After the game, Robert Guida concluded in the TNT commentary box: "In the regular season, the Pistons were the league's top rebounding team, averaging 46.8 rebounds per game, while the Hornets only had 43.9.
Seikali is a strange inside man. He is very soft under the basket, but he has a good sense of rebounding. His light weight allows him to move faster. His addition increases the Pistons' ability to control rebounds, which is why he is better than him. John Salley is strong.
In addition, the Pistons invest more in rebounding, and everyone works hard to compete for rebounds, including offensive rebounds.
For example, Iron Fist, as a point guard, actually grabbed 7 rebounds, only two less than Mourning, so I think it is natural for the Pistons to win the game. "
Ringo Wilson said: "Larry Johnson and Mourning also scored 20+ points, and Kendall also scored 16 points under the defense of Joe Dumars. The offensive end was not lost to the Pistons, and the team's field goal percentage reached 46. %, only two percentage points lower than the Pistons. It can be said that the Hornets lost in rebounding, taking 13 fewer shots."
"So the Hornets have to work harder on rebounding, otherwise this series might be a little bit bad." Robert Guida said at last.
Joe Dumars won the man of the match award and was interviewed on the sidelines.
"Joe, what do you think the Pistons won tonight?" the reporter asked.
"Our offense is very threatening, more efficient, and rebounding, which is also the key reason why we can win." Joe Dumars said.
"ESPN believes that the Hornets have a greater chance of advancing in the first round. Now do you think the Pistons have an increased chance of advancing in the first round?" the reporter asked again.
"No, we always thought that was not correct and that we had a better chance of advancing." Joe Dumars said firmly.
"What do you think of Tekken's performance tonight?" the reporter asked again.
Joe Dumars laughed and said: "I think with his performance, he was the best person tonight. He organized our offense perfectly, passing the ball to the most suitable people and letting them play. Efficient offense and he's a truly elite passer."
Zhou Quan had already sent his girlfriend away and asked her to drive home first. He would not be able to leave the Auburn Hills Palace for another two hours.
In today's game, he didn't make many breakthroughs. They were all outside jumpers. Kendall Gill didn't guard him.
The reason why he didn't break through was, firstly, because there was Mourning inside who averaged 3.5 blocks per game, and he might get blocked if he went in. Secondly, Sekali and Joe Dumars had very high offensive efficiency, so there was no need for him to break in.
"Iron Fist, they're all done."
Back in the locker room, Musk told him that the other three games were over. The Cavaliers defeated the Celtics at home, and Mosaic defeated the Clippers at home.
Seeing that Musk only talked about two games, he asked: "Where are the Trail Blazers and Spurs? They haven't finished yet?"
Musk smiled and said: "The game is over. The Trail Blazers played at home, 87:86, losing by one point."
"What?"
Not only Zhou Quan was a little surprised, but others were as well.
However, I am a little surprised. The Spurs are not weak. They are only one place lower than the Trail Blazers in the regular season. A win over the Trail Blazers is not an upset.
The Trail Blazers are fourth in the Western Conference. After failing to win the championship last season, their strength has declined this season and they have already fallen out of the first gear.
The assassin thought for a while and said: "The Jazz are okay, Mosaic's performance is not bad, but the Trail Blazers are not. I think the Suns, Jazz, and Mosaic are the three teams in the West that have the best chance of reaching the finals."
"Absolutely." Zhou Quan nodded.
Musk laughed and said: "Both the Trail Blazers and Spurs have strong defenses, but the scores are not high. The Trail Blazers lost in rebounding, with 9 fewer rebounds."
"So we must continue to maintain our rebounding advantage and not follow in the footsteps of the Trail Blazers and Hornets." Zhou Quan said immediately, and his teammates also nodded.
Musk added: "Actually, David Robinson's performance was not good. He only made 6 of 20 shots and only shot 30%. Their best performance was Sean Elliott, who shot 57.1% and 14. 8 hits.
The Trail Blazers should also lose. Playing at home, they took 38 free throws, 18 more than the Spurs, but only made 22 free throws, with a shooting percentage of only 57.9%. "
"How many are we?" Zhou Quan asked curiously.
Musk didn't need to look at the data and said immediately: "22 times, the Hornets 18 times, and we have 4 more. However, tonight we attacked less at the basket, mostly outside jumpers, which caused little damage. It is normal that there were not many free throws. "
At this time, the atmosphere in the visiting team's locker room was a bit gloomy for the Hornets.
This game made them feel very frustrated. The Pistons focused on their two low-point offenses. One was Bogues and the other was Larry Johnson. They both played very good mismatch offenses, which gave them a taste of the lack of height. The bitter fruit.
Then, a high degree of injuries cost them a lot of rebounds.
To put it bluntly, the inside line is not high enough.
Head coach Alan Bristow was envious of the fact that the Pistons had Rodman, who was so tall and could grab so many rebounds.
Of course, he is not complaining about Larry Johnson and Mourning. His two generals are not only responsible for rebounding like Rodman. If the Pistons are willing to trade Rodman for one of these two people, he will also sneer at it. of.
He has no idea how to play in the next game.
I did beat the Pistons twice in the regular season. How I won was based on feel. I feel good, and then when the Pistons feel bad, I can win.
In order to boost morale, he opened his mouth and said: "Gentlemen, don't be discouraged, calm down, we have a chance.
You have to notice that they didn't have much offense at the basket today. It was mainly Ulrich's several cuts and no breakthrough from the outside. Including center Seka, they were all outside jumpers. They won today because of his good touch. Seka Leigh and Joe Dumars both shot over 50% from the field, but can they make that many shots every game? impossible. "
When he said this, the atmosphere in the locker room really became more lively.
He added: "We have Alonzo, and when he is under the basket, no one from the Pistons dares to come in, including Iron Fist, they only dare to shoot from the outside. That softie Sekali can only throw from the outside, and this This is our chance.
Alonzo, you are our iron-blooded shield. I need your help in the G2 game. You have to control the outside shots of Joe Dumars and Seikali, especially Seikaly. His shooting position is on the left waist. Outside, not far from the basket, I believe you can do it, you have the ability. "
Mourning nodded very calmly and said: "I understand, coach."
Larry Johnson snorted in his heart, a little unconvinced, but his defense is not as good as Mourning, and this is also true.
Bristow added: "In the next game, we must continue to defend the basket with intensity, block the opponent's breakthrough attack, and at the same time fight for rebounds. As long as their touch declines, our opportunity will come.
Our offense relies more on the basket, and they can't compete at all. Our offensive efficiency is guaranteed, so our state will be more stable than theirs. This is our opportunity. They all gave me stability. This is a series. Whoever is more stable will have a better chance. "
On the 30th, another four G1 games will begin.
In the Chicago United Center, the home team's locker room, Phil Jackson is giving final instructions: "Rebounds, every player must fight for rebounds, it is our lifeline. You must remember the lessons of the Hornets and Trail Blazers, they will Lost on rebounding.”
In the end, the Bulls defeated the Hawks by 24 points at home, scoring 114 points. Jordan shot 57.7% from the field and scored 35 points. He did not make a single mistake, but he also did not steal or block shots. His attitude was very fiery.
Pippen, on the other hand, underperformed, making only 4 of 15 shots and scoring only 10 points and 6 assists.
But the key to the Bulls' victory over the Hawks was not in offense, but in rebounding. They grabbed 62 rebounds from the Hawks and only allowed 28 to the Hawks. The gap was horribly huge.
The Bulls rotated with twelve players, and everyone grabbed rebounds, Jordan had 7, Cartwright had 6, Pippen had 5, Grant had 10, Wilperdo had 9, Williams had 7, and so on.
As for the Hawks, the player with the most rebounds only grabbed five. The two big insiders had an absolute height advantage, but they only grabbed 10 rebounds together.
In addition, the Bulls sent out 37 assists, while the Hawks only had 17, which shows how inefficient their organizational skills and offensive efficiency are.
After watching this game, Zhou Quan became more worried about the Bulls.
Another game in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks versus the Nets, also won easily.
In the West, the SuperSonics defeated the Jazz at home, while the Suns were upset at home and lost to the Lakers.
Zhou Quan immediately switched to the Suns after the Bulls game. He happened to see the Suns losing. The score was 107:103, a loss of four points. The commentator was doing post-game analysis.
The Suns did not lose on rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, but on shooting.
The team's shooting percentage is 48.3%, which is not bad, but the Lakers are as high as 54.2%.
Among them, the three-pointer that killed the Suns was only 1 of 11 shots. The shooting rate was 9.1%. It can't be described as a wasteful shot. It was simply a blind shot.
There are only two culprits for three-pointers. In the Suns, only two players have made three-pointers, and no one else has.
Main shooting guard Dan Marley made 0 of 6 three-pointers, and substitute Danny Ainge made 1 of 5 three-pointers. The two teamed up to ruin the game.
Charles Barkley made 12 of 16 shots, shot 75% from the field, and scored 34 points, but he failed to save the team.
Zhou Quan took this as a warning, and he should not throw three-pointers randomly in the future. His hand will feel cold. Even if his opponent's defense is slightly better, no matter how good his basic skills are, it will be useless.
He also admires those two idiots Dan Malley and Danny Ainge. They pass the ball when they can't get in, and they still throw three-pointers persistently. Their courage is really commendable. Are they trying to make Barkley despair?
At this time, in the Phoenix and Suns locker rooms, Barkley was extremely angry, and his two black eyes had begun to turn green.
But he was new here, so he didn't dare to fall out with Dan Marley and the others, so he could only stare at the ceiling. The baby felt miserable and just swallowed it.
On May 1st, the media wildly praised the Bulls and criticized the Suns wildly. The two teams that were the favorites to win the championship encountered completely different treatments.
"The Lakers will complete the Black Eight feat!" Los Angeles Daily News.
"The Bulls are aiming for three consecutive championships, and Michael Jordan will create the first dynasty in the new era!" Chicago Daily News.
That night, the G2 game started.
At the Palace of Auburn Hills, the Pistons still followed the tactics of the G1 game.
After halftime, it was tied at 54:54.
Joe Dumars made 5 of 13 shots in the first half and a shooting percentage of 38.5%, which is not bad.
Facing Boggs with such an offensive efficiency, it was a substandard performance. The main problem was that in the fourth minute of the first quarter, Mourning jumped out and blocked him once. Mourning continued to make high-quality assist defense after that. It affected his offense and lowered his shooting percentage.
With the same problem, Mourning also stepped up his defense against Seikali, blocking him twice in the half. Coupled with Larry Johnson increasing his defensive intensity, Seikaly made 3 of 8 shots in the first half and hit a hit. The rate is only 37.5%.
Larry Johnson and Mourning strengthened their low-post offense, causing damage to the Pistons' inside line. The Hornets got 15 free throws in the first half, while the Pistons only had 10.
In the G1 game, the two strong points with a shooting percentage of more than 50% were disadvantageous offensively. Fortunately, the rebounds were good and they still maintained their advantage, with 6 more than the Hornets. Otherwise, they would have fallen behind in the first half.
Zhou Quan played Kendall Gill in isolation. He made 4 of 7 shots in the first half, a shooting percentage of 57.1%, and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 10 points, sent two steals and 5 assists, made no mistakes, and grabbed 4 rebound.
Back in the locker room, Chuck Daly said to Zhou Quan: "Zhou, in the second half you have to strengthen your breakthrough with the ball and improve our offensive efficiency."
Zhou Quan nodded. The Hornets shot 43% in the first half, while the Pistons only shot 40%, a gap of three percentage points. In the second half, he will definitely rush in and hit.
"Orlando, Joe, you two play a pick-and-roll with Zhou, and when you get a chance, move down. Ronnie, you go to the high post and play a pick-and-roll with Zhou, then stay in the high post and hit Kendall Gill out of position."
Chuck Daly said again to Ulrich and Joe Dumars and Seikaly.
"Defensively, Zhou, you have to try your best to help defend. We have no other defensive force." He said to Zhou Quan again.
"knew."
Zhou Quan nodded. Regarding the outside line, Ulrich's defense was not good. Joe Dumars could only defend the outside line, but not the inside line. That is to say, his confrontation ability allowed him to help defend the inside line.
Not long after, the third quarter began and the Hornets attacked.
Boggs used his speed to break through Zhou Quan and get into the paint.
Zhou Quan calmly pursued the enemy from behind, like a patient fox chasing the mouse that escaped from the forest.
Bogues darted left and right, drove in from the left elbow, and then came out from the low right wing. After disrupting the Pistons' penalty area, he pulled it to the right wing and then passed to Kendall Gill who ran out of the space.
Gill ran to the three-point line at the 50-degree position on the right wing and received the ball. He stood up and shot, and then lowered his body, but it was a fake move.
"Oops!"
In the next moment, Joe Dumas, who had jumped down from above, flew up and passed in front of Kendall Gill.
The next moment, Jill stood up again, this time actually jumping.
But at this moment, Zhou Quan threw Boggs, rushed from the front very quickly, jumped up after one step, raised his right arm high, and blocked the shot with one hand.
"What?"
Kendall Gill was startled, but his attack was irreversible, so he had no choice but to take action.
In fact, blocking shots also falls within the scope of hitting sports. Zhou Quan's blocking is also very accurate, but he generally does not spend energy on blocking shots.
This time, his right hand accurately reached the bottom of the basketball, and he just lifted the ball lightly without using much force.
The next moment, he landed in front of Gill, turned around and got stuck, then took off a second time and caught the fallen ball.
"Pa bang bang..."
Immediately, the Palace of Auburn Hills gave this block a very warm applause.
Bearded John Rowes shouted excitedly: "Great job! Iron Fist completed a block and grabbed the ball."
"Qiao is going down quickly, Iron Fist passes the ball." The bespectacled man Longger Lance shouted.
Joe Dumars caught the ball halfway across the court, but the Hornets couldn't get back in time and hit a layup.
54:56, Hornets attack.
Larry Johnson received the ball in the low post on the right wing and hit Rodman with his back.
"boom!"
Rodman defended with all his strength. Larry Johnson saw that it was difficult to hit the ball, so he immediately turned over and shot a jumper, but missed.
"Snapped!"
Ronny Sekali was in a more advantageous position than Mourning and protected this backcourt rebound.
Zhou Quan received the ball and advanced. As soon as he turned around, Boggs rushed forward and jumped directly into his arms to steal his ball.
But his nerve reaction speed is so fast, level 96. It is estimated that few people in the league can react faster than him.
In an instant, he turned around very quickly, passed Boggs, and then accelerated forward.
The Hornets returned to defense with all their strength, but even Kendall Gill was not as fast as Zhou Quan. He rode alone at the front of the two teams and went straight to the basket.
Boggs regretted that he shouldn't have taken the risk to steal the ball just now. As soon as he was caught, there was no one in front of him, and everything was smooth sailing.
"boom!"
Zhou Quan rushed into the paint area, flew up, and hit a powerful tomahawk chop, which detonated the Palace of Auburn Hills.
(End of chapter)
