69novels Chapter 151 Send me off! I don't want to stay on the field any longer.
Chapter 151 Send me off! I don't want to stay on the field any longer.
Chapter 151 Send me off! I don't want to stay on the field for another minute!
Go to hell!
Even though Cowens has seen his share of big games and fought against all sorts of legendary figures in NBA history, he has never felt so desperate.
Did you find Jordan's weaknesses?
How did you find it? Was it by missing 19 shots or getting slammed in the head for 50 points?
Seeing that Cowens remained silent, Rice continued, "Coach, I've noticed that Michael's left-wing attack isn't very effective. He almost never initiates attacks from the left, his jumping ability is far from what it used to be, and his speed has declined significantly!"
"McClair now relies more on low-post offense, fakes, and accurate shooting to score! As long as we can keep him away from the low post, initiate the offense from the high post, force him to drive from the left, and keep covering his drive with our bodies. Even if he manages to get to the basket, he'll still have to compete with us in terms of jumping ability and physicality!"
"Then, on the offensive end, I won't rely on jump shots anymore. I'll attack him and wear him down with repeated drives and fierce physical contact! In the next game, I'll drive more and be more lethal."
"Even if he scores a few points at the beginning, given his age, playing like this will only last one quarter at most before his stamina starts to suffer, and his shooting percentage will definitely drop! Coach, I can handle him! I'm sure I can handle him in the next game!"
Cowens had only one thought regarding Rice's lengthy and seemingly reasonable analysis.
That is to use your tactical board to hit Rice hard on the back of the head and see if you can knock all the filth out of his head!
Where does this idiot get his confidence?
Was Jordan not good with his left hand? Is it possible that when he was playing against you, he only needed to use his right hand?
Did Jordan's speed, stamina, and jumping ability all decline? Is he only good at playing in the low post?
You haven't watched a single game of Jordan's game this season, you didn't care at all!
Jordan's signature style of play this season is to receive the ball after a screen, then quickly adjust, fake, and create space within two dribbles before shooting.
They're playing in the low post to teach you a lesson, not because they can only play in the low post!
Seeing Rice's confident expression, as if he was certain he could beat Jordan in the next game, Cowens suddenly had the idea of resigning.
This thing is nothing special, let whoever wants to take it. If I keep taking it, I'll get a heart attack from it sooner or later!
"Coach! You believe in me too, right? Leave the next game to me! I'll definitely bring Charlotte back with a 1-1 score!" Rice saw that Cowens was silent and thought he was moved by his confidence, so he immediately reiterated his determination.
Believe?
I believe you, you watermelon cola jerk!
If you play like this again in the next game, and the score is tied 1-1, I'll spin my head off and let you kick it like a ball!
Cowens looked at Rice's stupid yet clear eyes and suddenly felt a surge of annoyance. Just then, the referee called a defensive foul on the Hornets, and Cowens immediately turned around and rushed towards the referee.
"Fuxx! Are you blind?! Where was the foul?! Tell me where the foul was! I'm telling you, it's because of you three idiots spouting nonsense that my team lost like this! It's garbage time now, and you're still spouting this nonsense? If you like to brag so much, why don't you go and brag to your dads?!"
"Those three old bastards, the hair on their heads combined isn't even as much as the hair on my chest. When I was playing in the league, you guys weren't even out of school yet. You dare to brag about our games like that? Let me tell you, if you go to Boston—pfft! If you go to Charlotte and you still brag like that, you might not even make it out of the arena!"
Cowens's crazy, all-out attack stunned the three referees!
They never expected that, even in garbage time, this old man who had seemed so calm and refined for the first three quarters would actually cause them trouble, especially in such an insignificant round.
To be honest, it's perfectly normal for head coaches to criticize referees during matches. Every referee has been subjected to some form of harsh criticism from these head coaches.
Many people say that a portion of the head coach's million-dollar annual salary is specifically used to pay the league's fines after he criticizes the referees.
When head coaches criticize referees, it's not always because the call was truly stupid. Rather, it's to put pressure on the referees and the league to influence the officiating standards for the entire game and even the rest of the series, hoping to make the game's rules favor their team.
In addition, many head coaches like to launch into a tirade against the referees at the post-match press conference, saying they've had enough of stupid calls and that all the referees are complete idiots.
These head coaches are using their actions and hefty fines to tell the referees and the league: We're not to be trifled with, so watch your officiating in our games!
But honestly, even veteran referee Baveta had never seen anything like this before: a sudden outburst during pure garbage time, such a furious outburst at a call that was perfectly fine and had nothing to do with the outcome of the game, with sparks flying and a murderous intent flying everywhere!
Bavita had only one thought in his mind: Did Cowens suddenly get bitten by a dog or did he have rabies?
Why are you making trouble out of nothing? Do you have too much money to spend?
A game where we were down by 30 points, and you can blame it on our officiating? Are you out of your mind?
Although Baveta and the two assistant referees didn't understand what Cowens was thinking, Baveta was incredibly experienced. Without thinking, he raised his hands and issued a technical foul!
Shut up!
Upon seeing Baveta issue him a technical foul, Cowens seemed to get even more excited, continuing to yell at Baveta: "Come on, you old bastard, give me another technical foul and let me see! If you're a man, just eject me! Stop whining like a woman, come on, give me another technical foul!"
"Fine, I'll give it to you!" Bavita's eyes widened. He had never heard of such a request in his entire life!
It must be met!
Therefore, a second technical foul was promptly issued, and Cowens was ejected from the game!
After letting loose and being ejected as he wished, Cowens felt much better. The blood pressure that had just spiked to the brink had finally been brought back down!
He stopped arguing with Bavita and the others and turned to leave.
After all, two technical fouls only result in ejection, not a suspension. If things dragged on, he might face additional suspension. Cowens just wanted to vent his anger and release some negative energy; he had no intention of being suspended.
After returning to the bench and giving a few instructions to his assistant coach, Cowens turned around with a flourish and prepared to leave the field.
He didn't want to watch this game for even a second longer.
"Coach!" Rice's voice came from that moment. Rice stood up, looked at Cowens, and said, "Coach, thank you! I understand!"
Do you understand?
What do you understand?
You don't understand the sour and refreshing taste of lemons and bananas at all!
Cowens instinctively felt that Rice would never say anything reliable, and he wanted to reach out and tell Rice to shut up.
Kreis speaks so fast!
"Coach, you're telling me what's wrong! You're telling me that I played too softly in this game, that I wasn't tough enough, not aggressive enough, and that's why I lost to Jordan. You're using this fight to tell me to be tough, not to be afraid of anyone, and to use my abilities to show everyone: no one can stop me!"
"Even the most biased calls can't stop me from scoring! No one can stop me! Coach, thank you, I understand! I definitely won't let you down in the next game!"
Cowens' hands were already trembling uncontrollably.
Then, his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.
He really wanted to pin Rice to the ground, stomp on his face, shove stats into his eyes, and tell Rice, "The gap between you and Jordan is enormous! The distance between you and Jordan is farther than the distance from Earth to Pluto!"
"Stop thinking about playing one-on-one with Jordan and beating him. Go take some brain-boosting medication and improve your brain function!"
Unfortunately... Cowens still didn't say it.
Ultimately, he still wants to coach the team well and give the Bulls a good run!
However, Cowens's mindset has changed. He used to want Rice to play well, integrate into the team, and not to fight with Jordan, but now he says, "Go to hell, do you want to embarrass yourself and challenge Jordan?"
I'll grant your wish!
Play however you want, I don't care anymore!
Let's see who's more embarrassed, you or me.
Let's see if you get beaten down and lose all your confidence, or if I'll make a fool of myself!
Thinking of this, Cowens forced a smile and patted Rice on the shoulder, saying, "Go for it! I believe in you!"
After saying that, Cowens didn't turn back, giving Rice no chance to stimulate his blood pressure, and quickly walked into the players' tunnel.
Rice, left with a deeply moved expression, watched Cowens' departing figure, silently repeating to himself, "Coach, don't worry! I won't let you down!"
"What's wrong with Cowens? Did the referee step on his invisible wings? Otherwise, why is he suddenly so furious?" Jordan sat on the bench, his legs covered in ice packs, looking at the other side with a puzzled expression.
"Maybe he just couldn't stand watching this game because it was so ugly?" Lin Tian looked at the statistics absentmindedly. Almost all of the offensive focus in this game was on Jordan, and Jordan's points were almost all from one-on-one plays, with few catch-and-shoot opportunities.
So tonight, Lin Tian only took 6 shots and got 10 points and 6 assists, which was an unremarkable statistic.
However, Lin Tian was not upset at all. His market value had already been established through the numerous competitions over the past two years, and he didn't need to worry about his market value dropping because of a mediocre performance in a particular series.
After all, no one with a sound mind would think that Lin Tian could be defended against by Boggs.
With his market value guaranteed, he could even coast through the game. Tonight, Lin Tian played 26 minutes and barely broke a sweat. His main task was to dribble the ball up the court, pass it to Jordan, and then spread out to one side to watch Jordan teach Rice a lesson.
Without any effort, you can watch Jordan's one-on-one show up close. Is there a more comfortable and enjoyable game than this?
If so, it would be best if every game could be played like that! Ideally, in every game, you could coast along on the court and then easily win!
The ideal job: high pay, low workload, and close to home!
Isn't this everyone's ideal job?
However, if Lin Tian's estimate is correct, unless Cowens and Rice are both idiots, the Hornets will definitely have to change their strategy and tactics in the next game.
What kind of idiot would stick to the same strategy in the next game after their key player was completely outplayed like this?!
In the next game, Lin Tian will most likely have to teach Bogues a lesson. This is a tactic that Jackson had planned in advance. However, because of Rice's interference, Lin Tian had almost no chance to back down Bogues tonight.
But in the next game, unless Bogues doesn't play, Lin Tian will definitely be able to play to his heart's content in the low post!
Lin Tian's idea is actually completely correct and in line with normal logic from a common sense point of view.
A normal person would definitely learn from this experience.
But what Lin Tian could never have imagined was that Rice wasn't a normal person! Although Cowens was a normal person, he had been driven insane by Rice!
At the press conference after the game, despite the Hornets losing by a whopping 33 points, Rice remained confident and energetic when facing the media and reporters!
"Our coach's actions in the fourth quarter inspired us all! Our whole team felt his disappointment and regret; he certainly didn't want us to lose by so much, and he must have been very disappointed with our performance! As the team leader, I played terribly in this game!"
"I take full responsibility for this loss! It's all my fault, I played terribly! But the coach's toughness in the fourth quarter inspired and encouraged me! In the next game, I will give 120% effort, show my strongest form, and fight for Charlotte with everything I have!"
Most journalists scoffed at Rice's declaration.
You got utterly crushed by Jordan today? My grandma would have been in the same boat, and yet you're still spouting nonsense?
A Chicago reporter, unable to tolerate Rice's arrogance any longer, stood up and asked, "So, Glenn, have you considered your strategy for the next game? What kind of response are you planning to deliver?"
"Just like Jordan thrashed me tonight, I'll thrash him back in the next game!" Rice said confidently. "Our coach and I, through observation and practice in this game, have figured out the best way to beat Jordan! We're absolutely confident!"
"Before leaving the field, Coach Cowens said to me: 'Glenn, believe in yourself, you can do anything!' I will always remember those words. I will give it my all and give it my all to repay the coach's trust!"
Rice's words prompted a flurry of notes from the reporters below!
Although all the reporters were treating Rice like an idiot at this point, they were still willing to tell everyone just how stupid this guy really was!
After being beaten up like that, how dare he still provoke Jordan?
In the next game, Jordan will probably score 60 points, right?
Inside the Hornets' locker room, Cowens, who was watching the post-game press conference live, was so enraged by Rice's words that he immediately started cursing!
My lifelong reputation, the fame I've built up over decades of hard work, has been completely ruined by this bastard's one press conference!
Cowens is 100% certain that, starting today, starting with this press conference, in the hearts of fans, media, and players, Rice is the league's number one biggest fool! And Cowens, who encouraged Rice and was thanked by Rice, is... the number two biggest fool!
I really want to just quit and go home!
Where does this Rice get such confidence?
Regardless of where Rice's confidence came from, he got what he wanted.
Because just 30 minutes later, at the Bulls' post-game press conference, reporters relayed Rice's words to Jordan in their entirety.
After hearing what the media said, Jordan had a lot of questions.
"Really? I don't believe it!" Jordan expressed his denial without hesitation: "There can't be anyone that stupid in this league, especially two of them together!"
Sitting next to Jordan, Lin Tian chimed in, "Honestly, I don't believe it either! I'd rather believe my memory is playing tricks on me. Didn't Michael only score 15 points instead of 50 in that game? And wasn't he completely shut down by Rice? Otherwise, how could something so ridiculous happen?"
Lin Tian was speaking from the heart. He genuinely didn't believe that anyone could be so thoroughly humiliated by Jordan in front of everyone, and then follow up with even more provocations than before.
They discovered Jordan's weakness? Confident they could defend against Jordan?
No, if the Hornets were that good, would they have been forced into a Game 5 by Atlanta to barely win?
The league actually has two players who dare to provoke Michael even after he beat them like this? It seems like a pair of hidden dragons and phoenix chicks have gathered together.
Next, when a reporter actually showed Jordan and Lin Tian the video, both Jordan and Lin Tian were stunned.
After a long pause, Jordan spoke first: "It seems I let Rice play too comfortably tonight. I didn't teach him properly. I'll give it my all in the next game."
"It's not just Michael who will give it his all; we will all give it our all," Lin Tian said. "I really wish time could fast-forward to the end of the next game. I want to see what Rice will say after it's over. I'm really looking forward to seeing if Rice can still be so stubborn after playing two consecutive epically bad games!"
"So what do you think about Rice and Cowens saying that they've found Jordan's weaknesses and are confident they can defend him in the next game?" A reporter stood up and asked another key question.
"Weakness? Defend against it?" Jordan repeated the two words, his face full of disdain.
Lin Tian chimed in, "Let's put it this way: if Michael scores less than 40 in the next game—no, 45, no, never mind—if Michael scores less than tonight, our entire team, except for me, will run 3 kilometers naked around the perimeter of the United Center after the game!"
"Stop me? If Rice were that good, he'd have won MVP and dominated the league by now!" Jordan continued after Lin Tian finished speaking, "Rice had better not play in the next game, or I'll show him that tonight's game was just child's play!"
After Lin Tian and Jordan made their tough statements, the press conference finally came to an end. Then, after Lin Tian and Jordan had both left, a reporter suddenly shouted something.
"What was Lin's bet again? The entire Bulls team, except for him, would run naked? And what about him? Was he in charge of recording?"
Shameless!
The reporters, who finally realized what was happening, gave Lin Tian the exact same assessment in their minds.
Two days later, at the United Center in Chicago, the second game between the two teams began as scheduled!
Neither side made any changes to their starting lineups this time, and Rice once again stood next to Jordan, jumping around excitedly!
Judging from his appearance, he must have done a lot of preparation these past two days. He looked eager to try, and it was clear that he was full of confidence and had made all the preparations to defeat Jordan!
"Michael, are you ready to be completely crushed by me?" Rice looked at Jordan excitedly and started his provocative mode again.
"If you can score more than 5 points when I'm on your defense today, I'll change my surname to yours!" Jordan's expression towards Rice was now no different from looking at a dead man. He was going to teach this arrogant idiot a lesson!
Tonight's game will be officiated by another veteran referee in the league, the famous bald referee Crawford.
Crawford is known throughout the league for his penchant for issuing technical fouls. In the 1990s, when there was no zero-tolerance policy, he was the referee who issued the most technical fouls to players in the entire league. Not only was he the most, but he also far surpassed other referees, leading by an absolute precipitous margin!
Crawford immediately addressed Jordan and Rice, saying, "You two better watch out. I know about your feud, but if you dare to settle it outside of basketball, if you dare to cause me trouble, I guarantee you'll be out of the game early tonight! And for the rest of your games, you'd better pray you don't run into me, understand?"
Lin Tian listened to Crawford's threat and impatiently picked at his ear.
These referees' trash talk and threats must be uniformly trained by the league or the referees' union. How come no matter whether they are senior or new referees, they all use the same tactics when threatening players? There is no innovation or personality at all.
I, Lin, have to hear these kinds of threats about 100 times a year. They're so unoriginal!
"You're impatient? You think I'm lying to you, you think I'm talking nonsense, are you kid?" Crawford noticed Lin Tian yawning and picking his ear, and immediately turned his gaze to Lin Tian, staring at him as he continued to threaten him.
"No, I believe you'll keep your word. When you want to issue a technical foul, you'll do so without hesitation, issuing a technical foul to anyone you want to. When it comes to issuing technical fouls, you're absolutely number one in the league!"
"Is what I'm saying really clear?"
Crawford looked at Lin Tian and sneered, "Fine! Remember what you said, kid! You think I can't tell you're mocking and sarcastic? You'll regret this!"
After Crawford finished speaking, he stopped arguing with anyone, blew his whistle, and threw the ball into the air!
Then, Langli successfully dribbled the basketball again and passed it to Lin Tian.
After receiving the ball, Lin Tian habitually raised one hand and shouted, "No rush, continue with the isolation tactic, everyone pull back..."
"Beep beep!"
Lin Tian had only said half of what he was saying when Crawford's whistle blew.
"Technical foul! Kid, technical foul!" Crawford pointed at Lin Tian, making a T-shape with his hands.
"Are you crazy?!" Even Lin Tian never expected that his so-called "retribution" would come so soon.
This bald guy, doesn't he have any shame at all?
Yeah, it seems to be his persona. In two years, when Duncan is sitting in his chair laughing, he can get ejected with a technical foul, and when he raises his hand to call a play, he gets called for a technical foul. That's reasonable... Bullshit!
Lin Tian spread his hands incredulously and said, "You have to have a reason for giving a technical foul, you can't just call it whenever you want."
"What gesture did you just make?" Crawford looked at Lin Tian defiantly, despite the deafening boos from the crowd.
"Fist, what's wrong?"
"No, I feel like you're threatening me! You're pointing your fist at me, threatening to beat me up! So I'm giving you a technical foul, is there a problem?" Crawford stared at Lin Tian, still not backing down an inch.
"No problem, excellent officiating." Lin Tian nodded. Right now, he really wanted to tear Crawford to pieces; the old man was truly annoying!
However, Lin Tian was never the type to act impulsively without thinking.
There's absolutely no benefit in clashing with Crawford now. Retaliation is certainly necessary, but there's no rush.
There are plenty of opportunities!
As for now?
Let's watch Jordan beat Rice first!
The Hornets took the technical free throw, which Rice easily sank, giving the Hornets their first lead of the series. Rice still looked at Jordan provocatively and said:
"Michael, you just said that whatever score I get, you'll take my last name?"
"I hope you keep your promise, Mr. Michael Rice!" Rice said as he went to the sideline and got possession of the ball. Facing Jordan's defense, Rice did indeed keep his word at the end of the previous game.
Instead of looking for shooting opportunities and space, he used a few fakes and, overpowering Jordan, charged straight towards the paint!
This time, Rice went all out, using his body to block Jordan, hoping to force a shot by using his height and strength once he was inside the paint.
But just as he reached the vicinity of the free throw line, everything went black before his eyes!
A strong body blocked his path, stopping Rice's breakthrough!
Rodman! He got into position early!
Jordan reacted quickly, taking advantage of Rice's momentary lapse in concentration, and snatched the basketball from Rice's hand!
Bulls, start your counterattack!
Jordan dribbled down the middle, while Rice stayed close to him, constantly hindering his advance and dribbling.
"I can keep up with you! I told you, you're not hard to defend!" Just when Rice thought he had completely shut down Jordan and was not out of position at all, Jordan suddenly dribbled hard and then turned around smoothly!
After turning around, Jordan completely blocked Rice behind him, easily jumped, and made a one-handed layup to score 2 points for the Bulls!
"What did you just say? Sorry, I don't quite understand the sounds a corpse makes. Maybe I should go find Dracula for you? Maybe he can understand the sounds a corpse makes."
After scoring, Jordan changed his style from not saying a word in the previous game and began to taunt relentlessly.
Jordan felt that Rice's arrogance was most likely because he hadn't verbally abused him or mentally tormented him in the previous game.
Then we must make up for this lesson in this match! We absolutely cannot let Rice go empty-handed! He needs to suffer the same mental and physical pain so that he'll know what the difference is!
"Coward! Softie!" Rice yelled at Jordan as he ran towards the frontcourt, "You're too scared to guard me one-on-one, aren't you? You only dare to get your teammates to help you defend, you only dare to bully the outnumbered, right?"
"Fine, you want to die? I'll make sure you die knowing why!" Jordan said, then turned to all his teammates on the court and yelled, "No help defense! No double-teaming! I can kill him one-on-one!"
As Jordan spoke harshly, he put his hands behind his back, making a tactical gesture of collapsing the defense and immediately double-teaming the player who drives into the paint.
"Michael's heart is so dirty!" Lin Tian couldn't help but complain. "That guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes actually did such a despicable thing! I look down on him! Trash! Coward! Wimp! Self-righteous fox!"
"Did I learn this from you? This is clearly a defensive tactic you invented! Do you think I've forgotten? And can you shut up?" Jordan turned around and looked at Lin Tian, his face full of impatience.
Lin Tian actually undermined his own efforts?
Jordan didn't get a reply from Lin Tian because Rice had already dribbled the ball up the court. Facing Jordan, Rice dribbled between his legs several times, and then, as Jordan suddenly stepped up to close out him and prevent him from shooting, Rice suddenly accelerated, shouting, "You fell for it!"
"Bang!"
Less than two seconds later, a muffled thud was heard, and Rice and Lin Tian sat down on the ground at the same time.
"Glen Rice, offensive foul!" Crawford quickly signaled, issuing an offensive foul to Rice.
"You're afraid to play me one-on-one? You're scared! You're afraid to guard me alone!" Rice, lying on the floor, unleashed a torrent of abuse at Jordan.
He couldn't understand how the famous Jordan could be so soft.
It was supposed to be a one-on-one fight, but in two rounds in a row, this guy had his teammates gank him.
That's such a shameless excuse!
Cowens, sitting on the sidelines, finally had a glimmer of light in his eyes again.
He saw hope!
Even Jordan knows the right way to play basketball. Rice, you idiot, you're not going to insist on stubbornly trying to solve the game and defeat the Bulls yourself, are you?
Let this kid suffer a few more losses, let him get thoroughly bullied by the Bulls! Then, teach him a lesson, let him know that one person, at least Rice alone, can't beat the Bulls and Jordan!
Even if we lose this game, it's okay! Anyway, two consecutive away losses against the Bulls aren't a big deal!
Next, we'll return to our home court and win the game back!
Cowens watched the game on the court with some excitement. Just as he expected, the Bulls targeted Rice relentlessly for the next few minutes. Whenever Rice drove into the three-point line, at least two Bulls players would double-team him.
Rice has never been good at breaking double teams or passing the ball; his ball-handling and passing abilities have always been just so-so!
Therefore, Rice's number of mistakes is increasing rapidly!
By the time the first quarter was about 8 minutes in, Rice already had 5 turnovers!
Five turnovers in a single quarter—that's an absolutely phenomenal number in the entire history of the NBA!
They're definitely aiming for the NBA record for most turnovers in a single game.
Cowens even had a very clear premonition that Rice would definitely break the NBA playoff record for most turnovers in a single game tonight.
Who was it before? I can't remember.
But no matter who it is, five turnovers in a single quarter is absolutely outrageous!
If Rice keeps playing like this, he might set a new NBA record in just half a game!
One significant difference between this game and the last one is the performance of the rest of the Hornets team.
In the last game, the Hornets' role players were incredibly accurate and aggressive, carrying the momentum from their first-round victory over the Hawks, and they delivered a fantastic performance!
But Rice dragged the team down, which caused the game to become garbage time early on. If Rice had been able to perform at his normal level in the last game, the game could have gone all the way to the final moments!
But today, after the Hornets' players experienced a crushing defeat in the previous game, their mentality has changed drastically. In particular, Rice's performance in the game, which was completely dominated by Jordan and the Bulls, has greatly reduced the Hornets players' enthusiasm!
Their offensive positioning, defensive help defense, and rebounding aggressiveness all dropped significantly. Even their shooting touch was far less hot than in the last game!
Under these circumstances, the Hornets were naturally unable to mount any effective offense in the first quarter, and their defense was completely overwhelmed by the Bulls!
33: 15!
This is the score with 4 minutes left in the first quarter. The Bulls are leading by 18 points!
Another difference from the previous game is that in the last game, the Hornets would close the gap as soon as Rice left the court, but tonight, the Hornets clearly didn't have that ability.
Even with Rice off the court, they were completely unable to catch up. Instead, Lin Tian and his substitutes went on an 11-2 run at the end of the first quarter!
44: 17!
With 12 seconds left in the first quarter, the point difference had already reached an incredibly large 27 points!
With 12 seconds left, the Bulls still had possession of the ball. Lin Tian dribbled the basketball on the wing, carefully managing the time while also reaching out to signal his teammates to spread out.
In this round, Lin Tian will face off against Borg!
With seven seconds left in the game, facing Bogues who had lowered his center of gravity and was trying his best to defend him, Lin Tian suddenly smiled and said, "Kid, are you ready? Uncle's going to back down you!"
The opportunity to back down Muggsy Bogues, which he had been waiting for for the entire game and the first quarter, has finally arrived!
Lin Tian turned his back, sticking his butt out higher than Barkley's, and then he arched his way toward the inside!
Even though Muggsy Bogues has the most inspiring career and the toughest personality in the entire league, and his strength is absolutely not to be underestimated, he really has no way to deal with a height difference of more than 30 centimeters!
He was completely overwhelmed by Lin Tian and pushed all the way to the edge of the 3-second zone.
"It's okay, little bug! I'm coming!" Ricky Pierce shouted Muggsy Bogues' nickname and rushed over from the high post, blocking Lin Tian's space to attack the top. This double-team came at the perfect time. With less than 4 seconds left in the first quarter, it would be difficult for Lin Tian to make another pass.
But Lin Tian clearly didn't need an extra pass!
He first made a half-turn feint towards the top line, attracting Bogues and Pierce to move a step towards the top line as well, giving him a tiny bit of space on the baseline!
Then Lin Tian suddenly made a very fast back turn, and his whole body spun like a top towards the bottom line!
With just one move, they completely broke through the Hornets' double-team!
Then Lin Tian stomped his feet heavily on the floor and flew up toward the basket!
"Dream on! Get down here!" Little Mason, who had been waiting under the basket for Lin Tian to crash into him, roared and charged forward!
The experienced Lin Tian didn't rush to jump and block the shot. Instead, he positioned himself at the top of the court, leaving Lin Tian only space behind the backboard before he decisively jumped!
Mason blocked all of Lin Tian's opportunities to attack!
If Lin Tian wanted to shoot this ball, he could only do so from behind the backboard with an extremely difficult high-arc shot, making the basketball fly over the top edge of the backboard, then around the backboard and into the basket.
There is no other way!
At the very least, from a common-sense perspective, there is no other way!
But Lin Tian is clearly not a player who follows the rules!
After he jumped up and made a fierce physical confrontation with Mason in the air, the basketball was not thrown by Lin Tian. He held the basketball in both hands and seemed to be floating in the air. He waited for Mason to fall while gliding towards the other side of the basket!
At this moment, Divac had also arrived to help defend. He spread his arms on the other side of the basket to prevent Lin Tian from making a reverse layup from that side of the basket!
But at this moment, Lin Tian seemed to have completely defied gravity. It was as if he would never fall to the ground and was still gliding forward.
When even Divac could only look at Lin Tian with his eyes and couldn't reach him at all, Lin Tian finally turned his back to the basket, exerted his waist strength, and used the last bit of his strength to throw the basketball towards the basket.
"Whoosh!"
"Beep beep beep!"
(End of this chapter)