The rest is just noise

Chapter 1,064 Ewing is Malone, Malone is Ewing

"Shaq, you're not Ralph" - this article appeared as the headline of the New York Post's sports section after Game 3 in Orlando.

O'Neal claims to score 50 points against the Knicks at home.

In fact, he has a specific target.

That person was of course Ewing, because Ewing showed no respect for the efforts he and his team had made.

However, openly announcing that you will score 50 points against the Knicks is often asking for trouble.

Even Sampson and Jordan couldn't score 50 points against the Knicks as they wished.

They have to adjust themselves to a very good state to score 50 points or more.

O'Neal announced this in advance, giving the Knicks time to prepare in advance.

You know, they are the best defensive team in history.

You give the best defensive team in history a chance to attack you early, and then you want to score 50 points?

In order to ensure nothing goes wrong, Tomjanovich also resorted to the ultimate trick - asking God.

He found the great god Louis and asked him to give him guidance.

When Tomjanovich asked him to save Patrick, Louis wanted to laugh. It was obviously Ewing's own fault, so why did he save it? He also wanted to see if O'Neal really scored 50 points, and Ewing

Should I retire or not?

But if you think about it carefully, Ewing's retirement is not a good thing for them.

So Louis could only suppress his desire to see Ewing make a fool of himself, and decided to trick Rudy.

Louis clearly pointed out that O'Neal's free throws were a huge risk.

O'Neal's free throw shooting percentage in the regular season was 53%, but dropped to 47% in the heightened intensity playoffs. If he is allowed to receive the ball in a dangerous position, sending him directly to the free throw line is a desirable plan.

The shark-killing tactic was born.

It's not over yet. Louis emphasized that consumption on the defensive end is only the first step to restrict O'Neal's performance.

The second step is to attack on the offensive end, which is the key.

"Patrick can't hit him in the low post," Tomjanovich said awkwardly.

Louis asked sarcastically: "Do you think I would expect that idiot to beat Shaq in the low post? How is that possible!"

Rudy chose to listen quietly.

"I think you have noticed Shaq's size and his exaggerated agility, but these characteristics are only amazing relative to his size. On the defensive end, he is still a slightly slow player, and

That is to say, if we conduct a lot of pick-and-roll attacks around him and constantly attack him by calling names, it will be difficult for him to defend effectively."

Tomjanovich learns and applies it.

The Knicks' system was originally built by Louis. The system's application of pick-and-roll is very in-depth, and it is more than enough to deal with O'Neal.

game3

O'Neal, who threatened to score 50 points, failed to even finish 1/2.

The Knicks allowed him to take 18 free throws in the game, but he only made 7.

He has almost no chance of defeating his opponent one-on-one.

Because as long as he takes the ball and advances into the paint, the Knicks will foul him violently and let him make free throws.

Throughout the game, he felt like he kept getting to the free throw line, but never made two free throws.

It is common to make one of two free throws, and it is not surprising to miss both free throws.

This is torture on the offensive end.

Wilson's roll call and Ewing's cowardly pick-and-roll catch and shoot made O'Neal feel like a useless loser.

O'Neal was misfired on both offense and defense.

The Knicks lead 2-1.

O'Neal's rhetoric went bankrupt and the Magic were unable to defend the Orange City.

The next game may be the most critical game of this series.

If the Magic win, they still have to fight.

If they lose, the game can basically be declared over and they will be sent away by the Knicks 4-1.

Ewing was not going to give the Magic a chance. He had seen O'Neal's face. It was unimaginable what criticism he would say if he let the Magic win again.

game4

Ewing took on the role of the inside core of a dynasty team.

Playing O'Neal in the low post, his bunny jump shot was so stable that it made O'Neal feel sick.

No matter how he defends, if Ewing takes a shot, he will hit it.

Even if he can't guard the low post, Ewing still doesn't forget his original intention and picks and rolls with the ball holder to catch and shoot.

In terms of technical characteristics, Ewing is a bit restrained by O'Neal. He can shoot and score outside the paint area, is proficient in pick-and-rolls, and his ability to find opportunities after splitting may be second only to Karl Malone.

Under the system, Ewing does not need to confront O'Neal head-on.

Just like Louis' previous life, Malone's Jazz could always bring trouble to O'Neal.

It's not that Malone is better than O'Neal, but the style of play brought about by the Jazz's system leaves O'Neal with nothing to do.

The system is an offensive system that is far more advanced than the Jazz system. Ewing has been immersed in it for many years. Just like Kato Takashi knows all the weaknesses of women, he also knows all the offensive methods of this system.

Is O'Neal better than Ewing?

no doubt.

But he's not better than Ewing.

From today on, Ewing will become a lingering nightmare for O'Neal.

He replaced the role Malone played in O'Neal's life.

The difference is that Malone only has Stockton next to him, and Stockton next to Ewing is just an ordinary star player who may be replaced by others in the starting lineup at any time because he cannot keep up with the intensity.

When Ewing found his touch, he couldn't wait to start killing.

The fourth game of the series was Ewing's most brutal personal performance.

He scored 46 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks just by relying on his unreasonably accurate shooting, completely defeating O'Neal.

"You know, Patrick Ewing only averaged 18 points and 9 rebounds per game in the regular season, but in the semifinals, he averaged 32 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 blocks per game."

3 to 1

Relying on the Knicks' tactical system, Ewing led the team to two consecutive victories, pushing the Magic to the edge of the cliff.

The game basically loses its suspense here.

The Magic are still a team of the future, and they are not yet good enough to compete with the Knicks.

"The first game was just a beautiful accident." Hubie Brown said, "The Magic woke up the Knicks, which is good."

Louis' attention has turned from the east to the west.

Because the Knicks have no rivals in the East.

The only one to watch is the Heat, but this team lacks a stand-alone superstar.

Two days later in game 5, Wilson gave Orlando no chance of survival.

In the Garden, Wilson hit every shot, scoring 30 points in just 26 minutes.

Miller made 6 three-pointers in a single game.

Ewing clocked out with 20+10, and Kemp performed the dunk that fans wanted to see in the dunk contest during garbage time.

4 to 1

As the outside world speculated, the Knicks won four games in a row, allowing Orlandoans to welcome the fishing season.

The Western Conference semifinals are far more difficult than the Eastern Conference.

The Trail Blazers and Lakers fight to the death.

The Warriors also encountered a tenacious blocker from the Utah Jazz.

Scottie Pippen and David Robinson both reached the peak of their careers this year, which is one of the key reasons why they can compete with the Trail Blazers.

Another key reason lies within the Blazers' interior.

Riley's control of the team is not what it used to be.

The defensive intensity of Verdun's defense has also dropped significantly this season. After all, Jordan is 32 years old. He can still bring elite-level defense, but it is too laborious to lead his teammates in a full-court press.

Pippen's great defense allowed the Lakers to win Games 2 and 4.

Barkley blew himself up, and David Robinson's crazy 30+20 helped the Lakers win the game.

Forum Arena went crazy.

The tragedy maker has retired, but his spirit is still there, and the Lakers can still kick the Trail Blazers' butt.

Then in Game 6, Jordan's edge enveloped the entire court. He turned the game into a personal show, dragging the series to a tiebreaker with a 50+10 rebound performance.

In the tiebreaker, Barkley finally stopped, steadily contributing 25 points and 12 rebounds.

The Lakers chose to fight with the Trail Blazers.

The score was tight.

When the game came to a critical moment, the Lakers exposed their biggest problem.

While gritting their teeth, the Trail Blazers had Jordan, Thomas, Barkley and even Sabonis on hand to tackle the tough task.

And what about the Lakers? Who can they turn this task over to?

Pippen? His shooting is not stable enough for this job.

Robinson? There are many super centers who can play key balls, but he is not one of them.

There are obviously two superstars, but the one who really takes on the responsibility and plays key shots for the Lakers is Jeff Hornacek, who helped the Knicks win the first three of their six consecutive championships.

He stood up in the fourth quarter and scored three consecutive points, preserving the Lakers' season hopes.

In the end, this hope was destroyed by Isiah Thomas' single-handed duel.

With a score of 4 to 3, the Trail Blazers passed the test. The one who stopped them from meeting the Knicks at the end of the Western Conference was the Golden State Warriors.

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