Chapter 982: Chapter 24: The Long Wait
In the Eastern Conference, Jordan and the Bulls advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, their semifinals journey was not smooth, with many distressing incidents occurring.
They lost a home game, but then in the third game, Jordan scored 56 points to help the Bulls win, leading 2:1 overall.
But in the fourth game, Pippen twisted his ankle due to X-man McDaniel’s fierce attack, resulting in a poor performance for the game.
The Bulls lost the fourth game, with the score tied by the Heat, forcing them to play the decisive match in Chicago.
After the fourth game, Phil Jackson was very dissatisfied with the referee’s calls, criticizing them and the league strongly in the post-game press conference.
He believed that the league was creating another Detroit Pistons, with rough fouls, intense confrontations, and overly lenient officiating, making the game ugly.
Jackson’s criticism naturally resulted in a fine from the league, while Pat Riley stated: "Jackson’s rhetoric is an insult to the efforts of the players on both teams; don’t blame the referees just because you lost."
These two coaches were rivals even during their playing days, with Jackson playing for the Knicks and Riley for the Lakers, facing each other three times in the finals in the 70s.
During their playing days, they were relatively unknown and merely supporting players on the court.
In their coaching careers, they both became masters of strategic planning and psychological warfare.
Pre-game and post-game war of words was inevitable.
Jackson was highly alert to the rise of the Heat.
Jackson believed Riley saw a way to defeat the Bulls through the Detroit Pistons’ tactics.
Riley was wise not to emulate the Trail Blazers, acknowledging that without Ah Gan, following the Trail Blazers’ path was a dead end, unlikely to triumph over the Bulls in the East.
Only by mimicking the Pistons and building a strengthened version of the Detroit Bad Boys could they pose the greatest threat to the Bulls and potentially break through the East.
Riley, deep in calculations, had been operating on the South Coast for many years, harboring a strong desire for revenge and executing his grand plan. The Bulls were not his ultimate target.
In the crucial fifth game, Jordan gave no chance to the Heat, with a 41-point, 5-steal performance, overwhelming Drexler, and clinching the game point.
With this loss, the victory scale of the series tipped towards the Bulls; returning to Miami for the sixth game, having gained the advantage and found their groove in the series, Jordan gave no chance to the Heat and Riley.
107:91, with a 16-point advantage, the Bulls sank their opponents on the South Coast, eliminating the Heat 4:2 overall and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Bulls’ opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals is the Cleveland Cavaliers, who defeated the Boston Celtics.
In the semifinals, Jordan averaged 37 points per game, 7 points more than his regular-season average.
Scottie Pippen’s regular-season average dropped from 21 points to 16 points, scoring 5 points less.
The Heat’s strong perimeter defense, along with combative players like McDaniel and Mason, rendered Pippen troubled once again.
During the regular season, Pippen closely followed Jordan and was even considered a step away from being on equal footing with Jordan.
When it came to the playoffs, people realized Pippen was more than just a step away from Jordan.
In the regular season, Jordan only averaged 30 points due to the Triangle Offense and his playing time, losing the scoring title.
In the playoffs, Jordan averaged 41 points in the first round against the Nets, and 37 points against the Heat in the semifinals; no one could match such explosive firepower.
Even amidst stronger league-wide defense, heightened playoff defense, fewer possessions, and more confrontations, Jordan still put up such remarkable performances.
With such performances, Jordan proved to the world who truly is the Bulls’ top star and who stands unparalleled in this league.
Solely in terms of scoring, Jordan’s playoff performance was even better than Ah Gan’s.
However, for the regular-season MVP selection, Gan Guoyang won more hearts among the judges in the 1992 season.
Gan Guoyang clinched both the scoring title and rebound title, leading the team to 60 wins despite many injuries.
Most critically, the 1991 MVP went to Jordan, with slightly inferior records, leading judges to believe, this season should belong to Ah Gan.
On May 16, 1992, the league officially announced the media selection results of the season, awarding Gan Guoyang the 1992 regular-season MVP, marking his fourth career honor.
That night, the Trail Blazers faced the Utah Jazz at the Rose Garden Arena; before the game, David Stern presented the MVP trophy to Gan Guoyang and shook hands warmly.
"David, do you support me winning a three-peat?" Gan Guoyang asked Stern bluntly.
Stern smiled, unwilling to express displeasure in front of the cameras.
"Championships aren’t won with support; they’re earned through gameplay."
"The league’s support is essential too."
"With the cameras on us, don’t create big news."
"I’m joking, David, thanks for being here. I’ll do my best. Two three-peats will take the NBA to its peak."
David Stern maintained his smile, knowing Ah Gan was right; the NBA’s influence was growing increasingly strong.
Due to Gan Guoyang’s presence, the NBA’s overseas impact, particularly in East Asia, had become immense, surpassing any American professional league.
Especially in Korea and Japan, basketball’s influence even rivaled soccer.
Perhaps the number of basketball players was still fewer than soccer players, but the audience for basketball games was increasing, and Ah Gan’s image and legendary story were the best advertisement.
