Three other SuperSonics stars also accepted interviews with reporters.
Kemp complained about the little defensive moves of the Bulls players and believed that he had been treated unfairly. He only grabbed 4 rebounds in 42 minutes of playing. He went from being a dominant player in the penalty area to a softie who couldn't get stuck. It was indeed a bit outrageous.
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Kemp's offense is not good. It can be said that the Bulls players defended well and prevented him from entering the penalty area. Kemp couldn't grab the backcourt rebound. Is it because he was too unlucky and the ball didn't bounce in his direction?
Schrempf's mentality is quite calm. As an international player, he has experienced too much unfair treatment. He played as a substitute for 7 seasons and did not have the ball at all in the first three seasons after entering the league. In fact, as soon as he entered the league, he
His skills are comprehensive and his physical fitness is better than it is now, but thank God for averaging 3 free throws per game.
Payton said: "I am really depressed today because we were fully capable of winning this game but lost. But I am very confident in the next game. The Bulls have Jordan and we also have Yang. And Yang is younger and more mature."
He has momentum and his statistics are better than Jordan's."
The reporter asked: "Are you saying that the core of the team now is Yang Jian instead of you?"
Payton smiled and said: "Actually, everyone knows that the number one core of the Sonics is him, not me or Sean. He is the most threatening person on the court. You can tell by looking at the opponent's defense against him."
During the Finals, Payton admitted this generously.
The reason is very simple. Before Yang Jian joined, Payton never thought that he could reach the finals this season and fight to the death with the Bulls. He was a little worried last summer that he would be traded by the SuperSonics. Many people said that he was not a qualified boss.
, not as strong as Kemp.
Payton knows very well that Yang Jian is the key to winning, and he is content to be the team's second leader. If the Bulls defended him like they did Yang Jian, he would not have the confidence to score 20 points, and his shooting percentage would not exceed 40.
%.
One advantage of Payton is that he has always been self-aware. He knows that he will never be like Jordan. If he is given unlimited shooting rights, he will only average 20 points per game. Any more will be difficult.
Before the finals, the coach arranged for Yang Jian to attack and Payton to be the blue collar. As long as the audience is not blind, they can see who is the boss of the Sonics. There is no need to discuss who is the core of the Sonics.
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Yang Jian is more capable of leading the team to victory, and what Payton has to do is to use his own strengths, organize offense and work hard to defend. He actually feels that his organizational skills are average, mainly due to Yang Jian and Kemp's catching and shooting.
assists.
As long as Payton becomes a good second-choice player and wins many championships, it will be a success. If he wins a few more assists titles, his career will be almost perfect.
Kemp won't discuss who is the boss, but he has always been Buddhist and has never thought about competing for the team's boss. When Yang Jian didn't come, Kemp and Payton didn't compete, and they won't compete now.
In Kemp's view, it doesn't matter who is the boss of the team. The key is that he can get a high-paying and long-term contract. Of course, he also longs to win the championship. If the stars have championship rings, do they still worry about not having a big contract?
After the game, the media reported that whoever can win the "Battle of Tianwang Mountain" has a high probability of winning the championship, and the SuperSonics have an advantage.
Not all fifth games are called the Battle of Tianwangshan. Only after the first four games are tied 2-2 can the fifth game be called the Battle of Tianwangshan. As for why an NBA game should be named after a key battle in Japan
It’s a mystery. Obviously the Normandy landing during World War II was also very important. The NBA team is quite like a band of brothers...
In short, no matter who wins in the fifth game, he will get the match point and take the initiative, and the players will gain a psychological advantage.
For the Bulls, victory is basically guaranteed by once again conquering the opponent's home court, and they have two more home games to go. For the SuperSonics, defending the home court again can boost morale, and holding two match points will also give them a high probability of winning the championship.
The focus of fans' attention is still on Jordan and Yang Jian. Everyone admits that Yang Jian is the boss of the team. In the past, many people praised Kemp and Payton, trying to exaggerate their role and call Yang Jian their younger brother.
But it's no use. Those two people can't support him. Looking at the sneaker endorsement contract, you can tell that he is not a star of the same level as Yang Jian.
As the playoffs progressed, all the voices that said Yang Jian was "not the leader of the Sonics" and "overrated" were suppressed. Yang Jian proved everything with his strength and was more reliable than his teammates at critical moments.
On the 9th, before the start of team training, George Karl called the players together for a meeting.
He first talked about the tactics to be used in tomorrow's game. "Tomorrow we will focus on positional battles and reduce fast breaks. During positional battles, Yang and Sean will focus on attacking and try to create mismatch opportunities. When passing the ball, they must be optimistic about their teammates before passing to reduce mistakes.
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George Karl saw clearly that it was impossible for the Sonics to bring the Bulls into a fast break rhythm. Payton's defense against Jordan would consume a lot of energy. If he was responsible for quickly dribbling the ball and launching a fast break, his state would definitely be affected in the final quarter.
At the end of the game, Payton seemed to lose his energy and missed a key shot that had a good chance of taking a shot.
The coaching staff decided to simply compete with the Bulls. Anyway, their fast break performance was not good and they made too many mistakes.
Then George Karl announced something. "When the players come out tomorrow, Yang will be the last one to play. Are Sean and Gary okay with that?"
This question only needs to be asked to them, because they are the only two who appeared later than Yang Jian.
"No." Payton smiled.
Kemp spoke up. "Neither did I."
"It's fine if you don't have any objections, because this is what the boss wants, and it's useless to have any objections." George Karl added.
The SuperSonics boss appointed Yang Jian as the boss in order to renew his contract this summer. In addition to the contract amount, the management also needs to recognize Yang Jian's status and show sufficient sincerity.
The players didn't find it strange, and some even thought it should have been so long ago. Yang Jian was recognized by all his teammates during the regular season. He was the second-ranked star in the regular season MVP list. He made a stunning shot in the first game.
After killing the ball, everyone was even more submissive.
If there is a key ball next, even if the coach does not arrange it, teammates will want to pass it to Yang Jian for a shot. If Yang Jian really has no chance to make a shot, others will consider taking action.
George Karl no longer encourages substitute players this time and will reduce their playing time. It doesn't matter if they don't play. He just chatted with Bo Outlaw alone for a while and told him to get ready. He will have some playing time in the next game.
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During training, George Karl also arranged a routine for Bo Outero to cut through the air. Bo Outero generally would not receive a pass from his teammates. If he did, he would immediately hit the basket. When his teammates shot, he would also cut through the air.
, can rush for offensive rebounds.
This summer, Booutero is a role player that the Sonics must keep. He is very good defensively at the 3rd and 4th positions, and he will work hard when he plays. Because of his lack of offensive ability, he has not been able to sign a big contract.
It's very cost-effective to be a substitute here.
In the limited playing time before, Booutero defended Pippen very well every time he faced him, which was eye-catching. For Pippen, this was quite embarrassing.
On the Bulls side, only adaptive training was arranged, and the players spent most of the time in the hotel to rest. Jackson Jackson did not dare to arrange high-intensity training, believing that the most important thing was for the stars to recover their physical strength. The players were indeed tired, especially Jordan, who
A lot of energy was spent on both offense and defense.
The Bulls can only fight positionally, and there is nothing to practice tactics. In addition to defense, they have to leave it to the stars to attack. Jackson Jackson only hopes that Jordan's physical strength can withstand it. His lack of physical strength will lead to a decrease in shooting percentage, which is not good for the Bulls.
It's a fatal blow.
On the morning of the 10th, ESPN basketball experts analyzed the game and believed that the situation was somewhat unfavorable to the Bulls.
The physical fitness of Yang Jian and Kemp is too strong, and their athletic ability is better than that of the Bulls' two major stars. As Yang Jian said, the more games there are, the more the Bulls will suffer in terms of physical strength.
In addition, Pippen was in terrible shape and people didn't think highly of him at all. Many people felt that he was not worthy of his fame.
After four games, Pippen, the team's second scoring point, shot less than 40% from the field. If not for Kukoc's outstanding performance, the Bulls would have fallen behind 1-3.
That night, the fifth battle between the two sides began!