Next, he made a fake shot, and then under Rodman's defense, he made a jumper one step away from the right waist and hit a ball.
Dan Issel nodded and hit the first ball. Lauf should feel good today.
The Sonics still play fast and hope to play a fast-paced offensive and defensive transition. The purpose is to prevent Mutombo from returning to the basket in time and consume his physical energy through fast-paced offense and defense.
The server was Sam Perkins, and Nuggets power forward LaFonso Ellis immediately stood in front of him, waving his arms to prevent him from serving quickly.
Mutombo took advantage of the opportunity and quickly returned to defense with all his strength. By the time Zhou Quan got the ball, he was already in the frontcourt.
Zhou Quan took the ball to the left wing, used Schrempf's screen to get rid of Stich, quickly changed direction downwards, bypassed the opponent's small forward Reggie Williams' defense, and reached the penalty area with the ball close to the baseline.
Mutombo stood under the basket, squatting slightly with his arms half raised, like a lion protecting its territory, staring fiercely at Zhou Quan who came in.
Putting his hands together with the ball, Zhou Quan jumped in without hesitation.
The next moment, Mutombo jumped up, raising his hands high, blocking all the space in front of him.
But at this time, Zhou Quan pushed down with both hands. The basketball just passed under Mutombo's feet, hit the floor, and bounced into Rodman's hands behind Mutombo. .
"brush!"
Rodman made a one-handed layup and easily scored a goal.
Laimbeer said in surprise: "This kid Dachong actually scored. He actually wasted the opportunity to grab offensive rebounds?"
The assassin smiled happily and said: "Bill, don't say that. Big Chong has no offensive talent. If he can't make a shot, he really can't make a shot."
"I taught him. That's what I said. What can he do?" Ranbir said disdainfully.
At this time the Nuggets attack.
In the backcourt, Lauf held the ball, and Stich came over to cover the pick-and-roll.
Zhou Quan and Kendall Gill decisively attacked Lauf. Gill switched defense first and blocked Lauf. Then Zhou Quan quickly followed up and completed the front and rear flanking attack on Lauf.
Lauf decisively passed the ball to Stich, but both Gill and Zhou Quan were very clear about his choice when being double-teamed, and they made the action to steal the ball almost at the same time.
"Snapped!"
Zhou Quan's reaction speed is faster and his action to steal the ball is more precise, stealing the ball first.
"boom!"
Kendall came down quickly, received Zhou Quan's pass, and completed a dunk.
In the 6th minute of the first quarter, at 7:15, with the SuperSonics at full strength and leading by as many as 8 points in the first half, the Nuggets called a timeout for the second time.
Zhou Quan made 2 of 2 shots in the first half of the quarter, all of which were fast break points. He scored 4 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, and 2 steals, with no mistakes or fouls.
"With 3 assists and 2 steals in half a quarter, Zhou Quan's performance was very strong. Together with Kendall Gill, he established a very strong defense for the Sonics' back line and blocked the Nuggets' outside attack." Zhang Lili said excitedly. .
Sun Zhenping laughed and said: "Lauf hit Kendall Gill in a misplaced position. Except for hitting one shot at the beginning, he missed the next three shots. The tactic of using a small one to hit a big one is not very effective."
Zhang Lijia smiled and said: "That's because the Nuggets have no choice. If they don't want Laufu to face Zhou Quan, they have to let him fight with a small force. Anyway, he has to face one.
Although Kendall Gill's defense is not up to the first-rate level, it is better than second-rate. Especially his stealing ability is very strong.
Lauf mainly focused on breakthroughs, playing fast and slow, breaking through Gill, Rodman, and a double attack from Zhou Quan. It can be guessed that the efficiency is not high. As a point guard, he himself is not first-rate. offensive ability. "
After the timeout, George Karl replaced veteran Nate McMillan.
McMillan was the No. 6 pick in the second round of the SuperSonics in 1986. He is a veteran. He has an explosive defensive performance this season and has amazing steals. George Karl sent him here in the hope that he could further control Lauf's offense.
The Nuggets have a strong ability to protect the basket, but only power forward Rafonso Ellis can attack inside. Mutombo has no threat when he leaves the basket, so on the defensive end as long as he locks down his outside offense, the Nuggets can basically be restricted. attack.
After Zhou Quan's reminder, he was no longer careless.
It's not that he thinks the Nuggets can really threaten the Sonics, but he doesn't dare to be careless, because if something goes wrong, it will be his full responsibility. He cannot afford to shoulder this responsibility and will definitely be fired.
At the 10th minute of the first quarter, Zhou Quan came off the field. At this time, the SuperSonics had led by as many as 14 points.
In the next four minutes, he cooperated with McMillan and also blocked the Nuggets' outside attack. He blocked Stich once and McMillan stole Lauf once.
Kendall Gill took over. Although the defensive strength of the Sonics back line declined, the Nuggets back line was not very strong and could still complete the defensive task well.
At the end of the first quarter, at 16:34, the Sonics led by as many as 18 points, doubling the point difference and surpassing the Nuggets' first quarter score.
Zhang Lijia smiled and said: "If the SuperSonics are careless, the Nuggets still have a chance, but now the SuperSonics are going all out. Zhou Quan has 8 points, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 0 turnovers and 0 fouls in a single quarter. The Nuggets have no chance at all."
Mutombo's defense is indeed strong, very strong, but Zhou Quan mainly played breakthrough points in the first quarter of the positional battle, mainly passing the ball. The strength of Mutombo's defense lies in his protection of the basket. He couldn't guard Zhou Quan's pass at all.
In other words, Zhou Quan used his wonderful pass to avoid Mutombo's defense. Rodman, who doesn't like to attack, actually scored 6 points on 3 of 4 shots in the first quarter, which was the result of Zhou Quan's pass. "
Sun Zhenping laughed and said: "If we keep playing like this, Rodman might be able to score 20+."
Zhang Lili laughed and said with a smile: "Although the Nuggets tried their best to slow down the SuperSonics' offensive and defensive rhythm, and it was indeed effective, they are no match for the SuperSonics in positional battles.
The SuperSonics locked down the Nuggets' outside offense on the defensive end, which eliminated most of the Nuggets' offensive capabilities. Then, relying on Zhou Quan's sudden scoring style, he had 6 assists in a single quarter, easily leading by 18 points, and established a victory. potential. "
Zhang Lili said with a smile: "The SuperSonics played seriously, and this result is basically the comparison between the first and eighth teams in the Western Conference."
In this game, the Sonics finally won a wild victory at home, 75:112, a 37-point victory.
Zhou Quan played 38 minutes and came off the court in the 6th minute of the final quarter. He made 7 of 10 shots and 6 of 6 free throws. He scored 20 points, 3 rebounds, 19 assists, 5 steals, 1 block, 0 turnovers and 1 foul.
"One assist away is 20+20. It's a pity that I ended the game a little early." Sun Zhenping said regretfully.
"The Nuggets have given up, and he has no choice but to leave the game. This is an unspoken rule of the NBA. However, the 19 assists broke his own single-game assist record in the playoffs." Zhang Li said with a smile.
Sun Zhenping added: "The Nuggets' main shooting guard Stich made 2 of 8 shots and only scored 4 points. The main point guard Lauf made 3 of 12 shots and 1 of 3 three-pointers and only scored 7 points.
The Nuggets' main back line did not take a single free throw in total and was ineffective. This shows what kind of defense Zhou Quan, Kendall Gill and McMillan have formed together. "
"If you keep fighting like this, don't be careless. Your advancement to the second round will be quite smooth." Zhang Li said with a smile.
Zhou Quan was being interviewed on the sidelines after the game. The reporter asked: "Iron Fist, do you think the SuperSonics still need to go all out?"
Zhou Quan smiled and said: "A big win is not enough for us to advance, so we still have to go all out in the next series."
His attitude surprised reporters.
Zhou Quan only knew that at that time and space, the SuperSonics were leading 2-0 and had match point. Then they were overturned and shamefully became the first team to be blackballed. He would never allow this to happen.
Returning to the locker room, he saw the excitement of his teammates and celebrating the victory. Even George Karl, including the coaching staff, looked like he had advanced, and his brows immediately frowned.
It is true that he is not Gary Payton, and this team is stronger than the Sonics in that time and space, but there is no weak team in the NBA, and anything can happen, so he still can't be careless.
"Pop!"
He clapped his hands twice, and after everyone looked over, he said seriously: "Coach Karl, guys, don't forget what I said, go all out and never underestimate any opponent. Only after we advance are we happy, OK ?”
Feeling Zhou Quan's stern attitude, even George Karl had to restrain the happy expression on his face. As for the others, no one dared to be presumptuous.
Rodman scored 15 points and 19 rebounds today. He was very excited at first, but he is a very smart person. Although he usually likes to do things, after seeing Zhou Quan's attitude, he immediately stopped doing things and nodded very sensibly. :
"Iron Fist is right. Mutombo still blocked us three times today. He blocked one of my second attacks. We can't be careless."
After some pressure from Zhou Quan, the Sonics locker room finally returned to silence.
He came out of the shower and the results of the other three games were already out.
The Spurs beat the Jazz, the Hawks in the Eastern Conference capsized in the gutter and lost to the Nets, and the Knicks defeated the Cavaliers.
On the 29th, the first round of G1 battle continued.
In the end, the Bulls defeated the Pistons, the Magic lost to the Pacers by one point at home, and the Suns and Mosaics defeated the Warriors and Trail Blazers respectively.
On April 30, the SuperSonics continued their efforts and won their second consecutive home game, gaining match point in the first round.
At this time, Zhou Quan not only did not relax, but even more sternly reminded the whole team, including the coaching staff, that they must not be careless in the away game.
In other group games, the Jazz pulled one back and tied with the Spurs.
The Knicks in the Eastern Conference defeated the Cavaliers for the second time, winning their second consecutive home game and gaining match point.
The Hawks regained a home court and tied with the Nets.
On May 1st, the SuperSonics came to Denver.
That night, the Bulls, Pacers, Suns and Mosaics each defeated their opponents twice. While winning consecutive games, they all gained first-round match points.
"Senior, that's good. Are you going to sweep the Magic with this momentum?" Zhou Quan called Reggie Miller.
Reggie Miller was very happy for his second consecutive victory. He scored 24 points and 32 points respectively. His personal performance was also very good. He said excitedly: "Iron Fist, this time I will help you kill the Bulls."
If the Pacers advance to the second round, they will indeed be the winner against the Bulls and Pistons, and will almost certainly face the Bulls.
Zhou Quan smiled and said: "Senior, if you really kill the Bulls, this year's championship will be yours."
When Reggie Miller heard this, he said angrily: "Iron Fist, do you dare to underestimate me?"
"Haha, no, no, senior, I'm serious." Zhou Quan laughed.
"Hey, you boy, just wait for me. One day I will meet you in the finals. Just wait for me, I will solve the magic first."
Reggie Miller hung up the phone after saying that.
May 2nd is the game day of the first round of G3.
"This is our home court, it's our turn." Dan Issel said solemnly in the home team's locker room.
Mutombo nodded heavily. They had already lost two games. The Nuggets had no way out, and neither did he. If they lost again, they would be swept.
His bottom line is not to be swept. If he can advance, that would be the best. Now that it was time to be swept away, he had to fight hard.
SuperSonics: Michael Cage, Rodman, Schrempf, Kendall Gill, Zhou Quan
Nuggets: Mutombo, Rafonso Ellis, Reggie Williams, Bryant Stick, Mohamed Lauf
In the ESPN commentary box, after seeing the starting list, Laimbeer said disdainfully: "Michael Cage is a waste. The SuperSonics let him start. This is not a change of formation, this is suicide."
Isiah Thomas was also puzzled: "In terms of ability, Sam Perkins is still better than Cage. Why did George Karl remove Perkins from his starting position?"
Zhou Quan didn't understand either, but George Karl's explanation was to use Perkins to increase the strength of the bench, so he didn't ask again. After all, he couldn't interfere with the work of the coaching staff.
In the fourth minute of the first quarter, at 8:14, the Nuggets led by 6 points. George Karl was already sweating and called a timeout very nervously.
Zhang Lijia shook his head and said: "Michael Cage has no strength, and his ability to pull away is far inferior to Perkins. He and Rodman partnered in the inside, but they couldn't pull out, and they had no offensive ability.
At the same time, the paint area was stacked with insiders from both sides, which made it difficult for Zhou Quan to break through with the ball. He could only shoot jumpers from the outside. As a result, the Sonics did not have a low post attack in the first 4 minutes.
It should be said that this is a problem with the lineup. Michael Cage and Rodman do not match up at all. This is not a question of his strength.
Fortunately, Zhou Quan's condition today is still good. He made 2 of 4 shots and sent two assists. Otherwise, he would have fallen further behind. "
Sun Zhenping nodded and said: "The main problem is not only the lineup arrangement, but also the defensive end, which allowed the opponent to score 14 points in 4 minutes."
Zhang Lijia shook his head and said: "Reggie Williams was in good shape today. Schrempf didn't guard him. Michael Cage and Rodman didn't guard him after he got in. He made 3 of 4 shots, 2 of 2 free throws, and 4 Scored 8 points in just 1 minute.
At the same time, Lauf had a good touch. He still hit Kendall Gill out of position. Gill was out of form today, made a mistake, and his defense was weak. Lauf made 2 of 3 shots and scored 4 points, which was very efficient. "
Sun Zhenping said: "Mutombo has already sent a block, blocking Michael Cage, further damaging the SuperSonics' low-post offense. This should be noted.
In addition to Zhou Quan's ability to lock down Stich, the defense of the second and third positions tonight is a problem. Kendall Gill and Schrempf are somewhat unable to keep up with the rhythm of Lauf and Reggie Williams, and each made mistakes. once. "
Zhang Lili said: "Reggie Williams is a swingman. He is smaller than Schrempf and moves better. He uses small to attack the big, and the effect was good tonight. The same is true for Lauf."
George Karl was sweating profusely when the SuperSonics bench came up and he replaced Michael Cage and put Sam Perkins on.
In addition, Kendall Gill's defensive state just now was not good, so he replaced the veteran McMillan.
Zhou Quan saw George Karl like this and knew that the head coach was a little nervous.
George Karl has been coaching for seven seasons and this is his fifth time playing in the playoffs. He also played in the Western Conference Finals last season, but his mental quality seems to be far less good than that of coach Chuck Daly.
In fact, he didn't expect that part of the reason why George Karl was so nervous was because he repeatedly emphasized the strength of the Nuggets and the possibility of the SuperSonics being hacked.
"Coach, we need to strengthen our defense, especially the defense against Reggie Williams on the wings. His breakthrough today was very efficient," he reminded.
George Karl nodded quickly and said: "You are right, Iron Fist, we need to strengthen the flank attack."
At this point, he looked at Schrempf, emphasized his defense, and then said to Zhou Quan: "Iron Fist, if Reggie Williams still breaks through Detreff, you will be responsible for making up the defense. .Besides, you can beat Lauf instead."
Zhou Quan nodded and said: "I will, coach."
After the timeout, the game continued with the Sonics attacking.
Perkins pulled to the left three-point line, and small forward Schrempf was positioned further inside. The paint area was much empty, leaving only Rodman and Mutombo.
Zhou Quan took the ball to the frontcourt, pulled it to the left wing, used Perkins' body as a pick-and-roll, got rid of Stich, and rushed to the left elbow area.
Mutombo did not come out and was still sitting under the basket.
The Nuggets' cover defense was carried out by Lauf in the high position, but how could he defend Zhou Quan?
Zhou Quan rushed to the paint area and did not pass the ball to McMillan who was open at the top of the arc. Instead, he stopped for a jumper one step below the left end of the free throw line and hit a goal.
Laimbeer scoffed: "Isn't Iron Fist a point guard? He can't see McMillan's big open space? The data shows that McMillan has a three-pointer, and it's pretty good."
The assassin smiled and said: "It is right not to pass on the Iron Fist."
"Why? I think he just wants to attack on his own." Lanbir said.
The assassin smiled and said: "Bill, that's because you have never been the core of the team's offense."
"What does it matter?" Ranbir said unconvinced.
The assassin smiled and explained: "Now that the Sonics are lagging behind, Iron Fist, as the boss and the core of offense and defense, must stand up and solve the problem. This is the key to the problem."
Laimbeer hummed: "I can hit such a big open space. If I don't pass it, I will be alone."
The assassin said with a smile: "Bill, don't you know, Tekken had 19 assists in G1 and 15 in G2, averaging 17 assists per game."
Ranbir was stunned, his face turned as pale as pig liver, and he muttered: "Still alone."
"Let him get out, okay? Get that idiot Laimbeer out of my TV, or I will change the channel and ask ESPN to get out of my TV."
"Uh, okay, sir, please calm down. I'm afraid you won't be able to get him out of your TV tonight. How about next time?"
A SuperSonics fan finally couldn't stand Laimbeer anymore. He grabbed the phone and called ESPN's hotline, just to curse him.
(End of chapter)
