At the end of the first month of the schedule, the media analyzed the first teams in the East and West.
Mosaic, which has the best record in the league, has been promoted to the first team, replacing the 8-3 Suns.
However, some media still regard the Suns as the first team. After all, it is only the first month.
Dameng has received high praise from the media, and Mosaic has become the favorite team to win the championship this season.
Next, the SuperSonics won another five games in a row. After losing to the Cavaliers in an away game, they had a six-game winning streak. Among them were playoff teams like the Spurs, with a record of 15 wins and 2 losses.
On December 8, the Lakers announced the hiring of a new head coach, and Magic resigned after coaching 16 games.
"I'm going to work as a commentator. TNT TV station has contacted me and I agreed to them." I don't know if it was because the assassin killed the commentator that the magician also chose to change careers.
Or maybe it's because Assassin and Laimbeer have a good effect on ESPN's haha duo. TNT also wanted to find a gimmick. Not only did they hire Magic, but they also paid a high salary to hire Larry Bird. The Magic Birds reunited and became partners.
On the 8th and 9th, they defeated the Spurs and the Mavericks back to back on the road, and on the 10th, they came to Houston again.
The three teams of Texas Texas in the NBA occupy two super centers. The strongest one is of course Houston, where Big Dream is located, and it is also the strongest opponent in this wave of away games.
Mosaic lost to the Eagles in the Eastern Conference before, and currently has 18 wins and 1 loss, still ranking first in the league, but the SuperSonics' record is not bad, and it is certain that the two teams will be competitors in the playoffs.
In addition, Zhou Quan had personal holidays with Olajuwon and Vernon Maxwell, and had fierce on-court conflicts, so this game attracted a lot of attention, almost as much as the game between the Sonics and the Bulls.
"Hakim, are you confident you can defeat Iron Fist?"
"Dameng, what do you think are the team's strengths and weaknesses against the Sonics?"
After training this afternoon, when Dameng left the headquarters, he was stopped by the media at the door.
"We are the strongest in this league. Our lineup can restrain the Sonics. If Michael can defeat Iron Fist, of course I can."
"We are facing the SuperSonics, and the inside line is of course an advantage. Do you even need to ask? At least the disadvantage you mentioned. Sorry, the Jets and Madmen won't let Iron Fist have an easy time. I believe they can deal with him."
One reporter immediately said: "But the Jets and Mad Men never defeated Iron Fist."
Dameng snorted coldly: "That's hard to say, and our advantage on the inside is enough to make up for the disadvantage on the outside."
…
Houston is the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest city in the United States. It has a good economy, with a city population of 2 million and a metropolitan area of 6 million. It is a good football market and is the second-tier football market, second only to the Knicks. and Los Angeles.
Houston also has a Chinatown, and China also has a Consulate General in this city. There are many rumors about the number of Chinese. Some media even say that it exceeds 500,000. This is a complete exaggeration. The urban area does not exceed 30,000, including the illegal immigrants, and the metropolitan area will not exceed 30,000. Sixty thousand, this data comes from a German census three years ago.
On the contrary, there are more Indians and Vietnamese in Texas and Houston than Chinese. The former even reaches 200,000, and the latter is about the same.
No. 11, Compaq Center.
At eight o'clock, both sides announced the starting lineup.
SuperSonics: Sam Perkins, Rodman, Schrempf, Kendall Gill, Zhou Quan
Mosaic: Olajuwon, Ostie Thorpe, Robert Horry, Vernon Maxwell, Kenny Smith
The game was broadcast live nationwide by ABC television, with commentators Bill Walton and Lewis Williams.
"Mosaic is very strong this season. Dameng's performance is too versatile. I think they have hope of reaching the finals this season." Williams said.
Bill Walton said: "Mosaic, the Suns, and the SuperSonics all have a chance to reach the finals. Behind them are the Spurs and Jazz, which are the second tier of the Western Conference.
The arrival of Iron Fist in the West has indeed increased competition in the West. He is changing the original situation of the East being strong and the West being weak. This is also a situation the league hopes to see. "
Coming to the player tunnel, Zhou Quan greeted Olajuwon: "Hey, Dameng, the record is good, but he rushed too fast in the early stage, be careful of pulling your hips in the later stage."
"You should be careful about your crotch pulling in the later stage." Dameng said with an unlucky look on his face.
When he saw Zhou Quan, Maxwell couldn't help but rub his belly and felt that his intestines hurt again, but he didn't dare to provoke Zhou Quan again, so he could only sulk secretly.
Zhou Quan didn't even look at Maxwell. He didn't even see the guy whose intestines he had kicked. This made Maxwell even more angry and made his intestines hurt even more.
At this time, the lights went out and the host called the away team to play.
When it was Zhou Quan's turn to play, he saw many Chinese faces wearing his No. 1 jersey and heard their cheers.
"Chinese should be banned from entering."
Madman Vernon Maxwell couldn't help snorting when he saw Zhou Quan greeting those Chinese.
"Idiot, what the boss wants most is for the game to be full. If he hears this from you, he will trade you immediately." Dameng scolded.
Jets Kenny Smith also said helplessly: "This is racial discrimination, Vernon, don't say such things in the future. The management only hopes that more Chinese will buy tickets to enter."
At half past eight, the game starts.
Jump ball, the Sonics lost without surprise, Mosaic offense.
Kenny Smith is the same height as Zhou Quan, with a shoe height of 191 centimeters and a tonnage of only 77 kilograms. There is a 15 kilogram difference. His strategy to beat Zhou Quan is to take advantage of his speed and agility. He has also played this way against Zhou Quan before.
But he unexpectedly found that his movements were at most comparable to Zhou Quan's. Whether it was speed or agility, he couldn't easily get rid of the opponent, so he started to use pick-and-rolls.
In the first few rounds, Mosaic was mainly attacked by Dameng. Kenny Smith did not have much entanglement with Zhou Quan and found a way to hand the ball to Dameng in the frontcourt.
The first quarter lasted three minutes, 4:8, and the SuperSonics trailed by 4 points.
Dameng made 2 of 3 shots and caused a foul by Rodman, resulting in a two-plus-one. On the defensive end, he also ran to the three-point line and blocked a three-point shot by Perkins, scoring 5 points, 1 rebound, and 1 Block data.
Zhou Quan didn't get a single assist. He made 1 of 2 shots in the first three minutes. He made a pass error and passed the ball to Kendall Gill. The opponent didn't catch it and flew out of the sideline.
"The regular season is our baseline against our playoff opponents. We need to play better and increase our defensive intensity."
George Karl called a timeout and asked to strengthen the defense against Dameng and at the same time increase the defensive intensity.
In the next game, both sides fell into a tough defensive battle, with both shooting percentages being very low, and Dameng's efficiency also dropped.
After the first quarter, at 18:19, Mosaic led by 1 point at home.
Dameng played for 10 minutes, making 4 of 8 shots, 2 of 5 shots from the next, and 2 of 3 free throws. He scored 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, and 1 foul.
Zhou Quan played 11 minutes and made 2 of 5 shots. He was unlucky. He rushed in and took a big block from Dameng. He made 0 of 1 three-pointers and 4 of 4 free throws. He scored 8 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Data of 1 steal, 2 turnovers and 1 foul.
Bill Walton complained: "SuperSonics is the best defensive team in the Western Conference, conceding the fewest points, followed closely by Mosaic. The two best defensive teams in the Western Conference play the ugliest games.
The SuperSonics shot only 33.3% in the first quarter, the team made 1 of 9 three-pointers, and Mosaic only shot 41%, not much better. "
Williams laughed and said: "Tonight's game is the defensive intensity of the playoffs, but this is overall. Damn and Iron Fist should not be playing at their full strength."
Bill Walton nodded and said: "It's just the regular season. It's not a garbage team. Their goal is the playoffs and it's impossible to perform at their full strength."
Zhou Quan found that his team had the same problem as the Suns. There were a lot of three-pointers. Of course it is good if the touch is good, but if the touch is not good, the game loses control.
"Iron fist, strengthen the breakthrough with the ball." George Karl said.
"Okay." He nodded.
Although he was blocked in the first quarter, he still had to make a breakthrough because everyone's touch was not good. If he shot from outside, the game would be lost.
But the game was ultimately lost, 82:91, due to low post offense.
Dameng scored 38 points and made 11 of 20 shots. The shooting rate was only 55%. It was not ridiculously high, but it was too lethal. The Sonics were unstoppable inside. Facing double teams, they made 16 of 19 free throws. In addition to scoring 38 points, he also had 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, 8 blocks, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls, showing a top offensive and defensive performance.
The number of times he took the ball to attack alone accounted for half of the team's. Both offensive and defensive ends were disruptive in the SuperSonics penalty area. It can be said that the SuperSonics lost to him.
Although Zhou Quan has strengthened his breakthroughs, Mosaic's inside line is too strong. Dameng + Thorpe, only on the defensive end, can be called the league's top inside line combination. The offense has not been effective, and the lethality has not been achieved.
Especially when faced with the crazy Dream, Jordan had to suffer. Not to mention that his personal offensive ability was not as good as Jordan's. He was blocked by Dream twice in the game. He was also intercepted once by Dream and Puso, and he made 10 breakthrough layups. Only 5, the efficiency is not high.
He was also double-teamed by Kenny Smith and Vernon Maxwell on the outside. He made 5 of 11 shots, 10 of 21 shots from the field, and a shooting percentage of 47.6%. He made 1 of 3 three-pointers and 7 of 8 free throws. 28 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 6 turnovers and 4 fouls.
The assists were the lowest in a single game this season. The team's shooting percentage was just over 30%. They were able to get 8 assists only by relying on a few fast breaks.
This game allowed Zhou Quan to see Dameng's strength.
Among the top three, no, the top four super centers, for now, this game made him believe that Dameng is the strongest among them.
This game also allowed him to see the shortcomings of the SuperSonics lineup. Low-post offenses actually rely on breakthroughs from the outside to score. Real insiders rarely play low-post offenses, and Perkins was pulled to the three-point line.
Without low post offense, Dameng could frequently run to the three-point line to help defend, seriously affecting his own outside shooting.
In other words, if this Sonics encounters a team with a strong inside line, once its shooting touch is not good, it will be easy to lose.
This is very similar to the Pistons without Seikali. To change this situation, a transaction should be necessary. Otherwise, we can only hope to encounter this kind of team and perform in a better state.
If there is a mosaic in the playoffs, it will be a big trouble.
He plans to talk and communicate with the management to see if he can trade a center with low-post offense.
This is not easy, because the Sonics' goal is the playoffs, and they are facing the super center Dream. To be able to play a good low-post offense on Dream, what level of center is needed?
"Boy, you made the biggest mistake by coming to the West. You will never get ahead in the West in this life, I'm telling you." After the game, Dameng proudly said to Zhou Quan.
"Old guy, winning in the playoffs is a win. What you say doesn't count, you idiot!" Zhou Quan said disdainfully.
"snort!"
After being scolded, Dameng clenched his fist and then unclenched it. When it came to fighting, he had always been self-aware and knew that he did not have the strength to punch in front of Zhou Quan.
Zhou Quan saw that Dameng was very obedient, smiled and nodded: "Good attitude. Remember, old boy, be more respectful to me. Maybe when I get happy, I will teach you how to win the championship."
"you?"
Dameng was extremely angry, but also extremely jealous.
Entering the league with Jordan, Jordan has won two championships, but he has yet to taste the taste of a championship. Zhou Quan even won the championship in his second season. How can he not be jealous?
He couldn't fight or talk, so he turned away in anger.
…
With 15 wins and 3 losses, the Sonics are still second in the Western Conference.
But this record has caused the team to be questioned by many media.
Especially Zhou Quan, as the team boss, is the focus and number one target of questioning.
"The SuperSonics lost to the Bulls, Cavaliers, and Mosaic respectively. Can we think that the Iron Fist team cannot beat strong teams at all and can only bully weak teams?" New York Times.
"The SuperSonics reached the Western Conference Finals last season and reached the tiebreaker with the Suns. They are absolutely a strong team in the playoffs. This season they will become a strong team in the regular season. We judge that after they enter the playoffs, they will become a strong team. A weak team. If Tekken had faced Dream instead of Mark West in the finals last season, he would have suffered a bloody blow." Houston Chronicle.
…
The team returned to Seattle the next day, and a wave of six home games awaited the Sonics, including one back-to-back.
On the 13th, the Magic arrived in Seattle.
On the evening of the 14th, at 7:30 p.m., both sides announced the starting lineup.
Magic: O'Neal, Jeff Turner, Anfernee Hardaway, Nick Anderson, Scott Skiles
SuperSonics: Michael Cage, Rodman, Schrempf, Kendall Gill, Zhou Quan
O'Neal has a helper in Anfernee Hardaway. So far this season, he has 11 wins and 7 losses, with a winning rate of 61.1%. He has temporarily maintained the fourth position in the Eastern Conference, which is better than last season. O'Neal is obviously very happy. When he saw Zhou Quan, he He shouted proudly: "Iron Fist, I asked you to partner with me and you won't do it. Now that I have penny, I don't need you anymore."
"penny?"
Zhou Quan smiled and looked at Anfernee Hardaway.
The famous college basketball star has a very famous name. He once defeated the Dream Team in a training match with Chris Webber, Grant Hill, and Alan Houston.
He has excellent physical fitness, very comprehensive basketball skills, and excellent offensive, defensive and organizational skills. He was praised by Jordan and was therefore called Jordan's successor by the media. He is almost one year older than him. He is 201 centimeters tall and 10 meters taller than him. Centimeters, weight 88 kg, looks very thin, just started to gain weight.
Being targeted by Zhou Quan, Anfernee Hardaway was also a little uneasy.
He felt that the sharp eyes in front of him were too oppressive, just like facing Jordan, but the pride from his heart did not allow him to lower his head. Instead, he held his head high.
Seeing the pride in Hardaway's eyes, Zhou Quan felt that with O'Neal's character, it might be difficult to suppress this young man in the future.
At eight o'clock, the game starts.
Jump ball, Magic offense.
In the first quarter, Zhou Quan defeated Magic coach Skiles. In 10 minutes in a single quarter, he made 4 of 6 shots, 1 of 2 three-pointers, and 3 of 3 free throws. He scored 12 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 steal. Blocked shots, no fouls and no turnovers.
The defensive end prevented Scales from making 3 turnovers in a single quarter, stealing the opponent twice, blocking the opponent once, and making 0 of 3 shots.
At the end of the first quarter, at 22:32, the SuperSonics led by 10 points at home.
In the second quarter, Magic head coach Brian Hill arranged for main shooting guard Nick Anderson to switch to guard Zhou Quan.
Nick Anderson is a swingman like Anfernee Hardaway. He is 198 centimeters tall and weighs 93 kilograms. He has a height advantage against Zhou Quan, but he is at a disadvantage in terms of confrontation, strength, and mobility.
In the second quarter, Zhou Quan also played ten minutes. He made 3 of 5 shots and 2 of 2 free throws on Nick Anderson, scoring 8 points. However, he sent 6 assists and 3 steals in a single quarter. He had an offensive and defensive performance of 20 points, 11 assists and 5 steals.
At halftime, 42:66, the Magic were already 24 points behind.
After the back line was beaten by Zhou Quan, the Magic could only let Anfernee Hardaway guard Zhou Quan, which was considered an attempt.
But George Karl did not arrange for Zhou Quan to play in the third quarter. He sat on the bench and watched the game.
Zhou Quan discovered that the Magic have a lot of players who can play. Eleven people have already participated in the rotation. The substitute lineup is very deep. Everyone who plays can score, and four of the substitutes perform better than some of the main players.
Even O'Neal only played 15 minutes in the two and a half quarters today, took only seven shots, scored four goals, and took more outside shots, and did not arrange tactics for O'Neal.
The super center does not receive tactical care, and his representative's status in the team is average, which makes him feel that the Magic should be a team that advocates outsiders.
The idea and direction of team building is to target Michael Jordan, and maybe him and the Assassins. Didn't the Magic also want to trade him last time?
The Magic's substitutes are good, and so are the SuperSonics' substitutes. He played ten minutes in the second quarter, and all the other four were substitutes, and half of them were substitutes in the third quarter.
Midway through the third quarter, the Magic recovered 6 points and were still 18 points behind. They did not withdraw their main force and Zhou Quan came on.
"Pa bang bang..."
His appearance was warmly welcomed by SuperSonics fans. After all, fans spend money to watch the game just to watch the stars play. If he sits there for a long time, it will definitely affect the ball market.
Even the Los Angeles Lakers, after losing Magic, not only saw a serious decline in the market in the past two or three seasons, but also many fewer stars came to watch the games. Many Hollywood stars said they were Lakers fans, but in fact they were just fans of certain stars. .
(End of chapter)
