Chapter 706 - 72 - s Promise_3

His hefty buttocks became a formidable tool for attacking the Bulls’ Three Second Zone; neither Cartwright nor Grant could stop him from rampaging through the area.

In Detroit, Melvin Turpin unleashed his talent, his strong power, and smooth offensive touch, and the Pistons didn’t need him to do anything else but attack the basket.

The Pistons won by a large margin, securing the match point.

After this game, the result between the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs had already been decided (since the Spurs played six games in the semi-finals, the Western Conference finals started later.)

Gan Guoyang in Game 4 achieved a miraculous buzzer-beater with 0.8 seconds left, defeating the Spurs, taking the victory away on their court, as well as the Western Conference championship and the tickets to the finals.

This was a significant stimulation for Jordan; Ah Gan was waiting for him in the finals again.

The entire Bulls team performed crazily in Game 6, Hodges hit four three-pointers out of four attempts, securing 19 points with a perfect shooting rate.

Finally, someone stepped up to help Jordan.

The Bulls triumphed over the Pistons, pushing the series to a Game 7.

This presented a perfect opportunity for Jordan and Ah Gan to meet in the finals.

After the game, Jordan still did not take interviews in the locker room; instead, he went to the media room, sitting alongside Phil Jackson.

He answered the reporters’ questions, and when asked, "How do you feel about Ah Gan already making it to the finals?"

Jordan responded candidly, "I know he’s waiting for me, and I’m waiting for him too. I’ll be there, brother."

Jordan’s father, James, told him, "Son, our chance has come, grab it, you need to grab it!"

"Alright, dad." Jordan agreed, he had been waiting for this day for too long, far too long.

On the Bulls’ plane to Detroit, Jordan seemed to have regained his usual humor and optimism.

It was as if the previous conflict with his teammates didn’t exist; he joked as usual about Pippen’s shoes and Grant’s shaving cream, saying it smelled like a freshly manured lawn.

And everyone asked Jordan, "Michael, where did you put your comb?"

In 1990, Jordan’s hairstyle changed from a thin buzzcut to a completely bald head.

Because the balding genes inherited from his father could no longer be hidden, rather than having a ridiculous Mediterranean-style hairline like Drexler on the court, he might as well just shave it all off.

It seemed that the team’s atmosphere had returned to its best state, ready to defeat the Pistons in Game 7 and then meet the Portland people in the finals, the match-up all fans had been eagerly anticipating in recent years.

Gan vs Joe, staged in the finals.

But upon arriving in Detroit, the situation quickly changed.

In Jordan’s view, his teammates disappeared again.

Firstly, Jim Paxson couldn’t play due to an ankle sprain; he had to undergo surgery in the summer.

Pippen had a migraine before the game, he took aspirin but it didn’t help; during the game, he kept blinking and used an ice pack on his head.

Throughout the game, Pippen made only 2 out of 10 shots, disappearing like last year’s playoffs, last time it was Lan Bi’er who got him, this time it was his own pain.

Cartwright’s knees were sore, he was exhausted; Hodges missed his three-pointers; BJ Armstrong, just a rookie, scored only 1 out of 8...

The Bulls collapsed in Game 7, Jordan’s 31 points looked so powerless, like a drop in the bucket, utterly ineffectual.

They suffered a 20-point defeat at The Palace of Auburn Hills, scoring only 74 points as the Pistons’ vicious defense made them look pitiful.

At halftime, they were already far behind; Jordan once again furiously yelled in the locker room, the humor, warmth, and harmony from the plane before the game, all turned into an illusory dream.

On the bus leaving The Palace of Auburn Hills, Jordan hid in the back row and wept; he lost his chance to enter the finals and once again lost to the disgusting Isiah Thomas.

More importantly, he once again broke his promise with Ah Gan, failing to meet in the finals.

So, after returning home to Chicago, the first thing Jordan did was silently unplug the phone line, and then threw all the phones in the house into the trash can.

However, two days later, he still received a mail from Portland, inside was just a simple card, it read:

"Dear Michael:

See you in June next year.

This year, I’ll avenge you.

Your loving friend, the great four-time champion, two-time MVP, two-time Best Defensive Player, Dunk and Three-point dual champion, Lan Bi’er nemesis, future Hall of Famer, Ah Gan.

——1990.06.05"

Jordan was both annoyed and amused by this letter.

He thought about tearing it to pieces, but decided to keep it.

Carefully, he stored it in a drawer, then changed his clothes and went to the gym for practice.

At this moment, there was only one day left before the finals began.