Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 106: Shatter the Magic Team! Make Orlando a lottery winner!

Chapter 106: Shatter the Magic Team! Let Orlando return to the lottery!

In contrast to the tense atmosphere in the Magic's locker room, where tensions could escalate at any moment, the Bulls' locker room was filled with joy and harmony.

The Bulls players couldn't help but be happy with the team's large lead and strategic success in the first half.

Not to mention, Hardaway and O'Neal no longer concealed their disgust for the other person on their faces. Hardaway resented O'Neal for not providing him with screens, leaving him to deal with the double-team of Jordan and Pippen alone.

O'Neal resented Hardaway for not passing him the ball.

Pippen and Jordan are both double-teaming you, so my spot is pretty open, right? Give it to me!

With only five minutes left before the start of the second half, Jackson calmly clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Alright everyone, the game is about to resume! Let's continue with the defensive strategy from the first half! But there's a slight difference."

"Lin, you're the fastest. If Hardaway starts trying to pass the ball to O'Neal, be ready to collapse the paint and double-team him! Foul him, pull him down, or do anything else! There's only one goal: force O'Neal to the free-throw line!"

"Let him shoot free throws. When he misses, the Magic's offense will stagnate, and everyone else will lose their rhythm. Then, Hardaway will stop passing him the ball! Get what I mean?" Jackson said, clapping his hands excitedly again. "This time, we're not just going to win! We're not even going to just sweep!"

"I'm going to break up the Magic! I'm going to make sure that starting next season, there won't be any more of that Orlando duo! Do you guys have the guts?!"

"Break them apart?" Jordan was the first to stand up, cracking his neck as he said, "Great! I'll never forget what they said last year! What did they mean by 'Jordan is back, but the Air Jordan is gone forever'?"

"Then let them know this time that Orlando is still around, but the Magic are going to keep going for the lottery!"

"Beat them to the lottery!"

"Win the lottery!"

"Scatter them!"

Filled with pride and unwavering confidence, the entire Bulls team returned to the court once again.

In the second half, the Bulls did not change their starting lineup, sticking with the same five players from the first half, while the Magic replaced Scott with Brian Shaw.

The Bulls secured another crushing 41-point victory! The Magic offered no effective resistance whatsoever in this series!

In this game, Hardaway and O'Neal, who had performed well in the first two games, completely went silent!

O'Neal shot an incredibly low 8-for-19 from the field and only made 1 of 9 free throws, finishing with just 17 points and 12 rebounds. Hardaway was even less efficient than O'Neal, taking 24 shots but only making 8. The only redeeming quality he had over O'Neal was that he didn't miss a single free throw.

But the problem with Hardaway is that he didn't get a single free throw in this game!

A superstar known for his breakthroughs and physical attributes, yet he had zero free throws in a home game. There's only one explanation for his performance: Hardaway was completely bewildered! He was so thoroughly entangled by the Bulls that he suffered a mental breakdown and even forgot how to play.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have failed to get a single free throw!

With both star players shooting poorly and performing terribly, it was entirely reasonable for the Magic to lose this crucial do-or-die game.

3: 0!

The Magic are just one game away from being swept!

Judging from the performance in the first three games and the spirit of both teams, the fourth game was basically just a formality. No one thought that the Magic could have a comeback and win a game at this time, and no one believed that the Bulls, who had shouted the slogan of sweeping, would suddenly let the Magic off the hook at this time.

This is not Jordan's style, nor is it the Bulls' style!

The Bulls have always been known for their relentless, merciless play, leaving their opponents no chance to retaliate!

This is the most important thing that allowed them to dominate the league!

Ruthless! Petty! Vengeful!

This is actually the biggest reason why the Bulls are truly fearsome and why people dare not mess with them!

Hardaway and the Magic, who eliminated the Bulls in last year's playoffs and made bold statements after defeating them, are the latest victims of the Bulls' ironclad rule.

What frustrates and pains Orlando fans even more is that what they lost may be more than just a series.

What they may lose is an entire bright future!

Even though the series isn't actually over yet, the whole of Orlando has entered a very bad atmosphere.

The duo of "Shaq" and "Penny" gave them endless imagination and hope, hoping they could bring the team's first championship or even a dynasty. But maybe it's already come to an end!

Or to be more precise: after this duo plays their last match together, which will be two days later!

The Magic are breaking up this summer!

For the Bulls, nothing is more important than doing everything they can to speed up the disintegration of their opponent!

In Game 4 of the series, the Bulls continued their dominance and aggression from the first three games! They still didn't give the Magic any chance!

They still took the lead from the very beginning of the game!

Although both O'Neal and Hardaway played at a high level and with ferocity that they hadn't shown in the previous three games, for the sake of their dignity and pride, O'Neal even went to the perimeter to screen for Hardaway.

They didn't want to be swept aside, they didn't want to lose so humiliatingly, so they launched a furious counterattack!

这一场比赛，奥尼尔13投11中，连罚球都有9罚7中的超水平发挥，他拿下29分12篮板3盖帽的漂亮数据！

Hardaway also put away his arrogance and self-importance. Although he only made 9 of 21 shots and scored 28 points, which was not the highest in this series, he delivered a series-high 11 assists. Under his passing and direction, the Magic finally played like a team in this game!

In addition to the 57 points scored by the two stars, Scott, who had been very sluggish in the previous few games, hit three three-pointers and scored a total of 14 points. Brooks Thompson on the bench also stepped up and became a surprise weapon and X-factor, scoring a career-high 17 points on 7 of 10 shots.

However, all of this combined cannot compare to Jordan finally unleashing his full potential. Keep in mind that in the first three games of this series, Jordan was practically playing it safe, averaging only 33 minutes per game and scoring 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists with a 57% field goal percentage.

They won the game while completely slacking off!

In this game, when the Magic finally put up a fight, the invincible Jordan finally woke up!

23投16中，其中3分球4投3中，罚球14罚10中，轰下45分5篮板3助攻！

Besides Jordan's 45 points, Lin Tian, ​​who hadn't scored more than 20 points in the previous three games, also unleashed his speed and impact in this game. He and Jordan's duo almost ran all over the court, leaving the Magic's defense in disarray and in a sorry state.

Lin Tian also easily secured the Bulls' second-highest score and highest number of assists!

With 23 points and 11 assists, Lin Tian delivered a 20+10 performance as his final gift to this series!

106: 101!

The Bulls won by only 5 points in this final game of the series, but they were never behind for a single second throughout the game. They maintained a 5-10 point lead, leaving the Magic chasing behind exhausted and seeing hope of tying or taking the lead several times, only to be ruthlessly crushed by the Bulls each time!

4: 0!

The Bulls fulfilled their bold statement before the series began, sweeping the Magic and this top team with 60 wins in the regular season!

When the final whistle blew, a very peculiar situation arose between the two teams on the field.

The Bulls weren't particularly excited, and the Magic weren't particularly frustrated either.

The players from both sides shook hands, hugged, and exchanged pleasantries in a friendly manner, as if they had just played a preseason game instead of the Eastern Conference Finals!

This situation is actually quite easy to understand.

The Magic knew they were doomed to lose, while the Bulls were full of confidence from the very beginning of the series!

To win decisively, to lose cleanly.

The players from both teams actually became familiar and enthusiastic at this point.

"Lin, you played really well! If I had a teammate like you, I could play even better!" After the game, O'Neal immediately flashed his big white teeth, grinning carefree, and said, "How about it? I'm having a big party tonight, wanna come?"

"Your teammates are great too! You guys played very well today. As long as you provide some cover for Anfernee and do some support work, you'll still be very strong next year! You still have a chance to compete for the championship!" Lin Tian revealed a harmless smile and innocently gave the Magic duo the final shot.

"Just like here, we all consider Michael our leader, which is why we keep winning. If you guys could also identify a leader and start playing like this earlier, this series would definitely go to seven games!"

"Why am I the one setting the screen for him, and not the other way around?" O'Neal rolled his eyes. "I know you're doing this for Lin's own good, but have you ever seen a superstar center who sets a screen for a guard to roll to the basket? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Hakeem Olajuwon? Robinson? They never did that!"

"I would never do such a thing!"

"Shaq, I'm a bit blunt, but I really consider you a friend, so there are some things I have to say, even if it makes you angry." After displaying an Oscar-worthy expression of hesitation and deliberation, Lin Tian slowly asked, "Do you think your fans and management prefer you or Anfernee?"

"Of course it's...it's...it's me!" O'Neal was about to give Lin Tian an answer, but as he spoke, he hesitated. In the end, although he still said it was him, his tone was extremely guilty.

Clearly, O'Neal knew very well who Orlando fans preferred and who the Magic's management favored.

Hardaway is the one who can attract more fans to buy tickets and make more money for the management!

(End of this chapter)