At this time, the Suns advanced to the frontcourt, and Lao Wang positioned himself low on the left wing, asking for the ball.
He doesn't go to the basket. Now he's not physically fit enough, his opponents are double-teaming him, and his teammates can't seize the opportunity for open balls. He can only play by himself first and stabilize the situation.
Duncan didn't block the defense, but he didn't move forward either, because Old K had the tonnage to stand firm, the strength to push him away, and the height, wingspan, and bounce to ensure the quality of the ball with his backhand, so the effect of moving forward was average.
Another key reason is that Old K is faster than him. If he goes forward and Old K cuts directly to the basket and passes the ball in time from the outside, it will be troublesome.
He defended himself closely. If Old K forced him to go in, he would not press forward, but would push forward and retreat at the same time. This would not only interfere with Old K's ball, but also delay time, which would be a great advantage for Rasheed Wallace.
Double-teaming creates opportunities.
Lao Wang stood just outside the left sideline of the paint area, staying away from the basket to avoid being double-teamed in advance. He pressed his left elbow against Duncan inside and asked for the ball with his right hand.
Nash pulled to the left wing, turned around to avoid Anderson and passed the ball down.
At this time, Rasheed Wallace decisively dropped Stoudemire and rushed low to the left wing.
Lao Wang noticed that the troll was coming close to the baseline to help defend. When the ball arrived, he suddenly stepped forward to catch the ball. After receiving the ball on the outside of his left waist, he immediately turned around and dribbled, and entered the paint area in one step.
Duncan hurriedly took a step back to the left, and Lao Wang stopped suddenly. At this time, the troll rushed to his side from below, and was about to be trapped in a double team.
But at this moment, the step back started, and he instantly got rid of the double team of the two and hit a front hook from the left waist.
"brush!"
The ball goes through the basket and goes down.
"I'm in! I still have to do it myself!" Su Qun said excitedly.
"The retreating hook is a unique skill of the Tiejun." Zhang Li said with a smile.
Su Qun laughed and said: "Kobe also learned it, but changed it to a step-back jumper."
Zhang Liji said with a smile: "He can only use jump shots from outside, not hooks. Moreover, his hands are too small, and he is not stable when holding the ball with one hand, so he cannot make big moves."
"The wingspan is not quite enough either." Su Qun added.
When the Trail Blazers attacked, Duncan suddenly stepped up to create a wall, but Anderson, who was holding the ball, did not use the wall to break through. Instead, he took a step laterally and suddenly shot a three-pointer.
"Bang!"
Missed, Lao Wang went down to protect the backcourt rebound, and the Suns attacked.
"The Flying Squirrel's playing time is limited, and he is not on the court. Duncan's high-post pick-and-roll tactics are of average quality, because neither Anderson nor Wells has that speed. Although the Flying Squirrel is seriously injured, he still has three pounds of nails to break the boat, and his speed is still
Be faster." Zhang Lili said.
Lao Wang once again demanded the ball in the low post on the left wing, and this time Rasheed Wallace double-teamed him in advance.
Lao Wang immediately took a step out, and Duncan and the trolls unexpectedly followed him out of the paint area at the same time. Stoudemire immediately cut to the basket, received a wonderful pass, and banged the ball into the basket.
Mike Dunleavy jumped up anxiously and yelled: "Don't miss the basket."
Zhang Lili laughed and said: "The trolls and Duncan are confused. Tiejun pulls out. You must leave at least one inside. Do you still want to prevent Tiejun from catching the ball?"
It's impossible. If you all follow him, won't the basket be missed? With Nash's vision and passing ability, as long as Stoudemire cuts inside in time, it will be a free point."
82:74, the Suns lead, the Trail Blazers attack.
Wells broke through with the ball and used his strong body to rudely knock Hardaway away. Stoudemire covered the defense, changed direction and went around, rushed to the right waist of the paint area, and saw Old K rushing over from the basket.
Immediately stop the ball and prepare for a strong shot.
At this time, Duncan reached for the ball from the left midfielder, and Wells was not alone. He hesitated and passed the ball to Duncan.
But at this moment, the passing movement was too obvious. Lao Wang predicted it, took a step upward in time, and intercepted the ball with all his strength.
"Beautiful, old K stole the ball for the third time tonight!" Su Qun said in high spirits.
At the top of the arc, Nash quickly turned around and came down, caught the ball and made a layup, making a hit.
Zhang Lili said excitedly: "84:74, the score difference finally reached double digits."
The Blazers served and called a timeout.
"Bunch, pass the ball decisively and don't be sloppy. I could see just now that you were about to pass the ball. My eighty-year-old grandma could intercept that ball, not to mention that it was Old K?"
Mike Dunleavy shouted at Wells.
Wells, who had a bad temper, was so angry that his face turned black. It was only because Mike Dunley led the Trail Blazers to win a championship and had a high status in the team that he did not fall out.
After the timeout, the Blazers attack.
Duncan was in the low post on the left wing asking for the ball, but at this moment Lao Wang suddenly moved forward. The former immediately turned around and entered the basket, and the latter quickly followed up, but still moved forward.
At the top of the arc, Anderson, who was holding the ball, saw that Duncan had no chance to catch the ball. He drove into the three-point line against Nash, and then turned over and shot a jumper.
"Crack!"
Marion pounced from the left wing in time and gave Anderson a big shot.
Hardaway grabbed the ball, and the Suns immediately counterattacked. Nash reached the basket with the ball and pulled it to the left. Suddenly, he passed a back pass to Marion, who cut from the right wing. Marion caught the ball and shot
He dunked and smashed the ball into the basket.
"brush!"
Looking back, Wells, who felt good today, stood up again, rushed in with Hardaway, and made a pull-up jump shot.
86:76, the Suns attacked, Hardaway broke through with the ball, made a jump shot, and hit a goal.
Looking back, Wells again confidently held the ball and beat Hardaway in isolation. With his physical advantage, he once again knocked away the defender and rushed into the wing.
At this time, Stoudemire was covering the defense. Wells did not pass the ball, but moved down a step, got rid of Stoudemire and Hardaway, and then made an emergency stop near the baseline for a jumper.
"Crack!"
At this moment, Lao Wang jumped out of the paint area, took off one meter inside the paint area, flew two meters in the air, grabbed the ball with his right hand, and actually grabbed the ball.
Wells, who was blocked, was also at a loss. He was on the outside and had already swallowed two big shots from Old K. He no longer dared to go in. But when he shot from the outside, he still couldn't escape Old K's third big shot.
Can you give me a way to survive?
"well!"
There was a sigh in the Rose Arena.
Su Qun shouted excitedly: "Beautiful! This is Lao K's 12th shot tonight. It seems that the defense won tonight!"
The Suns counterattacked again. Although the Trail Blazers tried their best to defend from the outside, all five Suns players could participate in the fast break. This time, even Wang and Stoudemire rushed to the frontcourt. In the end, Nash made a wonderful pass to Stoudemire, and Stoudemire
Successful dunk.
"Bang!"
Duncan hit the board at 45 degrees and was almost blocked by Wang, but missed and Stoudemire grabbed the backcourt rebound.
"Slow down, don't rush."
Lao Wang asked for the ball and signaled to steady the rhythm.
"Twelve points ahead. As long as the Suns play steadily, this game will be safe!" Zhang Liang said excitedly.
The result was as he expected. Although Duncan led the team to fight back, Lao Wang continued to play a stable and efficient offensive and defensive performance in the final quarter, 105:92, and finally successfully won the G1 game.
"Finally won!"
After the game, Su Qun said happily: "Old K played 41 minutes. Although he only scored 6 points in the final quarter, his defense continued to explode and he was omnipotent in stealing and blocking. It was his performance in the final quarter that ensured the team's success.
Final victory.
His data is 39 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 13 blocks, 1 turnover, and 3 fouls, a triple-double. He is only one steal short of it. What a pity. He is only one steal short of completing the 5*5 data for the first time in his career.
.”
“It’s a pity indeed!”
Zhang Liji smiled and said: "If completed, this will not only be his first 5*5, but also the first 5*5 in the playoffs in the history of the league."
Su Qun said: "Old K's shooting percentage is 61.6%, which is high enough. This is the key to the Suns' victory."
Zhang Lili said: "Marion scored 18 points today and played well in the fast break in the last quarter. Stoudemire performed better in the last quarter than in the first three quarters. He had two cut-in dunks and a fast break dunk, scoring a total of 13 points. Still.
With Hardaway, he scored 10 points and 4 assists today. Nash had 15 points and 11 assists. Five players on the team scored in double figures."
Su Qun said: "For the Trail Blazers, Duncan scored 26 points and 11 rebounds, and shot 43.1 from the field. He was still restricted by the old K defense.
In addition, Wells performed very well, scoring 21 points. Rasheed scored 16 points, Anderson 13 points, and Pippen had 6 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds. Among the five starts, he was the only one who did not score in double figures. In addition, the flying squirrel came on as a substitute.
Played 26 minutes and scored 8 points and 4 assists.”
After the game, looking at Old K who was being interviewed on the spot, Jordan said to Dameng and others: "This guy is still the same as before. As long as he has the advantage in the first three quarters, he will not miss in the final quarter."
Lei Gong smiled and said: "As long as Old K is here, our previous games have never been overturned in the final quarter."
Dameng said: "His physical fitness is still very strong. After resting in the first three quarters, he is enough to remain efficient in the final quarter. This is the most critical."
Glider said: "So the Suns' advantage in the first three quarters tonight is not very big. Old K's performance in the first three quarters is actually very good, but as soon as he comes off the court, the Blazers' bench can chase points. Fortunately, his physical fitness is really good
It is still very strong and can still maintain stable and efficient output in the final quarter.”
"Old K, you made 13 big shots tonight, why is your defensive state so good?" a reporter asked on the sidelines.
"As long as I want it, I can do it."
Lao Wang boasted confidently, and then said with a very sincere tone and expression: "So I would like to advise my opponents, never get close to me, please stay away from me, stay away, otherwise it will be very serious."
Hats to entertain you."
"Old K, you are only one steal away from being able to play 5*5 in the first playoff game in the history of the league. Do you feel regretful?" the reporter asked.
Lao Wang said with a smile: "A little bit, but that's it, because I don't lack those records. I have enough playoff records. I have never missed the Western Conference Finals for 9 consecutive seasons. I averaged 50 points per game in the finals.
Scored 50 points 11 times in a single game in the finals, ranked first in history in average per game in the finals, etc..."
"This damn guy!"
It happened that Dameng and the others were being interviewed by several reporters. When Jordan heard what Old K said, he cursed inwardly with dissatisfaction.
Because all of Lao K’s finals records were set on his head. Lao K reached the finals seven times, won the championship six times, and faced him all seven times. He was Lao K’s biggest sufferer.
"Michael, why do you think the Trail Blazers, who have the best record in the league, lost to the Suns, who are fourth in the Western Conference, at home?" the reporter asked at this time.
Jordan said: "The Trail Blazers' lineup is indeed stronger, and the interior substitutes are stronger than the Suns, but the Suns have a person named Old K, who can determine the outcome of a game or a series in many cases. This
is the key."
"So specifically, where do you think the Blazers lost tonight?" the reporter asked.
Jordan said: "I don't know the specific data. The Blazers' shooting percentage tonight should not be worse than the Suns..."
The reporter reminded: "The Blazers' shooting percentage is 1 percentage point higher than the Suns."
"That's it."
Nodding, Jordan said: "The reason why the Blazers lost was because of rebounds and K's defense. These two disadvantages made the Blazers have less possession of the ball than the Suns. I don't know the specific data, but the Blazers
Definitely take fewer shots than the Suns."
The reporter reminded again: "Yes, the Trail Blazers took 8 fewer shots than the Suns."
"That's right."
Jordan nodded and said: "There were 8 fewer shots and they lost by 13 points. The Suns should have made more mistakes. The Blazers lost because of rebounding and K's defense.
The Blazers' low-post offense is limited by Old K's defense. Although Duncan is good, to be honest, he and Old K are not on the same level. This makes the Blazers' low-post offense, compared with the Suns,
It's down a notch.
Old K's low-post offense is definitely unique in history, and we can know this by comparing low-post superstars in any period."
Dameng took over and said: "Starting from George McCann in the 1940s and 1950s, George was the first superstar in the league. I remember clearly that his shooting percentage was only 40.4% and he averaged only 23.1 points per game.
, similar data in the playoffs.
Chamberlain should be 54% in the regular season, averaging 30 points per game, and his shooting percentage and scoring in the playoffs are lower, and even lower in the finals."
Lei Gong said: "There is no need to compare. No one in the history of the league can hit 60% of the field goal percentage in the regular season. It is even more impossible in the playoffs and even more impossible in the finals. Old K's offense is the best in history, the only one."
The existence of files.
To be honest, if Old K wants to improve his statistics, he can definitely break Chamberlain's historical record of 100 points in a single game."
"Michael, who are you more optimistic about advancing in this series?" the reporter asked.
Jordan said: "I have answered this question a long time ago. I am more optimistic about the Suns. Although the Trail Blazers have a strong lineup, they are not stable enough on the outside. Pippen is also old. He and Flying Squirrel can only play more than 20 minutes.
The team has weaknesses at the point guard position and lacks some organizational functions.
Although the Trail Blazers had the best record in the regular season, it cannot be said how strong this team is. In fact, they only had 65 wins.
This Trail Blazers are weaker than my Bulls and Knicks, as well as my old Suns and Lakers. If they lose to the Suns this time, I won't be surprised at all. I am indeed more optimistic about the Suns.
The Suns' offense is completely fine. If Nash is guarded, he can immediately switch to a positional position. Old K will take over the offense. As long as he wants, his offense can break down the strongest defense.
The weakness of this team is only perimeter defense, but the Trail Blazers' perimeter, as I said just now, is not stable. The characteristics of the nerve knife can sometimes be fatal. When it is good, it will kill the opponent, and when it is bad, it will kill itself.
If you can't seize the Suns' perimeter defense weaknesses to take advantage, Old K won't show mercy in the low post, and the result will be very disappointing to Trail Blazers fans.
So I have a suggestion, the Trail Blazers need a more stable and efficient outside core, such as Kobe."
Duncan returned to the locker room. No matter how well he studied psychology, he still felt a little depressed. He leaned against the closet and remained silent.
He has never defeated Old K's team in a playoff series, and has to be eliminated every time he encounters them. This has more or less created some psychological shadow on him.
In fact, the person he wants to win most is Lao K, and the team he wants to win most is Lao K's team.
As a trading chip, as the No. 1 pick, he was thrown to the Suns by the Lakers, and then to the Trail Blazers by the Suns, so the Suns and Lakers are the teams he most wants to win.
With four wins over the Suns in the regular season this season, he originally thought he had great hopes this time, but the loss in the first home game really dealt a blow to him.
At this time, head coach Mike Dunleavy saw Duncan's mentality, so he comforted him: "Tim, K's defense was so good today. It was an injustice for us to lose the game. Don't think too much.
It is absolutely impossible for Old K to perform such a defensive performance in every game. You should know this. With our strength, we have a chance to defeat them."
Duncan nodded, why didn't he understand this?
However, the strength of Old K and his unbeatable record in the playoffs made it impossible for him to eliminate this psychological impact.
He thought of Jordan. Jordan and Lao K played seven finals. It was a duel between different eras and destiny. The result was six losses and one win. In the end, it was only after Lao K was seriously injured that he won the championship. Otherwise, the consequences would be unpredictable. One would lose two.
Losing three times to losing seven times, losing seven times in seven games is likely to be Jordan's final fate.
Jordan retired, now it's his turn.
In fact, since he entered the league in 1997, he has been facing the suppression of the Lakers where K. was from and was unable to break out of the Western Conference. This situation of being completely suppressed continued until the 2000/01 season. Now with K.'s comeback,
Will he fall into a situation of being suppressed again?
"Is it also a fateful showdown between me and him?" Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"He and I entered the league in the same year and were called giants. It is a fateful duel between him and me, but I will not admit defeat."
In a hotel in Ladas, O'Neal said seriously to Kobe: "Kobe, I won't compete with you for the boss in the Lakers, but you can't beat him without me. I must have enough shots. Only if you and I join forces can we win."
Hope to beat him."
He is still the same as before, very eager to defeat Lao K to prove himself.
When he won the championship in 2001, he and Lao K were injured at the same time. He scored 29 points before leaving the game, but Lao K had already scored 44 points, and his performance was still not as good as Lao K.
Although he won the championship that year, which was his only championship, he did not prove that he could beat Old K. The media did not think that he defeated Old K, and even mocked him, saying that he used his own knee.
Beat the old K's ankle.
Now he is only 31 years old. As long as he loses weight, he can still perform at his most dominant peak state. He still has a chance to prove himself.
Now he hopes to prove himself, not to prove that he is stronger than Old K. He has lost that opportunity long ago, but to prove that in the era of giant beasts, he is not a dispensable foil, he is the leader of this era.