The locker room was silent and very quiet. The Zen master was organizing the players to meditate. The explosion came from the silence. He believed that through meditation, the potential of the players could be fully stimulated.
After fifteen minutes of meditation, the locker room became lively again, changing clothes, listening to music, and chatting. It was very relaxing, and there was no trace of losing the G1 game.
"This is the power of meditation. It can keep the players' psychology in the most complete state." The Zen master said with satisfaction in his heart.
Boom, dozens of people from the Suns team poured into the corridor from the underground parking lot.
"Tie Jun, tell me what tactics we will use today? Trust us, we will definitely not tell anyone." Zhang Lili asked in a low voice.
Comrade Lao Wang glared at Zhang Lili and said angrily: "Brother Zhang, the secret must not be leaked. Let me trust reporters unless the old sow can climb a tree. Besides, when have you ever seen someone reveal tactics to reporters before a game?"
Zhang Li was so angry that he had a heart attack. If he didn't tell me, he wouldn't tell me. What are you talking about, old sow? Don't you mean to make me angry? I've been serving you for a whole season in vain.
Sun Zhenping, who was next to him, quickly asked: "Tie Jun, can you still score 30 points tonight?"
"This?"
Lao Wang walked forward and said: "If the Bulls still play like they did in the second half of the G1 game, it will be possible.
If they intensify their confrontation, I'm afraid it will be very difficult."
"Tie Jun, it's good to stay awake." Zhang Lili praised.
At eight o'clock, both sides announced the starting lineup, and there was no change in the starting lineup.
Bulls: Bill Cartwright, Grant, Pippen, Jordan, BJ Armstrong
Suns: Wang Tiejun, Barkley, Danny Ainge, Dan Marley, Kevin Johnson
At half past eight, the game officially started.
Half an hour later, the first quarter was over, and at 27:29, the Suns led by two points.
Wang Tiejun played 10 minutes in the first quarter. When he was holding the ball in the low post on the left and right wings, the Bulls rarely double-teamed him and allowed him to take shots near the two-point position. But as long as he got close to the basket, he would definitely receive a fierce package under the basket.
pinch, and appropriate foul tactics.
What's even more troublesome for him is that the Bulls make frequent substitutions, and the six major insiders take turns playing. Except for Grant, who only assists in defense, the other five take turns facing him. Each person plays several rounds, which not only divides his
He was so lethal that he even actively approached him for confrontation, which consumed a lot of his physical energy.
Today the Bulls took the initiative to confront him. Even without the ball, the defender was always pestering him. Most of his physical energy consumption was not when he had the ball, but when he was without the ball.
The Bulls' strategy was very successful. He got the ball 9 times in ten minutes, made 1 turnover, split the ball 2 times, attacked 6 times, went to the basket 4 times, succeeded only 1 time, and missed one shot during a double team.
The hook shot under the basket was sent to the free throw line twice, and he made 2 of 4 shots.
The other two attacks were both close-to-the-basket hooks, with a pretty good hit rate, and one goal was scored.
In ten minutes, he made 2 of 4 shots and 2 of 4 free throws. He scored 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover and 1 foul.
The statistics are not very bad, but the efficiency is not good either. More importantly, he plays very tiredly. Every time he gets the ball, there will be a confrontation, especially every time he attacks the basket, he must go all out.
The Bulls were very aggressive and decisive in committing fouls. Sometimes they would just knock him to the ground without getting into trouble with him.
He also counterattacked, but the Bulls' six major insiders took turns to deal with him and did not suffer unbearable damage. After a few rounds, he went down and came back with new forces, but he could only continue to fight.
Sitting back on the bench, he was so tired that he stuck out his tongue.
After assistant coach Lewis observed it, he said to head coach Westphal: "Paul, we have only played one quarter. There is obviously something wrong with K's physical fitness. We must be prepared to reduce his playing time and output."
Westphal was stunned. Without Old K, how could Barkley support the Suns' inside line? Distraught, his mind became even more confused.
"The Bulls are now two points behind, but that doesn't matter. Judging from the situation, they are favoring the Bulls. Old K can still persist, but at most he can persist in the first three quarters. He can't persist in the final quarter. And it is obvious that his efficiency today is far less than
The last game showed that the Bulls' strong confrontation strategy is effective," Bill Walton said.
"Even if Old K saves his physical fitness until the last quarter, it's useless. Jordan will take care of the Suns in the first three quarters." John Hanks said.
"Strong confrontation and foul tactics are indeed the best way for the Bulls to deal with it at the moment. Now that Phil Jackson has found a way to deal with the Suns, what will Westphal do?" Bill Walton asked.
In fact, Westphal didn't find any good methods. He was just a rookie and his level was average.
In the second quarter, he let Lao Wang play for another 10 minutes, but he did not fix Lao Wang's offensive method.
In the second quarter, Lao Wang was in a state of recovery, reducing the attack at the basket and increasing the number of hook shots near the basket, which reduced the efficiency of the Suns' low-post offense.
This is exactly what Phil Jackson wants. He is not afraid of Wang Tiejun's hook shot at all. He can hit 50% at most. If he takes too many shots, he won't even get 50%. The Bulls can completely bear this loss. He hopes Wang Tiejun
It would be nice to take more shots from this position.
Wang Tiejun made a total of 2 of 5 shots in the second quarter. One of his hook shots under the basket was blocked by Grant. The other four were all near-basket hooks. He hit two. His hook shooting rate was 50%, which is still good. He took it within ten minutes.
At 4 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, the statistics were average.
After halftime, 55:51, the Suns were 4 points behind.
During the halftime break, Bill Walton analyzed: "Old K made 4 of 9 shots and 2 of 4 free throws in the first half of 20 minutes, scoring 10 points and 5 rebounds. His performance was passable, but not as good as the G1 game. This
It shows that his physical reserves are not sufficient. As the series progresses, the Bulls may benefit from this.
In the 22 minutes of the half, Barkley made 6 of 13 shots, a shooting percentage of 46%, and 4 of 5 free throws. He scored 16 points and 7 rebounds. His performance was also very good.
But because the Bulls block the basket very tightly, his impact on the penalty area is not enough, and his efficiency is average.
The two of them jointly contributed 29 points and 12 rebounds, but today Jordan and Pippen jointly contributed 31 points and 10 rebounds. The key is that Jordan's shooting rate is as high as 61%, so the Bulls are ahead of the Suns."
John Hanks analyzed: "In the second half, Old K's physical fitness declined. Not only did the number of offenses decrease, but the quality of the offense also declined. This will make the Suns' offense more difficult. The Bulls have already grasped the key to victory."
Bill Walton said: "The Bulls frequently changed their interior lines, and all six interior players played for a few minutes. Although several interior lines were unable to find their offensive state, the Bulls themselves had very few interior offenses, so this impact was not important.
.
However, this method seriously consumed Old K's physical energy, and he significantly reduced his impact on the penalty area in the second quarter.
This shows that Phil Jackson is indeed good and his coaching ability is beginning to be reflected. If Westphal cannot make timely adjustments, then the winner of this game should be the Bulls."
Unfortunately, until the end of the game, Westphal was unable to make timely adjustments, because passive adjustments are the most difficult. Wang Tiejun's high-consumption style of play is strong confrontation. He couldn't find the Bulls in a head-on confrontation.
method of adjustment.
At the end, 108:100, the Suns lost their second home game, and the score between the two sides was tied at one to one.
The next G3, G4 and G5 games will be played at the Bulls' home court on the 13th, 16th and 18th.
Wang Tiejun took 7 shots in the second half and hit 3 goals. Most of the attacks were hook shots near the basket. He played 44 minutes in the game and made 7 of 16 shots, a shooting percentage of 43.7%, and 3 of 6 free throws. He scored 17 points, 10 rebounds and 3 rebounds.
Data of assists, 2 blocks, 4 turnovers and 4 fouls.
This performance was far lower than his efficiency in the G1 game, and he had 5 fewer rebounds.
Thanks to the Bulls focusing their defensive efforts on Wang Tiejun's side, Barkley's side made 14 of 30 shots, a shooting percentage of 46.6%, plus 7 of 10 free throws, and scored 35 points and 14 rebounds, but it could not save the team.
For the Bulls, Jordan scored 35 points and shot 59% from the field. Pippen scored 23 points and shot 48% from the field. Their efficiency was higher than that of Wang Tiejun and Barkley. As an outside shooter, this was a very efficient performance.
Zhang Lili analyzed after the game: "The Bulls had 38 rebounds in this game, and the Suns had 45, only 7 rebounds away. This is the key reason for the Bulls' victory.
The Suns should pay attention. In the Eastern Conference Finals series, the Knicks just lost their advantage in rebounding, otherwise how would they lose?"
Sun Zhenping smiled and said: "Wang Tiejun's performance is still very good. In 2010, this is All-Star data."
"The data from 2010 in the finals is certainly good." Zhang Li said with a smile.
But he didn't say that of Wang Tiejun's 18 shots, only 6 were at the basket. For a big center who is known for his strong confrontation and is known as a penalty area sweeper, this proportion is very low.
of.
"Hoo ho ho..."
On the sidelines, Wang Tiejun was sitting and panting. It had been a few minutes since the game ended and he still hadn't caught his breath.
He felt too tired. Several of the Bulls' big men were completely different. From the first second of the first quarter to the end of the game, they seemed to be hanging on him, consuming his physical energy with confrontation every moment.
, his body seems to be empty now, like a bottomless pit.
"Old K?" Buckley said worriedly.
"It's okay, it's okay, I can recover." He gasped.
Barkley gritted his teeth, if it doesn't work today, then next year, the old K will be stronger and have more physical reserves.
"Dear viewers, the Knicks won two consecutive home games in the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Suns were forced to a one-to-one tie by the Bulls in the two home games. Their performance was not even as good as the Knicks. This makes us at espn determined that we
Judgment, the Bulls will ultimately win the Finals."
On the sidelines, facing the camera, the ESPN reporter said confidently: "Now let's interview Michael Jordan."
Next to him is Jordan, who is preparing to be interviewed on the spot.
At this time, Jordan was completely different from when he lost the game the day before yesterday. He was full of energy, his eyes were full of determination and confidence, and his strong persistence in winning.
"Michael, what do you want to say most about tonight's victory?" the reporter asked.
"We are not afraid of any opponent. At this time, the Bulls belong." Jordan said firmly, staring at the camera with sharp eyes.
"Do you want to send a message to the Suns tonight?" the reporter asked again.
"Charles, my friend, failure is your destiny, haha!"
Jordan said seriously, then looked at Barkley on the Suns bench a few meters away and laughed proudly.
"well!"
Glancing at Jordan, Barkley took a deep breath.
"What the hell! This guy is too arrogant. We must not let him succeed. The damn championship must be ours." Wang Tiejun gritted his teeth and said.
Barkley is his best friend in the United States. His biggest pursuit in life is to win the championship. He must make every effort to help him realize this dream.
Besides, he hated Jordan's arrogance so much, it was what he couldn't stand the most.
"Come on, Charles, let's beat him up!"
After a while, he was no longer tired. He stood up from his seat and pulled Barkley up with him.
Barkley was stunned, damn old K, aren't you exhausted? Why are you so energetic all of a sudden? Why didn't you look so energetic on the court just now?
The two strode towards Jordan, and other teammates followed suit.
Seeing how aggressive they were, Jordan was a little confused. Before he could react, Wang Tiejun grabbed his neck with his arm.
"Hey, old K, let go of this madman!"
Jordan struggled under Lao Wang's armpit. The strong smell of sweat in his armpit after the game made him want to vomit.
"Ha ha!"
Lao Wang just wanted to disgust Jordan, so he immediately let go and walked to the tunnel with Barkley and other teammates laughing.
"This damn lunatic! Old K, you bastard!" Jordan yelled while wiping his face.
"Ha ha……"
The home fans who were leaving the game burst into laughter when they saw this scene.
Back in the locker room, Wang Tiejun sat down in front of the closet and wanted to rest again, but Aaron Nelson pulled him into an ice bath.
"Old K, how are you feeling now?" Nelson asked.
"In the G3 game, I won't let that guy be proud. We have to beat them away from home." He said solemnly.
At this time, head coach Westphal began to summarize tonight's game outside and said: "It's a pity tonight that we played a little passively and lost the game.
The Bulls launched an attack on Old K in our low post, so we lost our efficient offense and some rebounds in the low post. This was the main reason why we lost tonight.
Our overall shooting percentage was 45.6%, while our opponent's was 51%. We had 7 more rebounds, but we made 6 more turnovers, which ultimately resulted in our shots being the same as the Bulls.
In the next series, we need to strengthen our rebounding efforts. Our inside line is much stronger than theirs. As for rebounding, my requirement is to have at least 10 more rebounds.
This is a basic number. If it is lower than this gap, their perimeter defense is too strong, causing us to make more mistakes, and we will not take advantage of our shots."
He talked a lot, but didn't mention how to solve Wang Tiejun's problem, which shows that he still has no solution.
In the visiting team's locker room, the atmosphere was very good because Jordan was in a good mood.
"Phil, your method is really good. I am right to trust you." Jordan said to Phil Jackson with a smile.
Phil Jackson smiled confidently: "I think so too. All of us shared Old K's lethality and consumed his physical energy every second, causing him to play an inefficient game and letting the Suns
We lost the most efficient offense and grabbed more rebounds. We will continue to do this in the next series."
An hour later, the post-match press conference began.
In order to allow Wang Tiejun to save energy as much as possible, Colangelo did not arrange for him to attend the press conference.
At one o'clock in the morning, he was lying on his bed, but he was not sleepy.
In tonight's game, he was really unhappy. There was someone hanging around him every second, and his physical energy was wasted needlessly.
I opened the system and took a look. The speed has increased by one level, now to level 62, and the flexibility has increased by two levels, now to level 68. Both trainings will end at the end of this month, and each can be improved by one level.
"How do we get rid of all this garbage stuck to our bodies?" He murmured, looking at the ceiling.
Slowly, sleepiness came over him and he fell into a deep sleep.
When I woke up, it was already three o'clock in the morning. I got up quickly. After washing, I packed my suitcase and then made myself a breakfast in the kitchen.
I toasted a few slices of whole-wheat bread, fried a large portion of medium-rare steak, fried thirty beef dumplings, heated a large glass of skim milk, and ate an apple.
"Lao Zhang has piled up the things, but it's still inconvenient. I need to hire a worker."
After eating a little and feeling full at most, he picked up his suitcase and drove to the training base.
At 11 o'clock, the Suns boarded the plane.
Lunch is not provided on the plane, but the training base has prepared lunch in advance, and everyone brings their own portion, which is a few lunch boxes.
Wang Tiejun ate a lot and prepared a total of seven lunch boxes, which were very rich, including chicken, beef, shrimp, vegetables, fruit salad, etc.
After eating and drinking, while the players were digesting their food, several members of the coaching staff with dark circles gathered together and were still discussing the techniques and tactics of the G3 game.
"How about we abandon Old K's tactics, let him play support, and switch to Barkley's side?" Assistant Coach Lewis said.
"no."
Westphal decisively refused, saying: "Barkley has played in Philadelphia for so many years. Except for his rookie season, he has never defeated Jordan's Bulls. With him alone, it will be difficult for us to beat the Bulls.
The role of Lao K must be stimulated.”
Colangelo also said: "If we give up Old K because of the opponent's tactics, it will definitely not work. And Old K is our future. We can only strengthen his tactical position. How can we give up?"
Westphal said: "I thought about it all night, and there is only one way. They mainly consume Old K's physical energy in the first half, so we can let Old K maintain his physical fitness in the first half and then work harder in the second half.
"
Lewis said: "Reduce Old K's shots and time in the first half?"
Nodding, Westphal said: "Old K is not just about attacking, he is also good at supporting and launching fast breaks. Let him do this in the first half, and also strengthen his rebounding."
"Also, let him not just focus on confrontation with his opponents, but he should hide when he needs to and try to save physical energy consumption." Colangelo reminded.
Lewis complained in his heart, isn't this still what I said about playing support?
After arriving in Chicago and checking into the hotel, Wang Tiejun found the fitness room for flexibility training and speed training.
These two trainings do not consume much physical energy, and since the competition will not take place until tomorrow, he can just use these two trainings to move his body.
Aaron Nelson follows him and monitors his physical condition at all times.