On the 7th, Yang Jian and his teammates took a special plane to Sacramento.
Compared with big cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco in the state, Sacramento is very low-key. Chinese fans may have never heard of it, but it is the seat of the California state capital.
Yang Jian heard that there were many Chinese here, and originally planned to go out for a stroll and eat some Chinese food, but changed her mind when she left the airport.
This night, even the fun-loving Kemp chose to stay in the hotel to sleep. Because they came at the wrong time, it was raining heavily in Sacramento, and the players could only stay in the hotel. This is bad news for the Kings, SuperSonics players
They have a lot of physical strength and will be more difficult to deal with.
The next night, the SuperSonics challenged the Kings on the road.
TV5 broadcast the game live, and the two commentators first introduced the situation of both sides.
Sun Zhengping said: "The SuperSonics will hit their 18th consecutive victory today. The Kings are one of their strongest opponents in the near future, with a current record of 11 wins and 5 losses, and they are in good shape with a five-game winning streak."
Zhang Liji said: "Today Yang Jian will face another big-name star, star shooting guard Mickey Richmond. He was the fifth pick in the first round in 1988 and has averaged more than 20 points per game every season since entering the league.
, this is the eighth season of his career."
Sun Zhengping said: "Richmond is 196cm tall and weighs 98kg. He is very strong and is nicknamed The Rock. Yang Jian will defend him and there will definitely be fierce physical confrontation."
Zhang Lijia smiled and said: "Yang Jian is not afraid of confrontation. He has faced many players who are bigger than him. No matter who he faces, he seems to have the ability to withstand him. Richmond wants to keep up with him.
The speed is much harder and the pressure is on the Kings' side, even though they're playing at home."
Sun Zhengping said: "Jordan once commented on Richmond in his rookie season: 'He will be the best shooting guard in the league besides me.' I feel that Richmond has not proven that he is worthy yet."
Please rate this."
"Today is his chance to prove himself, if he can beat Yang Jian." Zhang Li said with a smile.
If Richmond hears this, he will definitely be very depressed. When a rookie plays against a famous star like him, the star gets a chance to prove himself? Is there any mistake?
However, Richmond really can't compare with Yang Jian's popularity. He has always been tepid in the league.
Last season, Richmond won the MVP of the All-Star Game. This season, he averaged 24.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. His scoring data set a career high. His three-point shooting percentage was 44%, averaging 24.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
Made 3 goals, also a career high.
The Kings had a good start, mainly due to Richmond's outstanding performance. Richmond was also ready to have a fierce confrontation with Yang Jian. He was very jealous of Yang Jian's popularity.
Richmond is a player who mainly shoots jump shots when attacking, supplemented by breakthroughs. He is very accurate in mid-range shots and three-pointers. He believes that his playing style is similar to that of Yang Jian, and he got the nickname "The Rock" because he was nicknamed "The Rock" before joining the NBA.
In the past three years, he always liked to use dunks to score points.
Relying on solid basic skills and strong physical fitness, Richmond can often directly knock defensive players away when breaking through. In the three years he spent with the Golden State Warriors, he frequently dunked and injected enthusiasm into the team.
Endless passion.
However, when some fans said that "Yang Jian plays like Richmond", almost all the media refuted it. The media believed that Yang Jian was stronger, extremely fast and more accurate in jump shots, and the two were not similar.
This is the 8th season of Richmond's personal career. He is one of the super scorers, but his popularity is not high. His temperament does not feel domineering enough and he cannot lead the team to win. People who can't win, no matter how good their statistics are.
It's also a waste of time.
How can a star who has led his team to the second round at most have many fans?
It’s not that there are high-flying stars who don’t win, but the prerequisite is that the playing posture must be beautiful. The league also has to brainwash this person, boasting that his talent is better than Jordan’s, his posture is picturesque, etc. At this time, the players take desperate shots and get two
The scoring champion can still attract a large number of fans even if he cannot make it past the first round of the playoffs.
In the final analysis, Richmond's statistics are not good enough. His highest score in a single game has not even been 50 points. In this case, it is difficult for the league to promote him, the fans do not think how good he is, and his teammates do not feel comfortable losing.
Taking the blame.
Richmond was a substitute in the All-Star voting last season and lost to the Warriors' "Madman" Sprewell and the Suns' sixth man Dan Marill. He accepted the loss to the Madman and lost to the average player.
Dan Muller in 1544 almost went crazy.
This season, he thought that he had improved and more fans would like him. As a result, his popularity was even lower than last season, and the limelight was completely stolen by Yang Jian, a rookie. He will definitely not be an All-Star starter.
President David Stern gave Richmond a chance, but it didn't work.
He lacks the domineering attitude to compete with others. Officials once described him as "the second scorer after Jordan and a tough defender." The result? He only played two playoff games with the Warriors before joining the Kings.
Haven't made the playoffs since.
After the warm-up, the starting players from both sides came out.
Yang Jian's mentality is very relaxed. Stars like Richmond can no longer make him excited. Before he even played, he was convinced that he would win.
SuperSonics starting lineup: Payton, Yang Jian, Schrempf, Kemp, P.J. Brown.
Kings starting lineup: Tyus Edney, Richmond, Walter Williams, Brian Grant, Alden Polynis.
There is a big gap in the depth of the lineups between the two sides. The Kings only have one star in Richmond. Even if they play at home, Richmond has no confidence. He does not think that the Kings can end the SuperSonics' winning streak. He only wants to have better statistics than Yang Jian.
point.
Kemp won the jump ball and the game began.
Richmond blocked Yang Jian and didn't let him rush up for a fast break. His defense was pretty good.
In the SuperSonics position battle, the players spread out. Yang Jian, Schrempf, and P.J. Brown were on the left side. Payton held the ball in the middle and played a pick-and-roll with Kemp on the right side.
Tyus Edney quickly caught up with Payton when he bypassed the screen, but it was of no use.
There were many shooting opportunities on the court. Yang Jian slid down the baseline and ran to the right, getting rid of Richmond under the cover of PJ Brown. Brian Grant defended it, and Yang Jian received the ball, which was a misplaced attack opportunity. Rich
If Mond switches defense, PJ Brown's ball in the low post will also be a misplaced opportunity.
Payton didn't pass the ball, and it was also a misplaced opportunity when he singled out Tyus. Tyus was the 18th pick in the second round this year and the 47th overall, which was lower than Snow's pick.
Tyus is 178cm tall and weighs only 69 kilograms. How can he guard against Payton with such a figure? The embarrassing thing is that he is currently the most reliable point guard of the Kings. With his speed and agility, he averages 11 points and 6.2 assists per game.
The Kings' management did not do a good job. The point guard position was the weakest in the league last season. In the summer, they sent away many players during the summer and recruited a group of new players, but they did not include excellent point guards.
Payton squeezed Tyus and knocked the opponent out of position. He forced a change of direction and succeeded in breaking through. Two Kings players were led away by Yang Jian. Grant retreated to the basket and defended a step slower. Payton easily made a layup. 2
Than 0.
When the Kings attacked, Tyus and Grant played a pick-and-roll in the middle. They tried to break through with speed but were blocked by P.J. Brown. Payton pursued the defense and formed a double-team, leaving Grant open in the middle.
Payton hates small, fast guards. George Karl knows this very well and arranges interior players to help defend.
Brian Grant is 206cm tall and weighs 115kg. He looks like a blue-collar man, but he actually has a good mid-range shot. Last season, his mid-range shooting percentage was around 45%, and high jump shots are an important means of scoring.
Grant took the shot and hit two points steadily. 2 to 2.
When the SuperSonics attacked, Payton and Kemp played a pick-and-roll on the weak side again. This time Payton attracted Alden Polynis to help defend and passed the ball to the center.
Kemp got the ball and rushed forward. Tyus couldn't compete with Kemp at all and drove away as soon as he squeezed. Kemp took two big steps and jumped up with all his strength, ignoring Grant's defense and dunking with one hand to score! 4 to 2.
The unlucky Grant, who was the most active defensively, became the backdrop for the five best goals in the opening game and was dunked.