pertwk Chapter 168 You don't need to rush in and fight the Jazz.
Chapter 168 You don't need to rush in and fight the Jazz.
Chapter 168 You don't need to rush in and fight the Jazz! I'm enough on my own!
Sloan's work over the past two days can be summarized in one sentence.
That is: absolutely no results!
The second game of the NBA Finals, held in Chicago, ended in another resounding victory for the Bulls!
In this game, Sloan actually made some changes to the lineup. First, he assigned Hornacek to defend Lin Tian, which was a better match in terms of height and prevented Lin Tian from bullying Stockton in the low post.
Then... the Bulls countered the move, bringing in Pippen to the low post and relentlessly attacking Stockton.
Stockton was equally helpless against Pippen's one-on-one attacks!
Sloan watched helplessly as the 203cm Pippen relentlessly bullied the 185cm Stockton in the low post.
What can he do? Send Russell to guard Pippen?
Yes, it can indeed restrain Pippen.
And then what? Stockton goes to guard Jordan? Then Jordan might really turn the game into an exhibition match, showing everyone what it means to have everything he wants, what it means to be unrestrained and carefree.
In short, relying on the height and strong post-up ability of their three perimeter players, the Bulls once again launched a multi-pronged attack on the Jazz's defense, starting from the perimeter!
The Jazz's proud defense proved utterly ineffective against the Bulls, a team with superior height, top-notch shooting, and the league's most offensively potent team. The Jazz's defense was completely dismantled.
At the same time, the Bulls not only played fiercely on offense, but also gave 120% effort on defense. From the first minute of the game, the Bulls raised the intensity of the game completely, and everyone of them played with a do-or-die attitude, which made the Jazz completely collapse!
With their overwhelming defensive intensity, coupled with the height advantage of their three perimeter players and their relentless post-up attacks, the Jazz suffered a much more crushing defeat in this game than in the last!
In the four quarters, the Jazz only scored more than 15 points in one quarter, and in the fourth quarter they scored less than 10 points!
Only Malone scored in double digits, with 22 points, while the rest of the team combined only scored 32 points!
The Jazz only scored a total of 54 points that night!
The Bulls, of course, secured a resounding victory at home for the second consecutive game!
They scored 96 points tonight. Although Jordan, the highest scorer, only scored 24 points, six players on the team scored in double figures. Pippen, who played the most minutes, only played 29 minutes!
This means that no Bulls player played more than 30 minutes in this game, and everyone got a chance to play and everyone scored!
Jackson played a 12-man rotation and multiple 5-in-5-out games that night!
It's purely for show!
The first instance of five players being replaced occurred when the first quarter was only halfway through. Jackson saw that the team was already leading by 10 points, so he simply waved his hand and replaced the starting five!
Then, at the start of the second quarter, with another wave of the hand, the starting lineup and substitutes all came on, another five-in-five-out!
Then, halfway through the third quarter, and at the start of the fourth quarter.
Throughout the night, Jackson gave Sloan a thorough dressing-down with repeated ups and downs and disdainful looks.
Jackson believed that Sloan had definitely received his signal, otherwise the old man would not have gone without a smile in the second half of the game!
Well... okay, actually, if a team loses by 42 points, any coach would look as grim as Sloan, and no one would be able to smile.
But since you, Sloan, aren't laughing, then I, Jackson, am going to laugh!
Not only did he have to laugh, but he had to laugh very loudly, as if he was afraid that Sloan next door wouldn't hear him.
Its main selling point is to maximize the taunting effect!
As head coach, Jackson knows all too well how to provoke people and how to use the lineup to mock and ridicule opponents!
When it comes to psychological warfare, Jackson is definitely number one in the league!
After the game, the Jazz didn't even attend the post-game press conference, even though they would be fined a lot of money by the league. The Jazz, whose mentality had completely collapsed, didn't even go back to the hotel. They had packed their things before the game started and went straight to the airport by bus.
They had to leave this place of sorrow overnight.
The Jazz's escape will inevitably draw a barrage of taunts and mockery from the Bulls' thugs, but that's no longer important to the Jazz. Two consecutive crushing defeats have sent the team's morale plummeting! Otherwise, Sloan would never have led the team away so easily.
He really didn't want his players to have to do those interviews again and be humiliated by reporters!
Everything will wait until we get back to Salt Lake City and get a good night's sleep!
On the plane, Sloan didn't rest. Instead, he kept watching the videos of the previous two games, scribbling and drawing with his pen as if he were practicing some powerful tactics.
Sloan's actions caught the attention of Malone and Stockton, who were not far away. After exchanging glances, the two walked towards Sloan together.
"Coach, is there anything we can do for you?" Stockton looked at Sloan and said, "Anything, anything!"
Looking at his two beloved students, Sloan sighed and said, "Since you've told me, I won't hide it from you. There's nothing I can do about this series."
At this point, Sloan shook his head and said, "The Bulls are definitely a level above us. We're no match for them. Going back to our home court won't really help. I know we're destined to lose!"
"Coach, why are you saying such discouraging things? This isn't the Jerry Sloan I know!" Malone patted Sloan on the shoulder and said, "The Jerry I know never gives up, never is afraid, and never backs down! He always finds a way, always manages to find a path forward!"
"At the same time, he is also very good at protecting his players, keeping them away from the storm of public opinion, so that they can focus on preparing for the game."
Sloan looked at Malone and said, "Alright, Carl, there's no need to persuade me anymore. I appreciate your help, but we really don't have a chance this year."
"Coach! This is our first time in the Finals, and I really don't want to give up like this! I think you must have a way." Stockton looked at Sloan and said slowly, "Tell me your plan, Coach! We'll both do whatever it takes!"
"You two, are you really willing?" Sloan looked at his two disciples and slowly asked, "Willing to do anything?"
"Everything!" Malone and Stockton exclaimed in unison, without hesitation, "As long as it's for victory!"
"In that case, I do have some ideas." Sloan lowered his head and slowly said, "The first thing we need to do is reduce the number of players on the Bulls' roster!"
"Since Lin is so stubborn and we can't make a move, let's find someone we can and who is worth making a move against!"
Sloan then pulled out a Bulls roster, made a couple of marks on it, and said, "The series has gotten this far. If we don't go all in, we'll almost certainly be swept by the Bulls. We're definitely going to lose!"
"So, since we're going to do it anyway, we shouldn't wait until we're in dire straits to take action. We should go all in before things get too badly done and while things are still under control! Leave yourself some room for error."
Stockton and Malone both nodded, indicating their strong approval of Sloan's tactics.
The name that Sloan crossed out on that piece of paper was none other than Michael Jordan!
Since Lin Tian can't take him down, the Bulls' most valuable and worthy opponent to be taken down is undoubtedly Jordan!
A day later, the entire Bulls team arrived in Salt Lake City. As usual, they would play three consecutive games there, and if the series was not over, both teams would return to Chicago for the final two games.
As the entire Bulls team disembarked from the plane, a large number of Salt Lake City reporters blocked their VIP passage, waiting to interview them.
"Fuck! The reporters here are still so unpleasant, still completely unruly," Jordan cursed. "They always ignore the league's bans and block visiting players in this VIP passage where nobody should be. If the VIP passage is a place anyone can go, then why are we even paying for it?"
Apart from Jordan, the rest of the Bulls players also looked impatient and annoyed. Nobody likes being suddenly surrounded by a group of reporters while walking, especially when these reporters all seem to have ill intentions and are just there to cause trouble!
The Bulls showed no signs of stopping. According to league rules, they are not allowed to answer any questions in non-interview situations, so the entire team sped toward the team bus, while reporters followed closely behind the Bulls players with their cameras and microphones.
"Lin, Kyle broke three bones in his foot, all of them comminuted fractures. Before undergoing surgery, he announced his retirement, stating that his professional career was over. He was in tears at the retirement press conference. Is there anything you would like to say to him?"
"Don't play basketball after you retire, lest you injure yourself again! There won't be any team insurance to cover your losses then!" Lin Tian didn't even look at the reporter before he started spewing nonsense.
Lin Tianke had no good impression of the Jazz, Salt Lake City, or anything else here.
"Don't you think you need to give everyone an explanation? You forced a decorated veteran to retire early; don't you think you need to apologize to him?"
"An explanation? If he ruins my career with that one move, will you give me an explanation? Who am I supposed to complain to then? I can only say, what goes around comes around! I don't know him, I've never even spoken a word to him, yet he comes along and tries to destroy my life. The only explanation I can give to someone like that is that I'll avoid him wherever he goes from now on!"
"And what about Foster? He also needs surgery on his arch; it's a grade three sprain! He'll need at least 16 weeks of recovery! Don't you have anything to say to him?"
"Let him retire as soon as possible." Lin Tian said mercilessly, looking at the reporters, "Let him retire early to prevent him from hurting others again! If I hadn't chosen a hook shot on that play, but instead ended the offense with a jump shot, I would be the one undergoing surgery and needing 16 weeks of rest right now! I will never sympathize with the perpetrator, nor will I feel sorry for them. This is a sports arena; all I can do is protect myself and not hurt others. I cannot protect myself while also protecting two shameless and despicable thugs!"
Seeing Lin Tian's firm response, the reporters immediately changed their interview focus.
"Michael, you weren't the team's leading scorer in the first game, and the team still won Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals even though you missed it. Do you still consider this Bulls team your team?"
"It's not mine, it belongs to Reinsdorf!" Jordan said with a sullen purse, giving an answer that left no room for argument.
"So you still consider yourself the team's youngest leader?"
"The team's leader is Parish, he's almost 50 years old, if he's not the leader, then who is?"
"So, if the team had to choose between you and Lin, who would they choose?"
"The team would choose to strip your mother naked, throw her into a bucket of ice water, and then soak her for 20 hours."
"Are the Bulls always this rude?"
"It depends on who you're dealing with. We'll treat our friends with the courtesy we would show them, but as for... well, hehe... we'll also have the proper attitude."
After asking Jordan, the reporters quickly turned their attention to Jackson, but the Bulls had already arrived at the team bus.
Jackson took the lead and jumped onto the bus immediately, followed by everyone else. Then the driver, who had been arranged by the Bulls, stepped on the gas and left the reporters far behind.
"I never want to come back to this godforsaken place again in my life." Jordan leaned back in his chair. The madness of the Salt Lake City reporters was just too annoying!
Everything about them is just like their team: unruly, ruthless, and insidious.
"I think we'll only know how vicious they really are after tomorrow's interview," Lin Tian said, straightening up. "I bet they'll describe us as demons crawling up from hell, thieves stealing Jesus' offerings, and utterly wicked heretics!"
"I'm used to it. That's why Salt Lake City newspapers can't sell anything in the city. Nobody likes their nonsense and unprincipled reporting." Jordan shrugged, indicating that he had been hurt by Salt Lake City newspapers many times.
"In fact, they have principles," Jackson said. "Their principle is: even if a Jazz player kills someone, that person ran into the steel knife in the Jazz player's hand! Tomorrow night at Delta Arena will definitely be a live broadcast of the latest infamous swearing!"
"You could record their swearing and compare it in every arena across the country. You'd then find that while Salt Lake City is a run-down place, their swearing level is absolutely top-notch! I suspect that a lot of swear words actually originated in Salt Lake City and spread throughout the country!"
Overall, the Bulls players were very relaxed and confident. They didn't think the Jazz would cause them any trouble and were confident they could win easily!
This is the confidence and momentum they've built up over the past few series; they are fearless! They've overcome all sorts of difficulties!
It's worth noting that since their Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Magic last year, the Bulls haven't lost a single playoff game!
Magic, SuperSonics, Bullets, Hornets, Heat – the Bulls swept all five series, making them virtually invincible!
The current Bulls absolutely deserve the title of the greatest team in history. If they win two more games against the Jazz and achieve the unprecedented feat of winning all their playoff games in a single season, then they will undoubtedly be the greatest team in history!
Playoff performance, star player quality, regular season record, head coach's ability, roster depth, team chemistry...
All of these factors combined make this Bulls team a strong contender for the title of the greatest team in history!
Because they were in Salt Lake City, Jackson didn't need to bring it up at all. All the players consciously locked themselves in their rooms, and none of them had any idea of going out to have some fun.
This is Salt Lake City!
Are Bulls players going out to have fun during the Finals?
Being able to return unscathed is incredibly lucky; you could go to Las Vegas and gamble away your entire fortune!
The next morning, the hotel waiter brought the Bulls various local Salt Lake City newspapers. With a sense of curiosity, Lin Tian opened the newspaper, and the huge news on the front page almost made him spit it out.
The new King of Villains has been born in the league; Lin Tian claims his goal is to force Kyle into retirement!
"He beat his opponent to retirement and then gloated about it. Does someone like that deserve to be fought over by multiple teams in the league?"
Kyle retires immediately! Foster is likely out for next season! After such a string of misdeeds, what villain would still be so smug?
"Just Stay Alive! The Final Advice from Salt Lake City Fans to the Utah Jazz!"
How many more will be injured? Tonight, the Jazz, like the Spartans, are the last warriors guarding the truth!
Brave and fearless! Salt Lake City residents never give up!
Michael Jordan stated that the Bulls are no longer his team and that he is no longer the team's leader!
Internal strife is brewing within the Chicago Bulls; the power struggle has long been out in the open!
"Fake Brothers! After Jordan answered a question about who the leader is, Lin Tian's subtle gesture betrayed his true thoughts!"
……
After Lin Tian finished reading all the newspapers the waiter brought him, he had a clearer understanding of what the "Spring and Autumn Annals style" meant.
What does it mean that every sentence is true, but not a single word is true?
What do you mean by saying that every word you wrote actually happened, but you're just talking nonsense?
That's exactly what the Salt Lake City media did!
Because the third game of the series was scheduled for that evening, Jackson only did some simple shooting and warm-up drills in the afternoon, and didn't let the players sweat too much, so they could conserve their energy until the evening.
Meanwhile, the Jazz team also skipped basketball practice. Malone went straight to his own boxing gym and practiced various fighting techniques in the octagon, while Stockton watched from the sidelines, his eyes filled with murderous intent!
Tonight is the Jazz's all-or-nothing gamble and their final push; they won't let this night pass by quietly!
The Bulls want to win? No problem!
Leave something behind!
At 7 p.m., with one hour left before the game started, the entire Bulls team had arrived in the locker room, waiting for Jackson to give his final pep talk.
"In terms of strength, we completely overwhelm our opponents and can win easily. I dare say this because of the immense power that the past few series have given us! We are the strongest! No team in NBA history would be a match for us! I have that confidence!"
"I believe we can defeat every super team in league history in this series! I'm not afraid of you being arrogant or complacent, because this is also the tacit understanding and trust we've built up over the past two years of playing together! We are not an arrogant or complacent team; we are simply that strong!"
"But I have to say, tonight's opponent is completely different from any of our opponents before! Tonight's Jazz are real demons! They're the kind of demons that will sneak into your house and, for no reason at all, kill everyone they can see!"
"They'll definitely pull some dirty tricks tonight, and they'll definitely try to make us leave something on the court! Everyone, be careful! Stay calm! Don't fall into their trap! Remember how the Knicks lost to the Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals!"
"Don't worry, Coach, we won't end up like the Knicks," Lin Tian said, standing up. "If they dare to mess with us again in the game, I have a way to eliminate them once and for all and completely end this series."
Jackson opened his mouth, wanting to stop Lin Tian from continuing, because he knew Lin Tian definitely wouldn't say anything nice.
But Jackson only opened his mouth and then closed it again.
He didn't have time.
"Scott, you're in charge of stopping Dennis and preventing him from charging over. Luke, you're in charge of holding Michael back and preventing him from charging over. Beal, you're in charge of holding everyone on the bench and preventing them from leaving. Hmm, it might be a bit difficult for you alone. Clemens, you help Beal hold everyone down and prevent anyone from leaving the bench!"
"Of course, if the victim is one of the people I just mentioned, or if the people on the court when the conflict occurs are not the ones I just mentioned, then we can change the order as needed. The point is, each person should hold one person. Don't let your teammates rush in and fight with the Jazz players! There's no need!"
"That's right! There's no need!" Jackson nodded, looking at Lin Tian with satisfaction.
This guy has finally grown up, finally calmed down, and knows how to help the team in the right way!
After waiting so long and undergoing so many lessons, he has finally grown up!
"I'm enough on my own, you guys just need to cheer and applaud!" Lin Tian continued, "No matter who makes the move, I'll make sure that person is lying on the floor, and they can forget about playing in this series! And then there are the Jazz's most aggressive players, none of them will escape!"
"Malone and Stockton! Those two bastards, I don't care if what happens later has anything to do with them, I'm going to fuck those two bastards to death! Don't worry!"
"No way! I can't just watch my teammates fight and do nothing! That's not my style! I absolutely won't do that." Rodman spread his hands, indicating that it was unfair! Didn't he, "The Worm," have any dignity? Would he even be able to show his face in public after this?
"That's why I had Scott stop you! Hold you down!" Lin Tian said matter-of-factly, "I alone can take down the entire Jazz team! You guys can just watch the show! Suspending one more person is completely unnecessary!"
"I will give you all a world-class fighting show and a one-on-many sparring demonstration right here!" Lin Tian waved his fist, looking eager to try!
After all, apart from his first professional match, which was a 1-on-3 fight, the other fights were either one-on-one or his opponents were like the Calabash Brothers saving their grandfather, taking him down one by one, which was really not very satisfying!
Lin Tian is going to fight tonight with the mindset of 1 against 10, pshaw!
Going to play ball!
He's going to have a good time!
"Are you serious? You can take on ten of them?" Rodman immediately forgot his struggle and asked Lin Tian curiously.
"I can't say I can take on ten, I'm saying I'll take on ten!" Lin Tian said confidently. "How many I can take on depends on how many guys on the Jazz have the guts to come up here!"
"That's awesome! I won't go on today, I'll watch you perform!" Rodman's expression immediately became full of anticipation!
He really wanted to see what kind of sparks would fly when one player faced ten opponents on the field!
"You guys! That's enough!" Jackson couldn't help but roll his eyes. What were these two doing here?
Is it a pre-fight seminar for a combat sports tournament or a tactical meeting before a boxing championship?
We need to see how Lin manages to take on ten opponents single-handedly.
ridiculous!
hiss……
Believe it or not, Jackson wanted to see it too!
After all, such a scene is quite rare!
Aside from movies, Jackson had never actually seen a one-on-ten situation like that!
wrong!
I'm the coach!
Pooh!
"Lin! No fighting! No solving problems with violence!"
"What if they cripple Michael? What if Michael has to retire because of this? What if they make Michael spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair? Can I step in?" Lin Tian blinked, looking completely innocent.
"Fuck you! Go to hell, Lin! Why don't you just say I'm already dead?" Jordan gave Lin Tian the middle finger, annoyed. "Change your analogy!"
"That won't do. I can't bring myself to curse my teammates. That's too vicious!" Lin Tian refused without even thinking.
"Fuck you!" Jordan angrily threw the towel he was holding at Lin Tian and cursed, "Am I not your teammate? Did you kick me out of the team?"
After Jordan and Lin Tian's exchange, the atmosphere in the Bulls' locker room completely relaxed. Everyone was joking around, just waiting for Jackson's order so the whole team could head to Delta Air Lines Arena to have a go at the most trash-talking and foul-mouthed fans in the country!
As we all know, when other teams swear, they mostly just use ordinary trash talk, expose the players' weaknesses and scars, and at most, they might use the player's mother as the center to extend the insults to all the female relatives within three generations of the player, and then force some kind of relationship beyond friendship with them.
Some teams, lacking creativity and a culture of swearing, will simply shout "FUXX!" throughout the stadium to express their best wishes.
That's about it for a normal team.
But Jazz fans are completely different. Their insults are much dirtier. They use all sorts of vulgar language, calling things like "obscene," "unscrupulous," and "so bad that TV stations can't even broadcast it!"
The most shameless example is... well, a few years later, when "Little Fish" Fisher left Salt Lake City because his daughter had an eye disease and needed to go to Los Angeles for treatment. But when he returned, all the Salt Lake City fans covered one eye and yelled at Fisher that his daughter was blind.
This behavior truly crossed the line. During that match, Fisher was so angry that he almost rushed into the stands and clashed directly with the audience.
Then, after calming down, Fisher said that he had never enjoyed passing the ball to Kobe so much in his life.
He fed Kobe the ball like crazy, allowing Kobe in his prime to teach those damn Salt Lake City fans and Jazz players a lesson!
There was also the incident where he yelled "Kneel down!" at Westbrook and his wife, and later, during a series against the Grizzlies, he directly hurled all sorts of profanities at Ja Morant's parents.
In short, the Jazz fans, like their team, are dirty, rude, and have no bottom line!
This time, when the entire Bulls team walked into Delta Air Lines Arena, they were greeted with a barrage of crazy and violent insults and profanities.
"I feel like I've walked into a world swear museum!" Jordan picked at his ear, trying to decipher the meanings behind the profanities and threats. "A few of them are pretty good; I think we should write them down and use them to insult people later!"
"Lin is already doing it." Pippen gestured towards Lin Tian in the distance.
Jordan then realized that Lin Tian had actually brought a recording device and was wandering around the court!
"What are you doing?" Jordan asked curiously when Lin Tian returned to his side after turning around.
"I'm taking notes! I'm going to add some new stuff to my trash-talking arsenal!" Lin Tian chuckled. "I'll record it, and after the competition, I'll have my assistant organize it and compile it into a booklet. I can then share it with you guys for free, and we can study it carefully!"
"You're hopeless." Jordan rolled his eyes.
He didn't know whether to praise Lin Tianxin for his magnanimity or scold him for stirring up trouble.
What's the difference between your behavior and cheating on someone's wife and then insisting that she make her husband video call her during the act?
Although there are no video calls yet, Jordan feels that's how it is!
Lin Tian's behavior was clearly very provocative, not only did the fans in the stadium shout even louder, but Malone and Stockton glared at Lin Tian with narrowed eyes.
"I think we should change our target and just cripple this kid!" Ma Long's tone was icy; he truly couldn't stand Lin Tian!
"This kid's reaction is too fast. I think it's because he's been practicing his fighting skills so hard that his reaction has improved. It's not easy to mess with him. It's better to stick to what we said before and focus our attention on Michael."
Stockton shook his head. Clearly, Lin Tian's two incredible comebacks in the first game of the series a few days ago had stunned Stockton. Now, he was no longer willing to go all out against Lin Tian because he felt it was completely useless!
It would be better to focus our efforts on people who are more effective!
"Don't cause trouble, and don't even think about pulling any dirty tricks! What happened in the first game is absolutely unacceptable!" Veteran referee Bavita, who was the main referee for tonight, deliberately entered the stadium two minutes early to convey some of the referee union's spirit to both teams' players.
After all, at this point in the series, the referees' union, as the group of people in the world who know the style, personality and conduct of each team best, after rigorous discussion and emergency meetings, unanimously believed that this game might lead to some large-scale conflict!
Therefore, officiating this match undoubtedly became a hot potato, and no one was willing to officiate it.
Then Stern waved his hand and said that if a large-scale conflict occurred in this game, the referees' performance would not be penalized, nor would it affect their promotion.
Even so, no one is willing to officiate this match!
After all, if a fight really broke out, it would be a major stain on any referee's career, and it's definitely not something that would make them willing to take the risk just because of something like not having their performance bonus deducted for one game.
Finally, left with no other option, Stern resorted to drastic measures: doubling the officiating allowance for this game and then drawing lots to select a few of the league's top referees to officiate the match.
"I will strictly officiate this match. If you pull any dirty tricks, I guarantee you'll be out of the game as soon as possible! I'd rather this match end up being a battle between Wennington and Morris than see a bunch of bastards fighting on the field! Understand?"
"I won't mention any other threats, but I guarantee you won't be able to afford the consequences! I'll make you regret it!" After saying this, Baveta looked at the players from both sides who didn't seem to care much about the matter, and didn't say anything more.
He knew that sometimes, he had to use drastic measures to intimidate these millionaires before they would truly take his words to heart.
So, Baveta gave his two partners a wink, indicating that everything was going according to plan, and then tossed the ball into the air!
This time, it was Longley who, with his slightly higher jumping ability than a matchbox, defeated Augstatt and earned the Bulls the first possession.
Lin Tian received the basketball and calmly held up one finger, signaling to everyone not to rush. He suggested taking it slow on the first attack!
According to Lin Tian's idea, the first wave of attack should still be an isolation tactic, letting Jordan go one-on-one against Russell, and then setting the tone for the team's offense!
Then, just as Lin Tian was waiting for Jordan to run to his favorite spot and be ready to reach for the ball, Baveta's whistle suddenly blew!
It would have been better if he hadn't blown the whistle; as soon as it blew, chaos erupted under the basket!
Rodman and Malone, who were already entangled, seemed to be completely stimulated by the whistle. Their four arms were tightly intertwined, neither of them willing to give in, and neither of them able to pull their arms out!
Bavita had only intended to give the two a double foul to warn them to be careful, but when he saw them both entangled and falling to the ground, struggling to get up after falling, and then being taken down again by their opponents, his eyes lit up!
This is it! This is what I've been waiting for!
Bavita blew his whistle, and three referees quickly stepped forward and separated the two men. As for the others on the field, they did not approach them at this time.
Everyone else knew perfectly well that the feud between these two guys didn't need any third-party intervention.
"Technical foul! Double technical foul!"
Bavita blew his whistle with a hint of excitement; he had been waiting for an opportunity to establish his authority!
The game has barely started for 10 seconds, and they've already given him the opportunity, calling two technical fouls!
Baveta felt that this was divine intervention! This match might be much easier to hype than he had imagined!
Unfortunately, even someone as experienced as Baveta failed to see the resentment and anger that Malone and Rodman harbored when they got up from the ground and looked at each other.
These two people, at least at this moment, reached a complete consensus.
It's either him or me today!
Baveta's two technical fouls did indeed make both sides play a little less aggressively, and there were no excessive actions or intense physical conflicts in the rest of the first quarter.
At the same time, in order to avoid excessive physical contact between the two sides, the officiating standards in this game were very strict! It was almost at the level of officiating in 2020.
Any movement is a foul, reaching out is a blocking call, and any contact is a pushing call!
In just the first quarter, the three referees' cheeks were already a little sore from blowing so many fouls; they called a total of 18 fouls against both sides!
Longley, Ostertag, Rodman, Malone, Russell, and Cole—a total of six players from both teams—were called for two fouls in the first quarter! Other players, Lin Tian, Jordan, Pippen, Stockton, Hornacek, and Eisley, were also called for one foul each!
A single quarter with 18 fouls meant the game was fragmented, with constant stops and free throws from both sides, and the game's progress was repeatedly interrupted. The entire first quarter lasted a full 40 minutes before it ended!
In the first quarter, the two teams took a total of 21 free throws. Just from that number, you can tell how fragmented the game was!
With so many free throws, both teams scored a lot in the first quarter, with the Bulls leading the Jazz 30-28.
Despite the high score and the incredibly close match, the fans didn't experience the thrill of an attacking battle at all.
After all, who in their right mind would enjoy watching a one-minute rain showdown?
Even though the fans were very unhappy, Bavita was very satisfied with his officiating!
He felt that he had completely controlled the situation and had made both teams' players behave themselves!
I won't even give you a regular foul. Let's see how you manage to start a conflict through intense physical confrontation!
What exactly is a top-tier referee in the league?
What is Michael Jordan in the world of referees?
Who is the master of controlling the situation?
It's me!
However, neither the somewhat smug Baveta nor his two partners noticed the resentment and anger hidden beneath the incredibly restrained actions of both teams.
Both sides knew that if they made a move, they would be called out, but they felt frustrated if they didn't. Neither player felt they had gotten the better end of the game from the referee's calls, nor did they feel particularly pleased with the referee's whistle.
On the contrary, everyone's anger was growing rapidly.
Everyone was forcibly suppressing their anger out of fear of the whistle.
Another fierce conflict erupted on the court three minutes into the second quarter.
(End of this chapter)