Chapter 284 You win the MVP, I win the championship
At 6:30 p.m., the Suns had dinner and entered the visiting team's locker room.
The game officially started at eight o'clock, and there was still an hour and a half to prepare. Some of the players were listening to music, some were organizing their wardrobes, and some were discussing where to go on vacation after the playoffs.
"Old K, Dameng has promised to bring us down." Dan Marly said.
"The postman also promised to bring us down. I think Dameng is just like him. They are just a pair of talkers. We are different from them. We do what we say." Lao Wang said casually.
"Pfft! Haha..."
Next to him, Kevin Johnson laughed first, and then everyone else laughed too.
At 7:30, both sides announced the starting lineup.
Suns: Wang Tiejun, AC Green, Drexler, Dan Marley, Kevin Johnson
Mosaic: Olajuwon, Barkley, Chucky Brown, Mario Eli, Kenny Smith
This series was broadcast live nationwide by ABC TV, with commentators Bill Walton and John Hanks.
At this time, Bill Walton said: "It should be difficult for the Mosaic team to defeat the Suns with their current lineup. In the first series, they injured their main shooting guard Vernon Maxwell, and it was a serious injury. He was directly reimbursed for the season, and his strength was reduced."
A lot of damage was done.
Now Mario Elie is playing shooting guard, he is a swingman and can play.
Chucky Brown at the small forward position is the same as Mario Eli. He is just a role player, even worse. But he is facing a glider and will be reduced to rubbish.
If Mosaic wants to win, there is only one way to defeat the old K on both offense and defense, and this is very difficult."
John Hanks said: "The Mosaic team can eliminate the Spurs. The performance of Dameng and Barkley is very important, but a good newcomer emerged from their bench and made a good contribution."
Nodding, Bill Walton smiled and said: "This is a second grader with an alien appearance, and his nickname is also Alien.
In the series against the Spurs, he came on as a backup point guard, averaging 14 points and 4 assists in 25 minutes per game.
In the G7 game, he scored 26 points and hit four three-pointers. He has already shown his potential as a first-class point guard."
John Hanks suddenly pointed at the screen and said: "Look, Bill, our President Stern has appeared on the scene."
"Yes, poor Hakeem is about to get his first career MVP." Bill Walton laughed.
"You have that thing too." John Hanks said with envy.
"Of course." Bill Walton said proudly.
However, he said with some regret: "It's a pity that I failed to win the mvp of the season twice when I won the championship. This time, my big dream is just...that guy Barkley is lucky, alas!"
John Hanks said with a smile: "Both Jordan and Old K are a little pity this time. Especially Old K, who has the best personal data, but the team's record is a bit worse."
Bill Walton nodded and said: "It's a pity. If the Suns fail to rebuild in the future, it will be even more difficult for him to win the MVP. Strength, opportunities, and the impression of the media are all indispensable. In the words of the Chinese, it is the right time and the right place.
And, both are indispensable.”
At this time, the starting lineup is preparing to appear.
"Dameng, I see how pitiful you are, this time the MVP will be given to you." After greeting Barkley, Lao Wang shouted.
"What?"
Dameng was looking forward to going out early and took the MVP trophy from David Stern. Hearing these words, his neck became thick with anger. He bared his teeth and yelled: "What do you mean by giving? I need you to give in."
117 people voted, and I got 52 first-place votes, Jordan got 38, and you only got 27. My score is hundreds of points higher than yours."
"Hmph! You win the MVP, and I win the championship."
Lao Wang has nothing to say. Who said Lao bastard is an American specialty?
He glanced at the opponent's starting lineup and said with a look of disgust: "That's it, do you still want to be swept? Do you think it's possible?"
"Don't even think about sweeping us away!" Dameng snorted.
"The postman said the same thing. He is now lying in the hospital." Lao Wang chuckled.
"you?"
Dameng is furious, what does this bastard want to do? Does he think I am the postman, that idiot?
"Okay, stop arguing. Old K, I'm calling you outside." Buckley urged.
Five minutes later, amid the cheers of Houston fans, Dameng held the first MVP trophy in his life and burst into tears with excitement.
Lao Wang stood on the sidelines, looking at the trophy in Dameng's hand, not knowing what he was thinking.
"Old K, you will get it sooner or later." Yu Feihong said.
"That is, until I don't care about it anymore." Lao Wang nodded.
At eight o'clock, the much-anticipated Western Conference Finals officially began.
"Crack!"
Dameng jumped a little faster and moved the ball away, and the Mosaic team attacked.
Entering the frontcourt, Dameng advanced into the paint area. After being pushed by Lao Wang, he immediately moved two steps outside the paint area on the left wing, where he began to gain position for the ball.
Wang Tiejun followed him out.
He knew that Dameng was a good two-pointer in one hand, and his shooting percentage was higher than that of Postman, and even higher than Jordan. Jordan only made 43% of the two-pointers, while he was 44.9%, so he couldn't let it go.
At this time, the attack started from the right wing. Barkley hit AC Green with his back in the low post, easily reached the right waist position in the paint area, then turned over and shot a jumper, hitting a goal.
Wang Tiejun implemented weak-side assist defense, which was a step too late.
"Old K, I knew you would come over, but I didn't give you a chance to help defend." Barkley shouted excitedly after succeeding.
"Charles, don't be too proud. Sooner or later you will be punished," Lao Wang shouted.
When he came to the frontcourt, he went straight to the basket.
Dameng obviously learned from the postman's experience and never defended himself, but went around to defend.
Wang Tiejun was just about to push him away when he quickly turned around and wrapped himself around the former, like a piece of dog-skin plaster.
At this time Kevin Johnson's ball came in.
Lightning didn't think so much. In this kind of position under the basket, it is impossible to wait for Lao Wang to be completely in place before passing the ball. At that time, it might be a three-second violation, so it can only depend on Lao Wang's ability. As long as he can catch the ball,
After receiving the ball, with Lao Wang's shooting percentage at the basket, the ball is basically stable.
In the struggle with his opponent, Lao Wang saw the ball flying over, saw the right moment, and suddenly hit Tieshan with a close body, knocking Dameng away a little, and then his body suddenly rose.
"Bang!"
With an alley-oop dunk, Wang Tiejun scored the first goal.
"Dameng, why don't you defend me?" After succeeding, Lao Wang asked curiously.
"roll!"
Da Meng Qi Dao.
2:2, Mosaic team attacks.
"Bang!"
This time, Dameng pulled Lao Wang out, and the others pulled away, and then Barkley singled out Green in the low post on the right wing. Fortunately, Green's defense was good and prevented Barkley from missing the shot.
Lao Wang, who returned to defense, blocked Dameng behind and protected the backcourt rebound, allowing the Suns to attack.
Kevin Johnson advanced the ball to the top of the arc and made a tactical gesture. Then Wang Tiejun, who entered the basket, suddenly pulled out and made a motion to catch the ball. At the same time, the former prepared to pass the ball and changed direction to the left wing.
One step forward.
This immediately attracted Mosaic's defense. In the low post on the left wing, Dameng followed up and got behind Lao Wang. At the top of the arc, Kenny Smith also quickly followed Kevin Johnson to prevent other low passes.
But at this moment, Kevin Johnson changed direction again. Unluckily, he darted to the right, passed Kenny Smith in one step, and penetrated into the unmanned penalty area from the top of the arc.
Dameng urgently returned to defend the basket, but it was already too late. Lightning rushed into the paint area and succeeded in a three-step layup.
4:2, the Suns lead away from home, Mosaic offense.
Big Dream entered the basket, and Wang Tiejun was blocked. The former flexibly turned around and cut inside the baseline. The latter quickly retreated from defense and cut off the passing line in time. In desperation, he could only exit the paint area and hit the low post paint area on the left wing.
Received the ball outside.
Da Meng kept shaking, trying to control the center of gravity of the defender behind him with fake movements.
"It's over?"
Lao Wang now has very good experience in defending Da Meng. You can just dodge and I won't follow. You can shoot from the outside, but if you want to go in, that won't work.
When Dameng kept shaking, he not only did not move, but also took a small step back, preparing to retreat.
As soon as he retreated, Dameng's butt could no longer feel the defender's body, and he immediately turned around and slipped into the paint area.
Unfortunately, Lao Wang quickly turned around, caught up with Dameng's rhythm, and got close to him in time. He squeezed his chest against Lisheng, and immediately pushed Dameng's center of gravity away.
But Dameng's coordination was really good. When he realized something was wrong, he immediately turned around, dribbled the ball, turned out of the paint area, and then shot a jumper.
"Don't even think about it!"
Lao Wang quickly followed up, jumped up, blocked the shot with one palm, and the ball slipped over his fingertips.
"Can't hit!"
He knew in his heart that his block forced Dameng to adjust his shot height as he was hastily shooting a jumper. The ball would probably not go in. After landing, he quickly turned around and blocked Dameng outside.
"Bang!"
Sure enough, the ball was short, hit the basket, bounced, and was caught by him.
"Whoosh!"
The right elbow was blocked to resist Dameng, and the left hand threw the ball towards the lightning that was about to hit.
Kevin Johnson caught the ball and crossed the center line in one step. Dan Mulley was on the left and Drexler was on the right. The three of them advanced together.
The Mosaic team's pursuit was also very fast, but Mario Elie and Chucky Brown were too average and not fast enough. They were half a beat too slow to start and half a beat too slow to run. They were both left one step behind.
During the attack, the Suns had the advantage.
Kevin Johnson rushed to the basket and passed the ball to the right wing instead of doing it himself.
"Bang!"
From the right waist position, Drexler caught the ball and immediately took off, smashing the ball into the basket with one arm.
"6:2, the Suns lead by four points." John Hanks said in the ABC commentary box.
"The time is still short. Although Barkley and Dameng missed one goal each, it doesn't mean much. It's just that Mosaic's three attacks were all jump shots, and there was no attack at the basket. Just now, Big Dream got to the basket and was blocked by Old K.
, this should arouse Mosaic’s vigilance.” Bill Walton reminded.
John Hanks nodded and said: "Yes, in comparison, the Suns' three attacks were all successful at the basket, three of three shots, while Mosaic made one of three shots. That's how the point difference came about."
The game continued on the court. The Mosaic team attacked, opened the wings, pulled out the inside, and shooting guard Chucky Brown broke through with the ball.
But he was only a backup shooting guard, not a strong role player. Dan Malley failed to complete the breakthrough under single defense, and the ball was intercepted. The Suns once again went on a fast break, and Kevin Johnson came down quickly and scored a goal.
In the CCTV commentary box, Su Qun said happily: "8:2, the Mosaic team was stopped."
Zhang Lijia smiled and said: "There is no need to say the overall strength, the Suns are stronger. On the outside, whether it is the first position, the second position or the third position, the Suns have an advantage, and the third position Drexler is
The advantages of points are very great.
On the inside, the Mosaic team does have an advantage, but based on the matches in the past two seasons, Dameng and Barkley can't defend the Tiejun even if they team up, and with AC Green, the Mosaic team's advantage inside can't make up for the disadvantage on the outside."
"So Lao K once again shouted the slogan of sweeping." Su Qun said excitedly.
"Ha ha……"
Lao Zhang laughed and said: "If we really complete the three-round sweep, then the Suns' momentum will be really unstoppable, which will be very beneficial to the finals."
At this time, Su Qun suddenly asked: "Director Zhang, is there any team in the NBA that has swept three consecutive rounds?"
Lao Zhang immediately said: "When the Philadelphia Digital Team won the championship in 1983, they really swept the first three rounds and lost one game in the finals.
But the competition format at that time was that the division champions had a bye in the first round, which meant that the numbers team did not play in the first round, and the team won the championship with a total of 12 wins and 1 loss. You can even sweep it in three consecutive rounds."
"That is to say, if the Suns really sweep Mosaic this time, will they be the first team to sweep three consecutive rounds after the change in competition system?" Su Qun said.
"Well, yes." Lao Zhang smiled and nodded.
On the bench of the Mosaic team, head coach Tomjanovich has rearranged the offensive and defensive tactics, but he has little confidence.
The team's lineup is not as good as the Suns, and the main shooting guard has been discounted, and they have just finished the tiebreaker with the Spurs. Both the lineup and physical condition are not as good as their opponents. In this series, he has prepared for the worst outcome.
The timeout ends, the game restarts, and the Mosaic team attacks.
The outside lines of the two wings were widened, and Dameng did not enter the paint area. He moved to a position one step inside the left three-point line and pulled Wang Tiejun out.
Only Barkley didn't pull away, and the fat man turned around flexibly, bypassing Green and entering the paint.
This is a Mosaic offense, with the two super insiders taking turns attacking the Suns' penalty area. One pulls, the other hits, and they have to hit the basket to improve offensive efficiency.
"brush!"
Kenny Smith passed the ball in time, and Barkley, who cut into the basket, caught the ball and made a layup.
"Kevin, suppress your opponent and don't let him take the ball easily." Westphal shouted loudly from the sidelines.
Kevin Johnson glanced at the sidelines and nodded.
8:4, Suns attack.
The ball was given to Drexler on the left wing three-point line, who singled out Mario Elie.
Small forward Chucky Brown was not good at attacking and defending, so the defense was switched, and Elie, who was better defensively, guarded the glider.
"Bang bang..."
The glider was dribbling the ball while spewing trash talk: "Old guy, do you know how I will beat you up?"
Although Mario Elie is not very strong, he is also a veteran. He is only one year younger than Glider. Not to be outdone, he immediately replied: "Come on, you old guy who has been fucked by Jordan for ten years,
Do you only want to hug Lao K’s lap now?”
"Have sex for ten years?"
Drexler's eyes bulged, and he was almost angry to death. He wished he could pounce on him and have a fight if he lost the ball.
Mario Eli is experienced and takes the opportunity to steal the ball.
Fortunately, the glider responded quickly, immediately turned around to protect the ball, and took the opportunity to complete the turn and pass, bypassing the opponent, reaching the three-point line two steps before making an emergency stop jumper.
"brush!"
The water splashed and he scored two points and one goal.
10:4, mosaic attack.
This time it was Dameng's turn to attack.
He didn't have the strength to carry Wang Tiejun into the paint area, so he used continuous running and reverse running to throw away the defender and rush into the paint area.
It's a pity that although Kevin Johnson's condition is not as good as last season, he is still better than Kenny Smith. Under his defense, the ball was not passed in time.
The opportunity to pass the ball passed in just a moment. Wang Tiejun caught up with Dameng, and the opportunity to open the ball was gone.
However, Kenny Smith's ball still passed in and hung straight to the basket, hoping that Dameng would use his better bounce to make an alley-oop.
Seeing the ball flying in, Wang Tiejun and Dameng used force to squeeze their opponents at the same time. At this time, the importance of tonnage power was reflected.
Dameng's tonnage was more than ten kilograms smaller. When Wang Tiejun exerted his strength, he was immediately pushed to the side. He watched helplessly as the latter took off and intercepted the ball. He was so anxious that he went up to grab it.
When Lao Wang was still in the air, he connected the ball with his elbows and made a movement to protect the ball. Dameng sent his right face to the tip of the former's left elbow, hit him straight, screamed in pain, and covered his face.
And retreat.
"Whoosh!"
Lao Wang passed the ball quickly, and the Suns once again launched a fast break, with the three major perimeter players advancing together.
Kevin Johnson reached the top of the arc and stopped. Dan Marley made a timely diagonal pass to the basket from the left wing, caught the ball and layup, and hit a goal.
At 12:4, the Suns led by 8 points in the away game.
Bill Walton sighed: "Although the Suns' perimeter defense is not as terrifying as the Bulls', who makes the Mosaic's perimeter defense so poor? Now that the perimeter defense has increased intensity, the interior line is not supported, and Mosaic's offensive end has been unable to open up.
It’s hard to beat!”
"If we keep fighting like this, there will be no suspense!" John Hanks said.
"Old K led the team to bring down Mosaic in the Western Conference Finals last year. This time Da Meng said he would bring down the Suns, but from the looks of it, he might not be able to do it. If he is swept, it will be a big loss." Bill
Wharton laughed.
The Mosaic team attacked, Dameng pulled Wang Tiejun away, and Barkley took action.
The fat man used Green to enter the paint area and get a deep position. This time Kenny Smith's ball was passed in time.
"Bang!"
Barkley caught the ball and just dribbled and arched it, then immediately turned around and leaned on Green for a layup and hit a goal.
Wang Tiejun was pulled two steps outside the paint area and had no chance to return to defense.
