"Reggie, actually swept, is the green team really that strong? Or are you too weak? ”

Zhou Quan came out of the shower and made a call to Reggie Miller to comfort the senior.

"Boy, when you're swept by Jordan, you'll know if he's too strong or you're too weak." Reggie Miller said angrily.

"Haha......"

Zhou Quan couldn't help laughing.

Miller said confidently: "Boy, the strength of our Pacers is steadily improving, sooner or later we will become a powerhouse in the East, and when we meet the Pistons in the future, I will not show mercy to my subordinates, the boy laughs at me now, and I will cry to you later." ”

Soon after, the post-match press conference began.

On the Knicks' side, the atmosphere was rather dreary.

Ewing and Oakley attended the conference, the former is currently the darling of New York, even if he doesn't perform well, he hasn't been criticized too much, while the latter has become the backstabber.

Even Pat Riley didn't get a good attitude from the reporters.

"Charles, Joe Dumas has repeatedly burst through your side and caused a lot of damage, do you think you are a hole in the defense today?" A reporter asked.

Oakley said with a dark face: "I have tried to make up for it, I have put him down three times, but he still rushes in, I can't make it up every time, I think I have done my best." ”

"Do you think you're not responsible for tonight's loss?" The reporter asked.

"I said, I've done my best." Oakley's face darkened.

He's in a terrible mood, he's not the core, he's not even a star, he's just a coolie striker, the team lost, you're looking for a star, what are you looking for me?

The next question was asked by a New York Times reporter, who asked: "Coach Riley, we have a super center and have the best defense in the league, but why did you let the opponent get a match point at home, do you think it was caused by your tactical mistakes?" What went wrong with your command? ”

A smile appeared on Pat Riley's face, straightened his bow tie, coughed twice, and then said unhurriedly:

"Gentlemen, there are many reasons why the team loses, but there is one thing that is not problematic, and that is tactics. The two games we lost to the Pistons weren't tactically wrong.

Actually, there is no tactical problem between us and the Pistons, we are too familiar, both sides know some tactics, and they will make timely adjustments, believe me, I am no worse than Coach Chuck Daley, I still have this confidence. ”

"So what do you think went wrong?" The reporter asked.

"Lineup."

Pat Riley said without hesitation: "It's a lineup problem, and against this Pistons team, we have a hard wound in the lineup. ”

"Exactly?" The reporter pressed again.

Pat Riley smiled: "The number one position, the most critical position, none of us can deal with Iron Fist." I'm referring to all the defenders we have on the bench and none of them can deal with him.

You can compare the data of Mark Jackson and Iron Fist in these three series games, and you can know that I am right, Mark Jackson is weaker than Iron Fist on both offensive and defensive ends, in terms of organization.

The play of the No. 1 position is key for us, we are not the Bulls, the organization of the Bulls is in Pippen, so the Pistons play the Bulls, Iron Fist cannot destroy the organization of the Bulls by suppressing the opponent, but he can destroy our organizational function by suppressing Mark Jackson. ”

"Coach Riley, if we get eliminated, are you going to seek to trade Mark Jackson? Ever thought about trading Iron Fist? As far as I know, Tekken also came to the Knicks for tryouts. ”

The next question was asked by a reporter from the New York Sports Newspaper, who asked a question related to the question he had just asked.

"I'm not thinking about trading Mark Jackson at the moment."

Pat Riley first told a lie, and in the middle of the actual season he had already decided to trade Mark Jackson, and then said:

"For Tekken, I knew him when he was in the NCAA, you know, I was with the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Bruins used to play at the Great Western Forum, the home of the Lakers, and I watched his games, including ice hockey.

You know, he actually surprised me because he didn't show that much quality during the NCAA, I mean basketball, not ice hockey, and he didn't show much potential as a point guard at that time.

But now, he's blowing my mind, and yes, I now think he even has the potential to be a top point guard.

However, if you want to trade him, it is too difficult.

He's the future core of the Pistons, and even now he's a big core in the Pistons, and Coach Chuck Daley has given him the most freedom.

Even, during the two consecutive championships of the Pistons, the assassins in the piston only belonged to the core style of play, not the current big core style of Tekken.

At the peak of the Assassins, there was Joe Dumas by his side, and Joe Dumas was also very strong and could attack with the ball, so the Pistons did not set up a big core play style for him.

Although Iron Fist still has Joe Dumas by his side, it is clear that the Pistons have taken into account Joe Dumas's age, and Joe Dumas is not as important on the court as before, he has become a pure quarterback, rather than a ball-handling core, and the ball is more focused on Iron Fist.

Let me put it this way, let alone the Pistons, even if it is Iron Fist himself, in terms of team status, he may not be willing to come to the Knicks. ”

Speaking of this, he added: "Perhaps, the Knicks' attraction to him is only the market and commercial value." ”

When local reporters heard this, they couldn't help but agree with Pat Riley's statement.

The Knicks have Ewing, if Iron Fist comes here, it is absolutely impossible for him to play any big core play, and even because of the average offense, it is difficult to become the outside core, he can only become a simple point guard, and the real core of the Knicks must be Patrick Ewing.

At present, although Jordan won a championship as a quarterback, and the Bulls also built a team with a quarterback as the core, Jordan and the Bulls' current achievements are far from enough to affect the habitual idea that the interior is king.

The next question was asked by a local reporter, who asked hopefully, "Coach Riley, what do you think is the chance that the Knicks will turn the tables?"

We can't deal with Iron Fist at the No. 1 position, do you think that the Knicks will be eliminated because of this, it will be a foregone conclusion? ”

Riley said with a straight face: "It's hard to say the odds, but we still have a home stadium that I hope to win and we will be ready for everything." Now I have another idea, and I hope to deal with Iron Fist in the next fight.

As for the foregone conclusion, the first round was 2-1 behind, there are many examples of turnarounds, we will not give up, that is impossible, there is no certainty in this world, we still have a lot to do, as long as the first round is promoted, we have a great chance of reaching the East Finals. ”

The next few local reporters asked Ewing a few questions, Ewing was not good at dealing with reporters, but these questions were not specifically targeted, and he barely coped with it.

The next reporter to ask a question was a reporter from the Los Angeles Journal, and he still asked Ewing's head: "Patrick, in three games, your average shooting percentage per game is barely 40%, which is not the efficiency of a super center at all, even an average center is more efficient than you, and your shooting rate is even lower than that of the role player John Cely opposite you, what do you think makes you so inefficient?" ”

"Damn the Los Angeles Daily News!"

Hearing this very sharp question, Ewing cursed secretly, his face darkened by three points, and he began to groan, thinking about how to solve the problem.

Many reporters who are familiar with Ewing below also began to make some small movements, such as moving their stiff bodies, exchanging some news with their peers, etc., they know that Ewing's answer will take some time.

Sure enough, a minute later, when the reporters were impatient, Ewing opened his mouth and said, "I'm always caught in the low post, that's why my shooting percentage is not high enough, if my teammates can help me share some of the pressure, I think my score will be easier." ”

"Are you accusing your teammates of not being good enough?" The reporter's reaction was quick, and he immediately seized on Ewing's loophole and asked.

"No, of course not."

Ewing immediately denied it, his mind racing, and then added: "It's just tactical, my teammates are great." ”

"So you think Coach Pat Riley's tactics are wrong?" The reporter asked again.

Pat Riley twitched, glanced at Ewing, and smiled.

Ewing darkened his face and added again, "No, I didn't mean that, I mean, well, I mean ......"

"Well, Mr. Reporter, you know Patrick's clumsy mouth, he's not very good at words."

Pat Riley interrupted Ewing's questioning and picked up the conversation and said, "Patrick is important to us, and he is the most important one.

His defense is our last gate, with him under the basket, we can always rest assured that we can give him the back, with his presence, the Knicks will never be broken by the opponent, he is our ballast. ”

"Yes."

"I agree."

Many media reporters nodded their heads when they said this.

They know very well that among the three super centers, Ewing is the most silent one, the one with the least sense of existence, but the hardest one, he is stuck under the Knicks' basket every night, and he is the last barrier for the Knicks.

Pat Riley continued: "As for his offensive efficiency in these three games, you can't just use the stats because our defense is strong, but the Pistons' defense is definitely not weaker than ours.

Patrick is usually caught in the low post, sometimes by several guys, and the Pistons' interior defense is very ferocious, he is often taken down, and he takes at least 50% of the opponent's defensive energy.

But only when he's on the pitch, he's always the guy we can trust the most.

When you can't handle the ball against a strong defence, Patrick is always your first choice.

So, we need to know that his performance is not to blame, I think he deserves to be commended, and I hope you think the same. ”

"Bang Bang Bang ......"

There was a round of applause, and Pat Riley's speech succeeded in impressing the reporters.

Even Ewing was moved, and he secretly decided to play hard in the next game, to work harder, and he was going to carry the Knicks to the second round.

On the other hand, the Pistons, who won the game, were praised by the media.

On the 28th, I didn't go to bed until three o'clock last night, Zhou Quan didn't get up until noon, and the others were similar, it was just lunchtime.

"Tell me, what's the news today?"

At the breakfast table, Zhou Quan asked while cutting the half-baked blood-soaked steak.

Darnell Walker exclaimed, somewhat depressedly, "We won match point, but there was very little coverage in the New York media today.

The media elsewhere didn't cover it much, they covered Jordan all day, but he didn't play yesterday. ”

Zhou Quan smiled and said, "How can the New York media report our victory? It would be nice to mention it.

And Jordan is the league's current supergiant, the era of the magic bird is over, he is the signature star who attracts the most attention, and the media is only willing to report on him, which is obvious. ”

The Assassin nodded, "No one wants to see our pistons get back on their feet, and neither do the media, they only report negative news about us." ”

Jo Dumas laughed: "That's right, we were public enemies of the alliance before, and the bad boy's statement was given to us by the media, and they have been promoting such a concept. ”

Zhou Quan said with a smile: "So we still have to rely on ourselves, pass through one level after another, reach the second round, enter the East Finals, and reach the finals."

When we lift the championship, the media's eyes have to stay on us, because everyone else is eliminated and we are the only ones left. ”

"Haha......"

The crowd burst into laughter.

That night, four first-round series G3 fights kicked off.

The Cavaliers lost away and still led the Nets by a big score of 2-1.

The Trail Blazers lost to the Lakers on the road, 119-121, losing by only two points and still leading the Lakers 2-1.

And the Jazz also lost on the road, leading the Clippers 2-1.

The Bulls, on the other hand, swept the Heat with a score of 3-0 and became the third team in the league to complete the first round of promotion.

Michael Jordan was powerful, shooting 20 of 30 in 43 minutes, shooting 66.7%, 16 of 18 free throws, and blasted down 56 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls.

Throughout the first-round series, he averaged 45 points per game, a jaw-dropping statistic.

Pippen was not to be outdone, shooting 52.2% from the field, and scored 31 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers and 5 fouls.

The duo made a whopping 53 shots, accounting for 61.6 percent of the team's total shots, but they scored 73.1 percent of the team's total.

The shots were mainly focused on the two, so the rest of the Bulls didn't play well, except for Jordan and Pippen, only BJ scored double-doubles.

Zhou Quan mainly watched the Bulls' game, and almost everyone was shocked by the performance of Jordan and Pippen.

Even Zhou Quan had to admire the strength of the two, especially Jordan's scoring explosiveness.

He is not good at offense now, he is only level 80, barely entering the second rate, and he can't talk about scoring explosiveness at all, so he is particularly envious of Jordan's powerful and explosive scoring ability.

Without this ability, when the team is behind by a large score, it is difficult to chase points, and it can only be slowly sharpened by defense.

And if there is this kind of scoring explosiveness, when the team is behind by a large score, there is also the possibility of turning the game and directly destroying the opponent with a wave of high attacks.

According to his cognition, the 90th level of the system should be first-class, so the offense must reach at least the top level of 95 to have scoring explosiveness.

On the 29th, fueled by NBA league officials and Jordan's many sponsors, the media began to praise Jordan's performance last night.

MJ's sales of the eighth generation exploded as a result, and fans did not have unlimited purchasing power, and his sneakers sold well, and it was inevitable that he would steal some of the sales of other brand shoes.

Zhou Quan is not even an All-Star, except for Detroit and Los Angeles, the fan base in other cities is slightly equal to none, and his influence is limited.

Under Jordan's onslaught, in addition to Detroit, sales of his signature sneakers have plummeted even in Los Angeles.

That night, the G4 battle between the Pistons and the Knicks went on as scheduled.

In the home team's dressing room, Pat Riley is making the final tactical set-up.

He said to Mark Jackson: "Mark, today you try not to play Iron Fist alone, just give the ball to Patrick, and then use your running and long-range shooting ability to contain Iron Fist, although he has a chance to go down and wrap up." ”

"Understood."

Mark Jackson has actually felt the danger, the danger of being traded.

He knows very well that the Knicks and Pistons are in the same East and are too competitive, and if he can't get the Iron Fist, the Knicks are likely to trade him.

Pat Riley then said to Ewing: "Patrick, I'll try to plan tactics to help you avoid being trapped.

At the same time, I will arrange for my teammates to cover you offensively, and if you are trapped, immediately divide the ball, and don't force it if the opportunity is not good. ”

"Okay." Ewing said dullly.

Pat Riley then said to McDaniel: "You have to be careful to cover Patrick offensively and cut inside when you have the chance.

If you're on top of it, you have to play with Patrick as well, he comes out to cover you, you go in, or you pass back. ”

"Understood."

McDaniel nodded.

Pat Riley also handed over to Wilkins Jr. and Oakley, allowing them to run off the ball on the weak side, covering each other to create open opportunities.

He finally confessed to Mark Jackson again, saying: "Don't go head-to-head with Iron Fist on the offensive end, reduce your shots, use your teammates' blocks to get rid of him, and then pass or attack." ”

In the visiting locker room, Chuck Daley only told the problem of rebounding.

The Pistons' offensive and defensive and organizational skills are stronger than the Knicks, not too strong, but always a little stronger, only rebounding is a weakness.

He is very satisfied with Zhou Quan's growth and current strength, the offense is not mature, but the organization has exceeded his expectations of Zhou Quan.

As for defensive ability, he believes that Zhou Quan even has a chance to be selected for the best defensive team, and there are some opportunities in the second team.

At eight o'clock, the starting lineups of both sides were announced.

Pistons: John Sely, Dennis Rodman, Orlando Ulrich, Joe Dumas, Zhou Quan

Knicks: Ewing, Charles Oakley, McDaniel, Gerard Wilkins, Mark Jackson

At 8:15, he started the game.

"Shh

When Zhou appeared on the scene, Madison Square Garden was booed even more violently than in the previous game, and Knicks fans still showed their full support for the home team at the moment when the team was facing elimination.

New York is the largest ball market, and there are many Chinese, so he wants to sell more sneakers here, so he waved politely at these fans, and the smile on his face made many fans close their mouths.

"Patrick, it's up to you, take out the pistons!"

"Patrick......

The home team played, and when Ewing made his finale appearance, the fans of the two passages shouted one after another.

Ewing didn't interact with the fans at all and ran over with his head down, ignoring the hands of some of the fans who were reaching out to high-five him.

"I prefer Iron Fist, he at least keeps a smile on us, while Patrick will just keep a straight face on us."

"Yes, he never paid attention to us."

"Those who don't know think this is the home of Iron Fist."

"If Tekken has a good performance tonight, I think I'll applaud him, at least he respects us."

Some disgruntled fans complained one after another.

(End of chapter)