It was three o'clock in the morning, and Wang Tiejun was still not asleep. He yawned one after another, but he just couldn't fall asleep. There was nothing he could do, he was too excited.
In other rooms, just like him, none of the Suns players were asleep.
In fact, just like these players, the coaching staff and management are also the same, and the boss Colangelo is just as excited, or even more excited.
The next morning, no one in the team could get up.
On the 17th, almost all media in the United States had the news of the NBA Finals on their headlines.
"Old K leads the offensive frenzy in the final quarter, Jordan has nothing to say." New York Times.
"Behind one to three, the Bulls dynasty collapsed before it was established, and Jordan had nothing to say." New York Sports.
"Averaging 40 per game in the Finals, Jordan played an unprecedented performance." Chicago Sports News.
"Hey, No. 23, you have made some progress, the three of you almost guarded me just now." Phoenix Sports reported.
"prick!"
Jordan, who was sitting at the dining table, tore up a pile of newspapers and threw them on the floor. The mentality he had recovered after a night was suddenly destroyed.
Although the center of media coverage was Jordan, who was lagging behind by a big score, Comrade Wang also took the opportunity to make his presence felt, and no one could ignore his performance in the final quarter.
Smiling assassin Isiah Thomas accepted an interview with the media in New York and said with a smile: "A rookie performed like a superstar on Jordan's head. He determined the outcome of the finals. He determined the ownership of the championship.
He single-handedly crushed Jordan's dynasty dream.
This may make Michael Jordan very disappointed and angry, but he can't change anything, and this is the NBA, everything is possible.
The last thing I want to say is, if we can beat him, Michael Jordan, then there will be people who can beat him now and in the future."
That morning, Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf summoned general manager Jerry Krause and head coach Phil Jackson in his office.
When the three of them met, they found that everyone had dark circles under their eyes. It seemed that they had not slept much last night.
"Phil, tell me, do we still have hope?" Reinsdorf sighed.
Phil Jackson didn't sleep at all last night. He thought about it all night and came up with some ideas. He said: "Boss, although there is no precedent for a comeback after falling behind 1-3 in the league, we can't lose hope. We have to do it now."
What it does is, it sets this precedent that Michael thinks the same way."
Jerry Reinsdorf and Jerry Kraus both nodded and looked at Phil Jackson, waiting for him to continue.
Phil Jackson said: "The reason why we lost the game last night was actually not a tactical problem, nor was it that we didn't play well enough. We were always in the lead, but in the last quarter, Old K exploded. This was something we did not expect."
"well!"
When this was mentioned, Jerry Kraus sighed to himself. If he had brought K to Chicago, he wouldn't have had these troubles.
Jerry Reinsdorf nodded, accepted the statement, and asked, "So Phil, how are you going to solve it?"
Phil Jackson frowned and said: "To be honest, Boss, we really lack a human shield. No one can hold him in the low post. Even if we use small-tonnage players to double-team, his weird relying on hitting can still
Forcibly breaking through the double-team made us very passive tactically."
The other two couldn't help but nodded. Old K's trash talk was too lethal, but it also showed that it was useless for small players to double-team him.
Phil Jackson continued: "My defensive strategy against him has always been to consume his physical energy. In fact, it was very successful last night.
But I didn’t expect that the Suns would dare to only let him play half a quarter in the final quarter. He rested off the court for more than ten minutes, which allowed his physical fitness to recover to a certain extent, and then ushered in his big break in the last three minutes.
burst."
Jerry Kraus spoke for the first time and nodded: "Paul Westphal is still capable, don't underestimate him."
Nodding noncommittally, Phil Jackson continued: "In the G5 game, my idea of defending Old K is to consume his physical energy, but I am going to shrink my defense and resolutely prevent him from getting close to the basket."
"Shrink the defense? Then the perimeter..." Jerry Krause had some doubts.
Phil Jackson said: "I have thought about it. The real strength of the Suns is in the inside. Both K and Barkley need to double-team, but we can only double-team one, so only by shrinking the defense can we solve this problem at the same time.
As for the outside, there will definitely be loopholes that allow them to get some open opportunities, but our own outside scoring can completely make up for this part of the loss."
The other two couldn't help but nodded. After all, they were not the head coach, so they felt that this was what happened.
Next, Reinsdorf let Phil Jackson leave first, and he and Jerry Krause chatted alone.
"Jerry, tell me, how do you solve our interior problem? Now that the Suns are on the rise, needless to say, the fifth position, we are also weak at the fourth position, and Grant is completely unable to deal with Barkley." He asked.
Krause has been thinking about this issue and immediately said after hearing this: "Boss, during the offseason I will clean up the contracts of the insiders and stock up on one or two heavy-tonnage human shields.
In the next few seasons, Barkley's strength should remain at a high level. Old K...if there are no injuries, he will continue to improve. The Suns' inside strength will at least remain at the current level. The Suns will be the Bulls' competition.
The main rival for the championship.
In addition to being a human shield, we also need a stronger inside man who is better than Grant in terms of scoring and rebounding ability."
"Do you have a goal?" Reinsdorf asked immediately.
Klaus shook his head and said: "The human shield is okay, but really not good. We can let our own players gain weight, but the other one is difficult to trade."
"well!"
Reinsdorf sighed.
Now is the era of traditional centers. How can a good inside man be so easy to obtain? If it could be obtained easily, the Bulls would have obtained it long ago and would not have to face such a passive situation.
He remembered Klaus's words just now and asked: "Old K is only in his first season. Do you think he might get injured?"
"Very possible."
Jerry Krause nodded and explained: "The knee is most likely to be injured by big centers, and his style of play wears out the knees far more than other centers, so I think he is likely to be in the field.
Injuries occurred early in his career. Even before his peak period came, he would fall."
"What?" Reinsdorf was startled.
"I think the first injury he suffered was either his back or his knees," Krause added.
…
That afternoon, league president David Stern and a group of officials arrived in Chicago, and they brought the championship trophy.
The owners of the Bulls and Suns both came to the airport to greet him, and Stern chose to get in the Bulls owner's car.
Looking at the leaving convoy, Colangelo felt a little bad.
He is a senior executive of the league himself, and of course he is very aware of Stern's development strategy.
Now the alliance is indeed seeking strategies to develop around the world, which also includes developing the market in the country where the old K is located.
But the most important thing about the alliance is not these development plans.
The nba league is a performance stage for stars, and the biggest player among them is undoubtedly Michael Jordan.
It is precisely because of Jordan's emergence that the NBA has been brought to a new level, so Jordan's significance to the league is far higher than anything else.
He knew that Stern had a plan, which was to create a god, promote Jordan to the world, and elevate him to god status, thereby relying on Jordan's huge influence around the world to bring the NBA to a new level.
Among them, dynasty is an indispensable part.
But now, the Bulls are trailing one to three, and the Bulls dynasty collapsed before it was established. What will Stern think?
…
In Reinsdorf's stretch Lincoln, he closed the cab partition and discussed the Finals with Stern.
"Mr. President, the current situation is very unfavorable to us, but we will not give up. We hope to get some support from the alliance," he said.
"Mr. Reinsdorf, we can't interfere in the finals, you know that." Stern said calmly.
"If we complete the dynasty, it will be very beneficial to the development of the alliance, as you know." Reinsdorf smiled.
Stern smiled meaningfully.
…
That evening, the Suns had dinner at the hotel, and the management told the players to have a good rest tonight and adjust their condition.
Barkley returned to the room. The thought of winning the championship tomorrow made every cell of his body jump with excitement.
"Can I win the championship tomorrow? Michael will definitely fight back. He will definitely not admit defeat. What should I do?"
"Oops, I didn't sleep much last night, and now I can't sleep again. What should I do?"
"It's over, I'm going to have insomnia again."
"What if I don't perform well tomorrow? It's over!"
But at the same time, inexplicable pressure also arose, and countless random thoughts made his mind confused.
Like him, Kevin Johnson and Dan Marley were in the same situation. Even though they were leading three to one, the pressure of worrying about gains and losses in the upcoming finals made their nerves too tight.
One night passed, and the next morning, few Suns players could get out of bed, which left the coaching staff and management at a loss.
June 18th is the game day of the G5 finals.
Before dawn, Wang Aiguo and Liu Damei climbed out of bed.
It is said that the bed in this hotel is too soft. It is called Simmons. They are used to sleeping on the kang, but they are not used to sleeping on this thing. After eight or nine days, their waist hurts from sleeping on it.
"Sister, Brother Zhang said the day before yesterday that Tiejun might win the championship today. Let's go home after watching the game."
"Hey, I have to go home. It's too expensive to live here."
In another room, Da Ya and Er Ya also got up, washed and started reading in the morning.
The sisters study very hard. The college entrance examination is on the 7th, 8th, and 9th of next month. It’s less than a month ago, and now they review until late at night every day.
After many tests by tutors, Da Ya's scores were slightly better than Er Ya's. She was more able to calm down and study, while Er Ya, who was more lively, was a little behind.
According to the evaluation of several tutors, if they take the college entrance examination in bj, as long as they perform normally, they are very likely to be admitted to a key undergraduate course. However, they must return to their hometown to take the college entrance examination, and the score line there is very high, so they want to pass the college entrance examination.
You need to perform better on the spot if you are heavy on basics, but generally there should be no problem with a bachelor's degree.
After reviewing until 7:30, the two of them hurriedly finished their morning reading and went to prepare breakfast for their parents. The competition was about to start.
At this time, Beiying and Yu Feihong also turned on the TV.
Now she is not alone in her dormitory. Since seven o'clock, classmates and junior students have been coming in. They are all people who like basketball or are just enjoying the fun. The dormitory is very lively.
Similarly, Liu Yumin, who had just gone to work, also turned on the TV.
Like them, countless Chinese people across the country turned on their televisions and prepared to watch this game.
Before the final round is over, the high-quality competition has already made many Chinese people become basketball fans and NBA fans.
At the same time, Wang Tiejun's name has become a name often mentioned by these fans. He gives them a strong sense of ownership and honor when watching foreign basketball games in the NBA.
Chicago, United Center.
Even though the Bulls were about to be eliminated, a large number of stars came to support them and they still wore the No. 23 home jersey.
Today, Mammoth’s owner and president Roman Weeks also rushed to the scene.
Pharaoh's excellent performance in the playoffs, especially his superstar performance in the finals, caused Mammoth's sneaker sales to skyrocket in Arizona, and even increased in other cities. The company's operating income increased a lot, and it faced
His dilemma is likely to be solved because of Lao K, which makes him very excited, so he rushed to the scene today to support him.
In addition, Lance Hoxman also came to the United Center. He came with Roman Wicks.
He was very busy during this period, busy negotiating a sponsorship contract with Lao K. Some of the negotiations were already agreed, but with Lao K's explosive performance in the finals, he decisively overturned the originally negotiated terms.
He said very excitedly: "Mr. Weeks, if Old K's performance surpasses Barkley's next performance, and once the Suns win the championship, he may also win the honor of the Finals Most Valuable Player, that would be great.
This is his first season, and his commercial value will skyrocket..."
"Yes, I'm looking forward to his performance." Weeks nodded with a smile.
At eight o'clock, the starting lineup was announced.
Suns: Wang Tiejun, Barkley, Ceballos, Dan Maley, Kevin Johnson
Bulls: Bill Cartwright, Grant, Pippen, Jordan, BJ Armstrong
At this time, the visiting team's locker room, management and coaching staff didn't feel good.
The players have had insomnia for two consecutive nights and now generally feel very tired. In today's game, the Bulls will definitely fight back with all their strength in order to make a comeback. The pressure on the team is too great.
Paul Westphal noticed something. Almost everyone was wearing a pair of dark circles, including himself.
Buckley held a glass of water, his hands shaking so much that the water jumped out. He pretended to be indifferent and said to Lao Wang next to him: "Old K, don't be nervous."
Lao Wang glanced at the fat man's water glass. It was clearly full just now, but before he drank it, there was only half a glass left. He asked with concern: "Brother, do you want to add some water for you?"
"Pfft, haha..." The locker room burst into laughter.
Well, after laughing, everyone was still very nervous.
"I really hope that after winning the championship, I can establish myself as the main player and get more shooting opportunities, and even the head coach can develop some tactics for me." Ceballos thought to himself.
"The four-year rookie contract has expired. I hope the team can give me a big contract. But what if another team gives me a big contract? Do I want to stay with the Suns?" Dan Malley was very excited.
Keep making good deals.
"If I can win the championship, I might be able to make a splash this season." Kevin Johnson also has his own ideas.
He has been selected to the All-NBA second team three times and the third team once, but now he is missing one first team. Only after winning the championship and being selected to the first team will his career be considered perfect.
"What if I really gave FMVP to Old K? Alas!" Buckley sighed inwardly, his thoughts making him upset.
Comrade Lao Wang is calculating how much ticket share he will get after winning the championship. This is based on headcount, which can be a lot of money.
All the players have their own little thoughts. They can't calm down, their minds are full of all kinds of thoughts, and they have lost focus on the upcoming game.
"Paul, we'd better be ready for the G6 game." Assistant coach Lewis reminded him in a low voice while observing the locker room.
Westphal was startled, nodded slightly, and said nothing.
At half past eight, the game starts.
"Beep!"
In the 38th second of the first quarter, Wang Tiejun knocked over Cartwright during a low post attack and was called for an offensive foul.
Two minutes later, he picked up another defensive foul and was substituted.
The Suns lost their main center prematurely. The Bulls immediately put all their double-teaming power on Barkley and strengthened their control of the perimeter. All the Suns players were not in good enough condition, and the game suddenly entered the Bulls' rhythm.
At halftime, the Suns trailed by 18 points.
Westphal took the advice of assistant coach Lewis and gave up the game halfway through the third quarter when the point difference reached 20 points and replaced several main players.
When he was replaced, Comrade Wang's mood was okay, but Barkley was extremely disappointed. He thought he would win the championship tonight, but the result was like this, which made him extremely unwilling.
At the end of the game, 82:105, the Bulls won by 23 points. They fell behind 3-2 and regained a match point.
Wang Tiejun only played intermittently for 16 minutes, making 3 of 7 shots, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 8 points and 5 rebounds.
When he was on the court, the Bulls adopted a defensive strategy of shrinking defense, that is, piling up defenders in the paint area to prevent him from getting close to the basket, forcing him to shoot outside, which reduced his efficiency and lethality.
He couldn't hit the ball. In addition to his own shots, he also distributed the ball many times, but the effect was not very good. He felt cold from the outside and missed several open shots. The efficiency was not as good as his near-basket hook.
Jordan played 35 minutes, 14 of 25 shots, 56% shooting, 2 of 6 three-pointers, 12 of 12 free throws, 41 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover and 2 fouls.
.
After the game, the entire United Center was in an uproar, celebrating the Bulls' victory.
"Michael, will we continue to win next time?" the reporter asked during the on-site interview after the game.
Jordan shook his head excitedly and said: "Yes, of course, we are fully prepared. This game proves that we have the strength to make a comeback. We will become a precedent for this league. Yes, there is nothing like it in this world."
It's impossible.
We will definitely win three consecutive championships, our dynasty is calling us, that is the honor that belongs to this city, and I will give it to it myself."
"We are one game behind two to three, what confidence do you have to say that?" Comrade Lao Wang, who was passing by, muttered.
Jordan had sharp ears and gave Lao Wang a hard look after hearing this.
Lao Wang stared back, waved to his teammates behind him and shouted: "Brothers, in order to return to the home court and win the championship again, we let them go. Now it's time to cheer up and let us go back to the home court to defeat them."
"Go back to the home court and defeat them!"
Suns players yelled.
"Shameless guy!"
Staring at Lao Wang, Jordan's eyes were filled with fire and his teeth were itching with hatred.
Haha, if you give up, you bastard can't afford to lose?
"Old K, did you let the Bulls win tonight?"
"Old K, do you really want to return to your home court and win the championship again?"
With a bang, many reporters rushed over and surrounded Wang Tiejun, with some reporters from Phoenix being the most excited.
"Of course, we won't win the championship away from home, we want to win the championship together with our fans." Old K shouted bravely.
"This damn rookie is so thick-skinned! If you lose the G6 game again, what will you do?" Jordan was angry.