On the night of the 8th, Delta State Center Arena.
At 7:30, both sides announced the starting lineup.
Jazz: Felton Spencer, Karl Malone, David Benoit, Jeff Malone, John Stockton
SuperSonics: Sam Perkins, Rodman, Schrempf, Kendall Gill, Zhou Quan
The game was not broadcast live nationally, only on regional television in Salt Lake City.
At 7:30, the home team became more active, and the starters from both sides met in the tunnel.
When Rodman saw the postman, he laughed and whispered to Zhou Quan: "Iron Fist, here comes the pig head."
"Ha ha……"
Zhou Quan couldn't control himself and laughed.
Rodman's voice was actually quite loud. The postman heard it and kept a straight face, neither speaking nor looking at Zhou Quan or Rodman.
"Detrev, I heard that boxing in Germany is very popular?" Zhou Quan didn't bother to pay attention and turned to Schrempf.
When Schrempf heard this, he immediately nodded proudly and said: "Yes, Iron Fist, boxing is very popular in our country."
Having said this, he said with a look of admiration: "Tie Fist, many of the sports you are good at are among the most popular sports in our country."
"Oh, those?" Zhou Quan asked curiously.
"The number one favorite in Germany is of course football, then golf, third is ice hockey, and then boxing," Schrempf said.
Rodman screamed strangely: "Oh, Iron Fist, you account for three of the top four most popular sports in Germany. You go to Germany to develop, and don't steal our jobs here."
"Haha..." Zhou Quan and others laughed.
Seeing Zhou Quan and others chatting and laughing, Karl Malone, Stockton, and Jeff Malone looked at each other with unlucky expressions on their faces.
They were unlucky to meet the SuperSonics in the first round of the playoffs last season. In the end, the Mammoths retired after playing last season, but the team got Tom Chambers from the Suns and the Timberwolves. Felton Spencer has increased their inside strength. The Jazz are getting better and better, and their ambitions this season are even greater.
However, this guy Iron Fist actually ran from the East to the West just after winning the championship. Although the SuperSonics is equivalent to reconstruction, who dares to underestimate this rebuilt SuperSonics?
There is no doubt that the arrival of Iron Fist has increased competition in the Western Conference. At the same time, John Stockton has never taken advantage of Iron Fist. It can be said that Zhou Quan is Stockton's nemesis, and the Jazz are also likely to be affected by this team. The new Sonics are restrained, which is why they feel unlucky.
"Shh!"
When the away team came out, the fans in Salt Lake City were not polite to Zhou Quan. After all, they had just beaten the postman in a professional boxing ring, and they all booed when they saw him come out.
"hehe……"
Such a lively away game and such active fans make Zhou Quan like it very much. He hates lifeless stadiums the most.
"Shh!"
Seeing Zhou Quan waving to them repeatedly, is this a provocation? The boos from Jazz fans suddenly became more violent.
…
At eight o'clock, the game starts.
"Guys, what do we want tonight?"
"victory!"
Zhou Quan shouted, Rodman and others responded in unison, and then walked onto the court.
There is no height inside, and jumping balls are the Sonics' weakness. The Jazz attack.
John Stockton entered the frontcourt with the ball, and Zhou Quan defended in front.
One is 77 kg, the other is 92 kg, one runs slowly, one runs fast, one cannot jump high, one can jump very well, vision, confrontation, passing, offense, defense, organizational skills, Zhou Quan has advantages in all aspects .
If we talk about advantages, John Stockton barely has a slight advantage in game experience. Nothing else can be mentioned, they are all disadvantages.
Since his rookie season, Zhou Quan has never been at a disadvantage when facing Stockton. He has always had the advantage. Against this 5-time assist champion, two-time steal champion, 5-time All-Star, 3-time second team defensive player, and 6-times The superstar of the best second team, no matter from the physical, technical, psychological and other aspects, he now has a crushing advantage.
And this was also an important reason why the postman and others felt unlucky after he came to the east.
Facing Zhou Quan's suffocating defense, especially his crazy steals, John Stockton was under great pressure and his nerves were tense.
At this time, the postman came to the top of the arc and made a pick-and-roll.
But when Zhou Quan heard the sound of sneakers scraping closer and closer behind him, he realized that the pick-and-roll was coming. He immediately stepped up to close up, forcing Stockton to change his position. In this way, with a simple close-up, he broke the postman and Stockton. Tocton's pick-and-roll tactics.
John Stockton took advantage of Zhou Quan's close contact and quickly broke through, but two steps later, the faster Zhou Quan was close to him again.
However, over the years, the pick-and-roll tactics created by Jerry Sloan have reached their peak. The Postman's first pick-and-roll was unsuccessful, and the second pick-and-roll followed immediately.
Small forward David Benoit on the left wing came over to pick and roll, and Stockton finally got rid of Zhou Quan.
But Schrempf's defense is not bad. He is 206 centimeters tall and can play as a center. He uses his tall body to block and buy time for Zhou Quan's pursuit.
As soon as Stockton got around Schrempf, Zhou Quan caught up with him again. Then Schrempf did not chase David Benoit, but directly double-teamed him on the spot.
At this moment, Zhou Quan's powerful vision observed the positions of almost all players on both sides, and quickly made a prediction. Stockton only had one passing angle, which was David Benteno moving behind him. Only this backward The passing angle is safe.
Sure enough, then he saw David Benoit running towards Stockton's back.
"Snapped!"
The front and both sides were locked. Just when Stockton turned around and passed the ball, Zhou Quan, who was well prepared, quickly stepped in, stretched out his long arm, and poked the ball away with a big hand. , and then got it by Schrempf.
"Oh, damn steal, be careful of his steal." The annoyed voice of the on-site commentator rang out from the Delta State Center.
Zhou Quan took the ball and immediately bypassed David Bennot in front and started a fast break.
The Sonics' offensive speed is very fast. The highest heights on the court are Schrempf and Sam Perkins, both only 206 centimeters. Rodman is only 201 centimeters. This is the basis for fast breaks.
John Stockton was very self-aware and had no intention of blocking Zhou Quan head-on. He tried his best to defend and ran ahead, hoping to prevent Zhou Quan from rushing forward.
But Zhou Quan is faster. Even if he holds the ball, he can run a little faster than Stockton. With a small change of direction, he overtakes the opponent. Once he passes, Stockton can't hold him back.
Defender Jeff Malone is a 32-year-old veteran who returned to the defense from the other wing and was unable to catch up with Zhou Quan.
"boom!"
Zhou Quan rushed into the penalty area, flew and dunked, and exploded the Jazz's basket with a powerful chop.
"John, hold the ball less and release the ball faster. Others should run more and do more pick-and-rolls." Jerry Sloan shouted from the sidelines.
He knows very well that if the ball is always in John Stockton's hands, he will definitely suffer a big loss against the iron fist defense.
But this is not a good idea. Without Stockton holding the ball, the Jazz's offense will collapse first. The Jazz's strongest point is the pick-and-roll between Stockton and Karl Malone. Without Stockton holding the ball, the Jazz will lose half of its offense. There is no basis for playing a pick-and-roll with the postman, and Stockton's organizational ability must be exerted with the ball. Without the ball in his hands, he has no threat.
So after playing for a while, the Jazz were in trouble, and Jerry Sloan had to call a timeout to adjust tactics and arrange multiple pick-and-roll tactics for Stockton in an attempt to get rid of Zhou Quan.
But at this time, another weakness of John Stockton was exposed again, and that was his lack of finishing ability.
No matter how the Jazz pick-and-roll, Zhou Quan never switches defenses, so Stockton will also get some open shots, but his finishing ability is limited, and Zhou Quan quickly catches up with him and takes shots in a hurry, which is not very efficient. .
This game was still the same as the Pistons against Zhou Quan before. The Jazz had no good solution. Zhou Quan just defeated Stockton, locking the opponent on the defensive end, and beating the opponent on the offensive end.
Of course, the Jazz also have their own strengths. The postman is strong enough to defeat Dennis Rodman, who is not a top player in single defense.
But once Zhou Quan locked up Stockton, the postman didn't have many chances to get the ball. Moreover, the SuperSonics' defensive system did not rely on single defense, but relied on quick rotations and fierce flanking attacks. This defensive system, The effect against pick-and-rolls is good, and the effect against mid-range shooting superstars like Postman is also good.
Postman was not in good shape in the SuperSonics' double-attack defense. He only made 7 of 18 shots and his shooting rate was only 38.9%. Rodman mainly defended Postman and did a very good job.
At the end, 124:102, the SuperSonics won their second consecutive victory.
Six players on the team scored in double figures, including Zhou Quan with 25 points and 15 assists, Kendall Gill with 18 points, Schrempf with 21 points, Sam Perkins with 13 points, Rodman with 10 points, and substitute forward and guard swingman Nate. McMillan had 15 points.
However, the Sonics still made a lot of mistakes, with 17 turnovers and Zhou Quan's 4.
Last season, the Sonics averaged 15 turnovers per game, the Pistons averaged 13, and the Bulls had the fewest, only 12.9. Therefore, the Sonics' turnovers are not out of control and are still at a reasonable level during the running-in period.
If there are more than 20 turnovers in a single game, it means the player is in a sluggish state. If there are less than 20 turnovers, the coaching staff will not be too harsh at present.
After the media conference, the Sonics rushed back to Seattle overnight.
It took two hours to fly 1,400 kilometers, plus the time to go to the airport and return home from the airport. Zhou Quan didn't get home until four in the morning.
The housekeeper Merlin Wellington is indeed a professional housekeeper and manages the villa very well. At this time, there is also a security guard who insists on patrolling the night and does not go to bed too lazy. When Zhou Quan returned to the villa, she got up immediately. .
"Ms. Wellington, there is no need for you to get up. Go to bed quickly." Zhou Quan was startled when he saw Merlin Wellington and hurriedly advised her.
"This is my job, sir," insisted Merlan Wellington.
Then she added: "Sir, if you didn't eat on the plane, I have asked the chef to prepare some. Do you want to take it out?"
Zhou Quan smiled and shook his head: "No, we usually prepare food on the plane. I have already eaten it. If I come back at this time in the future, there is no need to prepare food for me."
He usually doesn't eat before going to bed. When flying at night, he always eats something on the plane and sleeps when he gets home.
However, he is still very satisfied with this housekeeper, who does his duty well.
The next day, at noon on the 9th, Zhou Quan received the Smiling Assassin Isiah Thomas in the villa.
The assassin first walked around the lake and then visited the villa. He looked envious and said: "Iron Fist, this villa is great!"
Zhou Quan smiled and said, "You can buy it, don't say you have no money."
The assassin shook his head and said: "I can't afford it. I only received a total salary of 14 million in my career, and I didn't save much money."
"Don't cry poor. When the Bad Boys were in power, you were one of the best point guards in the league, with a lot of endorsements and sponsorships." Zhou Quan smiled.
The assassin laughed and said, "That's too expensive. For more than three million, I can buy a villa in Los Angeles and New York."
"I like the environment here." Zhou Quan smiled with satisfaction.
That night, the SuperSonics played back-to-back games at home against the visiting Denver Nuggets.
At eight o'clock, the two teams announced their starting lineups.
Nuggets: Mutombo, Rafonso Ellis, Reggie Williams, Bryant Stick, Mohamed Lauf
SuperSonics: Sam Perkins, Rodman, Schrempf, Kendall Gill, Zhou Quan
This regular season game was broadcast live across the United States on ESPN, and the commentators were Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer.
Isiah Thomas said: “Our record against the Nuggets last season was average, and they had Mutombo inside, a big guy who was very defensive.
The current inside height of this Sonics is not as high as ours last season, so I think this Sonics is a bit passive when facing the Nuggets and needs to be in shape from the outside. The performance of Iron Fist and Kendall Gill is crucial. "
Bill Laimbeer said: "With Sam Perkins pulled to the three-point line, Mutombo will definitely switch to guard the offensive idiot Big Chong and sit under the basket. Then when the Iron Fist guy breaks in, he will take the opportunity to reward him with ten big blocks. "
The assassin couldn't laugh or cry, Bill, be careful if Iron Fist gets the chance to beat you again.
When he saw Zhou Quan in the player tunnel, Mutombo said with both envy and emotion: "Iron Fist, you were lucky in our class. We got signature sneakers, a championship, AMVP, and FMVP." , I will get a big contract next season, and I have a lot of commercial endorsements, when will it be my turn?"
"Am I lucky?"
Zhou Quan shook his head and said with a smile: "That's due to strength."
Mutombo said unconvinced: "Your record against us last season was mediocre. Our Nuggets restrained your lineup. If you play against us for the championship, you may not win."
Zhou Quan laughed and looked Mutombo up and down. Why did he feel that this old guy was a little over the top?
Mutombo was a little frightened by Zhou Quan's sight, and said hurriedly: "Iron Fist, what are you looking at?"
Zhou Quan smiled and said: "I think your tonnage is at least 115 kilograms. Why are you so floating? You have to be down-to-earth, understand? I think you want to gain weight."
Mutombo was still unconvinced and said: "I'll say this after I win."
"If you are looking for abuse, I will help you." Zhou Quan said with a smile.
Mutombo proudly raised his right hand, raised his index finger, shook it towards Zhou Quan, and said, "It's hard to say who is looking for abuse."
Staring at the index finger that kept wagging towards him, Zhou Quan smiled, nodded, and said nothing more.
At half past eight, the game starts.
The Sonics lost another jump ball and the Nuggets attacked.
Zhou Quan faced Lauf, a point guard who weighed only 73 kilograms and was 185 centimeters tall. He was two circles smaller than him. Standing opposite him, he looked only half as wide as him.
Lauf was the Most Improved Player last season, the second overall pick in 1990, and the Nuggets' scoring leader last season. He averaged 19.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1 steal, and 2.3 turnovers per game. As a point guard, his assist-to-turnover ratio was only 1.83. This shows that He is an offensive point guard with poor vision and poor passing ability.
He is characterized by fast speed, flexibility, and a mid-range and long-range shot, but he is not a marksman. The main shooting areas are three-pointers and two-pointers from far away. His offense at the basket is 15%, and his near-two-pointers and mid-range two-pointers only account for 20%.
To defend such a point guard, the main defense is shooting, breakthrough and passing are secondary.
Laufu advanced to the top of the arc, feeling a little panicked when he faced Zhou Quan who was eyeing him eagerly.
"Kill him!"
The assassin suddenly shouted loudly, startling Ranbir.
What a coincidence, at this moment, Zhou Quan suddenly started to grab, stepped forward with his right foot, leaned over and stabbed the basketball with his left hand.
Lauf was nervous and instinctively turned around to protect the ball, hoping to take advantage of the situation and make a pass.
But Zhou Quan's defense was not a risky steal, but a very proactive aggressive steal. The poke just now just forced the opponent to make a mistake.
When Lauf turned around, he had already retracted his right foot and quickly took a step to the right. Lauf turned around to break through and bumped into him. The difference in resistance was too great. He bounced back and sat on the floor. The ball was also out of control.
Zhou Quan picked up the basketball and immediately launched a counterattack.
"Haha!" the assassin laughed.
Laimbeer said angrily: "Get some weight. All point guards in the Western Conference have gained five kilograms."
"Can they carry so much meat on them? Bill, do you know how much tonnage Lauf is? It is 19 kilograms smaller than the Iron Fist. Haha, he looks only half the size of the Iron Fist."
When the assassin said this, he was laughing so much.
"boom!"
Zhou Quan entered the penalty area with the ball and made a huge looping dunk that caused the Seattle Center Stadium to explode.
Mutombo wiped his sweat. It's not okay to keep playing like this. The ball can't come in from the outside. Lauf can't beat the Iron Fist guy.
He looked at head coach Dan Issel on the sidelines. The second-year head coach didn't seem to have any reaction and seemed very comfortable standing there.
Nuggets offense.
Lauf immediately advanced quickly after receiving the ball, trying to use his speed to get rid of Zhou Quan, but was unsuccessful. His ball-holding speed was no faster than Zhou Quan's, and Zhou Quan used defense to suppress him and failed to rush forward, and almost made another mistake.
With the help of Reggie Williams' screen, he advanced to the frontcourt and pulled to the left wing. Zhou Quan caught up with him again. He quickly made a fake shot and then made an emergency stop jump shot in one step from the three-point line.
Zhou Quan blocked the shot from the side, but couldn't keep up with the ball and blocked his eye directly with his big hand.
"Whoosh!"
Without touching anything, he flew directly from under the basket to the baseline.
Supersonic attack, Zhou Quan advanced quickly, and Lauf harassed on one side.
But it was of no use. Zhou Quan accelerated, but Raofu didn't dare to get close. The slightest contact was directly bounced away.
Arriving in the frontcourt, Zhou Quan had already outpaced the faster Lauf and headed towards the top of the arc. Small forward Reggie Williams came over to cover the defense. He changed direction to the left and broke into the penalty area from the left elbow.
Under the basket, Mutombo switched to defend Rodman and had just run to the basket. Just when he turned around, he saw Zhou Quan rushing in.
When he rushed into the penalty area, he had already pulled up the ball, put it together with both hands, and then grabbed the ball with one hand with his right hand and suddenly pushed toward Rodman on the right side of the basket.
At this moment, Mutombo's attention was distracted and he instinctively looked towards Rodman.
The next moment, Zhou Quan took off with the ball, grabbing the ball with his right hand and raising it high, as if holding a tomahawk.
"Oops!"
Mutombo jumped up quickly, but it was already half a beat too late.
"Go to hell!"
When Mutombo took off, Zhou Quan had already jumped up completely, hitting up and down, and his right arm holding the ball accelerated and slashed through the opponent.
"boom!"
Amidst the extremely violent explosion of the basket, Mutombo was knocked over directly and fell to the basket, while Zhou Quan was hanging high above the basket.
"Oh ho!"
Thousands of people raised their arms and roared loudly, instantly erupting in the Central Gymnasium.
"Dunk! Iron fist dunk Mutombo..." the on-site commentator Henem Chrisman shouted, extremely passionate.
"I seem to have seen another Rain Man." McGhim said excitedly.
"Bill, are you a little disappointed?" the assassin joked in the ESPN commentary box.
"snort!"
Ranbir snorted and said, "If you continue to fight in, you will be hit sooner or later."
Zhou Quan landed on the floor, straddling Mutombo's body with his legs, leaned down and shook his right index finger at the opponent, smiling: "Dikembe, why do you ask for abuse? This is not a good habit, we But for the same year show, you should beg me to take care of you. For example, Iron Fist, please, don’t dunk me next time, okay? Haha!”
"go away."
Mutombo was so embarrassed at this moment that he could only block Zhou Quan with both hands to prevent this guy from passing over his head to avoid being humiliated again.
(End of chapter)
