At the scene, Zhou Quan was being interviewed by ESPN TV after the game.
There were many media reporters around, including some domestic reporters.
"Iron Fist, do you have any regrets about not playing at the last moment?" the reporter asked.
"There are some, but getting sixty points is already pretty good, very good." Zhou Quan said with a smile.
"You are the third person in the history of the league to score 60+ points in a single game in the playoffs, and your opponent is the Big Three. How do you evaluate your performance tonight?" the reporter asked.
"To be honest, I would like to use 'great' to describe my performance tonight. Do you agree?" Zhou Quan said with a smile.
"I think anyone would agree, including your opponent tonight."
The reporter smiled and nodded, then asked: "Even though Mosaic used a wide-open tactic to contain you close to the sideline today, you still sent 6 steals. How did you do it?"
Zhou Quan laughed and said: "I had three steals in the first quarter. In the next three quarters, I only had one steal in each quarter. I think it is already very few. Their tactics really restricted the use of my steal ability."
"Ha ha……"
The reporter laughed and finally asked: "So Tekken, almost all media are more optimistic about the Big Three, but you defeated the Big Three with a 60-point performance. How do you evaluate this game?"
"Including ESPN, I remember your prediction data is 49% for us and 51% for Mosaic." Zhou Quan interjected with a smile.
The reporter laughed, and Zhou Quan continued: "I am still confident in the next series, because the performance of the Big Three is not that disappointing. From scoring to offensive efficiency, I don't think they are dominant. level performance.
Of course, taken alone, Dameng can be said to have had a dominant performance. He did dominate the two paint areas. "
The reporter finally asked: "Iron Fist, do you think you dominated the Big Three tonight?"
Zhou Quan laughed and said, "If you say yes, I won't say no."
"Ha ha……"
The reporter and the people around burst into laughter.
After the ESPN interview, Zhou Quan accepted interviews from domestic reporters.
Speaking of which, the Mosaic team returned to the locker room, like a group of soldiers who had lost a battle. After entering, they closed the door and vented, causing a banging sound inside, and Dameng's venting roar could be heard outside. clear.
After it became quieter inside, a gym staff member opened the door and put his head in to observe the situation. This was part of his job and he had to assess the damage in a timely manner.
"What are you looking at? Close the door."
Dameng stared at the staff viciously and yelled.
Seeing that Da Meng was about to eat someone, the staff was not afraid at all. He sneered and said: "Two iron wardrobes, a trash can, three stools, a massage bed, and a TV, who of you will pay the bill?" , so that I can notify the finance department to send you a bill."
"asshole!"
Dameng kicked a trash can away and cursed: "Give it all to me, I'll pay the bill."
"There are two trash cans now." The staff member looked at the obviously deformed trash can and said immediately.
"Out!" Dameng roared.
"Okay, sir, you go out first, we will be responsible for everything here." Tomjanovich said.
The staff finally closed the door, and Dameng was pulled back to his seat by Buckley.
The locker room fell into silence, like a dead man.
Two minutes later, Barkley's deep voice sounded: "I didn't expect that three of us fought against one, and he won. This bastard, did he take his medicine tonight? He has such a good touch."
Dameng said angrily: "Do you know what medicine can make the hand feel so good? Go take some for yourself and bring some to Clyde."
"Why are you angry at me? Are you saying we are inefficient?" Barkley said suppressing his anger.
"No. Sorry, Charles, I didn't mean that." Dameng reacted and suppressed his anger.
"It's my fault for losing. My performance dragged you down." Glider said in a low tone.
"Clyde, don't say that. We are brothers. I just said the wrong thing." Dameng also calmed down and apologized quickly.
At this time, Tomjanovich said: "Tekken's performance tonight is not a regular performance. It is absolutely impossible for him to perform like this every time. You should know this.
So everyone should calm down. When encountering such a historical level of super luxurious performance, it is not surprising to lose. Tonight's Iron Fist, whoever you see will be destroyed.
If Jordan could hit the same shooting percentage as Iron Fist tonight, he would have won that game and would not have been swept by the Birds. "
Barkley nodded and said: "He didn't really get to the basket a few times tonight, and he didn't take many free throws. In positional battles, he mainly relied on pull-up jump shots. He could shoot any number of shots. He shot 62.5% and scored 60 points. Who knows?" It’s no use coming.”
"Coach, how will we play next?" Dameng asked in a deep voice.
Tomjanovich was hesitant and used the point guard to open up Tekken's defense tonight. The point guard therefore rarely participated in the offense, but Tekken still had 6 steals.
But then I thought about it, if I didn’t use this tactic, maybe Iron Fist could deliver two six steals, so why bother playing?
"If we continue to fight like this, we must pin down Iron Fist's defense on the flank and launch the attack from the other wing." He said firmly.
Big Dream thought about it and said: "He doesn't consume much on the defensive end and can save a lot of physical energy, so we couldn't play in the final quarter, and he still..."
At this point, he couldn't go on thinking about Zhou Quan's 12-point performance in less than five minutes in the second half of the final quarter.
Tomjanovich had a headache. Yes, the spacing tactics did contain and limit some of Iron Fist's defensive capabilities, but it also saved him physical energy.
Shortly after, the two teams held a post-game press conference.
"Hakim, how would you rate Tekken's performance tonight?" asked the New York Times reporter who was the first to ask the question.
Dameng said with a straight face: "I won't deny that he played well tonight."
"Is it just good?" the reporter asked.
"Very good, he played a great enough performance." Dameng said through gritted teeth.
"What do you think is the main failure of Mosaic tonight?" the reporter asked again.
Big Dream thought about it and said: "Efficiency, offensive efficiency, we need higher offensive efficiency."
"So do you think the reason for the insufficient offensive efficiency is a problem of offensive tactics or personal strength?" the reporter asked.
Dameng was silent for a moment, damn reporter, how should he answer this? Offend the head coach, or offend Barkley and Drexler?
He thought for a moment and said: "I don't know, we haven't discussed this issue yet."
The reporter who asked the next question asked: "Charles, who do you think has a better chance of reaching the Finals in this series now?"
"Of course it's us." Buckley said angrily.
"Do you think Tekken can still perform like this?" the reporter asked again.
"Do you think he is a god? He may never perform like this again in his life." Barkley said angrily.
"Glider, Smiling Assassin and Ranbir think you are not worthy of the title of giant. What do you think?" the next reporter asked.
"I have never said that I am a giant. I don't know why they are targeting me. I was traded, not asked to come. I have never thought about joining a group, and I have never thought about hugging anyone's lap." Glider expressed a mixture of sadness and anger.
Dameng punched down and hit the table with a bang, making many people jump. He stood up suddenly, stared at everyone angrily and roared:
"Those two bastards Ranbir and Iron Fist are on the same team, they just want to mess up our mentality, and we won't be fooled.
The series has just begun, and we’re going to let Tekken know that if he doesn’t have what it takes every night to perform like he did tonight, we’re going to win. "
"Hakim, calm down." Tomjanovich quickly stepped in to clean up the situation.
Next, another reporter asked: "Mr. Head Coach, how do you think the Big Three lineup performed?"
Tomjanovich sighed secretly, and then said: "I regret that the strengths of the three of them were not integrated.
In fact, this problem has always existed in the regular season. The three of them almost all play their own roles. Each of them leads the team for a while, and their compatibility is not high. "
These words made Dameng and the others feel even worse.
…
"Zhou Quan, the current NBA number one, scored 60 points in the second round of G1, defeating the Mosaic Big Three with his strong personal ability." Tokyo Daily News.
"With 60 points in a single game and a shooting percentage of 62.5%, Iron Fist performed at a divine level, and the Mosaic Big Three are facing collapse." New York Times.
On the 21st, a large number of American media praised Zhou Quan for his 60 points in a single game, and many international media also focused on reporting.
At ten o'clock in the morning, at the hotel where Mosaic checked in, Dameng received a bill from the Seattle Center Arena, handed over by Steve Patterson, the team's general manager.
This was the bill that destroyed the locker room after last night's game. He looked at the final amount and then exploded on the spot.
"$22,860? Are they crazy? This is extortion! Extortion! I'm going to call the police, call the police!" he yelled, waving the bill.
Patterson advised: "Calm down, Hakeem, this is not our business, you really made a mess there."
"That's not worth so much money!" Dameng said angrily.
Patterson said helplessly: "I know, so you can let your lawyer negotiate with the gym, but you don't have to give so much."
"Don't you know their purpose for doing this? They are trying to interfere with me. They are distracting me from focusing on the series." Dameng said angrily.
"That's why I let your lawyer talk about it. I don't want you to talk about it. You focus on the game. Just know this matter." Patterson said patiently.
"I'll notify the lawyer."
Dameng snorted angrily, hissed, and tore up the bill.
…
Zhou Quan didn't get up until 11 o'clock in the morning. He played a super explosive state last night, but he still had some sequelae. He was a little weak after over-exerting his energy. At the same time, he was too energetic. His sleeping alchemy state was not very good last night and it was difficult to fall into samadhi. It was a fragment of a dream about some games.
Although he slept for a long time, more than ten hours, he didn't sleep well, and his physical and mental recovery was poor. Fortunately, he still had one day to rest, and he still had the opportunity to adjust and try to have a good night's sleep again tonight. .
After getting up, I did some activities, then had lunch. After lunch, I took another nap in the coffee shop on the pier.
The sleep after returning to the cage was good, even very good. I fell into samadhi quickly after getting into the exercise postures, and slept until two o'clock in the afternoon when I woke up.
Although I only slept for an hour and a half, I didn't dream. I was almost in a state of deep sleep. When I woke up, I felt much better and the effect was even better than the ten hours of sleep last night.
Just as Zhang Lili and Xu Jicheng came over, he called his three basketball trainers. After having afternoon tea together, several people helped him conduct offensive training with the ball.
Zeng Li was on the cheerleading team, Xu Jicheng was in charge of statistics, Zhang Lili was in charge of picking up the ball and passing it to him, and the three trainers were in charge of defense, including confrontation and double-teaming.
Each attack time is limited. From the moment the ball is received, whether it is a breakthrough attack with the ball or an outside jump shot, the attack must be completed within five seconds.
Including passing and receiving, there is about one attack every eight seconds, and he has to complete seven to eight ball-holding attacks every minute. One round every three minutes, and then rest for one minute before starting the next round. He has to complete ten rounds of training.
The training lasted nearly fifty minutes before it ended. Ten rounds were thirty minutes, about two hundred times of ball-holding offensive training. With double and triple double teams throughout the whole process, the intensity was no less intense than half a game. Contest.
At this time, Xu Jicheng came over with the statistics table and said: "Xiao Zhou made a total of 205 attacks with the ball, hitting 89 goals, with a shooting rate of 43.4%.
He made 17 of 45 three-pointers and a shooting percentage of 37.8%; made 57 of 137 mid-range shots and a shooting percentage of 41.6%; he made 15 of 23 shots at the basket and a shooting percentage of 65.2%.
The detailed statistics of the mid-range shot are: 31 of 74 shots from far two-point range, a hit rate of 41.9%; 18 of 42 shots from two-point range, a hit rate of 42.9%; 8 of 21 shots from the near two-point range, a hit rate of 38.1%. "
Zeng Li ran over in small steps and said with some worry: "Hubby, it's almost 19 percentage points lower than yesterday's game."
Zhang Lili said with a smile: "Don't worry, Xiao Zeng. This was a three-person double-team, one versus three, and the shooting rate was 43.4%, which is very good. Jordan should not be able to achieve this efficiency."
"nice?"
Zeng Li felt relieved after hearing this, but still asked Zhou Quan.
Zhou Quan smiled and nodded: "The state is barely okay. But this is training, and the intensity of the confrontation cannot be compared with a real game, so these data have to be discounted."
"That's not bad, three people will double-team you!" Xu Jicheng laughed.
Zhang Liyi nodded and said: "If you can't pass the ball yet, your threat with the ball will be reduced by half. This efficiency is really good."
That night, the G1 game of the Eastern Conference Finals began.
"Shaq, I wish you a good start on the road."
The game started at eight o'clock. At seven o'clock, Zhou Quan called O'Neal to cheer him up.
"Iron Fist, their inside line can't stop me, I can take care of them with one hand. See you in the finals." O'Neal coaxed and vowed.
Zhou Quan believed it was true, and really thought that O'Neal and Hardaway could pose a certain threat to the Bulls, but he was very disappointed.
89:111, the Bulls slaughtered the Magic at the United Center, winning by 22 points.
Jordan didn't exert any effort at all, and even only showed 60-70% of his strength. He made 9 of 17 shots, 1 of 2 three-pointers, and 2 of 3 free throws. He only scored 21 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.
Pippen took more shots, making 7 of 20 shots, and only had 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal.
But a total of six Bulls players scored in double figures and grabbed 50 rebounds.
The Magic only had two players score in double figures and only grabbed 40 rebounds.
O'Neal and Hardaway scored 27 points and 38 points respectively, and the other three starters scored 8 points together. Their performance can only be described as garbage.
"Are everyone else trash except Shark and Penny?"
After watching this game, Zhou Quan felt that it was not good. The Magic might be swept, and the Bulls would probably have the advantage of waiting for work in the finals.
"Shark, your performance is not as good as penny, why don't you come and hug my thigh?" Worried, he made another phone call to comfort O'Neal.
O'Neal had already lost the game. When he heard this, he was so angry that he shouted: "Iron Fist, we are no longer friends."
"Okay, no more kidding."
Zhou Quan laughed and said: "Seriously, Shark, your contract hasn't been settled yet. The Magic are now focused on promoting Hardaway. What they want is Jordan. Pence's performance is better than yours tonight. Have you decided?" ?”
O'Neal was very irritated. He raised his head and glanced at Hardaway opposite him. Hardaway happened to look over as well, and the two immediately moved away after their eyes came into contact.
Tonight, Pence not only scored 38 points, but his shooting percentage was as high as 71.4%. His shooting percentage was 61.9%, which really beat him.
He said with some helplessness: "Let's talk about it after the playoffs."
"Then come on, even if you help me, don't be swept away by Jordan." Zhou Quan encouraged.
"How can it be?"
O'Neal was so angry that he almost jumped up and shouted angrily: "You may not be able to pass the level of the Mosaic Big Three yourself?"
"Can those three guys who stick together stop me?"
Zhou Quan said disdainfully: "If they had that ability, why would they stick together? Have you seen Jordan teaming up?"
"I'll kill Jordan when I get back to the home court." O'Neal yelled and hung up the phone.
Zhou Quan put down the phone, got up and went to bed.
The game just now left a deep impression on him. The Bulls' perimeter defense was so strong that no one else in the Magic could score points.
But Hardaway's performance also led him to the conclusion that the Bulls' perimeter defense is indeed strong, but it cannot stop everything.
But Hardaway is really strong, and his style is really similar to Jordan's. If this continues, in this era of super guards, the Magic will only use him as the core and ignore O'Neal.
In other words, O'Neal will almost certainly leave the Magic next season, so the whereabouts of a super center, or even an epoch-making heavy super center, will be enough to affect the league's situation.
After saying good night to Zeng Li, he went back to the second bedroom, closed the curtains, came out of the bathroom and checked the time. It was 10:30. After going to bed, he got into the exercise posture and started practicing the sleeping elixir technique.
With the advancement of the Sleeping Alchemy Skill, it has become easier to enter concentration. Now he is pursuing a possibility, which is to strive to control the state of mind and body to a certain extent.
The purpose is to ensure that the body can reach a better state in the most critical competition.
For example, he very much hopes to win tomorrow's G2 game. With two consecutive home wins, he has the advantage. If he loses, he will be passive.
Therefore, he hopes to enter the state of practice as soon as possible tonight, enter samadhi as soon as possible, enter deep sleep, and adjust his body and spirit to the best through the Sleeping Pill Gong.
Of course, continuous outbreaks will definitely be followed by a period of exhaustion, which will produce stronger sequelae, which will be detrimental to subsequent away games. This is also something he is considering.
As he breathed in and out, the chaotic thoughts in his mind slowly decreased, and his energy and spirit slowly began to converge, and he entered concentration.
(End of chapter)
