NBA: Goat is actually me

Chapter 124 Not Revenge
Jordan regretted it very much. If he were given the chance to do it again, he would rather lose 5 US dollars to Meng Jin than wear this damn wig.

After this photo was leaked, it had a great impact on his image, and "Your hairstyle is like Jordan" became the latest insult in North America.

Grant said this was the most satisfying prank he had ever done on Jordan. The next day, he cut out a photo of Jordan with bangs from the newspaper and replaced the original Jordan poster in the room. Grant was not a fan of Jordan. He had only one purpose for putting up Jordan posters in the room, which was to throw darts at them when he was unhappy.

However, this wig photo is not the most annoying thing for Jordan recently. It is not even ranked among his worries. Before the new season starts, Jordan is already overwhelmed by family matters.

His parents had a big fight in Nike store over the interests of the retail store. This was not just a family issue, it affected Nike's image. The bad news soon reached Phil Knight's ears, and the Nike chairman personally called Jordan and asked him to deal with his parents.

Jordan had no choice but to agree to Nike's opinion and let Nike acquire all the shares of the Jordans. Simply put, Nike didn't want to have anything to do with them, so it gave them some money and let them go.

This was not the most troublesome thing for Jordan. What troubled him the most was that Juanita's child was about to be born, but his parents still did not agree with their marriage. Jordan quarreled with his parents about this matter and broke down.

But at least Jordan was filial. He did not break off ties with his parents directly, nor did he take them to court.

As Jordan's pressure increased, his bets at the gambling table became bigger and bigger. This was his most relaxing and stress-relieving way.

Every family has its own problems. Meng Jin has been troubled by something recently. Madonna is getting more and more crazy. Not only is she swinging on the swing and doing the pendulum, but she even suggested that Meng Jin jump directly from the second floor so that she can feel the strongest impact.

It would be difficult to think of this trick without ten years of experience. Meng Jin felt that if he continued, he would fail sooner or later. Meng Jin was now deliberately avoiding Madonna. This was the advantage of not getting married. He could withdraw at any time if he wanted to.

During the preseason, Meng Jin and Jordan's father went out for a drink.

Old Jordan talked to Meng Jin about a lot of family matters. He complained that Jordan's mother was a lunatic and a psychopath, that Jordan was a child who never grew up, and that Jordan's girlfriend Juanita was a scheming bitch who was after Jordan's money.

After a few drinks, old Jordan blurted out everything and started to cry. He said he was under a lot of pressure and had a hard life. Meng Jin sighed that like father, like son, and even the wrinkles on their faces when they cried were the same.

Meng Jin quickly pulled old Jordan into the car, otherwise the scene of old Jordan crying on Meng Jin's shoulder would be captured by unscrupulous reporters, and who knows what kind of news they would fabricate.

The Bulls' preseason was uneventful, with a record of 4 wins and 3 losses. Collins did not let Jordan and Meng Jin play for too long, averaging 15-20 minutes per game, mainly focusing on recovery and adapting to the rhythm of the game.

Collins' biggest concern in the preseason was Cartwright's performance. He tried his best to help the big man integrate into the team, but the effect was not good.

The Knicks' former core was Patrick Ewing, an inside player, and most of their offense was positional warfare with a slow pace.

The core of the Bulls is two young men who run all over the court. The team's offensive philosophy is to run as fast as possible.

Aside from the differences in tactics and tempo, the biggest problem Cartwright faces is someone making it harder for him.

In the first few preseason games, Jordan deliberately passed the ball to Cartwright with great force. Whenever Cartwright didn't catch it, he would start to talk nonsense.

Even though Cartwright received the ball but failed to score, he still scored. Jordan even publicly told everyone in the locker room not to pass the ball to Cartwright.

Some players disagreed, such as Meng Jin. If his teammate had an absolute opportunity on the court, he would pass the ball, no matter if it was Cartwright or someone else. But some players took Jordan's words as an imperial decree and really didn't pass the ball to Cartwright, which made the situation of this big man even more difficult.

Cartwright was slow to integrate into the team, but Grant played very well. His performance in the preseason impressed everyone. During the games, he often followed Jordan and Meng Jin in fast breaks. He was very suitable for the Bulls' fast-play system. In addition, Grant's long pass skills were getting better and better, and he often made accurate long passes across half the court.

On the defensive end, he and Meng Jin formed a highly mobile forward combination. The two could use their mobility to expand the defensive range and help their teammates double-team or fill in positions.

Even Jordan rarely praised Grant.

Seeing Grant's performance, the coaching staff felt that it seemed a clear decision to send Oakley away and train this kid.

Seeing Cartwright's performance, the coaching staff felt that this gamble might be a loss.
On November 11, the Bulls faced off against the New York Knicks in the 4-1988 season.

The official NBA schedule is very interesting. The first game is against the Pistons.

The tickets for this game were sold out long ago and the venue was packed.

The ticket sales were good not because the opponent was the Pistons. This season's season tickets were snapped up by fans a month ago. Chicago's basketball market is extremely hot this year. In the words of Chicago local reporter Cheryl Ray Stout: "Now you have to queue up if you want to see the performances of the two MJs!"

Jordan greeted Joe Dumars before the game, then returned to the half court to do shooting warm-ups. Joe Dumars was the only player he liked on the Pistons.

Meng Jin was different. He didn't like any of this Pistons team and didn't say hello to anyone before the game.

Bill Laimbeer was fully armed tonight. In addition to the protective mask, he also wore goggles. His facial fracture has healed, and he wore the mask simply to protect against Meng Jin.

There are rumors that Bill Laimbeer even applied to the league during the offseason to be allowed to wear aluminum alloy goggles when playing. He probably suffered a psychological trauma from Meng Jin, but this request was rejected by the league.

Bulls commentator Johnny Kerr joked: "All Bill Laimbeer needs now is a bulletproof vest."

Jim Durham next to him laughed and said, "How do you know he didn't wear it? Maybe it's inside his jersey."

The commentator was joking, but there was no sense of joy on the field.

The Bulls want to avenge their defeat last season, and the Pistons want to get off to a good start. Both sides are eager to win.

The ten starting players of both teams stood around the center circle with serious faces, waiting for the referee to blow the whistle.

The referee blew the whistle and threw the ball into the air, and the first game of the new season between the two teams began.

After winning the jump ball, Cartwright went inside to box out, and he showed his enthusiasm in the first round.

Although Cartwright is an older center who has been to the All-Star Game, he does not have the mentality of playing badly and retiring. This is related to his personality and his experience. Last year, the Knicks coaching staff asked him to be Ewing's substitute. Cartwright felt frustrated all year. Coming to the Bulls is an opportunity for him to prove himself.

Cartwright's position for this ball was very deep, but Jordan did not pass the ball. Instead, he passed it to Paxson in the left elbow area.

Paxson held the ball over his head for observation. Meng Jin used Grant's cover to go around from the right and received the ball at a 45-degree angle.

Blacksmithing.

Although he didn't make it, Meng Jin's shot was very decisive. As his mid-range shooting value increased, he became more confident in his shots. Meng Jin's mentality was very stable. If he took more shots, he would definitely miss more shots. This is normal. This is why those outside scoring experts are all iron kings.

In the Pistons' offensive rounds, Dantley also missed mid-range shots. It seems that everyone is adapting to the new season.

After Cartwright grabbed the rebound, he did not rush to pass the ball. He stabilized first and then passed the ball to Jordan.

It was this move that made Jordan so angry that he stamped his feet. After getting the ball, he immediately yelled: "Pass it faster! Do you have Alzheimer's disease?"

Jordan felt that the big man was too slow and an opportunity for a direct counterattack was wasted.

Jordan didn't care whether Cartwright was adapting to the new season or not. He just wasn't happy with the big guy, and any small mistake he made would be magnified by Jordan.

Cartwright took the initiative to screen for Jordan, but Jordan did not appreciate it. He dribbled in the opposite direction and shot with a pull-up shot despite three defenders.

Missed.

Jordan rushed the ball towards Mahorn or Dantley, guaranteeing two free throws, but Jordan refused to do so. This was not his style. He liked to play it cool. Sometimes he would make a couple of shots even when there was no one around, not to mention there were a bunch of defensive players in front of him.

Meng Jin and Jordan both failed to score in their first attack. Although they had trained hard during the offseason, they hadn't played a formal game in a long time.

However, the results of their hard training during the offseason soon showed up. They found their game form and got into the rhythm of the game faster than the Pistons players.

Rick Mahorn received the pass from Isaiah Thomas and wanted to cut directly, but his layup missed due to Grant's interference.

Grant turned around quickly after grabbing the rebound. His turn was very particular. He did not turn directly to the front, but to the side, making it easier for him to twist his waist and hips to make a long pass.

Grant threw the ball long distance with one hand like a football quarterback.

After receiving the ball, Meng Jin started directly and made a one-handed tomahawk dunk!

0:2.

This is Meng Jin's first goal of the new season and also the first goal of the Chicago Bulls' new season!
Bulls fans are very excited. Meng Jin is back, and the Bulls' simple and rough fast break is back, with the same formula and the same taste.

Although Chuck Daly kept reminding his teammates to retreat quickly on the sidelines, they were still quickly counterattacked by the Bulls in the next round.

Bill Laimbeer received the ball under the basket and shot against Cartwright. Jordan took off from behind Cartwright and directly fanned the basketball away.

This ball is enough to show how good Jordan's current physical condition is.

Compared to the counterattack of running directly across half court to receive a long pass, Meng Jin's counterattack this round was not too fast, but there were only two people on the Pistons' side who returned to defense.

Isaiah Thomas and Dantley.

After a long offseason, the Pistons players have not recovered, and are far behind last season's Eastern Conference Finals. Not many players are as abnormal as Meng Jin and Jordan, using the offseason to train hard. Most players are considered self-disciplined if they keep their bodies in shape during the offseason.

Meng Jin advanced to the LOGO position. At this time, Isaiah Thomas and Dantley had not realized the seriousness of the problem, and they kept retreating quickly.

Who knew that in the next second, Meng Jin suddenly pushed the ball and accelerated!
The two men quickly moved closer, trying to use the closed door to restrict Meng Jin from continuing to dribble forward.

Meng Jin said there was no need to go through so much trouble, he could do it himself. One step away from the three-point line, Meng Jin directly received the ball.

While receiving the ball, Meng Jin took the first step.

In his first step, Meng Jin stepped to the top of the arc, and in his second step, he stepped one step inside the free throw line.

Tim Grove's special training paid off, and Meng Jin further improved his stride without hurting his balls.

Meng Jin jumped up with the ball in one hand, made a big word in the air, and then pushed the ball into the basket.

0:4.

Johnny Cole exhaled and expressed shock: "I thought I was used to Meng's inhuman playing style, but when I saw such a dunk again, I couldn't help but scream."

Jim Durham laughed and said, "I'm here to prove that I contributed my left hand to prevent Johnny from having an accident on the air. If I go home and my wife asks me why there is a tooth mark on my hand, I hope that all the friends who are watching or listening to the game on TV and radio will testify for me."

Amid the cheers of the fans, Dantley and Isaiah Thomas looked at each other and shook their heads.

In this round, the two men in front of Meng Jin were like primitive people and Indians. They had no way to deal with Meng Jin, the armed invading bandit.

The Pistons still couldn't shoot. Isaiah Thomas chose to shoot on his own after a screen, but his wing jump shot missed.

Bill Laimbeer grabbed the offensive rebound in the interior, pushed Cartwright away, and then he shot hard under the basket. Meng Jin fanned the ball away from behind, and due to inertia he pushed Laimbeer in the air.

Ranbir staggered and almost fell, but after stabilizing himself, he looked back angrily.

Bill Laimbeer was already ready for a fight, but when he saw that the person coming was Meng Jin, his anger instantly subsided.

Looking at Meng Jin's fist again, Bill Laimbeer said it was okay. Not only did he not make any extreme moves, but he took the initiative to pick up the basketball on the ground and handed it to Meng Jin.

The fans all laughed when they saw this scene. In the past, Lambier was seen as a villain and a ruthless person by others, but in front of Meng Jin, he became a polite and good citizen.

The Pistons served the ball from the baseline, but it was directly intercepted by Jordan.

Jordan made a series of breakthroughs and passed the ball to Meng Jin after shaking off Dumas.

Meng Jin is in a 1v1 situation with Dantley in the frontcourt.

After an IN-OUT, Meng advanced and Dantley was shaken and lost his balance.

Meng Jin easily finished with a left-handed dunk.

0:6.

Dantley smashed the ball in frustration and yelled, "Which bastard arranged for this guy to play small forward?"

The referee called a technical foul on Dantley, and Isaiah Thomas came up: "Control your temper, Adrian."

"Then go guard that guy!"

Dantley yelled directly at Isaiah Thomas. He couldn't stand Isaiah Thomas' bossy attitude the most, which made the Pistons act like his own team.

"It's your job to defend that guy!"

Isaiah Thomas also couldn't stand Dantley. He couldn't stand his lazy defense and complaining.

A fierce quarrel broke out between the two on the court, and the fans at the scene cheered wildly. It seemed more interesting to watch the dog-eat-dog fight than to play basketball.

Meng Jin was stunned. It was the first time in his life that two men quarreled over him.

Jordan missed the technical foul free throw, and Pistons coach Chuck Daly called a timeout. The Pistons had a very bad start, which was not only reflected in the score, but also in the mentality.

The Pistons players regard the Lakers as their biggest enemy, and the Bulls are just defeated opponents in their eyes. Chuck Daly's ideas are exactly the opposite of the players. He feels that the Lakers are getting old and are gradually losing their dominance, while the Bulls are rising. If Meng Jin and Jordan maintain the state they were in tonight this season, the Pistons will be in danger!
After the timeout, the Pistons patiently played a pass-and-cut combination according to Chuck Daly's deployment. Dantley took the ball with his back to the basket as a fulcrum, and Joe Dumars used Rick Mahorn's screen to cut to the basket.

2 to 6, the Pistons finally scored points. Teamwork has always been their sharpest weapon. Although the top star Dantley has a CARRY heart, he always wants to solve the game by himself, just like he did in Salt Lake City, but the biggest star of this Pistons team is Chuck Daly, and he has to listen to the arrangements of this iron-blooded coach.

Chuck Daly has been deliberately suppressing Dantley. If he had been allowed to take about 20 shots per game like he did during his time with the Utah Jazz, the Pistons would never have made it to the finals last season.

Despite this, Dantley and some Pistons players still had differences. A group of players, led by Isaiah Thomas, still felt that Dantley was too individualistic, played too independently, and often liked to break away from the team system and play one-on-one.

Dantley thinks Isaiah Thomas is a little idiot. He thinks this is a ploy by Isaiah Thomas to exclude him and take control of the team. You know, last season Dantley's shots were reduced to 12.5 per game, while Isaiah Thomas averaged 16.6 shots per game.

It's funny that a guy who averages 16 shots per game says that a guy who averages 12 shots per game is too selfish.

What makes Dantley most dissatisfied is that Isaiah Thomas's average points per game is 0.5 points lower than his. The two have had conflicts since the end of last season, and they have been arguing constantly in training camp this season. If they have to choose between the two, the Pistons management will definitely prefer Isaiah Thomas, who is the soul of this system and is younger.

Jordan used the screen to play against a bigger opponent, shook off Rick Mahorn and made a mid-range jump shot.

2:8.

The Pistons continued to pass the ball to Dantley in the low post. He did not pass the ball this time. He wanted to use his teammate's cut as a cover and then attack the basket himself.

Meng Jin was not fooled. He stared at the ball instead of the man. At the moment Dantley took a hook shot, he pressed forward and blocked Dantley using the method that Gilmore taught him last season.

The Bulls launched a counterattack on the spot. After receiving the pass from Paxson, Meng Jin made a small step dribble outside the three-point line, then passed Joe Dumars in one step and completed a slam dunk.

Chuck Daly began to feel something was wrong. He was surprised by the frequency of Meng Jin's shaking and his ability to connect with the ball.

Meng Jin's ball-handling skills have improved a lot compared to last season. Most of his fast breaks last season were big and wide breakthroughs. Today, in less than one quarter, he showed everyone the details of his ball-handling several times.

What amazed Chuck Daly even more was yet to come. With about two minutes left in the first quarter, the Bulls entered a positional offense.

Meng Jin got the ball and wanted a screen. After the pick-and-roll, he continued to move to the right. Newcomer Dennis Rodman bypassed the screen and followed him.

Meng Jin suddenly dodged the ball and then took a mid-range shot.

Rodman instinctively took a step back. He thought Meng Jin was going to speed up and break through, and he never expected Meng Jin to make a jump shot.

The moment the basketball went into the net, Chuck Daly realized that Meng Jin had not only improved his ball-handling skills, but also enriched his arsenal.

He started to have some mid-range shooting ability in the second half of last season, but most of the time he was open. This season, Meng Jin increased the proportion of jump shots with the ball.

Chuck Daly couldn't help but sigh that Meng Jin is truly a gifted freak. This talent is not only reflected in his athletic ability, but also in his learning and adaptability. Many players will never be able to learn a jump shot in their entire lives.

Of course, this is not Meng Jin's ultimate form. His current shooting accuracy and stability still have a lot of room for improvement.

After the first quarter, the Bulls led the Pistons by 10 points.

At the end of the first half, the score difference widened to 14 points. The Pistons tried to fight back in the second half, but were firmly suppressed by Meng Jin and Jordan who were in full swing.

After three quarters, the Chicago Bulls led by 18 points. Commentator Johnny Kerr said: "The Pistons have no chance of winning tonight. They lost the rhythm of the game and the players' shooting percentage is not high."

Krause was present at the scene in person. He did not come to see Meng Jin or Jordan tonight. His main object of observation was Cartwright.

This was Cartwright's debut, but General Manager Krause was under even greater pressure. His move of sending away a prime inside player in exchange for a veteran inside player was questioned by the Chicago media and fans. If Cartwright did not play well, Krause would not be able to escape the criticism from the outside world.

Fortunately, Cartwright played well in this game. He gave people the feeling of being steady throughout the whole game. Except for slightly failing to keep up with the rhythm, he did not make any mistakes. In the end, Cartwright scored 14 points and 11 rebounds, which is considered to be above average in the rookie's debut.

孟进全场拿到29分6篮板2助攻2抢断2盖帽2失误，乔丹全场28分12助攻5篮板4失误。

The Chicago Bulls won the first game 109-99.

After the game, many reporters asked Meng Jin how it felt to avenge the Pistons. Meng Jin was not carried away by the victory. He answered directly: "This is not revenge, it's just a media gimmick. If we beat the Pistons in the series one day, ask me this question again."

(End of this chapter)