Chapter 238 Eastern Conference Finals

Magic said to the media: "The Jazz are powerful and have reached the Western Conference Finals consecutively. However, after all, they have played in the tiebreaker and require a lot of physical energy. I believe Shaq can lead the team to solve them."

"So who do you think will win the Eastern Conference Finals?" the reporter asked.

Magic said very cautiously: "In terms of paper strength, the Bulls are stronger. Ewing did not exert his strength in the regular season. In the second round, he has begun to increase his playing time to warm up for the Eastern Conference Finals. The strength of the Bulls There will be an improvement compared to the regular season.

But the Feilong Knicks are very strong and cannot be analyzed based on paper strength.

The Knicks' rebounding ability should be stronger than that of the Bulls. If the Bulls cannot improve their offensive quality and take fewer shots, this will be a problem.

But to improve offensive efficiency, you must get closer to the basket.

The Knicks' interior defense this season is stronger than last season. So how can the Bulls improve their offensive efficiency?

I think this is a deadlock, it depends on how the Bulls solve it. "

"Who are you more optimistic about reaching the finals?" the reporter asked.

"Fifty-five, everyone has a chance. Generally speaking, the Bulls have stronger offensive capabilities, and the outside and low-post offense are more balanced. As for the Knicks, unless the Feilong returns to the low post. But in that case, the Knicks' outside offense will be It's a problem. I think the Knicks' approach should be to rely on rebounding and interior defense, which is the basis for victory." Magic said cautiously.

At noon on the 19th, the Bulls arrived in New York.

Jordan called Barkley and the two met at a restaurant.

"Charles, you guy, you want a ring, why don't you go to me, go to that bastard? Do you think the Knicks are better than the Bulls?" Jordan said dissatisfied.

"You will be one year older next season, you are not reliable!" Barkley said quietly.

"Look down on me? I swear I will make it all come to nothing for you." Jordan said harshly.

After being bullied by Jordan for so many years, Barkley was still quite afraid of this guy. As soon as the cruel words came out, the corners of his eyes twitched, and he felt anxious, but in the end he said firmly:

"Rodman and Ewing will be even worse next season, and I'm still more optimistic about Feilong's side. His side is full of young people, and the lineup is more stable. Not only will it not weaken, but it will grow.

"

Bang, Jordan was so angry that he threw the knife and fork in his hand on the table and lost his appetite to eat.

He was quite angry. He was so close to a veteran of his generation that he was not chosen. This made him lose face.

That afternoon, the professional bodyguards that Mrs. Dorisa found for Zhao Dong and Lindsay arrived. There were four teams with twelve people in total. Not all of them were top-notch, but at least one-third of them were top-notch, and the rest were also top-notch. of.

On the evening of the 19th, the Western Conference Finals began.

Under the Jazz's defense, Shark O'Neal performed poorly, only scoring 16+8, and the Lakers defeated Salt Lake City.

"We will definitely reach the finals again."

After the game, Postman Malone, who scored 29+10, told the media very excitedly.

On the 20th, New York, the Eastern Conference Finals begins.

"Feilong, how sure are you about the Eastern Conference Finals?" That morning, TNT TV station interviewed Zhao Dong.

"In our four regular season games, we had three wins and one loss against the Bulls. Of course I know that the Bulls will stay strong, but I also believe that the final winner will be our Knicks. As for how sure we are, I can tell you, 100% sure. " Zhao Dong said.

"One hundred percent? He's bragging."

Jordan also accepted an interview with the media at the hotel and said disdainfully: "He is putting psychological pressure on us, but I think he did something wrong. This will not only bring pressure to us, but will only bring pressure to themselves. "

"So Michael, how sure are you of winning the Eastern Conference Finals?" the reporter asked.

"One hundred percent, of course it's one hundred percent." Jordan said firmly.

"..." The reporter was speechless.

At noon, Zhao Dong participated in the team's tactical meeting.

He made a suggestion about defense.

"Coach, Ewing has been restrained for a season. He didn't play much in the first two rounds. Now in the Eastern Conference Finals, he will definitely explode in one round. It is difficult for us to double-team him and Jordan at the same time on the defensive end, so we might as well use single defense. , and provide appropriate assistance," he said.

"Defend Ewing and Jordan alone, no double-teaming?" Nelson was startled and looked at Van Gundy, who was responsible for the defense.

"Feilong, tell me what you mean." Van Gundy said.

At this time, Zhao Dong said again: "Ewing definitely wants more offense, which means Jordan's shots will be divided. The shots will not be concentrated in the hands of one of them. If we double-team the two of them, we will definitely lose sight of one. It’s a waste of our defensive energy, it’s better to defend alone.”

Dayao happened to arrive in New York that day. He had a three-month summer vacation.

Zhao Dong's three front row tickets, the remaining two were given to Yao and Barkley, and the other twenty or thirty tickets were partly given to the Seawolves and partly to a group of New York Jets football players.

"Feilong, the Jazz are leading the Lakers 1-0. Who do you think will have a better chance of reaching the finals, the Jazz or the Lakers?"

When leaving the venue, a reporter from ABC TV station came over to interview.

"The Jazz's physical fitness is an issue. As long as the Lakers drag the game to G6G7, they will have a chance to defeat the Jazz." Zhao Dong said.

"This bastard, he just hopes that we will be eliminated." In Salt Lake City, the postman watched the TV and complained dissatisfiedly.

"Karl, don't fight with him. He is a billionaire and powerful. We can't fight him." The postman's wife persuaded him kindly.

"I see."

Postman Ma Long was extremely frustrated. The Adidas family paid 60% of the compensation, and then turned around and forced him to sign a lifelong, almost free endorsement contract.

Adi also said that when he retires, he will be arranged to play in WWE to repay this debt.

Madison Square Garden, in the CCTV live broadcast booth, Zhang Lili was analyzing the situation of the two teams and said: "The Knicks' biggest weakness is that they do not have a low post attack. When playing against the Heat, Zhao Dong went into the low post. When playing against the Bulls, I think he can do the same. Get low.”

Sun Zhenping said: "That should be the case. I think he will play against Ewing."

"Well, it should be."

In the ABC live broadcast, Hubby Brown analyzed: "I think it is best not to fix the position of Feilong. He plays from the low post to the outside, from the outside to the low, and from the center to the small forward. This will be very bad for the Bulls." Defense.”

Cook said: "But he is most efficient in the low post, why not stay in the low post?"

Hubie Brown explained: "It's easy to be double-teamed in the low post. You looked at last night's game. O'Neal's low post dominance was stifled by the Jazz. He made 6 of 16 shots. If Feilong is fixed in the low post, he is also likely to Will be strangled to death.

Of course, Feilong is no better than O'Neal. He has range and can be pulled out to fight. It will not be so easy to double-team him.

But overall, space is tighter down low.

Judging from Article 138 of the Flying Dragon Law, what the league wants to restrict is also his outside mismatch advantage, so he cannot give up this advantage. "

In the visiting team's locker room, Phil Jackson was arranging tactics.

While listening to the coach's words, rookie McGrady kept wiping his sweat.

After being traded to the Bulls, he was tortured by Jordan. He could hear that terrifying roar every day in training. Any mistake or any slack could make Jordan furious. Now playing in the Eastern Conference Finals, just that face The expression on his face made him nervous.

In fact, he really wants to leave and doesn't want to stay here. There is too much pressure here.

Sitting in the past few seats, Ewing was filled with emotion and anger welling up in his heart from time to time.

He has played here for more than ten seasons, but he is very unfamiliar with the visiting team's locker room, and has never even been there.

This time, he came for revenge.

In the home team's locker room, rookie Billups was also wiping sweat.

The same as McGrady, he is under great pressure in the Knicks, but this pressure has been there since the Celtics, and the reputation of parallel import has been following him.

When he arrived in the Knicks, the boss ignored him and gave him a different kind of pressure. He was worried that he would be abandoned again, and then he would be finished. Who else would believe a person who has been abandoned by the team again and again?

But things have gotten better recently. After entering the playoffs, the boss Feilong would yell at him every time he played, which gave him some peace of mind.

Ten minutes later, the substitutes came on and the starting lineup was announced.

Bulls: Ewing, Rodman, McGrady, Jordan, Kidd.

Knicks: Ben Wallace, Zhao Dong, Oakley, Alan Houston, Billups.

"Rookie Tracy McGrady served as the starting small forward in the Eastern Conference Finals, and Phil Jackson was very bold. But this season, the Bulls have weakened the third position and strengthened the first and fifth positions, so it is understandable that McGrady will start in the Eastern Conference Finals. Yes, his task is not heavy, it should be positioning shots from the outside, plus defense."

Cook said during the ABC live broadcast.

"After he was traded to the Bulls, he has been practicing shooting and outside defense. The Bulls don't need him to do other tasks, and there is not much pressure on him to score. He just needs to contain the flying dragon at the third position and then shoot open shots."

laughed Whoopi Brown.

At this time, the first team came on stage. In the dim corridor, with the sound of unhurried footsteps, the second team met.

"Hey, Patrick," Oakley greeted.

"Charles, your contract is over. I suggest you leave, otherwise you will be abandoned." Ewing said expressionlessly.

Oakley glanced at Zhao Dong beside him, shook his head and said helplessly: "Maybe, how many players in the history of the league have not been traded? You really don't need to be so resentful."

Ewing snorted coldly, glanced at Zhao Dong, and said coldly: "I just don't obey him."

"Don't mess with me off the court, okay? I'm just playing ball. If you want to play off the court, I'm afraid you can't afford it." Zhao Dong smiled without any smile.

Ewing's eyes changed, he immediately thought of the postman, and immediately closed his mouth.

"Feilong, no one wants to play with you off the court. My team and I have always only used basketball to compete for the championship."

Jordan said at this time.

"That's right. I never want to play with others off the court. How embarrassing will it be for everyone? We are playing on the court, but isn't it good to be friends off the court? The NBA is a business. It would be great if we all get along and make money." Zhao Dong hehe smiled.

He then said to Jordan: "Although I hate you, I also admire you. You were tricked by the bad boys of the Pistons and didn't fight back. You just used your points to retaliate against them. I can't do that."

"Are you praising me or hurting me?"

Jordan's face was ugly, he really couldn't hear it.

"Praise for you." Zhao Dong smiled.

Jordan looked a little better.

"Hey, Chauncey."

"Hey, Tracy."

The bosses on both sides stopped talking, and the rookies hid in the corner and began to communicate.

"How were you with the Bulls?" Billups asked.

"God bless me, I'm still alive." McGrady said with a wry smile.

"It seems that you are worse off than me. Our boss doesn't pay much attention to me." Billups said sympathetically.

"That's what I hope for most." McGrady said with expectation.

"How about we switch positions?" Billups teased.

"Okay!" Maddie's eyes lit up.

"Tracy, what are you talking about?"

The voice was a little louder and someone heard it, and Jordan immediately roared.

Zhao Dong glanced at Billups and ignored him.

He actually doesn't want either rookie, because they are both roles that require the ball, and McGrady also needs a lot of shots. If he wants to train him, he has to give up the ball and take some shots, otherwise he won't be able to train him.

If it weren't for the poor scoring abilities of Chris Childs and Charlie Ward, he actually felt that these two old men were more suitable for him than Billups.

The away team came on the field, and Ewing was the first.

"Shh!"

Huge boos rang out.

When Ewing was traded to the Bulls, he publicly stated that he would help the Bulls defeat the Knicks. He had become a traitor in the eyes of Knicks fans. In addition to boos, there was also a lot of abuse, which made his face very ugly.

When Jordan came on the stage, he received some applause.

"Okay, now that the home team is on the field, Zhao Dong received the warmest cheers." Zhang He said understandingly.

"Last season the Bulls were eliminated by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. This season the two teams will face off again in the Eastern Conference Finals. The key to victory or defeat lies in the performance of Zhao Dong and Jordan." Sun Zhenping said.

Ten minutes later, the game started.

"The most watched game has begun. Our ratings have broken the historical record. It is now 35.7 million. It is likely to break 40 million tonight."

Hubie Brown said excitedly.

This number makes many people very happy, especially Stern.

When he came on the court, Zhao Dong finally opened the system and took a look, but there was still no task issued for the Eastern Conference Finals.

Of course, it is not that there are no tasks. The system issued relevant tasks at the beginning of the season.

Super team sniper mission: prevent Jordan's restoration and completely crush his dream of a second dynasty.

Mission reward: a chance to recover from serious injuries.

This was the mission originally issued, and as a reward, it made him feel a little uneasy every time he saw it.

At this time, Big Ben and Ewing jumped the ball, and Big Ben actually won.

The Knicks attacked, the Bulls quickly retreated, Jordan entangled Zhao Dong, and Rodman quickly retreated to the basket to buy time for Ewing to retreat.

"Very good, the Bulls retreated in an orderly manner." Zhang Lili praised.

"It was actually Jordan who defended the Flying Dragon himself?" Cook said in surprise during the ABC live broadcast.

"That's right. Tracy McGrady is too young, so Jordan can only play by himself. Now that there is Article 138 of the Flying Dragon Law, which greatly limits his tonnage and strength advantages, it is possible for Jordan to guard against the Flying Dragon." Hubby Brown said.

Zhao Dong was also a little surprised, but this was just what he wanted, because this Eastern Conference Finals against Jordan was the most suitable opportunity for him to face Jordan head-on. If Jordan didn't look for him, he would look for Jordan on the defensive end.

"Zhao Dong is outside the three-point line on the left wing..."

In the CCTV live broadcast, Sun Zhenping suddenly raised his voice and shouted: "He wants the ball!"

"Snapped!"

Zhao Dong catches the ball with one hand.

At this time, the Bulls did not double-team, and Jordan was still defending alone.

Because it is still in the three-point line area at this time, there is no need to double-team. If Zhao Dong wants to take action here, then he will agree with the Bulls.

Only when entering the mid-range shooting area will the Bulls double-team.

Jordan didn't press close to the ball. He took a step back and spat out trash talk: "Come on, kid, let's see how good your three-point shot is."

"My three-point shooting is definitely better than yours, don't you know?" Zhao Dong spat back.

"..." Jordan was speechless.

At this moment, Zhao Dong suddenly took out his right foot, broke through from the right, and made a direct force.

In this one step, Grant Hill's first step, he surpassed Jordan.

"This guy is so fast!" Jordan was extremely surprised.

This step was so sudden that he couldn't react, and he immediately turned around to pursue him.

And just when Zhao Dong broke through Jordan, McGrady on the free throw line had already pounced over and caught Zhao Dong.

Zhao Dong made a sudden move. At this time, Jordan came up from behind and grabbed the ball. Under the protection of the ball, he was forced to stop and took the ball with both hands.

The combination means that he can no longer dribble, but can only shoot or pass.

As a result, Jordan and McGrady immediately began to double-team and press, four arms came up, and Zhao Dong was not allowed to play the ball or take a shot.

At this moment, Zhao Dong suddenly turned around and shot a fadeaway jumper.

This kind of shot, with his height, wingspan, and the height of his shot, Jordan and Tracy McGrady, who has a higher defensive height, have no chance to prevent his shot.

"rebound!"

But as soon as the ball was released, Zhao Dong felt something was wrong. He couldn't hit the ball. He shouted before it even hit the ground.

Under the basket, Ben and Oakley faced off against Ewing and Rodman. Even though Zhao Dong reminded him, the first person to move was Rodman, who had the strongest sense of rebounds.

As soon as Zhao Dong saw the direction of Rodman's movement, he knew that the offensive rebound was lost, so he immediately turned around and returned to defense.

On the sidelines, Danny Fordson felt it was a pity. He had to be on the court, he could grab this rebound, and his sense of rebounding was also very strong.

Sure enough, Rodman grabbed the backcourt rebound and passed it to Jordan, who immediately took the ball and went down quickly.

With Zhao Dong's speed, even Iverson's fast break had no chance when he returned to defense one shot ahead of time, and Jordan certainly had no chance.

He was holding the ball and was about to get to the free throw line. Zhao Dong blocked him, but he changed direction and broke through from the right to the basket.

Zhao Dong turned around to chase, but at this moment, Jordan made an emergency stop and shot.

"Uh-huh!"

A jump shot near the basket and a hit.

"It's so easy to score on your head, but it's a pity that this goal has no soul." Jordan spat trash talk.

"Your trash talk is so trash." Zhao Dong immediately responded with trash talk.