CHAPTER 1293: CHAPTER 523.3: DUEL OF THE MVPS

The two of them are trading shots like crazy, players on both sides are defending with all their might, but the court feels like a backyard to them, as if no one else is there, scoring recklessly.

This is why Pippen and Ewing have long lost the desire to compete with the team’s boss.

Even those considered superstars can frequently feel as if they’re playing a different kind of basketball compared to these two guys.

Just like now, these two rely on personal ability, achieving higher scoring efficiency than they could imagine even with the best offensive plays of their team! And that’s just their imagination; the actual performance is another matter.

On the Zhang Yang and Jordan side, as they play, they both enter a "disregard for anything external" state, throwing aside anything like five championships surpassing Magic Bird, or the eight-year itch... Their goal is the same — by any means necessary, put the ball in the basket, defeat the opponent!

After both surpassed 40+ points at the start, they quickly approached 50 points.

But getting closer to 50 points isn’t Jordan, who scored 41 points after his first shot in the final quarter, but Zhang Yang!

Jordan still plays the all-around style, with scoring as his priority, but when he’s tightly double-teamed and teammates have good opportunities, he doesn’t hesitate to pass. One method he uses to put the ball in the basket is creating easy shooting opportunities for teammates by leveraging his own threat.

Zhang Yang isn’t exactly selfish either; he actively searches for shooting opportunities. He doesn’t get angry if Mark Jackson or Ewing doesn’t pass to him, instead actively pulling to create good shooting chances for teammates, but when passed to him, he throws!

Oakley and Ewing’s rebound advantage is so significant that it forces Jordan to become the team rebound king with an average of 8+ rebounds per game. He chooses to trust his teammates... with offensive rebounds!

Midway through the final quarter, Jordan delivers two assists over three possessions and makes a basket himself on the other, turning the 111 to 112 one-point deficit to a 117 to 114 three-point lead, forcing Big Bird to call a timeout.

After the official timeout, the Chicago Bulls prepare to extend their advantage, but Zhang Yang directly receives the ball at the top arc, facing Jordan, hits a fadeaway three-pointer, and ties the score again!

Zhang Yang’s personal score reaches 51 points, from trailing Jordan by 5 points after three quarters to now leading Jordan, who has 46 points, by 5!

Turning around, Jordan fiercely attacks, driving straight to the basket for a layup.

As it’s the Knicks Team’s turn on offense, Mark Jackson fakes a pass, tricks John-Parkinson into double-teaming Zhang Yang, and when John-Parkinson shifts two steps over without seeing the ball, he quickly recovers, but Mark Jackson has already reached the free-throw line, steadily halts, releases a mid-range shot... and scores!

On the Chicago Bulls’ offensive, Jordan once again scores, unexpectedly launching a running floater in close range.

In the transition, Zhang Yang pulls to the side to rest while Mark Jackson seats John-Parkinson from the three-point line, boldly pushing from the three-point line to the free-throw line, turning around for a jump shot and scoring.

Yet again, how many times has it happened tonight... Jordan bites his jersey and takes a deep breath of sweat as he runs to the frontcourt.

With those two baskets previously made, his score also reaches 50+, along with 9 rebounds and 11 assists, just a step away from the historic first 50+ triple-double in playoffs, but despite how impressive the stats are, they don’t change the current situation.

Zhang Yang’s three-pointer stifled the Chicago Bulls’ attempt to build momentum after the official timeout, aided by Mark Jackson’s big frame pushing hard, bringing the game back into a tug-of-war!

Six threes have been made, if Jordan remembers correctly, it’s the second-highest in playoff history. Only last year’s first-round Pacers’ 130 to 118 victory over the Celtics saw Chuck Person’s seven threes in a single game surpass this.

People always say his mid-range and layups are unreasonable, but he feels that players like Zhang Yang are truly unreasonable. Not even Pearson, nor Reggie Miller and Big Bird, use three-pointers merely as a means to create space, while Zhang Yang’s threes are a super weapon capable of killing the game!

Jordan strives to calm down, re-entering that focused state from earlier in the half.

The closer the critical moment, the more composed one must be; it’s now a matter of who can endure longer! He knows Zhang Yang is waiting for him to make the first mistake!

His gameplay involves passing and tighter connections with teammates, which is his advantage; that difference-making 6 to 2 score is the best proof. However, he doesn’t deny the advantages of Zhang Yang’s style, which is less prone to mistakes.

Both teams, led by their MVPs, continue trading attacks, scoring alternately increasing but neither can establish a significant advantage.

Jordan smoothly grabs his 10th rebound, marking the birth of the first playoff 50+ triple-double in history, but the Knicks Team proceeds with defense and focusing on grabbing rebounds without excessively targeting Jordan for offensive rebounds to avoid Pippen seizing the chance for a counterattack.

Similarly, the Chicago Bulls haven’t tightened their double-teaming on Zhang Yang, who is swiftly approaching 60+ points. They’ve done their utmost, but further intensification means they can’t maintain basic defense, especially with Ewing, who averaged 26 points in the East Final’s first six games, already steadily claiming 20 points tonight.

For both teams, no matter how crazily the opposing star performs, it doesn’t matter, as long as they win the final victory!

The long-desired championship, the third true dynasty in NBA history!