NBA Archives Debunked: The Jordan Saga

Chapter 33 The First Crown (4)

In this battle, the 31-year-old Magician played 50 minutes, the 30-year-old Perkins played 51 minutes, and Worthy, who was also 30 years old and injured, played 48 minutes.The Bulls' youthful advantages are fully reflected in rebounds. Pippen and Grant grabbed 24 rebounds, which is as many as the five main players of the Lakers combined. The Bulls won 17 rebounds.After the game, a reporter asked Cartwright about his age, and Cartwright smiled: "Those old arms and legs may hurt you." The 33-year-old Cartwright only played 24 minutes.

It wasn't all good news for the Bulls.3.4 seconds before the end of the fourth quarter, Jordan scored the key ball to tie the score, but he accidentally injured his big toe when he landed. It was very painful at the time, and he thought the toe was broken. Fortunately, he felt better in overtime .Team doctor Hefron checked Jordan and said that the problem was not serious, but a little swollen, and he didn't even need to take X-rays.

Trainer Chip Schaefer (Chip Schaefer) gave Jordan a special shoe that provided extra protection for the big toe, but after wearing it, Jordan found that he could not exert force as usual, change direction, and increase So before the fourth jump ball, he found Schaeffer again and said, "Just let me hurt." Jordan played in his usual sneakers, endured the pain, made 2 of 0 shots, and scored 11 points.

Game [-] kicked off at [-]:[-] p.m. local time in Los Angeles on Sunday. The Bulls arrived at the Forum Arena early. Pippen was fully dressed and ready to practice shooting. Team training.In the eyes of the coaches, it was a sign of desperation.No one will have a full training session a few hours before the game until it is time to fight to the death.

In the first quarter of the game, the Lakers rolled down 7 offensive rebounds, but it turned out that this was their dying struggle.The Bulls' overall offense was more balanced. Although they lost a bunch of rebounds, they were only 1 point behind after this quarter.At the beginning of the second quarter, the magician took a break, and since then, the Lakers have never recovered. They only scored 16 points in the quarter, and their shooting percentage was only 25%.

Worthy's ankle started to hurt badly, but it wasn't as embarrassing as Perkins.Perkins is left-handed, and the Bulls kept harassing him with his left hand, making his shots miss one after another.In this game, Perkins made only 15 of 1 shots.

Before the start of the second half, the five main players of the Bulls gathered in a circle, ready to continue to fight. Jordan told the guys: "Magic is very dissatisfied with them. Let's go!" He was right.The Bulls hit all the first 5 shots in the third quarter, widening the point difference to 14 points. The magician became angry and couldn't help shouting: "Please! Anyone else want to play?"

In the third quarter, the Lakers only scored 14 points, less than in the second quarter. There were boos on the scene, and the Los Angeles fans booed the home team.The Bulls' defense completely contained the Lakers' offense. In the end, the Bulls won 97 to 82.

82 points, the Lakers only scored 82 points.As the king of fast break known as "Showtime (performance moment)", the Lakers were completely buried in this battle.Since the NBA has a 24-second shot clock, this is the lowest score the Lakers have scored in a single game in the Finals.

After the first three games, the magician also said that this will be a very long series, "nothing has been decided yet."But after the fourth game, even he was a little shaken, "I never dreamed that this would happen."

With a total score of 3 to 1, the Bulls are only one victory away from the NBA championship.I used to think it was unimaginable for the Lakers to lose three home games in a row, but looking at it now, the building will collapse and the situation is irreversible.

On the day of Game [-] of the Finals, Jordan was as nervous as a kid on his first day of school.Sitting in the locker before the game, he confided to reporters: "I don't know what to do. I'm nervous. Should I pass? Should I shoot? I don't really know what to do."

In fact, the Lakers have reason to panic more than Jordan.With both Worthy and Scott absent due to injuries, Coach Dunleavy can only start with AC Green and Terry Teagle.But this game was not as one-sided as expected. The Lakers kept putting pressure on the Bulls. After two quarters, the Bulls still fell behind 48 to 49.

Jackson told his men that the ball would always go in if they played their defense seriously.Pippen played very relaxed. He scored a game-high 32 points -- the first time anyone in the Bulls playoffs scored more than Jordan -- and added 13 rebounds, seven assists, and five steals.Jordan's performance was not bad, scoring 7 points, 5 assists and 30 steals.

With less than 7 minutes left in the game, the Lakers still led by 1 point, and the Bulls called a timeout.Jackson didn't like what he saw in the past few minutes: Jordan took five of the Bulls' first eight shots in the fourth quarter, and he seemed to jump out of the team offense and enter individual isolation mode.This is the last thing the Bulls coaching staff wants to see.

Jackson came over, knelt on one knee, stared into Jordan's eyes, and asked sharply, "MJ, who's in the vacant seat?"

Jordan looked at him without answering.

Jackson asked again, "Who's in the vacant seat?"

Still no answer.

Jackson asked a third time, "Who's empty?"

Jordan finally spoke: "Paxson."

"OK, then find him."

Immediately after the timeout, Jordan no longer obsessed with individual singles, but passed the ball to his teammates again and again.Of the Bulls' last 5 goals, 4 came from Paxson.Paxson made all four shots, two of which were assisted by Jordan.In the game, Paxson made 4 of 12 shots and scored 9 points.

More than a minute before the end, the Bulls led 103 to 101. Jordan dribbled the ball and broke through to the basket. Two big men from the Lakers stopped him. Jordan turned around and sent the ball to Paxson. Paxson made an open jumper. ,brush.Jordan didn't mess around, didn't rush in, didn't have to score by himself, but was looking for Paxson.Jackson saw this and leaned back. He knew the game was over, he knew the Bulls had won the championship, and he knew that everything he had done in the past two years was worth it.

Years later, the relationship between Jackson and Krause deteriorated, but Bulls owner Leinsdorf always remembers: Jackson kept asking Jordan "who is open" during a timeout, and that was one of the happiest moments in Krause's life."Jerry (Klaus) kept saying that was a great moment for Phil, and no other coach could have done that to Michael," Reinsdorf said.

10 8 to 101, the Bulls won the fourth consecutive victory, and finally defeated the Lakers with a total score of 4 to 1, winning the first NBA championship in team history.

In the five finals, Jordan averaged 31.2 points, 11.4 assists, and 55.8% shooting. He was undisputedly elected the finals MVP.This season, he won the annual MVP, championship and finals MVP. As a first-line star in the league, his NBA career was complete for the first time.

After winning the championship, Jordan burst into tears in the visiting locker room at the Forum, with his father, James Jordan, and wife, Juanita, by his side.After a long silence, Jordan raised his head and opened his mouth to talk to the reporter in front of him.His eyes are still red and glistening with tears, but he doesn't mind being photographed by photographers. "I've never been this emotional in public," Jordan said. "I don't know if I'll ever feel that way again."

For seven years, Jordan struggled in the NBA for seven full years before he achieved his first real success.Looking back on the hardships of the past, Jordan has a lot of emotions. He said: "We came from the bottom. When I first got here, we couldn't make the playoffs. It took seven years, but we won. Finally we can get rid of the 'one man'. The team's notoriety, we have the players that make us a great team."

A reporter asked the magician if he was as emotional as Jordan when he won the championship for the first time in 1980. The magician said no, "I was so young at the time, and I was so ignorant about how to win the NBA championship. So I know Michael very well. The feeling now, because I also felt that way later in my career. To win the championship later, it took much more effort and sweat.”

For Jordan, defeating the Magician face-to-face and taking the championship from the Magician is of extraordinary significance.Many people don't realize this, but Jordan is like a mirror in his heart. He later wrote in his autobiography:

I've won scoring titles and MVP awards, but the only way I'm going to reach the level of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird is by winning a championship.That's why our first title tastes a little sweeter.Without winning titles while at least one of them is still at the top, there's absolutely no way I'll break into their circle.

Judging by the champions, Magic and Larry were the kings of the '80s. In 1991, the challenge was before me.Magic was viewed as the supreme team player who made everyone around him better; I wasn't viewed as that, and I know I wouldn't be viewed as such until we won a championship.

Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and John Stockton?I don't want Magic to retire before we win a championship, just like they don't want me to retire before they win a championship.They want to get past me like I want to get past a magician.Beating the Magician added reputation and credibility to my first title.Barkley, Malone, Ewing and Stockton, they don't want their champions to lose their luster because of my absence.Look at Houston—the Rockets won two championships in a row (Note: The Rockets later won in 1994, 1995) and have to hear people talking about whether they would have won even one championship if I was playing.It's not fair to say that, but that's how it is.

It's the same with me.That's why beating Magic and the Lakers to win our first title is so important to us.Beyond the Lakers, no one else has much to say.If by the time we start winning championships, (Magic and Bird) they both go away, I'm sure people will say how I can't beat Magic and Larry when they are at their peak.Maybe we won't talk about it after we have won six championships, but at that time?For sure.

1990-1991 season
Regular season: 82 games, 31.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.7 steals, shooting 53.9%
Playoffs: 17 games, 31.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 2.4 steals, 52.4% shooting
Finals: 5 games, 31.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 2.8 steals, 55.8% shooting
NBA championship

NBA Finals MVP
NBA MVP of the Year
NBA All-NBA First Team

NBA Defensive First Team of the Year

NBA scoring champion

(End of this chapter)