David Stern smiled and said, "Tonight's game was a great one, and I'm very happy with the way you played. ”

Then he glanced at the two of them and said to Zhou Quan: "Zhou, you once told the media that you are willing to reconcile with Michael, is that so?" ”

Zhou Quan said with a smile: "Mr. Stern, I said so, I have publicly expressed goodwill to Mr. Michael Jordan, but unfortunately he does not seem to have any intention of resolving our conflict. ”

"Humph!"

Jordan snorted angrily, beat me in public, and almost ruined me, is that your kindness? But Stern was in front of him, and it was not good to have a seizure.

"Very good attitude." Stern approvingly.

Zhou Quan continued: "There is a proverb in China that it is better to settle a dispute than to settle it, which means that if there is a contradiction, it is only appropriate to resolve it, not to aggravate and deepen the contradiction. ”

"Very good, this is a philosophical and wise attitude towards life. If all of us do the same, there will be true peace in the world. ”

Stern praised again, then looked at Jordan and said, "Michael, what about you?" ”

Jordan was speechless, are you forcing me to reconcile with this bastard? Then you might as well persuade me to retire, I'd rather retire than reconcile with him.

Stern saw Jordan's reluctance and persuaded, "Michael, don't you really think about it?" ”

Jordan turned around and stared at Zhou Quan, then looked at Stern and said: "Mr. Stern, I will not have off-court conflicts with him, and try to avoid conflicts on the court, I can guarantee this, but my relationship with him can only be mortal enemies, this cannot be changed, even if I retire, I can't change this fact, and I don't want to change it." ”

Zhou Quan smiled and said: "We also have a proverb in China, fighting with others, the fun is endless, there is an irresolvable mortal enemy, which will make me want to become stronger even more." ”

"Humph!"

Jordan stared at Zhou Quan again, and complained in his heart, there are so many proverbs in your country, or the opposite meaning.

Stern is sorry, but that's about it.

As long as things like the Battle of Auburn Hills don't happen again, and there are no violence on and off the field, as an opponent, the relationship is almost nothing, but it can add some topicality.

However, Michael Jordan is indeed not as atmospheric as Zhou Quan.

On the TNT commentary bench, Robert Giddah said at the end of the game: "Iron Fist played 42 minutes, shooting 5 of 12, shooting 41.7%, 6 of 6 free throws, and got 16 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 steals, 6 turnovers and 3 fouls.

Jordan didn't defend him in the last game, but this one limited his offense well, and more importantly, limited his ball-holding breakthrough, Michael Jordan played a really top offensive and defensive game in the fourth quarter, and he really deserved to be the first person in the active team.

The current Iron Fist, whether it is physical fitness, ball skills, game experience, control of the game, or the ability to change on the spot, self-adjustment ability, is very far away from Jordan.

Of course, his assist performance was still excellent, but only in the first three quarters, and in the fourth quarter, Jordan disrupted his rhythm on the defensive end, and it should be said that there was no performance. ”

Ringer Wilson said excitedly: "Michael played 46 minutes, has made 17 of 32 shots, shooting 53.1%, 9 of 10 free throws, 13 points in the final quarter, and 43 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals, 4 turnovers and 3 fouls.

His performance in the Eastern Conference finals, facing the Pistons, which has the strongest defense in the league, is stronger than the first-round series with an average of 45 points per game, and he has averaged 44.7 points per game in the current three Eastern Conference finals, and this playoff game is too explosive! ”

Robert Giddah could only express his admiration and said with a smile: "In such a state, Michael Jordan has shown an invincible posture and is indeed powerful." ”

On the sidelines, Zhou Quan chatted with Catherine for a few words, and then said goodbye to the fans with his teammates.

At this time, Jordan was being interviewed live by TNT TV.

"Michael, what does winning G3 at Auburn Hills Palace mean for this series?" The journalist asked.

"It means we're on the right path, we've found a way to deal with them, and we're starting to officially challenge for a second championship," Jordan enthused. ”

"You have a lot of faith?"

"Of course, the Pistons are just a small obstacle in front of us, and we're sure we can get past it and reach our final goal."

"Today you not only limited Iron Fist's offense, but also limited his passing in the final quarter, and even forced him to surrender the ball at one point and become a spectator on the court, thus winning this game, so do you think it will be the next game?"

"Of course, I'm sure he can't make changes in a short period of time, I'm quicker and more flexible than him, and when I find and catch his weaknesses, he can't escape the palm of my hand." Jordan said confidently.

"Why, Mr. Stern called you together at the end?"

"It was a very ordinary conversation, and he wanted us to reconcile, but I refused."

"Why?"

"Why do we need to reconcile? We're not teammates, we're mortal enemies, we don't have to reconcile, not at all, and I never look forward to being friends with everybody in the world. ”

An hour later, the Pistons' postgame press conference began.

"Iron Fist, what do you think of your performance in the last quarter?"

"It's bad."

"What improvements are you going to make?"

"I don't have a clue yet."

"Do you still have faith in the series?"

"In any case, we want to win the G4 game and we can't afford to lose two home games in a row."

"Who do you think is responsible for the failure?"

"It can only be mine."

"Iron Fist, do you still have the confidence to play against Michael Jordan?"

"Absolutely, I'm sure I'll do better. And Michael Jordan failed for so many seasons to make it to the end, how could I lose confidence because of one failure? ”

"What would you do if, I said, if the Pistons lost the Eastern Conference finals?"

"If that's the case, I'm going to do training all the offseason and next season we're going to come back and be in front of Michael Jordan again."

Soon after, after the press conference, Zhou Quan went back to the locker room to get his bag, and when he was about to leave, Rodman shouted: "Iron Fist, you'd better sleep separately from Catherine, this is my advice." ”

Zhou Quan didn't reply, and as he walked forward, he replied: "Dennis, this is also my advice to you and Madonna." ”

"Haha......" The crowd burst into laughter.

Half an hour later, Zhou Quan got into his pickup truck, next to Catherine, who was waiting for him.

Catherine observed Zhou Quan's expression, there was no obvious frustration and unhappiness after the loss, but she was a little frustrated, she smiled and said: "Zhou, what will be your sneaker sales tomorrow?" ”

Zhou Quan was stunned, suddenly laughed a few times, shook his head and said with a wry smile: "Sales have dropped sharply? Regardless of it, there are less than a million dollars left in sales, and I can basically complete the sales this season ahead of schedule anyway, and the eight million next season will be next season. ”

"Michael Jordan is so strong, no wonder Madonna is reluctant to take him." Catherine said suddenly.

"What do you mean? Did you see their news too? Zhou Quan didn't understand.

"The past two days have been full of their news, and they can't hide from it."

Catherine was envious, and then explained: "People like Jordan, because they are too strong, have a very strong and domineering personality, and a queen-level woman like Madonna, whose achievements and social status are even higher than the current Jordan, it is impossible to endure that kind of character." ”

"So as a woman, what kind of man do you think Madonna likes?" Zhou Quan asked with some curiosity.

"I don't know, it won't be Jordan anyway, maybe it's the kind that is very obedient? I'm not sure. Catherine said.

"That's why Rodman was taken a crush on Madonna? That guy in front of Madonna is a character who beckons, swings away, and kneels and licks. Zhou Quan suddenly realized.

……

Zhou Quan woke up, it was already dawn, Catherine beside him was no longer in bed, and looked at his watch, 11 o'clock in the morning.

He felt that the soreness after the game was still there, and he couldn't recover his exerted physical strength at all in one night, but fortunately, the G4 game was on the 25th, and there was still time to recover.

"Zhou, are you up and ready for breakfast? I fried some veal steak, your favorite seven ripe, sprinkled with your favorite black pepper, and chili sauce. ”

At this time, Catherine pushed the door in, and she was still wearing a cooking apron, which was Zhou Quan's apron, which was a bit big, but her height was also 177 cm, maybe only 175 cm, not much, just a little fat.

"I'm sorry, I'm supposed to do it." Zhou Quan hurriedly got up and said politely.

"Let's make dinner together." Catherine laughed.

“OK。”

After Zhou Quan washed up, Catherine had already put the food on the table, steak, salmon, fried eggs, sausages, vegetable salad, milk, fruits, bread and so on, waiting for him.

"It was abundant. But wait a minute. ”

He hurriedly ran to the door and brought the newspaper in, before sitting down at the table.

"It's not a good habit."

But just as he was about to read it, Catherine confiscated the paper.

"Hehe, then don't look, let's eat." He is as good as a stream.

"Try the steak, do you have any fried old?"

"Well, that's good."

He tasted a piece, and it was really good, as long as he smeared it with chili, it didn't taste bad.

"Catherine, let's go to the supermarket to buy vegetables in the afternoon, and I'll cook Chinese and Chinese food for you."

"OK, I haven't tried Chinese cuisine yet, is it delicious?" Catherine asked curiously.

"Oh, let's put it this way, you Englishmen eat the fish and bacon every day, and if you eat them for two days in a row, I'd rather starve to death than eat them again. But if I didn't eat Chinese food for three days in a row, I couldn't eat. He quipped.

Catherine glanced at Zhou Quan and said angrily, "Is it so unpalatable?" Didn't you say that you were going to England to see me in the future, and I would treat you to fried fish and bacon every day. ”

Speaking of which, thinking of the imminent breakup, the two couldn't help but sigh at the same time.

After breakfast and lunch, Zhou Quan picked up the newspaper and read it.

He mainly looks at the local media, how to evaluate last night's game and his performance yesterday, the media in other cities don't care much.

Fortunately, the Detroit media still supported him, and did not blame him for losing a game, but was quite accommodating.

After spending half an hour browsing the news, Zhou Quan drove his girlfriend who was about to break up and went to the supermarket outside the community to shop.

In the afternoon, he was busy making eight dishes, red eggplant, braised pork, red pork ribs, braised squid, braised salmon, steamed eggs, etc., there is no Chinese supermarket in Detroit, the raw materials are not enough, and the condiments are not complete, so you can make these dishes.

Catherine doesn't know how to use chopsticks, Zhou Quan helps with vegetables from time to time, and when she eats, she occasionally sighs.

Zhou Quan didn't ask why he sighed, he didn't want to break up with him, he knew that Catherine still liked to be with him very much, otherwise he wouldn't fall in love again.

It's a pity that both of them are currently fighting for their careers, so they can only accept this ending.

On the 24th, the Pistons did not schedule training on this day, and continued to allow players to seize valuable opportunities to recover their fitness.

That night, the G4 game of the Western Conference Finals started, 112:121, and finally the Jazz won two consecutive home games, and then pulled one more game, and the Trail Blazers drew 2-2.

The Malone brothers scored 61 points, and John Stockton also played his best performance in the series, with 18 points, 15 assists and 3 steals, shooting 54.5% from the field, and the trio combined to contribute 79 points, 19 rebounds and 20 assists.

In the Western Conference Final series, the best game for the Trail Blazers was not the glider Drexler, but All-Star backup point guard Terry Porter, who scored another 34 points and shot 56.3 percent from the field.

The glider also scored 27 points, and Porter also contributed 61 points, and the Trail Blazers were no worse than the Jazz in other aspects, but the Jazz had home-court advantage, getting 55 free throws in the game, 16 more than the Trail Blazers, and 19 more free throws than the Trail Blazers alone, and won the game by virtue of this.

"We Pistons aren't popular in the league, we don't get that home-court advantage, and we made five fewer free throws than the Bulls last night. I had some breaks that deserved to be free-thrown, but even at home, the whistle wasn't going to be biased in my favor. Zhou Quan said.

"Why?" Catherine asked curiously.

"Well, this, maybe the name of the Bad Boy Legion is still making us pay." He said in a teasing tone.

At this time, he thought about the second half of the final quarter of last night, when Jordan was still playing very high-quality, but his teammates lost their excitement.

It's something he's been worried about, he's been worrying about since before the East Final begins.

The veterans around him, Joe Dumas and John Sely, who have won two consecutive championships, have lost their vitality and sharpness.

Even if you can muster up courage for a while by encouraging morale and other means, you can show your knife-like sharpness when facing a bull, but it can't last.

It is the so-called one drum, then decline, and three exhaustion, and the current piston is like this, there is no kind of fighting spirit that will not retreat and fight to the end.

Although the slogan is loud, in fact, since last season, it has lost the tenacity of the bad boy army in his bones.

"Dennis was okay, just unlucky, just in time for a playoff injury breakout. Ulrich had just arrived at the Pistons, he didn't have a championship, his contract was small, and his morale was great, but his defense was too poor, his offense was monotonous, and his ability was limited. ”

He is a little helpless, this lineup, if you want to win the Bulls, it is a little difficult.

……

On the 25th, the day of the G4 match of the Eastern Finals.

In the morning, Zhou Quan continued to rest, and at noon Zhou Quan came to the headquarters to participate in the team's recovery training.

After more than two days of rest, the soreness in his body is gone, of course, his physical strength will definitely not recover to 100%, it will take a longer rest. And now his body is more likely to get tired.

Rodman said matter-of-factly: "Iron Fist, it seems that you have indeed slept in separate beds with Catherine in the past two days, and your physical fitness is recovering well." ”

"Fuck off!"

Zhou Quan scolded with a smile and said angrily: "You are still worried about your state, you only grabbed 10 rebounds in the last game." ”

"Rest assured, after two days of rest, my injuries have improved a bit, at least 20 in this one." Rodman patted his chest and assured.

Chuck Daley came over at this time and asked, "Zhou, have you thought of a way to deal with Jordan's defense in the past two days?" ”

Zhou Quan nodded and said: "I think about it, I still have to improve my athletic quality before I can really solve this problem, with my current ability, I'm afraid there is still no way, I still have to use the help of blocking and dismantling to get rid of him." ”

Chuck Daley nodded: "That's right, if his defense was so easy to solve, it wouldn't be Michael Jordan." If you have the right attitude, it will be conducive to solving the problem.

In this game, if he plays the full-court press again, I will arrange more blocking tactics for you, and after you dismantle, immediately distance yourself from him, but don't go to Pippen's side, Pippen's defense is no worse than Jordan's, and it may even be more difficult. ”

"Understood."

……

At night, the palace of Mount Auburn is brightly lit.

At half past seven, the two sides announced their starting lists.

Bulls: Bill Carter White, Horres Grant, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, John Paxson

Pistons: John Cely, Dennis Rodman, Orlando Ulrich, Joe Dumas, Zhou Quan

At this time, the substitutes of both sides entered the field and began to warm up.

Although Isaiah Thomas's reputation has fallen sharply and his strength has declined sharply, he still has a strong fan base in Detroit and at Auburn Hills Palace, and countless Pistons fans are cheering for him when he appears on the court.

He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw Magic and Barkley sitting together and not sitting behind the team's bench anymore.

He was afraid of the disease, and before the start of the season, he protested that the Magic was playing, which turned his relationship with the Magic from friendly to bad, but he didn't regret it, who made you?

(End of chapter)