novelraw Chapter 116 An Earth-Shattering Off-Season!
Chapter 116 An Earth-Shattering Off-Season!
Chapter 116 An Earth-Shattering Off-Season!
Just two days after Falk rejected Krause's contract offer, several pieces of news that were very unfavorable to the Bulls emerged in the league.
First, Juwon Howard, from the 1994 draft class, received a contract extension from the team, a 7-year, $1.07 million deal!
The first-ever contract worth over 100 million dollars in NBA history has been signed. Regardless of whether Howard is worth the contract or not, and regardless of his work ethic of clocking in and out like a civil servant, this is a testament to his dedication.
The important thing is that after this contract was announced, Krause knew that he could no longer use the "first hundred million dollar contract in history" as a selling point to negotiate with Jordan. The fat guy knew very well that if he mentioned even one word about the "hundred million dollar contract," Jordan would roll his eyes and shut him down.
"So what if it's a contract worth hundreds of millions? Didn't Howard get one too? What level am I in that I should sign the same contract as him?"
"Are those guys in Washington out of their minds? FUXX!" Reinsdorf roared angrily as he listened to Krause's report. "Give that piece of trash a seven-year, $100 million contract? Why don't they go do charity? They're insane! Complete idiots! They gave him the contract, did they even consider us? How are we supposed to negotiate with that bastard Jordan now?"
"Damn it! FUXX! Damn it! Klaus, any new information from Falk's side?"
"No, they're still the same boss as before." Klaus sat across from Reinsdorf, sweat pouring down his back. He had never seen his boss so angry before!
"Klaus, you just said we have a few more pieces of bad news?" Reinsdorf looked at Klaus with a very unfriendly expression.
"The first one is Los Angeles. Besides trading their starting center to the Hornets on draft day in exchange for a high school player to clear salary cap space, they have also traded away Seidar Slater, George Lynch, and Anthony Peele in the last two days. There are reports that they are also trying to trade away the team's leading scorer from last season."
"Cedric Ceballos! If they trade Ceballos and don't re-sign Elden Campbell, they'll be able to clear over $2400 million in salary cap space this summer, which they can offer two super contracts starting at over $1200 million."
"One of their targets is O'Neal, and the other... is very likely Michael! The temptation of forming a O'Neal-Michael duo is equally strong!"
"Any other news?" Reinsdorf asked Klaus.
His eyes were red, clearly exhausted from negotiating with Jordan.
"Rumors are circulating that the Knicks have signed another global endorsement deal with Coca-Cola, which could potentially exceed $500 million per year. If this is true, it means the Knicks' offer for Michael Jordan has reached approximately $3000 million per year!"
"Fuck! Those damn New York idiots! Nouveau riche! They're all morons! They're all damn morons! And that damn Stern, he should die too! How could he ignore such obvious violations? He even sent people to persuade me to drop the lawsuit against the Knicks and not let this escalate?"
At this point, Reinsdorf paused. Clearly, no matter who Stern asked to persuade Reinsdorf not to take the matter to court and instead to resolve it privately, Stern had chosen the right person.
Reinsdorf was terrified of this mysterious figure behind the scenes.
For the next few minutes, Reinsdorf was in a state of rage, hurling insults at everyone he could think of, from Jordan and Falk to Phil Jackson, the millions of people in New York City, the Los Angeles natives who suddenly intervened, Stern…
After cursing until he was breathless and his throat was parched, Reinsdorf finally stopped his tirade and looked at Klaus, saying, "Go, submit the second contract we've prepared to Michael, the one for 3 years and $7500 million!"
"Actually..." Klaus licked his lips, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "They have already rejected the offer."
"What?!" Upon hearing this, Reinsdorf flew into a rage, leaping from his chair with a jump almost high enough to complete a windmill dunk! It was clear that Reinsdorf was truly enraged beyond belief!
"What do they want?! What kind of shit do they want?!"
"I think... they want a contract with an annual salary of 3000 million." Klaus swallowed and carefully voiced his thoughts.
"Dream on! He's dreaming! I still want fifty million! Why doesn't he just ask for a hundred million?"
……
While Klaus and Reinsdorf were raging in their office, in Minnesota, Stephon Marbury was just as badly smashing up his newly rented apartment.
"Lin? You dare steal my shoe contract, making me lose millions of dollars a year? Just you wait! In the regular season, I'll show you what the 'Son of New York' is all about!"
In Indiana, Pacers general manager Donnie Walsh looked at Miller suspiciously and said, "Reggie, are you sure you want to sign this contract? Just for one year?"
"Just one year." Miller nodded. "In fact, if you can land a big-name free agent this year, I can stay out of the game for another year. As long as Indiana gets back to its peak, I can keep earning $2-300 million a year."
"Reggie, you really don't need to do this. The NBA is just a show, and your most important job here is to make money. What if you get injured next season? What if your performance declines? What if the collective bargaining agreement changes? I really think you should..."
"Alright, Donnie, I know you mean well, but the NBA is different for me." Miller shrugged and said, "I only fight for championships and for the Indianapolis. I won't let my fans suffer defeat forever, and I won't let the team's salary cap be locked up and prevent us from making any signings for such a small amount of money."
"I'm not going anywhere, but I welcome anyone to Indiana. That's it. The addiction to $1000 million a year, to a multi-million dollar annual salary, I'll just get through it in a year! We'll talk about the rest next year."
In Los Angeles, Shaquille O'Neal, wearing large sunglasses, strolled around the Atlantic Arena with a cheerful expression, listening to head coach Harris, general manager West, and others introduce him to the Lakers' glorious history.
As the group walked into the Atlantic Arena, O'Neal saw Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Lakers owner Jerry Buss and his daughter Jeanie Buss, and several other people he didn't recognize.
"Shaq! Welcome to the Atlantic Arena, the best home court in the entire NBA!" Buss flashed his usual hearty and friendly smile, immediately giving O'Neal a hug and saying, "Seriously, now that you're here, do you really want to go somewhere else?"
"Trust me, there's no better place for you than Los Angeles! It has everything you could want!" Bass laughed heartily, adopting a hippie-like demeanor. "I heard you really like movies and music?"
"This is Director Roderick. He's directed several blockbuster movies. You could talk to him; maybe you can get a good role in his next film?"
"And this is Mr. Cameron Slilan, a die-hard Lakers fan and a top-notch music producer! He's even written songs for Michael Jackson! He's just a Grammy away! If you want to release an album, I've already spoken to him, and he's willing to take full responsibility and produce a Grammy-worthy album for you!"
"These are all benefits you can only enjoy in Los Angeles! Irwin, come on, tell Shaq what fun things there are to do in Los Angeles!"
"I don't think I need to talk to Shaq. I'll just take him tonight! I've already booked everything at that nightclub halfway up the Rocky Mountains! Whether our conversation goes well or not, Shaq is guaranteed to have a blast tonight!"
"Shaq, I really hope you can join the Lakers, because the Lakers have never had a true, undisputed best center in the league in Los Angeles history!"
"McKahn was a figure from the Minneapolis era. Chamberlain always came out on par with Russell. As for me, although I've won many honors, I've never considered myself the best center. Moses Malone, Elvin Hayes, Gilmore, Bill Walton..."
"Throughout my career, there have always been years when I lost to some people, but you're different. I believe that once you arrive in Los Angeles, you won't lose to anyone! You will be the undisputed number one center! No one can compare to you!"
"We'll build a team entirely around you! No one will be able to threaten your position on the team. You're the boss, you'll always be the boss of Los Angeles and the king of the city!"
"Karim is right," Harris followed up. "I've already developed at least 30 offensive tactics centered around you. All our attacks will revolve around you; you are unique."
"What kind of idiot would let you play second fiddle to a young guard, just because that guard is more popular with the fans?" Jeanie Buss suddenly interjected. "But isn't winning the most important thing in basketball? Of course, you should build around the strongest player! I can see that Shaq is way better than that guard!"
"I heard you don't even have your own parking space in Orlando?" West suddenly laughed. "That's ridiculous! Orlando people are ridiculous! Shaq, whether you come to Los Angeles or not, I have three parking spaces at Atlantic City that my boss gave me!"
"The location, the view, and the distance make it the king of the 2 parking spaces at the Atlantic Arena! The king of basketball paired with the king of parking spaces—that's a perfect match! These three parking spaces are all yours! Permanently... all yours!"
Faced with the Los Angeles lobbying team's frantic flattery and attempts to please him, O'Neal got a little carried away. If it weren't for the few words Lin Tian said to him at the end of the Eastern Conference Finals, he would have already signed that damn contract!
……
Just as O'Neal was being overwhelmed by the Los Angeles team's offense and completely bewildered, the Magic's management published a poll in the Orlando Sentinel.
Do you think the team should offer O'Neal a nine-figure contract to keep him?
Well... how should I put it? This outrageous move, in the entire history of the NBA, can be considered one of the most idiotic moves ever! It's really hard to find something more brain-dead and more likely to offend a team's star player than this!
In addition, Orlando's management also approached Hardaway, who was on vacation in Hawaii.
"Anfernee, don't worry, we will absolutely not let Shaq take too much. You are our core, you are our most important asset! We will not do anything to make you unhappy!"
At the same time, the Magic's executives also presented O'Neal with several contract templates for him to choose from.
The offers are $5000 million over 5 years, $4400 million over 4 years, and $3600 million over 3 years. The longer the term, the lower the annual salary. The Magic stated: "We do not trust O'Neal's work ethic and ability to stay healthy. We must reduce the risk for the team and mitigate the potential for our future salary cap to be locked up!"
At this time, all parties in the league are going all out to strengthen their teams so that they can be more competitive in the next season.
While everyone's attention was focused on Jordan, O'Neal, and even Howard of the Bullets, news broke in Houston that was enough to shake the league and change its landscape.
Former Phoenix Suns star and MVP Charles Barkley has joined the Houston Rockets on a one-year minimum salary contract!
The entire league was shaken when this news broke!
It's worth noting that Barkley averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds last season, ranking fifth in scoring and fourth in rebounding. Although the Suns were eliminated in the first round, it didn't affect Barkley's status as an All-Star starter and selection to the All-NBA Third Team!
He is definitely a top-10 star in the league!
This is a top star who has won the MVP award, yet he joined the Houston Rockets on a minimum salary!
So, overnight, the Rockets formed their own Big Three: Barkley, Olajuwon, and Drexler!
Based on these three names alone, even if the rest of the team consists of elderly men and women recruited from the community basketball team, they can still become a favorite to win the championship!
Not to mention that the Rockets now have strong players such as Mario Elie, Kevin Willis, and Eddie Johnson. On the very night that Barkley announced his joining the Rockets, Las Vegas released the latest odds for the championship in the new season.
The Rockets have jumped to second place, behind only the defending champion Chicago Bulls!
Three veterans set sail once again for their championship dreams!
Regardless of Barkley's actions or the criticisms he might face afterward, the landscape of the league was completely altered from that moment on!
Barkley's move was more like opening Pandora's box, and teams immediately began a frenzied arms race.
Signing players and making trades, all teams aiming for the championship in the new season have begun their own frenzy!
The most outrageous of them all was the Chicago Bulls!
After Barkley confirmed his move to the Rockets, Reinsdorf finally stopped being coy and gave up on haggling with Jordan, revealing a price that even he himself found insane.
"5800 million over 2 years!"
Reinsdorf was certain that his lips were trembling when he said the number.
And he was quite certain that Jordan was very satisfied with the number; he saw Jordan ready to sign with obvious satisfaction.
But even now, Reinsdorf is still very unhappy!
He was furious, feeling that he, as a boss, had been threatened by his employee, and then said something that he would regret for a long time to come.
"Michael, I bet I'll regret giving you so much money, it's insane!"
What he didn't expect was that after hearing his words, Jordan immediately put down his pen and rejected the contract.
"One year, $30 million, not a penny less! And it's a one-year contract." Jordan looked at Reinsdorf and said, "Since you're afraid you'll regret it, I'll give you a chance to regret it. We'll sign one-year contracts and see what happens next summer!"
After Jordan finished speaking, he looked at Falk and said, "David, I'm leaving this to you. I'll wait for you in the parking lot. 30 minutes. I'll only wait 30 minutes. If you can't get it done in 30 minutes, we're flying to New York tonight. I don't want to say another word to these guys!"
After Jordan finished speaking, he turned around and left the conference room without looking back.
His pride had been deeply wounded by Reinsdorf's words.
Am I not worth it? You'll regret it?
You'll only regret saying that!
Twenty minutes later, a satisfied David Crowder opened the car door and sat next to Jordan: "It's done! A $30 million contract! That's more than half the total salaries of half the teams in the league! Michael, we did it! The first $20 million contract and the first $30 million contract in history! They're yours! We're going to have a big celebration tonight!"
"Call Patrick. This guy lost $1000 million a year because of me; we have to treat him to at least two meals!"
Just two days after Jordan signed the contract that shocked the entire basketball world and was still considered unprecedented even 30 years later, Shaquille O'Neal, who had been traveling around the United States and enjoying free food and drinks in several cities, returned to Orlando.
"Shaq! You're finally back. Come on, let's have a good chat about your new contract!" As soon as Magic general manager Gabriel heard that O'Neal was back, he immediately called O'Neal with a smile.
After Jordan signed this super contract, he began to worry that O'Neal might really leave.
Although no one knows where Gabriel gets his confidence from, believing that O'Neal will definitely not leave Orlando, his consistent confidence and nonchalance regarding O'Neal's contract renewal always makes people feel that he has O'Neal figured out, and that O'Neal can't go anywhere.
"Sure, let's chat. I'm at home, just come over." O'Neal hung up the phone immediately after saying that. He had already made up his mind; his trip back to Orlando was really just to pack his bags.
But thinking about all the crazy things Gabriel has done this season...
O'Neal decided that he had to humiliate this jerk who didn't think much of himself before he left.
"Shaq, long time no see. Are you moving? Have you finally decided to buy that house next to Disneyland?" Gabriel arrived at O'Neal's house half an hour later and saw O'Neal carrying large and small bags of things to the door.
"Yes, we're getting ready to move. Okay, Gabriel, let's get straight to the point, shall we? What good stuff did you bring me?" O'Neal got straight to the point and sat down on the sofa.
Gabriel sensed something was wrong; for example, as soon as he sat down, he saw a newspaper on the table.
"Should we give Shaq a max contract?"
"Should be: 57%! Shouldn't be: 43%!"
"This is a random vote from the fans, and we will absolutely not accept such nonsense! Shaq, you deserve everything!" Gabriel swallowed hard, suddenly regretting coming here today.
"But you were the ones who issued the vote, weren't you? You just want to see how much I'm worth, don't you? Come on, Gabriel, show me your terms and let me see how sincere you are."
"Shaq, after very thorough discussions within our management team, we've decided to offer you an unparalleled, and absolutely irresistible, super contract! You'll be very satisfied! Furthermore, considering you may have different needs, we've also provided you with several different contracts to choose from."
"The first offer is 3900 million over 3 years! That's an annual salary of 1300 million. If the salary cap continues to rise after 3 years, we can definitely sign an even higher contract!"
"The second one is $4800 million for 4 years, and the third one is $5500 million for 5 years! How about it, these contracts are pretty good, Shaq! And, we're friends, so I can secretly tell you that we can negotiate on all of them! If you're not satisfied, we can even raise the price! Hahaha, Shaq, don't tell anyone else this, especially your boss, or I'll be fired."
「加布里埃尔，这就是你们所谓的顶薪？1300万到1100万一年？」奥尼尔看着那三份合同，强行忍住直接把它们撕掉的欲望，看着加布里埃尔道：「可以谈是多少？3年4200？4年5200？还是5年6000？你们不觉得，这个报价太寒酸了吗？」
"I have a good suggestion for you: if you offer Hardaway a similar price when you renew his contract next year, then you should be prepared to rebuild and be prepared to lose him."
"No, we'll give him a better offer!" Gabriel blurted out his true thoughts without thinking.
"So, is the most important thing that we can't give Shaq too much money, or that Anfernee will be angry?" O'Neal was too lazy to argue with Gabriel anymore, afraid he might slap him. "My flight is this afternoon. I'm just coming back to pack my things. After I'm done, I'm going to Los Angeles to sign a contract."
"How big is the contract?"
"It's none of your business!" O'Neal scoffed. "You're not going to give it to me anyway!"
After O'Neal finished speaking, he ignored Gabriel, sped up his packing, quickly finished packing, got into his car, and drove away.
Gabriel was left standing there, completely bewildered and at a loss.
It was only at this moment that Gabriel finally realized that O'Neal was really leaving!
Realizing what was happening, he quickly got into his car and followed O'Neal's convoy to the airport while picking up the phone and calling the Magic's owner.
The contract hasn't been signed yet! He thinks there's still a chance to salvage the situation! If he raises his offer before O'Neal boards the plane, O'Neal might not leave!
One last chance!
"Five years, $55 million, and he's still not satisfied? Has this fat idiot gone mad?" This was the first thing the Magic's owner said after hearing Gabriel's words.
then……
All Gabriel could say was that thankfully there was some traffic on the way from O'Neal's house to the airport, and it took a full hour before he and O'Neal finally arrived at the airport one after the other.
"Shaq, Shaq! Shaq!" Gabriel, panting heavily, spotted O'Neal standing out in the crowd and stopped him, saying, "We've raised our offer for you! Just now! I know there's been some misunderstanding between us, but listen to me, I really value you! I really hope you can stay!"
"5 years, $7500 million! This is our latest offer, Shaq! This is our final offer! Stay, we really hope you can stay!"
In response to Gabriel's request, O'Neill held the phone he was on to Gabriel's ear and said into the phone, "Excuse me, Mr. Jerry, I didn't hear you clearly just now. Could you please repeat what you just said?"
Jerry West's voice immediately reached Gabriel's ears: "Shaq, I just traded away Shawn Lux and convinced Ceballos to re-sign with the team for $240 million a year. This gives us about $140 million more in salary cap space than we expected."
"Then we can slightly increase the offer we gave you before, from the original 7 years and $1.09 million to 7 years and $1.18 million! I know that's still not much, only a little higher than Howard's offer, and it can't compare to Jordan's 1 year and $3000 million contract."
"But what I want to say is, this is all we have. We've given you everything we could! I just hope you can see my sincerity and how much we value you!"
"Okay, Mr. Jerry, thank you for your generosity! I'm very satisfied! I was already extremely happy with the original $1.09 million contract! I'm at the airport in Orlando now, and I'll be in Los Angeles in about four hours. We can talk more then!"
After hanging up the phone, O'Neal looked at Gabriel and said coldly, "Now, do you know how much I'm worth, and why I left this godforsaken place, Orlando? Okay, Gabriel, our cooperation over the past few years hasn't been pleasant, but at least we haven't completely fallen out."
"I hope you can retain some dignity and stop pestering me! Even if you offer me 5 million over five years, I won't stay in Orlando!"
"I hate this place! I hate everyone who thinks Hardaway is better than me. I hate how you all ignore me to please Hardaway. I hate how you stingy with my salary. So, this is it. It's over! I'm going to Los Angeles!"
After saying these last words, O'Neal ignored Gabriel and turned to walk towards the airport.
The last big shark on the free agent market has finally decided to head west to the West Coast and join one of the league's top powerhouses, the Los Angeles Lakers!
While O'Neal was still on the plane to Los Angeles, West couldn't contain his joy and called his good friend Magic Johnson.
"Erwin, it's done! That big guy has decided to join the Lakers! We've got the cornerstone of our resurgence! Fantastic, we can definitely build a dynasty!"
"I'm training with someone who could be our next cornerstone, Jerry, your eye for talent is as good as ever! This kid is amazing! I love him! You said he blew Eddie Jones out during his tryout? I think he might have gone easy on Jones a little."
"Mr. Irwin, what are you saying? I think I heard someone's coming?" A boy with a beard, but who looked very young, no more than 17 or 8 years old, walked up to Magic Johnson and asked excitedly, "Did you invite Jordan? Will Jordan come to Los Angeles to train?"
"Can I fight him one-on-one? I'm sure I can beat him! I can beat anyone in this world!"
"Sorry, it's not Michael, he's on vacation. But I got his teammate, and he'll be training with you this summer! That's great too." Magic Johnson smiled. This guy, ever since he started training with him, has been begging him almost every day to let Jordan play one-on-one with him, and every time he's guaranteed that he can definitely beat Jordan!
Magic Johnson has only seen two players this aggressive throughout his entire career!
One is Jordan, and the other is this high school student in front of you!
"Erwin, this place is really hard to find!" Lin Tian pushed open the door of Magic Johnson's private training facility and walked into the arena. He had been in Los Angeles for two weeks, but before that, either he was busy signing contracts and filming, or Magic Johnson was busy persuading O'Neal, so the two of them hadn't been able to meet.
Today marks the first time Lin Tiancai has trained with a magician!
As soon as he entered the door, Lin Tian saw the boy who was jumping around and was very eye-catching!
"Kobe Bryant?"
Lin Tian stroked his chin, looking at the still-youthful Kobe. This guy is really full of energy!
"Jerry, the guy who could become our third cornerstone has arrived. I'm hanging up now. You go deal with Shaq, and I'll handle the other two." Magic Johnson chuckled as he hung up the phone, then clapped his hands and said, "Kobe, come on, take a break!"
"This is Lin. You must have seen his games, right? The starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls, Jordan's good partner, Lin who scored 48 points in Game 4 of this year's Finals! He only entered the NBA a year before you, so you two can barely be considered from the same draft class!"
"Lin!" Kobe's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed excitedly, "I watched your Finals games! At least 70 times! I studied your crossover dribbling and pull-up jump shot all summer! I have to say, those moves were amazing! I've learned them all!"
"When the game starts, I'll use your moves to get past you completely first, and then dunk over Jordan's head!"
"You have a great dream that you'll never achieve," Lin Tian said, looking at Kobe. "Also, you're not even 18 yet, are you? I'm older than you. Even if you don't call me 'senior,' you should at least call me 'sir'! That's how you show respect, that's how you're polite."
"I never use honorifics," Kobe said, scoffing. "Unless you're really good enough, unless you can beat me one-on-one!"
"I don't bully kids. I'm not here to learn any childish one-on-one games. I'm here to learn how to dribble and pass with Erwin." Lin Tian looked at Kobe, constantly scrutinizing his still underdeveloped body.
This body is a treasure trove!
At that age, Kobe didn't yet possess the composure and maturity he would later have. He was a notorious hothead who dared to mess with anyone, refused to submit to anyone, and was prone to emotional fluctuations!
Wow, that's a huge amount of experience points and skills!
"Who says one-on-one fights are childish! Who says I'm a kid! I could crush Eddie during my tryouts!"
"Who's Eddie? Is he the 49-year-old starting point guard on your community basketball team who's missing a leg?" Lin Tian continued to provoke Kobe. It was their first day meeting, and he had to get Kobe to leave him some kind of gift!
"Eddie is the Lakers' starting point guard! He averaged 12 points per game last season!"
"Oh, that's impressive." Lin Tian picked at his ear, looking disdainful. "I thought you'd beaten some amazing guy. Last season, I trained with Michael for a whole year, we spent the entire season playing one-on-one and head-to-head, and guess what?"
"I beat him until he called me 'Dad'!"
"Then I can beat Jordan so badly I'd call him grandpa!"
"I can break Michael's leg!"
"I'll break his arm too!"
"Michael has less than a 40% chance of winning against me in a one-on-one fight! You, on the other hand, have a maximum of a 5% chance of winning against me! And I'd have to let you win!"
"Nonsense! I can beat Jordan! I can beat you too!"
"I beat Michael to a pulp, it was as easy as taking off a stripper's clothes! Haha, you don't know what a stripper is, do you, you 17-year-old virgin!"
"I know! I wasn't a virgin when I was 15! I beat Jordan like it was nothing, like eating a donut."
"Then you must have diabetes, which is why you'll never dare to eat a donut in your life!"
"You're talking nonsense!"
……
The magician, watching the two kids trash-talking each other without restraint, couldn't help but swallow hard. If Jordan were here, he probably would have grabbed a baseball bat and started a real-life battle with the two kids!
Why are young people these days so sharp-tongued?
After the two exchanged insults for a good 3-4 minutes, Lin Tian looked at the long list of system notifications with satisfaction. Just from this round of trash talk, Kobe had gained 120 experience points!
You know, this young man has a fiery temper and is quick to lash out.
If you were to trash talk like Jordan, you'd be lucky to get 30 experience points in just a short time!
This summer, I have to keep a close eye on Kobe and make sure he doesn't get a hundred or so trial cards or permanent skills or anything like that. I absolutely cannot let him go home!
"How about you two actually have a match?" The magician finally couldn't take it anymore as the two people's words became increasingly offensive and vulgar.
What are these two doing here? Practicing their swearing?
"Come on, 21 points! No change of hairstyle, I'll beat this kid who hasn't even grown his first hair to death!" Lin Tian said, picking up a basketball and standing at the three-point line. "Come here, wash the ball!"
"Why should you serve first?"
"I'm the NBA's best sixth man, a championship member, and you, a rookie, have to start in a one-on-one match? Have you no shame?" Lin Tian's insults were always unrestrained, his style being unreasonable and shameless.
"By the way, do you know the rules of one-on-one in Chicago?" Lin Tian passed the ball to Kobe without any regard for the rules, and after letting him forcefully dribble the ball, he stood up straight and asked Kobe a question.
"What rules...?"
"Whoosh!"
While Kobe was asking a question, Lin Tian pulled up and shot, hitting a three-pointer!
"If the first shot doesn't go in, we try again. If it goes in, then the goal is valid, understand?"
"Fuck you! You ambushed me!" Kobe yelled angrily, "That shot doesn't count!"
"Why doesn't this count? If this shot doesn't count, how did you even get into the NBA? By cheating or being shameless? It's in! Stop with the nonsense and give me the ball!" Lin Tian said, reaching out for the ball.
Kobe was still young. When he heard Lin Tian ask for the ball, he didn't prepare anything and just passed it directly to Lin Tian.
"Whoosh!"
Then Lin Tian didn't give him a chance to prepare, and immediately launched another super fast 3-pointer!
"6-0! Do you want to go to the bathroom and get a roll of toilet paper? Let the toilet paper defend me! That stuff is way tougher than you, you little softie!"
"I'm not soft!" Kobe's face darkened completely. This time, he carefully passed the ball to Lin Tian, lowered his center of gravity, and watched Lin Tian intently to prevent him from shooting again.
This time, Lin Tian certainly wouldn't shoot again. Seeing Kobe step forward to defend him closely, he didn't hesitate. He bent down and accelerated, using his terrifying speed to drive straight to the basket in one step!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Lin Tian looked at Kobe and said:
"3-0! I'll keep my goal as a point, otherwise I'm really afraid I'll make you cry!"
"8-0!" Kobe glared at Lin Tian, his eyes blazing with anger. "That's how many we're talking about! Let's go again!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"boom!"
"Whoosh!"
……
The next result was that Lin Tian unleashed a barrage of attacks, leaving Kobe completely routed!
21: 0!
In the first round, Lin Tian didn't give Kobe any chance to attack and took him down directly.
Lin Tian even finished the battle comfortably without breaking a sweat.
The reason he could play so easily was that Kobe's rookie season was just so-so; he was far from reaching his peak, and he was physically weak, his defense was sloppy, and he had many defensive weaknesses.
Secondly, Lin Tian stole three times in a row at the beginning, which made Kobe angry and lose his composure.
The third point is that Lin Tian's current playing style is a game-changer when he plays one-on-one against rookie Kobe Bryant.
He has the fastest speed in the league. Even when Kobe is closely guarding him and there is no help defense behind him, he can easily walk past a Kobe in one step!
Even if we don't even mention Kobe, even if it were a one-on-one match against Jordan, Jordan would have to use countless small tricks and physical confrontations to curb Lin Tian's speed and prevent Lin Tian from making use of his speed advantage in order to defeat Lin Tian.
As for Kobe? He is inferior to Lin Tian in strength, speed, experience, and weight. In addition, he also has to be wary of Lin Tian's shooting. For Lin Tian to get past him is really no different from getting past a wooden stake!
"One more time! I'll serve this time!" Despite being down 21-0, Kobe wasn't discouraged at all. Instead, he looked at Lin Tian with even more excitement, walked to the three-point line, and said, "Don't think you can just run away after winning. I'm going to give you a 21-0 score!"
(End of this chapter)