NBA Backer King: Chapter 181 finals match point
Chapter 181 Finals match point
It was three o’clock in the morning, and Wang Tiejun hadn’t fallen asleep yet. He yawned one after another, but he couldn’t sleep.
In the other rooms, like him, none of the Suns players fell asleep.
In fact, like these players, the coaching staff and management are the same, and the owner Colangelo is similar, or even more excited.
The next morning, none of the team could get up and down.
17, almost all the media in the United States, in their headlines, are the news of the NBA Finals.
"Old K leads the offensive frenzy in the final quarter, Jordan has nothing to say." The New York Times.
"After one to three, the Bulls dynasty collapsed before it was established, and Jordan has nothing to say." New York Sports Daily.
"Averaged 40+ in the finals, Jordan played an unprecedented performance." Chicago Sports Daily.
"Hey, No. 23, you guys have improved. The three of you almost blocked me just now." Phoenix Sports News.
"prick!"
Jordan, who was sitting at the dining table, ripped off a stack of newspapers at his hand and threw it on the floor. The mentality he had recovered from overnight was destroyed in one fell swoop.
Although the media's reporting center is Jordan, who is behind by a large score, Comrade Pharaoh also took the opportunity to brush up a wave of presence, and no one can ignore his performance in the final quarter.
Smiling assassin Isiah Thomas was interviewed by the media in New York and said with a smile: "A rookie played a superstar-like performance on Jordan's head, he decided the winner of the finals, he decided the ownership of the championship, He single-handedly destroyed Jordan's dynasty dream.
This may make Michael Jordan very disappointed and angry, but he can't change anything, and this is the NBA, anything is possible.
The last thing I want to say is that we can beat him, Michael Jordan, and then there will be people who can beat him, now and in the future. "
This morning, Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf summoned general manager Jerry Krause and head coach Phil Jackson in his office.
As soon as the three met, they found that everyone had dark circles around their eyes, and it seemed that they hadn't slept much last night.
"Phil, tell me, is there any hope for us?" Reinsdorf sighed.
Phil Jackson didn't sleep at all last night. After thinking about it all night, he came up with more or less ideas, and said: "Bos, although there is no precedent for a comeback from a one-to-three deficit in the league, we can't lose hope. What it does is, create this precedent, and Michael thinks so too."
Jerry Reinsdorf and Jerry Krause couldn't help but nodded, looking at Phil Jackson, waiting for him to continue.
Phil Jackson said: "The reason why we lost the game last night was not a tactical problem, nor was we playing well enough. We were always in the lead, but the old K exploded at the end, which we didn't expect."
"Ugh!"
As soon as he mentioned this, Jerry Krause sighed secretly, if he brought old K to Chicago, there would be no such troubles.
Jerry Reinsdorf nodded, accepted the statement, and asked, "So Phil, what are you going to do about it?"
Phil Jackson frowned and said: "To be honest, Boss, we do lack a meat shield, no one can hold him in the low post, even if a small tonnage player is used to double-team, his weird kind of hitting can also be used. Breaking the double-team forcibly makes us very passive tactically."
The other two couldn't help but nodded. Old K's trash talk was too lethal, but it also showed that it was useless for players of small tonnage to double-team him.
Phil Jackson continued: "My defensive strategy for him has always been to drain his energy, and last night was very successful.
But I didn't expect that the Suns dared to let him play only half a quarter in the final quarter. He rested for more than ten minutes off the court, which allowed his physical fitness to recover to a certain extent, and then ushered in his big game in the last three minutes. burst. "
Jerry Krause spoke for the first time, nodded and said, "Paul Westphal is still capable, don't underestimate him."
nodded noncommittally, and Phil Jackson continued: "In G5, my idea of defending Old K still consumes his physical strength, but I am going to shrink the defense and resolutely prevent him from getting close to the basket."
"Shrink the defense? Then the perimeter..." Jerry Krause had some doubts.
Phil Jackson said: "I thought about it, the real strength of the Suns is the inside, and both the old K and Barkley need to double-team, but we can only double-team one, so only by shrinking the defense can this problem be solved at the same time.
As for the perimeter, there will definitely be loopholes that allow them to get some open shots, but our own perimeter scoring can more than make up for that part of the loss. "
The other two couldn't help but nodded. After all, they were not the head coach, so they felt like that was the case.
Next, Reinsdorf asked Phil Jackson to leave first, and he and Jerry Krause chatted alone.
"Jerry, tell me, how do you solve our interior problem? Now that the Suns are rising, needless to say at the 5th position, we are also weak at the 4th position, and Grant can't handle Barkley at all." He asked.
Klaus has been thinking about this issue, and when he heard the words, he immediately said: "Boss, during the offseason, I will clean up the contract of the inside line, and hoard one or two heavy tonnage meat shields.
In the next few seasons, Barkley's strength should remain at a high level. Old K... If there is no injury, he will continue to improve. The Suns' internal strength will at least remain at the current height. The Suns will be the Bulls competing for the championship. The main opponent of the championship.
In addition to the meat shield, we also need a stronger inside line. Whether it is scoring or rebounding, he is stronger than Grant. "
"Do you have a goal?" Reinsdorf asked immediately.
Klaus shook his head and said: "The meat shield is okay to say, it's really not good, we can make our own players gain weight, but the other one, it's not easy to trade."
"Ugh!"
Reinsdorf sighed.
Now is the era of traditional centers, how can a good inside player be so easy to get? If it can be easily obtained, the Bulls have already obtained it, so they don't have to face the passive situation like this.
He remembered what Krause said just now, and asked, "Old K is only in his first season. Do you think he may be injured?"
"Probably."
Jerry Krause nodded and explained: "The most prone to injury is the knee, and the way he plays, the wear and tear on the knee is far more than other centers, so I think he is likely to be in the Injuries come early in his career. Even before he hits his prime, he's going to fall."
"What?" Reinsdorf was startled.
"I think the first injury he suffered was either his back or his knees," Krause added.
…
This afternoon, league president David Stern and a group of officials arrived in Chicago with the championship trophy.
The owner of the Bulls and the owner of the Suns went to the airport to greet him, and Stern chose to get in the car of the owner of the Bulls.
Looking at the departing team, Colangelo felt a little bad.
He is a senior executive of the league himself, and of course is very aware of Stern's development strategy.
Now the alliance is indeed looking for a strategy to develop to the world, which also includes developing the market in the country where the old K is located.
But the most important thing about the league is not these development plans.
The NBA league is a stage for star performances, and the biggest player among them is undoubtedly Michael Jordan.
It is precisely because of the appearance of Jordan that the NBA has been brought to a new height, so the significance of Jordan to the league is much higher than everything else.
He knew that Stern had a plan, that is, to create a god, to push Jordan to the world, to push Jordan to the position of God, so as to rely on Jordan's huge influence in the world to bring the NBA to a new height.
And among them, the dynasty is an indispensable part.
But now, the Bulls are one to three behind, and the Bulls dynasty collapsed before it was established. What would Stern think?
…
On Reinsdorf's stretched Lincoln, he closed the cab partition and discussed the finals with Stern.
"Mr. President, the current situation is not good for us, but we will not give up. We hope to get some support from the league." He said.
"Mr. Reinsdorf, we can't interfere in the finals, you know that." Stern said calmly.
"If we complete the dynasty, it will be very beneficial to the development of the alliance, you know that." Reinsdorf laughed.
Stern smiled meaningfully.
…
This evening, the Suns had dinner at the hotel, and the management explained that the players should have a good rest tonight and adjust their state.
Barkley went back to the room, thinking that he might win the championship tomorrow, the excitement made every cell of him jump.
"Can I win the championship tomorrow? Michael will definitely fight back, he will definitely not admit defeat, what should I do?"
"Oops, I didn't sleep much last night, and now I can't sleep anymore, what should I do?"
"It's over, I'm going to lose sleep again."
"What if I don't play well tomorrow? It's over!"
But at the same time, inexplicable pressure also occurred, and countless messy thoughts made his mind chaotic.
Like him, Kevin Johnson and Dan Marley are similar. Even though they lead three to one, the pressure of worrying about gains and losses in the upcoming finals has made their nerves too tense.
The night passed, and the next morning, few of the Suns players could get out of bed, which made the coaching staff and management a little overwhelmed.
June 18th, the game day of the G5 finals.
Before dawn, Wang Aiguo and Liu Damei got up from the bed.
said that the bed in this hotel is too soft, what is it called Simmons, they are used to sleeping on the kang, but they are not used to sleeping with this thing.
"Big sister, Brother Zhang said the day before yesterday that Tiejun might win the championship. Let's go home after watching the game."
"Hey, I have to go home, it's too expensive to live here."
In another room, Da Ya Er Ya also got up and started reading in the morning after washing up.
The sisters study very hard. The college entrance examination is on the 7th, 8th, and 9th of next month. It has been less than a month, and now they review every day until late at night.
After many thorough examinations by the tutors, Daya's grades were a little better than Erya's, she was more able to study calmly, and Erya, who was more lively, was a little worse.
According to the evaluation of several tutors, if the two of them take the college entrance examination in BJ, as long as they perform well, they are very likely to be admitted to the key undergraduate courses, but they have to go back to their hometown to take the college entrance examination, where the score line is very high, so they want to be admitted. If you are heavy, you need to play better on the spot, but generally there should be no problem with undergraduates.
The review was at 7:30. The two hurriedly ended their morning reading and went to prepare breakfast for their parents. The game was about to start.
At this time, Beiying and Yu Feihong also turned on the TV.
Now she is not alone in her dormitory. Since seven o'clock, classmates and juniors have been coming in. They are all people who like basketball, or people who are busy. The dormitory is very lively.
Similarly, Liu Yumin, who just went to work, also turned on the TV.
Like them, all over the country, countless Chinese people turned on their TV sets and prepared to watch this game.
The round of finals has not yet ended, and the high-quality games have made many Chinese basketball fans and NBA fans.
At the same time, Wang Tiejun's name has also become a name that these fans often talk about. He gives them a strong sense of substitution and honor when they watch the NBA, a foreign basketball game.
Chicago, United Center Arena.
Even if the Bulls are eliminated soon, there will be a large number of stars who come to cheer, and they are still wearing the No. 23 home jersey.
Today, Mammoth owner and president Roman Weeks also arrived at the scene.
Pharaoh's excellent performance in the playoffs, especially the superstar performance in the finals, made Mammoth's sneaker sales skyrocket in Arizona, and even in other cities. The company's operating income has increased a lot. The predicament of , is likely to be resolved because of the old K, which made him very excited, so he rushed to the scene to support him today.
In addition, Lance Hawksman also came to the United Center, he came with Roman Weeks.
During this period of time, he was very busy, and he was busy negotiating sponsorship contracts with K. He had already negotiated some agreements, but with K’s super explosive performance in the finals, he decisively overturned the agreed terms.
He was very excited and said: "Mr. Weeks, it would be great if Old K's performance surpassed Barkley in the next, and once the Suns win the championship, he may also be awarded the honor of the most valuable player in the finals. This is his first season, and his commercial value will skyrocket a lot..."
"Yes, I look forward to his performance." Nodding again and again, Weeks laughed.
At 8:00, the starting list will be announced.
Sun: Wang Tiejun, Barkley, Ceballos, Dan Marley, Kevin Johnson
Bulls: Bill Cartwright, Grant, Pippen, Jordan, BJ Armstrong
In the locker room of the visiting team at this time, the management and coaching staff did not feel very good.
The players have been insomnia for two consecutive nights, and now they generally feel very tired. In today's game, the Bulls will definitely fight back in order to make a comeback. The pressure on the team is too great.
Paul Westphal noticed that almost everyone wore a pair of dark circles, including himself of course.
Buckley held a glass of water, and his hands were shaking so much that the water jumped out. He pretended to be indifferent and said to the old Wang next to him: "Old K, don't be nervous."
Old Wang glanced at the fat man's water glass. It was obviously full just now, and there was only half of it left before drinking it. He asked with concern, "Brother, do you want to add some water to you?"
"Puchi, haha..." The locker room burst into laughter.
Well, after laughing, everyone is still very nervous.
"I really hope that after winning the championship, I can stand as the main force, get more chances to play, and even the coach can formulate some tactics for me." Ceballos thought to himself.
"The four-year rookie contract has expired. I hope the team can give me a big contract. But what if another team gives me a big contract? Do I want to stay with the Suns?" Dan Marley was very excited, Constantly cost-effective.
"If you can win the championship, maybe you can hit it for a while this season." Kevin Johnson also has his own ideas.
He has been selected to the best second team three times and the third team once, and now he is missing one team. After winning the championship and being selected for the first team, his career will be considered perfect.
"What if I really gave the FMVP to K? Sigh!" Barkley sighed inwardly, and his thoughts made him upset.
Comrade Pharaoh is calculating how many tickets can be divided after winning the championship. This is divided according to the head, and it can be divided into a lot of money.
All players have their own thoughts, they can't calm down, their minds are full of various thoughts, and they lose focus on the upcoming game.
"Paul, we'd better prepare for the G6 battle." Observing the locker room, assistant coach Lewis reminded in a low voice.
Westphal was startled, nodded slightly, and did not speak.
At half past eight, the game started.
"Di!"
In the 38th second of the first quarter, Wang Tiejun knocked over Cartwright in a low post attack and was called an offensive foul.
Two minutes later, he picked up another defensive foul and was substituted.
The Suns lost their main center prematurely. The Bulls immediately put all their double-teaming forces on Barkley and strengthened their control on the outside. All the players of the Suns were not in good enough condition, and the game immediately entered the rhythm of the Bulls.
At halftime, the Suns trailed by 18 points.
Westphal took the advice of assistant coach Lewis, and when the score difference reached 20 points in the third quarter, he gave up the game and replaced several main players.
When was substituted, Comrade Pharaoh was in a good mood, but Barkley was extremely disappointed. He thought he would win the championship tonight, but the result was such that he was extremely unwilling.
At the end of the game, 82:105, the Bulls won by 23 points, trailing two to three by a big score, and pulled back a match point.
Wang Tiejun only played on and off for 16 minutes, made 3 of 7 shots, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 8 points and 5 rebounds.
When he was on the court, the Bulls adopted a strategy of shrinking defense, that is, piling up defenders in the paint to prevent him from getting close to the basket, forcing him to shoot outside, reducing his efficiency and lethality.
couldn't make it. In addition to his own shots, he also scored a lot of shots, but the effect was not very good. The outside felt cold, and several open shots were missed, and the efficiency was not as good as his near-basket hook.
And Jordan played 35 minutes, 14 of 25 shots, 56% shooting, 2 of 6 three-pointers, 12 of 12 free throws, and scored 41 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover and 2 fouls. .
After the game, the entire United Center was boiling, celebrating the Bulls' victory.
"Michael, will we continue to win next?" The reporter asked during the live interview after the game.
Jordan shook his head excitedly and said: "Yes, of course, we are well prepared, this game is proof that we have the strength to come back, we will be a precedent in this league, yes, there is nothing in this world. is not possible.
We will definitely win three consecutive championships, our dynasty is calling us, that is the honor that belongs to this city, and I will give it with my own hands. "
"We are still one game behind two to three. How dare you say that?" Comrade Lao Wang, who was passing by, muttered.
Jordan's ears were pointed, and he gave Pharaoh a stern look after hearing it.
Pharaoh glared back, waved to his teammates behind him and shouted, "Brothers, in order to go back to the home court and win the championship again, we let them go for one game, now it's time to cheer up, let's go back to the home court and beat them."
"Go back to the home court and knock them out!"
The Suns players roared loudly.
"Shameless guy!"
Staring at Pharaoh, Jordan's eyes were burning and his teeth were itching with hatred.
Haha, let a game, can you not afford to lose as a bastard?
"Old K, did you let the Bulls win tonight?"
"Old K, do you really want to go back to the home court and win the championship again?"
Hula, many reporters rushed over and surrounded Wang Tiejun, some of them from Phoenix were the most excited.
"That's of course, we won't win the championship away, we want to win the championship with our fans." Old K bit his head and shouted.
"This **** rookie is so thick-skinned! If you lose in G6 again, what do you do?" Jordan was annoyed.
(end of this chapter)