Chapter 123 "Maple Emperor's Deputy"

On the court, "Maple Emperor's deputy," "the Answer" Allen Iverson stepped up to the free-throw line.

After making both free throws, Iverson didn't forget to spread his hands at the Bulls fans in the United Center.

See? Bro made them both again. How mad are you?

2 to 4.

In this era, it was common to see visiting stars provoking the home crowd.

If this were the future, Su Feng reckoned Iverson would've already been assessed a technical foul.

The Bulls attacked, and this possession was still given to Kukoc for a one-on-one.

Stackhouse, after firmly planting his feet, forced Kukoc to choose a turnaround jumper.

The "Balkan Magician" had just had breast augmentation surgery last game, but this game, he got a free nut-busting experience.

Clang!

After Kukoc missed his shot, Ratliff snatched the rebound before Rodman could.

"Whoa, that was a spirited rebound!" On CCTV, Zhang guided.

"Can Zhang guide simply explain to us, specifically where this rebound showed spirit?" Sun guide continued to set the stage for Zhang guide.

Zhang Wei Ping: "......"

The 76ers attacked. Su Feng was still using the "I'll-take-your-life-3000" style, running the "old rogue" around in every corner.

If conquering Kobe meant first conquering his stomach;

If being bros with Iverson meant being able to give him heartfelt pep talks;

Then, in Su Feng's opinion, the best way to get Jordan to acknowledge you was:

Run him ragged!

On the court, this time the 76ers' sickle offense worked, and Su Feng found a good shooting opportunity on the right wing corner.

Iverson sent a clever pass, and Su Feng caught the ball and fired decisively!

Clang!

In order to get the shot off and avoid being caught up by Jordan, Su Feng sped up his release, which reduced the stability of the basketball as it was released.

On CCTV, Zhang guide said with regret: "Although this ball didn't go in, it was still a very good shot."

Big Ben and Ratliff failed to grab the offensive rebound. As the Bulls attacked, Jordan looked at Su Feng's back and fell into contemplation once again...

Zhang Wei Ping was right.

Because as long as Su Feng could run into an open spot, Jordan had to keep chasing him on defense.

Therefore, that's why Jordan didn't really want to pay attention to Su Feng before Su Feng fully unlocked his potential.

This feeling was like in Dota 2, when the opposing team's offlaner kept dragging your carry down, preventing your carry from farming.

The Bulls attacked. Pippen posted up this time at the high post, but as soon as the second master was ready to attack, he felt a huge force coming from his waist...

This was:

Avalanche Elbow!

Pippen, while grabbing the ball with one hand, used his eyes to complain to the referee:

He pushed me, he just pushed me!

However, the referees shook their heads and said:

Where did he push you? Isn't that a normal positioning move?

On the court, putting aside Pippen's frustrated heart for the time being, let's see how the second master Pippen flashed, moved, and jumped up, sending the basketball toward the hoop like a cannonball!

Clang!

Well, it turned into a soccer match again.

…

The two teams' defensive battle wasn't broken until Jordan stepped up with seven minutes left in the first quarter.

On the wing, boss Jordan struck his signature triple-threat pose.

That is, using his right hand to hold the ball, making feints in front of your face.

In Jordan's last three-peat, he often used such fakes to bully opposing defenders like he was tricking elementary school students.

Su Feng, who also had a pair of large hands, could also do this move, but in terms of fake mastery, Su Feng was still a bit far behind Jordan.

In this play, while moving his entire center of gravity upward while holding the ball with one hand, Jordan suddenly dribbled, turned, and retreated.

Su Feng couldn't react in time, and after gaining one point of one-on-one defensive potential, he could only use "Harden-style defense" to make a final resistance.

Swish!

2 to 6.

If one-on-one on the basketball court was seen as a game of chess, then Jordan was undoubtedly the invincible "AlphaGo."

Just now, Su Feng clearly guessed that Jordan would play like this, but at the last moment, Su Feng found that he had to jump.

Because if he didn't jump, Jordan might really shoot directly.

This was the peak of inner and outer cultivation.

Unlike Su Feng, who used "peerless external skills" to seize shots, Jordan, who had super-strong internal power, could do first-mover then second-mover, and second-mover then turn into first-mover.

In the future NBA, the player who most resembled Jordan on the offensive end was undoubtedly Su Feng's high school classmate, but in terms of hardware, Kobe could never compare to Jordan.

Don't ask, asking means go play somewhere else with your small hands.

Holding the ball with both hands to break the full-court press?

No...

In this era, Jordan used his strength to prove what it meant to hold the ball with one hand to break the full-court press.

Turning around, it was the 76ers' turn to attack. They still ran the sickle offense. This time, Su Feng suddenly turned and slipped into the paint while running toward the baseline.

Iverson threw an alley-oop, and Su Feng gently tapped the basketball into the basket with his right fingertip in the air.

4 to 6.

"Whoa, that was artful. Look at Su Feng. That alley-oop was like child's play," Zhang guide said with a smile on CCTV.

On the court, watching Su Feng's back, Jordan was also marveling at this little fox's slyness.

Just now, Su Feng successfully deceived Jordan with his firm gaze.

But who would have thought that he would suddenly use a nimble turn to make a reverse run.

Therefore, in the LoL arena, a reverse ultimate isn't a player's "mistake," but rather the opponent being too "cunning."

The game continued. The Bulls attacked. After his teammates missed shot after shot, Jordan couldn't stand it anymore. When both sides were in a stalemate, what mattered was the face of the star player.

After waving to Harper for the ball, Jordan directly signaled to his teammates to clear out.

Dunk, dunk!

After switching the ball to his left hand with a between-the-legs crossover, Jordan suddenly accelerated with a crossover!

Su Feng quickly slid his feet and successfully kept up with Jordan, but just as Su Feng was about to complete his defense, an accident happened...

Only to see that the Aj3 on his right foot suddenly detached from his right foot, causing Su Feng to almost lose his balance and fall to the court.

Bang!

Quick as lightning, Su Feng hurriedly pulled on Jordan with his left hand, stopping the Bulls' attack with a foul.

At this time, the close-up shot also showed Su Feng's right foot...

And his pair of shoes that were broken at the bottom and had flown several meters away.

"Whew, that was close. Just now, how did Su Feng's shoes suddenly fly off?" Zhang guide said somewhat puzzled on CCTV.

The on-site referee temporarily stopped the game. After picking up the Aj3 that was broken at the bottom, Su Feng gave Jordan a look of disdain.

That expression seemed to say, "There's something wrong with the quality of your shoes."

Jordan: "......"

If you think there's a problem with the quality, then don't wear them if you have the ability!

Okay... in fact, it wasn't that there was a problem with the quality of this pair of Aj3s, but rather that Su Feng's running distance and shuttle run volume in the previous game were too alarming.

Since signing a contract with Nike, Su Feng generally changed his shoes every three to five games.

His favorite was this Aj3.

In the NBA, some players liked to change shoes every game, but Su Feng didn't like it.

It wasn't because he was frugal, but because every pair of new shoes felt more comfortable in the following games than in the first game after being worn.

The amount of exercise professional players do is not comparable to ordinary people, and the degree of wear and tear on basketball shoes is also different.

But even so...

The pair of Aj3s on Su Feng's feet had only been changed in the previous game.

That is to say, he had run his shoes in less than two games.

Watching Su Feng go off the court to change his shoes, Jordan stroked his chin and began to think about switching defenses with Pippen in his heart.

In Jordan's view, unless he could be ten years younger, he wouldn't be able to keep playing with Su Feng like this.

At this moment, the "old rogue" made up his mind that if the momentum of this game wasn't good, then let that damn face go to hell.

Speaking of which, on CCTV, just as Su Feng was changing his spare shoes, Sun Zhengping complained, "As the speed of economic development gets faster and faster, more and more poorly made sports products are also flooding our lives.

Su Feng should be more careful when buying shoes next time."

On the side, Su Junyang wanted to say... NBA players' shoes are directly provided by the manufacturers, which is different from what fans usually buy.

But when he saw Zhang Wei Ping looking up at the sky, Su Junyang also silently looked up at the sky.

…

Back on the court, the game continued after this little interlude.

Both teams went all out on defense as soon as they came up tonight. After the first quarter, the score between the two sides was 16 to 22.

On the Bulls' side, Jordan didn't exert much effort, scoring only 4 points in the first quarter. Pippen made 3 of 7 shots in the first quarter and scored 10 points including free throws.

On the 76ers' side, Iverson scored 8 points on free throws in the first quarter, Su Feng 4 points, Ratliff 2 points, and an unknown substitute 2 points.

The Bulls played a Finals-level defense in this game. From an aesthetic point of view, the process of this game wasn't good-looking, and could even be called boring.

But from a tactical point of view, the two teams relied on the rules on the defensive end and played extremely high-quality defense.

Because of Su Feng, the rabbits didn't find it boring, but just hoped that Su Feng could score more points.

In Su Feng's previous life, to be fair, Su Feng never thought the Rockets games during the Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady era weren't good to watch.

Because excluding those blowout games, whether the Rockets were leading or trailing, you could watch it with a pounding heart.

In the second quarter, Su Feng didn't rest, and continued to grind with Big Ben, Ratliff, Smith, and Harris.

On the Bulls' side, Pippen and Kukoc led the team.

Sitting back on the bench to rest, Jordan watched the matchup between Su Feng and Pippen, and at this moment, truly regarded Su Feng as his opponent.

From being a must-bully rookie at the beginning of the season, to this rookie being a bit difficult to deal with, this rookie looking pretty good when he's not talking...

And now, his opponent, in Jordan's heart, Su Feng's status could only be described as rising.

Perhaps he was far from himself in all aspects, but Jordan would no longer regard this guy as his challenger.

If the 76ers agreed to a trade with the Bulls now, Jordan would definitely send Pippen to Philadelphia to retire without hesitation.

Because in a sense, in Jordan's view, Su Feng was the most perfect "second-in-command."

A...

Second-in-command who could quickly grow up and become the big boss after his retirement.

Poor second master Pippen, if he, who was working hard on the court to beat up Su Feng, knew that he had been taken to trade countless times for Su Feng in the hearts of the "Zen Master" and Jordan, God knows if Pippen's mentality would explode on the spot.

Neither team produced any brilliant plays in the second quarter, but NBC kept complaining about Su Feng's broken shoes.

36 to 45. After the first half, the visiting 76ers trailed the Bulls by 9 points going into the second half.

Tonight, the Bulls guarded the paint tightly. If the 76ers couldn't make their three-pointers, the Bulls would have a way to distract themselves to deal with Iverson.

After the halftime break, Jordan began to take over the game in the third quarter.

Although the "old rogue" still couldn't find the switch to god mode tonight, with a better defense, the Bulls further expanded their lead by the end of the third quarter.

50 to 65.

In the fourth quarter, the 76ers launched a final counterattack. However, the Bulls, who became serious, didn't give them a chance. After all, when it came to being point-hungry, who could be more point-hungry than this Bulls team?

What game situation is ugly or not?

Doesn't exist.

As long as they could win, who cares if it's ugly or good-looking, Mourinho Guardiola ah!

In the end, this "Chicago Defense War" ended with the Bulls' victory, 70 to 80.

The Bulls fans in the United Center didn't start celebrating until the fourth-quarter timer hit zero.

Because despite their boos being louder than anyone else's in this game, they were more panicked than anyone else in their hearts.

If the Bulls lost this game and went to Philadelphia with a 0-2 deficit, then the Bulls fans might not have another chance to see the Bulls play at home this season.

Jordan made 9 of 20 shots in this game, including 0 of 3 three-pointers, and 6 of 7 free throws, scoring 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

Pippen made 8 of 22 shots, including 1 of 4 three-pointers, and 4 of 6 free throws, scoring 21 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.

Rodman's state recovered, getting 4 points and 14 rebounds.

On the 76ers' side, Iverson made 7 of 21 shots, including 1 of 6 three-pointers, and 7 of 9 free throws, scoring 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Su Feng made 6 of 17 shots, including 1 of 4 three-pointers, and 2 of 2 free throws, scoring 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist.

Besides "Ai Feng," no other players on the 76ers scored in double figures.

Big Ben and Ratliff grabbed a total of 24 rebounds in this game. After the Bulls brought Pippen into the paint, their performance was obviously not as devastating as in the previous game.

The defense in the 90s was indeed suffocating. With the approval of the league's top management, the referees didn't steal the show in these two games. In Zhang guide's words:

"They won't call a foul unless they see blood."

At this point, the series score became 1-1.

Next, the two teams would move to Philadelphia to play the next two games in Philadelphia. If the two teams tied 2-2, then the decisive Game 5 would be played in Chicago.

Jordan's mood was much lighter after winning Game 2 than before, and the 76ers didn't look dejected after losing Game 2.

Because they had already achieved their goal of winning one game in Chicago.

At the end of the game, looking at a worried Pat Klaus, Berlinberg smiled and said, "Why do you have such a sad expression?"

Unlike Berlinberg, who knew the sport, Klaus was a fake fan. Therefore, after seeing the team work so hard but still lose the game, he felt as if the team had been eliminated.

"Pat, I must remind you that we are only the eighth seed in the East, and the Bulls are the number one team in the league.

Also, these two games were still played in Chicago as away games. It's already amazing that the players were able to win one game." Berlinberg felt that Klaus didn't know how great this young 76ers team had played in these two games.

The 76ers had almost driven the Bulls crazy.

Offense depends on form, defense depends on attitude. This Bulls team was treating the 76ers like powerhouses like the Jazz and the Sonics.

Truly-Finals level!

"But... I just feel a little sorry, because if we had won this game, we would have..." Klaus said with a sad face.

"If we had won, we would have had a 2-0 lead, and then if we had pulled off another upset at home, we would have eliminated the Bulls, right?" Berlinberg patted Klaus on the shoulder and said with a smile.

"Yeah..." Pat Klaus knew that his thoughts were naive, so after saying "yeah," his old face turned red.

"Don't worry, the players have already done their best, and next, it's our turn to perform." Berlinberg rolled up his sleeves and said in a firm tone.

Klaus looked at Berlinberg with a curious expression, because he always felt that something big was going to happen after the team returned to Philadelphia...

"The Bulls wasted their valuable home-court advantage, so how can we not learn from their experience and lessons?"

Squinting his eyes and staring at the air conditioner in the United Center, Berlinberg had made up his mind.

Chicago Bulls, prepare to feel the hellish atmosphere from Philadelphia!

…

After finishing Game 2 with the Bulls, the 76ers didn't stay in Chicago.

Although the loss was a bit regrettable, Davis still gave a high evaluation to the players' tenacious performance in this Game 2.

According to the schedule, after switching home courts, the two teams would each have one more day to adjust.

Game 3 would start on the 30th. Before the first round of the NBA was changed to 7 games, in the best-of-five format, Game 3 was the pivotal game.

Whoever could win this game would take the initiative in this series.

Therefore, how could the 76ers players have time to think about losing the game?

On the plane back to Philadelphia, watching Su Feng, who had already begun to study the next game, Davis smiled curiously, "Su, do you have any more tricks up your sleeve?"

As a renowned coach, Davis's tactics in Game 1 were derived after improving Su Feng's proposal.

Davis knew that the 76ers had to use unconventional tactics to have a chance against a powerhouse like the Bulls.

So he was curious about what Su Feng was thinking at this time.

After Su Feng told Davis this and that, Davis suddenly widened his eyes.

Too crazy! This is too crazy!

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah!"

…

Fa Biao De Wo Niu