Returning to Seattle on the 20th, the Grizzlies also arrived.
On the afternoon of the 21st, during the team training, Zhou Quan felt that there was no problem with his right index finger. The injury sustained on the 12th took eight or nine days. With his level 95 injury resistance, the recovery speed was quite fast. After the team doctor checked and approved, he untied his index finger.
"Try the feel first. I'm going to score 50+ points on the Grizzlies tonight." He couldn't wait.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
However, he was still a little uncomfortable with this loosening and missed three consecutive shots.
"Ha ha……"
A group of teammates laughed.
"Come again."
Zhou Quan smiled and continued shooting. It took him nearly an hour to finally get his touch back.
That night, he really took advantage of the Grizzlies, scoring 55 points.
This is his career high in scoring in a single game, and his shooting percentage has also increased to 51.5%, which is the first time since he injured his finger that he has exceeded 50%.
This is also the second time he has scored 50+ in this year's regular season, and his offensive ability is fully demonstrated.
Before he and Schrempf were injured, their record was 17 wins and 2 losses. Now they are 21 wins and 3 losses. In ten days, they have 4 wins and 1 loss, and the winning rate has reached 80%.
In five games, he averaged 36.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 6.4 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game, with a shooting percentage of 48.4%. Although his efficiency was not as good as before, his performance and data while playing through injuries also received praise from almost all media. Recognition and praise.
However, the Sonics lost their first place in the league and were surpassed by the Bulls.
The Bulls had no injuries. After losing to the SuperSonics last time, they completed 12 consecutive victories and rushed to the first place in the league.
On the 22nd, Zhou Jun came to Seattle after his winter vacation. Zhou Quan and Zeng Li picked him up.
"Wow, brother, take me up there and play." When he saw the Iron Fist, the calm Zhou Jun shouted impatiently.
"Okay, let's go around the lake first and then go out to sea." Zhou Quan said with a smile.
On the 25th, Christmas Day.
The SuperSonics faced the Bullets at home. Zhou Quan scored a super triple-double with 38 points, 18 assists and 10 steals, beating his opponent by 46 points 75:121.
On the 26th, after watching a Christmas battle, Zhou Jun returned to China.
That night, the Bulls stopped their winning streak and were defeated by the Pacers on the road.
Zhou Quan made a special call to Reggie Miller, and the two celebrated on the phone.
On the 27th, the SuperSonics defeated the Nuggets at home again, and on the 29th, they defeated the Green Team at home, achieving a record of 24 wins and 3 losses, and once again ranked first in the league.
On the same night, the Bulls were defeated by Mosaic and suffered their fourth loss of the season.
On the 30th, in back-to-back away games, the Sonics suffered their fourth defeat of the season due to lack of physical fitness and lost to the Suns.
With 24 wins and 4 losses, the Sonics had the same record as the Bulls, but because they defeated the Bulls at home, the Sonics entered 1996 with the league's first record.
On New Year's Day in 1996, at 9 a.m., the league announced the MVP rankings and player of the month for December. Zhou Quan once again won the best of the month and ranked first in MVP.
This is the fifth time in five seasons that Zhou Quan has won the best of the month honor. The best of the week is average, but the best of the month is a rare and hard honor, and he is also very happy.
On the same day, the league announced the start of All-Star voting, which will end in the early morning of January 28 and last for four weeks.
After playing the Suns, the team flew to Atlanta in the East the next day. On the 2nd, the SuperSonics defeated the Hawks away from home, and flew to Miami on the 3rd.
The Heat have a number of good players such as Gary Payton and Billy Owens. Pat Riley joining the Heat directly improved the team's strength. As soon as Pat Riley arrived in the Heat, he traded for Mourning. Now this team The team has become a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference. It was ninth in the Eastern Conference last season and is now sixth in the Eastern Conference.
"We'll take care of them. The Sonics are nothing."
After the Sonics arrived in Miami, Gary Payton accepted a phone interview and seemed to still have deep resentment against the Sonics and Zhou Quan, saying:
"We have the best head coach and the best center, which they don't have. We have to use victory to let the whole league know that it is not difficult to beat them."
"So Gary, do you think Iron Fist is the number one active player?" the reporter asked.
"No, Michael is the one. He is still at the top. As long as he is at the top, no one can surpass him. I have always thought so." Gary Payton said firmly.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, the SuperSonics held a press conference at the hotel.
"Iron Fist, Gary Payton thinks it's not difficult to beat you guys, and he thinks Jordan is the best player currently. How do you evaluate his remarks?" a reporter asked.
Zhou Quan smiled and said: "Oh, gloves, right? I'm actually not very familiar with him. I just played a few games. We have no communication at all off the court. Let him say whatever he says. I don't need to care about what he says."
"Do you think Gary Payton is an excellent point guard?" the reporter asked.
"Of course, he is very good. Sooner or later he will become the top point guard in the league." Zhou Quan smiled without hesitation.
The reporter was a little confused, something was wrong. Not only was Iron Fist not angry, but he was praising Gary Payton so much?
On the evening of the 4th, at 8 o'clock, both sides announced the starting lineup.
SuperSonics: Earvin Johnson, Matt Geiger, Almon Gilliam, Jose Hawkins, Zhou Quan
Heat: Mourning, Kurt Thomas, Billy Owens, Rex Chapman, Gary Payton
NBC broadcast the national broadcast. Commentator James Worthy said at this time: "The Heat's lineup is still being polished. With Pat Riley's methods and abilities, in two to three seasons, they can definitely become the most competitive in the Eastern Conference." One of the teams that can even compete with the Bulls, Magic, and Knicks."
John Moore nodded and said: "Defense, coach Pat Riley is still obsessed with defense. Defense wins championships, and he is going for the championship.
Mourning, if it weren't for O'Neal, he would be the fourth super center, and now he can also be called the fifth super center. "
James Worthy smiled: "Alonso Mourning, Kurt Thomas, and Gary Payton, these three defensive heroes have made the Heat one of the strongest defensive teams in the league, just like the Bulls and SuperSonics. The points allowed per game is third in the Eastern Conference, behind only the Bulls and Knicks.”
John Moore said: "The Heat's defense is not much weaker than the Sonics. If they practice for a while, their defense will be stronger.
In addition, I think there is still room for improvement in the Heat's record this season, and they are very likely to break into the top half.
The Pacers are currently third in the Eastern Conference, and the Knicks are fourth. After Pat Riley left the Knicks, this team seems to have lost its direction and energy. Ewing lacks leadership. The Heat should have a chance to surpass them.
However, if the Heat want to compete with the Bulls and Magic in the East, it may not be enough. They still lack super scorers like Jordan and Iron Fist who can charge into battle. Gary Payton and Iron Fist are not players of the same level, let alone people like Jordan.
There is no super center like O'Neal who can do anything at the basket, so Mourning's offense is still a little less interesting. "
James Worthy laughed: "Mourning is the strongest super center who prefers defense. His height is his only weakness, just like Iron Fist's height is also his only weakness."
John Moore nodded and said: "Iron Fist's offensive ability is indeed somewhat different from that of Jordan at his peak. When he encountered double-teams, he chose to pass the ball more instead of taking action in the double-teams. This is indeed a height limitation. .
But I don't mean that Iron Fist is inferior to Jordan. On the contrary, when he breaks through with the ball and attracts double-teams, his deterrence is more powerful than Jordan.
The reason why he is not as double-teamed as Jordan is because his passing is too powerful and he does not need to take a lot of shots in double-teams. "
"Don't dare to double-team too much." James nodded with a smile.
At this time, the starters from both sides met in the player tunnel.
Zhou Quan and Mourning have no friendship, and have almost never spoken off the court, nor on the court. Zhou Quan and Gary Payton even had a grudge because of the team swap, so they didn't bother to talk.
With his current status, if he doesn't speak, others won't speak much, or very quietly. Especially role players and marginal players with little qualifications and status, as well as young players, are very nervous when facing him. He was under great pressure and did not dare to make loud noises. Even Mourning was very quiet and said nothing.
Gary Payton, who had a very strong opinion against him, dared to challenge Zhou Quan in front of the media, but he did not dare to challenge him in person off the court.
"Oh ho!"
"Pa bang bang..."
"King of Iron Fist! King of Iron Fist..."
When he came on the stage, the American West Arena also burst into warm cheers and applause.
"snort!"
Gary Payton couldn't help but snorted when he saw this. He was a little dissatisfied with these Heat fans. How could they applaud and cheer for their opponents?
"This is Miami's welcome to a world boxing champion." James Worthy laughed.
"Yes, the professional heavyweight world boxing champion, the great crossover king, deserves the cheers and applause from Miami people." John Moore laughed.
At half past eight, the game officially started.
Earvin Johnson and Mourning jumped the ball, and the Sonics attacked.
Zhou Quan caught the ball and faced Gary Payton, who was only two centimeters taller but 10.5 kilograms lighter than him. It was the most brutal crushing breakthrough.
"Shet!"
Gary Payton couldn't stand still and could only retreat backwards to avoid being surprised.
But when he took the initiative to retreat, Zhou Quan immediately accelerated his breakthrough, broke through from the right, and reached the top of the key, making an unreasonable emergency stop jumper.
Gary Payton hurriedly caught up and jumped from the left to block the shot. He was half a beat late. By the time he jumped up, Zhou Quan's ball had already been released.
"brush!"
The water splashed and he hit a three-pointer.
"I hit a three-pointer on the first shot. Iron Fist's shot was very decisive and crisp. His touch should not be bad today." James Worthy said.
"When he was just warming up, he hit nine three-pointers in a row." John Moore said with a smile.
At this time, in the backcourt, Zhou Quan stood in front of Gary Payton, who was receiving the ball and advancing. He half-bent his body and retreated to defend. As the strongest steal king in history, he was extremely powerful and forced Gary Payton to Dayton was very nervous.
His defense is different from Gary Payton's. Payton's defense sticks to the attacker's body like a glove, making the opponent breathless and forcing the opponent to make mistakes. He is full of aggressive active defense and uses strong stealing ability. , forcing opponents to make panic mistakes.
He averaged 4.5 steals per game in the regular season last season, which already gave him a very strong deterrent effect. Therefore, under the threat of this deterrent effect this season, opponents have become more wary of him, allowing his steal ability to further explode. , reaching an average of six times per game.
This is not because his stealing ability has increased this season, but because opponents are more nervous when facing him, and their mistakes have increased. People who are not strong in holding the ball, people who are not strong in combining man and ball, and people who are not very fast in releasing the ball. , dare not hold the ball in front of him.
Gary Payton has always dared to compete with Zhou Quan because he believes that he has top-notch ball-handling ability and the ability to combine man and ball, as well as top-notch passing ability, so he is not afraid of Zhou Quan's steals at all.
Zhou Quan took two steps back from the midline. When Gary Payton had just crossed the midline, he suddenly took a long step to grab the ball and reached out to poke the ball.
Gary Payton instinctively pulled the ball and took a step back, preventing Zhou Quan from poking his ball away. He breathed a sigh of relief and was about to spit out a trash talk to ridicule Zhou Quan when he heard the referee's whistle.
"What?"
He only reacted when he saw the referee making an illegal return move.
"Damn, you were so careless!"
He gritted his teeth. Just now he should have turned around to protect the ball and then turned around to break through.
"You see, this is the deterrent of the iron fist's stealing ability, which is stronger than the gloves. He is also worried about being intercepted." James Worthy laughed.
"Faced with Tekken's defense, even Jordan can't be careless. If he is careless, he will be intercepted. In a highly nervous situation, wrong choices will be made, and the turnover rate will definitely increase. This is why Tekken's steal data is in this book The main reason for further improvement in the season,” said John Moore.
On the sidelines, Pat Riley combed his slick back with his hands, and then shouted loudly: "Gary, be careful, I don't want to see your low-level mistakes again."
Gary Payton glanced at the sidelines and nodded quickly.
No matter how unruly he is, he doesn't dare to confront a head coach with Pat Riley's qualifications, just like he doesn't dare to challenge Zhou Quan face to face.
The SuperSonics served the ball from the center line. Zhou Quan received the ball from the right wing and passed the center line. When he reached the top of the arc, Gary Payton decisively started glove defense.
Zhou Quan had only one way to deal with it. When his glove was trying to get close to his body, he just made a crushing breakthrough. He turned sideways, put his left elbow in front to protect the ball, and used his left shoulder to push Gary Payton forward.
"Shet!"
Gary Payton can't stand, so how can he defend himself?
When Zhou Quan rushed to the free throw line, he bumped into Gary Payton and immediately stepped back and shot a jumper. Gary Payton didn't keep up with the rhythm at all and made an easy shot.
James Worthy laughed and said: "Gary Payton can defend against other point guards, but it cannot defend against Iron Fist. The tonnage and strength confrontation are not on the same level."
John Moore nodded and said: "He has no chance to get close to the iron fist. He will be knocked away if he gets close, and there is no chance to use glove defense.
Iron Fist is not just about tonnage, he has better athleticism and faster speed than Gary Payton. As long as Gary Payton is knocked out of position, he will not be able to keep up with Iron Fist. "
James Worthy joked: "Iron Fist uses a crushing breakthrough to deal with Gloves. If the home whistle is obvious and the ball is blown a few more times, Gloves still has some chance to defend against Iron Fist."
John Moore glanced at James Worthy strangely and reminded: "James, have you ever seen Jordan's home whistle when he was playing away games?
Now Tekken's status in the international sports world is no longer comparable to that of Jordan. If he blows the home whistle on him, if he stops playing in the NBA and goes full-time to boxing, how much loss will the NBA suffer?
In the last challenge when he won the world boxing championship, McCall didn't hit him even once. With his dodge ability, there was no accumulation of damage at all. He can definitely fight a few more boxing matches a year. With his box office Appealing power, how many dollars do you need to earn in a year?
To be honest, internationally, Iron Fist is already the biggest brand of the NBA. If the league targets him, it will destroy its own brand. "
James Worthy laughed awkwardly, and then said: "I'm just saying that this is a possibility. The league really needs to support him and fight the NBA with an iron fist. It will make hundreds of millions of dollars less every year."
In New York, David Stern really wants to follow the satellite signal and rush over and kick these two guys to death. Even if this is the case, don't tell them. It will make the NBA lose face.
(End of chapter)
