LRAB Chapter 484 Tonight's goal is to exhaust the wolf cubs so much they'll collapse.
Chapter 484 Tonight's goal is to exhaust the wolf cubs so much they'll collapse.
"Nine overtimes? Four overtimes in a single game?" Lin Tian staggered up to Iverson with a disdainful look on his face. His expression at that moment was just like that of a villain in a movie or TV show.
Anyway, after seeing Lin Tian like this, Iverson really wanted to punch him.
At this moment, if we were to use a reverse shot to capture Lin Tian's arrogant, disdainful, and mocking expression, and then give a shot of Allen Iverson with his big, watery eyes, a resolute, innocent, and unyielding look—clearly a good guy—we could...
Tsk tsk tsk, Lin Tian is more like a bastard, even more deserving of a beating.
It has to be said that when it comes to being annoying, Lin Tian's level is just like his basketball skills—both are GOAT level!
"How can someone be so handsome and yet so annoying?" Countless fans watching the game on TV asked the same question almost simultaneously.
What is the reason? Is it moral decay or a lack of humanity?
Lin Tian: Absolutely! Morality has declined, and little humanity remains.
Hehehe!
"You must think this game was incredibly exciting, worthy of being recorded in NBA history, and you even want to consider it the highlight of your career, right?" Lin Tian looked at Iverson and asked a standard villainous question.
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Iverson looked at Lin Tian. Although he was a head shorter than Lin Tian, this guy's aura was indeed remarkable, and he actually created the image of a righteous and awe-inspiring protagonist.
"What I want to say is that the Western Conference Finals were the best I've ever seen! A game that truly reached its peak in every aspect!" Lin Tian chuckled and continued, "Of course, that's from the perspective of a noob."
"This round of 'chicken pecking at each other' is practically a duel between two top-tier noobs!"
"Unfortunately, no matter how brilliantly or beautifully you two noobs fight, noobs are noobs. After you're done fighting, it's time for us hunters to reap the rewards, take you home, pluck your feathers, soak you in water, dismember you, cook you, and then roast and eat you."
"What a pity."
"It's a pity they're too skinny; the food is dry and not satisfying. If Shaq and his teammates were in the finals, I could have had a lot more fun."
"You mean, we're not as good as the Lakers?" Iverson's eyes widened. This was his first time reaching the NBA Finals, and he certainly didn't like being questioned or mocked.
"That's exactly what I mean." Lin Tian nodded without hesitation. "Don't you think you were just lucky to make it to the finals?"
"However, your luck has run its course. In the face of an absolute difference in strength, luck is useless. If I were you, I would be looking at plane tickets for a summer vacation right now, going as far as possible and as fast as possible, preferably directly from Indiana."
"That way I can leave this place that makes you sad and hopeless sooner!"
"Heh heh heh! You'd better watch yourselves!"
After letting out one last villainous laugh, Lin Tian turned and left, returning to his half of the court to warm up, leaving Iverson, who was practically grinding his teeth in frustration, staring intently at Lin Tian's retreating figure.
"I'm going to beat him in this series! I lost to him before because he always had the best buddies around him, while I was always alone! But now, it's my turn to have buddies!"
"Allen, he's deliberately trying to provoke you! You need to calm down. Only if you calm down can we win!" Garnett reached out and pressed down on Iverson's shoulder, trying to calm her down.
"It's okay," Iverson snorted. "I know what's more important, Kevin! I won't lose my temper! Tonight, we'll start with pick-and-rolls again!"
"Okay!" Garnett breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
If Iverson is truly provoked by Lin Tian and starts recklessly going one-on-one, then if he's in good form, that's fine, but if he's not in good form, the Timberwolves will have to surrender in no time.
But now that Iverson has taken the initiative to say that he wants to start playing team basketball from the beginning, Garnett can't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
You've grown up!
"Hello everyone! It's just the two of us tonight! Charles Barkley, a die-hard Kevin Garnett fan and a 20-year Minnesota supporter!"
Barkley's clown-like voice came from the TV. This time, the guy not only wore a Timberwolves jersey, but also pinned a wolf head brooch on his chest to show his "support" for the Timberwolves.
"Me too, Kenny." Kenny wasn't as enthusiastic as Barkley, and he clearly wasn't interested in this kind of play: "Hopefully tonight's game will be exciting! Look, both teams' starting players have entered the field! Hmm..."
"They're still using their strongest lineups! Neither side has changed their starting lineups! Charles, what do you think of both teams' starting lineups? I want you to be serious, stop talking nonsense! Be serious!"
After Kenny repeatedly emphasized that he was serious, Barkley didn't try to be silly this time. He knew when to stop, so this time Barkley said seriously, "Looking at the starting lineup matchups, the Timberwolves have an absolute advantage!"
"The Timberwolves completely dominated in all three matchups: Iverson vs. Christie, Sprewell vs. Artest, and Garnett vs. Haslem!"
"Nesterovic and Miller are evenly matched. Of the five positions on the court, only Lin can dominate Cassell. The Timberwolves have the advantage in the other four positions."
"As for the bench, the Pacers have two good players, Parker and Howard, as well as a natural big-game player, Bonner, who hit two key three-pointers in the conference finals."
"The Timberwolves are led by former All-Star shooter Szczerbiak, plus former Pacers player Fred Hoiberg, who is also a very good shooter! In addition, there is the former number one draft pick Ogvorkandi, although Ogvorkandi lost his starting position in the second half of the season."
"In the playoffs, this guy even lost his place in the rotation. In the Western Conference Finals, he barely played except for a few times when he had to perform the 'Hack-a-Shaq' maneuver! But against the Pacers, who are weak in the paint and severely lacking in depth, if he can regain his form, he could very well become the Timberwolves' secret weapon!"
"From these perspectives, looking only at the two teams' roster strength and matchups, the Timberwolves have the advantage! And it's very obvious."
"In other words, the Pacers' only advantage is Lin! Their only reliance and biggest asset in winning this Finals series is Lin! If Lin can maintain the form and output he showed in the previous rounds, then the Pacers have a very high probability of winning the series."
"If Lin can be contained by the Timberwolves, then we should officially congratulate the Timberwolves on winning their first-ever NBA championship!"
Barkley's rambling was essentially meaningless, but at least Kenny was satisfied.
Because this guy finally stopped spouting nonsense and shouting things like "Timberwolves championship" and "Timberwolves dynasty" without any regard for the consequences.
That look was really asking for a beating!
It's only because this fat guy is good at fighting that he'd get beaten up at least every three days, otherwise, given his character, he'd be getting a beating every three days!
On the field, the players from both sides had officially taken to the field. Nesterovic and Miller stood in the center circle to prepare for the jump ball, while the rest of the players stood in their respective positions.
"All done?" Carlisle suddenly asked Lin Tian out of the blue before he went on stage.
"All done, that's another boost." Lin Tian blinked and gave an OK sign.
Tonight, Lin will definitely make those Timberwolves guys so tired they won't even have the energy to poop!
"Beep beep!"
The referee blew the whistle to start the game. Nesterovic's jump height was clearly insufficient, and Miller easily gained possession of the ball for the first time that night.
After receiving the ball, Lin Tian did not continue to play a stable game like in the previous rounds. Instead, he immediately accelerated and sprinted towards Iverson!
With Kassel nearing forty, it was impossible for him to keep up with Lin Tian at full speed, no matter how hard he tried. In the blink of an eye, it became a matchup between Lin Tian and Iverson!
Within the Timberwolves, only Iverson could barely keep up with Lin Tian in terms of speed.
The two suddenly clashed while moving at high speed. Lin Tian showed no intention of slowing down. He first used his shoulder to ram into Iverson, causing the guy to lose his balance.
Then Lin Tian suddenly made a lightning-fast crossover without slowing down, and as the basketball moved from left to right, he flashed past Iverson.
Lin Tian's speed in dribbling past opponents was so fast that even Iverson's eyes widened, and he turned around in disbelief to look at him.
Iverson really didn't understand how he was beaten; Lin Tian's speed was just too fast in that instant!
"God! God!" Barkley put his hands behind his head and opened his mouth wide. It wasn't just Iverson who he hadn't seen clearly; he also hadn't seen how Lin Tian had changed direction and how he had suddenly teleported away from Iverson.
I bet 99% of the fans watching on TV didn't see it either; that shot was just too fast!
"boom!"
On the court, Lin Tian didn't care whether the fans understood or not, nor did he care what Iverson felt like being treated so cleanly by him.
Lin Tian simply rushed to the basket, dodged everyone, and then delivered a one-handed slam dunk, sending the basketball into the hoop!
"No wonder it's the Finals! That first basket alone deserves a spot on the top ten most classic dribbling moments of the season," Kenny said sincerely. "Lin's speed is truly impeccable!"
Barkley added, "Not just selected, but most likely in the top three! That's too fast, really too fast! My scalp is still tingling!"
"Allen, where are you?" Lin Tian, who had just finished dunking, looked for Iverson again, then suddenly looked at him with surprise and delight, and said, "I thought I was going to lose you forever."
"In that instant, I felt like there was an entire galaxy separating us!"
"Shut up!" Iverson bit his lip. The feeling of being thoroughly humiliated in the way he was most skilled at was truly awful.
"If I were you, I'd choose to rest! Take a good rest." Lin Tian grinned and continued, "Given your condition today, what can you do on the court besides embarrass yourself?"
"I can blow you up!" Iverson said with a grim face as he quickly moved up the court and reached out to Cassell for the ball.
"Allen?" Garnett called out from the low post, and after seeing Iverson's expression, Garnett breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward to screen for Iverson.
"FUXX!" Lin Tian was about to bypass the cover and continue chasing Iverson when he suddenly realized that even after moving twice, Garnett was still in front of him.
That's fucking ridiculous.
I, Lin, managed to get past O'Neal's screen in two steps, but you, Garnett, are still in front of me after two steps?
The distance covered by that screen was enough for Lin Tian to make a layup.
The mobile cover you provided actually created a maze-like effect for me, didn't it!
They've completely lost all sense of shame!
Garnett tightly marked Lin Tian, while Iverson had already driven to the free-throw line. After glancing at his teammates out of the corner of his eye, he took a mid-range jump shot and made it!
"I can score too! It's the same 2 points, no difference!" After scoring, Iverson looked at Lin Tian and started trash-talking back.
"You call this no difference? I've seen plenty of show-offs who bring all sorts of gear to play basketball, but you're the first person I've ever seen who brings a mobile wall!"
"The referee didn't call it, so it's a good play! Isn't that what you taught me back then?" Iverson continued to yell back at Lin Tian. Although he had been eliminated by Lin Tian several times in the playoffs, he was not afraid of Lin Tian at all.
Or rather, even if the real Jesus came, Iverson wouldn't be afraid; there's no one in this world he's afraid of.
However, Lin Tian scratched the back of his head; he couldn't remember.
Did I also teach Iverson this?
Am I that bad? To teach Iverson such dirty stuff.
My apologies, my apologies!
After each team's top scorer made a basket, the game set the tone for the quarter.
Lin Tian vs. Iverson!
In the remainder of the first quarter, these two players took on a large portion of the team's offensive tasks and shot attempts. They were scoring like crazy, constantly attacking, shooting, and then scoring!
比赛前8分钟，两个人打的还算是势均力敌，林天7投5中，3分球1投1中，罚球2罚全中，拿下13分3篮板2助攻。
艾弗森8投5中，3分球2投1中，罚球2罚全中也拿下13分。
In the first stage of the series, Lin Tian and Iverson were tied.
The score was 21-20, with the Pacers only leading by one point.
But that's all for now!
In the next game, Sanders had to substitute Iverson and Sprewell early due to fatigue issues, leaving only Garnett and Cassell as the two stars, along with substitute Szczerbiak.
Although the Pacers made some adjustments, Lin Tian didn't leave the court!
At this point in the season, everyone has reached a consensus: if Lin Tian doesn't leave the game, then no matter how many times he comes in or out, all the Pacers' adjustments will be minor!
Lin Tian's departure would be a major overhaul!
In the very first possession after Iverson left the court, Lin Tian couldn't wait to fire away!
Lin Tian, who had just been going back and forth with Iverson, drove straight to the basket and dunked over Garnett.
Then Lin Tian increased the intensity of his defense, starting a full-court press on Cassell, forcing the old monster to stagger while dribbling. Cassell's old bones almost fell apart because of Lin Tian's sudden press defense.
Even though Garnett immediately stepped up to set a screen for Cassell, when he played with Iverson before, Garnett's screens were always effective, and Lin Tian was always blocked by him. But this time, when it came to Cassell, Lin Tian suddenly took a breath and stood in front of Garnett, squeezing through the screen.
At the same time, Lin Tian made a large gesture, successfully predicting the direction of Cassell's dribbling and stealing the basketball from his hands. Then, Lin Tian launched a counterattack, rushing towards the frontcourt at full speed once again.
"boom!"
Then, naturally, came the sound of violently crushing the basket, silencing the center of the target!
"Come on, you weakling." After the dunk, Lin Tian deliberately passed the Timberwolves' bench on his way back on defense and taunted Iverson, who was sitting there, "Otherwise, you wouldn't need to play tonight!"
"Because I can easily widen the score gap!"
"I'm coming right now!" The hot-tempered Iverson couldn't stand it. He jumped up and looked at Sanders, demanding to go on the court.
Sanders shook his head, telling Iverson to rest a little longer.
But Iverson, who had been provoked, was not so easily appeased. He still didn't sit down, but instead continued to bargain with Sanders.
While the two were haggling, the Timberwolves had already used a screen to get the ball to Nesterovic under the basket, giving him an opportunity to dunk directly.
But before Nesterovic could even lift the ball, he suddenly felt his hand slip.
The basketball was stolen!
When he looked down, he found no one in front of him. He quickly turned back to look, only to find that the basketball and the back of a number 7 had already moved far away from him and were now past the free throw line, heading towards the three-point line!
Lin Tian's speed in providing defensive support, stealing the ball, and advancing was truly astonishing!
As he made another mid-range shot on the way back to defense during the transition between offense and defense, he once again passed by the Timberwolves' bench.
"Still chatting? What are you talking about that's making you so happy? If you don't decide whether or not to let Allen go, you'll be completely outmatched!"
Lin Tian wasn't lying. After Iverson went to the bench, the Timberwolves' offense went cold, and Lin Tian had already scored 3 goals in a row!
27: 20!
They're definitely aiming for double digits.
Sanders still didn't put Iverson on the court. Although he didn't tell anyone, Sanders actually wanted to give up on the game!
He felt that the results and win rate of this all-out effort were far less valuable than putting all his eggs in the basket for the next game and giving it his all in that next game.
However, although he wanted to, he hadn't made up his mind, nor had he discussed it with anyone.
He dare not.
Just as Sanders was hesitating, wondering whether to try to catch up or simply substitute Garnett, the Timberwolves' offense landed in Garnett's hands, and it was a particularly good opportunity for a big man to take on a smaller opponent.
Garnett was being guarded by Christie, a forward who was at least 15 centimeters shorter than him.
Facing a matchup where he had an absolute advantage in height, strength, and weight, Garnett received the ball with his back to the basket, waved to signal everyone to spread out and create space for him to go one-on-one.
Garnett then dribbled the ball, leaned back, tested Christie's defensive balance, and then suddenly did a very fast back turn and took off.
He raised his hand and unleashed a powerful high-post shot!
To be fair, the shot was flawless, extremely fast, and the form was very elegant. The completion rate of the spin move was also quite high.
Christie barely made a blocking attempt and could only watch helplessly as the basketball flew over his head.
"Bang!"
However, no matter how perfect everything is before, if the last shot misses, then it's all for nothing!
A tall player who is at least 213 cm tall can't even hit a forward who is 2 meters tall. Instead of attacking the paint, he chooses to turn around and shoot a jump shot. This is Garnett's consistent habit and the part that is most criticized.
That jump shot was so powerful!
Howard, who had just entered the game, grabbed the rebound and immediately passed the ball to Lin Tian outside the three-point line. After receiving the ball, Lin Tian used a crossover step and a behind-the-back dribble to get past Cassell, leaving him behind and launching another fast break!
This goal also proves once again that Cassell is very experienced and still has top-notch attacking ability.
But on the defensive end, against someone with Lin Tian's incredible speed, he really couldn't do anything except be used as a wooden stake by Lin Tian.
After easily getting past Cassell, although the Timberwolves still had Szczerbiak standing behind Cassell, this guy was originally strong on offense but weak on defense and had no defensive attributes, plus he was a white guy with average physical attributes.
How could a player like that defend against Lin Tian?
Lin Tian simply pretended that he didn't exist!
Lin Tian drove all the way to the three-point line, only to glance at Szczerbiak, who was constantly retreating and had no intention of pressing forward. Lin Tian suddenly stopped and then pulled up for a three-pointer!
Lin Tian rarely used his signature pull-up three-pointer throughout the entire playoffs this year.
"Whoosh!"
The reason he didn't take them out was simply because Lin Tian had a lot of weapons in his armory, not because he wasn't good at them anymore!
After a crisp sound, the score difference between the two sides reached 10 points!
"Coach!" Iverson, who had just sat down, stood up again. Seeing that the score difference between the two sides was about to exceed 10 points, Iverson really couldn't sit still!
In his first Finals game of his professional career, he really didn't want to just watch his teammates fall behind the opponent.
Sanders gritted his teeth, but still couldn't make up his mind.
He neither made up his mind to tell Iverson that we'd let this game go, nor did he have the guts to say that we'd go all out tonight!
Caught in a dilemma, the Timberwolves missed another attack.
Christie dribbled the ball, with Lin Tian and Howard each on one side. Christie bounced the ball off the ground and passed it to Lin Tian, who then threw the ball into the air.
"boom!"
Then came another loud bang as Howard completed an alley-oop, scoring another 2 points for his team!
12 points!
Since Iverson left the team, the Timberwolves haven't scored a single point!
"Coach!" Iverson spread his hands, he was so anxious he was about to jump up. He really didn't know what Sanders was hesitating about. Such a great opportunity, the game was originally evenly matched, but he just watched the gap widen and did nothing.
Hearing Iverson's shout, Sanders finally made up his mind!
"Allen, go for it! Let's catch up and let Sam rest for a bit!"
Upon hearing that he could play, Iverson immediately threw off his towel and, taking advantage of a dead ball situation, quickly went onto the court and swapped positions with Cassell.
came back?
Seeing Iverson return, Lin Tian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
If he doesn't come back, the show can't go on.
It's really about to go all the way!
After the previous half of the game, Lin Tian had clearly sensed one thing—
The Timberwolves' roster is currently all show and no substance; they're all bark and no bite!
Their movement speed, help defense speed, retreat speed, as well as the quality of their offensive screens and their running enthusiasm, are all subpar!
Almost everyone on this Timberwolves team is in a state of exhaustion and hasn't fully recovered.
Tonight, they'll only be performing at about 70-80% of their peak.
Otherwise, Iverson wouldn't have been able to go down the court, and Lin Tian and his team would have tightened the pace of the game slightly, quickly launching an 11-0 offensive run.
This attack was so easy!
Lin Tian originally just wanted to force Iverson back onto the court and prevent him from resting, but who knew that Sanders would be so calm and collected.
Honestly, if Sanders doesn't let Iverson play, then Lin Tian will only be able to make a few basic mistakes to prevent the score from widening quickly.
Because the Pacers' goal today is not just to win!
They also want to keep the Timberwolves' key players on the court for extended periods of time!
And it has to be that kind of all-out effort, the kind of state where you wish you could leave your life on the field!
Today, Lin Tian is going to completely drain the Timberwolves players of all the energy they've managed to build up!
Not a single drop will be left for them.
The Pacers not only need to win tonight, but they also need to win the next game!
Therefore, the point difference cannot be allowed to widen rapidly and quickly lose its suspense. It must be maintained at a distance that the Timberwolves believe they can catch up with if they put in a little more effort.
So, after Iverson came on, Lin Tian's defensive intensity quietly decreased again. The full-court press became a full-court coverage defense, and Lin Tian no longer tried so hard to squeeze through Garnett's screens.
Of course, Lin Tian wasn't just slacking off; at least he wouldn't let others see that he was.
Visually, Lin Tian was desperately trying to break free from Garnett's screen and rush over to defend Iverson. Unfortunately, Garnett's screen was too perfect, so he could only watch as Iverson drove into the paint and made a layup, narrowing the score gap!
This behavior, which seems insignificant on the surface and appears to have remained unchanged, but in reality has been incredibly aggressive, is sure to stimulate the Timberwolves' adrenaline levels, draining them completely!
"Come on, Lin! Weren't you so arrogant? You wanted to widen the score gap, didn't you? You wanted to win, right? Then stop me! If you're so capable, then stop me!"
"If you've got guts, don't cover for me! If you're so capable, let's go one-on-one!" Lin Tian 'deliberately' uttered some childish trash talk. He wanted to make Iverson think that he had nothing left to say and had been forced to stop trash talk, so he could only use this very childish provocation to attack the illusion that Iverson was speechless.
Normally, Iverson would be excited by this, and then he would handle the ball more, attack more, and set screens for Garnett more often!
Then his physical strength will drop rapidly, won't it?
However, Lin Tian clearly overestimated Iverson.
After Lin Tian said that, Iverson actually nodded: "Come on! One-on-one! Do you think I'm afraid of you? I'll beat you into the Atlantic Ocean!"
Huh? Huh? Hey?
agreed?
Are you really not going to cover for us anymore?
Lin Tian was slightly stunned. He really didn't expect that on the stage of the finals, there would be someone who would abandon their most effective offensive method and challenge him to a one-on-one duel because of a trivial trash talk.
Is it really true that you shouldn't underestimate a young person's potential?
Not even thirty years east of the river? It's three seconds east of the river, three seconds west of the river?
However, seeing Iverson accept the challenge, Lin Tian didn't hesitate any longer.
We agreed on one-on-one, so it's one-on-one!
"Alan, do you remember how I played with you the first time we met in the playoffs? Hehehe!" Lin Tian couldn't help but let out another villainous laugh before turning his back and starting to back down his opponent!
Starting from the top of the arc, Lin Tian turned his back and exerted force, using only two collisions to push Iverson all the way from outside the three-point line to a position just one step away from the three-second zone.
If it were a normal Timberwolves team, their help defense would have been up and running by now!
Tonight, they were clearly tired, and they couldn't provide the same level of mobility as usual. Even Garnett wasn't sweeping around to help defend as much as he usually does; he just stayed in the paint and did a camping defense.
I absolutely will not leave until you come in!
After glancing at Garnett's position, Lin Tian didn't rush in to confront him. Instead, he calmly slammed into Iverson again, then turned and stepped back, using the same move Garnett had just used: a step-back jump shot!
"Whoosh!"
Another crisp sound rang out as Lin Tian scored using the same move as Garnett, and like Garnett, he chose to step back and shoot when he had a height advantage of more than 10 centimeters.
The difference is that Garnett didn't make it, but Lin Tian did.
"See that, Kevin? That's what a mid-range jumper after a post-up move looks like! If you'd taken me as your apprentice earlier, you wouldn't have only scored 35+ points in one playoff game in your career! That's not even my average points per game!"
He trash-talked Garnett, completely ignoring Iverson.
Lin Tian scored a goal, humiliating two people at the same time!
Lin Tian's goal was absolutely the best value for money!
In the next possession, Garnett, who rarely entered the paint tonight, suddenly became aggressive. After receiving the ball at the high post, he faked a shot and drove past Haslem, then took a step into the paint, pulled up and slammed the ball toward the basket.
"boom!"
With a loud bang, Garnett slammed home a dunk, further narrowing the score gap!
After making the shot, Garnett excitedly pounded his chest, showing his tough nature!
"Come on! Come on again! You say I can't shoot mid-range? Then can you do this?" Garnett glared at Lin Tian after scoring.
"Don't run away, stay under the basket if you dare, and then see if I can do this!" Lin Tian once again chose not to look at Iverson, and even impatiently pushed Iverson, indicating that little brother should move aside and not block me from trash-talking with your team's leader.
Lin Tian's push and subsequent disregard successfully provoked Iverson's anger.
Fight! Fight them to the death!
I'm not coming down here until I beat you to death, Lin Tian! (End of Chapter)