The Golden Age of Basketball

Chapter 654 Inevitable Kill
Stress can deplete a person's physical energy prematurely.

This tension includes mental strain, which leads to fatigue, and physical tension, which leads to muscle fatigue.

Halftime is a great opportunity to replenish energy and relax both mentally and physically; fifteen minutes is enough time for a significant change in the situation.

However, in the old away locker room of Memorial Arena, Phil Jackson could sense the tense atmosphere in the air.

This tension did not dissipate as the game progressed past the halfway point; on the contrary, it intensified.

Horace Grant didn't sleep well at the hotel last night. Jackson saw him get up very early to go to the gym for a run, something that hadn't happened before.

Livingston reportedly vomited three times in the morning, but said he felt fine before going to bed.

Bill Cartwright told Jackson while eating breakfast, "It's just a normal game."

Jackson immediately knew that Cartwright was nervous; he wouldn't have said that if it were a normal game.

Scottie Pippen, whom Jackson was most worried about, was actually the one who was truly relaxed, and he performed very well in the first half.

They provided ample support on both offense and defense, while Cartwright and Grant both suffered from "Forrest Gump phobia," losing all their form when facing Forrest.

Veteran Buck Williams is very consistent. He is experienced, tenacious, and does everything he can. In the regular season and the Eastern Conference playoffs, Williams became a leader in the team's frontcourt.

In some situations, he could replace Jordan as the team's mental core, and his defensive contributions truly made the Bulls an impenetrable wall.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, his stats were inferior to Grant's, but Williams successfully contained the lethal Melvin Tuppin, curbing the Pistons' terrifying frontcourt on the defensive end.

Buck Williams' biggest problem is his size. He's only 6'8", which is small for a power forward. He's at a huge disadvantage in terms of size, whether he's matched up against someone like Forrest Gump or Domantas Sabonis.

Throughout the first half, Forrest Gump almost exclusively focused on one-on-one attacks against Buck Williams, bringing this excellent power forward to the brink of collapse. He was completely unable to defend him due to the overwhelming difference in strength and height.

However, Jackson had anticipated this. Whether it was Buck or Cartwright, they would definitely get crushed when defending Forrest Gump one-on-one, which was an expected loss.

What really worries Jackson is that Williams is not contributing enough to the team on offense, a point that was already evident in the Eastern Conference Finals.

However, the Pistons as a whole couldn't beat the Bulls, so Williams' lack of offensive contributions could be ignored. Moreover, Williams' offensive rebounding caused the Pistons considerable trouble.

However, Williams' offensive rebounding ability also failed against the Trail Blazers. With Agan dominating the paint, he almost completely controlled the defensive rebounds, and Williams only managed to grab one offensive rebound in the first half.

Against a team like the Bulls, whose low-post offense is relatively weak and who relies heavily on inside drives, offensive rebounds and second-chance opportunities are crucial scoring methods.

It can not only score points easily, but also disrupt the opponent's defense, further damaging the opponent's defensive plan and morale, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

However, Agan cut off most of these opportunities under the basket, which is also the great significance of Gan Guoyang returning to the center position.

Sabonis was an excellent interior defender, but Agan's defense under the basket was dominant.

Phil Jackson thought of Bill Russell, who played for the Knicks during his playing career, which was already late in Russell's career.

67-68和68-69赛季，当时尼克斯已经凑出了后来70、73年夺冠的班底，但他们在季后赛依旧打不过垂垂老矣的波士顿凯尔特人。

In the 1969 playoffs, the Knicks were eliminated by the Celtics 2-4 in the Eastern Conference Finals despite having home-court advantage. That was Russell's last season, and he was 34 years old.

But his impact on the defensive end remained dominant. Jackson didn't get a chance to play in that year's playoffs; he just sat on the sidelines watching his teammates play.

He clearly observed that when Russell was in the paint, his teammates' attacking techniques would become distorted. Frazier, Bradley, and DeBuscher would instinctively dodge when facing Russell, and even use a crossover layup that they were not good at at all—and of course, they missed.

Russell would intentionally leave a space for smaller players when defending, letting them in, and then slapping their layup away.

After Russell won his last championship and retired, the Knicks immediately took off in 1970, making it all the way to the Finals and winning the championship.

Now, Forrest Gump's defense under the basket is on par with Russell's, or even stronger, because the league's perimeter offense is now much stronger.

There weren't superstar perimeter players like Jordan in the 60s who could fly high and dunk the ball right under the basket, but Forrest Gump could compete with such perimeter players.

Jackson knew that Williams had already done his best and it was difficult to ask him to do more; he still needed to open up the scoring from the outside.

Meanwhile, in the Trail Blazers' locker room, Bobby Bellman was not satisfied with the intensity of the perimeter offense; apart from Petrovic, the other perimeter players had too few offensive highlights in the first half.

Porter and Lewis' shooting percentages were suppressed, and the space could not be widened, resulting in the interior becoming increasingly crowded. In the latter half of the second quarter, it was visibly difficult for Gan Guoyang to attack with the ball.

The good news is that the Trail Blazers still control the pace of the game and have the initiative.

The psychological pressure of a slight lead can make players play more relaxed and confident.

Of course, Bellman knew very well that the shift between strength and weakness could happen in an instant.

Once the opponent gains momentum and quickly reverses the score within two possessions, the situation will collapse rapidly for the Trail Blazers.

"Defense! We must improve our defense. Jordan scored too easily in the first half, and our defense has started to falter. We need to increase the intensity, and pay attention to every single detail!"

When the offense faltered, Berman didn't just try to fix the symptoms; instead, he emphasized defense because he knew that defense was the ballast.

If they were playing against other teams, the Trail Blazers would attack relentlessly and completely crush their opponents.

If we can't handle the Bulls, we need to improve our defense. Otherwise, if our offense falters and our defense can't keep up, the game will turn around.

Bellman and Jackson are similar in one way: they are both coaches who take a big-picture approach and don't like to get bogged down in specific tactical details.

Jackson's control over the situation comes from his court sense. During his playing days, he sat on the bench and learned from Holzman, which honed his keen perception.

Bellman relied more on data. The assistant coach gave him the data for the first half, and Bellman found that the Trail Blazers' offensive efficiency was not high in the first half, mainly relying on Agan to carry the team.

The Bulls' defense was indeed very tight, especially their interference and blockade of the perimeter. Jordan, Pippen, and Buck Williams did everything they could to harass the perimeter players, which greatly affected the Trail Blazers' tactical organization, ball movement, and ball handling.

Good offense always forces the defender to make choices, leading to indecisiveness, and vice versa. Good defense also forces the attacker to make choices, thus missing opportunities.

"On offense, we'll continue to focus on Forrest Gump. The low post is our advantage, and we need to expand that advantage, and expand it again, until they bleed out of their wounds!"

On this point, Bellman was more resolute than Jackson; he didn't play with balance or harmonious resonance. Portland only had one sun.

As for the Princeton offense? At this point, with the Finals against the Chicago Bulls, what's the point of the Princeton system? Even if Carrel came, he'd be thinking of giving the ball to Forrest Gump.

The reason for using Princeton in the regular season is to improve team chemistry and give Forrest Gump more time to rest and build up his stamina. It's time to use him now.

High-level sports competitions are like war, like marching and fighting. In the end, it's all about who dares to fight and who is willing to sacrifice.

The famous military strategist Comrade 101 once said that the most important thing in all tactics is to fight to the death. If you lose everything, you lose everything; if you're finished, you're finished.

Without this awareness, no matter how ingenious the arrangement, it will be ineffective.

This is something that Behrman, whose father was a submariner, felt more deeply about than Phil Jackson, whose parents were Christians.

Gan Guoyang fully understood Bellman's intentions, and he still had plenty of energy.

Halftime ended, the game continued, and the fans, having rested, returned to their seats to continue making noise.

Outside the stadium, helicopters constantly flew overhead, and television cameras broadcast the exterior of the glass palace and the Portland nightscape via satellite television signals to the world.

Countries and regions across much of the globe are watching this match, including Yugoslavia, which was on the brink of war, the Soviet Union, which was once an enemy of the United States, and South America, where snow is falling in winter.

On the other side of the ocean in China, many families do not have televisions. At lunchtime, many people go to the homes of those who have televisions to eat lunch while watching live broadcasts.

If all else fails, turn on the radio. The Central People's Broadcasting Station made an exception and broadcast the finals live across the country. Song Shixiong's clear voice from CCTV echoed through the fields, and even old farmers smoking pipes would sit down to listen to what was happening in faraway America.

At the center of the stage, Jordan launched an attack on the Trail Blazers' paint area at the start of the second half.

He intended to kill Gan Guoyang in an attempt to create a breach in the Trail Blazers' impenetrable defense.

Gan Guoyang didn't fall for it. He dodged in mid-air and let Jordan score a layup.

Subsequently, Gan Guoyang received the ball in the low post, and when the Bulls triple-teamed him, he immediately passed the ball to Sabonis, who was cutting into the basket from the middle.

Sabonis slammed the ball down with tremendous force, scoring with a powerful two-handed dunk!

Since being plagued by injuries, Sabonis has rarely dunked in games in order to protect his knees.

Tonight, Sabonis will be like a lion hunting a rabbit; he'll dunk rather than lay up.

Starting with two offensive attacks, the Bulls and Trail Blazers engaged in a fierce battle in the third quarter.

David Stern was in attendance, having long anticipated this matchup, and was certain it would mark the peak of the 90s NBA season.

Even so, Stern did not expect the first game to be so intense and high-intensity, as if the championship would be decided in this one game.

For a full three minutes, neither side scored from open play, and the game quickly became extremely intense, with physical confrontations far exceeding those of the regular season and playoffs.

Under intense competition and high physical exertion, most players' technical movements began to distort; let alone shooting, even dribbling became clumsy and awkward.

Seeing this, Phil Jackson sensed something was wrong. He realized that the Bulls had played too aggressively and fiercely tonight, and the team's rotation and tactical rhythm had been completely disrupted.

The Trail Blazers, on the other hand, were more at ease. They were well-prepared and constantly developed tactics around Gan Guoyang. Gan Guoyang became a low-post fixture, and the ball passed through his hands almost every possession.

Although the Trail Blazers don't run the Princeton offense, the chemistry they've developed over the season is real.

After a three-minute scoring drought, Gan Guoyang, after being double-teamed in the low post, delivered a beautiful behind-the-back pass to Lewis, who was cutting to the basket.

Lewis catches the ball and dunks it in! The atmosphere at Memorial Arena is ignited as the Portlanders show the Finals virgins, the Bulls, what Finals intensity is all about.

The Bulls had to pull themselves together and focus on both offense and defense. By this time, their defensive intensity had decreased, as high intensity cannot be sustained.

Jordan once again used his unparalleled explosiveness and speed to drive to the basket, but this time Gan Guoyang blocked Jordan's shot from behind!

Lewis got the ball, and the Trail Blazers launched a fast break. When he got to the basket, Jerome Cahill's layup was blocked by Pippen. Lewis grabbed the ball and went up again, but his shot was blocked by Buck Williams.

A scramble ensued under the basket, Terry Porter got the ball and threw it toward the rim, but it bounced off the backboard and missed. Suddenly, Agan appeared out of nowhere and slammed it home with a two-handed putback dunk!
With almost half of the third quarter played, the Trail Blazers had only scored 8 points, with a lot of missed shots and turnovers, resulting in very low efficiency.

However, the Bulls scored even fewer points, managing only 4 points from Jordan's early drives and free throws, while the rest of the team failed to score.

The intense atmosphere of the match was suffocating; not only were the fans overwhelmed, but even the players themselves were finding it a bit too much.

If they keep playing like this, they might as well skip the fourth quarter and just bring in the substitutes.

Jackson called a timeout and made substitutions, bringing on Grant and Armstrong, and then both sides tacitly eased up the intensity.

NBA games are like a long-distance race, with runners following ahead and sprinters behind. No one will exert themselves too much in the middle, in order to avoid running out of energy later.

Both teams wanted to overwhelm their opponent mid-game tonight, but the Trail Blazers failed to completely overwhelm the Bulls, while the Bulls struggled to keep up.

The relaxed pace of the game lasted for more than five minutes before both sides started scoring, although most of the Bulls' points came from one-on-one plays.

This is what the Trail Blazers want to see: when the Bulls can't solve the problem, they'll give the ball to Jordan and let him handle it.

Jordan remained a god-like figure in the third quarter, not only scoring himself but also repeatedly driving into the paint to create opportunities for the perimeter.

Armstrong hit a crucial three-pointer, igniting the Bulls' comeback.

At this point, Jordan played like a point guard, using his explosiveness and speed to tear apart the Trail Blazers' defense like a tiger, creating opportunities for his teammates and then immediately passing the ball.

Jordan was right. Guards are indeed more independent and agile than centers. They don't need teammates to feed them the ball, they don't need to run or box out, they can attack as soon as they get the ball.

The Bulls slowly caught up in the score. On the defensive end, they did their best to cut off the passing lanes to Gan Guoyang. Buck Williams, Grant and Bill Cartwright spared no effort to front Gan Guoyang, and Pippen even squatted next to Gan Guoyang and did not leave, even after being called for illegal defense.

The score was now 66-69, with the Bulls trailing by only 3 points, prompting Bobby Bellman to call a timeout.

He made substitutions, first replacing Sabonis with Mitchell Thompson, and then bringing on Petrovic early to replace Jerome Kossie.

The moment Petrovic came on, the situation changed immediately. He was in excellent form tonight and immediately ran a pick-and-roll with Gan Guoyang, hitting a mid-range jumper over Jordan's defense!
When Petrovic scored, Berman immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't misjudged the Croatian lad; his careful nurturing had finally paid off.

However, Petrovic was lacking on the defensive end, and Jordan immediately broke through his perimeter defense. Gan Guoyang came over to help defend, and Jordan's pull-up jump shot was interfered with and missed.

Thompson secured the defensive rebound and immediately made a long pass to the frontcourt. Petrovic dribbled the ball up the court like the wind, without any hesitation or delay, and made a risky, bold bounce pass to Reggie Lewis. Lewis caught the ball and immediately took off, dunking with one hand! Another dunk. Tonight, everyone was dunking as much as they could, holding nothing back.

The pace and intensity of the game picked up again at the end of the third quarter, when both sides were about to rotate their second lineups.

The game went into official pause, and fans watching on TV took the opportunity to relieve themselves, while the fans in the stadium got a short rest.

The score was 71-76, with the Trail Blazers maintaining a 5-point lead and firmly suppressing the Bulls.

The situation was very unfavorable for the Bulls, and Jackson could sense that the players were struggling.

They were constantly chasing from behind, and the pace of the game was completely under the control of the Trail Blazers.

Of course, the Trail Blazers are also very tired. This is only the first game of the Finals, and everyone feels that they may have been too aggressive at the beginning.
The competition has entered a stage where whoever can't hold on will fall behind, and this stage has come earlier than usual.

At that moment, on the bench, Jordan said to Phil Jackson, "Phil, I need to rest for a bit."

Jackson and the other Bulls coaches were stunned; this was the first time they had heard Jordan say he wanted to rest during a game.

Jackson's heart sank. If Michael Jordan couldn't hold on, then no one else could.

Are you sure you don't want to finish the third quarter?

"Yes, I need to rest. Let me play in the fourth quarter."

Against the Pistons, and in the regular season game against the Trail Blazers, Jordan never wanted to rest for a minute in the second half.

Tonight was really not good. It was an away game, the first Finals, and I was too nervous. My nerves were on edge, and I used up a lot of energy in the first half. Also, I was trying to do both offense and defense, which meant that Jordan didn't plan his energy reserves properly.

He was influenced by Forrest Gump, and after sitting on the bench at the end of the third quarter, he felt that he didn't want to get up and that he needed to rest for a while.

Jackson hesitated for a moment, then said, "Forrest Gump probably won't take a break."

Jordan took a sip of water and said, "I know, but I need to. He's messed me up, and I need to get back on track."

Jordan didn't get fixated on playing the same amount of time as Forrest Gump.

He knows when to rest and has a very accurate understanding of his own body.

Moreover, there's still a whole fourth quarter to turn things around.

Jackson agreed, Jordan went to the bench to rest, and Hodges came on.

Including the gaps between quarters, dead balls, and ball stops, Jordan had about five minutes of breathing room.

For the Trail Blazers, Gan Guoyang returned to the court as usual, and his physical condition was not affected at all.

Because everything was under his planning and control, he appeared to fight fiercely, but in reality, he was methodical and organized.

Seeing that Jordan didn't play the last two minutes of the third quarter, Gan Guoyang knew that his approach had worked.

"Michael, you have no idea what can happen in two minutes."

Gan Guoyang astutely seized this opportunity. After his teammates took the field, he gathered everyone together and changed the tactics that Bellman had set up during the timeout.

Berman still wanted to play it safe and demanded a further strengthening of the defense. He replaced Porter with the defensively excellent Mike Sanders, intending to let Sanders hold the line for two minutes and run out the time in the third quarter.

But Gan Guoyang saw the Bulls' weakness without Jordan; the opponent had lost their leader. "We must widen the gap to more than 10 points in these two minutes!"

Gan Guoyang gave his teammates instructions: they had to play fast.

This is certainly risky, but when an opportunity arises, it should not be missed.

The Trail Blazers inbounded the ball, Petrovic passed it to Gan Guoyang, who received it at the high post. The Trail Blazers then executed a Princeton Drive play.

Petrovic ran towards the basket, while Sanders circled around Gan Guoyang, drawing the defense's attention. The two, one inside and one outside, temporarily stretched the Bulls' defense.

Gan Guoyang found an opportunity in the middle, dribbled forward a step, and took a three-pointer!

A decisive long-range shot, which was also Gan Guoyang's first three-pointer of the night.

The ball arced very high, rising to its highest point before rapidly falling and piercing the net!

Three point hit!

"Shet."

The one who uttered the curse wasn't Jackson, nor Jordan, but Behrman.

"This wasn't my strategy... Forrest Gump acted on his own again... Good shot, good shot."

Whether it was done on your own initiative or not, if it goes in, it's a good shot.

In previous games, the Bulls had been very wary of Gan Guoyang's long-range shooting, preferring to allow him to drive to the basket from the high post rather than defend him closely.

They relaxed their guard, giving Gan Guoyang a great opportunity, which he seized.

If Jordan were there, he would immediately find a way to respond, but Jordan wasn't there, only Pippen was present.

The Bulls continued their slow and deliberate triangle offense, unaware that the Trail Blazers were preparing to accelerate.

Pippen missed a mid-range shot after receiving the ball on the wing, and Gan Guoyang grabbed the rebound. All the Trail Blazers players sprinted up the court.

Gan Guoyang made another risky long pass across the entire court, Reggie Lewis caught the ball, turned and jumped to dunk the ball into the basket with both hands!
Lewis ran too fast on the ball, lost control of his body after the dunk, and fell flat on his backside upon landing.

However, he immediately got up, and the Trail Blazers immediately implemented a full-court press, forcing the Bulls to pass the ball repeatedly.

Horace Grant was harassed and was a beat too slow when passing the ball to Pippen, allowing Gan Guoyang to rush forward and steal the ball!
Another mistake, Gan Guoyang immediately dribbled the ball forward, Grant rushed up and grabbed Agan, committing a foul.

The Bulls have collapsed; their mentality has crumbled, and they're about to commit a foul and get to the free throws.

Gan Guoyang stepped to the free-throw line and made both shots, giving the Trail Blazers a 7-0 run in just over a minute, extending their lead to 12 points.

The biggest point difference of the game was achieved by Gan Guoyang's "military adventure," who used the two minutes Jordan was resting to organize the substitutes to launch a deadly counterattack.

The Bulls made mistakes; in fact, they started making mistakes even before the game began. Public pressure, physical reserves, and pre-game preparations all fell far short of the seasoned Trail Blazers.

During the game, the Bulls underestimated the intensity of the match, and Jordan was completely unprepared to engage in a full-scale battle with Forrest Gump.

After all, they could beat their previous opponents if they played at 100%, or even 80% or 90%, but that wouldn't work against Forrest Gump and the Trail Blazers.

They are a super team with 4 championships in 6 years, a basketball war machine led by the Sun King.

Although Hodges hit a three-pointer at the end of the third quarter, helping the Bulls narrow the gap to 9 points and keeping a glimmer of hope for a comeback in the fourth quarter.

However, the 9-point deficit made the final quarter extremely difficult for the Bulls, especially when the fourth quarter began and the Bulls players came on the court. Seeing Agan still on the court, they were devastated.

Gan Guoyang only rested for about 3 minutes in the first half. He played the entire third quarter in the second half, and now it looks like he will play the entire fourth quarter, or maybe take a short break in the middle of the fourth quarter.

This dealt a significant blow to the Bulls' confidence; no one wanted to go into the three-second zone guarded by Forrest Gump.

Gan Guoyang has already contributed 7 blocks tonight and only has 2 fouls.

He is very smart; he will intentionally let the ball go to avoid getting into foul trouble.

Meanwhile, Sabonis, as a backup, covered at least two fouls for Gan Guoyang, allowing him to remain on the court.

After resting for a period of time in the third quarter, Jordan led his team in a final counterattack, showing no intention of giving up.

He scored 6 consecutive points with a mid-range jump shot, helping the Bulls narrow the gap to 5 points—Jordan had already scored 37 points.

But Gan Guoyang immediately responded with mid-range shots and turnaround jumpers, and drew fouls from Horace Grant and Will Pudu under the basket.

Standing at the free-throw line, Gan Guoyang made the shot steadily. He didn't miss a single free throw tonight, and he wouldn't allow himself to make the mistake of missing a free throw.

What's even more frightening is that as the fourth quarter progressed, the Bulls could feel Forrest Gump's energy becoming increasingly abundant.

In a crucial defensive play, Gan Guoyang and Lewis combined their skills, one blocking Jordan's floater and the other blocking it.

Grant retrieved the ball, turned, and shot again, only to be blocked again! Gan Guoyang's ninth block of the game!
This block statistic sets a new record for the most blocks in a single Finals game since block statistics began.

On the sidelines, Bellman remarked that Forrest Gump had indeed held back his blocks during the regular season, otherwise the block title would have been his.

Gan Guoyang's strong shot-blocking ability doesn't solely rely on his height, wingspan, and explosiveness; it depends more on his anticipation and the psychological fear he instills in his opponents.

It is said that when Gan Guoyang made a block, he neither looked at the attacker nor at the ball, but was in a state of blank stare.

This can lead attackers to believe they can make a move, only to be met with relentless resistance once they do.

Because Forrest Gump relied entirely on peripheral vision and intuition, rather than focusing his eyes to make judgments, he was always one step behind others.

This blocking method further increases the mental pressure on the opponent, making them more hesitant to shoot and more likely to be blocked.

The two blocks boosted the Trail Blazers' momentum, and the Trail Blazers launched a counterattack after regaining possession of the ball.

Gan Guoyang quickly moved to the low post, and Porter made a decisive lob pass. Although Gan Guoyang was immediately double-teamed by Jordan, Pippen, and Grant, he quickly passed the ball to Porter, who caught the ball and made a three-pointer!

This was the shot that sealed the Blazers' victory, widening the gap back to 10 points, leaving the Bulls with little time to spare.

The Bulls were exhausted; they were neither mentally nor physically ready for the Finals.

Pippen was practically invisible in the third and fourth quarters, and everyone else became Jordan's supporting player.

Actually, the Trail Blazers are pretty much the same, the problem is that the Trail Blazers have always played this way, and everyone is very comfortable with it.

Jordan didn't give up. In the final moments, he hit a three-pointer and stole the ball from Porter for a fast break layup, scoring 5 points in a row, giving the fans in the arena a real scare.

Jordan scored 42 points and was confident that he could turn the game around if he had two more minutes, but time was running out.

阿甘又在篮下造犯规成功，两罚全中，拿下38分20个篮板球9次盖帽8次助攻，比分来到93:99。

With the Trail Blazers leading by 6 points, the Bulls fought back desperately, but both Paxson and Armstrong missed their three-pointers. Sabonis secured the defensive rebound and threw it up the court.

Porter got the ball and shook off the defense. He stopped attacking and waited for the clock to slowly run out. The fans in Memorial Stadium could finally stand up and applaud with peace of mind.

The cheers grew louder and louder, reaching a climax when the buzzer sounded to signal the end of the match.

The score was 93-99, with the Trail Blazers defeating the Chicago Bulls at home in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, taking a 1-0 lead in the series.

The two sides' first tentative exchange was fierce and intense, with sparks flying everywhere.

Although the score was very close, the Bulls were actually dominated by the Trail Blazers from start to finish, and never managed to rise from the bottom.

The Bulls suffered a very frustrating defeat, but they were convinced of their superiority, as the Trail Blazers were the better team in every aspect.

Especially Forrest Gump, who controlled the game from start to finish, manipulating Jordan and even the entire Bulls team.

With the advantage in hand, exploit a small mistake by the Bulls to strike their weak point and deliver the decisive blow.

When the game ended, Jordan came over to shake hands and hug Forrest Gump; he wasn't as rude as the Detroit Pistons.

"Sonny, thank you for letting me experience the Finals. Thank you, I'll remember this for the rest of my life. But next time, I will definitely win."

Gan Guoyang patted Jordan on the shoulder and said, "Michael, although Chinese Americans call me 'Gan Zu,' it's no use making a wish to me. Go back and get some rest; you need to have enough energy first."

At that moment, Jordan's feelings for Forrest Gump were extremely complex. In the end, he couldn't say anything, just smiled, and left.

(End of this chapter)