So I am the god of basketball?

Chapter 16 You call this a "caddie"?
  As long as you are a fan who pays attention to the NBA.

In fact, even people who don’t follow basketball know the name:

Michael Jordan!

If there is a god in basketball, it must be this man.

When Meng Lang traveled through time and saw his good basketball talent and the basketball system that made him even more powerful, his first thought was the NBA. This was his dream all along.

then……

Naturally, he wants to become the top NBA player and compete with the "God of Basketball".

However, the gears of fate begin to turn, and no one knows what will happen next moment.

He originally thought that the competition with Michael Jordan would have to wait at least until he entered the NBA, but as far as he knew the future, the first battle with Jordan was estimated to be at least two and a half years away.

He really didn't expect that he would successfully join Duke and actually become a member of the college student sparring team.

This gave him an early opportunity to play against Michael Jordan.

Whether it was yesterday or today's game, I have to admit that Jordan is Jordan.

The king who ruled the entire 90s was at his absolute peak, with extraordinary strength!

Even on the "Dream Team," he seemed so otherworldly.

Yesterday he was the best performer in the game, so good that Daley had to replace him to ensure that the college training team won the training match as he wanted; today he is still the most explosive performer in the game, and Meng Lang is currently He scored 22 points, which was the highest score among the college students' sparring team and higher than most of the "Dream Team" players. But Jordan...he has at least scored more than 30 points!
  He completely knocked Hardaway into isolation.

These are the dominance of Michael Jordan that Meng Lang witnessed with his own eyes!

But it wasn't until he came face-to-face with Jordan that he learned what suffocation was...

Less than 4 minutes into the fourth quarter.

Meng Lang, who had only missed 3 shots in the previous 3 quarters, made 3 of 1 shots!
  Jordan's ability to entangle like a shadow, his ability to stick to his body like a dog-skin plaster, his precise judgment, and his strong body all made Meng Lang's every step on the court seem so torturous.

For the first time, he discovered that catching the ball was so difficult!
  Is it over?
  Although I had long thought that when Michael Jordan stood opposite Meng Lang, everything would be over. ——No one knows Jordan's terror better than Chuck Daly. Even before the league rules were changed, he made Jordan lie on the ground again and again.

However, didn't he take advantage of the rules?
  Taking advantage of the league's "anti-isolation" rule that only targets Jordan alone.

But some disappointment flashed in Chuck Daly's eyes.

It's rare to find a new person that he is so interested in!

He expected more from this guy.

Even if it’s just extraordinary performance!
  For a player of this age, all his extraordinary performances on the court represent his unpredictable upper limit!

Old K has completely opposite psychology to him.

He didn't feel any disappointment, just worry.

He was worried that Michael Jordan's suffocating defense would destroy Meng Lang's self-confidence. He wanted to call a timeout and tell Meng Lang: "It's all over. You will have a chance to challenge Jordan again, but not now!"

What he didn't expect was that before he called a timeout, Meng Lang called a timeout first.

"Have you thought of another dirty way to delay?" Jordan was very dissatisfied with this.

Well, he was mainly worried that Meng Lang might have some dirty but effective tricks. Although he won't admit it.

"You can ask Chuck Daly to cancel the timeout. No one is allowed to call a timeout!" Meng Lang's body had softened, but his mouth was still tough.

Sharp teeth!

"I want to see what tricks you have up your sleeve!"

With a cold snort, Jordan walked towards his bench.

He took the towel and rolled it out randomly. Obvious sweat stains immediately appeared on the white towel.

Unconsciously, he also sweated a lot and could already feel tired.

whispering sound!
  Playing this kind of game actually...

Jordan found that he seemed to be too slack after winning the "two consecutive championships"!

"I need help, otherwise I can't open up the space!" Meng Lang, who faced Jordan's tough words, returned to the bench and truthfully disclosed his plight, "I hope you can continue to cover me! Believe me, This game isn’t over yet!”

He talked about his difficulties, but his tone was still confident!

No teammate asked him "why". It was obvious that he was very reluctant to connect the ball when facing Michael Jordan's defense.

There is an answer to this question.

Because they would be so embarrassed when facing Michael Jordan in the same situation!

Because Meng Lang is the guy with the highest score in the current college sparring group!

Because he prevented them from completely collapsing within 5 minutes of the first quarter!

Hardaway did a great job of keeping Jordan's anger focused solely on him.

But Meng Lang is the "absolute core" of this team now!
  Performing well is the right to speak. This is the only law on the court.

If he needs a pick-and-roll, then he must be given a pick-and-roll, like he said, a steady stream of pick-and-rolls...

Chris Webber asked worriedly: "Are you sure?"

He didn't mean to ridicule Meng Lang. What he was more afraid of was that Meng Lang's counterattack would anger Jordan and lead to even more crazy revenge, which would destroy his will and turn him into a "dementia" like Hardaway at this moment.

Meng Lang was not sure, even if he cheated.

But even if you improve your shooting ability by 200%, if you can't catch the ball or make a shot, it's all in vain!
  However, he did not hesitate to answer Weber's question: "I am a pitcher, and this is my most confident way of scoring. Regardless of whether I am sure or not, I believe I can get out of the way!"

Years later, Weber talked about this episode when talking about Meng Lang: "If you ask me, when did I start to feel that this would be a great player and a great legend, then it was when he said this. It’s time to start!”

The depths of Old K's eyes were also filled with light. He liked these words and Meng Lang who said them.

The game restarted, and Jordan could intuitively feel the adjustment after the college training team called a timeout:
  Meng Lang is running even more crazily, and others are actively giving him pick-and-roll screens without the ball!

one, two, three...

Michael Jordan let everyone know why he is the well-deserved No. [-] offensive and defensive player in the NBA.

He successfully bypassed three consecutive screens and still clung to Meng Lang, not giving him any chance to breathe.

But Meng Lang didn't stop either and continued running.

At this moment, he suddenly thought of Hamilton!
  Later in the 04 Finals, he ran like this and Kobe wanted to break his legs.

Jordan is not Kobe, he has better defensive capabilities than Kobe. ——This does not require much discussion.

But the amount of physical energy he lost in his crazy attacks on Hardaway in the first three quarters was also considerable!
  I can always get out of the way!

Meng Lang, who firmly believed this, finally got rid of Jordan when the 24 seconds were about to run out, quickly caught the ball, and then turned around and shot!

This is his more confident moment!

"Buddha's light shines everywhere", shooting is the easiest thing.

The next second the ball was released, Jordan's big hand shrouded Meng Lang's sight.

impartial.

But given Meng Lang's "state" tonight, it was already too late, and the ball hit the frame!

This is still a 3-pointer!

The moment the ball went in, low cheers erupted from the audience.

Chuck Daly's eyes suddenly lit up.

good boy...

He's more interested!

"Michael, you're in trouble!"

Barkley didn't care whether Jordan was on the verge of going berserk at this moment, he couldn't bear it and had to complain!
  Jordan glared at him fiercely: "Shut up, you fat man!"

It could be seen that he was really anxious and actually planned to respond with a three-pointer.

However, the background of the "mid-range shooting" era and his personal shooting habits made him try against Hill's three-point shot and failed to make it.

Ewing grabbed an offensive rebound under the basket, but the "second offense" came out.

The "gorilla" in key rounds never disappoints!

This time Chris Webber didn't let the rebound belong to the "Dream Team" anymore, he jumped high to protect it.

"Run, run!"

He was about to wait for Hill or Hardaway to catch the ball. When Meng Lang shouted, he understood what he had to do:

Dribble down quickly!

Although he is in the fourth position, Meng Lang, who is well aware of his dream of becoming the next "Magic" Johnson, knows very well that he has the ability to move quickly with the ball.

This is undoubtedly a style of play that is not in line with the current NBA trend.

But when the fourth position grabs the rebound and can quickly get down with the ball, the counterattack speed is definitely much faster than usual!
  The "Dream Team" hasn't completely returned to defense yet, and the frontcourt college training team is already in place with 5 people.

A situation of more fighting and less fighting!
  Meng Lang slid to the baseline from outside the three-point line and ran in a big circle, deceiving Jordan and allowing Weber and Hill to complete the connection.

Chasing 5 points in a row!
  The score difference returned to within 8 points.

Chuck Daly is no longer just a spectator. He reminds: "Slow down, slow down, keep the rhythm!"

Stockton knew this was a reminder to catch the ball, help Jordan control his rhythm, and allow him to catch his breath.

After the timeout, Jordan ran wildly for 44 seconds and lost his breath.

In addition to chasing 5 points in a row, this is another gain for the college student sparring team in these two rounds.

Bigger gains.

At least in Meng Lang's eyes, this matter was more important than scoring 5 points in a row.

But Salt Lake City's "old coin" made this harvest come to nothing.

He slowly controlled the ball for half the game, as slowly as an 80-year-old man walking on a freshly snowed road in the Northeast without a cane.

The limit of the 8-second violation reached the frontcourt.

Jordan also caught his breath.

This is a historical level of physical fitness.

Only then did Meng Lang feel that he had thought too much and was thinking about consuming Jordan's physical energy. ——Even though it is true that he consumed a lot of physical energy. But this is a monster that even the flu can defeat!

He had to think about other benefits that "small ball" thinking could bring.

Well, Meng Lang insisted on using "small ball" thinking to play the remaining rounds.

This is a rhythm that Jordan is not accustomed to, and it is also one of the few, or the only, place where he is better than Jordan.

Quickly catching up with 5 points is his confidence.

The college student training group still uses zone defense to deal with Jordan.

Angry flames filled Jordan's dark face. He was already jumping in the air, but he calmly found Karl Malone who was cutting to the basket. He succeeded in "feeding the ball" and scored 2 points.

This is probably the scariest thing about Jordan.

Anger provides him with strength and he can remain calm in anger.

Well, I still have to add "one".

There are so many scary things about him!
  There are still 5 minutes left in the clock.

"Damn bitch, you're hiding like a bitch now, you know? Do you dare to hold the ball and beat me alone, 1v1, like a man!"

As the cooperation became more and more tacit, Jordan became a little tired of dealing with the constant screens from the opposite side. He found it difficult to speak up and asked his teammates to cover for him.

For him, this is tantamount to failure!

He tried to anger Meng Lang with trash talk. Completely forgetting that yesterday he maintained his identity and did not trash talk Meng Lang.

He obviously didn't realize that the person opposite was also a "trash talker".

"I will come up with ways to deal with men. First of all, you can stop me from shooting!"

You call me a pussy, but now I’m beating my pussy too!

After saying that, Meng Lang, who was cutting to the basket, suddenly stopped at the right elbow, turned around and ran towards the three-point line. Hill appeared in time and stopped Jordan who wanted to follow.

It takes time for Pippen to cover for Meng Lang, which is enough time for Meng Lang to complete the shot. “The problem is you can’t stop it, Jordan!”

Three points again!

6 points away!
  "wow!"

The players on both sides of the bench jumped at the same time. Old K was also excited and "grew taller" for less than a second.

Looking at Meng Lang who secretly clenched his fists, he murmured in a low voice:
  "This guy did it, really did it!"

In a timeout, Jordan almost locked up and scored two consecutive three-pointers, bringing the score difference back to a suspenseful number.

Jordan's expression changed when he looked at Meng Lang.

He didn't want to admit it, but he had to admit that he felt troubled!
  He had experienced this thorny feeling with "Magic" Johnson, he had experienced it with "Big Bird" Bird, and he had also experienced it with "The Smiling Assassin," the bastard he hated most...

He's not afraid of tough feelings.

Steel was tempered a hundred times, and now we have Michael Jordan.

However, when this feeling appeared to a little-known rookie, Jordan was filled with shock.

Chuck Daly called a timeout, and it was time to interrupt Meng Lang's fiery state.

But his expression couldn't deceive anyone.

Rather than being the head coach of the "Dream Team", he is now more like a spectator watching with interest from the sidelines.

He really didn't expect that the second game of the training match would turn out like this...

It's really interesting!

Meng Lang wiped the sweat off his face with a towel, then threw it on the chair: "Come on, guys, in the last 4 minutes, let's catch up with the score and kick their butts hard again!"

Oh, almost forgot!

He looked at the handsome but ugly face on the bench of the "Dream Team": "Senior, can you do such a thing?!"

A piece of rubbish that hurt the soul, leaving the proud Leitner unable to say a word.

As expected, I was so shameless that this situation did not turn into a "monkey butt".

The biggest Ruisi went to Meng Lang.

This is what the college sparring group and other "Dream Team" players besides Jordan want to say.

After the timeout, what they wanted to say changed:

The biggest scare was for Meng Lang!

because of him……

After two consecutive three-pointers stopped the game, he returned to the court and hit two consecutive three-pointers!
  4 3-pointers, 12 points!
  The 6-point difference suddenly became 4 points!
  Jordan was also at full power and kept scoring, returning to the court and hitting all two shots he took.

However, a 3-pointer is 2 point more than a 1-pointer!
  In this era where three-point tactics are not important, Meng Lang used a "three-point rain" to bring some shock from three-pointers to the superstars of this era.

If the three-point shot is accurate, there is really no need for a two-point shot!
  Meng Lang's inhuman condition and fiery touch completely inspired the fighting spirit of the rest of the college student sparring group.

Including Hardaway, who had not spoken much since the game entered the fourth quarter, he suddenly woke up from his "dementia". When Pippen passed the ball to Jordan, he actually stole the ball and gave Meng Lang another chance to attack.

There is only one minute left in the game, so this steal is particularly critical!
  "Pi Er Lao" subconsciously held his head. He knew exactly what stupid thing he had done.

Jordan's personal entanglement is more aggressive, but there is no loss of position.

Meng Lang felt suffocated, but he didn't panic!

At this moment, two "Michael Jordan hearts" are burning!
  Continuous cover came towards Meng Lang.

Jordan once again explains why he is Jordan!

At the critical moment, he was hundreds of times stronger than usual...

Meng Lang couldn't distance himself from him at all.

no solution anymore!

With the last 24 seconds left in the 5-second attack time, Meng Lang secretly pushed Jordan to create distance, quickly caught the ball and aimed at the basket.

Jordan pounced forward like a tiger, hanging on Meng Lang's body. ——After bypassing so many covers, he has reached the limit.

“God” can get tired too!

Fatigue caused him to lose control of his movements...

Even in the 90s when the defensive scale was larger, this kind of outside defense that hung on people was undoubtedly a foul ball.

"beep!"

The referee's whistle blows.

There was a faint whisper from the scene, and more people were looking at the basketball flying in the air.

Look at the arc of this ball, it’s big...

coming soon!
  "Shh!"

The ball went straight through the basket, causing a huge scream.

Yes!

Not a shout, not a yell, but a scream!
  Barkley called out "dolphin sound"!
  Meng Lang supported Jordan and completed "3 plus 1"...

This picture is really eye-catching!
  no……

He really wanted to walk in front of old K now.

You call this a "caddie"?
  After having hit 4 consecutive three-pointers before, Meng Lang's "3 plus 1" created a "world-famous painting" that impressed everyone, whether they were well-informed "Dream Team" players or college student coaches. The ignorant and stupid "chicks" in the team, as well as Chuck Daly and Old K on the sidelines, were all shocked.

Do you still know who you are facing?
  Playing like this against Michael Jordan, right?

Meng Lang was a little different from usual this time.

After hitting 4 consecutive three-pointers, his expression did not change at all.

He clearly knows that his "hook" is enough to allow him to hit these shots.

But this time, he shook his shooting right hand hard.

He didn't let go for a long time!

Michael Jordan giving his all is too strong.

His off-ball running ability value is only 84, which is okay against ordinary defenders, but is no longer enough against such top defenders.

This shot is full of unknowns...

God was on his side and allowed him to make this "Tihua Show".

In the last 30 seconds, Meng Lang took a few deep breaths, made a steady hit and added a penalty, tying the score!

At this moment, he was the center of attention!
  Deep shock filled everyone's heart.

Leitner even felt like a clown when he was noisy before.

Chuck Daly called timeout again. Before he could speak, Jordan spoke: "Give me the ball and I will solve this game!"

He didn't think about why this game, which was once won by 15 points, became a tie at the end of the game.

He didn't blame any of his teammates.

He didn't worry about his foul.

Or angrily accuse Meng Lang of pushing others...

He just made his request, so sonorous and powerful that no one could refuse. Even if he just made a mistake.

Including Chuck Daly.

There is a kind of person who is born to be a king.

Michael Jordan is this kind of person!
  This kind of person makes a mistake ten thousand times, and God will forgive him ten thousand and one times.

The game restarts.

Old K guessed that Jordan would get the ball and deployed layers of defense.

From Grant Hill to Meng Lang, to Chris Webber and Montrose inside.

Everyone only does one thing:
  Stop Jordan!

The result can be...

Jordan, who was facing Grant Hill with his back, just turned around sharply and thrust forward with his center of gravity lowered, and he passed Hill in one step. Meng Lang defended in front of him, but was also thrown aside by him with an in&out, and faced Webb directly. With Montrose, the most dominant force in this era, he dunked with open hands and completed a powerful dunk.

"1 vs. 4" in the frontcourt allowed the "Dream Team" to take the lead again.

it's not finished yet!
  it's not finished yet!
  Jordan glanced at the timer and counted down silently in his heart:
  14、13、12、11、10……

Hill held the ball through halftime during this period, but at the same time as he passed halftime, Jordan stepped forward and pressed forward with his closest comrade Scottie Pippen at the same time. This game Hill, who didn't make a single mistake, was double-teamed by two people and hurriedly shot the ball, but was intercepted by Jordan's big hand.

Successful steal!

it's over!
  Jordan kept running forward, and Hill couldn't catch up with him even if he wanted to foul. He watched him complete another dunk.

The next second the ball fell from the basket, the final whistle of the game sounded.

The "Dream Team" relied on Jordan's 4 consecutive points to finally win.

Jordan still dominated the game.

Even 30 seconds ago, he was so close to flipping over again.

But in the end, with his strong offensive and defensive abilities, he stabilized the situation.

"Over, you bitch who only knows how to shoot, you lose!"

After swearing fiercely, Jordan walked straight out of the arena.

He couldn't stay here any longer.

Although he won, such a thrilling process made him feel more uncomfortable than losing.

Meng Lang was not speechless because of the loss. He said back: "It's just 1 to 1, Jordan!"

These words immediately stopped Jordan and turned to look at Meng Lang angrily.

"Listen, Jordan, sooner or later you're going to lose because of my shooting, we'll see!"

Meng Lang's voice couldn't help but contain some reluctance.

He thinks he is old enough.

Having fought so many matches and having the experience of being a professional boxer in my previous life.

But at critical moments in higher-level games, he can't be compared to Jordan at all.

The last 30 seconds were completely different!
  Jordan dominated both ends of the court, and he did nothing else.

Maybe I didn’t accomplish anything, and the more I thought about it, the more unwilling I became!

There is a suffocating feeling as if you are planning to hit the cotton with a punch...

Jordan was about to fight back when he suddenly thought of the "Dream Team" people who were watching with gusto. He let out a silent "boo", and finally turned around and left the arena without saying anything. ——It’s not a shame to compete with an 18-year-old brat!

"Sorry, man!"

Grant Hill regretted his fatal mistake.

Meng Lang shook his head slightly.

This is a double attack between Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Even "Magic" can't handle it. It's normal for Grant Hill to be intercepted.

Being able to push Jordan and Pippen to this level is really impressive considering their age!

Charles Barkley came over at this time, with an excited look on his face: "Boy, don't be too frustrated. Believe me, Michael will never think he won this game. You made 5 three-pointers in front of him." , it only took one quarter, that’s why he was so anxious to leave the arena!”

To be precise, it was 4 three-pointers and 1 "3 plus 1"!
  It can only be said that "Flying Pig" knows Jordan too well.

What Jordan couldn't accept even more than the difficult process was that Meng Lang hit three-pointers again and again in front of him, but he couldn't stop him!

Chuck Daly also came over, patted him on the shoulder, and said angrily: "Boy, don't pay too much attention to this defeat. It's just that you, 18, lost to 29-year-old Jordan. This is not a problem!"

(End of this chapter)