CHAPTER 1289: CHAPTER 521: JORDAN’S UNBELIEVABLE ’CONSISTENCY’ (2)

The role player’s catch-and-shoot, ultimately, serves to create better offensive conditions for the stars.

In a Game 7 battle, Jordan was already in his killer mode; Zhang Yang, over here, was incredibly excited to face off against Jordan at his prime.

Jordan’s one-on-one plays were fierce; even if you stick to him in the mid-range, it doesn’t help. If the double-team comes late, he muscles through with his physical fitness to shoot; if it comes fast, he can pass the ball, and even if the passing lanes are cut off, he can still drive hard to the basket. Even against the best defensive duo of Zhang Yang and Ewing, he can still make the shot.

Zhang Yang’s one-on-one play doesn’t rely on the explosiveness and jumping height like Jordan to break free from tight defense while maintaining force stability. However, his play is versatile, flexible, with superior technique and basic skills, almost the best on the court. His speed is second only to substitute Greg-Anthony, and in terms of shooting range, he is unmatched!

Mid-first quarter, Jordan succeeded in two consecutive one-on-one plays: Pippen caught the ball and made a layup, then inside passed to Carterright for a dunk, giving the Bulls a 4 to 0 run, with an 18 to 16 lead.

In return, Zhang Yang took the pass one step inside the arc on the right, backed down Jordan, turned, stepped back, and hit a three over Jordan’s block to lead the Bulls by two, 19 to 18, going into an official timeout.

The commentators were exclaiming continuously during the official timeout.

The Knicks’ defense in the regular season ranked ninth among the league’s 27 teams and broke into the top five among 16 playoff teams, but it was like paper mache in front of the Bulls;

However, despite the Bulls leading both the regular season and playoffs in defense, it seemed nullified in front of the Knicks!

Both teams’ team offenses were highly praised, while the performance of the star players sparked intense debate.

Jordan withstood the pressure of facing the ’strongest home team in history’ away, and almost single-handedly broke down the opponent’s defense, driving the team’s offense, seen by many commentators as the ’best in the league’.

But some felt Zhang Yang was stronger, his playstyle being more difficult to guard, and his technique seemed more like that of a ’regular player’. Replicating Jordan’s playstyle seems impossible, but Zhang Yang’s style could be tried by anyone on a pickup court, and maybe they could even learn something.

Columbia Television Network commentator Hubie Brown discovered something: "I don’t know if anyone else noticed, Saint Jack is different from the others, you don’t see pressure or tension on his face, only excitement. I think it’s more than confidence; I feel he is enjoying the game that decides the chance for a three-peat, it’s just insane..."

After the official timeout, both teams entered the rotation stage.

Zen Master’s rotation style has always been conservative, with only 10 players recorded so far this East Final, and only 7 with steady playing time. The 8th in playing time averages only 9 minutes, named Craig Hodges, a fairly famous player not due to his strength but because he just replicated Big Bird’s achievement by winning the three-point contest for three straight years. However, his three-point shooting is indeed accurate, shooting 20 for 9 in the first 6 games... but all his points in 6 games come from these 9 threes, averaging 4.5 points per game.

Zen Master switched two players this time, using Hodges instead of John-Parkinson, and Scott-Williams instead of Carterright, with Jordan, Pippen, and Horace Grant continuing to play.

The purpose of these substitutions was obvious: Hodges and John-Parkinson had similar offensive roles, staying in position to catch and shoot, spreading the floor;

Scott-Williams was an undrafted rookie in 1990. Before the East Final, he wasn’t the Bulls’ main bench inside player, as the 1988 lottery pick Will Perdue was Carterright’s number one backup.

But after Game 1 of the East Final, Perdue was basically abandoned. Although he fits the size of a standard 213 cm center and is strong at guarding the basket during set plays, he can’t keep up with the fast-paced Anthony-Mason. Scott-Williams, despite having rudimentary skills and poor awareness, has excellent physical fitness, making him entrusted with a critical role by Zen Master at this moment.

Big Bird’s rotation is much more aggressive, leaving only Zhang Yang on the court while replacing the other four with Greg-Anthony, Starks, Gerald-Wilkins, and Little Anthony-Mason!

After the official timeout, both teams started a counterattack battle, seizing opportunities to attack, forcing themselves to speed up without chances to create offensive and defensive transitions.

This playstyle was first employed by the Bulls in the previous season, with Zen Master relying on the combination of Jordan and Pippen, the best athletic duo on the wings in the NBA.

However, during the 90-91 season, Pippen wasn’t even considered ’half a star’, so although the regular season rotation with this playstyle went reasonably well, it failed in the playoffs. After a year of development, the Bulls’ playstyle became fully shaped this season. Whether during the regular season or in the first two rounds of the playoffs, Pippen took a step back, with Jordan supporting, pushing the opponent hard during the rotation phase.

But in the East Final, Zen Master’s tactic failed to gain an advantage... Before the Bulls’ playstyle fully took form, Big Bird predicted its success and prepared in advance!

As Zhang Yang ’maliciously speculated’, Big Bird signed Greg-Anthony and Little Anthony-Mason, specifically targeting Jordan.