Chapter Seven: The Intra-Team Training Match! A Stunning Performance That Captivated Everyone!

Jackson’s grouping was actually quite fair.

The starters were Jordan, Pippen, Harb, Rodman, and Longley—five absolute mainstays, beyond dispute.

On the bench side, none of the Browns who held grudges against Lin Tian were playing. Instead, Lin Tian was given the team’s third leading scorer Kukoc and the reliably steady Bill Wennington, along with shooter Steve Kerr and forward Jud Buechler. This substitute lineup was reasonable enough.

However, in terms of ability, they were clearly just sparring partners, destined to be thoroughly dominated by the starters.

Since this was a training game, there was no tip-off; the starters simply began with the ball at midcourt.

Lin Tian and Jordan faced off right beyond the three-point line.

“Kid, is this all you’ve got?”

“Is this your strength?”

“One crossover and I’ll leave you in the dust!”

“Have you asked your mom if you can go cry to her after I totally crush you?”

Before Jordan even started his offense, his mouth was already firing off insults.

True to his reputation, that mouth and his personality were thoroughly irritating.

Lin Tian didn’t rush to retort. He knew better than anyone the vast chasm between his skill and Jordan’s. Only one or two skills could match Jordan’s on equal footing; in every other aspect, he was completely outclassed.

So he had to be fully focused and give his all.

He had to summon every ounce of mindset and ability to face Jordan, to avoid being utterly humiliated.

Even with three top-tier talents protecting him, Lin Tian was very clear about the gap between himself and Jordan.

Swish!

Lin Tian’s self-awareness didn’t help him at all. In less than ten seconds, Jordan executed his signature spin move jump shot perfectly, scoring the first basket against Lin Tian. Then came a barrage of flashy trash talk hurled at Lin Tian.

Lin Tian, still unfamiliar with his teammates, only managed to shield the ball under Jordan’s defense, quickly dribbling past half court to pass to Kukoc. After that, the ball never returned.

“Good speed,” Jackson nodded subtly from the sidelines. Lin Tian’s speed crossing the half court was impressive.

Over the next several possessions, Lin Tian showed little impact on the court. Jordan, meanwhile, relentlessly demanded the ball in the low post, repeatedly backing Lin Tian down, using elbows and sneaky moves to wear him down, then turning around for jump shots that kept finding the mark.

Within five minutes, Jordan had already scored 10 points on five consecutive shots. Lin Tian was helpless against him.

Lin Tian had only one assist to show; every other stat was zero—he was barely making a mark.

“Kid, your mouth is tough, but everything else is soft!” Jordan, after another bucket, had fully sized Lin Tian up.

A rookie with decent speed but otherwise unimpressive.

But his defensive attitude was not bad; even getting destroyed like this, he never relaxed and kept fighting hard.

Not bad!

“Tony, can you help me out?” Lin Tian realized things couldn’t go on like this. The training game lasted at most ten minutes, and he had been scoreless for five. He didn’t want to be known as all talk and no skill, nor to be looked down upon. Helpless, he had to ask for help.

“I’m not switching defense with you. If you want to stop Michael, you’ll have to do it yourself,” Kukoc hastily refused, thinking Lin Tian wanted him to guard Jordan.

Lin Tian suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Kukoc was clearly psychologically scarred by Jordan. “No, I mean if they miss a shot and you get the rebound, can you throw it hard to the frontcourt? I’ll catch up for sure.”

“Throw it hard?” Kukoc was momentarily stunned.

“Of course! You’re the most talented passer in all of Europe. I believe you can make a great, perfect pass!” Lin Tian saw an opening and threw in a compliment to seal the deal.

Then Lin Tian turned to Bill Wennington. “Bill, can you set screens for me? I need your help. I can’t do it alone.”

As the team’s third big man, Wennington’s 213 cm height and solid weight made him the perfect wall.

After a brief hesitation, Wennington nodded in agreement.

The offense continued.

Reaching the frontcourt, with Jordan tightly guarding him, Lin Tian carefully protected the ball and quickly called for Wennington’s screen.

Jordan wasn’t expecting the change in tactic and was momentarily blocked by Wennington. Lin Tian seized the moment, accelerated toward the free-throw line, then abruptly stopped and launched a signature mid-range jump shot.

Swish!

The crisp sound marked Lin Tian’s first basket.

“Not bad, kid, finally got on the board? How many have I made? Ten? Or nine?” Jordan wasn’t fazed by the shot and continued his trash talk.

“Only five, you simpleton who can’t do subtraction under ten!” Lin Tian didn’t hold back. Riding the momentum of his basket, he fired off trash talk and even intensified his defense, with some moves bordering on fouls.

Jackson showed no intention of intervening and let Lin Tian and Jordan battle it out.

Bang!

Jordan’s next shot rimmed out. As he opened his mouth to toss out some “lucky shot” trash talk, he suddenly froze and then burst into a mad sprint.

Under the basket, Kukoc finally outjumped Rodman to grab a rebound. He too was momentarily stunned.

Lin Tian had already crossed half court, leaving Jordan trailing by over three meters.

“Tony!”

Lin Tian’s shout finally snapped Kukoc out of it. Kukoc launched a long outlet pass, the ball soaring through the air to the frontcourt. Lin Tian caught it and once again accelerated unbelievably.

In the blink of an eye, the gap between him and Jordan stretched beyond five meters.

Swish!

With a crisp sound, Lin Tian completed the fast break with an easy layup.

Jackson’s eyes immediately lit up.

He knew better than anyone how fast Jordan was.

Among all the league’s shooting guards and small forwards, only Drexler could compare to Jordan’s speed. But Lin Tian’s burst just now was nothing short of devastating to Jordan.

Add to that Lin Tian’s awareness on the fast break.

A delightful surprise!

An absolute fast-break weapon!

“Old man, go check your legs. Even my grandma’s faster than you by ten times!” Lin Tian wasted no time trash talking Jordan right after scoring.

“Fuck, you’re asking for it!” Jordan’s eyes instantly reddened.

“Michael Jordan’s emotions fluctuate, experience points dropped by 20!”

The basketball god’s mood finally showed some cracks.