Bulldozer of the NBA’s Restricted Area

The much-anticipated second round of the playoffs has finally begun.

Here in the West... On May 11th, the Suns played the Spurs, and the day before on the 10th, the Rockets played the Jazz. The second round of G1 started at the Compaq Center Arena, the Rockets' home stadium.

Houston Rockets.

In 1984, he captured Olajuwon, the current No. 1 pick. In the 1985-86 season, he broke out of the Western Conference and joined the Eastern Conference Celtics in the finals. Although he failed to win the championship that year, he also accumulated a lot for the Rockets. experience.

However, the embarrassing thing is that after that, the Rockets' record went from bad to worse, with occasional second-round trips, frequent first-round trips, and even in some seasons, the Rockets were not even seen in the playoffs.

As for this season, Olajuwon's statistics are still strong, and his regular season record is good. However, in the first round, he and the Clippers both played a 3:2 match. Mas, Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich expressed a headache.

Throughout the Rockets' game, this is a single-core team built with a center. Olajuwon is the core of the core, and his performance is the most critical factor that affects the outcome of the game. Therefore, the most annoying thing for the Rockets is the collision. On a strong inside team, the biggest fear is that Olajuwon will be blocked.

In view of this, the Rockets prepared Olajuwon's right-hand man inside, power forward Otis Thorpe.

Thorpe and Olajuwon entered the 1984 draft at the same time, and were taken by the Kings with the ninth pick in the first round. The pick was not high, but in Thorpe's last season with the Kings, he averaged 20.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. , can be described as a first-class power forward at the time.

Although when it came to the Rockets, he became Olajuwon's second best and his data declined, but Thorpe could provide a lot of help to Olajuwon. The two combined to form a twin tower that is not very high inside. This is The key factor for the Rockets to finish second in the Western Conference this season.

However, compared with the Jazz... Let's not talk about anything else, just the inside.

At the power forward position, the matchup between Thorpe and Malone.

In terms of strength, Thorpe is not as good as Malone; in terms of statistics, Thorpe's peak statistics are not as good as Malone. In this position, the Rockets' disadvantage has been basically determined.

As for the center position, the matchup between Olajuwon and Li Shengli.

This season, Olajuwon can be called the strongest center just by looking at the data, but the new generation center Li Shengli, who has suddenly emerged, cannot be underestimated. The comparison gap between the two is not as big as that at the power forward position, so just look at these. , the Jazz have an even greater advantage.

Although the game is not better than past data, the data is only a reference, and it really depends on the on-the-spot performance, but Rockets coach Rudy is still worried. After all, the Jazz also has an assist leader on the outside, Stockton... who averages 12 assists per game. , far beyond what the Rockets point guard can match.

luxury!

Even luxurious!

The Jazz's lineup makes Rudy a little envious of Jerry Sloan. After all, with Limas in hand, he can sleep on the sidelines or on the floor when encountering weak opponents.

Lie down and win!

This is a real win!

Sleeping until the end of the game, and then going to the post-game interview to talk about it and praise the opponent's sportsmanship. This is definitely the highest treatment a head coach can receive.

But Rudy is envious. There are no weak teams in the playoffs, and the Rockets are even less so. If the Jazz want to take the first step in Houston, Rudy will definitely be the first to refuse.

After all, the Rockets, who have Olajuwon and are slowly getting used to it, are already very strong. All they have to do is maintain their current competitiveness and wait for an opportunity to overcome the Jazz.

…

Utah Jazz VS Houston Rockets, the second round of G1 game has officially begun.

Jazz starters: center Li Shengli, power forward Karl Malone, small forward Tyrone Corbin, point guard John Stockton, shooting guard John Crotty.

To be honest, the weakest link in this starting lineup is shooting guard Crotty, but there is no way... There are gains and losses, and Jeff Malone was traded for Li Shengli.

This position was originally played by Jane Verhenris, but when Crotty was asked to start, Jerry Sloan was interested in his defensive ability.

Playing defense with a shooting guard?

If a shooting guard doesn't score, it sounds like bullshit.

But in fact... the Jazz do not lack sporadic firepower from the outside. Even if Jeff Malone is still there, there will be much fewer outside shots. Therefore, Crotty is the most suitable candidate, a shooting guard who focuses on defense and light on scoring. .

…

Rockets starting lineup: Center Hakeem Olajuwon, power forward Otis Thorpe, small forward Robert Horry, point guard Kenny Smith, shooting guard Vernon Maxwell.

Needless to say, the inside of this lineup is two guards. Kenny and Vernon are worth mentioning because both of them like to shoot three-pointers.

Although in this era of poor three-pointers, Vernon still averaged 5.1 three-pointers per game and shot 33.2%.

Two points are hard to kill, but three points can. If Vernon and Kenny shoot the three points smoothly, it will be quite difficult for the Jazz to chase with two points inside, and this is also the case with Jerry Smith. The reason why Long started Crotty, a defensive shooting guard.

Crotty and Stockton are the main force to suppress Vernon and Kenny, and at the same time... Crotty also likes to shoot three-pointers.

…

During the jump ball stage, Li Shengli and Olajuwon met in the midfield.

"Li, we meet again!"

"Yes, we meet again, brother!"

"I want to win this game, you... don't resist!" Olajuwon's face was calm, but looking at Li Shengli, his heart was blocked.

He was the only active center to hold the record of four doubles, but Li Shengli also scored four doubles and successfully tied with him.

He is the record holder for rebounds in a single game in the playoffs, but Li Shengli played in the playoffs for the first time and covered his record of 26 rebounds with 32 rebounds in the first round.

Do you always feel like this guy is chasing your ass? !

In this regard, Olajuwon also felt the pressure from the new generation of centers.

"Brother, I'm sorry, I have to win this game, but... you can resist, but resistance is useless." Li Shengli also had an expressionless face.

The Rookie of the Year award was inexplicably rejected, and O'Neal met Olajuwon several times, including in the All-Star Game, and was slapped in the face by Olajuwon, so he had 10,000 reasons to play in Olajuwon Zhu Wang proved... that he is better than O'Neal!

"Then let's touch it and see!"

The two looked at each other and gathered all their strength. The true, all-out confrontation between the old and the new was displayed in front of the entire league for the first time, and it was also the biggest highlight of the game.

…

The referee threw the ball to the highest point, and the two of them started instantly. Even if it was just an unimportant jump ball, they used all their strength. However, Li Shengli's height still had an advantage. He successfully moved the ball with his superhuman wingspan and sent it to Stoke accurately. Dun's hands launched the Jazz's first-round attack.