radicalducati Chapter 253 Reggie's season is over! Let's give Iverson a boost!
Chapter 253 Reggie's season is over! Let's give Iverson a boost!
Chapter 253 Reggie's season is over! Let's give Iverson a boost!
On May 8, 1999, the first round of the playoffs officially began!
This season, marked by numerous misfortunes and a series of unfortunate events, has finally come to its final chapter!
That afternoon, as usual, the Pacers did not have basketball practice. Instead, everyone held a tactical discussion in the training facility.
"First, I have some good news to share," Bird said with a smile. "Our new arena has just passed inspection, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, we'll be moving to the newest and most luxurious arena in the entire league next season!"
"The new arena is called Conseco Arena! It has more seats, better air conditioning, more complete facilities, and most importantly, the locker rooms are twice the size of ours!"
Bird's words naturally drew cheers from the players! The Pacers have been playing at City Square for 25 years, and they are finally about to embark on a new chapter!
However, before the players could even shout a few slogans or say anything like "Let's win another championship and give this stadium a perfect farewell," the team doctor pushed open the door to the conference room.
Bird frowned. He hated it when people barged into meetings, but after seeing the team doctor's expression, Bird instinctively felt something was wrong.
"That's terrible! Reggie didn't listen to us and practiced on his own, but he tore his wrist muscle again while shooting. He'll need at least another 6-8 weeks to recover!"
"How long?" Bird's eyes widened as he looked at the team doctor, who was panting heavily and had clearly just run over from the arena, and couldn't believe what he was saying.
Now that the playoffs have started, Miller, who had been recovering well and had already begun some non-contact training, suddenly needs to rest for another 6-8 weeks? Or is that a conservative estimate?
What's the difference between this and being out for the entire season?
The playoff schedule for this season has already been set! The Finals will begin on June 16th, and Game 7 will be on June 30th!
It has been exactly 7 weeks since then!
The entire playoffs only last 7 weeks. Miller had a pre-season injury and was out for 6-8 weeks. Honestly, even if he recovered well and could play in 6 weeks, and the Pacers made it all the way to the Finals, Bird wouldn't let Miller play!
After being injured for so long and not playing for so long, to come back and play in a high-intensity game like the Finals, regardless of how effective it is, the sheer intensity of the competition and the pace of the game are something that a player who has just returned from injury cannot withstand!
Forcing a comeback to play at this level carries a very high risk of injury! So when Bird heard that Miller needed to rest for another 6-8 weeks, he had already made up his mind.
No matter how far the game progresses, Reggie Miller is already out for the season, and Bird won't let his player take such a risk playing!
Absolutely not!
After confirming Miller's season-ending injury, Bird turned to the team doctor again: "Who let Reggie train? Who let him shoot? Get the relevant personnel here! Forget it, just give him severance pay and get that idiot out of here! The farther the better! He might have ruined our entire season's worth of effort!"
"There's no such person," the team doctor said weakly. "Reggie came to the training facility alone, started training by himself without informing anyone, and then..."
FUXX!
Bird was really losing his temper at this point; he really wanted to break Miller's other hand too!
Why can't you just focus on recovering? Why do you have to cause trouble? What are you trying to achieve?!
He was really driven crazy by Miller!
Even when you're supposed to be recovering from your injury, you won't behave!
After sitting there silently for a few minutes, Bird took several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing the urge to immediately grab a gun and rush to the hospital to kill Miller. He waved to signal the team doctor that he could leave, then looked at the Pacers players and said, "That's really bad news, isn't it?"
"We're going to lose Reggie in this year's playoffs, but the good news is that even without him, we had an absolutely perfect run after mid-April! Think about it, after that 2-4 run, we only lost one of our next 10 games!"
"Even without Reggie, we're still very strong! We're still the defending champions! Vince, Chris, the burden on your shoulders is even heavier now. You two must adjust your mindset for the upcoming matches!"
At this point, Bird glanced at Lin Tian, who immediately understood and stood up, saying, "Reggie's absence is indeed a huge loss for us! But the rest of us are still here, the sky hasn't fallen! Larry and I are still here! We are still the defending champions!"
"What we need to do now is put Reggie out of our minds, focus on ourselves, play each game one by one, and win that damn championship! Then when we visit Reggie in the hospital, we'll see if he blushes!"
"Then we can mock him to our hearts' content. We can tell him: 'Look, we're still champions without you. You're not that important at all!'"
Lin Tian's speech eased the somewhat tense atmosphere, and the players, no longer looking so gloomy, gradually regained some fighting spirit.
"Now, let's take a good look at the 76ers' roster! Then let's see how we take them down!" Lin Tian clapped his hands and said, "Larry, I think you can begin!"
"Lin is right! It's obviously too early to think about the second round, the Eastern Conference Finals, or even the NBA Finals! We have to take it one game at a time in the playoffs! Without Reggie, our games will definitely be tougher, but it will also make every victory we win more valuable!"
Bird spoke quickly to compose himself and began to explain the 76ers' tactical system.
"The only player this team needs to worry about and focus on defending is actually just one person: Allen Iverson! This team is a complete one-man show; apart from Iverson, everyone else is a highly functional role player!"
"Some of them are good at rebounding, some are good at blocking shots, some can organize the passing game, and some can defend and steal, but the only one who can score, and is good at scoring, is Allen Iverson!"
"This season, Iverson is averaging a whopping 26.8 points per game, ranking third in the league's scoring list! His driving ability goes without saying; he's definitely one of the top three players in the league. But we can't ignore his exceptional pull-up jump shot ability. He can suddenly pull up for a jump shot from anywhere on the court, and his accuracy is quite impressive!"
"The best way to deal with him is to wear him down! Although he's unstoppable when he's in good shape, and although he has an incredibly strong fighting spirit, his height means that every point and shot he takes requires an effort inversely proportional to his height, which causes his stamina to decline very quickly!"
"So, remember! Stick to him, give him physicality, give him intensity, make every point incredibly difficult for him, make every shot he takes require his full effort! Then, when the game reaches the third and fourth quarters, when Iverson's stamina starts to wane and he can no longer maintain his offensive firepower, that's when we launch our counterattack!"
"Do you understand?"
"clear!"
The Pacers players let out a series of confident shouts, but Lin Tian was thinking about something else.
Miller's unexpected second injury did catch him off guard, but it wasn't a big deal!
After all, Lin Tian bought the Westbrook trial card in mid-April, and the trial card still had a week left on its validity! If they could sweep or beat the 76ers 3-1, then the card's validity would be just enough!
There are still three rounds of competition left, and Lin Tian still has a Jordan monthly subscription card! If Lin Tian uses this monthly subscription card around May 25th, which is around the fifth game of the Eastern Conference semifinals, then the effect of the card will last until the end of June, which is roughly the end of the finals!
At that time, Lin Tian can choose the specific time to use this card depending on the situation. If the Eastern Conference semifinals go smoothly and the team has the upper hand, then he can use it in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, or even not use the card at all and save it for the Eastern Conference finals. In this way, the trial card can cover the entire season!
If things don't go well and Lin Tian falls behind in the first few games, he can use the trial card in the fourth or fifth game. Although this won't cover the entire season, it will be enough to get through the first 4-5 games of the finals!
If nothing major changes happen in the Western Conference, the Spurs will emerge from the West and represent the West in the NBA Finals. The Spurs' biggest fear is a star like Jordan, whose mid-range shot is unstoppable and whose penetration is incredibly lethal. In their regular season encounter, Lin Tianke relied on his mid-range and long-range shooting to defeat the Spurs!
If they face the Spurs again this time, with the Jordan experience card, Lin Tian's mid-range shooting accuracy will definitely reach a historically top level!
Even if they can't beat the Spurs outright in the first 4-5 games, they'll definitely have a huge advantage!
If the team can take a 3-1 lead against the Spurs in the first few games, Lin Tian doesn't believe that they can't beat the Spurs in one game!
Even if I really can't win, I still have an Ewing trial card, right?
He's already spent money! He's spent it all! Lin Tian even has a few bottles of 'Thick Fat' that can increase his stamina but will make him fat. He'll just go all out and spend all the money on those medicines!
At worst, I can lose weight in the summer!
Thinking of this, Lin Tian also pulled his thoughts back.
He is still very confident about this season!
Even without Miller, Lin Tian believes that Carter and Mullin will not let him and the team down!
The Pacers' championship journey has just become a bit more difficult, not completely blocked!
Of course, now is not the time to think about that. We have to take it one game at a time! And we have to break through the series round by round!
No one can say for sure how the match will turn out.
First, take down the 76ers, then think about the Heat, Knicks, or Spurs!
Although the 76ers' tactics were very simple—just give the ball to Iverson—Bird's analysis session still lasted for almost three hours. It wasn't until team staff came in several times to urge the team to get on the bus and head to the arena to prepare for the game that Bird finally turned off the TV, satisfied.
Then he looked at everyone and said, "Go, guys! Go! Go kill the Phillies, go prove to everyone that even without Reggie, we're the best!"
……
Almost two hours later, the Pacers and 76ers players had taken to the court for their final warm-up before the game. The Pacers, who had sold out all 25 home games in the regular season, naturally had a full house in the playoffs as well. More than 17000 fans were still eager to express their passion and excitement to the players!
Iverson and Lin Tian have always had a good relationship. Last summer, they even spent a few days together in Hong Kong. So when they saw each other, they walked towards each other at the same time.
"I heard Reggie's injury has worsened and he's out for the season?" Iverson never liked to mince words, so he went straight to asking the question that concerned him most.
Lin Tian shrugged: "Reggie wasn't going to come back in this series anyway, so whether he increases his weight or not, you won't see him! You all have to go fishing early."
"I don't like fishing," Iverson said, pursing his lips with his usual arrogant air. "I'd like to spend a few days in New York."
"You can come anytime after I eliminate you."
"No, I'm taking my teammates with me!"
"Then you can take it with you. Do you think I'd stop you?"
"FUXX! I mean, I'm going to take you guys down, take down any Miami teams that might come next, and then, together with my brothers, take down Michael and the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals!" Iverson was too lazy to keep playing games with Lin Tian and directly expressed his determination!
"Good idea," Lin said with a smile. "But obviously, you can only come to Indiana once, let alone New York! Because we won't let the series go to a fifth game! At most four games, and we'll finish you off and send you home."
"Then I believe you'll fall in love with fishing!"
"Let's see who gets sent home." Iverson tilted his head back, snorted at Lin Tian with his nostrils, and then turned and walked back to his own half of the court.
Tonight is Iverson's first time playing in the playoffs!
He was actually very excited!
Excited and nervous!
Before the game, Larry Brown showed Iverson a lot of highlights of Philadelphia legends' games, championship moments, and their bold statements.
The young Iverson was so excited watching this that he couldn't wait to go on the court and score 50 points to repay the coach's trust and the fans' support!
But on the Pacers' side, the Pacers' pack of wolves, led by Lin Tian, were also prepared to teach this little guy a lesson!
As warm-ups ended and the game was about to begin, Bird gathered the players together one last time and shouted, "Experience! Our biggest advantage is experience! Iverson has never played in the playoffs even once! Intensity! Go all out and show him the difference between the playoffs and the regular season!"
"Leave it to me. I'll show him what a man's battlefield is!"
Lin Tian clapped his hands and led Schmitz, Davis, Christie, and Carter onto the court!
Their strategy tonight is very simple, it actually boils down to just one thing!
Give Iverson a good workout!
On the 76ers' side, Iverson led Eric Snow, George Lynch, Theo Ratliff, and Matt Geiger onto the court together!
Geiger and Schmitz, two big men, stood on the center circle, while Lin Tian went straight to Iverson!
In this series, he will start guarding Iverson one-on-one from the very first possession!
Besides the fact that Iverson's speed was ridiculously fast, and if Carter or Christie were to come, they would most likely be sieved by Iverson, it was also because Lin Tian was the leader!
He took the initiative to defend Iverson and provide him with physical contact!
"Honestly, Lin and Iverson standing together really gives you a mirror image!" Kenny said with a smile. "Both of them have an unruly personality and think they are the best in the world. Their playing styles are actually quite similar."
"Both players have wide-open dribbling moves, relying on sharp changes of direction and dazzling crossovers as their signature skills. They are also strong contenders for the league's fastest man. If they were to face off for an entire series, this matchup would undoubtedly be the most exciting of all the individual matchups in the first round!"
"Lin and Iverson are nothing like that! Compared to him, Allen is as innocent as a blank sheet of paper!" Barkley offered a different perspective with a wicked grin. "But Lin's cunning might be more abundant than the Mississippi River! Enough to turn the entire Pacific Ocean black!"
"If Iverson can't evolve quickly and learns some bad habits, he might get a good lesson from Lin using his experience, wisdom, and all sorts of clever tricks!"
The two commentators quickly gave a final preview of the game, analyzing the biggest highlights and matchups in this series, while the referee glanced at his watch, blew his whistle, and threw the ball into the air!
"Snapped!"
Matt Geiger, strong and powerful, slapped the basketball to Iverson!
As Iverson received the ball and was about to drive to the basket, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his stomach!
Lin Tian pressed forward, and taking advantage of the moment when the referee wasn't fully focused at the start of the game, Lin Tian pinched Iverson's stomach! The pain almost brought tears to Iverson's eyes, and he instinctively reached out to rub his stomach!
Lin Tian said: "You can rub your stomach if you want, but as for the basketball, I'll protect it for you first!"
Lin Tian slapped the basketball away from Iverson, who was somewhat distracted, and then accelerated rapidly, launching a fast counterattack towards the frontcourt!
The other 76ers players never expected that their leader could be dispossessed one-on-one like that. No one could react in time, and no one had time to get back on defense. They could only watch as Lin Tian rushed to the frontcourt and then made a stylish one-handed dunk!
2: 0!
"He hit my hand and pinched my stomach!" Iverson looked at the referee with some helplessness, indicating that he had been illegally violated.
It's worth noting that Allen Iverson could get 10 free throws in a single regular season game! Such a popular young star has always been a focus of the league's attention.
Although he doesn't usually complain to the referees, Iverson couldn't help but feel a little frustrated after suffering two major setbacks right from the start.
However, the referee completely ignored him. The referee who was always kind and friendly during the regular season, always smiling as he gave Iverson free throws, had disappeared!
After complaining that the referee was ignoring him, Iverson stopped talking. He wasn't the type to keep chasing after the referee for favors and then keep complaining if he didn't get them.
It's just that this is my first time playing in the playoffs, and I've never suffered such a big loss at the very beginning of a game.
Seeing that the referee was not going to give him justice, Iverson decided to go and get justice himself!
So he dribbled the ball and quickly moved to the frontcourt!
Lin Tian knew Iverson's abilities, and Lin Tian was even quite certain that if it weren't for his sudden emergence, Iverson would be the point guard with the strongest offensive power, the best dribbling, and the fastest speed in the league!
But now, Iverson can only be second!
Facing Lin Tian, Iverson raised his hand in a very domineering manner, signaling everyone to pull away!
In the first round, he needs a one-on-one opportunity to prove himself!
He has to prove himself, that he can play in the playoffs, and that he can lead Philadelphia back to the glory of the 80s!
With a series of crossover dribbles, changing his dribbling rhythm, Iverson suddenly made an aggressive attack step, followed by a feint with his upper body. Instead of changing direction, he accelerated directly, trying to force his way past Lin Tian!
After driving two steps past Lin Tianchao in the paint, Iverson suddenly pulled back with a crossover dribble and stopped abruptly, then pulled up and launched a mid-range jump shot!
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, Iverson made his 2-pointer!
After scoring, Iverson looked at Lin Tian with a provocative expression, the meaning of which couldn't be clearer.
You have to have one!
Come on, come on!
Lin Tian felt that he hadn't been provoked like this in a long time. Although this was only his fourth year in the professional league, he had already beaten all the top point guards in the league. Payton was beaten into a "fingertip leaky glove", and Stockton was even beaten to the point of having to retire early.
Coupled with Lin Tian's terrifying fighting skills, almost no one in the entire NBA, except for Jordan, dared to provoke him.
Oh...right, there's also Kobe Bryant, the honey badger.
Every time he encountered Lin Tian, he would mutter incessantly, expressing his determination to crush Lin Tian.
After dribbling the ball up the court, facing Iverson's defense, Lin Tian had an absolute advantage in height and physique. After all, he was a genuine 191 cm tall, while Iverson's 183 cm was, who knows how much of that was exaggerated!
However, Lin Tian was not in a hurry to use his advantages to fight Iverson. The most interesting part was reserved for the crucial moment. For now, he wanted to make Iverson happy!
Lin Tian dribbled between his legs repeatedly, then made an aggressive step-back dribble, followed by a feint with his upper body, and then suddenly accelerated to break through. After reaching the mid-range, he suddenly did a crossover step-back and followed up with a fadeaway jump shot!
"Whoosh!"
With another crisp sound, Lin Tian's shot also went in with pinpoint accuracy!
"Oh my god! Lin! Lin's goal is exactly the same as Iverson's goal just now! The rhythm, the movement, the method, the shooting area, everything is the same! Exactly the same!" Barkley shouted exaggeratedly, as if afraid that others would not see that he had seen through Lin Tian's playing style.
"Looks like Lin's going to have a real showdown with Iverson tonight!" Kenny chimed in. "This kind of imitative playing style is definitely the most frustrating and exciting offensive method. I think Iverson definitely won't stand it! Haha! Look, Iverson's here!"
As Kenny spoke, Iverson, still annoyed by Lin Tian's previous attack, began dribbling and accelerating to the frontcourt. He looked at Lin Tian and said, "You think you can do everything? You think you can imitate my offense and skills?"
"Yes, I can!" Lin Tian lowered his center of gravity, opened his arms, and looked at Iverson, saying, "I can do everything you can, and I can do it better than you!"
"Then take a look at this!" As Iverson spoke, the basketball spun rapidly in his hands, constantly changing position between his left and right hands. Then, when the basketball came to his left hand again, Iverson suddenly pulled his left hand and the basketball very far away from his body, and then quickly pulled the basketball back to his right side!
Then he suddenly started moving his feet and quickly rushed towards the basket from his right side!
Allen Iverson's signature "killer crossover"!
Even though Lin Tian knew Iverson was definitely coming and was prepared, Iverson's change of direction was just too fast, and the rhythm and amplitude were so fast that it was impossible to defend against. So Lin Tian had no other choice but to move his feet quickly and try to keep up.
But it was too late. Iverson had already taken a half-body lead and, with a deft reach, scored a layup over Davis before Lin Tian could catch up!
"Come on, Lin! Let me see what you've got!" Iverson shouted at Lin Tian as he quickly returned to defense after scoring.
"Then let's go." Lin Tian looked relaxed, his mentality not changing at all because Iverson made two consecutive baskets.
After all, this is Allen Iverson!
Four scoring titles and one MVP! He deserves this level!
After Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, he faced Iverson's one-on-one defense and started dribbling just like Iverson once again!
With a sudden, dramatic change of direction and lightning speed, Lin Tian also shook off Iverson in one step, drove to the basket, and scored with a layup over Geiger!
Looking back, Iverson didn't use any fakes this time, choosing instead to use his speed to force his way through!
He used his body to block Lin Tian, and drove hard towards the basket, then used his far left hand to make a layup with an extremely high arc!
"Whoosh!"
After scoring this incredibly difficult goal, Iverson lost his balance and fell heavily to the floor. But he immediately bounced up and yelled at the referee, "2+1! 2+1!"
Of course, the referee ignored Iverson, while Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, then, facing Iverson, once again imitated the attack, forcibly accelerated, and drove to the basket for a high-arc layup!
"Lin's imitation of that play wasn't quite right," Barkley said, stroking his chin. "His body wasn't contorted enough, and his hand didn't extend far enough when he went for the layup."
"That's mainly because Iverson's defense wasn't as good as Lin's!"
Kenny rolled his eyes. He knew what Barkley wanted him to say, but unfortunately, besides making the broadcast awkward, this was the only answer he could give. So, he reluctantly agreed, saying, "Lin's defense can push Iverson's offense to the brink, but Iverson doesn't have that defensive ability!"
Yes! The biggest difference between the two right now is actually their defensive ability!
In the first quarter, when Lin Tian had plenty of energy and could charge around recklessly, his advantages of better defense and larger size might not have been apparent. However, as the game progressed and his stamina declined, Iverson's disadvantage of being shorter and heavier, and having to pay a higher price in physical confrontations, became obvious.
But in the first quarter of the game, the gap between the two players won't be that obvious!
For the next few possessions, it was one-on-one between the two! Neither of them chose to pass the ball. This NBA-level playoff game was surprisingly played like a one-on-one duel between Iverson and Lin Tian!
In particular, although these two also had their rounds of attacking, their overall success rate was incredibly high; they almost always succeeded no matter how they attacked!
What's even more surprising is Lin Tian!
He almost always mimics Iverson's offensive style from the previous possession on offense!
If you drive to the basket, I'll drive to the basket; if you pull up for a jump shot, I'll pull up for a jump shot; if you take a three-pointer, I'll take a three-pointer too!
Tonight, Lin Tian was incredibly strong, as if he had been given a Sharingan!
It wasn't until five minutes into the first quarter that Iverson finally felt his legs getting weak. The continuous high-intensity one-on-one battle had made this small guy, who was known for his unlimited stamina, feel a bit tired!
After all, this is five minutes of non-stop, high-intensity bullfighting! And the whole arena at that—it's practically five minutes of anaerobic exercise!
If it were a player of slightly lower skill level, they'd probably be needing oxygen by now!
After a breakthrough, Iverson pulled back, wanting to accelerate again and use the time difference to attack Lin Tian. However, he found that his retreat was much smaller than before, and Lin Tian was able to close the gap in time, leaving him no room to accelerate again!
Left with no other option, Iverson suddenly passed the ball, throwing it towards the basket!
Ratliff immediately jumped up, caught the basketball in mid-air, and slammed it hard against the rim!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, the 76ers scored 2 more points!
This beautiful alley-oop score, however, did nothing to cheer Iverson, because Lin Tian looked at him with a mischievous grin and said, "You're giving up already, Allen? I thought you could at least last a whole quarter! You're much worse than I imagined!"
"I didn't lose! This is an NBA game, not a street brawl!"
"Whether you lost or not, you know it yourself!" Lin Tian shrugged, ignoring the obviously guilty Iverson, and dribbled the ball back to the frontcourt.
"You pulled back, huh? Were your legs too weak to use that move just now?" Lin Tian asked knowingly, then suddenly accelerated and charged towards the inside!
Then, although Iverson quickly moved laterally to follow, Lin Tian suddenly pulled back after taking two steps forward, then bent his knees, raised his head, and pretended to gather the ball to shoot!
Just as Iverson raised his center of gravity, intending to block the shot, Lin Tian suddenly lowered his center of gravity again, crouched down, and flashed past Iverson like lightning!
When Iverson looked back, Lin Tian had already taken off with overwhelming force, over Matt Geiger, and then, with one hand, slammed the ball into the basket over Geiger!
For the past five minutes, Lin Tian has been using his preferred playing style. But this time, it's Westbrook's "Megatron" style of play!
It's fierce! It's tough!
"Weren't you thinking of doing that just now?" Lin Tian turned to Iverson after his dunk and taunted, "Of course, I meant the whole sequence before the dunk. The final dunk, you can only dream about it, you can never actually do it!"
Iverson swore.
Then he took a deep breath and was about to dribble the ball back to the frontcourt to settle the score with Lin Tian!
In his street style philosophy, passing the ball himself was indeed a sign of admitting defeat!
But now, Iverson is going to get his revenge!
But just as Iverson was about to launch an attack, the referee suddenly blew the whistle!
76ers head coach Brown called a timeout!
Iverson shrugged, somewhat annoyed, indicating that he didn't understand why a timeout was being called at this moment. But after confirming that the timeout had taken effect, Iverson had no choice but to reluctantly walk back to the bench.
"Larry, I can do it! Why call a timeout now? I can beat that Lin! I'm not afraid of him!" Iverson hadn't even sat down yet when he started complaining.
"Of course you're not afraid of him, you're never afraid of anything or anyone, you're fearless! But I have to say, if you continue playing like that, you'll definitely have a blast, but we're destined to lose!"
"Coach, I can win!"
"You can win, you can win the way you want, but not tonight, not now!" Brown shook his head. "Right now, you have to start playing the way I do, unless you think having fun is more important than winning!"
"No, Coach, that's not what I meant." Hearing this, Iverson knew there was no turning back. Out of respect for Brown, Iverson nodded reluctantly and said, "I'll listen to you!"
On the Pacers' side, Bird grinned as he watched Lin Tian plop down on the bench and call for a physical therapist to help him relax. Lin Tian, without any inhibitions, leaned back in his chair without any regard for his image.
"How was it? Had a good time? Want to go play a few more rounds with Iverson? Anyway, his teammates and your teammates can enjoy some more free air conditioning on the court." Bird's words were sarcastic.
"You still have the nerve to be sarcastic, Larry?" Lin Tian rolled his eyes and said, "That Larry is a stubborn old man, an inflexible fool. He won't call a timeout, fine, but you won't either? When did you become an inflexible fool too?"
"You should have called a timeout sooner! I would have done it already. Didn't you see my legs were shaking from exhaustion? I've never seen such an irresponsible head coach!"
"What's wrong? You're not happy with the game?"
"That was still fun," Lin Tian chuckled, spreading his hands to indicate, "but you have to know when to stop!"
These two cunning foxes, one big and one small, one refused to admit defeat no matter what, just waiting for the coach to call a timeout so they could change their tactics, and then they would shift the blame to the coach, saying that it wasn't them who lost, but their coach who was spineless.
Another one figured out this intention a long time ago, so they were just holding back their mischief and wouldn't call a pause!
Anyway, even though the game is playing like a one-on-one duel right now, the Pacers are still in the lead!
Although not many, there are still some!
19: 24!
The Pacers are currently leading by 5 points!
艾弗森是10投7中，3分2中1，罚球2中2拿下球队19分中的17分！
As for Lin Tian, he made 9 of 11 field goals, 2 of 2 three-pointers, and 4 of 3 free throws, scoring all 24 points for the team!
The first five minutes of today's game were indeed a head-to-head battle between two top scorers!
"To be honest, although it looks like the Pacers are only leading by 5 points, this duel between Lin and Iverson ended in a complete victory for Lin!" Kenny said during the timeout, watching the replay of the game.
Each round is an artful showcase of individual skill!
"After all, Lin is the one who attacks later and then makes his move. Lin can imitate all of Iverson's techniques, but can Iverson imitate Lin?" Barkley suddenly said, "Especially since Lin hasn't even used his ultimate move yet!"
"A special move? You mean Lin hasn't used his full strength yet?" Kenny looked at Barkley in disbelief. He thought Barkley was talking nonsense. After fighting like this, he still said he hadn't used his full strength?
"It's not that Lin didn't give it his all; he used 100% of his energy and ability against Iverson! I'm sure of that, but Lin didn't use the methods he should have used against Iverson!"
"For example, if you run at full speed, it takes you 11 seconds to run 100 meters, but if you ride a bicycle, it only takes 6-7 seconds. Do you understand what I mean, Kenny?"
"I think I understand! Lin is simply racing against Iverson right now, with absolutely no intention of using any equipment! But if he wanted to, he could pull out a bicycle or even a motorcycle at any time and continue playing against Iverson!"
"So, the bicycle or motorcycle that Lin hid is...?"
Barkley immediately retorted, "Back-to-the-basket moves, height advantage! Organizing the offense, facilitating the whole team, passing advantage! If Lin uses these two key skills instead of continuing to compete with Iverson in face-up offense, do you think Iverson could withstand it?"
(End of this chapter)