Chapter 41: Payton Brutally Outclassed! A Furious Jordan Is Unstoppable!

"Don't worry, Michael! I'll definitely grant your wish!" Payton chewed his gum, his face a mask of defiance and arrogance. "The wish to be crushed by me! No matter how many times, I'll satisfy you!"

"You've got guts!" Jordan gave a thumbs-up. "I just hope that three hours from now, you'll still have that much guts, instead of crying and begging me to let you off."

Without another word or any further pleasantries, Jordan turned and headed toward his own half of the court.

"Michael is looking especially murderous tonight!" Marcus from CBS, who happened to catch the exchange, said with a hint of concern in the broadcast booth. "We all remember how miserably Nick Anderson was dismantled by Jordan a month ago! Can Payton break the league's iron rule tonight: 'Never, ever provoke Jordan'?"

"Honestly, if I had to pick an perimeter player who could make Jordan uncomfortable with his defense, I would choose Payton," Marcus's partner, Smith, replied. "But the prerequisite is that he must never provoke Jordan beforehand! A calm Jordan can potentially be contained."

"But a Jordan who has been provoked and is in a state of pure rage? Sorry, you'd have to go find God to pull that off!"

Clearly, based on the pre-game predictions, neither Marcus nor Smith held any hope for the SuperSonics or Payton. They both felt that tonight would be a day of suffering for the SuperSonics—a sentiment shared by most fans and media.

The sense of oppression and the aura of invincibility that Jordan had brought to everyone were simply too overwhelming. It was like an invisible seal stamped directly onto everyone’s subconscious: Never provoke Jordan. This was undoubtedly the first golden rule of the NBA in the 1990s.

Perhaps the only ones with any confidence were the SuperSonics players themselves. No one knew what kind of "potion" Payton and George Karl had fed their team, but regardless, every SuperSonics player wore a face filled with confidence and ambition. They had long since decided to pour every ounce of energy into taking down the Bulls tonight.

Naturally, they fielded their strongest starting lineup: point guard Gary Payton, shooting guard Hersey Hawkins, small forward Detlef Schrempf, power forward Shawn Kemp, and center "Magic"... well, an Ervin Johnson who shared the same name as the legendary Magic, but had no relation to him whatsoever. Even in this era of the "meat-shield" league where interior presence was king, this five-man unit could be considered towering.

All three frontcourt players stood over 6'10" (208 cm), and with the 6'4" (193 cm) Payton, who was a giant among point guards, the only player in the starting lineup shorter than his counterpart was Hawkins. This "three bigs, two smalls" rotation was the secret weapon George Karl had used to lead the team to the top of the Western Conference this season—using height, physicality, and sheer size to crush most opponents. It was with this exact lineup that the SuperSonics had defeated the Bulls at home, and now, they wanted to do it a second time.

The Bulls, meanwhile, kept their starting lineup unchanged. The "Big Three," paired with Luc Longley and Ron Harper, stepped onto the court together. As the referee's whistle blew, this clash between the top teams of the East and West officially began.

The "bootleg Magic" Johnson used his superior height to easily secure the first possession for his team. But the moment Payton touched the ball, Jordan rushed at him without a second thought. Full-court pressure! From the very first possession! That was Jordan's attitude: if you're going to play for keeps, you start from the very first second of the game.

Under Jordan's ferocious defense, Payton looked a bit flustered, but being one of the league's top point guards, he quickly adjusted and managed to pass the ball. After a series of passes and maneuvers, Kemp received the ball in the paint. But just as he looked to rise for a dunk, Dennis Rodman swatted the ball right out of his hands!

The Bulls had a fast break! Jordan received the ball and hunted down Payton, pushing the pace directly at him. Just two steps inside the three-point line, Jordan suddenly said, "Ready? I'm going to shoot!"

Without giving Payton a chance to prepare, Jordan pulled up and launched. Even though Payton was known as "The Glove," he was a step too slow, managing only a token reach before Jordan sank the two-pointer, drawing first blood.

After the basket, Jordan didn't relax for a second; he immediately glued himself to Payton again. Tonight, he was here to humiliate Payton, to make him regret his words, and to haunt him with nightmares.

Led by Jordan, the defensive intensity and ferocity of the other Bulls players also spiked, reaching their peak. It is worth noting that the Bulls possessed three elite defenders—Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman—along with Harper and Longley, who were also highly capable. The Bulls' true trump card wasn't just the star power; it was this: turning up the intensity, increasing defensive commitment, and using life-or-death defense to kill the game.

Facing the Bulls' terrifying defensive pressure, Payton could barely hold his own, but his teammates were truly struggling. They had never imagined that a Bulls team playing at full throttle would be this frightening. The point spread began to widen rapidly under this mindset and style of play.

Jordan, meanwhile, caught the ball in the low post and mid-post time and time again, scoring with every attempt. He was starting to cash in on his promise. Tonight, Jordan was going to break Payton.

"The Glove" had locked down countless players and had even limited Jordan to below-average performances several times in the past. But on this night, facing a Jordan pushed to the brink of rage—a Jordan who had unleashed all his firepower with the singular goal of destroying Payton—Payton suddenly realized that his pride-and-joy defense was so unreliable.

Shooting 8-of-11, including 1-of-1 from three-point range and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line, Jordan had played nine minutes in the first quarter and dropped 21 points, leading the team to a 28-20 lead over the SuperSonics.

As for Payton, who had been chirping at Jordan before the game, he was pulled after just five minutes with two fouls. He finished the quarter shooting 1-of-3 for only 2 points and 1 assist, with 2 turnovers. His performance could only be described as abysmal.

The only reason the team wasn't trailing by more was entirely independent of Payton; it was due to the SuperSonics' towering frontcourt. Kemp and Johnson had fought for four offensive rebounds, scoring 6 points off second-chance opportunities. That was the only reason the SuperSonics hadn't been blown out completely.