Chapter 176 The Aftermath of G3

After the 76ers narrowly won Game 3...

Just as Berlin Berger had predicted, after the game, at the press conference, Harper, who attended with the "Zen Master," said in an interview:

"I hope the 76ers can fix their home court's air conditioning as soon as possible.

Because you know, I'm already 32 years old this year.

I'm not Michael. Playing such high-intensity games in this environment, I'm worried I won't be able to walk out alive after the next game."

If the Chicago media and Bulls fans felt like they had drunk bitter coffee after losing Game 3, Harper's slightly humorous interview at the press conference undoubtedly diluted some of that bitterness.

A dynasty team is a dynasty team.

The way they handle losing is definitely worth learning for many teams.

After the game, the "Zen Master" didn't bring Jordan or Pippen to the press conference.

The reason he chose Harper was simple: some things just can't be said by Jordan and Pippen.

And as an excellent tool, Harper naturally knew what the "Zen Master" meant.

First of all, no matter what the process of this game was, the result was that the Bulls lost. There was no way to recover from that.

So, instead of complaining, it's more direct to "protest."

Of course, the scale of this "protest" must also be well controlled.

Because even though the 76ers' behavior of turning off the air conditioning in Game 3 was very unscrupulous...

If the Bulls were led by Jordan and Pippen to "protest" after the game, it would definitely attract countless accusations from "Jordan haters" and "Bulls haters."

After all, the environment of the game is relative. The Bulls are afraid of the heat, so is it comfortable for the 76ers?

Having Harper, who has a certain amount of experience, "protest" in a joking tone is where the Bulls' high EQ lies.

There was no bitter, complaining tone, but rather it highlighted the Bulls' fighting spirit in Game 3.

Then, through a joking tone, through linguistic suggestion, the focus of attention was drawn to the "old rogue" who was able to score 52 points in that environment, reaping a wave of sympathy from neutral fans...

The NBA world, is it really that simple?

It was obvious that Stern was very satisfied with the Bulls' post-game marketing.

Because the 76ers soon received a notice from the league, telling them to hurry up and fix the air conditioning.

Speaking of which, the ratings and attention for this year's Bulls-76ers series have already exceeded Stern's expectations.

Perhaps the only thing that made Stern feel uncomfortable was that the NBA's first-round playoffs only had 5 games, and this great battle between the Bulls and the 76ers was not played in the Eastern Conference Finals.

To say that a series with so much talk, enough to write a novel about, would only have 5 games to end, how could Stern tolerate that?

Su Feng, who was returning to the factory for repairs, never dreamed that this series between the 76ers and the Bulls would completely change the format of the NBA playoff first-round games in the near future.

……

The Game 4 between the 76ers and the Bulls will be played on May 2nd, and both teams only have one day of rest.

After Game 3, through a successful post-game marketing campaign, the Bulls immediately made the 76ers the "villains."

Su Feng had no time to pay attention to those pen warriors who were criticizing the 76ers, because in the absence of a keyboard, Su Feng felt that arguing was too disadvantageous.

There were also many people in the public speaking up for the 76ers, but it was nothing more than...

Auerbach, come out and take a beating!

Poor "Red Auerbach," it's bad enough that you won't be able to draw Duncan, the SSR, in a while, but now you have to lie down and take the blame for the 76ers. Won't that let the old man enjoy his retirement life happily?

And it's worth mentioning that on the afternoon of the 1st, when the team was doing recovery training...

Davis found that, apart from Su Feng, the physical recovery of the other 76ers players was very poor.

Obviously, the intensity of Game 3 had far exceeded what a normal playoff game should have.

With only one day of rest, even Su Feng could only be said to be in better physical condition than the average person.

However, under Su Feng's suggestion, Davis quickly reacted.

Since the young 76ers hadn't recovered, then the Bulls must be recovering even worse than them.

In Su Feng's view, if the 76ers could perform as well as they did in Game 3, then the possibility of them eliminating the Bulls with a score of 3-1 was as high as 60%.

Ahem, it's not that Su Feng is inflating.

Because if it weren't for his fear of that "old rogue" and his respect for this Bulls team...

In Su Feng's opinion, the probability of the 76ers eliminating the Bulls with a score of 3-1 was even close to 90%.

Su Feng has a simple reason for having such confidence:

Time is the biggest enemy of this Bulls team right now.

Assuming this Bulls team has an overall rating of 100, and the 76ers are 85, then because their playing style is restrictive, the Bulls can only exert a maximum of 90 against the 76ers.

And after Game 3, the severely depleted 76ers can only be considered to have a rating of 75, but the Bulls opposite them may not even have a rating of 70...

This season, in the regular season, the price the Bulls paid to maintain their position as the league's number one team was even greater than in Su Feng's previous life.

With this ebb and flow, for the 76ers, Game 4 is undoubtedly their best opportunity to create a miracle.

And although he didn't know why Rodman gave up elbowing him in the fourth quarter of Game 3, Su Feng still reminded Iverson as a precaution.

"Okay, don't worry, Su, I'm not the kind of fool who can't protect himself." Iverson smiled and elbowed Su Feng.

"......"

Allen, do you know that it's because you were such a "fool" in my previous life that I specifically reminded you.

In this series, Iverson is the most important output point on the 76ers' side.

If he loses this DPS, where will the 76ers find the twenty or thirty points of output to make up for it?

After Iverson assured him again and again, Su Feng still didn't think it was safe enough.

"Ben, in the next game, protecting Allen is your task! Understand?" During a break in training, Su Feng found Big Ben.

Big Ben nodded, "Leave it to me, if Dennis dares to do anything bad to Allen, I will definitely punch him into retirement."

Looking at Big Ben's fist, which was bigger than a casserole, Su Feng finally felt relieved.

And just as the 76ers were doing recovery training, on the other side, the Bulls players who were doing recovery training at the 76ers' old stadium were finally alive.

Oh, that damn air conditioning!

For the loss in Game 3, the "Zen Master" had already come up with a solution, but as Su Feng had expected, the problem facing Jackson at this moment was no longer tactics.

The physical recovery of the entire Bulls team was more than just bad.

Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, Harper and other major players were already exhausted after doing some shooting practice.

The "Zen Master" knew that the Bulls needed to get more players involved in the rotation.

No matter how much he liked to run his starters into the ground, in Game 4, the Bulls had to give Jordan and others some rest.

"Our physical condition will definitely be within John's expectations." When discussing tactics with the assistant coaches, Jackson emphasized.

John Davis, what kind of god are you?

In all his years of coaching, Jackson had never encountered such a shrewd opponent.

He not only understands his coaching habits, but also can deduce his next tactical policy based on some of his habits.

Jackson thought Davis was just outrageous.

……

"Hmm... Phil Jackson should have these routines to change, right?"

On the evening of the 1st, after training, Su Feng didn't rest.

He took out a notebook he had specially prepared, which contained one thousand and one routines about Phil Jackson, and studied it repeatedly.

As the most devout Jordan fan in the world, Su Feng certainly studied the "Zen Master" in his previous life.

And unlike most keyboard warriors, Su Feng not only studied Jackson's tactical philosophy, he even studied the "Zen Master's" private life and his way of dealing with people.

With the addition of his previous experience in dealing with him in this life, it was not difficult for Su Feng to deduce the Bulls' tactical changes in Game 4.

If Su Feng's estimation was correct, then the Bulls would...

Definitely change their defensive strategy against Iverson in Game 4.

"If you want to limit our three-pointers, you have to limit Iverson, so...'Old Rogue' will definitely suggest that he defends Iverson."

"Harper has been exploded by Iverson for three consecutive games, he is not the best candidate for the Bulls to defend Iverson."

Although in Su Feng's view, Jordan guarding Iverson was also a mismatch, but this was the only change the Bulls could make in desperation.

Su Feng had never doubted the will of "Old Rogue."

Therefore, it was hard to say that Iverson might really be "defended" by Jordan.

Hmm... Jordan doesn't need to completely defend Iverson to death, he just needs to prevent Iverson from easily shooting from the outside.

"So looking at it this way, once the Bulls make such a change, then they are likely to use Harper to defend me, and then let Pippen go inside to protect the penalty area with Rodman."

Ron Harper...

Although Su Feng thought that the above deductions were just his deductions, but for the sake of stability, Su Feng had already asked the assistant coach for the game video from Harper's perspective before the end of training.

Block every path of the Bulls, leaving the Bulls with nowhere to go, this is Su Feng's plan.

……

On the 2nd, Philadelphia really ushered in a "carnival."

The streets and alleys were full of fans wearing 76ers playoff T-shirts and team uniforms.

Most of them couldn't watch the game live, but that didn't prevent the fans from wanting to cheer for the team.

As long as they can win this game tonight, the 76ers will become the second team after the Nuggets to complete a black eight.

The Bulls, who looked down on the league last year with a record of 72 wins and 10 losses, have been robbed by the young Philadelphia robbers, leaving only their last pair of underwear.

Perhaps, at this moment, the only one who can understand the Bulls' mood is Pat Riley in Orlando, who is preparing for the fourth game against the Magic...

Originally, it was a very happy thing that the Bulls' horns were broken by the 76ers, but...

In Orlando, who would have thought that Penny Hardaway would give the Heat a bucket of ice water in the summer.

Seriously, it is difficult to get Hardaway's signature, but at least in this series against the Heat, he definitely deserves the title of "Jordan's successor."

Hardaway, who played with a painkilling injection for seven consecutive games, had forgotten what pain felt like when he was warming up.

Win...

Win this series, and then tell that fatty who swam to Los Angeles that I can do it without him!

Similar to Su Feng's reliance on Kobe for motivation, Hardaway's motivation almost all came from O'Neal.

So...

When will this bloody Qiong Yao drama end?

Los Angeles, after losing to the Trail Blazers in the last game, the Lakers players were relatively relaxed.

Before the start of this game, Harris decided to increase Kobe's playing time.

There was no other way, the more spicy the Lakers' outside players were in Game 3, the more O'Neal liked Kobe.

"Do you think the 76ers will eliminate the Bulls?" Eddie Jones asked curiously while changing equipment in the locker room.

"I don't think so, because the Bulls can't solve Allen." Van Exel, who had been ravaged by Iverson, said.

"Really? But I'm still optimistic about the Bulls, because I really can't believe that they will fall in the first round." Horry said.

Listening to his teammates' discussion, Kobe's mood was a little complicated at the moment.

As Su Feng's best friend, he certainly hoped that Su Feng could advance smoothly.

But...

"Forget it, I don't want to think about it!" At that moment, Kobe really wanted to drive Su Feng out of his mind.

Why did I think so hard back then and insist on teaching this guy how to play basketball?

……

Zhongzhou Arena, to be honest, the Bulls players had psychological shadows when entering this arena.

Because they were afraid that the 76ers would ignore the league's supervision and continue to turn off the air conditioning...

Believe it or not, in the eyes of the "Zen Master" and others, Davis would definitely do such a thing.

"I heard that Su was also a low-key and honest player before joining the 76ers."

I don't know where Harper got this news from, but after Harper said this, the Bulls players unanimously believed that Davis must have corrupted Su Feng.

"That makes sense, after all, Su is only 19 years old, and he usually looks quite 'well-behaved.'" Kerr nodded.

Now, in the Bulls team, John Davis has become synonymous with shamelessness.

But fortunately, after entering the Zhongzhou Arena and feeling the cool playing environment, all the Bulls players breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as they don't have to play in that "hell on earth," the Bulls players are confident that they can win this Game 4.

So, the Bulls players, who were full of confidence, began to warm up on the court.

After doing some shooting training, Kerr asked a little puzzled: "Don't you think... it's a little cold tonight?"

Originally... it would have been fine if Kerr hadn't said anything, but after he reminded them, the other Bulls players felt that it seemed a little cold...

"Don't think about it!

It would be the strangest thing if the 76ers provided us with a comfortable playing environment, right?" After blowing a breath on his big hands, Jordan's expression at this moment was so calm.

And Jordan's "calmness," in the eyes of the Bulls players who knew Jordan's personality well, often meant that he had entered the "state."

Speaking of which, in the memory of these Bulls players, they had never lost a game in Jordan's "state."

Come on, 76ers, use any tricks you have!

Ahem, to be honest...

Kerr's feeling cold was completely psychological.

Because you just finished playing a game in hell on earth in the last game, how can you forget that feeling in a short time?

Simply put, this is the legendary paranoia.

When you have been tricked too many times, even if your opponent doesn't trick you, you will assume that your opponent is planning something.

……

Zhongzhou Arena, as more and more fans took their seats, everyone's biggest feeling was:

Although it is very comfortable to have air conditioning on tonight, if it is for the team to win, the 76ers fans can still endure it.

But...

Even with the air conditioning on, the Zhongzhou Arena is definitely a devil's home court.

At 8:30 p.m., when the players of the two teams finished warming up and returned to the bench to wait for the entrance ceremony, nearly 20,000 fans at the scene played the wave under the guidance of the DJ.

The atmosphere of the entire arena instantly reached its peak.

The exaggerated home court atmosphere, coupled with the 1-2 deficit, and the fact that they had to play this Game 4 against the 76ers after only one day of rest, was definitely an epic test for the Bulls.

On the Bulls' bench, the "Zen Master" looked at Davis while hugging his arms even tighter.

Will the Bulls' plan for this game be guessed by Davis again?

Although he had full confidence in this Bulls team, even Phil Jackson didn't dare to guarantee that the Bulls wouldn't be black eighted by the 76ers at this moment.

After the opening ceremony with its unique 76ers characteristics, the big screen at the Zhongzhou Arena showed the starting lineups of the two teams tonight.

76ers: Ratliff, Big Ben, Su Feng, Stackhouse, Iverson.

Bulls: Rodman, Kukoc, Pippen, Jordan, Harper.

Still the same starting lineup as in Games 2 and 3.

But the difference is that the Bulls were indeed prepared to use Jordan to defend Iverson tonight.

Moreover, this was Jordan's own suggestion.

It wasn't that Jordan didn't trust his teammates, but at this moment of life and death, even if he was black eighted, Jordan wanted to die in his own hands.

In the center of the court, under the gaze of fans from China and the United States in front of the TV, Ratliff and Rodman's jump ball started this Game 4!

And as the Bulls put on their defensive posture on the court, Jason and Rick on the 76ers' bench were stunned!

Exactly the same...

Exactly the same as what Davis said!

The Bulls were indeed using Jordan to defend Iverson and Harper to defend Su Feng!

On the court, after a brief moment of astonishment, Iverson signaled his teammates to clear space for Su Feng according to the coach's pre-game arrangements.

"John! You are too amazing!"

Jason and Rick were as excited as if the 76ers had already completed the black eight.

Davis scratched his head. Although he couldn't remember why he suddenly pulled the players to make such arrangements before the game...

But in his opinion, such improvisation shouldn't be a big deal, right?

"Calm down, the game has just begun."

After calmly turning his head and saying these words to Jason and Rick, Davis didn't know that in the minds of these two assistant coaches, his stature had become completely different!

Calm, composed, always able to guess the opponent's every move...

If he, John Davis, is not the godfather of basketball, who is?

……

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