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The loss in the first game put the Bulls in an unfavorable position, especially with the issues that were exposed during the match. These problems were already noted by Spurs coach Popovich.Compared to the experienced Spurs, the newly-rising Bulls still seem young—whether it be their players, tactical system, or coaching.
The only wildcard on the team is Wang Chong, who is almost like a glitch on the offensive side.
But even with Wang Chong, Popovich has strategies to counter him. Wang Chong has been in the league for four seasons, and his personal technical style is now quite distinct. Offensively, he relies mainly on mid-range and long-distance shooting, along with his dribbling and penetration skills. Unless he's having an off-day, defending him is near impossible.
However, Wang Chong also has a weakness. Unlike a physical monster like Kobe, Wang Chong's physical endurance can only be considered good by average player standards. This means that while Wang Chong has an extremely high scoring efficiency, his explosive scoring ability and stamina aren't as strong. During the regular season, Wang Chong surpassed 30 points regularly, but he scored over 50 or even 40 points in far fewer games than Kobe did. Nevertheless, his number of games with 30+ points and his shooting percentage far exceeded Kobe's.
Popovich's defensive strategy against Wang Chong is to have Duncan defend him and continuously drain Wang Chong's energy.
Duncan's height and wingspan aren't any less than Wang Chong's, but as an inside player, he's slightly weaker than Kobe in terms of speed, footwork, and explosiveness.
Once Duncan defends from the outside, Wang Chong can leverage his speed to break through and drive to the basket. Simultaneously, Duncan's absence from the penalty area would impact the Spurs' overall defense.
However, if this is seen as an effective way to tire out Wang Chong, then a few sacrifices are worth it.
It's a simple calculation. Which consumes more energy: shooting or dribbling and driving to the hoop? Definitely the latter. Not only must you use explosive strength to beat the defenders, but you also have to face defensive help when driving to the paint. A simple mid-range shot from the outside hardly compares.
The Spurs employed this tactic in the first game, and it worked. Although Wang Chong scored 37 points—the game's highest—the offensive firepower significantly waned in the final quarter, preventing him from leading the team to a comeback as he had in previous games. The offensive approach kept the score gap tight.
Having tasted victory with this approach, the Spurs continued with the same tactic in the second Finals game on June 10th.
But this time, they faced a frontal assault.
After losing the first game, Wang Chong racked his brains for ways to counter the Spurs. After careful consideration, he came up with just one move: abandon defense entirely and focus all his energy on offense. Through sheer skill, he would tear through the Spurs' defense and create a chance for a comeback!
In the first quarter of Game 2, Wang Chong was unstoppable, taking 12 frenzied shots under Duncan's specific defense. He scored 7 out of 12, forced two defensive fouls, and scored 18 points in a single quarter!
In the second quarter, Wang Chong's firepower didn't diminish. Combining Durant's revolutionary moves with Iverson's crossover, he continued to charge the basket relentlessly.
Popovich was slightly baffled. After the first half, Wang Chong scored 34 points, drawing 10 free throws. Duncan even incurred three fouls and had to leave early to avoid getting penalized.
Was Wang Chong's offensive firepower really this exaggerated?
In all honesty, Popovich had only seen this kind of offensive power in Jordan and O'Neal during their peak years.
He didn't know that Wang Chong was as exhausted as a dead dog in the locker room at halftime.
Having played almost 24 minutes in the first half and taken over 20 shots, he was utterly drained.
At that moment, he was very fortunate that his system mission reward had provided him with the Dodge Finisher.
Although its bonus effect conflicted with his Combat Finisher, in such an energy-intensive game, the Dodge Finisher was far more beneficial than the Combat Finisher.
The Combat Finisher increases offensive efficiency in confrontations, but any physical confrontation would consume even more of Wang Chong's already exhausted energy. With his energy bar nearly depleted, Wang Chong felt he could barely walk, let alone engage in physical duels.
In this case, a Dodge Finisher that effectively evaded defensive players was much better than a Combat Finisher.
Thanks to the Dodge Finisher, Wang Chong could calmly avoid defenders and score effortlessly when driving to the basket.
But even with this aid, Wang Chong, who scored 34 points in the first half, was still completely spent.
In the third quarter, Wang Chong rested on the bench for about 8 minutes. During the halftime, timeouts, dead balls, and free throws, Ling Ling finally managed to rest for nearly 30 minutes.
During this period, Billups led the Bulls on the court.
After all, he was the championship point guard who should have won the FMVP. Criticized for his poor performance in the last game, Billups quickly bounced back and held his own against the Spurs. His recovery complemented Wang Chong's first-half scoring frenzy, which had even thrown the Spurs off a bit.
Thanks to Wang Chong's unrestrained shooting, the Bulls established a nearly 10-point lead in the first half. The Spurs played steadily in the third quarter, gradually closing the gap point by point and eventually leveling the score after 8 minutes.
At that moment, Wang Chong, rested after half an hour, returned to the game.
This time, Wang Chong played until the game's end.
In the remaining 16 minutes, nearly every basketball possession for the Bulls passed through Wang Chong's hands. He delivered on expectations, widening the score gap with fierce offense.
97:93.
This was the final score when the game ended.
Wang Chong hit 20 of 36 shots, 4 of 10 three-pointers, and 16 of 18 free throws, scoring 50 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and adding 2 assists. His shooting percentage reached 55.6%, and with almost no help, he defeated the Spurs.
The Bulls' home fans were ecstatic, and the stadium was filled with deafening MVP chants after the game.
Scoring 50 points in a single Finals game—what does that mean?
In NBA history, only four players had ever scored more than 50 points in the Finals until then, including Bulls legend and basketball god, Jordan.
Today, Wang Chong became the fifth player to achieve this feat. Although 50 points were the lowest among Finals stars scoring over 50, it didn't diminish the impact of Wang Chong's performance on the league.
Moreover, Wang Chong was up against Tim Duncan, one of the best defensive players in history, which made it even more remarkable.
After the game, Spurs' head coach Popovich couldn't help but admit to reporters, "I've only seen performances like this from Michael over the years. This game wasn't a victory for the Bulls; it was simply a personal victory for Wang Chong."
Michael Jordan was also interviewed about his thoughts.
"It's a pity I couldn't watch this game live, but in the past two seasons, Wang Chong might be the closest player to me in the league. Although our play styles differ slightly, his dominance in scoring and attacking is quite similar."
Jordan's comments were a bit intriguing. He was clearly complimenting Wang Chong but didn't mention the Bulls at all. He even regretted missing the game in person, almost implying that he felt no ties to his former team.
But everyone knows that when Jordan left the Bulls, he had a very unhappy relationship with their management. He wanted a stake in the Bulls, like Magic Johnson with the Lakers, but was refused. The same thing happened later with the Wizards. When he tried with them, it failed too.
Now that Jordan owns the Charlotte Bobcats, the 30th team in the league, he still hasn't returned to the Bulls' court to watch a game. It's clear the conflict still lingers.
Everyone knows that this summer marks the expiration of rookie contracts for the 2003 players. Although they're restricted free agents, in theory, they still have a chance of being acquired.
It's clear that Jordan is showing goodwill toward Wang Chong, hoping to join the chase for him this summer.
However, everyone also knows that the Bobcats aren't competitive. Charlotte's basketball market is small, the team's strength is weak, and their owner, Jordan, is famously frugal. Beyond picking great players in the draft, it's nearly impossible for the team to attract star players.
End of this chapter
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