When the Jazz attacked, swingman Brian Russell stepped forward and ran to the left to catch the ball and hit Yang Jian for a three-pointer. 88 to 87.
Yang Jian did not lose position but failed to block the shot. Russell played at a super level today and shot very resolutely at the critical moment.
Russell was the 18th pick in the second round of 1993. He was not optimistic at all during the draft. He played for the Jazz for three seasons and has always been a defensive role player with little data. In the regular season this season, he averaged only
In 9.8 minutes, he scored 2.9 points and 1.5 rebounds, which was a career low.
Looking at the data, it seems that Russell will be without the ball after the end of the season. However, after entering the playoffs, he suddenly broke out. His average playing time increased to 25 minutes per game, contributing 9.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 rebounds.
Assists and 1.3 steals. His role cannot be reflected in the data. He is always responsible for defending important scoring points on the outside.
When the SuperSonics attacked, Yang Jian moved to catch the ball, attracting the help of the inside defender without a chance to make a move, and passed the ball to Schrempf. Schrempf protected the basketball with his back on the left side and did not challenge one-on-one, observing the movement of his teammates.
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Schrempf felt bad today, even when facing Hornacek who was much shorter than him.
He will never be the boss of the team because he dare not stand up and take responsibility at critical moments. He is afraid of missing shots and wants to be sure. When he feels that his teammates are more stable than himself, he is actually timid. During team training
, he is obviously the best shooter, but he just can't get past his own psychological level.
Sam Perkins pulled away from the left corner, and PJ Brown pulled out from the outside to cover Yang Jian. Schrempf passed the ball to Payton who ran to the low post on the left. At the critical moment, he thought he was close to the basket.
Taking action can better ensure efficiency.
Payton hit Stockton with his back, leaned toward the baseline, turned and made a jumper. 90 to 87.
Although Payton's jumping ability is average, he is much better than Stockton who cannot jump. He knows that he will not be blocked, so he is very relaxed when he takes action and his touch is soft.
After scoring the goal, Payton roared like Yang Jian. He found that doing so could really encourage him.
He was very excited because he had performed better than Stockton in three consecutive games, which had never happened before. At this time, he was full of confidence and believed that his own era at the No. 1 position was coming.
Magic Johnson will retire again at any time if he switches to power forward, Stockton is also old, and Jason Kidd is his younger brother. Next, it seems that no point guard in the league can compare with him.
As for the Magic's Anfernee Hardaway, Payton didn't take it seriously at all. He felt that Hardaway was just a shooting guard without a basket and was only a point guard in name.
Payton has undergone a transformation this season and has become a real star. Players must have confidence when facing competition. This is fundamental. People without confidence are often discouraged before the game starts.
Now Payton not only has confidence, but also has a clear goal. He wants to surpass Magic Johnson.
The Jazz players continued to play pick-and-roll, and Stockton held the ball and forced a breakthrough, causing Payton to foul. However, this was only Payton's second foul of the game, so it was no big deal.
At the critical moment, Stockton, who had always been very stable in free throws, missed two free throws, which surprised everyone.
Stockton suffered two consecutive defeats and poor personal performance, and his mentality was problematic. When he made the free throw, the home fans held their breath. Everyone knew that every ball must be competed at this time, and he was under too much pressure.
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During the SuperSonics offense, Payton singled out Stockton on the right side and turned and hit a jumper, continuing his excellent touch.
Hornacek ran to catch the ball and responded with a three-pointer, changing the score to 92-90.
The game entered the last minute. Yang Jian missed the jump shot due to interference from Malone. PJ Brown cut through and grabbed a priceless rebound.
pj Brown's second attack caused a foul on Antoine Kyle, and the Jazz players had no choice but to send him to the free throw line. The Jazz are accustomed to using a human shield center to defend the penalty area. In order to defend Yang Jian, both human shields were off the court.
Sitting there as an audience.
Once Malone defends outside, it is difficult for Jazz players to protect the rebound.
At this time, the physical advantage of the Sonics players also began to show. PJ Brown only played 20 minutes today because he was troubled by fouls. He also rested off the court for a long time and was full of energy.
Amid the boos from the home fans, PJ Brown withstood the pressure and made two free throws! 94 to 90.
Coach Jerry Sloan requested a timeout. He replaced Hornacek, who performed well against Schrempf, and sent Chris Morris. At the last moment, he did not dare to take a gamble and did not want Schrempf to lose.
There are easy shooting opportunities.
Sun Zhengping said: "PJ Brown only scored 4 points today, but these two free throws made a big contribution. He is really good."
Zhang Li said with a smile: "Just for these two free throws, it was worth it for the Sonics to send Kendall Gill in exchange for P.J. Brown. When Kemp came off the court, he supported the Sonics' inside line."
After the timeout, the Jazz played a double pick-and-roll tactic. Stockton broke through with the ball and caused a foul on Sam Perkins.
The tactics came out, and the fans thought it was a good opportunity to chase points. Unexpectedly, Stockton missed two free throws again. At this time, the home fans were all shocked.
Yang Jian picked up the backcourt rebound and heard the system prompt.
"The host has witnessed history. Star player John Stockton lost his chain at a critical moment in the playoffs and missed simple shooting opportunities continuously. The host received 1 attribute point and randomly selected one of Stockton's skills - Lightning Hands!
"
Stockton not only lost his temper today, he seemed to have lost his soul and was sleepwalking on the court in a daze. He is the one who should be replaced, and Hornacek would not have had this happen.
Stockton made 3 of 8 free throws today and missed all 4 in the final quarter. A point guard who has averaged over 80% free throw shooting per game in his career and is known for his accurate shooting actually got lost at the free throw line.
The Jazz fell behind 0-2, and the Jazz players who played at home today had no way out. Stockton received the most doubts and was under tremendous psychological pressure.
Unfortunately, he proved the media's doubts right with his actions. He really couldn't provide much offensive firepower to the Jazz. He is a point guard who mainly relies on shooting, and he struggled to be played behind Payton.
In the SuperSonics position battle, Yang Jian ran on the right side and received the pass. After attracting Malone to help defend, he glanced at P.J. Brown and passed the ball back to Payton in the middle.
Payton received the ball without any hesitation, faced Stockton with a three-pointer, and hit .97 to 90 despite interference.
This goal sealed the victory. Payton returned to defense with a step that he would never recognize, and clapped hands with Yang Jian.
Russell missed a three-pointer and Malone grabbed the offensive rebound and succeeded in the second attack. With only 14 seconds left, the Jazz gave up using foul tactics and Payton stopped attacking and kept the ball until the buzzer sounded.
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97 to 92, the SuperSonics won G3 with difficulty, with a total score of 3 to 0, and were only one step away from advancing to the finals.
Yang Jian played 42 minutes, making 7 of 17 shots, 2 of 4 three-pointers, 1 of 2 free throws, and scored 17 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists. His shooting percentage was only 41.2%, and he also made 4 turnovers.
Overall, his performance was not good, but he was relatively reliable at critical moments in the final quarter.
Payton played 43 minutes, making 11 of 21 shots, 3 of 7 three-pointers, and scored 25 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Kemp made 2 of 4 shots, 6 of 7 free throws, and only scored 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 7 turnovers and 5 fouls. Despite the performance of the core inside, the Sonics still won the game, which made the Jazz players feel desperate.
Several of the Sonics' role players have higher shooting percentages and are also the key to winning.
Snow made 2 of 3 shots and scored 5 points and 3 assists. Veteran Sam Perkins made 4 of 8 shots and 2 of 4 three-pointers, scoring 8 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
On the Jazz side, Malone made 12 of 29 shots, 4 of 6 free throws, and scored 28 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Malone missed many mid-range shots and shot only 41.4% from the field.
Stockton's performance was terrible. He made 2 of 9 shots, 0 of 2 three-pointers, and 3 of 8 free throws. He scored 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 6 assists. His shooting percentage was only 22%. As a core outside shooter, he had two goals in three games.
He doesn't score in double figures per game and has very few assists.
If Hornacek and Brian Russell hadn't scored 25 and 24 points respectively, the Jazz wouldn't have made it to the end...