LRAB Chapter 179 The Avengers are assembled! New version
Chapter 179 The Avengers are assembled! New version
Chapter 179 The Avengers are assembled! A brand new version of Lin Tian!
"Hey Larry, how's it going in Indiana? I just got off at a friend's wedding, got some time to grab a drink?"
Bird's eyes lit up when he heard his old friend's voice!
coming!
Here it comes!
"Drink! Danny, come to my office! I have some good wine in my office, when are you coming?" Bird readily agreed, and at the same time took out two bottles of top-quality wine from his drawer, both in terms of vintage and brand.
Today, I'll risk everything and take down this old bastard!
The person who called Bird was his former teammate, Celtics' legendary guard Danny Ainge!
However, Ainge has been retired for two years now, but! Although he has been retired for two years, Bird knows very well how disciplined his former teammate is. Not only has he not gained any weight, but he also occasionally acts as a trainer and trains with the players. Moreover, it is said that this guy has picked up his beloved baseball again and is playing for a semi-professional baseball team in Boston!
There are definitely no problems with my physical functions!
During his playing days, Danny Ainge was an extremely talented player with exceptional basketball IQ! Despite not having particularly outstanding physical attributes, he played in the league for a full 14 years, was selected to the All-Star team once, and won two championships! He averaged 11 points and 4 assists per game throughout his career, and at his peak, he averaged 18 points and 6 assists per game!
Just two years ago when he retired, he was still averaging 7 points and 3 assists per game, with a 37% three-point shooting percentage!
Now, two years later, it's unrealistic to expect the 38-year-old Ainge to start or even play all 82 regular season games.
But what if we only let him hold on for two months, and during those two months he unleashes all his physical reserves without any restraint?
There's a high chance there's a way!
Since Ainge isn't going to be a starter anyway, he can use his football intelligence and shooting skills to hold out for 15 minutes during rotation time!
Bird was basking in his own thoughts as he began to sober up.
He had already decided that if Angie didn't agree, he would get him drunk and make him sign the contract while he was tipsy!
As for his position with the Celtics...
Well, Auerbach certainly won't be angry!
Absolutely not!
"Larry, why didn't you go to a pub? Why did you have to do this in the office? Are you trying to show off your achievements?" Half an hour later, Danny Angie arrived at Bird's office, looking around at the decor as he said, "After you left, the old man was furious! He almost smashed up half the training facility!"
"But I'm still quite happy. He said he'll make me his successor when he retires!"
"So, do you think if you also ran away, the old man would be so angry that he'd have a heart attack?" Bird poured Angie a glass of wine and asked tentatively.
"If I were to become the general manager, I think there's a high probability I would, but if I were to return to playing, I doubt they'd be too angry," Ainge shrugged and joked. "But I don't think anywhere other than the WNBA would want me."
"You can come to Indiana, how about playing for me for a year?" Bird continued to probe.
"Great! Hahaha, give me a contract like Lin's, and I'll come right away! I'll give you my life!" Angie raised her glass and clinked it with Bird's.
"Seriously, you've been eliminated by Michael twice in the Finals, right? Once with the Trail Blazers, and once with the Suns! You were on the losing team both times, if I remember correctly?"
"That's right! I lost two consecutive Finals, both to the Bulls." Ainge took another sip of his drink and said, "But early in my career, I swept them twice, something they never did!"
"I swept them all away," Bird rolled his eyes. "Never mind that, do you want revenge?"
"Revenge? You don't really want me to be your assistant coach, do you? Don't you already have Isaiah?" Ainge looked at Bird and shook his head, saying, "The old man will kill me. I won't work in the management of another team."
"Well, I won't be an assistant coach or scout or anything like that. But if there's a place that wants me to be a general manager, that's a different story."
"Who said it's management? How about coming here for another year? We need a third point guard," Bird said with a smile.
"Are you crazy? Stop making such ridiculous jokes." Angie sneered, not believing Bird was serious at all.
"Drink! Again!" Bird smiled, said nothing more, and continued pouring drinks.
……
The next morning, there was an extra person at the Pacers' practice court. This guy looked drunk and was obviously still hungover.
"Danny? What are you doing here? Did that idiot poach you from Boston to be an assistant coach?" Barkley asked curiously upon seeing an old acquaintance. "Isn't he afraid Auerbach will get rid of him?"
"I'm here to play basketball." Ainge's eyes were still a little swollen. "God knows how much that bastard poured on me last night. All I know is that I've already signed a one-year minimum salary contract, and it's a damn non-guaranteed one at that! That bastard Larry!"
At this moment, in Bird's office, he was holding his phone, which was a good half meter away from his ear. Even so, the frantic cursing coming from the other end of the line still made Bird's ears hurt.
"Are you ever going to stop?! You're not keeping any of my team?! Go ahead and poach me too! FUXX! You damn idiot! You think I won't kill you right now?!" Auerbach's furious voice came from the other end of the phone: "You can't do this! You quit, and then you take Danny with you?!"
"How about you just take the entire Celtics team with you? Hmm? From now on, we'll call them the Indiana Celtics, okay? Would that satisfy you?"
"Teacher, I'm just borrowing Danny for a year! I swear, just one year! I promise I won't leave him any position in management! I'm just letting him play for two months to fill the gap when Lin is away." Bird was nowhere to be seen at this moment, having lost all his former swagger. He was being scolded so badly that he could only keep explaining.
"Shut up! Shut up!" Auerbach continued to roar, "You're a bastard! A damn idiot! A stupid bird who only knows how to play tricks! Don't even think about making any deals with me again! Don't expect any help from me! I wish you'd never win a championship!"
After Auerbach finished speaking, he slammed the phone down.
Then, less than 10 seconds later, Auerbach called again: "If you dare let Danny do anything with you guys other than play basketball, I'll really hire someone to go to Indiana and kill you!"
Then, the phone was abruptly hung up again!
Despite being treated so roughly, Bird breathed a sigh of relief.
He knew Auerbach's temper well; a scolding meant he wasn't really angry, it was just a way to vent his frustration.
If they remain silent and give no response, that would be truly terrible.
In addition, he finally found the last piece of the puzzle for the Pacers, so the scolding he received wasn't entirely undeserved.
Anyway, the Pacers' official 15-man roster is finally complete!
The team has successfully found a suitable third point guard. Although Ainge is indeed quite old, he is only responsible for the role of the third point guard. Once Lin Tian returns to the team, Ainge will hardly get any playing time.
Ultimately, a player with such rich experience is a valuable asset to any team, especially since Ainge is the latest member of the Pacers' "revenge Jordan squad".
He also has an experience that none of the other players on the team have: losing to Jordan twice in the Finals!
Whether it's the team's roster being successfully completed or the "revenge squad" receiving reinforcements, everyone on the Pacers team should be happy!
But the happiest person among them was not Bird.
It was Lin Tian!
Just as Bird announced the signing of Danny Ainge, completing the team's 15-man roster, Lin Tian finally received the long-awaited system notification!
"Host has completed the mission! Would you like to claim the reward?"
Mission accomplished?
Lin Tian had almost forgotten about this thing!
The task was clearly stated: Lin Tian had to sign a contract.
Just as Lin Tian was overjoyed to sign this record-breaking contract, expecting to receive his first S+ level mission rating, the system seemed to be dead, refusing to notify him that the mission was complete.
At first, Lin Tian tried various methods to stimulate the system to see what was wrong, but after all the attempts failed, Lin Tian gave up on the matter.
Let's just consider it a bug, what else can we do?
Unexpectedly, at this moment, the system gave a message that the task was completed!
Sure enough, Lin Tian knew that this broken system's broken task wasn't something that could be done casually by simply signing a contract.
The system needs a completely new team to be assembled! Rewards will only be distributed then!
So, besides his own contract amount, other aspects such as team roster, strength ranking, team popularity, and even the sensation and chain reaction that Lin Tian caused in the league when he signed the contract must be indicators for the system's rating!
I wonder what rating the system will give me this time?
Anyway, if you let Lin Tian give it to himself, he'll definitely give himself an S+!
Well, of course, Lin Tian's standards are not worth referring to at all. His standard is that it must be S+, and he has to give himself S+ even for a basic salary contract!
As for whether the system will actually obey...
"Calculating the host's mission level, please wait..."
Contract Amount: S+!
"Contract impact level: S+!"
"New team strength: S!"
"Causes a chain reaction: A!"
What the heck?
Lin Tian had no objections to the other items, feeling that the system was fairly objective.
But what the heck is this chain reaction?
Players like Barkley, Dumars, Ben Wallace, and Ainge have all taken completely different paths from their original careers. This chain reaction deserves an A.
How do we get an S+? We really need to get rid of Jordan and build a completely new team in Chicago with Krause…
FUXX!
Lin Tian finally understood.
What could be more shocking than him driving Jordan out of Chicago?
I, Lord Lin, am just too kind-hearted!
Next time we meet, I'll beat Jordan to a pulp! Consider it an apology for missing out on the S+ package!
"Host's final rating: S!"
"An S-level gift pack has been issued to the host. Would you like to open it immediately?"
"Open it!" Lin Tian opened his gift pack without hesitation.
"Host has gained 3000 experience points!"
"Host has obtained 3 Peak Star Player Trial Cards!"
"Michael Jordan Experience Card (Full Game) for the 86-87 Season!"
"Michael Jordan Experience Card (Full Game) for the 90-91 Season!"
"Michael Jordan Experience Card (Full Game) for the 97-98 Season!"
Gone.
enough!
After all, it's just an S-level mission pack, not an S-level season overall rating pack, so this reward can already be considered 'generous'.
Lin Tian chuckled as he looked at the three Michael Jordan experience cards lined up in a row. What does "copy player" even mean?
What a load of bullshit, Kise.
It is indeed Laozi, the high-ranking official Lin!
Three Jordan trial cards, and they happen to be for three different stages!
87 was the year Jordan averaged his highest points per game in his career, which was 37 points per game!
That year, Jordan was young and invincible, full of energy and able to fly and dunk!
91 was the year Jordan won his first championship. That year marked the pinnacle of his physical and technical prowess, a fusion of flight and shooting, and one of the strongest and most terrifying two or three years of his career.
In that year's Finals, Jordan hit 13 consecutive shots, stunning Magic Johnson.
There's no need to talk about Jordan in 98. Although his physical abilities declined significantly, his post-up game and shooting skills were already at their peak, making him arguably the best in the world!
Jordan in three phases, three completely different playing styles, three similar yet different states.
Lin Tian made a decision almost immediately: keep these three trial cards! He wouldn't use a single one during the regular season!
We'll bring it out when we face Jordan and the Bulls in the playoffs and use it consecutively!
Let Jordan know what it means to always live in someone else's shadow, and let Jordan take a good look in the mirror and see how much he resembles his former self!
Then, with the team's roster finalized and the group having spent half a month getting to know each other, Lin Tian had a general understanding of the team's strength.
First of all, the Pacers' offensive lineup is absolutely luxurious. In addition to Lin Tian himself, the team also has three offensive players who are still at their peak or at the tail end of their peak: Barkley, Miller, and Schmitz. Barkley has strong attacks under the basket, Miller has three-pointers, and Schmitz has mid-range shots.
With just these three players, the Pacers can definitely launch a very beautiful offense with great space and layering!
Add to that Jalen Rose, one of the famous Michigan Fab Five back in the day, who is getting better and better as a fourth-year forward, and the four of them, along with Lin Tian himself, form the Indiana Five, which can definitely produce the most dazzling and beautiful offense in the league!
But of these five players, apart from Lin Tian and Rose, the other three are complete defensive sieves! Although Schmitz is 224 cm tall, he can only grab 6-7 rebounds per game, and his block count is only around 1.
Barkley can rebound and score, but given his weight and current lateral movement, asking him to defend is really asking too much of him.
As for Miller, although he is mentally determined and plays with great intensity and is willing to give his all on defense, his physical attributes and ability to compete are simply not enough to make him a qualified defensive player.
This starting lineup boasts an explosive offense, but its defense is negligible.
However, although the starting lineup couldn't defend, the Pacers' bench had two defensive powerhouses, Ben Wallace and Dale Davis, but unfortunately, those were the only two available.
The Pacers have Danny Ainge and Kevin Dumars in their backcourt, but given their age, it's best not to expect them to be good defenders; just getting them to run the offense is enough.
As for small forwards... well, let's not talk about them!
As Lin Tian pondered the Pacers' entire roster, from starters to substitutes, he gradually gained a better understanding.
This team's offense is currently flawless, definitely among the top three in the league, but their defense is truly disappointing. While not among the worst in the league, it's certainly in the lower half.
This time, my upgrade will focus on improving my defensive capabilities!
Currently, thanks to the rewards from the two gift packs and Jordan's massive experience boost at the end of the season, plus the experience accumulated during the Eastern Conference Finals, the NBA Finals, the offseason, and training camp, Lin Tian has accumulated over 8000 experience points. As for which skill to upgrade...
防守向的技能，林天身上也就是『攻防一体LV2(1082/7000)』能全面增加防守能力、『飞天神猪LV2(981/4000)』可以提升篮板和力量，以及专精抢断的『手套截断LV3(699/8000)』。
Hmm... 8000 experience points are definitely not enough!
After thinking for a while, Lin Tian decided to improve his "offensive and defensive all-round" skills. After all, there were four tall guys, Barkley, Davis, Ben Wallace and Schmitz, to grab the rebounds, so there wouldn't be any problem. Improving the steals alone would be too inefficient.
After all, the Pacers' defensive shortcomings are all-encompassing!
As for the remaining 2000-odd experience points...
Lin Tian upgraded the 'Killer Beetle' he got from Hardaway after the Eastern Conference Finals last season to LV2!
Defense?
When it comes to playing basketball, being handsome comes first! Being handsome is everything!
"Offensive and defensive all-around LV3 (0/14000): Mid-range shooting percentage increased by 7%, finishing ability under the basket increased by 7%, penetration ability increased by 7%, rebounding ability increased by 7%, post-up ability increased by 7%, one-on-one defense increased by 7%, steal ability increased by 7%, and shot blocking ability increased by 7%."
「杀手甲虫LV2（0/4000）：提升宿主运球能力13%、突破能力13%！」
After improving such a comprehensive skill, Lin Tian quickly opened his system panel.
Name: Lin Tian
Age: 24
Height: 191 cm
Weight: 86KG
Physical Assessment: Jumping A, Speed S+, Strength B+, Stamina S+, Explosiveness A+, Coordination A+, Awareness S-
Overall physical assessment: S-
Offensive ratings: Shooting A, Dribbling A+, Passing S, Penetration A+, Low Post C, Dunk A, Fast Break S+
Overall Offense Rating: A+
Defensive ratings: Rebounding B+, Stealing S-, Top defense C+, Blocking B-, Help defense B+, Boxing out B-, One-on-one defense A-
Overall defensive rating: B
Special abilities: All-Seeing Eye, Pretty Boy, Lightning Speed, Human Cannon, Czech Iron Man, Leap of China
技能：挡拆投篮LV3（3527/4000）、单手快传LV3(3373/10000)、手套截断LV3(871/8000)、犹他城墙LV2（585/3000)、飞翔曼巴LV3（961/10000）、巅峰时刻LV2(1129/7000)、飞天神猪LV2(1301/4000)、快枪手LV1（678/2000）、攻防一体LV3(0/14000)、杀手甲虫LV2（0/4000)
物品：肥厚脂肪（3次）、伤病豁免（1次）、增肥药剂（一瓶）、米勒时刻（10秒）、谜样年纪（3分钟）、恶意犯规（3次）、16-17赛季拉塞尔·威斯布鲁克体验卡（单月）、86-87赛季麦可·乔丹体验卡（全场）、90-91赛季麦可·乔丹体验卡（全场）、97-98赛季麦可·乔丹体验卡（全场）
XP: 1291
Task: None
How to put it? The "Offense and Defense in One" skill does improve many aspects, but it's too evenly distributed, and the improvement isn't particularly significant in any one area.
However, the improvement from a specialized skill like "Killer Beetle" is much more significant! It directly improved Lin Tian's dribbling and breakthrough skills from A- before the Eastern Conference Finals this year to A+.
This is partly due to the skill itself improving from zero to LV2, but it is also due to Lin Tianyi's hard work throughout the summer!
It's worth noting that Lin Tian didn't slack off during this offseason. After confirming his joining the Pacers, he began very rigorous training, which led to a comprehensive improvement for him! His abilities in dribbling, penetration, jumping, dunking, rebounding, and positioning have all increased significantly.
Compared to last season, Lin Tian has definitely evolved and become stronger this season. Although his defense is still only slightly above average, it's enough for this Pacers team for now... well, it's enough for now!
The most important thing is still offense!
If we only consider the point guard position, Lin Tian's offense is definitely the best in the league right now!
Even looking at the entire league's perimeter players, apart from a handful like Jordan, Iverson, Rice, and Richmond, no one else can compare to Lin Tian!
Not to mention, Lin Tian also has an unpredictable and amazing passing technique!
Lin Tian is confident that he is the best point guard in the league this season, both offensively and overall!
As for defense?
What's the difference between putting point guards out for defense and putting Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon out for three-point shooting?
Putting the cart before the horse!
Hmm... it's targeting defensive specialists like Kidd and Payton.
Bah! You lot are all neglecting your duties!
After completing the upgrade, it's time to wait for the preseason to begin and see what surprises this team can bring to the league. Of course, the most important thing is how the Pacers will get through the first two months of the season.
Just two days ago, the NBA officially released the complete schedule and broadcast plans for each team in the new season.
步行者队的首秀是在10月31日，他们接下来要在11月打14场比赛，在12月打15场比赛。
Lin Tian's remaining 22-game suspension will end in mid-December. Lin Tian's first game back will be the Pacers' home game against the Houston Rockets on December 17!
His first game back is against the Rockets, who made it to the Western Conference Finals last year but lost key members to the Pacers this year. This game is definitely going to be a highlight!
Naturally, Lin Tian's first appearance of the season was highly anticipated, and the game was broadcast live across the United States without any suspense!
Throughout the season, the Pacers had a total of 27 nationally televised games! That ranks third in the NBA this season! It's also a new franchise high for the Pacers! In fact, in the entire history of the Pacers, they have never had more than 20 nationally televised games in a single season!
This season, only the Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls, two top-tier teams in terms of viewership, have more nationally televised games than the Pacers.
One week after Lin Tian's return, the most anticipated day of the regular season will arrive!
Christmas Battle!
The league, always quick to create drama, didn't disappoint its fans. Tonight, the Pacers will face the Bulls on the road! This is also Lin Tian's first return to the United Center since leaving Chicago, and he will receive his championship ring tonight!
This match is absolutely the focus of everyone's attention, and it will definitely be the absolute star of Christmas night!
Lin Tian and Jordan, the former star backcourt duo, will finally see their match tonight!
However, it's still a bit early to look ahead to the Christmas Day game or even the entire season. For Pacers fans right now, the most wonderful thing is undoubtedly that although Lin Tian can't play in the regular season, he can play in the preseason!
Indiana's fans, known throughout the league for their fervor, snapped up all the preseason tickets well in advance!
They wanted to see what this championship-winning guard of the past two years, this guy who signed the biggest contract in history, this guy who made their city's king Miller willing to play a supporting role, really had!
In their first preseason game, the Pacers hosted their first opponent: the Detroit Pistons!
The City Square Arena, located at 46204-3610 South Pennsylvania Street in Indianapolis, is definitely one of the most popular places for Indianapolis residents.
As a team that joined the league in 1976, the Pacers have not won a championship or even reached the Finals in more than 20 years, but they have perfect fans that make everyone in the United States envious and jealous!
With attendance consistently ranking among the top five in the league, they almost never leave early, demonstrating their unwavering desire for a miracle.
Passion, loyalty, unwavering commitment, and boundless energy—these are all labels that belong to the Indiana fans. Perhaps it is precisely because of the fans' madness and support that Miller, a man of strong emotions, would rather never win a championship than leave this place.
Tonight, in the Pacers' preseason debut, City Square Arena was once again packed to capacity with 18400 fans.
Their passion didn't even wait until the competition officially started.
As the team entered the field to begin warming up, the fans showered the players with their passion and love without reservation!
"My God, this place is truly heaven." Barkley exclaimed as he shot a basket, basking in the cheers of the fans. "This used to be one of the three arenas I hated most! But when I became a player for my team, I discovered how incredibly appealing it is!"
"If the fans in Philadelphia and Phoenix are this crazy, I definitely won't leave!"
"Come on, Charles, you're just a coward! Soft and spineless!" Miller wasn't about to tolerate this fat old man, and said mercilessly, "Otherwise, you wouldn't have been beaten up by Michael and running around like this!"
"Nonsense! When did I get beaten up by Michael and have to run around?" Barkley's eyes widened, his face full of displeasure.
"Yeah, Reggie, Charles was never beaten up by Michael and had to run around like that." Lin Tian stepped forward and said, "The people who beat Charles up and made him run around like that were David Robinson, Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Michael Jordan."
"Especially Hakeem Olajuwon! The Rockets crushed Charles twice in the playoffs!" Lin Tian said with a mischievous grin. "And then, if you can't beat them, join them! Charles became a proud Houstonian!"
"Shut up, Lin! Shut up!" Barkley said, looking annoyed. "Can you guys go warm up and shoot some hoops, then get away from me? Or have some mercy and go check on Joe, he's about to cry!"
Barkley gestured towards midfield, and a group of people immediately spotted Dumars there shaking hands and signing autographs with several fans wearing Pistons jerseys.
Lin Tian could vaguely see tears in Dumas's eyes and hear him muttering, "Thank you for your support, thank you for coming from Detroit! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I swear, after I retire, I will definitely return to Detroit, I will definitely go back and fight alongside you!"
Another person of strong emotions!
Lin Tian walked over, patted Dumars on the shoulder, and then looked at the fans, saying, "I'll beat Michael with Joe! You guys hate Michael and the Bulls the most, right?"
"No, we hate you the most!" one Pistons fan said. "You tricked Joe away! And you eliminated us in the playoffs two years ago!"
"But if you can win a championship with Joe, we won't boo you when you go to Auburn Hills!" Another Pistons fan reached out and bumped fists with Lin Tian.
"It's a deal! You can't boo me anymore!" Lin Tian shrugged with a smile. "Because this year, we're definitely going to win! Then, I'll give Joe back to you!"
"Charles, where are your die-hard fans?" Miller couldn't help but taunt, looking at Lin Tian and Dumars over there. "In Philadelphia and Phoenix, you didn't even have a single fan willing to travel with you to away games?"
"Shut up, Reggie! Shut up!" Barkley roared, enraged. "Do you believe I'll tear your mouth off?"
"Too many people want to tear my mouth off, Charles," Miller said nonchalantly. "But have you forgotten where you are? This is Indiana, this is my territory!"
"It's Lin's territory!" Barkley finally found his chance and retorted to Miller, "He's the leader!"
"But I'm the most popular one. You know how many girls would respond if you shouted 'Who wants to sleep with Reggie Miller?' in an Indiana nightclub?"
"Come on, Reggie, are you sure you want to compete with Lin to see who's more popular with girls? That bastard has so many women that even Michael's jealous!" Barkley sneered. "The difference between your womanizing skills and his might be bigger than the difference in your contract amounts!"
"Everyone, come here!" Bird suddenly shouted from the sidelines. Today was his first time coaching a game, and he was a little nervous.
It felt just like when he brought a girl home for the first time in his second year of high school!
"Relax, buddy! You can definitely do it!" Isiah Thomas, now the Pacers' lead assistant coach, said with a smile, "You need to calm down. Think about what methods you have to stay calm. Use them all! It'll be alright!"
"There really is one!" Bird clapped his hands and said, "How could I forget my specialty? Thank you, Isaiah, I knew you'd be fine with me here!"
"Isaiah, Joe's got such a great fanbase! It's genuinely enviable." Bird grinned mischievously at Thomas. "But aren't you both from Detroit?"
"Where are your fans? Why isn't a single one of your fans here to watch the game?"
After Thomas reminded him, Bird pulled out his secret weapon for relieving his stress!
"You have a foul mouth!"
"Fuck you! You'll go to hell, you bastard!" Thomas roared. "How many years have I been retired? Besides, I'm not making a comeback as a player, it's completely different, okay? And you? Boston isn't far from here, you have fans there... Fuck you! Go to hell, you bastard!"
Thomas was about to try and do the same thing, but before he could finish his sentence, Bird pointed to the stands not far away, where several fans wearing green and white Celtics jerseys were waving at him.
Clearly, true die-hard fans will not leave because their idols retire; they will only become more passionate!
Lin Tian, who had just walked to the sidelines, saw Thomas sitting angrily on the bench and asked curiously, "What's wrong with him?"
"No big deal, it'll be back to normal in two minutes at most." Bird shrugged and said casually, "Come on, everyone, let's have one last pre-battle meeting."
"It's just a preseason game, everyone don't need to be too nervous or push themselves too hard. Just warm up, run around and have fun," Bird said, clapping his hands. "You're all seasoned veterans, so I won't say anything else. Just bring out what you've been practicing! Go for it."
Lin Tian extended his hand, and then Miller, Barkley, Schmitz, Ross, and the others placed their hands on his. Lin Tian shouted first, "Indiana!"
"Championship!"
After a loud roar, the all-new Pacers team officially stepped onto the battlefield!
Their opponents, the Detroit Pistons, had won 50+ games the previous year and made the playoffs.
This season, they have retained most of their starting lineup from last season. In other words, only Dumars left the team. With the departure of this absolute leader off the court, Grant Hill is now in charge of taking over the leadership role. He must lead the team both on and off the court.
Well... not many people are optimistic about it right now.
Almost everyone believed that although Hill was strong, versatile, and often achieved incredible statistics, as a leader, especially as the leader of a city like Detroit, Hill's lukewarm personality and overly elegant demeanor made him untrustworthy.
Since Hill joined the team and the Pistons rebuilt around him, although the Pistons have consistently made the playoffs, they have never advanced past the first round! Not even once!
Rumors are circulating that if Hill fails to lead the Pistons past the first round this season, the management will begin sweeping reforms.
Detroiters are giving Hill fewer and fewer chances to prove himself!
Besides their absolute core player Hill, the Pistons' starting lineup also includes Lin Tian's teammate from last season, nicknamed "Buffalo" Brian Williams, strong guard Lynch Hunter, tall guard Malik Healy, and shot-blocking specialist Theo Ratliff.
This lineup... apart from Hill, the others are really not good enough.
Simply put, they have absolutely no star quality and are clearly not up to par to get past the first round of the playoffs!
After Lin Tian came on the court, he first hugged the recovered Williams, and then said, "Brian, I hope tonight won't leave you with any psychological trauma. If I were you, I would stay away from the basket, otherwise you'll definitely have nightmares."
"Whether you're a teammate or an opponent, you're just as annoying." Williams shrugged, indicating that he was used to Williams's behavior, and then turned back to his position.
The referee had already walked to the center circle and tossed the basketball high into the air, officially launching the first appearance of this brand-new Pacers team!
"Snapped!"
With a crisp sound, Schmitz, standing at 224 centimeters, easily secured possession for the Pacers, thanks to his significant height advantage.
The basketball came into Lin Tian's hands. He just dribbled it once in place, and then suddenly made a one-handed bounce pass, sending the basketball directly to the frontcourt!
His pass was incredibly sudden, almost brushing against the outside of Hill and Hunter's thighs, and went straight through the Pistons' entire defense!
Jalen Rose and Lin Tian have developed good chemistry in training camp. As the only player in the starting lineup besides Lin Tian who can run and jump, he was the one to take the lead. He rushed to the frontcourt, grabbed Lin Tian's pass, jumped up easily, and slammed the ball up with both hands for a dunk!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, the Pacers took the lead in less than 4 seconds!
The fans in the entire arena immediately erupted in deafening cheers and shouts. Lin Tian only took 4 seconds to completely excite the entire Indiana!
In the Pistons' offense, Hunter dribbled the ball up the court and immediately found Hill. Hill didn't hesitate much when facing Rose, and his terrifying explosiveness was displayed in an instant. He easily passed Rose in one step and then went straight into the paint. Before Schmitz and Barkley could react, he easily made a layup!
Turning around, Lin Tian quickly drove to the frontcourt with the ball. This time, he didn't call for a screen. Instead, he dribbled between his legs while shifting his weight quickly to the right.
Hunter immediately moved half a step in that direction, but that half step caused him to lose all his defensive positions!
Lin Tian quickly changed direction to get past Hunter and then drove straight into the paint like lightning. The Pistons' interior defense was slightly faster, and Ratliff took a step to the side to block Lin Tian. But Lin Tian's pass was even faster. Before Ratliff could even get his footing, the basketball had already slipped past his fingertips.
"Whoosh!"
Barkley, who was behind Hunter, jumped up, grabbed the basketball, and then gently passed it to the basket.
"You're not even taking off your shirt, Charles? You've gotten so old!" Lin Tian reached out and gave Barkley a high five in celebration, while also cracking a joke.
"Dunking on an empty basket is no fun, a poster dunk is my signature move!" Barkley raised his hands and waved them around to incite the fans, clearly very excited at that moment!
Even though it was just an alley-oop layup, he still celebrated it with the same intensity as if he were dunking!
(End of this chapter)