RNP Chapter 486 It still has to be me, Lin, the Movie Emperor, personally taking the stage! Lin Tian
Chapter 486 It still has to be me, Lin, the Movie Emperor, personally taking the stage! Lin Tian
The Timberwolves fielded their strongest five players at the start of the fourth quarter!
Moreover, sending these five people at this time implies one thing.
Unless the game is decided in a close contest, these players will most likely play the entire quarter!
That means these players will all be playing at their maximum capacity tonight, aiming for 45 minutes each!
Stimulate!
So Lin Tian's task in the fourth quarter was also very simple.
Don't let the game get wasted; keep the suspense alive!
At the start of the fourth quarter, on the Timberwolves' first offensive possession, Iverson chose to drive hard against Lin Tian, and then, as Christie collapsed back on defense, he passed the ball to Szczerbiak on the outside!
Logically, Lin Tian should have rushed over to help defend and fill the gap left by Christie, but Lin Tian's speed was just a tiny bit slower than usual.
Szczerbiak was slow enough to get an open three-point shot off!
"Whoosh!"
The point difference between the two sides has narrowed to 8 points!
"Well done, Wally!" Iverson excitedly stretched out his hand and gave Szczerbiak a big pat on the shoulder. "Let's defend this shot! I'm going to tie the game in three minutes!"
A tie in 3 minutes?
That's quite ambitious.
After Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, he didn't waste any more words with Iverson. Instead, after two consecutive crossovers, he chose to drive hard from Iverson's left side, leaving the guy behind in one step.
Then, as expected, Garnett reappeared after Lin Tian arrived near the free-throw line!
This guy continued to push his already exhausted body, forcing himself to muster his strength and run out to assist Lin Tian in defense.
However, when faced with Garnett's help defense, Lin Tian simply made a slight pause and a feint by looking towards the outside, which tricked Garnett into shifting his center of gravity and moving half a step towards the outside.
This half-step space is enough!
"boom!"
With the Timberwolves now using a lineup of one big man and four small men, and Garnett being fooled by Lin Tian again, their paint is completely undefended against Lin Tian!
After easily driving in for a powerful one-handed dunk, Lin Tian didn't say anything more this time. Instead, as he passed Iverson and Garnett, he raised his wrist and tapped it several times with his other hand.
The sarcasm is simple and obvious.
A tie in 3 minutes? Look at the clock! You don't have much time left!
"FUXX!" Iverson cursed, but this time he didn't try to take on Lin Tian one-on-one. Instead, he passed the ball to Cassell and started playing off-ball, running back and forth in the Pacers' territory, trying to completely break down the Pacers' defense.
With his offensive threat, after that sprint, he really messed up the Pacers' defense. Then, Cassell took advantage of the opportunity to easily drive into the paint and pass the ball to Sprewell, who cut in and made a layup. The Timberwolves scored another 2 points!
In a normal game, Lin Tian would shout at this point, "Forget about Iverson! Everyone focus on your own game, leave Iverson to me!"
With just this one sentence, Iverson's threat off the ball can be greatly reduced, and his teammates will no longer be caught off guard and unable to defend properly because of Iverson's presence.
But Lin Tian just wouldn't shout it out tonight; he simply wouldn't reveal what had happened.
"Lin wasn't very talkative tonight." Barkley, who had worked with Lin Tian before, frowned. "I just felt something was off about him tonight. Even though his stats were great and he scored a lot of points, I just felt something was off."
"Maybe it's some mysterious shamanic power erupting? Look at what you're wearing!" Kenny teased. "Wearing that, there's no way he can fight well!"
"That makes sense!" Barkley slammed his hand on the table, laughing, "Kenny, even though you seem a bit dim-witted, sometimes you really are a genius!"
As Barkley spoke, he swaggered over to the row of clothes racks next to the studio and started choosing jerseys.
"Fuck! Why doesn't Allen's jersey have the largest size? What, there's a Cassell jersey? Who would wear that! It'll make them look ugly! I think Tralil is good, that guy's tough and has guts."
When Barkley sat on the bench again, he was wearing Sprewell's jersey, and the point difference on the court was still 9 points!
The two sides exchanged blows for several rounds in those two minutes, but the success rate was not high.
Of course, the difference is that the Timberwolves were really inefficient. When they were completely exhausted, they really had no way to deal with the Pacers' tight defense.
On the Pacers' side, Lin Tian found ways to make the team less efficient.
He hardly attacked himself, and his passes all looked pretty good.
However, none of these are the most comfortable offensive areas for these guys on the team!
For example, he would pass the ball to Artest, who was standing in the corner but disliked shooting corner threes, or to Christie, who was cutting halfway down the court, so that he could back down Sprewell, who was a size bigger than him. Or he would pass the ball to Haslem under the basket so that he could forcefully challenge Garnett's defense.
In short, due to Lin Tian's series of rather shameless passing choices, his teammates frequently missed shots.
Then Lin Tian displayed the ultimate level of shamelessness.
"It's okay, we'll keep going if we get the chance! I believe in you guys! We're buddies! We're teammates! Don't worry, I'll back you up!"
Lin Tian's shameless act of encouraging his teammates made Carlisle want to cover his head in frustration.
Shameless!
You want to control the score and don't want the score to widen quickly, but you don't shoot and miss, leaving your teammates to make mistakes.
His own statistics were completely unaffected, and then he went around comforting his teammates, saying it was all fine?
They really sold the person out and wouldn't let them leave until they had to count the money for them!
Carlisle had never seen such a shameless person!
However, as the saying goes, Heaven is watching what people do. If you are shameless, Heaven will surely punish you.
For example, after this period of offensive slump, perhaps everyone felt ashamed and rallied, unwilling to disappoint Lin Tian, or perhaps Lin Tian's encouragement boosted the morale of his teammates.
In short, the Pacers' offense suddenly came back to life!
Lin Tian's passes, which weren't exactly high quality, have actually started to turn into assists!
Artest received the ball in the left corner and unleashed a powerful three-pointer over Szczerbiak, which he sank!
Christie received the ball under the basket but couldn't go straight for a layup. Instead, he dribbled aggressively and rammed Sprewell three times, driving the "Madman" crazy. Only then did Christie suddenly turn around and shoot a jump shot, scoring another 2 points.
Then, in the fourth quarter, the most exciting moment came.
Haslem received the ball under the basket and raised his hand to score with a hook shot, but Garnett's defense was too fierce. He rushed over from 3 meters away and slapped Haslem's hook shot back!
Garnett held Haslem's hand firmly before the hook shot even left his grasp.
"FUXX!"
After being blocked so easily, Haslem regained control of the basketball, his inner strength surging, and with a roar, he slammed the basketball heavily onto the floor. Then, with a leaping step, he elbowed Garnett directly in the stomach.
Then, taking advantage of the moment when Garnett was in pain and unable to jump again, Haslem quickly pulled up and delivered a powerful double-handed dunk!
"Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!"
After the slam dunk, Haslem excitedly pounded his chest with both hands and roared wildly at Garnett, whom he had dunked on!
108: 93!
After that powerful dunk, the gap between the two sides widened to 15 points!
With only 6 minutes left in the game, the match was over.
Sanders immediately called a timeout to make adjustments.
Right now, Lin Tian is having a bit of a headache.
The competition is going to cost money.
Lin Tian scratched his head, somewhat helplessly. His teammates were a little intimidating...
Will the Timberwolves just give up like this?
No!
We can't let them give up!
Lin Tian suddenly moved to block Iverson, who was already somewhat exhausted and dejected due to the Pacers' high score, and gestured at his wrist again.
"It's been two three-minute intervals already, how did you manage to tie us?"
"Is it because our timing methods are different, or are you planning to surpass us in your dreams after you fall asleep tonight?"
"Get lost!" A completely exhausted Iverson raised his head, glaring angrily at Lin Tian. "You think you're so great? You think your lead is all thanks to your own efforts?"
"It's because your teammates played well, Lin! You played utter garbage tonight! You have no chance of beating me! It's just that your teammates were exceptionally good tonight!"
"If you've got the guts, let's have a one-on-one fight! Let's see who's the real joke!"
Hearing Iverson say that, Lin Tian snorted and put on a charming yet annoying villainous expression: "Just you wait, let's see who gets beaten up."
After saying that, Lin Tian turned and left, returning to the Pacers' bench.
"All done!" Iverson and Lin Tian, sitting on the bench, said to their coach at the same time.
"He won't pass the ball next, he'll go one-on-one with me! On offense, I'm 100% sure I can beat him and keep scoring, but on defense..." Iverson said, looking at Garnett.
"Don't worry, I'm here! As long as he gets below the free-throw line, I guarantee he won't be able to get a shot off." Garnett patted his chest, indicating that there was absolutely no problem and that everything was in his hands.
"Iverson and his teammates won't rest, and they'll definitely give it their all to catch up! But Sanders isn't stupid either; with this point difference and their current physical condition, he'll only let Iverson and Garnett play for another 2-3 minutes at most!"
"So, now, give me the ball!" Lin Tian said, looking at Carlisle and all his teammates. "I'll take care of them!"
The same words, heard by Carlisle and his teammates, were interpreted in completely different ways.
Carlisle: I, Lin Da Guanren, am about to begin my performance. Within 3 minutes, I will make them narrow the gap to within 10 points!
Teammates: I, Lin Da Guanren, am about to put on a show! Within 3 minutes, I will extend the score difference to more than 20 points!
The power of language is undeniable at this moment.
At the same time, both his teammates and Carlisle were completely relieved by Lin Tian's words!
"Victory is certain!"
"We are the champions!"
After shouting a final slogan, the Pacers' five starters took to the court once again, ready for the final six minutes of the decisive battle.
The Timberwolves didn't make any substitutions either; at this point in the game, they had to fight for every last minute!
The Timberwolves inbounded the ball, and Iverson received the ball at the top of the arc, facing Lin Tian. After dribbling between his legs repeatedly, he suddenly changed direction and made a strong drive, driving all the way to the basket while still holding off Lin Tian. He then pulled up and forced a layup over Lin Tian.
"Snapped!"
During the defensive play, Lin Tian also aimed at Iverson's arm and slapped it away.
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp crack, 2+1! Iverson completed a 2+1 play!
"What a beautiful shot! That was gorgeous, Allen! That shot restored the team's confidence and their rhythm! Most importantly, it was a crucial shot!" Kenny immediately exclaimed. "If that shot hadn't gone in, and the Pacers had scored two more, the point difference would have been close to 20 points!"
"This goal might just be the one to save the game!"
While Kenny was excitedly commentating, Barkley seemed rather sullen. He touched his Timberwolves jersey, finding it incredibly rough. The little wolf plush toy he used to wear on his chest had been twisted off and was now rubbing against the table.
After Iverson made the free throw, he glared angrily at Lin Tian: "You thought it was over? You thought you guys had it in the bag?"
"Lin, don't think you've got this all figured out!"
"Is that so?" Lin Tian continued dribbling the ball casually, showing no signs of emotional fluctuation. After arriving at the frontcourt, he had his teammates spread out for him once again, then turned around and used his back to block Iverson once more.
In situations like this, you have to play defensively from behind!
"Bang! Bang!"
After two violent impacts, Lin Tian easily pushed Iverson to the area below the free-throw line. Then, he saw Garnett coming from the baseline to help defend, and Lin Tian immediately 'cooperated' with a turn towards the baseline.
"Snapped!"
The two collided head-on, and Garnett screamed in pain before collapsing to the ground!
"Offensive foul!"
The referee quickly issued his ruling, indicating that Lin Tian had committed a foul!
Lin Tian didn't say much. After this foul, he only had 3 fouls left. He easily put the basketball on the floor and started to return to defense.
"Well done, Kevin!" Iverson immediately went over to help Garnett up, but Garnett didn't reach out.
He is so tired!
He was so exhausted he couldn't move at all; he needed to catch his breath. After lying on the floor for several more seconds, Garnett finally reluctantly reached out and, with Iverson's help, stood up.
"That bastard's got some nerve." Garnett gasped for breath, even glancing back at the floor with a hint of reluctance. For the first time in his life, he felt that lying on the floor was so comfortable!
"With this goal, we've brought the score within 10 points!"
Iverson patted Garnett on the backside again, then dribbled the ball up the court once more.
"Lin's play was so wrong! That turn was completely unlike him. He should have noticed Garnett coming to help defend him much earlier!" Kenny frowned. "Normally, Lin would turn from the top line to avoid Garnett."
"But this time..."
Was Lin doing this on purpose?
The idea suddenly popped into Barkley's head.
However, he only mentioned it briefly; he didn't actually say it aloud.
Barkley may seem like a silly fool, but he actually knows exactly where the boundaries are. If he were to say that Lin Tian did this on purpose, someone might come up with some ridiculous nonsense and try to pin it on Lin Tian.
But even if you don't say it, sometimes, once a thought comes to mind, it's incredibly difficult to suppress it!
Barkley recalled the course of the game and the more he thought about it, the more something seemed off.
Lin Tian seemed to be in good form tonight, but his performance was just so-so.
This is abnormal, extremely abnormal!
In the Timberwolves' offense, Iverson used a pick-and-roll, and the ace pick-and-roll duo with Garnett broke apart as soon as they were separated. Then, Garnett, unusually, drove directly to the basket after the pick-and-roll, and Iverson didn't let his partner run in vain, throwing the ball into the air.
"boom!"
Then Garnett came flying down from the sky, slamming the ball into the basket with both hands, narrowing the gap to 10 points once again!
"Roar roar roar!"
This time, Garnett is in charge of howling and screaming!
"Come on! Lin, come on! You're all done for! We'll win!" After completing the play, Iverson shouted at Lin Tian again, indicating that they could win.
After glancing at the time and the score difference, Lin Tian knew that the show was almost over!
Upon reaching the frontcourt, Lin Tian dribbled between his legs repeatedly, then suddenly made a crossover fake, making Iverson think he was going to forcefully attack the paint. But then he pulled up and launched a three-pointer!
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp crack, the Timberwolves' hard-fought lead was widened once again.
"I'm here, what about you? Can you still come?" After scoring, Lin Tian glanced at Iverson, then turned around and went back to defend again.
"FUXX! So close!"
Nobody knows what "almost" Iverson meant. Was it that he almost stopped Lin Tian, or that the Timberwolves almost narrowed the gap to single digits, or that Lin Tian almost missed the shot?
In short, the point difference between the two sides is now 13 points!
In the following minutes, the two sides were once again locked in a fierce battle, with the Timberwolves trying every possible way to score, while the Pacers were able to punish the Timberwolves at any time.
Because at this stage, the Timberwolves' defense simply couldn't keep up! While they could barely keep up in one-on-one situations, once the Pacers players started moving, setting screens, and driving to the basket, the Timberwolves' defense immediately became overwhelmed.
They couldn't keep up, couldn't run, and their defensive rotations almost disappeared.
Fortunately, although they were really exhausted on the defensive end, they could still add some points to their team's offense from time to time by relying on their individual abilities and strong talent.
As for the Pacers, under Lin Tian's control, the score between the two sides hovered around 10-15 points. Whenever the Timberwolves scored, he would try his best to find an opportunity to score back.
If the Timberwolves don't score, Lin Tian will handle the ball relatively casually to ensure the Pacers don't pull away too far.
With three minutes left in the game, Lin Tian started to increase the stakes!
In order to prevent the Timberwolves from substituting their starters due to a large point difference of more than 10 points, Lin Tian relaxed his defensive intensity against Iverson again, allowing the guy to drive into the paint and score twice in a row, one of which was a 2+1 play!
Thanks to Iverson's five consecutive points, the Timberwolves narrowed the gap to seven points!
There are 2 minutes and 20 seconds left in the game!
Then the Timberwolves suddenly switched to full-court press!
They wanted to take advantage of Iverson's scoring spree to turn the tide!
But these guys obviously didn't see Lin Tian's expression.
Lin Tian's eyes lit up when he saw the Timberwolves applying full-court press!
A tight press is great!
That's great!
Your whole team, come stroll around with me!
Today I'll show you what it means to be constantly on the go, and what it means to be so tired that your legs go weak!
In the next ten seconds or so, Lin Tian suddenly unleashed his full advantage in speed, skill, and agility!
He dribbled the ball alone, frantically maneuvering the Timberwolves' defense. He seemed to be forced into a half-court deficit by the Timberwolves because he held onto the ball too long, but Lin Tian jumped over half-court at the last moment without committing an 8-second violation.
Then, facing the Timberwolves' early double-team, Lin Tian handled it with ease, constantly tearing, splitting, and destroying the Timberwolves' defense.
In just one play, Lin Tian single-handedly dribbled the ball and made a relentless run, completely shattering the Timberwolves' momentum that had just been built up!
Or rather, it's completely used up!
Finally, with only 3 seconds left on the shot clock, Lin Tian made a through pass to Haslem under the basket. At this moment, the Timberwolves' basket, and even the entire three-second zone, was completely empty. Haslem easily took the ball, jumped, and completed an open dunk!
"Come on, everyone! We were so close! Lin was almost pushed to the brink! Just three seconds left!" Iverson was incredibly frustrated by the basket, clapping his hands repeatedly, trying to rally his teammates and get them back into the game.
At least on the surface, the Timberwolves players were still motivated.
But that's only on the surface.
There's really not much they can do now. These starting players have already exceeded their limits and broken through them several times.
Not a single drop left! Absolutely none!
However, even if he doesn't have that talent, the player's offensive ability is still there. This time it was Cassell, who is not good at three-pointers. He didn't enter the three-point line because he was too tired, but this time when Iverson's pass came to him, he didn't hesitate.
"Whoosh!"
After another crisp crack, the score difference between the two sides narrowed to 6 points!
There are 1 minute and 40 seconds left in the game!
6 points, definitely worth chasing!
Even though Lin Tian hit another mid-range jump shot less than 15 seconds later, with 1 minute and 25 seconds left and trailing by 8 points, it wasn't impossible to catch up!
.........
This mindset persisted until the last 18 seconds of the game!
Despite giving it their all, the Timberwolves are still down by 7 points!
Lin Tian's performance in the last two minutes was incredibly solid!
No matter how the Timberwolves chased, double-teamed, or changed their defensive tactics, whether they used a full-court press, a half-court zone defense, or a preemptive double-team, Lin Tian handled it all with ease.
Facing the Timberwolves' frantic defense, Lin Tian displayed his terrifying speed, ball-handling skills, and vision.
He really wore down the Timberwolves players to the point of despair.
We can't catch up, we really can't catch up! And there's really no way to stop it.
If the Timberwolves hadn't been able to keep scoring, the game would have been over long ago.
With 14 seconds left, Lin Tian passed the ball to Miller, who then completed another powerful dunk, extending the team's lead to 9 points. The Timberwolves players finally gave up.
Sanders called a final timeout, substituting all his starters ahead of schedule.
Unfortunately, he was only 14 seconds early. If he had been able to substitute these guys 14 minutes earlier, the Timberwolves might have had some chances in the rest of the game.
But now, after yet another game where everyone gave their all, was exhausted, and completely drained, the Timberwolves' fate is already sealed.
That night, all four of the Timberwolves' key players played more than 40 minutes, with Iverson and Garnett playing the entire second half, each for more than 45 minutes.
In addition, Szczebjak played for 37 minutes, and Nesterovic played for 30 minutes.
The Timberwolves basically used only 6 players for the entire game today; they really wanted to win!
They really came 'close' to winning this game!
艾弗森拿下41分，加内特20分17篮板7助攻3抢断4盖帽，斯普雷维尔和卡塞尔两人分别拿下14分和17分，替补上场的斯泽比亚克投中5个三分总共拿下18分。
None of these people faltered; they all brought out everything they could.
But the team still lost.
Because the Pacers were equally strong that night, Lin Tian scored a double-double of 45 points and 18 assists. Although he made 6 turnovers and missed many good opportunities for various reasons, he still delivered perfect stats when he controlled the ball and the rhythm of the game throughout.
Besides Lin Tian, Artest scored 12 points, Christie 11 points, Haslem 10 points, Miller 8 points, and Parker, who came off the bench, also scored the team's second-highest 15 points!
The Timberwolves' starters played well, and the Pacers played well too!
At the same time, although the Pacers don't have many players, with only 7-8 players rotating, they have more stamina reserves. In the three-round series, they only used up a lot of energy in the first round against the Pistons, and that was when they were in a state of exhaustion.
But in the next two rounds, the Pacers swept the series. Compared to the Timberwolves, they were well-rested and in excellent form!
They can afford to wait!
Even if these players each play for 40 minutes in the next game, the Pacers can still hold on!
Even disregarding the physical exertion of the conference finals, the Pacers hold a significant advantage based solely on their age!
Among the team's 8-9 most important players, only Lin Tian is over 30 years old, making him the oldest player on the team.
And what about the Timberwolves? Cassell and Sprewell are both on the verge of retirement; they are both veterans in their late 30s.
Although Iverson and Garnett are young, one is not good at defense and the other is not good at offense. This means that they have to work twice as hard on the offensive and defensive ends to make up for the lack of energy of their teammates.
Physical fitness is destined to be one of the biggest factors influencing this series!
As the final buzzer sounded, the entire Pacers team took to the court to celebrate their hard-fought victory. They once again secured a winning start to the Finals, and this away win will give them a significant advantage in the remaining games!
On the other hand, the Timberwolves' bench was almost completely silent by the end of the game.
They were all exhausted, and might not even realize that the game was over. Iverson still had a towel over his head, and Garnett was leaning back in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.
They were well aware of what losing this game like this meant.
This means that the second game is basically over as well.
Because there is only one day of rest between the first and second games, they will almost certainly lose the second game!
By this time, the Timberwolves players had finally realized what was happening.
If you play like this and lose, it would be better to just surrender at the start and then go all out to fight for the next game in a better state!
Unfortunately, there's no going back in life. After this game, although the score was only 1-0, the Timberwolves were actually pushed to the brink of defeat!
It wasn't until Sanders patted each of the key players on the shoulder, reminding them that the game was over and asking them to stand up and shake hands with the opponents to show sportsmanship, that the Timberwolves players finally stood up and shook hands and hugged the Pacers players.
But less than 20 minutes later, Iverson and the others regretted it.
What kind of manners are you trying to show!
Wouldn't it be better to use that time to rest for 20 seconds and recover your energy?
Those bastards on the other side don't deserve any kindness!
Because at the press conference after the game, Lin Tian delivered the final blow to the Timberwolves!
This interview, well, after Iverson and others saw it, they all had one feeling.
Where's my knife?
I'm going to kill Lin Tian! (End of Chapter)