LRAB Chapter 723 What's the most satisfying thing on the basketball court? Beating the opponent'
Chapter 723 What's the most satisfying thing on the basketball court? Beating the opponent'
Lin Tian and the other two didn't play on the court for very long.
After all, the Suns' starters had barely rested in the first three quarters in order to catch up and close the gap, with Nash and Pierce playing the entire minutes of the game before this one!
They were all exhausted.
The reason we've been able to persevere until now is due to two things.
Beliefs and habits.
They believed they could still win the championship, and they were already used to being relentlessly pushed around by D'Antoni.
However, at this point, the Suns were really running out of steam when facing the Knicks' starters who had rested for six minutes.
After coming on, Lin Tian didn't even give Stoudemire and Anthony a chance to perform. He immediately hit a three-pointer, then turned around and stole the ball from Nash one-on-one, and in the blink of an eye, he rushed to the frontcourt and dunked.
Then, when Pierce tried to take on Anthony one-on-one, Lin Tian sneakily double-teamed him and successfully stole the ball. On the fast break, as he was about to dunk, Lin Tian shoved Nash, who was trying to forcibly pull him down, and scored a layup with one hand, drawing a foul on Nash in the process!
After making the free throw, the Suns finally scored a basket and narrowed the score gap slightly, but Lin Tian used even faster speed to chase down another three-pointer on the other side and made it!
D'Antoni had to call another timeout.
In the blink of an eye, the Suns' gap, which had just narrowed to 15 points, was once again widened to 23 points by Lin Tian!
He single-handedly launched a 10-2 offensive run against the Suns in less than 2 minutes!
Lin Tian's performance was so strong that it was hard to understand!
How can he be so strong? How can his scoring efficiency be so high?
How did he do that?
This is the question in everyone's mind.
Meanwhile, after another crazy scoring spree, Lin Tian's score tonight successfully reached 70 points!
The first 70-point game in NBA Finals history!
Lin Tian has also surpassed his own record of 66 points in the Finals against the Lakers, breaking his own record for the highest single-game score in NBA Finals history!
Lin Tian's achievements in scoring are now unprecedented and unlikely to be surpassed in the future!
What's even more insane is that Lin Tian once again chose to leave the game early.
He didn't play for the first 6 minutes of the fourth quarter. After the Suns closed the gap, he came back in and scored 10 points to help the team pull away, but he didn't play for the next few minutes.
During this timeout, Lin Tian once again sat down on the sidelines.
Lin Tian didn't care about any records, or even a single-game score of 80 points or higher in the finals.
As Lin Tian himself said before: He will definitely seize the opportunity to break records, but he will never try to boost his score or humiliate his opponents in order to break records.
Well, most of the time it won't!
Lin Tian recalled the game in which he scored over 100 points, and he had briefly swiped the 100-point mark.
It's not clean anymore.
Hey!
"The Suns are indeed afraid to field their starters." After the timeout, it wasn't just the Knicks' offensive trio sitting on the bench; all of the Suns' starters were also on the bench.
This time, when Kenny commented on them, he used the phrase "they dared not" instead of "there was no need for them."
You rarely hear similar comments on the NBA court.
They dared not let their key players play.
This may not be the first time this phrase has come from a commentator's mouth, but it is definitely the first time it has come from the finals.
What kind of dominance and terrifying scoring explosiveness do you need to display to make your opponents afraid to take the court?
A: Just play like Lin Tian!
He easily scored 60 points in the first three quarters, and then casually added another 10 points in less than two minutes at the start of the fourth quarter before sitting down on the bench with an air of nonchalance.
Sitting on the sidelines, Lin Tian was not just resting, but also a threat.
This is a threat from the entire Knicks team to the Suns!
"Come on, bring in the starters again, let's catch up!"
"If you dare to close the gap in the third quarter, I'll let Lin score 20+ points in that quarter, 60 points in three quarters. If you still dare to let him come on in the fourth quarter, then don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"If you dare to try and catch up in the last few minutes, I'll still send Lin up to take you down!"
Cool!
At this moment, seeing the fear in the eyes of the Suns from top to bottom, and feeling the Phoenix fans who dared not make a sound, Old Nelson only felt a sense of satisfaction!
I, Don Nelson, will beat you until your very bones tremble! I'll beat you until your very souls beg for mercy.
That was awesome!
Old Nelson has rarely been this spirited in his entire life!
He even recalled carefully that the last time he felt this comfortable and happy was back when he hit that near-game-winning shot in Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Lakers and the Celtics!
It's been 40 years since I've felt this good!
For a coach, what could be more exhilarating or gratifying than beating the opponent so badly in the finals that they don't even dare to field their starters?
Even if you had let Don Nelson choose before today, the old man would definitely have traded his Coach of the Year trophy for this experience!
In short, during the following games, Don Nelson was practically floating on air. If the league hadn't prohibited it, he would have insisted on having a beer on the sidelines to feel even more refreshed.
Right now, the most excited and eager person on the entire Knicks team to go out and have some fun is the old man himself.
This feeling is so incredibly clear and transparent!
That night, the Suns failed to mount any further offensive or scoring runs. Both teams' bench players played the full few minutes of the final game, and the Knicks cruised to a 149-130 victory over the Suns, taking a commanding 19-point lead in the series.
3: 1!
The Knicks are just one step away from advancing!
They only need to win one more game to become this year's champions!
This also marks their second consecutive year as champions, and the first time in Knicks history that they have successfully defended their title!
For the first time, they won back-to-back championships!
This is something to celebrate wildly for all of New York!
"I think the Suns' confidence was completely shattered after this game." Kenny sighed after the game. "They'll hardly have the courage to attack the Knicks again."
"No, I think they have a very high chance of winning the next game!" Even after the game was over, the four men's competitive spirit hadn't subsided. Barkley interjected again, "Neither Nash nor Pierce are the type to give up easily or surrender. They definitely haven't given up!"
"At the same time, the Knicks won too easily and too decisively tonight! They might let their guard down in the next game, and they might even celebrate a bit too much tonight! I noticed Don Nelson's expression at the end."
"Finally, the Knicks definitely want to lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy at home. They definitely want to celebrate with their fans at home, not in Phoenix. In a sense, they might strategically concede their next game!"
"Are you crazy, Charles? This is the Finals! Throwing a game in the Finals? Are you out of your mind?" Payton finally couldn't hold back, picking up where Barkley left off, saying, "They definitely want to win the championship as soon as possible!"
"You spineless, cowardly black bastard," Barkley retorted without hesitation. "Only a rookie like you who's never even touched a championship would be this cautious! But the Knicks won't be. This group of guys already has the confidence to win and the assurance to take the championship."
"They have champion blood! They will be champions! So they won't be nervous, afraid, or worried! This is absolute confidence that comes from absolute strength!"
"But I think..." Kenny opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Barkley once again.
"I don't care what you think, I care what I think," Barkley said angrily to the other three. "I don't care about your thoughts or feelings, I don't care about your opinions, and I don't want to participate in your discussion."
"Anyway, I've said my opinion. Now the three of you can talk about whatever you want. I'm not going to participate."
After Barkley finished speaking, he crossed his arms and remained silent, as if to say, "I'm angry, and nobody can do anything about it."
"I apologize to you, Charles, I apologize to you. We were just joking." Seeing that Barkley was still angry even after the game was over, Kenny could only sigh and apologize.
Who can blame him for having partnered with Barkley for so many years, developing a bond and understanding each other?
Of course, more importantly, Kenny still loves his job as a commentator; he enjoys it. And tonight, the atmosphere on TNT was terrible, which made him quite unhappy.
If he's still in this terrible state in the next game, he really wants to get sick or break a leg so he won't come back.
Too tormented.
Therefore, he chose to take the initiative to back down.
"Okay, then this won't happen again." Barkley descended the steps even faster than Kenny apologized. The fat guy had obviously been holding back for a while, and as soon as Kenny handed him the ladder, he slid down without a second thought.
"We're still good buddies!"
Kenny and Barkley have both said what can be done about the remaining two, Payton and Miller?
All they could do was shrug and say, "That's how it is!"
Anyway, they teased each other like this every day when they played basketball, and neither of them ever really held a grudge or wanted to never speak to each other again.
That's good enough!
So, four men in their forties and fifties inexplicably started arguing and making each other look bad.
Then, out of nowhere, they said we were fine.
After the four of them gave a rather mundane analysis of the game's situation and the future of the series, the show ended, and Barkley yelled, "Time to go! Who's going for drinks?"
"Um, wait a bit before you leave work." Just as the four of them quickly reached an agreement and were getting ready to go find some fun, the program's producer appeared once again.
"Your appearance never brings good news." Barkley sighed, sat back in his chair, and said, "I'm not really interested in hearing what you have to say next."
"Especially if it's a long speech, I request that it be said before the next game starts." Kenny was also a little impatient.
Who among us, as a decent person, enjoys having to attend meetings and work overtime for no reason after get off work?
What kind of lunatic would like to organize meetings and training sessions after get off work?
People who do this are trash!
Fortunately, the person in charge knew that these men in front of him were not people who needed this job to support their families, and that these bastards were not good people either. If they were pushed too far, they would not give him any face and might even start swearing or hitting him.
Therefore, he wouldn't do something as outrageous as having a one-hour meeting after work to look at PowerPoint slides.
He came here with just one sentence: "You guys did a great job with that new thing you put on tonight! The fans generally had a fantastic reaction; they all said they want to see it again!"
"For the next match, we can continue with this format and script! Or, if there's a new script or something, we can discuss it with our professional editors!"
After saying this, the person in charge patted the four people on the shoulder in turn, then turned and left, leaving Barkley and the others completely bewildered, not knowing what was going on.
What kind of script, plot, and format do audiences like?
"Do the audience like the four of us talking nonsense, undermining each other, being disrespectful, and talking our own nonsense?" Kenny, who was most sensitive to this kind of thing, quickly calculated and then gave an answer.
"The audience must be crazy..." Barkley muttered.
"So you're a stupid, damn black bastard, Charles," Payton said with a smirk. "Think about it yourself when you're playing: do you prefer getting involved in conflicts yourself, or do you prefer watching other people who have nothing to do with you get into fights?"
"For example, Michael versus Ham, or Karl versus Stockton in a street brawl."
"Watching people clash is the most interesting thing!" Barkley answered quickly without hesitation.
Then the four of them looked at each other and instantly understood!
It's all clear now! We all understand!
Let's continue like this in the next game!
The four TNT commentators resolved their conflict, finished discussing the match, and decided to continue their antics in the next game. They were overjoyed.
The New Yorkers have reached match point, and a back-to-back championship is within reach. Both the fans and the players are overjoyed!
Phoenix, this arid city on the edge of the desert, a place known as the "Phoenix," is destined for a difficult and painful night.
Because they not only have to accept the bad news of the team's loss, but they also have to be hurt again after the game.
"Lin, how does it feel to score a Finals-high 70 points in a single game?"
"That's fantastic! I love scoring high points, I love beating my opponents, especially scoring high points in a match where I easily defeat them!"
"Who would you like to thank for getting this 70 points? Who do you think helped you the most?"
"Of course I have to thank D'Antoni! He's a great coach. His tenacity, never-give-up spirit, willingness to take on challenges, and his relentless drive move me and earn my admiration! If it weren't for his inspiration, I definitely wouldn't have scored 70 points tonight!"
"I might not even get 50 points! It's all thanks to him; half of my medal tonight belongs to him."
Is this a thank you to D'Antoni? It's sarcasm! Undisguised sarcasm!
Provocation, blatant provocation!
Lin Tian's words made the Phoenix reporters clench their fists, wishing they could rush up and punch him a couple of times!
What's the difference between Lin Tian's behavior and sleeping with someone's wife and then licking his lips and saying "it's so moist"?
You deserve a beating!
That's so annoying!
But just as the Phoenix media were filled with righteous indignation, Lin Tian's answer to the next question extinguished their anger.
"Lin, do you think you can win the series and lift the championship trophy in the next game?"
After the question was asked, all the reporters in Phoenix were waiting for Lin Tian's answer; they had even prepared their own responses in their minds.
As soon as Lin Tian says that he will definitely win the next game and win the championship, they immediately start attacking him!
They targeted him, made things difficult for him, and tormented him in every way possible!
Regardless of whether it's useful or not, regardless of what the result is, I have to vent my anger!
Even if you feel even angrier after you've vented, you still have to let it all out!
Just as the reporters were getting ready to avenge their team and players, Lin Tian spoke up.
"I hope we can win the championship this morning, that's what we're aiming for, but the next game will be tough! After the Suns lost such a humiliating game to their home fans, they'll definitely fight tooth and nail to win Game 5."
"They will fight with all their might for the championship, for their home fans, and for their own dignity. I think they will unleash their full potential and show their best!"
"In the next game, we're facing a completely new version of the Suns that we've never seen before. We're prepared for a tough battle, and we're prepared to be sniped by them!"
"Tang just said in the locker room: 'We can't treat the next game as if we're leading 3-1; we have to treat it as if we're down 0-3. Only by carrying this sense of despair and the thought that if we lose, we'll have to go home, can we possibly win this toughest game of the Finals so far!'"
"Steve is the MVP, Paul is one of the top 5 small forwards in the league, and Shawn is the best all-rounder I've ever seen. This Suns team is much stronger than we thought! I'm not taking it easy at all now that we've won the series."
"On the contrary, I'm incredibly excited! Because we're about to face our toughest game of the season and our strongest opponent! I'm ready."
This……
What are the reporters supposed to do?
Lin Tian's words left the reporters truly at a loss for words.
At once……
The ancient Greek god who controlled water, right?
One question was met with ridicule, the next with accusations of being incredibly flattering? It's hard to judge! (End of Chapter)