The longest river

Chapter 204 This is what a man should do
With a 2-0 lead, the Trail Blazers travel to Washington, D.C. to face the Wizards in Game 3.

For the Wizards, this is truly a do-or-die situation.

If they lose again, like the Lakers did before, their morale will collapse and they will likely be swept out of the playoffs.

Jordan made a major adjustment in this game. He abandoned the balanced offensive and defensive style that he had adhered to throughout his career and devoted all his energy to the offensive end, ignoring Yang Shuai's provocative words.

He also played like Michael Jordan, scoring 48 points in the game.

Is 36-year-old Jordan still capable of playing?

Under his leadership, the Wizards won the game 106-102.

However, after the game, Jordan, just like Yang Shuai who scored 61 points against the Jazz back then, sat on the sidelines for a long time, drenched in sweat.

It was at this moment that many people realized the Wizards might not be able to stop the Trail Blazers.

Even with Jordan giving his all, he still managed to win with difficulty. Could Jordan, at 36 years old, continue playing like that?

The answer is obvious.

休整了两天之后，奇才队在G4中以91比101输给开拓者队，大比分1比3落后。

乔丹得到了28分，但是开拓者队5人得分上双，杨帅更是砍下30分8板8助攻的准三双数据。

New talents emerge in every generation; perhaps it really is time to hand over the reins of the league to Yang Shuai.

"No, the finals are far from over. We still have three games to play."

However, at the post-game press conference, Jordan refused to give up on the game.

Some media outlets even reported that Jordan flew into a rage in the Wizards' closed locker room right after Game 4 ended.

Throughout the Finals, and even into the playoffs, the Wizards' other players failed to provide Jordan with enough support.

"You don't deserve to stand on the finals stage at all!"

According to sources, Jordan subjected his teammates to the most thorough humiliation.

However, when reporters interviewed Jordan during the next training session, Jordan said that nothing had happened.

Collins also stated to the media that he, not Jordan, was the one who lost his temper in the locker room, and that it had a very good effect.

Before Game 5 began, league staff prepared for the trophy presentation arrived in DC. With a 3-1 lead, the Trail Blazers were poised to lift the trophy in DC.

The Trail Blazers' pre-game practice was also surrounded by a large number of reporters.

In an interview after training, Yang Shuai was asked a very interesting question by a reporter.

Would you like to lift the trophy on home soil?

For Yang Shuai, he won the championship two years ago in an away game, and if he wins today, it will still be in an away game.

If they want to lift the trophy at home, they have to lose tonight's game, because if there are any more games, they will all be played at the Trail Blazers' home court.

The story of Michael Jordan deliberately losing two games in order to win a championship on Father's Day has now become one of the classic fodder for his boasting.

Controlling the outcome of a match demonstrates absolute confidence in one's own abilities.

"No, I will do my best to finish the finals tonight."

Yang Shuai's answer was absolutely certain and very affirmative.

He would never do something like this: having the opponent pinned to the ground and a gun pointed at their head, yet still trying to act tough and give them a chance to retaliate.

As the interview was ending, Yang Shuai suddenly spotted several familiar figures on the sidelines.

James and his friends are here again.

In fact, Yang Shuai only learned from Paul afterwards that James' life was not quite the "nomadic" life he had imagined.

James was taken in by his football coach Frank when he was 9 years old, and Frank took James into his home, where he lived a middle-class life.

This seems to explain why he has a sharper mind than other Black athletes.

While genes determine the overall differences among races in certain regions, education level determines individual differences more significantly.

So it's a bit strange that Yang Shuai would look at James and see him as an idol.

Ultimately, the two had virtually no overlap in their experiences.

Or rather, James idolizes him more because he has already made a name for himself.

After a brief exchange, James also revealed something to Yang Shuai.

He had originally committed to joining Cleveland High School, but because he didn't want to be too far from his mother, he ultimately decided to join the local St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.

Yang Shuai suddenly remembered what Ray Johnson had told him about Cleveland High School.

The shadow of his championship-winning team has largely disappeared, and with Brandon Hunter, who played with him back then, graduating this year, Cleveland High School is now a standard bad team.

Yang Shuai smiled and looked at James.

Actually, James' choice was perfectly fine; no one would deliberately make things difficult for themselves.

But James's internal struggle reminded him of many things related to James.

This time, when Carter took out his Trail Blazers jersey and wanted Yang Shuai to sign it, Yang Shuai did not sign it for him.

Yang Shuai casually brushed it off with a new team rule, then patted James on the shoulder, said a few words of encouragement, and left.

A smart child is likable, but a shrewd child only makes people want to have less interaction with him.

That night, Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Wizards and the Trail Blazers tipped off at the Verizon Center.

In addition to league staff, league commissioner Stern and his assistant Tatum were also present.

Yang Shuai saw Ivanka again, including in the stands, but this time her father wasn't there.

During the pre-match warm-up, the camera focused on a spectator on the sidelines, and cheers erupted from the crowd.

In addition to being the home of the Wizards, Verizon Center is also the home of the Washington Capitals hockey team, and the hockey team has a very well-known fan: "The Goat".

"The Goat," also known as William Stilwell, was famous for sitting in the 105th division during hockey games and cheering for the team with a voice that The Washington Post described as "the loudest and loudest that could beat F Street."

He appeared at the basketball game today and even sat in the front row, which clearly means the Wizards paid him to help.

It's clear that the Wizards won't give up easily.

Many fans at the scene were holding up KT boards that read "Let's beat Portland 4-3".

In fact, when the Wizards were down 0-1, DC fans believed the Wizards could win 4-1;

When they were down 0-2, they believed the Wizards could come back and win 4-2.

Even now, trailing 1-3, their confidence in the home team remains undiminished.

It's just a question of whether, if the Trail Blazers do win tonight's game, they will still believe the Wizards can come back from 5-4 down.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups for both teams were announced, with the Wizards still starting Rodman.

However, unlike previous games, they didn't have Rodman guard Sabonis; instead, Howard was assigned to guard him.

This would allow Rodman to utilize his help defense advantage.

However, this adjustment is not the key to tonight's game. The key to tonight's game is that the refereeing was clearly biased towards the Wizards.

Aside from Jordan and Wizards fans, the league is probably the last thing the Wizards want to lose.

The Wizards vs. Trail Blazers Finals have consistently high viewership, especially tonight, which is even higher than Game 6 of last season's Finals.

The league naturally wants to play more of these kinds of games that make it a lot of money; even if it can't go to a Game 7, it should at least go to six games.

In the first quarter alone, the Wizards went to 10 free throws.

Even more problematic than the free throws was that Wallace lost control of his temper.

After Rodman switched onto Wallace, he kept trying to get Wallace into a bad mood. After being called for a minor foul by the referee, Wallace yelled at the referee and was subsequently called for a technical foul.

This enraged Wallace even more, and his teammates couldn't hold him back. As a result, the referee didn't hesitate to give him a second technical foul, ejecting him from the game.

Wallace is a very calm person most of the time, and as he has shown in past games, he is the most rational person on the team.

However, once he gets carried away, he really does get carried away, the kind of person who can't be stopped by nine oxen.

According to Wallace himself, he suffers from bipolar disorder and cannot control his behavior once he gets emotional.

At the end of the first quarter, the Wizards led 28-20.

Wallace's ejection not only greatly reduced the Trail Blazers' spacing system, but more importantly, it also affected the bench unit's scoring ability. Without him, the Trail Blazers had no one to score during that phase.

So during the break, the Trail Blazers players on the bench were all quite indignant.

"This is so unfair! Blowing a hair-trigger whistle is one thing, but kicking someone out like that is another!"

"Let's just fight them and let the league know we don't accept this unfair treatment!"

"Why don't we just cut down Rodman and let that guy experience what Shaq has to offer!"

……

"Everyone be quiet!"

Carlisle stopped the players' discussion.

When the Pacers and Jazz played the Finals, Yang Shuai was fouled maliciously, but the Pacers didn't react impulsively. Now, it's just a biased call.

This is the finals, not the regular season. Impulsive people, like Wallace, only act for a moment's pleasure, and in the end, they are the ones who suffer.

Especially now that the Trail Blazers have the upper hand, if they act impulsively and someone gets suspended, they will ruin their great situation. If they ultimately lose the Finals, they will become the ultimate backdrop for their opponents to come back from a 1-3 deficit and make history.

"I'll go on."

Just then, Yang Shuai spoke up.

As someone involved in the finals back then, and even as a time traveler, he is now calmer than Carlisle.

He doesn't want the Trail Blazers to become the Warriors, a cycle ahead of schedule.

"I'm not 36 yet."

Moreover, in order to convince Carlisle, Yang Shuai also gave a reason that Carlisle found convincing.

Carlisle finally nodded in agreement.

When Yang Shuai came on the court, he pulled Pippen aside and said something to him.

The second quarter was about to begin, and when the camera focused on Yang Shuai coming on, it instantly caused a stir among DC fans.

However, Albert in the commentary booth smiled when he saw it.

Just like Walton once said, "A basketball game lasts 48 minutes." Yang Shuai's early use of his energy during the transition period between substitutes might have helped him catch up in the score, but his stamina would inevitably suffer in the second half.

Even though Yang Shuai is only 21 years old, a player's physical strength is ultimately limited.

The Wizards started the second quarter on offense, with Tracy Murray hitting a three-pointer off a screen to extend their lead to double digits.

This Wizards sixth man was a member of the Rockets' championship team in the 1994-1995 season and had a 50-point game last season.

The fans' emotions were completely ignited, and the shouts of "Goat" echoed throughout most of the stadium.

When Yang Shuai got the ball in the attacking third, Collins immediately yelled for his teammates to double-team him.

If the Wizards' starters can't stop Yang Shuai, let alone the substitutes, Yang Shuai's "off-peak travel" is a complete game-changer.

Yang Shuai held the ball with one hand. He seemed to have anticipated what was happening and was waiting for the double team to come at him when he suddenly flicked the ball away.

Everyone's eyes followed the basketball, and then they saw the ball pass straight to Pippen, who was cutting in from the weak side.

Pippen received the ball and easily scored two points with a quick dunk.

As they retreated on defense, Pippen excitedly found Yang Shuai and gave him a big high five.

Yang Shuai only said one sentence to Pippen before going on the court:
"Scottie, I need you."

That was the sentence Pippen had been waiting for all season to finally hear.

How could Yang Shuai not know what Albert could think of?
However, after talking with Walton, Yang Shuai has even more faith in his teammates.

While he can't expect Pippen, whose athleticism has declined due to injuries, to suddenly become dominant, he can't rely on Pippen with the ball, but he can still look forward to Pippen without the ball.

Those awareness and judgment on the court will not disappear as ability declines.

He also anticipated that Collins would definitely try to attack him from both sides.

As the game progressed, Pippen frequently scored after receiving passes from Yang Shuai, while Yang Shuai strengthened his defense against Murray, and the score began to narrow.

"Hansen played very smartly."

Ernie Johnson spoke excitedly upon seeing this.

This shortened season was short, but the Trail Blazers and Yang Shuai both showed remarkable growth.

When both teams' key players returned one after another, the score had reached 33-31, with the Trail Blazers narrowing the gap to one goal.

Even though Yang Shuai didn't score, his impact after entering the game was immediate.

However, the real test for the Trail Blazers is just beginning tonight.

The referees' biased calls did not disappear after Wallace left the court, and the Trail Blazers' half-court offense was greatly weakened after Wallace left.

Even because "Hot Stick" Williams lacks spacing ability, the Wizards double-teamed Yang Shuai very decisively.

Compared to the previous bench players, the Wizards' starting lineup has a better defensive rotation, making it harder for Pippen to get the same scoring opportunities as before.

So, shortly after their starters returned, the Wizards extended their lead back to more than 5 points.

Carlisle then demonstrated his coaching prowess by replacing "Hot Stick" Williams with Walter Williams and moving Pippen to the power forward position.

Rodman had little offensive ability, and Pippen could easily match his defense.

More importantly, this will allow the Trail Blazers to maintain their spacing ability in half-court sets.

With space available, Yang Shuai began his scoring spree.

Although he didn't enter a state of flow, this spacing made it difficult for the Wizards to double-team him.

It's worth noting that Yang Shuai's passing ability is also quite good.

Yang Shuai scored 15 points in this quarter alone, and thanks to his performance, the Trail Blazers and Wizards were tied at 53 at halftime.

The suspense of the game instantly returned. The Wizards didn't want to give up easily, but Yang Shuai was determined to end the Finals tonight.

Returning for the second half, the Trail Blazers maintained their momentum, even utilizing their small-ball rotation to launch fast breaks and take the lead against the Wizards.

However, at that moment, Sabonis committed his fourth foul of the night and had to leave the game to rest.

Carlisle lost his temper at this point and loudly protested to the referee from the sidelines.

Seeing this, Dunleavy quickly pulled him back. Wallace had already been ejected, and if Carlisle were ejected as well, the Trail Blazers would be finished for the night.

Although he wanted to replace Carlisle as head coach, he didn't want the championship ring, which was so close, to slip away like this.

Yang Shuai's expression was also very unpleasant at this moment.

Just like the dissatisfaction he expressed after Game 5 of the Pacers vs. Bulls game, he is disgusted by games like this one, where referee manipulation outweighs player performance, just like in his previous life.

It was precisely because of that aversion that he began to play more aggressively on the court than before.

On offense, he handled the ball more to draw fouls from the Wizards, while on defense, he focused more on help defense and physical contact.

If the referees just want the Wizards to win this game, then they might as well eject him too!

The referees held their whistles to their lips, but didn't utter a sound.

The essence of biased refereeing in the league is to prolong the Finals and then make money through viewership ratings.

But all of this is contingent on the game attracting fans to watch.

And it was Jordan and Yang Shuai who created this appeal.

Yang Shuai, in particular, scored a game-changing goal in Game 1 that brought the viewership of this year's finals to a new high.

If Yang Shuai is ejected, that referee will probably be out of a job the next day.

Stern is not Silver after all; he still has some bottom lines.

So a very strange phenomenon occurred: the Trail Blazers, relying on Yang Shuai's aggressiveness on both offense and defense, managed to tie the Wizards again by the end of the third quarter.

杨帅三节比赛轰下36分6板7助攻3抢断2封盖。

When the data was displayed on the big screen, the DC fans in the stadium went wild.

Although Yang Shuai had already scored 44 points in Game 2, his performance tonight was completely different from that game.

This was truly a 5-on-8 situation, and they dragged the team into the final quarter.

Especially when Yang Shuai came on at the start of the fourth quarter without resting, many DC fans applauded him, even though he was an opponent.

This included Ivanka, who was sitting in the front row of the audience.

She was impressed by Yang Shuai in the previous All-Star game, and tonight Yang Shuai made her even more captivated.

However, when the game reached the final decisive moment, the real moment of despair arrived.

Jordan entered "zone" mode.

The Wizards had been in control of the game, which allowed Jordan to conserve his energy for the final quarter.

Just like he did in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers.

Jordan drives past Pippen's defense and pulls up for a mid-range jumper;

Jordan drove past Pippen and was then met with help defense from Yang Shuai, resulting in a defensive foul by the latter.

Jordan backed down and hit his signature fadeaway jumper over a double team.

The game reached its climax in a way that got the entire DC crowd going wild.

Time can heal all wounds. Just like Yang Shuai remembers Wade winning the championship in 2006, people will talk about the greatness of Jordan/Wade, but won't care about those unfair calls.

With five minutes remaining in the game, the Wizards held an eight-point lead, 93-85.

Carlisle reached out and called a pause.

His expression was one of helplessness. The Trail Blazers had done their best, but they still couldn't win the game.

Yang Shuai was sitting on the bench, panting.

Although he had already chosen to hand over the offensive lead to Pippen at the start of the second quarter, the referees changed everything.

Given the current situation, the Trail Blazers are destined not to win this game tonight.

In fact, Yang Shuai also knew that the league's goal was just to prolong the series, just like the Bulls and Lakers' Finals back then. Stern had no reason to suppress the 21-year-old Yang Shuai to take over.

Therefore, it is foreseeable that the refereeing in the next two games will not be like tonight's.

However, Yang Shuai's personality has a rebellious streak; he simply doesn't want to follow a pre-arranged script.

He would accept losing like in Game 3, but tonight's game felt like a lump in his throat, impossible to swallow.

It was at this moment that Yang Shuai once again grasped that elusive feeling.

In that instant, he seemed to understand what one of the conditions for entering a state of flow was.

That wasn't physical ability, but an inner yearning, an extreme yearning.

Many questions were answered at this moment.

Why did Jordan antagonize the media, and why did he even fabricate trash talk that his opponents had never said to provoke him, something he only heard after time-traveling?

Essentially, it's about igniting an inner desire for victory.

During a long season, that desire is the hardest thing to maintain, but it is also the most needed.

Albert is actually right. The reason why Jordan was able to perform so well in the playoffs at the age of 36 was largely due to the league giving the MVP to Yang Shuai.

The Trail Blazers' timeout had expired, and Carlisle, seeing that Yang Shuai seemed a bit distracted, assumed that Yang Shuai hadn't recovered his strength yet and called another timeout.

This move caught Lu, who was still a player at the time, off guard, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

This scene also sparked a discussion between commentators Johnson and Abbott.

"The outcome of this game is no longer in doubt, and Carlisle's approach is nothing but a futile struggle." Albert didn't think the Trail Blazers had any chance left.

"Hansen is the only chance." Johnson believed that if there were a miracle, the one who would create it would be Yang Shuai.

"Do you think that high school student still has the stamina?" Albert poured cold water on Johnson's enthusiasm.

Yang Shuai's performance tonight was indeed very moving, but that couldn't help the Trail Blazers win the game.

"Time is running out for the Trail Blazers," Albert declared, effectively sealing their fate.

Just before the second timeout ended, Yang Shuai finally stood up from the bench.

His breathing seemed much more steady than before, but more importantly, there was a firm and confident look in his eyes.

"I will lead you to the championship."

Yang Shuai spoke calmly, yet his words carried weight.

Lu looked at Yang Shuai at this moment, and the feeling he had before was stronger than ever before.

This is what a man should do!

Moreover, the Trail Blazers' other players firmly believed in Yang Shuai's seemingly absurd statement.

After a long pause, the game finally resumed.

In the Trail Blazers' offensive onslaught, Yang Shuai received the ball after a screen, changed direction to get past two defenders, drove into the paint, and scored with a reverse layup after dodging Rodman.

This entire set of technical movements was so fluid and seamless that it left the fans in the stadium completely stunned.

Jordan also immediately noticed that Yang Shuai had entered the "zone" state.

This is where things get interesting; there are two people on the field who have entered that state.

Moreover, because the team was behind, Yang Shuai did not intend to compete with Jordan in scoring, and instead directly faced Jordan on the defensive end.

He certainly knew that the trailing team needed to defend against the opponent's attack in order to catch up.

However, in this particular play, Jordan still managed to hit a difficult mid-range shot over Yang Shuai's defense.

It wasn't that Yang Shuai's defense was inadequate, but rather that "offense was more important than defense" was demonstrated at this moment.

In situations where both sides can instantly assess the opponent's reaction, the defender is always the passive party.

Realizing this, Yang Shuai dribbled the ball up the court, broke through Richmond, and then hit a step-back three-pointer.

Since "offense is more important than defense", then "three points are one point more than two points".

In the "zone," both players become undefendable, and the competition boils down to their most consistent scoring methods.

This moment stunned both the fans at the stadium and those watching on TV; Jordan and Yang Shuai shattered all the defenses they faced.

This left James, who was in the audience, completely stunned.

This is like gods fighting!

With 40 seconds left in the game, Yang Shuai shook off Richmond and hit a long three-pointer, bringing the score to 103-103.

The Wizards called a timeout.

DC fans erupted in a huge uproar.

In just over four minutes, Yang Shuai took six three-point attempts and made five of them, managing to tie the score!

And this was done while Jordan was almost constantly scoring, which is simply unreasonable.

At the same time, Yang Shuai's stats for tonight were displayed on the screen at the venue.

Yang Shuai's score has increased from 36 points at the end of the third quarter to 55 points!
This 55 points is exactly the highest individual Finals score record that Jordan set against the Suns in 1993.

Many things seem to be preordained.

However, immediately after the pause, Yang Shuai broke out in a cold sweat.

He has come out of that state.

Carlisle's consecutive timeouts gave Yang Shuai a much-needed breather, but Yang Shuai was indeed too exhausted tonight, and one more timeout wouldn't be enough to recover.

Coincidentally, Jordan had also recovered from that state by this time.

Entering a state of flow is not directly related to physical fitness, but maintaining this state requires a lot of physical energy.

Although Jordan had used up less energy than Yang Shuai before, he was still 36 years old.

After the pause, in the final minute.

Go Wizards!

The DC fans in the stadium began to cheer for their team in unison.

After advancing the ball to the frontcourt, the Wizards still passed it to Jordan.

All eyes in the room were now focused on Jordan.

Jordan said the Finals were far from over, and now he has the opportunity to live up to that statement.

He made a breakthrough, and although he fell out of the "zone," he successfully got past his opponent thanks to his strong mental strength and familiarity with Pippen.

Amidst the excited cheers of the fans in the arena, Jordan drove into the paint.

Facing Sabonis' help defense, Jordan chose to directly draw fouls on him.

Sabonis now has five fouls, and more importantly, the referees were clearly biased tonight, calling fouls on normal contact.

So he could only avoid physical contact while trying to disrupt Jordan from the side.

But what Jordan wanted was that sideways movement, which opened up a path for him to drive to the basket.

He dodged a reverse layup with a mid-air layup.

This shot showcased his skills and experience honed over many years in the league.

However, just as Jordan released the shot, a gasp of amazement rang out from the crowd.

Yang Shuai held his breath and also went to help defend under the basket. He jumped almost at the same time as Jordan.

Jordan noticed Yang Shuai at this moment, but he calmly dodged and went for a layup.

This is what Michael Jordan excels at; his goals like this could be compiled into a highlight reel.

The basketball spun upwards, but in the end, the young Yang Shuai was even younger.

Yang Shuai's fingertips touched the ball, changing its trajectory.

"when!"

The basketball hit the edge of the rim and bounced out!

Yang Shuai couldn't stop Jordan's offense when both sides were in "zone" mode, but everything went back to normal after they were out of that zone.

Under the same conditions, Yang Shuai is now able to defend Jordan!

Sabonis then grabbed the defensive rebound and called the Trail Blazers' final timeout of the night.

Yang Shuai gave Pippen a high-five before leaving the court.

He had told Pippen to focus on defense, as he would cover for him later.

In this most crucial round, he still managed to do it.

There was an uproar at the scene.

Back when Yang Shuai was still playing for the Pacers, he defended Jordan so well that he eventually fell to the ground.

This time Jordan didn't fall, but his final game-winning shot was blocked by Yang Shuai!

Jordan wanted to win his sixth championship and, incidentally, defeat Yang Shuai to perfect his image as a god.

However, the reality is that he, like Richmond, whom he valued and who had become his teammate, ultimately became Yang Shuai's stepping stone.

The only difference is that the one with the golden plaque of "God of Basketball" is the bigger and more dazzling one.

There were 24 seconds left in the game, exactly one full round.

Now the ball is in the hands of the Trail Blazers, and they have the chance to kill the game, no, to win the championship.

(End of this chapter)