Chapter 23 O'Neal: I Am the Leader of This Team!

At this moment, O'Neal's temper was clearly flaring. He did not follow Rodman out of the paint to defend Lin Tian's pick-and-roll.

Rodman’s screen was, as usual, a mix of grabbing and scratching; not only did he hold Hardaway firmly in place, but he also seized the opportunity to give Hardaway’s midsection a fierce pinch!

With Rodman covering him and Jordan drawing the bulk of the Magic's defensive attention, Lin Tian naturally slipped into an open space with ease and launched a mid-range jump shot!

"Swish!"

A crisp sound echoed through the arena. Lin Tian had now tallied 6 points and 1 assist in quick succession, leading his team on an offensive surge that leveled the score!

This 8-0 run helped the Bulls completely reverse their downward momentum.

"Shaq! Why didn't you step out? That kid had way too much space!" Hardaway spread his arms, complaining to O'Neal.

"Anfernee, don't talk to me like that. I was the one who arrived at this team first; I am the team's leader!" O'Neal huffed. As he sprinted toward the front court, he retorted to Hardaway, "You guys have wasted too many opportunities. This ball, give it to me! I’m going to play one-on-one in the low post; I can wreck the Bulls' entire defense!"

O'Neal’s sudden display of dominance and unreasonableness left Hardaway bewildered.

What was wrong with this big guy? Why was he acting so erratic?

Of course, he didn't know that O'Neal was still preoccupied with what Lin Tian had said just moments ago.

O'Neal arrived in the paint, feeling good, and demanded the ball aggressively. Despite his confusion, Hardaway didn't hesitate and fed him the pass. When it came to passing and court vision, he was truly among the league's elite.

After receiving the ball, O'Neal had barely started his move—the ball had only bounced once on the floor—when the Bulls' double-team arrived. Lin Tian abandoned his own assignment and charged straight into the paint. Without even bothering to aim, he simply swung his arm down!

"Smack!"

A sharp slap echoed, landing with pinpoint accuracy on O'Neal’s hand!

"Shooting foul! Two free throws!"

The referee's whistle was timely, and the foul was indisputable.

Lin Tian didn't care at all, quickly raising his hand to acknowledge the foul. His mindset was simple: if he stripped the ball, it was a huge profit; if not, no harm done. O'Neal at the free-throw line was less of a threat than a high schooler!

"Rookie! Don't commit fouls so easily! Just guard your own man. Don't forget what I said—don't be a liability!" Jordan finally found an opening and began to lecture Lin Tian.

Letting you kid lecture me earlier? Now it’s my turn!

However, before Jordan could finish his sentence, Lin Tian pointed toward the center circle and said, "Michael, let me grab the rebounds! You go wait at the center circle for the offense. I have a way to make the Magic collapse, but I need to stand under the basket."

"Do you think I'm a three-year-old? You think I’d believe that?" Jordan scoffed. Who do you think you are? Standing under the basket for a rebound can make the Magic collapse? Who are you trying to fool!

"If you can't do it, then after the game, 500 high-intensity shooting drills—not a single shot less!" Jordan said as he walked toward the mid-court line.

Once again, he had inexplicably followed Lin Tian's instructions!

"Clang!"

O'Neal had just missed his first free throw. He shook his head in frustration; tonight he was only 4-of-11 from the line, worse than his average. It was truly a run of bad luck.

"Shaq." Just as O'Neal prepared for his second free throw, Lin Tian, standing right beside him, suddenly said, "In Orlando, don't the fans chant 'MVP' when their team leader is at the line? They must be afraid of distracting you! Such thoughtful fans!"

Lin Tian's words struck straight at O'Neal’s heart.

It was true. How long had it been since he heard the fans chant "MVP" for him? Last year, he led the team to the Finals, but what were the people of Orlando saying and thinking?

"It's all thanks to 'Penny'!"

"We only made the Finals because of the versatile, handsome, and flashy 'Penny'!"

Nonsense, it was all nonsense!

"Swish!"

Amidst the turmoil in O'Neal’s mind, his second free throw was ridiculously off-target, barely grazing the net before going out of bounds!

"Shaq O'Neal's emotions are fluctuating. Dropped a one-time item: 00-01 Season O'Neal Strength (Shark Power) Trial Card (3 minutes)!"

Whoa! There it is!

Lin Tian felt his eyes light up. The strength of prime O'Neal!

Another great item!

It was a pity that it only provided the strength attribute, unlike Jordan's 3-minute comprehensive trial card which felt invincible. But it would certainly be enough for Lin Tian to stir up some trouble at a critical moment.

At the same time, Lin Tian gained a bit more understanding of how the system worked.

Trial cards came in tiers!

Jordan's 92-93 season card was a boost to all attributes and abilities—definitely a top-tier trial card. Today’s item was single-attribute, so it was certainly a grade lower. He wondered if there were other types as well.

With O'Neal missing both free throws, the Bulls officially kicked off another offensive frenzy!

First, Lin Tian ran a pick-and-roll at the top of the arc again, maneuvering past the screen to hit a mid-range jumper, successfully reclaiming the lead!

The Magic finally changed their defensive strategy, having Grant provide more help defense in the mid-range to curb Lin Tian's shooting. With O'Neal anchoring the paint, and Lin Tian still lacking in raw strength and advanced technique, he found it difficult to gain an advantage by driving inside.

With both his mid-range shot and drives to the basket locked down, Lin Tian's performance dimmed once more.

But while Lin Tian was no longer shining on the court, the Bulls still had the Basketball God, Jordan!

As the saying goes, when in doubt, give the ball to Jordan! He would solve everything!

After resting for a few minutes, Jordan took the reins of the offense and began to dominate once again!

In the ensuing set plays, Lin Tian barely found any opportunities. He missed his few shot attempts and only added 2 points via a fast break.

Although Lin Tian didn't put on another spectacular display, by the end of the third quarter, the Bulls had already turned the score around to 77-72!

They were leading the Magic by 5 points!

And anyone with a keen eye could see that the Bulls' comeback in the third quarter was entirely due to the sudden emergence of Lin Tian as the "X-factor"!

Throughout the third quarter, Lin Tian scored 10 points and had 3 assists. While it might seem modest, those 10 points were scored in a very short span! His explosive scoring power directly transformed the Bulls from an 8-point deficit to a 2-point lead!

Not to mention that after Lin Tian's constant "salty" remarks toward O'Neal, the once-seamless chemistry between O'Neal and Hardaway had clearly fractured.

The two were no longer running pick-and-rolls, and O'Neal stopped clearing out to provide space when Hardaway drove.

The chemistry between the two had suddenly vanished!

And how could a seasoned, ruthless team like the Bulls pass up such an opportunity?

In the fourth quarter, Jackson kept the "Big Three" on the floor, paired with Kerr and Kukoč—the team's best shooters. The Bulls' quintet started the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run in less than three minutes, extending their lead!