Bulldozer of the NBA’s Restricted Area

In this game, the Jazz trailed by 24 points. In the second half of the third quarter, they were chasing 14 points. Although there were still 10 points to chase in the fourth quarter, according to this momentum, it was not certain who would lose and who would win. .

Entering the last quarter with suspense, the atmosphere of the Triangle Center Arena exploded, and the overwhelming sound swept every corner, cheering for the Jazz. As for those spectators who were preparing to leave early, they sat back and joined the excited fans.

…

The fourth quarter begins.

Jerry Sloan unexpectedly replaced Malone with Jane Verhenris. In fact, in the wave shooting strategy, the role of Malone, a top power forward, also became a pitcher. Although his hand felt a little warmer, it was not as good as Jane Verhenris. Compared with Henris, his forward sprint speed is much slower.

So the Jazz team became one big and four small. Except for Li Shengli, the tallest was Tai Lung at 1.98 meters, and the shortest were Stockton and Crotty at 1.85 meters.

Speed ​​up!

Jerry Sloan wanted to speed up, and that's exactly what the Jazz did. On the defensive end, Li Shengli and Tai Long teamed up to form an iron wall inside. Although he was a little behind Malone, Li Shengli's ability to protect the basket was too abnormal.

To put it simply... Cage was beaten so hard that he didn't even have the desire to take action, and Kemp's post-up singles couldn't stand up to Li Shengli. The two had no choice but to distance themselves from Li Shengli and look for opportunities from Tai Lung to use this opportunity. Occasionally score points by stealing chickens.

The Jazz's offense is fast, because the effect in the second half of the third quarter was very good, so this quarter continued the fast shooting tactics. The focus was entirely on Li Shengli's rebounds. Having rebounds means efficiency.

Use the four little crazy guys to run down the fast break on the backboard. If the fast break opportunity is not good, just wait for Li Shengli to be in position and make a wave shot, handing the problem to the SuperSonics... Kemp wants to team up with Cage to suppress Li Shengli, and they will use four-on-three from the outside. , but if Kemp joins the perimeter defense, Cage will be beaten into a mess by Li Shengli and score.

It is no exaggeration to say that the situation of this game was instantly reversed. The disadvantaged Jazz became the advantage, while the advantaged SuperSonics became the disadvantage.

At this point, the Jazz's offensive efficiency has reached a climax. Everyone is excited. They are actively rotating the ball from the outside. Whoever catches the open space will hit it. If they can't score, there will be rebounds. If the outside is 4V4 defense, then give it to the inside. Li Shengli beat Cage violently.

It wasn't until halfway through the final quarter that the Sonics called timeout again.

The Jazz's offense was fast and the SuperSonics' offense was steady. However, because of Li Shengli, a rebounding monster that affected the balance, the Jazz's 10-point deficit was evened up.

Li Shengli once again became the focus of the game, and in the same half-quarter, he scored 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Counting the previous data, the total data was 24 points, 28 rebounds, and 9 assists, a near triple-double.

The score of 24 points is average, not a very high score, but the 28 rebounds are astonishing. You must know that whether it is a defensive rebound on the backcourt rebound or a second offense on the offensive rebound, it is important for a team. Words are very important.

It stands to reason that Li Shengli got 28 rebounds alone. In this case, the Jazz should beat the SuperSonics, but the embarrassing thing is... the Jazz were in a sluggish state in the first half and the offensive efficiency was low. Fortunately, Jerry in the second half -Sloan took a gamble and the wave-shooting strategy worked.

As for assists, due to the SuperSonics' blockade, Li Shengli only had 2 assists in the first half. In the second half of the third quarter and the first half of the fourth quarter, he got 7 assists in a total of one quarter, all thanks to this group of people. Langtou brigade.

…

"Shit, to be honest, I think I should take back what I said at the beginning!" George Gervin stared at the live broadcast screen in surprise. "This kid has great talent. He has a body, a mind, and the ability to execute. If I were the ball As the head coach of the team, I will definitely recruit him at all costs, because he is so useful!"

As soon as George Gervin opened his mouth, the other three people were stunned for a moment. Thompson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar felt that George Gervin said something fair, but Larry Bird cursed in his heart that George Gervin was not firm in his stance.

"No, no, no, you should say that Jerry Sloan's tactical arrangement was too good and he made the right bet. In this gambling game, Lee just played the role that a chip should have." Bird said as calmly as possible. .

"You put it lightly. As far as this game is concerned, Stockton and Malone did not perform well enough. If we can win this game, Lee will definitely be the biggest contributor, because his performance in the second half was perfect. , the entire Jazz team is attacking around him, don’t you think this is enough?”

Not enough?

I am your sister enough!

Larry Bird was so angry that he was sweating. What about the agreed-upon hatred? He didn't expect that Gervin would be a "weed".

"What's even scarier is... this season is just this kid's rookie season. Don't tell me you don't see that this kid still has some room for growth. If his skills and tactics can be further improved, at his age, do you think he will be better in the next ten years?" In the next year, he won’t dominate the NBA’s restricted area?” George Gervin sighed.

"Okay, the game has begun, let's see how the Sonics face the Jazz!" Thompson glanced at George Gervin with a smile, feeling for the first time that this guy was pretty good.

"The victory or defeat depends on these 6 minutes. The SuperSonics will definitely not give up." Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also said.

…

Return to the court after a timeout.

SuperSonics head coach George Karl's head was about to explode. The lead was so big in the first half that he was beaten back as soon as he said he was beaten back. The more he looked at Li Shengli, the more itchy his teeth became. But now he wanted to stabilize the situation. Li Shengli It must be restricted.

But how to limit it?

Michael Cage's physical fitness is already a bit insufficient. When he is in full condition, he can only sniff Li Shengli's feet, and now it is even worse, so... Kemp has become the key to defending Li Shengli.

In the current situation, George Karl has also thought about it. Jerry Sloan may release Malone again, and Kemp, the most critical defensive player inside, has been transferred out. Malone must also limit this point.

So, George Karl waved his hand and replaced three people in a row.

Gary Payton is the offensive core on the outside, and Sean Kemp is the defensive core on the inside. The other three positions are replaced by big men, preparing to block the Jazz's outside shooting and also take care of their own backcourt rebounds.

To be honest, when the game reaches the most critical moment, those who can play are usually the main starting players, but all SuperSonics can fight, and the depth of the bench is the highest in the West, and this is also the key to their competition this season.

…

In addition to the competition between players, the game is also a battle of wits and courage among coaches.

After Jerry Sloan used the wave shooting tactic to recover the point difference, he immediately stopped. It's not that it can't be used, but it is very unsafe. The safer way is to use the main force to play steadily.

The reason why they were beaten by the SuperSonics in the first half was because everyone was in a sluggish state. After the crazy pursuit of the score in the second half, everyone's state basically returned, so he put all the starting five main players, and the main force was in full condition. , he doesn’t need to consider what arrangements the Sonics will have.