aircannonsinc Chapter 108 It's not that they're weak; it's that we're too strong!
Chapter 108 It's not that they're weak; it's that we're too strong!
Chapter 108 It's not that they're weak, it's that we're too strong!
The SuperSonics didn't make any major trades or personnel changes in the middle of this season. They still relied on their ace trio: "Rain Man" Kemp, "German Cannon" Schrempf, and "The Glove" Payton. These three players actually have very peculiar styles!
Kemp is a brute with a top-notch mid-range shooting ability! His top-notch physical attributes and excellent touch make him a huge threat on offense.
Therefore, whether he catches the ball and shoots a jump shot or rolls down for a dunk after a pick-and-roll, he is at the top level in the league!
You could say that Kemp is somewhat like a physically weaker, more physically stronger version of Malone! Of course, in terms of basketball IQ and on-court skills, Kemp still can't compare to Malone.
As for Payton, although he is a point guard, his playing style is exceptionally fierce! He lacks the elegance and composure of a traditional point guard; he is the most passionate player on the team!
He is a defensive force, and his defense can instill fear in every backcourt player in the league! On the offensive end, he is proficient in almost all offensive methods and can use different approaches to torment different opponents!
His exceptionally high basketball IQ allows him to adjust his tactics based on his opponent's height, size, weight, and personality when he's on offense! He's a guy who's rough on the outside but shrewd on the inside, and he's good at using his appearance to deceive people.
In addition, there's the tall, sharpshooting player Schrempf, who almost never goes inside and prefers to shoot three-pointers from the outside rather than engage in physical contact.
The SuperSonics' trio is undeniably strange, each member more so than the last; they're the kind of players you won't find anywhere else in the league that's similar.
But clearly, regardless of whether the SuperSonics are a trident or a Big Three, and regardless of whether the Bulls are a trio or a Big Four, the Chicagoans are ready to accept the challenge from Seattle!
Time flew by, and the day of Game 1 of the Finals arrived early. With 6-7 hours to go before the game, both teams' players had already arrived at the United Center.
After all, it's the finals, and everyone is taking it very seriously!
To reduce travel fatigue and unnecessary journeys for the two teams from the East and West, the Finals will adopt a 2-3-2 format, meaning the first two games will be played in Chicago, followed by three games in Seattle, and the final two games will be played back in Chicago!
In Lin Tian's memory, the process of this round of the finals was actually a bit strange.
In terms of team performance, the Bulls dominated the first three games, winning three straight and taking a 3-0 lead to reach match point. However, they then lost two games in Seattle before finally winning the championship in Chicago in the sixth game.
Even in Game 6, the Bulls failed to replicate their dominance from the first three games. The game was extremely close throughout, and Jordan delivered the worst performance of his Finals career in this game: shooting 5-for-19!
It wasn't until the final minutes of the game that the Bulls pulled away and secured the victory thanks to key shots from Jordan, Kukoc, and others.
The supersonic distance dragged the game into a tiebreaker; it was really just a matter of a few minutes of effort and luck that made it so!
In addition, in terms of individual performance, Jordan's stats and efficiency in this Finals series were the worst of his six Finals appearances. It was this Finals series that was later referred to by many as "Payton limiting Jordan to Kobe's level".
But as someone who had actually watched this series and even attended two games in person, Lin Tian knew that although Jordan played poorly in this series, it wasn't just Payton's achievement!
In this series, George Karl developed a set of tactics similar to the "Jordan Rules" of the Detroit Pistons' Bad Boys.
The strategy involved using Payton or Hawkins as the primary defenders against Jordan. Once Jordan backed down or broke through the first layer of defense, other SuperSonics players like Schrempf and Perkins would immediately rush to Jordan's defense, using a multi-layered, multi-player, multi-foul, and multi-contact approach to limit Jordan to Kobe's level.
But this time, the Bulls suddenly have Lin Tian, which means they have an extra powerful scorer that the SuperSonics have to focus on defending. So it's hard to say whether the SuperSonics' tactics will still work!
At the final pre-game meeting, Jackson once again took out his tactical board in the locker room and, tirelessly, talked about the SuperSonics team once more.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I think you all remember that we tied the SuperSonics with one win and one loss in the regular season this year. Of course, in the game we won, we also taught Payton and Kemp a little lesson. Lin, those punches you threw still feel good to think about! But this is the Finals, you'd better put your fists away!"
Jackson's joke made everyone burst into laughter, and everyone also recalled the glorious history of Lin Tian knocking out three SuperSonics players in 10 seconds with a barrage of punches in the second month of the regular season!
"But that's not what I'm going to talk about. What I'm going to talk about is that the SuperSonics we're about to face today, and the team we played against in the regular season, have the exact same roster, but their playing style is completely different!"
"A set of simple statistics can explain everything! In the regular season, the SuperSonics averaged 104.5 points per game, second in the league, and allowed an average of 96.7 points per game, eighth in the league! In the regular season, they were a top-tier offensive team with near-first-class defense!"
"But in the playoffs, or rather, starting from the second half of the regular season, the SuperSonics have clearly changed! Their playing style and tactics have undergone significant changes. And here's the most telling statistic: since the playoffs began, their average points per game have dropped to 94.1, ranking eighth among playoff teams!"
"And their average points allowed per game has dropped to 87.4! That's third in the playoffs!"
"The SuperSonics' sudden improvement in defense, besides the Defensive Player of the Year, is largely due to their new addition this year, former All-Star Jose Hawkins! This once very good scorer has completely shed his former glory this season, abandoning ball-handling offense and focusing solely on defense, and he's done an excellent job!"
"Richmond of the Kings, Hornacek and Stockton of the Jazz, and even Jason and Elliott of the Spurs all suffered greatly at Hawkins' hands! You absolutely cannot underestimate him!"
"You could say that the SuperSonics transformed from an offensive team into a slow-paced, defense-first team during the playoffs! Their defense, physicality, and strength are on a completely different level compared to when they played against us in the regular season! So if you still think of them as the team from the regular season and want to compete with them on offense and run the game, then you're out of luck."
"Then we'll suffer a huge loss! All of us must be prepared for this to be another meat grinder-like series against the Knicks! We must be prepared to score only 80 points ourselves, but also let them score only 60 to win! Understand?"
"Don't worry, Phil! You've said these words countless times!" Jordan stood up first after Jackson finished speaking and said, "We won't underestimate our opponents, never! We're fully prepared to take down any opponent who stands in our way!"
"Including our previous three opponents—the Pistons, Knicks, and Magic—we never considered these teams to be bad or weak! They were very strong! We all believed that these three teams were extremely strong!"
"So, we all know it's not that our opponents are bad, it's that we're too good! We're so good that we can beat any opponent! Bring on the SuperSonics and George Karl! Payton, Hawkins, even if Karl has a stroke and Schrempf guards me, I'm not afraid!"
"Bring one on, and crush them all!"
"That's it!" Pippen then stood up and said, "Four games left, and we'll be the champions! Our season is almost over!"
"Kill them!" Lin Tian stood up and roared, "Kill these Seattleites, then start our perfect vacation!"
"Kill them!"
"Kill them!"
"A sweeping victory!"
Amidst the players' ecstatic shouts and spirited performance, Phil Jackson confidently said, "Excellent! Excellent! I'll be proud of you! Now, let's go and take down the Seattleites and teach them a lesson!"
"Kill them!"
"Dry them to death!"
"Coach, I'm afraid that won't work."
After another series of shouts, Lin Tian raised his hand, drawing everyone's attention, and said, "It's only 2 PM, and there are still 6 hours until the match starts. We can't take them down right now!"
"Well said! You do have a keen eye for observation, no wonder you're our starting point guard tonight!" Jackson, exposed by Lin Tian, immediately narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Michael, haven't you been playing one-on-one with Lin for a few days? Go on, go play another 100... never mind, 50! Save your energy, let me see if your low-post skills have improved!"
"Come on, Lin, let me show you my new elbow strike, no, my new footwork!" Jordan laughed and pulled Lin Tian toward the training field.
As it turns out, there was more than just Jordan on the Bulls team that you couldn't afford to offend; there was also the cunning and treacherous Phil Jackson!
……
At 7:30 p.m. that evening, the United Center was once again packed to capacity.
The team's return to the Finals stage after two years is undoubtedly exciting for all fans!
I, Hu Hansan, have returned!
Moreover, not only the interior of the United Center that night, but also the plaza outside was packed with fans! At first glance, there were at least ten thousand fans outside the arena!
Their shouts and howls were no less loud than those of the fans inside the stadium. After all, these fans who came to the stadium even though they knew they didn't have tickets were absolutely passionate and crazy!
They are definitely the most loyal and passionate group of fans!
Inside the arena, Bulls players took to the court one by one, each receiving a deafening roar of cheers and shouts from the fans! Regardless of how many points these players scored or how many minutes they played, as long as they were members of the team, they were all heroes!
When the SuperSonics players walked onto the court, the Chicago fans naturally didn't want Payton and his teammates to feel neglected. They booed every single SuperSonic!
There was absolutely no favoritism, and there was no targeting of any particular person.
You guys on the SuperSonics team are all trash! You all deserve to be booed!
However, both the Bulls and the SuperSonics are seasoned veterans who have seen it all. Most of the starters and rotation players on both teams have extensive experience and have played all sorts of away games!
To put it even more clearly, among all the players on both sides with an average playing time of more than 10 minutes, the only one who can be considered inexperienced is rookie Lin Tian; everyone else is a seasoned veteran!
It's highly unlikely that either side will falter or drop their level of play due to nervousness in this series!
Furthermore, Payton and Kemp are good friends not only on and off the court, so they are less likely to experience the internal strife that plagued the Magic.
"Hello everyone, this is your old friend Smith, and this is my partner Marcus." In the CBS broadcast booth, veteran host Smith smiled and said, "And tonight we have a very special guest, someone I'm sure all the fans will recognize!"
"Magic Johnson!"
"Hello everyone, I'm Jason." Jason, who officially announced his retirement at the end of this season and said he would never come back, sat between the two hosts with a smile. Perhaps because he was sure he was going to retire, he had recently relaxed his control over his weight. He is now a size bigger than he was during the regular season!
"Dear Irwin, what do you think of these two teams in the Finals? Who do you think will win tonight's game?" After the initial greetings, Marcus quickly steered the conversation towards the game.
"The SuperSonics are fantastic! They're playing flawlessly in the West, and their defense in the playoffs is a whole level above their regular season performance! They've transformed from an offensive-minded team into a top-tier defense-oriented team! It has to be said, to achieve all this, they have an outstanding head coach and a perfect team!"
"I believe this team can do everything, they deserve a championship, so I'm rooting for the Bulls to win the title!"
Jason's long, flattering speech, coupled with the sudden twist at the end, almost made Marcus spit out his water. He forcibly controlled his expression and said, "But the SuperSonics also have some outstanding players. In the regular season, the two teams were evenly matched, one win and one loss!"
"That's right," Smith quickly chimed in. "The SuperSonics' duo has the best chemistry in the league, and their role players are very well-rounded. They excel on both offense and defense! Actually, I'm very curious tonight how the SuperSonics will handle their matchups. Will they pair Payton with Jordan?"
"Or are they planning to use Hawkins, who also put up impressive defense this year, to deal with Jordan? And, according to the roster, the Bulls will continue with their Eastern Conference Finals starting lineup tonight, and they'll have Lin Tian continue as the starting point guard. After that boxing match with Payton in the regular season, how is Lin Tian going to deal with Payton?"
"I love Lin! He's my favorite point guard of the new generation!" Jason suddenly interjected. "I really admire him! His willpower, basketball IQ, speed, vision, passing ability, and his ability to transition and handle the ball in fast breaks—honestly, I feel like I'm seeing a reflection of myself in him!"
"He really has the potential to become another superstar point guard! But honestly, I think Lin is somewhat wasted on the Bulls. He's at best the third option here. If he could..."
"Cough cough cough! Irwin, if you keep talking, you'll be fined! You can't recruit players here! Let's continue watching the game!" Seeing that Magic Johnson was about to say something about Lin Tian joining the Lakers, Marcus quickly coughed violently to interrupt Magic Johnson. This kind of live broadcast accident couldn't happen here!
They'll deduct money from your pay!
Fortunately, the game was about to start, and the magician just laughed it off and wisely didn't continue the topic.
He still remembers his promise to train with Lin Tian in the summer!
With at least a whole month to spend with Lin Tian, how could we possibly fail to recruit him to the Lakers?
No rush, no rush!
Once he and West have persuaded that big monster, they can then slowly cultivate a relationship with Lin Tian. They're confident that the kid will come to Los Angeles!
After all, in the 90s, when the internet was not yet widespread, the allure of the name Los Angeles was immeasurable! Countless players dreamed of playing for the Lakers, and countless people aspired to be a member of the Lakers!
This is the most popular city in the United States, and also the most bustling and interesting city in the United States!
He didn't believe that Lin Tian would want to return to Chicago, such a terrible place, after experiencing the prosperity and perfect climate of Los Angeles!
At this moment, as the referee set the time and slowly walked onto the field, the match officially began!
The Bulls continued with the five-man lineup of Longley, Rodman, Pippen, Jordan, and Lin Tian, while the SuperSonics also used their best starting five lineup, which they had used the most in this year's playoffs.
Payton, Hawkins, Perkins, Schramf, and Kemp!
This lineup is slightly lacking in height, but it has a significant advantage in mobility, aggressive defense, and shooting range!
In the opening jump ball, Longley, taking advantage of his superior height, defeated Schrempf and secured the first possession for the Bulls!
As soon as Lin Tian got the basketball, Payton quickly swarmed him, pushing his hands directly onto Lin Tian's waist, and immediately started a high-intensity confrontation!
The referee decisively chose to ignore this obvious foul!
Just kidding, this is the finals!
Don't even think about getting a whistle for a non-shooting foul that won't kill you!
"Kid, scared yet? Never seen anything like this before? Let me tell you, you'll be targeted like this for the entire series!" Payton let out a sinister laugh, continuing his extremely aggressive defense.
Lin Tian impatiently slapped away Payton's hand that was on his body, and said defiantly, "Who was it that I beat into a dead dog last time? If I were you, I definitely wouldn't keep provoking you. Instead, I'd behave myself to save my own life!"
"I bet you won't dare to make a move! This is the Finals!" the seasoned veteran Payton said. "If you dare to make a move in the Finals, you'll become a sinner of Chicago! As for me, don't worry, I definitely won't fight back. I'll make sure you have a good time, and then you can say goodbye to this series early! How about it? Want to try again?"
"First, it's not that you won't fight back, it's that if the two of us were to fight, you wouldn't have a chance or even a possibility to fight back! Before you could even retaliate, I'd have knocked you down! Second, if I really do lay a hand on you, I guarantee you'll be in the hospital longer than I'll be suspended! If you're not afraid, go ahead and mess with me!"
After Lin Tian finished speaking, Payton suddenly felt a huge shadow appear beside him. He looked up and found that Langley had somehow appeared from some corner and was providing cover for Lin Tian!
"I'm here!" Hawkins shouted, switching positions with Payton and blocking Lin Tian's path. In the blink of an eye, Payton bypassed the screen and, together with Hawkins, double-teamed Lin Tian!
Lin Tian frowned immediately. In the very first round, the Supersonics team actually double-teamed him? Was he really that high a priority right now?
Feeling the fierce defense of the two players, Lin Tian quickly regained his composure, dribbled the ball and took two steps back to create a safe distance before he began to observe the situation on the court!
Hawkins and Payton are both here, so who's guarding Jordan?
Aside from those two guys, who else would defend Jordan? Wouldn't they just be feeding him?
In just a moment, Lin Tian caught a glimpse of the person squeezed next to Jordan – it was actually Schrempf!
Serve the food! Enjoy the feast!
Upon seeing these two guys actually going head-to-head, this phrase immediately popped into Lin Tian's mind!
If we don't let Jordan play two games, how can we face George Karl and Schremuff's mother?
Lin Tian dribbled backward again, giving himself a tiny bit of space to pass the ball. Then, he held the ball with one hand and forcefully flicked it towards his left waist!
"Beautiful pass!" Jordan roared after receiving the ball. With a quick crossover step, he easily bypassed Schrempf and drove to the basket for a layup!
"Where are you, you softie? Where are you?" After scoring, Jordan looked at Schrempf and unleashed a torrent of trash talk at him!
The Germans completely ignored Jordan, as if nothing had happened, and turned to run towards the frontcourt.
When it was the Supersonics' turn to attack, Payton pushed his way up the court despite Lin Tian's defense. Lin Tian returned the favor, slashing at Payton's waist, stomach, and elbows one after another!
Since the referee isn't calling a foul, let's see who can take a beating!
Payton impatiently shoved Lin Tian's arm away and said, "Are you ever going to stop?!"
"This isn't over!" Lin Tian said, taking advantage of the referee's inattention to pinch Payton's waist again. "If you're not happy, then go ahead and do it! Let's see who's lying on the ground!"
"FUXX!" Payton cursed angrily. He was known as "The Glove" and had been a legend in the trash-talking world for over a decade. Apart from Miller and Jordan, those two bastards, he could never beat them in trash talk. When had he ever lost a battle of words?
But of all things, I ran into Lin Tian today.
He was truly helpless.
He can't beat them in a fight, and he can't win an argument with them, so what can he do?
He had no choice but to pass the ball!
Schremfe suddenly brought up the free-throw line.
Payton made a casual cross-court pass, and Schrempf, without stopping, tossed the ball directly over the basket.
"boom!"
With a crisp sound, Shawn Kemp, the number one beastly center of the 90s, descended from the sky and completed a two-handed dunk!
"Schrempf made a really good pass! As a European player, although he's often criticized for his average physical attributes, his skills, shooting, and court vision are truly impressive! He even had a season averaging 6 assists per game when he was with Indiana!"
After the play, Marcus immediately commented, "This season, Karl is once again making good use of Schrempf's playmaking and passing abilities. He's averaging 4.4 assists per game this season, second on the team! His vision and passing skills will definitely cause the Bulls a lot of trouble!"
Magic Johnson continued, "But compared to Schrempf's pass, I'm actually more curious about that play where Jordan isolated against Schrempf. Was it due to a tactical mismatch, or was it Karl's plan to have Schrempf guard Jordan?"
Magic Johnson's words were exactly what Lin Tian was thinking! He also wanted to know whether the double-teaming of him earlier, which put Schrempf against Jordan's defense, was an accident or a deliberate arrangement!
So, after Lin Tian dribbled the ball back to the frontcourt, he immediately passed it to Jordan!
Then, Schremf strode forward once again to meet him!
Real hammer!
Today, Karl is going to put Schrempf and Jordan one-on-one!
Regarding Carl's strategy, Lin Tian said he only had one thing to say.
"Michael, kill him!"
"Do you even need to tell me?" Jordan muttered, then suddenly started his drive, and just as he entered the three-point line, he suddenly stopped and launched a jump shot!
Although Schrempf was tall, his footwork and movement had always been his weaknesses. He could only watch helplessly as Jordan pulled up for a jump shot, and apart from a symbolic hand gesture, he couldn't interfere with Jordan at all.
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, Jordan scored another 2 points!
"Michael, did you send a woman to Karl's room last night? Or did you send yourself there? Otherwise, why the hell would he let this big white idiot match up against you? Isn't that just letting you pad your stats?" Lin Tian looked at Jordan, genuinely puzzled by Karl's choice.
Yes, Schrempf is not soft! On the contrary, he is tougher than most white and even black players in the league today! His temperament is typical of Germans: rigorous, calm, and fearless.
Even if he wasn't soft-hearted, Schremuff was indeed a white shooter, and his physical attributes were terrible and his movement speed was slow!
On the defensive end, he's definitely fine against pure inside players or skilled inside players, but what about against outside players? Let alone a player of Jordan's caliber, you really can't find many Black players in the league who can't get past Schrempf with just one step using their speed!
His speed and rhythm are really slow!
So... Lin Tian really couldn't understand why Karl would use so many troops against him, even resorting to double-teaming, but instead had Schrempf do suicidal defense against Jordan?
In the following rounds, Lin Tian continued to feed Jordan the ball, watching him relentlessly teach Schrempf a lesson. Facing Schrempf's defense, Jordan made seven in and seven out, as if he were in an empty field!
Jordan scored 12 points in less than half a quarter!
Her shooting percentage was a whopping 80%! Schrempf's defense was probably not even as tough as Jordan's grandmother's defense!
Even so, judging from Carl's attitude, he was still not prepared to change the defensive tactics. His command was to have Payton continue to strengthen the defense against Lin Tian so that Lin Tian would not be able to pass the ball so easily.
Then Schrempf continued to play one-on-one against Jordan!
In response to this situation, Lin Tian said: "Karl, are you out of your mind?"
Why don't I just pass the ball to Jordan and let him advance it from the baseline?
No matter how tight Payton's defense is, what good will it do?
With this kind of defense, Jordan is probably going to break his own playoff scoring record tonight.
So, Jordan played the entire 12 minutes of the first quarter, making 10 of 12 field goal attempts and 4 of 4 free throws, scoring 24 points in the quarter!
Under Jordan's leadership, although the rest of the Bulls only scored 8 points combined, their 32 points in the quarter were enough to give them a 6-point lead over the SuperSonics!
32: 26.
The two teams did not pull away significantly in the first quarter, and the SuperSonics remained capable of overtaking the score at any time.
In the second quarter, Jordan did not start the game. Instead, Lin Tian, who played 8 minutes in the first quarter without taking a shot but delivered 5 assists, led the team onto the court! The Bulls players who entered the game with Lin Tian were Kerr, Pippen, Rodman, and Wennington!
Jackson brought out that five-man lineup where Lin Tian had unlimited shot attempts!
Meanwhile, on the SuperSonics' side, Schrempf, who was almost questioning his existence after being beaten by Jordan in the first quarter, sat on the sidelines panting heavily. Even with the tenacity of a German, he was almost completely exhausted by now!
Jordan's playing style is an absolute double blow to any defender, causing both mental and physical pain!
Apart from Schrempf being rested and not playing, Jason, who had also been badly beaten by Lin Tian a few months ago, took to the court. Along with Kemp, Perkins, Payton, and Eric Snow, who would later become Iverson's good partner, the five of them walked onto the court together!
With this lineup, the SuperSonics' two stars are playing together. Obviously, Karl's intention is to take advantage of Jordan's absence so that the SuperSonics can catch up in the score!
In his first possession on the court, Payton used Kemp's screen to drive into the paint and scored 2 points with a floater, starting to help his team close the gap.
The Bulls, on the other hand, continued to adhere to the first principle when playing this lineup.
fast!
After Rodman was scored on, he immediately grabbed the ball and went to the baseline, quickly passing it out. Lin Tian took the basketball and sprinted towards the frontcourt!
Before Payton could finish his taunting move after making a layup, Lin Tian had already dribbled the ball across the frontcourt!
Snow was completely unable to stop Lin Tian's advance, regardless of his ability, height, or weight. Apart from spreading his arms to occupy a defensive position as much as possible, he could only watch helplessly as Lin Tian drove to the basket and completed a fast break layup!
"Where are you, Gary? Where are you? You're so slow, you can't even catch my exhaust fumes!" After scoring, Lin Tian immediately turned around and taunted Payton!
That night, Lin Tian and Payton were destined to face off for a long time, so the more he angered him, the better!
It would be best to make him lose all his sanity!
An enraged Payton swore and dribbled the ball toward the frontcourt.
"What did you say? Did you curse at me? Try cursing me again, and I'll beat you to a pulp!" Lin Tian blocked Payton's path of attack while pinching Payton's waist again! When Payton gets home tonight, he'll definitely see his belly full of gifts and bruises from Lin Tian!
"Can you shut up?" Payton was really annoyed at this point. He reached out and pulled Lin Tian's hand off him. If he wasn't outmatched by Lin Tian, he really wanted to punch him!
"I'm just asking you, did you insult me? Are you even a man? You insulted me and you're too ashamed to admit it? Are you afraid I'll beat you up?"
"Yes, I cursed at you! I said FUXX! I also said you're a bitch! So what!" Payton really couldn't hold back anymore. Who keeps asking "Did you curse me?" "Did you curse me?" on the field?
You're insane!
"Referee, look, he's swearing! Did you hear that? His voice is so loud!" Lin Tian suddenly stopped, pointed at Payton, and complained to the referee on the sidelines.
"No way, are you crazy?!" If it weren't the Finals, Payton would definitely slam the ball to the ground and go over to Lin Tian to have a good talk and see what this kid was up to.
Who insults someone and then files a complaint? Have they no shame?
But just as Payton spread his hands, thinking Lin Tian was out of his mind...
Lin Tian's large hand reached for the basketball in his hand.
With a crisp "snap!", Lin Tian snatched the basketball from Payton's hands and launched another counterattack towards the frontcourt!
"boom!"
Another thud echoed as Lin Tian scored another 2 points for the Bulls!
"What are you doing, Gary? Are you asleep? Or are you thinking about that burly guy who brought you endless pleasure last night? Want me to introduce you to another one?" Lin Tian, who had just finished a steal and dunk, turned around and immediately started mocking Payton!
"Kid, you're dead! You're definitely dead! I'm going to beat you to a pulp tonight!" Having been tricked by Lin Tian and humiliated by his steal, Payton immediately charged at Lin Tian in a rage, determined to teach him a lesson!
"Scott, it's your turn! Take him down!" Without a second thought, Lin Tian turned and ran toward Perkins beside him.
He switched with Pippen on defense!
It's so exciting to provoke someone and then run away!
Pippen grinned maliciously and pressed himself against Payton, saying, "Come on, little darling, let's get intimate!"
"You Bulls guys are all bastards and idiots!" Payton cursed, but quickly regained his composure. Instead of forcing a one-on-one against Pippen, he took a few steps back, creating more space for himself and observing the game's progress.
If Pippen is guarding him, it means that Lin Tian, who is 191 cm tall and of average strength, is going up against the SuperSonics' 206 cm tall forward, Perkins!
Although Perkins' offensive level is just so-so, Payton felt that beating a rookie shouldn't be a problem!
So he immediately called for an isolation tactic, having the whole team spread out for Perkins before passing the ball to Perkins, who was positioned in the low post.
Perkins received the ball and immediately charged towards Lin Tian from behind!
"Bang!"
Lin Tian took two steps back; compared to a true forward, his strength was still lacking!
Perkins was overjoyed to discover that he could overwhelm Lin Tian with his strength.
He immediately exerted his strength again and rammed into Lin Tian once more!
"Bang!"
After that, Lin Tian had retreated to the area close to the three-second zone! Perkins had also basically reached his offensive zone. He exerted his strength for the third and final time. According to Perkins's plan, after this, he could directly turn around and make a layup!
But this time, he didn't get the physical confrontation he had imagined!
There was nothing behind him!
Lin Tian seized the opportunity, pulled out a chair for Perkins, and dodged to the side.
Then, just as Perkins lost his balance and was about to fall, Lin Tian snatched the basketball from Perkins' hands and launched another counterattack towards the frontcourt!
However, this time Lin Tian started too late. By the time he reached the frontcourt, the SuperSonics' defensive formation was almost set up. Except for Perkins, who lost his balance and fell and could not get into position in time, everyone else was already in place!
Facing the top defensive formation in this season's playoffs, Lin Tian didn't hesitate or stop. After a fake move, he drove straight into the paint!
"Kid, you're asking for it!" Jason, who had been beaten up by Lin Tian before, immediately had a bright idea in his eyes. He felt that his chance for revenge had come! So he immediately stepped forward and blocked Lin Tian's attack route.
But Lin Tian suddenly stopped, and the basketball in his hand had disappeared!
On the other side, in the corner, Cole, who was completely left open because Perkins failed to get back on defense in time, received the ball, made a slight adjustment, and then jumped up and shot with great decisiveness!
"Whoosh!"
After a beautiful, crisp sound, Cole added the finishing touch, scoring another 3 points!
39: 28!
For the first time in this game, the point difference reached double digits!
On the sidelines, Karl made a quick decision, immediately stood up, and called a timeout!
The second quarter's performance was truly beyond his expectations!
Originally, he wanted to take advantage of Jordan's absence to allow the Payton and Kemp duo to quickly catch up in points, but unexpectedly, Lin Tian's two steals directly brought the SuperSonics' scoring and offense to a standstill, and the point difference was quickly widened!
Karl's strategy at the beginning of the second quarter backfired spectacularly!
(End of this chapter)