บท 25: Grizzlies Debut
Jiang Lin's confident response was a signal to the coach: everything you've assigned me, I've completed.
He wouldn't be like a certain nervous center who told the Rockets coach he wasn't ready when called to play. That was the dumbest move ever.
Hollins gave him a look, then headed out as the DJ announced the players.
The FedEx Forum, with a capacity of 19,400, was about three-quarters full, decent but not quite the sell-out levels of Staples Center.
Usually, the home team only introduces the starters and the head coach one by one, with the bench players lining up to greet the starters. But today, the DJ specially welcomed JIANG, and many fans cheered, including local Memphis fans and some from far away.
Of course, he was the guy who shook LeBron James. Fans always crave new excitement and had high expectations.
Jiang Lin smiled and waved at them, touched by the Chinese banners in the crowd. He knew how expensive tickets and flights from China were, especially to Memphis. A direct flight from Beijing costs over $5,000.
"Jiang Lin will surely rise! Go for it!"
Someone had even photoshopped a picture of Jiang Lin shaking LeBron: "Future King of the South, shake them all!"
"Memphis and China, always a family!"
Jiang Lin smiled and began his three-point practice. He wanted to make sure the fans' money was well spent by seizing every opportunity.
After the warm-ups, the game began!
Both CCTV5 and Tencent Sports broadcasted the game live.
CCTV featured their strongest commentary duo, Yu Jia and Zhang Weiping, while Tencent had Wang Zixing and Ma Jian.
**Yu Jia:** "Welcome, everyone, to today's NBA game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Chicago Bulls. Chinese player Jiang Lin is making his debut for the Grizzlies tonight. Let's all keep our eyes on him."
**Zhang Weiping:** "Yes, although there are many Chinese support signs in the arena, neither team's stars nor reporters have mentioned Jiang Lin. He needs to step up and prove himself!"
This was a harsh reality. Though mentioning it on air might hurt morale, it was the truth. But they probably didn't realize that Jiang Lin's mindset was stronger than anyone's.
**Yu Jia:** "Ahem, the Grizzlies' starters are Conley, Tony Allen, Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol. Jiang Lin is on the bench.
The Bulls' starters are Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Richard Hamilton, Carlos Boozer, and Joakim Noah."
On paper, the Bulls had the edge with superstar Rose, the British Jordan Deng, and another member of the Pistons' Fab Five, the all-around guard Hamilton.
The Grizzlies had a slight advantage inside with the bigger and stronger Gasol and Randolph.
The game started.
As expected, the Grizzlies' backcourt was overmatched. Both teams played a slow pace, but Rose and Hamilton's repeated drives into the paint gave them many opportunities.
After 6 minutes, with a 14:5 start, Coach Hollins called a timeout.
He subbed in Prince, another former Piston, to guard Hamilton, but took out their best offensive player, Gay.
This led to an extremely low-scoring first quarter, ending 24:11.
Fans were dozing off. Down by 13, Rose was repeatedly driving past Gasol's pick-and-roll defense, showcasing his unmatched first step.
Jiang Lin watched from the bench, noting how crucial Noah was during this peak period of his career. He provided many screens for Rose and grabbed two offensive rebounds for putback dunks.
Despite seeing the problems clearly, Jiang Lin could only wait for his chance. Watching his team fall behind without being able to help was frustrating.
Bulls coach Thibodeau smugly rotated in his second unit. While both coaches were known for their defense, the offensive gap was glaring.
Halfway through the second quarter, Randolph's repeated attacks in the paint started to close the gap, making the defense tough for the Bulls. Each player was in a tight struggle, with Deng not even getting a shot off thanks to Allen's defense.
36:22
The offense was painfully stagnant. Wallace on the sidelines was already covering his eyes. No wonder fans didn't want to watch their games.
Finally... after Tony Allen's airball three-pointer, Hollins couldn't take it anymore.
With 5:20 left in the second quarter, Hollins made a bold move, pointing at Jiang Lin:
"Jiang, get in there for Tony Allen. We're going with two point guards in the backcourt!"
"Got it!" Jiang Lin quickly shed his warm-ups and walked to the sideline.
Rookies like Tony Wroten were stunned!
So soon! Directly paired with the starters??
Thibodeau glanced at the Grizzlies' substitution and paused. Wasn't this the recommended guard from Hollins? He heard Jiang Lin just got his contract yesterday and was already playing? Wasn't that risky?
So he held steady, not letting a rookie disrupt his game plan.
Conley committed a blocking foul, causing a dead ball, and Jiang Lin subbed in for Tony Allen. Wearing the white and blue No. 20 jersey, he gestured to Conley for a double point guard setup and signaled to guard Nate Robinson.
"OK." On the court, Conley and Prince were momentarily taken aback. Was Hollins crazy? Pairing him with the starters? Were they supposed to carry him or...
Chinese commentators were thrilled: "He's in the second quarter!! Jiang Lin is on the court! His Grizzlies debut is here!"
Bulls guard Nate Robinson took a quick stop three-pointer against Jiang Lin's close-out defense and missed. Speights grabbed the rebound.
Coach Hollins yelled from the sideline: "Get the ball to Jiang, let him organize this play!"
(The most thrilling part of the game is coming, folks! Let's get excited!)
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