NBA: Goat is actually me

Chapter 156 Fulfilling the Promise
The most embarrassed people after the Bulls won Game 2 were the Lakers fans. Before the series started, they thought they would sweep the Bulls to win the championship and give old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar a beautiful, decent and perfect farewell. However, after two games, they found that their home team was about to be swept.

The Lakers are under a lot of pressure from the coaching staff to the players. In addition to suffering from the torture of the Bulls players on the court, they also have to bear the pressure from fans and the media.

After losing two games in a row at home, the whole Los Angeles could not accept such a result.

In the training match before the third game, "Magic" Johnson did not mention to Pat Riley about reducing the amount of training because he was injured and did not need to participate in training anymore.

"Magic" Johnson was very dissatisfied. He felt that the reason for losing the two games was an incomplete lineup, but "Magic" would not say such things in public. It sounded like he was making excuses for failure. In addition, Collins also said in his post-match speech in the last game that the Bulls team was not healthy and they had relied on willpower to hold on until now.

If it weren't for Collins' post-match speech, the fans wouldn't even know that Meng Jin was injured. After the report came out, the fans admired Meng Jin even more. It was already difficult to score 50+ in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Finals, and it was even more difficult to score 50+ while playing with an injury.

Before the start of the third game, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was still sitting there meditating, as calm as if the Lakers were leading 2-0 in the total score.

The Lakers locker room was less anxious and more desperate than in the last game. Losing two games in a row was a big blow to morale. They didn't think that after losing two key players, Byron Scott and "Magic" Johnson, the Lakers would be able to make any progress in Chicago.

Rather than coming here to play ball, it would be more like they were here to be executed.

The Bulls are like the guillotine, and these Lakers guys are Louis XVI.

Before the game started, "Magic" Johnson suddenly took off his suit, but he still decided to go on stage.

This is the only good news for the Lakers recently. "Magic" Johnson is not only the team leader but also the spiritual pillar.

Jabbar slowly opened his eyes and said, "Erwin, don't force yourself. You still have a long career ahead of you."

"Magic" Johnson couldn't listen to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's words. He couldn't accept the Lakers being swept.

Meng Jin was surprised to see Magic Johnson in the starting lineup, and he even chatted with him before the game started.

"Magician, is your tendon injury healed?"

"Magic" Johnson nodded: "Of course, the Lakers will win Game 3."

Meng Jin said: "Then I won't be polite. I will do my best to defend you tonight."

Magic Johnson said, "Come on."

Facts have proved that "Magic" Johnson was just being stubborn. In the first offensive round, Meng Jin discovered that his injury had not fully healed. He could not accelerate when dribbling the ball and was even limping a little.

Even so, Meng Jin still used high-pressure defense on "Magic" Johnson. Players like him cannot be taken lightly as long as they are on the court. Even if "Magic" has a lame leg, he can still pose a huge danger to his opponents. If he is given space, he can use his hands to help his teammates create mobile phone opportunities.

About 6 minutes into the first quarter, "Magic" Johnson suddenly announced his retirement as his legs could no longer support him in the game. During these 6 minutes, "Magic" Johnson took a total of 3 shots and missed a single one. Except for the turnovers, all his statistics were zero.

In the second quarter, the Bulls' lead reached 14 points. The almost one-sided situation made Jordan start to think carefully. In the second quarter, Jordan reduced his passes and increased his shots. The selection criteria for the Finals MVP are different from those for the regular season. It is usually given to the one with the highest score. Jordan's damn competitive spirit destined him to never give up this honor.

Meng Jin also wanted to win the FMVP. The two of them competed secretly in the second and third quarters. The Lakers took the opportunity to narrow the score to single digits. James Worthy stood up. He played very hard tonight, especially in the third quarter, scoring 18 points alone.

After about three or four minutes of the fourth quarter, the difference between the two sides reached 5 points.

James Worthy made two difficult hook shots in a row, and it seemed like he was going to save the team single-handedly.

His outburst gave Lakers fans room for fantasy. Just when Lakers fans imagined that James Worthy could lead the team to a victory on the road, Jordan stood up and scored 7 points in a row, which was like a basin of foot washing water to extinguish the flames of the Lakers' counterattack.

Meng Jin stepped up and gave the Lakers the final blow. He received the ball outside the left three-point line, deceived AC Green with a fake dunk, and then made a super slam dunk over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy!
This ball made everyone stunned. Meng Jin jumped up and was obviously a head taller than the two men. Then he slammed the ball into the air between them, dunked it and caused a foul.

The two Bulls live commentators sighed.

"Meng is exaggerating. He is just a big guy disguised as a guard."

"No, they are aliens disguised as earthlings."

The Bulls won their third game at home with a score of 111-100.

After the whistle, the fans were dancing in their seats. They had already started celebrating the Bulls' championship in advance. You know, no team in NBA history could win when they were down 0-3, and the Los Angeles Lakers didn't have a single chance to come back.

Jordan scored 40 points tonight and Meng Jin scored 29 points. However, in the first two games, Meng Jin scored a total of 82 points, averaging 37 points in three games. Jordan only scored 54 points in the first two games, averaging only 31.3 points in three games. The gap is still not small, but everyone knows Jordan's firepower. If he wants to score 50+60+ in a game, it is not difficult.

The biggest suspense in the 88-89 season finals changed from who would be the champion to who would be the FMVP.

After the third game, Meng Jin received many congratulatory calls, which confused him. Wasn't there still one game left? Did Americans also like to open champagne at halftime?

Before the start of Game 4, Meng Jin saw the championship trophy in the player tunnel. Boss Reinsdorf brought over boxes of champagne and beer. The staff even prepared the championship ribbons. Meng Jin even saw the victory cigars in Jordan's cabinet.

The atmosphere is already so high, it would be embarrassing if we lose.

Collins arranged a kill-all tactic before the game. He asked his players to double-team James Worthy, the Lakers' top scorer and last year's FMVP winner, from the first second of the game.

Collins specifically emphasized that there was only one tactic tonight, which was to prevent James Worthy from taking a shot.

In the last game, James Worthy scored 40 points alone, almost ruining the Bulls' fortunes. Collins would not let him repeat his performance in the last game. It was not that Collins wanted to kill them all, nor did he have to sweep the Lakers. It was mainly because he wanted to win the championship trophy at home. It was a very different feeling to lift the championship trophy in front of so many fans who supported him. The Lakers' tactics were guessed. They really gave James Worthy a singles at the beginning. It was not difficult to guess this tactic. The Lakers now have only him as a stable scoring point. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was left open at the beginning and scored 6 points in a row. Collins was not panicked at all. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is now invincible.

In the first quarter, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played for 6 and a half minutes and scored 10 points and 3 rebounds. James Worthy made 4 of 0 shots. Meng Jin and Jordan took turns to take care of him and didn't even intend to give him space to shoot.

In the second quarter, James Worthy's situation did not improve much. He relied on his explosive power to attack the basket and caused several fouls. He only scored two goals in the running game. At the end of the first half, James Worthy only scored 9 points.

The Bulls successfully widened the gap in the second half, and then it was the FMVP battle between Meng Jin and Jordan. Jordan shot crazily tonight, shooting 19 balls in the first half, making 12 of them, and scoring a terrifying 30 points including free throws.

Meng Jin's shooting rights were squeezed, but he was invincible in seizing opportunities. He made 4 of 4 shots and 3 of 3 free throws in the first quarter, scoring 11 points. In the second quarter, he fought under the basket many times and grabbed three frontcourt rebounds in one quarter alone. There was no other way. He had no guns or cannons, so he had to make them himself.

At halftime, Meng Jin also scored 21 points.

The competition between the two was more intense in the second half, which made the Lakers players look a little embarrassed. The commentator also exclaimed that he had seen people scoring high in the finals, but it was the first time he saw two teammates scoring high in the finals.

The other Bulls players were also very conscientious and gave up almost all their chances to shoot. You two can compete among yourselves and you can focus on one person without offending anyone.

Meng Jin exploded in the third quarter, grabbing rebounds in the backcourt and scoring one-on-one. At the end of the third quarter, his score rose to 33 points and Jordan had 39 points.

The Los Angeles Lakers could not bear the humiliation and surrendered after three minutes of the fourth quarter. James Worthy was completely out of power tonight, scoring only 18 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 turnovers. He is the only superstar in his prime on the Lakers, but he couldn't play well and the Lakers' offensive firepower obviously couldn't keep up.

Half a minute later, the Chicago Bulls also withdrew all their main players out of respect.

Jordan's score was fixed at 42 points and Meng Jin's score was 35 points.

As the end of the game approached, the fans became more and more excited and everyone stood up from their seats.

The staff also took their positions, waiting for the final whistle to release their balloons and championship ribbons.

With 20 seconds left, the basketball went out of bounds. Korsin and Jack Harry on the bench almost rushed directly onto the court. If Meng Jin hadn't held them back, the two would probably have rushed directly to the center of the court. This kind of offensive behavior to the opponent would most likely result in a beating.

Everyone at the scene felt the same as they did. The first championship trophy in the history of the Chicago Bulls was just around the corner!
"Beep!"

When the whistle blew, everyone went crazy.

Meng Jin, Jordan, Paxson, Cartwright, Grant, as well as the players and coaching staff on the bench, all rushed into the court.

Meng Jin originally wanted to cut out the basketball net as a souvenir, but he found that he couldn't do it because fans also poured into the stadium like a tide. The security during this period was not very sound. Fans usually entered the stadium to celebrate with the players after winning the championship. This is also a tradition.

But Meng Jin was more embarrassed. At this moment, the Lakers players were in an awkward situation. The Chicago fans came in too quickly, which made it impossible for them to leave. They could only squeeze in the crowd and were forced to celebrate together.

A few minutes later, with the cooperation of security personnel, they were escorted to the player tunnel. The Lakers players were more graceful than the Pistons players. Before entering the player tunnel, they shook hands with all the Bulls players one by one. Even "Magic" Johnson, who did not appear tonight, smiled and sent his blessings to his opponents.

"Michael, this is your first championship trophy. I know how excited you are now. Enjoy tonight. This is definitely the best memory in your life."

After hugging Jordan, Magic Johnson turned around and hugged Meng Jin: "Meng, you are the second player who gave me nightmares after Larry Bird, but I should sleep well tonight because everything is over."

Meng Jin patted Magic Johnson on the back and said, "Magic, see you in the new season."

The Magician laughed and said, "Damn, this sentence will give me another nightmare."

Meng Jin admires the mentality of "Magic" Johnson very much. On the court, his desire to win is stronger than anyone else, but as soon as the game is over, he returns to the image of that sunny boy and can immediately joke with his opponents. It is a seamless transition.

Meng Jin went to hug Kareem Abdul-Jabbar again. This was the last time the two faced off in their professional careers. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar officially retired after this game.

Jabbar whispered, "Boy, let me give you some life advice."

"I've been practicing yoga recently," Meng Jin replied.

"That's not what I'm talking about. I suggest you exercise more self-discipline and not become a lustful person like the magician."

Meng Jin's pupils dilated. Who the hell was he looking down on? He immediately retorted, "I'm not a shameless lecher. I'm a lecher with taste."

Jabbar shook his head and said, "Your era is over and your era has just begun."

Meng Jin was elected the Finals MVP. The moment he lifted the trophy, he said with deep emotion: "Last season I said that no one would want to face us next season, and I did it."

There was a cheer at the scene, and then the fans shouted "MVP" in unison. It felt really great to have the promise fulfilled.

The Bulls players started partying after returning to the locker room. Jordan lit a cigar in a pretentious manner and smoked it in an imitating manner like Auerbach. He had imagined this scene many times and it finally came true this time.

Meng Jin and his teammates had a champagne bath. At first, it was Meng Jin and Grant shooting at each other, and later all the teammates joined the battle. The players showed signs of atavism, with monkeys on both sides crying. Everyone collectively poured beer on Meng Jin, only Cartwright was suffering in front of the cabinet. He was the most miserable player in the team this year and was under a lot of pressure, both from teammates and from the media. Fortunately, he proved himself in the playoffs. Cartwright's inside defense is very important to the team.

Soon, Jordan also started crying while holding the championship trophy. He has been questioned over the years and has a lot of emotions that need to be released.

(End of this chapter)