Jordan caught the ball at the three-point line on the right wing. Zhou Quan concentrated on it and leaned forward slightly, like a leopard, with the momentum to pounce at any time.
The steal leader with 3.3 steals in the regular season, and Jordan with 4 steals in a single game, so Jordan had to work hard to face Zhou Quan.
"This guy has already made 4 of 5 shots. No, I have to be more proactive on defense."
Zhou Quan knew that when Jordan broke out, passive defense could not prevent the opponent at all. He had to defend proactively to have some chances.
"squeak!"
At this moment, he suddenly used his feet to grab the ball and reached out to poke the ball.
His steal was premeditated. This sudden steal would most likely force Jordan to retreat. Then he took the opportunity to get close to Jordan, blocking Jordan's left side and squeezing him toward the right sideline.
Jordan, who was also focused, reacted quickly, pulled the ball back with his right hand, took a step back, and then crossed his hips to dribble, preparing to break through from the left.
His purpose is to rush to the right elbow area. If he can't get in, he will stop there and shoot a jump shot. That is the area where his shooting rate is high.
But just a moment before he was dribbling the ball under his hips and preparing to break through, Zhou Quan took a step forward and stuck to his front left side, blocking his angle to break through to the left.
"boom!"
Dribbling under the crotch again, his right hand was pulled up from behind, and he immediately began to break through from the outside. Zhou Quan's position was a little biased, and the opportunity was very good.
Zhou Quan squeezed his chest hard, and at the same time, he bypassed Jordan with his left hand and poked the ball in front of him. Jordan's breakthrough was destroyed and his speed slowed down.
At this time, Zhou Quan suddenly dodged sideways. Jordan, who was trying to break forward, had no resistance and couldn't help but rush forward. The ball in his right hand instantly lost control.
"Snapped!"
During the confrontation, Zhou Quan immediately squeezed up from behind Jordan, squeezed away the opponent, controlled the ball in his hands, and completed the steal.
"The defense this time is so beautiful!" Zhang Lili said excitedly.
Jordan chased Zhou Quan angrily, and Zhou Quan pushed forward, but he did not push with all his strength, because there were assassins in the middle and Joe Dumas on the right. He did not intend to go in by himself, but slowed down to contain Jordan. Side, it's up to Assassin or Joe Dumars to finish this offense.
"squeak!"
He stopped at the left three-point line, and Jordan had to stop in front.
At this time, Joe Dumars shook off Pippen and drove into the basket from the right wing, and the assassin stopped at the top of the arc.
"Whoosh!"
Zhou Quan made a casual push and the ball flew out of the right side of the basket.
"boom!"
Joe Dumars took off from the right waist, caught the ball in the air, and dunked with one hand, blasting the Bulls' basket.
"44:37, the Pistons regained the lead by 7 points." Zhang Li said with a smile.
"Jordan just cut off Zhou Quan once, and now he's returning it." Sun Zhenping said with a smile.
"The steal king is not fake." Zhang Li said with a smile.
Next Jordan missed a shot and the Pistons attacked again.
The Bulls still use a dense crowd to limit Zhou Quan's ability to get through the gaps, and the effect is still good. As the defensive experience becomes more and more abundant, Zhou Quan's off-ball movement becomes more and more difficult. He can run out of the first two moves. An opportunity, now it takes three offensive opportunities to run out.
Just when Zhou Quan used his running position to disrupt the Bulls' penalty area, Seikali suddenly pulled out of the penalty area to catch the ball. Scott Williams had no time to follow. Seikali made an open jump shot and hit a mid-range shot.
"46:37, the Pistons led by 9 points, Phil Jackson couldn't sit still, he called a timeout." Bill Walton said.
"Using a dense crowd to limit Tekken's off-ball movement is indeed feasible, but the defensive attention is all on Tekken, which can easily leave opportunities for others," Williams said.
Bill Walton laughed and said: "Iron Fist's vision is indeed amazing. His ability to get through people's cracks must come from his vision ability."
"Why are you so sure?" Williams asked cooperatively.
Bill Walton said: "In terms of agility, Iron Fist is not yet at the top. This can be seen from his ability to continuously change directions. He rarely does that kind of continuous change of directions. If he does, it must be slowing down." made under circumstances.
His agility isn't top-notch, and he doesn't have a thin physique, so why is he so capable of getting through people's cracks?
Only the field of vision, I have observed that when he suddenly changed direction and passed through those gaps, he did not pause at all, as if everything was planned.
He sees the gap that needs to be passed before the defender. The defender follows behind and runs in the crowd, like a blindfolded donkey, who cannot catch up with a hound. "
"Haha, Bill, what do you describe Michael Jordan as, a blindfolded donkey?" Williams laughed.
After the two joked, Bill Walton reminded: "The Pistons are in a good situation now, but be careful. At critical moments, when in desperate situations, Jordan is very likely to explode. The Pistons currently do not have such a person, and Iron Fist currently does not There is no such ability to stand up in desperate situations.”
"We just can't let the Bulls get up and let Michael Jordan go crazy." Williams nodded.
"What are we doing? What are we doing? Bastard..."
On the Bulls bench, Jordan was roaring in a low voice, venting his dissatisfaction. He was not only satisfied with his teammates, but also with himself.
"Phil, we need to make changes. We must not lose this game, absolutely not!"
After venting his anger, he raised his head and stared at Phil Jackson with ferocious eyes. His red eyes made everyone who saw them feel heart palpitations. His low roar hit their hearts like muffled thunder, and there was something that made them scalp. A numbing feeling of shock.
Phil Jackson nodded and said: "Now we have to strengthen the defense against the assassin and strengthen the confrontation. We can't let him pass the ball to Iron Fist whenever he wants. We want him to be unable to pass the ball. BJ..."
His eyes were fixed on BJ's face, and he said extremely seriously: "The intensity of the confrontation just now was not enough. He no longer had the ability to break through with the ball. Moreover, when Tie Fist moved in the penalty area, it was full of people, and he did not break through. space, so you need to defend against shots, passes and not penetrations. As long as you can stop him for one to two seconds, we can complete the defense."
"I'll do it."
BJ nodded heavily, his tone very sure, he wanted to get back the main position.
The timeout ends and the game resumes.
"brush!"
Even though he was stuck by Zhou Quan, Jordan still used a very determined turnaround and fadeaway jumper to hit the ball. The shot was very determined.
46:39, Pistons attack.
In the following time, the Assassin found that he was in some trouble. B.J. Armstrong in front of him kept pestering him, which made him uncomfortable. The injury prevented him from making big moves, and his passing was affected.
Zhou Quan wandered around in the penalty area and finally got out. He found that the assassin's ball had not been passed, and then Jordan chased him and the open space disappeared.
In the end, the assassin forced a shot and missed, and the Bulls protected the rebound.
After the second quarter, 50:48, the Bulls were only two points behind.
Zhang Lili said with a serious look: "Zhou Quan couldn't catch the ball from behind. He only took one shot and didn't make it yet. Now he's 8 of 13 shots, 61.5%, 16 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 turnover, and 2 fouls. No free throws.
The Pistons need to make some changes now. Before, the Bulls' tactics were passive, but now their own tactics are passive. "
Sun Zhenping said: "Jordan just made 2 of 4 shots and has already made 10 of 21 shots, with a shooting rate of 47.6%. The shooting rate is slowly improving.
However, there was no breakthrough today. There were too many people inside and there was no chance of breakthrough. He made very few free throws, making 2 of 2 free throws, and scored a total of 22 points. "
"Let's see how the two teams play in the second half." Zhang Lili said.
Back in the locker room, Chuck Daly thought about it and said: "We changed our formation in the second half. Iron Fist, you still have to come back to control the ball and attack with the ball."
Assistant coach Musk nodded and said: "Although Tekken played well without the ball, we lost the threat with the ball, which is very fatal."
Isiah Thomas felt sad. He was no longer an assassin. He no longer had any threat when holding the ball. A small role player could lock him down.
Assistant coach Lelo Wilt suggested: "What about Joe holding the ball?"
Chuck Daly shook his head and said: "Pippen's defense is not a vegetarian."
Next, he began to arrange the lineup and tactics. The defenders Zhou Quan and Joe Dumars, the interior liners Sekali and Rodman, and the small forwards. For this position, he decided to let Darnell Walker play.
Darnell Walton is the Pistons' most serious injury this season. He only played 9 games in total. When arranging the playoff roster, he still included this guy.
Dalle Walker is a veteran, the 12th pick in the first round of 1983. Now his offensive strength is almost gone, but he still has some defense.
"I?"
Darnell Walker felt the surprise.
Chuck Daly nodded and said: "Darnell, I don't need you to attack, you just need to use your small size to entangle Pippen.
He can be allowed to shoot from the outside, but he can't be allowed to rush in, and he can't be allowed to pass the ball at will. Do you understand? "
"clear."
Darnell Walker nodded.
After halftime, the third quarter started with the Pistons attacking.
The Bulls' No. 1 position is still BJ, and the other four are starting.
"Oh, fucked Darnell Walker?" Bill Walton was a little surprised.
Williams analyzed: "After the serious injury, he has no other role. He should be allowed to hold Pippen down."
"Now that Tekken is holding the ball again, against Jordan, Seikali is different from the first half. He has pulled out. The penalty area is much empty and there is room for breakthrough. Tekken will definitely break through with the ball." Bill Walton said.
"Let's see if Jordan can stop Tie Fist from breaking through with the ball." Williams said with a smile.
"Bang bang bang..."
Zhou Quan dribbled the ball to the top of the key, but did not attack. Instead, he gave the ball to Joe Dumars on the right wing.
"John?"
In front of the Bulls bench, Phil Jackson turned to look at Paxson.
John Paxson nodded, stood up and pulled down his button-down pants, ready to play.
Like the assassin, he is actually not very good. He has been a substitute for a season, and now he is forced to start in the second round. His body can no longer hold on.
"brush!"
Joe Dumars made a jump shot and hit a ball over BJ's head.
Bulls offense.
"Sure enough, Darnell defended Pippen." Bill Walton said.
Without Phil Jackson's instructions, Pippen asked for the ball from BJ and began to single on Darnell Walker on the left wing.
The height difference between the two is ten centimeters, and with the wingspan, the height difference is even greater. Although Darnell Walker only weighs 82 kilograms, he is not afraid of confrontation and simply uses faster speed to get close to him. This makes Pippen a little uncomfortable. It's like a plaster is stuck to my body and I just can't shake it off.
"boom!"
Pippen missed a strong shot, Rodman protected the backcourt rebound, and the Pistons attacked.
"Similarly, Darnell Walker is better than BJ when it comes to defending a small player against a large player." Bill Walton said.
Williams shook his head and said: "No, Bill, Joe Dumars' offense is better than Pippen's. In fact, Pippen's offense is weak and defense is strong, while Joe Dumars' offense and defense are integrated."
Then, knowing that he was about to be replaced, BJ was very aggrieved and took an active foul to send himself off the court and replaced John Paxson.
"Qiao, intensify the confrontation and knock him down."
Zhou Quan thought of BJ's defense against the Assassins later in the second quarter and immediately said to Joe Dumars.
Joe Dumas nodded, no problem.
Next, Zhou Quan himself did not attack too much, but gave Joe Dumars the ball and let him toss John Paxson.
Joe Dumars stepped up his running on the offensive end, and stepped up his confrontation on the defensive end. As a result, John Paxson only played five minutes, and some parts of his body couldn't bear it, such as his knee joint.
John Paxson, who had been seriously injured, could not hold on after consecutive starts and could no longer guard Joe Dumars. He made 3 of 6 shots in the first half of the quarter, 1 of 2 three-pointers, and 2 free throws. In the middle, he scored 9 points in half a quarter.
Zhou Quan did not attack much and spent all his energy on defending Jordan. He blocked Jordan once and allowed Jordan to make 2 of 5 shots.
Including the first ball, Jordan made 3 of 6 shots in the second half. The efficiency was actually good, and his condition is still slowly improving.
Pippen faced Darnell Walton and made 1 of 3 shots in half a quarter. The advantage of mismatch was not taken advantage of, and the offensive state was average.
Grant, however, seized the opportunity to cut inside continuously and made 2 of 3 shots in the half quarter, which was a good performance.
In the 6th minute of the third quarter, 64:58, the Bulls were 6 points behind at home and called a timeout.
Phil Jackson also faced the problem of Chuck Daly. The Pistons did not have a suitable person at the third position, the Bulls did not have a suitable person at the back line, and Jordan switched to guard Zhou Quan, and there was no suitable person to deal with Joe Dumars. Everyone There is a weakness that is caught.
John Paxson is gone, so he can only replace 82-year veteran Trent Tucker. There is no other choice, just like Chuck Daly.
After the timeout, Chuck Daly took a look at the Bulls' lineup and immediately instructed Darnell Walker to guard Tucker, while Pippen handed it over to Joe Dumars.
Although Darnell Walker's efficiency in guarding Pippen in the first half was okay, his temporary performance was not enough to make him trust Walker. After all, it was Pippen, and Walker was still a veteran after being seriously injured. Now let Walker and Tucker Let the old and injured pair peck each other.
In the second half of the quarter, Jordan broke out on Zhou Quan's head, constantly breaking through with the ball, making 3 of 5 shots and 3 of 3 free throws. He scored 9 points in the half quarter and 15 points in a single quarter.
Joe Dumars faced Pippen, and Zhou Quan took over the offensive right. Like Jordan, he strengthened his breakthrough with the ball and caused damage at the same time. Within half a quarter, he made 3 of 6 shots and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 8 points. .
The two faced off, but Jordan had the upper hand.
After the third quarter, 76:73, the Bulls were still 3 points behind.
Bill Walton smiled and said: "Judging from the current situation, no one has a clear advantage. The Bulls definitely have a chance to come back. The Pistons cannot be careless."
Williams nodded and said: "Jordan made 16 of 32 shots in the third quarter, and his shooting percentage has increased to 50%. He made 1 of 3 three-pointers, 5 of 5 free throws, and scored 38 points. His condition is getting better and better. Although Tekken’s defense was good, Jordan was still unstoppable.”
Bill Walton said: "Tekken didn't attack much in the first half of the third quarter. They missed one shot and made 2 of 2 free throws. The second half was good, scoring 8 points and 10 points in a single quarter. Currently, they are 11 of 20 shots and hit. The rate was 55%, 24 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls.
Joe Dumars was in average shape in the first half, but was good in the third quarter. He has now scored 19 points, 3 assists and 2 steals.
In the next final quarter, let's see who performs better. Jordan and Iron Fist should both stand up and preside over the team's offense. "
"At the same time, we have to work hard on the defensive end to reduce each other's offensive efficiency." Williams added.
(End of chapter)
