Chapter 956: Chapter 13 Historical Records_2
Moreover, the Trail Blazers have abundant experience in getting the ball to Ah Gan in the low post. Porter, Kossie, and those guys have partnered with Ah Gan for so many years that they cooperate seamlessly, making it extremely difficult to limit their coordination.
However, at that time, the season had just started, and the players had not fully hit their stride.
As the season progressed, the Bulls’ performance became increasingly impressive, and their defense terrified the entire League.
Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan said, "When the Bulls elevate their defense, it’s almost impossible for opponents to score; the players’ confidence is crushed, leading to their loss in the game."
"They only need to seize five minutes like this in each game to shatter their opponents completely."
The only exception was the Portland Trail Blazers.
After another home loss to the Trail Blazers, Phil Jackson discovered a second problem: Ah Gan was using a style of play not seen in this era to dismantle the Bulls.
As a center, holding the ball at the top of the arc and even shooting threes was not unusual.
Lan Bier, Moksky, and Ruland all could hit three-pointers from the perimeter.
One or two three-pointers don’t fundamentally change the situation of the game.
The reason unusual centers opt to shoot threes is mostly because they lack low-post offensive skills, forcing them to explore new paths, making a few three-pointers to pose some threat.
But Ah Gan is different; his attacking range spans from the three-second zone to the three-point line, maintaining high efficiency that can crush opponents.
In the finals, Gan Guoyang’s continuous three-pointers in the first half overwhelmed the Bulls; all three of Gan Guoyang’s three-pointers were made in the first half of this game.
In the second half, there were none because the Bulls intensified their defense against Ah Gan’s three-pointers, expanding their defensive range.
Although Gan Guoyang didn’t score any more threes, the Bulls’ defense became sparse, offering the Trail Blazers’ other players numerous opportunities to attack the basket.
In the second half, Gan Guoyang delivered 10 assists, with Reggie Lewis and Petrović each scoring 20 points.
This was something Phil Jackson was even less willing to see, because with Ah Gan being a versatile anchor, the whole Bulls’ defensive line collapsed.
The Bulls’ tight defensive system had to turn into individual combat, and under the high efficiency of the Trail Blazers’ offense, they were suppressed the entire game and lost.
Jackson had to accept a harsh reality: the Chicago Bulls were still no match for the Portland Trail Blazers and had a counteracting relationship.
The presence of Ah Gan posed an unbearably difficult problem for the Bulls, who lacked absolute talent inside.
Communicating with Jerry Krause was ineffective, and Krause had no immediate way to bring in Olajuwon.
The initial trade to get Buck-Williams was already an excellent deal, ensuring the Bulls’ supremacy in the Eastern Conference.
But in dealing with Ah Gan, the Bulls still couldn’t find an answer.
Moreover, this was just the defense; the Bulls faced an even bigger challenge on offense: how to shatter the three-second zone protected by Gan Guoyang.
Without a powerful low-post offensive force, the three-second zone guarded by Gan Guoyang was impregnable, rendering the Triangle Offense inefficient, becoming a problem for the Bulls.
Their inaction on offensive rebounds further troubled the Bulls immensely. Without offensive rebounds, the potency of the Bulls’ cut-in attacks was halved.
After the disappointing fourteenth Ganchow battle, in the next game, the Bulls vented all their anger on their old rivals, the Detroit Pistons.
This season, the Pistons had no resistance against the Bulls. Although their defense remained rough, and their means despicable, they couldn’t harm the Bulls at all.
During the game, Dennis Rodman pulled another dirty trick on Scottie Pippen, pushing him off the court. This time, Jordan didn’t hold back and got tangled with Rodman.
If the referee hadn’t intervened in time, things might have escalated into a fight. In the end, the referee gave each a technical foul but didn’t eject them.
Even at the peak of rivalry, Jordan didn’t get physical like this. Now that the Pistons were in decline, yet Jordan was so worked up.
This showed he wasn’t upset because of Rodman and the Pistons but hadn’t shaken off the disappointment of losing to the Trail Blazers in the previous game.
The Bulls easily defeated the old rival Pistons 101:87, achieving a five-win streak against the Pistons this season without a single loss.
But for the Bulls, the Pistons were a thing of the past; beating them provided no psychological reward and was merely dull.
Particularly as Dennis Rodman was as annoying as a bug, the entire Bulls team disliked that guy intensely.
However, right after the game, in the locker room, Phil Jackson suddenly said to Jordan, "Michael, what do you think about bringing Rodman to the Bulls?"
Jordan was changing clothes. Hearing what Jackson said, he abruptly tossed his shirt aside, exclaiming, "What are you saying, Phil? Are you kidding?"
Jackson replied, "I’m not joking. I have a concept to bring Rodman to the Bulls, use him to deal with Ah Gan."
Jordan laughed, shaking his head, "Phil, have you been scared senseless by Ah Gan? Anyway, can Rodman handle Ah Gan? He’s about to get killed by Ah Gan."
"Rodman might not be able to stop Ah Gan, but having Rodman would make us better."
"I hate that guy; don’t mention him again. Without Rodman, we can still beat Ah Gan, definitely!"
Jordan felt it was an insult to pin hopes of defeating Ah Gan on someone like Rodman.
Moreover, the Pistons lost twice to the Trail Blazers in the finals. Although Rodman dared to confront Ah Gan, he was always devoured by Ah Gan.
But after calming down, Jordan felt that perhaps Rodman might indeed help; at the very least, Rodman didn’t have a "Gan-phobia."
Also, in rebounding, Rodman was the only one in the League who could compete with Ah Gan.
The battle for the Rebound King title between the two during the regular season was intensifying, comparable to the scoring king rivalry between Jordan and Gan Guoyang in past years.
In the first half of the season, Rodman’s rebounding was already astonishing, but he trailed slightly behind Gan Guoyang.
By the second half of the season, Rodman’s rebounding numbers began soaring to greater heights.
On January 23, in a game between the Pistons and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dennis Rodman grabbed 27 rebounds.
This included 9 offensive rebounds and 18 defensive rebounds.
On January 28, in a game against the Charlotte Hornets, Dennis Rodman broke his single-game rebounding record, grabbing 32 rebounds.
Among those 32 rebounds were 12 offensive and 20 defensive rebounds.
From this game on, Rodman had six consecutive games with over 20 rebounds.
Against the Cavaliers, 22; against the Heat, 25; against the Hawks, 20; against the Bucks, 21; against the Cavaliers, 26.
Following the All-Star break, Rodman had another breakout.
Against Philadelphia, 26 rebounds; against the Magic, 27 rebounds; against the Nets, 25 rebounds; against the Magic, 23 rebounds.
This string of 20-plus rebound games continually boosted Rodman’s average rebound stats, soon reaching 18.
By March 4, 1992, at the Pistons home game against the Indiana Pacers, Rodman grabbed a team-record 34 rebounds.
The previous team record for rebounds was set by Bob Lanier in a 1972 game against the Supersonics, where Lanier recorded a massive double-double of 23 points and 33 rebounds, exactly 20 years ago.
Breaking the predecessor’s record made Rodman very excited, and he shed tears during a post-game interview.
This season, the Detroit Pistons had lost their former glory, but Rodman firmly reached the pinnacle of his career.
He transformed from an unnoticed airport security officer, entering the League at 25, and gradually became the League’s best defensive player, a legendary rebounding monster.
The journey was thorny, akin to crawling through sewers to attend conventions now, finally emerging from the manhole.
However, after the interview, Rodman asked the reporter, "Hey, now my average rebounds should be the best in the League, right?"
According to Rodman’s calculations, his average rebounds after this game should surpass Gan Guoyang’s, reaching number one in the League.
The reporter shook his head, saying, "No, just now Ah Gan grabbed 43 rebounds against the Magic, breaking the Trail Blazers’ historical record."
"The previous historical record for the Trail Blazers was also his, 41." The reporter added.
Rodman rolled his eyes at the reporter, "You could have left out that additional information!"
