The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 657 Don't Slap Me in the Face
The signing of Pippen's new contract was ultimately decided to take place at the Chicago Bulls' offices.

Trailing 0-2 in the series, Jerry Krause had to give his team's second-in-command a shot in the arm, hoping he could perform well in the third game.

On the plane back to Chicago, the Bulls were more sullen than ever this season, their joy at defeating the Detroit Pistons a week earlier matched their frustration.

Unlike after the first game, Jordan did not restrain his temper this time. He flew into a rage after the game and berated everyone in the locker room.

Of course, he also criticized himself, saying that he played like a piece of dog shit and was the culprit for the team's loss.

Jordan only scored 31 points in the second game. The Trail Blazers' multi-layered defense and Sabonis' timely blocking of his driving lanes prevented Jordan from playing his best.

Meanwhile, Jordan was constantly wavering and confused throughout the game, unsure whether to attack himself or pass the ball. He hesitated throughout the entire game.

Hesitation will only lead to defeat.

Jordan wouldn't do that in most games, but the Trail Blazers shook his belief.

Especially Forrest Gump, the giant standing in the three-second zone, terrified everyone.

He is as solid as a rock, and even the bravest players will wonder: Should I challenge him?

After the Eastern Conference Finals, Krause, who had been dancing on the bus and plane, stopped wiggling his hips and fell into deep thought.

When Klaus learned that Pippen was unwilling to go and blow up Forrest Gump, he decided to give Pippen a formal signing ceremony.

In the headquarters office, Pippen finally signed his name on the long-awaited 7-year contract.

This means that his income will be guaranteed for many years to come, with an average annual salary of $300 million.

After deducting taxes and insurance premiums, he should receive several hundred thousand US dollars, which is a substantial and secure income for Pippen, who grew up in poverty.

After officially signing the papers, Pippen went to Benegan's restaurant and ordered two cheeseburgers to celebrate the security of his future.

However, the Bulls must regroup. Being down 0-2 is indeed bad, but it's not a real crisis.

Historically, there has been a team that managed to come back from a 0-2 deficit to win the game, and that team was the Portland Trail Blazers.

The key to a comeback is returning to their home court. They must adjust, show a new attitude, and turn the tide of the series.

This time, Phil Jackson heeded Bach's advice and adjusted his strategy against Forrest Gump—instead of simply double-teaming him, he had to exhaust and draw his attention on both offense and defense.

With his newly signed contract, Pippen became the vanguard in the charge.

During his rookie season, Pippen demonstrated his defensive threat in his first match against Forrest Gump.

He has long arms and legs, and is tall with long reach. Although he plays on the perimeter, he is very good at interior defense, and his ability to help defend, assist in defense, and harass is first-class.

After that, in every game against the Bulls, Pippen was always the vanguard against Forrest Gump. Although he sometimes got beaten badly, his defensive effectiveness was the best.

Now Jackson not only requires Pippen to defend, but also requires Pippen to attack Forrest more often in the low post, high post, and 45-degree mismatches. Whenever Forrest switches defense, Pippen must resolutely hold the ball and attack.

"Whether it's a drive, a low-post back-to-the-basket move, or a mid-range jumper, Scottie, you have to be aggressive enough to keep Forrest from paying attention to anyone else and focus on dealing with you."

During pre-game practice, the atmosphere within the Bulls team was very serious, even somewhat oppressive.

But Pippen laughed after hearing Jackson's words, a wry smile, "If I'm worth Forrest Gump's attention... I should get $1000 million a year."

Pippen realized this problem far too late; he felt he was only worth 300 million, and one day he would find that even 1000 million wouldn't be enough.

Of course, the Bulls wouldn't be foolish enough to let Pippen launch a suicidal offensive against Forrest Gump; Jordan would definitely follow up and provide assistance.

Meanwhile, Buck Williams and Bill Cartwright were instructed to forgo their own offense and focus on finishing plays and second-chance opportunities by grabbing rebounds.

Simply put, it's about increasing Pippen's ball-handling and offensive opportunities, using mismatches to exploit Forrest Gump's weaknesses, diverting Forrest's defensive attention, and creating scoring opportunities for the Bulls' interior defense.

As for Jordan, he attacked Agan quite a few times in the first two games, but Gan Guoyang consciously controlled the contact to ensure he didn't foul.

Especially in the second game, when Sabonis's attention was focused on Jordan, Gan Guoyang became the last line of defense, making it difficult for Jordan to keep an eye on Gan.

The saying goes, "Kings don't meet." No one wants their trump card to wear each other down on the field. Instead, they hope to use their second, third, or even fourth player to deal with the top player in order to achieve a higher cost-effectiveness and return.

Before the start of the third game, the Bulls conducted more than two hours of tactical training, specifically simulating various mismatch tactics.

Pippen was also asked to increase his one-on-one defense against Forrest Gump, and a rotation of defenders was inevitable; Pippen was already prepared.

"What if I get knocked out by Forrest Gump?" Pippen asked Phil Jackson after practice.

"Oh, that's great, that means Forrest Gump is going to be off the field."

Jackson's words saddened Pippen, and it seemed he was destined to be the expendable resource this time.

Chicago welcomed its first-ever NBA Finals.

Even when trailing 0-2 and in a precarious situation, the fans still displayed tremendous enthusiasm.

Like Forrest Gump, Jordan's biggest headache before Game 3 wasn't the terrible reality of being far behind, but how to get tickets.

The Chicago Stadium is much larger than the Portland Memorial Stadium, with more than 18,000 seats, but tickets for Game 3 were still in high demand.

"Gan vs. Joe," this dream matchup drove the entire city of Chicago wild, with everyone hoping to see the Bulls pull off a stunning comeback at home.

Jordan prepared more than 20 tickets in advance to entertain his relatives and friends, but it was not enough at all, and people kept calling him asking for a ticket.

"I shouldn't play basketball; I should be a ticket scalper. It would definitely make more money than playing basketball, and it would be easier too."

After receiving one phone call after another, Jordan joked.

Some of the tickets also went to Forrest Gump, whose pregnant wife, father, and in-laws were all coming to Chicago to watch the game.

Tang Jianguo chartered a plane to bring Agan and the Trail Blazers players and their families to Chicago, where they stayed in a hotel together.

But the plane tickets and hotels were easy to arrange; the problem was the tickets, which they had to solve themselves.

Therefore, Juanita and Wang Fuxi kept communicating by phone, trying their best to get tickets and exchange them to ensure that their families could come to the event.

Like Pippen, his father and 11 brothers and sisters were all coming, and the dozen or so tickets became a huge burden for him. He also had to keep driving to the airport to pick up these brothers and sisters in several groups.

In short, the entire city was going crazy for the NBA Finals and the Chicago Bulls, and Bulls fans believed they would be transformed at home and defeat the Trail Blazers.

Before the game officially started, Phil Jackson played footage of the first two games in the locker room. He included clips from the movie "The Mysterious Warrior" in the clips, hoping to inspire and remind the players to be as pure and united as a primitive tribe, hunting their enemies and prey, and not to be distracted by factors on or off the court.

Jackson liked to pull these fancy gimmicks, and sometimes they did work.

Most importantly, the Bulls have reached their most dangerous moment, and the situation forces them to unite.

Jordan's self-criticism in two consecutive games is enough to show how much he wanted to win and how different he became when facing Forrest Gump.

Before the start of Game 3, Jordan actually said to Phil Jackson in the locker room, "Phil, I know I'm not as good as Forrest Gump, but I hope the team can win."

Jackson could hardly believe his ears. How could Jordan, such a proud and competitive person, say something like "I'm not as good as Forrest Gump"?

Of course, Jackson knew that Jordan wasn't giving up or being afraid; he had learned humility, recognized reality, and, while bravely acknowledging the truth, was striving to find solutions to the problem.

Jackson said to Jordan, "You're right, the strongest player doesn't necessarily make the strongest team. Five average players can win a championship, let alone someone as good as us. This is Chicago, this is your territory, Michael, I believe in you."

Jordan has indeed come to terms with reality. There is still a gap between him and Forrest Gump, not only in terms of skills, but also in terms of experience, willpower, wisdom, and fearless courage.

Jordan was good enough to win a championship, but there were mountains in front of him that he had to climb.

On the evening of June 7, 1991, Game 6 of the NBA Finals was played at the Chicago Arena, and it was another crazy night.

The Chicago arena, larger and older than Memorial Stadium, hosted the ultimate battle in basketball history. The noise made the aging arena tremble, and the enormous pipe organ played a magnificent tune before the game, creating the most exciting atmosphere for the Finals.

This is the biggest attraction and the biggest pressure of the finals. Playing in this environment is a huge test for anyone.

The moment Jordan stepped onto the court, he suddenly felt admiration for Forrest Gump, wondering how this guy had won four championships on such a court.
It was so difficult, so incredible, that Jordan himself didn't realize the true value of it until he stepped onto that stage.

"I can do it too," Jordan silently encouraged himself.

Compared to the Bulls, the Trail Blazers made only minor adjustments in this game.

Because the second match was so successful, Berman did not make any major adjustments.

We'll continue with the strategy from Game 2, reacting to each move as it comes, and seeing how the Bulls respond.

However, strategy is only one aspect that determines the outcome of a match; the players' condition and performance on the day are often the decisive factors.

Before heading to Chicago, the Trail Blazers players were already dreaming of a back-to-back championship, with some media outlets even suggesting they could be crowned in Chicago.

This year, there's been significantly more media noise than last season, and the team's atmosphere of gritted teeth and revenge is gone.

Everyone knows they can't be careless, but their minds just can't help but think about the joy and celebration of winning the championship; that's just human nature.

When the game started that night, the Bulls clearly had a different start. Jordan immediately drove to the basket and drew a foul from Sabonis on his first play.

There was some bad news for the Trail Blazers in this game: the referee was Jack O'Donnell, who has a long-standing feud with the team.

Sabonis committed a foul at the start of the game, which was a bad sign, while Jordan made both free throws and scored first, sending the Chicago arena into a frenzy.

The Trail Blazers quickly sensed the Bulls' change; their defense became more aggressive and proactive. All players quickly bent their knees, lowered their center of gravity, and tried their best to disrupt every pass. Porter was suddenly double-teamed by Pippen, resulting in a turnover. Pippen received the ball and passed it to Jordan, who easily dunked it down the court!

The situation was indeed completely different from the previous two games. At this moment, Gan Guoyang realized that the player who came over to entangle with him in the low post was not Buck Williams, but Pippen.

Pippen, Williams, and substitute Horace Grant, along with Will Pudu, began to take turns fronting Gan Guoyang.

The Bulls were determined to flank, even when Sabonis's inside pass penetrated their defense, they still spared no effort in flanking.

Because they don't want Forrest Gump to have the ball and draw fouls. If you can cut into the paint and go for a layup, go ahead, they won't give you any more opportunities to have the ball.

While this defense failed to limit Gan Guoyang's scoring, it did disrupt the Trail Blazers' offensive rhythm, making them less fluid than in the previous two games.

The noise from the away crowd and the referee's biased calls against the Bulls quickly put the Trail Blazers at a disadvantage. The enraged Bulls played better and better, building an 8-point lead in the first quarter.

When they were in the lead, the pressure on the Bulls players was relieved. During one layup attempt, Jordan thought Forrest Gump was coming to block him, so he did a super high-flying mid-air switch.

He was originally going to shoot with his right hand, but to avoid it, he switched to his left hand and then put the ball into the basket.

This unparalleled, miraculous layup left even Gan Guoyang speechless, who exclaimed, "Michael, I'd pay to see it again!"

Jordan shrugged smugly and said, "No more chances, this is your only chance!"

After the game, Jordan said that the play was a completely instinctive reaction under pressure, and he wouldn't have made that move if he hadn't sensed that Forrest Gump was coming to block it.

Jordan returned to Chicago shining brightly, while Pippen accomplished his mission—he was beaten the entire game, relentlessly attacked by Forrest Gump.

Whether attacking or defending, he was no match for Forrest Gump, but he did manage to hold Forrest back, and Gan Guoyang had to focus all his efforts on dealing with this guy.

Although one is a center and the other is a small forward, Gan Guoyang is relatively short for a center, while Pippen is one of the strongest small forwards in terms of interior ability.

Gan Guoyang had to use his strength to suppress Pippen, while constantly dealing with Pippen's various offensive tactics in defense—Pippen's goal was not to score, but to distract him.

The Trail Blazers' defense became riddled with holes thanks to the combined efforts of Pippen and Jordan, and even though Gan Guoyang kept the score close, the difference remained around 10 points.

In the second half, Jackson knew that Forrest Gump would play the entire game, so Jordan did not rest for a single minute in the third and fourth quarters either.

Having returned to Chicago and recharged, he was prepared to fight tooth and nail against Forrest Gump tonight. In the end, the Trail Blazers failed to turn the tide and lost to the Chicago Bulls 101-109 on the road.

The Bulls finally breathed a sigh of relief, and Jordan said after the game, "This is the best game they've played so far this season."

"Of course, the next game will be even more spectacular," Jordan added.

The Bulls narrowed the series deficit to 1-2, avoiding a sweep.

More importantly, they found a way to deal with the Trail Blazers: to rise to the challenge and use their fresh blood to contain Forrest Gump.

The Trail Blazers have encountered their biggest problem this season: apart from Agan, all the other players have performed very well and on average.

However, none of them could shine brightly enough to lead the team to turn the tide and become the team's second leader when Forrest Gump was somewhat tired and being targeted.

This person used to be Drexler, but now he's watching the game from his home in Houston, thinking that if he hadn't left Portland, he would be facing off against Jordan in the Finals.

Petrovic, Sabonis, Lewis, and Porter are all excellent, but none of them are superstars like Pippen who can completely turn the tide with their individual abilities.

After Game 3, Jerry West and Bobby Bellman discussed the issue. West said, "Lewis, Petrovic, and Sabonis all have that potential, but they still need to grow. Pippen was really good; he played so well in Game 3 that nobody could target him, and he caused problems for Forrest Gump."

"Trust Forrest Gump, have unwavering faith in him, and he won't let you down," said Behrman.

Despite saying that, Berman was still a little worried. If they lost the fourth game, the situation would really be reversed.

The crucial fifth game will be held in Chicago. If they lose this pivotal game on the road, they will be out of the running when they return to Portland.

At that time, the cheers and joy from the first two matches will transform into the pressure of the final battle.

This is exactly what Bellman was worried about: in the seven games of the Finals, the weak and the strong can often be reversed in an instant.

Past victories can become burdens and pressures, while desperate situations and failures can, in turn, become motivation and victory.

While NBA series may not be as exciting as the single-game format of the NCAA, they require more intelligence, endurance, and willpower, and test the collective strength of players and teams.

Berman spent the entire day working on adjustments and developing new tactical plans, hoping to make a difference in the fourth game.

However, on June 9th, after only one day of rest, the fourth game started, and the situation was no different from the third game.

Because the Bulls learned their lesson, they proactively changed their approach, starting the fourth game with Jordan playing point guard, constantly penetrating and dishing the ball to create opportunities for the perimeter.

John Paxson and Scottie Pippen both had hot hands, and the Bulls made 4 of 5 three-pointers in the first quarter, including 3 of 3 by Paxson, completely igniting the atmosphere in the Chicago arena.

Optimism and a good shooting touch are contagious, especially at home. The Bulls scored a whopping 35 points in the first quarter, and Jordan started hitting three-pointers in the second quarter as well.

The Chicagoans played better and better on their home turf, while the Trail Blazers continued their poor form from Game 3, with everyone except Gan Guoyang struggling and indecisive.

Gan Guoyang scored 40 points against Pippen in the third game, but the team still lost.

In this game, Gan Guoyang scored another 22 points in the first half, heading towards 40 points again.

But the Bulls had a breakout performance from the entire team, and Gan Guoyang really couldn't do anything about it.

At halftime, the Bulls, who were playing smoothly, had scored an astonishing 66 points, leading the Trail Blazers, who had only scored 47 points, by a whopping 19 points!
At their largest lead, which reached 21 points, Bulls fans went wild, and the Bulls players all wore relaxed and happy expressions.

They knew they had a high probability of winning this game, which would bring both teams back to level terms. Most importantly, Game 5 would continue in Chicago.

At halftime, the Trail Blazers returned to their locker room, which was as quiet as a graveyard. A sense of dejection hung over the entire team; they had been playing terribly tonight.

Gan Guoyang wiped his sweat. He knew the situation had reached its most critical moment. He had tried his best to salvage the situation in the first half, but the outcome was indeed one-sided.

This was the first time Gan Guoyang had encountered such a situation: in some cases, technique and tactics were not the biggest factors affecting the game; emotions were the biggest factor.

This finals was a super emotional amplifier, with unprecedented attention amplifying every emotion of the players and fans.

The media is everywhere, news is everywhere, commentary is everywhere, expectations are everywhere—all of this makes people sensitive.

Everyone knows that under the global spotlight, any slight shift in the balance, even a minor change, will cause the scales to tip wildly with the help of immense gravity.

He knew that if he lost this game, the situation would reverse, and his teammates would wonder how they had won the first two games. Was it luck? Or was it home advantage?

Trouble begins when a person starts to doubt themselves; negative emotions can consume them. A 2:2 score may seem like a level playing field, but the feeling of winning first and then losing is completely different from the feeling of losing first and then winning.

Moreover, the fifth game will be held in Chicago.

At this point, Berman was still talking non-stop, trying to rouse the team members with passion and profanity.

Gan Guoyang took a deep breath, stood up and walked over to Bellman, saying, "Bobby, punch me."

"What?" Berman was stunned.

"Punch me, punch me hard."

"you…"

"Hit me!"

After hesitating for a moment, Bellman threw down the tactical board in his hand and punched Gan Guoyang hard in the chest.

Gan Guoyang remained motionless. He felt some pain, but it had no effect on him; his muscles were very thick.

"Bobby, use all your strength, all your power. Don't hit my face."

Behrman didn't understand what Gan Guoyang was trying to do, but at this moment he did have a lot of negative emotions that he couldn't vent: anxiety, fear, panic. He wanted to vent them, he wanted to cry, but he couldn't.

At that moment, there happened to be an exit, so he mustered all his strength and punched Gan Guoyang in the chest!

Bellman felt completely exhausted; his arms were sore, his hands hurt, and he thought he had twisted his wrist.

Gan Guoyang was knocked back a step by the blow; it hurt, but it didn't affect him much.

Then, Gan Guoyang walked up to Sabonis, Lewis, Petrovic, Porter, Cochine, and others, and asked them to punch him with all their might.

Everyone hesitated, but under Gan Guoyang's coercion, they all used all their strength to punch a non-vital area.

At first, they were all afraid and dared not use their strength, but after Gan Guoyang repeatedly asked them, they finally used all their strength to swing their fists.

They used this opportunity to vent their pent-up frustration—Kersey, who had a terrible first half, going 0-for-4 from the field and failing to match up against Pippen, punched Forrest Gump and then cried while holding his head.

Gan Guoyang comforted him, "I'm just in a little pain, but it's nothing. We're just behind, we haven't lost."

Gan Guoyang undergoes combat training every summer, including training to withstand blows.

These punches were heavy and painful, but they couldn't hurt him.

Even so, after a round of fighting, his body was still covered in bruises.

And it really hurts.

Gan Guoyang put on his jersey and said, "In this league, no one can beat me except my teammates. I'm in a lot of pain, but we still have half a game left. Let's go, guys, time to hurry up."

(End of this chapter)