NBA: Goat is actually me

Chapter 94 I want to lose this kind of bet a few more times

"Wow, Michael, we can see a very clear change in your role on the court today. Honestly, how does it feel to go from concertmaster to conductor?"

After the game, Chicago radio reporter Cheryl Rae Stout left Jordan in the middle of the field.

Jordan replied with a smile: "Great, very good! I can see the whole court. The opponent no longer focuses on me. Our team has other offensive options. The opponent must respect my teammates. We played a wonderful fast break again. Everything is so dreamy."

Jordan was in a very good mood today. In addition to 16 assists, he also scored 28 points and 10 rebounds.

You have to know that it is not easy to get a triple-double in this era. Not to mention other things, just judging the assists is much more difficult than in the future.

In this era, assists must be determined by shooting immediately after catching the ball, or by layups. If there is a dribble before the shot, it will not be included in the technical statistics.

Michael Jordan returned to the locker room after the interview, and Meng Jin was surrounded by reporters.

Jordan didn't hear what questions the reporter asked. He only heard Meng Jin modestly say, "No, no, no, the 40 points tonight are not my credit alone. I want to thank Coach Doug. The tactics he formulated allowed me to fully utilize my abilities. Of course, the person I want to thank most is Michael. It's hard to imagine that the rebellious Michael, the Michael with his eyes full of scoring desire, was willing to be a supporting role tonight and serve his teammates. He sacrificed a lot for the team's victory, so I must repay him with a more perfect performance. I tried to make every ball he passed to me. When I missed, I would feel guilty. I would feel sorry for Michael's comeback."

Jordan stood there in a daze. He didn't expect that Meng Jin, such a troublemaker, could say such a thing. Jordan's nose felt sore and he was deeply touched. This tough guy also has a soft side.

After a while, Meng Jin winked at Grant next to him and asked in a low voice, "Are you leaving?"

Meng Jin was surrounded by reporters and had a poor vision, so he couldn't see Jordan's movements clearly.

Grant nodded: "The guy went to take a shower."

Meng Jin breathed a sigh of relief. If he didn't leave now, he wouldn't be able to continue making up stories.

This is not a prank plan by Jordan, but a new plan initiated by Meng Jin, called the Jordan Assistance Plan.

A day later, the Bulls played the Bullets again at home, and the two teams played against each other six times in a season.

Before the game started, Meng Jin saw Moses Malone.

Although Moses Malone was ruled out for the season, he still came to the scene on crutches to cheer for the home team.

When Meng Jin looked at Moses Malone, his gaze happened to sweep towards Meng Jin.

The two men didn't say hello, they just nodded to each other in a very manly way.

After two encounters, Moses Malone's attitude towards Meng Jin also changed, from initial disdain to dissatisfaction and then to current respect.

Therefore, respect is always earned by yourself. The players who have played against you know your strength and your background best. If you cannot defeat them and only rely on some superficially gorgeous data, then at best you can only deceive the fans, and they are just virtual fans at that. It is difficult to get real recognition from the players.

The Bullets' current record is 10 wins and 22 losses. After Moses Malone was reimbursed, they are basically gone this season.

The last time the two teams faced off, Bullets head coach Unseld designed some tactics, such as letting Bernard King play as the sixth man, taking advantage of staggered travel to score more points against the Bulls' substitutes to make up for the firepower gap left by Moses Malone's absence.

In this game, Unseld was too lazy to deal with these people, so he directly let Bernard King start and let him do whatever he wanted. Tactically, he played offense and let Bernard King and Jeff Malone handle the ball freely.

After three quarters, Bernard King had already scored 30 points, but he was not happy because the team was almost 30 points behind.

Tonight's game was played very openly. The Bulls like this kind of open offense. After three quarters, Meng Jin had 37 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.

It is enough to see from Meng Jin's data that his playing style tonight was offense, nothing else. Because of the continuous fast breaks, he seldom retreated to the penalty area to protect the backcourt rebounds.

Not to mention passing, Meng Jin felt that after Jordan switched to point guard, the Bulls' firepower might be insufficient, and he had to work harder to score to make up for this deficiency.

As for assists, he just goes with the flow. If his teammates have a very good chance, he will pass the ball. If the chances are 50-50 between himself and his teammates, he will definitely choose to do it himself.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Meng Jin made a mid-range quick stop and drift shot, but missed.

After taking a big lead, Meng Jin's mentality became more relaxed and he tried some difficult shots. If he made a shot, he would gain experience to upgrade his [mid-range shot] attribute.

Training and actual combat are both good ways to improve attributes. With the current score difference, teammates won't say anything if the ball doesn't go in.

"Bang!"

The basketball bounced high, and Bullets center Bol grabbed the rebound and made a long pass to Bernard King.

Jordan came out from the wing and intercepted the ball with a "snap"!
Jordan intercepted the ball in the air and threw it to Meng Jin on the side with one hand before it landed.

Meng Jin, who was just running towards the defensive half, immediately turned around on the spot and reacted quickly!
After Meng Jin saw Jordan jumping out of the corner of his eye, he immediately braked because he smelled the scent of scoring, which was the smell of a killer.

Meng Jinyun took off in one step!
When Boll saw Meng Jin’s menacing face, his first reaction was to think of the Bulls’ logo, an angry bull’s head!

Boll was so frightened that he shuddered and immediately moved away!

This move is called retreating three steps!
Although it has been more than a month since the last time Meng Jin dunked on him, Boll still occasionally dreams of Meng Jin riding on his neck.

Some shadows last a lifetime.

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, the whole audience was boiling.

The Bullets players were not upset at all. They had already lost by 30 points, so this dunk wouldn't matter to them.

Less than three minutes into the fourth quarter, Jordan and Meng Jin went off the field, the Bullets surrendered, and the game completely turned into garbage time.

"That's crazy, you scored 40 points again tonight."

After Meng Jin left the court, assistant coach Bach walked over and sat down next to him.

"Am I that fierce?"

Meng Jin has no habit of looking at his own data during the game, which will affect his mentality. He only knows that he has to keep attacking the basket and scoring goals tonight.

"42 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal." Bach said and handed the statistics sheet to Meng Jin.

"This is yours, Michael."

Then Coach Bach handed Jordan another statistics sheet.

24分14助攻14篮板5抢断4失误。

Jordan felt that the data on this data sheet was a little unfamiliar. If he was told that these were his statistics a year ago, he would never believe it.

Jordan's points in these two games did not reach his average points per game. He and Collins agreed to pass the ball in the first three quarters, and if the score was deadlocked in the last quarter, he would take over the game. However, the fourth quarters of these two games were garbage time, so why would he take over?

Although this is not Jordan's typical data, he seemed to be in a good mood. After the game, he boasted to reporters: "Everyone has been bragging about how difficult it is to get a triple-double. I think it's a bit exaggerated."

The Bulls' opponent in the next game was the Suns from Phoenix. Before the game started, Jordan took out his father's hat and put it on the table.

"Guys, let's make a bet. Let's bet on whether I can get a triple-double tonight. If I get a triple-double, each of you will give me $100. If I don't, I will give each of you $100. How about that?"

The scene was completely silent; no one wanted to bet. It was hard to say about the Jordan of the past, but now that Jordan has switched to playing point guard, the ball is always in his hands. Doesn't it all depend on his mood whether he gets a triple-double or not?

"Come-On! Take action, guys!" Jordan mobilized again.

Meng Jin smiled and said, "A triple-double is too easy for you, Michael, how about betting on whether you can get 20 assists? Want to?"

Jordan threw $100 into the hat and said, "It's a deal."

Meng Jin also took out a brand new $100 bill from his pocket: "It's a deal."

His teammates also placed their bets, some bet that Jordan could accomplish it, some bet that he couldn't, it was half and half.

Compared to whether Jordan can get a triple-double, this bet is obviously much more interesting, at least there is suspense.

When Jordan made 9 assists in the first quarter, those teammates who bet that Jordan would not get 20 assists tonight raised their hands in surrender. They said they didn't want the 100 US dollars and only asked Jordan to be normal and not be so abnormal.

Jordan once again showed his teammates his terrifying competitive spirit. During the entire quarter, he only took two shots, made one and scored two points.

The rest of the time was spent passing the ball.

Pass the ball to teammates in better positions during fast breaks, pass the ball to teammates following the pick-and-roll, and pass the ball to teammates on the perimeter after breaking through the restricted area.

In the second quarter, Jordan made another 6 assists.

15 assists in the first half, that's really exaggerated.

Half of them were given to Meng Jin. Jordan regarded Meng Jin as the strongest tool man for assists. If he could find Meng Jin in the counterattack, the assist for this round would basically be there.

Meng Jin treated Jordan as a tool to score points. After Jordan transformed into a point guard, he had scored 40+ points in two consecutive games, reaping the full benefits of being a point guard.

The halftime score was 63 to 55.

No need to look, this game is another high-scoring matchup. The Phoenix Suns are also a run-and-gun team. They average 108 points per game this season, which is enough to show their firepower on the offensive end.

However, their points loss is even more terrifying, as they can lose 113 points in every game.

At the beginning of the second half, Larry Nance of the Phoenix Suns took the lead in starting his performance.

The moment he received the ball in the paint, Larry Nance turned around and passed Oakley, then jumped over Korsin.

Violent dunk! 63 to 57.

Larry Nance is the first Slam Dunk Contest champion and has great athletic ability. Although the Suns' record has been getting worse and worse, Nance's status in the hearts of Phoenix fans has only increased.

Whenever Nance participated in a fast break, the home fans stood up and shouted: "Give the ball to Larry! Give the ball to Larry! Larry! Larry!"

Larry Nance is the Suns' Meng Jin.

Dav Korsin shook his head in despair, then ran to the baseline to serve.

Larry Nance was beating his chest and stamping his feet, looking very arrogant.

The picture is in sharp contrast.

Meng Jin said he couldn't tolerate this and he would not allow such a powerful person to exist in the Chicago Stadium.

Bulls offensive possession.

All the Suns players quickly retreated. After receiving the ball, Jordan observed that there was no opportunity for a fast break, so he slowly dribbled across half court.

Jordan stopped the ball at the top of the arc and passed it to Meng Jin outside the left three-point line.

Meng Jin grabbed the ball with one hand and made a triple threat. His pose remained frozen for two seconds while he waited for his teammates.

Oakley provided screen for Meng Jin as he ran from the backcourt.

Meng Jin passed the ball to the right, and Larry Nance switched defense immediately.

Larry Nance's mobility ranks first in the league, and he blocked Meng Jin's breakthrough route first.

Meng Jin leaned against his body and took a step forward.

Just as Larry Nance tensed his body to fight him, Meng Jin suddenly paused and then started again.

Larry Nance was obviously shaken, his body paused and he was half a beat slower.

Larry Nance is very mobile, but his mobility is obviously not on the same level as Meng Jin. Meng Jin's quick steps and stops do not seem to be done by a big man. The coordination and fluency of his movements are like that of a small guard under 190CM.

With the support of the passive skill [Basic Ball Control Skills], Meng Jin can always give people a feeling of good coordination between man and ball when doing basic dribbling movements.

When Meng Jin changed the rhythm and made the final breakthrough, Larry Nance tried to catch up and almost fell to his knees.

After getting rid of Larry Nance, Meng Jin took a small step inside the free throw line, made a mid-air jump shot, and scored the ball steadily.

65:57.

After half a season of polishing, Meng Jin's [Mid-range Shooting] attribute reached 78.

The growth of CIC is slower than expected, but at least it is growing steadily. As long as there is progress, Meng Jin will not be in a hurry.

What he relies on most now is the pick-and-roll breakthrough in fast breaks and positional battles, and shooting is only an auxiliary means.

On the way back to defense, Meng Jin directly yelled at Larry Nance: "Hey! Larry, where were you just now?"

Larry Nance responded: "I'm going to dunk on you and blow your head off."

Three rounds later, Larry Nance finally got the chance, but while he succeeded in injuring Meng Jin's head, he himself almost suffered a concussion.

Larry Nance pulled out to the outside to set a screen for Walter Davis in this round.

Walter Davis is a North Carolina player and a senior whom Jordan respects and admires very much. However, his performance tonight was a bit poor and he has only scored 4 points so far.

The Suns commentator Al McCoy liked him very much before and gave him the nickname Sweet-D, which translates to "Candy Super Sweet Davis", but tonight his candy didn't look very sweet.

Walter Davis knew that his shooting was not good today, so after the pick-and-roll he gave up the idea of ​​shooting and made a ground pass to Larry Nance who was running down the court.

Larry Nance took a step after receiving the ball!
Meng Jin quickly filled the position from the weak side to the penalty area.

The two of them jumped at the same time, facing each other!
This was a moment of pure jumping and pure talent. Meng Jin really was not afraid of anyone.

Larry Nance was too confident in himself. His dynamic talent has always been top-notch in the league. He wanted to dunk the ball directly over Meng Jin, but when he reached the highest point, he found that Meng Jin's hands were tightly pressing on the basketball.

With no height advantage, Larry Nance tried to force the ball in, but his strength was not as good as Meng Jin's and he was blocked and fell to the ground!
The basketball fell vertically and then bounced up. The Suns player next to him, Almon "The Hammer" Gilliam, was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He caught the ball and shot it off the backboard on the spot.

Before making the shot, Almon Gilliam was still smiling in his heart, hehe, I got a small advantage.

"boom!"

As a result, the next second, the basketball flew in the opposite direction to the third-tier stands.

Meng Jin jumped a second time, bounced up at the speed of light, and directly kicked the ball away.

After finishing it, Meng Jin made a telescope gesture.

Ridiculous!

Gilmore slapped his thigh in front of the TV: "Beautiful! This is a block! You have to be so tough on defense!"

Gilmore is currently an unemployed old man. When he has nothing to do, he just drinks beer and watches the game at home.

The commentator was also very excited: "Two consecutive super blocks, one for the dunk king and one for this year's No. 2 pick."

Another commentator laughed and said, "Meng must be upset when he sees those guys who are higher in the draft than him. He is already a star who can score 40+ points in a row, while some of those guys are still serving in the military, some are just blue-collar workers in the team, and some can only play in the team's rotation."

This commentary is obviously an over-interpretation. Meng Jin does not have any hatred towards these players, but their management must be regretting it now.

Meng Jin didn't know about other teams, but he knew that the fans of the Supersonics had marched in front of the stadium a few days ago, and the incident was even reported in the local newspaper.

Fans held up signs and shouted insults, with the signs saying things like "stupid management".

The Seattle SuperSonics had a chance to sign Meng Jin, but their management made a genius move and traded Meng Jin for Olden Polynice.

The stats of the other rookies ranked ahead of Meng Jin are at least acceptable. Almon Gilliam averaged 14.8 points and 7.9 rebounds, Denis Hopson averaged 10 points and 2.5 rebounds, and Reggie Williams averaged 10.4 points and 3.9 rebounds. The management of these teams can still comfort themselves that the players they selected still have some potential.

But what about Olden Polynice?
He currently averages 4 points and 4 rebounds per game. As an inside player, his shooting percentage is only 46.5%. He is confused when he is on the court and has no idea what to do.

The Sonics fans got angry when they saw his face, and some even urinated and defecated in front of his house in protest, threw paint in his yard, and told him to get out of Seattle.

Olden Polynice is almost suffering from depression. He said he felt wronged. This was the team's choice. What did it have to do with him?
But some fans are just so extreme that there is no logic to it.

Olden Polynice often watches Meng Jin's games on TV. Every time he watches Meng Jin play a little better, otherwise he will be scolded by the fans again.

But obviously Polynice's prayers were of no use. After three quarters of the game, Meng Jin's statistics were 33 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks.

I guess I'll be heading for 40+ again tonight.

At the start of the final quarter, Jordan made a mistake right at the start. He had just started playing as a point guard and was in an excited period. He always wanted to pass some tricky balls, so some mistakes were inevitable.

Larry Nance took the lead and rushed across half court. Suns point guard Jane Humphries made a long pass. The cooperation between the two was still very tacit.

Larry Nance received the ball and jumped, and Meng Jin accelerated to catch up from behind.

When Larry Nance was flying in the air, he saw half of Meng Jin's face and was startled. He quickly turned around in the air and passed the ball backwards.

It was all because of that shot in the third quarter. Larry Nance, who is known for his talent, has lost his confidence.
Larry Nance's pass was very bad, and Jordan followed up and stole the ball directly. In terms of his sense of stealing, Jordan really didn't target anyone.

After getting the ball, Jordan quickly braked and turned, and made a layup.

The Suns were currently trailing by 12 points, so logically they still had a chance to win. However, they had a complete collapse in the next 3 and a half minutes, missing 9 consecutive shots and even sleepwalking on defense.

The Suns have been like this often this season, commonly known as habitual collapse. Their offense and defense are fast, and they collapse quickly too, for unknown reasons.

Currently, the Suns management has given up on this season and they are preparing to reorganize the lineup. Therefore, after the collapse, the head coach still let main players such as Larry Nance and Walter Davis continue to play, in order to get good data and sell them for a good price.

At the end of the game, the Chicago Bulls won the offensive battle with a score of 120 to 107.

As soon as the game ended, Jordan rushed into the locker room and arrogantly threw a statistics sheet on the table.

球员：迈克尔-乔丹、得分：21、助攻：22、篮板：12、抢断：4、盖帽：1、失误：4。

Jordan yelled at everyone, "Not only did I get 20 assists, I also got a triple-double!"

Meng Jin directly handed the hat filled with money to Jordan: "GOD? How did you do it? I accept defeat sincerely!"

"I am the big winner tonight."

Jordan took the money and smiled contentedly: "I am the big winner tonight."

Meng Jin also felt satisfied. He scored 44 points tonight. If he could, he would like to lose more times in such a bet.

(End of this chapter)