NBA: Goat is actually me

Chapter 176 Living in His Shadow
Meng Jin did not pull Mira Sorvino into the room immediately. He had a special feeling for this young girl who was fluent in Chinese. This feeling did not arise at this moment. It existed when they first met in BJ in the summer.

If Meng Jin told people around him that he had met his true love, he would definitely be laughed at. Everyone would think that Meng Jin was a playboy who had to find a new true love every day.

Meng Jin suggested that Mira Sorvino go for a ride, and she gladly accepted.

Mira Sorvino glanced behind Meng Jin and said, "This must be Mr. Philip Sunderland, right?"

Philip Sunderland is Meng Jin's bodyguard and a former Marine. Meng Jin mentioned him to Mira Sorvino when he was in BJ.

"OH, I almost forgot, Philip, you don't have to follow me, go back and rest first." Meng Jin said.

Philip Sunderland looked at Meng Jin and then at Mira Sorvino, and said, "Chicago is not very safe at night, especially in the West and South Sides."

Meng Jin patted Philip Sunderland on the shoulder and said, "Relax, Philip, I won't go to any dangerous places. I'll just drive around."

Philip Sunderland nodded and said, "If there is any danger, call me and I will be there at any time."

After Philip Sunderland walked away, Mira Sorvino exclaimed: "He really did his job, didn't he?"

Meng Jin walked to the garage and drove out his Ferrari Testarossa: "Now it's my turn as the driver to fulfill my responsibilities."

Mira Sorvino got into the car with a smile, and the two chatted about their recent situation.

Mira Sorvino told Meng Jin that her paper on Chinese had won the Forbes Writing Award from Harvard University, and that she was also going to audition at Robert De Niro's production company.

Mira Sorvino has the potential to be an actress, but Meng Jin thinks she should be a scholar because she has the potential and temperament in this area.

After chatting for a few words, Mira Sorvino changed the subject and asked, "What about you? How are you doing recently?"

Meng Jin smiled and said, "You should be able to read about my recent situation in the newspaper."

Mira Sorvino also smiled and said, "There's something that's not in the newspaper."

Meng Jin asked, "What's the matter?"

Mira Sorvino: "When your child is born."

Meng Jin was a little confused and asked, "How did you know?"

Mira Sorvino smiled and said: "Of course you told me, otherwise how do you think I knew, did you switch to being a paparazzi?"

Meng Jin smiled. He probably said it after drinking, so he really didn't remember it.

But since Mira Sorvino still came to her, it meant that she didn't mind it.

Meng Jin held the steering wheel with one hand and said, "Children are like angels. To be honest, I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I am very happy, but on the other hand, I don't know how to get along with them."

"All boys?" Mira Sorvino asked.

"Yes, three boys." Meng Jin replied.

Mira Sorvino laughed and said, "Oh my god, that must be a very noisy house."

Meng Jin waved his hand: "They don't live with me. I will visit them every once in a while."

"Really? So you still live alone now?" Mira Sorvino asked.

Meng Jin smiled and said, "Hey! When did we need to test each other when we talk?"

Mira Sorvino smiled, her face flushed as she said, "I want to go home now."

Meng Jin drove with one hand and kept the other hand busy, and Mira Sorvino fell in no time.

Meng Jin looked directly into Mira Sorvino's eyes and said, "You look impatient."

Then, Meng Jin parked the car on a small road next to the park.

Mira Sorvino isn't the only one who can't wait.

The next day, Meng Jin was woken up by the sound of curtains being drawn, followed by a glare of light.

When Meng Jin opened his eyes, it was already 9:30 in the morning. There was no competition today, so Meng Jin gave himself a day off, but only half a day. He still had to train as usual in the afternoon.

Mira Sorvino lay on Meng Jin like a kitten: "I've already done it in the morning."

Meng Jin rubbed his eyes and said, "Why can't I remember when I married a good wife and a good mother."

Mira Sorvino smiled and said, "Come down and have a taste. Don't waste the cooking skills of a good wife and mother."

After washing up, Meng Jin went downstairs.

Meng Jin smelled the aroma of waffles before he even reached the table.

When he walked in, he saw that it was indeed waffles, the authentic Belgian waffles. The waffles looked very good and golden. Meng Jin picked up a piece and took a bite.

Crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside, covered in icing and a syrup that tasted like Vermont maple syrup, and topped with a generous spoonful of whipped cream that had melted to the perfect amount to fill the deep holes in the waffle cone.

There were also over-tender fried eggs and four thick strips of brown sugar bacon. Mira Sorvino was also very skilled at squeezing orange juice, which was so fresh that the oranges probably didn't even realize they were being squeezed into juice.

Meng Jin quickly finished the breakfast on the table, so fast that Mira Sorvino opened her mouth wide: "How do the Chicago Bulls usually abuse you? Don't they give you breakfast?"

Meng Jin smiled and said, "Your cooking skills are so good. If Gandhi could have eaten this kind of breakfast, he would probably have stopped his hunger strike."

Mira Sorvino also laughed after hearing this and said, "I can also cook Chinese food, the authentic kind."

"What dishes can you cook?" Meng Jin asked.

"Braised pork, stir-fried pork with peppers, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and I can make dumplings," said Mira Sorvino.

"Mira, you are simply a genius. How much have you learned in China in one year?" Meng Jin asked.

"If you want to eat, I can make it for you at noon," said Mira Sorvino.

"I really want to eat my hometown food, very much, but I have a meeting with friends at noon."

Meng Jin met with Leonard Bosack and his wife at noon. Cisco is preparing to go public soon, and the couple reported to Meng Jin about the latest developments.

Meng Jin never doubted that Cisco could help him make money. In his previous life, Cisco's market value reached 5500 billion US dollars at its peak. After the listing, his equity would definitely be diluted, but it would be enough for him to make a fortune.

Compared to the last time they met, Leonard Bosack and his wife were in much better spirits and were wearing designer clothes, like two successful people.

It's not like that, it's just two people. Even if Cisco has not gone public, its current value is more than 6000 million US dollars.

Meng Jin did not interfere with Cisco's development as usual, fearing that it would cause a butterfly effect. Meng Jin felt that the only thing he had to do next was to lie down and count money. In the afternoon, after finishing the team training, Meng Jin practiced with his personal trainer. Thinking that he would be financially free in the near future, Meng Jin was more motivated to practice. Many players played for money, but Meng Jin's motivation for playing was much purer. He wanted to win and get more honors. Now basketball was just basketball in his eyes, without any other additional things.

On March 3, the Bulls faced the visiting Jazz at home.

Mira Sorvino came to the scene to watch the fight. She has been staying at Meng Jin's house in recent days. If you want to lock a man's heart, you must first lock his stomach. Mira Sorvino must have learned this sentence when she was studying in China.

The audience booed when Karl Malone came on the court.

Karl Malone had quarreled and fought with Meng Jin. Having a conflict with Meng Jin means having a conflict with the entire Windy City. Bulls fans will not let him go easily.

"Eat shit, Karl Malone!"

"Karl Malone, go home and drink your mother's milk!"

"Marlon, Marlon, you're my good baby!"

Many fans used the word "mom" to attack Karl Malone because after being picked by the Utah Jazz with the 1985th pick in 13, Malone shed tears at the draft while thanking his mother.

After going to Salt Lake City, he called his mother every day because he missed her so much. His phone bill during his rookie season was as high as $700 per month.

If someone says in a dozen years that Durant is the No. 1 mama's boy in the NBA, Meng Jin will definitely be the first to stand up and oppose it.

At the beginning of the game, the Jazz played steadily, relying on the pick-and-roll cooperation between Stockton and Karl Malone to score points continuously. After Jerry Sloan took over the Jazz this season, he has turned the pick-and-roll into their trump card, and Malone and Stockton have gradually become the most feared inside and outside line combination in the league.

The reason why the Jazz's pick-and-roll is difficult to defend is that Sloan played the UCLA system, which requires all players to run tactics. This is a kind of civilian basketball. On the surface, Malone and Stockton cooperated with each other, but in fact everyone participated in the offense. The pick-and-roll was the starting point of the tactics, and there would be many changes later.

Others besides these two cannot be ignored either. In the next few rounds, the Bulls placed their defensive focus entirely on Malone and Stockton, and center Thule Bailey seized the opportunity to score consecutively under the basket.

After the first quarter, the Jazz took the lead by 27 points with 24 to 3.

Tonight, the Bulls' starting center Cartwright was absent due to injury, and the role players had a cold touch. John Paxson made 3 of 0 shots, Grant made 2 of 0 shots, Hodges made 2 of 0 shots, and Will Perdue made 2 of 1 shots. The entire first quarter was supported by Meng Jin and Jordan.

Meng Jin scored 15 points in the first quarter and Jordan scored 7 points.

In the second quarter, the Bulls' role players continued to be in a slump. Bach went all out and extended the playing time of Jordan and Meng Jin, relying on this pair of ace players in his hands to play a game with Jerry Sloan.

Sloan continued the UCLA system on the offensive end, relying on the golden duo of Malone and Stockton to score points. On the defensive end, Sloan simply adopted a double-team strategy against Meng Jin and Jordan at the same time.
Generally, few teams would double-team Meng Jin and Jordan at the same time, because this would mean giving other Bulls players many opportunities. Tonight, Sloan saw that the Bulls were in poor form.

Cartwright's absence on the defensive end has a great impact on the Bulls. He is the pillar of the Bulls' inside line. Without him, no one can limit the Jazz's three-tall combination of Mark Eaton, Thurl Bailey and Malone.

At the end of the first half, the Jazz led 50-41.

The only good news for the Bulls was that Jordan and Meng Jin were in good shape. They accounted for most of the team's points. The third quarter was a counterattack for the Bulls. Bach used one trick to resolve the Jazz's double-team strategy. He let Meng Jin and Jordan pick and roll against each other in positional battles. As long as the Jazz double-teamed one person, the other one would be free.

The Bulls tied the score before the start of the fourth quarter. Jerry Sloan played dirty at the beginning of the final quarter. He did not use the double-team strategy and switched to pseudo-zone defense for three consecutive defensive rounds.

"Illegal zone defense! Illegal zone defense!" Bach rarely lost control of his emotions. This kind of zone defense is prohibited in the NBA.

Although the league has banned this defensive strategy, coaches always find ways to find loopholes. Starting from the fourth quarter, the Jazz players would set up a pseudo zone defense in advance every round while the Bulls' offensive players were not in position to prevent Meng Jin or Jordan from directly attacking the basket.

Coaches of teams across the league generally believe that this illegal zone defense is more effective than double-teaming because the league does not allow double-teaming on the weak side without the ball. Given the reactions of Meng Jin or Jordan, it is usually too late to double-team them after they get the ball.

The referee did not make any comment. It's not that they turned a blind eye, but this kind of defense is full of loopholes and is difficult to judge.

If the referee dares to blow the whistle, Jerry Sloan will definitely be furious and stop illegal defense. Which team can stop Meng Jin and Jordan?
Even if illegal defense is condoned, it is difficult to stop this duo. Looking back at the video, the Bulls lost most of the games because Meng Jin and Jordan had poor touch, and it had basically nothing to do with the opponent's defense.

Midway through the final quarter, the two teams were still tied. Entering the crucial moment, both sides played very monotonously. The Bulls relied on Meng Jin and Jordan to take turns playing one-on-one, while other players served as tools to separate the team. On the Jazz side, it was Karl Malone and Stockton who performed pick-and-roll.

Karl Malone had his way tonight, scoring 30 points and 17 rebounds, dominating the paint in this game.

But Meng Jin dominated the game.

In the last four minutes, with the defense at full intensity, he scored four goals in a row, helping the Bulls maintain their lead until the last minute.

One of the shots was a difficult pull-up layup. Meng Jin rushed into the basket with the ball and then made a layup in the air facing the empty basket.

The entire audience stood up instantly. This was an extremely difficult super pull-up bar!
Jordan was also stunned watching from the side. For some reason, he had a feeling that these actions were inexplicably familiar, as if he was living under Meng Jin's shadow.

Jordan shook his head to stop himself from being distracted, the game continued.

In the last minute, the score was 105 to 109, with the Bulls leading by 4 points and the Jazz having the ball.

Everyone knew that Malone and Stockton were going to play a pick-and-roll, but they just couldn't defend it. This time Malone didn't cut inside after the pick-and-roll, he chose to stay at the free throw line.

"Shh!"

A hollow hit from mid-range.

107:109.

The Bulls had a disagreement in the next offensive round. Meng Jin and Jordan both wanted to play one-on-one. The time was consumed until the last 3 seconds, and Jordan made a hasty shot from the outside.

Missed.

Jerry Sloan called a timeout with 25 seconds left and the team trailing by 2 points.

The Jazz have a lot of options.

Bach also took advantage of this timeout to arrange defensive tactics. At the most critical moment, Bach asked Meng Jin to defend. Meng Jin rarely defends the inside, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the ability. Meng Jin has height, bounce, strength and wingspan.

After the timeout, Stockton received the ball from the outside and fed it to Malone according to the tactical arrangement. However, Sloan decided to play it safe and shoot for two points.

Karl Malone was a little surprised by Meng Jin's defense. He pushed the ball after getting it, then jumped sideways.

Meng Jin followed his pace, keeping his hands raised all the time.

Meng Jin created a huge pressure on Karl Malone. Malone did not force a shot, but instead glanced at Griffith on the outside.

Griffith, the former Jazz boss, has stepped down and started to accept a substitute role this season. Tonight, he scored 14 points and made 2 three-pointers as a substitute. The entire Jazz team has absolute trust in him.

Although it was not Jerry Sloan's tactical deployment, there was no problem in letting him take the last shot, but the problem was that the ball did not appear in his hands.

Jordan intercepted the ball, and Jordan appeared behind Malone out of nowhere. At the last moment, Meng Jin and Jordan teamed up to besiege Karl Malone, making him lose his temper.

After stealing the ball, Jordan walked directly to the sideline. When the Jazz players reacted and were about to foul, Jordan threw the ball to the frontcourt.

Meng Jin killed the game with a slam dunk after a 100-meter sprint.

(End of this chapter)