manynovel Chapter 100 Why do you all look unhappy?
Chapter 100 Why do you all look unhappy?
Chapter 100 Why do you all look unhappy?
"Lin, stand up!" The referee, ignoring the overwhelming boos and curses from the crowd, walked up to Lin Tian and blew his whistle.
Lin Tian obediently stood up. He ignored what the referee said, winked at Julie, and completely ignored Hilton, who was pouting and silent on the sidelines, before obediently leaving the court.
Just kidding, they've fought like this, how could they not expel themselves?
Lin Tian's newly acquired "lucky charm" only applies to women, not men!
However, Lin Tian only discovered something when he entered the players' tunnel.
There were quite a few people who came in here with him!
Pippen, Wennington, and Rodman were also ejected!
However, the expressions of these three people were completely different.
"I didn't do anything, I was just trying to break up the fight," Wen Ning said, feeling wronged.
"Good job, kid! You did a great job! After the fight at Madison Square Garden, you flirted with a New York woman in front of 18000 people! Awesome!" Rodman gave a thumbs up, his face full of admiration!
"I fought for you, you bastard, and you were flirting with girls again? FUXX! If I ever fight for you again, I'll eat my hat!" Pippen spat on the floor in anger and walked toward the locker room with a disgruntled look on his face.
Family, who can understand this feeling? I, Scottie Pippen, am fighting tooth and nail in front of everyone, while you, Lin Tian, are having a wild time with a girl in the back?
Yes, you knocked out three people by yourself, but I also helped Ewing get plastic surgery! Why should I?!
As the four walked side by side toward the locker room, Lin Tian learned from Wennington the initial results of the punishment. All three Bulls players who had made the move were ejected. Wennington was ejected for holding down Ewing and taking sides, and he looked aggrieved.
On the Knicks' side, the culprit Anthony Mason Jr., the number one enforcer Oakley, and Starks, who punched Wennington in the back several times, were all ejected!
Jordan and Harper didn't play too aggressively, so they only received one technical foul each and weren't ejected!
As for Ewing, he was beaten to a pulp by Pippen, so ejecting him seemed excessive. The referee didn't even give him a technical foul, as if he were the only victim in this brawl!
Regardless of the circumstances, the referee's decision essentially outlines the future situation for both teams.
The seven players who were ejected will almost certainly be suspended. It's just a matter of how the league will handle it! Will they go all out and suspend them for the rest of the season, or will they just let it go by suspending each of them for one or two games?
After all, with seven players missing from both teams' rosters, the upcoming games will truly become a contest between Jordan and Ewing to see who is the lone hero, who is the most ruthless, and who can score the most points.
After the referee kicked out those who needed to be ejected and cleaned up the scene, the brawl finally resumed!
Both teams' lineups have now basically become a battle between their star players and a group of substitutes and rotation players. Tonight's winner will basically depend on who is tougher and more aggressive between Ewing and Jordan!
As for Lin Tian at this moment, he was taking a shower while happily checking his haul for the night!
The Knicks team, whether from being beaten up, from being shocked, or from being incredulous at Lin Tian's skills, collectively lost over 500 experience points to him!
Then there are several very nice disposable items.
"Anthony Mason's emotional outburst resulted in dropping a disposable item: Flagrant Foul (3 times)"
"Spooky foul: When committing a flagrant foul on an opponent, there is a 30% chance that the opponent will suffer an additional injury."
"John Starks is emotionally unstable and drops a one-time-use item: Neuroscalpel (one section)."
"Neurotic Knife (Section 1): Increases shot attempt by 20% after use. If the shot is successful, the next shot's accuracy increases by 3%. If the shot misses, the next shot's accuracy decreases by 3%. This increase/decrease can be accumulated, with a maximum accumulation of ±15%!"
"Charles Oakley has an emotional outburst and drops a disposable item: Backboard Pervert (Full Court)."
"Rebound Maniac (Full Game): Grants Oakley's rebounding ability and nose for rebounding!"
Although no permanent skills were obtained, tonight's haul was still quite good!
Not to mention, Lin Tian's gains were not limited to just that!
There are other places where Lin Tian can reap other benefits!
As for where he went...
Lin Tian dodged reporters and staff members and went straight to the underground parking lot of Madison, where a standard American muscle ORV was parked. It was a famous Hummer H1 that had only been converted from military to civilian use a few years ago!
Judging from the monstrous tires, the incredibly hardcore streamlined design, and the body size that almost takes up two parking spaces, along with the classic all-green body and a series of other visually stunning modifications, it's clear that the owner of this car must love cars very much and have put a lot of effort into it.
This kind of car would be perfect for a strong, muscular man like Rodman or Malone, as it perfectly matches their style and temperament.
Lin Tian even felt that even if Jordan drove this car, he wouldn't be worthy of its domineering presence. Compared to this car, Jordan's demeanor was indeed a bit too "refined and cultured".
As for the current owner of this car...
"You're much bolder than I thought, Julie." Opening the car door, Lin Tian looked at Julie, who was sitting in the driver's seat with her fiery red lips looking even more sexy, and pulled out his ultimate move!
A smile, a smile that never leaves your eyes!
Julie had clearly just touched up her makeup, and her look was even more stunning than when she was in the arena.
Lin Tian originally thought that although Julie had given him a parking space number during the chaos and asked him to come find her, there should still be some formalities, such as going for a drink and chatting for a while.
Lin Tian was prepared to talk about everything from Shakespeare to life dreams, from the basic qualities of an actor to Stanislavski's acting system, then go see the night view of Manhattan and Brooklyn, and finally go to Julie's house to see the rabbit that can do backflips before getting to the main topic, right?
But Lin Tian didn't expect that Julie still didn't say a word. Her fiery red lips, which would captivate hundreds of millions of people years later and be the most famous and sexy in the world, were directly pressed against his face!
At that moment, Lin Tian's first reaction was: The system is great!
This "lucky charm for attracting the opposite sex" thing is a good thing!
After a long while, the two parted with reluctance!
"I'm not usually like this. I don't know what's wrong with me today," Julie said suddenly, her breathing heavy.
"Hmm," said Mr. Lin, "I believe you! Even if you told me right now that you were injured while riding a bicycle when you were young and that you're missing something, I would believe you 100%!"
"Actually, I came to watch the game to find you. I have a very strong ulterior motive. Will you be angry?" Julie gently bit her lower lip with her teeth, hesitated for a moment, and said, "You know what? My acting career has been very difficult. Although I got into the best film school in the United States, and although all my teachers said that I have talent and can become a star."
"But I just can't get any real opportunities, or rather, every opportunity presented to me requires me to kneel down and use my mouth to open a zipper to get it. I hate those fat, ugly producers and capitalists who look like tree stumps in my backyard!"
"So I thought of creating a scandal. After what happened between you and Jennifer Connelly in Los Angeles, she got a lot of exposure and even landed a big production, so I just... *sobs*..."
Well, Julie stopped there and couldn't say anything more, so Lin Da Guan Ren simply shut her up.
Just kidding, this isn't the time to listen to your past or reminisce about your life journey.
Just like when Naruto Uzumaki fights Nagato, everyone wants to see you unleash a barrage of attacks with Shinra Tensei and Bansho Ten'in, and see how skillfully you counter with Rasengan and Shadow Clone Jutsu. Ideally, the battle would be so devastating that the sun and moon would be obliterated, rivers would flow backward, and the entire ninja world would be shattered.
Instead of watching Naruto yell, "Stop! This is painful! You'll never be happy like this!"
And then, that was it.
Who wants to watch empty talk?
……
What Lin Tian and Julie didn't know was that their supposedly secret... well, not really secret date was actually being watched by others.
And it wasn't just one group!
Over in the players' tunnel, several incredibly tall figures huddled together, whispering and discussing amongst themselves.
"Scott, this isn't right of us. This is Lin's private matter!" Wennington frowned, clearly feeling some moral pressure about what they were doing.
"What personal matters! I want to see what he's really capable of!" Pippen snorted. "If he's all bark and no bite, I'll laugh at him for the rest of my life!"
"9:43!" Pippen glanced at his watch and said, "Let's see what you're capable of!"
In another corner, also far from the Hummer, stood a black Rolls-Royce that had just pulled up. A driver in black, sitting in the driver's seat, asked, "Miss, what are we doing here?"
"What are you doing?" For some unspeakable reason, Hilton, who was sitting in the passenger seat, licked his lips and said, "Time it! I want to see what makes that kid dare to ignore me! Dares not say a word to me!"
Inside the car, the Hummer's enormous size and spaciousness were fully on display. Lin Tian didn't experience any issues like insufficient space, a short wheelbase, or bumping his head while operating it.
Hmm, how about I replace my Corvette with a Hummer or something?
After all, while his car was cool, it wasn't really suitable for Lin Tian to find any fun in it other than driving.
As for Julie...
Forget it, let's not talk about it anymore!
Five minutes passed...
Pippen lit the first cigarette, Rodman sat on the floor, Wennington couldn't help but sigh, and Hilton's gaze towards the Hummer began to soften.
Five minutes passed...
Pippen had finished his brand new pack of cigarettes because Rodman and Wennington couldn't resist asking him for one. Hilton had also moved from the front seat to the more private back seat, and her driver got out, closed the door, and squatted down to smoke.
An hour passed...
The Hummer's shaking finally stopped.
Neither Lin Tian nor Julie paid any attention to the Rolls-Royce speeding past in front of them, nor did they notice Hilton's envious and longing gaze from the back seat of the Rolls-Royce.
As for the exit of the players' tunnel, there was no one there anymore, except for cigarette butts scattered all over the ground.
Deep inside the players' tunnel, Pippen growled, "Nobody is allowed to tell anyone about what happened today! We weren't here, we weren't squatting on the ground smoking, we weren't following or timing anyone, understand?"
"I won't tell." To Pippen's surprise, Rodman and Wennington both nodded in agreement immediately, especially Rodman, who looked rather lost and absent-minded at the moment.
……
After Lin Tian chatted with Julie for about ten more minutes in the car, Julie finally slowly regained some strength.
As for things like creating scandals or being seen by others...
Julie had long forgotten about it.
Lin Tian, however, still remembered this matter. "Wait for me here. I'm going back to a meeting. After the team disbands, I'll drive you home. I'll leave your house tomorrow morning. You should have arranged for paparazzi to take pictures of you, right?"
"No." Julie shook her head, then continued, "It was planned, but now I want to get rid of them all."
"Either is fine, but there's no need." Lin Tian displayed a gentleness and understanding completely opposite to his previous demeanor: "The important thing is you. I'm just an athlete, it's okay."
After Lin Tian finished speaking, he opened the car door and walked towards the players' private passage.
"Huh? Who's been smoking so much here? He must be in a really bad mood today."
"Why do you three look so unhappy?"
When Lin Tian returned to the locker room, the first thing he saw was Pippen, Rodman, and Wennington, three sullen guys sitting there motionless.
"It's nothing, I'm just going to get suspended."
"We're going to be fined."
"Bad mood."
The three of them each said a sentence, looking completely listless, as if they had suffered some huge blow.
"Don't worry, there won't be any problems! We've put in a lot of effort on both sides this time, so there won't be any issues. At most, the series will be longer. I don't think Stern will suspend us for too long. We'll definitely be able to make it out of the Eastern Conference Finals." Lin Tian patted the three of them on the shoulders, offering them rare words of comfort.
"Okay, we understand, we're not worried." The three of them were still absent-minded, seemingly preoccupied with something.
Lin Tian looked at the three guys and was also a little confused.
What's going on?
Did they lose the game?
Thinking of this, Lin Tian turned around and found the TV in the locker room. Just then, there were only 30 seconds left in the game. The Bulls were down by 5 points, 70-75, and the Knicks still had possession of the ball!
Jackson had already given up, showing no intention of continuing to defend or foul, while Jordan was sitting on the bench, panting heavily.
In this game, or rather in the latter half of the game, with Ewing and Jordan almost playing as single stars, it seems that Ewing and his New York team gained the upper hand and successfully tied the series!
2: 2!
The two sides are tied, and next, they will return to Chicago for the decisive Game 5.
"It's okay, it's just a tie! We have two home games later! We'll definitely be fine in this series!" Lin Tian felt that these three guys were probably in pain because he would be suspended and the team would be in trouble, so he immediately offered them comfort again.
"We believe McIlroy can do it."
To Lin Tian's surprise, these three guys were still half-dead, which was really inexplicable.
Seeing that the three were out of sorts, Lin Tian was too lazy to pay them any more attention. He was too lazy to coax even a girl, let alone three grown men.
If you want to be emo, go be emo by yourself, I don't care anymore. With that thought, Lin Tian quickly took off his clothes and went into the shower. He had sweated a lot and needed to wash up!
When Lin Tian came out after taking a shower, Jordan, looking gloomy and unhappy, led the remaining Bulls players into the locker room.
As soon as Jordan walked in, he saw the three lifeless-looking guys and immediately started yelling, "I don't care where you guys were during halftime, and I don't care how many games you get suspended, but the way you look is infuriating! Scott, Dennis, you two are veterans, what kind of attitude is this?"
"Or are you blaming yourselves? Thinking the loss is all because of your fighting? Bullshit! Who the hell do you think you are? Huh? You think we can't win without the team? Huh? Let me tell you, tonight's loss has absolutely nothing to do with you! Tonight is all my fault, understand? My fault!"
"We lost today, but that's because I had a terrible shooting night and was in bad form! Not because the Knicks guys were so great! And definitely not because you weren't there! When we get back to the United Center, I'll teach them a lesson, I'll beat them to a pulp, and we'll take Game 5!"
After Jordan finished his characteristically inspiring and comforting speech to his teammates, he swore a few more times and then headed straight for the shower.
He was also in a bad mood tonight, wondering how he could have lost in such a one-man showdown.
Or will they lose to Ewing, who is inferior to them?
Especially when Ewing sealed the victory, he uttered that trash talk that enraged Jordan.
"1800:300!"
Ewing's salary is six times that of his father? Jordan's painful memory has been brought up again.
Can not accept!
Absolutely unacceptable!
In the next game, we must show Ewing who's really in charge!
The Bulls' locker room was eerily quiet that night, even though Jordan took full responsibility for the loss, saying he would take full account of it.
But still, no one dared to speak in the locker room after the loss.
Even when Jordan said at the end that everyone could go out and relax tonight and come back to Chicago tomorrow morning to give the New Yorkers a good beating in Game 5, no one dared to cheer.
Well, except for Lin Tian!
He stood up impatiently and said, "Michael, you're a perfect leader. I have to go now."
"Where did that kid go again?" Jordan watched Lin Tian rush out and really wanted to pull him back to ask him what was going on, but he was the one who had said to disband the team, so he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he looked at Pippen and the others beside him.
These four guys were expelled together, they must know something, right?
"That kid's hooked up with another New York beauty and's off to meet her," Rodman sighed.
If I had that kid's skills, Madonna would have been the one who packed her bags and ran away back then.
"What? We were playing like crazy, and this kid hooked up with another hot girl?" Jordan stared wide-eyed in disbelief. "When?"
"During the fight, I saw him sitting and chatting with two pretty girls. One of them was super sexy, and the other was incredibly sweet!" Cole, who had been quiet all along, suddenly spoke up.
"What? Two?" Jordan's eyes widened even more! He began to regret it, regretting why he had given the team a day off!
FUXX!
I fight to the death, and I still have to spend money to find happiness. This guy got a date with a girl after just one fight?
Two more?
Or is she the kind of rich girl who has the money to sit in the front row of Madison?
Jordan really wanted to call Lin Tian back right now!
But then he realized... he didn't have Lin Tian's phone number.
Huh? It seems Lin Tian doesn't have a phone at all?
……
At this moment, Lin Tian had no idea what was being discussed in the locker room, nor what Jordan was planning. He was knocking on the Hummer's glass because, in just a short while, Julie had fallen asleep!
It seems she really expended a lot of energy.
However, both Lin Tian and Julie themselves said that the exertion was not enough!
We need to increase the quantity!
……
That night, Jordan seemed rather lost and dejected. He, Rodman, Pippen, and Wennington formed a group of four who were all in a daze. After a few rounds of drinks, they all started acting strangely.
That night, Jordan kept repeating one sentence: "Am I not handsome? Am I not charismatic? Can't I attract girls besides money?"
That night, Pippen kept repeating the same sentence: "Time doesn't matter, skill is the most important thing! What kind of skill is it to rely on talent?"
That night, Rodman kept repeating the same sentence: "This kid can definitely break Chamberlain's record, this kid can definitely fulfill my dream."
That night, Wennington kept repeating the same question: "I didn't fight, why am I being expelled? I was just trying to break up the fight, protecting my teammates from harm. What did I do wrong?"
Meanwhile, in New York, Stern was destined to have a sleepless night as he frantically summoned his staff and men to discuss how to resolve this incredibly serious brawl.
New York and Chicago are both top-tier markets in the league, with countless fans. Not to mention, Lin Tian is an important part of Stern's global plan, and China is closely watching the Bulls' games!
Since Lin Tian's game-winning shot in Game 4 of the first round, China Sports Network has broadcast four consecutive games between the Bulls and the Knicks. Every game has been a ratings hit and has generated a huge response!
Stern is planning to visit China again this summer to discuss further cooperation.
But at this very moment, the two teams actually got into a fight, and it was such a fierce and serious fight!
Stern is really struggling with how to handle this crisis, especially the crisis in the overseas Asian region. What's even more troubling for him is how to deal with this brawl.
For Stern, the only good news that night was that Jordan and Ewing, the two absolute core players of their respective teams, were not affected by the brawl, and the series was still salvageable!
So, the league now needs to discuss and study whether to impose a severe punishment that turns the game into a duel between Jordan and Ewing, or to be lenient and maintain the excitement of the game. And they don't have much time; they must give a result before sunrise tomorrow!
The pressure they are under is immense!
On this night, or rather, this morning, while Stern was at his wits' end, China, on the other side of the ocean, was also in an uproar!
Because of insufficient broadcasting experience and the lack of a suitable contingency plan, Huaxia Sports broadcast almost the entire brawl live. All the fans saw Lin Tian being knocked away by Mason's shoulder, and then rushing out of the crowd to punch and kick three Knicks players!
What was the reaction to Lin Tian's fight?
The reaction of the Chinese fans completely exceeded Stern's expectations!
In China, no one thinks Lin Tian is impulsive or irrational, and no one thinks it's wrong for him to fight!
Does hitting Americans count as assault? We did that decades ago!
"Well done! We've got you American devils covered!"
"Kill them! Lin Tian, that young man! Good! Really good!"
"Wow! Lin Tian's got guts! He's really fierce! That's it, beat those bastards to death!"
"That's so cool! That boxing technique is so cool!"
"Trying to bully our people? We'll kill them! Lin Tian is awesome!"
"Old Wang? He's gone! Hurry up, take your son to his Sanda lesson! If you're late, there won't be any spots left! Even when Old Li took his son, there was always a queue!"
"Honey, we need to add something extra for lunch today! We absolutely have to! To celebrate Lin Tian beating up the Americans! Add a fish!"
"Why?"
"There's this guy in America, right under the world's noses, who beat up a bunch of Americans! It's so inspiring! Damn, so inspiring! Awesome!"
"We need to add more dishes! I'll go buy some fish right now! And a bottle of wine? How about we call Old Zhang and the others over?"
……
The entire nation of China was plunged into waves of jubilation!
Of course, no matter how excited or triumphant China is, the necessary punishments must still be imposed.
After almost an entire night of discussion and research, Stern and his staff finally issued their final decision on the matter.
The culprit, Anthony Mason, who initiated the incident, was suspended for five games and fined $50,000. This means that no matter how far the series progresses, he will be unable to participate. Unless the Knicks can reach the Eastern Conference Finals, his season will be over prematurely.
If Mason's punishment was expected and entirely reasonable, then the punishments for the other players on both sides were rather 'light'.
Lin Tian, who played the most aggressively, was only suspended for two games and fined $2, perhaps because he was also a victim. This means that if the series goes to a Game 3, Lin Tian will return to the game!
In addition, Wennington, Pippen, and Rodman were all suspended for one game and fined $20,000 each.
On the Knicks' side, Starks and Oakley were both suspended for one game and fined $2.
The rest, whether it was Ewing who suffered the most beating or Harper who fought with Jordan, were not given any further punishment.
Then, the league pulled another stunt.
Because the Knicks and Bulls had a lot of players suspended, a total of 7 players from both teams were suspended. Apart from Mason being out of this series and Lin Tian having to play in Game 7, the league used a rotation suspension tactic for the rest of them!
Rodman will miss Game 5, Wennington will miss Game 6, and Pippen will miss Game 7 or Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals!
For the Knicks, Starks won't play in Game 5, and Oakley won't play in Game 6!
The announcement of the alternating suspensions immediately diverted the attention of fans and the media!
This is the first time in history that such a trick of rotating suspensions has been used. Everyone knows that this is a concession made by the league to improve the quality and excitement of the games. But since a concession has been made, there will inevitably be comments about fairness and unfairness.
For example, if the series goes to Game 7, the Knicks will be at full strength, while the Bulls will be missing Pippen!
And in the most crucial Game 5, the Bulls were missing Rodman!
However, if the Bulls win Game 5, they will have a complete Big Three in Game 6 in New York, while the Knicks' core trio of frontcourt big men will be reduced to just Ewing, making them vulnerable to being blown out by the Bulls.
It's safe to say that this separate suspension immediately ignited the entire basketball community!
The focus of everyone's discussion shifted from whether the league's suspension was too lenient to who benefited and who suffered, and which team the suspension was protecting and whose interests it was intended to safeguard.
This is exactly what the league wants!
Only by completely diverting the discussion and focusing people's attention on several different topics can the impact of this brawl be minimized!
This is the best solution that Stern and his team came up with!
After announcing the punishment, the league quickly sent an email to all management personnel.
It's about the brawl during the playoffs.
In short, it boils down to four words: Severe punishment without leniency!
If a similar incident occurs again, the league will definitely make those involved in the fight say goodbye to the season early!
Then, before the pivotal Game 5 between the two teams began, the league once again announced the MVP winner for this season and the selection of the most important regular season All-NBA Team.
After the two final suspenseful moments and biggest topics of discussion in the regular season were revealed, and with the league and the media it controlled intentionally guiding the narrative, the brawl between the two sides in Game 4 actually became a forgotten topic.
Everyone's attention shifted to the selection of the All-Star team. They began to analyze who deserved to be in the All-Star team, who was unfortunately left out, and who was unworthy of the honor.
Well, let's just discuss the best lineup, because this year's MVP selection was really too predictable.
Michael Jordan won the MVP award this season with almost unanimous votes!
If it weren't for his terrible relationship with the media in Detroit, Indiana, New York, Portland, and other places, and the fact that he beat them up so many times, he would definitely have become the first unanimous MVP in NBA history!
But there's nothing we can do; there are just some people who simply refuse to vote for Jordan!
There's no reason why, you're definitely going to win anyway, I just don't want to see you get a unanimous vote, so what?
Jordan didn't seem to care. He simply said at the awards ceremony before the pivotal Game 5: "Robinson, Hardaway, and Olajuwon, these three guys who took my number one vote, I'll remember them. You better pray you never run into me in a game."
"Otherwise, I'll make you regret getting these votes!"
(End of this chapter)