Chapter 874: Chapter 48: Kill Charles_3
In this game, most of the Pistons’ offense relied heavily on Turpin serving as a pivot point, struggling to keep things afloat. Without him, the pressure on the perimeter for Thomas and Dumars would be overwhelming.
By the fourth quarter, the Bulls stopped holding back and targeted this crucial piece in the Pistons’ strategy.
If Turpin dared to continue attacking, Jordan would come over, and Buck Williams would provide solid low-post screening. He wouldn’t leap to block the shot but would firmly hold his position, ready to steal the ball at any moment.
Sitting on the Bulls’ bench was Horace Grant, who wore protective goggles under the doctor’s advice. If needed, he could step in to replace Buck Williams, maintaining the Bulls’ suffocating defense at the power forward spot.
Turpin, who had scored 18 points and registered 4 assists in the first three quarters, was completely silenced in the fourth.
Facing a defensive lineup like this was just too much for him to handle. Turpin couldn’t keep up.
Not only was he unable to score, but even attempting to pass out often resulted in turnovers; Jordan, Pippen, and Williams were simply too quick with their hands.
After several plays, the Pistons no longer dared to hand the ball to Turpin for low-post isolation.
Thus, the Pistons could only rely on Thomas and Dumars to handle the ball and launch aggressive attacks on the Bulls’ basket.
Camping in the Bulls’ Three Second Zone was Bill Cartwright, while Williams and Pippen also offered strong help defense.
Chuck Daly was stunned to realize that, in terms of defense alone, the Bulls’ current configuration was already stronger than the peak version of the Pistons.
The Bulls’ only weakness lay at point guard, but Pippen and Jordan’s rotational abilities compensated well for this flaw.
Moreover, John Paxson wasn’t entirely useless—a player capable of delivering when needed.
Meanwhile, the Pistons were suffering from a backcourt rotation deficit after losing Vinnie Johnson.
Rick Mahorn and Dennis Rodman were primarily defensive players, lacking offensive firepower.
On offense, the Pistons relied even more heavily on their dual guards plus Turpin, along with Mark Aguirre coming off the bench for one-on-one scoring.
This setup worked against other teams, but it wasn’t enough against the Bulls—they didn’t have anyone capable of breaking through the defense.
Isiah Thomas’s performance in the first two games was nothing short of disastrous; in fact, he rarely played well against the Bulls.
The Bulls’ perimeter defense was too aggressive, with great length, while Thomas’s height and perimeter shooting were inherent weaknesses.
Against the Bulls, he couldn’t penetrate, his efficiency was low from the outside, and he lacked the physicality for power plays.
The gap in the score widened further and further, with the game ultimately ending at 93-109—the Bulls secured a dominant 16-point home victory over the Pistons.
Leading 2-0 in the series, the Bulls were inching closer to the finals.
After the game, Phil Jackson expressed great satisfaction with the team’s defensive performance in the fourth quarter.
Especially the double-teaming of Turpin, which was key to dismantling the Pistons’ entire offensive strategy.
With Turpin shut down, the Pistons’ offense devolved into isolated plays on the perimeter and fragmented attacks. They couldn’t organize effective half-court sets anymore, leaving them powerless to counterattack.
Jackson was confident that even in Games 3 and 4, back in Detroit, the Pistons wouldn’t find any solutions.
Now, Jackson was more focused on whether this defensive strategy would work against Gan in the finals.
In their regular-season matchups, Jackson hadn’t implemented high-intensity defense; besides, the Bulls’ defense hadn’t fully taken shape back then.
That’s why Jackson still felt assured.
However, he also understood that in those games, Gan hadn’t fully unleashed his offensive potential either.
At that time, the Trail Blazers’ offense hadn’t reached its peak either.
As the conference finals progressed step by step, the media, fans, and players from both teams began anticipating a showdown in the finals.
After all, neither the Suns nor the Pistons seemed capable of stopping these two teams.
On May 23rd, the Trail Blazers and Suns faced off in Game 2. With adjustments in their starting lineup, the Suns continued to challenge the Trail Blazers’ dominance in the Western Conference.
This game turned out to be unexpectedly intense, with Barkley delivering his strongest postseason performance this year.
He faced Gan head-on, utilizing his exceptional touch and versatile offensive skills to rack up 36 points and 17 rebounds.
The Suns and Trail Blazers battled all the way into overtime. In the final moments, Gan executed a critical and decisive defensive play against Barkley.
During a low-post one-on-one, Gan directly succeeded in stealing the ball, then dribbled to the frontcourt, soaring over Kevin Johnson for a slam dunk!
Kevin Johnson could only stare helplessly as Gan spread his wings like a great roc, with no intention of contesting the play.
He knew that trying to block the shot would only result in giving up a free throw and increasing his own risk of injury.
This defensive stop, combined with Gan’s scoring play, instantly turned the Suns’ 2-point deficit into a 4-point one.
As Dan Majerle’s three-pointer missed its mark, Gan boxed out and secured the defensive rebound, sealing the victory for the Trail Blazers.
Also leading 2-0, the Trail Blazers were close to the finals as well.
Of course, Barkley’s performance tonight was remarkable, and Gan truly felt the enormous threat he posed.
Even more importantly, the Suns as a whole had found their footing in competing against the Trail Blazers.
Unlike the Pistons, the Suns weren’t aging; in fact, they were rising stars on the horizon.
Barkley’s willingness to go head-to-head with Gan and deliver an outstanding performance was the key to the Suns’ fierce resistance tonight.
So, despite winning Game 2, Gan’s thoughts after the match weren’t on the finals against Jordan.
"I’ve got to take care of Charles first." This was what kept running through his mind.
