Bill Walton said: "In the second round of the 1956 series, the Lakers beat their opponents by 58 points with a score of 133:75. Today this record is almost broken."
Williams laughed: "If Iron Fist hadn't clocked in three quarters, this record would have been broken."
At this time, Zhou Quan was being interviewed on the sidelines.
"Iron Fist, why is the defensive state so terrible today?" a reporter from ABC TV station asked.
"When you concentrate, you can do what I did today. You will do it faster and better." Zhou Quan smiled.
"No, I can't do it." The reporter immediately shook his head.
Zhou Quan laughed, and the reporter asked again: "This is your third triple-double, your second triple-double in the playoffs, all of which were steals. You also had the only playoff 5* in league history. 5. What makes you so good on the defensive end?"
Zhou Quan thought about it seriously and said seriously: "It's my opponent."
"Huh?" The reporter was obviously startled.
Zhou Quan explained: "Because if we don't play such data and performance, we can't beat them."
The reporter couldn't help laughing, and then he asked: "So are you more confident now about this Western Conference Finals series?"
Zhou Quan smiled and said: "I have always had the greatest confidence in victory. I have said that we have the experience of defeating them in the Western Conference Finals. Tonight's game proves that my words are correct."
"Yes, Dameng and the others have been defeated by you and your steal." The reporter complimented.
At this time, Dameng rushed into the visiting team's locker room, went directly into the bathroom, turned on the shower head, and as the hot water washed down, the tears he had been holding back for a long time burst out of his eyes.
Last year they lost to the SuperSonics and the Iron Fist in the Western Conference Finals, but now the team's lineup has been strengthened and there is a glider around him. He is determined to win this year's Western Conference Finals. This time he comes to Seattle with huge hopes. Hope, but did not expect that the first battle would be lost like this.
Shame, really shame!
He stayed in the bathroom for a long time before going out. Coach Tomjanovich stayed with him and said at this time: "Hakim, don't be discouraged. I guarantee that he will not be able to play the way he did tonight often. Just once in a while.”
Dameng nodded and said bitterly: "I know."
Of course he knows that Iron Fist has only recorded a steal triple-double three times in four seasons. The first time he hit it was Jordan, and it was in the tiebreaker of the second round when the Bulls were eliminated. The second time was last season's regular season, and he hit it. , suffered a huge defeat, and this time he encountered him again and suffered a similar defeat.
He said in a low voice: "I won't be discouraged. He can play like this once a year at most. We are lucky if we meet tonight. If we meet Michael in the tiebreaker, it will be worse."
"I'm relieved if you think so." Tomjanovich nodded.
In the home team's locker room, Zhou Quan received many calls congratulating him on his steal triple-double.
O'Neal also called and shouted: "Iron Fist, just wait, I'm going to kill the Bulls and Michael Jordan. See you in the finals."
"Well, Shark, don't think about the finals yet. It's best to be mentally prepared and don't be careless." Zhou Quan reminded.
"What kind of mental preparation?" O'Neill asked doubtfully.
"The Bulls are very strong, and Jordan is still in his prime, so don't get swept away." Zhou Quan joked.
"Iron Fist, you boy, wait for me, I will sweep you in the finals." O'Neal said angrily.
…
An hour later, the post-match press conference.
"Dameng, you made 8 of 21 shots tonight, a shooting percentage of 38.1%, 4 of 6 free throws, 20 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks, but you had 5 turnovers and 5 fouls, and were beaten twice by the Iron Fist. In terms of steals, in such a poor state, you seem to have failed to achieve what you said before the game, revenge, what is your explanation for this?" a reporter from the New York Times asked.
Dameng said with a straight face: "This is a series, I will fulfill my promise."
"Do you have anything to say about Tekken's performance tonight?" the reporter asked again.
Dameng's fists couldn't help but tighten, the corners of his eyes couldn't help but twitch, and he said bitterly: "No."
"Clyde, you were intercepted by Iron Fist twice when you broke through with the ball tonight. You only scored 17 points and your shooting percentage was less than 40%. So, are you still confident to win this series?" asked a reporter from the Los Angeles Daily News who asked.
Glider Drexler said with some embarrassment: "There are indeed some problems with the state tonight, and we are all affected..."
"Is it the influence of Iron Fist?" the reporter interjected and asked.
Glider said even more embarrassingly: "He played in incredible form tonight, especially in the first quarter. He made six steals in ten minutes. I can't describe the shock in my heart..."
Having said this, he shook his head helplessly and sighed: "We can't help but be affected. We made as many as 29 mistakes in the whole game. We completely lost our state."
"Do you still have confidence in this series?" the reporter asked again.
"Of course, we will come back, like Hakeem said, this is a series." Glider said quickly.
On the other end, the SuperSonics press conference.
"Tekken, do you think this series will go better?" a reporter from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer asked.
Zhou Quan said cautiously: "We are confident, but we should also treat the next G2 game with the most caution. We cannot think that our opponents are vulnerable just because we won this game."
"Do you think Mosaic is still a formidable opponent?"
"We will not underestimate any opponent, and we cannot underestimate any opponent."
Back at the hotel, Zhou Quan soaked in the bathtub. In addition to being physically tired, his mind also felt a little empty, as if he had been evacuated.
He has experienced this state before, a normal reaction after excessive mental exertion.
"You won't be talking about gods and ghosts, right?"
…
“Dreams of Seattle!” New York Times.
"The greatest steals king ever!" Seattle Daily News.
The next day, the US media began to hype last night's G1 game of the Western Conference Finals.
At ten o'clock in the morning, Zhou Quan woke up and felt less energetic than yesterday.
I went to bed at two o'clock in the morning last night. I was too excited, and it seemed that the sleep elixir technique was of no use. I couldn't suppress the excitement, and it was difficult to enter deep sleep, which affected the quality of my sleep.
That night, the Eastern Conference Finals began, and the Bulls faced the Magic at home.
The Magic rotated 12 players, and everyone played, but only 8 scored. Among them, O'Neal scored 27 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 3 turnovers. Anfernee Hardaway scored 38 points and 3 turnovers. Statistics of rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 4 turnovers.
The two teamed up to score 65 points, but the remaining ten players only scored 18 points in total. The remaining three main players only scored two points in total. The main power forward Cobra Grant and the main small forward Denis Scott combined for 0 points. , the team only scored 83 points.
The Bulls' 11 players faced off, and all of them scored. Six of them scored in double figures, Jordan scored 21 points, and the team scored 115 points, beating the Magic by 32 points.
In terms of rebounds, the Magic only grabbed 35, but the Bulls had as many as 52, a full 17 more.
In terms of assists, the Magic had 18 times and the Bulls had 35 times.
"You deserve to lose!"
Zhou Quan cursed and stepped forward to turn off the TV.
…
On the 24th, Zhou Quan woke up in the morning and felt that his energy was okay. Although it was not as good as the day before yesterday, it was better than yesterday and better than before. He didn't have many dreams last night. He was sure that his sleeping elixir skills had made some progress.
He doesn't expect to be in the same state as the day before every day, but as long as he has the same sleep quality as last night every day in the future, his overall state should be improved to a higher level.
Thinking of this, he was very excited and looking forward to it.
His grandpa forced him to practice the Sleeping Alchemy Kung Fu, and he really followed it and learned it diligently out of filial piety to his grandpa. This may not be a blessing.
8 o'clock, Seattle Center Arena.
Mosaic: Olajuwon, Pete Chilkat, Robert Horry, Drexler, Kenny Smith
SuperSonics: Almon Gilliam, Rodman, Schrempf, Kendall Gill, Zhou Quan
"victory!"
At 8:30, the starting lineup came on. In front of the mosaic bench, under the leadership of Dameng and two thousand visiting team fans, a burst of passionate cheers suddenly sounded in the central stadium.
"victory!"
In front of the SuperSonics bench, Zhou Quan took the lead and shouted loudly.
"Victory! Victory! Victory..."
Suddenly, the shouts of more than 10,000 home fans overwhelmed the visiting team's voices.
Zhang Lili said at this time: "Needless to say, the morale of the home team is very high, but the visiting team seems to have good morale as well.
The big defeat in G1 did not seem to affect the morale of the Mosaic team. This team does have very good resilience. The more difficult it is, the better it can perform. Therefore, the SuperSonics must be careful and not be careless. "
Jump ball, mosaic offense.
"boom!"
Drexler held the ball and hit Kendall Gill in isolation. He faked a sudden shot and made a three-pointer on the right three-point line, which was a little short.
Rodman protected the backcourt rebound, Dameng stopped his quick pass in time, and Zhou Quan came down to receive the basketball before moving forward.
As soon as he passed the center line, his teammates all entered the three-point line. He immediately made a tactical gesture and the other four people started running.
On the right wing, Kendall Gill ran back and cut inside. Rodman ran out and took a step outside the right waist to make a pick-and-roll, blocking Drexler who was catching up.
And just when Gil bypassed Dameng, Zhou Quan, who was still three meters away from the top of the arc, pulled up the ball and suddenly pushed forward with one hand. The basketball instantly flew past Kenny Smith in front and towards One step inside the right waist.
Kendall Gill bypassed Dameng and stepped on the right waist. His eyes were already looking at the top of the arc, just in time to see the ball coming.
"good!"
He shouted secretly and caught the ball with both hands without dribbling. After two steps, he stood up and made a one-handed layup.
"Snapped!"
But at this moment, a big hand waved from behind, and his ball flew away in an instant.
"oh!"
The scene was filled with exclamations of surprise.
"Damn it! Damn it! Gil."
Live commentator Henem Chrisman exclaimed.
The ball was fanned to the left wing and was picked up by Mosaic's power forward Chilkat. He immediately passed it to Robert Horry outside, and Horry turned around and quickly went down with the ball.
Zhou Quan returned to defense from a position three meters outside the top of the arc. At this time, Horry passed to Kenny Smith. When Smith advanced to the top of the arc, he stopped, and Zhou Quan also stopped in front.
At this time, Horry cut to the basket from the right wing, and Kenny Smith immediately lobbed the ball. He caught the ball at the right waist, and Schrempf chased him. At this time, Dameng rushed down from the top of the key, and he quickly Pass the ball.
"boom!"
Dameng caught the ball and took off, detonating the SuperSonics basket with a one-handed dunk.
"Oh, Dameng is so fierce! He is indeed a super center. He should be considered the strongest among the four super centers." Zhang Lili praised.
Xu Jicheng frowned and said: "The failure of the first attack and defense hurt morale!"
Zhang Liji nodded and said: "Zhou Quan's pass just now was really good, a scalpel pass, but it was unfortunately blocked by Dameng. But the tactics are reasonable and should be played like this."
2:0, SuperSonics offense.
Zhou Quan held the ball to the top of the arc, made tactical gestures again, and after his teammates started running, he began to drive towards the free throw line.
Because Kenny Smith didn't dare to fight and retreated step by step, he ran in head-on, which was more conducive to his vision.
When he advanced to the free throw line with the ball, Kenny Smith did not dare to retreat anymore and gritted his teeth and stood in front of Zhou Quan.
Da Meng under the basket could no longer stand and had to come out of the basket. This was the purpose of Zhou Quan's breakthrough with the ball, to attract Da Meng from the basket and create opportunities for his teammates to cut inside.
When Dameng came out of the basket, Kendall Gill cut inside again, and Rodman also made another pick-and-roll, blocking the chasing glider.
Zhou Quan hit the ground and passed the ball in an instant. Dameng reacted quickly and did not react. The ball hit his feet and passed down. He turned around quickly, already half a beat too late.
Kendall Gill caught the ball and stepped up to the basket, easily putting the ball into the basket.
"Beautifully passed on!"
Zhang Lili praised: "The offensive tactics are very clear, which is to break through with the ball, cooperate with passing and cutting, and directly attack the basket."
Kenny Smith advanced with the ball, and immediately handed it to Drexler after reaching the frontcourt. Drexler broke through with the ball, and when he reached outside the paint area, he attracted Rodman's defense, and then passed the ball Throw it at the basket.
"boom!"
The next moment, Dameng hung on the basket.
4:2, SuperSonics offense.
Zhou Quan still broke through with the ball from the top of the arc. This time, the big dream couldn't come out. Chilkat, the power forward at the left waist position, came in to intercept the double team.
He distributed the ball in a double-team and got open center Gilliam to catch the ball and shoot a jumper. Robert Horry, who was guarding Schrempf above, quickly made up the defense, which affected the shot and failed to hit.
Dameng and Rodman took off at the same time to grab the rebound, but Rodman beat it out, which happened to be obtained by Zhou Quan. Zhou Quan made a fadeaway jumper from the free throw line, and Kenny Smith took off to block the shot without touching it.
"brush!"
The water splashed and hit two points.
"Ouch, haha, is this a fadeaway jumper?" Zhang Lili couldn't believe it. This was the first time he saw Zhou Quan's fadeaway in four seasons.
Not only was he surprised, Bill Walton was also surprised, as were countless people, including Michael Jordan.
"When did you train for this guy?" Jordan frowned in front of the TV.
His fadeaway jump shot, including the turnaround fadeaway jumper, has only really matured this year and has reached the top level. Although Zhou Quan's fadeaway jumper is not as technical as his, it still looks very good, at least it has reached the top level. The level is only slightly worse than him.
4:4, mosaic attack.
Kenny Smith advanced with the ball, but he still planned to hand the ball to the glider after crossing the center line.
This is also the team's arrangement today, and he really doesn't dare to hold the ball in front of Iron Fist for too long, for fear that he won't know when he will be intercepted.
Coming to the midline, he took one step across, turned to the right, blocked the front with his left elbow, pulled up the ball with his right hand, and then pushed to the right.
"squeak!"
Before the ball was released, only the sharp screeching sound of sneakers was heard. As Zhou Quan took a step forward, his left hand instantly cut into the passing route.
"not good!"
Kenny Smith's heart trembled.
"Snapped!"
The next moment, Zhou Quan swept past the front of the jet and took the basketball away.
"Oh, steal! Iron fist steals the jet..."
The on-site commentator Hernem Kreisman's roar immediately started, and the cheers of the home team fans also started.
"boom!"
No one could stop the steal and fast break near the midline. Zhou Quan dunked with one hand and scored another goal.
"Beautiful! 4:6, SuperSonics lead by two points." Zhang Lili said excitedly.
"Let's see how many steals Zhou Quan can make in this game." Xu Jicheng said with great anticipation and excitement.
In the next game, the two sides fell into a hard battle until the third quarter. At 72:72, the two sides drew for the 15th time.
On Mosaic's side, Dameng and Glider cooperated inside and outside, especially Dameng's troubles on the inside, causing great damage. Rodman and Gilliam couldn't stand it, so they replaced Matt Gai. The same goes for Ger, who was blown away and everyone picked up a few fouls.
George Karl had to ask Schrempf and Zhou Quan and other outsiders to strengthen the attack on the low post, and then he could barely suppress Dameng's offense.
But Dameng's passing was good, and many times the double attack resulted in a situation where one was losing sight of the other. Kenny Smith and Robert got a lot of open spaces on the outside. They did not let go of the opportunity. In terms of three-pointers alone, they made 6 of 14 in the three quarters. The hit rate reached 42.9%.
Dameng made 8 of 16 shots and 10 of 14 free throws in the third quarter. He was extremely lethal and scored 26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls.
On the SuperSonics side, Zhou Quan switched to guarding Drexler, but he was able to defend the opponent and only scored 8 points on 3 of 8 shots. He stole the opponent twice and allowed the Glider to make 4 turnovers in the third quarter.
But after he switched to Drexler, Kenny Smith took over the ball, and he still couldn't guard Mosaic's ballhandler.
Fortunately, Kendall Gill's defense is not bad. Kenny Smith's personal offense today was average, but it didn't delay him passing the ball to Dream.
On the offensive end, no one in Mosaic could guard Zhou Quan. He made 8 of 14 shots in the three quarters, a shooting percentage of 57.1%, 1 of 2 three-pointers, and 4 of 4 free throws. He scored 21 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 steals. Data of 1 block, 2 turnovers and 2 fouls.
But the two teams played well, and the other players were not in good condition and their efficiency was not high enough under each other's strong defense.
(End of chapter)
