First in scoring

Chapter 522. Dancing with God (Beginning)

Madison Square Garden has been a playground for visiting team superstars since the founding of the NBA.

In the 50s, when the Lakers played the Knicks away, the New York media wrote a promotional slogan for the game: Welcome Mikan to the Big Apple.

Except for a few short years from the late 60s to the early 70s when Willis Reed led the team to two championships, New York basketball fans could feel the glory that belonged to them in the holy land of basketball. At other times, the Knicks were just a background board in this arena.

In the early years, New York basketball fans could not feel a sense of belonging to the Knicks. It was hard to blame them. It was rare that they could save enough money to watch a game. What they saw was either Chamberlain's double 30, or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 40+, or Magic Johnson's triple-double, or Bird using dirty words to greet the Knicks family... Until 1989, everything was different...

When it was the home team's turn to enter the stadium, when Ewing was the first to run out of the player tunnel, the fans immediately switched from booing to cheering. McDaniel, Oakley, and Mark Jackson ran out one after another, and the cheers became louder and louder.

When Zhang Yang ran out of the player tunnel with his usual 'everything is under control' smile on his face, the cheers of the fans reached a boiling point!

In 1989, Zhang Yang, who was still on the Celtics, conquered New York fans in the playoff matchup with the Knicks. That summer, the Knicks' young general manager David Hamilton, who was only 36 years old, made a big gamble and signed Zhang Yang with a sky-high contract for three years with an average annual price of 3 million.

How outrageous was that contract at the time? In the same summer, the Timberwolves and Magic, who had just joined the NBA, had total salaries of 89 million and 90 million respectively in the 396-475 season. Zhang Yang alone was worth the entire team. Magic and Jordan both had salaries of 250 million that season, which added up to the same amount as Zhang Yang's.

Facts have proved that the bold will die of overeating and the timid will die of starvation. This gamble completely changed the fate of the Knicks. They won the championship that season and successfully defended the title last season.

这赛季更不得了了，豪取70胜，其中41个主场比赛取得38胜3负的恐怖战绩，主场胜率92.7%，刷新了湖人队在72-73赛季创下的主场35胜6负、85.3%胜率的历史纪录！
Before Zhang Yang came, even with Ewing, when New York basketball fans bought tickets to watch the game, they would think, "Which superstar will have the turn to show off today?" This year, it's different, it's become "How many points can we win today?"

The 'Zhang Yang' series of signature shoes also replaced the 'Air-Jordan' series of signature shoes and became the favorite sneakers of New York basketball fans. Moreover, relying on the influence of the Big Apple, it radiated to the whole United States. In just 3 years, it has become a rival to the 'Air-Jordan' series.

In the New York area, Zhang Yang has been nicknamed "New York Saint", which comes from the nickname of Madison Square Garden, the holy land of basketball.

After the entrance ceremony, Zhang Yang and Jordan came to the technical desk tacitly, shook hands in front of the camera, and looked at each other in silence for a long time.

The big screen showed a panoramic view, and the fans at the scene started cheering wildly again when they saw the scene.

Jordan couldn't hold back his anger and spoke first: "Jack, starting tonight, your era will end, just like you ended the era of Magic and Bird, I will end your era."

Zhang Yang smiled again and said, "Really? Why do I feel like my era has just begun?"

Jordan held his breath for two seconds, left a "tsk" sound, and turned back to the bench.

This scene made the TV commentators say that Jordan was defeated by Zhang Yang again.

Jordan was indeed full of honors in the regular season, including 2 MVPs, 1 best defensive player, 6 first team selections, and 5 first defense selections. After Magic retired, he was the world's number one in terms of regular season honors.

But in the playoffs, that is Zhang Yang's world, with 4 championships and 3 FMVPs, even if Magic Bird doesn't retire, he will still be tied for first place!

...

After "winning" the pre-match confrontation, Zhang Yang returned to the bench tremblingly, to the cheers and boos from his teammates and the happy jokes from the head coach and general manager, Mr. Bird.

It is always a happy thing for players of other teams to see Jordan suffer a setback, mainly because Jordan is so popular. Zhang Yang has won so many championships and is also full of honors, but it was not until this year when he won 70 games, won the scoring title, and won the MVP that he caught up with Jordan for the first time, and on the biggest stage of New York.

After a while of commotion, Big Bird clapped his hands and called the players together, and with a serious expression began to make the final emphasis before the game.

Seeing this, the team members put away their playful thoughts and devoted themselves to the most crucial game in the past three years that was about to begin.

The pre-match preparation time passed in a flash, and the referee notified both teams that their starting lineups were ready to take the field.

Zhang Yang came to the top of the three-point line, looked up at the big screen, opened the "Door of Experience" and took a look at the task.

"Basic mission: You are against God. Win the seventh game against the Bulls led by Michael Jordan. Reward: 1 jumping talent point, 1 layup talent point.

Advanced task: Dancing with God, in a head-to-head matchup with Michael Jordan, you must have the upper hand in statistics. Rewards: If your points or assists are higher than Michael Jordan, you will be awarded 1 random shooting talent point; if your rebounds, steals or blocks are higher than Michael Jordan, you will be awarded 1 random physical fitness talent point. "

He just calculated that if he worked at full capacity on basic training during the offseason, he could get 30 shooting points in about 10 days. After getting 28 talent points, the shooting points he needed to get talent points dropped to 10, but the number of tasks in a round became 3, which means he could get 1 talent point in about an offseason. During the season, the efficiency would drop to 50% to 10%, and it would take about 3 days to get shooting points... Unless his shooting ability or physical strength improved significantly, talent points a year would be the maximum. If all the tasks were completed during this experience, it could be considered as "brushing" talent points for a year and a half at most.

However, the more rewards there are, the more difficult the task will be.

The big screen displayed the team statistics and star players' statistics of the two teams' first six games.

公牛队前6场比赛，场均108.5分、41.8板、21助攻、9抢断、5.5盖帽；

尼克斯队前6场比赛，场均107分、45.5板、24助攻、7.5抢断、8.3盖帽。

得分、抢断，公牛队占优；篮板、助攻、盖帽，尼克斯队占优。乔丹场均32.5分8.3板8.5助攻3抢断1.3盖帽；

张杨场均34.5分5.3板2.6助攻2.8抢断1盖帽。

When Zhang Yang first saw the task details, he was wondering why there were so many "or's", but when he recalled the data comparison between the two teams that he had seen before the game, he knew that there were not so many "or's", and it was impossible to complete the advanced task. Not to mention anything else, he could not guarantee to score more than Jordan, with a total of 6 points advantage in 12 games.

He does have a big advantage - his shooting percentage, 48.7% for him and 45.5% for Jordan, not to mention his three-point shooting percentage, 38.6% for him and 27.3% for Jordan. He averages 2.4 three-pointers per game and Jordan makes 1.

But the missions were different. They were specifically issued in areas where he was at a disadvantage... But, God? Who was he talking about?

The referee came onto the field with the ball. Zhang Yang closed the door, put away all distractions, and entered the game state.

At 8 o'clock in the evening, the whistle sounded and the game began. Ewing beat the old third pick Bill Cartwright to win the jump ball, and the Knicks attacked first!
The Bulls' starting five, John Paxson, Jordan, Pippen, Horace Grant, and Cartwright, took their positions in an orderly manner, blocking Zhang Yang's direct fast route.

Zhang Yang secretly praised, "They are worthy of being the best defensive team in the league," and slowed down his pace, waiting for his teammates to get into position.

The Bulls averaged 99.5 points per game in the regular season, the second lowest in the league. Only the Pistons averaged lower points than the Bulls, averaging 97.7 points per game, and only these two teams averaged less than 100 points per game in the regular season.

But the declining Pistons are simply suppressing the pace and lowering the score. The Pistons' opponents average only 83 shots per game, while the Bulls' opponents average just over 90 shots per game, which is the league average. Based on the more statistically valuable points lost per possessions, the Bulls are the league's strongest defensive team.

The Bulls' five starting players are all very good on defense. John Paxson is a shorter version of Bowen. He's not fast, not strong, and his stats aren't impressive, but his defense is excellent. The twin towers of Horace Grant and Cartwright are also at the top of the league on defense. Jordan and Pippen on the forward and guard line are the best in the league with their double-one defense.

However, the Knicks' offense cannot be stopped by being the best defense... The regular season average of 115 points per game is second in the league! Second only to the Warriors, who are crazy scientists!
Mark Jackson advanced to the frontcourt and passed the ball to Ewing who was leaning against Cartwright in the low post. Ewing received the ball and turned over directly, making a close-range turnaround jump shot before Pippen could double-team him!

Cartwright was the third overall pick of the Knicks in 79 and the core center of the Knicks before Ewing. After Ewing entered the NBA in 85, Cartwright was abandoned and became a substitute. After his contract expired in 88, he was fought over by many teams. Finally, he joined the Bulls with a fat contract of 3 million for three years, transformed into a blue-collar worker, and became Jordan's most capable assistant in the late 400s. He was 80 years old last summer but got a bigger contract of 34 million for three years.

Cartwright's defensive strength is relying on his 216 cm height and 221 cm wingspan to interfere with shots. His steal and block statistics are not high, but his defensive effect is excellent.

But the defensive flaws were also obvious. Facing particularly decisive attacks, Cartwright found it difficult to respond effectively. Ewing, who had worked with him for three years, understood this all too well.

Ewing played the ball decisively and accurately. Jordan chewed his braces and reached out to fix it. It was expected, but before confirming it, he couldn't help but have some expectations. If Ewing, who has averaged 26 points per game in the Eastern Conference Finals so far, had a worse touch, the game would have been much easier.

Jordan came to the frontcourt and just reached the three-point line, he was entangled with Zhang Yang closely. He relied on his strength advantage to get one step away from Zhang Yang, but just as he received the ball, Zhang Yang came up again.

Zhang Yang's sticky defense is something Jordan, who has encountered five times in the past seven playoffs, has become accustomed to. He knows he can't get rid of the defense, so he focuses on his own play, changes direction, and rushes to the right side of the free throw line without getting rid of Zhang Yang's interference. Before Oakley can get to the position, he jumps against Zhang Yang and makes a strong shot... which also goes in!
Zhang Yang was mentally prepared to be unable to defend, but he still felt nervous when he was really hit with such a quick stop jump shot.

His lower body was already held up, but Jordan relied on his explosive power and slid with his knees bent to create a little jumping space, minimizing the impact of jumping caused by the confrontation of the lower limbs and maintaining the power of the shot.

When the offense and defense changed, Zhang Yang had already adjusted his mentality when he ran to the frontcourt.

At the age of 29, Jordan was in his prime when facing the basket. If he didn't have any strong play ability when his speed was at a disadvantage and he was being closely followed, how could he be called the strongest in history?
Jordan retreated to the backcourt and pressed towards Zhang Yang for close defense. Zhang Yang still did not ask for the ball. He seized the opportunity, cut in from the left, and took Jordan to the baseline.

Zhang Yang just ran out from the bottom line on the right side of the three-second zone, and Mark Jackson passed the ball to Ewing at the right time. Jordan had no choice but to double-team Ewing. Ewing avoided Jordan and grabbed the ball, but his hands shook...

Zhang Yang received the ball from mid-range on the right side and took an open mid-range shot...and it went in!
Jordan stood with his hands on his hips. This duo, with Mark Jackson distributing the ball, was impossible for anyone to defend!
He couldn't help but miss the basketball he played in college. If he could double-team in advance, he could play zone defense...

Since this is the case, there is no other way, so let’s attack!

The opponent's offense is strong, and the Bulls are not bad either, averaging 109.9 points per game, fifth in the league! Only behind the Warriors, Knicks, Pacers, and Suns!

Although they failed to defend the Knicks in this Eastern Conference Finals and conceded an average of 107 points per game to the Knicks, the Knicks, who ranked ninth in the league in defense during the regular season and only gave up 103.4 points, were also unable to defend them. Their overall firepower was stronger in the first six games, averaging 6 points per game!
When the Bulls started attacking, Jordan also went into off-ball mode. His first attack was just to respond to Ewing. Facing Zhang Yang, who was also a defensive leader, he kept holding the ball and attacking from the beginning, and he couldn't stand it.

Zhang Yang's defensive habits are so good that even Jordan finds them outrageous. His characteristic is that he never tries to be too aggressive.

If you are at a disadvantage in jumping and explosive power, then don't rely on jumping, just focus on confrontation. You have a good timing in reaching out to interfere, and your hands are very quick. If you are not careful, the ball will be taken away before you even raise it, which makes it very uncomfortable to play singles.

But Jordan is not alone. Pippen averaged 20+ points per game for the first time this year and is already a superstar in the second team and first defense!

When Pippen saw Jordan start to move, he immediately went into attack mode, took the first step to shake off McDaniel and rush into the inside.

Oakley made up for the defense, Pippen passed the ball, Jordan used Horace Grant's screen to get rid of Zhang Yang and received the ball... but failed to get an open position!
Mark Jackson, who pretended to triple-team Pippen, turned and ran towards Jordan the moment Pippen passed the ball. Jordan received the ball and turned around, just in time to be stuck by Mark Jackson. Zhang Yang also bypassed Horace Grant to double-team him.

Jordan has long been accustomed to the Celtics' pungent way of defending against breakthroughs.

He turned into an axis and passed the ball... Zhang Yang jumped and rushed to Horace Grant who had moved to the left side of the three-second zone, but Jordan was not passing the ball to the man with glasses.

Behind Horace Grant, John Paxson, one step inside the left three-point line, received the ball and took a long two-point shot...it went in!
(End of this chapter)