manynovel Chapter 32: Mo Ning leaves the field, the match belongs to Lin Tian!
Chapter 32: Mo Ning leaves the field, the match belongs to Lin Tian!
Many people say that Mourning's temperament is the biggest difference between him and the four great centers.
Although none of the four centers are known for their good temper, they are still able to control themselves to some extent and avoid doing too many irrational things.
But Mo Ning was different. He was practically a powder keg that could explode at any moment. Once his temper flared up, he would do anything and had to vent it first!
So, after being provoked by Lin Tian and Pippen, Mourning's temper was reignited. He became more aggressive in the paint, played harder, and charged more fiercely on the defensive end!
The result was that Mourning scored 6 consecutive points in the paint, dominating the Bulls' interior defense.
But he paid a heavy price.
He was called for an offensive foul by Kukoc, and on the defensive end, he was also called for a defensive foul when facing Lin Tian's attack.
Less than three minutes into the second quarter, Mourning was called for two fouls in a row, accumulating three fouls and having to leave the game.
Although the Heat had managed to close the gap somewhat by this point.
But everyone knew that Mourning leaving the court meant the Heat were finished!
Jackson didn't even rush to bring Jordan back, but instead let the players on the court continue playing.
With Alonzo Mourning gone from the Heat's frontcourt, not only was Kurt Thomas, who came off the bench, ineffective, but the Heat also lacked reliable defenders on the perimeter! Unable to defend or rebound effectively, the game completely became Lin Tian's showcase!
He first blew past the defender and drove into the paint, forcing a layup over Thomas and scoring!
Then the Heat missed their next shot, and Pippen grabbed the rebound and made a long pass to Lin Tian. Lin Tian dribbled the ball and sped to the basket, scoring another layup!
Then it was Lin Tian again. After calling for a screen at the high post, he used the screen to drive into the paint again, forcefully jumped and made a layup, while also drawing a foul from Thomas!
A 2+1 play!
After scoring 7 consecutive points, Lin Tian led his team to a successful run!
But Lin Tian's performance is not over yet!
In the next possession, the Heat, who were already a bit disoriented from being beaten, made a basic mistake. While they were passing the ball back and forth at the top of the arc, Pippen stole it, and Lin Tian grabbed the out-of-control ball and launched another counterattack!
Because Lin Tian had already scored 7 points in a row, the Heat's defensive focus was almost entirely on him, and 3 Heat players rushed towards Lin Tian without any regard for the consequences!
Faced with the fierce encirclement of three people, Lin Tian seemed to be frightened and suddenly stopped near the midfield, looking at a loss and not knowing what to do.
Before the Heat fans could even celebrate, and before the three players could fully close in, Lin Tian threw the basketball away!
The basketball flew from midcourt directly to the Heat's basket!
"boom!"
Then, there was another loud bang!
Pippen stole the ball, made a fast break, and finished with an alley-oop dunk for another 2 points!
47: 30!
The point difference between the two sides is approaching 20 points!
At this point, Riley had no choice but to call a timeout in the hope that the team could stabilize the situation.
But clearly, this was in vain!
Apart from Mourning, the Heat currently lack anyone capable of carrying the team, and Riley is unwilling to bring Mourning back onto the court with three fouls. The Heat are destined to struggle to find their rhythm.
Not to mention that the Bulls have also made another lineup change.
Jordan is back on the court, and the Bulls are about to launch their final offensive!
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
This is Jordan and the Bulls.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
This is the Heat!
The two sides showed a huge gap in player ability and tactical state, and the Heat had no power to put up any resistance!
They had only scored 39 points by the end of the first half, while the Bulls had already racked up 61 points!
A 22-point gap is absolutely irreversible given the pace and scoring efficiency of this era!
Even so, this was still a home game, and the proper attitude was still necessary. So, in the third quarter, Mourning was brought back onto the court.
He lived up to expectations, scoring two consecutive baskets inside after coming on, narrowing the gap to within 20 points!
But the Heat can't hold on with just him alone!
It is also impossible to further narrow the gap.
The two sides engaged in another round of back-and-forth battle with a score difference of around 20 points.
With six minutes played in the third quarter, Jackson, who was leading by a large margin, began to rotate his players early, letting the key players rest and prepare for the rest of the game. Lin Tian, Cole, Kukoc, Wennington and others came on together!
On the Heat's side, Mourning has no chance to rest at all. As soon as he leaves the court, the Heat will immediately be hit by a huge offensive surge from the Bulls, and the point difference will immediately approach 30 points!
But could this situation have been avoided if he were on the field?
That obviously won't work either!
He's just known as an "Iron Man," but he's not really made of iron! He carried the team with high intensity and high output for so long, and even though he rested for a long time in the second quarter, his stamina started to decline noticeably!
After realizing this, Lin Tian knew it was his turn to perform!
He called for a pick-and-roll again, having Wennington screen the defender and then facing off against Mourning!
"Rookie, am I seeing things? You actually want to challenge me?" Mourning was actually challenged to a one-on-one fight, which was a rare occurrence in his professional career!
He directly mocked Lin Tian, saying, "Why don't you go home and ask your father who I am?"
"A self-important softie, a center with no real skills, a third-rate inside player who's inferior to O'Neal, Robinson, Ewing, Olajuwon, Malone, Barkley, and Kemp—what's wrong with that? Is there anything I need to add?" Lin Tian looked at Mourning and immediately started mocking him!
"Kid! I'll show you what I'm made of! I'll knock you off your hat and send you flying home!" Mo Ning slammed his fist on the floor, determined to teach Lin Tian a lesson. "I'll send you back to your impoverished hometown, back to eating corn and eating tree leaves! Come on, trash!"
But just as Mo Ning slammed his fist on the floor in anger, Lin Tian activated his attack!
His terrifying speed erupted once again, and he flashed past Mo Ning like lightning!
Mo Ning only felt a whoosh, and the rookie in front of him disappeared!
Only then did he finally understand what Riley meant by writing in the pre-match scouting report about Lin Tian: "Very fast, be careful!"
Holy crap! This is just fast? This is explosive speed!
When we get back, we absolutely have to fire the team's scout! That scout report was absolutely terrible!