MM Racing Chapter 351 I may not win the award, but why should it be given to...
Chapter 351 I may not win the award, but why should it be given to...
Chapter 351 I may not be able to win the award, but why should I give it to you?
It's worth mentioning that the Mavericks' backup power forward, Lin Tianhua's teammate, also performed exceptionally well in this series. He averaged 10 points and 3 rebounds per game with a 50% field goal percentage and a 40% three-point percentage. As the team's main substitute, Lin Tianhua's performance was absolutely satisfactory!
After the Timberwolves were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs once again, another strong team in the Northwest Division also failed to advance beyond the first round and was eliminated.
Portland Trail Blazers!
This team, which made it to the Western Conference Finals last year and pushed the Lakers to the brink of elimination, had a disappointing regular season record this season due to injuries and aging players. In the playoffs, players like Sabonis, Pippen, and Stoudemire were in even more worrying form.
Even though Rasheed and Wells performed exceptionally well, they couldn't carry the team alone and couldn't withstand the Kings' insane firepower!
Peja Stojakovic, the sharpshooter from Yugoslavia, delivered a career-best performance in this series, averaging 27 points in 4 games with a 3-point shooting percentage and overall field goal percentage both exceeding 50%!
He is proving himself and others, and at the same time, he is striving to become the league's best shooter!
Under his leadership, Sacramento finally made it into the second round of the playoffs once again!
Similar to the East, the only series in the West that went to a Game 5 was the matchup between the Suns and the Spurs, the fourth and fifth seeds. Although both teams had many star players and their playing styles were quite attractive, the series turned into a crazy shooting battle when it really came down to it!
On the Suns' side, although second-year rookie Shawn Marion has emerged as a standout this season, averaging 17 points and 10 rebounds per game in the regular season and becoming the team's leading scorer, it is his first time playing in the playoffs as the core player. His stats dropped to 14 points and 8 rebounds in the series, and his field goal percentage was only 37%.
The team's leader, Kidd, had a field goal percentage of only 31%, continuing his "legend of not scoring". The team's leading scorer in the playoffs was Clifford Robinson, but he only averaged 15 points per game and had a field goal percentage of only 42%.
Add to that Tony Delk, who averages 11 points with a 41% field goal percentage, and none of the Suns' four players scoring in double figures have a field goal percentage exceeding 43%! With this kind of efficiency, the fact that they still managed to force a Game 4 shows that the Spurs' offense must be just as chaotic!
Without Duncan as the absolute core and pillar of the team, the team relied on the aging David Robinson and Richmond, as well as the only one who could be called young, Jalen Rose, to keep the team's record stable in the regular season. However, in the playoffs, these players were really useless.
Although Robinson averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds per game, his field goal percentage was only 41%!
Richmond averaged only 10 points and 3 rebounds per game, and his shooting percentage was only slightly better than that of the opposing team's "Iron King" Kidd.
至于罗斯，他的表现也就是比同队的里奇蒙德好一点，场均14分4篮板4助攻再加上38%的命中率和29%的3分命中率。
Even with the team's top three stars playing like this, the Spurs still managed to advance in the finals. They relied on just one thing.
That is: Although I am terrible, the other side is even worse than me!
After this series of missed shots, the Spurs stumbled along but finally managed to make it to the second round of the playoffs in their first season after Duncan's departure!
It's worth mentioning that Penny Hardaway, the Suns' savior last season and the team's high hopes, only played four games this season before being sidelined for the rest of the season. His career, along with Hill's, as the original "successors to Jordan," has been too turbulent and regrettable.
With this, all four matchups in the playoff conference semifinals have finally come to light!
Indiana Pacers vs Milwaukee Bucks!
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Orlando Magic!
Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs!
Dallas Mavericks vs. Sacramento Kings!
Four teams will face off in a fierce battle!
Of course, as usual, there will be some downtime before the second round of the playoffs begins.
Pooh!
As is customary for the alliance, some awards are presented.
Judging from the awards results, this year's Pacers have definitely had a very tragic year!
Miller finished second in the Sixth Man of the Year voting, losing to Philadelphia's Aaron McGee.
Ben Wallace also finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, losing to Philadelphia's Dikembe Mutombo.
Carlisle came in second in the Coach of the Year voting, losing to Paul Westphal of Philadelphia!
All three awards placed him second, all lost to someone from Philadelphia!
Whether the Philadelphia fans are happy or not, the fans and players who are just watching the drama are definitely excited!
This is a pedestrian!
This is the Pacers team, which has gathered together many of the league's top foul-mouth kings, petty-minded champions, vindictive experts, and players ranked in the top 10 of the league's revenge list!
All fans are eagerly anticipating the meeting between these two teams!
Looking forward to their head-to-head showdown!
Absolutely sparks fly everywhere! You even have to bring your own raincoat and umbrella when watching their matches, otherwise blood and brains will definitely splatter on your face.
You've offended the abbot, and you still want to leave?
Well, it's not like they can't leave. The 76ers can choose not to make it to the conference finals, in which case the Pacers won't be able to get their revenge.
Meanwhile, it wasn't just the 76ers who had a grudge against the Pacers over the selection process!
The Pacers' other potential opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Orlando Magic, are also not holding back when it comes to winning awards!
As for Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player, well, that has absolutely nothing to do with the Pacers. They didn't have a single player in the top ten for either of those awards; those awards were taken by players from the Magic.
场均11分4篮板的组织型射手迈克·米勒，和本赛季疯狂爆发，场均轰下26分7篮板4助攻的特雷西·麦克格雷迪！
but!
Although no one from my Pacers can win these two awards, why can your Magic team win them?
Why did Lin Tian, whose rookie season average stats were 100 times better than Miller's, not win Rookie of the Year?
You Miller played terribly, yet you still have...?
Why is it that none of the players on our team have ever won Most Improved Player, but McGrady has?
On what grounds?
Can't explain it, can you?
Feeling guilty?
We're hitting you because you're scared! We have to beat you to a pulp!
Anyway, that's what Pacers fans are thinking now, and they believe that their favorite players are thinking the same thing!
They were convinced that whoever made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, whether it was the Magic or the 76ers, would suffer a terrible defeat!
Anyway, Indians can't wait to watch the Eastern Conference Finals!
As for their opponent in the Eastern Conference semifinals?
Yes, we respect the Bucks. Ray Allen is a great shooter, Sam Cassell is a model of perseverance despite his disability, and Robinson has a great nickname. You all have bright futures ahead of you.
But you are no match for us!
If you can beat us in one game, then you're really something!
The highest praise has already been given to you Milwaukee people. Whether you can win in Milwaukee depends on your true strength! As for Indiana? Will you break through our home court in the playoffs?
We've shown you all respect, yet you still take advantage of our kindness and start making wild guesses. Isn't that going a bit too far?
In short, the Indiana people welcomed the first game of the Eastern Conference semifinals with anticipation, joy, and confidence!
Just as Lin Tian entered the court to warm up before the game started, he saw a thin but familiar and tall figure appear on the sidelines!
Old acquaintances and teammates are here!
Lin Tianyi saw him and didn't bother warming up; he went straight over and said, "Hi Rick, how's it going in New Jersey? I heard you're planning to retire?"
Yes, the person who came was none other than Rick Schmitz, a legend of Indiana who played for the team for a full 10 years.
"My contract is over. I've thought about it and decided it's better to end my basketball career and enjoy my life." Schmitz smiled and pumped Lin Tian, then chatted with Miller, Ben Wallace, and other guys who had fought alongside him and won the 98 championship.
This guy has had a very comfortable life in New Jersey these past two years. Although the team's leader, Marbury, ostracized him because of his high popularity in New Jersey, New Jersey has the largest Dutch-American population in the United States, and he is extremely popular there, living a very comfortable life.
With that high-salary contract of 18 million for two years, and no pressure from the team to achieve results, they couldn't be more comfortable!
After ending two years of a monotonous workday, Schmitz had no regrets about basketball and decisively chose to retire.
Of course, he also discussed it with Bird. He would sign a one-day contract with the team next season, and then announce his retirement as a Pacers player on the opening day, and retire his jersey at the same time. That way, his basketball career would be completely fulfilled!
The fans at the stadium gave this team legend a very loud and long round of applause and cheers!
During his time with the Pacers, this big man gave everything for the team, winning the team's first championship. When he left the team, he not only had no complaints, but also brought Chris Webber to the team, indirectly helping the team win two more championship trophies!
Of course, the fans love him!
If all goes as planned, a long tribute video will be played on the big screen later to honor and thank this former star player of the team.
After chatting with Schmitz for a few minutes, Lin Tian saw another figure, thin but familiar and tall.
This time, it wasn't Lin Tian walking over to greet him; instead, the guy immediately stood up and waved his hands as soon as he saw Lin Tian, as if afraid that Lin Tian wouldn't see his towering 226-centimeter height.
"How's it going, Yao? How did the tryouts go? Which teams did you try out for?"
Yao Ming has been extremely busy for the past two weeks. After finishing the CBA season and winning another championship for the Shanghai team, he has finally been allowed to come to the NBA to participate in the draft!
Furthermore, it is said that Yao Ming did not sign as many unequal treaties and almost exploitative clauses this time. The conditions for his departure this time were very lenient!
A large part of the reason is probably because last year's Olympic gold medal was so valuable.
The other half is due to a combination of factors. The current market value and influence of Chinese basketball players are completely different from what Lin Tian remembered.
In Lin Tian's memory, at that time, Chinese basketball players were completely subservient; you had to do whatever they were told.
But now, let's not talk about a reversal of polarity or absolute freedom.
But at the very least, they still have the respect and voice they deserve!
For example, Yao Ming, although he still has to participate in this year's Asian Championship, he does not have to participate in long and boring training camps. Instead, he took a break after the season ended and went to the United States to prepare for his draft. As of today, he has been in the United States for about 20 days. During these days, he has tried out 7-8 teams and tried out all the teams that are most likely to get the top three draft picks!
This is consistent with his steady personality and current net worth.
With his few minutes of dominating the US team at the Olympics, his outstanding performance in China, the increasing popularity of the Chinese market, and his own strength, he is one of the hottest rookies of this year!
According to the odds given in Las Vegas, Yao Ming's probability of becoming the number one draft pick is the third highest in this year's draft, second only to American high school prodigy Tyson Chandler and Spanish center Pau Gasol.
Another noteworthy point is that with Yao Ming's addition, the 2001 draft class is also known as the "revival of the inside game," since 8 out of the top 10 predicted rookies in this class are pure inside players!
Even among the top five, only Richardson, a talented guard from Michigan, is a perimeter player; the other four are all big men!
In various media predictions and mock drafts, TNT ranked Yao Ming first, ESPN and CBS ranked him second, and Bleacher Report, ABC and MSG ranked him third. Almost no media outlets ranked him outside the top three!
It's safe to say that unless something major changes, Yao Ming will most likely be a top-three rookie in this draft, and will also become the first first-round and lottery-level rookie in Chinese history!
Well, no matter how well Zhi Da and Lin Tian play, both of them are second-round picks, and there are currently no Chinese rookies who came out of the lottery.
"Fantastic!" Yao Ming immediately perked up when Lin Tian asked about his tryouts: "I did really well in Golden State, Chicago, and Atlanta. I matched up against several guys, Tyson Chandler, Eddie Griffin, and Desai Gaines Diop."
"None of these guys who claim to be in the top ten can beat me. I beat them so badly they ran away with their tails between their legs! The only one who posed any real threat to me was that Eddie Curry. That little bastard is really fat! He's covered in fat, and he feels good to the touch, but it's giving me a stomachache now!"
"However, while I couldn't stop him, he couldn't keep up with me either!"
"As long as he practices well, that's fine." Lin Tian had absolute confidence in Yao Ming. The 01 draft class wasn't a huge class, but it wasn't small either. It had all sorts of geniuses and busts, but as long as the management wasn't blind, Yao Ming would definitely not fall out of the top three. "By the way, did he play against that Pau Gasol from Spain?"
"In a few years, you two will be a force to be reckoned with on the international stage!"
"No! This guy didn't seem to come for the tryouts." Yao Ming said with a hint of regret, "I was really looking forward to playing against him; I heard he's the next Sabonis!"
"You're no worse than him!" Lin Tian patted Yao Ming on the shoulder to encourage him. "By the way, how did the trial in Washington go? Did Michael give you any special treatment?"
When the word "Washington" was mentioned, Yao Ming's expression darkened: "I got completely destroyed."
"He got completely destroyed?" Lin Tian stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Among this year's rookies, besides Gasol, was there anyone else who could destroy Yao Ming?
That's bullshit!
Wait, could it be that Kwame Brown has had an exceptional performance, the best of his career, and secured the number one draft pick?
"I got blown out by Jordan," Yao Ming said somewhat dejectedly. "He's 40, right? But his impact is still so strong! He made it a 5-on-5 for me. He attacked the paint the whole time, constantly attacking the basket."
"I didn't block a single one of my shots, and he even dunked on me. Right now, I just hope the Wizards don't get the number one pick, otherwise they definitely won't draft me."
"I think Jordan definitely didn't think much of me, because he thought my rim protection and defense were not good enough."
Did Jordan personally teach Yao Ming a lesson?
He found this story outrageous!
There's no such thing as a team owner personally stepping onto the court during a rookie tryout.
Needless to say, this was Jordan's "special treatment" of Yao Ming out of respect for Lin Tian.
They really took care of her thoroughly!
We have to get revenge for Yao Ming! We have to make Jordan pay a price.
Are Lao Tzu's people so easy to bully?
"And what about that guy? Kwame Brown? How's he doing?" Lin Tian thought for a moment and decided to ask anyway.
He was curious: Jordan had personally dominated Yao Ming, so how well had Kwame Brown performed that he would be willing to use the number one pick to select Brown?
"Who? Kwame Brown?" Yao Ming scratched the back of his head, thought for a moment, then clapped his hands and said, "Oh! That high school student, right? The dark-skinned, goofy one!"
"His skill level is really bad. At first, I thought he was just a sparring partner, because I beat him so badly he couldn't even fight back. Later I found out that he was also a top-ten predicted talent this year! His offensive ability is really bad, but his defense is okay, and his physical attributes are great! He's really strong!"
"His technique is just too rough. I was five times better at it when I was 15! Anyway, I have no chance, and this guy definitely has no chance either! Only someone with a screw loose would pick him with the top pick. I reckon he'll be outside the top five!"
pity……
After hearing what Yao Ming said, Lin Tian felt it was a pity.
It should have been recorded. Record it and send it to Jordan; who knows what amazing things he might have revealed!
It's a pity, from now on I'll definitely have to carry a voice recorder with me whenever I chat with others!
However, considering that Jordan deliberately went on the court to prove Yao Ming was no good in order to vent his anger, Lin Tian thought that this guy might really not be willing to draft Yao Ming even if he got the number one pick.
The main theme is "I'm too stubborn to bend over!"
Lin Tian's recommendation is likely to be completely ignored by this guy. It's just unknown whether he will choose Gasol or Chandler, or continue to choose Brown, who was criticized by Yao Ming as "that silly high school student".
Regardless of who Jordan chooses, Lin Tian understood one thing through this little incident.
What the hell is this "damn it, no amount of persuasion can convince him" nonsense?
Brother, you did your best. Older brother, you didn't know the ropes, so who can you blame?
After talking with the two big men, Lin Tian thoughtfully moved Yao Ming to sit next to Schmitz, allowing Yao Ming to chat with the Dutchman, who had a relatively successful NBA career, and gain some experience.
Lin Tian had absolute trust in Yao Ming's emotional intelligence. He believed that Yao Ming would soon become close with Schmitz, and who knows, the two might even reach an agreement to train together during the offseason before the game was over!
After putting Yao Ming and Schmitz together, Lin Tian ignored them and went to warm up and shoot. As time went by, the first game of the Eastern Conference semifinals was finally about to begin!
The Pacers continued with their very solid and powerful starting lineup from the past few seasons!
Lin Tian, Vince Carter, Doug Christie, Chris Webber, Ben Wallace!
Meanwhile, the Bucks on the other side also brought out their strongest lineup, the one they'd been holding back for the past few years!
First up are Milwaukee's Three Musketeers, a source of great pride for the city: "Gentleman's Sword" Ray Allen, "Alien" Sam Cassell, and "Big Dog" Glenn Robinson!
这三位常规赛期间分别能够供献22分+5篮板+5助攻，21分+7篮板+3三助攻和18分+7助攻+4篮板的漂亮数据，他们三个人每场比赛能联手轰下超过60分，这个输出高居联盟第四！
In terms of firepower alone, they are inferior to the Magic's McGrady, Duncan, and Malone, the Lakers' O'Neal duo and Kobe, and the Pacers' Lin Tian, Carter, and Webber.
Their firepower should not be underestimated!
In addition to the famous Three Musketeers, head coach George Karl deliberately placed the team's two other top scorers, Lynch Hunter (10 points per game) and Tim Thomas (12 points per game), on the bench in order to maximize the team's offensive firepower.
By staggering the firepower, the team can maintain a high level of firepower at all times. This is the core tactical idea of Karl, a top coach who once led his team to the NBA Finals!
In addition to the three musketeers, the Bucks' other two starters are old acquaintances of Lin Tian!
Mark Pope, the Pacers' former third-choice center, had a good relationship with everyone and would greet each other with a smile when they met.
And Jason Caffey, who started at small forward for the Bucks, was once teammates with Lin Tian on the Bulls for a few days!
Yes, that's one of the three random passersby who haven't appeared in over 360 chapters, and who got cornered and beaten up by Lin Tian in the shower.
Well, it's been too long. If this guy hadn't turned his head away guiltily as soon as he saw Lin Tian, and hadn't been trembling and unconsciously keeping his distance from Lin Tian, Lin Tian would have almost forgotten that he had beaten him up.
Young man, why are you so vengeful?
Don't be afraid!
I, Lord Lin, am not the kind of scum who likes to bully people and beat them up for no reason!
Mr. Lin is a reasonable person!
Let's play well and decide the winner fairly!
Lin Tian easily showed Jason Caffee his goodwill with a warm smile.
To Lin Tian's surprise, the guy's face seemed to say, "Don't come any closer!" He then quickly took another step and quietly stood behind Robinson, as if standing behind this burly man would save him.
Are you that scared?
Lin Tian scratched the back of his head, wondering if he had been too ruthless back then.
commit a sin!
Tonight, I'll beat him to a pulp, as atonement for my sins!
The whistle blew, and the game began!
As usual, Ben Wallace lost the jump ball against his former substitute, Pope.
His significant height disadvantage has kept his jump shot success rate consistently among the lowest in the league.
Kassel got the ball and faced Lin Tian, immediately unleashing his signature move!
Chong Lintian gave her a warm and innocent smile.
"Lin, let's have a proper spar."
A thunderbolt! It shook the very core of our being!
The screams of ghosts and wolves filled the air! The sky collapsed and the earth cracked!
Slay gods and immortals! Destroy demons and monsters!
The power of this smile is probably much stronger than Lin Tian's signature attack step + change of direction!
Anyway, Lin Tian was scared.
He immediately abandoned his attempt to continue battling Cassell near midfield, quickly turned around and returned to the three-point line before preparing to begin his defense.
Cherish life, stay away from Kassel!
Cassell, unhurried, dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and gave Lin Tian another smile: "Lin, why are you running so fast?"
Lin Tian felt that he had encountered the most difficult moment of his career!
Resisting Cassel's almost omnipresent and uninterrupted mental magic will be the biggest challenge Lin Tian will face in this series!
Well, Kassel's face really is...
FUXX!
I dare not look.
Lin Tian couldn't take a closer look and then explain to everyone the terrifying aspects of Kassel's face.
In any case, all Lin Tian could say was that compared to him, Ben Affleck was much more handsome!
The Bucks' first offensive possession was given to the team's youngest star, Ray Allen. Ray Allen received the ball beyond the three-point line and was matched up against Christie!
The Pacers used their strongest perimeter defender to match up against this top shooter in the league.
Allen, holding the ball, faked a move beyond the three-point line, slightly deceiving Christie's balance, and then suddenly accelerated to break through.
His calf muscles, nicknamed "Italian Stallion," bulged instantly, unleashing a terrifying burst of power. This incredible speed allowed him to quickly overtake Christie and reach the mid-range. Before Webber could come to help, he suddenly stopped, pulled up, and launched a mid-range jump shot.
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp bang, Allen opened the scoring for the Bucks!
This goal also demonstrated what sets Ray Allen apart from other strikers.
physical fitness!
His jumping ability, speed, strength, and other abilities are certainly inferior to those of true monsters; at best, he would be considered a bottom-tier first-rate figure in the entire history of the world.
But looking at the entire history of the league, among all the players who use shooting as their selling point, there is probably no one whose physical attributes can match his!
Simply put: no one is as accurate as him, no one is as fast as him, and no one can jump as well as him.
No one is as fast or as good at jumping as him as he is accurate.
His physical attributes combined with his shooting ability are the reason why he always gets easy scoring opportunities.
As the Pacers attacked, Lin Tian turned around from the backcourt, using his shoulder and back to block Cassell, his eyes darting around to observe his teammates' positions, before he began to advance sideways.
The main point is to avoid looking at Kassel if possible, and not even once!
After watching too much, you need to wash your eyes after the game.
After Lin Tian arrived at the frontcourt, Webber immediately rushed forward and executed a signature pick-and-roll with Lin Tian. Lin Tian then accelerated and broke through, getting past Robinson who was helping to defend him. During his drive, Lin Tian also made a fake behind-the-back pass with one hand.
After this feint completely fooled Pope, the Bucks' last defender, Lin Tian was now completely unmarked. He took off with the ball in one hand and slammed it into the basket!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, the Pacers tied the score.
"Lin, were you faster at breaking through tonight than before?" After scoring, Webber reached out and touched Lin Tian's hand, smiling as he said, "You're full of energy!"
"Give me extra cover tonight!" Lin Tian's face was devoid of a smile. "You'd better cover me every single round!"
"Caselle, is he really that hard to deal with? Does he need a pick-and-roll every single possession?"
Weber was stunned for a moment, then looked back. This "alien" was actually terrifying?
Will it force Lin Tian to take the initiative to provide cover, or will he keep asking for cover?
I never realized this guy was so amazing!
We must observe carefully!
With his exceptional basketball IQ, Webber immediately sensed something was amiss!
So for the remainder of the match, he really did start observing Cassell constantly.
Then?
He can't possibly observe anything!
He found that this Cassell was so mediocre on both offense and defense. He did have the ability, but at best he was only at the All-Star level, the level of the team's second or third star.
Is this level of skill enough to make Lin Tian frantically try to cover for him the entire time?
I don't understand!
Lin Tian: Don't understand? Can't you see this bastard keeps smiling at me?
Weber: I saw it, what's wrong?
Lin Tian: Isn't it scary?
Weber: It's not scary.
Fine.
Lin Tian didn't care whether Webber could see how terrifying Cassell was, because Webber's screens were indeed of very high quality, always managing to completely block Cassell.
enough.
With two minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Pacers had extended their lead to 14 points!
91: 105!
In this match, both sides engaged in a frenzied offensive battle, unleashing their firepower and offensive talents without reservation.
Both sides had very high success rates and impressive scoring efficiency.
Their respective key players also performed exceptionally well.
For the Bucks, Ray Allen hit three three-pointers for a team-high 19 points, Cassell had 17 points and 7 assists, and Robinson had 18 points and 9 rebounds. The three musketeers combined for 54 points in just three quarters, proving once again that their firepower is absolutely top-tier in the league!
Unfortunately, they faced the Pacers, a team whose firepower is absolutely top-tier in the entire history of the league and can compete for a place among the top three offensive teams in history.
So even though the trio played almost perfectly, they were still down by 14 points.
Lin Tian of the Pacers delivered a double-double early on, scoring 21 points and 14 assists.
韦伯17分7篮板4助攻，卡特19分，首发进攻三头怪同样是携手送出57分！
In addition, Miller scored 13 points off the bench, and Harrington added 10 points.
With more than a quarter left in the game, five Pacers players had already scored in double figures.
Their attack was truly powerful, comprehensive, and unstoppable!
With two minutes left, Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt once again. After seeing Cassell's face again, Lin Tian decided to finish the game quickly!
Damn it, they're not playing the fourth quarter anymore!
The first thing I do after the game is to apply an eye mask and wash my eyes thoroughly, otherwise I'm sure I'll have nightmares.
Thinking of this, Lin Tian patted his head again, signaling Ben to come forward and screen for him. Then, before Ben could come up, Lin Tian suddenly changed direction and dribbled in another direction. He then gathered the ball, jumped, and shot from beyond the three-point line!
"Whoosh!"
With another crisp sound, Lin Tian's unexpected three-pointer went in, while Cassell was still entangled with Ben Wallace. He never expected Lin Tian to suddenly pull off such a feint.
The point difference between the two teams has reached 17 points!
"Give it your all! Crush them! I need a lead of over 25 points before the end of this quarter!"
After hitting the three-pointer, Lin Tian clapped his hands and yelled at his teammates, "I'm not playing in the fourth quarter!"
"clear!"
After Lin Tian gave the order, Ben Wallace immediately stretched out his arms to interfere with the Bucks' baseline play under the basket, Christie immediately clung to Ray Allen, and Lin Tian gritted his teeth and blocked Cassell, making it impossible for Caffey, who had the ball on the baseline, to find a passing route.
Logically, facing the Pacers' sudden full-court press, Caffey should have chosen to observe first, and then call a timeout if necessary. As a veteran who has played in the league for many years, he should have had this experience.
This guy originally wanted to observe his teammates' positioning, but just as the 5-second serve time was about to expire, he saw Lin Tian.
He saw Lin Tian's face, which was filled with disgust, revulsion, anger, and impatience.
Then?
Then he remembered himself from many years ago, the scene of being beaten up in the shower. Those were Kafi's youthful days, evidence of him running in the sunset.
"Beep beep beep! Five-second violation on serve!"
Just as God knows what Kafi was thinking, the referee's whistle blew precisely.
Change of possession!
"That idiot! What was he thinking?" Karl, sitting on the sidelines, spread his hands in disbelief and exclaimed, "He couldn't serve the ball, couldn't he call a timeout?"
Karl was genuinely surprised that Caffey would make such a basic mistake; he hadn't even considered calling a timeout for the players.
They've already made it to the second round of the playoffs, and no one is some naive newbie who hasn't seen the world. Making such a basic mistake is completely unreasonable!
Karl's helplessness reflects the confusion of the other Bucks players.
Normally, even if Caffey had committed a turnover and passed the ball directly to the Pacers, it would have been much more reasonable than a direct five-second violation.
That was such a basic mistake!
On the other hand, the Pacers were celebrating happily, with the players shouting loudly to boost each other's morale and confidence. They had 25 points before the end of the third quarter!
Don't play the fourth quarter!
Possession shifted to the Pacers. Webber received the ball on the sideline and immediately passed it to Lin Tian, who had come out to receive it. Lin Tian, without even turning his body or looking at the basket, made a no-look pass and threw the ball towards the basket.
Carter had already arrived in time. With Ben Wallace's screen, Carter leaped into the air, grabbed the basketball with both hands, did a 180-degree half-turn in mid-air, and then slammed the basketball into the hoop!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Carter-Lintian-Webber once again completed an incredibly skillful three-man connection!
From serving to scoring, the entire process took no more than 2 seconds, flowing smoothly and elegantly!
The entire Conseco Arena erupted in cheers and shouts!
19 points!
After scoring, the Pacers immediately counter-pressed, continuing their full-court press strategy. This time, Robinson was the one inbounding the ball. The experienced "Big Dog" wouldn't make any basic mistakes, accurately passing the ball to Cassell, and the Bucks could finally start advancing!
However, facing Lin Tian, who suddenly increased his intensity and began to press and defend with all his might, even though Cassell was a well-known veteran in the league with rich experience and considerable strength, he still found it difficult to advance.
He barely managed to dribble the ball across half-court, almost being forced into a turnover by Lin Tian, and was nearly caught off guard by the 8-second violation.
After pushing forward and competing with all his might, Cassell, who was past the halfway point, also felt his legs going weak. He knew very well that he needed to rest for a few seconds to catch his breath, but Lin Tian on the other side was clearly not going to give him a chance to catch his breath!
Cassell made a quick decision and passed the ball to Ray Allen next to him with a bounce pass.
Allen, with the ball, faced Christie again. Just as he was about to launch an attack, he was surprised to find that Lin Tian had rushed over to double-team him!
This guy's gone mad!
This was Ray Allen's first reaction.
Although Cassell's three-point shooting percentage is only slightly over 30%, he is known for his toughness. If we let him go now, he will definitely punish the Pacers!
So Ray Allen didn't try to take credit and made a one-handed pass, trying to return the ball to Cassell, who had been left out.
But Lin Tian's reaction and speed were so fast that they were almost exaggerated. In the blink of an eye, he reached out and blocked the basketball in mid-air.
Christie then moved with incredible speed, quickly turning around, grabbing the basketball, and throwing it towards the frontcourt.
With such a huge lead time, needless to say, Lin Tian was the only one in the entire stadium who could catch up with that ball!
"boom!"
A few seconds later, Lin Tian once again completed a stunning long-distance gliding dunk!
The gap has reached 21 points!
There was still a full minute left in the third quarter!
At this point, the Pacers' defensive intensity and focus finally picked up completely!
(End of this chapter)