Jump ball, John Salley took the ball away first, and the Pistons attacked.
Behind the center line, Zhou Quan had just received the ball when a figure flashed in front of him, and Jordan stood in front of him.
"boom!"
At this time, in the hearts of United, 20,000 Bulls fans booed in unison, and under tremendous pressure, they pounced on Zhou Quan who was holding the ball.
Faced with the invisible pressure that could cause a nervous breakdown, he took a deep breath, his usual smile appeared on his face, his eyes passed over Jordan's face, and then he looked ahead, seeing the movements of the players on both sides one by one. .
It's not Pippen, but Bulls point guard John Paxson switching to guard Joe Dumars. Isn't Phil Jackson afraid that Joe Dumars will beat Paxson?
Jordan hated Zhou Quan deeply, but at this time he had to admit that although the guy in front of him was a rookie, he was too calm. There was no trace of nervousness in such an important Eastern Conference finals.
"I've always been curious about something..."
Robert Guida said in the TNT commentary box.
"Bang!"
Suddenly, Zhou Quan dribbled forward and took a step forward. Suddenly he pushed his left elbow forward. While holding Jordan against him, he pulled the ball up from the floor with his right hand and threw it to the front right side with one hand. The basketball made a whoosh sound and went in instantly. A barrier-free passage.
"Did you miss someone?"
With a pause in his heart, Jordan quickly turned around and looked back.
On the right wing, after the jump ball, Joe Dumars immediately ran forward, with John Paxson accompanying him on his left, cutting off the angle of passing and receiving between him and Zhou Quan, but he suddenly accelerated, throwing away Paxson and rushing forward in one step. Cross the center line.
After working with Zhou Quan for a season, especially when he got an open position, he knew that Zhou Quan would definitely see it, so he immediately concentrated his attention and looked at Zhou Quan, ready to catch the ball at any time.
Sure enough, Zhou Quan saw his opportunity. When he turned around and looked over, he saw Zhou Quan passing the ball.
The next moment, when he accelerated past Rodman, an orange-red basketball came out of the gap between Rodman and Grant, who was one step ahead.
"What?"
Grant's eyes only dimmed as something passed under his nose.
"Snapped!"
Joe Dumars caught the ball with both hands, then accelerated and changed direction, bypassed Grant, and dribbled towards the basket.
At this time, Cartwright had not yet retreated to the basket, so upon seeing this, he quickly accelerated his retreat.
"brush!"
Joe Dumars entered the penalty area from the right elbow area. Two steps later, he faced the unsteady Cartwright and made a small throw under the basket. The latter reluctantly took off to block the shot, but did not touch the ball. The basketball went hollow into the basket and was won by the Pistons. The first goal.
"It's beautiful. Iron Fist and Joe Dumars played a wonderful pass-and-cut tactic." Ringo Wilson praised in the TNT commentary box.
Robert Guida also nodded in admiration: "This attack only took 2.6 seconds, which is indeed beautiful."
"Robert, what did you mean when you said something strange just now?" Ringo Wilson asked.
"Oh, I'm curious about Iron Fist's vision. Did you notice that he rarely swings his head left and right to observe the whole court like other point guards? He usually only stares ahead and occasionally looks left and right." Robert Guida said.
Ringo Wilson said in surprise: "When you say that, it seems true. His habit makes it difficult for those who defend him to prevent his passes."
Robert Guida nodded and said: "He must be observing, so there is only one possibility. His peripheral vision is very good. This is a talent."
"right."
Ringo Wilson nodded in agreement.
At this time, John Paxson advanced to the frontcourt and handed the ball to Pippen, who was two steps away from the paint area on the left wing.
Pippen faced off against Ulrich. The height difference between the two was 3 centimeters, but the former had longer arms, so he didn't actually suffer from height.
With his back to the defender, he catches the ball and starts a single.
On the weak side at this time, Jordan was running without the ball and was defended by Joe Dumars.
Grant came over to set up a pick-and-roll, and he immediately took the opportunity to run back, shake off Joe Dumars, bypass Rodman, and quickly cut to the paint area, reaching the right midfielder in two steps.
On the strong side, Pippen saw Jordan cutting inside and immediately pulled the ball up, preparing to pass the ball.
His wingspan reaches 220 centimeters, which is very good. Like Jordan, his hands are also very big, so he has no problem holding the ball with one hand.
At the left elbow, at the left end of the free throw line, Zhou Quan faced off against John Paxson.
Because the left wing is the strong side, his position is to the left, and his body is facing the left wing. He cannot see Jordan's off-ball cuts on the weak side.
However, just as Jordan cut inside to the right midfielder, he saw Pippen pull the ball up very high, exceeding the height of the ball.
Although Pippen's right hand is still palm down, it is still possible to dribble, but the possibility of passing the ball is more than 80%, otherwise it would not be so high.
"Jordan?"
At this moment, his body immediately turned downwards, and the corner of his right eye instantly pulled Jordan, who was cutting inside, into his field of vision.
"squeak!"
His feet instantly exerted force, and he turned downwards. From the corner of his left eye, he saw Pippen passing the ball, and his big hand immediately moved forward.
"Whoosh!"
At this time, Pippen spiked the ball with his right hand, pulled it slightly backward, then quickly threw it in the direction of Michael Jordan and passed the ball.
"Snapped!"
The next moment, a big hand suddenly cut into the passing route and intercepted the ball.
"What?"
The eyes of Pippen and Jordan, who was about to catch the ball, widened instantly.
"Damn it!"
At this moment, countless Bulls fans yelled loudly. They watched nervously as Zhou Quan began to counterattack, and their hearts beat faster.
"Steal the ball! Iron Fist steals the ball, and the Pistons start to counterattack!" Robert Guida roared excitedly in the TNT commentary box.
On the court, outside the three-point line, John, who was on the left side, quickly moved sideways to the top of the arc, trying to prevent Zhou Quan from going down quickly and giving Pippen and Jordan, who were lower down, a chance to return to defense.
But at this moment, Zhou Quan changed direction slightly, stepped forward and accelerated to pass the opponent. Under the strong confrontation, he bumped the opponent away with his shoulder. His body paused slightly, and then he used his strength again and charged forward.
But thanks to Paxson's blockage, Jordan and Pippen seized the opportunity and gradually caught up with Zhou Quan from the left and right sides.
After passing the midline and approaching the top of the arc, Zhou Quan felt the friction of sneakers on the left and right sides getting closer and closer. He swung his head left and right, and out of the corner of his eye, he could already see Pippen and Jordan, as well as Joe Douma, who was half a step behind Jordan's left side. Sri Lanka.
At this time, he had two options: go in by himself, or stop at the top of the arc, attract the defense of Jordan and Pippen, and then pass the ball to Joe Dumars.
"Fight in!"
"no."
Whether it is Pippen or Jordan, the defensive height is much higher than his shooting height, and it is difficult for him to escape the fate of being blocked.
"squeak!"
"Bang!"
In the next moment, he stopped suddenly, dribbled the ball with his hips, and pulled the ball up from behind with his left hand.
"squeak!"
"squeak!"
The moment he dribbled the ball under his crotch for the first time, Pippen, who was extremely responsive, and Jordan suddenly stopped at the same time, stopping one step ahead of him.
"ball!"
Joe Dumars, on the other hand, passed Jordan, rushed into the left elbow area, and stretched his hands towards the top of the key.
"Bang!"
At this moment, Zhou Quan dribbled the ball from his hips for the second time, and pulled the ball forward with his right hand. At the moment of slamming, he suddenly stretched forward.
"Pass the ball!"
Pippen and Jordan reacted quickly. Jordan, who was on the left front, reached out for everything and made a defensive reaction to steal the ball. Pippen did the same. The two of them instantly blocked the passing angle in front of Zhou Quan.
"Fake action!"
But the next moment, they were both shocked.
Zhou Quan took back his right hand and took off calmly from the top of the arc.
The moment he took the shot, Jordan and Pippen were watching him from a step away.
"Be careful, fake fax submission!"
In the commentary box, a commentator yelled in horror.
"no!"
But the next moment, another commentator suddenly shouted loudly.
"Whoosh!"
Zhou Quan threw his hands forward with the ball in the air, and the ball flew like a meteor towards Joe Dumas, who had already rushed into the penalty area. The latter caught the ball, stepped forward for a layup, and easily hit the ball.
"Oh ho!"
On the Pistons bench, two thousand Pistons fans instantly burst into joy.
"Beautiful! Tekken's attack and defense this time was so beautiful!" Robert Guida said excitedly in the TNT commentary box.
Ringo Wilson was equally excited: "Iron Fist not only intercepted Pippen and Jordan's balls, but also tricked them with fake moves on the offensive end."
"With two assists and a steal in the beginning, Iron Fist should be in very good shape tonight. He played very excitedly." Robert Guida said with a smile.
"Cheer up, this is our home court." On the court, Jordan shouted with a stern look on his face.
The Bulls' backcourt defended and retreated, and did not press John Paxson.
Now his speed has been increased to level 91, and his agility is level 92. Although his tonnage is 8 kilograms larger, his mobility is not inferior to John Paxson. He is fully capable of closing down Paxson of the same height. If there is a confrontation, with his Defensive ability, the opponent will most likely be forced to move the ball.
But this is a series, and it is necessary to save physical energy, especially in away games where the momentum is at a disadvantage, so under normal circumstances, he does not plan to press in the backcourt, and the coaching staff does not arrange such defensive tactics.
After Paxson passed the frontcourt, he was ready to hand the ball to Pippen.
At this time, Pippen had already entered the left three-point line, and then suddenly ran back outside, got rid of Ulrich, and was ready to catch the ball.
But at this moment, Zhou Quan suddenly took a step laterally, cutting off Paxson's passing angle from the left wing.
When Jordan saw Jordan, who was about to enter the three-point line on the right wing, he quickly ran outside and asked Paxson for the ball.
Paxson passed the ball, Jordan caught the ball two steps from the three-point line, and Joe Dumars blocked one step away.
"Don't let Pippen catch the ball and let Jordan hit Joe Dumars. Is this the Pistons' tactic today?" Robert Guida asked doubtfully in the TNT commentary box.
On the field, on the right wing, Jordan, holding the ball with one hand, suddenly started to test.
Joe Dumars, who had just been selected for the defensive first team, immediately reacted defensively. He knew that he could not stop Jordan's breakthrough, so he chose to block the near end and let Jordan break through from the far end toward the right sideline.
At the next moment, Jordan held the ball and hit Joe Dumars from the right, but the latter retreated sideways and stuck to his left side.
"squeak!"
But the next moment, with the sharp friction sound of sneakers, just as he took a step into the three-point line, Jordan came to an emergency stop.
"Emergency jump shot!"
Joe Dumas knew that Jordan had this skill, and he was mentally prepared, but his body couldn't keep up. When he stopped suddenly, he was already one step ahead of Jordan. When he turned around and stood up to block the shot, Jordan Already in the air, with an obvious backward move, he completely avoided his block.
"brush!"
The water splashed and hit two points from far away.
"Oh! A pull-up fadeaway that couldn't be blocked. Joe Dumars could only defend it with his eyes."
"Fans, are you ready? The gorgeous performance from MJ has begun!"
The roars of the two on-site commentators suddenly sounded, leading to the cheers of 20,000 Bulls fans, which was earth-shattering.
In the TNT commentary box, Robert Guida shouted excitedly: "Oh, a textbook-style pull-up fadeaway jumper. Michael Jordan has raised his shooting skills to the realm of art."
Ringo Wilson also praised: "Elegant basketball, this is his unique basketball style, he is raising the ceiling of the NBA."
The two spared no effort to use the most gorgeous words to praise Michael Jordan, because they knew that the fans liked this.
4:2, Pistons attack.
Zhou Quan took the ball to the frontcourt and approached the top of the arc. Jordan, who was retreating and defending, did not retreat anymore. He leaned down and made the tightest defensive posture.
"Shh!"
Continuous dribbling sounded, but it was silent. From the moment he started receiving the ball, the boos in the United Center spread like wildfire.
Jordan had no intention of trash-talking. He knew very well how strong the willpower of the rookie opposite him was, and trash-talking was useless.
Joe Dumars and Ulrich ran continuously on the left and right wings, but Paxson and Pippen followed closely and there was no chance for a while.
And John Salley and Rodman in the low post had little chance under the defense of Cartwright and Grant.
Zhou Quan made a tactical gesture, and immediately, John Salley stepped forward.
"Pick and roll."
An on-site commentator immediately reminded loudly.
This is because of the home court advantage, Jordan was immediately ready to defend the pick-and-roll.
The pick-and-roll occurred, and John Salley stood behind Jordan. At the same time, Zhou Quan's right foot stepped forward to the right and began to break through with the ball.
Almost at the same time, Jordan moved sideways to the left, blocking Zhou Quan's breakthrough path.
However, the next moment, Zhou Quan withdrew his right foot and jumped up.
"Fake surprise and real surrender?"
The commentator who had just reminded Jordan to guard against pick-and-rolls lost his voice.
"Oops!"
Jordan quickly took a half-step forward and jumped to block the shot, but the ball flew over his hand. No matter how fast he reacted, he was half a beat too slow.
"Three points?"
In the TNT commentary box, Robert Guida shouted.
"brush!"
The water splashed and he hit a three-pointer.
"ah!"
The moment he saw the ball hit, Zhou Quan shouted excitedly and punched forward with his right fist.
Robert Guida said with a smile: "I have to say that Iron Fist played very calmly today and his fake moves were very good."
Bulls offense.
Grant was pulled one step inside the right-wing three-point line, and Rodman was pulled outside the right waist.
Cartwright pulled to the left wing, two steps outside the paint, and John Salley followed to the left midfielder.
At this time, Jordan moved without the ball, entered the right low post, and asked for the ball with Joe Dumars behind him.
Paxson held the ball close to the top of the arc. At this time, Pippen dribbled the ball from the left wing to the top of the arc. After receiving the ball, he continued to move to the right and then passed the ball down.
At this time, Jordan in the low post, Paxson at the top of the arc, and Pippen on the right formed a triangle.
At the same time, Jordan, Pippen, and Grant, who ran to the right corner, also formed a triangle.
Jordan caught the ball without any pause, suddenly turned around and slipped to the bottom. Joe Dumars retreated sideways, but was elbowed away by the former.
"boom!"
The next moment, John Salley returned to defend the basket, but after Jordan passed from the basket, he suddenly turned around and jumped up, and hit a reverse dunk, which exploded the Pistons' basket.
"boom!"
It was as if the United Center suddenly exploded, and a point of fire instantly detonated the entire venue. The decibels that had been hovering at the bottom a moment ago suddenly climbed to the top at a terrifying speed and at a right angle of 90 degrees.
"call!"
The pressure on his face made Zhou Quan take a long breath.
"Xiao Zhou must adjust his rhythm. Don't always control the ball alone. Let his teammates share the pressure. In such a terrifying away game, the away pressure alone can consume physical energy at a faster rate. The greater the pressure, the stronger the physical energy. The faster it is consumed, the faster it will be consumed, so you don’t have to fight back until you run out of energy.”
Zhang Lili's home, he said to himself.
But his wife said: "Lao Zhang, this camera is always pointed at Michael Jordan. It seems that Zhou Quan doesn't have many shots!"
Zhang Lili shook his head helplessly and said: "There is no way, he is popular, the league's signature, fans only like to watch him, so the camera only shoots him."
7:4, Pistons attack.
After passing the midline, Zhou Quan handed the ball to Joe Dumars and asked him to single out John Parks. This was also one of the team's main offensive tactics today.
The first few attacks were initiated by him, and handing over the ball could also give him a breath of relief.
In fact, he is very tired from playing in the regular season until now, and his current physical level is not high.
Two minutes later, Joe Dumars made 1 of 2 shots, but Jordan hit two consecutive goals on his head. 9:8, the Pistons still led by one point and had the ball.
"Both sides did not call a timeout. The offensive efficiency was very high and the score became tighter. Michael currently made 4 of 4 shots and scored all the points. Joe Dumars made 3 of 4 shots and scored 6 points. Both of their offenses were very good. Played pretty well, in very good shape,” Robert Guida said.
Ringo Wilson said: "Iron Fist made 1 of 1 shots, scored 3 points, 2 assists and 1 steal, and his performance was not bad. Up to now, the two sides should still be testing the game, and there is no real fight."
Robert Guida nodded and said: "There are no ball-holding breakthroughs from the outside. Except for one slip-up dunk, Michael's other three shots were all mid-range shots. Except for one fast break layup and one inside cut, the Pistons' other shots were also They’re all outside jumpers.”
As soon as Joe Dumars arrived in the frontcourt, he immediately asked Zhou Quan for the ball.
Zhou Quan passed the message without hesitation.
Joe Dumars caught the ball, faked a shot and shook John Paxson, breaking through with the ball.
"boom!"
Grant made timely defense, and Joe Dumars made an emergency jump shot, but missed.
Rodman rushed in to grab the offensive rebound, but Jordan rushed down from the free throw line and got the rebound half a beat ahead.
Zhou Quan retreated quickly, and Michael Jordan held the ball and continuously changed directions to break through, then drove in from the shaken former and went straight to the basket.
John Salley and Rodman outflanked each other from the left and right sides, playing fierce closing defense.
But Jordan still stood tall. On one side of his body in the air, his right hand holding the ball stretched out from the gap between the two and lifted the ball toward the basket.
"boom!"
When Jordan landed, the basketball hit the basket and fell into the net.
"ah!"
All arms were waving, and the United Center once again erupted into roaring cheers.
"5 for 5, Michael, shoot 50+ on the bad boys, you can do it, you can crush them."
a live commentator roared excitedly.
Jordan pointed in the direction of the commentary box to show he heard.
"boom!"
This action immediately made the United Center's shouts rise to another level.
(End of chapter)
