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Pippen wanted to pay back a three-pointer, and suddenly made a jumper against Houston in the middle. He avoided the block and the ball bounced out of the frame.

This offense was too simple. Jackson knew that he couldn't do without a three-pointer against the Knicks. Since no one in the starting lineup was good at shooting, he could only let Pippen do the job.

Ben Wallace grabs the rebound and throws it to Houston, who makes a straight pass to Atkins.

Atkins made a fast break with the ball and successfully changed direction while running. Hubble fouled someone in front of the three-point line.

Zhang Lili shouted: "It's Atkins again. He is only 180cm tall and very flexible. Hubble can't stand it anymore."

Just over two minutes into the game, Phil Jackson made a substitution and Stephen Cole replaced Harper.

"Zen Master" knew that he had to adjust, otherwise he would be unlucky in the first quarter. Atkins was the type of player Harbaugh feared most-a short and fast pick-and-roll guard!

Harper has not been selected to the All-Defensive Team, but his defensive ability has always been praised by people. As a point guard, he is good at defending against pick-and-rolls. His height of 198cm makes him fearless of misplacement.

Yang Rui studied Harper seriously, and his defensive style is like the future Jason Kidd, able to defend against small forwards and even power forwards.

During the Mavericks period, Kidd was very effective against Kobe and James, but let him deal with the much less famous Ty Lawson, Lowry, and Nate Robinson.

The reason is simple, he is too slow.

Hubble's speed is not as fast as that of Kidd in the Mavericks period. He suffered serious injuries when he was young, which led to a decrease in lateral movement speed. Once the opponent quickly changes direction, the wingspan can only be used to draw fouls.

On the offensive end, Hubble is also useless, and he can't open up space, unless he singles out Atkins in the low post. Of course, the Knicks will not give him such an opportunity. Ben Wallace always shrinks near the penalty area and is ready to help defend at any time.

Cole's defense against Atkins was better. Atkins gave the ball to Houston. The latter caught the ball and made a jump shot. Jordan, who was being chased, almost blocked the ball.

"Zen Master" felt lucky on the sidelines. If Ewing was there, Houston would not have only one choice of shooting, and Jordan would not be able to resolutely pursue and defend. Ewing plays pick-and-roll with Atkins in the middle, and he can attack in a misplaced position after receiving the ball, or support the ball with the ball.

Bulls players also know that if Ewing is not injured, they will definitely not be able to beat the Knicks. Now with Cole, they stabilized the situation.

Jordan singled out Mills, turned around and hit a fadeaway jumper, 8-6.

Cole played, the bottom line couldn't double-team Jordan, Pippen couldn't let go on the side, and the triangle offense began to show off.

However, the Bulls still have weaknesses on the court. One is Longley’s speed, and the Bulls can’t defend against him; the other is that Johnson can directly hit the basket with the ball. The opponent is a circle thinner than himself, 208cm tall and 87kg in weight Kukoc.

Johnson averaged 17.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in this playoffs, shooting 50% from the field.

Even if Kukoc guards Johnson, Big Ben can still grab offensive rebounds.

The tactics arranged by Yang Rui are very simple, run, bomb and fast break, everyone has to run, including Ben Wallace. In terms of speed, Langley was far behind Daben.

In the second half, "Zen Master" replaced Longley and sent Scott Burrell, who is 201cm tall, to play small ball tactics. Van Gundy also replaced Atkins and Mills with Starks and Bowen.

Mills can only interfere as much as he can to defend against Jordan alone, and fouls if he is passed by. After two fouls, Bowen goes up and fights.

The Knicks' offensive efficiency was mediocre in the first quarter, leading by one point 24 to 23.

In the second quarter, Charles and Ward formed a double guard, Starks was a small forward, and Oakley and Stephen Jackson were on the inside, continuing to counterattack tactics.

Regardless of whether a goal is scored or not, a few people counterattacked on the spot, and the audience pressed hard. Two point guards who are good at defense play together,

The defense is better.

The Knicks made a surprise move and caught the Bulls by surprise. Hubble didn't play much in the first quarter. At this time, he came on the court with a substitute, but it was difficult for him to dribble past halftime.

The positional battle is very suitable for Jackson to defend against Kukoc. He kept interfering in front of him. Kukoc couldn't get rid of it, so he turned around and missed twice.

Pippen singled out Starks with a substitute and also couldn't break through. When the official timeout came, the Knicks led 34 to 27.

Jordan quickly returned to the court, relying on his personal ability to lead the Bulls to catch up with the score.

In the third quarter, the two sides put up iron barrels, and the offensive efficiency dropped.

The Knicks players collectively couldn't find the crosshairs and only scored 15 points in a single quarter. Their tenacious defense allowed the Bulls to only score 19 points, and the score still couldn't be opened.

In the final quarter, the two sides must compete for every ball, and the defensive actions are getting bigger and bigger, full of gunpowder. Van Gundy kept discussing with Yang Rui on the sidelines, changing players and adjusting tactics at any time. The Knicks used the full-court press as a killer, and Jordan was also very uncomfortable to defend.

Van Gundy was shaking with excitement off the court, staring at the court for fear of missing every detail.

He was extremely grateful to Yang Rui in his heart. If Yang Rui hadn't kept arguing with him during the regular season, repeatedly proposing to reuse and train new players, the Knicks would definitely be dead now.

For about a quarter, the Knicks started against the Bulls with rookies relying on full-court press tactics. If they are not allowed to play in the regular season to gain experience, it is impossible to have such an outstanding performance in the playoffs.

The skills of the rookies are not as good as the veteran Bulls, but their hard work is not lost to anyone. Once they die, the burst of energy cannot be underestimated.

What surprised the "Zen Master" and the Bulls fans the most was Ben Wallace. In the second half, facing the "shark hacking tactic", Wallace made 8 of 13 shots with the funny posture of holding the urinal. In one round, he attacked the basket for the second time. The shot hit 2+1.

The 61.5% free throw percentage is low for many people, and it is already a super long performance for Daben.

It wasn't that he grasped the tricks and completely calmed down his mind, but that he was in a good state and hit shit luck. Because Big Ben's performance exceeded expectations, Van Gundy increased his playing time, and the inside line relied on three-man rotations to deal with the Bulls.

Jordan, who played more than 40 minutes in the series, felt fatigued. In the second half, he hit the iron again and again. In the last two minutes, the two sides tied at 82. The ball was in the hands of the Bulls. "Zen Master" requested a timeout.

Zhang rationally commented: "The Knicks' lineup today is not as good as the Bulls. There is only one star in Houston. They are obviously at a disadvantage in the matchup with Jordan, but the Knicks kept the suspense of the victory until the end with their hard work. This game is really exciting. .”

Sun Zhengping said: "The Knicks double-teamed Jordan very successfully, and Pippen felt bad. If Ewing could play today, the Bulls might have surrendered their guns."

Zhang Lili smiled and said: "The score was stalemate at the last moment. I think the Bulls have an advantage over the Knicks. Jordan often staged wonderful lore shots. He is used to big scenes. The Knicks players must be inferior in singles."

The Bulls played small ball tactics, Burrell and Kukoc partnered inside, and in addition to the two cores on the outside, Cole was also deployed to increase the shooting points to open up the situation.

Wennington was completely abandoned, coupled with Rodman's suspension, the Bulls had only eight rotations today, of which power forward Dick Simpkins played only 5 minutes.

"Zen Master" Jackson arranged a triangle offense to help Jordan create single-handed opportunities, attract double-teams and then divide the ball. At the moment of deciding the outcome, he put all his treasures on the star, and everything depends on the individual ability of the star.