Chapter 121 Beat him
"Snapped!"

He Zhongqiu landed, turned around, and grabbed the ball while jumping.

"Clap clap clap..."

Madison Square Garden immediately erupted in warm applause.

"Beautiful! Zhongqiu's block was so high that Mashburn's jump shot was completely inaccurate." Zhang Heli said happily.

He Zhongqiu passed the ball to Charlie Ward, who then ran slowly to the front court.

But at this time the Hornets began to press the entire court, so he had to speed up to keep up, and by the way, he also made a transfer of the ball to help his teammates advance the ball to the frontcourt.

After entering the frontcourt, he landed low on the left wing and did not enter the penalty area.

The offensive tactics that Don Cheney just arranged were the pick-and-roll tactics between Alan Houston and Kurt Thomas. His task was to look for opportunities to cut back and wait for the pass.

At this time, the attack on the right wing was launched, but Byron Davis and PJ Brown did a good job of defense, and Alan Houston's breakthrough failed.

Not only that, after he was double-teamed one step inside the three-point line, David Wesley in the high position further double-teamed him, and he was surrounded by three people, and the ball was intercepted the next moment.

"Oh no, a mistake was made at the critical moment." Zhang Heli exclaimed.

When He Zhongqiu saw it, he immediately ran to the backcourt.

The offense and defense exchanged, and the Hornets launched a fast break.

On the left wing, Byron Davis advanced quickly with the ball, and the relatively old Alan Houston chased behind him.

David Wesley ran to the right of Davis, near the middle.

Charlie Ward and David Wesley in the middle were of similar age, both 70-year-olds, and they ran neck and neck.

On the right wing, Mashburn was two steps ahead, and as he quickly cut into the penalty area, he waved for the ball.

"Whoosh!"

Byron Davis passed the ball horizontally into the penalty area.

The next moment, Mashburn rushed to the left side of the basket to catch the ball.

At this time, Charlie Ward rushed down, and Mashburn calmly shook Charlie Ward with a fake layup. After Charlie Ward rushed under the backboard, he calmly stood up again.

At this moment, He Zhongqiu finally arrived on horseback, and Charlie Ward got a chance for him.

"Snapped!"

As he leaped up, he slapped the ball that was thrown towards the basket onto the backboard, and then he hooked his five fingers and grabbed it.

"Oh ho!"

The next moment, the whole audience burst into cheers.

"At critical moments, we still have to rely on defense," said Xiao Fan.

In the transition from offense to defense, the Knicks slowed down the tempo and did not play a fast break, waiting for He Zhongqiu to get into position.

The Hornets just played a full-court press, and ran back and forth several times during the offense-defense transition, so they were exhausted and did not play a full-court press.

Seeing that the opponent did not press the entire court, He Zhongqiu did not waste his energy and ran slowly. By now, he was quite tired.

The other three inside players of the two teams were originally lagging behind, but when the offense and defense switched, they ran ahead and entered the low post first.

Charlie Ward held the ball to the top of the arc, He Zhongqiu ran up, suddenly made a pick-and-roll, and stood behind David Wesley.

Charlie Ward reacted quickly and broke through from the right side immediately.

"Watch out for the pick and roll!"

PJ Brown in the low post quickly reminded.

But it was useless. David Wesley had heard the movement behind him, but he had no way to solve the problem. When he turned around to defend, he was blocked and Charlie Ward rushed forward with the ball.

He Zhongqiu immediately turned around and rushed into the penalty area with Charlie Ward.

P.J. Brown and Magloire quickly returned to defend the basket, and Kurt Thomas appeared open.

But Charlie Ward did not pass the ball to Kurt Thomas in the low post on the right wing. After receiving the ball, he rushed in front of PJ Brown, hooked the ball with his backhand, and passed it to He Zhongqiu behind him.

The next moment, He Zhongqiu suddenly jumped up.

P.J. Brown couldn't block the shot because he was blocked by Charlie Ward.

Magloire tried desperately to jump, but when he jumped up, he found that the sky was already covered with dark clouds and his head only reached Wolverine's chest.

"Oh!"

The next moment, he was knocked down by the huge impact force.

"boom!"

The explosive sound of the basket bursting was heard, and the explosive sound wave impact instantly swept across the entire court, hitting everyone's eardrums.

"Oh ho!"

As a result, Madison Square Garden turned into a sea of ​​​​joy.

"Beautiful! Wonderful! He Zhongqiu dunked over Hornets center Magloire and directly knocked him over." Zhang Heli shouted excitedly.

"95:97, the Knicks are leading again." Xu Jicheng said excitedly.

"This pick-and-roll tactic was played really well. Zhongqiu is getting better and better at using tactics now." Sun Zhenping laughed.

"There are still 45 seconds left, so you have to pay attention to defense," Zhang Heli reminded.

The Hornets still had a long timeout, but Paul Silas didn't call it because he wanted to save it until the end.

"Hey!"

The Hornets were preparing to serve the ball at the baseline when Thibodeau took a step forward and shouted. When the players looked at him, he made a tactical gesture.

This is a full-court pressing gesture. At the critical moment, he wants to catch his opponent by surprise.

The next moment, the Hornets served the ball and Mashburn passed it to David Wesley on the left wing.

At the same time, the Knicks' full-court press began.

"Oops!"

Seeing the chaos on the court, Paul Silas was a little confused, because from Game 1 to now, the Knicks have never played a full-court press defensive tactic, which greatly paralyzed him.

At this moment, David Wesley made a mistake under the pressure of Charlie Ward. He saw PJ Brown standing in the center circle to receive the ball, so he quickly passed it.

Before passing the ball, he did not calmly observe the situation near the passing route, and did not see that He Zhongqiu was standing in the blind spot blocked by Charlie Ward three meters to the left of the center line.

But He Zhongqiu, who had the height advantage, kept staring at the ball holder David Wesley, saw his passing action, and immediately rushed to PJ Brown.

It’s only three meters, the distance of two big steps. If you count the arm, it’s just one big step plus one small step.

Sure enough, before the basketball was passed to PJ Brown, he successfully took two big steps, blocked in front of PJ Brown, and received the pass from David Wesley.

The next moment, he was hugged by PJ Brown.

"Di!"

The referee's whistle blew and He Zhongqiu took two free throws.

"There are still 42 seconds left. I hope Zhongqiu can make both free throws." Sun Zhenping said.

"Before, he made 8 of 4 free throws, which is lower than the free throw rate after the All-Star Game, but with this hit rate, at least one goal can be scored," Zhang Heli predicted.

"Both sides have at least one more offensive opportunity. It's hard to say whether we'll win or lose. It's best to make all the free throws. Only then can we guarantee a 4-point lead," said Xu Jicheng.

He Zhongqiu stood on the free throw line, still in an impressive posture with one hand on his waist and the other shooting a free throw.

He took the ball, exhaled, and threw it toward the backboard, casually, as if it were just for fun.

"Hey, Wolverine, can't you just aim at the basket?"

"Can you go a little slower?"

In the audience, many Knicks fans became anxious when they saw He Zhongqiu shoot free throws so casually.

"Bang! Swoosh!"

Fortunately, he was lucky and made the first free throw, which made many impatient fans breathe a sigh of relief.

In fact, he couldn't aim at the basket when shooting free throws. The more he aimed, the less accurate he became. He had to rely entirely on his touch to shoot the free throws. It wasn't that his attitude was not right or he didn't take it seriously.

He threw the second ball just as casually.

The basketball hit the white basket with a bang, then bounced and landed on the basket, bounced up and fell down, and finally fell into the basket.

"Oh ho!"

Countless fans couldn't help but cheer.

"Great, two free throws at the crucial moment, Zhongqiu's psychological quality is quite good!" Zhang Heli said excitedly.

"95:99, the Knicks are leading by 4 points and are not far from their second home victory." Xu Jicheng said happily.

"If we can stop the Hornets' attack one more time, we'll have the game secured," said Sun Zhenping.

But it didn't happen. Hornets' leader Mashburn moved to the left sideline, played one-on-one, and made a mid-range shot, tying the score to 97:99, retaining the hope of overtaking.

There were 24 seconds left and the Knicks attacked.

The Knicks also had a long timeout, but no timeout was called.

The madman was hit, but he refused to admit defeat and continued to attack with the ball, wanting to return the favor.

He Zhongqiu entered the basket and got into position, trapped Magloire behind him, and shouted at the madman on the left wing: "Ball!"

Hearing the murderous roar, the madman's face twitched.

Face or victory, he had to choose between the two. He, who was not a loner at playing, chose victory and lobbed the ball in.

The next moment, He Zhongqiu received the ball under the basket, and PJ Brown on the weak side popped up from behind and double-teamed him. "Go to hell!"

On the left front side of the basket, within the reasonable collision zone, He Zhongqiu, holding the ball with both hands, forced himself to turn sideways, summoned up his last bit of strength and energy, stood up, broke the cage under the pressure of four arms, and forced the ball upwards with both hands holding the ball.

"Clap!"

But the next moment, he was knocked down because he was out of energy.

"Di!"

But the referee's whistle also sounded.

"Beautiful! Wolverine attacked the basket hard and caused Magloire to foul and got two free throws." Zhang Heli said excitedly.

He Zhongqiu came out and high-fived the madman, and said to him breathlessly, "Good pass."

The madman said unhappily, "I could have made a three-pointer by making that damn free throw."

"Did you make it in a dream?" He Zhongqiu joked.

"Haha, Wolverine, you're such a bastard!" The madman laughed out of anger.

"Ha ha……"

Kurt Thomas, who came over to celebrate, bent over with laughter.

Next, He Zhongqiu took free throws, but this time his luck was not so good. He made the first one but missed the second. PJ Brown grabbed the rebound and called a timeout.

"There are 9 seconds left, the score is 97:100, and the Knicks are leading by 3 points," said Sun Zhenping.

"After the timeout, the Hornets should go for a three-pointer." Zhang Heli guessed.

Xu Jicheng nodded and said, "A tie and going into overtime is relatively advantageous to the Hornets. Their physical fitness should be better, and Byron Davis can still charge forward."

"Yes, Alan Houston and Madman can no longer play. Their playing time is close to 40 minutes, which is about the same as Zhongqiu." Zhang Heli said.

After the timeout, the Hornets served the ball from midfield.

After the referee blew the whistle, players from both teams chased each other in the half, creating chaos.

David Wesley received the ball, but Charlie Ward was marking him, so he had no chance to shoot and could only look for a target to pass the ball to.

In the end, Baron Davis used his physical strength and speed advantage to get rid of Alan Houston and made a jump shot from outside the three-point line on the left wing.

Alan Houston tried his best to catch up and jump from the side to block the shot, but he didn't touch the ball.

"No, open three-pointer."

Zhang Heli's face changed and his voice became distorted.

"A small empty space." Xu Jicheng added quickly.

When the basketball flew towards the basket, everyone looked over there.

"Bang!"

The next moment, the basketball hit the edge of the basket and bounced short.

"Shet!"

Baron Davis shook his right hand unwillingly.

"Oh ho!"

When the basketball hit the rim, cheers suddenly broke out in Madison Square Garden.

He Zhongqiu jumped high, grabbed the backcourt rebound, and was hugged by Magloire.

"Di!"

The referee blew the whistle and sent Magloire off for six fouls, and He Zhongqiu stepped onto the free throw line again.

By now he felt very tired, sweating profusely and breathing heavily.

But the same goes for others, they are all in a state of low health. Those who can maintain 30% of their peak state are considered to have excellent physical fitness.

"There are five seconds left and we are leading by 3 points. As long as Zhongqiu makes both free throws, the difference will be points and the Hornets will definitely lose." Zhang Heli said firmly.

"hehe!"

Xu Jicheng and Sun Zhenping both laughed. 5 minutes and 5 seconds, even if God came, it was useless.

However, He Zhongqiu missed the first free throw. Fortunately, there was still a three-point advantage, and the Knicks were in a good mood.

"Bang!"

Anyway, it wasn't because he was nervous, but he probably couldn't hold on physically, as he missed the second free throw again.

"Hey, hurry up and grab the rebound." Zhang Heli shouted.

PJ Brown and substitute forward Mo Yisuo caught the ball at the same time, and then Mo Yisuo let go on his own initiative, but at this moment, Kurt Thomas next to him slapped him and knocked the ball away.

Then, a bunch of people gathered under the basket to scramble for the ball, and finally Mashburn got it.

Just as he was about to pass the ball, 5 seconds had passed and the referee blew the whistle twice in succession, and the game was over.

"The fight is finally over!"

Zhang Heli wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was really hot. His underwear was soaked with sweat. There were 22,000 people in the stadium. He felt the temperature should be close to 30 degrees.

"Congratulations to the Knicks for winning two consecutive home games." Sun Zhenping said happily.

"Not easy."

Xu Jicheng sighed, then picked up the statistics table and looked at it, saying: "Zhongqiu played for 20 minutes, made 14 of 14 shots, 7 of 35 free throws, scored 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals, 3 turnovers, and fouls. This performance is beyond words."

Zhang Heli said: "The hit rate is 70%, which is very good, a little higher than the hit rate of Stoudemire in Game 1, haha!
"The free throw percentage is 50%. It's a little low, but it's okay." Sun Zhenping said happily.

"This is a win. If we lost this home game and the game ended in a 1-1 draw, his free throws would definitely be criticized and ridiculed by the media," said Zhang Heli.

In the commentary booth nearby, Van Gundy Jr. said: “The outcome of this game will ultimately be determined by the performance of the Wolverines.

Facing Magloire, he had a super performance of 35 points, 13 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals.

He showed good competitive form and excellent psychological quality in the home game, and he withstood the test of the playoffs.

Even in terms of mental quality, I think he is more stable and better than Patrick Ewing.”

Michael Breen said: "Wolverine's performance in Game 1 and Game 2 is indeed commendable, but we must also note that the main defender on him is Magloire.

No matter what, Magloire's defensive ability is only third-rate, and he cannot effectively limit a talented center like Wolverine.

It can be said that Wolverine crushes him in terms of talent. His strength, confrontation, speed, jumping, etc. are not much inferior to Wolverine.

If it were defenders like Duncan and Garnett, the Wolverines' performance would definitely be greatly reduced. Judging from their performance in the regular season, this is the case.

I say this not to disparage Wolverine, but to put his strength in perspective."

Dream nodded and said, “Wolverine is the strongest under the basket, but in my opinion, his skills under the basket, low-post pace, etc., are not good enough.

The finishing methods are also too simple, that is, dunks and layups that attack the basket directly are acceptable, and rebound shots are barely acceptable. The finishing methods such as small hook shots and floating shots are too poor.

If I were to defend him, I'm not bragging, even before I retired, I would be able to prevent him from scoring more than ten points."

Just like in G1, He Zhongqiu was once again named the best player of the match and was interviewed by ABC TV station after the match.

He felt more tired than after G1. This game lasted a full 40 minutes. Not only was the time 6 minutes longer, but he also attacked more and consumed more energy. Now he felt that his feet and legs were like iron.

The reporter asked: "Wolverine, in two games, he averaged 30.5 points per game, 39 of 25 shots, a hit rate of 64.1%, which was a great performance.

Honestly, you don't look like a rookie, and you don't look like an amateur a few months ago, how do you feel about the playoffs? "

He Zhongqiu took a few deep breaths, then said proudly, "Sir, I'm quite humble to tell you that it's not that I'm too strong, but that my opponent is too weak."

"..."

The reporter was stunned. Are you really being modest?
"Ha ha!"

On the Knicks bench in the back, some stars, including Jessica Alba, started laughing.

He Zhongqiu said mercilessly: "PJ Brown, and Magloire, is that the name? Are they strong? First-class defensive inside line?

No, if they are, we will lose, because with our damn shooting percentage from outside, there is no way we can win."

"Hit him."

Unable to bear it any longer and feeling deeply broken-hearted, the hot-tempered madman began to roar excitedly.

"Ha ha……"

Everyone at the scene burst into laughter.

"Mid-Autumn Festival, are you tired?"

"Oh, I'm tired. Really tired."

"Haha, keep up the physical training, your physical fitness will definitely be better next season."

"That's for sure."

"In fact, your current physical fitness is pretty good. You are frequently double-teamed, and you have to put in every effort in offense, defense, and rebounding."

After ABC TV station, Zhang Heli and the other two also went over to say a few words.

"Coach Zhang, can you please take a moment to send my sister Xue off?" He Zhongqiu said after he finished speaking.

"We have already agreed that Teacher Xu will stay to attend the press conference. I will first send Teacher Sun and the others back to the hotel, and then send Yang Xue back." Zhang Heli said.

"Row."

After seeing them off, He Zhongqiu and his teammates returned to the locker room and asked about the situation of the other three groups.

(End of this chapter)