Chapter 64 The unavoidable Vanity Fair (Part 2)

On January 21, 1997, at the United Center, DJ Ray Clay introduced the Knicks to the Bulls.

The melody familiar to Chicago fans began to sound. With the blessing of "Sirius", Li You also heard the classic line:

"Let's welcome the 6-foot-6 guard from the University of North Carolina—"

"Maikou-Jiao Dan!!"

The United Center broke out with the loudest cheers after the opening, and Michael Jordan, wearing a red and white Bulls training uniform, ran out of the tunnel with a serious expression.

Classic BGM, huge cheers, four championship flags above the arena, and with the blessing of various conditions, Li You also had a lemon on the Knicks side:

"I can only give 9 points for this X pretense!"

For new players, coming to Chicago to play can be regarded as meeting their idols. John Wallace kept looking at Michael Jordan.

If it weren't for Ewing, Oakley, and Starks looking serious, this newbie would even want to get acquainted with Jordan.

Li You, who was just a lemon, didn't have any fanatic pursuit of stars. In the final warm-up stage before the game, he completed the shooting warm-up step by step.

Meeting an old friend made Michael Jordan feel better. While he was warming up, he chatted with Oakley and Ewing, and all three of them had smiles on their faces.

Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines was furious when he realized that Michael Jordan didn't even have to look at him.

The vindictive Luodan has not forgotten that Jeff Van Gundy called him a hypocritical bastard in last year's playoffs. There is no possibility of reconciliation between the two.

The Chicago fans at the scene were extremely enthusiastic. With 34 wins and 5 losses, the Bulls still lead the league.

Phil Jackson was not as serious as Jeff Van Gundy. When the players from both sides came to the center circle to prepare for the jump ball, he smiled and sat on the bench.

In this game, the Bulls' Ron Harper was sidelined due to injury, and backup point guard Randy Brown got the chance to start, partnering with Michael Jordan in the backcourt;

The forwards are Scottie Pippen and Jason Caffey, and the center is Luke Longley.

Rodman was suspended for 11 games for kicking a photographer in the crotch during the game against the Timberwolves and will not be able to play tonight.

For the Knicks, Li You started again tonight, and the Bulls' home commentator Jim Durham was joking at this time:

"It has been a long time since a rookie player challenged Michael. Lee still doesn't know what he will face. Michael will completely destroy the Knicks!"

When Li You faced the media, he didn't have much explanation. Obviously, Michael Jordan, who was in a bad mood, was making excuses for himself and wanted to use tonight's game to vent his depressed emotions.

Before the jump ball, Michael Jordan, who was in a good mood, smiled and fist-bumped with everyone on the Knicks team. As Ewing succeeded in the jump ball, the United Center immediately erupted into defensive shouts:

"Defense!Defense!Defense!"

Li You controlled the ball and quickly made tactical gestures. Randy Brown did not choose to lead the defense.

The schedule is about to pass halfway, and players in the league also know that pressing defense is useless against Li You.

A simple low-post tactic. Ewing received the ball in the low post on the left. Facing Longley's top defense, he released the ball with his right hand, leaned back to play, approached the paint area, immediately turned towards the baseline, switched to his left hand after combining the ball, and completed the move smoothly.

Pick a basket.

Under the interference, the ball hit the basket, and the United Center immediately erupted in cheers.

Jeff Van Gundy on the sidelines loudly called for the players to retreat, but the Bulls were not in a hurry to complete the transition attack. Pippen slowly passed the half court after receiving the ball.

In the first offensive round, the Bulls played very simply. After Michael Jordan caught the ball at the left elbow of the free throw line, everyone opened up the offensive space.

The two inside big men stood stationary near the baseline on the left and right, Pippen stayed at the top of the key, and Li You followed Randy Brown on the right wing outside the three-point line.

Michael Jordan just maintained a triple-threat posture and quickly took a tentative step with his right foot. Alan Houston subconsciously took a small step back, and then saw Michael Jordan take a pull-up jumper.

"state!"

The basketball hit the back edge of the basket, and Oakley in the paint struggled to protect the backboard. Li You immediately went over to catch the ball, and then changed direction along the right side and continued to accelerate.

Everyone on the Bulls didn't care about Li You's rapid advance, because Michael Jordan was already in front of Li You.

The confident Michael Jordan did not choose to defend and press. Instead, he stopped on the right wing inside the three-point line, lowered his center of gravity, and watched Li You slow down.

"oh!!"

The fun-loving Chicago fans immediately started cheering. They really wanted to see the rookie lose his temper.

Li You, who was approaching the three-point line, only slowed down slightly, turned his head to look at the top of the arc, then leaned forward and suddenly sent the ball forward with his right hand.

Michael Jordan subconsciously moved forward, and Li You immediately lowered his center of gravity and pulled the ball with his left hand.

"OH——! ClayGod!"

Seeing Michael Jordan instantly lose his defensive position, home commentator Jim Durham subconsciously exclaimed.

Li You grabbed the ball with his left hand, took advantage of Jordan's defensive position, and went directly to the paint area. At this time, everyone on the Bulls had just retreated to the three-point line, and there was no one inside.

Michael Jordan, who reacted quickly, immediately chased after Li You. When he saw Li You sprinting in the paint, he jumped up and quickly blocked the shot.

After the aerial confrontation, Li You was helpless to find that Michael Jordan had used the speed of the bullet to make up for his previous loss of position. Finally, he grabbed the ball with his left hand, tilted his body, and reluctantly shot!

After deliberately adjusting the arc, the basketball just passed Michael Jordan's fingertips.

"squeak!!"

The buzzer sounded and the ball went in. The basketball knocked on the rim twice and finally fell into the basket.

"oh!!"

At the United Center, all the Chicago fans exclaimed, and then there was a burst of yelling. The beautiful goal even made many spectators cheer.

The Knicks bench and the atmosphere team went crazy with joy. Everyone shook their towels wildly, stood and jumped around, hugged their teammates, and cheered and celebrated.

The "Sam God" style was extraordinary and the provocative effect was explosive. After landing, Michael Jordan only felt that he was being shown off.

Then I saw Li You just calmly high-fiving his teammates and walking to the free throw line in celebration. The smile on Jordan's face after the game completely disappeared.

"Very good, a good passing move!"

Taking advantage of Li You's free throw, a sullen Michael Jordan tilted his head in praise beside the paint area. The surrounding Bulls players noticed the boss's mood change and their expressions became serious.

"It's a pity that you almost completed the shot!"

Li Youjia made a free throw, responded with a chuckle, then shrugged his shoulders and turned around to retreat without looking at Jordan's expression of wanting to eat someone.

Naturally, the fans at the scene could not hear the conversation between the two, but when everyone saw this scene, they started to cheer loudly.

Everyone on the Knicks was in a good mood, and Charles Oakley was even grinning. But soon, the game went wrong.

The first to suffer was Alan Houston, who was facing off against Jordan. Michael Jordan turned on his back-up mode, attacking from both sides. In addition to jump shots, he also began to attack the basket crazily.

On the defensive end, Randy Brown seemed to have been instructed not to be stingy with his physical fitness, and led the entire defense to pester Li You crazily.

The Knicks' offense was not affected too much. Li You made no mistakes, Ewing was in good form and frequently succeeded in the low post.

But Jeff Van Gundy found that the rhythm of the game was slipping towards the Bulls, and Michael Jordan even shot a three-pointer.

By the end of the first quarter, Michael Jordan, who had played the entire first quarter, felt that he was still unsatisfied, and Alan Houston's eyes were already wide-eyed when he walked to the bench.

At 26:33, the Knicks' offensive efficiency was good, but they were still 7 points behind.

In a single quarter, he made 5 of 9, 2 of 2 from beyond the three-point line, and 6 of 7 free throws. Michael Jordan's technical statistics in the first quarter were only 18 points.

Jeff Van Gundy was very satisfied with his performance in the first quarter. He squatted in front of his players and shouted encouragement:

"Hold on, defend well, we played very well, be patient on both ends of the floor!"

Li You played the entire first quarter, making 2 of 3 shots, 1 of 2 from beyond the arc, 1 of 1 free throws, and scored 6 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists.

Ewing made 4 of 6 shots in the first quarter, efficiently scoring 8 points and 2 rebounds. Throughout the first quarter, the Knicks' offensive pace was slow, but they only made two mistakes, perfectly executing the pre-game game plan.

Strengthen the defense, try to make the Bulls' shooting percentage drop, and drag the game into the Knicks' rhythm.

Jeff Van Gundy had a good idea, but his plan couldn't keep up with the changes, and Michael Jordan started an unreasonable singles mode.

With the blessing of multiple buffs, the unhappy braised egg went crazy, roaring, sticking out his tongue, and pumping his fists in celebration.

The pace of the game was indeed slowed down, but Jordan's scoring pace was not slow. He made 3 of 6 in the second quarter and scored 9 points.

After entering the third quarter, he shot 5 of 7 and 2 of 2 from beyond the three-point line, scoring 12 points.

The turning point of the game was in the last quarter. Ewing's offense was out of power again. He made 1 of 6 shots in a single quarter and scored 2 points. However, Jordan made 5 of 8 shots and scored another 12 points.

The Knicks never climbed out of the hole dug in the first quarter. 84:88, the Bulls suppressed the whole game and successfully won the game.

Michael Jordan played 44 minutes, 18 of 30, 5 of 8 from beyond the arc, 10 of 11 free throws, 51 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers.

The United Center was already buzzing with excitement. Chicago fans were cheering for Jordan, who scored 51 points, a season high!

At this time, Jeff Van Gundy had a long face. He looked at Phil Jackson, who was hanging up in the audience with a relaxed smile on his face, and barely maintained his demeanor:

"Congratulations, 35 wins!"

Phil Jackson just shook hands, ignored Jeff Van Gundy, and turned away.

"Shet!!"

His ears were filled with the jeers of the Chicago fans. After returning to the locker room, Jeff Van Gundy cursed in anger. After seeing the depressed expressions of his players, he calmed down his emotions.

Li You listened to Van Gundy's thick chicken soup, but secretly cried out that it was a pity. Without Rodman, they had the advantage in rebounding tonight, but they were killed by a stewed egg shot.

That night, Michael Jordan, who scored the highest score in a single game this season, once again became the target of the media, and everyone followed suit!

Although the Knicks lost, Li You once again topped the list of the top 10 goals. ESPN's Sports Center program repeatedly played the beautiful 2+1 that passed Jordan.
To be continued...