r18novel Chapter 1113 If you try to take care of both, you'll lose both!
Chapter 1113 If you try to take care of both, you'll lose both!
Lin Tian suddenly intensified his defense against Rubio, increasing the intensity and shifting from simple lead defense to a tough and aggressive pressing defense.
Rubio was taken aback by the sudden increase in defensive intensity. He was unable to cope for a moment. Rubio, who had played almost perfectly for the previous ten minutes without making a single mistake, was forced to make a mistake by Lin Tian in a one-on-one situation!
Lin Tian made a direct 1-on-1 steal, snatching the ball from Rubio's hands and then tossing it forward to Xu Yong.
Xu Yong didn't hold back either, speeding up to the frontcourt and unleashing a powerful windmill dunk!
They've tied it!
45: 45!
With 4 minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the first half, the score was tied again!
The advantage that the Spanish team had painstakingly built up since the beginning of the match was finally completely exhausted at this moment!
The Spanish coach thought for a moment, but instead of calling a timeout, he gestured a few times, which was taken as a tactical instruction.
When Spain attacked again, Rubio became more cautious. Even when Lin Tian suddenly increased the intensity, the kid adapted successfully and did not make any more basic mistakes.
But all Rubio can do is adapt to Lin Tian's defense; expecting him to orchestrate the team's play and deliver brilliant passes like he did in the first quarter is clearly impossible.
He barely managed to avoid making a mistake, and then passed the ball to Navarro, using almost every trick in the book!
These two rounds quickly demonstrated the huge gap between Lin Tian and Rubio.
If Rubio were to enter the league now, he could immediately become a qualified starter for a team, and might even play quite well.
But Lin Tian is number one in the league!
This is the huge difference between the two.
Fortunately, while the Spanish team needs Rubio to organize the offense, they don't rely on him. Navarro and Fernandez are both good passers, and Gasol is one of the best playmaking big men in the world today.
After Rubio passed the ball, Fernandez broke through, Navarro cut inside, and Gasol moved up – these three things happened almost simultaneously. The Chinese team's defense immediately broke down, and several players couldn't find their defensive positions and didn't know how to defend.
The final opportunity came from Pau Gasol, who received the ball near the free-throw line and immediately took a shot, a mid-range jumper that put his team back in the lead.
Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt once again, and then dribbled at the top of the arc, continuing to observe the Spanish team's defense.
Still no one to help defend!
It seemed as if the Spanish team had reached some kind of consensus during that timeout; they were no longer going to double-team Lin Tian.
Since you're not going to double-team me, then I won't hold back!
Lin Tian suddenly accelerated again, shaking off Rubio, and then suddenly stopped two steps inside the three-point line, gathered the ball, and finally raised it.
"Jump!"
Lin Tian was extremely arrogant, shouting as if to tell everyone that this was a feint.
Anyway, everyone who heard that word believed that Lin Tian must have made a feint.
Even Rubio, who was completely focused and giving his all to defend, knew that this shot was definitely a feint.
Unfortunately, his body was faster than his brain. Before his brain could give his body the instructions to stand still and raise his arms in defense, his body jumped up first.
Then Lin Tian leaned against Rubio and flicked his wrist, sending the basketball flying towards the basket.
"Whoosh!"
"Beep beep! 2 points valid, blocking foul, 1 free throw!"
Immediately following was a crisp sound and a whistle, and Lin Tian scored 2+1 in the second round!
"Aren't you going to double-team me? Did you offend your coach during the timeout? Is he deliberately trying to ruin you, which is why he's letting you go one-on-one with me?" Lin Tian continued to taunt Rubio after successfully drawing a foul from him.
"This is a required course for me to enter the NBA! If I can't even stop you, there's no point in me entering the NBA!" Then, Rubio said something that Lin Tian found astonishing.
"Are you crazy?" Lin Tian even reached out and pressed Rubio's head considerately: "You don't have a fever, so why are you talking nonsense?"
"You two! What are you doing!" The referee noticed the physical contact between the two and immediately became alarmed, walking towards them.
"Friendly exchange, very friendly indeed." Lin Tian raised his hands to indicate his innocence, then looked at Rubio and said, "If we follow your standards, if you can't defend me and I don't make it to the NBA, then I'll be the only one left in the entire NBA."
"Because no one in this world can stop me."
"No, you mean you're going to make all the players quit the NBA, and then you'll form a new league? So I'll be the only one left in the NBA?"
Faced with Lin Tian's taunts and trash talk, Rubio chose to keep his mouth shut and remained silent. At this moment, his fairly handsome face was filled with grievance and resentment.
Coupled with Lin Tian's arrogant and mocking expression, the British people at the scene went even crazier.
They suddenly let out a deafening shout at the two men.
They weren't this excited when Lin Tian dunked.
If Lin Tian knew what kind of rubbish these people were thinking, he would probably tear Rubio to pieces on the spot and throw him into the Thames.
That's disgusting.
But the British truly live up to their reputation!
Even this can ignite a fire.
Soon, Lin Tian stepped up to the free-throw line again and calmly made another free throw.
Then, just like the previous two rounds, Lin Tian continued to apply high-pressure, tight defense to Rubio.
Under Lin Tian's relentless pressure, Rubio has completely lost his strategic significance. His role on the field has been reduced to simply dribbling the ball up the court and then passing it to Navarro or Fernandez.
Of course, Spain didn't make any changes to their lineup either, since bringing on Calderón wouldn't make much difference in effect; it would still be the same.
In other words, the Spanish team did not rely on Rubio, so their attack was still quite good, and Fernandez quickly broke through and scored again.
But then, when Lin Tian realized that Spain was still not double-teaming him, he once again unleashed his firepower.
He started from beyond the three-point line again, and only took two steps before stopping. But this time, Lin Tian didn't collect the ball. Instead, he stopped, changed direction, accelerated, and then stopped after only one dribble. He then faked another move and changed direction again to accelerate.
This time, Lin Tian finally gathered the ball and lifted it into the air, shouting again, "Jump!"
Rubio jumped up again.
Lin Tian's words were as effective as a spell to steal Rubio's soul; as soon as he shouted them out, Rubio would immediately jump up.
This time, however, Lin Tian didn't try to draw a foul from Rubio. Instead, he turned around and brushed Rubio behind him. Then, he took a step forward, jumped, and after a moment of hang time in the air, threw the ball out in a horse-riding archery stance.
"Whoosh!"
Go in again!
Lin Tian has made all three of his shots since the Spanish team stopped double-teaming him!
Following Spain's attack, they finally missed this time!
Navarro's three-point attempt missed, and Yi Jianlian grabbed the rebound and passed it to Lin Tian.
Lin Tian dribbled the ball and drove fast down the court. Just when everyone thought he was going to shake off Rubio and dunk at the basket, Lin Tian suddenly slowed down just after crossing the mid-court line.
Then, with two consecutive crossover dribbles followed by a crossover dribble, Lin Tian was only a fraction of a second too slow before disappearing from Rubio's sight once again.
He blew past Rubio again and came to the three-point line.
Lin's chase-down stop and three-pointer, unleashing his sword once again!
"Whoosh!"
After another crisp sound, the Chinese team was no longer just in the lead; they began to extend their advantage!
"pause!"
The Spanish coach finally couldn't sit still any longer and got up to call a timeout.
But when all the players walked up to him, he suddenly didn't know what to say.
Is there something wrong with the team's performance?
There were almost no problems, and apart from Rubio being dispossessed in a one-on-one situation, it was practically no problem at all!
Even if Rubio was hit by Lin Tian several times in a row, it was all within the Spanish team's calculations.
They weren't really so arrogant as to be ignorant. Since they sent Rubio to face off against Lin Tian, they anticipated that Rubio would be completely outmatched.
It's just that I didn't expect it to be exposed so badly, so thoroughly, and so quickly.
This Lin Tian really doesn't waste any opportunity; he seizes it and beats people up.
就这幺2分钟，林天已经4投4中，罚球2罚2中轰下11分了。
The Spanish team's coach was also helpless.
He had to choose between letting Lin Tian pass the ball or letting Lin Tian score; he had to choose one of these two poisons to drink.
In the first quarter and the first half of the second quarter, he had Lin Tian pass the ball, and Lin Tian had 7 assists in the first quarter and 3 assists in the second quarter, totaling 10 assists and 0 turnovers in less than half a game.
How can we double-team them now?
After the timeout, the Spanish team switched to one-on-one defense, and then Lin Tian's attacks became even more frantic and unrestrained.
It's completely unbearable.
The Spanish coach let out a long sigh; he didn't know what to do.
But as a coach, he certainly couldn't say no, or that he didn't know what to do.
After some consideration, he finally decided to let Lin Tian pass the ball.
The timeout ended, and neither side made any personnel changes this time, sticking to the same lineups.
Rubio, under Lin Tian's defense, couldn't find a chance to receive the ball despite running continuously. In the end, the sideline ball simply bypassed Rubio, the point guard, and was passed to Fernandez.
After receiving the ball, Fernandez faced Sun Yue, changed direction and accelerated, trying to drive to the basket and overpower the tall guard.
But Sun Yue is a player whose selling point is his defense. Even though he is no longer in the NBA, it is impossible for every guard to just shoot at him whenever they want and score over his head.
It's not that easy.
Sun Yue chased after Fernandez with incredible speed, following him all the way to the basket. He then seized the opportunity when Fernandez jumped, leaping high and slapping Fernandez's layup against the backboard!
"Quick attack!"
Xu Yong grabbed the rebound and then dribbled the ball as he sprinted towards the frontcourt!
As the Raptors' star player, he certainly has the ability!
Lin Tian was originally following Xu Yong not far away, running alongside him, but Lin Tian soon noticed that the Spanish team's defenders were all focused on him, and no one was putting pressure on Xu Yong or trying to hinder his advance.
Upon seeing this situation, Lin Tian immediately guessed the Spanish team's strategy and method. He quickly moved away to the far end, leaving the left and middle lanes to Xu Yong.
Lin Tian's move seemed to be merely a change in his attack route, but in reality, at the same time Lin Tian moved, Xu Yong's surroundings were immediately empty!
Nobody paid him any attention; they all ran after Lin Tian, who was without a ball.
"Holy shit!" Even Xu Yong couldn't help but swear.
I'm an NBA All-Star, I led my team to the playoffs, and I'm the team leader who averages 20 points per game. Are you just going to ignore me like this?
Feeling a surge of dissatisfaction, Xu Yong immediately channeled his grief and anger into a leap, jumping up early and, after tracing an incredible distance and arc, using one arm to slam the ball into the basket once again!
"Where are they? Where are they?" After scoring, Xu Yong placed one hand on his eyebrow, arrogantly looking at the Spanish players who weren't defending him at all, and taunted, "If you're going to defend like this, I'm aiming for 100 points!"
"Did you hear that?! My brother's about to get 100 points! Hurry up and double-team him." Lin Tian returned to the middle lane, touched Xu Yong's hand, and continued to mock the Spanish players with a smile.
"Isn't that a bit unnecessary, bro?" Xu Yong couldn't help but say. "I can handle one-on-one or one-on-zero, there's no need to double-team me."
"Why not? You've got 12 points, you're the team's leading scorer, and I only have 11. If they don't double-team you, how can I catch up? How can I become the team's leading scorer?"
Xu Yong breathed a sigh of relief when Lin Tianyi said this.
Damn it, are you kidding me?! You scared the hell out of me, I almost thought Lin Tianzhen was going to do something drastic.
After Xu Yong's powerful dunk, Fernandez finally made his contribution in the next possession, breaking the team's scoring drought with a mid-range jump shot and stabilizing the situation.
During China's attack, Lin Tian once again brought the ball to the frontcourt, then stood still, even letting the basketball bounce twice on the floor, before opening his arms to look at Rubio and the other Spanish players.
"A double team, huh? Come on!"
Rubio saw an opportunity and immediately stepped forward, wanting to make a diving tackle. If he succeeded, the morale of the Spanish team would definitely be greatly boosted!
Unfortunately, who is Lin Tian? One of his greatest strengths is sneak attacks.
Faced with Rubio's sudden lunge, Lin Tian effortlessly caught the basketball with one hand, then spun around, leaving Rubio completely behind in the blink of an eye, who fell to the ground in a rather disheveled state.
Lin Tian gathered the ball, aimed, and Fernandez quickly arrived and jumped up, hoping to interfere with Lin Tian's shot.
But to everyone's surprise, Lin Tian didn't shoot at all, but instead passed the ball to Xu Yong next to him.
After receiving the ball, Xu Yong faced an empty defense and immediately accelerated, driving towards the basket!
Unfortunately, this attack was stopped by Marc Gasol with a foul. Although Xu Yong went to the free throw line, Lin Tian failed to get an assist.
However, this round also shows that the Spanish team is going to double-team Lin Tian again.
Double team, great!
Then, when the Chinese team attacked in the next round, the Spanish team's double-team finally came, and it came more directly and thoroughly.
Lin Tian had just reached the three-point line when Fernandez charged towards him, waving his arms.
As soon as Lin Tian saw this guy coming, he passed the ball to the side again.
However, the Spanish team had clearly learned their lesson this time. Their rotations were faster, and Xu Yong had already rushed over to help defend as soon as he got the ball. Xu Yong didn't greedily attack and passed the ball back to the bottom corner without even looking.
When Zhu Fangyu received the ball in the bottom corner, Spain's Marc Gasol also rushed over. Their speed and system of coordinated defense are indeed excellent!
Unfortunately, the Chinese team had already gained complete confidence. Zhu Fangyu did not shoot, but instead made a one-handed diagonal pass, which not only avoided Marc Gasol's defense, but also delivered the ball to Yi Jianlian, who was unguarded under the basket.
Yi Jianlian took the ball, jumped, and slammed the basketball into the basket with all his might!
"boom!"
With a loud bang, the Chinese team's attack became smoother and more exciting to watch!
But Spain is truly in a difficult situation.
Their head coach was grinding his teeth in frustration but couldn't come up with any way to target the Chinese team and Lin Tian.
He can only continue with the current strategy and try again, gambling on the Chinese team's form.
He had no other choice.
As for Lin Tian?
If you're going to surround me in Spain, I'll definitely cooperate. I, Lin Da Guanren, am so understanding!
So Lin Tian stopped again.
Dude, I'm not voting!
From the moment the Spanish team started double-teaming him until the end of the second quarter, Lin Tian didn't take another shot. His scoring stats remained at 4 out of 4, for a total of 11 points.
Although Lin Tian didn't score himself, his passes still found his teammates. However, because the Spanish team's defensive intensity and rotation speed did improve after the timeout, Lin Tian's passes failed to create direct attack opportunities.
His teammates would basically pass the ball back to his teammates, and after a series of passes, when the opportunity arose again, they would strike decisively!
Just by looking at their performance in dealing with Spain's increased double-teaming and defensive intensity during this phase, it's clear that the Chinese team is indeed top-tier. Even if Lin Tian doesn't intervene, they can maintain enough patience and rationality to contend with the Spanish team.
During this phase, Lin Tian did not improve his stats much. By the end of the second quarter, he had a double-double of 11 points and 12 assists, along with 4 rebounds and 3 steals, and still did not commit a single turnover!
If Rubio's assist-to-turnover ratio is already top-notch, then Lin Tian's is simply unparalleled, a divine being descended to earth.
With 12 assists and 0 turnovers in the first half, Lin Tian has truly driven Espanyol to despair!
Double-teaming doesn't work, and not double-teaming doesn't work either. So how should we play?
It was precisely because of Lin Tian's complete explosion and outburst that the Spanish team suffered a crushing defeat in the latter half of the second quarter.
Although the Chinese team didn't have many exaggerated offensive surges or consecutive scores, they slowly widened the gap, like a frog being boiled in lukewarm water.
The Spanish team struggled more and more as they played, growing increasingly desperate with each loss, and the more desperate they became, the more they lost. (End of Chapter)