manynovel Chapter 407 The Opening Match Begins! Lin Tian's Gift to Jordan!
Chapter 407 The Opening Match Begins! Lin Tian's Gift to Jordan!
At 7 p.m. on October 30, after nearly two months of silence, the Conseco Center was once again bustling with activity. Countless fans had gathered inside and outside the arena early on, and the fans inside the arena were shouting and yelling the players' names.
The crowd outside the stadium was equally enthusiastic, their voices even reaching inside. The entire area around Conseco Center seemed to be experiencing an earthquake, with the floor shaking and the air filled with noise.
Today is a special day!
Although the Pacers have been there three times in the past four years, this year is a little different.
The fourth championship banner in team history, and the third banner of the three-peat, will be raised tonight!
A true dynasty!
A dynasty that was completely beyond reproach and beyond questioning was born!
That night, the Indians were destined to be so excited they couldn't sleep all night.
Unlike the fans who were celebrating wildly throughout the stadium, there was a group of people in a very bad state at this moment.
How to describe it?
Trembling with fear, terrified, and in unbearable torment!
The Pacers' opponent tonight is the Washington Wizards!
It has to be said, David Stern knows how to create something interesting.
After learning that Jordan had joined the Pacers, he quickly redesigned the schedule, changing the times of some important games.
For example, the Pacers were originally going to play a strong team that they had eliminated last year in their opening game, in order to increase hype and attention.
The original schedule actually put the Nets against the Pacers!
Reunion of old and new teammates, the China derby, a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals, a head-to-head showdown between the strongest point guards.
All sorts of gimmicks will definitely make this match a ratings hit!
But when Stern learned that Jordan was going to join the Pacers, he didn’t hesitate for a moment and immediately selected the two teams to face off in the opening game.
Wizards vs. Pacers!
Aside from the gimmicks of having Jordan face off against his former team and seeing if Jordan would retaliate against the Washingtonians who had tricked him, the most important reason for this arrangement was that Stern was also very unhappy with Pollin.
Who is Michael Jordan?
Those were Lao Tzu's dearest relatives, friends, and brothers!
If you play him, then you're playing me!
I can't stand it!
More importantly, you not only messed with Jordan, but you also failed to bring the league the benefits it deserved, which crossed Stern's bottom line.
You can mess with my dearest friends, family, and siblings, but you'll have to pay extra!
But Bolin's current actions mean that he not only moved people, but also refused to pay them.
If I don't take you down, who will I, Stern, take down?
Let the Pacers teach you Washington how to behave properly!
Anyone who has watched the NBA knows what kind of person Jordan is, and knows his vindictive, petty, and incredibly competitive nature.
And now there's also the cunning Lin Tian and a bunch of Indians who love to watch the drama unfold.
Facing them? Who knows if I'll even make it off the field alive!
This is the biggest reason why the entire Wizards team is so afraid right now.
They didn't even need to make eye contact with Jordan, who was gloomy and chewing gum, or have any other communication with him; they could clearly know and feel that they were doomed to die tonight!
The one who is most worried is undoubtedly Stackhouse.
This guy essentially drove away Jordan's little brother Hamilton, and he's playing the shooting guard position. To make matters worse, a bunch of media outlets published a bunch of incredibly provocative articles during the offseason.
Washington has found a replacement for Jordan!
"Two generations of North Carolina sprinters complete the handover in Washington!"
Jordan and Stackhouse: The Different Fates of Two Generations of Air Jordans!
Can Stackhouse, who once averaged 29.8 points per game, take up the torch from Jordan?
Youth is an advantage! Stackhouse confidently predicts he will lead his team to the playoffs next season!
Aiming to surpass Jordan? Stackhouse states the team will be better than last season!
Stackhouse didn't feel even the slightest bit of satisfaction when reading these news headlines.
He just wanted to go to the newspapers or magazines that published these articles, set them on fire, and burn all those damn bastards to death.
This is like putting yourself in a fire!
Stackhouse is innocent!
God is my witness, when have I, Stackhouse, ever done or thought of such things?
I'm not interested in the fact that Hamilton was traded from Detroit to Washington and Washington didn't renew his contract!
I'm just an ordinary All-Star fringe player, why are you messing with me!
Putting everything else aside, a reporter asked Stackhouse at media day what the team's goals were for the new season.
What can Stackhouse say?
"Our goal is the Lotto. We absolutely cannot surpass last season's record. We've lost Richard and Michael, and this season will be absolutely terrible, a complete disaster, dropping to the bottom!"
Isn't that utter nonsense?!
What player would respond to a reporter's question like that?!
But this simple question and answer somehow turned into "I think I can surpass Jordan?"
That's fucking amazing!
FUXX!
Of course, if it were just Jordan, and Jordan went to an average, bad team, Stackhouse wouldn't be so afraid. After all, he's a scorer who consistently averages 20+ points per game, so he should have at least some backbone and confidence.
But what about Jordan and Garlin?
Honestly, Stackhouse wants a truce.
At least rested tonight
But the coach didn't agree.
Just kidding, who would be able to sit out the first game of the new season when they're perfectly healthy?
What? You're scared?
You're scared, but I'm scared too!
Who knows how badly these petty guys will beat us? What if we lose by 50 points if Stackhouse doesn't play?
If you take over, we'll consider it a win if we lose by 30 points. As long as we don't suffer some epic defeat that will go down in history, we'll consider it a success!
We have to do it!
How so?
If Lin Tian or Jordan knew what Stackhouse and head coach Doug Collins were thinking, they would definitely laugh with disdain.
30 points? 50 points? You two have really mastered the art of insulting people!
Fine, so you'll just swear like that, huh?
Fight! We must fight them to the death today!
It's not over until we break an NBA record!
After the pre-game flag-raising ceremony and the championship ring presentation ceremony concluded, the Pacers players gathered together again.
Team leader Lin Tian delivered his usual pre-match speech.
"What this game means, I don't think I need to say more! Michael has never experienced such a painful moment in his life! He drowned his sorrows in alcohol, he wept alone in despair, and he woke up countless times in the night with tears in his eyes, all because of his resentment!"
"he"
"Damn it!" Jordan kicked Lin Tian in the butt, saying, "I haven't cried, and I haven't drowned my sorrows in alcohol! But Lin's right, I'm really annoyed! I'm extremely angry!"
Miller peeked out at just the right moment and said, "That's right, Michael is furious. This is the second most painful and infuriating moment of his life! The last one was when we lost to him in the '98 Eastern Conference Finals."
"Can you get out of here?" Jordan glared at him. "Players' meeting, irrelevant personnel get out!"
"Practice 500 three-pointers with me after the game! You think I can't handle you?" Miller snorted, once again proving the real reason he switched to coaching. However, he didn't linger there any longer. After saying this, he quickly left. Just as Jordan said, the players' meeting didn't need a former player like him.
"In short," Lin Tian continued, "the Washingtonians are really annoying! We're going to teach them a lesson! We're going to let them know how angry Michael is! That Kwame Brown talked badly about Michael, we're going to teach him a lesson too! We're going to let him know that he became the number one draft pick not because he's so great."
"It's purely because Michael is blind!"
"Are you ever going to stop?!" Jordan was starting to lose interest in playing basketball.
Are you here to boost morale or to expose our shortcomings?
"In short, we'll annihilate the Washingtonians! We'll make them tremble with fear, so that from now on, when they see us, they'll have to bow down, call us 'Dad,' and then run away as fast as they can! Are you confident?"
"have!"
"Well then, one last thing!" Lin Tian looked at his teammates, who were united and ready to beat the other team to death to avenge Jordan, and continued, "The biggest losing streak in NBA regular season history is the Cavaliers' victory over the Heat in 1991."
"That night, the Cavaliers won by 68 points! Today, I hope we can help our good friends, the Heat, get them off that incredibly humiliating floor, even if it's just moving them from first to second place?"
Do you know what I mean?
"Understand!"
"Then let's go!"
At Lin Tian's command, the Pacers players shouted in unison.
Then the five starters went onto the field, while the other players sat on the bench.
This night was destined to be a massacre!
With the departure of Carter, the retirement of Miller, the addition of Jordan, and the decline in Christie's performance in recent years, the Pacers have been experimenting with new starting lineups since training camp.
Including the Pacers' several preseason games, the team used multiple different starting lineups.
In the first game of the regular season, Carlisle finally brought out his strongest and most suitable starting five for the current Pacers team!
Center: Ben Wallace.
Power Forward: Chris Webber.
Small Forward: Michael Jordan.
Shooting Guard: Gilbert Arenas.
Point guard: Lin Tian.
A five-man combination that is not particularly tall, even on the short side, but whose offensive firepower is absolutely outrageous.
Jordan and Lin Tian need no introduction, and Arenas, after honing his skills last season, has already proven to everyone that he has the potential to become a top offensive player in the league.
More importantly, he has the courage to always take a shot. The scene of him stealing the ball from Lin Tian last season has become one of the most classic moments of the season and a topic of conversation for everyone.
With the three sharpshooters on the perimeter and Webber, the offensive firepower of these four is absolutely enough to dominate the entire league!
Carlisle's strategy this season is all about offense!
He's going to push the team's offensive capabilities to the limit! In fact, if it weren't for ensuring the team's defensive floor and rebounding, so that the team's counterattacks could happen, this guy might even substitute Ben Wallace in favor of Brad Miller, who is better at passing and facilitating.
The Pacers' games this season are sure to be even more exciting!
Along with the Pacers players, the Wizards' starting lineup also walked onto the court.
Kwame Brown continued as the starting center, with Stackhouse and Dream Team member Laettner leading the frontcourt, and Tyronn Lue and Larry Hughes, a guard acquired by the team in the offseason, forming the backcourt.
"Jerry, my good junior, you actually dare to go up against me? I thought you'd run away in fear." Jordan chewed his gum and started yelling at Stackhouse, "Need any diapers? I can give you a few so you don't embarrass yourself too much."
"I'm not afraid of you, Michael! I'm not afraid of you!" Stackhouse's response was utterly weak, clearly just bluster, and had no real deterrent effect whatsoever.
"What about me? Aren't you afraid of him? Are you afraid of me?" Lin Tian leaned closer.
"Your opponent is me! Lin, your opponent is me!" Tyronn Lue stood there, his short stature, arrogant cornrows, and bulldog-like eyes making him look exactly like a miniature Iverson.
Unfortunately, they only look alike. Apart from appearance, Coach Lue has no other resemblance to Iverson.
They only wore the skin, but didn't spend money to buy abilities.
Not worth mentioning!
While Lin Tian and Jordan were ganging up on Stackhouse, Brown remained silent, not daring to approach them or even glance in their direction. He continued to be a coward, staying far away from this chaotic situation.
However, sometimes, staying far away doesn't mean you're safe.
Tonight, Brown is definitely going to have a nightmare!
"Beep beep!"
The referee's whistle saved the Wizards, whose momentum had been completely suppressed by Lin Tian and Jordan. Brown quickly bent his knees, looking as if he had been waiting for this jump ball for 10 years, he was so eager!
"Whoosh!"
The basketball was tossed into the air, and Brown quickly jumped up and passed it to Lue. Lue dribbled to the frontcourt and then passed the ball to Stackhouse.
Stackhouse bent down to receive the ball, facing Jordan, and he was trembling slightly.
Could I handle a Jordan who was clearly angry?
Two seconds later, Stackhouse discovered: Yes!
He underestimated himself, or rather, he overestimated Jordan, who was going to turn 40 in three months!
Jordan's legs were indeed slower. Faced with Stackhouse's powerful acceleration and breakthrough, Jordan really couldn't keep up and could only watch as Stackhouse rushed past him and then pulled up for a jump shot that went in!
2: 0!
Hmm. It doesn't seem that difficult?
After Stackhouse scored that goal, the courage he had just lost slowly returned.
On the defensive end, he tried to stand in front of Jordan, spread his arms, and try to defend Jordan's offense.
In tonight's grudge match, Lin Tian certainly wouldn't rush to steal the spotlight; the ball had to be passed to Jordan first!
Let Jordan have some fun and get his revenge first!
But after passing the ball to Jordan, Lin Tian couldn't help but frown.
Something's not right!
Why is Jordan having such a hard time? Facing Stackhouse, who was going all out and desperately trying to get back at him, Jordan was actually forced into a somewhat awkward position. Then, he couldn't even create space, and his fadeaway jump shot was blocked directly in the face by Stackhouse!
"Bang!"
Then came a dull thud; Jordan's first attack missed.
"Yes! I can! I absolutely can!" Stackhouse defended the ball and his confidence continued to soar. On the offensive end, he called for the ball again and once again chose to force his way through. He easily passed Jordan in one step, and this time he played even more aggressively, driving straight into the paint!
Faced with Ben Wallace's help defense, Stackhouse did not force a shot, but instead passed the ball to Brown, who was left open on the other side.
"boom!"
After a muffled thud, Brown slammed home a dunk, adding 2 points for his team!
However, compared to Stackhouse's triumphant celebration after making a good pass, Brown was much more reserved; he didn't even dare to raise his hands in cheers or roar out in celebration.
4: 0!
The Wizards started the game very well and took the lead against the Pacers.
But this wasn't the end. In the next few minutes, the Wizards continued to control the game, with Stackhouse and Hughes scoring repeatedly, playing with incredible ease! The Pacers' perimeter defense was truly lacking!
Jordan's peak was over, Arenas was too rough, and Webber was a leaky defender. With only three of them on the court, it was simply too late for Lin Tian and Ben Wallace to help them cover their mistakes.
This is also the hidden danger of this lineup: once the offense fails to break through, it will be immediately overwhelmed by the opponent's offense!
13: 4!
Five minutes into the game, both teams called their first timeout, which was initiated by Carlisle, who was down by nine points. He realized that his team was playing completely differently than he wanted! He had to make some changes!
In those five minutes, the Wizards players all performed exceptionally well, and their confidence grew stronger as the game progressed!
What defending champions? What strongest backcourt in history? It's all just talk!
前5分钟，奇才队领先9分，斯塔克豪斯5投3中拿下6分1助攻，休斯和布朗两人各拿2分，另外卢也命中一个3分!
On the Pacers' side, Jordan was mainly struggling with his shooting, taking 5 shots but only making 1. Besides Jordan, only Lin Tian scored 2 points, but Lin Tian's shooting percentage tonight was only 1 of 3.
To put it simply, the Pacers played terribly in the first five minutes!
"I think it's because Michael was too eager to prove himself, and the rest of the Pacers were too eager to help Jordan prove himself, which is why they played so badly tonight." In the TNT studio, Barkley and Kenny had already begun analyzing the first four minutes of the game.
Kenny added, "Everyone knows Michael's personality, and everyone knows how strong the Pacers are and how weak the Wizards are! So I believe many people already have their own ideas about the outcome and course of this game."
"Everyone came to this game to see the Pacers hang up their new championship banner, and also to see how many points the Wizards could lose! Everyone came to see the Wizards get thrashed! But honestly, these last few minutes of the game were truly beyond our expectations."
"Charles, what do you think will happen in the rest of this game?"
"What's next?" Barkley shrugged. "Just like you said, everyone knows Lin and Michael, and everyone knows how strong the Pacers are. After this timeout, I think they'll make some adjustments."
"For example, bring on Christie to strengthen the defense, or let Lin focus on the offense and let Michael find his rhythm again. After all, even if he wants revenge, Michael is almost 40 years old. His age doesn't allow him to continue being so reckless and ready to fire at any time!"
"He has to accept the fact that there are nights when he's not strong enough, and he also has to accept that there are nights when he simply can't find his rhythm and can only help the team with passing and experience rather than scoring."
"People have to accept getting old! I suspect Coach Carlisle will also make the same arrangement, and shift the main attack to help Michael get back into form."
It has to be said, Barkley really knows basketball!
Because that's exactly what Carlisle arranged next.
But...
"There's no need." The one who objected was Lin Tian: "Coach, please give Michael another 3 minutes. I believe he will find his rhythm soon and teach Stackhouse a lesson! He is Michael Jordan, he's just old and his legs aren't as nimble as they used to be."
"But it's not to the point where we'll be bullied by Stackhouse."
"Michael?" Carlisle looked at Jordan after hearing Lin Tian's words, waiting for him to speak.
"Lin is right! I'm just getting old, but I still have plenty of energy! Next, I will definitely take down Stackhouse! I will kill him!" Jordan nodded without hesitation. His confidence never wavered, whether he was 29 or 39 years old, he had this confidence!
But can he do it this time?
Of course you can!
Lin Tian suddenly remembered something.
Lin Tian originally intended to give Jordan a gift at the start of the regular season, but because of the preseason and other things, he completely forgot about it.
Fortunately, it's not too late to realize it now!
Mr. Lin, you have a hidden treasure!
"System, activate Bond Aura! Target: Michael Jordan!"
"Activating synergy aura!"
"Calculating the bond level between the host and Michael Jordan!"
"We're working on getting Michael Jordan back in shape!"
"Ding! Calculation complete, status updated!"
"Michael Jordan's current status: 1998!"
It was only 1998?
Lin Tian was somewhat disappointed.
I thought my bond with Jordan was so deep that I could somehow get back to my 91-93 three-peat form.
I can't believe it was only 98!
Of course, Jordan in '98 was also incredibly strong.
Scoring champion, MVP, All-NBA First Team selection, Eastern Conference runner-up.
That's enough!
Lin Tian didn't dwell on how the system determined the level of their bond and the degree of recovery.
After a brief moment of regret, he casually used up all the experience points he had accumulated since the playoffs, through the World Championships, training camps, and season gift packs—a total of 24000 points!
Just enough for Lin Tian to upgrade two skills to cure his obsessive-compulsive disorder.
"Flash Butterfly Effect LV4 (0/36000): Increases the host's rapid dribbling ability by 21%, crossover dribbling ability by 15%, ability to break double teams by 15%, and breakthrough ability by 33%. After the host is seriously fouled in mid-air during physical contact, the probability of scoring a 2+1 play increases by an additional 13%, and the probability of shaking off the opponent increases by 13%!"
"God's Backhand LV4 (0/28000): Increases backhand attack ability by 60%."
After upgrading these two skills, Lin Tian's stats look much better!
Name: Lin Tian
Age: 29
Height: 191 cm
Weight: 95KG
Physical Assessment: Jumping S+, Speed S+, Strength S+, Stamina S+, Explosiveness S+, Coordination S+, Awareness S+
Overall physical rating: S+
Offensive ratings: Shooting S+, Dribbling S+, Passing S+, Penetration S+, Low Post S, Dunk S+, Fast Break S+
Overall Offense Rating: S
Defensive ratings: Rebounds S, Steals S+, Top defense A-, Blocks A, Help defense A+, Boxing out A-, One-on-one defense S+
Overall defensive rating: S-
Special abilities: All-Seeing Eye, Pretty Boy, Lightning Speed, Human Cannon, Czech Iron Man, Leap of China, Great Bird Spirit, Light of Asia, Iron-Blooded Wolf King
技能：犹他城墙LV3(2811/6000)、飞翔曼巴LV4(5541/20000)、顶峰时刻LV4(3093/40000)、飞天神猪LV5(MAX)、快枪手LV3(3134/8000)、攻防一体LV5(MAX)、射手之王LV5(MAX)、精钢手套LV4(6432/36000)、真理手套LV3(5532/12000)、闪蝶效应LV3（0/36000）神之背打LV3(0/28000）
Items: Injury exemption (1 time), Flagrant foul (3 times), Geocentric theory (1 time), Iron Man Green (1 month), Status retention card (1 year)
XP: 910
Task: None
His dribbling has finally reached the S+ level, and his low-post back-to-the-basket ability has also been upgraded to S!
After this upgrade, this is the only offensive skill that Lin Tian hasn't reached S+ yet! The rest are all S+!
It feels good! But it's still a tiny bit lacking, which makes it not quite comfortable enough!
Anyway, Lin Tian has made up his mind: save up experience!
Make up the 28000 experience points shortfall for "God's Backstab" as soon as possible, and then upgrade this skill to LV5!
Then Lin Tian's physical attributes and offensive capabilities will both be at an S+ level! That's when things will truly feel great!
In order to achieve an all-S+ rating as soon as possible, Lin Tian will have to put in more effort, and Jordan will have to suffer more.
Who told you to be by my side all these years? Who told you to be my number one source of wool for so many years?
Just bear with it, you'll feel better soon!
Anyway, when Master Lin does this kind of thing, he always does it as soon as he thinks of it, and once he does it, he can definitely do it!
For example, right now.
"Michael, if you really can't handle it, don't force yourself. I can manage!" Lin Tian pretended to be hesitant and said, "We can switch positions. I'll guard Stackhouse, and you take on Lue!"
"This Lu is no good; he's easy to defend against!"
At this point, Lin Tian stopped talking abruptly, knowing that he didn't need to say anything more.
Jordan will fill in the blanks himself.
No good? Me, no good? Me, no good against Stackhouse? Barely? Do you really need to use the word "barely" to describe playing against Stackhouse?
What's with the switching? In all my years of playing basketball, I've always been the one to personally guard the opponent's key player!
How to defend against a Lu who isn't very capable?
I'm going to kill Stackhouse right now!
At that moment, Jordan suddenly felt a long-lost power fill his body. He felt that he was full of strength and could easily kill a tiger!
"Come on, old man! I can stop you!" Seeing that Jordan was coming to the low post to ask for the ball again, Stackhouse, who had just successfully defended him, was completely confident!
He's just a 39-year-old man; he's not worth harming.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Before Stackhouse could even finish his thought, Jordan had already launched an attack with lightning speed, driving to the basket with three consecutive back-to-the-basket drives, then elbowing Stackhouse aside before rising up and scoring two points with a powerful layup!
"What did you just say, old man?" Jordan scoffed. "Try guarding me one more time!"
"A hallucination! It's all a hallucination!" Stackhouse rubbed his aching ribs, thinking to himself, "They can't fool me! Don't even think about it!"
This time, Stackhouse got the ball directly from Tyronn Lue in the backcourt, dribbled it to the frontcourt, and actively found Jordan.
Dribble, find your rhythm, suddenly change direction, accelerate and break through, and the opponent is gone!
But the ball didn't come over!
Jordan seized the opportunity and snatched the ball, which hit Stackhouse's hand. Then, Jordan took the ball and launched a counterattack. With no one guarding him in the frontcourt, he swung the ball up with one hand and slammed it into the basket with a visually explosive one-handed windmill!
"boom!"
"What did you just say, Charles? You said Michael's old, can't play anymore, and isn't a match for Stackhouse?" Kenny seized the opportunity to immediately mock Barkley, "Then what's this?"
"As we all know, Michael always manages to pull off miracles." Barkley has been proven wrong countless times during his commentary career over the years, so he's long been used to it and his skin has gotten thicker and thicker. He grinned and said, "But I think the next game will most likely be heading into the part we've been waiting for!"
"The Pacers, it's time to step up!" (End of Chapter)