After the game, a reporter asked Yang Jian about adjusting his playing style, which was different from the regular season.
Yang Jian said: "There are many rookies in our team. They need some time to integrate into the team during the regular season. It is impossible for them to cooperate well right away. Therefore, the regular season team needs me to take more shots. Now I am more willing to work with my teammates."
They cooperated and they performed well.”
The reporter asked: "Which rookie teammate do you like the most?"
Yang Jian smiled and said: "I am optimistic about every teammate. As long as they display their specialties, they can help the team."
He didn't specifically name anyone, but they were all outstanding. Even the most insignificant Damon Jones has a three-point shooting ability. What these people need is experience and confidence, so that they can play a role in the system.
Regarding sweeping his opponents, Yang Jian said: "I have no special feelings. Since entering the league, I have always swept and advanced in the first round of the playoffs, and I have long formed a habit."
Yang Jian was not targeting the Suns. What he wanted to express was that the opponents the SuperSonics have encountered in the first round in recent years have all been happy.
The Sonics' opponent in the next round will be the winner of the 4th or 5th place in the Western Conference.
The Lakers vs. Trail Blazers played very fiercely, with the Trail Blazers leading 2-1. The Lakers relied on the performance of the OK combination at home on the 13th to tie the total score at 2-2.
The fifth life-or-death battle between the two sides was held at the home court of the Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers established their lead at the beginning and caught the Lakers off guard with multiple points. At the end of the half, the Trail Blazers led by 16 points and the situation was great.
Trail Blazers center Sabonis moves very slowly and cannot defend pick-and-rolls well, but he is very effective in defending O'Neal. It can be said that one thing reduces another.
And on the offensive end, Sabonis's style of withdrawing from the inside made O'Neal very uncomfortable. If he didn't follow him, Sabonis could catch the ball and shoot. After following, Sabonis would support him in the high post and pass the ball to his teammate who was cutting to attack the basket.
basket.
O'Neal can't often play in the high post, and his teammates' offensive efficiency in the low post is obviously not as high as his. Moreover, O'Neal can let go when he gets the ball in the high post, and he has no shooting range.
In addition to Sabonis' defense, the Trail Blazers also arranged a wheel-to-wheel battle to use shark-cutting tactics against O'Neal, which caused his poor performance on the offensive end.
O'Neal played 42 minutes, making 9 of 22 shots, 8 of 16 free throws, 26 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 blocks, and his shooting percentage was only 40.9%.
The Lakers' tactics are from the inside out. O'Neal's performance makes it difficult for his teammates to perform well.
Kobe made 5 of 17 shots, 1 of 4 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 13 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks. His performance on the defensive end was very eye-catching, but on the offensive end, he was stretched and his shooting percentage was only 29.4%.
For a period of time, the Trail Blazers even had point guard Damon Stoudemire guarding Kobe. Kobe had an obvious height advantage and was facing Stoudemire's hammering.
Glen Rice's performance was even more disappointing, making 5 of 13 shots, 1 of 6 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, 13 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 4 turnovers.
When Rice first joined the Lakers, many people thought he would be the team's second in command, with a better scoring ability than Kobe. As a result, Rice seemed unqualified to be the third in charge. Although he averaged 18 points per game in the series, his shooting percentage was only
37.3%, 33.3% three-point shooting rate.
Power forward Donyel Marshall did not play a role in the space. He played 24 minutes and made 1 of 5 shots, 1 of 3 three-pointers, 3 of 4 free throws, 6 points, 3 rebounds, and no assists.
The leading contributor to the Trail Blazers' advancement was power forward Brian Grant, who scored 20 points and 10 rebounds. In addition, five members of the Trail Blazers team scored in double figures.
The Trail Blazers defeated the Lakers 103-88 at home and advanced to the second round against the SuperSonics.
This is the last game for head coach Kurt Rambis to coach the Lakers, and he will definitely be dismissed. He is not expected to become the Lakers coach at all, and he has no experience as a head coach before. He is an assistant coach to Del Harris, Harry
He came on temporarily after Si was fired.
In the other two series in the Western Conference, the Spurs swept the Kings 3-0. Duncan completely suppressed Chris Webber, which was the main reason for the Spurs' victory.
Weber's field goal percentage in the series was only 38%, and his best performance in the second game was 42.9%. He made 9 of 21 shots, 0 of 2 three-pointers, 2 of 7 free throws, and scored 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Facing Duncan's defense, Webber acted as if he was frightened. He did not dare to confront him head-on. He dodged and fought under interference time and time again. He obviously had a psychological problem, and his free throw shooting rate in the series was only 33.3%.
On the other hand, Duncan averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.3 blocks in the series, and his performance has been very stable.
The Jazz defeated the Rockets with a difficult total score of 3-2 to advance. The Jazz won the life-or-death battle 98-88, relying on the strong undercover performance of Rockets small forward Scottie Pippen.
Pippen, as the Rockets' perimeter core, was unbelievably bad. He played 42 minutes and made 6 of 23 shots, 3 of 11 three-pointers, and 4 of 6 free throws. He scored 19 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 5 turnovers.
The Rockets introduced Pippen in the hope that he could improve the team's offensive firepower, but they never expected to let a man with a shooting percentage of only 30% shoot endlessly. Pippen was so domineering, and he dared to continue shooting even if he couldn't make a shot.
He shot 32.9% from the field and averaged 18.3 points on 17.5 shots per game.
Whenever the "three veterans of the Jazz" feel powerless and about to be overwhelmed, Pippen will step up and fight to help the Jazz stabilize their morale. Pippen uses actions to tell them not to be afraid of offensive constipation. The Rockets'
The hit rate must be lower.
Veteran Olajuwon is almost crying because of Pippen, wasting another year. The only bright spot for the Rockets is Vin Baker's outstanding performance, averaging 219 per game. His performance in the playoffs was better than that in the regular season, and he gradually found the feeling of the game.
.
Rockets manager Dawson's first priority this summer is to throw Pippen out, no matter what he can get in exchange for it. If Pippen doesn't leave, it won't be long before he, the manager, will have to leave.
The Eastern Conference series was extremely fierce. The Heat eliminated the Raptors 3-1, and there was no eight-point miracle.
Vince Carter's shooting percentage in the first playoffs of his career was only 32.6%, which was terrifying. Tracy McGrady was better than Carter, shooting 38.6% off the bench, but he took fewer shots and averaged only 8 points per game.
The Raptors relied on the performance of Snow, Christie, Kevin Willis, and Oakley to win a game at home.
The Bucks defeated the Magic, who were third in the Eastern Conference, 3-2. Sam Cassell performed better than Anfernee Hardaway, surprising everyone.
Hardaway's shooting percentage in the series was only 35.1%, and his scoring relied almost entirely on breakthroughs and foul shots. He averaged 9.8 free throws per game, beating Cassel who averaged 4 free throws per game. But even so, Hardaway's data was only 19 points and 5 points.
The rebounds and 5.5 assists are not as good as Cassel's 17.3 points, 2 rebounds and 8.7 assists, who shot 50% from the field.
The Hawks eliminated the Pistons 3-2 and won the life-and-death battle at home 87-75.
Grant Hill made 10 of 27 shots, 0 of 1 three-pointers, 1 of 2 free throws, and scored 21 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists, and 2 steals. His shooting percentage was only 37%, which is really not something that the league can even praise.
, shooting outside the penalty area is basically useless.
Hill has been eliminated as a gentleman again and again, and fewer and fewer fans believe that he is superior and a superstar. Looking at Hill's performance in the playoffs, isn't it deceiving fools to say that he is a superstar?
In the focus game of the first round, the Knicks defeated the Pacers, who were second in the Eastern Conference, 3-2.
The Pacers were unlucky against the Knicks in the first round, as their lineup was obviously not as deep as their opponents.
On the surface, the Knicks only finished seventh in the regular season. But looking at the lineup, the Knicks have Alan Houston, Sprewell, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, Kurt Thomas, etc. Even on the bench.
The center is Marcus Camby, the second overall pick in 1996 and the block leader last season.
With such a lineup, the Knicks were constipated offensively and struggled to win the game defensively. G2 was defended and only scored 78 points in the game.
The Pacers were able to play the Knicks in 5 games and almost eliminated their opponent, and Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy was indispensable. No matter how bad the team's offense was, he could insist on not making adjustments and making substitutions.
Unfortunately, the fighting spirit of the Pacers players could not make up for the gap in the lineup, and they were eliminated at home 94-101.