The next day, the Suns returned to Phoenix and faced the Kings at home on the evening of the 7th.
This game was the Suns' first home game. Under the cheers of the home fans, the players were in excellent condition and could be said to have played like crazy.
Wang Tiejun scored 31 points and 11 rebounds, Kevin Johnson scored 28 points and 14 assists, AC Glen also scored 21 points, Dan Marley scored 20 points, and Ceballos did not have the same glory as in the previous game. , only scored 11 points.
Four of the five main players scored an astonishing 20 points, jointly contributing 111 points, and massacred the Kings at home with a score of 110:132.
The Suns' brutal performance shocked the media.
At the press conference after the game, Wang Tiejun said to the media: "The more you underestimate us, the more we will surprise you.
We will definitely fight to the end to win the championship this season. All teams that want to prevent us from defending the title, please be careful.
On the 8th, his words appeared on the headlines of many media sports pages.
When Jerry Krause saw the news, he felt like he had underestimated the Suns team that had lost Barkley.
He did prepare a human shield, but if the Suns really make it to the finals, a human shield seems not enough. He knows that Old K is continuing to gain weight, so his lethality will be even greater than last season.
And after the training of his rookie season, Old K's physical reserves will definitely be better, and his ability to control his physical fitness will also be better, which is also an extremely important point.
But he didn't attach too much importance to the Suns' victory, because although the Suns scored 132 points, they also allowed the Kings, a bad team, to score 110 points. What does this mean? It means that the Suns' defense is not very good.
He is well aware of some of the Suns' statistics last season. The Suns conceded an average of 106.7 points per game last season, while the Knicks, who ranked second, only conceded 95.4 points per game last season, and the Bulls, who ranked third, only conceded 95.4 points per game. 98.9 points, Mosaic only has 99.8 points. In fact, the Suns are at the forefront of the league in losing points per game. Many teams that have not made the playoffs do not lose as many points as the Suns, so the Suns have always been defensive. big problem.
Investigating the reason, the main reason is that Old K at the fifth position cannot become the defensive gate of the Suns inside. This has also made Old K always criticized by the media. He occupies such a large space in the paint area, but his defensive efficiency is low. .
This season, defense is still a problem for the Suns, and without Barkley, this problem will be even more serious.
To be honest, he was really disappointed that the Suns, with such poor defense, could defeat his Bulls to win the championship. The result of last year's finals seemed to subvert the truth that defense wins championships.
"Let's stop looking at it. The Kings are too weak to test the Suns' true strength."
After thinking about it, he decided to wait and see for a while. If the Suns really had the strength to hit the championship, then he would have to purchase a human shield.
The human shield he wants most is Oliver Miller of the Suns. Unfortunately, the Suns won't make a deal with him, which leaves him with no choice.
After playing the Kings, the Suns flew to Los Angeles the next day to prepare for an away game against the Clippers.
This year, the league seems to be tossing the Suns. The Lakers and Clippers can obviously be scheduled together for two away games, but there is a home game in the middle, leaving the Suns to run back and forth.
After this away game, the Suns will have to return home to face the Spurs, and this is a back-to-back game.
The Clippers made the playoffs last season but fell in the first round. They are one of the few teams in the league that allowed more points per game than the Suns last season, which was 106.8 points, 0.1 points higher.
In the game on the 9th, the Suns failed to play the high-energy performance of the previous game. AC Green made 2 of 7 shots and only scored 7 points. However, Ceballos performed well and scored 21 points.
Wang Tiejun played steadily, scoring 23 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists. Kevin Johnson actually scored 35 points and 7 assists. The internal and external core team contributed 61 points to ensure the victory.
With three consecutive wins in the new season, the Suns got off to a very happy start even though they were looked down upon.
At the same time, Wang Tiejun, the team's established core inside player, averaged 25 points and 12 rebounds per game, which also satisfied the fans very much.
After winning the Clippers, the team rushed back to Phoenix overnight. The distance of 600 kilometers was not far, and they arrived home at around two o'clock in the morning.
Sitting on the plane, Wang Tiejun turned on the system.
After three games, he scored 22 points and 12 rebounds, 31 points and 11 rebounds, and 23 points and 13 rebounds respectively, which brought his career total points and total rebounds to 1,000 points and 512 rebounds respectively.
When the total score reaches 1,000 points, a reward of 300 points is obtained. The last time the total score was 500, the reward was 200 points. This time it is only -100 points more.
If you reach 500 rebounds, you will also receive 200 points as a reward.
"System, redeem me with a skill optimization card. I want to optimize my throwing." He thought to himself, and directly cleared the five hundred points he had just received.
His throwing skills have improved, so that when he is close to the basket, he does not need to expend physical energy to attack the basket every time. "Yes, it has been redeemed. Optimization of throwing skills has begun." The system replied.
After a while, the optimization is completed.
The system prompts: "Host, as a result of the optimization of throwing shots, the skill has been increased from level 60 to level 90, the offense under the basket has been increased from level 94 to level 95, and the low-post close attack has been increased from level 86 to level 87."
He closed his eyes and digested the flow of information that came out of his brain. This flow of information directly formed muscle memory in his body, so the level was directly improved.
This function of the system is actually very powerful, and the function of the optimization card is much higher than that of the training card. It can achieve a substantial improvement in strength without the need for arduous training.
But after that, if you want to improve these optimized technologies again, you can only improve them through training unless you redeem a resource integration card with 2000 points. His hook can be upgraded to level 95 by using resource integration.
Stuck.
"System, how many points does the total score need to reach for the next reward?" he asked.
"A multiple of a thousandth," the system said.
"Two thousand? Then there will be one reward this season.'
When he was about to shut down the system, he found a task prompt suddenly appeared.
This is a rare thing. The system gave a few tasks at the beginning, but then disappeared. Why did you suddenly think of sending a task today?
"The host is requested to be selected for the All-Star Game this season. The starter will be rewarded with 1,000 points and the substitute will be rewarded with 300 points.
He opened it and saw that the difficulty of this task was not ordinary, but very difficult.
What era is it now? This is an era of super centers. With the rising star O'Neal, the league can be said to have brought together four super centers, plus center strongmen like Mourning and Mutombo. Whether it is the Western Conference or the Eastern Conference, the All-Stars
The center position is the most competitive of all positions, and super centers playing as substitutes in the All-Star Game happen every year.
In fact, not only for the All-Stars, but also for other hard honors, several super centers are competing fiercely.
His main competitors in the West are Olajuwon, Admiral David Robinson, Mutombo
If he wants to enter the All-Stars, even if he is only a substitute, he must defeat two of these three in the voting.
In addition to these three people, it is not ruled out that there are excellent big centers competing as centers. This is a common thing.
To be honest, I am not very confident. Dameng is too strong. After the first few games, he averaged 28 points, 12 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.6 steals and 4 blocks per game. He performed superbly both offensively and defensively. He has almost no chance of becoming an All-Star starter.
possible.
This is still based on comparison of strength and data. He is not an American and is inherently at a disadvantage when it comes to competing for the All-Stars.
Unless, through data brushing, his data can be greatly improved.
But this season, the championship is the most important. If he cannot defend the title, no matter how many reasons there are, as the core of the team, he will definitely be criticized by the media.
Under this premise, he can only look down upon this honor as to whether he will be selected as an All-Star. Whether he can complete this task depends on God's will.
On November 10, 1993, the Suns faced the Spurs in back-to-back home games.
The Spurs have introduced Rodman, a master of rebounding and defense, and have equipped the interior line. They are ambitious this season, and this game against the Suns is an important game to test the strength of both sides.
The Spurs' lineup has also undergone quite a few changes. The young point guard Avery Johnson has gone to the Warriors, and the main small forward Sean Elliott has been replaced by Rodman.
At eight o'clock, both sides announced their starting lineup.
Spurs: David Robinson, Rodman, Willie Anderson, Daley Ellis, Vined Nutt
Suns: Wang Tiejun, Ceballos, Dan Marley, Kevin Johnson
This game was also broadcast live across the United States on ABC TV.
However, CCTV did not buy the game. Zhang Lili and Su Qun entered the scene as reporters with cameras and interview equipment.
On ABC's live broadcast, Bill Walton analyzed: "Although the Spurs have introduced Rodman, Rodman is a bit older at 32 years old. It's hard to say how good he can be.
In addition, the Spurs traded Sean Elliott and put backup swingman Willie Anderson into the starting lineup. He was the No. 10 pick of the Spurs in the first round of 1988, but he was seriously injured last season and only played 33 games.
I don't know what the status is.
Also, the main point player Denat's strength is average and he is just a role player.
So in comparison, I'm really optimistic about the Suns, they have a stronger lineup."
John Hanks shook his head and said: "Bill, you are a super center, why don't you compare inside?'
Bill Walton laughed happily after being complimented and said with a smile: "Old K, Iron Man Green, Admiral Hua Da Chong, each has its own advantages.
In terms of rebounding, the Spurs' inside combination should have the advantage, depending on Rodman's performance.
In terms of scoring, both Suns' big men can score. The Spurs are at a disadvantage, but as long as David Robinson wants to score, he can blast the old K-Iron Man Green by himself. Defensively, of course the Spurs are stronger.
Overall, the Spurs have a slight advantage on the inside. However, based on the overall strength of the inside and outside, I'm still more optimistic about the Suns.'
John Hanks laughed: "But you didn't consider that the Suns are back-to-back tonight, and it's a back-to-back away from home. They just got off the plane."
At half past eight, the game starts.
Wang Tiejun and David Robinson jump ball, Spurs attack
Otis Thorpe sat on the bench again. In the first four games, he did not get a chance to start.
The reason is very simple. His offense is mostly carried out in the paint area, and there is Old K there. There is no offensive space for him, so AC Green, who has the ability to shoot two points from far away, got the starting opportunity.
The same is true in this game. His ability to spread the ball is not as good as Green's, and the Suns cannot let Rodman frequently help defend K from the wing, so he can only sit on the bench.
From the main power forward of Mosaic to the backup power forward of the Suns, this is somewhat unacceptable to him. He is only 31 years old and his strength is still there.
"Bang!'
At this time, David Robinson missed a turnaround jumper.
He was pushed one step outside the paint area by Wang Tiejun, and after turning around and retreating, he was already five meters away from the basket. Facing defenders in this area, his shooting rate was very low.
However, Rodman grabbed a backcourt rebound over AC Green, then adjusted on the spot and made a second attack layup. "Bang!'
It missed, hit the basket, jumped, and fell out.
But it didn't matter, he jumped up very quickly and once again grabbed the rebound from Green's head.
This time he didn't attack anymore. After scaring Green away with an elbow, he passed the ball to David Robinson.
"What the hell!"
Wang Tiejun, who had already rushed back, cursed secretly. It was too late to return to defense and he could only watch Robinson take a jumper.
In this competition, he still wants to get good data. After all, if he wins in this direct confrontation, he will have an advantage in the competition.
Because of this competition, a few super centers may not be very excited when playing against other teams, but when they beat other super centers, they will be particularly motivated and fight to the death.
"brush!'
This time I hit.
"I got two offensive rebounds in one offensive round. The big bug's rebounding is so strong!" Bill Walton joked with a smile.
"It seems like his rebounds today are going to be off the charts." John Hanks laughed.
The Suns returned to the offensive end. AC Green moved to the right three-point line and brought Rodman out.
His long two-point shooting rate is as high as 44.4%. This is an extremely high shooting rate. How high is it? Jordan only has 41.7% here, so as long as he stands in this position, no one dares to let him go. Rhodes
Of course Mann wouldn't dare, otherwise he would miss eight out of ten open shots.
On the left wing, small forward Ceballos received the ball and immediately passed it to Wang Tiejun in the low post on the left wing, and then immediately cut inside from the left elbow toward the basket.
A small forward like him who has no long-range shooting ability and mainly focuses on breakthrough layups, like Otis Thorpe, is actually in conflict with Wang Tiejun, because Wang Tiejun occupies the space in the paint area, and there is no breakthrough for him.
In space, if you encounter such a big center under the basket, a player like him will immediately lose his martial arts skills.
If the Suns didn't have anyone at the third position, he wouldn't have had a chance to start. Even if he started last season, he didn't have many chances to make a shot, and he lost his starting position in the playoffs.
This season, the Suns are without Barkley and their scoring ability has been greatly weakened, so they can only give him some tactics. The tactics are the Bulls' triangle tactics.
Let Wang Tiejun get the ball in the low post and he cuts inside. The former can choose to play alone or pass it to him.
But this triangle tactic, in addition to cutting inside, has another change, which is to pull to the left corner to shoot three-pointers, but he does not have the three-point ability from the bottom corner, so the changes in this triangle tactic are not enough, and the tactics are very restrictive.
The low post on the left wing created an opportunity for Wang Tiejun to single out Robinson.
Robinson defended, but he didn't push hard. Instead, he put one hand on the attacker's lower back and took half a step back.
His defensive strategy was to defend and retreat to the side, delay Wang Tiejun's attack time, and wait for a double-team.
Wang Tiejun is no longer a rookie. He has performed as well as in 2010 in the finals. He is a standard star. As a super center, it is not too shameful to double-team such a person.
When Wang Tiejun saw Ceballos cutting inside, he did not choose to pass the ball, but decided to hit the first ball himself.
The sudden swaying up and down, now the quality has improved, his sensitivity has improved, his movements are faster and more coordinated, he has shaken Robinson's center of gravity.
The next moment, facing the baseline, he stepped inward with a Xiongbu step, turning his movement into a backstroke. Tieshan's backstroke suddenly broke out, and his right shoulder and back hit Robinson's right chest.
The strength of level 97 plus the strength bonus of nearly 10% was extremely powerful. David Robinson groaned, felt a pain in his chest, and flew backwards.
"oh!'
Under the exclamations of the whole audience, Wang Tiejun took advantage of the situation and strode forward, jumping up and down.
"Bang!
The moment after Robinson hit the floor, he hit a one-handed dunk that detonated the American West Arena.
Robinson hit the floor, slid back more than two steps, and stopped after hitting the basket frame.
"This guy, not only has greater strength and tonnage, but his explosive power is much stronger than last season!" With a pale face, he looked at Wang Tiejun coming down from the basket and was shocked.
"Old guy, hurry up and imitate the coward's dream and find a superstar to team up with. Otherwise, you won't be able to win a championship in this life." Smiling at the general, Lao Wang dropped a trash talk and turned around to run away.
Toward the backcourt.
Although his strength has only increased by one level, his flexibility, coordination, and speed have all improved, so his explosive power must have improved a lot if the system has data.
He felt it was easier to hit Robinson this time than last season, and his impact on the basket was greater.
Next, the smart Robinson immediately changed his tactics. He no longer resisted the defense, nor moved forward. If he went forward, he would be pushed away. He still used Wang Tiejun's winding defense, which he first used to defend.
But this kind of defense is impossible to guard against. He couldn't guard Wang Tiejun with this kind of defense last season, let alone now? But last season he didn't have to help defend. This time is different. He asked his teammates to help defend.
The effect is different
It's just that Rodman was pulled away by AC Green, and there was no chance for the weak side to help defend. The Spurs could only ask small forward Willie Anderson to participate in low-post double-teaming.
But in this way, many opportunities appeared for Ceballos. When he cut inside, he frequently received passes from Wang Tiejun. His cutting tactics became so popular that he could compete with the Bulls' Cobra Grant.
On the defensive end, Wang Tiejun adopts a defensive strategy of blocking penetration and not shooting. As long as David Robinson shows signs of a breakthrough, he will retreat quickly.
The Admiral is the fastest among the three super centers. It was very easy to beat him in the past, but this time he adopted a strategy of guarding against penetration but not shooting. It was difficult to beat him in one step. Once he couldn't beat him, he would be beaten by him.
If you block it, you'll be in trouble.
Under this defensive strategy, the effect was not bad. After Robinson failed to break through twice, he basically didn't come in much and just threw outside.
If one is thrown outside and the other is closer to the basket, there is a clear difference in efficiency.
