Chapter 119 [The state is not good, the state is even worse]
Grant Hill failed to break through and relied on his height advantage to hit the ball high. After observing the movement of his teammates, he passed the ball to Joe Dumars. The latter made a three-point jumper from the right but missed due to Payton's interference.
Kemp grabbed the backcourt rebound and passed it to Schrempf, who feinted to protect the ball and waited for Payton to respond.
The Pistons players returned to defense very quickly, and the SuperSonics couldn't make a fast break.
In the positional battle, Yang Jian started running on the right side and first reached the right corner. He waited for Payton and Kemp to play the pick-and-roll, and then suddenly cut from the bottom line. This time he did not look for a cover, only relying on fake moves and starts.
Get rid of Hill quickly.
Payton took the ball to the right and immediately passed it to Yang Jian. Yang Jian jumped up and smashed the ball with one hand. 6 to 2.
Otis Thorpe followed P.J. Brown on the left. When he saw Yang Jian cut back and immediately retreated to the basket, he was still a step too slow. He was a little glad that he was a little slower, otherwise he might have become a backdrop. He knew the last game
Yang Jian dunked Bradley on the big bamboo pole, which was too fierce.
Yang Jian now has a deterrent effect on many players, and no one wants to appear in the opponent's highlights. Inside players will consider whether to work so hard when guarding him, otherwise it will be disastrous if they fail to block the shot.
When the Pistons attack, Grant Hill still wants to use his usual style of play, receiving the ball from the outside to organize the offense while looking for opportunities to break through the frame.
In the third attempt, Hill temporarily got rid of Yang Jian with the help of a teammate's screen, but he still failed to break through. PJ Brown switched defenses to block him, and Yang Jian quickly bypassed the screen and pursued him, completing the close-up again.
Hill passed the ball to Otis Thorpe, who dribbled the ball into the penalty area and encountered Kemp's defensive pass. Terry Mills got an open space in the right corner and hit a three-pointer. 6 to 5.
The Pistons' starting power forward is not a vegetarian either. Terry Mills' playing style is very similar to Sam Perkins of the Sonics. He is a softie who can't play in the low post, but he has a very good shooting percentage when catching and shooting from mid-to-long distances.
high.
In the SuperSonics offense, Yang Jian caught the ball and broke through the frame to make an emergency mid-range shot, but it missed due to interference from Mills.
Next, the two sides started a blacksmith battle. The shooting percentages of all players were not high, even Yang Jian was no exception.
In back-to-back away games, the player's condition will be affected to some extent, and the rest will not be good. The Pistons' defensive system is very powerful, and the players will not be easily out of position. Although Isiah Thomas, Laimbeer retired, Rodman,
Rick Mahon has transferred, but the Pistons have always had a tradition of focusing on defense.
This is an iron-blooded team. The players work very hard on the defensive end and will concentrate on assisting defense and rotating positions. It is difficult for the Sonics players to get easy shooting opportunities and they can only play hard under interference.
The Pistons' offense can't be opened up, and they lack a super scorer. Grant Hill cannot be called a super scorer, and his scoring efficiency is not high. Moreover, Hill must break through and score to help his teammates, and he is restricted by others.
It's also difficult to open.
Hill is always entangled by Yang Jian as soon as he catches the ball. He is not the kind of player suitable for playing pick-and-roll with his teammates. He is 203cm tall, how can he block mispositions? When the SuperSonics inside players switch defenses, they are closer to his height.
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Furthermore, the Sonics would shrink their formation to limit Hill's ability to break through the frame, and he would be flanked near the penalty area. Hill was having a hard time and was forced to pass the ball, while his big teammates had to take shots from farther away.
In the first quarter, the SuperSonics led 22-17 by 5 points.
Yang Jian made 2 of 6 shots, 1 of 3 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 7 points and 2 assists. Hill made 1 of 4 shots and only scored 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.
The performance of both of them is not very good, but Yang Jian is slightly better in comparison. His role in withdrawing from the air is more obvious, and he can attract an inside player to help defend by relying on covering and running to catch the ball.
Hill can only attract double-teams when he breaks through, and Yang Jian is enough to defend him on the outside. Hill knows that his shooting percentage is unstable, and even if he has a height advantage in the mid-to-long range, he will not focus on Yang Jian's jump shots.
His two jump shots missed the basket due to Yang Jian's interference. The only goal he scored was a counterattack and forced breakthrough. Hill has an obvious height advantage, and it is difficult for Yang Jian to block shots when he hits the basket.
The best player of both teams was Kemp, who scored 8 points, 7 rebounds and 1 assist in a single quarter. Both sides were unable to shoot accurately, so he grabbed rebounds wildly.
In the second quarter, both sides sent substitutes, the Sonics Schrempf and Sam Perkins to shoulder the offensive tasks. The Pistons also had two substitutes who could score, guards Lynch Hunter and Alan Houston.
Houston's performance was below par today, and Snow became a blacksmith under Snow's defense. Snow has rich experience in dealing with guards who move to catch and shoot, and after getting used to picking off Yang Jian, he didn't feel much pressure against Houston.
Snoopy's version of himself in the parallel world is stronger, better on both offense and defense, and can play some roles. Moreover, he has gained some popularity in Seattle by being a towel man on the sidelines, and his popularity with the team is also good.
The management is ready to renew Snow's contract next year and keep him for at least two years. As a minimum-salary player, Snow is very cost-effective. If the team gives up on him and wants to find a substitute point guard of similar strength, the salary will definitely be higher than his.
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Alan Houston made 0 of 3 shots under Snow's defense and looked like an undercover player. His current play style is relatively simple, he can't break through the frame, his back is ineffective, and he has a bad touch.
The SuperSonics also have an undercover player named Kevin Edwards. George Karl asked him to face Lynch Hunter because he wanted to make it easier for him to score on counterattacks. He has height and weight advantages.
As a result, Edwards was not active in the fast break, and his jump shot against Lynch Hunter was not accurate in the positional battle. He neither cooperated well with his teammates nor had outstanding personal abilities.
Lynch Hunter performed better against Edwards' defense. He succeeded in two breakthrough layups, received a ball from the outside and made a three-pointer, quickly scoring 7 points.
Lynch Hunter was the 10th overall pick in the first round of the Pistons in 1993. He is 188cm tall and weighs 77kg, but his playing style tends to be a shooting guard. This made his position in the Pistons very awkward. He played mainly as a shooting guard for two seasons.
Serve as a substitute and be responsible for grabbing points in the second quarter.
The Pistons clung to the score, and 6 minutes later the starters from both teams returned to the court one after another.
Both teams still struggled offensively. Kemp played the best on the SuperSonics side, but there were times when he struggled. He was blocked for a dunk on an air cut and was knocked down from the air.
Pistons substitute center Theo Ratliff's performance was eye-catching. He defended the penalty area on the defensive end and had good physical fitness. He was selected by the Pistons with the 18th pick in the first round of this year. He fell to this pick because his offense was too poor.
Already.
Ratliff, who is 208cm tall and weighs 102kg, is a capable blue-collar role player. In a parallel world, he was selected to the NBA Eastern All-Star team in 2001, won the NBA block title three times, and was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team second team twice.
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Ratliff can also defend Yang Jian. He is very mobile and can interfere with shots very quickly.
However, Ratliff's character was a little rough when he first entered the league. He was feinted by Yang Jian and flew away, causing a foul and making two free throws. After two fouls, he was substituted and rested, and space-based inside man Mills returned.
The SuperSonics led 47 to 44 at halftime. The offenses of both teams were not smooth and there were not many quick counterattacks.
The Pistons' strategy was successful. Joe Dumars was experienced and stabilized the rhythm, resolutely staying in position without fast breaks. The players quickly returned to defense to ensure mobility on the court, making it difficult for the Sonics to launch fast breaks.
Coach Doug Collins plans to reduce the number of rounds and use his rich experience in positional warfare to defeat his opponents.
However, the Sonics still have the advantage in positional battles, and the Sonics have more players. If the players were not at a physical disadvantage in back-to-back games, the Pistons players might not be able to defend them.
Yang Jian's shooting rate in this quarter was still not high, 2 of 5 shots, 2 of 2 free throws, and 6 points.
His outside shooting touch was not good, and the way to adjust was to hold the ball and hit pick-and-roll pull-up jumpers, and try to use long two-pointers and iron-blooded jump shot buffs to solve the problem. As a result, he made 1 of 3 field goals in this quarter, which was not accurate.
Yang Jian, who was in poor condition, also scored 13 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal at halftime. Hill's condition was even worse today. He made 1 of 3 shots in the second quarter and only had 4 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists at halftime.
He was obviously suppressed by Yang Jian. Faced with Yang Jian's inaccurate mid-range jumper, he would be double-teamed if he forced a breakthrough. He tried to dunk once and was blocked by Kemp. The SuperSonics' strategy is to let the Pistons inside players make jump shots and strictly guard against the penalty area.
The home fans are now praying that Hill can regain his form as soon as possible and help the team win in the second half...
