Compared to the second half of the first quarter, Jordan became even more vicious and never stopped talking.
Every time Jordan made a successful defense or scored a goal, he would talk trash and stimulate Zhang Hao crazily.
This made Zhang Hao's brain explode. He couldn't concentrate at all and the game got worse and worse. He finally had two shooting opportunities, but he missed both. One time, he received the ball and it was directly intercepted by Jordan.
Not only him, the whole Nets team suffered. Charles couldn't even take care of any of his teammates. They could score as many goals as they could. The smooth tactical execution in the first two games against the Hornets was gone after the Bulls made this substitution!
At 10 minutes and 11 seconds, the Bulls counterattacked with the help of Jordan's pressure defense and stole the ball from Charles. After Ron Harper's cut-in dunk, the Bulls made a 14-5 run in the past 5 minutes and led the Nets by 8 points with 43-35. The Nets called a timeout!
Zhang Hao was replaced again.
Randy Whitman couldn't say he was disappointed. Zhang Hao was still working hard on the court, running, grabbing rebounds, and also trying hard on the defensive end.
But the opponent is too strong!
Randy Whitman feels more regretful and is looking forward to a rookie's breakthrough. He definitely has this idea because he really thinks Zhang Hao is a genius.
At the end of the first half, the Bulls led the Nets by 11 points, 50-39, and went into the halftime break.
When Zhang Hao returned to the locker room, he felt dead silence.
Dignity, confidence, drive...all positive emotions were crushed by the Bulls!
Zhang Hao tried hard to calm himself down, and actually found a way to calm himself down - this was only his third game, and it was a preseason game.
“Isn’t this the real cruelty of the NBA arena?”
Zhang Hao thought about it and realized that the Hornets, their opponent in the past two games, were really completely different from the Bulls.
Perhaps this is the qualitative difference between the super teams that emerged from the late 1980s and early 1990s and ordinary teams like the Hornets.
It's not just about strength, but also about the style of playing, doing things and speaking.
The Hornets have Dell Curry and Glen Rice, who are both friendly. Larry Johnson has a hot temper but is loyal. The Bulls are just thugs!
Zhang Hao felt that the adjectives Kenny Anderson used to describe the Bulls players before the game were absolutely correct: they were just a bunch of villains!
Thinking about what happened to the Brooklyn Nets in the first half of tonight’s game, Zhang Hao suddenly understood: “Jordan wanted to show their strength and make all opponents lose the idea of ​​being their enemy.
He doesn't even let go of a weak team like ours.
His goal may be to defeat all opponents, any opponents, everything...all of them!"
Every dynasty team has its own characteristics. Zhang Hao felt the characteristics of the Bulls in his first match against them.
overbearing!
Unreasonable tyranny!
Zhang Hao felt powerless about playing basketball...
What is the scariest thing?
He knew the other party was going to do that, but he was powerless to resist.
They even lost the desire to resist.
I feel humiliated and frustrated from the bottom of my heart.
Zhang Hao felt this emotion from his teammates, including Kenny Anderson.
Kenny Anderson has also been playing for several years and even played against Jordan, who won three consecutive championships, but he was still beaten to the point of collapse.
It's just a preseason game, but the Bulls have already started their dominance.
Although they are currently losing by 11 points, they have lost any desire to win. The Bulls used half the game to crush their desire to win that they had worked so hard to build up.
Zhang Hao didn't analyze everything so clearly, but he had a feeling that if he didn't do something today, they would collapse! They were going to collapse at the beginning of the preseason!
Something must be done! Something must be done!
Just after Zhang Hao had this idea, subtitles suddenly appeared!
"Specially signed player Zhang Hao was targeted by Michael Jordan during the game and tried to fight back. The mission: Dancing with God was triggered."
"Dancing with God:
Goal: Under the host's guidance, in the second half of this game, Zhang Hao must score higher than Michael Jordan when they are on the court at the same time.
Reward: Lifespan 60 days.
Advanced Reward: If Zhang Hao takes the initiative to provoke Michael Jordan during the game, and makes him aware of the target of the confrontation, and completes the mission goal, he will be awarded the Bronze Medal: King of Turnaround Jump Shot. "
"Fuck you!"
Zhang Hao’s first reaction when he saw the task description was to curse!
The rewards are so generous! But is this a task that humans can accomplish?
This time, Zhang Hao was completely sober. All the depression, tension, frustration... were gone.
Zhang Hao stood up and paced back and forth. Everyone in the locker room focused their attention on him. His teammates couldn't understand the sound of his swearing just now, but they could feel his emotion, even though it was not because of the game.
"Axl, are you okay?" Kenny Anderson asked worriedly, "It's okay, it's just a preseason game. The opponent is that man. What happened to you... don't worry about it."
Kenny Anderson didn't know how to comfort himself. It was so miserable to play against Jordan. He could only figure it out on his own.
Zhang Hao looked at Kenny Anderson and understood his thoughts. At this moment, he really figured it out... He had nothing to lose, and this mission actually reminded him!
“Kenny,” Zhang Hao said after a two-second pause, “Let’s think of a way to make that guy unhappy!”
"?" Kenny Anderson didn't react. After his brain received the message, he asked, "What can we do to make him unhappy?"
"It's because we have nothing," Zhang Hao said, with an attitude of being barefoot and not afraid of wearing shoes: "Chris, Vaughn, PJ, Almon... and Jason, all of you come here, I have an idea, I wonder if you dare to do it..."
How can a man say he doesn't dare?
Seeing this, Zhang Hao organized his words and said to his teammates who had gathered around him: "Well, let's do this and that... this and that..."
…
It is very difficult to win. Zhang Hao has already felt it. The Bulls want to win every game this season. And they don't just want to win, they are prepared to do so. Moreover, Zhang Hao knows that the Bulls have really won almost all the games. In the original time and space, the Bulls played a total of 100 games in the regular season and playoffs in one season, won 87 games and lost only 13 games!
Even though the Nets led the Bulls for a while in the first half, Zhang Hao now understands that it was just a part of the Bulls' attempt to completely crush their desire to survive.
Because simply defeating them cleanly and neatly would not have the desired effect, this terrible team was not satisfied with that.
It's almost impossible for them to win.
Then you don't have to worry about it so much, as the mission objective doesn't require winning.
60 days of life, and a medal... This task is very difficult, but we must try our best to complete it!
At the end of the halftime break, Kenny Anderson's expression was filled with complicated inner thoughts. He came to Butch Baird and Randy Whitman and told them Zhang Hao's idea, but he was just telling them the solution he had thought of.
After hearing what Kenny Anderson said, Randy Whitman was surprised and didn't say anything. Butch Baird nodded at Kenny Anderson to show his agreement.
After getting the response, Kenny Anderson excitedly went back to continue discussing with his teammates.
Randy Whitman managed to say at this time: "The players today... are completely different from us back then."
"Yeah, I didn't expect to be able to adjust my mood this way. It seems we can't think of a better way."
The two of them just now had no idea how to solve the current problem. They didn't even know how to help the players adjust their emotions. If the solution could be so easily thought of, there wouldn't have been so many teams destroyed by the Bulls in those years.
Michael Jordan is indeed one of the worst players in NBA history, but he is also one of the people who stood out from that worst era.
The two almost hated the Bulls by the end of the half. They naively expected to be defeated by the Bulls. The feeling of losing something made them very unhappy, especially expecting such a thing.
The players under their command finally had the desire to work hard to win, but they ended up meeting such a bad team.
In fact, the most important thing is the strength of the Bulls, which is far beyond the imagination of the two. They thought Jordan was old, but who knew that Jordan seemed to have become stronger than before! That mid-range shot was simply invincible.
Zhang Hao’s mid-range shot is very good, but Jordan’s mid-range shot in a one-on-one situation is more accurate than Zhang Hao’s mid-range shot after catching the ball!
At this time, when Kenny Anderson came to find them, they didn't think Kenny Anderson could come up with any good solution. The gap in strength was so big that it couldn't be made up by thinking of a solution. If Coleman was still there, there might be some solution...
But Kenny Anderson really came up with a solution!
It’s not that Kenny Anderson’s method can help the team win, but it can prevent the team’s faith from collapsing. The players came up with a way to vent the negative emotions in their hearts.
The deadlock was solved.
Although, this method is a bit shameless...
…
After the half-time break, players from both teams returned to the court. In Randy Whitman's offensive arrangement, Zhang Hao became the main attacking point.
No one competed with Zhang Hao, not even Kenny Anderson or Gilliam .
Looking at the enthusiastic Zhang Hao, Kenny Anderson was sure that this was a troublemaker who always loved to be in the limelight. Anyway, Kenny didn't want to be in the limelight. If he was targeted by Jordan, he would be in trouble in the next match. As for whether Zhang Hao would be in trouble...
"Young people need more practice. Come on!"
Kenny Anderson cheered for Zhang Hao in his heart.
Indeed, by changing the goal, the Nets players who were about to play felt motivated again, although this goal was a bit special.
On the other side, Jordan, who thought he had defeated the opponent, was surprised to see the Nets players gathered together and actively discussing after entering the court!
After the loss in the playoffs last season, there were many comments saying that Jordan's comeback was a mistake and that he would ruin his perfect retirement.
Based on their performance in last season's playoffs, even if the Bulls brought in Rodman, they would only be considered the "favorite to win the championship" rather than the "biggest favorite."
After Olajuwon won two consecutive championships, many people felt that he had a chance to surpass Jordan and become the best superstar in active basketball. As long as Olajuwon won the championship in the following season and completed three consecutive championships, he would be able to compete with Jordan for the position of the best player in active basketball.
Olajuwon averaged 33 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.8 blocks in 22 playoff games last season, leading his team to win the championship as the sixth in the Western Conference and sweeping O'Neal, a strong contender for the No. 1 center, in the finals. It really seems like he is going to come from behind.
The Magic with O'Neal and Anfernee Hardaway, the Pacers with Reggie Miller...public opinion is not so optimistic about Jordan winning the championship again.
In this situation, Jordan was always holding back his anger and constantly spurring his teammates on. They would not let up in any game as they did not want to lose any game.
Tonight, Jordan is interested, so he is ready to play. His interest is the interest of everyone on the Bulls, and they all play with him.
Jordan thought he had broken the faith of the Nets players.
He felt that the performance in the first half of such a weak team would be enough to make the opponent lose the fighting spirit when they meet them, at least for the next season.
Especially the rookie, he was in a trance in the first half.
But now, the players on the opposing team seem to be actively discussing how to play in the second half!
This made Jordan admire him a little more.
I just admire you. It's impossible for every NBA player to be a star. There are many players who work very hard and keep working hard but can never become stars.
But do players who can't become stars become unimportant? Obviously not. Jordan, who was struggling in the 1980s, knew the importance of every player on the team.
It is important whether you work hard and whether you can persist.
Jordan felt that these two points were worthy of his admiration.
Although his strength was different, he persisted under the pressure of the Pistons and overcame that mountain.
But how long can the opponent's bottom team hold out? Anyway, Jordan is ready to beat this bottom team in the preseason so that they dare not even think about defeating the Bulls.
What needed to be done had been done in the first half. With Jordan's experience, there was no need to play around from then on. He could just go for it and end the game, and the opponent would be completely defeated.
As for the mentality of the opposing players, whether their future careers will be affected by this...what does it have to do with him?
…
The second half of the game started immediately, and the Nets sent out the most athletic lineup of Kenny Anderson, Graham, Zhang Hao, Jason Williams and PJ Brown.
The Bulls sent out the starting lineup, which consisted of Ron Harper, Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, and Longley.
The others were fine, but the word "arrogant" was written directly on Rodman's face. Tonight, Jordan kept talking trash to Zhang Hao, but Rodman was always the loudest one on the court.
Next it is time to defeat the Nets in one fell swoop. The most important thing, of course, is to make the shot. The second most important thing is defense, and Rodman will be one of the protagonists in these two aspects. There will naturally be misses in shooting, even for Jordan. Jordan is the current scoring champion, but at the same time, Jordan is also the current miss king. When there are misses, there is room for Rodman, the current strongest rebounding expert, to play.
Not to mention the defensive end, Rodman, a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, is the best defensive forward in the league today and won the All-Defensive Award last season.
Sure enough, after the game started, Rodman had a chance to perform. After the ball was passed from Ron Harper to Jordan, seeing Jordan's position, Rodman immediately prepared to grab the rebound.
Rodman is best at judging where the ball might land based on the position of the player taking the shot. In this ability, he is unique in the entire NBA history!
Jordan's first shot in the second half missed, and was too crooked. Fortunately, Rodman judged the position and had a strong ability to circumvent the defense, and he snatched the ball in front of Jason Williams, who had top rebounding ability.
After grabbing the ball, Rodman's first goal was not to attack again, but to find a teammate who had a chance to pass the ball. He averaged more than 2 assists per game in the past few years, which was quite good. But when he grabbed the rebound, he was a little confused. Jordan, who had been invincible against Zhang Hao before, how could he be so crooked this time? After grabbing the rebound, when he looked at his first pass target, Jordan, he immediately understood.
Surrounding Jordan are Zhang Hao, Graham and PJ Brown!
Just now, after Jordan helped Pippen with the pick-and-roll, Pippen just passed the ball to Jordan and Graham rushed over to double-team him. Jordan was naturally not afraid of facing two opponents alone, but just when he was ready to jump for the shot, P.J. Brown left Longley open and double-teamed him.
Without space to back up, Jordan had to jump and shoot. At this time, although Zhang Hao was not as strong or as heavy as Jordan, his static strength was only slightly lower than Jordan's. He could hold up his lower body very well, and P.J. Brown, a man with good physical fitness who was ready to defend, intercepted him in the air. The key point was that Jordan did not expect the opponent to defend like this, and he was rarely panicked when shooting, and the shot was ridiculous!
Rodman immediately passed the ball to Longley who was in an open position and Longley took a step and made a layup.
The Nets' defense was terrible as they were forced to catch the ball and make a layup on the second offense. However, Jason Williams picked up the ball and passed it to Kenny Anderson without any hesitation.
All these things were done within two or three seconds. When the ball was served, Zhang Hao had already started a fast break!
Jordan was confused by the three-man trap, but he reacted quickly and rushed to the other half of the court with Zhang Hao... so fast!
Jordan found that Zhang Hao was faster than before!
Jordan chased after him desperately, Zhang Hao stopped suddenly after receiving the ball, and Jordan rushed over his head!
Zhang Hao didn't hesitate, grabbed the ball and shot a long two-pointer...
Finally... got in!
Finally a goal in open play!
In the first half, Zhang Hao only scored two points from free throws, and none of the other six shots hit the target. Finally, at the beginning of the second half, Zhang Hao scored in a running game!
At this time, Jordan had not yet reacted to what had happened in the past 7 seconds. The opponent's actions in the first round of the second half left him confused.
But he immediately knew what the other party was going to do.
"Mr. Jordan, it's my turn now.
We're all going to come at you and you're going to keep scoring?"
Zhang Hao said this expressionlessly and immediately turned around to retreat.
The subtitle prompt has come, he has told Jordan what they are going to do, and now it depends on whether Jordan will accept it or not.
But Zhang Hao knew what Jordan would choose without even thinking. After being stunned for a moment after hearing what Zhang Hao said, Jordan smiled.
He laughed!
How could Jordan not know what the rookie on the opposite side wanted to do?
How much did the other team want to beat him? Even if it was just to beat him alone, the whole team was willing to work together.
At this moment, Jordan was not angry. Instead, he quite enjoyed the feeling of the entire opponent team challenging him alone.
Interesting! Very interesting!
Should we let our teammates deal with the rookie on the opposite side in the same way?
Jordan chose not to.
He chose to defend Zhang Hao alone, and then challenge the opponent alone.
He thought this was fair to the rookie on the opposing team.
This is what Jordan considers fair.