Rest on the 21st. On the 22nd, the Suns held a tactical meeting in the morning and resumed training in the afternoon.
Assistant coach Scott Skiles first said after the meeting began: "The opponent in the first round is the Kings. The Kings have a record of 32 losses in 50 games this season, seventh in the Western Conference, and we were defeated by the Kings in the last regular season away game.
Defeated, they even scored a high score of 124 points in that game, so we can’t be careless.”
Another assistant coach Frank Johnson continued: "But there is no need to underestimate them. In the four regular season games, we had three wins and one loss. In the last game, we didn't play seriously. We had a big advantage over the Kings.
Moreover, the Kings traded Chris Webber in the middle of the season, probably with the intention of rebuilding. Now they are going downhill and can barely make it to the playoffs. They don't pose much of a threat to us. As long as we increase our concentration, we still have a good chance of winning.
"
Lao Wang laughed and said: "The Kings' strongest two years were the last two years when I was with the Lakers for three consecutive championships. They made it to the second round, but were eliminated by the Lakers in the second round both times."
As one of the Kings' troika at the time, White Chocolate Jason Williams couldn't help but smile bitterly: "At that time, Kobe kept using pick-and-rolls to deliberately find me. I was beaten by him, and old K, you have too much advantage in the paint.
We got swept twice and then they traded me because my defense was so bad."
Xiao Fan nodded and said: "The key is to defend well. The Princeton system is good at backdoor tactics. We must be careful about their off-ball, cutting and counter-running tactics.
Old K, you are our rim protector, don't position yourself too far outside on the defensive end, be careful behind you, and just guard the penalty area."
"Be careful behind you!"
This sentence is a motto in the Princeton system, or "Don't look away, or you will open the back door."
"Jeff, what kind of defense are we playing?" Lao Wang nodded and asked again.
"Man-to-man." Xiao Fan said.
He then explained: "A total of six Kings scored in double figures in the regular season, and the rest all averaged more than 5 points per game. Their scoring ability is very strong and very average. It is difficult to defend. You can't let anyone go, you can only play.
Man to man.
And the most important point of the Princeton system is the fifth position, old K. You have to keep an eye on Brad Miller. Not only to prevent his offense, but also to destroy his passing and organizational functions."
"OK."
Lao Wang nodded and said: "Brad Miller is not as good as Webber. There is no problem in guarding him to death."
In the afternoon, the Suns held an intra-squad training match, simulating the Kings' Princeton system, but the effect was not very good, because this system cannot be simulated simply by trying to simulate it. Adelman spent seven seasons with the Kings.
It took several years to build this system and lineup.
At noon that day, the Kings arrived in Phoenix.
"Old K, we lost to the Kings by a big score in the last game. Do you think it is possible for the Kings to be upset in the first round of the series?" A reporter interviewed Lao Wang on the phone.
"An upset? Why did the Kings get an upset just because they won a regular season game? Sir, are you kidding me? I have proven it in eleven playoffs. No team has ever been able to win a game in the league where I am.
The team was shocked."
Although Lao Wang did not believe that the King was capable of causing an upset, the media still hyped up the news the next day that the King was likely to become an upset due to hype reasons.
As a professional commentator, Barkley couldn't bear to see this kind of hype. He stood up and said: "The Kings want to upset Black Seven. They only have one chance to get rid of old K like the Lakers did in 2003."
In the evening, the first round of the playoffs begins.
At eight o'clock, the American West Arena was packed with people.
Kings: Brad Miller, Peja, Kenny Thomas, Cuttino Mobley, Mike Bibby
Suns: Wang Tiejun, Kenyon Martin, Zhu Fangyu, Josh Howard, Jason Williams
In the CCTV commentary box, Zhang Lijia said: "It's playoff time again. This is Tiejun's 12th time participating in the playoffs. After he entered the league in 1992, except for 2002 when he retired, he has never missed the playoffs.
At the same time, in the first 11 playoffs, I never missed the Western Conference Finals. I won 7 championships in 11 years. One of these dynasties can be called a great career."
Su Qun smiled and said: "I hope I can successfully defend my title this time."
Zhang Lili smiled and said: "Yes, let's show off our momentum in the first round and get off to a good start."
At 8:30, jump ball, Suns attack.
Zhang Lili reminded: "The King's Princeton system is not only powerful offensively, but also powerful defensively. The Suns should not be careless."
At this time, Lao Wang entered the paint area from the free throw line. Brad Miller was a bamboo pole, 211 centimeters tall and only 118 kilograms.
He was not selected in the 1998 draft because of his weight, lack of confrontation, and soft style of play.
It was absolutely impossible to defend himself, so he resorted to moving forward.
Outside, White Chocolate came to the left wing with the ball, and Zhu Fangyu immediately started a pick-and-roll. The former took the opportunity to get rid of Mike Bibby and then passed the ball.
In fact, the current White Chocolate's passing is no longer as gorgeous or as fancy as it used to be. After being traded by the Kings, he began to change his style of play. In the Suns, he was scolded by Lao Wang from time to time, and his style of play became more and more...
Simple.
This time, he just dropped the ball in a serious manner.
Lao Wang used his left elbow to push away Miller who was going around. Miller tried to get close to him, but was still blocked by one of his arms. When the ball arrived, he took off.
"Bang!"
The next moment, he caught the ball with one hand, dunked on an alley-oop, and the King's basket was exploded.
"Easy! It's really easy for Old K to beat Miller!" Su Qun laughed.
"Brad Miller was also selected as an All-Star in 2002, the year the Tiejun retired. He was selected as a substitute by the coach. Although he was also an All-Star, I'm not talking nonsense. He was at least two or three different from the Tiejun.
Level." Zhang Li said with a smile.
The Kings attacked, and Mike Bibby advanced to the left wing of the frontcourt with the ball.
At this time, Miller lifted up to his left elbow, preparing to catch the ball. At the same time, he used his lift to empty the Suns' basket and create opportunities for his teammates to cut in.
This was his first time playing against Old K in the playoffs. For the first time, he experienced what it was like to play against the first active player in league history in the playoffs.
Lao Wang was no longer as polite as he was in the regular season, and went straight into the confrontation. When Miller was about to catch the ball, his body squeezed, and Miller was pushed to the side, unable to even stand.
Mike Bibby, who was preparing to pass the ball, secretly exclaimed that it was dangerous, and his ball almost went out.
The Kings' Princeton system has three players at position 5, position 1 and position 3 on the strong side. Now Bibby, Miller, and small forward Thomas are on the left wing, and Peja and Mobley are on the right side on the weak side.
The most commonly used tactics in the Princeton system are counter-running and cutting.
At this time, Mobley got rid of Josh Howard through continuous counter runs, and then cut towards the basket.
Bibby passed the ball quickly, almost reaching the man-to-ball level required by the Princeton system.
Mobley caught the ball when he cut to his right waist. Without dribbling, he took off after one step and prepared for a layup.
But at this moment, Lao Wang had already jumped down from above.
"Crack!"
With a big hand, he pressed the ball directly onto the backboard.
Zhang Lili said: "The Princeton system is very particular about passing. It requires all five players to pass the ball. Just now, the Tiejun defended the basket and Miller was empty. If Mobley passes the ball, Miller has a chance."
Su Qun looked at Mobley's statistics and said: "He is the fourth in assists among the five main players of the Kings. He is only slightly better than Peja, and his passing awareness is not very good."
Sun attack.
Lao Wang once again entered the basket, and Brad Miller did not go forward this time, but defended from the side, performing a close entangled defense.
But in the low position, strength and tonnage are fundamental. Lao Wang still relied on one arm to keep Miller out.
White Chocolate passed the ball, Lao Wang caught the ball under the basket, turned sideways suddenly, and with a powerful burst of force, Miller who was wrapped around him was thrown to the ground.
"Beep!"
The referee blows the whistle and calls for a foul.
Lao Wang didn't dunk again. If he dunked again when the whistle was blown, he might be called for a technical foul.
Miller lay on the floor for a few seconds before getting up panting.
Zhang Liyi smiled and said: "I guess from now on, Miller may not be so defensive anymore. With his little confrontation ability, he may have to get injured."
Lao Wang then hit two free throws, 0:4, and the Suns took the lead.
The king attacks.
"brush!"
Peja ran back and threw away Kenyon Martin, ran towards the right corner with all his strength, caught the ball and hit a three-pointer.
Looking back, Lao Wang assisted Kenyon Martin who cut in from the weak side and succeeded in a dunk.
"3:6, now it's the king's attack." Su Qun said.
"Bang!"
Small forward Thomas used the block to get a small opening, but Zhu Fangyu quickly returned to defense and blocked the shot to affect the former's shot, and missed.
Zhang Lili said: "The Kings made one of three shots, the Suns made two of two, and two of two free throws. It is obvious that the Kings are not as efficient as the Suns. As long as they keep playing like this, it is easy for the Suns to defeat the Kings."
Su Qun smiled and said: "Coach Zhang, I saw that the Kings' three attacks were all open when they shot. Their Princeton system is indeed very strong!"
Zhang Liyi nodded and said: "Yes, if you look closely at the Kings' offense, you will find that they rarely hold the ball when facing defenders to attack. They rarely use the ball to move, cut in, pick and roll, and constantly
Pass the ball to find the open space.
The biggest characteristic of Princeton is to use the strong to defeat the weak and find asymmetric offensive opportunities through pick-and-roll movement and other means."
In the first quarter, Wang played for ten minutes, and he was at full strength. He made 7 of 7 shots and 5 of 6 free throws. He scored 19 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks in a single quarter. The Kings had no way to guard him.
Under his leadership, the Suns led by 10 points at 21:31, ending the first quarter.
Zhang Lili said: "The Suns played man-to-man defense today. Zhu Fangyu and Josh Howard defended well. However, Williams has a loophole. Bibby hit two goals on him in the first quarter, two of four. This
This was also the reason why he was traded by the Kings that year, because his defense was a bit poor.
In addition, the Kings were unable to defend the Tiejun's low-post offense. At the same time, the Tiejun controlled the rebounds and blocked the penalty area with strong defense. The Kings' cutting tactics were not very good, forcing them to only shoot jumpers from outside, which reduced their performance.
offensive efficiency.”
Su Qun said: "When we see the real results in the playoffs, the King's strength is still not good enough."
Zhang Liyi nodded and said: "It is a team that is in decline. The chance of an upset is almost non-existent. The media is purely a hype stunt."
In the end, 91:112, the Suns defeated the Kings by 21 points and won the G1 game.
Lao Wang clocked in for three quarters, 30 minutes in three quarters, and scored 34 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 7 blocks, 1 turnover and 2 fouls.
He left the game with 30 seconds left in the third quarter, when the Suns led by as much as 27 points.
"The Kings only scored 7 offenses under the basket today, which was pitiful. Three of them were fast break layups, and only 4 points were scored under the basket in positional battles. This shows how strong Old K's protection of the penalty area is."
Later, Su Qun said.
Zhang Liji said with a smile: "The Kings were shooting from the outside, even though they used tactical movement to get a lot of small openings, but they didn't have a great touch today, so it's not surprising that they lost the game.
However, the Suns defended really hard today, and Zhu Fangyu and Josh Howard deserve praise. They each sent two steals, and Zhu Fangyu also blocked a shot. They destroyed a lot of the Kings' perimeter attacks."
This game is also the template for this series. On May 1st, the Suns completed a sweep of the Kings and became the first team to advance to the second round.
…
"Zhouzhou, let mom and dad watch the news for a while."
The next day, Sunday, after breakfast in the morning, Zhou Zhou was watching the Coffee Cat cartoon, and Fei Ge changed the channel to TNT.
"I know, the MVP will be announced today. Dad, can you get it?" Zhou Zhou shouted.
Brother Fei also joked: "Husband, do you want this seventh MVP? I think you don't seem to care much. If you don't want it, just say it publicly so as not to embarrass others."
Lao Wang is reading a novel. In the past two years, online literature has emerged in China. He has become addicted to it. He is currently reading a novel called Sou Shen Ji. Last time he brought over a dozen sets of this kind of online novel from China, and he has almost finished it.
Finished reading.
He used to read martial arts novels. When he first started reading this kind of online novel, he didn't think it was interesting, but he soon became fascinated.
Hearing Brother Fei's words, he said without raising his head: "Whatever, give it to whoever you like, don't disturb my study, okay?"
Hearing this, Brother Fei rolled his eyes at Lao Wang and said angrily: "Don't lead Zhou Zhou astray. He is already in his thirties, and you still read such idle books? When you get bored, hug your second child and increase the bond between father and son.
"
"Mom, I know these words, Sou Shen Ji. Dad, what is Sou Shen Ji?" Zhou Zhou's curiosity immediately aroused.
Lao Wang had no choice but to put away the novel, stuff it under his butt, and said casually: "Zhou Zhou, go, bring your brother over and let dad hug him."
"Are you crazy? Last time you asked her to hold her, she was ready to carry the second baby upside down. Fortunately, I saw it. Have you forgotten?"
Brother Fei was startled, and when he saw Zhou Zhou's eyes lit up, he quickly grabbed the little girl.
Zhou Zhou glanced at Lao Wang aggrievedly, and then said to Brother Fei with disdain: "Hug whomever you love, but I won't hug him anyway."
"It doesn't matter if you hold it upside down. After the baby is born, the nurse will hold it upside down and spank her buttocks to spit out amniotic fluid. Don't you also do handstands when practicing bodybuilding?" Lao Wang said awkwardly.
"Hmph! You know how to quibble?"
"Let's go, Zhou Zhou. Dad will take you to the back to play. Don't bother your mother. Remember, you can't carry your brother upside down in the future." Lao Wang quickly pulled Zhou Zhou to the backyard.
"I didn't lift him upside down. I was going to hold him, so I grabbed his legs first. My mother thought I would lift him upside down." Zhou Zhou denied.
"Husband, don't you want to see the result?"
"Don't read anymore. Call me when the results are out."
"Husband, yours is the seventh one."
Two minutes later, with a loud shout from Fei Ge, he won the seventh regular season MVP of his career.
The system awarded this MVP 200 points, which is better than nothing.
After playing with Zhou Zhou for a while, Fei Ge came to the backyard with Erbao who woke up and said: "Honey, the Lawrence Sports Awards will be held in a few days. Is there any news?"
Lao Wang shook his head and said: "Hocksman contacted Mercedes-Benz and they said there is little hope this year."
Fei Ge said angrily: "Last year's championship, this year's 101 points in a single game, how can you not win the award?"
"Tennis and football are the most popular mainstream sports in Europe. Several top athletes are no worse than me, and their influence and popularity in Europe are far greater than mine. Basketball cannot compete with them in Europe. The gap is too big.
"Old Wang shook his head and said.
"They didn't invite you to the awards ceremony?"
"Yes, it's at Hawksman's place. Do you want to go on the 7th?"
"Where do I have time?"
"Knowing that you won't go, I asked Hawksman to attend on my behalf."
That night, the Trail Blazers completed a sweep of the Nuggets.
The Suns and Trail Blazers were the only teams to complete the sweep in the first round, and no other team was able to complete the sweep.
The first round series lasted until May 7th. The Spurs, who were third in the Western Conference, played the Mosaic, which was sixth in the Western Conference, and reached the tiebreaker. Finally, they defeated the Mosaic led by Tracy McGrady and finally made it to the second round.
In the West, in addition to the Suns, Trail Blazers, Spurs, and SuperSonics, they defeated the Mavericks and advanced to the second round.
The second round matchups in the Western Conference are the Trail Blazers vs. SuperSonics and the Suns vs. Spurs.
In the Eastern Conference, the Knicks eliminated the Pacers with a big score of 4 to 2, and the Nets also eliminated the Bulls with a score of 4 to 2. The two teams faced off in the second round.
In addition, the Heat and Pistons each eliminated their opponents and faced off in the second round.
In addition, there is another thing. On the 7th, the 2005 Lawrence Awards were held. Liu Xiang won the Best Newcomer Award, while the Best Male Athlete Award that Lao Wang hoped to get was taken away by tennis king Federer.
He was somewhat disappointed, but he was also mentally prepared. After all, tennis and football are the mainstream sports in Europe, especially tennis, which is Lawrence's biological son. Basketball is too niche in Europe. He won the NBA championship, FMVP, and MVP last year.
, Olympic champion, super data of 101 points in a single game are useless.
