At noon, Zhou Quan came to the headquarters and had the last training before the G1 battle with his teammates.

"Iron Fist, the league will officially award you the best rookie trophy before the G1 fight." When he arrived, Troy, an assistant to general manager McCloskey, came to inform him.

"That's great!"

Having received the first official individual honour of his career, he was in a very good mood.

But it didn't take long for his mood to deteriorate again.

"Ouch!"

At around three o'clock, during a training match, during a scramble for a rebound, Rodman and John Sely collided together and fell to the ground and couldn't get up.

"Dennis?"

All the people in the training hall are chuckling in their hearts, at this critical moment, if Rodman, who already has injury problems, aggravates the injury, the team will be in danger.

Neville, the team doctor, ran over to check on Rodman, but it was still the same problem, with an old knee injury, and he twisted it again.

"Deal with it right away."

Chuck Daley's face was extremely ugly.

If Rodman can't play, it's really bad, the Pistons' rebounds depend on him, and there is also interior defense, without big bugs, there will be big problems with rebounding and interior defense.

Zhou Quan was also very annoyed, if the team couldn't pass the first round, he would also be in trouble.

At half past six in the afternoon, he drove his pickup truck to the palace in Auburn Hills, and just after getting out of the car, a group of reporters ran over.

"Iron Fist, you're sharing Rookie of the Year with Larry Johnson, it's the second time in league history, but the mainstream media recognizes Larry Johnson more, so do you think there's an inside story to the Rookie of the Year selection?" A Miami Daily reporter asked.

"I'm just a player, I don't know what's going on, I'm sure I don't know, and then I'm not a proponent of conspiracy theories." Zhou Quan said.

The first reporter retreated, and the second reporter went up again and asked, "Iron Fist, do you think you deserve to be the best rookie?" ”

Zhou Quan said very bluntly: "My data is there, and our record is also there, if you think I don't deserve to be a rookie, then I won't agree with you."

If you choose Larry Johnson, I respect your choice, it's your freedom, but I think I'm also the best one. ”

"Iron Fist, congratulations."

"Thank you!"

A few local reporters squeezed a few out-of-town reporters outside, and the atmosphere immediately improved.

It took more than ten minutes to deal with the reporters and came to the locker room, where most of the teammates arrived.

He observed that the atmosphere was good, not relaxed, but slightly with a nervous atmosphere of preparation, and there was no panic.

After all, this is the Pistons, since the beginning of the 83/84 season, has reached the playoffs for 9 consecutive years, 5 times to the Eastern Conference finals, including two consecutive championships, in the East is one of the most popular teams in the past decade, the East is the Green team can be compared, and the Bulls are also under it.

This is a team with a lot of playoff experience, even if there are a lot of player changes, but the Assassins and veterans such as Joe Dumas, Rodman, John Sely and so on are all there, so there will be no shortage of experience, and the atmosphere in the locker room is relatively good.

"Hey, Iron Fist." Thomas was massaging his lower limbs and beckoned.

"Isaiah, how's your health?" Zhou Quan walked to the side of the massage table.

"It's not bad, twenty minutes of full play, it shouldn't be a problem." The assassin hesitated.

"That's good."

Zhou Quan chuckled in his heart, with a person as strong as an assassin, his tone was so hesitant, that is, he was not sure at all.

Coupled with Rodman's question, is there really going to be a problem in this first-round series?

At this time, Chuck Daly walked in, and when he heard the words of the two, he also heard some meanings beyond the words, and smiled reluctantly: "Isaiah, this is good news." ”

He actually has some idea of the state of the Assassins, and although the team was swept out of the Eastern Conference finals by the Bulls in the playoffs last season, everything is traceable.

Because the Assassins' form dropped a bit last season, they could only play 33.5 minutes per game in the playoffs, only averaging 13.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1 steal per game, and the shooting rate was only 40.3%.

This data is a big difference from the playoff performance of winning the championship in 90, which averaged 38 minutes per game, 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 2 steals, and shot 46.3% from the field.

This season's injury problems have become more serious, and the last Battle of Auburn Hills has been injured again, and his form has dropped another notch, so he actually has no confidence in the Assassin's performance at all.

This is evidenced by the performance of the Assassins in the regular season.

In the regular season this season, the Assassins only played a total of 42 games, averaging 18.1 minutes per game, only 9.1 points and 4.2 assists, especially the shooting rate of only 41.5%, and the offensive efficiency was not as good as Iron Fist.

At this point, the remaining players arrived, and Chuck Daly closed the locker room door and began to conduct the final pre-game analysis.

He thought of the state of the assassins, so he said: "Everyone remembers to me that the Knicks' bench lineup is very strong, there are several players, and the bench thickness is a few in the league, which is also a very strong part of the Knicks' strength, we must be careful, we must not underestimate them." ”

Rick Musk, assistant coach in charge of offense, continued: "John Starks is the Knicks' No. 2 scorer, averaging 13.9 points in 26 minutes per game, the strongest offensive point in the bench lineup, and the attack is very strong.

In addition, Anthony Mason and veteran Vanderwig can each average 7 points per game, and these three can average 28 points per game in the bench lineup.

This season, the Knicks are averaging 101.6 points per game, the top five are averaging 67.6 points per game, and the bench team is averaging 34 points per game, accounting for 33.5% of the team's total points. This ratio is only slightly lower than ours, which shows that the Knicks' bench lineup is no worse than ours. ”

Ray Lo Wells, the assistant coach in charge of the defense, continued: "But our bench is better, the Assassins and Mark Aguirre, one of you is the top pick in '81 and the other is the top pick in '81, and I'm sure you can have the advantage." ”

Chuck Daly shook his head secretly, Wells was okay, but a little sluggish, but this sentence did not hurt morale.

He nodded and said: "In the regular season, Isaiah averaged 10 points per game, Mark Aguirre averaged 11 points per game, and the two of you combined can contribute 21 points, plus other substitutes, our bench lineup can contribute an average of 38 points per game, accounting for 36% of the team's points."

If Isaiah's play in the playoffs...... If we can perform like this, then we should be able to compete with the Knicks' bench lineup. ”

Speaking of which, considering that the assassins' performance was likely to have problems, he couldn't help but once again admonish very seriously: "I remind you again, don't be fooled by the Knicks' sixth regular season ranking in the East, they are strong, not weaker than us." ”

"Yes."

The locker room shouted in unison.

Daley sighed secretly, the Assassins may have a problem here, but after all, it is only a substitute lineup, but Rodman's problem is really a big problem.

"Neville, can Dennis fight?" He asked the team doctor.

Neville was giving Rodman a massage, and said hesitantly: "You can play, but the time cannot exceed 30 minutes, and the playing time should be separated, not continuous."

Also, if you want him to recover faster, it's best to keep the time to 25 minutes. Moreover, his state ......"

At this point, he didn't say anything.

Daley and everyone understands that the team is going to have a huge difficult time tonight.

……

The series was broadcast live across the United States by TNT, with commentators Robert Jeddah and Ringer Wilson.

The game officially started at half past eight, and TNT's live broadcast started at eight o'clock, which was also the time when the two sides announced their starting lists.

Knicks: Ewing, Oakley, McDaniel, Gerald Wilkins, Mark Jackson

Pistons: John Cely, Rodman, Orlando Ulrich, Joe Dumas, Zhou Quan

"There are four first-round games tonight, the East is ours and the Celtics vs. Pacers, and their game has just started, half an hour ahead of our side," Robert Giddah said. ”

"The West is the Suns vs. the Spurs, and the Warriors vs. the Sonics," Ringer Wilson said. Robert, what do you think about tonight's game, maybe for this series, I mean our side? ”

"The battle of the strong."

Robert Gilda said solemnly: "I don't think either the Pistons nor the Knicks are sure, they have to do everything in their power to have a chance to eliminate their opponents and complete the first round." I even think that this series is likely to be played in five games. ”

Ringer Wilson nodded and said: "For some reason, the relationship between the two teams is very bad, forming sworn enemies, and they are defensive teams of the same type, this series should be very intense." ”

Robert Giddah suddenly smiled and said, "Ringer, do you think there will be a conflict on the field?" ”

Ringer Wilson shook his head and said: "It's not good, the Knicks have Oakley, one of the four villains, Anthony Mason looks very hot-tempered, in a season with the Knicks, the number of fights is no less than Iron Fist, and Iron Fist now also has the title of Detroit's killer king." ”

"Poof!"

Robert Gidda burst into laughter and laughed for a while before saying, "I heard that Iron Fist doesn't like this nickname, let's talk less, this is his home field, what if he comes over?" ”

Ringer Wilson laughed and said, "Haha, okay, let's say a few words about the Detroit Killer King." ”

"Look, you said it again."

"Haha......"

……

Far away in Chicago, Jordan turned on the TV, and when it came time to choose the channel, he didn't think about it and tuned to the TNT channel.

He believes that in the East, in addition to the Pistons, there are also Cavaliers, Knicks, and Green teams that can threaten the Bulls, all of which need to be paid attention to.

But he's more focused on the Knicks vs. Pistons than the other game between the Green and the Pacers tonight.

The Knicks have a super center, and his good friend, Patrick Ewing, the Bulls' interior strength is significantly inferior to that of the Knicks.

And the Pistons, the No. 1 Iron Fist, the Bulls don't have any point guard to help with, this is a hard injury in the Bulls lineup, and even in the No. 1 position, the Iron Fist can get the dislocation advantage.

That said, against both teams, the Bulls have lineup weaknesses, so they must be focused on.

Especially the Pistons, he will never allow this team to turn over again.

"East Decision!"

If the Pistons can make it to the Eastern Conference finals, he must do his best, even to the extent of sweeping the Pistons.

If we can sweep the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals again, then we should be able to completely crush the Pistons' will to fight, right?

……

At this time, in the players' tunnel of the Palace of Auburn Hills, ten starters had arrived, each standing on one side.

Oakley was at the front, he was the first to appear, opposite Zhou Quan.

He stared at Zhou Quan fiercely, his eyes were fierce, as if he was looking at the enemy who killed his father, but he didn't say a word, as if he wanted to suppress the other party with his momentum.

Zhou Quan's eyes were gentle, his smile was also gentle, and under the spiritual willpower of level 99, no matter how much pressure he had, he smiled and said: "Charles, I heard that you slapped Pippen, and then you were traded by the Bulls?" ”

Oakley was stunned, what year is this old terrier?

I'm just joking with Pippen, crazy I'm hitting teammates, thinking I'm Michael Jordan?

"Rookie, do you want to find fault?"

Gritting his teeth, he spat out the words between his teeth.

Zhou Quan shook his head and said with a smile: "What about finding your fault?" ”

Oakley was stunned, he saw Zhou Quan shaking his head, thinking that this rookie would not provoke him, but he knew that what he said was completely opposite, so he didn't react for a while.

"Poof!"

Rodman and Selly and the others were already laughing.

Oakley was furious, he couldn't hold his face, took a step forward, and yelled in front of Zhou Quan: "Boy, do you want to do it first?" ”

Zhou Quan said with a smile: "Last time, I said that I would ask your agent to contact my agent, and we would make an appointment, but there has been no news for so long, have you forgotten?" The postman and aunt are cooler than you, and I have already made an appointment with them for those two sessions. ”

Oakley scolded in his heart, Falk oil, I beat you earlier, the postman and Larry Johnson are all fools, are you stupid to me?

Seeing Oakley's swollen black face, Zhou Quan suddenly burst out laughing.

The reason why he provoked Oakley was because Oakley was the spiritual leader of the Knicks, and as long as he suppressed him in momentum, he could achieve the goal of suppressing the morale of his opponents.

From before the start of the game, the psychological war between them has begun.

"Fight, boy, you can choose the time and place." Oakley yelled in annoyance.

"The postman chose the rules of a professional boxer, and I agreed to him. Well, I suggest you choose amateur boxer rules, protective gear and more protective rules to keep you safe. Zhou Quan smiled.

"You bastard, I also choose the rules of the profession."

How could Oakley show weakness, and immediately shouted angrily.

"Get out of here!"

At this time, the away team came out, and he slammed Zhou Quan away and ran out.

"Boom!"

In the face of the Knicks, the Pistons fans did not spare a hand, cursing and shouting to their heart's content, and the huge Auburn Hills palace was roaring like a dragon resurrected.

Ewing was the last to play, and after he went out, Zhou Quan said loudly: "The presence of this super center is really low. ”

"Patrick is like that, he doesn't talk much." Jo Dumas shouted.

"His presence is on the field."

Zhou Quan nodded and said, "John, Dennis, you must go all out tonight, don't let Ewing easily get close to the basket to score, and try to keep him out of the paint area." ”

"Understood." The two shouted at the same time.

As the home team came out, the Palace of Auburn Hills resounded with a sea of cheers and thunderous applause.

Zhou Quan and other five people came out one after another, high-fived the fans, and high-fived the substitutes and management such as the assassins, and then walked into the stadium.

"Rush, Detroit Pistons, kill the Knicks!"

On the commentary seat, the bearded John Lowes roared excitedly.

"Oh Roar Roar Roar ......"

With his shout, the palace of Auburn Hills once again erupted into a huge shout, and the strong hormonal smell filled the arena, and everyone's adrenaline was already bursting.

The shouts of 20,000 people, all of them lost their ears and hearing, and anyone facing this kind of scene, as long as their psychological quality is not up to par, will be instantly crushed by the pressure.

Zhou Quan's body was trembling slightly, it was not nervousness, it was not fear, but an overreaction to the excitement caused by the outburst of adrenaline.

Although this kind of scene is big, he is not an uninformed person, and in the NCAA two years, there are many similar big scenes, which also exercises his psychological quality to withstand pressure.

But for him, the playoffs are the real test.

He's the last man to bury the Bad Boys, and if he doesn't make it past the first round in the most crucial of the playoffs, he'll be questioned by the fans.

At present, although the nominal leader of this Pistons team is Joe Dumas, everyone knows his status in this team, so he must take responsibility, and he can't use the excuse that I am a rookie and that it has nothing to do with me when I lose to shirk responsibility.

Next, a league official presented him with the Eddie Gottlieb Cup, or Rookie of the Year trophy.

On the TNT commentary seat, Robert Giddah said with a smile: "This is the first ROY of the Detroit Pistons, congratulations to Iron Fist, and congratulations to the Pistons." ”

"Iron Fist's luck is really good, this thing is the fairest, every player only gets it once, loses it, and never gets a chance. The only flaw is that this time it is a double-packed egg, and the gold content is somewhat low. Ringer Wilson said with a smile.

Glancing at his partner, Robert Gidda smiled, didn't answer the conversation, but said in his heart: "Ringer, this is the highlight moment of a rookie, don't say these disappointing words." ”

"Bang Bang Bang ......"

At the scene, Zhou Quan happily raised the trophy to the audience, and the Palace of Auburn Hills resounded with very warm applause, and countless fans stood up to applaud and cheer for him.

"Click, click, click......"

Media reporters took a picture.

Back on the bench, he collected his mood and began to prepare for the game.

"Come here, come here."

Before going on the field, Zhou Quan called all his teammates together, pulled the assassin and Jo Dumas to his side, and shouted to everyone:

"Listen, brothers, we have to have our own spirit and faith, we must have, we must have, without our own spiritual beliefs, we will lose our sharpness, lose our fighting spirit, and we will continue to struggle in the quagmire."

Everyone nodded, and he shouted again: "Shout with me, we are tough, tough, iron-blooded, and we are fearless!" ”

"We are tough, tough, iron-willed, and we are fearless!"

Under the leadership of Zhou Quan, all the Pistons players stood together and shouted out the spirit and belief of the Detroit Pistons.

"We are tough, tough, iron-willed, and we are fearless!"

Countless Pistons fans also began to shout in unison, with more and more momentum, gradually to earth-shattering, and the home momentum had risen to an extreme before the start of the game.

"Victory! Victory! Victory ......"

On the other hand, under the strong pressure of the Pistons' home court, the Knicks, led by Oakley, also shouted their slogan.

(End of chapter)