Chapter 1 The Exhausted

After leaving the press conference, a weary, back-aching, leg-numbed Su Feng was carried back to the hotel by Da Ben.

As an "Iron Man" without a nuclear reactor in his chest, Su Feng didn't even have the strength to call Kobe to share the good news after Game 1 against the Bulls...

After being taken back to his hotel room, he collapsed and didn't wake up until the next morning.

"1.78 Jordan's 'hitting iron' value... this is insane!" Waking up in the morning, looking at the more than 53 million new 'hitting iron' points displayed on his system interface, Su Feng...

...Was no longer calm!

The Bulls were indeed the number one boss, and the "experience points" after defeating them were ridiculously exaggerated.

In a daze, Su Feng's motivation to end the Bulls' second dynasty increased invisibly.

Because if you think about it, if you really deny someone like "Old Rogue" a championship, would he still choose to retire?

You know, in Su Feng's previous life, although Jordan's condition in the 97/98 season couldn't be compared to his peak, if you said he wasn't the strongest, then Malone and Stockton would have something to say.

But if you said that the future Wizards Jordan was similar to Jordan right now, then you'd be disrespecting all the little heroes who farmed the "Wizards Jordan dungeon" back then.

In short, in Su Feng's opinion, instead of watching Jordan retire, why not drag "Old Rogue" to play with him for a few more years?

From a historical perspective, the Bulls' dismantling was an inevitable trend.

Because the 90s were different from the future; in this era, burning money was like burning firewood. Even if Jordan could sell tickets, Reinsdorf couldn't afford it.

But what if Jordan started a new team?

Before returning his "EQ and IQ" to God, Su Feng felt that it was entirely possible for Jordan to do anything without limits.

"Too much daydreaming!"

"I just won Game 1, and I'm already thinking so far ahead?"

After washing his face, Su Feng felt like he was getting ahead of himself.

Having thoroughly read the "NBA Version of the Book of Prudence," he decided to call McGrady later. If Carter could be by McGrady's side, that would be even better.

...

The news of the 76ers defeating the Bulls in Game 1 continued to ferment.

For a time, this series between the 76ers and the Bulls had become the most talked-about topic.

In particular, the story of Su Feng jumping onto the scorer's table and yelling "I'm going to beat Michael Jordan" in Game 1 would become an action that young people would compete to imitate in the future.

Of course, there were people who questioned and even criticized Su Feng's provocative behavior, but there were also many who supported him.

In Su Feng's previous life, Reggie Miller was touted as Jordan's "arch-enemy" for daring to challenge Jordan. Now, Su Feng had also become the leader in the eyes of many "Jordan haters"!

It was just that social networks hadn't been created yet, otherwise, on Twitter, Su Feng would definitely have become the leader jointly elected by "all the rebel kings"...

The reason why Hill was able to surpass Jordan in the All-Star vote in those years was related to people's hope that someone could stand up and defeat Jordan.

The Lakers dynasty of the future was also an example of this.

When they showed signs of dominance, reporters from other cities were eager for the OK combination to break up as soon as possible.

But when the OK combination really broke up and the Lakers dynasty collapsed, it was precisely these people who jumped out and said:

It was such a pity about the OK combination back then...

In the Rabbit Country, Su Weiguo was once again heartbroken by Su Feng.

Was this little brat trying to fly to the heavens? How many times had he been on *Xinwen Lianbo* (News Broadcast)?

Nowadays, Su Weiguo's status at home was declining day by day.

He originally wanted to go to the venue to cheer for his son, but because the Old Master said, "Don't go, you'll definitely mess things up for your son"...

...He could only silently look up at the sky, questioning life.

Speaking of which, after the 76ers won Game 1, the Chinese Basketball Association was also in turmoil.

Because a certain Southern media outlet, in addition to wildly praising Su Feng, also wrote a report titled "The Seven Deadly Sins of the Chinese Basketball Association"...

The Southern media in the 90s were so daring to criticize, that even the CBA didn't dare to say a word.

Because in two consecutive Olympic Games, the American Dream Team had just conquered the world, but now...

You actually excluded a young man who could defeat Jordan from the national team?

Just because he wasn't in the system?

Well... fortunately, Su Feng couldn't see these reports, otherwise, he would definitely shed tears for Jordan in silence.

Because whether from a statistical or game perspective, where had Jordan been defeated by Su Feng?

But that was the truth, it was just that in the Rabbit Country, the Rabbits firmly believed that Su Feng had defeated Jordan.

Don't ask, it was what Director Zhang said!

...

While the outside world was in an uproar, the atmosphere within the 76ers' team was calmer than ever.

When a group of ambitious young people gathered together, without even saying hello, everyone knew how to adjust their mentality.

Unlike the beginning of Game 1, when the 76ers really won Game 1, seeing the dawn of a black eight miracle, all the 76ers players quickly calmed down.

Kenny Smith played a significant role in this.

He kept telling everyone the story of the Mosaic's comeback and championship in those years. In short:

The revolution has not yet succeeded, comrades still need to work hard!

Speaking of which, Game 2 between the 76ers and the Bulls would be played on the 27th, which was tomorrow. Therefore, after the team rested in the morning, Davis arranged for the players to do recovery training in the afternoon.

It was a pity that the "Zen Master" wasn't like Riley.

Because if the Bulls also did a round of devil training at this time, would Jordan's kidneys cry?

It was worth mentioning that after the team unexpectedly won Game 1, the 76ers' decision-makers, Krause and Berlinberg, flew overnight from Philadelphia to Chicago.

In addition to cheering for the players and drawing cakes for them, these two big bosses also inquired about whether the players had any special needs.

Iverson, who was stretching and recovering at the time, smiled and said, "Then send more 'Bulls'!"

After hearing Iverson's words, Krause and Berlinberg's moods were unable to calm down for a long time.

"I'm going to beat Michael Jordan," "Then send more 'Bulls'..."

What kind of two young men did the 76ers pick in the 1996 draft?

"Perhaps, to defeat the Bulls, we need people like Su and Allen?" Berlinberg said with emotion.

...

On the evening of the 26th, Su Feng didn't go to the press conference with Davis, because he knew that Jordan would take the initiative to match up with him in the next game.

Before using his ultimate move, Su Feng had anticipated the effect of his big move. Unless the 76ers really forced the Bulls into a dead end, Jordan still cared about his throne.

After continuing to "return to the factory for maintenance" for a day, when Su Feng woke up on the morning of the 27th, he felt that his body was indeed made of iron.

The 76ers' overall recovery was very good. After all, no matter how bad their recovery was, their physical condition was definitely above this aging Bulls team.

On the contrary, the coaching staff didn't get a good night's rest.

Last night, many Bulls fans came to do square dancing. The players were too tired and fell asleep, but the coaches who were thinking about tactics were miserable...

Looking at Davis' dark circles... besides this series with the Bulls, the thing that Su Feng was most concerned about was probably this guy's contract extension.

For this kind of coach with the potential to become a "godfather of basketball," Su Feng was very happy to cooperate with him.

On the afternoon of the 27th, the 76ers went to the United Center on time.

The tense atmosphere had spread throughout Chicago.

The local media in the Windy City even called this Game 2 between the Bulls and the 76ers the "Battle of Chicago."

If losing Game 1 was just giving up home-court advantage, then if the Bulls lost Game 2, they would be completely pushed to the edge of a cliff.

In the NBA, before the first round of the playoffs was reformed, there were cases of coming back from a 0-2 deficit.

But facing the momentum of the 76ers, no Bulls supporters dared to guarantee that the team would definitely be able to come back from a 0-2 deficit.

During the pre-game warm-up, the Bulls' players also exuded a different kind of murderous aura than in Game 1.

No matter how exhausted they were, if they wanted to win the championship, the Bulls had to first cross the ghost gate that was the 76ers before thinking about the next game.

"Michael, are you going to guard that kid in this game?" Pippen asked, looking at Jordan.

Jordan nodded, "Don't worry, Scottie, I don't care so much about what that kid said."

Pippen rolled his eyes at Jordan.

Because with that look on your face that says "I'm going to beat him to death," you're telling me you don't care about that kid?

At the United Center, as the fans entered the arena one after another, at 8:30 p.m., Game 2 between the 76ers and the Bulls was about to begin!

"Director Zhang, how much do you think the 76ers' chances of winning this game are?" On CCTV, Sun Zhengping asked curiously while doing a preview report.

"Well... it's hard to say, it depends on the performance of these two teams tonight." Zhang Weiping wiped the sweat from his forehead and said.

"The Bulls seem to have changed their starting lineup in this game." Su Junyang pushed his glasses and said.

On the big screen, after the entry ceremony of the two teams ended, the starting lineups for the two teams tonight were displayed.

Bulls: Rodman, Kukoc, Pippen, Jordan, Harper.

76ers: Ratliff, Da Ben, Su Feng, Stackhouse, Iverson.

Because of Longley's poor performance in the last game, the "Zen Master" wasn't going to play any probing games with the 76ers in this game.

In order to better protect the rebounds, although Kukoc would play the 4 in the starting lineup, in the actual game, he would guard the 76ers' shooting guard, and Pippen would play the 4.

And on the 76ers' side, they had also changed their starting lineup.

On the Bulls' bench, the "Zen Master" gave Davis a meaningful look.

He didn't know why, but in this series, Jackson always had a feeling that his plans were being seen through by the other side.

Letting Stackhouse start was Su Feng's hint.

Because Su Feng knew very well that the only adjustment this Bulls team could make was to let Pippen go inside to help Rodman.

Pippen had a long wingspan, and even if he couldn't beat Da Ben and Ratliff in terms of rebounds, he would at least be much better than Kukoc.

So, if the Bulls wanted Pippen to go inside, they had to let Kukoc guard the outside.

Harris was just a tool, and no matter how bad Kukoc's defense was, he just needed to keep up.

But Stackhouse was different.

Although this guy didn't deserve a name most of the time, Su Feng thought it shouldn't be a problem for him to break through Kukoc.

Right?

Kukoc was 208 cm tall and weighed only about 90 kg. He was inferior to Stackhouse in both strength and speed.

This would be a natural mismatch.

After reaching the playoffs, it could be said that Su Feng had squeezed out all his knowledge reserves.

Now, whether they could return to Philadelphia with a 2-0 lead depended on the progress of this game.

Because after playing in the regular season, Su Feng's deepest feeling was that no matter how good the plan was, it still depended on how the players performed.

On the court, after the players from both teams took their positions one by one, Ratliff and Rodman prepared to jump for the ball at center court.

In New York, Stern was also watching the game remotely.

The ratings of Game 1 made the entire NBA high-level feel very happy, and the topics it created were unmatched by other series.

Perhaps, at this moment, Stern's only trouble was why there were only 5 games in the first round of the playoffs.

Bang!

In the center of the court, Ratliff jumped the ball for the 76ers' first attack.

The Bulls all retreated, and it was obvious that the 76ers' fast break at the start of the first game had left a deep impression on them.

Iverson dribbled the ball past the half-court, and after exchanging glances with Su Feng, the "Answer" passed the ball to Stackhouse on the wing.

As in Su Feng's plan, in order to ensure rebounds, the Bulls had Kukoc guarding Stackhouse.

Stackhouse accelerated directly after a probing step. Kukoc couldn't keep up with Stackhouse and could only stick to him from behind.

In the Bulls' penalty area, Pippen came to help Stackhouse, but the latter took a mid-range shot before Pippen's help defense was completed.

Clang!

A certain unknown substitute failed to complete the first attack for the 76ers. Rodman fought hard to grab the rebound, and the Bulls stabilized their rhythm to prepare for a positional attack.

"The Bulls have changed things up tonight. They didn't give the ball to Jordan for the first attack, but gave the ball to Pippen." Zhang Weiping said on CCTV.

On the Bulls' bench, beneath the "Zen Master's" calm expression was absolute confidence in this Bulls team.

Although the 76ers had made targeted adjustments to the Bulls, the Bulls also had problems that the 76ers couldn't solve.

Liberating Pippen was the "Zen Master's" real goal in this game.

Faced with the defense of a certain unknown substitute, Pippen suddenly accelerated after observing with the ball in one hand for a while.

The unknown substitute kept up in time, but Pippen used his signature move of stopping and shooting from mid-range.

This was one of Pippen's signature moves.

As the ideal second leader, Pippen's static and dynamic talents were equally exaggerated.

This kind of deceleration in a full-speed state, in terms of Pippen's height, was difficult for ordinary people to complete as smoothly as he did.

Swish!

0-2, on the court, after Pippen scored the first point for the Bulls, the Bulls fans at the United Center applauded him.

Letting Pippen play the first half, and then letting Jordan take over the second half, the "Zen Master's" plan wasn't complicated, and could even be called a conspiracy, but how could Su Feng let the "Zen Master" get his wish?

After the Bulls scored this goal, Su Feng put his arm around Da Ben and said, "In the next defense, you and Jerry take the initiative to switch positions."

Da Ben scratched his head, "But... what about the defensive rebounds?"

Su Feng shook his head, "Ben, if we can't even defend, where will the defensive rebounds come from?

Believe in Theo, if we want to win this game, we must trust each other."

Da Ben nodded firmly.

The 76ers made their second attack. This time, Iverson hesitated for a moment before choosing to "trust" a certain unknown substitute.

However, a certain unknown substitute... After these two attacks at the start, he could vomit out the breakfast he ate this morning.

Clang!

After Pippen went inside, Rodman's living environment improved a lot. The Big Worm grabbed the rebound again, and the Bulls attacked.

"The 76ers failed to score in the first two attacks. The 76ers have to ensure that the point difference isn't quickly widened through defense." Zhang Zhidao reasonably explained on CCTV.

On the court, when Harper dribbled the ball past the half-court, he suddenly discovered...

The 76ers' defense had changed!

On the Bulls' bench, the "Zen Master" looked at Davis in surprise.

John, is this also in your plan?

On the 76ers' bench, Davis always felt that something was strange.

But so be it.

"I've always thought that Ben is actually a player who can defend the outside." Looking at Jason and Rick, who were a little confused, Davis explained to them.

Of course Da Ben could defend the outside.

In his peak period, he was famous for his help defense. Without a certain amount of lateral movement speed, how could this type of help defense center defend?

Unlike players like Webber and Garnett, who would use the ball to play and retreat, Pippen was now attacking with the ball. Even if Da Ben couldn't keep up with Pippen, his defensive effect would definitely be better than a certain unknown substitute.

After observing steadily, Pippen passed the ball to Kukoc, letting him go one-on-one against a certain unknown substitute.

There was no way, this was also a mismatch, but compared to Pippen, Su Feng would rather let Kukoc attack.

The "Balkan Magician" relied on Stackhouse, and after a feint at the shoulder, he cut into the inside using a fake move and scored with a layup.

0-4.

After playing in Game 1, Kukoc, whose pectoral muscles had swelled by a circle, silently sighed:

So this is Pippen's output environment?

Honestly, in Game 1, after Kukoc came on the court, Da Ben made him mentally explode on both offense and defense.

Because even if he could get past Da Ben, he would still get elbowed.

The 76ers attacked, Iverson didn't plan to give the ball to a certain unknown substitute this time. Before Ratliff's screen arrived, the "Answer" slipped past Harper in a flash.

When it came to speed, Iverson was the fastest.

In the Bulls' penalty area, Iverson didn't back down at all when facing the help defense of Pippen.

Beep!

Pippen was called for a foul on Iverson, and Iverson, whose headband had been knocked off, made his classic move again while putting his headband back on.

After Iverson put his hand to his ear, the boos at the United Center came even more intensely.

"Iverson's mental fortitude is really too good. The 76ers chose him to assist Su Feng, probably for this reason." Sun Zhidao suddenly said with emotion on CCTV.

Zhang Weiping, Su Junyang: "..."

...