Bulldozer of the NBA’s Restricted Area

In the second quarter, neither side made any substitutions.

Although Bulls center Carter White did not play a big role in the interior, there was nothing Phil Jackson could do.

The only available substitute center, Stacey King, is not as good as the former in terms of height, experience, and tonnage in confrontation, and anyway, it is all the same for everyone, so substitution seems unnecessary.

As for other positions, it doesn't matter if you don't feel good, because in the second quarter the Bulls have already determined the layout of attacking the inside within the framework of the triangle offensive system.

…

The Bulls attack in the first round.

After Armstrong gave the ball to Jordan, in the right corner, he shot more if he had the touch, but if he didn't, he would shoot inside. And Jordan was the focus of the Jazz's blockade, so when he just received the ball and was about to launch an attack, Crotty Team up with nearby Tai Lung to double-team.

Let Jordan play in singles?

This is equivalent to giving a chance!

But because the game had just entered the second quarter, the rhythm was not too tight, and Jordan was happy to give the ball to his teammates, so he threw it to Pippen on the left.

Although Tyrone turned back to confront him immediately, Pippen rushed into the paint and shouted: "Lee, I'm here!"

Come on, come on!

Just bring gifts and hats and you'll be out of sight!

Li Shengli didn't care about Cartwright at all and flew out, but Batman's dick was pressed down in the air. Although it was not overturned, the ball was picked up by Cartwright on the side and sent into the basket, but from Pippen's personal From a perspective... it's embarrassing, very embarrassing.

"I told you not to come in and just shoot the ball outside!"

"Shit, it's just a hat, don't be too proud of yourself."

…

Pippen seemed very angry after being humiliated. In the next few rounds, Jordan gave him the ball several times to show him what a head-butt was.

The second time he hit the inside, he beat Li Shengli hard. Although his shot was not blocked, his emergency jump shot hit the board without touching the basket. Fortunately, it was not a more embarrassing three-pointer.

As for the third time, with lessons learned from the past, after pulling out Li Shengli, Pippen passed the ball to Cartwright who was cutting to the basket, but Li Shengli turned back and nailed Cartwright's layup directly to the backboard.

Can't get in?

Pippen was a little anxious and had a bad shooting touch. When attacking the inside, Cartwright could only help him in a limited way, and... this was the finals. If he continued to be willful and lost in the first game, who would pay?

Jordan was also a little overwhelmed.

In the previous rounds of the playoffs, Pippen performed very well, but this time he was in a state of confusion, so Jordan took the initiative to ask for the ball to attack, and cooperated with Grant in the pick-and-roll, and he had perfect control of the scale of shooting, breakthrough, and distribution. .

However, the Bulls have a big problem.

No matter how good Jordan is, he is only one person and cannot guarantee 100% hits. However, the rebounds generated by the missed hits are basically pried over by Li Shengli and Malone. Pippen, Grant, and Cartwright can't do anything together. .

…

By the end of the second quarter, the Bulls were already 10 points behind.

Again, without touch, no matter how magical the tactics are, there is no way to put out the fire. In order to save the fallen inside line, Stacey King entered the battlefield in the second half of the second quarter, but the rebound thing is still Not rescued.

As a result, most of the Bulls' offensive rounds only took one shot. On the Jazz's side, Li Shengli provided unlimited rebounds, Stockton organized, and Malone's offense was very hot. The division of labor was clear and the efficiency was amazing.

The tone of the first half was set.

In the third quarter, the Bulls were still overwhelmed, and Phil Jackson's face was cold on the sidelines. The more he looked at Li Shengli, the more he wanted to hit him.

The triangle offense is indeed useful, and there is no doubt about Jordan's personal strength, but Phil Jackson knows that his weakness is in the paint.

Let's not talk about inside offense and defense, let's just talk about rebounds.

Looking at all the Bulls' games this season, they rarely lead their opponents by a large margin in terms of rebounding data. Although the Bulls led by Jordan can occasionally try to stabilize the situation even if the rebounding data is greatly inferior, Phil Jackson knows... ...If the Bulls can improve their rebounding data to a higher level, the strength of the entire team will also be upgraded accordingly.

The Bulls really have no shortage of offense. With rebounding protection, it provides the stable Jordan with a lot of shooting opportunities and beats the entire league. It's really no joke who will beat who.

In view of this, Phil Jackson is already considering proposing to the team management to strengthen the inside line.

He didn't think much about a player with super potential like Li Shengli. After all, everyone knew that the Jazz would never let him go. The only chance was the chase after his rookie contract ended, and more importantly... those who coveted Li Shengli It's not just Phil Jackson.

However, it is still too early to consider such a thing. He urgently needs to add a rebounder to the team next season!

Who would be the most suitable candidate?

Phil Jackson's first reaction was, of course, Dennis Rodman, a bigot and rebounding nerd currently playing for the Pistons.

His rebounding ability does not need to be proven. He topped the rebounding list last season with an average of 18.7 rebounds per game. He is really a genius in the rebounding world. He was also the DPOY in the 90-91 season. Although he does not have much offensive ability, he is the most suitable. Bulls pick.

Of course, it is incomparable with Li Shengli, a cheap, easy-to-use, and durable rookie.

Li Shengli's current annual salary is 2.4 million, while Rodman's is 2.35 million. But everyone knows that Li Shengli is a far better inside player than Rodman. Not only does he rebound and protect the basket, but he also has the offensiveness that Rodman lacks.

But what is unavoidable is...by the time Li Shengli finishes his rookie contract, he will be worth far more than this price.

Phil Jackson has made up his mind to equip Jordan with a qualified inside rebounder. Obviously, future super center Li Shengli is unlikely.

What is the price of a super center?

This season, the Spurs' Admiral David Robinson signed a new contract with an annual salary of 5.72 million, while Olajuwon and Ewing, two super centers whose contracts have not yet been completed, earn 3.17 million and 3.3 million respectively.

As for Li Shengli, who wants to make more concessions, it depends on who has such a big appetite. Anyway, the bull cannot eat it.

…

Before Phil Jackson could think about it, just by seeing Jerry Sloan smiling on the other side, he knew that the situation in this game was difficult to reverse.

In the third quarter of the second half, the Jazz made some rotations. Li Shengli took a rare rest and was replaced by Mike Brown for a while, but the Bulls still failed to recover the point difference and remained 10 points behind.

10 points is not a fatal margin.

However, except for Jordan, the cold touch of the Bulls was fatal. Coupled with the suppression of rebounds, Malone blasted Grant's head again. Towards the end of the fourth quarter... the point difference did not decrease but increased, making this game Ending at 99:86, the Bulls fell behind by 13 points in the first game and lost.

Jordan took 30 shots and made 17 of them. In addition, he made 8 of 8 free throws and scored 42 points.

Pippen took 8 shots, made 3 of them, made 3 of 4 free throws, and scored 9 points and 5 rebounds.

On the contrary, Grant scored 18 points and 6 rebounds on Malone's side.

As for the Jazz.

Li Shengli had 14 points, 23 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 blocks. This triple-double was not as eye-catching as before, but Malone knew why... because Li Shengli gave him a big gift.

Li Shengli, who originally crushed the Bulls inside, found it too easy to put up statistics, whether it was points or rebounds, but this time he gave up the shot to Malone, and also gave up many rebounds that he was sure to win.

Don't let the wealth go to outsiders. If you want to enjoy it, let Ma Long enjoy it to the end.

In fact... Malone was extremely happy. His huge double-double of 45 points and 20 rebounds not only surpassed Jordan in scoring, but also combined with Li Shengli to get 43 rebounds, which surpassed the Bulls' entire team's rebounding data.

However, Stockton was a little annoyed by the triangle offensive system, but he still had 10 assists and 14 points, achieving a double-double.

This is Li Shengli's first trip to the finals. Although Stockton and Malone are also in it, the meaning is very different.

After all, it took eight full seasons for the two of them to stand on the stage of the finals for the first time... The two of them were extremely excited. Not only did they win the first battle, but they also performed very well.

Comfortable!

The two of them felt an unprecedented sense of comfort, especially Ma Long... He wanted to grab Li Shengli and kiss him twice. Not that he was gay, but he couldn't find any other way to express his ecstasy.