Chapter 143 King's Twilight
　　
In front of the television, watching the 34-year-old Jordan, the memories of Chicago Bulls fans were filled with #23 saving the day time and time again.

　　Perhaps Jordan's career was nearing its end, perhaps he could no longer dominate as he did in his youth, perhaps the data he left behind would eventually be surpassed by future generations...

　　But tonight:

　　The king remains, the legend is immortal!

　　At the Zhongzhou Arena, after Iverson dribbled the ball across the half-court line, "the Answer" also showed signs of cramping.

　　Under the hC rules, especially with the defense of this Finals level, shaking off Harper to complete a three-point shot, Ai's physical exertion tonight was equally astonishing.

　　Turning off the air conditioner to play didn't just punish the Bulls' players.

　　Entrusting the outcome of the game to willpower and stamina to bridge the gap in strength between the two sides, Berlin Berger's pre-game thoughts and strategy had no problems.

　　But...

　　"Consumption is relative." In Windsor, North Carolina, Duncan, who had stirred up the league even before entering it, muttered to himself as he stared at the TV screen.

　　On the court, under Harper's high-pressure defense, Iverson was deadlocked this time.

　　Never giving up or being tenacious in spirit, his soon-to-cramp left calf bound Iverson like the Immortal Binding Lock.

　　Well...

　　Reality is sometimes so cold and ruthless and...

　　Askew.

　　Its cold and ruthless side is that even if you put in 110% effort for something, failure will always come.

　　And its askew side is that if the Bulls' #23 didn't fall, then Philadelphia's #23 naturally couldn't fall either.

　　Iverson, who almost made a mistake, made an "unconventional" pass, gritting his teeth and exerting force, passing the ball to Su Feng in a goalkeeper's diving save posture.

　　Because this was a lateral pass, Pippen lunged forward sharply, wanting to intercept the ball.

　　However, Su Feng was faster than Pippen, and after catching the ball with his right hand, Su Feng subconsciously dribbled the ball from behind to the front of his body!

　　If Pippen's misplaced steal failed, then Su Feng's path ahead would be clear.

　　Under Grover's devilish training, Su Feng, who had already pushed open the door to a ball-handling speed of 90, did not hesitate and accelerated directly from the middle!

　　Carrying the hopes of the Philadelphia fans and the rabbits, who says a stacked-armor battle doesn't have a charging monster?

　　In the Bulls' restricted area, Rodman prepared to "assassinate" Su Feng from the side.

　　However, just as Su Feng was ready to face Rodman head-on, Rodman stopped at the last moment for some unknown reason...

　　Inside, after switching to a left-handed layup and scoring the ball, 80 to 93, Su Feng...

　　Had already become the most annoying guy on the "Old Rogue's" team's path to reverse the situation.

　　No matter how legendary Jordan's story was, and no matter how shocking his performance was tonight, for Su Feng, grasping the opportunities he could grasp was his mission.

　　Turning around, it was the Bulls' turn to attack.

　　Jordan, whose waist and leg strength were about to reach their limit, failed to score under Su Feng's interference...

　　Clang!

　　…

　　The result of a miracle may be amazing, but in the process of creating a miracle, there are not so many magnificent scenes.

　　From the perspective of the game, Game 3 still can't be called very good.

　　In the fourth quarter, Jordan, who came on early, still couldn't escape the fate of cramping, and after receiving treatment and returning to the court, how many king's returns are there?

　　There were only the lonely backs of the king and the young people who persevered to the end.

　　In the end, 94 to 104, the 76ers took the Tianwang Mountain!

　　In this era when the first round of the playoffs only had 5 games, they led the series 2 to 1!

　　The scene of the two teams' #23s lying down on opposite halves of the court at the end of the game was destined to be repeatedly mentioned in the future.

　　This night, Jordan, who scored 52 points, failed to lead the team to reverse the situation, and on the Bulls' bench, "Zen Master's" soaked shirt contained a pessimistic heart.

　　Because what he needed to consider was no longer whether the Bulls would have the stamina to deal with those powerhouses next, but...

　　The next game would still be played at the 76ers' home court.

　　Whether it was the Black Eight or the Black Bulls' Eight, believe it or not, in the early summer of 1997, as long as the 76ers won another game, they could send the Bulls home and let Jordan start his vacation early.

　　The Zhongzhou Arena, which was like a "scorching hell," undoubtedly accelerated the Bulls players' physical exhaustion on this night.

　　But in "Zen Master's" opinion, the real reason for the Bulls' loss was...

　　The "passivity" that he could not change in this series no matter what.

　　In Game 1, the 76ers played a perfect "comeback" through a combination of breakthroughs and shots, plus rebounds.

　　In Game 2, Jackson made a change. After Pippen entered the inside, the Bulls laughed last with their superior defense.

　　And in Game 3, after the 76ers madly threw 44 three-pointers, the Bulls' pseudo-zone defense was not as effective as before.

　　Look, in this series, "Zen Master" was always forced to make adjustments.

　　Because Davis on the opposite side seemed to be able to foresee the future and could always see through Jackson's intentions.

　　"Huff—!"

　　After taking a deep breath, the calmed-down "Zen Master" knew that it was not time to be pessimistic yet.

　　The situation of being 1 to 2 behind was difficult, but for this Bulls team, what big storms hadn't they seen?

　　In short, as long as they could win the next Game 4 and bring this series back to Chicago, the Bulls could regain control of their fate.

　　In the Zhongzhou Arena, when the fourth-quarter timer reached zero, it had become a sea of ​​joy.

　　Many excited male fans took off their shirts, bared their torsos, and poured ice cola over each other's heads.

　　Pat Krauss, who had mingled in the crowd for a while, felt like he was a chosen one.

　　Because it was his suggestion last summer that led the 76ers to make the decision to trade Coleman and choose Su Feng at the last moment.

　　Perhaps Krauss was previously seen as a fake fan by others, but at this moment, for the fans, he was the smartest decision-maker!

　　"Hey, buddy, aren't you going to join in the fun?" Krauss, who had taken off his suit and shirt, said excitedly to Berlin Berger.

　　Berlin Berger, the other decision-maker of the 76ers, who originally had an idea to share with Krauss, quickly took two steps back.

　　"Pat... we just won a playoff game." Berlin Berger, who understood basketball, knew that it was far from time to celebrate.

　　To be honest, in this game, there were a few moments when Berlin Berger almost thought the Bulls were going to turn the game around.

　　"But, we defeated the Bulls, we are leading 2 to 1, and the next game is still our home game!" Krauss shouted madly.

　　"Listen to me, Pat, you don't think that the next game is still our home game, so we just have to turn off the air conditioner again and then grit our teeth and persevere like we did in this game, and we can Black Eight, right?" Berlin Berger patted Krauss on the shoulder and smiled.

　　Krauss scratched his head and looked at Berlin Berger with a "isn't that how it is" expression.

　　"First of all, I have to tell you... we have to turn on the air conditioner for the next game." Berlin Berger said with a wry smile.

　　"Why?" Krauss said indignantly.

　　In Krauss's opinion, what's with turning on the air conditioner when men are playing basketball?

　　"Pat, do you know why 'Red Bishop' chose to turn off the air conditioner in Game 5 of the Finals in 1984?" Berlin Berger asked.

　　Krauss shook his head.

　　"Because... the league will intervene in this kind of thing." Berlin Berger sighed.

　　Before deciding to use the ultimate move of turning off the air conditioner before the game, Berlin Berger knew that after Game 3, the Bulls would definitely express their dissatisfaction to the league.

　　There is no absolute fairness in basketball games, and the 76ers players were also playing in the same environment tonight.

　　But Stern would not let the 76ers keep using this ultimate move.

　　In 1984, Auerbach chose to turn off the air conditioner in Game 5 of the Finals for this reason, and in the future, after the Spurs used this trick, their air conditioner was repaired for the next game, also for this reason.

　　The league won't interfere with things like loosening the rim and increasing the size of the net, but on the matter of air conditioning, that shrewd Jewish old man will definitely urge the 76ers to repair the air conditioner before the next game.

　　Therefore, Berlin Berger chose to use this ultimate move in Game 3, this crucial battle.

　　And before using this ultimate move, Berlin Berger also discussed the feasibility with team coach Davis.

　　"Turn off the air conditioner to play? To be honest... I think only one person between the Bulls and us is likely to persevere." Davis said after listening to Berlin Berger's suggestion.

　　"Who?" Berlin Berger asked curiously.

　　"Su!" Davis said firmly.

　　Facts have proved that Davis's judgment was correct from the results and process of the game.

　　And it was precisely because of Davis's judgment that Berlin Berger was so decisive in using this ultimate move.

　　"Okay... but, don't we have other ways?" Looking at Berlin Berger, Krauss asked.

　　"Of course there are... the air conditioner will definitely be repaired, but Pat, before the final conclusion is made in this series, I think we, as the team's managers, must be more rational." Berlin Berger said.

　　Krauss smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, I'll listen to you on everything about basketball."

　　Looking at the innocent-looking Krauss, the corners of Berlin Berger's mouth raised slightly, and he planned to discuss his idea with Krauss after this series was over.

　　…

　　Won!

　　It's really 2 to 1!

　　After the game, Su Feng, who was carried back to the locker room by his teammates, felt like he was about to "die."

　　Seriously, Jordan is just so outrageous!

　　Without a doubt, Kobe saved Su Feng once again on this night.

　　Because whenever Su Feng couldn't hold on, as long as he recalled those scenes of Kobe beating him back then, Su Feng would be full of energy.

　　Ah! Damn Lakers benchwarmer, did you see that?

　　We're leading the Bulls 2 to 1!

　　After regaining some strength, Su Feng really wanted to call Kobe, but his hands were shaking so he thought it was better to forget it.

　　After all, 2 to 1 doesn't mean that the 76ers have advanced to the next round.

　　Before truly winning this series, Su Feng didn't want to set up any random fLAgs.

　　But then again, Berlin Berger, this decision-maker, was also a ruthless person in Su Feng's eyes.

　　Because how could an ordinary decision-maker come up with this kind of "Seven Injury Fist" out-of-bounds move?

　　It's just a pity that Su Feng knew that the 76ers would have to turn on the air conditioner for the next game even if they didn't want to.

　　Alas, Su Feng suddenly had a feeling that he had been nerfed by the designer when he thought that he would have to go back to the "normal map" to play in the next game.

　　Forget it...

　　Su Feng was already very satisfied to be able to win this game.

　　You can't be too greedy, at least with a 2 to 1 lead, the balance of this series has already tilted towards the 76ers.

　　Speaking of which, after the game, while resting in the locker room, Su Feng and his teammates also paid attention to the results of several other playoff games.

　　As in Su Feng's memory, although Hill could go to heaven and earth at this time, in this series between the Pistons and the Hawks, the Pistons were always at a disadvantage.

　　In a situation where they were 0 to 2 behind the Hawks, in Game 3, relying on the outburst of Lynch Hunter and Weatherspoon, the Pistons managed to defend their home court and avoid being swept out.

　　On the other side, the "pseudo-strong team" Knicks easily eliminated the Hornets 3 to 0.

　　After this series, Van Gundy himself was dumbfounded.

　　Because he had originally prepared to treat this series as the Finals.

　　The Hornets won only one game less than the Knicks in the regular season, and they were also the other nemesis of the 76ers among the Eastern Conference playoff teams besides the Hawks.

　　Therefore, using the 76ers as a reference, Van Gundy felt that the Knicks would definitely play five games with the Hornets in this series!

　　However, the rock-paper-scissors league is so interesting.

　　In Su Feng's previous life, the Hornets with Divac couldn't do anything about this Knicks team, and this time they replaced it with Coleman, so they couldn't deal with the Knicks even more.

　　What's the difference between fighting a positional battle with this Knicks team and looking for death?

　　The 76ers can restrain the Knicks by relying on Iverson and speeding up, as well as Van Gundy's elusive offensive routines, but these advantages are precisely what this Hornets team does not have.

　　Bogues is just a support after all, he can't do output, then the Hornets' backcourt can't threaten Van Gundy's two own sons.

　　And the Knicks' frontcourt can even gain the upper hand in the competition with the Hornets' frontcourt, so the rest is to hand the game over to Ewing and let Ewing hammer them.

　　And it is worth mentioning that, in addition to the Bulls being dragged into a bitter battle by the 76ers, on the other side, the Heat were also made quite annoyed by the Magic.

　　In Su Feng's previous life, this series would have to be played to five games to determine the winner, and this time the situation was different because of Su Feng's appearance...

　　Hardaway went crazy!

　　This guy has completely abandoned his future!

　　Counting the regular season and the playoffs, Penny has played six consecutive games with painkillers.

　　With Penny playing with injuries, the entire Magic team is high-spirited, and as for the Heat, who had just experienced a wave of "devil training" before the start of this playoff series, their performance was poor, and they are currently behind the Magic 1 to 2 in the series.

　　For a time, the results of the first three games of the series between the Magic and the Heat, as well as the 76ers and the Bulls, shocked all the experts.

　　Because...

　　It is very likely that a Black Seven and a Black Eight will appear in the NBA at the same time this season!

　　"If I remember correctly, in my memory, although the Heat and the Magic also played 5 games, after the third game, the Heat should be leading 2 to 1?" Su Feng thought silently.

　　Now, the East has completely become a mess,

　　The Bulls and the Heat may be eliminated in the next game, but the Knicks, who are recognized as a "pseudo-strong team," are winning the easiest.

　　As for the duel between the Pistons and the Hawks, although Su Feng likes Hill very much, he knows very well that Mutombo is too much of a restraint for players like Hill and Iverson.

　　And the thought of having to play the Hawks in the second round once he gets past the first round makes Su Feng feel very...

　　"I spit! We're only leading 2 to 1, and I'm already fantasizing about the next round.

　　No, I have to call Tracy later!"

　　Su Feng felt that thermal expansion and contraction made sense, and he had obviously expanded after Game 3.

　　And as a "steady" player, Su Feng knew very well that before he had truly eliminated the Bulls, the 76ers would always be the disadvantaged side in this series.

　　Just like that, after stabilizing his mentality, Su Feng also took the opportunity to observe the situation on the West side.

　　As in Su Feng's memory, the Jazz, Lakers, and Rockets did not encounter too much trouble in the first round, but the SuperSonics and the Suns were fighting very closely.

　　After today's games, the Jazz have eliminated the Clippers 3 to 0, and the Rockets have also eliminated the Timberwolves 3 to 0, while the Lakers are leading the Trail Blazers 2 to 1.

　　Speaking of which, in the third game between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers, Su Feng's good friend Kobe also scored a new single-game high of 24 points in his personal playoff career.

　　Although this game ended with the Lakers' loss, the sudden explosion of Kobe made the entire Lakers team see hope.

　　In Su Feng's previous life, Kobe would have scored 22 points in this game, and the reason for scoring 2 more points this time was:

　　When O'Neal was infinitely double-teamed, O'Neal, who didn't want to be sent to the free-throw line again, repeatedly signaled to Kobe to go one-on-one himself.

　　So, after experiencing this feeling of unlimited one-on-one, Kobe felt that he could slightly understand some of Su Feng's feelings.

　　This feeling of shooting and enjoying it all the time... is simply unforgettable.

　　In addition, these 24 points that Kobe scored also allowed him to surpass Su Feng in single-game playoff scoring.

　　Because Su Feng's current highest single-game playoff score was scored in the just-concluded Game 3, in Game 3, Su Feng scored a total of 23 points.

　　And originally, Kobe also wanted to share this one-on-one experience with Su Feng, but after seeing that the 76ers had won Game 3 against the Bulls, Kobe silently turned off his phone.

　　In order to avoid Su Feng sharing his joy with him, Kobe decided that he must stay away from his phone until the 76ers were reversed by the Bulls.

　　Obviously, Kobe, who refused to be stabbed in the heart, is getting smarter and smarter...

　　…

　　ps: 5000-word chapter delivered! Ashy is very happy to see you all discussing the plot~! Well, after this plot is finished, I will reveal the foreshadowing and layout to you one by one! Continue to beg for monthly tickets! Next update, Ashy gkd (gkd = hurry up).