Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 40: The Supersonics Strikes Again! The Enraged Version of Jordan is Here!

After two consecutive losses in early December, the Bulls have finally found their rhythm again and are on a new winning streak!

And this time, their winning streak has reached nine games again!

As they achieved their ninth consecutive victory, the United Center in Chicago once again faced a formidable opponent!

More than two weeks ago, the Seattle SuperSonics, a Western Conference powerhouse that had defeated them once, came to Chicago as a guest!

When talking about the Seattle SuperSonics, one cannot help but mention their inside-outside duo: "Rain Man" Shawn Kemp and "The Glove" Gary Payton. This superSonics' ace combination consisted of one who could fly high and dunk, making him arguably the most explosive power forward of the 90s, and the other who was good at both offense and defense, and was known as the only person in the 90s who could limit Jordan to the level of Kobe.

Under their leadership, along with the presence of two-time All-Star Schrempf and Dirk Nowitzki, and a host of other capable players, especially after top coach George Karl took over, this team has finally become a complete unit!

They have achieved a record of 55 wins or more for four consecutive years, including one year when they finished first in the Western Conference with a record of 63 wins! In the 1994-1995 season, all three of their stars were selected to the All-NBA Team!

Unfortunately, they were never able to go any further and make it to the finals!

Their best result was only reaching the Western Conference Finals!

Last season, the SuperSonics, who won 57 games, were upset by the Lakers, who won 48 games, and were swept 1-3 in the first round!

Payton, known for his defense, was completely outplayed by "madman" Nick Van Exel! This series was definitely the most humiliating series of Payton's career!

After last year's failure, the SuperSonics' management learned from their mistakes and brought in former All-Star Jose Hawkins to bolster the team's offense, launching another assault on the championship!

Their home victory against the Bulls at the end of November was their most glorious game so far this season!

It was after that battle that the SuperSonics' morale was completely boosted. From November to mid-December, they went undefeated and achieved a remarkable 15-game winning streak!

Now, they have surpassed Western Conference powerhouses such as the Spurs, Jazz, and Lakers, firmly holding the top spot in the West!

Tonight is their best chance to continue their quest for the top spot in the league!

If they can sweep the Bulls twice, their morale will definitely be boosted even further, and the team's future will be even brighter!

At the same time, they will surpass the Bulls in the standings and become the true number one team in the league!

With the team in such excellent form, Payton, known for his outspokenness, gave an interview to the media as soon as he arrived in Chicago.

He said smugly, "I know, I know 95% of the people in this league are afraid of Jordan, so afraid that they don't even dare to match up against him, but honestly, I'm not afraid of this guy at all! I can handle him! And I believe that if there's anyone in this league who can handle him, it's me!"

"We'll see! We'll beat the Bulls tonight, I'll take down Jordan! And if they make it to the Finals, I'll crush them again! You can pass this on to Jordan, honestly, I'm really looking forward to it!"

"Oh, and if you're going to pass on this message, please also tell them: the basketball court is no longer suitable for you, Michael! Go back to playing baseball! Of course, that's assuming no one still wants you, since you're such a terrible baseball player!"

Payton's incredibly arrogant remarks undoubtedly caused a huge uproar. That very night, countless media outlets and fans were glued to their television sets!

They wanted to see whether Jordan was truly no match for Payton, or whether Payton, that big mouth, would get a good beating from Jordan!

At this moment, the atmosphere in the Bulls' locker room was as somber as a funeral.

No one dared to speak, and no one dared to joke around as casually as usual.

As for the reason? Jordan, with his eyes wide open, not uttering a word, and the murderous intent in his eyes so intense it was almost tangible, says it all!

He was completely enraged by Payton's words! This king of the court had made up his mind to teach Payton a lesson tonight!

"Excuse me, please make way! I can't see the road!" Lin Tian's voice suddenly came over.

He pushed open the locker room door, and his appearance immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Lin Tian actually pushed a handcart in! And on the handcart was Payton!

Well, to be precise, it was a punching bag with a full-body image of Payton stuck to it.

"Michael, wanna have a couple of punches?" Lin Tian said with a smile. "I knew you were unhappy. This portrait was rushed out by someone at the last minute! It cost a fortune! Come on, give me a couple of punches!"

Everyone was stunned!

At this point, to joke with Jordan?

He's gone mad! Lin Tian must be insane! He's absolutely asking for trouble! Isn't he afraid Jordan will give him a couple of punches?

Okay, he's not afraid! He can fight!

Then, to everyone's surprise, Jordan stood up with an unfinished pizza in his hand, and then smashed the pizza directly into Payton's face!

Then Jordan landed two heavy punches on Payton. As if he was still not satisfied, Jordan raised his left leg and delivered several flying kicks in succession until Payton was knocked to the ground. He didn't give up, but instead stepped on him.

"Thanks, that was really satisfying! Payton will suffer even more than this punching bag tonight!" Jordan said, clearly still not satisfied. He grabbed another pizza and slammed it down on Payton before finally saying with satisfaction, "Tonight, if you don't beat the Seattle guys to a pulp and have their asses pierced, none of you need to report to the team tomorrow!"

"Kill them! F***ing! This league has really forgotten about me! First it was Anderson, and now it's Payton! Do they really think they're invincible just because they beat us once? I'll show them just how big the gap is between us!"

After Jordan finished speaking, he spat in Payton's face again and led the way out of the locker room!

The United Center was exceptionally crazy tonight!

It's worth noting that Chicago fans are known for their passion and enthusiasm!

Tonight, facing the provocation of their arch-rivals, they unleashed 120% of their energy and shouts to cheer for the team as much as possible!

They hoped to see their team give these arrogant and ignorant invading enemies a sound beating!

When Jordan led the Bulls into the arena, the boos from moments before instantly turned into thunderous shouts and cheers!

Jordan ignored the fans' shouts and walked straight up to Payton, casually saying, "Don't tell me you weren't guarding me tonight."