svetikya Chapter 160 The Alliance's Best Run-and-Bomb Engine!
Chapter 160 The Alliance's Best Run-and-Bomb Engine!
Chapter 160 The Alliance's Best Run-and-Bomb Engine!
He drove all the way to the basket, but instead of shooting right over Hardaway, he dribbled the ball around the basket twice, tricking Hardaway into jumping twice, but Lin Tian still couldn't get the ball away!
Just as the Heat players were losing patience, and Hardaway was even considering grabbing Lin Tian off the court and drawing a foul, Lin Tian finally passed the ball!
The ball was received by Langli, who had been sprinting all the way from the backfield. He caught Lin Tian's pass, took only one step, and then suddenly jumped up!
His sudden leap, reaching a height of nearly 220 centimeters, was like an ancient behemoth charging towards Hardaway!
Poor Hardaway didn't even have time to react before being knocked away by Longley!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Langli slammed his hands into the fists and unleashed a series of frenzied roars!
"Come on! Come on! You all think I'm just a supporting character, huh?"
"Nice dunk, Luke!" Lin Tian reached out and gave the Australian a big pat on the back! Tonight, if the Bulls want to beat the Heat, all the role players must play at 120% of their potential, otherwise they will absolutely not be able to defeat the Heat who are fighting to the death!
Turning back, Hardaway, who had just been humiliated by Longley, used Brown's screen to get around Lin Tian, and then used his signature crossover dribble to shake off Kukoc, who was helping to defend, and drove straight into the paint. He was not afraid of Longley at all, and raised his hand to make a high-arc floater to avoid the block. The basketball fell straight into the basket!
The Bulls didn't even dwell on conceding a goal; Lin Tian roared, "Ball!"
At the same time, he had already sprinted towards the frontcourt. Longley's baseline ball was as outrageous as ever, but with Lin Tian's full speed, he still managed to barely grab the ball at the sideline in the frontcourt. But before he could even stand still, Hardaway and Mashburn had already double-teamed him!
The Heat had no time to celebrate as they finally managed to corner Lin Tian, because at the same moment the two players came up, Lin Tian forcefully threw the ball to the opposite corner!
Standing there was Cole, who had just run to his position.
"Shoot, Steve! Let's show them who's the league's three-point king this year!"
Encouraged by Lin Tian, Cole took the ball without any adjustment, and regardless of whether Longley and Williams had even crossed the half-court line, he pulled up and launched a three-pointer with abandon!
"Whoosh!"
This three-pointer, which at least 90% of coaches in the league would criticize as a reckless shot, went perfectly into the basket!
In the blink of an eye, the Bulls completed an offensive play without even dribbling the ball once, in just 4 seconds!
"Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic! Longley's quick baseline pass, Lin Tian's diagonal pass! The Bulls broke through the Heat's defense with just two passes! Their offense is absolutely beautiful! Fast! Decisive! Fierce! Without hesitation!"
For the Heat, the ball was passed to Mashburn this time. Mashburn easily overpowered Kukoc in the low post using his weight and strength, and made a strong shot under the basket, easily scoring 2 points!
Kukoc was targeted because of his lack of strength, but he was not discouraged at all because he immediately made use of his strengths!
Without even glancing at Mashburn, who was about to hurl some trash talk, Kukoc turned around, went to the baseline, picked up the ball, and delivered a long pass to Lin Tian!
After receiving the ball, Lin Tian continued his rapid advance without stopping, giving the Heat no chance to set up their defense. He had already penetrated into the heart of the Heat's territory once again!
Leonard quickly returned to his position and spread his arms to defend, with Hardaway chasing closely behind. Lin Tian was once again caught in a double-team, but the basketball in his hands never stopped. After attracting Leonard's attention, the basketball in Lin Tian's hands immediately took off and flew towards the top of the basket.
Williams, nicknamed "Buffalo," practically appeared out of nowhere, grabbing the basketball with both hands and slamming it into the basket!
At this moment, it seemed as if he was about to unleash all the strength and anger he had accumulated during the past year of recovery. The rim shook violently as he pulled it, making many people feel a sense of fear, as if he was going to break the rim!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Williams released the basket, landed on the ground, and put his hands on his ears in a bull horn gesture, which is his signature celebration move!
The Buffalo is back on the field!
The Bulls' consecutive fast breaks got Hardaway a little fired up. He took the ball from his teammate on the baseline and started to push forward quickly, wanting to compete with Lin Tian in the ability to play offense and defense in transition!
Before he came to the Heat, the tactics he used with the Warriors were recognized by the entire league as the originator of the run-and-gun offense!
Hadaway felt that Lin Tian daring to beat him was like reciting the Bible in front of Jesus!
court death!
After a rapid sprint, Hardaway and Mourning quickly separated after a screen at the top of the arc. Hardaway then bounced the basketball off the ground and passed it to Mourning, who was cutting down the court.
Mourning, with the ball in hand, charged headlong towards Longley once again!
"Bang!"
After the two massive bodies clashed head-on in mid-air, Mo Ning was about to exert his strength to knock Langley away when he suddenly felt his whole body go limp!
Left with no other option, he could only manage a weak shot, which hit the rim but failed to go in.
Langli jumped again, grabbed the backboard, and quickly passed it to Lin Tian. Then he sprinted forward to join the fast break!
Suppressing Mourning's attacks twice in a row didn't excite him at all. "I'm the 'King of Australia'! This kind of trivial performance isn't worth celebrating!"
Lin Tian sprinted with the ball again, making his way to the Heat's frontcourt. This time, the Heat finally learned their lesson and didn't double-team him. Instead, they let Hardaway guard Lin Tian alone, while the others found their own defenders to prevent Lin Tian from finding an open shot easily.
Seeing this, Lin Tian didn't hold back at all with Hardaway. He dribbled quickly to the mid-range, then made a sudden stop and jump, releasing a shot with a huge backward layup!
Don't even mention that Hardaway is short and can't reach Lin Tian's shot. Even if it were Marsh Ben, who is over 2 meters tall, he wouldn't be able to easily interfere with Lin Tian's shot!
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, Lin Tian hit another three-pointer!
Tonight, what he improved the most wasn't his passing!
Compared to Nash at his peak, Lin Tian's passing skills, even if not as seasoned and skillful, are definitely not far behind!
The biggest boost this trial card gives Lin Tian is in shooting!
Lin Tian's current shooting is only A-, which is slightly above the league average. But Nash's shooting, even if it's not S+, is at least S!
Lin Tian's shooting ability has improved by at least 4 levels!
This is an absolutely epic, super-enhancement!
He spreads the word more simply because it's easier and gives him a higher chance of success that way!
If the Heat dare to let Hardaway, that short guy, guard Lin Tian one-on-one for the whole game, Lin Tian will teach him a lesson he learned from the Mavericks back in the day!
What does it mean to easily score 48 points in a single game by shooting 20 out of 28?
As long as the Heat want to see it, Lin Tian will definitely not let them down!
In the remaining minutes of the first quarter, Mourning twice attempted to attack Longley but failed. Not only did he fail to score, but on the defensive end, Mourning was almost completely dominated by Longley!
With a putback dunk after grabbing an offensive rebound, a strong layup after receiving the ball after a pick-and-roll, and a rare low-post footwork display by Longley to shake off Mourning and dunk, Longley scored 8 points on 4-for-4 shooting in less than 8 minutes of the first quarter, and also grabbed 4 rebounds and 2 blocks!
Mourning was completely outmatched by Longley, going 0-for-4 from the field and scoring only 2 points and 1 block. If you only look at the performance of these two players in the first half of the first quarter, it is clear that Longley is more like the fifth-best center in the league, while Mourning is just an ordinary blue-collar player!
Alonzo Mourning, still hungover, became the Heat's most humiliated and disgraced player!
Moreover, if Riley hadn't taken it a step further and substituted Mourning after only 8 minutes in the first quarter, he probably would have been outplayed even more badly!
Of the rest of the Heat players, Hardaway was undoubtedly the best performer. Although he couldn't completely stop Lin Tian, he was still able to provide some responses on the offensive end, with drives, three-pointers, floaters, and layups...
Although Hardaway's performance wasn't as perfect or amazing as Lin Tian's, he still managed to put up impressive numbers of 9 points and 2 assists in the first quarter!
In addition, Mashburn also hit a three-pointer and scored several times by backing down Kukoc, bringing his total to 7 points. Leonard, on the other hand, hit two three-pointers and a mid-range jumper, scoring 8 points!
With substitutes like Marley and Austin also putting in good performances, the Heat scored a high of 34 points in the first quarter! This is completely different from their usual slow-paced, low-scoring style, but at least they didn't fall too far behind!
Yes, even though they scored 34 points, they are still behind!
Led by Lin Tian, who played the full twelve minutes in the first quarter, the Bulls unleashed a barrage of attacks! Every player on the court contributed, and everyone found their place!
Besides Longley, who dominated Mourning with 8 points and 4 rebounds, Kukoc also scored 6 points, Cole 5 points, and Williams, although only 4 points, contributed two powerful dunks. Hubble, who came off the bench, also scored 4 points!
The team's biggest contributor and absolute core is undoubtedly Lin Tian!
首节比赛，林天7投5中，3分球2投2中，罚球2罚2中，拿下14分8助攻3篮板2次抢断的漂亮数据！
The Bulls made a total of 11 shots in this quarter, excluding Lin Tian, 8 of which came from Lin Tian's passes!
This demonstrates just how powerful his passes are and how strong his ability to create space and opportunities is!
Led by Lin Tian, the Bulls scored 41 points in the first quarter! It was the most exciting and entertaining quarter of the entire series!
With Jordan and Pippen out, and Rodman not playing in the first quarter, the Bulls surprisingly led the Heat, who were on the brink of elimination and desperately seeking a win, by a score of 41-34!
Not only the fans at American Airlines Arena, but even the fans watching on TV in Chicago, couldn't believe what they were seeing.
Is our team that strong?
Even without Jordan and Pippen, they were still able to lead the Heat by 7 points in a single quarter?
That's so strong it's unbelievable!
In the second quarter, Jackson ignored Lin Tian's request to continue playing and let him rest on the bench.
After all, although Lin Tian wasn't panting much and seemed fine, Jackson knew very well how much he had expended in the first quarter, having to observe his teammates, attack himself, and defend the Heat's best player, Hardaway.
Lin Tian is the Bulls' only strong point tonight, and Jackson doesn't want Lin Tian to run out of energy in the second half. He has to conserve Lin Tian's energy!
While Jackson felt sorry for Lin Tian, Riley didn't care about Hardaway. The Heat's most reliable player continued to play, leading a group of role players to continue their offensive efforts!
When the Bulls were without Lin Tian, Jordan and Pippen, Rodman and even Longley on the court, Hardaway immediately unleashed the strength befitting an All-NBA First Team player!
Three-pointer, mid-range shot, strong drive to the basket for a 2+1 play!
Hardaway had almost no control over Hubble!
During the period when Hardaway had a breakout game, the Bulls only managed to get one rebound and make a putback.
In less than two minutes, the Heat, led by Hardaway's eight consecutive points, went on an 8-2 run, narrowing the gap to one point!
Frustrated, Jackson could only call a timeout.
Although Hubble only played for 5 minutes in the first quarter, he was already panting and exhausted. This All-Star guard, who could once compete with Jordan on the Cavaliers, is indeed getting old!
He was so old that he couldn't hold his own against Hardaway at all, and he didn't even have the ability to hold his own against Hardaway for 2-3 minutes.
Jackson looked at Hardaway, who was panting heavily, and then at Lin Tian, who was sitting there staring at him with a determined look in his eyes. He made his choice with ease.
"Lin, go on! Can you keep up the stamina?"
"After I die, I'll have plenty of time to rest," Lin Tian said, standing up. "Tonight, I don't need to rest anymore, Coach. I can keep playing!"
After patting Lin Tian on the back to encourage him, Jackson's eyes finally fell on Rodman sitting at the end of the bench.
"Dennis, do you realize your mistake?" Jackson called out Rodman's name for the first time in this game.
"I understand. I won't be late for games of this caliber again, Coach." Rodman stood up as well, but there was clearly no sign of remorse in his eyes.
This level of competition? Does the Finals count as this level? Does the regular season count as this level?
Rodman's demeanor clearly showed that he didn't take his lateness to heart. The lazy and self-centered "Worm" wouldn't have been so arrogant and disregarded team discipline if he hadn't been kicked out of the Spurs' house like a plague.
He's such a strange guy. If you don't let him play, he won't cause trouble or make a fuss, as if he doesn't care at all. But if you let him play, he'll immediately put on a beautiful defensive performance, acting like a workaholic.
Desperate and carefree, indifferent and burning with passion.
These completely contradictory personality traits can all coexist in Rodman alone!
Fortunately, Jackson wasn't the kind of stubborn old man who insisted on an apology. He knew that different people needed different approaches, so Jackson didn't bother to nitpick about Rodman's laziness and grammatical errors, nor did he bother arguing with him about the details.
Instead, he nodded as if he hadn't understood at all and said, "Since you've realized your mistake, then get on the court! Get all those damn rebounds! I don't want the Heat to get even one offensive rebound, understand?"
"Leave it to me. It's just a spineless Mourning and a wimpy Brown. I guarantee I'll make those two so badly their own mothers won't recognize them!"
Rodman stretched, looking eager to try.
Then Jackson continued, "Luke, Steve, Tony, the three of you keep playing, just keep the same pace as in the first quarter! With our current roster, we can't completely stop the Heat's offense, so just give it your all! Don't get discouraged if you get scored on, just focus on coming back on offense!"
"Remember, we only have one rule tonight! Shoot whenever you have the chance! If Lin passes you the ball, shoot! If it's open, shoot! Don't worry about whether there's anyone rebounding under the basket or whether the opponent is boxing out, just shoot! I trust you can get a win! Go!"
With Jackson's encouragement, the entire Bulls team once again walked onto the court side by side.
Lin Tian looked at Hardaway, who was still on the field, and said with a smile:
"You played really well just now! A three-pointer, a mid-range shot, and a 2+1, right?"
"What's wrong, kid? Want to learn? I'll teach you!" Hardaway lowered his center of gravity and focused intently on Lin Tian, preventing him from suddenly making a move or launching an attack.
"Learn?" Lin Tian smiled, then suddenly pulled up and shot from 2 meters outside the three-point line!
Lin Tian threw out a three-pointer from almost 30 feet away without any apparent reason!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, the basketball swished through the hoop, and the Bulls began to extend their lead once again!
"What's there to learn? Can you even shoot that from so far away? I can teach you!" Lin Tian shrugged, indicating that your three-pointer was way too close.
Hadaway's face was grim, and he didn't say much. He had already figured it out: with Mo Ning hungover, he couldn't possibly defend against Lin Tian on his own.
Since we can't defend against it, then we won't defend against it! Anyway, Riley said that he's the primary focus of tonight's game!
Let's exchange blows!
Let's see who can run faster and attack better!
Hardaway dribbled the ball and sped up to the frontcourt. Although he wanted to attack, he didn't get carried away and make a stupid mistake. Instead, after pushing past Lin Tian to the edge of the penalty area, he suddenly passed the ball to Austin who was following up. Austin took the ball and immediately spiked, showing off his strong physical attributes in this play!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Longley was dunked over the head.
"Lin, I'm the most improved player! I deserve everything! I deserve this reward!" After scoring, this complete extra roared at Lin Tian, venting his frustration.
Austin knew very well that this Most Improved Player award was likely the greatest achievement of his career, but now countless people were saying that the award should have belonged to Lin Tian instead.
Even if there's a gap in status and ability, Austin doesn't care about those things; the award is his!
"puff!"
Then a muffled thud suddenly rang out. Rodman, who was passing by, accidentally elbowed Austin, hitting him right in the stomach. After the blow, Rodman acted as if nothing had happened and continued running towards the frontcourt, muttering, "What a fucking nag!"
"Beep beep beep!" The referee's whistle blew immediately, stopping Rodman's momentum and issuing a technical foul!
Rodman shrugged nonchalantly, raised his arm to indicate to the referee that he had fouled, then turned and glared menacingly at Austin, saying, "What are you looking at! Never been punched before? If you want to get punched, next time I can aim for your nose!"
"I guarantee that your high nose bridge will stay parallel to your mouth for the rest of your life!"
"You'll scare the kids to tears, Dennis." Lin Tian patted Rodman on the back, then looked at Austin and said, "If it were me, I think I'd aim for his eyes! I hate blue eyes, I want to see if an elbow strike can pop his eyeballs out!"
"Don't talk nonsense! You can't scare me! I'm not afraid at all!" Austin said, taking a step closer to PJ Brown as if he could only find protection by standing next to the thug.
"Let's give it a try and see who's crying later?" Lin Tian looked like a villain, and with his gold-rimmed glasses, he was the epitome of a refined scoundrel!
Hmm, a jersey and sneakers paired with wire-rimmed glasses might not seem very refined, but it definitely makes him a scoundrel!
Hardaway, setting a good example, stepped forward and stood in front of Austin, saying, "Lin, Dennis, you'd better not cause trouble! This is Miami!"
"When do I care about the time and place when I beat someone up?" Rodman picked at his ear and glanced at Hardaway out of the corner of his eye. "But don't worry, I don't fight dwarfs. If I'm going to fight, it'll be Mourning."
"You guys! If you don't separate, you'll each get a technical foul!" The referee came over in time and separated the two groups.
Jordan and Pippen are no longer playing tonight, and it looks like Mourning won't play for long either. What if Rodman, Lin Tian, and Hardaway are fouled out?
The fans aren't here to watch Mashburn versus Kukoc!
The referee must control the tempers of both sides in time!
Hardaway stepped to the free-throw line and easily made the technical free throw, giving the Heat another chance for an inbound pass.
On the Bulls' side, no one complained about Rodman's irrational technical foul. On the contrary, because of this conflict, the guys on the court were even more furious!
Today we're going to crush these arrogant and domineering Miamiers!
Do you really think we're easy to bully just because Jordan isn't around?
Daydreaming!
Yes, the Bulls players were completely united; they completely forgot that Rodman had started the conflict, and that the whole thing was their fault…
It's all the Miamiers' fault! When you saw Rodman walk by, couldn't you have dodged? Why did you have to bump your stomach into Rodman's elbow?
Dirty Miami!
The Bulls players were united in their anger, and the Heat weren't much better. Their younger teammate had been wronged, and a few hot-tempered players on their team were also holding back, ready to retaliate at any opportunity!
Therefore, in the remainder of the second quarter, although the pace of the game remained fast, the physical contact and dirty tricks gradually increased!
First, when Rodman was about to grab an offensive rebound, Brown bumped him with his butt, almost making him somersault in the air. Then, before Rodman could even react, Longley elbowed Brown in the face, knocking the thug to the ground.
It's worth mentioning that as Brown fell to the ground, cheers erupted throughout New York City!
This is truly gratifying!
The referee intervened quickly, issuing a technical foul to both Longley and Brown!
Then, when Hardaway drove into the paint for a layup, it was Williams' turn to come off the bench. He unleashed his fury and knocked Hardaway down from mid-air!
However, it was just a regular foul!
After Hardaway suffered a major setback, when Cole took an open mid-range shot, he suddenly rushed over and knocked Cole to the ground!
Then, after only two rounds, Lin Tian and Mashburn got tangled up again under the basket! When Lin Tian was backing down to attack, his two arms and Mashburn's arms became completely entangled. Then, in the struggle, the two fell to the ground together, their limbs and legs completely intertwined. No one could tell who benefited and who suffered.
The only two who knew the truth were Lin Tian, who, before collapsing, used the momentum to knee Mashben, and Mashben, who was rubbing his stomach and almost vomiting up his dinner from the night before.
No one else was able to see clearly what happened between the two in that instant.
This time, both sides committed fouls! The referee still didn't issue a malicious or technical foul.
With the referees almost encouraging this level of physical contact, the offensive rhythm and success rate of both sides visibly decreased. At the same time, physical contact between the two sides began to increase significantly, especially when fighting for rebounds and advantageous positions in the low post and three-second zone. It was common for two or three people to fall to the ground. And whoever was on the floor, their first goal was not to get up or find the basketball.
Instead, find your opponent first and figure out how to gain an advantage!
Throughout the second quarter, both sides grew increasingly heated and aggressive! The smooth offense of the first quarter and the offensive-first strategy devised by both coaches vanished, forgotten by the players.
The competition turned into a mud battle and hand-to-hand combat!
By the end of the second quarter, the score was 50-57!
In this quarter, both teams combined for only 32 points! That's less than the Heat's total points in the first quarter!
The stark contrast between the first and second quarters was incredibly exciting for all the fans!
One ticket, two games, completely different styles, from crazy high-scoring matches to a meat grinder-like life-or-death showdown, what could be more exciting and thrilling than this?
当上半场比赛结束的时候，林天已经轰下了20分10次助攻5篮板3抢断的全面数据，半场比赛就完成20+10+5这种别的球员一场比赛才能打出的数据，林天对球队的供献不言而喻！
Besides Lin Tian, Luke Longley was the only other Bulls player to score in double figures, with 13 points and 7 rebounds. None of the other players managed to score in double figures in the first half, with the closest being Kukoc, who only managed 8 points.
For the Heat, the standout performer was undoubtedly Tim Hardaway. With Mourning not playing at all in the second quarter, Hardaway racked up a stellar 19 points and 4 assists in the first half. His 8 consecutive points in the first two minutes of the second quarter helped the Heat pull back from the brink of defeat!
Unfortunately, aside from those 8 points, Hardaway's performance in the rest of the second quarter was lackluster, as excessive physical contact caused him to lose his touch, which he relied on for survival.
Besides Hardaway, Leonard scored 10 points and Mashburn scored 12 points. With these three players scoring in double figures in the first half, the Heat managed to keep the score close despite Mourning being almost completely out of the game.
During halftime, Rodman entered the Bulls' locker room, kicked over the table in front of him, and yelled, "F*** you! That black bastard Brown! I'm going to kill him in the second half! He dared to dunk on me from behind! Is he gay? How could he be so disgusting!"
"I'm going to shit my ass in his mouth in the second half!"
Langley followed him into the locker room and, with the same move, kicked one of the poor table's four legs, breaking it in half!
"Fuck! That shorty Hardaway actually tried to block me! Did you guys see that? In the last possession of the second quarter, when I was grabbing a rebound, he actually dared to stick his foot under me! He better not drive in the second half, or I'll send him to meet my grandmother who died 5 years ago with one elbow!"
"FUXX!" Cole, the third to enter the room, slammed the other leg of the table down with his fist, yelling, "Mashburn! What monster Mashburn? He's a bug Mashburn! He deserves to be cheated on by his teammates! It's so satisfying! He deserves to be dumped by the Mavericks! He's trash!"
"FUXX!" Lin Tian, the fourth to enter the locker room, punched with both hands, breaking the remaining two legs of the table. He then said, "I'm not fucking upset. I just saw you guys each break one leg, and if I didn't join in, I'd feel like an outsider!"
"Alright! Everyone, sit down and get back to your seats." Jackson walked into the locker room, ignoring the poor, unfortunate table on the floor, and looked at everyone, saying, "First of all, I'm proud of you all in the first half! The spirit you showed makes me proud! You really are the best team I've ever coached!"
After receiving cheers from the players, Jackson gestured for everyone to be quiet, then changed the subject.
"But I must say, you've disappointed me again! What happened to the tactics I devised before the game? What happened to my instructions to play fast, to attack more and shoot more? You've all forgotten! You've poured all your energy into useless bickering and getting tangled up with each other!"
"I have to say, if we keep playing like this, even if we're up by 7 points now, we're still going to lose in the second half! Because this isn't our rhythm, this is the Heat's rhythm! This is their preferred style! This is how they survive!"
"We've fallen into the Heat's rhythm!" Jackson said, clapping his hands loudly. "In the second half, let's run! Stop focusing on physical play! Use our speed, shooting, and drives to crush them and take the win!"
"I know what you're going to say. You're not happy about it. You think it's a sign of weakness. You think it's giving the Heat an advantage! But I'm telling you, only by doing this can you be truly brave!"
"Don't get hung up on the gains or losses of a single round or move. What we want is to win this game, to win this series! Remember what I told you before the game? Let everyone know that we are the best team on the planet! Even without Michael and Scott, we are still very strong!"
In the Heat's locker room, Mourning was still half-lying in his seat. He had come to the locker room to rest early after leaving the court in the first quarter and did not appear on the bench for the entire second quarter, instead trying to recover as much as possible in the locker room.
"Alonzo, how are you?" Riley asked Mourning with some concern.
"It's awful. I feel like I have no strength in my limbs, and my stomach is churning." Mourning shook his head, then nodded. "But I'll play in the second half! I feel much better than in the first quarter. I might not be 100% back, but I won't let Longley beat me again! I'll get my revenge!"
"We're counting on you!" Riley patted Mourning on the shoulder solemnly, then found the team's physiotherapist and asked them to help Mourning recover as much as possible.
The Bulls' tenacity and strength displayed tonight completely exceeded Riley's expectations. He never imagined that without Jordan and Pippen, this team could put up such a good fight against the team he was so proud of!
No, it should be said that they suppressed the Heat!
The Bulls' biggest, or even only, reliance in the first half was undoubtedly Lin Tian!
Whether it's offense or defense, shooting or driving, passing or attacking himself, this guy has shown the flair of a perfect point guard!
In fact, if Riley were to rank the league’s top point guards right now, he would undoubtedly give the number one spot to Lin Tian!
His performance in the first half was absolutely amazing!
Despite becoming the team's only strength and being relentlessly defended and targeted by the Heat, this guy remained calm and composed, scoring 20+10 in the first half with only one turnover! In this kind of intense game and with such targeted defense, his assist-to-turnover ratio is absolutely top-tier!
The question is whether Lin Tian can maintain his performance from the first half in the second half.
At the same time, Riley's desire to get his hands on Lin Tian became even more urgent!
Even if it means dismantling the team, even if it means rebuilding the team again, we must get this 23-year-old!
This guy is sure to become the strongest point guard in the entire league for the next 10 or even 15 years!
Soon, halftime ended, and the players from both sides returned to the field.
For the Heat, Alonzo Mourning, who hadn't played at all in the second quarter and hadn't even appeared on the bench, returned to the court!
His return to the team's starting lineup brought a sigh of relief to the fans at the American Airlines Arena.
Mourning is back! Now they feel reassured!
With Mourning on the team, the Heat have confidence! And the Heat fans have faith!
The Bulls changed their starting lineup. Williams, who performed well in the first half and had the potential to be a surprise weapon, returned to the bench. Rodman, who scored 2 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in just one quarter, replaced him in the starting lineup in the second half!
It can be said that both sides brought out their strongest five-man lineups at the start of the third quarter!
Both coaches knew that this was not the time for any fancy maneuvers. They needed to go all out, seize every minute, and make every minute a decisive battle in order to win this crucial match for both sides!
The Heat had possession for the first time in the second half. Hardaway dribbled the ball all the way to the frontcourt and immediately passed it to Mourning, who was in position in the low post.
"Come on! You coward!" A surge of confidence coursed through Longley as he excitedly roared at Mourning, "You coward who was so scared I didn't even show my face in the arena for the second quarter! Come on! I'll crush you like I did in the first quarter!"
"I've gotten destroyed so many times!" Mourning said, as he started dribbling and backing down his opponent, driving hard towards the paint: "O'Neal, Olajuwon, even Barkley, they've all destroyed me!"
"Bang! Bang!"
After two muffled thuds, Mourning had already reached the three-second zone. He then spun around past Longley, moved to the other side of the basket, and jumped up, slamming the basketball into the hoop with his hands behind his back!
"But you're nowhere near good enough! You want to beat me to a pulp? In your next life!"
After scoring, Mourning raised his arms to either side of his head, roared, and showed off his biceps to the audience!
I, Mo Ning, am back!
Although not at full health, it's enough to deal with one Langley!
Ok……
That's not enough!
In the next possession, Lin Tian went directly to the high post to find Langley's screen, and then the two quickly separated. Taking advantage of the Heat's defensive focus being on him, Lin Tian suddenly made a bounce pass, and the basketball came to Langley's hands!
With his confidence soaring, Langley was completely unafraid of Mourning's fierce defense and charged straight at him!
"Bang!"
After a muffled thud, Langley and Mourning collided. Langley then quickly turned around, executed a side hook shot, and forcefully scored 2 points against Mourning!
"How about that, you softie! Come on! Let me see what else you can do!" After scoring, Langley was equally arrogant, showing off and shouting at Mourning.
In the first half, he completely regained his long-lost confidence!
(End of this chapter)