In the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals, Kobe Bryant clamored to play, but unfortunately, both Lao Qiao and Lin Yu rejected his request to play.
Your finger is broken like that, but you still want to play? Old Qiao wanted to whip Kobe with his belt.
"Tracy, Michael is in your hands tonight."
"Try to guard against his mid-range shot as much as possible. As for his breakthrough, leave it to Ben or Bus under the basket. You just need to follow Michael and look for opportunities to block shots."
Without Kobe Bryant, the burden of guarding Jordan can only fall on McGrady.
After the game started in the evening, the starting players from both sides began to take the field.
Lin Yu sent Nash, Tracy McGrady, Peja, Webber and Bus tonight. The Bulls' starting lineup was Jordan, Pippen, Kukoc, Rodman and Luke Longley.
The two sides have met four times in the regular season, and Jackson has already figured out the best starting lineup against the Wizards.
Zen Master is actually quite grateful to the Heat. If it weren't for Kobe's injury, he really wouldn't have any chance of winning against the Wizards.
After Kobe Bryant was injured, Jackson's confidence skyrocketed and he felt that he was sure to win the championship again this year. However, the Pacers scared him out of a cold sweat. They had to tie the game every time they beat the Pacers. The Bulls seemed to have lost the dominance of the previous two years.
Bus succeeded with a jump ball and the Wizards began to attack.
After Nash controlled the ball in the frontcourt, he looked at Jordan who was marking him, and felt a little desperate. He was originally a misplaced defense, and Jordan is still one of the best perimeter defenders in NBA history. The pressure was too much.
Jordan took the initiative to stick up and took advantage of all his physical advantages to even prevent Nash from successfully dribbling to the three-point line.
Strength, height, wingspan, speed, flexibility, and experience are all far better than Nash. You can imagine how difficult Nash's life is.
Nash could only wait for his teammates to come over and pass the ball to McGrady.
After McGrady got the ball, Pippen stepped forward to guard him. He did not use close defense because he was worried about being passed by McGrady. Instead, he used hand-check. This defensive method has many benefits. His hands are in contact with the opponent's body and he can gain insight at any time. The position of the opponent, whether the opponent wants to break through or be lazy, can respond immediately.
This is only the obvious benefit. Contacting the opponent's players with both hands can secretly exert force. Those players with weak strength will have more difficulty facing the players with stronger strength.
Later generations of fans said that the intensity of perimeter defense in this era is due to the existence of hand-check. The reason why hand-check was canceled in 2004 was to enhance the enjoyment of the game and improve the smoothness of the game rhythm.
Pippen used both hands to push McGrady. As long as he didn't exert force suddenly, the referee would not blow the whistle.
McGrady tried to break through, but unfortunately he couldn't shake Pippen away. What a joke, if Pippen was really easily shaken off, he wouldn't have won so many defensive honors.
"Pick and roll!"
"Pick and roll!"
Lin Yu shouted from the sidelines, usually playing against those weak teams, players can just play in isolation, but now against the Bulls, it is definitely not the time to show off as a hero.
Webb quickly rushed out to set up a pick-and-roll for McGrady, but unfortunately, when he rushed out, he brought Rodman with him.
McGrady used the pick-and-roll to prepare for a shot, but was almost blocked by Rodman.
"Bang!" The shot missed, and Bus grabbed the offensive rebound under the basket. Just as he was about to take action, Rodman had already rushed into the penalty area. As long as Bus dared to make a second attack, he would definitely suffer a big block.
Weber had no choice but to rush to meet Bus again. After passing the ball hand-to-hand with Bus, Weber wanted to find his teammates to pass the ball. Unfortunately, his teammates were watched by their opponents and there was no room for passing the ball.
In desperation, Weber could only step back and take a mid-range shot, but missed and the rebound was grabbed by Rodman.
Lin Yu frowned. This offensive round was too difficult for the Wizards. Nash couldn't play this point, and the Wizards' offensive fluency was greatly reduced.
It's no wonder that Nash is not strong enough. Pence's position as a point guard is a dimensionality reduction attack. Jordan is even more terrifying. The pressure he puts is at least one level higher than that of Pence.
Not to mention Nash, except for Payton and Kidd, two tall and strong point guards in the league, everyone else in the league can only be beaten when facing Jordan.
In the Bulls' offensive round, McGrady took the initiative to confront Jordan, while Nash went to confront Pippen. This matchup seemed particularly weird.
Nash certainly couldn't guard Jordan, but could he guard Pippen? It's obviously impossible.
Jordan assisted Pippen in the mid-range shot. At this juncture, even Jordan has no personal heroism.
The opening offensive and defensive round is almost a reflection of the entire game.
Nash's defense on the court is a loophole, and Lin Yu also wants to surpass Billups. Unfortunately, Billups' defense is not much better than Nash's right now, and he is just a decoration in front of Jordan or Pippen.
And Billups' offensive and organizational abilities are far inferior to Nash. Replacing Billups is not worth the gain.
Lin Yu even thought about letting McGrady play the No. 1 position. He used the goggles originally bound to Kobe Bryant on McGrady and replaced Nash with Jaylen Rose. Unfortunately, the effect was not ideal.
Of course, if such an adjustment is made, the effect will definitely be better than Nash on the court. Lin Yu used this lineup throughout the game.
Pippen went crazy tonight and scored more points than Jordan.
After the game ended, the home team Wizards lost to the Bulls by seven points with a score of 87:94.
The Wizards fans at the scene were worried. They lost. This is their home court for the Wizards. Originally, the Wizards had an extra home court advantage. Now they lost the first home court. The situation is extremely unfavorable for the Wizards.
It wasn't until this moment that fans discovered how valuable Kobe was. In previous games against the Bulls, Kobe's statistics had always been inconspicuous. Even if he killed the Bulls four times, no one thought it was Kobe's credit.
However, now that Kobe is absent, the Wizards are a bit weak against the Bulls, especially on the defensive end, which feels almost boring.
After returning to the locker room, Lin Yu still looked sad. The morale of the Wizards was low, especially Nash, whose face was very ugly. He knew that losing this game had a lot to do with him.
"Boss, why don't you let my boy go up and fight?"
"Actually, that kid is right. It's just the fingers on his left hand. It won't affect his defense. Maybe his offensive end will be affected."
Lao Qiao whispered to Lin Yu.
Lin Yu nodded silently. It seemed that this was all that could be done now. If they lost at home next time, it would be a huge blow to the Wizards' morale.
Two days later, in the second game of the Eastern Conference Finals, Lin Yu came up with a starting lineup of Bus, Webber, Peja, Tracy McGrady and Kobe.
Kobe looked excited and couldn't stop looking at Jordan before taking the stage.
The middle finger and index finger of his left hand were wrapped in bandages, which made Lin Yu quite worried. Unfortunately, Kobe can only play now.
Otherwise, there is really no way to deal with Jordan.
After the game started, the situation was indeed much better than in the previous game. There are simply too many benefits to Kobe Bryant playing. First of all, his pick-and-roll effect is better than Nash, and McGrady can play more comfortably.
The second is that Jordan cannot easily lock the passing route of the Wizards' No. 1 position, and the Wizards' offensive rhythm is much smoother.
However, Kobe played with an injury after all, and his contribution on the offensive end was limited. Although the Wizards won in the end, the victory was extremely thrilling. If Peja hadn't scored two three-pointers in the last half of the game, the Wizards would still have lost the game. It is possible to lose.
In the previous two games, Peja's performance has been very stable, and he is definitely the most stable output point for the Wizards.
Mainly because he faced the least defensive pressure, Kukoc's defense was nowhere comparable to Jordan and Pippen.
With a record of one win and one loss, Lin Yu led the Wizards to Chicago.
In the following two away games, the Wizards first won one game and then lost another. The two sides returned to the same starting line and tied with 2:2.
Not to mention the fans, even Lin Yu can't see the situation clearly. He really has no confidence that he can defeat the Bulls now.
Four games ended on Sunday. Lin Yu's random halo effect this week was limited. Lin Yu now pins his hopes on the halo in the new week.
"Passive Halo ①: "Sharp Speed", the effect is that after a player on the field hits or assists, the speed attribute will be increased by 5 points, lasting 20 seconds."
"Passive Aura ②: "Meditation", the effect is that when your own players are stationary on the field, they will recover 1% of their physical energy every 5 seconds."
"Passive Halo ③: "Sniper", the effect is that if a player with full favorability is assigned to complete a sniper attack, the shot will definitely hit. It must be used within the last five seconds of the game, and can only be used in one game."
Lin Yu frowned. The three haloes this time were not particularly powerful. The first two skills, one for acceleration and one for physical recovery, did not have a particularly big impact on the overall battle situation.
Especially the skill "Meditation" requires standing still for five seconds to take effect. Against a team like the Bulls, it is impossible to stand still for five seconds, so it is very useless.
The only skill with more characteristics is the third "Sniper", but this thing is too limited in use and can only take effect in the last five seconds. If you lose seven or eight points earlier, then this sniper will have no effect.
The next fifth game was the Wizards' home game. Peja once again hit a good shooting percentage to help the Wizards narrowly defeat the Bulls.
If nothing else, Peja definitely played his part in this series.
Under normal circumstances, Peja has always been criticized for his playoff performance. He was as strong as a tiger in the regular season and as weak as a chicken in the playoffs. However, with teammates like the Wizards around him, Peja's playoff performance was extremely bright. Eye.
Sometimes, whether a player performs well or not depends on his teammates. If his teammates are strong, they can help him tie up the opponent's defense. If his teammates are weak, his opponents will all double-team him, and even Jordan will be greatly affected.
The Wizards have won three games and hold match points. If they can win the sixth game, they will advance to the finals.
Unfortunately, Kukoc also broke out in the sixth game, just like he killed the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals tiebreaker. He took 16 shots in the game, made 6 of 11 three-pointers, and scored 26 points.
No one expected that the Bulls and Wizards would reach the tiebreaker.
During the regular season, because the Wizards killed the Bulls four times, it is generally believed that the Wizards have the ability to take away the Bulls in five games.
After Kobe was injured, five games turned into six games, but the ending became the Bulls taking away the Wizards.
At present, the two sides have played six games, and no one has been taken away, entering the tiebreaker.
Stern must be overjoyed. This round of the Eastern Conference finals is broadcast live in China. If you play one more game, you can earn more advertising fees. Especially for the tiebreaker, you can't even imagine the attention.
The ratings on the American side have also skyrocketed. You must know that the next tiebreaker is related to whether the Bulls can create a second dynasty.
Game 7 is still the home court of the Wizards.
"Brothers, you all know the significance of this game. If we win, we will have at least an 80% chance of winning the championship!"
"If you don't want to leave any regrets in this life, come to me and use all your strength."
"After I win tonight, I will give each of them a Rolex. I will keep my word!"
Lin Yu started to give the players crazy blood before the game. Counting the four regular season games, both sides have played ten games now. The details of both sides have been figured out. No tactics can have a miraculous effect. Lin Yu is now What can be done is to stimulate the fighting spirit of the players.
"rush!"
"Must win!"
"The championship is ours!"
The generals shouted one after another, and they also knew that as long as they can reach the finals, no matter whether the Spurs or the Jazz advance in the Western Conference, they will not be their opponents. The championship is guaranteed!
…
This is already Jordan's twentieth game in the playoffs this season. He played three games in the first round and swept the Cavaliers. However, the Pacers also swept to advance. Jordan didn't rest long before he started playing the Eastern Conference semifinals with the Pacers.
After playing a full seven games, they immediately welcomed the Washington Wizards again, and now they are in the tiebreaker.
After Jordan came on the court, he looked tired. He has averaged 43 minutes per game in the playoffs so far. In the first six games against the Wizards, he even averaged 46 minutes per game.
Even if Lin Yu is his opponent, he has deep respect for the old gangster. His professional attitude, desire to win, strength, and leadership ability, no matter from which aspect, Jordan is worthy of the title of the God of Basketball.
After the start, the Wizards gradually gained an advantage. The Bulls were not only tired of Jordan, but also of Pippen, and Rodman was also getting older.
At the end of the first half, the Wizards led by eight points, and the fans at the scene had to open champagne in advance to celebrate.
However, in the second half, Jordan began to break out and led the team to chase points.
With three minutes left in the game, Jordan hit a mid-range shot and the scores were officially tied.
The scene was completely silent, so quiet that you could hear the breathing of the audience. Lin Yu felt a little suffocated. The strength and resilience of the bull completely exceeded his imagination.
In the Wizards' offensive round, Kobe slowly advanced with the ball. At this juncture, anyone would be cautious. One mistake might be enough to cause a tragedy.
After arriving in the frontcourt, Kobe did not rush to play the ball, but slowly looked for opportunities.
Weber had already stretched out beyond the three-point line, trying to create a chance for Bus to single out Luke Longley.
Bus took two steps forward, walked to the free throw line, received a pass from Kobe, and then started to hit Luke Longley with his back. Unfortunately, the ball failed to score, and the rebound was collected by Luke Longley.
Turning his head, Jordan was not in a hurry to take action, but paced slowly. After almost twenty seconds of attack time had been consumed, he suddenly pulled up and made a fadeaway mid-range shot, and then scored two points.
The Bulls have gained a two-point advantage.
The scene was as silent as a library, and Wizards fans' hearts were already in their throats.
Fortunately, McGrady made a contribution in the next offensive round, scoring a three-pointer from the outside, and the balance of victory tilted towards the Wizards again.
However, the Bulls immediately responded. Kukoc hit a three-pointer and the Bulls still led by one point.
After the two offensive and defensive rounds, there was less than a minute and a half of game time left on the court, and both sides still had a chance.
Lin Yu and Master Zen were like ants on a hot pot, pacing back and forth anxiously on the sidelines. They were also anxious, but unfortunately it was useless to be anxious. In the end, it still depends on the performance of the players.
What made Lin Yu collapse was that the Wizards failed to score in the next offensive round. Jordan scored another goal on the Bulls' side. The point difference had reached three points, and there were only 44 seconds left in the game.
A rather unlucky number.
Lin Yu quickly called a timeout. He still had a long timeout and a short timeout left in his hand. This was a long timeout.
"The next ball will be played by Peja. It must be quick and try to take the shot within ten seconds, so that we can play another round."
"Daba, you are going to pull out to give Peja a pick-and-roll. Chris, you pull Rodman farther away and don't let him interfere with Peja's shot."
"Remember, Kobe, time it right and pass the ball to Peja in about eight seconds."
Lin Yu was breathing heavily as he arranged the tactics. The next goal was extremely critical. If it could be scored, the Wizards would have a good chance of winning, because Lin Yu still had the "Sniper" trump card that he had not used.
But if they don't make it, the situation will be quite unfavorable for the Wizards.
"When we finish this round, the Bulls will definitely delay time and consume 24 seconds. We must not foul or let the opponent go to the free throw line."
Before the players took the stage, Lin Yu gave instructions one after another.
Kobe controlled the ball to the frontcourt and followed Lin Yu's instructions to pass the ball to Peja. The bus rushed out of the penalty area the moment Kobe passed the ball.
After setting up a perfect pick-and-roll, Peja was strong enough to successfully hit the outside three-pointer.
The tensed nerves of the fans at the scene immediately relaxed. This game is still exciting!
Jordan frowned. The Wizards' resilience was beyond his expectation. He thought that such a bunch of newcomers would be at a loss when facing such a disadvantage, but the Wizards behaved extremely calmly.
The Wizards' offensive round just now consumed 8 seconds, and there are still 36 seconds left in the game.
The Zen master also quickly called a timeout and began to lay out offensive tactics.
After returning to the court, the ball was still directed by Jordan. Pippen and Kukoc kept moving without the ball, which affected the defensive attention of the Wizards players.
"boom!"
Jordan was tired. This fadeaway mid-range shot was obviously not high enough, and was interfered by Kobe and failed to hit.
The fans at the scene cheered loudly, the two sides were tied, and the Wizards had the ball next. As long as the ball can be scored, the winner is the Wizards!
The attack time of 13 seconds is enough to complete a complete offensive strategy.
Kobe took possession of the ball and reached the frontcourt, waiting for an opportunity to pass the ball. When there were only five seconds left on the clock, Lin Yu was about to call a timeout. Something happened on the court. Jordan made a gamble and stole the ball, and forcefully took the ball from Kobe's hands. Snatched it.
Next, Jordan was like a dragon entering the sea, flying towards the frontcourt alone. Kobe was stunned and his expression changed drastically. He knew that he was finished. This mistake ruined the Wizards' championship.
Jordan completed a shocking dunk in the frontcourt. After landing, Jordan raised his arms and shouted wildly. This scene will definitely go down in history.
There was only the last 1.2 seconds left in the game. This was a killer dunk!
Of course, that's assuming the Bulls can really win this game.
Lin Yu immediately used the short pause in his hand, 1.2 seconds? enough!
Zen Master was smiling. He had been afraid of the Wizards all season, and now he had finally overcome the difficulty in a thrilling way.
Kobe went off the court in a state of despair. He felt that he was a sinner, a sinner with unpardonable sins.
Lao Qiao looked at Kobe with distress. It was not easy to come forward to comfort him at this time, because Kobe's mistake was really terrible.
"Coach, I'm sorry." Kobe even cried a little.
This may be the most desperate moment in his life.
"It doesn't matter, man, we are still so young and have no worries about the championship. They are older next season, so how can they be our opponents."
Weber stepped forward and put his arm around Kobe's shoulders, forcing himself to calm down and said.
"That's right, we played a tiebreaker this year, and even if we win, it won't be a happy win. Next year, if we sweep the Bulls, that will be valuable!"
McGrady usually bickers with Kobe, but at this moment, he can't help but comfort Kobe.
Lin Yu laughed heartily, "What are you talking about? Who told you that you lost?"
"We still have 1.2 seconds, enough to complete a shot."
"Kobe, damn it, lift your head up. I'll leave this last attack to you. You have to make up for the trouble you caused!"
"It's just a matter of three points, I believe in you, all of us believe in you!"
Lin Yu's tone was full of trust in Kobe. Although Kobe had an injury to his left hand, he would definitely hit the last ball. Even if Kobe really collapsed on the court, he would definitely be able to score the three-pointer.
Although the Bulls did not celebrate, the expressions on the players' faces were all filled with joy. Their chance of winning this game was at least 99.9%!
1.2 seconds is not enough to score a two-pointer, and even a three-pointer is extremely difficult to shoot after catching the ball. Their Bulls players are not wooden stakes, so how can they let the Wizards players catch the ball smoothly.
Lin Yu began to lay out the tactics for this last attack. Although it was a sure hit, he still needed some means in 1.2 seconds to make it successful.
After Lin Yu finished setting up, Kobe's face showed confidence again.
"Boss, I can't guarantee that I can score, but I can guarantee that I can definitely shoot this ball."
"This tactic of yours is simply bad." Kobe smiled.
The wizard generals also laughed.
When the players from both sides returned to the court, the bus was placed on the bench, and Lin Yu put on Nash, Kobe, Peja, McGrady and Webber.
It's obvious that he wants to score three points.
Kobe was preparing to serve outside the line, and Zen Master didn't think much about it. After all, Kobe was injured. In his opinion, Lin Yu couldn't be stupid enough to let Kobe execute this kill.
Nash and McGrady ran quickly towards Kobe.
Jordan and Pippen didn't even look at Kobe. They turned their backs to Kobe and focused all their attention on their opponents.
When the referee blew the whistle, Kobe made an incredible pass.
He threw the ball directly onto the back of Pippen, who had his back turned to him. After the basketball bounced back, Kobe entered the court with a stride, caught the basketball and raised his hand to shoot.
The moment after the basketball was released, the end-of-game whistle sounded from the ceiling.
The basketball Kobe shot was still flying towards the basket.
Everyone held their breath, and all 20,000 pairs of eyes were fixed on the flying basketball.
The only exception was Lin Yu. He put his hands on his hips and laughed, preparing to reap this hard-won victory.
The ball was shot from an extremely far distance and its flight time was naturally long. Everyone experienced what it means to have seconds feel like years.
"Uh-huh!"
As the basketball hollowed into the net, the silence at the scene was broken, and nearly 20,000 fans roared, miracle, this is definitely a miracle!
"Kill in 0.2 seconds!"
"That's right, Kobe took the shot in the last 0.2 seconds and completed the buzzer-beater!"
"Finals, here we come!"
The DJ at the scene shouted crazily. He actually didn't know how many seconds exactly it was. Anyway, this kill was so dangerous that it would definitely go down in history.
