Starting from the last bus in the NBA

Chapter 54 Preseason 2
The starting lineup of the Sonics, the back line is Gary Payton and Vernon Maxwell, two fellows.

On the front line are Brent Barry and Horace Grant, the two former Bulls rookies.

The starting center is naturally Wen Baker. Under the coaching staff's orders, this guy's alcoholism is not so exaggerated for the time being.

As for the rival Atlanta Hawks, the starting center is naturally Mutombo, the three-time best defensive player.

The back line is composed of Bimbo Coles and Jim Jackson, and the forward line is Roshawn Michael Riod and Alan Henderson.

Comparing the two teams, the Supersonics have already surpassed the lineup, and the gap in strength is not small.

After all, apart from Mutombo, no one else has really heard of it.

Africa Dashan is indeed one of the best centers in active service. If he can play well in the era of the four major centers, it cannot be too bad.

Dikembe Mutombo beat Wen Baker and easily won the jump ball, and the Hawks took the lead.

Facing Gary Payton's defense, Bimbokors was obviously a little nervous and didn't dare to hold the ball, so he handed the ball over after halftime.

After Luo Sean received the ball, facing Brent Barry's defense, he did not rush to attack.

After Mutombo was about to be in place, he handed over the ball and Mutombo played a low single.

I have to say that without Isiah Ryder on the court for this Eagles team, the offense is really a bit embarrassing.

Although the offense is not very good, Mutombo is the boss of the team after all, so it should be tried.

Although Wen Baker was anesthetized by alcohol, he was big enough to resist Mutombo's attack.

Dikembe Mutombo turned around and completed the hook. With some awkward shots, the basketball bounced off the rim.

Horace Grant is worthy of being a member of the former championship, and has been selected to the second team of the best defense many times.

He judged the right spot at the first time, stuck Alan Henderson behind him, and protected the rebound.

Gary Payton responded to Horace, and then advanced with the ball, but was blocked by Bimbo immediately.

I have to say that this Eagles team may not be very good offensively, but defensively, it is still very good.

The moment Gary Payton took the ball, someone immediately stepped forward to delay, and did not give a fast break at all.

Failed to make a fast break, and Gary Payton was not in a hurry. After dribbling for halftime, he waited until Wen Baker took a position.

This is also the offensive tactic of the Sonics. At the beginning, they played around Wen Baker.

Even though Wen Baker has become an alcoholic, the Sonics still rely heavily on him. This is the center era.

In today's NBA, an excellent center is very precious.

With the help of Horace's pick-and-roll, Wen Baker easily got rid of Mutombo to get the ball, facing Alan Henderson behind him, he attacked decisively.

Taking advantage of his weight and confrontation, Wen Baker easily squeezed into the inside and got a chance to shoot in the small penalty area.

Mutombo deserves to be the best inside defensive player, the timing is very good, and he immediately chose to double-team.

Today's Wen Baker is no longer what it used to be. If it was a few years ago, Wen Baker would not have given Mutombo a chance to help defend, and he could easily score the ball.

It's a pity that Wen Baker's speed is not only slow, but also his reaction and consciousness are much slower.

In the face of Mutombo's blocking, no one can remain indifferent, and changing the rhythm of shots is inevitable.

"Bang!"

Sure enough, the basketball bounced out of the frame, and the rebound was easily picked off by Mutombo, and the offense and defense switched again.

This time, Bimbo asked for a pick-and-roll, but was easily squeezed by Gary Payton, and even almost completed the steal.

No way, Bimbo had to pass the ball, and Jim Jackson took advantage of his height to make a mid-range shot.

0:2
Looking back, Gary Payton draws the defense and passes the ball to Brent Barry, who quickly moves the ball.

After Horace Grant got the ball, he watched Vernon run out of space and made a clever ground pass.

Vernon Maxwell cuts inside, avoids Dikembe Mutombo's long arm, and lays up for a layup.

2:2
The Eagles attacked, this time Mutombo did not force the ball, but played tactics honestly.

Because there is no strong point in the team, they can only cooperate with passing and cutting more, similar to Princeton's style of play.

It's a pity that compared to the Princeton system of the Kings, they are not a star behind.

It was still Jim Jackson, facing Vernon's defense, this time he failed to score the ball again.

Horace Grant's timely assist defense interference made his shooting a bit outrageous.

Mutombo grabbed the offensive rebound, but unfortunately, the shot under the basket still missed.

Back to the Sonics' offense, this time, Gary Payton did it all himself.

Seeing that he passed the ball to Brent Barry first, and then fell directly to the low post, Bimbo was helpless.

He is shorter than Gary Payton in height, and his weight is not as good as the opponent's. This is simply a misalignment!

What's more, Gary Payton's low-post singles are his signature, and he needs to score points in every game.

In the first round, Bimbo defended desperately, but still failed to defend, and Gary Payton easily succeeded in a fadeaway jumper.

4:2
Lenny Wilkens, the head coach of the Eagles, the well-known coach of thousands of wins in the NBA, entered the Hall of Fame the year before last.

Seeing Gary Payton's goal, Wilkens couldn't sit still immediately, and immediately changed the team's defense.

In fact, he also knew that Bimbo would definitely not be able to guard Gary Payton, it was just an attempt.

I don't know if he was hit, but Bimbo got a three-pointer this time, but he missed it.

Gary Payton continued to come down low, and this time, the Eagles took the double-team very directly.

Mutombo needs to defend Wen Baker and cannot leave easily. The Eagles chose to double-team Alan Henderson.

However, Gary Payton was prepared and passed the ball to Brent Barry immediately.

Brent Barry moved the ball quickly again, Vernon Maxwell got a chance, but missed a three-pointer.

"Pretty... what a pity!"

On the Sonics' bench, Field seemed a little excited, and his expression was even more exaggerated than the bench players.

Just now, the Supersonic team's tactics have been completely completed, but unfortunately, the last shudder was a little bit.

In fact, this is the most important tactic of the Sonics, but in the low position, it can be Gary Payton or Wen Baker.

In this way, the two sides played back and forth for a few minutes, the score rose alternately, and no one was completely separated.

The Sonics had an advantage on the scene, but they made several shots, and the hit rate was not high.

As for the Eagles, while using defense to limit the opponent's shooting rate, the offense is also working hard.

Luo Sean and Jim Jackson succeeded in attacking successively.

比赛进行到4分42秒，双方的比分是9：7，超音速领先着2分。

(End of this chapter)