bookbashuk Chapter 683 I, Popovich, was actually seen through by a pig's head!
Chapter 683 I, Popovich, was actually seen through by a pig's head!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" When Lin Tian backs down a player like Nash with his physical attributes and playing style, he never bothers to use any fake moves or techniques.
There's no need for that!
Just turn your back and walk with your butt sticking out; it will take you to the edge of the 3-second zone in no more than 3 steps.
It would be a miracle if he could hold on!
The only thing to be careful of is that Nash is a pretty smart guy. Although he can't stop Lin Tian, he can always pull back his chair at any time! He will choose the right time and angle, and then suddenly step back, betting that the opposing offensive player's basic skills are not good enough, and that he will stumble and fall or commit a traveling violation.
Having faced off against Nash so many times, Lin Tian was very familiar with Nash's little tricks!
So he remained on guard until he was about to exert his strength again. When he glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw that Nash was indeed about to retreat, Lin Tian stopped exerting his strength, turned around directly, and then jumped up to throw a shot!
This was a perfect display of cunning between two top point guards, a contest of who had more shrewdness and who could find the right opportunity to trick their opponent.
But to the audience, this time it didn't seem so complicated.
What they saw was Nash suddenly opening up the defense, giving Lin Tian a huge open shot, allowing him to complete a pull-up jumper without any contact or defense!
This is blatant leniency.
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Lin Tian's shot went in cleanly and decisively.
After scoring, Lin Tian grinned and reached out to bump fists with Nash, looking like he was saying, "Dude, you guys had a really good teamwork."
Nash, being a nice guy, naturally couldn't think of any hatred or anger at this moment, and subconsciously raised his fist to bump with Lin Tian's.
"Judging from this atmosphere, it's hard to believe they're going to fight to the death." Barkley couldn't help but laugh when he saw the atmosphere between the two.
"It's not time yet," Kenny said. "Atmosphere and temper build up gradually as the game progresses! Sometimes it's an unreasonable call, sometimes it's a provocative action, and sometimes it's even just a trash talk."
"But anyway, you're saying tonight's match will be a friendly affair from start to finish? I'm the first to not believe it!"
On the court, the Western Conference's second offensive possession has begun!
Lin Tian was still matched up against Nash, while Kobe became Iverson's matchup.
Kobe turned his back to the ball, positioned himself to receive it, and without hesitation, attacked in the exact same way as Lin Tian.
There are no tricks, it's all about confrontation!
And even though Iverson didn't remove the chair, Kobe elbowed Iverson in the chest as he turned around before shooting.
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Kobe's shot also went in.
"Fuck you! Did I pay for that dog's drinks last night?!" Iverson cursed, glaring at Kobe and saying, "You came up here and started measuring my elbows?"
"A game is a game!" If Lin Tian said that, it would be considered rude, but when Kobe said it, it was taken very seriously. That's what he really thought.
"Fuck you, you damn black bastard!"
Iverson was known for his outbursts of insults.
Kobe wasn't the type to suffer a loss. Without even thinking, he retorted, "Even a crappy place like Minnesota doesn't want you, you trash!"
"If I had Shaq, I would have won a championship long ago! Why would I be losing like you, constantly losing? And even driving Shaq away? You're an incompetent, ignorant, and arrogant idiot!"
"Yes, yes, you're so clever. All you ever think about is being second-in-command, all you ever think about is sucking up to someone else. You good-for-nothing little brother!"
"Well, I'm still better than you! At least I was a boss, what about you? You've been someone else's lackey your whole life! I bet you even licked Tracy's shoes."
"I'm the Lakers' boss! And if I had Garnett, I would have built a dynasty with him long ago! How could I have been kicked out? Philadelphia doesn't want you, Minnesota doesn't want you, and I predict Orlando won't want you next year either! Homeless!"
After their outburst, Iverson got really worked up! He was feeling incredibly irritable and hungover, and Kobe was the one provoking him.
I'll beat you to death!
Iverson asked Lin Tian for the ball and charged towards the frontcourt, dribbling past Kobe.
Even as he advanced, he didn't forget to seek revenge, raising his elbow and striking Kobe several times in succession.
Kobe, feeling the pain repeatedly, immediately lost his temper and started applying full-court pressure on Iverson with wide eyes!
Close and tight!
In the second round, these two really went head-to-head.
As for Lin Tian? He was chatting nearby.
"Shaq, Kobe seems to have admitted that he was the one who fired you!"
"Shaq, Kobe seems to think the Lakers have always been his boss?"
"Shaq, how can you put up with this? Kobe doesn't seem to treat you like an older brother at all!"
"Kevin, you really kicked Allen out? That's not a very nice thing to do!"
"Kobe said he'd lead you to a championship. Why don't you go to Los Angeles, become Kobe's student, and maybe you can win another Western Conference title?"
"If you went to Los Angeles, with Kobe campaigning for you, you could at least be an All-Star starter! Instead of sitting on the bench like this."
"Your popularity has plummeted since Allen left! Let Kobe help boost your popularity!"
"Tracy, you really are the number two on the team! Number two in Raptors, number two in Orlando, and number two in Spurs and Lakers."
"How about I give you a nickname: Big Second Brother!"
"LeBron... never mind, this is none of your business. You kids go to the table next door where the drinks are, don't get in my way."
Kobe and Iverson were locked in a fierce battle, both employing high-intensity, full-court defense against each other, neither giving an inch, creating a Finals-level intensity in the first quarter of the All-Star Game.
Taking advantage of the two guys' heated exchange of passes, Lin Tian ran around provoking them.
He even had time to exchange a few words with Garnett on the bench!
The main character is someone who's bored out of their mind and stirs up trouble everywhere.
After Lin Tian's efforts of running around and causing trouble everywhere, the star players in the West were all furious.
Damn it! They said they'd beat us by 50 points this morning, and now they're trying to sow discord?
I'll beat you to death!
As a result, the star players in the West were all eager to perform.
In every round, everyone is reaching out for the ball, demanding to kill the opponent.
This puts Nash in a difficult position, doesn't it?
Dude, even if you're selfless, Nash can't turn a basketball into five! Couldn't you guys take turns? Why did you all have to come at me all at once?
Anyway, the atmosphere in the west has become strange and bad.
Several star players wanted to try their hand at the ball, all asking Nash for it but not passing it to anyone, making the game incredibly chaotic.
Although it was chaotic, it was only a tactical system mess; the Western Conference wasn't far behind in terms of score.
After all, the Western team only needs to rely on their incredibly strong individual one-on-one skills to keep scoring!
The situation in the East was similar to that in the West at first, with a group of people watching Iverson put on a show. But after four minutes, Eastern Conference head coach Rivers began his first round of substitutions.
The first player he substituted was Allen Iverson, who was on fire and had scored 7 points on 3-of-5 shooting.
It wasn't that Rivers was targeting Iverson; it was just that Iverson himself told Rivers before the game that he wasn't feeling well and wanted to play less, maybe only 15 minutes at most before needing a break.
"Why are you taking me off? I'm in great shape, how can you take me off?" But as soon as Iverson walked to the bench, he spread his hands to express his dissatisfaction.
He hasn't even finished his revenge yet, and he's already stepping down? And he's the first one out? What does that mean? Does he think I'm doing too much one-on-one and affecting team chemistry?
"Allen, you said yourself that you wanted to play less." Rivers was helpless at this moment.
What kind of people are these?!
That's completely unreasonable! I'll listen to you, so what are you going to do about it?
That's inhuman!
Rivers didn't say much to Iverson. After all, Iverson was a superstar, and not one of his own players. There was no need to get angry with him!
With Iverson off the court, the ball returned to Lin Tian's hands, and the game immediately changed! The Eastern Conference's offense became extremely organized and clear-cut!
For example, when Iverson had just left the court, Lin Tian grabbed two consecutive defensive rebounds and then found Wade, who had just come on, to assist him on a fast break and score.
Then, as the Western team began to focus on retreating and defending, Lin Tian slowed down the pace and switched to positional attacks. During positional warfare, Lin Tian naturally started hitting the ball towards Yao Ming.
Let Yao Ming post up against Shaquille O'Neal.
This year is definitely the weakest year of Shaquille O'Neal's career, and also the year his career took a sharp downturn.
This year, he has been plagued by various injuries, which has greatly affected his competitive state. As he gets older, his athleticism and defensive abilities have also declined significantly.
Faced with Yao Ming's one-on-one play, O'Neal really had no way to deal with him. He was completely humiliated by Yao Ming's hook shot and a few footwork moves!
As the Eastern Conference's tactics became clearer and simpler, the Western Conference, which had just been locked in a stalemate with the East, was immediately put on the defensive due to Yao Ming's strong play and Wade's fast breaks.
When Iverson left the game, the score was still 15-11, with the East team temporarily leading by 4 points.
But after Iverson went to the bench, the Eastern Conference team played better and better, and in about 4 minutes, they had already made the score 33-19! The Eastern Conference team's lead reached 14 points!
At this point, the team's top three scorers were Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, and Yao Ming.
As for Lin Tian, he delivered 4 assists but only took 2 shots and scored 5 points. This guy who started the war between the two sides hasn't even started shooting yet!
The reason Lin Tian didn't make a move was simply because there was no rush. He would have plenty of time to act later!
The guys from the West team drank so much last night, and they drank so heavily, they were all walking around like they were floating today, playing ball with all their might.
Do you really think professional athletes are superheroes?!
In the first half of the first quarter, they were able to maintain their score and the situation by relying on their initial high spirits and Lin Tian's provocations, and hold their own against the West through individual ability.
However, as time went by, the players' physical condition declined rapidly, their form became visibly worse, and their shooting percentage became lower and lower!
This is why the Eastern Army was able to quickly expand its lead even before Lin Tian had made a move.
On one side, the force is exhausted, while on the other side, it is poised to unleash its full potential. Naturally, the gap between the two sides is widening!
Even though both sides started rotating players and both coaches made large-scale substitutions in the remainder of the first quarter, the game became a back-and-forth affair with no clear winner after the fresh blood came on.
But that's clearly all the West can do tonight.
They can only keep the score close when their fresh players first come on, and they can rely on this momentum to hold on for a while. But to ask them to catch up and narrow the gap, or to create climaxes and overtake the score time and time again, is really asking too much.
After drinking too much, they really didn't have the energy!
Three minutes into the second quarter, all 12 players from both sides had taken their turn on the court and had made some contributions.
At this point, both coaches can freely rotate their positions and arrange their teams based on their own and their players' moods and the fans' demands.
If it were a coach like Don Nelson or Larry Bird who would handle every All-Star Game, they would be lining up to send players in, five at a time, rotating them around, with the main focus on fairness and impartiality.
A more rigorous coach would rotate players based on the situation on the court and the players' condition, emphasizing a serious and responsible approach.
Tonight, the Eastern Conference head coach is Rivers.
Regardless of Rivers's usual flaws or how poor his playoff record is, his ability to inspire players is absolutely not to be underestimated. He has the ability to motivate players at any time, get them motivated, and get them to give it their all.
He is a player-type coach; he always manages to build good relationships with his players and get them to give their all for him.
This is the time for Rivers to demonstrate his approachability.
"Lin, before the match you said you'd beat the West team by 50 points, were you serious or just joking?"
"If I can do it, then I'm serious; if I can't, then I'm joking."
Rivers remained completely unperturbed by Lin Tian's nonsensical answer, instead continuing to smile and ask, "So, do you intend to do it?"
"Of course!" This time, Lin Tian didn't waste any more words and nodded without hesitation to show that he wanted to win.
Since you want to win and break the record, I'll have to help you out no matter what!
"Everyone remember, tonight isn't just a simple All-Star game. Tonight, we're fighting for Lin and for our own honor! To avoid embarrassing Lin, for our own glory, and to make every word Lin said come true, we'll crush them!"
"Coach, I suspect they'd still be playing like crazy if you hadn't said that. But after you said it, those bastards might start slacking off." Lin Tian immediately chimed in with his own sarcastic remark as soon as Rivers finished speaking.
There's no way around it, the chicken soup flavor is too strong, I have to complain about it to dilute the concentration, otherwise it's too cloying.
"I knew this would be a problem!" Rivers chuckled, a smug look on his face. "I was prepared for it!"
"Tim, Josh, Manu, Yao, and Lin, all five of you come at me! In the next five minutes, extend the lead to 20 points!"
Goodness! Lin Tian wanted to give Rivers a thumbs up.
With these four attacking together, the situation was indeed very stable.
If I were to say I wanted to break the record, these four would probably be willing to risk their brains!
The main point is to be generous.
Two of them were his old teammates from his Pacers days. Yao Ming was also Lin Tian's number one teammate in the Chinese Super League. Duncan didn't have any special relationship with Lin Tian, but the problem was that with Duncan's personality, even if you asked him to play a game against elementary school students, he would play the game diligently, steadily, and without slacking off or trying to steal the spotlight.
The main focus is on diligence!
With these four on the field together, it's absolutely a sure thing!
With 3 minutes and 20 seconds left in the second quarter, Rivers made a five-in-five-out play, bringing all five players he had just selected onto the court at the same time.
The opposing Western team also picked a lineup with James as the absolute core, a lineup without any other players!
Besides James, the other four are Bosh, Marion, Nowitzki, and Ray Allen!
All four of them are capable of catching and shooting, and are all excellent three-point shooters. Furthermore, none of them are the type to be competitive, seek the limelight, or insist on attacking with the ball.
On the contrary, all four of them are good at playing off-ball, good at catching and shooting, and are willing to accept such roles!
By bringing out this lineup at this point, Popovich's intentions couldn't be clearer.
He still wants to elevate James to the top! He still wants to continue what he did in the All-Star Game a few years ago, which is to bring out a lineup with James as the absolute core and four shooters at a certain stage, and let James lead the team to a surge!
This lineup is one that James likes and is quite good at, and it's also a very suitable lineup for coming back to win.
Popovich believes that James will definitely be able to lead the team to catch up at this point!
He has absolute confidence!
I have the best pitchers, four of them! Plus a top-tier penetrator and passer. What makes your hastily assembled Eastern team think they can compete with me? What makes them think they can maintain their lead in the game?
Popovich even glanced at the scoreboard before the players went onto the court.
51: 39!
The East is currently leading by 12 points.
very good!
I'm going to reduce this point difference to less than 5 points within 5 minutes!
I want to make everyone feel the same way.
That means when the team is in crisis, the person who can save the team will be James!
Popovich's smugness lasted only a short while.
He was visibly taken aback when the Eastern Conference lineup came on the court.
How is that possible!
How could that idiot possibly read my mind?
How could he possibly field a five-man lineup that could counter my lineup?
Coincidence! It's absolutely a coincidence!
After all, everyone knows now that there are two things that need to be done to deal with James.
1: A strong and difficult-to-break first line of defense made him hesitate and prevented him from launching an attack immediately.
2: There is a strong rim protector under the basket who will block and surround James' final layup attempt, preventing him from finishing.
3: A clever and resourceful help defender roams around to cut off James' passing lanes, preventing him from making easy drives and passes.
The Eastern Conference's current roster happens to have two top-tier centers who are best at protecting the rim: Yao Ming and Tim Duncan.
In addition, there are two top-notch defensive specialists, Lin Tian and Duncan, who can complete many beautiful route blockades simply by relying on instinct and habit.
This idiot, how could he guess my thoughts, see through what lineup I was going to send out, and counter it?
No wonder he's the head coach of the top team in the East!
Even if this guy is usually disliked and disrespected in the coaching circle, the fact that he can always find a job and consistently achieve good results proves that he has something to offer!
This guy shouldn't be underestimated! (End of Chapter)