Ben Wallace grabbed the rebound. He was too short and was blocked by a group of big men such as AC Green and Campbell. He couldn't see Zhou Quan and Barry outside and immediately handed the ball to Campbell.
Campbell then handed it over to Bowen. At this time, the fast break opportunity was gone. Zhou Quan came back from the frontcourt to catch the ball and stabilized his position.
He reached the top of the arc with the ball, paused for a moment, suddenly moved three steps to the right, and then changed direction and broke through downward.
It's just that the breakthrough speed this time was not too fast. Not only did Kobe keep up with the rhythm, but it also gave Ron Harper a chance to help defend.
Harper was only two meters away from Zhou Quan and decisively began to double-team.
Zhou Quan took two strong steps downward. When he reached the right elbow area, he was double-teamed.
But just as Harper pounced to the right, he backhanded the ball with his right hand and the ball flew towards Minibari.
"not good!"
Harper wanted to turn back to defend, but it was too late.
At the 45-degree position of the three-point line, Brent Barry caught the ball and made a calm jump shot.
"Vacant!" Zhang Lili shouted.
On the sidelines, Old Barry and several young Barry also looked closely at Brent Barry.
In the G1 game, Brent Barry was outstanding. He dunked twice from the free throw line. As a family, they also hope that Brent can excel again today.
"brush!"
The water splashed and he hit a three-pointer.
"yeah!"
Old Barry's family immediately raised their arms and cheered.
"Rick Barry was very boring when he was playing. Unexpectedly, he is more lively now that he is old." Bill Walton joked.
6:7, Lakers attack.
O'Neal rested again. Kobe did not go to O'Neal's left wing, but came to the right wing. After receiving the ball at the three-point line, he called AC Green's pick-and-roll.
Green's career shooting percentage is 49.4%, but now that he is approaching retirement, his shooting ability has weakened a lot, with only 44.7% in the regular season this season.
But he has a long two-point shot, and his shooting rate for both mid-range and near two-pointers is only 20-30%. However, his far two-point shooting rate has remained at 44% this season, so his pick-and-roll effect is actually pretty good.
Zhou Quan naturally knew the details of the Lakers' main power forward AC Green. When he saw Kobe calling a pick-and-roll, he immediately began to press Kobe close to him without waiting for Green to come up, forcing Kobe to move.
Kobe first took two steps down along the three-point line, then stopped and suddenly pulled back. At this time, Green arrived. He bypassed Green and jumped inward, switching to his left hand to control the ball.
Zhou Quan did not go around Green, so that Kobe would get an open shot at the three-point line, so he chased behind Kobe.
Campbell, who followed, blocked Kobe. Kobe was forced to slow down and break through from the left.
But at this moment, Zhou Quan saw the right opportunity and stole the ball.
"Snapped!"
He leaned over from behind and reached out, grabbing the ball that bounced off the floor, then turned around and started playing fast.
"Pa bang bang..."
The Central Gymnasium immediately gave Zhou Quan warm applause for his steal.
Kobe didn't know what was happening at the first moment, until he continued to rush forward, but the ball disappeared. When he turned around to look for the ball, he discovered that Zhou Quan was holding the ball and making a quick move.
"My ball!"
In a rage, he quickly started to chase, but was already four or five meters behind.
"boom!"
Zhou Quan rushed into the paint from the left elbow area and performed a one-handed giant loop that rotated 360 degrees, setting off the stadium.
Bill Walton said excitedly: "If Kobe can't break through the iron fist with the ball, then he can't tear apart the SuperSonics defense and create opportunities for O'Neal, and the Lakers will be in danger.
Even if O'Neal hits the basket, how many points can he score? How long can you continue to fight with three supersonic human shields holding you back? "
Laimbeer said proudly: "Starting from Isiah, this has been the era of guards. The era of centers is gone forever. Without good outside cooperation, no matter how powerful the super center is, it is useless.
Of the four super centers, only David Robinson and Michael Jordan won a championship after retiring with the Iron Fist.
If the current center wants to win the championship, the perimeter around him has to face guys like Iron Fist. Without the strength of Michael Jordan, winning the championship is unthinkable. "
Bill Walton laughed, shook his head and said: "Brother Bill, I agree with everything else, but you are wrong about one thing. The era of guards began with the Magician."
Laimbeer said angrily: "He is not an orthodox point guard at all. He plays center, the No. 1 substitute for Sky Hook."
"Haha..." Bill Walton laughed.
"Two idiots!"
Jordan in front of the TV was unconvinced. Why did the guard era begin with assassins and magicians? It obviously started with me, Michael Jordan.
6:9, Lakers attack.
"You still have to rely on me."
O'Neal made another half-court turnaround and then ran toward the basket.
The path was blocked, and Ben Wallace stood one step below the free throw line.
"Damn muscle cock!"
At the free throw line, O'Neal pushed Ben Wallace forward with both hands, took advantage of the situation, stopped, turned around, leaned in, and opened his hand for the ball.
In the backcourt, Ron Harper, who was advancing with the ball, saw O'Neal's actions in the frontcourt, quickly pulled the ball up, and prepared to pass the ball after joining the ball.
At this moment, seeing Harper hitting the ball, Barry immediately stepped forward to press for it and almost knocked the ball away.
Harper did not pass the ball, but the ball died in his hands. He quickly turned around to protect the ball, and then looked for the passing target.
Kobe and Glen Rice quickly ran back to catch the ball.
In the frontcourt, O'Neal saw that there was no chance, so he had to come out of the paint area first.
Kobe received the ball and before he could turn around, Zhou Quan hit him from behind.
But by this time Ron Harper had gotten rid of Barry and took over the ball again, eliminating the pressing crisis in the backcourt.
But when he received the ball, eight seconds were approaching and there was no time to push past half court, so he could only pass the ball directly to the frontcourt.
O'Neal caught the ball in the high post and was blocked by Ben Wallace from behind, but he turned around with a agile shark, swaying left and then turning right. Ben Wallace was shaken and successfully dribbled the ball down.
"It's going to be bad!"
Zhang Lili couldn't help but lost his voice.
After O'Neal combined the ball, he exploded at the edge of the reasonable collision area. Campbell returned to the basket half a beat late, jumped from the side to block the shot, was directly knocked away, and fell to the ground.
"boom!"
O'Neal dunked hard with both hands, and the entire basket instantly sank, threatening to collapse, causing the entire audience to scream.
"Ouch, this ball was pressed well in the backcourt. Barry defended it very well the first time, but failed to catch up with Harper in time the second time and let him pass the ball." Zhang Liji shook his head.
"It's really too easy for O'Neal to beat Ben Wallace in isolation. It's not that Ben Wallace's defense is not good, but that the Sharks are too strong." Xu Jicheng sighed.
"The name may be wrong, but the nickname is not wrong. Strength and agility are the characteristics of the big shark. Looking at his shark turn, he is more nimble than Ben Wallace. He should be the most nimble fat man in the world. "Zhang Lili said.
8:9, SuperSonics offense.
"Don't worry, let's fight."
After receiving the ball, Zhou Quan was not in a hurry to advance, but first stabilized his teammates' emotions.
No matter how powerful O'Neal is, his tonnage is there and his physical fitness is limited. It is difficult for him to score continuously like a defender. It is not easy for him to score 50 points.
After so many years in O'Neal's career, he has scored 50+ three times in the regular season, but has never scored 50+ once in the playoffs.
Kobe Bryant couldn't perform well under his defense. O'Neal alone couldn't support the Lakers' offense, and he would be worn to death slowly.
At the end of the first quarter, 24:28, the SuperSonics led by 4 points.
O'Neal made 7 of 9 shots and 1 of 5 free throws, scoring 15 points.
Kobe was defended by Zhou Quan and made 1 of 5 shots, scoring only 2 points.
Zhou Quan made 7 of 11 shots in the first quarter, 1 of 1 three-point field goal, and 3 of 3 free throws. He scored 18 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, and 2 steals.
"The Sharks played 10 minutes in the first quarter. They were efficient enough, but they were exhausted." Zhang Lili said.
"Zhou Quan continued to lock down Kobe, preventing the OK combination from achieving internal and external coordination. Although the lead was not much, O'Neal's physical energy was exhausted, and the Lakers' bench lineup was not as good as the SuperSonics. The advantage will become bigger and bigger in the future." Xu Ji Chengdao.
Zhang Lili smiled and said: "Kobe can't provide points here. Let's not talk about the tactical losses. Let's just say one thing. O'Neal has to take on more offensive tasks. This consumes too much for him. His shots per game are just Keep it around 20 times, rarely more than 25 times. If you take too many shots, you will be exhausted, and your subsequent efficiency will not be high."
"So if Kobe can't stand up, it won't be easy for the Lakers to win against the Sonics." Xu Jicheng said.
Zhang Lili said: "It's not that there is no chance. If Kobe can't do it, other people can step up, such as Glen Rice.
But Bruce Bowen is really good. No wonder he is made the starting small forward. Although he can't guard Glen Rice, he also prevents Glen Rice from performing well.
Glen Rice is a pitcher whose offensive ability with the ball cannot be used, and Bowen's candy-like defense makes him very uncomfortable.
Another opportunity for the Lakers is that the SuperSonics have not performed well, but so far, Zhou Quan's performance has been very stable. As long as he is stable, the SuperSonics will not be in chaos. "
Xu Jicheng said: "After Kobe was locked up by Zhou Quan, the Lakers lacked a ball-holding offensive core on the outside. Neither Harper nor Rice could do it. O'Neal seemed a bit isolated and helpless."
"That's it. You can let O'Neal score, but every time he scores, he must consume a lot of energy. Whenever he can't score, the Lakers will lose." Zhang Li said with a smile.
In the second quarter, Zhou Quan only took one minute of rest before playing again, leading his substitute teammates to slowly widen the point difference.
Watching the point difference widen bit by bit, the Lakers felt very painful, as if a noose was tied around their necks. The noose was slowly tightening, and they tried their best, but they could not escape the noose. .
Zhou Quan once again scored 15 points in the second quarter, scoring 33 points and 8 assists in the half, and also sent 5 steals and 1 block.
O'Neal was not as energetic as the first quarter in the second quarter. He played 10 minutes, made 3 of 6 shots, 1 of 2 free throws, and only scored 7 points, 22 points in the half.
Kobe played 9 minutes, making 2 of 4 shots and 1 of 2 free throws. His performance was better than in the first quarter, but he only scored 5 points and was unable to influence the situation on the court.
It's not that he doesn't want to take more shots, it's just that under Zhou Quan's defense, he only gets so many shots.
However, the Lakers' backup swingman Rick Fox stepped up, shooting 2 of 3 from the field and scoring 4 points in the second quarter.
After halftime, 42:52, the SuperSonics led by 10 points.
In the third quarter, O'Neal recovered slightly after a 15-minute break in the middle. He attacked hard in the first half, making 3 of 4 shots and 1 of 3 free throws. He scored 7 points in a row. Zhou Quan happened to be in Kobe's desperate game. After missing two three-pointers on defense, the Lakers once narrowed the point difference to 4 points.
However, Zhou Quan then strengthened his defense, stealing and blocking Kobe once, and led the team to an 8:0 attack wave, widening the point difference to 12 points.
This wave of fast offense and defense exhausted O'Neal's physical energy. He could no longer make waves in the second half. Kobe took over the offense and hit the iron four times in a row under Zhou Quan's defense. At the end of the third quarter, the SuperSonics took the lead. Scored 21 points.
"Blacksmith, please strengthen your shooting training in the offseason. Your shooting stability is too poor, and it is only a little better than Iverson."
When he came off the court, Zhou Quan said to Kobe.
"I will."
Kobe, who made 1 of 6 shots in the third quarter and 4 of 15 shots in the third quarter, was not discouraged at all.
In fact, his shooting percentage is not bad now. His 46.8% shooting percentage in the regular season is the highest in four seasons. Iverson only had 42%. He also had 44.2% in the first two rounds of the playoffs, but now he has a shooting percentage of 46.8%. Last week, I couldn't play efficiently.
He himself knows this. If he wants to stand out and win the championship, he must pass the Iron Fist King level. The current efficiency is not enough.
"The last quarter should be garbage time." Xu Jicheng said.
Zhang Lili shook his head and said: "I see the way Kobe looks like, he will never admit defeat, let alone 20 points behind, even if he is 40 points behind, I'm afraid he will not give up. He is a bit like Jordan, in terms of technique, Their personalities are similar."
"By the way, Director Zhang, the roster of the American Dream Team hasn't been out yet, has it?" Xu Jicheng suddenly changed the topic.
Zhang Lili was startled, shook his head hurriedly and said: "Not yet, usually it is not announced until the end of June, after the NBA playoffs are over."
Xu Jicheng sighed: "In the last Asian Championships, we suffered too many injuries and were blocked by the Korean team from the World Championships. We hope to gain something in this Olympics."
Zhang Li thought for a while and said: "Atlanta won the silver medal in 1996. I think the men's basketball team is under a lot of pressure this time. If you stand still and get a silver medal, winning a bronze medal is a step back, so everyone's expectations should not be too high. So as not to put more pressure on the men’s basketball team.”
"That's right, this group of people are quite young now, and their injuries are serious."
Xu Jicheng nodded and said: "Actually, excluding Zhou Quan, based on our strength, if we can qualify as a group and enter the knockout stage, we will be victorious."
This is when the end begins.
As expected, Kobe did not give up and played very hard, frequently using pick-and-rolls to get rid of Zhou Quan and then catch the ball. O'Neal also used his last strength. Under the leadership of the two, the Lakers did not surrender, but launched a wave of desperate counterattacks. The difference was reduced to 14 points in the first half.
However, this was also the last afterglow of the Lakers tonight. Then Zhou Quan scored 8 points in a row with two three-pointers and a fast break dunk after a steal, which destroyed the morale of the Lakers in one fell swoop. With 4 minutes left, the Lakers withdrew. The main force was taken down.
At the end, 89:107, the Sonics won by 18 points and won two consecutive home games.
O'Neal made 13 of 25 shots, 52% from the field, 5 of 12 free throws, and scored 31 points and 13 rebounds.
Kobe made 7 of 22 shots, 31.8% from the field, 1 of 5 three-pointers, 4 of 5 free throws, and scored 19 points.
A total of three Lakers scored in double figures. The third scoring point was substitute Rick Fox, who scored 11 points.
(End of chapter)
