r18novel Chapter 463 If this is the last time I leave the stadium, I won't...
Chapter 463 If this is the last time I leave the stadium, I won't...
Despite Lin Tian's phenomenal performance, the Pacers' ranking did not continue to climb. However, after the nightmarish month of January, the Pacers' record remained stable at 29 wins and 21 losses, and they were still ranked seventh in the Eastern Conference.
In addition, the Cavaliers, currently eighth in the East, have a record of 27 wins and 23 losses, and could overtake the Pacers at any time.
That is to say, the Celtics, who were originally ninth, and the Knicks, who were originally tenth, also had a terrible performance in January. Otherwise, the Pacers might have been kicked out of the playoffs!
Then, on February 1st, in the Pacers' first game of February, the Pacers suffered another heavy blow!
Lin Tian is injured!
Towards the end of the second quarter, after playing the entire first half, Lin Tian, perhaps due to exhaustion, recent overexertion, or some other reason, failed to land properly during a layup attempt, and his ankle clearly rotated 90 degrees!
Lin Tian, lying on the floor, clutched his ankle in waves of pain, but he knew very well that it was nothing serious!
Lin Tian felt that he could keep walking by standing up and stomping his feet.
He was really tired at the moment, and he wanted to lie on the floor for a while to recover his strength.
Lin Tian had clearly underestimated Carlisle's incredibly tense nerves and his near-collapse.
Because of the team's recurring injuries, this guy has increased his weekly church attendance from 0 to 3 times.
When someone places their hopes of getting the team back on track on Jesus, it means they are truly powerless.
Lin Tian's fall caused Carlisle to jump up.
After the team doctor gave Lin Tian a quick check-up and confirmed that he was alright, Carlisle didn't even let the doctor say "Lin is fine" before impatiently waving his hand to signal the doctor to take Lin Tian away.
"Go directly to the hospital, get an MRI, and give me the results tomorrow."
"but……"
"No buts! Get Lin out of here right now! The team doesn't need him tonight! Let him rest! Rest properly, understand?!" Carlisle raised his voice and yelled, "I won't let Lin play again! I don't care what level of sprain it is!"
"I don't want to hear any good or bad news right now! I just want Lin out of the arena immediately! If you think you don't need an MRI, fine, then take a taxi and let Lin go home to sleep! In short, tonight! I won't take even a 1% risk letting Lin play, understand?"
"Understood!"
The team doctors were all very good at reading people, so they didn't say anything more and called over a stretcher, wanting Lin Tian to get on it and go with them.
"I can walk now, why a stretcher?" Having finally rested enough and feeling his breathing return to normal, Lin Tian stood up on his own, just in time to see the stretcher the team doctor was bringing over: "What's this for?"
"It was Rick's request. He said that no matter what level of sprain you have tonight, you have to rest, you absolutely must rest! He's not letting you play tonight."
"After all, although your sprain is nothing serious and doesn't even qualify as a first-degree sprain, it was indeed caused by excessive fatigue leading to insufficient leg strength, which is why this accident happened."
"This time it's really fine, but if we keep playing, with the increasing fatigue, no one can guarantee you'll be fine forever! So I think we should listen to Rick and take a break."
Lin Tian could only nod in agreement with what the team doctor said. He wasn't an extreme fanatic like Kobe or Iverson, who would insist on playing a regular regular season game while carrying the risk of injury. Lin Tian couldn't do that.
It's not like it's the playoffs, the finals, or any crucial regular season game; there's absolutely no need for it.
Since Carlisle is afraid and doesn't dare to let me fight, then let's not fight.
Lin Tian shrugged, neither refusing nor getting on the stretcher. However, considering that it might be inappropriate for him to walk out comfortably by himself, Lin Tian had two team doctors help him and hopped out.
Of course, the fans didn't know the severity of Lin Tian's injury. They couldn't hear the conversation between Carlisle and Lin Tian, so they could only analyze Lin Tian's injury through the body language of the players and coaches.
Unfortunately, what the fans saw was absolutely terrible!
What they saw was Lin Tian falling to the ground injured, clutching his ankle in excruciating pain and screaming. Then the big screen replayed the details of the sprain.
A 90-degree sprain! The kind of angle that looks painful and is terrifying to even think about.
Then the fans saw the team doctor enter the field. After examining Carlisle, the team doctor came to him with a "serious expression" and reported the situation. Then the team doctor said the most he could say, and Carlisle flew into a rage, shouting and yelling wildly as if he had been stimulated by something.
Next, the stretcher came in, obviously to carry Lin Tian out.
Finally, there was the most heartbreaking and terrible scene that the fans witnessed.
Lin Tian, who clearly sensed the severity of his injuries, was unwilling to admit defeat. He forced himself to stand up, wanting to prove that he was alright. However, after taking two steps with all his might, Lin Tian was in so much pain that he was covered in sweat and could no longer continue.
Even so, the competitive and strong-willed Lin Tian refused the stretcher; he refused to be carried out.
However, the intense pain prevented Lin Tian from walking off the field on his own, so he had to settle for having two team doctors help him out.
All of these images combined are more than enough to illustrate how serious Lin Tian's injuries are!
A grade 2 sprain? Or even a grade 3 sprain? Or is there a problem with the ligaments or even the Achilles tendon?
In short, based on everything that just happened on the field, everyone who watched the game was filled with concern about Lin Tian's injury.
And apart from those in the know, everyone agrees: Lin Tian's injuries are quite serious!
It was so severe that he could no longer walk on his own.
The person who convinced fans that Lin Tian's injury was really serious was Carlisle.
Less than three minutes into the third quarter, this guy got furious and started yelling and cursing because of a call. He didn't calm down until the referee gave him two technical fouls and ejected him.
This is the first time Carlisle has been ejected in his professional career!
Carlisle, who is usually known for his composure and calmness, was so angry and acted abnormally, which once again confirmed the fans' thoughts.
Lin Tian's injury is serious! It's highly likely a season-ending injury; otherwise, Carlisle wouldn't be so frantic and angry.
If it were just a common injury, he would never be this angry or acting so strangely.
Extreme anger, despair over the season, and rage at an unjust fate—only a combination of these could lead to Carlisle's immediate ejection.
This is definitely solid proof!
That evening, many micro-expression experts and analysts went online to analyze the severity of Lin Tian's injuries by examining a particular expression Lin Tian made while grimacing, a clenched fist by Carlisle, or the pain Lin Tian felt when he landed.
Countless fans flocked to forums and websites to pray for Lin Tian.
Many more people were constantly refreshing the messages, wanting to know Lin Tian's situation as soon as possible; they wanted to know exactly how Lin Tian was doing.
Many commentators, reporters, commentators, and hosts went online to criticize Carlisle's misuse of Lin Tian. They all said that it was Carlisle and Bird's incompetence and the owner's frugality that led to Lin Tian playing under excessive pressure, resulting in injury and the Pacers' season ending prematurely!
Then, almost all the professionals declared that night: the Pacers dynasty is over!
The Pacers, who had won 5 championships in the past 6 years, including a 4-year winning streak and creating the first dynasty of the 21st century, have collapsed.
In Las Vegas, the odds for the Pacers to win the championship this season were changed overnight. Although the Pacers were only ranked 7th in the Eastern Conference, they were ranked 5th in the odds, which means that bookmakers and actuaries still favored the Pacers.
But after Lin Tian's injury, even before the extent of his injury was determined, Las Vegas had already drastically lowered the Pacers' odds of winning the championship overnight.
Before dawn, the Pacers had already fallen from fifth to 15th place.
This ranking basically means they don't think the Pacers have a good chance of winning the championship this season.
Many of Lin Tian's good friends in the NBA either expressed their blessings to him on camera and hoped that he would be alright, or they called or texted him directly to inquire about his injury.
Lin Tian's female confidantes called him one after another to inquire about his condition, each wishing they could fly directly to Indiana to check if his injury had moved up to his groin, their main concern being that he was worried!
In short, because of Lin Tian's injury, everything in the outside world is changing rapidly. Everyone is worried about what happened to Lin Tian, including in China, where countless people are worried about whether Lin Tian's injury will affect the upcoming Olympics.
They even wanted to rely on Lin Tian to lead the team to a three-peat in the world championships!
Of course, if the outside world knew that while they were frantically worrying and speculating, Lin Tian hadn't even gone to the hospital, but instead went straight home to sleep, they would most likely send razor blades to Lin Tian's house.
The sounds of battle are deafening outside, and you're sleeping soundly at home, aren't you?
Shameless!
But no matter what was happening outside, Lin Tian slept incredibly well.
He looked so good that he had a smile on his face when he went to training the next morning.
It feels so good! It's like a complete recharge.
The battle for February can begin!
But Lin Tian was met with a bucket of cold water.
He arrived at the arena but hadn't even reached the locker room when he was stopped by Bird and Carlisle.
"It's been decided by the organization that you have a grade 1 ankle sprain and you'll have to rest until after the All-Star Game." Carlisle looked at Lin Tian with a relaxed expression, clearly having already spoken with the team doctor and knowing that Lin Tian was fine, mainly just fatigued.
"The All-Star Game is from February 13th to 15th!" Lin Tian asked, confused. "I'm perfectly fine, why are you telling me to rest for half a month?"
"The organization has decided that you will take three weeks off!" Bird quickly added, indicating that you would take an extra week off.
"Then I might as well not play at all in February, just go home and sleep, and then play again in March."
"Great idea!" Bird clapped his hands in satisfaction. "Then let's come back in March! Rick, who's our first game in March? The Kings? Perfect! See how clever this is! Our first game back is against a great team that doesn't play defense."
"This is a good opportunity for you to get back into form, play efficiently enough, and boost your confidence."
"Seriously, are you guys crazy?" Lin Tian looked at Carlisle and Bird and said, "I can understand taking 3-5 days off, but a month off? What the hell? What will happen to the team's record?"
"If this had happened last year, the year before, or any year since I came here, I wouldn't have a problem with you guys giving me these orders, but not this year! Don't you two know what kind of situation our team is in right now?"
"Chris and Manu are both likely out for the season, and Doug and Josh haven't returned yet. If I don't play for another month, have you thought about how bad our record will be this month? Have you thought about us possibly being kicked out of the playoffs?"
Bird waved to Lin Tian to calm down, then said unhurriedly, "It's precisely because those two are unlikely to return this season that we're letting you rest! Because we can't afford the consequences of you also being sidelined for the season! That would be the real end for us! Lin, we all know that this injury was caused by overwork."
"Yes, we all know. You're lucky this time, but what about next time?"
Bird looked at Lin Tian and said earnestly, "You don't need to worry about the team's record. We're only seventh in the East right now. Whether you play or not, we have no chance of making it into the top half of the standings this season. So whether we're fifth or eighth is completely unimportant!"
"There are only 12 games in February. Considering that the Celtics, who are currently in ninth place, have a record of less than 50%, and the Knicks, who are in tenth place, have already fallen behind, even if we lose all 12 games in February, we won't fall too far down the table."
"At worst, we'll be ninth in the East! Then we have over a month to catch up. Or are you saying, Lin, you don't even have the confidence to catch the Celtics, and you think we won't even make the playoffs without you for a month?"
Lin Tian shook his head again and said, "Of course I'm confident, but there's no need. I'm perfectly fine. I didn't even have a level one sprain last night; I just lost my balance. If you're really worried, I can rest for about a week!"
"Alright, Lin," Carlisle chimed in from the side, "It's settled then, one month! You said it yourself, a man's word is his bond! Or do you really want to go to Los Angeles and win another All-Star MVP?"
"Who cares about that crap?" Lin Tian rolled his eyes, but looking at the two management members of the team, he knew that they had already made up their minds. They weren't there to discuss things with him; they were there to inform him.
Seeing that Lin Tian seemed to have relented, Carlisle immediately said, "Moreover, if all goes well, Doug and Josh can return as early as this week. With the two of them, even if we still can't win many games this month, we won't completely collapse."
"I promise you, when you come back, we'll definitely still be in the playoffs, okay?"
"And there's one more crucial point," Bird chimed in, "This is the final year of your contract! Lin, although we have a working relationship, I consider me your friend, we're good buddies! We both know very well how big a contract you'll get this year!"
"That would absolutely be a signing that would shock and utterly astonish the entire sports world! I want to see that happen, so as a friend, compared to the team's performance this year, I'd much rather you secure a top-tier contract safely and without any injuries!"
"I'm genuinely doing this for your own good, hoping it's best for you. Some things just aren't necessary! Just like I didn't have to personally fix a road for my mom. So, take a break!"
"I brought a recorder. I'm going to tell Simon's brother what you said." Lin Tian shattered all the beauty of Bird's rare display of genuine emotion and the emotional atmosphere he had painstakingly created with just one sentence.
"F*** you!" Bird rolled his eyes and cursed, "You bastard, you should go to hell. You don't deserve anyone's kindness or goodwill. Go home, you bastard. I don't want to see your face or have any contact with you for the next month."
"I hope that this February, you can disappear from my world completely, like you're dead!"
"I will make you satisfied."
Now that things have come to this point, Lin Tian doesn't need to put on any more act of refusing or declining, or offering Xuzhou three times. He's just giving me a month's paid leave, so I'll take it!
Anyway, I'll still get paid, so what if I lose out?
The Mercedes-Benz that Daimler provided for Lin Tian left less than 20 minutes after it drove into the Pacers' training facility.
Then, this scene was captured by reporters.
This scene was also taken by reporters as evidence that Lin Tian had indeed been seriously injured!
Then, that very night, the Pacers updated Lin Tian's injury status.
"Ankle sprain, out indefinitely."
Generally speaking, the shorter the news report, the more serious the injury.
But this time: because there is no injury report, it is difficult to fabricate the injury details, so we can only write a vague statement of indefinite absence.
It can be indefinite, or it can be as long as it lasts.
Both "coming back tomorrow" and "out for the season" can be replaced with this phrase.
Reasonable.
When facing the media, Carlisle could only respond with fabrications and ambiguous statements.
"The good news is that there is no structural damage. The ligaments and Achilles tendon are fine, and the bones are okay. It's just that it hurts, and there seems to be swelling. Lin can feel a lot of soreness, and he feels obvious pain when he steps on the floor."
Any professional could immediately sense something was wrong with what Carlyle said, because it was as if he hadn't said anything at all.
No specific details were revealed, nor was it stated where he was injured, but in any case, Lin Tian was unable to fight.
If Carlisle was just making things up, at least he was talking about Lin Tian's injury, then Bird's behavior in front of the media was downright shameless.
"I wasn't there, so I don't know what happened, but I'm sorry, it was terrible, yes, very terrible. I was in a bad mood, everyone was unhappy, we had a terrible night. I thought it was a dream, but unfortunately it wasn't."
"This reminds me of when I was playing basketball in the 80s. I have a lot of bad memories from that time, but I think it should be fine. Lin will most likely make a full recovery. He will come back at any time, just like Superman always saves the world."
"The good news is that everyone is looking forward. We are not stuck in the past, and we have forgotten some of the bad things. I hope everyone can forget about this. We have brought in some players, and I hope these players can make a difference. I will look in the trade market and think of some solutions."
The reporters almost couldn't help but curse at Bird's words.
What did that bastard say?
That bastard talked a lot, but didn't reveal any bullshit. Not a single word he said was useful; it was all just endless, pointless drivel.
That's outrageous!
If Carlisle and Bird's style of avoiding direct answers only made the specifics of Lin Tian's injuries more confusing, then what Lin Tian said during the interview was truly earth-shattering.
This interview was not conducted face-to-face, because Lin Tian had not appeared in public since that injury and had instead stayed at home.
However, because the public was eager to know about Lin Tian's situation, Barkley was persuaded by Kenny and others during a TNT program to call Lin Tian out of politeness.
He hoped Lin Tian wouldn't answer, but the phone was connected after only three rings.
"Lin, I'm on a TNT show. Everyone's curious about your situation. Can you talk to us about it?" Barkley was afraid his buddy would say something outrageous, so he immediately told Lin Tian what he was doing.
"On the show? Wait a minute, I need to change my position, I'm tired like this." After Lin Tian finished speaking, there was a sound on the other end of the phone, followed by Lin Tian's voice again: "Thank you for remembering me, Charles. What's up? What do you want to ask?"
"Are you exercising?" Barkley asked politely.
"Yes, I'm doing recovery training. I'm worried that my body will be rusty when I come back and I won't be able to adapt to the game. Sufficient exercise will keep my physical fitness at a high level."
"You've already started exercising! That's really great news! Can you put any weight on your legs?" Barkley was immediately excited when he heard that Lin Tian was actually exercising.
"Yes, it's a localized exercise. My legs weren't putting any force into it. For a full-body workout, I think I'll have to wait a while longer."
"Can you tell me about your injury? How are you doing? When will you be able to return to play?" Barkley quickly asked the question everyone wanted to know.
"Hiss, I...I think, sigh." On the other end of the phone, Lin Tian's voice suddenly became a little strange, with a noticeably stronger nasal tone. He took two deep breaths before saying, "I'll do it as soon as possible! I will definitely get myself back into a state where I can play normally as soon as possible, and then return to the team."
Lin Tian's words immediately caused many people who cared about him to pause in surprise.
Lin Tian's attitude was too obvious! He became hesitant and sighed when the topic of his injury came up, and even sounded a little like he was about to cry. In the end, just like Bird and Carlisle, he didn't tell them the truth about his situation or what kind of injury he had, but instead expressed his determination.
Who would evade the question and avoid giving a direct answer at this time?
Only when one feels uncertain, lacks self-confidence, and is filled with unknowns will one use such words to comfort oneself and encourage oneself.
Lin Tian's injuries are probably quite serious.
Influenced by Lin Tian's obviously sorrowful tone, Barkley's mood also worsened: "I'm sorry to bother you, Lin. I'm so sorry."
"Okay, okay, stop rushing me. You bunch of bastards, don't you have any heart? Lin is my best buddy! We're brothers!"
"Lin, one last question."
Barkley had clearly had a bit of an argument on the phone before he said it was time to ask the last question.
"Your injuries were so serious, why did you refuse to be carried out on a stretcher? Wouldn't it have been safer to be carried out?"
Barkley clearly heard Lin Tian on the other end of the phone make a sound like he was inhaling. Lin Tian paused for more than 10 seconds before taking a deep breath to calm himself down and give his answer.
"I've imagined countless times what my last battle on the field would be like, and I've imagined countless times what it would be like when I finally leave the field. I've had countless ideas about it, and I don't know which one I like the most or what I look forward to the most."
"But I'm certain of one thing: the last time I left the stadium, I was definitely not carried out. No matter what happened, I would walk off the stadium on my own. That was my thought at the time."
"Finally?" Lin Tian's answer made Barkley's eyes widen in disbelief, and then he couldn't help but ask, "Lin, just how serious are your injuries...?"
Before Barkley could finish speaking, Lin Tian had already hung up the phone.
The entire TNT studio fell silent as they listened to the busy tone on the other end of the phone.
No one spoke; everyone was pondering the hidden meaning behind Lin Tian's last words.
Is this the last time I'll leave the stadium?
Has it gotten that bad?
Is Lin Tian actually considering retirement?
"Are you satisfied now! FUXX! You bunch of damn bastards, are you satisfied now!" Barkley's eyes were red. As a former professional player, he knew all too well how frustrated Lin Tian had just expressed.
This guy must be crying!
Barkley has known Lin Tian for over 10 years, and he has never seen Lin Tian cry. In fact, he has never seen Lin Tian show any negative emotions.
In front of everyone, Lin Tian was an invincible genius, an undefeated war god. He was always the one who brought tears and pain to others, but he himself seemed to have never experienced such a desperate moment.
"You've pushed Lin to this point, forcing him to expose his weakness in public. Are you satisfied now? Are you satisfied?!" Barkley slammed his hands on the table in anger as he finished speaking, releasing his frustration.
"Lin treated me like a colleague, so even though she knew we were recording a show, she didn't hang up the phone. Lin treated me like a friend, but what about you? You used me! You hurt Lin just to satisfy your pathetic voyeuristic desires!"
"That's it, that's it! I can't continue recording tonight's show. Sorry, I can't go on. I need to go to Indiana immediately. That's it. Fire me or deduct my wages, it doesn't matter, I'm not doing this today! I will never comment on Lin's injury again!"
After Barkley finished speaking, he wiped away the tears that had already fallen, stood up, and walked out of the studio.
He really wanted to go to Indiana immediately to see his best friend.
So, what is Lin Tian, Barkley's best friend, who made him lose his temper in front of the entire American audience, doing right now?
He was performing his duties as a dentist.
"Are you sure you rinsed your mouth properly?" Lin Tian was wearing a completely open white coat, obviously cosplaying as a doctor, but the problem was, he was only wearing this one piece of clothing.
And the person in front of him, who was having his mouth examined, was Theron.
"You've rinsed yourself clean! How dare you say that?! Aren't you afraid I'll make some noise? That program was broadcast live nationwide, wasn't it?!"
"Then why didn't you make a sound? You missed a chance for the whole of America to know we're together!" Lin Tian grinned and put his arm around Theron, who was dressed in a pink nurse's uniform, with a shameless look on his face. "Besides, you were the one who insisted on letting me answer the phone."
"I am innocent!"
"I'm now disappointed and regretful that my mother didn't shoot you in the head back then!"
"You're a complete bastard!"
Although she verbally accused Lin Tian of being shameless, Theron's actions were quite honest.
There's nothing she can do; she just likes this scumbag and bastard.
Why did she rush to cancel her work and fly to Indiana to see if Lin Tian was alright as soon as she heard that he was seriously injured?
Why did she find out that Lin Tian was actually perfectly fine, yet she couldn't bear to leave?
…………
For a time, Lin Tian's injury created three completely different situations within the entire alliance.
Almost everyone who heard Lin Tian's phone interview felt that his injury was very serious. Countless people called Lin Tian to express their condolences and to find out if he was alright. But no matter who called, Lin Tian refused to talk about his injury and made excuses.
Of course, there are also a few who have a deep-seated hatred for Lin Tian and hope that Lin Tian will finally step down from his pedestal.
Then there's the Pacers. Without Lin Tian, no one on their team was selected for the All-Star Game. Only Howard was selected for the Rising Stars Challenge. The last time the Pacers had no All-Star selections was back in the 93-94 season, a full 10 years ago!
Of course, it's worth mentioning that although no Pacers player was selected for the All-Star game, Vince Carter and Ben Wallace, who left the Pacers, were selected for the Eastern Conference All-Star game, while Rashard Lewis and Gilbert Arenas were selected for the Western Conference All-Star game.
I may not be active in the martial arts world, but those who are there are all my people!
This year's All-Star Game had almost nothing to do with the Pacers. Even Howard, who was selected for the Rising Stars Challenge, didn't have a particularly impressive performance; he just made a brief appearance in Los Angeles before returning to Indiana. (End of Chapter)