Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 685 Top Master of Inspirational Quotes Successfully Controls the Scene! Western Dressing Roo

"Snapped!"

Since Wade wasn't there, the steal must have been made by someone else.

Carter!

This guy seized the moment when McGrady gathered the ball to defend, slapped it away with his hand, and at the same time took a step forward and threw the ball towards the frontcourt!

Lin Tian, ​​who had just made a move to start sprinting, is now really charging forward!

He quickly went down to the frontcourt, grabbed the basketball, and charged towards the frontcourt!

No one can catch him!

Nash was no good, and Kobe was even worse!

"boom!"

Then, another loud bang rang out as Lin Tian once again completed an easy dunk, and the Eastern team continued to widen the gap!

75: 58!

The gap between the two sides has reached 17 points!

They are just one step away from the 20-point mark.

Fortunately, the Western Conference team regained their composure, and McGrady hit a pull-up jumper, scoring two crucial points for his team!

Then, Jamison used his mobility to successfully isolate O'Neal, scoring 2 points with a close-to-the-basket floater.

Turning back, the West launched another fast break. Nash advanced rapidly and, while being double-teamed, made a low pass to O'Neal, who was making a fast break. O'Neal was unstoppable after receiving the ball, and with a powerful jump, he slammed the ball down the rim with both hands, causing the backboard to shake violently once again.

The prehistoric behemoth scores again!

but……

run?

Lin Tian is afraid that your Western Army won't follow suit!

After O'Neal dunked, Lin Tian immediately had Jamison inbound the ball from the baseline, then accelerated and sprinted, setting the pace up to a frenzy once again.

He drove all the way to the Western Conference's basket, but instead of shooting directly, he dribbled the ball out and retreated back to the three-point line.

The reason he withdrew was simply because the person guarding him had now become Shaquille O'Neal!

Such mismatch opportunities are extremely rare! O'Neal seldom helps defend beyond the three-point line!

However, Lin Tian failed to complete the attack this time.

Because O'Neal, that bastard, also had a wicked grin on his face, and then he came up and hugged Lin Tian tightly.

If I foul on my own initiative, you can forget about winning a one-on-one.

Go ahead and throw the ball in from the sideline!

"Shaq, are you out of your mind?" Lin Tian looked at O'Neal, who was grinning smugly, and reminded him, "You guys have fouled out this quarter. If you foul me, I'll be going to the free-throw line right away. What are you so happy about?"

While offering a friendly reminder, Lin Tian admired O'Neal's frozen smile and happily walked to the free throw line.

It's clear that O'Neal is really drunk; he can't even distinguish numbers up to 5.

"Swish! Swish!"

After Lin Tian made both free throws, the West team continued their attack!

In the final minutes of the second quarter, the two sides continued to trade blows. However, with Lin Tian's deliberate efforts to lead the charge and Nash's habitual fast pushes, the pace of the game became incredibly fast.

This resulted in the West failing to capitalize on the height disadvantage of the East's lineup, and failing to make any significant impact. Meanwhile, due to their speed, the West's players were also rapidly depleting their stamina.

After a sprint, with only 20 seconds left in the second quarter, Lin Tian noticed that O'Neal's face had turned a little pale.

Don't ask how a black person can turn white.

Anyway, Lin Tian could notice that O'Neal's shade was several shades lighter than his usual color.

Even Nash was a little out of breath at this point. He already had stamina issues, and in the past few minutes, he had been relentlessly targeted and double-teamed by Lin Tian and Wade, which had taken a toll on his energy.

In the last offensive possession of the first half, Nash finally made it to the frontcourt despite Lin Tian's defense. Just as he was about to turn around to get rid of Lin Tian or find a teammate to help him, Wade appeared in front of him instead.

Wade opened his arms and pressed forward, trapping Nash firmly between them with Lin Tian.

In other words, Nash reacted incredibly quickly. Although he was caught off guard by the sudden double-team and couldn't even stand up straight, he managed to pass the ball before falling to the ground and losing control.

Kobe stepped forward to receive the ball and grabbed it, but he couldn't launch an attack either, because Butler had already rushed over and blocked his path. At the same time, Lin Tian quickly let go of Nash and came to Kobe's side.

The second consecutive sandwich-like defensive formation completely disrupted the West team's overall formation, and after playing the entire first half, their lack of stamina began to show.

Although Kobe was able to pass the ball to McGrady again, McGrady's weakness of unstable lower body was exposed once again when he faced double teams.

Before he fell, he failed to pass the ball again and was intercepted by Jamison in front of him. The basketball was intercepted by Jamison in mid-air with a "thud" and then flew straight to the sideline.

Just as the basketball was about to go out of bounds, Wade's speed was astonishing. The Flash caught up with the basketball in the blink of an eye and then threw it back onto the court.

Butler caught the basketball and slammed it to the floor. Lin Tian had already shaken off Kobe and successfully followed up. He dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, glanced at the time, calmly adjusted his posture, and then unhurriedly took the shot!

"Whoosh!"

After another crisp sound, Lin Tian hit another buzzer-beating three-pointer!

He only gave the Western troops three seconds left!

But then the East pressed the full court again, forcing the West to barely pass the ball. Nash's three-point attempt, while under double-team, was blocked by Lin Tian!

The first half has officially ended!

85: 65!

The East leads the West by exactly 20 points!

"The West can't hold on anymore," Kenny shook his head. "They were completely outmaneuvered by the East in the latter part of the second quarter! It was a complete crushing victory in terms of lineup and strategy! Rivers completely dominated Popovich!"

"It's quite unbelievable! Rivers actually managed to do this. In my opinion, Popovich is a much better coach than Rivers."

"But in the final minutes, first, James's five-man lineup was overwhelmed by Lin's tall five-man lineup, and then the Western Conference's regular lineup actually lost to the Eastern Conference's extreme small lineup!"

"Unbelievable! Those are O'Neal and Garnett! They couldn't even gain an advantage against Butler and Jamison? Unbelievable!"

"Actually, it wasn't Rivers who suppressed Popovich," Barkley chuckled easily. "It was Lin who suppressed everyone else! Didn't you notice that both lineups had Lin Yao in them?"

"Haven't you noticed that whether it's dealing with LeBron James or the big lineups in the West, Lin is the most important and core player?"

"After barely taking any shots and scoring in the first quarter, Lin had a huge explosion in the second! His last eight minutes on the court once again proved that he is the strongest and most terrifying guy in the NBA!"

「整个上半场，林10投8中，其中3分球7投4中，罚球4罚3中，拿下23分！并且还有6助攻5篮板入帐！其中一大半的得分，都来自于第二节！」

"Lin is a monster. There has never been another player in NBA history who has dominated every game like him! Every single one!"

"Whether it's the regular season, the playoffs, national team games, or star-studded All-Star games, as long as Lin Xiang is there, he is always the brightest new star on the court, and he can always become the most central focus on the court."

"His performances are always breathtaking!"

Kenny continued, "But the problem now is, if things continue like this, I think Lindsay's pre-game boast will come true once again! He really could break the record for the biggest point differential set at the Cincinnati All-Star Game!"

"So I'm really looking forward to the second half!" Barkley said excitedly. "The West definitely won't give up easily. On paper, they still have a clear advantage, whether it's star power, ability, or the completeness of their roster!"

"Now we'll have to see what Popovich is thinking, how he plans to play, whether he can ignite the team's fighting spirit, and whether he can get his players back to their rhythm."

Even if they can't catch up, hopefully they can at least maintain the current gap!

"A 20-point gap is already a huge amount, and it's already embarrassing, especially since they were the favorites before the game! If the Eastern Conference breaks the record like this, or even if they don't break the record, and if the Eastern Conference continues to widen the gap in the following games."

"Then these people in the West really have nowhere to hide their faces."

"That's so embarrassing."

"Let's see who's going to be the most humiliated in the upcoming matches, and who'll be able to regain some dignity!"

As the two commentators finished summarizing the first half, the camera switched back to the locker rooms of both teams.

In the Eastern Conference team's locker room, the atmosphere was quite harmonious. Head coach Doc Rivers was excitedly standing in the middle of the crowd, jumping up and down while raising his arms and shouting, "Record broken! Record broken! Record broken! Record broken!"

"We are the greatest All-Star team of all time! You are the greatest All-Star team of all time!"

"Guys, in the second half we'll keep killing those damn bitches! We'll teach them a lesson in the second half! We'll keep beating them to a pulp in the second half!"

"Let's break that year's record! Let's become the new legend! We will be etched into history as victors! We will be the craziest winners in the entire history of the NBA!"

"Do you guys remember when nobody believed in us before the competition started?"

"Do you guys remember when everyone was laughing at us before the competition started?"

"Do you remember when Las Vegas humiliated us with the most ridiculous odds in history?"

"Do you guys remember the doubts people had about you? 'XX made the All-Star team? Manu, that's what they were saying about you!'"

"XX is just a pure stat-padding player, does he even deserve to play in the All-Star Game? Antoine, if I remember correctly, this is about you!"

"If Carmelo and Amaré hadn't been suspended, some of these players definitely wouldn't have made the All-Star team!"

"Who is this statement directed at? Do I need to name them one by one?"

"Guys, I'm telling you, no matter what happened before, no matter how much the fans, reporters, and other random idiots look down on us, right now, we're here! We're becoming the greatest All-Star team of all time!"

"In the second half, crush them!"

"Dry them to death!"

It has to be said that Rivers' ability to motivate players, inspire their potential, and get them to give it their all is truly impressive! Right now, the entire Eastern Conference team's morale is high, everyone's eyes are blazing with energy, and they're determined to give the West a good beating!

Well, not everyone.

Iverson is slumped in his chair right now; who knows how much this guy sacrificed for the team last night.

He definitely deserves a share of the credit for the Eastern Conference team!

"Don't worry, Allen. If you were to die like this, I would definitely write on your epitaph: To my beloved Allen! He risked his life for the team's victory!"

"You're the one who'll die!" Iverson forced his eyes open and said, "I'm just sleepy. I barely slept last night, and I stayed up all night again. I'm really tired right now. In the second half, I can only play for a maximum of 3 minutes before I have to rest!"

……

Compared to the harmonious atmosphere in the east, the atmosphere in the west is absolutely terrible.

The locker room in the entire West was completely silent; no one spoke for a long time.

In the end, Popovich had to step up and stand in the middle of the crowd, saying, "I believe that the disadvantage in the first half is only temporary, and we can take the lead at any time! In the second half, we just need to work a little harder!"

"But to win, we must be more united and fight harder, and our players must be more confident! At the same time, the guys who aren't playing need to be ready at any time! In the second half, some players may have less playing time."

"Because I need to catch up! I'll field a more suitable lineup, a lineup that's more effective for us, a lineup that helps us more, not the lineup the fans want to see!"

"If nothing unexpected happens, I'll start the rotation around the 3rd minute of the third quarter, and then..."

Popovich was interrupted as he finished speaking when Kobe snorted and said, "So you'll be sending your darling on the court with four shooters to try and catch up, huh?"

"Kobe!" Popovich glared at him. "Do you know what you're saying?"

"All I know is that you can't let players like Dirk and Ray sit in the corner waiting for a shot, nor can you let them simply act as your plaything after a screen."

"Our real advantage isn't our drives and passes for three-pointers; our advantage lies in Shaq, Dirk, Kevin, and the like! It's their strong inside game!"

"I've lost to Lin many times, and I know very well what level of player he is. When playing against him, the worst thing you can do is put all your eggs in one basket. Trying to play a one-man showdown or the absolute core strategy won't work!"

"He'll smash everyone to pieces and take the victory!"

"The best way to play against him is to avoid him and score and attack in ways that make him unable to reach you."

"The times we came closest to the championship, Shaq was the primary scorer, and he was the core of our offense!"

"Then tell me, how come you guys can't win even once? Hmm?" Popovich looked at Kobe and coldly posed a soul-searching question.

"Because I wasn't good enough." Kobe didn't hide anything: "Because when Shaq was tired, when the team needed me, I didn't perform well enough."

"Besides, sometimes I don't want to pass the ball to that fatso. I know passing to him is the right move, but I just don't want to. I just want to do it myself, is that not allowed?"

"Sure, of course." Popovich snorted. "So you don't need to play in the second half, is that alright?"

"No problem," Kobe said without backing down. "I'm just pointing out the right way to play and how we might win."

"He can't lead the team!"

"Then let's try it! Let's see who's no good!" Even a clay figure has a temper. After being practically berated by Kobe so many times, James finally couldn't hold back and stood up, saying, "Your outdated stuff is so old-fashioned!"

"Whether it's popular or not isn't up to you to decide! Only the game can prove everything, you..." Kobe was about to retort when he was interrupted once again.

This time, it was Shaq who stood up: "Kobe! LeBron, shut up!"

O'Neal glared at the two men and said, "This is a game! We still have half a game to play! What do you two want? Want to start a fight right now?"

"Quiet down, everyone, and listen to the coach!"

Kobe glared at O'Neal, as if he was angry because the fat guy didn't appreciate his efforts despite his own support. Then Kobe snorted, stopped talking, and turned back to his chair.

"Greg, I think Kobe should start again in the second half. We need his offense and defense." When O'Neal saw Kobe sit down, he turned to look at Popovich, and for the first time in his life, he chose to stand up for Kobe.

Popovich was also breathing heavily; he was clearly furious.

He glared at Kobe, then at O'Neal, but eventually calmed down and decided to give O'Neal some face.

He also needs O'Neal to contribute to the team, and he even hopes to improve his relationship with O'Neal so that O'Neal can better cooperate with his tactics.

He hopes that O'Neal can occasionally pull out of the paint to set two screens for James, creating space for the team's interior defense.

But O'Neal was always reluctant to do it.

After all, he and Kobe had played together for so long, but they had only run pick-and-rolls a few times.

Or, if he were a few years younger, he could just use the pick-and-roll, it wouldn't be a big deal.

But with Shaq now, would you let him leave the paint to run pick-and-rolls and roll to the basket?

His knees will be ruined sooner or later.

It's not that he doesn't want to play, but the current O'Neal simply can't play pick-and-roll.

But clearly, Popovich had other considerations.

However, in any case, this internal conflict within the Western Conference team has been temporarily resolved and is no longer a problem.

But clearly, the conflict was only temporarily set aside for O'Neal's sake; what about the past?

This matter is far from over!

At that moment, Kobe and James were glaring angrily at each other. Neither of them spoke, but the murderous intent in their eyes conveyed the same message—

See you in the playoffs! (End of Chapter)