Chapter 780 - 244: This Is the Undefeated Bulls!

Even when O’Neal didn’t have the ball, his ability to grab offensive rebounds greatly restricted Luke Longley’s close range and three-second zone defensive abilities.

What made the fans feel more at ease was that their offensive stability improved!

After Jordan attempted a turnaround fadeaway, he began to actively attack, not limited to playing solo; any way would do. His goal now was simply to get the ball into the basket.

For Jordan, it was much easier to find opportunities to shoot himself than to create them for his teammates. At the beginning, the opponent would definitely focus on guarding him, and he just chose to utilize that. The initial offense was quite good, but role players having good opportunities was just that, and their stability compared to Jordan was far less.

Of course, the benefit of Jordan creating opportunities for teammates at the beginning was evident. The Lakers didn’t dare to focus solely on Jordan anymore, constantly monitoring his movements for early action. Previously, while double-teaming wasn’t possible, wherever Jordan went, the player in that area would shift defensively.

But after the Bulls had such a strong offensive start, the Lakers’ defense on Jordan was affected.

The Bulls’ offensive strategy was methodical and well-practiced, which was why their form this season had been so stable, with an average of 106.9 points per game and 95.1 points allowed!

The score remained fiercely contested, and neither team made substitutions during the official timeout phase. At 8:42 in the first quarter, Jordan drove to the basket, drawing a foul from Barkley’s defense, and after Pippen had endured most of the period, the opponent finally rotated players!

Finally, a glimmer of light!

After Jordan made his first free throw, Del Harris began changing players, bringing in the Magician for Barkley, Brian Shaw for Kenny Anderson, and George Lynch for Doug Christie, while Zhang Hao and O’Neal stayed on court.

The Bulls also made rotations, putting Steve Kerr in for Ron Harper.

Seeing the opponents change players, Jordan felt for his teammate, but finally, they pulled through, and he managed to keep the score gap from widening!

Jordan made the second free throw as well, 17 to 21, keeping the gap within 5 points! Two mid-range shots could tie the game!

Transitioning to the Lakers’ offense, Zhang Hao had been aggressively attacking for some time, enjoying the play but feeling a bit fatigued, so he paused. As Rodman guarded him, Zhang Hao moved to the right mid-range, and O’Neal moved to the three-second zone’s left low post, relying on Luke Longley for the ball.

Finally, it was my turn! Excited, O’Neal received the ball and forcefully attacked the hoop, with Pippen retracting defensively but failing to successfully interfere.

Yet Pippen didn’t mind. In the next turn, when O’Neal received the ball again, he continued to retract, intending to speed up O’Neal’s solo play frequency!

The Lakers maintained the initiative, but unexpectedly, they began to feel something wasn’t right...

O’Neal’s powerful playtime was getting shorter!

The Bulls didn’t deploy an inside double-team against O’Neal, just had Pippen retract from covering the Magician, without forming a substantial defensive effect.

Gradually, O’Neal began to actively pass to the Magician. Upon receiving the return pass, the Magician would dish it out if a teammate had an opportunity or shoot himself if not.

In terms of offensive success rate, the Lakers’ offensive success rate in the last few minutes of the first quarter was still very high.

O’Neal made 3 shots, one of which was a 2+1, although he missed the free throw, scoring 6 points. Other Lakers players also scored 4 points, primarily because of O’Neal’s high success rate of 3 out of 4 shots. By the end of the first quarter, the Lakers had 31 points.

During Barkley’s primary offensive phase, the Lakers scored 11 points. During Zhang Hao’s phase, they scored 10 points, and even in O’Neal’s shorter offensive time, they still scored 10 points.

This performance against the Bulls, who had one of the top defenses in the league, was certainly an excellent display.

Even the big-hearted O’Neal noticed a problem by the end of the first quarter...

Indeed, the Bulls scored 26 points in the first quarter, and the Lakers led by 5 points.

But O’Neal clearly felt that his energy consumption was greater than when he started aggressively, then took a breather before attacking again!

During the break, the Lakers were highly spirited. O’Neal, not one to be underestimated and concerned about maintaining face, sat down, unlike usual, and earnestly worked to regulate his breathing, striving to restore to a better physical condition.

It wasn’t that he was notably exhausted; his stamina was top-notch among league centers, and not just centers; it was exceptionally good across the league, with over 36 minutes per game in his first four seasons, peaking at 39.8 minutes one season.

But the energy depletion in this phase was greater than when he had to go all out during games with the Magic last season!

...

As the break ended, the Lakers reintroduced Kenny Anderson, Byron Scott, Zhang Hao, Barkley, and Jason Williams onto the court.

Zhang Hao thought this lineup would have massive offensive pressure, but Pippen, Rodman, and Longley were all subbed out, replaced by Randy Brown, Steve Kerr, Jordan, Kukoc, and Bennett Benjamin.

The Bulls’ offensive pace was still slow, but it was evident this lineup was for offense, and their defense was so delicious that the Lakers players felt they could devour the opposition in one bite.

Indeed, that’s how it went. After the second quarter began, the Lakers maintained a high offensive success rate, with more opportunities for fast breaks. Zhang Hao was tightly defended, and Jordan relentlessly sought confrontation. When Zhang Hao posted up Jordan, the defensive treatment was entirely different from Pippen’s; the instant Zhang Hao made contact with Jordan and received the ball, an immediate double-team ensued, allowing Zhang Hao to distribute the ball, with Barkley having the most cut-in opportunities.