vncnus Chapter 457 Showdown with 033 Jay, the entire Big Apple City is licking his boots!
Chapter 457 Showdown with 033 Jay, the entire Big Apple City is licking his boots!
In the next possession, Wade, defiant of bad luck, once again opted for a personal drive. However, this time he noticed the weakness in his dribbling; the basketball was no longer so far from his body, and the range of motion was no longer so large.
However, this significantly reduced the lethality of his breakthroughs.
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Miller successfully predicted Wade's driving route and precisely blocked his path.
"Beep beep!! Offensive foul!"
The referee immediately issued a ruling, indicating that Wade had committed an offensive foul.
"Well done, Brad!" Lin Tian quickly stepped forward to help Miller up and patted him on the shoulder to encourage him.
What is psychological warfare?
That's it!
Wade's signature move is his wide, sweeping dribbling, with large strides and wide movements. He dribbles the basketball like a meteor hammer, smashing it around with a "thump, thump, thump" sound. Ordinary defenders simply can't keep up with his speed and speed!
In addition, this guy's rhythm is incredibly unpredictable, and his "mystery step" is world-renowned, making it difficult for interior defense players to catch the timing and angle of his shot.
But after Lin Tian intercepted two of his passes and gave him a long speech, Wade unconsciously changed the range of his dribbling and lowered the height of the basketball off the ground when he broke through.
In this way, Lin Tian behind him could not steal the ball from him, but his attack route was also much easier to predict.
This time, Miller successfully drew an offensive foul from Wade!
Carlisle, sitting on the sidelines, immediately noticed that Wade was in a state of extreme confusion and insecurity. This state would inevitably lead to hesitation when playing, and on the court, hesitation leads to defeat!
"Double him down!" Carlisle shouted from the sidelines, gesturing with both hands.
The Pacers are changing their defense; they're starting to target Wade.
Carlisle's order essentially signaled that Wade's performance tonight was destined to be utterly disastrous.
As a rookie, Wade's skills are far from their peak, especially his ability to combine drives and shots, accuracy in mid-range and long-range shooting, and the details of his drives. Wade still needs a lot of hard work to improve in these areas.
He now relies more on his natural talent to play basketball.
This style of play works well against most teams in the league, but it's clearly not enough against a Pacers team with several top-class perimeter defenders and a very smart interior player.
Wade, who scored 7 points on 3-of-5 shooting in the first half of the first quarter, started to run into trouble after the first quarter and was completely shut down by the Pacers' veteran players!
之后整整两节多的比赛，韦德总计12投3中只拿到8分，另外还送出了8次失误，这个晚上，他总计17投5中拿到15分5篮板4助攻8次失误。
In the latter half of the first quarter alone, Wade committed four consecutive turnovers!
Wade played terribly that night!
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this was his worst game since entering the NBA.
He was completely crushed by Lin Tian.
The fourth quarter of the game became garbage time, with Wade not playing at all.
Like Wade, Lin Tian didn't play in the entire fourth quarter. In stark contrast to Wade, Lin Tian was on fire tonight. He made 13 of 22 field goals, 2 of 5 three-pointers, and 13 of 15 free throws in the first three quarters, racking up a triple-double of 41 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists!
89: 111!
The Pacers easily won this matchup against the league's new generation of stars!
This game also ended Lin Tian and the Pacers' terrible five-game losing streak, and Lin Tian recovered from his previous disastrous performance.
The Pacers set sail once again!
This time, Lin Tian clearly won't let the team face a similar predicament again!
He had a feeling that he had reached the peak of his career!
How can I describe this feeling?
Having washed away all worldly impurities and shed all his impurities, Lin Tian even felt that he was only ninety-nine heavenly lightning strikes away from ascending to immortality!
He was confident that he would destroy all his opponents in the days to come!
Interestingly, just two days after defeating the Cavaliers, the Pacers traveled to the Knicks to challenge the New York Knicks, led by this year's number one draft pick, Carmelo Anthony!
After Wade, is it Anthony?
Lin Tian thought the league's schedule was quite interesting. Looking ahead, after playing this game in New York, the Pacers would return to their home court to face the third team led by a representative of the 03 draft class.
LeBron James and his San Antonio Spurs!
Carmelo Anthony's performance this season has been absolutely top-tier in history, averaging 21.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game so far. His scoring average ranks first among this year's rookies, and he is also the Knicks' leading scorer.
This Knicks team can now be considered to have a gathering of rising stars, and the team's rejuvenation is very impressive, with most of the starting lineups being young players.
Power forward Amar'e Stoudemire was last year's Rookie of the Year, while small forward Carmelo Anthony aims to win this year's Rookie of the Year. Center Mehmet Okur only started this year, and shooting guard Gerald Wallace only made it into the team's rotation this year.
Of the starting lineup, only Charlie Ward is a veteran who has played for the team for many years; the rest are either rookies or have just entered the rotation.
The Knicks' bench is also mainly composed of young players.
Although the Knicks' record is currently mediocre, ranking only tenth in the Eastern Conference.
But everyone can see what they've been doing for the past few years.
The goal is to rejuvenate the roster, wait for the veterans to leave, save money, optimize the lineup, and strive to have no players with large contracts.
Finally, this summer, we'll win over Lin Tian!
Yes, the entire league knows Dolan and the Knicks' ambitions. Everyone knows that the Knicks wanting Lin Tian is an open secret. Everyone is also very clear: as long as Lin Tian wants to come, the Knicks will definitely offer a super contract that will make everyone gasp!
Lin Tian is an absolute nightmare for the Knicks.
This guy who eliminated them multiple times in the playoffs, utterly humiliated the "New York Gang" of yesteryear, and never won a single playoff matchup against them.
This team is the Knicks' biggest nemesis and arch-rival after Jordan and Miller. Even the Knicks' only championship is said by many to be due to luck in not encountering Lin Tian and the Pacers, otherwise it would have been impossible to win the championship.
How do New Yorkers view Lin Tian, who was such an absolute rival and mortal enemy, who NTR'd the entire New York City at Madison Square Garden, making Spike Lee wear his jersey and letting Hilton sleep with him?
So realistic!
So realistic!
"MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!"
"Lin! Come to New York! This is your home!"
Everything you love is here!
"The hottest girls in America are waiting for you in New York!"
"If you need, we also have the wildest men!"
"And anything else you want!"
"Here you can have everything; you can become the Muhammad of New York!"
"You will be the King of Madison! We will love you more than we love Michael!"
The fans started cheering wildly as soon as Lin Tian entered the arena, and Lin Tian even saw his two old buddies Spike Lee and Ewing in the front row. The two of them were very in sync, both wearing a Knicks No. 7 jersey.
But as everyone knows, no one on the Knicks wears number 7.
The two men smiled and showed Lin Tian the names on the back of their jerseys.
LIN!
Well, they've already arranged the jerseys.
The guy sitting next to these two is Houston, whose season is over due to a knee injury. He wasn't wearing Lin Tian's jersey.
There's nothing we can do about it. Those two are either retired or just fans; neither of them works for the Knicks. They're essentially just fans, and it's their freedom to do whatever they want.
But Houston is an active player, and he will be fined for wearing this kind of jersey.
However, the guy was wearing an empty Knicks jersey without a number or name, and he held it up with a grin, asking Lin Tian to sign it for him.
So sexy!
"You're a perfect match for the Knicks' blue! Forget about Indiana's turkey yellow!" Spike laughed and waved at Lin Tian, indicating that everything was ready except for Lin Tian.
Ewing also said to Lin Tian, "Don't be fooled by how arrogant Camelot and Amare seem, as if they don't respect anyone. They actually admire you a lot and are willing to be your underlings."
"Just between you and me, our team has a special weekly training session called 'Simulating How We'd Play After Lin Joins the Team.' We've already started practicing tactics for when you join!"
"Amare and you set a pick and roll down the court, Carmelo waits on the weak side to receive the ball and shoot, and there's Mehmet, that Turk. Don't let his big, clumsy appearance fool you, he actually has a very beautiful shot, and he'd be a perfect match for you."
"By the way, you don't need to worry about the locker room at all. Charlie will take care of it for you. He's the leader of the locker room now. Both Carmelo and Amaré respect him very much. With him around, you'll be able to make a seamless transition."
"Lin, it's been a long time. I've always considered you my mentor." The ever-unruly Anthony walked up to Lin Tian and said, "I've always cherished the time we trained together at the Produce Camp. Your training camp and the subsequent Produce Camp are definitely my best memories before entering the NBA!"
"If I had the chance, I would really love to play ball with you!"
"Me too!" Stoudemire stood next to Anthony. Regardless of whether their playing styles were compatible, at least for now, the two were on the same side when it came to recruiting Lin Tian.
That's why it's said that friendships are more easily formed among young people.
Lin Tian knew that after these two achieved great success and teamed up, they couldn't stand each other and looked down on each other completely. Their chemistry on the field was practically nonexistent.
But now, it's completely different. At least now the two of them are like best buddies, with a very close relationship.
Well, of course, there's also something in common: the chemistry between these two on the field is still practically zero.
There was absolutely no chemistry on the court.
One relies on pick-and-rolls, and his explosiveness after rolling to the basket is unmatched; the other likes everyone to create space for him to go one-on-one.
It would be a miracle if those two clicked.
This is why, despite having a decent roster, the Knicks' record is poor, placing them only tenth in the Eastern Conference.
From this perspective, they really are missing a Lin Tian.
But young people can play their own game on the court and not click, but if they can have fun together when they go to nightclubs after work, then they are good buddies who can have a great time together!
In particular, these two are not even vying for the leader position now, because they both know that the team will bring in Lin Tian next year.
Both of them were very impressed with Lin Tian, whether it was his ability, status, achievements, or the revolutionary camaraderie they had built up in Lin Tian's training camp. Neither of them had any objections to Lin Tian coming to the team to lead them.
Of course, if the Knicks fail to acquire Lin Tian this summer and don't bring him to the team, it's uncertain whether the two can still get along so well.
Before those guys even left, Knicks head coach Don Cheney came over, shook hands with Lin Tian, and even had a slightly obsequious expression on his face: "Lin, I really want to work with you, I'm really looking forward to it! I've prepared tons of exclusive tactics for you!"
"Maybe this summer—no! Tonight, we can have a good talk. You can see if you're interested in my tactical ideas. If not, I can change them!"
Don Cheney's attitude is truly shameless, down to the point of being a complete scumbag.
It's understandable, though. As a mediocre coach with a poor track record, no impressive resume, and who has never led a team past the first round of the playoffs, his contract is already in its final year.
Whether his contract can be renewed after it expires this summer depends entirely on Lin Tian's word. If Lin Tian likes him, he will definitely be able to continue leading the team. If Lin Tian has other ideas, he will have no choice but to step down.
From this perspective, Lin Tiancai is his real sugar daddy now.
However, regarding all that the Knicks had prepared, Lin Tian could only say "good heavens."
Lin Tian had experienced being recruited in advance before.
On the contrary, he is extremely experienced. More than six years ago, when Lin Tian was being fought over by a bunch of old bastards on the Bulls, Jordan and Jackson were so angry that their noses were crooked.
At this moment, just as at that moment.
No, it's right now, far beyond what we were back then.
Back then, those teams would send their star players to flirt with Lin Tian during the All-Star Game, trying to build rapport beforehand.
They didn't make such a big show of it.
But what about the Knicks now?
Before the game even started, the entire stadium was filled with cheers and shouts. The team's number one fan, star player, and top legend all wore Lin Tian's jersey to welcome him in advance. The team even gave the young players a PUA course in advance, so that they could accept the fact that Lin Tian would be leading them.
Then the head coach personally took charge, wanting to discuss the tactics for the next season with Lin Tian in advance.
Even the team owner, Dolan, who wasn't even present, what is he doing right now?
Preparing to climb the ladder.
This guy called Lin Tian 20 minutes ago and told him that he would make the arrangements after the game. He claimed that this would be the biggest, craziest, and happiest party in the history of New York, so he needed to prepare it personally, which is why he didn't have time to watch the game in person.
This scene is...
Lin Tian thought to himself: "If I hadn't come to the Knicks, that would have been so exciting!"
I'm afraid that every time I come to New York, I'll be bombarded with Knicks fan comments that will make my ancestors' graves smoke.
With the citywide hype surrounding the match beforehand, the game itself quickly began.
Miller defeated Okur, giving the Pacers their first possession. Lin Tian then faced off against his long-time rival, Ward.
"How are you doing, Charlie? Especially with all the old guys retired and left, do you feel like a stray dog?" Lin Tian mocked Ward as he dribbled the ball with his back to the basket.
Whether we can be teammates next season is another matter, but this season, we can't hold back on all the criticism we should receive.
Otherwise, it would be a huge loss.
"Then you'll adopt me? I'll become your most loyal backup." Unexpectedly, Ward not only didn't retaliate, but instead directly said, "You're right!"
This is where the huge cultural differences between China and the United States become apparent.
Even the most shameless Chinese person wouldn't say such a thing, but Americans wouldn't.
A prime example is that Americans like to name their pets after their idols; for instance, these days, Britney Spears and Michael Jackson are everywhere.
According to a previous ridiculous statistic by TNT, there are currently more than 39000 dogs, more than 13000 cats, and more than 7000 other strange animals in the United States that share the same name.
Forest!
This number ranks first in the NBA, and also first among all players in the four major North American leagues. Even if you include those retired legends, they only rank second, just behind Jordan.
But many of the dogs and cats named Jordan are already 7 or 8 years old. In a few years, when they go to cat planet or dog planet, "Lin" will inevitably become the number one in the entire American sports world!
Lin Tian was too lazy to waste any more words with Ward. He quickly moved to the frontcourt, then suddenly pushed with his shoulder, and then quickly retreated to make a shooting fake to deceive Ward's center of gravity again. Then Lin Tian continued to accelerate and drove past Ward in one step, and then made a one-handed dunk under the basket!
They maintained an unimpeded path all the way, with absolutely no one to provide any support or defense.
However, Lin Tian knew that they weren't going easy on him.
Just look at the Knicks' starting lineup: Anthony and Stoudemire are known for their poor defense, and Wallace has the potential and ability to become a defensive specialist, but he has not yet fully unleashed his potential.
As for Okur, he's just an average defender who isn't a liability. Ward was indeed a defensive specialist when he was younger, but now he's 34 and his physical abilities have long since started to decline. He couldn't defend Lin Tian when he was younger, so he's even less likely to do so now.
With this lineup, let alone the lack of chemistry on offense, even if they did have chemistry, they would get completely destroyed on defense.
In the Knicks' offense, Ward called for a screen almost immediately after arriving in the frontcourt. After a quick screen, Ward created space, dribbled towards the paint, and then, after being blocked by Lin Tian, he simply took the ball and threw it into the air.
Then Stoudemire arrived!
This guy's explosive power is truly terrifying. He descended from the sky, caught the basketball in mid-air, and then violently slammed it towards the rim.
"boom!!"
After a loud bang, Stoudemire unleashed his signature powerful dunk, smashing the ball into the rim with both arms!
"Amare!"
After scoring, Stoudemire raised his hands high, showing off his muscles and displaying his talent to the fullest.
And then, this guy was so focused on flexing his muscles that he forgot to even get back on defense.
Three Pacers players had already crossed half-court, but Stoudemire hadn't even left the three-point line yet, and hadn't even finished striking a pose.
"boom!!"
Then there was another loud bang. Artest received a pass from Lin Tian, dribbled past the rim with one hand, and completed a fast break.
When Artest can complete a fast break dunk in this situation, you can tell how bad the Knicks' defense is and how slow their transition defense is. This is not a question of how good their defense is, but rather that this Knicks team has never even thought about defense!
Ward dribbled the ball up the court once again. As a veteran, he was very clear about what the team's core goal was this season.
Let Stoudemire and Anthony have a good time. As for the results, we'll see!
So, knowing full well that the two weren't attracted to each other, Ward's approach was to treat them equally, one for each of them, so they could both be happy and neither would compete with the other.
In this play, Ward went up the court and passed the ball directly to Anthony.
Carmelo Anthony, receiving the ball near the waist, showed no fear even when facing one of the league's top defenders, Ron Artest. He held the basketball with both hands and tapped one foot on the floor repeatedly, using his signature jab step.
After several attempts to probe, Anthony suddenly released the ball, followed by a crossover step to create some space, and then pulled up and shot!
"Whoosh!"
Another crisp sound, and Anthony's mid-range jump shot went in!
Those first two baskets showcased the Knicks' talent; whether it was Anthony's shooting or Stoudemire's physical attributes, they were absolutely top-tier in the league!
What they really lack is a top-tier point guard to bring them together.
However, Anthony's problem is the same as Stoudemire's.
Facing his predecessor Artest, who also came from Queens, New York, this guy was incredibly arrogant. After scoring a goal, he repeatedly pointed two fingers at his head, making his signature celebration gesture and striking an excited pose.
The problem is, before he could even finish his trash talk, before he could even utter the last word of "I'm not afraid of you," Artest had already flashed past him and joined the fast break again.
This time, after Lin Tianfei dribbled the ball quickly, he couldn't find a teammate inside who could attack the basket directly, so he simply did two consecutive crossovers outside the three-point line and then pulled up and shot from outside the three-point line!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Lin Tian hit a three-pointer!
For the remainder of the first quarter, both sides engaged in a high-scoring, offensive exchange.
The Knicks' offensive resources are indeed quite abundant. In addition to the two strong points, Stoudemire and Anthony, Okur can pull out beyond the three-point line to shoot. Although Gerald Wallace is almost negligible in half-court offense, he is fast and ruthless when running the fast break!
While Ward was never a star point guard, he was hardworking and calm. Although he couldn't make any fancy passes, he was good at controlling the ball and distributing it evenly to the opponent.
Under his direction, the Knicks played quite well in the first quarter and didn't fall too far behind the Pacers.
35: 32!
After the first quarter, both teams had scored over 30 points, and the Pacers were only leading by 3 points.
Lin Tian scored 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in the quarter. Every time he scored or made a beautiful pass, the fans cheered for him. Even when he stepped to the free-throw line, the Knicks fans did not hold back their chants of "MVP".
There is really no difference between this and playing at home.
不过尼克斯队那边的双少也是表现优秀，安东尼9投5中拿下10分，小斯8投4中罚球4罚3中拿下11分，奥库也投中2个3分拿下6分。
Although Wallace only scored 4 points, his two dunks were absolutely explosive, causing Knicks fans to turn against him and cheer for him!
"Having fun, huh?" However, despite the team's excellent performance in the first quarter, scoring 35 points, Carlisle's expression was anything but good. He stared at his starters and said, "You guys played absolutely rubbish in the first quarter! Terrible! Absolutely awful!!"
"You guys think this is an All-Star game or an exhibition game? Going back and forth with the opponent and listening to the fans cheering is so exciting, right?"
"Alright, you can enjoy sitting on the bench for the second quarter! Tony, Chris, Josh, Matt, and Primos, all five of you, up here!"
"FUXX!! I haven't been taking care of you guys lately, and you've been beating me up like crazy, haven't you? Sit down on the bench and reflect on your actions! Everyone!!"
After venting his anger at the team, Carlisle sat down on his bench, fuming, and stopped talking.
He's been emphasizing defense a lot this season, demanding the team to fully commit to defense and requiring everyone to focus on it, but what happened in the first quarter?
There was absolutely no one defending!
A group of veterans were led into the rhythm of the Knicks' young team, and then they ran around aimlessly following the opposing team.
shame!
Anyway, Carlisle didn't find the first quarter's exciting game entertaining at all. It completely contradicted the pre-game tactical plan and fighting spirit; it was awful!
Therefore, in the second quarter, he made a five-in-five substitution, fielding a pure bench lineup of Tony Parker, Chris Jeffries, Josh Howard, Primoz Brezek, and Matt Bonner.
Aren't you guys just playing around? Aren't you just following along and grinding?
Then let's sit on a bench and watch!
Enjoy the show!
The Knicks fielded their new "gangster" lineup: Carmelo Anthony led the charge, alongside Stephen Jackson, Matt Barnes, and others, employing a big man and four small men offensive lineup.
Don Cheney's idea was simple: everyone played well in the first quarter, so let's just keep playing like this in the second quarter and have fun!
To be honest, the Knicks' roster is really bad right now. Apart from Anthony, the rest of them are just intimidating to look at, but none of them have made a name for themselves in the NBA yet.
The problem is that the Pacers' roster is even worse; apart from Parker, the rest of the players haven't even made it into the team's rotation.
When two terrible lineups are playing on the field, it's undoubtedly a battle of who has the strongest player. If that strongest player can carry the team, then the team can take the lead.
Unfortunately, the current Parker is clearly not as good as Anthony.
Carmelo Anthony is a serious scorer averaging 20+ points per game, and the Pacers' current opponent is Jeffries, a second-year player who is not up to the task. He is being completely dominated and beaten by Anthony.
After being outscored three times by Anthony at the start of the game, the Pacers quickly switched Howard to match up against Anthony, but this adjustment didn't make much of a difference. Howard's defensive performance was only slightly better than Jeffries'.
At the same time, the Pacers' young players were somewhat intimidated by the Knicks' formidable lineup. They were afraid of him, but he could really help them in the game!
With their hands tied, the Pacers were unable to score or defend effectively.
In short, the Pacers got blown out by the Knicks!
In the first 7 minutes of the second quarter, the Pacers were hit by a 19-6 run by the Knicks. The Knicks had already switched back to their starting lineup, while the Pacers were still being dominated by the same five players on the court.
Whether it was the hosts and guests in front of the TV or the commentators on site, they all repeatedly speculated that the Pacers would bring in their starters, or bring in players like Lin Tian to turn the tide.
Every time Carlisle stood up to take charge, every time a timeout was called, they all thought Carlisle was going to be replaced.
But each time, they didn't change it!
This situation and this lineup actually continued until the end of the second quarter without being changed.
Carlisle simply refused to make any substitutions; he didn't even bother to ask his starting lineup if they recognized their mistakes or were prepared to repent.
The old man was really angry.
50: 66!
By the end of the first game, the Knicks were leading the Pacers by a whopping 16 points! They unleashed a 34-15 offensive surge in the second quarter, outscoring the Pacers by 19 points in that quarter alone!
Such a huge lead in a single quarter is something the Knicks probably haven't achieved many times throughout the entire season.
Tonight, these guys had a good time.
"It seems Carlisle is quite dissatisfied with the team's performance in the first quarter! This season's Pacers are all about defense; their fast break points and transition offense have decreased significantly compared to previous seasons. They are now a defensive team."
After the first half ended, Barkley began analyzing the Pacers' performance: "I think the Pacers' locker room must have been very exciting at halftime, and Carlisle was definitely going to yell at the players."
"Then the second half will be the real challenge and battle for the Knicks! The Pacers will definitely be completely different in the second half."
As Barkley said, as soon as Carlisle entered the locker room, he ordered Jeffries, who was closest to the door, to close it. Then he glared at everyone and slammed his tactical board to the ground.
"Didn't I teach you guys? Didn't I analyze the Knicks' playing style and tactics before the game? Didn't I tell you how to play against the Knicks? You bastards just ignored everything I said before the game?"
"Lin, you speak!" (End of Chapter)