Bulldozer of the NBA’s Restricted Area

The Jazz won both games, and the third game was scheduled for May 4, so the Jazz moved to Seattle on the 3rd to prepare for the match point game.

The match point is terrible. You don't have to think about how much pressure the Sonics have, because if they lose another game, they will lose everything. Not to mention the first round of the playoffs, but they are also fucking swept?

You know, the SuperSonics are very ambitious this season.

Shawn Kemp, who plays the power forward position, has entered the state after several seasons of training. His 17.8 points and 10.7 rebounds in the regular season are enough to be considered a first-class power forward.

There's also Gary Payton, the second overall pick in the 1990 draft. Although he struggled a bit in the first few seasons, he has improved now and is considered capable on both ends of the floor.

Really compared to the starting lineup, the Sonics are nothing in the Western Conference quarterfinals, but the Sonics have brought together a lot of bench thugs, and they are basically guaranteed to win in the rotation of the lineup, even against the Jazz.

But the problem is...the advantage played by the Jazz's main force is too great. No matter how good the SuperSonics' rotation lineup is, it can't fill this big hole.

…

Night of the 4th.

SuperSonics home stadium, Seattle Center Arena.

Because match point was approaching, this game may be the last game of the SuperSonics playoffs, so the attendance rate was extremely high. In response to the arrival of the Jazz, the home fans booed enthusiastically, and the wave was even higher. Yilang, after all, beat his own team 2:0, it's not an exaggeration to boo you twice.

Stockton and Malone were fine, but Li Shengli was the one who booed most enthusiastically.

Let’s not talk about how the regular season went, let’s just talk about the first round of the playoffs. If the first game was not due to Li Shengli, the record between the two sides should be 1:1, and more importantly, Li Shengli played for the SuperSonics. Face comes first, and every time he makes the headlines on the sports pages, he always adds "beating up the Sonics" as an embellishment.

"Hey, Li, your treatment is very good!" Ma Long laughed.

treatment?

Is this considered treatment?

Li Shengli rolled his eyes at Malone, and Stockton also smiled, "Okay, cheer up soon, scan the SuperSonics, and they should shut up!"

"Leave Kemp to me, and I'll make sure he crushes this bastard!" Malone said.

"Crotty, I'll leave Payton to you!" Li Shengli said to Crotty.

"no problem."

"OK, after this game, let Sonics take a break!"

…

There is enough food at home and no worries. The Jazz have two wins in hand and will advance if they win one of the remaining three games. Therefore, the generals are quite relaxed. The live broadcast of this game naturally cuts to the middle-aged and elderly people in the studio. This is the group.

Because in the first round of the playoffs, 8 teams and 4 games are playing every day, but the times are staggered. The Jazz game starts at 8 pm, while in the East... the Bulls led by Jordan have already Completed the sweep and sent away the Eagles 3:0.

"I hope the Jazz can also complete the sweep in this game!" George Gervin said: "To be honest, I am so looking forward to the collision between this prosperous Jazz Legion and the Bulls!"

"No, you said it too early. The Bulls are very likely to reach the finals, but it is not absolute. The Knicks will be the resistance!" Bird took a sip of water. "As for the Jazz wanting to reach the finals, The finals are much more difficult than the Bulls, and the SuperSonics will definitely not make it so easy for them."

"Just look at this game. If the SuperSonics want to win, they must find a way to deal with the Jazz's inside line, and they must also have sufficient firepower!" Thompson also joined the discussion, "But it is not easy to do one thing, two things. It’s so difficult to do.”

Before the game started, the three people chatted for a long time. They were all commentators with non-major backgrounds. They started talking about a lot of things and they were done. The silent Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was really different.

"The first two sides have come out!"

"Michael Cage versus Lee?" Bird was a little surprised. "We don't need Kemp to mark Lee. Cage's effect is completely substandard!"

"Kemp faced Malone? In today's game, the Sonics wanted to let go of Lee and keep an eye on Malone?" George Gervin was also surprised, but he understood the pain of the Sonics after thinking about it.

It is true to say that all members can play, and it is also true to say that the entire team does not have a single outstanding point. The real situation is...the inside combination of Li Shengli and Malone will only have a sluggish state like the first game, and the SuperSonics will have a chance. Otherwise, the inner line will explode.

"This is match point and the Sonics will not give up!"

"Then let's see what arrangements are prepared on both sides!"

…

A few minutes later, the first round of G3 battle officially started.

The starting lineups of both sides were the same as in the first game, and there was nothing worth introducing. Kemp returned to the 4th position to compete with Malone, and Michael Cage once again played the starting center, opposite Li Shengli.

However... as soon as the game started, everyone smelled something unusual.

The potential unleashed by the last-ditch battle was astonishing. The Sonics, who had no way out, showed astonishing defensive intensity. Everyone was working hard and pressing closely. Li Shengli didn't know what the situation was like for others, but on his own side But it gave me a bad headache.

Cage thrust into Li Shengli like crazy. Although he knew he was outmatched, he fought hard, fought hard, and exhausted himself. However, Li Shengli couldn't push back to seize the position.

Although he can easily beat Cage alone after getting the ball, according to this kind of confrontation, Li Shengli's physical energy consumption is really a bit high, and his several attacks are all one-on-one singles.

Malone also encountered the same problem. Kemp's core strength was stronger than Cage. In a head-to-head fight, Malone had the advantage, but it was not a big one. The SuperSonics were a complete dog-skin plaster defense against the two of them.

Fortunately, Stockton's assist ability is strong, creating several offensive opportunities for the two of them without having to fight hard.

…

"Shit, these bastards want to consume us to death?" Ma Long couldn't laugh or cry. He used fierce confrontation to consume his opponent's main physical strength. This is too common, but what's not common is...who the hell does it so hard right from the beginning?

"Whatever, let's take advantage of the first half first. I don't believe anyone can tire me to death?" Li Shengli didn't believe in evil.

"OK, you can hit a few more later!" Ma Long clapped his hands and said.

It was far less easy for him to face Kemp than it was for Li Shengli to face Cage. After all, the two opponents were not on the same level, and neither of them cared about data, so they naturally had to choose the more cost-effective option.

So in the next game, SuperSonics' tenacious resistance continued.

On the offensive end, Cage pulled Li Shengli to run blindly, but Li Shengli couldn't run without running. After all, Cage still had two brushes in his mid-range shot, which gave the Sonics several opportunities to score inside.

Except for a few points from the breakthrough, Nate McMillan accounted for most of the Sonics' points in this quarter. The Jazz never expected that the focus of tight perimeter defense was Gary Payton, but they never expected that McMillan. Suddenly showing off their power, they made 6 of 8 shots. This is probably the advantage of the SuperSonics' comprehensive firepower.

As for the Jazz's offense, Cage, who was guarding Li Shengli, didn't care about anything. As long as Li Shengli held the ball, he would fight hard. He knew that he couldn't fight, but that meant... you have to fuck me, otherwise you won't be able to score!

Until the end of the first quarter, because the defensive intensity was really high, each round had to be entangled for a long time before taking action, so the score between the two sides was only 25:20, and the Jazz led by 5 points entering the second quarter.

It stands to reason that Li Shengli easily defeated Cage alone, and the point difference should be even greater. However, it is not easy for the Jazz to get the ball to Li Shengli. First, it is the SuperSonics' defensive blockade, and second, Cage is abused. Crazy card position.

Although Li Shengli could easily squeeze him away, he was guaranteed to appear again in the blink of an eye, just circling around Li Shengli and begging for abuse.

…

If the first quarter was average, then the second quarter was even more extreme.

The Sonics have been making substitutions at the center position, and when they do, they have to fight with Li Shengli. However, the Sonics have such depth on the bench, including Sam Perkins, Derek McKay, and Michael in the first quarter. Cage, the three of them took turns to fight, which was to engage in wheel battles to consume Li Shengli's physical energy.

Of course, Malone can't run away either, and Kemp has also added a luxury wheel package.