Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

In today's game, except for Michael Jordan, the other Bulls players performed really poorly.

Pippen, who is called the strongest second-in-command by fans, had a disastrous performance in today's game. He missed many shots on the offensive end and missed many opportunities. He was also unable to limit Pippen's performance on the defensive end. He was of no help to the Bulls team as a whole.

A disastrous performance may not be enough to describe Pippen's performance in today's game. Wudao would like to call it a shit-eating performance.

Wu Dao vaguely remembered that the worst game in Pippen's career was the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Pistons in the early 90s.

In one game, Pippen contributed an "epic" 10-of-1 performance and scored 2 points in a single game. In that series, even Michael Jordan, who was in his prime, was still unable to lead the Bulls over the Pistons.

Pippen's performance in today's game is enough to compete with his performance back then.

Well, or rather, a shorter one.
When the Bulls' offense failed, the Timberwolves fans in the stands burst into amazing cheers, which were even louder than when the Timberwolves scored successfully.

The emotional stimulation that watching your own team perform well is not as good as watching the opponent's poor performance.
The fans' laughter and cheers immediately poured into the stadium.

The relaxed attitude of the Timberwolves fans naturally spread to the Timberwolves players. In the rest area on the sidelines, a group of Timberwolves players gathered around Wu Dao, and their laughter also infected them.

A naughty young player even imitated his opponent's shooting move, which was full of sarcasm.

The Timberwolves players on the court launched a new round of offensive. Although Wu Dao went off the court to rest, the Timberwolves' offensive rotation became smoother.

Wudao is a true ball-handling core, and it is inevitable that there will be some lag when the basketball is in his hands.

But without martial arts, the Timberwolves' playing style is completely different. The basketball is passed quickly between players, and each player will not have the ball for more than 2 seconds.

Within 2 seconds, the player who receives the ball must choose whether to break through with the ball or pass the ball.

The entire team's offensive rotation system is very smooth.

The Bulls' perimeter defense was not strong, and the basketball returned to Marbury's hands after several passes. Marbury, who received the ball again, did not choose to pass it to other players. After making a gesture to Garnett in the inside, he quickly broke through with the ball.

The most common way for a lineup like the Timberwolves to attack is various variations of Garnett's high-post screen.

When Marbury breaks through with the ball, he can pass the ball back to Garnett, or he can attack on his own, or he can look for open spaces for Tom or Cherokee Parks and Sam Mitchell to pass the ball.

As long as Marbury's passing vision is not obstructed, the Timberwolves' offense will not stagnate.

For the Bulls, the player responsible for defending Garnett is Pippen. In today's game, Pippen's role in the Bulls was somewhat blue-collar.

When Bu Dao is on the court, Pippen is responsible for defending Bu Dao, and when Bu Dao is not on the court, he is also responsible for defending another offensive pioneer.

Pippen's physical energy consumption was actually very intense, and he was about the same age as Michael Jordan, only a few years younger. When athletes are over 30 years old, their physical skills will decline, and Pippen's physical fitness had long passed its peak.

It has to be said that although James' skills as a player are very rough, his self-discipline is very commendable.

An old man in his 40s can still maintain such physical functions and muscle shape. James is still serious about basketball.

There is no doubt that most of the domestic players are young teenagers, and I am afraid that no one can compete with the old James. Not to mention competing on the court, even if the two players stand there, the fans can easily see which player is more serious about basketball.

But then again, there are very few players who can maintain their physical functions like James.

Especially in the 90s, when the medical rehabilitation system was not yet so sound.

A large number of these NBA players who grew up in an environment of feasting and drinking retire at the age of 33 or 34.

Although Pippen is younger than Michael Jordan, even he cannot avoid physical problems after consecutive high-intensity games.

Marbury used a pick-and-roll to break into the Bulls' basket and made a light layup.

As the basketball bounced off the backboard and into the basket, the gap between the Timberwolves and the Bulls widened further.

In the first few offensive and defensive rounds after the start of the third quarter, the Timberwolves showed their advantage.

The outstanding performances of Marbury and Tom actually made up for the lack of firepower when Wu Dao was not on the court. On the other hand, the absence of Michael Jordan caused the Bulls players to collectively lose their firepower.

The difference between the two teams once approached 20 points.

Michael Jordan had not been sitting on the sidelines for a few minutes when coach Phil Jackson could no longer hold back and hastily brought Michael Jordan back to the court.

They had to make substitutions. If the Timberwolves players on the court were allowed to continue playing freely, even if Michael Jordan was brought back on board, there would be no way for the Bulls to recover from the disadvantage.

In just a few minutes of rest, Michael Jordan had no way to adjust his condition.

Apart from making my breathing more even, the feeling of physical fatigue is still as deep and heavy.

Michael Jordan, who walked into the arena, also encouraged his teammates:
"It doesn't matter, we can win."

"Play at our own pace, Kerr, believe in your own ability and try more 3-pointers."

"We, the Bulls, have defeated countless powerful enemies along the way."

"In the finals, we, the Bulls, have never lost a series."

"It's the same this year. The team that wins the championship must be our Bulls."

The Bulls served the ball from the backcourt. Michael Jordan slowed down his pace and walked slowly toward the frontcourt while shouting to the players on the court.

Jordan's prestige in the team was so great that the Bulls were obviously at a great disadvantage, but under the guidance of Michael Jordan, the Bulls players began to cheer up.

Wudao could see that although these Bulls players were tired, they had not lost their desire for victory.

"coach."

Michael Jordan has returned to the court, so Wu Dao naturally has no reason to continue sitting on the bench. After whispering a reminder to Coach Philip beside him, Wu Dao pretended to stand up from his seat.

"Wait, sit for two more minutes and take a breath."

"Don't worry, Budo."

"Although Michael Jordan has returned to the court, they are still at a huge disadvantage."

"You have to be patient. Every minute you sit in the dugout, the Bulls will be under more pressure."

"Your influence is no longer limited to the court."

"Even if you are sitting in the rest area, you can still have an impact on the outcome of this game." Coach Philip gently held Wu Dao's hand and a confident smile appeared on his face.

"." Wu Dao had no idea how many times he had seen Coach Philip's mysterious confidence. He really wanted to refute him, but when he saw the other's smiling face, he finally sat back on the bench.

Although Coach Philip had been wrong many times before, he actually got it right in today's game.

Of course, Coach Philip himself certainly wouldn't think that he was just guessing.

In Coach Philip's opinion, it was a correct prediction of the situation on the field by a mature coach.

"Dang~~~"

Michael Jordan, who had just returned to the court, missed the shot and a crisp sound was heard in the court.

When players' physical energy is severely depleted, sitting on the sidelines can easily affect their competitive state. Especially when the rest time is very short, the impact on the players' state will be even greater.

If coach Phil Jackson had known that there would only be a few minutes of rest time, perhaps he would not have chosen to substitute Michael Jordan at this point.

If you can't rest well, it's better not to rest at all.

With Michael Jordan's mental will, letting him drag his tired body to fight continuously on the court may actually help maintain his competitive state.

The Bulls' offense failed and the players on the court began to return to defense.

The Timberwolves also slowly moved the ball toward the frontcourt, and the slow pace of the positional battle also gave the Bulls a chance to catch their breath.

But
As the basketball was brought into the frontcourt by Marbury, the Timberwolves players also started running actively.

Sam Mitchell was the most active player in the game. He had just come on the court and was full of energy, while Toni Kukoc, who was defending him, seemed a little slow.

Sam Mitchell ran out of the open space, and Marbury at the top of the arc didn't hesitate at all and directly passed the ball to his teammate.

After receiving the ball, Sam Mitchell turned around quickly and raised the ball facing the frame. Although he did not deceive Toni Kukoc, Sam Mitchell did not pause at all. He rushed forward directly and his body hit Kukoc.

The huge force made Kukoc, who was standing unsteadily, lean backwards, and Kukoc took advantage of the momentum to fall to the ground smoothly. However, the referee at the baseline did not blow the whistle because of Kukoc's fall. Sam Mitchell broke into the paint area and half-turned and made a small hook shot to directly send the ball out.

The basketball went into the net with a clear sound.

"Wow—"

Seeing the score gap widening further, the Timberwolves fans in the stands suddenly burst into cheers.

Leading their opponents by 19 points at halftime, the Timberwolves already had one foot on the ladder of victory.

Next, they only need to maintain their advantage to win the game. What makes the fans most excited is that until now, their team's ace is still resting in the rest area and has not returned to the court.

The team still has room for improvement.

This feeling also made the Timberwolves fans in the stands feel at ease, and the Timberwolves players on the court were naturally full of confidence.

The more confident a player is, the more he can display his true strength on the court.

The Timberwolves players, who were completely free of psychological burden, played very well. Although Michael Jordan returned to the court, the Timberwolves players were still not far behind.

Four minutes into the third quarter, the difference between the two teams was still 4 points.

Wu Dao, who had been sitting in the rest area for a long time, was finally brought back to the court by Coach Philip.

The return of martial arts became the last straw that broke the camel's back for the Bulls.

Unlike Michael Jordan, Budo's touch is still outstanding when he returns to the court.

Under his leadership, the Timberwolves' offense became more and more fierce, although due to the referee, the Timberwolves' defense became a little loose, which allowed the Bulls to score goals repeatedly.

However, with offensive efficiency as a bottom-line guarantee, the Timberwolves still suppressed the Bulls. No matter how hard Michael Jordan tried, he couldn't make any waves.

As the third quarter ended, the two teams still had a 16-point difference.

During the long game, Michael Jordan did not find any possibility of a comeback.

The game entered the fourth quarter and the two teams were still 16 points apart, a score that was enough to make the Bulls players feel desperate.

After the start of the fourth quarter, Michael Jordan struggled a little, but after only two or three minutes, Zen Master Coach Phil Jackson sent him back to the rest area.

At this point, the Bulls have completely given up on winning this game.

There is no way, Peng and others played too badly today, and the Bulls can only rely on Michael Jordan on the offensive end. In front of a strong team like the Timberwolves, Jordan's offense alone is still too weak.

Although Rodman played very well today, grabbing 16 rebounds and showing his dominance under the basket, such outstanding performance did not help the Bulls win the final victory.

In other words, if the Bulls want to win today's game, they must ensure that Rodman can increase his score to more than 20 points while ensuring this number of rebounds.

108: 87.

The Bulls eventually lost this home game by a huge margin of 21 points.

Pippen shot 13 of 2 shots and only scored 5 points including free throws.

The poor performance also became the biggest culprit for the Bulls' output. Michael Jordan scored 39 points in the game and was not suppressed by Martial Arts on both offense and defense. The elderly Jordan still dominated.

Wu Dao played for about 38 minutes and "only" scored 41 points. Although he once suppressed Michael Jordan in scoring, his other statistics were not as good as the old GOAT.

But the fans won’t look at other things. What the fans saw was that Martial scored higher than Michael Jordan and the Timberwolves won in the end.

As the buzzer sounded in the stadium, Wu Dao, who was walking towards the rest area off the court after the game, was stopped by many media reporters.

At this moment, the media had so many questions to ask Wu Dao.

Facing the media reporters' cameras and cannons, Wu Dao calmly waved his hands:
"I'm not accepting interviews right now. I still need to take a urine test."

"After the results of the pre-game and post-game urine tests come out, we the Timberwolves will hold a media conference."

(End of this chapter)