boyutpedia Chapter 256: Iverson infuriates Brown! My specialty is...
Chapter 256: Iverson infuriates Brown! My specialty is...
Chapter 256 Iverson infuriated Brown! My specialty is post-up play!
In front of the Pacers' bench, Bird recalled all the players who were warming up, and then he voluntarily gave up his position, allowing Lin Tian to stand in the middle of everyone.
"Let's get started, Lin! This is the last game of the series, let's boost the guys' morale!" Bird said to Lin Tian with a smile. "Then, we're going to go up there and teach these guys from Philadelphia a lesson! Seriously, I hate this place!"
"Of course you hate it! Charles beat you up right here with Julius Owen back in the day!" Lin Tian chuckled, "Don't worry, you won't get beaten up anymore. With me around, we'll be the ones beating others up!"
"Are you going to start or not?" Bird rolled his eyes, too lazy to waste words with Lin Tian.
"Come on, guys! Who are we?!" Lin Tian walked back to the center of the circle and shouted to everyone.
"The defending champion!!"
"Our goal is!"
"Sweep! Sweep!! Sweep!!!"
"Kill the 76ers!!"
"Crush Iverson!!"
"Great, 1, 2, 3!!"
"Victory is certain!!!"
After a powerful roar, Lin Tian tightened his arm guards and walked straight onto the court.
The Pacers did not change their starting lineup.
It's still Schmitz, Davis, Christie, Carter, and Lin Tian!
Bird wouldn't change his starting lineup unless absolutely necessary!
The 76ers, on the other hand, made a slight adjustment to their starting lineup. Brown moved rookie Hughes, who performed well during garbage time in the previous game, into the starting lineup to partner with Iverson in the backcourt, in order to improve the team's offensive capabilities.
Brown, who has never liked using rookies or young players, has started using rookies. This shows that Brown has been pushed to the brink and has no choice but to change!
Because he had no choice!
Nobody wants to be eliminated.
"You won't win tonight! We have a very good gift for you!" Iverson walked up to Lin Tian and said, "You'd better extend your stay at the Philadelphia Hotel; you're definitely not leaving tonight!"
"Are you going to tell me that you've already booked tickets to Indiana?" Lin Tian asked Iverson calmly.
"Great! We've got it! See you in Game 5!" Iverson said confidently.
"Great! Since you've booked the tickets, we don't need to!" Lin Tian said with a mischievous grin. "We can just change the name and take your flight straight back to Indiana! Thanks, Allen, you guys are really kind!"
"You think I'm joking? Let me tell you, Lin, tonight we're going to completely shut you down!"
Facing Iverson, who was as fiercely competitive as a bulldog, Lin Tian shrugged indifferently and said, "We didn't prepare that many things. Today we'll use the same move as always, the one you're most familiar with."
"Fast break + post-up + pick and roll, I'll chase you down and post you up. If you're so good, show me how!" Lin Tian said, looking up and glancing around the court. "Alan, where are you? I can't see you at all. Why don't you jump up and let me see you!"
"You're dead, Lin! You're dead!!" Iverson hated it most when people joked about his height. After Lin Tian said that, Iverson's gaze was filled with rage!
However, Lin Tian was clearly not concerned at all. He encountered a threat of Iverson's caliber at least 15 times a month!
His opponents in every match would threaten him, but then they would be completely helpless against him!
At this moment, the referee had already taken the basketball to the center circle. After looking at Schmitz and Geiger on both sides, he quickly blew his whistle and tossed the basketball into the air!
This time, Geiger still came out on top!
The basketball was slapped into Hughes' hands. Instead of passing it to Iverson, Hughes quickly advanced the ball to the frontcourt.
As for Iverson, he started running around the court, constantly using various off-ball movement skills and screens from his teammates to find space and opportunities to receive the ball.
Then, after he crossed the free-throw line again and set another screen with Ratliff, Hughes passed the ball to Iverson, who immediately jumped and shot!
"Whoosh!!"
With a crisp sound, Iverson opened the scoring for the 76ers!
"How's it going, Lin! Do you like this new game...?"
After scoring, Iverson was about to trash talk! But Lin Tian had already sprinted towards the frontcourt. This time, he didn't even ask for the ball; Carter dribbled it forward!
Although Lin Tian didn't get the ball, Carter's speed was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, he was outside the 76ers' three-point line, and then almost at the same time, he threw the ball into the air!
"Fuck!! That's too high!" Lin Tian cursed as he watched Carter pass the ball, then jumped with all his might! He barely managed to touch the basketball with half a palm when his body reached its highest point!
Carter's pass was really high; Lin Tian couldn't possibly dunk or catch the ball easily! Because there was a steal expert, Iverson, right under Lin Tian! Given Lin Tian's current posture, if he landed like that, Iverson would definitely take advantage of Lin Tian's unsteady footing and steal the basketball from his hands!
Therefore, while in mid-air, Lin Tian could control his center of gravity and then gently tap the ball towards the basket with his fingertips.
The basketball immediately changed its flight path and gently glided towards the basket.
"Whoosh!"
After the crisp sound, Lin Tian lost his balance and fell to the floor in a rather disheveled manner, sliding quite a distance!
But Lin Tian's control over his body, the gentle feeling between his fingers, and the way his body fully stretched out after jumping still drove countless people crazy!
So elegant! Absolutely so elegant!
After Lin Tian fell and slid to the ground, he almost bounced up from the floor immediately and stood in front of Iverson before the 76ers could inbound the ball.
"Useless Lin, I'm not handling the ball tonight!"
Iverson said something casually, then turned around and ran towards the frontcourt.
The basketball was passed to Hughes, who then dribbled it up the court again!
This time, although Iverson ran like crazy again, Lin Tian, who was prepared, kept up even closer. You have to know who Lin Tian has been training with for the past few years of his professional career!
Jordan's off-ball ability was top-notch in the league, but it was overshadowed by his overwhelming on-ball skills.
Miller is the league's greatest off-ball specialist, and Lin Tian trains with these two every day. With his abilities, he is truly experienced and has many methods for defending off-ball!
For Allen Iverson, who is still in the rising phase of his career and whose various abilities and skills have not yet reached their peak, it will take a lot of effort to get rid of Lin Tian!
However, although Iverson couldn't find an opportunity because Lin Tian was marking him too closely, Hughes decided to take the initiative to attack after waiting for a while! As the 8th overall pick in last year's draft, Hughes' talent is undeniable. He is incredibly fast, and after getting past Carter, he confidently attacked the paint!
Then, under Schmitz's defense, he made a light layup and scored 2 points!
"I think I know why this rookie started tonight," Kenny analyzed. "Snow's passing and consistency are definitely better than Hughes', but Hughes has Snow's explosiveness and ability to score independently! Let's see how much trouble his backcourt pairing with Iverson can cause the Pacers!"
"See, Lin? This is our new product! Do you like it?"
"What new tricks? Relying on a rookie to steal the victory is your secret weapon for this game?" Lin Tian scoffed. "Then you're going to lose badly tonight! By the way, Allen, are you ready?"
"Prepare what..." Iverson's question was cut short, replaced by a swear word and Lin Tian's renewed sprint!
The Pacers' fast break has struck again!
This time it wasn't Carter who had the ball; it was Christie's turn. This guy wasn't as fast as Carter, nor as physically imposing, but his technique was exquisite. After pushing the ball all the way to the frontcourt, seeing that the 76ers' defense had already set up, this guy immediately walked towards Lin Tian's direction!
Lin Tian quickly understood, and the two switched positions at the top of the arc. Then, Christie made a handoff feint, making people think he was going to pass the ball to Lin Tian, which startled Lin Qi and Iverson, who immediately rushed towards Lin Tian.
But once they got into position, they realized... Christie hadn't passed the ball; instead, she had dribbled past them herself!
Iverson was fast, and Lynch was a defensive expert. The two of them chased after Christie at the same time once again!
"This is terrible!" Barkley exclaimed. "The 76ers' defense is awful! If I were Brown, I would definitely do everything I could to improve the team's defense this summer! Two consecutive turnovers where two players failed to communicate and chase down an opponent are just so basic! The Pacers will make them pay!"
Before Barkley could even finish speaking, Christie had already delivered a no-look behind-the-back pass to Lin Tian. Lin Tian took a quick look, saw a wide-open shot, and immediately jumped to shoot!
"Whoosh!!"
Another crisp sound, and the Pacers hit the 3-pointer!
After scoring, Lin Tian once again placed his hand on his forehead and said, "Where is Allen? Where is he? Is there money on the floor at the free-throw line? Did you run over there to pick it up? Why weren't you guarding me?"
Lin Tian's provocation naturally made Iverson very unhappy once again. This time, the guy didn't play off-ball either. After only two possessions, he came to the top of the key again and asked Hughes for the ball!
When the leader wants the ball, Hughes certainly doesn't dare refuse.
He quickly passed the ball to Iverson, and then, as usual, moved toward the weak side.
Brown, sitting on the sidelines, couldn't help but shake his head.
Hughes is still too obedient!
Then Brown suddenly remembered that a few years ago, when he was the head coach of the Pacers and they played against the Bulls, Lin Tian, who was a rookie at the time, had waved his hand very forcefully and impatiently at Jordan when he asked for the ball to go one-on-one, telling him to move it away.
Brown's first impression of Lin Tian was that he was an arrogant point guard who didn't respect the team leader and had his own opinions and ideas.
At the time, Brown only felt that Lin Tian had the potential to grow into a qualified starter and a reliable role player!
Less than four years have passed, and Lin Tian has already become the MVP!
He's still the guy who came closest to a unanimous MVP in history!
What about Allen Iverson? How far can he go? Scoring champion? MVP? Hall of Fame inductee, or a top-ten player with multiple championships?
While Brown was lost in thought, Iverson had already made his first strong drive of the night. Although he failed to score, he successfully drew a foul from Schmitz!
It has to be said that the referees were definitely more favorable to the 76ers at home! If this level of physical contact had happened in Indiana, the whistle would never have been blown.
"You're really lucky, Allen, you have someone protecting you." Lin Tian watched Iverson walk to the free-throw line and said casually, "Hopefully, you can still score when no one's protecting you!"
"What do you mean?!"
"What I mean is, could it be that you're actually surnamed Stern? Are you the president's biological son? Otherwise, why would he treat you so well, even giving you the whistle in a confrontation of this level?" Lin Tian looked at Iverson and said, "Or, well… at the very least, you're his godson!"
"What did you say?!" Iverson stopped shooting free throws, staring at Lin Tian with his big eyes and saying, "I won't kneel down and beg for anyone's charity!"
"Really? I can't tell!" Lin Tian shrugged. "I think you'll keep attacking the paint tonight, keep seeking physical contact, and keep getting to the free-throw line! I think you can make 25 free throws tonight! Don't be shy, Allen, it's all part of the game!"
"Free throws? Not bad!"
Lin Tian's words made Iverson very unhappy!
His self-esteem is much higher than that of ordinary people, even higher than that of most NBA players!
This is why Iverson experienced such a precipitous decline towards the end of his career!
明明07-08赛季还能场均26分，到了08-09赛季就只剩下17分了，接着到了10年只剩下了13分，然后就直接选择了退役！
This kind of precipitous drop, unrelated to injury, is a rare occurrence in the entire history of the league!
The biggest reason why Iverson is in this situation is that he cannot accept that he is not the team's main star or one of the core players, and he cannot accept that he can only play a supporting role or even a substitute!
In this situation, as he gets older and his speed slows down, fewer and fewer teams will be willing to choose him and invest in him!
Iverson couldn't accept that he was getting worse, nor could he lower his demands and expectations of himself!
That's why he gives people the impression that he was a top star in the league just one year ago, and was selected as an All-Star starter, but less than a year later, he simply disappeared from the league.
In the following game, Iverson was clearly a bit carried away. He kept attacking with the ball, and the tactics Brown had set up, such as Iverson focusing on off-ball attacks and Hughes looking for opportunities to isolate, had long been forgotten by Iverson.
After returning to their home court, Iverson and the entire 76ers team received significantly better refereeing. Some plays that referees didn't call in Indiana were now being called in Philadelphia, sending Iverson or other 76ers players to the free-throw line.
As soon as Iverson stepped to the free-throw line, Lin Tian would immediately burst into laughter, showing Iverson no mercy whatsoever.
"You're just a crying child who only knows how to beg for candy!"
"You got the candy you wanted! Aren't you happy?"
"I think you'd look great in a baby outfit for a Halloween party; you'd definitely get lots of candy!"
"Admit it, there's nothing shameful about having the president of an alliance as your father!"
"Seriously, Allen, things might be tough for us in the next round. Could you do me a favor and introduce me to Stern? I want a whistle too, and I can call him 'godfather'!"
…………
Throughout the first half, Iverson played under Lin Tian's almost non-stop trash talk. The referees were really lenient with him, as Iverson got 12 free throws in the first half alone, while Schmitz and Ben Wallace both had 3 fouls each!
However, the more the referee blew the call and the more Iverson stepped up to the free-throw line, the fiercer Lin Tian's taunts became!
As the second quarter ended and both teams prepared to head to the locker room, Lin Tian developed a new taunting gesture: he pretended to hold a child, then shook it continuously, and even made a prop act of feeding the child with a bottle with one hand.
This move completely broke Iverson's defense!
He secretly wished he could cut Lin Tian and the referee into 88 pieces and then throw their remains into the Atlantic Ocean along the entire eastern coastline.
So annoying!
However, Iverson scored 25 points in the first half after making all 12 of his free throws!
Under his leadership, the 76ers finally kept up with the Pacers today!
51: 47!
The 76ers are currently only 4 points behind the Pacers!
During halftime, although Iverson was the best player of both teams in the first half, he didn't look happy at all. He sat in his seat with a gloomy face, as if his team was now down by 20 points.
"What's wrong, Allen? You played really well in the first half, why are you unhappy?" Snow, who was next to Iverson, patted Iverson on the shoulder, wanting to chat with him for a bit.
But to everyone's surprise, Iverson impatiently slapped Snow's arm away, glaring at him and saying, "Don't mention the first half to me, don't talk to me! I'm in a bad mood!"
Iverson's chilling tone startled Snow, who immediately withdrew his arm and sat down in his seat without saying a word to compose himself.
As for what Brown said or did at halftime, Iverson didn't hear a word of it.
Even without hearing it, he could guess what Brown was talking about.
Just because we played well in the first half, and we continued to work hard in the second half, attacking the basket more often and drawing more fouls, did that mean the officiating would be in our favor?
Could this old man possibly come up with something creative or original?
Even without listening to Brown's instructions, just thinking about it made Iverson feel nauseous.
Do I need someone to take care of me to win?
fart!
I can win without the referee!
In the Pacers' locker room, Bird never seemed to get impatient. Although the team was only leading by 4 points, which was worse than expected, he was not anxious at all, and he would not scold the players or curse them. As a former player, he knew all too well how to get along with the players under his command.
"In the second half, they will continue to attack our paint and keep going to the free-throw line. Don't be discouraged or afraid! Just defend as you normally would! Tonight, the referees clearly want the series to continue!"
"The referees have given it their all, playing 8 against 5, but they're still behind! If it were 5 against 5, we'd be leading by at least 15 points by now!"
"So, in the second half, what we need to do is maintain the form we had in the first half and continue with the same style of play! And as long as the referee isn't shameless enough to send our entire team off tonight, then victory in this game will definitely belong to us!"
"Lin, you'll continue to match up against Iverson in the second half, any problem?"
"Of course, no problem," Lin Tian said confidently. "I bet his free throw percentage will plummet in the second half! I'll keep trash-talking him, make him lose his composure, and then he won't be able to make a single free throw!"
"Ben, Dale, or Rick, the three of you need to be careful. Don't be afraid to foul! If he drives in, and the referee keeps calling the whistle, don't let that whistle go to waste! It's two free throws for one foul anyway, so punch his arms and hands as hard as you can! Make him so painful he'll never dare to drive again! At the very least, make him tremble with pain when he shoots a free throw!"
After hearing Lin Tian's words, Ben showed off his muscles with a wicked grin, while Davis nodded, clenched his fists, and made a cracking sound as his bones popped.
Schmitz scratched his head a little embarrassedly, indicating that he would try his best.
Hmm... the three of them do have very different personalities!
In the second half, the two teams switched fields and continued their battle!
The 76ers had possession of the ball first. Iverson dribbled the ball up the court himself and looked at Lin Tiandao, saying, "Lin, do you think I'm a softie who only relies on the referees and takes advantage of others?"
"Yes, that's what I think too." Lin Tian lowered his center of gravity and even made way for the left side, saying, "Let's break through from here. Anyway, once we get in, if they touch even a hair on your body, the referee will give you two free throws!"
"Tonight's MVP should be your body hair!"
"Shut up!!" Iverson cursed again, then suddenly sped up his dribbling pace, followed by a series of crossover dribbles and a very sudden change of direction. Iverson then pulled up and took a mid-range shot!
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp crack, Iverson looked proudly at Lin Tian, grinning with his two rows of white teeth, and said, "I don't rely on the whistle! I can beat you all on my own!"
So tough?
Lin Tian looked at Iverson, and he really didn't expect his trash talk to be so lethal.
Lin Tian's original plan was to influence Iverson's mentality regarding free throws, hoping he would miss 3-5 of them, but looking at Iverson's current state...
Is this guy planning to beat the Pacers by relying solely on shooting and not driving to the basket?
It's really quite...
Speechless!
How naive! You're obviously a young kid who's never played in the playoffs. You don't know how important those precious hair-tip whistles are. You give up your biggest advantage just because of a few words. Aren't you just asking for a loss?
However, in this league, I'm afraid only Iverson is so pure, wanting to decide the outcome with basketball!
If it were anyone else, whether it was their first time playing in the playoffs or their first time in the NBA, they would never give up trying to prove themselves just because of a few words from Lin Tian.
Well... from this perspective, Iverson still deserves respect!
"Alan, you're much braver than I imagined! You're definitely different from the others! I knew it, you're one of a kind in this league! I have to say, from now on, I truly respect you!"
Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and first praised Iverson a few times.
He praised the guy so much that the corners of his mouth turned up, clearly he was very pleased.
Then?
Then Lin Tian silently turned around and stuck out his butt.
Are you done being moved? Now that I'm done being moved, it's time for me to start my backflip!
Iverson: ? ? ?
Isn't this respect? Isn't this unique? Isn't this a compliment to my courage?
And then you shoved your big butt into my face?
"Whoosh!"
Regardless of what Iverson thought, and regardless of whether Lin Tian admired this competitive, stubborn, and somewhat adorable guy.
Anyway, Lin Tian isn't that kind of person.
I, Lord Lin, only want victory!
As for whether it's using your buttocks, a breakthrough, or body hair, as long as it doesn't cross my moral bottom line, which is constantly shifting and changing, then there's no problem!
Then Iverson dribbled the ball to the frontcourt again. This guy was quite stubborn. He took another step back and dribbled before hitting a three-pointer!
It seems he's made up his mind not to attack the paint in the second half tonight!
As for Lin Tian...
Whether you attack the paint or not, I, Lin Da Guanren, prefer to sit back and play!
He bent over and drove all the way to the inside, then turned sideways and easily scored with a quick hook shot!
Lin Tian has really gotten into the groove in bullying Iverson in the paint in the last few games! He's got all sorts of jump hooks, side hooks, and half hooks all in his hands! The only thing Lin Tian hasn't dared to try is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's elegant skyhook.
The pose was too outrageous and too difficult; Lin Tian was worried that he would hook himself directly onto Ben Affleck's head.
In the first five possessions of the third quarter, Iverson opted to finish his attacks with mid-range or long-range jump shots!
Perhaps because of the rest he had in the first half, he was full of energy and had a great touch at the start of the second half, making 3 out of 5 shots, including a 3-pointer!
This accuracy is almost the same as Lin Tian's back-to-the-basket moves!
Thanks to his consecutive points, the 76ers managed to narrow the gap to 3 points!
Larry Brown, sitting on the sidelines, nodded in satisfaction. He was very pleased with Iverson's playing style and choices!
This kid's finally figured it out!
It's not like we're stupid enough to just get carried away and do things recklessly!
Start by throwing a few long shots with plenty of energy to draw the opponent's defensive attention away, making them hesitant to let him shoot, and then start driving to the basket! At this point, the drive is more powerful, more effective, and easier to penetrate!
Hmm, this kid's basketball IQ is indeed very good!
They deserve to be nurtured!
Brown nodded repeatedly, clearly very satisfied with Iverson's choice! Throughout Brown's entire career, there have been very few players who could make the "court tyrant" so satisfied and happy.
However, Brown's happiness only lasted a few minutes... and then his face fell.
Because Iverson was still shooting!
Moreover, as the game progressed and Iverson's stamina declined and Lin Tian's defense became more targeted, Iverson's shooting percentage began to decline noticeably!
He started by making 3 out of 5 shots, but then quickly missed two shots in a row!
After finally managing to hit one shot, he missed two more in a row!
At first, Brown was able to maintain a faint smile; he felt it was time to make a breakthrough!
That's about it! Time for a breakthrough!
Hmm... I guess he wants to make one shot before starting his drive, that would be more effective.
Yeah, I made one. I'm sure I want to take advantage of this hot streak and make another one.
That shot went in, the next one should definitely be a breakthrough!
Why aren't you attacking yet? Why the hell aren't you attacking yet?
Still shooting? You fucking still shooting?
Stop shooting! The team is falling behind, stop shooting!
Brown's emotions fluctuated wildly, like a rollercoaster, following Iverson's choices.
Finally, after Iverson missed two more shots in a row, Brown couldn't take it anymore. He called a timeout and then unleashed a torrent of profanity: "You idiot, drive to the basket! Allen, are you out of your mind? Drive to the basket! Draw contact, get fouls and free throws!"
"I told you, the whistles are on our side! You can go in and get free throws! You can go in and draw fouls! You can become the city's hero! But what are you doing, you idiot? What are you doing? You're handing the victory over to others, you're committing suicide, you're leading your team into the abyss!"
"Coach, I don't need the referees to win!" Iverson looked at Brown with unwavering determination, saying, "I have my principles! In my basketball philosophy, there is no such thing as a referee!"
"Fuck you!! Are you out of your mind? Let me tell you, when you get back on the court, the next possession, you're going to drive to the basket. Either you score, or you draw a foul, or you get back to the bench and sit there! Don't ever come back on! You piece of trash, didn't you hear a single word of the plays I gave you at halftime?"
Brown's anger raged for a full minute before finally subsiding when the timeout ended. He looked at Iverson, panting heavily, feeling like his lungs were about to explode!
I originally thought this kid was using strategy and tactics to change and manipulate the opponent's defense.
Good heavens, I was like, "Good heavens, you've got your brain hooked by the opponent, haven't you!"
On their first offensive possession after returning to the court, Iverson dribbled the ball around, looking for an opportunity.
Just as he was contemplating whether to listen to Brown and make a breakthrough, or follow his own ideas and take another shot, Lin Tian suddenly spoke up, "You're the purest and most respectable basketball player I've ever seen! Come on, Allen, let's face off! You use your strengths, and I'll use mine, and then we'll settle this one-on-one, without relying on anything outside of basketball, a fair and square contest!"
"Alright! Let's fight fair and square!" Iverson's wavering heart was completely moved by Lin Tian's words. He no longer hesitated and decided to give up any advantage of the whistle and fight Lin Tian one-on-one.
then……
"Bang!"
Brown slammed the tactical board in his hand to the ground once again.
Why is this person so stupid?
If you can't even do something this simple, you might as well just go to hell!
Brown was panting heavily with anger; he was truly seething with rage.
After blocking Iverson's shot, Lin Tian grabbed the rebound and dribbled the ball to the frontcourt.
"Come on, Lin, use what you're best at! I can definitely stop you! I'll lead the team to victory!" Iverson spread his arms and lowered his center of gravity, confident that Lin Tian would choose to drive to the basket this time!
Then, Lin Tian did indeed drive into the paint and did score, but the method he used...
He still turned around and used his big butt to shove!
"Lin, didn't you say you'd use your best moves to decide the outcome?" Iverson said indignantly.
"This is my ultimate move! It was originally designed to deal with Michael, but now I'm using it on you!" Lin Tian said shamelessly and smugly, "Have you felt the power of my trump card?"
Meanwhile, Stern, far away at the league headquarters, was also watching the game, but his expression was similar to Larry Brown's.
"That Lin, endless back-to-the-basket moves? Who wants to watch him relentlessly back down Iverson with his power for the entire game, no, the entire series!" Stern couldn't help but yell, "Don't these perimeter players know what their most attractive quality is for fans and sponsors? They're just randomly backing down me here!"
"Face-up drives! Crossovers! Post-up dunks! Fans bought tickets to see this! Not to see you bastards hunking around from the three-point line or even your own half! I thought that after Barkley retired, nobody played like this anymore! This is never going to end!"
Stern watched with displeasure as Lin Tian chased Iverson to the paint once again on the TV screen, then ended the attack with a utterly unappealing side-step layup.
"Next season, we need to stop this bad habit! It's all Michael's fault! If it weren't for this guy developing the trend of back-to-the-basket moves at the 2-3 positions, no other players would have followed suit! Now a bunch of perimeter players are all backing up! What are the interior players doing? Pulling out to shoot threes?"
After thinking it over, Stern made a decision in secret!
This offseason, we need to come up with a rule to curb perimeter players' post-up plays!
No, it's a rule to stop all players from endlessly backing down their opponents!
We can't let these bastards keep playing with their backs to the basket for more than 10 seconds at a time!
This seriously affects the viewing experience and the smoothness of the game!
It must be stopped!
While Stern was thinking about how to curb the increasingly rampant and endless back-to-the-basket moves in the league that were greatly affecting the flow and entertainment value of the game, Lin Tian had once again overpowered Iverson and driven to the inside to score a layup!
This is Lin Tian's 20th point in the third quarter!
With this basket, the Pacers' lead reached 21 points!
Next, with 7 seconds left in the third quarter, Iverson finally received the inbound pass from his teammate on the baseline and then drove straight to the basket!
However, with little time left, even though Iverson was fast enough, he didn't have time to use many fakes and deceptive dribbling moves to shake off his defender. All he could do was rush to the basket and shoot before time ran out!
Even with three Pacers players surrounding him, he had no choice.
*Smack!*
In this situation, a forced layup was naturally unlikely to go in. Lin Tian, who had been following Iverson, had already spotted the opportunity, then jumped high and slapped Iverson's shot out of bounds!
With Lin Tian's slap, the 76ers failed to narrow the gap to within 20 points in the final moments, and Iverson's shooting percentage in this quarter was ultimately 6 out of 17!
He took a crazy 17 shots in this quarter, but only made 6 and earned only 2 free throws! This is completely different from his high foul-drawing rate and 12 free throws in the first half!
In short, although Iverson scored 15 points in the third quarter, he played terribly!
He got thrashed by Lin Tian again!
In the fourth quarter, Brown, with a gloomy face and unwilling to say a word to Iverson, did not substitute Iverson or give any more instructions.
You love playing basketball, don't you? Go ahead, shoot! Do whatever makes you happy, do whatever feels comfortable!
Anyway, it's the last game of the season, so I'll let Iverson have his fill!
Then spend an entire summer dissecting your ridiculous ideas and so-called basketball philosophy.
The most important thing in basketball should always be winning! Nothing else!
However, although he was angry and driven crazy by Iverson's so-called "basketball philosophy," Brown did not despair of Iverson. On the contrary, he still thought highly of Iverson and was willing to continue to work with him!
Brown had already devised a very rigorous summer training plan and a complete set of procedures for Iverson in his mind!
Brown is confident that as long as Iverson listens to him, he will definitely become stronger next season and lead the team to even greater heights!
To become a true powerhouse in the East and even the entire league!
Brown's idea was wonderful. He believed that he and Iverson would become the most compatible and successful model mentor-student pair in the league! Even if the two had completely opposite personalities, even if they were not on the same path at all.
But Brown and Iverson share a very similar trait.
Extreme obsession and an indomitable spirit!
Brown believes that Iverson will not let him down!
In the fourth quarter, with a 21-point lead, Bird once again didn't field his main players much. Lin Tian and Christie were both on the bench, while second-round pick Buckner got the chance to take control of the team and organize the offense.
Then, with the addition of Schmitz, Ben Wallace, Hoiberg, and Carter, Bird fielded a very fringe lineup!
Furthermore, this guy kept a close eye on the situation on the court. As soon as a player's condition deteriorated slightly or the score gap widened even a little, he would immediately substitute Carter and Schmitz, replacing them with a full fringe lineup to play the rest of the game.
It wasn't that Bird was overconfident; he was genuinely scared!
He was really overwhelmed by the team's recurring injuries, and he really didn't want to see any more unexpected injuries!
(End of this chapter)