Chapter 43

"Intense, intense, it's just too intense, the confrontation between Gary and Lin is just too intense. After these two returned to the court, the intensity of the confrontation almost doubled."

On November 8, 1993, at the Seattle Center Arena, before the game between the Jazz and the SuperSonics, everyone knew that although the Jazz came with a desire for revenge, this was still just a regular season game. Moreover, the SuperSonics were indeed stronger overall, and with the home-court advantage, the Jazz had very little chance of winning. Therefore, the SuperSonics fans were extremely optimistic before the game.

However, this optimism vanished after just one quarter. The SuperSonics' starting lineup, which should have had the upper hand, did not lead the Jazz at the end of the first quarter, with the final score being 34-32. In the second quarter, even with the SuperSonics' superior bench, they still failed to beat the Jazz's bench. Although Ricky Pierce and Nate McMillan, who led the SuperSonics' bench, performed excellently, the Jazz's bench player, former SuperSonics legend Tom Chambers, was simply on fire. Facing his former team that had once abandoned him, this legendary big man fully demonstrated his current style of play, quietly hitting several shots in a row at the end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second.

Of course, if the Jazz had only Chambers, they would not have been able to resist the SuperSonics' bench. In reality, Jeff Malone, who was placed on the bench by Sloan, also performed outstandingly in this game. And Jan Van Breda Kolff, who was considered to be not taking his game seriously after signing a big contract with the Jazz, really put in the effort in this game.

In such a situation, the Jazz, whether it was the starters or the bench, almost perfectly matched the SuperSonics. The intensity of this game was even more brutal than the playoff series between the two teams last season, especially after Lin Han and Gary Payton returned to the court. The confrontation between these two rookies pushed the game to its climax.

"Damn, is this guy a lunatic? Does anyone defend like this in the NBA? Shouldn't this kind of defense be a foul?"

Lin Han was very frustrated. Being tied up by Payton in the first quarter and performing 'poorly' had already made him very uncomfortable. Losing to this guy was very unpleasant for Lin Han.

However, no matter how unpleasant it was, Payton still gave him shooting opportunities in the first quarter, although each shot was extremely difficult. Payton's relentless defense was too strong. Using his strength, speed, and wingspan, he could tie up most of the point guards and shooting guards in the NBA, and Lin Han was no exception. Even though Lin Han's spin move and jump shot were already at level 2, his realistic fake moves and good ball handling prevented him from making many mistakes under Payton's intense defense. Although he was unwilling to admit it, Lin Han knew that he still had opportunities in the first quarter, and Payton had not completely shut him down.

But when Lin Han returned to the court halfway through the second quarter, the defensive player who had been like a mad dog in the first quarter became even more insane.

Fronting, sticking his butt out, pushing from behind, then wildly tackling, sticking his butt out again, and fronting wildly, as soon as Lin Han crossed half-court and entered his offensive zone, Payton, who seemed possessed, did not even give him space to receive the ball. Payton's wingspan, strength, and excellent defensive awareness and positioning made his mad fronting almost unstoppable, and now Lin Han was completely tied up by the possessed Payton.

So when the Jazz's starting lineup returned to the court, Lin Han, who was supposed to be the main offensive point, was again in a situation where he had no shooting opportunities. This time, it wasn't that Stockton and his teammates didn't pass him the ball, but that he really couldn't receive it. Not only could he not receive the ball, but his energy was also rapidly depleted in the near-fighting entanglement with Payton.

"This guy suddenly seems like a different person, this is too scary."

For the first time, Lin Han felt fear on the court. Payton's sudden change made Lin Han feel completely powerless for the first time. This opponent could undergo such a qualitative change in such a short time.

"Pervert, should I say your luck is too good or too bad? I didn't expect that you would make Payton learn his strongest defensive skill, the purple and gold defensive skill 'Mad Dance,' in this game. You are really lucky to be the first user of Payton's ultimate skill."

Just as Lin Han was getting angry with Payton, this shameless girl, Alice, spoke to him for the first time during the game.

Damn, a purple and gold defensive skill? Mad Dance? Payton did indeed seem like a lunatic at this moment, although this skill was developed because of him, this didn't feel like good luck at all!

"Pervert, I can only wish you good luck now. Although Payton's Mad Dance hasn't reached its highest level, his highest-level Mad Dance once made Jordan shoot 22 out of 60 (36.7%) and score 23.7 points per game in three Finals games, and the Bulls lost two of those games. In the last game, Jordan didn't make a single jump shot except for one three-pointer. So, while Payton's 'Glove' nickname was earned against Kevin Johnson, it was Jordan who made the nickname famous."

"Of course, you don't need to think too much about it. Although the last three games of that series were the worst in Jordan's playoff history, it wasn't entirely because Payton shut him down. Payton's defense was excellent, and the other SuperSonics players also provided great help. You naturally can't expect the other SuperSonics players to treat you like they treated Jordan."

Jordan's shooting percentage was below 40% and his scoring average was below 24 points in the last three Finals games? For a Jordan fan like Lin Han, this was simply unbelievable. Jordan's scoring average in any Finals series was never below 35 points, and the idea that his strongest jump shot could be completely shut down in a game was too brutal. Although Alice said it wasn't all Payton's doing, and Lin Han couldn't expect the other SuperSonics players to gang up on him, the current level of Payton's 'Mad Dance' was not as high as it was then.

But the key point was that Lin Han's current strength was far from Jordan's.

"Should I use my trump card now? I really don't want to."

...

...

This was the most shameful game of Payton's career. It wasn't because his opponent was so strong; he could feel that Lin Han's strength was not as great as many of his previous superstar opponents. However, he had never felt such humiliation in front of those superstars.

The pre-game confidence and the initial struggles in the game made Payton feel like a child who had boasted and been laughed at, or a child who had done something wrong and been exposed, making him feel very helpless.

However, this game also made him feel a significant improvement in his skills, especially on defense. After the shame, his strong competitive spirit and ambition made him truly feel his improvement.

"In this game, I won't let you make a single shot."

When he once again pushed Lin Han behind him, cutting off his connection with his teammates, Payton thought to himself. He was very satisfied with his defensive style. This style, which was on the edge of fouling, increased his defensive pressure by more than one level. Even if Jordan himself were standing in front of him, he would dare to challenge him.

"Such defensive pressure is too strong. I have never seen an NBA point guard with such defensive intensity."

"Now the Jazz are in danger, really in danger. When Lin Han is completely shut down, the pressure on Malone increases. When Malone is exhausted, the Jazz will no longer be able to keep up with the SuperSonics. Perhaps the key to this game is Payton's sudden improvement in defense."

At this moment, the legendary SuperSonics player, Jack Sikma, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said. He was indeed shocked by the confrontation between Payton and Lin Han. In their era, there was no 'crazy' point guard like Payton. This game made him feel some sympathy for Lin Han for the first time.

Of course, as a commentator, Jack Sikma could see the situation on the court, and the Jazz's head coach, Jerry Sloan, could also see it. However, he still didn't know what to do. Lin Han was being shut down, and even if he replaced him with someone else, they would also be shut down. Payton's defensive pressure and ability were too terrifying, even more so than when he locked down Stockton last season. If even Lin Han couldn't break free, could Jeff Malone? Could Van Breda Kolff and Benoit?

So Sloan could only pace back and forth on the sideline, constantly venting his unease. He really didn't want to lose to George Karl again. This was his most unwanted opponent, and there should only be one representative of the middle generation of coaches in the league, not two.

While Sloan was worried about Lin Han and the team, the Jazz players on the court were also feeling the same way. Although the score was still close thanks to Malone's relentless attacks, Stockton could feel that his old partner was at his limit. So he kept looking for opportunities to pass the ball to Lin Han, but Payton's defensive cutting was too terrifying, and he couldn't find any openings.

This almost made the usually calm Stockton jump with frustration.

"Huh? Am I seeing things?"

Just as Stockton was thinking about how to get the ball to Lin Han and failing, he suddenly noticed that Lin Han's arm seemed to have grown longer, and an opening for a pass appeared.

Although he didn't know why, as one of the best passers in the league, Stockton knew that opportunities were fleeting. He flicked his right hand and accurately sent the ball to the newly opened passing lane.

"What? How is this possible?!"

As Payton, who had been pressing Lin Han tightly, saw Lin Han suddenly half-turn and reach out his right hand to catch the ball, and as Payton prepared to steal it, he suddenly felt that the trajectory of Stockton's pass was off. This was a mistake, a mistake that Lin Han couldn't catch the ball.

However, what Payton didn't expect was that not only did Lin Han catch the ball, but he also didn't need to adjust. As Payton briefly lost his position while trying to steal, Lin Han, without any adjustment, caught the ball with his back to the basket and immediately completed a perfect spin move and jump shot from the right side of the waist. By the time Payton returned to his defensive position, he was powerless to stop the ball from going into the basket, scoring 2 points again!

"How, how is this possible?!"

At this moment, seeing Lin Han sit on the ground after the shot without any adjustment, Payton's face changed several times, filled with disbelief, astonishment, and even a hint of fear.

After Lin Han's high-difficulty spin move and jump shot, the SuperSonics fans in the Seattle Center Arena seemed to realize that their team's lockdown on the Jazz had failed again, and the outcome of the game was still uncertain. The arena fell silent again.

In contrast to the SuperSonics players' helplessness and the fans' silence, the Jazz players were rejuvenated. This time, it wasn't just Byron Russell who helped Lin Han up; Stockton, Malone, Spencer, and all the Jazz players on the court rushed over.

"Kid, that was great."

"Incredible shot, you are incredible."

Faced with these teammates who were even more excited than he was, Lin Han felt for the first time that playing basketball could truly be a joy. Seeing others happy because of him felt sweet, and just for this sweet feeling, Lin Han lost 11 points of happiness.

"This kid really didn't let us down."

Seeing Lin Han, who was surrounded by his teammates, Sloan, who had been anxious and restless on the sideline, smiled.

He never expected that Lin Han could bring so much to him and his team. This was the first time he felt that his decision to support Lin Han over Jeff Malone was the right one.

However, at this moment, Jeff Malone looked a bit gloomy. He knew what would happen to a player who still had trade value after losing his starting position.

(4000-word chapter, please recommend)

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