stonecrandall Chapter 298: Fancy Back-to-the-Back Shots on Iverson, Eye-Gouging, Throat-Slamming, and Ball-Kicking
Chapter 298: Fancy Back-to-the-Back Shots on Iverson, Eye-Gouging, Throat-Slamming, and Ball-Kicking
Chapter 298: Fancy Back-to-the-Back Shots on Iverson, Eye-Gouging, Throat-Slamming, and Ball-Kicking!
In the first few minutes of the game, Iverson was completely shut down!
He couldn't find any comfortable attacking opportunities at all, and he didn't even have many chances to get the ball!
Lin Tian's close-marking defense, Christie's endless harassment of Snow, and the excellent teamwork between Carter, Ben Wallace, and Lin Tian meant that every time Lin Tian was screened by the 76ers, a Pacers player would always appear in time to block Iverson, hindering his receiving the ball and his offense.
In the first six minutes, Iverson only took three shots, and missed all of them!
Aside from his first shot being blocked by Lin Tian and Ben Wallace, his second attempt was on the left wing. After receiving the ball, he was about to shoot when Lin Tian blocked his shot. Helpless, he could only dribble and force his way through, but he couldn't shake off Lin Tian's defense at all. After pushing against him to the basket, Iverson's forced shot was blocked by Lin Tian's defense so much that he couldn't even see the rim.
"Bang!"
The third shot was basically Iverson's best chance so far tonight. He used Ratliff's screen to create space, then received the ball and jumped to shoot. Lin Tian couldn't get around the screen in time to interfere, and Webber, after all, is not a defensive player, so he was inevitably a step too slow when he went for the steal.
"Bang!"
However, the result was that Iverson, who has top-notch catch-and-shoot ability this season, failed to make the shot despite having a clear opportunity!
His luck tonight is really not good.
Of course, it's also possible that he wasted too much energy and stamina in his efforts to get rid of the defender and create space, causing his legs to feel a little weak when he jumped to shoot.
In short, whatever the reason, Iverson was practically bursting with rage in the first five minutes of the game, yet he couldn't score even a single point!
The Pacers' defense against Iverson was absolutely successful!
As everyone knows, when playing against the 76ers, if you can stop Iverson, you can basically stop the 76ers!
In the first 6 minutes of the first quarter, the 76ers only managed 6 points! These were Snow's drive, Ratliff's jump shot, and Hill's putback. All of their other offensive attempts ended in failure!
The Pacers, on the other hand, played a very impressive game by focusing on defense in the first half of the first quarter!
Fast breaks, passing and cutting, multi-pronged attacks!
The Pacers' offense remained as dazzling as fireworks and as fluid as a waterfall!
A sky full of stars, cascading down!
17: 6!
Halfway through the first quarter, the Pacers' lead had already exceeded 10 points!
Lin Tian hadn't even officially started firing yet!
During this period, he only took 3 shots, made 2, and scored 4 points.
However, even though both Lin Tian and Iverson had only three shots, the difference between them was obvious.
Lin Tian's shots are effortless and comfortable, all excellent opportunities, while Iverson's shots require a lot of his energy just to run the ball and receive it!
Not to mention that after receiving the ball, he not only has to face Lin Tian's defense, but also often has to face double teams from the Pacers.
His attack tonight was really difficult!
"Why hasn't Brown called a timeout yet?" Kenny asked, puzzled. "Even if he doesn't call a timeout, he should at least make a substitution! This situation on the court is clearly because the 76ers lack a ball-handler. Snow is completely contained by Christie, and his passing speed is too slow. Why isn't Brown changing the situation on the court?"
"Because it hasn't been 8 minutes yet." Barkley shrugged and said casually, "Kenny, you really don't know Larry Brown. He's not just some 'court tyrant' or 'basketball Caesar,' he's also the most stubborn old man in the world."
"It's only a 10-point deficit, not at all to the point where Brown would forcibly disrupt his rotation and make substitutions prematurely! Compared to being behind, Brown is obviously more concerned about the integrity and consistency of his rotation! I bet you, once the 8-minute mark is up, he will immediately call a timeout and make substitutions."
Barkley has an extremely clear understanding of Brown!
But there aren't many people who can see things as clearly as he does!
Perhaps because he was too close to the situation to see clearly, Bird couldn't understand Brown's thoughts at this moment.
"What's this old man up to? Why isn't he making substitutions when we're so far behind? Why is he ignoring Iverson even though he's being defended so effectively? The team only scored 6 points in half a quarter, and their offense was completely shut down, why isn't he reacting at all?"
Bird pondered and worried, and then, taking advantage of the moment when the Pacers had complete control of the game's tempo, he brought out a concise scouting report.
He looked at them one by one, pondering them one by one, wanting to know what Brown was up to, what Brown was really up to!
As Barkley said, Brown didn't make any adjustments until eight minutes into the game, even though the team was already down by 14 points, he wasn't worried.
Well, okay, he was actually very anxious.
About four or five minutes into the game, the old man couldn't sit still any longer and stood up from the bench. He kept yelling at the players on the field, and even cursed at them from time to time, hoping to inspire their fighting spirit. He hoped that his shouting would give the players opportunities to attack and find their rhythm on the defensive end.
The louder he yelled and the harsher he cursed, the more confused the players on the field became, and the less they knew how to play.
Brown finally breathed a sigh of relief and called a timeout after eight minutes of play.
Time's up! It's time to switch players!
Brown's practice of not making substitutions until the right time and not adjusting until the right period is hard to describe. I don't know whether to call him obsessive-compulsive or just hopelessly stubborn.
But anyway, even though the 76ers were so far behind, he insisted on holding on until the 8-minute mark before making substitutions on time.
"Even a slightly more experienced fan can see the 76ers' problem now: they lack a ball-handler! It's so obvious!" Kenny couldn't help but say. "But he just won't change. Brown's stubbornness is truly beyond what ordinary people can understand."
During the timeout, Bird still had a furrowed brow. He looked at the 76ers' roster over and over again countless times, but he just couldn't figure it out, couldn't see it clearly, and just didn't understand it!
Why doesn't Brown make any substitutions, adjustments, or even any changes?
What good did all that yelling on the sidelines do?
What mischief is this old man up to?
"What's wrong, Larry? Are you so unhappy with our performance?" Lin Tian asked curiously, looking at Bird's bitter expression. "You don't think we're leading by too little right now, do you?"
"No, I'm very satisfied with your performance!" Bird shook his head and said, "I just don't understand why Brown hasn't made any substitutions even though the game is going like this."
"Why would a top-tier coach of his caliber make such a mistake?"
"What exactly is he plotting? Is he waiting for us to relax? What other cards does he have up his sleeve?"
After Bird's three-part attack on the soul, he looked up, spread his hands, and indicated that he really couldn't understand it.
"Is it possible?" Lin Tian looked at Bird with a helpless expression and said, "That old man did that simply because he's stupid, stubborn, slow to react, and poor at handling situations, without any contingency plan whatsoever?"
"I think Lin's right, Larry, you're overthinking it," assistant coach Carlisle said from the side. "Besides, with the 76ers' current roster, what kind of schemes could they possibly have up their sleeve? Are they counting on Kevin Ollie or Jumaine Jones?"
"The rest of you may not recognize these two people, or know who they are, but that's not important, because neither of them made the roster for this match; they were both DNP'd."
After Carlisle told a joke, Bird finally couldn't help but laugh and said, "F***! How could I be so stupid! I actually got scared by a stubborn old fool!"
Bird lost his confidence quickly, but regained it even faster! With just a few words from his teammates, he easily regained his confidence and got back into form.
"So, based on this old man's rigid and stubborn rotation method, he will next replace Lynch and Ratliff with Kukoc and McGee. This is the rotation method that this old man is most used to. He will increase the number of ball-handlers and increase the team's offensive ability during this phase."
"But without Lynch and Ratliff, the 76ers' defensive quality and ability will suffer a huge decline! So from now on, we'll do as they wish and play an offensive game against them!"
"Reggie, you take Ben's place and you'll guard Snow. Doug, you'll guard Kukoc. The rest of the lineup will remain the same. I don't need to tell you how we should play this lineup, how we should attack, right? Go!"
Bird replaced Ben Wallace with Miller, and the Pacers' offensive lineup, which struck fear into the entire league and was hailed as the greatest in NBA history, reunited on the court!
As for Brown, things went exactly as Bird had planned. The stubborn old man indeed replaced Ratliff and Lynch with McGee and Kukoc.
The 76ers' roster will have three players capable of handling the ball: McGee, Kukoc, and Snow. Their offensive capabilities have also improved. However, with the departure of Ratliff, who averaged 3 blocks per game this season, and Lynch, the team's best perimeter defender, the 76ers' defensive capabilities have also declined significantly.
"Brown's substitutions are just too dogmatic," Barkley couldn't help but say. "His rotations were completely figured out by Bird! Against other teams, the 76ers' lineup can rely on Iverson's scoring to compensate for their declining defense."
"But now they're facing the Pacers! The Pacers have that super offensive lineup that was unstoppable in the regular season, practically sweeping the entire league, and ranking first in history in many offensive metrics and statistics!"
"The suspense in this game might be completely eliminated in the first quarter!"
"Not necessarily, Charles," Kenny chimed in. "It's also possible that Brown knew Bird would bring out this lineup at this time, and he knew that with his own players, there was no way he could stop the Pacers' offense with this lineup. So instead of engaging in pointless defense, he might as well go all in and fight the Pacers offensively!"
Barkley looked at Kenny like he was an idiot and said, "Kenny, put your hand on your hand and say what you just said again. Do you even believe what you said? Larry Brown is a good coach. He's great at building systems, managing players, and controlling the team. Of course, he has many other strengths as well."
"But I swear, none of his strengths include being good at adapting to changing circumstances, anticipating the opponent's moves, using players strategically, or making flexible use of his own team's players."
"His abilities are not even as good as Quasimodo's. You know Quasimodo, right, Kenny? I really hope you read more books instead of being completely ignorant of these great stories like an illiterate person. Let me tell you: Quasimodo is a mentally challenged man from Paris."
"Charles, there are over 1000 million fans watching our live stream right now, so can you please stop embarrassing yourself and stop blatantly exposing your stupidity? The viewers will think everyone at TNT is an idiot!"
Kenny rolled his eyes; his knowledge was clearly far superior to Barkley's. "Quasimodo just looks like you and is deaf and mute, but he's not mentally challenged. On the contrary, he's very intelligent and has a great and noble heart! The exact opposite of you!"
Barkley and Kenny were playfully bickering over there, while the second half of the first quarter had already begun on the court.
Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt, where he was defended by Snow, who was larger and heavier. Clearly, Brown had done his homework and studied Lin Tian's peculiar tastes. He knew that Lin Tian had a strong interest and preference for using pure strength to back down guards who were shorter and weaker than him. That's why he sent Snow, who was better at defense, to face Lin Tian.
But obviously, this is useless.
"Afraid I'll back down Allen? Worried I'll crush him in the low post?" Lin Tian wasn't in a hurry to attack. He passed the ball to Webber at the free-throw line and then ran towards the low post.
"You guys don't actually think I'm only good at backing down opponents in the low post using my physical strength and height, do you?"
As Lin Tian spoke, he suddenly turned his back to Snow, blocking him, and opened his arms to call for the ball.
Webber, of course, didn't hesitate. He passed the ball high to Lin Tian, and the entire Pacers team spread out in perfect unison, watching Lin Tian back down in the low post.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
After Lin Tian got the ball and tested it out, he didn't hesitate to charge at Snow. After three hard collisions, Lin Tian couldn't help but think that although Snow wasn't fast or accurate, he still had some skills!
At the very least, his strength and physicality are definitely top-notch for a point guard! After three hard-hitting attempts, Lin Tian was unable to advance much or create any space for a shot.
Brown, sitting on the sidelines, nodded smugly. His move of having Snow guard Lin Tian was quite effective!
But Brown's smugness hadn't even faded when Lin Tian's shoulders suddenly started shaking repeatedly. The movements weren't large, but the frequency was fast. Snow, who was behind him, suddenly felt a little dizzy and couldn't tell which direction Lin Tian was going to turn!
Then Lin Tian suddenly took a step forward and turned towards the baseline.
He cleared half a body length, then pulled up and threw!
"Beautiful!" Barkley shouted. "Who said Lin's post-up game was all about strength and height?"
"Bang!"
Before Barkley could finish speaking, the sound of a brick hitting the metal reached his ears. Lin Tian's seemingly perfect back-to-the-basket move ended in a missed shot!
"Everyone has their bad days." Barkley wasn't embarrassed at all, and chuckled, "I've missed about 200 dunks in my life."
Barkley wasn't wrong; Lin Tian was indeed unlucky tonight!
He then backed down Snow three times in a row, and his moves were all beautiful and skillful. The details and techniques he used were enough to be included in textbooks for young players to learn.
But the effect was not good. Lin Tian only scored 1 point out of 4 attempts at back-to-the-basket shots, earning a total of 2 points.
His consecutive misses naturally gave the 76ers an opportunity. Under Iverson's leadership, the 76ers scored continuously and their momentum grew stronger. Both Kukoc and McGee, who came off the bench, hit 3-pointers!
第一节的最后4分钟，76人队打出了一波14：4的进攻高潮，眨眼之间已经将分差缩小到了4分。
During this period, Iverson made 2 of 3 shots, scoring 4 points and also providing 2 assists, making him the biggest contributor to the team's counterattack!
Although he only scored 6 points on 3-of-8 shooting in the first quarter, his outstanding performance at the end of the quarter gave the 76ers players and their fans a lot of confidence!
We can hold on! We can withstand the Pacers' offense!
Even with their supposedly best offensive five-man lineup in history, they still couldn't get any advantage over us.
What is the strongest offensive combination in history, scoring 4 points in 4 minutes?
A football team?
"As far as I can remember, this seems to be the first time this Pacers lineup has suffered such a huge setback on the court! Their signature offense failed to materialize, and their defense was completely breached," Kenny said. "Could it be that Brown has really found a way to counter this Pacers lineup?"
"Wake up, Kenny, did you even watch the game?" Barkley rolled his eyes and said bluntly, "It's obvious Lin wasn't playing well tonight. He had four consecutive low-post isolation plays, and each time he got very good opportunities and space, but he only made one!"
"You're saying Brown orchestrated this? Brown has the ability to make the opponent's leading scorer go 1-for-4 on open shots? Do you think he's Magneto?"
"The 76ers' current lead is due to Lin's poor shooting! Once Lin finds his rhythm, the Pacers can easily extend their lead! Of course, if Lin continues to have this bad shooting night, the 76ers might actually pull off an upset!"
Barkley and Kenny were playfully bickering and teasing each other on the court, while the second quarter had already begun!
For the 76ers, Iverson is temporarily resting on the bench. Considering his 44 minutes of playing time in this season's playoffs, these few minutes in the second quarter are his only rest time! Then he will play every minute after that!
This guy's physical abilities are definitely monstrous.
The 76ers' star players were all sitting on the bench, and the Pacers' star player, Lin Tian, was naturally not on the court either. Instead, he was sitting on the bench, constantly drinking energy drinks to recover his energy. Lin Tian and his teammates didn't seem to care much about his poor shooting performance at the end of the first quarter.
Bird patted Lin Tian on the shoulder, telling him to take a rest. His teammates didn't mention it at all, and no one thought there was anything wrong with Lin Tian only making one of his four shots.
The team leader shouldn't even have this much power.
He can throw 40 more shots!
The only one who was unhappy was Lin Tian!
I, Lin Da Guanren, finally wanted to try some technical backflips and show off my pure skills, but I've blocked so many shots in a row.
How embarrassing! So embarrassing!
No!
Once we get up there, we have to keep throwing!
Keep shooting like that!
I refuse to believe I can't regain my touch, I refuse to believe I can't make the shot!
Tonight, I, Lin, will use my back-to-the-basket skills to smash through the 76ers' defense!
Lin Tian sat on the bench, watching the situation on the court, and silently made a decision.
Of course, Lin Tian wasn't the kind of person who would get carried away and fight recklessly to the death!
If you're going to fight head-on, you need to have the right approach!
Lin Tian now has nearly 12000 experience points! He also has two back-to-the-basket one-on-one skills that can be upgraded!
The reason Lin Tian had saved up experience points without using them was that he didn't want to waste them on skills that weren't very useful.
But now!
It works! Who says back-to-the-back skills are useless? Today is the day they'll come in very handy!
So, Lin Tian first spent almost 2000 experience points to upgrade the skill he obtained from Pierce to LV2!
「真理单打LV2（0/4000）:宿主低位单打能力提升9%，试探步、背转身后投篮能力提升9%。」
Then, Lin Tian combined the "Truth One-on-One" and "Glove Spin" into one skill!
「真理手套LV2(773/6000)：宿主背身能力增加15%，转身能力增加10%，试探步、背转身后投篮能力增加10%，篮下终结能力增加10%，力量增加10%！」
After glancing at the remaining 1 experience points, Lin Tian didn't hold onto them. He immediately spent another 5000 experience points to upgrade his skill to LV3. After leveling up, Lin Tian still had more than 5000 experience points left!
「真理手套LV3(0/12000)：宿主背身能力增加17%，转身能力增加13%，试探步、背转身后投篮能力增加13%，篮下终结能力增加13%，力量增加13%！」
After the upgrade, Lin Tian was too lazy to look at his system panel carefully. He glanced at it and found that his back-to-back one-on-one ability had risen from B to A-, and his strength had also risen from A+ to S-!
Yes, the improvement of this skill focuses on one simple and direct approach! It's about enhancing the strength, technique, and finishing ability you need when playing one-on-one with your back to the basket!
As for how effective this simple and direct bonus is?
Lin Tian said: "If I were to say this myself, it would inevitably be unfair, so I won't say it."
Let Snow experience the difference for himself later!
Practice makes perfect!
With both teams' two key players absent, the game was naturally a bit dull. About four minutes into the second quarter, the Pacers and 76ers were still locked in a close and evenly matched contest. Riding on the momentum of their furious comeback in the first quarter, the 76ers closed the gap by two points in the second quarter.
By the time the second quarter entered its first timeout, the score difference between the two teams had dwindled to just 2 points.
However, after this timeout, both sides made a large number of substitutions!
For the Pacers, Bird once again brought out the lineup that had been invincible before this game, the strongest lineup that had dominated the entire league in the regular season!
Webber, Christie, Miller, Carter, and Lin Tian.
Bird is a former superstar, and he has his own stubbornness and pride. This lineup that he is so proud of can't perform, and the opponent is scoring like crazy.
That won't do!
He kept playing, refusing to believe that this lineup could be crushed by the mere 76ers!
As for Brown, he continued his stubborn approach to personnel selection.
Hill, Kukoc, McGee, Snow, and Iverson walked onto the court together.
If these five players played well in the first quarter, then you five can continue to play in the second quarter!
Keep up your momentum and crush the Pacers!
After the timeout, on the first offensive possession, Lin Tian handed over the task of advancing the ball to Carter, while he himself quickly walked towards the baseline.
"Allen, it's you? I thought you didn't have the guts to guard me this game and were just hiding in the corner trembling with fear." Lin Tian was somewhat surprised to find that the person guarding him was not Snow, who had been very effective in the first quarter, but Iverson.
"Lin, you're definitely done for tonight! You won't find your rhythm! We'll take you down, Eric can do it, and so can I..."
Iverson only ranted halfway through his trash talk before stopping.
Because Carter's pass arrived, Lin Tian received the ball and, without probing, turned sideways and rammed directly into Iverson.
"Bang!"
After a muffled thud, Iverson's remaining trash talk was stuck in his throat. Then, Lin Tian quickly turned towards the top line, obviously intending to cut into the middle and enter the basket. Iverson, after all, had top-notch reaction speed and excellent strength among guards. Although he was in pain, he still quickly moved to the side and blocked Lin Tian's path.
But before he could even get his feet firmly on the ground, the basketball in Lin Tian's hands slammed onto the floor again. At the same time, Lin Tian made a wide turn and spun back to the baseline!
This time, Iverson couldn't keep up at all. It was as if Lin Tian had cast a spell on him, freezing him in place. Apart from being able to turn his neck to watch Lin Tian dribble past him and score 2 points, he couldn't do anything else.
"Eric can do it, but you can? Stop dreaming, Allen. Have you forgotten that you're a shorty who's not even 175 centimeters tall?"
"I'm done!"
With a gloomy face, Iverson walked towards the Pacers' half of the court.
"You can't even say you're 180cm when you're trash-talking, nobody believes you're 179cm! Come on, go measure yourself right now, take off your shoes. If you're really 179cm, I'll eat your shoes right here and now!" Lin Tian looked at Iverson with a sneer and said, "If you're not, you only lose to me by one cent, wanna try?"
Do you have the guts?
No!
Allen Iverson knew his true height better than anyone else.
He even dreamed last night that he suddenly grew 5 centimeters, reaching 180 centimeters!
So Iverson had no choice but to shut up, then suddenly accelerated and sprinted towards the frontcourt! He wanted to catch Lin Tian and the Pacers off guard!
It has to be said that it's not a big problem for the 76ers' lineup to score against the rest of their players, but it's really difficult to prevent them from even passing the ball!
Iverson kept running around the court, and the basketball was being passed back and forth between the 76ers' ball-handling points. Suddenly, when Iverson ran to the basket, he suddenly stopped and ran back, using Hill's screen to cut to the outside and finally got the ball.
But just as he adjusted and was about to jump and shoot, Lin Tian had already dodged Hill's screen and jumped towards Iverson.
Lin Tian's defense wasn't even directed at the basketball in Iverson's hands; his arm was clearly not fully extended, and he wasn't aiming for a block or steal at all.
Iverson watched helplessly as several fingers were poked towards his eyes!
"Bang!"
Iverson, seeing this kind of defense for the first time, still trembled a little.
The basketball missed and bounced off the rim.
"Did you wet your pants, Allen?" Lin Tian chuckled as he looked at Iverson after successfully defending him. "I felt you visibly flinch!"
"FUXX! What kind of defense is this?! Are you trying to gouge my eyes out?!" Iverson glared angrily at Lin Tian. "I thought you weren't a dirty guy! But how come your defense is so dirty?!"
"Did I touch you?" Lin Tian spread his hands innocently. "Did I touch even a single hair on your body?"
"I..." Iverson was stunned for a moment. Although his eyelashes were very long, Lin Tian hadn't even touched his eyelashes.
"I've poked you, say I'm dirty again!" Lin Tian snorted, then turned his back again, trapping Iverson.
Although he hadn't practiced his eye-blocking defensive technique much, Battier, who hadn't even entered the league yet, had used it for over a decade without ever poking anyone's eye. So Lin Tian figured it shouldn't be too difficult and wouldn't actually hurt anyone!
Hmm... His guardedness stems entirely from his trust in Battier!
If anyone is really hurt, then you can only blame Battier, not me, Lord Lin!
But no matter how you look at Battier, Lin Tian has once again positioned himself well in the low post and is continuing to call for the ball!
This time, after Lin Tian received the ball with his back to the basket, he suddenly shook his shoulders quickly to the left and right, making Iverson feel dizzy. He couldn't tell which direction Lin Tian was going to turn at all.
Just as Iverson was hesitating, Lin Tian had already made his move!
"Bang!"
Lin Tian's shoulder bumped into Iverson again. Iverson was not prepared this time and was forced to take two steps back by Lin Tian's impact, completely losing his defensive position.
Lin Tian turned around without rushing to shoot, but instead arrogantly spread his hands with a disdainful look before taking the shot.
Seeing Lin Tian's move made Iverson's blood boil so badly he almost had to jump out of his head. He roared and rushed forward, jumping to block Lin Tian's shot.
It's clearly wishful thinking for Allen Iverson, who is said to be 183 cm tall, to try to defend Lin Tian, who is actually 191 cm tall, from a distance!
Even if Iverson were a full meter away from Lin Tian, he still wouldn't be a match for Lin Tian in terms of jumping ability, let alone standing right next to him.
"Snapped!"
With a crisp sound, Iverson slapped Lin Tian's elbow, but it did not interfere with Lin Tian's shot at all. Lin Tian still made a steady shot and sent the basketball into the basket!
"Whoosh!"
"beep!"
The referee's whistle blew as expected, and Lin Tian, facing Iverson, swept away the bad situation of 1 out of 4 shots in the second half of the first quarter and scored twice in the low post!
"See! I told you so! Lin's just having a bad day, he'll get back to form soon and crush the 76ers!" Barkley said smugly. "Of course I know Lin isn't invincible, he can be contained by some opponents! But the 76ers, Iverson, and Snow? Don't be ridiculous!"
"If they can stop Lin, I can stop a Tyrannosaurus Rex!"
"But he's being guarded by Allen Iverson! Being able to back down Iverson isn't anything special!" Kenny persisted, "I think next, Snow will be guarding Lin!"
"Don't even mention Snow, even if God came, he would be completely crushed by Lin when he's in form!" Barkley once again demonstrated his trust in Lin Tian. He always has 100% support for his old teammate!
Well, Kenny is right. No matter how stubborn and obstinate Brown is, he's not an idiot. He's a top coach with real talent. In these two rounds, he had already seen that Iverson couldn't defend Lin Tian at all, so he started shouting loudly from the sidelines.
"Eric! Switch! You switch with Allen!"
After Lin Tian calmly made the free throw, when it was the 76ers' turn to attack, Iverson, who had been bullied by Lin Tian twice in a row, got a little frustrated. This time, instead of running around the court looking for opportunities, he directly stretched out his hand at the top of the arc to ask for the ball. He wanted to use his best ball-handling offense to deal with Lin Tian!
He wanted to confront Lin Tian head-on and regain his dignity!
Lin Tian was naturally delighted that Iverson wanted to attack. He clapped his hands, then lowered his weight and said, "Come on, hopefully this attack will make you realize the huge gap between us!"
"Your coach makes you play off-ball not to stifle your offense, but to protect you, understand?"
Lin Tian's final "I understand" with its distinct trailing tone was enough to make everyone instantly angry and furious!
Upon hearing that word, Iverson immediately lowered his body, and then his terrifying speed exploded in an instant as he charged into the paint!
But Iverson clearly hadn't completely lost his mind. When he reached the vicinity of the free throw line, he suddenly stopped and pulled back, made a small change in rhythm, and then accelerated again!
Furthermore, Iverson lowered his center of gravity again, moved the basketball from his left hand to his right hand, and with a quick change of direction without slowing down, Iverson brushed past Lin Tian and drove towards the inside!
But he only took one step forward before he had to stop!
Christie arrived! And she stood precisely in front of him.
Lin Tian then moved to the side, blocking Iverson's path.
Then, Miller was just a step behind the two men, arriving beside Iverson and blocking his path as he moved sideways.
In the blink of an eye, Iverson was surrounded by three people!
He tried to dribble away from the encirclement as quickly as possible, but it was too late!
Surrounded by three players in this confined space, including top defenders Lin Tian and Christie, if Iverson could break through, then Lin Tian and his teammates would be doomed!
"Snapped!"
With a crisp sound, Christie slapped the basketball, while Miller grabbed the out-of-control ball and threw it towards the frontcourt!
Carter had already shaken off McGee, grabbed the basketball and strode forward. Then, he stood up gracefully, swung the basketball in his right hand, and slammed it into a windmill dunk on par with a compass!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Carter scored 2 points!
After the timeout, the Pacers were up 7-0!
Normally, most coaches in the league would call a timeout at this point.
But Brown clearly doesn't have the habit of calling timeouts in crucial moments.
The timeout he called was planned before the game even started! Being down 0-7 was far from enough to warrant Brown changing his habits and calling a timeout at an odd time.
Wait a little longer! No rush!
After the Pacers launched a fast break, a humiliated Iverson immediately called for the ball from his teammates in the backcourt and dribbled it towards the frontcourt.
He refused to believe that he wouldn't be able to hit a single one today!
However, Iverson has improved a lot compared to last year.
At this time last year, Iverson was very unhappy with Lin Tian's behavior of asking his teammates to double-team him instead of having him play one-on-one, and he directly mocked and protested.
But this year, Iverson knew that for a guy like Lin Tian who had absolutely no moral bottom line, any protest would be a stupid joke to him, so today Iverson chose to shut up!
He continued to dribble quickly between his legs, then changed direction to find opportunities to break through. Finally, Iverson suddenly accelerated from the right side, took two steps ahead, and then suddenly stepped back, pulling up for a mid-range pull-up jump shot.
This time, Lin Tian's hand still wasn't aimed at the basketball in Iverson's hands; instead, his big palm reached out towards Iverson's eyes!
"Bang!"
Iverson simply wasn't used to this kind of somewhat shameless defense. Who defends without aiming for the ball, only for the eyes?
What, traditional martial arts, gouging eyes, sealing throats, kicking balls, right?
If Iverson asked Lin Tian, Lin Tian would nod without hesitation and say: "There are indeed people who defend like that. I can take you to Duke to see that guy who is playing in the NCAA."
But...
You, Iverson, have to pay for my plane ticket!
(End of this chapter)