Chapter 64: Sudden Turn in the Situation! Unexpected Casualties!

Coupled with Jordan being a lethal weapon in the low post, the Jazz's defense was already starting to crumble, looking overwhelmed and leaking from all directions.

Led and orchestrated by the two of them, the Bulls scored repeatedly in the latter half of the first quarter, quickly establishing a lead of around 10 points!

At this point, Jerry Sloan's only option was to pray—pray that Karl Malone's offensive output could match Jordan's, pray that Jordan would miss his shots, and pray that every pass Jordan kicked out would fail to find the bottom of the net.

Well, at least during the latter half of the first quarter, Sloan's prayers were completely ignored by the gods.

The Jazz were suppressed by the Bulls throughout the entire first quarter.

It wasn't until the final three minutes of the opening period that Lin Tian finally got his chance to play. However, facing the Jazz's still stubborn iron-bucket defense and collapsing paint, although Lin Tian could easily shake off the Jazz's first line of defense, his shooting ability was not yet stable enough to carve out particularly good scoring opportunities.

Fortunately, against the Jazz's second unit, even with Lin Tian's mediocre performance, the score gap between the two teams remained steady at around 10 points with no drastic changes.

Lin Tian stayed on the court from the end of the first quarter until there were eight minutes left in the second quarter before checking out. In those seven minutes, he went 2-for-5 from the field, contributing 4 points and 2 assists in a performance that could only be described as solid and unremarkable.

After that, both teams cycled back into a battle between their starting lineups.

By this time, the probing of the first quarter was over, and both squads were gradually catching fire and finding their rhythms. The intensity on the court escalated, physical play became increasingly unruly, and all sorts of trash talk and flying elbows were suddenly filling the air!

The point differential remained in a relatively balanced state, fluctuating back and forth between 6 and 10 points. The Jazz continually failed to narrow the gap any further, while the Bulls couldn't find a reliable way to blow the game open either!

With four minutes remaining in the second quarter, the score on the board stood at 41 to 48!

Relying on Toni Kukoč's brilliant scoring burst in the first quarter, the Bulls maintained a temporary 7-point lead.

Then, an entirely unexpected turn of events suddenly erupted on the court!

During a low-post possession, Jordan threw a rather heavy elbow that knocked Hornacek flat on his back. Although the referee swallowed his whistle, Karl Malone, patrolling the paint for help defense, simply could not stand by and watch his teammate get wiped out like that!

He stepped up, winding up his world-famous iron elbows and swinging them directly at the airborne Jordan!

"Thud!"

A muffled impact echoed through the arena, loud enough to break the heart of everyone in the United Center. Jordan let out a miserable scream, flipping backward out of the air as he lost his balance and crashed heavily onto the hardwood floor!

"I don't give a damn if this is Chicago or the middle of nowhere! Even if it's on the goddamn moon, if you dare swing an elbow at one of our guys, I'll lay you out flat, understand?"

"Understand your goddamn ass!" Having tangled with Malone for nearly half a half—not to mention a mountain of deep-seated historical animosity—Dennis Rodman was hardly going to let that slide. He threw his shoulder directly into Malone's chest, knocking the Utah brute flat onto the floor as well!

Rodman didn't bother with trash talk or shouting matches; he immediately followed up with a headlong diving sprawl, landing right on top of Malone as the two of them instantly turned into a rolling ball of fury!

Playing for teams like the Bulls and the Jazz, who could possibly be a choirboy? Even Kukoč sneakily delivered a swift kick to Stockton, who was rushing in to help, tripping the crafty veteran straight to the ground.

Following that, players from both sides rushed in one after another, and the entire arena descended into absolute chaos in the blink of an eye!

On the sidelines, Lin Tian sprang to his feet instantly, his legs ready to sprint onto the floor. But Phil Jackson, well-acquainted with Lin Tian's personality and fighting style, had already anticipated this!

"Bill, pin him down for me!"

Bill Wennington was sitting right next to Lin Tian. As the team's resident "pacifist," he used his immense strength and size to wrap his arms around Lin Tian and hold him fast!

"Don't go! You'll kill someone! Stay here!"

Wennington knew all too well the extent of Lin Tian's combat proficiency!

What could Lin Tian do? Punch Wennington?

Facing such a kind-hearted teammate, he simply couldn't bring himself to do it. His only remaining option was to use pure brute force to shatter Wennington's "defense"!

"Ngh! Hey! Ha!" Lin Tian exerted himself three times in succession...

Well, he didn't budge an inch.

Wennington had managed to carve out a long career in the league for a reason; his physical strength was genuinely impressive!

The disadvantage in raw strength for Lin Tian was laid bare once again!

Lack of strength is ruining my offense!

However, right at that moment, Jackson suddenly appeared in front of Lin Tian, looking him straight in the eye. "If you don't go out there to fight, you will be our primary offensive weapon for the rest of this game! I'm certainly not putting Michael back in, and Scott is almost guaranteed to get ejected."

"Think about it, Lin. Do you want to rush out there to throw punches, or seize this rare opportunity to experience having the absolute green light!"

"That's bribery! That's shameless bribery, corruption, and inducement!" Lin Tian protested loudly. "How could my bond with Michael and the guys ever be compromised by something like an unlimited firing license? He is my brother in arms, my dearest friend and comrade!"

"Scott just threw another punch, and Michael is still lying on the floor without moving an inch. One of these two is getting suspended, and the other is going to the medical room!" At this, Jackson calmly sat back down. "I've upped the ante. Do as you please with the rest."

"Bill, let me go!" Hearing this, Lin Tian immediately declared that he had calmed down!

Amidst Wennington's doubtful and suspicious gaze, Lin Tian swiftly sat down right beside Jackson, maintaining a deadpan expression. "I'm not doing this for any green light! I'm doing it for the team's tenth consecutive win, for the honor of Chicago, and to prove one thing: I will help my teammates exact revenge through the game of basketball!"

Jackson cast a sideways glance at Lin Tian, shrugged his shoulders, and didn't utter a single word.

Out on the court, the situation was finally brought under control through the joint efforts of the security staff and the referees.

Malone and Rodman had tangled so thoroughly that nobody could tell who had gotten the better of the exchange and who had suffered, though judging by their expressions, both men clearly believed they were the victors.

Stockton had taken a face full of floor thanks to Kukoč's trip, but taking full advantage of the chaos, the old scoundrel simply refused to get back up, lying on the floor and wailing as if on the verge of death.

Pippen, meanwhile, single-handedly held off Benoit Benjamin and Morris, earning the title of the undisputed war god of the night!

And the person causing the most anxiety was, without a doubt, Michael Jordan.

Until the brawl finally subsided, the man was still flat on his back, unable to rise!