NBA backer king

Chapter 231 The Strongest Inside Defense Never Experienced

On the left wing, Dameng pulled out and pulled to a position one step inside the three-point line, about six meters away from the basket and about three meters away from the left waist of the paint.

His purpose is to pull Lao Wang out of the paint, empty the Suns' basket, and then let Barkley attack.

But Lao Wang didn’t fall for the trap, and let him take two steps, about [-] meters away, and guarded a little outside the left waist of the paint area, which was less than three meters away from the basket. He guarded the middle position between the big dream and the basket, and could quickly return to the basket.

This is considered a big open space, and he needs two steps to defend against the big dream.

Therefore, Kenny Smith did not hesitate. Seeing that Wang Tiejun emptied Dameng, he made a false pass, shook Kevin Johnson, and passed the ball to Dameng.

"squeak!"

At the moment of passing the ball, the old king kicked his back foot vigorously, stepped forward with his front foot, and rushed towards the big dream.

He landed with the first step, and the ball fell into Dameng's hands. With the second step, Dameng bent his knees and raised the ball above his head with both hands.

The next moment, Dameng took off, shot, and the ball flew to the basket.

The moment Dameng's feet left the ground, Wang Tiejun landed on the second step, leaping up, his right arm relaxed, and his big hand grabbed the basketball in the air.

"predict!"

The moment the ball was in his hands, he squeezed his five fingers, and the basketball was severely deformed in an instant, and he grabbed it to death with one hand.

"Oh!"

Countless fans in the Compaq Center, even across the United States and the world, exclaimed.

"what?"

Dameng's eyes widened instantly.

"Whoosh!"

Lao Wang threw the ball with one hand, and the ball flew to the top of the arc. Lightning Kevin Johnson, who turned around and quickly went down, caught the ball across the center line and entered the frontcourt.

"Beautiful! So beautiful! Old K caught Dameng's shot, and he directly grabbed the cap of super center Dameng! This is incredible!"

In the live broadcast of CCTV, this block made Su Qun instantly overwhelmed.

"Shh!"

While Su Qun was speaking, Kevin Johnson made a layup and hit a goal.

9:4, the Suns led by 5 points.

Zhang Lili picked up what Su Qun said just now, and said with a very excited smile: "With the height of Dameng's shot, he was actually caught, so it can be seen that Tie Jun's wingspan talent is indeed very good.

His wingspan reached 231 cm, which is the most recent test data, a centimeter longer than two years ago.

Without such an excellent wingspan, good jumping, and moving speed, he couldn't have capped this ball. This ball shows his defensive talent. When he wants to guard you, he can guard you. "

In the ABC live broadcast, Bill Walton shook his head excitedly and praised: "It's incredible to block the defense. Old K showed his moving speed in this defense. He took two big steps away from Da Meng, but he still returned to Da Meng in time. His defensive ability is underestimated."

"The energy is limited. It should be that he is unwilling to provide more defensive energy in the regular season. He is a strong offensive and defensive center." John Sinks said.

Bill Walton said with a smile: "Do you still remember the last finals? It was he who exploded on the defensive end in the final quarter of the G6 game, so the Suns were able to win the championship smoothly. This shows that once he is committed, he can do more on the defensive end."

"Attack depends on talent, defense depends on attitude." John Hanks laughed.

This blockade hit the morale of the Mosaic team, and even the momentum of the home court was hit. Although Dameng and Barkley tried their best to attack, in the next first quarter, the morale of the Suns was high, and both offensive and defensive efforts were made. With a stronger lineup, the Mosaic team was still at a disadvantage.

After the first quarter, at 28:20, the Suns lead away by 8 points, ending the first quarter.

However, in the second and third quarters, under the efforts of the two superstars, the Mosaic team managed to pull the score back with their higher offensive and defensive strength.

At the end of the third quarter, 75:75, the two teams tied.

粟群拿着一份统计数据念道：“老K三节打了31分钟，一共休息了5分钟，15投8中，命中率53.3%，11罚6中，已经拿到22分9篮板5助攻1抢断4盖帽3失误3犯规的数据。

Old K broke out on both ends of the offense and defense. While attacking the basket, he also sent out five assists. It was through his attack under the basket that the Mosaic team's defense was compressed and the opportunities for outside teammates were won. "

Zhang rationally analyzed: "He focused on the basket today, 15 shots, 5 of 2 shots in the last two points, and the remaining 10 shots were basket attacks, and he succeeded 6 times. 60% of the shots at the basket are not too high. The defense of Dameng and Barkley still limits his performance.

But he also caused a lot of lethality at the basket. Dameng has made four fouls, Barkley has three fouls, plus others, he has caused a total of 10 fouls by his opponents and won 11 free throw opportunities. "

"Director Zhang, old K averaged 17.5 shots per game in the regular season, and now he has shot 15 times, and he has too many attacks at the basket. What do you think of his physical condition?" Su Qun asked worriedly.

Zhang Lili hesitated and said: "His physical reserve this season is definitely better than last season. The team has controlled his playing time in the regular season, and the opponents in the first two series are average. I think there is no problem in the final quarter."

That's what he said, but it was a morale booster, and he didn't know it in his heart, because Wang Tiejun did too much offense at the basket tonight. Facing the double-teaming of two superstars, and it was a real hand-to-hand battle, the physical exertion must be very high.

And although there were only ten basket attacks, this was the number of shots counted, and there were more shots at the basket that were not counted. Those basket shots also consumed a lot of physical energy, and they were also hand-to-hand combat.

And on the defensive end, Wang Tiejun worked harder than before tonight. He had to keep returning to defense every time Dameng was pulled out, and the energy consumption on the defensive end would not be less than that on the offensive end.

On the Suns bench, Pharaoh drank two bottles of water, his sweat dripped down in a thread, and his panting could be clearly heard even in the audience behind.

On his arms, face and neck, there are many red and purple marks and bloodstains, and there are more under the jersey. These are the traces of confrontation left over from the three quarters.

After replenishing the water, I added two more energy drinks, and the feeling of emptiness in the body became better.

The physical consumption of the three quarters far exceeded the consumption of one game in the regular season, and even reached two games, just like playing back-to-back.

His level 96 stamina made him feel very tired.

He originally thought that he had already played in the finals, and he should have seen the intensity of the playoffs, but the three quarters of the game tonight made him feel that he had seen less.

The combination of Dameng and Barkley is the strongest inside defense he has ever experienced, far surpassing the Bulls in the finals of last season.

That's right, last season's Bulls, that kind of weak insider, can't compare with the current Mosaic team. Of course, he can't appreciate the current defensive strength.

"Old K, how is it?" Assistant coach Lewis squatted in front of him and asked.

"No problem." He nodded.

After working hard for a season, now is the time to work hard. He admits that the Mosaic team is stronger than the Suns, but it is only half a grade. It is not impossible to fight hard.

Even, if this is not a series, but a single knockout match, or a five-set best-of-three system, the Suns have a greater chance of being upset.

Next to the Mosaic team's bench, Barkley is better. He is responsible for the weak side defense, and Dameng, who is facing Lao Wang, is still panting after sitting down for 20 seconds.

During the three quarters, he was knocked over by Lao Wang four times at the basket, averaging more than once in a quarter.

Under Lao Wang's crazy attack at the basket, his chest was already aching, every breath seemed to smell like blood, and both ribs seemed to be smashed.

Mosaic's strategy tonight is to let him defend the old K to death, and Barkley is in charge of the main attack.

After three quarters, Barkley has scored 32 points, and he only has 17 points, but his statistics are not bad, 17 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 6 blocks. He may have a quadruple double tonight.

However, he and Barkley's excellent all-round performance still only drew a tie, which made him also see the strength of old K in the paint area.

Now his physical fitness is not bad, because he plays less offense, at least better than old K, which is also one of their strengths, two superstars, one offensive and one defensive, and old K has to exert strength on both offense and defense at the same time to barely maintain the situation.

He believes that entering the final quarter, with the old K's physical problems, the Suns will definitely collapse.

And this is not the regular season, this is the playoffs, the entire series is best of seven sets, he and Barkley have to grind the old K to death, the more they go to the later games, the more physical advantages they have.

At this time, the whistle sounded, and the referee summoned his hand to signal the players to go on the court.

"Now the last quarter has begun, and the Mosaic team will attack." Zhang Lili said.

bang bang bang...

A backup point guard, the No. 93 pick in the first round of 24, who would later become the Aliens, one of the five biggest uglies in the league, Sam Cassell dribbled the ball in the backcourt and advanced to the frontcourt.

Kevin Johnson retreated and defended, and Cassell's advancement was also very steady. In such an important Western Conference finals, the panic and timidity of the rookie could not be seen.

He went to the frontcourt, didn't go to the top of the arc, but came to the left wing.

On the left wing, two meters away from the paint area, is the Mosaic team's backup forward, 206 cm Carl Herrera, who wants to come out and do the pick-and-roll.

Cassell raised his hand to prevent his teammate's pick-and-roll, then turned around, leaned against Kevin Johnson, and started playing back from the outside.

He is 191 centimeters, and Kevin Johnson is 185 centimeters. He has the advantages of height and vision, and he is also heavier. He crushes the opponent and advances to the flank, very calm.

On the sidelines, Tomjanovich kept nodding. This rookie is the one he wants. With this rookie as Kenny Smith's backup, even though Mosaic's No. [-] position does not have a first-class point guard, it will not be weaker than the Suns as a whole.

At this time, Cassell is rolling down while paying attention to the running position of his teammates on the weak side. He is particularly good at and likes to pass the ball to the weak side.

Because when he holds the ball on the strong side, the defense on the weak side is weak, and it is easy to have open opportunities.

At this moment, Mosaic shooting guard Vernon Maxwell suddenly got rid of defender Dan Marley and made a quick cut from the right elbow to the paint.

Cassell's eyes lit up, he pulled the ball with his right hand, pulled the ball up from the floor, pushed it with one hand, and the ball passed through the paint area, below the free throw line, and flew into the hands of Vernon Maxwell.

Wang Tiejun, who was in the low position on the left wing, quickly returned to the defense. Vernon Maxwell made an emergency stop throw and hit the ball.

75:77, at the beginning of the final quarter, the Mosaic team overtook the score.

The Suns attack, and the power forward is Thorpe.

Westphal was also very bold. He withdrew AC Green and arranged for Thorpe, who was better at attacking in the paint, to partner. Lao Wang attracted Dameng's defense on one side, which allowed him to take the opportunity to recover his physical fitness.

Thorpe was low on the right wing, facing Barkley.

His height is 206 centimeters, he has a height advantage, but his tonnage is somewhat insufficient, only 111 kilograms, which is [-] kilograms smaller than Barkley.

He is not a star who is good at attacking with the ball. He is a classic blue-collar and an inside gate. He was such a role when he was with Dameng, and it is the same with Lao Wang now.

So the ball still has to be given to Wang Tiejun, who will take the ball to attract double-teams, and then Thorpe will look for opportunities to attack on the weak side, and the two will cooperate in the low post.

Compared with internal and external line cooperation, once an opportunity arises for low-position cooperation, the success rate will of course be higher.

At this time, Wang Tiejun got the ball and was not under the basket. He was in the low position on the left wing. Only here can he make room for Sopra on the weak side.

Barkley was under the basket and immediately double-teamed the weak side. Thorpe's mid-range and long-range shooting ability is not as good as AC Green's, so he has no scruples at all.

Wang Tiejun was about to hit with a big dream in his left hand. After Barkley double-teamed, he suddenly got up, hooked his right hand to the weak side, and the ball flew to Thorpe.

Dameng's reaction was half a beat slow, and the ball flew over his head.

Barkley, who came along the bottom line to double-team, was even worse, so he had to quickly return to defend Thorpe, but it was too late.

In the low position on the right wing, Thorpe stepped into the paint area after receiving the ball, took off with a step, and with a bang, he dunked with one arm and scored two points for the Suns.

77 draws, mosaic attack.

Bill Walton said with a smile: "Dream is very versatile, but Old K is not bad either. This is his sixth assist."

John Hanks said with a smile: "Old K's vision is the highest in the game, and his wingspan is also the best. His speed in double-teaming is also very fast. Double-teaming such a person is destined to pay a very high price. The Mosaic team is also betting."

Bill Wharton said: "Without double-teaming, no one in this league can really defend Old K. Don't look at the fact that Big Dream's single defense caused a mistake by Old K in the first quarter, but after Old K stepped up his attack at the basket, Big Dream couldn't defend alone. Several times being knocked over is the proof and result. So the Mosaic team has no choice but to choose double-teaming and bet on Old K's assist ability."

John Hanks said: "But I think the result of tonight's bet is not very good, the Suns' outside touch is not too bad.

Now the Suns have replaced AC Green, which has reduced the outside firepower and the ability to stretch the lineup, and changed from inside and outside to low-post coordination. This is also an intention to strengthen the low-post offense. "

Bill Wharton nodded and said, "The other purpose must be to restore old K's blood, he's exhausted a lot of energy today.

What I want to say is that, taking this opportunity, the Mosaic team should strengthen their offense, strive for a score advantage in the first half, and prepare for the second half. "

On the field, Mosaic attacked.

Dameng pulled out from the paint to catch the ball, and Barkley took the opportunity to cut to the basket from the weak side. The former hoisted the ball over Wang Tiejun's head.

Wang Tiejun quickly returned to the basket with all his strength, and the lob gave him a chance. Barkley caught the ball for a layup, and he just arrived, and flew over with a slap.

"Snapped!"

With a bloody cap, the ball flew directly out of the field.

"Old K, you did a great job!"

Kevin Johnson and others rushed over excitedly.

"Beautiful! That's it. Now we need this kind of bloody hat that can boost our own morale and suppress the opponent's morale." Bill Wharton said excitedly.

Half a quarter passed, and in the 7th minute of the last quarter, with 5 minutes left, the score was 87:91. The Suns trailed by 4 points in the away game, but had the ball in their hands, and called a timeout after serving.

粟群念道：“老K现在是17投9中，13罚7中，拿到了25分12篮板8助攻1抢断5盖帽4失误4犯规的数据。”

Zhang Lili smiled and said: "The Tiejun did not attack hard in these 7 minutes. He and Thorpe's low-post cooperation is still good. The Suns' internal tactical cooperation is richer than before."

On the ABC live broadcast, Bill Walton analyzed: "In the first 7 minutes, Old K didn't make a strong attack, and he took few shots. He mainly supported the scoring and assists. For the Mosaic team, Barkley, who played three quarters, reduced his offense, and Dameng, who was the main defense in the first three quarters, took over the main offense."

John Hanks said: "Mosaic had some advantages in the first half, but not big. This was achieved when Old K did not attack and took few shots. His performance of three assists in the half quarter was very surprising. The Mosaic team paid a great price for his double-teaming."

Bill Walton said in a questioning tone: "Then we have to ask, the Mosaic team has two superstars in the low post, and they are both superstars with excellent offense and defense. Why have they not gained a clear advantage until now?"

John Hanks said with a smile: "Kevin Johnson has a 20+9 performance in the regular season. So far, his playoff performance is 25+9, which is even better than the regular season. The data in the playoffs is even better than Barkley. This season's Lightning has exceeded everyone's expectations. He has played at a true superstar level.

In contrast, none of the Mosaic team's perimeter can reach this level. Kenny Smith only has 11+4 data in the regular season, and the same is true in the playoffs, and even his scoring has declined.

It can be said that the strength of the Suns' outside line should be more stable than that of the Mosaic team's outside line. This may be the reason why the Mosaic team did not gain a clear advantage. "

Bill Walton nodded and said: "It makes sense. The Lightning has scored 19 points, 7 assists and 2 steals in this game. His outstanding performance prevented the Mosaic team's defense from being completely on the low-post old K, and shared a lot of defensive pressure for the old K. It is precisely because of his performance that the Suns have maintained a balanced trend until now and have not been defeated by the opponent.

In fact, both teams have two superstar players, but Dameng and Barkley are more efficient in the low position, but combined, the advantage is not great. "

John Hanks nodded and said: "There is one more thing, the Mosaic team has a certain advantage in rebounding."

Bill Walton nodded: "Yes, Thorpe and Green's rebounding ability is good, but they still can't compare with Barkley."

(End of this chapter)