Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 1126 Basketball is not mathematics, basketball is a competition!

"So you've always been losing, and you'll never win in this lifetime," Lin Tian said with a smile. "There's an old Chinese saying: 'Too clever by half, and you'll ruin yourself.' Being too calculating doesn't guarantee success, and reasonable choices don't always lead to reasonable outcomes."

"Bang!"

While the two were chatting, a muffled thud was heard. Just as Lin Tian had said, Paul had completely shaken off Ding Jinhui and his signature open jump shot missed the rim.

Zhang Zhaoxu grabbed the rebound and then passed it to Lin Tian.

"But even when things are unreasonable, it doesn't necessarily mean you can't score!" Lin Tian roared, suddenly accelerating. Everyone else on the field looked like they were in slow motion; they were all at least a beat slower than Lin Tian.

Then, after Lin Tian drove all the way to the frontcourt, he suddenly made a sudden stop and changed direction to pull back. In the blink of an eye, he stopped and stood outside the three-point line. Although James was incredibly fast, he weighed more than 110 kilograms.

Faced with Lin Tian's level of sudden stopping ability, he couldn't ignore the common sense of physics. He could only be carried forward two more steps by inertia before stopping.

But is it too late?

Lin Tian has already pulled up for a three-pointer!

"Whoosh!"

Immediately afterwards, there was a crisp sound.

Lin Tian's three-pointer went in!

58: 55!

China has taken the lead again!

This time, they gave the American team 3 seconds.

"How was that shot? Was it reasonable?" After scoring, Lin Tian spread his hands and said, "Throwing a three-pointer on a fast break is unreasonable. I took the shot with 5 seconds left in the game, giving you 3 seconds to make the final shot. That's unreasonable."

"It's illogical for me to take a long shot when no one is rebounding under the basket. I've completely faked you out. If I had just accelerated and exploited the timing difference, I could have 100% gotten past you and dunked, but I didn't do that. It's illogical."

"There wasn't a single place where my shot was justified."

"But it went in!"

"Take note: a game isn't a math problem, and basketball isn't an Excel spreadsheet. Basketball is a competition!"

"If you can't learn this, you'll never be my match in this lifetime! You'll never beat me."

The reason Lin Tian had so much time to chat with James and provoke him was because after the US team passed the ball to James from the baseline, James once again made a smart choice.

He didn't risk making a mistake by throwing a long three-pointer over Lin Tian. Instead, after getting the basketball, he simply turned to the side and used his back to block Lin Tian, ​​ensuring that Lin Tian couldn't steal the ball. Then he waited for the first half to end and for the last few seconds to pass.

With James not making a move, Lin Tian naturally had plenty of time and opportunities to talk to him.

"Why not try throwing one out?" Yu Jia asked, puzzled.

Zhang Weiping said, "Maybe they're afraid of Lin Tian's defense. If they get blocked or even have the ball stolen by Lin Tian and score a counter-attack, it would be a huge loss."

"James' choice aligns with Coach K's strategy and approach this year: play it safe! Play it safe! You can miss the buzzer-beater, or even not shoot at all, but you absolutely cannot make a mistake at this moment."

"But isn't this a bit unnecessary?" Yu Jia was still somewhat puzzled: "Both sides are currently fighting tooth and nail for the leadership, and he just gave up like that."

Zhang Weiping blinked and said, "But for us, trying one less might not be a bad thing."

"It would be best if you never tried, never submitted anything, that would be ideal."

At this point, the players from both sides had already left the field and returned to their locker rooms through the player tunnel for halftime.

In the Chinese team's locker room, Lin Tian once again stood in the middle of everyone and asked, "Have you all rested enough?"

He didn't name names, but Xu Yong, Yi Jianlian, and other key players immediately stood up and almost unanimously said, "Leave the second half to us!"

"We won't hold you back anymore!"

"We will definitely hold onto the lead you've built!"

"Very good." Lin Tian nodded, then plopped down in his chair and looked at old Nelson, saying, "The rest is up to you. I need to rest."

As soon as Lin Tian finished speaking, the therapists who had been waiting rushed over, some giving massages and others relaxing, and Lin Tian was immediately surrounded by them.

In this situation, he obviously couldn't hear Old Nelson's instructions clearly, but nobody cared about it.

Lin Tian didn't rest for a single second in the first half; he played the full 20 minutes and also had the highest and most crucial output for the team.

整个上半场比赛，林天爆砍29分8篮板6助攻2抢断2盖帽，他半场比赛的数据就是95%的球员一整场比赛都打不出来的了。

He scored exactly half of the Chinese team's points!

At the same time, Lin Tian is also the player with the highest five statistics in the Chinese team. He is the king of these five major statistics!

He truly gave his all for victory.

Especially in the last two minutes, with the US team almost playing a 5-on-1 defense, Lin Tian was still able to desperately score points, from alley-oop dunks to buzzer-beating three-pointers; he was almost unstoppable.

It was thanks to his efforts that the Chinese team was able to maintain their 3-point lead.

Although it's a little bit, it's better than nothing.

For the Chinese team, these 3 points mean they have the advantage in the first half and that they are on top of the American team.

The morale boost from this mindset is far more important than a 3-point advantage.

The 20 minutes passed in the blink of an eye. During those 20 minutes, Lin Tian didn't listen to head coach Nelson's instructions at all. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but simply that his energy wouldn't allow it.

Even if Lin Tian has cheat codes, even if he relies on the power of the system to maintain the peak physical condition of someone in their early 30s at the age of 40, he is still not a Saiyan.

Facing the American team's relentless pressure and almost constant tight defense, Lin Tian's physical exertion was absolutely terrifying.

So even Lin Tian was so tired that all he wanted to do was lie in bed and have a good sleep.

I really don't want to move at all.

He even felt that he had actually taken a nap during those 20 minutes, using sleep to recover his energy as quickly as possible.

Lin Tian even felt a little dazed.

When he regained consciousness, he was shocked to find himself already on the court.

The basketball was even bouncing in his hands. The first offensive possession of the second half belonged to the Chinese team!

Lin Tian saw that the American team had actually changed their starting lineup!

Clearly, Coach K was unhappy that the team's starting lineup repeated the mistakes of the first quarter in the second half, so he substituted Paul.

Although Paul was great, strictly speaking, the biggest reason why Team USA was down by 15 points in the first quarter was Paul.

He was too short, and he was repeatedly attacked one-on-one by Xu Yong and Lin Tian, ​​causing huge problems for the American team's defense.

Coach K clearly figured out a problem at halftime.

Does this American team really need a traditional point guard to control the pace of the game and call out tactics?

Not at all!

They have LeBron James.

Therefore, at the start of the second half, Coach K replaced Paul with Anthony in the starting lineup.

Team USA once again fielded a lineup of three forwards and two role players.

Allen continued to relentlessly harass Lin Tian. With Durant, Anthony, and James on the court, they were no longer afraid of China's mismatch isolation plays.

There's no misalignment; we're all in position three!

If your Chinese team has twin towers, an inside behemoth, or an incredibly fast, penetrating backcourt player, then you can exploit the weaknesses of the American team's lineup.

But the problem is, your Chinese team doesn't have that!

Yi Jianlian's playing style is more focused on the outside, and so is Xu Yong's. The two of them have no advantage against the three main forwards on the opposing team.

Lin Tian: It's okay, I have an advantage!

Lin Tian is helpless against the giants under the basket, but what about you guys who are afraid of fast, small guys?

Is there anyone in this world faster than me?

Didn't you see that black lightning bolt sitting on the sidelines? He's a damn fanboy of mine!

So Lin Tian stopped observing his teammates' positioning and stopped getting entangled with Allen.

He stood with his back turned, then waved for everyone to pull him away. Then, Lin Tian suddenly turned halfway around and accelerated. The moment his feet touched the floor, sparks flew out!

This shows how terrifying his power was; almost in the blink of an eye, Lin Tian flashed past Allen.

Allen, hailed as the NBA's best perimeter defender, surprisingly did not react at all.

too fast!

That was so sudden.

He was almost completely pinned to the spot by Lin Tian, ​​and then watched as Lin Tian flashed past him and drove all the way to the basket.

Howard's help defense was quite timely. He raised his hands high, jumped as high as possible, and maintained his defensive posture, not giving Lin Tian a chance to draw a foul. At the same time, the height of his long arms could be described as "sky-covering".

Unless Lin Tian can fly, he can only pass the ball!

Howard was absolutely confident he could stop Lin Tian's shot.

But then, his confidence turned into unbelievable surprise.

Lin Tian drove into the paint from the left, raised the basketball high and jumped. After being blocked by Howard, Lin Tian actually used his momentum to glide to the right, and at the same time, the basketball in Lin Tian's hand moved from the left to the right.

After a gliding, reverse-handed turn in mid-air, Howard stared wide-eyed as Lin Tian broke out of his defensive zone.

At this point, all Howard could do was wave his arms a couple of times, but these movements not only did not bother Lin Tian at all, but also looked quite comical.

It looks just like a child throwing a bunch of angry punches after being wronged.

"Whoosh!"

Then, with a crisp sound, Lin Tian's layup evaded the defense and went into the basket.

Howard was at a loss.

He said he could defend against it, but he also said: unless Lin Tian can fly.

But is there a difference between Lin Tian and the ball that can fly?

Of course, Lin Tian himself also lost his balance due to the exaggerated gliding amplitude and crazy hand-switching layup. After landing, he was unable to stand up and stumbled and fell out of bounds.

"Quick!" James roared, "An opportunity!"

Howard was stunned for a moment, still unable to believe what had just happened, even though he wanted to give the basketball to Lin Tian and let him try again.

But he is, after all, a superstar.

His reaction speed was still incredibly fast. After hearing James's shout, Howard quickly reached the baseline and then threw the basketball out.

James grabbed the basketball, his elbow almost directly on Zhu Fangyu's neck, and then he forcefully drove past Zhu Fangyu, knocking him to the ground.

If the referee didn't call a foul, then there was no foul!

James showed no intention of stopping to take a look; he went all out, unleashing the full power of his V8 super engine and charging towards the frontcourt.

Unstoppable!

James's breakthroughs absolutely deserve this description.

In the blink of an eye, James broke through the defense and drove to the basket, his arm outstretched as he prepared to slam the ball into the hoop.

"Snapped!"

But before he could unleash his full power, a hand slapped his basketball first, cutting off his furious rage as he prepared to smash it into the hoop.

A face-to-face block sent James flying straight down from the sky!

"Great shot! Tough! Tough! It's Lin Tian, ​​it's still Lin Tian! As long as Lin Tian is here, no one can break through our defense!" Yu Jia shouted excitedly. Lin Tian's breakthrough from the wing to block the shot face-to-face was really a morale booster!

He stopped James, who was as crazy as a tank once he got going, and flipped the tank over.

Of course, because James's strike was so powerful, Lin Tian couldn't stand up after landing and fell to the floor along with James.

"LeBron James' block was dodged by Lin Tian with a glide, but this time Lin Tian's block left James utterly humiliated!" Zhang Weiping said, "There couldn't be a better response!"

Because Lin Tian fell to the ground, China didn't rush to launch a fast break this time. Yi Jianlian grabbed the basketball, raised his elbow, and fiercely swung it left and right, directly driving away Howard and Anthony, who were trying to find an opportunity to steal the ball. Only after Lin Tian slowly stood up did Yi Jianlian pass the ball to Lin Tian, ​​letting him dribble forward.

In this situation, Lin Tian was naturally not in a hurry. He glanced at the time, took advantage of Yi Jianlian's screen to avoid Allen, and almost reached the frontcourt just before the 8-second violation.

"He's tired," Kobe said from the sidelines. "If he keeps playing like this, even if he's not tired now, his stamina will definitely wear off. If Lin's stamina wears off, then China will be in big trouble."

"Hard to say," Ginobili shook his head. "Have you ever seen him tired or exhausted? Have you ever seen his performance decline drastically due to a severe drop in stamina?"

"Of course I've seen it." Kobe said, listing the examples: "In the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals against the Bulls, in 1999 against the Heat, and in 04 against the Pistons, Lin had stamina issues in all of them, and his performance declined. Except for 1998 when Jordan and his team had even bigger stamina problems, which is why Lin led his team to victory, he lost the other two rounds."

"He's only ever lost two series in his entire career."

"No, weren't you teammates with him?" Kobe looked at Ginobili again, as if to say, "You don't even know that?" His face showed undisguised disdain.

"Because his floor is too high," Gasol said. "Even when he's exhausted and in a bad state, he still plays better than most people, so it's easy for us to overlook the fact that Lin's actual condition is already very bad."

"Besides that, there's fighting spirit, willpower, an indomitable spirit, and an unyielding determination." Kobe added some intangible concepts: "When all these are combined, it makes us feel like this guy never gets tired."

"But what exactly are you trying to say? If he can maintain the quality of his game even if his physical condition collapses, and he can still play at a level that is only slightly inferior to his own, then even if he loses his physical condition, it won't have any impact." Ginobili frowned, clearly still not understanding.

"Time." Kobe once again gave the key word.

"He ran out of energy too early," Gasol quickly explained. "If Lin were in this condition in the fourth quarter, there would be no problem. He could have kept going for the whole game on sheer willpower, and no one would even notice if his performance declined. But now, only a few minutes into the third quarter, he's already clearly showing signs of fatigue."

"Wait, is there a clear problem with his stamina?" Ginobili expressed his confusion again. "After getting a bloody block, you're saying he has a problem with his stamina?"

"Attitude." After Kobe finished speaking, he looked at Gasol again.

"After the block, Lin didn't look at James, didn't say a single trash word to him, and didn't even yell at James." Gasol shrugged, echoing Gasol's words, "Is this normal? Is this really Lin? He didn't do this because he forgot or something."

"Instead, Lin has entered a state of conserving energy, saving as much as possible. He definitely won't rest in the second half, and the American team's wear and attack on him won't stop. So, the game could easily become one-sided at any time."

"Just when Lin's stamina was failing and he started making mistakes and missing shots!" (End of Chapter)