At five minutes past eight, the starting lineups of both sides were announced.
Suns: Wang Tiejun, Rasheed Wallace, Horry, Kidd, Kevin Johnson.
SuperSonics: Ilvain, Shawn Kemp, Detlef Schrempf, Jose Hawkins, Payton
This game was broadcast live by ESPN, and because it was a Saturday, CCTV also chose to broadcast it live.
After receiving the list, Zhang Lili analyzed: "The SuperSonics have found a new center, and he is today's starting center Ilwain.
But he has little ability. He was the No. 5 pick in the second round of the Bullets in 1994. The SuperSonics wanted him probably because of his height.
The SuperSonics insiders have never had height. This Ilwain is 216 centimeters tall, 3 centimeters lower than the Tiejun, and has a tonnage of 125 kilograms. But he has height, but he doesn’t even have rebounds. He is a standard edge player in the SuperSonics.
Being a pseudo-starter and averaging 15 minutes per game has no status and no use.
When the Sonics use him against the Iron Army, it is just a blocking function, making it easier for Rainman Kemp and Schrempf to help defend."
At this time, the starting lineup came on, and the game started shortly after.
Rainman and Rasheed Wallace jump ball, Seattle offense.
Kidd stood in front of Payton. The two were the same height. The former was bigger, but the latter was a veteran. He was four years older than the former. He had played for four more years, had rich experience and was stronger.
But he has the same problem as Kidd. He is not very good at three-pointers, but he likes to throw them. In particular, his three-pointers are even worse than Kidd's.
In addition, they are from Oakland, California, separated by a road. Kidd is on the mountain, and Payton is at the bottom of the mountain. In Kidd's words, he is from the mountains, and Payton is from the city at the bottom of the mountain.
When Kidd first started playing, Payton, who was four years older than him, was already the kid king there, so he imitated Payton's game since he was a child. At the same time, he had to endure Payton's constant trash talk and developed top-notch mental qualities.
Then he joined the NBA successively, one was the second pick in 1990, the other was the second pick in 1994, and he had the same agent in the NBA.
In a word, they are too familiar with each other, their opponents on the court, and their opponents off the court.
"Boy, hug Lao K's thigh, is it shaking now?"
This is Payton's seventh season, and he can now be said to be a top point guard with excellent offensive and defensive organization. At this time, he was spitting trash at Kidd while pushing forward.
"Glove, I'll give you a new nickname, King of Langtou, what do you think?"
Kidd dealt with it calmly and did not steal easily. He just used timely movement to prevent Payton from starting to speed up.
On the right wing, the 30-year-old Lightning faced off against the also 30-year-old Jose Hawkins. The former was the No. 7 pick in the first round of 1987, and the latter was the No. 6 pick in the first round of 1988.
The Lightning are 185 centimeters tall and Hawkins is 191. They both suffer a little loss in height and weight. However, Hawkins is no longer the All-Star guard who averages 20 points per game. This season, he has a performance of 1433. With the Lightning's defensive ability and defensive pressure,
Not very big.
Through quick movements, he followed Hawkins' several off-ball moves in succession, preventing his opponent from getting an open chance to catch the ball.
As for other positions, the fifth position is not considered. Rainman seems to have difficulty getting rid of Rasheed Wallace's pursuit at the fourth position. The same is true for the third position. Payton sees that his teammates are not open, so he can only do it by himself.
"Whoosh!"
Kidd blocked Payton's face, and the three-pointer missed a three-pointer and went directly out of the baseline.
"King of free throws, to you, is the basket as big as the tip of a needle?" Kidd defended Payton's attack and immediately started talking trash.
"Damn boy, I'm going to break your egg yolk next." Payton yelled back angrily.
In the CCTV live broadcast, Zhang Liji said: "Although the Suns are struggling at the second position, the Suns' defense this season is really good."
Su Qun nodded and said: "We have old K Rasheed Wallace on the inside, Horry's defense on the outside is also good, and the Lightning are also good. Now we have Kidd, and Kidd's defense is also top-notch and close to the top level. It is really good."
Zhang Lili suddenly laughed and said: "When Wilkins or Chapman played the second position, the defense was not so strong, and their defense was not very good. The current lineup seems to be better.
Needless to say, the defense is not bad, and the offense seems to be not bad either. The Lightning has played well offensively this season. They didn’t have three-pointers before, but now they have started to shoot three-pointers. They shoot three in every game, and their shooting rate is actually very high, reaching 44%.
, which is the highest three-point shooting percentage on the team."
"It's amazing! No wonder he averaged 20 per game this season." Su Qun said excitedly.
Zhang Lijia smiled and said: "This is the change brought by Tiejun, forcing his teammates to make changes. The Lightning used to focus on breakthrough penetration, but now there is a giant beast inside, and the breakthrough space is reduced, so he must increase outside shooting and make three-pointers."
It’s understandable if you divide it.”
"He must have practiced three-pointers during the offseason," Su Qun said.
"In addition, since he is older, adding outside jump shots will save energy. This is also a change in the playing style of older players." Zhang Liji said.
Su Qun nodded and said: "That Robert Horry, when I interviewed him, he said that after joining the Suns, he would practice three-pointers every offseason. Now the three-pointers are indeed more stable than before. From this point of view, this
The Suns' three-point shooting will be very good this season. The stronger their ability to stretch, the more conducive it is to K's low-post offense."
At this time, the Suns' ball had reached the frontcourt and was pushed forward by Kidd.
The other four players all opened up, and all moved to the three-point line. Horry moved up and down the left three-point line, Rasheed Wallace moved to the right corner, and the Lightning moved outside the right three-point line, leaving behind
With a large amount of space left, the Sonics were left with only one Ilvain to defend against Lao Wang alone.
Before Kidd reached the top of the arc, when he saw Old K suddenly pushing past the defender and entering the basket, he dealt the card directly.
"Bang!"
The alley-oop dunk sent the SuperSonics home court into silence, followed by a lot of applause.
Zhang Lili laughed and said: "Let Kidd take charge and the Lightning play without the ball. I think it is more reasonable than Wilkins starting at the second position. How wide do you think it is? It is an empty no man's land."
Kidd is best at catching his teammates' vacancies, and he can even predict his teammates' vacancies in advance. With this configuration, who dares to double-team the Tiejun in the low post in advance? Dare to release it, and the ball will immediately reach the open space."
"Glove, when I win the championship, you will still be struggling in the SuperSonics." After easily receiving an assist, the excited Kidd immediately spat out trash talk at Payton.
"Damn it!"
Payton was so angry that he wanted to kick the boy opposite him who had been imitating him since he was a child. Wasn't he just hugging his thigh? I don't know how to act like him?
The SuperSonics' lineup is indeed strong, but the fifth position, like the Bulls, is an absolute weakness and cannot withstand the destruction of a super center like Old K. However, Old K's Suns are an insurmountable mountain for the Sonics in the Western Conference.
Looking back, Rainman Kemp ran with all his strength, used the pick-and-roll to get rid of Rasheed Wallace, and immediately cut back into the penalty area.
Payton also saw the opportunity, avoided Kidd's defense, and passed a scalpel-like through ball, passing the ball from the gap to the front of the direction where Rain Man cut.
"Beautiful! Rainman..."
The on-site commentator shouted excitedly, and when he was shouting "one dunk", he suddenly stopped.
"Crack!"
After receiving the ball, Rainman flew up, his terrifying jumping ability exploded instantly, and he rushed towards the Suns' basket like a bloodthirsty beast.
During the playoffs two years ago, he had several ribs broken by Lao Wang, so what he wanted most was to dunk on Lao K. At this moment, his wish was about to come true. He was extremely excited and thought about how to celebrate.
.
But the next moment, a huge body rose into the air from the front and blocked him.
Although Supersonics center Ilvain stepped out of the paint, Wang Tiejun didn't notice his offensive ability at all. He stayed at the left waist position. When he saw Rainman cutting back, he immediately began to pay attention to the top of the arc.
Payton, the ball handler, took a step towards the basket at the same time. When Rainman received Payton's pass and flew up, he had already returned to the basket, jumped head-on, and blocked the shot.
"Bang!"
The two collided in the air instantly, and a real spark hit the earth. The extremely heavy impact sound made people feel sour.
"oh!"
The whole audience exclaimed, and even the commentator opened his mouth wide.
After three steps, Lao Wang landed on the ground and took three steps back. His back hit the basket behind him, and his back shook, as if he had practiced iron and wood stakes.
On the opposite side, Rainman Shawn Kemp tilted his upper body backward and landed on the ground. His feet landed first, then his butt, and then his upper body. With a bang, the floor was hit and jumped.
As for the ball, it was thrown onto the backboard by Rain Man. It rebounded, fell to a high position, and was caught by Kidd.
At this time, the referee did not blow the whistle, and the game continued. The Lightning was already coming down, one step ahead of Hawkins, and Kidd gave the ball to the Lightning with a precise medium and long pass. The Lightning held the ball and went to the basket.
Calmly used a fake jump to dodge Hawkins, then took off the second time for a layup and hit a goal.
"Wow!"
At this time, Su Qun had a chance to take a breath and shouted: "Look, Rainman hasn't gotten up yet, he must be injured."
Zhang Lili looked at the screen carefully and nodded: "He only remembers eating and not fighting. It was the same situation last season. It was exactly the same. He wanted to dunk Tiejun, but he was blocked by Tiejun head-on and injured. Look at this
It’s the same thing again.”
Su Qun said: "The SuperSonics have called a timeout and the team doctor is here."
Zhang Lili shook his head and said: "Like the postman, he suffered big losses at the hands of the Tiejun. In the 1993 or 1994 playoffs, he was hit by the Tiejun and broke three ribs. He was unconvinced and always wanted to dunk on the Tiejun, but his tonnage was too big.
Xiao, Tie Jun, the toughest frontal blocker, can't hit Tie Jun at all."
During the timeout, Kidd and Payton walked together and spat out a rubbish: "Glove, look at your partner, he's so irrational. When I get old and retire, you can hug me again."
With his thighs, he might even be able to win a championship."
"Fake Oil!"
Payton was so angry that he started swearing.
Damn boy, you are four and a half years younger than me. You have retired and it’s time for me to hold my grandson. How can I hug my thigh and get a ring? Why don’t you give up your position earlier?
Infuriating Payton, Kidd laughed proudly and left.
"well!"
Glancing at the rainman who was helping him off the field, Payton sighed secretly.
This inside partner is indeed full of talent, but it's a pity that he is too impulsive and stubborn. He still has no memory after suffering big losses. If this continues, can the SuperSonics still break out of the Western Conference?
Without Rain Man, the SuperSonics were weaker and were eventually defeated by the Suns. The Suns won the last regular season game of the month and maintained the November record with 15 consecutive wins.
, ranking first in the league.
Second in the Western Conference is the Jazz, with 12 wins and 3 losses, which is still far behind the Suns' record.
Second in the league is the Bulls, with 13 wins and 2 losses. Both losses were to the Suns, ranking first in the Eastern Conference.
The situation in the Eastern Conference is very tight. Although the Bulls are ranked first in the Eastern Conference, they are only tied for first place.
O'Neal's Knicks also performed very strongly, also with 13 wins and 2 losses, losing to the Bulls and Pacers, and tied with the Bulls for first place in the Eastern Conference.
The Pacers lost one game to the Bulls and unexpectedly lost to the Pistons. They also had 13 wins and 2 losses, tied for first place in the Eastern Conference with the Bulls and Knicks.
The performance in the first month shows that the Bulls are no longer able to stand out in the Eastern Conference, but it does not rule out that the Bulls are not playing at their full strength.
For example, in the two games against the Suns, the Bulls definitely didn't play at full strength.
But the Suns' undefeated performance in the first month sparked heated discussions among the media and some stars.
Jerry Hawks, the host of ESPN's NBA channel and a very famous basketball commentator, expressed his views on the Suns in the 9 pm show.
He said: "I don't want to talk too much about the Suns' double defeat of the Bulls. The Bulls obviously did not go all out. The reason, I think, is that the Bulls are still worried about the lethality of Old K to the inside players and avoid the players' damage in the regular season.
There is no need for injuries, and K's Law can only limit part of Lao K's lethality, that's for sure.
Except for these two games, the Suns showed great strength in the other 13 games. This is unquestionable, and there is no water in that part of the record.
Compared with last season, the Suns played a stronger defense, and unlike the Bulls, the Suns have very strong defensive capabilities both inside and outside.
Of course, I am referring to the game between the Suns and the SuperSonics. In those previous games, the second position was the Suns' defensive weakness.
After the Suns suffered an injury at the second position, they deployed a dual-control strategy, which resulted in a stronger perimeter defense.
Of course, I think this tactic is not sustainable. The Lightning is not tall enough. It is okay to play one or two at the second position occasionally, but if you play this position for a long time and face a shooting guard with strong defensive ability, such as Jordan, you will definitely suffer.
Big loss.
So I still think that the Suns should solve the problem of the second position, otherwise this position is likely to become a time bomb for the Suns in the playoffs."
On the 30th, the Suns returned to Phoenix, and their next game was against the Warriors at home on the 4th. There were several days in between.
Time entered December 1996. On the 1st, Lao Wang got up early and had a half-hour phone call with Yu Feihong to ask about the situation at home.
Everything is going well at home. My son has gained weight quickly and is very healthy. I plan to take him back to his hometown to live for a while to let him get a little rustic.
He hung up the phone and called his two sisters. They were doing well now and the learning process was very fulfilling for them.
Then I contacted Dayao again.
A week ago, the new season of the NCAA divisional competition started, and Georgetown University belongs to the Big East Conference.
The NCAA includes more than a thousand universities, not just basketball, but also various sports events. There are dozens of large and small leagues according to divisions. These leagues are divided into three levels, graded according to the strength and sports investment of each school. The Big East
The league belongs to the top division league in the first tier.
In the NCAA's college basketball league, the Big East League has 16 teams, including Cornell University, Syracuse University, etc., all of which are famous schools and are very powerful.
He called the dormitory first, but no one was there. His roommate picked him up and told him that Dayao had gone to the training hall. He then called the basketball team's training hall and found Dayao.
I asked about Dayao's current situation and found that it was not bad. Dayao had a high emotional intelligence and was introduced by Mutombo. Later, he relied on Ewing's connections and his influence, so no one on the school team dared to do so.
Bullying him and getting along with his teammates is no problem.
"Dayao, have you adhered to the training plan I gave you?"
"Yes, Brother Tiejun, don't worry, I will definitely be able to persevere without any compromise."
"Okay, remember, just follow the plan when training. Don't increase the amount casually, or damage your body."
"I got it, Brother Tiejun."
"In four years, you will only be 20 years old after playing in the NCAA for four years. Don't rush. In addition, don't rush to compete for the starting spot in the school team. Although the competition in the NCAA is far inferior to that in the NBA, you also need an adaptation stage. Now you
Too thin."
"Yeah, I remember."
"The new season has started, have you played one game or two?" he asked again.
"We have already played twice and we won both times."
When Dayao said this, he said excitedly: "Brother Tiejun, I didn't have a chance to play in the first game. In the second game yesterday, I played 15 minutes as a substitute and scored 6 points, 3 rebounds and two blocks."
When he was telling Dayao, Colangelo Jr. and the coaching staff were holding a meeting about the lineup.
The problem to be solved at the meeting is position 2. Whether to reinforce or solve the problem internally, there must be a plan.
Colangelo Jr. said in embarrassment: "I tend to rely on the existing players in the team to solve the problem of the second position. It is difficult to find a suitable shooting guard in the free market. Our current record is first in the league.
, and no team is willing to let us continue to strengthen through trade.
And if there is a trade, you have to pay chips, which will inevitably involve the main lineup. With such a good record now, I don’t want to make major changes to the lineup, it is not cost-effective.”
Danny Ainge nodded and said, "I don't want to make any big changes to the main lineup. There's no need."
After receiving the support of the head coach, Colangelo Jr. nodded and asked: "Danny, do you have any specific ideas for solving the second position?"
Danny Ainge said: "I have discussed it repeatedly with the coaching staff. In our main lineup, the second position is not the main offensive position like the Bulls. Our main offensive position is Old K's fifth position, and other positions will cooperate.
, so we don’t need a shooting guard who averages 20 per game, it’s enough to average 10 per game.”
Colangelo Jr. nodded. The Suns averaged 105.5 points per game in the first month of the regular season. Their offensive capabilities are more powerful than the Bulls. They are also the team with the most points in the league. There is no shortage of scorers, and there are
For a highly efficient super scorer like Old K, the other four positions don't really need someone who averages 20 per game, and the second position really doesn't need a shooting guard with strong scoring ability.
Danny Ainge continued: "So the second position can have average scoring ability, but it needs defense, because once we reach the finals, if we encounter the Bulls and face Jordan, our second position will definitely need strong defense.
ability."
This made everyone nod in agreement.
Danny Ainge added: "Our current problem at the second position is that Wilkins is old, Chapman is prone to injuries, and they all have potential injury problems as the main shooting guard, leaving only a rookie.
And Kobe’s defensive attitude is good. What I mean is that to solve the problem of the second position, we must either continue to use the double-control tactics of the Lightning and Kidd, or let Kobe start in the starting lineup and focus on defense.”
As the team's defensive coach, Lewis immediately said: "Kobe's defensive training must be strengthened. He has this potential."
Nelson Jr. said at this time: "I think we can continue to use the dual point guard strategy for the time being, and then at the same time strengthen Kobe's defensive training. After his defensive ability improves, let him play the main position at the second position."
"This is a good idea." Colangelo nodded.
Playing a double-control tactic not only takes advantage of Kidd's organizational ability and lightning scoring ability, but also allows Wilkins and Chapman to return to the substitute lineup, reducing their possibility of injury, and at the same time increasing the number of substitute lineups.
thickness.
If it weren't for the Lightning's lack of height, this tactic would be inappropriate in the playoffs where the defensive intensity is higher, and he would really want to continue playing this tactic.
Among the assistant coaches, only D'Antoni said nothing. He is not good at defense and has nothing to say. Moreover, the team's offensive tactics are mainly based on traditional center position tactics, which is exactly the opposite of his style. His contribution in tactics is also limited.
He was limited to providing some advice on fast break tactics, and among the several assistant coaches, he played the smallest role.
After everyone discussed it for a while, they decided to continue to play dual-control tactics, and at the same time strengthen Kobe's defensive training, and try to use the few months of the regular season to improve Kobe's defense to a higher level so that he can be used in the playoffs.
