Reborn in 96, I started by taking charge of the Dallas Mavericks.

Bang bang bang!

The basketball bounced rhythmically in Jordan's hands.

Kobe's eyes were sharp as he stared intently at the basketball in Jordan's hands, like a venomous snake ready to pounce at any moment.

Seemingly sensing the immense pressure from the two players, the remaining eight players on the court tacitly created space, leaving one side of the court open for the two.

Jordan dribbled to the right and broke through, with Kobe chasing closely and not giving an inch.

Seeing this, Jordan quickly made a crossover and drove to the left, but the next second Kobe appeared in Jordan's path again.

Jordan pulled the ball back between his legs, and facing Kobe's block, he made his signature fadeaway jumper!

"So close! So close to blocking that shot!"

Kobe watched the basketball slip through the net with regret. He had defended the ball very well, but Jordan still managed to score with his individual skill.

After scoring, Jordan didn't rush back to defense. Instead, he looked at Kobe, smiled, shook his head, and said, "You're still a bit short of being able to stop me."

After saying that, Jordan returned to his own half of the court without looking back.

Jordan certainly had the right to mock Kobe. Although he had retired for two years, he won the regular season scoring title and the regular season MVP again in his first season back, and then led the Bulls to another championship.

He also won the Finals MVP award again after two years.

Watching Jordan's retreating figure, Kobe clenched his fists, his heart filled with resentment and anger.

As the Mavericks were on offense, Nash had just brought the ball across half-court when Kobe came up to ask for it.

After receiving the ball, Kobe immediately waved for everyone to separate.

When Jordan saw Kobe trying to take him down one-on-one, a slight, dismissive smirk appeared on his lips.

He slapped his hands on the ground, adopting a defensive stance.

Faced with Jordan's provocation, Kobe did not hesitate and sprang into action like a venomous snake.

But to Kobe's surprise, Jordan's defense was tighter than he had anticipated.

Jordan's strength wasn't just in his offense; his defense was equally outstanding. It's just that his perfect performance on offense overshadowed his defensive contributions.

A close look at Jordan's games reveals that his defense was equally amazing.

Nine selections to the NBA All-Defensive First Team and three NBA steals titles are the greatest affirmation of Jordan's defense.

Kobe failed to break through on one side, so he switched sides and tried again.

This time, Kobe succeeded.

After getting past Jordan, Kobe was in the open paint with no one guarding him. He was about to dunk when he caught the ball.

But the next second, he suddenly realized that the ball was gone.

"Get back to defense quickly!"

Seeing Kobe standing there dumbfounded after being dispossessed, Chen Fang hurriedly shouted from the sidelines.

Kobe, regaining his composure, quickly prepared to retreat on defense, but by then Jordan had already completed a coast-to-coast dunk.

The large screen above the arena was playing a highlight reel of Jordan's steal and fast break dunk.

Kobe looked up at the big screen, wanting to know exactly how the ball was stolen.

In the video, Kobe Bryant drives to the basket from the left, while Michael Jordan is positioned close to Kobe's right side.

Logically speaking, such a posture might lead to a block, but it shouldn't result in a steal.

The slow-motion replay shows Kobe driving to the vicinity of the free-throw line, at which point Jordan was already half a body length behind Kobe.

It was at this moment that Kobe prepared to dunk, but the basketball inexplicably appeared in Jordan's hands.

"this..."

Kobe was completely stunned when he watched the replay.

After Jordan fell behind by half a body length, he leaned on Kobe, turned around, and then stole the ball.

Just then, Jordan passed by Kobe on his way back on defense.

"I told you, you're still far from good enough!"

"Humph!"

Kobe snorted coldly and didn't say anything; he had indeed lost that round.

But that doesn't mean anything. The competition has just begun, and it's too early to say anything. It's still uncertain who will win in the end.

The Mavericks are currently trailing 0-4.

The Mavericks launched another attack. Nash dribbled the ball up the court and saw Kobe asking for the ball again. After thinking for a moment, Nash finally passed the ball to him.

This time, Kobe didn't choose to go one-on-one with Jordan, but instead called on Shawn Bradley to set a screen for him.

If we were to say which of the five Bulls players on the court could be the weak point, it would probably be the Bulls' center, Luke Longley.

After the pick and roll, a mismatch defense was created.

The person in front of Kobe had become Luke Longley.

As centers, poor footwork is a common weakness for them. Kobe took advantage of Luke's slow footwork to drive straight to the basket and finish with a layup.

The Mavericks are still down by 2 points, 2-4.

Turning back, the Bulls went on offense.

After two consecutive offensive possessions, Jordan didn't press the issue further and instead obediently started running the plays.

Although Jordan no longer actively sought the ball, this does not mean that Jordan was no longer a threat.

Therefore, Kobe still followed Jordan closely.

After the top leader finished his turn, it was naturally the second-in-command's turn.

Pippen held his position and called for the ball in the low post.

Upon seeing this, Ron Harper immediately passed the ball to Pippen without hesitation.

After receiving the ball, Pippen took a deep breath and began to back down Peja.

Although Peja was taller than him, Peja was skinny like a monkey in his rookie season and was no match for Pippen in terms of strength.

Pippen tried to push back twice, but he didn't feel any resistance from behind.

boom!

Pippen tensed his body, exerted force with his shoulders, and slammed violently backward.

"hiss!"

Just from the impact, Peja felt like his whole body was about to fall apart, but he still gritted his teeth and leaned in again.

Once Pippen realized Peja's strength, he immediately dribbled the ball like a bulldozer towards the inside.

After reaching the three-second zone, Pippen used a fake to shake off Peja and then launched a floater.

The arc of that shot was perfect; Pippen knew he had it as soon as he released it.

At this moment, he had already struck a celebratory pose.

But, the next second.

Snapped!

Just as the basketball was about to reach its highest point, it was slapped out of bounds by a large hand that suddenly appeared.

"Damn it, why is he here?"

When Pippen took the shot, he clearly observed the positions of everyone on the court to make sure no one could interfere before he took the shot.

But Ben appeared in the place he shouldn't have been.

The ball went out of bounds, but the Bulls still had possession.

Ron Harper orchestrated the offense, and after several passes, the ball returned to Pippen's hands.

This time, Pippen chose to attack head-on, and only shot after clearly seeing Ben Wallace's position.

But because of that momentary hesitation, the basketball ruthlessly missed the target.

The reason Ben Wallace didn't choose to help defend was to compete with Rodman for rebounds in the paint.

Ben Wallace used his body to block Rodman, secured the rebound, and then passed it to Nash, initiating a fast break for the Mavericks.

Kobe took the lead and ran in the front, with Jordan close behind.

Nash observed the players' positioning and instead of passing the ball to Kobe, who was making a run down the court, he passed it to Ben Wallace, who was following up.

The latter received the ball and immediately launched a powerful dunk, helping the Mavericks tie the score.

Actually, Ben Wallace's offensive ability is similar to Rodman's, but he is better than Rodman because he has a teammate who can pass the ball.