RNP Chapter 239 The worst season in history, the strongest battle of the season begins
Chapter 239 The worst season in history, the strongest battle of the season begins
Chapter 239 The worst season in history, the strongest battle of the season begins!
As the game progressed, the Cavaliers' two big men quickly ran out of energy, and their resistance became weaker and weaker. In fact, the suspense of the game was almost completely over after Carter's two amazing dunks!
Finally, when the final whistle blew, the score was 67-85.
The Pacers sealed their championship victory with an 18-point win, bringing their night of raising the championship banner to a perfect close!
Throughout the game, Lin Tian made 10 of 25 shots, scoring a game-high 27 points, 9 assists, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals. Miller had a poor shooting night, making only 4 of 12 shots and scoring just 10 points. Rookie Carter came off the bench tonight, playing 24 minutes and scoring 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists.
As for the Cavaliers, Webber had 17 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 turnovers, while Kemp had 18 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. Although the team lost and performed poorly at the end of the game, Kemp and Webber still carried the team's offense and scored half of the team's points.
At least in the first game, the Cavaliers' frontcourt duo still showed some ability!
At the post-match press conference, Lin Tian and Bird arrived with smiles on their faces.
"Congratulations on your victory in the opening game of the new season." A reporter quickly stood up: "How does it feel to be back on the field after eight months?"
"That was great," Lin Tian said with a smile. "But we still need to find our rhythm. We're not at our best yet; we need to work on our chemistry! Hopefully, by the end of the season, we'll be in a completely different form."
"What do you think of Vince's dunk? Lin, have you ever seen such a great dunk before?"
"Never seen anything like it! Incredible! I never imagined humans could fly like that. I think Vince is probably the closest person in the world to truly flying!" Lin Tian said casually. "If I had to say, I would never want to dunk in front of Vince again. That would be utterly humiliating."
"But you partnered with Michael for two years. Michael's nickname is 'Air Jordan.' He gave us an unparalleled performance in the Slam Dunk Contest. Do you think Vince's dunks are better than Michael's?" As soon as Lin Tian finished speaking, a reporter started stirring up trouble.
"If Michael is a 'flying man,' then I think Vince is a 'UFO'! Michael can only jump high, but Vince can actually fly! Gravity seems to not exist on him!"
"So, if 25-year-old Michael and Vince had a dunk contest, whose side would you be on?"
"I don't think this match will even happen! Because Michael is incredibly competitive, he can't accept defeat!" Lin Tian knew that it was time for his favorite part after every match! If nothing unexpected happened, he would wake up tomorrow morning to a huge wave of experience points.
"If it's a one-on-one, three-pointer, or other competition, even if Michael loses once, he will train hard and improve relentlessly until he can win. But some things are just beyond your control no matter how hard you try. If you can't do it, you can't do it; that's just how it is."
Lin Tian's behavior of completely siding with Carter and showing no respect for Jordan once again excited the reporters! Even though Lin Tian had done similar things countless times last season, they still reacted like sharks smelling blood, incredibly bloodthirsty.
At this point, a reporter is needed to step up and ask more questions to keep the conversation going.
"Lin, you mean Michael's dunks are nothing compared to Vince's. They're not even in the same league, not even comparable. Michael has absolutely no hope or possibility of beating Vince, right?"
"That's how it is." Lin Tian nodded and said, "In other aspects, Vince is certainly not as good as Michael, but if we're only talking about dunks, sorry, Vince is the greatest in league history!"
To Lin Tian's surprise, the reward that came even faster than Jordan's was from Carter!
Halfway through the press conference, perhaps Carter got wind of it, because Lin Tian received the 100 experience points he had dropped!
Wow, he's getting excited about praising himself!
make persistent efforts!
After confirming that Carter seemed to be easily pleased and easily won over by this kind of praise, Lin Tian decided that he would give Carter a round of compliments after every game from now on!
Lin Tian didn't believe that Carter wouldn't give him something good after persistent encouragement and praise!
The key target for the new season is Vince Carter!
Lin Tian didn't care about anything else; as long as he could get Carter's dunk, he wouldn't hesitate to use all his experience points to go all in!
This kind of historical skill, this kind of gorgeous, cool, stylish, and awesome skill, must be played out in one go!
Let's see when Carter will finally reveal what he wants.
When Lin Tian returned to the locker room, the first thing he saw was Carter's excited, happy, and slightly shy eyes.
With his wide, bright white teeth that he couldn't stop smiling, Carter once again exuded the unique charm of a recent graduate.
Clear and foolish.
"Vince, congratulations! From today onwards, you're officially famous!" Lin Tian reached out and gave Carter a high five, laughing loudly, "Fans all over America will know you, and countless people across America will become your fans."
"Lin, do you really think my dunks are better than Michael's?" Carter looked at Lin Tian excitedly.
"Of course! I really think your dunks are better than his." Lin Tian patted Carter on the shoulder and said, "But honestly, that's all you're good at. In other aspects, you're far behind Michael. But I believe you definitely have the potential to become the league's next top shooting guard and a league icon! As long as you work hard, you definitely can!"
"Vince Carter's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 50 experience points!"
"I will definitely work hard, Lin! I won't let you down! I will live up to my draft position!" Carter patted his chest, expressing his confidence, and also gave Lin Tian a gift.
He's a recent college graduate, so easy to fool! He can make you hand over your life with just a few words!
If Lin Tian had said these words to Miller or Barkley, those two guys would definitely have given him the middle finger and told him to go die.
But as for Carter, Lin Tian believed that what was flashing through his mind right now was the image of himself being selected as an All-Star, becoming the MVP, winning the championship, and reaching the pinnacle of his life!
看着不远处同样一脸期待和羡慕，但今晚只登场5分钟拿下2分1篮板的刘易斯和只登场7分钟拿下4分2篮板的哈灵顿，林天也没有吝啬自己的夸讚和鼓励。
"Rashad, you absolutely must practice your shooting. Your shooting talent is almost unparalleled among players of your height. I think you can even forge your own path as a power forward, a true new-century power forward whose shooting range extends to beyond the three-point line!"
"Who knows, you might become the benchmark for power forwards in the new century!"
"You're the same, Al. Compared to those traditional power forwards, you're not tall enough or strong enough, but they're not as fast or agile as you! Your physical attributes, energy, and mobility can still allow you to carve out a completely new path for a power forward that leans towards a small forward!"
"Many people will say that you were lucky to join a championship team so early in your careers, but I want to say that the team was fortunate to draft you two. I really look forward to playing in the All-Star Game with you and winning many more championships!"
"Rashad Lewis's emotions have fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 50 experience points!"
"Al Harrington's emotions are fluctuating; he has lost 50 experience points!"
The two rookies immediately stood up and expressed their determination to Lin Tian, saying that they would definitely train hard and not let Lin Tian and the team down!
Of course, after praising all three of them, Lin Tian didn't forget Buckner. He encouraged him a few more times, telling him to be a good substitute for him and that he would definitely have a bright future. Buckner then gave Lin Tian 30 experience points.
Lord Lin's main principle is to treat everyone equally!
Tsk tsk tsk... This newbie is so easy to coax, he feels more accomplished than those veterans!
Even after four years of playing, I, Lin, still can't beat Jordan and Shaq with my fists and feet, or easily crush them. The problem is that the teams I'm on never have any rookies!
If you played on a young team, you could become the best player in the league in no time by using this brainwashing technique!
such a pity!
The next morning, Lin Tian woke up early and, as expected, received 100 experience points from Jordan. With a happy mood, Lin Tian went to the gym for today's training. That night, Lin Tian and the Pacers would have to play a back-to-back game against the visiting Wizards!
This season's schedule is incredibly packed, so packed that even a coach like Bird, who doesn't like high-intensity training or training on game days, has to conduct a lot of tactical drills on game days.
There was no other way; time was just too tight. If we didn't make the most of every minute to train them properly, the players would have absolutely no chemistry, especially the newcomers, who didn't even know how to run the tactics.
Playing like this, the Pacers can easily beat teams on the edge of the playoffs or those lottery-winning teams, but if they really encounter strong teams like the Lakers, Knicks, or Jazz, they will have a hard time coping.
There's no other way but to train while playing games and get the team cohesive as quickly as possible.
This way, at least by the end of the season, the players will have time to rest and prepare for the playoffs!
Bird's predicament is also the predicament of almost all teams in the league. In the first month of the season, although the strong and weak teams have gradually begun to widen the gap in terms of record, if you only compare them to themselves, then every team is really playing particularly badly!
一个最简单直观的对比就是：上个赛季，联盟有4支球队场均得分超过100，还有2支球队场均得分达到了99.5以上，16支球队的场均得分超过95，并且有17支球队的命中率超过了45%！
What about this season? So far, no team has averaged more than 100 points per game, only 4 teams have averaged more than 95 points per game, and only 6 teams have a field goal percentage of more than 45%!
This situation is certainly not because the defensive capabilities of each team have improved significantly, but rather because the offensive capabilities of all teams have declined. They can't make shots, can't run the plays, and can't hit open three-pointers. Even star players are struggling because they haven't played for a long time.
Because many tactics failed to work this season and role players' performance declined, star players took on more one-on-one tasks. This did not cause their average stats to soar; on the contrary, their efficiency ratings dropped significantly compared to last season!
For example, the most intuitive scoreboard.
So far this season, Jordan still holds the top spot on the scoring list, but he is only averaging 27.3 points per game, which is the worst performance of his entire career!
After all, he was a monster who averaged 28 points per game in his rookie season!
Second on the list is Allen Iverson with an average of 26.5 points per game, and third is Lin Tian with 25.9 points per game. With Shaquille O'Neal at 25.1 points per game, no one else in the entire league has an average of more than 23 points per game!
Everyone's performance has deteriorated, including Lin Tian. Although 25.9 points seems to be the highest in his entire career, his shooting percentages in the three categories are only 43%, 36%, and 85%! All of these are career lows!
Everyone's starting to miss the shot!
Or to put it more simply: the quality of NBA games this season has declined significantly!
The direct impact of the decline in the quality of the competition is also very obvious: audiences are not buying tickets!
Last season, an average of 17213 people attended each NBA game.
But this season, that number has dropped to 16192!
This drop is absolutely devastating and enormous for the NBA!
Perhaps the only positive thing for Stern is that the number of NBA games broadcast in China has increased to five per week! It's now one game each on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, and two games on Sundays!
The prosperity of overseas markets allowed Stern to breathe a sigh of relief and avoid being too anxious.
Meanwhile, the Pacers are slowly finding their rhythm. After the first month of games, they have a record of 14 wins and 6 losses, temporarily ranking second in the Eastern Conference, only behind the Knicks' 16 wins and 4 losses!
In addition, the Magic and Heat both have a record of 13 wins and 7 losses, ranking third and fourth respectively. The 76ers, led by Iverson, are finally showing signs of rising and are temporarily ranked fifth in the East.
In the Western Conference, the increasingly mature twin towers combination in the paint has propelled the Spurs to the top of the league with a record of 17 wins and 3 losses, followed by the Trail Blazers with a record of 16 wins and 4 losses, and then the Lakers in third place!
As for the Jazz, who made it to the Finals last year, although Sloan was disheartened after the Finals and submitted his resignation to the management, after a long hiatus and the heartfelt requests from the Jazz's owner and players, Sloan still chose to return to the team!
However, due to Stockton's further decline in form, the Jazz's record is not as good as it was in the previous two years, and they are currently only ranked fourth in the Western Conference.
In fact, the team rankings show that although the season is shorter, it also means that strong teams will find it difficult to widen the gap with the teams behind them as much as before. The difference in the records of each team is negligible, and each team will have to play hard for their ranking until the end of the season!
In a sense, this can be considered a positive consequence of the shortened season.
On March 6, a full month after the start of the season, the NBA, which had been deeply troubled by low ratings and attendance, finally had a decent matchup!
In San Antonio, the league-leading San Antonio Spurs will host the second-ranked, defending champion Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference!
As the first heavyweight matchup of the season, this fight was not only broadcast live on TNT and NBC, but also in more than 20 countries overseas!
In preparation for this game, both the Spurs and the Pacers received two days of rest before the game, which is extremely rare given the incredibly tight schedule this season!
When scheduling the games, the league took into account that both teams were strong contenders for the top spot in the East and West, and that they had several All-Star players. Therefore, the league specially arranged a relatively relaxed schedule for the two teams before the start of this game.
The hope is that both teams can play this game with 100% attitude and form, in order to salvage the NBA's ratings!
Stern even made separate phone calls to Bird and Popovich before the game to warn them!
"Don't give me any of that nonsense about rotating shifts on this day! I'm really angry this year, you better not make me take it out on you guys!"
When the usually benevolent Stern made such a threat, the old men of the alliance knew he was serious.
Therefore, neither Bird nor Popovich pulled any tricks in this game, but instead fielded their full starting lineup!
After all, besides Stern's warning, the coaches and key players of both teams were also eager to test each other's level, just in case they met in the finals.
On the morning of the game, Bird sat at the table in the middle of the training facility as usual, with the television behind him turned on as usual, showing the Spurs' roster.
"Popovich, although he has only just begun coaching, he definitely has the potential to become a top coach in the league. His understanding of the players, his handling of relationships between them, and the creation of many brilliant tactics and systems already demonstrate the level of a top coach!"
"If Duncan hadn't been so inexperienced last year, they might have even made it straight to the Finals! And this year, with the Jazz practically finished, if you asked me to pick one team to emerge from the West, I would definitely choose the Spurs!"
"Of all these factors, Popovich is the biggest reason I chose the Spurs!"
"Of course, besides the abilities Popovich has already demonstrated, the strength of the Spurs' Twin Towers should not be underestimated!"
"This season, Tim Duncan has matured even more. He has clearly taken over from David Robinson and become the Spurs' primary core player. So far, he is averaging 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game, and he is already showing signs of becoming the league's best power forward!"
"In addition, although David Robinson's performance has declined further compared to last year due to age and injuries, he is still the Spurs' second-leading scorer, averaging 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game!"
"He and Duncan are absolutely the best frontcourt duo in the league right now, and their nearly 5 blocks per game is also the league's best! The paint they guard together is the most difficult area to breach in the league today!"
"To beat the Spurs, we must defend the paint, control the rebounds, and launch our fast breaks! We must utilize our speed advantage. If we can keep Robinson and Duncan busy and prevent them from using their strengths in half-court sets, our chances of winning are very high!"
"Furthermore, compared to their formidable twin towers in the paint, the Spurs' perimeter lineup seems somewhat insignificant!"
"Point guard Avery Johnson, nicknamed 'Little General,' is all that intimidating is his nickname. He's only 178cm tall, not good at offense, and his shooting is terrible. So far this season, his three-point shooting percentage is 0%. In his entire career, he's only attempted 25 three-pointers, fewer than Lin has made this season!"
"He's the type of player Lin is best at dealing with. I believe Lin can easily crush him on both offense and defense! The only thing to watch out for is that this kid has a leader's aura. He plays very steadily. He might not have any amazing performances, but he controls his mistakes very well, and his control of the rhythm is also excellent!"
"Isn't that just a weaker version of Stockton?" Lin Tian said casually, "Let's start with him tonight!"
Bird nodded in satisfaction and said, "As for their shooting guard Mario Elie and small forward Shane Elliott, they are also old friends of ours, veterans who have been in the league for many years!"
"Remember, the key is age! Both of them have entered a phase where they have plenty of experience, but their stamina and speed are completely lacking. Although they have a good shot, it's not enough to change the course of the game. They can defend, but they are powerless against speedy players."
"The two biggest characteristics of this Spurs' perimeter game are slowness and age! If we can relentlessly attack these two characteristics, I think we can even get a big win tonight!"
After Bird's speech, a deafening roar erupted throughout the Pacers' locker room! They were brimming with confidence!
In the Spurs' locker room, Popovich's voice was equally loud and clear: "Our advantage is obvious: the paint, and the paint! Those little guys on the Pacers, they can't even reach David and Tim's wrists, let alone stop them!"
"Use your height and advantage under the basket to smash into the rim!"
"If they double-team and collapse, Tim and David, you two are both top-tier playmakers in the league. Decide for yourselves whether to push hard or pass out, depending on the situation. I trust your judgment!"
"Also, you guys on the perimeter, um, except for Avery, Shawn and Mario, you two, don't hesitate after receiving the ball. If there's space, shoot immediately! Make them afraid to double-team our inside players!"
"Avery, the tempo is up to you! You have to slow it down, the slower the better. Destroy their patience, make them rough and impatient, and then they'll make a lot of mistakes!"
"Finally, on the defensive end, just remember three key elements: contain the three-pointer, allow the mid-range shot, and collapse the defense at the rim! You can't kill someone with a mid-range shot; there's only one Michael Jordan in this league, understand?"
"clear!"
More than ten minutes later, more than 20 players from the Pacers and Spurs walked onto the court with great vigor and confidence!
There was no animosity between the two teams; in fact, Miller, Lin Tian, and Robinson had a fairly good relationship. After entering the stadium, amidst the noise of the crowd, the group of people walked together and chatted casually.
"Ready to get crushed by us?" Robinson grinned broadly, looking at Miller and Lin Tian. "By the way, do you guys have enough inside contacts? Need us to lend you two?"
"You can defend beyond the three-point line before you talk," Miller scoffed. "I bet you guys are just cowards hiding under the basket, too scared to come out, and helplessly praying we don't make a single shot?"
"Then I guess all you can do is pray that we miss every single one of our drives to the basket," Robinson said casually. "Oh, I forgot, if we miss, you guys probably won't get the rebounds either. So, are you missing Charles right now? Don't you wish he'd come back to save you?"
"Vince, over here!" Lin Tian ignored Robinson, waved to Carter, and then pointed at Robinson, saying, "This guy, known as one of the four great centers, is actually questionable whether he's even at the level of a top ten center in the league, but his reputation is still quite high. You know why I called you here, right?"
"I know!" Carter, a man of high emotional intelligence, was very perceptive. Looking at Robinson, he said, "I'll find a way to dock a point from him tonight!"
"Dunk on him!" Lin Tian added, "By the way, let me introduce you to our super rookie and the league's number one dunk champion. If you don't want to be on the poster, I advise you to stay away from the basket tonight."
"Go ahead and challenge Tim if you dare!" Robinson pointed at Duncan nonchalantly, implying that they should go after him if they had the guts.
This is one of the reasons why Robinson's reputation among the four great centers has remained third for a long time.
Besides his face-up style of play looking a bit soft, he also lacks that ruthlessness. He lacks the fierce temperament of players like Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O'Neal, who would grit their teeth and beat their opponents to death!
He can get Rodman to double-team Olajuwon during a game, and he can also give up on a season and tank after just a few words from Popovich.
The other three of the four great centers would definitely not do this!
But Robinson did it without any burden or hesitation.
After a pre-game trash talk, both sides quickly began warming up. Lin Tian pulled Carter aside and whispered, "Don't listen to that guy. Try not to go after Duncan. He's too thick, hard to dunk on. I'll find you an opportunity, dunk on David first!"
Robinson, on the other hand, pulled Duncan aside and said, "Tim, you're a team leader now. Sometimes you need to take responsibility and go out and trash talk with the opponents to boost our morale."
"But when you do that, it doesn't make me play any more energetically," Duncan said, scratching his forehead. "And sometimes, I think you're really stupid, David."
Robinson rolled his eyes. He knew it was a waste of breath to talk to Duncan about this.
Oh well, let this guy do whatever he wants!
Soon, the starting players from both sides took to the court. The Spurs had a clear height advantage at the power forward position, while the Pacers had a huge advantage at the point guard position!
"It's starting! It's finally starting!" Barkley, who had been working at TNT for a month, exclaimed excitedly. "The most anticipated and undoubtedly most exciting game of the season so far is about to begin! Let's see how this game between the league's top team and the second-best team in the East unfolds!"
His teammate Kenny said, "This game is also being called by many people a matchup between inside and outside players, big men and small men! Charles, you used to play for the Pacers and also went up against the Spurs. What are your thoughts on this game?"
"First of all, the Spurs team I played against was centered around David Robinson, while the current Spurs are centered around Duncan! Although both are big men, their playing styles are completely different!"
"David is a game-changing player. He can make countless jump shots from 20 feet and destroy any opponent in his path under the basket. He can drive to the basket from the high post and post up from the low post. His offensive skills are absolutely the best among all centers today!"
"But Tim is different. Tim is definitely the most traditional and classic big man. He can do everything: post-up, hook shot, side hook, footwork, physicality, off-ball screens, pick-and-roll! Let's put it this way, if you were to find someone to show others as a textbook example of a big man, that person would be Duncan!"
"His fundamentals and his little tricks are all top-notch! Tim has brought the league back to its classic style! So what I'm saying is, this Spurs is a completely new Spurs team."
"But of course, I will always support my former team, the Pacers, the team that brought me countless honors. They will always be my home, and I will always stand by their side! Lin's speed and impact, Reggie's shooting, Doug's versatility, and rookie Carter—I really love this kid!"
"The Pacers have a clear advantage on the perimeter, and everyone can pass the ball. I believe the Pacers can start by tearing apart the Spurs' defense from the outside, changing their game and putting the game in their rhythm! At the same time, we can't underestimate Rick! I think he will also cause trouble for the Spurs' interior defense!"
Barkley's lengthy explanation demonstrates his understanding of the NBA and that he truly knows his game!
As Barkley explained, the referee walked to the center circle, blew his whistle, and the basketball flew into the air!
"Snapped!"
Although David Robinson is getting old, he's still a force to be reckoned with, and he managed to secure the first possession for the Spurs.
After receiving the ball, Jensen did not advance forward. Instead, he took two steps back to observe the situation on the court. Once he was sure it was safe, he dribbled the ball across half-court and then passed it out.
Even though the ball was gone, Jason's mouth just wouldn't stop.
"Run! Don't stop! Mario, to the left! To the left! FUXX! Tim, cover for Sean! David, what are you doing? What are you spacing out for? Didn't you see Mario run past you? Give him cover!"
"Hurry up! Get into position, Tim, get into position! Yeah, good shot, no problem, give it to him, give it to him, give it to him! Okay, Mario! Spread out, everyone spread out, give Tim some space! Beautiful! Good shot! Play it like this!"
Jason was practically an on-court coach and live commentator, constantly muttering to himself from the moment the ball was released until Duncan's strong post-up against Davis resulted in a basket, without stopping for even a second!
If this kind of person were on a basketball court, they would definitely be the most hated teammate.
His skill level is average, but he's full of theoretical knowledge. He keeps muttering to himself and has a really loud voice! In a normal amateur basketball court, absolutely no one would want to be on a team with a player like this.
But in the NBA, this is where leadership qualities come into play!
Regardless of what others think, the Spurs players will listen to him!
Lin Tian received the ball from the baseline and then began his advance at a leisurely pace.
But as soon as he got to the frontcourt, Jason started again!
"Stop providing cover! Cover! He's very fast!"
"I'll do my best to stop him, but you all need to be careful!"
"But more importantly, don't leave your own men unmarked! Especially you, Mario, don't give Miller a chance to shoot a three-pointer! Keep a close eye on your own men!"
"Tim, get your act together! You're guarding a role player, so you can leave him open for me to help defend!"
"Come on, Lin! Let me see what you've got. If you've got the guts, get past me!"
Jason shouted instructions, making Lin Tian's ears ring. Then, in order to get rid of Jason's defense as soon as possible, Lin Tian accelerated and broke through. Sure enough, he passed Jason in one step!
Faintly, Lin Tian heard a loud shout behind him: "Wow! You've actually got some skills!"
Too lazy to bother with Jason, Lin Tian rushed to the mid-range and found that no one from the Spurs was paying attention to him! Neither Jason nor Duncan were huddled at the edge of the three-second zone, arms outstretched!
Judging from their posture, as soon as Lin Tian takes one more step down toward the free-throw line, these two defenders will immediately come up to stop him from attacking the basket! But if Lin Tian pulls up for a jump shot, the Spurs won't care. Letting Lin Tian shoot the mid-range shot, which has the lowest accuracy and efficiency on the court, is the Spurs' defensive strategy tonight!
After stabilizing himself a bit, Lin Tian didn't hold back with the Spurs and pulled up for an almost completely open mid-range jump shot!
"Bang!" Unfortunately, although the competition had been going on for a month, Lin Tian still felt that his touch had not returned to its peak, and his pull-up jump shot missed.
Duncan was the undisputed leader under the basket. He turned around and completely blocked Davis, who was a size smaller than him, then easily grabbed the rebound and turned to find James.
After receiving the ball, the first thing Jason did was not to advance the ball, but to quickly move in the opposite direction of Lin Tian to create distance between them, while waiting for his teammates to quickly run to the frontcourt. Only then did he slowly dribble the basketball across the frontcourt.
Just as Lin Tian was about to go up and challenge him, this guy passed the ball out and started yelling again!
"Give it to David! This is a 1! Give the ball to David, everyone else spread out, Tim, wait in the three-second zone! Yes, that's it!"
Noisy! Absolutely noisy!
Lin Tian had never faced someone who played basketball purely with his voice before. So, in order to avoid his eardrums being perforated by the noise, Lin Tian chose to completely ignore Jameson, leave him alone, and rush into the paint to help defend Robinson, who was preparing for a face-up one-on-one.
But Robinson was indeed a seasoned veteran. As soon as he saw Lin Tian approaching, he immediately passed the ball to Duncan in the low post. After receiving the ball, Duncan did not hesitate at all. Taking advantage of his height and weight, he directly turned around and shot a layup.
"Whoosh!"
Davis was far inferior to Duncan in both size and height, and couldn't hold his own against him at all, allowing Duncan to easily score again!
The Spurs' system and rotation are truly legendary!
When they move the ball, they are fast and have a strong sense of purpose!
(End of this chapter)