The game continued, with two minutes left in the first quarter, 23:18, the Pistons led by 5 points away from home, and the Cavaliers called a timeout.
Mark Price can indeed get rid of Zhou Quan's defense to a certain extent by using the pick and roll, but the effect is not very big.
His main pick-and-roll position is on Ulrich's side. He doesn't want to face Joe Dumars. He hopes to use small to defeat Ulrich and use the pick-and-roll to face Ulrich.
But when the pick-and-roll occurs, Zhou Quan often takes the lead in the confrontation, either directly destroying the pick-and-roll tactics, or slowing down Mark Price's movement, so as to catch up in time.
Mark Price couldn't really solve Zhou Quan's defense, and he was the engine in the Cavaliers and the team's second scoring point. When he was restricted by Zhou Quan, the Cavaliers' offense could not launch smoothly, resulting in the score falling behind. .
On the defensive end, he was even more vulnerable and had no way to defend Zhou Quan.
The Cavaliers also arranged for other larger perimeter players to switch to defend Zhou Quan, but Zhou Quan also used the pick-and-roll to find Mark Price and just stared at him.
In the ESPN commentary box, Rock Howard said: "Mark Price made 1 of 4 shots in the first ten minutes, scored 3 points, and sent 1 assist.
In the same ten minutes, Tekken made 3 of 5 shots and scored 6 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 1 steal. Against Mark Price, Iron Fist has obvious advantages on both offense and defense, as well as organization. "
Larry Winston nodded and said: "After Price hit a three-pointer on the first shot, he missed the next three shots. He couldn't open this point, and his organization was also poor. If the Cavaliers don't find a way to change the disadvantage of the first position, I'm afraid The Pistons' advantages will gradually accumulate, and in the end, there will be no suspense enough to form an advantage enough to win."
Howard laughed: "So I said the lineup is restrained, and the Pistons can defeat the Cavaliers."
Winston laughed a few times after hearing this and said: "Locke, you have a certain point, but rather than saying that the Pistons can restrain the Cavaliers, it would be better to say that the Iron Fist can restrain Mark Price."
Howard thought for a moment, smiled and nodded.
Winston continued: "The Cavaliers had an advantage against the Pistons in the regular season, but with the rapid growth of Iron Fist, his ability has improved a lot, and now he has the ability to suppress Mark Price.
This is actually very surprising. A rookie can suppress the All-Star point guard in the playoffs. I can only say that Mr. McCloskey's vision in selecting rookies is very clever. "
Howard smiled: "Now I think the Pistons have hope to resume the glory of the Bad Boys and once again win the championship with the point guard as the core."
"Locke, do you mean to win the championship?"
Hearing this, Winston looked very surprised, then shook his head and said: "No, the current Pistons team is far from the strength to win the championship. Their inside line lacks offensive ability, especially the ability to independently attack, and they mainly rely on the outside line. Offensively, I’m afraid it will be difficult to win the championship because they have natural flaws in their lineup.”
But Howard said: "Larry, have you forgotten the Bulls?"
Winston was startled, but then shook his head and said: "The Bulls are Bulls. Both the Bulls' interior line and the Pistons' interior lineup are flawed. The center is not good, and it is not even as good as the Pistons. However, the Bulls have Michael Jordan, who is said to be the number one active player. No problem?"
"No."
Howard shook his head and said: "No one in active service is better than him."
Winston said: "Michael shot 60.9% in the first round series that just passed. In the first round of the playoffs, all the main players of the playoff teams, including super center Ewing, No one is more efficient than him, and he can make up for the weakness of the inside line. But, can the Pistons' outside line be good?"
Howard thought for a moment and shook his head.
Winston smiled and said: "The Assassin's injury is too severe and he is no longer good. Even in the substitute lineup, his contribution is not as great as we expected.
Although Joe Dumars is good, his defense is stronger. He can't do what Jordan can do and can't make up for the shortcomings inside.
Iron Fist, that's even worse. His offensive efficiency is ten levels behind Michael's and has not yet reached the passing level. He can't make up for the shortcomings in the paint.
So I say that the Pistons are not the Bulls. The Bulls can win the championship with their strong perimeter lineup, but this Pistons cannot.
Michael Jordan had the ability to carry the Bulls, but no one in the Pistons was as powerful as him. "
"So Larry, do you think it will take a few seasons for the Pistons to have a chance to win the championship?" Howard asked.
Winston thought about it seriously and said: "The Bulls' lineup can be used for at least a few more years, so I think the Pistons will have no chance of winning the championship within three to five years."
Howard looked weird and said: "Michael Jordan and Iron Fist are real mortal enemies, the kind that cannot be resolved. According to you, wouldn't Iron Fist be suppressed by Michael Jordan for many years?"
Winston laughed, and then said: "At the last All-Star Game, some media revealed that Jordan said in public that he would bankrupt Tie Fist's sneaker brand company, which shows that they are indeed irresolvable mortal enemies."
Howard smiled: "It seems that if the Pistons want to win the championship again with a lineup with a point guard as the core, they must trade, at least a center with a stronger offense than John Salley.
But in fact, Selly's defense is very good. His inside combination with Rodman is one of the most powerful defensive combinations in the league, but he does not have the ability to attack independently. "
Winston smiled and said: "The Pistons' lineup is not weak. They are the strongest defensive team in the league, otherwise they would not be able to reach third place in the Eastern Conference.
This was the same lineup last season, and they reached the Eastern Conference Finals. This season, Laimbeer was replaced by Iron Fist. Iron Fist's performance was no worse than that of the Assassins last season, and there was actually no change in the lineup.
But who made them collide with Jordan and the Bulls who were entering their prime? If I were to make a prediction, I think it would be difficult for the Pistons to break out of the Eastern Conference within five years. "
Howard nodded and said: "The current Michael Jordan is indeed too strong. He shot 60.9% from the field in the first round series, averaged 40+ points per game, 56 points in a single game, and scored 51 points in the second round of G1. His performance was terrible. , full of vigor and unstoppable!
The Pistons were originally Jordan's mortal enemies, and now the relationship between Iron Fist and Jordan is even worse. It is indeed bad luck for Iron Fist to bump into Jordan like this. "
"The story between Iron Fist and Jordan is probably no less than the story between the Assassin and Jordan." Winston joked.
"Ha ha……"
The two couldn't help laughing when they said this.
The game continued, and the Cavaliers were still unable to solve the problem at the No. 1 position.
Mark Price's athletic talent is average. With a smaller tonnage and shorter height, he has no advantage in athletic ability when facing Zhou Quan, but he is at an absolute disadvantage in confrontation. This is a flaw. When Zhou Quan When you stare at him and fight, you can't avoid this flaw.
As Larry Winston said, the Pistons slowly accumulated advantages and finally defeated the Cavaliers, 103:94, and won the second round of G1 away from home.
At the end of the game, Howard said: "Mark Price, as the second scoring point of the Cavaliers, made 4 of 12 shots in this game, a shooting percentage of 33.3%, 2 of 2 free throws, and only scored 10 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. , but made 5 turnovers. His performance was the most important reason why the Cavaliers lost."
Winston nodded and said: "As a counter player, Iron Fist made 9 of 18 shots in 41 minutes. His shooting percentage exceeded his previous performance. He was also the person who took the most shots in the Pistons. In addition, he made 4 of 4 free throws and scored 22 points. 5 Statistics of rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls. It should be said that his performance surpassed Mark Price in all aspects."
Howard analyzed: "Tekken took 18 shots today, 5 of which went to the basket and hit 3 goals, 1 was a near two-point shot and missed, 5 hit 2-pointers and 6 far 2-pointers, and also missed. A three pointer.
Attacks under the basket accounted for 27.7%, near two points 5.6%, mid-two points 27.8%, far two points 33.3%, and three-pointers 5.6%.
Larry, his near-two-point shots were significantly reduced today, and he added many mid- and long-range shots, and his shooting percentage also improved. "
Winston said: "Almost every player, including Michael Jordan, has the lowest two-point shooting percentage, or just above three-pointers.
If Iron Fist really wants to improve its offensive efficiency, it will be a correct decision to reduce the number of near-two-point shots and increase the number of mid-range and long-distance shots.
Especially since he is a point guard, it is not rational for him to score in the paint area, no matter how strong his ability is to get through people's gaps, but he has to face a one-to-many situation in which a small one beats a large one. And efficient play. "
Howard laughed: "But he only took fewer shots in the paint area, and entered the paint area a lot. And half of his assists were obtained by passing the ball in the penalty area.
Then I analyze that if his offensive skills mature in the future, he is likely to increase his shots by nearly two points again. "
Zhou Quan became the best player in the game and accepted a live interview with ESPN TV.
"Iron Fist, facing All-Star point guard Mark Price, you played at an All-Star level and suppressed your opponent's performance into a role player. How did you do it?" the reporter asked.
Zhou Quan gasped while wiping his sweat: "Use my advantages to constantly attack the opponent's weaknesses. This is my way to win."
…
At this time, in Chicago, Jordan was on the phone with Phil Jackson.
"Michael, look at this momentum. The Iron Fist has defeated Mark Price. He has made great progress in the second half of the season. The Cavaliers may not be able to stop the Pistons. We must be mentally prepared to face them in the Eastern Conference Finals again." Jackson said.
Jordan was silent for a moment and then said: "That's better. I hope to sweep that damn team and that damn guy again in the Eastern Conference Finals. Listen, Phil, I even prepared that fifty A check for ten thousand dollars.”
Phil Jackson was helplessly silent for a moment. He knew who Michael Jordan was talking about. Now in this Pistons, what Michael hated the most was no longer the Smiling Assassin, but the Chinese.
He pondered for a while and then said: "Michael, the possibility of sweeping the Pistons is still quite low. No one of us can deal with Iron Fist at the first position. He is not the smiling assassin last year. He has a huge mismatch advantage at the first position. .
It doesn't matter on the offensive end, Pippen and you can take over the ball, but on the defensive end, neither Paxson nor BJ can guard him. "
"Let me deal with him." Jordan said coldly.
Phil Jackson said: "Switching defense is one way, but no matter what, they will focus on our No. 1 position. Whether it is him or Joe Dumars, facing Paxson or BJ, they will have a mismatch advantage.
Have you forgotten the last regular season game? It was still tied until the final quarter. You won the game only with the final explosion in the final quarter.
So Michael, you must not underestimate them. If there were no injuries, they would be even better than the Pistons last season.
Although the main inside line is missing Laimbeer, and the substitute lineup is also missing Vinyl Johnson, the main outside line is missing an iron fist, and the substitute lineup is also missing an assassin. The lineup is even stronger than last season.
More importantly, they have regained their vigor and have new leaders and core who are full of fighting spirit. This is the most critical thing. "
Jordan knows what Phil Jackson said is right. This Pistons is indeed better than last year's Pistons, but he is not the Jordan he was before. Today, he has reached the highest level and has an explosive game. Self-confidence, no matter how strong this Piston is, he will crush them.
"Phil, I will kill them, I will definitely do it." Shen shouted and ended the call.
…
"Rick, who wins between the Jazz and the SuperSonics?" Joe Dumars asked in the visiting team's locker room.
Musk said: "I just received the news that the Jazz at home won. 100:108, won by 8 points. Three people from the Jazz scored 20+, in addition to Karl Malone, Jeff Malone, and the backup forward and guard. Tyrone Corbyn.”
"Rick, how is John Stockton's performance?" Zhou Quan was most concerned about the performance of other teams' point guards, so he asked.
Musk looked at a piece of paper in his hand, and then said: "7 of 12 shots, 58.3% shooting, plus two free throws, 16 points, 15 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, no rebounds or blocks. .”
"15 assists and 3 steals?"
Zhou Quan clicked his tongue twice and said: "As expected, he is the 5th assist king and the 2nd steal king. With this performance, I'm afraid the SuperSonics can't beat the Jazz."
He asked again: "Rick, what about Gary Payton's performance?"
Musk laughed: “He played 29 minutes, made 2 of 3 shots, 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 2 fouls, no steals, no blocks, no free throws.
In front of John Stockton, he is still a little too young. The Sonics can't beat the Jazz. He suffers a lot in this position, just like when you play Mark Price. The No. 1 position is suppressed, so the Sonics lose. . "
Zhou Quan shook his head modestly and said, "I don't have such a big advantage against Mark Price."
"Chuck, let's talk."
"OK."
While the players were taking a shower, McCloskey called Chuck Daly outside, found a secluded place, and the two started talking.
He said: "Chuck, judging from the matchup between Iron Fist and Mark Price in G1, our hope of advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals is not small. What do you think?"
Daly thought for a while and said: "As long as Tekken's defense can limit Price, we do have a greater chance of eliminating the Cavaliers.
However, we cannot be careless. The inside combination of Larry Nance and Doherty is very strong. The defense of Celi and Rodman cannot really restrict them, but can only slightly reduce their efficiency.
And Larry Nance's defense is very good, and his presence also suppresses our offense in the low post and at the basket.
We still have to continue to gain the advantage at the No. 1 position, which is the basis for winning.
What worries me now is Rodman's injury. Last night we had 6 fewer rebounds than the Cavaliers. He only got 2 points and 9 rebounds, including 4 offensive rebounds. In fact, he only grabbed 7 effective rebounds. Ball, if Iron Fist hadn't really pinned Mark Price, we would have lost. "
McCloskey nodded and said: "Chuck, if we can reach the Eastern Conference Finals this time, we will face the Bulls again.
The current Bulls are really too strong, and Jordan's performance in the playoffs was terrible. I have only one request for you, to avoid being swept. "
Chuck Daly felt a lot of pressure from this sentence and nodded: "I will try my best."
Nodding, McCloskey no longer discussed the playoffs, but changed the subject and said, "Chuck, I have decided to retire."
"What?"
Chuck Daly was startled.
He was brought to Detroit by McCloskey. Over the years, the two have maintained a very good relationship and complemented each other well. Together they built the Bad Boys and won two consecutive championships. It can be said that they both reached the level of their careers in the Pistons. peak.
Although McCloskey had known for a long time that he planned to retire, when he actually made the decision, he was still a little reluctant and sad.
"Old man, hang on for a while longer. Tekken is making rapid progress. If we trade another good center, there is a chance." He couldn't help but advise.
McCloskey shook his head firmly and said: "I am old and lack energy, so it is difficult for me to cope with the current team's work.
The team is in the process of rebuilding, and transactions, drafts, and signings all require long-term planning. My energy is running low, and I need younger people to step up. "
"General manager, are you ready?"
"Let Weaver try it. I have already suggested it to the boss and he agreed."
"Troy Weaver?"
Chuck Daly nodded. This is also an old man from the Pistons. He has good abilities and is indeed qualified to take over the general manager position.
McCloskey looked at Daly and said: "Chuck, you are younger than me. You can work for a few more years and train Iron Fist before you can retire."
Daley couldn't help but smile bitterly, you ran away and pinned me here, but I am also 62 years old, only 4 years younger than you, and I have reached the age of retirement.
McCloskey looked away from Daly's face and said thoughtfully: "Iron Fist has made great progress. He is really a surprise."
At this point, he moved his eyes back, looked at Daly and said: "Chuck, he has been the leader of the Pistons for a long time, but now the leader is Joe Dumars in name. This is not appropriate."
Chuck Daly was startled: "Jack, what do you mean?"
(End of chapter)
