dmims Chapter 165 Thomas and Lambill were compared to them all
Chapter 165 Thomas and Lambill were compared to them all
Chapter 165 Thomas and Lambiel were simple, honest boys compared to them!
In late May 1997, the moment that fans across the United States had been eagerly anticipating finally arrived!
Fans gathered in a jubilant atmosphere, awaiting the historic moment to come. Half of the league's executives also sat in front of their televisions, waiting for what was about to happen that could affect the development of several teams next season and even the seasons to come.
Many NBA team legends, executives, coaches, and even owners came to the scene.
While waiting, many nervous fans even closed their eyes, placed their hands on their chests, and offered sincere prayers.
After all, the next step is to test the results of their hard work throughout the year, which is something no one can afford to be nervous about.
As the atmosphere grew increasingly heated and countless people eagerly awaited the moment, a figure finally appeared on the television screen. The breaths of many tightened instantly, and many even held their breath, waiting for that historic moment to unfold.
"The 13th pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers!" Stern announced the first team name of the night.
Cavaliers fans reacted relatively normally and were not too disappointed, after all, they only had less than a 2% chance of being a top-three pick.
Well, this isn't the NBA Finals, it's the NBA annual draft lottery!
In a sense, this place is much more important to each team than the NBA Finals. After all, the NBA Finals are just two teams competing for the championship, while the NBA Draft Lottery is the key and hope for half of the teams in the league to turn their fortunes around!
Getting the number one pick in a strong draft year can absolutely turn a terrible team around overnight!
As Stern announced the draft positions one after another, more and more fans wailed, but fans of a few teams maintained a high level of excitement!
"Fourth overall pick in 1997, Vancouver Grizzlies!"
Stern's words plunged the entire city of Vancouver into mourning and grief!
1997 was widely considered a weak year for the draft; apart from that big guy, the differences between all the other players were actually not that significant!
Or to put it more directly: the top pick in this year's draft is everything!
If you don't get the top pick, the other picks are dispensable!
"Third pick, Boston Celtics."
"FUXX!" No sooner had Stern finished speaking than Auerbach, representing the Celtics in the draft, angrily cursed, his voice so loud it even drowned out Stern's announcement of the team's order: "That money-grubbing old bastard! We've been rotten for so long, and he still won't give us a number one pick! FUXX! I'll tear you apart sooner or later!"
A grumpy old man, hurling insults at people online!
He only got third place! Auerbach was really hoping to get the number one pick and then snatch that big guy!
It's a pity that the third pick can't really be considered a hope for the Celtics' revival!
Auerbach sighed. If he couldn't get the number one pick, he really couldn't find any rookies he liked this year. Maybe he should try to get the sixth and third picks and offer for the number one pick?
That guy from the Spurs, a rookie general manager, it might not be too hard to fool him. Hmm, let's go first and see if we can fool that rookie general manager from the Spurs.
"That old bastard Stern!"
Feeling annoyed, Auerbach couldn't help but curse again.
The sound was so loud that most of the people in the room could still hear it.
but……
Well, everyone, including Stern, pretended not to hear it, and went about their business as usual, without any intention of standing up to criticize Auerbach.
You are of high status, great achievements, and seniority. Let alone scolding him, you could actually go up and slap Stern twice across the face...
Let's forget about it. The old man is so old; it would be really unnecessary for him to get seriously injured.
Stay calm, you must stay calm.
"Second pick, Philadelphia 76ers!"
After Stern announced that Philadelphia was the second overall pick, Philadelphia fans booed and complained loudly. How can we describe their feelings at that moment?
Second place is the biggest loser!
Even if the 76ers hadn't made the top three, the fans probably wouldn't be as disappointed as they are now.
Allen Iverson, who represented the 76ers at the draft lottery, gave a helpless wry smile. Who wouldn't like that big guy from Wake Forest University?
However, before Iverson could express his frustration, his mood was interrupted when an old man next to him suddenly hugged him tightly!
That old man was the one who was drawing lots on behalf of a small town in southwestern China.
It wasn't just the old man named Popovich who was incredibly excited; the entire city of San Antonio erupted in cheers and shouts even before David Stern announced the final result!
The outcome is decided!
The top scholar's pick is ours!
Tim Duncan is ours now!
At the draft lottery, Popovich was grinning from ear to ear. He excitedly gave Allen Iverson, whom he didn't know at all and had never spoken to before, a big hug. Then he excitedly shook hands with the Grizzlies' executives to celebrate, saying things like, "What a pity, but fourth place is still pretty good."
Popovich celebrated wildly for winning the number one draft pick, completely ignoring the Grizzlies executives and Iverson beside him. He looked utterly impatient. Given Iverson's temper, the fact that he didn't punch Popovich on the spot shows that he knew it was a nationally televised event and managed to control his temper.
What brought Popovich back to his senses and stopped his frenzied celebration was not Stern announcing the winner of this year's number one draft pick, but Auerbach's mocking and menacing gaze.
With just a glance, Popovich, who was still a newcomer in the management and coaching circles, calmed down.
He dared not offend Auerbach here, otherwise who knows what kind of repercussions he would face.
Regardless, Popovich, who was about to acquire Duncan, could hardly contain his excitement.
With Duncan and David Robinson, and if they can also acquire Lin Tian this year, then with Duncan's immediate impact, Robinson's enduring strength, and Lin Tian's all-around talent, Popovich believes the Spurs will be a super favorite for the championship next season!
Everything depends on whether this kid is willing to come!
How can we persuade him, and how can we make Lin Tian fall in love with the small city of San Antonio?
Why don't we let him meet Duncan and see if the two of them can get along?
……
With the draft now over, the NBA Finals are finally on their way, and the final suspense of this season's NBA is about to be revealed!
To be honest, although this is the first time the Jazz and the Bulls have met in the playoffs, the two teams have played each other twice a year before, but they are not exactly rivals and have no old grudges.
This year, a lot of new grudges suddenly appeared.
Jordan believed that Malone stole his MVP award, Stockton felt that Lin Tian took his All-NBA Team spot, and Sloan never liked Jackson's flashy, laissez-faire style. He preferred to have everything under control and even wanted to call out tactics on the court in place of the players.
The Bulls are playing a style of play similar to total offense and defense this season. Offensively, they are the best in the league. When they run, they are unstoppable, and no one can defend them in one-on-one situations.
In terms of defense, when the Bulls go all out on defense, their "devilish third quarter" is something no one in the league isn't afraid of. Whenever the Bulls raise their defensive intensity in the third quarter, using their pressure on the perimeter and quick rotations to shut down the opponent's ball handler, they can always see results quickly and launch an offensive surge, then let the game enter garbage time.
It's fair to say that this year's Bulls are virtually flawless, except for their slightly weaker inside game. Many even say that although the Bulls have won four fewer games than last year, they are stronger in terms of team cohesion, pressure, and overall strength.
The fact that they swept their opponents out of the Eastern Conference playoffs in three consecutive rounds, with each round showing a greater advantage than the last, speaks volumes!
Although the Bullets had only won a little over 40 games in the first round, their lineup of three tall centers and five tall players in the team actually seemed to be able to counter the Bulls' lineup, which was of average height and weak in the paint.
But what was the result? Not only were the Bullets completely helpless, but Strickland, who was in the final year of his contract, had his value halved by Lin Tiansheng! Originally, Strickland could have signed a contract worth 5-600 million this year, but after this series, it's likely that he won't even be able to sign a contract worth 300 million.
In the second round against the Hornets, the most accurate team in the league, Jordan first beat Glen Rice, who had been provoking him, like a kindergarten kid, and then Lin Tian chased after Muggsy Bogues and gave him a good beating!
In the four games of the series, the Hornets didn't even put up a fight; they were completely exhausted, except for their tough talk.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, facing the 61-win Heat, an absolute top team in the league, the Bulls again won without much effort, winning all three games by a large margin and turning the games into garbage time early on. The only game that went down to the wire and was decided by a game-winning shot was when Jordan and Pippen were both absent due to violating team discipline.
The Bulls truly displayed an indomitable spirit in the first three rounds, giving the impression that everyone else was just a bunch of chickens and dogs, and only the Chicago Bulls could be considered a strong team.
Before the start of this final round, Las Vegas updated the latest odds for winning the championship.
The odds for the Chicago Bulls have dropped to 5 to 1, which means that if you bet $500 on the Bulls to win the championship, you would get $600 back, including your initial investment, if the Bulls do win.
The odds of the Jazz winning the championship are 9 to 1, meaning that if you bet $100 on the Jazz to win, you will lose that $100.
At the same time, CBS also launched a nationwide poll to predict the NBA champion.
47% of fans believe the Bulls can sweep the Jazz, 30% believe the Jazz can make it to Game 5, and only 13% and 7% believe the Jazz can make it to Game 6 or 7.
In other words, only 3% of fans believe that the Jazz can win the championship.
Yes, at least 95% of those 3% of fans are from Salt Lake City.
Bleacher Report, a newspaper led by the players' union and which frequently conducts internal player polls and statistics, also published their survey questionnaires on 210 active players and 89 retired players.
88% of the players believe the Bulls can win the championship!
Only 12% of the players believe the Jazz can win this series.
In a poll conducted by CBS among its own reporters, directors, and commentators, only 2 out of 27 CBS employees who participated in the vote chose to support the Jazz, while the remaining 25 believed that the Bulls could win a second consecutive championship!
The media, fans, players... almost everyone who has anything to do with the NBA, understands basketball, and watches basketball believes that the Bulls can win this series without much effort and become this year's champion!
This prediction isn't necessarily due to everyone being too crazy, nor is it because the Jazz are too weak; it's simply because the Bulls are just too strong! They completely dominated the 61-win Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, so the 65-win Jazz obviously wouldn't be able to put up much resistance.
Everyone thought that the series was just a formality, and that the Bulls could go straight to claim the trophy.
This one-sided prediction and overwhelming advantage is clearly a huge mockery and insult to the Jazz! Everyone on the Jazz team, from top to bottom, is holding their breath, eager to prove themselves!
They want to prove they are the strongest team in the league!
Three hours before the start of the Finals, in the same place, with the same people and the same purpose, Jackson once again gathered the players together for his final pre-game meeting of the season.
"The Jazz, I don't think I need to introduce them much. The league's number one villainous team, led by two annoying bastards, is the most savage and shameless team in the league today. Compared to them, the Knicks and Heat are like pure 14-year-old virgins."
"Their play is big and dirty. Malone's elbows, Stockton's dirty tackles, and all sorts of other dirty tricks are more troublesome and frustrating than the actual skill they display on the field."
"To deal with them, the first thing to consider is not how to beat them, but how to protect yourself, because it's not just Malone and Stockton, those two infamous team leaders, but Hornacek, Russell, Ostertag, or rather, the entire Jazz team, you can't find many clean guys."
"They'll do everything they can to provoke you, to annoy you, to make you lose your temper and get agitated. That's their style. Compared to the Jazz's style, PJ Brown's punch to Charlie Ward in the Eastern Conference semifinals was nothing!"
"Everyone on the Jazz does something like that every minute! They're a den of thugs, the most detestable team in the entire league."
"Of course, what makes them annoying is not just these underhanded tricks and dirty tricks. What makes them truly annoying is their incredibly dull playing style. To be honest, even as a coach, I despise their aesthetically unappealing, heavy, and sleep-inducing style of play."
"They turned vibrant basketball into a lifeless assembly line, all their tactics were yawn-inducing, and their style of play could put all the fans to sleep in the arena."
"But it must be said, their tactics are extremely effective, consistently allowing them to score and defend against the opponent's attacks! Patience, monotony, and dullness are actually their weapons! They drag their opponents into their rhythm and then use their rich experience to defeat everyone!"
"The most important thing to do to easily beat them is not to fall into their rhythm, not to follow their style of play, but to play our own basketball and show the world what offense is, what offensive basketball is, and what the NBA should really be playing!"
"Michael, you have to prove in this series that you are the real MVP! You are the invincible number one player in the league! Malone is a shameless thief; he stole your glory! In this series, I'll make you take back what's rightfully yours!"
"Don't worry, Coach, I'll let Malone know that if he takes something that isn't his, he'll be punished by God! And this time, God's punishment for him is meeting me!" Jordan nodded, completely disregarding the Jazz.
"Scott, if the Jazz use Russell to guard Michael, you'll be our primary offensive option! Because their two backcourts are very short, whether it's Hornacek at 191cm or Stockton at 185cm, whoever goes up against you, show them what you're capable of!"
"Leave it to me! If they dare to use a short guy to defend me, I'll show them who the real 'short guy' nemesis is. I'll make those two cute little lambs on the Jazz suffer terribly." Pippen nodded. He had played against the Jazz many times and knew very well the weaknesses of the two Jazz guards.
Although it's dirty, it's true that it's short and slow, ranking at the bottom of the physical fitness league.
"Lin, you have to stay calm against Stockton. Don't hit him! Don't hit him! Absolutely do not hit him!" Jackson looked at Lin Tian and said the thing he was most worried about in this series: "To be honest, if it were me, I would want to pin Stockton to the ground and beat him up after a maximum of 3 minutes of matchup."
"But that's not right, you can't do that," Jackson sighed. "We need you on the court. That's the only way you can help the team. Otherwise, you can't help the team win, can you?"
"Actually, if I take action, it can help the team too," Lin Tian said, blinking his innocent big eyes. "If I do, I guarantee I can take at least three of them with me!"
Lin Tian held up three fingers and said, "Stockton, Malone, and then pick the unluckiest guy closest to me. I guarantee that no matter how many games I'm suspended for, these guys won't be able to get back on the court before me! They'll be lying in their hospital beds for much longer than I'm suspended!"
"It seems like it's not entirely impossible..." Jackson muttered, stroking his chin, then quickly added, "No, no! Lin, you can't do this! It's best to avoid fighting if possible; we have more important things to do!"
Jackson shook his head, banishing the idea of simply crushing the Jazz, then looked at everyone, especially Lin Tian, and said, "I hope everyone will be there when we lift the championship trophy! Not someone absent!"
"I hope we can all feel the excitement of winning right there in the stadium, instead of just watching it on TV, alone in the locker room!"
"Alright! Everyone, let's pull ourselves together and defeat the Jazz fair and square! Let's wipe them out completely and then lift our brand new Larry O'Brien Trophy!"
Jackson had completely boosted the Bulls' morale, but in the Jazz's visiting locker room, Sloan wore a gloomy expression. He coldly said, "Nobody respects us. Nobody thinks we can win the championship. Nobody believes we are the champions. And nobody even thinks Karl is the MVP!"
"Why? Just because our game isn't exciting, because we can't give the audience one dunk after another, or flashy, meaningless behind-the-back passes? Basketball isn't like that! Basketball is simple and practical, a meticulously crafted, mechanical art! Not some random street junk!"
"Go! Go to the court! Go show the whole world what real basketball is! What a real basketball player is! Go tell all those who don't believe in us: They don't know anything! Go tell them we are the champions!"
As Sloan's calm, indifferent yet menacing words spurred on, the Jazz players rose from their benches. Malone and Stockton, looking fierce, led their team out of the locker room with an air of arrogance.
Next, they want to let the whole world know who the true king of the alliance is!
At the United Center in Chicago, they welcomed their fifth NBA Finals appearance in seven years. The crazy fans were not at all complacent because of the team's multiple Finals appearances. As the most passionate fans in the country, all the Chicago fans went wild after the Bulls entered the Finals once again!
Not only did they open an extra ticketing area for the Bulls, selling an additional 3000 tickets per game, but home game ticket prices also increased significantly. Even so, tickets for the United Center home games were still in short supply!
More than two hours before the game started, over 2 fans flooded into the United Center, eager to unleash their energy and hormones.
When the Jazz players entered the court, the United Center fans certainly didn't give these most notorious scoundrels in the league a friendly look; a barrage of curses and boos followed.
"Stockton, you're a fraud who cheats by accumulating seniority! You'll never make the All-NBA team again in your life!"
"The gap between Stockton and Lin is bigger than the gap between Batman and Alfred! If you came to Chicago, you'd only be able to mop the floor and wash Lin's socks!"
"Stockton, you're a shameless scoundrel! If you dare to stop your petty tricks, Lin will show you what a real man is! He'll crush you completely!"
"What was that bald idiot's name again? Russell? You can start praying now, because Michael's going to beat you to death!"
"Karl, the 14-year-old girl you assaulted is crying! If you're even human, go to jail and serve your sentence!"
"Your more than 100 illegitimate children are crying too! Can't a man manage his own crotch first?"
"The most notorious criminals I've ever met are more like human beings than Malone!"
"Jazz stinky shit!"
"Sloan isn't fit to shine Pat Riley's shoes! And Pat Riley is barely fit to wash Jackson's feet! So, Sloan, you should go back to Salt Lake City! There's no place for you here!"
"If you want to learn more advanced tactics, start as a cleaner for the Bulls! We'll give you the highest level of treatment in the industry!"
Despite the boos and insults from the fans, the Jazz players remained completely unfazed, demonstrating the ultimate ability to treat the boos as nothing more than the wind.
You know, there are benefits to being the league's number one villain and a top-tier pariah, aren't there?
Other teams don't easily get this much booing and cursing.
In today's league, the Jazz are like rats wherever they go, getting cursed and insulted everywhere they go.
With 41 away games each regular season, every away game is a great opportunity for the Jazz to learn about the latest local swear words! They receive the highest level of "welcome" from the local fans at every away game.
While Stockton and Malone were indeed villains, and many had been victims of their attacks, it wasn't to the point of leaving countless corpses and bloodshed. Two-thirds of the teams in the league hadn't actually suffered much from their underhanded tactics.
But how to put it... a person's name is like a tree's shadow.
Everyone just wants to start cursing whenever they see the Jazz!
That's precisely why they've long been familiar with and used to all of this; a few curses are nothing!
From Sloan to the benchwarmer, no one on the Jazz team paid any attention to the boos!
Soon, after the fans' initial excitement subsided and their noise began to die down, the ten starting players from both sides took to the court, ready to begin the first game of the Finals!
Luke Longley and Greg Ostertag, both blue-collar, physical centers over 210 cm tall, walked together to the center circle, ready for the jump ball later.
This season, Ostertag is averaging 7 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks per game, making him one of the best defensive centers in the league. In addition, his iron elbow, which he learned from Malone, makes him an extraordinary threat under the basket!
As soon as the referee blew the whistle, Ostertag jumped first. His taller stature and relatively faster jumping speed gave him the first possession of the ball for the Jazz!
Stockton took the basketball, but instead of rushing forward, he stretched out his hand, calling out tactics as he leisurely walked across half-court.
"Old dog, I heard your playing style is insidious and vicious, like an animal?" Lin Tian, who is no longer a rookie, has been baptized by various point guards along the way, and now he can be considered to have a bad reputation.
Of course, within the player circle, everyone knows how foul-mouthed Lin Tian is.
But within the fan community...
Impossible! My brother is so handsome, he would never use hurtful words or foul language! It's you ugly bastards who are jealous of my brother's good looks and even better playing style, so you're slandering him, spreading rumors, and defaming him!
Hmm...that's it!
"Kid, do you know you deserve a beating?" Stockton turned to the side, using his raised elbow to protect the basketball, while observing his teammates' positioning as he moved towards the three-point line.
"I know, a lot of people want to beat me up, but no one can beat me! Didn't Karl tell you? I can beat him to his knees and beg for mercy in a second!" Lin Tian continued to spew trash talk while looking for an opportunity to steal the ball. Even if he couldn't steal the ball directly, he would try to disrupt Stockton's dribbling rhythm.
Lin Tian hadn't expected that although Stockton looked neither tall nor strong, and had no other strengths besides being dirty and tough, his ball protection ability was actually quite good when he was actually matched up against him!
It has a bit of the feeling of a heavy sword without an edge, and great skill without artifice.
In the first game of the Finals, the Jazz naturally played their best pick-and-roll game. Lin Tian had been on guard against this, and as soon as he suddenly felt darkness around him, he cleverly took two steps back!
Then he saw Ma Long charging forward, his iron elbows gleaming.
If Lin Tian hadn't quickly taken two steps back, that blow would have at least given him a good thud, leaving him dazed for a while, if not seriously injured.
"You're fast, kid!" Ma Long's first attempt failed, and he even sneered at Lin Tian, wanting to tell Lin Tian: I did it on purpose!
Stockton, who was standing nearby, didn't care whether there was a physical conflict between Lin Tian and Malone. Instead, he used the screen to break through and, after attracting Longley's double team, passed the ball to Ostertag. The towering guy immediately jumped up and completed a powerful dunk with both hands.
"You didn't wet your pants, did you? I thought you were really hard." Stockton looked at Lin Tian as he returned to defense and started spraying him.
interesting!
我喜欢！
Lin Tian licked his lips, received the baseline ball, and quickly passed it to Jordan, saying, "Michael, you organize the offense."
"What?!" Jordan was stunned. What's wrong with this kid? Was he really scared by Malone's rather daring move?
impossible!
Jordan hesitated for less than a second before realizing he was overthinking things. "This bastard isn't even afraid of me, why would he be afraid of Malone?"
If they don't organize an attack, they're definitely plotting something!
Seeing Lin Tian not take the ball, Stockton, while closely marking him, secretly stretched out his foot towards Lin Tian's footing, trying to trip him. Seeing Lin Tian easily dodge, the guy continued to taunt, "Kid, I really didn't expect you to be scared after just one round. What's wrong? Need to go off the field and have your diaper changed?"
Lin Tian ignored Stockton and ran all the way to the waist, which is the area where Jordan usually launches his attacks. He then backed down Stockton and reached out for the ball!
"Are you crazy? You want to back down me? Have you even checked my low post defense success rate? Huh?" Stockton continued to mock Lin Tian as he saw Lin Tian trying to back down him.
When Jordan saw Lin Tian calling for the ball in the low post, he immediately passed the ball to Lin Tian, wanting to see how he would get revenge.
"Can you shut up? Didn't anyone tell you your mouth stinks?" Lin Tian grabbed the basketball and suddenly shoved backward, his shoulder slamming into Stockton's chest as he was about to speak. The impact nearly made Stockton choke, and Lin Tian quickly turned around to create distance.
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Lin Tian turned and took a step back to shoot, making the basket. After scoring, he looked at Stockton and said, "Now can you shut up? You old lapdog who ate three pounds of poop and still doesn't brush your teeth?"
Lin Tian's backhand attack was fluid and seamless. Although there were no fancy moves, every detail was just right, with nothing superfluous.
Needless to say, Lin Tian used up the last trial card he had!
Karen Mok's peak experience...
Pooh!
09-10 season Andre Miller trial card (full game)!
Lin Tian is starting to look down on Miller's playmaking and passing abilities; it's hard to say who's better!
But Miller's post-up game and turnaround jumper...
Tsk tsk tsk... If Lin Tian's prediction is correct, this card is most likely from Miller's peak performance that night when he scored 50 points!
After using this card, Lin Tian had only one goal tonight—
Kill Stockton!
"You're asking for it!" Stockton cursed, then winked at Malone beside him.
"Watch out, Lin! These two guys aren't going to pretend at all; they're going to pull out the dirtiest stuff right off the bat!" Rodman noticed this small detail and immediately warned Lin Tian to be careful.
"The only thing I need to be careful of on the field is your long passes to Dennis!" Lin Tian didn't turn around, but lowered his center of gravity and looked at Stockton, continuing, "But you, watch out for Malone's iron elbow."
As he spoke, Stockton dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and waved his arm again. This time, Lin Tian sensed that Ostertag was running from his left side.
It wasn't Malone?
Lin Tian glanced at it out of the corner of his eye, and then, just like in the previous round, he quickly chose to retreat.
Then, another pair of iron elbows appeared before his eyes.
"You bastards, you can't provide cover without elbows?" Lin Tian saw that the elbow was less than 30 centimeters away from him. If he had been even a little slower in retreating, he would have been hit directly on the head!
No wonder your Jazz's pick-and-roll is so effective and efficient.
If you put some blades or shards of glass on the elbow, the effect would be absolutely better!
Because Lin Tian chose to retreat again, Stockton got a shooting opportunity beyond the three-point line, and he immediately took a three-point shot.
"Bang!"
Unfortunately, his perfect shooting touch from the Western Conference Finals didn't seem to continue, and his open three-point attempt bounced off the rim and failed to go in.
Pippen grabbed the rebound and was about to throw the ball forward when he noticed that Lin Tian didn't run a fast break. Instead, he gestured to Pippen not to rush and to calm down and play slowly.
"Looks like Stockton's the unlucky one tonight!" Pippen didn't force a counterattack, but instead stabilized the pace and said to Jordan beside him, "Lin is completely in the game."
"Then give him the ball." Jordan said as he ran to the other side of Lin Tian, giving Lin Tian complete space to attack.
Lin Tian received the ball in the low post once again and held off Stockton once more.
The moment the two made contact, they started using all sorts of underhanded tactics! Stockton pinched Lin Tian's waist with his claws, while Lin Tian turned around and elbowed Stockton in the stomach. Then, he spun around and shoved his shoulder into Stockton's nose as he did so!
Stockton saw a large shoulder coming straight at his nose, and he didn't dare to push it head-on. He was so frightened that he quickly leaned back and barely dodged the blow.
He dodged the first shot, but he had absolutely no way to interfere with Lin Tian's shot. He could only watch helplessly as Lin Tian made another turnaround jump shot and scored another 2 points!
"Scared already? I thought you were tough." Lin Tian shrugged dismissively, then said to Stockton, "I gave you a chance to draw a flagrant foul, and you didn't have the guts, so don't blame me!"
The first two rounds set the tone for the style of the match.
That is ferocity, hand-to-hand combat, and all sorts of unexpected tricks!
Whoever is tougher and less afraid of death will gain the upper hand!
Almost every screen the Jazz used elbows to clear the way. It was as if every player on this team had eight elbows. All their movements involved elbows in front of the body, as if the elbow, the hardest part of the human body, was their true form.
Faced with such a fierce style of play, the Bulls, who had just finished a physical battle with the Heat, were of course not afraid at all! Not only were they not afraid, but they also launched a very tough counterattack against the Jazz!
Rodman led the charge in a battle with Malone under the basket, while Longley and Ostertag, both 7-footers, were equally fierce, pulling and scrambling at each other's arms.
As for Jordan and Pippen? These two guys were never the type to suffer on the court. On the defensive end, they would engage in all sorts of physical contact and dirty tricks against the players they were matched up against!
As for why they only went crazy on the defensive end? Because on the offensive end, Lin Tian took over most of the Bulls' role!
He barely came outside the three-point line tonight, instead staying in the low post and constantly using his height and strength to bully Stockton!
Elbows, knees, shoulders, fingers—Lin Tian never stopped using any move that he could employ without being called for a foul. He basically didn't treat Stockton as an opponent, but rather as a punching bag.
Lin Tian used all sorts of moves that he usually wanted to use but didn't dare to, moves that he learned from Rodman but never had the chance or time to practice!
I'll beat you up! Today I'm going to beat you up, you old bastard!
As for Jackson... although his pre-game plan was to focus on Jordan first, and then have Pippen exploit the opponent's shorter players based on their matchups, the current game is going completely differently than he planned.
But Jackson didn't care at all, and showed no intention of stopping the game and letting the players play according to his instructions.
They were playing really well, why call a stop?
Let Lin Tian have his fun!
Where was the referee at this point?
(End of this chapter)