Chapter 44: The Action Finally Begins! Lin Tian's First Kill on the NBA Court!
After everyone cleared out, Payton chose to drive straight ahead!
He wanted to use his height advantage of two centimeters and his stronger physique to aggressively post up Lin Tian, that annoying rookie!
"Boom!" The moment Payton initiated his move, he gave Lin Tian a hard bump before launching his second step toward the paint!
After carving his way all the way to the rim, he suddenly gathered the ball into a jump-stop, leaning his shoulder forward and slamming it heavily right into Lin Tian's chest!
He wanted to use this collision to create space for his shot!
Normally, given Payton's ability and strength advantage, once he reached such a deep position, Lin Tian would have had no choice other than to commit a foul or simply watch him score two points!
Yet this was precisely what Lin Tian had been waiting for! Although the impact nearly knocked the wind out of him, Lin Tian had prepared well in advance. His newly upgraded stealing ability made his hands frighteningly fast!
"Swat!"
Just as Lin Tian was knocked off balance, he lashed out with a single hand, striking the basketball right as Payton raised it to shoot!
Instantly, the basketball flew out of control, soaring directly toward the baseline!
Since Lin Tian was also losing his balance, he lunged desperately after the flying ball, managing to secure control of it just before both he and the ball hit the floor!
Then, in that fraction of a second, Lin Tian did not look for a teammate!
He didn't even have time to glance back at the court setup. Relying solely on the impression he had before launching into his dive, he hurled the basketball backward with all his might!
That exact direction was precisely where Payton had been standing moments before!
Immediately afterward, Lin Tian crashed into the group of photographers huddled along the baseline!
Before losing his balance entirely, he clearly heard a muffled thud!
"Thump!"
Lin Tian was certain the ball had struck Payton squarely; otherwise, such a sound could not have been produced!
Strange as it seemed, however, the fans at the United Center suddenly burst into uproarious laughter at that exact moment!
It was a thunderous wave of mirth, almost as if they were watching a comedy show!
Lying among the crowd, completely oblivious to what had happened, Lin Tian was pulled to his feet by Pippen, who wore a mischievous smirk.
"Lin, your aim is truly remarkable!"
Pippen covered his mouth and gestured with his chin toward a spot not far away, where Payton was kneeling on the floor, holding his groin with both hands.
That expression and gesture, understood instantly by any man, made Lin Tian realize immediately where his wildly thrown ball had landed.
As it turned out, that steadfast little buddy and closest partner of Payton's throughout his life—his precious little brother—had just taken a hit!
Less than thirty seconds later, Payton suddenly rose to his feet, despite the agonizing pain, and glared malevolently at baseline referee Fox.
"Are you blind or simply an idiot? That kid threw the ball right at my... right at my family jewels!" Payton shook his head in sheer disbelief. "He tried to murder me! Are you not going to blow the whistle even once?"
"I am the referee, and you are not. I know very well what happened, and I know clearly what constitutes a foul and what does not!" Fox stated with absolute righteousness. "That last play was completely clean, with zero problems! If you continue to argue, I will slap you with a technical foul and send you home early tonight!"
"Fine! You said it! Remember that! Don't blame me!" Payton pointed a thumb at Fox, then marched straight toward Lin Tian.
"Don't blame me, kid. He's the one who said it wasn't a foul!" Payton threatened Lin Tian with a ferocious scowl!
"Of course it wasn't a foul, seeing as I did nothing wrong." Lin Tian remained completely unfazed, replying casually, "Besides, I didn't hit anything!"
"What did you say?!" Flames seemed to shoot from Payton's eyes! For a man, there are certain things one simply cannot tolerate. Especially since Lin Tian's words had struck the exact bullseye, endurance was entirely out of the question!
"Gary, what's with that expression? I was merely joking." Seeing Payton's expression twist abruptly, Lin Tian realized his guess was spot on. Seizing the opportunity, he twisted the metaphorical dagger he had already driven into Payton's chest and plunged it in once more!
"Could it be that I guessed correctly?"
"FUXX!" Hearing this, Payton finally snapped; all reason and restraint vanished in that instant!
He extended both hands and shoved hard against Lin Tian!
At that moment, the two were practically pressed against each other. In Payton's mind, even if Lin Tian were the Flash reincarnated, dodging this blow was impossible! Once Lin Tian was shoved off balance, a barrage of punches would rain down directly upon him!
Payton was confident he could knock Lin Tian flat on the floor before anyone else could arrive!
He would make Lin Tian never dare to provoke him again!
Yet intentions are grand while reality is harsh!
The exact microsecond Payton shoved forward, Lin Tian executed a flawlessly fluid spin, deftly slipping right past Payton's side and ending up directly behind him! Conversely, Payton, having committed fully to the push, lost his balance and stumbled forward twice, nearly falling flat on his face in utter humiliation!
"Gary, what are you doing? Have you lost your way?" Lin Tian, standing behind Payton, did not rush to throw a punch, keeping Rodman's teachings firmly in mind!
Avoid sucker punches whenever possible!
However, when Payton spun around to locate Lin Tian, his luck ran out entirely!
Greeting Payton's eyes was a fist the size of a sandbag!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Lin Tian's iron fists lashed out in a lightning-fast three-punch combination—left hook, right cross—sending stars spinning before Payton's eyes. Payton staggered backward seven or eight steps before his legs went weak, causing him to collapse straight onto the floor!
By this time, the SuperSonics players on the court finally realized what had transpired. The two massive men standing over 208 centimeters tall, Johnson and Kemp, came huffing and puffing toward Lin Tian, cursing up a storm. Clearly, neither of them had come to break up the fight!
If they weren't here to break it up, that suited Lin Tian just fine!
Facing the charging Johnson and Kemp, Lin Tian showed not a shred of panic. Not only was he calm, but in the span of a heartbeat, he formulated a combat strategy!
Kemp possessed terrifying natural athleticism and superior speed, whereas Johnson was merely a standard big man who had noticeably lagged two steps behind Kemp!
Consequently, Lin Tian retreated two steps. Believing Lin Tian was trying to flee, Kemp roared, "Don't run!" and accelerated even further, widening the gap between himself and Johnson, transforming himself into a solitary vanguard!