dmims Chapter 223 Trash Talk on the Basketball Court!
Chapter 223 Trash Talk on the Basketball Court!
Chapter 223 The Top Ten Trash Talk on the Basketball Court!
"Michael, nice sneakers! Are they the new shoes you're planning to release this offseason? What's they called again? AIR JORDAN XIV?" Lin Tian looked at Jordan's very stylish sneakers, designed to resemble Ferrari sports cars, and said with a smile, "I really hope they sell well."
"It has to be at least a bit better than the Air Jordan XIII, right? I remember yours from last year was second in sales in the US? Who was number one again? Sorry, I forgot, but that's obviously not important. Hopefully, your new shoes can stay in second place!"
It's hard to say which trash talk is the most hurtful on a basketball court, but if you were to pick ten of the most painful trash talk, one of them would definitely be, "Your shoes are fake!"
In short, it can destroy a teammate's hard-earned confidence and make him the laughingstock of the entire court. At the same time, no matter how strong the teammate wearing fake shoes is, he loses his voice on the court after his shoes are identified as fake.
In the NBA, it's almost impossible to find fake shoes!
Therefore, that trash talk that directly pierces the opponent's self-esteem needs to be slightly modified here!
"Your shoes don't sell as well as mine!"
This statement can strike at the opponent from multiple angles and without any blind spots, including popularity, vision, signed brands, earning power, and popularity!
Generally speaking, it's Jordan who uses this phrase to humiliate others, but today, it's Lin Tian's turn to humiliate him!
There's nothing we can do about it; Lin Tian's latest AND 1 signature shoes are selling much better.
In particular, it's only slightly better than Jordan's previous signature shoe, and it just barely holds its own against his Air Jordan.
The second place winner is the biggest loser!
The word suddenly popped into Jordan's mind, making him feel extremely frustrated. All the trash talk he had prepared was useless and he couldn't bring himself to say it.
So, all the frustration and unspoken insults turned into a single, simple, harsh statement.
"We'll see!"
After saying that, Jordan turned and left. He was certain of one thing again: never trash talk Lin Tian, that would be utterly humiliating!
As for Lin Tian, after watching Jordan being yelled at and driven away, he walked triumphantly towards Theron, who was sitting on the sidelines. Next to Theron was Jordan's wife, Juanita.
At this point, you can use another deadly form of trash talk on the basketball court.
"My girlfriend is hotter than your wife!"
Lin Tian walked easily to Theron and Juanita, then plopped down between them and said, "Hey! Juanita, can I come over for dinner tonight after my match?"
"Of course you can, but I suggest you go after you lose the game. If you go after you win, I'm not sure Michael will shoot you." Juanita maintained her usual elegance and smiled as she said, "But Charitz can go anytime he wants."
Lin Tian wanted to banter with Juanita a bit more, but Jordan strode over from a short distance away, demanding, "What are you guys talking about?"
Jordan knew Lin Tian's character all too well. Although Jordan believed Lin wasn't a traitor, he was certain Lin Tian wouldn't say anything good about Juanita! He had to be on guard against him!
"I'm praising Juanita's makeup tonight!" Lin turned his head, rambling incoherently. "It's a pity Jeffrey and Marcus aren't here, otherwise they could have comforted their defeated fathers after the game."
"Those two have to go to school!" Jordan said grimly. "And you, I think you'd better get out of here! Otherwise, I'm not sure... f*** you! Anyway, you're fired!"
Lin Tian was certain that the unspoken words Jordan had intended to say were meant to be a slap in his face, but he changed his mind before uttering them.
He knew very well that he couldn't beat Lin Tian, but he hoped that Lin Tian would leave his wife as soon as possible!
"Okay, okay, Michael, I'll just talk to Juanita for a couple more minutes, and I swear I won't bring up Madonna again, alright?"
Madonna?
Even though she knew Lin Tian was talking nonsense, Juanita's eyebrows still twitched uncontrollably.
Jordan simply and roughly pulled Lin Tian up, pointing at the Pacers' half of the court and saying, "Go warm up! Can't you go warm up, you bastard?!"
"Go ahead and go, why are you being so fierce?" Lin Tian shrugged and continued walking along the front row of the court. He gave Spike Lee a high five and then signed his jersey.
"Michael is doomed to lose tonight." As soon as the cameras saw these words, they immediately zoomed in and started snapping away at Spike Lee's jersey!
The photographers, directors, and hosts all know very well: fans love watching this!
"Hey, which of you two is more interested in joining Indiana?" Lin Tian walked up to Jamison and Carter, the two stars from North Carolina, and said with a smile, "When are you coming to Indiana for tryouts? We can have some fun together!"
"We'll definitely go before the draft, both of us!" Carter, who was clearly more outgoing and preferred chatting, said with a smile. "Actually, we're both really looking forward to going to Indiana, we wish we could go today, but Larry Bird's idea is: hopefully we can go after the Finals."
Carter originally just wanted to get acquainted with Lin Tian and have a good chat, since they were both going to enter the NBA, and it's always good to have more friends.
But he never imagined that Lin Tian's heart could be so filthy.
Because right after Carter finished speaking, Lin Tian yelled at Jordan.
"Michael, your junior said we can make it to the finals! Levi, tell him what you just told me?"
FUXX!
Carter's signature hearty smile was now completely frozen on his face; his expression was completely stiff.
Where would you find something like this?
Do they have absolutely no martial ethics?
Selling people on the spot?
Fortunately, Jordan knew who Lin Tian was and had no intention of coming over. Instead, he yelled from a distance, "Vince, Antoine, you two better pray you don't get drafted by Indiana, or you'll be in big trouble! That place is full of thugs, and the whole team is shameless trash!"
"Reggie, Charles, Joe, Larry, Michael called you shameless trash and filthy scoundrels! He also called you a bunch of spineless cowards and wimps, and he said he could crush you with one finger!"
Lin Tian immediately added fuel to the fire, shouting to Miller and his group not far away, "These two kind and honest young men from North Carolina can testify for me!"
Seeing Lin Tian's hand pointing at him again, Carter tried to escape, but there was no way out!
To say Lin Tian is right? That would be to offend Jordan.
What if Lin Tian is wrong? What if the Pacers actually pick me?
He's already starting to regret it; why did he have to drag Jamison to watch the game?
Why can't you just stay home? Why do you have to come here looking for excitement?
Serves you right! You deserve it!
Fortunately, after circling the field almost once and provoking everyone he could, Lin Tian finally returned to his team's half and began to warm up properly.
Bird knew very well that Lin Tian was using his unreliable behavior to help his teammates relax and let go of the tension brought on by the Game 7! Even Bird himself became much more relaxed after Lin Tian's antics!
He's a born leader!
Bringing Lin Tian into the group was absolutely the right decision!
"Well done, Lin! I think everyone's relaxed now." Bird patted Lin on the shoulder as he saw him walk back to the bench. "Now I don't need to figure out how to relieve the pressure for everyone."
"What are you talking about, Larry?" Lin Tian looked at Bird. "What do you mean, 'did a good job'?"
"Weren't you just going around in circles to show everyone how relaxed you were, so everyone could relax too?"
"That's not what I meant at all," Lin Tian said honestly. "I was just bored and wanted to tease Michael a bit, have some fun! I'm having a blast right now! Larry, why don't you go for a spin too?"
No way!
Bird couldn't help but curse under his breath.
You've asked too many questions!
They've been playing basketball together for a year, how could he possibly expect to get any positive feedback from Lin Tian?
As the match drew closer, both teams became increasingly tense, with many players already leaving the field to check their protective gear, shoes, jerseys, and other equipment for any issues.
As for Lin Tian, he was still very happy!
He got quite a few good things just from that round he went around. Jordan, Carter, Jamison, and Bird together gave him another 300 experience points!
Carter and Jamison are already dropping so much stuff before they've even entered the league. Once they do, won't they be my money trees?
However, these 300 experience points are really not enough to even fill a tooth gap. His main skills now require tens of thousands of experience points, so a few hundred at a time is really not enough!
Lin Tian also realized one thing again: this summer, he had to find a way to gain more experience points so that he could become stronger next season!
After all, although the Pacers are strong now, Lin Tian knows very well that they are a mercenary team. If they win the championship, several players will definitely leave or retire.
It's hard to say what the team will be like next season!
Lin Tian must become as strong as possible before then, so that he can carry the team next season!
However, as I said before, we'll talk about these things after we win the championship!
Now, Lin Tian needs to fulfill the FLAG he has set countless times before!
Defeat the Bulls and advance to the NBA Finals!
At 7:30 p.m., the referees, fans, viewers in front of their TVs, and commentators were all ready!
At this point, all ten starters from both sides had taken to the field.
They are just waiting for the referee's whistle to begin the ultimate showdown, which the league and CBS have touted as the battle of the century!
In this match, neither side changed their starting lineup; the same ten starters continued to play!
By this point in the series, neither side had any secrets left. Both teams knew each other very well, what cards they had to play, and who they could field. Jackson and Bird knew it all!
So at this point, nobody does anything fancy anymore; it's just standard lineups, head-on confrontations to decide the winner!
"I don't think I need to elaborate on how important this match is," Bavita said, walking to the center circle and looking at everyone from both sides. "I want a great game, and I'll fully cooperate with you, so I hope you'll cooperate with me too!"
"Don't cause trouble, don't embarrass the league, and don't let this perfect series turn into anything imperfect!"
After speaking, Bavita glanced at the ten players present and then put the whistle in his mouth.
"Beep beep!"
With a whistle, the basketball was tossed into the air, and Longley and Schmitz jumped at the same time. This time, both sides brought out their peak performance!
But Schmitz was smaller and had a faster spring speed, which helped the Pacers win possession of the ball on the first possession of the game!
Lin Tian slowly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, waiting for his teammates to make their runs. Tonight, the Bulls did not double-team Lin Tian at the start of the game. Obviously, the explosion of Barkley, Miller and others in the last game made Jackson finally dare not gamble like that again!
After his teammates were all in position, Lin Tian quickly passed the ball to Miller. Miller took the ball and faked a move, but Harper didn't react at all. Then Miller bounced the ball and passed it to Barkley in the paint. At the same time, he started running along the three-point line, both creating space for himself and giving Barkley space for a one-on-one play.
Facing his old rival Rodman, Barkley used both elbows and his own to ram the ball into the paint! Rodman desperately held off Barkley, letting his elbows hit his chest while he kept his feet firmly planted on the ground and subtly tugged at Barkley's jersey with his hands, preventing him from advancing.
Barkley's repeated footwork changes failed to fool Rodman, so in desperation, he suddenly spun around to catch a skilled shooter and tried to score!
Rodman immediately jumped up on the ball, and although he couldn't block it, he clearly interfered with Barkley's shot.
Barkley knew the shot was bad, and immediately after releasing it, he turned around to try and get in front of Rodman. But Rodman was faster, or rather, his elbow was faster. He raised his elbow and slapped Barkley in the stomach!
But just as he gained a good space and tried to jump up to get the ball, he found that he couldn't jump at all!
Looking down, he saw Barkley gripping his jersey tightly, refusing to let go and preventing him from jumping!
"Bang!"
Only at this point did the basketball actually hit the rim, preparing to fall downwards.
Barkley successfully prevented Rodman from jumping by using a subtle trick: he pushed Rodman behind him with force, trying to block his position and grab the rebound.
But Rodman was not one to suffer a loss. He grabbed Barkley's waist and pinched it, causing Barkley to scream in pain. Rodman tried to move forward and block the rebound, but Barkley slapped the ball away.
However, Rodman's slap was clearly effective. Barkley, in pain, missed his mark and the ball landed in Pippen's hands. Pippen immediately started to advance quickly, sprinting towards the frontcourt!
Hubble and Jordan were positioned on the left and right sides, respectively. The Bulls' three-line fast break, even without Lin Tian, was still incredibly fast!
Pippen suddenly stopped beyond the three-point line, looked around, and instead of passing the ball to Jordan who was being guarded by two people, he passed it directly to Harper who was making a run down the right side!
As Hubble took the ball and stepped forward, intending to jump and dunk, Lin Tian suddenly appeared out of nowhere, rushing over from the weak side and slapping the ball right into the backboard!
Lin Tian then quickly jumped again to grab the rebound, but the referee suddenly stopped the game!
It turned out to be Barkley and Rodman!
These two guys were completely entangled from the moment they were under the Bulls' basket. Their four arms and four legs were completely twisted together. First, Barkley was tripped by Rodman, and then Barkley quickly got up and hit Rodman on the shoulder, knocking him to the ground as well.
Then, while Rodman was lying on the floor, he cleverly and "accidentally" tripped Barkley. Barkley, who had only run a few steps forward and was about to fall, slapped Rodman on the shoulder, causing Rodman to fall as well.
Just as the two were about to get up at the same time, they simultaneously elbowed each other, and fell to the ground again!
……
By the time Lin Tian grabbed the rebound and prepared to advance, the two players hadn't even crossed half-court. Their last fall occurred when Barkley saw Lin Tian's block and turned to launch a fast break, only to be swatted by Rodman and fall to the ground again!
After falling like that, even if the referee encourages competition, they can't just ignore it now!
Bavita blew his whistle quickly and ran towards the two men, separating them and decisively assigning each of them a T to make them reflect on their actions.
"Dude, I fell down by accident, why did you call me a foul?" Barkley spread his hands and said, "I admit you called me a foul, I did do it a little bit on purpose. But I swear, I fell down by accident."
"No, I admit I tripped him on purpose." Rodman grinned, his face full of arrogance. "I deserved the T, but that coward Charles didn't have the guts to trip me up so many times, so I don't think he did it on purpose, and he shouldn't have gotten the T!"
"Who are you calling a coward?" Barkley glared at Rodman and said, "You deliberately tripped me? With your skinny arms and legs, you think you could trip me? Come on, come on, I'll just stand here and see how you take me down!"
"Enough! Shut up, both of you!" Bavita snapped, his anger reaching its limit. "If either of you dares to utter a single syllable because of this, I'll give you a second T. Come on, let's see who's doing it on purpose!"
Baveta crossed his arms, looking ready to deliver another T to the opponent at any moment. Fortunately, Barkley and Rodman were only interested in getting the other party excited, while they themselves were still sober. As soon as they saw that Baveta was going to do it for real, the two of them quickly kept quiet and turned around to walk back to their own camp.
"That guy is almost dead." The moment they returned to their respective teams, Barkley and Rodman said the same thing to their teammates at the same time.
"I think Barkley and Rodman have both shown enough toughness! Their defense in the first two possessions also shows their attitude!" Marcus said. "This game is bound to be an extremely intense and fierce battle!"
"I wonder who will ultimately emerge victorious?"
"Charles of xx fell xxx 6 times, and Dennis of xx fell xx 5 times." Another guest tonight, Knicks' Ewing, with his right wrist in a cast, sat in the center and analyzed, "So Barkley of xx suffered a huge loss!"
Okay, you can shut up now.
Marcus really didn't expect Ewing to be so unrestrained on the commentary desk, spewing out 7-8 swear words in a single sentence...
If it weren't for the live broadcast, Marcus really wanted Ewing to go down and rest.
"Patrick, we have a lot of teenage viewers in front of our TVs, I think you need to tone down those catchphrases." Smith, being the more senior, couldn't help but directly tell Ewing that he couldn't say things like that.
"Teenagers! That's absolutely awesome!" Ewing's eyes lit up, and he laughed loudly, "You guys want to sleep with a different girl every night, huh? Then focus on playing basketball! Once you get into the NBA, all the girls in the city will be yours to sleep with!"
FUXX!
Marcus was already cursing. He wanted the director to take Ewing, that idiot, away immediately. What was he doing?
Does he think this is a nightclub or some private club? Over 3300 million people across the country are watching, and this bastard is promoting this stuff here?
"Wait until the timeout!" The program director gave Marcus timely feedback, telling him to wait until the first timeout of the first quarter, and they would take Ewing away immediately.
The reason Ewing was so excited tonight was simple: he had undergone surgery on his right wrist five days ago to remove some remaining bone fragments, and the surgery went very smoothly!
This morning, he went for a follow-up examination, and the doctor told him that the surgery went even more smoothly than expected! The recovery speed of his wrist is also very encouraging. Although only five days have passed, the doctor told Ewing that as long as he rests well and doesn't do too many up-and-down, left-and-right, thumb-index-finger kneading movements with his right hand, he can recover quickly.
Then he will likely make a full recovery!
Ewing is incredibly lucky; that injection didn't ruin his career. If all goes well, he might miss the new season's training camp, but he'll definitely be back before the Christmas Day game!
It's highly likely they'll make a full-fledged comeback!
Originally, Ewing was prepared to accept the devastating news that his career was coming to an end, but now that he has made a full recovery, he can't help but be overjoyed! This excessive excitement was inevitably brought into the program.
They've completely let loose!
At this moment, the score on the field is still 1-1!
Two minutes of the match time had already passed.
Apart from Jordan and Lin Tian each making a technical foul free throw, all other shots from both sides either missed or were blocked!
Although neither side has scored a single goal from open play so far, the game has been anything but dull!
Rodman and Barkley's tackle, Lin Tian's block, Jordan's one-on-one defense on Miller so badly he couldn't even pass the ball, resulting in a 24-second violation...
Whether they were fans at the United Center or watching on TV, everyone was filled with excitement and enthusiasm.
It's not just goals, points, and slam dunks that get fans excited! The intense physical clashes and those powerful volleyball blocks can also get fans' blood pumping!
The first goal from open play finally came at 2 minutes and 51 seconds into the game!
Lin Tian's breakthrough drew multiple defenders, and his one-handed bounce pass found Schmitz, whose uncontested mid-range jump shot finally broke the scoring drought for both sides!
"Leaving out this Dutchman was absolutely the stupidest thing ever! It was so stupid! This Dutchman made me so incredibly embarrassed in the semi-finals!" Ewing grinned, and another string of mosaics sprayed out from his mouth.
Pause! Just fucking pause it now!
Smith and Marcus were no longer interested in responding to Ewing's words. They just wanted the game to be paused and called, so that Ewing could leave and go somewhere cool.
Well, actually, they didn't have to wait too long. They didn't even get a pause because someone else couldn't wait any longer.
Stern's call went directly to CBS headquarters!
"Get that idiot out of here! Tell him to shut up or get out of here! Does he even know what he's saying? Now! Get him out of here! Otherwise, how much will our alliance suffer?"
"What? A timeout? Waiting for a timeout? Are you idiots?! Waiting for a timeout! What's going on in the game right now? Get him out of here! Otherwise, I'll never let any player on your show again! Damn it! Didn't you give Ewing a drug test before letting him on the show? Didn't you check if he was high on drugs before letting him play?"
Fortunately, top-tier national television networks like CBS have very comprehensive contingency plans and various preparations for such events.
They first cut off the microphones on site, then switched the camera to the scene, and then two staff members quickly ran to Ewing's side to tell him that there were some other arrangements and that he would not be commentating on the game tonight.
At first, Ewing was quite dedicated, saying he wouldn't leave until the game was over! He had to do his job after taking the money.
But when a quick-thinking staff member mentioned that several young and pretty female fans were waiting outside for Ewing's autograph, Ewing suddenly remembered that his job was to be a player, not a commentator.
So he stood up without hesitation, saying that as a professional player, he would never let his fans down or make them wait too long. This was a testament to his professionalism!
Then Ewing strode towards the door, and then the sound from the studio came back!
For CBS fans, it was strange that the commentators suddenly stopped talking for a few dozen seconds, and then Ewing's voice disappeared again after the commentators started talking.
Fortunately, the game was exciting enough that no one really paid attention to such a small matter; everyone's attention was still on the field!
The match has been going on for about 5 minutes now, and the score is still an embarrassing 5:6!
The Pacers are currently leading by 1 point.
The two teams made 2 of 7 shots and 1 of 6 shots respectively!
If everyone's free throws hadn't been going relatively well, the score would likely be even lower right now.
"According to past practice, the more top-level and important the game, the harder it is for both sides to play well, and the more likely the game will become mediocre and fail to match its attention and importance!" Marcus commented, seeing that neither side's scoring efficiency had increased.
"I don't think so," Smith immediately retorted. "I think this game was fantastic! The defensive attitude, intensity, and the players' effort on the defensive end were all excellent! Have you ever seen Barkley rush to the three-point line to defend the opponent's perimeter player, then chase all the way to the basket to contest the shot?"
"Have you ever seen Reggie Miller standing in the paint drawing an offensive foul? Have you ever seen Michael Jordan and Lin Tian fall to the ground together, desperately reaching for the ball, all for possession?"
"These are all part of the game, and things you rarely see before! Dunks, three-pointers, fast breaks—you see those every night! But tonight's almost desperate, frenetic play—you might not see this many games a season!"
With the analysis of the two commentators, the situation on the field changed again!
Lin Tian has already taken three shots tonight, but they were all mid-to-long range shots, and he has missed them all. He has a feeling that his shooting touch tonight is probably very bad!
It's a state that's hard to explain. It's like how some nights you can make every shot no matter how you shoot, while other nights you just can't make a single shot for no reason!
So when Lin Tian faced Hubble at the top of the arc once again, he decided not to shoot tonight. After two consecutive crossover dribbles, Lin Tian made a huge crossover dribble past Hubble and rushed towards the inside.
Facing Langli's help defense, Lin Tian held the ball with one hand to create distance, then flicked his wrist and executed another mid-air reverse layup, the basketball accurately falling into the basket!
9: 10!
After that basket, the Pacers regained the lead and finally brought their score to double digits!
After scoring, Lin Tian kept twisting his wrist while retreating to defend.
If you can't make the shot, then don't shoot!
Tonight, I'm going to go for a layup!
I refuse to believe that a layup can go in!
When the Bulls went on offense, Jordan, who was 0 for 3 tonight, was obviously thinking the same thing as Lin Tian. Facing Christie's defense, Jordan drove all the way to the inside, and when he was on the perimeter of the three-second zone, he suddenly turned around and hooked the ball into the basket from close range!
11: 10!
The Bulls have taken the lead again!
After this shot was made, the first quarter has officially entered the final 3 minutes!
"Shrink the paint! Move inside on defense! They won't make shots tonight!" After scoring, Jordan quickly found Miller and shouted loudly to his teammates, telling them to pay attention to their defensive strategy.
So far tonight, neither side has been able to make many shots. Of all the players, only Schmitz has made one mid-range or long-range shot!
The remaining points came either from free throws or from points scored within the three-second zone.
Lin Tian brought the ball to the frontcourt and once again spotted Barkley in the paint. He delivered a lightning-fast, explosive lob pass, sending the ball directly into the paint. Barkley received the ball, made a quick turn and step, and then jumped up for a left-handed layup.
"Bang!"
After a crisp sound, the basketball missed. Schmitz on the other side quickly jumped up to try and put it back in, but the ball still missed.
Fortunately, Barkley regained the advantageous position, caught the ball again, and jumped to put it back in for a putback.
"Bang!"
After missing his third shot, Jordan finally charged into the paint, leaped high, and grabbed the rebound: "Are you guys done yet?! Do you think this is your backyard? Practicing putbacks here?"
"Yes! It's our backyard!" Lin Tian suddenly appeared, slapped the basketball that Jordan had just caught, then grabbed the basketball and jumped up for a layup.
Jordan's reaction was also incredibly fast. He followed closely behind Lin Tian and jumped almost simultaneously. His terrifyingly long arms covered the sky and blocked all of Lin Tian's shooting space!
"Snapped!"
Then came a crisp sound as Jordan successfully blocked the shot, regaining his pride!
But Lin Tian was younger than Jordan, and his reaction and legs were more agile. After being blocked, Lin Tian quickly turned around to chase the ball, and caught the basketball with one hand before everyone else could.
"Double! Double..." Jordan's shout to get his teammates to double-team Lin Tian and prevent him from passing the ball was cut short.
Because he saw an orange welcome flash past his eyes!
"boom!"
Immediately afterward, a loud bang was heard behind him as Barkley once again slammed home a two-handed dunk!
How did he transmit it?
This was the first idea in Jordan's mind.
Should we let him do it again?
This is Jordan's second idea!
Because when Lin Tian received the ball, he was clearly facing away from the basket, so he didn't have the time or opportunity to turn around and check Barkley's position. Unless he had eyes in the back of his head, how could he possibly deliver such a fast and accurate pass under such circumstances?
"Want to learn, huh?" Lin Tian straightened up, turned to look at Jordan, and said with a sly grin, "I'll teach you!"
Before Jordan could even speak, he was bumped by a fat man and nearly fell over.
"That was a beautiful pass, Lin! So beautiful! How the hell did you see me? I didn't even see you! The basketball 'whoosh' right in front of me! If I hadn't reacted quickly, I wouldn't have been able to catch that ball!"
"Look at the big screen!" Lin Tian raised his chin and pointed at the big screen in the center of the stadium, where the exciting moment of the last goal was being replayed.
After Lin Tian lunged out and grabbed the ball, he didn't hesitate at all. He flicked the ball with one hand and sent it flying into Barkley's hands! The angle, arc, power, and height of Barkley's catch were all perfect!
Not only did it perfectly glide over the heads of Jordan and others, but it also allowed Barkley to jump and dunk without any adjustment after receiving the ball!
"Incredible!" Smith exclaimed. "Even if I were facing away from the basket, I couldn't make a pass with such a beautiful arc!"
"And Lin didn't even turn around! He didn't have a moment to observe and analyze the court environment behind him! How did he know Barkley was there?" Marcus added, "How many eyes does he have? There's no way he could have seen him!"
Barkley had the same question.
As he swiftly returned to defense, he looked at Lin Tian incredulously and said, "That was a beautiful pass, Lin, but I'm even more curious, how exactly did you see it?"
"Charles, I can't answer that question, just like I can't tell you why I'm so popular with girls," Lin Tian shrugged. "Maybe it's just talent!"
"Fuck you! Screw your talent!" Barkley cursed, no longer bothering to pay attention to Lin Tian, but this shot had already been seen by fans all over the world and was destined to become a shot that would go down in history!
This play is destined to appear again and again in various highlight reels such as "Top 10 Playoff Assists", "Top 10 Playoff Passes", and "Top 10 Greatest Passes in History"!
No matter how exciting the play was, there weren't many highlights on offense for either team in the first quarter. Both the Bulls and the Pacers had low shooting percentages, as both teams devoted too much energy and effort to defense and physical confrontation.
Even though the players on the court were among the league's top players, the intense competition caused both sides' movements to become somewhat distorted, and their shooting percentage dropped significantly.
After realizing that the opponent was missing the shot, Bird and Jackson immediately changed the lineup and defensive tilt on the court.
They started having their players collapse into the area below the free-throw line, using compressed and dense defense to prevent opponents from easily attacking the basket.
Before Lin Tian's brilliant pass, both sides missed 2-3 shots in one possession, and the frantic rebounding was the most common situation in this quarter!
The result of the drop in shooting percentage was that both sides scored very low and had very few assists, but defensive statistics such as rebounds, steals, and blocks all increased significantly!
For example, in the first quarter, Barkley grabbed 9 rebounds, Lin Tian grabbed 4, and Rodman of the Bulls grabbed 11 rebounds in the quarter alone, looking like he was aiming for 40 rebounds tonight. Jordan, Pippen and Longley also grabbed more than 3 rebounds each!
Both teams were incredibly inflexible tonight!
20: 19!
At the end of the first quarter, the Bulls managed to score their sixth field goal of the quarter thanks to Rodman's consecutive offensive rebounds and putbacks on the final possession, giving them a one-point lead!
"I think this game will definitely go down to the wire now," Smith said, looking at the statistics on his hand. "Both sides have very low shooting percentages, and they may not be able to find their rhythm or pull away throughout the game."
"In this quarter, both teams combined only made one shot from over 15 feet! In a sense, the shooting level of both teams in this quarter was also historic."
"Historically bad!"
Marcus added, "But conversely, if one side's shooter gets back into form first, finds their rhythm and hits several long-range shots in a row, the game's momentum will immediately shift, and the balance of power will be reversed in an instant!"
"Now, it's up to someone to step up and make that damn shot! If not, the total score might not even exceed 80 points. But I have to say, even though the score is low, there have been plenty of exciting moments! Lin's behind-the-back pass, Jordan's several brilliant defensive plays, and Lin's spectacular block!"
"Oh, and there's the rivalry between Barkley and Rodman. Those two were practically fighting in the first quarter! I really hope they can stop there and not take it any further! One more step and it'll be a brawl!"
Smith and Marcus's analysis is actually correct in one point.
That means whoever finds their shooting rhythm first in this game will take the initiative!
Tonight, the first team to find their rhythm was the Bulls!
(End of this chapter)