Chapter 88 The Road to Clear Name

Author: Feng Yuanhua

Chapter 88 The Road to Clear Name

November 28, 1999, Seattle, Key Arena.

After the warm-up, head coach Paul Westphal was making final tactical arrangements.

"The Pacers are very strong, and they have made great progress in defense and offense since Big Bird took over as head coach.

Today's game may be difficult, we must be mentally prepared for a tough battle.

We are now number one in the Western Conference and number one in the league, but have you seen what the media is saying?

They are discussing this year's championship, including the New York Knicks, the Indiana Pacers, the Spurs and the Lakers.

But, there is no us!"

…

That's right, it's another gimmick created by ESPN. They conducted a survey about the ownership of this season's championship.

In this survey, four teams are considered the most likely to win the championship.

The four teams are the Pacers and Knicks in the East, and the Lakers and Spurs in the West.

However, the Sonics, currently ranked first in the record list, have been ignored by them.

Some ESPN reporters even claimed that the Sonics' record was just due to good luck, and that when they met a strong team, they would be beaten without the ability to fight back.

This made the Sonics players furious.

Not only the players, but even Paul Westphal, who has always been gentle, was very unhappy at this time.

"Those bastard reporters, they know nothing about Hammers basketball!"

"Yes, they know how to play, and we want to tell everyone who is number one in the league!"

"First the Pacers, then the Lakers, it's time for them to understand who is the boss."

…

Seeing the high morale of the players, Paul Westphal was also very satisfied and very confident.

Indeed, in terms of hard power, the Sonics don't look that dazzling, but who can tell?

The Spurs' championship-winning lineup last year is not necessarily better than them, and they have every chance.

In addition to morale, the necessary tactical arrangements are also indispensable. Paul Westphal made careful preparations.

"By the way, Wang, you have to be careful about that guy!"

Before the game, Gary Payton did not forget to pull Wang Hao and remind him to be careful about his opponents in the game.

Who else can play against Wang Hao besides Reggie Miller?

The playing styles of the two are actually somewhat similar, but Reggie Miller is the core playmaker, while Wang Hao is more defensive.

Reggie Miller wasn't known for his defense when he was young, let alone now that he's older.

"Reggie Miller? I know. In fact, I have learned how to play with him. I am very familiar with him!"

"That's not what I'm talking about. This guy is not a good person. He likes to talk trash. Don't be angered by him."

Hearing this, Wang Hao was dumbfounded and looked at Gary Payton in disbelief. Are you serious?

Maybe it’s because you’re going to suffer a lot when you first join the league, so you have the nerve to accuse others of talking trash?

Seeing Wang Hao's questioning look, Gary Payton immediately came to his senses and said with some embarrassment.

"You know, my trash talk is actually a tactic!"

Co-author, this tactic is only allowed to be used by you and no one else is allowed to use it?

However, Wang Hao doesn't have much favorable impressions of trash talk, mainly because most trash talk cannot be put on the stage.

Someone like Reggie Miller is okay, but he's just arrogant. Someone like Garnett is simply not worthy of being on the stage.

If you really want to talk trash, you have to look at Big Bird. His trash talk is no longer trash talk, but has reached a new level, pretentious talk!

He is more interested in Bird than Reggie Miller.

It's a pity that the learning system does not have the function of trash talking, otherwise I would have to learn from Larry Bird.

"Beep!"

As the referee's whistle sounded, the game officially began.

The SuperSonics still have a regular lineup, with Gary Payton and Brent Barry partnering in the backcourt.

The center is Vin Baker, and the forward partners are Wang Hao and Horace Grant.

As for the Indiana Pacers, the starting core is naturally the two forwards and defenders, Reggie Miller and Jaylen Rose.

The starter is assist leader Mark Jackson, and the inside is partnered by Rick Schmitz and Dale Davis.

Here I have to talk about Rick Schmitz, a Dutch center with a height of 224 centimeters.

This guy's body shape is somewhat similar to Yao Ming's, but the difference is that this guy's attendance rate is very high.

Throughout his career, except after he turned 30, he missed some games due to injuries.

In addition, throughout his career, his attendance rate is very high, basically more than 70 games.

Why is this happening? Because he didn't gain excessive weight.

After Yao Ming entered the NBA, his weight increased from 130 kilograms to over 150 kilograms.

This weight gives him more inside dominance, as well as injuries.

Closer to home, as soon as the game started, the Sonics quickly took control of the situation, and the Pacers were not in good condition.

After winning a jump ball, a mistake was made as soon as possible. Mark Jackson's pass was intercepted by Gary Payton.

Facing the tall Rick Schmitz, Vinbeck retreated to the mid-range and hit a jumper.

Looking back, Jaylen Rose missed a layup on his breakthrough, but Brent Barry responded with a three-pointer.

Just 3 minutes and 16 seconds later, the SuperSonics already led 8:2, and the point difference was rapidly widening.

Because this is the fourth game of five consecutive road trips for the Pacers, they are already very tired.

Moreover, the average age of the Pacers' starters is even among the highest in the league.

Except for Jaylen Rose, who is in his prime, among the other four, the youngest Dale Davis is also 31 years old.

For such a team, the biggest challenge during continuous away trips is not the opponent, but physical fitness.

Seeing that the point difference is widening, Reggie Miller is obviously a little anxious. He is not someone who obeys his old age.

He said he couldn't beat his opponent and then attributed the reason to physical strength and age. He didn't bother to do that.

I saw him running without sparing any effort, covering various pick-and-rolls with his teammates, and then running back and forth non-stop.

Unfortunately, facing Wang Hao, he was always a little unable to do what he wanted.

It seems that no matter how he runs or what position he uses, the guy behind him can always catch up.

It's very simple. After all, Wang Hao also eats this bowl of rice, and he is naturally very familiar with running positions.

What's more, boxing is afraid of young people. Nowadays, Reggie Miller is old, and he still has the speed change and emergency stop and start of the year.

Moreover, the rest of the Pacers were in average condition today, so Wang Hao didn't have to focus on defense and instead focused on Reggie Miller.

"Oh, damn, boy, do you have to follow me and eat the exhaust?"

"Little rookie, can you still keep up? Be careful and you will be lying on the ground unable to move."

"Hey, rookie, do you need me to slow down a little?"

…

After all, he is a person who has been tortured by Gary Payton. This level of trash talk is really nothing to Wang Hao.

"Hey, Reggie, I think you should at least score a goal before you say these words."
Chapter completed!