Shaquille O'Neal's Powerless Role! Everyone Loves to See Jordan Get Beaten Up!

Chapter 111 Shaquille O'Neal's Powerless Role! Everyone Loves to See Jordan Get Beaten Up! [Daily Updates of 20,000 Words, Please Subscribe]

The referee walked to the center of the court, blew his whistle, and tossed the basketball into the air.

O'Neal, who had been out of action for a long time, obviously needed some time to get back into form. He failed to beat White in the jump ball, and the Wizards gained possession of the ball for the first time tonight.

The basketball immediately found its way into Jordan's hands.

Jordan receives the ball with his back to the basket at the corners, which has been his favorite and most proficient position for initiating offense since the second three-peat.

Kobe held his position tightly behind him, focusing intently on defense.

Jordan didn't hold back either. In the two months of the season, he had completely regained his feel for the game. Although his defense, stamina, speed, and physical qualities were not comparable to his peak, he could still perform at an MVP level if he only exerted himself for 10-15 minutes per game.

Trying to bully him like a washed-up old man will only result in him humiliating you instead!

Of course, Jordan was well aware of his strengths and weaknesses, so he would often go all out in the first quarter, followed by the second quarter...

They coasted through the third quarter, then went all out in the fourth quarter to try and win the game.

Former Jordan: Scoring champion? Isn't it just a matter of having hands? In a quarter, you can easily score 8 points by making one mid-range shot, two layups, and two free throws. That's 32 points in a game, making you a scoring champion with ease.

In fact, that's exactly what he did back then, and he won 10 scoring titles.

But Jordan is clearly not as effortless and unstoppable now. He can only do what he used to do with such ease for two quarters at most, but even so, it's enough for him to score 20+ points per game.

Jordan played a simple and decisive game in this possession: a half-turn fake to the left followed by a quick twist to the right, then a fadeaway jump shot.

"Whoosh!"

With a crisp sound, Jordan easily sank the jump shot, giving his team the first points.

Even at 38, with his boundless energy, Jordan was still unstoppable.

"Kid, you think you can challenge me like this?" Jordan chewed his gum, looking arrogant and smug. "What can you do besides follow me around eating shit while I'm on offense?"

"I can also give you a left hook so you can meet your great-grandmother sooner!" Lin Ze kindly added a trash talk for Kobe as he passed by.

Honestly, Kobe's trash-talking skills are just awful.

Aside from a few swear words and unoriginal harsh remarks, he couldn't come up with a single new word.

However, Lin Ze clearly forgot Kobe's signature move: memorizing his lines in advance.

This guy had the ball on offense, but instead of backing down his opponent, he dribbled directly facing the basket, then accelerated with a sharp change of direction to attack Jordan's defense.

He knew that Jordan's defensive experience was still there, and if he used rhythm and skill to back down Jordan, he would be giving Jordan an opportunity to attack Jordan's strongest side.

But if you attack him head-on with speed and footwork, Jordan's aging legs definitely can't keep up with him.

By using his strengths to attack his opponent's weaknesses, Kobe's playing style at least proves that he wasn't losing his temper.

"boom!"

Then came a loud bang as Kobe, over Jones who was helping him in the paint, pulled up for a thunderous one-handed dunk. Jordan couldn't catch up and could only watch from afar as Kobe slammed the ball home.

After scoring, Kobe landed with an air of dominance, turned back to glare at Jordan, and said, "People have to accept getting old, otherwise past glories will turn into shame!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Ze knew: it was time to memorize lines!

Otherwise, given Kobe's skill level, at most he would have said something like, "You can't guard this old man!"

Fox and Fisher both went up to Kobe and high-fived him to celebrate his score, but not everyone on the Lakers' side was happy for the team's success.

O'Neal muttered a curse under his breath, clearly annoyed.

He had just secured his position and had a great opportunity, but Kobe didn't pass him the ball at all, and didn't even glance at him.

However, no one noticed O'Neal's current displeasure.

The next few rounds of the game were like a one-on-one match between Kobe and Jordan.

Jordan's post-up game and Kobe's constant drives to the basket made it difficult for either of them to defend the other. Although their scoring abilities were still unmatched, their trash-talking skills were already a clear winner.

After that initial statement, Kobe couldn't keep up with Jordan's intensity.

Every time Jordan made a basket, he would unleash a new kind of trash talk, insulting Kobe's entire family and constantly mocking Kobe for trying to imitate him, for being a poor copycat, or for trying to learn how to walk like someone from another place.

Kobe's trash talk had long since evolved into "FUXX," "Shit," and "Greetings to your mother."

"What a disgrace!" Lin Ze shook his head helplessly. Kobe's trash talk was truly appalling.

Although his trash talk was completely suppressed, he did not fall behind in basketball, and even subtly gained the upper hand.

Jordan was already 38 years old, and he was clearly struggling to keep up with Kobe's constant attacks. The Wizards quickly stopped letting him go one-on-one with Kobe and started double-teaming him instead.

The player who double-teamed Kobe the most and most proactively was Wizards power forward "Eye-Blast" Jones. Jones is fast, tall, and specializes in defense.

As for the remaining Wizards players, Hamilton's defense was mediocre, Whitney lacked height and couldn't create much of a threat, and White had to stick to O'Neal under the basket, as he couldn't afford to let the big guy go.

As a result, Lin Ze naturally got the most open shots, and he also became the Lakers' player with the most shots and points in the first quarter, second only to Kobe.

Kobe was unusually composed tonight, scoring when double-teamed and attacking when not double-teamed, playing quite rationally.

Lin Ze didn't even need to guess; it was 100% Jackson who had given him a moral lesson these past few days, educating him about what leadership is, what the best way to defeat Jordan is, and what it takes to surpass Jordan.

As long as you add Jordan to the conversation and then link it to Kobe, it's a surefire way to hit the mark.

When both Kobe and Lin Ze get a lot of opportunities and take a lot of shots, it means that O'Neal is marginalized tonight.

This big guy is making a comeback tonight, originally intending to dominate and show the world what's what!

But when the game started tonight, he was completely ignored by Kobe.

He played for 7 minutes in the first quarter before going to the bench to rest. After all, it was his first game back from injury, and he was so big, so Jackson naturally had to strictly control O'Neal's playing time.

In the 7-minute game, O'Neal only got one shot attempt. Although he slammed home a dunk, his 2 points and 2 rebounds were clearly not enough to satisfy him!

The Lakers were in the lead at that moment, and Lin Ze and Kobe were playing quite reasonably, so although O'Neal was unhappy, he suppressed his temper and did not rudely ask his teammates for the ball or protest.

He has matured and is no longer the naive young man he was during his Magic days.

However, O'Neal couldn't really hide his frustrated expression and helpless body language.

Jackson noticed this, and he quickly sat down next to O'Neal to give him a lecture, hoping he would be more patient, and also to make some promises to him.

On the court, Lin Ze and Kobe still had great chemistry, especially after Jordan went to the bench to rest early. Kobe played more rationally and was more like a leader who coordinated the whole game.

He kept feeding Lin Ze the ball, and Lin Ze knew what he was going to do. Every time he received the ball, he would immediately shoot and put the ball into the basket, giving Kobe an assist in return.

By the end of the first quarter, Lin Ze had overtaken Kobe in points, scoring 16 points in the first quarter alone and completely dominating Jones!

Of course, many of those plays were open opportunities for Lin Ze after Jones went to help defend Kobe.

而科比则拿下11分3篮板5助攻，还有1次抢断和1次盖帽入帐，他第一节就填满了数据

The scope is so comprehensive it's astonishing.

With both players scoring simultaneously, the Lakers racked up 33 points, taking a 7-point lead into the second quarter!

For the Wizards, Jordan scored 10 points efficiently, and Hamilton also contributed 7 points. Strictly speaking, they played quite well in the first quarter.

However, anyone familiar with the Wizards knows that the Wizards' strongest period this season is the first quarter! Because at that time, they have Jordan at full strength.

Starting from the second quarter, their efficiency and ability will decline significantly!

This was also a pie in the sky that Jackson was dangling at O'Neal.

"In the second quarter, just go out there and play whatever you want! Kobe and Lin will both be resting, and the team will completely revolve around you then!"

So, at the start of the second quarter, O'Neal made a triumphant entrance.

With those few talents from the Wizards, no matter who goes one-on-one with him, he can crush them. The only problem is—

The Wizards won't go one-on-one with him!

As soon as the second quarter started, O'Neal had just secured position in the low post and was looking for the ball when the Wizards' help defense came through!

Behind him was the Wizards' newly drafted number one pick, while the player responsible for help defense was another Wizards rookie this year, Brandon Haywood.

"Two rookies think they can stop me? Huh?" O'Neal wasn't afraid of these two immature guys. He reached out aggressively for the ball, but when he looked up at the court, he found that the team's backup guard, Lindsey Hunter, couldn't see him at all.

Hunter is a typical American point guard, prioritizing individual offense and passing as a secondary ability. Throughout his career, he has consistently averaged around 2 assists per game.

Given his already poor passing ability, and now facing Lu's close marking and O'Neal being double-teamed in the paint, he simply didn't have the ability to pass the ball to O'Neal under these circumstances.

He could only pass the ball to Richmond, who then passed it to Madsen.

Madsen was a pure workhorse; aside from defense and hustle, he showed absolutely no NBA player qualities on offense. That's why the Wizards dared to double-team O'Neal so aggressively.

Madsen, who posed no threat, received the ball, hesitated, and then passed it to the outside.

Richmond could only manage a weak shot, which bounced off the rim and missed.

He's getting old and has just recovered from a major injury last season. Expecting him to carry the team in matches is really asking too much of a question.

In the next few minutes, O'Neal played even more frustratingly than in the first quarter; he couldn't get the ball at all! And the Lakers...

The rest of the team lacked the ability to score independently, and they were always trying to pass the ball to O'Neal.

This made the Lakers' offense quite sluggish, and everyone struggled to play.

Seeing the remarkable effect, the Wizards double-teamed O'Neal even more aggressively.

This is also the biggest flaw in the Lakers' current roster.

Relying too much on three star players means that the other players are simply not up to the task.

If all three of them are healthy, then there's no problem; the Lakers will be hard to stop.

However, if only one player is available to play, or if they suffer an injury, their lineup will face significant problems.

Kenny suddenly looked like he'd discovered something and said, "That's true, but at the beginning of the season, when Lin was leading the team alone, the Lakers also had a tough time, but they weren't as frustrated as they are these past few minutes!"

"You mean, Lin is better than Shaq?" Barkley squinted, starting to set a trap for Kenny.

"In this current Lakers team, Shaq is still the stronger player; he just needs a few games to find his rhythm," Kenny said calmly and steadily. "But what if you put these two on a struggling, bottom-tier team? Who would be stronger?"

"Lin has already proven with his performance that he can lead a team to a good level single-handedly. So what about Shaq? Do you think Shaq could lead a team to the playoffs single-handedly if you paired him with players like Fisher, Richmond, and Madsen?"

As soon as Kenny finished speaking, O'Neal finally got his chance on the court. He received the ball with difficulty, elbowed Brown away, and then ignored Haywood in front of him, jumped high, and slammed the ball into the basket with both hands!

This shot was a release of O'Neal's pent-up frustration. He pulled on the rim with all his might, roaring as he released his pent-up emotions.

At Staples Center, if O'Neal were just like that, the referees could turn a blind eye and ignore him.

But after O'Neal landed, he pushed Brown again, simply because Brown was in his line of sight. This push caused Brown to stumble and fall to the floor, looking at the referee with a wronged and extremely frustrated expression.

His expression was just like a child begging for candy from an adult.

"Fuck!" Jordan, sitting in the stands, couldn't help but curse. "Disgraceful!"

To be honest, Brown's behavior would be perfectly normal 20 years from now. No one would even say anything if he lay on the ground covering his head and rolling around, as long as he didn't peek through his fingers.

We might even see Lakers players kneeling on TD Garden and banging their heads on the floor 20 years from now!

Brown's behavior of sitting on the ground looking for the referee after being pushed is nothing compared to what happened.

Unfortunately, it is now the early 21st century, and the iron-blooded spirit of the 90s has not yet dissipated. Today, the League advocates revenge.

If Shaq pushes you, stand up immediately and push back, or at least quickly back away to create distance afterward.

Even if someone just bluffs and spews trash talk at him from eight meters away, that would still make them a hero.

But Brown's childish behavior of wanting candy really annoyed Jordan.

That's such a coward!

It's foreseeable that regardless of whether they win or lose tonight's game, Brown will suffer a lot during team training in the coming days. He will definitely be the focus of Jordan's attention to improve his toughness.

Fortunately, the referees did not ignore O'Neal's arrogant behavior. Even at Staples Center, they quickly called a technical foul on O'Neal.

Taking advantage of the technical foul, Jackson quickly called a timeout; he needed to send someone up to support O'Neal.

"I drew a technical foul on him!" Brown returned to the bench with a smile, feeling very proud of himself.

"Shut up! Sit down!" Jordan angrily interrupted Brown's boasting, and without any restraint, he immediately berated Brown: "You're the number one draft pick, a future superstar, but what the hell are you doing? Lying on the floor crying like a girl?"

"If you're just a blue-collar worker or a nobody who survives in the league by using tricks, then nobody cares what you do. But if you want to become a star, the core of a team, then take your little brother out of your mouth and play like a man!"

"But Michael—" Brown slumped down, looking at Jordan with a belly full of grievances.

"Shut up! Now sit on the bench and think carefully about what I said. If you don't understand, you're not playing tonight!"

Jordan's rough handling silenced Brown completely, and the entire Wizards team was used to it; it was a common occurrence between Jordan and Brown. As for Jordan's decision to eject Brown on his own initiative, neither the coaches nor the players had any objections.

Jordan is the king of this team, he is everything to this team.

Even if he were to immediately demand that management trade Brown, let alone prevent him from playing, the Wizards' front office would have to get to work right away.

Soon, the timeout ended, and both teams returned to the court.

This time, all three of the Lakers' stars appeared on the court, while the Wizards substituted Hamilton, and Jordan remained on the bench.

These days, Jordan usually plays around 15 minutes in the first half and a little longer in the second half. Time waits for no one, and he has to manage and calculate his physical condition carefully.

When Kobe saw that Jordan wasn't there, he was quite disappointed, shaking his head and sighing. He was practically ready to go to the Wizards' bench and urge Jordan to come up and continue playing.

Hamilton then made the technical free throw, followed by a mid-range jumper after a run, narrowing the gap to 2 points!

"Kobe, give it your all! If you don't shut down your best buddy, how will Michael respect you?" Lin Ze immediately shouted, signaling Kobe to step up his game.

Kobe was indeed a little down because Jordan wasn't there, but he immediately nodded and said, "This one's mine! I'll stick with him from now on!"

"You can't catch me, Kobe!" Hamilton showed no mercy to Kobe on the court, mocking, "I can even make my own dog throw up. You'll throw up if you follow me."

"He called you a dog," Lin Ze muttered again.

"I understand!" Kobe retorted angrily.

Do you think I'm an idiot?

With Lin Ze and Kobe on the Lakers' offense this time, the Wizards were indeed hesitant to double-team O'Neal. Lin Ze passed the ball to O'Neal from beyond the three-point line, and the big guy finally had a comfortable one-on-one opportunity, easily turning around and hooking the ball in to score his 6th point of the night!

"It's all thanks to you, Lin!" O'Neal shouted after the goal. "It's always your passes that are so satisfying!"

"That's because you're amazing, Shaq!" Lin Ze had also received secret instructions from Jackson before going on the court.

Jackson told him to comfort O'Neal.

So, in the first possession after Lin Ze came on, he fed the ball and gave a big shout-out, and O'Neal indeed smiled.

In the next few minutes of the game, Kobe focused all his energy on chasing Hamilton, while on offense he conserved his energy for Jordan's return. Under these circumstances, O'Neal finally found his rhythm, scoring consecutive baskets and finally bringing his score to double digits. During this time, he also assisted Lin Ze in hitting a three-pointer, achieving both scoring and assists.

After this scoring run, the Lakers widened the gap again, bringing the total difference between the two teams to 8 points!

At this point, the second quarter was finally halfway through, and the Wizards made a substitution, bringing Jordan back onto the court.

As soon as Jordan returned, Kobe's eyes lit up!

But when the Lakers launched their attack, Kobe, who was eager to try, discovered that the Wizards' head coach had lost his mind, was possessed by a slug, and had undergone ultimate degeneration, turning into a microorganism or a paramecium.

This head coach with cerebral palsy actually won't let Jordan guard him anymore!

Kobe looked at Hamilton in front of him and even had the urge to elbow him so hard that he would have to wear a mask to play basketball from now on.

Why is this guy suddenly so annoying?

"Is your coach out of his mind, or has he been invaded by slugs? Or has he degenerated into a brainless paramecium?" Lin Ze couldn't help but burst out, looking at Jordan standing in front of him. "He actually fucking let you guard me?"

"Do you have a deep grudge against him?"

"Shut up, Lin! When are you going to learn to play basketball with your hands instead of your mouth?" Jordan snorted and responded coldly.

"My hands are for punching you, not for playing ball." Lin Ze immediately targeted Jordan's weakness, and without any hesitation, he took a step to the side to block the position, and then reached out for the ball.

"Kobe, Kobe! Let me have some fun! Hurry up and let me have some fun!"

Lin Ze's tone was as if he were about to throw Jordan onto the bed and tie him up, while Kobe, at this moment, seemed like his own wife had been thrown onto the bed and tied up, unwilling but still acting as an incompetent husband, and passed the ball to Lin Ze.

Lin Ze took control of the ball and directed the attack without rushing to attack.

He knew why the Wizards' head coach had Jordan come over to defend him in a mismatch.

One reason is that he was in good form tonight, scoring continuously, and Jones simply couldn't defend against him.

Secondly, Jordan's legs are aging and he is not suitable for help defense, rotation, or scrambling to defend.

Third, since someone will always have to help defend, why not give that job to the person who is guarding Fox, the Lakers' weakest offensive player and the one who should be left out?

Lin Ze, having received the ball, turned his back to Jordan. He knew that although Jordan's legs were slower now, his hands were anything but.

The fact that he still averages 1.6 steals per game this season is the best proof of that, a number that is basically the same as his steals during his last three consecutive seasons.

So when playing against Jordan, you have to use the simplest and most direct method: don't give him any chance to steal the ball or interfere, and use your height to your advantage!

After observing for a moment, Lin Ze suddenly feinted to the right, then quickly turned to the left, dribbled the ball once, and then shot!

Jordan was powerless against this simple and direct style of play; he could only try to interfere with it as much as possible, but to no avail.

"Whoosh!"

With a crisp sound, Lin Ze's mid-range jump shot went in.

"Do you know what you'll gain from this comeback, Michael?" Lin Ze said to him after scoring, "You'll lose! You'll lose everything you've ever gained on the basketball court!"

Jordan still didn't speak to Lin Ze. He was the kind of person who would only launch a tirade against his opponents when he played well, but if he himself performed poorly—

He rarely performed poorly in the past. Although he has played poorly from time to time since his comeback, no opponent has ever been as merciless and relentlessly verbally attacking as Lin Ze.

People still respect him.

But now, Jordan, who couldn't reach or interfere with Lin Ze's shot, felt powerless on the court for the first time.

The last time he felt this way was when he played ball with his brother.

It wasn't until Lin Ze made that shot that Jordan finally began to think about a question for the first time.

Was his choice to make a comeback a mistake?

Will I lose everything?

"Stop fucking bullshit, kid!" Jordan's terrifyingly powerful mental core erupted at this moment, and his self-doubt vanished in an instant: "You think you're invincible just because you made a fadeaway jumper?"

"I've scored over 20,000 goals like that!"

In the next possession, Jordan changed his strategy, facing the basket at the top of the key to demand the ball. Facing Kobe's low center of gravity defense, he probed repeatedly before suddenly accelerating to try and get past Kobe's defense.

But time waits for no one. How could Kobe, at the peak of his career, be easily outpaced by the 38-year-old Jordan? He maintained his defensive position throughout, always blocking Jordan's path, and even successfully anticipated Jordan's shot and jumped to block it.

"Whoosh!"

But what awaited Kobe was still a sharp crack!

Jordan changed the timing and trajectory of his shot, evading Kobe's defense, and put the ball in the basket!

"Where are they? Defense, you son of a bitch!" Jordan clenched his fists and roared, "I'm asking you where they are!"

Kobe remained silent. He shared the same style as Jordan, wanting to turn the tide on offense before challenging Jordan. Unfortunately, the Wizards' incompetent head coach still wouldn't let Jordan guard him.

Instead, Lin Ze, after once again finding his position by sidestepping, reached out and shouted, "Ball!"

Having a rare opportunity to beat Jordan one-on-one on the court, Lin Ze got a little carried away and forgot the task Jackson had given him: to appease O'Neal.

So after getting the ball a second time, he didn't even look at O'Neal calling for the ball in the paint. Instead, he continued to protect the ball from the side while putting his strength into the shot. After two exchanges, he immediately turned and jumped to complete the jump shot.

"Whoosh!"

That works too!

"Defense, old man! Are you 58?" Lin Ze immediately retorted on Kobe's behalf after the basket: "My toes didn't even leave the ground, and you couldn't stop me?"

Ten seconds later, Jordan rushed to the basket and scored off the backboard, glaring at Kobe with eyes blazing with fury: "I'm 38! I'm fucking 38!"

"You can't defend against me?"

Then it was Lin Ze's turn. This time, he didn't get the ball, but he chased Jordan all the way to the basket, then grabbed the offensive rebound over Jordan's head with a powerful overhead smash, followed by a forceful jump that sent Jordan crashing to the floor.

He hit the line and successfully made the shot!

"You've switched careers to be a caddie? Then wipe this spot under my feet clean too!"

Then it was Jordan's turn. He faked several shots, accelerated to the right, and then suddenly stopped and pulled up, forcing a fadeaway shot over Kobe.

Go in again!

Jordan was absolutely on fire tonight! It felt like he was back in his prime!

At least on the offensive end, they've returned to their peak form.

On the defensive end, he still couldn't stop Lin Ze.

On offense, he can maintain his dignity through experience, rhythm, skill, and feel.

But on the defensive end, if your legs can't keep up, your knees can't bend, and you can't jump, then you're really not up to par, and that can't be hidden.

Even if he is the god of basketball, he cannot turn back time.

The rest of the game fell into an interesting cycle.

Jordan couldn't stop Lin Ze and was bombarded with trash talk by Lin Ze, to the point that Jordan's head was practically growing hair.

Kobe couldn't defend Jordan and was bombarded with trash talk by Jordan, which nearly drove Kobe bald.

Of the three, Kobe was definitely the most frustrated.

He was like an incompetent husband, only able to watch as Lin Ze bullied Jordan, repeatedly shooting Jordan in the face—

He wanted to play against Jordan a few times to prove that he could do it too, to prove that he could keep shooting, but Jordan just wouldn't match up against him. The Wizards insisted on having Jordan guard Lin Ze.

Besides Kobe, Shaq's frustration wasn't much better.

He had several offensive opportunities midway through the second quarter, but he couldn't capitalize on them and became a spectator again.

O'Neal was really frustrated about his comeback tonight, but he couldn't get angry.

Because the Lakers were already leading by 11 points at the end of the first half.

The team is in the lead, and his teammates are playing well and efficiently, so why is he getting angry?

Shaquille O'Neal isn't the kind of guy who would start acting just because he doesn't have the ball or get any stats, or he'd use a drinking party to strip away his power!

But his displeasure didn't lessen, so he became even more frustrated.

He was completely caught up in internal strife, and during halftime, he barely participated in the banter and casual conversations in the locker room.

"Shaq." Lin Ze noticed O'Neal's unhappiness. At this moment, he also remembered the task Jackson had given him, so he moved closer to O'Neal and said, "You know, Michael and I are mortal enemies. I wish I could turn him into a hornet's nest with a burst of bullets."

"So when he came to defend me, I couldn't help it. This kind of opportunity is so rare, after all, this old man could run away again at any time. But actually I should have passed the ball to you more."

O'Neal sighed, forcing a smile: "What are you saying, Lin? Have fun, the most important thing is that the team wins!"

"Keep playing like this in the second half, crush that old bastard! Make him pay for bullying you back then!"

If Lin Ze had a little more tea, or if his relationship with O'Neal had been a little worse, he would definitely have added something like, "I knew Shaq wouldn't take it to heart," or "Shaq, you're such a good brother."

But Lin Ze really had a good relationship with O'Neal, so he stopped talking to O'Neal about basketball and instead started discussing where to go to relax that night, saying he would treat everyone.

O'Neal's mood improved slightly after that.

After Lin Ze appeased the big guy, he immediately made eye contact with Jackson.

"Great job, Lin! You're the most indispensable player on this team!"

"You have to reimburse me for tonight's expenses!"

"The team is so lucky to have you!"

"Give me a bribe! Otherwise, I won't do this job again!"

"What would the team do without you!"

"Damn it, this old man is doomed! I'll hang your picture in McDonald's one day!"

Lin Ze wasn't sure if Jackson could understand the meaning in his eyes, but he felt good after that exchange of glances. Also, if the Wizards still let Jordan match up against him in the second half, Lin Ze was going to keep beating him up!

After all, these opportunities are truly few and far between. Jordan will retire after next season, so including tonight's game, I only have a maximum of 4 [chances left].

I'll use the opportunity of the match to get revenge on him.

Not a single second can be wasted!

Soon, the second half resumed, and neither side changed their starting lineups. However, the Wizards changed their matchups, with Jordan no longer guarding Kobe or Lin Ze, but instead guarding Fox.

"Coward! Softie! Sissy!" Lin Ze immediately launched a tirade against Jordan upon seeing the matchup: "Trash who runs away when beaten, you call yourself GOAT? You can go OUT!"

"Winning the game is more important than anything else!" Jordan said with a grim face, saying something he would never have said before. In the past, he would have definitely gone head-to-head with his opponents, trying to defend their best offensive player and attack their best defensive player.

Instead of facing off against three Lakers players in succession, as happened tonight.

Although these were all arranged by the coach, Jordan himself did not refuse. Otherwise, given his status on the Wizards, if he said he didn't want to be traded and wanted to continue to match up against Kobe or Lin Ze, would the coach have refused?

Clearly, age has made Jordan less obsessive. Although he is still bloodthirsty and competitive, he is also more composed. He knows that there are some things he can no longer do.

The third quarter continued in this manner.

O'Neal finally got some opportunities and scored a few points in this quarter, but overall, he played quite uncomfortably tonight.

In this quarter, the Lakers were unable to widen the gap. Instead, the Wizards narrowed the gap a bit in the third quarter because Coach Lue and Strickland both made several open shots.

80: 87!

The two teams entered the fourth quarter with a 7-point gap between them.

"The Wizards are really going all out!" Barkley noticed the Wizards' change as soon as the game started.

Instead of letting Jordan rest as he usually did and bring him back on the court with about 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter, they put him on the court from the very beginning.

Kenny said, "McClair didn't want to lose! The two players he was mainly guarding tonight both played well, even perfectly! Although he was also in good form tonight, scoring 33 points by the end of the third quarter, overall, he was completely targeted by the Lakers on the defensive end!"

"He guarded Kobe, and Kobe kept scoring; he guarded Lin, and Lin kept scoring."

"The Lakers are practically chasing Michael down the backside! If they lose tonight, he probably won't be able to sleep well for a month."

Barkley laughed and said, "You know Michael very well! He can accept that he's getting old, and he can play and match up like he did in the third quarter, but he definitely can't accept that the team will lose because of him, especially because he was beaten by two people."

"Don't even mention 38 years old, he still couldn't accept this even at 58!"

"Anyone who's played against him knows him well," Kenny shrugged casually. "But the question is, does he still have the ability? Can he still do it against the strongest teams in the league right now?"

As he spoke, Jordan had already reached the low post, once again using a fake move to shake off Richmond, easily twisting his body to dodge the defense and making a jump shot.

The gap between the two sides is now only 5 points.

At this moment, Lin Ze was leading the role players on the court alone, while Kobe and Shaq were sitting on the bench. Naturally, the basketball was back in Lin Ze's hands.

Facing Jones at the top of the arc was much easier than when he faced Jordan. He easily blew past Jones and drove to the basket, contesting the shot.

Haywood dodged the defense with a mid-air layup and put the ball into the basket.

"Looks familiar, old man?" Lin Ze looked at Jordan with disdain after scoring. "I can do all that crap you can do! And I'm better at it than you!"

Jordan's lips twitched again as he was annoyed by Lin Ze's breakthrough and trash talk.

Lin Ze's breakthrough style was almost identical to Jordan's. It's obvious what it means for someone like Jordan to use your best moves against the person you hate most. The point isn't whether Lin Ze's move was as good as Jordan's.

The key point is that Jordan couldn't stand it!

"You dare to face me, kid?" Jordan's eyes blazed as he stared intently at Lin Ze.

If Lin Ze dares to mismatch and defend him, he will immediately teach Lin Ze a lesson!

"Who do you think you are, daring to challenge me?" Lin Ze spat out again, then quickly found Jones and moved to defend the paint.

He wouldn't fall for such a simple and idiotic trick.

Dude, you're a power forward. Unless something unexpected happens, only a lunatic would match up against you on the perimeter.

Jackson squinted at Kobe and Shaq, who were both eager to go on the court. Both of them had a lot of energy but couldn't use it, so Jackson didn't rush to substitute them in.

On the court, Hamilton hits a mid-range jumper! It's another Lakers possession!

"Whoosh!"

With a crisp sound, Lin Ze sank another three-pointer! He scored 5 consecutive points to start the fourth quarter, bringing his total for the night to 35.

He scored 10 points, just surpassing Jordan's score.

"How many points did you score tonight, great basketball god?" Lin Ze immediately started taunting after scoring: "Oh, you should say former basketball god, God has already abandoned you!"

"Your performance tonight wasn't even as good as mine, was it? You wanted to destroy me, didn't you? How did you destroy me? By letting me score easily and then getting arrogant and doomed?"

"Shut up, kid! When I was dominating the league, you were still wearing diapers!" Jordan retorted with a snort.

"You're the one who should shut up, Michael the Coward! You told me to guard you, but you didn't dare to match up against me? Are you that afraid of being destroyed by me, Michael? You'll never forget the trauma of being destroyed by me in the second quarter, will you?"

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