God of NBA point guards

Chapter 123 The real leader of the team

The game continued, with 2 minutes left in the first quarter, at 23:18, the Pistons led away by 5 points, and the Cavaliers called a timeout.

Mark Price can indeed get rid of Zhou Quan's defense to a certain extent by using the pick-and-roll, but the effect is not very great.

His main pick-and-roll position is on Ulrich's side. He doesn't want to face Joe Dumars. He hopes to use the pick-and-roll to match Ulrich.

However, when the pick-and-roll happened, Zhou Quan often went up to the confrontation first, either directly destroying the pick-and-roll tactics, or slowing down Mark Price's movement, so as to catch up in time.

Mark Price can't really solve Zhou Quan's defense, and he is the engine in the Cavaliers, and he is also the team's second scoring point. When he is restricted by Zhou Quan, the Cavaliers' offense cannot be carried out smoothly, resulting in a lagging score .

On the defensive end, he is even more vulnerable, unable to defend Zhou Quan.

The Cavaliers also arranged for other larger perimeter players to switch against Zhou Quan, but Zhou Quan also used the pick-and-roll to find Mark Price and stared at him to play.

In the ESPN commentary booth, Rock Howard said: "Mark Price made 10 of 4 shots in the first 1 minutes, scored 3 points, and sent 1 assist.

Iron Fist also scored 10 points, 5 rebound, 3 assists and 6 steal in 1 minutes, 3 of 1 shots.Iron Fist is facing Mark Price, both offensive and defensive ends, plus organization, have obvious advantages. "

Larry Winston nodded and said: "After Price hit the first three-pointer, he missed the next three. He can't open this point, and the organization is also weak. If the Cavaliers don't want to change the disadvantage of the first position, I'm afraid The Pistons' advantage will slowly accumulate, and finally form an advantage enough to win without any suspense."

Howard said with a smile: "So I said that the lineup is restrained, and the Pistons will defeat the Cavaliers."

Winston laughed a few times when he heard this, and said, "Locke, what you said has some truth, but it's better to say that the iron fist can suppress Mark Price than that the piston can restrain the knight."

Howard thought for a while, smiled and nodded.

Winston continued: "The regular season Cavaliers have an excellent record against the Pistons, but with the rapid growth of Iron Fist, his ability has been greatly improved, and now he has the ability to suppress Mark Price.

This is actually very surprising. A rookie can suppress the All-Star point guard in the playoffs. I can only say that Mr. McCloskey's vision for picking rookies is very clever. "

Howard said with a smile: "Now I think the Pistons have the hope of repeating the glory of the Bad Boys, and once again win the championship with the point guard as the core."

"Locke, are you talking about winning the championship?"

Hearing this sentence, Winston looked very surprised, then shook his head and said: "No, the current Pistons team is far from the strength to win the championship. Their internal line lacks offensive ability, especially the ability to attack independently, and they mainly rely on the outside line. Offensive, I am afraid it will be difficult to win the championship, they have natural flaws in the lineup."

But Howard said: "Larry, did you forget the bull?"

Winston was stunned, but shook his head and said, "The Bulls are Bulls. Both the Bulls and the Pistons have flaws in the interior lineup. The center is not good, and they are not even as good as the Pistons. However, the Bulls have Michael Jordan, saying that he is the No. 1 active player. No problem?"

"No."

Howard shook his head and said, "No one in active service is better than him."

Winston said: "Michael shot 60.9% from the field in the first round of the series just past. In the first round of the playoffs, among the main players of all playoff teams, including super center Ewing, No one is more efficient than him, and he can make up for the weakness of the lack of strength inside. But, can the Pistons' outside line?"

Howard thought for a while and shook his head.

Winston said with a smile: "The Assassin's injuries are too severe and he is no longer able to survive. Even in the substitute lineup, his contribution is not as great as we expected.

Although Joe Dumars is good, his defense is stronger. He can't do what Jordan can do, and he can't make up for the lack of inside.

Iron Fist, that's even worse, his offensive efficiency is ten grades behind Michael's, and he hasn't reached the passing level, and he can't make up for the lack of insiders.

So I said that the Pistons are not the Bulls. The Bulls can win the championship with a strong perimeter lineup, but this Pistons can't.

Michael Jordan has the ability to fly the Bulls, but no one in the Pistons is as powerful as him. "

"So Larry, do you think the Pistons need several seasons to have a chance of winning?" Howard asked.

Winston thought about it seriously, and said: "The Bulls' lineup can be used for at least several years, so I don't think the Pistons will have a chance to win the championship within three to five years."

Howard said with a strange expression: "Michael Jordan and Iron Fist are real mortal enemies, the ones that cannot be resolved. According to you, wouldn't Iron Fist be suppressed by Michael Jordan for many years?"

Winston laughed, and then said: "At the All-Stars last time, some media revealed that Jordan said in public that he wanted to bankrupt Tekken's sneaker brand company, which shows that they are indeed mortal enemies that cannot be resolved."

Howard said with a smile: "It seems that if the Pistons want to win the championship again with a lineup centered on point guards, they must trade, at least a center with a stronger offense than John Sely must be traded.

But in fact, Sely's defense is very good. The inside combination of him and Rodman can be regarded as one of the most powerful defensive combinations in the league, but they do not have the ability to attack independently. "

Winston said with a smile: "The Pistons lineup is not weak, they are the strongest defensive team in the league, otherwise they would not be able to reach the third place in the Eastern Conference.

It was the same lineup last season and made it to the Eastern Conference finals. This season, Iron Fist has replaced Lambir. Iron Fist's performance is not weaker than last season's Assassin, and the lineup has not changed.

But who let them bump into Jordan and the Bulls entering their prime?If I have to predict, I think it will be difficult for the Pistons to break out of the East within five years. "

Howard nodded and said: "The current Michael Jordan is indeed too strong. He shot 60.9% in the first round of the series, averaged 40+ points per game, and scored 56 points in a single game. He scored 1 points in the second round of G51. His performance was terrible. , Full of vigor, unstoppable!
The Pistons were originally Jordan's mortal enemies, and now the relationship between Iron Fist and Jordan is even worse. It is indeed his bad luck that Iron Fist bumped into such a Jordan. "

"The story between Iron Fist and Jordan is probably no less than the story between Assassin and Jordan." Winston joked.

"Ha ha……"

When the two said this, they couldn't help laughing.

The game continued, and the Cavaliers were still unable to solve the problem of the No. [-] position.

Mark Price's athletic talent is average. In the case of smaller tonnage and shorter height, he has no advantage in athletic ability when facing Zhou Quan, but he is at an absolute disadvantage in confrontation. This is a flaw. When Zhou Quan When you stare at him and hit him, you can't avoid this flaw.

As Larry Winston said, the Pistons slowly accumulated advantages, and finally defeated the Cavaliers, 103:94, and won the second round of G1 in the away game.

At the end of the game, Howard said: "Mark Price, as the Cavaliers' second scoring point, made 12 of 4 shots in this game, with a shooting percentage of 33.3%, 2 of 2 free throws, and only scored 10 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. , but had 5 turnovers, his performance was the most important reason why the Cavaliers lost."

Winston nodded and said: "As a matchup player, Iron Fist made 41 of 18 shots in 9 minutes, and his shooting percentage exceeded his previous performance. Rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 22 block, 5 turnovers and 9 fouls. His performance should surpass Mark Price in all aspects."

Howard analyzed: "Iron Fist took 18 shots today, 5 of which went to the basket and hit 3 goals, 1 was a near two-point shot, and missed the shot, 5 made two points and 6 far two points, and missed the shot. A three point.

Basket offense accounted for 27.7%, near two-pointers 5.6%, two-pointers 27.8%, far two-pointers 33.3%, and three-pointers 5.6%.

Larry, today his near two-point shots have decreased significantly, and he has increased a lot of mid-range and long-range shots, and his shooting percentage has also increased. "

Winston said: "Almost every player, including Michael Jordan, is the lowest near two-point shooting percentage, or only above the three-pointers.

If Tekken really wants to improve its offensive efficiency, it will be a correct decision to reduce near two-point shots and increase mid-range and long-range two-pointers.

In particular, he is still a point guard. For him to score in the paint, no matter how strong his ability to penetrate the gap is, he has to face the situation of one-to-many and one-to-many. And efficient play. "

Howard said with a smile: "But he only took fewer shots in the paint area, and the number of times he entered the paint area was quite a lot. And half of his assists were obtained by passing the ball in the penalty area.

Then I analyze that if his offensive skills mature in the future, it is likely to increase his shots by nearly two points again. "

Zhou Quan became the best player in the game and accepted a live interview with ESPN TV.

"Iron Fist, facing All-Star point guard Mark Price, you played at an All-Star level and suppressed the opponent's performance as a role player. How did you do it?" the reporter asked.

Zhou Quan panted while wiping his sweat and said, "Use my strengths to continuously attack the opponent's weaknesses. This is my way to win."

……

At this time, in Chicago, Jordan was on the phone with Phil Jackson.

"Michael, look at this momentum. Iron Fist is sure to take Mark Price. He has made great progress in the second half of the season. The Cavaliers may not be able to stop the Pistons. We must be mentally prepared to face them again in the Eastern Conference Finals." Fei Jackson said.

After a moment of silence, Jordan said: "That's better. I hope to sweep that damn team again in the Eastern Conference Finals, and that damn guy. Listen, Phil, I even prepared that half-million dollar card." Dollar check."

Phil Jackson was silent for a while helplessly, he knew who Michael Jordan was talking about, and now the Pistons, what Michael hates the most is no longer the smiling assassin, but the Chinese.

He pondered for a while and then said: "Michael, the possibility of sweeping the Pistons is still quite low. No one of us in the first position can deal with Iron Fist. He is not the smiling assassin of last year. He has a great dislocation advantage in the first position. .

Offensively, Pippen and you can take over the ball, but defensively, neither Paxson nor BJ can guard him. "

"Let me deal with him." Jordan said coldly.

Phil Jackson said: "Switching is one way, but in any case, they will stare at our No. [-] position, whether it is him, or Joe Dumars, facing Paxson or BJ, there is a dislocation advantage.

Have you forgotten the last regular season game, it was still a tie until the final quarter, and you won the game after breaking out at the end of the final quarter.

So Michael, you must not underestimate them. If there is no injury, they are even stronger than the Pistons last season.

Although Lambiel is missing from the main lineup and Vinier Johnson is missing from the bench lineup, the main outside lineup has an iron fist and an assassin on the bench lineup, which is even stronger than last season in terms of lineup.

More importantly, they have regained their vigor and have a new leader and core full of fighting spirit. This is the most important thing. "

Jordan knew that what Phil Jackson said was right. This Pistons is indeed better than last year's Pistons, but he is not the Jordan of the past. Today, he has reached the pinnacle and has explosive power. Confidence, no matter how strong the Pistons are, he will crush them.

"Phil, I will kill them, I will definitely do it." Shen shouted, and he ended the call.

……

"Rick, who won the Jazz or the Sonics?" Joe Dumars asked in the visiting team's locker room.

Musk said: "I just received the news that the Jazz won at home. 100:108, won by 8 points. The Jazz had three people scoring 20+, except Karl Malone, Jeff Malone, and the backup forward. Tyrone Corbin."

"Rick, what about John Stockton's performance?" Zhou Quan was most concerned about the performance of other team's point guards, so he asked.

Musk looked at a piece of paper in his hand, and then said: "12 of 7 shots, 58.3% shooting, plus two free throws, got 16 points, 15 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers, 2 fouls, no rebounds and blocks. .”

"15 assists and 3 steals?"

Zhou Quan clicked his tongue twice and said, "Sure enough, he deserves to be the 5th assists leader and 2nd steals leader. With this performance, the Supersonics may not be able to beat the Jazz."

He asked again: "Rick, how about Gary Payton's performance?"

马斯克笑道：“他打了29分钟，3投2中，4分3篮板1助攻1失误2犯规，没有抢断和盖帽，也没有罚球。

In front of John Stockton, he is still too young. The Supersonics can’t beat the Jazz. He suffers a lot in this position, just like you played Mark Price. The first position is suppressed, so the Supersonics lose. . "

Zhou Quan shook his head modestly and said, "I don't have such a big advantage against Mark Price."

"Chuck, let's talk."

"OK."

While the players were showering, McCloskey called Chuck Daly outside, found a quiet place, and the two talked.

He said: "Chuck, judging from the matchup between Iron Fist and Mark Price in G1, we have a good chance of advancing to the Eastern Conference finals. What do you think?"

Daly thought for a while and said, "As long as Iron Fist's defense can limit Price, we do have a greater chance of eliminating the Cavaliers.

But we can't be careless. The combination of Larry Nance and Doherty is very strong inside. The defense of Isailey and Rodman can't really limit them, but can only slightly reduce their efficiency.

And Larry Nance's defense is quite good, and his presence also suppresses our offense in the low post and the basket.

We still have to continue to strive for an advantage in the No. [-] position, which is the foundation of winning.

My headache now is Rodman's injury. Last night we had 6 fewer rebounds than the Cavaliers. He only scored 2 points and 9 rebounds, including 4 offensive rebounds. In fact, he only grabbed 7 effective rebounds The ball, if it wasn't for Iron Fist that really suppressed Mark Price, we might have lost. "

McCloskey nodded and said, "Chuck, if we make it to the Eastern Conference Finals this time, we'll face the Bulls again.

Now this Bulls is really too strong. Jordan's performance in the playoffs is terrible. I have only one request to you, avoid being swept away. "

Chuck Daly felt a lot of pressure from this sentence, nodded and said: "I will try my best."

Nodding, McCloskey no longer discussed the issue of the playoffs, but changed the subject and said, "Chuck, I have decided to retire."

"what?"

Chuck Daly was startled.

He was brought to Detroit by McCloskey. Over the years, the relationship between the two has been maintained very well, and they have complemented each other. Together, they built the Bad Boys Corps and won two consecutive championships. It can be said that they both reached their careers in the Pistons. peak.

Although he knew that McCloskey had plans to retire for a long time, when he actually made the decision, he was still a little bit reluctant and sad.

"Old man, let's hold on for a while, Iron Fist is making rapid progress, if we trade another good center forward, there is a chance." He couldn't help but persuade.

McCloskey shook his head firmly and said: "I'm old, I don't have enough energy, and it's hard to cope with the work of the current team.

The team is in the process of rebuilding. Trades, drafts, and signings all require long-term planning. My energy is exhausted and I need younger people to step up. "

"The general manager, are you ready?"

"Let Weaver try. I have already suggested to the boss, and he agreed."

"Troy Weaver?"

Chuck Daly nodded. This is also an old man of the Pistons, and his abilities are not bad. He is indeed qualified to take over the position of general manager.

McCloskey looked at Daly and said, "Chuck, you are younger than me, you can work for a few more years, and you can retire after you have cultivated your iron fist."

Daly couldn't help but smiled wryly, you ran away by yourself and nailed me here, but I am also 62 years old, only 4 years younger than you, and I am also at the age of retirement.

McCloskey looked away from Daly's face and said thoughtfully: "Iron Fist has improved a lot, he is really a surprise."

Having said that, he turned his gaze back again, looked at Daly and said, "Chuck, he has long been the leader of the Pistons, but now the leader is Joe Dumars in name, which is not appropriate."

Chuck Daly was taken aback: "Jack, what do you mean?"

(End of this chapter)