Slam Dunk: My Study Abroad Career in Northern Hunan

The atmosphere at the Timberwolves' home court was so heated that Marbury was cheered by the entire audience simply by scoring a point with a reverse breakaway.

The deafening cheers that flooded into the stadium also put a lot of pressure on the Bulls players.

Although these Bulls players are battle-hardened, they are still human beings after all. It is simply impossible to say that these players are not affected by the surrounding environment at all.

But on the surface, these Bulls players did not show anything unusual.

Between offense and defense, Kerr had already entered the Timberwolves' half with the basketball.

Michael Jordan, who had been standing in the elbow area on the right side of the court ready to receive the ball and attack at any time, actually ran towards Kerr quickly and set a pick-and-roll for him after Kerr entered the frontcourt.

As the leader of the team, Michael Jordan rarely does these chores on the court.

"Switch defense."

Wu Dao quickly chased in the direction of Michael Jordan. While Kerr was holding the ball and even accelerating in the direction of Michael Jordan's pick-and-roll, he also quickly reminded Marbury who was not far away.

Players on the field need to communicate in a timely manner. Many times, the tacit understanding between players is not as direct and reliable as words.

After receiving Wu Dao's instructions, Marbury did not move. After being delayed by Michael Jordan, he quickly took a step back and came directly in front of Michael Jordan.

Wu Dao slid in the direction of Kerr's breakthrough and instantly blocked Kerr in place.

Facing the tall and strong Wudao, it was difficult for Cole to break through head-on.

After continuous dribbling between the legs and adjustments on the spot, Kerr also retreated to the three-point line with the ball, hoping to lure Wu Dao out in this way.

Only by mobilizing the center of gravity of martial arts can he have a chance to break through the defense of martial arts.

But facing Cole, Wudao was not moved at all. The distance between the two was 1 meter, and Wudao did not give Cole any space or opportunity to accelerate and break through.

His eyes swept towards Michael Jordan at the top of the arc, and the basketball in Kerr's hand was quickly passed.

“A wise choice.”

Kerr did not rashly force his way into Wu Dao's defense, nor did he attempt to attack with a 3-pointer in front of Wu Dao. The physical fitness gap between him and Wu Dao was really too big, and without a wide open space, it was simply impossible for him to shoot a 3-pointer in front of Wu Dao.

Even if the two were 1 meter apart, his shot would most likely be blocked by Wudao.

Wu Dao's explosiveness and talent have long been recognized and feared by many teams in the league. Any attacker will be extremely cautious in front of Wu Dao, even Michael Jordan is no exception.

However, after the Timberwolves switched defense, the Bulls finally found a gap in the Timberwolves' defense.

It is not actually accurate to call it a gap. Although Marbury's physical condition is average, his confrontation ability is actually quite good. If it were not for Michael Jordan, he could actually delay the opponent's offense and give the team's inside players enough time to come up and defend.

But unfortunately, he was facing Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan, who got the basketball, didn't hesitate at all. He just rushed forward with the ball and leaned his body on Marbury.

Michael Jordan, who quickly reached the free throw line, also attracted Garnett's attention. Garnett, who was already on the side of the paint area, quickly made up for Michael Jordan.

Although Marbury was pushed back by Michael Jordan, he is more than just one person.

Garnett's movements were naturally seen by Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan, who was rushing forward, suddenly paused, raised his arms slightly and leaned lightly on Marbury's body, then made an abrupt stop and shot a quick fadeaway jump shot.

In Wudao's opinion, Michael Jordan's breakthrough action was actually somewhat suspected of being a foul, and the arm-supporting posture was actually very obvious, but the referee on the sidelines completely ignored Michael Jordan's foul action.

Marbury, who was defending him, was also pushed away by Michael Jordan. He could not keep up with Michael Jordan's sudden stop and fadeaway jump shot. He could only watch the basketball pass over his head.

As for Garnett who came hurriedly, there was still nearly one meter distance between him and Michael Jordan. Even with his physical talent, he had no way to interfere with Michael Jordan who had excellent jumping ability.

It was a fadeaway jump shot, and even if Garnett was able to stick close to Michael Jordan, he might not be able to block it.

Garnett, who was a little slow in defense, did not stop for a moment. He watched Michael Jordan shoot, then quickly turned back to the basket, ready to grab the rebound.

However, Michael Jordan did not give Garnett a chance to grab the rebound. The basketball he threw went directly into the net with a slight sound.

“ohhh!!!”

Although the number of Bulls fans who came to watch the game was far less than that of local fans in Minnesota, when Michael Jordan scored a goal, there was warm cheers from the stands.

The cheers from the Bulls fans were not much weaker than the cheers from the Timberwolves fans before.

It can be seen how high Michael Jordan's status is in the hearts of Bulls fans.

Michael Jordan, who scored the goal, clenched his fist and glanced sideways at Wu Dao who was not far away.

Although the Timberwolves have won three games against the Bulls, Michael Jordan doesn't think that Wu Dao is stronger than himself.

Although Jordan didn't say it, he still blamed Pippen for the main reason of the team's defeat.

Of course, that is indeed the case. If Pippen had not performed so-so in these games, the Bulls should have had no problem winning two games against the Timberwolves.

Michael Jordan did not say what he really thought, just to maintain the unity of the team.

Although he was unwilling to admit that he was weaker than martial arts, there was one thing Michael Jordan could recognize.

That is, martial arts has reached the same level as his. This statement is barely acceptable to Michael Jordan.

Ever since the Timberwolves' press conference yesterday to clarify the doping rumors, various media reporters have been reporting extensively on Wu Dao and the Timberwolves he leads.

Before today's game started, during the Bulls' pre-game press conference, many media reporters actually took the opportunity of the press conference to ask him what he thought of Wu Dao and his Timberwolves.

Facing questions from media reporters, Michael Jordan naturally expressed humility: Wu Dao is an outstanding young man, not much different from me now. As long as he is given time, he will definitely become a true leader.

While elevating martial arts in disguise, Michael Jordan was actually elevating himself.

Comparing the young Budo with his old self, it is hard to say whether Michael Jordan was praising Budo or himself when he said that.
There is no way Michael Jordan would belittle the strength of Martial Arts in front of the media. There is no other way, because the Timberwolves are producing more than the Bulls.

If someone brazenly says that someone is weaker than him in martial arts, even if he is Michael Jordan, he will probably be criticized by fans.

After all, in front of the iron record, everything else is meaningless, and the mouth cannon is the most meaningless. Michael Jordan's goal naturally stimulated the Timberwolves players, well, they can't wait to get back on top of the Bulls.

Marbury received the ball in the backcourt, quickly dribbled into the frontcourt, and made a pick-and-roll gesture to Garnett in the paint.

Marbury has always been accustomed to giving the ball to Wu Dao to handle this kind of response ball, but in today's game, Marbury has to prove his worth to the team.

When any team is about to reach the "finish line", there will always be people who want to try to prove to the management that they are indispensable to the team.

Marbury is such a person who is eager to prove his worth.

Although the Timberwolves have not actually won the championship yet, in the eyes of most people, the Timberwolves, who are already leading the Bulls 3-1, have actually touched the championship trophy.

Even Marbury thought so. In his opinion, the championship trophy was already secured.

So without affecting the final result, Marbury naturally has to prove his value to the team management.

Every team that can win the championship will often encounter the "championship curse" after winning the championship.

The most fundamental reason for this championship curse is that the players who won the championship are no longer satisfied with their current status and worth, and are trying to seek change.

Whenever something like this happens, conflicts of interest between players are inevitable.

The end result is that the team falls apart.

The so-called championship curse is actually this reason.

All teams that can achieve a dynasty have a silently dedicated second-in-command. The strength of the team is one aspect, but the cohesion of the team is actually a more important thing.

Not all second-in-commands of dynasty teams are willing to receive "relief money" like Pippen.

Not all dynasty teams can encounter a growing rookie like the Lakers.

The fundamental reason for the estrangement of the Ok group is actually the uneven profit distribution between O'Neal and Kobe.

The dispute between O'Neal and Kobe over team status was actually just one of the triggers for the collapse of the Lakers dynasty after three consecutive championships.

Championship curse
This curse has already been placed on the Timberwolves' heads early on.

Garnett in the inside quickly moved up to set a screen for Marbury. With the help of Garnett's screen, Marbury also quickly advanced.

Only this time, the Bulls were on guard against Marbury.

The defensive player who was chasing Garnett did not completely leave the basket, but only took two steps and then stopped.

When Marbury broke through, he also ran head-on into the Bulls defender.

Mabu, who was making a breakthrough, seemed to be full of confidence because of his previous successful scoring. Facing the defensive players, he chose to attack on his own and forced a shot while moving.

The basketball passed through the defender's fingers and Marbury's shot successfully passed through the defense.

It's just that the stability of his mid-range and long-range shots is too poor. Even a player like Marbury can't use such a ball as one of his regular offensive weapons.

Such a ball can be scored occasionally, but it is impossible to maintain a certain hit rate.

Not to mention Marbury, even Michael Jordan couldn't do it.

"Ding~" The thrown basketball hit the edge of the basket and bounced out directly. The rebound was also held tightly in the hands of Luke Longley under the basket.

It was a very bad offensive choice. This ball made Coach Philip frown on the sidelines.

He himself is not a coach who likes players to abuse their personal abilities. Although he has been somewhat desensitized by Wu Dao's "training", he simply tolerates Wu Dao's unreasonable actions in the team.

Other players, especially those on the bench, will be immediately replaced if such a ball appears on the court.

In this regard, Coach Philip is the same as many coaches in the country.

Domestic coaches, especially those who coach young players, have very low tolerance. They will never allow the players on the field to make even the slightest mistake. Anyone who makes a mistake will be substituted.

Some young players may even completely ruin their careers just because of a single mistake in a game and never get a chance to play again.

It is precisely because of this training environment that some domestic players show a dull and clumsy state when playing in leagues and international competitions. If there is no reminder from the coach, these players will have no judgment of their own at critical moments and can only hold their heads in a daze.

But Marbury is different from those bench players and domestic players. He is also somewhat famous in the Timberwolves. Coach Philip would never replace him off the court just because of Marbury's unreasonable shot this time.

If he really did that, I'm afraid that before the end of the game, the fans in the stands would drown him with saliva.

The Bulls seized the opportunity to counterattack. Luke Longley, who got the rebound, quickly passed the ball to Cole, who slowed down the pace a bit and took the ball into the Timberwolves' half to fight with the Timberwolves.

The basketball was directly passed to Luke Longley. After receiving the ball, Luke Longley also shot high, using his footwork and speed to break through Roberts of the Timberwolves and forced a hook shot to score.

Roberts has very good physical fitness, but he is suitable for dealing with power centers and is not very good at dealing with semi-technical forwards like Luke Longley who has some hook shot ability.

If Stani Roberts is asked to deal with a center like O'Neal who likes to attack the basket, maybe it will be better; but if he is asked to deal with a center like Yao Ming who has certain shooting attributes, he will suffer a great loss.

Even Garnett was unable to provide assisting defense in the first place.

The battle-hardened Bulls naturally saw the flaws in the Timberwolves' lineup and found their weaknesses and hit them hard.

"Stephen, take it easy, play slower."

During the Timberwolves' offensive round, Wu Dao did not rush into the frontcourt, but patiently reminded Marbury.

Wu Dao could see Marbury's excitement and also understood his urgent desire to prove himself, but these emotions needed to be controlled.

Marbury must not be confused by his emotions and must play calmly.

The bull is not fish on the chopping board, you have to be careful.

(End of this chapter)