Chapter 156 I Will Become a Bargain
"Kidd played the entire first quarter and was quite effective, narrowing the gap to 6 points," said Michael Breen.

Xiao Fan analyzed: "If the Nets' outside line continues to lock down the Knicks' outside line, Wolverine will not get enough support and will frequently and ineffectively position himself, his physical energy will soon be exhausted."

Tom Howard said: "The Knicks have the home-court advantage. I think they have a chance to pull one back tonight. The Nets have little chance of sweeping the Knicks."

Michael Breen laughed and said: “If you don’t consider the lineup restraint, the Nets are not much better than the Knicks and Pistons.

Unfortunately, the Knicks lacked someone who could break through with the ball on the outside. After being locked up, they were unable to attack the Nets' defense. They integrated with the inside and just kept shooting jump shots from the outside, which was very inefficient.

"If the Knicks had an Iverson, the Nets' defense would be broken into pieces. If Iverson broke through and formed a partnership with Wolverine, the Nets would be blown into pieces," said Tom Howard.

Xiao Fan looked through the data and said, "In the four regular season games, the Digital Team had three wins and one loss against the Nets. Iverson averaged 31.25 points and 4.5 assists per game, and Kidd averaged 15.25 points and 9 assists per game.

Iverson made 94 of 40 shots, a hit rate of 42.6%, and 44 of 37 free throws, a hit rate of 84.1%. His offensive efficiency is not low, and his lethality is huge. "

At this point, he smiled and said: "If the Knicks had an Iverson who could play inside and outside with Wolverine, it would be difficult for the Nets to use strong defense to block the Knicks' offense.

But on the defensive end, Iverson is also a loophole. With the current Knicks' perimeter lineup, it is difficult to fill him unless the Wolverines can play the same defensive support performance as Garnett throughout the season. "

Michael Breen said: "At present, the Wolverines can often play very eye-catching rim protection performances, such as the two blocks today.

He can also occasionally put up a brilliant defensive performance in the help defense, even to the three-point line, which is quite exciting.

But this performance cannot last long and lacks stability, and his half-court defense area has not really expanded to the three-point line.

More importantly, he has not yet demonstrated the defensive dominance that comes with his own defensive system.”

In the following games, He Zhongqiu put a lot of energy on the defensive end and even reduced some of the offense.

This was Thibodeau's request after the end of the first quarter. Given his limited physical strength, he needed to focus on offense and defense.

The Nets blocked the Knicks' outside offense, forcing several outside players to fight on their own and unable to execute any tactics. So Thibodeau believed that the Nets' inside offense must be blocked to prevent them from getting in, thus forming a situation where you fight yours and I fight mine.

Therefore, his defensive task is to block the penalty area.

Next, he started his dunk performance, blocking three shots in two quarters, including two shots on Kenyon Martin, and even made a steal.

Kenyon Martin, who was blocked three times by He Zhongqiu, was not willing to be outdone and also blocked one back by He Zhongqiu.

Under such circumstances, the second and third quarters of the game entered a tense and entangled situation, with both sides fighting hard on defense.

After the third quarter, the Knicks were still leading by 61 points, 66:5.

Although He Zhongqiu mainly plays defense, he will certainly attack if he has the opportunity. However, he did not position himself under the basket in these two quarters to prevent excessive physical exertion.

In two quarters, he made 6 of 3 shots, hit 3 of 1 rebounds, made two successful dunks from 3 cuts, and was blocked once by Kenyon Martin.

Seeing that Thibodeau's defensive tactics were well arranged, Don Cheney continued to play defense in the final quarter. When there were only three minutes left in the final quarter, the score was 78:81 and the Knicks were still leading by 3 points.

At this time, the Nets called the third timeout in the final quarter.

Zhang Heli said happily: "Although Zhongqiu didn't attack much in the first three quarters, his defensive performance was really good, with 2 steals, 7 blocks, and 12 rebounds, and he was always ahead in the score."

Xu Jicheng laughed and said, "He had blocked the Nets so much that they didn't dare to rush in. Kenyon Martin got four blocks, and Kidd got one block every time he rushed in."

Sun Zhenping smiled and said: "The performance on the offensive end was actually very good. He made 15 of 10 shots, 8 of 7 free throws, and scored 27 points. He also scored 10 points in the last three quarters."

Zhang Heli said: "It's just that the Knicks' perimeter defense was inefficient and the Nets couldn't break through. Otherwise, Zhongqiu's offensive and defensive performance wouldn't have led by only three points."

The timeout ends and the game resumes.

Although He Zhongqiu reduced his offense after the first quarter, he worked too hard on the defensive end, so his physical energy consumption was huge. In the last three minutes, he had to rely entirely on his willpower and was in an extremely low health state.

Of course, the others were not much better than him, and they all breathed with their mouths open.

Kidd was breathing with a brace in his mouth, and even after he was on the court, he still refused to put the brace in.

Physical fitness is actually a talent. His physical fitness has reached level 88, which is close to first-class and not too bad. According to his observation, no more than % of the people in the league can reach first-class physical fitness, and there are almost no rookies like him.

Nets offense.

Jefferson, relying on his youthful physical strength, suddenly started, shook off the madman, and quickly cut into the penalty area from the left wing.

Kidd was truly keeping his eyes and ears open, his eyes looking at the right wing, but suddenly he passed the ball with his right hand, and the ball flew to the left elbow area.

Ellis didn't react at all. He thought Kidd was going to pass the ball to the right wing.

Jefferson received the ball at the left elbow and entered the restricted area in one step.

He Zhongqiu came out from under the basket. Although his movement speed was not as fast as before, when his physical strength was exhausted, his willpower and his blood could still form a powerful momentum to shock his opponent.

In Jefferson's eyes, Wolverine pounced on him like a tiger and would tear him apart with his bare hands in the next moment.

He might know that Wolverine at this moment is just a paper tiger and has no physical strength left, but he is still suppressed in terms of momentum.

"squeak!"

With the deterrent effect of the previous seven blocks, he made a sudden stop and then took a jump shot.

He Zhongqiu was in a state of being a dead tiger with residual power at this time. Although his momentum was intimidating, his speed was not good enough. He did not block Jefferson's shot, but he affected the opponent's shot.

"Bang!"

The timid shot was short, and the basketball bounced off the rim and was caught by Kurt Thomas.

The Knicks attacked, and Alan Houston faced Kidders' defense and faked a breakthrough and shot a three-pointer, but missed.

Kenyon Martin got the rebound and the Nets attacked.

Next, both teams missed a shot, with only 72 seconds left. The Nets saw that they were not going to win in seconds, but they only had one timeout opportunity left and they did not dare to call for it.

Kidd slowly approached the top of the arc with the ball, his eyes passed Ellis in front of him and glanced at the Wolverine.

He was sure that Wolverine could no longer play, really could not play anymore, and it was time for the Nets to win.

He approached the top of the arc, and the double-team from the wings was no longer threatening. Neither the madman nor Alan Houston could run anymore.

He easily used his weight to squeeze Ellis away, broke through to the left elbow area, and then jumped up to shoot.

He Zhongqiu really couldn't move forward anymore. He watched Kidd attack from three meters away, but his feet felt so heavy that he couldn't make any comeback.

He felt like he had really reached his physical limit. The muscles in his legs were twitching. He felt that with his current physical condition, even if he defeated the Nets and made it to the finals, it would be a waste.

"Bang!"

The basketball hit the rim and went in.

"Ouch, it goes in. Now the score is 80:81, the Nets are one point behind, and the Knicks are attacking." Zhang Heli said nervously.

"Only 50 seconds left, hold on a little longer." There was a layer of fine beads of sweat on Sun Zhenping's head, and he had no time to wipe it off.

Xu Jicheng said: "Kidd has completely blown up Ellis. The Nets scored 80 points, and he scored 26 points alone. He also grabbed 8 rebounds, sent out 9 assists and 4 steals."

Next, the Madman missed another shot, Kurt Thomas grabbed the offensive rebound, then resumed the offense, and Ellis missed another shot.

This time Kidd rushed in to grab the rebound, and the Nets called their final timeout.

"Alas, at the critical moment, Zhongqiu has no energy left because he fought too hard before." Xu Jicheng said.

"There are still 18 seconds left, the Nets should not give us any chances," said Sun Zhenping.

"That also depends on whether you can make the shot." Zhang Heli said.

Byron Scott arranged an offensive strategy, opening up the singles game to attack the Knicks' weakest point, with Kidd singles against Ellis. "Remember, Jason, don't give them any more time, you have to kill them," he said to Kidd.

After the timeout, the game resumes.

In the frontcourt, at the top of the arc, Kidd controlled the ball steadily, waiting for the time to pass second by second.

Thirteen seconds, ten seconds, seven seconds, four seconds, he began to break through with the ball at the top of the arc, using his strong confrontation ability to force Ellis away, and took two steps to the right end of the free throw line, and then prepared to make a quick stop jump shot.

But at this moment, Ellis, who was lagging behind, suddenly took action and pulled his jersey from behind, which disrupted his rhythm.

Howard Ellis only grabbed it once and then let go. This action can be called a foul or not, and the referee also saw it.

But firstly, this was the Knicks' home court, secondly, it was already the final time, and thirdly, the referee could have chosen not to whistle, so the referee did not blow the whistle and let the players decide the outcome themselves.

It was this period of time that gave He Zhongqiu a chance to make up for it. When Kidd jumped up to shoot, he pounced in front of him.

"Take it!"

The moment Kidd jumped up and raised the ball to his chest with both hands, he grabbed it with one claw, accurately grabbing the ball and Kidd's hand.

"Oh, the ball is stolen! The ball is stolen!"

Zhang Heli shouted in surprise.

"hiss!"

Kidd was in pain and the ball was caught away.

The ball rolled on the ground and the two of them fought over it. He Zhongqiu even fell to the ground to grab the ball.

“Beep, beep!”

But then the lights came on and the referee's whistle sounded.

"Oh ho!"

The whole stadium was boiling with excitement. More than 20,000 Knicks fans stood up and cheered for this hard-earned victory.

"We won! We won, we won!" Xu Jicheng shouted happily.

"It's not easy!" Sun Zhenping wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Zhang Heli said cheerfully: "He made a steal at the last critical moment and stopped Kidd's buzzer beater. Zhongqiu did his best."

"Yeah, I tried my best."

Looking at He Zhongqiu who was lying on the floor without getting up, Xu Jicheng nodded.

"Two to one. Regardless of whether we can turn the series around or win, at least we didn't get swept," said Sun Zhenping.

Zhang Heli smiled and said, "It's just that Zhongqiu didn't have the energy, otherwise today's victory wouldn't be so thrilling."

Sun Zhenping nodded and said, "But after these three games, the strength of both sides is still clear. The Nets do have a lot of restraint on the Knicks."

Xu Jicheng said: "The Nets' defensive system should be stronger than the Pistons. The Pistons just have one more Ben Wallace, so they have better rim protection and lose fewer points per game, but their entire defensive system is not as mature as the Nets'."

Zhang Heli said: "Among the five main players of the Pistons, Billups and Hamilton only came in this season. Clifford Robinson's mobility is poor, and his help defense is a bit off. Michael Curry is old, and in fact, it's all up to Ben Wallace to hold up the team. The defensive system is indeed not as mature as that of the Nets.

When playing against the Pistons, the Knicks' organizational function is still there. Although Billups is unable to completely freeze the number one position, they can still play tactical coordination.

But playing the Nets."

Sun Zhenping said: "When playing against the Nets, the Knicks were basically forced to fight on their own and rarely made tactical coordination.

Here is a data, the Nets had 32 assists, which shows that their offensive tactics were very good, while the Knicks only had 16 assists, which shows that their offensive tactics were a mess. "

Zhang Heli nodded and said, "Yes, not only is the No. 1 position frozen, there is no organization, no breakthrough, and the connection between the inside and outside lines is cut off.

Look at Zhongqiu's offense. There are so many people in the basket who can't receive the ball, and his physical energy is wasted.

Moreover, when he received the ball, there was no tactical coordination, and he would lob it from the outside. This lob gave the opponent the opportunity to double-team him, and he made many mistakes, which affected the offensive efficiency and made him play very hard. "

At this time, He Zhongqiu was being interviewed by ESPN after the game.

The reporter asked: "Wolverine, you got 27 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 7 blocks tonight, and you won the game and prevented the team from being swept. This is great."

"Thank you."

He Zhongqiu was still breathing deeply.

The reporter continued: "Everyone knows that you are very tired and your physical strength is exhausted. What force made you hold on until the last second and make that crucial steal?"

He Zhongqiu panted and said: "My teammates, coaches, and fans all hope to win at home. Yes, we don't want to lose at home, that's it."

"So for Game 4, do you think the Knicks still have a chance to win?" the reporter asked again.

He Zhongqiu panted and said, "Of course, it will be very difficult for the Nets to beat us in our home court and to step on us to enter the finals.

I'll let them know that, the Pistons are their example, who's going to fall first? Maybe they'll be the one."

"Then I wish the Knicks to win the Eastern Conference Finals. I hope to see your wild and violent style of play in the finals." The reporter said with a smile.

"Thank you, there will be a chance."

An hour later, at the post-game press conference, a New Jersey reporter asked about Scott Layden.

"Mr. Layden, will the team make any adjustments or reinforcements to the lineup during the offseason?"

"Sorry, Mr. Reporter, this is not an issue that can be discussed now. And I don't think the Nets will discuss this issue now," said Layden.

"Will there be any adjustments and transactions in the main positions?" the reporter asked again.

Leiden immediately shook his head and said, "No comment."

The reporter did not give up and asked again: "In these three series, the No. 1 position has performed too poorly. Doesn't the management have the intention to strengthen the No. 1 position?"

Leiden still shook his head and said, "Sorry, I don't have any information to tell you at the moment."

"What about the second and third positions? The dribbling and breaking abilities of the Madman and the Mid-range Shooting King have greatly declined. Should the management strengthen these two positions?"

The reporter saw the staff coming to collect his microphone, so he quickly asked another question. Before he finished asking, the microphone was taken away.

Layden knew very well that this New Jersey reporter just wanted to disrupt the Knicks' internal affairs, and that this was an open conspiracy by the Nets against the Knicks.

He also knew that although he did not answer these questions, the reporter's purpose had actually been achieved to some extent.

Whether it is Howard Ellis, Alan Houston, or Sprewell, they should all be clear that they cannot meet the requirements of the future team.

Indeed, he was right. The CIC King and the Madman, who were sitting next to He Zhongqiu, were not in a very good mood at this time.

"If Rayden doesn't firmly deny it, it means that I will become a bargaining chip." The madman Sprewell felt indignant.

He was a rebellious person to begin with, and his mood immediately turned bad.

The mid-range shooting king Alan Houston is similar, mainly because he has a gentler personality. Otherwise, as the core of the current team, he will become a trading chip, and his mood will be worse than that of the madman.

After the press conference, He Zhongqiu wanted to have a chat with the two of them, but after thinking about it, he decided not to. He was not a political commissar and had no idea how to chat.

(End of this chapter)