Starting from the last bus in the NBA

Chapter 422 Huaxia Derby

Yao Ming took the initiative to leave the inside line, PJ Brown did not delay, and immediately followed out, he knew Yao Ming had a middle distance.

Faced with the grades of Francis and Yao Ming, the Supersonics' choice is also very targeted, that is, they will not let go.

Gary Payton bypassed the defense between Yao Ming and PJ Brown, and decisively chose to follow Francis.

In fact, at this time, Francis had a momentary opportunity to shoot directly from outside the three-point line.

However, he didn't do that.

Francis averaged only about 3 three-pointers per game, and his shooting percentage was less than 30%.

Obviously, he trusted his breakthrough more.

Sure enough, after borrowing Yao Ming's cover, Francis immediately turned on his horses and made a sudden move.

Gary Payton's speed is a bit slow, but he still sticks to Francis as much as possible to form interference.

At the same time, Kirilenko has moved quickly and immediately blocked Francis' breakthrough.

At this time, Francis should choose to pass the ball.

Cato, who is in the middle distance, is actually in a good position.

Francis took a look. If it was Yao Ming, he might have really passed the ball.

Because he knew that Yao Ming had the basket, but he failed to score, and it was actually quite good to get an assist.

Ever since, Francis chose to force the shot.

He jumped up suddenly while he was moving fast, his explosive power was almost bursting, and he seemed to jump up on the spot.

Gary Payton couldn't keep up at all, so he could only reach out and interfere as much as possible.

But then, there is Kirilenko.

Kirilenko's reaction was also extremely quick, and he straightened his arms quickly. His bounce was normal, but his height and wingspan were there.

More importantly, his grasp of the timing of the block.

Just as Francis was about to shoot the ball, Kirilenko also stretched out his hand, and it was just such a shot.

"Snapped!"

A big hat is delivered directly.

This is the Supersonics' defense today. Five players can rotate and double-team without restriction.

As for the air defense capability, it is said that the supersonic internal line is not good, but in fact, their prevention and control are really not bad.

This season, PJ Brown, Kirilenko, and Wang Hao, together, they averaged 6 blocks per game.

This is a very good stat in the entire NBA.

At this time, Yao Ming was still pushing PJ Brown to squeeze inside, trying to rebound.

As a result, he didn't even have a chance to grab a rebound.

Wang Hao's reaction was extremely fast, he immediately protected the rebound and launched a counterattack.

Jim Jackson's reaction was also quick, always following Wang Hao.

It's just that he doesn't want to foul directly, so it's obviously impossible to guard Wang Hao if he just follows.

After stepping into the three-second zone, Wang Hao suddenly made a change in rhythm, directly throwing away Jim Jackson, and easily dunked.

2:0

Looking back, it was Mosaic's attack again.

This time, Francis did not mess around, but chose to implement the head coach's tactics.

Although he doesn't like Jeff Van Gundy either, he doesn't dare to really do such things as provoking the head coach.

It's just that after Yao Ming was in position, he just received the ball, and the supersonic double-team left to keep up.

Yao Ming didn't dare to delay, and immediately passed the ball.

Pass the ball decisively when being double-teamed, which means that Mosaic actually has space.

It's just that the supersonic fast rotation defense can eliminate this gap very well.

Mosaic has only passed the ball twice, and the Supersonic's defense has recovered quickly.

To be honest, looking at the performance of the Supersonics, Jeff Van Gundy is really greedy!

This kind of defense is definitely what all NBA coaches desire.

In the end, the old cat Mobley could only play hard with the ball and forcefully shoot against Michael Reed's defense.

In this case, basketball can only be played on the basket.

The basketball bounced out of the frame, and almost instantly, at least three of the Supersonics shrank to the inside.

PJ Brown, Kirilenko, and Wang Hao, they must do their best to ensure rebounds.

Sure enough, the mosaic was indeed arranged.

The moment Yao Ming and Cato saw Mobley make a shot, they immediately squeezed into the inside lane.

This is to compete for rebounds!

Yao Ming is 226 centimeters and Cato is 211 centimeters. They still have an advantage in rebounding.

After all, the tallest on the Supersonic side is only PJ Brown's 211 cm.

It's just that rebounding is not just about height.

While blocking Cato, Kirilenko easily took off the rebound and handed the ball to Wang Hao nearby.

Wang Hao did not delay, and immediately speeded up.

Supersonic also has countermeasures for Mosaic's move.

That is speed up, speed up with all your strength, after all, Mosaic has two big centers behind.

The Sonics have every chance to play a 4-on-3, or even a 5-on-3 situation.

Sure enough, Yao Ming and Cato were significantly slower, and Wang Hao and Kirilenko had already rushed into the three-point line.

Wang Hao had no intention of stopping the ball at all, and directly chose to force the ball.

Knowing that double-teaming Wang Hao would definitely lead to missing people, Francis had no choice but to do so.

But just as Francis was moving towards Wang Hao, a figure suddenly rushed into the inner line.

And Wang Hao, who seems to have eyes in the back of his head, has already seen everything clearly.

He threw it casually, and the basketball flew directly towards the basket. At the same time, a figure chased after him.

That's right, it was Kirilenko. He lifted the basketball slightly off the ground, caught the basketball with both hands, and smashed it into the basket.

4:0

The Sonics still rewrote the score, but at this time, Yao Ming and Cato were long overdue.

The Supersonic's goal is very clear, which is to force Mosaic to return to defense early and dare not fight for rebounds.

Jeff Van Gundy rose straight from the bench.

As an experienced head coach, he naturally sees clearly that rebounding is the weakness of the Sonics.

What's more, on the field of competition, the more your opponent doesn't want you to do, the more you have to target.

According to these two reasons, Mosaic should not make changes.

The height advantage of Yao Ming and Cato is there.

It is impossible for the three Supersonics to protect the rebounds every time.

But the question is, Jeff Van Gundy considered another possibility, can Mosaic resist it?

Can Mosaic withstand the Sonics' counterattack after counterattack until they have something to do with rebounding?

Jeff Van Gundy wants to wait and see.

But this wait is directly for the Supersonics to play a small climax, starting with 11:0.

In this case, Jeff Van Gundy had to make a change.

He asked Yao Ming and Cato to give up the fight for rebounds and put the defense in place first.

For a defensive coach, he can't stand by and watch his opponent keep scoring easily.

However, this also means that Mosaic voluntarily gave up their few advantages.

The real situation is also like this.

Mosaic began to effectively limit the Sonics' scoring, but their offense also stumbled a bit.

This situation lasted until the last minute.

104:88

Yao Ming lost the first game of his playoff career in this way, and directly lost by 16 points.

In this game, Yao Ming played mediocre.

15 points and 8 rebounds, although not very bad, but it can only be said to be quite satisfactory.

Facing the double-teaming of the Sonics, he can't do much.

And his teammates obviously couldn't share too much pressure for him, and couldn't help him unshackle.

As for Wang Hao, he scored 25 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, a very impressive performance.

Moreover, he clocked out of get off work in three quarters today, otherwise, the statistics would be even better.

In this regard, Wang Hao doesn't care, as long as he can win.

The next second battle will still be held in Seattle.

It's just that the situation is almost the same, the mosaic is tied up, and the effect is not very good.

Facing the supersonic's strong perimeter defense, Francis' breakthrough was greatly restricted.

Yao Ming, on the other hand, was constantly being double-teamed in the paint.

It can be said that Mosaic's offense can't open the situation at all, but the defense can't prevent the Supersonic.

In the third game after returning to Houston, Mosaic made decisive changes.

Jeff Van Gundy stepped up the offense from the perimeter.

Especially Francis, this guy is like a nerve knife, throwing 2 three-pointers in the opening game.

You know, this guy's three-pointers have never been very good.

It's just that, when everyone feels good, the Sonics can't just complain, but find a way to solve the problem.

What else can I think of, naturally let Gary Payton's defense expand outward.

In this way, Francis was given room to break through.

It has to be said that, as the player with the best physical fitness among active point guards in the NBA, his breakthrough is also really powerful.

Give him space, he really dares to break through.

Not only that, Yao Ming also consciously opened up the space inside. There was no other way, since Cato couldn't open it, he could only open it.

This is also beneficial, at least Yao Ming doesn't have to worry about being double-teamed.

Francis kept connecting with Yao Ming, and Yao Ming used one mid-range shot after another to stabilize the situation.

In the last 5 minutes, Mosaic once took the lead, and they even saw the hope of winning.

However, at this moment, Wang Hao stepped forward.

The same two consecutive goals, one inside and one outside scored five points in a row, directly smoothing the difference.

But when it comes to the decisive moment, the mosaic is not enough to look at.

On the one hand, Wang Hao is unstoppable, on the other hand, Mosaic is timid, and losing is justified.

Mosaic still lost in the third game that was most likely to win.

By the fourth game, the consecutive losses had left Mosaic with little confidence and could only continue to lose.

The Supersonics also took the lead in advancing to the Western Conference semifinals, and advanced in a sweep.

In the past few days, in fact, on Huaxia's Internet, some fans have been saying that Wang Hao is merciless.

This is not to frame him, in fact, he did not hold back.

However, Wang Hao felt that this was just as it should be.

Sports competition is all about going all out, strength is not sophistication.

Look at the future Huaxia basketball and Huaxia football, are they good enough to talk about the world?

But the result?

How quickly he became a street mouse, and everyone shouted and beat him!

Perhaps it was the first time to participate in the playoffs, and Yao Ming was still a little uncomfortable with the intensity of the competition.

In the entire four games, except for the third game, Yao Ming actually didn't play very well.

It can only be said that Yao Ming was born in the wrong era.

Why are the former four major centers so powerful, whether it is record or statistics, they are quite impressive?

Don't talk about others, just talk about Alonzo Mourning, he doesn't have many offensive methods, he can be regarded as a defensive champion.

But at his peak, he can also hit 20+10 data.

Because at that time, you can play unlimited singles, and it is still a one-on-one singles.

As long as he has a body and a little technology, it is not difficult for a center to get data.

This is also the reason why the center is widely sought after.

But now, despite the legalization of zone defense, it is no longer an easy task to play singles.

Unless you start a single from the outside with the ball, otherwise, as long as you go inside, there will be double-teams immediately.

After four games, Yao Ming averaged 16.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in the face of the Sonics' endless double-teaming.

This performance can only be said to be quite satisfactory mainly because of his shooting percentage, which is only 46%.

It can be seen that Yao Ming has not yet adapted to the intensity of the NBA playoffs.

As for double-teaming, that's okay. In the CBA, he actually enjoyed such a situation.

It's just that the original team was completely centered on him, with other people sharing the pressure.

But when it comes to Mosaic, not everyone is trying to find a way to pass the ball until he is injured.

He is just a part of the team's tactics, no one shares the pressure for him, no one can help him.

"Old Wang, that's too much. If you don't release any water, it's really a direct sweep!"

After the game, Yao Ming complained directly.

Wang Hao smiled, but he knew that Yao Ming was just complaining, but wanted him to really release the water.

"The result is the same if you release the water. Your team is still a bit weaker!"

"It's too much to talk nonsense and tell the truth! You, just keep working hard, I'm going home to rest.

By the way, keep working hard, since you beat me, keep winning! "

"Rest? Good idea, don't forget, we still have the Olympics!"

Hearing about the Olympic Games, Yao Ming immediately became emotional. He did not forget that this year is the Olympic year.

If you lose in the NBA, you can win it back in the Olympics.

The fact that the Sonics can sweep their opponents does not mean that all teams can, and some teams are also struggling.

The first round of this year's playoffs did not end until May, when the Eastern Pelicans and the Heat decided the winner.

Let's talk about the East first. In the East, the Pacers and Nets both swept and advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

The Pistons also lost only one game, that is, the Pelicans and the Heat played seven games, and the Heat finally advanced.

In the west, the Sonics and Timberwolves swept to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

The remaining two groups of matches were in a tough fight.

The Spurs face the Kings, and the Lakers face the Mavericks. These are all real strong dialogues!

On the Lakers side, relying on stronger inside strength and Kobe's performance at critical moments.

In the end, they advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a total score of 4:2.

The Spurs also advanced with the same score, but the process was even more difficult.

In overtime alone, two games were played in six games, and the final score difference of several games was within 6 points.