Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 1127 I hadn't even exerted my strength yet, and you've already collapsed?

"You know basketball really well." Kobe suddenly stood up and forcefully switched places with a still bewildered Ginobili. "We seem to get along quite well?"

"You always seem to think the same way I do," Gasol chuckled. "We don't think we've ever really talked much before. What are your thoughts on the upcoming games?"

"I think someone from the Chinese team needs to step up and help Lin! Lin, who's even tired of trash talk, really needs support!"

"If I were the coach of Team USA," Gasol said, "I wouldn't double-team Lin anymore. I'd let him isolate and play freely. I wouldn't double-team him anymore, and it wouldn't be unacceptable if he kept scoring. In short, I want to wear Lin down faster and more intensely!"

Ginobili: Aba, aba aba! I was here first! Why are you two bastards suddenly not playing with me?

Do you think I don't understand football?

On the court, after Lin Tian slowly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, the American team, as expected, changed from double-teaming him as soon as he came over to having Allen constantly tearing at him, while the others stuck to their own players, not giving other players an easy opportunity to support Lin Tian.

"They're trying to kill you," Lin Tian said, looking at Allen in front of him. "Did you take a dump in the locker room during halftime?"

"I'm enough!" Allen said, continuing to entangle Lin Tian tightly while also increasing the pressure on his hands, constantly looking for opportunities to steal the ball.

This guy's defense has always been fierce, and he also has a knack for constantly stealing the ball while maintaining his defensive position.

Facing Lin Tian, ​​Allen unleashed every defensive skill he had, his head even touching Lin Tian's elbow. He was truly risking his life.

But Lin Tian had seen this kind of tenacious defense countless times in his life, from Payton to Jordan, Pippen, Kidd, Kobe, Paul...

It's fair to say that Lin Tian has completely dominated every top-tier defender in the NBA over the past 20 years.

He has so much experience.

Faced with Allen's entanglement, Lin Tian first stepped back a little to create space, then rowed his arm in place to open Allen's body. Immediately afterwards, Lin Tian suddenly accelerated and rushed past Allen in one step.

This time, however, Lin Tian did not challenge Howard or anyone else. Instead, he suddenly stopped and attacked after getting past Allen.

"Whoosh!"

A crisp sound, and it's in!

"That speed, that pull-up jumper height, that accuracy, you say he's tired? Oh, and he even trash-talked Allen." Ginobili was quite unhappy about being excluded from Kobe and Gasol's temporary little circle, and he started trying to make himself noticed.

Kobe said, "He only spouts the necessary trash talk; he saves himself the unnecessary stuff."

Gasol said, "Faced with an open shot, Lin would usually drive to the basket to draw help defense before deciding whether to pass or shoot. But this time he took the shot directly, which means he was indeed conserving his energy."

Kobe added, "Even if this kind of shot is difficult to execute, inconsistent, and doesn't fit the tactical system well, and even the landing point of the rebound is hard to predict, it might lead to a counterattack by the opponent."

Gasol and Kobe continued their back-and-forth: "But this saves energy, and Lin has absolute confidence. He believes he can keep making shots, so he just shoots like that. For others, the accuracy of a long two-pointer and a dunk is worlds apart."

"But for Lin," Kobe said with a smile, "it's all the same: 2 points."

"You two are so in sync, why don't you get married?" Ginobili sighed helplessly, too lazy to say anything more to these two bastards.

Are they showing off their love in front of me? It's only because Parker isn't here; if Parker were here...

It doesn't seem to be of much use.

With the addition of Anthony and the removal of Paul, the US team's offense has certainly declined in terms of playmaking ability, but their individual offensive ability and the players' ability to solve problems on their own have greatly improved.

After all, for the US team, their most formidable weapon when playing FIBA ​​games was neither Jordan nor O'Neal.

Their two most fearsome killers in FIBA ​​games are Durant and Anthony.

These two can be considered the gods of FIBA.

Of course, this is in a world without Lin Tian.

In Lin Tian's world, the only time these two got together was to win a World Championship title while Lin Tian was away.

But no matter what, when James has the ball at the top of the arc and the two players spread out on the left and right to prepare for the attack, that is definitely the most threatening and terrifying moment for the US team's offense.

In any case, the Chinese team couldn't defend against it.

After Lin Tian made that difficult two-pointer, Durant received the ball and immediately pulled up for a three-pointer, responding to Lin Tian's challenge.

Turning back, Lin Tian faced Allen in the same simple and direct way.

A triple threat move combined with a crossover step, followed by a layup and a quick step-back, then a sudden stop and pull-up for a long-range two-pointer that goes in!

"Call more people! You're committing suicide by yourself!" Lin Tian still looked at Alan with disdain.

But the American team was clearly determined.

Tonight, at least in the third quarter, even if you, Lin Tian, ​​beat us to a pulp, smash us to pieces, and explode us, even if you score 30 points in one quarter, we will not double-team you, and we will absolutely not double-team or change our defense.

The US team's defensive strategy can be simply put as follows: We believe you can score 30 points in the third half, but we don't believe you can score 60 points in the entire second half!

What they were betting on was whether Lin Tian was actually a human or some strange creature like Godzilla.

Moreover, after Coach K changed his starting lineup, the US team's offense had reached its peak, and the Chinese team simply couldn't contain or defend against it.

Durant and Anthony are both incredibly strong in terms of shooting range, ability, and all other aspects of scoring, not to mention that Team USA also has James and Howard.

These two guys are only slightly less offensive than Anthony and Durant. If they were the core of the team, they could easily score 2-30 points in a single game, even in FIBA.

The Chinese team simply couldn't stop the firepower of the American team.

Their offensive efficiency in the third quarter was astonishing; the whole team was in a frenzy during that quarter.

The whole team was scoring; they were unstoppable.

Even Tony Allen hit a 3-pointer in this quarter and drove to the basket for a putback, scoring 5 points in the quarter.

This was an absolute breakout moment for Allen.

As for the Chinese team, Lin Tian finally proved something tonight.

He's not a monster after all; he's just a little more powerful than an ordinary human.

Yes, much better.

In any case, in order to conserve his energy as much as possible, Lin Tian chose to shoot from mid- to long-range more often.

He was able to make consecutive shots at first, but soon, because he had exhausted himself in the first half, and in the third quarter, although the American team changed from double-teaming to only allowing Allen and Lin Tian to play one-on-one, Allen's persistent defense put tremendous pressure on Lin Tian.

Moreover, Lin Tian not only had to go all out on offense, constantly using his personal offense to compete with Allen, but he also had to help defend and fill gaps for his teammates on defense.

Drawing offensive fouls, helping on defense and blocking shots, looking for opportunities to steal the ball, and mismatching against Anthony, Durant, and others after pick-and-rolls...

On the offensive end, with the US team insisting on a one-on-one strategy of absolutely not double-teaming, Lin Tian had to carry the team's firepower forward by himself.

On the defensive end, facing the balanced and fierce attack of the American team's front line, Lin Tian had to fill in the gaps everywhere, and he was practically omnipresent.

His stamina was depleted at an alarming rate, and in the latter half of the third quarter, his condition visibly declined.

First, the defense was no longer so omnipresent and couldn't always be in the most crucial positions, which immediately improved the US team's offensive efficiency.

Then Lin Tian's mid-range shot went cold, and after missing three consecutive shots, the Chinese team lost their lead. Although Lin Tian quickly changed his offensive approach and began to try to get himself to the free-throw line by driving to the basket and drawing fouls, he still managed to score in a more stable but energy-consuming way.

At first, his approach worked; Allen was repeatedly fouled by Lin Tian and soon had to sit out to rest due to four fouls.

However, Allen's departure did not worsen the defensive treatment Lin Tian received.

Because Wade came.

Another defensive stalwart, and his stamina is almost at its peak.

Although Wade's defensive pressure is slightly inferior to Allen's, he is only slightly inferior to Allen on the defensive end. However, on the offensive end, even 10 Allens would probably not be a match for Wade.

With a well-rounded backcourt player on the court, the US team's defensive strategy remained unchanged: relentless full-court press and pressure on Lin Tian. On the offensive end, with Wade on the court, their offensive versatility became even more pronounced, making it even harder for the Chinese team to defend.

While Lin Tian was still able to score from time to time and find opportunities to attack against Wade's aggressive defense, his individual firepower was clearly insufficient compared to the US team's all-out attack and collective offensive style.

As for the rest of the Chinese team, under the extreme man-to-man defense tactics of the American team, the rest of the Chinese team really couldn't find any opportunities.

They can't break through them, they can't break through them at all.

The advantage that China managed to maintain in the first half quickly disappeared in the second half. They started to fall behind and were then pulled away by the United States.

Throughout the third quarter, Lin Tian's overall performance remained flawless. He made 6 of 12 field goals, 1 of 2 three-pointers, and 5 of 6 free throws, scoring 18 points.

他今晚已经轰下47分11篮板6助攻3抢断4盖帽了！

Furthermore, the Chinese team only scored a total of 22 points in this quarter!

Apart from Lin Tian, ​​the other teammates made a total of 1 of 8 field goals and 2 of 4 free throws, scoring 4 points.

Data cannot explain everything, but some of the most intuitive data is enough to prove everything.

In this quarter, Lin Tian single-handedly carried the team, forcibly keeping them alive through his own efforts.

However, with his form declining, his energy depleted, and his performance noticeably worsening in the second half of the quarter, the life he gave the team was barely hanging on by a thread.

Because the US team scored 34 points in this quarter!

They played their best quarter of the night, their offense was on fire.

Durant scored 11 points and Anthony scored 10 points; the two of them scored only 1 point less than the entire Chinese team.

Also, don't forget that even Tony Allen scored 5 points in this quarter with a combination of inside drives and outside shots!

This shows how smoothly the US team's offense went in this quarter.

With this powerful combination from FIBA, the US team successfully extended their lead to 9 points after the end of this quarter.

80: 89!

The US team was just one step away from extending their lead to more than 10 points.

Or rather, they had already extended their lead to 11 points in the final minute of the third quarter.

But in the final moments, Lin Tian once again shook off Wade, rushed to the basket, and forced a layup, narrowing the gap to within 10 points again.

But this layup not only completely exhausted the time, leaving no time behind, but also used up almost all of Lin Tian's energy. After making the shot, Lin Tian lay on the floor for a long time and refused to get up. In the end, Yi Jianlian and Zhu Fangyu had to pull Lin Tian up together.

During the break, Lin Tian stopped talking altogether. He just sat on the bench, mechanically waiting for the therapist to massage him, gulping down energy drinks. He felt like he had never been so tired before.

there has never been.

The defense Lin Tian faces tonight, and his own defensive tasks, are both incredibly heavy!

A simple comparison: Tony Allen was known in the NBA for his toughness, his inability to be shaken off, his boundless energy, and his stamina.

But tonight, after playing only 18 minutes in the first three quarters, he looked quite disheveled, with lifeless eyes and a vacant stare. He was truly exhausted.

The reason he was repeatedly fouled by Lin Tian in the third quarter was not because Lin Tian's feints suddenly fooled him, but purely because physical exhaustion led to oxygen deprivation in his brain, and his brain was not functioning well at that stage.

It's purely a matter of the body reacting faster than the brain; after a subconscious reaction, Lin Tian tricks them into committing a foul.

He went to the bench to rest with more than five minutes left in the third quarter. Now, with the time spent on free throws, timeouts, and the referees reviewing the video, he has been sitting for at least 15 minutes, but Allen still doesn't seem to be in the slightest bit of energy.

Judging from his current condition, it's questionable whether he can continue to play in the fourth quarter to target Lin Tian.

But if you think carefully about Allen's playing style and defensive contributions tonight, you'll realize that his performance was definitely not due to his own fault.

As long as he was on the court, he was almost always pressing Lin Tian relentlessly. He never let up on wearing Lin Tian down.

Anyone who has played basketball knows how physically and mentally taxing this kind of defense is for players.

This style of play is something that most NBA players would do well to maintain for 5 minutes without losing intensity, but Allen was going at almost maximum power for 18 minutes.

From this perspective, Allen is already quite terrifying.

It's not that Allen is useless, it's just that Lin Tian is too terrifying!

From Allen's performance, one can see just how incredibly exhausting Lin Tian's energy was tonight.

Allen, who had played for 18 minutes, was already somewhat distracted, while Lin Tian played for the full 30 minutes without any rest, and also had to take care of both offense and defense at the same time. His exertion was not only greater than Allen's, but much greater.

But even though Lin Tian looks like he's about to die, his contributions on the court are undeniable.

"He's better than me, really better than me." Kobe sat on the sidelines, biting his nails. "No matter how hard I try, there will always be a gap between us."

"You didn't just realize this today, did you?" Ginobili finally found an opportunity to interject and mock Kobe.

"I'm only saying this today," Kobe said dismissively, shrugging his shoulders. "At least 10 years ago in the Finals, Phil made me realize this reality, except back then..."

"Young, energetic, and believes that given time, he won't lose to anyone?" Gasol said with a smile, completing the second half of Kobe's sentence.

"That's how it is."

"Go ahead and get your marriage certificate. You two bastards, find some godforsaken place where homosexuality is legal and get it done." Ginobili didn't want to say anything more.

He had played in Europe with Gasol, so why did he feel like an outsider now?

At this moment, on the Chinese team's bench, Old Nelson looked at Lin Tian with considerable hesitation.

Should we replace it or not?

Theoretically, Lin Tian should rest at this point, but if he is allowed to rest, the 9-point gap could easily turn into a 20-point gap.

At that point, the Chinese team would have had absolutely no chance.

We can't let him rest. Everyone can see that Lin Tian is already at his limit. If we let him continue playing, he might actually collapse on the court.

"Is it starting?" Just as Old Nelson hesitated, unsure whether to let Lin Tian rest, Lin Tian finally stood up and uttered the only words he had spoken during his break: "Then let's go!"

Lin Tian didn't ask for a break, didn't say he was tired, and didn't even ask Old Nelson if he could continue playing.

He stood up immediately, full of confidence and momentum, and stepped onto the court.

After a moment's hesitation, Old Nelson immediately turned around and said, "The other four starters, go!"

"In the third quarter, you said you would help reduce Lin's workload, but you completely failed to do so! I am very disappointed, extremely disappointed."

"In the fourth quarter, you have to do it. You have to score, you have to help Lin score, and you also have to defend the American team and make their efficiency drop."

"A 9-point deficit, we have to get back! We absolutely have to get back! I don't want to be reversed by 15 points in this game! I'll never be able to sleep at night again."

"clear!"

After Nelson finished speaking, the four starting players he mentioned immediately headed towards the court.

Old Nelson is right.

If the performance of the Chinese team's players other than Lin Tian in the first quarter could be rated 10 points, then in the second quarter they could only be rated 5 points at most, and in the third quarter, sorry, they were all out of the running.

I can't give it a score because it's just too bad!

Utterly worthless and rotten.

They are all core players of their respective teams. Although they are far from being a match for the American team, this does not mean that the Chinese team players lack a sense of honor and shame, nor does it mean that they are willing to become drags on the team without contributing anything to it.

They want the gold medal to hang around their necks, but they want it to be rightfully theirs, something they can wear with a clear conscience.

"Let's do it!" Xu Yong looked at the people around him and said proactively, "It's the fourth quarter, we can't leave everything to Brother Lin."

"Let's do it!" said Yi Jianlian, who was usually taciturn. "Absolutely! We must be absolutely determined!"

"Be more ruthless! Be even more ruthless." Zhu Fangyu's face also showed a bit of ferocity, probably recalling the scene of his fight with Australia back then.

In short, the rest of the Huaxia team reached an agreement without communicating with Lin Tian.

Do it yourself!

"Brother," Xu Yong walked up to Lin Tian and said, "Why don't you rest for a while?"

"Then you do it?" Lin Tian asked, tilting his head to look at Xu Yong. (End of Chapter)