r18novel Chapter 241 In this world, integrity is key; I said I'd deduct money tonight.
Chapter 241 In this world, integrity is key; I said I'd deduct money tonight.
Chapter 241 When you're in this business, you have to be honest. If I said I'd deduct your money tonight, I mean it!
"By the way, Vince, I heard you and Lin have agreed to take down David Robinson today?" Bird looked at Carter and suddenly asked.
"Just...just saying." Carter's domineering and arrogant demeanor on the court had vanished, and he scratched his head, saying, "It's not like I absolutely have to dunk on him."
"Nonsense!" Lin Tian laughed from the side, "When you're in this business, you have to keep your word! If you said you'd deduct him tonight, you have to deduct him! Go for it, the guys will definitely support you!"
As Lin Tian spoke, he patted Carter's chest several times.
Carter's blood was pumping from those few shots!
Deduct it! Deduct it just like that!
Robinson has to have a good time today!
The halftime break ended quickly, and the two teams switched sides to start the second half!
48: 44!
The Pacers are leading by 4 points!
The Spurs kept their starting lineup unchanged from the first half, while the Pacers replaced Christie with Carter to increase their penetration and attacking capabilities.
However, Carter was clearly a bit too excited in the second half. On the Pacers' first offensive possession, he eagerly demanded the ball, easily got past Elliott, and then drove into the paint towards the twin towers.
Take off, glide, fully extend your body, hold the ball with one arm, and attack the basket in mid-air!
Then, I got hit by a bloody hat!
David Robinson was indeed a renowned figure. He had seen at least 80 to 100 such reckless young men who came to provoke him as if they were courting death in his life!
He delivered a powerful block, knocking Carter down from the air and pinning him to the ground, ball and all!
Carter sat on the floor in a sorry state, while the basketball was blown out of bounds by Robinson.
Carter was tough enough; after lying on the floor, he didn't hesitate at all and immediately got up!
At his age, he wouldn't want to lie on the floor for even a second longer, especially after making such a huge embarrassment!
"Kid, you want to challenge me? Go home and drink milk for three more years!" Robinson wouldn't back down an inch, instead taking a step forward, pressing his chest against Carter's, and spewing trash talk at him: "I've seen plenty of self-righteous trash like you in my life!"
"Slap!" Suddenly, a pair of hands shoved David Robinson on the shoulders, sending him staggering back three or four steps!
Lin Tian!
He stood before Carter like a god descending to earth, blocking his little brother, and glared menacingly at David Robinson, saying, "David, are you never going to stop?!"
Upon seeing Lin Tian, Robinson couldn't help but swallow hard.
In this alliance, who doesn't know that Lin Tian is someone you can't mess with?
"Lin, we're friends!" Robinson's first reaction was to quickly back down, spreading his arms wide and saying, "Haven't you ever said that kind of trash talk to the newbies?"
"I've said it before, and I say it all the time!" Lin Tian said, looking at Robinson. "But I won't allow anyone to say that to our own rookie!"
"Also, our rookie said he'd deduct one from your score tonight, and now I'm saying I'm going to deduct one too! Either you run off the court right now, or prepare to get at least two dunks on!"
While Lin Tian and Robinson were confronting, or rather chatting, the rest of the Spurs were incredibly well-behaved. Although they gathered around, not one of them spoke or made a move. They even tried to pull Robinson away, gag him, and shut him up!
What if Lin Tian suddenly gets the urge and attacks the entire team again?
Lin Tian is now an absolute strategic weapon. As long as he's there, no one will dare to have any conflict with the Pacers!
Fortunately, although Robinson looked intimidating, the words he uttered sounded like a cowardly admission of defeat.
None of the Spurs players thought their leader was a coward; on the contrary, they all wanted to praise him for doing a great job!
As for the rest of the Pacers? Miller was chatting with a female fan on the sideline, Davis went back to the bench to take a sip of water, and Schmitz stood with his hands on his hips, staring blankly at the sky, and even yawned.
Their mindset is also very simple.
What?! Our team's rookie got bullied?! FUXX! Don't they know their place?! They dare mess with me! They're asking for it!
What? Lin is already gone? Okay, okay, just don't go too far with Lin!
Lin Tian's fearsome reputation is truly terrifying!
The three referees clearly knew how intimidating Lin Tian was now. They weren't worried at all that the two sides would start fighting. They calmly glanced at the replay, then walked to the middle of the crowd where the atmosphere wasn't tense, gave Lin Tian a technical foul, and that was the end of this small conflict.
In this conflict, Lin Tian received a technical foul and a total of about 300 experience points from the entire Spurs team. These guys were clearly terrified.
And Carter contributed 100 experience points!
This kid is clearly enjoying being looked after by the team's big brother!
"Lin, if there's a fine after the game, I'll pay it for you! This technical foul of yours is all because of me." Carter thought for a moment, not knowing how to thank Lin Tian, and could only say the only way he could think of.
"Come on! How much have you even earned?" Lin Tian slapped Carter on the shoulder and said, "I have the biggest contract in NBA history! You think I'd let you pay for me? I can't afford to lose face like that!"
"Let's go, everyone, back on defense!"
"Also, everyone remember one thing: on the field, with me here, you don't need to be afraid of anyone. No matter what kind of monsters or demons they are, if they dare to mess with us, I'll take them down for you!"
As Lin Tian spoke, he arrogantly stood outside his team's three-point line, waiting for the Spurs to finish their free throws before the game resumed.
This conflict had a significant impact on the Spurs' morale. Although Elliott made the free throws, the Spurs became hesitant and timid on the ensuing offense, as if they were afraid that Lin Tian would find an opportunity to punch them. These guys didn't dare to make any moves. In addition, the Pacers were in high spirits, and their defensive intensity and actions were significantly increased. Although the Spurs had an advantage in the paint, they simply couldn't get the ball into the paint!
Ultimately, when Jason made another meaningless lateral pass, Lin Tian successfully anticipated it and intercepted the pass!
Quick attack!
Lin Tian took the lead, sprinting with the basketball in hand while observing the positions of his teammates. After reaching the three-point line, Lin Tian suddenly slammed the ball heavily onto the floor with one hand. The basketball bounced high into the air after hitting the floor.
Carter, following up from the flank, once again took flight!
He caught the basketball with both hands in mid-air, then pulled his whole body completely backward, and after an obvious pause in the air, time seemed to stand still in that instant!
It felt like a century had passed, yet it also felt like only a moment had elapsed!
Then, time resumed its flow once again.
"boom!"
With a loud bang, Carter slammed the ball into the basket with both hands!
With his exceptional physical attributes, unparalleled body control, near-perfect physique, and fully extended torso, Vince Carter's dunks possess an unparalleled aesthetic beauty!
After completing this alley-oop, Carter once again placed his hands in front of his chest and twisted them, and the Harley was on its way again!
"The Pacers should have this game in the bag!" Barkley said smugly. "Their morale is completely high, while the Spurs seem a bit hesitant because of the earlier scuffle; they're scared!"
"Lin's deterrent power is absolutely at the nuclear weapon level! I think Lin should have a new nickname: Nuclear Weapon!"
"That's not necessarily true! There's another player on the Spurs whose mentality isn't easily affected!" Kenny said with a smile. "Have you forgotten Duncan's nickname? 'The Stone Tower'! He's like a stone tower, ordinary, boring, and lacking in beauty."
"But it's stable, strong, and difficult to destroy!"
As Kenny spoke, Duncan had already reached the frontcourt. This time, he resolutely positioned himself inside, backing down Carter and then, unusually, somewhat roughly, yelled, "Ball!"
The basketball has finally come into Duncan's hands.
It's still the simplest thing: push backward, then turn around and hook your arm.
Simple and ordinary, but it still went in!
After scoring, Duncan didn't roar in celebration or make any exaggerated movements. He simply lowered his head and quickly ran to the other side of the basket, ready to engage in defense!
"Look! That's Duncan! Even though this is only his second year, his mentality is as unbreakable as someone who has played basketball for 20 years!" Kenny immediately retorted to Barkley, the two of them exchanging barbs like a stand-up comedian.
For the next few minutes, the two sides entered a wonderful balance.
Aside from Duncan, the Spurs' other players were clearly out of form, but Duncan remained unfazed, repeatedly establishing position and taking one-on-one shots under the basket!
Against the Pacers' small lineup, he had almost everything at his fingertips. No matter who was behind him, he could use his most unpretentious skills to chase down the opponent and score!
Even when the Pacers double-teamed Duncan, this guy could always use the moment before the double-team was formed to complete a quick turnaround and score!
Duncan's fundamentals are just too good!
With Duncan's fearless and resolute offense, the other Spurs players gradually recovered as well!
After all, they were all true veterans, experienced and having seen countless big scenes. They recovered their form in just 2-3 minutes and resumed their most proficient system and team offense.
After his teammates regained their form, Duncan immediately toned down his sharpness and became a team player, setting screens for his teammates and cooperating with them in pick-and-roll plays. The Spurs' offensive system quickly recovered.
"How many years has this big guy played professional basketball?" Bird was very frustrated as he watched the Spurs regain their form under Duncan's silent leadership, while the Pacers failed to capitalize on this opportunity to launch a run. At the same time, he gave Duncan a very high evaluation.
That's incredibly stable!
If we only consider physical attributes, individual abilities, the ability to destroy the opponent's defense, and pure scoring ability, this big guy is probably no match for monsters like O'Neal, Olajuwon, and David Robinson.
But Duncan's strength lies in his ability to know when to score, when to pass the ball, and when to be selfless.
Perfect team players!
The adjective popped into Bird's mind.
At the same time, he couldn't help but compare Duncan to another historically great team player.
Bill Russell!
While Chamberlain was scoring 100 points a game and averaging 50+ points per game in a single season, what was Russell doing? He won eight consecutive championships, and he won 11 championships in his career.
Bird believed that Duncan was that kind of player!
He won't have a scoring title, and he probably won't even have many All-NBA First Team selections, nor will he win any All-Star MVP awards or have any outstanding individual performances like scoring 60 points in a single game.
But he could win many championships!
This guy might just be Lin Tian and the Pacers' biggest potential rival for the next decade!
Bird observed the game but did not rush to make any changes to the lineup or strategy.
Although Duncan revitalized the Spurs' offense with his dominance, the Pacers still maintained control of the court and held the lead!
Because of Lin Tian!
Lin Tian's hot streak at the end of the second quarter carried over into the second half. With the Spurs not changing their defensive strategy, Lin Tian repeatedly drove to the mid-range and punished the Spurs' defense with incredible accuracy!
In addition, because of Lin Tian's strong performance, the rest of the Pacers team also got a lot of opportunities. Although the Pacers team failed to widen the score gap, they maintained their lead throughout the game!
75: 70!
At the end of the third quarter, the Pacers still maintained a 5-point lead.
By this point in the game, both sides were getting a bit carried away.
Another point worth mentioning is that although Duncan controlled his fouls very well, David Robinson lost control of his movements when grabbing a rebound at the end of the third quarter, elbowing Ben Wallace and being called for his fourth foul.
Because of Robinson's fouls, Popovich had no choice but to change his rotation. In the fourth quarter, he did not let Duncan rest, but let him continue to play!
If we include the third quarter that Duncan has already played, he will likely play the entire second half tonight!
While the Spurs only had one big man on the court, the Pacers continued with their 1 big man and 4 small men lineup. Besides Ben Wallace, the four players remaining on the court at this time were Carter, Christie, Lin Tian, and Miller!
Bird's obsession with and love for small lineups is somewhat ahead of its time!
At the start of the fourth quarter, Lin Tian continued to easily shake off the Spurs' guards as usual. However, this time, when Lin Tian was about to continue his mid-range game, Duncan reversed the strategy of collapsing the paint in the first three quarters and rushed out from the inside to interfere with Lin Tian.
Because Duncan appeared suddenly this time, Lin Tian's mid-range jump shot was interfered with and failed to make!
Duncan's turnaround speed was terrifying. After interfering, he immediately turned around and blocked Lin Tian to prevent him from hitting the rebound. At the same time, he stretched out his long arm and grabbed another rebound. The Spurs started their counterattack again!
Yes, they used their unique positional warfare counterattack.
The team slowly dribbled the ball up the court, and just as Jason was about to look for Duncan, he discovered that the Pacers' defense had also changed!
There was no one in front of him.
Lin Tian no longer employed the strategy of half-defending and half-not defending Jameson, which involved keeping a distance of two meters. He completely ignored Jameson, treating him as if he didn't exist in the Spurs' lineup. He moved into the paint and, together with Ben Wallace, began to double-team Duncan in advance!
There was no way around it; Duncan's ball handling speed was simply too fast and decisive. If you waited until he got the ball before trying to double-team him, it would already be too late!
Of course, if the Pacers' interior player had the right height, weight, and ability, they wouldn't be in such a passive position. The problem is that the Pacers have no one who can stop Duncan.
Schmitz was too soft, and Davis and Ben Wallace were too short. Their physical disadvantages made it impossible for them to withstand Duncan's one-on-one attacks.
So the Pacers simply went all in and gave up on the Spurs' completely harmless perimeter player.
Bird couldn't believe it. How could Jason, who had only made about 20 three-pointers in his entire career, still hit a three-pointer tonight?
Bird didn't believe in such a low-probability event!
"Whoosh!"
But the result is that you have to believe it!
He is an NBA player after all, and although James is not good at shooting, he has a really big heart!
If Lin Tian dares to release it, he really dares to throw it away!
Despite his awkward form, Jason made the shot!
"It's okay, Lin! Keep playing like this! There's no problem! He can't possibly score a second one!" Bird roared from the sidelines, reminding the team not to change their defense.
The defense doesn't need to be changed, but the offense does!
Without Bird's instructions, Lin Tian called for a screen as soon as he arrived at the frontcourt again!
Even though Lin Tian could easily get past James in one step, he still called for a screen from Ben Wallace to block James firmly. Then Lin Tian moved to the side to create distance. This time, Duncan didn't rush out, and Lin Tian certainly wouldn't let this opportunity pass. He pulled up and shot from beyond the three-point line!
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, Lin Tian hit a three-pointer. After the second quarter tonight, Lin Tian's touch completely returned. Today's game was almost Lin Tian's best game of the season! Most of his points came from mid-range and long-range shots!
Come on! Let's play a three-point contest, shall we?! Go for it!
After scoring, Lin Tian didn't even think or look at Jameson before rushing into the paint to help defend Duncan.
I'm still not going to guard against you. If you're so capable, try scoring another one!
Jason clearly doesn't have that ability! If he could make two consecutive three-pointers with wide-open shots, he wouldn't have only made less than 30 three-pointers in his entire career.
With a loud thud, Lin Tian grabbed the rebound. This time, he didn't rush to advance but slowly walked towards the frontcourt. After the Spurs' defense was in position, Lin Tian called for a screen again, then moved laterally to create distance. Everything was exactly the same as the last possession!
This time, Duncan finally dared not stay in the paint any longer. Everyone in the league knows how strong Lin Tian's three-point shooting ability is!
Letting him shoot two in a row? That's practically suicide!
Although Duncan stepped up this time, Lin Tian had no intention of shooting at all. Instead, he lowered his center of gravity, suddenly burst out with speed, and rushed into the paint!
No matter how fast Duncan's turnaround and how strong his defensive ability, when facing a guard like Lin Tian, he could only watch helplessly as Lin Tian drove into the paint.
Trying to keep up? It won't be effective, and you might even get knocked over!
Lin Tian completely ignored Duncan behind him, knowing that Duncan could never catch up. Instead, he charged straight toward Rose in the paint, jumped outside the three-second zone, and collided heavily with Rose in mid-air!
"Bang!"
After a muffled thud, Ross was no match for Lin Tian's current tank-like strength. Lin Tian knocked him off balance in mid-air and he fell backward.
In the instant he lost his balance, Ross managed to reach out a hand and helplessly groped at Lin Tian's arm!
This seemed incredibly foolish to Popovich!
It neither changed Lin Tian's layup posture nor provided any defensive advantage, and it would only give Lin Tian a free throw!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Lin Tiankong executed a reverse layup, dodging Rose's defense and smoothly putting the ball in!
At the same time, the referee's whistle blew on time.
"Foul! 2 points awarded, plus one free throw!"
Such an obvious foul was not overlooked by the referees, who quickly issued their ruling.
Popovich, sitting on the sidelines, could no longer hold back. He knew that if they continued playing like this, the team would likely be crushed by Lin Tian, who was completely in form. So he patted Robinson on the shoulder and said, "David, come on!"
This substitution also signals one thing: Popovich is about to face the final battle ahead of schedule!
Lin Tian didn't even bother to trash talk Ross; trash talking to such a small fry was just a waste of breath.
Standing at the free-throw line, Lin Tian looked at Robinson and said, "David, coming back at this hour, are you ready to get dunked on?"
"Come on then! Let's see who's going to embarrass themselves!" Robinson snorted, not even glancing at Lin Tian.
He was genuinely a little nervous!
After Lin Tianga made the free throw, the Spurs attacked upcourt. Robinson, who had just come on and was full of energy, took the initiative to call for the ball at the top of the arc. He wanted to start his signature face-up offense from the high post!
Facing Christie, who was much shorter than him, Robinson was in complete control. After a series of crossover dribbles, he suddenly changed direction in front of his body, then suddenly stopped and jumped to shoot, releasing the ball cleanly!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Robinson's mid-range jump shot from the high post went in cleanly!
In a sense, Robinson was the first true power forward in NBA history!
A center who plays like a guard.
"Come on! Let me see how you respond to me!" Robinson grinned and continued to provoke Lin Tian.
Lin Tian shrugged casually and said, "That's your own fault."
After dribbling the ball to the frontcourt, Lin Tian first made two hand gestures in the air, and then Ben Wallace ran out from the inside again.
Lin Tian blocked Jansen once again and moved sideways to create distance.
With no other option, Duncan had to bring it up again, preventing Lin Tian from taking a three-pointer!
Lin Tian lowered his center of gravity once again and accelerated into the paint!
This time, Lin Tian's goal was extremely clear.
David Robinson!
"Come on! Come on!" Robinson shouted, arms outstretched, completely unafraid of Lin Tian. He was ready!
At worst, it'll just be another intentional foul!
Robinson was even prepared to get a beating after he maliciously fouled Lin Tian!
But should he just obediently let someone block or dodge him?
With the reputation of being one of the four great centers, Robinson couldn't afford to lose face like that!
Just as Robinson had taken a proper stance and made all the necessary preparations, waiting for Lin Tian to come to him, the basketball in Lin Tian's hand suddenly disappeared!
Then, Robinson heard a roar from his right. He only had time to turn his head to look, and what he saw was an indescribable part between his legs, getting closer and closer to him, and then it was pressed directly against his face!
Immediately afterwards, Robinson felt everything go black before his eyes, and his vision was completely blocked!
"boom!"
Then, a loud bang came from above Robinson's head!
Robinson knew he had been dunked on!
After landing, Carter, wearing the Pacers' number 15 jersey, released the basket, bared his teeth at Robinson, and let out a series of roars!
done!
I did it!
"Roar roar roar roar roar!"
Carter unleashed his excitement, then turned around and saw Lin Tian, who had just selflessly passed the ball to him. He reached out and gave Carter an excited high five!
"I did it, Lin!"
"Of course you can do it! And you'll do it countless times in the future! You don't think I'm just trying to fool you, do you?!" Lin Tian exclaimed excitedly, "Am I right? The greatest shooting guard of all time!"
"Vince Carter's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 200 experience points!"
Lin Tian's words, coupled with the excitement of successfully dunking over a center of Robinson's caliber, caused Carter to gain a significant amount of experience points!
College students are so easy to fool!
"Oh! Vince Carter! Air raid siren! San Antonio, under air attack!" Barkley roared excitedly again; he loved Carter so much!
This rookie's playing style is so aggressive and so captivating!
At that moment, no one could have imagined that this ball was just the beginning!
David Robinson's nightmare has only just begun!
Carter's dunk could silence the Spurs' home crowd, deject Robinson, boost the Pacers' morale, and even leave the Spurs players feeling disappointed.
But Duncan would never be affected by a dunk. Even if it was Robinson who was dunked on, or even if it was Duncan himself who was dunked on, Duncan would not care at all!
So, after the rest of the team fell into a slump, Duncan once again demanded the ball, then raised it high and attacked. Facing a double team, he didn't put the ball down at all, but turned around and laid it off!
Although he missed the shot because he was too hasty, Duncan's wingspan and height allowed him to jump and grab rebounds repeatedly. After several rebounds, Duncan finally put the ball in!
"30 points! That's Duncan's 30th point! And after those offensive rebounds, Duncan's total rebounds have reached 20! Absolutely monstrous stats! Tonight, Duncan dominated the paint!" Kenny said, "He will definitely become one of the strongest centers in the league in the new century and the next decade!"
After Duncan made that basket, the Pacers continued their attack. It was Lin Tian again, and it was the same pick-and-roll play. This time, although Duncan had learned his lesson and didn't rush forward as much, but maintained a relatively safe and appropriate distance, this defensive technique was effective against others, but it had no effect on Lin Tian at all!
He accelerated again, leaving Duncan behind; his target was still Robinson!
Having just been fouled, Robinson was feeling conflicted. He had to be wary of Carter's possible flanking maneuver and also watch out for Lin Tian charging straight at him, putting him in a real dilemma!
After rushing to the edge of the three-second zone, Lin Tian suddenly made a passing motion with both hands towards Carter. Then, in the instant Robinson's center of gravity changed, Lin Tian had already retrieved the ball again and jumped with all his might, flying fearlessly towards Robinson!
Robinson, who was fooled by Lin Tian's feint, had no time to react at all!
He could only stretch out his hands in near despair!
I just hope we can stop Lin Tian. Even if we can't stop him, we can't let him get two of us caught in a row!
But he clearly underestimated Lin Tian's impact! With nearly 90KG of weight and the speed of a full-speed sprint, Lin Tian was no different from a charging wild bull!
His impact was definitely not something Robinson could stop with just his outstretched hands!
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Robinson was knocked off his balance by Lin Tian and slumped onto the floor in a disheveled state.
"boom!"
Immediately following was a crisp, explosive explosion!
Lin Tian used a completely different method than Carter to knock Robinson to the ground!
One is graceful and elegant, like a dashing knight-errant; the other is fierce and brutal, like a tyrant descending upon the land!
Two completely different styles, two completely identical results.
What was destroyed was the Spurs' confidence.
The momentum of the entire Pacers team has surged!
After Lin Tian's basket, although Duncan hadn't given up and kept trying to get into position for one-on-one plays, the rest of the Spurs were clearly out of sorts, especially Robinson, who completely lost his rhythm after being dunked on twice.
In the subsequent game, Robinson went 0-for-3 and scored no points!
When one corner of the Spurs collapsed, no matter how hard Duncan tried, it was too late to turn the tide!
With 1 minute and 30 seconds left in the game, the score difference between the two sides had reached 14 points!
Popovich knew that this game was over, so he stopped pushing and, with a wave of his hand, substituted all his key players, effectively surrendering the game!
Bird only let his starters play one more round before quickly substituting everyone out!
When the final whistle blew, the score was officially set.
102: 88.
The Pacers, with their overwhelming offensive power, defeated the league-leading Spurs by 14 points on the road, winning this highly anticipated clash of titans!
In this game, although Duncan scored a monster-level number of 33 points, 23 rebounds and 5 blocks, he single-handedly destroyed the Pacers' entire interior defense!
罗宾逊全场比赛虽然拿到17分9篮板，可全场19投只有7中，尤其是第四节4投1中只拿到2分，更是球队输球的罪魁祸首！
On the Pacers' side, Lin Tian's performance was no less than Duncan's. Although he received a technical foul and had a poor shooting touch in the first quarter, his strong performance at the start of the second quarter allowed him to score 46 points, 8 rebounds, 11 assists, and 5 steals tonight, shooting 16 of 29 from the field, 3 of 6 from three-point range, and 11 of 12 from the free-throw line!
Last year's Finals MVP delivered another MVP-caliber performance tonight!
Besides Lin Tian, although Carter only scored 11 points tonight, his several dunks were absolutely stunning and eye-opening. So his brilliance tonight was no less than Lin Tian's! His dunk over Robinson will definitely become a highlight replayed for years to come!
Being able to dunk over a star like David Robinson in such a nationally televised, high-profile game is of extraordinary significance to Carter!
In the post-game press conference, Lin Tian, as usual, showered Carter with praise, which gave the San Antonio media a slightly distorted impression.
Who was the player who scored a whopping 46 points tonight, almost single-handedly defeating the Spurs? Was it Carter or Lin Tian?
Anyway, if any reporter dares to actually ask this question, Lin Tian will shamelessly say: Yes, it's Carter, he is the number one hero!
For the sake of experience points, I won't shiver, not at all!
Yes, it wasn't just the media in San Antonio who were having this illusion tonight; even Carter himself seemed confused.
Did I really only score 11 points tonight? Or did I misread it? Actually, I just scored a career-high 30 points?
Then, Carter, attending his first press conference in his career, foolishly held a technical statistic very close to his face and looked at it line by line, as if trying to find some secret in it!
The result is, of course, 11 points is 11 points. No matter how spectacular the dunk is, his score will not become 12 points!
But Carter truly proved tonight that the statement that there is no difference between a dunk and a layup for the same two points is wrong!
The difference is huge!
The next morning, on the plane to Dallas, Carter, who was preparing for back-to-back games, couldn't stop smiling. He occupied an entire row of seats on the plane, sitting by himself and using the rest of the seats to put newspapers!
Half of the covers of his newspapers featured images of him brutally slamming Robinson!
The remaining half is the footage of Lin Tian dunking on Robinson.
Well, no matter how you look at it, the only one who got hurt was David Robinson!
He was the biggest loser in last night's game!
The next day's newspapers were full of harsh criticism of Robinson's weakness and incompetence!
The culprit behind San Antonio's loss is surprisingly him! The team's former glory has become its biggest failure!
Not even a competent second-in-command! Robinson is aging at an alarming rate!
"30+20 couldn't turn the tide; behind Duncan's best efforts lay the weakness and ineffectiveness of the rest of the team!"
Weak! Ewing is much tougher! David Robinson was posterized twice!
"It's been washed away! Lin Tian chases Robinson's backside relentlessly!"
The discussion about the top four centers can be concluded! Robinson's bottom ranking is no surprise; he lacks one crucial quality that makes him unsuitable as a leader!
That night, Robinson truly suffered a crushing defeat!
These newspapers that focus on the Spurs and Robinson and are willing to criticize him are actually a minority; most newspapers are too lazy to even bother criticizing Robinson!
Why don't they use this time to praise Lin Tian and Carter?
These two are the hottest stars in the league right now!
Another brutal dunk! Carter's talent is realized, and the Pacers have found their answer for the shooting guard position for the next decade!
After dunking on Robinson, who will be Carter's next victim?
Fearless! A Recap of Carter's Charge Against Robinson!
With a vertical leap exceeding 40 inches, Vince Carter could deliver the greatest performance in history if he participates in the Slam Dunk Contest!
"Let's bring back the All-Star Game! Even if it's just so fans can see Carter dunk!"
"The Next Jordan and Pippen? Can Lin Tian and Carter Dominate the League?"
"A ceiling? There's no ceiling! The most pass-oriented point guard and the most agile shooting guard in history can bring fans far more than you can imagine!"
Vince Carter! The New Generation of North Carolina's Airman! UFOs Hover Over Every Arena!
Air Raid Warning! Can Dallas Residents Withstand the Deadly Air Strike from Indiana?
"Why are you so happy? Don't tell me you didn't receive this kind of treatment when you were in North Carolina."
"I did enjoy it, but," Carter scratched the back of his head, "there was never this kind of overwhelming and crazy media coverage before. At most, it was just local media reporting on it."
"At other times, like during March Madness, we might get some national attention, but..."
Carter patted the at least 3-40 sports newspapers beside him and said, "Being featured in so many newspapers at the same time, and on so many covers, is truly a first!"
"This is just the beginning." Lin Tian patted Carter on the shoulder and said, "Keep playing, and you'll see just how crazy the media in this country really is! If you play well, you can achieve everything! You'll find your fans in every corner of America!"
"You'll encounter fans wanting to take photos with you every time you go shopping, and countless girls will try to get close to you every time you go to a nightclub. You'll become an idol for basketball-loving teenagers across America!"
Lin Tian could feel Carter's breathing become noticeably more rapid. What Lin Tian was talking about was exactly the kind of person every NBA player dreams of being! However, this dream can only exist in the dreams of most people!
As for Carter, he was indeed a prodigy, living in the spotlight from a young age. He even knew back in college that he would become famous throughout the United States and become a top NBA player.
But when all of this actually began to unfold before him, he still felt incredibly excited!
This is what it feels like to have your dreams come true!
Carter clenched his fists. He wanted to make this a regular occurrence, not just a fleeting moment! He wanted to truly become the darling of fans across America!
"Train hard! Play your best!" Lin Tian could tell from Carter's expression that he had persuaded him, so he offered Carter another promise: "Next year, let's make the All-Star Game together!"
"Let's both be selected for the All-Star team!" Carter clenched his fist, his face full of confidence!
"Achoo!" Miller, who was sitting not far from the two and organizing the players to play cards, suddenly sneezed and felt a chill.
"Is the window not closed properly? Why is there a draft?" Miller muttered, then realized he was on an airplane. Hmm, looks like the air conditioning was too strong.
Miller grabbed a jacket, draped it over himself, and continued playing cards.
Of course, he had no idea that his All-Star starting point guard spot had just been given to Carter by Lin Tian!
(End of this chapter)