Chapter 96

(Continuing the combined chapter, today there was actually an update of 13,000 words, which even surprised me. Finally, I ask for your recommendations and support.)

Reggie Miller was very, very depressed, especially when he saw his teammate Rick Smits being dunked on by Lin Han, his dazed expression made Reggie Miller extremely angry and unwilling!

After all, the reason Smits suffered such humiliation was not due to any other reason, but because he was knocked down by Lin Han, and the first line of defense of the team quickly lost its protective role, leading to Smits' humiliation.

As a player with a strong sense of responsibility and the current leader of the team, how could Reggie Miller not be angry? Especially when he saw Lin Han's excited face as he came off the court, and the disdainful look he gave him, it made Reggie Miller, who was already out of balance, feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Kid, I'll show you that you shouldn't be so arrogant."

After glaring at Lin Han fiercely, this Pacers' star player ran over to comfort Smits, the European center who was now full of humiliation.

At this moment, Lin Han was enjoying the cheers of the fans and the簇拥 of his teammates. The feeling of flying in the air and shattering everything was so enjoyable. He finally understood why Westbrook always had a pleased expression on his face when he flew in the air while passing on his skills. The violent sensation of slamming the ball into the hoop after a powerful dunk was incredibly satisfying and exhilarating. If it weren't for the irregular heartbeat and the sudden exhaustion after the dunk, Lin Han might have unconsciously made this his primary offensive weapon.

It must be said that every NBA player, or every person, has a violent seed and a desire to fly hidden within them.

"Lin, you should use all your abilities at once. Do you know, when I saw you break through from the mid-court, I was almost scared to death. You really know how to scare people."

"Yeah, every time it makes people nervous, but it also makes people excited. I finally understand why you have more fans in just over a month than Karl and I do. It's very stimulating and cool to like a player like you."

"Hahaha, of course, the boss's strength can't be just a little. The boss was the scoring champion of the Chicago talent camp, outperforming Penny Hardaway, Chris Webber, and Shawn Kemp. I wouldn't be surprised if the boss beat Reggie Miller to a pulp in this game."

Hehe, Russell, this kid really knows how to flatter. However, I like it. After Lin Han first displayed his ball-handling offensive ability in this game, he could feel that his teammates' perception of him had changed. Even Spencer, the starting center who usually didn't interact much with Lin Han, was now smiling and fawning around him, his flattery evident. This guy was once a representative of the team's mid-career players. Although he and Lin Han didn't compete for the same position, he was extremely unhappy with the status Lin Han had upon joining the team. Now, he understood that he and Lin Han were not in the same league.

Players like him were diligent workers, contributing their share, and when the coach no longer needed him, he would go to another team that needed him, a drifter in the NBA. If no NBA team needed him, he would be unemployed, his talent and ability reaching their peak.

And Lin Han? What kind of player is he? Now he fully understood that Lin Han was a player like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Shaquille O'Neal. Entering the league, he was already halfway to success. Their goal was not to secure their position in the NBA, but to aim for the most glorious crown in the NBA, to become the best player. Such players were almost invincible when they entered the league, and competing with them for a team's status was just asking for trouble.

He heard that the team was planning a big move, trading many players. Clearly, this was because of Lin Han. Those who were unhappy with Lin Han would not be retained. Spencer did not want to be among those traded. The Jazz's current performance and record made them a potential championship contender. Spencer had no particular love for the Jazz, but he knew that winning a championship with the Jazz would significantly increase his value, which was his goal.

So, Spencer now clearly understood that from the beginning, he and Lin Han were on different levels. What he needed to do now was to try to make up for the bad impression he had given Lin Han. Lin Han was now the team's third leader, on par with Malone and Stockton.

"Lin, although this game isn't difficult, you should be careful about Reggie Miller trying to trip you up. He may not be well-known, but he's not a good person, and his style of play is very effective against your defense."

Lin Han, who was extremely excited at this moment, nodded with a smile after hearing Stockton's warning. He understood what Stockton meant: "Kid, with your defensive skills, you'll be shot to pieces by a player like Reggie Miller, who is a master of off-the-ball movement." Stockton just didn't say it directly to save Lin Han's face.

"But, do you think you're the only one who can play off-the-ball? I can too, and we'll see who's better."

Although he didn't say anything, Lin Han thought to himself that Hamilton's "Ethereal Movement" was a golden off-the-ball skill that didn't consume stamina. They would see who would give up first.

...

"Fvck, am I seeing things? Is this really Lin Han? Not Reggie Miller? But Miller is clearly on the Pacers, right there on the other side?"

"My God, how did Lin Han's off-the-ball movement suddenly become so good? This is impossible. He hid his physical talent and ball-handling skills in the Chicago combine, but when did he hide his off-the-ball movement? He didn't know how to move before, but now he's running circles around Reggie Miller?"

As the game between the Pacers and the Jazz continued, the Jazz took the lead from the start, and the score remained in their favor. Everyone knew the Pacers would find it hard to win on the road. The reporters on the sidelines, though they didn't like the Jazz, knew the Jazz were almost unbeatable. They were more interested in whether Reggie Miller could make Lin Han's poor defense pay.

In reality, Reggie Miller, with arguably the best off-the-ball movement in the league, would definitely teach Lin Han a lesson against his almost non-existent defense. Normally, a switch in defenders would be the solution, with Russell defending Miller. But this was a regular season game, and Miller had already challenged Lin Han, who had responded. So, the game couldn't switch defenders, and Miller had a simple way to teach Lin Han a lesson.

Indeed, the game developed as expected. After the game started, Reggie Miller's slick off-the-ball movement almost made Lin Han eat dust. However, what the reporters didn't expect was that when the Jazz were on offense, Lin Han also played off-the-ball, and he did it well. At least, Reggie Miller wasn't as relaxed, and he was also being outmaneuvered by Lin Han.

"Ha, before the game, who said Lin Han couldn't score on the move? Some people were saying Reggie Miller was underestimated and would dominate Lin Han. Where's the domination now?"

When the local Jazz reporters mockingly pointed out the flaws in the out-of-town reporters' pre-game comments, the latter, who had been loudly calling for Miller to teach Lin Han a lesson, were now red-faced and silent. This game was clearly a slap in the face for them.

This guy wasn't just a shooting machine. His ball-handling and off-the-ball movement were top-notch! Even as an Asian, his athleticism was on par with most black players, which was even more unbelievable.

...

Strong, this guy is really strong. Lin Han didn't take Reggie Miller seriously at first. Although the assistant coaches and teammates repeatedly emphasized how good Miller was, Lin Han wasn't very concerned. If Miller was really that good, why had he only been to one All-Star game? If he hadn't stepped forward, Lin Han wouldn't have even heard of him. He wasn't in the same league as Clyde Drexler, Chris Mullin, or Dominique Wilkins.

So, after obtaining the "Charge Forward" and "Ethereal Movement" skills, Lin Han's confidence was sky-high, and his eyes were set on players like Drexler. As for players like Reggie Miller, he didn't even consider them.

But in this game, as it progressed, Reggie Miller brought Lin Han back to reality.

Miller's off-the-ball movement was even better than Hamilton's "Ethereal Movement." "Ethereal Movement" was a golden skill, increasing mid-range jump shot accuracy by 10% and ignoring personal stamina at level 1. According to Alice, in terms of off-the-ball movement skills, "Ethereal Movement" could rank in the top 20 in NBA history.

But Reggie Miller's off-the-ball movement skill was definitely stronger than "Ethereal Movement." If "Ethereal Movement" could enhance mid-range jump shots and work well with the mid-range jump shot skill, making it almost invincible, then Reggie Miller's off-the-ball movement not only enhanced mid-range jump shots but also three-point jump shots!

If "Ethereal Movement" was golden, Lin Han bet that Reggie Miller's off-the-ball movement skill was purple-golden!

This was a purple-golden off-the-ball movement skill. Even the best defensive players in the league would struggle against it, let alone Lin Han, who had no defensive skills. Lin Han now felt the urge to kneel!

Although Lin Han wasn't very familiar with most NBA players, his guess was not far off. In recent seasons, Reggie Miller was one of the players who made Michael Jordan look bad. Why could a player with such poor physical talent embarrass the league's best player? In the playoffs against the New York Knicks last season, the Pacers were eliminated 1-3 in the first round, but John Starks, the best defensive player in the league, was almost reduced to tears by Reggie Miller. In that series, Miller averaged over 31 points per game against the Knicks, with shooting and three-point accuracy both over 50%.

Given Lin Han's current defensive level, being repeatedly outmaneuvered by Reggie Miller was very normal. The only abnormal thing was that Lin Han was now amazed by Miller's strength.

At the same time, Reggie Miller was also extremely surprised, or rather, shocked, by Lin Han's performance. On the offensive end, he didn't consider breaking Lin Han's defense a success. He wanted to completely dominate Lin Han on both offense and defense. As a highly intelligent and skilled player, he wasn't a brute. Before the game, he had said in interviews that he had watched many Jazz games, not out of boredom, but to prepare for this game. He had long wanted to step on Lin Han to rise to the top. He no longer wanted to be an underestimated player; he wanted to stand at the forefront of the NBA.

But after the game started, Lin Han's performance shattered all his plans. From the start, Lin Han displayed a terrifying breakthrough ability, which he didn't use again in the game. But when Lin Han showed the same terrifying off-the-ball movement, Miller couldn't sit still.

Even against Jordan, he had never felt as exhausted as in this game. On the offensive end, he constantly ran to shake off Lin Han, and on the defensive end, he ran to avoid being outmaneuvered by Lin Han. When he finally managed to catch up with Lin Han a couple of times, Lin Han's three-point jump shots from beyond the arc almost made him collapse.

He knew that because his strongest weapon was off-the-ball movement, Lin Han was also using it, truly wanting to face him head-on. Lin Han didn't use the suffocating breakthrough from the start, which showed that Lin Han was willing to compete fairly. Miller didn't know Lin Han's character, but from the game, Lin Han was a good opponent, not a hypocrite like Jordan, who had punched him.

He also knew that while Lin Han's off-the-ball movement was strong, it was still not on the same level as his. Lin Han's three-point jump shots were powerful, but they lacked the fluidity of off-the-ball movement.

If it were just a comparison of off-the-ball movement and the resulting jump shots, Lin Han lost, though he couldn't defend Miller either. But Miller wasn't happy.

Because Lin Han clearly wasn't using his strongest skills. Lin Han's off-the-ball movement, though strong, was not his strongest skill. Lin Han's turnaround jump shot and the breakthrough at the start of the game, especially the Jordan-like turnaround jump shot, were his strongest. When Lin Han scored 68 points against the Magic, Miller thought this move was as good as Jordan's, but Lin Han didn't use it in this game, as if it was sealed.

In Miller's view, Lin Han sealed his strongest skills to fight him fairly. Thinking about this, Miller felt a bit heartbroken and thought his pre-game comments were a bit over the top.

Although he envied and hated Lin Han, Miller wasn't a unreasonable person. In his view, in terms of character, he had completely lost to Lin Han. Lin Han was a great opponent.

So, as the game progressed, both he and Lin Han were constantly running, both on offense and defense. Lin Han was physically drained, and Miller was exhausted. In this situation, both had many opportunities to embarrass each other, especially Miller. If he wanted to, he could use his off-the-ball movement to humiliate the physically drained Lin Han, but in the end, Miller didn't do it.

"My God, these two guys seem to be completely detached from the game. They only have eyes for each other, running and shooting. It's incredible. Both Lin and Miller are among the best off-the-ball offensive players in the NBA. The comments about Lin's defense can disappear. Although his defense is still not good, he is trying hard to follow Miller, which is commendable."

As the game was about to end, looking at Reggie Miller and Lin Han on the court, Doug Collins, the commentator, praised the two.

In fact, Jerry Sloan, the Jazz coach, also praised the two. Both Miller and Lin Han's performances in the game were very impressive, especially Lin Han. It was the first time Sloan had seen Lin Han put so much effort into defense in a game, especially after so much off-the-ball movement on offense. Whether he could defend was another matter, but the willingness to defend was the most important.

"You, kid, since you have such abilities, why didn't you use them before? You're really a stubborn mule."

At this moment, although Sloan was happy, he was also speechless about Lin Han's character. This guy lacked the awareness to match his skills. If his awareness were as strong as his skills, the Jazz would be much better. Sloan was already thinking about how to激发 Lin Han's "passion" in the game. If Lin Han knew his coach was already plotting against him, he would cry.

He really didn't think he would chase Miller throughout the game. Maybe he didn't want to lose to Miller, or maybe his off-the-ball movement in this game didn't consume much energy. But in the next game, he definitely wouldn't do it again, or he wouldn't want to face an opponent like Miller again. This guy was more annoying than Barkley's big butt. Lin Han almost ran himself sick in this game.

"Boss, are you okay?"

117-100, when the game ended, Lin Han's numb legs almost gave out. If it weren't for Brian Russell's quick reflexes, he might have collapsed on the court.

However, despite the fatigue, Lin Han was extremely satisfied with the game. Whether it was his first career dunk or the off-the-ball movement that was almost on par with Miller, it was very exciting. He knew he had gained two skills that would help him establish himself in the NBA, no longer relying on luck.

"Lin, I apologize for my pre-game comments about you. You are a great player and a strong opponent. I was arrogant and self-important. I'm sorry."

After the game, as Russell helped Lin Han off the court, Miller, who had been hesitating nearby, finally mustered the courage to walk up to Lin Han and apologize. To Lin Han's great surprise, this guy, who had been so arrogant before the game, actually apologized, though he ran away immediately after, leaving Lin Han confused.

"Is this guy sick?"

Looking at Reggie Miller's back, Lin Han and Russell exchanged glances and said, but Russell shook his head, equally puzzled.

"Although we didn't decide the winner in this game, next time, I won't hold back! I hope you won't either."

Under the astonished gaze of the Pacers' players, Reggie Miller made a silent promise and vow in his heart.

Lin Han really didn't think that his reluctance to use the Jordan-like turnaround jump shot, which he thought was too stiff, would earn him Reggie Miller's respect.

If Lin Han knew this, he would be even more speechless.

Of course, in this game, whether it was Reggie Miller's 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting or Lin Han's 31 points on 11-of-21 shooting and 7-of-15 from three-point range, both players performed perfectly as catch-and-shoot players. However, their true abilities were far beyond this.

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