Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 659 Too Many Bans? This Means the Most Terrifying Tyrant Will...

It was probably the last timeout of the game, and the Knicks didn't really set up any defensive tactics. Lin Tian and Don Nelson's idle chatter took up half of the timeout.

For the remaining half of the time, Old Nelson entrusted him with something quite simple.

"Lin against Kobe, Trevor against McGrady, everyone else don't help defend, just guard your own men and give them one-on-one opportunities! I believe we can stop them! Also, I bet they'll run pick-and-rolls again."

"Whether Kobe passes to McGrady or McGrady passes to Kobe, if they both set a screen, Lin, you and Trevor switch immediately. Don't worry about anything else, just switch right away. I don't want to double-team, and I don't want anyone left open, understand?"

"If you understand, then go!"

Don Nelson's defensive setup was so simple that the entire Knicks team didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

This is the old man's trademark, mainly characterized by a laissez-faire approach and indifference to defense.

At that moment, all the Knicks players were quite confident.

No problem!

Even if the Lakers score a basket, it's not a problem.

We have Lin! With Lin here, we're sure to win!

With this strong sense of confidence, the Knicks' five-man lineup stepped onto the court.

The Lakers' lineup is the same as before: Kobe, McGrady, Cook, Vujacic, and Turiaf.

These five people consist of one blue-collar worker, two marksmen, and two core players.

Quite balanced!

"Beep beep!"

As soon as the referee blew his whistle, McGrady, who was standing on the sideline, immediately passed the ball to Kobe. Kobe received the ball outside the three-point line, turned his back to Lin Tian, ​​firmly held his position, and waved his hands to signal his teammates to spread out and give him space.

Then, with 14 seconds left on the shot clock, as the Lakers were all in position, McGrady suddenly moved up and ran towards Kobe.

Old Nelson guessed right!

It was indeed a pick-and-roll combination between Kobe and McGrady!

"Change!"

Lin Tian shouted, reminding Ariza to switch with him. Then the two crossed paths, with Lin Tian facing McGrady and Ariza facing Kobe.

Kobe didn't hesitate and passed the ball directly to McGrady, which was obviously a play drawn up by Tomjanovich!

He wants McGrady, who is taller and has better vision, to make that shot!

But to Tomjanovich's surprise, the Knicks' defensive switch was so decisive that it put Lin Tian directly against McGrady.

But the decisiveness of the change, while unexpected by Tomjanovich, was entirely in line with his plan.

His plan was to have McGrady play against smaller opponents, using his height advantage to score!

Kobe just tried to one-on-one with Lin Tian using a 7-8 cm advantage, but failed.

McGrady's height advantage this time exceeds 10 centimeters, can it work?

Facing Lin Tian, ​​McGrady used his signature one-handed grip on the ball, observing the situation on the court, and then suddenly started moving, smashing the ball in front of him with one hand while simultaneously accelerating to try and get past Lin Tian.

But could Lin Tian's speed be so easily overcome? He moved swiftly to the side, blocking McGrady's path and preventing him from passing.

But McGrady's ball-handling skills are also top-notch. He didn't care about Lin Tian's quick blockade of him at all. Instead, he stretched out his long arm, grabbed the basketball, and was about to shoot!

It's still his signature pull-up jump shot!

"Snapped!"

But this time, what awaited McGrady was exactly the same as the round he had just played against Hill in a one-on-one situation!

Lin Tian seized the opportunity and, just as McGrady was about to expose the ball while attempting to cross it, slapped it down, directly intercepting McGrady's shot!

Then Lin Tian grabbed the basketball, turned around smoothly, and started to accelerate, rushing towards the frontcourt!

With 8 seconds left, Lin Tian made another crucial defensive play! He saved the team once again!

The Lakers players were unable to catch up with Lin Tian immediately; they could only watch helplessly as he charged to the frontcourt.

In other words, Kobe reacted the fastest, accelerating back immediately in an attempt to catch up with Lin Tian and commit a foul.

The Lakers have one more timeout. If they commit a foul, even if Lin Tian makes both free throws, they can call a timeout and inbound the ball in the frontcourt, looking for a chance to tie the game with a three-pointer.

But the Lakers' current roster is too slow!

Although Kobe and McGrady were both exceptionally talented, their speed was clearly no match for Lin Tian's, and Vujacic was an average white shooter with mediocre physical attributes.

They couldn't catch up with Lin Tian! Lin Tian quickly left them behind.

Lin Tian, ​​without stopping, sprinted to the Lakers' basket. As usual, he didn't shoot, but instead glanced back at the Lakers' players' positions before accelerating again and sprinting towards the left corner.

Kobe and Vujacic, who had just gotten a little close to him, immediately missed and could only change direction again to chase after him, trying to catch up with Lin Tian and foul him.

But time was flying by, and now there were only 3 seconds left in the game!

Lin Tian used up 5 seconds of his time.

The good news is that Kobe and Vujacic have already surrounded Lin Tian and cornered him. Even if Lin Tian were a god, he couldn't get past their defenses, and he couldn't break through!

Within one second, the Lakers would definitely foul successfully! And if he passes the ball, the rest of the Knicks players on the court—Ariza, Smith, Ward, and Muhammad—are not reliable free throw shooters; none of them have a free throw percentage above 75%!

Do you dare to spread it?

dare!

As the Lakers players sprinted toward him, Lin Tian glanced at the time, then at the Lakers' positions, and suddenly made an unbelievable choice.

He threw the ball into the air!

Lin Tian used almost all his strength this time, and the basketball flew extremely high, almost hitting the big screen above the court!

Then, the basketball dropped again, falling onto the court, landing right in the Knicks' half!

Regardless of whether a Lakers player can touch the ball or not, if a Knicks player does, it will definitely be a return to the court!

At this moment, the Lakers players had already sprinted across half-court and were running towards the frontcourt to chase after Lin Tian.

At this point, everyone could only turn around again, chase after their own half of the court, and try to catch the basketball.

"Bang!"

The basketball landed on the floor, but no player could touch it, and no one was near it. Lin Tian's high throw was too sudden, and the landing point and direction were too unpredictable!

When the basketball bounced high again, several Lakers and Knicks players rushed to its base, but they couldn't touch it. They had to wait for the ball to fall again before they could fight for possession.

But the chance is gone!

"Buzz!"

"Beep beep!"

The referee's whistle and the buzzer signaling the end of the match sounded simultaneously, and the game was over!

Even though McGrady managed to grab the basketball in the crowd, it was to no avail. The final whistle had already blown before he could even catch it.

The Lakers lost the Christmas Day game!

Their prized outside stars were repeatedly shut down by Lin Tian, ​​who then led his team to victory with a near-game-winning shot and two incredibly tough defensive plays in the final moments.

The Knicks narrowly defeated the Lakers by one point!

Especially considering that this victory came despite the Knicks losing five players and suffering a major blow to their rotation!

This game is definitely enough to make New Yorkers happy for two weeks!

In a fight, our Lin beat you all to a pulp without you even lifting a finger.

Even with five key players missing, we still beat you so badly you had to run away in terror.

A game-winning shot, a humiliating defensive play, securing victory by stepping on the Lakers' heads.

There could be no more perfect script or one that would excite New Yorkers more!

This victory is enough for New Yorkers to forget the pain of having several players suspended, enough to make them happy for a long time. In fact, many New Yorkers have forgotten that at least four of their players will face long-term suspensions.

I'm so happy!

Finally, it was Lin Tian who reminded all New Yorkers of this.

At the post-match press conference, Lin Tian brought up the matter when facing the media.

"This victory is dedicated to my buddies! They saw me get knocked down, they rushed over, they protected me, they are my pride, I am so proud of them!"

"They saved me from further persecution, and they brought Bynum's shameless attacks on me to an early end! I am truly grateful to them."

As for Lin Tian's words...

The reporters below all wanted to give Lin Tian the middle finger and berate him.

No, you, Lin Tian, ​​are an Olympic champion in the over 91kg category, a UFC fighter who knocked out Tyson head-on, and someone who has beaten up countless people in the NBA. The rest of the NBA players combined have never even touched a hair on your head in a head-on confrontation.

You said you were able to avoid being further bullied by Bynum only because of the protection of your teammates?

That's utter nonsense!

It was your teammates who beat Bynum up badly, so you couldn't get revenge or harm Bynum further, right?

Regardless of what the reporters thought or how they viewed Lin Tian's words, Lin Tian didn't think they were nonsense at all. He simply said it, and he believed it!

That's the truth!

We are the victims, and the guys on my team are the heroes who had to stand up for justice when I was in mortal danger!

Whether you believe it or not, I, Lord Lin, believe it first.

"This victory is dedicated to my teammates! They couldn't be here to share in our joy, and I also dedicate this victory to our fans. I'm sorry they had to witness such a bad fight on Christmas Day."

"This is not a good thing. It is something that makes everyone sad and painful, something that no one wanted to see. On behalf of my teammates, I apologize to everyone."

"So you regret it, Lin? If it happened again, do you think your teammates would still rush in?"

"Yes, they will still charge in," Lin Tian said without hesitation. "And I will still support them. I know it's wrong, it damages the alliance's reputation and image, but sometimes, you can't just do the right thing, can you?"

"There will always be times when we are forced to make mistakes. And with me here, we will never strike first, and we will never go looking for trouble or cause problems for others."

"But if anyone dares to lay a hand on us, whether it's me, Amaré, Melo, Don, or everyone in the team, we will still show the same spirit we had tonight."

"If you're not afraid, go ahead and give it a try!"

"So Lin, after tonight's events, you'll inevitably face a large-scale suspension. What do you think your team's path will be from now on? What kind of games do you foresee? And where do you think you'll rank in the league after these suspensions?"

"Our next move is to keep winning! It's that simple. My brothers are taking a break for now, but I'll step in! I have absolute faith that even if I were the one leaving, they would still be able to hold on, they would still be able to persevere!"

"What's our current record?"

"23 wins and 7 losses, second in the East, third in the league, right!" Lin Tian looked at the reporters, paused slightly, and said, "No matter how many games they are suspended for, no matter when they come back, when they come back, we will at least still be second in the East and third in the league."

"I'll give it my all to try and take the team to the next level, to try and make it the best team in the East or the best team in the league!"

"Let's wait and see!"

"Lin, one last question!" Another reporter stood up at the direction of the league's press officer and asked, "How do you plan to play in the upcoming games?"

"You shouldn't be asking me this question," Lin Tian said casually, looking at the reporter. "You should be asking other teams in the league, the teams we'll be facing in the next month or two."

"Go ask them how they plan to stop me, go ask them how they plan to defend against me!"

"Now, it's them who should be trembling."

"That mad, bloodthirsty, and omnipotent tyrant is returning!"

Lin Tian's incredibly arrogant words would not have had such a good effect if anyone else in the league had said them.

But it was Lin Tian, ​​and it was precisely the words he spoke that made no one dare to say no, and no one dared to object.

There's no way around it, this guy's past record is just too terrifying, the things he's done in the past are just too shocking.

Don't mess with him; that's the consensus everyone in the league has reached now.

They're not to be trifled with.

Meanwhile, all the teams in the league that watched the game, listened to Lin Tian's press conference, and learned the whole story—whether coaches, core players, or management—had a very unified reaction after learning about it.

"Go to hell with the Lakers! Go to hell with Bynum! What the hell did you eat? Of all people to mess with, you had to mess with Li Yun... no, I mean, you had to mess with Lin Tian?"

"You're lucky you weren't killed!"

But if Bynum is lucky, it means that the teams that will play the Knicks in the next month or so will be unlucky.

Everyone knew that after Lin Tian made those harsh words, he would do something.

Everyone was extremely nervous!

They weren't really that afraid of Lin Tian or of losing.

Absolutely not!

On the contrary, many teams are sharpening their knives, feeling that this is a good opportunity to take down the Knicks!

They were just a little worried.

They were worried that Lin Tian would produce some historic super performance, and then they would be nailed to the pillar of shame!

That would be incredibly embarrassing!

I'd rather lose than have Lin Tian pad his stats and be written into the history books of the NBA.

This reflects the thinking and reality of many teams in the league today.

Why is it that Lin Tian's "criminal record" isn't that extensive?

Who made Lin Tian defeat one person after another, making the entire league somewhat fearful and causing a kind of stress reaction?

Those who criticize Bynum for being a scoundrel and single-handedly ruining the entire league ecosystem are certainly not limited to star players and management.

The league officials are equally furious with Bynum!

Lakers! Knicks! Christmas! New York and Los Angeles!

In this kind of competition, your dirty tricks can lead to full-blown brawls and crazy fights.

In other words, the rules don't allow it, otherwise Stern would have had Bynum's contract nullified and permanently banned from the league in no time.

That's outrageous!

The alliance has worked hard to build its reputation and distance itself from negative news and all sorts of terrible events, including but not limited to drugs, gambling, violence, gangs, discrimination, and so on.

What were Stern and the league staff doing all this for? To make the wealthy and middle class think it was a healthy league and be willing to spend money on it.

In order to make more money for these bastard players and bosses!

But now?

Bynum's elbow ruined everything!

His elbow sparked a brawl in the NBA, involving more than 10 people and almost all of the starters from both sides!

"You damn black bastard! You black bastard whose brain is full of muscles and air!" Stern, who was always careful with his words and paid special attention to his image, closed the office door and cursed inside, while also making noise by throwing things around.

He didn't want anyone else to hear what he was saying. He was just angry at Bynum, but if someone caught him accusing him of racism, he would be finished.

So you have to be careful when you're swearing! Who knows if someone's waiting to record it or tattle on you.

But after venting all his anger, Stern's mind returned to normal.

Damn it, you want to fight?! I'll kill you all!

In the blink of an eye, he had devised a foolproof plan, a scheme to salvage and restore the alliance's reputation. (End of Chapter)