38 points! Jordan s high fever of 39℃ interprets the basketball version of "Rocky" 1997 Finals G5

On June 12, 1997, the dome of the Delta Center Arena in Salt Lake City seemed to have been pressed with a mood booster valve. In Game 5 of the Finals, when Michael Jordan dragged his hot body into the player channel, no one could have imagined that this upcoming showdown would become the most heroic solo performance in NBA history. On the eve of the game, Jordan suddenly had a high fever and was accompanied by severe dehydration, and his body temperature soared to 39.4℃. The virus is like a cunning Jazz soldier, launching a raid on the Bulls core on the eve of the Battle of Tianwang Mountain in the finals. Head coach Phil Jackson recalled: "He called me at 3 a.m. and his voice was as weak as a child." But when the team bus headed to the stadium, the familiar No. 23 jersey still appeared on the bench - Jordan refused to take a rest, knowing that the victory was the key to winning the championship trophy under the 2-2 draw in the finals.

When the whistle jumped, Jordan's legs seemed to be filled with lead, and he made only 1 of 6 shots in the first quarter. The Jazz seized the opportunity, Malone scored 11 points in the first quarter, and Stockton's precise guidance allowed the home team to end the first quarter with a 28-24 lead. The camera swept through the player's passage, and the trainer was urgently replenishing Jordan's electrolytes. His jersey had been soaked in cold sweat, and his face was as pale as paper.

The second quarter started, and Jordan suddenly broke out. He forced a layup against Russell's block in a fast break, almost unable to stand firm when landing, but responded to the audience with his signature tongue-tag. "I felt that my body was not my own, but my brain told me that I had to fight. " Jordan recalled after the game. He scored 17 points in this quarter, especially in the last attack of the quarter, when he dribbled to the top of the arc and suddenly changed direction and flew Byron Russell, layup that was stuck in the air to the extreme, causing the cheers in the center of the Delta to crack for the first time. At the end of the half, Jordan scored 23 points on 7 of 15 shots, but his physical overdraft forced him to lean on the bench in the locker room to take oxygen. Pippen quietly said to his teammates: "We must hold on for a while, Michael is burning himself. "

The fight again, and the two sides were in a tug of war. The Jazz kept a slight lead with their home advantage until the Bulls fell behind 78-82 with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Jordan received the ball at the bottom line, and faced the two of them forcibly turned around and jumped. While the ball was hollow into the net, he fell out of the base line. As he stood up, he made a "OK" gesture to the bench, but no one noticed that the protective gear on his knee had been tilted to the side. In the next round, he stole Stockton, dribbled to the frontcourt and suddenly stopped, and his hand from outside the three-point line fell - this three-point worth a thousand gold allowed the Bulls to overtake 83-82.

There are 25 seconds left in the game, and the score is 86-86. Jordan took over the game again, and he broke through from the right and forced a throw shot under the interference of Ostertag's long arm. The ball rubbed against the front of the basket and fell into the net. The Jazz failed in the final attack and the Bulls narrowly won 90-88. When the final whistle sounded, Jordan could no longer hold on and fell into Pippen's arms, who tried his best to put him back on the bench.

Full game, Jordan made 13 of 31 shots, 11 of 12 free throws, scoring 38 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, shooting 41.9% - not efficient in his career, but the most weighty 38 points. Malone scored 23 points and 10 rebounds, Stockton scored 18 points and 12 assists, and the Jazz double star was not inferior in data level, but Jordan used his willpower to surpass basketball to complete his self-transcendence at his opponent's home court.

At the post-match press conference, the reporter asked him how to persevere. Jordan showed his signature smile: "I just don't want to disappoint my teammates, I don't want to disappoint the fans." Jazz coach Sloan admitted: "We defeated the Bulls, but failed to defeat the man named Michael. "

After this game, the "Flu Battle" became a spiritual monument in basketball history. It makes people understand that when the flesh is on the verge of collapse, faith can be turned into armor; when victory requires a price, the true legend always chooses to burn itself. Today, 25 years later, the Delta Center Arena has long been renamed, but what echoes under the dome is always the 23rd legend with a high fever of 39℃, written in sweat.