The timeout ends and Mosaic attacks.
Horry received the ball from Smith and was about to pass it to Da Meng in the low post. Ulrich suddenly pressed close to him. His rookie attributes exploded and he raised the ball above his head with both hands. However, he hesitated in passing the ball and the ball was knocked away. .
"Oh, Mosaic made a mistake again!" Williams exclaimed.
"Iron Fist has the ball and he's counterattacking!" Bill Walton yelled.
Zhou Quan immediately rushed up from Smith's side, picked up the ball and immediately counterattacked.
Smith chased after him desperately, and when he caught up to Zhou Quan's left side, Zhou Quan immediately changed direction to the left and used his strong body to squeeze gently. Smith directly somersaulted to the floor and landed on his face. He let out an ouch and suffered a nosebleed on the spot. It came out and screamed in pain from the impact.
"boom!"
Zhou Quan rushed into the paint area and took off, dunking the ball with his right hand, and made a powerful windmill dunk, which detonated the Palace of Auburn Hills.
"Well done, Orlando."
He turned back to Ulrich and encouraged him.
Ulrich smiled so hard that his molars were exposed. As a small forward, he only averaged 0.6 steals per game, and he had already exceeded his task.
So Tie Fist is right. He needs to keep an eye on Horry's rookie today and try to get as many steals as possible to make his defensive data better.
Kenny Smith suffered a broken nose and was benched, replaced by a backup point guard, veteran Sriper Floyd.
Floyd used the wall to get rid of Zhou Quan and then entered the left wing, but Zhou Quan quickly went around the wall and blocked the front again. He immediately lobbed the ball behind Zhou Quan to Da Meng in the low post on the left wing.
As soon as Dameng received the ball, Zhou Quan turned around and stepped in front of him. He stretched out his hand and hit the ball with first-class precision.
"Damn it!"
Dameng hurriedly grabbed the ball, but unlike Zhou Quan, Zhou Quan's movements were fast and accurate. When he grabbed the ball, he also used the advantage of precise strikes. He quickly grabbed it with one hand and grabbed the ball before the opponent. Mengqian pulled the ball over.
"Continuous mistakes, Mosaic's condition today is too bad, it is even more impossible to win against the Pistons if this continues." Bill Walton analyzed.
Williams said: "In terms of paper strength, the two teams are actually about the same. Mosaic is now 13 wins and 7 losses, and the Pistons are 16 wins and 5 losses. The Pistons have 2.5 more wins. There is no absolute advantage in terms of record."
Zhou Quan advanced to the frontcourt and singled out Floyd.
Floyd was once an All-Star substitute. He was 32 years old. He was the same height and weight as Smith. He suffered a lot of injuries and his condition dropped sharply. Once his condition dropped, he couldn't defend first. This was the reason why Zhou Quan continued to play in singles.
As soon as he reached the frontcourt, he did not slow down, but suddenly started a 92-level acceleration to step over the opponent. In one step, he passed the opponent and rushed to the top of the arc. His momentum was extremely ferocious.
Now he has no shortcomings in breakthrough skills. The worst ones are all level 86. Four of the six basic breakthrough techniques are top-notch. This is the hardest to guard against. There is no fixed breakthrough mode, making it impossible for opponents to accurately predict. .
Coupled with the tonnage of 90 kilograms, once it breaks through the first line of defense, it will pick up speed after three steps and become a heavily equipped small tank. Anyone including the center must have a firm stance if they want to block his breakthrough. Willpower.
Horry, who was responsible for assisting defense, gritted his teeth and moved quickly from the left wing to the free throw line, hoping to block Zhou Quan. Zhou Quan started to break through after crossing the center line. The distance was long, giving him a chance to make up defense.
As soon as Ulrich saw Horry gone, he immediately cut from the left wing toward the basket.
Thorpe, who was standing on the left midfielder, ignored him and allowed Ulrich to rush into the paint area from his side. He absolutely believed in Dameng's ability to protect the basket at the basket.
"squeak!"
Zhou Quan made an emergency stop at the top of the arc. At this time, Horry rushed to the free throw line, two steps away from him. Floyd behind him had not yet caught up. He took off calmly and shot a three-pointer at the top of the arc.
The shot was very decisive, because there was Rodman under the basket, and Ulrich also rushed in. The two of them were facing a big dream. He believed that even if he missed the shot, he would have a greater chance of grabbing the offensive rebound.
"brush!"
The more decisive and resolute the shot is, the higher the hit rate will be. The more sloppy and hesitant the shot will be, the more inaccurate it will be. As the water splashed, he accurately hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc.
Bill Walton praised: "As Tekken's shooting skills get better and better, his hit rate becomes more stable and higher, his shots will become more and more bold, and his threat from the outside will become bigger and bigger.
His height is not clear now, but I think he is a little taller than when he first entered the league last season, plus his wingspan, so he has a height advantage in most cases at the No. 1 position.
But now I am a little thinner than before, so I should lose weight. This is correct. Too much weight will put a greater load on the lower limbs.
However, his weight should not be less than 90 kilograms. He is still a heavy tank at the first position. With the height advantage, he will still have a mismatch advantage at the first position. Very few people in this league can guard him. The average point guard They will all be crushed. "
Williams laughed: "So in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls used Michael Jordan to defend the Iron Fist. This was the risk of BJ being beaten by Joe Dumars."
Bill Walton nodded and said: "Even if Joe Dumars beats BJ, his scoring is limited and cannot offset Jordan's scoring advantage. Unless he can average 30+ per game, then the Pistons will have a chance to beat the Bulls."
The game continued on the court. Under the strong defense of the Pistons, rookie Horry made mistakes one after another, committing 7 turnovers in the game.
Because Dameng was the main attacker, the Pistons also strengthened their defense against him. He was also out of form tonight and made as many as 6 turnovers.
The two of them contributed 13 turnovers, and the Mosaic team made a total of 21 turnovers. In the end, the Pistons successfully defeated Mosaic at home and won their fifth consecutive victory.
Five consecutive wins, four consecutive losses, seven consecutive wins, and another five consecutive wins after one loss, with 17 wins and 5 losses. The Pistons' record is firmly ranked first in the Eastern Conference. They have won three consecutive rounds and their momentum is extremely amazing.
After the mosaic, another back-to-back home and away game began. The Pistons left overnight and flew to Charlotte, preparing to play the Hornets tomorrow night.
In this game, Larry Johnson got his revenge. Taking advantage of the Pistons' back-to-back opportunities, he and Mourning teamed up to score 51 points and 19 rebounds, winning the game.
With 17 wins and 6 losses, the Pistons are still first in the Eastern Conference.
The schedule continued, and after playing the remaining three games of the year, the Pistons won two and lost one, and lost one to the Cavaliers, with 19 wins and 7 losses, with a winning rate of 73%. They were surpassed by the Knicks, but still above the Bulls.
But the Bulls' winning rate is also close to 70%, only one win behind the Pistons. If the Pistons lose one game and the Bulls win one, it will be a tie.
In the West, the Suns' record has soared, with a winning rate of 75%, ranking first in the league.
"This season we only have the championship in our sights." Stimulated by the record, Barkley put down his bold words in front of the media.
Time entered 1993. On New Year's Day, the league announced the MVP ranking list. Zhou Quan's ranking surpassed Olajuwon and rose to fourth. The top three were Barkley, Jordan, and Ewing.
On this day, the league also announced the start of All-Star voting, which will last for one month.
The Pistons management contacted all local media they could contact to canvass votes for Zhou Quan and mobilized Detroiters to vote for Zhou Quan.
In addition, Skechers did the same, contacting some media in the Greater Bay Area to canvass votes for Zhou Quan.
On January 2, the Pistons defeated the Magic again in an away game, and came to Miami at noon on the 3rd.
The game against the Heat is on the 5th. The Pistons don't plan to return to Detroit, so they will stay in Miami for one more day to avoid flying back and forth.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, Rodman suddenly found Chuck Daly and asked for leave to leave the team.
"Dad, I promise to come back tomorrow and not delay the game."
"Where are you going?" Chuck Daly asked sternly.
"Well, it was Madonna who took me to New York on a private plane. I..." Rodman said awkwardly, not daring to hide it in front of Chuck Daly.
"What?"
Chuck Daly looked at Rodman with hatred and almost roared: "You are crazy! That woman broke up your family and bankrupted your economy, and now she is going to harm the team again?"
"Yes, but I won't delay the game." Seeing Chuck's father being so angry, Rodman immediately became frightened and said hesitantly.
"Don't go!" Daley said angrily.
Rodman left unhappy.
He was going to see Zhou Quan to talk about his concerns.
NBA hotels always have basketball rooms, and Zhou Quan was currently training on turning around and making step-back jump shots.
The team has no training scheduled today, and he is the only one in the basketball room.
Throughout December, he has been doing this training, 400 times a day, completed three rounds, and reached level 83. Today, he can complete the fourth round, only 200 times away.
This training task can be completed 12 times. After completing the fourth round, it can be completed 8 times to upgrade to level 92.
He plans to complete this task at the end of February and then practice turning jump shots.
"Dennis, what's wrong with you?"
At this time, Rodman pushed the door open and sat down against the wall. He seemed to be in a bad mood. He stopped training and went over to ask.
"The coach won't let me take leave." Da Chong said frustratedly.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"Well, Madonna sent a private plane to take me to New York." Rodman was still a little embarrassed when he said this.
"You guys are having a very romantic time!"
Zhou Quan laughed a few times and sat next to him.
Rodman said in confusion: "There is no training scheduled today. I can come back tomorrow. I don't understand why dad is so angry?"
Zhou Quan advised: "Dennis, as the head coach, he must impose strict requirements on you, and you need to understand this.
Don't you think you have a very laid-back personality? If it weren't for Coach Daley to take care of you, you wouldn't be where you are today. "
"Of course I know, I'm grateful to him, he is my second father."
After Rodman returned from injury, he was still in very good shape, averaging 18 rebounds per game. If this continues, defending the rebounding title this season will not be a problem.
Although he spent a lot of energy on Madonna, as long as he was in good condition, he couldn't say anything.
Moreover, for a guy as energetic as Rodman, you can’t castrate him, right? It's normal to have a woman. He himself plans to find a temporary girlfriend recently to solve his physical problems.
The two chatted for a while, and Rodman became less depressed. Then he was pulled up by Zhou Quan and trained with him.
At around five o'clock, Zhou Quan completed the fourth round of training and improved his turnaround and step-back jump shot to level 84.
The back-up technique is still very useful. After turning around, you can open up a distance from your opponent so that your opponent cannot block the shot.
On the night of the 5th, the Pistons defeated the Heat and rushed back to Detroit overnight. Another back-to-back game was waiting for them.
However, the Pistons did not disappoint the fans. Since it was back-to-back, they also defeated the bad team Clippers at home and won their 22nd win, 22 wins and 7 losses. The winning rate reached 75.8%, surpassing the Knicks and ranking first in the Eastern Conference. The throne of first place is even only half a game away from the Suns.
This is the second time the Pistons have topped the Eastern Conference. This time there was no media controversy over whether the Pistons were a true championship-level team. The mainstream media unanimously determined that the Pistons were a championship-level team.
But after two months of schedule, in addition to the original four championship-level teams, in addition to the Pistons, the Mosaic team is also considered by the media to have championship-level strength.
The Trail Blazers are currently second in the Western Conference, with one more win than the third-placed Mosaic. The fourth is the SuperSonics. Some media even believe that the SuperSonics should also belong to the first-tier team.
On January 7, Zhou Quan got up from bed, washed up, went out to pick up the newspaper, made some breakfast, and flipped through the newspaper while eating.
So far this season, his statistics are 23 points, 4.8 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 3.3 steals, 0.5 blocks, 3.2 turnovers and 3 fouls. His shooting percentage is 48.4%. He is definitely an All-Star. His offensive efficiency has also improved a lot compared to last season. His popularity It has also increased, so my expectations for myself have also increased a lot. I hope to get more support from fans and be selected as an All-Star starter.
"Ha ha……"
Surprisingly, the first week of All-Star voting came out, and he actually received 210,000 votes.
Seeing this data, everyone can't believe it, because Jordan only received 270,000 votes in the first week.
Looking again, Isiah Thomas only had 40,000 votes, which was far less than last season. It seems that his influence in Detroit has dropped significantly, and the Pistons have officially entered his era.
Joe Dumars, on the other hand, has slightly more votes than the Assassins, but only has over 50,000 votes, and his influence in Detroit is limited.
He ranks second among Eastern Conference guards behind Jordan, and if he can keep that up, the All-Star starting spot is his.
What he didn't know was that many votes were cast for him by Chinese Americans, and a large number of votes came from cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, where Chinese people gather.
Now that his popularity and influence are rising, his status in the hearts of the Chinese is also rising. In the past, few Chinese Americans were willing to invest in this aspect.
"Ding ding ding..."
At this time, the phone rang, and it was a congratulatory call from agent Philip.
"Zhou, there is one more thing. The All-Stars are on the 20th and 21st. The time is just right. The San Francisco stop of the National Golf Tour will be held on the 18th. It will be a total of four days, one round every day. You can just make it. I got a celebrity for you. Wild card.”
“I’m a bit pressed for time!”
"It doesn't matter. You can fight for two days and then withdraw. I have made all arrangements."
"Okay. By the way, Rogge, how much does the sales of sneakers for the second year still have to go? I think it's almost done, right?"
"Haha, not bad, it's almost completed, just in the past few days. It was a little difficult in the first year, but now your popularity and influence have increased a lot, it will be much easier in the second year, and you can definitely get the next three-year contract."
In the afternoon, Zhou Quan came to the headquarters for training. The assassin said with some resentment: "Iron Fist, 210,000 votes were cast in the first week. You sucked up all the votes in Detroit."
Zhou Quan chuckled and said: "Isiah, at least half of my votes come from outside Detroit. Don't worry, your votes will increase."
Joe Dumars came over and said: "Tekken, you should be the All-Star starter this year."
Rodman jumped up and ran over and shouted: "Congratulate me, I also got 70,000 votes in the first week."
"roll!"
Da Chong got 30,000 more votes than him in the first week. The assassin felt a toothache, looked at Rodman angrily, and walked away depressed.
"If I make it to the All-Stars again this year, it will be my third time. After finishing this contract, my contract should be increased." Rodman said with a smile.
"Dennis, your contract ends in 1994, right?" Zhou Quan asked.
"Yeah, it will be over after next season. I will sign a big contract by then, for at least five years." Rodman said expectantly.
Zhou Quan has some worries. After the 1993/94 season, he can also opt out of the player option in the last year, which will coincide with Rodman. With the financial resources of the Pistons, can he and Rodman be satisfied at the same time?
As far as he knows, Joe Dumars' contract will end in 1995, one year later than the big bug, and the team must leave room for him.
If he chooses to execute the last year of his contract, it will also collide with Joe Dumars' new contract.
Shaking his head, he felt that now was not the time to think about this, and we would discuss those issues later.
(End of chapter)
