The moment Gary Payton lifted his certificate of honor, the fans cheered even more intensely, giving the impression that the roof was about to be torn down.

"I feel like I'm underwhelmed!"

Looking at Gary Payton's appearance, Van Exel couldn't help but purse his mouth, and said in his heart that he didn't envy that it was fake.

Although Van Exel is an all-star player, he has never won this award.

"Nick, if we win this game, what do you think Payton will look like?"

At this time, Chi Liang hit the snake stick and began to provoke Van Exel.

This season, Ji Liang hopes that the team can make the playoffs, and the declining SuperSonics is one of the goals to score points.

Due to back-to-back relationships, it is difficult to guarantee the fitness and condition of the players, and he can only hope that his teammates will give some strength, and it is best to survive until the last quarter.

In the last game, Chi Liang also played for more than 20 minutes, and did not open the dynamic vision, after a night of rest, the physical energy consumed was basically recovered.

However, his teammates are not easy to say, more or less affected, the schedule of the shortened season is so dense that even the energetic players can rarely afford it.

"It must be ugly!"

Van Exel automatically made up his mind, and then showed an inexplicable smile, and his spirit was obviously much better.

Soon, the starters of both sides began to play.

Nuggets starting lineup: center McDyce, power forward Fortson, small forward Williams, point guard Billups, point guard Van Exel.

Maybe it was because Clarke's performance was too bad, or maybe he wanted to play a small lineup, but in short, D'Antoni chose to change the lineup and replace Williams in the starting lineup.

During this time, Williams struggled to lose weight, and his training attitude was seen by D'Antoni and decided to give him another chance.

SuperSonics starters: center Alden Pollinis, power forward Vinn Baker, small forward Detreve Schramf, point guard Billy Owens and point guard Gary Payton.

In addition, there are two bench bandits on the supersonics' bench, namely Jose Hawkins and Dalla Ellis.

In the game against the SuperSonics, D'Antoni's strategy was simple, run when he had the opportunity and use his speed to tear apart the SuperSonics' defense.

If it's a positional battle, then open up space and create a low-post single opportunity for McDyce.

Soon, under the organization of the referee, they began to enter the jump ball session, and McDyce and Pollinis looked at each other and were ready to jump the ball.

In the 1987 draft, the Bulls selected Alden Pollinis with the No. 8 pick, and then traded Polinis and a draft pick for Scott Pippen from the Seattle SuperSonics.

It has to be said that this deal established a dynasty for the Bulls and is undoubtedly a deal worth writing about.

After the two sides were ready, the referee threw the basketball vertically into the sky, and when the basketball began to fall, the two jumped up one after another.

Although Polinice had 211 centimeters, the healthy McDyce bounced very well and took the basketball to Van Exel.

At the first time, Van Exel wanted to accelerate the breakthrough, but was blocked by Payton, and was almost tackled by the opponent.

Under Payton's harassment, the SuperSonics quickly returned to defense, and the Nuggets lost their opportunity to break quickly.

Without reluctance, Van Exel hoisted the ball to McDyce.

Polinis's defense is not bad, but it is still difficult to limit against McDyce's low singles.

McDyce swayed left and right, and after successfully shaking off Pollinis's center of gravity, he immediately rolled over and made a jumper, pressing Pollinis to shoot the basketball in his hand.

Swish~

The first goal was easily scored by McDyce.

If it was the supersonic last season, it would naturally not be so easy, at that time, Wen Baker was not fat, relying on excellent defense ability, becoming the supersonic inside gate.

At that time, the supersonic speed was the key to winning the game, and the key to winning was a successful defense, with Vin Baker and Gary Payton as the core, creating a precise and functioning defensive system. They are accustomed to following their own pace, leading the ball carrier into an ambush and then initiating the trap.

After they formed a defensive core, the SuperSonics became the league's top defensive powerhouse.

It's a pity that now that Vinn Baker is scrapped and Payton is alone, the SuperSonics' defensive system can be described as existential in name only.

Supersonic ball possession, Payton broke through with the ball, Van Exel couldn't stop it, but he was not completely out of position, constantly harassing Payton, waiting for an opportunity to steal.

Before bursting into the box, Payton used a ground-hitting pass to get the ball to Vin Baker.

Although he was a lot fatter, Wen Baker's offense was not affected much, but due to the large increase in weight, he was prone to getting stuck in position.

After receiving the basketball, Wen Baker leaned on the situation, and even though Fortson tried his best, he was still unable to hold back and retreat.

Swish~

After knocking back Fortson, Vin Baker turned around and hooked the basketball into the basket with an easy flick of his right hand.

It was at this point that Fortson began to serve quickly and passed the ball to Van Exel.

Payton reacted quickly and immediately lunged towards Van Exel, trying to hinder Van Exel and give his teammates time to return.

Van Exel didn't stick to the ball when Payton pounced, hoisted it to Billups and started running without the ball.

At this time, the Nuggets players advanced quickly, and the supersonic players rushed back to defense, but Vin Baker was too slow and was dragged to the end.

In this case, a five-on-four chance was formed on the court, and in the continuous passing, finally Fortson showed up as a point guard and scored a slam dunk after receiving the basketball.

In the coming days, the Nuggets will always be able to maintain a high level of efficiency as long as there are opportunities for fast breaks. Vin Baker is just too fat, and although he is still strong on the offensive end, his speed has obviously taken a toll and he has become a burden to the SuperSonics.

Since George Carr's departure, the SuperSonics have been led by assistant coach McMillan.

The current McMillan, not long after retiring, began to coach the supersonic team with a shrunken season, which can be described as catching ducks on the shelves.

But he is not without merit, McMillan is a former superSonic, knows the tactics of the SuperSonics very well, and has learned a lot from George Carr.

In this shrinking season, the SuperSonics started the season with four straight wins, but McMillan knew in his heart that it was actually related to Payton's outburst.

Due to the relationship of Wen Baker, it is difficult for the current superSonics to reproduce the style of a strong team, although the team's offense is still fluid, but the defensive quality has decreased significantly, and it is difficult for such a supersonic team to gain a foothold in the league.

McMillan has realised this, both as a player and as a coach, and he has always regarded defence as the foundation of the team, and immediately opted for a timeout after seeing Wen Baker's poor performance.