novelraw Chapter 95 The Rookie Wall Arrives? The First Playoffs in China
Chapter 95 The Rookie Wall Arrives? The First Playoffs in China
Chapter 95 The Rookie Wall Arrives? The First Playoff Broadcast in China!
During the late 80s and early 90s, the Detroit Pistons were absolutely the nightmare and most hated team in the entire league.
They were built around the backcourt duo of "The Smiling Assassin" Isaiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, supported by notorious villains and bastards such as Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahone, Vinnie Jensen, and Dennis Rodman.
In addition, there's the team's true core, a "beast-like" head coach rarely seen in NBA history, who is said to have single-handedly lowered the moral standards and bottom line of the entire NBA, introduced defense into the league, and made everyone focus on defense and believe that defense is more important than offense—Hall of Fame head coach Chuck Daly.
This group of people came together to form the "Bad Boys Legion," which struck fear into the hearts of the entire alliance!
The number one cunning Laimbeer, responsible for stirring up trouble and igniting people's anger; Rick Mahorn, the number one enforcer, an undefeated NBA top boxer; Isaiah Thomas, the most unpopular and most hated treacherous assassin among top stars; and then there's the endlessly energetic Rodman.
Just how vicious is this Pistons team? You can tell from their nickname.
"The Smiling Assassin," "The Devil," "Satan," "The Axe-Wielding Thug," "The Murderer"...
When people with these nicknames gather on a team, it goes without saying how dirty their style is.
If we add a head coach who can say during a timeout, "If Jordan drives to the basket next time, I'll make him bleed," then it makes even more sense why this team is so hated!
Starting with the 1988 playoffs, this team eliminated Jordan and his Bulls in the playoffs for three consecutive years. They were known as the devil in front of the chosen ones, the most troublesome and fierce Tyrians who blocked Alexander's path to dominance!
During those three years, Jordan experienced more than just series defeats; he also suffered countless injuries, was knocked down from mid-air countless times, and endured numerous conflicts and near-fighting defensive treatment.
Of course, there was also the constant questioning and ridicule, including those comments that Jordan would never be a match for the Detroiters.
Of course, all the doubts and sarcasm disappeared in 1991 when Jordan finally avenged his defeat in the Eastern Conference Finals, defeated the tenacious Detroit team, and won his first championship!
And that "Bad Boys" team lost all its vitality after losing the Eastern Conference Finals in 1991. As they aged and injuries increased, the team quickly faded away and disappeared from the league.
The current Pistons team has almost nothing to do with the team from back then!
Apart from Joe Dumars, who was known as the only gentleman among the "bad boys" back then, all the other players who won two championships with that team either retired or transferred, leaving only Dumars sticking on.
Dumars is no longer the team's primary core player.
Their current core player is Grant Hill, who is more gentlemanly than Dumars and is known as the most sunny, positive, well-born, and well-behaved kid in the NBA with all the characteristics of the middle class!
Hill is currently at the peak of his form and career! This season, he is not only averaging an all-around stat line of 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists per game, but he is also the league's All-Star vote leader! He is definitely one of the most popular stars in the league today! At the same time, he is also the first person in the league to hold the title of 'point forward'.
With his perfect image, formidable strength, dazzling playing style, and top-notch physical attributes, he became the league's top choice for "Jordan's successor" after Jordan's first retirement!
After all, in this league full of rough men, all of whom are semi-literate and come from the slums, Hill, a gentle and refined young nobleman from the middle class who is skilled in playing the piano, is truly a breath of fresh air in the league!
The only pity is that he is not in bustling Los Angeles, not in the affluent Bay Area, and not in Washington, D.C., where politicians abound.
He was in Detroit, a car city full of blue-collar workers, laborers, and a torrent of steel!
From the day he arrived here, he didn't quite fit in with the city. Although the fans liked him, they didn't really like him that much.
Detroiters prefer bad boys like Isaiah Thomas to a rich young master!
As a result, after failing to help Detroit make a breakthrough in the playoffs, Hill has faced increasing criticism.
Many people predict that Hill could leave at any time to play for a city that is more suitable for him.
The people of Detroit didn't seem to care much about this; they genuinely disliked Hill.
In addition to the two gentlemen, Hill and Dumars, the team's second-leading scorer is the renowned "Mid-Range King" Allan Houston! He is averaging 19.7 points per game this season, and his mid-range shooting form and accuracy are among the best in the league, making him one of the best players in that area!
With the addition of former All-Star Thorpe and others, this Pistons team, while lacking its former grime and toughness, is definitely not an easy nut to crack!
Of course, whether it's easy to bite depends on the opponent's bite force.
For example, they would have a very easy time against the 74-win Bulls!
After all, the Bulls are now an invincible Tyrannosaurus Rex! Let alone a tough nut to crack, even if a few lions or tigers came, they would only be torn to pieces by the Bulls!
In the 1990s, the first round of the NBA playoffs still adopted the best-of-five format. The first two games were played at the home court of the team with home-court advantage, and the next two games were played at the away court. If there was a decisive game, it would be played back at the home court of the team with home-court advantage in a decisive fifth game!
Of course, almost no one in the league believed that the Pistons could hold on until then. A poll conducted by CBS before the start of the playoffs showed that 94% of people thought the Bulls would sweep the series, while 5% thought the Pistons could steal a win.
Less than 1% of people believe the Pistons can make it to Game 5 or even win...
This shows just how much of a shadow the Bulls' 74 wins in the regular season and Lin Tian's incredible performance in the last two regular season games cast on the league!
Unstoppable!
Unrivaled!
Even after resting several key players, they were able to easily crush and defeat two bottom-ranked teams in the league with just their sixth man, Lin Tian. The strength and bench depth of this team have made the entire league start to think: when they enter playoff mode, who can stop them?
At the very least, the Pistons can't stop them!
In the first two games of the first round of the playoffs at the United Center, the Pistons offered almost no resistance!
Grant Hill's piano skills were of no use against Jordan and Pippen's relentless harassment and relentless targeting throughout the game!
前两场比赛，希尔场均只有35%的命中率，场均数据更是下降到了14分5篮板3助攻！相比较常规赛的20+10+7，几乎直接腰斩！
With Hill locked down by the Bulls and unable to continue supplying him with firepower, Houston's shooting percentage and stats also dropped significantly due to the inability to get comfortable shots!
The only Pistons player who could maintain his regular season level was Dumars, but the current Dumars is no longer the NBA's top star who won the Finals MVP. He is just an old player on the verge of retirement, and his strength alone is simply no match for the terrifyingly powerful Bulls!
Even though he averaged 18 points with a 49% field goal percentage in the first two games, it couldn't change the fact that the team lost by 18 and 17 points respectively in the first two games!
In these two games, the Bulls effortlessly dismantled their former rivals, as if playing a game. Jordan averaged only 27 minutes per game, yet still managed to put up impressive numbers of 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. Pippen also averaged only 29 minutes per game, but still managed to score 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists!
With the team's two stars playing so effortlessly, and the rest of the team performing well, the Bulls' victory was both reasonable and incredibly easy!
If the Bulls showed any hidden dangers or loopholes in the first two games, it was Lin Tian. In these two games, Lin Tian, who had performed well in the regular season, especially in the last two games, suddenly couldn't shoot and lost all his shooting touch!
Although he can still score 6 points per game through fast breaks, he is almost completely unsuccessful in half-court sets!
Their three-point shooting percentage is only 19%, and their mid-range and long two-point shooting percentages are only 27%!
Even worse, his free throw percentage dropped from 77% in the regular season to 49%, and even his field goal percentage at the rim dropped from a league-leading 66% to a failing 45%!
Lin Tian's condition is absolutely terrible!
Many people don't understand what happened to Lin Tian. Why did he suddenly stop playing basketball and scoring? After all, the Pistons didn't target him at all, nor did they have any extra effort to target him.
Even Phil Jackson didn't understand why he was in this situation. All Jackson could do was let Lin Tian play more games so that he could regain his rhythm.
For example, in Game 2 of the series, Lin Tian continued to play even after the game entered garbage time. He played for more than 35 minutes and had unlimited shooting rights in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, he had the most playing time on the team with 38 minutes and took a crazy 24 shots.
但最后得到的，却是24投8中，3分球5投1中，罚球4罚2中，只拿到了19分3篮板5助攻。
就这，已经比林天首战的9投3中，拿下8分3篮板2助攻要好的多了！
It's fair to say that Lin Tian's performance was absolutely terrible!
Of course, while others might not know what was going on with Lin Tian, Lin Tian himself knew very well.
Roddick's trait is the culprit!
He had become accustomed to the feeling and muscle memory brought about by his previous physical condition, and every time he shot, layup, or passed a ball, he had a very habitual way of exerting force and a very habitual way of doing so.
But now that his strength has increased, Lin Tian's previous methods are not working for the time being, and he needs to adapt!
The original feeling was that the ball would hit the back edge of the rim with great force when thrown, but if he tried to control the force, he couldn't control it at all. Lin Tian even threw a three-ball miss during the game, which was ridiculed by Jordan and Pippen sitting on the sidelines!
Lin Tian didn't have a good solution to the problem of his team winning big while he lost his shooting touch due to a sudden increase in strength.
Even though I, Lin Da Guanren, am a transmigrator and have a system, I am not omnipotent!
All Lin Tian can do is practice and shoot as much as possible! Try to regain his form as soon as possible!
He practiced shooting like crazy before and after the games, and on days when Jackson didn't assign any training tasks!
Before and after each game, each player should attempt 200 three-pointers and 200 mid-range jump shots after a pick-and-roll.
When there are no competitions, I throw 300 shots each in the morning, noon and evening, totaling 1000 shots a day!
Lin Tian knew that in this situation, there was no way to quickly regain muscle memory except through hard training and by taking more shots!
Many outsiders believe that Lin Tian's slump is because he has finally hit the "rookie wall"!
The so-called "rookie wall" refers to a period in which a promising rookie player suddenly experiences a slump and poor performance. This is because opponents have figured out their playing style and start targeting them, causing their performance to decline.
If he can quickly adapt to this targeted approach and regain his previous form, then this rookie will absolutely be considered top-tier! He has an unlimited future!
Some people can quickly regain their composure, while others take a long time to solve the problem.
Some players even have to wait until the following season, through intensive training in the summer, to regain their initial competitive form.
Of course, there are also many people who simply can't get back into form, and some even become completely discouraged and quickly disappear from the league.
As to which type Lin Tianhui is, at least for now, no one can say for sure.
Of course, besides the rookie wall, some people also believe that Lin Tian's heart wasn't strong enough, he didn't dare to take responsibility, couldn't handle the intensity of the playoffs, and was overwhelmed by the pressure of the playoffs, which led to his poor performance.
But no matter what happened to Lin Tian, or whether he can quickly regain his touch, the game waits for no one. After two days of rest, the Bulls will head to the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit, the place that brought Jordan countless pains.
Even though everything has changed and his former rivals are no longer there, Jordan will always remember how dirty the fans were and how vicious their insults were. He absolutely does not want to lose a game here! He will not give the Pistons any chance, nor will he give the Detroit fans any chance!
"Sweep!"
Before the game, Jordan, in a very rare move, gathered all his teammates together and gave a speech: "I only want this one result! I won't accept any other scoreline for advancing! Kill the Detroiters! Sweep them! Beat them to a pulp!"
"I will make them fear us forever, and forever regret what they did to me! Do you understand?"
"clear!"
"If the team loses tonight because of any one person's poor performance, you know what awaits you! One last thing: our goal tonight is..."
"Sweep!"
After everyone finished chanting their slogans, the entire Bulls team was united and ready to give the Pistons a good beating and end their season tonight!
"Lin, can you get back into form tonight?" Jordan suddenly called out to Lin Tian after everyone had headed toward the court.
"I'll give it my all." Lin Tian patted his chest, his eyes equally determined. "I might still miss shots, but I'll make things even worse for the guy I'm guarding!"
"Very good." Jordan nodded and said, "But if you get a chance, I'll allow you to keep shooting! Don't be afraid of missing; with me here, I'll bring you victory!"
"I don't need your permission to shoot! But you, don't let the crazy fans at Auburn Hills remind you of the time you got beaten up by them and make you cower in fear!" Lin Tian punched Jordan. Although the two were still bickering, it was more of a habit!
At the same time, it's also a way for these two guys to cheer each other on!
Jordan and Lin Tian both knew that the constant bickering and matchups in training throughout the season had made them perhaps the two people on the team who understood each other the most!
"You think I'd back down?" Jordan scoffed. "They'll be too scared to even utter a trash talk when they see me!"
After saying this, Jordan stopped arguing with Lin Tian and walked straight to the player tunnel, heading towards the Malice at the Palace.
Lin Tian followed closely behind. Before the two of them even left the tunnel, the crazy shouts and curses from inside the stadium had already come crashing down on them!
Detroit fans don't care whether it's 2-0 or 0-2!
What they want is to verbally abuse people! To vent their frustrations!
Although Salt Lake City has become the most notorious and intimidating home court in the United States with the rise of the Jazz, and their fans are among the most unpopular and unscrupulous, that's only because their team is strong and has high media exposure!
When the Detroit Bad Boys dominated the league, the Palace of Auburn Hills was the NBA's number one intimidating home court! The fans there were the craziest and most unbridled lunatics in the entire country!
"Michael! You're utterly rotten!"
"You'll never beat a bad kid in his prime!"
"Isaiah's pubic hair is better than yours!"
"See Lambiel? He could smash your brains out with one punch!"
"Trash! Remember how I fucked your ass last night? You were screaming so hard last night!"
"You coward! Why don't you walk the streets of Detroit? I guarantee you'll lose everything when you get back to Chicago!"
Seeing Lin Tian walk into the arena, Jackson greeted him with a smile, saying, "Don't worry, they're all paper tigers. Even if you gave them the guts, they wouldn't actually pounce on a professional player and fight."
Lin Tian really wanted to tell Jackson that they might actually get into a fight with the players, but Jackson's intention in talking to him was clearly not just to comfort him. Instead, he continued to ask, "Lin, how are you feeling tonight? I heard from Clemens that you've been training like crazy these past few days?"
"I probably pushed myself too hard at the end of the season, which made my muscles a bit stiff and I couldn't find my shooting touch, that's all," Lin Tian shrugged and said casually. "I'm not sure if I can find my shooting touch tonight, but I'll do my best to help the team win!"
"My confidence and condition are both fine!"
Seeing Lin Tian's confident demeanor, Jackson nodded in satisfaction and said, "You have to understand, Michael also has times when he's not in good form and misses shots, but helping the team win involves much more than just scoring, you understand? Even if you don't make shots, you still have plenty of ways to help the team!"
"Don't worry, Coach, I'm really fine!" Lin Tian patted Jackson on the shoulder and said, "But you, don't be nervous! You haven't played in the Detroit playoffs for five years, have you? Show them what you're made of, let them know who the king is here!"
Watching Lin Tian turn and leave, Jackson was truly at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated.
Is this kid really not nervous at all?
His poor performance in the first two games didn't seem to bother him at all.
Then, the idea that had surfaced in Jackson's mind many times this season re-emerged—
"Magic Johnson might be right. This kid might actually become a milestone figure?"
Just as Lin Tian was warming up on the court, wanting to seize the last opportunity to take a few shots and test his shooting touch, he suddenly noticed a familiar face on the sidelines! And that guy was even waving at him!
"Mr. President, don't you usually watch the game in a private room? Why are you in the front row this time?" Lin Tian walked up to David Stern, who kept greeting him, and asked.
At the same time, as Lin Tian walked toward Stern, the fans in the stadium erupted in huge boos and curses!
"Black whistle! Guaranteed pass! Trash Asian! You've finished the season this way, haven't you?!"
"The league doesn't want us to win! They only want the Bulls to win!"
"Fuck you! Trash Stern! You think you're worthy of being CEO?"
"Where's my gun? I'm going to kill this stupid Jew!"
"Looks like talking to you will just get you a lot of scolding for no reason!" Lin Tian looked at Stern and laughed easily.
Stern looked more relaxed than Lin Tian, but at the same time, Lin Tian also saw a lot of tension in Stern's eyes!
"Lin, I was in China 48 hours ago! I just flew to New York this morning and came straight here," Stern suddenly said. "I don't want to put pressure on you, but I expect you to play well tonight!"
"Because tonight, in your homeland, for the first time in the history of China Sports Channel, a game other than the Finals and the All-Star Game will be broadcast live!"
"Furthermore, we've reached some preliminary agreements and broadcast plans. At the very least, they'll be broadcasting all of the Bulls' playoff games live this year! You know what that means, right?"
"Does that mean my team can become the NBA's exclusive official partner in China? I can make a fortune in US dollars?" Lin Tian's eyes immediately lit up. Who wouldn't like money?
"That's still a long way off. Even if we can't develop our business and publicity in China as quickly and effectively as possible, it will still take at least 2-3 years before it's your turn. But what you said is also true!" Stern said with a smile, "If you perform well enough and play at a high enough level that your compatriots completely fall in love with you..."
"Anything is possible!"
At this point, Lin Tian understood. Stern had come here to cheer him on. Stern was probably the one among all the people watching this game who most wanted Lin Tian to play well and play brilliantly!
He really needs Lin Tian to play well to continue the ratings miracle of the All-Star Rookie Game in China!
He needs an opportunity to break into the Chinese market!
The opportunity has arrived. Now it all depends on Lin Tian's performance. If he continues his terrible performance from the previous two games, although he may not completely lose fans, many people will definitely be disappointed.
After all, they weren't there to see plumber Jordan, shoehorn-faced Pippen, or flashy Rodman.
They came to see Lin Tian!
At this moment, China once again ushered in a peak of football viewing!
Although, as Stern said, their cooperation was just reached and Huaxia Sports only promoted the game for two days, firstly, the NBA already had a group of initial fans and viewers in China; secondly, today happens to be Saturday in China; and thirdly, Lin Tian's performance in the Rising Stars Challenge is still deeply imprinted in the minds of many people!
They eagerly turned on the TV, wanting to see if the basketball prodigy who had amazed them three months ago could still bring glory to the country and deliver a brilliant performance!
"5%! Director! 5%! The ratings have already reached 5% before the game even started!" In the office of Huaxia Sports Channel, the director of the sports channel was holding his thermos tightly in his hand, so excited that he could hardly speak!
A match that wasn't advertised beforehand actually had such high viewership from the very beginning!
If these ratings can be maintained, who in their right mind would go to Europe to lick the soles of those white guys' shoes, keep adding more money, and negotiate broadcasting partnerships with them!
The NBA is fucking free!
It's free and has a lot of viewers, is there a better competition than this?
Inside the Shanghai Sports Team, a slender giant, already over 210 centimeters tall, turned on the TV with an expectant look and exclaimed, "Wei! Wei! Come watch the game! You're a point guard too. If you can play at Lin Tian's level, we can both make it to the NBA!"
"I'll still pass you the ball then." A noticeably shorter boy, but still clearly an athlete, stood next to the tall man, his eyes full of longing. "But I won't be giving you my lunch then! We'll both be rich by then! I'm going to eat hamburgers every day!"
"Yao Ming, do you think we could both make it to the NBA?"
"Of course! We're the best duo in all of Shanghai! In three years, we'll be the best duo in the whole country! In five years, we'll be the best duo in the entire NBA!"
Meanwhile, at a closed training base of China, more than 20 tall and strong players, led by their coach, were gathered in the training hall to watch the game.
"Coach Gong, what game are we watching this time? What game is worth you watching with us in person? Why don't we play one-on-one? I just learned a three-dribble one-on-one technique, it's so much fun!" A young man with a smile on his face sat in a chair, looking nonchalant.
"Tiger, that's enough! The coach told you to watch, so just watch! Stop babbling!" A burly man with a fierce face, who looked like he was not to be trifled with, grumbled, "Instead of wasting your time studying one-on-one basketball, go practice your shooting!"
"Brother Liu, you have no sense of humor at all. I was just joking." The burly man, nicknamed Tiger, obviously didn't dare to offend this person and could only shake his head helplessly.
"Dazhi, didn't you want to go to the NBA? You can watch their games and see how far you are from that level!" On the other side, a burly man with obvious Mongolian ancestry had his arm around a relatively slender giant next to him, with a big smile on his face.
"I'm still a bit behind them," he said, shaking his head. "Didn't I go to that Phoenix training camp last month? There were so many talented players there! The one who impressed me the most was a German guy named Krzyzewyn Kisvino, who played the same position as me! But his touch, footwork, and shooting were just... impossible to defend!"
"It's a pity that this guy's English is probably worse than his Chinese. Even my translator couldn't understand what he was saying, otherwise we could have had a proper conversation."
The man on the bus teased one person, but clearly still not satisfied, he continued, "And you, Lao Hu! Aren't you the Asian Jordan? Come on, let's see how big the gap is between you and the real Jordan!"
"Hey, Da Ba, shut up and just watch the game!" The man called Lao Hu waved his hand and said, "Aren't you supposed to be the Asian Shaq? If we ever get to the Eastern Conference Finals, you'll see just how far you are from Shaq!"
"O'Neal?" Big Ba chuckled, stroking his chin. "No need to look, I can take him down with one slap!"
"Yes, yes, you could knock everyone down with one slap! Just like you can drink eight people at a dinner party by yourself." The team's head coach, Coach Gong, clapped his hands and said, "Today's game is a live broadcast of the NBA playoffs! It's also the first time our country has broadcast a game other than the NBA Finals!"
"This is the highest level of basketball competition in the world, and I hope you all watch it carefully and learn from it! I don't expect you to learn a lot from it, but many of these players will become our opponents in the Olympics! So I hope that you, at the very least, know just how strong your opponents are!"
"Also, there's one of our own guys in there, a point guard, the Bulls' sixth man! You guys should take a good look at him, maybe this summer he'll become our teammate! And play in the Olympics with us!"
"Wow, that's the guy who scored 25 points in 3 minutes in the NBA rookie game, right? Lao Hu, you're our best scorer on the perimeter, do you think you can do it?" Another tall guy, who was clearly over 210 centimeters tall, continued to ask.
"What do you think, Lao Dan? If I could do that, I would have been out earning US dollars long ago! Why would I be wasting my breath talking to you?" Lao Hu rolled his eyes and didn't continue the conversation.
But judging from his eyes, it was clear that this guy cared a lot about who could score more points between himself and Lin Tian!
He was holding his breath, eager to see just how good Lin Tian really was!
Comparing scores? Within Asia, he's always been number one! He absolutely refuses to acknowledge second place!
"Standing up! Standing up! This is CCTV broadcasting the first round of the 1995-1996 NBA playoffs! This is our first time broadcasting a game other than the NBA Finals. We hope you enjoy the game!"
Song Shixiong's voice came out on time, and the discussions across the country immediately quieted down. Everyone wanted to see how this match would go!
For the Bulls, they continued with their usual starting lineup for the second half of the season: Longley, Rodman, Kukoc, Pippen, and Jordan!
This "death lineup" includes three defensive players of Defensive Player of the Year caliber and Longley, a big man whose offense is mediocre but whose role as a meat shield is absolutely reliable. In an era where three-pointers, passing and cutting, and various offensive tactics such as run-and-gun and Princeton offense are not yet prevalent, this lineup is absolutely capable of both offense and defense!
The Pistons, on the other hand, made a slight change to their starting lineup, with veteran Joe Dumars relegated to the bench, and Grant Hill and Allan Houston forming the backcourt!
This tactical change is very rare in this era. After all, although Hill is known as the first top-class point forward in history, it is really the first time that he has been allowed to control the ball and organize the attack for the whole game!
Add to that Don Reed, Otis Thorpe, and the promising rookie center, Theo Ratliff, a future multiple-time blocks champion! The Pistons have actually fielded a death lineup of five big men!
In this lineup, only Allan Houston is under 2 meters tall; all the players are over 203 centimeters tall!
The two sides, one large and the other large, are about to begin their duel!
"Hello everyone, as you can see, the Asian face sitting on the bench is Lin Tian, a player from China. He's a rookie this year and graduated from the Psychology Department of the University of Pennsylvania, which is ranked among the top 3 in the world. He's an absolute high achiever!"
As the camera panned to the scene, Song Shixiong began to introduce the match, and... well, he began to introduce Lin Tian.
"Furthermore, his professionalism allows him to utilize his strong analytical skills and ability to read his opponent's mind during matches, enabling him to execute many unbelievable rallies! He is an absolute genius player and a player who plays with his brain."
"Currently, Lin Tian plays the role of the sixth man for the Bulls. This term may be unfamiliar to some viewers. As the name suggests, the sixth man is the team's primary substitute. He is the most important part of the Bulls' bench, which is somewhat like being the head of a chicken rather than the tail of a phoenix."
As Song Shixiong ignored everyone on the court and continued introducing Lin Tian, the match officially began!
The Pistons' strategy was very simple: on the defensive end, they collapsed their defense, allowing three-pointers and long-range two-pointers; on the offensive end, they relied on their backcourt duo and Thorpe's firepower to constantly create opportunities in the mid-range.
In addition, team leader Hill showed a rare fighting spirit and a do-or-die attitude tonight. He not only personally guarded Jordan, but also stayed with him all the time, as if he wanted to fight to the death tonight!
With Hill giving it his all against Jordan, the rest of the Pistons players also played at their highest level!
In the first quarter, although Hill's stamina dropped rapidly due to his constant battle with Jordan and he devoted too much energy to defense, resulting in only 2 points on 1 of 3 shots, he still delivered a whopping 7 assists! Under his orchestration.
Houston showcased their mid-range shooting prowess, going 5-for-7 from the field, including 1-for-1 from three-point range, for 11 points in the quarter. Thorpe also dominated the paint against Kukoc, scoring 8 points in the quarter. Ratliff and Reed also had solid performances. The Pistons had their best quarter of the series tonight, racking up 31 points!
On the defensive end, the Bulls were caught off guard by the Pistons' high intensity and struggled to cope. Ratliff recorded three blocks in the quarter alone, which significantly reduced the motivation of Pippen and others to attack the paint.
Kukoc once again exposed his old weakness of being too soft; when faced with Thorpe playing with all his might, he actually hesitated to shoot!
The only player on the team who performed normally was Jordan!
Despite Hill's relentless pressure, Jordan still managed to score 12 points in the quarter, preventing the Bulls from falling too far behind! However, his individual efforts were clearly insufficient to change the course of the game. At the end of the first quarter, the Bulls trailed by a full 10 points, 21-31!
At the start of the second quarter, Lin Tian finally came on as a substitute!
Countless fans across China were immediately dazzled!
Who wants to watch a bunch of identical bald black men playing basketball?
We've come to see Lin Tian!
"Look! The Bulls' rhythm wasn't great in the first quarter! They were deeply on the back foot! Bringing Lin Tian in at this point is to change the Bulls' rhythm and form! Let's see if Lin Tian can play his own style and save the team today!"
"Bang!"
Unfortunately, as soon as Song Shixiong finished speaking, the sound of a missed shot was heard on the court. Dumars, who was guarding Lin Tian, deliberately gave him a full 2 meters of open three-pointer space, but Lin Tian still failed to make the shot!
Lin Tian's poor shooting touch seemed to have infected Harper and Pippen, who played alongside him, and both of them missed their shots one after another!
At this moment, Dumars unleashed his superb shooting skills, hitting two consecutive three-pointers on offense, extending the lead to 16 points!
At this point, less than two minutes had passed since the start of the second quarter!
Jackson was helpless; he could only wave his hand, signaling Jordan, who had played the entire first quarter, to continue playing!
As Jordan returned, Hill on the opposing team did not hesitate and followed Jordan onto the court immediately.
Tonight, the man himself, Jordan, and the league's first Jordan successor are destined to be locked in a fierce battle for the entire game!
As soon as Jordan returned to the court, he quickly blew past Hill in the low post and scored 2 points with a light floater. But the Pistons were on fire tonight, and Hill turned around and hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc! They continued to extend their lead!
At that moment, the entire Auburn Hills Palace in Detroit erupted in deafening cheers and shouts, as if a new king had truly ascended the throne there!
Hill, the superstar loved by the entire league but disliked by the people of Detroit, finally earned the genuine respect of the Detroit people on this night!
(End of this chapter)