It’s obvious that the entire Bulls team is having some trouble adapting to the immense pressure of going for a three-peat. Likewise, Jordan and Pippen were affected by not having much time for physical conditioning over the summer due to playing in the Olympics with the Dream Team last year. To avoid impacting their playoff performance, they’re naturally taking it easy during the regular season. Of course, there’s another, even more important reason: this year’s NBA is truly developing into an era where many teams are vying for supremacy.

Whether it’s Barkley with the Suns out West, the big-spending Trail Blazers, George Karl’s SuperSonics, or Lenny Wilkens’ Cavaliers, all these teams have performed exceptionally well this year. Add to that the Knicks, Rockets, and Spurs, each boasting a superstar center, and this season’s NBA is by far the most fiercely competitive in recent years. Teams like the Jazz in Utah, the once-dominant Lakers, Celtics, and Pistons can now only be considered third-tier.

Of course, aside from these super teams that can directly challenge the Bulls, today’s opponent, the Charlotte Hornets, currently ranked fifth in the East, are also a powerhouse. This team, led by two 20+10 super big men this season, Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson, possesses outstanding fighting strength.

Although Mourning is only in his rookie year in the NBA, this young center, who’s already putting up 20+10+3 stats, is being called by many media outlets the most likely to reach the level of the league’s current top three centers. Besides these two super big men, the Hornets also have their backcourt leader, the league’s shortest player and former Wake Forest legend point guard Muggsy Bogues, who is now in his prime. The team’s two super subs, John Newman and Dell Curry, are both in contention for Sixth Man of the Year.

So, a team like this, in previous years, would have easily been top four or even top three in either conference. But this year, the Hornets can only compete for fifth place with several other teams, which shows just how terrifyingly competitive the NBA is this season.

Just as many experts and media have predicted, the NBA has officially entered a super golden era this year. If Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Isiah Thomas ushered in the NBA’s golden age, then now, with players like Jordan, Olajuwon, Barkley, and Ewing, it’s the super platinum era.

So, in such a grand era, even though the Bulls and Hornets aren’t exactly the pinnacle matchup in the NBA, this game still completely captivated Henry Lincoln.

Henry Lincoln rarely watches NBA games, whether live or on TV, because he’s only been playing basketball for a year. Before that, he didn’t love the sport at all. Even now, he doesn’t consider himself passionate about it, because to him, the NBA or basketball is just a tool or means to gain money and achieve success.

But now, Henry Lincoln finds himself starting to change.

“So this is the Jordan-style turnaround fadeaway?”

Once, twice, three times, four times—when he saw Jordan in the final moments of the fourth quarter, facing the Hornets’ John Newman on defense, hit four consecutive clutch fadeaway jumpers, Henry Lincoln, who had been struggling lately and was about to give up, felt his determination surge back stronger than ever.

Jordan’s move is just too powerful, too unstoppable. Once he takes the shot, all anyone can do is pray it doesn’t go in—there’s nothing else they can do.

“Is this the move I’m about to learn?”

Excitement—at this moment, all Henry Lincoln felt was excitement and exhilaration.

“Congratulations to the Chicago Bulls on their forty-second win of the season! They’ve now tied the New York Knicks in wins, but the Knicks have only lost 18 games, while the Bulls have lost 19. The Knicks remain first in the East for now. However, Jordan has finally found his form again. In the closing moments of the fourth quarter, he hit a series of clutch jumpers to change the outcome of the game. After scoring 52 points tonight, he’s once again proven that when he gets serious, he’s still the best player in the league!”

“Everyone says the NBA has entered a special era, and Michael Jordan is still the man standing at the very top. He is the pride of this coming great era!”

“Of course, it’s a pity for Dell Curry. His son Stephen Curry’s birthday is tomorrow. Dale said before the game that he wanted to beat the defending champions as a birthday present for his son, but it looks like that wish won’t come true!”

After the game ended, the TV commentator was still excitedly summarizing the match, while Henry Lincoln had already completely sunk into his own world.

“A special era!”

“The pride of an era!”

At this moment, those lines from the commentator that stirred his heart kept echoing in Henry Lincoln’s mind.

“I want to play basketball. I want to enter the NBA. I want to be, like Jordan, a trendsetter of this era!”

Watching after the game, that number 23 of the Bulls, holding Dell Curry’s son Stephen Curry, surrounded by reporters, the focus of every camera, the center of attention for the entire crowd of fans.