The game starts at eight o'clock, and at 7:30, the two teams announce their starting lineups.
Mosaic: Olajuwon, Barkley, Drexler, Chucky Brown, Kenny Smith
Suns: Wang Tiejun, Ben Wallace, Robert Horry, Wes Riperson, Kevin Johnson
"..."
Luo Lin's eyes widened when he saw the Suns' starting lineup.
When Oldman saw it, he couldn't help but be startled and said, "Mosaic was fooled."
"Yes, they have to prepare quickly. The Suns with Old K and without Old K are completely two teams." Luo Lin shook his head.
"Haha! I must have deceived Mosaic."
In the CCTV live broadcast, Zhang Lili laughed.
Su Qun smiled and said: "But Lao K's injury is still not healed, and it should affect his hand feel."
Zhang Liyi nodded and said: "You can't dunk, that's for sure. In addition, whether it is shooting or dribbling, it will have an impact. The Suns lineup is not as good as Mosaic, and the chance of winning this game is even smaller. In fact, I do not recommend him to bring
Played injured."
"This old K, he is really lying to us." In the visiting team's locker room, Barkley said in a dumbfounded voice.
Drexler laughed and said: "The elementary school students still want to deceive us college students. He underestimates us too much."
Dameng said with high spirits: "Whether he plays or not, his state will definitely be affected. This time we will sweep the Suns and Lao K to avenge the defeat last year."
Barkley and Drexler looked at each other, and the former reminded: "Hakeem, if you do that, with Old K's character, he might really fight us."
"Are you afraid of him?"
Dameng said unconvinced.
Drexler advised: "Hakeem, don't forget our age. Our goal is the finals, not to sweep the Suns. We can't compete head-on with him."
Seeing the opposition from the two old guys, it was difficult for Da Meng to persist. Moreover, in terms of physical fitness, the three of them really did not have the confidence to compete with Lao K.
Barkley suggested: "Hakeem, if you guard against Old K today, guard against his breakthrough. His finger injury will definitely have a big impact on his shooting."
"Understood, guard against breakthroughs but not against throws." Dameng nodded.
In the home team's locker room, Lao Wang was sitting leaning against the closet while a trainer was helping him wrap a bandage on his foot.
Team doctor Andrew John is wrapping tape on his right hand and tying his index and middle fingers together to stabilize him.
In fact, the coaching staff and the management did not agree with him playing with injuries, but he asked to play. If he had to sit on the bench with this minor injury, it would be too delicate. Who will say that he has a tough style in the future? He is not allowed to call him.
Empress Wang?
However, even he didn't have much hope for this game. Mosaic's lineup was already better than theirs, so his condition was definitely not as good as normal, and his strength would increase the distance between them.
He analyzed Larry Bird's remarks about Mosaic. In fact, there are still good players in Mosaic's substitute lineup, such as the alien.
The Mosaic's backup point guard was suppressed by Kenny Smith and had no chance to start. However, this regular season averaged 28 minutes per game, averaging 14.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 0.9 steals per game. The offensive and defensive combinations are very good. This is the Mosaic team.
The third scoring point, the main point player Kenny Smith is the tenth scoring point. His playing time is not as good as him, and his scoring, assists and rebounding data are not as good as him.
Mosaic had a total of seven players who averaged 10 points per game during the regular season. Among these seven players, Tracy Moore was seriously injured and ended the season, leaving six players. Outside of the Big Three, the other three players were all substitute players.
Therefore, I really can’t believe what Larry Bird said. After Finley was injured, even with Wilkins, the Suns’ bench was actually no longer as good as Mosaic’s bench.
But the Suns are not completely without opportunities. The opportunity lies in the health issues of the Big Three. If any one of them is injured, it will be the Suns' opportunity.
It's just that the Big Three are really cunning. They fished in the regular season and were injured for nearly a hundred games in total. Now they are all in full swing in the playoffs, and teaming up is not a fun thing.
"It's time."
At this time, a staff member pushed open the door of the locker room and shouted loudly.
The five people came to the players' tunnel and met with Barkley and the others.
"You're cheating," Dameng shouted when they saw him.
"We are in a group." Lao Wang shouted unwillingly.
When Dameng heard this, he was so angry that he almost vomited blood. When he turned around and saw Barkley and Drexler laughing together, he became even more sad and angry.
"You bastards are just bullying me for not having a championship."
He glared at the two Buckleys fiercely. These two old guys were the most hateful. With a ring in their hand, the name of the group could not be placed on their heads.
At eight o'clock, the game officially begins.
Daben and Dameng stood opposite each other, preparing to jump the ball.
"Rookie, after shaving your head, are you 190 centimeters tall?"
Dameng glanced at Da Ben with disdain and reached out to compare their heights. Da Ben was so depressed that he just wanted to kill Da Meng with his head.
"Crack!"
The ball was thrown high, and then Dameng pushed the ball away, creating a mosaic attack.
Barkley entered the low post on the right wing and received the ball with his back to Ben. While dribbling the ball, he arched back while noticing Old K on the weak side.
Lao Wang didn't dare to pass because Dameng was one step outside the paint area on the left wing. If he implemented weak-side defense, with Barkley's passing ability, he would definitely pass to Dameng.
This is the role of the Big Three. When they are on the court, each of them needs to be double-teamed, but you just can't do it because there are three of them, so let alone double-teaming, you don't dare to leave any one open.
.
"brush!"
Ben couldn't withstand Barkley's incredible skill. The latter turned around and made a jump shot with good touch and made the first shot.
It was the Sun's turn to attack, and Lao Wang entered the low post on the left wing.
He relied on Dameng to secure his position, and was distracted by the situation of Ben and Barkley behind him.
In order not to bring Barkley closer to Wang Tiejun, Ben didn't get into the basket at all and stayed in the low post on the right wing.
But Barkley, a fat man, didn't care that he was no threat unless he was under the basket. He just stayed under the basket. When the defensive three seconds were about to expire, he left for a moment and immediately returned to the basket.
At this time, the lightning ball came in. The ball was very fast. Kenny Smith was of average strength. He seized the opportunity and passed a through ball.
The faster the pass, the harder it will be for Barkley to double-team Old K. He knows this very well.
With his left elbow stuck to resist Dameng, Lao Wang grabbed the ball with his right hand. The moment he caught the ball, he didn't move his left foot, stepped towards his waist with his right foot, then jumped on one foot and hit a front hook.
The rhythm of catching the ball and shooting was too fast. Dameng only had time to stretch out his hand, but he didn't have time to move, let alone jump to block the shot.
Barkley, who appeared from behind, also took a beat and could only turn around in a hurry, preparing to return to the basket to grab the rebound.
"Get in!"
Su Qun shouted.
"Bang!"
Unfortunately, it missed. The ball deflected a little outward and bounced upward.
Lao Wang shook his right hand, which was troublesome. When his hook hand was released from the basketball, in addition to the wrist movement, there was also a finger movement to pick the ball. Now the index finger and middle finger are tied together, which is not suitable for him, and he is not able to exert force.
At that time, my index finger still hurt a little, so I would try throwing and hitting the board next.
Under the basket, Barkley and Ben were competing for rebounds at the same time. No one knew the true heights of the two, and they were classified as league-level secrets. However, the former had more experience and better rebounding skills, and grabbed the rebound first.
Zhang Lili analyzed: "The rhythm of this shot was very good, and it completely dodged Dameng. Dameng could only defend with his eyes. It should be that his two fingers were tied together, which affected the feel.
Once this person is injured, his psychology will be affected and he will have scruples about that place. I have a deep understanding of this."
Mosaic attack.
In last year's Western Conference Finals, Dameng was pulled out on the offensive end to contain Lao Wang, but the effect was not very good because Lao Wang's strongest point was offense, not defense.
This time, Dameng's playing style has changed, or the team's tactics for him have changed.
Small forward Chucky Brown is just a role player. The three giants are on the court and there is no need for his scoring ability. Therefore, head coach Tomjanovich arranged pick-and-roll and inside-cutting tactics, and he was responsible for carrying out operations for the three giants.
Pick-and-roll, or use his cutting inside to stretch defenders, creating open or misplaced opportunities for the Big Three.
In the low post on the left wing, Dameng received the ball. At this time, Brown suddenly ran down and cut into the paint area from the former and Lao Wang behind him.
Dameng faked a pass. Lao Wang was distracted and his defense relaxed. The former took the opportunity to make a jump shot and hit a goal.
In the next game, the Suns were at a disadvantage.
Wang Tiejun missed two shots. After taking a breath, he took the ball again and tried to rush in directly.
It's a pity that Dameng adopted the same defensive strategy as him, preventing breakthroughs but not shots, prohibiting him from playing more efficient offense at the basket, and letting him shoot outside.
So as soon as he turned around, Dameng retreated early, moved into position half a beat earlier, and blocked him with Barkley who was assisting in defense, causing him to make a mistake and steal his ball.
His state naturally affected the entire team. They fell behind by a huge margin in the first quarter, falling behind by 16 points at 15:31.
"This is probably the first time that Lao K has been injured. It has been four years and he is actually quite durable. He may not have had the experience of being injured, so he is very uncomfortable with it." Su Qun said.
Zhang Liji nodded and said: "The fingers are tied together, just like wearing a glove. You will definitely not get used to it at first, but it should get better later."
In this game, the Suns lost by a huge margin at home, 75:104, losing by 29 points and losing the G1 game.
Lao Wang played his worst playoff performance in four seasons. He played 33 minutes and made 5 of 16 shots, with a shooting percentage of only 31.2%. He transformed into a blacksmith and made 5 of 7 free throws, scoring 15 points.
Data of 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 blocks, 6 turnovers and 3 fouls.
"You three are so shameless. I was injured, but you all came on the field. How could you do this?" After the game, Lao Wang cursed unconvinced.
Barkley quickly said with a smile: "Don't be impatient, Old K. If you end up later, won't we also end up?"
"Go away, I'm off the field, do you still have the face to be on the field?" Lao Wang said angrily.
"Old K, let us enter the finals this time. We are all old and can't play for a few more years. If you are injured again, don't hold on." Drexler said with a smile.
"Old K, you should give up. With your fingers tied together, you will inevitably use force, which will aggravate the injury." Dameng said firmly.
Lao Wang rubbed his right index finger and said helplessly: "It seems to be more painful."
"You will recover more slowly this way, so give up, old K?" Barkley smiled.
At this time, Aaron Nelson, the team doctor and chief trainer of the Suns, happened to come behind Lao Wang. After hearing this, he said: "Old K, repeated injuries are not conducive to recovery. You really have to take a truce. Playing with injuries is harmful and useless.
Although you are a center forward, your fingers are also very important."
"Let's see how the recovery goes tomorrow." Lao Wang said after thinking about it.
Barkley said: "You're not going to play with an injury again tomorrow, are you? Let me tell you, Old K, don't imitate me. Look at the injuries I have now. I don't even know when I will retire. So if I have injuries, I will definitely
You have to fully recover before you come back. Injuries are a surprise. One day, they will explode. If you don’t pay attention to minor injuries now, they will accumulate into major injuries in the future, and it will be over.
Also, don’t think that if you play with an injury, we will hold back. It’s impossible, and our lineup is already stronger, so there’s not much chance that you won’t get injured.
Besides, Da Meng will work hard, this should be his last and best chance, our lineup will probably be broken up next season."
"Don't fool me, I will make my own judgment on whether I should play or not." Lao Wang glared at Barkley.
Barkley smiled awkwardly. He really wanted to persuade Old K to give up the Western Conference Finals, so that Mosaic could easily reach the finals and compete with the Bulls.
However, what he said to persuade Lao Wang was sincere. It was really not a good idea to play with an injury. Lao K has already won two championships, so there is no need to work so hard.
However, Lao Wang's idea of playing injured again was firmly rejected by the management this time, and he was directly placed on the injured list. He was not even included in the twelve-man roster, so he could only start to recuperate from his injury.
The 19th, the Eastern Conference Finals game day.
That morning, Kobe went to the Clippers for a tryout, but the Clippers didn't pay much attention to him as a high school student. There were other rookies who tried out with him, so they left after a hasty tryout.
That night, the Bulls played at home, defeated the Magic, and won the G1 game.
Jordan played a top offensive and defensive performance. While he efficiently scored 37 points with a 62.5% shooting rate, he defended Penny Hardaway from 3 of 16 shots and only scored 8 points. In the end, he did not dare to take action.
Although Ewing defeated Clifford Robinson, Rodman's weak-side defense still caused a lot of trouble for him. His efficiency was not high, and his shooting rate was only 47%.
At the same time, the Bulls also had some advantages in rebounding. Even Jordan tried hard to grab 8 rebounds, and Rodman even grabbed 18, providing the Bulls with a lot of ball rights.
On the 20th, in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, Wang Tiejun sat in the stands, and then the Suns lost their second home game.
Since then, media across the United States have begun to discuss the finals, and their attention is no longer on the Eastern Conference Finals and Western Conference Finals.
Generally, all media agree that the finals will be between the Mosaics and Bulls.
For the East and West finals, the only uncertainty is whether the Bulls and Mosaic can sweep their opponents.
This makes Lao Wang very angry. I can sweep others away, but that doesn't mean I am willing to let others sweep away me. He doesn't want to be swept away by Mosaic.
On the 21st, the Suns arrived in Houston.
The three giants entertained guests, Lao Wang and Lightning went on a date, and the five of them found a French restaurant.
Before leaving the hotel, Lao Wang wrapped an ice pack on his finger again, which he had already had for two days.
Seeing Lao Wang's right index finger tightly wrapped with an ice pack, Buckley asked with concern: "Old K, the swelling hasn't subsided yet?"
"No, you are lucky this time." Lao Wang sighed.
The three giants looked at each other with joy in their eyes.
Only Ling Ling snickered secretly. Old K's acting skills are good. It seems that finding an actor as his wife is still beneficial.
Lao Wang watched the waiter use a plane to dig up the truffles. After a long time of digging, only a little bit of truffles came out. He said unhappily: "Stop digging, just a little bit, put it on my plate."
Everyone was stunned, and the waiter was also startled, and stopped the plane.
Dameng shouted anxiously: "Old K, these are Italian white truffles."
"How much does it cost per kilogram?" Lao Wang said disdainfully.
"Old K, the price of this batch of white truffles is US$10 per gram," the waiter said.
"That's a thousand dollars a kilogram?" Buckley asked.
Lao Wang was stunned. He was even worse at math than I was. It seemed that he was still a scumbag after going to college!
"It's 10,000 US dollars per kilogram. But the purchase price should be around 3,000 to 4,000 US dollars." Lightning corrected.
"Ten thousand? That is indeed expensive. It is more than three times more expensive than my medicated diet. It seems that the medicated diet needs to be adjusted upward." Lao Wang said.
Barkley was left alone, but he still raised the price? Are you planning not to sell it?
