At this time, at Wang Tiejun's home on Fengshen Street, the living room of Nuo Da was crowded with people, all of whom were fellow villagers from their hometown who worked on Fengshen Street.
At the nearby basketball training base, a large group of people from Nortel were gathering in the dormitory building to watch the game. They had already signed up with Feige Company, and Yu Feihong arranged for a group of people without accommodation here.
Fengshen Street outside has entered the most lively stage of the year. Countless basketball fans from the capital have poured into this area, completely flooding the area. It is more lively and crowded than last year's playoffs. There are many more people.
, the surrounding blocks are full of people.
Under the guidance of Wang Tiejun's violent performance this season, the domestic basketball atmosphere is getting stronger and stronger. Sports schools in various places have also increased their investment in basketball. Countless schools have also added basketball activities to their physical education classes. The number of basketball fans is expanding rapidly.
Especially in the capital, in Cangzhou, the basketball atmosphere has completely surpassed football. There are far more children playing basketball than football in schools.
Fengshen Street was already overcrowded. Although it affected business, hundreds of owners were very happy. They even prepared the largest TV sets for the fans.
In the bar street of South Street, many basketball bars have appeared. This is a bar trend that has emerged this year.
The popularity of this street is no less than that of Houhai and nearby Sanlitun. During the playoffs, its popularity far exceeds those two areas.
It's daytime now, but all the bars are open and full of fans.
Chaoyang District organized a large number of manpower to maintain order. Several leaders in the district were both happy and distressed, fearing that it would cause a stampede.
Several market research staff from the United States were squeezing around Fengshen Street. They were sweating profusely and couldn't get through. After squeezing for a long time, they didn't go far.
They were commissioned by the NBA official to investigate the NBA and basketball market in China so that the official could formulate a plan to develop the market.
"They are wrong. They think Phoenix is Old K's home base, but no, it is here."
"I bet there are at least 100,000 people gathered here and on those basketball courts."
"So how many basketball fans will there be in the whole of China? Ten million, thirty million, fifty million, or more?"
"You should ask, how many fans does Mr. K have in China? This is more direct."
"However, the Suns have not yet sold a jersey of K.'s in China. Do they know how much money they have made less?"
"Also Mammoth, Lao K's K series is also not sold here."
…
The core of the Kings is four-time All-Star guard Mitch Richmond. He was selected to the All-NBA Second Team twice. He was the fifth pick in the first round of 1988. He has performed at 20 points in all eight seasons since entering the league. It can be said that he is at his peak right after his debut.
It has been at its peak until now, at the age of thirty, and it is still at its peak.
Unfortunately, the Kings lineup is too poor. The last time they made it to the playoffs was in the 1985/96 season. They have not made it to the playoffs for 9 consecutive seasons. This year is also the first time in Richmond's career that he has made it to the playoffs.
He was excited and happy, but also frustrated because his opponent in the first round was the Suns, the league's number one team led by Old K, and their chances of winning were too small.
The Kings are similar to the Bulls in that they are both perimeter-centered teams. When the perimeter cannot lock down the Suns' perimeter, the interior will be directly destroyed by Old K.
"Mitch, help me after you finish this contract, and I will help you win the championship." In the player tunnel, Lao Wang smiled and patted Richmond on the shoulder, and reminded: "By the way, you have to be a good person."
We are mentally prepared for a sweep."
"Old K, you may not have the strength to defeat us this year, right?"
Richmond was so angry that he laughed dryly, but he did not refuse Old K's solicitation. The Kings were not his home team, and he would not have any psychological burden if he wanted to leave the Kings.
A star like him, unlike ordinary players, pursues honors. He hopes to have a more fulfilling career, and the championship is an indispensable hard honor.
Lao Wang didn't refute Richmond's words. He just talked trash to demoralize his opponent. To be honest, he was not sure whether he could sweep the game. The lineup was not strong enough. Once the outside line performed abnormally, he might lose the game.
"Sun King! Sun King! Sun King..."
When Wang Tiejun walked out of the tunnel, nearly 20,000 fans in the audience began to shout wildly, and the sound swept the entire audience instantly.
When Wang Tiejun raised his hands to them, the sound instantly rose upwards and reached a peak.
Taking over the host's microphone with his left hand, Lao Wang pressed the microphone around with his right hand. The shouts at the scene quickly died down, and within a few seconds, the American West Arena fell silent.
“What a high appeal!”
“Incredible!”
Several celebrities who came from Xiangcheng felt incredible, even Long Wu and Zhou Wenhuai were the same.
What is the United States? The most tyrannical country in the world, the true global hegemon. It fights wherever it is directed and responds to a hundred responses. It is also the era when the United States has the strongest national power since its founding. How can a Chinese have such a big influence here?
The reputation, in their opinion, is unbelievable.
"It's playoff time again, and I saw countless fans supporting us. This is a great thing. You make us full of motivation. It is you who fill us with the endless pursuit of honor. This time,
We will fight for the championship again..."
Following Wang Tiejun's voice, cheers from the fans erupted from time to time. The fans looked very excited and could not suppress it at all, interrupting his speech several times.
For this game, the Suns lined up the starting lineup with Wang Tiejun, Ben Wallace, Robert Horry, Wes Riperson, and Kevin Johnson.
The main offensive point is position 5, the second offensive point is position 2, the third offensive point is position 3, and position 4 is responsible for doing the dirty work as a coolie.
The Lightning has played at the No. 1 position for a whole season. They are worried that he will not be able to survive in the playoffs. He is mainly responsible for organization and defense. He does not have many offensive tasks and does not arrange his breakthrough tactics to save him as much energy as possible.
Wang Tiejun has a heavier task and assumes some organizational functions, that is, organizing and attacking, defending, and rebounding.
In addition, Horry, the third position, mainly plays without the ball and is responsible for open shots, plus outside defense. The offensive end connects with the first position, establishes another support point, is responsible for the transition of the ball, and provides low passes.
Person in the second position has certain independent offensive rights and can attack with the ball, but he is not given much ball rights. He mainly attacks with the ball in fast breaks, and in positional offense, everything is based on the low post.
Needless to say, position 4 is a coolie.
CCTV has started to switch to the live broadcast signal. It just switched to Fengshen Street, and now it switches back to the live broadcast booth.
Zhang Lili said: "Although the Suns are much stronger than the Kings, we cannot be careless. Neither Person nor Horry are talented stars. They can only be regarded as role players.
Although the Lightning are in good shape now, they are getting old after all, and their status in the playoffs cannot be guaranteed. Not to mention Ben Wallace, who went from being undrafted to becoming the main force of the Suns, and now he has entered the starting lineup in the playoffs.
, who can guarantee what kind of performance he can perform?"
"Does that mean there is a possibility of the boat capsizing?" Su Qun asked.
Zhang Liyi nodded and said: "Although the Suns have the best record in the league, the situation this season is actually a bit special. Half of the teams are probably suspected of failing. Well... ahem, just don't be careless."
When he said this, he saw Su Qun tilting his head and covering his face and winking at him. He immediately realized that if he continued to speak, wasn't he just talking about the Suns' record this season? He quickly stopped talking.
Su Qun quickly changed the topic and said, "Director Zhang, Fengshen Street seemed to be more lively than last year just now!"
"Hey, yes, yes, Fengshen Street should be regarded as the most lively neighborhood in the capital city now. It is very popular. It is even more lively than Wangfujing during the playoffs. It has become the basketball base of the capital and is the most popular among basketball fans across the country.
place.”
Speaking of this, Zhang Lili became more interested. After all, it was he and Yu Feihong who encouraged Wang Tiejun to buy Fengshen Street. He said excitedly: "Last month, the bidding for K-Times Sports Center was completed. In a few months,
Once the design drawings are available, construction can begin.”
The game officially started at this time. After the jump ball, the Suns attacked.
"Bang!"
Wang Tiejun forced his way into the basket, received the ball with his back to the defender, then turned around and dunked directly over Kings center Alden Polynice.
Polynice is 211 centimeters tall and has a tonnage of 110 kilograms. He is already 32 years old and is not a star. He is completely unable to stop him. It can be said that he has no ability to compete, whether it is top defense or going around.
Looking back, Richmond broke through with the ball. After breaking through Person, he encountered a defensive defense when he entered the wing.
Ben was inexperienced after all, so he was overtaken by Richmond with a sudden change of direction.
Polynice had no mid-range offense, only the offensive ability in the paint area, and could not get out at all. Wang Tiejun entered the basket and blocked Richmond.
Richmond was well aware of Old K's defensive ability at the basket, so he did not force his way in and chose to make a pull-up jump shot.
When Lao Wang took off to block the shot, he didn't jump too high. With his defensive height, he could act as a great deterrent to the attacker.
Richmond adjusted his shot angle in the air, the ball passed over his palm, and he turned around immediately after landing.
"Bang!"
The angle of the shot was a bit high, the ball was short, it hit the basket and bounced, and he jumped up and caught it.
"Now K's defense is getting stronger and stronger. It's very difficult to break in and fight. He stands there and you have to take two steps around. Then he can just turn around and keep up with your rhythm." Bill Walton
said.
This series was broadcast live across the United States by ABC TV, and he and John Hanks provided commentary on the Suns game.
"Old K's blocking data has reached a new level. In addition, this season's assist defense has reached a new level. The assist defense speed and coverage area have improved a lot." John Hanks nodded.
For five minutes in the first quarter, the Kings adopted the tactics used by the Bulls against the Suns. They kept trying to lock down the Suns from the outside, but unfortunately they were unable to do so and failed. As a result, their low post was blown up by Wang Tiejun.
When the low post is blown, the defensive force must be concentrated to help defend the low post and double-team K. The result is that the defense on the outside is weakened, which leaves the Suns with a lot of open space on the outside.
"brush!"
After receiving Wang Tiejun's pass, Horry hit an open three-pointer.
He raised his fist excitedly. This was his first three-pointer.
After starting from the top, his performance did not disappoint the team. He played very steadily, and his shooting percentage on open balls was very good. Old K gave him more and more balls.
Returning to the defensive end, he began to defend desperately. He used all his best close-fitting defense and did not dare to be careless.
On the offensive end, he does not need to consume a lot of physical energy. After Old K attracts double teams, he only needs to hit open balls. There are few breakthroughs and little confrontation. Therefore, part of his performance on the offensive end is due to Old K
of addition.
Because of this, he must show his value on the defensive end, otherwise an outsider who only shoots open balls will be easily replaced by others once he is not defensive.
The same goes for Ben. From being undrafted to not being wanted by any team, to being given the chance to come off the bench by the Suns, and even later becoming a starter, he has always been on tenterhooks, afraid that he wouldn't work hard enough and would be given up by the team.
In the Suns, whether it is training or playing, he gives 120 points every second. In this team, he is the hardest working person, even more than Old K.
Now that he has entered the playoffs, he is still the starter. Although his confidence is much stronger than before, his shortcomings are too obvious. Although his defense and rebounding have improved somewhat, he does not dare to be careless. It is the same as before.
Still putting in one hundred and twenty percent effort every second.
He defended desperately, grabbed rebounds desperately, and defended desperately. Even if it was a fast break that had nothing to do with him, he followed up with all his strength.
The effects of his efforts may not be visible in many cases and cannot be reflected in the data, but his efforts can be seen by everyone.
According to relevant statistics, his running distance in each game even exceeds that of the perimeter, ranking first in the team.
Wes Riperson replaced Wilkins in the starting lineup. For him, this was a major turning point in his career, and he had more opportunities to perform.
He knows very well that his talent is not good enough, so he works very hard. He knows that if the team has a better choice, his position will not be kept, and the team is even in the process of rebuilding. One day he may be traded, but
No matter what, he must perform hard enough in the main position, which will make his future career better.
Although Kevin Johnson is not a rookie with the Suns, this is his home team, and he is also the person who supports Old K the most. From the core and leader position of the previous team, he switched to a support position after one season. This change is very big.
.
But he is not Barkley. Barkley has no feelings for the Suns. He is full of feelings for this place, so this transition process is not difficult for him, just because he wants the Suns to become better.
In fact, he doesn't have much expectations for the championship anymore. He has two championships in hand, and both are the main point guards. Even the first championship was the core outside player. This is enough, and his career is perfect enough.
Now for the next few seasons, that is, during his last contract, his expectation is to stay in the team, get a good big contract, and stand on the last shift to contribute to the era of old K.
A witness.
Although Wilkins was relegated to the sixth man position and received a basic salary, he played very hard for the championship. In the substitute lineup, he was always the first one and was always full of energy.
With the efforts of this group of people, the Suns defeated the Kings and successfully won the G1 game of the first round series.
Lao Wang played for 44 minutes, and because of his efforts in all aspects, he scored 42 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 5 blocks, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls.
Five players on the team scored in double figures, except for four in the main lineup. Wilkins scored 15 points.
Wilkins' efficiency was obviously not as good as in the regular season, he faced greater defensive pressure, and his shooting percentage was nearly five percentage points lower.
Rookie Finley only scored 2 points and made 1 of 7 shots. He has not adapted to the intensity of the playoffs. In addition, his physical problems have not been resolved, and he has also had some psychological problems since he was given the main position.
That night, the Jazz defeated the Lakers, the Bulls defeated the Heat, and the Pacers defeated the Cavaliers.
The next day, Lao Wang sent Cheng Long and others away.
That night, Mosaic defeated the Spurs, the SuperSonics defeated the Trail Blazers, the Knicks defeated the Hawks, and the Magic defeated the Pistons without any upsets.
On the 27th, the Suns made persistent efforts and defeated the Kings at home for the second time, gaining a match point in the first round.
In this game, Finley sprained his left ankle and was forced to leave the game. According to the post-game examination, he had a strained ligament and was reimbursed for the playoffs.
On the same night, the Jazz lost to the Lakers, the Pacers lost to the Cavaliers, and the two sides tied one to one.
The Bulls defeated the Heat and got match point.
On the evening of the 28th, the Mosaic Big Three worked hard and jointly contributed 88 points, winning the second victory and gaining match point.
The SuperSonics stumbled and tied with the Trail Blazers.
The Knicks and Magic defeated the Hawks and Pistons again and got match points one after another.
On the 29th, the Suns came to the road for three games against the Kings.
In this game, in the home atmosphere, the Kings exploded, and Richmond scored 42 points efficiently.
This was his highest score in a single game in the playoffs. He completely defeated his opponent Wes Riperson, even if the Lightning and Ben frequently double-teamed him, it was useless.
The Suns were a bit unstable, with poor outside touch and many mistakes. The Kings once led by double digits.
But unfortunately, no matter how good Richmond's offensive performance on the outside was, he could not lock down the Suns on the defensive end. Therefore, Wang Tiejun still blasted the Kings inside, blocked the penalty area with his strong defense, and completely controlled the rebounds.
ball.
In the end, the Suns overtook the score in the final quarter. Wang Tiejun scored 44 points, 21 rebounds, 5 assists and 7 blocks. With his top offensive and defensive performance, he led the team to sweep the Kings.
