In the second quarter, the substitute competition between the two sides was evenly matched, and the score continued to be deadlocked.

The SuperSonics and Bulls' lineups this season are definitely the first or second in the league in terms of depth. If Yang Jian hadn't joined, the Bulls' lineup would have been stronger because there are two superstars in the team.

The Bulls' bench is led by the league's famous sixth man Toni Kukoc, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in a parallel world. He is a point forward, and after Pippen comes off the court, he becomes the Bulls' high-position pivot.

Kukoc was born in September 1968 as a Croatian. He is 211cm tall and weighs 107 kilograms.

He is a talented athlete. He first practiced table tennis and football, and did not officially touch basketball for the first time at the age of 14. He grew taller and taller, and was forced to transform. If he did not transform, maybe the audience would see a giant.

In an international table tennis competition, I was beaten by a fat Chinese guy who didn't know how to play.

Kukoc's basketball talent is amazing, and he became a star after practicing casually. In 1985, 17-year-old Toni Kukoc and his teammate Divac won the European Championship as the main players of the Yugoslavia adult national team. Since then, he has been

Known as "European Jordan".

After Kukoc joined the Bulls in 1993, he played 31.9 minutes in the second season and scored 15.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals. When Kukoc was about to spread his wings and fly high, Jordan's "i'mback" made the world fall into confusion.

Crazy. This is the worst news for Kukoc, because Jordan's comeback means he no longer has the ball.

The Bulls' starting lineup is full of talents this season, and the team needs a player who can provide firepower in the second quarter. The versatile Kukoc has become the most suitable candidate in Phil Jackson's mind.

From the second in charge of the team to the sixth man, the gap is huge. The 27-year-old Kukoc chose to stay with the team after careful consideration. He gave up the opportunity to become a star for the sake of the championship and worked hard without complaint.

In a parallel world, Kukoc's sacrifice was an important reason for the Bulls to establish a dynasty. People's focus was on the iron triangle of Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman, and Kukoc became the forgotten person.

In fact, Kukoc's role is very crucial. In the Bulls' three consecutive championships, his scoring average ranked third on the team, his assists ranked second, and his efficiency value ranked among the top three on the team.

.

Coincidentally, the Sonics also have such a European star.

Schrempf also transformed from the core of the team to the sixth man, and also sacrificed his personal ball rights in order to compete for the championship. He and Kukoc have similar bodies, similar playing styles, and similar strengths.

When the two commentators of cctv5 explained the second quarter of the game, they mainly focused on these two people. There was no way, the other role players were not famous in China and they were not familiar with them.

Zhang Lili commented: "Maybe this is the best configuration for the championship team. The Bulls and SuperSonics have very similar lineups. Two outside stars, one inside star, and a super sixth man. The biggest difference between the two teams is the hurdles.

Pu was more offensive, Rodman was more defensive."

Sun Zhengping said: "SuperSonics' interior substitute offense is not good. If they were more ambitious, the point difference would widen. PJ Brown usually starts, but he couldn't score points today when he came off the bench."

This is nonsense. If the Bulls substitutes were more ambitious, the score would be even wider...

Zhang Lili added: "PJ Brown is a blue-collar insider. When he is on the court, the SuperSonics' defense in the penalty area is very solid. No one from the Bulls can score in the penalty area this quarter."

The outside substitutes of both teams performed well.

Nate McMillan and Snow can organize passes and catch the ball and shoot. The SuperSonics have completely no space for Kevin Edwards. He changed his mind and couldn't keep him even if he wanted to.

The Bulls' outside substitute is future Warriors coach Steve Kerr. He is an excellent shooter, good at catching and shooting, but has poor organizational and breakthrough abilities. Kerr was very successful as a player, and later won two more with the Spurs.

A championship ring, he is a legend among role players.

Phil Jackson also asked Ron Harper to lead the bench in the second quarter to strengthen defense and organization. There were no obvious holes in the defense of the Bulls' two lineups and they kept the score tight.

Yang Jian was watching the ball and thinking about how to play next.

The Bulls were so good when Rodman was away, and he would definitely be more difficult to deal with. With Rodman, the Bulls' shooting percentage on the offensive end was even lower. This guy averaged more than 5 offensive rebounds per game. It was simply

abnormal.

The starting players returned to the court one after another, and the game became more intense.

Kukoc switched to the 4th position, and with the addition of Cole, who has excellent outside shooting, the Bulls' formation was completely stretched. The trident of Yang Jian, Payton, and Kemp also returned to the court. It was also a combination of internal and external tactics.

The biggest highlight of the game is Yang Jian and Jordan, who continue to compete.

Yang Jian was strictly guarded and his shots were reduced. He made 1 of 2 shots in this quarter and scored a three-pointer. He also successfully used an arm swing, causing Jordan to foul and make two free throws.

This foul angered Jordan. He looked for cover and faced the frame to catch the ball and made moves. He got past Yang Jian twice and scored breakthroughs. Once he broke through the middle and dunked with one hand.

Jordan's hands are very big. He can hold the ball with one hand, make a fake move and then break through. This move is difficult to guard against. When they see the ball coming towards their face, most people will react conditionedly and take action, extending their hands or being stunned.

Jordan's shooting touch was very poor. One mid-range shot and one long shot both missed the basket due to interference.

The SuperSonics led 49 to 44 at halftime.

Yang Jian made 3 of 7 shots, 2 of 5 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 10 points, 1 rebound, and 3 assists. Jordan made 4 of 10 shots, 0 of 2 three-pointers, 2 of 2 free throws, and scored 10 points and 3 rebounds.

3 assists.

During the halftime break, Sun Zhengping said: "Yang Jian and Jordan scored the same points, had the same assist data, and had a higher shooting percentage than Jordan. They are too tired to play like this, constantly running to defend each other. Why don't teammates switch defenses for a while?

Woolen cloth?"

Zhang Lijia said: "I think they cannot switch defenses with their teammates. If anyone switches defense first, it is equivalent to retreating and telling everyone that I can't defend well and can't defend. Yang Jian can guard others for a while, he is a rookie.

If Jordan took the initiative to defend others, he would be very embarrassed."

He hit the mark on the mentality of the two of them. They really had no intention of switching defenses. They were both shooting guards, so they should face off across the court.

George Karl will not arrange for Payton to defend Jordan. Payton's strength, jumping, and speed are not as good as Yang Jian's, and his effect on interfering with shots is poor. He is better at preventing breakthroughs than Yang Jian, but inside players can help defend Jordan when he breaks through.

In the finals, Payton defended Jordan when the SuperSonics were trailing 0-3. At that time, he took the initiative to serve as a doctor. Vincent Askew and Hersey Hawkins almost let Jordan go.

It sucks that people do whatever they want.

Now that there is a person like Yang Jian who is not inferior to Jordan in physical fitness, Payton will not take the initiative to propose to face Jordan. That is an act of asking for abuse. Jordan beats him with a back and shoots a fadeaway jumper. He cannot block the shot and can only try his best to stop Jordan.

catch the ball.

Jordan would never switch to guard Yang Jian, even if guarding Yang Jian would be very tiring.

Jordan didn't guard against fast point guards. He had a reason not to guard at that time, because it was not his job at all. If his teammates performed poorly and asked the boss to do the dirty work for him, it would not make sense at all. Damon Stoudemire

It was once promoted as "the biggest headache for Jordan" because Jordan didn't want to guard him.

Jordan defended Stoudemire for a few rounds to give him face, but he should not defend him. This game didn't work. Yang Jian only played one position, shooting guard, and Jordan had no reason to avoid him.

In the third quarter, Yang Jian continued to run around, only catching jump shots and not attacking with the ball. Payton was responsible for holding the ball and attacking, either by himself or by passing the ball to Yang Jian and Kemp.

The Bulls had the upper hand in this quarter. Pippen hit two three-pointers in a single quarter, and Kukoc and Steve Kerr also hit a three-pointer each. Jordan didn't feel good enough and could play pick-and-roll with his teammates and break into the paint to create a

Foul points are scored.

Schrempf and Perkins kept hitting the ball, and Kemp's performance was not good either. He was always fouled by his opponents when entering the penalty area. His free throw shooting was particularly bad today, making 3 of 6 free throws in this quarter and 4 of 9 free throws in total.

The SuperSonics were mainly supported by Payton in this quarter, and he scored 7 points. Yang Jian made 2 of 4 shots, a one-handed dunk on a counterattack, and a three-pointer after running and catching a jump shot, and scored 5 points.

The SuperSonics entered the final quarter trailing 1 point 72 to 73.
Chapter completed!