In the second hall of the United Center press conference, where the Pistons held their post-game press conference, the media had already filled the hall.
"There are so many people!" Sun Zhenping sighed.
"If we kill the bull this time, Xiao Zhou will definitely be famous all over the world." Zhang Lili said excitedly.
"Will he become a superstar?" Sun Zhenping asked excitedly.
"Absolutely. As long as you kill Michael Jordan, you will definitely become a superstar." Zhang Lili smiled excitedly.
"Crack, click, click..."
At this time, Zhou Quan, Joe Dumas, and Isiah Thomas entered the hall, and the media's cameras and camera lenses were all focused on them and they were filming wildly.
After Zhou Quan answered several questions, he encountered a tough challenge. A reporter from the New York Times asked: "Iron Fist, last year it was British female star Catherine, this year it was French Rose Christina, so who do you plan to be with next year? You Do you like hunting for Hollywood beauty?”
Seeing that foreign reporters were targeting Zhou Quan, Zhang Lili and Sun Zhenping couldn't help but worry.
Zhou Quan smiled and said: "Mr. Reporter, I know you are jealous of me. You don't have to deny it. I understand your mentality very well."
"Pfft!"
Many people laughed.
The reporter was also embarrassed.
Zhou Quan added: "But my breakup with Catherine was a last resort. It was more than half a year after I broke up with her that I met Christina and then got together with her. We are now very good and our relationship is stable. There is no problem like you mentioned." .”
At this point, he put away the smile on his face and said seriously: "Here, I hope that all media reporters will stop using this childish and annoying way to try to undermine Christina and me. I hope our relationship with her can continue to develop. As for the pursuit of beauty in Hollywood you mentioned, that is your dream, so don’t pull me into it, okay?"
"I didn't mean to destroy..."
The New York Times reporter wanted to defend himself, but the staff came up and took away his microphone, which made him very depressed.
On the other side, in the Bulls' press conference hall, the atmosphere was as dull as iron.
Jordan spoke very little. The first few local reporters asked some questions, and he answered them quite simply.
At this time, the host turned over the New York Times reporter's cards, and the reporter asked: "Michael, do you think losing tonight is related to your gambling before the game?"
"boom!"
Jordan's temples were pounding and he punched the table. Fortunately, he still had some control and didn't use much force, but the microphone in front of him was still knocked down.
He felt like these damn media were going to tear him apart and throw him into a stone mill, squeezing every drop of value out of him. He hated these media.
"Calm down, Michael."
Phil Jackson, who was next to him, reminded him and reached out to hold up the microphone.
Staring at the reporter, Jordan gritted his teeth and said: "I didn't gamble, no, before the game I only trained, trained, didn't gamble, I swear to God."
But his attitude did not make the media back down. After that reporter, another reporter pounced on him and bit him. Even his extremely strong psychological quality was destroyed by the media. He felt exhausted, which was worse than before. The game made him more tired.
…
After the press conference, the Pistons rushed to the airport overnight, ate some prepared midnight snacks on the plane, and returned to Detroit at 2:30 in the morning.
At four o'clock, Zhou Quan returned home, and Christina still left the light on for him, which gave him a warm feeling.
That night, the Knicks unexpectedly lost to the Cavaliers at home and lost a match point, but with a big score of 3-2, they still held a match point.
In another game, the SuperSonics defeated Mosaic at home with a big score of 95:120, a 25-point victory, 3-2, and got the match point.
Olajuwon was very frustrated after losing the match point. As a super center, he just won the DPOY this time. However, he did not block a shot and only had 2 steals in this game. The team only had one block and 7 steals. The Sonics had 11 steals and 7 blocks. In terms of turnovers, there were as many as 21 on their own side, but only 10 for the SuperSonics.
These performances allowed the Sonics to take 13 more shots than their own side, and their shooting percentage was 12 percentage points higher than their own. Although he felt uncomfortable losing this game, he also lost without temper. The same data is better than the other, so I am very frustrated.
Zhou Quan pays more attention to this game, and his main concern is Payton.
In this game, Payton made 10 of 17 shots in 38 minutes, with a shooting percentage of 58.8%. He scored 23 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 0 turnovers and 3 fouls.
The offensive efficiency was higher than his game yesterday, and the number of assists was too few. This does not mean that Payton's organizational skills are not good, but that the SuperSonics moved the ball very well, so Payton's performance was very good. Better than last year's playoffs, this guy has grown up and should become a very strong opponent for him in the future.
On the 21st, the G6 game day.
Bulls' main center Carter White returns as a substitute, and Scott Williams is still the main center.
All Detroiters hope that the team can defeat the Bulls tonight, but unfortunately, most of the players performed poorly and even lost the game.
Zhou Quan played 41 minutes. In the 5th minute of the last quarter, the Pistons were already 21 points behind. He was replaced early and Chuck Daly admitted defeat.
Under Jordan's defense, he made 7 of 17 shots, a shooting percentage of only 41.2%, 0 of 3 three-pointers, and 4 of 6 free throws. He only scored 18 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers, and 5 fouls.
Only three Pistons scored in double figures, Joe Dumars had 19 points, Sekali had 18 points, and the overall shooting rate was only 41%.
Jordan's score was not high, he scored 28 points, shooting 52% from the field, and had 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals.
Five members of the Bulls team scored in double figures, including Pippen who scored 24 points. The team's overall shooting percentage was 48%, which was 7 percentage points higher than the Pistons.
In another game, Charles and Barkley had the last laugh, 102:100, defeating the Spurs in the away game and winning by two points. The Suns also became the first team to reach the finals.
Barkley has received praise from the media. From the scoring champion of the Dream Team, to the regular season MVP, and now reaching the Western Conference Finals, he has reached the pinnacle of his life.
The next day, Zhou Quan became the target of media fire.
He is the core player with the ball, and he must be the first person responsible for the team's loss. A lot of criticism poured out at once.
According to media reports, Barkley has reached the peak of his life, while Zhou Quan seems to be falling to the bottom.
At ten o'clock in the morning, he woke up from bed, did not read the newspaper, ate the breakfast prepared by Christina, and the two rushed to the team.
The G7 game is on the 23rd. Tomorrow, there will be no more time for him to adjust and recover.
That night, the Knicks defeated the Cavaliers on the road and took the lead in advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.
In another game, the Mosaic team's main defender, the Jets, showed off his power. He made 13 of 16 shots from the field, a shooting percentage of 81.3%, and 4 of 6 three-pointers. He scored 30 points and led the team to defeat the SuperSonics and won the championship. A chance to tie-break.
The core of the team, Dream, made 7 of 13 shots and scored 14 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 5 blocks, 6 turnovers and 4 fouls.
Zhou Quan watched this game and admired the touch of Mosaic's five main players tonight. The five main players only had 8 free throw opportunities in total. Power forward Thorpe accounted for 7 times. Dameng did not have a free throw, which is completely out of the question. Lethality.
But I can’t help but feel good. No one in the top five starters has a shooting percentage lower than 50%. Dameng’s shooting percentage is the lowest among the five. Thorpe made 6 of 8 shots, Robert Horry made 7 of 9 shots, and Madman Maxwell made 6 of 10 shots. With such a touch, even Jordan, who scored 50+ points in a single game, would have to kneel down.
"It would be great if we could feel this good tomorrow." With this thought, he fell into sleep.
On May 23, the Detroit Pistons faced the Chicago Bulls, and the tiebreaker was about to begin.
Today's media, whether it is print media or television and broadcast media, are all paying attention to this tiebreaker.
"There is no doubt that at this most critical and fatal moment, only a truly big heart can determine the outcome of the game, and Michael Jordan is such a person." Chicago Daily News.
"Compared to the second-year Iron Fist, Michael Jordan, who has experienced nine playoffs and has countless hard honors, is more worthy of trust." Miami Fortune.
"The Pistons lost the opportunity to eliminate the Bulls at home, and their morale has definitely collapsed, which already means they will lose this series. The Bulls regained the match point on the road, their morale is high, they will definitely pursue victory, and the possibility of advancement is far greater than that of the Pistons. ."Washington post.
"Iron Fist is a core player with the ball, and he is mainly responsible for the failure of the G6 game. He still needs more training, but it needs to be pointed out that his current ability does not meet the requirements of a core player with the ball. If Buck With Leigh taking his place, the Pistons have a better chance of defeating the Bulls." Los Angeles Daily News.
There were still some media supporting the Pistons before, but when it came to the tiebreaker, especially after the Pistons got the match point but lost the G6 game at home, there were no media supporting the Pistons except the Detroit media, and even the Los Angeles media also Sided with the bull.
A large number of NBA stars rushed to Chicago, and many Hollywood stars also rushed to Chicago, and many of them accepted media interviews.
"Erwin, what do you think of this tiebreaker?" The reporter interviewed the magician.
Johnson said: "The development of things is inertial. After the big defeat last night, the Pistons' morale has collapsed, and it is very likely that they will face another big defeat. This probability is very high."
Postman Karl Malone also appeared in Chicago and was interviewed by the media.
"Karl, have you applied for your boxing license?" the reporter asked.
"It's almost time. I've been training since the first round, and I've almost met the license requirements. I will definitely announce the news." The postman said solemnly.
"Who do you support in this tie-break?" the reporter asked.
The postman glared at the reporter and said: "Of course it's Michael, we are friends. You don't need to ask anymore, I can tell you for sure that Michael will definitely kill Iron Fist and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals."
…
"Brush, brush, bang, brush, brush..."
At one o'clock at noon, in the basketball hall of the University of Chicago, the Pistons were conducting shooting training.
"I hope everyone can feel better tonight." Assistant coach Musk said standing on the sidelines.
"I just hope that the psychological pressure on Iron Fist will not be too great," said Wilt, another assistant coach.
Musk nodded and said: "The failure in the G6 game was not because he failed to play well. Everyone felt bad. What can we do if we can't make the shot?"
After watching for a while, several main players did not come out of the blacksmith. Musk breathed a sigh of relief and said: "It feels pretty good."
Wilt nodded and said: "God bless."
"Orlando doesn't seem to be in a good mood," Musk said, looking at Ulrich.
"The main force was withdrawn from the G5G6 battle, and the reaction was normal." Wilt shook his head.
As soon as he finished speaking, Ulrich's left foot crooked when he landed on the jump shot. Without any resistance, he let out an ouch and sat on the floor holding his left ankle with a look of pain on his face.
"Oops!"
"Orlando, what's wrong with you?"
Everyone stopped training and walked over.
Team doctor Neville immediately went over to check and said with an ugly face: "The left ankle ligament may be torn or even ruptured."
"What?"
Everyone didn't expect it to be so serious and were shocked.
Zhou Quan stood up and shouted: "Don't be nervous, injuries are normal. Send Orlando to the hospital for examination first."
He remembered that at this time last year, John Salley was also injured in training, and now it is happening again. What does this mean?
At this time, he couldn't help but thank Chuck Daly for removing Ulrich from his main position in the G5G6 game. The impact of the injury is not too great now.
Ulrich was sent to the hospital, and the Pistons continued training, but things went smoothly afterwards and there were no accidents.
This matter soon became known to the media, and they became even less optimistic about the Pistons.
At seven o'clock in the evening, the United Center was already full, and the buzzing noise was endless.
On the south stand, close to the rooftop, sat two middle-aged Chinese, none other than Ambassador Lin and Consul General Chen from the Consulate General in Chicago.
Lin Changhua came specially from Washington to watch this game. He was very interested in Zhou Quan because this was the first, and perhaps the only, compatriot he had seen who could be very strong in front of the Americans.
A weak country has no diplomacy. As a diplomat, especially in the United States, he can feel the meaning of this sentence most deeply.
So even he can only work and live in a very weak attitude in the United States.
To be honest, he envied Zhou Quan and very much hoped that one day he could be like Zhou Quan and face everything with his head held high.
I watched Zhou Quan's boxing match in Los Angeles last time, but I didn't have any contact with him. This time I hope to have some communication with him like I did with Zhou Quan.
…
After winning the G6 game, Jordan was in a good mood. At this time, he ran to the court, which attracted loud shouts from the fans and the media also came to interview him.
However, he did not accept an interview, but walked to the sidelines to greet some friends and acquaintances.
"Hey, Shaq, it's not too late for you to support me now." When he walked to O'Neal, he looked down at him and said.
O'Neal smiled and said honestly: "Thank you to the management for giving me a ticket."
Jordan's face turned dark instantly, he glanced at O'Neal coldly and walked over.
"Damn redneck!"
When he saw Christina Yeri, the delicate French rose, he felt a strong sense of jealousy toward Zhou Quan in his heart.
Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were sitting together and talking.
"Karim, the team wants you to go back and teach Verratti. You know he is talented and he is getting better and better."
"Let me think about it." Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said noncommittally.
The Lakers are not his home team, but the most glorious and peak era of his career was with the Lakers. He won 5 of the 6 championships with the Lakers, so he has very strong feelings for the Lakers.
However, his status with the Lakers is far inferior to that of Earvin Johnson, which makes him a little frustrated.
Just like the news coming out of the Pistons in the afternoon, Ulrich injured his ankle in training. He did the same, and he accidentally injured his ankle before the Lakers' first G6 game in the Finals. .
As a result, Irvin became an instant success, replacing himself as a point guard and playing center. Not only did he lead the team to win the championship, but he also became FMVP, completely overshadowing his own glory. From then on, Irvin Be the only one for the Lakers.
After he retired, he actually hoped to stay with the team as an assistant coach, but the Lakers management did not say anything. However, after Irvine retired, the boss gave 5% of the team's shares. This kind of completely different treatment. It hurt him.
Now the Lakers really want to trade Iron Fist. In order to reduce the transaction value of Iron Fist, even Evan has taken action and belittled Iron Fist several times, openly and secretly. He is aware of this.
It has been four years since he retired. He was not asked to come back before, but now he is asked to come back to coach. Why? He was also aware, but not happy.
At this time, in the home team locker room, Jordan came back and was in a very good mood. While changing his clothes, he said: "Ulrich is reimbursed. This is great news for us. Let's work together. As long as the tie-break is successful, I will give everyone a gift." A golf card.”
Everyone is disdainful, damn golf cards, do you think we like golf as much as you do?
(End of chapter)
