The Price of Arrogance(8370 words)
{A/N: Another chapter coming at 9:45 IST. ENJOY 😉}
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The privilege of superstars is that they can play in some games without following the plan arranged by the coaching staff before the game.
Provoked, Michael Jordan found the game of basketball interesting again.
Kicking away the triangle offense, Michael Jordan decided to teach the young players a lesson.
The Bulls were beaten 8:0 at the beginning.
Faced with this situation, the old guys did not panic at all.
They reduced Longley's back-to-the-basket singles in the offense, and Michael Jordan began to shoot frequently.
The boss's demands must naturally be met!
Alan Houston was a little panicked at first, and almost recalled the scene of being beaten by 55 points in the regular season.
But as the game continued, the Knicks became more and more confident:
"Michael Jordan, that's it?"
With 5 minutes and 11 seconds left in the first quarter, Clay Lee stood at the free throw line and the boos in the United Center became louder and louder.
Hubie Brown, on the TNT commentary booth, took a look at the technical statistics and commented tactfully:
"The Bulls played too many singles, and the results were not very good. The Knicks protected the backcourt rebounds. Perhaps head coach Phil Jackson should request another timeout."
Lee made two free throws steadily.
Seeing the score become 18:10, Dick Stockton on the side also added:
"After the opening, 2 of 7 shots, Michael Jordan needs to adjust his state. He should give the ball to his teammates at this time."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Jordan quickly slid from right to left, came to the blocking area, and after receiving the ball, Michael Jordan jumped up, drifted to the right and completed a fadeaway jump shot!
"Swish!" The two-point shot went into the net.
The Bulls had no intention of slowing down the pace of the game. When Michael Jordan wanted to shoot, no one could stop him!
Alan Houston, who was chasing and defending, encouraged himself again.
Lee just clapped his hands, quickly took the ball from the baseline, and faced Harper who was leading the defense, and quickly dribbled across half court.
"Shhh!!"
Once entering the positional offense, the Knicks' offensive tempo slowed down.
Rodman is very fast at switching defense in pick-and-roll situations, but Longley is too big, and his pick-and-roll defense would interfere with Lee's passes.
Oakley's screen failed to work, Alan Houston came to the right elbow area and failed to escape Jordan's pursuit.
The first tactic failed to work, Larry Johnson hurried to the left blocking area to ask for the ball with his back to the basket.
After Lee passed the ball, he immediately cut in quickly along the baseline and took away the defense.
Facing Pippen's top defense, "Grandmama" fought hard and pushed hard to the basket.
When he got close to the paint area, she immediately turned towards the baseline and made a turnaround jump shot!
"Clang!"
The basketball hit the rim and bounced out, Longley grabbed the rebound, and the next second Oakley cut the ball hard.
The moment the ball was lost, there was a scramble under the basket, and the ball finally hit Rodman's feet and bounced out of the baseline.
"Hey! This is our ball!"
Seeing that the referee awarded a frontcourt ball, Rodman acted particularly innocent, jumping up and down and shouting, and the fans in the front row also began to curse the referee.
Lee hurriedly made a tactical gesture and quickly sent the ball to the left wing. Oakley received the ball, and then Lee moved quickly and immediately stepped forward to complete the hand-to-hand pass.
Back to the top of the arc, Harper still stuck to Lee.
Tonight, the old guy didn't touch the ball many times and was always focused on defense.
The Bulls team in front of them set up a solid defense, Rodman was hanging around the paint area, and Longley simply stayed inside and didn't come out.
"Grandmama" stood in the left corner, but Pippen moved near the left baseline.
Except for the two defenders on the line who pushed outward, the Bulls shrank very small.
After several pick-and-rolls with mediocre results, Lee simply went for it.
He held the ball with his left hand, slowly raised his center of gravity, and slowly moved to the left wing.
Ignoring Harper's defense, Lee suddenly changed direction under his hips, switched to his right hand, and immediately broke through with his shoulder.
Harper quickly slid to the right and back, and the two of them entangled to the free throw line.
Lee slipped and almost fell down. At the moment Harper reached out to cut the ball, he supported the ground with his left hand and quickly changed direction in front of his body.
Shaking off the defense, Lee quickly scooped up the ball with his left hand.
The Bulls fans at the scene exclaimed again, and Harper quickly slid to the left and back.
Lee straightened his body and took a step.
Then he used his right foot as the axis and quickly turned backwards to shoot a fadeaway jump shot in the paint area!
"Swish!" The two-point ball went into the net!
"Shhh!!"
It was a difficult goal and boos rang out again in the United Center. Harper shrugged his shoulders helplessly this time.
He had already blocked the ball in his face, but he still went and shot. What more could he do?
The atmosphere group jumped up and down and shouted. They withstood the Bulls' counterattack.
20:12, noting that with 4 minutes and 15 seconds left in the first quarter, Phil Jackson began to let Bison Dele and Toni Kukoc move their bodies.
The triangle offense couldn't be played, and Michael Jordan wanted to play one-on-one, so he changed to a higher position and continued to grab rebounds.
In the next few rounds, Lee and Pippen quickly missed shots until Michael Jordan forced a breakthrough to the basket, causing Oakley to commit a foul.
After running around, the old guys on the court began to breathe hard, and the Bulls took the opportunity to make substitutions, replacing Rodman and Longley with Bison Dele and Tony Kukoc.
"We should also make some adjustments. Buck can't hold on any longer!"
Assistant coach Thibodeau reminded Jeff Van Gundy, but the bald young coach shook his head when he thought of the lateral speed of veteran Herb Williams.
There is still a lead, continue to fight the main force!
After making two free throws, Michael Jordan immediately directed his teammates who had just replaced him to complete their defensive positions.
It was positional offense again. Lee quickly passed the ball to Larry Johnson at the top of the arc.
Larry Johnson made a quick outside shot near the left baseline.
Oakley's screen, coupled with quick vertical movement, still couldn't get rid of Michael Jordan's pursuit.
As soon as the left wing received the ball, Michael Jordan pounced on it and cut the ball hard.
Larry was blocked and couldn't score for a while. He could only turn back and forth on the spot.
Finally, he was forced to pass the ball back.
Jordan's successful defense made the Bulls fans shout with joy.
Larry Johnson was forced to pass the ball at the top of the arc, and he signaled Lee to receive the ball again.
The subsequent tactics failed to execute, Lee quickly came to the right wing, received the ball, and Harper came up again.
The old guy never stopped moving his hands, and on the defensive end he mostly used his body advantage to force Lee to change his breakthrough route.
Lee lowered his center of gravity and held the ball with his right hand outside the three-point line, observing the defensive movements behind him.
Oakley hurried to the three-point line on the right wing, preparing to set a screen.
Lee first threw the ball hard on the spot, then quickly pulled the ball back, shook his body quickly, and suddenly accelerated with the ball in his right hand.
Approaching the three-point line, Lee took advantage of Harper's sliding step to first dribble the ball behind his back, and the moment he scooped up the ball with his left hand, he immediately moved the ball behind his back in a big way.
Harper almost collided with Oakley, and then he quickly slid to the left to block Lee's breakthrough route.
Bisson Dele, who had just replaced the game, also moved and tried to delay the game.
As soon as the big guy on the opposite side moved, Oakley immediately moved down quickly to the blocking zone.
Lee didn't even look at anyone while moving. He shook his right wrist and the basketball passed between the two defenders.
After receiving the ground pass, Oakley went straight to the basket. Kukoc quickly assisted in defense, but was still fouled by the old guy.
"squeak!"
When the referee blew the whistle, the Bulls fans at the scene immediately started cursing the referee.
Oakley didn't care and hurried to the free throw line, making several shooting gestures in a row.
Oakley breathed a sigh of relief after making both free throws.
When the Bulls attacked again, they finally couldn't hold on for rebounds.
Michael Jordan missed the shot, and the two substitutes rushed to grab the ball.
Finally, Kukoc successfully grabbed the frontcourt rebound and passed the ball to Pippen on the left wing outside the three-point line.
The latter received the ball and made an open three-point jump shot.
"At the end of the quarter, the Bulls finally took advantage of their height. The Knicks had to be careful. They couldn't lose any more rebounds."
Hubie Brown saw that the Knicks were on the verge of collapse and subconsciously gave a reminder.
Forced to launch another positional attack, Lee began to frown.
A lot of dribbling would consume his physical energy.
The old guy in front of him had been fighting against him, and his defense had never stopped since he received the ball.
Lee made a tactical gesture again.
Larry Johnson quickly came to the top of the arc and set a fake screen. Lee, holding the ball in his right hand, moved sideways and pretended to break through on the right side.
After the fake screen, Larry Johnson immediately moved down, taking away Pippen's defense and coming to the free throw line.
Alan Houston, who was outside, took the opportunity to set a screen to delay Pippen.
At this time, Lee had already broken through the defense and reached the three-point line.
Pippen was delayed. Larry Johnson accelerated his cut and noticed that his teammates were out of position. Michael Jordan subconsciously followed him to the paint area to assist.
As a result, Pippen did not defend Alan Houston who quickly bounced to the top of the arc.
Lee broke through to the right elbow area and made a behind-the-back pass.
Harper wanted to make up for it, but it was too late.
He watched Alan Houston, who was in an open position, shoot a jump shot from outside the three-point line!
"Swish!" The three-pointer went into the net!
"It's an excellent collaboration. Jeff Van Gundy definitely deserves the title of Coach of the Year!"
"The Knicks' tactics were very successful several times, and Alan Houston hit another three-pointer!"
The Knicks used StacK's tactical routine this time, and Hubie Brown praised the bald young coach.
At 25:15, Alan Houston hit another three-pointer, which stimulated Michael Jordan to miss consecutive shots.
The Knicks began to lose backcourt rebounds. Bison Dele and Tony Kukoc missed their shots under the basket, but they managed to escape.
Lee had already realized that he was going to lose the rebounds, so he began to slow down the pace, trying to give Oakley and Buck Williams a break.
They started to miss shots on the offensive end again, but fortunately Michael Jordan, who was double-teamed, also missed his shot.
It was not until the end of the first quarter that Michael Jordan made a turnaround jump shot near the left baseline.
25:17, the first quarter ended, and seeing that the home team was still trailing by 8 points, the Bulls fans at the scene booed again.
In a single quarter, Michael Jordan, who was not in good form, scored 10 points with 4 of 11 shots.
He walked to the bench with a sullen face, feeling that he had lost face.
On the bench of the Knicks, the atmosphere team shouted happily and came forward to high-five to celebrate.
8 points, this score difference is not small!
Lee, who played the whole first quarter, was defended so badly that he sat down in his seat, took the kettle and started to drink.
The Bulls' tactic was almost "four protecting one", with Michael Jordan playing one-on-one and the others waiting to get the ball.
Harper is all about passing and catching the ball on offense, and punching hard on defense. Tonight, he became a pendant, defending closely.
Jeff Van Gundy was very satisfied with the team's performance.
The 8-point lead made the bald young coach particularly excited:
"John, Chris, keep speeding up the pace of the game after you come on the court. When there is an opportunity, take decisive action!"
"We are the leading side, attack boldly and seize the opportunity of transition offense!"
In the positional battle, the Knicks have difficulty scoring, which is obvious to the naked eye.
If they want to win, they have to keep shooting. They can't always count on veteran Herb to work hard in the low post.
The newbie John Wallace was excited by the praise, and he got playing time again tonight!
Chris Childs and Starks partnered in the backcourt, John Wallace and Larry Johnson were on the front line, and Herb Williams was the center.
Jeff Van Gundy hoped that this rotation lineup could last more than three minutes, but as the Bulls players came on the court, they were immediately dumbfounded when they saw that Michael Jordan was still there.
"You really pissed him off! Mike didn't even take a break!"
Alan Houston was also dumbfounded.
According to the regular rotation, the Bulls would not let Jordan play early. He had to rest for at least 3 minutes.
Lee thought of Michael Jordan's missed shot in the first quarter and immediately comforted him:
"Maybe he just wasn't in good form tonight. John has a lot of defensive experience!"
"."
The Bulls brought in Steve Kerr, Jason Caffey, Rodman and Kukoc. Obviously, this lineup still focuses on Michael Jordan.
On the Knicks bench, everyone was nervous at first, and then Lee started waving the towel.
Kukoc and Jordan still missed their shots, but "grandmama" was like she was on drugs, protecting the rebounds on the defensive end and scoring goals on the offensive end.
At 29:19, after Kukoc made two free throws, with 8 minutes and 23 seconds left in the second quarter, Jeff Van Gundy hurriedly took back the main force.
Phil Jackson did not immediately replace Harper.
The Knicks' double-team was getting more and more intense, and someone had to respond from the outside.
With Pippen and Longley back on the court, the Bulls' defense became an iron bucket formation again.
At the top of the arc, Steve Kerr tried hard to defend Lee.
The two were of similar size, and Kerr, with short blonde hair, was very active after he came on the court.
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
The home team kept missing shots, and the Bulls fans at the scene became anxious and could only shout along.
Coming to the right wing, stepping on the three-point line, Kerr noticed Oakley moving forward behind him, and immediately turned sideways, preparing to squeeze through the screen.
At the same time, Rodman also quickly followed up to defend, and the two of them cooperated, just waiting for Lee to break in.
Oakley set a fake screen on the three-point line, and Lee, holding the ball with his left hand, dribbled quickly behind his back, switched to his right hand, and immediately accelerated to cut in.
After bypassing the screen, Kerr immediately chased after him, and Rodman quickly came up to him.
While moving, Lee, holding the ball in his right hand, suddenly dribbled the ball forward.
Rodman rushed over to defend, and Lee pulled the ball with his left hand.
Kerr squeezed up behind him and cut the ball. Lee changed direction in front of his body in an instant.
"oh!!"
The fans at the scene didn't see the specific action clearly, but they felt that in the blink of an eye, Lee passed between the two people, took a step forward and approached the paint area and easily completed the lob!
The basketball passed over Rodman's fingertips who turned to block the shot, and hit the backboard and went into the net!
"ClayGod! What a move!"
In the commentary booth, Dick Stockton shouted loudly, but he still felt unsatisfied and continued to say loudly:
"Incredible, unbelievable, how did Lee complete the attack between the two of them!"
Alan Houston felt that Lee was pretending to be awesome because he was shaking his head and retreating.
Michael Jordan beside him seemed to be glaring at him again.
Sure enough, in the next round, Michael Jordan received the ball in the left blocking area and made a strong shot.
Larry Johnson quickly double-teamed him from the top of the arc.
He immediately turned toward the baseline, and finally stopped at the left side of the restricted area with two defenders, and made a drifting fadeaway jumper!
31:21, the Bulls also scored in the running game.
Even though the ball was blocked at the end line, he was still able to score. Alan Houston's scalp was tingling.
Lee took the ball from the end line and continued to encourage him:
"The old man is almost dying! Run a few more times and try to get rid of the defense!"
Alan Houston, who was in hot form, moved back and forth horizontally and vertically on the offensive end, but Michael Jordan, who was already in full swing, tried his best to chase him and defend him.
Halfway through the offensive time, he had no chance to connect with the ball.
In the end, they could only use conventional tactics. Rodman quickly delayed again, and Lee quickly passed the ball to Oakley in the right elbow area.
The unguarded long two-point shot missed, Longley grabbed the rebound, Pippen received it, Lee immediately stepped forward to pull it, and the referee blew the whistle.
"Shhh!!"
Due to a tactical foul, the Bulls' transition offense failed. L
Lee hurriedly asked his teammates to retreat, and the fans at the scene booed again.
After playing for more than one quarter, the Bulls team figured out the situation and switched to positional offense.
Longley only needed to squat and defend. It was difficult for the Knicks to score in the paint area.
Seemingly calming down, this time facing a three-man siege in the left blocking zone, Michael Jordan immediately passed the ball to Kerr who was waiting at the top of the arc.
Without much adjustment, Kerr made an open three-pointer.
Lee cursed inwardly, he participated in the double-team, and the opponent scored.
31:24, the score difference returned to single digits.
The pace of the game was slowed down by the Bulls' defense, and it became difficult to deal the ball from the top of the arc.
Michael Jordan and Pippen were well prepared, which meant that every time Lee cut across the line, the pass would be delayed.
Lee just cut to the left wing and did not receive the pass immediately. He was a beat late.
Alan Houston at the top of the arc passed the ball and Steve Kerr had already caught up with him.
There was not much time left for the attack, and Lee, who received the ball, always maintained a three-threat posture, making continuous tentative steps to the left front with his right foot.
Noticing that the 24 seconds were almost up, Kerr kept moving his feet, not giving Lee space to break through, and took another tentative step.
Lee suddenly released the ball with his left hand, blasted the ball hard, and then quickly stepped back, then quickly shot a jump shot from outside the three-point line!
"Clang!"
Kerr's subconscious jump block had some effect, and the ball hit the rim and bounced out.
The Bulls wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to launch a transition offense, but the long rebound ball just fell into Alan Houston's arms.
Alan Houston got the frontcourt rebound at the free throw line and immediately threw the ball to the left corner without stopping.
Steve Kerr cursed inwardly, and in the blink of an eye, Lee slipped to the corner.
After receiving the ball, he raised the ball and faked it.
Seeing Kerr flying in front of him, Lee made a steady jump shot from outside the three-point line!
"Swish!" The three-pointer went into the net
"Lee finally hit the first three-pointer of the game. Rebounds will determine the outcome of the game. The Bulls underestimated the resilience of the Knicks!"
Hubie Brown happily watched as five Knicks players on the court high-fived to celebrate.
The Bulls did have a height advantage, but the Knicks were also fighting hard.
34:24, with 6 minutes and 29 seconds left in the first half, the score difference returned to double digits again.
Phil Jackson requested a timeout at this time. He wanted to give Michael Jordan a break and interrupt the Knicks' rhythm.
"Shhh!!"
Feeling that something was not right on the field, the Bulls fans at the scene finally couldn't hold it in any longer and started shouting and cursing more and more.
No one expected that the home team would fall behind.
Back on the bench, Michael Jordan was in a bad mood and kept silent with a sullen face.
However, Phil Jackson did not care that the team was behind and simply encouraged them:
"Don't be fooled by the opponent's difficult goals. We just need to rebound well to win the game!"
The core players wanted to play one-on one, and Phil Jackson happily supported them, telling everyone that they just had to grab the ball.
On the other side, Jeff Van Gundy didn't say much, but just kept emphasizing the game time:
"There are still 6 minutes left in the second quarter. Hold on and go into the second half with a leading advantage. We will get an away victory!"
The head coach excitedly gave out motivational speech, and the atmosphere group also followed suit.
Everyone wished the game would end immediately so that they could celebrate the victory happily.
In the last 6 minutes of the first half, the Bulls' main lineup returned. After Harper came on the court, he began to act as a pendant again.
Lee was entangled by the old guy and lost his temper.
Unlike Tim Hardaway who took care of both organization and offense, the old guy, when he reached the offensive end, waited for Michael Jordan to be double-teamed and then receive the ball.
Whether it was reorganizing or taking over the offense, Harper even left the job of dribbling across half court to Pippen.
Tonight, he completely turned into a tool man.
Michael Jordan's touch began to return, and Larry Johnson's excessive double-teaming also gave Pippen several easy scoring opportunities.
On the Knicks side, Oakley responded from mid-range, and Larry Johnson followed with a three-pointer.
For a while, the Bulls were unable to narrow the score, and everyone on the Knicks fought bravely.
With 1 minute and 6 seconds left in the first half, Lee's breakthrough caused Harper to foul.
Amid the boos from the audience, he made two free throws.
When the game entered the free throw period, the old guy did not restrain his defensive actions and did not care about losing free throws.
He was completely exhausted tonight.
In the final moments of the first half, Michael Jordan used the screen of substitute Kukoc to break free from the defense vertically, and made a long two-point jump shot from the right wing!
With Ler's missed three-pointer in the first half, the half-time game was completely over.
In the United Center, the boos became louder and louder, and the Knicks players ran towards the player tunnel with smiles on their faces.
48:38, the Knicks entered the second half with a 10-point lead.
"Mike Jordan should share the ball more. He made 8 of 19 shots in the first half, 4 of 4 free throws, and scored 20 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist, but this is not the Bulls' game rhythm!"
"The constant fight for rebounds, coupled with too much physical confrontation, made it difficult for other Bulls players to find their offensive form when they rarely touched the ball."
On the TNT commentary stand, Hubie Brown was not polite and directly pointed out the reason why the Bulls fell behind, which was all caused by Michael Jordan's random play.
"Lee performed very well, shooting 4 of 10 in the first half, 1 of 3 from beyond the three-point line, and 4 of 4 free throws, scoring 13 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, and 1 turnover."
"Although his efficiency was not high, he successfully activated his teammates. Alan Houston made 5 of 11 shots, 3 of 5 from beyond the three-point line, and 2 of 2 free throws, contributing 15 points!"
"The Knicks' backcourt withstood the pressure!"
Dick Stockton praised the Knicks' performance, and when he saw his partner had something to say, he immediately said,
"We can first predict how the second half of the game will go."
"Notice that the Bulls had grabbed 29 rebounds in the first half, including 8 offensive rebounds! The Knicks must solve the rebounding problem."
"."
In the locker room, Jeff Van Gundy didn't mention any tactical arrangements at all, but just kept giving out chicken soup.
Of course he knew that the veteran Buck Williams could not hold on, but on the bench, there was only the older Herb Williams.
As for the newbie McCarty, he had long been forgotten by the bald young coach.
"Hold on for another 24 minutes, and we will get a valuable away victory!"
"Just think about it, if we win this game and go back to New York, we can protect our home court and get the match point!"
Jeff Van Gundy took off his jacket and loudly encouraged everyone, and the atmosphere team also followed suit and flattered him:
"Michael Jordan missed his shot, and our defense worked!"
The big pie he drew did work. Oakley was completely cheered up, and the old guy also began to cheer himself up:
"We're going to win the game!"
Lee watched his teammates recover their strength and felt the effect of chicken soup firsthand.
Sometimes it's really useless to talk about tactics, and that's when you have to "Let's go!"
As the second half started, the United Center went wild.
Bulls fans couldn't stand the home team falling behind, so they booed as soon as the game started.
The Knicks took the lead in attacking, and Lee was not polite.
He quickly dribbled across half court and reached the top of the arc, where he followed Buck Williams' fake screen. Longley cooperated with Harper to delay Lee who was accelerating to break through with the ball in his left hand.
With the two of them surrounding him, Lee drifted in the left blocking area, faded away and shot but missed.
At this time, Larry Johnson, Oakley, Buck Williams all rushed into the paint area, and with Pippen and Rodman, the basketball hit the rim and everyone below rushed to grab it!
In the end, Rodman grabbed two rebounds and protected the backcourt rebound.
He posed for a photo, causing the fans in the front row to cheer loudly.
The Knicks' tactics became simpler and simpler, shooting and grabbing!
When it came to the defensive round, several players on the outside began to double-team Michael Jordan.
As long as he received the ball in the blocking area, he would be surrounded within 2 seconds.
Michael Jordan continued to miss the shot and protected the rebound. The Knicks launched a transition offense.
Lee was closely defended by Harper after crossing half court and his transition three-pointer continued to miss.
The pace of the game became faster and faster, and the scores of both sides began to rise slowly.
In less than three minutes, Phil Jackson immediately requested a timeout.
The Bulls brought on Bison Dele and took the initiative to lower the height to replace Longley who could not keep up with the tempo.
They then relied on their highly mobile defense to slow down the tempo of the game.
Jeff Van Gundy naturally saw that something was wrong and paid the price for the double-team.
Pippen made two consecutive three-pointers, and the United Center instantly went wild.
The Knicks were forced to request a timeout.
"oh!!"
The Bulls fans at the scene cheered loudly. After the timeout, the Knicks began to lose rebounds again.
Buck Williams was completely gone in transition offense and was forced to leave the court.
He was replaced by veteran Herb Williams, but the situation still did not improve. Jeff Van Gundy was anxious.
With 4 minutes and 46 seconds left in the third quarter, Pippen's lateral pass was intercepted by Lee, and the Knicks once again launched a transition offense.
Lee quickly counterattacked and made an easy layup.
As the game progressed, Rodman also made mistakes, and then the Knicks turned the game into transition offense, and Alan Houston stood on the free throw line.
Two easy scores finally relieved some of the scoring pressure, but as Michael Jordan frequently attacked the basket, the Knicks still allowed the Bulls to catch up some points.
The score in a single quarter was 17:23, and after three quarters, it was 65:61, with the difference only 4 points.
Clay Lee, like Michael Jordan, was substituted out with one minute left in the third quarter:
"Mike is already tired and missed the free throw. He can't hold on any longer. Hold on a little longer!"
Hearing Lee's words, Alan Houston nodded with his eyes wide open.
He had put in a lot of energy on the defensive end. In the third quarter, his shots were getting worse and worse.
At this time, he could only use the method of spiritual victory.
In the last quarter of the game, the Knicks had to replace the backcourt, and Clay Lee and Alan Houston had to rest.
Michael Jordan did not come on the court immediately. We are all human beings and our physical strength has limits.
Seeing hope of turning the game around, the Bulls fans at the United Center began to cheer loudly again.
Jeff Van Gundy made the right choice.
With the team leading, the energetic Starks helped the Knicks score consecutive points in the last quarter.
With 9 minutes and 1 second left in the game, Michael Jordan returned to the court and helped the Bulls score.
With Longley at the free throw line, Jeff Van Gundy got his starting lineup back.
Phil Jackson took this opportunity to replace Longley, who made both free throws, with Kukoc, and once again took the initiative to make the lineup smaller.
72:68, the difference is still 4 points.
In the last quarter of the game, both sides slowed down. After several consecutive rounds, they missed shots.
Seeing that his teammates could not make shots, Michael Jordan, who had taken a few minutes to relax, began to ask for the ball with his back to the basket.
After Alan Houston missed the shot, he quickly returned to defense.
At this time, he could not withstand the back-to-back singles of Michael Jordan.
After receiving the ball, he tried to shoot, but was directly wiped away.
Seeing Michael Jordan rushing into the paint, Oakley immediately rushed up and blocked his shot.
The ball was not hit at all. After landing, Michael Jordan covered his nose and got slapped in the face.
"Shhh!!"
When the referee called two free throws, the boos immediately turned into curses.
The Knicks bench was about to cheer when they saw Michael Jordan make one of two free throws, but the rebound was tipped into the basket by Rodman.
72:71, the United Center was boiling again.
Bulls fans looked at Rodman raising his hands high under the basket and immediately cheered loudly.
After losing another rebound, Jeff Van Gundy could only loudly remind his players to stay focused.
Lee missed many shots in the third quarter, and he didn't get the touch when he returned to the court in the fourth quarter.
Harper was still hanging by his side, and the old guy was basically going up and down with him.
He quickly took the ball from the baseline, Harper continued to lead the defense, and Lee quickly dribbled the ball behind his back, and after switching to his right hand, he accelerated with all his strength.
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
The Bulls fans at the scene were shouting louder and louder, and the team was about to overtake the score.
When they reached the top of the arc, Harper took a small step back, and Lee waved his hand, signaling everyone to move out and sink to the baseline.
As the game reached the final moments, there was no need for any complicated tactics.
Lee, holding the ball in his right hand, dribbled with a jump step, then suddenly lowered his center of gravity, swayed his body to the right, and changed direction forward drastically.
After switching to the left hand, he immediately accelerated to full speed. Harper was well prepared and followed Lee to quickly slide to the right rear.
The old guy left a step open in defense, waiting for Lee to break through.
In the blink of an eye, the two men arrived at the elbow area on the right side of the free throw line.
Lee suddenly stopped and quickly changed direction in front of his body.
He switched to his right hand and dribbled the ball behind his back. While Harper was still sliding backwards, Lee immediately passed the ball and shot a quick jump shot at the free throw line!
"Swish!" A steady mid-range shot!
"Unreasonable goal! Lee once again helped the Knicks widen the gap!"
The defensive cheers stopped abruptly, and Dick Stockton shouted excitedly in the commentary booth.
"Shhh!!"
Seeing Lee returning to defense and raising his left index finger, the fans at the scene booed and cursed at the same time.
74:71, everyone on the Knicks knew that in the next round, Michael Jordan would definitely make a response.
Sure enough, with his back to the basket in the left blocking zone, Pippen passed the ball.
Larry Johnson just slid to defend, and Michael Jordan leaned against Alan Houston.
After receiving the ball, he immediately turned around and completed a fadeaway jump shot!
"Swish!" The response ball went in!
74:73, the Bulls responded quickly.
A large number of shots finally evoked the touch of Michael Jordan.
After scoring, Michael dunked and glared at the Knicks bench. The Bulls strengthened their defense again.
Harper defended tightly, Lee quickly passed the ball across half court, and Larry Johnson received the ball at the top of the arc.
Afterwards, several screens were not able to get rid of the defense.
Oakley simply waved his hand, signaling everyone to grab the rebound.
As a result, Lee broke through to the left side near the baseline, made a quick stop jump shot and missed the basket.
There was another fierce grab under the basket, and Kukoc finally protected the rebound.
The Bulls had no good solution to such a simple and crude tactic.
Lee shot close to the basket, and when he missed the shot, the rebound would not bounce too far.
This forced the Bulls to fight mindlessly.
At the critical moment, as long as Lee did not make mistakes, the Knicks would not make mistakes, and the ball would be in one person's hands.
Under the double-team of three people, Michael Jordan's response shot failed to score.
Phil Jackson also stood on the sidelines at this time, shouting loudly, indicating that a tactical plan should be implemented.
In the last few minutes, it became increasingly difficult for the Knicks to score, and they slowly increased the points with free throws from Oakley and Larry Johnson.
The old guy fought hard to grab the frontcourt rebounds and also spared no effort to protect the rebounds on the defensive end.
But Kukoc's tip-in and Pippen's breakthrough still kept the Bulls close to the score.
78:77, with 56 seconds left in the game, the fans in the front row all stood up, and the Bulls fans at the scene shouted in unison:
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
After dribbling the ball quickly across half court, Lee did not rush to attack, but continued to control the time.
The atmosphere team on the sidelines covered their mouths nervously.
If he scored, the Knicks might win the game.
In the last few rounds, Harper did not lead the defense. At halftime, Michael Jordan took the initiative to switch defense.
When it came to the stage of winning the game, Michael Jordan was ready to strike hard.
As time passed, everyone on the court moved away, the fans shouted excitedly, and Michael Jordan lowered his center of gravity and stared at Lee's movements.
With 13 seconds left in the offensive time, Lee, holding the ball in his left hand, suddenly leaned forward and accelerated, approaching the three-point line, and quickly pulled back with a cross step.
The moment he switched to his right hand, he dribbled the ball behind his back twice in a row at an extremely fast speed.
Michael Jordan was shaken and had to move with him.
After completing a behind-the-back dribble, Lee suddenly exploded on the spot, picked up the ball with his right hand, and immediately turned around and accelerated.
With the change of rhythm, Lee successfully took the lead by half a body length and went straight to the basket despite Michael Jordan's defense.
Michael Jordan quickly slid to the left and back, knowing that he had not lost his defensive position, and did not cut the ball easily.
The two of them came to the paint area almost instantly.
While moving, Lee suddenly turned around, then quickly gathered the ball, switched to his left hand, leaned against Michael Jordan, and shot the ball into the basket!
After turning around, he quickly blocked the shot, and the basketball flew over his fingertips. Michael Jordan subconsciously widened his eyes.
Perhaps it was the physical confrontation that played a role, the basketball bounced twice on the rim and finally fell out of the rim.
The United Center, which had almost become a Chicago library, suddenly erupted in cheers:
"Wow!!"
Rodman held the rebound tightly. With 34 seconds left in the game, the initiative returned to the Bulls.
Michael Jordan glared at the Knicks atmosphere team who all covered their mouths and kept silent.
After losing the key ball, Lee didn't show much expression. He just quickly returned to defense.
The Knicks still had time.
After Pippen took the ball, he dribbled across half court steadily. All the fans at the scene could no longer sit still and stood up and shouted.
Also under time pressure, on the right wing, Michael Jordan did not receive the ball immediately.
Alan Houston could only follow his body's instinctive reaction and hang next to Michael Jordan.
All the Bulls players sank to the bottom line. Lee followed Harper to the left corner to catch a smoke.
With 10 seconds left in the attack, Michael Jordan suddenly started.
Pippen immediately turned around, completed a hand-off at the top of the arc, and then quickly ran to the left wing.
The moment he received the ball, Michael Jordan noticed that Larry Johnson was coming to defend him, but he did not choose to pass the ball.
Instead, he turned quickly at the top of the arc, scooped up the ball with his right hand, and accelerated the breakthrough.
Alan Houston slid hard and gave physical confrontation, and Larry Johnson chased him closely from behind.
The three men came to the right side near the baseline, Michael Jordan suddenly stopped, jumped off the ground, drifted to the right rear in the air, hovered briefly, waiting to jump up to block the two men who began to fall, and then he calmly made a jump shot!
"Swish!" The two-point ball went into the net!
"oh!!"
The United Center exploded instantly, and the Bulls fans began to scream wildly.
After landing, Michael Jordan looked around at everyone expressionlessly.
Alan Houston and Larry Johnson were completely numb.
78:79, at the last moment, the Bulls overtook the score.
Jeff Van Gundy quickly requested a timeout. On the Bulls bench, the atmosphere team cheered and all came forward to high-five Michael Jordan to celebrate.
"What a beautiful goal! Michael Jordan once again showed his killer instinct!"
Hubie Brown didn't say much, and the old man seemed to have gotten used to Michael Dunk's key performances.
"Lee was just one step away from ending the game. Of course, with 12 seconds left, the Knicks still had a chance!"
In the commentary booth, Dick Stockton was also waiting to watch the show with a smile.
No matter what the result was, the neutral fans would definitely not lose out!
On the Knicks bench, Jeff Van Gundy quickly took out the tactical board and drew out the sideline ball tactics.
Everyone was breathing heavily and no one said a word.
"Give me the ball, I'll make the shot, and we'll win the game!"
In the last round, Lee breathed a sigh of relief on the court. He couldn't count on his teammates at this time.
Alan Houston and Larry Johnson were about to vomit.
Jeff Van Gundy, who was about to explain the tactics, was stunned for a moment.
Clay Lee gestured on the tactical board twice, turned his head and loudly reminded Alan Houston:
"Serve backwards, we have enough time!"
Alan Houston nodded subconsciously, and everyone stood up again. The timeout was over, and the United Center was completely boiling.
"Defense! Defense! Defense!"
The audience stood up and shouted loudly, victory was just around the corner!
Jeff Van Gundy, who was standing on the sidelines, nervously pulled at the hem of his suit and shouted loudly to remind the players to concentrate.
12 seconds is enough to complete an attack.
Near the left baseline, with the help of Oakley's cover, Lee quickly shot out.
On the left wing, Lee took the sideline ball from Alan Houston, released the ball with his right hand, and quickly moved to the top of the arc.
Everyone moved away again, and the Bulls also symbolically defended.
When the game reached the final moments, the core players refused to pass the ball.
Without needing anyone to help defend, Michael Jordan lowered his center of gravity again. Instead of rushing to grab the ball, he slowly moved forward.
The game time passed quickly, the defensive cheers in the United Center became louder and louder, and the Bulls fans at the scene could not hold it any longer.
With 5 seconds left in the game, Lee suddenly started, at the top of the arc, holding the ball in his right hand, pretending to lean forward to accelerate, and then quickly completed a crotch dribble.
He lowered his center of gravity and swayed his body to the left, taking advantage of Michael Jordan moving to the right to instantly complete a large change of direction forward.
The basketball brushed past Michael Jordan's fingertips and came into Lee's right hand.
Realizing that he had been deceived, Michael Jordan slid quickly.
Lee took advantage of the situation to move in and out slightly, his body swaying in a confusing manner, and noticed that Michael Jordan was moving backwards.
He quickly dribbled the ball behind his back, while exerting force on his feet and taking a big step back.
Instantly returning to the three-point line, without any hesitation, Lee drifted slightly to the right and back, and shot a quick jump shot!
Michael Jordan was shaken and stood still. Before he could make a block, he saw Lee in front of him turn around confidently after shooting, raising his hands high!
The basketball drew a beautiful arc and finally fell straight into the net.
"Swish!" The three-pointer went into the net.
The light came on when the ball went in, and the buzzer of the final minute sounded.
"OH——!!"
"He got it!"
The United Center suddenly became quiet, and it seemed that only Dick Stockton in the commentary booth was shouting excitedly.
The Bulls fans first stared blankly at Lee, who turned around confidently and raised his hands high early, and then the noise almost blew the roof off.
"Shhh!"
No one cared about the boos. All the Knicks players ran to the court, hugged lee6 who was still pretending to be cool and posing, and screamed wildly.
"ah!!"
Jeff Van Gundy jumped for joy twice, then he stopped smiling and walked to the technical table to shake hands with Phil Jackson.
Michael Jordan put his hands on his hips and looked at the scoreboard, then took another look at the Knicks players who were still celebrating wildly, pursed his lips, turned around and walked towards the player tunnel.
"Crazy game, crazy buzzer beater, the Knicks got the away win!"
"The arrogant Bulls finally paid the price! Lee showed his big heart. 19 years old? Incredible performance!"
Hubie Brown happily looked at the Knicks players who were huddled together.
8 of 21 shots, 2 of 7 from beyond the three-point line, and 4 of 6 free throws.
In terms of technical statistics, Lee only had 22 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, and 1 turnover, but at this moment, no one cared about these.
Dick Stockton just glanced at the technical statistics and said with a smile:
"The series score is now 1:0. The Knicks have achieved their goal. Patrick Ewing returns in Game 2. The series is getting more and more interesting!"
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