NBA: Goat is actually me

Chapter 164 Let go
"People still can't eat too much."

That's Charles Barkley's summary of the Bulls' recent farce.

Barkley feels that the Bulls have retained last season's championship team, and Meng Jin has even evolved in the new season. They are the most favorable contenders for the championship this season if Meng Jin and Jordan do not have a falling out.

Barkley felt that Jordan was just looking for trouble and had nothing better to do. He was too proud of winning the championship last season. At the same time, Barkley did not expect Meng Jin to be so tough. If Meng Jin had not chosen to confront Jordan directly, the conflict between the two would not have escalated to this point.

Barkley called Meng Jin during the Christmas game. He jokingly asked the 76ers to let Meng come to the ers instead of playing with Jordan, the psychopath. Meng Jin replied seriously, "Why can't he leave?"

This sentence left a deep impression on Barkley. Barkley then realized that the person who was talking to him on the phone was no longer the young man who had just entered the league. Meng Jin is now an All-Star, the Finals MVP, and the most lethal weapon in the league.

If there was a conflict between the two sides a year ago, Meng Jin would have been the one to leave, but it is hard to say now. After all, Meng Jin is younger than Jordan, has greater potential than Jordan, and the commercial value he has demonstrated is not inferior to Jordan.

Barkley was secretly watching the situation. He thought that with things getting to this point, one of the two players would definitely leave, but he didn't expect the Bulls to do something so cool and change their head coach.

"Is this fucking possible?" Barkley muttered to himself as he looked at the freshly-published newspaper.

Because from Barkley's perspective, the cause of this incident was that Meng Jin and Jordan were fighting for shooting rights and for the leadership of the team, and it had basically nothing to do with Collins.

Collins felt the same way. He was even thinking about how to make Meng Jin and Jordan coexist on the morning he was fired. Krause didn't even inform him in person, but fired him with just one phone call.

Collins left in such a hurry without even having time to say goodbye to the players. He was a victim of the struggle between Meng Jin and Michael Jordan.

"Jerry Krause, the son of a bitch!"

“Shitty management!”

"Death to Reinsdorf!"

Dozens of fans holding banners gathered in front of the Bulls' office building, venting their dissatisfaction with verbal abuse.

As soon as the news of Collins' dismissal came out, many Chicago fans stood up to protest. They believed that the management should not treat the team's championship coach well and that the management lacked respect for Collins.

"We got badly scolded," Reinsdorf said with a laugh.

Judging from Reinsdorf's expression, he did not take the fans' protests too seriously. This was not the first time he was insulted by fans. As a capitalist, the most fearful thing is not being scolded, but not making money.

"Fans are easily swayed by emotions. Venting is only temporary. When the team starts winning again, they will applaud and cheer again," said Krause.

"But we can't let them keep causing trouble in front of the gate. Jerry, go and deal with it." Reinsdorf added: "Don't provoke conflicts and don't use violence."

Klaus nodded. He had been very busy lately and had a lot of things to deal with.

After going to great lengths to appease the fans, Krause found Phil Jackson.

After learning that he was not the new head coach, Phil Jackson was very depressed and felt that he had fallen into a huge lie.

"Jerry, you don't have to come over to comfort me. I'm fine now, very good," said Phil Jackson.

Although Phil Jackson was disappointed, he was not desperate or angry. This was thanks to meditation, which helped him adjust his mentality and become calm.

"Phil, you know, this is not what I meant. I strongly recommended you to take over the position of head coach, but the boss does not want to play the triangle offense. He wants to continue the Show-Time offense from last season. He thinks that offense is the most attractive to fans. In addition, Meng and Michael do not want you to be the head coach. They seem to be very resistant to the triangle offense."

Klaus is a cunning man. He seems to be explaining but he is actually trying to pass the buck.

Phil Jackson nodded: "It's okay, Jerry, I will do my job conscientiously."

Krause secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Phil Jackson's tone did not sound like he was angry. You have to know that Phil Jackson was an important chess piece in Krause's palace fight.

Krause went on to say, "Phil, don't worry. Johnny Bach is only the temporary head coach. He will coach until the end of this season at most. Then you can show your talents! Think about it, Meng is on the wing, Michael is in the bottom corner, and Cartwright is in the paint. There is no more perfect triangle in the league! Be happy, and just hold on for another half a season!"

Phil Jackson nodded, even though he knew that the fat guy Krause was just making big promises for himself.

The most anxious person for the Bulls now is not Collins who was just fired, nor Phil Jackson who could not attend the class, but Johnny Bach who suddenly received the notice to attend the class but was unprepared.

From 1950 to 1968, Bach served as the head coach of Fordham University for 18 years, leading the team to a record of 263 wins and 193 losses.

1972年，巴赫出任美国国家队男篮助理教练。1979-80年赛季，巴赫担任勇士队的助教，并在1983-84赛季到1985-86赛季出任勇士队主教练。

Although he has been engaged in coaching work, Bach has not served as the head coach of a team for a long time. He is worried that he will not be able to do the job, especially since the Bulls are still in such a state internally.

However, compared with other coaches, Bach has a natural advantage. Jordan likes him, and Meng Jin also has a good relationship with him.

After thinking about it all night, Bach decided to invite the two people to his office separately.

"Hey, Michael!"

When Bach saw Jordan come in, he greeted him warmly.

"Congratulations, Johnny. It's a good thing you are the new head coach of the Bulls. If it was that guy who keeps shouting about triangle offense, I might go crazy," Jordan said.

Bach laughed and said, "Hahaha, what you said is the same as what Meng said."

Before Jordan, Bach and Meng Jin had a long conversation for half an hour.

When Jordan heard Meng Jin's name, the smile on his face immediately disappeared. The quarrel after the Christmas game further deteriorated their relationship. Jordan asked coldly, "What did he say?"

Bach said: "He said Phil Jackson believes in the triangle offense more than the gospel, and if he comes to coach, we are all doomed."

Jordan couldn't help laughing after hearing this, then immediately returned to his serious state, put his fist to his mouth and said: "He and I can't coexist."

Bach said: "This is why I called you here today. Let me be frank. I will increase your shooting rights and let you return to the No. 2 position. Not only can you coexist, but you can also win a second championship trophy together."

Bach knew what Jordan cared about. He was the scoring champion in the past few years. He wanted to return to the position of scorer. As the head coach, Bach had to take care of his emotions. Jordan shook his head and said, "I don't think Meng would agree. If he is willing to give up the right to shoot, then we won't quarrel."

Bach straightened up and said, "This is the focus of our chat today. I have specially formulated a strategy. The start of the game is Meng's, the third quarter is yours, and whoever is in better condition in the last quarter will play more. In the positional battle, you are the second position. Once there are more opportunities for counterattacks, I want you to be the organizer. Your passing is very good, and we can't waste it."

Jordan remained silent. He was not sure whether this would work because a rift had already occurred between him and Meng Jin and the conflict between them could break out at any time. In Jordan's opinion, a trade was the best outcome.

Bach saw Jordan's concerns and said, "I don't ask you to be friends with Meng. You just need to play according to my arrangement. Win another championship ring together, or mess everything up. I just said this to Meng, and he agreed."

Jordan looked Bach in the eyes and said firmly, "I want to win."

"OK, then do as I say."

In the afternoon's intra-team competition, Meng Jin and Jordan still did not speak. The conflict between the two could not be resolved by just a few words from Bach. However, Bach changed Collins' previous training strategy. Collins' previous strategy was to let Meng Jin and Jordan lead a team each, and keep the team's fighting spirit and vitality through fierce training games.

Bach felt that if they continued to practice like this, the two would probably fight again, so he put Meng Jin and Jordan in the same team for today's training match. This way the training effect would be worse, but at least the two would not have the chance of a direct conflict.

This is the biggest difference between Bach and Collins. Bach is like an old father who tries his best to avoid conflicts and contradictions between the two brothers. Collins is more like their elder brother. He is not so careful, ignores many details, and does not care about the emotions of the two.

On December 12, the Bulls played against the San Antonio Spurs at home, and the media's attention was focused on Bach. This was his first game as head coach.

Before the game, the atmosphere in the Bulls locker room was very weird. Although Jordan was harsh on his teammates in the first two seasons, most of the time the Bulls locker room was full of laughter before the game. This season, no one dared to speak before the game. Grant complained to Meng Jin privately that the atmosphere in the locker room now was like coming to a cemetery.

The quarrel between Meng Jin and Jordan made things difficult for the Bulls teammates, especially the two rookies. They dared not even breathe in the locker room and the depression was visibly evident.

Collins couldn't resolve the conflict between Jordan and Meng Jin, so naturally he couldn't resolve the atmosphere in the locker room.

Bach felt that the players would definitely not perform well in such a depressing atmosphere, so he asked Meng Jin and Jordan to put their hands together, and then asked the other players to put their hands on one by one, and finally shouted together "We must win!"
It's a very common move, but it effectively boosted the Bulls' morale. Bach doesn't require the team atmosphere to be very close, but it should at least be like a team. He doesn't require all players to be friends, but at least they should not be like strangers. If this can't be done, it will be difficult to win, and this is the basis for victory.

The San Antonio Spurs sent out Maurice Cheeks, Sean Elliott, Willie Anderson, Terry Cummings and David Robinson.

The Spurs' current record is 19 wins and 6 losses, which is very strong. You should know that they only won 21 games in total last season. It's not even December this season yet, but they are almost catching up with last season's entire year record.

In order to welcome the return of David Robinson, the Spurs specially built a strong lineup. They welcomed All-Star power forward Terry Cummings and experienced point guard Maurice Cheeks. In addition, they also selected Sean Elliott with the third pick this year, an excellent combat force. When Sean Elliott ended his career at the University of Arizona, he created the record for the most points in the history of the Pac-10 division league, breaking the record originally held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

In addition to his offensive talent, Sean Elliott is also very tough on the defensive end. Head coach Larry Brown really values ​​this and specially arranged for him to defend Meng Jin.

The best player on the Spurs to defend Meng Jin is David Robinson, but Larry Brown needs David Robinson to do a more important job, which is to protect the rim in the interior. If David Robinson follows Meng Jin around the court, the Spurs' interior will be as fragile as a piece of paper.

The Bulls' starting five were John Paxson, Jordan, Meng Jin, Grant and Cartwright.

Before the game started, John Paxson was a little nervous. He hadn't played point guard for a long time. Meng Jin patted him on the back and said, "You just need to control the ball across half court in the positional battle. The rest is the same as last season. Just wait for the opportunity in the open space."

The game started and the Bulls attacked first.

John Paxson passed the half court and threw the basketball to Jordan like he was handling a hot potato.

Jordan calmly launched an attack at the top of the arc, walked to the left with the help of a screen, then suddenly changed direction, and then stopped quickly to shoot from mid-range.

"Shh!"

0:2.

"Michael!"

Although the ball went in, Bach still yelled, because he was worried that Jordan would forget their agreement once he got too excited.

This shout also made Jordan react, and he immediately realized that the first quarter was Meng Jin's time.

The Spurs failed to score on their first attack. David Robinson forced a start and passed the ball, but Cheeks missed the shot.

The basketball bounced over Meng Jin's head, near the free throw line. After Meng Jin jumped, he did not directly grab the rebound. Instead, he used his right hand to pass the ball to Jordan who was unguarded on the left side.

After landing, Meng Jin ran at full speed towards the frontcourt. Jordan didn't even dribble the ball after getting it, but directly made a ground pass in advance.

After getting the ball, Meng Jin drove straight in, with Sean Elliot following beside him. Meng Jin raised his left arm, pushed Sean Elliot and started directly, with a powerful sweep of his right hand, completing a slam dunk over Sean Elliot's head!

This ball was pure bullying. Sean Elliott's head was buzzing after being dunked. The veterans on the bench laughed at him for being too young. If it were them, they would have slowed down and stopped chasing.

Larry Brown said nothing on the sidelines. Tonight, he arranged a dense defensive formation to counter Meng Jin's breakthrough, but it was limited to positional warfare. Once he rushed forward, there would be no way to stop him.

The Spurs played as a team in the next round. Sean Elliott used a screen to get rid of Meng Jin, cut to the basket and scored two points steadily. Sean Elliott was very experienced and had a strong ability to seize opportunities. The Spurs chose Sean Elliott because of his outstanding combat effectiveness.

When the Bulls attacked, David Robinson continued to stay in the three-second zone and left the outside defense to his teammates.

John Paxson passed the ball to Jordan, who then passed it to Meng Jin.

This was the second ball Jordan passed to Meng Jin at the start of the game. Some fans in front of the TV noticed this and speculated whether the two had reconciled.

After receiving the ball in the elbow area, Meng Jin immediately adjusted his offensive posture, turned around to face the basket, moved half a step with his left hand, and suddenly changed direction!
Sean Elliott was instantly shaken off by Meng Jin, who took one step and took the ball directly from the free throw line!
David Robinson immediately changed direction and the audience stood up collectively. This was the first head-to-head confrontation between Meng Jin and David Robinson in their careers!
Meng Jin studied David Robinson's videos before the game. He was used to defending the middle and was easily bounced.

This has to do with David Robinson's physique. The general has muscular upper limbs, but his lower body is not strong enough and his steps are not the most solid. He cannot rely on his lower body to block the penalty area and raise his hands to interfere.

Meng Jin could have sent David Robinson flying before attacking, but there was no need. Meng Jin took two steps and took off towards David Robinson.

"BOOM!"

Simple, crude and unsolvable!
The wailing sound of the basket rang out almost at the same time as the cheers of the fans. David Robinson staggered after landing and he knew that he had just become Meng Jin's background board.

Meng Jin punched excitedly. He was excited not only because of the dunk. He was exhausted from competing with Jordan for the shooting right in the previous game, and tonight he could finally let go.

(End of this chapter)