Chapter 95

(Combined chapter, over 6,000 words, seeking recommendations, and explaining the update issues. "The Fisher" went on sale on December 1st, and there will definitely be an explosion after the release. As for the public period, the Fisher has always believed that stable updates are best. Although there are rarely explosive chapters, each chapter averages at least 4,000 words. After 40 days of uploads, the word count is already close to 400,000, with an average of about 8,000 words per day. It shouldn't be considered slow. Finally, I'm asking for votes and support again!)

"Before the game, Reggie Miller said he would teach Lin how to run. This guy is really full of hot air. Who does he think he is? Let's see if he can even get past the first round, hahaha."

"Reggie Miller has always been arrogant and outspoken. Players from the East have this bad habit. Look at the Knicks' Starks. He was so boastful last time, but what happened? Lin scored 13 points in a row and completed the game-winning play right over his head!"

"Exactly, we should teach Reggie Miller a lesson just like we did with Starks. I believe Lin can definitely do it."

"That's right. Let Reggie Miller know how our Lin Miracle can outperform everyone to win the monthly MVP. That running fool from the Pacers."

......

The game hadn't even started, but the atmosphere at the Delta Center was already incredibly intense. This made the Pacers' head coach Larry Brown frown as he led his team into the arena, facing the boos from the Jazz fans. He sighed and shook his head when he heard the massive jeers from the crowd directed at Reggie Miller. Of course, he was aware of the recent topics about Hakeem Olajuwon and Lin Han. He also knew about his disciple Reggie Miller's envious, jealous, and hateful comments about Lin Han. The Pacers' star player had lost his composure before the game, and with the team's 4-9 record, the former Spurs and NCAA champion coach was under a lot of pressure.

After the Pacers fired Bob Hill in the summer, Larry Brown's former college teammate, Pacers President Donnie Walsh, brought him in, not for any other reason but to hope that this championship coach could lead the team to break the first-round curse. The Pacers had been eliminated in the first round for four consecutive years, and no one wanted to endure this anymore. However, the current situation was that he seemed to be doing even worse than his predecessor Bob Hill.

Although he knew it was because the team needed to gel, he had traded the team's star forward Detlef Schrempf to the SuperSonics before the season, in exchange for one of the SuperSonics' three stars, Derrick McKey. He claimed it was for the team's defense, as his team needed a forward who could support both the inside and outside defense. Derrick McKey, one of the SuperSonics' three stars, could perfectly execute this role. He was a fierce defender who could play multiple positions both inside and out.

In fact, the SuperSonics' three stars, whether it was Derrick McKey, Xavier McDaniel, who had once made Pippen's life miserable in the Knicks and was eventually sent to the Celtics by Jordan in retaliation, or Nate McMillan, a strong point guard who lost his starting position to Gary Payton, all fit Larry Brown's requirements. If possible, he would even hope to bring all of them to the Pacers.

What Larry Brown didn't expect was that the German forward Schrempf, whom he had undervalued, was so important to the Pacers. Although Larry Brown didn't think much of his defense, Schrempf was not only a key scoring point for the Pacers on offense but also a lubricant for the team's attack. His shooting and cuts enriched the Pacers' offense, and more importantly, he was a crucial playmaker and pivot on offense. In this situation, Schrempf, who was traded away by Larry Brown, retaliated in another way.

So, Larry Brown was truly living in a state of misery. While Bob Hill, though not performing well in the playoffs, at least led the team to the playoffs, and being eliminated in the first round was still in the playoffs, Larry Brown's current pace suggested that even making the playoffs would be difficult.

This coach, who had always been met with ridicule since leaving the NCAA, was disliked by fans wherever he went. Now, just a month into his tenure with the Pacers, he was already disliked by Pacers fans. What was even more terrifying was that his situation was getting worse, and his upcoming opponents were all strong teams. The Jazz was just the first team in their Western Conference road trip. With Reggie Miller's comments, he didn't think the Jazz would give his team any easy time.

Therefore, the Pacers' head coach was extremely dissatisfied with his team's star player. Since entering the arena, his brows had been deeply furrowed.

Of course, unlike the dire situation of the Pacers' head coach Larry Brown, the Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan was enjoying the most glorious period of his career. From the massive cheers of the fans when he entered the arena, it was clear that he was just as beloved as Lin Han, Karl Malone, and John Stockton. This Jazz head coach, like the Jazz's three stars, had become the most beloved person in the city. In this regard, Larry Brown was envious and jealous of Jerry Sloan, as he didn't understand why, since coming to the NBA, no matter how well or poorly his team performed, fans never really liked him, which made him quite depressed.

"The game is finally about to start. This will be Lin Han's first encounter with a legitimate All-Star level shooting guard in his career. Before this, Barkley was just a guest. Do you think Lin Han will pass this test today?"

"I doubt it. Lin Han couldn't even handle Barkley, how could he possibly deal with Reggie Miller? Even if Reggie Miller just runs, he could run Lin Han to death. With Lin Han's defensive skills, do you think his eyes can shoot lightning to paralyze Miller? Lin Han will lose this game badly!"

"I agree. Miller isn't just strong on offense; his defense is also excellent. Do you remember last season when the Pacers played the Bulls? Jordan even used boxing moves and was fined $10,000 because of Miller. If Miller hadn't been ejected early, Jordan would have had a tough time. In recent seasons, Jordan has rarely had a comfortable game against Miller. He not only rarely outperforms Miller but is often outplayed by him. Jordan was so angry last season that he used boxing moves on Miller, and there was a reason for that."

"Hahaha, there are few players who can make Jordan so angry, especially after he won championships. Miller is a character, and he's an underrated player. If not for the Pacers holding him back, his status and popularity should be much higher. His skills are much stronger than Lin Han's, but now, Lin Han can make the All-Star starting lineup, while Miller might not even make the All-Star reserves. This is really unfair. The Pacers won't win this game, and Lin Han will definitely be dominated by Miller."

"If it's unfair, why don't you promote him? Just like you promote Penny Hardaway, you could promote him into the All-Star game."

As these journalists from all over the country were enthusiastically praising Reggie Miller and, as usual, criticizing Lin Han, the local Jazz media couldn't take it anymore and coldly retorted. After the local Jazz journalist spoke, the previously laughing and happy national journalists all looked somewhat awkward and uncomfortable.

If they could, they would also promote Reggie Miller, but the key was that the newspapers wouldn't sell. Who could blame Lin Han for being so popular with fans? In less than two months, he had won over a large group of fans left behind after Jordan's departure. Now, most of the NBA's Jordan fans support Lin Han. With his unique Chinese-American identity, any newspaper with Lin Han's news sells incredibly well.

This was a source of embarrassment and frustration for these journalists and NBA experts. They could criticize and belittle him, but they couldn't do without him.

Of course, Lin Han, who was already on the court, had no idea what was happening on the sidelines. He and Reggie Miller were already eyeing each other, and the sparks between them made it seem like they had some past grudge, even though they had never met before.

After the players finished their warm-up, the game officially began. The referee, Joe Crawford, threw the ball up, and the Jazz's starting center, Spencer, won the jump ball.

The Jazz's starting lineup remained unchanged: Spencer at center, Karl Malone at power forward, Jeff Hornacek at small forward, Lin Han at shooting guard, and John Stockton at point guard.

On the Pacers' side, the center was the Dutchman Rik Smits, a very traditional European center with excellent shooting but poor mobility and defense. He averaged 22.5 points and 8 rebounds per game in the playoffs last season. The power forward was Dale Davis, a very strong and tough defensive player who had almost no offensive skills except for dunks. However, with his defense, Malone would have a tough time in this game. The small forward was one of the SuperSonics' three stars, Derrick McKey, a defensive stalwart with good scoring choices but not a standout scorer. The shooting guard was Reggie Miller, Lin Han's opponent in this game. The point guard was Pooh Richardson, a former Timberwolves' star who, in his second year, averaged 17 points and 9 assists, though these numbers were largely due to playing on a weak team. Despite this, the 1989 point guard had a promising future. Unfortunately, he came to the Pacers, and with Schrempf often being the team's playmaker, his assists dropped significantly. His scoring efficiency was already low, and without the high volume of shots on a weak team, his scoring also dropped. With Larry Brown's arrival, this small point guard, who was not a strong defender and had low offensive efficiency, was likely on the verge of being traded.

"John, give me the ball, quick, pass it to me."

After Spencer won the jump ball, normally Lin Han would have run up the court with the other Jazz players to prepare for the offensive play. But at the start of this game, he didn't run up the court; instead, he stayed in place and asked Stockton for the ball.

This unusual move surprised Stockton. What was this kid up to? Dribble up the court? Was the sun rising in the west? Was this kid giving up on shooting and switching to ball-handling?

Despite his confusion, Lin Han had a certain status on the team, so after a brief hesitation, Stockton passed the ball to Lin Han in the backcourt. The Jazz head coach, Jerry Sloan, on the sideline, looked displeased. Lin Han hadn't proven he could handle the ball effectively.

Although the Pacers weren't that strong, you can't just play around on the court.

"Lin Han is asking for the ball in the backcourt. It looks like he's preparing to go one-on-one with Reggie Miller. Clearly, Reggie Miller has also noticed this and has moved from the right 45-degree three-point line to the top of the key."

"Lin, don't be reckless. Don't let the opponent provoke you. Stay calm."

Seeing this setup, anyone could tell what Lin Han was planning. The Jazz assistant coach, Phil Johnson, almost shouted at Lin Han from the sideline, but Lin Han seemed to ignore him.

"Lin Han is actually preparing to handle the ball and attack. He's not just a coward who only shoots from a distance? This is rare. Does he really care about what others think? I remember Reggie Miller said Lin Han's offense lacks movement. Is he trying to prove he can also drive? Will he next prove he can also play off the ball? Hahaha, this is too interesting. I find this guy not so annoying after all, quite cute."

"Hahaha, right, stupidly cute. Using his weaknesses to attack the opponent to prove he has these weaknesses is not just 'cute.'"

"We should cheer for him now, Lin, go head-on, go!"

"What?!"

As the unethical journalists on the sideline were cheering, when Lin Han brought the ball past half-court and reached the center circle, he suddenly accelerated. At this point, Reggie Miller was still far away. Starting to accelerate from such a distance, is this how you handle the ball? Reggie Miller could easily fake a foul.

Surprisingly, when the fans, coaches, and others saw Lin Han's somewhat reckless move, Reggie Miller's eyes narrowed. The oncoming Lin Han gave him a huge sense of pressure. This guy's ball-handling was not bad at all; he had underestimated Lin Han.

"Want to go head-to-head? Let's go head-to-head!"

Almost instantly, Reggie Miller, who had been standing still, moved diagonally to intercept. For a straight drive, you can't just go head-on; you need to move diagonally to stick to the opponent and force them to stop. Stopping the opponent is a win because the spot where they stop offers no offensive opportunity.

"How is this possible?!"

When Reggie Miller, who had already planned his move, met Lin Han and made contact, the Pacers' star guard was sent flying like a piece of paper!

"How is this possible?!"

After being directly knocked down by Lin Han, Reggie Miller hadn't expected Lin Han's drive to be so powerful. It was like a small tank. In fact, when Lin Han used the "Charge Forward" skill, his speed and explosiveness didn't match Westbrook's, but in terms of impact, he was not far behind. Lin Han was taller and heavier than Westbrook.

"Charge Forward" is a breakthrough skill that excels in impact, completely different from other straight drives. Reggie Miller wasn't prepared, and fortunately, Lin Han's "Charge Forward" was only at level 1, and his physical attributes were only at 16.5. If Lin Han's physical attributes were higher or the skill level was higher, Reggie Miller would have had a much tougher time.

He wouldn't have been able to get up so quickly after being knocked down.

With his physical attributes fully enhanced, Lin Han, after knocking down Reggie Miller, charged into the three-point line like a small tank. The Jazz players on the court were stunned. Stockton, who had just passed the ball to Lin Han, couldn't believe the incredible speed of his drive. Malone, Russell, and Spencer, and even the coach Jerry Sloan, who had been slightly angry, were now speechless.

Not just the Jazz, even the Pacers players on the court were stunned when they saw the Asian player knock down Reggie Miller.

"I feel like I'm flying!"

Lin Han, who was fully in the zone, didn't have the same stunned reaction as the others. As he charged into the three-point line, he felt the scenery rushing past, his feet moving faster and faster, almost as if he was defying gravity, almost making him want to shout in excitement.

"Right now!"

When Lin Han crossed the free-throw line, he jumped from just inside it!

"Dunk, this guy is going for a dunk. My God, how is this possible? Rick Smits is right in front of him!"

When Lin Han jumped from just inside the free-throw line, almost all the fans in the arena stood up, and even the Pacers' head coach Larry Brown got up from his seat. The white center Rick Smits, standing under the basket, felt an urge to step back as Lin Han approached.

Lin Han's direct drive was so terrifying, almost like it could clear away any obstacle in front of him. In his years in the NBA, he had never seen a player with this type of drive. Even Jordan wasn't like this!

Bang!

As Smits hesitated about whether to step back, he suddenly felt a huge force hit his body, almost knocking him off balance. Just as he was about to be pushed away by the momentum, he felt something wrap around his waist, preventing him from moving away from the basket.

When he looked up, he saw a Jazz player hanging from the rim with one hand, and the