Chapter 3 Third Quarter
After the halftime break, Michael Jordan scored the first two points for the Bulls in the third quarter.

Immediately after, the Bulls went into a full-court press.

In the third quarter, "Zen Master" abandoned Longley and used Kukoc to play the 4 position.

In the regular season, the Bulls' full-court defense wasn't very effective against the 76ers, so "Zen Master" didn't expect it to contain them this game.

Applying pressure, speeding up the tempo, and chasing points were the main objectives of "Zen Master" in using the full-court press in the third quarter.

Falling behind and grinding out possessions with the opponent was Van Gundy's game; Jackson still had hair and couldn't come up with such sophisticated tactics.

On the court, Iverson broke through single-handedly.

This time, after dribbling past half-court, he urgently signaled to Su Feng, as he had spent a lot of energy and wanted to slow down.

In the first half, "The Answer" had a total of 14 free throws, which, while hurting the Bulls, also took a toll on him.

Therefore, the 76ers also made personnel adjustments in the third quarter, with Stackhouse replacing Harris in the starting lineup for the second half.

Su Feng received the ball on the left wing, holding it behind him with his right hand.

Seeing Su Feng finally stop his cursed footsteps, even a ruthless person like "Old Rogue"...

Couldn't help but touch his kidneys.

His kidneys were still there, just a bit sore.

If Jordan had "kidney stones," then in his opinion, Su Feng must be the golden elixir in his kidneys.

Boom!

On the court, Su Feng suddenly caught Jordan off guard by putting the ball in front of him and assuming the triple threat position!

Since he had taken Anthony's nickname, how could Su Feng not practice the "washing machine spin"?

Of course, unlike Melo's spin, Su Feng, under the guidance of Grover, Frazier, and others, practiced a triple threat spin that maximized his speed advantage.

And because he felt like a tornado was sweeping through when he spun, Su Feng named this move:

"Tornado Spin"!

The beauty of this triple threat spin is that it easily catches opponents off guard.

After practicing for more than two months, Su Feng finally achieved some success.

After observing that the distance between Jordan and himself was particularly suitable for this move, Su Feng made up his mind.

Swish!

53 to 46.

After spinning into the paint, Su Feng used his long arms to make a long-range layup.

"Wow! Su Feng is starting to score! He spun Jordan dizzy!" Zhang指导 (Zhang Zhidao) said with a smile on CCTV.

"This season, Su Feng is becoming more and more well-rounded. During my year stationed in Philadelphia, the local media there have been praising his amazing growth rate," Su Junyang explained.

On the court, watching Su Feng's back, Jordan inexplicably felt that he had underestimated the difficulty of this series.

The regular season is not the playoffs, but...

Entering the playoffs, the advantages of a young team like the 76ers are also obvious.

Because, if you're not careful, you could very well be "upset" by them.

Although they may not make it to the end, before they do, they can definitely let a bunch of strong teams experience what it means to "rob the rich to give to the poor."

Jordan adjusted his state with a deep breath; he wouldn't take one defensive failure to heart.

After all, on the basketball court, even your best defense can't stop your opponent from scoring.

The Bulls attacked, playing the triangle offense. Kukoc pulled Ben Wallace to the other side, preventing him from helping Su Feng defend.

Jordan took this opportunity to successfully post up in the low post.

Bang, bang, bang!

In front of the TV, the Jordan fans watching "Old Rogue" post up were shouting the American version of "Post him to death!"

However, these Jordan fans might not believe it, but on the court, Su Feng successfully withstood Jordan's first wave of attack.

Relying on the rules, Su Feng, with 0.8 Jordan's strength, used the opponent's force against himself. Jordan, who couldn't push him away this time, felt that Su Feng's defense...

Why did it feel so familiar?

Grover, who had earned a lot of extra money in the regular season, refused to take the blame.

Because Jordan himself had told him that he couldn't tutor others in the summer.

In the first half, because he was saving energy, Jordan hadn't used this kind of overly forceful low post back-down, mostly using fakes and rhythm to attack after posting up high.

As a result, in the third quarter, after trying to hard post up for the first time, Jordan realized something was wrong.

With Grover's help, Su Feng was able to hold off Garnett after the All-Star Game because of this defensive method of using his elbows and reasonably using the rules.

In order to force out Su Feng's defensive limit, later in the team, Ben Wallace and Ratliff often took turns practicing against Su Feng.

On the court, Su Feng's danger level in "Old Rogue's" mind rose another level.

This time, after failing to hard post up, Jordan kept his pivot foot still and twisted his waist to turn to the other side.

This season, the road Su Feng has walked the most may be Jordan's tricks.

Wait...

He can still twist back?

The first in the Windy City is the first in the Windy City. After fooling Su Feng, Jordan steadily shot a fadeaway in the opposite direction.

53 to 48!

"Too bad, Su Feng almost defended Jordan this time," Zhang指导 (Zhang Zhidao) sighed on CCTV.

"Well... Jordan's experience is still very rich," Su Junyang added from the side.

Unfortunately, Jordan couldn't hear CCTV's commentary, otherwise he would definitely be grateful that CCTV's commentary was so objective...

This shot may not look as exciting as those dunks, but in fact, in this current league, only Jordan can complete this kind of offense.

Su Feng felt that if you look at it this way...

Then Jordan's core strength must exceed 100 in the system's rating.

Being able to catch up with the end of Jordan's peak was too lucky for Su Feng.

Because, putting aside his character, Jordan's skills are really amazing.

If you were to ask Su Feng what is the most fun thing about playing basketball besides shooting, it might be playing against these bosses.

Back then, Su Feng worked hard to improve his skills so that he could catch up with Kobe's shadow, right?

This season, after desperately making it to the playoffs, Su Feng planned so much, just to be able to play a few more games with the Bulls, or even defeat the Bulls?

How could he, a man who had lived two lives, not know how chuuni (delusional) he was tonight?

But only when you are in this situation can you understand how surging Su Feng's heart is.

He, who had long seen through the warmth and coldness of human relationships, was getting younger and younger.

In Su Feng's previous life, NBA stars did more chuuni things on the court than you can imagine.

Reality is sometimes more distorted and passionate than novels and comics.

Because passionate sports have such magic.

The 76ers attacked, and Jordan was more careful in defense this time.

Su Feng once again showed the "essence of human triple threat"!

It's high noon, quick draw!

Swish!

Jordan: "..."

Wait, how can you make this kind of rushed, rhythm-less fadeaway?

Su Feng, who understood Jordan's eyes, spread his hands at "Old Rogue." To be honest...

Recently, Su Feng didn't know why, but he was so accurate that he couldn't believe it himself.

In Los Angeles, because the Lakers' game against the Trail Blazers was still a while away, the Lakers' players in the locker room were also watching the 76ers vs. Bulls game.

"Kobe, what did you just say you'd do if Su makes this shot?" Jones smiled, patting Kobe on the shoulder.

Kobe: "..."

"It's unbelievable. I didn't expect the 76ers to be able to play so closely with the Bulls." Fortunately, Van Exel came to Kobe's rescue.

Shaquille O'Neal, who was changing his equipment, was very unhappy at this moment.

He turned his head and patted Kobe on the shoulder and said, "Kobe, in the future, you can shoot these kinds of shots whenever you want."

Damn it, even if you don't make it, the rebound is mine!

In order to help Kobe surpass Su Feng, in O'Neal's opinion, wouldn't it just take a little more effort?

Listening to his team leader's instructions, Kobe nodded firmly.

In Kobe's opinion, anything Su Feng can do, he can do too!

Let that damn Magic, let the pass button go to hell!

…

Back in Chicago, Su Feng knew that if he wanted to defeat the Bulls, he had to play good defense. Therefore, this time the 76ers didn't give Jordan a chance to receive the ball in the low post.

Because Ratliff directly abandoned his defense against Rodman and double-teamed Jordan.

In Su Feng's previous life, people always praised this Bulls team's offense.

But in fact, in the 96/97 season, the Bulls' overall field goal percentage in the playoffs was only 43.2%.

Jordan's field goal percentage in the entire playoffs was around 45%, while Pippen's was 41%, and Rodman's was 37%.

As the game went on, under the high-intensity confrontation like tonight, if the Bulls could score on every possession, then Su Feng must be playing 2k...

You should know that this Bulls team has always been a team that relies on defense to play.

Tonight, the 76ers not only played a pseudo-zone defense, but also immediately double-teamed Jordan whenever he showed signs of breaking out.

While Ratliff and Su Feng double-teamed Jordan, Ben Wallace would defend two players at once.

This time, Jordan passed the ball to Kukoc, but unfortunately, the latter's three-pointer missed the rim.

In the 96/97 season, because the three-point line was shortened, this Bulls team attempted nearly 20 three-pointers per game in the playoffs, but their field goal percentage was quite poor...

Kukoc's career three-point percentage was 33%. Besides Kerr on the bench, no one on this Bulls team had a stable three-point shot.

Faced with the 76ers' defensive style of guarding the basket at all costs, Jordan had tried two three-pointers in the first half, but both times he had missed.

As Su Feng remembered, Jordan's three-point percentage was terrible in this season's playoffs.

In Su Feng's previous life, Jordan's three-point percentage in this playoff was only 19.4%.

Besides Jordan's own three-pointers always being random, the reason why Jordan's three-pointers weren't accurate in this playoff was because Rodman's condition declined, and Jordan and Pippen had to shoulder more defensive tasks.

Defense affecting shooting is not a joke, because the higher the intensity of the game, the more unstable your shooting will be.

Tonight, the 76ers' interior caused a lot of trouble for the Bulls. The Bulls had never been able to reverse the disadvantage in rebounding, and Jordan was being dragged all over the court by Su Feng.

Plus, the 76ers came prepared, and the Bulls were quickly brought into a song of "Missing Shots Cycle" by the 76ers.

In front of the TV, the rabbits felt like they were watching a soccer game, because both teams were missing shots frequently in the third quarter, and it was extremely exciting whenever either side scored.

With 4 minutes left in the third quarter, "Zen Master" called a timeout.

At this time, the score on the court was 62 to 54, and the Bulls had been unable to catch up.

In order to alleviate the pressure in the tough battle, Jackson took a risk and started Kerr, replacing Harper.

As the saying goes, times have changed. When the team was leading, Jackson would definitely not use Kerr in this series, but when they were behind, "Zen Master" had to gamble.

On the court, Kerr immediately hit a three-pointer for the Bulls as soon as he came on.

62 to 57.

But in turn, Iverson, who had recovered, was comfortable.

In Su Feng's previous life, people would always complain about Curry's terrible defense in the future, but in reality, compared to Curry, his mentor Kerr was really terrible.

Kerr's defense, without exaggeration, can be simply understood as the Bulls having him on defense is equal to playing 4 on 5.

Against ordinary teams, Jordan and Pippen could help Kerr through help defense.

But Iverson's breakthrough speed was too fast. In "The Answer's" prime, he was the kind of player who could directly charge into the formation without even calling a pick-and-roll.

There are many ways to limit Iverson, but with the Bulls' broken interior, what can they do?

This time, after Iverson broke into the paint, Pippen hurriedly came over to help defend from the wing, and Iverson, after hesitating for a moment, passed the ball to Stackhouse.

Swish!

Tonight, Stackhouse, who has a name, proved his value, 65 to 57!

If you understand Stackhouse's career experience, then you will know that this guy's thick skin can also be understood as a "big heart."

Pippen, who had finally been comforted by Jordan twice during the halftime break, became agitated again...

Because after hitting this three-pointer, Stackhouse shrugged at him and made a "I can't help it if I'm so accurate" expression!

Pippen had a very high success rate at the beginning of the game, but after playing into the third quarter, his touch was also declining.

On the court, the Bulls countered. This time, Pippen directly turned over high, obviously playing too impatiently.

Clang!

Ben Wallace grabbed his 10th rebound of the night!

Look at how Ben Wallace is grabbing these rebounds. Facts have proved that without Westbrook, he is not good.

In Su Feng's previous life, Adams could grab nearly 5 offensive rebounds per game during my Turtle's peak.

But after the Turtle and the Cannon were traded, limited by my Cannon's reasonable style of play, Adams' offensive rebounds plummeted to about 3.

In this life, under the careful cultivation of Su Feng, Iverson, and Stackhouse, Su Feng felt that Ben Wallace's accomplishments in rebounding were close to his peak.

Rodman was out of shape, Pippen's mentality was disturbed, as long as they prevented Jordan from turning on the switch to descend to Earth as a God, then in Su Feng's opinion, the 76ers' chances of winning tonight had exceeded 70%!

Don't look at Su Feng saying that "I want to defeat Michael Jordan" at the beginning of the game, but in the game, Su Feng didn't say a word to Jordan.

Playing basketball with the mic muted, running around like crazy, silently stacking armor, this was Su Feng's strategy to deal with Jordan tonight.

Clang!

The 76ers' attack also missed.

But in turn, Jordan's high post jump shot also missed the target.

Iverson, who had recovered, wanted to continue to draw a foul this time, but Rodman didn't give him a chance. "The Answer's" layup missed, the Bulls countered, and the furious Pippen raised his big knife to chop Stackhouse, but...

Clang!

One has to say that for fans, the games of the 90s were indeed not very friendly.

Because they clearly bought tickets for a basketball game, who wants to listen to the sound of metal clanking?

After the Bulls brought Kerr on, the offensive space was larger, but after hitting the first three-pointer for the Bulls, Kerr also turned cold.

Sometimes, the feeling of one's touch can be contagious.

…

After the third quarter, the score between the two teams was 68 to 60. In the third quarter, the single-quarter score of both teams failed to exceed 20 points, and they both played a very high level of defense.

In the fourth quarter, Davis used the ultimate move of ruthlessly using Su Feng for 48 minutes, while on the Bulls' side, Pippen was the commander.

The new and old generations of the Eastern Conference's first small forwards faced off head-on. At the beginning, Su Feng first paid tribute to the "Old Rogue" sitting on the bench with a difficult turnaround fadeaway.

Clang!

Although his touch has been very good recently, if Su Feng could score under Pippen's crazy cow-like defense, then he would be too disrespectful to Pippen.

In turn, the Bulls attacked, and Pippen also paid tribute to the "Old Rogue" sitting on the bench with a sudden stop and turnaround fadeaway under Su Feng's mirror-image defense.

Clang!

Although his touch has been very good tonight, if Pippen could score under Su Feng's crazy dog-like defense, then he would be too disrespectful to Su Feng.

In front of the TV, the rabbits had a heart attack.

Oh, my God, score a goal, it's so nerve-wracking to keep missing shots!

Swish!

Fortunately, Kenny Smith stood up and ended this "missing shots duel" between the Eastern Conference's first small forwards.

71 to 60!

This was a very crucial three-pointer.

On the Bulls' side, Jordan was a little anxious, but Jackson still insisted on letting him rest.

In fact, how could "Zen Master" not be anxious?

But if he brought Jordan on early and didn't let him accumulate energy, how could he take over the game?

Swish!

On the court, Pippen temporarily stabilized Jordan sitting on the bench with a breakthrough layup.

Su Feng defended to the limit on this play, but Pippen was also an arm-span monster. Even though Su Feng had squeezed him away from the basket, his arms were just long.

Pippen scored his 20th point of the night, but as the game went on, his field goal percentage had slipped to around 45%.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, in the offensive and defensive battle with Su Feng, Pippen was heartbroken for Jordan while playing.

How should I put it... just Su Feng is just this kind of person, his overall rating isn't high, but just like future wing players feel annoyed when they see Ariza.

You should know that Su Feng's stamina is much better than Ariza's, and he doesn't just stand there eating cake like Ariza when attacking.

As a mobile player who occasionally attacks, Su Feng erodes his opponent's will and endurance on both ends of the court.

Swish!

With 7 minutes and 26 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Su Feng successfully made his first three-pointer in the playoffs of his career!

After slipping out with his teammate's screen, Su Feng raised his hand and bombed from the old three-point line.

76 to 67, this time, "Old Rogue" really couldn't sit still.

Watching Jordan walk to the scorer's table, Su Feng knew that the key to whether this game could be won was whether the 76ers could defend Jordan for these 7 minutes and 26 seconds!

On the 76ers' bench, Iverson, who had finished cheering, also walked to the scorer's table.

Both teams were preparing to bring on their main lineups to fight the final battle!

…

ps: Phew, there are a lot of debts owed today! Then let's work hard to finish today's and yesterday's together! Bringing a total of 10,000 words update! Begging for monthly tickets!