Chapter 684: Chapter 58: Teammate_2
If you have Jordan go head-to-head against taller players one-on-one, the results wouldn’t be good, it’s also a waste of Jordan’s dynamic talent.
Jordan had defended Ah Gan before; he always wanted to use his dynamic advantage to take risks and hoped to steal the ball.
But Ah Gan’s ball protection is excellent, with one of the lowest turnover rates in the League; it’s hard for Jordan to steal from him.
One-on-one skill-wise, Ah Gan is also among the league’s best, with a weapon arsenal so vast it’s unparalleled in NBA history.
Many times he simply chooses not to use them, not that he can’t. There was once a major showdown between Gan Qiao, where Gan Guoyang almost used every offensive skill, leaving the Bulls and Jordan shaking their heads.
Thus, once it moves to a one-on-one duel, Jordan can’t defeat Ah Gan; this was proven years ago during a tour in China.
It’s the natural advantage of a big player over a smaller one.
Jordan knows all this, so defensively, he avoids direct confrontations with Ah Gan.
He likes to attack Ah Gan on the offensive end, forcing Ah Gan to foul, damaging the Trail Blazers’ interior.
This is the best strategy to defeat Ah Gan and the Trail Blazers; Ah Gan sitting on the bench is the least threatening Ah Gan.
But when Pippen said, "It’s your turn to defend Ah Gan," Jordan felt slightly embarrassed.
What to do? He indeed boasted before the game, saying if Ah Gan went to the small forward position, he would handle it.
But he didn’t expect Ah Gan to really go to the small forward position and shoot from the three-point line, turning the game on its head.
Originally, nobody would have mentioned this, and Jordan would use his own methods, using offense, using damage to help the team out of the predicament.
But Pippen’s comment made it a bit hard for Jordan to back down.
If the Bulls coach were Doug Collins, he would definitely scold Pippen, or ignore Pippen’s nonsense to save face for Jordan.
Because Collins was Jordan’s top sycophant; during his later term as head coach of the Bulls, every day his main task was to please Jordan, to let Jordan play comfortably, and then rely on Jordan to win the game.
Phil Jackson relied on Jordan too, but he was not Collins; he did not unconditionally protect Jordan like a nanny.
Jackson always tried to get Jordan to learn to share; I admit your status as the boss, but the boss must also share, must do the same work as the other players, even more, bearing more.
In Jackson’s view, Jordan was often too arrogant, always looking down on this, looking down on that.
For instance, Bill Cartwright, this tough center is respected in the league, but because Krause traded Oakley for him, Jordan has always shown insufficient respect for Cartwright.
Jordan disliked this large, seemingly mild-mannered man, even demanding that the guards not pass to Cartwright during crucial moments in the fourth quarter.
However, Jackson saw the importance of Cartwright; he has been one of the Bulls’ most stable low-post scoring options for many years, a reliable 7-foot center, an experienced and tough three-second zone defender.
So, sometimes, Jackson had to use some methods to press Jordan, asking him to bow down, to stand together with his teammates.
"Michael, if Ah Gan gets the ball on the outside later, you go defend Ah Gan, stop him; this is your job."
Jackson pointed at Jordan, demanding he defend Ah Gan.
Jackson not only wanted to tire Pippen and Grant through Gan Guoyang, but he also wanted Ah Gan to continue wearing down Jordan.
It’s called making full use of resources.
Jordan certainly wouldn’t refuse; to defend is to defend, it’s not like he hasn’t been blown out before.
Tonight, Jordan especially wants to beat Gan Guoyang, beat the Trail Blazers.
He wants not only to win but also to outperform Ah Gan in every aspect.
Defensively, in assists, especially in the demeanor of a leader, he yearns to surpass.
Nothing beats a direct face-off on the court to achieve surpassing.
Before going on the court, Jordan recalled past one-on-one duels with Gan Guoyang in his mind.
Ah Gan’s outside technical moves, offensive habits, he knew them as if they were on his own fingertips, just too many, indeed hard to defend.
"He likes to move left, drive left and shoot right, his three-point shot is very sudden, he has a habit when shooting, but he might also feign, using fake moves then breaking through...anyway, I will keep an eye on him."
Jordan thought a lot in his head.
Jordan took the primary defense against Ah Gan on the outside, with Pippen and Grant assisting in defense.
Theoretically, this should make the Bulls’ defense more purposeful, not like the first five minutes of the second half when they floundered around, getting stunned by Ah Gan’s onslaught.
But theory is just theory, and practice often tells another story.
After a timeout, Jordan once again hit a mid-range shot on offense; his offensive feeling tonight was actually quite good, with a very high shooting accuracy.
Due to the Trail Blazers’ slightly shorter and thinner perimeter, they were unable to put enough defensive pressure on Jordan.
And when Gan Guoyang called for the ball on the right 45-degree, then realized the one defending him was actually Jordan?
"Michael, are you crazy or is Phil Jackson crazy, why are you defending me?"
"Stop talking nonsense, I said, if you get the ball on the outside, I’ll come defend you."
"Is that so? Then I’ll just go inside."
Saying that, Gan Guoyang received the ball, quickly passed it back to Porter, then cut towards the basket.
The Bulls’ rotation was simply too slow, and the Trail Blazers’ passing speed was extremely fast.
Gan Guoyang had already leaned against Jordan at the rib side, and before Pippen could come up to help, he received Thompson’s pass, turned around, and easily made a hook shot.
