Sean Elliott singled out Ceballos on the left three-point line and hit a long two-pointer.
Looking back, the others pulled away. Barkley and Wang Tiejun stood in the low post on the left and right wings, both actively taking positions. The Spurs' defense was in trouble. Who were they going to double-team?
Obviously, Barkley, who has scored 25 points today, cannot be guarded by Antoine Kyle.
As for Wang Tiejun, David Robinson's single defense effect is also not very good, and he can't defend him.
"Sean?"
On the sidelines, rookie head coach John Lucas shouted and pointed down.
This means telling Sean Elliott to let Ceballos go and double-team Old K.
If it's Barkley's side, you have to cover the old K, allowing Robinson to return to the basket in time, or implement weak-side help defense.
In the end, the ball was given to Wang Tiejun, who was responsible for the attack.
Sean Elliott immediately pounced.
But his man, Ceballos, immediately cut inside to the basket.
As soon as Wang Tiejun received the ball, the double team arrived. He directly hit Tieshan who was standing still, knocking Robinson away a little, and then smashed the ball to the floor. The ball bounced and was cut inside.
Ceballos got it.
Robinson reacted quickly and quickly took two steps back to the basket.
How could Ceballos be sure to take a shot on Robinson's head, and hurriedly passed the ball back to Wang Tiejun.
At this time, Sean Elliott made a contribution, cutting in half a beat first and intercepting the ball.
The Spurs then played a fast break, and Dale Ellis made a layup.
"Crack!"
Dan Marly caught up with him and made a chasing shot that made the whole audience excited.
"Bang!"
However, David Robinson, who strode into the paint area, flew up, grabbed the ball in the air with both hands, dunked the ball into the basket, and directly made a back-up dunk, which ended the offense and also calmed down the boiling home court.
Come down.
"I can run faster than a dog, and my speed is really comparable to that of Mr. Bang!"
Wang Tiejun just caught up to the top of the arc, and the distance of more than 20 meters between the front and back courts was several steps slower.
However, this goal could not change the general trend between the two teams. After the third quarter, the main players of the Suns were in good physical condition in the final quarter. In the next few minutes, they still controlled the situation on the court and did not let the Spurs chase.
Come up.
At the end, 93:103, the Suns won the G2 game, won consecutive home games, and took a big score advantage.
Wang Tiejun made two shots in the second half of the final quarter, missed a hook shot, was fouled on a basket attack, made 1 of 2 free throws, and scored 1 point.
I played a total of 36 minutes in the game. I made 7 of 13 shots, a shooting percentage of 53.8%, and 6 of 10 free throws, a shooting percentage of 60%. I scored 20 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls. Performance.
Still good.
David Robinson played for 40 minutes, making 9 of 26 shots, a shooting percentage of 34.6%, and 2 of 3 free throws. He scored 20 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls.
At the ESPN live broadcast, after getting this data and comparing it, Winston Rollin shook his head and said: "It's not that Old K's efficiency is too high, his shooting rate is only 53.8%. Yes, this is also very good.
But in fact, rookie Mourning was often more efficient than him in the playoffs, but David Robinson's efficiency was too low.
He is continuing the inefficiency of the first round, just shooting jumpers from outside and failing to hit them. As a center, his shooting percentage is less than 40%, and he only got three free throws. How can the Spurs win?"
Carter Oldman continued: "Yes, we know that David Robinson's shooting percentage was only over 30% in the first two games of the first round, but the Spurs still won...
Well, the opponent in the second round is the Suns, who swept the Spurs last season, not the Trail Blazers in the first round. His performance really made it impossible for the Spurs to win. His performance must be tougher and he must hit the basket more often."
Luo Lin took up the topic again and continued: "We analyzed the lineups of both teams when we played last game. Although the lineups are both strong and weak, they are comparable, but don't forget that the Spurs are stronger at the third position, which is the outside line.
, not as efficient as the inside line, and today Sean Elliott did not perform as well as the day before yesterday. He made 2 of 10 shots. He could not help the team. At this time, as the core, someone should stand up instead of wandering outside.
cast."
Oldman said: "Paper analysis can't determine anything. The game depends on on-the-spot performance. Today, the Suns' two big insiders scored 51 points together, Barkley scored 31 points, Old K scored 20 points, and the Spurs
All the big men put together only had this score, but their shots were far higher than the Suns' two big men. This is the reason why the Spurs lost, it was inefficient."
David Robinson was also blocked by reporters in the tunnel as two commentators criticized him.
"David, tell me the reason for losing. We can't lose again, otherwise we will be swept by the Suns." A Phoenix Sports reporter asked seriously.
David Robinson glanced at the logo on the microphone in the reporter's hand and wanted to punch him. Do you think I'm blind or an idiot?
"Sorry, I'm very tired."
Pushing away the microphone from his mouth, he turned and walked into the players' tunnel.
"hey-hey……"
The reporter looked at Robinson's back and smiled happily.
Barkley was being interviewed on the spot. He scored 31 points, 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 7 steals, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers and 4 fouls tonight. He exploded on the defensive end and his performance was worthy of a superstar.
"Charles, what made you send 7 steals in a single game?" the reporter asked.
Barkley's face was almost bursting with laughter. Of course, it was not for seven steals, but for two consecutive wins. He smiled and said: "This is because we put more energy into the defensive end and we are more focused on defense."
"What do you think about this series now?" the reporter asked again.
"We must advance to the Western Conference Finals, otherwise all this will be meaningless." Barkley put away the smile on his face and said seriously.
Five minutes later, a cold war broke out in the visiting team's locker room.
Head coach John Lucas was about to give a post-game summary, but David Robinson ignored anyone and went straight into the bathroom. He didn't come out until the post-game summary was finished, making the atmosphere in the locker room quite awkward.
Boss McComb regrets firing Larry Brown. After all, he is still an old coach, and Lucas, a rookie, has no control at all in the locker room and his coaching ability is average.
The atmosphere in the home team's locker room is quite good, with active players walking around, noisy and happy.
"Old K, you go in first."
In the bathroom, chief trainer Aaron Nelson prepared a large bucket with tap water in it.
"ok."
Wang Tiejun nodded, got into the bucket and sat down.
Two minutes later, after his body had adapted to the water temperature, Nelson picked up the prepared large bucket of ice cubes and poured them into the bucket with a clatter.
The temperature of the water slowly dropped, which also slowly lowered Wang Tiejun's body temperature.
The feeling of the ice bath was okay, not too uncomfortable. He turned on the system, and the single defense level he expected had indeed been raised by another level. It was now level 85. What Buckley taught him really worked.
However, level 85 is still a little behind, not even first-rate, so he has to keep working hard.
"Lewis, is it over with the Bulls?" At this time, Barkley's voice sounded outside.
"Just finished."
Assistant coach Lewis nodded and said: "The Bulls won their second consecutive victory by 19 points."
"How is Michael doing?" Buckley asked concerned.
"He was average today. He only scored 18 points and his shooting percentage was only 44.4%." Lewis said solemnly.
"The Bulls are also winning when he plays like this?"
"The Bulls would be even scarier if they didn't rely on Jordan to win."
The other players also became quiet after hearing this and started talking.
Lewis continued: "The Bulls still rely on defense to establish perimeter advantages, force opponents to make more mistakes, and then grab more rebounds while playing a more reasonable offense.
The Bulls had 12 more assists, 9 more rebounds, 5 more steals, and 4 fewer turnovers than their opponents. These are all details.
In addition, although Jordan's condition is average, others are good. The Bulls' overall shooting rate is as high as 50.6%, while the Cavaliers only 44.4%.
The Cavaliers lost without temper. They took 13 fewer shots than the Bulls, and their shooting percentage was even lower. It would be unreasonable not to lose."
"So we have to rely on defense. The Bulls' perimeter defense is indeed one of the best in the entire league and is stronger than ours."
At this time head coach Paul Westphal said.
Everyone nodded. They were able to successfully win the game tonight because their defense took the lead. Gu Fu
While the Suns were talking about the Bulls, the Bulls in Chicago were also talking about the Suns.
The Bulls were not too excited about winning the G2 game by a big score, because the strength of the Cavaliers and Bulls was too different to be worth getting excited about.
In the locker room, head coach Phil Jackson had just finished his post-game summary, and then said: "The Suns' game ended before us, and they also won a winning streak."
"Phil, how is that rookie doing?" Jordan asked abruptly.
Phil Jackson glanced at Jordan, who looked very serious. He said: "20 points and 13 rebounds. In the second round, he averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds per game. He actually performed like a superstar, even better than his performance in the first round."
Jordan's eyes narrowed, and as his expression became serious, other Bulls players immediately became serious as well.
Phil Jackson knew very well why Jordan was so serious and why he valued a rookie.
With one win and one loss against the Suns in the regular season, the Bulls did not have the strength to defeat the Suns steadily, which is why Jordan was serious.
The reason why Jordan asked about Old K's performance was because the Bulls' inside strength was simply not enough in front of the Suns.
The Bulls are strong on the outside and the Suns are strong on the inside.
At this time, he said: "Old K's performance in the playoffs is really eye-catching. He is not inferior to his performance in the regular season. He can be said to be one of the best rookies in 1992. Only O'Neal and Mo
Under Ning, Leitner can only be equal to him."
"Old K did perform well. When he played Robinson in the second round, his performance was actually better than when he played Divac in the first round. He gets stronger when he encounters a strong opponent!"
The speaker was General Manager Jerry Krause. After saying this, he couldn't help but sigh deeply, with regret on his face.
Phil Jackson and Jordan both glanced at Krause and knew why the general manager was sighing and regretful.
Jordan snorted coldly and said: "We can suppress them on the outside and cut off the connection between the Suns' outside and inside lines to control the game. Our outside defense can do this."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at Pippen, who nodded quickly.
Phil Jackson also nodded, this is the most correct tactical idea.
At Mercy Arena in Phoenix, the post-game press conference begins.
"Coach Lucas, after losing two away games, what do you think about the prospects of this series? Can you make a prediction?"
For the Spurs, a reporter from San Antonio Sports News asked.
John Lucas said with an ugly face: "Of course we will solve some problems, and then try to win two away games to achieve a big score balance. With the home court advantage, we are sure that we can do it, and we are still full of hope."
"In the game just now, where do you think the Spurs lost?" the next reporter asked.
Lucas shook his head in disappointment and said: "Tonight the Suns played a suffocating defense. Our offense was greatly restricted, resulting in low offensive efficiency. The overall shooting rate was only 40.3%, while the Suns' shooting rate was
It was 46.5%, and there were 17 turnovers in the game, while the Suns only had 8. These are the key reasons for our loss."
"How are you going to solve these problems?" the reporter asked.
"We will formulate more targeted tactics, and we will be more active on both offense and defense." John Lucas responded briefly.
"David, do you have an explanation for tonight's loss?" The next reporter was an ABC sports reporter.
"I am very disappointed. The opponent's defensive tactics were quite successful. We did not find efficient offensive tactics. This is an area we need to improve." Robinson said.
"Tonight your efficiency is not as good as that of your opponent, Lao K, and you are more one-on-one. Do you have anything to explain for this?" The reporter asked again.
David Robinson clenched his fists, but felt something was wrong. He immediately released his fists, exhaled, and said calmly: "As an athlete, we cannot be in the best condition in all games. I hope that the next game will be the best."
I can return to my original state."
"What do you think of Lao K?" the reporter asked again.
However, the Spurs host didn't give it a chance, and asked a staff member to go up and collect the microphone, and handed it to the next reporter whose card was turned over.
"David, how do you think we can limit Old K's low-post offense? Single defense or double-team defense?" The reporter who took the microphone was a reporter from the Los Angeles Daily News, and he still asked a question that made Robinson unhappy.
Robinson said with a dark face: "This is a matter of the coaching staff, not my job. I am only responsible for executing the tactics formulated by the coaching staff."
"So do you think your defense against Lao K was a success or a failure?" the reporter immediately asked.
This made Robinson unable to answer. He was slapped against the wall and froze there, very embarrassed.
Fortunately, the host responded quickly and immediately took back the microphone.
…
"Old K, you said something trash to David Robinson during the game just now. He seemed very angry. Can you let us know what it was?" A reporter asked with great interest.
"Ha ha……"
Lao Wang smiled proudly and said: "I told him, General, you almost guarded me!"
"Oh ho!"
"No wonder Robinson almost died of anger."
"This trash talk is definitely worthy of a famous scene."
"I think it can compete for the top ten famous trash talk scenes."
The reporters screamed strangely and talked a lot.
…
On the 14th, the Suns did not train in the morning and rested at home. They will go to the away game at noon.
In this playoffs, the league has a visible "favoritism" towards the Western Conference teams.
Because in the second round of the Western Conference series, there are actually back-to-back games. The Suns and Spurs' G3 and G4 games will start consecutively on the 15th and 16th, and the same is true for Mosaic and SuperSonics, but there is no such situation in the Eastern Conference.
.
After a long regular season, there are back-to-back games in the series. This is probably the first time in history. No wonder some media said that Stern is planning to win the Bulls three consecutive championships this time.
When Wang Tiejun got up at almost 9 o'clock, Zhang Lili had already prepared breakfast and placed a large stack of newspapers on the dining table.
"Brother Zhang, thank you!"
After washing, he sat at the dining table, picked up the newspaper, and said with a smile: "Let me see if any media praise me first."
"Yes, I have seen it. Your performance in the second round was 2010 per game. If the media doesn't praise you, who can you praise? Even the sports section of the New York Times gave you a few words. This treatment belongs to the level of a true star." Zhang Lili said.
smiled.
At this time, his cell phone rang. He took it over and looked at it. He didn't recognize the number. It was a mobile phone number.
"Hello?"
"Old K, I'm Shaquille O'Neal."
"Big sewer?"
He asked in surprise: "How come you have my number?"
"I got it from Sir Barkley, he is a fan of mine." O'Neal said proudly.
"Just blow it, big hair dryer." He said angrily.
"Hey, Big Hairdryer is a good nickname, I want it." O'Neal said happily.
"Tell me, sewer, you called me to brag about how good your fishing skills are?" he asked.
"Damn old K, please call me Big Sewer, I am Big Sewer. Also, I don't like fishing." O'Neal said angrily.
"okok, stop nagging, I'm having breakfast, tell me quickly, what's the matter with you?" he asked.
"It's okay, I just want to ask you to have breakfast. Do you want to come over? I have good fish here and a big burger. If you come over, I will prepare one for you." O'Neill said.
"Bang!"
He hung up the phone hard, threw it on the table, and said, "This damn sewer wants me to fly thousands of kilometers to have breakfast. Is he mentally ill?"
"Ha ha……"
Over there, at O'Neill's house, he laughed proudly.
Mourning and Old K both made it to the playoffs and even reached the second round, and both performed very well and were brilliant. Only he, the best rookie, was fishing. He was a little depressed and had to use this method to tease him.
The two of them not only called Lao K just now, they also called Mourning to make an appointment for breakfast. It was a prank.