dmims Chapter 227 Lin Tian's Friendly Reminder!
Chapter 227 Lin Tian's Friendly Reminder!
Chapter 227 Lin Tian's Friendly Reminder!
"To break through the Jazz's fast-paced rotations, high pressure on the ball handler, and high physicality, which makes it very easy for opponents to fall into isolation plays, there are two key points!"
"First of all, there's Charles, whom I just mentioned. As long as we make them pay a heavy price in the paint, their defense will be unable to run anymore. Once we get their defense to stand firm and not leave any open players, their system will be half-useless. There's nothing to be afraid of."
"Secondly, it's about ball movement! When the ball handler is facing the Jazz's pressure defense, you must keep passing the ball around, keeping their defenders busy and wearing them down! We have Lin, Doug, and Reggie, so I'm not worried about that at all!"
"So Larry's only concern is you, Charles, did you realize that?" Miller nudged Barkley's stomach with his elbow and said, "You'd better work hard, don't get crushed by Karl again."
"Quiet!" Bird yelled, frowning. "The Finals! This is the Finals! You two, if you want to flirt, wait until we win the championship, then you can kiss in Indiana City Hall. But right now, shut up!"
Bird's rare outburst immediately silenced Miller and Barkley. Everyone knew that although Bird, the rookie head coach, seemed calm and casual, not taking the Finals seriously, the pressure he was under was absolutely enormous!
"In short, it's the same old story: pass the ball more, move more, and attack the paint more. Break down their fluid defensive system!" Bird continued, looking at Barkley and Miller who had quieted down with satisfaction. "Then, when they return to their normal defensive matchups..."
"Lin, it's your turn! You're the most experienced at beating up Stockton!"
"Leave it to me. As long as they dare to let Stockton face me, I'll beat him so badly his own mother won't recognize him!" Lin Tian nodded and said, "Besides, I'm actually very experienced against their whole team. I've beaten them all before."
"Don't beat them up this time," Bird said, looking at Lin Tian. "I still hope you win your first Finals MVP! Of course, if you really can't stand it, then beat them harder! We can always suspend them for another 25 games! We can take it! As long as they're willing to take the beating, we're not afraid of anything!"
"Everyone else, understand? We don't cause trouble, but if these Salt Lake City bastards dare to provoke us, we're not afraid of them, we can kill them! Whether it's basketball or a fight!"
"clear!"
"Very good." Bird's gaze swept across the entire court once more, and then he said, "Now that we've covered the offense, let's move on to the defense."
"On the defensive end, there's not much to say; there are only two key points."
"First of all, Lin marked Stockton so that he couldn't organize the team's offense or pass the ball around."
"Secondly, the rest of you keep an eye on Malone and prevent him from attacking comfortably! Charles, you'll be responsible for matching up against Malone at the start of the game. I need you to at least trade blows with him! Ben and Dale, your playing time will definitely increase this round. I need you to defend Malone."
"Doug, Reggie, Hoiberg, Joe, and everyone else, remember, whenever there's an opportunity, whenever the distance is close, whenever Malone gets the ball, double-team him! I want him to have at least two of our players in front of him every time he attacks!"
"I don't care if he averages 30 or 35 points against the Lakers, in this Finals series, I want Malone to average no more than 25 points per game!"
"If we can do these two things, this series will be a complete stomp! We can easily crush the Salt Lake City team! I can tell you my goal for this series."
"Sweep them away! It's that simple, sweep them away! We'll sweep them away!"
Lin Tian relayed Bird's words verbatim to the media an hour before the game started. When he was interviewed by reporters before entering the arena, he told the reporters about Bird and the team's goals without hesitation.
Lin Tian's words made the excited reporters who were interviewing him tremble with excitement!
That one sentence alone could sustain their newspaper's circulation for at least a week!
Pacers win: "Lin Tian's pre-game boast of a sweep has come true! Lin's bold words have never been empty promises!" or "Extreme confidence brings extreme strength; Lin had already declared he would sweep the Jazz before the game!"
If the Jazz win: "Lin's pre-game boast backfires, he reaps the consequences!" or "After the victory, Malone admits Lin's sweeping declaration gave them extra motivation!"
In short, once Lin Tian said this, the reporters could dissect and reconstruct it repeatedly throughout the entire series! Whether the Pacers win or lose is not important at all; what matters most is that Lin Tian's words can be used by reporters to boost newspaper sales time and time again.
"How do you feel about facing the Jazz in the Finals for the second year in a row?" The reporters weren't about to let go of Lin Tian, a star player who could drop bombshells at any moment, and kept pressing him with questions.
"I don't really feel anything. I hope they don't cause any more trouble this year and lose cleanly so everyone can have a good time. Otherwise, if some of their players are in the hospital for another six months, it's hard to say whether they'll be able to return to the league!"
"Are you threatening the Jazz to watch out?"
"Threat? Of course not! Of course not! I despise on-court violence, I oppose all on-court violence! In my entire life, I will never initiate a fight against anyone! Just look at this year's playoffs, how many times did Houston and Starks elbow me, how many times did they trip me up?"
"Michael hit me twice in the thigh and ribs in the fourth quarter of Game 7, and the swelling hasn't gone down yet! Did I get angry? Did I hit him? I didn't even get a T-shirt!"
"That's because I believe these are all actions within the bounds of basketball! I can accept them! And I will retaliate in the same way!"
"But if someone tries to use anything outside of basketball against me, trying to intimidate me, trying to subdue me, trying to win over me, then sorry, I'll retaliate in kind!"
"If you're going to play basketball, then play it well. If you want to play something else, I'm happy to oblige! As for the threat you mentioned, I don't think it's a threat. It's just a friendly reminder! I'm only reminding Stockton and Malone out of my deepest love for them, so they don't go astray."
After answering the question, Lin Tian walked into the players' tunnel, and the media certainly wouldn't wait until the next day to publish his words.
They'll see results tonight!
The first to receive the news were, of course, Malone and Stockton, who were on the other side of the court. When reporters said that Lin Tian was going to sweep them, Malone scoffed and said, "We'll see how the game goes! Does he think he's invincible just because he beat Jordan?"
"By the way, Shaq thought he was invincible before we swept him! But everyone saw how it turned out!"
Stockton added casually, "He probably thinks it's great that he beat us last year, but I have to say, that was because he had Jordan standing next to him. Now he doesn't have Jordan around, no one to draw attention to him. I'll shut him down. I'll show him why I'm the league's all-time steals leader and the best defensive point guard!"
"So, Carl, John, Lin also said he told you to be careful and not to use anything outside of basketball against him, or he wouldn't hesitate to send you to the hospital for another six months! What do you think of this threat?"
The reporter's question caught Ma Long off guard.
What do I think?
What else could I watch? Of course, I'd just lie on the ground and watch him beat up my teammate!
Last year, Lin Tian single-handedly defeated the entire Jazz team, casting a deep shadow over Malone and even the entire Jazz team.
For example, during the Eastern Conference Finals, the entire Jazz team, without exception, supported the Bulls and Jordan!
They called it revenge.
But the real reason is obvious to anyone who knows.
They were genuinely a little afraid of Lin Tian, this always smiling and very handsome guy.
This bastard really goes all out when he starts hitting people!
Of course, if Lin Tian heard this idea, he would definitely be very unhappy.
These bastards are slandering me out of thin air!
How could I, Lin Da Guanren, have gone so far as to beat you to death? If I hadn't held back and had gone all out, you wouldn't have been able to gather all your players for the later games of last season's finals! Taking you all out of shape would have been a piece of cake, wouldn't it?
In response to the reporter's question, Malone suddenly transformed into a peace ambassador and a partner of justice!
"I strongly oppose, condemn, and abhor all on-court violence! Basketball courts should be clean and tidy! They should only be for basketball. Violence damages our brand, reputation, and the hard work of our 450 players and thousands of staff throughout the league!"
"At least two generations of players have worked hard for 20 years to maintain the reputation and goodwill of this league, keeping it away from violence, drugs, dirty match-fixing, and a whole host of other disgusting things. I really hate those who are already reaping the benefits of others' hard work, earning high salaries, and enjoying the privileges that others have worked so hard to obtain."
"And then, those guys who don't care about or cherish these things, and insist on destroying all of this beauty! Such people should be expelled from the alliance!"
After hearing Ma Long's words, some of the reporters in front of him couldn't help but rub their eyes, while others secretly pinched their thighs.
They wanted to make sure they weren't seeing things or misperceiving anything.
How could a villain like Ma Long say such a thing?
It's only because Ma Long has such a fearsome reputation that a reporter would definitely reach out and touch his head to see if he has a fever.
"Get out, all of you! You have 10 seconds, get out!" Sloan's harsh, cold, and ruthless voice came from the locker room door. The veteran coach had also entered the locker room: "If you reporters don't get out by the time's up, I'll throw you all out!"
Once Sloan spoke, no reporter would dare to challenge his bottom line unless they were an idiot or a fool. All the reporters quickly stood up and left the locker room immediately.
"Bang!"
With Sloan slamming the door shut, there was no one else left in the locker room.
"The game is about to begin in 40 minutes! Are you all ready?" Sloan asked his players.
"Ready!"
"Are you ready to wash away the pain and shame that the Bulls and Lin brought us last year?"
"Ready!"
"So, Karl, tell me, what is your mission...?"
"Smash Barkley, smash their entire interior defense, and beat everyone who guards me!" Malone's voice was resolute and unwavering.
"John, what about you?"
"Keep an eye on Lin and get the ball moving," Stockton said coldly. "If you can't stop Lin, call for help and have your teammates double-team him."
"Jeff?"
"Shoot the ball! Make the Pacers hesitant to double-team Karl too much." Hornacek nodded.
"Brian, Adam, Greg?"
"Defense! Defend with your life! Completely shut down those Pacers bastards!"
"Very good." Sloan then questioned everyone on the team, including those bench players who were almost certainly not going to play. He didn't miss anyone and asked everyone about their tasks for the night.
Then, Sloan clapped his hands loudly and said, "Go! Conquer this league! Conquer the Pacers! Become the league champions!"
Delta Arena is another arena in the league named after an airline, and it is also one of the league's youngest arenas.
Built in 1990, it was put into use in just six months. The entire arena can accommodate 19911 people, making it one of the top five largest arenas in the league!
Lin Tian was no stranger to this place. Last year, it was here that he gave the entire Jazz team a good beating, sending several players to the hospital and causing them to lose the finals.
And that's why, when Lin Tian entered the court, all sorts of foul language came flying at him!
Lin Tian grinned, picked at his ear with his little finger, and said, "That's why I've always said Salt Lake City fans aren't very good. Their booing is so bad! Facing my number one rival, they actually used such unoriginal insults."
"Disappointing, so incredibly disappointing!"
"You call yourself my number one nemesis? What about Michael?" Miller couldn't help but retort to Lin Tian.
"Is that even a question? Of course they hate me even more." Lin Tian said with a smile, "If they can't beat Michael, they can just punch him and send him to the hospital, but if they can't beat me? Ask them if any of them dare to come over and punch me directly."
Yes, this angle is perfect; there's no point in arguing against it.
"Hey Karl, long time no see. Last year's series was really exciting, I miss it often." Lin Tian grinned mischievously at Malone walking not far away, and provoked him, "The feeling of a punch landing in your face was really great!"
"Wait, did I beat you up that night? I can't remember. Never mind, it doesn't matter. I beat up so many people that night, my memory is all jumbled up. But one thing is for sure: that was the most satisfying beating I've ever had in my life. Without you guys, I wouldn't have had such a good excuse to fight!"
"So what I'm trying to say is that I've always wanted to find an opportunity to express my gratitude to you."
Arrogant!
Lin Tianzhen is so arrogant that even Miller and Barkley wanted to help Malone punch him a couple of times.
Ma Long's response to Lin Tian's blatant provocation was also very simple and direct.
He didn't hear it, well, at least it seemed like he didn't hear it. Without even a moment's pause or hesitation, he kept walking forward, then abruptly turned a corner and walked back to his team's bench.
"That bastard Karl, he chickened out?" Barkley stared incredulously at the guy he considered his biggest rival in his position throughout his career, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "That scoundrel, he's backed down?"
"Alright, Charles, let's face it," Miller stretched and said, "With Lin on the team, every team playing against us will be like a well-behaved child in kindergarten!"
As for Malone on the other side, he was filled with regret at this moment!
They must have been blind! Of all the directions to take, they had to go and get close to that bastard Lin Tian, bringing shame upon themselves! Absolutely shame upon themselves!
Ma Long is an absolute villain with a bad temper, eccentric personality, and extremely ruthless methods. But a villain is not an idiot. After realizing the huge difference in fighting power between himself and Lin Tian, Ma Long knew that there are some people he can't afford to mess with, and it's best never to mess with them, otherwise he would only bring shame upon himself.
Fortunately, there wasn't much time left before the game started. Bird had already gathered all the Pacers players together for his final instructions. They didn't have the time or opportunity to mock Malone, which made Malone breathe a sigh of relief.
Malone was indeed relieved, but at the NBA headquarters, Stern sighed in disappointment.
The peak viewership for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals exceeded 42 million, and for most of the game, viewership exceeded 36 million!
What does this number mean? Before this game, the most-watched NBA game was Game 6 of the 1993 NBA Finals, which had 32 million viewers.
But that was the peak number; most of the time, the number of viewers was actually less than 2500 million.
And this game? Peak viewership increased by a full 1000 million, and average viewership increased by a whopping 1100 million!
Not to mention the countless and incalculable number of viewers worldwide!
From any perspective, this game is historic and a super game that could make the entire NBA league go crazy with excitement!
The problem was that after that incredibly crazy game, by the time Game 1 of the Finals came around, Stern and the league and television executives knew that it was impossible to maintain the viewership at that crazy number of around 36 million.
Even the most optimistic estimates from the league and TV stations are that the number of viewers will be halved, with only about 1700-1800 million remaining.
But as the first game of the finals was about to begin, Stern and his team realized they had been too optimistic.
700 million!
The viewership for this game was barely a fraction of what it was for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals!
Even if this number increases after the game starts, based on past practices and experience, a peak viewership of 1200 million would be enough to make everyone extremely happy!
"Sure enough, it still takes grudge matches, clashes between popular stars, and game-changers between teams from big cities to truly boost and stabilize viewership! A duel between perimeter stars is far more exciting than a matchup between two top-tier interior giants!"
As Stern thought about this, a number of names immediately popped into his head.
Hardaway, Hill, Iverson, Kobe, Marbury, Carter before he even entered the league, and oh yeah, Francis from the University of Maryland!
Of course, there's also Lin Tian, who's already on the highest stage and just eliminated Jordan!
The real hope of the alliance lies in the duel between these guys, those who have huge popularity or will have huge popularity sooner or later!
Perhaps I should give these people a little help so they can grow faster and have a more important role in the team?
Whatever Stern is thinking or planning right now has nothing to do with tonight's final.
Because the starting players from both sides have now taken to the field.
For the Pacers, Bird continued to use his favorite and most frequently used starting lineup.
Rick Schmitz, Charles Buckley, Doug Christie, Reggie Miller, Lin Tian!
On the Jazz side, veteran coach Sloan continued with his starting lineup, which had remained virtually unchanged throughout the season, demonstrating his stubbornness.
Greg Foster, Karl Malone, Jeff Hornacek, Brian Russell, John Stockton!
Ten players stepped onto the field, warming up for the last time while completely ignoring the referee's usual, uninteresting threats.
"beep!"
With a whistle, the basketball was tossed into the air by the referee. Schmitz, whose height was clearly superior to Foster's (who was less than 208 cm), secured the Pacers' first possession of the night.
After getting the basketball, Lin Tian didn't rush to advance and launch a fast break. He looked at Stockton, who was standing in front of him, and said, "Missing my fist, old dog?"
"Is that all you can do to threaten me? Huh? What skills do you have when it comes to basketball?" Stockton grabbed Lin Tian's waist with one hand, raised the other hand high, and at the same time, when the referee wasn't paying attention, he pinched Lin Tian's waist hard!
"Hiss!" Lin Tian gasped in pain, looking at Stockton in front of him and said, "Are you looking for death?!"
"Come on, if you've got the guts, give me a punch!"
Lin Tian understood from those two sentences.
Today, Stockton has come to his martyrdom!
This is a willingness to risk being beaten to death by Lin Tian, just to taunt and provoke Lin Tian to death from the very beginning of the match!
This is practically feeding the eagle with its own flesh!
It seems Stockton truly loves Salt Lake City very much.
"How about I give you a surprise?" Lin Tian looked at Stockton and suddenly passed the ball out.
Stockton has been beaten by himself, yet he still dares to do this; he's really brave.
To reward Stockton, Lin Tian decided to give him a gift.
Well, it's not just a gift for Stockton, but also a gift for the entire Jazz team, and even for Jordan, who has already been eliminated!
'Michael Jordan Experience Card (Full Game) for the 97-98 Season!'
We didn't use this in the Eastern Conference Finals, and now that we're in the NBA Finals, there won't be any more important games than this, so we might as well keep it.
Used it!
This also gave Jordan a sense of involvement in this series!
After passing the ball to Christie, Lin Tian quickly moved to the low post, blocked Stockton, and reached out for the ball!
"Kid, are you looking for death? You're not going to use your speed and vision to fight me, but instead want to duel me from a low position?" Stockton asked incredulously.
After all, after suffering a major injury in last year's Finals, Stockton's already not-so-great speed and agility have further declined. Now, if he doesn't use pick-and-rolls, he has almost completely lost his ability to break through!
When facing a speed-type opponent, his lateral movement is completely outdated. His once-famous defense is now reduced to nothing more than dirty tricks, dirty tactics, and a little bit of awareness and experience. This is why he tried to provoke Lin Tian right from the start.
Stockton knew that if he fought hard, Lin Tian would definitely beat him to a pulp, leaving him unable to even stand up.
So he had to take a gamble, betting that Lin Tian would lose his temper, fight him head-on, or even beat him up!
To put it bluntly, after watching the Eastern Conference Finals, Stockton has a very clear understanding of the gap in strength between the two teams in this series.
We can't beat them! We absolutely can't beat them!
However, he didn't say these words to anyone, including Malone and Sloan.
Stockton decided to sacrifice himself in hopes of giving the Jazz a fighting chance.
That's obviously not going to work!
It's not just because Lin Tian is the league's number one trash talker and psychological warfare master; getting Lin Tian to lose his temper is practically impossible.
Furthermore, even if Lin Tian didn't pass the ball and went one-on-one with Stockton, given Stockton's current defense and speed, Lin Tian could easily crush him!
Stockton understands these things, and Lin Tian certainly understands them even better!
So when Lin Tian abandoned his most advantageous high position and came to the low position to confront Stockton, Stockton felt for a moment that his plan had worked. Lin Tian was indeed going all out and was going to use the method that he was least good at and had the least advantage in to defeat Stockton!
Then Stockton realized that he had really been overthinking things!
"Bang! Bang!"
After two muffled thuds from the physical contact, Lin Tian suddenly exerted his strength and collided with Stockton for the third time!
This time, Lin Tian's force was much greater than the previous two times, forcing Stockton to take two full steps back before he could stand still. Lin Tian then turned around and launched a fadeaway jump shot, scoring 2 points!
"Great shot! Lin scored the Pacers' first point in NBA Finals history! And with a Michael Jordan signature move! A fadeaway jumper. I'm curious, is Lin showing off or paying tribute?" Marcus quickly began his analysis after Lin Tian made the shot.
Smith said, "I think Lin made that shot specifically for Jordan. He was telling Jordan: I can play the way you do! Lin was trying to prove that the Game 7 victory wasn't a fluke!"
After making the shot, Lin Tian exaggeratedly put one hand on his forehead, then looked around wildly, saying, "John, John! Hey, John, where are you? Why can't I see you?"
Stockton lowered his head and pretended not to hear Lin Tian's provocation. He took the pass from his teammate and began to advance towards the front.
But his advance was far from smooth as expected, because Lin Tian did not retreat to defend, but instead immediately stuck to Stockton's side and began a full-court press against him!
It's not just full-court press defense, it's the kind of direct, head-to-head, full-court press defense!
"Wow! It's true what they say, enemies meeting are bound to be furious! After scoring a point, Lin immediately adopted a high-intensity, close-marking defense against Stockton!" Marcus noticed Lin's defense and immediately informed the audience.
Smith said, "But it should be Stockton and Lin who have a grudge, while Lin and Stockton don't have much of a grudge, after all, last time..."
At this point, Smith chuckled and shut his mouth. Everyone knew he was referring to the brawl in last year's Finals, the game that humiliated the entire Jazz team and made them feel ashamed.
He truly played the entire team by himself!
However, Lin Tian is now employing a highly aggressive defense on the court, keeping himself in front of Stockton at all times.
Stockton just wanted to curse right now!
He couldn't understand how Lin's defensive ability had improved so quickly. Not only were his defensive footwork fast and dense, but every detail was impeccable. Coupled with his extremely strong pressure, Stockton smelled a hint of Payton in Lin Tian!
In other words, although Stockton's physical condition has declined significantly, his experience and basic skills are still there. Although he was forced into a somewhat embarrassing situation by Lin Tian, he managed to safely dribble the ball across the halfway line.
After crossing half-court, Stockton stretched out his arms, wanting a screen from Malone, but Lin Tian suddenly intensified his defensive pressure once again, pressing towards Stockton. This time, he almost hung on Stockton's body.
Taking advantage of the moment when Stockton raised one hand to cover his dribbling with only one hand, Lin Tian suddenly rushed in and made a steal. Not only did he provide a lot of physical contact, but his long arms also reached out and hit the basketball that Stockton was dribbling.
"Snapped!"
With a crisp sound, Lin Tian successfully intercepted the ball, turned around to dodge Stockton's outstretched arm that was trying to block him, dribbled the basketball, and rushed towards the frontcourt!
The ball was stolen very close to the midcourt line, and no one on the Jazz team had time to react. They could only watch as Lin Tian charged to the frontcourt, stepped on the lower arc of the free-throw line, and bounced up!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Lin Tian glided and slammed the ball in with one hand!
4: 0!
"Trash! You're just lucky!"
"John, give him a piece of your mind and show him what you're made of!"
"Trash! Maggots from the sewers!"
"Even my grandma's cockroaches are better than yours! Don't get too cocky, kid!"
After Lin Tian scored two consecutive baskets, the Jazz fans immediately started to jeer, with all sorts of boos pouring down on him. They were professionals at booing, and they were also professionals at being stubborn!
However, Lin Tian didn't react at all to this kind of utterly unsophisticated and purely vulgar language, except for finding it noisy. He even stood under the Jazz's basket, holding his hands up to his ears, indicating that the fans could make the noise even louder.
Arrogant!
Lin Tian was so arrogant that he didn't even bother to go back on defense. After standing there being arrogant enough, he went straight to Stockton and continued the full-court press tactic!
Although Jordan's lateral speed in the 98 season couldn't match his younger self, and his physical attributes and stamina had declined significantly, his defensive experience, skills, and intimidation were still among the best in the league. Not to mention Lin Tian himself had world-class super speed and almost inexhaustible stamina.
Jordan's flaws simply don't exist for Lin Tian!
Not to mention that Stockton himself was a guy with mediocre physical attributes who relied entirely on experience, skill, and a ruthless mentality to play.
This is the type of defender he fears most!
He has better physical attributes, is just as experienced as him, has top-tier skills in the league, and completely surpasses him in stamina, height, and wingspan.
It would be a miracle if Stockton could perform well against Lin Tian's defense!
Faced with Lin Tian's relentless pressure this time, Stockton dared not relax at all. He didn't even dare to raise his hand to make hand gestures or call out tactics; he could only shout with his voice.
In fact, point guards or other players raising one hand to call out tactics is a little trick that almost everyone in the world of basketball knows.
However, the others didn't encounter a defender as monstrous and insane as Lin Tian. When they raised one hand to call out tactics, it was only a matter of a moment, and they wouldn't reveal any flaws that would lead to the turnover.
Lin Tian's speed, experience, skills, and timing were all at their peak.
He was able to seize every fleeting moment and opportunity!
Just like when Linghu Chong was fighting against Dongfang Bubai, he could see the flaws in Dongfang Bubai's moves, but he couldn't grasp them at all because Dongfang Bubai was too fast!
Lin Tian now possesses both Linghu Chong's ability to discover flaws in the "Nine Swords of Dugu" and Dongfang Bubai's speed in the "Sunflower Manual," which surpasses everyone else by at least one level and is enough to cover up all flaws.
Crush them!
Some point guards seem to like letting the basketball roll on the floor for a while, which can temporarily stop the flow of time, allow teammates to take their time to get into position, and give themselves some rest time.
This method sounds like it's easy to make a mistake, as it seems like the opponent could easily steal the ball with a diving tackle. But in reality, which point guard who dares to do this doesn't have top-notch reaction speed and reaction time? They are confident that they can pick up the ball before the opponent can pounce on them and then launch an attack!
Of course, it's because they didn't meet Lin Tian. If they had met Lin Tian tonight, no matter who it was—Paul, Lillard, Curry, or Harden and Westbrook—Lin Tian was confident he could teach them a lesson and make them never dare to use such pretentious stuff again.
I'll say it again: utterly crush them!
Tonight, Lin Tian could absolutely crush any point guard in NBA history!
These point guards, of course, include Stockton, who has just suffered a major injury, whose physical condition has further declined, and who is already at the end of his career.
In his memory, when Stockton faced the Bulls in this round of the Finals, he averaged only 9 points and 7 rebounds. Although his 49% shooting percentage seemed decent, he could only make 0.3 three-pointers per game, and almost all of his points came from layups and fast breaks.
Simply put, even if the Bulls' defensive focus was on Malone, and even if Stockton was mostly matched up against Hubble and thin air, since Hubble often went to the paint to help defend Malone.
Even so, Stockton had no scoring ability and could only pass the ball back and forth at the top of the key.
His only commendable contribution throughout the entire Finals was probably that crucial three-pointer he hit in the final minute of Game 6, giving the Jazz a three-point lead and almost forcing a Game 7 in the playoffs.
At other times?
He wasn't exactly an undercover agent, but he was utterly unremarkable, a complete role player.
Stockton's performance was so mediocre when he faced Hubble and air, let alone tonight when he's facing Lin Tian.
Or is he just Lin Tian who bought a trial card?
Stockton made no mistakes in this round, safely dribbling the ball across half-court, but he was completely unable to organize the team's attack. Stockton was so well defended by Lin Tian that he had no chance to observe his teammates' positions, and he could only quickly pass the ball to Russell.
After Russell got the ball, he immediately looked for Malone, wanting their star player to attack!
The moment Malone got the ball, before he even had a chance to exchange a few trash words with Barkley, Christie on the baseline, Lin Tian on the top line, and Barkley behind him surrounded Malone!
"My God! A triple team! This is the Jazz's first real offensive possession, and Malone's first time with the ball! Have the Pacers been this aggressive with their double-teaming of him from the very beginning?"
Marcus said he didn't understand the Pacers' somewhat crazy defensive choices at all.
"It's hard to understand. Are the Pacers so confident that the rest of the Jazz can't make shots? With Malone's passing vision, their defensive rotations will have a hard time keeping up!" Smith thought the same as Marcus. He didn't understand why the Pacers would use such a desperate defensive approach.
"There's only one possibility," Marcus said: "The Pacers don't respect anyone except Malone! They think the rest of the Jazz can't make shots!"
"Maybe Hornacek is an exception, at least Reggie Miller is still sticking to him, but I don't think Hornacek has many options against Miller's defense," Smith added. "After all, Miller is afraid of players who are physically strong, fast, and have explosive athleticism."
"Miller has always been incredibly accurate in defending against pure technical white shooters like Hornacek!"
On the court, Malone, who was surrounded by three players, was not in a hurry at all. He quickly passed the ball to Stockton.
"Go to hell, you bitches!" Malone cursed viciously. "John will show you just how stupid your defensive strategy is!"
(End of this chapter)