NBA: Goat is actually me

Chapter 152 Iron-blooded revenge!

After the first quarter, Meng Jin saw Jordan on the bench. Although he had returned to the sidelines, he did not look very well.

"Michael, how are you feeling?"

"What did you say?" Jordan put his ear close to Meng Jin's mouth. He now had a little tinnitus, which was a symptom of concussion.

"Are you still dizzy?" Meng Jin raised his voice, as if he was talking to an old family member.

Jordan pointed to his head and said, "I felt my brain shaking. It was like there was a storm going on inside."

"Michael, you'd better go back to the locker room. I'm really worried that you will vomit on the sidelines."

"Are you kidding? The game isn't over yet!" Seven or eight cameras immediately turned to Meng Jin and Jordan because the two had an argument on the sidelines. Jordan wanted to return to the court, but Meng Jin felt that he couldn't play in his current condition.

Insisting on playing after a concussion is a very dangerous behavior. On the final day of the 1958 season, Stokes, the No. pick of the Rochester Royals (the predecessor of the Sacramento Kings), fell to the ground during an offense, hit his head on the ground, and fell into a coma on the spot.

He regained consciousness soon after, and after a short rest, Stokes returned to the court and efficiently scored 24 points and 19 rebounds. Three days later in the playoffs, he scored a double-double of 12 points and 15 rebounds. Everyone forgot that he had hit his head on the ground in the previous game.

He was dying after the game and vomited violently while holding the toilet. On the plane, Stokes was sweating all over and had difficulty breathing. After landing, he completely lost consciousness. It took six teammates to carry him out of the cabin and send him to the hospital, but it was too late. Due to the impact of continued strenuous exercise after the concussion, Stokes became paralyzed and lost the ability to express himself.

Everyone knew that continuing to play after suffering a brain injury was dangerous, but no one could persuade Jordan. Once Jordan got angry, no one could stop him. Collins could only tell Jordan that if he felt unwell, he should tell him and he would replace him immediately. Although Jordan nodded, Collins knew that what he said was nonsense. With Jordan's personality, it was impossible for him to ask to leave the court on his own initiative.

In the second quarter, Jordan returned to the court amid cheers, but there was no concussion protection protocol in that era, and the league staff could not force Jordan to leave the court.

Jordan made a mistake right at the start. After dribbling across half court, he mistook Collins on the sidelines for a teammate and passed the ball directly to him. The concussion obviously affected his movements.

In order to reduce the pressure on Jordan, Collins continued to let John Paxson control the ball, and Jordan was only responsible for the organizational work in the half.

In the second quarter, the Bulls still relied mainly on Meng Jin's singles. Meng Jin used his quick stop jump shot to score consecutively at 45-degree angles on both sides. The Pistons mainly used a contraction strategy to defend Meng Jin, and in order to limit him, the Pistons used players about 2 meters tall to defend him. Meng Jin was able to get a very comfortable shooting environment by using dry pull-up shots.

Meng Jin's mid-range shots tonight maintained a hit rate of about 50%, which is not low, but the Pistons still did not change their defensive strategy. No matter how good the shooting is, the hit rate is lower than the hit rate of breaking through and directly attacking the basket. What's more, Meng Jin would dunk as soon as he broke through, and this way of scoring is very demoralizing.

Midway through the second quarter, the Bulls led by 5 points. Isaiah Thomas hurried out of the player tunnel. He couldn't sit still after learning that Jordan had returned to the court.

Isaiah Thomas exchanged a few words with Chuck Daly and returned to the court in the next dead ball. There was no panacea that could cure Isaiah Thomas's limp in a few minutes. He had to grit his teeth and persevere.

In this way, both sides played with an injured player, one with a concussion and the other with a limp. The scene was both funny and admirable. This was the embodiment of not leaving the front line despite minor injuries. The effect of the two injured players forcing themselves to play was not only to move themselves, but they also played a positive role for their respective teams.

Although Jordan was a little dizzy, he still made a few good passes in the second quarter. Even if he did nothing, he was a threat just standing there. When Jordan was on the court, the Pistons did not dare to double-team Meng Jin unscrupulously.

Isaiah Thomas is the spiritual totem of the Pistons. His tough performance inspired the entire team spiritually.

At the end of the first half, the Bulls led by two points, 49 to 47. Meng Jin scored more than half of the team's points, scoring 25 points in the first half.

Jordan had 7 points and 4 assists, Cartwright had 3 points and 4 rebounds. His contribution tonight was not reflected in his skills. His real statistics were that he kicked Isaiah Thomas, punched Rick Mahorn twice, and elbowed Bill Laimbeer three times...

The team always needs someone to do the dirty and hard work. After Oakley left, this task fell on Cartwright. It seems that he is doing a good job now. Cartwright is as tough as Oakley, and he has strong rim protection ability. Simply put, he can guard the inside. Last season, the Bulls lacked someone who could guard the inside.

From a fan's perspective, Cartwright's statistics are not much better than Korsin's last season. Only teammates and opponents know how important Cartwright is.

In the second half, Meng Jin scored 6 points in a row. Jordan completely gave up the C position tonight, and Meng Jin became the only protagonist on the Bulls court.

Chuck Daly called a timeout and arranged a fake zone defense tactic. Zone defense was prohibited in the NBA at that time, but there were loopholes. The Pistons players could not openly perform a zone defense, but they could create the illusion of non-stop running. It was up to the referee whether it was an illegal defense or not. The referee's standard was very simple, which was to see how long and how far the defensive player stayed away from the player he was guarding. If he left the defensive player and stood in one area for a long time, it was definitely illegal defense.

This fake zone defense will have a certain impact on the defensive players, but for Meng Jin, this defense is full of loopholes. It is impossible for him to stay in his own area all the time like a normal zone defense. Constant running will cause loopholes in the defense.

Meng Jin made a suspended ball and then accelerated to pass between Rodman and Joe Dumars. Bill Laimbeer tried hard to get in front of Meng Jin. The next second, Meng Jin took off into the air. His powerful speed and explosive power made Laimbeer's efforts a joke.

Meng Jin raised the ball with one hand and bombarded the basket. Laimbeer covered his head and ran away. There was no point in jumping at this time, and he might even be called for a foul.

After landing, Meng Jin made a telescope gesture, and Lambier yelled at him in dissatisfaction: "What the hell are you looking at?"

Meng Jin responded even louder, "I'm looking for a good place to bury you."

During the halftime, Meng Jin touched his abdomen and the tearing sensation was still very strong.

However, Meng Jin was very smart. He did not announce his groin injury to the public. Otherwise, the Pistons would probably attack his abdomen in every round.

Meng Jin is very good at dealing with this kind of fake zone defense, even better than Jordan. Once he smells a loophole in the opponent's defense, he can immediately use his big steps and explosive power to get in. Unless all five players are players like Olajuwon who are tall and mobile, this tactic will only give Meng Jin points.

With one minute left in the third quarter, Meng Jin once again broke through the Pistons' defense, this time using a pick-and-roll.

Laimbeer and Rodman wanted to close the door and trap Meng Jin at the first moment. Their brains knew what to do, but their bodies couldn't keep up. Meng Jin squeezed through the two of them in a very extreme way. Laimbeer tripped him, and Meng Jin staggered to the inside.

Rick Mahorn and Joe Dumars both came over, and Meng Jin flashed past them in the air before making a layup.

The whole audience cheered. After being used to seeing Meng Jin's violent slam dunks, occasionally watching his graceful pull-up shot was also a different experience.

Meng Jin is no longer the hot-blooded young man who could only rush in and dunk last season. His body control has become stronger and his hand skills have improved. This is thanks to Jordan, who is very good at such finishing methods. Meng Jin often learns from them during training. More credit goes to the two trainers, who created a set of training methods for Meng Jin to improve his physical functions. Of course, this is inseparable from Meng Jin's own hard training.

After the third quarter, the Bulls led by 81 points, 71 to 10. The home fans were in high spirits. As long as they could hold on for one more quarter, the Bulls would be able to achieve true revenge. Trailing by 10 points away from home, Meng Jin scored 41 points in three quarters. Chuck Daly did not think it was the end of the world. He issued a bold order in the fourth quarter to double-team Meng Jin and try to get him to pass the ball.

"What about Michael Jordan?" Isaiah Thomas asked.

"How many shots did he take in the third quarter?" Chuck Daly asked.

"Twice? Or three times? I can't remember," said Isaiah Thomas.

"When was the last time Jordan took so few shots in a quarter? That guy fell in the first quarter and was stunned! He hasn't recovered yet, let him shoot!"

As for the other Bulls players, Chuck Daly didn't care. They had limited shots in the first three quarters, and it was not easy to regain their touch in the fourth quarter.

Chuck Daly's judgment was correct. The Bulls missed their first three shots in the fourth quarter. Jordan's aim was very crooked. Both shots were problems of trajectory, not strength.

Fortunately, the Bulls used their strongest defense, the Pistons' overall shooting percentage was not high, and they were slow to catch up. Jordan even ignored his concussion and caused an offensive foul on Joe Dumars when he counterattacked.

When Jordan fell out of the baseline, everyone on the Bulls bench stood up. In order to reassure his teammates, Jordan stood up immediately to signal that he was fine.

It was about four minutes into the fourth quarter that Meng Jin scored.

Taking advantage of the Pistons' missed shot, Meng Jin ran to the frontcourt without the ball. Bill Laimbeer was very sneaky. When Meng Jin started, he pretended to lose balance and fell on him, trying to slow him down.

Meng Jin directly elbowed Bill Laimbeer and sent him flying.

Bill Laimbeer fell to the ground in a mess and spread his hands to complain, but the referee turned a blind eye. In Hugh Hollins' opinion, this confrontation was within a reasonable range. The scale of the games between the Bulls and the Pistons has always been very large, and they cannot be judged in a normal way.

Bill Laimbeer complained about this ball after the game. He said it was a killing move and the sound of Meng Jin's elbow hitting his chest could be heard from the second floor of the stands. This statement was quickly ridiculed by the crowd. If this was said by someone else, the fans might still have some sympathy, but when these words came from Bill Laimbeer's mouth, the fans would only blame Meng Jin for not increasing his strength.

Grant deliberately paused after grabbing the rebound, and after observing, he made an accurate long-distance pass.

After receiving the ball, Meng Jin did not dribble forward, but pushed the ball forward. This move is very suitable for fast breaks, especially when there are no defensive players in front of him. In addition, Meng Jin's long legs can advance very quickly. Joe Dumars tried his best to run only to the diagonal behind Meng Jin. At this time, there was only one defensive player in front of Meng Jin, that was Mark Aguirre.

Normally, Aguirre's speed would not allow him to reach this position, but he started early. After coming to the Pistons, Aguirre was gradually assimilated by the surroundings. His defensive attitude was also much more positive than when he was in the Mavericks. There was no way, he had to be positive. The Pistons are not the Mavericks. The competition here is extremely fierce. If he doesn't work hard, his playing time may be divided up by his teammates.

Meng Jin took a step to the right with his right foot, then to the left with his left foot, then jumped up and performed his most brutal signature move!
This round was different from the usual one for Meng Jinbu. When Meng Jin took the first step, he bumped into Aguirre. Using this trick against Meng Jinbu, he directly carried him away!

After the sound of the shot rang out, two voices were heard in front of the TV. One was lamenting that Meng Jin's playing style was too violent, and the other was mocking Aguirre for being fat. With such a big physique, he was sent flying to the baseline by a single hit.

In fact, it’s not that Aguirre is fat, it’s that Meng Jin is too strong, and the ball was shot when he was fully charged.

After breaking the brief scoring drought, Meng Jin played decisively in the next few rounds, driving the ball in as soon as he got it. The more difficult the moment, the more it tests one's talent. This is why many small but skilled players cannot win the championship. They often lack ways to break through when the defense is at its most intense.

In the last three minutes of the game, the Bulls maintained their lead at around 5 points.

This was an unsafe score, and everyone on the Bulls knew it. The fans watched the last three minutes with trepidation.

Isaiah Thomas broke through after a fake shot, and Jordan easily followed him. Isaiah Thomas, who sprained his ankle, moved slower, although he played very hard.

Isaiah Thomas passed the ball to Joe Dumars. With only 5 seconds left in the Pistons' offense, Joe Dumars made no extra moves and hit a three-pointer against John Paxson, demonstrating his big-hearted character.

Looking back, Meng Jin passed the ball to Paxson in a double-team, and Paxson passed it to Jordan.

"Shh!"

Meng Jin indirectly assisted Jordan to score, which was also Jordan's first score in the fourth quarter.

In the next two minutes, both sides kept committing fouls and calling timeouts. The game was very tense and the score difference remained at 4 points.

In the last 56 seconds, the Pistons seized the opportunity of a chaotic battle. Rodman and Bill Laimbeer took turns to tip in the paint, and finally Bill Laimbeer scored the goal.

With a two-point difference, the Bulls' home court immediately became quiet. This might become a turning point in the game. Fans dared not imagine what would happen if they lost this game. Everyone held their breath and watched the Bulls' next attack.

Meng Jin held the ball at the top of the arc and everyone moved away.

In this tense and serious atmosphere, the on-site commentator Johnny Kerr did not forget to joke: "The Chicago Stadium temporarily added 8 spectators. Meng and Dennis Rodman played one-on-one. Meng was pressing the time and dribbling the ball between his legs. Rodman kept his center of gravity very low! Meng did not change direction, but broke through with his left hand and made an emergency stop and pull-up shot! Rodman could only stand there and salute. The arc of this ball was very beautiful. Bang! The answer hit the key shot. He is the hero of Chicago!"

Johnny Cole couldn't hide his excitement when the ball went in, and even imitated the classic catchphrase of New York commentator Mike Breen.

As the Pistons missed the next round of attack, Meng Jin's quick stop jump shot became the game-killing shot. The unwilling Pistons adopted a foul tactic. John Paxson stood on the free throw line and made two free throws. Time passed second by second, the audience stood up, the decibels were getting louder and louder, and the fans were celebrating the team's winning the Eastern Conference championship in advance!

Isaiah Thomas found it hard to accept this result. At the last moment, he tried to throw an ultra-long-distance three-pointer, but the basketball bounced out of the rim and bounced very high.

As the ball was falling, the time had already run out.

106 to 100, the Bulls won Game 6 and won the series!
Every Chicagoan’s face was filled with the joy of victory, they were partying!
The Pistons players rushed into the locker room immediately. You know, when the Pistons advanced to the finals last year, the Bulls were very generous in sending them their blessings. Did they really shake hands and hug each other when they won, and go to the locker room when they lost?

(End of this chapter)