Chapter 206 Roadblock

The next day, the reputation of the Kung Fu King who celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival was already spread all over the place, and countless media outlets around the world rushed to report on it.

Kung Fu such as swordplay, fists and feet have already been demonstrated all over the world by people like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Daniel Lee. No matter how wonderful the performance is, it will not give people a particularly big shock.

But He Zhongqiu's skills in using hidden weapons were so special that no one had ever seen them before, and they caused a particularly great impact and shock.

In just one night, the search volume for several related keywords and the click volume for several videos all exceeded 100 million, occupying the top five positions in all categories on the entire Internet.

When he was performing the hidden weapon show, Yang Xue stood beside him and also received a huge amount of attention.

At noon, he saw off Yang Xue, Cheng Long and others.

Wu Jing and Zhang Jin stayed and first went to audition for the crew of Iron Eagle King, and then for the crews of the other two movies.

Basically, when Hollywood crews look for Chinese actors, it is almost always for action scenes, so the chances of passing the audition are very high.

He Zhongqiu returned to New York in the afternoon and started the regular season schedule after the All-Star Game.

The Knicks will play the Pistons for the fourth time on the 17th. They have one win and two losses in the first three games, so this game is quite crucial.

If we lose again, with one win and three losses in the regular season, we will lack confidence psychologically when we meet in the playoffs, or at least have no psychological advantage.

In the evening of the 17th, at Madison Square Garden.

In the home team's locker room, Alan Houston is getting ice applied to his knee.

In order to regain his main position and put up good numbers, he trained very hard, but unfortunately, he over-trained and his old knee injury recurred.

Although he was included in the 12-man roster for this game, his chances of playing are slim and Rick Carlisle will not take the risk of using him.

In Carlisle's plan, Alan Houston, who lost his main position, is very important.

Alan Houston is responsible for scoring points in the bench lineup. It is precisely because Houston entered the bench lineup that the Knicks' bench lineup became extremely strong.

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

Detroit Pistons: Ben Wallace, Mehmet Okur, Prince, Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups

Knicks: Mutombo, He Zhongqiu, Shane Battier, Bonzi Wells, Nash
This game was broadcast live on CCTV. In the CCTV studio in Yanjing, Xu Jicheng said, "The Knicks won the Pistons after trading for Battier. I think they have a good chance of winning this time. The Pistons can do nothing about Zhongqiu in the paint."

Sun Zhenping said with a smile: "When Mutombo was on the court, the Knicks' defense was the most terrible. The Pistons' offense could hardly get into the restricted area, and even the mid-range shooting area would be swept by the mid-autumn."

"It's a pity that Mutombo is still old, and now his average minutes per game has dropped to 15 minutes," said Yang Jian.

"They should play conservatively to save their energy for the playoffs. With the Knicks' current record, there is no need for Mutombo to exert his strength," said Xu Jicheng.

At eight o'clock, the competition officially begins.

He Zhongqiu and Ben Wallace jump ball and the Knicks attack.

"Who from the Pistons will defend Zhongqiu? Oh, Ben Wallace." Xu Jicheng said.

He Zhongqiu was asking for the ball in the low post on the left wing. He was determined to improve his low-post back-to-the-basket skills to level 90 during the regular season.

So in recent games, I mainly used low-post back-to-the-basket shots and rarely used face-to-basket shots. Now I am almost at level 89.

After catching the ball, he started to back down Ben Wallace.

He adopted the technique of Yao Ming's back-to-the-basket attack on Ben Wallace, dribbling directly inward and using the back of his left shoulder to impact the opponent's center of gravity.

Ben Wallace couldn't even handle Yao Ming, so how could he possibly handle him?

Sure enough, Ben Wallace was knocked back repeatedly.

Okur immediately came over to assist in defense, forming a double team with Ben Wallace from the top.

He Zhongqiu ignored the opponent's double-team and stepped into the reasonable collision zone. He directly received the ball and turned around to jump up.

"Strong dunk!" Yang Jian shouted excitedly.

Ben Wallace and Okur jumped to block the shot, but were completely crushed in terms of height.

He Zhongqiu's raised right arm was much higher than theirs, and his head was also much higher than theirs, almost level with the basket.

"boom!"

"Di!"

After a fierce one-handed tomahawk dunk, Ben Wallace was knocked down and took two steps back. Okur was directly knocked to the ground, and the referee's whistle sounded.

"Oh ho!"

Madison Square Garden was suddenly filled with joy.

"Pretty!"

Xu Jicheng said excitedly: "I think that against the Pistons, as long as Zhongqiu focuses on attacking the basket and gets a high-quality 30+ in a game, he will basically be in a safe position.

The Pistons' offense is just like that. Now the Knicks have Battier and their defense is better. We don't have to worry about the Pistons' offense. They just have two tricks. As long as we can play well on offense, it won't be a problem to beat the Pistons."

Sun Zhenping nodded and said, "That makes sense."

Okur committed a foul, and He Zhongqiu made the free throw, making it a two-plus-one.

0:3, Pistons attack.

The offense is still the old routine from the Rick Carlisle era, with Hamilton's unlimited running and Billups' pick-and-roll offense.

Speaking of changes on the offensive end, there is one more point, that is the little prince Prince. After two seasons, he has been polished and can break through and shoot well, which is quite threatening.

But Larry Brown's style is defense, so he has no requirements for offense.

In a word, I just need to defend. As long as we prevent the opponent from scoring lower than ours, we win. You can do whatever you want on the offensive end.

"The Knicks played a three-two zone defense, focusing on defending outside breakthroughs and jump shots," said Xu Jicheng.

"Battier will guard the middle and be responsible for assisting Nash in defending. He should not be responsible for assisting in defending the low post." Sun Zhenping said.

"That's not necessary. The Knicks' low post generally doesn't require outside defense." Xu Jicheng said.

"It's all Wolverine helping to defend the outside, haha!" Yang Jian said.

On the court, Nash guarded the left wing.

The Pistons' offensive tactics were very clear. Chauncey Billups immediately passed the ball to Prince and asked him to play one-on-one against Nash.

Battier immediately began to double-team the left wing.

O'Neal had already pulled to the right corner. He Zhongqiu left two steps and three meters of space and then guarded the outside line at the right waist position. He could both sweep the outside line and defend the basket.

As the ball reached the left wing, the Knicks' defensive formation immediately moved to the left wing, and He Zhongqiu also moved sideways and stepped one foot into the penalty area.

After Prince received the ball, he faced Battier's double-teaming and it was difficult for him to break through. Battier had Mutombo and Wolverine behind him, so he did not choose to break through, but immediately passed the ball back.

"Bang!"

Battier also immediately returned to defend the top of the arc, and Billups made a three-pointer in a small open space, but missed.

Mutombo blocked Ben Wallace, He Zhongqiu took the opportunity to grab the backcourt rebound and the Knicks attacked.

Xu Jicheng smiled and said, "The Knicks beat the Pistons in the last game. That was the case. The Pistons couldn't get in and could only shoot from outside."

Sun Zhenping nodded and said, "The Pistons' offense is like that. They rely on defense to win, but if they can't defend against the Knicks' offense, the chances of losing will be greater."

Yang Jian laughed and said, "They just can't defend against Zhongqiu's attack under the basket."

Xu Jicheng said: "The key is that Nash's position should not be a problem. He cannot be locked down. The ball must be passed in."

"Keep an eye on him!" Larry Brown shouted loudly from the sidelines as Nash advanced to the right wing of the frontcourt.

Rick Carlisle stood calmly on the sidelines without shouting.

As soon as Nash reached the right wing, he did not stop, but immediately launched an attack and started to break through with the ball.

He is faster than Chauncey Billups, his steps are more flexible, and he never gives Billups the chance to touch his body, always keeping a distance.

Now outside players can use their hands to defend the ball handler, which will make it more difficult for the ball handler to break through.

Nash is well aware of his ability to confront opponents. Once Billups puts his hand on him, his breakthrough will be affected.

After a series of changes of direction, he successfully got rid of Billups, crossed the three-point line with the ball, and entered the mid-range shooting area on the right wing.

What is the Pistons' defensive strength?
Quick rotation and backup defense, fierce double-teaming, Ben Wallace guarding the penalty area, etc., but the most powerful thing is the layers of blocking against outside ball breakthroughs, and they are good at defending outside breakthrough teams.

After Billups was broken through, Hamilton, who was in a high position, immediately rushed in front of Nash and established a second line of defense on the right wing.

As long as this line of defense can stop Nash for 0.3 seconds, or even just 0.1 seconds, Billups who is broken through can form a fierce front and back double-team.

Therefore, many times when Billups is attacked, it is actually a defensive trap set by the Pistons, who actively let the ball handler in and then double-team him.

In military strategy, this is called luring the enemy deep into your territory and then annihilating them.

The Pistons also have a third line of defense, which is Okur's backup defense.

After Okur, it's Ben Wallace.

When attacking from the wing, the ball handler must face the Pistons' four lines of defense, each of which may form a double-team.

In the first two games against the Pistons this season, Nash suffered repeated losses and was repeatedly double-teamed, resulting in the team's offense not being able to play.

Outside analysts believe that the Knicks won the third game against the Pistons because of the addition of Battier.

But in fact, that was only one of the reasons. Another important reason was that the Knicks solved their offensive problems in the third game.

This time, when Nash broke through with the ball, He Zhongqiu immediately entered the penalty area and coordinated with Nash.

His positioning is very aggressive, going straight to the basket.

But it's not about wasting energy and relying on force to squeeze in, but about being flexible and positioning yourself.

He is faster and more flexible than Ben Wallace. In the series against the Pistons last season, he ran out of energy at the end, so he positioned himself in this way. Now with the Chaos God Step, his ability to position himself flexibly is even stronger.

After three consecutive shakes and turns, he stunned Big Ben, then successfully reached the basket, positioned himself on the front right side of the basket, and trapped Big Ben behind him.

At this time, Nash broke through Billups and encountered Hamilton's backup defense.

The next moment, Nash's ball flew towards He Zhongqiu.

"boom!"

"Di!"

There was no suspense in the following attack. He Zhongqiu caught the ball with both hands under the basket. He turned around and dunked without paying any attention to Ben Wallace's defense. Not only did he dunk over Ben, but he also caused a foul on the opponent.

"Beautiful! Another two plus one, Mid-Autumn Festival is mighty!" Yang Jian shouted excitedly.

Xu Jicheng said: "The offensive coordination was good this time. When Nash was facing double-teaming, Zhongqiu was just in position under the basket.

The core inside and outside have to cooperate like this. If they are slower, Nash will be double-teamed and the ball may not be passed in. "

Sun Zhenping smiled and said: "This is a bit like the cooperation between the OK combination, the difference is the difference in individual offensive ability between Nash and Kobe."

Xu Jicheng said: "Steve Nash's offensive ability is actually very strong, and his shooting percentage is much higher than Kobe's.

But we have to admit that in terms of offensive ability in double-teaming and ability to break through, he is not on the same level as Kobe. After all, he is not a shooting guard.

But he is a point guard, so we can't expect his personal offensive ability to reach Kobe's level. The Knicks need him to organize and pass, and personal offense is secondary. "

Yang Jian said: "So the combination of Zhongqiu and Nash is different from the OK combination. The OK combination is more aggressive and both of them can attract double-teaming.

Nash's personal offensive ability cannot attract double-teaming. The Pistons double-team him mainly to limit his passing and organizational functions and cut off his connection with the Mid-Autumn Festival. "

Xu Jicheng nodded and said, "Yes, the offensiveness of the OK combination should be second to none in the history of the league. The offensiveness of the combination of Zhongqiu and Nash should not be able to reach the level of the OK combination."

In this game, the Knicks finally won at home and tied the Pistons 2-2.

Xu Jicheng said happily: "Zhongqiu once again blew up Ben Wallace, shooting 18 of 13 from the field, 72.2%, and 13 of 11 free throws, scoring 37 points.

Seventy percent of the offense took place at the basket, and the offense was 13-for-11 at the basket, with a hit rate of 84.6%. The close-range shooting was slightly worse, with only 5-for-2 shots.

Sun Zhenping said: "Under the Pistons' strong perimeter defense, Nash didn't take many shots, only 11 of 5 shots, including one three-pointer, and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 13 points and 8 assists.

There weren't many assists because there weren't many fast break opportunities against the Pistons. Most of Chung-Chiu's attacks under the basket were stationary attacks. There was defense, but even if he scored, there were no assists to him."

Xu Jicheng said: "On the defensive end, although the Pistons focused on Nash, his line was not penetrated due to the help and backup defense of others.

The Pistons don't have strong attackers like Kobe and Iverson. Whether it's Billups or Prince, their ball-handling offensive ability is not enough to penetrate the Knicks' defensive system. "

Yang Jian added: "Hamilton plays without the ball, and only has a chance when he runs into an open space, so he can't really attack with the ball.

All in all, the Pistons' offense is still far behind. The Knicks have added Battier, and they are no longer afraid of the Pistons' offense on the defensive end. As long as they can play well on offense, it will be no problem to beat the Pistons."

Losing to the Knicks again made everyone in the Pistons feel a huge crisis.

Back in the locker room, general manager Joe Dumars called Larry Brown outside to discuss the situation with him.

Last season, the Pistons were eliminated by the Knicks 4-2 in the second round after winning the first two games at home, so he fired the young head coach Rick Carlisle.

This season, he absolutely cannot accept being eliminated by the Knicks again.

But now he has lost the last two regular season games against the Knicks in a row, which makes him seem to see the possibility that the Pistons will be eliminated by the Knicks again.

"Larry, we're going to go further this time." Without bothering to be polite, he said to Larry Brown in a serious tone.

"Then get me Rasheed Wallace," Larry Brown said immediately.

"Can you beat the Knicks with him?" he asked.

"I believe Rasheed Wallace and Ben Wallace can solve the Wolverines' offense." Larry Brown said very confidently.

At this point, he said in a warning tone: "Hurry up, Joe, you don't have much time to trade."

Joe Dumars nodded. This was a three-way deal. The trade negotiations had been going on for the past few days, but they had not yet been finalized.

The Knicks have two more home games next, facing the Jazz and Cavaliers on the 20th and 22nd.

On the morning of the 19th, before the trading window closed, a three-party transaction took place.

The Celtics sent Chris Mills and Mike James to the Pistons in exchange for Atkins and the Pistons' 04 first-round draft pick.

The Hawks sent Rasheed Wallace to the Bucks for Rebrac, Sura and the 04 first-round draft pick.

The Pistons sent out Rebrac + Sura + Atkins + the Bucks' 04 first-round draft pick + the Pistons' 04 first-round draft pick, and got Rasheed Wallace + Mike James.

In this three-way trade, the Celtics actually only sent out Mike James. Chris Mills has retired, but his contract has not yet expired. After the trade, space was freed up and expenses were reduced.

The Pistons sent out three role players and two first-round picks at a high cost, but they strengthened the team's long-lost power forward, Rasheed Wallace, who is both offensive and defensive, and filled in the last link for the Pistons.

This deal will have the greatest impact on the Knicks, Pacers and Nets.

The transaction was announced at 9: a.m. Scott Layden notified the Knicks management at : a.m. and called the coaching staff to hold a meeting.

(End of this chapter)