On the 13th, the league announced the best players of the first week, as well as the first MVP rankings.

Zhou Quan was a surprise when he was named the first player of the 92/93 season with his outstanding individual performance and the Pistons' outstanding record of winning four games and four wins.

He averaged 40 minutes per game, shot 8-of-16.25, shot 49.2% from the field, made 3.75 of 4 free throws, shot 93.75%, 21 points, 4.75 rebounds, 13.5 assists, 3.25 steals, 0.5 blocks, 3.25 turnovers, 3.5 fouls, assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.15, and shot 58.3% from the field.

In the second half of last season, he also played beautiful statistics for a while, but unfortunately the shooting percentage was low, the scoring gold content was not enough, and there was a lot of water to get this honor.

At the same time, he also entered the top 10 of the MVP list for the first time because of his personal and team performance, ranking fifth, and the top four were Jordan, Barkley, Olajuwon, and Ewing.

Being in the top five MVP is a huge step forward for him and a sign that he has become a true star in the league.

On the 14th, the Pistons defeated the Pacers at home and won five consecutive victories, with momentum like a rainbow, and Zhou Quan also played 20+10 data again.

On the 16th, the team came to Los Angeles, and on the 17th, they challenged the Clippers away.

Zhou's opponent was his old rival, Mark Jackson, who was traded to the Clippers by the Knicks.

It is said that he has an advantage, but Mark Jackson is in too good shape today, and the Clippers also went crazy with 12 assists in the game, and six people scored double-doubles, two of which were 20+, and the team scored 115 points.

The Pistons, on the other hand, were in a slightly worse form, scoring just 111 points and losing by four points.

Zhou Quan scored 29 points and hit 46% from the field, but he only got 8 assists, and his teammates just couldn't shoot the ball he passed.

Rodman has been injured and has not been able to gain an advantage in rebounding, which is also a big reason why the Pistons lost.

With a 5-1 record, the Pistons left Los Angeles and rushed to Denver to challenge the Nuggets.

Mutombo, Zhou Quan's annual rookie, Zhou Quan and Larry Johnson, the two best rookies, failed to be selected as All-Stars, but he became an All-Star substitute in his rookie season, with 16.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3 blocks in the regular season, strong defense, and has become the league's top basket protector.

Under his defense, Secali, who was too soft under the basket, shot 2 of 13 in this game and swallowed 3 big hats, Mills shot 3 of 8 and ate two big hats, and the Pistons were okay inside offense and died down.

Throughout the game, Mutombo made a fortune on the head of the Pistons, sending 9 big hats, not only did the Pistons' inside line dare not attack under the basket, but also the Pistons' outside line did not dare to break in, Zhou Quan rushed in and ate two hats.

In the end, the Pistons, who didn't want to lose in a row, reaped a losing streak and lost to the Nuggets, whose overall strength was inferior to them, showing the characteristics of the team's lineup and the wise saying that there is no weak team in the NBA.

With 5 wins and 2 losses, the Pistons came to the third away game of the trip, Seattle, with a losing streak, to challenge the powerful SuperSonics.

The media reacted quickly, and the Pistons, who had just identified the Pistons as a team in the first gear, now began to overturn their claims and threw the Pistons back into the second gear.

For example, ESPN TV said in a program on its NBA channel: "A championship-level team is not allowed to have a losing streak casually, such as the Bulls, there are very few consecutive defeats, because Michael Jordan does not allow it."

However, the Pistons were easily defeated by the Clippers and Nuggets who were not as strong as themselves, indicating that the hard power of this team has not yet reached the championship level.

And Iron Fist does not have the leadership ability of Michael Jordan for the team, nor does he have the strong control of the game, let alone the strong dominance of the opponent, which is the biggest reason why the Pistons don't want to lose in a row, but they have a losing streak. ”

ESPN's claims were endorsed by the vast majority of the media, with the exception of the Detroit media.

In a telephone interview with the media, Zhou Quan couldn't refute this argument, just because he was the boss of the team, and the team lost in a row, he had to bear the greatest responsibility, and there was no room or reason to shirk.

On the night of the 21st, with Rodman continuing to be absent, the Pistons ushered in a three-game losing streak, 106:128, losing to the SuperSonics.

"Dog-in-the-supersound!"

lost 22 points in the first battle and lost three in a row, and even Zhou Quan, who has always been Sven, couldn't help but burst into foul language after the game.

In fact, the Pistons' performance was not bad, and six people scored double-doubles.

Under Gary Payton's frantic defense, he shot 9-of-19 from the field and shot 47.4 percent, but he handed out 15 assists and three steals, which was not too bad.

But the Pistons played not badly, but the SuperSonics came to an explosion, and the main force scored double-doubles on the bench seven.

Under the crazy bombardment of the rain man Sean Kemp, Sekari and Mills were completely broken, Kemp scored 28 points, shooting more than 60%, and also sent 5 big hats, so that the two did not dare to attack under the basket.

The Pistons lost their interior defense and their interior offense, and they lost their interior offense.

After winning five in a row and losing three in a row, the Pistons exposed their weakness, that is, after trading John Celey, they could no longer face a strong interior opponent when Rodman was not available.

ESPN commented on this in the midday sports news on the 22nd, citing proof, as an example of the Pistons' nemesis, the Bulls.

"The Bulls are currently 5-3 losing to the Hawks, Pistons and Lakers, respectively, but they beat the Nuggets 84-117 in back-to-back games on the 14th and the SuperSonics 99-108 on the 19th," Cruise said.

The Bulls don't have a strong interior line, but they can beat these two teams, and the Pistons are actually stronger on the inside than the Bulls, but they lost to these two teams, then we can conclude that the Pistons are not as good as the Bulls.

To be more precise, the Pistons lost to these two teams because the outside was inferior to the Bulls' outside, when they were stronger on the inside than the Bulls. ”

At this time, the Pistons were already in Portland and ushered in another back-to-back, which was the third back-to-back of the month since the start of the game.

Zhou Quan saw the news while eating lunch with his teammates, but he had to admit that ESPN was right, the combination of Jordan + Pippen is indeed stronger than him and Joe Dumas.

It is undeniable that the combination of Jordan and Pippen is stronger than them, both offensively and defensively, and he will not deny it, let alone deny the strength of his opponent.

But the game is five, and if the Pistons can beat the Bulls once, they will have a chance to beat the second.

As for losing to the Clippers, SuperSonics, and Nuggets, who dares to guarantee that the Bulls will not lose to them in the future, can Michael Jordan guarantee it?

The MVP ranking for the second week came out, and his data was still 20+10, which was still very good, but the ranking fell out of the top 10 all of a sudden.

That night, at 95:115, the Pistons lost to the mighty Trail Blazers, losing four consecutive games in the first round of the road, losing all the faces, and being wildly ridiculed by many media.

In particular, Troy Weaver's trading operations regarding John Sely have become the focus of media criticism.

Of course, after four consecutive defeats, the person who was blamed the most by the media was, of course, Zhou Quan, whose ability to lead the team and his ability to stand up at critical moments have been seriously questioned.

Ended this round of road trips, with a 5-4 record, the Pistons returned to Detroit to lick their wounds.

After two days of adjustments, the Pistons welcomed the challenge of the Charlotte Hornets at No. 25.

Larry Johnson was knocked out by Zhou Quan, but because the KO was too fast, he didn't hit a few times, the injury was not serious, it didn't affect the regular season, and he even played in the preseason alive.

As Zhou Quan's sworn enemy, he attracted a lot of attention, and when he came to the palace in Auburn Hills to train in the afternoon, several media interviewed him.

"Larry, will you still challenge the killer king in the ring?" The journalist asked.

Larry Johnson's face turned a little green, and he said in a muffled voice: "Look at the opportunity, I won't be afraid of him, I'm stepping up my boxing training." ”

"I remember the last time I knocked you out, Iron Fist told you not to provoke him in the ring, and he said you are not qualified, do you agree with that?" Another reporter asked.

"Of course I don't agree, I just didn't hit him because I had too little training time and my punching speed was too slow, as long as I trained a little bit, I would definitely be able to hit him." Larry Johnson said with shame.

"So tonight on the basketball court, do you have the confidence to beat him?"

"Of course."

Larry Johnson said fiercely: "We're going to give them five straight defeats." ”

At half past seven in the evening, the two sides announced their starting lineups.

The game was the first time the Pistons were broadcast live in the United States, broadcast live by ABC, and the commentators were Bill Wharton and Lewis Williams.

After Bill Wharton got the list, he said with a smile: "Although this year's draft is a small year, there are two very talented centers, Shaq O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning, they have played 20+10 data so far, and they also averaged 3.5 blocks per game, which can be called the peak of their debut." ”

Williams laughed: "In contrast, O'Neal the Shark is better, he's more efficient offensively, five percentage points higher than Mourning, and his offense happens more under the basket.

However, Mourning is a little bit better defensively, he is very tough defensively, and he puts a little more into it on the defensive end than O'Neal. ”

Bill Wharton nodded: "But the interior combination of Mourning and Larry Johnson is quite good offensively and defensively, and I am very optimistic about the Hornets this season."

The two of them, plus Kendall Gil and Dell Curry on the bench, finished 12th in the East last season for the Hornets, and I think they have a very good chance of making the playoffs this season, and they can even fight for home court advantage in the top half. ”

Williams laughed: "But I've heard that the two of them have clashed in the NCAA game, and there have always been holidays, and I'm a little worried that they will bring the conflicts of their college days into the locker room." ”

"Really? I didn't notice that. Bill Wharton was a little surprised.

Williams added: "Bill, who are you more optimistic about in tonight's game?" ”

Bill Wharton laughed, "Lewis, you know, I'm an alumnus of Iron Fist, and I'd love to support his team. ”

Williams said: "But in the last four games, the Pistons have lost all of them, and they have also lost games in the face of the powerful Nuggets and SuperSonics on the inside, so now the media thinks that the Pistons can't deal with such a team, and it is just that the Hornets have a first-class combination of Mourning and Larry Johnson on the inside."

So according to the analysis of the media, the Pistons should not be able to deal with the Hornets and have a smaller chance of winning, don't you think so? ”

Bill Wharton didn't answer the question, but said: "Then let the facts prove whether this Pistons team, in the absence of Rodman, can play a strong team on the inside." ”

At this time, in the players' tunnel, Zhou Quan met his defeated man Larry Johnson in the ring again.

"Hey, Auntie." He greeted with a smile.

Larry Johnson originally liked the nickname "Big Mom", which sold him a lot of shoes, but after being ridiculed by countless fans at the Great Western Forum Arena last time, he doesn't like it now, and he prefers a nickname like the Detroit Killer King.

And Zhou Quan shouted this nickname, which made him feel as uncomfortable as eating a piece of.

"Damn, call me by name, my name is Larry Johnson, not Big Mom." He stared at Zhou Quan and said angrily.

"Okay, Auntie." Zhou Quan smiled and did not change his words.

Larry Johnson turned his head angrily and walked to the front, ignoring Zhou Quan.

Alonzo Mourning, watching Zhou Quan from the side, saw that Zhou Quan seemed to be bullying Larry Johnson, but did not speak.

He knows Zhou Quan, the cross-border madman in the sports world that the media is currently paying attention to, the guy who swept the four villains in the NBA league, stepped on the corpses of the wicked people and became the biggest villain in the league at present, very capable of fighting, and even has the level of a professional boxer.

But his personality is extremely tough and fierce, his style is iron-blooded, he was known as a saint warrior in college, he is not afraid of Zhou Quan at all, isn't it just fighting, if you can't fight, you have to bite a piece of meat, it's no big deal.

If it was other teammates, he would have stepped up, but Larry Johnson, he had to think about it, he didn't want to help if it wasn't really time to do it.

Zhou Quan also glanced at Mo Ning a few times, very greedy, if the Pistons can get this guy, it will be much easier to beat the Bulls.

At eight o'clock, the game officially began.

Secali and Mourning jump the ball, and the Pistons attack.

Zhou Quan advanced to the front court with the ball, and the Hornets did not change the defense, so they let the 160-centimeter Boggs defend him.

Boggs is good at stealing the ball, so he is nicknamed the robber, as soon as he gets close to Zhou Quan, he circles around him like a fly, and the ball goes around whichever side he wants, giving full play to the characteristics of his short stature.

After Zhou Quan changed hands to control the ball, he immediately accelerated to get rid of the opponent, held the ball to the top of the arc, stepped over, and went straight to the free throw line.

Boggs relied on faster speed to run forward again, and stopped Zhou Quan in one step at the free throw line, but Zhou Quan suddenly made a jump stop at the free throw line.

"Brush!"

Boggs' bounce was amazing, and he immediately jumped and blocked with all his might, but he still didn't keep up with the rhythm of Zhou Quan, and the basketball swiped down the basket with precision.

In the 8th minute of the first quarter, Zhou Quan made 9 crazy shots, all of which were mid-range pull-up jump shots, and hit 6 on Boggs' head, with a shooting rate of 66.6%.

The Hornets can't do anything about him unless they replace Boggs, but apart from Boggs, they don't have a good point guard at all, so although Boggs was blown up on the defensive end, he still stayed on the court.

The outside line can't do the Pistons, the Hornets make up for it on the inside, and Mourning and Larry Johnson make a lot of shots, but they also have a relationship with the Pistons.

But Mourning's offense wasn't good tonight, he didn't attack much under the basket, mostly low-post jumpers, and he didn't feel very good.

In the end, 96:101, the Pistons got their sixth win of the new season and finally ended the losing streak.

Zhou played 45 minutes, scored 34 points on Boggs' head, broke the regular season record of 29 points in a single game, and dished out 14 assists.

However, he made four mistakes, one ball was broken by the Boggs guy, and the other three mistakes were passing and receiving errors, and the cooperation with Secali and Mills was not tacit enough.

Larry Johnson scored 22 points and shot 52 percent from the field.

Alonzo Mourning had 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 blocks, 4 turnovers and 4 fouls, and apart from blocking, he didn't play well tonight.

"Joe, how are you?"

Zhou Quan asked as he returned to the locker room.

Jo Dumas smiled: "Small problem, there are just two days off, I just need to take another truce." ”

"That's good." He breathed a sigh of relief.

In the 8th minute of the final quarter, Joe Dumas was blocked on the floor by a big hat from Mourning when he broke through with the ball, and he went off the court with an injury, which made him a little worried.

On the 26th, the team ushered in good news, Rodman left the injury list, entered the 12-man rotation list, and began to participate in the team's training.

Next, after two days of rest, the Pistons defeated the Timberwolves on the 28th to win the seventh game on the road, and then returned to the home court to face the Knicks on the 29th, another back-to-back.

Rodman came off the bench for 12 minutes against the Timberwolves, grabbed four rebounds and was in good shape.

And Joe Dumas will also return in this game, and the Pistons will gather all the main players for the first time this season and play with the main lineup.

This game is also the second national live broadcast of the Pistons this season, and it is not easy.

(End of chapter)