harleyscars Chapter 426 is not just about an athlete, but also about a culture.
Chapter 426 is not just about an athlete, but also about a culture.
Lin Tian knew that if the Rupert family genuinely wanted to use their influence to expand the reach of this emerging award, they would definitely contact Pelinka.
This means that what happens next has nothing to do with Lin Tian; it can be left to Pelinka, that even more ruthless and heartless guy.
He can handle it.
As for Lin Tian himself, he only needs to take care of the competition part!
Anyway, it's not Lin Tian or Pelinka who's in a hurry right now; it's the organizers of the award who are anxious.
There are only two weeks left until the awards ceremony!
Lin Tian was actually a little puzzled. Why did these guys only come to find him now? Where were they all this time?
Did they only think of this when things were at their wits' end? Did they think they would definitely attend this stupid award ceremony?
That's ridiculous!
Such a large corporation, such an important award, why pull this kind of surprise attack?
Of course, Lin Tian was too lazy to get involved in or even think about things that had nothing to do with him.
What business is it of mine, Master Lin! If you pay enough money, everything else is negotiable!
As for the Laureus Awards, perhaps only Lin Tian, this unprecedented "eccentric," could help them quickly gain attention and enter the public eye.
After all, who else in the world besides Lin Tian can dominate both the basketball world and the 100-meter dash, and achieve a level of performance in both that is almost unprecedented?
That's not all. Even in the boxing arena, which Lin Tian has never really focused on and treats as just a hobby, he still has an Olympic gold medal and even slammed Tyson into a sack in the octagon.
All three projects are world-class.
An absolute monster! Absolutely one of a kind in the world today!
Today, Lin Tian's presence and status in the sports world are much higher than he imagined!
In the eyes of many European media outlets that love cross-disciplinary rankings and Lin Tian's numerous fans, Lin Tian is now a super sports star who is guaranteed to be in the top ten of all time and has the potential to challenge for the title of the greatest athlete in history!
Or to give another example.
In the world of basketball, only Michael Jordan has achieved complete transcendence, becoming a household name worldwide. He is also known as the only cultural icon that transcends basketball.
Bolt's terrifying dominance in the 100-meter and 200-meter races makes him a strong contender for the GOAT title in the sports world. Many people even believe that if Bolt were American, he would have been the undisputed world's number one athlete long ago.
In the boxing ring, Ali was once a strong contender for the title of greatest athlete of all time, and if Tyson hadn't been associated with scandals, negative news, and repeated legal transgressions, he would certainly have become a universally recognized icon!
Boxing, running, basketball.
Individually, these projects are far inferior to football in terms of attention, scale, profitability, influence, development history, or any other aspect.
There are definitely 5-6 cultural icons and top-tier players in the football world that everyone knows!
Pelé, Maradona, Beckenbauer, and perhaps Beckham and Ronaldo, who are slightly less skilled but have a large fan base.
More than a decade later, Messi and Ronaldo have transcended football itself and become cultural icons.
Football has the energy and fertile ground to cultivate so many "world icons" who transcend the sport itself.
Individually, football is undoubtedly the world's number one sport, leading by a significant margin.
No project can compete with him.
But what if you simultaneously play basketball, box, and run, and reach the highest level in all of them?
This is Lin Tian's current influence and status!
First in history! Even the only one in history!
The only thing he lacks now is that he is too young. If he were 50 years old now, he would be an absolute top figure that cannot be ignored, no matter where he goes or what occasion he attends.
If any warlords, party leaders, or heads of state are fans of basketball, Lin Tian might even bring some peace to those countries.
This is the power of sports, and also its charm.
This is why Lawrence so desperately wants Lin Tian to be there to support them!
He is the strongest athlete in the world today, without a doubt!
He flew from the United States to Monaco while his season was still in progress to attend the awards ceremony.
The sheer scale, the volume of discussion, and the resulting chain reaction and attention could absolutely unleash tremendous energy overnight for the Laureus Awards, an award that has only been running for three years, attracting the attention of a large number of people who were previously unaware of the award.
That's why they wanted to find Lin Tian.
That's also why they wanted Lin Tian to come to the scene.
Therefore, it was they who begged Lin Tian, not Lin Tian who hoped to win the award.
To reiterate: the current Laureus Awards are all hype, but they haven't really built up any real influence.
They need at least 5-8 years to truly mature and become the true champions of the sports world, often referred to as the Oscars or Nobel Prizes!
But with Lin Tian, with his support and the fact that he traveled a long way to accept the award, the discussion and growth of the Laureus Awards would definitely increase exponentially!
However, although Lin Tian knew how much Lawrence needed him, he also knew that this matter could not be rushed, and even whether Pelinka could ultimately resolve the issue and reach an agreement was another matter entirely.
This level of cooperation and the achievements they have made together are difficult to explain in just a few words.
In particular, the time was far too short!
现在已经是4月30日了，5月1日和5月3日是步行者队和凯尔特人的第三和第四战，而5月6日就是劳伦斯盛典的当天！
Even if Lin Tian departs on May 5th, Pelinka will have less than a week to negotiate with the other side.
So what Lin Tian was thinking about right now was that Pelinka could reach an agreement with the other side to cooperate next year. If they talked a year in advance, they would have much more time.
So Lin Tian only spent a little time on this matter, and then he completely put it out of his mind and began to prepare for the third game of the series!
In their first two games in Indiana, the Pacers won by 23 points in the first game and by 10 points in the second, but judging from the process, the wins were not easy for them.
After all, Walker and Pierce are two tough guys to deal with! They have too much fat on them, and their playing style is too oily. It's much harder to completely control them than to control someone like Mashburn!
However, their problems are also quite obvious.
Both of them are pure finishers, so they can easily take on one or even two opponents at once, but what about other things?
Sorry, I can't do it!
The two of us brothers just kept attacking, attacking, and attacking, and it was all individual offense!
Logically, a Celtics team like this should be paired with a top-tier point guard to fully integrate the two players and maximize their fighting power.
The problem with these two is that unless you bring in someone of the level of Payton or Kidd, they won't listen to you!
Even if Payton or Kidd were to come, those two might not give them any face.
We're all in this together, who's afraid of who!
This is why the Celtics, despite having two top-ten one-on-one specialists in the league, have consistently failed to reach 50 wins.
No chemical reaction!
But their strength lies in the fact that they can achieve a 46-7 record simply through physical reaction, and can crush more than half of the teams in the league simply through pure talent!
In Game 2 of the series, the Pacers were almost pushed to the brink by these two guys, trailing by 5 points at the start of the fourth quarter!
In the end, Carlisle quickly changed the lineup, assigning Jordan and Lin Tian to defend Walker and Pierce, and then having Christie roam around looking for opportunities to double-team and steal the ball.
In addition, Ben Wallace stopped spreading out to help defend and stayed completely under the basket, leaving the Celtics' shooters open. Whenever Pierce or Walker came in, Ben Wallace would immediately rush out to help defend and block them both outside the three-second zone!
Carlisle's defensive tactical changes successfully choked the Celtics, completely squandering their 5-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter. The Celtics only managed 14 points in the entire fourth quarter, while the Pacers went on a 29-14 run.
From leading by 5 points at the start of the fourth quarter to trailing by 10 points at the end of the game, the Celtics demonstrated their talent in this game. Their talent allows them to win some games, but against the Pacers, this talent is not enough!
Then, just before the start of Game 3 of the series, while Lin Tian was changing clothes in the locker room, his phone suddenly rang.
"Lin, is she in the locker room?" Pelinka's voice came through, sounding mysterious.
"You didn't say something too impulsive and offend the mafia over there, so you got kidnapped and now you want me to rescue you, right?"
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Pelinka said, "In this game, I want you to go all out, beat the Celtics to the bone, and make your stats as impressive as possible! If possible, I hope you pass the ball to Michael less! Even if it's just tonight."
"During the negotiations, those old bastards actually said that you weren't necessarily the team's first choice or absolute core player. They thought you were on par with Michael, and they didn't think it was worth spending too much money on you!"
"Tonight, let them know they're wrong! Terribly wrong! Is that alright?"
"No problem." Lin Tian nodded and then hung up the phone.
You want stats, huh? You want me to be better than Michael and put on a dominant performance, right?
No problem, that's a piece of cake.
It's tough on Jordan; he'll have to rely on his own stats in this game.
We need to find a reason, a suitable excuse!
Otherwise, it would seem a bit wrong to just suddenly go for a brute-force attack without any regard for the consequences.
Or you could just say you hate green?
That seems a bit outrageous.
Saying you hate Pierce's face?
That's a bit of a load of nonsense.
Saying you hate Pierce's face covered in green skin?
Hey! This is great! This is reliable!
While Lin Tian was casually lost in thought, he put on his gear and led his teammates quickly out of the locker room, heading through the player tunnel towards the main arena of the TD Garden stadium.
This was the umpteenth time Lin Tian had been here. To be honest, he didn't have a very good impression of Boston and TD Garden.
Everything here is unpleasant. This is one of the most racially discriminatory places in the United States, and the fans here are extremely unfriendly to visiting players.
Even if you ask Bird, now that Auerbach has basically retired from the team and started to enjoy his retirement, he doesn't really have any feelings for this place anymore. If it weren't for the fact that he achieved all his honors and peak years here, he would really only feel hatred for this city.
Simply put: This city is annoying.
For example, when the Pacers entered the arena, all sorts of insults and abuse came pouring in.
The fans here were never friendly to begin with, and in the more than ten years since Bird retired, they have become so used to winning that they have seen no hope for the team's resurgence.
They were used to winning, they craved winning, but in the past ten years, the team has only suffered defeats and poor results. The repeated lottery results and the disappointing performances in the playoffs have made the fans very angry, and their patience has been almost worn down!
Therefore, Celtics fans these days are becoming increasingly violent, and their trash talk is becoming more and more like that of the annoying Salt Lake City folks!
Even before the game started, when Lin Tian looked around the entire court, he saw several scattered banners, all of which contained profanities directed at Pierce and Walker, the two team leaders.
Lin Tian looked at those slogans and felt they were filthy!
That was such a vulgar insult!
When this kind of self-criticism starts happening and no one stops it, you know how bad this city is.
Lin Tian would not pretend he hadn't seen these slogans, which were so dirty that they were even impossible to recite!
He has a natural sense of justice!
He couldn't stand the extreme insults and targeted humiliation, nor could he bear to see players giving their all for the team only to be met with angry criticism from the home fans!
Is it that the players didn't want to play? They had already given their all! But the fans ignored those objective facts and just kept insulting and venting.
Regarding this behavior, Lin Tian stated: "As Captain Dragonfly, I will absolutely not allow this to happen, and I will never sit idly by!"
These fans must be punished!
"Paul, look over there!" Just as the game was about to start and both starting players had taken to the court for the jump ball, Lin Tian pulled Pierce aside and pointed to one of the signs, saying, "They're insulting you!"
Lord Lin is upholding justice!
He wanted Pierce to recognize that guy's face so he'd never sign autographs for him again! And never take a photo with him!
Let these fans insult the players again!
"Antoine, look over here, someone's insulting you here too!"
Pierce recognized him, so Walker certainly couldn't miss this important moment.
"I swear, these aren't Indiana fans! We're not that dirty! I swear this has nothing to do with us! Because both of these guys are wearing your number 33 jerseys! By the way, who on your team wears number 33 again?"
"Larry Bird," Pierce muttered, his face grim.
Wow. What a coincidence?
"That seems to have something to do with us?" Lin Tian rubbed his head and said, "No wonder they were saying things like 'the bird isn't as big as his,' I thought they were saying your little pecker is too small."
"So you're saying you're not as good as Larry!"
Seeing Lin Tian's smug, knowing-it-all attitude, Pierce and Walker's lips twitched.
They were very angry!
We're not blind! That huge banner was standing right there, how could we not see it?
But so what if we see it?
Should we go up and argue with the fans or even get into a fight? Or should we have security remove the fans?
That would be of no use except being seen as a coward, petty, and an immature, impulsive idiot!
That would only make their situation worse.
Therefore, the best approach is to pretend you can't see it and focus on playing your game seriously.
But now, they can't pretend they didn't see it anymore.
This feeling is absolutely awful.
It's like you're in a crowded elevator and you suddenly fart. Normally, if everyone just keeps quiet and takes a few deep breaths, it would all be over quietly, but then someone next to you immediately points at your head and yells, "He did it! He did it! It fucking stinks!"
What can Pierce and Walker do?
To vent my anger by beating up Lin Tian?
This idea is good; it can be cathartic.
But clearly, these two are not good at practical skills.
What else can they do but swallow their anger, continue to pretend they don't see it, and feign composure?
"Hey! Antoine! Paul! Why aren't you two saying anything? Why aren't you looking at me? Why aren't you going to teach those rude fans a lesson? Are you embarrassed? Then I'll go! I'll help you!" Lin Tian said, and suddenly walked towards the sidelines.
"FUXX! Lin, what are you doing?" Pierce and Walker were startled. They really thought Lin Tian was going to use his most effective methods to deal with those fans!
Although it's quite satisfying to see those extreme fans get beaten up, they are still our own people, and even if it's unfilial, we should still protect them!
Pierce and Walker were about to run towards Lin Tian's direction to try and calm him down when they suddenly froze.
Lin Tian, of course, did not go up and fight with the fans.
He's here to stir up trouble and kick someone when they're down, not to act like an idiot.
Lin Tian found a sideline referee, a league staff member, and two security guards, muttered a few words to them, and then pointed to the several very uncivilized notices in the stands that were directed at Walker and Pierce.
The security guard nodded, though his expression was full of disdain, and his pursed lips seemed to say one thing.
"none of your business!"
Lin Tian stated, "It's indeed none of my business, but it's a matter of justice!"
I don't represent Indiana now, I represent justice!
Although they were initially too lazy to care, when a star of Lin Tian's caliber brought it up and seriously protested, neither the league officials nor the security personnel on site dared to continue ignoring it.
Two to three minutes later, more security guards appeared in the surrounding stands and gestured to the fans to either hand over their signs or leave the stadium.
Lin Tian didn't care how the matter was resolved; he simply strode back to the center of the court and asked, "Isn't the game over?"
"It's two minutes late." The referee glanced at his watch, then looked respectfully at Lin Tian and said, "But if it's because of this, I think it's worth being two minutes late!"
"Of course it's worth it!" Lin Tian grinned mischievously at Pierce and Walker. "Normally, for a game that's broadcast live across the US, the camera will switch to the live view 3-5 minutes before the game starts. The fact that I went to the technical table just now will definitely attract the attention of the TV cameras following me all the way."
"Antoine, Paul, do you know what this means?"
"This means that fans across America have seen the shameless and disgusting behavior of some of your fans, and you will receive even more support! More people will stand with you, and more people will speak out for you!"
"Yes, yes, you're amazing, you're amazing." Pierce really didn't want to talk to Lin Tian anymore.
Yes, more people are standing up for us, but what does that mean?
This means that all American fans know that Pierce and Walker were insulted by their own fans at home! The whole world knows that they are not popular with their own fans.
This is fucking ridiculous!
What was originally a trivial matter, something that ordinary fans wouldn't even notice—those little gadgets on the sidelines—has now become a reality for everyone! Everyone knows about it!
Frustrated! Discomfortable!
You, Lin, are so noble! So great! So remarkable!
You've now become a human rights fighter who stands up for his buddies and is unafraid of any retaliation or injustice!
The two of us cleverly became the laughing stock of the league!
it is good!very good!
FUXX!
In short, this pre-game skirmish may not give Lin Tian an excuse to not pass the ball tonight and instead go on a scoring spree.
But Pierce and Walker's fighting spirit and determination to crush the Pacers were at an all-time high!
What was that saying again?
"Even if it's true, you can't go around telling everyone!"
This is a matter of face.
Lin Tian is now completely disregarding the feelings of these two.
I'll beat you to death!
Walker and Pierce exchanged a glance and made up their minds!
Beat them to death!
Even though this game was a do-or-die situation for the Celtics, Lin Tian's pre-game maneuvers still managed to really get both of them fired up.
Yes, that's also part of the Pacers' battle plan!
Everyone knows that these two players have top-tier scoring and one-on-one abilities in the league.
But everyone knows that these two players' passing and playmaking abilities are just so-so.
At the same time, everyone knows that if these two get carried away, the Celtics will most likely lose!
The more heated they get, the fiercer they fight, and the lower the Celts' fighting strength becomes!
Aside from Walker and Pierce, the Celtics' starting lineup features an unremarkable undrafted player, JR Bremmer, an equally unremarkable tall player, Eric Williams, and yet another unremarkable high-draft bust, Tony Batty, at center.
Simply put, you can rest assured and not worry about those three; their offensive abilities are about the same level as Jordan's grandmother.
With a whistle from the referee, the basketball soared into the air. Battier, who was 211 centimeters tall, was no match for Ben Wallace in terms of jumping speed or reaction speed. So even though he was at least 10 centimeters taller than Ben Wallace, he still couldn't jump over him and Ben Wallace took possession of the ball in the first wave.
When the basketball came into Lin Tian's hands, facing Bremer, who was on high alert and ready to fight, Lin Tian was too lazy to talk trash.
After all, Lin Tian really didn't know his name.
You don't even know their name, so what's there to criticize?
More importantly, Lin Tian didn't have much of a chance to trash talk him.
With a change of direction and acceleration, he passed by the guy and drove straight to the basket. Facing Battier, who had just turned around, he easily floated the ball out, and Lin Tian scored 2 points for the Pacers!
What's your opinion on the Celtics' defensive capabilities with this lineup?
Battier, who leads the team in blocks, averages 0.9 blocks per game.
Their ability to protect the basket is practically zero.
In the second game, they were able to maintain their lead for the first three quarters, not because of their defense, nor even because of any clever offensive tactics.
It was thanks to Pierce and Walker's relentless attacks that the game managed to create a bit of suspense.
On offense, after the Pacers scored a basket, the Celtics pulled out their play A.
Pierce dribbles at the top of the key for a one-on-one attack.
This tactic can be further subdivided into three sub-tactics: A1, A2, and A3.
The two are A1: Pierce's singles play at the top of the key.
A2: Pierce's low post isolation play.
A3: Pierce received the ball and immediately took a jump shot.
Corresponding to this 3A tactic, the Celtics also have a similar 3B tactic.
Yes, just change the protagonist to Walker.
The Celtics are currently employing the A1 tactic.
Pierce faced off against Christie at the high post, dribbled a couple of times to find his rhythm, and then accelerated to break through, trying to use his body to push Christie aside and drive straight to the basket.
But just as Pierce drove to the area below the free-throw line, Ben Wallace rushed up and, together with Christie, double-teamed him!
If he were an excellent or top-tier passer, Pierce would definitely be able to pass the ball out to an open teammate to complete the attack.
However, Pierce's passing is just so-so; it's not exactly a weakness, but it's definitely not a strength either.
In addition, he was eager to make a good impression and give back the momentum he had before the game started.
Therefore, even when double-teamed, Pierce was not afraid at all. He simply stopped abruptly, pulled back, and then launched a skillful floater!
"Bang!"
Unfortunately, Lin Tian completely shook off his defender and faced Battier, whose defense was mediocre, while Pierce faced Christie, who was like a leech, and Ben Wallace, who was a Defensive Player of the Year!
The two players, positioned one in front and one to the side, completely blocked Pierce's shooting space. When Pierce released his shot, not only was his form somewhat distorted, but the arc of the basketball also had to be significantly increased to avoid Ben Wallace's block.
Such a miraculous shot is lucky if it goes in, and normal if it doesn't!
Webber grabbed the backboard, glanced at it briefly, and then unleashed his signature move, throwing the ball forward with one hand.
Lin Tian, who was running down the court, grabbed the basketball and raised it above his head with both hands. Bremer, who was standing right in front of him, immediately moved his feet and instinctively turned around to chase after the person behind him.
But the moment he turned around, he realized he'd been tricked!
There were no Pacers players behind him. At the same time, Lin Tian had already completed his pass fake and flashed past him, heading straight for the Celtics' basket. He pulled up and delivered a powerful one-handed dunk!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Lin Tian raised his arms and bared his teeth fiercely at Bremer.
"Kid, I advise you to get off the field now, or you'll get a really bad beating tonight!"
Bremer swallowed hard.
I didn't dare to say anything.
How could he dare to speak?
An undrafted player entering the league in his first year is insignificant in terms of status, ability, or popularity. Of course, more importantly, Lin Tian has become an urban legend in Boston.
Although the video of his fight at the Boston nightclub years ago has already been leaked, the people watching that night were all drunk, and their eyes might even be seeing double when they looked at people.
Secondly, at least 70% of these guys who love going to nightclubs are the kind of people who exaggerate and like to brag. When they describe what they saw and heard that night to their friends, they want to exaggerate the already exaggerated facts by 10 times!
So after several years of development and misinformation, the story has become increasingly unlike anything a human could do.
Or rather, it's becoming more and more like an urban legend.
The most outrageous version even claims that Lin Tian is not human but some kind of alien race from China, and that the nearly 100 thugs he defeated were actually members of the Vampire Alliance. This is a death struggle about race and survival, an ultimate showdown between faith and mysterious Eastern and Western powers!
A slightly more plausible version says that Lin Tian fought against more than 40 people that night. Those 40 people had at least 4 AK47s and more than 10 pistols, and even two grenades were detonated on the spot.
But Lin Tian killed all of them with his bare hands.
Well, this version is already a bit more normal.
Other stories include Lin Tian's rage for a woman leading to the massacre of the entire Boston gang overnight, and Lin Tian representing the Indiana gang in negotiations that failed, resulting in the complete wiping out of the streets of Boston.
There's also the rumor that the mysterious "Hongmen" has already taken control of the entire American underworld.
In short, it's absolutely outrageous!
It's so outrageous that if someone were to show everyone the actual video footage from that time and tell them, "That night, Lin only beat a dozen or so people who were lying on the ground screaming in pain; no one died and no firearms were used," it would be incredibly absurd.
Absolutely no one would believe it!
They would look at that person with a mocking expression and say, "Ignorance is bliss! This world only lets you know what you want to know and what you should know. This video is what you should believe, but it's not the truth."
"In short, those who understand, understand; those who don't, there's no need to continue. That's all I can say. Saying more would put both of us in danger. I hope you go back and think carefully about what the truth is. If you can figure it out, then you'll understand. If you can't figure it out, then you're still very fortunate."
Then, accompanied by a look of concern for the mentally challenged, and a pitying pat on the shoulder, it would convey that you are actually very fortunate, unlike us, who have to carry so many secrets and sins and live a difficult life.
Yes, this is how Lin Tian is perceived by many Bostonians today.
Supernatural beings, Mafia leaders, the Grand Elder of the Hongmen, or perhaps James Bond and Ethan Hunt. (End of Chapter)