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Chapter 177 The Growing Man in the Playoffs

In the Western Conference semifinals, the Rockets VS Supersonic G4 battle.

The Compaq Center was full of seats, and the fans released their greatest passion since the summer in this dilapidated arena with memories.

This round of the series is indeed exciting, but it can be seen that the Rockets' lineup is stronger than the Supersonics. If the Rockets have a guard who is better defensively and can shoot three-pointers, the Supersonics will not have a chance at all.

Unlike now, the two teams are very anxious every game.

In the last G3 game, the winner was not determined until the last minute.

Fans like to watch anxious games. The more critical the moment, the more exciting it is. If every game is crushing, then the garbage time later will be a shame for the ticket price.

So Houston tickets are selling pretty well.

In the G4 game, two teams that are very familiar with each other set up lineups that followed the previous two games.

For the Supersonics, Jim, whose annual salary is several million, was abandoned by George Karl, and veteran Sam Perkins became the starting center, facing off against Olajuwon.

Qin Fei failed to enter the starting lineup, but George Karl made it clear to Qin Fei before the game that he should be given more playing time.

"Probably around 25 minutes, maybe even 30 minutes if you play well enough."

Qin Fei knew that the two iron men in the Supersonic backcourt could play for 40 minutes in a game, so counting the 16 minutes they squeezed out, he spent about ten minutes as a small forward.

In the first season, he served in multiple positions on the team, from the first position to the third position.

In the first quarter of the game between the two teams, the Rockets took the lead.

Barkley and Olajuwon scored successively, and Drexler hit a three-pointer from the outside.

The Sonics were slow to heat up, and George Karl requested a timeout.

After the timeout, the Sonics continued to attack, but they were always behind the Rockets in score. When Qin Fei came on the court, the Sonics were still 5 points behind.

Qin Fei has also been thinking about how to hit the rocket.

Either there is a top defensive fifth position, which can slightly limit Olajuwon, or there is a fourth position who can grab rebounds, grab rebounds and push the speed frantically, and switch to running and bombing.

It doesn't seem to be interesting to just call normally like this, and the insider problem has not been solved very well.

After all, Olajuwon is no longer fighting alone last year.

As expected, Qin Fei came on the stage directly in the third position, and Schramf left to rest.

Logically speaking, Schramf should stay on the court, but it is obviously unrealistic for Schramf to carry Barkley. Barkley can only be one of Kemp or Perkins to play against. The best choice is Kemp, who has speed, explosive power, and strength.

That's why the Supersonic lineup is so difficult. None of the people on the front line are suitable to engage with Barkley.

As for Qin Fei, George Karl never considered letting him go inside. Although he was good on the outside with his strength, he was still too thin compared to inside players. Playing as a small forward was already the limit.

When Qin Fei appeared in the regular season, his primary goal was to defend, and his secondary goal was to score.

But in the playoffs, there seems to be a little change, especially in this round with the Rockets, the team needs more scorers to stand up.

So he got a pass from Payton when he came up, and singled out the defensive player in the elbow zone.

It was Mario who defended him, Qin Fei pretended to break through, stepped back and hit a jumper, scoring two points for the Supersonics.

"Qin Fei is getting more and more adept at retreating."

Even the Rockets' head coach Tomjanovich began to lament that young people learn everything quickly.

This step-back jumper is the second major offensive skill that Qin Fei first developed in combination with his breakthrough.

Why develop this, because he breaks too fast, and now he has established a stereotype of a small tank. If he breaks through, suddenly adds a step back, and has a precise mid-range and long-range shot, it will be extremely difficult for the opponent to defend.

For his breakthrough, it will also be an improvement.

That is the legendary combination of baldness.

Mario felt that Qin Fei was difficult to defend, but the Rockets had no one outside to defend. Drexler was going to defend Payton, and Maloney was defending Jose, so he was the only one left to defend Qin Fei.

Qin Fei's style of play is sophisticated and brave. Originally, Mario lamented that he had lost his knees, but he didn't expect that he would even use the back step. It was tough but soft.

When Qin Fei attacked with the second ball, he turned around and shook Mario to make a foul.

Went to the free throw line to get to the free throw and made two free throws.

This is his performance in the first quarter of the game today, which has made George Karl particularly satisfied.

In the second quarter, Qin Fei returned to the backcourt and partnered with Payton.

At this time, the Sonics were almost tied, and the Rockets had only a slight advantage. The second team led by Barkley was a bit difficult to support.

Tomjanovich called a timeout again and replaced Drexler in advance.

There is no way around this. The Rockets are going to fight for this game anyway, so the substitute should not make the opponent too arrogant. Replacing Drexler can strengthen the outside offense and defense and help the team stabilize the situation.

The glider also felt a little tired.

Fist is afraid of being young, if it was three years ago, how could it make Qin Fei jump so happily, but now, a whole audience sprints back and forth, the young man doesn't blush or breathe, he himself is exhausted.

Today, he really feels tired.

Although the Rockets are the Big Three, the mentality of Drexler, Olajuwon and Barkley is different. The former two have already won the championship, and their desire to win the championship is not as strong as Barkley. Therefore, it is Barkley who is the most passionate and active on the court, not the other two.

Later, Barkley recalled that this round of grouping with the Rockets was a failure. Olajuwon simply lost the fighting spirit of defeating the heroes back then, and became more gentle than David Robinson.

In the arena, when the strength is about the same, what is fighting is fighting spirit. If the fighting spirit is not good, no matter how you fight, you will lose your crotch at the critical moment.

Therefore, the Sonics have a mental advantage. The team is full of players who have not won the championship. They are about to be eliminated, and they burst out with amazing energy.

Xu Jicheng and Bai Miaomiao on the sidelines witnessed a classic game. After a bad start, the Sonics quickly adjusted their status and fought against the Rockets in the first half.

In the second half, the Rockets actually had the advantage on the court. Olajuwon and Barkley always had one of them in the paint. The Rockets once led by 10 points, but the Sonics did not give up. After the second team came on the field, they caught up with the score again.

After 48 minutes of the regular season, the Sonics and the Rockets tied 98 to 98, and the two sides entered overtime.

At this time, Payton, who played 43 minutes, continued to stay on the court.

Sam Perkins left the field with 6 fouls, and Kemp had 5 fouls on his back.

George Karl replaced Qin Fei on the stage as the 3rd position, and Schramf went to the 4th position.

Schramf has no advantage against Barkley except for his height. George Karl said, if it doesn't work, just foul, and Qin Fei will help you defend.

Qin Fei assists in the defense according to the coach's arrangement, but he has fast feet and sensitive lateral movement, so when assisting in the defense, he can occasionally take into account the outside shooting.

It's definitely not as tight as marking people, but the amount of two cups of poison has been reduced to the minimum.

This was the most difficult moment for the Sonics. In the first overtime game, Qin Fei contributed 5 points and 1 rebound, but it only helped the Sonics tie the overtime game 10-10, and the two sides entered the second overtime.

There was another problem when entering the second home, and Kemp also fouled 6 times.

The Sonics fought to the last man, and Kemp was finally replaced by 36-year-old veteran Terry Cummings.

I introduced Terry Cummings before. He is a representative of rookies and peaks. He was selected in the All-Star Game at the peak of the Spurs. Like Qin Fei, he joined the Supersonics last summer.

After joining the Supersonics, Cummings has been a tepid substitute player. He hasn't played much for a season. At critical moments, there is no one else, so he can only be used.

Unexpectedly, the veteran actually withstood the pressure.

In the interior, Cummings not only assisted in blocking Barkley's layup, but also blocked Olajuwon to protect the backcourt rebounds, supporting the Supersonics' interior barrier alone.

Of course, the Rockets' physical decline should also be considered.

But one cannot fail to mention the importance of spiritual power.

Payton continued to score in the second overtime, and Qin Fei scored 21 points in the middle distance. He scored 20+ in two consecutive games in the playoffs!

After Qin Fei scored 20+, the Sonics Payton, Jose and Qin Fei all scored 20+, which once again proved the weakness of the Rockets' guard line.

At this time, several Rockets veterans were physically and mentally exhausted, and Barkley played more than 50 minutes, which was a great burden for him.

At the critical moment, several people took turns to attack and missed. In the second overtime, the opportunity was lost.

超音速第二个加时赛9比5战胜火箭，全场117比113战胜了火箭队，艰难地赢得了G4战的胜利。

When the game ended, the Rockets fans were dumbfounded.

The ticket value is back, but the team lost the game after two overtimes?

The good home court advantage is gone again, and they will go to Seattle to play Tianwangshan in three days, and physical fitness will become a major difficulty for the Rockets.

This series is really messed up. Everyone watching the game has a feeling that it seems that the best chance for the Rockets has been lost.

At the scene of Compaq Center, when Qin Fei was about to leave, Xu Jicheng and Bai Miaomiao came over together and asked for an interview.

He stopped in his tracks. Bai Miaomiao counted acquaintances. This little girl is capable, enthusiastic and eloquent. He is also familiar with Mr. Xu. He even chatted with her last summer.

Sure enough, it was the on-site interview led by Xu Jicheng.

Because time was limited, Xu Jicheng congratulated Qin Fei first, then immediately cut a long story short and asked him a question directly.

"Daqin, what do you think is the difference between today's game and the previous one?"

Da Qin?

It was the first time Qin Fei heard someone call him that.

But these days, veteran sports reporters like to call players so much. It’s disrespectful to start with a small word like Da Yao, and it’s a bit too rambunctious and informal to use a big word, so there’s nothing wrong with adding a big word, anyway, basketball players are all tall and big.

Xu Jicheng's question is also very interesting. He came up to find something different from the other games.

What is a news point?

For example, if watermelons are on the market in a certain place, this is not a news point, because watermelons are on the market every year, and it doesn't matter if it is earlier or later.

However, the amount of watermelons on the market this year is particularly large and sweet, or the watermelons have been cultivated in a new way, which is different from previous years or from other places. This is the news point.

So although his questions are also divergent questions, they are very purposeful.

"I think the biggest difference is that we can fight hard enough in this game!"

"Of course, it doesn't mean that we didn't fight hard enough, but this game was indeed our most aggressive game. In overtime, our two inside players made six fouls one after another, but we didn't give up. Brother Cummings supported the team's inside offense and defense with his 36-year-old body, which is really remarkable."

After Qin Fei thought about it, he still praised Cummings. Anyway, Cummings didn't know that he praised him in the domestic news.

Xu Jicheng asked over there, and Bai Miaomiao wrote down some key sentences with a pen.

Xu Jicheng asked again: "The next game is the most critical G5 game, and the game time is very tight, just three days later, what preparations have you made for this game?"

"In fact, every game is very critical."

Qin Fei thought that if he could make some preparations, he would be done with it, but this was an official interview after all, so it wasn't good to be too skinny, so he still made a bunch of high-sounding official speeches, meaning to fully obey the coach's arrangement and strive to win.

Xu Jicheng's last question was about Qin Fei's personal performance today.

Because Qin Fei had already said a lot about the first two questions, so Qin Fei also blurted out the last question.

"Has the playing time reached an all-time high of 30 minutes? I really don't know."

"This game is difficult. Look at the players of the Rockets. They are tall and big. In fact, when it comes to performance, I can only hide behind my teammates and output. The real charge is Payton and Kemp. They performed well today. Payton seems to have scored 30 points, right?"

"It was indeed a very good experience. Maybe many years later, I will still remember that I scored 20+ points in two games in my rookie season, and it was on top of the Rockets' Big Three."

At the end, Qin Fei specifically emphasized the Big Three.

Xu Jicheng:

They knew that Qin Fei had a free and easy personality, but they didn't expect him to be so free and easy. He really dared to say anything. Aren't they afraid that the Big Three of the Rockets would diss him?

That's right, they can't receive the imperial court.

The 2-2 tie between the Rockets and the Sonics has become the most anxious series of the season.

Because the remaining three rounds of the series were all 3-1, including the Knicks and the Heat who seemed to be relatively similar in strength before the game. The Knicks held two home games and unexpectedly led the Heat 3-1.

Bulls 3-1 Eagles, Jazz 3-1 Lakers.

There are countless games in NBA history that were overturned after 3-1.

Counting the Rockets and Suns series mentioned earlier, there are only five times in total.

So there are miracles, but they are somewhat hopeless. Only the Rockets and the Supersonics are in this round of the series, and there is still no trend of victory or defeat.

Judging from the current situation, both teams have a chance.

On May 5, the Rockets and the Sonics G15 went to war.

The game will be held in Seattle.

In a 2-2 tie, the fifth game is particularly critical, known as the Battle of Tianwangshan. The team that wins this game is equivalent to winning the match point and is only one step away from victory.

The famous Tianwang Mountain in history has the fifth game of the Eastern Conference Finals in 1994. The Pacers played against the Knicks. At the end of the first three quarters, the Pacers trailed by 12 points.

Spike Lee, a die-hard Knicks fan, spat trash on Reggie Miller. One of Spike Lee's actions completely angered Reggie Miller. Miller scored 5 three-pointers in the fourth quarter of the game and scored 25 points alone.

Especially in the last 8.9 seconds, he scored 8 points in a row, played the famous Miller moment in history, and beat the Knicks.

The importance of this game cannot be overstated.

So the Supersonics and the Rockets are also going all out.

It's just that it's hard to say how much strength you can exert with all your strength, and it depends on the state of the players on the field, and even luck.

In short, at this point, it is no longer a situation where one or two tactics can determine the outcome of the game, but more importantly, it is at the level of willpower.

It is very important to have that kind of belief, not just the basic professionalism of a professional athlete.

That night, the two teams really fought a close match.

The Sonics led 46-45 at halftime.

The Rockets overtook the score in the second half, and at the last moment, the two teams drew again.

Qin Fei failed to stay on the court at the last moment, and the game was still controlled by Payton.

Kemp is also a player who has been to the finals and has experienced big scenes. He hit a long-range two-pointer at the last minute to help the Sonics gain a 2-point lead.

This is the key ball, and the mentality of both sides has changed.

After this ball, the Supersonics defended harder. The Rockets wanted to play an inside offense, but Olajuwon failed to get up and missed the frame.

No matter how good a person is, he also has a shooting percentage. It is difficult when he misses. Kemp protected the backcourt rebound, and Barkley had to foul first.

Barkley had a cold face, and when he fouled, he moved very hard.

But at this time Kemp is not in a hurry to get angry with Barkley.

Last year he got angry with Rodman in the finals and lost the championship directly. This year he has improved somewhat, knowing that it is useless to do anything on the court, winning the game is everything.

Otherwise Payton will not let him go.

Kemp made two free throws at the last moment, which actually gave the Rockets a chance to tie the score.

But the Rockets didn't seize the opportunity. As a rookie, Maloney had an open three-pointer. He made more than 40.00% of the season's three-pointers, but this time he failed to make one.

The long rebound popped out, time was running out, the second foul was missed, and the game was over.

In the end, the Sonics won the battle of Tianwangshan 99 to 96.

It is equivalent to winning two cities in a row and taking the lead in winning the match point of the series.

Qin Fei failed to continue his 20+ scoring performance in this game, but he also scored 13 points, and also grabbed 5 rebounds, sent 2 assists and 2 steals, and his performance was still the best player on the bench.

Just after the game ended, Kidd of the Suns, who had been eliminated by the Rockets, publicly praised Qin Fei as a star with great potential.

Qin Fei was baffled by Kid's praise, thinking when did he get involved with Uncle Ji?

Payton is not surprised at all. After all, Kidd is half of his fellow countryman and a younger brother who has known him since childhood. It is not surprising that he supports the Sonics.

Qin Fei was recognized by Kidd, and his personal score finally broke through again.

Overall Rating 73

After Kidd's passing attribute was added, Qin Fei's passing attribute came to 50.

As an outside player who doesn't pass the ball very much, he thinks so many attributes are enough to ensure that he will not send through balls to lobs and ground hits to crotch hits on the court.

(End of this chapter)