No one visits the ancestral hall without a reason. Old Qiao's foul mouth, I suspect, wasn't here to mock, but to mock.
As expected, before He Ximeng could even offer his thanks, Boss Qiao continued, "It's a shame I haven't retired yet! Your first trip to the Finals will likely only serve as my backdrop..."
"Even if it's just a backdrop, I thank you, Michael! You know, you are my and Kobe's idol. Our wish is to defeat you before your career ends!"
"Oh, I'm honored to be your idol, but you probably won't have the chance to defeat me..."
"Whether there's a chance or not, we'll only know after we play! What if? What if we can defeat you on this stage this year? There's an old Chinese saying, 'Don't bully a young man for being poor!' Because the young man is getting stronger, while you are getting older..."
"A very good proverb! But it's ineffective on me! I will actively distance myself from this league before I get old! I won't give you newcomers a chance to defeat me!"
"Don't speak so definitively, Michael!" He Ximeng gave Boss Qiao a knowing, eerie smile, sending a chill down Jordan's spine as if his thoughts had been seen through.
"What if one day, you can't resist the allure of basketball and retire and then come back? Just like last time you made a comeback..."
"Last time was an exception! It was a special circumstance."
"Every day is a special day! We can never predict tomorrow, just as we can't predict a game that isn't over yet."
"It seems you have great ambitions, wanting to defeat us in the Finals?"
"Aren't you also full of confidence, wanting to defeat us and complete your second three-peat?"
"Interesting, interesting! Then I will let you see if you have the ability to stop my second three-peat!"
"We are ready! Are you?"
...
The referee's whistle blew, and the first game of the Finals officially began!
O'Neal and Longley stepped onto the center circle for the tip-off. O'Neal fumbled, but Longley won the jump, giving the Bulls the opportunity for the first possession.
Harper, guarded by He Ximeng, steadily brought the ball past half-court and passed it to Boss Qiao at the top of the arc!
Boss Qiao, with the ball, isolated against Eddie Jones. He drove to a step inside the free-throw line, stopped, and turned for a fadeaway jumper!
Eddie Jones defended diligently, trying to disrupt Boss Qiao's rhythm and leaping with all his might to interfere. Although he couldn't block Boss Qiao's shot, the result was that Boss Qiao's opening shot bounced off the rim!
As He Ximeng was preparing to launch a counter-attack, O'Neal's seemingly sure rebound was poked away by Longley. Kukoc then scooped up the rebound, turned and shot over Horry. Fortunately, the ball still missed! 138 Reading Network
O'Neal finally secured the defensive rebound on the second attempt.
However, the Bulls' transition defense was very quick, giving He Ximeng no chance for a fast break.
He Ximeng settled down, slowly brought the ball past half-court, and looked for O'Neal in the post.
O'Neal posted up Longley, but Pippen rotated from the weak side to help. O'Neal forced a short hook shot under the double team, but the ball rolled out of the basket.
O'Neal went up for the put-back, but Longley, using the same tactic, batted the ball away!
This time, however, He Ximeng got to the loose ball first and passed it to Fox, who was driving in! Fox received the pass and went for a layup, trying to create a mismatch, but Pippen disrupted his rhythm, and the ball was slammed against the backboard. The paint was once again a chaotic scramble.
Amidst the melee, Kukoc pulled Horry, and the referee called a foul. The Lakers inbounded the ball from the sideline.
At this point, a minute had passed since the opening, and neither team had scored.
Both the Bulls and the Lakers were exerting tremendous effort on defense, doing everything they could to prevent the opponent from scoring.
After regaining possession, He Ximeng once again organized his teammates for a set play.
Horry set a screen, helping He Ximeng get a mismatch against Kukoc. Kukoc played tight defense, not giving He Ximeng space to shoot from three-point range. He Ximeng then drove hard, changed direction, and penetrated the Bulls' paint. Pippen and Longley both collapsed, attempting to trap He Ximeng!
But He Ximeng's first option on a drive was never to force a shot himself, but to create opportunities for his teammates, especially O'Neal under the basket!
O'Neal, naturally, understood the plan. As Longley stepped up to contest He Ximeng, O'Neal stepped back half a step, creating space from Longley and preparing to receive the pass and elevate. As expected, the next second, He Ximeng, after a scoop, made a precise underhand pass to O'Neal. O'Neal caught the ball, rose up, and delivered a powerful two-handed dunk right over Longley!
The Lakers fans erupted in cheers!
O'Neal finally broke the deadlock for the Lakers, scoring the first points of the game.
The Bulls' first point came from a weak-side triangle offense! Boss Qiao drove hard from the wing, drawing almost the entire Lakers team to collapse. Instead of passing to Pippen on the strong side, he chose to pass to Harper on the weak side, who was responsible for spacing.
Boss Qiao's choice greatly surprised the Lakers, creating a significant gap in their defense.
Harper, on the wing, didn't hesitate and hit a long two-pointer!
On the Lakers' second possession, He Ximeng intended to find O'Neal again. Harper tried to intercept the pass in the air. He Ximeng faked, pulled the ball back, and drove. During the drive, he faked again, seemingly passing to O'Neal, which made Longley hesitant to commit. In reality, he drove all the way to the basket for a layup, scoring two points!
During this sequence, He Ximeng's incredibly realistic pump fakes had the Bulls' defenders spinning in circles.
Turning the tables, Boss Qiao retaliated in kind. First, he used Kukoc's screen to get a mismatch against Horry. Then, he drove hard, forcing his way past Horry towards the paint, appearing to attack the basket. In reality, he passed the ball out again! This time, the receiver was Pippen on the strong side, replacing Harper on the weak side.
Pippen received the pass, drove, successfully shook off the charging Fox, then pulled up for a jump shot and calmly made it!
The reason the Bulls' triangle offense is so unpredictable and difficult to defend is, quite simply, the immense offensive threat posed by Boss Qiao. When he drives into the Lakers' paint, the Lakers dare not ignore the help defense, forcing their defense to collapse. The consequence of this is that either on the strong side or the weak side, there will inevitably be a Bulls player left open.
And because the players on the weak side of the triangle are too far away, passes are prone to turnovers. Therefore, in most situations, whether the play is initiated by Jordan or Pippen, they prefer to pass to a teammate on the strong side. This is because the distance is shorter, the pass completion rate is higher, and because of their own drives, the opponent's defense on that side is maximally compressed, creating easy shooting space and opportunities.
As long as the other Bulls players maintain their shooting accuracy, Boss Qiao can wear down the opponent by continuously driving and passing, driving and passing, and then driving again.