allendalepharm Chapter 436 The happiest moment of Barkley's life! Completely...
Chapter 436 The happiest moment of Barkley's life! Completely...
14: 21!
After a series of missed shots in the first 11 minutes of the first quarter, both sides finally found their rhythm and scored in the last minute of the first quarter!
Apart from Lin Tian's final three-pointer after an aerial interception, all the baskets scored by both teams in the last minute of the first quarter came from substitute players!
At the very least, if we only consider offensive efficiency and feel, it would be better for both sides to field substitute players tonight!
In the second quarter, both coaches made substitutions again. Lin Tian, Kobe, and others who played the entire first quarter were all substituted off to rest, while Jordan, Ben Wallace, O'Neal, Fisher, Kirilenko, and others took to the court.
The second quarter continues!
Jordan had a terrible first quarter, making only 1 of 5 shots. He once again backed down his opponent, boxed out for the ball, and reached out to Parker.
Parker didn't think twice and immediately passed the ball to Jordan, letting him take a one-on-one opportunity.
Jordan kept twisting his upper body, probing Kirilenko's position behind him, and then suddenly turned around and stepped back, unleashing his signature turnaround jump shot.
"Snapped!"
But this time, Kirilenko blocked Jordan's signature jump shot with a powerful block!
Although Jordan reacted quickly, he regained control of the basketball and immediately regrouped, dribbling between his legs repeatedly to find his rhythm. Then, he pulled up for another shot after a sharp change of direction!
"Snapped!"
Incredibly, Jordan was blocked by Kirilenko for the second time in a row!
This time, Jordan couldn't hold onto the ball because the shot clock had expired!
Jordan was caught on defense and committed a 24-second violation!
Even in a 1-on-1 situation!
"Wow! Wow! Wow!" Barkley exclaimed excitedly, as if he had just won the Finals MVP. He raised his arms and shouted, "Greatest play of all time! Greatest play of all time!"
"This is absolutely the happiest and favorite moment of my life! Michael Jordan got blocked twice in a row and forced to commit a 24-second violation!"
"I think Michael should even be grateful for the 24-second shot clock, otherwise he might have gotten two more blocks!"
"Kenny! Please don't speak, I beg you, don't speak! Don't ruin the happiest moment of my life! I want to remember this moment forever, I want to etch it into my DNA!"
"I will never forget this moment in my life! It was wonderful!"
How so?
Barkley's excitement is understandable to many; it's indeed very rare for Jordan to be blocked twice in a row.
In fact, it's as if this never happened!
Never!
The following game taught Barkley a lesson.
You're celebrating too soon!
Wait a minute, there will be plenty of happy times for you!
Riding the momentum of his consecutive successful blocks on Jordan, Kirilenko also showed his aggressiveness when the Lakers were on offense. He dribbled high and forced his way into the paint, then used his shoulder to push away Jordan, who was struggling with him, and then jumped up for a powerful two-handed dunk!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, O'Neal, who had just helped Kirilenko block Ben Wallace under the basket, jumped up excitedly, grabbed Kirilenko's head, and gave him a big kiss!
"Blocked Michael! In a row! And now he dunked on Michael again! Andre! You're awesome, Andre!"
"You shouldn't be called Kirilenko or AK47; you should be called RPG Individual Rocket Launcher or Blue Flame Gatling Gun!"
"ball!"
Jordan's eyes turned red from being repeatedly humiliated. He had never been treated like this before.
Even when he was eliminated by the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, he had never been so humiliated!
We must fight back!
must!
Fueled by anger, Jordan dribbled the ball at breakneck speed, then turned his back to Kirilenko at the top of the arc, followed by a series of upper body fakes. Jordan then suddenly used his left hand to forcefully turn and accelerate past Kirilenko from the weak side!
Although Kirilenko caught up with Jordan immediately, Jordan then made another low-altitude change of direction without slowing down, which gave Jordan a lot of space. Jordan did not hesitate at all and jumped up to shoot!
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Jordan managed to shake off Kirilenko, but the shot didn't go in.
Instead, O'Neal grabbed the rebound and immediately threw it out, allowing Kirilenko, who had already started his fast break, to take the ball and sprint down the court. Kirilenko jumped and shot when he was still a few meters from the basket, slamming the ball into the hoop with one arm!
He repeatedly defended Jordan and then slammed home consecutive dunks!
AK47 is destined to become famous tonight!
"I think after tonight, no one will call Kirilenko the Lakers' number 47 or the Lakers' starting small forward anymore."
"From tonight onwards, everyone will call him AK47 or Andrei Kirilenko! Remember this young man's name! He just humiliated Michael Jordan!"
"ball!"
Jordan's attitude toward asking for the ball worsened, and his expression grew increasingly grim; he was truly furious!
I'm only 40 years old. If I want to, I can still beat everyone!
Would I be bullied by a Russian who hasn't even grown his first hair yet?
impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
Jordan dribbled to the frontcourt again and waved for everyone to spread out.
If you fail to post up or jump shot, then just go for a three-pointer!
Jordan acts on his thoughts. He held the ball on the perimeter for a three-pointer, then suddenly moved to the side and pulled up for a three-pointer!
Logically speaking, this is not Jordan's shooting style, nor his shooting rhythm, nor his shooting area.
Theoretically speaking, this shot was unexpected and unpredictable; no one could have anticipated it!
Whether it goes in or not depends on Jordan himself!
"Snapped!"
However, Kirilenko's focus and dedication on the defensive end are astonishing!
Jordan's unreasonable and sudden shot was completely anticipated by him, and he jumped up immediately and blocked Jordan's shot!
"Fuck! Is it Christmas today?! Why did I get so many Christmas presents?!" Barkley shouted excitedly. "Tonight, I'm going to eat a whole roasted turkey!"
Before Barkley could even finish speaking, an even more exciting scene unfolded!
After Kirilenko's block, the ball fell into Jordan's hands again. This time, Jordan was a full 3 meters away from the three-point line when he got the ball, and Kirilenko didn't even move up to him. Instead, he stood on the three-point line with a cold face.
Then, the guy stretched out his left hand and beckoned to Jordan.
"Come here!"
This is a universally accepted provocative gesture; no one can tolerate it!
Especially Jordan, who had just been blocked three times in a row and managed to defend against one of them.
He couldn't stand it!
He moved between his legs, changed direction, and made continuous rhythmic changes, trying to find space and a rhythm for his attack.
Jordan once again challenged Kirilenko.
The continuous blocks completely excited Kirilenko. He spread his arms, which were definitely over 220 centimeters long, and with his height of 206 centimeters, he stood in front of Jordan like Spider-Man. His defense was airtight and all-encompassing!
His defensive coverage is absolutely top-tier in history!
After a series of feints and changes of direction from Kirilenko, Jordan suddenly accelerated and chose to forcefully attack the basket!
After a sudden acceleration, he was indeed faster than Kirilenko, gaining a half-body advantage in the blink of an eye. He then drove all the way to the basket, and facing O'Neal who came to help defend, Jordan was about to jump and shoot.
But this time, what awaited Jordan was yet another hellish echo!
Because of O'Neal's help defense, Jordan slowed down and did not continue to move towards the basket. Instead, he made a sudden stop and jumped almost vertically to shoot. This choice did allow him to avoid O'Neal in front of him.
But Kirilenko, who was behind him, successfully closed the gap by half a body length and delivered another block from behind Jordan!
"Snapped!"
After that muffled thud, the entire Conseco Arena tensed up, with countless fans gasping in shock.
Unbelievable!
They felt like they were dreaming; everything before them seemed unreal!
This is Michael Jordan!
What happened in just over a minute was truly too surreal and terrifying!
To everyone's surprise!
Unbelievable!
And the incredible thing is, this is not the end of it!
Because the ball that Kirilenko blocked was picked up by Horry, Horry took a touch and then passed the ball back to Kirilenko, who had already started his charge!
Kirilenko charged forward with the ball, his long limbs moving across the field with a graceful, athletic beauty.
Jordan, who had just lost face, was relentless and did his best to block Kirilenko.
Whatever this Russian is up to, Jordan has to stop him!
He wants to save face for himself!
However, in most cases, the more eager someone is to get revenge, the more likely they are to embarrass themselves.
Jordan tonight was no exception!
Kirilenko drove all the way to the basket, then suddenly pulled up, raised the ball high behind his head with one hand, and crashed heavily into Jordan, who jumped at the same time.
"puff!"
After a muffled thud, neither of them flew out or lost their balance, but everyone could see that Kirilenko's wingspan and height gave him an advantage in this confrontation. He was much taller than Jordan!
"boom!"
Then came a loud bang that silenced the Conseco Center once again, making it feel like a funeral parlor.
Kirilenko dunks over Jordan again!
Four consecutive blocks on defense, and three consecutive dunks on offense!
In those last few dozen seconds, Kirilenko played more like a basketball god than Jordan!
Upon landing, the excited Russian could no longer contain his excitement. He was also a basketball player, and he had grown up watching Jordan play!
His idol is also Jordan!
To show oneself so wildly in front of one's idol is enough to drive anyone crazy!
His uniquely Russian wildness caused him to let out a series of wild roars and shouts towards the sky!
As a basketball player, what could be more worthy of pride than giving Jordan the most painful memory of his life in just a few dozen seconds?
there is none left!
Even 30 years from now, if a red-haired high school student asks Kirilenko, "Andrei, when was your most glorious moment? Was it when you became an NBA All-Star?"
Kirilenko would tell him without hesitation, "No, it was when I blocked Michael Jordan's shots one after another!"
"I was too happy too soon!" Barkley exclaimed from the studio. "I thought blocking Michael twice would make me invincible! But this AK47 blocked him four times in a row?"
"And they also detained three others? Whose subordinates are these?"
"Oh, it's Phil Jackson's."
Barkley was so excited he was almost having a seizure.
Jordan! That's Jordan!
The great Michael Jordan had five shots blocked by Kirilenko in three consecutive possessions, totaling about 80 seconds! Four of those shots were blocked by Kirilenko!
Meanwhile, Kirilenko also completed three consecutive dunks during this period!
Furthermore, two of these three dunks were poster dunks!
Not to mention this life, even in his past life, Jordan has never suffered so much!
I've never experienced anything like this before! I've never encountered anything so terrible.
Even Jordan himself, a guy who is always competitive, has an outrageously high sense of self-esteem, and never admits defeat, was a little stunned at this moment.
I, Michael Jordan, actually got blocked 4 times and dunked on twice.
Am I, Michael Jordan, really getting old?
20: 21!
The Lakers are now only one point behind.
At this point, Jordan was genuinely somewhat distracted.
If he were only 25 years old, or even 35, those four blocks wouldn't have had such a big impact on him.
But he is 40 years old now.
Kirilenko's four consecutive blocks really made Jordan start to doubt himself. Maybe this season's version of himself wasn't the real him at all.
Maybe it was because he played with Lin that he was able to put up stats and performances far beyond his actual level?
Last season, was it actually Michael Jordan's true strength?
Right now, I'm just an old man who can only pad his stats on lottery teams, barely managing to average around 20 points per game, and who gets easily beaten by all the young guys.
Am I really getting old?
"Michael? Michael! Michael! Did you hear what I said?" Carlisle's voice pulled Jordan out of his daze.
The game had been paused. After being hit so many times in a row, Carlisle chose to call a timeout to let everyone calm down.
Especially Jordan.
"Michael, do you need to rest for a bit?"
"No need." Jordan shook his head decisively, indicating that he was fine.
But everyone could tell that something was wrong with him!
Those four blocks have truly plunged this once invincible guy into self-doubt.
But Carlisle also knew very well that if he replaced Jordan now, it would only make Jordan's self-doubt worse.
We must let him continue playing, we must let him find his rhythm on the court, and we must let him find his own way to solve the problem!
No one can help him with this.
Perhaps, besides Lin Tian?
Carlisle glanced back at Lin Tian, only to find that the guy wasn't even looking at him, nor was he comforting Jordan; instead, he was busy drinking his energy drink.
Carlisle sighed, feeling a growing headache.
What is Lin thinking?
But Carlisle could only hesitate for a moment, because the timeout was about to end.
Because of the Lakers' surge and consecutive scoring, he had no choice but to bring in the starting lineup early and put Lin Tian back on the court!
On the Lakers' side, Kirilenko became a hero at this moment. A group of people took turns patting his head and rubbing his hair. By the time the group of extremely excited Lakers players finally dispersed, Kirilenko's originally upright Saiyan-style slicked-back hair had been turned into a Riley-style slicked-back hairstyle.
Since both are fixed with hairspray, one facing upwards and the other backwards, there's not much difference.
The Lakers players were beaming with excitement and joy. Being able to defend Jordan like that was something everyone was thrilled about.
The only one whose expression wasn't just excitement and happiness was Kobe; in Kobe's eyes was envy and longing!
He had two things on his mind at that moment.
"I can take his place!"
Yes, of course it's about replacing Kirilenko in blocking Jordan's shots, not about replacing Jordan being blocked by Kirilenko.
The second thing...
"Andrei, after the game, shall we practice a few rounds? How about a 21-point one-on-one?"
"We'll go if we win the game!" Kirilenko is the type of person who is ruthless and doesn't talk much. Of course, it's also possible that his English isn't good, which is why he doesn't talk much.
If you speak Russian to him, this guy might turn into a chatterbox.
The game continues!
The Lakers wanted to capitalize on this momentum to overtake or even widen the score gap, so Jackson brought back his starting lineup, putting all five starters back on the court.
At this moment, the Pacers' starting lineup consisted of four players besides Webber, with the remaining power forward position being filled by Brad Miller, not Carlisle.
With their offense struggling, the Pacers were forced to adopt a twin-tower lineup to strengthen their interior defense and prevent the Lakers from repeatedly attacking their paint.
"Michael? Shall we take him down again?" Back on the court, Lin Tian casually asked Jordan while chewing gum.
"Damn!" Jordan remained expressionless, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking. Lin Tian didn't say anything more and gestured for Jordan to choose a seat he liked.
After Jordan got into position in the low post, Lin Tian passed the ball directly to Jordan, letting him continue to isolate and attack Kirilenko!
If you want to regain your lost face and the dignity you lost after being completely shut down, the best way is always to fight back yourself!
After shutting down Kirilenko, Jordan still used his signature shoulder-to-shoulder probing technique to find weaknesses in Kirilenko's defense. Then, he once again turned towards the baseline and drove towards the basket!
Although Jordan easily pushed Kirilenko aside, he didn't choose to shoot directly. Instead, he took another step towards the inside and forced his way into the paint!
But he only took two steps in before O'Neal blocked his path, his massive size preventing Jordan from driving hard from the baseline.
Just as Jordan was about to head towards the baseline, Kirilenko arrived in a flash, and together with O'Neal, they spread their arms and tightly surrounded Jordan at the baseline.
Jordan was cornered!
Fortunately, Jordan is Jordan after all. He didn't make a direct mistake on this play. Instead, he jumped up and threw the ball to Lin Tian's hands from beyond the three-point line.
After receiving the ball, Lin Tian faked a move and then drove into the Lakers' paint once again.
After two consecutive breakthroughs, the Lakers' defensive formation became somewhat chaotic. Malone and Kobe both collapsed to help defend Lin Tian, and Lin Tian immediately passed the ball to Christie, who was left out in the right corner!
Christie received the ball and, without hesitation, glanced at it briefly before decisively launching a three-pointer!
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp thud, the Pacers hit their third three-pointer of the night!
The gap between the two sides has widened once again!
Christie's three-pointer seemed to signal that both teams' starters were regaining their touch. In the following minutes, both teams played admirably, with players like Malone, Kobe, and Lin Tian, who had previously struggled, starting to score.
The only exception might be Jordan!
This guy, who claimed he wanted to regain his face, made a few moves over the next long period of time, but very few.
He chose to pass the ball more often in one-on-one situations!
Those few shots were all wide-open opportunities after completely creating space, but even so, Jordan still didn't make a single shot!
The fans at the stadium, the fans watching on TV, and even Barkley in the studio were starting to get anxious!
"Shoot! Shoot, Michael! Oh dear, why is it being transferred again? There's clearly space available!"
"Hit him! Hit him! Hit him! No problem, get him! Oh dear, he didn't even score!"
"Damn it! Michael...it's been passed again!"
"Michael played very hesitantly tonight! He was really out of sorts. I think those four consecutive blocks really affected him. Look! He chose to pass again, oh dear! This time he failed to pass to his teammate, Michael made a mistake!"
"The Lakers are on the comeback! Fisher! Fisher gets an opportunity on the wing, takes a three-pointer... and it's in! The Lakers have narrowed the gap to just one point again!"
As Barkley's commentary played, Fisher hit a crucial three-pointer, bringing the Lakers closer to victory once again!
After this mistake, Carlisle finally couldn't take it anymore. He patted Arenas, signaling him to come on immediately and revive Jordan, who was in terrible form.
Jordan played terribly in the second quarter! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this the worst and most brutal quarter of his entire career.
There was truly no worse game in his career than the second quarter.
单节比赛打了9分钟，7投0中1分没得的同时，还吃到了4次血帽，送出2次失误！
He was also used as a backdrop by Kirilenko, who dunked on him twice!
If Jordan hadn't continued playing, this first half would have been the worst first half of his career.
12投1中只拿到2分，今晚的乔丹根本不像是40岁，而像是最少50岁！
That night, Jordan became the perfect backdrop, the stepping stone for Kirilenko to rise to fame and become one of the league's top defenders.
As Jordan stepped off the court, his eyes lost their former confidence and arrogance, replaced by countless moments of confusion and hesitation.
He genuinely didn't know why he was behaving so badly tonight.
Am I really getting old?
Jordan's repeated self-doubts made him increasingly confused.
Fortunately, although Jordan was really bad tonight, the rest of the Pacers team found their form in the second quarter!
Not only did Lin Tian and Christie score consecutively, but substitute Arenas also became a surprise weapon in the first half! In less than 10 minutes of playing time, he hit 3 three-pointers and scored 9 points!
Webber also delivered a brilliant pass and a powerful dunk at the end of the second quarter.
With Lin Tian orchestrating the offense and constantly feeding open teammates, and his own personal offense also quickly picking up, the Pacers managed to maintain their lead even though Jordan had a terrible performance in the second quarter!
41: 43!
The Pacers managed to hold onto a two-point lead at halftime.
林天上半场比赛15投6中，3分球3投1中，罚球4罚3中，拿下16分6篮板5助攻的全面数据，只不过除了他之外，步行者队再没有一个人得分上双，在他之后分别是阿里纳斯的9分和克里斯蒂的6分。
For the Lakers, the brightest player in the first half tonight was undoubtedly Kirilenko!
这个俄罗斯人今晚半场比赛就9投5中轰下11分4篮板3助攻5盖帽3抢断的超全能数据！作为一名角色球员和球队的第四甚至第五选择，半场比赛打出这种数据，今晚的基里连科，绝对足够名扬四海了！
Besides Kirilenko, O'Neal scored a team-high 12 points, making them the only two Lakers players to reach double figures.
During halftime, Jackson squinted and sat on the middle table, addressing everyone: "First, let's give Andre the warmest applause. He may not even know what he did, so let's help him recall."
"He blocked Michael Jordan four times in 80 seconds, limiting Jordan to 1-for-12 shooting and 3 turnovers with his one-on-one defense!"
"Let me put it this way, I've coached Michael for almost 10 years, and he's never had such a terrible and embarrassing game! Never! Andre in the first half, we can call him the best defender on the planet against Michael!"
"I know some people will say that Michael is already 40 years old, and guarding a 40-year-old is not a big deal."
"But I also want everyone to remember: McGee is the scoring champion, he's the MVP, he's the leading scorer for the league's best team! He led his team to a sweep of all opponents in the first three rounds of the playoffs!"
"It doesn't matter whether a player of this caliber is 40 or 25. What matters is that Andre did it. Andre completely outplayed Michael! Perhaps you didn't notice the look in Michael's eyes when he sat on the bench after leaving the court."
"Let me put it this way, in my entire life, I've never seen Michael look so desperate!"
"Never!"
"Andre is our hero! I expect you guys to keep playing like this in the second half! Let's keep doing this! And then, take a win from Indiana! Got it?"
"clear!"
After boosting the morale of the players, especially Kirilenko, Jackson outlined the specific tactics and core strategies for the second half.
Then he glanced at the time, clapped his hands, and said, "Alright, everyone, go! Go and wipe out the Pacers! Tear them to shreds! Teach them a lesson they won't forget!"
Then, as everyone was heading out of the locker room, Jackson pulled Kobe back again.
He looked at Kobe, blinked, and whispered, "Honestly, I originally thought you'd be the one to beat Michael like that. I'm a little disappointed! But if you can shut down Lin in the second half..."
Jackson didn't finish speaking, and Kobe didn't respond.
They glanced at each other, then walked together into the players' tunnel!
Jackson knew how important this game was for the Lakers!
This is Jordan, who went 1-for-12 from the field! You might not see Jordan in this form even once in 10 years. Since the Lakers have encountered him today, they must win this game!
If the Lakers can't win even with Jordan playing this badly, then it goes without saying that they're in serious trouble in this series!
After provoking Kobe, Jackson felt that the chances of winning tonight's game were much better!
In the Pacers' locker room, Carlisle transformed into a motivational coach, giving the players a pep talk in hopes of igniting their potential and fighting spirit.
Especially Jordan's!
Jordan played terribly in the first half, so badly that even he was bewildered. Carlisle tried everything he could to help Jordan regain his confidence and form.
After his encouragement and pep talk, Jordan's eyes and expression seemed much better, at least to some extent.
Carlisle believed that as long as Jordan could make two shots at the start of the second half, his confidence would immediately return!
But if his performance at the start of the second half is still terrible, then Jordan might not be able to get back into form for the rest of the night!
With a hint of worry, Carlisle sat down next to Lin Tian and asked, "Lin, do you have a solution?"
"Yes." Years of tacit understanding meant Lin Tian didn't need to ask Carlisle what he was asking. He simply nodded and said, "But this move can only be used once. If I use it too many times, Michael's body might not be able to withstand it, so I don't think now is the right time."
"I'll use this tactic when we're in trouble in the second half, when we can't hold on, or when Michael has to step up. Don't worry, coach!"
Looking into Lin Tian's determined and confident eyes, Carlisle really wanted to believe him.
But when he heard that it could only be used once, and that his body might not be able to withstand it, Carlisle couldn't help but swallow hard.
"Is your method legitimate or not?" Carlisle couldn't help but ask.
"Seriously! I personally witnessed someone use it in a top-level national competition, and the results were excellent!"
"This move once helped a veteran leader, whose status on the team was similar to Michael's, emerge from despair and lack of confidence, regaining his vitality and self-assurance. After this move, the team pulled itself out of a 20-point deficit!"
"They turned the game around, pulled off a stunning upset against the nation's strongest team, and became legends and a classic in the hearts of countless basketball fans!" (End of Chapter)