Chapter 123: One against five? Do you want to use your fists or your claws?

Evening, New Orleans Arena.

At 6:30, two hours before the game, the Knicks and a group of other players finished their dinner and returned to the locker room.

He Zhongqiu and Yang Xue were also among them. It was still early, so he planned to let Yang Xue play mahjong for a while.

There is a physical therapy room inside the locker room, and the mahjong table is placed there, which does not hinder the players from changing clothes.

After the table was set, he said, "As usual, a straight win and a self-draw will cost 50 dollars, a blind win and a 100 dollar hand, each person can only win three hands, and you can leave if you win.

But my sister is the guest, so she will just sit here and not move, and no one can snatch her seat."

"Whee!"

Yang Xue found it funny.

"Tom, he, what are they doing?"

Ewing looked at the scene and felt a little confused. Was this a locker room or a casino?

Thibodeau sighed, "It's Wolverine's fault. He even brought him with him to away games. This guy is really talented, but he also has a lot of problems. No one can handle him. He has led the players astray."

"Patrick, do you want to play? If not... OK, I'll take a seat."

Alan Houston asked politely, then when he saw Ewing shaking his head, he immediately sat down.

"I am coming too."

The madman also sat down.

Playing mahjong is also based on the status in the locker room. The remaining position belongs to Charlie Ward. Except for He Zhongqiu, these are the three people with the highest status in the locker room. Kurt Thomas is not among the top three.

"Stop, don't move, touch!"

"I'll touch it again!"

"bump!"

"Latrell, you can't touch it anymore, it's mahjong."

"Oh no, why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Damn it, I'll take the cards and see what you touch."

The physiotherapy room became lively with a lot of noise. Four people were playing cards, and a dozen people beside them were joining in. They were more excited than when they were playing a game.

The mahjong game lasted for an hour, that is, thirteen tiles were played. Yang Xue was very lucky and won eleven hands by herself, winning more than eleven hundred dollars, and then went to watch the game with a smile on her face.

The Hornets' home court is far less star-studded than Madison Square Garden, and no big stars can be seen. The front-row ticket that He Zhongqiu bought for Yang Xue cost only eight hundred dollars.

"Hey, Yang Xue, it's not time yet, come over and sit down first."

"Teacher Sun, Coach Zhang, Teacher Xu."

With one hour left before the game, Zhang Heli and the other two called Yang Xue over, and the four of them started chatting until the live broadcast started at 8 o'clock. Yang Xue greeted the camera before leaving.

The two teams then announced their starting lineups, and the substitutes also came out to warm up.

During this period, the stadium was full of people. Although the Hornets were new to the team, the locals welcomed the team very much and the atmosphere at home was very good.

Knicks: He Zhongqiu, Kurt Thomas, Sprewell, Alan Houston, Howard Ellis
Hornets: Jamaal Magloire, P.J. Brown, Jamal Mashburn, Baron Davis, David Wesley

After a while, the starting lineup came on stage.

"Mid-Autumn, how is your physical condition?"

When He Zhongqiu came over to say hello, Zhang Heli asked with concern.

"Not bad." He Zhongqiu nodded.

After He Zhongqiu left, Zhang Heli said with some concern: "It seems that Zhongqiu may have some problems with his physical fitness. I think he is a little tired."

"Before entering the NBA, he had not received any professional physical training, so his physical reserves were definitely insufficient. It's good enough that he can hold on until now," said Xu Jicheng.

Sun Zhenping said: "He averaged 37 minutes in the first two games and still performed so well. I think his physical fitness will not be a problem in the first round of the series and he can still hold on."

"It should be possible, but it's hard to say about the second round." Zhang Heli said.

The game starts at half past eight.

Jump ball, Knicks attack.

In the last G2 match, Alan Houston's performance was okay, but the madman didn't perform so well. As a result, he was always implied by He Zhongqiu. In this game, the madman wanted to perform well, so he asked for the ball as soon as he arrived at the left wing of the frontcourt.

"Shh!"

At this time, the home fans began to boo specifically, trying to influence the opponent's state in this way.

The madman's ears were filled with the boos of the fans, and he made a three-pointer despite Mashburn's defense in annoyance.

Mashburn's hand almost covered the madman's face, and the angle of the madman's attack was obviously crooked.

"Bang!"

It was off target, and the basketball hit the rim and bounced to the front right side of the basket, where it was caught by PJ Brown.

"Nima!"

He Zhongqiu had predicted that the ball would go off target and moved in time, but he was still half a step short of catching up.

"brush!"

Looking back, Mashburn threw a hollow three-pointer over the madman's head.

"Oh ho!"

When the basketball hit the rim, cheers rang out from the entire stadium.

"The atmosphere at this home court seems to be no worse than that of the Knicks' home court!" Xu Jicheng said in surprise.

Zhang Heli said: "The Hornets are already trailing 0-2. If they lose again tonight, the Knicks will have the match point. The fans also want to contribute their strength."

"Bang!"

Next, Alan Houston made a quick stop jump shot after a breakthrough, but unfortunately he missed.

"brush!"

Looking back, David Wesley made a fast break and took advantage of He Zhongqiu not arriving yet to get to the basket and made a successful layup.

"I come."

In the offense-defense transition, the madman took the ball and quickly moved forward, trying to make a chase-down shot and then made another three-pointer.

"Bang!"

Unfortunately, the shot missed again and David Wesley rushed in and grabbed the rebound.

This time it was Baron Davis' turn to perform. He took the ball and ran down the court, getting rid of Alan Houston's pursuit and breaking into the penalty area from the right wing.

He Zhongqiu tried his best to defend back to the basket. Davis took advantage of the moment when He Zhongqiu was not yet stable, pulled from the right side of the basket to the left side, made a small lob shot with his head looking back at the moon, and scored the ball.

"0:7, the Hornets have launched a series of fast breaks, the Knicks are a bit chaotic, they don't even wait for the inside players to get into position, they just play fast blindly. Let's call a timeout." Zhang Heli said anxiously.

"The madman missed two shots, and the mid-range shot king also missed one. Missing the shot doesn't matter, the main reason is that the offense was too impatient." Xu Jicheng said.

Sun Zhenping said: "From a psychological perspective, there is a comparison between the players. The performance of the first two games was so good, the CIC King and the Madman must have some ideas, and it is normal to strive for performance."

Zhang Heli nodded and said, "Yes, everyone wants their stats to look better, otherwise how can they ask for a big contract in the future?
And if he doesn't perform, he will be criticized by the media and fans. New York fans and media will not be polite. Ewing was often criticized before. "

"Steady, steady, damn it, I didn't arrange a fast break." Don Cheney jumped up angrily and roared on the sidelines.

After being beaten 7-0 and being scolded by the head coach, the mid-range shooting king and the madman calmed down and didn't want the ball this time.

He Zhongqiu came to the low post on the left wing and tried to enter the paint area, but was blocked by Magloire.

He was a little surprised. In the first two games, they let him in directly. Did they change the defensive strategy today?

He guessed right. The Hornets had lost two away games in a row and could no longer afford to lose. The key to the loss was that Magloire failed to defend him.

So Paul Silas asked Magloire to hold him back no matter what today, not letting him get close to the basket easily, consuming his physical strength and reducing his shooting percentage.

"You have to hold on even if you can't. You are responsible for draining his energy."

The coach's words just now echoed in Magloire's mind, and he used all his strength to defend.

He Zhongqiu carried the defender to ask for the ball. After receiving the ball, he turned around and took a step back, creating distance while finishing the shot facing the basket.

Then he leaned over with the ball in both hands and made preparations for a breakthrough.

"David Robinson's move," Michael Brin said immediately.

He hadn't finished speaking yet. In fact, as soon as he opened his mouth, He Zhongqiu's attack began.

He shook his shoulders left and right very quickly, then started to break through from the left side, which is the side close to the baseline. He took a step forward with his right foot and stepped on the opponent's right foot.

This step is very particular. Take the right foot first, so that the left foot is on the outside and will not be affected by the defender. The second step can get into the paint area. If everything goes well, you can take off and dunk directly.

At the same time, the right foot can hold the opponent and prevent him from moving sideways to block the opponent. If you step with your left foot first, it is impossible to block the opponent because your right foot will be blocked by your left foot.

Magloire quickly turned around and took a step sideways toward the basket.

His defensive movements were completely correct, but due to his limited talent, his reaction was not as quick as He Zhongqiu's, and his movement speed was not as fast as He Zhongqiu's, so even though his movements were correct, his defensive rhythm was half a beat slower.

Following up with his left foot, He Zhongqiu took the second step and moved one step into the paint area. When his left foot stepped into the reasonable collision area, he had already surpassed Magloire by half a step.

Then he raised the ball with his left hand, extended his right elbow to position himself, and the next moment his body suddenly jumped up.

Seeing that the opponent was about to dunk, Magloire committed a foul as requested by the head coach, reached out from behind, hooked He Zhongqiu's right shoulder, and pulled He Zhongqiu down who had just taken off.

At the same time, PJ Brown in the low post on the right wing quickly returned to the basket. If Magloire failed to defend, he would also use foul means to prevent He Zhongqiu from dunking.

"Di!"

The referee's whistle blew.

Paul Silas nodded and said that Magloire had tried his best. It was determined by his talent. If he couldn't be defended, the Wolverines would be sent to free throws.

He made 50% of his free throws and didn’t lose money when he fouled.

He Zhongqiu felt that his breakthrough, especially the explosive power of the first step, was a little weak, and the breakthrough speed was not as fast as in the regular season. This was definitely due to lack of physical strength.

As soon as he stood on the free throw line, the home fans behind the baseline started to make trouble. Not only were their ears filled with boos, but there were also countless arms waving and the cheerleaders were desperately waving the flowers in their hands, interfering with his vision and concentration.

"Bang! Clank!"

The first free throw was missed.

"It's too much. Zhongqiu didn't make the free throw, but the home fans actually applauded and celebrated." Zhang Heli smiled helplessly.

"There are a lot of Knicks fans here today," said Xu Jicheng.

"We gave 500 tickets to 500 people. The remaining 17,000 people are all home fans. 500 people can't make much noise," said Sun Zhenping.

In the commentary booth nearby, Dream complained: "Wolverine's free throw shooting posture is indeed impressive, a hundred times more impressive than O'Neal's free throw shooting posture, but his shooting percentage in the first round is far inferior to O'Neal's."

"Yes, in the two games against the Timberwolves, O'Neal's free throws were eye-catching," said Michael Breen.

Xiao Fan nodded and said, "In the first game, O'Neal made 13 of 10 free throws, with a hit rate of 76.9%. In the second game, he made 9 of 7 free throws, with a hit rate of 77.8%. The Wolverines made 50% of their free throws in both games. And the Lakers are on the road, and the Knicks are at home."

"Who said last time that O'Neal's free throws were like those of an aging person with Alzheimer's disease?" asked Dream.

"Haha, it's Harry Kosco, the live commentator of the Knicks." Xiao Fan smiled helplessly.

"If Wolverine doesn't improve his free throw percentage, his posture will become a mere decoration," Michael Breen joked.

Dream said: "The current Wolverine is far from being comparable to O'Neal, except for physical fitness, there is no comparison in terms of technology.

When O'Neal was at his peak, his footwork was better than the current Wolverine, and the same was true for his inside skills, not to mention his dominance. "

Michael Breen nodded and said, “I interviewed O’Neal when he was in the Magic era, and he was training on a skateboard.

At that time, he was really like a big shark, very agile. Anyone who approached him would be knocked away.

He is also a good passer. O'Neal is not a person who just eats the ball, nor is he a simple offensive finisher.

Not only is he not, relying on his passing, he is also the initiator of the offense.

This is a big difference between O'Neal and Wolverine. Wolverine is similar to Stoudemire, and now they are both inside players who eat cakes and their tactical role is far less than O'Neal. "

"Yes."

"That's it."

Da Meng and Xiao Fan nodded at the same time.

"Bang! Swoosh!"

At this time, He Zhongqiu made the second free throw.

1:7, Hornets attack.

"Bang!"

Mashburn was outside the left wing three-point line near the sideline, and he opened up a one-on-one situation. After breaking through, he made a quick stop jump shot, but missed the long two-point shot.

The ball was short, but bounced far enough for Magloire, who was blocked outside by He Zhongqiu, to grab the rebound.

"Oh no, the backcourt rebound was lost." Zhang Heli shouted.

At this time, Magloire made a side hook shot, but the shot was not high enough and was almost blocked by He Zhongqiu.

"Bang!"

After the Hornets missed another shot, He Zhongqiu grabbed the backcourt rebound and the Knicks went on the attack.

He tried to enter the paint again, and Magloire was still defending him with all his strength, and then he started to exert his strength.

Although he was a little tired, he still crushed the opponent into the paint area, trapped his opponent behind him on the left front side of the basket, stepped on the line of the reasonable collision zone, and then reached out for the ball.

The ball was at the top of the arc, and Ellis quickly lobbed it in.

At this time, PJ Brown rushed in from the right waist position and decisively implemented a double-team under the basket.

At this time, boos rang out and the interference from the home fans began again.

He Zhongqiu also had some experience of being double-teamed. He blocked the oncoming P.J. Brown with his left hand, then took a step forward and jumped to catch the ball with one hand.

As soon as he got the ball, he jumped a second time and at the same time turned sideways in the air, and his sight immediately saw Kurt Thomas one step in the left corner.

He has a good vision, as high as level 90, and he had noticed Kurt Thomas's position before.

"Whoosh!"

With a single throw, the basketball passed over extremely quickly.

"Pass the ball!" Xu Jicheng shouted.

When PJ Brown was double-teaming the basket, Byron Davis, who was one step inside the three-point line on the right wing, had already moved one step downward. He immediately turned around and rushed to Kurt Thomas, who was three meters away, to provide backup defense.

When Kurt Thomas received the ball, Byron Davis was already one step away and only one step away from him.

The next moment, he jumped up and attacked.

Almost at the same time, Byron Davis jumped up from one step away and blocked the shot.

"Shh!"

At this moment, the boos from the audience reached a peak.

"rebound!"

Although he was not blocked, Kurt Thomas knew he was affected and he immediately yelled after landing.

The next moment, with a bang, the basketball hit the edge of the basket and bounced out of the baseline.

"Oh, why is it so crooked? Kurt Thomas' mid-range shots have always been very accurate, with a 43% hit rate on long two-point shots this season." Sun Zhenping exclaimed.

"Our away form is not very good, today was tough," said Zhang Heli.

"brush!"

The Hornets still played outside offense. After continuous running, pick-and-roll and passing, Mashburn got a small open space, then made a mid-range shot and made a shot.

After being beaten 1-9 by their opponents, the Knicks called a timeout after serving the ball.

"Wolverine, I need your post game."

Tang Cheney stared at He Zhongqiu, but he did not forget that He Zhongqiu was just a rookie. He played aggressively and faced many opponents. His current physical strength was not very sufficient, so he said: "Whether it is low post or strong attack under the basket, you can do it yourself."

He Zhongqiu patted his chest and shouted to Zhongtou Wang and others: "Guys, just watch the show outside, leave the offense to me, I want to fight five alone."

"Wolverine, if you don't brag you will die." The madman said in an affirmative tone.

"One against five? Do you want to use your fists or your claws?" Charlie Ward said unhappily.

"Ha ha……"

The bench, which was a little dull because of the poor start, all laughed.

Ewing bent over and stood in front of He Zhongqiu, and said to him: "Rookie, I'm giving you a piece of advice. Don't stop passing the ball because your teammate missed a shot. You must trust your teammates."

He Zhongqiu patted Kurt Thomas' thigh and said, "Don't worry, even if Kurt misses ten more times, I will still pass it to him the eleventh time."

"Ha ha……"

The bench laughed again.

Ewing smiled bitterly. The Knicks now are completely different from what they were back then.

They were, uh, called the New York Mafia back then, and it seems to be the same thing now.

(End of this chapter)