The longest river

Chapter 236 The Last Dance, But No One Attends

It's worth mentioning that this year marks the first year of the NBA's first-round format change, from the original best-of-five series to a best-of-seven series.

This can reduce upsets, especially upsets like the Black Eight, and protect the league's viewership.

Most teams with good records, that is, teams with good season performances, have significantly higher viewership ratings than teams with poor records.

Of course, the most important thing is that it can make money.

Playing one more game in the playoffs means generating more ticket revenue.

Before the first round began, the Jazz's official website published an article to promote the "last dance" of the "Utah Twins".

For the Jazz, the duo of "The Killer" and "The Killer" is the greatest combination in their franchise history. Although they never won a championship or an MVP, they are the uncrowned kings in their eyes.

Social media was already taking off, and Salt Lake City fans, while lamenting the passing of their youth, also focused their attention on the first round of matches.

Although the Jazz are no longer a match for the Trail Blazers in terms of strength, they are hoping that the two stars can give them a perfect farewell performance on the final dance stage.

In Portland, the Trail Blazers are also preparing for the upcoming playoffs.

The Jazz are certainly not their main opponent, but the Lakers' unexpected drop out of the top three means they will most likely face the defending champions in the second round, making the first-round matchup against the Jazz very important.

They need to get into form in the first round, and from that perspective, the Jazz are a very suitable opponent, after all, even a weakened giant is still bigger than a horse.

The Jazz arrived in Portland the day before the playoffs began.

During the open training session, reporters interviewed the Utah Jazz duo.

Stockton has made it clear that he will retire after the season, but Malone probably still wants to chase another championship. With his contract expiring this summer, he will face a variety of options at that time.

However, now that he's about to turn 40, he no longer has the same confidence he had when playing against the Trail Blazers. In front of reporters, he talks more about his love for basketball than about the current series.

It's clear that Ma Long wants to downplay the feud between the two teams in order to achieve a dignified outcome.

Even when the reporter mentioned Yang Shuai, Ma Long changed his usual attitude and gave Yang Shuai full affirmation.

"I've played in this league for almost 20 years and I've never seen a scoring performance like this before. Without a doubt, this is the best season in history."

Although he didn't say Yang Shuai was the GOAT, the meaning was pretty much the same.

The following evening, the Rose Garden Stadium was packed to capacity.

Although it's only the first round of the playoffs, fans don't want to miss a single playoff game because of Yang Shuai's scoring performance throughout the season, and because Yang Shuai is the kind of player who performs better in the playoffs than in the regular season.

It is said that even the lowest ticket prices have been inflated to exorbitant levels, and fans who are able to get into the stadium have paid a huge sum of money.

Furthermore, according to media estimates, the Trail Blazers' first-round viewership this year will match that of last year's NBA Finals.

The media calls Garnett a ticket guarantee, but this season they've given Yang a new nickname: "Ticket Bomb," which is succinct and to the point.

During the pre-match warm-up, the cameras focused entirely on Yang Shuai, and his every move attracted close attention from the fans.

As for the Utah duo in the final dance, they weren't even shown a single shot before the game.

Even during the opening ceremony, when the Jazz appeared as the visiting team, the atmosphere was lukewarm.

Then, when the home team finally got up, the entire stadium erupted like a pressure cooker, with cheers so loud they seemed to threaten to lift the roof off.

Such a contrast undoubtedly complicated the emotions of the two villains.

There was a time when they... they seemed to have never enjoyed it, because they were always supporting characters.

After the opening ceremony, the starting lineups for both sides were announced.

Jazz: Stockton, Harpling, Culbert Chaney, Karl Malone, Greg Ostertag

Trail Blazers: Billups, Reed, Young, Wallace, Sabonis

Malone won possession for the Jazz, and the Jazz's first possession of the game also saw Malone post up for a one-on-one.

The Trail Blazers used Wallace for one-on-one defense, and Malone tried to force his way through but didn't gain much advantage.

Wallace has been consistently physical over the years, and now he can even hold his own against O'Neal.

With his speed declining, Malone could no longer gain an advantage in physical confrontations and ultimately failed to break through Wallace's defense.

Malone ultimately opted for a forced turnaround jump shot, but was unable to shake off Wallace and was contested, resulting in the shot hitting the rim.

Sabonis grabbed the defensive rebound, and the Trail Blazers quickly launched a fast break.

Yang Shuai took the lead, drawing the Jazz's defensive attention before passing the ball to Reed, who was following up on the wing, and Reed easily broke through and dunked for the score.

The Trail Blazers gave the Jazz a rude awakening right from the start.

Carlisle is equally unconcerned about the Utah duo's final dance. Since he's set to get into form in the first round, he's naturally going all out.

The Jazz are an older team and slow to retreat on defense, so we exploit that weakness in their fast breaks.

Seeing this, Sloan stood up and made tactical gestures, and the Jazz started a pick-and-roll play in the frontcourt.

The Trail Blazers' defensive strategy at this point was different from before. They didn't choose to double-team Malone or give him a chance to switch, but instead let Billups go around him.

This essentially gave Stockton space to shoot, but without completely leaving him open.

Stockton decisively opted for a stop-and-shoot mid-range jumper, but the ball failed to go in.

After Sabonis grabbed the defensive rebound, the Trail Blazers launched another fast break.

This time, the Jazz couldn't catch up with Yang Shuai, who then performed a gliding two-handed back dunk after receiving the ball.

The Rose Garden Stadium erupted in cheers.

"Defend! Defend!"

After two consecutive successful and highly theatrical counter-attacks, the fans in the stadium were in high spirits.

The Jazz continued to run pick-and-rolls, while the Trail Blazers neither switched nor helped on defense.

This defensive strategy directly limited the Jazz's tactical variations, leaving them only the possibility of Stockton scoring 40 or 50 points to lead the team to victory.

However, Stockton, who was about to retire, didn't have that ability.

After missing his first shot, he opted to use Malone's screen to drive straight into the paint and then take a floater near the three-second zone.

This is a good option, but he's too slow right now. By the time he makes his move, Billups will have already bypassed Malone and interfered the moment he made his move.

"when!"

Stockton's shot bounced off the rim again, and this time Wallace grabbed the defensive rebound.

Then came another defensive counter-attack.

The Jazz had consciously retreated on defense earlier, but in the end only Harpring and Chaney retreated to half-court. Yang Shuai's receiving pass and breakthrough forced them to collapse.

Just as they were closing in, Yang Shuai passed the ball to Wallace, who was following up in the middle.

After receiving the ball, Wallace took a big step and delivered a powerful two-handed dunk.

The Rose Garden Arena, which had just fallen silent, was reignited.

6:0.

Moreover, all of their points came from fast breaks. The Jazz knew the Trail Blazers would play that way and couldn't stop them.

This opening scene is a typical example of young people beating up an elderly person without any sense of martial ethics.

Sloan got up, wanting to do something more, but found he couldn't do anything.

In just five years, the Jazz have gone from having the upper hand to being completely helpless.

Just when the Jazz were almost in despair, Stockton finally made a mid-range shot, breaking the team's scoring drought.

With the half-court offense progressing, the Jazz were finally free from the Trail Blazers' relentless defensive counter-attacks.

At this moment, the Jazz players, like frontline soldiers who had survived a round of artillery fire, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In the half-court game, the Trail Blazers began to develop tactics around Yang Shuai, still relying on Reed to make runs on the weak side to draw attention and then pass the ball to Yang Shuai.

After receiving the ball, Yang Shuai accelerated past the mismatched Ostertag. When he saw that Malone had collapsed to the basket, he did not choose to stop and shoot. Instead, he took a step and jumped up.

The cheers from the crowd started early; Yang Shuai was trying to dunk on Malone!

Malone's pupils also contracted, and he instantly recalled O'Neal's experience.

Shaquille O'Neal was met with a barrage of criticism when he tried to befriend Yang Shuai back then, so how could Yang Shuai possibly change her attitude because of his comments?
Realizing this, Ma Long stretched out his long arm to try to block Yang Shuai, but he was too slow. By the time he jumped, Yang Shuai was already above his head.

Then there's the pork knuckle, which he's very familiar with.

Yang Shuai's elbow struck Ma Long directly in the chest, followed by a tremendous impact.

"Oh!"

Amid the cheers of the fans at the scene, Yang Shuai effectively turned Ma Long into a mere background figure.

Although Ma Long was spared being knocked to the ground thanks to his excellent physical abilities, he was still sent flying out of bounds, losing face completely.

After landing, Yang Shuai looked coldly at Ma Long, and only turned and left after seeing that Ma Long had no intention of fighting.

Who cares about the last dance of two bastards?
It's just that they've already been buried, and now we're just shoveling a few more shovelfuls of dirt into the pit.

Sensing the cold gaze in Yang Shuai's eyes, Ma Long, whose personality was already that of a villain, instantly became furious.

Instead of continuing to run pick-and-rolls with Stockton, he proactively went to the low post to establish position and received the ball to attack Wallace again.

This time, Malone used his elbow to clear the way, but just as he swung his elbow, the referee's whistle blew.

With a punch and a palm strike, he strode forward, pointing towards the backcourt.

Malone's offensive foul!
Ma Long appeared somewhat agitated and rushed directly to the referee.

Yang Shuai elbowed him when he dunked on him earlier, that's double standards!
However, the referee ignored his protests and even gave him a technical foul when he saw him rushing towards him.

Yang Shuai has promised Stern that he will go to Cleveland after winning the championship, and the referees will absolutely not be able to let the Trail Blazers suffer in terms of calls this season.

Ma Long was pulled back by his teammates, and he looked like he was about to explode with anger.

He had previously escaped punishment countless times by elbowing people and feigning innocence, but as he approached retirement, he finally realized how painful it was to be treated unfairly.

And it's clear that the judges don't care about a final dance.

Jordan earned his status through numerous championships, but Malone? He clearly falls short.

Yang Shuai made another run in the frontcourt, and the Jazz, at Sloan's call, began to double-team Yang Shuai to limit his ability to receive the ball.

With Yang Shuai scoring 83 points in a single game this season, Sloan will never dare to let Yang Shuai play one-on-one again like he did back then.

However, the price for doing so was that the Trail Blazers executed a brilliant play on the weak side.

Reed used Wallace's screen to receive a pass from Billups, drew the help defense, and then passed the ball to Wallace in mid-air. Wallace received the ball, drove to the basket, and slammed it home with a powerful two-handed dunk.

Reed wasn't highly regarded during the draft, but once he developed a consistent shot, his previous strengths became more apparent.

Just like James Harden in history, he has the potential to become the core of a team.

10:2.

Just when the Jazz players thought they could catch their breath after dodging a round of artillery fire, they looked up and saw that the enemy had already charged up the high ground.

It seemed they had no other way out but to surrender.

But Malone was clearly unwilling to admit defeat so easily, just as he was unwilling to retire with regrets this season like Stockton.

Having learned from his mistake, this time he didn't use his iron elbow to clear a path, but instead used his experience to successfully shake off Wallace and make his move.

Having played in the league for almost twenty years, he is still much more experienced than Wallace.

The basketball flew past Wallace's fingertips to its highest point.

But at that very moment, a hand appeared in mid-air.

Malone was so focused on his battle with Wallace that he didn't notice Yang Shuai had already moved to help defend the basket.

"boom!"

Amid cheers from the fans, Yang Shuai delivered a resounding block to Ma Long!
Moreover, Yang Shuai had a long hang time in the air and managed to catch the rebounding ball.

However, just as he turned to launch a fast break, Malone grabbed him from behind.

This was a premature foul to prevent Yang Shuai from launching a fast break.

However, his movement was clearly a bit too big, given that he was on a nail board.

Wallace immediately came up to spar with Malone, but Yang Shuai stopped him.

Because a short whistle had already sounded from the sidelines.

That foul was Malone's second, and he's about to leave the game.

The big screen replayed the previous round, and Ma Long's furious expression was clearly visible.

When the camera then focused on Ma Long, who had been substituted off the court, a chorus of boos erupted from the crowd.

The photographer at this home game is quite professional.

Just as Ma Long left the court, some fans in the front row started shouting at him:
"Karl, retire!"

Malone ignored the fans; such verbal attacks are not uncommon on NBA game nights.

However, what the fans behind him made him stop in his tracks instantly.

"Are you planning for the league to throw you a retirement tour?"

Ma Long glared fiercely at the fans.

However, at this moment he was like a tiger with a broken leg, and he was not frightening.

Even Barkley in the commentary booth felt a pang of sympathy watching this scene.

Although he and Ma Long had their share of feuds back when they were playing together, Ma Long's current predicament is far too embarrassing.

Indeed, one should retreat decisively when the time is right, otherwise one will only end up as a tool for the opponent and the fans to amuse themselves.

(End of this chapter)