The longest river

Chapter 57 First Point of His Career
Yang Shuai initially thought he was hallucinating, but when he saw Jordan's usually serious face unable to suppress the corners of his mouth turning up, he knew he hadn't misheard.

This is quite surprising.

But you know what, after Scott did that, Jordan didn't try to get the ball and go one-on-one in the next possession.

Was Jordan embarrassed by the praise? Or did he lose motivation after being praised?
Yang Shuai thought it was more likely to be the latter, after all, no matter how beautiful a woman is, if she lies still, a person's desire to conquer her will plummet.

Pippen drove to the basket, but his shot was blocked by McGee and Davis.

The Pacers' defense isn't bad; they just can't stop Jordan.

The Pacers launched a fast break, and Miller received a pass from McGee and hit a three-pointer.

With this offensive and defensive play, the Pacers managed to stabilize the situation on the court for a while.

So... Scott is in the atmosphere?

Just as Yang Shuai was thinking this, Jordan once again established a high post position and backed down the opponent. This time, after drawing help defense from the Pacers' interior players, he assisted Longley for two points under the basket.

Scott's defensive approach proved somewhat effective, but not much.

Five minutes into the game, the score was 12-5.

Jordan scored 10 points by himself.

His aggressive desire at the start of tonight was unstoppable, reaching its maximum without regard to anyone else's will.

Seeing this, Brown made another adjustment, replacing Scott with Ferrer.

Ferrell entered the league as an undrafted player and established himself in the league with his defensive skills.

He had size and strength, but Jordan dominated him in the first possession with a back-to-the-basket turnaround layup.

Moreover, in the next possession, Jordan faked a drive, causing Ferrell to instinctively take a half-step back, followed by a three-pointer.

Yang Shuai was stunned again.

Didn't Jordan not know how to shoot threes?
Yang Shuai clearly remembers his fellow LeBron James fan saying that Jordan was just like DeRozan in the small-ball era because he couldn't shoot threes.

Moreover, he hadn't seen Jordan attempt a three-pointer during previous practice games.

However, this also shows that he, being born in the 00s, doesn't know much about Jordan.

The only season in Jordan's career where he averaged more than 3 three-point attempts per game was the 1989-1990 season, when he had a 37.5% success rate.

For most of the seasons, Jordan averaged around one three-point attempt per game, and in some seasons he even attempted less than one.

To put it simply, due to the limitations of the era and the triangle offense, Jordan never used three-pointers as a regular offensive weapon.

The reason he plays the way he does now, including averaging 2 three-point attempts per game with a 50% success rate last season, is also very important. To increase the entertainment value of the game, the league shortened the three-point line last season.

For him, these three points are now equivalent to two extra points.

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 31-16, with the Bulls taking a 15-point lead.

Jordan scored 21 points, adding another 20+ point quarter to his career total.

In this quarter, Jordan showcased his top-tier physical attributes and skills, even his exceptional athleticism.

The Pacers' deep wing defense was completely breached.

This constantly challenged Yang Shuai's understanding.

All the hundred arguments that James is better than Jordan that my LeBron fan deskmate listed in my past life have crumbled in an instant.

All the data and comparisons seem so pale and powerless in the face of a real match.

However, the Pacers did not give up easily. They increased their defensive intensity at the start of the second quarter and quickly narrowed the gap to single digits.

This forced Phil Jackson to switch on Jordan earlier than planned.

Jordan immediately stabilized the situation with a mid-range shot, and then blocked Scott's layup.

The once-silent United Center erupted in thunderous cheers, while the Pacers' bench remained deathly quiet.

If they could contain Jordan, the Pacers would have been a match for the Bulls, but unfortunately, there are no "ifs".

With six minutes remaining in the second quarter, the point difference had reached 17 points, and the Pacers had gone a long time without scoring.

Brown then walked to the end of the bench and pointed at Yang Shuai.

"You go and replace Eddie Johnson."

Yang Shuai is the only wing player on the Pacers who hasn't played yet.

However, Brown was truly forced into a corner by having a high school student guard Jordan.

Yang Shuai quickly took off his training uniform and stood up from the bench, his eyes full of excitement.

He never expected to get to play tonight!
His NBA debut came very suddenly.

While waiting at the technical desk, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Having witnessed Jordan's performance, he knew that the practice games from back then were of no reference value, and that it would be no easy task to defend against the current Jordan.

The ball went dead on the field, and a whistle blew from the sidelines.

Yang Shuai pointed at Johnson.

When Johnson saw that he was being substituted, he first breathed a sigh of relief, but when he saw that Yang Shuai was replacing him, he was stunned again, and then he showed a strange smile.

"Good luck." He said to Yang Shuai as he left the field.

You could completely sense the schadenfreude in that blessing.

However, when Yang Shuai heard this, the pressure in his heart suddenly disappeared.

"Thank you."

Amid Johnson's bewildered expression, Yang Shuai tucked his jersey into his pants and quickly strode onto the court.

"Negative energy from Eddie Johnson +89".

Johnson snorted coldly.

Yang Shuai is only good at talking.

His face quickly returned to that gloating smile.

He'll soon see Yang Shuai make a fool of himself; this time, no one can help this despicable high school student.

Jordan's eyes narrowed slightly when he saw Yang Shuai walking towards him. Although he met all sorts of people every day, he still remembered Yang Shuai, the Asian player who had dared to tell him that "you guys are outdated."

He didn't have time to follow the draft or the energy to read the news, so he was a little surprised by Yang Shuai's appearance. This kid got into the NBA so quickly?
The Pacers started their offense, playing a strategy centered around Miller, with Yang Shuai only standing in the weak-side corner.

Preseason games are for training purposes, but regular season games are not, especially in this era that emphasizes defense and there is a big gap in ability between star players and role players. Tactics are basically developed around star players.

The Bulls' defense was tight, and Miller's final shot missed.

Fortunately, the Pacers retreated quickly on defense, preventing the Bulls from launching a counterattack.

The Bulls settled into a half-court offense, with Jordan backing down Yang Shuai at the high post.

A signature backrest movement is followed by a series of shoulder swaying.

Yang Shuai had faced off against Jordan in a practice game and knew that this was Jordan's pre-movement move, so he didn't easily raise his center of gravity.

But at that very moment, Jordan had already turned and launched a fadeaway shot towards the baseline.

This sudden jump from the ground requires extremely high core strength and explosive power; it is an action that "looks easy but is actually very difficult to perform."

Yang Shuai realized what was happening but it was too late to pounce.

Jordan's fadeaway jumper went in again.

Yang Shuai also couldn't stop Jordan.

Brown's face showed no change in emotion, but his reaction as he turned and walked back to sit on the bench revealed his helplessness.

Johnson's face lit up with a smug look when he saw it.

Today's game may have seemed like Yang Shuai was entering the rotation, but in reality, it ended the possibility of Yang Shuai entering the rotation.

After all, the opportunity was given to you, but you failed to seize it.

After Jordan hit that fadeaway jumper, the point difference on the court had reached 19 points.

If this trend continues, the game will lose its suspense before the first half is even over.

The Pacers' tactics continued to revolve around Miller, but the Bulls' defense remained impenetrable.

But at that moment, Scott, who had the ball, spotted Yang Shuai moving.

Yang Shuai did not stay in the corner, but pushed away Jordan who had his hand on him, and then made a ">" shaped movement.

He first made a quick cut to the basket, then used Schmitz's body to create a passive screen before moving quickly to the weak side 45-degree three-point line.

Miller's movement drew most of the Bulls' defensive attention, while Yang Shuai's off-ball movement went unnoticed by others.

Scott chose to pass the ball.

Professionalism requires players to distinguish between on-court and off-court interactions, but players are human after all, and the quality of their off-court relationships will inevitably influence their choices.

If it were any other player on the Pacers, they most likely wouldn't pass to Yang Shuai, because passing to Miller is a tactical requirement, while passing to Yang Shuai would be a risky choice.

As the saying goes, doing nothing is the best approach; doing too much leads to more mistakes.

Especially on Brown's team, if Yang Shuai misses a shot, the person who passes the ball is considered to have failed to execute the tactics and will inevitably be reprimanded.

Yang Shuai received the ball and made a three-pointer before Jordan could pounce on him.

He made his move decisively, his eyes were full of confidence, and his follow-up movements were also very beautiful.

The basketball spun through the air, tracing a perfect parabola...

"Shh!"

It fell straight into the net like a cannonball.

Yang Shuai scored his first point in his NBA career, and it was a three-pointer!

There was a commotion in the place.

No one expected that the one who helped the Pacers break the deadlock would be a high school student!

Yang Shuai shrugged and spread his hands at Jordan, who arrived late.

He's not Scott; after being beaten by Jordan, he'd definitely look for a chance to get revenge.

Incidentally, I'll collect some interest.

"Negative energy from Michael Jordan +1213".

This was no longer a training match like before; Yang Shuai's provocative behavior instantly angered Jordan.

Scott watched from the side, his eyelids twitching wildly, sweating for Yang Shuai.

However, Yang Shuai didn't seem to care. During his retreat, he even turned his head and smiled at Johnson on the bench, as if he were repeating the thank you he had said to Johnson before coming on.

"Negative energy from Eddie Johnson +138".

Johnson was furious.

Jordan continued to post up Yang Shuai in the frontcourt.

Brown then waved to signal that the Pacers had opted for a double team, and this time they left Pippen wide open on the perimeter.

Jordan immediately chose to pass the ball. Although he was annoyed, he wasn't so easily swayed.

Pippen failed to capitalize on the three-pointer; the ball bounced off the back of the rim and was rebounded by Schmitz.

On the other hand, Schmitz received the ball in the low post and backed down Langley with a hook shot off the backboard, scoring the winning goal.

Jordan tightened his defense on Yang Shuai, and Yang Shuai no longer got a chance to shoot, but he did not stop running.

His movement drew the Bulls' weak-side defense, and with Miller on the strong side, the Bulls couldn't immediately double-team Schmitz's basket.

Jordan hit another mid-range shot over Yang Shuai's defense.

But looking back, Miller's three-pointer after a screen was equally decisive.

Phil Jackson called a timeout.

The Pacers went on an 8-2 run, narrowing the gap to 13 points and successfully bringing the game back into the spotlight.

-Dividing line-

①: The NBA three-point line is not a regular semicircle. It is formed by an arc with a radius of 7.25 meters and two straight lines on both sides that are parallel to the sidelines. These two straight lines are 6.7 meters away from the basket. In the three seasons from 1994 to 1997, the NBA shortened the distance between the arc and the basket to the same distance as the two straight lines, which is 6.7 meters.

(End of this chapter)