Jordan mentioned the inside gap, and he was actually right.
Other NBA stars also mentioned North Carolina's inside advantage when discussing the outcome of the two teams.
In a basketball game, there are only a few decisive winning factors.
In the current basketball era, rebounding can even be said to be the most important winning factor.
Later in 1995, after losing the Eastern Conference Finals, Michael Jordan said that we were only one rebound away from the championship. Then the team traded for Rodman, and then Jordan won another "three consecutive championships" and officially became a god.
This shows the influence of rebounding on the game in this era.
In the NCAA, rebounding has a greater influence in determining victory or defeat. Three-pointers and transitions between offense and defense will become as much a winning factor in the NBA as rebounds in the future, but they have never been as important as rebounds in the NCAA.
The NCAA, like FIBA, does not have a three-second defense.
Whether it is now or in the future, all previous NCAA championships basically have a strong insider group.
The inside line is the guarantee of rebounding!
No rebounds means no fault tolerance for "second attack" opportunities.
Whether it's attacking the frame or shooting, if you can't make a shot, you can only rely on the referee's whistle.
But whether the referee gives a whistle or not depends entirely on the referee's eyes. ——As a Duke, you can’t kneel down on the floor of North Carolina and beg for a whistle, right?
Later someone did something similar. But this is a commercialized NBA, with self-owned media and licking dogs to clean up the blame. In the more pure world of college basketball, especially if the crazy Duke fans see such a move, it is possible that they will eat peanuts.
As the game day against North Carolina approaches, Old K's expression becomes more serious.
He knows very well that this is a key battle for Duke to win the championship. This battle will test the quality of Duke's lineup. If this game with North Carolina can be won, then Duke's dream of "three consecutive championships" will really come true. It’s come true!
Everyone at Duke knows this, including the fans.
December 17th is almost a week away from Christmas.
It is also the day when Duke and North Carolina play against each other for the first time in the new season.
For Duke, the advantage is that this time it is their home court.
In the last game before the Christmas break, the opponent was North Carolina. The "Cameron Madmen" were even crazier than usual. It can be seen from the fact that the number of "blue men" entering the arena was three to four times more than usual. It shows how seriously they take this game.
It’s not just them that pays attention!
In the parking lot outside Cameron Arena, many broadcast trucks came early.
Compared with the previous quantity, it has increased several times.
This kind of battle makes even Duke fans who have their eyes high above their heads a little excited.
For ordinary weight games, there really is no live broadcast lineup with such a large array of battles.
There is a reason for this too:
In addition to the external hype when Wang was missing some time ago, this game is also regarded as a prophetic preview of the ACC Finals. Can not many TV stations broadcast it?
Meng Lang also felt this intuitively when he was interviewed in the morning. He secretly made up his mind to perform well in this game. At the same time, a certain thought in his heart became stronger...
A good performance in such a game is worth several normal games.
Whether we can enter the middle of the first round depends on this afternoon!
"Did Jordan really say that?"
In addition, Meng Lang also heard Jordan's words "because North Carolina has Jordan" from reporters, and he became more confident at that time.
These days, he has also experienced the power of Jordan's "poisonous milk". He believes that Jordan's "poisonous milk" will never let him down in this game.
Or give it a try?
Meng Lang, who had added the "If God's Help" buff, took the initiative to find Old K and told him what he was thinking.
Old K was surprised to know what he was thinking: "You said you were going to play the 4th position in this game?"
Meng Lang nodded: "I am the second tallest player on this team, and I feel that I must bear this responsibility!"
During this period, Meng Lang not only increased his fame, but also his height, from 2.01 meters to 2.02 meters, almost approaching 2.03 meters. And Duke's tallest player, Feng, is only 2.03 meters tall.
Seeing his firm nod, Old K began to seriously think about the feasibility of this matter.
Then the smile gradually changed...
His little eyes narrowed into a thin line, he smiled and nodded: "OK, man, I think this will be a good change!"
"Meng, are you going to play the fourth position today?"
Hill soon got the news, and even though Meng Lang was doing deadlifts in the gym, he still rushed in hurriedly.
Meng Lang just lifted the barbell, his face turned red from holding it in. The weight he just pulled weighed 170kg, and when he threw it on the ground, it made a "clang" sound.
"Grant, if you score 26 points in this game, don't forget to thank me!" Meng Lang gasped for air. He didn't explain much and started other strength training.
Hill smiled.
25 points is his highest score in a single game this season.
When Meng Lang said this, he understood immediately.
He means:
Grant, you will feel very comfortable in this game!
Hill is not stupid, and he can understand the role of Meng Lang in the fourth position simply by thinking about it.
It’s past 1 p.m., and there are still more than 2 hours before the game starts.
Everyone in North Carolina also got on the bus heading for Duke.
North Carolina and Duke are so close that students from the two universities can live together directly if they fall in love.
The atmosphere in the car was quite relaxed. Even though they knew they were facing the Duke Blue Devils who had also started the game undefeated like them, they were not a little nervous.
Duke is strong, so why aren't they?
Judging from the average points difference per game, they are much scarier than Duke.
Duke's margin of victory is 13.4 points per game, and they outscore their opponents by 17.8 points per game.
Their dominance in the penalty area allowed them to beat their opponents by at least 13 rebounds in every game!
For a team like Duke that relies on shooting, when it has such a huge disadvantage in rebounding, can it still take shots as calmly as usual?
There is no need to discuss it further. The process may be more difficult than before, but the victory must belong to North Carolina!
Most North Carolina players are so confident, except for Eric Montrose, who also participated in training camp.
He knew very well that they did have enough advantages inside.
but……
When he thought of the Chinese who scored 5 three-pointers in a single quarter against Jordan in the training camp, he felt faintly uneasy.
He couldn't help but patted North Carolina's starting point guard Jaylen Gordon, who was sitting in front of him: "Man, you must be careful about that Chinese guy's kick!"
Gordon's face was speechless: "I know, Eric, you have told me seven or eight times, I really know!"
He actually wanted to ask Montrose a question:
Do I look that stupid?
Can you have someone take the ball away from behind when you are dribbling halfway across the court?
Give me a break!
