radicalducati Chapter 146 First Playoff Game! A Green Tea Offensive Right from the Start
Chapter 146 First Playoff Game! A Green Tea Offensive Right from the Start
Chapter 146 First Game of the Playoffs! A Green Tea Offensive Right from the Start!
This regular season was undoubtedly a huge success for the Bulls!
Despite playing only 67 games this season, Michael Jordan still managed to win the scoring title once again, and once again, he won it by a dramatic margin!
Throughout the season, Jordan averaged 29.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, with a field goal percentage exceeding 50% once again!
It's worth mentioning that for Jordan, his all-around, flawless, and overwhelmingly superior mid-range shooting ability, which surpassed everyone else in the league, was truly the league's top-tier weapon!
"The King of Mid-Range Shooting" Allan Houston? "The Mailman" Karl Malone?
These stars who rely on their mid-range game as their specialty are actually no match for Jordan in that aspect!
Jordan simply had too many outstanding qualities, which is why he wasn't given a nickname like "King of Mid-Range Shots".
Besides Jordan's continued dominance, Scottie Pippen is averaging 17.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game this season. He continues to play his role as an all-around forward and the team's number one perimeter defender, making him an indispensable part of the team.
Then there's Dennis Rodman, who once again won the rebounding title this season, averaging 13.3 rebounds per game. Although with age and a noticeably more relaxed attitude than last year, Rodman's defensive threat and mobility have clearly declined compared to a few years ago.
However, his rebounding instincts will not change with age or attitude; he remains the most terrifying rebounding machine in the league!
In addition to the team's core trio continuing to perform steadily, key rotation players such as Longley, Wennington, Kukoc, and Cole have also shown steady improvement, perfectly fulfilling their roles and embodying their responsibilities within the team!
Finally, there's Lin Tian. As the youngest player on the team, Lin Tian's performance has improved significantly compared to last year! If Lin Tian's role last year was relatively simple—fast breaks, pushing the ball up the court, and driving to the basket—then this year, Lin Tian has truly become the Bulls' engine and commander!
This season, Lin Tian is averaging 18.3 points, 9.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game! Not only has he surpassed Pippen to become the team's second-leading scorer, but his assists also rank third in the league, behind only Stockton and Mark Jackson.
Jordan's ability to achieve the highest efficiency of his career this season despite being a year older is undoubtedly largely due to Lin Tian's passing and playmaking abilities!
At 23, Lin Tian displayed a maturity and composure beyond his years on the court, almost never losing out to established guards in the league. This was compounded by his terrifying performance during the month Jordan was absent.
All of these factors combined are the biggest reasons why Lin Tian became the league's most sought-after free agent this summer and the number one player everyone wanted to acquire!
Now, Magic Johnson no longer needs to endorse Lin Tian, saying things like he's the future number one point guard or that he might surpass him!
Now, almost everyone believes that as long as there are no injuries, Lin Tian will definitely become the league's number one point guard in 2-3 seasons!
Of course, Lin Tian still has considerable shortcomings. For example, he has the highest number of turnovers in the league this season at 4.5, and his physique is not strong enough. This means that when he drives to the basket, his path is still blocked by the opponent's muscular body, resulting in insufficient finishing ability.
In addition, his pull-up jump shot in the mid-range is not very consistent, which allows opponents to more confidently collapse the paint when defending his drives, rather than rushing out to contest his shot.
For example, Lin Tian still cannot switch onto forwards or even taller and stronger players on the defensive end. Even against the league's point guard, apart from his accurate and ruthless steals, he can only barely reach the league's average level in other aspects.
Even so, even with so many flaws, it doesn't stop Lin Tian from becoming the league's future number one point guard in the eyes of many!
After all, even Jordan wasn't very good at shooting threes, and O'Neal's shooting range was only within the three-second zone. Who doesn't have weaknesses?
As long as your strengths are bright enough, they can outweigh your weaknesses!
At the end of the regular season, among the predictions for the various awards, Lin Tian was considered by many to be a shoo-in for the All-NBA Team!
Lin Tian, now in his second year, is no longer the unknown rookie who was often called a "newbie"... This year, Lin Tian has officially joined the discussion of the league's top point guards!
His future is bright!
……
Besides the Bulls holding the top spot in the league for the second consecutive year, all the other teams in the league have settled into their positions by the end of the season. In the last few days of the season, those teams that were desperately fighting for their positions gave their all to pursue the rankings they wanted, which gave fans a unique kind of excitement!
For example, the Grizzlies staged a dramatic comeback in the last two days of the season, overtaking the Celtics to become the worst team in the league. The Celtics, due to their carelessness at the end of the season, won two more games but ultimately had to swallow the bitter pill of their carelessness, regrettably finishing second to last.
The three-way battle between the Spurs, Nuggets, and 76ers was so intense that it was almost chaotic. The 76ers rested Iverson and Stackhouse, the team's two top players, in April, while the Spurs had half of their starters sitting on the bench in suits.
David Robinson only played 6 games in the entire regular season, but some industry insiders said that Robinson's injury was not as serious as his dog's injury when it fell to the ground while catching a frisbee!
But Popovich just wouldn't let Robinson play!
The ultimate showdown between these three teams continued until the last day of the season. With each team displaying an increasingly insane desire to lose, all three teams managed to lose on the final day.
However, as it turns out, last-minute cramming is useless, and hoping that the competitor will suddenly lose power and win overnight is also unrealistic.
The Spurs, by accumulating experience and losing more games, successfully secured third-to-last place. The 76ers, by resting Iverson and Stackhouse early on, also gained an advantage and ranked fourth-to-last. On the contrary, the Nuggets, who were once expected to take the last place in the league, disappointed and only managed to finish fifth-to-last.
Compared to the brutal battles fought by the bottom teams, the competition among the top teams in the league seemed rather uninteresting. After all, the first-place Bulls were far ahead, and the second-place Jazz had already widened the gap with the third-place Heat.
With the top three teams in the league separated by about five games, these three teams naturally agreed to rest players in the last few games of April.
In comparison, six teams in the East have achieved 50 wins this year, and the Cavaliers, with 42 wins, unfortunately finished ninth in the East and failed to make the playoffs due to the strength of other teams.
On the contrary, the Clippers, who are eighth in the West, only have 36 wins, yet they managed to catch the last train to the playoffs in this era of East-West dominance!
The final rankings of the top eight teams in the East and West are as follows.
east:
1. The Chicago Bulls have a record of 70 wins and 12 losses.
2. Miami Heat: 61 wins, 21 losses.
3. The New York Knicks have a record of 57 wins and 25 losses.
4. Atlanta Hawks: 56 wins, 26 losses.
5. Charlotte Hornets: 54 wins, 28 losses.
6. The Detroit Pistons have a record of 54 wins and 28 losses.
7. Orlando Magic: 45 wins, 37 losses.
8. Washington Bullets: 44 wins, 38 losses.
west:
1. The Utah Jazz have a record of 65 wins and 17 losses.
2. The Houston Rockets have a record of 57 wins and 25 losses.
3. Seattle SuperSonics: 54 wins, 28 losses.
4. The Los Angeles Lakers have a record of 53 wins and 29 losses.
5. Portland Trail Blazers: 49 wins, 33 losses.
6. Phoenix Suns: 43 wins, 39 losses.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves: 40 wins, 42 losses.
8. The Los Angeles Clippers have a record of 36 wins and 46 losses.
With the top eight teams in the East and West determined, the remaining 16 teams are gearing up and just waiting for the playoffs to begin!
As the league's top team, the Bulls will have home-court advantage in all the upcoming series, and their first opponent is the Washington Bullets, located in the U.S. capital!
Speaking of which, this season is also the Bullets' last season.
Just a year earlier, Yitzhak Rabin, a close friend of Bullet Team boss Pauline, had been assassinated. In addition, Washington, D.C., had been plagued by rampant gun violence in the mid-90s, with hundreds of people losing their lives each year due to guns.
Pauline truly detests bullets, guns, and violence, and he is determined to completely distance the team from these things!
The team's very fitting name, "Bullets," which it took back in Baltimore, the country's number one military manufacturing region, has come to a complete end.
From the beginning of the season, Pollin began brainstorming ideas and soliciting new team names from Washington fans.
During the majority of the season's recruitment process, the team received over 50 suggestions, with approximately 3000 diverse names competing for the nominations.
These include names that are representative of Washington, such as generals, stars, and monuments. There are also animal names like antelope and gecko, which are all local characteristics of Washington. Some people have even come up with the idea of naming their names after bands, such as the Funkadelics, an excellent band from the Washington area.
Of course, besides these, there are all sorts of other names such as Accelerator, Legislator, Glory, Cobra, and so on, which really makes it hard to choose.
Finally, before the playoffs began, Pollin and his think tank selected five teams from all 3000 names to make the final roster: Dragons, Clippers, Horsemen, Mariners, and Wizards.
Paulin said that all fans have three weeks to vote on the final name of the team from the five options.
Of course, these five names have one thing in common: none of them have anything to do with the local characteristics of Washington! Because of this, these five candidates have been met with a lot of criticism and complaints from fans.
But there was nothing they could do; Polin was the boss, and he could call the team whatever he wanted. After complaining, the fans still enthusiastically joined the vote, contributing to the team's new name.
As for the Washington Bullets, who are destined to change their name and are about to play their final few games, their current roster can be described as going to an extreme!
Huge! Extremely huge!
Their starting lineup includes the league's tallest player, George Muresan, who stands at 231 cm; two forwards who are both 206 cm tall: Chris Webber and Juwan Howard; plus Calpotseni, who is 203 cm tall; and Rod Strickland, who also has a significant height advantage at the point guard position, who is 191 cm tall!
The average height of the five players reached 207 centimeters. Although a large part of the average height was raised by George Mresan alone, this team is definitely the tallest team in the league today!
This also puts them first in the league in average rebounds per game this season!
At the same time, the team's very tall stature did not make them appear bulky or slow. With Webber, an all-around talent, and Strickland, an extremely fast point guard with excellent court vision, the team did not appear top-heavy or bulky and slow during the regular season.
On the contrary, their team's number of possessions and transition speed during the regular season ranked among the top ten in the league!
It can be said that this is a very strange team, a team with three starting big men who can always launch fast breaks and beautiful team offense!
The biggest contributors to this success are undoubtedly Chris Webber, who averages 4.6 assists per game, and Strickland, who averages 8.9 assists per game. These two players have completely revitalized the team's offense with their talent and exquisite passing skills!
"So, I don't need to say more, this Bullets team, although tall and seemingly slow, is a full-fledged offensive team! Their average points per game and transition points are both top ten in the league!" At the United Center in Chicago, Jackson once again held his favorite pre-game meeting.
With less than three hours to go before the start of the first playoff game, Jackson, as usual, sat relaxed at the table, holding something that looked like a pointer, pointing to the key points that had already been written on his blackboard.
"Chris Webber is the most flashy and ball-handling big man in the entire league. Like Lin, he's a very cunning guy. Although he has the best physical attributes in the league, he prefers to play with his brain and skill! Dennis, tell me, what does that mean?"
"That means he's a coward. I'll use my body, my tough stance, and my vicious trash talk to make little Chris cry her way back to Washington." Rodman grinned mischievously, eliciting laughter from the audience.
"Great, and then there's their second-leading scorer, Juwan Howard, also from Michigan, a scorer with a precise shot and an elite mid-range game in the league. He also has top-notch athleticism, but he prefers to play with skill and range. Scott, tell me what that means?"
"That means he's a coward too. I'll use my body, my toughness, and my trash talk to make little Juwan cry her way back to Washington." Pippen's wicked grin was so similar to Rodman's. The two even bumped fists in mid-air, clearly not taking the Michigan duo seriously at all.
"Starting center, George Muresan, never mind, I don't want to talk about him. Luke, even if you broke a leg and walked upside down on your hands, you'd still be a pace faster than him! I want you to keep him behind you the whole time, making sure he doesn't get a single offensive rebound, making him just run around like an idiot behind us, understand?"
"Leave it to me, Coach!"
"Michael, Calport Chaney..."
"Coach, no need to say anything more," Jordan interrupted Jackson casually, chewing his gum. "I don't know this guy, and I don't intend to. I'll just help you crush him, right?"
"Yes, you handle it as you see fit. So, finally," Jackson said, "Lin, you're probably under the most pressure of all of us. Your opponent is no pushover! Strickland is definitely one of the strongest point guards, and he's fast too. He's exactly the kind of point guard you're most worried about right now."
"He's the same height as you, incredibly strong, and his speed is about the same as yours. He's also very intelligent, a smart player who relies on his brain. So, if you need support, or if you have any questions..."
"Don't worry, Phil, I'll crush him." Lin Tian, just like Jordan, was brimming with confidence, patting his chest and saying, "I've been watching their tapes all week, I'm absolutely certain!"
"So what have you figured out this week?" Jackson squinted, looking like a curious child.
Lin Tian couldn't help but curse inwardly as a lazy old fox!
This old guy certainly knows the Bullet Team's strengths and weaknesses, right? He just saw that I said I watched the game, and immediately became too lazy to introduce it myself, so he just let Lin Tian handle the next part!
After cursing in his mind, Lin Tian didn't say much and went straight to the point: "Shooting! Their shooting is terrible! Yes, they have Howard and Webber, a forward duo with very good mid-range abilities, but the other three players on their team are guys with almost no shooting range, who can't score outside the paint."
"They only attempt 12 three-pointers per game in the regular season, making only 4 of them. Both of these statistics put them at the bottom of the league! Only Chris Webber and reserve Tracy Murray have a three-point shooting percentage over 35%, but even then, they don't make more than two three-pointers per game combined!"
"If you ask me, we should tighten our defense and give them the entire area beyond the three-point line! Let them shoot whatever they want! We can even give them some space in the mid-range! After all, apart from Webber and Howard, the other three players in their starting lineup can't even shoot a mid-range shot!"
"With their shooting and three-point capabilities, as long as we protect the rebounds and collapse our defense, we can completely shut down their offense! As for Webber shooting 10 three-pointers in a game? That would be fantastic news for us!"
"If they want to play fast against us, if they want to use Webber and Strickland's drive and passing abilities to compete with us in fast breaks and transition offense, that would be even better! If they play like that, we can beat them by 30 points in a game!"
"Lin is absolutely right! That's exactly what I was thinking! The rest of you, watch the videos whenever you have free time!" Jackson said with a smile immediately after Lin Tian finished speaking. "Don't waste your time on pointless things; that won't bring you success or progress!"
"In your spare time, watch more games, train more, study new moves, and watch videos of talented players in your position! Only in this way can you get big contracts and play more important roles!"
"Only by constantly learning, observing, analyzing, and researching, like Lin, can one maintain continuous progress! Look at how much Lin has improved compared to last year! What did he rely on? Was it talent? Of course not!"
"His success is all about hard work!"
Jackson's words drew murmurs and complaints from the Bulls players.
Why?
Lin Tian is indeed hardworking and trains very diligently. He is almost always the first to arrive and the last to leave during training sessions.
But you said he spends all his free time watching game videos and studying talented players in the same position?
That's complete nonsense!
Everyone in Chicago knows that Lin Tian never misses a team party or gathering; he's almost always there! Even if he's absent a few times, it's not because he's training or studying the game; nine times out of ten, it's because he has another girlfriend and doesn't need to attend the party!
This guy has never been without a girl, and he's never had the same girl twice!
Unless Lin Tian and the girl did nothing but watch the game in the room, or unless every girl he dated was a senior professional basketball analyst and training expert.
Otherwise, what's the point of him practicing ball in his spare time!
Well, if we include certain hemispherical spheres that always appear in pairs, Lin Tian has practiced them quite a bit.
However, the ball that Lin Tian practiced definitely didn't help his performance on the court at all!
"Oh, not at all. Everyone needs to balance work and rest. We can't be too extreme or too hardworking! Everything has its limits." Lin Tian quickly waved his hand and laughed, "After all, I entered the league in the second round. I know very well that I have to put in two or even three times the effort of others in order to have any chance of surviving in the league."
"I firmly believe in the saying, 'Time is like milk... water in a sponge! You can always squeeze some out!' So as long as everyone works hard, we can definitely become stronger quickly! Hey, it's just a little bit of experience, nothing to mention!"
After Lin Tian said those shameless words, even Jackson couldn't help but speak up.
Everyone in the room was silently cursing the same thing.
That's utterly shameless!
Three hours later, at the United Center in Chicago, the visiting Washington Bullets took to the court with great pride. Although they were only the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference this season, they had achieved a record of 24 wins and 9 losses after changing their head coach in the second half of the season.
This winning percentage ranks fourth in the entire league!
Their lineup of four tall players and five big men is also the latest tactic brought by new coach Bickerstaff!
It was from this point that they soared to new heights, surpassing the Bucks, Pacers, and Cavaliers in succession, climbing from 12th to 8th in the East! Many people believe that if Bickerstaff had taken over the team at the beginning of the season, the Bullets would likely have been in the top three in the East this season!
It is precisely for this reason that this seemingly unequal match between the eighth and the first place has generated immense anticipation among many people!
Even in Washington, many fans chanted the slogan "Black Eight"!
It's fair to say that the Washington Bullets, from fans to players, are full of confidence and eager to give the Bulls a good go at them and prove themselves superior.
"Lin, it's been a long time."
Webber, who had gotten along very well with Lin Tian during the All-Star Game and continued to contact him privately from time to time, greeted Lin Tian with a smile. Before the trade deadline, he had strongly urged the Washington management to find a way to acquire Lin Tian. In Webber's mind, he and Lin Tian were a match made in heaven!
"Long time no see, Chris. Do your teammates know that you want me to replace Strickland on the Bullets?" Lin Tian greeted Webber with a smile, but Webber's smile froze on his face as soon as he said his first words.
Damn it, is that how you greet someone?
How is this any different from meeting your best buddy and immediately asking how his wife is doing lately?
There are some things that, even if they are true, even if everyone actually knows them, you still can't say them out loud!
"Ah, you didn't tell them!" Lin Tian widened his eyes dramatically, looking at Strickland, who was standing next to him with an equally embarrassed expression, with an incredibly exaggerated expression: "Actually, Chris didn't mean it that way. I was just joking with him. Please don't take it to heart! We were just having fun at the All-Star game, nothing more."
What is a "green tea bitch"?
Hmm... This one, Mr. Lin, must be West Lake Longjing, the king of green tea.
It's still the top-grade Longjing tea with small, plump buds and two leaves and one bud!
The tea soup is bright yellow-green, clear and free of impurities, with a rich tea flavor, a fragrant aroma, a distinct bean fragrance, a quick and lingering sweet aftertaste, and an extremely fresh and invigorating taste!
Weber's face was extremely ugly.
What can he do now? Explain to Strickland? How can he explain?
"Are we really just friends?"
"You're overthinking it. We just played one game in the All-Star Game, and it went pretty well."
"I never intended to be his teammate, much less to hide the fact that I was going to trade you."
"If that's how you think, then there's nothing I can do?"
Weber felt like his head had suddenly become huge!
He had truly forgotten that Lin Tian, that bastard, not only had a playing style that perfectly matched his own, but also had the most hated mouth in the entire league!
At this point, the only one who can save Webber from this awkward and chaotic situation is the referee.
"Hurry up, get ready for the jump ball! Time's up!"
After hearing the referee's words, Webber felt an urge to hug the middle-aged man and give him a big kiss.
My dear family!
"Alright, no problem!" An excited Webber even responded to the referee's words, quickly leaving Lin Tian and finding his place.
Webber's enthusiasm surprised even the referee.
Having officiated for over 10 years and participated in hundreds of matches, this was truly the first time someone had answered his opening remarks.
Seeing Webber's excitement and high jumps, the referee fell into deep thought and began to ponder.
This guy, did he take too much?
Please don't cause me any trouble!
As Muresan and Longley stepped onto the center circle, amidst a deafening roar of cheers and shouts from the entire United Center, the referee tossed the basketball high into the air.
"Snapped!"
At 231 cm, the tallest player in the NBA, Muresan easily defeated Australia's tallest player, Longley, to gain possession of the ball for the Bullets.
Strickland didn't rush forward; instead, he held the ball up and gestured for his teammates to take their positions slowly. The first ball of the game needed to be played cautiously!
No matter how confident the rest of the team is, Strickland, as the team's commander, must remain calm and composed and stabilize the situation!
Upon arriving at the frontcourt, Strickland was just about to call out a tactic when he was surprised to find that there was no one within a 2-meter radius in front of him!
Lin Tian immediately stepped up to the free-throw line, and not only Lin Tian, but all five players on the Bulls team were standing below the free-throw line!
The entire area above the three-point line and free throw line was given to the Bullets.
"Rod, shoot one! Prove you're better than me!" Lin Tian clapped his hands and laughed, "Do you know the biggest reason Chris wants me to replace you? Besides being better looking, a better passer, and faster than you, the biggest reason is that I shoot more accurately!"
"Shut up!" Strickland finally lost his patience. He realized that Lin Tian was 10 times more annoying in the playoffs than in the regular season!
After uttering a curse, Strickland didn't take the open three-pointer!
There's nothing he can do, he really can't!
He only made 17 three-pointers this season, with a shooting percentage of just 17%!
With this, he has already broken his career high in three-pointers made this season!
In his previous career, he never made more than 10 three-pointers in a single year!
With his shooting ability, let alone Lin Tian standing at the free-throw line to defend him, even if all the Bulls players sat on the bench watching, he wouldn't dare to shoot.
Left with no other option, Strickland, unable to break through, could only pass the ball to his backcourt partner, Calbert Chaney.
Then, Chaney discovered that, like Strickland, there was no one in front of him for 3 meters!
His treatment was even worse than Strickland's, because at least Lin Tian was facing Strickland.
And Jordan should be guarding Chaney right now...
Chaney was not found.
He looked around the court for a full two seconds before he spotted Jordan, who was battling Howard for position, at the edge of the three-second zone!
FuXX! You really don't treat me like a human being at all, you don't even look at me, do you?!
Chaney cursed under his breath, glanced at the basket, and then passed the ball to Webber, who was coming around from the baseline.
There's nothing he can do; he doesn't know how either!
This season, he shot 13% from three-point range, averaging 0.1 three-pointers per game, and only made 8 three-pointers all season.
Even so, he's already made eight more three-pointers in just over a year than he did two years ago when his three-point line was more accurate! That's a huge improvement!
This backcourt duo has a combined three-point shooting percentage of less than 30% and makes less than 25 three-pointers a year. They are truly a pair of hidden dragons and phoenix chicks!
Lin Tian said, "When you guys have the ball outside the three-point line, if I even glance at you, it's disrespectful to both of you!"
After Webber received the ball in the mid-range, he didn't receive the same treatment as the two backcourt players. Rodman rushed towards Webber immediately, not only hanging almost on Webber's body, but also waving his arms wildly, looking like he wanted to eat him alive!
Collapsing defense, coupled with high-intensity, physical defense inside the three-point line, was the Bulls' first gift to the Bullets in this series!
Webber was nearly knocked off his feet by Rodman's pressure, but luckily Howard rushed out from the paint in time. Webber immediately passed the ball to his old partner. Howard didn't dare to adjust his position after receiving the ball because Pippen was already close behind. Howard could only shoot as soon as he got the ball, afraid that if he took a slight aim, he would completely lose all offensive opportunities.
"Bang!"
Such a hasty shot was naturally unlikely to hit the target. The basketball bounced off the rim and was caught by Jordan, who was under the basket!
"Michael! Ball!" Lin Tian was already sprinting at full speed towards the Bullets' half of the court!
Jordan certainly wouldn't disappoint Lin Tian. He dribbled forward twice, quickly estimated Lin Tian's route and speed, and then made a two-handed chest pass. The basketball flew straight out, crossed most of the court, and came directly into Lin Tian's hands at the edge of the three-second zone.
"Kid, don't even think about it! We've already studied your playing style! You won't get a single fast break point in this series! Just play a positional game!" Strickland caught up with Lin Tian with all his might and quickly closed in on him.
At the same time, trash talk poured out of his mouth. He still remembered Lin Tian's mockery of him before the competition!
Judging from Strickland's expression, it's clear that the Bullets have really done their research on how to counter the Bulls' fast breaks!
But they did conduct research, but obviously they didn't do much research, or rather, given the current lineup of the Bullet Team, their research wouldn't have been useful!
Because Lin Tian didn't engage with Strickland at all, he made a behind-the-back pass almost the instant he got the ball, sending it towards the middle.
Pippen caught the basketball near the Bullets' free throw line, took a step forward, and immediately glided into the air!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Pippen glided and slammed home a dunk, opening the scoring for his team!
And it wasn't until he dunked that Howard, who should have been tightly guarding him, finally arrived, just as he ran into the three-point line.
Howard completely ignored Pippen's dunk, making no attempt to make eye contact or exchange trash talk with Pippen. Instead, he moved to his own baseline to prepare to inbound the ball.
Strickland continued dribbling to the frontcourt, only to be met with the same defense as before. Lin Tian showed no intention of stepping out of the three-point line, simply staring at Strickland with the attitude that if he dared to shoot, he would launch a fast break.
Unfortunately, Strickland still didn't dare to shoot, and he passed the ball to Webber again.
However, Webber's playing style was never very tough. Compared to his muscular physique and preference for showing off his skills, he still couldn't find his rhythm against Rodman. This time, he forced the ball to Muresan under the basket, but as soon as Muresan got the ball, three Bulls players surrounded him!
Pippen, Jordan, and Longley attacked from all three positions, using all six arms to scratch Muresan.
"What are you looking at? Get back on defense!" Lin Tian sprinted toward the Bullets' frontcourt as three players surrounded Muresan, not forgetting to 'kindly' remind Strickland who was still watching.
Three defenders were double-teaming him, two of whom were All-Defensive Team caliber players. If Muresan had scored on that play, he wouldn't be called a big oaf anymore!
Whether it's reaction time, speed, skill, or strength, Muresan is really lacking. Apart from his height, he has no other skills that would qualify him as an NBA starter!
Jordan seized the opportunity and slapped the basketball hard, knocking it to the ground.
Pippen reacted with lightning speed, grabbing the basketball and starting to advance the ball towards the frontcourt!
Then, he only dribbled once before realizing that Lin Tian had already left Strickland behind and was about to reach the Bullets' three-point line.
Since that's the case, what are we still hesitating about?
Pippen made a long pass, sending the basketball through the players once again, and it arrived in Lin Tian's hands just outside the Bullets' three-point line.
Lin Tian received the ball and first took a step toward the inside, then suddenly stepped back with his legs apart, moving himself out of the three-point line, and then raised his head and slightly bent his knees.
This kid deserves a vote!
Lin Tian is currently the most popular, or even the only player in the league who likes to shoot three-pointers, and with his impressive shooting percentage, he has long been on the list of players that teams should focus on defending!
Therefore, Strickland was shocked!
He immediately leaped up, trying to disrupt Lin Tian's unreasonable three-point shot!
But Lin Tian didn't even jump. He didn't even gather the ball. After a graceful crossover, Lin Tian accelerated again and charged into the empty Bullet team's interior!
"boom!"
After another loud bang, Lin Tian scored 2 more points for the team!
"Rhodes, do you see the difference between us now? My fake move can even pass through your soul! And you, besides throwing a few ugly shots like catapults, what else can you do on offense?" After scoring, Lin Tian had no intention of giving up the opportunity and started trash-talking Strickland!
As long as we can break the mentality of the Bulls' core backcourt player and make him lose his temper, then Jackson's goal for the Bulls to win by 30 points tonight will definitely be a sure thing!
But Strickland is indeed a very good point guard. Lin Tian's two trash talk words did not make him lose his temper at all. However, because his shooting is really not up to par, even if he doesn't lose his temper, there is not much Strickland can do.
(End of this chapter)