harleyscars Chapter 398 I told you we wouldn't be meeting this time, didn't I? Michael
Chapter 398 I told you we wouldn't be meeting this time, didn't I? Michael
If the US team led for most of the game and trailed for a few minutes in the last game against Puerto Rico, and the game was almost back and forth, only losing due to one or two wrong shot selections, then this game against Argentina was a complete defeat for them!
Trailing by 20 points at halftime, the US team narrowed the gap to just 7 points in the third quarter thanks to Pierce's sudden outburst and three consecutive three-pointers!
But at this moment, the problems in the US team's defense were exposed. Ginobili once again showed his talent and skill, making a serpentine breakthrough to the basket and scoring a 2+1, and then finding his teammates in the corners on both sides twice in a row.
Nocioni and Scott Nocini at the baseline lived up to expectations, each hitting a three-pointer, bringing the score difference between the two sides back to over 10 points!
Then it was Pierce again, who hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer before the end of the third quarter, narrowing the gap to 8 points!
Both teams entered the fourth quarter!
In the decisive fourth quarter, the US team's intensity clearly increased. Even the suicidal backcourt duo of Iverson and Marbury was gone, replaced by the more defensively capable Andre Miller and Carter pairing up in the backcourt.
But when the US team suddenly increased their defensive intensity, putting Argentina in a somewhat awkward position, it was Ginobili again!
The Pampas Eagles are soaring once again!
He made two consecutive shots when the team's shot clock was down to about two seconds left!
The feeling of almost succeeding in defense only to be hit by the opponent twice in a row basically destroyed the confidence and fighting spirit of the American team. Their defensive intensity dropped again, and they became impatient again, wanting to solve the problem with offense.
However, when facing a fully-powered Argentina, the weakness of the American team in playing FIBA games was exposed once again!
The score difference between the two sides hovered around 10 points, and the US team was unable to narrow the gap.
Then, with 2 minutes and 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the US team took a 71-80 lead thanks to two consecutive dunks by Baron Davis. If they can maintain this pace, they still have a chance to turn the game around!
But then Marbury made another mistake, and the US team went on a painful stretch of four missed shots. This series of missed shots dashed the US team's hopes of a comeback.
The two sides continued to exchange blows, but the overall situation of the game remained unchanged.
75: 83!
The US team ultimately lost the game by a dismal 8 points!
Throughout the game, the US team was almost never in the lead, and was dominated by the Argentinians for almost half the game.
Then, in the final moments of the game, just when the team had a chance to win, the US team once again lost to their poor shooting touch.
The problems of being overly obsessed with shooting, lacking teamwork, making many mistakes on offense, and being too hasty were all exposed again in this game!
Team USA suffers two consecutive defeats on the international stage!
After the game, no one even thought that the American team still had a chance to win the championship.
They lost so badly and so disgracefully!
How could a team this bad win the championship?
What a load of rubbish!
"Hey! You lost! No, you lost again!" In contrast to the somber and silent atmosphere of the entire stadium, Lin Tian once again leaned over the entrance to the player tunnel, reaching out his hand to give a high-five to the American players.
"Lin, can you get away from me? Otherwise, I'm worried I won't be able to resist punching you!" Miller was so angry when he saw Lin Tian's hands and his gloating look that he wanted to pin Lin Tian to the ground and beat him up to vent his anger!
"You can't beat me," Lin Tian said cheekily. "But if you guys lose like this, how are we supposed to meet again? How are we supposed to agree to compete for the championship again in the finals?"
"Ah! I get it!" Lin Tian suddenly clapped his hands and looked at the American players who were lagging behind, saying, "You did this on purpose, didn't you! You did it on purpose! Your plan was to lose to fourth place in the group and then meet us in the quarterfinals!"
"You guys really went to great lengths to fight me ahead of time, huh? If you ask me, it's just... *rolling around and around*!" Lin Tian had only said half of his sentence when Bird behind him couldn't hold back any longer. He reached out from behind, grabbed Lin Tian's neck, and pulled him back.
"Please, I'm begging you, stop talking! I'm in a terrible mood right now!" Bird glared at Lin Tian and said, "Fine, you won't come to any more Team America games, okay?"
"We lost both of our two games. Did you put some kind of curse on us?"
"If I had that skill, I'd be here every day!" Lin Tian said with a wicked grin. "It's just that you guys are too weak!"
"Fuck!" Bird cursed. "I'll personally lead the team in the next Olympics! I don't believe I can't beat you to a pulp! Damn it, I'm going to contact that bastard Colangelo right now! I'm going to be the head coach next time."
"Be careful not to ruin your reputation later! If you can't even get out of the group stage, you'll be the biggest laughing stock." Lin Tian added sarcastically to Bird, then picked up his phone and glanced at it: "Michael said he's in Indiana too, want to go chat?"
"No way, I'm not in the mood." Bird scoffed. "What time is it? I don't want to chat with you two! Unless he comes to Indiana next season, what's there to talk about? FUXX! George Karl, that old idiot, if I'd known he was such a loser, I would have competed with him back then!"
"And then there's that useless Colangelo! How could he be a general manager? How could he even assemble a team like this? Why doesn't he just send Batman and the Joker to maintain world peace?"
Seeing that Bird was full of resentment and his anger was not going to subside anytime soon, Lin Tian didn't say anything more to him, waved his hand, stood up and left Conseco Center.
Thirty minutes later, Lin Tian arrived at a highly private club in Indiana and found the room number Jordan had sent him.
"Now that you're in Indiana, you have to hide and not show your face on the street?" Lin Tian said brazenly, sitting directly opposite Jordan. "What are you doing here? Wishing me another world championship?"
"I've never met such an annoying jerk in my entire life," Jordan rolled his eyes and cursed, "Remember our bet?"
"I remember, how could I forget!" Lin Tian nodded and said, "Back then, we were saying that Kwame's average stats for the new season wouldn't exceed a certain number, and you were going to admit defeat to me in front of the whole world? 5 points and 3 rebounds per game? I'd completely forgotten, but I didn't expect you to come and admit defeat! How impressive!"
"Let's go, I'll call the Indiana Times right now and have them interview us. Let's make this bet official!"
"Not this!" Jordan's face turned pale instantly.
He had really forgotten about it, otherwise he would have to be out of his mind to give Lin Tian such an opening line!
And Jordan was also cursing himself inwardly: Why did he have to start with something like this?! He brought this on himself!
"Not this one? It's okay, it's not important. Let's settle this first, then we can talk about which one it is. Should we eat first or do the interview and admit defeat? Hmm? You decide!"
"I didn't come to you for this!" Jordan really wanted to stand up and leave right now. His mood, which had been so good just moments before, had turned terrible!
"Then let it be. What's done is done, understand?" Lin Tian waved his hand, indicating that why you came to him wasn't important, but this was the reason: "Or are you planning to renege on your debt? Michael, you can't accept defeat?"
"I can afford to lose!" Jordan cursed, then said, "There's another bet! I won that one! How about this, we tie it one-one, and then we'll call it even, okay?"
"Fine, but you think you can beat me in a bet? What makes you think you can? Even if it's a bet on how many sons you have, I could beat you!"
"I only have two sons, what's the point of gambling!"
"It's hard to say." Lin Tian winked at Jordan with a mischievous grin, indicating that those who know, know.
"You're talking nonsense! Juanita isn't that kind of person! Marcus and Jeffrey are both my sons!" Jordan slammed his hand on the table and stood up. Lin Tian's joke had crossed his line.
"I didn't say you only have one son. Maybe you have three or more?" Lin Tian said. "Think about it, have you ever accidentally forgotten to bring a small umbrella in Houston or somewhere else? And then, somehow, you ended up with a few little ones who don't have the surname Jordan but have Jordan blood?"
"Impossible! I've always kept myself clean." Jordan slammed his fist on the table again, but this time, he was clearly less confident. He sat down on the stool, looking at Lin Tian with a huff. This time, he didn't dare to keep him in suspense anymore, otherwise, who knew what other infuriating things Lin Tian might say.
"I mean, Pauline and I! I've said it before, we're great buddies, we work seamlessly together, and we have no secrets or hidden agendas!"
"Do you know how many illegitimate children he has? Do you know how many mistresses he has? You don't! And you call that having no secrets or hiding anything?" To be honest, Lin Tian couldn't recall who Paulin was at this moment, but he was certain that Jordan had absolutely no idea how many illegitimate children this man had!
"Fuck you!" Jordan was truly enraged this time: "Can't you talk to me properly?!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Lin Tian raised his hand and said, "Tell me, what did you and this Bolin do?"
"Didn't you say before that he just wanted to freeload off my fame and influence and then have me work for him for free?" Jordan snorted smugly. "You're wrong! I tested him out; we're really good buddies!"
Upon hearing Jordan's mention, Lin Tian finally remembered who Pollin was—the Wizards' owner!
"How did you test me?" This time it was Lin Tian's turn to be curious. What, could there be a twist in this matter?
Historically, wasn't it just that Pollin first sold his shares to Jordan, then lured him back to generate some appeal and traffic for the Washington Wizards, making a fortune and gaining attention before turning his back on Jordan and refusing to let him return to the team's management, and then the two parted ways?
"I told Pauline I didn't want to play anymore, I wanted to go back to management and buy back my shares! He didn't say anything, he just agreed!" Jordan said proudly. "See that! That's integrity! That's trust between partners!"
"And then? That's it?" Lin Tian continued to press.
"And then? Then of course I told him that I had changed my mind again, so I was willing to help him out again and lead the Wizards into the playoffs, and then we'd talk about anything else! That's a man's promise."
"What a load of bull," Lin Tian scoffed. "Call him now and tell him you still want to return to management. Get the paperwork done and make it official right now. Let's see if he dares to get to the actual implementation stage!"
"How can a grown man change his mind so easily? Changing his attitude every now and then." Jordan resolutely refused, "If he agrees again, wouldn't that mean I'm playing him for a fool? Impossible! Absolutely not! I won't do that."
"You're scared!" Lin Tian picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said, "If you're scared, then so be it!"
Lin Tian knew all too well how to provoke and exploit Jordan's weaknesses!
Lin Tian's skill is definitely at the master level!
"Scared? I'm scared?" Jordan scoffed. "Fine, let's fight!"
Jordan, caught up in the moment, picked up the phone, ready to prove his and Pauline's revolutionary camaraderie, but Lin Tian immediately grabbed his hand and said, "No rush, you need to have a strategy."
"Strategy? What strategy?"
"Here's what you'll do: just tell him you don't want to play anymore, that this time it's for real, that you're definitely not considering returning. He'll definitely agree to that first, and then try to persuade you by saying things like, 'What team needs you? What Kwame needs to improve? What team can't make the playoffs without you?'"
"If you were normal, you would definitely agree to him, but at this time, you shouldn't agree to him. You should tell him that you actually sprained your ankle during training, and the doctor said that you would not be able to return for the new season, so you want to officially retire. He will definitely ask you for details about your injury."
"Then, I don't need to teach you, right? Exaggerate the severity, make it as harsh as possible, even portray yourself as paralyzed, and see his attitude. Isn't that clear?"
"If he knew my injury was so serious that I couldn't play basketball at all, he would definitely agree immediately and go through the formalities to return my previous shares to me! He might even give me a little more as a thank you!"
Looking at Jordan's resolute expression, Lin Tian suddenly understood why this guy had failed so badly in managing the team and making such terrible player selections.
With this naive and innocent look, no, with this naive and innocent appearance, how could she not be easily fooled until she has nothing left?
Who would have thought that Jordan had such a cute and silly side?
"I'll call right now!" Jordan took another big gulp of wine, then picked up the phone and made the call.
"Hey Abby," Jordan said, turning on the speakerphone and speaking into the phone, "There's something I want to discuss with you."
"No problem, Michael. Go ahead, what can I do for you?" Pauline's voice was indeed straightforward and easy to trust, the kind that easily inspires trust and goodwill.
"It's about what we talked about this summer. I've thought about it, and I want to get back into management! I hope to get my shares back."
"But didn't we already talk about this, Michael?" Pauline's tone held a hint of impatience. "I thought we'd reached an agreement, but of course, my friend, it's still the same: this team is yours, you can do whatever you want with it!"
"But what I mean is, I hope you can get him back on track! We haven't made the playoffs in five years, which is a really long time. If possible, I sincerely hope you can lead the team to the playoffs, get the young guys on track, and then go back to management."
"I know, I understand what you mean." Jordan raised his eyebrows at Lin Tian smugly, as if to say, "See? I told you so." Then he said to Paulin, "But I've thought about it carefully recently, and maybe I really can't play basketball anymore."
"What do you mean, Michael?" Pauline's tone changed slightly.
"What I'm trying to say is that I injured my ankle during training. I've seen a doctor, and it's a grade 3 sprain. Given my age, the doctor advised me to stop playing basketball. They hope I can stay away from professional leagues, otherwise I might spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair."
"I can no longer play in professional leagues!"
"Michael, are you serious?"
"Of course! I wouldn't joke about something like that."
"But a grade 9 sprain, doesn't it take 6-7 months to recover? You can recover and rest slowly, and come back to the team when you're fully healed! It's only September now, you might even make it to the All-Star game! I believe in you!"
"Pollyn!" Even if Jordan was stupid, he could sense something was wrong by now: "The doctor said that if I continue playing basketball, I may have to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair."
"Michael! I know, I understand. Of course I wouldn't let my best guy risk playing in a wheelchair. I mean, maybe we should see a few more doctors? Maybe we'll get a different diagnosis. Have you been to New York or Los Angeles?"
"I also know a top sports medicine expert in Copenhagen; you could consult him!"
"Pollyn, I just don't want to play anymore! I don't want to go through the same recovery and rehabilitation training over and over again. It's too grueling. I'm almost 40 years old, and I don't want to keep playing like this. I still want to fulfill my dream of managing a team. I'll find other ways to help the team grow!"
"Michael, this is a huge issue. I think we need to have a serious talk. How about this, where are you right now? Maybe we can meet up and discuss it face-to-face? Are you in Washington?"
"What's there to talk about?" Jordan's tone grew increasingly impolite. "I just want what I deserve. I just want you to fulfill your promise. Wasn't that what we agreed on a long time ago? What's there to talk about?"
"This is a multi-million dollar deal! We have to communicate beforehand. You can't just say you're not playing anymore, or that you want to go back to management! I need to adjust and prepare a lot of things! For example, our team's season tickets have already been sold! What will I do if you don't play? What will the team do?"
"The fans are here to see you; they'll spend money to buy your number 23 jersey, not Kwame's number 54! We need you to play, and we need you to help the team commercially through this difficult time!"
"Pollyn! That's not what we said before!"
"Michael! This is business! This isn't something you can take seriously with a few drunken jokes! I think the most important thing right now is for us to talk face-to-face, see what's really going on with your ankle, and then we can discuss the next steps!"
"Michael, my man, I'm just so shocked! I want you to play, I love you playing! The fans love you, they'll come to the arena for you! You know, last season our ticket sales and prices were the highest since we moved to Washington, right?"
"Do you know how much everyone loves you, Michael? Come back, come to Washington first, let's have a good talk, and then we'll figure out the next step."
As Jordan listened to Pauline's obvious excuses and perfunctory words, his patience dwindled. He then abruptly said, "See you in Washington," and hung up the phone.
Then he took the wine that Lin Tian had just poured for him, raised his head, and gulped it all down in one go.
"Fuck you! That old bastard! He tricked me!"
Jordan wasn't stupid. On the contrary, the reason he was able to accumulate so much wealth, to thrive after retirement, and to maintain excellent relationships with league bosses and tycoons for decades to come, wasn't because of his domineering presence on the court.
He relied on his intelligence and shrewdness in the business world!
He had only been fooled by Pauline's sweet talk before, but after the two had talked for so long and finished their phone call, Jordan knew exactly what was going on.
I didn't believe your nonsense! That old geezer is wicked!
Simply put, Jordan now is like a young piglet who has woken up from being obsessed with love and being scammed!
She's incredibly smart, and her mind works incredibly fast!
"I'm going back to Washington!" Jordan stood up decisively and said to Lin Tian, "Thanks this time, Lin, otherwise I would have been tricked by that damn old bastard into playing for free for a whole year!"
Look! Look!
Five minutes ago he was the best guy, Pauline; five minutes later he's turned into a damn old bastard.
Men!
Seeing Jordan get up and leave decisively, clearly heading straight for the airport, Lin Tian suddenly remembered something, stood up, and chased after him, calling out, "Michael!"
"Lin?" Jordan turned around and looked at Lin Tian, thinking that his good friend had something to tell him. After all, Jordan also admitted that his friend was indeed a little bit smarter than him!
If he could teach me any methods, I would definitely be able to turn defeat into victory!
"Did you pay the bill?" Lin Tian looked at Jordan, revealing his harmless side when Jordan was most looking forward to him turning into a fox.
"Fuck you! Go to hell!" Jordan flicked his middle finger and turned to leave.
"Waiter," Lin Tian called to the waiter after Jordan left, "Did he pay the bill?"
"Mr. Michael has a card, and he instructed that we can just swipe it today." The waiter demonstrated his professionalism, remaining expressionless in the face of the two star athletes!
"Get the menu!" Lin Tian didn't waste any time and immediately returned to the private room, ready to eat something.
I did you, Danzi, such a big favor, so it's not unreasonable for me to eat two steaks and a bottle of wine in return!
They didn't even invite the entire Chinese national team players to eat together! Isn't that generous enough?
and many more?
The entire Chinese team together?
Why not?
I've come all the way to Indiana, and I haven't even had a chance to show my hospitality yet.
Come on, everyone! Tonight's meal is on Young Master Lin!
As for how Jordan will feel when he gets off the plane and sees Lin Tian eating 20 steaks, 30 servings of caviar, and 40 pieces of foie gras all by himself?
This time, let Master Lin suffer a little loss, and let Danzi think he's a good-for-nothing!
At the very least, our entire team of about 20 people, from top to bottom, only drank one bottle of red wine because of discipline! That's pretty generous, isn't it?
What if we let those guys like Da Ba, Zhu Fangyu, and Gong Xiaobin drink as much as they wanted?
Tsk tsk tsk
This little shop probably has to borrow some alcohol from the restaurant next door! Otherwise, they simply won't have enough to drink!
One day later, the Chinese team faced their first opponent in the second stage of the group stage.
Yugoslavia!
The history of Yugoslavia, a federal state located in the Balkans, is both magnificent and chaotic. It began to be formed after the end of World War I, with member states coming and going, increasing and decreasing, dispersing and reuniting.
The relationship between several countries and races has also gone from being as close as brothers to being mortal enemies, then back to being as close as brothers, and then back to being mortal enemies again.
And the name of their country has changed again and again.
If he were to go into detail about the intricate web of grudges and affections involved, Lin Tian admitted that he lacked the expertise. His knowledge of history was only so-so, and he was also likely to be targeted by the Heavenly Dao and disappear without a trace.
So let's talk about basketball!
Although the member states and names of Yugoslavia changed many times, one thing remained constant.
That's why the region always produces the best basketball players!
The people of the Balkans also have an extraordinary love for basketball!
From Sabonis in the early days to Peja, Divac, and Radmanovic who have recently made a name for themselves in the NBA, and then to superstars Doncic and Jokic twenty years later, all of them are talented players produced in this region.
Although the current Yugoslavian team can no longer call up players from countries such as Slovenia, Serbia, and Croatia, their strength remains as strong as ever.
The team's leader is Divac from the Kings, who has unparalleled prestige throughout the Balkans. Many Yugoslavs even believe that if Divac were president, the country would not be doomed.
Surrounding Divac were his Kings teammates, Peja Stojakovic, nicknamed "The White Magician," and Bodiloga, who had just lost the Finals with him.
Besides these three, Yugoslavia has several other players who are playing in the NBA or will soon be playing in the NBA!
For example, Shark Reblacha, who played for the Pistons for a year; Radmanovic, who played for the SuperSonics for a year; Marko Jaric, who was just drafted by the Clippers this year; and Zach Kabakappa, who many people believe will be a lottery pick next year.
Although these players are not NBA stars yet, and have not even started playing in the NBA, there is absolutely no doubt about their talent, strength, and the chemistry they have developed from playing together since childhood!
Not to mention the other players on the team, who are all outstanding players who have made a name for themselves in Europe and are sought after by various clubs. On paper, this Yugoslavian team is definitely one of the strongest in this tournament!
Not to mention their head coach is Pešić, known as the godfather of Yugoslavia, who led the little-known German team to the EuroBasket title in 92, creating one of the biggest upsets in European basketball history.
同时也正是在佩希奇的带领下，南斯拉夫队在96年的亚特兰大拿到亚军、97年欧锦赛冠军、98年世锦赛冠军、00年雅典八强、01年欧锦赛冠军
It can be said that, apart from winning the Olympic gold medal, they have won every honor they could. They are almost the most dominant and powerful team in the world basketball arena today, except for the United States team!
More importantly, all of these achievements were basically made by the current group of players on the team!
They have been working together for many years and have excellent chemistry!
This is also why they are favored and considered the most likely to compete with the United States and China for the final championship!
Balanced, powerful, stable, and perfectly coordinated!
Even some of the internal conflicts that existed within the team due to nationality, race, or religion seem to have been resolved.
This team is currently at its peak!
If you're at your peak, then practice hard!
Currently, both China and Yugoslavia have a record of 2 wins and 1 loss in the first stage. If they can help their opponents defeat Brazil and Spain, who are the top teams in their respective groups in the first stage, then they will still have a chance to win the first place in the second stage!
This will allow you to achieve a better ranking!
Especially with the US team in the next group having lost two games in a row and almost certainly out of contention for first place, and likely to finish second or even third, this first place in the group is even more valuable!
Because if things go wrong, finishing second or third in the group could very well mean facing the USA in the quarterfinals!
No matter how many games the US team loses in a row, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. It's better to face such a team later!
Therefore, although this match was irrelevant to advancing from the group stage in terms of the strength of both sides, it was a life-or-death battle in a sense.
We cannot afford to fail!
Both sides will absolutely give their all in this match!
As the warm-up ended, the starting players from both sides quickly took to the field.
The Chinese team has once again fielded their strongest lineup: Lin Tian, Hu Weidong, Zhu Fangyu, Da Zhi, and Yao Ming!
The same was true in Yugoslavia; they also deployed their elite forces!
The point guard is Dejan Bodiroga, the king of Europe; the shooting guard is Marko Jaric; the small forward is Peja Stojakovic; the power forward is Milan Gulovic; and the center is the team's leader, Vlade Divac!
The first thing this lineup emphasizes is its height and balance. No one on the team is shorter than 2 meters, and even the shortest player, Jaric, is 201 centimeters tall!
The height advantage that the Chinese team used to be so proud of has disappeared! After all, among the five positions, only Yao Ming is taller than Divac, while the other four positions are completely inferior in height!
However, the Chinese team is clearly not afraid of this at all.
It's just tall!
We're almost there!
Although only Lin Tian is actually fast, this is still the legendary fastest human!
Different levels of speed!
"Beep beep!"
The referee blew his whistle, and the match began! (End of Chapter)