Chapter 490 [Falling into the hole, sweeping the jazz]
The two-round series in the Eastern Conference was more intense. The Pacers eliminated the Hawks 4-1, but the victory was not easy. Three games were won by single-digit points.
Steve Smith and Reggie Miller competed against each other, averaging 24.3 points per game, beating Miller's 23 points per game, but failed to lead the team to advance.
The Hawks lost because they lacked scoring points and relied mainly on two outside guards to score. Mookie Blaylock averaged 14.5 points and 8.3 assists in the series and was the team's second leading scorer.
One-time All-Star power forward Christian Laettner averaged 10.1 points per game and shot only 34.3% from the field.
This is the tragedy of a soft-hearted insider, who must be unable to be tough at critical moments. Laettner's shooting percentage in the playoffs last season was only 40.5%, and his shooting percentage in the eliminated series was less than 40%.
The final winner was the Bulls vs. Heat series. Each side lost a home game and tied 2-2. The Tianwangshan battle was held at the Heat's home court, which was full of gunpowder.
In a parallel world, the Bulls did not play against the Heat in the 1997-98 season. The Bulls' record was first in the Eastern Conference. In the second round, they only had to face the winner of the 4th or 5th place, and they had home court advantage.
The Bulls, who have the third-highest record in the Eastern Conference, need to face the second-place Heat in the second round and have one less home court. Last season, when the Bulls faced the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, the players still had a psychological advantage. Now the mentality of the role players is different.
Thinking about where to go after this season ends.
The Heat players are trying their best to kill the Bulls. The media predicts that Jordan will retire after the end of this season. If the Heat does not defeat Jordan, they will have no chance. Obviously, the Chinese are not the only ones who know "beating the lost dog". Americans also like it very much.
Adding insult to injury.
This is the best chance to defeat Jordan. Heat players can increase their popularity. If they can't beat Jordan, who is about to retire, then don't even think about being popular and they will be criticized by fans.
The Bulls can't afford to lose this series either. Everyone knows they can't beat the Sonics, so there's no shame in losing. But losing to the Heat, Jordan, and Pippen are unacceptable. They can never fall in the second round like they did in 1995.
.
The two sides launched a unique defensive battle and went crazy. In the first four games, they never scored more than 100 points.
The ratings of the game are not as good as those of the SuperSonics, which proves that fans prefer to watch offense. The two teams are always fighting with each other. There are too few tactics and they always focus on one-on-one duels. The players are also good at one-on-one defense.
The Bulls lack a stable three-point shooting spot, and this shortcoming has not been made up. It is not a good idea to attack the low post against the Heat. Alonzo Mourning, P.J. Brown, and Jamal Mashburn are all good at low post defense.
The Heat's offense is also very bad, mainly relying on two inside players and Tim Hardaway to play pick-and-rolls. Hardaway's statistics in the Heat are very good because he has unlimited shot rights. The team needs him to take more shots. If he has the opportunity, he will be in COSCO
Distance jump shot.
The team that wins the Battle of Tianwangshan has a high probability of advancing. Playing a key game at the Heat's home court, it was the Bulls who performed well. Jordan, Pippen, and Kukoc all felt very good and led by 16 points at halftime.
For the Sonics, a 16-point difference is nothing at all. They can recover by playing a few fast breaks and throwing a few three-pointers. For the Heat, being 16 points behind almost means garbage time...
The offense of the Iron-blooded team is so constipated, and the Knicks are also like this.
What do you do when a Heat player gets hit and you can't beat them? Of course, they beat them. Last season, the Heat defeated the Knicks by beating people. The players have all received unified training.
The Heat's role players are taking more and more defensive actions, constantly probing the edge of flagrant fouls. Once they anger Jordan and Pippen and take action, the Heat will make a profit by sending off a star player.
It has to be said that some teams' off-the-table moves are so damaging that they will do whatever it takes to win.
In a parallel world, Bruce Bowen first received training with the Heat. He played two seasons with the Celtics without doing anything bad. After joining the Heat in the 1999-00 season, he would kick people in the face with flying legs.
Rodman of the Bulls is not a fuel-efficient lamp either. He makes frequent small moves and messes with people's mentality.
In the third quarter, Mourning played Langley in a low post, turned around under the basket and accelerated to pass, and succeeded in a reverse layup. But before Mourning's feet landed, Rodman next to him raised his elbow and hit Mourning in the chest.
superior.
The tough guy Mourning lay on the ground with his face covered for several minutes before getting up because the team needed him to attack, so he endured it.
One minute later, Jordan received the ball and wanted to take three steps for a dunk. P.J. Brown, who was under the basket, immediately rushed forward and knocked Jordan to the ground.
This series was so intense that Bulls fans were worried about Jordan's health. He was knocked down many times during layups and was tackled from behind. The Heat players wanted to use this method to frighten Jordan and make him give up breakthroughs and low posts.
Attack, pull out and shoot. As long as Jordan takes mid- to long-range shots, his shooting percentage will drop.
Pippen was also knocked over by Mourning once. Pippen had a good temper and had no intention of taking action. It may also be that he knew that he could not beat Mourning and did not dare to take action.
The person Mourning wanted to kill most was not Jordan or Pippen, but Rodman.
While fighting for a rebound, Mourning jumped up and was pushed from behind by Rodman, almost falling down.
Mourning was furious. When he was trying to get a rebound in the next round, he hugged the big bug's head and threw him off the court. Rodman, who was experienced in wrestling, also hugged Mourning and fell to the ground together.
According to the future standards for fouls, players from both teams have already received several technical fouls, and some were even sent off. But the 1990s was an era of flying elbows, and referees would not easily call fouls on players without the ball.
You can fight as much as you want.
In the end, the Bulls won the away game 98-84, leading the game with a total score of 3-2.
In Game 6, the Bulls defeated the Heat 73-68 at home in Chicago and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with difficulty. The overall shooting percentage of both teams was less than 40%, and the basket was almost crooked. It was ugly to the extreme.
Jordan scored 29 points with a 40% shooting rate. He looked like an undercover agent, but he was actually the most critical person for the Bulls. At least Jordan could score. Pippen only scored 8 points in the game.
After the Eastern Conference decided the winner, the Western Conference finals began. The SuperSonics easily defeated the Jazz 110-91 in the first game.
Their defensive strategy from last season will continue this season, with each position being a one-on-one defense. They tried their best to let Malone shoot jumpers from the high post. Only if Malone got into the basket, the players would double attack.
Ben Wallace continued to be the starter, and Mason and Mason, two devilish musclemen, dealt with Malone in the low post. Even someone as strong as Malone couldn't easily get to the basket and score, and could only turn around and make jump shots again and again.
Regardless of whether the Sonics are quick counterattacks or positional battles, the two defenders are the main attackers, and they have obvious advantages.
In the first game, Payton showed his strength and scored 30 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists. Yang Jian scored 23 points, 5 rebounds and 14 assists.
Stockton only scored 9 points and 8 assists. He was not even selected to the Western Conference All-Stars this season, let alone the All-NBA Team and the All-Defensive Team. In the past, the media could boast about Stockton's passing and defense, but now it is directly
There is no way to blow it.
Payton easily beat Stockton in a one-on-one. Without a big man to help with defense, Payton's forced layup against Stockton was an opportunity.
Yang Jian was even more physically crushed against Hornacek. If the Jazz's big man couldn't quickly return to defense, he would lose points. The Jazz's big man can only show his strength by attacking in the low post. Once he misses the shot, how can he go from the super position?
Quickly run back to your own penalty area at the speed of sound?
The Sonics used the same formula in the next three games, sweeping the Jazz 4-0.
Malone performed well in two games. In the fourth game at home, he made 16 of 27 shots, 11 of 14 free throws, and scored 43 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Even so, he still could not lead the team to a victory.
Yang Jian also broke out, making 15 of 25 shots, 6 of 10 three-pointers, and 4 of 5 free throws. He scored 40 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals. Moreover, Hornacek, whom Yang Jian was guarding, made 2 of 9 shots from the field.
, 0 of 3 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, only 6 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists.
Stockton's performance was also poor, with 1 of 8 shots, 0 of 3 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, and only 4 points, 12 assists and 2 steals.
When Stockton hardly performed well in key games, Malone's thighs were not thick enough to carry him.
The Jazz were swept out by the SuperSonics for three consecutive seasons, and the players were all stimulated...