On the morning of May 5th, Da Zhi came to the Knicks for a trial training.
The Knicks arrived in Miami yesterday and were going to play the second round today, so when he came to the training facility, he didn't see the Knicks players.
There is a staff member arranged by David Frank, who is also qualified as an agent, and is responsible for arranging his trial training.
In addition, David Frank also hired a translator, an international student from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
Because it was a trial arranged by David Frank, the Knicks were very cautious.
Although he was put together by David Frank and Jordan last year, the Knicks management did not want to offend such a top agent.
After a round of trial training, I am satisfied with DaZhi's static talents, and the dynamic talents are also okay.
He is not yet 20 years old, and his weight is not that big. He is now 117 kilograms. He is still a man as strong as the wind. His vertical movement ability is good, but his weakness is that his lateral movement speed is slow and his defense ability is not good.
Then a one-on-one duel was arranged. The Knicks wanted to see Da Zhi's technical and practical abilities.
Now the management wants to pair O'Neal with a power forward, but they really don't want Oakley. Without Oakley, it will be difficult for O'Neal to become the boss of this team.
They were looking for a power forward similar to Oakley, who could defend, do dirty work, and pull out. They originally had their eye on Rasheed Wallace, but the Suns were unwilling to trade him.
After playing a few games, some of the management were a little disappointed. The defense was not good and they had no ability to fight.
But they still have some ideas about Da Zhi. They have height at the fourth position and can try to build a fixed-point high turret. If the defense is not good, they can play in the substitute lineup.
And even at a young age, defensive and confrontational abilities can be developed.
However, the Knicks did not make a commitment, and at most they would have to go to other teams for trial training.
That night, the Knicks played the Heat, and the Jazz played the Trail Blazers in the second round.
As a result, O'Neal took three big blocks from Mourning, but still blasted Mourning with a strong low attack. Alan Houston broke out and scored 29 points.
As for the Jazz, winning was relatively easy.
On the 6th, the Suns ushered in the second round of G2.
On the way from the underground parking lot to the locker room, some reporters took the opportunity to ask some questions.
"Old K, from the regular season to now, you rarely hit and hurt people anymore. Is this because of the restrictions of K's Law?"
"That's right."
"Old K, your efficiency is still higher than O'Neal. What advantages do you think you have?"
Lao Wang said as he walked: "In terms of height and wingspan, he and I are almost the same, almost the same. He shouldn't be better than me in jumping now, and the same is true for speed. In terms of explosive power, he may be a little better than me, but the advantage won't be too big."
In other words, in terms of physical fitness, there is no obvious difference between us."
When he said this, he was a little surprised. Thinking about when he entered the league five years ago, his athletic quality was scumbag compared to O'Neal, but now he is almost even?
Putting down the surprise in his heart, he continued: "The reason why my efficiency is still higher than his is that my physical fitness is better than his, which allows me to maintain high-quality output while making a more comprehensive contribution.
Second, my skills are better than his. Whether it's low post play, or finishing skills such as hooks and throws, I think I'm better than him.
Three, my free throws are a little better than his, haha..."
When he said this, he and everyone present laughed.
"Old K, the victory against the Suns in G1 was not very smooth. What is your evaluation of the SuperSonics?" a reporter from Seattle Sports asked.
Lao Wang sneered twice and said: "Gary Payton once said that our Suns are the Pacific Ocean, which is full of water, so I want to say..."
When the reporter heard this, he felt a little bad.
Sure enough, Lao Wang continued: "Gloves, be careful not to drown, because no matter how strong your supersonic speed is, I will let it sink in the Pacific Ocean."
…
At 7:30, both sides announced the starting lineup.
SuperSonics: Sam Perkins, Shawn Kemp, Detlef Schrempf, Jose Hawkins, Payton
Suns: Wang Tiejun, Rasheed Wallace, Robert Horry, Kidd, Kevin Johnson
"Director Zhang, the SuperSonics have changed their lineup today. Perkins has entered the starting lineup. Is he going to face Old K or Rasheed Wallace?" Su Qun asked.
Zhang Lili said with some confusion: "He has no height, and his tonnage is close to 120 kilograms. He is quite strong and has a low center of gravity. He can carry other people well, but he will definitely not be able to carry the Tiejun. But the Rainman is lighter and can't be carried either. I think
Today, the SuperSonics may have to continue to double-team the Tiejun. Instead of using human shields, they will use short inside players, which will make the double-team faster."
"It should be." Su Qun said.
Zhang Lili analyzed: "Withdrawing the human shield, the SuperSonics' height will be lowered, the speed will be faster, and it will be more conducive to the SuperSonics' fast-paced offensive and defensive style. The Suns still need to be careful."
In the TNT live broadcast booth, Bill Walton was also analyzing the situation and said: "Perkins has good top defense skills. He should face Old K, and then Rainman Kemp will help defend on the weak side. The defensive effect should be better than using a human shield.
Ilvain is better.
In addition, his shooting ability is very strong. This season, his three-point shooting rate is as high as 39.5%, and his two-point shooting rate is as high as 47%. He has no height, so he cannot hit two or near two points. His shooting rate at the basket is 55.6%, which is not enough.
.
So on the offensive end, when he faced Old K, the real threat was not under the basket or in the low post, but out, and the Sonics definitely wanted to use his ability to pull Old K out of the paint, or at least away from the basket.
In the past, Old K's defense was average, but now Old K has top-notch defensive ability. He is very strong in individual defense and assisting defense. Without pulling out, it will be difficult for the Sonics to attack the basket."
Bass Felton nodded and said: "Yes, Rainman's biggest threat is the impact on the basket, which can have a psychological impact on the opponent and destroy the opponent's morale. And with Old K inside, he is a threat to the basket.
The sex is much smaller."
Bill Walton took a look at the Suns' starting lineup and said: "The Suns still use a dual-control tactic so that the Sonics can't lock down the perimeter, and then the offense starts from the low post.
I just don’t know how the SuperSonics will defend against K. tonight, double-team or single defense? It should be all of them. No matter how you defend, you can’t prevent them. Behemoths like K. and O’Neal, it’s really difficult for you to limit them.
.”
Bass Felton said with a smile: "What's even more frightening is that Old K's physical fitness is so good. To guard against him, you must double-team him. Otherwise, with his physical fitness, when defending alone, he can toss from the beginning to the end."
When the game is over, who can bear it?"
"Haha..." Bill Walton laughed.
At eight o'clock, the game officially started, with the two teams starting to prepare to take the field.
"Championship!"
On the Suns' side, Wang Tiejun stood in the middle, standing tall, vibrating his voice, shouting loudly, and the whole audience roared in response.
"Grand champion! Grand champion! Grand champion..."
In an instant, the American West Arena was completely overwhelmed by the shouts of "championship", and the momentum of the home court was like a blazing fire, and the momentum was overwhelming.
On the SuperSonics side, Payton and the others immediately felt tremendous psychological pressure, their heartbeats accelerated, their breathing became unsmooth, and it felt like a huge stone was pressing on their chests.
"The momentum is building! The Suns are gaining momentum. As long as they maintain this momentum, the Suns will definitely win!" Zhang Lili shouted excitedly.
"Grand champion! Grand champion..."
Domestic, capital, and Fengshen Street are filled with countless basketball fans in the capital, and they are already in a state of excitement.
At the scene, in the jump ball session, Rainman jumped early this time and failed to catch up with the rhythm. Rasheed Wallace, who jumped slowly, moved the ball away and the Suns attacked.
There was no human shield in the way, so Wang went directly from the free throw line to the basket.
There is a human shield. The human shield cannot stop him, but it can consume a lot of his physical energy. Confrontation is the most energy-consuming way in the low position.
And without Ilwain, the Sonics have no height at the basket. With his monster physique, he can do whatever he wants under the basket.
Perkins leaned over to defend and tried his best, but he pushed forward with force and stepped on the line of the reasonable collision zone. Then he turned sideways and saw the ball flying over.
"Crack!"
He blocked Perkins with his left elbow, caught the ball with his right hand, then turned sideways and hit the basket with one arm.
On the right wing, when the ball came in, Rainman Kemp directly abandoned Rasheed Wallace, who was two steps away, turned around and quickly started, rising up, flying like a cheetah with wings.
He got up, just in time for Wang Tiejun to get up and dunk.
Its ability to help defend against a pincer attack is very ferocious.
"Aerial volley?"
"careful!"
Zhang Lili and Su Qun exclaimed at the same time.
"Um?"
At this moment, Wang Tiejun's right eye caught an object approaching at high speed, and there was a feeling of roaring wind. His brows couldn't help but jump, and the movements of his hands instantly strengthened. His five fingers were like hooks, which strengthened his control over the basketball. The whole ball was
He grabbed it so hard that it was deformed, and at the same time, he slashed harder.
"Crack!"
The next moment, a big hand hit the basketball.
The two forces competed at this moment, and the winner was determined in an instant.
"Bang!"
The next moment, relying on his overwhelming strength, Wang Tiejun's thick arm pressed down on Yuren's thinner arm, and continued to smash, causing the basket to ring.
"Beep!"
The referee's whistle sounded, and was immediately drowned out by crazy shouts.
"Ouch!"
In America West Arena, countless home fans were so excited that they jumped to their feet, their blood pumping, and they cheered wildly.
On the Suns bench, Kobe and other people jumped up one after another, roaring and waving the white towels in their hands excitedly.
"Old k, old k, kkkkkk..." the on-site commentator roared excitedly.
After completing this dunk, Wang Tiejun was also very excited. After landing, he squeezed out of the way of Rain Man, who was a little in the way, and started celebrating with his teammates who were rushing over.
It was clear that the ball was in the cap, but he didn't knock it off. He was also hit with a two plus one. Now he was squeezed again. Rainman's brain was filled with blood. He took a step forward and pushed Lao Wang from behind.
.
Lao Wang was pushed and staggered. In anger, he turned around and gave a backhand, with a snap, hitting Yu Ren right in the face.
Rainman's head was shaken by the beating, and his saliva was drooled out.
"Beep!"
"Calm down, don't mess around!"
The referee reacted very quickly, blowing the whistle immediately, quickly inserting himself between the two men, and reaching out to push them away.
"calm!"
Payton ran up and hugged Rainman, shouting at the latter: "Calm down, don't be impulsive and ruin things!"
"Hoo ho ho..."
Shawn Kemp, who had lost his mind, was panting like a wild beast and staring at Wang Tiejun.
"What are you looking at? Are you someone who can't afford to lose, or did you drink a few sips before you came up?" Lao Wang cursed.
Rainman was startled, his eyes shrank, and his sense suddenly returned.
He is indeed an alcoholic, but he is not afraid of alcoholism. Everyone knows that he likes to take a few sips before playing. There are many people like him in the league, and Jordan may be among them, and he is also a famous alcoholic.
What he was afraid of was that the matter of being a prostitute would be brought out.
Just before he came on the field, he not only drank, but also smoked a little bit. Although this kind of thing is very common in the league, if he was kicked out, he would definitely be in trouble. He was about to sign a new contract, and he didn't want to do it because of something like this.
Things are affected.
"Old K, don't talk nonsense." Payton was also anxious. If Rainman failed, his way to win the championship would also be aborted.
Lao Wang snorted, ignored it, turned and walked to the free throw line.
He just cursed casually. Does it have anything to do with whether Rainman drank or smoked? But judging from Rainman's reaction, maybe he was right.
"Today started very hotly, and I was very angry," Su Qun said.
"The game is very crucial. If the Suns win two home games, the rest of the game will be easier to play. If the SuperSonics pull back one game and win an away game, they will be better able to play," Zhang Liang said.
"Bang!"
Wang Tiejun missed the extra penalty, so he immediately turned around and started to return to defense.
Rainman grabbed the rebound and the Sonics started to attack.
"The SuperSonics are advancing very quickly, and the defense must be in position as soon as possible." Zhang Lijia shouted quickly.
"What the hell!"
Lao Wang came to the paint area, but Perkins, who was facing him, stopped on the left three-point line. He cursed and rushed out.
On the right wing, seeing Old K leave the basket, Rainman quickly started, dropped Rasheed Wallace, and cut towards the basket.
At this time, Payton quickly took the ball and passed it to the front of Rain Man.
At the same time, Wang Tiejun, who had just rushed to the left waist of the paint area, suddenly stopped, turned around and rushed towards the basket.
Taking a step into the paint area, Rainman caught the ball and instantly exploded. He turned into a ferocious beast and rushed towards the basket, about to hit a flat dunk.
At the same time, Wang Tiejun turned around, took a step forward, and sealed Rain Man with his big hand.
His jumping ability is not as good as Rain Man's. Although he has the advantages of height and wingspan, his defensive height is still a little lower than Rain Man's. It's just that Rain Man dunks, not shoots, so there is no problem with height.
An obtuse angle of 135 degrees was formed between the two people, and they met instantly.
"Crack!"
Rainman dunked wildly, but the moment the basketball entered the basket, a big hand blocked the basket, and the loud slamming sound was very clear.
With Rain Man's explosive power, this dunk was so impactful that Lao Wang couldn't block it with a single palm. His left hand was immediately smashed down, and the basketball in Rain Man's hand hit the basket.
However, Rainman's hands were not as big as Lao Wang's, and he did not have enough control over the ball. Although he smashed Lao Wang's hand away during the block, the ball was out of control.
"Bang!"
With the violent sound of the basket exploding, the basketball hit the basket and instantly bounced high.
The moment he landed, Wang Tiejun raised his head to observe where the ball landed, and quickly moved to get in position. He was not in a hurry to jump to grab the basketball.
Rainman was stuck behind him. When he saw Lao Wang grabbing the basketball, he was about to go up and grab it, but was scared off by a pair of iron elbows thrown away by Lao Wang.
"Now Tiejun's defense speed is so fast!" Zhang Lili said happily.
"Director Zhang, do you think Mr. K was really planning to go to the three-point line just now?" Su Qun asked thoughtfully.
Zhang Lili said: "That's not necessarily true. There is Horry over there. If the ball is given to Perkins, he can switch defense, so the Tiejun will not leave the paint area easily.
This is a strategy for the SuperSonics to attack the east and attack the west. They want to use Perkins to pull the Iron Army out, and Rainman will attack from the other wing.
But I’m afraid it won’t be easy. Unless we use this tactic to score a few goals, if it doesn’t work, Tiejun will definitely not go out easily.”
Su Qun nodded and said: "The Suns' defense is not bad now. There are no obvious defensive holes in the five positions, and the defense speed is also good. Old K really doesn't need to rush to the three-point line. Other positions can be filled first."
At this time, the Suns arrived in the frontcourt. The Lightning received the ball at the right three-point line, called Rasheed Wallace's pick-and-roll, used the wall to break through, and reached the basket. He used his strong penetration and breakthrough ability to beat the Sonics.
The defense was so messed up that there was no layup, but a short pass to Lao Wang beside him. Lao Wang suddenly jumped up on the spot and dunked hard with both hands. While dunking Perkins, he smashed the super ball.
Sonic basket.
"Haha, Lightning is very excited. He rarely makes breakthroughs like this now." Bill Walton laughed.
"The momentum of the Suns today is so high. Everyone is very excited. But be careful not to get too excited. Being too excited will also affect the feel." Bass Felton said with a smile.