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With the referee's assistance, the Pistons' defensive intensity against Wang Chong diminished significantly. They had no choice but to lower their guard because, throughout the game, Wang Chong had already made 21 free throws, becoming a crucial player for the Bulls. During the regular season, his free throw percentage was one of the highest in the league. Just his free throws surpassed the combined scores of both teams in the match.With an astronomical free throw count, Wang Chong once again scored over 40 points in this game, finishing with 46 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, while his shooting percentage soared to 61%.
After three games, the Bulls still held a lead with a score of 2-1. The upcoming Game 4 was a near do-or-die situation for the Pistons. If they lost again, the score would stretch to 3-1 in favor of the Bulls, granting the latter a significant advantage and making it exceedingly difficult for the Pistons to mount a comeback.
Everyone understood the stakes, but knowing the truth didn't guarantee success.
On May 15, Game 4 of the second-round series unfolded.
This game could be considered the most challenging of the four. Both teams recognized the importance of the outcome and fought fiercely on the court. The strong defensive units from both sides unleashed their best efforts, resulting in laughably low shooting percentages.
By the end of the first quarter, the score was 18-16, and at halftime, it was a mere 37-36. The scores were so tightly contested and low that fans who hadn't watched the game might mistakenly think it was the score of a single quarter.
The third quarter saw no change in this trend. The Pistons managed to score 21 points, while the Bulls only managed 17, giving the Pistons a slight lead of 58 to 53 as the third quarter concluded. In a game with such low scoring, a five-point advantage was substantial. If both teams maintained the status quo in the final quarter, the Pistons could claim victory. However, the Bulls were without their top scorer, Wang Chong.
As in previous games, the Bulls' scoring in the first three quarters largely relied on Wang Chong, who alone scored 27 points out of the team's total of 53.
Both players and fans had become accustomed to Wang Chong's scoring ability.
In the first three games against the Pistons, he had two games scoring over 40 points and one above 30, effectively dismantling the Pistons' defense with little assistance from his teammates.
This game was no different.
In the last quarter, facing a 5-point deficit, Wang Chong stormed into the Pistons' defense the moment he stepped onto the court.
The Pistons were well aware that he would retaliate, but knowing that did not equate to being able to stop him.
After four intense battles, Prince and Rasheed Wallace attempted multiple defensive switches to disrupt Wang Chong's offensive rhythm, but none succeeded in halting his relentless attack.
Wang Chong hit two consecutive mid-range shots against Prince, cutting the deficit from five to just one point in the blink of an eye.
Pistons fans watched in despair, feeling helpless.
With 5 minutes and 27 seconds left in the final quarter, the Bulls reversed the score and took the lead for the first time in the game.
Unwilling to accept such a defeat, the Pistons launched a fierce counterattack, led by Hamilton.
Hamilton was having a stellar game, scoring 18 points in the first three quarters, proving to be the most consistent scorer for the Pistons.
In the final quarter, he continued to perform efficiently, carrying the Pistons' offensive load on his shoulders.
The game became a battle of wills between Wang Chong and Hamilton.
Hamilton was indeed a remarkable scorer with unique offensive skills. Even in the future, when discussing top scorers in the league, his name could not be overlooked.
But if it came down to a scoring duel between Hamilton and Wang Chong, few believed Hamilton stood a chance.
After all, Hamilton's highest career average as a shooting guard was just over 20 points per game. While he was an excellent scorer, his ceiling was apparent.
Wang Chong, however, was in a league of his own. Even when comparing current and retired players in the league, it was difficult to find many who could match his scoring prowess.
In other words, prior to this season, many names may have been ranked higher than Wang Chong.
But after Wang Chong secured the title of the league's leading scorer, averaging 35.6 points per game during the regular season, it was tough for other players to argue they could contain him, except for Michael Jordan.
At just 21 years old, Wang Chong's career was just beginning, and he had already reached such a high level of play. No one could predict what achievements lay ahead for him.
The same could be said for the game itself.
In the final quarter, Hamilton made 5 of 12 shots and hit 2 of 2 free throws, totaling 12 points for the quarter and just barely crossing the 30-point mark for the game.
Wang Chong, however, excelled with 6 of 9 shooting in the quarter, including 2 of 3 from beyond the arc and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line, racking up 17 points. Most crucially, in the final minute of the game, both teams were still separated by just one point.
Wang Chong hit a decisive three-pointer from downtown, breaking the deadlock and then consistently sank free throws as the Pistons resorted to intentional fouling, extinguishing any remaining hope of a comeback for Detroit.
The final score was 78-75.
The Bulls narrowly secured this pivotal fourth game on their home court, rewriting the series score to 3-1, putting them one game away from advancing and pushing the Pistons to the brink of elimination.
In this game, Wang Chong scored 44 points, accounting for 56% of the team's total. Once again, he single-handedly led the team to defeat the previously unstoppable Pistons.
After four games, Wang Chong had scored over 40 points in three contests and over 30 points in one, bringing his average in the series to an astounding 41.5 points. His offensive performance bordered on the absurd.
"Wang Chong has shown me the best individual performance since the 20th century. He has used his maximum scoring capacity to help the team win game after game that seemed impossible. Watching him reminds me of Michael Jordan. Of course, Jordan and Wang Chong have very different playing styles, but it's undeniable that both are the most representative scorers of the last few decades."
"Putting aside all other aspects, purely from a scoring perspective, Wang Chong is even stronger than his former elder brother O'Neal! In his prime, Shaq was unstoppable in the paint and nearly invincible. But even Shaq had weaknesses, like his free throws. Until now, however, no deficiencies or weaknesses have been seen in Wang Chong's performance in the two playoff rounds against the Cavaliers and the Pistons."
There might be some exaggeration in the previous assessment, but in the league, a winner is a winner, especially when no one can dispute Wang Chong's impressive personal stats.
The Bulls' opponents, the Detroit Pistons, had reached the Finals for the last two consecutive seasons and were renowned as the league's strongest defensive team.
Even the best defensive strategies from the Pistons couldn't contain Wang Chong. They had been outscored by their opponent, who averaged 41.5 points per game across four matchups, resulting in a 3-1 series lead for the Bulls. Which team in the league would dare to say they could effectively defend against Wang Chong?
Even the defending champions, the San Antonio Spurs, wouldn't make that claim.
However, not being able to stop Wang Chong did not mean the Bulls were invincible. The Spurs and the Pistons had an essential difference: the presence of superstars on the teams.
Tim Duncan, a two-time regular season MVP, was not someone to be trifled with. He offered significant strategic value on both ends of the court, vastly different from the Pistons' defensive anchor, Ben Wallace. While Ben was vital defensively, Duncan's offensive capabilities were unparalleled. His reliable 45-degree angle shooting was lethal during crucial moments.
Wang Chong once had the opportunity to learn the 45-degree shooting technique from Duncan but ultimately decided to focus on developing his left-hand ball-handling skills with Odom. He believed Durant's mid-range jump shot was equally potent as Duncan's 45-degree shot regarding scoring ability, so he felt it unnecessary to squander valuable learning opportunities on redundant movements.
Conversely, while Odom's left-hand skills were mediocre, they would significantly enhance Wang Chong's dribbling and left-hand driving abilities, proving to be a more productive use of his time.
As for the Spurs, in addition to Duncan, the strength of their other two stars, Parker and Ginóbili, was no less formidable than Billups and Hamilton of the Pistons regarding reputation and talent.
Given the current strength of the Bulls, if they faced the Spurs, it would never be as straightforward as against the Pistons. There was a strong likelihood that the Spurs would defeat them by a wide margin.
Wang Chong himself couldn't comprehend why the Spurs were so formidable yet fell to the Mavericks in the second round.
When comparing the two teams' stats, Duncan averaged 32.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game over seven games. While dominating both offense and defense, he also managed to contain Dirk Nowitz
End of this chapter
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