hotmtlnovel Chapter 159 Intra-team Suspension! Phil Jackson's Furious Outburst!
Chapter 159 Intra-team Suspension! Phil Jackson's Furious Outburst!
Chapter 159 Intra-team Suspension! Phil Jackson's Furious Outburst!
That night, Lin Tian slept soundly in his room. In his dream, he was on a beach in Miami, sunbathing with Portman and Knightley, who had grown up.
sun.
day……
Then, Lin Tian was awakened by loud banging on the door. Lin Tian squinted his sleepy eyes, opened the door, and found that it was the team's chief assistant coach, Clemens, standing at the door.
"What's wrong, Mende? What time is it? Isn't training at 10 o'clock? I'm going to go back to sleep." Lin Tian yawned, very annoyed by Clemens's behavior of disturbing his sleep.
Clemens didn't close the door and leave. Instead, he took two deep sniffs and said, "You haven't been drinking? Great! Hurry up and change your clothes and head to the training facility. Phil is furious!"
"Are you furious? Did I sleep for a whole day and night?" Lin Tian asked curiously. "We're leading 2-0, what's there to be angry about?"
"You'll see when we get there! We're up 2-0 now, but after tonight, we could easily be down 2-1! Hurry up and change, I need to go get the others!"
Watching Clemens hurriedly leave and then knock on the door, Lin Tian quickly figured out what was going on.
Last night, he watched Pippen and Jordan leave the hotel.
Jackson is furious right now, most likely because these two guys stayed out all night, which led to him finding their rooms empty when he checked on them today, hence his outburst.
But when Lin Tian changed his clothes and left the room for the training hall, he realized he was wrong!
And that's completely wrong!
These two didn't not come back at all; they came back but it would have been better if they hadn't come back at all!
At this moment, Jordan and Pippen were lying on the training facility floor in a very bad state, mouths open, snoring!
What surprised Lin Tian even more was that neither of them was wearing the clothes they had worn the night before. Instead, they had changed into training uniforms, looking like they were ready to start training at any moment! Most likely, they had come back too late last night and were worried that sleeping too soundly would affect their training, so they took a shower and changed clothes in advance before coming to the training hall, just to sleep a little longer in the morning.
Unfortunately, the two of them were only wearing two shoes and one sock together, and Pippen even had a tie tied over his jersey, making it hard to feel gratified that they were still thinking about training despite being drunk.
Not to mention, the two of them were reeking of alcohol, making the entire training hall smell terrible.
"Did those two have a party at the training facility last night?" Lin Tian looked at the disheveled Jordan and Pippen. In his memory, these two guys had never drunk this badly before.
"I don't know." Wennington stood beside Lin Tian, shaking his head. "Who knows where they went or what they did last night? Anyway, when the hotel cleaners came to clean the training hall this morning, they found the two of them lying here. Phil was furious!"
Phil Jackson was absolutely furious!
His management style has always been to go with the flow, and he rarely loses his temper or loses his composure. He will issue curfew orders to the team before key games, but he has never been very strict. As long as the players are aware of the rules and don't go too far, Jackson usually turns a blind eye.
But today, Jordan and Pippen really went a bit too far.
"Get me two bowls of ice and splash them to wake these two idiots up! Make them go sleep in the street!" Jackson pointed at the two assistant coaches and said viciously, "These two bastards are drunk like this the night before the game, do they think I'm just talking nonsense?"
"Phil..." Clemens hesitated, not daring to actually pick up the ice, after all, these two were the true big shots of the team.
"FUXX! You still remember I'm the coach! Give me this! Go get some ice!"
Jackson yelled angrily at Clemens, who and the other assistant coaches didn't dare say another word. They ran away in a flash, then quickly ran back.
Before anyone else could make a move, Jackson grabbed a bucket of ice and poured it over Jordan's back.
"F*** it! Which bastard threw ice at me! Was it Alonzo? You can't beat me in a drinking contest, so you resort to this... Coach?" Jordan jumped up from the floor, cursing as soon as he stood up, and then saw Jackson's face, which was colder than ice.
"Here, take this bucket. You wake Scott up, and then you two can get out of here!" Jackson picked up another ice bucket from the floor and handed it to Jordan.
Even Jordan, the god of basketball, seemed somewhat flustered at this moment. He had already quickly scanned the entire court and knew exactly what had happened. He didn't take the ice bucket but hesitated, saying, "Coach, last night we..."
"You were drinking with Mourning, weren't you? And you got drunk and started fighting, didn't you?" Jackson scoffed. "I don't want to know the details. I'm just asking you, are you going to take this ice bucket, or do you want me to keep holding it?"
When Jordan saw the expression on Jackson's face that he had almost never seen before, he didn't dare to say anything. He quickly took the ice bucket and poured it directly onto Pippen.
"FUXX! Which bastard ambushed me! De Beakon, are you a sore loser?! I'll kill you, you son of a bitch! Coach? Michael?" The moment Pippen got up, he was so similar to Jordan, and his reaction after seeing Jackson was almost exactly the same.
These two guys, no wonder they went drinking together!
"I don't care where you two went last night, and I don't care what excuses you had. I issued a curfew order, and you two ignored it! Now, you can leave the training facility and go to your dear beds to sleep!"
Jackson's face was grim; he had almost never been this angry since he took over as head coach of the Bulls: "Get out of my sight immediately! I don't want to see you guys again tonight! Including tonight's game!"
"Coach, I can play!" Jordan spread his hands, wanting to explain, but Jackson didn't listen at all.
"I said get out! Now! Tonight, both of you are suspended! Don't fucking let me see you two idiots again! Understand? If you're not happy, if you think my punishment is too harsh, fine, go complain to Klaus, go complain to Reinsdorf! Or I'll just resign!"
"But that's all after tonight. Tonight, I'm not listening to any of your explanations, I don't care about any excuses. Both of you are suspended by the team! It's that simple! If you keep arguing, you'll be suspended for two games! You can go straight back to Chicago!"
"Now, you choose: either get out of here right now, or make me even angrier and then go straight back to Chicago."
After Jackson finished speaking, without even glancing at the embarrassed Jordan and Pippen, he turned around and yelled at Clemens, "Are you blind?! Call someone to clean up the arena! Now! Immediately! Do we even want to practice?!"
Clemens didn't dare to say another word and hurriedly ran off to find the hotel staff.
The rest of the team remained silent, not daring to utter a sound, until a minute later, Rodman rubbed his eyes and pushed open the training facility door, saying, "Sorry, I overslept."
"You get out of here too! You're a substitute tonight! You idiot who's always late! Would it kill you to set an alarm?" Jackson pointed at the front door and yelled back at Rodman. This season, Rodman has been late, left early, or even missed many training sessions, but Jackson had never been this angry before!
Before the bewildered Rodman could figure out what was going on, Clemens, who had just returned, grabbed him and dragged him out.
As for Jordan and Pippen, after standing there in a daze for a while, they looked at each other, and finally turned around at the same time and walked out of the training facility.
Both of them definitely need to catch up on their sleep first.
Last night, they barely slept at all, playing cards and drinking with Mourning, Mutombo, and others until almost dawn before returning. The two of them were still in a daze, their brains not yet back to normal.
Ten minutes later, after the entire arena was cleaned up, the Bulls' daily practice continued.
This time, no one dared to speak, no one dared to slack off, and no one dared to utter a single word of nonsense, for fear of provoking the enraged Jackson even more!
Although the training session that morning wasn't particularly intense, the atmosphere within the team was incredibly oppressive. The air pressure in the arena was extremely low, and every Bulls player was on edge, barely daring to breathe.
When the training ended, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
This nightmarish morning is finally over.
"Everyone, stay here for a moment." Jackson, who had been frowning all morning, called the Bulls players back as everyone was about to leave, making them stand together in a circle, with him in the middle.
"Tonight, without Michael and without Scott, do you all think we're doomed to lose?"
After Jackson finished speaking, he looked at everyone and said, "So, you all think so? Am I the only one who thinks we can still win tonight?"
"I think we can still win tonight! Even without those two self-important bastards, Michael and Scott! They think the team can't function without them, that they're the core, the cornerstone of the team, but I'm telling you, they're not everything! You guys... are the true cornerstone of the team!"
"You guys are the foundation of the team. Only when you're there, only when you're united, are we a real team! Let me put it this way, even without Michael and Scott, I still think we're a super strong team! We might not be able to beat the Heat in this series."
"But one game? Especially tonight's game, can't we really win? Is the Heat really unbeatable?"
At this point, Jackson scanned the entire audience again, then said, word by word, "Can you really stand all your achievements being attributed to Michael and Scott? Do you really like being introduced as Michael Jordan's teammates every time you step onto the stage?"
"I hate this! I hate being called Michael Jordan's coach, I'd much rather be called 'Zen Master' Phil Jackson! I'm sure you all feel the same way, you'd definitely prefer to be called Bulls players, not Michael's teammates!"
"Tonight! Tonight we have a chance, on the Eastern Conference Finals stage, against the Heat, one of the league's best defensive teams, a chance to prove ourselves in front of fans all over the world! Tonight, prove to everyone that you are the truly indispensable members of the Bulls, prove to everyone that you are not just Jordan's teammates, you are part of a dynasty!"
"Tonight, crush the Heat, destroy them! Then tell everyone that we can do without anyone, but others can't do without us! Tonight, let's prove it to the world! Let the whole world know our names! Now, tell me, what are your names!"
"Lin Tian! My name is Lin Tian!" Seeing Jackson's gaze, Lin Tian very sensibly stepped forward first and said, "I am a player of the Chicago Bulls, I am a member of the league's third team, and I am the best point guard in the NBA! I am not good because I play alongside Jordan, I am good because I am really great! I even think that Michael is a complete cancer to our team. Without him, we might have broken last year's record in the regular season this year."
"Like in January, who twists their ankle while taking a dump? If we replaced him with Drexler, we'd have 80 wins this year! And I'd almost certainly be on the All-NBA First Team. If he didn't have to dribble the ball twice after getting it, I'd be averaging 14 assists per game this year!"
"If you ask me, we should trade Michael! Even if we don't trade him, we should at least..."
"Alright, Lin, shut up!" Jackson was speechless. What was that?
We asked you to take the lead and show your determination to boost the team's morale, and you're just trying to dismantle the team, aren't you?
Shut up, don't say another word.
"Steve, say something." Jackson turned his gaze to another intelligent player, hoping he would say something reasonable.
"I am Steve Kerr, the league's three-point king! I am the best shooter in the league! I can make shots because I'm accurate! Not because the person who passes me the ball is Jordan!" Kerr, the toughest and smartest player on the team, certainly understood what Jackson meant and immediately echoed his determination!
"I am Tony Kukoc! I am the King of Europe, not Michael's henchman or lackey..."
Then, one player after another stepped forward and expressed their determination.
With just a few words, Jackson reignited the team's confidence and energy!
What to do when two key players are suspended by their own team?
A Zen Master teaches you how to motivate yourself and discover your potential!
Regardless, Jackson is very confident now. Even if he doesn't win this game, he'll still give the Heat a good beating!
Jackson isn't stupid. Anyone with a brain knows that Mourning, who is usually very self-disciplined, organizing this gathering at this time must be Riley's doing, a dirty trick.
You old codger, you want to take us down with underhanded tactics? Fine, I'll grant your wish!
Not only will I grant your wish, but I will also voluntarily suspend Jordan and Pippen to make you completely satisfied!
However, if you think you can easily defeat us and take a victory, you're dreaming!
I'll show you, Riley, just how terrifying the Bulls really are!
This time, I'm not only going to make the Heat suffer, letting the whole league know who the best head coach is, but I'm also going to establish my authority within the team!
In the Eastern Conference Finals, Jackson is probably the only player in the entire NBA who dared to suspend the team's two star players!
At the very least, from this point on, no matter which team Jackson coaches in the future, and what kind of wild animals or troublemakers he has under his command, these people will have to think carefully before they start causing trouble: how do they compare to the Bulls' Big Three?
If you can't compare, then why would you dare to cause trouble?
At the same time, another reason that gave Jackson confidence to win was that he could tell from what Jordan and Pippen said that although the two of them were drunk, Mourning, that bastard, was probably almost the same!
We've lost our team's top two leaders, but you, Heat, while we don't know if Hardaway went drinking, have at least lost a team leader!
We're all outnumbered, so let's fight!
At this moment, in Riley's office for the Miami Heat, Mourning was in a daze. He didn't participate in training at all, but was resting in Riley's room.
"How much did you guys drink last night?" Riley felt sorry for his top general looking so miserable. He knew Mourning's alcohol tolerance all too well. How much did these guys drink last night to get Mourning in this state?
"I don't know. In the first half of the game, Michael and Scott won at least $7 to $8. Then the two of them got really excited and dragged Dubecan, Shaq, Smith, and that rookie from Philadelphia to another place to continue drinking."
"Then it started with beer, those damn desperados! After beer, they switched to red wine, then vodka, and finally Michael pulled out two bottles of Chinese baijiu from somewhere, saying it was a gift from Lin! After those two bottles of baijiu, we were all basically blacked out!"
"Then when I woke up again, it was almost noon."
Seeing Mourning shaking his head in pain, Riley tentatively asked, "Then tonight..."
"No matter what, I'll play! Don't worry, Coach, and I guarantee it, both Michael and Scott are completely drunk! They absolutely cannot play well! With so many different kinds of alcohol mixed together, it's a miracle they're not in the hospital!"
……
Time flew by, and soon it was 7:30 p.m., the third game of the Eastern Conference Finals was about to begin!
The Heat's fans have a similar vibe to the city itself: laid-back, casual, and unhurried. Even though it was the Eastern Conference Finals, with only 30 minutes left before the game started, the crowd was still sparse, with people slowly making their way into the arena.
The fans here are completely different from the Chicago fans who want to fill the arena an hour before the game!
However, 20 minutes before the start of the game, Riley looked at the opposing players' roster in his hand and was somewhat confused.
He couldn't help but call Mourning over, who was still hiccuping from drinking, and said, "How much did you drink with them last night? Jordan and Pippen were both completely out! Did you drink them until they had stomach hemorrhages? And Rodman, was he there last night too? Why wasn't he in the starting lineup?"
When asked about Riley's soul, Mourning could only shake his head blankly, indicating that he had no idea, and could not give any other answer.
Looking at the Bulls' roster for tonight, Riley suddenly felt an unparalleled fighting spirit ignite within him!
If Jordan and Pippen aren't here, there's only one possibility: those two guys were completely out of their minds last night!
They've drunk so much they can't even play! Normally, when someone's drunk to this extent, the game they miss is likely more than just one!
If things go wrong, I might have to rest for 3 days to a week!
In other words, their next two home games will be against teams without Jordan and Pippen!
If this still can't tie the score, then I, Pat Riley, may as well quit the business!
Sometimes, underhanded tactics are much more effective than legitimate ones!
As for whether using this method will be ridiculed and mocked decades later?
Riley stated: "If we win, all we'll get is praise. Don't you see how the Celtics' 'Red Auerbach,' the league's number one off-court manipulator, has become a super legend? His off-court tricks have become jokes and legends, and people still talk about them from time to time!"
As long as we win, everything we did was right!
But if they lose, they will be met with endless ridicule!
Riley was confident that his team could definitely defeat the depleted Bulls!
After all, apart from Mourning, no one on the Heat team attended the party last night; everyone was in top form! Even Mourning, still hungover, was no pushover! Riley believed that a resounding victory awaited the Heat tonight!
"Oh! We just received news from the front lines that the starting lineups and active rosters for both teams tonight are out! Everything's normal for the Heat, but guess what's going on with the Bulls?" At this point, all the remaining NBA games will be broadcast live across the United States, and tonight, of course, it's Marcus and Smith teaming up again!
Upon hearing his partner say this, Marcus immediately began studying the Bulls' roster... and then, his eyes widened.
"Jordan and Pippen, they were DNP'd? They weren't on the active roster? What happened? I didn't hear they were injured before the game! Didn't they come to Miami with the Bulls yesterday? They were fine then!"
"It's not just Jordan and Pippen, look at the Bulls' starting lineup, even Rodman isn't in the starting lineup! If I didn't know the Bulls had such a great team atmosphere, I would have suspected that the Bulls' role players rebelled and drove out the Bulls' Big Three!" Smith kept shaking his head, indicating that he couldn't understand what had happened.
Like Riley, they could never have imagined, nor dared to imagine, that on a stage like the Eastern Conference Finals, a coach would dare to directly suspend the team's two strongest stars for violating team discipline and secretly going out for drinks!
This is practically suicide!
Everyone who saw the list, whether commentators, fans, or players in the industry, expressed utter disbelief and disbelief.
In a competition of this caliber, how could two top stars simply disappear without a trace, not even appearing behind the team's bench? They were perfectly fine when they got off the plane yesterday!
What could have caused these two star players to disappear without any news coming from within the Bulls?
That's so strange! It's really so strange!
Countless people were intrigued. Their curiosity and anticipation about Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman not starting even surpassed their anticipation for the game itself!
Unfortunately, the interview time has already passed, and the Bulls players have already entered the arena. Even if you want to conduct an interview now, you can only wait until the game is over.
Everyone wanted to find out what happened to the Bulls, everyone wanted to know the hidden story behind it, just to satisfy their curiosity.
As a result, all the paparazzi and media outlets got excited. They started calling everyone they could, offering to pay a lot of money for first-hand news. The reporters who were already in Miami went completely crazy, and many of them simply left American Airlines Arena!
What's the point of interviewing during a game?
We're going to dig up some juicy scoops! We're going to find Jordan and Pippen!
As is customary, the first things to come out at this time are all nonsense rumors!
Jordan and Pippen got into a fight yesterday, and both are in the ICU!
The league's top superstar has vanished! Sources reveal he's been missing for 24 hours!
Two male bodies found floating on Miami Beach's 47th Beach! DNA testing suggests they are most likely Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen!
Witnesses in Miami's DC district report a shooting in their neighborhood last night! Jordan and Pippen were both involved!
Miami Police Department Debunks Rumors: They Didn't Arrest Jordan or Pippen!
……
Amidst all sorts of outrageous rumors, speculations, and inquiries, the hype surrounding this match has actually surpassed that of the pre-match gossip! This shows that the love of joining in the fun and indulging in gossip is a common trait among people in countries all over the world!
At Miami Airport, Portman pouted as he looked out the window, sighing repeatedly.
"You've fallen for that handsome guy from last night, Natalie!" Knightley sneered, leaning closer. "The way you look right now is exactly like the way Matilda looked at Leon!"
"Nonsense! I don't even know his name, how could I possibly like him? Besides, he's so much older than me, it's impossible! Mom said I have to focus on acting and studying first, and then think about dating!"
"Great! Then you'll be my wingman and help me chase this big guy!" The precocious Knightley grinned mischievously. "I like him! If you don't like him, that's even better, otherwise I'll worry that fighting with my best friend for a guy will affect our relationship!"
"You're only 12!" Portman looked at Knightley and said, "At 12, what do you know about liking or disliking, about love! Who wants to steal your man!"
"You're only 15, aren't you?" Knightley said with a smile. "Besides, I can wait for him. I can wait another three years, until I'm 16, and then we can be together!"
"He doesn't like little girls, he even thinks I'm too young." Portman pouted even more, looking very unhappy.
"Then let's say he's 20. Anyway, we'll all turn 20 someday. He's 20 at most now, and in 7-8 years, that'll be when he's at his most charming."
"Could he be any more charming?" Portman muttered, then looked at Knightley and said, "He's a bad guy! He's not right for you! Trust me, I'll introduce you to a better, more suitable man!"
"You want to keep it for yourself, don't you? But you don't even know his name!"
Hearing Knightley's words, Portman finally lowered his head in grievance: "It's all your fault! Why did you have to rush to catch a plane?! What's so great about rushing to catch a plane?! He even told me to watch CBS at 7:30 tonight! Saying he could tell me his name there! Now it's all ruined, I don't even know how to find him! Pay me back! Pay me back!"
"What are you going to compensate me for, Natalie?" Knightley revealed a slyness beyond her years. "Didn't you dislike him?"
"Ugh! You're so annoying!" Portman finally realized that she had been tricked by her little sister, and immediately stretched out two fingers and started tickling Knightley. The two little girls started making a ruckus.
The unpleasantness from just now seemed to vanish in an instant; a young girl's thoughts always change incredibly quickly.
……
At the American Airlines Center in Miami, both teams' players had already taken to the court. The Heat's starting lineup remained unchanged, consisting of Mourning, Brown, Mashburn, Leonard, and Hardaway!
The Bulls' starting lineup, however, underwent a complete overhaul. Apart from Lin Tian and Longley, the two veteran starters, the other three became Kukoc, Kerr, and Brian Williams!
Brian Williams was considered one of the Bulls' trump cards. Last season with the Clippers, he averaged 16 points and 7 rebounds per game, but a serious injury at the end of the season led the Clippers to give him up!
Even though he joined the Bulls this season, he actually spent 90% of his time recovering from injuries!
Williams only played 9 games throughout the entire regular season.
Since the start of the playoffs, he has almost only played during garbage time.
Bringing this powerful forward up at this point undoubtedly shows that Jackson has very high expectations for him!
Before stepping onto the court, Lin Tian suddenly pulled Longley aside again and whispered, "Luke, how did it feel to defend Mourning in the last two games? You did something even Ewing couldn't do; you limited a top-five center in the league to a top-20 level!"
"Feels great! I'll take down Lin again tonight, don't worry!" Langli said confidently, his fists clenched together, looking as bold as Lu Zhishen.
"Simply restricting him isn't enough!" Lin patted Langley on the shoulder and said, "Michael and Scott were so drunk last night, they're still sleeping in the hotel. What do you think Mourning's condition is right now, since he was drinking with them?"
"Very bad? Distracted? Half-dead?" Langley tentatively voiced his thoughts.
"If you've got the guts, how about we start the game by attacking you tonight! Come set a screen for me, then I'll feed you the ball. Don't be afraid, Mourning is just a paper tiger tonight, crush him! Got the guts to challenge a top-five center in the league and beat him to a pulp?"
Lin Tian's words made Lang Li take a few deep breaths. He was joking, after all; who among those who could play in the NBA wasn't their own Jordan or Shaq? Back in Australia, Lang Li was an invincible super monster! It was just that after coming to the NBA, he faced reality.
But now that the opportunity has truly come his way, that ambition has been rekindled!
"Give me the ball, Lin! I'll crush Mourning!" Longley stretched out his hands and slapped himself hard in the face, then strode confidently to the center circle.
With Jackson's chicken soup and Lin Tian's flatbread, the two miraculous drugs combined, Langli will surely make the half-health Mourning pay an extremely painful price tonight!
With a whistle from the referee, the basketball was thrown into the air. Longley roared on the ground and leaped into the air, winning the jump ball for the first time in this series against Mourning!
Lin Tian dribbled the basketball leisurely to the frontcourt, then quickly called for a screen.
He would never go toe-to-toe with the short but strong Hardaway!
If we're going to bully someone, we should definitely start with Mourning when he's at half health!
Longley's screen this time was fierce and tough, firmly blocking Hardaway behind him. But when Longley wanted to cut to the basket, he found that Mourning had actually retreated quickly with him and collapsed to the basket. On the other side, Mashburn had already rushed over to help defend Lin Tian!
Hardaway had somehow gotten to Kukoc's side and switched positions in the blink of an eye.
This was the strategy Riley devised for the Heat before the game.
They will let Lin Tian shoot, but not let him attack the basket. They will use multiple players to target Lin Tian, but they will not neglect one player for the other. They will still give Lin Tian the space he needs!
Seeing Lin Tian completely outmaneuvered by Mashburn, Riley nodded in satisfaction.
With Lin Tian alone, the Bulls are really not that scary!
Before Riley's smugness had even subsided, and the slight upturn of his lips was still lingering, Lin Tian had already scored!
He suddenly stopped halfway through his drive against Mashburn, then pulled up and threw it!
Mashburn's entire focus was on Lin Tian. As soon as he saw Lin Tian pull up to shoot, he immediately moved closer, stretched out his hands, and tried to interfere with Lin Tian's shot!
But then, Mashburn's eyes widened in disbelief.
He clearly has explosive physical abilities, and is known as the Heat's number one spring man with top-tier jumping ability in the league. But even though he jumped with all his might, the basketball in Lin Tian's hands just kept getting further and further away from him!
Lin Tian's backward lean was so exaggerated that it was almost absurd!
Lin Tian's upper body leaned backward, the angle between him and the ground getting smaller and smaller, until finally, when Lin Tian made his move, he was almost parallel to the ground!
"Whoosh!"
Despite such an exaggerated shooting motion, the basketball went into the basket with incredible precision!
If a fan who traveled back from 10 years in the future saw this goal, they would definitely find it incredibly familiar!
This move is Steve Nash's signature move!
A lay-down shot!
This is a very rare offensive method that Nash developed for himself when his physical abilities were average and it was difficult for him to create shooting space by relying on his jumping ability and height in a pull-up jump shot!
When shooting, the lower body remains still while the upper body leans back to the limit; at its most extreme, the person can even be almost parallel to the ground! This move is considered one of the most difficult to defend in the entire league!
At the same time, it is also Nash's most underestimated killer move!
Everyone knows that Nash was a point guard who prioritized passing, that he was a five-time assists leader and two-time MVP, and that he used his passing skills to lead the Suns to the Western Conference Finals three times, making the Suns a top team in the league from 2005 to 2010!
However, many people overlook Nash's powerful scoring ability! Although he certainly can't compare to monsters like Kobe, McGrady, and Iverson in terms of scoring alone, if we only consider the point guard position, his scoring explosiveness, consistency, and efficiency are absolutely top-notch and the most powerful!
05年的西部半决赛，面对老东家小牛，纳什就用55%+41%+96%的恐怖命中率打出了一个30+12的顶级系列赛表现！
其中，第四场纳什28投20中爆砍48分，第五场和第六场分别拿下34+13+12和39+12+9，这种又全能又能兼顾个人得分和传球的表现，实在是让人叹为观止！
In this series, not only did Nash deliver an amazing performance, but he also cemented Mark Cuban's place on the pillar of shame for a long time!
His unwillingness to offer Nash a contract with an average salary of around 900 million and his decision to watch Nash leave became one of the biggest laughingstocks in the NBA during those years!
The reason why Lin Tian was able to use Nash's back-lying shot at this time is obviously only one!
He used up his best remaining trial card.
Steve Nash Experience Card (Full Game) for the 04-05 Season!
Lin Tian's current abilities, whether in individual offense or passing, are all at their peak!
He will give it his all and win this game despite everyone's skepticism and the absence of Jordan and Pippen!
"Luke! Don't rush. Their strategy is to let me shoot first, not let me pass the ball." Lin Tian gave Longley a high-five on his way back on defense and said, "Once I break through their defense, and they have to focus more on me, then it'll be your turn!"
"I'll listen to you!" Langley patted his chest and quickly ran back to his half of the court, ready to start defending!
Hardaway dribbled the ball and quickly moved to the frontcourt. Like Lin Tian, he called for a screen to attack. However, this time, the screener for Hardaway was not his old partner Mourning, but the fierce PJ Brown. Brown crossed his arms and fiercely blocked Lin Tian in front of him, allowing Hardaway to accelerate and rush towards the inside!
After drawing a double team, he passed the ball to Mourning under the basket.
After receiving the ball, Mourning roared and jumped up to dunk with all his might. In his eyes, the Bulls' interior defense without Rodman and others helping to defend was his backyard, where he could do whatever he wanted and relax!
But this time, Mourning's wish was not fulfilled!
He didn't realize that both his jumping speed and height were significantly worse than in the previous days, which was a consequence of his indulgence!
"Snapped!"
With a crisp sound, Longley easily leaped up and blocked Mourning's dunk!
This block boosted the morale of the entire Bulls team and silenced the Miami fans!
Immediately after, Lin Tian grabbed the basketball and charged towards the frontcourt! He advanced at lightning speed, and apart from Hardaway, no one could stop him in the slightest!
(End of this chapter)