He turned on the right wing for two or three seconds, suddenly used the screen of Kevin Willis to reverse run, immediately moved to the top of the key, and ran towards the left wing.
Zhou Quan was already a step slower, and was blocked by Ron Harper at the top of the key. By the time he got around, he was already two steps behind Jordan, and Hawkins immediately chose to switch to guard Jordan.
At this time, Ron Harper was very experienced and immediately moved to the right wing and reached out to Pippen for the ball.
Pippen had a good vision and saw Harper's wide open space. He immediately threw with both hands and the ball flew in a parabola from the heads of Jordan and Zhou Quan behind him to the top of the key.
Harper caught the ball two steps to the right at the top of the arc and made a jump shot and a three-pointer.
Zhou Quan saw Pippen's passing action immediately and judged that it was not a pass to Jordan, so he immediately turned around and pounced behind him.
As soon as he turned around, he saw clearly that Ron Harper was three steps away from him, and a three-dimensional stereoscopic vision model was instantly established in his brain, with a distance of 4.55 meters.
With the first step taken, Ron Harper caught the ball.
The first step landed and Ron Harper took off.
At this moment, with his 96-level neural reaction speed and excellent condition, he immediately took the second step, taking a step forward and then flying with all his strength.
"What?"
As soon as Ron Harper released the ball, he saw a figure sweeping across the sky in front of him, startling him.
"Snapped!"
With a precise strike, Zhou Quan's left hand was like lightning, and he instantly intercepted the basketball that was about to fly over. Then he closed his right hand on his head and grabbed the ball.
After landing, he smashed the ball forward, took two steps forward with his feet, then immediately turned around, held the ball along the left sideline and started to move down quickly.
"Oh ho!"
At this time, a huge shout rang out in the Central Gymnasium, and it only took two seconds for it to turn into a tsunami-like momentum.
"Cap grab! The Iron Fist King completed a cap grab from four meters away. It's so crazy, haha..."
The roar of the on-site commentator Hernem Krisman resounded throughout the Central Stadium, making the atmosphere even more crazy and enthusiastic.
"It's so beautiful! Zhou Quan sent an incredible block..."
"Awesome! Zhou Quan's response was so fast!"
Zhang Lili and Xu Jicheng roared excitedly.
Jordan and Pippen fought back from the right wing to get to the basket first, but at this time Zhou Quan stopped at the three-point line on the left wing.
"squeak!"
Ron Harper was so desperate that when he braked suddenly, the sneaker on his right foot was torn directly. The sole of the shoe was opened. He slipped his right foot outward, separated his legs, and crossed directly in front of Zhou Quan. .
At this time, Zhou Quan took the opportunity to shoot a three-pointer. At the moment of the shot, his spirit seemed to become a needle. In front of the needle, the small basket was as vast as the sea.
"Oh ho!"
Brush, when the water in the basket rose, the tsunami-like shouts sounded again.
"ah!"
Zhou Quan suddenly turned around, pumped his fist and roared excitedly towards the audience. The fans on that side stood up and gave the most enthusiastic response.
"Crack, click, click..."
More than a dozen media reporters ran over, crouched in front of Zhou Quan and clicked the shutter frantically.
"Three-pointers! Another three-pointer! Zhou Quan made 5 of 5 shots and 2 of 2 three-pointers. He has already scored 12 points. In addition, he also had a steal, a block and an assist." Xu Jicheng roared excitedly.
Zhang Lili was still immersed in the excitement of the block just now, and said excitedly: "It's so beautiful! He blocked the shot four meters away and hit a three-pointer after chasing his butt. It can be seen that Zhou Quan himself is also very beautiful." Excited and happy.”
At this point the referee paused the game because Ron Harper did not stand up, but lay on the floor in pain.
"Now the Bulls are in trouble." Larry Bird shook his head.
"What crappy shoes?" Magic Johnson said dissatisfied.
"Pfft!"
Larry Bird couldn't control himself and laughed.
Magic Johnson took a closer look, OK, MJ 13th generation, Jordan's brand shoes.
Ron Harper left the game, the team doctor examined him, and Phil Jackson replaced backup guard Steve Kerr.
"brush!"
At this time, Steve Kerr, who had just come on the court, ran out of an open space and hit a three-pointer after receiving a pass from Jordan, extinguishing some of the fanatical momentum in the Central Gymnasium.
"10:15, SuperSonics attack, still leading by 5 points." Xu Jicheng said.
After flipping through the information, Zhang Lili said: "Cole's three-point shooting percentage in the regular season this season is as high as 51.5%, averaging 2.9 shots per game and hitting 1.5, which is very accurate.
However, the playoffs were average, with the shooting percentage dropping to 32.1%. He still averaged 2.9 shots per game and only made 0.9 hits. "
Xu Jicheng said: "Then he has completed his task today. Be careful with his open three-pointers. Hawkins must keep up with him in time."
Zhang Lili said: "Yes, he made 4 of 5 three-pointers in G1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 3 of 6 in G3, 3 of 5 in G4, and only 0 of 1 in G2. You really have to be careful."
"boom!"
At this time, Hawkins ran out of a small opening and Zhou Quan passed the ball, but missed.
Jordan rushed in to grab the rebound, pushed forward with his own hands, and when he reached the three-point line on the right wing, he suddenly accelerated past the opponent and then made a sudden stop for a jumper.
Zhou Quan tried his best to keep up with the rhythm, but Jordan used a fadeaway jumper and failed to block the basketball.
"brush!"
The water splashed and hit two points.
"The Bulls have scored 5 points in a row and have caught up. It is now 12:15 and the Bulls are only 3 points behind. The SuperSonics should be careful." Zhang Lili reminded.
"Jordan also made 2 of 2 shots, including a three-pointer, an assist and a rebound. In fact, he is not in bad shape, but he does not take as many shots as Zhou Quan." Xu Jicheng said.
On the sidelines, Phil Jackson was obviously relieved to see Cole and Jordan hit the ball one after another, but he was a little undecided about Zhou Quan's style of play today.
With a 100% shooting rate, he must determine that Zhou Quan is in very good condition tonight.
However, Zhou Quan's ball-holding breakthrough scoring and outside jump shots are equally important, with no obvious bias. This style of play is different from the past, making it impossible for him to formulate targeted double-teaming tactics.
He is not the kind of astute head coach who can't come up with good ideas at the moment. Fortunately, the team's offense is opening up and he is not too anxious.
When the SuperSonics attacked, Harper was still changing shoes off the court, and Jordan followed Zhou Quan.
"boom!"
Zhou Quan made an emergency stop and stepped back to shoot a jumper. Jordan caught up and used the eye-sealing technique. The shot missed and he missed the first shot of the night.
Kevin Willis grabbed the rebound and the Bulls attacked.
On the sidelines, the team doctor finished the examination and said to Phil Jackson: "Phil, it's not good. Ron's right ankle is sprained. He will definitely not be able to play this game."
"I can come." Ron Harper gritted his teeth.
Phil Jackson thought about it for three seconds, shook his head and said: "It's not that far yet. The situation on the field is okay. You should deal with it first."
The team doctor managed to get an ice bucket and asked Ron Harper to soak it in the ice bucket on the bench to prevent rapid swelling.
The game continued. Without Ron Harper, Jordan could only defend Zhou Quan personally, and the two began to compete on both ends of the offense and defense.
The defensive actions of the two had to become intense. Their status in the league was almost the same, and the referee turned a blind eye.
The defensive intensity increased to almost wrestling intensity, so the offensive efficiency of both men began to decline.
Zhou Quan stole Jordan once from behind, but he also made a pass error.
After the first quarter, at 25:31, the SuperSonics still led by 6 points at home.
Jordan made 3 of 4 shots from the front and 3 of 7 from the back, a total of 6 of 11 shots, a shooting percentage of 54.5%, 1 of 3 three-pointers, 3 of 4 free throws, 14 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover and 1 foul.
Zhou Quan made 5 of 5 shots from the front and 2 of 5 from the back, a total of 7 of 10 shots, a shooting percentage of 70%, 2 of 3 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, 20 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, and 1 turnover. 1 foul.
In the second quarter, the bench lineups of both teams were similar, and the Bulls regained two points.
By the third quarter, it was basically a stalemate. The SuperSonics had a slight advantage, leading by 7 points entering the final quarter.
"Coach, I can persist. If it doesn't work, I can shut it down."
During the break, Ron Harper's right ankle was still being put on ice and there was a little swelling, so he asked to play in the final quarter.
Phil Jackson refused after thinking about it, because Ron Harper's task was to defend Iron Fist, and it was useless to force the game. It would be better to let Cole continue to play and let Jordan continue to defend Iron Fist.
At the end of the quarter, Jordan, who competed with Zhou Quan on both ends of the offense and defense for three quarters, persisted for another half quarter and never let the point difference widen to double digits. However, in the second half of the quarter, his physical fitness finally appeared.
Zhou Quan stole Jordan twice in the eighth minute of the final quarter and made two counterattacks. He scored 6 points in a row on 3-of-3 shooting. Within two minutes, he led the team to a ten-to-zero attack wave, widening the point difference in one fell swoop. At 18 points, they defeated the Bulls and won two consecutive home games.
In 42 minutes, Jordan made 14 of 31 shots, a field goal percentage of 45.2%, 2 of 5 three-pointers, 8 of 10 free throws, and scored 38 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 5 turnovers and 4 fouls.
Zhou Quan also played 42 minutes. Under Jordan's desperate defense, his shots were reduced a lot in the second and third quarters. At the end of the third quarter, his shooting percentage dropped to about 50%.
However, in the final quarter, he took advantage of Jordan's lack of physical fitness and continued to play strong offensive and defensive counterattacks. In the end, he made 17 of 28 shots, with a shooting percentage of 60.7%, 3 of 6 three-pointers, and 5 of 6 free throws. He scored 42 points, 5 rebounds, and 15 rebounds. Statistics of assists, 6 steals, 3 blocks, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls.
"Congratulations to Zhou Quan, congratulations to the SuperSonics, two consecutive home wins, the series advantage is in hand." At the end of the game, Zhang Lili said happily.
"Zhou Quan's condition today is still quite good. Of course it is not as good as the G1 game, but this condition is enough to beat Jordan and the Bulls." Xu Jicheng said with a smile.
"I hope I can play like this in the away game. The G3 game is on the 6th, and they will go to Chicago tomorrow. Audience friends, we will see you at the Chicago United Center the day after tomorrow morning." Zhang Li said with a smile.
On the sidelines, Zhou Quan was being interviewed by TNT.
There were reporters on three floors inside and three outside. He grabbed seven or eight microphones in both hands. Some reporters fixed the microphones on folding stands and stretched them out in front of him from above.
"Tekken, how did you sleep last night?" the TNT reporter asked with a smile.
"Not bad, haha!"
"So now that the SuperSonics have won two consecutive games at home, do you have any plans for the next three away games? For example, do you expect to win the championship on the road?"
"Of course I'm looking forward to it, but the Bulls are not a weak team. Jordan scored 38 points tonight. He is still very strong, very strong. We must also be prepared to return home and win the series again."
"Michael? Michael, can you be interviewed?"
"Michael, how do you feel after losing two games in a row?"
"Flying Master, please answer our questions. Do you want us to write nonsense?"
After the game, Jordan did not return to the bench, but rushed directly into the tunnel, followed by several reporters who were yelling. Without looking back, he rushed into the locker room and blocked several reporters out with a bang.
"Okay, gentlemen..."
Phil Jackson caught up from behind and saw a female reporter, and said: "Ma'am, please let Michael be quiet. He will be interviewed in one hour."
"Phil, do the Bulls still have a chance?"
"Coach Jackson, we lost two consecutive games on the road. What adjustments will you make?"
"Mr. Head Coach, what do you think the Bulls' chances are of winning the championship?"
Several reporters immediately adjusted their interview goals and asked a lot of questions.
At this time, other players came. Phil Jackson opened the door and let everyone in. He said to several reporters: "Okay, everyone, see you in an hour."
Bang, he stepped back and closed the door.
Several reporters looked at each other, shrugged, and continued to stand outside.
They are all reporters from small media, or even independent media people. They are not eligible to participate in the press conference in an hour. They can only stay here to see if there is a chance.
After Phil Jackson closed the door, he immediately observed Jordan. Jordan's face was like the sky before the storm, so gloomy that it made people feel frightened. The entire locker room was also very quiet, no one dared to speak.
He didn't speak, took a step back, leaned against the wall, and began to summarize the problems of this game in his mind.
A few minutes later, Jordan's voice sounded in a very calm tone, "Phil, your tactics didn't work. We lost again."
Phil Jackson's heart exploded, and Jordan publicly criticized his tactics in the locker room. This was something that had never happened since the first championship.
It was obvious that there was a problem between him and Jordan because of the loss.
Jordan's tone was very calm, but he knew that Jordan like this should be like a grenade and might explode in the next second.
Sure enough, three seconds later, without hearing Phil Jackson's answer, Jordan exploded, stood up suddenly and roared:
"Now you tell me, what should we do to win? Under your command, we have lost two games in a row. Our offense cannot open up and our defense cannot defend. How can we win?"
The person you traded is useless at all. He never goes to the basket. He is not as useful as Wilperdo. At least Perdo can be somewhat useful at the basket. "
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"It's Jordan's voice."
"Ha ha!"
Several reporters outside heard the roar in the locker room and became excited. They put their microphones and recording equipment against the door, and put their ears against the door.
(End of chapter)
