May 8th is the match day of the second round of G2.
The Pistons tried their best to complete two consecutive away games, but the reality was disappointing. With the crazy support of the home fans, the Cavaliers were in good form, while the Pistons were not as good as in the G1 game. They lost the G2 game and the two sides fought to a draw. Bi Yiping.
In this game, Zhou Quan was in average shape. He played 26 minutes and made 6 of 14 shots, a shooting percentage of 42.8%. In addition, he made 4 of 4 free throws. He scored 16 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls. .
Mark Price adopted a different defensive strategy against him than in the G1 game, which had some effects, but the main problem was that most of his teammates were in average condition and couldn't hit the ball they passed. He himself was not really restricted. .
Joe Dumars was also in bad shape. In 33 minutes, he made 7 of 18 shots, including two three-pointers, plus free throws. He scored 18 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers. His shooting percentage was only 38.9%. The efficiency is not as good as Zhou Quan.
Their state was not good, and the Assassins got more opportunities. In 35 minutes, they made 7 of 16 shots and 7 of 8 free throws, effectively scoring 21 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, 1 steal and 2 turnovers.
But he couldn't save the team. Rodman only played 25 minutes and only grabbed 7 rebounds.
In another game, the Jazz performed better than the Pistons, winning two consecutive games at home and defeating the SuperSonics again.
Jeff Malone scored 33 points and teamed up with Mailman to score 61 points. John Stockton once again sent out 14 assists, 3 steals and 3 turnovers, which was the key reason for the Jazz's victory.
For the SuperSonics, Gary Payton, whom Zhou Quan is concerned about, is still not performing well. Following the last game, he once again made 2 of 3 shots and only got 4 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 turnover, and 3 fouls.
In the first round of the series, Payton had 10.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.5 blocks. However, when he faced John Stockton in the second round, his level dropped significantly.
On the 9th, the media called on ESPN to increase the Jazz's chances of winning and reduce the Pistons' chances.
The defeat in the G2 game caused the media to start targeting Zhou Quan, believing that the Pistons' decision to rush him to the leadership position was wrong.
"Last season, the Smiling Assassin, who was down from his prime, was able to lead the team to the Eastern Conference Finals. If Iron Fist cannot lead the team to the Eastern Conference Finals this season, it will only prove that he does not have the strength to become the leader of the Pistons. We do not need to discuss his rookie status. Because he has become the leader of the Pistons, he should shoulder the responsibility of the leader." New York Times.
"The Pistons management made a wrong decision. Let's not talk about whether Iron Fist is qualified to be the leader of the team. At least the management chose a wrong time. They should make an announcement in the offseason, not after the season. This will put extra pressure on the team and the Iron Fist during the game." Los Angeles Daily News.
At 11 o'clock that morning, the Pistons boarded a special plane back to Detroit.
"Chuck, it does seem like we picked the wrong time."
McCloskey said to Chuck Daly, putting on his reading glasses and flipping through the newspaper.
Chuck Daly shrugged and said, "What if we make it to the Eastern Conference Finals?"
McCloskey lowered his head and glanced at Daley over his glasses, and said in a teasing tone: "Chuck, yesterday you said there might be problems winning against the Cavaliers. Are you so confident today?"
Daly laughed and said: "We won an away game, which is an advantage. If we win the next two home games, we can beat them."
"It's best to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, but it doesn't matter if we can't. What we care about is the future. Look, these media are looking for trouble with us."
McCloskey nodded. He felt a little tired. After saying this, he took off his glasses, put the newspaper in his hand aside, and closed his eyes.
"We eliminated the Knicks. The New York media represents the mainstream of the media. Of course they want to find fault with us." Daley said.
"Huh! Huh..."
But then he heard snoring, and turned around to see that McCloskey, who had been talking just now, had fallen asleep.
"Jack is really old." He shook his head.
…
That night, Zhou Quan found a bar and made an appointment with a group of teammates to watch the game together.
As a result, the Suns, who returned home, defeated the Trail Blazers. The two teams tied at 2-1, with the Trail Blazers still leading.
Jeff Hornacek efficiently scored 30 points with a 50% shooting rate and was the primary contributor to the team's victory.
Titans Thunder Dan Marley stood up from the bench and scored 25 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, sent 5 assists and two steals. The Rays even surpassed the Death Ray Gun.
Glider Drexler scored 37 points and shot 50% from the field, becoming the game's leading scorer.
In another game, the Green Team faced the Bulls at home.
Bird still didn't respond, McHale was aging, and the team's scoring leader Ray Jay Lewis was locked up by Jordan and Pippen. He only scored 13 points on 5 of 21 shots.
Jordan and Pippen scored 62 points together. Jordan scored 36 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. The Bulls defeated the Celtics in three games and won the second round match point.
Zhou Quan said thoughtfully: "The Bulls' intention to sweep the Green Team is obvious, and the Birds will probably not play in the fourth game."
Ulrich said with a smile: "In the first round of the playoffs in 1986, Jordan led the Bulls against the Green Team. I was still with the Bulls that year. He averaged 43.7 points per game and was eventually swept by the Birds.
Then in the second year, he was really unlucky. The Bulls met the Green Team again in the first round. He averaged close to 36 points per game, and was swept by the Birds again.
He was swept by Big Bird twice in the first round. With his competitive spirit, it was impossible to say that he didn't want to sweep Big Bird. This time he was aiming to sweep Big Bird, but it was a pity that Big Bird did not come back. "
"Iron Fist, even if I break the bones this time, I can't be swept away by him again." The assassin said, staring at Zhou Quan.
Zhou Quan nodded and said: "Of course, although Jordan is ridiculously strong now, I don't think they have the strength to sweep us.
There is an old saying in our country that even if we are willing to be killed, the emperor can be defeated. This means that as long as we dare to fight and fight hard, there is nothing we cannot achieve. "
Hearing Iron Fist mention Jordan's strength, the Smiling Assassin couldn't help but frown.
Even though he hates Jordan deeply and doesn't admit it with his mouth, he has to admit in his heart that Michael Jordan is really too strong now.
How strong is it, so strong that his dominance explodes, so strong that Jordan can hit 50+ points at any time if he wants, so strong that he can beat anyone, so strong that as long as he If you want, you can score as much as you want.
He felt that if Michael Jordan had the current strength in 1989 and 1990, he and the team would be in greater trouble.
But Pippen's strength had not yet improved at that time, and it was far inferior to what it is now. Jordan had no helpers. Even with his current strength, he should still be the winner in the end.
On the 10th, the G3 game day.
Cavaliers: Brad Doherty, Larry Nance, Mike Sanders, Craig Elu, Mark Price
Pistons: John Salley, Dennis Rodman, Orlando Ulrich, Joe Dumars, Zhou Quan
At a quarter past eight, the starting lineup came on.
"We want to win! We want to win! We want to win..."
When the home team came on the field, hundreds of Pistons fans on both sides of the tunnel yelled and shouted at Zhou Quan and the others crazily. The cheers and applause of the 20,000 fans in the stadium could not suppress their roar.
"Victory! Victory! Victory..."
This voice spread more and more widely, and gradually the whole palace of Mount Auburn resounded with the cry of "victory" until it was overwhelming and shaking the earth.
Zhou Quan felt as if a huge stone was weighing on his heart. He lost his first game after officially assuming the position of leader of the team. If he loses this home game again, it will be extremely detrimental to him.
He turned around suddenly, raised his right fist towards his teammates who were following him, and shouted loudly: "We must win! We must win this battle!"
"Must win! Must win..."
Joe Dumas and others kept shouting, and the assassins and their substitutes also rushed over and roared together. They roared until their blood was boiling, their faces were as angry as diamonds, and they were as sharp as swords. Then their voices were transmitted to the audience, Spread more and more widely.
"Must win! Must win..."
So, ten seconds later, the entire Palace of Auburn Hills shouted together.
The Cavaliers on one side were already sweating profusely, and the tremendous pressure was weighing on their bodies and minds, making them feel like they couldn't breathe.
Although they also wanted to win, this incredible pressure suppressed the fighting spirit in their hearts, making it impossible for them to make a splash.
After warming up, the body is a little hot. Under this kind of pressure, the secretion of adrenaline is rapidly reduced, the excitement is disappearing, the concentration is dispersed, the sweat glands are shrinking, and the body is quickly cooling down.
"Pistons, the fighting will of this Piston is so strong! Compared with last year's Pistons that lost all their energy and were lifeless, there are incredible changes!"
Chicago, Zhang Lili sighed very much.
He is a fan of the Bulls. He watched the entire Eastern Conference Finals last year and saw with his own eyes that the Pistons were swept by the Bulls. There was no suspense in the process. The arrogant smiling assassin was crushed under Jordan and lost any luster. His historical status plummeted.
But now, he sees a completely different Pistons.
And all these changes were due to one of his little compatriots.
At this moment, he felt a strong sense of pride.
"We are tenacious, tough, iron-blooded, and we are fearless! We are tough..."
Soon, huge cheers rang out from the Palace of Auburn Hills, and 20,000 fans and players continued to shout the Pistons' team training together, with overwhelming momentum in full swing.
…
At 8:30, the G2 game between the Cavaliers and the Pistons officially started.
Selly won the jump ball, Zhou Quan advanced to the frontcourt with the ball, controlled the ball with his right hand, and made a pull gesture with his left hand. He wanted to single out Mark Price.
His touch was average in the last game, but it wasn't bad at all. His 42.8% shooting percentage was one percentage point higher than the 41.8% shooting percentage in the first round. It was just not good enough. He didn't have an explosive state, which was normal.
His training condition was pretty good today, and he was fine when he just warmed up, so now he has to throw a few shots to try out his feel.
When he had the ball in his hands, the buzzing Palace of Auburn Hills quickly fell silent.
The next moment, Zhou Quan held the ball and made a three-in-one breakthrough, but Mark Price was very experienced and immediately flashed to the right, chasing and pressing at the same time.
This was Price's defensive strategy in the G2 game. He did not block Zhou Quan's strong breakthrough head-on because he could not block it at all and could easily be knocked away and completely lose his defensive position.
This kind of defense focuses on defending Zhou Quan's right side. Through constant harassment, Zhou Quan is forced to control the ball with his left hand, and even forces him to shoot with his left hand.
This kind of defense is still very threatening, because Zhou Quan is not Larry Bird. He can handle the ball with his left hand, but lacks the ability to shoot with his left hand.
At the same time, this kind of defense also cracked his most threatening three-in-one breakthrough.
Faced with this kind of defense, his only way to deal with it was to shoot a pull-up jumper. Fortunately, the pull-up jump shot has been upgraded to level 91, otherwise he would not have a 42.8% shooting rate in the last game.
When Mark Price repeated his old trick, he immediately accelerated to pass others, and when the former accelerated to follow up, he suddenly braked.
"squeak!"
The sneakers made a sharp friction sound. He pulled a little distance from Mark Price, and then immediately took off and shot.
"brush!"
"Oh ho!"
The moment the water splashed, the Palace of Auburn Hills immediately burst into cheers.
"Beautiful! Iron Fist made a pull-up jump shot, and he hit one!" the bearded John Lowes, the commentator on the scene, roared happily.
"Tekken's pull-up jump shooting skills are getting better and better, which is a significant improvement compared to the regular season." The bespectacled male commentator Longer Lance said with a smile.
Looking back, the Cavaliers attack.
The entire Auburn Hills Palace quickly returned to its original bustle, and the loud sound made everyone lose their hearing.
This atmosphere puts tremendous psychological pressure on the visiting team players.
Outside the three-point line on the left wing, Mark Price still borrowed the pick-and-roll, and the one who came to pick-and-roll was the swingman Sanders.
Sanders is 198 centimeters and 95 kilograms, which is 13 kilograms heavier than another forward and guard swingman Elu. Although he is slightly slower, he is more suitable for pick-and-rolls.
There are three ways to defend against pick-and-rolls. The first is to switch defenses, the second is to bypass, and the third is to directly squeeze away the defender who is blocking the wall.
If Elu is in the pick-and-roll, Zhou Quan can always squeeze out of his way to catch up with Mark Price, but Sanders's tonnage is 3 kilograms greater than the current Zhou Quan. Although Zhou Quan is still stronger, he can still squeeze out of the way. He has some difficulties.
In the last game, Sanders and Mark Price were in a pick-and-roll. Zhou Quan often failed to keep up in time and switched defenses with Ulrich. Price would form a mismatch advantage over Ulrich, using small to beat big. He suffered a lot of losses, which was one of the important reasons for the loss. Price's performance was not restricted like in the G1 war.
Now, when Sanders ran over, Zhou Quan immediately reacted defensively, directly defending against the former, engaging in physical confrontation, and preventing the opponent from having a chance to pick and roll.
In doing so, he may be surprised, because when he is close to the body, there is no retreat space, so he can easily be surprised, but there is no way, he must defend like this, otherwise he will suffer even greater losses if he allows his opponent to make a pick-and-roll.
Sure enough, when he approached, Mark Price, who had been prepared for it, immediately turned right and passed Zhou Quan.
Zhou Quan is chasing behind him. At this time, he needs Ulrich's help. As long as his teammates block Mark Price, he can regain his defensive position.
Ulrich's defense is the only flaw in the Pistons' starting lineup. His defensive awareness is not good. In addition, he plays a small forward with a height of 206 centimeters and has slightly poor mobility. He often cannot keep up with the rhythm of defense.
At this time, just when Mark Price was about to bypass him, he took a step forward and stretched out his hand, and then immediately chased Sanders again.
At this moment, Mark Price was blocked, allowing Zhou Quan to catch up in time.
He stuck to the right side of Mark Price and directly entered the confrontation, forcing the opponent to switch to his left hand to control the ball. Price was forced to the left sideline by him, unable to get close to the paint area, and even had no chance to force a shot. No.
Seeing this, Sanders had no choice but to run over again to respond and reached out for the ball.
Mark Price reluctantly passed the ball over. As soon as Sanders received the ball, Ulrich was in front of him and he could only force a shot.
Originally a role player, coupled with the huge psychological pressure on the road, although Ulrich's defense was not very good, his height was there. Sanders's shot was seriously deformed, and he made a three-pointer.
John Salley caught the ball under the basket and passed it to Joe Dumars. The Pistons attacked and the Palace of Auburn Hills quickly became quiet again.
After Zhou Quan crossed the center line, he came to the middle, got the ball, and hit Mark Price again.
This is one of his improvements, returning from the left wing to the center. This time he wants to see how Mark Price defends. Does he dare to let go of the front and let him rush in?
Because he has better vision, he mostly attacks from the flanks. Mark Price can put him in front of him and guard his flanks, but does he dare to put him in the middle?
Sure enough, Mark Price didn't dare to put it forward, so he could only block it in front.
He advanced to the top of the arc, and the two of them were focused on offense and defense.
Bang bang bang...
The sound of dribbling was endless, and the attention of the 21,000 people in the Palace of Auburn Hills was highly focused on the two of them.
The next moment, Zhou Quan launched a three-in-one breakthrough.
Feinting, Price's center of gravity shifted.
Accelerating with strides and breaking through from the right, Price, who is extremely experienced, could barely keep up with the rhythm and defended backwards.
A crushing breakthrough, at the moment of accelerating to pass someone, his left shoulder deliberately bumped into him.
Price stepped back again, and he immediately exerted force again and accelerated with all his strength. The former finally failed to retreat in time, and his left shoulder was caught.
The difference in tonnage was so big that Price was knocked to his side, but just as he was about to fall, his left hand hooked Zhou Quan's left arm. The latter was pulled and stopped at the top of the arc. The ball Also a little out of control.
This level of confrontation, whether Zhou Quan knocked over Price or Price hooked Zhou Quan's arm, was not enough to make the referee blow the whistle in the playoffs and the game continued.
The next moment, Mark Price fell completely to the ground, and Zhou Quan regained control of the ball, but Sanders jumped in front of him, and the opportunity to take an open shot was gone.
"Whoosh!"
With a back pass, his ball flew to Ulrich who was open on the left wing.
"brush!"
Ulrich caught the ball and hit a two-pointer.
0:4, Cavaliers attack.
Mark Price just crossed the halfway line and was blocked by Zhou Quan.
This is also one of Zhou Quan's improvements. If he is caught far away from the three-point line, he still has a chance to recover.
Price did not call the pick-and-roll for the time being, and continued to move with the ball, but was still unable to get rid of Zhou Quan. Although he was close to the three-point line, the attack time had been consumed. There were only five seconds left, and there was no time to pass the ball in for the inside to attack. , he could only pull to the left wing and called Sanders' pick-and-roll again.
Zhou Quan still defended, and Mark Price barely broke through with a turnaround. At this time, Ulrich miraculously made the best defensive choice, forming a pincer attack with Zhou Quan on the left three-point line.
"Snapped!"
There was no time. Mark Price wanted to pass the ball to Sanders through the gap in the crowd, but Zhou Quan's full-level panoramic vision allowed him to see the pass. With his 96-level nerve reaction speed, he waved his big hand instinctively. , with first-class hitting accuracy, he accurately completed the ball steal.
"Beautiful! Iron Fist steals Mark Price, he's on the downs! Ulrich is following up..." Bearded John Lowes roared excitedly.
Zhou Quan took the ball to the basket and pulled it to the right. At this time, Ulrich rushed into the penalty area from the right elbow area. He threw the ball up. The latter instantly burst out and caught the ball with both hands in the air. Take advantage of the situation and smash it with one hand.
"boom!"
"Oh ho!"
As the basket trembled violently, the entire Palace of Auburn Hills suddenly boiled.
"Alley-oop... dunk!"
roared an excited bearded John Rowes again.
"Defended the opponent's offense twice, the Pistons' defense was very strong tonight!" Locke Howard exclaimed on ESPN's commentary.
"Buzz buzz..."
At 0:6, the Cavaliers attacked, and the interference from the Palace of Auburn Hills rang again.
(End of chapter)
