Chapter 422 Old K: Should I go to junior high school for further study?
That night, the other two groups continued the second round of G2.
The Heat were still a bit weaker, losing to O'Neal's Knicks and losing their second away game.
The Jazz, on the other hand, were stronger than the Trail Blazers and easily won their second home game.
On the 8th, the second round continues.
That night, at the home court of the Pacers, the Bulls and Pacers took the lead in the battle.
Rodman left the game due to a back injury in the 6th minute of the first quarter. As a result, the Pacers made another victory and led by a big score of 1 to 2.
On the Suns' side, the SuperSonics took advantage of their home court to get back one game.
On the 9th, the Knicks lost to the Heat in an away game, while the Jazz won three games in a row with great momentum and took the lead in getting the second round match point.
On the 10th, the Suns started a G4 battle with the SuperSonics.
After the break in the last game, the main players of the Suns are back in shape, and Lao Wang is even more energetic.
But the same was true for the SuperSonics, who took advantage of their home court advantage to cling to the score. At the end of the game, the score was still in a tense state.
In the 5th minute of the final quarter, Chapman, who came on as a substitute, was dunked by Rain Man when he was chasing the basket. He broke his waist and ended up injured.
The Lightning had played for 32 minutes, and Danny Ainge decided to let Kobe play.
As soon as the rookie came on the court, he couldn't be more excited. After getting the ball, he faced the defense and took a shot, throwing two three-pointers in a row. SuperSonics seized the opportunity and threw two three-pointers in a row, which directly caused the Suns to lead by two points.
It became 4 points behind, and then a timeout was called.
Lao Wu was so angry that he pinched Kobe's neck and threw him on the bench. Kobe was quite aggrieved. He got up from the bench and shouted: "My shooting percentage in the playoffs is 38.2%. According to probability, the first two
If I miss the shot, my next shot should be close to 100%. Even if I am replaced, I should wait until I make this shot."
"You are a high school student and you know nothing about probability. If you are put on the field, will you seize the opportunity and just waste it? Have you really worn the badge of the King of Langtou?" Lao Wang cursed angrily.
Kobe stiffened his neck and argued: "How could I have taken a chance? I thought I could hit it, it was just a matter of probability."
"Shut up, rookie. If we lose this game, it will be really difficult." Lightning also said.
"Shut up, rookie, don't annoy the boss, you won't even be able to get rid of the scum when we pick up girls from now on." Horry also scolded.
Kobe glared at Horry, "You damn bastard, what qualifications do you have to criticize me?"
Chapman was injured, Kobe couldn't handle it, and Wilkins was too old. Danny Ainge had no choice but to replace the Lightning with a dual-control tactic.
In the last half of the game, all the main players came on board.
"Give the ball to Old K."
At the critical moment, Danny Ainge had no other tactical arrangements and only emphasized this point.
At this time, the timeout ended and everyone stood up from the bench.
"come on!"
Substitute players give encouragement to the main players.
The five main players formed a group, and Lao Wang stood in the middle and said to the other four: "You are responsible for passing the ball to me, and leave the offense to me, and we will kill them together."
"Okay." The other four nodded.
"Kill them." Lao Wang shouted loudly.
"Kill them." Everyone shouted.
When the main players came on the court, Kobe waved a white towel vigorously on the sidelines and shouted to the other substitutes: "Work hard, don't be lazy, we don't have a chance to go out on the court, let's go out and do it off the court! Let's all go out and do it."
!”
Under the leadership of the rookie, the Suns' bench players started to wave one after another, waving their white towels, just like the waves on the seaside, with a scale of their own.
Lao Wang pulled out from the basket and saw that the Rainman had left the paint area due to defense for three seconds and the basket was empty. He immediately shot a carbine, quickly bypassed his defender Perkins, and cut to the basket again.
.
Kidd saw his opening in advance and passed the ball at the right time. As soon as he cut into the paint, the ball came in front of him, and after receiving the ball, he flew up.
As soon as Rainman reached the low post on the right wing, he immediately entered the paint area. Seeing Wang Tiejun cutting in again, he immediately returned to the basket to defend.
"Bang!"
The two of them attacked and defended, taking off at the same time, and there was a fierce confrontation and collision in the air.
Although Rain Man jumped high and fast with full explosive power, his tonnage was not impressive enough. Moreover, Wang Tiejun's current explosive power was also very powerful. Coupled with the huge tonnage, the impact was so fierce that he was directly knocked into the air.
former.
However, Lao Wang himself was also knocked down. Before landing, he threw the ball towards the basket and hit the basket without going in.
At this moment, the rainman landed and fell backwards, while Lao Wang stumbled backwards and stopped. In the next moment, he quickly stood up for the second time, pressed with one hand, and pushed the bouncing ball back with a bang.
In the basket.
"ah……"
The moment the fierce aerial confrontation took place, the adrenaline secretion of all the fans was immediately activated, and their emotions erupted like a rolling volcano. But just when the cheers of the home fans just came out of their throats, they saw the rain.
The person was knocked over, so the shouting stopped suddenly, and it was blocked in the throat, unable to go up or down, which made them very uncomfortable.
"ah!"
Instead, white towels were swirling in front of the Suns bench, and Kobe and the other bench players acted as temporary cheerleaders.
"Hoo ho ho..."
Yu Man was hit on the floor and couldn't get up. The moment he fell to the ground, he was breathless. After he regained his breath, his mind was empty, he was panting, and it felt difficult to breathe, and his back was twitching.
Pain comes and goes.
"Won't you get hurt again?" Su Qun shouted.
"I can't tell. It's normal for a few ribs to be broken due to the collision just now. But it was such a hard fall that even a strong person might be injured," Zhang Lili said.
"Sean, how are you?" Gary Payton ran to Rain Man anxiously and asked.
Rainman's eyes were a little dazed. He only glanced at Payton, shook his head, and had no other reaction.
"It's over!"
Gary Payton felt sad in his heart, and also complained a little about Rain Man. Just let him dunk the old K. In that case, even O'Neal would have to give way. Your tonnage is so different, and you are far not as strong as him. He hits the wooden stakes every day.
Are you going up there to die?
The referee signaled the SuperSonics team doctor to come on and get the people out first so as not to delay the game.
George Karl shook his head in disappointment and put on the human shield Ilvain.
In the next game, with the end of Rainman, the Suns entered the rhythm of the Suns. The Suns took control of the situation in the last few minutes, and successfully won the G4 game, and also got the second round match point.
After the game, in the TNT live broadcast booth, Bill Walton said: "The ball just now, Old K took off directly from the sideline of the paint area. There was room for impact and the impact was sufficient. Rainman obviously made a stupid decision."
Bass Felton said: "That kind of monster flying dunk is like a bomber diving at a low altitude. The Empire State Building will be blown up. No one in this world can stop it, not even O'Neal."
In the CCTV live broadcast, Zhang Liji shook his head and said: "The SuperSonics played a few good games, but Rainman's impulsiveness may make the team's efforts for a season in vain."
Su Qun nodded and said: "O'Neal would have to retreat when faced with Old K's flying attack to the basket, let alone a forward like Rainman?"
Zhang Lili said: "Now that the Suns are leading three to one, it should not be a big problem to advance to the Western Conference Finals."
Su Qun asked: "Director Zhang, although the Suns are leading three to one, it seems difficult to win these three games against the SuperSonics. Can you give us an analysis?"
Zhang Liji nodded and said: "Don't underestimate the SuperSonics. They have maintained strong competitiveness in recent years. They are a very strong team both offensively and defensively.
A team like theirs, led by Crazy Karl, has a crazy energy. If they play smoothly or crazy, any team can win, whether it is the Suns or the Bulls, they have won."
"That's right." Su Qun nodded.
Zhang Lili continued: "The Suns have a good lineup this season, with 73 wins, a record number of wins. But we have to see that their main lineup actually has shortcomings."
"Where are they?" Su Qun asked cooperatively.
Zhang Lili said: "One is the lineup itself. The second position is always a problem. There is no main shooting guard who is good and matches the tactics. At the same time, with the aging of the Lightning, except for Tiejun, there is no one else.
With that kind of strong ball-holding ability, no player can do that. If I want to score, I can score."
Su Qun thought about it and nodded: "It seems that in this situation, whether it is Horry or Rasheed Wallace, their offensive ability with the ball is average, and they don't have any explosive scoring ability."
Zhang Lijia smiled and said: "Whether their ball-holding ability is strong or not is actually not only related to their own technical ability, but also to the lineup and tactics. Tiejun is in it, and they don't need to have strong ball-holding ability. Waiting
Just vote empty."
"Then isn't this contradictory?" Su Qun said in surprise.
Zhang Lili said with a smile: "Things are inherently contradictory, because the situation is changeable. Under normal circumstances, their ability to hold the ball and attack is not needed, but when they encounter a difficult team like the SuperSonics, once they go crazy
, then the outside line needs someone who can break the deadlock. One inside and one outside, two cores, is the most correct choice.
Now the Tiejun's performance is too strong, which makes the core of the Suns' tactics focus too much on the inside, which is actually wrong."
"Then what should we do?" Su Qun asked.
Zhang Lijia smiled and said: "This is the second problem I want to talk about, tactical issues."
"Tactics? Are they too focused on the inside?" Su Qun asked.
"The best tactic is internal and external balance."
Nodding, Zhang Lili said: "But tactics require players to execute, and there are no such players on the outside, so this will always be a weakness of the Suns.
The Lightning probably won't be able to play for long. Kidd is just a point guard and has the potential to be a shooting king. He can't shoulder the heavy responsibility of being the core of the outside offense. Although Kobe has potential, he is still far from the standard.
However, the Suns' training requirements for Kobe, ball-handling ability are very important, which shows that the Suns management is very clear about his training and has planned Kobe's development.
Therefore, the Suns should strengthen the training of Kobe. If Kobe can play well in the future, Tiejun and Kobe will form the core of offense and defense inside and outside. Kidd will distribute the ball rights to form a fixed iron triangle, and then configure two role players, whether it is
The lineup and salary space should be able to achieve such a configuration."
Su Qun said in surprise: "What if Rasheed Wallace and Horry don't want them anymore? The space will definitely not be able to accommodate them."
Zhang Li said with a smile: "This is just an idea of mine. If the Suns really build this iron triangle as I think, they will have to reserve space for Kobe to renew his contract, Horry and Rasheed Walai."
After Shi's contract expires, he will definitely not be able to renew it with a high salary, so he must leave room for Kobe."
Over at the TNT live broadcast booth, Bill Walton was summarizing after the game and said: "The SuperSonics are now trailing one to three, and the next three games are a one-to-one schedule, so they have to win at least the next away game before they can return to their home court.
, the situation is very unfavorable to them.”
"Actually, the Suns had a very difficult time, and some of them couldn't live up to their 73-win record in the regular season." Bass Felton said with a smile.
Bill Walton shook his head and said with a smile: "It's nothing. The regular season is the regular season and the playoffs are the playoffs. The Suns played so hard in the regular season because K. wants to compete for MVP, so he doesn't hesitate to spend money.
.
Comparing the lineup, the Sonics are not much worse than the Suns. That is to say, the fifth position is not as good as the old K. As a result, the low-post offense and rebounding are not as good as the Suns. This is the main reason for their loss.
Believe it or not, there may be teams that win 73 games in the future, but their performance in the playoffs may not be as good as the Suns. Excessive consumption in the regular season is not a good thing."
"Where's the bull?"
After the on-site interview, Lao Wang returned to the locker room and asked.
"I just received the news that the Bulls have won, now 2-2," Nelson Jr. said.
"Ewing and Reggie Miller did a great job, trying to reach the seventh game with Jordan." Lao Wang laughed.
"They lost. If they knew you, they would be pissed to death!" Lightning laughed.
Lewis said: "We went well today. If we lost and it was tied at 2-2, it would be very annoying."
Nelson Jr. said: "Playing against the Jazz in the Western Conference Finals should be more troublesome than playing against the Sonics."
Danny Ainge nodded and said: "The next game is our home court. Try to win it and reach the Western Conference Finals as soon as possible. We cannot be dragged down by the SuperSonics."
Lao Wang soaked in the medicine bucket and casually asked Lightning next to him: "Kevin, you said before that you wanted to join politics, do you have any plans?"
Prior to this, Kevin Johnson, who was sitting in the bucket, suddenly became energetic and said with a smile: "I have already made a plan to retire after playing next season, and then go back to my alma mater to study political science and prepare to get a bachelor's degree in political science.
"
"Where is your alma mater?"
Lao Wang has never gone to college, and has not even finished the first year of junior high school. He is still somewhat yearning for college, so he asked with some envy.
"University of California, Berkeley." Lightning said.
Lao Wang thought for a while and said: "Kevin, I want to learn from you. Do you think I should go to a university for further study after I retire?"
"Ha ha……"
Lightning laughed loudly, and everyone else who heard him laughed too.
"Why are you laughing?" Lao Wang said unhappily.
Lightning stopped smiling and said: "Old K, I suggest you not to go to university for further studies. You have only attended elementary school. You should go to junior high school first."
"Haha..." The locker room burst into laughter.
"What the hell, I have a technical secondary school degree. Do you know that a technical secondary school degree is equivalent to a high school degree?" Lao Wang scolded.
"No, the United States does not recognize technical secondary school education, haha, so your education in the United States will always be primary school level, the lowest education in the league, haha..." Kobe held his belly and laughed.
"Damn boy, you are only a high school student, what right do you have to laugh at me?" Lao Wang cursed.
"That's better than you." Kobe said with a proud smile.
"Special horse!"
Lao Wang cursed dejectedly, going to a junior high school to study is a waste of time!
On the 11th, the Suns returned to Phoenix and waited for the G5 game.
This morning, the SuperSonics announced that Rainman Shawn Kemp had a slight strain on his back and waist muscles and would be sidelined for at least a week, which meant that the SuperSonics were out.
That night, O'Neal showed off his power, blasted Mourning, and led the team to get the match point with a big score of 3 to 1, heading straight to the Eastern Conference Finals.
At the same time, the Jazz swept the Trail Blazers and took the lead in reaching the Western Conference Finals.
On the 12th, the media praised both the Jazz and the Knicks.
"The Iron Triangle formed by the Black and White Demons and the Death Ray Gun will launch the strongest attack on the Suns. The Suns' position as the Western Conference hegemon is in jeopardy!" Los Angeles Daily News.
"We will be the championship!" The Salt Lake City Sports News praised the Jazz even more directly.
"The Sharks averaged 31.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game in the playoffs. He will be a real playoff beast after Old K. He will conquer everything. He will prove himself in this playoffs. He and Old K.
K is a super center of the same level." New York Sports.
As for the Suns, local media aside, foreign media are generally not very optimistic about it.
"The 73-win Suns struggled in the second round. Old K averaged 43 points per game in the second round, but the team still had a life-and-death battle with the SuperSonics. This means that the Suns are not as strong as they were in the regular season.
With such a strong performance, whether it is the Jazz, Bulls, Knicks or Pacers, they all have a chance to defeat the Suns in the finals." New York Times.
Regarding the situation of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference finals, the media now has a clear judgment.
"In the East, the Knicks are determined to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, but there will be a life-and-death battle between the Bulls and the Pacers. No matter who ultimately reaches the Eastern Conference Finals, they will face a big shark running rampant around the basket. In the Western Conference, the Suns will
A battle with the Jazz in the Western Conference Finals." The Washington Post.
That night, the Suns defeated the SuperSonics without Rain Man at home. With a big score of four to one, they eliminated the opponent and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
At the same time, the Bulls, who returned home, defeated the Pacers, leading by a big score of 3 to 2, and got the match point.
The second round of the Western Conference is over, but the Eastern Conference is still going on.
On the night of the 13th, O'Neal led his team to defeat the Heat and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with a big score of 4 to 1.
On the evening of the 14th, the Pacers started a G6 game with the Bulls at home, and finally defeated the opponent with their home advantage, and the two sides reached the tiebreaker.
At this time, the Chicago media became a little anxious and criticized the Pacers' home whistle for being too obvious and that the league was suppressing the Bulls.
On the evening of the 16th, the last second round match started.
This game attracted a lot of attention because all other games were over and it decided whether Jordan could advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The viewership reached 35 million people.
Since the 1988/89 season, the Bulls, led by Jordan, have reached the Eastern Conference Finals for eight consecutive seasons. If they fail to make it this time, it may mean that the Bulls have lost their competitiveness, and it may also mean that Jordan
is losing his dominance.
"This is a game that tests Jordan's dominance. Can the 34-year-old Jordan still play?" the New York Times reported on the front page of the comprehensive page.