NBA: Goat is actually me

Chapter 166 Father and son on the same stage?

"David Robinson should not have served in the military!"

NBA coach and current 76ers live commentator Ramsey said this angrily when talking about David Robinson.

Ramsey felt that David Robinson was delayed. He and Meng Jin were originally at the same starting line. David Robinson had talents that were no less than Meng Jin's. But what about now?

Meng Jin already has a championship ring and a Finals MVP, but David Robinson is still a rookie.

Ramsey felt more sorry for David Robinson. He had always disliked Meng Jin. He felt that if David Robinson had developed along the normal trajectory, he would not have lost to Meng Jin.

Jerry West expressed the same opinion. He felt that there was an obvious gap between David Robinson and Meng Jin. If he had chosen to enter the NBA directly in the 87-88 season, everything would have been different.

Wilt Chamberlain also spoke out. He wore a pair of sunglasses and shook his head and said, "I think the remarks of Ramsey and Jerry West are ridiculous. David Robinson and Meng's talents are obviously not on the same level. I don't know if they did it on purpose or they really can't see it. As a former professional athlete, I can see the difference between the two at a glance. Yes, David Robinson's talent is top-notch. It is rare for someone of his height to run so fast and jump so high. But if compared with Meng, his talent immediately becomes mediocre."

"Let's just say there is a difference between monsters!"

If someone else said this, it might not be convincing, but if it came out of Chamberlain's mouth, no one would dare to refute it, because no one understands talent better than Chamberlain.

Bill Russell said that whether a player can succeed cannot be judged solely by talent or the results of the previous few seasons, because a player's career is very long, just like a person's life, and no one knows what will happen in the future.

Meng Jin didn't expect that his joke would spark heated discussions in the alliance.

On December 12, the Bulls played back-to-back games against the Bullets.

On the plane, Meng Jin still had no communication with Jordan. Bach silently observed the two of them. He was much more careful than the former Bulls head coach Collins. In addition to the performance on the court, he also paid attention to the care between the players. Bach did not expect Meng Jin and Jordan to reconcile. As long as the two did not have conflicts, they could be ordinary colleagues.

As long as the two players play normally, Bach is confident of defending the championship. He doesn't need to do too much, just let these two people do their work.

This is not a continuation of Collins' tactics. Bach privately encouraged Jordan to let go of the offense and unleash his offensive talent since he first came to the Bulls. He said similar things after Meng Jin joined the team.

Bach has eyes that can discover talent, which is why Meng Jin and Jordan respect him so much. Bach encouraged the two and recognized their playing style.

Bach had a different personality from Collins. He did not desire to be in the center of the stage. He enjoyed being behind the scenes more than being the protagonist.

The Bulls defeated the Bullets 120-100, and Bach won his second victory since taking office. In tonight's game, the Bulls continued the strategy of the last game. Meng Jin took the lead in the start, Jordan played in the third quarter, and the ball was given to the one in better condition in the fourth quarter.

However, the Bullets did not even make it to the fourth quarter tonight. They were 19 points behind after three quarters. Jeff Malone only made 31 of 10 shots. The current situation of the Bullets is that no one can handle the ball. Bernard King is already 33 years old, and the Bullets can only rely on the younger Jeff Malone.

Jeff Malone played very uncomfortably tonight. Bulls head coach Bach sent Meng Jin and Jordan to take turns defending Jeff Malone. This change yielded unexpected results. Jordan and Meng Jin took turns competing on the defensive end tonight, making Jeff Malone miserable.

Both of them are the kind of defenders who give offensive players the most headaches. Jordan has superb defensive skills and a strong sense of defensive pressure. Offenses in front of him must be on edge every second.

Meng Jin's defensive skills are average, but he excels in talent. His mobility and long arms allow him to easily cover and occupy the offensive players.

After the game, a reporter asked Jeff Malone who he thought had a stronger defensive pressure, Meng Jin or Jordan. Jeff Malone immediately put on a mask of pain. This question was like asking him which of two pieces of shit tasted better.

Jeff Malone said angrily: "Tonight I encountered the intensity of the finals! You asked me why I know the intensity of the finals when I have never played in the finals? Because I have never encountered such defensive intensity!"

After the game, Coach Bach, assistant coach Winter and Phil Jackson reviewed the game, and the Bulls coaching staff also got some inspiration from this game.

Their idea is to let Meng Jin and Jordan take turns switching defense in the next game, using their competitive mentality to defend the opponent's outside arrows.

This suggestion was proposed by Phil Jackson, and Bach agreed. After Bach took office, Phil Jackson and Winter returned to the tactical meetings. When Collins was there, they were not allowed to attend the tactical meetings. Collins hated their triangle offense theory. To be honest, Bach didn't like the triangle offense either. Compared with Collins, he was calmer and more confident. Although Collins sometimes looked arrogant, he was an insecure person.

On January 1990, 1, Meng Jin unknowingly entered the 1s. He spent New Year's Eve in the hospital. His third child, Clay Meng, was born today.

Meng Jin looked at the Asian-faced baby and was basically sure that it was his child, but he would still do a paternity test just in case.

Meng Jin's mood was a little complicated. This was his third son in four months. He didn't know if he could be a competent father. To be honest, he was not ready to be a father yet.

Meng Jin called Pippen and told him about it.

"I'm not sure about my attitude towards this child, or to be more precise, my attitude towards all three children. Can I be a good father?" Meng Jin asked.

Pippen smiled and said, "Everyone grows up through trial and error. No one can be a good father right after birth. Just like you were just an assistant to Jordan in the Bulls at the beginning, and now you two are equal. It takes a process. Children are a gift from God. Don't think too much."

In the past, it was Meng Jin who counseled Pippen, but today the two switched roles.

Meng Jin said, "I think what you said makes sense, but I just feel an inexplicable panic."

Pippen said: "You just need time to adapt, and you will slowly enjoy this new role."

"Maybe." Meng Jin said.

"Meng, an idea suddenly came to my mind," Pippen said.

"What's the idea?" Meng Jin asked.

"I think with your physical condition, you should have no problem playing until you are 40 years old," Pippen said.

"So what?" Meng Jin asked. He didn't know what Pippen wanted to express.

"If you have a child who enters the NBA right after graduating from high school, then you and your son can both appear on the NBA court at the same time!" Pippen said.

"Father and son on the same stage? Sounds boring." Meng Jin had no interest in this proposal. At least he would not deliberately do such a thing. If he happened to still be playing basketball when he was 40 years old and his child happened to enter the league, he would not mind.

"This will be a great moment!" Pippen said. "What's so great about this? Isn't it just a matter of working for a long time? If a kid doesn't have the ability to play in the NBA in the future and is forced to be in this scene, it will become a joke in the entire league."

Seeing that Meng Jin had no interest in the father and son being on the same stage, Pippen changed the subject. After the two chatted about family matters for a while, they hung up the phone.

On January 1, in the first game of the 3s, the Bulls defeated the Cavaliers 90-101. The Bulls won this game easily. The Cavaliers have suffered a large number of injuries this season and currently have a record of only 87 wins and 11 losses. In this game, only Price and Larry Nance were left in the opening game.

On January 1, the Bulls faced the Magic at home. Before the game started, former Bulls player Sam Vincent boasted that he would "take revenge" tonight. Sam Vincent did not win a contract extension after winning the championship with the team last season, and the Bulls chose Hodges between him and the latter.

Neither Meng Jin nor Jordan cared about what Vincent said before the game. They knew Vincent's strength and they set their sights on Reggie Seuss. Like Vincent, Reggie Seuss was abandoned during this year's offseason. Last year, Reggie Seuss, Moses Malone and Wilkins formed a Big Three in the Hawks. However, after only one season, the Big Three lineup was declared a failure and Reggie Seuss was swept out by the Hawks.

Reggie Theus himself feels that leaving the Hawks is a relief. He has no tactical position in the Hawks, and his average number of shots per game is also the lowest in recent years.

"Shh!"

Reggie Seuss made a mid-range shot as soon as he came on the court. He had been with the Bulls for six years and was very familiar with this court. His shooting percentage was good every time he visited the Bulls.

However, Reggie Theus never expected that the next challenge facing him would be a hellish challenge. Meng Jin and Jordan's practice shots made him only make 15 of 3 shots. If the Magic were not for the efforts of Nick Anderson and Sidney Green, the game would probably have been over before the end of the third quarter.

After defeating the Magic, the Bulls defeated the Bucks from behind. The Bucks sent Cummings away this season, and Paul Price also moved from the starting lineup to the bench. The Bucks' lineup underwent a major overhaul, and the intensity and degree of coordination between players declined.

Meng Jin scored 45 points in this game and Jordan also scored 41 points. The Bucks were almost filled with anger, but the two of them were still outputing.

Bucks head coach Del Harris admitted after the game that he had never seen such a duo, and their firepower exceeded any other duo in the NBA.

In fact, what Del Harris wanted to say was that for most of the game, they did not perform like a combination. There was not much connection between the two except for fast breaks. Most of the time they each held the ball and played one-on-one, taking turns to play one-on-one, with no coordination at all, but they still won.

After five consecutive wins, the outside world said that the Bulls seemed to have found a new way to win, a way of playing similar to hosting.

Last season, people joked that Collins was a coach who could only shout LETS-GO. After Bach took over as coach, the media said that he couldn't even shout LETS-GO. During the game, Bach basically sat in the coaching seat with his hands on his chest, and let Meng Jin and Jordan solve the rest.

Many fans joked that the Bulls head coach had it easy and they could play too.

Fans and the media always see the most superficial things. They cannot see many details. For example, Bach forced Meng Jin and Jordan, who were about to break up, together. He calmed the emotions of all parties very well and restored vitality to the locker room. As for letting them take turns to play singles and let them shoot crazily, it was just a means for Bach to bring them together.

Boss Reinsdorf was very satisfied with Bach's performance. The boss didn't care whether the team had tactics or not, as long as they could win and make money. Krause's mood was complicated. He was very happy about the team's winning streak, but at the same time he was worried about Phil Jackson's future. If Bach continued like this, Phil Jackson's dream of taking over the position of Bulls head coach would become even more distant.

"I feel better lately, Horace." After the game, Meng Jin came to Grant's room to chat with him.

"What's gotten better? Your relationship with Michael?" Grant asked.

"Are you crazy? He and I haven't spoken since the Christmas game. I said the team is getting better and I am getting better."

Meng Jin really played very well in these games. He was able to unleash himself both on the offensive and defensive ends.

Grant looked worried: "Meng, you are doing very well, but I am suffering."

In recent games, Grant's average points per game has dropped to around 9 points. It is too difficult for him to survive between Meng Jin and Jordan. The two of them played singles for at least half of the game, and the others could only spectate.

This is also what Phil Jackson is most worried about. Although the Bulls are winning, they are not playing like a team. This style of play can easily be targeted in the playoffs, and other players on the team will have opinions.

Bach believes that as long as the team keeps winning, all problems will be covered up.

On January 1, facing the old rival the Pistons, Bach decided to remain unchanged and continue to let Meng Jin and Jordan take turns to resolve the battle in singles.

Chuck Daly changed all his defensive strategies but couldn't limit the two players. Jordan was extremely efficient tonight with his inside and outside shots. Meng Jin was even more reckless tonight. He took one dribble and then pulled up for a shot. He scored 22 points in the first half just with this trick.

The score difference quickly reached double digits. In the third quarter, the Pistons players became anxious and kept making trouble when Jordan broke through. Their feet also didn't stay still when Meng Jin made a jump shot.

In the middle of the third quarter, after a pick-and-roll switch, Bill Laimbeer quietly put his feet under Meng Jin. Bill Laimbeer thought to himself, no matter how high you jump, there will be a time when you land, right?

Bill Laimbeer turned his head away at the moment of stepping on his foot, and everything seemed very natural.

After landing, Meng Jin stepped accurately on Bill Laimbeer's instep, then fell to the ground in pain.

Although Meng Jin is immune to injuries, he is not immune to pain.

Bill Laimbeer's acting was natural. He first pretended not to know what happened and ran to the front court, then suddenly turned back and looked down to check on Meng Jin's condition.

Bill Laimbeer fooled the referee, but he couldn't fool Meng Jin because he had tried twice before this trip and failed both times.

Just as Bill Laimbeer was looking down, Meng Jin suddenly stood up!

"boom!"

With a left hook, Lambier fell to the ground!

There was an uproar in the Detroit home court, and the Pistons bench was also shocked. They thought Meng Jin was dead just now, but he jumped up and punched him, as if he was sitting up in shock from a dying illness.

However, Meng Jin did not have a last-gasp performance. After being ejected from the game, he walked directly into the player tunnel as if nothing had happened.

In an interview, Meng Jin directly stated that Bill Laimbeer wanted to kick him to death, and he would never tolerate such a person.

Bill Laimbeer was once again carried out on a stretcher and was once again admitted to the hospital. The fans had no sympathy for Laimbeer at all. Meng Jin played against Laimbeer for three years in the NBA, but this guy still has a short memory. Some fans even gloated and suggested that all stretchers in the league should be named Laimbeer stretcher to commemorate Bill Laimbeer's many classic moments on a stretcher.

(End of this chapter)