After the game, "Glider" Drexler announced his retirement.
He has long decided to retire this year. However, because his regular season statistics are good, averaging 18.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game, he should still have the strength to play for a few more years depending on his condition.
Reporters felt that Drexler retired because he knew there was no hope of winning the championship and did not want to play. He had won championships before, and there was no need to pay a minimum salary like Barkley to compete for the championship with a strong team.
The Rockets have entered a rebuilding period, and they have sufficient salary space to sign a big-name star in the free market.
However, the possibility of the Rockets management giving Pippen a high-paying long-term contract is almost zero. It is impossible for the team to compete for the championship if they sign Pippen. Pippen is not a super scorer and he is not young. The Rockets management is more inclined to
Sign high-paying long-term contracts with promising young players.
Yang Jian's performance in the interview was dull, saying that sweeping his opponents in the first round did not excite him, it was too normal.
In other Western Conference series, the Lakers eliminated the Trail Blazers 3-1, and the Spurs eliminated the Suns 3-1.
The two teams have common characteristics, they both rely on their inside advantage to win, but their outside strength is average.
The Lakers' Eddie Jones and Kobe Bryant's statistics have declined significantly after entering the playoffs. On the contrary, Rick Fox, who swings at the 3 and 4 positions, performed well, averaging 16 points, 5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
Fox also limited Rasheed Wallace in one-on-one defense, proving his strength.
The most surprising thing in the Western Conference is the Jazz vs. Timberwolves series.
The Timberwolves' star midfielder Gugliotta missed the playoffs due to injury, but the team almost staged a black seven. They once led 2-1, but were knocked out 2-3 in two consecutive games, and only lost the last two games.
Single digits.
"Lone Wolf" Marbury averaged 25.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 7 assists per game, shocking Jazz star point guard Stockton. Stockton is old, averaging only 12 points, 8.3 assists per game in the series, and shooting percentage.
46%.
Kevin Garnett also performed well against Karl Malone. He averaged 38.8 minutes per game, scoring 15.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4 assists, 0.8 steals and 2.4 blocks. The only drawback is that he also committed 4.4 turnovers.
The Timberwolves seem to have a bright future, but on the contrary, they are about to start rebuilding.
The media did not praise Garnett. If he cannot defeat Malone, he will be overpaid and incompetent. Because Garnett and the Timberwolves renewed their contract in advance in October last year and signed a 6-year, 126 million US dollar contract. His annual salary next season will exceed
Passing Yang Jian, beating O'Neal, the highest in the league.
It was Garnett's sky-high contract that largely caused the NBA to shut down. After all, not all owners are as big (brained) and short (disabled) as the Timberwolves owner.
How outrageous is this contract? It is 40 million US dollars more than the total amount paid by the Timberwolves owner to buy the team two years ago. Garnett's salary alone exceeds 60% of the team's salary cap. This is also
This directly resulted in the Timberwolves being unable to renew other players' contracts with high salaries, and both Marbury and Gugliotta had to leave the team.
The second round matchups in the Western Conference are out, SuperSonics vs. Spurs, Jazz vs. Lakers.
The Knicks in the Eastern Conference failed to stage a black eight miracle and were easily eliminated by the Pacers 1-3.
The Knicks lost badly. Reggie Miller averaged 24.6 points per game in the series. As long as Gorilla Ewing is on the court, the Knicks have obvious weaknesses in defending their opponents' off-ball movements and catching and shooting.
Ewing is also huge on the offensive end. He averages 33 minutes per game, 14 points, 8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 blocks on 14 shots. He shoots 35.7% from the field. He also averages 4 fouls per game and cannot keep up with the speed of the defender.
, if you don’t want to get passed, you can only foul.
Many fans excused Ewing's poor defense, thinking it was due to his long-term absence and injuries.
In fact, even when Ewing was healthy, he wasn't much better, and his field goal percentage in the playoffs was less than 50% many times. In the 1993-94 season when the Knicks reached the finals, Ewing, the star center, hit 50% of his field goals in the playoffs.
The rate is only 43.7%. His toughest thing is actually his appearance.
The Hawks eliminated the Hornets 3-1. After trading Mason, the Hornets' interior defense became worse and their offense was strong and their defense was weak. This summer, the Hornets will also start to consider rebuilding.
The Heat eliminated the underdog Nets 3-0. Looking at the comparison of the lineups of the two sides, it is not easy for the Nets to win a game.
It is worth mentioning that the famous scene of coach Jeff Van Gundy hugging Heat center Alonzo Mourning's thigh was ruined by the butterfly effect. The Knicks failed to face the Heat in the first game, and they also failed to advance to the "Black Seven"
Next round.
The Bulls eliminated the Cavaliers 3-1. Jordan averaged 36 points per game, while Pippen only had 18 points. It was clear at a glance who was the boss of the team.
The Cavaliers won a game by relying on the two inside men Ilgauskas and Kemp to show their strength, plus Pippen shooting 5 of 16 undercover.
Kemp entered the playoffs in high spirits, averaging 26 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1 block per game. He outperformed Rodman, who averaged 4.6 points, 11 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, and his shooting percentage was only 24.
%.
Although Kemp was eliminated in the first round, his gorgeous style of play still attracted many fans. In addition, he signed a high-paying long-term contract, and he was relatively successful with the Cavaliers.
The Bulls have no home-court advantage against the Heat in the second round, but only a few people are optimistic that the Heat will advance. A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. The Pacers' opponent is the Hawks, and experts are generally optimistic that the Pacers will advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
The second round started on time, and the SuperSonics had the upper hand again, defeating the Spurs 103-82 in the first game.
Duncan had an eye-catching performance, making 13 of 22 shots, 7 of 8 free throws, and scored 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks. He beat Ben Wallace and Sam Perkins, and he always got space to shoot with his height and wingspan.
David Robinson faced Mason, and was blocked on 5 of 17 shots and 6 of 11 free throws. He only scored 16 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks. In the confrontation with Mason, Robinson was almost unable to get into the basket and could only score 16 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Forced shot outside the penalty area.
The Spurs had little advantage inside, so losing was a foregone conclusion. The combination of Vinny DeNagro and Avery Johnson on the outside was beaten by Yang Jian and Payton, and they were unable to fight back.
Yang Jian played 33 minutes, making 13 of 20 shots, 4 of 10 three-pointers, 5 of 6 free throws, and scored 35 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. Payton made 6 of 11 shots, 1 of 2 three-pointers, and 3 free throws.
Barkley came off the bench again and led the team to suppress the Spurs bench, scoring 17 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists. Only Jaren Jackson, the Spurs' bench, scored 3 points, and everyone else was guarded.
This season, Snow, Bowen, Bo Outlaw, and Ben Wallace have all shown good defensive abilities. The Sonics' starting lineup is mainly offensive, and the substitute lineup in the second quarter is mainly defensive.
Just rely on Barkley to attack with the ball.
If Hoiberg does not play and Bo Outero is sent in, the opponent will have no good way to score except attacking the penalty area.
The Spurs are strong in defense in the penalty area, and there is no good way to deal with players like Yang Jian who are throwing wildly outside. In a parallel world, every time the Spurs face the Lakers in the playoffs, they are more successful in defending O'Neal, and Kobe always performs better.
good.
In the second game, the Spurs adjusted their lineup and put Jaren Jackson in the starting lineup to defend Yang Jian.
Jaren Jackson is 193cm tall and weighs 86 kilograms. As a black player, his explosive power is better than that of De Nagro. But compared with Yang Jian, his explosive power is not enough. Yang Jian does not need to pass people at all. He can control the ball and make mid-range and long-range shots.
Give Jackson a big head.
Just like the situation faced by the Rockets in the last round, the Spurs could not limit Yang Jian's one-point defense and could only send someone to double-team. Once double-teamed, players in other positions of the SuperSonics would have an easy chance to take action.
Yang Jian played 35 minutes and scored a double-double of 36 points, 6 rebounds, 13 assists and 2 steals, leading 6 members of the SuperSonics team to score in double figures.
Even though no one except Yang Jian scored more than 15 points, the SuperSonics still beat the Spurs 113-86.
After the game, many people felt that the Spurs were about to be swept.
No one calls the Spurs coach "Pop Zhugevich" yet, but even if he wins the best coach award, he has many tactics and tactics that can't guard against the SuperSonics' superstars.
