Chapter 217 I don’t believe it. Is Wolverine really made of iron?
On the 19th, it is the game day of Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.

The Timberwolves, playing at home, pulled back a point and tied the Lakers 1-1.

奥尼尔被砍，10投4中，14罚6中，只得到14分16篮板。

The Postman, one of the Big Four, only scored 5 points and took only 4 shots.

The Timberwolves won the game even though Cassell, one of the three-headed monster, was injured and left the game after only playing for one minute. This was very rare.

As a commentator, Barkley said after the game: "Shaq's free throws are very important. If he had Wolverine's free throws, he would still be the No. 1 player in the league and the Lakers would not lose the game.

If he had the mid-range shot of Wolverine, haha, then he would be qualified to compete with Michael for the title of GOAT. "

The reporter asked, "Charles, do you think Wolverine has really developed his mid-range shot? Is it just a good performance?"

Barkley shrugged and said with a smile: "I don't care about that possibility. Tomorrow night is the Eastern Conference Finals Game 2. We will see whether his mid-range shot is really developed."

"What do you think of the postman's performance tonight?" the reporter asked again.

"The postman is old."

Barkley had no fondness for Karl Malone, so he spoke very briefly.

"Who do you think has a better chance of reaching the finals, the Lakers or the Timberwolves?" the reporter asked again.

"Lakers." Barkley said without hesitation.

"What about the Knicks and Pistons?" the reporter asked again.

Barkley hesitated and said, "If the Pistons can't find a way to deal with Wolverine and can't lock down Nash, then I think it's the Knicks."

"If the finals were between the Lakers and the Knicks, who would you favor?" the reporter asked at last.

“Oh, that’s a good question.”

Barkley's spirits lifted, and he said, "If Wolverine really develops a mid-range shot, I don't know how the Lakers are going to defend him?

There is no way the Shaq can defend Wolverine who has the ability to shoot mid-range shots. He simply can't keep up.

But if he follows out and Wolverine rushes in again, he will not be able to return to defense. And can the Postman inside withstand the impact of Wolverine?
So this is a pretty serious problem, not just for the Lakers, but for the Pistons right now.”

On the morning of the 20th, Yanjing time, at the basketball hall of the General Administration Training Bureau, the men's basketball team was preparing for training.

This is also the last day of training. We will take a day off tomorrow and will go to Europe the day after tomorrow for a two-month warm-up training.

"Dayao, I heard that Wolverine won't be able to report until early August?" Liu Wei asked.

"Well, he's going to shoot a movie in July," Dayao said.

There was a moment of silence among those present, including the coach and several people from the Basketball Management Center.

Frankly speaking, many people present did not approve of He Zhongqiu's approach. They believed that the Olympics were more important and that He Zhongqiu was putting personal interests above public ones and seeking special treatment.

But there is no way. Even the center can't do anything about He Zhongqiu. He Zhongqiu is too famous and too powerful. They can't do without him.

Yao Ming said at this time: "If Zhongqiu makes it to the finals, he may have to play until mid-June, and he also needs time to rest, so there is no way. Even if he doesn't shoot a movie in July, he can't report."

……

On the 20th, at 2 pm, in Game of the Eastern Conference Finals, both sides announced their starting lineups.

Detroit Pistons: Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Prince, Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups
Knicks: Mutombo, He Zhongqiu, Shane Battier, Bonzi Wells, Nash
Michael Breen said: "Ben Wallace's return did not affect the G2 battle. But whether it will have an impact depends on the next situation."

Bill Walton said: "He is still very strong and durable."

"From a tactical perspective, how to defend against Wolverine is the key," said Tom Howard.

Rick Carlisle and Larry Brown shook hands on the sidelines. Neither of them spoke, but there seemed to be a hint of murderous intent in their eyes.

"Blast the piston!"

Before going on stage, He Zhongqiu shouted loudly.

"Blast the piston!"

All the players, coaches and staff shouted in unison, which then spread to the audience. The uniform shouts swept the entire stadium like a hurricane, and the hot atmosphere filled Madison Square Garden.

Zhang Heli said excitedly: "Before the game started, the Knicks' morale had reached its peak, and the home court's momentum was extremely high.

At 8:30, the game started and the Knicks attacked after the jump ball.

"Let's see how the Pistons defend today." Yang Jian said nervously.

"Rashid Wallace will defend Zhongqiu alone." Xu Jicheng said quickly.

In the Knicks' frontcourt, He Zhongqiu went to the low post first, and Rasheed Wallace defended him. He immediately took two steps out and Rasheed followed.

Nash passed the ball to him, and Rasheed Wallace immediately took a small half step upward.

"Take it!"

He Zhongqiu held Roaring Tianzun with his left elbow and grabbed the basketball with his right hand.

Rasheed Wallace's footwork adjustment was naturally in his eyes. He was mainly defending the outside, which meant blocking his upward turn.

In other words, it is to defend against his right hand and his outside breakthrough.

But will this stop him?
The next moment, he turned downward, dribbled past from a position near the baseline, and rushed forward in one step.

Rasheed Wallace took a small half step to the outside, and when he turned around to defend, he was already a beat too slow, lost a whole step, and was completely broken through.

Ben Wallace was guarding under the basket, looking at Wolverine who was pouncing at him like a tiger. The memory of being knocked away the day before yesterday flashed through his mind. His heart sank and his nerves were beating fast.

Half a step inside the left side of the penalty area, He Zhongqiu stepped off the ground.

With the force of a tiger pouncing on its prey and like a giant eagle soaring into the sky, it instantly soared to the highest point and then swooped down towards Ben Wallace below.

"Oh!"

"boom!"

"Oh ho!"

In the fierce aerial confrontation, Ben Wallace fell backwards, followed by a loud bang of the rim, and then the entire Madison Square Garden was completely boiling.

"Pretty!"

"awesome!"

"Who can stop a dunk like this?"

In the commentary booth, Zhang Heli and the other two shouted excitedly.

"The first ball was an unstoppable dunk!"

Michael Breen stood up from the commentary booth in great excitement, waving his fist and shouting.

"The impact is so terrible! It can kill people." Bill Walton said tremblingly.

"The Kung Fu King, he is the Iron Man, can Big Ben still stand up?"

Under the basket, Ben Wallace climbed up with the help of Rasheed Wallace.

He was gasping for breath. He felt as if he had been hit by a heavy truck. His chest felt as if it had been crushed and his entire chest was numb.

"Blast the piston!"

He Zhongqiu's roar started again, and the entire Madison Square Garden was completely boiling, with huge shouts shaking the earth.

"Wolverine?"

Ben Wallace had anger in his eyes.

He just didn't believe it. Was Wolverine really made of iron? How could he dare to attack like this every time? How many times could he withstand such a strong impact?

"Fight!"

He said to himself through gritted teeth.

Larry Brown's face was very gloomy and he felt a strong sense of uneasiness in his heart.

He asked Rasheed Wallace to strengthen the defense on Wolverine's right hand, but this time Wolverine chose to break through and dunk instead of taking a mid-range shot.

This made him realize that it was too difficult to defend Wolverine by single defense in the mid-range.

"Tyshawn," he yelled.

Prince heard it on the court, saw head coach Larry Brown make a pinching gesture, and immediately nodded.

Larry Brown doesn't want Ben Wallace to lower his defense. If Ben Wallace avoids the Wolverines' attack, what else can the Pistons do? Without a superstar, the Pistons' spirit will soon dissipate.

He would rather Ben Wallace be knocked out by Wolverine than not let his defense remain tough.

Either Ben Wallace falls, he doesn't care, he will lose anyway.

Either the Wolverines will retreat under Ben Wallace's tough defense, and then the Pistons will play with their own momentum and form and defeat the Knicks in one fell swoop.

0:2, Pistons attack.

The Knicks set up a three-two zone defense formation, and Nash still defended the middle, which also symbolized that the middle was a weak point and needed help from the two wings.

"brush!"

Hamilton got an open position with the help of the pick-and-roll and hit a mid-range shot one step inside the right corner.

2:2, Knicks attack.

He Zhongqiu was positioning himself and asking for the ball one meter away from the left waist. This time he was one step closer to the penalty area, posing a greater threat.

Rasheed Wallace was defending at the left waist position one step away and did not adopt a top defense because he was afraid of being broken through again.

This is the lesson learned, which shows that he is a person who is good at summarizing experience.

The ball was passed to He Zhongqiu, who faced the basket and leaned over with both hands to get ready for a breakthrough. At this moment, Prince, who was one step inside the three-point line, rushed over from behind He Zhongqiu and was behind him in two steps.

This is Larry Brown's double-team tactic. He can only use the outside to double-team the wing. Prince is fast, has a long armspan, and is good at defense, making him the most suitable for double-teaming the wing.

When Nash passed the ball, He Zhongqiu noticed Prince's movement. When he heard the sharp sound of sneakers rubbing against each other behind him, he knew he was being double-teamed.

"Clap!"

There was a high-five from the back.

The next moment, he straightened up, turned around and threw the ball towards Battier who was at the 50-degree position of the three-point line.

"Pass the ball!"

Xu Jicheng shouted loudly.

"Snapped!"

Battier received the ball, jumped calmly, and shot a wide-open three-pointer.

"brush!"

A splash appeared and a three-pointer was made.

"Three points? Beautiful! Zhongqiu assisted Battier and made a three-pointer." Zhang Heli shouted happily.

"After the mid-range shot in the Mid-Autumn Festival, the coach cannot help but arrange tactics. The tactic of passing the ball during double-teaming is inevitable." Xu Jicheng said with a smile.

Yang Jian smiled and said, "Zhongqiu's assist ability is average, but his passing and receiving ability is impeccable. If there is a double team, there must be an open space, and he can definitely pass the ball."

Zhang Heli laughed and said, "The hidden weapon skills he showed at the All-Stars were really good at hitting whatever he pointed at. Although the basketball is much bigger than a baseball and not easy to control, he has Eagle Claw Kung Fu, so his control over the basketball is better than anyone else, and his passing and receiving are impeccable."

2:5, Pistons attack.

"Bang!"

Rasheed Wallace backed down He Zhongqiu in the low post on the right wing, turned around and made a jump shot, but was almost blocked. Mutombo grabbed the backcourt rebound over Big Ben's head and the Knicks attacked.

This time, He Zhongqiu did not pull out, but instead asked for the ball in the low post on the left wing.

Larry Brown breathed a sigh of relief. It was easier to double-team him near the paint, so his two Wallaces came in handy.

Rasheed Wallace was responsible for the top defense, but He Zhongqiu did not squeeze in, so no confrontation occurred.

Ben Wallace was guarding the basket, only two steps away from He Zhongqiu, so he could ensure that he would be double-teamed before the ball fell into He Zhongqiu's hands.

Nash moved to the left wing, broke through with a pick-and-roll, and then made a quick short pass.

The reason why he didn't just lob the ball from the outside but took this approach was because he didn't want He Zhongqiu to be double-teamed by Ben Wallace before he caught the ball.

After passing the ball, he did not stop there, but ran to the left corner, continuing to use his running position to pull the Pistons' defense.

The Pistons double-teamed He Zhongqiu, so they naturally didn't have the energy to double-team Nash, so they played man-to-man defense.

However, at this moment, Billups, who was supposed to defend him, suddenly left him behind and pounced on He Zhongqiu in the low post on the left wing.

When Nash broke through with the ball and passed the ball, Ben Wallace knew that it was impossible for him to double-team him in advance, so he did not rush to double-team him, but continued to guard under the basket.

He Zhongqiu received the ball, turned around, and dribbled into the penalty area.

His turn was too fast and smooth, which caused Billups' first double-teaming to fail, but Billups did not give up and continued to double-team from behind.

"Three and one!" Zhang Heli shouted.

"Nash is empty!" Yang Jian shouted.

"Crush him to death!"

Waving his fists, Larry Brown roared angrily.

As soon as he entered the penalty area, He Zhongqiu was sandwiched between three people.

Ben Wallace was standing in front, with Billups behind him and Rasheed Wallace on the left. There was three defenders in the defense and only one player was left with space on the right.

"Oh!"

The next moment, he activated the Chaos God Step, dribbled the ball with his left hand, turned around and leaned against Ben Wallace, then turned left to receive the ball and jumped up.

"boom!"

With a one-handed slam dunk, he smashed the Pistons' basket.

"Di!"

The referee's whistle sounded.

"Oh ho!"

Madison Square Garden immediately erupted in huge cheers.

"how is this possible?"

On the sidelines, Larry Brown went from excitement to stupor in an instant.

"This is Wolverine's unique Chaos Step. His ability to break double-teams is very strong."

Michael Breen cheered and asked excitedly, “Coach Larry Brown, how are the Pistons going to play now?
When Wolverine goes out to play, you can’t defend him. When he attacks in the restricted area, you can’t defend him even if you triple-team him.”

ABC was reporting on the show live. When Larry Brown heard this, he became so angry that his face turned blue and he glared at Michael Brin.

But the Knicks fans were rooting for Michael Breen, and the huge cheers grew louder and louder.

"Two plus one, Wolverine turned around and dunked too quickly, and Ben Wallace didn't have time to jump." Bill Walton laughed.

Tom Howard shook his head and said, "Wolverine is too difficult to deal with now!"

Michael Breen nodded and said, “After he mastered the Chaos Step, his offensive ability under the basket became even stronger, and no one could defend him alone under the basket.

After leaving the restricted area, he developed a mid-range shot, which is even more troublesome. Not only is it more difficult to defend, but he can consume more shots. "

Bill Walton said: "Yes, he can do what O'Neal can't do."

Tom Howard shook his head and said, "O'Neal's free throws, lack of mid-range shots, serious decline in physical fitness, and inability to invest more on the defensive end, can't defend, and can't make fast breaks, these are his weaknesses now, very big weaknesses.

Wolverine currently has almost no other weaknesses except that his finishing method is too limited and he can only shoot off the bank.

The current Wolverine is more threatening than O'Neal, and his contribution to the Knicks is greater than O'Neal's contribution to the Lakers."

"The new generation is better than the old. I think Zhongqiu's strength has surpassed O'Neal. Even in terms of dominance under the basket, Zhongqiu can beat O'Neal."

Zhang Heli said at the CCTV commentary booth nearby.

Xu Jicheng said: "O'Neal's dominance under the basket relies on the impact force formed by his huge tonnage and explosive power, which can break through double-teaming.

But now Zhongqiu also has the chaotic step, which makes it easier to break double-teaming with footwork. At the same time, he has more terrifying explosiveness and strength. I also think that his dominance under the basket has surpassed O'Neal. "

On the court, He Zhongqiu had made the free throw, 2:8, the Pistons attacked.

The Pistons' offense still uses the old routine, with Billups' pick-and-roll and Hamilton's off-ball movement.

Prince was being watched by Battier, and Rasheed Wallace was being watched by He Zhongqiu, and neither of them could launch an offensive attack.

At the top of the arc, Billups pushed Nash away and when he reached the free throw line, he took the shot before Battier's double-team arrived.

"brush!"

A splash appeared and two points were made.

4:8, Knicks attack.

He Zhongqiu received the ball again in the low post on the left wing.

This time, Nash dribbled the ball and broke through with the pick-and-roll before passing the ball. The short-distance straight pass prevented Ben Wallace from double-teaming He Zhongqiu in advance, so that He Zhongqiu could get a short singles opportunity in the low post.

Rick Carlisle knew that the Pistons would definitely strengthen their defense against Nash's dribbling breakthroughs, so he arranged a pick-and-roll tactic.

Because of He Zhongqiu's presence, after he attracted a double-team, the Pistons' defense against Nash was passively weakened. Without layers of double-teaming, they were unable to limit his breakthrough with the ball.

In this way, Nash and He Zhongqiu, one inside and one outside, the two core players can be connected together.

After receiving the ball, He Zhongqiu immediately turned around, stepped into the paint area, jumped from the left waist position, stretched out his left hand to position himself, and shot the ball with his right hand.

Rasheed Wallace took a step upward, but He Zhongqiu had already jumped up. Seeing that he didn't have time to jump up to block the shot, he secretly exerted force and pushed from below.

"Di!"

The referee saw the little move and blew the whistle immediately.

He Zhongqiu was pushed backward in the air, but his shot was not affected. While his body leaned backward, he still threw the ball towards the backboard at an extremely fast speed.

"Bang! Swoosh!"

The basketball hit the backboard and bounced into the basket.

"Beautiful! Two plus one again." Yang Jian shouted excitedly.

Zhang Heli laughed and said, "This ball is quite difficult. I lost my balance but still managed to hit the backboard."

"It's similar to a fadeaway jump shot." Xu Jicheng said with a smile.

"Teacher Xu, you know what, with Zhongqiu's core strength, jumping ability, flexibility and coordination, he can really do a fadeaway jump shot if he practices," Zhang Heli said.

Yang Jian said: "Wolverine is much better than Yao Ming. He can definitely be trained, but he can only be trained to fade away and hit the rebound."

"Haha, that's right, a fade away shot, the same fade away shot just now, he really doesn't have the shooting touch." Zhang Heli laughed.

"In fact, the Pistons were successful twice out of three attacks, and only missed one shot, but they were still 7 points behind," said Xu Jicheng.

Zhang Heli said with a smile: "The Knicks were successful in all four attacks, with Zhongqiu scoring 8 points alone, including two two-plus-ones. He was the hurdle that the Pistons could not overcome."

(End of this chapter)