God of NBA point guards

Chapter 456 The Bulls Beat the Twin Towers

The next moment, Mutombo had the ball in hand.

But he didn't notice Jordan's vacancy. As a 218-centimeter high center who only averaged 1.6 assists per game, he didn't have that passing vision.

So after receiving the ball, he didn't pass the ball, but started to attack. He carried Laettner on his left elbow, leaned in, and then hit a side hook.

The moment he took the shot, Zhou Quan arrived, and with a wave of his hand, he clicked the ball. The basketball changed its line, hit the backboard, bounced, and was caught by Rodman.

"damn it!"

Jordan immediately turned back to defense.

"Block! Zhou Quan blocked Mutombo." Zhang Lili said excitedly.

At the basket, Zhou Quan took the ball from Rodman and immediately started to play quickly, pushing forward with all his strength. Mutombo behind him tried his best to return to defense, but still fell further and further away.

Not only Mutombo, Rodman and Kukoc are also lagging behind.

"King of Iron Fist's fast attack is here again!"

When the nearly [-] Bulls fans saw this scene, their hearts shrank, they took a breath, and immediately stared nervously at Zhou Quan, who was advancing rapidly.

When Zhou Quan crossed the midline, he surpassed Schrempf and Pippen.

At this time, Hawkins stopped at the left three-point line, and Ron Harper did not dare to let go.

And Jordan stopped at the top of the arc, leaned down, spread his arms, and made a ready posture.

At the next moment, Zhou Quan came forward with a horse, slowed down slightly, then handed the ball to his left hand, accelerated and stepped over, starting from the left side.

Jordan immediately turned around and retreated, sticking to Zhou Quan's right side.

Ron Harper didn't dare to double-team because he had suffered enough from double-teaming Zhou Quan in the previous two finals.

In fact, Zhou Quan's breakthrough from the left was also intended to attract Harper to double-team him and create an open opportunity for Schrempf. This is also his usual trick.

He carried Jordan with his right elbow and drove to the basket. After putting the ball together with both hands, he turned around and swung the ball upward. After shaking Jordan up, he turned again and hit the layup.

"Going in! Zhou Quan was very calm and used fake moves to shake Jordan, and his continuous turns were very well connected." Zhang Lili said happily.

"The confrontational ability is too strong. Jordan tried to pull Zhou Quan, but he couldn't move him." Xu Jicheng said with a smile.

At this time, the Bulls served and Jordan called a timeout. Phil Jackson did not call a timeout, but the team's situation was not good and he couldn't wait any longer.

"The Bulls are in trouble now because they can't guard against Zhou Quan's fast break. Now at 11:4, Zhou Quan made 4 of 4 shots, including a three-pointer. He scored 9 points, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block in a row. He had an offensive foul. Consider it a mistake." Xu Jicheng said.

"Jordan made 2 of 2 shots, causing Zhou Quan to commit an offensive foul. There is nothing to say about the status of the two. Mainly in terms of tactics, the SuperSonics played better, and now the Bulls are a little passive tactically." Zhang Lili said.

On the Bulls bench, Jordan took the water glass and towel handed over by his teammates. After sitting down, he said to Phil Jackson sternly: "Phil, you have to figure out how to defend against Iron Fist's fast break."

Phil Jackson pretended to be calm and combed his hair with his hands, and then said: "Michael, if you can't stop his fast break, it will be quite detrimental to us.

You are the first line of defense. You are one of the best defenders in this league. You must limit his advancement speed and create opportunities for Dikembe to return to defense. This is your responsibility.

It is impossible for me to arrange a double-team tactic for Tekken on the outside. Tekken's passing will make our double-team tactic fail. You know, we have used two finals to prove that this tactic does not work. "

Jordan gasped, feeling very angry.

Phil Jackson's words were harsh and unpleasant, but he knew very well that half of what the head coach he once trusted so much said was right.

But he just couldn't guard against Iron Fist. For six seasons, he couldn't guard against Iron Fist when he first entered the league. Now that he's older, he can no longer guard against him.

"Phil, you are the head coach and you must solve tactical problems. Now there is a problem with our tactics."

Although he was angry, this was the finals and he didn't want to fall out, so he just stared at Phil Jackson sternly and said.

Phil Jackson's look was very stern. He knew that his relationship with Jordan was not as good as it appeared on the surface. Since the split in last season's finals, until now, they have only seemed to be inseparable, working together for a common goal.

So at this time, he wants Jordan to understand that it is your responsibility and you have to take it instead of leaving it all on me.

But he would not sit idly by. After hearing what Jordan said, he nodded and said: "Of course, from now on, Michael, you have to use stronger defense and ignore the referee. This is our home court, and the whistle must be blown." Will favor you."

"I will. But what about the tactics?" Jordan asked.

Phil Jackson said: "I have already thought about it, Tony comes down, Bill Wennington goes up, and we use the twin tower strategy."

Having said this, he said to Wennington: "Bill, when transitioning between offense and defense, you are responsible for limiting the opponent's quick passes."

"Got it." Bill Wennington nodded quickly.

"Dikembe, when you transition from offense to defense, you must return to defense as soon as possible. You must return to the basket before Iron Fist." Phil Jackson said to Mutombo again.

"OK." Mutombo nodded.

At this point the timeout ends and play resumes.

When George Karl saw Bill Wennington on the court from the Bulls, he immediately shouted to Zhou Quan: "Iron Fist, play as fast as you can."

"OK."

Zhou Quan nodded.

"The Bulls have made substitutions. They have two big centers. This is a twin-tower tactic." Xu Jicheng said.

Zhang Lili immediately analyzed: "This will definitely create opportunities for Mutombo to return to defense, and Bill Wennington will be responsible for stopping the SuperSonics' fast serve."

"Let's see how Zhou Quan fights." Xu Jicheng said.

When the Bulls attacked, the twin towers of Bill Wennington and Mutombo gathered under the basket, and the four inside lines in the paint area were crowded.

Jordan quickly circled to the top of the arc and took advantage of Harper's pick-and-roll to catch the ball and shoot a jump shot. The rhythm was so fast that Zhou Quan had no time to follow. Hawkins quickly changed defense and took off to block the shot, half a beat too late.

"boom!"

Unfortunately, the three-pointer missed.

Mutombo was lucky enough to occupy a position in front of the basket, grab the rebounding offensive rebound, and then attack a second time and hit a layup.

"11:6, Mutombo used his second attack to stop the Bulls' bleeding." Xu Jicheng said with a smile.

The moment the ball was scored, the SuperSonics' fast break had already started. Rodman under the basket immediately retreated to the bottom. Bill Wennington blocked him. After Mutombo scored a goal, he immediately He turned around and started to defend with all his strength.

When Zhou Quan received the ball, he saw that Mutombo had already passed the center line. He knew that the fast break was impossible, so he had to slow down the rhythm.

"SuperSonics' first positional battle, let's see how the Bulls defend it." Elgin Baylor said.

"In the positional battle, the Bulls should have taken advantage. Their defense was too strong. I guess it was because the others watched Tie Fist play alone. Under the guarding of Pippen and Harper, they couldn't get out of the open space." Robertson said .

"That's not necessarily true. But the Bulls' defense is indeed strong, and it's difficult for the Sonics to win in a positional battle." Baylor shook his head.

The Sonics came to the frontcourt, and Schrempf and Hawkins began to move without the ball.

In fact, Ramf is over 34 years old, and his running ability is not as good as before, so he cannot get rid of Pippen's pursuit.

The outside running mainly depends on Hawkins. Hawkins is not yet 31 years old. Ron Harper has suffered a serious knee injury and is over 33 years old. His running ability is not as good as his, and he can't keep up with him.

In the low post, Rodman went to the basket to grab the rebound and Mutombo defended.

Laettner pulled to left wing and Bill Wennington followed.

Wennington is almost 34 years old, weighs nearly 120 kilograms, and has far less mobility than Laettner. As soon as Laettner started running, he was thrown away.

As soon as Laettner ran to the left corner, he immediately ran up the three-point line.

Schrempf saw it and ran towards the paint area.

His intention was to take Pippen away and give the spot to Laettner.When Pippen saw Schrempf cutting inside, he couldn't care less about Laettner and immediately followed him.

Zhou Quan dribbled the ball close to the top of the arc. He had just played a few minutes of fast break. He took this opportunity to take a break and recover his physical fitness. He was not in a hurry to launch an attack.

Seeing Laettner running to 45 degrees from the left wing three-point line, and Wennington already two meters behind, he immediately turned right, facing the right wing, and pulled the ball up with his right hand holding the ball. With a backhand move, the ball flew behind him. To Lightner.

Jordan in front of him was fooled, thinking he was going to pass the ball to the right or break through from the right, but unexpectedly he made a fake move + back pass.

Laettner caught the ball very comfortably, and without any further adjustments, he turned around and shot a jumper. After the ball was released, Wennington ran to him and slowed him down.

"Three-pointer? Can you hit it?" Zhang Liye shouted as he looked at the ball flying towards the basket.

"boom!"

Missed, just a little bit, and the basketball bounced upward.

"Shet!"

Leitner was so angry that he cursed.

"Wrong transmission."

Zhou Quan secretly reflected that Laettner was a three-point shooter when he was in the NCAA, but the three-point line in the NBA is farther, and Laettner rarely shot three-pointers after entering the league.

"This shot is a pity. Laettner has a small opening, but he should have gone further in and shot two points away. There is a chance. He does not have a three-point range." Xu Jicheng said.

Mutombo grabbed the backcourt rebound and the Bulls attacked.

Jordan still used pick-and-roll coverage this time, but Kukoc was not on the court. Wennington and Mutombo didn't even have mid-range shots. He could only do it with Ron Harper.

Zhou Quan was no longer polite this time. Ron Harper had just arrived and before he could gain a firm footing, he directly pushed forward with his body and engaged in physical confrontation.

Harper is a swingman who is 198 centimeters tall, but his tonnage is only 84 kilograms and his center of gravity is higher. His strength and confrontation ability are not at the same level as Zhou Quan, or even two or three levels behind.

Zhou Quan's current confrontation ability is at the inside level. As soon as he squeezed in and made contact with his body, Harper seemed to have no resistance and just leaned to the side.

"Damn Iron Fist!"

Jordan was about to go around Harper when he noticed that Zhou Quan had squeezed out of Harper's way and then stood in front of him. He quickly dribbled the ball and took a step back.

But Zhou Quan immediately followed up and reached out to poke the ball, forcing Jordan to protect the ball and creating an opportunity for Hawkins to double-team.

When Hawkins saw it, he ignored Harper and immediately rushed to Jordan's side. Together with Zhou Quan, he completed the double-team on Jordan.

"The pick-and-roll failed and we were double-teamed!" Xu Jicheng shouted happily.

"Squeezing through the cooperation is the most powerful and domineering way to break the pick-and-roll." Zhang Liji said with a smile.

At this time, Jordan took action. He forced the action from outside the three-point line. If he didn't take action, he would have no chance.

"Turn around and shoot a fadeaway jumper!" Xu Jicheng shouted.

"boom!"

The next moment, the basketball hit the basket and rebounded, and Rodman got the rebound.

"Jordan made 4 of 2 shots." Zhang Lili said.

After Jordan landed, he immediately turned around and returned to defense.

Zhou Quan's quick move was faster, and Jordan had to turn around. He didn't need to. After failing to block the shot, he landed on the ground and ran, half a step ahead of Jordan.

Rodman missed the first pass and was blocked by Mutombo. At this time, Hawkins ran down to catch the ball and he passed it.

"ball."

Hawkins looked at Zhou Quan's position. He was approaching the three-point line on the left wing and was running towards the paint area. He shouted and threw the ball with one hand, and the ball flew towards the basket.

Zhou Quan entered the penalty area from the left elbow area and looked back, only to see the ball flying over like a meteor.

He has a full-level spatial imagination and a 96-level prediction ability. Combining the two abilities, at this moment, before the ball arrives, the parabolic trajectory of the basketball is simulated in his brain.

And his feet also began to adjust their pace in order to take off in the best position to catch the ball.

Jordan chased with all his strength. In the short distance of ten meters, he was already one and a half steps behind from the half step at the start. At the distance of two meters, he knew that he could not catch up.

At this time, he saw the ball coming. When he was sliding down, he saw the right time and jumped up to intercept it, but he missed the boss by a length. The ball slipped two feet above his palm.

The next moment, Zhou Quan in front took off, caught the ball with his left hand, and folded his right hand. The next moment, he flew to the basket and smashed down with both hands.

"boom!"

"Oh hoo!"

A violent bombing of the basket sounded, and the cheers of two thousand visiting team fans also sounded.

"The 35-year-old Jordan has a weakness for speed!" Elgin Baylor said.

"When Michael Jordan is 25 years old, he should not be slower than the Iron Fist King." Oscar Robertson said.

"boom."

The Bulls attacked, and Jordan once again used the screen to take a shot from the right elbow area. Zhou Quan pursued the defense in time and blocked the shot in Jordan's face, missing the mid-range shot.

"Jordan made 5 of 2 shots." Xu Jicheng smiled.

Schrempf entered the paint and grabbed the backcourt rebound, but Pippen blocked his quick pass in time, giving Mutombo time to return to defense.

Zhou Quan held the ball to the top of the arc, swayed his shoulders, and after a little swaying Jordan's center of gravity, he burst in from the right side.

Jordan moved to defend, his shoulder was caught for a moment, his feet flashed, and Zhou Quan used his feet again to force his way through.

When Mutombo was about to come up to double-team, he saw the iron fist thrust into Jordan, so he did not come up. Instead, he stood under the basket and took a step up to prepare for Zhou Quan, who was coming with the ball.

Zhou Quan stepped forward and threw a high throw with his right hand. Mutombo tried his best to take off, but did not touch the ball.

"Oh!"

The basketball bounced off the board and fell into the basket.

"Beautiful! Zhou Quan threw the ball and hit the ball!" Xu Jicheng said excitedly.

Zhang Lili said with a smile: "Although Mutombo is very good at protecting the basket and often scores five or six blocks in a single game, he cannot always prevent the opponent's attack, let alone a super defender like Zhou Quan. "

Next, the SuperSonics will continue to have fast breaks. If they can have fast breaks, they will never engage in positional warfare.

Even if the Bulls have two big centers on the court, they can sometimes stop some SuperSonics fast breaks, but at least half of the time they can't stop them. Once the SuperSonics fast breaks are played, the Bulls with two big centers on the court will be unable to return to defense quickly. Slower.

The Sonics also began to substitute substitutes from time to time to maintain the physical fitness and speed of the lineup on the field and maintain sufficient fast break capabilities.

But in this way, Zhou Quan consumes a lot of physical energy because he plays the longest time.

Moreover, he has to guard against Jordan on the defensive end. On the offensive end, he is either on a fast break or breaking through with the ball in a positional battle. The Bulls are obsessed with others. He takes many shots and consumes more physical energy.

At the 11th minute of the first quarter, George Karl finally replaced him.

At this time, at 28:20, the SuperSonics led by 8 points in the away game.

Zhou Quan left the game, but Jordan did not. Because the Bulls were behind, Jordan, who also played 11 minutes, decided to take the opportunity to chase points and stayed on the court.

Subsequently, Jordan hit a mid-range shot, stole the glider once, and made a fast break, regaining 4 points and ending the first quarter.

(End of this chapter)