Chapter 294: I May Have to Change the Number
In today's game, the Lakers struggled to find an opportunity to turn the game around in the second half, and finally in the last three minutes of the third quarter and the first four minutes of the final quarter, they did it, and in one fell swoop, the Bulls' once 14-point lead was wiped out, so that the Bulls finally fell short and had to return to Chicago with a score of 0-2.
Phil Jackson and his team were unconvinced, at least on the surface. The Zen master knows very well that after losing, he must make some excuses for himself, so that the players think that it is not that they are not weak, but that there are too many objective factors to interfere with the team's defeat.
There are so many reasons to find this, such as the referee's decision, which is usually a place for the losing side to complain.
In the second game of tonight's finals, the referee blew the Bulls for a total of 28 fouls, 18 of which were in the first half, and the Lakers scored a total of 36 points in free throws, of which Zhang Yi alone scored 19 points through free throws, which was the second highest score of the game with 53 points.
However, the Zen master didn't mention that Jordan also made 12 free throws, and the owner scored 58 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists in the game, if it weren't for the lack of scoring in the final quarter, the helper would have scored 60+ feats in the playoffs today, although the same is not winning.
"We lost, but I'm more concerned about the number of free throws Lyon gets, how can he alone do the same as our whole team?" "That's ridiculous, like the kind of situation we had β the Lakers made 22:8 of the free throws in the first half, and how do you play?" β
At the same time, the Zen master believes that when the Lakers counterattacked in the second half, they would not be interrupted by the referee's whistle every time they were close to the score, so that the Bulls had to frequently use timeouts to stop the game, and this kind of loose blowing penalty obviously indirectly helped the Lakers catch up with the score.
Well, the referee will vomit blood in anger when he hears this, if it weren't for the loose penalty scale in the fourth quarter, the Bulls would have died of too many fouls, how could it be delayed until the end to decide the winner?
But none of this matters, the adversity side doesn't need to think too much, just find some excuses to give themselves hope.
This can be referred to the third brother, every time I think that it will take at least 40 years for Shanghai to catch up with Mumbai, and it seems that there is nothing without toilets.
The Lakers' side is naturally a different style, and the players are all jubilant after the game, and their self-confidence is unprecedentedly inflated.
These two words are not a derogatory term for the Lakers now, and no team in history has completed a 0-2 comeback in the 2-3-2 Finals schedule, and now the Lakers' championship is a huge advantage, if not nine out of ten.
So, if they are not happy at the moment, then when will they be happy?
Zhang Yu was happier than others, tonight he scored 53 points, another 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks, although the score is not as good as Jordan, but fortunately, the gang leader failed to get 60+, both of them are 50+, strictly speaking at the same level.
However, the Lakers have won!
This shows that he is already better than Jordan, isn't this worth rejoicing?
In this finals, Zhang Wei defeated Jordan completely for the first time in the head-to-head competition with Jordan, no longer like before, either he won the game but lost the data, or he won the data and lost the game.
At the post-match press conference, Zhang Fu swelled again, and he said in a high-profile manner: "If we end up winning the championship, I may change No. 14 to No. 24." β
When the reporters in the audience heard this, they immediately fell into a stupor.
Is this blatant provocation really good?
After Zhang Qi swelled as usual, he immediately made another wave, adding: "Wait, if I only won the championship once, I probably wouldn't do it, at least I have to win three consecutive championships, right?" β
Finally, a Los Angeles reporter swallowed and asked him, "That...... Why did you change your number? β
Zhang Wei said secretly in his heart: "Asking knowingly, of course, is to pretend to be forced!" However, this time he finally thought about it carefully before explaining: "Don't get me wrong, if I do this, I'm not targeting anyone. These words were obviously covering his ears and stealing the bell, but Da Shuaibi didn't care at all, and continued to lick Bilian and explained, "The meaning of the 24th is 24 hours, and I want to put all my energy into basketball, which is why I may choose the 24th." If I can't put my heart and soul into it, I'm not a koala baby. 24 is the best interpretation of me. β
"Fuck off!"
"You can't lie to ghosts!"
"I really don't want Bilian!"
"This excuse, completely speechless, you just have fun!"
ββ¦β¦β¦β¦β
The reporters couldn't complain at all, Zhang Zhu's explanation was perfunctory to the extent that it couldn't be included in the "Dragonborn Quotations", what else could everyone say.
However, there was one person in front of the TV who disagreed on this, and that was Comrade Kobe Bryant, who was watching the live broadcast after the game.
It must be mentioned here that the NBA used to not broadcast the post-game press conference, but now many TV stations will broadcast the Lakers' post-game press conference live, who calls there a koala baby who is constantly talking, so sometimes there will even be an embarrassing situation where the Lakers' post-game press conference is higher than their official game ratings.
Kobe Bryant watched the Lakers' post-game press conference at home, and when he heard Zhang Fu's unruly words, he felt the same way, and had an urge to change his No. 8 to No. 24!
Zhang Qian also continued to dominate the microphone on the TV, and every time the Lakers had a post-game press conference, it was difficult for other Lakers players to have a chance to speak, and they usually could only see Zhang Qi performing alone.
"Next, we're going to Chicago to play three games in a row, and while they all say that this schedule is worse for the Bulls, I don't think it's very friendly for us."
Zhang also mentioned the schedule problem, he believes that playing three consecutive road games will give the Bulls a long respite, once the Bulls take advantage of the home court advantage to win three in a row, then the Lakers will be in a passive position.
However, the Bulls clearly have more to say about the schedule.
After the Bulls lost their first game on the road, Phil Jackson was dissatisfied with the current NBA format for the finals.
In his opinion, there are many unscientific things about the 2-3-2 schedule, which is too stupid!
"In basketball, morale and focus are very important. But you know, playing three games in a row in one arena is a long time, and it's hard to keep the focus and morale going,"
The Zen master has a lot of complaints after the game, which is understandable, the loser does not want to lose, in addition to finding his own problems, complaining is the fastest way to vent, especially for people whose IQ is not too high, instead of looking for their own problems, it is better to find other people's problems.
What the Zen master is worried about now is the situation after the Bulls return to their home court, and focus and morale are secondary.
It's a fact that the Bulls are back at home with two losses, and can they guarantee a three-game winning streak in the upcoming three consecutive home games?
The Zen master felt that it was unlikely that the Bulls would win three games in a row, at least losing one would be an almost inevitable ending, and the sixth and seventh games would be played on the Lakers' home court, so could the Bulls win two games in a row?
This question is even more suspenseful, and the answer is necessarily no.
The Bulls' embarrassment now is that it is difficult for them to win two games in a row at home, and even harder to win two games in a row on the road, and the hope of winning the championship is really slim.
This is where the Bulls are unhappy with the 2-3-2 schedule, and even according to the best plan for the Bulls to win two home games, they are still in an extremely disadvantageous situation.
Looking back at history, since the NBA changed the Finals format to 2-3-2 in the 1984-85 season, no team has won three games in a row on home soil, so people feel that the Lakers are about to win the championship after 2:0.
In fact, not to mention that the Zen master is dissatisfied with this format, even Harris is not satisfied.
He and Zhang have similar ideas, they both think that the team played a season just to be able to play the fifth and seventh games at home.
The key to the Lakers' success in the playoffs is that they have won every game at home. But this time, their fifth game will be held in Chicago, which is the only thing the Lakers are worried about.
Of course, Harris admits that the current format is indeed more detrimental to teams that lack home-field advantage. Although the Bulls have a lot of experience, it is difficult for the Lakers to lose three consecutive games on the road.
The next day, the front page headlines of various media were almost all the news that "the Lakers lead the Bulls 2-0", and public opinion was almost one-sided in favor of the Lakers. Fans also believe that the change of dynasty is unstoppable, and a new dynasty, a new ruler, is about to be born...... Jordan and the Bulls dynasty are just like Zhang said before, they are about to be destroyed......
USA Today reported on the second day β
In Game 2 of the Finals, the Bulls were able to be overturned by the Lakers in a good situation with a 14-point lead in the third quarter, which seemed to confirm the pre-game prediction that experience advantage would have little effect in the face of too large a power gap.
The Bulls had a good chance of winning Game 2, but the black seven minutes in the third and fourth quarters ultimately cost them a lot. Those seven minutes were the turning point of the game, as the Lakers could continue to maintain a high-intensity offense and defense in the fourth quarter, while the Bulls struggled to maintain a high level of play throughout the game.
Now that the first two games were lost to the Lakers, the Bulls have fallen into a dead end at the moment, and the morale and state of the players have fallen to the lowest point, and I am afraid that it will be difficult to make a difference when returning to the home court.
At this time, it seems that the Bulls are not as strong as they imagined, but the Lakers are even stronger than they imagined.
Now let's see if the Bulls, who are back at home, can use the last chance of life to pull off a miracle.
The report of "Dragonborn Sports" is not only declining, they have no neutrality at all, who let this be the behind-the-scenes force of the prince, how can there be no tendencies.
Since it is its own media, it is natural to get a lot of inside information and exclusive interviews, which is the biggest selling point of "Dragonborn Sports". Only here, you can often see Zhang Mao's interviews, and even some photos that make female fans drool.
"Dragonborn Sports" even revealed that if the Lakers can win the championship this year, then the only photo of Zhang Yu wearing only underwear will be on the cover of the magazine, although someone's real purpose is just to show off his 28.
Reports from your own media β
The Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls have played two Finals matchups, and the Lakers have taken the lead in the best-of-seven series by virtue of their home-court advantage.
Before the Finals began, many fans thought the Lakers would win Game 7. More conspiracy theorists believe that the league will not have fewer than six finals. But for now, it seems that we can't say that this series is coming to an end. But so far, the Lakers have clearly performed better, and the Bulls' performance is about to disappoint many fans.
Yesterday, both sides mentioned the issue of the 2-3-2 format, which is a dead order for teams in the lower standings.
After losing Game 1 and Game 2 in Los Angeles, the Bulls must now win three games at home to have a chance of a comeback.
That said, if the Bulls miss a small margin at home, who would believe they could return to Los Angeles with a 2-3 score and win their remaining two games?
It's very difficult for any team to win three games in a row, and now we are very confident that the Lakers can win at least one game in Chicago. So, losing two games away from home definitely means more than a simple numerical scoreline.
In a 2-2-1-1-1 format, it's not that bad to be 2-0 down. We've seen many times when teams that are 2-0 down come back home and win their next two games, turning a best-of-seven series into a best-of-three series.
But since the 1984 finals were played in a 2-3-2 format, no team has won those three games.
Back in the second game, the Lakers' amazing comeback in the second half was mainly due to the Bulls' inability to follow. This is a complete reversal of the Bulls' role with the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, and they are now the side that was overturned in the final quarter.
We can't blame Jordan and Pippen here, they both played above their averages, but the rest didn't get their own averages. So, it's like we're watching the Eastern Conference Finals, where the Bulls can only rely on two people on the offensive end, but they're up against one of the most explosive players of all time, and a team with superior overall offensive power.
Yes, we can say that Lyon is the most explosive player of all time, and while everyone respects Michael and identifies with his place in history, we would like to say that although Michael has performed very well in his career and will definitely enter the top 10 of the Hall of Fame in the future, it is probably a clear thing to ask who is better than him or Lyon.
So far, the Lakers can be said to have beaten the Bulls, and Lyon is even more inexplicable.
The Lakers' ferocious style of play made the Bulls a little overwhelmed, the Chicagoans' interior lineup was obviously a little soft, and Lyon's impact made the Bulls helpless, and the Lakers took advantage of these advantages to completely crush the Bulls.
Although Jordan and Pippen were also aggressive in the early stages of the game, as the game progressed, they retreated step by step, and finally were completely dominated by the Lakers.
And everyone knows that a team that loses its interior line, a team that can't limit the core of the opposition, is almost impossible to win, so even if the Bulls return to their home court, what will they do in response?
Of course, not everyone thinks of the Bulls that way, at least the local Chicago media is still stubborn.
The Chicago Tribune reportedββ
The Lakers took a 2-0 lead at home, which was a huge advantage for the Los Angeles.
But don't forget, from start to finish, Michael has puzzled Angelenos.
In other words, they may not be able to do much well in the upcoming three games, at least when facing Michael, the Lakers still have no choice.
We're willing to bet that Michael's presence won't leave Chicago prematurely from the Finals, at least not in the six games that the Los Angeles people say.
Unlike the vast majority of players in the league, Michael can go to any city he likes; In the same way, he can score any point anywhere, at any time. Playing under pressure, turning the tables in adversity, no one in the league can beat him, and that's something that koala will continue to learn.
In a word, the future may be his, but not yet......