Chapter 240: Knocking Jordan Down

At 12:10, the Knicks were 2 points behind and the Bulls attacked.

Kidd faked a pass from the top of the arc and shot straight away from Billups. Then he missed a three-pointer. Ben protected the backcourt rebound and immediately passed it to Billups. The Knicks counterattacked. .

Zhao Dong came down quickly, received the ball and carried Jordan to the basket. The two flew together in the Knicks' paint area.

Another offensive and defensive duel in the air. At this moment, the eyes of hundreds of millions of fans around the world were focused on the two men.

"not enough!"

Flying on the right side of Zhao Dong, Jordan blocked the shot, but he suddenly realized that his defensive height was not high enough, and his fingertips could only barely reach Zhao Dong's wrist. This shocked him.

Even though Jordan was on the right side, Zhao Dong did not change hands. He still held the ball with his right hand and took off with all his strength before hitting the basket hard.

With the blessing of the Silver Devils, he is confident that his jumping height will never be weaker than the aging Jordan. Moreover, he also has the advantage of height and wingspan. He is confident that Jordan cannot cover him.

"boom!"

The moment the strong sound of the basket exploded, Madison Square Garden erupted.

"In the second aerial offensive and defensive duel, Feilong dunked successfully and he won again!" Cook shouted excitedly in the ABC live broadcast booth.

"When having the same jumping and staying in the air abilities at the same time, Feilong's inside physique will have an advantage, which will put Jordan at a disadvantage in this kind of duel." Hubby Brown analyzed.

In the CCTV live broadcast booth, Zhang Lili shouted excitedly again: "Twelve draws, Feilong used a fast break dunk to help the team equalize the score.

This was the second aerial offensive and defensive duel between him and Jordan after the start, and he won one attack and one defense. Compared with Jordan, one is like the rising sun and the other is like the setting sun.

Now an old era is ending and a new era is rising. Every duel between them is worth cherishing. "

Sun Zhenping explained: "Zhao Dong made 6 of 7 shots and scored 12 points. He went all out in the beginning, and he scored all the Knicks' points.

On the other side, Jordan made 2 of 3 shots and scored 4 points and 1 assist. "

Zhang Lili continued: "Compared with the two teams, the Knicks' scoring is too concentrated. Zhao Dong should pay attention to this.

Physical distribution must be reasonable and teammates must be mobilized.

The Bulls' scoring was relatively average, Jordan had 4 points, Ewing had 4 points on 2-for-2 shooting, and McGrady and Kidd had 2 points each. "

Of course, Nelson also noticed the problem of too concentrated scoring, but Zhao Dong was too efficient, so he did not stop him. He just shouted from the sidelines to ask Zhao Dong to pay attention to his physical distribution.

He then replaced Billups and added John Starks to strengthen the offense.

Later, due to too much physical exertion in the early stage, Zhao Dong reduced his personal offense and began to organize attacks.

At the end of the first quarter, the two teams were tied at 26:26.

Zhao Dong made 8 of 10 shots, 1 of 1 free throw, and scored 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 foul.

Jordan only took 4 shots in the first quarter, hit 3 goals, and made 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 8 points, 1 assist, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal.

On the ABC live broadcast, Hubie Brown analyzed: "Today the Bulls played a different style of play. Under Kidd's organization, everyone participated in the offense and scored evenly. This is a very good side."

Cook nodded and said: "The Bulls grabbed 7 rebounds in a single quarter, while the Knicks grabbed 10. Even though they were leading in rebounds, they were tied. This shows that the Knicks' offensive efficiency is lower than that of the Bulls."

Hubie Brown added: "Obviously, the most efficient person in the game is still Feilong. But we have to note that the Bulls sent 7 assists in a single quarter, Kidd sent 4 by himself, and the Knicks only had 5. , in terms of overall offensive efficiency, the Bulls have the advantage.

The Knicks were able to maintain a tie because of the dragon's efficiency and rebounding advantage. "

In the CCTV live broadcast, Zhang Lili was also analyzing, saying: "Ewing is very important. He actually played for ten minutes in the first quarter, showing off his old strength.

He scored 7 points, 3 of 5 shots, and 1 of 2 free throws. His efficiency was good. It was very difficult for the big team to defend him alone, and he was basically beaten.

He supported the low-post offense that the Bulls had not had before, shared the offensive pressure for Jordan, and prevented the Knicks from double-teaming Jordan unscrupulously. He played a great role.

What the Knicks have to solve now is to strengthen the weak side's defense against Ewing, and at the same time strengthen the defense against Kidd, so as not to let him pass the ball however he wants.

Billups was still too weak to guard Kidd, and he was not good at organizing. He made two turnovers in just a few minutes in the first quarter.

In addition, the Knicks' bench is stronger than that of the Bulls. The Bulls' strength lies in their main lineup. The Knicks must take advantage of this and defeat the Bulls with their bench lineup.

In fact, if the Knicks' main force can hold up the Bulls' main force, it is already very good. "

On the Knicks bench, Nelson was mobilizing his troops.

At the critical moment, Zhao Dong played the whole game and still led the team in the second quarter to control the ball.

Then there is Danny Fordson on the inside, coupled with Larry Johnson in the low post attack, and Hu Weidong and John Starks on the outside.

All five players can attack, and their game average is above 10 points. Fordson's offense is slightly weaker, but he also averaged nearly 10 points per game in the regular season, which is better than Ben.

Among them, Hu Weidong and John Starks are both defenders who can shoot inside and outside, and their defense is not weak either.

It can be said that, paired with Zhao Dong, this lineup is not worse than the main lineup.

In the second quarter, Zhao Dong focused on organization and defense, supplemented by offense.

For the Bulls, Jordan also played, plus Kidd, Cole, and Scott Burrell and Bill Wennington on the inside. Two main players and three substitutes.

In the second quarter, Zhao Dong sent out 6 assists in a single quarter and also played a few on the offensive end, all of which were at the basket. In the second quarter, he made 3 of 4 shots and 4 of 4 free throws. He made 11 of 14 shots and 5 of 5 free throws in the half. , scoring 27 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, 4 blocks, 1 turnover and 3 fouls.

But the Knicks failed to lead by much. At halftime, they only led by 3 points, 51:54.

Because the substitute lineup was not good, Jordan, who did not play much in the first quarter, took control of the offense in the second quarter and fired with all his strength. Under the double-teaming of Zhao Dong and his teammates, he made 6 of 12 shots and 3 of 4 free throws, scoring 15 points. , helped the team bite the score.

"Although the Bulls' main lineup is extremely strong, their substitutes are too poor. This is a test for Jordan. I hope his physical fitness can last until the fourth quarter." Hubby Brown said.

"He didn't play much in the first quarter, and with the 15-minute rest in the first half, I think his physical condition should be able to handle it," Cook said.

"Well, Feilong didn't attack much in the second quarter, which is exactly the opposite of Jordan. But in terms of physical fitness, he is definitely much better than Jordan. The advantage of being young is too great." Hubby Brown said.

Returning to the locker room, Jordan lay directly on the massage table and asked the physical therapist to massage him to help him recover from physical fatigue faster.

"How's it going?" Phil Jackson bowed to the side and asked.

"My physical fitness is fine," Jordan said.

Nodding, Jackson said: "Patrick came on in the third quarter. We played like we did in the first quarter. We made a few points and tried to delay the score. You can save some energy and we will give our best in the fourth quarter."

Jordan nodded and said no more.

In the home team's locker room, Zhao Dong took the data sheet from Thibodeau and looked at the Bulls' data.

"Ewing will definitely play in the third quarter, and our defensive energy will be divided. The Bulls are likely to be like the first quarter. Jordan should not take many shots, which will help preserve his physical fitness. Phil Jackson is likely to play in the fourth quarter. Let’s start a decisive battle.”

Old Nelson analyzed: "What I mean is, Feilong, we were the same in the third quarter as in the second quarter. You focus on organization and offense as a supplement. We also have a decisive battle in the fourth quarter. Ewing's physical fitness will definitely not be good in the fourth quarter." Now, you and Jordan will duke it out in the final quarter."

"Okay." Zhao Dong said.

At the beginning of the third quarter, both sides were still half main players and half substitutes.

At the end of this quarter, the two teams were tied at 75:75.

Ewing was getting stronger as he was getting older and made 4 of 7 shots in a single quarter, blowing away his big budget.

"Ben Wallace is not tall enough. Ewing is so old that it is quite easy to beat him. The Knicks have tried their best to train him this season, but they don't know if he can grow up. If he can't play, it will be a waste of time. .”

Zhang Lili said worriedly.

Sun Zhenping smiled and said: "But Zhao Dong played well. He sent out 5 assists again in the third quarter and already had a triple-double."

"Yes, I scored 35 points in three quarters. 40+ points tonight is solid. But the game is still uncertain. The Bulls are really strong. The main reason is that Ewing did not choke him at this point. He was explosive tonight. I have been working hard all season just to break out in the playoffs," Zhang Li said.

"Forty million? Not bad."

Stern received the report, and because the game was very anxious, the ratings rose again and again, reaching a high point that had never been reached in history.

"It would be nice if it was the finals."

But he still has some regrets. Zhao Dong and Jordan are both in the Eastern Conference. Once they reach the finals, the Western Conference teams, whether it is the Jazz or the Lakers, may not be the opponents of these two teams. The ratings of the finals may still be Not as good as the Eastern Conference Finals.

Especially as the Spurs grow in the future and once they reach the finals, he is even more worried that the ratings will plummet.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Nelson replaced the inside and forward combination of Zhao Dong, Big Ben, and Fordson, and Alan Houston and Hu Weidong on the outside.

In the second quarter and the third quarter, Hu Weidong has played 16 minutes tonight, making 3 of 5 shots, including two catch-and-dunks after cutting inside, 1 of 3 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws. He scored 9 points, the efficiency was very good, and he gained the trust of Nelson.

On the Bulls side, all the main players played in the fourth quarter.

The Knicks took the lead in attacking, with Zhao Dong playing the No. 1 position and advancing with the ball himself.

Jordan faced off, defended and retreated.

When he came to the frontcourt, before he got close to the top of the key, Zhao Dong made a tactical gesture and others started running.

Ben and Fordson were in the low post on the left and right wings.

Hu Weidong and Alan Houston were active on the left and right wings respectively. Because Zhao Dong was holding the ball at a high position, due to the law, they could not sink down and had to stay above the free throw line and its dotted line.

"Bang bang bang..."

Zhao Dong leaned over and dribbled the ball, approaching the top of the arc.

At this time, he suddenly changed direction, and with a very fast first step, Jordan was suddenly caught.

Entering the paint area, the Bulls immediately shrank their defense. Ewing, Rodman, and Jordan surrounded Zhao Dong.

While Zhao Dong broke through with the ball, Hu Weidong on the left suddenly moved to the top of the arc, and Alan Houston on the right moved to the right corner. Each of them got rid of the defender and found a small opening.

Zhao Dong just broke through Jordan, and after taking a step forward, he suddenly joined the ball and jumped up.

At this time, Ewing and Rodman also jumped up, with four arms forming an obstacle in front of him.

And Jordan also jumped up from behind, preparing to block Zhao Dong.

"Spare the ball!"

Zhang Lili shouted loudly.

At this moment, Zhao Dong's breakthrough attracted three double-teams, and with the outside movement, the other four people all got open opportunities, which was the best passing opportunity.

At this moment, Zhao Dong flicked his left hand backward and the ball flew to the top of the arc.

"One-handed back pass! Pass the ball without looking at anyone!" the on-site commentator shouted loudly.

Hu Weidong just ran to the top of the key and the ball arrived. McGrady was still one step away. He caught the ball and shot a three-pointer.

McGrady flew to block the shot, the ball slipped in front of his fingertips, and then he flew in front of Hu Weidong.

"Uh-huh!"

The water splashed and he hit a three-pointer.

"ah!"

After hitting another three-pointer, Hu Weidong shouted excitedly.

This season, he has added training on positioning three-pointers and shooting speed to increase his strength as a role player, and now he can see the results.

"Pa bang bang..."

For this ball, Nelson applauded.

Bulls offense.

Zhao Dong faced Jordan on the right wing, and the latter kept moving.

He has better physical fitness than Jordan. He follows very closely. If there is a pick-and-roll, he squeezes through the pick-and-roll, and then arbitrarily breaks through the wall and continues to defend.

The Bulls' two inside men, whether Ewing or Rodman, are not as big or as powerful as him. Among the ten people on the field, his tonnage is the largest. No one can use it as a wall.

Jordan ran for four or five seconds but failed to get an open space. He immediately ran counterattack and pulled outside the three-point line before receiving the ball.

Zhao Dong caught up to the three-point line and spat: "If you don't shoot three-pointers this season, do you mean you can't make them?"

Jordan didn't say anything back, and there wasn't much time left to attack.

He grabbed the ball with his right hand, swept back, blocked Zhao Dong with his left hand, suddenly started, and broke through to the right.

Zhao Dong quickly moved to defend, but at this moment Jordan suddenly braked, made a back-up move, controlled the ball with his left hand, and rushed to the left.

Zhao Dong reacted in time and immediately turned around to chase. After two steps, he caught up to Jordan's right rear side.

At this moment, Jordan braked again and made an emergency jump shot.

And Zhao Dong also jumped up and blocked the shot from the side.

"The third air attack and defense showdown!" This thought flashed through everyone's mind.

Thanks to his height and wingspan, after Zhao Dong jumped up, his defensive height was higher than Jordan's shooting height. But just when his left hand was about to touch the ball, Jordan's body lay back, and the ball quickly hit the ball. His left hand pulled away.

"No, fadeaway jumper?"

His heart skipped a beat, and the next moment he saw Jordan release the ball. The ball slipped over his fingertips and flew toward the basket, while he flew past Jordan and fell to the ground.

"Uh-huh!"

The water splashed and hit two points.

"Boy, did my shooting make you feel good? I have to thank you for giving it a soul of its own." After succeeding, Jordan immediately sprayed Zhao Dong.

"The one who rides on the horse."

Zhao Dong cursed secretly.

"Congratulations Jordan, you won the third aerial offensive and defensive duel." Hubie Brown smiled.

Back on the offensive end, Zhao Dong held the ball outside the three-point line on the left wing, and Jordan defended alone.

"Do you know how I train the first step?" Zhao Dong said.

"NO, I don't want to know at all."

Jordan wanted to know because Zhao Dong's first step was faster than his, but he would rather lose a million dollars than lose his mouth.

"squeak!"

At this moment, Zhao Dong exerted force with his feet, took one step forward, and broke through.

This step was too fast. Jordan instinctively turned around quickly, but the moment he turned around, Zhao Dong braked.

"not good!"

He was suddenly agitated, and his feet instinctively braked, but his upper body couldn't stop and was out of balance.

"Oh yeah, Jordan was knocked down by the flying dragon!" The on-site commentator was instantly excited and roared excitedly.

Zhao Dong watched Jordan fall and was not in a hurry to take action. He glanced at Jordan coldly, smiled with a split mouth, and then calmly took off.

"asshole!"

After receiving continuous humiliation, Jordan directly cursed on the floor.

"Uh-huh!"

The basketball drew a beautiful arc in the air, and then penetrated the net, splashing a white water splash and cheering from the audience.

"This is the second time Zhao Dong knocked down Jordan. It's incredible!" Zhang Lili shouted excitedly.

"Mr. Jordan, is this an open three-pointer? What a pity, it has no soul." After succeeding, Zhao Dongkai sprayed,

"Step aside!"

Jordan said angrily.

"Haha..." Zhao Dong laughed proudly.

Next, Zhao Dong stepped up his attack on the inside. He still had sufficient physical fitness and didn't play too much in the second and third quarters.

Ewing scored a lot of points today. He estimated that Ewing's physical fitness must not be very good. It was time to suppress the Bulls' inside through impact.

The measures he took were to move without the ball first, so as to avoid being double-teamed, and to catch the ball under the free throw line and its dotted line, so as to avoid the restrictions of Rule 138, and use his tyrannical strength and tonnage to knock away the defense. Jordan, then hit the paint.

This method is not bad. His current mobility is no worse than Jordan's. With continuous reverse running and irregular running, there are many opportunities to leave Jordan behind.

With Zhao Dong's powerful impact, Ewing and Rodman, who had no ability to face the opponent head-on, were in a panic.

However, Zhao Dong was once knocked down under the basket by the two of them, and he fell solidly.

Under Zhao Dong's crazy impact, the Knicks' offensive efficiency rose rapidly.

Jordan was also trying his best to attack the Knicks' inside line to improve offensive efficiency. When Zhao Dong was guarding him alone, he reached the basket several times, causing fouls on Ben and Fordson. However, the overall offensive efficiency was still not as good as Zhao Dong.

However, Ewing continued to work hard on the offensive end and helped the Bulls seize the score.

In the tenth minute of the final quarter, with 98 seconds left, 99:93, the Knicks led by 6 points, and the Bulls called a timeout.