Chapter 16: From Being Booed by the Entire Arena to Chicago’s New Favorite in Five Minutes!

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“Nice pass, Lin!” Kerr stepped forward and slapped Lin Tian’s hand, offering him a little encouragement.

The fans, however, were not buying it. Sure, Lin had recorded an assist, but didn’t Kerr deserve ninety percent of the credit for knocking down the shot? Even if they had sent their grandmothers onto the court, they could have delivered the ball that accurately!

Still, the fans’ dissatisfaction with Lin ended there. Less than ten seconds later, they were staring wide-eyed.

After a Milwaukee shot missed, Lin happened to grab the rebound. Rather than methodically dribbling the ball upcourt, he turned and surveyed the floor. Then, all at once, he fired a one-handed bounce pass that sent the ball straight toward the area around the opposite three-point line.

The pass itself might have sounded ordinary, but Lin had released it near the Bulls’ free-throw line!

The ball flew from his hand, struck the floor near midcourt, bounced up, and landed in the hands of Buechler, who was already racing down the floor.

Along the way, the basketball threaded between the legs of two Milwaukee players, piercing the entire Bucks defense like a missile!

And Lin had needed only a single glance to see it all.

“Boom!”

With a thunderous crash, Buechler slammed the ball through with both hands, putting two more points on the board.

“Beautiful pass, Lin!” Buechler excitedly raised one hand for a high-five. Ever since teaming up with Lin, scoring had become easier and easier. All he had to do was run, and the ball might arrive in his hands at any moment, leaving him with an effortless basket.

After that play, the jeers in the arena finally began to fade.

Lin’s pass had been spectacular.

And Lin’s performance was only just beginning.

One possession later, the Bucks finally ended their scoring drought when John Newman knocked down a three-pointer, trimming the deficit slightly.

But they had no time to celebrate.

From the baseline, Kukoc once again displayed the extraordinary talent that had earned him the title of the King of Europe. He took the ball and fired off a quick inbound pass, sending it in the blink of an eye to Lin near the three-point line.

Lin did not even bother to worry about Milwaukee’s defense. He drove hard off both feet, transforming into a bolt of lightning in an instant.

Before the entire Bucks defense could react, Lin had already crossed half court and stormed into the Milwaukee paint. The Bucks had not merely failed to get back on defense—they had never imagined that an unknown rookie whose name they had barely even heard could move so quickly.

Swish!

With a crisp sound, Lin calmly laid the ball in.

The clock had not even reached five seconds.

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From catching the ball at his own three-point line to finishing the layup, Lin had needed less than five seconds.

Calling that speed lightning-fast was no exaggeration.

But the people of Chicago were even more deserving of the phrase.

After Lin’s assist and lightning-quick layup, the jeers directed at him had almost completely vanished.

Some fans had even begun cheering for him.

“Come on, little rookie!”

“I’ve always been your fan!”

“I remember he graduated from Pennsylvania State University! No wonder he came from such a great basketball school. He’s amazing!”

“I’ve always been his fan! Ever since he played at Pennsylvania State University!”

“I graduated from Penn State! I’ve watched a lot of his games! I’ve always loved him!”

“Come on, little brother! Keep it up!”

…

The only thing that slightly slowed the fans’ astonishing one-eighty-degree change of heart was the United Center’s DJ.

“Wonder Boy! Let’s give our wonder boy the most heartfelt cheer we can! And let me introduce our marvelous rookie to everyone once again!”

“From China, twenty-two years old, six foot three, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, playing point guard—L-L-L… Lin Tian!”

The University of Pennsylvania?

Not Pennsylvania State University?

Several fans who had just been shouting encouragement to their supposed younger schoolmate silently chose to say nothing beneath the mocking looks of those around them.

They were innocent! How were they supposed to know that an Ivy League graduate would come play in the NBA—and play this well?

How was that any different from Clinton living in a poor neighborhood in Washington and becoming like brothers with the local Black residents?

Lin thoroughly enjoyed the fans’ lightning-fast change in attitude and the cheers that now belonged exclusively to him.

No wonder so many people loved stories about the poor young man who rose above everyone’s contempt, pretended to be weak before revealing his true strength, and slapped his detractors in the face. They might be clichéd, but they were undeniably satisfying.

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Pure, unadulterated satisfaction.

Over the next few minutes, Lin made no attempt to suppress his offensive instincts or the talent practically spilling out of him. After all, he was facing the third unit of a team from the lower half of the league. Against them, Lin had his way with effortless ease.

He knocked down a pull-up midrange jumper after a pick-and-roll.

He took a pass from Kukoc and raced down the court again, finishing the fast break.

During a transition sequence, he found Buechler cutting to the basket and delivered a behind-the-back pass that set his teammate up for a soaring dunk.

After another three-play burst, Lin had scored six points and handed out three assists in less than five minutes on the court. The numbers might not have looked extraordinary, but every one of his drives and passes had been thrilling, each one drawing gasps of amazement.

His drives and fast breaks were swift and ferocious.

His passing and playmaking were imaginative, freewheeling, and effortlessly stylish.

Even when Lin, in pursuit of ever more dazzling passes, committed two turnovers on the next two possessions, the Chicago fans did not criticize him.

Some even blamed Buechler and Wennington for lacking the talent to capitalize on Lin’s genius passes.

Then, on the final possession of the third quarter, Lin held the ball beyond the three-point line against Murdock, who stood a full head shorter than him.

Lin did not hesitate. He did not even bother with a feint. Instead, he simply exploded forward and blew past Murdock in a single step.

The only part of Murdock that could keep up with Lin’s speed was his hair, fluttering in the breeze created by Lin’s drive.

Swish!

After charging all the way to the basket, Lin rose over Milwaukee’s backup center. He forced the layup through, drew the foul, and converted the play.

And-one!

With one second remaining in the third quarter, Lin’s brutally powerful three-point play proved once again that the team had been absolutely right to choose him.

“MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!”

When Lin stepped to the free-throw line, a few fans who had become completely swept up in the spectacle even began chanting MVP at him.

Since it was only a preseason game, nobody played for very long.

Lin appeared for less than five minutes in the fourth quarter before taking a seat for good. In his ten minutes of total playing time, he had committed three turnovers, but he had also shot four of seven from the field, gone three for three at the free-throw line, and finished with eleven points and six assists—including several spectacular baskets.