RNP Chapter 150 You figured out how to kill Michael in minutes
Chapter 150 You figured out how to kill Michael in minutes
Chapter 150 You figured out how to take down Michael Jordan in just ten minutes?
Of course, the fans flocked to the arena tonight not just to cheer for the team. The verbal sparring between Jordan and Rice over the past two days has infuriated Chicago fans!
Jordan is our hero. Who do you think you are to speak so disrespectfully to him?
I'll spray you to death!
So, after waiting for a long time and holding back for three whole days, the Chicago fans unleashed a frenzy of insults the moment the Hornets players entered the court!
Rice alone bore the brunt of 99% of the criticism from Chicagoans!
"Glenn! Even if your dad and grandpa took you all at once, the three of you combined wouldn't be as good as Michael's leg hair!"
"You're wrong, bro. Glenn's dad is just as amazing as Michael! Because Glenn's dad is Michael!"
"I've never seen such a shameless, self-righteous idiot as you!"
"Take a good look in the mirror! You think you can beat us just because you crushed the Hawks? We don't even break a sweat against the Hawks!"
"Atlanta is nothing! We didn't even bother celebrating after beating them!"
"Who would celebrate wildly after winning a complete rout?"
"You guys are about the same level as that mess in Atlanta!"
"My grandma and her best friend teamed up and they could crush Atlanta, and you're actually proud of that?"
At that moment, a series of sneezes echoed through Atlanta.
What the hell is this to us? You bunch of uncouth Chicagoans, who are you even criticizing?
After two days of heated exchanges before the match, the tension between the two sides had reached a point where a single disagreement could ignite a full-blown conflict.
The players from both sides did not greet each other at all before the match.
Each person had their own half of the court, practicing their own game without any communication whatsoever!
"As you can see, the atmosphere in this game was incredibly tense! Neither the Chicagoans nor the Charlottes greeted the opposing players or made any overtures, which shows that both sides harbored significant animosity towards each other!"
This match, which had already generated immense pre-match tension and buzz, was once again selected by CBS for a nationwide live broadcast, with Marcus starting his commentary the moment the camera cut to the scene.
Smith added, "But honestly, it's hard to say what this tension will actually bring us. At least I don't think it will bring us a more exciting or intense match!"
"Hahaha," Marcus laughed loudly, "Smith, you think exactly the same thing as me! I also think that too much tension and provoking the Bulls players is definitely not a good thing for the Hornets! In this game, the Bulls will likely give it their all and show the Hornets what's what!"
"They'll show the Hornets why they've won four championships in the last six years, and why they've won over 70 games in the regular season for two consecutive years! If the Hornets have any chance in this series, it's to play cautiously and look for an opportunity to steal a game while the Bulls are off guard."
"But now..."
"Right now, they've angered the last person in this league they shouldn't have offended!" Smith continued. "Jordan is indeed over 30 years old; he can't run and jump as fast as he did in his youth, or play in mid-air anymore. But I'm certain of one thing: the last person in this league you absolutely cannot afford to offend is still Jordan!"
"Will angering Jordan bring any good consequences?"
Marcus and Smith's views actually represent the opinions of most people today. After all, anyone who has watched the Bulls' games this season knows just how dominant they are and that beating them is definitely not an easy task.
We also know that although Jordan missed almost a month of games, his competitive state and strength on the court did not decline at all due to his age and injuries!
He is still the invincible "flying man"!
On the court, all ten starting players from both sides had already taken to the court, waiting for the game to begin. Rice fearlessly walked over to Jordan and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
"Michael, I'm not afraid of you!" Rice leaned down and whispered his determination in Jordan's ear.
"Get lost, I don't talk to corpses." Jordan didn't even look at Rice, showing that he didn't take Rice seriously at all.
Rice's expression changed, and he was about to say something more when the referee for tonight's game, the veteran NBA referee Dick Bavetta, walked towards the center line with the basketball. He glared at Jordan and Rice and said, "I know you two had a bit of a disagreement before the game, so the officials sent me to officiate this game!"
"So, if you two don't want to be suspended and miss the rest of the year, you'd better behave yourselves and not cause me any trouble! Otherwise, I guarantee you two will be off the field before the game ends!"
Faced with Bavetta's threat, Jordan shrugged and remained completely unmoved, while Rice swallowed hard, cleverly swallowing back what he wanted to say.
Baveta nodded in satisfaction, then glanced around to make sure every player saw his attitude before walking to the center circle to prepare for the jump ball.
Longley and Divac, two of the most representative international players of the 90s, walked to the sides of the center circle, just waiting for Baveta's order to start the game!
"Beep beep!"
After the whistle blew, the basketball flew into the air. Lin Tian didn't even look at the effect of Divac and Longley's jump ball. Most of his attention was on Jordan.
"Bang!"
Sure enough, a muffled thud came almost at the same time as the starting whistle of the game. Jordan elbowed Rice directly in the chest, making Rice almost vomit!
If Jordan were to truly lose his temper, the consequences would be dire!
At this moment, the basketball had come into Lin Tian's hands. Langley, being younger, defeated Divac and secured the first offensive possession for the Bulls.
After receiving the ball, Lin Tian didn't even observe the situation of the game, but directly passed the ball to Jordan.
You two, let's do it!
"Wow! Lin, that's interesting! He's very respectful! He knows perfectly well who the main character is tonight!" Marcus said excitedly, "When it's time to play a supporting role, he doesn't steal the show at all! Lin's awareness is truly commendable!"
Smith, equally excited, said, "Let's see what happens in this first matchup between these two!"
Rice is a true All-Star caliber player, not just a fringe All-Star made-up player. He is averaging 26.8 points per game this season, ranking third in scoring. This year, he is at the peak of his career!
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so smug and started trash-talking Jordan.
After suffering a setback at the start, Rice didn't complain. Instead, he immediately got entangled with Jordan. The two started a fierce collision and crazy physical confrontation from 3 meters away from the three-point line. Lin Tian could hear the muffled thuds from the constant collision of their bodies from 3-4 meters away.
It seems Jordan is determined to teach Rice a lesson tonight!
After slowly advancing to the three-point line, Jordan suddenly changed direction and dribbled, slightly shaking off Rice. Then, he unleashed a speed far beyond his years, easily overtaking Rice in one step. After driving into the three-point line, he only dribbled once before pulling up and shooting!
"Whoosh!"
As the basketball swished cleanly through the basket, Jordan scored the first two points for the Bulls!
"I won't let you score so easily next time!" Rice, who had just been hit by Jordan, was unwilling to let Jordan score on his head like that and immediately started yelling.
Unfortunately, Jordan didn't even glance at Rice, let alone respond to his trash talk.
Just as Jordan just said.
He doesn't talk to corpses!
During the Hornets' offense, no one from the Hornets tried to steal the spotlight. The ball was passed to Rice early on, where he went one-on-one with Jordan at the top of the key!
The entire United Center erupted the moment Rice received the ball! All the fans booed loudly, trying to disrupt Rice's attack.
Rice was the fourth overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft. He has won an NCAA championship, an All-Star Three-Point Contest, and this season he is the league's best three-point shooter!
His shooting skills are absolutely top-tier in the league. Coupled with his strong physique and 201cm height, Rice can use his strong body to create space for himself when facing most opponents, and then use his taller stature and accurate shooting skills to complete the shot!
It was precisely this move that gave most of the league's opponents a major headache, and he became the league's third-highest scorer this season!
Jordan, however, clearly does not belong to the majority!
Just as Rice was about to use his body to push Jordan aside and give him a mid-range shot, he was surprised to find that he couldn't push Jordan aside at all!
Not only did he fail to push Jordan away, but Jordan also took a step forward and swung his large, fan-like hand down, hitting Rice just as he was about to raise his hand to shoot!
"Fast break!" Lin Tian shouted, turning around and sprinting towards the frontcourt. His movement successfully drew the Hornets' defense, and three Hornets players immediately headed towards Lin Tian!
Lin Tian cleverly sprinted towards one side of the court, clearing a huge space for Jordan in the middle. By the time the rest of the Hornets realized that Lin Tian was just feinting to draw their attention, it was too late!
Jordan has once again used a crossover to completely outmaneuver Rice!
Then he drove to the basket, pulled up and slammed it in with both hands for a dunk!
After the dunk, Jordan acted as if he had just done something ordinary, neither celebrating nor trash-talking, but instead returning the way he came to continue preparing for defense!
For the next three consecutive possessions, the Hornets gave Rice the ball to challenge Jordan, but Rice failed to score a single basket in those three possessions!
One time, he forced a shot but was blocked in front of him and missed. Another time, he drove to the low post but was completely covered by Jordan and couldn't find any space to shoot, so he was called for a traveling violation. And another time, he finally broke through Jordan's defense but forgot to protect the ball carefully, and Jordan snatched the ball from behind and destroyed it.
In the first four rounds, Rice had four attacks, but he only missed one! The other three all turned into turnovers!
And Jordan? He's already made all five of his shots and has 10 points!
Absolute crushing, utter crushing!
Rice, who averaged 26 points per game in the regular season, was completely overwhelmed by Jordan's high-intensity defense from the very beginning.
Rice couldn't understand! Why was there such a big gap between him and Jordan?
When the Hornets and Bulls played against each other in the regular season, he was able to go toe-to-toe with Jordan, only slightly inferior. So why was he completely outmatched in the playoffs?
"Aren't you wondering why Jordan wasn't this strong when he was matched up against you in the regular season? You could clearly push him aside, right?"
Seeing Rice's somewhat dazed expression, Lin Tian walked over to him and said 'kindly,' "But in the playoffs, you were no match for him at all. Your moves had no effect on him, not even for a few rounds. You just couldn't finish him off! Right?"
Rice resisted the urge to simply nod and agree, instead keeping his expression as aloof as possible, and looked at Lin Tian, saying, "He just got lucky. I'll crush him!"
"That's good. I thought you'd chicken out and wouldn't dare to go one-on-one with Jordan." Seeing that Rice had indeed taken the bait, Lin Tian immediately continued to provoke Rice: "After all, admitting defeat is shameful, but you won't get beaten too badly. Using two screens to exploit mismatches isn't shameful either."
"After all, the guy on the other side is Michael Jordan, someone you can't even touch. Recognizing the gap between you two is the only way to avoid embarrassing yourself!"
"Nonsense!" Rice glared angrily at Lin Tian and shouted, "The gap between us isn't that big! Superior? Ridiculous! I'll prove to you that Jordan was just lucky! Now, I'm getting serious!"
"Yes, yes," Lin Tian nodded quickly, indicating that this was exactly what he wanted—for you to be serious!
What I'm afraid of is that you won't take it seriously!
If you don't take it seriously and start passing and sharing the ball, then your Hornets swarm will get really hot and it'll be tough! The best scenario is that you don't do anything from start to finish and just go one-on-one with Jordan! Then we can have a whole show to watch!
Rice's fifth individual offensive possession finally saw him execute an incredibly difficult fadeaway jumper over Jordan. After making the shot, Rice clenched his fist and roared, "See that! This is my true power!"
Jordan completely ignored the guy's smugness and instead turned around and ran towards the opposite half of the court.
Jordan had already made up his mind before the series even started.
Throughout this series, aside from his opening line, "I don't talk to corpses," he didn't say a single word to Rice!
Its main characteristic is its aloofness!
Moreover, the score is currently 10-2.
The Bulls are leading by 8 points, why should I get angry with Rice?
"Not bad, Glen! I thought you'd get completely destroyed and wouldn't make a single shot! Turns out you've got some skills. If you keep this up, you might actually be able to go toe-to-toe with Michael! Of course, that's... absolutely impossible!"
Lin Tian's voice reached Jordan's ears at that moment, and Jordan's eyes immediately turned fierce again.
What do you mean by "can really fight me to a standstill"? Rice doesn't even deserve that title.
Lin Tian's words, to Rice, amounted to nothing more than, "Absolutely impossible."
Other?
Ignore everything else! Just pretend you didn't hear it at all!
So, Lin Tian's words reignited the anger between Jordan and Rice!
FUXX! Keep it up!
Keep going until this bastard submits!
The entire first quarter became a duel between Jordan and Rice.
Hmm... or it would be more accurate to say that Jordan beat Rice!
The two teams played at completely mismatched levels in the first quarter.
乔丹这边10投8中，罚球4罚4中拿下20分3篮板3抢断，只有1次失误。
Rice, on the other hand, made 2 of 8 shots, did not get any free throws, scored only 5 points, and also had 4 turnovers!
Ultimately, what brought this one-on-one duel, which was completely one-sided and without any suspense, to an end was not Rice's sudden realization, nor was it that Hornets head coach Dave Cowens was able to suddenly control Rice and stop him from playing recklessly.
The one-on-one duel ended when Jordan faked Rice out with four minutes left in the first quarter, drawing Rice's second foul!
With two fouls already committed, Rice had no choice but to walk off the field dejectedly and sit on the sidelines, lost in thought.
At this point, the score was 9:24!
The Bulls are now up by 15 points!
Ironically, after Rice, the team's leader, went to the bench to rest, the Hornets suddenly found their rhythm. They hit four three-pointers in the last four minutes of the first quarter, quickly narrowing the gap. In the end, when the first quarter ended, the score was 23-30!
With Rice on the court, the team lost by 15 points! Without Rice, the team recovered by 8 points!
It goes without saying who's in the most awkward position on the Hornets right now!
"Coach, let me keep playing!" Rice approached Cowens at the start of the second quarter, pleading with him to let him continue playing.
"Glenn, have you thought about how you're going to play next?" Cowens didn't rush to put Rice on the court, but patiently asked him.
"Kill Michael! Kill every single one of the Bulls! I'll give it my all and lead the team to victory!"
Rice's voice remained firm. Although he was completely overwhelmed in the first quarter, his confidence had clearly not completely collapsed!
He wants to do it again!
"You fucking should just sit down." Cowens rolled his eyes and couldn't help but curse out loud.
This guy doesn't seem stupid usually, so why does he have to be so presumptuous these past few days and challenge Jordan?
Do you have the ability and class to challenge Jordan?
Rice is averaging 26.8 points per game this season, ranking third in the league. But have you ever thought that Jordan averaged 29 points per game? He only needed 29 points to get his team to 70 wins. He didn't need to go all out or risk his life.
And your 26.8 points? You barely managed to get that score by risking your own eggs!
The most glorious moments of your career are far less impressive than the stats someone put up at the end of their peak, even while playing casually and taking it easy. What makes you think you can compete one-on-one with Jordan?
Don't you have any self-awareness about your own capabilities?
Cowens really wanted to unleash all those words at Rice!
Unfortunately, although Cowens had an incredibly illustrious playing career, winning MVP and championships and being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, his coaching career was really not that great. Apart from coaching the Celtics for most of the season 20 years ago and then being fired due to their poor record, he has no other coaching experience.
This is his second time as head coach! He's a complete rookie head coach!
Therefore, even though Cowens had seen countless ups and downs during his playing career, he still chose to hold back now and did not directly confront Rice with insults.
Cowens knew very well that this was a player-driven league. Unless he could lead his team to a championship and win a few more Coach of the Year awards, falling out with the team's star player would definitely lead to his dismissal!
So, as Rice looked at Cowens in disbelief, wondering why he had suddenly changed his attitude, Cowens took a deep breath, put on a smile, and said, "Glenn, I hope you can observe the game better and involve your teammates more in the offense, using our advantages to counter the Bulls' strength."
"The most important thing right now is definitely not to compete with Jordan, but to find a way to catch up in the score as quickly as possible! Especially when your teammates are playing exceptionally well and starting to close the gap on the court, as a leader, you have to do even more!"
Cowens displayed his utmost patience, looking at Rice as if he were teaching a child, and said, "You are a leader. Leadership doesn't just mean taking on more responsibility; sometimes it also means making the greatest sacrifices! Are you willing to sacrifice your pride and so-called courage to give up on going one-on-one with Jordan?"
"Dave! Trust me!" Rice was completely unmoved by Cowens' patient and persuasive words. Instead, his eyes hardened as he said, "I've got the hang of it, I've figured out a way! I wasn't just sitting there like an idiot when I was sitting on the sidelines!"
"I've been thinking about Jordan's offensive strategies, I've been thinking about his weaknesses, and now I think I've found them! Believe me, Dave, I will beat Jordan, I will do it!"
You can make a watermelon and cola lollipop!
Cowens really wanted to slap Rice across the face.
He really wanted to tell Rice, "Wake up! The ants have been racing for ten years!"
Pooh!
It's telling Rice that you can't close the gap between yourself and Jordan even in ten years!
He even figured out Jordan's tactics and knew how to defend him.
If you could figure out Jordan's tactics in 10 minutes of sitting on the bench, then all the hundreds of players and analysts in the league over the past decade, as well as the coaching staff, video production teams, and analysis teams of all teams, were just idiots who did nothing but eat and do nothing.
Others studied Jordan for 10 years and couldn't find his weaknesses, but you found them in 10 minutes?
Besides, Rice isn't exactly a defensive stalwart. You're known for being strong on offense but weak on defense, a liability on the team's defensive end!
If you can find Jordan's weaknesses on offense, I, Cowens, will eat the entire floor of the United Center tonight!
Cowens now feels that being a coach is too tiring, and playing basketball is much better!
What kind of beatings do these self-important guys have to go through before they realize their shortcomings?
Cowens sat there for a full minute without saying a word, making Rice wonder if he had suddenly developed dementia or something, otherwise why would he suddenly stop moving?
"Go, Glenn! Go challenge yourself to challenge yourself, become yourself to become!" After a minute of silence, having mentally prepared himself and frantically trying to convince himself, Cowens finally spoke: "In this match, I allow you to do whatever you want!"
"If you succeed, you'll be the new king of the perimeter, defeating Jordan. Even if you fail, I won't blame you. This is a necessary trial on our path to growth, an essential hardship for your progress! Just let me... FUXX! Where are you going!"
Cowens was only halfway through his motivational speech when he noticed Rice had already started walking onto the field.
"Coach, didn't you say Glenn was going? I was about to go on the court, what's wrong?" Rice turned around innocently and looked at Cowens, his eyes clear and foolish.
You only know the phrase "Go, Glenn," right? Stop calling yourself Glenn Rice, call yourself Pikachu!
Go, Pikachu! I choose you!
Cowens felt his blood pressure rise again, and he decided not to say another word to Lesdo.
Do whatever you want! Destroy it!
Coaching is just a job; I can't let myself get sick from getting so angry!
"Go for it! I believe in you!" All his words boiled down to one sentence: Cowens clenched his fist and cheered Rice on.
then……
61: 44.
At the end of the first half, the Hornets were down by 17 points.
As for Rice?
15投3中，只拿到8分3篮板1助攻，另外还有6个失误！
If they keep playing like this, Rice will definitely go down in history tonight.
Rice will undoubtedly hold the record for most missed shots, most turnovers, and lowest field goal percentage in a single game!
And what about Jordan, who was matched up against Rice? He made 14 of 19 field goals, 7 of 3 free throws, and 2 of 2 three-pointers. In the first half, Jordan had already scored 37 points!
The matchup between Jordan and Rice in the first half wasn't even a fair contest; everyone who watched the game had only one feeling—
Jordan is bullying a child!
Rice and him are simply not in the same league!
The Hornets were only down by 17 points and didn't fall behind by more than 20 points thanks to the outstanding performances of Curry, Divac, Muggsy Bogues, and others. Apart from Rice, the rest of the Hornets players combined to hit eight three-pointers in the first half!
It was these eight three-pointers that barely allowed the Hornets to withstand the Bulls' offensive onslaught and prevent them from falling too far behind!
During halftime, Cowens suppressed his contempt for Rice, forced himself to remain calm, and slowly said, "Glenn, how about we try a different approach in the second half?"
"Coach! I can do it! Believe me! I really can!" Rice patted his chest and assured them, "Just before halftime, I overheard the Bulls players talking!"
"That Lin! He told Jordan to watch out for me! Because in the last few possessions, my defense found the key to guarding Jordan! He also said that there were several shots that Jordan couldn't guard at all, and that I missed because of my own shooting touch! That Lin, he asked Jordan if he couldn't hold on anymore! If he couldn't, then he should deal with me!"
"Coach! Jordan has reached his limit. He's already giving it his all with 37 points in the first half. He simply doesn't have the energy left for the second half! Coach, believe me, I'll definitely crush Jordan in the second half!"
Cowens was at a loss for words when it came to complaining.
I didn't realize Rice was such a fool before? Does he only change when a match is completely over and he gets utterly crushed?
Fine! I'll grant your wish!
When he was young and playing basketball, Cowens was a tough guy. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to snatch an MVP award in an era dominated by giants like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Chuck Hayes, and Karl Malone.
Since you, Rice, are so reckless and insist on believing Lin Tian's so-called whispers among teammates, then I'll grant your wish!
Second half, let's keep playing! Can't I just quit this game?
I refuse to believe I can't change you, you stubborn idiot!
"Then go ahead and do it, Glenn! I believe you can find yourself again, go for it!"
After saying that, Cowens didn't even bother to give any tactical instructions. Instead, he simply sat down in his chair and started to stare blankly.
What's the point of setting up any tactics? Let Rice have his fun!
In the second half, the two teams switched sides and started playing again. In the first possession of the third quarter, the Hornets had possession. Rice once again got possession early and, facing Jordan, suddenly unleashed a three-pointer from beyond the arc, pulling up and shooting!
Jordan is getting old after all, and he's really struggling to keep up with this kind of jumping style of play where players have to jump up and compete with him. Instead of wasting energy jumping up to block shots, he'd rather save his energy to grab rebounds or launch fast breaks.
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, God finally smiled upon Rice, allowing him to sink the first three-pointer of the second half!
"Come on, Michael! Come on! I've found a way to beat you. I'm not afraid of you! You can't stop me!"
Rice was so excited after scoring that he kept pounding his chest and roaring, but he didn't notice that the fans at the United Center had stopped booing him.
It's pointless and unnecessary.
Why keep booing someone who's this bad at the game?
Rice's trash talk made Jordan's lips twitch involuntarily.
In all his life, he had never seen anyone who was so stubborn after being so thoroughly humiliated!
Hmm? Wait, there seems to be one!
Jordan glanced over unconsciously and spotted Lin Tian dribbling the ball slowly forward not far away.
"No rush! Spread out and play an isolation tactic! Let Michael teach that Rice a lesson!" Lin Tian spread his arms again, signaling his teammates to spread out. Jordan, you can continue your one-on-one fight!
Jordan, holding the ball, backed down Rice without saying a word. After testing Rice's defensive footwork and center of gravity, Jordan made a quick turn and then pulled up for another signature turnaround fadeaway jump shot.
At this moment, Rice was not even in the position of Jordan, let alone defending. He couldn't react at all and didn't even have time to extend his arm. He could only watch as Jordan easily pulled up and shot the ball!
Cowens couldn't bear to watch anymore. With such a huge gap, why couldn't Rice learn his lesson?
In the next possession, Rice, who had just scored a three-pointer, was eager to respond to Jordan. Taking advantage of his hot hand, he rushed to the frontcourt and immediately asked for the ball. After getting the ball, he ignored his teammates' positioning and pulled up for a super long three-pointer!
Right now, all he sees is Jordan!
He felt that if Jordan didn't come to the defensive position, that was his chance!
But God obviously wouldn't favor him twice in a row.
"Bang!"
This time, the basketball bounced off the rim with a crisp sound.
Lin Tian leaped high near the free-throw line, grabbed the backboard, and immediately launched a lightning-fast counterattack!
The Hornets players weren't prepared for the attack at all. Rice had already thrown the ball out, and the players hadn't even had time to react. Only Muggsy Bogues was chasing after Lin Tian, trying to stop his fast break.
But what good is Boggs's enthusiasm?
He's only 160 centimeters tall; if Lin Tian doesn't lower his head, he can't even see him!
For a player of this height, there's practically no way to stop an opponent's advance except by stealing the ball.
But it's clearly unrealistic for Bogues to try and steal the ball from Lin Tian.
Lin Tian's speed was simply too fast. In just a few leaps, Lin Tian had already reached the Hornets' basket and unleashed a powerful one-handed windmill dunk!
After this dunk, Lin Tian's score had just reached double digits.
He really coasted through the whole day, doing almost nothing else but watching Jordan dominate Rice the entire time.
Cowens, who was off the court, had given up on treatment and was completely laid down.
He didn't even continue watching the game; instead, he chatted with his assistant coaches about the training sessions between the two matches.
They've already started thinking about tactics for the next game!
Cowens has strategically given up on this match.
He's even started cheering for Jordan now.
Kill him!
Kill Rice!
Beat this damn bastard into submission! Beat him until he's weak! Beat him until he cowers!
After beating him, his legs go weak whenever he sees Jordan, and he doesn't dare to challenge him!
I'd rather have a spineless dog than a wolf that dares to challenge the Lion King!
After Cowens gave up and stopped making any adjustments, Rice played even more aggressively, repeatedly facing Jordan, trying to force shots, only to fail each time.
With Rice's almost insane shooting and his lack of team spirit leading to a solo effort, the enthusiasm of the other Hornets players is also decreasing.
Because when a player diligently runs on the offensive end but can't receive the ball, or runs into open space but doesn't get support from teammates, or fights hard on the defensive end and finally manages to stop the opponent once, then on the offensive end, before even touching the ball, a teammate just throws it away randomly, resulting in a completely nonsensical missed shot.
Anyone who encounters teammates like this will lose interest and become less motivated to play, leading to a rapid decline in their enthusiasm.
On the court, this means that on offense, players no longer run and screen to find open spaces, and on defense, they no longer desperately chase after their opponents. On both offense and defense, they have started to prioritize eye contact; as long as their eyes are on the ball, they are considered to have done their job.
This is human nature; few teams can escape this rule.
The Hornets are out of the question, of course.
As a result, the Hornets, who managed to keep pace with the Bulls in the first half, collapsed quickly in the second half.
If they still had a tiny chance to turn the tide after the first half, then by the end of the third quarter, everyone knew... the Hornets were doomed.
85: 59!
The Hornets only scored 15 points in this quarter. Their three-point shooting, which was decent in the first half, completely disappeared in the second half. They were completely overwhelmed by the Bulls!
In the fourth quarter, neither side fielded their starters, and the game quietly entered garbage time thanks to the tacit understanding between the two coaches.
Glen Rice sat on the sidelines, his face filled with disbelief and confusion. It seemed he still couldn't understand how bad he was compared to Jordan, or why he had been so thoroughly outplayed by Jordan.
After all, when he played almost the entire first three quarters and left the court, his stats were a terrible 6-for-25 shooting, a paltry 2-for-9 from three-point range, plus 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, for a total of only 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 7 turnovers!
Nineteen missed shots and seven turnovers were practically equivalent to giving the Bulls 26 extra offensive opportunities. Under these circumstances, it's understandable that the Hornets were down by so much after just three quarters.
和莱斯几乎全场对位的乔丹呢？巧合的是，乔丹也出手了25次，巧妙地命中了19球！再加上2投2中的3分和10罚全中的罚球，乔丹3节比赛就轰下50分5篮板2助攻5抢断！
What does it mean to be rubbed into the ground? What does it mean to be hung up and beaten? What does it mean to be blown to bits?
Just watch today's game and you'll see.
Cowens glanced at his stats, then at Rice, who looked extremely upset and dejected, and finally let out a long sigh of relief.
This kid should have learned his lesson this time, right?
Having been exposed like this, his self-esteem must have been severely damaged. Now is the time for me to step in!
Cowens stood up and walked towards Rice.
He wanted to tell Rice how they united to defeat Chamberlain and how they swept aside the invincible Los Angeles Lakers. He also wanted Rice to know why they were still able to win two championships and become the kings of the league after Russell retired!
He also wants to tell Rice how he snatched an MVP award from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who averaged 30+16, and Archibald, who won both the scoring and assist titles with 34+11!
Unite!
He wanted to teach Rice how to become a team player and how to fight against those exceptionally talented monsters!
He wanted to guide Rice like a loving father, to let Rice know what the true meaning of basketball is, to help him truly grow, and to make him a true leader!
Seeing Rice looking down at the ground, silently and pitifully, Cowens couldn't help but laugh.
This kid might just turn out to be a good guy like Havelicheke?
Pacing Rice on the shoulder, Cowens sat down next to Rice. Just as he was about to speak, Rice turned to look at Cowens and then said something that could kill Cowens on the spot.
"Coach, I've found Michael's weakness! In the next game, I'll make him suffer even more than I did tonight!"
(End of this chapter)