r18novel Chapter 185 Another person is about to be tricked into lameness by Lin!
Chapter 185 Another person is about to be tricked into lameness by Lin!
Chapter 185 Another person is about to be tricked into lameness by Lin!
A significant difference at City Square Stadium tonight was that the cheers from the fans were mixed with a lot of jeers and boos.
These are, of course, gifts for Iverson and the 76ers!
The fans remember clearly their pre-match provocations towards Lin Tian!
Why can't the players just openly criticize?
Leave it to us!
Amidst a chorus of boos, Iverson walked straight towards Lin Tian. Looking at Lin Tian, he tilted his head back and said, "Lin, I will beat you! I am the best point guard in this league!"
"Come on, with your playing style, you dare call yourself a point guard?" Lin Tian rolled his eyes and said, "Can you stop insulting the term? Did you organize the offense, pass the ball, or build the team's system? You're at most a point guard, you just control the ball and never pass it!"
"I've always been the best player on the team since I was a kid. Why should I pass the ball? Are their shooting percentages as high as mine?" Iverson looked at Lin Tian, showing no intention of backing down.
"I've always been the best player on the team, from childhood to adulthood. Don't I also pass the ball?"
"You're better than Michael?" Iverson scoffed, showing his disdain.
"What, do you think you're weaker than Michael?" Lin Tian immediately launched a soul-searching retort.
"Of course I'm better than him! I even beat him in one game last year! Weren't you there too?" Iverson grumbled, even wanting to perform his signature move, "dribble past God," for Lin Tian on the spot.
"Yeah, you crushed him, but we still won the game." Lin Tian grinned mischievously. "We won entirely because of me! If it weren't for Michael dragging us down, we would have won much earlier! Let me tell you a secret, when I was with the Bulls, I often went one-on-one with Michael during practice."
"So, so, so? Can you win a one-on-one?" Iverson's interest was piqued, and he unconsciously moved closer to Lin Tian, tilting his head and asking, "How many out of 10 one-on-one matches can you win?"
"It's hard to say how many games he'll win, we haven't calculated it, but I can tell you that Michael isn't that scary! A one-on-one against him is nothing special! But you'll have a bit of a problem, the height difference between you two is too big, I reckon you'll have a hard time guarding him!"
Lin Tian patted Iverson on the back and said, "You can provoke him with words to make him face up and drive to you! Then you can try to steal the ball. But if he insists on backing down you, you're in trouble."
"Yeah! If I were 190cm instead of 175cm, I wouldn't be afraid of Michael's back-to-the-basket moves at all! No matter what he does, I can defend against him."
How many centimeters?
Lin Tian couldn't help but scratch his ear, feeling that he had overheard some secret that couldn't be told to others.
But Iverson is really ruthless!
They overstated his height by almost 10 centimeters! How many pairs of socks would he have to wear to pad his height when taking his measurements?
Lin Tian and Iverson were chatting away like old friends, but how to put it...
The way Lin Tian is putting his arm around Iverson right now looks really out of place to him!
From fans to players to both head coaches, everyone felt this scene was very incongruous!
These two shouldn't be so tense, ready to kill each other right away, as if they'd rather just draw their swords and guns and risk their lives.
Why do they act like long-lost brothers now?
The fans at the scene were completely bewildered. Had they booed the wrong person? Could this Iverson be good friends with Lin? Was their previous verbal sparring with the media just a joke?
In contrast to Bird's intriguing expression, Brown's face was terribly gloomy.
That worthless bastard! He just started chatting with Lin Tian like that? What happened to provoking him, enraging him, and making him lose his mind?
How did you two manage to provoke your opponent and make them lose their temper by just walking arm in arm like that?
Well, there's no need to provoke Iverson; his usual playing style is like he's irrational.
"Are these two close?" Barkley asked curiously, watching Lin Tian and Iverson act like they'd known each other forever. "I've never heard of Lin having any connection with this shorty."
"As far as I know, these two haven't spoken a word to each other outside of the game," Miller shrugged. "So there's only one reason."
"Iverson's going to get thoroughly messed with by Lin tonight. That bastard makes friends before a game? I don't believe it for a second!"
"I don't believe it either! This guy's belly is full of bad ideas, more than the water in the Pacific Ocean!" Barkley wholeheartedly agreed, nodding in agreement!
"He's even more cunning than Larry and Isaiah. I often see those three scoundrels huddled together whispering. If they're talking about some serious tactics or plans, I'll cut my head off and give it to them to dunk on!" Schmitz, who was usually quiet, chimed in and gave the group a conclusion.
After Schmitz finished speaking, several key players from the Pacers nodded in agreement. They all felt that Iverson was in for a bad night.
Meanwhile, Lin Tian and Iverson's "secret talk" was coming to an end.
"Since you're so eager for a one-on-one match, I'll make an exception! Tonight, I'll have a good spar with you! I'll show you exactly where the difference lies between you and me!" Lin Tian stood up, looking down at Iverson, and issued the challenge.
"It's the gap between you and me! I'll crush you, Lin! Just like I crushed Michael last year!" Iverson, craning his neck and pointing his nose at Lin Tian's chin, said, "In a one-on-one fight, I'll never lose!"
After the two finished their discussion, the referee walked onto the field and was about to kick off!
"Beep beep!"
After the whistle blew, the competition officially began!
Schmitz's height once again gave him an advantage in the jump ball, allowing him to defeat Coleman and secure the Pacers' first possession of the night.
After receiving the ball, Lin Tian immediately waved his hand in circles in the air and shouted:
"Spread out! Everyone spread out! We're taking on an isolated island!"
"Here we go again, Lin. Doesn't he know the meaning of sincerity?" As soon as Barkley heard Lin Tian's tactics, he knew that Iverson had definitely been fooled! The entire 76ers defense would also be in trouble!
Lin Tian slowly dribbled the ball across half the court while continuing to shout loudly for his teammates to create space for him.
Meanwhile, Barkley and Schmitz in the paint suddenly ran towards each other, setting a perfect off-ball screen on the wing. Then Schmitz moved out to the outside, and Barkley cut inside!
Coleman and Ratliff, the 76ers' newest acquisition, haven't yet developed good defensive chemistry, so they're both a bit confused. Weren't they supposed to be playing one-on-one on isolated islands? Why are they suddenly using an off-ball screen?
Caught off guard, the two players surprisingly ignored Barkley in the paint and charged towards Schmitz in the mid-range.
Lin Tian passed the ball without hesitation, throwing it directly into the paint. Barkley caught the ball, easily jumped up, and dunked it with both hands!
"Beautiful pass, Lin!" Barkley gave Lin Tian a thumbs up after scoring. That was an easy dunk!
"Don't look at me like that, Allen." Lin Tian shrugged helplessly. "Go back and watch the replay later. He had such a huge opening on that play! I just couldn't resist! If I didn't pass that ball, even God would be angry with me!"
Of course, whether God blames me or not, I, Lord Lin, don't care at all.
We don't speak the same language, and we don't share the same system. I, Lin Daguanren, believe in science!
As for Lin Tian's own cheat and his rebirth, how can science explain them?
If I can't explain it, then I won't explain it!
Iverson didn't say much, but turned to look at Coleman and Ratliff and said, "Communicate more on defense! Don't make those huge lapses in marking again!"
"Got it." The seasoned veteran Coleman secretly rolled his eyes. This kid is only a second-year student, and he actually wants to boss me around?
It's one thing to give orders, but at least have an average level of defense yourself before you start instructing me! You're like a sieve yourself, what gives you the right to do that?!
Of course, despite the complaints, Coleman was incredibly quick when he needed to set a screen. He had barely reached the frontcourt when he immediately stepped to the side to block Lin Tian, allowing Iverson to flash past him and drive straight into the Pacers' paint for a layup!
After scoring, Iverson looked at Lin Tian.
Suddenly, a smile appeared on his face, completely different from his previous honest and foolish expression.
This kid's a real schemer!
Seeing Iverson's smug look, Lin Tian couldn't help but curse.
upright?
Honest my foot!
The guys in this alliance are all incredibly filthy! It's a pity that I, Lord Lin, treat people with sincerity, yet I always end up being hurt and left with scars!
"Whoosh!"
Lin Tian, who had just dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, hadn't even had a chance to exchange a few words with Iverson when he spotted an open shot in the corner!
Miller easily shook off Jim Jackson with a screen and some excellent off-ball movement, getting an open shot in the corner! Lin Tian certainly wouldn't let his teammate down; even before Miller got open, Lin Tian's ball was already flying in that direction!
Get in position, receive the ball, and shoot!
It's done in one smooth motion! No adjustments or shaking required at all!
"Whoosh!"
If Miller couldn't make a shot like that, which was flawless in terms of rhythm, timing, and passing, then he wouldn't have been the league's best shooter in the 90s!
5: 2!
This time, Iverson didn't blame his teammates for their poor defense. He knew where his team's weaknesses were and that his own defense was negligible. If he kept demanding that his teammates play better when his own defense was so bad, he would easily become very annoying!
After dribbling the ball up the court, Iverson winked at Ratliff again, and the power forward who had just joined the team immediately stepped forward to set a screen for Iverson.
But this time, Lin Tian was prepared and quickly retreated, bypassing Ratliff's screen from behind and doing his best to block Iverson's breakthrough!
As for three-pointers? Iverson's three-point shooting percentage this season is only 28%! Let him shoot threes, and the Pacers will be rock solid!
Sure enough, when he saw Lin Tian step back, giving him a chance to shoot a three-pointer, Iverson didn't care about his three-point shooting percentage being less than 30%. He just took the shot when he had an open look; that was his style!
"Bang!"
Unfortunately, this time Iverson was met with a crisp clang of metal striking metal.
Lin Tian glanced back briefly at where the basketball was going to land, then quickly raised his leg and rushed towards the frontcourt!
Barkley certainly wouldn't disappoint Lin Tian. After grabbing the rebound, he threw it towards the frontcourt with both hands as soon as he landed!
Lin Tian grabbed the basketball and couldn't help but sigh.
Both are rebounding experts, but Barkley's passing is far superior to Rodman's!
If it were Rodman, Lin Tian would almost certainly have run his lungs out of their sockets after that play, and he still might not have been able to catch the ball!
Because Iverson is one of the fastest players in the league, he really has a chance to keep up with Lin Tian's speed!
Especially when Lin Tian has the ball, his speed is no slower than Lin Tian's when he doesn't!
"Come on, Lin! Let me see what you've got!" Iverson lowered his center of gravity, staring intently at Lin Tian, trying to figure out which direction Lin Tian would break through from.
Then, Lin Tian quickly made his choice.
From above!
Iverson watched incredulously as the basketball flew over his head, completely unable to comprehend what Lin Tian was doing.
Was this a shot? But Lin Tian didn't even jump; he just casually tossed the ball towards the basket with both hands.
Pass the ball?
Even less likely! Iverson was certain that there was no one behind him, and absolutely no Pacers player could catch up with the ball before it went out of bounds.
Unless the basketball can fly back on its own!
It flew back on its own?
"Bang!"
Just as Iverson was thinking this, he heard a crisp sound behind his head. He turned around and saw that the basketball had hit the backboard and bounced back!
However, it wasn't Lin Tian who caught the ball! Lin Tian continued to sprint forward, not only making the basketball leap over him and fly behind him, but also pushing Iverson out of his defensive position, making it impossible for him to defend!
Behind Lin Tian was Rose, who quickly followed up. Rose jumped without hesitation, grabbed the basketball with both hands in mid-air, and smashed it into the basket!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Lin Tian's imaginative bank shot successfully turned into a 2-point play! The entire Consecutive Arena erupted once again with deafening cheers and shouts!
Is there anyone who wouldn't like this kind of free and easy passing? Is there anyone who wouldn't like this kind of imaginative, unrestrained passing, like a gazelle hanging its horns?
Yes, there are!
Larry Brown scoffed, "Pointless showing off! It's still a 2-point game. Wouldn't it have been better to bounce the ball and pass it to Rose behind him? If Allen had reacted that way, he could have easily made a steal!"
"Allen, thank me! Thank me from the bottom of your heart!" Lin Tian grinned mischievously as he returned to defense, saying to Iverson, "Otherwise, you'll be forever etched in history as a backdrop for someone's violent dunk, mentioned again and again for the next 30 years!"
"Shut up! If you hadn't messed around and pushed me, I could have easily crushed this young man with a single block!" Iverson refused to back down and immediately retorted.
"Jaylen, he said he can beat you with his hat! Do you believe it?" Upon hearing this, Lin Tian immediately replied: "These things only count if the person involved speaks up!"
"Who? I don't see anyone! I only see a short, ugly goblin!" Ross's mouth has become increasingly venomous lately, influenced by what he's been exposed to!
"Alan, he said you can't block his shot, and he also said you're too short!" Lin Tian said with a grin, relaying Ross's words.
"I understand without you saying it!" Iverson cursed, then his eyes suddenly turned to the basket.
Lin Tian knew that this guy was starting to get carried away!
Then, Lin Tian suddenly lunged forward to snatch it!
He started to guard Iverson with very rough and tight defense, aiming to make Iverson completely lose his temper!
At the same time, Lin Tian also made a hand gesture behind his back.
It's the same old trick of shouting "Come on, let's fight one-on-one" while actually telling teammates to prepare to double-team!
But this simple move, combined with Lin Tian's almost non-stop trash talk, really proved to be a winning strategy, proving useful every time!
This time, Iverson didn't call for a screen from his teammates. Instead, after pausing slightly at the top of the arc, he suddenly made a wide crossover dribble, then flashed past Lin Tian and was about to rush towards the basket for a layup!
"Snapped!"
But this time, Lin Tian, who had already been beaten, suddenly poked Iverson from behind, successfully knocking the basketball out of his hands. Then Lin Tian turned around and ran, sprinting towards the frontcourt!
This time, it was Rose who picked up the basketball. Like Barkley, Rose didn't stop and threw it towards the frontcourt!
At this moment, Lin Tian was the only player left in the 76ers' half of the court, and no one could catch him! Everyone else was still in shock!
So Lin Tian drove straight in, all the way to the 76ers' paint.
This time, Lin Tian adjusted his jumping distance once again. Just as one foot touched the free throw line, he lifted off the ground and flew towards the basket!
The entire city square fell silent in an instant!
A dunk from the free-throw line?
Every fan has in mind this dunk move that now represents the highest level of difficulty.
If Lin Tian can actually complete a free throw line dunk, then his jumping ability and gliding distance will be... too...
"Whoosh!"
Just as fans were speculating whether Lin Tian could complete the free-throw line dunk and win the dunk contest, a crisp sound rang out.
Lin Tian scored!
With a flick of his wrist, he easily made a layup!
Yes, layup done!
When Lin Tian was halfway through the gliding... he realized that he had overestimated himself.
When I'm fully warmed up during training and in peak condition, I can definitely dunk from the free-throw line.
But doing that in a competition... is really asking for trouble!
Go for a layup! It's better than missing a dunk.
A rare sigh of disappointment rippled through the entire city square stadium; Lin Tian's shot had been a huge disappointment for them.
I thought I was going to see a spectacular, powerful layup, but it turned out to be an ordinary layup.
Even Lin Tian, who is usually very thick-skinned, was a little embarrassed at this moment.
The audience's thoughts at this moment can be summed up in one sentence.
I took my pants off and this is what you show me?
But no matter what, this shot, like a dunk, is worth 2 points!
After Lin Tian's much-hyped but ultimately ineffective layup, the Pacers completely seized control of the game and began to widen the gap!
If the 76ers miss two more possessions, they could very well be down by more than 10 points by the end of the first quarter!
Fortunately, Iverson finally stepped up at this crucial moment!
First, a mid-range pull-up jumper helped the team break the scoring drought. Then, under Lin Tian's entanglement, he finally passed the ball to the open Ratliff, who assisted his teammate to dunk!
Then, Iverson took advantage of Barkley's missed shot under the basket, dribbled the ball up the court at high speed, and once again forced his way to the Pacers' basket, completing a difficult layup over Rose's defense!
After this run of 6 points, the 76ers almost instantly erased their disadvantage and passivity. Iverson's scoring explosiveness is truly extraordinary!
But the 76ers have Iverson, and the Pacers have Lin Tian!
After finding his teammates in several consecutive rounds, but they failed to make their shots, Lin Tian also turned on his offensive mode!
First, he dribbled the ball and called for a double screen at the high post. Then, under the double screen of Barkley and Schmitz, Lin Tian took a long-range three-pointer. The basketball drew a beautiful arc and went in accurately!
"Whoosh!"
This kind of three-point shot has now become Lin Tian's third major label, besides his passing and cursing!
A three-pointer after a chase, a pull-up three-pointer after a screen, and a long-range three-pointer!
These were considered heretical in the 90s. Anyone, including Miller, who dared to throw like that on the court would definitely be called a reckless, haphazard, and undisciplined selfish person.
In that era, and even until Curry burst onto the scene more than a decade later, no one would choose this method of shooting.
Except in life-or-death situations, nobody would play like that in a game.
However, Lin Tian has completely integrated these shooting techniques into his game over the past two years and in the most recent games.
It was partly due to Curry's experience with the lingering "ability" of Kana, and partly due to Lin Tian's own hard work during the summer.
In short, this season, Lin Tian's three-point attempts have increased significantly compared to last season, and his accuracy has not declined.
After Lin Tian hit the three-pointer, he raised three fingers of his left hand and tapped them repeatedly on his head, baring his teeth at Iverson.
When has Iverson ever been subjected to this? He only ever taunts his opponents after scoring!
So, in the next possession, Iverson quickly brought the ball to the frontcourt and, just like before, gestured for Coleman and Ratliff to come forward at the same time. Then, just when Lin Tian thought that this guy was going to take the exact same three-point shot, Iverson suddenly changed direction and accelerated, flashing past Lin Tian!
Or rather, this guy simply darted between Coleman and Ratliff!
He still drove straight to the basket, still held off Schmitz, and easily scored 2 points!
After scoring, Iverson didn't say much, but quickly regulated his breathing and turned to start his defense.
Lin Tian looked at Iverson, whose big, honest, and watery eyes were now filled with cunning.
Are you trying to sabotage me?
Are you playing mind games with me?
Today, Iverson will see who the true master of psychological warfare is in this league!
Lin Tian licked his lips. This time, he dribbled the ball slowly and advanced towards the frontcourt. When he was two steps outside the three-point line, Lin Tian suddenly passed the ball directly to Miller on the wing. Then, Lin Tian quickly cut inside and got to the low post.
At the same time, Lin Tian backed down Iverson and reached out for the ball.
Miller knew what Lin Tian was going to do. After passing the ball to the inside with a bounce pass, he directed his teammates to spread out.
Lin Tian held the basketball with his back to the basket, then suddenly pushed his way towards the inside twice. After discovering that Iverson's strength was actually quite good and he could hold on, Lin Tian quickly turned towards the baseline, drawing Iverson's weight, and then suddenly turned towards the top of the baseline again!
Then Lin Tian pulled up and dribbled, creating space with a series of turns and a height difference of more than 15 centimeters, leaving Iverson with no chance to interfere with the shot.
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Lin Tian's close-range fadeaway jump shot went in!
This shot is 3 points like Jordan, 3 points like Kobe, and 2 points like Andre Miller!
As I said before, after a summer of hard training, the residual abilities from the experience cards Lin Tian had used before began to erupt all at once!
Lin Tian is certainly not comparable to low-post legends like Jordan, peak Kobe, and Miller. If he were to face defensive masters like Kidd and Payton in the low post, he would definitely not be able to play as smoothly and effortlessly. His turnaround jump shot accuracy and range are not as exaggerated as those guys, reaching the entire two-point area.
But how do you deal with Allen Iverson, who is less than 180 centimeters tall and not particularly good at defense, whose defensive abilities are below the league average except for his quick hands and ability to steal the ball?
no problem!
Absolutely perfect!
After scoring, Lin Tian bent down and placed his left hand, palm down, less than 30 centimeters from the floor.
"Is that all you've got!" Lin Tian stood up, met Iverson's gaze, and launched into a mocking statement!
He could clearly see Iverson's lips twitch, but in the next possession, Iverson held back and didn't take a risky shot. Instead, he passed the ball to Jackson, then used off-ball screens and his superb off-ball movement skills to create space, and immediately received the ball and made the shot!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp crack, Iverson responded once again!
Wow, his mental attributes are surprisingly resilient.
This time, Lin Tian simply stopped dribbling and handed the ball over to Rose. Lin Tian quickly pushed past Iverson and got to the low post once again!
This time, Coleman ran over quickly to help Iverson defend, but he had barely taken two steps away from Barkley when Lin Tian made a direct pass under his arm, sending the ball into Barkley's hands!
"boom!"
With a crisp sound, Barkley slammed the ball down and scored 2 more points!
"Why don't you just leave the court? What good are you on the court besides dragging your teammates down?" Lin Tian once again made a downward hand gesture, continuing to mock Iverson in a similar way.
What you perceive as psychological warfare: using infiltration and division, deception, psychological intimidation, emotional harm, suggestion and inducement, etc., to exploit one's strengths against the opponent's weaknesses; to strike unexpectedly and catch them off guard! Using various methods to lull the opponent into complacency, apply mental pressure to the opponent, create psychological burdens, and weaken the opponent's fighting spirit and cohesion.
In reality, Lin Da Guan Ren's psychological warfare involved: directly cursing his mother, continuously cursing his mother, relentlessly cursing his mother, and slapping his little face repeatedly.
Yes, the most sophisticated psychological warfare often unfolds in the simplest, most basic, and unpretentious way.
For the remainder of the first quarter, whenever Lin Tian had the chance, he would definitely come to the low post and challenge Iverson. Regardless of whether he could score or not, Lin Tian's mouth would never stop.
What he was saying was a carpet-like, indiscriminate barrage of words, centered on Iverson's height and with the rest of Iverson's body as the radius!
They launched a fierce attack on Iverson!
But Iverson clearly had prepared himself mentally before the game and maintained a calm and correct playing style throughout. Although he missed some shots and occasionally made one or two irrational forced shots, overall, he played flawlessly in the first quarter!
首节比赛结束之后，林天和艾弗森两人都打满了首节，林天11投7中拿下18分5助攻的完美数据，艾弗森则是首节就15次出手命中9球，拿下23分1次助攻！
The two star players delivered perfect and efficient performances in the first quarter, providing an unparalleled audio-visual experience for the audience both at the stadium and watching on television!
However, although Iverson scored more points, the Pacers still gained an advantage in the first quarter thanks to their more efficient and balanced team performance.
31: 25!
The Pacers took a 6-point lead in the first quarter.
At the start of the second quarter, Iverson, who is known for his unlimited stamina, had no intention of resting and went straight onto the court.
rest?
After you die, you'll have plenty of opportunities to rest!
The first thing Iverson did when he stepped onto the court was to look at Lin Tian from a distance. His eyes, full of energy and fighting spirit, were full of stories, and anyone could clearly read Iverson's feelings and thoughts at that moment.
If you've got the guts, come on up!
Lin Tian asked himself if his eyes could be as clear and bright as Iverson's, nor could he convey a certain emotion as clearly as Iverson.
But Lin Tian had a more sophisticated way to convey his feelings at that moment.
Open your mouth, but don't make a sound. Make sure each word is pronounced clearly and your mouth shape is correct.
"FUXX! Idiot! Fool! Fool! Shit! Shorty! Irish goblin! Goblin! Dwarf! Hobbit! Goblin servant!"
Lin Tian wasn't sure if Iverson had learned lip reading or could understand the meaning of each word he was using, so he placed the most easily recognizable and distinctive words at the very beginning! He believed that Iverson would definitely be able to understand the meaning of the first few words.
As for the last few, even if you don't understand them, you can guess that they're not praising him for being tall and mighty, right?
Sure enough, Iverson's fighting spirit in his eyes had turned into disdain and displeasure. Lin Tian felt that if they weren't on the court, this guy would definitely want to rush over and beat him up.
Well, of course, it's also possible that the reason they didn't rush over wasn't because they were on the field, but because they were afraid.
"Double Allen!" Bird saw Lin Tian and Iverson's little tricks clearly. He stood up from the bench and made several hand gestures, signaling Dumars and others on the court to double-team Iverson.
But while they can give orders, who among Dumars and Best really wants to limit Iverson, who is in his prime?
That's really too difficult!
In the first possession, Iverson blew past Dumars with lightning speed. Best, standing next to him, didn't even realize what was happening and could only watch as Iverson drove all the way to the basket.
"Snapped!"
With a crisp sound, Ben Wallace, who had also trained hard in the summer and had extra practice sessions with Oakley, Bird, Davis and others, absorbing a lot of knowledge and making rapid progress, relied on his mobility to quickly get into position for help defense and block Iverson's layup!
Dumars reacted quickly, grabbing the basketball and extending his hands to signal, "Stay calm! Everyone stay calm! Take it slow!"
At this moment, apart from Barkley and Rose, the other key players are all out. Dumars knows that the most important thing at this time is to make use of Barkley's inside strength, slow down the pace, reduce the number of possessions, and use half-court offense to hold off the 76ers.
Dumas's sudden halt in his run left Ross, who was already fast, extremely frustrated. He had started running, but now he had to stop, clapping his hands and shaking his head.
He thought, what a great opportunity this is, why not give him one and let him launch a fast break?
Lin Tian was able to transmit it!
Rose's frustration was just a fleeting moment in the game and did not affect the Pacers' subsequent offense.
The Pacers' second unit strictly adhered to the strategy of having Barkley as the absolute core, constantly attacking in the low post, while several perimeter players waited for opportunities to receive the ball and shoot. On the 76ers' side, the young Ratliff, although he had made rapid progress this season and was averaging more than 3 blocks per game, really couldn't do anything against the short and strong Barkley.
His strength lies in help defense, but he's really bad at direct defense!
Otherwise, Ratliff wouldn't have averaged 2.4 blocks per game throughout his career, with six seasons averaging more than three blocks per game, including one season with an astonishing 4.4 blocks per game. Yet, he never won Defensive Player of the Year, never even made the All-Defensive First Team, and only made the All-Defensive Second Team twice in his entire career.
It's because although his block stats look good, he's nowhere near being a pillar of strength or a one-man defense!
The only good news for the 76ers is that although Ratliff couldn't keep up with Barkley and was scored on several times in a row, Iverson, after being blocked on the first shot, wasn't blocked by Ben Wallace's help defense again, and instead continued to attack the basket.
At the same time, Iverson also saw Ben Wallace's lack of experience and his rash defense. He not only drew fouls from Wallace, but also took advantage of the gaps when Wallace was overly defensive, and passed the ball to Ratliff under the basket twice, assisting him to easily dunk!
Five minutes into the second quarter, the score was 44-40, with the Pacers still leading by four points.
Iverson's score has reached 28 points!
This small body truly has inexhaustible energy!
The reason for calling a timeout at this point was that Ben Wallace had just been fouled again by Allen Iverson, committing two fouls in just five minutes. Bird had to substitute him out and also took the opportunity to adjust the lineup, bringing several of his key players back onto the court.
"Don't be discouraged, Ben." As Lin Tian entered the court, he passed Ben, who was looking down, and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "That was a fantastic block! Don't forget, you were an undrafted player, an unknown, while he was the number one draft pick, a prodigy!"
"Three years, at most three years, and you can beat everyone head-on on the court!"
"Thank you." Ben Wallace's voice was still low as he turned back to the bench and plopped down on it. It was clear that being repeatedly attacked by Iverson as a weak point had left him very frustrated.
However, when Lin Tian saw Isaiah Thomas quickly sit down next to Ben and begin to give him psychological counseling, Lin Tian was no longer worried.
With Thomas providing psychological support to Ben Wallace, the person who should be worried is clearly Ben Wallace's opponent.
"I thought you wouldn't have the guts to step onto the court tonight," Iverson said sarcastically as soon as he saw Lin Tian enter the game.
"Actually, if I hadn't been sitting here almost falling asleep, I really wouldn't have wanted to come up here." Lin Tian yawned and looked at Iverson, saying, "We've been playing for so long, how come you're still lagging behind? I should have come up in 3 minutes, but you can't catch up, so there's no need for me to."
Iverson frowned, standing at the free-throw line and looking at Lin Tiandao: "I still have free throws to take!"
"You can get four penalties in a row?"
"Idiots, there are two of them, of course!"
"Idiot! You made both free throws and you're still down by 2 points! You still haven't caught up! I thought you could score 5 points from those two free throws and take the lead!"
"FUXX!" After realizing he was no match for Lin Tian in a verbal battle, Iverson cursed, then his hand trembled and he missed the free throw.
"Now you need 5 points on every free throw! Come on, Allen, let me show you what a 5-point shot really is!"
Iverson didn't respond to Lin Tian's words. He took a deep breath and then raised his hand to make the free throw.
Lin Tian continued dribbling the ball, slowly advancing towards the frontcourt.
"Besides being a little taller than me, what else do you have? Huh? You're just a softie who only knows how to play in the low post with your pitiful height! If you're so tough, try driving past me!" Iverson lowered his center of gravity again and opened his mouth to mock Lin Tian.
He really couldn't defend against Lin Tian in the low position!
"I almost forgot I was supposed to go to the low post if you hadn't mentioned it. Thanks, you're really nice!" Lin Tian grinned, looking like he had just realized something and finally remembered. He beckoned Miller next to him to come over and receive the ball, then pretended to gather the ball and pass it over.
"Don't underestimate him!" Iverson shouted, shifting his weight and lunging towards Miller.
But just as he shifted his weight, Lin Tian suddenly changed direction, accelerated to his other side, and flashed past Iverson in the blink of an eye!
After driving all the way to the inside, Lin Tian jumped first and flew towards the basket.
Ratliff followed closely behind, using his height and long arms to spread his arms and block all of Lin Tian's attack routes.
Lin Tian held the ball high with both hands, glided it in the air for a distance, and then suddenly pulled the ball back with both hands, shrinking himself up as well. This shrinking and pulling back allowed Lin Tian to avoid Ratliff's block!
Then, as if a spring had been compressed to its limit, Lin Tian suddenly stretched out, held the basketball in both hands, spun it in a small half-circle to his side, and slammed it heavily towards the basket!
"boom!"
(End of this chapter)