Yang Jian felt uncomfortable facing Jordan and gritted his teeth to hold on.
Jordan was very quick to get around the screen, and there was also a star whistle. Jordan also made a lot of small moves when defending Yang Jian closely, which made him upset.
When Jordan defends, he makes small moves such as dialing people and pulling people in. He doesn't react so quickly to the referee's whistle and basically turns a blind eye. He uses it most frequently when fighting for position, and his movements are very fast.
It's small, just pull it and release it, just make sure you can catch the ball.
This is all from competition experience. Yang Jian will not complain to the referee. He will silently keep it in mind and do the same in the future.
The Bulls' outside players will continue to help defend. As long as Pippen and Harper are near Yang Jian and see Yang Jian escape from the screen, they will let go of their defenders and pounce on him.
After retiring, Pippen felt that some of his defensive contributions were attributed to Jordan, and expressed dissatisfaction because his wing help defense was an important weapon for the Bulls. Yang Jian also had to learn to help defend, which was his weakness.
Yang Jian passes the ball to his teammates, and Bulls players can also interfere with shooting by rotating positions. The Sonics' weaknesses have also been exposed, and other teams can learn from the Bulls' defensive methods.
Only Yang Jian and Kemp have a speed advantage in the SuperSonics. Players in other positions are not fast and their breakthroughs are not sharp. Helping defend Yang Jian from the outside and rotating to defend others can force the Sonics players to catch and shoot jumpers from mid-to-long distances.
Of course, if Payton, Schrempf, and Perkins feel hot, they can't be guarded. Today's Bulls play is effective, but the Sonics are not accurate in every game.
Today's total score for the Sonics is very likely not to reach 100 points, which is the first time this season.
It's also difficult for Jordan to play against Yang Jian. Yang Jian is too good at running and can't be completely restricted. Currently, only Jordan and Yang Jian in the entire league have fought until the fourth quarter, and no one else wants to guard him.
Jordan's physical strength is definitely the best in NBA history, because he is a combination of offense and defense. While scoring high points, he often restricts the opponent's top scorer. Without strong physical support, it is impossible. In the playoffs, it is a hand-to-hand battle, every attack and defense
They were all full of confrontation. Jordan almost never rested, and if his physical strength was even lower, he would definitely have to stretch his hips in the playoffs.
As the saying goes, "boxing is afraid of young people." Jordan is older than Yang Jian, so working hard on both offense and defense will still affect his condition. In addition to following and defending without the ball, he also has to do various backs and backwards, which consumes a lot of energy.
way of scoring.
At this time, Jordan was very scary. Yang Jian could imagine how abnormal Jordan's body was during the season when he averaged 37.1 points per game. It was probably because of how he was now. After running for three quarters, he didn't feel very tired.
In the final quarter, the SuperSonics sent out their usual starting lineup, with p.j. Brown replacing Sam Perkins to solidify the defense in the penalty area.
The Bulls also made an adjustment. Luke Longley, who had four fouls, rested off the court, leaving only Bill Wennington in the paint. Kukoc served as the power forward and Steve Kerr played the point guard.
The coaches of the two teams are also competing with each other. The Sonics have strengthened their interior defense, while the Bulls have strengthened their outside offense to allow more shooting points on the court.
If Cole is not available, Ron Harper is sent in, and Payton can also help defend his teammates and successfully steals a steal. Harper is a target that can be left open on the outside, and he is not sure about shooting a three-pointer from the open position.
Therefore, Harper usually shares playing time with Cole, and the two average playing time does not exceed 25 minutes per game.
Yang Jian's movement was closely followed, and Payton and Kemp played pick-and-rolls to take more shots. George Karl asked them to do this before the game started.
Kemp's attack on the basket is very efficient, and it is difficult for opponents to guard him without fouling. But Payton's performance in this game was a bit abnormal. His two jump shots against Cole in isolation missed the basket.
Cole is afraid of speedy point guards who face the frame and breaks through, but he is not afraid of Payton who likes to play post-up with skill. He is a top role player, the most accurate shooting in the league, and he will try his best to defend.
Cole is much tougher than he looks. He is 191cm tall, weighs 82kg, and has a wingspan of 199cm. He can compete with Payton physically and is not easily passed.
During a training match last season, Jordan had a quarrel with Kerr and gave Kerr a slap in the face without mercy. No one expected that Kerr, who looked gentle on the outside, not only did not swallow his anger, but immediately hit him hard in return.
Boxing. Seeing the situation escalate, the teammates quickly separated the two troublemakers.
This nasty fight not only did not have any negative impact on the Bulls locker room, but instead made the Bulls become more united. Because Jordan recognized Cole, he felt that this guy was tough.
The two sides kept fighting for positions, taking the lead alternately, and the lead would not exceed 3 points at most.
Yang Jian didn't perform very well, and his two three-point shots missed the basket. When he saw that his hand was not good, he stopped shooting more. After running, he caught the ball and attracted the defense to pass to his teammates.
The game ended with 5 and a half minutes left. Pippen broke through the middle and scored a layup, 84 to 85.
George Karl requested a timeout. Although the team was only 1 point behind, he was not satisfied with the performance of his players. The SuperSonics could not play fast breaks in this game and fell into the Bulls' game rhythm.
The players came to the sidelines, and George Karl immediately expressed dissatisfaction. "Gary, what are you doing? Why don't you start a fast break? Because the opponent is the Bulls, you won't start a fast break? You are simply controlling it for your opponent."
Rhythm.”
Payton did not refute. He did not play well today. He has scored 16 points so far, which is not bad, but only has 6 assists. He has returned to the same style of play as last season and failed to drive his teammates well.
The players' poor condition also has something to do with the Sonics' 13-game winning streak.
Everyone wanted to continue their winning streak, and unknowingly they carried a burden in their hearts. The opponent was the Bulls, and they couldn't help but want to be steady and not pass fast counterattacks that might cause mistakes. In fact, there were several times when Yang Jian made quick moves.
The attack and Jordan were separated, and neither Payton nor Schrempf chose to take risks with long passes.
George Karl made adjustments. "PJ took a break, Nate came on to play small forward, and Detreff went to the 4th position to face Kukoc. We opened up the formation and we have to use offense to win. Pay attention to pressing when defending.
Counterattack when you get the chance, don't be afraid of mistakes! Gary passes the ball to Yang in a positional battle, and Yang shoots when he has the chance, and shoot boldly! You attract double teams and then distribute the ball."
"Crazy Karl" began to show his crazy side, reducing the team's interior height and defensive intensity in the penalty area.
He often arranges some extreme tactics, which has been a problem before. His on-the-spot response is a double-edged sword. Attacking will weaken the defense. After adjustment, the team or the opponent will play a wave of flow to determine the winner.
George Karl wants to compete with the Bulls, and he thinks having Kemp in the penalty area is enough. The SuperSonics played like this in the playoffs last season, and were brutally eliminated by the Lakers Twin Towers.
Now George Karl firmly believes that that kind of thing will not happen again, because Yang Jian is on the team. If the Bulls dare to replace high school forward Langley at this time, Yang Jian will also get better shooting opportunities.
Yang Jian said to Payton: "Gary, pay attention to my running position. I will not shoot three-pointers next, but mainly mid-range shots. Pass the ball to me as soon as possible, and I will catch the ball and throw it."
Payton nodded. "Well, you might as well adjust a little, but be careful not to get blocked by Jordan. You can still run well, but he's not a vegetarian either."
When it comes to Jordan, other players feel that this person does not seem to get tired. In every playoff, Jordan averaged more than 40 minutes per game, took more shots and defended more tightly.
"I don't believe he has better physical strength than me." Yang Jian smiled slightly and looked at Kemp. "Sean, get into the basket and be ready to grab offensive rebounds at any time. I will take more shots and pass less."
"You just shoot, I'll pass it when I'm in a good position." Kemp was a little unsure about his free throws today.
When George Karl listened to the conversation between the three of them, he felt that Yang Jian was the most confident one.
At this point in the game, the pressure on the players must be great, and the superstars are those who dare to stand up and lead the team. Both Kemp and Payton have taken responsibility in the past, and the team has lost more than won, so they are not qualified cores.
George Karl is looking forward to Yang Jian's next performance. He can see from Yang Jian's expression that he is confident and is still confident when facing Jordan's defense.
It's strange, excluding the last moment, why does he seem more confident than in the first three quarters?