Chapter 31

On November 5, 1993, in Salt Lake City's Delta Center, the new arena that could hold nearly twenty thousand fans was almost full. Jazz fans have always been among the most passionate in the NBA, even if they can't match the financial power of fans in New York, Los Angeles, or even Miami. They still come out to support their team in the first game of the new season, no matter what.

"Wow, this is amazing. Is this where my brother plays? It's so crazy."

Unlike other ordinary Jazz fans, three young Asian girls in the middle of the stands at the Delta Center did not join in the frenzied cheering. Instead, they looked around with great curiosity, seemingly attending their first live Jazz game.

In addition to these three new and special female fans, there were many other unusual fans at the Delta Center in Utah today.

For a regular NBA game, unless it's a Christmas Day game or a game featuring Jordan against the Knicks or Lakers, the media seats are never full. For most teams, the media seats in the stands are usually sparsely populated, with only a few local reporters. Who would travel far to cover a game between the Jazz and the Mavericks, a sixth-place team in the Western Conference and a team that finished last in the Western Conference last season, respectively? There's no real interest.

However, today, at this Jazz game, almost a third of the NBA-following journalists from across the country were gathered here. Another third were in Charlotte, as the Bulls were playing the Hornets away, and many were eager to see what the Bulls would look like without Jordan. The remaining half were scattered across other games in the league.

"Hehe, don't disappoint us today. Since Michael left the NBA, this Chinese-American kid has become the 'darling' of the media. The basketball section of our newspaper tomorrow depends entirely on him. It would be best if he scores a lot and immediately announces his retirement from the NBA."

"Don't talk nonsense. What retirement from the NBA? Now that Michael is gone, finding a player with news value is not easy. His 'popularity' is no less than Anfernee's. We'll be counting on him and Anfernee for the next season. It would be best if all the forwards and guards in the league give him a good lesson, so we can keep reporting on it."

"Right, being schooled by all the forwards and guards in the league is indeed a great point of interest. I think our readers will love it. This game will be the first installment of the series, and I've already thought of a name for it: 'The Chinese-American Kid's NBA Suffering.'"

When the journalist finished speaking, the other journalists around him burst out laughing. For the NBA without Jordan, they were all looking for someone to replace him. Hardaway had the potential, but not enough depth. But with Lin Han as the clown, it was much richer.

"Ha ha ha, stop laughing, look, the kid is out. He's the first player to come out for the Jazz home game."

As these unscrupulous and harsh media reporters laughed out loud in the press box, Lin Han, wearing the number 8 jersey, wobbled out of the player tunnel. As a rookie, Lin Han considered himself the first to come out. The other four starters were all current or former All-Stars, in other words, big names.

However, even though it was a Jazz home game, the fans were cheering for a big win before Lin Han came out. But when Lin Han appeared, the Delta Center was eerily silent. The only fans cheering for Lin Han were his sisters. For Lin Han, this situation was extremely awkward, but he didn't pay much attention to it. He was mentally prepared, so after waving to his family in the stands, he showed no further reaction, his face as calm as water. No one knew what the rookie was thinking.

In contrast to the silence when Lin Han came out, when his teammate, the new player Tom Chambers, came out, the cheers were almost unbelievable to Lin Han. Chambers was a local from Utah, so the cheers he received were incredible. As for the next three players, Jeff Malone, Stockton, and Karl Malone, they were the team's main players from the previous seasons. In short, Lin Han was the only odd one out in the Jazz starting lineup. Because of Jerry Sloan and the team's backing, the Jazz fans at home wouldn't boo Lin Han, but they wouldn't support him either.

"Alright, kid, don't keep that sour face. Smile, we're going to win this game."

After all the Jazz starters came out, Mailman Malone patted the calm-faced Lin Han and said with a smile. Under the gaze of the team's leaders, Lin Han forced a smile, but it was a bitter one.

"The Jazz's starting lineup for this game is center Tom Chambers, power forward Karl Malone, small forward Lin Han, shooting guard Jeff Malone, and point guard Stockton. It looks like Coach Sloan is preparing for an aggressive offensive game."

Ricky Adubato, the former coach of the Mavericks, was fired after leading the team to a 2-27 start last season. Given his record, it was unlikely that any team would hire him in the near future, so the chubby old man was hired by ABC as a commentator.

Although he was unsuccessful as a coach in the Mavericks, he had a long career and a keen eye. The Jazz had been one of the most stable teams in the NBA in recent seasons. Last season, four of their starters remained unchanged, including their long-time center, Mark Eaton, one of the greatest shot-blockers in NBA history and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year. He was called the guy who could block shots while standing still and was the Jazz's most important defensive barrier. However, with Eaton's retirement, the Jazz lost a key defensive player. Although Malone was a superstar, he was never an excellent defensive barrier. So, in most cases, the Jazz's frontcourt partner with Malone should have been a defensive player, but Chambers was one of the best offensive frontcourt players in the league.

As for the Jazz's backcourt, since Jeff Malone and Stockton were not defensive stoppers, the team's starting small forward was usually the defensive stopper, tasked with guarding the opponent's best perimeter player. But now, Lin Han had taken that role, and the Jazz were starting with an offensive lineup, completely ignoring the Mavericks' offensive threat.

In fact, the Mavericks' offensive threat was indeed very low, and Adubato, as their former coach, knew this very well.

"The Mavericks' starting lineup for this game is center Darren Morningstar, power forward Poopye Jones, small forward Jamal Mashburn, and guards Jim Jackson and Derek Harper."

After announcing the Mavericks' starting lineup, Adubato sighed. Since the golden duo brought great success to the team, the Mavericks had been obsessed with the two-guard model, almost completely ignoring the role of frontcourt players. Now, they were even calling themselves the "Golden Trio," but apart from the three guards, there was no one in the frontcourt. The two starting frontcourt players were weak both offensively and defensively, which was why the Jazz's Sloan dared to play an offensive game.

Even more than the frontcourt issues, the arrival of the rookie Jamal Mashburn had pushed the team's only decent point guard, former NBA All-Star Fat Lever, to the bench. In his view, if the Mavericks tried to play with the "Golden Trio," the likely result would be that the three would fight independently and ultimately destroy themselves.

"It looks like Quinn Buckner won't last long as the Mavericks' coach."

Looking at the chaotic lineup of the Mavericks, Adubato felt a bit nostalgic and glanced at the Chinese-American kid warming up on the court. The only chance for the Mavericks to win this game was if Mashburn could really break down Lin Han and completely disrupt the Jazz's rhythm and strategy.

At the other end of the court, Mashburn, who was also warming up, had the same thought. His eyes were almost devouring Lin Han.

When the two teams finished warming up and lined up for the tip-off, Lin Han noticed Mashburn's almost devouring gaze but showed no reaction.

"Little guy, you'll be crying soon." Although he showed no reaction on the surface, Lin Han was already preparing to take revenge, and his target was the Mavericks' superstar rookie.