On the evening of the 28th, the United Center Arena was filled with people and stars.
The game between the two strongest teams in the league has attracted countless attention. Even if it is just a regular season game, a large number of stars have traveled thousands of miles to gather here.
At 7:30, the two teams announced their starting lineups.
Suns: Wang Tiejun, Ben Wallace, Michael Finley, Wes Riperson, Kevin Johnson.
Bulls: Clifford Robinson, Rodman, Pippen, Jordan, Ron Harper
This game was broadcast live nationwide by TNT, and the commentators were Marv Albert and Kevin Harlan.
Today is the 29th in China, Thursday, but CCTV still chose to broadcast the game live.
Although there will still be a live broadcast every week this year, there is some flexibility. For example, some games that attract a lot of attention will also be broadcast live.
At this time, Albert said: "In terms of lineup, although the Lightning is back, the Suns' perimeter is no match for the Bulls. There were gliders in the last finals, but not now. The perimeter strength has weakened a lot."
Kevin Harlan continued: "The contract of the Bulls' main point guard BJ last season ended and he left. Phil Jackson put Ron Harper on the starting lineup. Although Harper lost most of his offensive ability after a serious injury, he is still first-rate.
is an expert on perimeter defense, so the Bulls' perimeter defense is even stronger than it was in the last Finals.
It's not that difficult for the Suns to break through the Bulls' perimeter blockade. Without the restraint and help of the glider, the Lightning might not be able to hold on alone."
Albert nodded and said: "Person's ball-handling ability is okay, but Finley, a rookie, needs to improve his ball-handling ability. Let alone double-teaming, he can't handle Pippen's defense alone."
On CCTV, Zhang Liang's analysis was similar. He was not very optimistic about the Suns. After analyzing it, he said: "The Bulls still had a weakness in rebounding in the last finals. Now the situation has improved. The big bug is averaging close to 15 rebounds per game this season.
Although the Bulls are not as good as the Tiejun in terms of rebounding, there is no longer such a big gap."
"Director Zhang, he's probably not as good as the Suns, right?" Su Qun said.
Zhang Liyi nodded, looked at the data and said: "This season, the Suns averaged 45.4 rebounds per game, and the Bulls averaged 44.6. It seems that the difference is not big, very close.
But we can analyze it in two periods. At that time, Horry was a power forward, and the Suns had fewer rebounds. But now that Ben Wallace is a power forward, the rebounds have increased a lot.
In fact, after Ben took over as the main four position, Tiejun took on more offensive tasks. The Suns' offensive ability has not been weakened. In terms of rebounds, the average during this period was 48.5. This is Ben's
One of the functions.”
"Although Ben is not offensive, his rebounds are very stable, eight or nine in a game. His defense is getting better and better now, and he can defend the three-point line." Su Qun said with a smile.
Zhang Liji said with a smile: "I hope he can grow up and complement the Tiejun on offense and defense. If he can really grow up, the Suns will be very lucky. Tiejun joined the team at no cost, and now Ben
Same thing with Wallace."
"But there are advantages and disadvantages. I can't pull him out, so K will be double-teamed in the low post a lot!" Su Qun said with a smile.
"There's no way around it. There's a dilemma in the world. If you can't find the kind of power forward who can defend and pull out, you can only use the current lineup. There are twenty or thirty teams with many excellent players.
It's not something you can have if you want it. Why do teams have to train their own rookies? It's because other people's stars are not something you can get if you want them." Zhang Li said with a smile.
At this time, the starting lineups of the two teams met in the player tunnel.
"Big insect..."
As soon as Lao Wang arrived, he shouted at Rodman: "How dare you ruin my reputation? I have to settle the score today."
"What?"
Rodman was shocked, "I'm ruining your reputation. Am I not crazy?"
Although he has an eccentric personality and a tough style on the court, even the postman Ma Long dares to be tough on the court, but he definitely does not want to provoke a ruthless person like Old K off the court.
"Old K, what did you say?"
Jordan was also confused and quickly got in between the two of them.
"It's okay if this guy doesn't come to the Suns. Why is he afraid that I'll hit him? Damn, am I the one who hits my teammates? Isn't this slandering me? This is ruining my reputation. I have a lot of commercial sponsorships.
If you run away, you will lose tens of millions. If you don’t settle the account today, everyone will stop playing." Lao Wang yelled.
Jordan and Rodman both had headaches at the same time. They were bastards and were openly extorting. What should we do? Should we call the police?
Rodman quickly shouted: "Old K, you listen to my quibbles, no, no, you listen to me..."
Jordan covered his forehead and sighed, damn big bug, why don’t you just say it if you can’t say it?
"Listen, he himself admitted that he was just quibbling. What else can he say now?" Lao Wang said unreasonably.
"Ha ha……"
Kevin Johnson and others couldn't bear it anymore and started laughing from behind.
"Old K, tell me, what do you want to do?" Jordan glared at Lightning and the others and said angrily.
"Apologize."
Lao Wang suppressed his laughter and said seriously.
"You come."
Upon hearing this, Jordan quickly stepped aside and tilted his head at Rodman. He would not accept this job.
Rodman, with his colorful short hair on his head, cocked his neck and glared at Lao Wang: "Old K, I really didn't say those words, I just said the wrong word just now."
"Do you still want to quibble?" Lao Wang said with a stern face.
Rodman immediately looked embarrassed. Damn it, I really made a mistake just now. What I want to say is to distinguish.
"Feel sorry."
He thought about it and apologized, otherwise he would be in trouble if this bastard, Old K, got involved.
"Ha ha……"
After teasing the big insect, Lao Wang felt very comfortable and went out with the crowd.
"This bastard, he is just looking for trouble with us." Rodman said dissatisfied.
"Forget it, your words did have an impact on him." Jordan said.
Rodman curled his lips and said, "I can't influence him. Old K has a reputation as a vicious person and is the leader of the four evil men. Is that something I can influence?"
At eight o'clock, the game starts.
During the ball jumping session, Lao Wang suddenly didn't want to jump anymore. He jumped every time. This kind of thing is not of any importance. It's time for the younger brother to take action. You can't always let the boss do such small things, right?
"Ben, come on."
He stepped back, tilted his head, and signaled.
Da Ben was startled, should I jump?
He's not a bad guy either. He just jumps. Isn't he just half a head shorter than Clifford Robinson? I can jump better than him and I can jump faster than him!
It turned out that Ben Wallace won the jump ball and the Suns attacked.
Wang Tiejun entered the paint area from the free throw line, and Clifford Robinson went around.
Although Ben Wallace has no shooting ability, he is not stupid. At this time, he did not enter the paint area, but pulled to the right wing.
In this way, the giant Rodman cannot stick to Wang Tiejun's left and right, forming a de facto early double-teaming of players without the ball, and his position must be kept at least an arm's length away.
That's it now. Rodman is standing at arm's length from Wang Tiejun. Although it's still tight, there is finally a little space.
Lightning Kevin Johnson controls the ball, and Jordan does not switch defenses like in the Finals, but is defended by Ron Harper.
After Ron Harper was seriously injured, there was no threat on the offensive end and he never had a three-pointer. However, after he became the main point guard, he completely gave up offense and only did defensive work.
He mainly defends the No. 1 position, with Jordan and Pippen waiting for opportunities on the left and right wings. The entire Bulls perimeter is like an iron rope crossing the river. Once the defensive intensity increases, they can play an airtight and suffocating perimeter defense.
As soon as Kevin Johnson passed the midline with the ball, he felt great pressure coming towards him.
Ron Harper on the opposite side stared at him like a ferocious gray wolf, with two blood-devouring American lions on his left and right wings. If he was careless, he would be torn to pieces by these three defensive beasts.
"Old K."
At this moment, he saw Old K approaching the basket, and immediately made a cross dribble, made a fake pass, and knocked Ron Harper away. Then he shouted loudly and pushed the ball to the basket at the same time.
As soon as Wang Tiejun approached the reasonable collision zone, he heard Lightning's shout and saw the ball coming in. He immediately turned around and used his body to block Rodman, who was rushing towards him one step away from the right.
Clifford Robinson blocked the ball and completed the blocking. When the ball arrived, he immediately took off and grabbed the flying basketball with both hands.
"Bang!"
As the violent sound of the basket exploded, the basket suddenly sank a foot.
"pretty!"
Zhang Lili shouted excitedly: "The first attack was an alley-oop dunk. The cooperation between Tiejun and Lightning is getting better and better."
"Old K's blocking position is very good. He didn't have the body to block Kerry, but instead blocked Rodman. Coach Zhang, why is this?" Su Qun asked.
Zhang Lili explained with a smile: "Because Kerry is on top, it's too late to guard him. Just use your elbow to block him. But Rodman's position is lower and he moves faster, which may create an obstacle for him."
, so you have to use your body to block Rodman first."
It's the Bulls' turn to attack.
The Suns switched defense and when Clifford Robinson opened up, Ben followed and Wang Tiejun stayed in the low post to face off against Rodman.
Da Chong's offensive ability was comparable to that of Ben Wallace. Lao Wang completely ignored Da Chong. While staring at the outside line, he said: "Da Chong, let's compete in rebounding. Whoever wins today will ask the loser to eat ten times."
How about the medicated chicken from K Martial Arts School?"
"ok!"
The big insect became happy. Although Old K's rebounding is very good and is even higher than him this season, but tonight the Suns will face Jordan's offense, Old K must not spend too much energy on rebounding. He is very promising.
If you win, you can eat the chicken ten times. This is a good bet.
"Dennis..."
Jordan happened to be running nearby and heard the conversation between the two. He reminded him somewhat speechlessly: "He said that the winner is going to treat you. Do you want to win the treat, or do you want to win the treat, or do you want to eat the chicken for the loser?"
Da Chong immediately reacted and glared at Lao Wang. He just wanted to curse, Lao K, don't go too far. Do you really think I'm stupid?
"Jordan, you are such a clever guy." Lao Wang glared at Jordan without deceiving anyone.
At this time Ron Harper reached the top of the key and gave the ball to Jordan.
Ben had been pulled out by Kerry and could not make up the defense, and the coaching staff did not arrange for anyone else to double-team Jordan. Therefore, after Jordan got the ball, he formed a situation of singles against Person.
"Bang!"
He hit from behind, then turned around and shot a fadeaway jumper. The technical action was completed quite easily. Person could only defend with his eyes. Unfortunately, he was unlucky and missed.
"mine!"
Rodman jumped up with all his teeth and claws, grabbing the basketball with both hands and spreading his legs wide in the air.
This exaggerated aerial movement allows him to occupy a very large space and intimidate anyone who wants to rebound the ball with him. Anyone who dares to come up to grab the ball must be prepared to be kicked.
He used this action last time to kick Drexler out of the air. The glider is still under overhaul.
But just as he jumped up, another person also jumped up. His aerial posture was almost as exaggerated as his movements. This person was Wang Tiejun.
I remember that Rodman, who was inspecting Comrade Wang's rebounding action, learned a perfect lesson.
"Ouch!"
"What the hell!"
With a cry of surprise and pain, the two kicked each other almost at the same time, but Lao Wang's arm was longer and he snatched the ball away with half a kick.
Rodman was kicked down by Pharaoh Wang and landed unsteadily. After staggering two steps, Jordan held him up from behind and narrowly escaped falling.
Lao Wang's legs were longer and he kicked the opponent instantly. In fact, Rodman's foot only touched him and did not kick him firmly. In addition, he weighed more than Rodman, so his center of gravity was very stable and he stood still when he landed.
.
The nearby referee moved his mouth, but did not blow his whistle. He pointed to the Suns' frontcourt to signal that the game should continue.
Although this is the home court of the Bulls, the status difference between Rodman and Old K is too far. If you want to give a whistle to a star, you can only give it to Old K, and definitely not to Rodman. There will be redundant actions in the situation.
Next, he chose not to blow the whistle.
Since he wasn't injured anyway, Rodman didn't argue, just smiled and rushed to the backcourt.
"Hum"
At this time, Phil Jackson blew his hooligan whistle on the sidelines. After Jordan and the others looked over, they immediately shouted: "Double-team the ball carrier."
This time, it would cost the Suns their lives.
Kevin Johnson passed the ball to Finley under the pressure of Ron Harper.
As soon as Finley got the ball, Pippen immediately pressed for it. At the same time, Ron Harper also pounced on Finley and double-teamed him.
Jordan on the right wing pounced on Kevin Johnson to defend.
Then Rodman in the low post released his base, pounced on Person above, and also provided cover.
Finley was double-teamed, and his ball-handling ability hadn't been developed yet. He didn't dare to continue holding the ball, so he could only pass it back to Kevin Johnson in a hurry.
"Crack!"
It just so happened that Jordan's defense was in place and intercepted the ball.
The Bulls took the opportunity to counterattack and launched a fast break, and Jordan hit a layup.
"The Bulls' perimeter defense is too strong." Su Qun sighed.
"Did you notice the details just now?"
After asking, Zhang Lili analyzed: "Ron Harper just forced the Lightning, and he tried his best to block the passing line between the Lightning and the Iron Army, forcing the opponent to pass the ball to both wings.
At the same time, the same goes for Pippen. While pressing, he also blocked Finley and the Iron Army's passing and receiving lines.
In addition, both Jordan and Rodman were very fast in their defense. They took advantage of Big Ben's weakness, completely confident and bold in their defense, and perfectly locked up Yang Yang's perimeter."
"Then the Suns are in danger?" Su Qun asked.
"I'm afraid last season, because of the glider, we could establish two fulcrums on the outside. He and the Lightning echoed each other, and with Dan Malley, the Bulls couldn't lock it down, but now neither Finley nor Person can hold up.
To set up another fulcrum, Ling Ling cannot support it alone outside." Zhang Lijia said.
As he expected, the Suns had no recruits, and Westphal had no choice. The absence of the lineup was a flaw, and the tactical effect was also limited.
Last season the Suns' lineup was better than the Bulls, and now the Bulls' lineup is also better than the Suns.
The change is actually not big. The Suns are missing a glider, and the Bulls can lock down their perimeter with their strong defense. This is restraint.
The perimeter was locked, and Wang Tiejun was anxious because he couldn't get the ball. He began to devote his energy to rebounding and defense. He teamed up with Ben to block the penalty area and sent big blocks one after another on the defensive end. Neither Jordan nor Pippen had any
Escaped his block and had to reduce the number of breakthroughs in the subsequent time.
It's just that although he used strong defense to stop the Bulls' low-post offense and also performed well on rebounds, the Bulls controlled the outside, causing the Suns to make a lot of mistakes on the outside, losing a lot of ball rights, and unable to make up for the advantage in rebounding.
, at the same time, Jordan's pull-up jump shots were extremely accurate, and he made repeated mid-range jump shots. The touch was hot, and the Bulls continued to expand their score advantage.
In the 8th minute of the fourth quarter, the Suns were already trailing by 18 points.
"Crack!"
However, Lao Wang did not give up. When Pippen was making a breakthrough dunk, he slapped him and Pippen fell to the floor. His back injury recurred and he ended the game.
Pippen retired from injury, which was an opportunity for the Suns, and he began to lead the team to counterattack.
It's a pity that Pippen's end didn't really solve the Suns' perimeter problems. Several perimeters were in extremely bad shape due to the Bulls' oppressive defense and could not recover. In addition, the score gap was too large. In the end, this
The Suns still lost the game, 96:109, losing by 13 points, and only chased by 5 points in the last four minutes.
Wang Tiejun played for 45 minutes. He had no support from the outside in the low post and was like a waterless source. He made 11 of 18 shots from the field, a shooting percentage of 61.1%, and 6 of 8 free throws. He scored 28 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 7 steals.
Data of blocks, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls.
Rodman's help defense still had a certain impact on him, causing him an offensive foul and a walk. In addition, he blocked three direct attacks on the basket, forcing him to only shoot and lower his shooting percentage.
In this game, Rodman played 41 minutes and grabbed 11 rebounds. Next to Wang Tiejun, he had a serious height disadvantage. Many rebounds were taken away by Wang, and the boss was also taken away from his head.
Got 7 rebounds.
At the end of the game, Zhang Lili sighed in the CCTV live broadcast: "There were too many mistakes. The whole team made a total of 21 turnovers, 17 from the outside. The Suns had 8 more rebounds than the Bulls and more blocks than the Suns."
6, but in terms of turnovers, too many ball possessions were lost.”
"The ball can't be passed in. There's nothing we can do about it. We can't win from outside because we can't do it. In the end, we only lost 13 points. That's settled." Su Qun shook his head and sighed.
"It's because of Tiejun's strong rebounding and defense, otherwise the point difference would have been at least 30 points," Zhang Li said.
At the tnt live broadcast, Albert analyzed: "If the Suns cannot establish a second ball-holding point on the outside, then there will be no way to break the Bulls' strong perimeter defense."
"Yes, if the outside line is not strong, it cannot provide support for the inside line. Old K played very frustrated tonight and couldn't catch the ball." John Hanks said.
Albert laughed and said: "So he vented his frustration on the defensive end and actually sent out seven big shots. Pippen and Jordan broke out very hard at the beginning and hit several goals, but they also took several big shots from him.
Hat, you can’t get in much from the back.”
John Hanks said with a smile: "Two from Jordan, three from Pippen, one from Toni Kukoc, one from Ron Harper, and one steal each from Pippen and Clifford Robinson.
In addition, Ben Wallace, the Suns' undrafted draft pick, also performed well today. Although he only grabbed 7 rebounds next to Rodman, Rodman only had 11 rebounds, and he also blocked one of Rodman's second shots.
Offensively, he stole Toni Kukoc once and successfully defended Jordan several times. He was very active on the defensive end and helped defend a large area.
Of course, now Ben Wallace's defense is not as good as AC Green, who is very good in defense and rebounding."
Albert continued: "Although the Bulls won today, the success rate in the low post was only 56%, and there were not many low post shots, only 17. Jordan and Pippen made many breakthroughs due to illegal hand fouls, but
I don’t get to the basket very often, I usually take mid-range shots.”
John Hanks said: "Clifford Robinson almost didn't take any low shots, and the big bug didn't grab two offensive rebounds. There were zero points in this game. The Bulls' low post offense relied entirely on breakthrough layups from the outside. After eating a few times from Old K,
After a big block, Jordan and Pippen obviously reduced their breakthrough layups.
So in today's game, the Bulls played a suffocating outside defense, while the Suns played an exciting inside defense. Both sides performed very well. It's just a pity that the Suns' offensive end was weak. This is the Suns' loss.
The only reason for the ball.”
Albert suddenly put away the smile on his face and reminded seriously: "But the Bulls cannot be careless. Once the Suns can establish two pivots on the outside like last season, then with the Suns' rebounding ability and interior defense ability,
Old K's terrifying low-post offensive ability will make the Bulls very troublesome."
His words reminded all the Bulls fans who heard them recall the scene of being swept in the last finals. As every inside player had his bones broken, the memory of being completely dominated by his opponent and completely dominated by Old K.
, making them all want to delete their memories.
At this time, John Hanks also said seriously: "This season the Suns are in the process of rebuilding. Being able to reach the first place in the Western Conference during the rebuilding process shows how strong the Suns and Old K are, so in fact the Suns' lineup is not
Not weak, and quite powerful.
But we must remember that the Suns now hold three first-round picks this year. Their draft target must be outsiders. With three picks, as long as they select a satisfactory rookie, the Suns will be able to win in the following years.
Within a few years, it is very possible to dominate this alliance."