aircannonsinc Chapter 89 A fruitful night, the All-Star Rookie Game begins!
Chapter 89 A fruitful night, the All-Star Rookie Game begins!
Chapter 90 A fruitful night, the All-Star Rookie Game begins!
Absolutely a very rewarding experience!
First, there was the US dollars that Malone led the way in giving him. Even if he only gave Jordan 1% as previously agreed, he would still get nearly 300 million US dollars! Lin Tian once again had the idea of simply quitting basketball and becoming a professional gambler in Las Vegas.
This is way more lucrative than playing sports!
The only thing to worry about is whether the security guards in Las Vegas will break my arms and legs!
Although Lin Tian's punches and kicks were very fast, there's a saying: "A gun is fast from seven steps away, and within seven steps, it's both fast and accurate!"
Moreover, the average IQ of Las Vegas gamblers is much higher than that of NBA players, making them difficult to win against!
Besides the nearly $300 million he won at the gambling table, Lin Tian's biggest gain this time was the information that the All-Stars revealed to him!
They've gained nearly 800 experience points alone! These star players were really caught up in the loss tonight! Their emotions were fluctuating wildly! And their experience points were skyrocketing!
And then—
"Reggie Miller experiences an emotional outburst, dropping a one-time-use item: Miller Moment (10 seconds)!"
"Increases 3-point shooting percentage by 80% for 10 seconds after use!"
"Sean Kemp is emotionally unstable and drops a one-time-use item: Weight Gain Potion (one bottle)."
"Weight gain agent: Can gain 15 kg of fat within 1 month after use! (Can be used on others)"
"Mutombo drops a one-time-use item: Mysterious Age (3 minutes)."
"Mysterious Age: After use, you can spin the wheel for a prize. There is a one-third chance of returning to your peak 27-year-old state, a one-third chance of entering your 50-year-old state, and a one-third chance of no change."
David Robinson drops a one-time item: 94-95 season David Robinson Face Breakthrough Trial Card (
(One section).
Charles Barkley, in a moment of emotional turmoil, dropped a one-time-use item: "Flying Divine Pig (Section 1)!"
"Flying Divine Pig: Increases jumping ability by 5% after use! If your weight exceeds 90 kg, your jumping ability will increase by an additional 2% for every additional kilogram!"
"Michael Jordan's emotions fluctuate, and he drops a one-time item: 90-91 season Jordan trial card (full game)!"
Looking at these disposable items, Lin Tian, who was already lying on the bed in the room, couldn't stop smiling!
Then, what made Lin Tian happiest was, of course, the permanent skill!
After a night of back-and-forth with Lin Tian, and even getting beaten up in the end, Ma Long finally showed some backbone and revealed a permanent skill!
"Karl Malone's emotions have fluctuated, and he has dropped the permanent skill: Utah Walls!"
「犹他城墙LV1（0/1500）：宿主掩护成功率增加7%，掩护后接队友传球中距离直出手命中率增加5%。」
This skill is somewhat useless for Lin Tian now, since he is now the controller and should be the one holding the ball rather than the one blocking it.
But this is obviously no big deal! It's just a slightly useless skill! We can just release some better ones next time, right?
Tomorrow!
I'm going again! I'm going again tomorrow!
This is such a wonderful place, I have to go there every day!
If I could go there for a month straight, no, even just a week straight! Not only would I bankrupt all the star players, but I could also make a fortune! It's an absolutely fantastic place!
However, Lin Tian soon realized what it meant for ideals to be lofty while reality was harsh.
He was happy for less than 10 minutes when Rodman, Jordan, and Pippen walked into his room.
"I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?" Jordan was clearly in a very good mood. He didn't even argue with Lin Tian anymore and just sat down in front of him.
"Could there be bad news tonight? Is Karl Malone lying in wait outside my door with a shotgun, ready to shoot me the moment I step out?"
"Hahaha! If he had the guts, he wouldn't have been crying and begging to surrender just now!" Rodman laughed. "The bad news is, just now, everyone voted to banish you, Lin Tian, from the gambling table any longer! They're scared of losing, so they've blacklisted you!"
"This is truly devastating news. I only just realized today that watching others gamble is actually more fun than gambling myself!" Jordan said, somewhat annoyed. "What a pity there won't be a next time! I should have let you win less, so I could have beaten them every time! Haha, that way I could have seen those bastards' faces contorted in agony every time we played cards! It was so satisfying! I love the All-Star Game!"
"So what's the good news? Don't tell me you've arranged a brand new gambling game for me somewhere else, I'm not going!" Lin Tian looked at the three guys warily.
"What are you thinking?" Jordan rolled his eyes, pulled a check from his pocket, and said, "290 million! You've won a lot today! You've robbed those guys of their underwear! Hahahaha! I haven't felt this good in ages! It's a shame they didn't want to bet with you anymore, otherwise I could have had some real fun!"
"2.9 million? Is that much? I don't think so. Michael, don't you still have 10% left? Did you deduct it?" Lin Tian felt that this number was a bit too much.
"No more deductions! Hahaha, on such a fun night, a few hundred thousand dollars is nothing! No more deductions!"
"Don't listen to his nonsense. He just made a bet with some guys who didn't play, and won almost $10 by betting on you to win! Of course he's happy!" Rodman once again showed no mercy and started criticizing Jordan.
Jordan, once again completely unfazed, waved his hand and said, "Never mind that, let's have fun tonight! How about we go out and have some fun? I'll take you to the most fun and interesting place in San Antonio, how about that?"
"No way." Lin Tian shook his head and refused without even thinking. "How fun can the best place in this crappy San Antonio be? I'm not wasting my time. I'd rather get a good night's sleep."
"I guarantee you'll love the local specialties! You probably know the Spurs' owner sells tractors, right?" Jordan grabbed Lin Tian and pulled him outside, saying as they walked, "Their agricultural equipment and farms are famous! The best part is over there!"
"But I have to warn you, when you're driving the tractor, you'd better keep your movements small, otherwise if the tractor flips over, it'll be a real problem!" Rodman's head popped out again, "I was supposed to have a date with an actress, but I missed it because I was watching you guys play cards. It's not too much to ask that I come along, is it?"
"That's not too much! Everyone come! Everyone come!" Jordan was really happy tonight!
After listening to Jordan's introduction, Lin Tian also became very interested in the unique local customs and culture of San Antonio!
Experience it! You absolutely must experience it!
When Lin Tian woke up from his nap on the club's prized Lamborghini tractor, which was 7 meters tall and looked more like a giant tractor than a tractor, it was already 2 p.m.
Last night, he truly felt the unique warmth and charm of the people of Texas!
Then, Lin Tian glanced at his watch and carefully walked down the stairs of the tractor. He didn't want to become the first person in the entire NBA to be injured and sidelined because of falling off a tractor; that would be too embarrassing!
After getting off the tractor, Lin Tian didn't go looking for Jordan, Pippen, and the others who were nowhere to be found. Instead, he hailed a taxi and headed straight for the Spurs' home arena, the AT&T Center.
When Lin Tian arrived outside the arena, the two rookie teams had almost finished assembling, and then came a very long league event.
From interviews to charity events to some commercial shoots, the final part is a lighthearted warm-up.
At 7 p.m., just one hour before the start of the game, the 16 rookies finally assembled in the two locker rooms!
Led by Clemens and the SuperSonics' lead assistant coach respectively, they said a few words of encouragement and told the young players to give full play to their abilities. Without giving any specific tactical instructions, the 16 rookies walked into the ATT Arena.
Although the Rising Stars Challenge has always been just a warm-up game for the All-Star Game, merely an appetizer, the ATT Center was packed tonight. More than 18000 fans came to the arena with great enthusiasm to cheer on the league's newest players!
After all, no one knows how many of these people will become All-Stars or MVPs, or how many will eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
But right now is definitely the most exciting and happiest time of their lives for the rookies of 1995!
This is the first time in their lives that most of them have become the center of attention and been the focus of the entire world!
Everyone was eager and ready to deliver a spectacular performance tonight, to make the whole of America remember them! To make everyone know their names!
The player rosters for both sides are as follows.
East Team: Lin Tian, Alan Henderson, Eric Williams, Rasheed Wallace, Jerry Stackhouse, Damon Stoudamier, Kurt Thomas, George Zedek.
West Team: Antonio McDyess, Joe Smith, Arvydas Sabonis, Michael Finley, Tijus Edney, Brent Barry, Kevin Garnett, Bryant Rivers.
Judging from the performance of the players this season, the five best rookies in the East are Lin Tian, Rasheed, Stackhouse, Stoudemire, and Thomas. Clemens didn't think much and directly made these five the starters!
Meanwhile, in the West, the number one draft pick Joe Smith and the oldest rookie in history, Sabonis, formed a twin towers combination, along with three perimeter players: Michael Finley, Brent Barry, and Rivers, making up their starting lineup!
In the CBS studio, watching the rookies warm up with passion, Marcus also displayed his professionalism and enthusiasm, enthusiastically saying, "The highly anticipated Rising Stars Challenge is about to begin! The East and West teams are ready to go. Smith, which team do you think will win this game?"
"The Western Conference's twin towers in the paint are definitely superior to the Eastern Conference's frontcourt, while the East has two excellent guards, Lin and Damon, giving them an overwhelming advantage! This game should be a thrilling battle between the inside and outside!" Smith said with a smile. "If this were a regular season game, I'd favor the West, but this is the All-Star game, so I'm betting on the East!"
"A better point guard and perimeter players will make the Eastern Conference team play more exciting and beautifully!"
"I agree with you!" Marcus said with a smile. "If I had to choose my MVP, I'd pick Damon Stoudamire. He's already established himself with the Raptors, averaging close to 20+10! If he just needs to improve his weaker areas, maybe we'll see him in the All-Star Game next year!"
The two commentators were excitedly giving their commentary, while the rookies on the field were also desperately trying to showcase their talent!
Stackhouse, Stoudemire, Finley, Rasheed, Garnett —
These guys, with their top-notch talent and incredible dunking skills, were unleashing a barrage of powerful dunks on the court, eliciting wave after wave of cheers from the fans in attendance!
Lin Tian, on the other hand, seemed completely out of place in the environment. He was casually shooting baskets from beyond the three-point line, stretching occasionally, looking completely relaxed and carefree.
"Hey kid, why don't you go and show off a couple of times?" Stoudemire couldn't help but approach his number one rival from his class!
Stoudemire had no liking for Lin Tian!
After all, in terms of stats, my 20+9 is far superior to Lin Tian's lackluster stats. But just because this kid is on the Bulls, he gets a lot of attention, and people always say: If Lin Tian were on a bad team, his stats wouldn't be any worse than mine!
This argument really annoyed Stoudemire!
In his heart, he had unknowingly come to regard Lin Tian as a hypothetical enemy, as his lifelong rival. "There's nothing to dunk on, it doesn't count as points, and the fans' cheers won't earn me an extra two cents, why bother?" Lin Tian said calmly. "If dunking a few times would allow me to pick a few pretty girls from the audience, then I'd be willing to dunk a few times!"
"You're annoying, kid." Stoudemire, without much guile, frowned immediately. He thought Lin Tian was too pretentious! This guy acted like he'd seen it all, like he was some big shot, and completely looked down on the Rookie Challenge. He was really annoying!
"Many people have said that," Lin Tian shrugged. "I think you're right! I really do hate it!"
Lin Tian's seemingly casual remark infuriated Stoudemire, raising his blood pressure considerably. He grumbled, "When you get on the court later, you'd better actually have some skills, otherwise, looking like this, you're no different from an idiot!"
"Damon Stoudemire's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 10 experience points!"
Watching Stoudemire leave, Lin Tian finally understood why this guy, who put up 19+9 in his rookie year and won Rookie of the Year, had been declining year after year like a poor old man. He had top-notch talent but failed to live up to it.
A point guard who is so emotional and easily provoked is bound to have a bad game!
Stoudemire didn't say anything to Lin Tian until the end of warm-up. The starting players from both sides quickly entered the field. With the referee's whistle, Sabonis, despite being 30 years old, still managed to defeat Rashid and gain possession of the ball thanks to his experience and height.
The Western team's advantage lies in the paint, but their first offensive possession was a mid-range jump shot by Finley, which went in smoothly and gave the team the lead.
On the Eastern Conference side, Stoudemire drove all the way to the basket! He easily made a reverse layup over Sabonis's defense, tying the score!
Looking at Stoudemire, Lin Tian understood why this guy was so confident.
With that speed, finishing ability, and excellent physical strength, it's no wonder he can average almost 20+ points per game.
The data is 10!
They do have some skill!
In the second possession, Sabonis displayed his top-notch basketball IQ, easily scoring 2 points with a turnaround floater, showcasing effortless elegance and composure!
Then, Stoudemire passed the ball directly to Lin Tian!
"You give it a try! Let me see what you're capable of! I've heard from many people that you're faster than me?"
Lin Tian caught the ball without hesitation!
After all, this is the situation he has been looking forward to and dreaming about ever since he joined the NBA!
The arrogant brat, unaware of his own limitations, provoked and humiliated Lin Tian, who simply waved his hand casually, beating the nobody to a pulp and earning him cheers and applause!
Tsk tsk tsk! This is exactly the kind of plot Lin Tian likes: showing off and getting slapped in the face, pretending to be weak while actually being strong!
After waiting for half a year, Stoudemire finally crashed into us!
Since he wants to see it, let's have one!
Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the three-point line and looked at Barry, who was defending him diligently. He felt that this guy was not a good opponent!
So he opened his arms and quickly called for a screen!
Rasheed, the center, is not yet the inexperienced Roaring God. He quickly stepped forward and blocked Barry for Lin Tian.
Then Lin Tian immediately dribbled the ball forward and charged towards Sabonis in the mid-range!
In the blink of an eye, Lin Tian's speed reached its limit. Just as Sabonis turned his feet to defend, Lin Tian suddenly stopped, then accelerated again. He pulled the ball back once more, performed a behind-the-back dribble and a step-back, and raised his head as if to shoot!
Sabonis, who had originally prepared to give up on defense, looked at Lin Tianju and then stepped back. His defensive instincts made him move his already riddled knees again and lunge at Lin Tianju once more!
Then, Lin Tian lowered his center of gravity and accelerated again, slipping past Sabonis!
As Sabonis watched Lin Tian transform into lightning and flash past him, he knew he was helpless, but his body's subconscious reaction made him take another step back.
This is the step!
Sabonis's center of gravity was completely thrown off balance by Lin Tian, and his legs could no longer support his huge weight and body. Sabonis completely lost his balance, took two steps back, and sat down on the floor in a very sorry state!
Lin Tian drove unimpeded to the basket and easily scored a layup with an open basket!
"Oh oh oh oh!"
"Lin! Lin! Lin! Lin!"
"MVP! MVP!"
"One more! Show off one more time!"
The fans at the scene were absolutely thrilled with the crossover, and they kept shouting, wanting to give Lin Tian a boost and let him do it again!
Brilliant! Today's game started so well!
All the fans felt incredibly excited in the first two rounds!
It's a rookie competition! You have to fly and leap! You have to shake and tumble!
Young people should have this kind of vigor!
After Lin Tian's faked fall, the Western team seemed to finally be inspired. After a screen, the number one draft pick Smith made a spectacular dunk, driving straight into the paint for a one-handed slam!
Then, Lin Tian passed the ball directly to Stoudemire and said, "I'm that fast, let me see yours?"
'
"FUXX!" Stoudemire looked as if he had been insulted, his face darkening. He dribbled the ball all the way to the frontcourt, determined to shake off one player! He was not willing to lose to Lin Tian!
However, being able to shake someone off is something that can only happen by chance. No matter how good your skill level or how good your dribbling technique is, you still need the right timing, location, and people. Stoudemire used all his skills, doing a bunch of crazy crossovers at the top of the arc, but with the shot clock about to expire, he still couldn't shake off his opponent.
Instead, he lost his rhythm, overexerted himself, and after forcing his way into the paint, he was blocked by Sabonis! Sabonis managed to salvage some pride with this play!
However, the basketball didn't fly very far; it landed directly in Lin Tian's hands, who was waiting near the free-throw line.
After receiving the ball, Lin Tian took a step forward and used all his strength to leap into the air!
Smith, who was under the basket, hadn't even turned his head yet and had no time to react when he felt a dark figure riding on him from behind!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Lin Tian successfully launched a sneak attack, dunking on Smith from behind!
In two rounds, Lin Tian faked out an opponent and then dunked over them, making him the coolest guy on the court!
"Damon! I've avenged you!"
After scoring, Lin Tian smiled and offered Stamdale what appeared to be a friendly consolation.
"Who needs your help! I can do it myself!" Stoudemire spat and quickly returned to defense.
After this round, the Western team finally found their rhythm. Finley and Barry, who can fly even as a white man, are two guys with dunk contest-level physical abilities. They drove into the paint several times in a row and slammed the ball down with powerful dunks!
On the Eastern team's side, their defense was outstanding. Lin Tian and Stoudemire seemed to have reached some silent agreement, taking turns controlling the ball for one round each.
Stoudemire made an alley-oop pass to Rasheed, who slammed it home with a dunk. Meanwhile, Lin Tian made a one-handed through ball, sending Stackhouse soaring to the basket for a smash!
Following Stoudemire's pull-up jumper and mid-range shot, Lin Tian hit another three-pointer from beyond the arc!
Lin Tian and Stoudemire undoubtedly became the two main spearheads of the Eastern Conference team in the first quarter!
Meanwhile, the Western team focused on Sabonis as their central figure, with Sabonis holding the ball high up the court and constantly passing it to teammates making cuts and runs, resulting in extremely high scoring efficiency!
With neither side playing much defense, the first half of the game went by very quickly!
In the blink of an eye, only 3 minutes remained in the first half. Both sides had already made a full round of substitutions, with several players going off and coming back on, and all 16 players had scored some points.
With three minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Western Conference team called their final timeout of the first half, as both coaches were finalizing their rosters.
At this point, both sides were evenly matched and neither gave an inch. Led by Lin Tian and Stoudemire, the East team was temporarily leading the West team by 7 points, 66-59.
Lin Tian has scored 11 points and 4 assists so far, while Stoudemire has scored 10 points and 5 assists. These two are the highest scorers and best performers in the entire Eastern Conference team. If the Eastern Conference team wins, the MVP will most likely be chosen from these two!
But who is the head coach of the Eastern Conference team?
Clemens! A Bulls player himself!
So, after Lin Tian gave him a wink, this very clever chief assistant coach put together a lineup of Lin Tian, Alan Henderson, Rasheed Wallace, Kurt Thomas and George Zedek in the last three minutes!
To put it simply, this lineup has only one core indicator: Lin Tian, you can play however you want! The East team's most capable and likely MVP players, Stoudemire and Stackhouse, have both been benched by Clemens!
What does it mean to have connections in higher-ups that make things easier? This is it!
Meanwhile, the Western team fielded their starting twin towers, Sabonis and Joe Smith, along with a five-man lineup of Finley, Rivers, and Adney.
Clearly, the Western team's intention is to narrow the score gap as much as possible before the end of the first half, so that they can catch up better in the second half!
As the referee blew the whistle, the players from both sides took to the court. The first possession belonged to the Eastern team, and Lin Tian took the initiative, dribbling the ball forward.
This period is extremely important for Lin Tian!
The system's task description was to defeat five players, but it didn't explain what constituted defeating them!
His opening crossover and dunk, I don't know if that counts as a blowout.
However, Lin Tian's style has always been to not dwell on things he can't understand. If he's unsure of the limits, then he'll just go all out!
Coincidentally, both of the West team's inside players are on the court, while the East team has given them all possession of the ball, and there are only 3 minutes left in the first half.
Lin Tian had already made a decision in his heart!
These three minutes absolutely cannot be wasted!
Lin Tian immediately used the treasure he had kept for half a season.
"Jordan Experience Card (3 minutes) from the 92-93 season!"
This was the third year of his first three-peat, in 1992, when Jordan was only 29 years old!
就是那个赛季场均32+5+6+2，命中率高达49%，拿下了得分王、一阵、一防、
The champion, still able to fly and dunk at his peak!
As soon as he used the trial card, Lin Tian felt an indescribable power sweep over his entire body!
Michael Finley's decent defense suddenly appeared full of flaws in Lin Tian's eyes, and could be easily shattered!
Without hesitation, Lin Tian bent down, dribbled, and accelerated. After a sharp change of direction, he broke past Finley in one step!
In the blink of an eye, Lin Tian had already reached the basket. Sabonis and Smith jumped up from the left and right at the same time, trying to block Lin Tian's shot!
Then, a shot that made countless people on the sidelines jump up in surprise appeared when Lin Tian raised the ball to the sky with one hand. Just as Sabonis was about to block the basketball, he suddenly lowered the ball and pulled it from the left to the right!
But on the right, Smith's large hand was still waiting for Lin Tian!
In Smith's view, this was simply walking into a trap!
To his disbelief, the basketball that Lin Tian had just moved to the right disappeared again! Lin Tian was almost frozen in mid-air as the basketball was drawn in a semi-circle and pulled back to the left.
This time, Sabonis was already declining due to his age, and he was powerless to do anything except watch Lin Tian throw the ball with an almost artistic arc!
"Whoosh!"
After a sharp crack, the scene fell silent for a few seconds!
Then, the entire ATT Union Center erupted in earth-shattering roars and cheers!
Double lever in mid-air!
Isn't this Jordan's signature move?
The group of star players sitting on the sidelines who came to support their little brother were even more exaggerated, shouting and yelling, standing up in disbelief, jumping and shouting wildly!
Even Jordan was wide-eyed, staring in disbelief at Lin Tian's goal!
How did he do that?
This is the question in everyone's mind, after all, Lin Tian's label has always been running fast, not jumping high!
"My God! Lin really learned a thing or two from Michael! This move is at least 80% similar to Jordan's back in the day!" Marcus was practically going crazy in the studio! Lin Tian's shot was just too gorgeous, too amazing!
"Is this something you can learn just by working hard? If hard work paid off, I would have been able to do a windmill dunk by now!" Smith next to him was in a similar state, exclaiming in astonishment, "Talent! This is talent! Absolute talent!"
After scoring the goal, Lin Tian felt something was amiss.
When he was defending, his tongue was sticking out so long that he didn't react in time and almost bit it off!
"When did you learn that move?!" Jordan stood up from the sidelines and gave Lin Tian a big high five. "Exactly the same as mine!"
"Ten times more handsome than you!" Lin Tiancai didn't give Jordan any face. After smiling and holding up a 10, he suddenly stopped his defensive movement and rushed towards the frontcourt again!
"Snapped!"
The ball that the Western team passed to Finley was intercepted by Lin Tian, who suddenly appeared and then dribbled the basketball towards the Western team's basket!
"boom!"
Four seconds later, a loud bang was heard, and Lin Tian completed another slam dunk!
And this time, the one who fell to the floor and suffered the humiliation of being forced to crawl between his legs was none other than the top-scoring student, Smith!
After two consecutive attacks on the inside, Lin Tian had successfully stirred up the atmosphere of the entire arena. Everyone was looking forward to seeing what other tricks Lin Tian could pull off!
Next, although the Western team finally scored a point thanks to Finley's strong play under the basket, Lin Tian once again initiated a counterattack. This time, Lin Tian advanced all the way to the waist area. Facing Finley, who was defending him, Lin Tian suddenly made an exaggeratedly fast turn and dribbled to the basket in one step!
Then Lin Tian raised the basketball with both hands, and Sabonis, who was already 30 years old and a seasoned veteran, was still fooled and jumped up.
Lin Tian leaned against him and tossed him around, and the referee's whistle blew immediately!
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