The Golden Age of Basketball.

Chapter 996 Winning Over Agan
Like Gan Guoyang, Jordan still has the ability to score 50 points in a single game; it all depends on his performance tonight.

Jordan felt great when he returned to the United Center in Chicago.

After missing a shot due to excessive excitement at the start, he gradually calmed down and focused.

The Bulls' perimeter defense was really bad, and their head coach was Bill Cartwright, Jordan's former teammate.

Cartwright knew Jordan, but didn't know how to defend him; just as he knew even less how to defend Forrest Gump.

As old teammates and rivals, Cartwright knew all too well how much water was in these two guys' bottles.

If it were any other coach, especially a younger one, they might not think much of it. But a 38 or 39-year-old man, no matter how skilled, is still no match for the young.

Unfortunately, the Bulls' coach was Cartwright, the person who knew best how terrifying Jordan and Forrest Gump were. Even during the pre-game briefing, he didn't know what to say.

How do you defend against it? Who can give me this answer? I'll hand over the head coach position to anyone who can give me the answer.

The truth is, there's not much we can do but hope that both players have a bad night, miss some shots, and have a low shooting percentage.

You make other arrangements, such as double-teaming... how do you double-team?
Both of these guys require three people to control them. You only have five people, which isn't even enough to split them in half; you're still one short.

A pincer attack? Pincer my ass!

Old-school players like Cartwright who transitioned to coaching don't like using zone defense.

The Bulls indeed lacked a zone defense strategy. Cartwright wanted to emulate Phil Jackson by using half-court and full-court presses, changes in pace, and a tough interior defense to stifle the opponent.

The problem is that the current Bulls don't have the defensive resources of the Bulls of yesteryear.

Jackson's style is not something that everyone can learn; it's something that not everyone can imitate.

Many subsequent examples have proven that Phil Jackson's coaching philosophy only applied to himself.

None of his students, who tried to learn from him or imitate him, have been able to make a name for themselves in the NBA.

This is why some people consider Phil Jackson a master of deception.

He fooled the players, he fooled the fans, and he fooled himself.

Others, lacking his deceptive skills, merely follow his tactics and configurations, only to make a complete mess of things.

Cartwright was no exception; his coaching stint with the Bulls was unsuccessful.

As a center, he had absolutely no way to deal with Eddie Curry and Tyson Chandler, both high school players.

He never went to university, is greedy and loves to play, and doesn't know anything about this or that when asked.

What is toughness? Nobody knows. Both of them were still kids, yet they were pushed onto the brutal battlefield of the NBA to fight against those experienced veterans.

Without a good mentor on the court, it is extremely difficult for high school players to survive and improve.

As a coach, Cartwright's first priority is to secure his position; he sometimes really can't worry about how the young players develop.

Jordan quickly made another shot, a simple pull-up jumper with a slight fadeaway after a change of direction at the top of the arc.

The defenders couldn't stop him, and he easily scored two points. When it was the Bulls' turn to attack, they were completely at a loss.

Five starters and three rookies, facing the greatest player in history in the paint. When Tyson Chandler received the ball at the horns, he didn't know what to do next against Agan's defense.

In his nervousness, he was called for traveling by the referee. Frustrated, he could only hand the ball to the referee and run back to defend with his head down.

Cartwright sighed. Chandler was in that position to screen for his teammates, so how did the ball end up in his hands?
Also, if you have the ball and don't know what to do, just pass it out. You can pass it back to the point guard. Why would you travel?
That's the frustration of being a coach: you know exactly what to do, but you can't teach the players how to do it.

Jordan, in a similar position to before, took a step inside the arc, received the ball, dribbled and changed direction, faked a move, stopped abruptly, leaned back slightly, and scored!

Jordan found his rhythm, hitting consecutive shots from the same spot, igniting the atmosphere at the United Center.

The Bulls were still working hard for their first basket when Jay Williams drove to the basket but was blocked by Gan Guoyang.

The Glory team didn't launch a quick counterattack; they took their time and played slowly, keeping the ball in Jordan's possession, with Gan Guoyang drawing attention to the weak side.

Jordan backed down against the defender and easily and smoothly squeezed from the three-point line to the mid-range area, then turned around!
Trenton Hassell was intimidated by Jordan's consecutive shots and immediately shifted his weight, which turned out to be a fake move.

Jordan took a step up and down, cut inside, leaned forward and made a layup, the ball went over Eddie Curry's fingertips and bounced into the basket.

Jordan scored 8 points in a row, and the entire United Center erupted in cheers. The game had barely begun, and he was already on TV.

Although he was 39 years old, Jordan hadn't lost any of his skills. In fact, because his speed and explosiveness had slowed down, Jordan relied on his skills even more.

Like that shot just now, peak Jordan just pulled up and shot, who cares, you definitely can't block it anyway.

He doesn't have enough jumping height right now, so he has to fake it out by taking a few steps and squeezing in before shooting.

If it were some cunning player, they would choose to draw a foul and go to the free-throw line, killing two birds with one stone.

But for an old-school player like Jordan, he disdained doing that. He didn't rely on cheating when fouled; he relied on making his opponents helpless.

The Bulls finally scored two points thanks to Jalen Rose, but Jordan immediately followed up with a pull-up jumper from the left side at a 45-degree angle, bringing the total to 10 points!

In these few rounds, Gan Guoyang didn't even touch the ball. When he tried to set a screen for Jordan, Jordan wasn't happy about it and told him to go cool off somewhere else!
Gan Guoyang stayed near the three-second zone to guard the basket, where it was cool.

He was responsible for protecting the rebounds and did a good job as a blue-collar center.

Don't be fooled, being a blue-collar center is easy. You only have to do one job, and defending the Bulls' interior defense is a simple task.

Gan Guoyang focused on Chandler, who lacked any independent offensive ability and seemed clueless about what to do on offense.

No wonder you can't even beat Yao Ming. As an inside player, he does lack offensive talent, but on the defensive end, his height, wingspan, and jumping ability are indeed a threat.

After scoring 10 points in a row, Jordan needed to catch his breath and pass the ball to his teammates. Gan Guoyang received the ball in the low post and backed down Chandler.

The Bulls' perimeter players didn't even come over to double-team, because Jordan was standing on the perimeter. Gan Guoyang thought to himself, "This is the first time you've ever been so disrespectful to me."

Gan Guoyang, whose weight has returned to 260 pounds, leaned on Chandler, suddenly burst out, squeezed and pushed, quickly turned around, cut into the basket and slammed the ball in with one hand!

While his speed and explosiveness weren't particularly strong, his technical movements were incredibly fluid and unpredictable. Chandler was holding his breath, ready to take a few more hits.

Little did he know that he couldn't hold on for long, and his lower body was quickly invaded by Gan Guoyang's foot. He lost his footing and position, and coupled with his lack of strength, he was hit in the face.

After being repeatedly ravaged by the two old men, Cartwright knew he couldn't let this continue.

Although the fans at the stadium loved watching, the sheer excitement made it seem like Glorious was the home team.

But as the head coach, I can't watch the young players' confidence and feel for the game be crushed like this.

First and second-year rookies need a lot of confidence, which they mainly gain by competing against veteran players.

You might lose the match, but in the specific offensive and defensive rounds, newcomers can use their advantages and evenly matched confrontations to tell themselves, "I can do it too, he's not that good, and I can surpass him one day."

Every player who survives in the NBA has gone through this mental journey, generation after generation.

Cartwright himself entered the league in 1979 and faced off against top centers of the time such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Walton, and Moses Malone.

He also remembers his first game against the Lakers in his rookie season, where he went up against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Although he lost the game, he was dominated in the paint by Abdul-Jabbar's 73% field goal percentage.

He also put up 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, delivering a satisfactory performance and earning an All-Star selection in his rookie season. From that moment on, Cartwright knew he wasn't much worse than other superstar centers in the league.

He knew he was not as good as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Karl Malone, but it would not be easy for them to beat him in a game.

Of course, meeting Forrest Gump later was a different story; he was on a completely different level from the others.

This guy is a confidence destroyer, especially when it comes to rookies' confidence; he'll mercilessly crush it.

Even formidable players like Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal were beaten so badly by Forrest Gump that they questioned their existence and it took them many years to recover.

Cartwright later learned that Forrest Gump did it on purpose; he just liked doing it, liked planting the seeds of evil in people.

Look at these two "young talents" under my command. They are ranked quite high, but their mentality is not mature enough.

The first quarter lasted only a few minutes and there was absolutely no gameplay. If this continues, they might be traumatized.

Therefore, Cartwright made a substitution, replacing the young center with a veteran.

Donnie Marshall and Marcus Fizer entered the game, bringing down their height and adding experience and outside shooting ability.

This was the right substitution. Chandler and Curry were indeed too inexperienced and didn't know what to do on the court.

There's also Jay Williams on the perimeter, who's only played one NBA game. What chance does this starter have against the Glorious?

Marshall is a veteran player who has been in the league for many years, while Fizer is in his third year and has more experience on the court.

After the two players entered the game, the Bulls' situation immediately changed. After the timeout, Marshall fired from the outside and hit a three-pointer, giving the Bulls their second basket.

Jordan immediately received a pass from Gan Guoyang and made a mid-range jump shot from the right corner, bringing his total to 12 points. His efficiency was astonishing.

Both sides gradually got into the game. For Glorious, Ewing got tired after running for a few minutes and went to the bench to rest, and Yao Ming came on.

Yao Ming's appearance added fuel to the fire at the United Center, but he immediately committed a foul while defending Fizer's hand.

Fizer stepped up to the free-throw line and made both shots. On the next possession, Gan Guoyang had Yao Ming score one-on-one against Fizer.

In this era, NBA games, especially the regular season, have a strong sense of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry).

Everyone loves one-on-one fights. If you get badly beaten, it's best to get one back on offense.

Coaches, teammates, and fans all support and appreciate this behavior.

Tactics, overall strategy, and cleverness are all unimportant. Don't be so clever; just be reckless when necessary.

Yao Ming decisively moved to the low post, received the ball with his back to the basket, and overpowered Fizer.

Fizer is 6 feet 9 inches tall, much shorter than Yao Ming, but he is very strong.

His shoulders are very broad, like a large-door refrigerator; it won't be easy to eat him alone.

Yao Ming's technique was not yet refined enough, and he did not know how to make good use of his height advantage. As a result, he chose to jump shot after turning around, but missed.

The Bulls defended the ball and launched a fast break. Marshall drew the defense on the perimeter, drove and passed to Jalen Rose, who made a jump shot. The Bulls slowly regained their form.

Yao Ming's first one-on-one game in the NBA ended in failure. Gan Guoyang patted him on the shoulder, told him not to be discouraged, and reminded Yao Ming to "find his own rhythm".

Yao Ming is tall enough that it is actually very difficult for opponents to block him, so the important thing is not to avoid the defense, but to find your own rhythm under the interference.

Encouraged by Gan Guoyang, Yao Ming threw himself back into the offense. This time, Jordan passed the ball to Yao Ming again, still in the low post, and this time he positioned himself well.

Jordan passed the ball to Yao Ming, who received it, dribbled, and pushed past Fizer. Despite Yao Ming's slender build, his height and lower body gave him a significant weight.

Fizer wasn't prepared to be pushed aside by Yao Ming, who then launched a right-handed hook shot, scoring two points. This was Yao Ming's first one-on-one score in the NBA!
After scoring, Jordan shouted, "Yao, wasn't my pass much better than Forrest Gump's? Beautiful assist!"

Yao Ming smiled but didn't say anything. Gan Guoyang shouted, "Go win the assist title and then come back to brag!"

This kind of atmosphere is conducive to the growth of rookies. Yao Ming felt that these two people were not so scary.

Yao Ming didn't know that because the two were competing against each other, and the team's strength looked very good.

If he keeps losing, he'll realize how terrible the locker room can be.

After Jordan rested for a few possessions, the score was 22-11, with the Glory leading the Bulls by 11 points early on.

Jordan gradually started to increase the intensity, because Jalen Rose, who was guarding Jordan, kept talking trash to him.

He successfully defended against two of Jordan's attacks, making Jordan lose face.

With a little over four minutes left in the first quarter, Gan Guoyang had already substituted off the court for a rest, and Jordan was leading the team.

At a 45-degree angle to the left, in Jordan's familiar isolation zone, he spread out to face Jalen Rose.

Jordan made a simple stop-and-shoot, without any fancy moves, and the two points went in.

"That's all you have to do, old man?" Ross said bluntly.

Not everyone is afraid of the two radiant gods. Jalen Rose, who used to follow Reggie Miller, just wasn't convinced.

Faced with dissent, Jordan naturally chose to subdue his opponent.

"This trick is enough to deal with you."

In the next possession, Jordan went all out on defense, locking down Jalen Rose one-on-one.

Then, during the counterattack, he slowly dribbled the ball across half-court and suddenly accelerated near the right three-point line.

Breakthrough, fake, another pull-up jumper, and it's in! Jordan is incredibly accurate tonight.

All his offense tonight ended with a shot. Rose knows he can shoot, but would you dare let him drive to the basket?

Jordan knew that to score 50 points, he had to score a lot in the first quarter, as it would get harder and harder later on.

With 4 minutes left in the first quarter, and 2 minutes remaining, Jordan scored 9 consecutive points with a catch-and-shoot jumper, a layup after a drive, and a free throw.

He scored 21 points in the quarter, and with two minutes left, Gan Guoyang replaced Jordan and the two high-fived.

This must be a terrifying thing for the Bulls players and coaches.

Michael Jordan, in top form and scoring 21 points in a single quarter, finally went to the bench for a rest.

As a result, after resting for a while, Forrest Gump returned to the court, but he didn't put in any effort in the first quarter.

Cartwright gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and made up his mind! He patted Chandler, who had been sitting there for a long time.

"Tyson, you get in there and take care of Forrest Gump!"

"what?"

It's 2002, and people are still trying to win over Forrest Gump.

(End of this chapter)