On November 19, the Pistons returned to Detroit.
The next day, we faced the challenge of the SuperSonics, a strong team in the Western Conference.
Affected by three consecutive victories, the attendance rate of the Palace of Auburn Hills tonight reached 70%, which is the best result since the start of this season.
Isiah Thomas will return at the end of the month, and the management hopes that after the Smiling Assassin returns, the team will strengthen and attendance will further increase.
At eight o'clock, both sides announced the starting lineup.
SuperSonics: Benoit Benjamin, Shawn Kemp, Michael Cage, Ricky Pierce, Gary Payton
Pistons: John Salley, Orlando Ulrich, Dennis Rodman, Joe Dumars, Zhou Quan.
This game was broadcast live across the United States on ESPN TV, and the commentators were Rock Howard and Larry Winston.
Howard said: "Last season, the SuperSonics were eighth in the Western Conference in the regular season and were eliminated by the Trail Blazers in the first round. So far this season, they have 6 wins and 3 losses, with a winning rate of 66.6%. They are third in the Western Conference. They are in better shape than last season and better than the Pistons. , but the Pistons have stabilized recently and won three consecutive victories. The two teams should have a wonderful game tonight."
Winston analyzed: "The Pistons selected the Iron Fist Slayer. In the five games he participated in, he lost two and won three. His personal performance also made him fourth in the latest rookie rankings. His performance can be expected , with the No. 17 pick in the first round, the Pistons should be said to have gotten a bargain. General Manager McCloskey has a good vision, and he chose the successor of the Smiling Assassin."
Howard couldn't help laughing and said: "Iron Fist was just a little impatient and eager to take over, so he killed Isiah Thomas himself."
Winston also laughed, and finally shook his head and said: "He is not wrong about this matter, so we won't mention it anymore.
What I want to say now is that after my careful observation and analysis, Iron Fist is another anomaly for the No. 1 position besides the Magician. "
Howard also became serious and nodded: "His height has no disadvantage at the No. 1 position, and his tonnage and strength far exceed other point guards. Nowadays, the average point guard is about 80 kilograms, and there are very few who reach 85 kilograms, but He weighs 95 kilograms. He is an absolutely heavy point guard and has the highest muscle content among defenders in the league.
On the offensive end, he can crush his opponents. Even if he switches defenses, like Jordan, he can't withstand his violent crushing. And he has good passing skills and good vision. If you double-team him outside, the defense will suffer a big loss.
Of course, his offense is average now and no one will double him outside, but this is more conducive to him slowly approaching the paint area through crushing breakthroughs.
On the defensive end, so far, no point guard can beat him, because no one can break through his defensive barrier. His huge tonnage and broad shoulders can create a huge defensive barrier.
If the small point guard wants to break through, he must take an extra step. He can have enough time and space to retreat.
If he switches to guard a taller shooting guard, he will have a height disadvantage, but his excellent wingspan can also make up for part of the height disadvantage, and his strong body can also create strong confrontation and affect the opponent's shots.
What I want to say is that if he loses weight and only maintains a tonnage of 90 kilograms or less, his movement speed, sensitivity, and jumping ability will definitely become better, and his mobility will definitely increase significantly.
By then, he will still have greater tonnage and confrontation advantages at the first position, but also have stronger mobility, and he will become even better. "
Winston said: "In these five games, he averaged 7 assists, 2.2 steals, and 2.8 turnovers per game. The assist-to-turnover ratio was 2.5, which is above the standard. He also averaged 2.2 steals, and it was not the kind of risky steals. , the defense is also very strong.”
Howard said: "Currently he controls 41% of the Pistons' ball possessions and averages 7 assists per game. His performance is still good.
The ball usage rate is only 17.2%, and he doesn't take many shots. He mainly assists. Considering his low offensive efficiency, this is a sensible way of playing. "
Winston said: “What I want to say is that in this round of three consecutive victories, Iron Fist did a very good job defensively. He restricted the point guards of the three teams and laid the foundation for the team’s victory.
Today, he will face Gary Payton, last year's second overall pick, who is 193 centimeters tall, 5 centimeters taller than Iron Fist, and weighs 82 kilograms, 13 kilograms lighter.
So far this season, Payton is averaging 31.5 minutes per game, 9.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.1 turnovers, with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.95. "
Howard said: "In terms of passing stability, Payton is better than Iron Fist. In terms of hit rate, Iron Fist is currently barely 40%, while Payton is 45%. The latter's score is more stable. Payton's defense is also Not bad, but his tackling ability is slightly inferior.
As for the point guard's most critical organizational ability, I think it is similar, and this point is also comparable in terms of assists. "
Winston nodded and said: "Peyton is also based on defense, just like Iron Fist. I think that although Iron Fist's defense is very good, it will not be better than Payton.
The steal data cannot explain everything, because Iron Fist has a larger tonnage. When he hits the ball, his usual method is to forcefully squeeze away the person who lost the ball, so that the person who lost the ball has no way to fight back on the spot, so he is better than Payton. Easier to complete tackles. "
"Indeed it is."
Howard nodded and said: "The two of them entered the league one after another, with equal qualifications, equal strength, equal offense and defense, and they must be secretly comparing themselves.
Payton is good at trash talking and is very good at talking. Iron Fist is good at fighting and has strong willpower. There should be a battle between dragons and tigers today. "
Winston suddenly smiled and said: "I would like to remind Gary Payton to control his trash talk and don't break through Iron Fist's bottom line, otherwise no one can save you."
"Yes, Ranbir, the Smiling Assassin, and the Postman have already demonstrated the results of irritating Iron Fist." Howard said with a smile.
At this time, Zhou Quan and his teammates were standing in the player tunnel, opposite the five SuperSonics starters, and directly opposite him was Gary Payton.
In front of him, there was a mission prompt: "Defeat Gary Payton, prediction +1."
"Prejudgment, good stuff."
I am very happy. If his prediction can reach the first-class level, his prediction vision will also improve.
"Why is this guy staring at me and not saying anything? I didn't offend him."
Seeing the Iron Fist opposite him staring at him, Gary Payton felt a little nervous and uneasy.
There is no way. Although Iron Fist has just entered the league, he is known as the number one executioner in the NCAA. His record after entering the Pistons is too brilliant. Laimbeer and the postman are both big villains that the entire league does not dare to provoke, but now they have all been The Iron Fist was defeated, one person retired, and the other person is still lying in the hospital.
