After the Chicago Bulls won Game 4 of the Finals, the whole world knew who would win the championship this year.
There are at most three games left in the next round, and if things go wrong for the Bulls, they will still be in trouble at two home games.
Coupled with the fact that Garnett's condition is getting better day by day, the Lakers have no chance of a comeback.
However, the situation has become such that Kobe has no intention of giving up the game, and other Lakers players are also determined to continue to fight with all their strength.
On June 15, G5 of the finals started again.
After three days, Kobe has cleared his body of fatigue and regained his touch.
At the beginning of the game, Kobe was full of confidence, or he had a do-or-die mentality, and he shot a pull-up three-pointer against Duan's defense.
This kind of shot is risky, but Kobe made the right bet.
Xiao He succeeded and Xiao He lost. Kobe had a poor touch in G4 and his obsession with singles caused the Lakers to lose.
Now in G5, Kobe's touch has recovered and he has begun to improve, but he can lead the Lakers to continuously attack the city and suppress the Bulls' offensive momentum.
It was also because Kobe's touch was so good that the Bulls had to allocate manpower to cooperate with Duan to attack Kobe.
Although Kobe's status was somewhat limited, other teammates who played together also got some good offensive opportunities.
After the first quarter, Gasol and O'Neal made 4 of 5 shots and 3 of 4 shots respectively, scoring 8 and 6 points.
Kobe, on the other hand, made 5 of 9 shots, 2 of 4 three-pointers, and 3 of 4 free throws, scoring 15 points.
In addition, Hinrich also scored 4 points.
The four main players of the Lakers combined to score 33 points in the first quarter, which can be said to be the best quarter of this finals.
It is worth mentioning that the Lakers bench players also scored a combined 3 points.
Also in this quarter, the Bulls scored quite a lot.
The problem is, 26 points in a single quarter is exactly 10 points behind the Lakers, a double-digit difference.
And Kobe appeared early in the second quarter with this 10-point lead.
Duan also appeared in front of Kobe in time, but tonight Kobe seemed to have obtained the Jordan Experience Card again, and he could shoot whatever he wanted.
Even Duen can't completely match Kobe, and is slightly inferior to Kobe in terms of efficiency.
When Gasol and O'Neal came on the court one after another, the Lakers' triangle offensive system quickly took effect.
Duen also hopes that his teammates can play more efficiently. However, because of the penalty penalties, the Bulls are more difficult to attack, and other teammates cannot be efficient.
By the end of the second quarter, the score on the court was 50 to 68. The Lakers had established an 18-point lead early in the first half, which somewhat dampened the Bulls' morale.
"Do you want to hold the cup today?"
During halftime, Scott Scales asked everyone specifically.
This sentence seems to have multiple meanings. If you want to win the championship tonight, you must play more focused and harder.
Considering that we already won the championship trophy at the Staples Center last year, and the disadvantage tonight is not small, the next game will be difficult to play.
Then, it might be a good idea to consider giving up tonight's game, leaving enough energy to go back and win the final victory, and win that damn championship trophy.
Of course, as the head coach of the team, Scott Skiles can ask everyone calmly, which also explains some problems.
Thinking about it, for a great moment like the three consecutive championships that will definitely be remembered by history and fans, it would be more meaningful to go back to the United Center, the home of the Chicago Bulls, for the championship award ceremony.
For the sake of the team's interests, it is possible that the Bulls management notified Scott Skiles in advance and asked him to cooperate.
Listening to the words, Du En probably understood, so he originally wanted to say something to encourage morale, but didn't say much.
In fact, Du En also had a vague feeling. Kobe Bryant of the Lakers was feeling explosive, and the referee was a normal person, and it would be difficult for the Bulls to win this game.
Normally, even if you want to help the Lakers, you should control the court in the second half instead of letting the Bulls lose the possibility of chasing points in the first half.
Now it appears the league may have written the script as well.
With the Bulls leading 3-1, it was decided to let the Bulls return home to win the much-anticipated championship, achieving three consecutive championships in one fell swoop.
Just like G6 of the Western Conference Finals when the Lakers OK team won their third championship, the league was somewhat involved in the arrangement.
Now the Bulls have become the starring role, and the Lakers have been reduced to supporting roles.
Of course, the Bulls relied on strength to crush their opponents along the way to the championship, and the league often took action to limit the Bulls' performance.
It is also because of their strength that the Bulls have become a favorite in the league.
Even though the playoffs have been weakened, there are still a lot of whistle conveniences during the regular season.
As a person with vested interests, since he has already guessed the script, he will not interfere much with the plot.
During the halftime break, Du En stopped drinking glucose. He drank some drinks and ate two bananas and that was it.
If the NBA wasn't a Negro League, Duan would actually want to show off a watermelon.
Having said that, the third quarter started quickly.
Du En plays normally and does not play passively.
The shots that should be made, the sudden shots that should be made, and the passes that should be passed. At least Du En himself played without any problems.
However, the overall morale and condition of the Lakers players were very strong. The Bulls could not stop the Lakers' offensive, and the score gap was still widened in the third quarter.
By the fourth quarter, Duane did not play again.
Scott Skiles just used Ben Gordon and Garnett to lead the team in a final attempt at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
In fact, the effect is not bad. Ben Gordon is in a contract year. After playing in the finals, he will have to negotiate contracts with the Bulls and even other teams again.
Therefore, on a stage like the finals, Ben Gordon has the opportunity to show his strength and will naturally not miss it.
Garnett didn't want to have long nights and dreams, so he worked hard on both offense and defense, striving to end the finals in G5 and win the championship he dreamed of.
Ben Gordon has begun to enter his peak period. After Garnett returned, he recovered a lot after a week of training through games.
The Bulls relied on Ben Gordon and Garnett to lead the team and once narrowed the point difference to 15 points.
But the good times didn't last long, and Kobe and O'Neal quickly returned to the court.
Kobe Bryant locked down Ben Gordon, and O'Neal Jr. also affected Garnett's performance.
By the time the fourth quarter lasted for more than five minutes, the score difference on the court had once again widened to more than 20 points.
Normally, it would be time for Du En and others to re-enter the field at this time. If they try hard, there is still a chance.
McGrady could still score 13 points in 35 seconds. Now is the finals. In theory, there is time and opportunity to turn defeat into victory. Why not give it a try?
However, Scott Skiles removed Ben Gordon and Garnett as planned, but did not replace Duane and other main players.
The Bulls called it quits and gave up the game.
However, what is interesting is that not long after Scott Skiles removed the Bulls' main players, Jackson thought the game was stable and replaced Kobe and others.
But the Lakers' substitute players are too strong in the CBA. On the other hand, the Bulls' substitute lineup is all composed of veterans.
As the saying goes, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. The Bulls' bench players are undoubtedly much more valuable and powerful than the Lakers' bench players.
After only playing 3 minutes, the Bulls relied on the substitutes to recover a 7-point deficit, which shocked the Zen Master and quickly replaced Kobe and others back on the court.
The Bulls continued to use veteran substitutes to play, and eventually lost the game as expected.
“No one knows Kobe’s strength better than me!
Kobe has always been one of the best players in the league, and now there are many fans and young players who are learning the way Kobe plays.
I know Kobe can play 40+ in the Finals, and I'm not surprised.
Congratulations to Kobe, he beat me and beat us tonight.
He deserves all this, and everyone should give him applause.
However, the finals are not a matter of victory or defeat, and I believe we will return to the center of the competition. "
Kobe Bryant scored 40 points tonight, breaking his personal Finals single-game scoring record.
Although it is incomparable to Duan's single-game score in the finals, most stars do not have the ability to score 40 points in the finals.
As Duan said in an interview, Kobe won the game and deserved everyone's applause.
Therefore, Du En still gave his approval very calmly.
However, Duane is about to return to Chicago, and the next battlefield is at the United Center.
Duan can't wait to become the final winner and win the most important championship trophy at this stage in the envious eyes of Kobe!
You know, there are very few players who have won three championships in the NBA, even fewer who have won three consecutive championships, and very few who have won three consecutive championships as the core of a team.
Du En is very proud to be able to receive such an honor in the first few years of his career.
In Dunn's view, only by winning three consecutive championships can he be qualified to chase Jordan and touch Jordan's historical status.
Dunn originally thought that he would be qualified to stand in front of Jordan after winning three consecutive championships.
He never expected that Jordan would appear in front of him before he won the historic honor of three consecutive championships.
On June 17, at the United Center in Chicago, the Finals G6 between the Bulls and Lakers is about to begin.
Just as the players from the two teams were about to end their warm-up, the United Center suddenly caused a sensation.
It turns out that in addition to Pippen, Rodman and Kukoc, the Bulls' all-time greats, Jordan was also present at the United Center tonight.
"From North Carolina, at guard, six-six, Michael jordan!"
The on-site commentator noticed Jordan coming to the scene and immediately focused on introducing Jordan.
Although Jordan is now the owner of the Wizards, what he pays most attention to is his alma mater, North Carolina.
In addition, Jordan is no longer a Bulls player, and the Bulls had already retired Jordan's No. 23 jersey in 1994 when Jordan retired for the first time.
Therefore, the phrase "from North Carolina, shooting guard, 6 feet 6 inches, Michael Jordan" is most appropriate to introduce Jordan's appearance.
When the fans heard the commentary, they immediately focused their attention on Jordan.
Although Jordan was invited, he was very low-key and did not want to overwhelm the guests.
After all, Jordan also admires juniors like Duane, just like Jordan admires Penny, Grant Hill, Kobe, McGrady and other Jordan successors.
If he wasn't really unable to play anymore, Jordan would even be so excited that he wanted to come back again.
Just like when I came back for the first time, it was just because I heard that Madman was particularly embarrassed, who knew he would be so unbeatable.
But now that Jordan has retired for so many years, he no longer has the vigor and passion he once had.
Jordan would not have been interested in returning to the United Center if it weren't for the fact that Dunn also assumed the title of Jordan's successor and became the new leader of the Chicago Bulls.
To put it bluntly, Jordan came for Dunn, not for the benefits promised by Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf.
Also because he does not value profit, Jordan does not want to take away everyone's attention from Du En.
But now that everyone's attention has been attracted, Jordan can only get off the court, walk to the playing field, take the initiative to pick up a ball on the ground, and walk to Du En.
"Dunn, you performed very well, you are a qualified NBA player and a qualified team leader.
If I were in the same era as you, I would definitely try every means to defeat you.
Hahaha, I have to admit that it is your time now.
Take it, it's all yours now.
I hope that when your era is over, you can personally pass the ball to the next player who can dominate the era. "
Jordan handed the ball to Duen, then patted Duen on the shoulder and stood next to Duen for a while.
It seemed that someone was taking a photo of Jordan and Duen at the scene, but Jordan did not stay with Duen for too long and quickly returned to the audience.
After the media at the scene took photos and recorded videos, they no longer pointed their cameras at Jordan.
To be honest, in the NBA alone, Duan's popularity and Kobe's popularity are not much worse than Jordan's.
However, outside of the NBA, Jordan's popularity is much greater than that of Duane and Kobe combined.
Of course, tonight is the NBA Finals, and Duane and Kobe are the stars.
Now that the game is about to start again, Jordan took the initiative to step aside and become a quiet spectator. The media at the scene naturally focused their cameras on the court.
And not long after, the game officially started.
In tonight's game, Jordan is here, and the league's meaning is very clear.
The NBA is both a game and a show.
The script is arranged, and the Bulls naturally have no reason to lose.
From the beginning of the first quarter, the referee provided some conveniences to the Bulls.
However, the Bulls' overall strength is better than that of the Lakers. The Bulls can quickly gain an advantage without the referee's efforts.
At the end of the first half, the score on the court reached 44-56, and the Bulls took a 12-point lead.
Although it's not much, it's not a big problem to continue to maintain the advantage and win tonight.
In the third quarter, the Bulls relied on Duan's outstanding performance of 16 points in a single quarter to continue to widen the point difference until 19 points.
In the fourth quarter, both sides fought hard, and even Kobe's 12 points in a single quarter could not prevent the Lakers from losing.
The referee did give the Bulls a hand. The Lakers once chased the point difference to 10 points, but the Bulls stabilized the game with two free throws.
Until the last 4 minutes, the score difference returned to 20 points. Seeing that most of the Lakers players were lost and had no fighting spirit, Zen Master had no choice but to give up and admit defeat.
"we are the champion!"
"Three consecutive championships, we really did it!"
"Another dynasty!"
The second the game time ran out, the United Center was completely ebullient! (End of chapter)
