Chapter 68: A Single Possession Lesson to Educate the Utah Jazz Duo!

Once everyone cleared out to create space, Lin Tian waited no longer. Against a defender of Stockton’s mediocre physical caliber, he saw no need to execute any pump fakes; shifting the basketball to his right hand, he immediately forced a fierce acceleration!

Even knowing precisely what Lin Tian intended to do, with the floor completely cleared out, Stockton was utterly powerless!

This chasm in sheer speed was simply not something that experience or technique could alter!

All Stockton could do was directly reach out and grab Lin Tian’s arm, hoping that such petty tactics might disrupt Lin Tian's charge!

Yet, how could the current Lin Tian be stopped by Stockton?

If Lin Tian prior to using the Power of the Shark was merely a top-tier sports car equipped with a V12, 6.0-liter engine—fast, but lacking in sheer impact—then Lin Tian at this moment was equivalent to a T90 main battle tank retrofitted with rocket boosters!

He was currently nothing less than a rampaging mammoth!

Stockton’s hand resting on Lin Tian’s arm failed to cause the slightest bit of trouble; not only did it fail to hinder him, but Stockton himself was directly thrown off balance by the immense momentum!

"Thud!"

Following a dull impact, Stockton crashed onto the hardwood floor in utterly wretched fashion! Such was the terrifying force of Lin Tian's charge!

Yet Lin Tian did not even spare a glance at Stockton’s pathetic state, for he was already fully airborne!

Karl Malone once again planted himself squarely between Lin Tian and the rim!

By this point, Malone's eyes were completely bloodshot! Rage had utterly obliterated his reason!

"Roar!"

With a roar like a tiger, Malone charged straight toward Lin Tian!

Judging by his movements, he had no intention whatsoever of blocking the shot or defending the basket!

His sole objective was to pull Lin Tian straight down and slam him onto the floor!

"No!"

"Ah!"

More than half the spectators at the United Center closed their eyes at that exact moment, unable to bear watching the scene about to unfold before them.

At the same time, countless individuals had already resolved to ambush the Jazz team bus tonight! First Jordan, and now Lin Tian—if they could still endure this, could they even be considered human? Tonight, Malone and Salt Lake City were going to pay the price!

"Thud!"

"Boom!"

Yet what happened next completely defied the expectations of every fan in the United Center!

Lin Tian was not stopped in the slightest by Malone’s outstretched arms; his forward momentum was not affected by even a fraction by this exceptionally massive athlete!

The first dull thud was the sound of Lin Tian colliding with Malone and sending him flying instantly!

Malone’s arms had not even managed to press against Lin Tian’s body in time!

Immediately afterward, amidst Malone’s expression of disbelief bordering on terror, Lin Tian leaped swiftly and completed a powerful two-handed slam dunk!

Even the referees were left utterly dumbfounded by this play!

They had certainly recognized what Malone was attempting to do, and they had even prepared to rush onto the court to prevent the second bench-clearing brawl of the night. Yet the scene unfolding before their eyes far transcended their common sense.

Using sheer momentum to first knock down Stockton, and then straight-up send Malone flying? Had Shaquille O'Neal or Charles Barkley pulled this off, it would have been normal, but Lin Tian... was merely a 191-centimeter guard weighing barely eighty-something kilograms!

"Good God! What just happened! Good God! Malone has been completely overturned! He’s been turned upside down!" Marcus’s voice had cracked entirely, laden with sheer shock. All professional decorum and the broadcaster's requirement for calmness were completely cast to the wind.

"The dunk of the season! No, the play of the season! It has arrived! This is it, right here! Lin’s performance tonight is utterly mind-blowing! Absolutely mind-blowing!"

"Who could have imagined that in the absence of Rodman and Jordan, not only would the Bulls avoid letting the Jazz narrow the deficit, but under the leadership of a rookie named Lin Tian, they would orchestrate such a ferociously intense run! I think after tonight, everyone will remember this name!"

"Lin Tian!"

Upon landing, Lin Tian glanced down at Malone sprawled out along the baseline, let out a disdainful scoff, and pulled over Wennington, who happened to be right beside him. With absolute synchronization, the two men bent down side by side, and this time, Lin Tian pressed his palm directly against the hardwood floor.

No words were needed; any further trash talk was completely redundant!

Tonight, Malone had been thoroughly dismantled by Lin Tian!

"Karl Malone experienced drastic emotional fluctuations, dropping a consumable item: The Mailman’s Mid-Range Jumper (Full Game)."

"The Mailman’s Mid-Range Jumper: Grants Karl Malone's mid-range shooting proficiency. If shooting off a catch-and-shoot following a pick-and-roll, grants an additional 10% shooting accuracy."

Seeing the gear dropped by Malone, Lin Tian felt a surge of elation in his heart.

This was a skill worthy of a scoring champion!

It was precisely this signature mid-range jumper that had propelled Malone to two MVP awards and elite status as a premier scorer in the league!

This usage of the 'Power of the Shark' had certainly not gone to waste!

Even after being enhanced by the Power of the Shark, his speed and agility had experienced zero degradation! It completely defied logic; it was entirely unscientific!

If an ordinary person wished to cultivate such terrifying strength, wouldn't they first need to gain at least 20 kilograms of body weight and subsequently sacrifice at least two tiers of speed to achieve it?

Yet he had acquired Shaquille O'Neal’s strength without losing a single attribute!

It was simply unscientific! Of course, if an interview were taking place right now, Lin Tian would certainly advise reporters: Everyone should avoid superstition, dismiss notions of internal Qi, lightness skills, or body-weight-dropping techniques, and instead trust in science!

He certainly didn't want to corrupt the youth!

Meanwhile, amidst the frenzy of the roaring arena crowd, Sloan had no choice but to call a timeout.

He could never have anticipated that even with the opponent missing two major stars, his team would still be relentlessly suppressed and unable to secure even a single point! This rookie named Lin Tian was simply driving people mad!

Hmm? Wait... wasn't this Lin Tian a second-round draft pick?

That meant he was playing on a two-year contract.

Bring him to Salt Lake City!

The thought flashed instantly through Sloan’s mind!

And then, it intensified rapidly!

Following the emergence of this thought, Sloan scarcely bothered to draw up any tactical plays during the timeout.

His mind was elsewhere.

As for the Jazz, they completely failed to reclaim their momentum or poise during the timeout; the sequence of plays executed by Lin Tian just moments ago had been simply too terrifying! Consequently, the remaining few minutes of the first half completely transformed into the Lin Tian show!

He single-handedly dismantled the entire Utah Jazz team!

In less than four minutes, Lin Tian shot a flawless 5-for-5 from the field and went 3-for-3 from the free-throw line, racking up 13 points and 2 assists!

The two assists came via a dunk by Wennington and a three-pointer by Kukoc!

Over the span of 3 minutes and 40 seconds, the Bulls shot a perfect 7-for-7 from the field, exploding for an insane 18 points!

Meanwhile, the Jazz managed a meager 5 points during that entire stretch!

68 to 47!

The gap between the two teams had officially surpassed the 20-point mark!