Chapter 13

"Hey, are you okay?"

On June 2, 1993, in the training hall of the Chicago Rookie Combine, the rookie competition was still in full swing. Lin Han, as one of the participants, was no exception. In the morning match, Lin Han's team easily defeated the powerful Wenbecker team and advanced to the semi-finals. The semi-final matches were to be held in the afternoon of June 2, and the two winning teams would compete in the final the next morning to determine the ultimate champion.

"You stiff, are you crazy? The game is almost over, and the result is almost a foregone conclusion. Is it necessary to risk getting injured just to save a ball that went out of bounds? If you really get hurt because of this, you'll be in real trouble."

Seeing Hardaway fly out to save the ball, Lin Han ran over helplessly, intending to help him up. It was just an out-of-bounds ball, and it was right next to Lin Han. If Lin Han had gone to save it, it would have been the best outcome. But would Lin Han take such a big risk for a ball that might not even matter? That was impossible. Lin Han wasn't that foolish. What he didn't expect was that his teammate Hardaway, who had always ignored him, was a fool, a big fool. Seeing Lin Han standing still, Hardaway actually ran from far away to save the ball, and in the end, he didn't even save it.

This left Lin Han speechless. Hardaway was a hot candidate for the top pick this year, already being hailed as the future star of the league. If he got hurt because of this, it would be a huge loss. So Lin Han was really at a loss for words with this brainless stiff.

"Don't touch me."

What made Lin Han even angrier was that when he tried to help Hardaway up, Hardaway slapped his right hand away with a slap, causing Lin Han's right hand to hurt so much that he gritted his teeth in pain.

"Hey, you idiot, are you being reasonable? I was trying to help you up, and you treat me like this?"

Seeing Hardaway, who was in pain, slowly getting up from the ground, Lin Han shouted angrily. But at this moment, facing the angry Lin Han, Hardaway remained expressionless, as if Lin Han didn't exist.

"I don't need help from someone like you."

After getting up, Hardaway patted his shorts, adjusted his jersey, and then turned and left without even looking at Lin Han.

"This, this idiot, is really infuriating."

At this moment, looking at Hardaway's back, Lin Han was indeed very angry. To be honest, when the rookie competition started, Lin Han felt that the team he was assigned to was very good. From the first match, where the team won a big victory, to the second match, which was still basically a win, he was very satisfied with his four teammates. Two tall players with poor skills but very hardworking in the paint, a proud point guard Van Exel who always ended up passing to him despite saying he wouldn't, and Hardaway, who, despite being the biggest star, had no star attitude and always helped his teammates, even covering for Lin Han's poor defense.

Lin Han, though he hadn't known these four people for long, felt, like Bruce Bowen, that they were all people he could be friends with. This was not an easy thing for Lin Han, who was always very self-centered and cautious about making friends. But if he did make friends, he cherished those friendships deeply. This time, it was the first time Lin Han had actively tried to befriend Hardaway, which he felt was giving Hardaway a lot of face. If not for Hardaway's repeated efforts to cover for him on the court, he wouldn't have bothered to approach Hardaway.

What made Lin Han very awkward was that after the first match, although Hardaway still had a bitter and resentful expression when facing him, he wasn't hostile. Although his tone was cold, they could still communicate. But now, as the second match was about to end, the disappointment, regret, and faint disgust in Hardaway's eyes when he looked at Lin Han almost drove Lin Han crazy.

"I just didn't save a few balls that I could have, and I didn't pass when I had the chance to against three defenders. Is it necessary to hate me so much? No one else has a problem, only you do. You're so petty."

At this moment, Lin Han was very depressed. It was the first time he had actively tried to befriend someone who had always covered for him on the court, but he got this result. In Lin Han's view, this was never his fault. He wasn't Hardaway, and he didn't have such a strong body. One dive to save a ball could get him injured and ruin everything. He couldn't take that risk. As for facing multiple defenders and having a chance to pass but choosing to shoot, Lin Han felt very wronged. With his mediocre passing skills, he would probably just turn the ball over, so it was better to shoot himself.

"Lin, stop grumbling. Do you know, your eyes look really scary now. Anfernee is a good guy, he probably doesn't really dislike you."

"Yeah, I've never heard of Anfernee treating any player like this before. Maybe he's not really against you, but has some special requirements that you haven't met, which makes him angry. It'll be better in the future."

Just as Lin Han was extremely dissatisfied with Hardaway, Antonio Harvey and Aaron Williams, the team's two big men, gently patted Lin Han's shoulder and smiled. As one of the team's two strongest offensive weapons, Lin Han had earned the respect of everyone on the team, except for Hardaway.

"Hey, what are you three doing? Don't you know the game isn't over? Are you trying to lose? You're a bunch of incompetent idiots, hmpf."

But at this moment, what made Lin Han and the two big men very helpless was that before they could say much, Van Exel, the team's point guard, started cursing. After cursing, he turned and left, leaving Lin Han and the others to shake their heads in bitter laughter. This guy was always so sharp-tongued. Today, except for Hardaway, the other three had been cursed by him, especially Lin Han. But Lin Han wasn't very bothered by it because he knew this was how Van Exel expressed his emotions. If Van Exel stopped cursing them, that would be truly dangerous.

"Whatever, I'll get back at that stiff idiot on the court."

Looking at James Robinson, his opponent in this match, Lin Han immediately regained his energy. At this moment, James Robinson suddenly felt as if he was being watched, and his whole body turned cold.

Although this was a semi-final, in terms of strength, Lin Han's team's opponent was the team led by the talented point guard Bobby Hurley. Although Bobby Hurley was also a super talent and had led the NCAA team to defeat the Dream Team last year, he was considered the best point guard among this year's rookies. However, Bobby Hurley's team only had one super player, while Wenbecker's team had two super players, Wenbecker and Laettner, and another near-super player, George Lynch. Therefore, in terms of strength, Bobby Hurley's team was significantly weaker than Wenbecker's team.

However, perhaps because Bobby Hurley's team had a more normal mindset and no player had a situation like George Lynch, who was stunned by Lin Han in the previous match, making Wenbecker's team effectively play four against five for a long time, Bobby Hurley's team, although James Robinson was also badly beaten by Lin Han, was mentally prepared and didn't get stunned. Therefore, although Lin Han's team was always leading in the score, the game wasn't dragged into garbage time, and the score difference was much smaller than in the previous match.

"Finally, this guy is a beginner? That's a complete lie."

When the referee blew the whistle to end the match, James Robinson, the third-year rookie from the University of Alabama who had been matched against Lin Han, looked very depressed. When he first heard about Lin Han in the training camp, he, like others, was full of ridicule and disdain. After all, he felt that Lin Han, who had only played one year of basketball, coming here was a huge insult to players like them who had played for over a decade and aimed for the NBA.

But now, looking at the 85-96 score, James Robinson couldn't ridicule anymore. He was sure that this guy couldn't have only played one year of basketball. Even if Jordan had only played one year, he wouldn't be as strong as Lin Han. Although James Robinson knew he wasn't a top rookie, he was still considered a first-round pick. He didn't think he was that bad, unable to handle a beginner. In fact, his skills weren't bad, but now he was completely stunned by Lin Han. The only explanation was that Lin Han wasn't a beginner. This Asian player's offensive skills were at least in the top ten among all rookies, maybe even higher, although his defense was indeed terrible.

"Asian kid, you're very strong. Congratulations to your team for advancing to the final, but I have to warn you, your final opponent is very strong."

Although he was very unhappy, James Robinson had a good demeanor and congratulated Lin Han after the game.

"Thanks."

Facing such an opponent, Lin Han knew he couldn't mock him like he did George Lynch. In the end, he gave James Robinson a hug and was well aware of his warning.

Their next final opponent would definitely be the team led by Chris Webber, Rodney Rogers, Thomas Hill, Allan Houston, and Sam Cassell, as this team had already eliminated Bowen's team in the first round.

If Hardaway's four teammates were initially considered the worst in their respective categories, then Webber's teammates were the best in each category. According to Bowen, out of the eight players who defeated the Dream Team last year, three were on this team: Chris Webber, Allan Houston, and Rodney Rogers. Webber and Rogers were top-tier players, Houston was the best second-tier player, and even the two less strong players, Thomas Hill, a high-achieving graduate of Duke University, and Sam Cassell, the best third-tier player, were very strong.

In short, Webber's team was almost unbeatable and was considered to have reached the level of a third-tier NBA team.

Clearly, this team was specially prepared for this year's top rookie, Hardaway. If Hardaway could lead a group of mediocre players to the final, the officials would have already prepared an almost unbeatable opponent to test his potential.

"It's all that stiff guy's fault."

Seeing Hardaway still surrounded by a large number of reporters after the game, Lin Han was very unhappy. In his mind, Hardaway had become a troublemaker, attracting hatred wherever he went, just like the protagonist of the knight novels he used to love.