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MTL - NBA Backer King-Chapter 598 duel
Chapter 598 Fate Showdown
At this time, the Suns advanced to the frontcourt, and Lao Wang set up a low position on the left wing and asked for the ball.
He doesn’t go to the basket anymore. Now his physical fitness is not enough, the opponent double-teams, and his teammates can’t catch the open ball, so he can only play by himself first to stabilize the situation.
Duncan didn't defend against the top, but he didn't go around the front either, because the old K has the tonnage to stand firm, has the strength to push him away, and has the height, wingspan and bounce to ensure the quality of the backhand catch, so the effect of going around the front is mediocre.
Another key reason is that old K is faster than him. If he goes around and old K cuts directly to the basket and passes the ball from the outside in time, it will be troublesome.
He adopts a close defense. If the old K carries him hard and walks in, he will not die, but back up while pushing, which not only interferes with the old K's receiving the ball, but also delays time. For Rasheed Wallace's Double teams create opportunities.
Pharaoh stood just outside the left line of the paint, staying away from the basket to avoid being double-teamed early, with his left elbow against Duncan inside, and his right hand wanted the ball.
Nash pulled to the left wing, turned around to avoid Anderson and passed the ball down.
At this time, Rasheed Wallace decisively dropped Stoudemire and rushed to the low position on the left wing.
Old Wang noticed that the troll was coming close to the baseline to help defend. When the ball arrived, he suddenly took a step forward to catch the ball.
Duncan hastily took a step back to the left, and Wang stopped suddenly. At this time, the troll rushed to his side from below, and was about to fall into a double-team.
But at this moment, the step-back started, and he instantly got rid of the double-teaming of the two, and hit a frontal hook on the left waist.
"brush!"
The ball goes through the basket.
"Come in! Old K has to come by himself!" Su Qun said excitedly.
"Take a step back and hook your hands, a unique skill of Tiejun." Zhang Lili laughed.
Su Qun said with a smile: "Kobe learned it too, but changed it to a step-back jumper."
Zhang rationally said with a smile: "He can only use jump shots on the outside, and he can't use hooks. Moreover, his hands are too small, and he is not stable with one hand, so he can't make big moves."
"The arm span is not enough." Su Qun added.
The Blazers attacked, and Duncan suddenly stepped up to form a wall, but Anderson, who was holding the ball, did not use the wall to break through. Instead, he took a step sideways and suddenly shot a three-pointer.
"boom!"
Missed, Lao Wang went down to protect the backcourt rebound, and the Suns attacked.
"Flying Squirrel's playing time is limited. He is not on the court. Duncan's high-post pick-and-roll tactics are of average quality, because neither Anderson nor Wells have that speed. Although Flying Squirrel is seriously injured, the broken ship still has three pounds of nails, and his speed is still high. Faster." Zhang Lili said.
Pharaoh once again asked for the ball in the low post on the left wing, this time Rasheed Wallace double-teamed directly in advance.
Old Wang immediately took a step out, Duncan and Troll followed out of the paint at the same time, Stoudemire immediately cut to the basket, received a wonderful pass, and smashed the ball into the basket with a bang.
Mike Dunleavy jumped up anxiously and shouted: "Don't miss the basket."
Zhang Lili laughed and said: "Traffic and Duncan are dizzy, Tie Jun pulls out, you must keep at least one of you inside, do you still want to prevent Tie Jun from receiving the ball?
Impossible, if you all follow out, won’t you miss the basket? With Nash's vision and passing ability, as long as Stoudemire cuts in in time, this is a bonus. "
82:74, the Suns lead and the Blazers attack.
Wells broke through with the ball and used his strong body to slam Hardaway away. Stoudemire defended and made another change of direction. He rushed to the right waist of the paint area and saw the old K rushing over from the basket. Immediately stop and join the ball, ready to make a strong shot.
At this time Duncan reached out for the ball on the left waist, and Wells was not alone. He hesitated and passed the ball to Duncan.
But at this moment, the passing action was too obvious. Under the prediction of Lao Wang, he moved up one step in time, held everything with his hands, and broke the ball.
"Beautiful, old K made a steal for the third time tonight!" Su Qun said with high spirits.
At the top of the arc, Nash quickly turned around and went down quickly, caught the ball for a layup, and hit a goal.
Zhang Lili said excitedly: "84:74, the score difference has finally reached double digits."
The Blazers served and called a timeout.
"Bunch, pass the ball decisively, don't be sloppy. I could tell just now that you are going to pass the ball. My eighty-year-old grandma can break that ball, let alone old K?"
Mike Dunleavy shouted at Wells.
Wells, who has a bad temper, was so angry that his face turned black. That is to say, Mike Dunley led the Blazers to a championship. He has a high status in the team, so he didn't turn his face.
The timeout comes back, and the Blazers attack.
Duncan asked for the ball in the low position on the left wing, but at this moment, Pharaoh suddenly made a move forward. The former immediately turned around and entered the basket, while the latter quickly followed up and still moved forward.
At the top of the arc, Anderson, who was holding the ball, saw that Duncan had no chance to catch the ball. He arched into the three-point line against Nash, and then turned over and made a jumper.
"Snapped!"
Marion pounced from the left wing in time and rewarded Anderson with a big cap.
Hardaway grabbed the ball, and the Suns immediately counterattacked. Nash hit the basket with the ball and pulled it to the left wing, but suddenly passed a back pass to Marion who cut in from the right wing. Split dunk and smash the ball into the basket.
"brush!"
Looking back, Wells, who felt good today, stood up again, rushed in against Hardaway, and hit a jumper with an emergency stop.
86:76, the Suns attacked, Hardaway broke through with the ball, made a stop jumper, and hit a goal.
Looking back, Wells once again confidently singled Hardaway with the ball. Relying on his physical advantage, he once again broke through the defender and rushed into the flank.
At this time, Stoudemire defended, Wells did not pass the ball, but moved down a step, got rid of Stoudemire and Hardaway, and then made an emergency stop jump shot near the baseline.
"Snapped!"
At this moment, Pharaoh jumped out of the paint area, took off one meter inside the paint area, flew two meters in the air, grabbed the ball with his right hand, and even caught the ball directly.
Wells, who was capped, was also at a loss. He was an outsider, and he had already swallowed the old K's two big caps in front of him. He didn't dare to go in, but he still couldn't escape the old K's third big cap when he shot outside. Can you give me a way out?
"Ugh!"
Rose Arena sighed.
Su Qun shouted excitedly: "Beautiful! This is the 12th block of old K tonight. It seems that the defense won the game tonight!"
The Suns counterattacked again. Although the Blazers tried their best to return to the defense from the outside, all five members of the Suns team could participate in the fast break. Successful dunk.
"boom!"
Duncan hit the rebound at 45 degrees, was almost blocked by Lao Wang, missed, and Stoudemire grabbed the backcourt rebound.
"Slow down, take your time."
Old Wang asked for the ball to come over, signaling to stabilize the rhythm.
"Leading by 12 points, as long as the Suns play steadily, this match will be settled!" Zhang Lili said excitedly.
The result was as he expected. Although Duncan led the team to fight back hard, Lao Wang, as always, played a stable and efficient offensive and defensive performance in the final quarter, 105:92, and finally successfully won the G1 game.
"Finally won!"
After the game, Su Qun said happily: "Old K played 41 minutes. Although he only scored 6 points in the final quarter, his defense continued to explode and he was omnipotent in steals and blocks. It was his performance in the final quarter that guaranteed the team's success." Ultimate victory.
His data is 39 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, 13 blocks, 1 turnover, 3 fouls, a triple-double, only one steal away, too bad, only one steal away, he can complete the 5*5 data for the first time in his career . "
"Sorry indeed!"
Zhang reasonably smiled: "If it is completed, this will not only be his first 5*5, but also the first 5*5 in the playoffs in league history."
Su Qun said: "Old K's shooting percentage is 61.6%, which is high enough. This is the key to the Suns' victory."
Zhang Lili said: "Marion scored 18 points today, and he played a good fast break in the final quarter. Stoudemire performed better in the final quarter than in the first three quarters. He scored 13 points in total with two cut dunks and one fast break dunk. With Hardaway, today he scored 10 points and 4 assists. Nash scored 15 points and 11 assists. Five players from the team scored in double figures."
Su Qun said: "For the Trail Blazers, Duncan scored 26 points and 11 rebounds with a shooting percentage of 43.1, which was still limited by the old K's defense.
In addition, Wells performed very well, scoring 21 points. Rashid had 16 points, Anderson had 13 points, Pippen had 6 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds. Among the five starters, only he did not score in double figures. In addition, Little Flying Squirrel played 26 minutes off the bench and scored 8 points and 4 assists. "
After the game, looking at the old K who was being interviewed on the spot, Jordan said to Dameng and the others: "This guy is still the same as before. As long as he has an advantage in the first three quarters, he will not miss in the final quarter."
Lei Gong said with a smile: "As long as the old K is here, our previous games have never been overturned in the last quarter."
Dameng said: "His physical fitness is still very strong. After taking a rest in the first three quarters, he is enough to maintain high efficiency in the final quarter. This is the most important thing."
Glider said: "So the Suns don't have a big advantage in the first three quarters tonight. Old K's performance in the first three quarters is actually very good, but when he leaves the field, the Trail Blazers' bench lineup can chase points. Fortunately, his physical fitness is really good." It is still very strong, and it can still maintain a stable and efficient output in the final quarter."
"Old K, sent 13 caps tonight, why is the defense so good?" asked the reporter on the sidelines.
"If I want to, I can do it."
Lao Wang boasted confidently, and then said with a very sincere tone and expression: "So I would like to advise my opponents, don't get close to me, please stay away from me, or stay away Hats off to you."
"Old K, only one steal away from playing 5*5 in the first playoffs in league history, do you feel regretful?" The reporter asked.
Lao Wang said with a grin: "A little bit, but that's it, because I don't lack those records. I have enough records in the playoffs. I have never missed the Western Conference finals for 9 consecutive seasons. I averaged 50 points per game in the finals. 11 times 50+ in a single game in the finals, the average per game in the finals is the first in history, etc..."
"This **** guy!"
It happened that the members of Dameng were also being interviewed by several reporters. After hearing these words from Old K, Jordan cursed inwardly in dissatisfaction.
Because old K's records in the finals were all won on his head. Old K entered the finals seven times, won the championship six times, and he was the opponent of the seven times. He is the biggest sufferer of old K.
"Michael, why do you think the Trail Blazers with the league's first record lost at home to the Suns, the fourth in the Western Conference?" The reporter asked at this time.
Jordan said: "The Blazers' lineup is indeed stronger, and the inside substitutes are stronger than the Suns, but the Suns have a man named Old K, who can decide the outcome of a game or a series in many cases. is the key."
"So specifically, where do you think the Blazers lost tonight?" The reporter asked.
Jordan said: "I don't know the specific statistics. The Blazers' shooting percentage should not be worse than the Suns tonight..."
The reporter reminded: "The Blazers' shooting percentage is 1 percentage point higher than that of the Suns."
"That's it."
Nodding, Jordan said: "The reason why the Blazers lost was because of the rebounds, and the second was K's defense. These two disadvantages made the Blazers have less possession than the Suns. I don't know the specific statistics, but the Blazers Definitely takes fewer shots than the Suns."
The reporter reminded again: "Yes, the Blazers took 8 fewer shots than the Suns."
"now it's right."
Jordan nodded and said: "8 shots less, 13 points lost, the Suns should have made more mistakes, the Blazers lost because of the rebounds and old K's defense.
The Blazers' offense in the low post is limited by the old K's defense. Although Duncan is good, but to be honest, he is not on the same level as the old K. This makes the Blazers in the low post offense, compared with the Suns, It's down a notch.
Old K's low-post offense is absolutely unique in history. We can know this by comparing low-post superstars in any period. "
Dameng took over and said: "Counting from George Mikan in the 1940s and 1950s, George was the first superstar in the league. I remember very clearly that his shooting percentage was only 40.4%, and his scoring average was only 23.1 points per game." , Almost the same data in the playoffs.
Chamberlain should be 54% in the regular season, averaging 30 points per game. The shooting percentage and scoring in the playoffs are lower, and the finals are even lower. "
Lei Gong said: "There is no need to compare. No one in the history of the league can shoot 60% in the regular season. The playoffs are even more impossible, and the finals are even more impossible. Old K's offense is the first in history. The only one file exists.
Let me be honest, if old K wants to brush up the statistics, he can definitely break Chamberlain's historical record of 100 points in a single game. "
"Michael, in this series, who do you prefer to advance?" the reporter asked.
Jordan said: "I have already answered this question, and I am more optimistic about the Suns. Although the Trail Blazers have a strong lineup, they are not stable enough on the perimeter. Pippen is also old. He and the flying mouse can only play more than 20 minutes. The team has weaknesses at the point guard position and lacks some organizational functions.
Although the Trail Blazers have the first record in the regular season, it cannot be said how strong this team is. In fact, it only has 65 wins.
This Trail Blazers team is weaker than my Bulls and Knicks, as well as Old K’s Suns and Lakers. If they lose to the Suns this time, I will not be surprised at all. I am indeed more optimistic about the Suns.
The offense of the Suns is completely fine. Nash is defended and can immediately switch to a positional formation. Old K will take over the offense. As long as he wants, his offense is enough to break the most powerful defense.
The weak point of this team is the perimeter defense, but the Blazers' perimeter, as I said just now, is not stable. Sometimes the trait of the nerve knife can be fatal. When it is good, it will kill the opponent, and when it is bad, it will be your own. Fate, if he can't seize the weaknesses of the Suns' perimeter defense and play enough advantages, Old K will not show mercy in the low post, and the result will be very disappointing to Trail Blazers fans.
So I have a suggestion, the Blazers need a more stable and efficient outside core, such as Kobe. "
Duncan returned to the locker room. No matter how good he was in psychology, he was a little frustrated. He leaned against the closet and remained silent.
He has never won the old K's team in the playoff series, and he will be eliminated every time he encounters it. This has more or less formed some psychological shadows on him.
In fact, the person he most wants to win is Old K, and the team he most wants to win is Old K's team.
As a bargaining chip, as the No. 1 pick, he was thrown to the Suns by the Lakers, and then to the Trail Blazers by the Suns, so the Suns and the Lakers are the teams he most wants to win.
Four wins over the Suns in the regular season this season, he originally thought he had great hopes this time, but the loss in the first game at home did form a certain blow to him.
At this time, the head coach Mike Dunleavy saw Duncan's psychology, so he comforted: "Tim, old K's defense is too good today, we are wronged to lose the game, don't think too much.
It is absolutely impossible for the old K to play such a defensive performance every game. You should know this. With our strength, we have a chance to beat them. "
Duncan nodded, how could he not understand this truth?
However, the strength of old K and his unbeaten record in the playoffs made it impossible for him to eliminate this psychological impact.
He thought of Jordan. Jordan and Old K played in the finals seven times. It can be called a confrontation between different eras and fate. Losing three to seven losses, seven games and seven losses are likely to be Jordan's final fate.
Jordan retired, now it's his turn.
In fact, since he entered the league in 1997, he has been facing the oppression of the Lakers where the old K is, and cannot make it to the West. This situation of being completely suppressed has continued until the 00/01 season. Now with the comeback of the old K, Is he going to fall into the situation of being suppressed again?
"Is he and I also a fateful duel?" Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"He and I entered the league in the same year and were called behemoths. He and I are a fateful duel, but I will not admit defeat."
In a hotel in Ladas, O'Neal said to Kobe seriously: "Kobe, I won't compete with you for the boss in the Lakers, but you can't win him without me. I must have enough shots. You and I will join forces. Hope to beat him."
He is still the same as before, very much hoping to defeat old K to prove himself.
Win the championship in 2001, he and old K got injured at the same time, he scored 29 points before leaving the field, but old K had scored 44 points, his performance is still not as good as old K.
Although he won the championship that year, which was also his only championship, he did not prove that he could beat Old K, and the media did not think that he defeated Old K, and even mocked him, saying that he used his knee Beat old K's ankle.
Now he is only 31 years old, as long as he loses weight, he can still play the most dominant peak state, and he still has a chance to prove himself.
Now he wants to prove himself, not to prove that he is stronger than old K, he has lost that opportunity long ago, but to prove himself, in the era of giant beasts, he is not a dispensable foil, he is the hero of this era One, he must leave his mark on this era.
(end of this chapter)