Under such severe interference, Wang Feng was still able to make a three-pointer in front of Jordan. Although there is definitely a lot of luck in making a three-pointer, if you make it, you will make it. No matter how you quibble, it is meaningless.
.
The entire Warriors home court erupted with thunderous cheers.
The fans cheered loudly like crazy.
So cool! So cool!
Once upon a time, who would have thought that the Warriors could play so heartily against Jordan's Bulls?
Who would have thought that after Wang Feng moved from the Knicks to the Warriors, he could still suppress Jordan on the court?
Wang Feng stepped to the free throw line and steadily hit the extra free throw.
In just one offensive possession, the Warriors went from being 1 point behind to leading by 3 points.
At this time, there was less than 40 seconds left before the end of the game.
Phil Jackson immediately called a timeout.
The next attack is crucial for the Bulls. If they fail to score successfully, the game will definitely be lost.
Moreover, in the next attack, the Bulls must fight for a three-pointer, make a three-pointer to tie the score, and then defend the Warriors' last attack, so as to tie the score and play another round of overtime.
The game determines the final winner.
When the Bulls players heard this arrangement, they were a little silent for a while, including Jordan.
Originally, the Bulls were not a team that was good at three-pointers. They wanted to fight for three-pointers at the last minute, and even if they hit the three-pointer, they had to continue to defend against the Warriors' offense in order to get a chance to play overtime.
From this we can see how heartbreaking Wang Feng’s 3 + 1 just was.
At this time, Rodman stopped talking.
Before the game started, he swore to Jordan that he would guard Wang Feng to death, but it turned out that after making the free throw just now, Wang Feng's personal score for this game had reached 51 points.
Shot 56% from the field and 10 of 12 free throws.
Rodman's defense had no impact on Wang Feng at all.
"This guy is really evil. He actually attacks more powerfully than Michael. Where did he suddenly appear from here?"
In any case, the short pause ended quickly, and the Bulls arranged their tactics and decided to leave it to Jordan to execute this key three-point shot.
Jordan's three-point shooting percentage this season is very good, reaching 42.7%, second only to Steve Kerr in the team's shooting position.
This is mainly because after the league shortened the three-point line, Jordan's long two-point shots now count as three-pointers.
After choosing Jordan, Phil Jackson specifically asked Jordan.
"Michael, Wang Feng will definitely guard you for a while. If you feel there is no good chance, you can choose to pass the ball and let Scottie (Pippen) or Steve (Kerr) take the shot."
Jackson's words made Jordan couldn't help but turn his head and look at him.
The meaning of this statement couldn't be more obvious. Jackson didn't believe in Jordan's ability to attack critical moments. In other words, under Wang Feng's defense, even Jordan's scoring ability still made him uneasy.
Jordan didn't speak, but when he walked onto the court, the anger in his heart had accumulated to a critical point that was about to explode.
This game made him really angry.
He was always suppressed by Wang Feng on the court, and was finally defeated by the opponent with a 3-1 comeback to seal the victory. Now it was Jordan's turn to save the team, and was questioned by the team's head coach. All of this was because of Wang Feng.
All this made Jordan very angry.
Especially when I think of Wang Feng's fault for causing the Bulls to be eliminated in the second round of the playoffs last season, and his perfect script of "The Return of the King" being directly destroyed, this kind of anger floods into my mind.
Pippen served from the baseline and handed the ball directly to Jordan. After the latter caught the ball, he immediately saw Wang Feng taking the initiative to greet him.
"I don't know where you suddenly appeared from." Jordan dribbled the ball slowly, staring at Wang Feng, and said coldly: "But you'd better remember that there is only one king in this league, and his
His name is Michael Jordan!"
Wang Feng looked at Jordan and raised the corners of his mouth slightly. "I remember."
Jordan suddenly accelerated his breakthrough with the ball, as fast as thunder. Wang Feng immediately adjusted his steps and center of gravity to meet him.
But following Wang Feng's action, Jordan immediately pulled the basketball back, withdrew outside the three-point line, raised his hand and shot.
This move was very similar to Jordan's final buzzer-beater against the Jazz's Byron Russell in the Finals two years later.
But Wang Feng was not Byron Russell. Although he was slightly moved away, with his super agility and explosive power, he forcibly stopped and then threw himself in the direction of Jordan's shot.
With a 99% bounce, Wang Feng almost touched Jordan's upcoming shot with his fingertips.
At this moment, the hearts of all the Bulls players were in their throats, and then they breathed a long sigh of relief when they saw that Wang Feng failed to block Jordan's shot.
However, Wang Feng's block failed to block the opponent's shot, but the defensive shock badge lit up at this moment.
Jordan stared at the basketball with his eyes fixed on it, then noticed the change in the ball's trajectory, and his expression suddenly changed.
"rebound!"
"box--!"
The basketball bounced off the rim, and Jordan still missed the shot!
There is no way, Jordan's long-range shooting ability is not particularly strong, coupled with the Purple Hall of Fame-level defensive deterrence and interference, it is too difficult to make a shot.
Rodman, who was stuck under the basket, shouted loudly, stood up high, and grabbed the offensive rebound before Garnett.
I have to say that although Rodman was unsuccessful in defending Wang Feng, his rebounding in this game was really exaggerated.
So far, Rodman's total rebounds in a single game have reached an exaggerated 18 rebounds, including 9 offensive rebounds and 9 defensive rebounds, completely surpassing Garnett in rebounding.
Seeing that he failed to grab Rodman, Garnett did not hesitate, stepped forward and hugged Rodman for a tactical foul.
The referee's whistle immediately sounded and Rodman stepped to the free throw line.
Although they grabbed an offensive rebound, there was no expression of surprise on the faces of the Bulls team.
Everyone is well aware of Rodman's free throw skills. When he walks to the free throw line, he can basically make 1 of 2 free throws by default. And even if Rodman is lucky enough to make 2 of 2 free throws, it doesn't mean much to the Bulls.
Because with the remaining 20 seconds of game time, the ball belongs to the Warriors.
The Bulls must resort to foul tactics, send the Warriors to the free throw line, and then continue to fight for three-pointers.
"box."
Phil Jackson, who was standing on the sidelines, was still thinking about whether to hand over the final three-pointer to Cole. With Wang Feng guarding him, Jordan's offensive efficiency at critical moments was indeed unreliable.
But before he could think about it, the sound of Rodman's first free throw made the corners of his eyes twitch.
Well, this issue may not need to be considered.
Rodman then made the second free throw, and the difference between the two teams came to 2 points.
Garnett served from the baseline and passed the ball to Wang Feng. Cole immediately ran up and fouled Wang Feng.
It is still necessary to try. What if Wang Feng also makes 1 of 2 free throws? Then with a 3-point difference, the Bulls will have hope of tying the game and entering overtime.
But Wang Feng is not Rodman.
The free throws as high as 95 allowed Wang Feng to easily hit two free throws.
The score difference was back to 4 points, and there were 18 seconds left in the game.
Jordan dribbled the ball past halftime and made another strong three-point shot in front of Wang Feng. However, as his mentality had changed, Jordan's shot went further than the previous shot. This time, Rodman even had the opportunity to grab an offensive rebound.
None, the basketball just popped out of bounds.
Although there was still time, the Bulls chose to give up. They watched Wang Feng stand there without taking any action after receiving the ball, quietly waiting for the last few seconds of game time.
"squeak--!"
When the full-time whistle sounded, Wang Feng bent down and put the basketball on the ground with a smile on his face.
There were thunderous cheers on the court.
The fans at the Warriors' home court were cheering loudly to celebrate their team's victory over the Bulls, who had been unbeatable so far in the regular season.
On the Bulls side, Jordan said nothing and turned towards the tunnel.
In this duel with Wang Feng, he lost once again.
Although this is just an insignificant regular season victory or defeat, for Jordan, who has a proud personality, it is indeed a complete defeat that is unbearable.
In fact, Jordan's performance in this game was outstanding enough. He made 14 of 31 shots, 45% from the field, 7 of 8 free throws, and scored 35 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists.
But as the saying goes, I am afraid of comparison in everything.
Jordan's statistics of 35 7 6 are immediately inferior to those of Wang Feng.
Wang Feng made 18 of 32 shots in the game, shooting 56% from the field, 5 of 9 three-pointers, and 12 of 14 free throws. He scored 53 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists, a super triple-double.
It can be said that Jordan once again lost to the opponent in the area where he is best at scoring. He also led the Bulls to lose this game and actually ushered in a three-game losing streak.
You must know that so far in the regular season, the Bulls have only lost 6 games in total including this game. They have lost 3 games in a row this week alone, which has dealt a heavy blow to the Bulls who have been making great progress in their record.
Everyone who paid attention to this focus battle was shocked by Wang Feng's brutal performance.
Facing the pursuit and interception of three of the league's top defenders, Rodman, Pippen, and Jordan, Wang Feng was able to score 53, 12, and 8 in a single quarter. His personal performance suppressed Jordan in all aspects, and in the end he scored 3,1 in front of Jordan.
Set up a victory for the team.
The victory in this game was really valuable. After the battle, Wang Feng gained countless fans. Many passerby fans were impressed by Wang Feng's super personal strength and became his supporters.
At the same time, the Warriors defeated the Bulls and successfully made the entire league realize that the Warriors' ability to rank first in the Western Conference is not just due to good luck. They really have the strength of a top team, even if it is just a talented team.
A recently rebuilt team.
…
A few days later, the results of the second round of the All-Star voting were announced. Wang Feng's vote rate in the second round soared. Although he still failed to surpass Hill in the total number of votes and became the All-Star voting leader, he dominated the Western Conference and won the most votes.
The rate steadily suppressed Barkley, Olajuwon and others.
If the All-Stars at this time are divided into Eastern and Western voting champions according to future league rules, then Wang Feng will be the Western Conference voting champion and will become the captain of the Western All-Stars.
The starting players for the Eastern and Western Conferences in the 1996 All-Star Game were officially determined with the announcement of the voting results.
The starting five in the Western Conference are guards Jason Kidd, Clyde Drakes, forwards Wang Feng, Charles Barkley, and center Hakeem Olajuwon.
The Eastern Conference's starting five are guards Anfernee Hardaway and Michael Jordan, forwards Grant Hill, Scottie Pippen, and center Shaquille O'Neal.
It is worth mentioning that the Knicks' star Ewing lost to O'Neal and Mourning in this All-Star vote, and could only finish third among Eastern Conference centers. Although he has always received the most votes in the All-Stars in previous years.
Suppressed by O'Neal, but at least he can still be ranked second, and the gap with O'Neal is not very big.
Ewing's competitive status this season has declined slightly compared to last season. So far, he has averaged 22.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. All statistics have declined compared to last season, including field goal percentage.
The field goal percentage was still stable at 50% during the season, but this season it has dropped to 46.6%.
Although the magnitude of this decline is not obvious, Ewing is still one of the top centers in the league.
But the question is who allowed you to have the highest salary in the league?
The annual salary of US$18.72 million is almost twice that of Drexler, who ranks second in salary in the league!
For comparison, Wang Feng, who currently averages 38 points per game and a triple-double per game, has an annual salary of 8.36 million.
Jordan, who averaged 34 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists per game, has an annual salary of US$3.85 million.
O'Neal, who averaged 26.6 points and 11 rebounds per game, earned $5.7 million.
Olajuwon, whose per-game average is close to O'Neal's and who also won a championship for the team, has an annual salary of US$5.31 million.
Why do you, Ewing, have such a high first-year salary in the league?
In particular, the Knicks have a dismal record this season, currently only 25 wins and 19 losses, ranking only fifth in the Eastern Conference.
Whenever New York Knicks fans see the Warriors becoming prosperous under the leadership of Wang Feng, they can't help but vent their grievances on Ewing.
"If Ewing hadn't asked for a big contract in the summer, the Knicks could have kept Wang Feng. Even if they extended Wang Feng's contract for 8 million and spent another 10 million to sign Ewing, the current team would not be like this."
In fact, Ewing was quite unjustly accused. When he was negotiating a contract with the Knicks, Wang Feng had already reached a signing agreement with the Warriors and confirmed that he had no intention of staying with the team.
But now it seems like he forced Wang Feng away for a big contract.
This trend of public opinion is actually carried out by the Knicks' tacit consent.
For failing to keep Wang Feng, the blame lies with the Knicks management.
They still misjudged Wang Feng's value and were reluctant to keep Wang Feng with a high salary, because in their plan, they preferred to leave enough salary space to compete for Jordan, whose contract was about to expire.
Who would have thought that Wang Feng could be so powerful that he could not even compete with Jordan?
It's too late to regret now. The Knicks, who don't want to be accused by fans of poor decision-making, can only secretly guide public opinion and let Ewing be the poor scapegoat.
No way, who made you want a high salary? The Knicks were not particularly happy to give him the $18.72 million, and Ewing was also suspected of claiming credit for winning the championship.
You have earned the highest salary in the league, so isn't it natural for you to be scolded for the team?