Chapter 87 [Falling from the Altar]
Time is running out, and the Bulls' only hope of a comeback is to bet on three points. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info
The chances of winning are like Argentina's last corner kick chance, and the equaliser will depend on Maradona's header from Nesta and Materazzi.
"Zen Master" Jackson did not replace Cole, and for the last stand, he also sent Longley to cover Cole and help him run away from the ball.
The Knicks didn't make any substitutions, Jackson was still the center, that is, he defended the Bulls with three points, and the two-point shot was scored casually.
The game continued, the Knicks relied on a quick change of defense to break the Bulls' cover tactics, Kerr shared the ball, Pippen faced Houston in the middle to pull out three points, still missed, and the rebound was grabbed by Mills.
Jordan hurriedly fouled Mills to the free throw line.
With a five-point lead, Mills was under no pressure and hit both free throws in a relaxed state. 89 to 82.
The "Zen Master" did not call a timeout again, and 7 points was an insurmountable fall for the bull.
Jordan received the ball in the backcourt, took it to the front court to shoot three points, the arc was not high, the ball bounced far away, and was picked up by Starks. The Bulls players gave up the foul, and Starks stopped attacking, dribbling and waiting for time to finish.
As soon as the final whistle blew, the Knicks rushed into the arena and began to celebrate, as if they had won the championship.
Ewing watched the live broadcast at home, and the tears couldn't be stopped at all, and the Knicks finally passed the Jordan level, but he couldn't feel it all on the court.
Larry Johnson was the biggest contributor to the Knicks, scoring 21 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals on 8-of-14 shooting, 1-of-3 three-pointers and 4-of-4 free throws.
Another contributor was Ben Wallace, who played 35 minutes, made 2 of 4 shots, 8 of 13 free throws, and had a double-double of 12 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 blocks.
All five Knicks scored in double figures, with Atkins 11 points, Houston 12 and Starks 15.
Only two players on the Bulls' side scored in double figures.
Jordan shot 13-of-29, 1-of-2 from three-point range and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line to finish with 33 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks while shooting 44.8 percent. In the entire series, his shooting percentage was only 44.1%, and the statistics were beautiful and not very efficient.
Pippen shot 7-of-19, 1-of-7 from three-point range and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line to finish with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block, shooting a measly 36.8 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from three-point range.
Pippen wants to ask for a long-term contract with a high salary in the summer, and if a team gives it, he will definitely be caught. Not having a championship and going out like a Bull sinner should affect his next contract.
The home fans wilted, and many die-hard fans left the stadium in despair. Several Bulls players shed tears, knowing that the team was going to disintegrate and regretted that the curtain did not come out perfectly.
Yang Rui stood on the sidelines and looked at Jordan, and after he was happy to successfully change history, his heart was empty.
In his previous life, the NBA was no match for Jordan more than personal honors, and now Jordan has two fewer MVPs, a championship ring, and falls off the altar.
At the press conference, "Zen Master" Jackson said: "The Knicks are the best team this season, they have great stars and terrifying bench depth, even if Ewing is out, I am optimistic that the Knicks will win the championship." ”
Jordan was asked by a reporter if he would retire and his eyes were red. "I haven't thought about it yet, I'll give you an answer before the new season starts."
Van Gundy was asked about Ewing's absence and confidently said: "Patrick is not here, the team is indeed weaker, but I am still confident that I will win the championship and the players are ready." ”
Jordan who wins is a god, and Jordan who loses will soon be replaced by newcomers.
The NBA in this era is far less hyped than later generations, only the Chicago media played the sad card, praising Jordan and the Bulls, and the other media praised the Knicks more and eliminated the Bulls without the MVP.
The Jazz are also an All-Star Lakers who led the team to defeat a multi-star team, and the focus of the league Finals publicity is on "teamwork". Jordan, the most popular, was eliminated, and they had to come up with new tricks to attract fans and guarantee ratings.
The Knicks get three days off and play the Finals in New York on May 31 with a schedule of 232.
The whole team had a day off to recover their strength, and only trained in the next two days, Yang Rui went back to New York to sleep lazily, but received a strange call in the morning.
"Hey, hello."
"Hello, I'm Bulls manager Jerry Kraus, and I have good news for you."
"What?" Yang Rui slept in a daze, and his brain was wide open.
Is this a prank or am I crossing over again? Why did the Bull manager call and say there was good news?
The Knicks' elimination of the Bulls yesterday was good news, but that's bad news for the Bulls. Could it be that this is an undercover agent that the Knicks have planted inside the Bulls for many years, and today they are going to meet me on the rooftop and say, "I didn't have a choice before, and now I want to be a good person." ”
How is this possible? Yang Rui gradually came to his senses.
Klaus made his intentions clear: "Our Bulls management is very interested in you, and I want to ask you if you would like to be the head coach of the Bulls next season?" ”
"How long?" Yang Rui asked.
"Just a year." Klaus replied.
The Bulls management is far less sincere than the Raptors, and looking at the proposed years, you can know that they actually want Yang Rui to be the interim head coach and use gimmicks to attract attention. If the results are not good next season, they will be cut directly.
Yang Rui asked: "Then can I make suggestions on recruitment, draft?" ”
"We need a year to inspect you to assess whether your work ability is up to standard, and the management will discuss it together and make a decision through deliberation." Klaus laughed. He disdains it in his heart, just you, a young man, and you still want to bargain and ask for the right to speak in the management?
In Klaus's opinion, it was a success as soon as it was linked, and the Bulls were the hottest team in the 90s, and he was used to it.
Even Jordan's proposal to bring in reinforcements in the Bulls was blocked by Klaus many times, and only then did Jordan discuss with the boss, hoping to enter the management as a manager and let Klaus get out. Although Jordan's draft and recruitment vision is not very good, he thinks Klaus is a brain-dead.
Now, Yang Rui also feels a little bit of this way, and Klaus speaks in a high-minded and annoying tone. "Got it, I refuse."
Crowston was dumbfounded. "Refusal? Don't you even think about it? Do you want to continue as a teaching assistant at the Knicks? ”
"May I ask if I have no right to coach the bottom team next season, what good will it do me to go? Since there is no benefit, then what else to consider? Yang Rui asked rhetorically.
Klaus was speechless, thinking that Yang Rui was young and easy to fool, but he didn't expect the other party to speak more upright than the old coach.
As soon as Jordan and Pippen leave, who will be at the bottom if the Bulls are not at the bottom? Yang Ruicai will not be stupid enough to carry the blame for the Bulls management, he has no time to waste in Chicago.
Klaus snorted: "Don't be too arrogant young man, I don't think you have the capital to pick a team at all. ”
"Oh, if nothing else, I'll hang up. Good bye. Yang Rui hung up the phone.
He doesn't take Klaus to heart, as long as he doesn't work for the bulls, can the manager manage him?
He also has some disgust with the Bulls, owner Reinstov is a local tyrant who has fought back because of Jordan, hypocritical and full of copper smell. This kind of team will not be able to win the championship in the future.