Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

Halfway through the first quarter, both the Timberwolves and the Bulls maintained a high offensive efficiency. Because of this, the coaches of both teams did not make much change to their team's playing style, and still chose to concentrate the ball on the two star players.

After the timeout, players from both teams returned to the court.

The basketball was sent from the Bulls' backcourt into Ron Harper's hands, who then quickly moved toward the Timberwolves' half with the ball.

After center Luc Longley was substituted out, coach Phil Jackson replaced him with Tony Kukoc. The Bulls did not have sufficient reserves at the No. 5 position.

When coach Phil Jackson substituted Luc Longley for a rest, he would often let players such as Rodman, Kukoc, Pippen and others temporarily play as inside players.

Although it is basketball from the 90s, coach Phil Jackson is flexible when using players and does not rigidly apply standard player configurations such as positions 12345.

After the substitution, the Bulls' defense in the interior was obviously weaker, but on the offensive end, with Tony Kukoc in the fold, the Bulls' firepower would definitely be stronger than in the first half of the first quarter.

After Ron Harper dribbled the ball across the center line, his eyes quickly turned to Pippen who was positioning himself in the paint.

The Bulls have different lineups on both offense and defense. On the offensive end, Pippen plays in the interior, and his physique allows him to play the power forward position. Even if he is asked to defend the power forward position temporarily, it will not be a problem. The Timberwolves do not have a big center with the physique of O'Neal.

The only player who has a similar weight to O'Neal is Stanley Roberts, who is not good at attacking the basket in the interior.

Therefore, even if the Bulls replaced Luc Longley, it would be difficult for the Timberwolves to target the enemy's "weak" inside line.

On the contrary, Pippen's mid-range reception near the basket posed a relatively large threat to the Timberwolves.

Pippen was not good at attacking the basket with the ball and it was difficult for him to get past Garnett's defense, but after he got the basketball, he was able to serve as the axis of the Bulls and help the team open up the situation through conduction.

Garnett did not adopt the front defense method against Pippen. He stood obediently behind Pippen, looking at Ron Harper on the outside, waiting for the Bulls to make an offensive rotation.

After the timeout, Ron Harper did not give the ball to Michael Jordan immediately to initiate the offense, but instead passed the ball to Pippen in the paint.

The moment Pippen received the basketball, the other Bulls players also acted quickly. Michael Jordan on the wing quickly ran towards the top of the arc, and Ron Harper, who passed the ball, also quickly penetrated the inside. At the same time, Tony Kukoc on the other side also quickly penetrated from the inside and went to the three-point line in the right corner.

Rodman was the only one among the five Bulls players who showed no intention of joining the attack.

The Timberwolves naturally ignored Rodman, whose independent offensive ability was almost zero.

Strictly speaking, Rodman was not a role player when he first entered the league. In the early stages of his career, he was an assist player who could contribute double-digit points per game.

But after joining the Bulls, coach Phil Jackson completely magnified Rodman's characteristics when coaching him.

Next to Michael Jordan, Rodman didn't need to worry about offense at all. He just needed to grab the rebounds and then pass the ball to Michael Jordan.

This team positioning also caused Rodman's offensive ability to completely degenerate.

After Michael Jordan retired, Rodman, who left the Bulls, was still able to play to his strengths, but no team could truly transform his abilities into an important factor in winning.

There's no way, there's only one Michael Jordan.

The Bulls players ran very fast. After Pippen received the basketball, he shot it high, his eyes swept over the players, and saw the running positions of his teammates.

Opportunity in the corner.

The Timberwolves were a little lax in their defense against Toni Kukoc who had just come on the court. Tom did not stick to him very closely when he was chasing him. Instead, because Michael Jordan was interspersed in the inside, Tom focused part of his attention on Michael Jordan, so that there was a huge gap between him and Kukoc.

The basketball in Pippen's hand was quickly passed to the right corner. After getting the ball, Kukoc did not hesitate at all. After a slight adjustment, he directly shot a three-pointer.

"Dang~~"

Toni Ku, who had just come on the court, had a cold touch. The three-pointer he shot hit the side of the basket and bounced out. The rebound was directly caught by Wu Dao who broke into the basket.

After grabbing the rebound, Wu Dao did not pass the ball immediately. After a brief pause, he waited until the Bulls players began to return to defense before he passed the ball to Marbury who came back to receive the ball.

"From the current situation, the Bulls only have Michael Jordan who has the ability to score consistently."

"The other Bulls players' performances have fluctuated greatly, and their shooting percentages are average."

This thought flashed through Wudao's mind, and he already knew how to defend the Bulls team next.

As the Timberwolves players entered the Bulls' half one after another, the Bulls' defense also shrank.

Except for Pippen who was still defending Wu Dao and was still near the 3-point line, the other players occupied the four corners of the paint area. The big center of the team was replaced, and the Bulls were forced to shrink their team's defense in order to strengthen the defense of the inside line.

Harber stood half a step in front of the free throw line and nearly half a meter away from the three-point line.

Seeing this, Marbury, who was holding the ball and approaching the top of the arc, made a slight adjustment and shot a 3-pointer. The moment Marbury showed his intention to shoot, Ron Harper also rushed forward to defend, but his interference was a little slow.

The basketball was thrown out from Marbury's hand, and under the gaze of a crowd of fans, the basketball went directly into the net with a crisp sound.

"pretty!!"

Seeing Marbury score the goal with decisive action, Wu Dao's face immediately broke into a bright smile, and he gave a very encouraging compliment.

If he wants to defeat the Bulls steadily, it is definitely not enough to rely solely on his personal martial arts performance.

Martial Arts did occupy the vast majority of the Timberwolves' shots, and the tactical proportion was so large that it had affected the team's operations. However, this did not prevent the other Timberwolves players from continuing to shine with a limited number of shots.

Marbury's goal naturally won him cheers from the fans.

Marbury, who scored successfully, was also very excited. Although he did not have much ball possession, he was very happy to be able to score a goal.

Marbury's requirements for himself are not "high". In the Timberwolves, he just wants to be able to steadily hit 10+10 data.

Ten points, ten helps.

If a No. 1 player can stabilize his stats at this level, looking at the entire league, Marbury can play for any team he wants, and the salary he gets in the future will definitely not be worse than it is now.

There's a lot to be done!

The Timberwolves players surrounding Wu Dao have already found their positions. It's not just Marbury, who is an All-Star level player; Tom, who is in his prime, has also placed himself in the position of secondary attacker.

As for Garnett.
He is not the kind of player who consumes a lot of ball rights in the Timberwolves team. Moreover, Garnett, who climbed up from the bottom, is also very pragmatic. He has a clear understanding of what he has to do in terms of defense, rebounding, and scoring in the interior. The three things listed here are clearly ranked in priority in Garnett's mind.

Defend first, focus on rebounding after doing a good job of defense, and then take into account the inside scoring when there is spare energy. In previous games, Garnett has always balanced these things very well.

He also averaged 19 points per game and 11 rebounds per game. Although there are no statistics to measure his role in defense, Garnett himself can feel the opponents' vigilance when facing his help defense on the court.

The Bulls quickly launched a counterattack against the Timberwolves.

Seeing that the score between the two teams was about to rise to double digits, Ron Harper placed his hopes of scoring a goal on Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan, who had the ball, pretended to break through and passed the ball when facing Wu Dao's defense. After attracting Garnett's shoe defense, he directly passed the ball from the feet of Wu Dao and Garnett to the inside.

Michael Jordan's passing vision is very wide, and his on-court experience and ability to seize opportunities are far beyond the reach of ordinary players. He possesses the passing vision and passing ability of a top No. 1 position.

Pippen received the ball in the paint and dribbled directly to the basket, dunking the ball with both hands into the air.

Just as the Timberwolves were about to serve, the referee's whistle sounded.

Coach Philip replaced the team's center who had played for most of the quarter with Ben Wallace.

Coach Philip realized that without Luke Long, the Bulls would focus on being "fast" and "agile" in the interior.

The bulky center is no longer suitable for this court, Ben Wallace is a better choice.

With Ben Wallace and Garnett guarding the interior, the Timberwolves' interior defense mobility can be improved to the best. Even if Pippen has a similar opportunity again, he may not be able to dunk and score without worry under Wallace's defense.

The Timberwolves' offensive firepower did not weaken due to the substitutions.

After Marbury dribbled the ball into the frontcourt, Wu Dao on the wing quickly stepped forward and set a screen for Marbury.

In the Timberwolves' previous attack, Marbury had just used a three-pointer to help the team stabilize the score difference. This goal naturally allowed Marbury to continue to play.

The Bulls quickly passed the ball in the direction of the martial arts pick-and-roll, but they did not choose to switch defense immediately.

Ron Harper tried hard to go around Wu Dao and chase after Marbury, but he could not keep up with Marbury at all.

After moving a few steps sideways along the 3-point arc, Marbury made a sudden stop after getting enough space, made a slight adjustment and continued to choose the 3-pointer.

"Uh-huh!!!"

The crisp sound of the net hitting the net rang out in the stadium. The Timberwolves fans in the stands were also "excited" by Marbury's shot, and warm cheers poured into the stadium.

Marbury's two consecutive three-pointers directly widened the gap between the two teams to double digits. His terrifying scoring efficiency made the Bulls' rest area silent.

"Michael!!"

Coach Phil Jackson, who had just called a timeout, could no longer sit still. He quickly came to the sidelines and shouted at Michael Jordan on the court. After attracting Michael Jordan's attention, Coach Phil Jackson could only point at Marbury.

The meaning is very clear, he wants Michael Jordan to defend Marbury.

The consecutive three-pointers dealt a huge blow to the Bulls. Seeing that Marbury was about to shoot, the Bulls naturally could not let him go on.

In the transition from offense to defense, the Bulls, who were hit by consecutive 3-pointers by the Timberwolves, also tried to use 3-pointers to stop the bleeding for their team.

The basketball was passed to Kukoc, who was playing as a wing guard. After a slight adjustment, Kukoc shot another three-pointer.

This time, the basketball went into the net successfully.

The Bulls players, who were finally open, breathed a sigh of relief and their confidence was restored a little.

At this point in the game, Wu Dao and Michael Joe both chose to share the ball.

Perhaps it was because the two attacked too fiercely at the beginning of the first quarter, and in the second half they both began to calm down, accumulating strength to prepare for an outbreak later.

As the buzzer sounded in the stadium, after a fierce battle, the score between the two teams remained at 29:23.

At the end of the first quarter, the difference between the Bulls and the Timberwolves reached 6 points. After making some defensive adjustments, the Bulls also restricted Marbury's offense. Michael Jordan's defense also played a good effect, and the Bulls also stabilized the situation.

But it was a good start for the Timberwolves, as they completely suppressed the Bulls in the first quarter.

Or perhaps the Bulls players' cold hands suppressed themselves.

"Attack the basket! Reduce outside shots and focus on attacking the basket."

"Go to the basket more often to create damage, don't just shoot from the outside."

Today's game is at the Bulls' home court. At this stage, the referee's whistle does not show any obvious bias. But how could a veteran like Phil Jackson be so foolish as to think that the league will not intervene in this game?

Although it is not certain whether the league intends to ensure that the Bulls complete their dynasty of three consecutive championships.

But one thing is certain, the league will never allow the Bulls to be swept by the Timberwolves or the Warriors.

If there are fewer games, won’t fewer tickets be sold?

Michael Jordan's commercial value cannot be ignored. Similarly, can the leaders ignore the revenue from the finals tickets?
Only by allowing players to bravely rush to the basket can the referees be given more opportunities to play.

Phil Jackson has a clear mind and he knows these top leaders of the league too well.

Creating a god is the result of joint efforts from all parties!

In the Timberwolves' rest area, Wu Dao, who sat back on the bench, was very calm. Although the team had a slight lead, Wu Dao did not become complacent about it.

He knew that trouble was yet to come.

"I will tear the bull to pieces!"

"I want Michael Jordan to be my stepping stone to the top!"

(End of this chapter)