The NBA's Absolute Dominance

Chapter 196 Cruel Data

At eight o'clock, the competition begins.

After the jump ball, the Heat went on offense.

"Squeak..."

Before the ball was even inbounded, the Bulls' tight defensive strategy had already begun, and the dense swishing of shoes instantly made the atmosphere even more tense.

Avery Johnson was closely marked by Armstrong and couldn't shake him off for a while. At this moment, Kendall Gill bypassed Avery Johnson and temporarily got rid of Jordan, receiving the inbound pass from Kevin Willis.

Jordan quickly closed in, forcing Kendall Gill to pass back to Willis, who had just entered the court.

"Snapped!"

Rodman quickly moved forward and intercepted the ball.

"Oops, I made a mistake," Xu Jicheng exclaimed.

Tang Bei, who was preparing to receive the pass at the center line, immediately returned to defense. At this moment, the ball was passed to Jordan, who pulled up and shot a jump shot from the left wing. With a swish, the basketball pierced the rim.

The Heat attacked again, but the Bulls continued their relentless full-court press.

At this moment, Avery Johnson received a pass from Kevin Willis by making a back-run, and then quickly made a long pass to Tang Bei, who was receiving the pass at the center line.

Tang Bei turned and drove toward the basket, but Luke Longley, who was guarding the free-throw line, blocked him. Pippen on the left wing quickly double-teamed Tang Bei as he approached the top of the arc.

Tang Bei quickly passed the ball to Glen Rice, and Pippen immediately turned around to defend.

Glen Rice received the ball and had a small opening, but instead of shooting, he immediately tossed the ball into the air in the penalty area.

"not good!"

Pippen quickly turned around and saw that Tang Bei had already rushed into the penalty area, while the defender Luke Longley had fallen behind.

After passing the ball, Tang Bei immediately bypassed Luke Longley and entered the penalty area. At that moment, Glen Rice received the ball and leaped into the air in perfect rhythm.

"boom!"

"WOW!"

The next moment, with an alley-oop dunk, Miami Arena turned into a sea of ​​cheers.

Xu Jicheng said, "Full-court press is a high-risk, high-reward defensive tactic. Let's see if the Bulls will continue to use this tactic."

2-2, Bulls on offense, Heat play half-court 3-2 zone defense.

BJ Armstrong brought the ball to the left wing and passed it to Pippen.

"It's the Bulls' old routine: Pippen dribbles the ball and draws the defense," Sun Zhenping said.

After receiving the ball, Pippen was immediately double-teamed by Glen Rice and Avery Johnson. He immediately stepped back to get rid of the double-team and passed the ball to Alan Strong, who was running towards the left corner.

"A three-point line double-team?" Xu Jicheng was stunned.

Not only him, but almost everyone was stunned by the Heat's defensive tactics.

Glen Rice was a step too slow in his help defense, and Armstrong, who received the ball, got a small open shot in the left corner, which he immediately took.

"Shh!"

But at that moment, the boos from the fans suddenly intensified several times, causing his hand to tremble involuntarily.

"Bang!"

The shot missed the rim, and Tang Bei grabbed the rebound, putting the Heat on offense.

Xu Jicheng said, "I was quite surprised that the Heat dared to double-team Pippen at the three-point line instead of Jordan."

"Also, Glen Rice's defense was still a bit lacking; when double-teaming, he didn't effectively cut off Pippen and Alan Strong's passing angles."

On the court, after Tang Bei got the rebound, Luke Longley immediately pressed him, but Tang Bei elbowed him aside, which also cost him the opportunity for a quick pass, and the Heat's fast break failed to materialize.

The Bulls continued their full-court press. After receiving the ball, Avery Johnson used Tang Bei's screen to get past Armstrong and smoothly entered the frontcourt.

Tang Bei sped up, shaking off Luke Longley and entering the paint first. Rodman had to retreat to defend the basket. At that moment, Kevin Willis found himself open on the right wing and immediately raised his hand to ask for the ball.

"Whoosh!"

Avery Johnson passed the basketball, but instead of Kevin Willis, he passed it to Tang Bei.

Although Rodman excels at defense, his defense is practically nonexistent when he's guarding Tang Bei one-on-one under the basket.

"boom!"

The next moment, when Luke Longley finally reached the basket, Tang Bei had already completed his second alley-oop dunk.

"WOW!"

Cheers immediately erupted from the Miami Arena.

2:4, Bulls attack.

Bill Russell of NBC said, "The Bulls' full-court press is not very effective. When Tang becomes the spearhead, the Bulls' defensive formation, which is scattered due to the full-court press, will be easily broken by this spearhead."

Bill Walton nodded and said, "Tang Bei's offensive ability is too strong. If the Bulls play full-court press, they have to make sure it works, otherwise the cost of failure will be very heavy."

The ball was passed to Luke Longley on the left wing, but he didn't dare to go one-on-one with Tang Bei and obediently passed it back to Pippen, who was cutting into the penalty area.

Pippen received the ball a step outside his left waist, but Tang Bei quickly moved to the side and blocked his way, forcing him to stop abruptly and shoot.

Tang Bei lunged to block the shot, but Pippen's shot immediately turned into a pass, which was thrown to Michael Jordan, who was cutting in from the weak side.

Jordan faced Kevin Willis, who was back on defense at the basket, and quickly jumped up, using an in-flight layup to get past Willis's block, and then made a reverse layup.

But by then, Tang Bei had already returned.

"damn it!"

Jordan cursed under his breath, his right hand retracted as he attempted a layup, dodging Tang Bei's blocking hand. But just as he was about to attempt another layup, his foot landed, and the ball was still in his hand.

"Di!"

The referee blew his whistle, pointed at Jordan, and called a traveling violation.

"Haha, Michael wanted to try a second layup, but he forgot he's not a god," Bill Walton laughed.

"Kevin Willis and Tang Bei combined for a very good defensive play," Bill Russell said with a smile.

Commentator Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said, "Michael chose the wrong way to finish; a pull-up jumper would have been the best option."

“Yes,” the other two nodded.

The Heat were on offense, but the Bulls continued their full-court press.

Glen Rice and Kendall Gill spread out to the wings to prevent the Bulls from double-teaming the ball handler in the backcourt.

Avery Johnson calmly used a series of counter-runs in the middle to get past Armstrong and receive the ball.

"Whoosh!"

Another long pass, the ball flew towards Tang Bei at the center line.

This time, Luke Longley didn't stand at the free-throw line, but instead stood next to Tang Bei, only to be blocked by Tang Bei's arm.

When Tang Bei received the ball, Luke Longley immediately moved to cover behind him.

Tang Bei turned and passed the ball to Kevin Willis, who was cutting into the basket. Willis made the layup despite Rodman's presence.

2-6, the Bulls are on offense, and after inbounding the ball, they call a timeout.

Bill Russell said, "Tang Bei played the role of playmaker and passer very well. If the Bulls continue to play full-court press, they will probably lose more than they gain."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said, "Twice when Tang received the ball at the midcourt line, no matter how Luke Longley defended him, he had very good options: pass or attack directly with the ball. Luke Longley couldn't stop him."

Under full-court press defense, the Bulls' defensive formation became very disorganized, and once the ball reached him, the Bulls had a very difficult time defending him.

Bill Walton said, "Full-court press is about forcing opponents to make mistakes with aggressive defense, but Heat point guard Avery Johnson is known for his mental stability."

His assist-to-error ratio has consistently remained at 3.23, which is an excellent statistic, demonstrating very consistent passing and ball control.

The timeout ended, and the Bulls launched an attack.

"brush!"

Jordan took his second shot, getting a small open look on the right wing with a back cut. Kendall Gill was behind him when he received the ball, and Jordan immediately turned and faded off with a jump shot, making the basket.

"Michael made both of his shots, he's in good form," Bill Walton said.

4:6, Heat on offense.

"Phil Jackson canceled the full-court press and switched to a half-court press," Xu Jicheng said.

Sun Zhenping said, "Tang Bei is providing support from the high post, with Luke Longley guarding the perimeter. Kevin Willis has moved to the right block area, and Rodman is defending the right wing in the low post."

"It's been sent," Han Qiaosheng shouted.

At this moment, Kendall Gill made a reverse run to get rid of Jordan and cut into the penalty area from the right side. Rodman had to cover, and Tang Bei quickly passed the ball.

Upon seeing this, Jordan, who was lagging behind, immediately turned around and rushed towards the right defensive zone.

In the right paint, Kevin Willis received the ball, saw Jordan rushing towards him, hesitated for a moment intimidated by the opponent's defensive reputation, and did not shoot, wasting a small open opportunity.

At this moment, Tang Bei had already entered the paint, and Kevin Willis lobbed the ball towards the basket.

Tang Bei first entered the basket, trapping Luke Longley behind him. When the ball arrived, he sprang into action.

Rodman, who was under the basket, knew that his blocking ability was a weakness, so instead of jumping, he nudged Tang Bei with his elbow and made a dirty move.

"boom!"

The next moment, he hung on the rim with both hands, and Rodman was knocked down under the basket.

"Bang!"

The Bulls were on offense. Jordan received the ball for the third time and took a shot, but this time he missed under Kendall Gill's defense, and Kevin Willis grabbed the rebound.

4:8, Heat on offense.

Bill Walton said, "The Heat had 5 possessions, 1 turnover, and 4 successful possessions. More importantly, all 4 possessions were inside shots, none of them were outside jump shots. The quality of their offense was very high."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar nodded and said, "In comparison, the Bulls made 2 of 4 shots, had one steal, but committed one traveling violation. More importantly, all four of their shots were outside jump shots."

Bill Russell chimed in, "One team focused entirely on inside offense, while the other team relied entirely on outside jump shots, resulting in a 4-8 score."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said, "If the Bulls don't change their offensive approach, the point difference will continue to widen because it's generally difficult for them to shoot more than 50%, especially on the road."

Bill Russell said, "The Bulls definitely want to drive in, but with Tang Bei, the Defensive Player of the Year, anchoring the paint, it's going to be tough."

On the court, Tang Bei and Kevin Willis simultaneously entered the paint, forming a twin-tower formation.

The ball was first passed to Tang Bei, who then drew a double team from Luke Longley and Rodman before passing the ball to Kevin Willis.

Kevin Willis went for a layup, but was blocked by Jordan's back-block, sending the ball flying into the air.

Tang Bei saw Jordan when Kevin Willis went for a layup, moved immediately, and managed to steal the ball over Jordan's head.

At this moment, he was facing away from the basket, on the right front side of the basket. After landing, he was caught in a double-team by Rodman and Jordan, and Pippen also rushed in, making it a three-on-one situation.

With Luke Longley, who has gained weight to 130 kilograms, behind Rodman, the Bulls were unable to form a four-team defense under the basket.

"Pass the ball!" Xu Jicheng shouted. The next moment, Tang Bei suddenly did a Tai Chi turn, and with a terrifying burst of power like a volcanic eruption, he instantly knocked Rodman and Pippen down. Jordan's right arm wrapped around Tang Bei's left arm, and he was the first to be knocked down.

"boom!"

"WOW!"

"Di!"

As the rim slammed shut and the referee's whistle blew, thousands rose to their feet, and a deafening roar of cheers echoed through Miami Stadium.

The paint was a mess; of the four defenders, only Luke Longley was still standing, while the other three had fallen.

The referee showed no mercy, pointing at Jordan and issuing a foul for pulling, giving Tang Bei an additional free throw.

Bill Russell said, "If Luke Longley could keep up with Tang Bei's speed, with his current weight and strength, he might be able to stop Tang Bei from attacking the basket, but his excessive weight severely limits his speed."

Bill Walton said, "It's also possible that he can't be defended. His explosiveness is far inferior to Tang Bei's. Tang Bei's attack on the basket is dynamic, and his technical movements can generate tremendous impact."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said, "This defensive failure will definitely severely damage the Bulls' confidence in defense."

Bill Walton sighed and said, "Yeah, four people were trying to defend against Tang Bei, but not only did they fail, three of them were knocked down. How are they going to defend him now?"

As Tang Bei prepared to shoot the free throw, the Bulls players were all at a loss, unsure of how to defend him.

They looked at Phil Jackson, who stood frozen on the sidelines, showing no reaction. But as Tang Bei prepared to shoot a free throw, he suddenly called the second timeout of the first quarter.

"Coach Zhang, could you analyze the current situation?" Han Qiaosheng said.

CCTV's camera switched to the front line, where Zhang Heli said, "The Heat's offense is very strong right now, all of it is under the basket, and they're 5 for 6."

"The defense was also good; the Bulls didn't have a single possession in the paint. If things don't change, the Heat winning is foreseeable."

"Coach Zhang, what changes do you think the Bulls might make?" Sun Zhenping asked.

Zhang Heli said, "This is the third Eastern Conference Finals between the Bulls and the Heat. There are still four regular season games left each season. They are too familiar with each other. Neither side has any trump cards left."

"So the Bulls don't have many cards to play. They can't defend against Tang Bei, and they can't break through his defense. They are at a disadvantage on both ends of the court."

"To be honest, I can't think of any way for the Bulls to beat the Heat. Tang Bei is just too strong."

"With Kendall Gill back this season, the perimeter defense is even stronger. In comparison, it will be even more difficult for the Bulls to win than in last year's Eastern Conference Finals."

"Last year's Eastern Conference Finals were 4-2, this year the Bulls would be lucky to win 4-1."

"Of course, the Bulls also have their own advantages, namely their roster depth."

"The Bulls started the game with a full-court press today. I think they wanted to wear down the Heat's starters and win by relying on their roster depth."

"But Tang Bei has excellent physical fitness. He will definitely play 40+ minutes per game in the Eastern Conference Finals. With him on the court, the Bulls' bench will have no advantage."

"brush!"

The timeout ended, and Tang Bei made the free throw, making it 4-11, with the Heat leading by 7 points.

The Bulls attack.

Following the offensive tactics just outlined, Luke Longley looked for an opportunity to enter the paint, attempting to use his position under the basket to keep Tang Bei by his side.

Tang Bei did not stop Luke Longley, letting him drive to the basket directly. He stood a step away, one to two meters away.

When the ball is at the top of the key, he is below the free-throw line; when the ball moves to the left wing, he moves to below the left end of the free-throw line.

His defensive positioning consistently cut off Luke Longley's passing lanes with the ball handler, while maintaining a strong help defense threat on the perimeter.

Pippen received the ball on the left wing three-point line and was immediately pressured by Glen Rice, then Avery Johnson quickly formed a double team.

At this point, Jordan had not yet run out of open space to receive the ball, but there were now two passing options.

First, run towards Armstrong in the bottom left corner.

Second, Luke Longley under the basket, if you don't pass the ball soon, he'll be there in three seconds.

However, Tang Bei is in the middle of the passing lane, so he can only lob the ball. If he lobs the ball, it gives Tang Bei the opportunity to get back to defend the basket. So Luke Longley's spot is just a good look, but he can't actually score.

"Snapped!"

Glen Rice reacted the instant Pippen passed the ball, intercepting it with a slap and then launching a fast break.

"Glen Rice did a good job, he intercepted Pippen's pass," Sun Zhenping said happily.

Han Qiaosheng said, "Don't underestimate Glen Rice's defense. He averaged 1.2 steals per game in the regular season and 1.7 steals per game in the playoffs."

Xu Jicheng laughed and said, "The main reason is that Pippen's passing intentions were exposed this time. He doesn't have much ability to break through defenses. When he was double-teamed at the three-point line, the probability of him passing the ball was very high."

Glen Rice only needs to defend the passes to Armstrong; passes to the top of the key and under the basket are not his responsibility. As long as his defensive positioning is good, he has a high chance of stealing the ball.

On the court, Glen Rice drove to the basket with the ball, but was blocked by Jordan and could not shoot. He could only pass to Avery Johnson.

Avery Johnson, behind Glen Rice, saw Tang Bei almost reaching the top of the arc and immediately passed the ball to him.

Tang Bei received the ball at the free-throw line and took off immediately.

"This bastard!"

Jordan had no choice but to leave the paint.

"boom!"

"WOW!"

As the loud thud of the rim exploding rang out, Miami Arena instantly transformed into a boiling volcano.

"4:13, the Bulls are playing terribly, and two timeouts haven't solved the problem," Bill Russell said, shaking his head.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar analyzed, "Glen Rice played very hard today, especially on the defensive end. He created two opportunities for Avery Johnson to double-team Pippen by pressing the ball."

Bill Walton nodded and said, "Tang Bei's unstoppable offensive firepower has greatly reduced the offensive pressure on perimeter players like Glen Rice, so they can focus more on the defensive end."

Bill Russell said, "The Heat are double-teaming Pippen on the perimeter because their defense in the paint is very solid and the Bulls can't get in. That's why they're shifting their focus to double-teaming Pippen to disrupt the Bulls' playmaking. So far, it seems to be working well."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said, "The Bulls' problem on offense right now is that, in addition to the lack of inside scoring, their passing on the perimeter is also becoming a problem due to the Heat's double-teaming. The problem is getting bigger and bigger."

Bill Russell said, "Pippen is the Bulls' playmaker. If he is contained, the Bulls' offense will only be able to rely on Michael's isolation plays."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said, "In fact, the Bulls' starting lineup has negligible offensive capabilities in the paint. I have never been optimistic about the playmaking of Luke Longley and Rodman. It's not as good as the Grant and Bill White combination back then."

Bill Walton said, "The main problem is that the Bulls' interior offense has been further weakened, and against a team like the Heat with an incredibly strong interior offense, the Bulls' weakness in the paint will be magnified."

The combined scoring of their two key inside players is unlikely to exceed 15 points per game, meaning the majority of the offensive burden will fall on the perimeter.

"Yes, that's what I mean."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar nodded and said, "If Tang Bei scores 40 points with a 60% shooting percentage, which is very possible, then how many points and what shooting percentage would Michael Jordan need to score to equalize Tang Bei's score?"

Bill Walton said, "50% shooting percentage, 60 points."

"Tang Bei can average 40+ points per game, but Michael Jordan could never average 60+ points per game," Bill Russell said.

Bill Walton said, "Before the Eastern Conference Finals, TNT commentators pointed out that Michael Jordan + Longley + Rodman could only offset Tang Bei's scoring."

If Luke Longley and Rodman averaged 15 points per game, considering Tang Bei's defense, they shouldn't have been able to score that many points. 10 points per game would have been more reasonable. Then Jordan would have averaged 40 points per game, and the three of them would have averaged 50 points per game combined.

Considering Tang Bei's higher offensive efficiency, he only needs to average 40+ points per game to offset the combined scores of Jordan and two others.

Avery Johnson and Armstrong have similar scoring abilities, perhaps the latter has a slight advantage, but not a significant one, and the two can offset each other.

"As for Pippen, let's say he averages 20 points per game, and Kevin Willis, Glen Rice, and Kendall Gill combined for 40 points, that's reasonable, right?"

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar chimed in, "According to Beal's calculations, the Bulls' starting lineup has a 20-point deficit that they need to fill with their bench."

"hehe!"

All three of them laughed. Even if the Bulls' bench was stronger than the Heat's, it wasn't that incredible.

It's possible to have an outstanding performance in a single game during the regular season, but it's absolutely impossible in a playoff series.

But Bill Russell immediately countered, saying, "One thing is that neither you nor TNT have considered the defensive aspect."

Bill Walton immediately retorted, "No, no, Brother Bill, we have considered the defensive issues."

"The Bulls' perimeter defense is probably the best in the league, but I would say the Heat's interior defense is also one of the best in the league."

"Moreover, the Heat's perimeter defense isn't weak anymore. Kendall Gill and Avery Johnson are both very good defenders, and Glen Rice is also working hard on defense, averaging 1.7 steals per game."

"To put it simply, the Bulls can limit the Heat's outside offensive efficiency, but the Heat can also limit the Bulls' inside offense."

"Ok."

Bill Russell smiled helplessly and nodded.

The game continued, and Phil Jackson quickly called his third timeout of the first quarter as the point difference continued to widen.

This time, he needs to solve the problem of Pippen being double-teamed after receiving the ball.
"Scottie, they're double-teaming you on the three-point line, which is in our best interest. You have to pass the ball at the right time and get it to an open teammate."

"When Pippen is double-teamed, the others must keep moving."

“When Luke Longley is in the low post, there has to be someone at the top of the key. Michael, you run there and get ready to receive Scottie’s pass.”

"When Luke Longley is in the high post, be careful to receive Scottie's pass and then quickly pass it to Michael."

After the timeout, the Bulls' offense improved somewhat, but it didn't change the fundamental problem.

The most fundamental problem with the Bulls' starting lineup is that their offensive firepower is far inferior to that of the Heat, and even Jordan couldn't make up for that gap.

Even though the Bulls maintained their full-court and half-court press defense, exhausting the Heat's starting lineup, they couldn't change their disadvantage.

Because Tang Bei only rested for two minutes in the first three quarters and played for 34 minutes, he increased his shot attempts during the bench rotation and used his offense to hold off the Bulls during his rotation time.

Ultimately, the Heat won Game 1 by a margin of 19 points, 89-108 at home.

Bill Russell said, "Michael Jordan played 45 minutes, made 13 of 29 shots, a 44.8% field goal percentage, which is not high."

其中三分球6投2中，7罚6中，拿到34分6助攻7篮板3抢断1盖帽3失误3犯规的数据。”

"Luke Longley 5 points, Rodman 0 points, Pippen 18 points, Armstrong 15 points, the starting lineup combined for 72 points, and the five substitutes combined for 17 points."

比尔·沃顿说道：“唐北上场42分钟，25投20中，命中率80%，加上14罚10中，命中率71.4%，轰下50分17篮板2助攻2抢断6盖帽的数据。

Kevin Willis scored 13 points, Kendall Gill 14 points, Glen Rice 14 points, and Avery Johnson 4 points, with the five starters combining for 95 points, and the four reserves combining for 13 points.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar bluntly stated, "The Bulls' starting lineup lost by 23 points, and the bench only managed to come back by 4 points. The statistics are brutal."

These statistics demonstrate that the Bulls' chances of winning the series with their bench are virtually zero; it's wishful thinking.

Bill Walton said, "I'll say it again, the Bulls' interior offense is too weak, combining for only 7 points."

The Heat's interior duo was simply too dominant, combining for 63 points while the Bulls managed only 5, a staggering 55-point difference. How could the Bulls possibly bridge this despairing gap with their perimeter defense?

Bill Russell nodded and said, "Without comparing anyone else, the difference in the paint alone is enough to illustrate the gap between the two teams."

Bill Walton thought for a moment and said, "I think the Bulls are facing a much stronger Heat team in this Eastern Conference Finals than they were in last year's Eastern Conference Finals."

"I'm making a prediction: the Bulls' chances of advancing to the Finals are no more than 25%. Their chances are at home, and their probability of winning on the road is no more than 10%."

This predicted probability is 10 percentage points lower than TNT's data, which greatly disappoints all Bulls fans.

(End of this chapter)