At the end of the timeout, Jordan started a pick-and-roll with Grant on the right wing, then cut inside. Pippen, who was feinting with the ball on the left wing, passed the ball in time. Rodman switched defenses. Jordan caught the ball and made an emergency jumper, hitting a goal.
"13:6, Jordan made 2 of 3 shots. He feels good, but for the next state, he must perform well on the defensive end." Bill Walton said.
Zhou Quan still played without the ball. When Seikali attacked the paint area, he also took advantage of the crowd inside and got in.
"damn it!"
Jordan had a headache when he saw Zhou Quan enter the paint area and cursed secretly.
Borrowing Sekali's body to get rid of Jordan, Zhou Quan crossed the penalty area and came to the left wing. At this time, the ball reached the hands of Joe Dumas on the left wing three-point line, and he immediately passed the ball down.
Zhou Quan caught the ball and made a jump shot. Jordan jumped out and blocked the shot, but the rhythm was already half a beat slower and he missed the shot.
"boom!"
His psychological quality was too stable, and Zhou Quan's shooting movements were not affected. However, he failed to hit the ball. He missed the first ball tonight.
"mine!"
Rodman rose up and grabbed the offensive rebound over Cartwright and Grant.
"Shet!"
Jordan saw another backcourt rebound missed, which made him very angry.
"Rebounding is really good!"
Zhang Lili couldn't help but praise.
After Zhou Quan shot, he immediately got under the baseline, took the ball from Rodman and pulled it to the right wing, and then singled out Jordan facing the basket.
At this time, Seikaly set a pick-and-roll for Joe Dumars on the left wing. Joe Dumars got rid of Pippen, bypassed Cartwright, and cut inside the basket along the baseline.
Zhou Quan dribbled the ball and took a step back.
Jordan quickly grabbed the ball, but Zhou Quan immediately dribbled the ball down and took a step laterally. The ball was also pulled up, and he pushed hard with one hand. The basketball flew in a straight line against the baseline toward Joe Dumars.
"brush!"
Along the baseline, Joe Dumars cut into the paint with one step. When the ball arrived, he caught the ball and made a small throw over Grant's head.
Zhang Lili said excitedly: "Our tactical opponent, the Pistons played too proactively. Zhou Quan used his off-ball movement in the penalty area to tear the Bulls' defensive formation in the penalty area to pieces, and then took the opportunity to use the wing cutting tactics.
Now the Bulls are quite passive. Not only were they passive on the offensive end, they were intercepted twice by Zhou Quan, but they were also unable to prevent the Pistons' attack on the defensive end. "
"15:6, the Pistons still lead by 9 points." Sun Zhenping said happily.
Phil Jackson shook his head helplessly and lost another backcourt rebound. This was already the second time, and there were only 5 rebounds in total tonight.
He turned around and hooked his fingers at Scott Williams, who stood up excitedly. After he approached, he warned: "The most important thing after you go up is to control the rebounds, do you understand? This is our lifeline."
"Got it, coach." Williams said solemnly.
"boom!"
The Bulls attacked, and Pippen singled out Joe Dumars, but missed.
"mine."
Rodman was full of energy and showed off his power again, grabbing a backcourt rebound over Cartwright's head.
"Beep!"
But the referee blew the whistle and gave Rodman a personal foul.
Rodman just smiled and handed the ball to the referee himself without any excuse.
The Bulls took the opportunity to substitute, and Scott Williams came on to replace Cartwright.
"Rebounds, don't give up any rebounds, do you hear me?" Phil Jackson shouted loudly from the sidelines with his hands in the shape of a trumpet.
The Bulls attacked, Pippen was stared at by Joe Dumars, and Jordan came out to catch the ball and hit the ball in singles.
"boom!"
The fake shot turned out to be sudden, and then he made a pull-up jumper. He missed, but Grant grabbed the rebound.
"brush!"
Jordan rushed to catch the ball, forced a jump shot under Zhou Quan's block, and hit it this time.
15:8, Pistons attack.
"Rebound, asshole!"
After missing a backcourt rebound, Chuck Daly was furious.
"boom!"
Under Jordan's defense, Zhou Quan missed his second goal of the day.
Scott, who just came on the field, grabbed a backcourt rebound. Jordan counterattacked and scored a goal, chasing the score to 15:10, only 5 points behind.
"Zhou Quan is now 5 of 7 from the field and 1 of 1 from three-point range. Jordan's defense has stepped up, and Zhou Quan's touch has declined." Zhang Lili reminded.
"Jordan made 4 of 6 shots. He felt very hot today. Zhou Quan should be careful and strengthen his defense against Jordan. Don't let him go crazy shooting." Sun Zhenping said.
Zhang Liyi nodded and said: "The Pistons can take the lead mainly because of Zhou Quan's several defenses. Now the Bulls are back in shape and chasing points. Jordan also defended Zhou Quan's two attacks. You really have to be careful."
Next, under the leadership of Jordan, the Bulls stabilized their position and the situation began to fall into a stalemate. After the first quarter, 30:24, the Pistons still led by 6 points.
After the player came off the court, Bill Walton said: "Jordan played the entire first quarter and made 1 of 3 shots from the field. He made a total of 5 of 9 shots, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 12 points and 1 rebound.
Pippen had no chance today. He was locked up against Joe Dumars, making 1 of 3 shots and only scoring two points. Grant also scored 4 points. In the first quarter, 7 players rotated, and 5 of them scored. "
Williams said: "On the Pistons side, Zhou Quan also played the entire first quarter. He only took one shot later and failed to make a shot. He made a total of 5 of 8 shots and no free throws. He scored 11 points, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 foul.
Joe Dumars scored 4 points on 2 of 4 shots, the Assassins scored 2 points on 1 of 2 shots, and Sekali had a good day today, scoring 6 points on 3 of 4 shots. The Pistons also made 7 rotations, and a total of 5 people scored. "
Bill Walton laughed: "The Bulls stabilized the situation despite a bad start and did not make the game one-sided. The performance was still good."
This is when the next season begins.
Zhou Quan and Jordan played again without rest.
On the Bulls' side, backup guard Trent Tucker is playing point guard at No. 1, Rodney McCray is at No. 3, and Cart White and Wilperdo are on the inside.
Zhou Quan, as he did in the last few minutes of the first quarter, focused on organizing offense, passing the ball for his teammates, and guarding Jordan alone on the defensive end.
In addition to him, there are Mark Aguirre and Darnell Walker on the outside, and Polynis and Terry Mills on the inside. Relatively speaking, the second and third positions are weaker than the fourth and fifth positions. The strength of the two substitute inside players not bad.
"In contrast, if Iron Fist defeats Michael Jordan and both teams have similar substitute lineups, the Pistons should still be able to maintain their advantage in the first quarter." Bill Walton said.
His words stayed true. After the second quarter, 52:46, the Bulls were still 6 points behind.
Zhou Quan sent out 5 assists in a single quarter. He made 1 of 3 shots from Jordan and scored 2 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 turnover. It was Jordan who made two steals. He made 6 of 11 shots in the half, with a field goal percentage of 54.5. %, made 1 of 2 three-pointers and scored 13 points.
Jordan scored 6 points on 3 of 8 shots over Zhou Quan, but also sent 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 turnovers. However, he also stole Zhou Quan once. He made 8 of 17 shots in the half, a shooting rate of 47%, and 2 of 2 free throws. , scored 18 points.
At halftime, players from both teams returned to the locker room.
The Pistons' bench was closer to the players' tunnel and walked into the tunnel first, when a large group of media reporters blocked them.
"Iron Fist, before the game you said you were going to be the God of the United Center tonight, are you serious?" a reporter asked loudly.
Zhou Quan walked forward slowly and said, "You heard me right, that's what I said."
"Do you think it can be done?" the reporter asked.
"I'm doing that." Zhou Quan smiled.
"You won't succeed. Michael will smash the damn piston and kill you." A local reporter shouted angrily.
Zhou Quan couldn't help laughing. Some reporters from Detroit were also laughing with him. After laughing, he said: "Unfortunately, we are in the lead now."
After speaking, he pushed aside the reporters and led his teammates into the corridor leading to the visiting team's locker room.
The group of reporters immediately turned around and surrounded the Bulls who came in behind.
"Michael, you said before the game that you would dominate the Pistons' destiny. Do you think you have done it now?" a reporter from Detroit asked.
His question made all the local reporters very unhappy, and they all glared at him.
Jordan said coldly with a dark face: "What I said will definitely be fulfilled. We will eventually dominate the fate of the Pistons."
After leaving these words, he pushed aside the reporters and walked over.
“Can a bull really do that?”
"Maybe, it's Michael Jordan after all."
"Look at the second half. The Pistons performed really well tonight, and the Bulls did not have a home court advantage."
After Jordan and the others left, a group of reporters talked a lot.
In the commentary box of ABC TV station, Bill Walton analyzed: "Jordan's hand began to decline in the last period of the first quarter, and he has not been able to adjust it by the end of the half. Of course, this is also the result of the iron fist defense. In contrast, passing the ball Tekken, which is better combined with personal offense, has a higher hit rate and more reasonable shots."
Williams laughed: "Judging from the situation in the first two quarters, the Pistons obviously intended to let Jordan play alone. They took 17 shots in the half, which was a lot."
"Yes, Joe Dumars locked Pippen's receiving angle today, and that's exactly what the Pistons planned." Bill Walton said.
Williams reminded: "If this continues, the Bulls will be passive unless Jordan can play a hot state in the face of the Iron Fist.
The chance of this is still very high. Jordan has this ability and the willpower. But the Bulls and Jordan should pay attention. This kind of one-on-one iron fist opportunity is only on the outside. The Pistons did not double-team Jordan on the outside. Once Jordan's touch fails, it will be really troublesome. What should be noted is that his touch is actually declining. "
Bill Walton nodded and said: "Yes, neither Jordan nor Iron Fist made any breakthroughs with the ball today, probably because they have good jump shooting skills, so there are very few free throws.
Jordan had two more fouls, but they were also fouls caused by Tekken's outside shooting, and Tekken had not made a single free throw. "
Williams said: "The reason why Jordan shoots jumpers from outside should be because he is worried that he will be double-teamed when he rushes in. In addition, he has a good touch, so he rarely breaks through with the ball, except for the dunk against Seikali."
The atmosphere in the home team's locker room was very tense because after returning, Jordan actually angrily yelled at head coach Phil Jackson.
"Phil, they locked up Scotty, don't you see? You have to fix this, it's your responsibility, OK?"
Phil Jackson was a little embarrassed. How could he not see it? In fact, in the first quarter, he had already let the inside line come out to pick and roll Pippen, but the effect was average. Pippen still couldn't get rid of Joe Dumars.
Pippen pulled outside to catch the ball, and the effect of breaking through with the ball was average. Joe Dumars' defense was very strong, and he couldn't break in. If he couldn't break in, he couldn't pose a threat on the strong side or help the weak side. Jordan creates opportunities.
The effect of Pippen's strong attack on Joe Dumars was also average, and he did not have the advantage of using the big one to defeat the small one. In two 18-minute periods, he made 3 of 8 shots, with a shooting percentage of only 37.5%, including 1 of 3 three-pointers.
To be honest, if Grant hadn't done well today and scored 12 points, the team would have fallen even further behind. It's not that he didn't see these situations. He saw them and found ways to solve them, but the results were not good.
"Michael, calm down. At the critical moment of the tie-break, we can't have any internal problems." Jerry Krause advised.
Jordan groaned and sat down, like a volcano about to erupt.
"Phil, find a way to solve the problem." Jerry Krause whispered to Jackson.
Jackson nodded, pondered and then said: "Michael, for this plan, you need to reduce outside jump shots. Your shooting percentage has dropped. You must increase breakthroughs with the ball or cutting inside without the ball. We want a higher shooting percentage."
"How to solve Scotty's problem? You made me give up playing with the ball. You have to find a way to solve his problem and let him get the ball. If I just attack with the ball, they won't double-team me when I go in. Me?" Jordan said suppressing his anger.
Phil Jackson pushed up his glasses and said calmly: "The main task of the assassin is to lock the connection between BJ and Scottie, and the same is true for Joe Dumars. This will make it difficult for Scottie to receive the ball from a deeper position on the flank." He can only catch the ball outside the three-point line, but under the defense of Joe Dumars, he did not play a threatening position away from the penalty area, which is a problem we have to solve now."
Jordan nodded and motioned for Phil Jackson to continue.
Phil Jackson used his brain and said: "There is no other way. Only the simplest pick-and-roll can solve this problem. The simplest is the best."
Jordan knew Phil Jackson had no other options and decided to do it himself.
In New York at this time, Stern was deep in thought.
The Bulls were somewhat disadvantaged in the tiebreaker, but he hopes that the Bulls will complete three consecutive championships, thereby helping Michael Jordan, whom he is very optimistic about, reach the peak of his career. When Jordan reaches the top, he will benefit the NBA.
The Olympics made the Dream Team a reality. The Dream Team went global, and the NBA went global. It also solidified his idea of creating a god.
Because of this idea, he even vetoed the one-way trade between Barkley and Zhou Quan for unfounded reasons. For this reason, the owners of the Digital Team and the Pistons also criticized him, but he had to do it and did not regret it.
He is the spokesperson of the team owners. His interests are basically the same as those of the 27 team owners. The ultimate purpose of vetoing the transaction is to increase the value of the league. In the end, the two owners of the Pistons and the Digital Team reluctantly agreed to his decision.
If his idea is realized, the value of the Pistons and the Digital Team will also be improved. The purpose of businessmen is to make money, so the two bosses can only acquiesce to his approach in the end.
This is also the reason why the news of this transaction was suppressed and not announced, because no one wanted this news to be exposed.
Of course, privately, he also promised the two teams that they would provide some discounts, such as special regulations, etc. at the appropriate time.
But now, the Bulls are somewhat unable to match the Pistons. This is something he did not expect. He did not expect Zhou Quan to improve so much this season.
…
United Center, start of the third quarter.
Both sides are basically in the starting lineup. Only the Bulls' fifth position is Scott Williams, not starting center Carter White.
Bulls offense.
On the left wing, Pippen crossed the dotted line of the free throw line and started a wing pick-and-roll with Scott, but the assassin blocked BJ's passing angle and failed to move. He could only turn back and run outside, reaching beyond the three-point line to get the ball.
This was how he was able to catch the ball in the first half, but Joe Dumars' defense was too good and he couldn't make any great achievements. He missed several three-pointers and failed to break through with the ball many times. He will continue to try this quarter. , because he had no other choice.
But Jordan didn't give him a chance and took the ball from BJ's hands.
On the right wing, Jordan holds the ball. Facing Zhou Quan's defense, he wants to use his sharpest spear to pierce through the Iron Fist defense.
"Oh, a back slap?" Bill Walton suddenly exclaimed.
"This guy!"
Zhou Quan knew he was in trouble when Jordan pressed his left shoulder against his back.
Jordan started dribbling and leaning back. His strength was not too big but not too small. It was tentative. Zhou Quan could only defend. If his strength was too small, it would be useless to move the stool. It would only allow Jordan to take advantage of the situation and strengthen his strength.
He expected that Jordan would suddenly increase his strength the next time he hit, catching him off guard.
"What?"
However, in the next moment, Jordan suddenly turned around and hit him directly.
After Jordan broke through Zhou Quan, he took two steps forward, forcing Rodman to come up to cover the defense. However, he suddenly changed his direction downwards, broke through the second line of defense, drove into the paint area close to the baseline, and then flew over. He stood up, holding the ball in his left hand, ready to dunk.
Seikali returned to the basket and blocked the shot.
"boom!"
"Beep!"
Jordan deflected with his left hand and dodged Sekali's big hand. With a strong dunk, he not only blocked the opponent, but also caused a foul on the opponent's thug, causing the referee to blow the whistle.
"oh!"
The whole place boiled instantly.
On the sidelines, a large number of football stars and Hollywood stars stood up and cheered and applauded the ball.
"ah!"
Jordan pumped his fists and roared with excitement.
"Does Jordan want to play a wave?" Lewis Williams said excitedly.
"Two plus one, if you make a free throw, you're only three points away." Bill Walton laughed.
Williams said excitedly: "The Pistons performed very well tonight. In the crucial tie-break, the Bulls are likely to be defeated. The dream of three consecutive championships will be shattered. The team's tactics are at a disadvantage and will force Michael Jordan's ultimate Form?"
"possible."
Bill Walton said with a smile: "Jordan's ultimate form is either in a desperate situation or in an angry situation, and now he has both."
Williams said: "Bill, Jordan seems to have never hit an iron fist with his back. I'm talking about the outside, not the low post. He has done this in the low post."
Bill Walton nodded and said: "Jordan is taller, and his strength is also very good. His confrontation ability is definitely not weaker than Iron Fist. After Iron Fist loses weight, it may even be slightly stronger. In addition, his turnaround and fadeaway jumper, his back attack A huge threat to Iron Fist.
Let's put it this way, under single defense, no one in the league can guard Jordan, including Iron Fist. He can only deal with Jordan's offense in other ways. "
"brush!"
Jordan added a free throw.
"Jordan scored 21 points, Zhou Quan should be careful." Zhang Lili reminded.
52:49, the Bulls were 3 points behind and the Pistons attacked.
(End of chapter)
