Zhou Quan holds the ball to the top of the key.
He knew very well that it was not cost-effective for him to play alone with Jordan. His singles ability was not as good as Jordan's, so he had to pass the ball, which he did just now.
Making tactical gestures, he began to pull toward the left wing.
When Pippen saw it, he immediately paid more attention to Zhou Quan.
At this time, Schrempf followed the tactical requirements and set a pick-and-roll for Zhou Quan.
Just when the two were separated, Pippen gave up on Schrempf and began to attack Zhou Quan one after another with Jordan.
At this time, Schrempf immediately began to cut inside after taking it apart.
Zhou Quan easily passed the ball out of the double team. After receiving the ball, Schrempf dribbled forward and hit the left midfielder for a jump shot. Cartwright thought about it, but was concerned about Rodman under the basket, and the opportunity to cover disappeared. , can only watch the opponent take action.
"brush!"
The basketball goes hollow into the basket and hits the target.
"Beautiful! Schrempf hit all two shots, all assisted by Iron Fist." Larry Bird said.
"Both Pippen and Jordan were unable to block Tekken's pass. It can be seen that the outside double-teaming of Tekken is of no use. It will only leave big openings for others." Magic Johnson said.
"So it depends on the individual defense ability. Jordan must defend the Iron Fist." Larry Bird said.
On the sidelines, Phil Jackson shook his head helplessly. After serving, he called a timeout.
"8:9, only one point behind, Phil Jackson called a timeout. He is really different. It is absolutely impossible for ordinary head coaches to call a timeout when they are only one point behind." Larry Bird said with appreciation.
"He definitely needs to adjust his defensive tactics." Magic Johnson said.
In front of the Bulls bench, Phil Jackson said: "Gentlemen, from now on, give up the double-teaming of Iron Fist from the outside."
He then said to Jordan: "Michael, when defending alone, you must keep an eye on him and reduce his efficiency. Only in this way can we win the game."
Jordan nodded heavily.
Phil Jackson said to Grant again: "Horace and Sam Perkins have average abilities. As a center, his shooting percentage is lower than Kendall Gill. When Iron Fist breaks through with the ball, you can put it appropriately." Once he is released, we will strengthen our defense against the basket."
"Understood." Grant nodded.
Phil Jackson said to BJ again: "You can also let Kendall Gill go. His shooting is not stable."
"Okay, coach." BJ nodded quickly.
Phil Jackson finally said: "But only one of you two can help defend the penalty area at the same time, and the other must speed up the defense."
The timeout ends and the Bulls attack.
On the right wing, Jordan suddenly withdrew, took advantage of Grant's pick-and-roll and suddenly ran back. Zhou Quan fell one step behind, and Jordan took the opportunity to cut inside.
At this time, Pippen passed the ball, and after Jordan received the ball, he rushed into the paint from the right waist and flew towards Rodman.
"boom!"
Rodman was too short, had average rim protection, and low shot blocking ability, so he was dunked directly by Jordan.
"Jordan made 3 of 4 shots. He has no height in the paint. If the SuperSonics had some height in the paint, Jordan wouldn't be so unscrupulous." Zhang Lili shook his head.
Sun Zhenping said: "It doesn't matter if you have height but no strength. Just now Zhou Quan dunked on Cartwright. Jordan must want to return one."
"Right."
Zhang Liyi nodded and reminded: "So the SuperSonics must pay attention to assisting defense at the basket. There is no height inside. Jordan's breakthrough ability and finishing ability combined are only better than Zhou Quan. He will definitely strengthen his breakthrough today." of."
Sonics offense.
Zhou Quan was holding the ball at the top of the arc and found that the Bulls' defensive formation was a little inward, especially Grant and BJ, who both let Perkins and Kendall Gill take two steps. Is this intended to help defend the penalty area?
"squeak!"
The next moment, he started to break through and made a strong thrust to the right.
Jordan retreated and Zhou Quan made an emergency stop. At this time, his full panoramic vision saw Grant starting to move towards the penalty area, but BJ did not move.
"squeak!"
Jordan also made an emergency stop, and Zhou Quan once again made a strong breakthrough. This time Jordan did not fully follow up and only stayed on his left side.
At this time, Grant had already jumped to the other side of Zhou Quan in two steps, forming a pincer attack on him.
Zhou Quan made an emergency stop for the second time, took a step back while dribbling, and retreated from the double team. During the explosion, the basketball was quickly pulled up, and then he pushed outward with his right hand and flew towards the par in the right bottom corner. Kings.
When BJ saw it, he immediately pounced on Perkins.
When Perkins received the ball, BJ took two steps forward. He quickly took off and shot. BJ jumped to block the shot and the ball flew towards the basket.
As soon as Rodman looked at the path of the ball, he knew that the ball would not hit, but he was blocked by Cartwright and immediately shouted anxiously: "Rebound."
Zhou Quan and Jordan rushed to the basket at the same time, preparing to grab the rebound.
"boom!"
The basketball hit the basket and flew into the air. Cartwright, Jordan and Zhou Quan jumped at the same time to grab the rebound. Jordan finally grabbed the rebound.
"This is already a big open space. What does a shot blocking by a small man like BJ mean? Perkins' ability is still a little behind. The fourth pick in the first round of 1984! A little watery." Zhang Liji shook his head.
"Perkins has already missed two shots, both of which were open shots from the three-point line. His touch is really not good today. Zhou Quan should pass the ball to him less." Sun Zhenping said.
"boom!"
Looking back, BJ missed a three-point jumper, and the rebound bounced out of the penalty area and was grabbed by Zhou Quan. He immediately made the jump and both sides quickly returned to defense.
Zhou Quan rushed to the left wing, and Jordan stuck to his right side, blocking his right hand.
He saw that Pippen had returned to the right wing, and Schrempf was one step inside the three-point line. He immediately changed direction, controlled the ball with his left hand, and continued to break through the baseline.
At this time, Grant returned to the basket and Pippen was also eyeing Zhou Quan. Once he forced his way into the penalty area, he would definitely be double-teamed by three people.
But when Zhou Quan reached the left side of the penalty area, he suddenly stopped and blasted the ball.
Jordan immediately stopped and was ready to jump to block the shot.
The next moment, the ball was quickly pulled up, Zhou Quan put his hands together with the ball, stood up, and then Jordan jumped up.
However, Zhou Quan did not take off, but pushed forward with both hands. The basketball instantly flew along a direct channel, from Grant and Pippen, to Schrempf on the right wing.
"Oops!"
Jordan just jumped up, but his eyes were blurred. Zhou Quan did not take off and shot, but passed the ball.
Grant, like Jordan, thought Zhou Quan would shoot a jumper and did not react to his pass. He only jumped up and blocked the shot like Jordan.
When Pippen, who was farther away, saw Zhou Quan getting up, he raised his foot and was about to rush in, preparing to grab the rebound. He also did not react to the pass. When the ball came, he instinctively stretched out his hand to block it, but the speed of the ball Too fast, missed.
"Pass! Scalpel pass!"
On-site commentator Hernem Krisman reacted the fastest and shouted loudly.
When Schrempf stopped one step inside the three-point line, he was ready to catch the ball. When he caught the ball, there were no defenders within three steps of him. He calmly aimed at the basket, then took off and shot.
"brush!"
The water splashed and hit two points from far away.
"Beautiful! The Germans made 3 of 3 shots. All of them were open, and they were all wide open. Tekken's passing was so sharp." Larry Bird laughed.
"The Bulls need to know that if he double-teams Iron Fist anywhere, he can pass the most lethal ball. This is the magic of the top point guard." Magic Johnson laughed.
Larry Bird said: "Iron Fist has already assisted three times. Jordan prevented one of his shots, but the pass cannot be prevented. It is really difficult to block the pass of such a top passing master by one defense."
"It's not difficult, it's impossible, absolutely impossible. Pippen and Jordan were flanking each other, and they couldn't stop Iron Fist's passing. His vision and passing skills are so good." Magic Johnson laughed.
On the sidelines, Phil Jackson immediately started sweating on his back when he saw Zhou Quan's pass.
But after just blocking a ball from Perkins, he had no intention of changing his defensive tactics.
10:11, Bulls attack.
"boom!"
Jordan shot a three-pointer, but Zhou Quan couldn't seal the ball, so he used the eye-sealing technique and missed.
Perkins grabbed the rebound, and Zhou Quan was about to get off the ball. He quickly threw his hands forward, but he used too much force and went straight out of the sideline.
"Ouch, the news is too big!" Zhang Lili said regretfully.
"Perkins' passing skills are too poor." Sun Zhenping said disappointedly.
George Karl's face turned black with anger, and he vowed to force the management to find him a better inside man in the offseason.
Glancing at Zhou Quan and then at George Karl, Perkins wiped the sweat from his head. Just now he saw Jordan chasing Iron Fist very closely. He wanted to pass the ball ahead of time, but he used a little too much force and was too nervous. .
There were only two minutes left in the first quarter, 25:24, and the Bulls were leading by one point. The SuperSonics had the ball and called a timeout.
"The SuperSonics have committed five turnovers, which is a bit too many. The players lack experience in the finals and should be very nervous." Larry Bird said.
"Jordan has 12 points and has the strongest firepower. Iron Fist has 8 points, but his assists helped the team stabilize the situation. The two sides played very anxiously, and neither one had a big advantage. Now it has entered a stalemate. It just depends on who can perform better." Stable," Magic Johnson said.
After the timeout, Jordan continued to play. Pippen, who was not physically as good as him, sat on the bench. The other four players were Luke Longley, Toni Kukoc, Steve Kerr, and John Paxson.
On the SuperSonics side, if Jordan is on the court, it is impossible for Zhou Quan to come off the court. The other four players are McMillan, small forward Schrempf, Michael Cage and rookie center Earvin Johnson in the post.
"The Bulls' inside line is not good, and the SuperSonics' inside line is even worse. The substitutes are not good either, but the outside line is okay." Larry Bird said.
Magic Johnson smiled: "But the SuperSonics are number one in the league and have reached the Finals. Their defensive system is good, coupled with Tekken's organization and offense, Rodman's defense and rebounding, their advantages are also very good. Strong. Of course, the weaknesses are also obvious."
Larry Bird said with a smile: "Iron Fist's defense, especially his terrifying steal ability, is too much of a threat to opponents. He alone, with 3.8 steals in the regular season, can win back several balls for the team. "
Magic Johnson added: "Furthermore, the Sonics' poor inside line also means that the center is a little shorter. In terms of offensive strength, Perkins is still stronger than the Bulls' centers. His ability to stretch is not as good as that of the Bulls' centers." Than.
What's more, at the power forward position, I think Rodman's role is greater than that of Grant. His ability to assist and switch defenses is very strong. His rebounding makes the Sonics better than the Bulls. "
Larry Bird nodded and said, "Erwin, what you said makes sense."
After the first quarter, 31:26, the Bulls led by 5 points.
In the second quarter, Jordan sat on the bench and Pippen came on.
Zhou Quan also did not play, with McMillan and Vincent Estiu joining the back line, Schrempf came down, and Rodman came on.
After two minutes of play, 35:31, the SuperSonics were still 4 points behind. With a dead ball opportunity, Jordan and Zhou Quan came on the court at the same time.
Sun Zhenping said expectantly: "So far, Zhou Quan has only made one steal and has not blocked a shot. His defensive status has not yet come out today!"
"This depends on the opportunity." Zhang Lili said.
"brush!"
At this moment, on the three-point line at the top of the arc, Zhou Quan took a tentative step in front of Jordan, then took a step-back jumper and hit a three-pointer.
"Beautiful! At the beginning of the second quarter, Zhou Quan took a decisive shot and hit a three-pointer. Now we are only one point behind." Zhang Lijia shouted excitedly.
Bulls offense.
On the right wing, Jordan used Grant's screen to run back and cut outside, but Zhou Quan saw his movement and bypassed Grant in time, once again cutting off the passing angle between him and Pippen, the ball holder.
Jordan simply ran to the three-point line to catch the ball, and then singled out Zhou Quan.
Zhou Quan took a step back, leaned down, stared at Jordan's eyes with his sharp eyes, and spat out trash talk: "Flying Man, you have the guts..."
At this moment, he suddenly took a step forward with his left foot. When he leaned over, he thrust his left hand forward, making a motion of stabbing the ball.
Although Jordan was a little distracted by Zhou Quan's trash talk, his arms were very long and he could grab the ball with one hand very steadily. He turned around and moved his right hand backwards, easily getting out of the way of Zhou Quan's poke.
Zhou Quan stepped back without hitting the ball, but in the next moment, he suddenly stepped forward and hit the ball again.
As soon as Jordan came back from his turning position, he didn't expect Zhou Quan to stab the ball again, but this time he was stabbed squarely.
"Snapped!"
With a precise strike, Zhou Quan slapped the ball away from Jordan's right hand, then rushed forward, blasted the ball with his left hand, then pulled the ball up and accelerated forward with all his strength.
"Oh, steal, Iron Fist steals the flying man..."
The on-site commentator Henem Chrisman roared excitedly, and the Central Gymnasium also burst into cheers.
"This bastard!"
Jordan was so anxious that he chased after him, but he started behind him and was already two steps behind.
"boom!"
Zhou Quan came down quickly, rushed into the penalty area from the left wing, flew with a powerful chop, and scored a goal.
"Oh ho!"
Thirteen thousand SuperSonics fans suddenly raised their arms and cheered wildly.
"Beautiful! A one-stop fast-break dunk after the steal." Zhang Lili shouted excitedly.
"35:36, Zhou Quan scored 5 points in a row, and the SuperSonics have overtaken the score." Sun Zhenping said with a smile.
Zhang Lili laughed and said: "Zhou Quan stabbed the ball continuously, making Jordan unable to defend him!"
Jordan pulled up his jersey to wipe his sweat and glanced at Zhou Quan. He had been careful, but he still fell in Zhou Quan's way. This bastard was too cunning.
"Michael, calm down."
On the sidelines, Phil Jackson shouted. After Jordan looked over, he made a pick-and-roll gesture. This was to remind Jordan to try his best to get rid of the Iron Fist defense with the help of teammates' pick-and-rolls.
Jordan nodded. He was paranoid, but not stubborn.
Next, both he and Pippen strengthened their breakthroughs with the ball and increased their efforts to attack the basket in response to the Sonics' weakness inside.
In turn, Zhou Quan still maintained the situation by combining offense and passing. However, some teammates performed too poorly and were unable to open up the score.
After the second quarter, the two teams were tied at 52:52.
(End of chapter)
