Chapter 69 Michael's power is guiding me!
If you asked who was the most shocked person in the entire arena, without a doubt, it was Phil Jackson!
He indeed told Lin Tian that he would grant him unlimited shooting freedom and build the offense around him.
However, in his wildest dreams, he never expected Lin Tian to deliver such a stunning, mind-blowing performance!
The entire United Center was already wildly chanting "MVP!"
In less than four minutes, Lin Tian went 5-for-5 from the field, exploding for 13 points and 2 assists, along with 1 block and 1 steal!
Even across the entire league, this kind of performance could only be described as utterly explosive!
Not to mention, the opponent Lin Tian was facing was none of other than the league's elite powerhouse and the second seed in the Western Conference, the Utah Jazz!
The weight of this performance was countless times heavier than crushing garbage teams like the Raptors, Grizzlies, or Timberwolves!
Although Jackson still maintained a calm expression on his face, as if everything was completely under control, his internal rating for Lin Tian had risen yet again!
Carrying a 21-point lead into halftime, the Chicago Bulls' locker room was buzzing with excitement, and the atmosphere couldn't possibly have been better.
Jackson simply told them not to lower their guard, as there was still a hard-fought battle of two quarters ahead in the second half, and then said no more.
When it was time to be excited, he would let his players celebrate!
What he needed to ponder right now wasn't what to do if the team got too happy and relaxed their vigilance in the second half!
What he needed to consider now was how Lin Tian's position within the team should be defined!
By the time the second half arrived, Jackson had also reached some preliminary conclusions.
The first thing he did caught everyone completely by surprise.
Lin Tian was not among the starting lineup for the second half!
He paired Ron Harper and Steve Kerr as the starting guards, with Bill Wennington, Toni Kukoč, and Scottie Pippen filling out the frontcourt.
With Michael Jordan absent, leaving the team's best performing guard on the bench genuinely left many people scratching their heads, completely baffled by what Jackson was trying to do.
The home fans even began to let out faint jeers directed at Jackson!
"Put Lin on the court!"
"Let him beat those dirty Utah trash!"
"Phil! Lin could score 50 points tonight! Yet you've got him sitting on the bench!"
"You're ruining a perfect night! You basketball-clueless hippie!"
Despite the fans' protests, both Lin Tian and Jackson remained extremely calm.
Neither of them cared about such things.
And Lin Tian vaguely sensed a glimmer of Jackson's intentions!
With neither Lin Tian nor Jordan on the floor, and coupled with the Jazz regaining a good deal of confidence and momentum during the halftime break, they launched their comeback charge!
By the eight-minute mark of the third quarter, the Jazz had successfully narrowed the deficit to 15 points!
If they could cut the lead down even further in the remaining minutes, ideally to around 10 points, the suspense of the game would be instantly reignited!
At this moment, Jackson made a substitution, bringing Lin Tian—who had terrorized the entire Jazz roster in the first half—back onto the court!
As soon as he stepped onto the floor, he immediately showcased his speed advantage once again, blowing past John Stockton in a single step, driving straight into the paint, and charging right at Karl Malone!
Then, a scene unfolded that no one expected!
Malone, seemingly traumatized by Lin Tian's terrifying explosiveness in the first half, didn't step up to protect the rim. Instead, he made a token, half-hearted defensive gesture with his hand and politely escorted Lin Tian to an easy layup!
On the defensive end next, Lin Tian applied suffocating, high-intensity ball pressure on Stockton. Partnering with Harper for a double team, he directly stripped the ball right out of Stockton's hands, sprinted the length of the court, and converted another layup!
In less than 30 seconds, Lin Tian scored 4 quick points, and the deficit that the Jazz had spent half a quarter struggling to chip away vanished instantly!
The remaining minutes of the third quarter once again turned into the Lin Tian show!
Although the "Shark Force" buff had worn off, Lin Tian tonight had clearly tapped into the absolute peak of his form!
As the saying goes, even a blind squirrel finds a nut; any NBA player can have a massive breakout and author a career night.
And tonight was undeniably destined to belong to Lin Tian!
First, he hit a pull-up three-pointer right off a screen. Then, he breezed past Stockton in one step for a smooth, soaring mid-range two-pointer that also found the bottom of the net.
After those two buckets, Lin Tian confirmed that his feel for the game tonight was out of this world! Without hesitation, he decided to cash in the "German Laser" badge he had acquired from Detlef Schrempf!
This was the three-point marksmanship of a two-time All-Star!
Just last season, Schrempf had shot a blistering 50% from beyond the arc!
Plus, standing a full six centimeters taller than Stockton, combined with his absolute advantage in speed and his scorching hot hand, Lin Tian didn't even need to drive into the paint to trade physical blows with Malone anymore!
Time and time again, he utilized screens to shake off Stockton, either pulling up directly to launch three-pointers or driving to the mid-range for a sudden stop-and-pop jumper!
As Lin Tian hoisted shot after shot, the basketball kept swishing through the net time and time again!
The lead between the two teams began to stretch, while Stockton was given a harsh lesson in Lin Tian's terrifying scoring prowess and peerless speed.
He simply couldn't keep up!
With the most basic of moves, Lin Tian could breeze past him completely, leaving Stockton unable to even catch a glimpse of his taillights!
And even when the Jazz sent double teams to slow down Lin Tian's scoring momentum, he repeatedly located his open teammates, allowing them to finish off the possessions!
It was just that both Malone and Hornacek were playing in the zone during the second half, and with Dennis Rodman out, the Jazz couldn't stop anyone, yet they kept managing to score themselves.
By the end of the third quarter, the score temporarily stood at 102–77!
In this era, scoring 77 points through three quarters was no small feat; the Jazz's offensive rhythm tonight was definitely top-notch! Yet they still found themselves trailing by 25 points!
Because they had run into a god-mode Lin Tian! Lin Tian led his team to shatter the century mark by the end of the third quarter! In this era, such a feat was as rare as hen's teeth. Aside from run-and-gun teams like the Warriors or Nuggets catching fire, fans would usually only witness such offensive explosions during the All-Star Game.
As for Lin Tian, he erupted for 22 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals in the third quarter alone!
By the conclusion of the third period, Lin Tian had shot 15-of-21 from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, and went 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, compiling an ultra-perfect stat line of 39 points, 8 assists, 4 steals, and 0 turnovers!
He had completely dismantled the league's steals leader, John Stockton!
This night was destined to belong to Lin Tian!
Entering the fourth quarter, Jerry Sloan did not substitute Malone or Stockton; he was determined to make one last push! He wanted to give it one final try, refusing to believe that Lin Tian could maintain his terrifying shooting touch from the third quarter, and even less willing to surrender easily with Jordan and Rodman both sidelined.
And Jackson clearly anticipated Sloan's mindset!
He responded in kind, deploying the most formidable lineup he had available: Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr, Toni Kukoč, Luc Longley, and Lin Tian!
Since the Jazz refused to concede defeat, he would beat them until they had no choice but to submit!