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

"With 21 seconds left in the game, the Bulls have plenty of time to complete an offensive play, so the game is far from over."

Soon, Zhang Weiping snapped out of his elation at Kobe's three-pointer and offered an objective assessment.

"That's right, Phil Jackson called a timeout. Looks like he's setting up this final attack!"

"In fact, we can foresee that the Bulls' final shot will most likely be given to Jordan to execute."

"I'd like to ask Coach Zhang, is it necessary for the Mavericks to use a fouling tactic to send the Bulls to the free-throw line and take control of the game?"

Sun Zhengping asked the question, and Zhang Weiping shook his head: "I don't think it's necessary."

"The Mavericks are currently in the lead, so there's absolutely no need for them to take any risks."

"A foul means giving points to the Bulls for nothing. If the Bulls make both free throws, the Mavericks will fall behind."

"That would put the pressure back on the Mavericks, so I don't think it's necessary."

The two were engaged in heated analysis in the studio, while the coaches of both sides were making final tactical arrangements at the match venue.

Mavericks bench.

Chen Fang sat in front of everyone and said, "For this last play, the Bulls will definitely give the ball to Michael Jordan, so he is our primary target for defense."

"Besides Michael Jordan, Pippen and Kerr also need to be on guard."

"We focus on defending the inside, and if they set a pick-and-roll, we'll switch players decisively."

"We must hold on for the last ball!"

On the other side, Phil Jackson was also making arrangements for the final attack.

"Michael, you're up for the last shot..."

……

The Bulls' timeout ended quickly, and both teams' players returned to the court.

As Chen Fang predicted, the Bulls brought in Kerr and Toni Kukoc, both capable of three-pointers, to bolster their outside firepower.

Bulls center Luke Longley inbounds the ball from outside the sideline. The Mavericks employ a man-to-man defense strategy, with each player closely guarding the Bulls player they are assigned to defend.

The players from both teams were running around the court like crazy. Jordan used his teammates' movement to get rid of Kobe's defense and prepared to go forward to receive the ball.

However, the Mavericks players made a decisive substitution, with Ben Wallace abandoning his defense against Rodman and sticking close to Jordan to prevent him from receiving the ball.

Jordan had no choice but to retreat to his own half of the court to receive the ball.

Taking advantage of this moment, Kobe immediately switched back with Ben Wallace, as Wallace's speed was no match for Jordan's.

Jordan dribbled at the top of the key, running down the clock. He had absolute confidence in himself; even though he was behind, he believed that he would win in the end.

With 10 seconds left on the clock, Jordan made his move.

He first dribbled to the right to break through, but Kobe stuck close to him, not letting him get past easily.

Jordan then executed a dramatic crossover dribble to move the ball to his left side before pulling up for a jump shot.

Kobe's mind caught up, but his body hadn't reacted yet. His feet tripped over each other, and he could only watch as Jordan made the mid-range shot.

98:99

The Bulls are now up by one point, with only five seconds left for the Mavericks.

Furthermore, the Mavericks have stopped using timeouts to develop their tactics.

They have to serve from the backcourt and decide for themselves how to play this final attack.

"Serve quickly!"

Kobe wasn't frustrated by Jordan's basket; instead, he quickly urged Ben Wallace to inbound the ball.

Upon hearing Kobe's shout, Ben Wallace quickly passed the ball to Kobe.

After receiving the ball, Kobe charged straight up the court like lightning.

"Drip drip!"

As the final buzzer sounded, Kobe launched a long-range three-pointer.

At that moment, it was as if time itself had stopped, and everyone's attention was focused on Kobe's incredible three-pointer from so far away.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the orange basketball flew across half-court and headed straight for the Bulls' basket.

"That shot looks straight at me, could it really be a game-winning shot?"

On CCTV Sports Channel, Sun Zhengping exclaimed in surprise; his heart was in his throat.

Equally nervous was Zhang Weiping, who was too excited to look at the screen.

The basketball flew through the air for several seconds before finally slamming into the rim like a cannonball and bouncing out of bounds.

"What a pity! Just a little bit more, the Mavericks were just a little bit away from winning!"

Sun Zhengping sighed, saying regretfully.

Seeing such an outcome, Zhang Weiping couldn't help but feel regretful, "Yes, we were just a little bit away from winning, but unfortunately, there's no such thing as a 'just a little bit' in competitive sports."

Ultimately, the Mavericks lost to the Bulls at home by a narrow margin of 98-99,1, a very unfortunate defeat.

Although Kobe's final long-range three-pointer couldn't help the Mavericks turn the game around, his never-give-up spirit inspired everyone present.

Jordan even went up to Kobe to hug him, but when he got to Kobe, he was surprised to find that Kobe was crying.

Seeing Kobe with tears streaming down his face, he didn't know what to say to comfort him.

Just then, Kobe looked up at Jordan and said firmly, "Next time, next time we will definitely win."

After saying that, he walked towards the Mavericks' bench without looking back.

Although he lost the game and his five-game winning streak was ended, Chen Fang didn't think it was a big deal.

Ultimately, this was just an ordinary regular season game.

Even a strong team like the Bulls can't guarantee an undefeated record in a long regular season, so Chen Fang can accept defeat.

The most important thing is to find the reasons for failure through the competition and correct them in subsequent competitions.

Seeing Kobe come over, Chen Fang took the initiative to walk up to him, patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "Be strong, this is just a regular season game, we will definitely win the next one."

The Mavericks were very upset that they couldn't hold onto their home win, and they rushed back to the locker room as soon as the game ended.

After the game, Chen Fang gave a brief interview to CCTV Sports and then returned to the locker room.

As soon as Chen Fang entered the locker room, he sensed the low spirits of everyone.

clap clap clap!

While clapping, Chen Fang said, "Why are you all so dejected? It's just a game, is it really that big of a deal?"

"If we lose this game, we can win it back next time."

"And you have to understand that the Bulls are the defending champions, while we are just a young team that has just completed a rebuild."

"We're proud enough that we fought the defending champions to the very end. Guys, as long as we keep this up, we'll definitely win the next time we face the Bulls."

With Chen Fang's encouragement, everyone gradually came to their senses.

Yes, the Bulls are the defending champions, while they are just a team that has just completed a rebuild.

To have achieved this level of performance is something to be truly proud of.

……

At the post-game press conference, Chen Fang also highly praised all the Mavericks players.

All the media reporters were also impressed with the Mavericks.

They anticipated the outcome, but they didn't expect the entire competition to be so dramatic and unpredictable.

Through this game, the Mavericks proved to the outside world that they are not the weak team that experts said they were.

They are a tenacious team, and they truly have the potential to compete with the Bulls and contend for the championship.