Chapter 107 Let God decide everything!

The Knicks advanced to the frontcourt, and He Zhongqiu went straight in from the free throw line.

Garnett does not have O'Neal's strength and tonnage in the low post, and cannot play that kind of strong offense of pushing forward and crushing, so he can only practice his iron-blooded jump shot.

He Zhongqiu is different. Although he does not have the tonnage of O'Neal, his absolute strength is stronger than O'Neal. Although he cannot reach the terrifying horizontal pushing power of O'Neal, there are not many people in the league who can stop him except O'Neal, at least there is no Garnett.

So he rushed in directly and started a hand-to-hand attack with Garnett.

"What a bastard!"

Garnett tried his best to block it, but he just couldn't.

As soon as they made contact, his center of gravity was bounced away by He Zhongqiu's explosive force, and then the absolute force crushed him like a mountain.

He had no time to dodge and was crushed all the way to the basket from the one step below the free throw line.

"This guy has great power!"

He immediately changed his defensive strategy, going around the front and defending from the side, sticking to He Zhongqiu. With his height, jumping ability, and agile low-post footwork, he was confident that he could stop He Zhongqiu from catching the ball.

He Zhongqiu wanted to push Garnett away, but Garnett was very clingy, hugging and embracing him, with his arms intentionally entangled with his. He couldn't push him away for a while, and when he pushed him away a little, he got entangled again immediately.

Sure enough, the outside players were afraid of being intercepted and did not dare to pass the ball to He Zhongqiu, so he could only leave the basket first.

"Wolverine, leave the basket and you are trash."

After defending Wolverine's position under the basket, Garnett couldn't help but feel a little proud. The Wolverine became arrogant when he was successful. As a master of trash talk, trash talk came out naturally as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Oh!"

He Zhongqiu is more of an action-oriented person most of the time. He disdains trash talk and just raised his elbow, with the tip of his elbow hitting Garnett's right cartilage.

"Uh!"

Garnett bent his body and frowned in pain.

He Zhongqiu did not miss this opportunity. He immediately bypassed Garnett and cut into the basket.

The madman on the left wing who was controlling the ball saw it and just lobbed the ball.

Garnett took a look and, while observing the path of the ball, he quickly stepped back, preparing to steal the ball.

But as soon as he took a small step back, he was blocked by He Zhongqiu inside and could not retreat. At this time, the ball flew over his head.

He Zhongqiu jumped behind Garnett and grabbed the basketball at the edge of the safe collision zone. At this time, center Lasu, who was returning to the basket, was behind him.

"Attack from front and back!" Barkley shouted loudly.

At this time, He Zhongqiu held the ball with both hands, used his left foot as the axis, forced himself to turn left in the double-team, and escaped from the double-team in one step.

His right foot stepped on the front of the basket, outside the reasonable collision zone, about one and a half meters away from the center of the basket. Then his body suddenly jumped forward, passed the ball to his right hand, and stretched out his left arm to block the position.

"Strong dunk!"

Kenny Smith yelled.

Garnett had no position to defend, but Lasou still had room to defend. He was on the left front side of He Zhongqiu and immediately jumped up to block the shot. However, he was blocked by He Zhongqiu's left arm and could not get close to him. His hand did not touch the basketball in He Zhongqiu's right hand.

The next moment, He Zhongqiu jumped on the spot and, relying on his strong qualities, moved forward two feet in the air, then chopped down towards the basket with his right hand.

"boom!"

There was an explosive sound of the basket hitting the ground.

"Ow!"

The cheers in Madison Square Garden erupted like a volcano.

"That forced slam dunk while being double-teamed was so exciting!" Barkley shouted excitedly.

"Wolverine once again demonstrated his outstanding qualities by jumping from a standstill one and a half meters away from the basket and attacking the basket directly," Kenny Smith said excitedly.

During the transition from offense to defense, He Zhongqiu caught up with Garnett again.

Garnett was very annoyed. Wolverine, I don’t want to play against you. You’d better be sensible and get away from me, otherwise I’m afraid I will beat you to death.

"brush!"

Szczerbiak played like a madman on the left wing, faking a breakthrough and making a real shot, hitting a three-pointer.

After three rounds, the score was 7:2, the Knicks were trailing by 5 points at home and missed three consecutive attacks, while Szczerbiak made 4 of 3 shots and scored 7 points in a row.

Don Cheney did not call a timeout. He wanted to learn from the Zen Master and let the players make their own adjustments on the court.

The Knicks attacked, and He Zhongqiu did not attack for three rounds. Every time he went to the basket to get a position, but Garnett did not give him a chance to receive the ball.

This time again, he stuck to his side and didn't give him any space. He only had three seconds to attack, which gave him a headache.

Barkley said: "Wolverine still lacks skills. If he had post-up skills, he would be more effective against Garnett.

He took the ball with his back to the basket, and then used his strength to crush Garnett. Garnett couldn't stand it, and he couldn't get forward after taking the ball. "

Kenny Smith nodded and said, "Yes, Garnett is more suitable for defending technical inside players. He can't defend heavy inside players like O'Neal. After comparing the data, his effectiveness in defending O'Neal is not as good as Duncan.

When Garnett defended O'Neal, O'Neal's average shooting percentage was 56.5%, while when Duncan defended O'Neal, O'Neal only shot 53%. "

In this game, He Zhongqiu was limited by Garnett's defense, his offense under the basket failed, and he had very few offensive opportunities.

In addition to three dunks, he only shot some rebounds near two points, a total of 8 of 4 shots, 3 of 2 shots in the basket, 5 of 2 shots near two points, plus 3 of 2 free throws, only 10 points and 12 rebounds, a hit rate of only 50%, but there were 4 turnovers and 5 fouls.

However, under his defense, the Wolf King Garnett was still unable to score under the basket and could only make a long jump shot from outside.

He made 19 of 8 shots, with a hit rate of only 42.1%, and 4 of 4 free throws, scoring 20 points, but grabbed 14 rebounds.

The Timberwolves defeated the Knicks both at home and away, ending the regular season between the two teams.

After the game, Kenny Smith said: “In the regular season, the Wolverines faced Tim Duncan and scored 18 points and 9 rebounds, allowing Duncan to get 31 points and 14 rebounds.

Today's matchup against Garnett was not as good as the game against Duncan on the offensive end, but his defense against Garnett was better than his defense against Duncan.

This shows from one side that Duncan is stronger than Garnett in offense, at least against the Wolverines, and on defense, Garnett should be stronger than Duncan. "

Barkley said: "Duncan and Garnett are both among the strongest power forwards today and are also historical power forwards, but one or two games can't prove anything.

It can only mean that when Duncan played against the Wolverines, he was not as invested as Garnett on the defensive end. After all, it was just a regular season game."

After he said this, he went on to comment on the performances of He Zhongqiu and Garnett, saying: "The performances of Wolf King and Wolverine were disappointing, but Garnett's performance was particularly disappointing.

Facing a rookie's defense, he had no effective offensive means, no way to get to the basket, he had no ability to attack the basket, let alone the ability to break through.

As for the Wolverine, his performance under the basket today was terrible because of Garnett's close defense. He couldn't bring out his strength advantage, and his previously praised under-the-basket offense didn't work today.

When positioning under the basket, strength is very important, but it must also be matched with sufficient tonnage. Unless Wolverine's tonnage increases to more than 140 kilograms, his dominance under the basket will never catch up with the Big Shark.

Right now, his biggest flaw is his technique. He needs to develop his post-up skills within two or three seasons so that he can bring out his strength advantage.”

Kenny Smith said, "Charles, who do you think is more talented, O'Neal or Wolverine?"

"O'Neal, of course."

Barkley said without hesitation: "Shaq was 125 kilograms when he first came into the league, and he was able to maintain that kind of terrifying athletic quality even when he reached 135 and 140 kilograms.

Wolverine is only 115 kg. If he gains weight to 135 kg, will he still have the current athletic quality? I think it is impossible. "

"But why does he want to gain weight?" Kenny Smith asked. Barkley laughed and said, "Kenny, do you think Garnett can defend the big shark alone under the basket?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible, he will be crushed." Kenny Smith immediately shook his head.

"Then how could the Big Shaq crush Garnett under the basket?" Barkley asked back.

"I understand."

Kenny Smith suddenly realized: "It is precisely because of his huge size that Garnett cannot defend against the Sharks even if he defends closely under the basket.

But Wolverine doesn't have a huge tonnage. Even if his absolute strength is even stronger than that of the Sharks, he can't deal with Garnett's close defense. "

"Wolverine, Barkley is right, you have to practice your back-to-the-basket skills." At this time, He Zhongqiu's personal trainer Felton said to him.

"I know, I will practice during the offseason, you come up with a plan," he said.

Felton nodded and said, "In addition to the low-post back-to-the-basket technique, you must also practice the low-post face-to-basket technique. You must practice both low-post offensive techniques. When facing different defenders, you can use different offensive techniques.

Don't waste your physical fitness. Your physical fitness is actually more suitable for facing the basket. The impact is too strong. Play like David Robinson and use the back-to-the-basket as an auxiliary. "

"I think so too. I prefer facing the basket rather than posting up." He nodded.

Felton thought: "You are not suitable to stand still under the basket to play against Garnett. He has long arms, good jumping ability, and flexible steps. Except for strength, his qualities in all aspects are not inferior to yours. If he defends you closely, you will have few opportunities to catch the ball.

When you hit him in motion, you can use your back to the basket or face the basket. You can use your strength to eat him alive when you are in the back, and you can use your impact to break him down when you are facing the basket. "

……

At ten o'clock the next morning, Xia Song met Redden at the Knicks headquarters, which is also the office building of the training base. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two got down to business.

Leiden asked: "Mr. Xia, the team really wants Wolverine to sign a long-term contract. Does he have any ideas?"

"Leiden did not hide anything and directly revealed his attitude, which shows that the management's attitude is very clear." Hearing this, Xia Song couldn't help but be cheered up.

He slowed down his pace and said, "Mr. Layden, we are the passive party. I hope to know the management's more specific attitude, such as the specific details of the long-term contract."

Leiden smiled and nodded, “Mr. Xia, I have talked to the boss, and he said that Wolverine must be given a maximum salary.

We Knicks are not short of money, but unfortunately it is not the same as before. The maximum salary contract is limited by the salary cap. The Wolverines can only get a little over 10 million next season, and there is no way to give more. "

With these words, the subsequent communication between the two became easy.

Half an hour later, Leiden sent Xia Song out of the office.

After several days of consideration, he made a choice with great perseverance, rejecting O'Neal and continuing to train He Zhongqiu.

At the same time, he also decided that in the next two or three seasons, he would strive to build a younger lineup than the current one to wait for the Wolverines to grow.

In fact, he didn't know whether it was right or wrong to do so.

Because even a player as strong as Ewing disappointed the Knicks for sixteen seasons, and the Wolverines' performance in his rookie season was much worse than Ewing's rookie season. Will he disappoint the Knicks for another sixteen seasons?

O'Neal is the best player in the league, and his three consecutive championships are enough to prove his strength.

"Oh, let God decide everything!"

……

In the evening, Xia Song came to He Zhongqiu's villa again.

"During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the management will sign a long-term contract with you. According to the league's regulations, they will give you as much as they can. They are not short of money."

"So generous?"

"A wealthy family, indeed!"

Xia Song added: "The management is eager to discuss the contract. Guess what, it's the Lakers who want to trade you."

He Zhongqiu was surprised and asked, "Don't the Lakers have O'Neal?"

"The relationship between the OK combination must have completely broken down. Mr. Layden told me that the Lakers' bargaining chip is O'Neal," said Xia Song.

He Zhongqiu asked doubtfully, "My current strength is definitely not as good as O'Neal's. Is the management not interested?"

Xia Song shook his head and said, "Mr. Layden didn't tell me the reason for his refusal, but you can understand it if you think about it. The Knicks want to trade O'Neal, and besides you, they have to pay another price."

"Trading ratio?" he asked.

Xia Song nodded and said, "Yes, O'Neal's annual salary is more than 20 million. Even if you sign first and then trade, your maximum salary is just over 10 million, at most 11 million US dollars.

The Knicks can either use players or draft picks to fill the remaining 10 million, and your potential is here. It is not cost-effective for the Knicks to force a trade with O'Neal. Either the lineup will suffer too much loss, or the potential will be overdrawn. "

……

On March 3th, He Zhongqiu finally moved into his own villa.

The training room is divided into two parts, just behind the garage. The front half near the garage is half a basketball court, and the back half is filled with some equipment.

Here he can practice martial arts, do strength and physical training, and also do ball training and shooting training.

Wellington Philip naturally lived here as well, but Xia Song did not move in. Instead, he still lived in the townhouse he had rented before.

As a brand spokesperson, all the furniture in the villa was donated by the Esley Company and is worth more than $300,000.

He has obtained a driver's license, sold his original pickup truck, and purchased two new cars, a Mercedes-Benz SUV and a Hummer off-road vehicle.

This is his second home. His first home was Hongluo Temple when his father was alive.

Of course he was happy to have his own home, and to celebrate, he asked Xia Song to help him set up a few tables in the villa and invited the entire Knicks team, including the coaching staff, personal trainer Felton and his team, and several people from Zhongqiu Company.

It’s the last month of the regular season. On April 4, the Knicks challenged the Jazz away.

This is the second regular season game against the Jazz. The first one was played in November last year. He Zhongqiu arrived late and missed it.

With the aging of the Black and White Duo, the Jazz are no longer as strong as they were in previous years, but with a record of 45 wins and 30 losses so far this season, they are still ranked seventh in the Western Conference.

The Knicks are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference with 43 wins and 32 losses. They lost 6 games in March and their record is worse than that of the Jazz, who are seventh in the Western Conference.

The three teams ahead of the Knicks now are the Pistons, Nets, and New Orleans Pelicans. The Hornets, who are behind them, have 42 wins and 34 losses, 1.5 wins behind the Knicks.

The team's previous record before the Knicks is currently 45 wins and 29 losses, 2.5 wins ahead of the Knicks.

Fourth in the Eastern Conference, and will play against the fifth in the Eastern Conference in the first round. The fifth is the Hornets.

The Knicks played four games against the Hornets in the regular season, with a record of two wins and two losses, but the two losses were in November. After He Zhongqiu came, they won both games, so both the management and the coaching staff thought they had a better chance of winning against the Hornets.

If we get to third place, we will play against the green team in the first round.

In four regular season games, the Knicks lost three and won one. They lost the first three games and only won the last game last month.

He Zhongqiu participated in two games. The first game was against the Green Team at home, but they lost that game.

So now the management hopes to stay in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, where they have the best chance of beating the Hornets. They didn’t make the playoffs last season, so they want to make it to the second round this season.

Of course, it would be even better if they could rank first in the Eastern Conference, because the gap between the Knicks and the Pistons, who are currently first in the Eastern Conference, is not that big, just three wins.

After the Jazz, the Knicks have six more games, namely the Clippers, Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans, Cavaliers, Wizards, and Pacers.

Among these six teams, except for the Numbers Team, the rest are bad teams or very bad teams. It will be no problem for them to win three or four games. If they win all the games, they may really have a chance to rush to the top of the Eastern Conference.

(End of this chapter)