hotmtlnovel Chapter 189 A Divine Pass! Lin Tian Shocks the Union Once Again
Chapter 189 A Divine Pass! Lin Tian Shocks the Union Once Again
Chapter 189 A Divine Pass! Lin Tian Once Again Shocks the United Center!
Throughout the quarter, Jordan played 11 minutes, only going to the bench for a rest in the last minute. In those 11 minutes, he contributed an impressive 12 points and 4 assists! He not only dominated Rose, but also made life miserable for the entire Pacers' defense!
Besides Jordan's 12 points, Kukoc scored 5 points, Burrell 3 points, Harper 4 points, and Cole, who came off the bench, also scored 4 points. The Bulls' first quarter can be described as a balanced attack from multiple players.
For the Pacers, Lin Tian only scored 4 points, but he delivered 7 assists in a single quarter, single-handedly energizing the entire team!
The team's top scorers were the frontcourt duo of Barkley and Schmitz, who took turns dominating Kukoc, combining for 17 points and 5 rebounds, completely overwhelming the Bulls' interior defense.
In addition, Miller hit two three-pointers for 6 points, and of the Pacers' five starters, only Rose had a poor performance.
This guy not only failed to defend Jordan completely and was thoroughly outplayed, but he also couldn't find any opportunities on the offensive end, going 0 for 2 and only managing to score 1 point by drawing a foul and making 1 of 2 free throws.
In the second quarter, Bird was the first to make a lineup change!
He didn't send Barkley in to bully the opponent's second unit at this time as usual, because Bird knew that Rodman would have to play no matter what!
Since the Bulls have strengthened their interior defense, I'll strengthen mine too! You only have four players to defend on offense, I'll just make it three!
Bird waved his hand!
The five-man lineup of Lin Tian, Dumars, Miller, Ben Wallace, and Davis made their appearance together!
"Wow! Look, the Pacers have put on a really interesting lineup! These five players have never played together in a previous game!" Smith asked curiously. "Why are they suddenly fielding this lineup at this time of year in a game like this? Could this be Bird's secret weapon?"
"Compared to the Pacers' abundant roster and ability to put together such a strange combination, the Bulls' lineup is rather stretched thin." Marcus couldn't help but say after seeing the Bulls' lineup: "Wenington and Rodman paired up in the frontcourt, their defense is fine, but their offense is really unbearable to watch."
"On the perimeter, there's Kerr, Jordan, and Burrell, who hit a three-pointer in the first quarter. Jordan played 11 minutes in the first quarter! Why not rest him in the second quarter and keep playing? This kind of rotation that relies so heavily on core players is really not Jackson's style."
"It can only be said that he really had the will but not the power. In order to win the team, he could only put more pressure on the core players and give them more playing time. Let's see how this lineup of both sides can perform."
How badly did they fight?
When the combined points of the four big men on both sides reach just 18, you can tell how well these two lineups can perform: Rodman averages 4.1 points, Wennington averages 3.8 points, Ben Wallace averages 3.2 points, and Davis averages 6.9 points.
Rodman probably never dreamed that when he averaged 4.1 points per game, he would become the second-highest scoring player among the four big men on both sides!
When Rodman could become the "second best player," the four interior players on both sides looked quite comical.
Nobody cares!
Unless they can drive to the basket and dunk directly, they will be ignored no matter where they stand!
They themselves assumed that their opponents wouldn't score and had no offensive capabilities.
Therefore, during this period, whenever there is a pick-and-roll between inside and outside players, the opponent will inevitably choose to leave the inside player who cannot score at all, and instead double-team the ball handler!
Even without a screen, Lin Tian always faces the defense of two players when he has the ball.
There's no way around it. Davis and Ben Wallace together, you can completely stop them with just half a player.
Jordan's treatment wasn't much better, and it might even be worse than Lin Tian's!
Because Lin Tian has Dumas and Miller by his side right now, he's not completely isolated and helpless.
But Jordan didn't have any reliable scorers around him right now, so he still had to fight tooth and nail to break through the defenses! One after another, he had to take on the challenge.
But fighting like this, in such a crowded space, and with the opponent's attention all on you, will definitely not be very efficient!
For example, Jordan went 1-for-4 in the first 4 minutes of the second quarter, his shooting touch was terrible.
The Bulls only scored a total of 4 points in those 4 minutes!
As for the Pacers, they're even worse than the Bulls!
With Ben Wallace and Davis completely lacking offensive capabilities, the Bulls' defense spread out unchecked. Miller went 0-for-3 during this period, and Dumars also went 0-for-2 without scoring a point. Only Lin Tian managed to score one point with a mid-range jumper. Then, Ben Wallace grabbed an offensive rebound and drew a foul, making one of two free throws for one point.
In a full four minutes, this combination scored a total of seven points!
These few minutes of the game were truly unwatchable. Neither side could get their pace up, and their offense was completely disjointed. As soon as the ball got into the hands of the four inside players, the ball's movement would inevitably come to a standstill. Both sides' offenses were sluggish, uncomfortable, and slow, and their defenses didn't produce any exciting or thrilling plays either.
If I had to make a comparison, the four-minute match between the two sides was just like a battle between Metapod and Kabuto.
One only hardens, hardens, and hardens again; the other only hardens, hardens, and hardens again.
That's completely devoid of any entertainment value!
"Substitutions! Both coaches have made substitutions!" Suddenly, Smith, who had been silent for a long time, shouted excitedly, "Both coaches finally couldn't stand this overly dull and boring game anymore! They've made substitutions simultaneously! Great! This kind of sleep-inducing game is really not suitable for a Christmas Day match!"
Bird replaced two centers with Barkley and Schmitz, while maintaining the trio of Lin Tian, Dumars, and Miller on the perimeter.
The Bulls, on the other hand, replaced Wennington and Burrell with Kukoc and Harbour.
Seeing this substitution, even the fans at the United Center breathed a long sigh of relief.
Those last few minutes of the game were really not fun to watch!
32: 32!
After the score was tied again, both coaches changed their tactics, and the game continued!
On their first offensive possession, Lin Tian and Barkley executed a pick-and-roll at the top of the key. The two then made a rapid cut to the basket. This time, the Bulls dared not double-team Lin Tian and completely left Barkley open. After a quick adjustment, Harper was back against Lin Tian and Barkley against Kukoc.
Lin Tian hesitated for a moment, glanced around, and suddenly made a one-handed behind-the-back pass. The basketball did not fly to Barkley, who had already entered the three-second zone, nor to Dumars, who was following behind. Instead, Lin Tian threw it directly to the opposite corner of the court!
There, Miller had just earned a tiny bit of an open spot!
Jordan, who was originally guarding him, chose to retreat to the basket after seeing Lin Tian break through, to prevent Lin Tian or Barkley from attacking the rim. But just as he moved his feet, Lin Tian's behind-the-back pass flew over from an incredible angle and landed right in Miller's hands!
Reggie Miller, a three-pointer comes flying!
"Whoosh!"
"Michael, where are you? Lost? Do I need to remind you not to stray too far from me next time? Have you forgotten who I am? Huh?" Miller waved his arms and started yelling at Jordan!
"Who are you? If you dare to come and guard me, I'll show you who I am!" Jordan didn't even look at Miller, and quickly ran towards the frontcourt. He had conceded 3 points on that play, and he had to get them back quickly!
So, Jordan backed down Rose again, and after the two big men were replaced by shooters, the Pacers' double-teaming was finally less intense. Jordan quickly spun around the baseline and then suddenly raised his hand to fake a move. Rose couldn't control his body and jumped up.
After Jordan faked out Rose, he jumped onto him, and the two collided in mid-air. Then, Jordan flicked his wrist, and the basketball flew past Rose's fingertips and fell precisely into the pocket!
"Beep! Jalen Rose, foul by hitting a hand!" Crawford blew the whistle immediately.
This was Rose's second foul.
Jordan stuck out his tongue, licked his lips, and walked to the free-throw line. Before inbounding the ball, he turned back to Miller and said, "Reggie, where have you been? You think you can guard me? I guarantee I'll get you six fouls in ten minutes and send you off the court! Go and celebrate the holiday with your family."
"Aren't you tired, Michael? Do you want to go and rest for a bit?" Miller shrugged and said casually, "We have Lin supplying us with the ball and passing, scoring is a breeze! You look really tired, you really need a good point guard to pass you the ball."
"Fuck!" Jordan cursed, then turned and glanced at Lin Tian again.
Before Jordan could speak, Lin Tian interjected, "Don't look at me like that, Michael. Your eyes look exactly like a helpless, resentful woman whose husband has cheated on her. If you can hold on and prevent the game from getting blown out, I'll be your matchup in the fourth quarter!"
"Who wants to be matched up against you!" Jordan said no more, raised his hand and made the free throw, then turned and went back into defensive position.
After that play, Jordan didn't dare to do too much help defense anymore. He knew that as long as he left Miller, Lin Tian would definitely pass the ball to Miller! After realizing that Jordan wouldn't let him go, Miller also very cunningly ran to the weak side corner, the furthest position from the ball, and stood still!
Jordan stood right next to Miller, not daring to leave at all. In a short while, the game turned into a 4-on-4 situation!
With four against four, the space on the court is just too big for Lin Tian!
He called for a pick-and-roll again. This time, Schmitz came to the top of the arc to cooperate with Lin Tian. Lin Tian once again got past Harper and rushed into the paint. Suddenly, he passed the ball behind his back with his left hand. Longley, who was guarding the basket, thought that Lin Tian was going to pass the ball to Schmitz. He immediately moved two steps to the side to try to cut off the passing route between the two.
As soon as Langley moved away, Lin Tian had already taken the ball back in front of him, then took three steps and easily scored an easy layup!
"Luke, are you lost too?" After scoring a goal, Lin Tian didn't care if you were a former teammate or not, he immediately started taunting you.
"What are you so smug about, Lin!" Jordan stood in front of Lin Tian again, looking at him aggressively and said, "It's just 2 points, and you're trash-talking your former teammate. You're a piece of trash."
"First, I really am a scumbag." Lin Tian shrugged. "Second, if you can't trash talk to your former teammates, then what the hell are you doing now?"
"I...FUXX!" Jordan's thousand words were reduced to a single swear word. Then, knowing he couldn't out-argue Lin Tian, he turned around and continued his attack, venting his frustration and anger on Rose!
You don't have to pay for it if you break it!
In the second quarter, the pace and scoring efficiency of both sides became very low. Both sides focused more on defense and failed to launch a series of offensive surges to widen the score gap. The score difference between the two sides remained around 5 points.
For the Bulls, Jordan was undoubtedly their only offensive threat, but fortunately, he was truly strong enough to single-handedly destroy all their opponents!
When the Pacers double-teamed Jordan, Burrell and Harper, among others, were always able to finish the play. They all made a number of key shots tonight, making the Pacers hesitant to double-team him too aggressively, and giving Jordan plenty of opportunities for one-on-one and low-post isolation plays!
On the Pacers' side, they once had a 4-on-4 situation on the court. Lin Tian took advantage of this huge space to connect with his teammates several times, either scoring on his own or assisting Barkley, Schmitz and others to finish the game. Relying on this matchup, the Pacers once built an 8-point lead!
Jackson then quickly changed his defensive matchup.
He assigned Burrell to guard Miller, and sent Jordan, who was more mobile, defensively capable, and had better help defense awareness, back to the strong side to contain the Pacers' offense.
The advantage of this lineup change was that the Pacers' offense immediately stalled. Jordan was always able to appear in the right position at the first moment, preventing the Pacers from passing the ball around, and their offensive efficiency also dropped significantly.
However, this defensive strategy also took a huge toll on Jordan, who only rested for one minute in the first half. He not only had to give his all on offense, but also had to cover for his teammates on defense.
To reiterate, Jordan is now the Bulls' sole pillar!
In the first half, Jordan played 23 minutes, putting up a well-rounded stat line of 22 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Although his shooting percentage wasn't high, only 7 of 18 shots made, everyone could see that Jordan's perfect performance on both ends of the court was almost the only reason why the Bulls hadn't fallen behind the Pacers!
Besides Jordan, Kukoc has also scored 10 points, and Burrell, Harper, Kerr and others have also scored. They have gone all out, trying their best to make every pass Jordan made and seize every opportunity to make it less difficult for Jordan.
For the Pacers, Lin Tian scored 8 points and 4 assists in the second quarter, bringing his double-double to 12 points and 11 assists by halftime. Under his orchestration, the Pacers' offense was methodical and well-organized!
Although Jordan's frantic help defense and rotations in the latter part of the second quarter caused the Pacers' scoring efficiency to drop significantly, the Pacers, led by Lin Tian, still maintained control of the game!
Although their lead was small, only 4 points, the Pacers controlled the game for 80% of the first half!
47: 43!
As both teams' players walked into the player tunnel, the fans in the stadium still felt that the game was not over yet. The four-point difference was practically negligible!
If all goes well, we can catch up in two rounds!
With such a large point difference, the second half of the game is sure to be incredibly exciting! The entire United Center and all the fans watching on TV are eagerly anticipating how the second half will unfold!
"The Pacers played flawlessly in the first half! Although the Bulls were missing Pippen, which was a crucial point for them, it's clear that the Pacers have the confidence and ability to compete with all the top teams in the league!"
During halftime, Smith analyzed, "In the second half, I think the most important thing for the Pacers is to continue relentlessly attacking Jordan. Whether on offense or defense, they should put more strain on him, increase physical contact, and commit harsher fouls!"
"As soon as Jordan gets tired, as soon as he loses the energy to maintain a high level of performance, the Bulls will collapse instantly!"
Marcus followed up, "That's right. The Bulls, on the other hand, need to be the opposite of the Pacers. They need more players to step up and protect Jordan, whether it's Kukoc and Harper on offense, or Rodman on defense. They need to step up their game!"
"They have to share more of the burden, otherwise Jordan's stamina will eventually be exhausted! He's almost 35 years old, and no matter how good he is, he's not the 28-year-old Jordan who could fly and do anything."
In the Bulls' locker room, Jackson clapped his hands incessantly, encouraging and praising everyone on the team. He urged them to keep up the momentum from the first half and give it their all in the second half to help Jordan close the gap!
"Come on, guys! We did a fantastic first half! Think about it, they were playing with their full roster, they were considered the most likely team to challenge and beat us, to stop us from winning three consecutive championships, and from the very beginning they had only one goal: to beat us!"
"They've been preparing for tonight for who knows how long. I think they haven't slept for weeks trying to beat us! And look at the result! We're missing Scott, but we're still evenly matched with them! Now we're going to prove that they're not even on the same level as us!"
"Even without Scott, we can beat them, and we're still the strongest! Burrell, your three-pointers in the first half were fantastic! Your defense against Reggie Miller was almost perfect too. Keep it up! You'll definitely get a big contract after the season!"
"Ron, everyone says our point guard position has been greatly weakened because of Lin's departure! But I don't see it that way. Our point guard is still very strong. We've just changed our playing style and tactics. You need to prove that you're not much worse than Lin!"
"Tony, you scored 10 points in the first half, that's great! But not enough! You're the second-in-command of a team aiming for a three-peat, and you only got 10 points in the first half? You don't deserve this responsibility! Don't worry about defense, don't worry about how many points Charles Barkley and Rick Schmitz scored!"
"Just score more points! Okay? Don't be afraid! Use your offense to destroy all the enemies! I firmly believe that, offensively speaking, you are one of the top five power forwards in this league!"
Bird's approach to motivating players during halftime was completely different from Jackson's method, which relied primarily on encouragement and supplemented by motivational speeches, hoping to unlock everyone's potential.
He immediately started criticizing!
"You guys played terribly! Yes, that's right, we were up by 4 points, but so what? We were playing a depleted Bulls team! They only had Jordan! But what happened? We couldn't stop him! You couldn't stop Jordan! And you let the Bulls' role players play like stars!"
"What, are you guys trying to send the entire Bulls team to the All-Star game tonight? Do you really think you can beat the Bulls in the playoffs and win the championship?"
"Why?! I'm asking you, why? You can't even beat a depleted Bulls team that's in a slump, so why do you think you can compete with a Bulls team that's in playoff mode in the playoffs? Why do you think you can beat them in a series?"
"A four-point lead? The fact that it's not now a 20-point lead proves we've played terribly!"
"Reggie, I want you to run in the second half, not stand in the corner watching! I know what you're thinking, but that's not the Reggie we need! I want you to completely overwhelm and wear down the guy you're guarding! Use your movement to tear apart the entire Bulls' defense!"
"Charles, where's your aggression? You only scored 13 points in the first half against the Bulls' interior? And you only made 4 free throws? This is not your level at all. You should be able to handle the Bulls' interior like you're playing against high schoolers! Smash them, destroy them!"
"And everyone else, play tougher, be more aggressive! I need your aggression! Play your best, not celebrate Christmas early on the court!"
"Everyone, understand? In the second half, I want to see you at 100%! I want to see you crush the Bulls! Got it?"
"clear!"
Seeing that he had thoroughly ignited the players' fighting spirit and morale, Bird nodded. Then, at the end of halftime, when everyone was leaving the locker room, Bird deliberately stayed behind and pulled Lin Tian aside.
"Lin, you're a smart guy, you know how to play in the second half, right?" Bird asked Lin Tian with some concern.
"I won't get carried away, don't worry, Larry. I'll ignore all that morale-boosting stuff you just said! I'll continue to fulfill my responsibilities at point guard and distribute the basketball and offensive plays properly!"
"Very good, Lin, I am..." Bird nodded. The clever Lin Tian never disappointed him!
Hmm? Wait a minute, something's not right?
"There's no need to dismiss everything as nonsense, Lin. There are some parts of what I said that you can listen to." Bird seized on the part that was a bit off in Lin Tian's words, but before he could protest, Lin Tian had already run away, not giving Bird any chance at all.
The two sides continued their battle in the second half!
Neither side changed their starting lineup at this point; both teams still fielded their original ten players.
On his first offensive possession, Miller changed his style from standing still and waiting for the ball in the first half. He started to move quickly and continuously looked for screens from his teammates. Finally, at the 45-degree angle on the left, he shook off Burrell and got an open three-point opportunity!
How could Lin Tian let this opportunity slip by? With a single push, the basketball flew into position.
Miller received the ball without any adjustment, and with a swift stroke, the three-pointer went into the pocket!
The point difference has reached 7 points!
"Let's widen the gap to over 12 points within 3 minutes!" After Miller scored, Lin Tian shouted loudly while returning to defense, giving his teammates a task.
12 points? Jordan's eye twitched, and he immediately held out his hand, saying, "Let's tie the score within 3 minutes!"
"Michael, you have absolutely no creativity. How could you just copy my words like that?" Lin Tian immediately protested to Jordan, expressing his dissatisfaction that such plagiarism was utterly despicable.
"You're pretty pathetic too, Lin. Back with the Bulls, you were always yelling that you could pull ahead by 15 points in 3 minutes. What happened? Without me by your side to help you, you've lost even that much confidence?"
"Let's pull ahead by 50 points in 3 minutes!" Lin Tian immediately replied upon hearing this, then looked at Jordan and said, "It's just a slogan, what's so great about it? How about I shout 500 points for you?"
"We're up by 70 points in 3 minutes!" Jordan didn't back down and shouted out an even bigger number.
They're going all out! They're not going to give up an inch!
However, despite the trash talk, Jordan didn't slow down at all. He quickly ran towards the baseline, then once again used his back to block Rose, and then it was the same old routine.
Dribble, shoulder bump to create distance, turn quickly and jump shot, the basketball slides into the basket once again!
"Lin, aren't you guys going to double-team him? This guy, even if he trains for another 3 years, he's still no match for me!" Jordan approached Lin Tian again after scoring, hoping to provoke Lin Tian into guarding him!
After all, Jordan and Lin Tian have extensive experience in one-on-one matches, with Jordan dominating Lin Tian countless times in those matches over two years.
He was confident that he could exploit Lin Tian's weaknesses and disrupt the Pacers' rhythm.
"You're so stupid, Michael," Lin Tian said with a smirk. "You actually think you can use reverse psychology on someone whose belly is ten times more wicked than your brain? Are you crazy?"
"Fuck!" Jordan cursed again, then stopped replying and turned to leave.
He finally understood why trash-talking masters like Payton and Stockton couldn't out-trade Lin Tian, and were even unwilling to engage in a verbal battle with him. After a few exchanges, they would always reduce their thousands of words to a simple "FUXX".
That kid has such a sharp tongue!
Being his opponent is really unpleasant.
On the Pacers' offense, Lin Tian continued to dribble at the top of the key, while Miller and Schmitz on the other side played their signature small-area two-man game, constantly screening and cutting to create opportunities for each other. This was the Pacers' most effective style of play before this year.
Lin Tian watched the two players on that side screening each other, looking like they were looking for an opportunity to pass the ball. Just when everyone thought that Lin Tian would pass the ball to Miller or Schmitz as soon as they got space, Lin Tian suddenly made a no-look pass and put the ball directly into Barkley's hands under the basket!
Even Barkley himself paused for a moment after receiving the ball, almost losing his grip, let alone the Bulls' defenders, who were completely caught off guard and had no time to react.
Barkley only paused for a moment before quickly turning around and completing a one-handed layup!
"What a beautiful pass, Lin! That was absolutely gorgeous!" Barkley exclaimed excitedly after scoring, jumping up and down and clapping his hands in celebration!
"Give me a wink next time, you bastard, so Rick and I won't play so recklessly, Lin." Miller also came over and protested. He really thought Lin Tian was waiting for an opportunity to pass him the ball, but instead the basketball was suddenly thrown under the basket.
Lin Tian's shot truly fooled all nine players on the court!
The Bulls' offense remained unchanged, with Jordan and Harper passing the ball between the high and low post, preparing for Jordan to score in the low post. Seeing that the Pacers were not double-teaming, Jordan, who had recovered his strength after the halftime break, turned around again and prepared to shoot directly!
Rose was clearly determined to shut down Jordan this time, but he lunged too far and was fouled for the third time by Jordan. The good news is that Jordan didn't make the shot this time and didn't get a 2+1!
"I'm practically walking this kid around like a dog. Aren't you guys going to come and save him?" Jordan walked to the free-throw line, looking at Lin Tian and the others with a compassionate expression.
"If I were you, I'd be ready to get back on defense during the free throws," Lin Tian said, looking at Barkley. "Charles, after he takes his second free throw, you immediately inbound the ball from the baseline. I'll give you a quick one!"
"No problem, Lin!" Barkley chuckled, looking at Jordan and saying, "Why don't you call a timeout to catch your breath?"
"Ron, stick close! Don't let Lin get away with it!" After Jordan made the first free throw with pinpoint accuracy, he glanced at Kukoc and Longley, who were preparing to grab the rebound under the basket, and said, "You two can go back too. I don't need to grab rebounds for my free throws."
Longley and Kukoc exchanged a glance, then turned and left, abandoning their positioning under the basket and heading straight back to defense.
"Let's see how you go on a fast break!" Jordan glanced at his teammates who had all returned to the backcourt, raised his hand, and made the free throw again!
Then, incredulously, he saw Barkley speeding to the baseline, grabbing the basketball as if about to throw it, while Lin Tian had already started his run, sprinting towards the frontcourt.
Even so, they still want to play fast breaks? Are they crazy?
Jordan only had time to think this far before, driven by instinct and competitiveness, he also began to sprint towards his own backcourt, trying to stop Lin Tian's fast break.
But after he sprinted back to his half, he realized that Lin Tian had only pretended to run and then stopped. He had just received the ball in the backcourt and hadn't even advanced to the three-point line yet.
"Just kidding, Michael, why are you taking it so seriously?" Lin Tian said with a smile. "How about I give you some time to catch your breath? So you don't run your lungs out."
"Get out of my way, all of you!" Lin Tian's attitude finally annoyed Jordan. He spread his arms, lowered his center of gravity, and slammed his left hand heavily on the floor, saying, "Come here, Lin, let me see what you've got! Come on! If you've got guts, don't pass the ball!"
"As you wish!" Lin Tian raised his hands, then pointed his two index fingers to the sides, signaling everyone to pull apart.
This gesture is the Pacers' true island tactic!
Lin Tian was really going to have everyone spread out; he was going to have a one-on-one fight with Jordan!
"Michael, you'll regret your choice!" Lin Tian dribbled the ball slowly towards the three-point line, then suddenly did a crossover dribble. He quickly moved half a step to the right, pretending to break through from there, but Jordan's center of gravity was incredibly stable. Although he moved his feet, he still maintained a good defensive position!
Whether Lin Tian was really going to break through from this side or change direction to the other side, Jordan could keep up in time!
As expected of a former Defensive Player of the Year, even though he couldn't keep up with Lin Tian in terms of speed, Jordan's defensive choices were still flawless.
Lin Tian also had his own ideas for this play. He didn't want to use speed to overpower Jordan. He wanted to use rhythm, dribbling, and fakes to completely shake off Jordan. He wanted to make the Bulls' confidence waver because of this one play.
So, after his first attack failed, Lin Tian immediately dribbled backwards. Just as he was about to start dribbling again, he suddenly felt a darkness on his side.
Burrell came to help defend, and Jordan also suddenly rushed in to steal the ball at the same time. In the blink of an eye, the two of them formed a very tight and intense double-team defense against Lin Tian!
Jordan was quick-witted and intercepted the ball the instant the ball was grabbed, hitting it directly with perfect accuracy.
The basketball immediately rolled behind Lin Tian, breaking free from his control.
Burrell and Jordan immediately started running at the same time, chasing after the basketball.
However, the two of them were still a little slower than Lin Tian. Lin Tian got ahead of them by half a body length and grabbed the basketball, putting it back in his control!
Then, Lin Tian didn't stop at all, because if he paused even for a moment, Jordan and Burrell would double-team him again! Lin Tian held the basketball with one hand, without looking back or pausing, and casually tossed the ball with one hand!
Amidst the incredulous gazes of the audience, Lin Tian's basketball flew towards the basket. Barkley, under the basket, finally reacted. He leaped with all his might, barely managing to touch the ball, which had been passed a little too high, with his right fingertips. But that one touch was enough!
The basketball's trajectory was slightly altered, and it then fell directly into the basket!
"Incredible! Unbelievable! My God! What kind of passing technique is that?" Smith clutched his head, exclaiming incredulously, "I never imagined anyone could pass the ball like that!"
"Was Lin just casually tossing the ball to avoid turnovers and going back on court, or did he already see Barkley open under the basket? Either way, it was incredibly surprising and astonishing!" Marcus followed up, "His control of the ball, his mastery of power, and that amazing touch."
"This goal is a gift from God!" Smith said sincerely. "I think in that instant, Lin Tian felt God's guidance! This goal was perfect!"
Jordan and Burrell both stared in shock and disbelief as Barkley scored the alley-oop. They couldn't believe that a sudden increase in double-teaming intensity would result in Lin Tian making such an incredible pass!
Jordan never expected that his original intention was to follow Lin Tian's example and launch a sudden, unethical double-team, using Lin Tian's own methods against him. But who could have imagined that it would end like this?
"How did you do that?" Even someone as great as Jordan uttered these words in a daze after witnessing that play.
"Want to learn? I'll teach you." Lin Tian shrugged and spread his hands, saying, "But I can't guarantee you'll learn it. Some things depend on talent."
At this moment, the big screen at the scene also began to replay the moment when Lin Tian passed the ball.
He was caught off guard by the double-team of Jordan and Burrell. After Jordan cut the ball, it slipped out of his hands. Lin Tian quickly chased back and caught the ball with one hand just as it was about to cross half-court.
Then, before Jordan and Burrell double-teamed him for the second time, Lin Tian didn't even turn around. Instead, he simply threw the ball towards the basket with one hand!
At this moment, the big screen replayed the moment when Lin Tian threw the ball with one hand several times from multiple angles.
Then, all the fans at the stadium and in front of their televisions realized one thing.
Lin Tian didn't look back at the moment he passed the ball!
Even from the moment he was double-teamed and turned to protect the ball, he had no chance or leisure to look at the basket, to see the situation and movement there. All his energy was devoted to dealing with the double-team defense from Jordan and Burrell!
"Either Lin has eyes in the back of his head, or he had already assessed the situation on the court the moment he was double-teamed and predicted everyone's movements. He was certain Barkley would be there at that moment to put the ball in!"
Smith found himself becoming more and more captivated by the ball and more and more amazed the more he watched the replay!
Because Lin Tian's movements, from retrieving and saving the ball to his effortless, nonchalant pass, were all so graceful!
"If these are the only two options, I'd rather believe Lin has eyes in the back of his head."
After watching the replay again, Marcus shook his head and said, "Compared to the fact that he could observe the entire field several seconds in advance and predict everyone's movements several seconds later, I'd rather believe that he has two eyes in the back of his head."
"To be honest, I'd rather believe in supernatural beings and special abilities than believe that Lin's overall strategic vision and court awareness could be this strong!"
(End of this chapter)