vncnus Chapter 23 O'Neal: I am the leader of the team!
Chapter 23 O'Neal: I am the leader of the team!
At this moment, O'Neal was clearly angry, and he didn't follow Rodman out of the paint to defend Lin Tian's pick-and-roll.
Rodman's screen was a mix of grabbing and scratching, not only keeping Hardaway firmly in place, but also seizing the opportunity to give Hardaway a hard pinch on the stomach!
With Rodman protecting him and Jordan drawing a lot of the Magic's defensive attention, Lin Tian easily created an opportunity and took a mid-range jump shot!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Lin Tian scored 6 points and 1 assist in a row, leading the team to launch an offensive surge and directly tie the score!
This 8-0 run helped the Bulls completely reverse their losing streak!
"Shaq! Why didn't you come out to defend? That kid got way too much open space!" Hardaway spread his hands and complained to O'Neal.
"Anfernee, don't talk to me like that. I came to this team first, I'm the leader!" O'Neal snorted, running towards the frontcourt while yelling at Hardaway, "You guys have wasted too many opportunities. Take this shot! I'm going to post up, I can destroy the entire Bulls defense!"
O'Neal's sudden assertiveness and unreasonableness left Hardaway somewhat bewildered.
What's wrong with this guy? What's wrong with him?
Of course, he had no idea that O'Neal was still thinking about what Lin Tian had just said!
O'Neal smugly went to the paint and demanded the ball aggressively. Although somewhat puzzled, Hardaway didn't hesitate and passed the ball to O'Neal. In terms of passing and vision, he was definitely among the top in the league!
After receiving the ball, O'Neal had just started his attack when the basketball barely bounced on the floor before the Bulls double-teamed him. Lin Tian left his man behind and drove straight into the paint. He didn't even bother to aim properly and just slapped the ball out!
"Snapped!"
With a crisp sound, the slap landed precisely on O'Neal's hand!
"Hand foul! Two free throws!"
The referee's whistle came just in time; the foul was a foregone conclusion!
Lin Tian didn't care at all and quickly raised his hand to indicate that he had indeed committed a foul.
Anyway, his idea was that if he cut off the shot, he would make a huge profit; if he didn't, he wouldn't lose anything. No high school student could pose a threat to O'Neal at the free-throw line!
"Rookie! Don't foul so easily! Just guard your own man, and don't forget what I said, don't hold us back!" Jordan finally found an opportunity to lecture Lin Tian!
You were lecturing me earlier, weren't you? Now it's my turn!
Before Jordan could finish speaking, Lin Tian suddenly pointed to the center circle and said, "Michael, I'll grab the rebound! You just go to the center circle and wait for the attack. I have a way to make the Magic collapse! But you have to be under the basket."
"You think I'm a three-year-old? You think I'd believe that?" Jordan scoffed. Who do you think you are, standing under the basket grabbing a rebound and making the Magic collapse? Who are you kidding!
"If you can't do that, you'll have to do 500 high-intensity shooting drills after the game, not a single one less!" Jordan said as he walked toward the center line.
Once again, he inexplicably obeyed Lin Tian's orders!
"Bang!"
At this moment, O'Neal had just missed his first free throw. He shook his head helplessly. Tonight, he only made 4 of 11 free throws, which was worse than his average. It was truly an unlucky year!
"Shaq." Just as O'Neal was preparing for his second free throw, Lin Tian, who was standing next to him, suddenly said, "Don't you Orlando fans chant 'MVP' when your team leader is shooting free throws? They must be afraid of interfering with your shot! What considerate fans!"
Lin Tian's words struck a chord with O'Neal!
Yeah, it's been so long since I've heard fans call me MVP. Last year I led my team to the Finals, but what did Orlando fans say and think?
It all comes down to 'penny'!
We made it to the finals thanks to the multi-talented, handsome, and stylish "Penny"!
Nonsense, all of it is nonsense!
"Whoosh!"
Amid O'Neal's inner turmoil, his second free throw went wildly off course, only touching the Nets before going out of bounds!
"Shaq O'Neal experiences emotional fluctuation, dropping a one-time item: 00-01 Season O'Neal Power (Shaq Power) Trial Card (3 minutes)!"
Wow! They're here!
Lin Tian felt a sudden flash of light before his eyes—the power of Shaquille O'Neal at his peak!
Another great product!
Unfortunately, it only has the strength attribute, which is not as invincible as Jordan's 3-minute all-around experience card!
However, it's definitely enough for Lin Tian to use at some crucial moment to cause a stir!
At the same time, Lin Tian also gained a better understanding of the system.
Trial cards also come in different tiers!
Jordan's 92-93 season trial card was enhanced with all attributes and abilities, so it was definitely the highest level trial card. Today's card only has one attribute, so it is definitely a lower level. I just don't know if there are other types?
With O'Neal missing both free throws, the Bulls officially launched another offensive surge!
First, Lin Tian set a screen at the top of the arc once again, and after getting around the screen, he hit a mid-range jump shot, successfully taking the lead!
Then the Magic finally changed their defensive strategy, having Grant help defend more in the mid-range to stop Lin Tian's jump shot. With O'Neal anchoring the paint, Lin Tian, who still lacks strength and skill, would find it difficult to gain an advantage when he drove in.
After his mid-range shots and strong drives to the basket were shut down, Lin Tian's performance dimmed once again.
Although Lin Tian is no longer shining on the court, the Bulls still have the basketball god Jordan!
When in doubt, give the ball to Jordan! He'll solve everything!
After resting for a few minutes on the court, Jordan immediately took over the offensive reins and began to wreak havoc once again!
In the ensuing positional battle, Lin Tian barely got any more opportunities, missing several shots, only managing to score 2 points through fast breaks.
Although Lin Tian didn't put on any more outstanding performances, the Bulls had already taken the lead by the end of the third quarter, with the score at 77-72!
They are leading the Magic by 5 points!
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Bulls' comeback in the third quarter was thanks to the sudden appearance of Lin Tian, their unexpected hero!
Throughout the third quarter, Lin Tian scored 10 points and had 3 assists! Although it might not seem like much, those 10 points were achieved quickly in a very short period of time! His explosive scoring ability directly turned the Bulls' 8-point deficit into a 2-point lead!
Not to mention that after Lin Tian's continuous teasing and banter with O'Neal, the previously close cooperation between O'Neal and Hardaway also showed obvious problems.
The two stopped running pick-and-rolls, and O'Neal no longer pulled out to provide space for Hardaway when he drove to the basket.
The chemistry between these two people suddenly disappeared!
But how could the experienced Bulls possibly let such an opportunity slip by?
In the fourth quarter, Jackson continued to have the Big Three on the court, along with Kerr and Kukoc, the two most prolific scorers. The Bulls' five-man lineup went on a 9-2 run in less than three minutes at the start of the fourth quarter, widening the gap!