.
By the time Rainman and Lao Wang got up from the floor, the Suns' fast break was complete, and Dan Marley hit a layup.
The two stood under the SuperSonics basket and looked at each other, with cruel looks in their eyes.
Wang Tiejun knew that Yuren wanted to dunk him, so this was his defiance.
However, Rain Man's forced dunk failed and he fell hard. He also wanted to teach Wang Tiejun a lesson about the status of a league star. Of course, he stepped on other people's bodies.
"The aerial confrontation just now was fierce. Rainman's explosive power was terrifying, but Lao K's tonnage and power were strong enough, so no one took advantage."
Carter Oldman said during the ESPN live broadcast.
Winston Rollin laughed and said: "In this confrontation, the referee's whistle did not sound. Old K's defensive position was quite timely. He had already stood firm before Rain Man took off, otherwise it was a defensive foul."
Carter Oldman shook his head and said with a smile: "The offense and defense in the penalty area, the collision is too fierce, but this is the characteristic of our era now, the whistle will not sound."
In the next few rounds, Wang Tiejun and Yuren were quiet and did not ask for the ball to attack because they just fell and needed time to catch their breath.
