LRAB Chapter 450 Lin beat you up? Yes! You guys had internal strife? What?
Chapter 450 Lin beat you up? Yes! You guys had internal strife? What?
At the beginning of each season, the league holds a team open day. On this day, a large number of media outlets flock to the training facilities of each team to watch their training, participate in their work, and then conduct interviews, asking players questions such as their expectations for the new season.
Then, a lot of photos will be taken, namely the official team photos and promotional photos for each team each season.
This day is the team's annual media day!
This is a day for teams to show goodwill, passion, and confidence to their fans, a day for them to promote themselves, and a day for them to demonstrate their determination before the season begins.
Normally, on this day, the league's top teams with the most fans or the most money, such as the Lakers, Knicks, and Pacers, would be flooded with countless reporters, and their training facilities would be packed to capacity.
As for those teams in small cities, with small football markets, and teams with mediocre popularity, their media days are not exactly deserted, but they are definitely not lively either. At most, local media will come to interview them and give them a little face.
Each media outlet also needs to make choices, because few media outlets can send people to every team, and even if you send people, there won't be any space to report on what you interviewed, right?
Therefore, in previous years, each media outlet had more than enough staff. They would assign staff to each team for interviews based on their own circumstances and objective reasons.
But this year's situation is indeed a bit special.
There are so many great teams!
Although Malone left the Lakers, they still have the OK duo on the roster, and their strength is still among the top in the league. They are still the strongest contenders for the Western Conference championship.
Although the Timberwolves are located on the periphery and are extremely cold at this time, they have two top-notch players this year, Garnett and Iverson, who are both highly skilled and popular. In particular, these two complement each other.
Iverson could score and pass, but he couldn't defend. Garnett could defend, pass, and do everything except score on offense.
In addition to Szczerbiak, Sprewell, and Kassel...
These five people, put together now, are a perfect match, at least on paper and in terms of compatibility!
They are also seen as the team most likely to challenge the Lakers' reign in the entire Western Conference.
Then the SuperSonics and the Jazz, two teams that are only mid-tier in terms of strength, welcomed back their former souls and legends at this year's Media Day: Payton and Malone!
So, it's reasonable to go to these two places, right?
Although the Spurs are a bad team, they have LeBron James, who just signed the biggest rookie shoe contract in history with Nike this summer.
LeBron James hasn't even entered the league yet, and he's already a billionaire without playing a single game. He should definitely visit San Antonio.
Then there are the Mavericks and the Kings, two teams that play aggressive, offensive basketball with a flashy and attractive style of play and a lot of top-tier stars. You should definitely visit those too, right?
There are so many teams worth visiting in the West alone, and the number of high-profile teams in the East is no less than that in the West!
Knicks, Pacers, Nets, Magic, Celtics...
These teams are either top-tier, have popular stars, or have both. How can we not visit them?
As a result, apart from a few top-tier media outlets with exceptional strength, the vast majority of other media outlets discovered one thing: they were short-staffed!
Fortunately, these American media people have always been decisive and capable of doing anything. The various media outlets didn't need to consult with each other; they almost simultaneously reached a consensus.
Go to all those traffic-generating teams!
As for those small teams that aren't worth visiting, and whose attention wouldn't be great anyway, let's talk about them next year!
Almost all media outlets share this view!
As a result, the problem that arises is that on Media Day, teams like the Raptors, Grizzlies, Hawks, Cavaliers, and 76ers are practically deserted.
There were more reporters than players. Many players even had to wait in line, waiting for reporters to ask them questions one by one before they could answer one or two questions.
Utterly miserable!
And those top-tier traffic groups?
It's so hard to move!
For example, on the Pacers' side, who knows how many people have flooded into their training facility? As the league's current top team, and having acquired a controversial figure like Artest in the summer, everyone is very curious about the Pacers' playing style and strategy for the new season.
Then, as the reporters flooded into the arena, their eyes were immediately drawn to Artest!
Then, more than half of the reporters actually rushed straight towards Artest!
There were actually more people looking for Artest than people surrounding Lin Tian!
As for the reason?
Artest's entire eye socket was bluish-purple.
This guy wasn't wearing sunglasses, made no attempt to conceal it, and even stupidly pointed to the bruise on his face and laughed incoherently.
Judging from his expression, he seemed desperate for others to see the injuries on his face.
Something's up!
The reporters, with their keen sense of smell, immediately sensed that something was definitely going on!
Considering that the team also has Lin Tian, the fighting king, and Artest's past bad reputation, the reporters even quickly imagined an entire action movie and the grudges and feuds in the Pacers' locker room!
There's definitely a story behind it.
And judging from Artest's expression, he's definitely eager to get to the bottom of things.
We must ask him properly!
As for someone like Lin Tian, a seasoned veteran?
That guy's mouth can't get him any inside information!
He just spouts nonsense.
Thus, for the second time in his career, Artest became the center of attention, surrounded by countless people.
The last time he did this was when he broke Jordan's ribs.
But this time, it was because someone punched him in the eye, leaving a bruise.
"Are you alright?" Kale looked at Artest, who was surrounded, with great concern, clearly worried.
"Don't worry, Ron knows what he's doing." Bird looked at Artest and said casually, "He'll tell the truth, no problem."
"Ron, did you get those eye marks from the fight?" one reporter asked first, starting with a seemingly pointless question, as the reporters were about to launch a direct attack!
"Yes, it's from a fight!" Artest pointed to his eye socket, with an expression that said, "Come on, look more clearly," as excited as a child showing off his latest toy to his friends.
"Who did you fight with that caused this?" Another reporter abandoned all pretense and continued to press forward!
"Lin! I fought Lin twice. The second time, he landed a right straight punch on my arm, and my defensive arm couldn't withstand the terrifying force of Lin's punch. It bounced off and hit my eye, and that's how it happened!"
Here it comes!
Stimulate!
The second question revealed internal strife within the Pacers team!
Some quick-thinking reporters even started writing headlines after hearing Artest's answer.
Shocking! The first dynasty suffered a nightmare start, with the team's star player and summer signing getting into a physical fight!
"The worst acquisition in history? Larry Bird should resign and apologize! His haphazard player purchases have torn the Pacers apart!"
Disbandment is imminent! After losing two key players in the summer, the Pacers may undergo a complete rebuild before the trade deadline!
Sources reveal that Lin and Artest got into a fight over a woman at a strip club!
"Do you hate him?" a reporter continued to probe Artest, hoping he would reveal more information.
Lin Tian has been too strong and invincible these past few years. Reporters can't wait to portray him as a bully, a bastard, and a jerk!
This is typical of journalists.
When it's time to praise you, you'll be lauded to the skies; when it's time to criticize you, you'll be so badly targeted you you'd want to smash you into the floor!
"Hate? No! Why hate?" Artest's answer to this question greatly disappointed the reporters.
Why hate at all? Do you need a reason to hate someone?
Okay, I need to!
But your eyes are like this, you have a reason for it, don't you?
Among the reporters present were many seasoned veterans who quickly found flaws in Artest's answers.
Is it that they don't hate, or that they dare not hate?
You remember the moment you got beaten up so clearly, how could you not hate it? Nobody would believe that!
If you're not angry after being beaten like this, are you a wild beast or a domestic animal?
But the reporters weren't in a hurry. As long as you have a story, we'll definitely dig it out! That's what we do!
The next barrage of questions rained down on Artest like a machine gun.
The reporters adopted a swift and decisive approach, attacking any flawed answer Artest gave and launching a fierce assault.
I'm not worried about not finding out the problems within your Pacers team.
"Ron, are you guys fighting over who's the team leader?"
"Did Lin bully you within the team to make you submit?"
"Some people say you and Lin have their eyes on the same girl. Is that why you two started fighting?"
"We heard that you had a relationship with Lin's woman."
"We heard Lin slept with your sister?"
"Is your sister pregnant?"
"I heard that you and Lin both slept with the same stripper, and then you both got HIV?"
"I heard that after Lin got into a fight with you, he was surrounded by more than 20 gang members that same night. Is that related to you?"
"I heard that just last night, the Chinese gang 'Hongmen' launched a major offensive in Indiana, searching for something. Is it related to your conflict with Lin?"
"I have a message from the FBI saying that someone purchased a Patriot missile and secretly shipped it to Indiana. Did you buy it?"
"I heard that the two gangs supporting you and Lin are buying up all sorts of guns and ammunition. Will there be a large-scale conflict and bloodshed in your first preseason game at Conseco Arena?"
"Will anyone pay with their life for this?"
……
Unfortunately, Artest's answers to the reporter's questions were remarkably simple and straightforward.
"no."
"impossible!"
"I will not sleep with my older brother's woman!"
"Lin is like an older brother to me! He's like an elder! I even consider him my father!"
"How much does a Patriot missile cost? If I can afford it, I might consider collecting one."
"I'm perfectly healthy, you can go see my medical report right now! But I won't allow you to insult my older brother!"
No matter how hard the reporters tried, using all sorts of bizarre questions to probe him, this guy seemed to have lost his mind. No matter what the reporters asked next, he insisted that he and Lin Tian had a good relationship.
Not only are they on good terms, but Lin Tian has now practically become Artest's god.
Is this guy's brain messed up by a donkey... or kicked by Lin?
"You have no idea how powerful Lin is. He threw me around like a sack of potatoes! On our first day, we fought for five minutes, and I didn't even touch a hair on his body before I was thrown around so badly that I could barely walk."
"The next day we boxed, and he pinned me down and beat me up. If he had really done it, I probably wouldn't have lasted three seconds."
"Lin is really a good person. I asked him to beat me up, and he beat me up."
"I told him to use whatever rules to beat me, and he beat me using those rules."
"He controls his strength so well. These past few days, he's been beating me up and I've been running all over the place, but I haven't been hurt at all."
"He is my alpha wolf! He is my leader! I will listen to him for the rest of my life."
"How did you manage to control your strength this time?"
"No, no, no, of course it wasn't because I retaliated and got him carried away that I went all out. I don't have that kind of ability. If I could really push Lin to his limit, I'd be smug for 30 years!"
"No, 50 years! No, I will be proud of this until I die!"
"Oh, so you're asking me what happened? I begged him to hit me."
"Yes, I begged him to hit me! We fought for a long time that day, but I didn't feel the power of his punches. I could only feel the terrifying speed of his punches booming in my ears and on my body. To be honest, I was terrified."
"But when I turned around and touched it, guess what? Wow! There wasn't a single thing wrong with it!"
"That was incredible! That was unbelievable! What does 'stopping when you've hit someone' mean? What does 'holding back' mean? I now understand how big the gap is between myself and a top-level fighter! He was able to make me tremble with fear without even being able to hurt me!"
"Chinese Kung Fu! This is Chinese Kung Fu! I don't think Jackie Chan or Jet Li could beat him! Bruce Lee might be able to fight him!"
"I... Oh, you're asking what happened, right? Didn't I tell you, I begged him to hit me! Here's what happened! We were practicing according to boxing rules... Wait, I already mentioned that?"
"Okay, where were we? I was saying don't interrupt me, like this, I begged him to hit me."
"Shut up, are you guys annoying?!"
……
Lin Tian looked at the large number of reporters surrounding Artest and felt a sense of disbelief.
It wasn't because there were more reporters on the other side than on his side that made Lin Tian uncomfortable or anything. Back when Artest insisted on attending the media day without wearing sunglasses or anything, determined to show off his so-called label like he was showing off his baby, Lin Tian knew that the reporters would swarm around him like crazy.
What shocked him was that Artest seemed to have had his Ren and Du meridians opened up by his punch.
Before this punch: He was aloof and taciturn, speaking mostly single words rather than sentences. He gave the impression of a ruthless and taciturn cold-blooded killer, like a bloodthirsty and thirsty Siberian lone wolf!
After that punch: He became a chatterbox, a goofball, and when he talked, it was like he was rapping and he just wouldn't stop. He gave people the impression of being a husky who only knew how to destroy the house and howl, with a wise glint in his eyes.
How could it have changed so much?
Did my punch bring out some of his personality?
Is this person named Laura Artest?
It has a big head, a really big head.
Lin Tian rubbed his head and sighed.
He genuinely didn't know which Artest was in his true form, or perhaps both?
Anyway, he found himself encountering a second person he couldn't understand at all.
Commonly known as a mental illness.
"Lin, we heard Ron's story. Could you tell us how that punch was delivered?" Seeing that they couldn't get any useful information from Artest, the reporter immediately turned their attention to Lin Tian.
Since there's probably no conflict between the two, we should at least know how this fight happened.
"Come on, one of you come up here. I'll demonstrate for you. Don't worry, I'll handle it with care."
Lin Tian waved to the reporters, indicating that they could come and practice together.
Then, a large area in front of Lin Tian was instantly cleared up as the reporters collectively retreated.
Just kidding, who knows if you really meant it lightly or if you were just taking this opportunity to get revenge!
We are sports journalists, not war correspondents.
Is it really worth risking your life for something so trivial?
It's not worth it.
"Is no one coming? I can reenact the scene. Ron's move was an accident; I didn't control myself properly. But don't worry, don't take it to heart. I'll definitely be fine this time." Lin Tian even stood up and started to stretch his muscles.
The empty area in front of him had become even larger.
"Lin, what are your expectations for this season? Do you think you can become the champion?"
"Who was your biggest rival on your road to five consecutive championships?"
Which team do you think will be your opponent in the final this season?
"How much trouble did the departures of Michael, Ben, and Gilbert cause you? Did your summer reinforcements meet your expectations?"
Are you confident you can keep the team at the top of the league?
How many wins do you plan to achieve this season?
"Can you reclaim the assist title you lost last year?"
"Have you prepared any special celebrations for the opening match?"
The questions the reporters were asking were so honest, so proper, and so fitting for the atmosphere.
We still have to rely on our fists.
Lin Tian sat back down in his chair and began to speak eloquently to the reporters, telling them about his plans and goals for the season.
Simply put, it was five consecutive championships.
To put it more simply, it means whoever comes, we'll pin them to the ground and beat them up, to show them who's the boss.
The main character is arrogant, disdainful of everyone, and thinks he's the best in the world.
Anyway, the Americans like this approach. Lin Tian has been dealing with them for so many years, this year is his 9th year. He knows all too well how to generate buzz and get fans and reporters excited.
As expected, on the evening of Media Day, the emerging sports websites and forums reported on the event before the print media.
The Minnesota Twins, the Lakers' new starting five, the Dallas Four Musketeers, the New Jersey Four Kings, the Magic's inside-outside duo, and of course, the new generation of stars like James, Anthony, and Wade who have just entered the league.
And everyone who saw it couldn't take their eyes off it, and even couldn't help but rub their eyes and computer screen to make sure that their eyes were playing tricks on them, their heads were spinning, or their screen was broken.
The Pacers' official team photo.
Every photo featuring Artest has fans rubbing their eyes in disbelief to make sure what's going on.
There was nothing he could do; Artest's panda eyes were just too obvious.
Even though his skin was dark, the purplish-blue mark under his eye and his eyes, which were obviously different sizes, made it impossible to look away.
What's going on?
Fans eagerly clicked into the Pacers' homepage and began searching for what they were looking for.
They wanted to see if Artest could explain what had happened, and if anyone could solve the case and figure out what was going on.
The case is easy to solve; just open the Pacers' homepage and you'll see what happened at a glance.
Indiana is ready to go, aiming for a 5-peat this season!
Artest bluntly stated: "Lin beat me, I begged him to beat me, now I consider him my father!"
From Beast to Domestic Animal: Artest Tamed by Lin Tian!
"As docile as an English Shorthair, Artest has never been so gentle in his life!"
Despite his bruised and swollen eyes, Ron Artest calls it a badge of honor for men and says he hopes the scar will stay with him for a whole year!
"If I ever run into Lin during a fight, I'll brag about it for 30 years!"
Artest hopes Lin Tian can become his brother-in-law or even his stepfather; he wants to become family with Lin Tian!
"We're on the same side now! After getting beaten up, Artest claims he's become Lin Tian's brother!"
……
This is probably the first time since Lin Tian joined the Pacers that he has been overshadowed by someone else. Even when Jordan joined last year, the media didn't report on Jordan this frantically. The two of them only got about equal coverage.
But this year, a large portion of the news has been about Artest.
After all, what can I say about his behavior of begging someone to beat him up and then being completely subdued, taking makeup photos with dark circles under his eyes, and refusing to wear makeup or let anyone Photoshop out his scars?
That's too much like performance art.
Anyway, Artest has become a sensation across the United States this time.
Meanwhile, fans are starting to look forward to the Pacers' new season!
They wanted to see what kind of chemistry Lin Tian, who could tame wild beasts, and his loyal pet could create!
Fans are eagerly awaiting the start of the season!
Meanwhile, each team is working intensively in training camp, integrating their rosters, practicing new tactics, and researching new strategies and playing styles, striving to quickly integrate the team into a true team!
During the training camp, the players did indeed sweat profusely and train like crazy to find their form, but in the end, the ones under the most pressure this year were the coaches.
The coaching staff of each team worked day and night, experimenting with new tactics, reviewing old tactics, and refining new lineups. After training, they would constantly analyze and study the tactics, and then put them into practice the next day to test whether these new tactics and lineup combinations could be successful.
Meanwhile, the fringe players and benchwarmers of each team are doing their best to stay on the team's roster and avoid being cut.
As training camp progressed rapidly, some achieved their dreams and finally became official NBA players, but many more could only bid farewell to this season's NBA with regret and go on to pursue their dreams in other places.
After a month-long training camp, Carlisle and Bird discussed and studied the situation repeatedly, and finally decided on the team's final roster for the season!
Centers: Brad Miller, Matt Bonner, Zahn Tabak
Power Forwards: Chris Webber, Udonis Haslem, Primoz Brezec
Small Forwards: Ron Artest, Josh Howard, Chris Jeffries
Shooting Guards: Doug Christie, Manu Ginobili
Point Guards: Lin Tian, Tony Parker, Jamison Brewer
As is customary, Bird and Carlisle only finalized a roster of fourteen players, leaving one spot open for unforeseen circumstances.
At the same time, due to the team's performance last season and the personnel changes this season, Carlisle and Bird have almost completely replaced the team's fringe lineup. They need some fresh blood, and they need some new people to join the team to increase its vitality.
Apart from Zahn Tabak, who made a crucial rebound in Game 4 of last season's Finals and contributed significantly to Lin Tian's game-winning shot, successfully staying with the team, the Pacers' fringe roster is completely revamped compared to last season.
Of course, it's new, but whether it's effective or not depends on how the matches actually go.
In addition, considering that neither Artest nor Christie is suitable to be a substitute, and that the Pacers really don't have any other shooting guards besides Ginobili, after research and experimentation, Carlisle decided to change the team's core playing style this season!
He wants to start both Christie and Artest, two of the league's best defenders, to increase the team's defensive capabilities.
The Pacers need to start their season with defense!
At the same time, as Christie gets older, his speed is visibly declining, and Artest is not the type of player who is good at fast breaks and sprinting. The Pacers' original three-line fast break and ubiquitous counterattack will definitely not be able to be played.
Therefore, the Pacers will most likely focus on defense this season and play more half-court sets.
Fortunately, the starting lineup the team can field now is quite good in terms of defensive capabilities.
The perimeter trio are all defensive players of the All-Defensive First Team caliber, not to mention the team's big men. As for the team's interior, Brad Miller is tall and big enough, and although his rim protection and defense can't compare to Ben Wallace's, they are still at an average level.
The only player who would be a liability on the defensive end is Webber.
How to keep Webber out of the game and prevent him from becoming a scoring opportunity for the opponent, thus causing the defensive system to collapse, is definitely one of the Pacers' biggest problems this season.
However, Carlisle did not remain troubled or melancholy for long.
For a period of time, he couldn't even see Webber anymore.
In the first two preseason games, the Pacers once again traveled to China for the China Games, this time facing the Toronto Raptors, a team that doesn't have much popularity in China.
This is the result of Stern's thinking.
Given Lin Tian's popularity in China, it would be a waste to pair him with teams like the Lakers, Nets, Mavericks, or Timberwolves for the preseason.
Overflow!
waste!
Next year, let's send the Lakers and Nets to play a game to test our firepower and see how ticket sales and viewership are without Lin Tian.
If it continues to sell well, then Stern will have to find some other things to do next!
The scale, attention, and ticket sales of these two China Games were no different from the previous year; they were still incredibly popular, allowing the NBA to make a good profit once again.
Unlike the previous time, this time Stern accompanied both teams to China and even gave a speech at the preseason game.
Of course, 99% of the people present couldn't understand what he was babbling about, nor were they in the mood to listen. In fact, most of them didn't even know who this little old man was.
However, the Chinese fans were very respectful. As the saying goes, "guests from afar are honored," and instead of booing Stern, they cheered and applauded him.
This made Stern feel embarrassed.
When was the last time he appeared on the field without being booed? It must have been at least 10 years.
In NBA arenas, people enjoy booing and swearing at him.
So touching!
The people on the other side of the ocean are so wonderful!
Of course, Stern's trip wasn't just about giving a speech and showing his face at the preseason game. His bigger goal was to have a more detailed discussion with the people from China Sports about further in-depth cooperation.
In other words, after years of hard work and even losing money to gain publicity, the NBA has finally reached the point where it's time to reap the rewards and make money.
Stern was really looking forward to this! (End of Chapter)