NBA: My template has no limit

Every time Jordan saw Xu Feng, he would feel a surge of annoyance.

When the rookies from '96 faced him, they were all taught a lesson. But Xu Feng was the only one who wasn't taught a lesson. Instead, he played better and better, which boosted Xu Feng's confidence. Who could Xu Feng complain to?

He had to take it more seriously. Even if he couldn't teach Xu Feng a lesson, he had to use the points to show this kid that he wasn't someone to be trifled with.

"Including the preseason games, this is the Bucks' third matchup against the Bulls this season. The first two games were extremely exciting, so it's anyone's guess how this clash of Eastern Conference powerhouses will turn out?"

Jim Paszczek did his usual pre-game warm-up, but this time it was completely unnecessary. Fans had been looking forward to it for a week, and they even dreamed about it.

With all five starters on both sides in the starting lineup, the game officially began with a jump ball in the center circle.

Rodman won possession for the Bulls.

"Rookie, are you ready?" Jordan leaned over and greeted him warmly.

Xu Feng shrugged indifferently: "Of course I'm ready, old man."

Adhering to the principle that "I can provoke others, but others cannot provoke me," Jordan put on a serious face and threw himself into the game.

It was the Bulls' classic triangle offense again. After receiving the ball at a 45-degree angle, Jordan gave Xu Feng no chance to react and quickly changed direction to rush out.

Xu Feng was half a body length ahead of Jordan and quickly turned around to try to catch up.

Jordan pulled up for a jump shot, but missed with no one guarding him!

"Damn it!"

Missing a good opportunity is not a pleasant feeling, and Jordan was a little angry.

Vin Baker positioned himself well in advance and grabbed the ball before Rodman could rush in to contest the rebound.

The Bulls reacted quickly. They had studied the game beforehand and found that the Bucks were very good at capitalizing on opponents' mistakes and grabbing rebounds to launch fast breaks. The points they scored through these two methods accounted for a significant portion of the team's total points.

They quickly retreated on defense, preventing the Bucks from scoring easily.

The Bucks' desire for a numerical advantage turned into a positional battle.

Xu Feng pretended to run to the left at the top of the arc, then suddenly braked and ran to the right. At the same time, Andrew set a screen to block Jordan. Xu Feng received the ball and immediately shot a three-pointer. By the time Jordan got around, he could only see the basketball flying away.

Swish! A clean hit!

Jordan stared coldly at Xu Feng, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

I haven't even scored yet, and you dare to shoot a three-pointer right in front of me? Don't you want to work here anymore?

In the next possession, Jordan received the ball again and went one-on-one against Xu Feng. He deliberately didn't call for a screen, because he felt that calling for a screen when playing against a rookie would make him look cheap.

At a 45-degree angle, Jordan held the ball with both hands, faking a triple threat. He lowered his center of gravity, looked to the left, and swayed his body to the right. He bent his knees, raised his hand, and prepared to pull up for a jump shot with one hand, but then pulled back at the last moment, making it difficult for Xu Feng to anticipate his move.

Suddenly, with a side slide of his right leg, Jordan began to accelerate. Xu Feng guessed the direction correctly this time and attempted to block Jordan's breakthrough route with a side slide.

Without attempting any other moves, Jordan stood still and pulled up for a jump shot.

Bang! The basketball bounced off the front rim. Rodman grabbed the rebound and put it back in for a layup.

The emotions were there, but the feel for it wasn't.

Jordan clenched his fists slightly in front of him, pursed his lips, shook his head gently, turned and ran back to the backcourt, looking somewhat helpless.

Xu Feng's defense wasn't very good either, but he just couldn't seize the opportunity.

It wasn't just Jordan who was off his game; point guard Ron Harper was also ice-cold, going 0-for-3 at the start of the game.

The Bulls were experiencing an unusual scoring drought, and the atmosphere was somewhat subdued. Seeing this, Phil Jackson called a timeout.

"Listen, guys, don't get hung up on missing shots, we have plenty of other ways to score."

"Pippen, you'll replace Harper at point guard. Harper, focus on defense, bring the ball across half-court, and get the triangle offense going. For Michael, you can call a pick-and-roll; there's no need to force a one-on-one."

"I believe you can do it."

After the timeout, Glenn Robinson received the ball in the low post and faced Rodman directly.

As a small forward with a large build, he can withstand the defense of many power forwards with slightly weaker physical attributes.

When they got to the low post, Rodman was still the defender, so naturally, there were plenty of dirty tricks and attacks.

As soon as Robinson got into position, Rodman's forearm was already locked around his waist, and his toes were also caught on the outside of Robinson's heel as he attacked the strong side. As soon as Robinson turned around, Rodman's toes would trip him.

This guy is disgusting, like chewing gum!

Robinson frowned angrily, forced himself back, pushed Rodman's thighs aside, then elbowed himself to clear a path, took two steps and hit the backboard.

"Is that all you've got? You coward!" "That's enough for me, you piece of trash." The two started hurling insults at each other again.

For the Bucks, Robinson and Xu Feng each scored eight points, while center Vin Baker successfully boxed out Rodman on the boards. With their inside and outside attack, the Bucks caught the Bulls off guard in the first quarter.

Jordan had a dismal shooting percentage in the first quarter, making only one of five attempts and scoring just two points. Pippen, who switched to point guard, found an open look and made a three-pointer.

"What am I just seeing? Jordan's field goal percentage in the first quarter was only 20%! Am I seeing things? The god of basketball's power failed at Bradley Center!"

Jim Paschke looked at the data panel three times before he dared to believe his eyes.

At 16:25, the Bucks entered the second quarter with a 9-point lead.

Phil Jackson replaced the defensively weak Bill Wennington with Jason Caffey, a 203cm tall but 116kg blue-collar roughneck, to strengthen his positioning and rim protection under the basket.

He told Jordan, "Our tactics will still revolve around you, so focus on shooting and getting your touch back!"

Jordan said in a deep voice, "It's okay, I can also play around the system."

He was very dissatisfied with his performance.

On the Bucks' side, Chris arranged for three perimeter players to take turns guarding Jordan, preventing Xu Feng from guarding him one-on-one, hoping to wear down Jordan's stamina through a rotation strategy.

After returning in the second quarter, Jordan was forced to take three shots, and then he pulled up for a jumper over Sherman and made it.

After that shot, Jordan finally regained his touch, and the Bulls' system was completely revitalized.

No matter how many pick-and-rolls and passes you make before, it's all for nothing if the two backcourt players don't score.

With his shooting touch getting hotter, Jordan started taking unreasonable pull-up jumpers against Xu Feng, and with Rodman's screens, Jordan scored consecutively.

The Bulls sped up the pace, actively pressing and positioning themselves, which led to turnovers by all three Bucks forwards. Their dribbling and passing were intercepted, and the connection between the players was cut off, leaving the Bucks trapped in the Bulls' fast-break system, which they excel at.

In the second half of the second quarter, Phil Jackson replaced Ron Harper, who was already shooting 1-for-6, with Sixth Man of the Year Toni Kukoc. Kukoc partnered with Jordan to further strengthen the team's offense.

For the Bucks, Xu Feng hit three mid-range shots over Jordan, while Robinson continued to back down Rodman in the low post, and the two worked together to slow down the Bulls' comeback.

Jason Caffey's arrival in the paint had an immediate impact, helping Rodman grab 9 rebounds in a single quarter.

At halftime, the Bucks trailed 57-61, barely maintaining a 4-point lead.

Charlize Theron sat on the sidelines, her heart filled with worry; the intensity of the match far exceeded her expectations.

Moreover, who in the entire United States doesn't know the Chicago Bulls and Jordan's legendary reputation? Xu Feng also has to face him head-on.

"Xu Feng, keep it up! Show them what's what!"

She wanted the Bucks to win the game quickly, but then she thought about what would happen after the game and felt shy, wishing time would slow down so she could prepare herself mentally.

"I knew I shouldn't have worn such thin clothes, Milwaukee is so cold."