Chapter 241 Losing and the Bulls’ Internal Strife Resumes

Zhang Lili said with admiration: "Ewing exploded tonight, scoring 8 points in the fourth quarter, and already scored 27 points in the game. Jordan only scored 34 points. He once again played a super center performance and helped Jordan share the burden." Pressure to score.

However, he and Rodman failed to block Zhao Dong's impact, which was the reason why the Bulls fell behind. Zhao Dong had accumulated physical fitness for two quarters, and it all exploded in this quarter. "

"Is there something wrong with the Knicks' defense?" Sun Zhenping said.

"Yes, inside Ben Wallace couldn't guard Ewing and was beaten. When the inside was blown, the outside couldn't double-team Jordan. But the Bulls are really super strong. It's good to draw a tie. Let's see the end now. The difference is 6 points, which is the distance between two three-pointers. The ball is still in the hands of the Bulls, which is not much." Zhang Li said.

In the ABC live broadcast, Hubie Brown said: "Ewing shared the scoring task. Jordan did not attack at all in the final quarter and scored 9 points. At the last critical moment, he will definitely take over the offense."

Cook said: "As for the Knicks, Feilong has scored 49 points and has more offense than Jordan.

There is no superstar like Ewing around him, which also means that at critical moments, no one can stand up and score, and they can only rely on themselves.

Under the restrictions of Feilong's Law, Feilong exploded with all his strength, and he has begun to show that his scoring ability is definitely not weaker than Jordan's.

His efficiency is so high that it is even higher than Jordan's at his peak. This is because his impact on the inside is far stronger than Jordan's. "

Hubie Brown suddenly laughed and said: "But today the Knicks actually used the Flying Dragon to defend Jordan alone. This is a very big change.

However, because of Ewing, Jordan did not attack with all his strength in this situation. Did he waste his opportunity? "

Cook laughed a few times and said: "I think that with Ewing's big chance tonight, Jordan doesn't need to take so many shots. After all, Ewing's efficiency tonight is very high, not lower than Jordan's.

This is a series where if Ewing runs out of gas, it's not too late for him to take over the offense.

I think the reason why they are lagging behind now is a problem on the defensive end. The inability to prevent Feilong from impacting the basket makes his offensive efficiency too high, otherwise the Bulls would not be able to lag behind.

In fact, Feilong played such a violent style in the first quarter. After two quarters of rest, he came again in the last quarter, and his physical fitness was also limited. "

The pause ends at this point.

The Knicks replaced Fordson,

The veteran Oakley was replaced, and on the outside, it was Alan Houston and John Starks.

The Bulls attacked, Kidd faked a shot and was knocked down directly by John Starks, and the Bulls made a free throw.

"This foul is unnecessary. Kidd's free throw percentage is close to 80%." Zhang Li said.

Kidd had just gotten married this year and had already started blowing kisses for free throws. The fans in the audience then enjoyed the show of affection between him and his wife. First he touched his butt, probably to wipe the sweat from his hands, and then blew kisses. Finally, shua With a sound, the first free throw was hit.

For the second free throw, Kidd prepared more carefully. When he blew a kiss, it was as if the basket was his wife.

"Damn it, Kidd must not have thought at this time that he will be domestically abused by his wife who is less than 1.6 meters tall in the future, right? Do you want to tell him?"

Thinking that Kidd would divorce his wife due to domestic violence in the future, Zhao Dong felt weird in his heart.

"Uh-huh!"

Kidd hit the second free throw.

99:95, Knicks attack.

Zhao Dong advanced slowly in the backcourt, and Jordan immediately started to press.

He turned around and passed by, just like bumping into Jordan, completed the breakthrough, and then immediately accelerated and charged forward.

Jordan caught up and constantly interfered with Zhao Dong, disrupting his rhythm and affecting his speed, and finally blocked Zhao Dong from outside the left three-point line.

"Old guy, are you still so good at running?"

Looking at the panting Jordan, Zhao Dong joked.

"Boy, I'm five years younger and I can beat you up," Jordan spat.

After saying that, he started to press closely.

From the low left wing, Rodman began to move up, ready to double-team Zhao Dong at any time.

At the free throw line, McGrady is also ready to double-team at any time.

If it weren't for Article 138 of Feilong Law, Zhao Dong would definitely crush Jordan directly to break through, but that can't happen now.

But he still has Grant Hill's first step and Paul's ball-handling breakthrough.

Taking a tentative step, he started.

Jordan immediately moved his defense, and even caught up with Zhao Dong's first step at the critical moment.

Zhao Dong jumped too far in front and consumed too much physical energy, causing his first step to be a little slower.

Some sloppy first steps failed to get rid of Jordan, and the consequence was that Jordan was always hanging on him in the next two steps.

At this time, McGrady and Rodman pounced over, reaching the target in two steps, forming a three-man double-team.

At the critical moment, Zhao Dong's passing skills came into play. He hit the ground and passed the ball from Rodman's crotch to Ben Wallace in the low post.

"Well done!"

Zhang Lili shouted loudly.

Ben caught the ball and immediately dribbled towards the basket.

Ewing quickly returned to defend the basket. When Ben was going for a layup, he slapped the ball down and grabbed the ball.

"Oh, Ewing made a contribution at the critical moment." Hubie Brown shouted excitedly.

"Ben Wallace's offense is terrible," Cook laughed.

The Bulls counterattacked and played a fast break.

Zhao Dong followed, and Jordan rushed to the basket and suddenly pulled back to the left wing.

At this time, Kidd passed the ball and Jordan received the ball. When Zhao Dong followed up, he passed the ball to McGrady who was coming down the middle.

McGrady caught the ball, reached the free throw line, and flew toward the basket.

When Zhao Dong saw it, he immediately returned to defend the basket, but he was already a step too slow.

"boom!"

Tomahawk chop dunk, rim whine.

"yeah!"

Maddie screamed with excitement.

"What are you calling for?"

Zhao Dong stared.

Maddie's expression changed, she closed her mouth, lowered her head and ran away.

"99:97, the Bulls chased 4 points in a row." Cook said.

"Rookie Tracy McGrady played very aggressively on the fast break. The Knicks were slow to defend. Jordan's pass was very good. The Feilong defended one and two but failed."

laughed Whoopi Brown.

With 50 seconds left, the Knicks attack.

Zhao Dong advanced to the frontcourt, delayed in front of the center line for a few seconds, and then approached the left three-point line. When Jordan was about to come up to press for the ball, he suddenly started to accelerate, changed direction in front of his body, and stepped past Jordan to reach the flank. Cross the dotted line of the free throw line and head towards the paint area.

"Double team!"

Phil Jackson shouted loudly on the sidelines.

Rodman in the low post and McGrady in the high post rushed up and down at the same time, with Ewing sitting under the basket.

Seeing that his way was blocked, Zhao Dong was just one step away from the paint area. Before Rodman and McGrady's double-team, he stopped suddenly and threw the ball towards the backboard with one hand.

"boom!"

The ball bounced off the board and the basket was hollow.

"yeah!"

The moment the ball entered the basket, the whole audience cheered.

"Zhao Dong still has to do it by himself. At the critical moment, he attacks by himself. This is the absolute core role." Zhang Lili shouted excitedly.

"101:97, the Knicks lead by 4 points. There are still 32 seconds left, so be careful." Sun Zhenping said.

Bulls offense.

"ball!"

In the low right wing, Ewing, who scored 27 points, asked for the ball again.

Today, whether Ben was guarding him, Fordson was guarding him, or his old buddy Oakley was guarding him, they were all defeated by him. Even the help and double teams could not do anything to him, because facing these three people, he All have obvious dislocation advantages.

Today, under his anger towards the Knicks and Zhao Dong, he seems to have regained the energy he had at his peak.

Jordan was on the right side of the three-point line and also pulled Zhao Dong to the right side.

On the left wing, limited to the rules, the Bulls have McGrady staying at the three-point line, defended by Alan Houston.

Under the basket, Oakley sat there, watching Rodman, ready to double-team Ewing at any time.

At this time, McGrady started running and took Alan Houston away to prevent him from double-teaming Ewing.

Then, Kidd passed the ball down.

Zhao Dong did not double-team Ewing. Ewing has height and a very broad vision. Once he loses Jordan, Ewing will definitely pass the ball.

Sure enough, after receiving the ball, Ewing looked at the weak side and saw that Jordan was not open. He immediately started to play with his back. After dribbling twice, he suddenly stood up and hooked.

Just when he bent over and arched his back, Zhao Dong lost Jordan and began to defend the basket.

"boom!"

The hook missed and the basket hit the basket.

The ball was right on top of the basket. Oakley and Rodman jumped at the same time, and the ball was clicked.

Rodman relied on his second take-off ability to get up first and prepare to scoop the rebound into his arms.

But at this moment, Zhao Dong rushed in and picked off the rebound over Rodman's head.

"ah!"

When Zhao Dong landed, Rodman covered his face and screamed, falling at the former's feet.

"Beep!"

Hearing the shrill scream, the referee's whistle sounded.

"Shh!"

Countless Knicks fans sent huge boos. They knew Rodman too well and knew that this big bug would make crooked moves at critical moments.

"Did Zhao Dong commit a foul? He didn't show his elbow. This is a wrong move." Zhang Lili exclaimed.

"Didn't you see him?" Sun Zhenping asked.

On the field, the referee ran over.

Zhao Dong said: "Sir, I keep holding the ball up, and he wants to deceive your whistle."

"ah!"

When Rodman heard this, he covered his face and screamed even more miserably.

"Number 46, I will take care of it."

The referee was not blind. He had been staring at the basket. At this time, he hooked his finger at Rodman and said: "Get up, No. 91, or I will give you a T."

Rodman had no choice but to get up.

The referee compared his hands and gave Da Chong a T.

When Jordan saw it, he shook his head in disappointment.

This is the home court of the Knicks, and Zhao Dong is also highly favored by the league. His status and influence in the league far exceed Rodman. The referee's penalty did not surprise him, but he was still a little disappointed.

Zhang Lili saw this and analyzed: "This time should be a sticking point that determines the outcome. If Da Chong gets a foul, he still has a chance to win. But he didn't succeed, and there was not enough time left. This game should It can be said to be a foregone conclusion.”

Before the free throw, the Knicks called a timeout and replaced Ben with Fordson.

Fordson has a certain mid-range shooting ability and his free throw percentage is 77.7%. He must prevent being cut at the last moment.

Zhao Dong made a technical penalty, 102:97, the Knicks attacked with 18 seconds left.

"The Bulls don't have many opportunities." Cook shook his head.

"Foul tactics should be adopted." Hubie Brown said.

Sure enough, the Bulls adopted foul tactics.

But it was Zhao Dong who caught the ball, and then he made two free throws to lead by 7 points.

The Bulls attacked, Jordan missed a three-pointer over Zhao Dong, Fordson fouled on the rebound, and Rodman was sent to the free throw line.

"Fortson only played 26 minutes today. This is his fifth foul. He still committed a lot of fouls and wasted several ball rights. Fortunately, the Knicks have enough rotation inside, otherwise..." Zhang Li said.

"Fouls at critical moments are sometimes fatal." Sun Zhenping said.

Rodman's free throw percentage was 55%, which was on par with Ben and lower than O'Neal. He missed two free throws. The Knicks attacked with five seconds left. Zhao Dong controlled the ball until the end of the game.

At the last minute, Phil Jackson kept shaking his head on the sidelines.

The score was only two points away, but the final tactics failed to come out.

Rodman failed to grab rebounds, failed to commit fouls, failed to kill people, and finally Rodman missed two free throws, and his own offense failed. If any of these links is successful, there is a chance to come back.

He felt it was a pity to lose the G1 game like this.

Throughout tonight's game, the Bulls actually played quite well. Jordan and Ewing both had their strong points, others also performed well, and their overall efficiency was higher than that of the Knicks.

The Knicks, on the other hand, did not attack inside. Except for Zhao Dong, everyone on the outside was averagely efficient. In fact, the offense was not as good as the Bulls. They relied on Zhao Dong's high efficiency, interior defense, and rebounding to maintain a stalemate in the score.

But losing is losing, and his unwillingness can only be buried in his heart.

In the ABC live broadcast, Hubie Brown was making a post-game summary. He said: "In this game, the Bulls' overall shooting percentage was 47%, and the Knicks' 46%. The Bulls' outside offense accounted for 45%, and their shooting percentage was 44%. , while the Knicks' outside offense accounted for 51% and their shooting percentage was 36%.

The number of shots taken was 75 for the Bulls and 76 for the Knicks. Assists, 24 times for the Bulls and 20 times for the Knicks. Rebounds, Bulls 34, Knicks 47. Turnovers were made by the Bulls 7 times and the Knicks 13 times. Fouls were committed 23 times by the Bulls and 30 times by the Knicks.

From the analysis of these data, the strength of the two teams was almost the same, so the outcome was postponed to the end.

Although the Knicks had an advantage in rebounding, they made too many mistakes, committed too many fouls, and lost a lot of the ball.

Although the Bulls have two strong points, the offensive efficiency of Ewing and Jordan is lower than that of the Dragons.

Feilong performed violently tonight and continued to attack the basket, intensifying his impact on the Bulls' interior, forcing the Bulls' interior to dare not take it hard, which directly contributed to his ultra-high shooting percentage.

Even though the outside efficiency was not high, it was his high efficiency that carried the team to victory in the G1 game. "

Cook said: "Tonight Feilong scored 52 points, which broke his personal playoff record of 51 points in the finals last season.

19 of 26 shots, 73% shooting, 1 of 2 three-pointers, 13 of 13 free throws, 52 points, 12 rebounds, 14 assists, 3 steals, 5 blocks, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls.

Of his 26 shots, 19 went directly to the basket, and 16 of them hit. This is why he can achieve a 73% shooting rate.

His powerful impact was not limited by the Flying Dragon Law, which was the most important reason why the Knicks were able to maintain the score. "

At the scene, Zhao Dong was interviewed.

"Feilong, when the two teams are close in strength and the score continues to be stalemate, what do you think is the reason that allowed the Knicks to win the G1 game."

asked a New York Times reporter.

"At the last moment, we played better, so the victory belongs to us." Zhao Dong replied.

"What made you perform better at the last moment?" the reporter asked.

Zhao Dong said: "We are young and have physical advantages. Being young has cost us too many mistakes and fouls, but as long as the game is stalemate to the end, physical fitness is our huge advantage.

On the other hand, the Bulls have the advantage of the Bulls, and we have our advantages. Our victory in the G1 game was not a fluke, but due to our strength. "

"Your outside teammates did not perform well tonight. Their shooting percentage did not reach 40%, and there was no offense inside. Are you satisfied with the performance of your teammates?"

asked a Chicago Sports reporter.

Zhao Dong smiled and said: "We also have some players who perform well on the outside. For example, Hu Weidong, his shooting percentage is over 40%. He scored 18 points, right? It is understandable that the status of other outside teammates has fluctuated. I believe they will get better in the next series. As for the inside, they contributed defense and rebounding, and I am very satisfied with them."

After the game, Zhao Dong took a shower and then attended the post-game press conference.

"Feilong, Jordan scored 34 points and shot 51% from the field. What do you think of his performance?" a New York Sports reporter asked.

"As an outside shooter, his efficiency is quite high."

Zhao Dong commented, and then added: "Here I want to praise our inside line. Although they were beaten by Ewing, they performed well when defending the Bulls' outside impact and were not beaten. They were certain To a certain extent, it limits the Bulls' offensive efficiency on the outside.

I can't imagine how the Bulls would lose if they played as efficiently as I did on the perimeter. Maybe we'll lose by thirty points, or fifty points? "

"Damn it, are you praising us? Are you praising yourself?" Oakley scolded with a smile.

At this time, at the Bulls' post-game press conference, Phil Jackson was being criticized by the media.

A Chicago Sports reporter asked: "Coach Jackson, we already failed once in last year's Eastern Conference Finals. Now we have two strong points inside and outside, but we lost the G1 game again. Can you give us a reasonable loss?" Is it because of the ball?”

Phil Jackson looked serious and said: "In fact, we have a chance to win tonight, we always have. We have advantages in many places.

Our offense is more balanced and our players are more mature. Even though we are at a huge disadvantage in rebounding, we still get almost equal shots. We are successful in many places.

The reason for the failure was that we did not do well enough at the last minute and we made mistakes in several aspects. "

"How are you going to solve these problems?" the reporter asked.

"There are some problems that I can't solve, such as physical problems. Ewing and Rodman are both veterans. At the last moment, they were at a disadvantage in the competition. There is no way to solve it. We may be able to strengthen the rotation, but the Knicks are too strong. , Our substitute lineup is no match at all, and the main players must play longer." Phil Jackson said.

"Do you consider that we will lose in the Eastern Conference Finals again? If we lose in the Eastern Conference Finals again, will you consider resigning?" The reporter asked again.

This question made Phil Jackson extremely embarrassed.

Jordan stood up, grabbed the microphone in front of the head coach, and said: "Phil led us to build a dynasty, and I don't think he should be questioned like this by you.

There are objective reasons for the team's loss. Our lineup is indeed too old. This is a problem that the coach cannot solve. You should ask the management, they formed the lineup. "

General manager Jerry Krause was standing nearby. Hearing Jordan's words, he couldn't help but sigh.

After all, Jordan still sided with Phil Jackson and chose to put the pressure and problems on him. The relationship between the two did not really ease.

He believed that if things went wrong in the following series, there would be a strong conflict between him and Jordan.

At this time, he regretted extremely that he had failed to resist the pressure from Jordan and the boss and gave up signing Zhao Dong.

In fact, even if Jordan objects, he still has a chance to sign it, because Jordan is targeting him, not Zhao Dong.

But in the end, he was under pressure and didn't want to completely fall out with Jordan, so he gave up in the end.

One obvious difference between Zhao Dong and Jordan is that he is not so controlling. He never interferes with the management's actions.

Such big-name stars are the management's favorite and his favorite.

Starting from this season, Zhao Dong's scoring ability has surpassed Jordan's, who has begun to decline. Coupled with his top offensive and defensive all-around abilities, in the next few seasons at the end of the century and the 2000s of the new century, he believes that It will be Zhao Dong's era and Jordan's era. He thinks it has passed. Now the Bulls he built are just lingering.

Even if the Bulls win the championship this year, he thinks the team will collapse because Ewing and Rodman are no longer good.

He has made up his mind, whether he wins the championship or not, he will dismantle this team and exchange for some chips while Ewing and Rodman still have trade value.

As for Phil Jackson, he also made up his mind to get rid of him.

The next day, the media commented on last night's Eastern Conference Finals G1 game.

Los Angeles Times: “The reason why the Bulls lost to the Knicks was not rebounding, but the defensive failure against the Dragons.

Even if Jordan personally defends Feilong, he cannot limit Feilong's performance. Feilong broke through Jordan again and again and began to attack the Bulls' interior. Jordan was completely unable to prevent Feilong's terrifying first step, and he was turned into a scum by Feilong. "

The Los Angeles Times report was recognized by many media and fans.

Indeed, countless people watched Zhao Dong use his first step to overpower Jordan again and again. It is a fact that Jordan's defensive failure failed.

Washington Post: "With a 50+ triple-double, Feilong's performance far surpassed that of Jordan. Although it was only a small victory, the Knicks' victory was a matter of course."

The New York Times: “Do you think the Knicks’ victory was a fluke? No, of course not, of course.

If the Knicks fall behind, I believe Feilong will increase the number of attacks to the basket. This is also the reason why the Bulls can maintain a stalemate, because Feilong has been conserving his strength. Although he scored 50+ points in the third quarter, he did not break out at all. With his energy, the game was always under his control. "

In addition to these, the New York media also ridiculed Rodman.

"Big Chong committed a foul on Feilong, which was absolutely self-inflicted. He thought that his crooked tricks could deal with Feilong, and thought that he and Feilong were the same level of super giants. This is just like Reggie Miller thinking that he and Jordan are on the same level. It's the same level, but unfortunately not." New York Sports.

This report not only made Rodman so angry, but also Reggie Miller who was involved was so angry that he almost vomited blood.