Rookie against Jordan, I became the god of basketball

Chapter 127 Ma Long: The familiar feeling is back!
On January 1, Seattle...

The Sonics played their last home game in January against the Utah Jazz.

So far, the Sonics have played 1 games in January and have achieved 13 wins and 11 losses.

The dense schedule makes people physically and mentally exhausted. Although Carlisle has been paying attention to the team rotation, there are too few people available for the Sonics.

Due to their respective circumstances, Armstrong and Sampson made only 11 players available for the Sonics.

With such a small number of people, no matter how they are arranged, it is impossible for everyone to play less.

Just halfway through the season, Lu Feng, Kemp, and Harper played at full time without any rotation in a game.

Kemp and Harper had some minor injuries due to excessive fatigue. Fortunately, Lu Feng did not have any problems, and the supersonic strength did not fluctuate much.

This isn't the case for the Sonics alone; every team has similar problems.

Malone felt unwell before the game. Since entering the league, he has only dared to miss more than 5 games. He has not missed a game due to injury, and he has been suspended for all games.

Over the years, Ma Long suffered from countless minor injuries. Although he never complained and ignored all minor injuries and illnesses, injuries are always injuries, and he does not know when they will suddenly erupt.

This game was like this. After getting up at noon, Malone felt severe shoulder pain, and he could roughly guess that his condition would not be very good today.

If it were in previous years, Malone might feel uncomfortable from the moment he woke up, because there was a game that day, and his poor condition meant that the team had a high probability of losing.

Fortunately, Jerry Sloan has made some adjustments to the team this season, and Malone is no longer the only offensive core of the Jazz.

After the rest of the Jazz received tactical care, their statistics all ushered in an explosion, which shared a lot of offensive pressure for Malone. Now he only needs to take less than 20 shots per game, and the Jazz can win the game.

Because of this part of the change, even though Malone is not feeling well, his mood has not deteriorated. He is confident that as long as he plays normally tonight, he can win the game. Good brother Stockton and younger brother Jeff Malone will stand up.

The time came to 6 pm, the Key Arena, the Supersonics vs. Utah Jazz at home!
This is the last fierce battle of the Sonics in January, and none of the main players is absent.

Supersonic starting: Lu Feng, Harper, Kemp, Perkins, Polynice.

Jazz starters: Stockton, Jeff Malone, Blue Edwards, Karl Malone, Mark Eaton.

The two teams competed for the ball, Kemp was still the same, and lost to Mark Eaton for the Nth jump ball.

In this game, Lu Feng played in the No. [-] position. The reason is very simple. Barrows and Lu Feng are paired in the backcourt. Stockton and Jeff Malone must be opened by one of them. Barrows can't defend against anyone.

The Bulls' championship has had a small impact on other teams in the league: the tactical weight of outside players has generally increased.

The Jazz is also one of the teams with more perimeter tactics. Stockton and Jeff Malone have significantly improved both ball and fire this season.

Needless to say, the combination of Stockton + Jeff Malone is not weak. Jeff Malone can catch the ball in pick-and-rolls, or run and catch the ball, and he can also make mid-range air cuts.

Facts have proved that as long as Stockton is paired with Malone, he can play well. Whether it is Karl Malone or Jeff Malone, the effect is the same.

After analyzing the Jazz's game model, Carlisle knew that if he wanted to defeat the Jazz, he must find a way to hold down their backcourt duo, so he decisively ranked the strongest defensive combination for the Supersonics outside!

If Harper doesn't play the sixth man, the offensive strength will be weakened, but Carlisle believes that Burrows will not be far behind.

Stockton dribbled the ball and walked to the frontcourt, watching Lu Feng who was defending in front of him had a toothache...

At first, knowing that Lu Feng had transformed into a shooting guard this season, Stockton wanted to celebrate with champagne, thinking that he would not have to continue to play against Lu Feng when he encountered the Supersonics.

As a result, he encountered the Supersonics twice this season, and Lu Feng switched back to the No. [-] position. The last time he played him out of balance...

Stockton: What did I do wrong and why is it against me?
Lu Feng: Heh, who told you to bully my little brother!

When encountering Lu Feng, Stockton had no desire to attack with the ball at all. After Jeff Malone came to pick and roll, he was just about to pass the ball after breaking through, but it turned out that Harper didn't come to change defense!

After feeling the momentary surprise, Stockton didn't hesitate, took this opportunity to rush all the way to the inside, twisted his body to avoid Kemp, and then jumped up lightly, preparing for a backhand layup.

As a result, as soon as he jumped into the air, Stockton saw a light green sound coming towards him from the side. He jumped higher than himself. If he made a normal layup, he might be blocked.

He gritted his teeth, pushed the basketball hard with his fingertips, changed the layup into a pass, and controlled the ball to pass to the position behind his head.

The timing of the passing selection made by such temporary adjustments is not good, and the passing of the ball is naturally not good.

But fortunately, relying on his outstanding athletic talent, Malone jumped up and grabbed the ball with one hand while pressing Perkins under him!

Grabbing the ball in the air, Ma Long made adjustments without waiting for his body to fall, aimed directly at the basket, leaned forward and pushed the ball out with one hand...

Bang - swish!

Alley toss hit the board!

Perkins was helpless, not as strong as Ma Long, and he couldn't even jump up after wrestling.

The most unacceptable thing for him is that Ma Long has such a body of muscles, and his hand skills are so good, he is completely unaffected, which really makes him envious.

Malone didn't feel anything wrong when he scored on the first attack. No matter how little he owns the ball, he still has the most possessions on the Jazz. It's normal for Stockton to pass him at the beginning.

Lu Feng succeeded in chasing Stockton and prevented Stockton from shooting, but he couldn't defend Stockton's pass. Stockton's passing ability is second to none, and it's normal if he can't defend.

After the pick-and-roll, Harper did not switch to Stockton. This was to prevent Stockton from passing the ball directly to Jeff Malone after a breakthrough. Lu Feng's switch would be an illegal defense.

The Supersonics were familiar with the referees of this game and knew that the opponent whistled the penalty strictly, so they did not conduct redundant trials.

Even if he didn't make up the defense, Harper believed that Lu Feng could solve the problem by himself without his help. This was a tacit understanding formed by the two partners after many times.

When it was the supersonic's turn to attack, Lu Feng observed the situation on the field, analyzed each person's characteristics, and generated tactics one after another in his mind.

He originally wanted to ask Harper to help him with a pick-and-roll, but after considering that Stockton was defending him, Lu Feng gave up.

Lu Feng: Still need pick and roll to deal with Stockton?
Lu Feng made a gesture to let his teammates pay attention to the timing of the air cut, and then he immediately accelerated to start. As he expected, Stockton could not stop it at all.

Deliberately walking to the right, Edwards saw that Stockton was broken, and immediately stepped forward to defend, but the moment he moved, Kemp also activated, cutting inside.

Lu Feng saw the timing and smashed the ball to the ground. The ground pass passed between Edwards' legs, bounced off the ground, and landed precisely on Kemp's chest.

Kemp took the ball comfortably, and without waiting for the Jazz to react, he directly rushed the ball into the basket with great force-boom! ! !

The Jazz opened with an alley-oop throw, and the Supersonics immediately returned the opponent with an air-cut dunk. No one should provoke the Supersonics at home!
But this dunk can only heat up the arena at best, and it can't hit the morale of the Jazz.

The Jazz kept losing in the playoffs year after year, and made a comeback year after year, and their hearts have long been rock-solid.

Don’t underestimate the comeback. Many teams didn’t even make it to the finals. After losing a few times in the playoffs, the player’s mentality can’t stand it. Either the locker room exploded, or the team fell apart... This is the nature of NBA teams normal.

Although the Jazz have never won a championship, it is very rare to insist on reaching the playoffs every year.

Ma Long kicked off the ball, Stockton dared to get the ball, turned around and saw Lu Feng squatting in front of him with bright eyes.

Stockton: ...

Are you mistaken, the game has just begun, and the Sonics are going to play a full-court press?
Stockton's athletic ability is not strong, but his strength is not weak in the first position.

Although he looks thin, relying on his proficient basic skills, Stockton will not be troubled by the full-court pressing. The probability of making him make mistakes by pressing is not high.

But don't be afraid of returning, Stockton also hates the full-court press, which makes him have to spend more physical energy to organize with the ball.

After halftime, Stockton felt that he was exhausted and had no extra strength to organize, so he had to take a breather...

Glancing at Jeff Malone's position, the opponent also encountered Harper's entanglement, and the timing of the pass was not good, so Stockton did not hesitate any longer and passed the ball directly to Malone inside.

After Malone received the ball, he simply dribbled the ball twice with his back and hit Perkins twice in a row. After the rhythm was adjusted, he directly joined the ball and jumped up.

When he dared to start with plenty of physical fitness, Malone's short-range shots were very scary, and even if he was not feeling well, his shooting percentage would not be affected.

As long as he has enough physical fitness and normal muscle strength, Malone can score such a goal with his eyes closed by relying on muscle memory!
Ma Long scored the ball and briefly clapped his hands with his teammates. He didn't think it was a big deal to attack twice in the opening game.

In his opinion, this is a good thing. Before his state goes wrong, he can take a few more shots, and when he is not in a good state, he can assist Stockton and Jeff Malone.

With this mentality, Ma Long finished the first quarter steadily...

After a whole quarter, no matter how slow Malone was, he would find something was wrong, because he scored 14 points in the first quarter!
You know, the two teams in this game are mainly based on positional warfare, and the score is not too much. The score is 26:28, and the Sonics temporarily lead by 2 points.

In the first quarter of the game, he took 9 shots and 5 free throws, which means that he attacked at least 11 times in the first quarter!
Malone's offensive frequency is undoubtedly too much for the Jazz this season.

In games where Malone scored 35-45 points, the Jazz have always lost more and won less. Only when Malone exploded and scored more than 45 will the situation be reversed.

Picking up the statistics and taking a closer look, Malone immediately discovered the problem... Stockton took 3 shots in the first quarter, and Jeff Malone took 4 shots.

Seeing the same two people beside him, Ma Long's eyes were full of doubts: What's the matter with you guys, why didn't you make a move all of a sudden?
Stockton and Jeff Malone looked at each other silently and swallowed.

Two people: It's not that we don't want to fight, it's that we really have no chance!

On the other side, the Sonics bench...

Carlisle analyzed the data in the first quarter and came to a conclusion: the Sonics really should play outside more in this game!

Lu Feng+Harper's 10+10 obviously suppressed Jazz Stockton+Jeff Malone's 4+4!

At the same time, there is indeed a gap between the Sonics and the Jazz. There are three players in the Sonics, Kemp has 4 points, Perkins has 4 points, Polynice has no points, and the Jazz has 14 points for Malone alone. In addition, Mark Eaton Grabbed offensive rebounds and scored 4 points in the second offense.

What is the comparison between the Sonics and the Jazz in this game is already obvious.

The comparison is who scores more points and is more efficient between the supersonic outside line and the jazz inside line!

In the second quarter of the game, Malone and Stockton were the two great horses, and they were continued to be sent by Jerry Sloan.

The Supersonics only allowed one Lu Feng to return to the field and played with several substitutes.

The most unacceptable thing for Stockton is that in the second quarter, Lu Feng continued to play the first position, and Barros, who is 185 cm tall, ran to play the second position!
Stockton: Since you play like this, why don't you let Kemp play point guard?
Kemp: Point guard?I played point guard in junior high, coach I thought...

Carlisle: No, you don't want to.

According to Jerry Sloan's plan, the Jazz should be stronger during the rotation.

But Lu Feng continued to play, still playing in the first position, and the Jazz's arrangement did not play any role.

The main problem is that the Jazz can't defend against the supersonic's outside attack. Needless to say, Lu Feng, besides Lu Feng, there is another Barros who is equally difficult to deal with. This is the key!

Burrows plays the second position. If he meets Jeff Malone, it will be really difficult for him to display his strength.

But would Jerry Sloan dare to use Jeff Malone the way he used Malone and Stockton?Obviously not.

Jeff Malone is very honest. He said he only played 30 minutes, and he only played 30 minutes!

Playing more than 30 minutes, his state has declined worse than Karl Malone!

The perimeter depth of the Jazz's lineup, except for Stockton and Jeff Malone, and the rest of them, not to mention the comparison with the Sonics, are almost at the same level as the perimeter lineup of the bottom team in the league.

The Jazz have made the playoffs for many years in a row. The biggest problem arising from this is that they cannot get good rookies every year, and the depth of the lineup has not been improved.

In the second quarter of the game, Ma Long's efficiency remained the same, and the more he fought, the more courageous he was!
After scoring 14 points in the first quarter, Malone continued to play for 8 minutes in the second quarter and scored 12 points.

At halftime, Malone scored 26 points and 8 rebounds. He did a great job in all aspects. However, after halftime, the score of the two teams was 52:56, and the Sonics led by 4 points at halftime!
He scored high points, but the team fell behind... This game made Malone feel that the Jazz seemed to be back to last season!

Malone: ​​This... the familiar feeling is back!
(End of this chapter)