Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 499 Self-Inflicted Tragedy! Helping My Little Brother Get Retribution!

"Remember my words, Yi Jianlian: If anyone on the basketball court questions you, looks down on you, or threatens you, just fight them, understand?"

"I see."

"What are you going to do?" Lin Tian looked at A-Lian and continued to press him for answers.

"I'm not afraid of him! I'm not afraid of Davis, and I'm not afraid of anyone!" Yi Jianlian shouted at Lin Tian with all his might.

Lin Tian could tell that this guy was putting in a lot of effort, and he knew that a few words wouldn't change him. This guy's evolution had lasted for at least 4-5 years!

From being humiliated face-to-face by Haddadi, a center who is top-tier in Asia but not in the world, to going head-to-head with the Gasol brothers in a major international tournament and losing the game but not losing face, that has been a long journey!

"Are you going to serve or not? If you don't serve, I'm going to give you a technical foul!" The referee on the baseline couldn't take it anymore. These two guys were chatting like old friends.

"I'll send it right away." Lin Tian chuckled, completely devoid of the aura he had just instilled in Yi Jianlian that he should never back down in the face of threats.

"That's what you call adapting to local conditions, taking advantage of the situation, dealing with whatever comes your way, being flexible and adaptable!" Lin Tian took the ball from Yi Jianlian, patted his butt, and then started to advance.

He raised one arm, signaling everyone to pull him away.

Yi Jianlian himself doesn't have much ability to get back at them right now.

Then I, Lord Lin, will have to help him find it!

If my little brother gets bullied and I don't respond, that's not Lin Tian's style!

After everyone had separated, Lin Tian immediately lowered his body and looked at Davis, saying, "Beard, did you have a good dunk just now?"

"You can try it too, Lin! Let's see if I can pull you down!"

"As you wish!"

As Lin Tian spoke, he quickened his dribbling pace. Then he suddenly accelerated and broke through Davis's side. As he drove all the way to the free-throw line and took his next step, Garnett's help defense suddenly appeared, and together with Davis behind Lin Tian, ​​they formed a double team against him.

Faced with the double team, Lin Tian reacted quickly. He suddenly gathered the ball and feinted upwards, causing both players to shift their center of gravity upwards. However, the American team had clearly studied Lin Tian's game thoroughly. Although the two players subconsciously shifted their center of gravity upwards, neither of them jumped.

They all controlled their bodies, preventing Lin Tian from drawing a foul.

But Lin Tian's move wasn't actually aimed at drawing a foul!

I promised to stand up for my brother, but drawing a foul and getting two free throws is hardly the same as standing up for him.

After shifting the two players' center of gravity to a higher position, Lin Tian suddenly stepped forward and threw the basketball without even jumping.

His hand position doesn't look like a shot at all!

"Bang!"

Sure enough, the basketball wasn't going for the rim at all; it bounced off the backboard and then rebounded back.

At this moment, Jermaine O'Neal under the basket had no idea what was going on. He didn't expect Lin Tian's "shot" to be aimed at the basket, and naturally missed the best opportunity to grab the rebound.

He only had time to stand under the basket and look back to see where the basketball had flown to.

Then he saw three people rushing towards him.

"FUXX!" Before he could react, O'Neal instinctively swore, but he didn't have time to do anything else besides that curse.

Behind him, Lin Tian, ​​who knew which direction the basketball would bounce, and Davis and Garnett, who had reacted and were chasing after Lin Tian to grab the rebound, charged towards O'Neal like three hungry tigers.

Then the three men jumped almost simultaneously, pinning Jermaine O'Neal beneath them almost at the same time.

But Lin Tian knew better about where the basketball would land and when it would fall, so he was the one among the three who successfully caught the basketball!

After getting the basketball, Lin Tian's momentum didn't diminish, and he continued to drive towards the basket.

Garnett, who was behind him, couldn't catch the basketball, so he could only grab Lin Tian's arm. As for Davis, he didn't have enough jumping height, so he could only grab Lin Tian's jersey.

Visually, it looked like Lin Tian was single-handedly dominating O'Neal, with Davis and Garnett hanging on him, as he drove straight towards the basket.

"boom!"

Then came a loud bang; neither Davis nor Garnett's fouls could stop Lin Tian's powerful dunk!

This shot was basically a dunk by Lin Tian, ​​who single-handedly slammed the ball over three people!

Reigning supreme over the world! Absolutely unparalleled in domineering power!

"Oh! He threw himself into the trap! Lin Tian! Lin Tian! That was a really strong response! That's our king!" Yang Jian shouted excitedly, "That's leadership! Lin Tian never holds grudges, because he settles all scores on the spot!"

"beep!"

The referee blew his whistle immediately, stopping the game. It was a clear foul!

But who to praise is someone we really need to think about.

Davis and Garnett both fouled, but who fouled first?

Just as the baseline referee hesitated, the more experienced and authoritative head referee ran over and gave Davis a foul.

That's experience!

This was the highly anticipated Olympic final. Garnett's status on the US team was much higher than Davis's, and his role on the court was also much more important.

Therefore, in order to make the game exciting and entertaining, we must try our best to keep Garnett out of foul trouble and keep him on the court.

As for Davis?

It doesn't matter, the US team has no shortage of guards with strong impact!

Since it's impossible to determine who should get the 50/50 foul, just give it to the player who has the less impact on the game.

The art of officiating.

After successfully dunking, Lin Tian didn't trash-talk the American players. Instead, he turned to Yi Jianlian and said, "Got it? That's it! Got it?"

"Got it, Brother Lin! Next time I'll dunk over three people too!" Yi Jianlian was full of envy, and the passion in his chest was completely ignited by Lin Tian's dunk!

"There's no need for that." Lin Tian hadn't expected that just watching this one play would make Yi Jianlian so arrogant, and immediately said, "Being realistic and having self-awareness are also very important qualities."

He didn't want this hothead to actually go crazy and insist on trying to dunk on the three of them.

After giving Yi Jianlian a brief instruction, Lin Tian quickly stepped to the free-throw line and calmly made the free throw, bringing the score difference between the two teams down to one point!

This 2+1 was Lin Tian's first score of the night!

In the next attack by the American team, Lin Tian put Davis under intense full-court pressure and close defense. Yi Jianlian's grudge is not something that can be settled with a simple dunk.

The revenge has only just begun!

Fortunately, Bird had already instilled a good reputation for selflessness, not forcing things, and sharing the ball in this American team. So even though Davis was being closely guarded by Lin Tian, ​​this arrogant guy didn't hold onto the ball at all and immediately passed it to Kobe.

After Kobe dribbled the ball all the way to the frontcourt, he first pretended to let Davis come forward to receive the ball. But in the instant that Liu Wei, who was defending Kobe, relaxed and lost focus, Kobe had already started to accelerate, passing Liu Wei in one step, and then jumping up and throwing the ball towards the inside.

This shot went directly behind Yao Ming! It exploited Yao Ming's weaknesses of being too tall, too slow, and lacking mobility.

Jermaine O'Neal spun around and slipped behind Yao Ming, then rose up and slammed the ball into the basket with one hand!

"boom!"

After a loud bang, Jermaine O'Neal's alley-oop went in.

After the substitutions, both sides' offensive efficiency improved significantly.

On the Chinese team's side, Lin Tian drew the American team's defensive attention, while Liu Wei dribbled the ball to the frontcourt. This guy is most famous for three things on the court.

1. Will pass the ball to Yao Ming; 2. Extremely confident; 3. Likes to take risky shots when overconfident.

For example, in this play, this guy called for Yao Ming's screen, and after the two of them combined, Yao Ming immediately cut to the basket, while Davis and O'Neal chased after Yao Ming and ran towards the inside, completely leaving Liu Wei behind.

Did you forget me?

If you forget about me, I, Young Master Liu, will definitely pick you up and throw you away!

"Bang!"

Unfortunately, Liu Wei's first shot after entering the game missed.

But Yao Ming had just finished his cut and jumped up to slap the ball that had bounced off the rim back into Liu Wei's hands.

"Young Master Liu, one more time!"

Yao Ming roared, and Liu Wei didn't disappoint him, pulling up the ball and throwing it again!

The main theme is bravery and decisiveness!

But this time, the basketball wasn't aimed at the basket!

They're going there specifically to see Yao Ming!

Because Yao Ming deliberately shouted in English, Davis immediately abandoned Yao Ming and rushed out to the outside to try to block Liu Wei's shot. At the same time, Jermaine O'Neal also relaxed his defense on Yao Ming.

Yao Ming and Liu Wei have a deep understanding and chemistry built from growing up and playing together. Just by raising his hand, Yao Ming knows whether Liu Wei is going to shoot or pass.

Yao Ming was well-prepared for this play, and he even elbowed Jermaine O'Neal further out, making it impossible for him to stop him from receiving the ball. Then Yao Ming jumped low, raised the basketball with one hand, and then pressed it down on the rim.

"boom!"

A not-too-loud sound came as Yao Ming completed a one-handed alley-oop dunk, 10 centimeters off the ground!

One round was enough to fully demonstrate Liu Wei's characteristics.

They dare to invest, dare to pass, and dare to take risks!

In the following rounds, both sides clearly regained their rhythm and finally broke free from that embarrassing scoring drought. They continued to compete for the game, exchanging blows.

With 5 seconds left in the first quarter, Lin Tian dribbled to the basket and scored 2 points with a one-handed layup.

After those two points, Hebei China Fortune finally tied the score!

21: 21!

But the Chinese team didn't even have time to be excited about their successful comeback, because Kobe, who had played the entire first quarter, received the ball beyond the three-point line, then quickly advanced forward, and finally, before the end of the first quarter, suddenly pulled up for a super long three-pointer!

"Whoosh!"

"Buzz!"

Two voices rang out simultaneously: Kobe hit an incredibly difficult buzzer-beating three-pointer, giving Team USA the lead again!

24: 21!

The two sides were tied in the first quarter!

华夏队这边表现最好的显然是打了8分钟之后下去休息的大姚，他今晚9投6中，拿下12分3篮板2盖帽！

然后就是球队唯一打满首节，拿下了7分3助攻3篮板1盖帽1抢断，继续着自己强势且全能发挥的林天。

The US team's performance was relatively even, with the two highest scorers being O'Neal with 6 points and Kobe with 7 points.

In addition, seven players scored in the first quarter, and the US team continued its even and strong performance!

During the break in the first quarter, Harris looked at Lin Tian, ​​about to speak, but Lin Tian waved him off, saying, "I don't need to rest. Against the American team, I can't rest anyway, can I?"

"I'll rest. The team simply can't withstand the US team's full-court press; they'll break us down! I'm fine for 40 minutes! I can handle it!"

Upon hearing Lin Tian's words, Harris immediately nodded in agreement, knowing better than anyone how important Lin Tian was!

He knew even better that Yao Ming or anyone else could be replaced or have a temporary substitute, but no one on the Chinese team could replace Lin Tian.

Without him, the Chinese team would most likely not even get past the halfway mark.

This is an overwhelming talent that no one can match!

"So, for the second quarter, Dazhi, Daba, Chen, Zhang, and Lin, the five of you will go up!"

Harris quickly arranged the five players to take the court next.

This lineup can be described as the most tenacious five-man group in the Chinese team.

Da Ba is the biggest guard under the basket for the Chinese team. Chen Ke is known as the best 3D player in the CBA. His fierce defense and accurate three-pointers are his trademarks for the national team. He also has a good breakthrough ability and a fierce rebounding awareness.

As for Zhang Jinsong, his characteristics are almost exactly the same as Chen Ke's. Nicknamed "Desperate Saburo", he also established himself in the national team with his relentless defense and clutch three-pointers. In the league, he was the Bayi team's number one choice to defend against the opponent's foreign players!

These three players' defensive abilities and fighting spirit are absolutely among the best in the entire Chinese team. In other words, these three, along with Lin Tian and Yao Ming, form the most defensive and fierce five-man group in the Chinese team.

However, Yao Ming obviously needs to rest now. He was exhausted in the first quarter. The player who replaced him was someone who only played for a few minutes in the first quarter and then came off to rest. Now he is basically at full strength and ready to fire at any time!

In terms of defense, he is indeed just so-so, largely due to his playing style and personality. However, in terms of offense, he is definitely the most consistent third scorer for China, besides Lin Tian and Yao Ming!

During this rotation phase, his task is to provide the offensive firepower that the team desperately needs after Yao Ming leaves the court.

"Whether they can maintain our offensive firepower in the paint when Yao Ming is off the court, and whether they can relieve some pressure on Lin Tian, ​​will be our biggest focus during this period!" Su Qun quickly analyzed after seeing the lineup on the court. "Yao Ming needs to rest in order to ensure that he still has the ability to contribute in the second half."

"From this perspective, Harris's strategy of minimizing his playing time with Yao Ming might be a brilliant move, allowing us to always have two strong scoring options on the court."

"What about Lin Tian?" Yang Jian asked from the side. "Will he get some rest?"

"We can't rest." Su Qun shook his head without hesitation. "Lin Tian is more important to us than anything else! Without Lin Tian, ​​we're only at the top eight in the world. We'll just go all out and see how lucky we are in the draw. Maybe we can try to make it to the top four."

"We can't beat Spain, Argentina, or Lithuania, let alone the American team."

"But if we have Lin Tian, ​​we will be the world's overlords. Even the Dream Team will only be challengers when they fight against us."

"That's Lin Tian's role and his indispensability. So, Lin Tian shouldn't even think about taking a break. If he leaves the court, the team will inevitably collapse, and the all-out American team will quickly launch a scoring run!"

"Let me tell you this: Bird on the other side is just waiting for Lin Tian to go off to rest! Once Lin Tian goes off to rest, he will immediately bring out his strongest defensive lineup that crushed Argentina and play full-court press against you."

"In a maximum of 2 minutes, they can launch an offensive surge with a net score of more than 10 points."

"So, like I said, if we want to win tonight, Lin Tian can't rest."

Following Su Qun and Yang Jian's analysis, the Huaxia team launched their first attack of the second quarter.

The US team fielded a very strange lineup at this point: Kidd, Wade, Battier, Lewis, and Garnett!

What can I say about this lineup?

They lack an offensive core, but have three top-tier shooters, along with a rookie.

Of course, there are also Kidd and Garnett, the two players on the US team who are best at organizing and distributing the ball.

"Larry's lineup..." Barkley looked at the five players on the US team and pondered, "Are they going to have a shooting contest with the Chinese team?"

"That's highly likely. Apart from Kidd and Wade, the other three players in this lineup are the best shooters in their respective positions. It's a lineup without a core player, but all three players except the backcourt can shoot." Kenny added, "They'll probably be playing a drive-and-kick strategy to find open shots."

"Even though Wade just finished his freshman year, his drives to the basket are incredibly dangerous!"

"But it's still a bit puzzling to bring Wade on at this time!" Barkley added. "In the previous 7 games, Wade played a total of 25 minutes, averaging less than 4 minutes of playing time per game. He and Okafor were the team's eleventh and twelfth players."

"Is Bird really that bold to suddenly use a rookie at this time?"

On the court, Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and faced off against Kidd.

"You guys want to have a shooting contest with us?" Lin Tian said casually, looking at Kidd. "But if it's a shooting contest, why did you come up here?"

"Are you trying to be cute?"

"Go ahead and try it, Lin! Go ahead and try what we're trying to do with this lineup!" Kidd said, guiding Lin Tian to look at their five-man formation.

"A 3-2 zone defense?" Lin Tian glanced at it and couldn't help but say, "Larry's got some skills!"

The 3-2 zone defense is the opposite of the 2-3 zone defense. It is a zone defense tactic designed to target the opponent's perimeter ball-handling core and shooters. This tactic emphasizes perimeter defense, but the defense in the area under the basket and the two baseline areas is relatively weak. It is specifically designed to counter teams that are perimeter-based and like to launch attacks from the top of the key and the two wings.

With Yao Ming absent from the Chinese team, and Lin Tian as the absolute core, this lineup and tactics are just right to deal with the Chinese team!

Facing the US team's targeted attack, Lin Tian did not hesitate. He raised his hand to call out the tactics, directing his teammates to move, and then he immediately accelerated, forcefully charging into the paint from beside Kidd.

Garnett and Wade immediately collapsed their defense, cutting off Lin Tian's drives and passing lanes.

Lin Tian's vision in passing the ball was truly amazing. Taking advantage of the three players helping to defend, he made a one-handed pass to Zhang Jingsong at the far end. Normally, at this point, people would pass the ball to Chen Ke at the near end, but Lin Tian had already seen Lewis, who was ready to help defend Chen Ke at any time.

So they chose a longer passing distance, and this pass broke the US team's zone defense. They never expected Lin Tian to make such a risky pass!

Completely left open, Zhang Jinsong steadied himself after receiving the ball and immediately pulled up for a three-pointer. The ball flew a long distance before falling straight into the basket!

"Whoosh!"

China has tied the score!

"Haha! The US team's zone defense isn't all that great! Using zone defense against a passing expert like Lin Tian is practically handing points to the Chinese team!" Su Qun immediately said smugly, "Lin Tian's passes can absolutely pinpoint every weakness in your defensive lineup!"

"If there are no weaknesses in other positions, then it proves that the person guarding Lin Tian is the weakness! One-on-one, Lin Tian can beat every basketball player in the world."

However, although the three-pointer went in, Lin Tian immediately realized something was wrong. He shouted, "Back on defense! Back on defense! Speed ​​up! Speed ​​up! Back on defense!"

Lin Tian suddenly remembered another advantage of the 3-2 zone defense.

Fast break! The signature move of this lineup is to pressure the opponent's ball handler at the top of the court. If a steal is made, the ball handler quickly runs down the court. If a steal is not made, the two wing players at the top of the court can also run down the court at any time depending on the situation.

The Miami Heat from 11 to 14 often relied on two top-class help defenders and fast break masters, Wade and James, to pull off similar plays.

Although Lin Tian noticed and shouted, it was too late.

Because Wade is too fast!

"Flash" had been eager to find an opportunity to break down the defense as soon as Lin Tian passed the ball. The moment Zhang Jinsong scored, he immediately sprinted down the court. As for Lin Tian, ​​he was tightly entangled by the cunning Kidd, who practically had his hands inside Lin Tian's jersey to prevent Lin Tian from retreating on defense.

Garnett immediately returned to the baseline, received the ball, and made a long pass to Wade, assisting Wade to complete this lightning attack and slam dunk with one hand!

"How does it feel, Lin?" Kidd chuckled smugly. "How does it feel to be defeated by the very tactics you're best at?"

As Kidd said, this tactic is exactly what the Pacers have been doing best for the past few years!

Back then, the Pacers' pass was from Webber, and the ball was received by players like Lin Tian, ​​Carter, or Ginobili.

This style of play, which involves directly receiving the ball from the baseline and launching a counter-attack, is indeed the most suitable style of play for the American team!

At this point, it's all too clear why Bird brought Wade, this young man, into the team.

He didn't want Wade to come to the team to gain prestige; he was after Wade's unparalleled fast-break ability!

This guy's awareness, speed of impact, and finishing ability are all top-tier in the league!

More importantly, this guy was a rookie and never complained. Even if he kept running and couldn't get the ball, he would keep running as long as Bird told him to.

Even if he's not allowed to play, he'll still train hard, without complaining or causing trouble, and sit quietly on the bench cheering on his teammates and handing them towels.

A guy who never complains and works incredibly hard!

This is why Bird chose Wade instead of Iverson, Marbury, or other players who were better at fast breaks, faster, and had bigger names.

It's easier to manage than Wade.

After a powerful dunk, the score that the Chinese team had just tied lasted for less than 5 seconds before the American team took the lead again.

"That's interesting." Lin Tian continued dribbling and said to Kidd, "So your role on the court is to be a human roadblock? Just to stop me from chasing Devin's fast break?"

"I'm bad," Kidd chuckled, not ashamed but rather proud!

Who else could it be but the most experienced, the most discreet, the most shameless, and the most cunning person on the team? Having him as the best choice to block Lin Tian's return route with various tricks and his body is absolutely the best option.

"Larry, that bastard, is so dirty-hearted!" Lin Tian couldn't help but glance at Bird on the bench. This guy is getting dirtier and dirtier. He's been hiding Wade from the game and suddenly brought him out as a surprise weapon tonight. He even used a human roadblock tactic. He's shameless!

Sensing Lin Tian's gaze, Bird immediately returned a friendly smile.

That smile contains so much!

The meaning of Bird's smile can be summed up in one sentence.

"I've recruited plenty, and they're all dirtier than the last!"

This time, after Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, he came up with another way to break the 3-2 zone defense.

While dribbling, he suddenly made a side-step bounce pass, sending the basketball through Kidd's legs and directly to Dave, who had just cut into the paint.

After receiving the ball, he immediately pulled up and quickly released a one-handed floater, a move usually reserved for guards, dodging Lewis's block and easily scoring 2 points!

The second weakness of the 3-2 zone defense is that it is difficult to defend the corner three-pointer and also difficult to limit the opponent's low post offense!

This time, however, Kidd didn't care whether his teammates defended him or whether the ball went in. It was as if he only had this one task at this stage. He once again stood firmly in front of Lin Tian and didn't forget to grab Lin Tian's jersey, making it impossible for Lin Tian to get back on defense and launch a fast break.

When Lin Tian was unable to get back on defense, the rest of the Chinese team naturally couldn't stop Wade no matter how hard they tried.

This time, both Chen Ke and Zhang Jingsong returned to their defensive positions immediately, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't stop Wade, who had already charged forward.

Not only did they fail to stop him, but Wade also scored a 2+1!

"Damn it, how come this bastard is so good at contesting?" Chen Ke knew he couldn't hold Wade down, so he simply slapped Wade's arm. His idea was that he could foul Wade and send him to the free-throw line, but he absolutely couldn't let him score directly!

But who knew that his slap was hard enough, and Wade's finishing ability was really strong, managing to complete the 2+1 layup despite being right up against him.

While Wade was shooting free throws, Lin Tian quietly walked to the bench and said to Yi Jianlian, "Go to the locker room and get me a few more jerseys, my number seven. Get me as many as you have. You have one minute, is that enough?"

"That's enough!" That's the good thing about Yi Jianlian: he's honest, hardworking, diligent, and doesn't ask questions.

Of course, if these advantages become disadvantages in the NBA, that's another matter.

In short, this guy stood up quickly and ran towards the player tunnel. Just then, the ball boy came in to wipe the floor, which was covered in sweat after Wade fell. Wade's free throws would have to wait a bit.

Then, after the floor was wiped clean, Wade took the ball from the referee and made the free throw, and Zhang Jinsong also inbounded the ball from the baseline, Yi Jianlian had already quickly appeared at the exit of the player tunnel, holding a stack of jerseys in his hand!

Seeing Yi Jianlian come out, Lin Tian felt relieved. This time, he continued to dribble to the frontcourt, and then, facing Kidd's defense, Lin Tian finally went all out once again!

He turned sideways and nudged Kidd twice with his shoulder, almost knocking the old guy's throat out.

Then, just as Wade came up to help defend, Lin Tian suddenly swung the ball around and jumped into the paint, followed by a fadeaway jump shot.

"Swish!" A crisp sound rang out as expected, and Lin Tian scored his first goal of the second quarter!

Then Garnett followed suit, quickly reaching the baseline to prepare to throw a pass, while Kidd quickly stood in front of Lin Tian and grabbed Lin Tian's jersey.

But this time, Lin Tian didn't stop or engage with him. Instead, he suddenly ran in the opposite direction towards the US team's baseline! This stunned Kidd.

We're going to attack, why are you running this way?

Less than a second later, Kidd realized he'd been tricked again.

"Tear!"

As the sound of tearing fabric rang out, Lin Tian's jersey, which he had just been wearing properly, was almost torn in two in an instant!

Kidd just ripped Lin Tian's clothes off right there on the spot!

Lin Tian wasn't wearing a vest under his jersey. When the jersey burst open, it immediately revealed his perfect physique and muscles. Almost all the girls in the audience gasped at the same time. At this point, the referee couldn't pretend not to see it and assume that this was a contest within the rules. His jersey was torn to shreds, so why didn't he call a foul?

Then we'll have to play standard basketball from now on.

The referee called a blocking foul on Kidd, and possession was transferred. When the whistle blew, Wade had already driven into the three-point line, but the referee's whistle almost made him twist his back.

Kidd looked at the tattered cloth still in his hand and couldn't help but say, "Let me guess, you bastard, you secretly tore a hole in your jersey, waiting for me to deliver it to your door?"

"Smart guy!" Lin Tian laughed and took off half of his tattered cloth, causing a burst of screams. Then he ran to the bench and put on the new jersey that Yi Jianlian had given him.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Tian suddenly took off his jersey, eliciting another round of screams. He then grabbed a sports vest from a team staff member and put it on before finally putting on his jersey amidst sighs of regret. (End of Chapter)