Chapter 217 Christmas Battle

   The next day, at noon on December 24th, the Suns returned to Phoenix, and there will be four home games. The first game is against the Mosaic team, the Christmas game.

  When the Suns returned to Phoenix, the Mosaic team also arrived.

  Wang Tiejun had made an appointment with Barkley for lunch long ago. It happened that Zhang Lili and the others were also in Phoenix, so he arranged a party at home and asked Lao Zhang to arrange it for him.

  After the plane landed, he took the entire team of more than a dozen players straight home from the airport. When he got home, Zhang Li's buffet was almost ready.

   After a while, Barkley came over.

   "Old K, you signed that ten-day short contract this time last year, exactly one year." Barkley laughed while eating and chatting.

   "Well, it's been exactly one year."

   nodded, and he asked, "Charles, your numbers have dropped a bit this year!"

   "Don't say this, don't say this." Buckley was startled, then shook his head quickly.

  Team Mosaic is not his team. Going there, he and Da Meng are both insiders. Someone must make concessions. Wasn't he, Da Meng let him?

   Of course, he didn’t give too much. He now has an average of 21+11 and last season’s 26+12, which is still a superstar’s performance and one of Mosaic’s dual cores.

   At that time, David Frank persuaded him that he would rather go to play dual-core with Da Meng than play support for Lao K. He said that his value would drop like that. To be honest, his value has not dropped now, so it cannot be said that it was wrong to go to Houston.

   But there is also a negative effect. The media often accuse him of holding a group, so he regrets going to Houston, because once the group is implemented, it will affect his future historical positioning.

   But no matter how you do it, it is still cost-effective now. At least his commercial value has been preserved. This is the most practical thing, and the rest are false.

  Three o'clock, after lunch, teammates and Barkley were sent away, Wang Tiejun drove to the supermarket, he wanted to buy some small gifts.

  Although I don’t feel anything about Christmas, I do as the locals do. When I receive a gift from someone, I always have to give it back, so I need to prepare some.

   "Oh, it's old K."

   "Hello, Merry Christmas to you all!"

   Entering the supermarket, some customers and a few staff members immediately gathered around and greeted everyone. He then picked some small things and left the supermarket.

   "Brother Zhang, Su Qun, I haven't asked you yet, is tomorrow's Christmas fight on CCTV going to be live?" He asked casually when Zhang Lili and Su Qun were still there when he got home.

   "The Christmas battle will definitely be broadcast, but unfortunately it's not you and the Bulls. Now the Suns and the Bulls are the most popular in China." Zhang Lili laughed.

   Having said this, he suddenly smiled and said: "Tie Jun, I have something to discuss with you, and now we have..."

   CCTV has very few live broadcasts and very little cost. When there is no live broadcast of the Bulls, Zhang Lili and the others usually stay in Phoenix and dare not go anywhere.

   But even so, they don't have any money anymore, no, it's not that there is no RMB, it's that there are no dollars.

   Of course, there are not many RMB, and the budget given is quite small.

   Although the cost approved by CCTV for them is very tight, it can still allow them to live in the United States. It is only in RMB, and the US dollar is not much. In the past two months, the cost is almost the same, and I want to ask Wang Tiejun to exchange a little.

   "On a business trip in the United States, your desk actually gave you RMB?" Wang Tiejun said in surprise.

Su Qun and Zhang Lili became embarrassed. Of course, they knew exactly what was going on in this stage. They explained it to them when they came out. All the dollars in the stage were used to buy copyright, and they were used in many places. If they run out of dollars here, they will find a way to find a way to Wang Tiejun.

   "Okay, it's a trivial matter, anyway, I have to exchange RMB when I go back." He said.

   Then he exchanged 5,000 dollars for them, not because they refused to exchange more, but because they had this amount of money in their hands.

   "Brother Zhang, how much can you earn this month?" he asked.

"The salary plus the travel allowance is more than 1,000 yuan a month. I also get a basic salary for the national basketball team. It can add up to 2,000 yuan a month, which is very good, and it is considered a high income in the capital. ." Zhang Lili laughed.

   "You don't make as much money as Brother Changfeng. He can buy a flat in the capital after a year. Would you continue to follow me? I won't treat you badly," he said.

"Yep."

   Liu Changfeng nodded again and again.

   "Forget it, following you, I always think it's a mess. Now it makes more sense." Zhang Lili refused.

   nodded, he didn't persuade him any more, and asked, "You guys are so nervous about expenses, I haven't asked where you live yet?"

   Zhang Lili said with a smile: "In the area where I used to live, the five of us rented one room and one living room. There were many people, so the rent was increased by 30%, but it was okay."

   "Five people in one room and one living room, how about you play Arhats every night?" he complained.

   "Then what can we do? It's still cheap. If you live in a motel, it will be more expensive over time." Zhang Li said.

   He thought about it and said, "Well, I'll rent you another house, and I'll help you."

   "How about that?" Su Qun and the others hurriedly asked.

"It's just for help between friends. Brother Zhang also often helps me, isn't it today? It doesn't cost a lot of money. It has nothing to do with your unit, our personal friendship. I won't say more, it's settled as it is. ." he said.

   Zhang Lili thought for a while, then nodded and said, "That's fine."

   Then Wang Tiejun found a real estate agent and quickly settled the matter. He rented a three-bedroom, one-bedroom apartment in a nearby community, which solved the very difficult accommodation problem for Zhang Heli and the others.

   That night, Wang Tiejun watched the game between the Bulls and the SuperSonics. As a result, Pippen was sidelined because of a back injury, and the Bulls with an incomplete lineup lost.

   This is also the second time the Bulls have lost this season, with 22 wins and 2 losses, which is still the first in the league.

   No. 25, match day.

  The Suns held a tactical meeting in the morning to discuss how to play the game.

  The team's defensive coach Nathan Welm suggested: "On the defensive end, old K doesn't need to defend against a meat shield, and still goes to Da Meng."

  Assistant coach Lewis said: "That way Green can't stop Eric Clary at all, he will go directly to the basket."

Nathan Welm said: "It doesn't matter, that rookie Eric Clary is useless except for his tonnage. Even if he is under the basket, I believe that Green can defend him by going around the front. Green's defense is pretty good."

   Having said this, Lewis agreed.

   Coach Westphal also agreed with this defensive strategy, and he talked about the defense of the three.

  Lewis said with a wry smile: "Barkley plays the No. 3 position. Although Horry has a height disadvantage, he can't stop Barkley's back play at all. We are destined to blow up in this position.

   Now I just hope that in the old K position, Da Meng's score will not be too strong, so that we still have a chance to defend. "

Nathan Wilm said: "Old K's defense is stronger now than last season. The advice I give is the same as David Robinson. If you don't guard the shot, let him shoot jumpers outside. When the time comes, push him out of the paint, and no matter how good his pace is, he's less of a threat when he's off the rim."

   Westphal nodded, agreeing with this statement.

   Wang Tiejun below nodded the same way. Last time he played against David Robinson, he was still able to defend. Although he couldn't defend against the general's score, it could reduce his efficiency. That's enough.

   Nathan Welm added: "We are a lot weaker on the inside, and we have to pull it back on the outside. My opinion is to strengthen the outside defense, split their inside and outside lines, and destroy their offensive tactics."

   But when it comes to this, everyone’s confidence is not high, because now the Suns have no defensive system at all, often when switching defenses, there are often loopholes and vacancies.

   There is no way to solve this in a short period of time. The only way to build a defensive system is to slowly run in.

   After talking about defense, start discussing offensive tactics.

The key point of    is, of course, the 5th position, how to help Wang Tiejun break the opponent's double-team tactics.

   This question, after the last defeat to Mosaic, the coaching staff has been thinking about it, it can be said that they racked their brains.

   Westphal said: "My idea is to put Dan Marley on the old K's wing and use his three-pointer to contain Barkley, what do you think?"

Lewis nodded immediately and said: "This is a good idea. After Daniel Marley goes down, let Danny Ainge come on again. We only have two guys who are not bad for three points. Just keep Barkley at bay, like Eric Kleiley. How can we really prevent old K? Or let Danny Ainge start instead of Horry, we have three-point gunners on both wings."

Westphal nodded, but said: "But even if Barkley's side is resolved, as long as Eric Clary holds Old K for half a second, the weak-side big dream can return to the basket, with his Defensively, it's hard for K to play high-quality offense at the rim."

Nathan Wilm also said: "Using a meat shield to liberate Da Meng, let Da Meng play weak side defense, you can release all his defensive energy, without having to directly confront the old K, Tomjanovich The idea that the coach came up with is really good."

   Westphal finally said: "The only solution now is to let the old K strengthen the scoring. If the big dream returns to the basket, then Green will run to the right bottom corner and wait for the old K to score the ball."

   In the evening, at 7:30, the two sides announced the starter.

  Mosaic: Olajuwon, Barkley, Mario Elie, Vernon Maxwell, Kenny Smith

  Suns: Wang Tiejun, AC Green, Horry, Dan Marley, Kevin Johnson

  The game is broadcast live in the United States by ABC, and CCTV broadcasts it in real time. There are also many TV stations around the world that buy real-time live broadcast signals.

   "Ladies and gentlemen, Merry Christmas!"

After congratulating, Bill Walton began to analyze: "Needless to say, the Mosaic team's inside line is as luxurious as the Bulls' outside line, and they are a combination of double superstars. According to the law of inside advantage, the Mosaic team and lineup are even more luxurious than the Bulls. .

  The Suns have played one game with the Mosaic and the Bulls, and they all lost by a large margin, which shows that the Suns have fallen behind by one level, at least one level, among these three teams.

   So tonight's game, I am still optimistic about Mosaic, the Suns should have no chance of winning. "

"Merry Christmas!"

John Hanks laughed: "Barkley was the first to team up, he was the first superstar to team up with another superstar at his peak, but he did have a chance to win a second championship. .

   At eight o'clock, the game starts.

  Dream won the jump ball and the Mosaic team attacked.

   "Boy, do you think you can stop me?"

  Da Meng ran to the right wing and took a low position, but he did not expect Wang Tiejun to follow him, and he immediately spouted.

   "Soft Egg Dream, you're actually avoiding me?" Pharaoh immediately shot back.

"you?"

   Big dream nameless anger, do I really need to hide from you?

   But he couldn't tell, because according to the strategy, he not only avoided Wang Tiejun on the offensive end, but also on the defensive end. Using the meat shield to liberate his energy at both ends of the offense and defense was the key tactic for the Mosaic team to win the Suns last time.

   Now that Old K has taken the initiative to find him, he cannot escape.

   But he can't escape. As the most powerful one among the super centers, what is he afraid of?

   Just when he thought so, Wang Tiejun started a strong confrontation on the defensive end, he did not hesitate to carry out a strong confrontation with physical strength, and did everything in his power to push him outward.

   He immediately understood the Suns' defensive strategy, which was to prevent him from entering the paint and reduce his offensive efficiency.

   He immediately pulled out and the ball came over. After catching the ball, when Wang Tiejun caught up, he swayed up and down, shook off his opponent, and strode towards the paint area with the ball.

  Wang Tiejun turned around and chased, one step behind.

  AC Green always sat in the basket, and immediately made up to the front of the big dream, and the back of the meat shield Eric Clary leaked out.

   At this time, Da Meng passed the ball to Riley at the basket.

   But the moment he passed the ball, Wang Tiejun pounced from behind him, and when Riley caught the ball for a layup, he flew up and grabbed the ball directly.

"yeah!"

   The rare cap grab made the audience cheer.

  The Suns counterattacked, Lightning Kevin Johnson quickly went down, dropped his opponent Kenny Smith a step, received a direct pass from Wang Tiejun, and then went to the basket and made a layup.

   "Beautiful! Through Green's supplementary defense, the iron army has a chance to return to defense. The cooperation between the two is stronger than when they played against the Mosaic team in the last game." Zhang Lili laughed.

   "The speed of old K's turning around and chasing defense just now is not too slow, and the speed of returning to defense is a little faster." Su Qun laughed.

   "Yes, he has been training all summer. I have seen with my own eyes that his mobility has improved a lot." Zhang Lili laughed.

  Mosaic attacked, this time by Barkley on the left flank.

   Although he is a power forward, he can play both inside and out, and the small forward can also play well.

   On the defensive end, it was Horry who guarded Barkley.

   has an advantage in height, but the gap between tonnage and strength is very large. After a fart, he was beaten to the ground, and then Barkley turned a jumper and hit a mid-range shot.

   2 draws, Sun attacked.

"what?"

   Seeing Dan Marley running to his side, Barkley expressed surprise.

Dan Marley keeps moving on the left-wing three-point line, but does not run to the bottom corner, because the bottom corner is the closest to the low post on the left wing, where Barkley can turn around and can double-team the old K, he is between 36 and 60. Do the pullback run at the position of the degree.

  Barkley is still the same as defending Horry, taking one step and staring at the low-ranking Wang Tiejun at the same time, it is only one step.

   "Bang bang bang..."

  Kevin Johnson dribbled the ball continuously on the outside, suddenly pulled to the right wing, and after driving Kenny Smith, he suddenly turned back and passed the ball to the low left wing.

  Wang Tiejun received the ball with one hand and immediately dribbled the ball by hitting Riley, the meat shield.

At this time, when he was dribbling the ball, Barkley, who was one step away, quickly turned around and pounced. The timing of assisting defense was very good. In less than half a second, his big hand reached him, and the next second grab his ball.

At this moment, the meat shield Riley is also desperately resisting his attack. As long as he waits for half a second, Barkley's double-team will come, and the big dream on the weak side will also return to the basket. This is him. The only role on the field.

   "So light!"

   However, at the moment when the slap hit, he felt wrong, there was no power at all, the slap force that was so huge that his heart would shudder, this time it was as gentle as a spring breeze and drizzle.

"not good!"

When Barkley took the next step and grabbed Wang Tiejun with his hand, he saw Old K, who was within reach, suddenly poked his hand down, grabbed the ball that bounced off the floor again, and got up with one hand. Throwing a **** towards him, he was startled, braked instinctively, and raised his hand to stop it.

   "Fake action! Not good!"

Blocked the air, but in the next instant, he saw Wang Tiejun make a second throw, and this time, it was a true pass, and he failed to make a continuous interception response, the ball flew over his head, and he He also threw himself to Wang Tiejun's side, but the ball was no longer here.

"Snapped!"

   Dan Marley, who was at the 50-degree three-point line on the left wing, caught the ball with both hands. There was no defender within two meters. He took off calmly and the basketball flew to the basket.

"brush!"

  The water splashed and the three-pointer hit.

   Zhang Lili said excitedly: "Beautiful! This is a low-post singles tactic. If there is a double-team, it will be separated. At the same time, this is also a flanking low-posting tactic in the triangle strategy, a low-posting singles tactic that Jordan often played in the past.

   At that time, the league had not yet introduced the anti-isolation singles law, so he often played low-post singles alone on the strong side, and everyone else pulled to the weak side, so that no one could double-team him. But now with the anti-isolation rule, he rarely plays like that because he'll get double-teamed. "

   In the ABC live booth, Bill Walton laughed: "This tactic was played quite calmly. After attracting Barkley's double-team, he immediately scored the ball, and there was a fake pass. Old K completely teased Barkley."

  John Hanks said: "You can let Dan Marley transition the ball, so that Barkley can be contained more. This is also an authentic triangle flank low post tactic."

   Bill Walton nodded and said with a smile: "This kind of tactic can't be played by the Bulls now, even if Clifford Robinson is brought in, because he is not good at low post play skills.

This tactic is only suitable for a guy like K who has a strong post-up, you have to double-team him in the post, but he can score the ball. If you have a 3-point shooter out there, don't worry, you'll keep going Get the opportunity to open, otherwise you can only watch old K pass his singles and blow up the defender. "

   "And Old K has a strong sense of scoring, his passing skills are also very good, and his vision is not a problem. As long as he calms down, it should be able to solve the problem of Barkley going to double-team him."

  John Hanks added, and then laughed: "It seems that the Suns have found some ways this game and are better than the last game."

Bill Walton laughed: "You have to know that whether it's old K or head coach Westphal, they are all second-years, what they lack is experience, which is a big weakness for them, and they need time to go. solve these problems."

   (end of this chapter)