On the right wing, the Postman got the ball with Rasheed Wallace behind him. At this time, Hornacek cut inside. The former passed the ball hand-to-hand, and the latter received the ball and entered the paint area.
On the left wing, Wang Tiejun dropped Campbell, who was pulled out, and returned to defend the basket.
His return defense was very particular. He did not rush back to the basket first, but followed Hornacek's rhythm and defended on the flanks. As long as the opponent dared to layup, he would never be able to escape his block.
At the same time, he used his height and huge size to form a huge defensive screen. While returning to defense, he also cut off the passing route between Hornacek and the left wing to prevent the opponent from passing the ball to Campbell. If he reluctantly passed it, it would only be
Can drop the ball.
Sure enough, Hornacek only had time to glance at Wang Tiejun with his peripheral vision, unable to see Campbell at all, and had no choice but to lay up by himself.
"Crack!"
Lao Wang took off from the wing and directly hit the opponent's layup on the backboard. The ball bounced upward, and then he took off a second time and caught it.
"well!"
The attack failed again, and the home fans couldn't help but sigh.
"Another big shot. Old K's defense is getting stronger and stronger now." Barkley praised.
"The defensive efficiency is second in the league, what do you think?" Bill Walton laughed.
"It seems that the Suns really want to win this away game. Old K is exploding on both offense and defense." Bus Felton said.
Barkley smiled and said: "If you win this game, it will be 3 to 1. If you fail to win, it will be 2 to 2. This game is very critical for both sides. If the Suns win, they will basically reach the finals, and if the Jazz win,
, and also have a chance to reach the finals.”
"brush!"
The Lightning moved without the ball on the weak side, suddenly ran to the postman, used him to get rid of Stockton, then cut back to the basket, received Lao Wang's pass, and hit a layup.
"Can you still use your opponent to set up a pick-and-roll?"
Kobe was sitting on the sidelines watching the ball and couldn't help but feel a little itchy.
He plays without the ball, but after one season, he still hasn't reached his peak. He can't use all the objects on the court to move like the Lightning.
"9:2, the Suns started really well." Su Qun said excitedly.
Zhang Lili analyzed: "Now the Tiejun has blocked the Jazz's basket attack. The Jazz have failed to attack the basket many times, which may force them to start shifting their offense to the outside. In this case, their efficiency will not be very high. If they continue to play like this
, the Suns have a good chance of winning."
When the Jazz attacked, Campbell was almost pulled to the three-point line, and the same was true for the Postman. Wang Tiejun and Rasheed Wallace were both pulled out of the paint area, and then the outside line began to break through.
The Jazz's outside breakthrough is not a direct breakthrough, but a breakthrough after a pick-and-roll.
Stockton pulled to the left wing and used Russell's pick-and-roll to break through. The direction of the breakthrough was towards the left elbow. Kidd was blocked and could not follow up. Horry's change of defense was also a step slower.
Wang Tiejun, who was outside the left waist, saw this and had to immediately retreat to the paint area.
But at this moment, Stockton suddenly passed the ball to Campbell.
"call!"
Wang Tiejun turned around suddenly and pounced on Campbell.
Like a tiger, he took a long stride, shortening the distance between the two by almost two meters. Then, after taking a step forward, when Campbell took off to shoot, he also jumped up.
"Crack!"
Under the big volleyball hat, the basketball flew upside down like a meteor, straight into the audience, causing a splash of exclamations.
"yeah!"
The moment the block occurred, the Suns players on the court, the bench players off the court, and the coaching staff all cheered at this moment.
After Wang Tiejun landed, he rushed out of the stadium and rushed directly into the auditorium. The fans there were so frightened that they got up to dodge, and several people in the front row were pinned under him.
Jerry Sloan, who was standing there, was also startled. He turned around and looked at Wang Tiejun, marveling in his heart: "Invincible in the low post offense, and can defend to the three-point line on the defensive end. This beast in Phoenix is not the one in New York at all." Comparable to a fat behemoth."
He has never seen O'Neal work so hard on the defensive end. The investment of these two behemoths on the court cannot be compared at all, so their current achievements cannot be compared either.
"Oh ho!"
In the TNT live broadcast booth, Barkley screamed excitedly and roared excitedly: "Old K sent a block five meters away, and his defensive area has completely covered one step inside the three-point line.
This is my brother, he can contribute all his strength on the court, and this is why he has achieved so much in the league in just five years."
"Physical fitness, abundant physical fitness allows Old K to provide all-round contributions." Bill Walton nodded.
"If O'Neal had the physical fitness of Old K, he would be stronger than he is now, and maybe he could catch up with Old K." Bass Felton said.
In New York, O'Neal muttered: "Old K's medicated bath must be secretive. I use it every day now, and my physical fitness doesn't seem to have improved."
He didn't consider that he was reluctant to spend money on this in the past and didn't use medicinal baths at all. Moreover, he gained weight again this year, almost 150 kilograms, which affected his physical fitness.
At the Delta State Center Arena, the Jazz attack again with 4 seconds left.
On the sidelines, Jerry Sloan's mind was spinning rapidly.
Old K was crazy on the defensive end today. He blocked four shots in succession, almost directly to the three-point line. How can the Jazz attack with this?
If you rush in and get hit, you'll get hit if you shoot outside. I won't let them live.
However, he knew that if he only shot from the outside, the Jazz would never be able to beat the Suns. They must strengthen their low-post offense and strengthen their outside breakthroughs. Even if they pay the price, it is necessary.
This choice is very simple. If you don't score, the team will lose, and even if you shoot from the outside, you will still be blocked, right?
Then go in. If you go in, you may encounter a strong defense, but you still have a chance to win, right?
Another thing, he didn't believe that Old K could continue to block shots like this.
Therefore, without giving up, simply attack the paint area and try your best on the offensive end.
Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth and shouted to the court: "Play in, I want efficiency."
The Jazz served the ball from the sideline and Hornacek received the ball. The Lightning followed closely and had no chance to take action. He passed it to Stockton who was receiving the ball.
When Stockton received the ball, Kidd was in front of him. With no time left, he forced a jump shot. When he took off, Kidd slapped the basketball away.
"Oh, Kidd stole the ball, lightning was coming!" Barkley shouted.
The Lightning received Kidd's pass, advanced to the basket, and passed back to Kidd. Kidd then passed the ball to Horry, who was parked outside the three-point line on the right wing, and the latter caught the ball and shot a jumper.
"brush!"
The water splashed and he hit a three-pointer.
"Beautiful! Now at 12:2, the Jazz called a timeout again. Continuous timeouts show that the Jazz's situation is very bad now. It depends on whether this second timeout can solve the problem." Zhang Li said with a smile.
"There were only four blocks in the opening game, how many minutes has it been? How many blocks did you get in one game? Today K was really explosive on the defensive end, really explosive. He might be able to score ten big blocks!" Su Qun was very excited.
typical.
"Go in, get close to the basket, don't hesitate, and resolutely attack in the low post and around the basket." Jerry Sloan said with a serious look on the Jazz bench.
No players objected. He still has great authority in this team, and both black and white also support him.
However, this sentence put great pressure on the Jazz players, because before the first quarter was even halfway through, Old K had blocked them four times. They hadn't even rushed in with all their strength. Now they were going to hit the penalty area with all their strength.
How many hats do you swallow?
Therefore, although no one objected, no one nodded, as if they had not heard this sentence.
Jerry Sloan then said: "On the defensive end, we used the tactics of the first two games to prevent Old K from getting into the basket and limit his offense.
If he makes a strong attack, Karl, Elden, you two must block him. In addition, come up with foul tactics and be decisive in your shots. Don't let him score a two plus one."
In the TNT live broadcast booth, Barkley laughed and said: "Old K really broke out on the defensive end today and tried his best. Whether it was under the basket, on the edge of the penalty area, or on the three-point line, he was everywhere.
Everyone, the record for individual blocks in a single game in the playoffs is 10 times by Mammoth Mark Eaton and Big Dream. Guess, can Old K break this record tonight?"
"It's possible."
Bill Walton and Bas Felton nodded at the same time.
Just kidding, in less than half a quarter, he blocked four shots. Who dares to shake his head?
Bill Walton said: "The Jazz are in great trouble today. They couldn't guard against the Suns. They even got a bloody face from Old K and only scored two points. If the game continues like this, the home fans will leave early, which will affect the ratings."
ah!"
Buckley said with a worried look on his face: "No, how can the ratings drop? This is my program. How about I find Old K and ask him to stop the fight and let Sir Sir?"
"Pfft, haha..." The other two burst out laughing instantly, and many fans in front of the TV couldn't help laughing.
The timeout ended at this time, the game restarted, and the Jazz attacked.
"Pull open and punch in!"
After a few rounds, Jerry Sloan yelled angrily when he saw the players were timid and didn't dare to go in, so they just threw outside with poor touch and the score difference widened to 13 points.
He doesn't understand, what are you afraid of? Using tactics to attack the penalty area, Old K can't return to the basket so quickly every time. This is our home court.
In the CCTV live broadcast, Zhang Liji said: "It is now the 7th minute of the first quarter, 20:7, and the Suns lead away from home by 13 points, which is a huge advantage.
Right now, the Jazz don't have much low-post offense, nor do they have any offense around the basket. They just pick-and-roll jump shots from outside and hit three goals. It's very difficult, almost impossible, to chase points with this kind of offense."
"I'm completely confused by Old K. I don't dare to go in, and I don't even dare to go near the paint area." Su Qun said with a smile.
"Just kidding, there are less than four big hats in half a quarter, and they still dare to rush in. That's unreasonable. They are just seeking death, a suicidal attack, haha!" Zhang Li said with a smile.
"Give me."
At the critical moment, Postman Karl Malone led by example. He backed up Rasheed Wallace in the low right post and started to get the ball.
Outside the left waist, Wang Tiejun faced upwards, glanced at the postman, and then turned around to look at the person he was staring at.
Campbell moved to a position one step within 45 degrees of the left wing three-point line. He was three meters away from Campbell and three meters away from the basket. He was standing exactly in the middle. No matter which end, plus his wingspan, he was two steps away.
less than a distance.
Stockton had a bit of a rough time today. Kidd kept a close eye on him and harassed him constantly. He was at a disadvantage in terms of height and tonnage. Kidd was also very strong, and some small moves seemed to have no effect.
At this time, he glanced at Campbell. There was a three-meter gap, but he did not dare to pass it because there was such a big gap just now and Campbell was blocked.
Campbell is not the kind of outsider who can shoot quickly and can catch the ball and shoot. He is a 211-centimeter inside player. His shooting rhythm is not fast. If he cannot shoot quickly after getting the ball, it will be easy for Old K to move quickly.
of monster shot-blocking opportunities.
"Whoosh!"
He suddenly made a fake pass to Campbell, shook Kidd, and immediately turned around to avoid Kidd. He passed the ball to the postman. His old friend was more trustworthy.
Lao Wang inside was also shaken. He moved his feet and swayed his body towards Campbell, but he didn't see the ball pass. He knew he had been fooled.
He immediately turned towards the penalty area. When he turned around, his unobstructed view swept across the top of the arc. He saw Stockton turning to the right wing. He quickly moved his feet and jumped back into the penalty area. At this time, the ball flew towards
postman.
In the second step, he jumped into the air and directly crossed the front of the basket. This step allowed him to cross a two-meter space. At this time, he saw the postman receiving the ball and then rushed out for the third step.
The postman caught the ball, only arched it, gave Rasheed Wallace an elbow, and then immediately turned over and shot a jumper.
He knew that Old K was playing crazy on the defensive end today and would definitely come to help defend, so his movements after receiving the ball were very fast without any unnecessary steps.
But just when he turned over and jumped to take action, his eyes widened suddenly, because a huge figure suddenly came into his eyes, and then instantly occupied all the space in front of him.
"Crack!"
Wang Tiejun landed on his third step and reached Rashid's side. He immediately jumped up and flew past the troll and the postman. He grabbed the ball with one hand and confiscated the basketball that the postman had just thrown.
"oh!"
In the Delta State Center Arena, there were loud voices of disappointment and surprise.
"ah!"
On the Suns bench, Kobe Bryant and other substitute players immediately rushed up from the bench and raised the white towels in their hands.
"The fifth block! Old K sent the fifth block. This is the biggest block in the assist defense. Old K was amazing tonight. He had five blocks in a single quarter. He will create history. As long as he gets another block in this quarter.
, he ranks first in the league's playoff history in blocked shots in a quarter." Barkley roared excitedly.
Bill Walton laughed and said: "In the regular season, he blocked 8 shots in a single quarter, and in a single game he blocked 17 shots. In the playoffs, he blocked 5 shots in a single quarter. Old K has already tied this record, and he blocked 10 shots in a single game.
, Lao K seems to be really possible today."
At this time, the Suns advanced to the frontcourt, and Lao Wang still aggressively demanded the ball.
He made an extreme effort on the defensive end today. Although his input on the offensive end was not as good as the defensive end, he still worked very hard. He played less and mainly passed the ball to his teammates and got a lot of assists.
"Whoosh!"
Kidd carries Stockton and prepares to pass the ball.
"hiss!"
Stockton pinched his skin, and the pain made him twitch the corner of his mouth and suck in a breath of cold air.
"Crack!"
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Stockton quickly stole the ball and then counterattacked.
"Don't even think about running away!"
Kidd was furious and gave chase.
After Stockton was caught up, he quickly stabilized. At this time, other players from both sides also ran across the center line, and the offense and defense began to get into position.
"Pah! Pah!"
Lao Wang stood outside his left waist, clapped his thick and big palms hard twice, and shouted loudly: "Jazz boys, rush in, my big hat is waiting for you."
"Too outrageous!"
The Jazz players were furious.
"Kacha kacha..."
Reporters behind the lines at both ends took photos of this moment.
"Go for it! Haha..."
Kobe Bryant and other Suns substitutes cheered for the Jazz.
"Come on!"
Thousands of away fans who came from afar cheered in unison.
"Shh!"
The home fans began to boo, and the boos filled the air for a moment.
"Bang!"
No one rushed in. Hornacek shot a three-pointer over the Lightning and missed.
Lao Wang rushed in to protect the backcourt rebound and passed it to Kidd, who steadily advanced.
On the bench, Kobe muttered: "I should be allowed to go up and play fast break. Lightning is old. He can't run anymore and can't play fast break."
"Rookie, you want to be the starter for the Lightning? Do you want to be beaten in the locker room?" Chapman said in surprise.
"Old K is my master, who dares to bully me in the Suns?" Kobe said disdainfully.
"The person who flatters you is Old K." Chapman laughed.
Kobe was stunned, as if, is this really possible?
The next game was somewhat out of Jerry Sloan's control. He asked for low-post attacks and more attacks at the basket, but no one dared to rush in. Even Postman and Campbell shot far away from the penalty area, most of which were in the middle.
Divide and far two points.
But even so, in the 11th minute, Campbell still couldn't escape Lao Wang's poisonous hand. Once again, he was one step inside the three-point line and Lao Wang rushed over and slapped him.
"yeah!"
When the big cap appeared, the Suns team was in jubilation.
"With six blocks in the first quarter, Old K broke the league's record for blocked shots in a single quarter in the playoffs. Congratulations to Old K!" Barkley shouted excitedly.
Bill Walton shook his head and said: "Old K was too crazy on the defensive end today and too intimidating. The game was one-sided. The current score is 31:14. The Jazz's offense is completely unwatchable."
Bass Felton said with a smile: "This is because Old K didn't attack much. He invested too much in defense and rebounding. After getting the ball on the offensive end, he usually focused on scoring. Now he has got 3 assists and 3 assists.
indirect assist."
At this time, the first quarter ended at 33:14. The Suns led by 19 points in the away quarter. The point difference exceeded the Jazz's points. This score was very disparate.
In the CCTV live broadcast, Zhang Li said with a smile: "Through strong defense, Tiejun drove away the Jazz's offense, which not only reduced the opponent's offensive efficiency, but also completely controlled the backcourt rebounds. The Jazz only grabbed one in the first quarter.
Offensive rebounds, how do you win?"
Su Qun took the statistics table and read: "Old K made 4 of 5 shots and 3 of 4 free throws in the first quarter. He scored 11 points. He was very efficient, but he took a little less shots. He mainly did defense and rebounding. He
In addition to scoring, he also had 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 6 blocks, 0 turnovers and 1 foul."
Zhang Lijia shook his head and smiled and said: "No matter how I thought, I never expected that today's performance would be like this. I didn't expect that Tiejun would perform like this today. It's unreasonable. He is an offensive madman, but today he played crazy on the defensive end."
Su Qun smiled and said: "According to his rules, as long as he makes a big splash on the defensive end, he has never lost a game."
Zhang Liji nodded and said with a smile: "Yes, it has been like this since his rookie season. When we played in the Finals with the Bulls, there was a game. I forgot which game it was. It was him who broke out on the defensive end and finally won.
.At that time, his defense was actually far inferior to what it is now. His offense was strong and his defense was weak."
Su Qun said with a smile: "His defense is much stronger now than it was then. If he breaks out his defense now, the effect will be great."
After Zhang Lili calmed down, he analyzed: "If the Jazz can't break through the Tiejun's defense and can only make jump shots from outside, the tone of this game may have been set."