In the second quarter, Old K has made 7 of 11 free throws, plus 1 of 6 free throws in the first quarter, a total of 8 of 17 free throws, and the shooting rate has reached 47%. Jerry Sloan, who does not believe in evil, swallowed dryly, wondering whether to continue the foul tactics.
, I was a little undecided.
Fortunately, there was not much time left in the second quarter, so he decided to continue trying.
Not long after, at the end of the second quarter, Lao Wang was fouled again and actually made two free throws again. In the second quarter, he had already made 9 of 13 free throws, with a shooting rate of nearly 70%. This hit the Jazz. They didn't need the head coach's instructions.
I don’t dare to commit any more fouls.
Then Lao Wang attacked the basket and scored a goal. At the end of the second quarter, 50:55, the Suns led by 5 points.
Wang Tiejun played 23 minutes with only one minute of rest. He made 4 of 8 shots and 10 of 19 free throws. He scored 18 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls.
Zhang Lili analyzed: "In the first half, due to Campbell and Postman, and troubled by foul tactics, the Tiejun took very few shots, and their shooting percentage and free throw shooting were still slightly lower than normal levels. Although there was an improvement in the second quarter, the overall efficiency
Still declining, the Jazz's defensive tactics against him were still successful.
Then the coaching staff of the Suns should be careful. In the next games, future series, and even other teams, such as if they reach the finals, will the Bulls use the same method to defend the Iron Army? It is very
It's possible.
Although the Jazz are behind now, Campbell and Postman have both taken turns. Their physical condition is definitely better than in the second half of the G1 game. The Suns should pay attention to it in the second half.
For Tiejun, I guess Danny Ainge doesn’t dare to let him rest, so he should relax during the halftime break.”
Su Qun said: "In terms of physical fitness, Director Zhang, I think Lao K will be fine."
Zhang Lijia shook his head and said: "Don't be careless. Although he didn't play a few goals in the first half, most of the offense had to pass through his hands. Every time it came into his hands, there would be a confrontation, and his physical energy was consumed."
It’s also very big.”
The Suns returned to the locker room, and several coaches were discussing tactics for the second half in the corridor.
Although D'Antoni knew that he could not stay, he still reminded: "I think we need to reduce the number of times Old K touches the ball and transfer the offense to other people. This can reduce his physical consumption and let others share his burden.
Defensive pressure.”
Danny Ainge, Lewis, and Nelson looked at each other and shook their heads.
This game is very critical. As long as we win the second home game, we will have confidence in the next two away games. Otherwise, it will be a one-to-one tie and the Jazz will win the away game. Their morale will definitely skyrocket. By then, the Jazz will
Returning to the home court and relying on the advantage of the home court will have a greater chance of winning, so they don't think it is a good idea to temporarily change the tactics they have played for several seasons.
D'Antoni's suggestion is undoubtedly to reduce the tactical status of Old K, which they do not agree with.
Now in this Suns team, the Lightning has begun to be unable to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the core of the perimeter. Kidd's offensive efficiency is not enough, and there is no one at the second position. Rasheed Wallace cannot even bear the heavy responsibility of the core of the offense. Who dares to lower the responsibility?
Old K’s tactical position?
Even if Old K is defended like this by the Jazz, his efficiency is higher than others. If he lowers his tactical status, isn't it looking for defeat?
Danny Ainge shook his head and said: "Today's outside touch was average, and many open balls passed by Old K failed to hit. We need to strengthen mid-range shots and breakthrough scoring.
My opinion is that in the second half, Old K will continue to be the main player. After he gets the ball, if he cannot hit the basket, the players on the weak side should step in and cut inside to create a double-team for Old K. If Old K divides the ball, cut inside
Players can play more efficient offense."
"Agreed." Lewis and Nelson nodded at the same time.
Nelson Jr. said: "The Lightning is tired, so I suggest letting the substitutes rush in. Wilkins is no longer fast, and Chapman's body is too brittle. He mainly shoots jump shots. If he rushes in, he will be easily beaten by the Postman and Campbell."
Injury, Kobe Bryant should be the most suitable."
Danny Ainge nodded and said: "Kobe is young, hasn't played much in the playoffs, and has a lot of energy."
Lewis also said: "Kobe often trains with Old K. The strength and weakness of him and Old K are actually quite good, and they have a high degree of tacit understanding. You can really give it a try."
D'Anoni shook his head secretly and relied on Old K. Once Old K failed to perform properly or was blocked, the team would be doomed.
It's too late to make changes now. Today's game is terrible. The points we are leading now will be lost soon as long as the Jazz exert their strength.
The atmosphere in the locker room is still good, after all, the team is still in the leading position.
"Old K, I didn't play for a minute in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Looking at things like today, I don't have a chance to play. Can't you try your best, use some garbage time, and let me play for a few minutes?" Kobe complained.
road.
Lao Wang waved his hand and threw the sweat towel over and shouted: "Rookie, go quickly and give me a hot towel."
"If you treat me like this now, sooner or later your son will fall into my hands."
Kobe wanted to throw away the towel, but he was afraid of being beaten, so he grabbed the towel and went into the bathroom, mumbling incessantly.
When Lao Wang heard Kobe's words, he sneered in his heart, Kobe, you are overthinking, Dabao's talent is unknown. If he didn't have talent, I wouldn't let him in. Wouldn't it be better to join the entertainment industry?
When he thought of Dabao, he still missed him a little. He came to the United States not long after he was born. When he went back this time, um, he tried to give him a younger brother or sister so that he could have a companion.
At this time, Kobe came out with a hot towel, squeezed in between Lao Wang and Lightning, and whispered: "Old K, you play hard and defeat them in the third quarter. Let me try in the last quarter!"
Lightning next to him smiled and said: "Rookie, what will you do if you mess up?"
"What else can he do besides cold salad?" Lao Wang said casually.
"Yes, it's salad." Kobe nodded.
"Crack!"
Lao Wang slapped Kobe on the back of his neck, then pinched him with five fingers, lifted him up, pushed him forward, and cursed: "Get out! If you screw up the Western Conference Finals, you will be on the bench for a season.
Bar."
Kobe said angrily: "You said it was cold, and you blame me again?"
"You're not a big man, but you're still very angry. After the playoffs, I'll help you get some girls to help you get rid of the anger." Lao Wang said with a smile.
"Are you treating me to a treat?" Kobe asked.
"Hey, listening to what you mean, do you still dare to evade the bill? Be careful of being sued. Kobe, don't be stingy when you go out to play. You must pay the money you should spend. You must learn from Jordan and tip at least 30%. Then
It will be more decent." Lao Wang advised.
"Haha..." Others laughed one after another.
"Why am I trying to escape the bill? Didn't you say you were going to have a swimming pool party?" Kobe shouted angrily, but everyone was laughing and no one paid attention to him, which made him groan in anger.
"Okay, okay, listen to me."
At this time, Danny Ainge came in, clapped his hands to signal for silence, and then said: "The Jazz will definitely go all out in the third quarter. Both Campbell and Postman have had enough rest, and we will face great difficulties.
Old K, do you have any questions?"
Lao Wang shook his head and said: "Don't worry, there is nothing wrong with my physical fitness."
"OK, that's good."
Danny Ainge nodded with confidence and continued: "They will definitely continue to defend you, so we must increase the attack on the weak side.
However, the outside touch is average today. In order to improve efficiency, I am going to let the new force come on and rush. You should pay attention to your teammates who are cutting inside when passing the ball."
"Okay, I will pay attention." Lao Wang nodded.
And Kobe became excited. Who else would be the new force? Western Conference Finals, here I come!
"coach?"
He looked at Danny Ainge excitedly.
Unexpectedly, Danny Ainge looked at Wilkins and didn't notice him at all, which gave him a chill.
"Dominique, you play a dozen times in the first half of the third quarter and give Horry a rest in the first half of the quarter," Danny Ainge said.
"no problem."
Wilkins nodded quickly.
The veteran is a little nervous now. He played so well in the regular season this year and the first two rounds of the playoffs were also good. Now there are some difficulties in the Western Conference Finals. Will there be any problems?
He really hopes to contribute his own strength, but unfortunately, his condition this year is obviously not as good as last year, and he is powerless.
Next, Danny Ainge told Chapman to prepare, and if Wilkins couldn't withstand it, he would go up.
Danny Ainge can't do anything, Wilkins has no defense, and Chapman's defense is even worse. Let the two of them go up and just hope that their offense can make up for their losses on the defensive end.
In this way, he didn't dare to let these two play more time in the playoffs. He could only let them take the lead when the main force needed to take a breather.
"What about me?" Kobe asked reluctantly.
Danny Ainge then turned his attention to Kobe and said seriously: "Kobe, you replace the Lightning at the second position..."
"Awesome! Western Conference Finals, here I come!"
Kobe clenched his fists and shouted in his heart: "Give me a chance, I can score 20 in the Western Conference Finals."
"Kobe, after you come on the court, seize the opportunity to cut in from the weak side. I want you to rush in and attack. I want you to attack in the low post and at the basket efficiently. Don't waste shots from the outside." Danny Ainge warned.
"Yes, coach, breakthrough is what I am best at now." Kobe said confidently.
"Little blacksmith, blacksmithing is what you are best at." Lao Wang added.
"Haha..." Everyone laughed.
"Old K, you are destroying my morale." Kobe said dissatisfied.
"Oh, your morale is gone? Okay, let's replace him." Lao Wang took advantage of the situation and said.
Kobe said coldly: "Who said I have lost my morale? Your methods are too childish and have no effect on me. Now I feel that it is no problem to fight against two."
"Rookie, where do you want to challenge two?" Horry asked curiously.
"Of course it's on the court, where else?" Kobe said angrily.
"Haha..." The locker room burst into laughter.
In 15 minutes, Lao Wang slowly ate two bananas to replenish his energy and felt full of blood.
His performance in the first half struggled a bit. First, the Jazz really restricted him. Constant double-teams and constant free throws made him lose the rhythm of the game.
The second was due to my own reasons. I had some reservations. Facing the double-teaming of Campbell and Postman, I did not attack the basket with all my strength, but prepared to compete in the second half.
At this time, the halftime break ends and the players from both sides return to the field.
The Jazz played all their main players, while the Suns replaced Kobe and Wilkins.
Barkley said in surprise: "There is no problem at the third position. Russell is a role player of average strength, so Wilkins can do it, but let a rookie go up to the second position. Danny Ainge is full of courage!"
"It's like letting Lightning go down to rest. I think it's necessary. He is a point guard himself, and playing shooting guard may be more physically demanding for him." Bill Walton analyzed.
Bass Felton said with a smile: "The defense of the second position is very critical. Jeff Hornacek can't let it go. This is very considerate of the rookie's defense."
At this time the game started and the Jazz attacked.
"brush!"
Small forward Russell faked a shot and hit a three-pointer over Wilkins.
"At 53:55, the Jazz are still two points behind." Bus Felton said.
"Who said just now that Russell is not good enough and Wilkins is fine?" Bill Walton asked with a smile.
Barkley said with a dark smile: "Wilkins should be able to get back the points he lost on the offensive end by himself on the defensive end."
"shrink!"
When the Suns were attacking, Jerry Sloan stood on the sidelines, pinched the middle with both hands, and firmly made a defensive gesture.
He had his sights set on the Suns' current lineup. Wilkins was not good at outside jumpers, and rookie Kobe Bryant's jump shots were also very unstable. It was the right time to shrink the defense, and continue to strengthen the defense of the low post, guarding Old K to death, and not giving him more.
shot, and at the same time blocked the penalty area to prevent the Suns from breaking through from the outside.
When the Suns advanced to the frontcourt, in addition to Stockton who was opposite Kidd, Russell released Wilkins, Jeff Hornacek released Kobe, and Postman also released Lachey.
DeWallace, while shrinking outside the paint area.
Seeing his opponent shrinking his defense, he felt a little flustered. Danny Ainge wiped his forehead and there was a layer of sweat on it.
"Replacing two guys who can shoot three-pointers at once, the Suns' ability to stretch is seriously lacking..." Before Barkley could finish his sentence, the Suns' offense began.
Taking advantage of his height advantage, Kidd passed the ball over Stockton's head to the low left wing.
The moment the ball was released, the postman in the low post on the right wing immediately pounced on the low post on the left wing with all his strength and began to implement weak-side help defense.
At the same time, Russell on the left wing did not hesitate at all and pounced on Wang Tiejun, who was two steps below.
"No, the tactics don't work."
When Danny Ainge saw this, he knew that his tactics had failed. When the ability to open up was insufficient, the Jazz shrunk their defense and wanted to play inside tactics from the outside. There were people inside. How could that be possible?
"Crack!"
At this moment, Wang Tiejun, holding Campbell on his left elbow, suddenly took a step forward and grabbed the ball with one hand while taking off.
He took a step forward to catch the ball, and he just avoided being double-teamed by the postman, but when he landed, he collided with Russell who was being double-teamed below.
"Bang!"
Small forward Russell had no resistance and fell directly backwards, hitting the floor.
The referee had no intention of blowing the whistle. Both sides were on the move and it was a normal confrontation.
At this time, according to the tactical requirements, Kobe was struggling to get in from behind Jeff Hornacek and cut into the paint area.
"Whoosh!"
Wang Tiejun saw Kobe's intervention and threw forward with one hand, and the ball flew in front of Kobe.
As soon as Kobe emerged from behind Hornacek, he saw the ball flying over. The position was just right. He quickly caught the ball with both hands and took advantage of the situation. He picked it up with one hand and the ball slid through the basket. With a swipe, it fell into the basket.
included in it.
"Damn it!"
Postman and Campbell on the left side of the basket tried to defend, but it was too late.
"It's over!"
Hornacek was also caught off guard. Unexpectedly, Kobe behind him got in front of him. He didn't react until Kobe made a layup.
"pretty!"
Su Qun and Zhang Lili roared excitedly at the same time.
"ah!"
Danny Ainge jumped up excitedly and raised his arms fiercely.
On the court, while returning to defense, Lao Wang shouted to Kobe: "Young blacksmith, you did a good job."
"Old K, I will help you." The excited Kobe said with full confidence.
"Don't be complacent, keep an eye on your people." Lao Wang immediately reminded.
"Yes." Kobe replied loudly.
Later, Russell got up and felt some pain in his lower back and a strained muscle, but he endured it and did not ask to leave.
53:57, Suns lead, Jazz attacks,
Coming to the frontcourt, Russell had just made a shot. Stockton knew how poor Wilkins' defense was, so he passed the ball to Russell again, hoping that he would hit another one.
He thought well, but Russell was injured just now. When he took a tentative step, his lower back suddenly hurt, he made a mistake, and Wilkins intercepted the ball.
"Stealing the ball! Wilkins stole the ball! Kobe was on the ball, and our little blacksmith flew up!" An on-site commentator immediately roared excitedly.
Kobe rushed in front of the players on both sides, threw away the 34-year-old Hornacek, received a pass from Wilkins, cut in from the left wing, and took off directly from the left waist of the paint area.
"Bang!"
A one-handed tomahawk chop immediately detonated the entire audience.
"Oh ho ho..."
After completing this dunk, the excited Kobe jumped up and down, screamed, and waved to the home fans for applause.
The home fans did not disappoint him, cheering, shouting and applauding constantly.
"This is the youth storm that belongs to the Phoenix Suns. Kobe's appearance immediately made this game full of vitality." Barkley roared excitedly.
Bill Walton nodded and said: "Let the young people rush forward and old K will control the rhythm from behind. The Suns still have hope of winning this game."