harleyscars Chapter 107: Lin's Talk-no-Jutsu Appears! He nipps the OK duo in the bud!
Chapter 107: Lin's Talk-no-Jutsu Appears! He nipps the OK duo in the bud!
Chapter 107: Lin, the master of persuasion, is online! He nipps the OK duo in the bud!
"So, Shaq, we're good buddies, let me show you the way, let me tell you the truth!" Lin Tian patted O'Neal on the shoulder and said, "First, in Orlando, you'll always be second. If you want to establish yourself here, you have to keep working for Anfernee, right?"
"Yes." O'Neal nodded.
"Secondly, you're not the kind of person who's content to be second to anyone. Your ability, mentality, and status deserve to be the leader of any team, right?"
"Yes." O'Neal continued to nod.
"Third, compared to those guards with flashy playing styles and high-flying dunks, centers are just not as popular with fans. No matter how much you can act silly or how great your personality is, centers are inherently at a disadvantage in terms of popularity and commercial value, right?"
"Yes." O'Neal nodded again.
"Well then, Shaq, listen to what I have to say next." Lin Tian cleared his throat, and after checking that there were no other Magic players, fans, or management personnel approaching, he prepared to unleash his ultimate move!
Sage Mode! Talk-no-jutsu: Team Dismantling Technique!
"First, let's assume the Magic won't give up on Anfernee, which means you'll definitely be traded this summer to a place you like. So, to avoid repeating today's mistakes, you must choose carefully! After all, if your next team is like this, wouldn't you have wasted your time?"
"So if you ask me which team you should go to, I'm just a rookie, so I can't give you great advice, but I can help you eliminate a few bad options!"
"Our athlete Lin Tian delivered an outstanding performance in this game, contributing 23 points and 11 assists, making him a key contributor to the team's victory! His scoring ranked second on the Bulls, and his assists were the highest of the entire game! Let's wish the Bulls continued success in the Finals! Please see the following brief news."
"That's it?" Lin Jun asked immediately as soon as the screen skipped away.
"That's all, that's all." Lin Sen nodded.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Lin Jun continued to look at Lin Sen.
"Alright! I'll go pack my things right now, let's go to the cemetery to visit Grandpa!"
As soon as Lin Sen finished speaking, Lin Jun's impatient voice rang out: "What cemetery?! Did I say we were going now? Do you remember that news clip from earlier? Can you recite it word for word? Play it again!"
……
After easily sweeping the Orlando Magic, the Bulls returned to Chicago immediately. Given the current situation, the Western Conference Finals will be at least six games, which means the Bulls will have at least five days of rest in Chicago before the NBA Finals showdown!
During these five days, as usual, Jackson did not assign too many training tasks to the players. He just had them practice shooting and run plays, with the main focus on recovering from injuries and maintaining their form!
The activity that took up most of their training time these past few days was watching live broadcasts and recordings of the matches.
They kept watching game footage of the Spurs and SuperSonics, as well as the game footage of the two teams in the first few games of the Western Conference Finals. Of course, there were also game highlights and clips of key players that the team's video editors had specially edited for them.
No matter how much the outside world favors the Bulls and thinks they can win easily, and no matter how much praise they receive, at least within the Bulls team, there is no complacency or arrogance. Everyone is carefully and seriously making final preparations.
This series between the Spurs and the SuperSonics is absolutely a clash of titans! The two sides are evenly matched, with both sides playing a very close and intense game!
In the first four games, the SuperSonics won the first and third games, while the Spurs won the second and fourth games!
In all four games, the final score difference between the two sides was less than 5 points! Not a single game was decided until the last minute!
In the crucial Battle of Tianwang Mountain, the two sides fought fiercely, giving it their all!
With 10 seconds left in the game, David Robinson hit an incredibly tough layup, successfully forcing overtime!
In overtime, the Spurs took the lead, holding a 4-point advantage with 19 seconds remaining!
But to everyone's surprise, the game took a dramatic turn. First, Payton hit a three-pointer that was enough to save the game, and then Payton stole the ball from Avery Jensen and completed a fast break dunk!
In less than 10 seconds, Payton scored 5 points in a row, helping his team complete the comeback!
This score remained unchanged until the very last moment of the game!
The Supersonics narrowly won the crucial game in overtime!
In Game 6 of the series, perhaps due to the exhaustion from the pivotal Game 5 and the devastating feeling of being reversed, the Spurs, who had finally returned to their home court, failed to play at the same level as in the previous games. They were completely outplayed by the SuperSonics in this game!
In the end, they lost by a full 21 points and could only watch helplessly as the SuperSonics trampled over their corpses to advance to the finals at home!
David Robinson sat on the floor for a long time after the game, feeling a strong sense of loneliness and helplessness.
It's worth noting that David Robinson gave it his all in this series, averaging a phenomenal 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game.
However, below him, the Spurs' second-leading scorer Elliott only averaged 11 points per game, with a shooting percentage of only 31%, which was simply unbearable to watch!
接着是场均是用40%命中率拿到10分的德纳特、场均38%命中率拿下9分6助攻3失误的詹森……
It's not an exaggeration to say that Robinson was completely isolated and helpless in this series!
And what about supersonic speeds?
球队老大佩顿场均22分11助攻，二当家坎普场均20分12篮板，施拉姆夫虽然场均只有14分4篮板，但他的3分命中率高达48%！
Just by looking at the performance of the top three players on each team, you can tell how difficult it was for Robinson to extend the suspense of the series to Game 6!
Robinson, who had been sitting on the ground for a long time and was unwilling to get up, suddenly felt someone pat him on the shoulder. He looked up curiously and found that it was the team's newly appointed general manager, Greg Popovich, who was looking at him and said, "David, I'm sorry, I couldn't help you find suitable teammates, and I couldn't build a team that was worthy of you. I'm sorry."
"Greg, it's not your fault. I know you and RC did your best." Robinson shook his head. He knew how difficult it was for Popovich to build the team!
In today's environment of very low free agent activity and player transfer frequency, a small city like San Antonio offers virtually no advantages. Whether it's salary, cost of living, taxes, entertainment, or any other aspect, San Antonio is simply not worth mentioning! Truly great stars would never consider such an unremarkable small city.
"David, there's something I want to tell you." Popovich looked at Robinson, pondered for a moment, and said, "You should remember that I went to North Carolina during the All-Star break, right? I stayed there for a full two weeks and watched seven or eight NCAA games."
"I've found someone! A super genius from Wake Forest University! He's absolutely amazing! He's incredible, and he's a perfect fit for you! If you two team up, we can definitely build a whole new dynasty!"
"A rookie, is he that good? Is it too late for me? Can I wait for him to grow?" Robinson laughed self-deprecatingly. He knew better than anyone that his peak period probably wouldn't last more than a few years. For example, his back was a little sore just now.
"There's still time! I've never seen a young man with such perfect skills! I've never seen someone with such high immediate impact and such talent! He's absolutely an anomaly in the entire NBA!"
"He can definitely bring us victories! I believe this guy was an MVP-caliber player the moment he joined the league!"
"Such a powerful person? Does he really exist?" David Robinson looked at Popovich in disbelief.
"Absolutely! David, you have to trust my judgment," Popovich said firmly. "But the only problem is, we're not the only ones eyeing a talent like him! Many are, and we lack a high draft pick!"
"Greg, you mean..." Robinson seemed to understand Popovich's meaning and looked at him tentatively.
Popovich nodded excitedly without any hesitation.
No one could have imagined that this one conversation would make the Spurs the first team to prepare for next year's draft after being eliminated!
As Popovich spoke, David Robinson also felt that his back was getting more and more painful!
After eliminating the Spurs in six games, the SuperSonics did not choose to return to Seattle; instead, they boarded a plane and flew to Chicago!
Because it took them two more games to eliminate the Spurs, the SuperSonics don't have much rest time left. They must make the most of every second and get into a rest state as soon as possible. Only in this way can they face the Bulls in the best condition!
(End of this chapter)