The next day, at 1:00 noon on December 24, the Suns returned to Phoenix. There will be four home games next. The first game is against the Mosaics, a Christmas game.
When the Suns returned to Phoenix, the Mosaics also arrived.
Wang Tiejun had made an appointment with Barkley for lunch, and Zhang Lili and the others happened to be in Phoenix, so he arranged a party at his home and asked Lao Zhang to arrange it for him.
After the plane landed, he took the entire team of more than a dozen players home directly from the airport. When he got home, Zhang Liang's buffet was almost ready.
After a while, Buckley came over.
"Old K, it was exactly one year since you signed that ten-day short contract this time last year." While eating and chatting, Barkley smiled and said, "Well, it's been exactly one year.'
Nodding, he asked: "Charles, your data this year has dropped a bit!'
"Don't say this, don't say this." Buckley was startled and shook his head quickly.
The Mosaic team is not his team. If he goes there, he and Dameng are both insiders. Someone must make concessions. If it's not him, will Dameng let him?
Of course, the concession is not too much. His current average per game is 2111, last season he averaged 2612, which is still the performance of a superstar, and he can be regarded as one of Mosaic's dual cores.
At that time, David Frank advised him that he would rather play dual-core with Dameng than play support for Old K. He said that his value would be lowered. To be honest, his value has not dropped now. Going to Houston cannot be said to be a mistake.
However, there is also a negative effect. The media often accuses him of his grouping behavior, so he regrets going to Houston because once the grouping behavior is implemented, it will affect his future historical positioning.
But no matter how you calculate it, it is still a good deal now. At least its commercial value has been preserved. This is the most practical thing, and everything else is illusory.
At three o'clock, after lunch, after seeing off his teammates and Barkley, Wang Tiejun drove to the supermarket to buy some small gifts.
Although I don’t care about Christmas, I do as the Romans do. After receiving gifts from others, I always want to return gifts, so I have to prepare some. “Oh, it’s Old K.”
'Hello, Merry Christmas to you!'
When he entered the supermarket, some customers and several staff members immediately gathered around him. He greeted everyone, and then he picked some small things and left the supermarket.
"Brother Zhang, Su Qun, I haven't asked you yet, will the Christmas battle be broadcast live on CCTV tomorrow?" When he got home, Zhang Lili and Su Qun were still there, so he asked casually.
"The Christmas game will definitely be broadcast, but it's a pity that it won't be between you and the Bulls. The Suns and Bulls are the most popular in China right now." Zhang Li said with a smile.
Having said this, he suddenly smiled and said: "Tie Jun, I have something to discuss with you, and we have it at hand right now.
CCTV has very few live broadcasts and the fees are very low. When there are no live broadcasts of the Bulls, Zhang Lili and others usually stay in Phoenix and dare not go anywhere.
But even so, they don't have much money now. No, it's not that there are no RMB anymore, it's that there are no US dollars. Of course, there are not many RMB, and the budget given is quite small.
Although the fee approved by CCTV for them is very tight, it can still allow them to survive in the United States. It is just that they are given in RMB and not many US dollars. They have spent almost the same in the past two months. I want to exchange some with Wang Tiejun.
"When I was on a business trip in the United States, your Taiwanese company actually gave you RMB?" Wang Tiejun said in surprise.
Su Qun and Zhang Lili were embarrassed. Of course they knew what the station was planning. They had explained it to them when they came out. The few dollars the station had were used to buy copyrights. There were many uses for them.
If they don't have any US dollars here, they can ask Wang Tiejun to find a way.
"Okay, this is a trivial matter. I have to change the RMB when I go back anyway," he said.
Then he gave them five thousand dollars in exchange. It wasn't that he refused to exchange for more, but they only had this amount of money in hand.
"Brother Zhang, how much can you earn this month?" he asked.
"The salary plus business trip allowance is more than 1,000 yuan a month. I also get a basic salary from the national basketball team. That adds up to 2,000 yuan a month, which is pretty good. It's a high income in the capital.
." Zhang Li said with a smile.
"You can't make as much money as Brother Changfeng. He can buy a house in the capital in one year. Why don't you continue to work with me? I won't treat you badly," he said.
"Yes, yes.
Next to him, Liu Changfeng nodded repeatedly.
"Forget it, I always feel like following you is just messing around. It makes more sense now." Zhang Lili refused.
Nodding, he stopped trying to persuade and asked, "You are so tight on expenses, and I haven't asked you where you live yet?"
Zhang Lijia smiled and said: "In the area where I used to live, the five of us rented a one-bedroom apartment. There were many people, so the rent increased by 30%, but it was still okay.'
"There are five people in one room and one living room, why do you play stacks of Arhats every night?" he complained.
"Then what can we do? This is relatively cheap. If you stay in a motel, it will become more expensive over time." Zhang Lianda said.
He thought for a while and said, "Let's do this. I'll rent you another house and treat it as my financial support.
"How can that be done?" Su Qun and others asked hurriedly.
"It's just a favor between friends. Brother Zhang often helps me, isn't that the case today? It doesn't cost a lot of money. It has nothing to do with your company. It's our personal relationship. I won't say much more, let's settle it like this.
." he said.
Zhang Li thought for a moment, nodded and said, "That's okay.'
Then Wang Tiejun found a real estate agent and quickly settled the matter. He rented a three-bedroom apartment in a nearby community, which solved Zhang Lili's and his family's very difficult accommodation problem.
That night, Wang Tiejun watched the game between the Bulls and the SuperSonics. As a result, Pippen had to sit out due to a back injury, and the Bulls, who had an incomplete lineup, lost.
This is also the second time the Bulls have lost this season. With 22 wins and 2 losses, they are still first in the league.
The 25th, match day.
The Suns held a tactical meeting in the morning to discuss how to play this game.
The team's defensive coach Nathan Wilm suggested: "On the defensive end, Old K doesn't need to defend himself as a human shield. He still goes to Dameng. Assistant coach Lewis said: "That way Green can't stop Eric Riley at all.
He will go directly to the basket.
Nathan Wilm said: "It doesn't matter. That rookie Eric Riley is useless except for his tonnage. Even if he is under the basket, I believe Green can defend him by using a forward defense. Green's defense is
Pretty good.'
Having said that, Lewis agreed.
Head coach Westphal also agreed with this defensive strategy, and he also talked about the defense at the third position.
Lewis smiled bitterly and said: "Barkley plays the third position. Although Horry has a height disadvantage, he can't stop Barkley from behind. We are destined to be overwhelmed at this position.
Now I just hope that in Lao K’s position, Dameng’s scoring will not be too bad, so that we still have a chance to defend.” Nathan Wilm said: “Old K’s defense is better now than last season.
The advice given is the same as when playing against David Robinson. If you want to prevent breakthroughs or shots, let him shoot jumpers from the outside. When he wants to be in position, push him away from the paint. No matter how good his pace is, he leaves the basket.
, his threat will be greatly reduced.'
Westphal nodded, agreeing with this statement.
Wang Tiejun below also nodded in the same way. Last time he played against David Robinson, he was still able to defend him well. Although he couldn't prevent the general from scoring, it could reduce his efficiency, so that's enough.
Nathan Wilm added: "We are much weaker on the inside, so we have to get back on the outside. My opinion is to strengthen the outside defense to separate them from the inside and outside and destroy their offensive tactics.'
But when it comes to this point, everyone's confidence is not high, because now the Suns have no defensive system at all, and loopholes and openings often appear when switching defenses.
There is no way to solve this problem in a short period of time. We can only establish a defensive system through slow running-in.
After talking about defense, we started to discuss offensive tactics.
The key point among the key points is, of course, how the fifth position can help Wang Tiejun break the opponent's double-teaming tactics.
This issue has been considered by the coaching staff since the last disastrous defeat to Mosaic. It can be said that they have racked their brains.
Westphal said: "My idea is to put Dan Marley on Old K's wing and use his three-pointers to contain Barkley. What do you think?
Lewis immediately nodded and said: "This is a good idea. After Dan Malley is off, let Danny Ainge come on. We only have two guys with good three-pointers. As long as we can contain Barkley and Eric Riley.
How can we really defend K with a meat shield? Or let Danny Ainge start instead of Horry. We have three-point gunners on both wings.'
Westphal nodded, but said: "But even if Barkley's side is solved, as long as Eric Riley holds Old K back for half a second, Da Meng on the weak side can return to defend the basket. With his
Defensively, it is difficult for Old K to play a high-quality offense under the basket.
Nathan Wilm also said: "Using a human shield to liberate Dameng and let Dameng help defend on the weak side can release all his defensive energy without having to directly confront the old K. Tomjanovich
The idea the head coach came up with is really good.'
Westphal finally said: "The only solution now is to let Old K increase his distribution. If Dameng returns to defend the basket, then Green will run to the right corner and wait for Old K's distribution.'
In the evening, at 7:30 p.m., both sides announced their starting lineup.
Mosaic: Olajuwon, Barkley, Mario Eli, Vernon Maxwell, Kenny Smith
Suns: Wang Tiejun, AC Green, Horry, Dan Malley, Kevin Johnson
The game will be broadcast live across the United States by ABC, and CCTV will broadcast the game in real time. There are also many TV stations around the world that purchase real-time broadcast signals.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Merry Christmas!"
After congratulating him, Bill Walton began to analyze: "Needless to say about the lineup, the Mosaic team's inside line is as luxurious as the Bulls' outside line. They are two superstar combinations. According to the law of inside advantage, the Mosaic team and lineup are even more luxurious than the Bulls.
.
The Suns have played one game against Mosaic and the Bulls, and both lost by big margins. This shows that the Suns have lagged behind these three teams, at least by one level.
So in tonight’s game, I’m still optimistic about Mosaic, and the Suns should have no chance of winning.”
"Merry Christmas!'
John Hanks laughed: "Barkley was the first to form a team. He was the first superstar to team up with another superstar at his peak, but he did have the opportunity to win a second championship.
.
At eight o'clock, the game starts.
Dameng wins the jump ball and the Mosaic team attacks.
"Boy, do you think you can guard against me?'
Dameng ran to the right wing to get into a low position, but he didn't expect Wang Tiejun to follow him, and he immediately spat.
"Coward Meng, you are actually hiding from me?" Lao Wang immediately replied.
"you?'
Dameng Wuming is angry, why do I need to hide from you?
But he couldn't tell, because according to the planned tactics, he not only avoided Wang Tiejun on the offensive end, but also on the defensive end. Using a human shield to release his energy on both offense and defense was the key tactic for the Mosaic team's last victory over the Suns.
Now that Lao K has taken the initiative to find him, he can't escape.
But he can't escape. As the most powerful among super centers, what does he have to fear?
Just when he was thinking this, Wang Tiejun started a strong confrontation on the defensive end, using all his strength to push him outwards.
He immediately understood the Suns' defensive strategy, which was to prevent him from entering the paint and reduce his offensive efficiency.
He immediately pulled out, and the ball was passed over. After receiving the ball, when Wang Tiejun caught up with him, he shook up and down, threw away his opponent, and strode towards the paint area with the ball.
Wang Tiejun turned around and gave chase, falling one step behind.
AC Green always sat at the basket and immediately stepped in front of Dameng. Eric Riley, the human shield behind, leaked out. At this time, Dameng passed the ball to Riley under the basket.
But the moment he passed the ball, Wang Tiejun pounced from behind him. When Riley caught the ball and made a layup, he flew up and grabbed the ball directly.
"yeah!'
A rare hat-trick made the whole audience cheer.
The Suns counterattacked. Lightning Kevin Johnson came down quickly, took a step away from his opponent Kenny Smith, received a direct pass from Wang Tiejun, and then went to the basket for a layup.
"Beautiful! Through Green's supplementary defense, we got the opportunity for the Tiejun to return to defense. The cooperation between the two was stronger than when they played against the Mosaic team in the last game." Zhang Lili said with a smile.
"The speed when Lao K turned around and pursued defense just now was not too slow, and the speed when he returned to defense was a little faster." Su Qun said with a smile.
"Yes, he has been training throughout the summer. I saw with my own eyes that his mobility has improved a lot." Zhang Li said with a smile. The Mosaic team attacked, this time with Barkley on the left wing.
Although he is a power forward, he can play both inside and outside, and he also plays well as a small forward.
On the defensive end, it is Horry who is responsible for guarding Barkley.
He had an advantage in height, but there was a huge gap between his size and strength. He was beaten to the point of losing his shit, and then Barkley turned around and hit a mid-range shot.
2 draws, the Suns attack.
“Huh?’
Buckley expressed surprise when he saw Dan Marley running to his side.
Dan Malley keeps moving on the left three-point line, but does not run to the bottom corner, because the bottom corner is the closest to the left wing low post. Barkley can turn around there and double-team Old K. He is between thirty-six and sixty.
Do a reverse run at the position of 10 degrees.
Barkley still took one step like he was guarding Horry, while keeping an eye on Wang Tiejun in the low post. It was only one step.
"Bang bang bang bang
Kevin Johnson continuously dribbled the ball from the outside and suddenly pulled it to the right. After driving Kenny Smith, he suddenly turned back and passed the ball to the low left wing.
Wang Tiejun caught the ball with one hand and immediately dribbled the ball using Riley as a human shield.
But at this moment, while he was dribbling, Barkley, who was one step away, quickly turned around and pounced down. The timing of assisting in defense was very good. In less than half a second, a big hand reached out to him, and the next second it would be
Steal his ball.
At this moment, Riley, the human shield, is also trying his best to withstand his attack. As long as he delays it for half a second, Barkley's double-team will come and the weak side's dream will return to defend the basket. This is where he is.
The only function on.
"So light!"
However, at the moment when the beating happened, he felt something was wrong, there was no strength at all. The power of the beating that was so huge that it made his heart tremble, this time it was as gentle as the spring breeze and drizzle.
"not good!'
When Barkley took the next step and grabbed Wang Tiejun, he saw that Old K, who was within reach, suddenly reached down with his big hand, grabbed the ball that bounced off the floor again, and then stood up with one hand.
It was thrown violently in his direction, and he was startled. He braked instinctively and raised his hand to stop it.
"Fake action! Bad!'
Blocking the air, but the next moment, he saw Wang Tiejun throw the ball for the second time, and this time, it was a real pass, but he failed to make a continuous interception reaction, the ball flew over his head, and
He also rushed to Wang Tiejun's side, but the ball was no longer here.
‘Crack!’
Dan Marley, who was at 50 degrees from the left wing three-point line, caught the ball with both hands. There was no defender within two meters. He took off calmly and the basketball flew towards the basket.
"brush!'
Water splashed, three-pointer hit
Zhang Lili said excitedly: "Beautiful! This is a low-post singles tactic. If there are double-teams, separate them. At the same time, this is also a wing-low singles tactic in the triangle tactic. Jordan often used low-post singles tactics in the past.
At that time, the league had not introduced anti-isolation singles rules. He would often play alone in the low post on the strong side, and everyone else would move to the weak side, so that no one could double-team him. But now that there are anti-isolation singles rules,
He rarely played like that because he would be double-teamed.
In the ABC live broadcast booth, Bill Walton laughed and said: "This tactic was quite calm. After attracting Barkley's double-team, he immediately distributed the ball. There was also a fake pass action. Old K completely teased Barkley.'
John Hanks said: "You can let Dan Malley transition the ball, which can better contain Barkley. This is also an authentic triangle wing low tactic.'
Bill Walton nodded and smiled: "The Bulls can't use this tactic now, even if they get Clifford Robinson, because he is not good at low post shooting.
This tactic is only suitable for people like Lao K who have strong low-post singles ability. You have to double-team him in the low post, but he can distribute the ball. If you have a three-point shooter outside, then don't worry, you will continue to
Get open opportunities, otherwise you can only watch Old K beat the defender with his singles.'
"Furthermore, Old K has a strong sense of ball distribution, his passing skills are also very good, and his vision is no problem. As long as he calms down, he should be able to solve the problem of Barkley going to double-team him.'
John Hanks added, and then laughed: "It seems that the Suns found some ways to perform better in this game than in the last game.'
Bill Walton smiled and said: "You have to know that whether it is Old K or head coach Westphal, they are all in their second year. What they lack is experience. This is a big weakness of theirs. They need time to improve.