harleyscars Chapter 335 4.8 seconds! The best encouragement is mockery!
Chapter 335 4.8 seconds! The best encouragement is mockery!
After hitting that three-pointer, Lin Tian bent down, stretched out his arm and slapped the floor hard, then looked at Kidd and said, "See that? That's the right way to celebrate! Celebrate when the ball is dead, not when the opponent has the chance to attack."
"We will win the game! You can't beat us with these underhanded tricks!" Kidd looked at Lin Tian, full of grievances.
How did it come to be a 3+1 combination?
At that moment, Tomjanovich's shouts came over: "Jason, come down and rest. Gary, go! There are four seconds left. If you have the chance, take one shot. If not, just run down the clock! Don't rush, and don't make any mistakes!"
"Understood, Coach!" Payton nodded, walked back onto the court, and didn't forget to give Kidd a high-five in celebration.
"You should thank me, Gary," Lin Tian said with a wicked grin as soon as he saw Payton arrive. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have had the chance to play at this time. So, how are you going to thank me?"
"How about I give you another 3+1 to bring the deficit down to 2 points?" Payton teased Lin Tian with a smirk. "Or should I just pass you the ball from the baseline and let you shoot?"
"Great idea! It's a deal then. Whoever goes back on their word has to strip naked, crawl around the court, and then kiss the soles of Michael's feet, how about that?"
"Go to hell." Peyton rolled his eyes, too lazy to talk to Lin Tian anymore.
Of course, the main reason was that he couldn't argue with him; he had never seen such a shameless and unscrupulous bastard!
Lin Tian walked easily to the free throw line, took a deep breath, raised his hand and easily made the free throw, narrowing the gap between the two sides to 6 points!
McDyess quickly grabbed the basketball and ran to the baseline. He wanted to inbound the ball quickly so that his teammates could receive it as close to the opponent's half as possible, making it easier for them to score again!
McDyess held the ball with one hand, observed it briefly, and then suddenly flicked it towards Ray Allen in the attacking third.
But Ray Allen was at the center line, and the distance between the two was simply too great! Tomjanovich even closed his eyes the moment McDyess released the pass.
This ball is almost certainly going to be intercepted!
"Snapped!"
Just as Tomjanovich had anticipated, Zhang Jinsong, the top defensive player on the Chinese team's perimeter, suddenly appeared and intercepted the basketball flying through the air. Just as Ray Allen stepped up behind him to try and steal the ball, Zhang Jinsong had already passed it out.
Lin Tian, bottom left corner!
Who knows why Lin Tian ran towards the baseline after the free throw and why he didn't get back on defense?
In any case, he arrived here, and there were no American players defending him!
At that moment, he actually got a huge open space!
"FUXX!" Payton and Garnett roared at the same time, and then charged towards Lin Tian without regard for anything else!
But it was clearly too late!
When the two of them were still 2 meters away from Lin Tian, Lin Tian had already caught the ball and raised his hand to shoot!
Payton and Garnett jumped almost simultaneously, trying to block Lin Tian's shot, but they realized they had been tricked as soon as they left the ground!
Feint!
When he received the ball, with less than two seconds left on the shot clock, Lin Tian still dared to make a feint!
"A clutch performer! Absolute composure! A born killer!" Su Qun gave Lin Tian's calm, steady defense, which made the most of the time, a very high evaluation: "This is Lin! The pride of Chinese basketball!"
While Su Qun was excitedly praising Lin Tian, Tomjanovich had already closed his eyes. He knew what was going to happen next; everything was so similar to the last round!
"Pfft!" Lin Tian and Payton collided.
"Beep!" The referee blew his whistle.
"Swish!" Despite being fouled, Lin Tian still managed to score a 3-pointer!
Exactly the same as before!
Well, if we have to point out any difference, it's that Lin Tian's second three-pointer came before the halftime whistle blew, so it was an absolute buzzer-beater!
Another 3+1! The second one in 4 seconds!
That's an absolutely incredible maneuver!
Absolutely incredible courage!
At this moment, the tens of thousands of Australian fans who were originally neutral or even slightly biased towards the US team could no longer hold back!
They screamed and shouted wildly, constantly calling out Lin Tian's name!
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
"Kill Team America!"
"Gold medal! Team China has won the gold medal!"
"Lin is the best basketball player in the world!"
「上帝啊！4秒内两个3+1！我这届奥运会，都没见过两个3+1！」
When even neutral fans went wild, how could the Chinese players on and off the field possibly remain calm?
The seven or eight people on the bench jumped up and cheered for Lin Tian.
The people on the court excitedly hugged Lin Tian one by one, pounded each other's chests, and jumped up to bump chests!
Tomjanovich was at his wits' end. He couldn't believe that the two point guards on the team, who were the calmest and most experienced in terms of overall situation, had been fooled by Lin Tian twice in a row!
There's nowhere to seek justice!
Should we make another substitution in the second half?
Who can he replace?
Yes, there is also Tim Hardaway on the team's bench.
Given Hardaway's age and ability, no one can guarantee whether he can create an advantage when he plays.
More importantly, this guy is a typical short guard.
Let him go on the field to face off against Lin Tian? If Lin Tian doesn't beat him to a pulp, he'll be lucky he cleaned up properly last night!
Anyway, Tomjanovich had already decided early on: tonight, unless it's garbage time, he wouldn't put Hardaway on the court to be targeted by Lin Tian and the Chinese team, because that guy is too short!
The team brought three point guards, but two of them have made basic mistakes, and putting one on the court resulted in Tomjanovich making a mistake.
Tomjanovich was genuinely feeling helpless at that moment.
Fortunately, there is good news: the first half is over! They will have 20 minutes to rest and adjust their mindset in the second half, hoping to put on a more exciting performance and widen the score gap once again.
Otherwise, given the current momentum and course of the game, if the second quarter had just one more minute, the Chinese team would definitely have been able to turn the score around!
That was a 10-point lead! Less than 10 seconds later, bam, only 2 points left!
Tomjanovich wasn't even going to yell at his players at this point.
After being beaten like this, what's the point of cursing?
Let's focus on encouragement! If we keep criticizing, some of the younger guys might really lose their composure.
Lin Tian easily scored the penalty.
The first half of the game has now come to a complete end.
54: 52!
Thanks to Lin Tian's two incredible 3+1 plays in the final moments, the Chinese team reversed their double-digit deficit and entered the second half with a narrow 2-point deficit!
"Down by 2 points! In a game of this level, 2 points is nothing! If all goes well, we can tie or even take the lead in 5 seconds!" As the game entered halftime, Su Qun began his analysis: "After playing like this against the US team at halftime, I think the fans will be extremely satisfied!"
"This point difference gives us hope of a comeback in the second half and ultimately winning the gold medal!"
"But of course, we also need to face the problems and the gap. If it weren't for Lin Tian's amazing performance in the last 10 seconds, scoring 8 points in a row, we would be trailing by 10 points now. 2 points and 10 points are worlds apart!"
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that those 10 seconds directly saved the Chinese team's half and gave us renewed hope of winning! Lin Tian played exceptionally well tonight!"
Song Shixiong, standing beside him, smiled and said, "So, Teacher Su, in the second half, if we want to turn the score around and win the game, what should we pay attention to, and what areas should we improve?"
"In the second half, we should..." Su Qun was about to continue following Song Shixiong's words when he suddenly realized that there was nothing to say at all.
What should be improved and what should be paid attention to?
There's really nothing to improve or pay attention to.
If Su Qun had to say something, he could only say: Lin Tian should make sure to recover well during halftime and explode in the second half to crush the American team.
Aside from that, all he could say were platitudes like "pay attention to defense," "increase intensity," and "take decisive shots."
After all, the Chinese team has only been able to get this far because of Lin Tian's explosive performance. If his efficiency or form declines, the Chinese team may fall behind the American team again!
"Let's take a look at the stats from the first half first." Su Qun really didn't want to spout nonsense or put pressure on Lin Tian at this point, so he abruptly changed the subject.
What was that saying again?
I can remain silent, but I cannot utter nonsense!
「上半场比赛，林天的发挥绝对完美！他22投9中，3分球11投5中，罚球8罚6中，轰下29分7篮板6助攻4抢断4盖帽的超级数据！他在场上几乎是无所不在！」
"Many people will say that data can be misleading, that data is inflated, and that data cannot fully reflect a player's true level. But I want to say that if you want to know how Lin Tian performed tonight, just look at his data!"
"His stats are the best proof of how great he was tonight and how well he played! He's like a guardian angel, protecting China's hopes of winning gold, and he'll be there wherever he's needed!"
Song Shixiong continued, "Besides Lin Tian, the rest of the Chinese team players also performed very well. For example, rookie Yao Ming scored 4 points and grabbed 4 rebounds, while Wang Zhizhi and Hu Weidong each scored 6 points!"
"In addition, players like Zhang Jinsong, Li Nan, Liu Yudong, and Da Ba also performed well and had some very impressive moments! In the first half today, although Lin was the most outstanding player, the rest of the team also made their contributions!"
Before the game ended, the two commentators were conducting their final analysis. In the Chinese team's locker room, Jiang Xingquan stood in the middle, looking at Lin Tian with some concern.
This guy looks really tired right now!
Lin Tian's chest heaved, and he was panting heavily. He was really tired!
In the first half, he was almost omnipresent. On the defensive end, he positioned himself inside, helped defend, and grabbed rebounds. On the perimeter, he defended the opponent's star player one-on-one, helped his teammates double-team, and shouted to remind his teammates to pay attention to their defensive positioning and the opponent's movement.
On offense, Lin Tian had to start advancing from the backcourt every time, and he had to push forward against the full-court defense of the American team every time. At the same time, he faced double or even triple double teams almost every time, and there were at least two American players standing in front of him at all times.
He has to advance, organize, pass, break through, shoot, distribute the ball, find open teammates, and spot the opponent's weaknesses.
It's fair to say that Lin Tian's intensity on both offense and defense was at its absolute maximum in the first half! Even under these circumstances, he still played the full 20 minutes of the first half. This kind of exertion is something that ordinary people can't even imagine!
So even though Lin Tian had Nedved's stamina traits and a stamina rune on his body, he was still so tired that he could hardly breathe!
Because for the first 20 minutes of the game, he was almost doing anaerobic exercise. He could hardly relax or lose focus for even a second. He had to give it his all, and he could only give it his all!
This is the only way for the Chinese team to win!
Seeing how exhausted Lin Tian looked, Jiang Xingquan really wanted Lin Tian to rest on the bench for a while, but before he could even speak, Lin Tian spoke first.
"No problem, don't worry about me. I don't need to rest, I have plenty of energy! Let's continue in the second half! I'll crush them!"
Hearing Lin Tian's words, even though Jiang Xingquan knew that Lin Tian's problems were definitely serious, that this guy's physical exertion was truly enormous, and that he really needed to rest, he still felt a sense of relief.
Jiang Xingquan opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't say anything more about whether Lin Tian needed to rest.
Because he also knew very well that as long as Lin Tian was not on the court, the Chinese team would lose all the resources and hope of winning against the American team!
Want to win? Then Lin Tian can't rest!
In the US team's locker room, Tomjanovich was yelling at the players, reminding them to improve their focus and level of play in the second half. He stressed that the situation in the last 10 seconds of the first half, where Lin Tian suddenly exploded and scored 8 points in a row, must not happen again!
As for Tomjanovich's tactics, they haven't changed at all.
Keep following Lin Tian to the death!
Continue to force Lin Tian to pass the ball, letting his teammates handle it!
At the very least, Tomjanovich believed that his tactic was very successful in the first 19 minutes and 50 seconds of the first half, giving the team a 10-point lead.
It just suddenly collapsed in the last 10 seconds.
But Tomjanovich believes that even Lin Tian could not replicate such incredible moments multiple times in a single match!
Keep sticking to our game strategy, and we'll definitely win!
Just as Tomjanovich was passionately reminding his players to keep pushing the Chinese team to their limits in the second half, the locker room door for the American team suddenly opened.
Jordan, Bird, and O'Neal walked in.
Jordan and Bird are retired legends of the NBA's Mount Rushmore level, holding a very high position in the hearts of players.
Well, or rather, the players hated them, not just because of their terrible personalities, but also because they eliminated almost everyone of their generation.
As for O'Neal? This guy is basically recognized as the second best player in the league.
Although no one said it outright, almost everyone believed that he was the only one who could possibly go toe-to-toe with Lin Tian in the series.
"Let me see which pathetic stray dogs are crying their eyes out?" Jordan chewed his gum and taunted the current players as he walked in. "Or are you guys actually quite happy, since you were leading China by 2 points in the first half?"
"That's two points! Enough for you to win!"
"If you're here to mock us, you've succeeded. Now you can get out! Leave the locker room and get out!" Payton, the highest-ranking member of the team, gave Jordan the middle finger, telling him to get out.
"I just wanted to come and see, Gary. Don't be so hostile. After all, seeing so many losers and cowards at once isn't an easy thing," Jordan continued, unleashing his group taunts. "By the way, when you guys get your silver medals later, who can give me one?"
"I've never won a silver medal in my life, so I don't know if this new gadget will look good on me."
"Alright, Michael, alright. Don't be so harsh." Unlike Jordan, who looked like a school principal, clearly there to cause trouble, O'Neal said with a grin, "Actually, it's good that they lost. Only by losing will they realize how important I am!"
"So, everyone, don't be afraid. Next time, I'll join the national team, and I'll lead you all to defeat Lin. So even if you lose today, don't worry, Uncle Shaq will save you!"
"Get lost, you fatso! Our locker room isn't a place for you to show off!"
"You're going to lead us? Have you even figured out how to lead the Lakers?"
"Go outside and get some fresh air. Maybe it will clear your head a bit, since you're so focused on your thesis defense."
"If you put even a fraction of your fat into your head, you wouldn't say such stupid things."
Just now, no one dared to criticize Jordan except Payton. But now, O'Neal doesn't have Jordan's status, and a bunch of people immediately started criticizing him.
Shaquille O'Neal was somewhat taken aback by the retort.
What's this? Why did the art style change so quickly?
Why have you suddenly become so unruly? I much preferred how you all looked so meek and obedient just now!
After both of them had performed, Bird walked to the front with a smile and said, "Anyway, relax, we're all watching. Besides the three of us, there's Barkley, Pippen, Kobe, Carter, Iverson, and who else? Never mind! Anyway, there are plenty of people watching from the stands."
"We're genuinely cheering you on from the bottom of our hearts! Oh, and Charles even brought a DV camera. He recorded the moment Jason was completely faked out by Lin's off-ball movement, and we've watched it several times!"
"Don't get me wrong, we want to learn Lin's positioning skills, not to see you embarrass yourself, Jason."
"Fuck!" Payton, still the highest-ranking member of the team, stood up. This time, he was completely unreserved, pointing his finger at the locker room door and saying, "Get out! Now! We don't need three sarcastic idiots and cowards here right now!"
"If you really want to help, you should join the national team this summer! Instead of being sarcastic and cynical here."
"We don't welcome trash like you who only know how to talk. Get out! Now!"
After Payton finished speaking, Jordan and the other two looked at each other, shrugged, and then burst into laughter again before turning and walking out of the locker room.
"Bang!"
After the three of them left, Payton angrily slammed the door shut with such force that one worried he might smash it to pieces!
"I've had enough!" Payton walked to the middle of the locker room with a grim face, then kicked over the table in the center of the room. He shouted at everyone in a dark voice, "I don't want to be ridiculed like crazy when I get back to America, and I don't want to be laughed at for the rest of my life because of a worthless silver medal!"
"I don't want to sacrifice a whole summer of rest only to be called the worst member of Team USA in history!"
"We've never lost before, and I don't care if we lose in the future, but today, we absolutely cannot lose!"
"Damn it, did you hear what I said?" After saying that, Payton slammed the energy drink bottle he had been holding onto the floor and let out a series of roars!
"Gary's right! In the second half, we'll crush the Chinese team! I don't care if they have Lin or Superman on the other side, I'm going to annihilate them!"
"Dry them to death!"
"If we lose, we'll become a laughingstock when we get back!"
"For dignity!"
"Kill those bastards!"
"Leave those idiots, retired old dogs, and fatsoes speechless!"
The arrival of Jordan and two others, along with Payton's explosive performance, gave the American team, which lacked big names and was often questioned, an unprecedented desire to win. Their cohesion and hunger for victory reached their peak!
Outside the locker room, O'Neal was still grinning. Hearing the faint shouts coming from inside, he wiggled his hips and said, "Looks like it worked pretty well? My acting was pretty good, wasn't it?"
"You're utterly rotten. Take my advice." Bird slapped O'Neal's butt, stopping his ugly dance. "Never go to Hollywood to make movies, or you'll become the biggest joke in America!"
Jordan remained silent, still chewing his gum, waiting to see what would happen!
He was definitely the one among the three who most wanted to see Lin Tian lose!
After all, he was the one who orchestrated this whole affair, the one who brought everyone here to watch Lin Tian make a fool of himself. But now Lin Tian has won the gold medal in the boxing match, not only escaping a beating but also crushing everyone who faced him.
What if he wins another Olympic gold medal? Jordan suspects that, given Lin Tian's personality, this guy might wear that gold medal into every game next season.
Yes, that's exactly what Lin Tian would do!
A few minutes later, after Tomjanovich gave another briefing on tactics and points to note for the second half, the American players finally came out of the locker room to prepare for the second half of the game.
Tomjanovich then quietly tugged at Payton and asked, "Gary, how are you?"
The seasoned veteran Payton knew exactly what his coach meant. He nodded and said, "I'm perfectly calm. My impulsive behavior was just an act for my teammates. What we need now is a surge of energy, a fighting spirit to completely crush the Chinese team!"
"Let's do it! Continue with our first-quarter strategy: strengthen our defense against Lin, and have everyone run! In the third quarter, let's unleash our trump card: fast breaks and transition offense!"
"But that's also Lin's specialty. If we just run against him, we might not have the advantage!" After losing to Lin Tian multiple times, it's no exaggeration to say that Payton is the person in the league who understands Lin Tian the most. He is very wary of the idea of "running and playing" when facing Lin Tian!
"But he's all alone! In China, without Webber to pass him the ball, without Carter and Christie's movement, and without Miller's three-pointers, he's all alone! If you guard him closely and start battling him from the backcourt, what can he do even if he runs?"
After thinking for a moment with his head down, Payton nodded and said, "As you wish!"
In the third quarter, the two teams switched sides and the game continued!
The United States team had possession of the ball in the first round.
After Kidd dribbled the ball up the court, and everyone was in position, he immediately passed the ball to Rahim, who was in the low post and waiting for the ball.
Rahim faced off against Liu Yudong and once again used his signature low-post spin move followed by a floater to drive into the paint. But this time, just as he raised his hand to release the ball, a figure suddenly appeared behind Liu Yudong!
Lin Tian!
This guy left Payton on the far side again, charged to the basket, and slapped Liu Yudong from behind.
The basketball immediately returned along the same route at three times the speed it had come from!
"puff!"
Then came a muffled thud. Lin Tian's block hit Rasheed hard in the face, bounced off again, and flew back towards the basket.
At this point, neither Lin Tian nor Liu Yudong were completely helpless. They could only look up and watch the basketball fly towards the hoop and then fall in.
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, the entire scene fell silent.
"This... I've never seen such a bizarre goal in my entire life." Su Qun hesitated for a long time before giving the goal a "bizarre" rating, but judging from his voice, he clearly wanted to laugh.
But as a professional commentator, he held back!
He could hold back, but the fans at the scene couldn't.
A barrage of screams and jeers swept over Rahim, with some fans even suggesting that the Australian football team lacked a striker skilled in headers.
"Damn it!" Lin Tian slapped his hand in frustration. He had inexplicably gained an accomplice. Who wouldn't be annoyed?
"Don't think you're the only ones with good luck! We are too! Victory and fortune are on our side!" Rahim was not ashamed at all despite the laughter from the crowd!
Even if it's a ridiculous 2 points, it's still 2 points!
Very important!
"If there were a goddess of victory and luck, they'd definitely be in my bed!" Lin Tian scratched his head and retorted, "Or you could just stick your face under the basket forever, since that's way more efficient at scoring than shooting yourself!"
"Anyway, your ugly face won't get any uglier from being smashed!"
After inexplicably losing two points, Lin Tian wasn't too upset. But as soon as he received the ball from the baseline, he realized that the American team's defense had been upgraded again!
This time, Kidd and Payton double-teamed him from the backcourt!
They started double-teaming from the backcourt!
"Did Tomjanovich's head get smashed by that championship heart?" Lin Tian muttered, then decisively passed the ball to Hu Weidong, who was not far away. At the same time, Lin Tian suddenly accelerated, and his terrifying speed was completely unleashed, leaving Payton and Kidd behind in the blink of an eye!
"ball!"
After a roar, Hu Weidong passed the ball to the middle without hesitation. Lin Tian received the ball and threw it towards the frontcourt. Then, with almost no deceleration, he charged towards the American team's backcourt!
When Lin Tian was dribbling, even Kidd and Payton had a hard time catching up with him. Now, Lin Tian doesn't even have the ball and just sprints forward like he's running a 100-meter dash. How can the two of them possibly catch up?
These two guys might not even be able to smell Lin Tian's farts!
The speed difference is just too obvious!
Lin Tian dribbled the ball near the center line, and when he dribbled it again, he had already rushed into the three-point line. Then, Lin Tian quickly dribbled the ball once more, gathered the ball, jumped, and slammed it towards Rasheed!
Faced with Lin Tian's terrifying, rhinoceros-like attack, Rahim dared not confront it and decisively moved to the outside of the three-second zone to dodge Lin Tian.
"boom!"
Then, with a loud bang, Lin Tian completed a visually stunning one-handed dunk!
This time, as soon as Lin Tian landed after his dunk, Garnett was already on the baseline, grabbed the basketball, and threw it towards the frontcourt!
Kidd and Payton, who had just failed to keep up with Lin Tian, became the spearhead of the fast break. Kidd passed the ball to Payton, who then passed it to Kidd. Kidd then threw the ball into the air, and Payton leaped up, caught the basketball with one hand, and slammed it into the basket!
"boom!"
The US team's fast break was on point!
When the two of them successfully combined and scored 2 points, Lin Tiancai finally sprinted down the court, but it was definitely too late to defend against them.
"Aren't you supposed to be fast? How come you couldn't catch me?" After successfully dunking, Payton looked at Lin Tian and couldn't help but trash-talk him: "If you're so good, why don't you block my shot too!"
"We'll see," Lin Tian shrugged, nonchalantly adding, "By the way, you two, do you still have the guts to keep flanking me here? If you have the guts, I can wait until you're firmly in place before I start!"
Do you have the guts?
No!
Although neither Payton nor Kidd responded to Lin Tian's words, it was clear from the way Payton turned around and ran back to the backcourt without even thinking that the two of them had just been frightened by Lin Tian's speed in advancing without the ball.
This is too fast!
Could this guy actually have the ability to win a 100-meter gold medal after winning a boxing gold medal?
Lin Tian: That's too conservative. I should be able to do 200 meters too!
In any case, after Lin Tian's play, the US team's so-called full-court double-team was completely dismantled, unless they could double-team Lin Tian while the other three players could completely hold off the four players from the Chinese team.
But that's obviously impossible. The American team's players are just highly talented, but that doesn't mean they've been injected with super soldier serum or are mutants.
When Lin Tian was double-teamed and the Chinese team players spread out completely, even if they had two extra legs, they wouldn't be able to keep up with all four Chinese players on such a large basketball court.
Unless they have Naruto on their team!
Without the double-team defense from the entire court, Lin Tian could simply dribble past Kidd and advance the ball, which would be too easy.
He easily made his way to the frontcourt, and the moment Payton rushed over to help defend, Lin Tian had already passed the ball!
He passed the ball to Hu Weidong, who was left wide open, with a behind-the-back bounce pass. Hu Weidong didn't hesitate after receiving the ball and immediately pulled up and shot from beyond the three-point line!
If this shot goes in, the defensive pressure on Lin Tian will be greatly reduced. At the very least, Payton will definitely not dare to double-team Lin Tian so recklessly anymore.
"Bang!"
Unfortunately, what came from the scene was a dull clang of metal being struck!
Hu Weidong missed an open three-pointer, and Garnett was about to grab the rebound when he suddenly felt a tremendous force coming at him. He stumbled and was pushed to the side. Then a dark figure rose up from the ground and slapped the rebound that Garnett had been so sure of.
"Vote again!"
Lin Tian, who had just slapped the backboard away, let out a roar, wanting Hu Weidong to shoot again.
Before Hu Weidong could even make a move, Payton appeared in front of him and reached out to interfere. Almost at the same time, Kidd, who had been hiding, cunningly pulled out the basketball from behind Hu Weidong and shoved it into Payton's hands.
Payton threw the basketball directly towards the frontcourt, and Kidd immediately turned and ran, rushing to the Chinese team's basket to dunk!
"Snapped!"
A crisp sound rang out, and Kidd stared in disbelief at the figure flying out from behind him, slamming the basketball in his hand directly onto the backboard!
Lin Tian! It's Lin Tian again!
Incredible speed, incredible fighting spirit!
From grabbing the rebound under the basket to sprinting back to defend after Hu Weidong was stripped of the ball, Lin Tian's speed was unbelievable!
"Didn't you say you wanted me to block your shot? Here I come!" After slamming Kidd's dunk against the backboard, Lin Tian caught the ball and, without pushing him away, simply looked at Kidd and said, "Is the hotpot good?"
"Gary said so, go find him!" Kidd didn't hesitate and chose to sell his good partner. Then he quickly forgot about the miserable situation of being blocked and quickly entered defensive mode, starting to closely guard Lin Tian!
"No rush! Hold your ground and take it slow!" Lin Tian blocked Kidd, and this time he slowed down completely, gesturing to his teammates' positioning while shouting, "Old Hu, it's okay, Old Hu! If you get a chance, keep throwing boldly!"
"It's just a mistake. I've made four mistakes tonight! It's perfectly normal!"
As Lin Tian spoke, he quickly changed direction while dribbling, altering his course.
Because Payton is here!
Another double-team!
"puff!"
"hiss!"
"FUXX!"
"Bang!"
"Thump!"
Then came a series of sounds!
While the referee couldn't see, Payton secretly pinched Lin Tian's waist. Lin Tian gasped in pain and then elbowed Kidd, who immediately cursed.
It's not like I pinched you, so why are you elbowing him?
Lin Tian said: Don't worry, one hit each and none of them can escape!
After elbowing Kidd, Lin Tian then rammed his shoulder into Payton, the force of which was so great that Payton lost his balance and fell to the floor.
"Get lost!" After knocking over Payton, Lin Tian glared at Kidd and cursed, which startled Kidd so much that he actually paused for a moment and did not rush to Lin Tian's side immediately.
Despite being double-teamed, Lin Tian actually managed to create space for himself to shoot!
"Bang!"
Then, because he was fighting too fiercely against these two top defenders, Lin Tian couldn't control the force when he shot, and the basketball bounced off the rim again.
This time, Lin Tian had no chance to break into the paint to grab the rebound, since Payton was still lying on the ground.
Lin Tian could easily step over him; in fact, Lin Tian had done the same thing to Payton back then.
But Lin Tian said: If it weren't for the goal of replicating Iverson, I wouldn't do such a low-level thing.
Moreover, imitating Iverson's stepping over someone is just stepping over their feet.
But what Peyton presented to Lin Tian right now was his head!
What decent person would step over someone's head while playing ball?
Anyway, Lin Tian wouldn't do such a thing.
Of course, the most important reason is that Garnett's positioning was obviously more aggressive and focused, and even if he rushed in, Lin Tian wouldn't have time to grab the rebound.
Lin Da Guanren has a bottom line, but it's not much.
In the next few minutes, both sides seemed to enter a strange cycle, focusing more on defense. As physical contact increased, shooting percentages inevitably dropped.
Logically, this style of play, which relies on physicality, talent, and strength, should be more advantageous for the American team. It's their preferred style of play, but in the following minutes, they failed to extend their lead.
As for the reason, it's Lin Tian, of course!
During this period, although Lin Tian had been using every possible means of defense and physical contact against the American team and had not scored at all, the American team's aggressive defense was met with Lin Tian's response: "I'll defend even more aggressively!"
He directly mismatched with Liu Yudong to defend the US team's main offensive player, Rasheed. When the two point guards, Kidd and Payton, discovered that Lin Tian was actually going to match up against Rasheed, who was 15 centimeters taller than him, they immediately began to consciously feed the ball to Rasheed!
Then?
Then Rahim transforms back into Rahim!
This guy missed three consecutive one-on-one attempts against Lin Tian, including one where Lin Tian stole the ball from him face-to-face. It can be said that apart from his impressive performance in the first quarter, Rahim has been unable to find his rhythm since Lin Tian started to focus on him!
Tomjanovich realized that Rasheed was not up to the task, so he substituted him again and brought in the more practical center McDyess. Jiang Xingquan also replaced Liu Yudong, who had a poor shooting night, with the tall Yao Ming, and started a twin-tower lineup under the basket to protect the rebounds.
As for Lin Tian, even after he no longer had to defend Rahim, he still ignored Kidd and instead focused on helping out, grabbing rebounds, and covering for his teammates.
In short, Lin Tian was omnipresent on the defensive end!
At this point, the best course of action for the US team would have been to give the ball to Kidd, let him score a few points, and then allow Lin Tian to return to his proper position to match up against Kidd, instead of running around the court aimlessly.
Unfortunately, Kidd tonight has once again become "Kidd the Unbeatable".
He had open looks, and he dared to shoot, but he just couldn't make the shot!
When he missed, Lin Tian ignored him even more and ran around aimlessly, helping out in defense everywhere!
As a result, throughout the entire third quarter, both sides' offensive efficiency plummeted to an appalling level! (End of Chapter)