Chapter 317 First Round of Playoffs 2

Author: Feng Yuanhua

Chapter 317 First Round of Playoffs 2

110:88

Finally, when the final whistle sounded, the score was set.

The 22-point difference actually doesn't explain the problem, because the Sonics have already fielded their entire lineup.

The fourth quarter was also the only quarter in which the Jazz won.

In fact, there are not many surprises about this result. After all, this is the first in the Western Conference versus the eighth in the Western Conference.

The strength gap between the two sides has been reflected in the rankings.

In fact, the problem can already be seen from the match between the two teams as early as the regular season.

In the regular season this season, the Jazz only defeated the SuperSonics once.

Even in this game, it wasn't actually too close, but the Sonics lost cleanly.

Naturally, there are reasons why the SuperSonics lost. It was a long journey and a poor state.

In the remaining games, there was actually no suspense, because the Sonics won the game cleanly.

This illustrates a problem, unless the Jazz perform well and the SuperSonics themselves are in poor condition.

The Jazz have a chance of winning.

When the game occurs in the playoffs and when both teams go all out, everything is no longer suspense.

In this game, the entire Sonics team performed well, but the one who really dominated the game was naturally Wang Hao.

With 18 points in the third quarter, Wang Hao finished the game with 41 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists, easily winning the best of the game.

In order to defend Wang Hao, the Jazz tried every means, but the effect was not great.

Whether it is changing defenders or choosing to double-team defense, the effect does not seem to be very obvious.

41 points in a single game has already explained the problem.

You know, this is 41 points in the playoffs, which is completely different from 41 points in the regular season.

In addition to Wang Hao, the other members of the Sonics also performed well and held more meetings.

Gary Payton had 15 points and 9 assists, Rashard Lewis had 13 points and 8 rebounds, and Quentin Richardson had 12 points.

There is also PJ Brown's 10 points and 13 rebounds.

When five players scored in double figures, Wang Hao also scored 40+. This is really no reason not to win.

On the other hand, on the Jazz team, the two veterans of the Jazz still performed stably. As for the others, they couldn't help much.

Karl Malone played a stable game with 22 points and 11 rebounds, but the SuperSonics' double-team troubled him.

John Stockton scored 13 points and 7 assists, and his performance was not so satisfactory.

However, it is understandable that his physical fitness is a big problem.

Let's put it this way, today's John Stockton can no longer sustain long-term physical confrontation.

After playing a certain amount of time, John Stockton needs news or his performance will suffer greatly.

Not only performance, but also injuries may occur.

As a result, John Stockton's playing time is not only divided into minutes, but also divided into many points.

This is very troublesome for John Stockton, after all, finding form is something every player who has just started playing must go through.

And it has to be John Stockton. The older he gets, the better he gets. He can adapt to the game in the shortest time every time.

But there's a problem here.

That is, John Stockton cannot play 48 minutes. He has substitutes, and he puts a lot of pressure on the substitutes.

You know, due to age and physical fitness, John Stockton's playing time today is about 30 minutes.

In other words, his substitute needs to play for about 20 minutes, which is not a small task.

Rustilula, as John Stockton's substitute, averaged only 6 points and 3 assists per game this season.

To be honest, this kind of performance with so much playing time is not up to standard.

But, this really can't be entirely blamed on Rustilula.

His strength is certainly a problem, but for a salary of less than 50 US dollars, you can ask him to perform for 10 million.

is it possible?

In addition, there is another very important point. Because of John Stockton, his playing time has also been cut into pieces.

John Stockton can find form in time, but that doesn't mean Rusty Lulla can too.

The end result is that when Rustilula plays, he often cannot find the rhythm of the game.

He was unable to effectively organize the team's offense, or, after giving the ball to Karl Malone, he acted like a transparent player.

The point guard cannot organize the offense, which is very fatal to a team's offense.

To be honest, many people don't understand the Jazz's choice.

He clings to the Jazz's two elders and refuses to let go, making it difficult for the team to start rebuilding. To be honest, I don't know what to say!

For example, Karl Malone can still play and perform well, so the team can naturally continue to regard him as the core.

However, John Stockton is obviously a little impatient.

His skills are still there and his experience is getting richer, but his physical fitness no longer supports him to compete for another season.

The Jazz can consider their successor!

There were not many surprises. The SuperSonics easily won the first game of the playoffs, taking a 1:0 lead.

In the playoff matchup between No. 1 and No. 8, it wouldn't be surprising if they won, but it would be big news if they lost.

It's a pity that the SuperSonics don't intend to lose. Wang Hao will never allow such a thing to be left in the bottom eight.

At this point, the Sonics are very determined.

Because not only in the first game, but also in the second home game, the SuperSonics won again.

In this game, the suspense of victory was left until the end, and the Jazz only lost by 9 points.

Jerry Sloan found a way to deal with it, or rather, he solved the Jazz offense.

any solution?

Increase John Stockton's playing time!

Well, I have to say that this is really the simplest and most effective way. After all, John Stockton's abilities are there.

With him on the court, the defensive problem may not be solved, but the offensive problem is still no problem.

What he can do is not only pass the ball to Karl Malone, he can also improve the overall offense.

In the last game, the Jazz's offense completely fell into a situation of fighting on their own. Anyway, it was just individual singles.

At most, John Stockton and Karl Malone have some coordination.

However, in this game, John Stockton successfully helped Brian Russell and Kirilenko integrate into the team's offense.

Unfortunately, the Jazz still lost.

107:98

The Jazz solved their offensive problems, but defensively, they were still helpless.

The Jazz scored, and the Sonics also scored. When it came to the decisive moment, the Sonics obviously had the advantage.

This is also true. In the last two minutes, Wang Hao relied on one pass and one shot, and the SuperSonics scored 5 points in a row.

It was these 5 points that completely widened the gap in the originally close game and crushed the Jazz.

Not only that, but in the final minutes, John Stockton clearly ran out of energy.

If Karl Malone hadn't been so amazing and scored incredible goals in succession, the game would have been over long ago.

In this game, the Jazz can overdraft John Stockton, but what about the next game? What can they do?

Moreover, in this game, Wang Hao still had an outstanding performance of 30 points and 11 rebounds, which was also a super double-double.

Facing Wang Hao like this, it is really difficult for the Jazz to win.

The only good news for the Jazz is that the next game will be moved to Utah.

Sitting at home, they may perform differently due to the advantages brought by their home court.

For the Sonics, they naturally hope to resolve the battle as soon as possible instead of dragging it out forever.

After all, to some extent, the real playoffs actually start in the second round.

Ending the first round as soon as possible, waiting for their opponents to arrive, this is what they should do.
To be continued...