stonecrandall Chapter 502: Defeating the Grizzly Bear
Chapter 502: Defeating the Grizzly Bear
The Grizzlies had the ball, but before the ball was released, everyone in the SuperSonics started moving.
Lin Dong locked Atkins and Payton defended Jones alone. Iguodala looked at Damon to death. It was Mike Miller who served, but he realized that he couldn't even serve the ball.
If Pau Gasol hadn't realized something was wrong immediately and rushed back to the court to respond, he would have received a 5-second violation.
The SuperSonics are man-to-man throughout the game, rotating defense!
Before 5 seconds, the ball was thrown high to Gasol, but the next second...
call!
A figure suddenly jumped out from the side of Pau Gasol, as if it brought a hurricane in Gasol's ears, followed by jumping high, and actually intercepted the ball directly.
Gasol was surprised. This guy was so fast. He had clearly seen him two steps away, but in just an instant...
No. 10! Sakuragi Hanamichi!
Before he could land the ball after stealing it, Atkins immediately rushed forward to steal the ball. Unexpectedly, Sakuragi, who landed on the ground, held the ball firmly with both hands and made a back-turn. In just one step, he Passed Atkins, and then took three long steps straight to the basket.
boom!
An unguarded dunk.
6:0!
——OH! OH! OH!
——Sakuragi is very excited today! Hahaha, the red-haired monster is finally showing its power!
——Who said our Sakuragi can’t attack? Did you see the person who turned his back just now? This is called technology!
Doris opened her mouth and was speechless.
No. 10 Sakuragi Hanamichi actually stole, dribbled, and dunked all at once? Doesn't that guy have the ability to attack independently?
She had been talking about the Grizzlies' strengths and the Sonics' shortcomings, but she was beaten 6-0 by the Sonics at the beginning, and she did the exact opposite of what she said.
They say that the Grizzlies have an advantage inside, but they lose jump balls and rebounds. They say that the Grizzlies are accurate on the outside, and they will show you immediately. They say that SuperSonics No. 10 does not have the ability to attack independently, and this guy will do it all...
She subconsciously glanced at Buckley next to her, only to see the big-mouthed old man looking at her with a smile, as if he was just looking at her if he didn't say anything.
This is mocking! Ridicule your own evaluation and professionalism!
Doris was also a little angry. She finally prepared enough to get rid of the title of vase, but she didn't expect...
"Open up the space. If you open up the space, it won't be blocked so easily. There's no reason why the ball won't come out... That's right! Look, that's it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Grizzlies finally delivered the ball. After Gasol returned to the court, he quickly turned around and got rid of Chandler and rushed to the frontcourt. The ball was also thrown directly towards the frontcourt.
Snapped!
Gasol holds the ball in his hands with fire burning in his eyes.
He promised to give the Sonics a blow, but he was given a blow.
The momentum has been suppressed by the SuperSonics, and the SuperSonics are the best at seizing opportunities in this momentum situation.
This can't go on like this. The Grizzlies need morale and goals!
At this time, Gasol only had eyes for the basket in front of him. He rushed into the three-point line and started to combine the ball directly.
He took two big steps and jumped high into the air.
The basket is right in front of you, the ball is already there, let’s hit it!
But the next second...
Snapped!
A figure jumped up behind him, faster and taller than him!
The slender arm stretched out from behind and actually hooked it on the basketball.
Gasol was startled. He felt an unreasonable force coming from that hand, and in just a moment, he had already hooked the basketball directly.
Snapped!
boom!
The basketball changed hands in an instant. Gasol dunked on the rim, but when he turned around, he saw Hanamichi Sakuragi holding the ball and heading towards the frontcourt.
Mike Miller immediately stepped up to defend and try to stop him.
But the 203cm guy was not as nimble as the 209cm big man, and he was actually outplayed by Sakuragi Hanamichi with a hand-held dribble.
Ball control? Basic skills? Scoring ability?
Maybe it was Sakuragi Hanamichi's past shortcomings and loopholes, but that was just because he didn't play for a long time.
In fact, whether in the US High School or the NBA in the past few years, his ability in this area has been improving day by day. He had already averaged 13 points per game in the 2004 season, and he was already extremely skilled in dribbling. It's just because his excellent rebounding ability and skills at the basket are masked.
By this season, Hanamichi Sakuragi's basic skills and scoring ability have actually improved significantly after a long period of accumulation. It can be said that he has finally achieved success. He was just hidden by the SuperSonics because he had to play outside the ball this season.
His offense may still not be as good as his defense, but if anyone thinks that he can't attack or handle the ball, they are totally wrong!
Sakuragi Hanamichi, who passed Mike Miller in one step, did not stop, and Atkins in front pounced on him again.
It's a pity that Sakuragi Hanamichi is in state at this time.
The limitations of his scoring ability do still exist. For example, his mid-range. Except for the mid-range at a 45-degree angle on the right side that was trained by coach Anxi, he can remain efficient because of some inexplicable feeling. The mid-range shooting rate is really not high.
But so what...
Brother Gao Ren said, today is my stage, I can fight however I want!
At this time, Sakuragi was still near the free throw line. Facing the blocked Atkins, he chose to throw the ball directly towards the basket.
No. 10 wants to shoot mid-range?
Atkins was startled and turned to look towards the basket. The entire audience was also startled and looked towards the basket subconsciously.
But after being stunned for a moment, I couldn't help but want to laugh. How could this guy know the middle distance? Any analyst on the team can see that Sakuragi Hanamichi's scoring points are distributed, almost all concentrated in the paint area under the basket, and definitely not in the mid-range position.
And looking at his "shooting" posture at this time, it's almost like he's "hugging" him. Is this considered a shooting? Then you have voted, vote as you like!
Bang!
Sure enough, if this kind of ball could go in, it would be a trick, and besides, it didn't even touch the frame!
I saw the basketball hit the backboard directly and then bounced out.
Backboard!
There was no one else under the basket. Atkins' first reaction was to grab the rebound, but the next second...
He felt that a hurricane had rushed out from his side, and then jumped high in front of his surprised eyes, leaving him with only a huge jersey number.
SuperSonics No. 10! Sakuragi Hanamichi!
Snapped!
Sakuragi Hanamichi's stretched posture caught the ball with both hands in the air, and then followed the inertia of his body jumping forward. His body seemed to have bent into a 'C', and then suddenly bounced back from the 'C'.
boom!
A powerful and heavy two-handed dunk, and it was a self-throwing dunk after passing two people!
Not to mention that everyone in the Grizzlies opened their mouths. At this moment, even God Arena, the home of the SuperSonics, fell into sluggishness and silence.
Since Hanamichi Sakuragi entered the NBA, everyone has given the impression that he is defensive. This guy can only defend but not attack, and he only takes advantage of the occasional piece of cake.
But just now...
The score on the electronic scoreboard changed again, 8:0!
The God Arena scene didn't react until this moment.
——Faq! Fak Fak Fak! Has Sakuragi Hanamichi mutated? The Sonics are actually led by Sakuragi Hanamichi? !
——Is this a combination of offense and defense? The red-haired ghost king finally showed his power!
——Sakura Sakuragi!
——Ohohoh! Ikebana ikebana! look here!
The whole stadium was filled with cheers and cheers that nearly overturned the roof in just a moment. The SuperSonics fans at the scene went crazy. The Grizzlies players on the field, the Grizzlies bench and coaches sitting on the sidelines, and even those who were not present were all cheering. The coaches from all the teams in the league who were paying attention to this game were all silent and stunned at this moment.
Especially the Lakers' Zen Master Phil Jackson and the Cavaliers' head coach Mike Brown...one is far away in Los Angeles and the other is far away in Cleveland, but both of them sitting in front of the TV have solemn and uncomfortable expressions on their faces at the same time.
Sakuragi Hanamichi actually has such offensive ability? !
Oh my god...
Frankly speaking, for the Sonics' offense, both coaches of the two teams have done a lot of homework and preparations for this, and they have basically defined a defensive core, which is to block the Sonics' perimeter and then force Lin Dong to go. In singles, Lin Dong could not find any other support point on the offensive end, so as to consume Lin Dong, and then delay the victory or defeat until the end when Lin Dong's physical strength was greatly depleted.
This is the most feasible tactic currently, and it has indeed defeated the Sonics in the regular season, but... when Sakuragi Hanamichi has such offensive capabilities, then this tactic will almost be declared useless!
Are you blocking the Sonics outside line? Then Lin Dong can find Sakuragi Hanamichi inside to support him on the offensive end.
Do you close the defensive circle to consolidate the basket? The Sonics perimeter players have to teach you how to behave.
Block everything?
Sorry... Let’s not talk about whether you can do it or not. Even if you can barely do it, it must be a change in the overall defensive strategy, and then you will no longer be able to complete the purpose of consuming Lin Dong.
And once a lively and energetic Lin Dong is left until the fourth quarter, it will be an absolute nightmare for any team!
This...why did this kid suddenly evolve? How can anyone beat this? How can one limit supersonic speed? !
All the well-prepared tactics had to be disrupted and started all over again just because of Sakuragi Hanamichi...
Mike Brown is better. Even if he can't think of a solution for a while, it's still early in the finals. He can also take a look at the Lakers' defensive options to provide himself with some experience.
But for Phil Jackson...the next round is when the SuperSonics beat the Lakers!
It's only been half a month, and looking at the current momentum displayed by Sakuragi Hanamichi, even the Grizzlies' only capable inside line in this series has been completely blown away. It seems that there is no need to guess the outcome.
Gasol and Sakuragi Hanamichi belong to the same type of player. The offensive end may be slightly stronger, but the defensive end is definitely not as good.
And Mike Miller is also the same type of player as Chandler. The three-pointer may be more accurate, but he is at an overall disadvantage in terms of height, wingspan, etc., and the defensive end is far inferior to Chandler.
The reason why so many people think Gasol + Mike Miller can compete with the Sonics inside is mostly because their styles are similar.
But little do they know that the more similar the styles, the more obvious the difference in level will be, and the more difficult it will be to resist, and there will be no variables!
The Grizzlies are destined to lose, not just this game, but the entire series. As long as the SuperSonics don't give up, it will definitely be 4:0!
They can't even be expected to consume the Sonics. What the Lakers will face next will be the strongest SuperSonics in full condition!
Phil Jackson's tooth socket was almost broken. For the first time, he felt that it was uncomfortable to be in the big football market of Los Angeles.
Although the ball market is big, it is in the West. In the West, you must meet the SuperSonics in advance, MD...
While the Zen Master was cursing secretly, the game on the court was already continuing.
As Phil Jackson expected, the sudden outbreak of Sakuragi Hanamichi disrupted all the Grizzlies' rhythm.
Unable to defend the inside line, forcing the Grizzlies to shrink the defensive circle, the SuperSonics' outside line began to blossom.
In turn, the Grizzlies' inside line was completely suppressed, which made them even more inferior in the competition for rebounds.
Originally, if I performed well, I could only maintain 46 in rebounds and SuperSonics, but now it's directly at 37, or even 28!
It couldn't stop the Sonics' second attack, making the Sonics' outside shots more and more comfortable.
And not being able to get rebounds and not being able to get their own second offensive opportunity also made the Grizzlies' outside shots more and more constrained. They were completely out of shape and became a horse.
At 36:17, Hanamichi Sakuragi scored 19 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. He completely dominated both offense and defense, and Lin Dong didn't even take any shots.
The Grizzlies set a record for the most losses in the first quarter of the season in the first quarter, but this was just the beginning.
When the gap between the outside lines began to gradually widen due to their state, at the end of the first half, the SuperSonics led the Grizzlies by a full 52 points, 87:39!
Sakuragi Hanamichi's single-quarter scoring dropped, only scoring 17 points, but he grabbed a full 12 rebounds. In the first half alone, he had scored 36 points and 20 rebounds.
And Iguodala from the outside shot 9 of 11 from the field, scoring 27 points with a terrifying 81% shooting rate...
Lin Dong continued to be invisible, holding the ball and passing the ball most of the time, and barely attacking. However, the SuperSonics' score in this quarter directly tied the NBA playoff single-quarter record set by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1962. !
Forget it if you lose, it will become a backdrop of historical shame. This...
In the second half, the Grizzlies were like a wounded, bleeding and angry beast, launching a crazy attack towards the SuperSonics basket.
In order to avoid injuries, the Sonics began to rotate the main lineup constantly, but anyone could see that the Sonics had already clocked out of get off work and were playing around. They also exercised the bench by the way so that they could adapt to the Grizzlies' violence. And the ferocity of the playoffs.
This water has been put into the Pacific Ocean, which really allowed the Grizzlies to recover a lot of points, but the score difference in the first half was really too far, not to mention the SuperSonics did not give up the fight completely, there are always one or two The main force stays on the field to deal with it...
127:101, SuperSonics easily won their first victory and won G1!