boyutpedia Chapter 721 Lin Tian Makes His Move! He Wins the Match in the First Half!
Chapter 721 Lin Tian Makes His Move! He Wins the Match in the First Half!
After Lin Tian hit that three-pointer—whether intentional or a mistake—the Knicks' lead had grown to 11 points!
After Nash brought the ball up the court, he didn't hesitate for long. He waved to his teammates to spread out, creating enough space for Pierce to play one-on-one, and then immediately passed the ball to Pierce.
Once again, Pierce turned his back to Lin Tian and said fiercely, "Lin, I won't hold back in the second quarter! You helped me back then, but for the championship, I have to beat you!"
"Stop talking nonsense! If you keep spouting this much nonsense, you'll get stabbed 20 times in a nightclub sooner or later!"
"You're the one who got slashed!" Pierce retorted, but perhaps because he immediately thought of Lin Tian's skills, and realized that only Lin Tian could beat him up, no one else could. He suddenly felt a little discouraged!
Just as he was feeling discouraged, Lin Tian suddenly slapped the basketball, hitting Pierce just as he was about to take a dribble.
Lin Tian intercepted the pass!
The basketball slipped from Pierce's control and was grabbed by Hill. Hill then dribbled the ball forward, dominating the Suns' defense and charging towards the frontcourt.
After he drove to the free-throw line and successfully compressed the Suns' defense, he suddenly made a no-look behind-the-back pass.
Lin Tian, who was right behind him, took the ball with one hand and jumped up, charging straight towards the basket with a fiery stance!
The Suns' interior players didn't have time to react. They didn't even have time to get into position before Lin Tian used them like Mount Hua and cleaved them in two!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, the score gap between the two sides continued to widen!
Five seconds later, the Suns and Pierce, refusing to believe it, took their positions again.
It's still Lin Tian, it's still Pierce!
"You were the one who attacked me just now, you were lucky, Lin! You won't steal from me again!" This time, Pierce was so focused on his trash talk that he was watching Lin Tian's movements behind him with extreme tension. If Lin Tian made the slightest move, he would immediately move and wipe him out!
Unfortunately, after waiting for a long time, Lin Tian still couldn't make a move to steal the ball. Even when Pierce deliberately exposed the basketball to Lin Tian and created an opening, Lin Tian didn't fall for it! He was standing right behind Pierce!
So you're just standing still, right?
Pierce figured that Lin Tian must have realized he was trying to lure him into a steal, which was why he was focusing all his attention on defense!
This means that Lin Tian must be firmly planted on the ground with both feet, his center of gravity is extremely stable, and he is just waiting to fight against me!
If you want to fight back, then come on!
Uncle Pierce, here's your Lin Tian Shang Shang to fight!
Thinking of this, Pierce no longer hesitated and suddenly exerted his strength, charging towards Lin Tian!
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Pierce bumped into Lin Tian as he had hoped.
Then, just as he was about to dribble, the referee suddenly blew the whistle!
"Offensive foul! Change possession!"
The referee's unwavering decision and Lin Tian lying motionless on the floor 3 meters away, still putting on an act, stunned Pierce.
How could I knock this bastard this far with just one hit?
Even Tyson couldn't punch this bastard that far!
You guys actually fell for such fake acting?
Lin Tian, who was lying on the floor, quickly got up with the help of his teammates, without even glancing at Pierce.
The referee completely ignored Pierce's protests and signaled for the Knicks to inbound the ball and attack.
Pierce is definitely going to suffer this loss.
Helpless, Pierce could only retreat quickly and join the defense.
After Lin Tian arrived at the frontcourt, he easily faced Nash once again.
"You're going to lose, Steve! Do you know how many points you're down?" Lin Tian teased Nash while dribbling between his legs.
"We're far from losing! We'll catch up soon! Paul's just not in good form!" Nash was quite confident, but Lin's words still made him involuntarily glance at the scoreboard on the big screen.
That was it!
Lin Tian suddenly pulled up and launched a long-range three-pointer over Nash!
"Whoosh!"
Another crisp sound rang out as Lin Tian sank another three-pointer!
Since the start of the second quarter, he has made all three of his shots, scoring eight points in a row!
"That was 13 points just now," Lin Tian said, looking at Nash. "Now, it's 16!"
"FUXX!" Nash couldn't help but curse, silently marveling: How can someone be so filthy?
Even if Lin Tianming simply pulled it up and threw it, Nash would have almost no chance to interfere.
With his physical attributes, height, speed, jumping ability, and rhythm, Lin Tian could easily make a jump shot in front of Nash.
But he wouldn't!
He would resort to underhanded tactics, distract himself before making a move, as if that would bring him more joy.
Lin Tian: Not bad! Nash understands me best! The only purpose of doing this is to make my buddy happier when he scores!
Whether you rely on your physical abilities or your skills, it will become tiresome.
But it was precisely this kind of behavior—using a few trash words to completely break down the opponent's defenses and leave them unable to retaliate—that made Lin Tian even happier!
Faced with a 16-point deficit, the Suns finally began to realize something was wrong.
For example, in this possession, Nash finally drove into the paint, found Marion, and assisted him to score 2 points!
The Suns finally got their first win in the second quarter.
But these few bits and pieces of points are clearly not enough!
Lin Tian responded once again, scoring with a mid-range jump shot!
On the Suns' side, Pierce once again circled out to the three-point line, stood at the top of the arc with his hands raised, and Nash's pass arrived immediately.
Pierce didn't waste any time after getting the ball; he pulled up and shot from beyond the three-point line!
This move is also one of his signature combinations with Nash. Pierce has made countless similar three-pointers this season!
But this time, Pierce's luck was clearly not good. With a muffled thud, the basketball bounced off the rim, and Smith soared like a rocket, then slapped the falling basketball with his hand at the top of his lungs.
Then the basketball instantly transformed into an orange lightning bolt, flying towards the frontcourt!
"Holy crap, is that a black guy?" Lin Tian actually saw a bit of a comic book character in Smith's brilliant pass!
This is precisely Smith's trademark.
He can do everything: offense, defense, driving, shooting, passing, and playmaking.
But he can't do anything well. Each of his abilities can only be regarded as a flash of inspiration, rather than a killer move for a team to win!
Smith can provide timely help or add to someone's already good fortune.
But that's all he can do. You can't expect him to be the core, or to consistently contribute all kinds of energy.
Unless he faces Paul, who is about to enter the conference finals, in every game of his life...
Lin Tian didn't have time to complain too much about Smith, because this guy's pass was really fast, accurate and ruthless!
In the blink of an eye, it had crossed half the court and landed right in Lin Tian's hands.
Lin Tian showed no mercy, took the basketball, took three steps, and then slammed it home with another powerful dunk!
The gap between the two sides has reached 18 points!
Fortunately, although the Suns were getting closer and closer to the 20-point mark, they managed to stabilize the situation. Nash then hit a three-pointer to help the team narrow the gap.
After Nash's basket, the Suns seemed to finally wake up.
We can't rely on Pierce's one-on-one play anymore!
We have to rely on ourselves. Everyone has to participate in the game. Everyone has to score, run, and shoot!
This is the style of play the Suns should have!
So, in the next game, the Suns finally got running again!
Nash hopes to lead the team to play those fluid, seven-second or less games once again!
After Nash finally changed his approach and got the team moving, the results were immediate!
Marion and Martin each drove to the basket and completed a powerful dunk!
With their two powerful dunks and Nash's recent three-pointer, the Suns finally stabilized the situation and temporarily narrowed the gap to 15 points!
Just as the Suns were about to mount a comeback, Don Nelson suddenly called a timeout.
"That timeout was absolutely perfect! It was a very opportune moment," Kenny quickly analyzed. "A timeout at this point not only allows for a reorganization of tactics and gives the players a chance to calm down, but it also breaks the Suns' momentum that's just starting to build!"
"More importantly, Don Nelson isn't the type to call a timeout just to disrupt the opponent's momentum. He'll definitely make some changes!" Payton continued, "Let's see how he adjusts! Will he go all out against the Suns in an offensive battle, or will he change his style and defensive strategy?"
"I think it's all in one go!" Barkley suddenly said again, "He'll definitely go toe-to-toe with the Suns on offense, but he'll also change the matchups, letting Lin continue to match up against Nash! Locking down Nash will lock down the Suns when they get going! That's a secret everyone knows."
……
No one answered, and the silence returned.
Tonight, these three guys are clearly trying to disgust Barkley.
As for the reason...
They can't stand losing! The three of them were humiliated by Lin Tian and Old Nelson, so they could only bully Barkley for fun and find some joy in it!
At least so far, the three of them are quite happy.
But Barkley is already on the verge of exploding.
……
"Lin, you go guard Nash, lock him down! Then, Melo, Gerald, Mehmet, and Josh, the four of you go in! Remember our strategy: collapse the paint! Push the floor as much as possible! Melo, keep an eye on Pierce, the rest of you, just stand around the three-second zone!"
"Apart from Nash and Pierce, ignore the other three. Let them do whatever they want!"
"As for the offense, just play what you do best! Run! Everyone, get running, understand?"
"clear!"
At Don Nelson's command, the five Knicks players who were called upon stood up and walked onto the court.
"A big lineup?" Payton exclaimed. "Old Nelson actually fielded a big lineup? Against the Suns' run-and-gun offense, picking a few big men isn't a good idea!"
"Other teams might not be able to, but the Knicks definitely can." Barkley didn't wait for anyone else to speak and quickly interjected, "The Knicks' roster may be big, but their athleticism is incredible! Their three forwards all have top-tier athleticism and jumping ability, and their fast break is top-notch!"
"Even Okur, whose athleticism is average, is a top-tier three-point shooter and stretch big man! Having all five of them on the court together demonstrates just how quickly Don Nelson has adapted! For the next few minutes, the Knicks are poised to dominate on both ends of the court!"
Barkley rattled off a long string of words before calmly stopping and glancing sideways at the three people beside him.
You're not going to answer me, are you? You're not going to talk to me, are you?
Okay! Then you all better shut up!
Whoever speaks in a minute, I'll snatch their microphone! Come on, let's hurt each other!
Miller, unaware of Barkley's thoughts, completely ignored Barkley's words and instead changed the subject, saying, "The Suns' five-man lineup is on the court now, let's take a look..."
"No need to look, what's so interesting about their roster? I don't believe D'Antoni will bring in an eighth man at this point! It's just those seven players being adjusted and combined again! I'd bet Nash and Pierce will both be there!"
"Haha! See, I guessed right!"
Barkley muttered to himself as he looked at the other three. "Fine, still ignoring me?"
I'm going to treat tonight as a solo performance!
I don't need you guys to keep up tonight, I can handle the commentary all by myself!
Let's see who'll be begging whom later!
On the field, the game continued.
Lin Tian received the ball from the baseline but didn't rush to advance.
He understood perfectly why old Nelson had made those arrangements.
The Suns have been playing at a slow pace and relying on Pierce's isolation plays for more than a quarter. Their players haven't been running at all, and they've barely taken any long-range shots.
In other words, apart from Nash and Pierce, the rest of the Suns can easily dunk or lay up.
Shoot a 3-pointer?
Their hands were absolutely ice cold!
Furthermore, since the Suns have decided to play a fast-paced game, they can no longer give Pierce too many possessions for isolation plays, and the ball will be concentrated in Nash's hands!
Therefore, Nelson instructed Lin Tian to target Nash and Anthony to selectively target Pierce.
As for the rest of the players, they should cover the area under the basket, defend the rim and make cuts, and protect the rebounds!
This is Don Nelson's defensive strategy at this stage!
Of course, the Knicks need to attack before they can play defense!
After Lin Tian arrived at the frontcourt, he continued to ignore Nash's defense. He turned around and punched Nash twice before facing him head-on. Then, he accelerated past Nash with a change of direction, drove into the paint, and pulled up for a floater!
"Whoosh!"
It's still working!
Nash's defense was practically nonexistent for Lin Tian!
As for Nash, he clutched his chest and rubbed it a couple of times, genuinely annoyed.
You could have easily blown me past with a simple crossover and driven in for a layup, why the hell did you have to ram me twice? Did ramming me twice feel better? Did it improve your shooting touch?
Lin Tian: Yes! After that roast, I can eat anything and feel great! I'm so happy!
However, this time Nash did not linger in the backcourt. Instead, he sprinted away from Lin Tian as soon as he scored, reached out for the ball, and immediately charged towards the Knicks' basket after receiving it!
Although Wallace and Smith quickly retreated to the basket for the Knicks, Nash was not afraid at all. He even circled around the basket twice with ease before suddenly making a low-hand pass while Smith and Wallace were still a little confused.
The basketball drew an elegant arc at a very low altitude. Nash released the pass near his knee, but when the ball reached Jones's hands outside the three-point line, it was already right near his chest!
Jones received that ball with such ease!
He doesn't need to bend over or chase the ball; he can just stand still and the basketball will be in his most comfortable position. Then Jones can comfortably jump and raise his hand to shoot a three-pointer!
This one pass alone shows just how good Nash's passing skills are! It shows how strong his passing technique is!
Unfortunately, Jones' shot didn't do justice to Nash's perfect pass!
With a muffled thud, the basketball bounced off the rim. At that moment, only Nash was left on the Suns' court. Facing two muscular Knicks players, Nash wisely chose to turn and run, completely disregarding the possibility of grabbing the rebound.
Offensive rebounds are not his concern!
However, Nash's reaction was still not fast enough.
He should have started sprinting when Jones took the shot, instead of waiting until Jones missed.
By the time Jones made his move after missing his shot, he couldn't catch up with Lin Tian!
Lin Tian received a pass from his teammate once again and rushed to the frontcourt. He faced the Suns' strongest defender, Marion, outside the three-point line. Lin Tian used his absolute advantage in speed and agility, with continuous changes of direction and rhythm, to make Marion's defensive footwork chaotic in less than two seconds.
Then, Lin Tian suddenly stopped abruptly, tricking Marion into rushing forward. But then Lin Tian turned around and moved forward again, leaving Marion completely out of the way, not even getting a whiff of Lin Tian's exhaust fumes!
After turning around, Lin Tian happened to be outside the three-point line. He glanced at the basket and decisively took a three-point shot!
"Whoosh!"
Marion flew past him, his body fully extended, trying in vain to interfere with and block Lin Tian's shot. His physique was quite good. If you didn't look at his face, his help defense would at least score full marks in terms of the smoothness of his movements!
Now, without his face, he's become a perfect backdrop!
After Lin Tian hit a three-pointer, he scored another 5-0 run, widening the gap to 5 points again!
Then, Lin Tian continued to press Nash, sticking to him tightly from the backcourt and not giving him any chance to breathe.
This sudden, high-intensity defense nearly caused Nash to make a mistake!
Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough to find Pierce who was coming back to receive the ball and passed it to him.
After Pierce received the ball, he dribbled across half-court and found Jones. Jones received the ball and quickly flicked it to the baseline, which was Marion's favorite spot!
Beyond the three-point line, this textbook-worthy ugly guy released the ball with a posture that is simply indescribable.
"Bang!"
Another muffled thud, a result that perfectly matched Marion's shooting form.
Okur grabbed the rebound and immediately passed it to Lin Tian.
After receiving the ball, Lin Tian did exactly the same thing as before, rushing towards the frontcourt at top speed once again.
This time, Lin Tian's choice was even more outrageous!
Two steps beyond the three-point line, with no Knicks players in front of him in the entire half of the court, but with three Suns players, he launched a long-range three-pointer!
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, Lin Tian scored 8 points in a row!
The point difference between the two sides has reached a record high of 23 points tonight!
Lin Tian's madness continues!
We've already talked about a blowout match, so we can't go any further! (End of Chapter)