Howard couldn't help but admire: "I have to say, this shot was really beautiful! Iron Fist defeated all the Bulls' defenses with the ball alone, and completed the dunk on Cartwright. It was so beautiful!"
Winston nodded and said: "With consecutive breakthroughs against Jordan and Pippen, including two consecutive breakthroughs against Jordan, it is certain that Iron Fist's ability to break through with the ball has improved.
If the breakthrough is strengthened, his threat with the ball will be stronger. Coupled with his passing ability, the consequences of double-teaming him on the outside will be more serious. "
Howard agreed: "But if he is not double-teamed, he will break through with the ball, and his pull-up jump shot skills are close to the first-class level.
Once he breaks through, the defense against him must be strengthened. If there are openings in other positions, the overall defense must rotate quickly.
Fortunately, the Bulls' perimeter defense is the best in the league, and they are known for their fast defensive rotations, so they should be able to handle it. "
Bulls offense.
"Let's fight one." Jordan shouted sharply.
He took over the ball right in the backcourt. To attack with the ball, and to return one from Zhou Quan, this is necessary for both the individual and the team.
One goal for another, this is the rule, otherwise it is a sign of weakness.
Now, with two consecutive championships, the aura of an Olympic champion, and two top hard honors of FMVP, he is already the league's signature star, the de facto number one active player, number one in the league, and his self-confidence is invincible. His own competitive level and physical fitness are also at their peak. He can no longer tolerate any provocation, let alone provocation from his mortal enemy.
"Bang bang bang..."
Advance to the three-point line on the right wing, stop, lean down, dribble quickly and skillfully under the hips, and then suddenly start with force, bursting from the outside.
Zhou Quan reacted very quickly and quickly moved to the side and rear, blocking his opponent's breakthrough in time.
But at this moment, Jordan took a step back, retreated beyond the three-point line, straightened up, and shot a three-pointer.
"What the hell, fake jump shot, step-back jump shot!"
After watching Jordan take action one step later, he could only curse in secret. It was too late to defend himself and he could only defend with his eyes.
The moment Jordan took action, his eyes were extremely determined.
"brush!"
The next moment, the basketball passed through the brush and a pool of white water appeared.
"ah!"
Huge cheers erupted from the United Center.
"Three-pointer, Michael hit a three-pointer on Iron Fist's head, beautiful!" Rock Howard said excitedly in the ESPN commentary box.
Larry Winston laughed: "With Michael's current competitive state, he can ignore anyone's defense and he can score on anyone's head.
Now he is so strong, as long as he wants, he can get 30+40+ on anyone's head, including Iron Fist. "
On the court, Jordan was very excited after the success and started talking trash as was his habit: "Boy, why don't you guard me?"
"Yes, I just wanted to ask you and your teammates, why didn't you defend me?" Zhou Quan retorted.
Jordan's face twitched, "Asshole, I'll go in and beat these guys on the next ball."
Zhou Quan observed Jordan's expression. He bet that based on his understanding of Jordan, the paranoid old bastard in front of him must be planning to rush in and defeat them.
At this time, Joe Dumars served, he took the ball, bypassed Jordan and accelerated the ball.
He is faster, more agile, and his ball sense and ball-handling skills have also improved. Now it is difficult for Jordan to press him in the backcourt like he did in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Advancing from the right wing to the frontcourt, Jordan stuck to the left side and forced him to the sideline, but his speed with the ball was no slower than Jordan's. He continued to advance to the wing without slowing down. When Jordan caught up, he suddenly stopped. , and then followed up with a step-back jumper.
"damn it!"
Jordan also reacted very quickly and made an emergency stop immediately. However, when he saw that Zhou Quan was also making a step-back jump shot just like him before, he could only stare. He could not defend himself at all and could only watch Zhou Quan take action after one step.
"Get in!"
He got rid of Jordan's defense through an emergency stop and made a 90-level step-back jump shot, which was open. Zhou Quan's confidence was also very strong, and his ball flew towards the basket.
"brush!"
The water splashed and he hit a three-pointer.
"Oh ho!"
Joe Dumars and others on the court, as well as the Assassins and Rodman and others off the court, all jumped up and cheered heartily.
In the ESPN commentary box, Howard said with some surprise: "Oh, just where Michael hit a three-pointer, Iron Fist returned a three-pointer in almost the same way. This is a real response."
Winston shook his head and said: "If Iron Fist wants to compete with Michael, I think this is an irrational behavior. His current scoring ability is far from the same level as Michael's."
Howard laughed: "But at least so far, he has made three of three shots, including two dunks. His performance is not inferior to Michael's.
Also, he returned the same three-pointer from Michael, but Michael's counterattack just now did not respond to Iron Fist's dunk just now. "
Winston shook his head and said: "You are being harsh. The defender will have to wait and see the opportunity to dunk, but I think Michael can respond by breaking through and scoring."
At this time, Jordan had arrived in the frontcourt, on the right three-point line, received the ball from BJ, and began to play singles with the ball.
Under Zhou Quan's stimulation, all his attention has been 100% concentrated, and his competitive state has been 100% activated. The sharp energy in his whole body is like a sharp knife, and it will be dazzling just by looking at it. .
Above the free throw line, Joe Dumars faced BJ. His position was to the right, which meant he was ready to help defend Jordan.
"It must be the lateral aspect of the process."
Because Joe Dumars was watching in the middle, Zhou Quan judged that Jordan's breakthrough direction was towards the right sideline.
This is not a prediction, it is a reading of the offensive tactics of the offensive team based on one's own defensive formation. It is an understanding of techniques and tactics.
Although his game experience is only level 89, his technical and tactical abilities have reached level 94.
"There is Joe Dumars on the left, so we can't rush over there." At this moment, Jordan also made a decision.
When playing against Joe Dumars before last season, he used the most probing steps and then broke in from the left, which worked very well.
He likes to make breakthroughs close to the center, because his pull-up jump shots in the free throw line area and left and right elbow areas are the most accurate, which are his main scoring points.
Because there was no Iron Fist at that time, although the Assassin's defense was good, it was not as good as the Iron Fist, let alone Joe Dumars. There was no All-Defensive Team, so the Assassin's supplementary defense could not form an effective second line against him. Line of defense.
But it's different now. The Pistons' back line is composed of two great defensive players, Iron Fist and Joe Dumars. He is not sure about breaking through these two men, especially Joe Dumars is right next to the right elbow area where he wants to go, so he just Able to penetrate from the outside and avoid Joe Dumars' second line of defense.
The next moment, he suddenly grabbed the ball with one hand and raised it upwards. He closed his left hand in an imaginary manner, preparing for a jump shot.
But Zhou Quan was not fooled. He believed that Jordan would break through. Even if Jordan really shot, he would admit it. It was half and half anyway.
The next moment, Jordan retracted his right hand, leaned down, took a step forward with his right foot, and began to dribble through from the outside.
"squeak!"
Zhou Quan completed the retreat half a beat ahead of him and blocked Jordan again.
At the same time, Joe Dumars dropped BJ and jumped next to Jordan in two steps, completing the double-team and forcing Jordan to turn around and protect the ball.
"Oh, double teamed!" Howard exclaimed.
In the next moment, Jordan, who turned around to protect the ball, immediately connected the ball without any panic, and at the same time turned around again, preparing for a fadeaway jumper.
But just when he turned around, Zhou Quan decisively entered the confrontation, grabbed his feet forward, and squeezed forward.
"snort!"
Jordan was fearless. Although his center of gravity was unstable, he still forced himself to complete the turn and take off, and even borrowed Zhou Quan's strength.
Moreover, the direction of his backward jump also deliberately avoided Joe Dumars' block.
In the past two years, his physical fitness has really reached an explosive state. In a double team, with his center of gravity affected, he still forcibly adjusted his posture in the air, then flicked his wrist and moved his fingers powerfully, and the ball flew away. Towards the basket.
Zhou Quan and Joe Dumars jumped from the front and side to block shots respectively, but still did not touch the ball.
"boom!"
The basketball missed a little, bounced up, and was caught by Seikali.
"oh!"
In the United Center, countless voices of annoyance sounded.
Jordan also gritted his teeth with hatred. He had done his best with this shot. He was absolutely confident that he could make the shot, but he actually missed it?
In the ESPN commentary box, Winston said with great regret: "It's such a pity. Under the double-teaming of two strong defensive players, if this ball had hit, Michael's self-confidence would have exploded today. At that time, it would have been a divine blocker." God, the state where the devil blocks and kills the devil.”
Howard nodded and said: "To be honest, the ball didn't go in. It was purely a matter of touch. The double-team defense of Iron Fist and Joe Dumars didn't have much effect on Michael."
"Yes."
Winston nodded approvingly.
The game continued as the two commentators praised Jordan.
Zhou Quan and Jordan also continued to compete on both ends of the offense and defense. The two sides fought a fierce offensive and defensive battle on the outside, but the two devoted at least 60% of their energy to defending each other.
Zhou Quan plus Jordan, Pippen plus Joe Dumars, the four major defensive players on the outside fought together, presenting a very exciting defensive battle to fans across the United States.
After Jordan missed that shot, he was frequently double-teamed by Zhou Quan and Joe Dumars, and never had an explosive touch again.
But under the full defense of him and Pippen, Zhou Quan's offense was not efficient.
However, Zhou Quan is not a shooting guard, he is a point guard. He can't attack offensively, but he can still pass the ball. Jordan and Pippen teamed up and couldn't lock his passing.
Rodman was unable to play due to injury, and the other four players on the court could all score, including Joe Dumars' outside jumper, Ulrich's cut to the basket, Sekali's mid-range shot, and Mills. With his low post offense and mid-range shots, the Pistons attack from outside the three-point line all the way to the basket. His passing is very powerful. Once he is double-teamed, his passing may be fatal.
In the 7th minute of the final quarter, 90:82, the Pistons were already leading by 8 points, and the Bulls called the second timeout of this quarter.
In the ESPN commentary box, Winston said: "The two teams are somewhat similar now. They are both top in the league in perimeter defense and average in interior strength."
Howard said: "Obviously, the Pistons' offensive ability inside is stronger than that of the Bulls, which is why the Bulls lag behind.
If the Bulls want to win, Jordan must be more efficient. He must break through the blockade of Iron Fist and Joe Dumars, play sharper offense and lethality, and increase his shooting percentage. "
Winston had to nod and said: "Michael was a little unable to break in today. Iron Fist and Joe Dumars teamed up to lock down the perimeter. With their combination, the perimeter defense was really strong.
However, Michael and Pippen also locked down the Pistons' outside offense, so you are right, their inside offense was better than the Bulls today, and therefore they were ahead of the Bulls. "
Howard said: "Now Jordan makes 10 of 24 shots, a shooting percentage of 41.7%, and 2 of 4 three-pointers, which is higher than two-pointers. Only two of the 10 goals were layups, and he made 5 of 5 free throws. A total of Scored 27 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 3 turnovers and 3 fouls.
He was double-teamed 13 times in 24 shots, hitting 5 goals, with a hit rate of 38.5%. Under Tekken's single defense, he made 11 shots, hitting 5 goals, with a hit rate of 45.5%. "
Winston said: "Judging from this data, the impact of double-teaming on Michael is not too big, only 7 percentage points lower. His efficiency is low today. It is really just a matter of touch."
Howard opened his mouth. There was indeed something wrong with Jordan's touch, but it was already seven percent. Wouldn't double-teaming still have an impact?
But no matter what the commentator said, it was a fact that the Bulls were lagging behind. Except for Jordan, everyone else's morale was a bit low. After all, it was just a regular season game, and it was not time to go all out.
After the timeout, Phil Jackson did not come up with an effective solution. Everyone just focused on outside defense and then inside offense. The Pistons' inside offense was better than the Bulls', and Seikali's rebounding did not suffer.
Moreover, with Zhou Quan's organization and passing, Seikali, who is good at jump shooting, has been more efficient than when he was with the Heat. He cooperates with Ulrich, who is good at cutting in and scoring dunks, in pick-and-rolls and complement each other.
Zhou Quan told them, Seikali pulled out to set up a pick-and-roll, and then waited for the pass outside the paint area. Ulrich cut inside. As long as he got an open space, his pass would definitely arrive.
In the end, when Jordan did not have enough offensive efficiency, the Pistons defeated the powerful Bulls 98:88.
Zhou Quan made 8 of 17 shots from the field, 47%. He dunked twice and added a three-pointer at the beginning of the first quarter, scoring three goals in a row. Later, under Jordan's full defense and a double attack, his efficiency was not high, shooting 5 of 14. , the hit rate is only 35.7%.
In addition, he made 1 of 2 three-pointers and 4 of 4 free throws. In 44 minutes, he scored 21 points, 5 rebounds, 14 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls.
"Old boy, I said it before the game. What you said doesn't count. Now I have proved it with facts." After the game, Zhou Quan shouted at Jordan.
Jordan stared at Zhou Quan, said nothing, turned and walked towards the player tunnel.
Zhou Quan knows Jordan's character and their next game will definitely be more intense, but he has already been mentally prepared.
Jordan's promise to suppress him in the Eastern Conference and prevent him from getting ahead in his entire career is delusional.
In the ESPN commentary box, Howard said: "Today Ulrich scored 16 points, Sekali scored 15 points, Joe Dumars scored 18 points, Mills scored 12 points, plus Iron Fist's 21 points, the top five starters Together they contributed 82 points, nine players rotated, and the bench contributed 16 points.”
Winston continued: "For the Bulls, Jordan scored 31 points, Pippen 19 points, Cartwright 2 points, Grant 13 points, BJ only 5 points, the five main players totaled 70 points, ten players rotated, and the bench contributed 18 points .
The bench scores are similar. When we compare the main lineup, the Bulls scored 55 points from the outside and only 15 points from the inside, while the Pistons scored 55 and 27 points respectively.
In other words, the main lineups of both sides scored the same outside, but in terms of inside, the Pistons had 12 points more than the Bulls, and the Bulls lost by 10 points in the end. "
Howard said: "Although Michael scored a game-high 31 points, his efficiency was not high enough, which was one of the important reasons why the Bulls lost.
Judging from today's game, the strength of the Pistons has been greatly reflected. If Rodman returns, the Pistons will have an advantage in rebounding, so the Bulls should be careful. "
On the sidelines, Zhou Quan was being interviewed live by ESPN.
"Tekken, what is your most profound experience about this game?" the reporter asked.
"Our strength is very strong, and we have the strength and opportunity to defeat the Bulls." He said firmly.
"Michael..."
On the way back to the locker room, Phil Jackson quickened his pace to catch up with Jordan and said: "You were a little impulsive tonight and were too obsessed with competing with the Iron Fist. We did not achieve tactical results, and you failed to rely on tactics to achieve high efficiency." Offense, this is the main reason for losing, do you understand?"
Jordan stopped suddenly, and Phil Jackson also stopped. The two looked at each other in the dark corridor, and neither one spoke.
Jordan is the soul and leader of this team, but after two consecutive championships, Phil Jackson's status in the Bulls has also rapidly improved, his voice has gained a lot of weight, and he has not shown any weakness in the face of Jordan's gaze.
Pippen and others behind him also stopped, not daring to come up. The corridor, which had been filled with footsteps just now, quickly became quiet.
"clear."
Jordan finally uttered two words, which relaxed the atmosphere in the corridor, and then he turned around and continued walking forward.
Phil Jackson breathed a sigh of relief and motioned for Pippen and others to follow.
Soon after, Quan Zhou and Joe Dumars went to a press conference.
On the other side, the Bulls' press conference has also begun.
"Michael, do you think the Pistons are a first-tier team or a second-tier team?"
The first reporter to be flipped was a New York Times reporter who asked a question that was of great interest to everyone.
Jordan felt uncomfortable when he heard the name of the Pistons. He pondered for a while and then said: "First gear."
He is not stupid. If he talks about the second gear, wouldn't that be demeaning himself in disguise?
The league's number one player, Michael Jordan, personally admitted that the Pistons had the strength of a first-tier team, and the media immediately followed suit.
The next day, under the hype of the media, the Pistons officially became the fifth first-tier team in the league, that is, a championship-level team.
By this time, the Pistons had returned to Detroit.
They rushed back overnight after playing the Bulls last night, because tonight they will play the Heat in a row, starting the second consecutive back-to-back game.
Although it was back-to-back, the Pistons still defeated their opponents with absolute strength and won four consecutive games in the first week.
(End of chapter)
