met free Chapter 217 Christmas Battle
Chapter 217 Christmas Battle
Chapter 217 Christmas Battle
The next day, at noon on December 12th, the Suns returned to Phoenix, and there will be four home games. The first game is against the Mosaic team, the Christmas game.
When the Suns returned to Phoenix, the Mosaic team also arrived.
Wang Tiejun had already made an appointment for lunch with Barkley, and it happened that Zhang Lili and the others were both in Phoenix, so he arranged a party at home and asked Lao Zhang to arrange it for him.
After the plane landed, he took the team's dozen or so players home directly from the airport. When he got home, Zhang Reasonable's buffet was almost ready.
After a while, Barkley came over.
"Old K, at this time last year you signed that ten-day short contract, exactly one year." While eating and chatting, Barkley laughed,
"Well, exactly one year."
Nodding, he asked, "Charles, your data this year has dropped a bit!"
"Don't talk about this, don't talk about this." Barkley was startled, and quickly shook his head.
The Mosaic team is not his team. When he goes there, he and Dameng are both insiders. Someone must make a concession. If it wasn't him, could Dameng let him?
Of course, it’s not too much. His current average of 21+11 per game was 26+12 last season, which is still the performance of a superstar, and it can be regarded as one of the dual cores of Mosaic.
At that time, David Frank advised him that he would rather play dual-core with Dameng than play support for Old K, saying that his value would drop like that. To be honest, his value has indeed not fallen now, and it cannot be said that it was wrong to go to Houston.
However, there is also a negative effect. The media often criticizes his grouping behavior, so he regrets going to Houston, because once the grouping behavior is implemented, it will affect his future historical positioning.
But no matter how you calculate it, it is still a good deal now, at least his commercial value is preserved, this is the most practical thing, and everything else is false.
At three o'clock, after lunch, his teammates and Barkley were sent off, and Wang Tiejun drove to the supermarket to buy some small gifts.
Although I don't feel much about Christmas, I do as the Romans do when I go to the countryside. After receiving gifts from others, I always have to return gifts, so I have to prepare some.
"Oh, it's old K."
"Hello, Merry Christmas to you all!"
When he entered the supermarket, some customers and several staff members immediately surrounded him and greeted everyone. Afterwards, he picked out some small items and left the supermarket.
"Brother Zhang, Su Qun, I haven't asked you yet, will the Christmas battle tomorrow be broadcast live on CCTV?" After returning home, Zhang Lili and Su Qun were still there, so he asked casually.
"The Christmas game will definitely be broadcast, but it's a pity that you and the Bulls are not playing. Now the Suns and the Bulls are the most popular in China." Zhang Lili laughed.
Speaking of this, he suddenly smiled and said: "Tie Jun, I have something to discuss with you, and now we have it on hand..."
CCTV's live broadcasts are very few, and the cost is very low. When there is no live broadcast of the Bulls, Zhang Lili and the others usually stay in Phoenix and dare not go anywhere.
But even so, they don't have much money now, no, it's not that there is no RMB, it is that there is no US dollar.
Of course, there are not many RMB, and the budget given is quite small.
Although the expenses approved by CCTV for them are very tight, they can still survive in the United States, but they are paid in RMB, and there are not many U.S. dollars. They have spent almost the same in the past two months. I want to exchange some money with Wang Tiejun.
"On a business trip in the United States, your station actually gave you RMB?" Wang Tiejun said in surprise.
Su Qun and Zhang Lili became embarrassed. Of course they knew what was going on in the station, and they explained it to them when they came out. The little dollars in the station were used to buy copyrights, and there were many places to use them. If they had no dollars here, they would ask Wang Tiejun to find a way.
"Okay, this is a trivial matter, anyway, I have to change RMB when I go back." He said.
Then he exchanged [-] U.S. dollars for them. It wasn't because he didn't want to exchange more, but because they only had this fee in their hands.
"Brother Zhang, how much can you earn this month?" He asked.
"Salary plus business travel allowance, more than 1000 yuan a month. I still get a basic salary in the national basketball team. It can add up to 2000 yuan a month. It's not bad. It's a high income in the capital." Zhang Reasonable said with a smile.
"You can't earn as much as Brother Changfeng. He can buy a house in the capital after a year. Why don't you continue to follow me? I won't treat you badly," he said.
"Yep."
Next to him, Liu Changfeng nodded repeatedly.
"Forget it, following you, I always feel that it's just fooling around, and it makes more sense now." Zhang Reasonably refused.
Nodding, he didn't try to persuade, and asked, "Your expenses are so tight, I haven't asked where you live yet?"
Zhang Lili smiled and said: "In the area where I used to live, five of us rented one room and one living room. There are too many people, so the rent has been increased by [-]%, but it's not bad."
"Five people in one room, one living room, why do you play Arhats every night?" He complained.
"What can we do? It's still cheap. If you live in a motel, it will be more expensive after a long time." Zhang Lili said.
He thought for a while and said, "Well, I'll rent another house for you, and I will support you."
"Then how?" Su Qun and the others asked hurriedly.
"It's just helping friends. Brother Zhang also often helps me. Isn't it today? It doesn't cost a lot of money. It has nothing to do with your unit. It's our personal friendship. I won't say much, so let's settle it." He said.
Zhang Li thought about it for a while, then nodded and said, "That's fine."
Then Wang Tiejun found a real estate agent, and quickly settled the matter. He rented a three-bedroom apartment in a nearby community, which solved the very difficult accommodation problem for Zhang Lili and the others.
That night, Wang Tiejun watched the game between the Bulls and the Supersonics. As a result, Pippen had a truce due to a back injury, and the Bulls with a disorganized lineup lost.
This is also the second time the Bulls have lost this season. With 22 wins and 2 losses, they are still the first in the league.
25th, game day.
In the morning, the Suns held a tactical meeting to discuss how to play this game.
The team's defensive coach Nathan Wilm suggested: "On the defensive end, Old K doesn't need a meat shield, and he still goes with Dameng."
Assistant coach Lewis said: "That way Green can't stop Eric Kleary at all, he will go directly to the basket to get a position."
Nathan Wilm said: "It doesn't matter. Eric Reilly, a rookie, is useless except for his tonnage. Even if he is at the basket, I believe Green can defend him by going around the front. Green's defense is quite good."
With that said, Lewis agreed.
Coach Westphal also agreed with this defensive strategy, and he talked about the defense of the third position.
Lewis smiled wryly: "Barkley plays the third position. Although Horry has a height disadvantage, he can't stop Barkley's back attack at all. We are destined to blow up this position.
Now I just hope that in the old K's position, Dameng's scoring will not be too strong, so that we still have a chance to defend. "
Nathan Wilm said: "The old K's defense is stronger than last season. My advice is the same as that of David Robinson. Let him shoot jumpers outside if he is defensive or not. When he is in position, push him away from the paint. No matter how good his pace is, if he leaves the basket, his threat will be greatly reduced."
Westphal nodded, agreeing with this statement.
Wang Tiejun below nodded in the same way. He was able to defend against David Robinson last time. Although he couldn't defend against the general's score, it would be enough to reduce his efficiency.
Nathan Wilm added: "We are much weaker on the inside, and we need to get back on the outside. My opinion is to strengthen the defense on the outside, separate their inside and outside, and destroy their offensive tactics."
But when it comes to this point, everyone's confidence is not high, because now the Suns have no defensive system at all, and there are often loopholes and vacancies when changing defenses.
There is no way to solve this in a short time, only to build a defensive system through slow running-in.
After talking about defense, let's start discussing offensive tactics.
The key point, of course, is the fifth position, how to help Wang Tiejun break the opponent's double-team tactics.
This issue, after the last disastrous defeat to Mosaic, the coaching staff has been thinking about it, which can be described as racking their brains.
Westphal said: "My idea is to arrange Dan Marley on the old K's wing and use his three-pointers to contain Barkley. What do you think?"
Lewis immediately nodded and said, "That's a good idea. Let Danny Ainge go up after Dan Marley goes down. We only have two of them who are good three-pointers. As long as Barkley is restrained, how can a tank like Eric Releigh really defend the old K? Or simply let Danny Ainge start instead of Horry. We have three-point gunners on both wings."
Westphal nodded, but said: "But even if Barkley is solved, as long as Erikleli holds the old K for half a second, Dameng on the weak side can return to the basket. With his defense, it will be difficult for the old K to play high-quality offense at the basket."
Nathan Wilm also said: "Using a meat shield liberates Dameng, allowing Dameng to defend on the weak side, so that he can release all his defensive energy without directly confronting the old K. The method that head coach Tomjanovich came up with is really good."
Westphal finally said: "The only solution now is to let the old K strengthen the ball. If Dameng returns to the basket, then Green will run to the right bottom corner and wait for the old K to score the ball."
In the evening, at 07:30, the two sides announced the starting lineup.
Mosaic: Olajuwon, Barkley, Mario Ellis, Vernon Maxwell, Kenny Smith
Suns: Wang Tiejun, AC Green, Horry, Dan Marley, Kevin Johnson
The game was broadcast live across the United States by ABC, in addition to CCTV for real-time live broadcast, and there are many TV stations around the world that buy real-time live broadcast signals.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Merry Christmas!"
After a sentence of congratulations, Bill Walton began to analyze: "Needless to say about the lineup, the Mosaic team's inside line is as luxurious as the Bulls' outside line. They are both a combination of two superstars. According to the law of inside advantage, the Mosaic team and the lineup are even more luxurious than the Bulls.
The Suns have played one game against the Mosaic and the Bulls, and they all lost by a big score. This shows that the Suns have fallen behind by one grade, at least one grade, among these three teams.
So tonight's game, I am still optimistic about Mosaic, the Suns should have no chance of winning. "
"Merry Christmas!"
John Hanks said with a smile: "Barkley set a precedent for teaming up. He is the first superstar to team up with another superstar at his peak, but he does have a chance to win a second championship.
At eight o'clock, the game begins.
Big Dream won the jump ball and the Mosaic team attacked.
"Boy, do you think you can guard against me?"
Dameng specially ran to the low position on the right wing, but unexpectedly Wang Tiejun followed, and he immediately sprayed.
"Ruandanmeng, you actually hide from me?" Lao Wang immediately responded.
"you?"
Big dream is nameless and angry, do I need to hide from you?
But he couldn't say it, because according to the formulated tactics, he not only avoided Wang Tiejun on the offensive end, but also on the defensive end. Using a meat shield to release his energy on both offensive and defensive ends was the key tactic for the Mosaic team to beat the Suns last time.
Now that old K took the initiative to find him, he couldn't hide.
But he can't hide, as the most powerful of the super centers, what fear does he have?
Just when he thought so, Wang Tiejun started a strong confrontation on the defensive end, he did not hesitate to carry out a strong confrontation physically, and tried his best to push him outward.
He immediately understood the Suns' defensive strategy, which was to prevent him from entering the paint and reduce his offensive efficiency.
He immediately pulled it out, and at this time the ball was passed. After receiving the ball, when Wang Tiejun caught up, he shook up and down, shook off his opponent, and strode towards the paint with the ball.
Wang Tiejun turned around and chased after him, one step behind.
AC Green always sat under the basket, and immediately made up for the front of the big dream, and the meat shield behind Eric Leary leaked out.
At this time, Dameng passed the ball to Riley under the basket.
But the moment he passed the ball, Wang Tiejun rushed over from behind him, and at the moment Riley caught the ball for a layup, he flew up and caught the ball directly.
"yeah!"
The rare capture of the hat caused the audience to burst into cheers.
The Suns counterattacked, and Lightning Kevin Johnson stepped down quickly, leaving his opponent Kenny Smith one step behind, received a direct pass from Wang Tiejun, and then went to the basket for a layup.
"Beautiful! Through Green's supplementary defense, Tiejun won the opportunity to return to defense. The cooperation between the two is better than when they played against the Mosaic team last time." Zhang Lili laughed.
"Just now, old K's speed of turning around and chasing defense is not too slow, and his speed of returning to defense is faster." Su Qun laughed.
"Yes, he has been training throughout the summer. I saw with my own eyes that his mobility has improved a lot." Zhang Lili laughed.
The Mosaic team attacked, and this time it was played by Barkley on the left.
Although he is a power forward, he can play inside and outside, and the small forward can also play well.
On the defensive end, it was Horry who guarded Barkley.
He has an advantage in height, but there is a big gap in tonnage and strength. After a fart beating, he was beaten to the ground, and then Barkley turned over and made a jumper and hit a mid-range shot.
2 draws, the Suns attack.
"what?"
Seeing Dan Marley running to his side, Barkley expressed surprise.
Dan Marley keeps moving on the left-wing three-point line, but he doesn't run to the bottom corner, because the bottom corner is the closest to the left-wing low post, and Barkley can double-team the old K by turning there.
Barkley is still the same as Fang Hori, taking one step while staring at Wang Tiejun in the low post, which is only one step.
"Bang bang bang..."
Kevin Johnson dribbled the ball continuously on the outside, and suddenly pulled it to the right wing. After driving Kenny Smith, he suddenly turned back and passed the ball to the low post on the left wing.
Wang Tiejun caught the ball with one hand and immediately dribbled the ball to hit Riley, the meat shield.
And at this time, while he was dribbling, Barkley, who was one step away, quickly turned around and jumped down. The timing of the defense was very good. In less than half a second, a big hand reached out to him, and he would grab his ball in the next second.
At this moment, Riley, the meat shield, is also desperately resisting his attack. As long as he waits for half a second, Barkley's double-team will come, and the weak side's big dream will also return to the basket. The only role on the field.
"It's so light!"
However, at the moment when the beating happened, he didn't feel right, he didn't have any strength at all, the kind of beating power that was so huge that his heart would tremble, this time it was as gentle as spring rain.
"not good!"
When Barkley took the next step, when he grabbed Wang Tiejun with his hand, he saw the old K who was within reach suddenly reached down with a big hand, grabbed the ball that bounced off the floor again in his hand, and then got up and threw it towards him with one hand. He was startled, braked instinctively, and raised his hand to block it.
"Fake action! Not good!"
He blocked the air, but in the next moment, he saw Wang Tiejun throwing the ball for the second time, and this time, it was a true pass, and he failed to make a continuous interception response. The ball flew over his head, and he also rushed to Wang Tiejun's side, but the ball was no longer here.
"Snapped!"
Dan Marley, who was at [-] degrees from the left-wing three-point line, caught the ball with both hands. There was no defender within two meters. He took off calmly, and the basketball flew to the basket.
"brush!"
Splashes appeared and a three-pointer was hit.
Zhang Lili said excitedly: "Beautiful! This is a low-post singles tactic. If there is a double-team, then split it out. At the same time, this is also a low-post flanking tactic in the triangle tactics. Jordan often used low-post singles tactics in the past.
At that time, the league hadn't introduced the anti-isolation singles rule, so he often played alone in the low post on the strong side, and everyone else was pulled to the weak side, so that no one could double-team him.But now with the anti-isolation singles rule, he rarely plays like that because he will be double-teamed. "
In the ABC live broadcast, Bill Walton said with a smile: "This tactic is quite calm. After attracting Barkley's double-team, he immediately divided the ball and made a false pass. Old K completely teased Barkley."
John Hanks said: "Dan Marley can be allowed to transition the ball, which can better contain Barkley. This is also an authentic low-post triangle wing tactic."
Bill Walton nodded and said with a smile: "The Bulls can't play this kind of tactic now, even if they get Clifford Robinson, because he is not good at post-up skills.
This tactic is only suitable for people with strong low-post singles like Old K. You have to double-team him in the low post, but he can split the ball. If you have a three-point shooter outside, then don’t worry, you will keep getting open opportunities. Otherwise, you can only watch Old K pass his singles and blow up the defender. "
"And the old K has a strong sense of distributing the ball, his passing skills are also very good, and there is no problem with his vision. As long as he calms down, it should be able to solve the problem of Barkley going down to double-team him."
John Hanks added a sentence, and then laughed: "It seems that the Suns have found some ways in this game, and they performed better than the last game."
Bill Walton said with a smile: "You have to know that whether it is the old K or the head coach Westphal, they are both sophomores. What they lack is experience. This is a big weakness for them. They need time to solve these problems."
(End of this chapter)