Chapter 191 Isn’t there no one defending?

On the 22nd, the NBA officially announced the latest MVP rankings.

The records of championship teams such as the Lakers and Spurs are still not as good as the Knicks, and He Zhongqiu continues to sit firmly in first place.

In the evening, at the Wachovia Center, also known as the First United Center, the home of the Digital Team.

At 7:30, both sides announced their starting lineups.

Team Digital: Samuel Dalembert, Kenny Thomas, Mark Jackson, Allen Iverson, Alex Snow

Knicks: Doleac, He Zhongqiu, Josh Howard, Bonzi Wells, Nash
Rick Carlisle arranged a double tower tactic on the offensive end. On the defensive end, He Zhongqiu played the power forward position, responsible for sweeping outside the restricted area, mainly on the strong side, to defend Iverson.

The position is a bit vague, but He Zhongqiu prefers it because he actually prefers to play the power forward position, which can give full play to his mobility.

In addition, Carlisle arranged the double tower tactics for another reason.

Because He Zhongqiu increased his mid-range and close shots, there were gaps under the basket that needed someone to fill, to attract defense, to grab offensive rebounds and to launch second offenses, and Doryak was responsible for doing this.

The Digital Team went through a purge during the offseason, even head coach Larry Brown was purged, and after losing his restraints, Allen Iverson completely let himself go.

So the team had a record of third in the Eastern Conference, but so far this season, they have 7 wins and 6 losses, ranking only sixth in the Eastern Conference.

In this game, Nash's matchup with Eric Snow, a point guard who is good at defense, is one of the highlights.

After being traded to the Knicks, Nash has performed very well, averaging 19.2 points and 10.2 assists per game so far, ranking first in the assists list.

With the inside and outside cooperation with He Zhongqiu, he can average three or four alley-oop slam dunks per game. Coupled with the high exposure of the Knicks, he has now become one of the most popular point guards in the league.

The reason why the Knicks lost to the Pistons in the last game was that Nash was locked up. This game against Eric Snow is his chance to prove himself again.

Eric Snow's defensive characteristics are close defense based on rich experience. He is good at defending passes and breakthroughs. Although his defensive data is average, the effect is good. Similar to Bruce Bowen, he is not good at data, but not that dirty.

Another person who wants to prove himself is the answer, Allen Iverson.

He needs to prove that he can lead the team into the playoffs without Larry Brown.

The game started, and after the jump ball, the Knicks attacked.

"boom!"

He Zhongqiu's first shot was to move one step outside the left waist position, receive the ball and attack facing the basket. After shaking the defender with a shoulder shake, he completed a slam dunk.

"Ugh!"

A live commentator from the Digital Team sighed, "Samuel Dalembert is just a blue-collar worker with average defensive awareness. Under the Wolverines' low-post face-to-basket offense, he is like a wooden stake."

He Zhongqiu glanced at the commentary booth with a smile, "Wooden stake, this term is very interesting."

Yesterday his low-post face-to-basket offense rose to level 89, and his low-post back-to-the-basket offense rose to level 79 the day before yesterday. His strength is improving "slowly" but steadily, and sooner or later he will beat all his opponents into wooden stakes.

Philadelphia Digital Offense.

Without Larry Brown's control, point guard Eric Snow also lost possession of the ball. The ball was passed to Iverson after half court and he attacked with the ball.

Rick Carlisle arranged a double-team tactic for Iverson.

Josh Howard guarded the middle line, and Bonzi Wells defended Iverson.

But Josh Howard only double-teamed Iverson when he broke through, instead of doubling him from the beginning like he did with Kobe, which is a little different.

The reason why Rick Carlisle arranged the double-team tactic in this way is because Iverson is too short. He does not have an advantage over Wells in a one-on-one situation on the three-point line, so there is no need for a double-team. His threat is greater only when he breaks through, so he needs a double-team.

So Josh Howard is the second line of defense, and He Zhongqiu becomes the third line of defense.

Iverson started the attack from the right wing with the ball, performing a series of wonderful cross-crotch dribbles, which aroused cheers from the home fans.

But just when he was about to break through, Bonziwells suddenly came up to him, forcing him to pull the ball back urgently and lose the ball.

Fortunately, he was much more agile than Wells and he turned around and controlled the ball without making any mistakes.

This time, he used a drastic change of direction to break through Wells and broke through from the outside near the sideline.

Josh Howard in the high position was unable to double-team, so He Zhongqiu's third line of defense became the second line, and he stood in front of Iverson.

Iverson changed direction again, bypassed He Zhongqiu and headed towards the penalty area along the baseline.

But He Zhongqiu's reaction speed was very fast, his turning speed was also fast, and his first step was even faster. He used one step to counter Iverson's two steps. He still kept up with the opponent's rhythm in time and defended on the upper side of Iverson.

Iverson barely made it into the restricted area, but his speed had been slowed down by He Zhongqiu. Facing Doryak who was returning to the basket and Wolverine beside him, he had to force a jump shot.

"Take it!"

He Zhongqiu jumped up like a spring, grabbed the ball with his left hand, and pressed it onto the backboard.

"here."

At the top of the arc, Nash had already turned and was running fast, but defender Eric Snow was not as fast as him and fell behind.

"Whoosh!"

He Zhongqiu passed the ball, Nash received it and crossed the center line, then took advantage of the situation to launch a fast break counterattack.

Iverson received the serve from Snow and quickly advanced, trying to hit the Knicks with a chase-down shot.

Bonzi Wells really couldn't catch up with him and was left behind after crossing the center line.

However, He Zhongqiu and Doriak, who were lagging behind, had already returned to defense. Iverson rushed to the right wing three-point line and threw an open three-pointer, which went in.

"Steve, you should switch defense in time and chase Iverson first."

"Wolverine, on the defensive end, you are on the outside. It is your responsibility to help defend Iverson. Don't forget it."

On the sidelines, Rick Carlisle warned loudly.

However, no matter how they defended, the Knicks could not stop Iverson's lightning-fast breakthrough.

But Iverson was also limited by the Knicks' double-team tactics and failed to play efficiently.

He shot 31 of 12, 38.7%, 7 of 2 three-pointers, and 14 of 11 free throws, scoring 37 points, but lost the game.

In this game, the Knicks defeated the Digital Team away from home, ended their losing streak, and remained at 12-1, continuing to rank first in the league.

After playing the numbers team, on the 23rd, the Knicks flew to Houston.

Dayao picked up He Zhongqiu from the hotel and brought him home. Philip also went with him. Mother Yao prepared a large table of dishes to entertain them.

"Zhongqiu, um, um, what kind of investments has your business team made for you now?" Dayao chatted before the meal.

He Zhongqiu said: “I don’t have any business investment in the United States, it just helps me to take care of business activities and endorsements in New York.

Commercial activities include participating in some company opening ceremonies, celebration ceremonies, annual meetings, etc., as well as the brands I endorse, and getting some appearance fees.

This income is not bad. You can’t hire me without $200,000 or $300,000. I attend more than ten times a year, so I earn at least $2 to 3 million.”

"You're good. I don't even have this hair." Dayao said.

"Can Houston compare with New York? I am a hundred times more famous than you." He Zhongqiu said proudly.

"You said too little. It's one hundred million times bigger." Dayao said unhappily.

He Zhongqiu laughed and said, "I have made some investments in China, mainly in real estate. The company helped me buy some properties and a few courtyards in the second and third ring roads.

I am not well educated and don’t know how to invest. I can only do simple things. When I retire, I will live on the rent. ”

"How much did you shoot?" Yao Ming asked.

He Zhongqiu said: "My sister Xue suggested investing in real estate. She was worried that I would waste my money, so I brought 30 million US dollars with me this time.

I don’t have much money on hand now, so I’ll invest a little more every year in the future. Anyway, the housing prices in Yanjing are rising every day, so I’ll just put it aside for now.”

At this point, he asked, "Just ask me, what about you?"

Dayao said: "Well, my mom and dad are working with others to prepare a restaurant, which is what you mentioned last time, to open a Yao restaurant, but it is not my investment.

I am planning to start a chain of fitness studios in China with my personal investment. What do you think of their suggestion? "

"Okay, then you can acquire the Eastern Sharks. It will be fun to be the owner of a team," He Zhongqiu encouraged.

Dayao slapped his thigh and said, "Don't mention it. I really have that idea, but I don't have enough money now. Let's talk about it later." At this point, he said with admiration, "Zhongqiu, you are really good. You have become the leader of the NBA team, and you are firmly ranked first in the MVP rankings. You have also made a name for yourself in Hollywood. People say that you are going to make a movie worth tens of millions of dollars. In the future, you will be successful in both fields and become a cross-border superstar!"

"That is."

He Zhongqiu said proudly: "In the future I want to win the NBA championship and the Oscar for Best Actor.

Comrade Dayao, you should be prepared to look up to me."

"Go! I told you you were fat and you gasped."

Yao Ming said with a look of disdain, "Let's not talk about the NBA first. Have you ever seen an action star win the Best Actor Oscar? Even Jackie Chan and Lee Lian-jie have never won one."

"Sylvester Stallone."

He Zhongqiu blurted out: "In 1977, he won the 49th Academy Award for Best Actor and the 34th Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for 'Rocky'."

"..."

Dayao was stunned. He made a mistake. Now he would be despised by He Zhongqiu.

Sure enough, He Zhongqiu then said with disdain: "Dayao, what qualifications do you, an outsider, have to discuss this issue? You really don't know how big your face is."

Yao Ming angrily said, "Forget about the NBA championship for now. The East cannot beat the West."

"That's not necessarily true. I've played against the Lakers and Spurs, and I won every time," He Zhongqiu said proudly.

"The Spurs have an incomplete lineup, and the Lakers have an internal conflict," Yao Ming argued.

He Zhongqiu said disdainfully: "Win is win, lose is lose. They have problems in the regular season, so won't there be problems in the playoffs?"

Yao Ming opened his mouth and it seemed to be true. Who can guarantee that the Spurs and the Lakers will not have problems in the playoffs?
"By the way, how is your CIC king? Is he here today?" he asked.

"Today is a good day to make a comeback." He Zhongqiu said.

"Honestly, Alan Houston doesn't have much defensive skills. I feel like he's more suitable to be in the bench lineup, grabbing points," Yao Ming said.

He Zhongqiu chuckled and said, "Letting a guy who will have an average annual salary of 20 million for the next four years play as a substitute, I'm afraid our head coach only dares to think about it but not do it!
If the mid-range shooting king loses the game when he comes off the bench, the New York media and fans will scold coach Rick Carlisle.

As a head coach, he is too young and just arrived at the Knicks. He has no experience at all. Didn't the Pistons fire him, the main player who took the blame? "

"WC, my annual salary is twice yours. If I get seriously injured one day, won't it be a waste of my money?"

Surprised, Yao Ming said: "There were rumors about his trade before, but his contract was too big and he couldn't be traded. It seems that your management has also seen his hidden dangers."

He Zhongqiu thought about it and thought that Alan Houston was less than 33 years old, so he shouldn’t be seriously injured, right?
But if he gets seriously injured, it would be a real blow. A four-year contract worth more than 70 million US dollars would take up half of the salary space every year.

The consequence is that the lineup and record are seriously affected.

It's okay for a short time, just like this time when Houston was injured, he was only injured for a week and the impact on the record was not too big, so we can still hold on.

But if there is a long-term truce, we will definitely not be able to sustain it.

No. 24, Toyota Center.

This game was not broadcast live nationwide, only on regional television.

CCTV will broadcast two games per week this year, and occasionally three games per week, for a total of 48 games broadcast throughout the regular season.

Because there are four people, and we have to broadcast strong teams like the Lakers and Spurs, as well as teams that attract more domestic attention, so the broadcasts are a bit scattered.

Even the Knicks, the most popular team among domestic fans, only have 15 broadcast games throughout the season, and the New York Knicks only have 12 games.

This game is the live broadcast of Mosaic.

At eight o'clock, both sides announced their starting lineups.

Knicks: Doleac, He Zhongqiu, Josh Howard, Bonzi Wells, Nash
Mosaic: Yao Min, Kevin Cato, Jim Jackson, Mobley, Francis
Yanjing, CCTV NBA live studio, the commentators are Sun Zhenping and Yang Jian, and the guest commentator is Xu Jicheng.

Sun Zhenping read the list and said, "James Posey, the main small forward of the Mosaic team last season, went to the Grizzlies, and Jim Jackson was brought in. Jackson's offense is better, but his defense should not be as good as Posey's."

Yang Jian said: "I talked to Yu Jia, and he said that the Mavericks couldn't give Posey the contract he wanted. The Grizzlies offered Posey a two-year, $1035 million contract, but they couldn't keep him."

Xu Jicheng smiled and said: "The Mosaic team ranked ninth in the Western Conference last season. I hope we can make a step forward this season and let Yao Ming have a taste of the playoffs.

Daba won the championship with the Spurs, and Zhongqiu led the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals. Now he is the first in the league and the first in the MVP rankings. "

Sun Zhenping said: "He is still doing well now, and he is the main center for the Pacers."

Yang Jian said: "It's a pity that Daba couldn't make the 12-man roster in the Raptors, which is a bit like when Dazhi was in the Clippers."

Sun Zhenping asked, "He, Dazhi, and Zhongqiu are all managed by Xia Song. Xia Song got Dazhi to the Pacers. Can you find a way to get Daba to another team?"

Xu Jicheng shook his head and said, "I've talked to Coach Zhang, and there's no chance for now."

Sun Zhenping nodded and returned to the game itself, saying: "Rick Carlisle still arranged the double tower tactics. It seems that his positioning of Zhongqiu is different from Don Cheney's."

"Correct."

Xu Jicheng nodded and said: “He pays more attention to defense than Don Cheney. On the defensive end, Zhongqiu plays the fourth position, and the defensive area is expanded outside the penalty area.

Because of this, Zhongqiu's defense is improving rapidly and getting better and better. I think he will catch up with Garnett sooner or later."

Yang Jian said: "Mutombo started both the games against the Nets and the Lakers. Judging from this arrangement, Rick Carlisle's idea is probably to let Mutombo start in the playoffs."

"It's possible. Mutombo cannot over-consume energy in the regular season, so he is saving his energy for the playoffs," Xu Jicheng said with a smile.

"So the Knicks are ambitious this season," Sun Zhenping said excitedly and expectantly.

"finals?"

"Get out of the east?"

"champion?"

Whether it was Xu Jicheng, Yang Jian, or the countless TV viewers watching the game, they were all very excited at this time.

The game starts at half past eight.

When the ball was thrown up, He Zhongqiu took off like a rocket and knocked the ball over Yao Ming's head.

He came to the low post on the left wing, demanding position and the ball.

Nash easily passed the ball in under Francis' defense.

After receiving the ball, He Zhongqiu turned around to face the basket, while holding the ball with both hands and leaning down, as if he was going to break through with the ball.

Dayao immediately leaned over and took a small step back.

The next moment, He Zhongqiu jumped up outside the left side of the paint area and rubbed the ball towards the backboard with one hand.

"Oh!"

"brush!"

The basketball hit the backboard and bounced into the basket.

"Nice, a mid-range shot off the bank." Sun Zhenping said happily.

"Yao was fooled by this ball. He thought Zhongqiu was going to break through, so he took a half step back. Unexpectedly, he made the shot." Yang Jian said with a smile.

Xu Jicheng smiled and said, "Zhongqiu is really practicing mid-range shots now. He takes at least three mid-range shots in every game. Last season, he didn't even take three mid-range shots in hundreds of games."

"Zhongqiu, have you mastered the mid-range shot?"

On the court, while running towards the front court, Yao Ming asked with some surprise.

"Open space, with a 50% hit rate." He Zhongqiu answered honestly.

"Tsk, you have the nerve to use this shooting percentage?" Yao Ming said disdainfully.

"Isn't that unguarded?"

He Zhongqiu, who had earned three proficiency points, answered honestly.

"..." Dayao was furious.

(End of this chapter)