Chapter 137 Wolverine, what are you doing?
In the adjacent News Hall No. 1, the Pistons' press conference was in progress.

"Ben, Wolverine complained about you guys double-teaming the rookies after Game 1, but you double-teamed even harder tonight and the result was very good. So I want to know, is this a form of revenge?" the ABC reporter asked in a teasing tone.

Ben Wallace also laughed, and then said: "We have no grudges, there is no revenge, this is a game, we only care about winning, for the sake of winning, we will do everything we can, including the double-team tactics that Wolverine hates."

The next reporter continued to question Ben Wallace, asking, "Ben, two series in, what do you think of Wolverine?"

Ben Wallace is not surprised why reporters keep asking questions about Wolverine, because the most popular and talked-about rookie in the entire Knicks is Wolverine.

He thought about it and said sincerely: "Wolverine is very good. We have to use double-teaming to limit him."

"Do you think the Pistons can still limit him in the next away game?" the reporter continued to ask.

Speaking of this, Ben Wallace was not polite and said in a very affirmative tone: "Of course, we are confident that we can limit him.

Although he has good talent, he is still a rookie and does not have enough playing experience, let alone playoff experience. We will make him unable to do anything in his home court."

After the press conference, the Knicks returned to the hotel at three in the morning.

The players went to rest, but General Manager Layden and the coaching staff did not have any rest time. Everyone gathered in Layden's room to study the video of tonight's game.

After repeated research, they determined one thing: the Pistons did set a defensive trap for the Wolverines.

That is, the Pistons intentionally let Wolverine get the ball away from the basket and then double-team him.

"What should we do?" Don Cheney asked.

Several people were silent for a while, and Ewing grunted and said, "Some things cannot be changed. Wolverine's ability to pass the ball is limited, his ability to assist is limited, and his ability to attack from close range is limited.

Therefore, all we can do is not pass the ball to him when his position is not close to the basket.

You can set up some plays for him, such as pick-and-roll cuts, weak-side cuts, pass cuts, and plays where the ball can be passed to him from the outside when he is close to the basket."

"This is the only way, but the Pistons' defense is too strong. Sometimes the outside line can't pass the ball to him in time when he is in position. Under the strong confrontation with Ben Wallace, a lot of his physical energy is wasted." Thibodeau said embarrassedly.

Don Cheney said distressedly: "This is what Patrick said, some things can't be changed, their defense is so strong, and we lack a passing master."

Leiden listened in without saying anything.

At this time, he said: "I will try my best to trade for a good point guard during the offseason, but there are too few good point guards and I can't guarantee it."

Everyone nodded. If anyone could be traded in, then Scott Layden must be God's illegitimate son.

Don Cheney glanced at Layden and said tentatively, "This series is a bit troublesome. The league actually arranged a back-to-back game for us."

Reiden nodded and said, "Everyone just do their best. This season, reaching the second round is the best result. The boss is very satisfied."

Tang Cheney breathed a sigh of relief and said, “The next G3 and G4 games, two home games, will be played consecutively on the 10th and 11th, which will be a huge test for the players’ physical fitness.

Especially Wolverine, as a rookie, his physical reserve is not as good as other players, especially when facing a defensive tough guy like Ben Wallace. "

Thibodeau also complained: "The Mavericks and the Kings are the same, but the Nets and the New York Knicks and the Lakers and the Spurs don't have back-to-back games. I don't know how the league arranges it."

At 9 p.m. on the th, the Knicks had just boarded their special plane.

Alan Houston walked into the cabin with a grim look on his face. After he sat down, he touched his left knee and said, "Joseph, please help me take a look. When I got on the plane just now, my knee had spasms and twitches when I exerted force. It might be a recurrence of an old injury."

"what?"

Team doctor Joseph Murphy rushed over as soon as he heard the news.

When Reiden and Tang Cheney heard this, their faces darkened and they hurried over.

He Zhongqiu and others looked at each other in bewilderment. Why did the old injury relapse at this time? Without Alan Houston, how could they play against the Pistons?
"How's it going?" asked Raiden.

Joseph Murphy stood up and said, "There are indeed some problems. Alan's old left knee injury should be a little edematous. Further examination is needed."

“It’s really troublesome.”

The madman muttered quietly.

At four o'clock, the special plane arrived in New York.

Alan Houston was immediately taken to the hospital.

He Zhongqiu did not take the team bus. He had already made an appointment with Yang Xue, Zhang Heli and others to go to a restaurant in Chinatown for dinner.

At eight o'clock in the evening, when He Zhongqiu had not yet returned home, he received a notice from the team that Alan Houston would not be able to participate in Game 3 tomorrow night due to edema in his left knee, and Game 4 would depend on his recovery.

That night, the Digital Team defeated the Nets at home, with the two teams tied at 1 to 2.

The Kings lost to the Mavericks at home with a score of 1 to 2.

At the beginning, He Zhongqiu watched the two games alternately, switching channels, but in the end he only watched the game between the Kings and the Mavericks.

Because these two teams were so strong in offense, they played two overtimes, and the final score was 141:137, with a total of 278 points.

He Zhongqiu was impressed by Nick Van Exel of the Mavericks. He scored 40 points again in this game and became the Mavericks' leading scorer again.

In addition, Nash of the Mavericks also left some impression on him, with 31 points and 11 assists, 60% shooting percentage, and 10 of 5 three-pointers. His organizational assists and breakthrough shooting abilities are very strong, and he has no weaknesses in breakthrough shots and passes.

That is, on the defensive end, Nick Van Exel broke through and turned them into a sieve. The defense was so bad that they scored more points than they lost.

"Their offense is really crazy, can we do the same?"

"Since we can't defend ourselves anyway, why not attack with all our strength and use offense instead of defense?"

He couldn't help but think of this, because defense consumes a lot of physical energy, even more than offense. If this part of the physical energy was saved and used for offense, the firepower would definitely be stronger.

But he thought again and realized that this method would definitely not work.

Firstly, the Knicks simply don't have as many shooters as the Kings and Mavericks, especially when their top mid-range shooter cannot play in Game 3. If they only attack instead of defending, they are likely to face a massacre.

Secondly, the Pistons are a defensive team. If the Knicks just keep shooting recklessly from outside, unless they have a great touch, it will be just reckless shooting, and the consequences will be worrying. The most likely result is that they will kill themselves.

"This is my first playoff game. I can't let those bastards from the Pistons sweep me. I'll fight them tomorrow."

……

The 10th is the G3 match day.

During breakfast, Yang Xue said in a negotiating tone: "Sanjin, can you help me change the first row ticket to two second row tickets?"

"Who wants to watch the game? Do you have friends in New York?" He Zhongqiu asked.

"Yifei." Yang Xue said.

"Old Liu, she didn't watch the first round, and we lost two games in the second round. Did she want to see me lose? This little girl is a bit vicious!" He Zhongqiu speculated maliciously.

"Nonsense, you're a hero, but you're so petty? People just saw that you lost two games and wanted to cheer you up. Hero Sanjin, just tell me whether you want to change or not." Yang Xue said with a smile.

"Haha, okay, okay."

He Zhongqiu then called his company's agent, Mike Johnson, and asked him to ask the management to exchange the tickets. The management was more than happy to do this and arranged it immediately.

In the evening, Madison Square Garden was brightly lit inside and outside.

Even though the Knicks lost two games in a row, there were still a lot of Hollywood stars and celebrities and models who came to watch the game.

Four or five first-line and top stars were invited, and the few remaining front-row tickets were in short supply, and the price was 1.5 times that of the first round of the series, and the black market price was 2 times, so there was no demand.

Yang Xue still acted with Zhang Heli and the others, and took Liu Yifei into the venue through the internal passage with familiarity.

The game starts at 8:30 and the fans are due to enter at 6:30. Now, with only a few minutes left, the stadium is still empty, with only a few staff members busy at work.

"Yang Xue, aren't you going to the locker room to play mahjong today?" Zhang Heli asked with a smile.

"No, I won't go. Don't I have company here?" Yang Xue said with a smile.

As they were chatting, they heard faint footsteps, which then got closer and louder. The fans were entering the stadium.

At this time, He Zhongqiu and others had already arrived at the home team's locker room. Alan Houston, who was dressed in a suit, was also there, as was Antonio McDyess, who was also dressed in a suit. As soon as they entered the room, they saw that the mahjong table in the weight room had been moved out, with a large pile of US dollars on it.

"Oh ho!"

Everyone couldn't help but let out a strange cry.

James Dolan came in from outside and said with a big smile, "Gentlemen, this is your second-round bonus. I'll give you $150,000 first, and we'll settle it in the playoffs."

"awesome!"

"Long live the boss!"

Everyone cheered, and then immediately divided the money. After dividing the money, they carried the mahjong table back to the weight room and started playing mahjong.

Alan Houston also got $150,000, but McDyess got none because he couldn't play in the game and was not eligible for the bonus.

"Let me make a deal today. I'm going to move my legs less and I won't leave the table." Alan Houston said after sitting down at the table.

He only applied cold compress to his left knee, and the edema is better than yesterday, but it is still unknown whether he can participate in tomorrow's G4 game.

"Tsk, Alan, that's a terrible excuse. I see you're doing fine," said the madman.

"Forget it, we are merciful and give preferential treatment to the disabled." He Zhongqiu said.

"Invalids?"

Alan Houston wanted to quit, but after thinking it over, he decided to give up. He had to play to his heart's content today as this was a rare opportunity.

"I want to play too."

James Dolan sat down with a smile.

The two parties returned to He Zhongqiu and the madman.

Five minutes later, the first round of cards was over and He Zhongqiu left the table.

He came outside. It was still early, so he was not in a hurry to change his equipment. Instead, he chatted with Don Cheney and several coaches.

"Wolverine, we are definitely not going to win today, so don't try too hard. It would be best if Alan could come back next game," Don Cheney said.

He Zhongqiu frowned and said, "Coach, I laughed at Kidd for being swept by the Lakers last season, so I don't want to be swept."

"You want to give it a try? But the chance is too small." Tang Cheney frowned.

Thibodeau disagreed, saying, "If you try tonight and can't win, Wolverine, your energy will be wasted.

In this case, even if Alan returns tomorrow, our chances of winning are very slim, and the possibility of being swept is greater.

Wolverine, I think it's better to give up tactically in Game 3."

He Zhongqiu insisted: “But we still have Latrell, Kurt Thomas, Charlie Ward, and many others. We are not doomed to fail.

Besides, our tickets are expensive, and I think we would be criticized if we let fans watch a game we gave up long ago."

At this time, there was a clattering sound in the mahjong room, no, it was the weight room, and then the owner James Dolan came out.

He happened to hear what He Zhongqiu said, and said with great satisfaction: "Everyone, I think Wolverine is right. We can't let the fans be dissatisfied."

Several coaches looked at each other, it seemed that the Pistons were really going to sweep this series.

He Zhongqiu said happily: "I support the boss's opinion, because injuries will always happen. We can't give up the game when injuries occur. Otherwise, we will get used to giving up in the future."

"Damn it, Wolverine said it very well. I support his opinion." James Dolan said with a smile.

The coaches had no choice but to agree.

……

At 7:30, the mahjong game ended and everyone started to compete.

At eight o'clock, the starting lineup was announced and the substitutes came on to warm up.

Detroit Pistons: Ben Wallace, Clifford Robinson, Michael Curry, Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups
Knicks: He Zhongqiu, Kurt Thomas, Shandon Anderson, Sprewell, Howard Ellis
"Clap clap clap..."

Alan Houston has a good influence in New York. When he came on as a substitute, there was warm applause from the audience.

On the TNT commentary booth, Barkley said with a smile: "I think the Knicks will give up this game on their own initiative. They should wait for Alan Houston to return tomorrow, and then strive for victory in Game 4 to avoid being swept in the series."

"Buzzing..."

Upon hearing this, the noise in Madison Square Garden suddenly increased, and countless Knicks fans began to discuss this possibility.

"Hey, what are you talking about?" Spike Lee shouted at Buckley in dissatisfaction.

Kenny Smith looked at the audience and said hurriedly, "Charles, although there is a gap in strength between the Knicks and the Pistons, I don't think it is that big. In Madison Square Garden, they have a chance to beat the Pistons."

Larry Bird was the commentator for this game. He said, "Without the mid-range shooter, the Knicks have lost their biggest deterrent on the perimeter. The Pistons' double-teaming power in the low post will be even greater than in Game 1 and Game 2. The Wolverines will be in a more difficult situation, so I don't think the Knicks will win tonight."

Barkley nodded and smiled: "So the Knicks' chance to avoid being swept is still tomorrow. It would be a very sensible decision to give up tactically today."

Some Knicks fans understand. They think it is acceptable for the team to tactically give up Game 3, after all, the team's leading scorer cannot play in the game.

But some fans don't understand. They spent a lot of money not to watch a game that was destined to lose, and they feel they have been cheated.

"Shh!"

So they started to make some noise, and then immediately there was some booing.

As soon as He Zhongqiu and five others left the locker room, they heard boos coming from the corridor. They were all very surprised. What happened on the court to cause the fans to boo?

They quickened their pace and headed to the player tunnel, but the Pistons hadn't arrived yet.

"Hey, what's up with the fans?"

The boos were still going on, and He Zhongqiu quickly asked several security personnel in the player tunnel.

"Barkley said we would tactically give up the game, and that's it," said a middle-aged security guard with a shrug.

"What did I say? Haha!"

He Zhongqiu smiled proudly.

He thought about it and decided that he couldn't just let the fans boo like that. If they continued to boo him when he came on the field later, he would not be able to afford the embarrassment.

Thinking of this, he took a quick step and walked out of the player tunnel.

"Wolverine, are you giving up tonight?" a little fan screamed on the left side of the aisle.

"NO." He shook his head.

“He said no.”

The young fan immediately shouted to others: "Wolverine said he would not give up."

"You really won't give up?" someone said.

"Just talk?" someone else said.

"That's Wolverine. He beat the Pacers by himself. How could he give up the game? I believe him." The child screamed.

At this time, He Zhongqiu walked out of the passage and when he passed by the TNT commentary seat, he slapped the table. With a bang, the things on the table were shaken and jumped up.

"Oh! Damn it, Wolverine, what are you doing?"

Barkley was about to drink some water, but he was so scared that his hand shook and splashed water on his face.

(End of this chapter)