pdf-ebookys Chapter 134 First-hand intelligence on Rodman! From Minnesota
Chapter 134 First-hand intelligence on Rodman! From Minnesota
Chapter 134 Rodman's First-Hand Intelligence! The Angry Husky from Minnesota!
To Lin Tian's great regret, he was unable to get through to Jordan on the phone throughout the entire day.
With good intentions, Lin Tian could only call the nurses' station in Jordan's ward and ask a nurse to check if Jordan had sprained his other ankle...
Then, less than 5 minutes later, Lin Tian received a system notification.
"Michael Jordan experiences emotional fluctuations, dropping a 97-98 season Jordan trial card (full game)!"
Wow! Telekinesis! Hitting a cow across a mountain! Every profession has its own secrets!
How can the effect be so good? It directly gave away all the trial cards!
Then, filled with great curiosity, Lin Tian made another call to the hospital's nurses' station.
He wanted to ask Jordan what exactly was going on.
"Your friend died in the toilet! What right did he have to yell at us? We've seen more butts than he has! We see patients' butts every day! What right did he have to yell at us? Even if he died in the toilet, we wouldn't care anymore!"
A woman, presumably the head nurse, took the phone and launched into a tirade against Lin Tian before slamming the phone down.
In just a short time, Lin Tian was rudely hung up on twice.
But he was in a really great mood!
Happiness is that simple!
……
"I'm so happy today, so incredibly happy! We ordinary people, hey! We're so incredibly happy!"
The next morning, Lin Tian hummed a little tune and happily arrived at the arena. They were going to play against the Minnesota Timberwolves that night, so the team only had one very simple warm-up session that day.
When Lin Tian walked into the team's locker room, he was incredibly surprised to find that Rodman was there!
Upon seeing Rodman, Lin Tian dared not hesitate any longer and began taking off his clothes before even reaching the locker!
Rodman this season is basically the team's king of tardiness! It's considered very good if he arrives at training on time; most of the time, he either arrives just in time, is late, or doesn't even show up for some training sessions!
Seeing him here now, and no one else around, it goes without saying that training has already begun!
"Lin, what are you doing? Come sit down! I have a good story to share with you!" Rodman watched Lin Tian hurriedly change his clothes, but he was still in no hurry. He patted the empty seat next to him with a mysterious look on his face.
Then Lin Tian also realized what was happening—
Late my ass!
I was in a good mood today and arrived at the stadium an hour early, so how could I possibly be late?
After glancing at his watch again to make sure he hadn't misremembered the time, Lin Tian sat down next to Rodman: "Dude, what's wrong with you today? Usually, it's big news for the team if you're not late, but you're an hour early today."
"It's all to satisfy the curiosity of you bunch of bastards!" Rodman rolled his eyes and said, "Want to know more details about Michael's injury?"
"Of course! Tell me quickly!" Lin Tian's eyes lit up as well. This kind of gossip wasn't just something women liked!
"I got Steve completely drunk last night and got the firsthand information from him! As for Michael yesterday, actually..."
Before Rodman could finish speaking, a gasp came from outside the locker room.
"Lin, you're here, FUXX! Dennis?" Pippen's voice came through, and you could tell he was in a great mood for the first part of his sentence. But upon seeing Rodman, the guy immediately lost his composure: "Lin, what are you still doing here? Change your clothes! We're late!"
"Training's still a while away! Dennis came early today to tell us some stories. Come on, here's the freshest gossip!"
Lin Tian waved to Pippen, and then the three of them gathered together.
"FUXX! Dennis?" Another exclamation came from the doorway. Longley arrived as well: "What are you all still sitting there for? We're late!"
……
Thirty minutes later, the Bulls players were finally all present. Rodman's story had only just begun. He glanced around and asked, "Is everyone here?"
"Steve is still missing! He hasn't arrived yet." Wennington looked around and gave the personnel attendance report.
"Then there's no need to wait. He can't come today. He was carried home last night, and it's hard to say whether he'll even be able to play today." Rodman waved his hand, and Simpkins, the little brother closest to the locker room door, immediately went over and closed the door.
"So, everyone knows that Michael twisted his ankle while taking a dump yesterday, right? Do you know why he twisted his ankle? Or rather, what happened to him?" Rodman mysteriously raised a finger and lowered his voice.
"He did fall before we entered the ward, but he didn't sprain his ankle at the time."
"His legs went weak at the time, and when he tried to stand up, his legs gave way and he fell down. Perhaps the hospital toilets had been under too much strain these past two days, or perhaps Michael's butt was too big and got stuck on the toilet."
"Anyway, whatever the reason, when Michael fell, he knocked over the toilet too! The whole toilet ended up on top of him!"
"No wonder!" Wennington chimed in, "No wonder when I went in, the bathroom floor was all wet, and Michael's pants were wet too! It wasn't water, it was..."
Wennington's voice stopped abruptly. He knew what he had said and quickly stopped, but it was obviously too late. Everyone could guess what had happened and what the water stains on Jordan's body were.
"Then, after hearing us come in, Michael, not wanting to embarrass himself, tried to lift the toilet back into place. At that moment, he was too anxious and worried, so he lost his balance and twisted his left ankle. But why do we say that Michael is the most mentally strong person in this league?"
"Even in that situation, Michael gritted his teeth and managed to lift the toilet up," Rodman chuckled, slapping his thigh. "And then, you thought he was lying on the floor because his foot was hurting so much? Actually, he was trying to cover up some traces, some rather disgusting traces he'd brought out of the toilet!"
"Steve said he almost died on the spot when he helped Michael up from the floor; the scene was truly..."
Rodman stopped talking at this point, because everyone had a disgusting, nauseating image in their minds that made it impossible to think about it any further.
Finally, everyone's reaction became surprisingly consistent.
"Poor Michael, he's so unlucky!"
Well... no one dared to say anything more.
After all, that's Michael Jordan. There are only two and a half people on this team who aren't afraid of Jordan: Lin Tian, Rodman, and Pippen, who's inconsistent. No one else would dare to talk about Jordan so arrogantly in the locker room. If he heard them, they would definitely be in big trouble!
But despite their reluctance, the Bulls' locker room at that moment was filled with an atmosphere of joy!
This joy continued until the game against the Timberwolves that evening. During the team's usual final pre-game meeting, Jackson found that the entire Bulls team was distracted and whispering amongst themselves. Frustrated, he slapped a blackboard onto the floor!
"Thump!"
After a loud bang, Jackson finally managed to get everyone's attention back on him.
"Tonight, our opponent is the Minnesota Timberwolves! They're one of the youngest teams in the league, only in their eighth year! And in the previous seven years, they never made the playoffs once—they were a complete bottom-feeder!"
"However, this team is different this year, starting with their fifth overall pick from high school last year, Kevin Garnett!"
"This young man has had a breakout season. His scoring, defense, and playmaking abilities have all been impressive. Many people believe that within three years, he will become one of the NBA's top and best interior players! Including me! But of course, Garnett also has many weaknesses!"
"He's only 19 years old. His physical strength, experience, and refinement in certain details are still far from sufficient. When facing him, whether on offense or defense, remember to give him contact and engage in as much physical contact as possible to push him out of the paint and force him to shoot!"
"Luke, this skinny rookie is in your hands. Use your strength and power to make sure he can't even stand on the court!"
"And then there's their team's leading scorer this year, Michael's junior, Tom Gugliotta from North Carolina, who is another skilled floor-type big man, good at mid-range shooting, and has a knack for stepping down after a shooting fake."
"Dennis, you're in charge of dealing with this soft, squishy white guy! I want him to never get into the paint for the entire game!"
"Then, there's their rookie they just got this year. For half of last year, he was the top pick, the new generation of talented point guard, Stephon Marbury. Recently, many people have been calling this guy the strongest point guard of the new generation! His vision, speed, dazzling dribbling, and terrifying penetration ability are all amazing."
As Jackson finished speaking, he turned and glanced at Lin Tian.
He said this hoping that Lin Tian would jump up and say something harsh, then declare that he was the strongest of the new generation.
Unexpectedly, Lin Tian acted as if he hadn't heard anything and remained seated, motionless.
"Lin, some people say he's the best point guard of the new generation, what do you think?" Since Lin Tian wouldn't respond, Jackson had no choice but to take the initiative and ask.
"I don't really watch it. I think whoever says it's an idiot, and whoever believes it is a moron." Lin Tian shrugged and said, "Why would I get angry with a rookie and a bunch of people who don't understand football? It's just asking for trouble."
FUXX!
Jackson cursed inwardly.
He could clearly see the flirtatious intent on Lin Tian's face.
This little rascal, flirting with me, the head coach?
Jackson looked at Lin Tian, and after a few seconds, he chose to surrender.
He needed to boost morale and help the team shake off the low spirits caused by Jordan's absence. Unfortunately, after cursing the damn little fox a hundred times in his mind, he could only say, "Originally, I was hoping you could have a head-to-head matchup with him in this game, and I was prepared to give you a lot of opportunities to shoot and organize the offense."
"But since you don't care, I can only..."
"Of course I care! Coach! Of course I care!" Lin Tian jumped up from his chair!
Lin Tian glanced smugly at Jackson, then, as Jackson wished, raised his hand and said, "I know very well who Stephon Marbury is, and I know he's provoked me in the media several times this season, both openly and subtly! And he's not just provoking me!"
"I remember it clearly. He said that I only have so many opportunities to perform and so much attention because of Michael's support! Without Michael, I am nothing!"
"Including just last night! He even told reporters in Minnesota that the Bulls without Jordan were nothing, that he would easily take care of me, and that his teammates would take care of you, they would take care of all of us! Guys, think about it, was he saying that to me?"
"No! Absolutely not! He's targeting everyone in the audience! He just thinks our team is useless without Michael, just an ordinary playoff team! But I have to say, Michael is great, that's true, he's our leader!"
"But even without him, we are still very strong!"
"That's right! Even without Michael, we're still a top team! We're still the strongest!" Pippen, tired of being second best and being mocked countless times for it, was the first to stand up and say, "Beat them by 30 points! Let them know how great we are! Let them feel our ferocity!"
"We can still win without Michael! We can still sweep this league!"
"Roar roar roar!"
"Scott is right! Don't underestimate us!"
Seeing how Lin Tian and Pippen had quickly brought the team back from their distracted and carefree state and into the game with just a few words, Jackson nodded in satisfaction. He continued, "Very good! This is the attitude I want! This fighting spirit is what I need!"
"Tonight, we'll beat them by 30 points! We'll crush them!"
"Beat them by 30 points!"
"Drive them back to Minnesota!"
"Shave all their wolf fur! Let them go back naked!"
"Great, guys! Great! That's the spirit! So, apart from these three, the rest of Minnesota's players are nothing. As long as we can control two of them, we can easily win this game!"
"Finally, we still can't underestimate this Timberwolves team! Although their record is currently below 50%, they are temporarily in eighth place in the West, and they are determined to make the playoffs this season! In a game where our star player is absent, they will definitely go all out and try their best to win!"
"Alright, that's settled. Everyone, let's head to the stadium! Let's give the Chicago fans another great performance!"
As Jackson spoke, the Bulls players roared again, then got up together and ran towards the arena.
The United Center was still packed to capacity, having sold out countless games in a row and holding the league record for consecutive sold-out games.
As soon as the fans saw their team enter the arena, they erupted in deafening cheers! Even without Jordan, the Chicago fans' love for this team will not diminish in the slightest; they will still cheer for the team with all their passion!
The Timberwolves, who arrived at the arena earlier, were a young team in every sense of the word. The team's two core players, Marbury and Garnett, were not even 20 years old yet, and the team's leading scorer, Gugliotta, was only 27 years old and in the prime of his career.
With the addition of Dean Garnett, a blue-collar center who just turned 29 and who has no blood relation to another Garnett, and Doug West, a 28-year-old shooting guard, the Timberwolves' starting lineup has an average age of just 25, making them the youngest and most inexperienced team in the entire league!
This season marks the first time in their many years of existence that they have a chance to make the playoffs!
For the first time this season, they've turned this team out of the minnows!
Of course, that's all there is to it, because Kevin Garnett is still developing, and it will take the team a few more years to reach their peak. Of course, their peak is just that.
After all, this team is not quite normal, from feng shui to management. Otherwise, it wouldn't have only won two rounds of playoffs in 30 years, and spent 80% of the years in the lottery.
Look at the Heat and Mavericks who entered the league at the same time as them; they all got on track early on. On the contrary, this Timberwolves team, which has a historic super center like Garnett, was able to win the lottery three times in a row from 05 to 07 during Garnett's peak!
Even if Lin Tian's grandmother were to manage the Timberwolves, they wouldn't be able to win three consecutive lottery picks with a prime Garnett.
It's unbelievable that someone would say such a thing!
Of course, the management can't be entirely blamed. Knowing that the team owner was stingy and the team wasn't making money, Garnett was unwilling to take a penny less on his salary. In the 2000s, when the average maximum salary in the entire league was around $15 million, he was on a supermax salary of $28 million, taking up half of the team's salary cap, and the team really had no way to strengthen the team.
Between money and achievements, Garnett chose money.
Of course, in the current Timberwolves team, Garnett is not the team leader. The team leader is Gugliotta. He is not even the second-in-command. The arrogant rookie Marbury, who likes to act as the big brother, seems more like the second brother. The current Garnett is more like a super versatile player with top potential!
He can do almost anything, whether it's dribbling, driving, shooting, passing, defense, rebounding, or anything else, he can do it all, but for now, he doesn't have any skill that's at the top level.
Looking at the youthful and slender Garnett and the arrogant Marbury beside him, Lin Tian once again felt a strange sensation.
How can I describe this feeling? There's a famous Chinese saying that puts it well!
Better to break up ten marriages than to demolish one temple!
This pair of wolf cubs looks like they'd be better off being separated!
Let them go their separate ways, and then experience all sorts of failures, and taste the bitterness of society!
However, before Lin Tian could get up to sow discord between the two and plant a seed of estrangement, Marbury and Garnett had already walked towards him together.
Marbury looked arrogant, clearly not there to pay a visit to his seniors.
This kid seems to still be angry that I stole his AND 1 endorsement?
So let's start sowing discord from this point!
"Kid, are you ready to get crushed and brought back to reality? I watched your last game video; you only got 70 points because you were on fire that day! Let me tell you, I'm on fire tonight too! I can score a score you can't even imagine! Guess how many points I can get tonight?"
"5 points? I really can't imagine someone who scores 5 points would actively provoke me." Lin Tian looked at Marbury, then suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "Fuck! I remembered wrong, I thought you were Ray Allen. I was just thinking, how come Allen is suddenly only 178 centimeters tall!"
"Sorry, Alan and I are close, we often joke around, please don't take it to heart."
"Stephen Marbury's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 20 experience points!"
Wow! I just got a free experience point?
This young man is so easy to fool. One piece of trash talk is enough for him to reveal his expertise. If I, Lin Da Guanren, were to trash talk him all night long...
We still have to send it!
"I'm Stephon Marbury!" Marbury's eyes widened. Lin Tian's blatant ignorance instantly ignited his anger. "And also, I'm 188 cm tall! Not 178!"
Is this guy blind? I'm so far from Ray Allen, how could he mistake me?
"I know, I know, Malibu! I've seen you play. You're from UCLA, right? I saw you last year when we played an away game in Los Angeles! You played a great game!"
"I didn't go to school in Los Angeles! And I'm Stephon Marbury! Not Malibu!" Marbury's eyes widened as he shouted, "My university is Georgia Tech!"
"Stephen Marbury's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 20 experience points!"
"Oh, I remember now, Marbury! Right, Stephon Marbury! Isn't he? The one who thought he was so great, who thought he was on par with Iverson, and then got completely thrashed by Iverson, so badly he couldn't even lift his head!"
"I didn't get destroyed by Allen! I even beat him last time we played! Our team won!" Marbury felt his anger rising to the top of his head. How could there be such an annoying person? No wonder this kid is so mean, stealing my endorsement!
What's wrong with this Lin? He's spouting nonsense, like he has dementia; not a single word he says makes any sense.
"Stephen Marbury's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 20 experience points!"
"Okay, okay, you didn't get completely destroyed by him." Lin Tianyan's gaze towards Marbury at this moment was no different from that of someone looking at a free experience point.
If I don't get 500 experience points tonight, will I, Lord Lin, ever need to go out and meet people again?
Spray! Spray him to death!
"So what do you want from me? Hmm... my good buddy, what do you want from me?"
"Stephen Marbury! You can't even remember my name, which is so easy to remember? Do you have dyslexia?" Marbury stared at Lin Tian, his eyes still blazing with anger.
"Tom Gugliotta! Kevin Garnett! Doug West! Dean Garnett! I know all the other starters on your team. I'm just too lazy to remember the names of those mediocre players and trash. By the way, what's your name again?" Lin Tian continued to attack Marbury's fragile self-esteem!
"Ste..." This time, Marbury only managed two syllables before stopping his self-introduction. Even if he were stupid, he could tell that Lin Tian was deliberately toying with him, so he uttered a harsh threat: "After tonight, you'll remember my name! You'll pay for everything you've done!"
"Everything I've done?" Lin Tian continued to provoke him. "I can understand you wanting to beat me to a pulp—the bigger the tree, the more the wind blows! But everything I've done? What have I done? Do we have a grudge?"
"AND 1!" Marbury snarled. "AND 1 had already reached an agreement with me before signing you, but you shameless bastard, you stole my endorsement! You stole my opportunity! You don't want to admit it, do you?!"
"Endorsement? Snatch it!" Lin Tian suddenly clapped his hands, startling Marbury so much he almost jumped up. Then Lin Tian said, "So you're the rookie Austin was talking about, the one who's insignificant! It's you! I thought it was Allen."
"By the way, you don't not know who Austin is, do you? One of the three founders of AND 1, the other two are Berg and..."
"I know them! Of course I know them! They were having a great chat with me! If it weren't for you, you bastard..."
"If I hadn't asked for too high a price, they could have signed both of us at the same time? You mean Malibu?" Lin Tian finally revealed a wicked smile. "Have you ever thought about why they would use the money to sign two people but end up signing only me?"
"Why would they be willing to give me the biggest shoe contract in NBA history, but not even a sip of soup? Sfindy, you need to think about that! Instead of blaming me."
"Stephen Marbury's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 30 experience points!"
Lin Tian touched his nose and said with a smile, "By the way, lastly, Spendi, do you want to know what those AND 1 founders you've never met said to me? You can read, right? You've read the newspapers, right? Their rhetoric is exactly the same as what West used to persuade O'Neal."
"We gave up the signing rights to some nobody to free up more working capital for you, Lin. That's our sincerity! Join AND 1!"
"That Tom, Dick, and Harry they were talking about, could it be you?!" At this point, Lin Tian exaggeratedly covered his mouth, looking at Marbury with a scheming expression.
"Stephen Marbury's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 100 experience points!"
"I'm going to beat you to death today!" Marbury said again before turning around and pulling Garnett, who hadn't said a word, away.
"Kevin, he's just some nobody, but you're not. I think you have the potential to be an MVP, so are you really going to acknowledge this guy as your boss? Are you sure?"
Lin Tian watched the two men's backs, still unwilling to give up, and continued to hurl insults. Unfortunately, Garnett and Marbury didn't even turn their heads and walked towards their own half of the court.
Oh, what a great experience point, gone just like that.
If Marbury could stand here and talk to him for another thirty minutes, Lin Tian felt he could gain at least 5000 experience points!
Unfortunately, we can only wait until the match begins.
Ten minutes later, the starting players from both sides took to the court again. Facing the Timberwolves' starting lineup, where all three starters were over 208 cm tall, Jackson did not let Kerr replace Jordan tonight, but instead put Kukoc, who was also over 208 cm tall, in the starting lineup.
Of course, Lin Tian felt that Jackson's sudden decision to field a big lineup wasn't necessarily aimed at the Timberwolves; it was simply because he felt it was time to use a big lineup today. After all, Jackson's style, how should I put it...
Jackson's biggest habit when coaching was having no habits.
He plays a large lineup when he's happy, and a small lineup when he's in a good mood.
As for what combination the other side had, he never seemed to care.
On the Timberwolves' side, it was the five players who helped them achieve the best half-season record in franchise history: Garnett, another Garnett, Gugliotta, Marbury, and West.
The Timberwolves were all eager to get started, their faces beaming with anticipation. Needless to say, their head coach, Saunders, had given them a pep talk before the game, saying things like, "With Michael out, this is our chance," "Beat the Bulls and you'll be famous," and "Don't be afraid, the Bulls are just a paper tiger."
These words are repeated at least 30 times by the coaches of every opponent of the Bulls. However, in most cases, these words are just repeated and have no other meaning.
If a few motivational quotes can defeat the Bulls, then how could the Bulls have maintained an unbelievable record and ranked first in the league for two consecutive years?
As soon as the referee blew the whistle, both centers jumped up at the same time!
However, Garnett jumped high.
As for Longley, compared to Garnett, he just seemed to barely touch the ground with his toes.
Marbury gained possession of the ball on the first offensive possession.
Without thinking, he spread his arms wide and made a gesture for an isolation tactic.
He's going to take on Lin Tian one-on-one!
"How arrogant! Malibu, you're asking for death!" Lin Tian slammed his hand on the floor, displaying the same arrogant and ready-to-fight attitude!
However, the other hand he held behind his back made a completely different gesture.
Double-team the player with the ball!
Help defend Marbury's drive!
"insidious!"
Longley, Kukoc, Pippen, and Rodman all had the same thought pop into their heads at the same time.
Marbury calmly dribbled the ball all the way to Lin Tian's front, and then the basketball suddenly turned into a series of orange afterimages!
As expected of one of the top point guards in the 96 golden generation, and a first-class star who made a name for himself in New York and was nicknamed "Son of New York," Marbury's dribbling can only be described as dazzling and unparalleled!
If he hadn't been so arrogant and unwilling to change his playing style, he would definitely have been selected as an All-Star twice in his career!
After showcasing a series of fancy moves, Marbury suddenly launched an attack!
With a quick, one-handed change of direction, he slightly shifted Lin Tian's center of gravity, and then his top-tier speed in the league suddenly burst forth, flashing past Lin Tian!
then……
Then he ran into Pippen, who was coming to help defend!
The two collided heavily near the free-throw line, neither gaining an advantage. But Lin Tian had already arrived from behind, snatching the basketball from behind Marbury and hitting it in Marbury's hand. Pippen, quick-witted and agile, immediately grabbed the basketball and held it in his arms!
"Throw!"
As Lin Tian shouted, he charged towards the front of the field!
Pippen's passing never disappoints. Just as Lin Tian ran past half-court, the basketball had already passed over his head and was right in front of him. He caught the ball and drove all the way to the basket, easily slamming it home with no one guarding him!
"Lin! You insidious and spineless coward! You don't dare to fight me one-on-one?" Marbury stormed back to his half of the court, glaring at Lin Tian. "Someone like you won't get a single ounce of respect on the streets of New York!"
"Don't blame me! I wanted to fight you one-on-one! This time it was my fault! Next time, next time I will definitely not let Scott double-team you again!" Lin Tian said, turning back to Pippen and saying, "Scott, don't come to help defend this round!"
This time, Lin Tian still made a defensive tactical gesture while speaking.
"Continue the double team!"
"Shameless!"
This time, the Bulls' four-man lineup had the same idea again.
"This guy seems alright?" The naive Marbury wavered a little, having been fooled by Lin Tian's acting skills.
But that didn't stop Marbury from showing off his dribbling skills, and then once again used a crossover to dribble past Lin Tian!
then……
He ran into Rodman this time!
The two collided near the free-throw line, neither gaining the upper hand. Lin Tian arrived just in time from behind Marbury, reached out, snatched the ball from Marbury's hand, and then turned and ran.
"Throw it! No, no, no... Dennis, I was wrong, please don't..." Lin Tian regretted it the moment he uttered the first word.
This kind of long pass is something Rodman couldn't possibly do!
At most, he can do a handoff or grab a rebound and pass it to an open teammate. He can't do that!
But it was too late; Rodman's long pass had already been launched!
This time, when the basketball passed over Lin Tian's head, Lin Tian had just crossed his own three-point line. By the time Lin Tian reached midcourt... the basketball had already reached the Timberwolves' three-point line!
"Haaah!" Lin Tian suddenly let out a loud roar, and then his whole body accelerated abruptly!
He mustered all his strength and charged madly towards the front!
As he hurtled towards the bottom of the basket, Lin Tian finally managed to catch the ball just before it went out of bounds! However, due to the excessive momentum, he couldn't stop himself. In a split second, Lin Tian threw the ball to the floor, jumped out of bounds, and then quickly jumped back.
He grabbed the basketball and made a layup, finally scoring 2 points!
"My pass was great, Lin! I knew you could score directly!" Rodman looked at Lin Tian excitedly and gave him a high five. Although Rodman's career was long and glorious, he had rarely made such a beautiful full-court pass!
"That was a good pass, but don't do it again next time!" Lin Tian said with a wry smile. "Could you give the ball to Scott or Luke first?"
"But you can catch it!" Rodman revealed an innocent expression that he absolutely shouldn't have.
"I can catch it, but my lungs are telling me that if I run like this twice more, it's going to jump out of my belly! Because it's going to explode!"
While Lin Tian was discussing tactics with Rodman, Marbury from the Timberwolves charged in once again.
"Malibu, you don't need to say anything!" Before Marbury could unleash his trash talk, Lin Tian spoke up for him: "You think I'm cunning and treacherous, letting them double-team you, right? The agreed-upon one-on-one turned into a 2-on-1, which makes you very unhappy and hurt, feeling cheated, isn't it?"
"You even want to curse me, want to beat me up to vent your anger! Because of my cunning, shamelessness, and treachery! Isn't that right?"
"Yes! That's right!" Marbury nodded, thinking to himself: This Lin is even more aggressive when he criticizes me than I am when I criticize him!
He's ruthless! But he's also someone you can get along with!
"The last time! This time, I promise Dennis and Scott won't double-team you! It's one-on-one between us! A real one-on-one!" Lin Tian clapped his hands, striking a pose as if he was ready to go all out on defense.
"What about the other two?" Marbury, who had learned his lesson, pointed to Longley and Kukoc not far away.
"I swear in the name of God, those two will absolutely not come to help! It's one-on-one! It's a one-on-one fight!" Lin Tian said, slamming his fist on the floor and roaring, "Come on, Malibu! Let me see what else you've got up your sleeve!"
"Stephen Marbury! Stephon Marbury!"
After introducing himself once again, Marbury sped up his dribbling pace once more!
This time, Marbury used the league's most popular move right now: the "killer crossover"!
That is, Hardaway's quick, small-amplitude double crossover after his crossover dribble. This was the most popular and sought-after crossover move on the streets of the United States before Lin Tian's "Soulbreaker Crossover" in last year's finals!
Marbury once again blew past Lin Tian and drove into the paint.
then……
Pippen and Rodman both arrived, appearing together on either side of the free-throw line. With a double-door maneuver, they completely surrounded Marbury.
"Throw! Scott throws! Scott! Don't give the ball to Dennis!" As soon as Lin Tian saw the two players double-team him, even before he had intercepted the ball, he sprinted at full speed towards the frontcourt!
How could a first-year student like Marbury escape from the double-team of Rodman and Pippen?
Lin Tian simply didn't believe it!
(End of this chapter)