Chapter 1009
The Collapse of the Hornets! The Outburst of the Tarantula!
Deron Williams wanted to quickly move closer to receive the ball and continue the attack, but he was blocked by Lin Tian. Despite his best efforts, he could not get close to Ariza or create space for himself to receive the ball.
Delong grew increasingly anxious as he ran. He stared at the timer, frantically trying to shake off Lin Tian and reorganize the attack, but he could not escape Lin Tian's entanglement.
Then, for the Hornets, there was both good news and bad news.
Good news: They don't have 24 seconds.
The bad news: Deron Williams committed an offensive foul.
This guy couldn't control his movements during the run, and his elbow clearly lifted up.
Who is Lin Tian?
If you just raise your elbow at him like that, not only is it unlikely that you'll actually hit Lin Tian, but you'll almost certainly get an offensive foul!
Lin Tian's acting skills have been proven by Hollywood!
Lin Tian let out a scream and fell to the ground, crashing backward onto the floor.
The referee's whistle blew rapidly, and possession was transferred!
This round has directly exposed the Hornets' biggest problem right now.
There's a lack of ball handlers and a lack of players who can initiate attacks!
In their starting lineup, Deron Williams is definitely one of the league's top point guards.
But who else is there besides him?
Ariza is a pure 3-and-D player. You can ask him to catch and shoot or drive to the basket after only dribbling once or twice, but do more than that?
It's not like he hasn't done it before. A year ago, when Deron Williams was injured, Ariza was forced to take on the role of the team's main point guard, and he did it for about a month.
how to say?
He did play a few good games and even got a triple-double once, but apart from that, his efficiency declined faster than a roller coaster!
During the month that Deron Williams missed, Ariza averaged 4.5 assists per game, but also committed 4 turnovers, and his shooting percentage dropped to 39%+33%!
Allowing this guy to handle the ball a lot would be a nightmare for the team.
And this is already the Hornets' starting lineup with the best ball-handling skills besides Deron Williams.
As for Aminu, he doesn't even have a 3; he's just a pure D. Yi Jianlian can shoot, but like Ariza, he can only catch the ball and shoot or complete the offense within 1-2 dribbles. They are the type whose efficiency decreases the more they dribble.
As for Kaman, he was a pure finisher.
Of course, the Hornets have backup guards on the bench, but unfortunately, both Jack and Pargo are the type who can score but don't play defense at all.
If they were to play a double-control game with Deron Williams, the team's backcourt defense would likely collapse completely.
It can only be said that although the Hornets have made it to the Western Conference Finals, their roster has huge problems.
This is why they lost so decisively in last season's Western Conference Finals.
"Let your team find you a helper, Deron." Lin Tian stood up from the ground and looked at Deron with ease, saying, "I'm starting to feel sorry for you."
"We've only increased the intensity a tiny bit, and you're already completely overwhelmed. How are you going to compete in the rest of the matches?!"
"We'll see!" Delong looked at Lin Tian, lowering his center of gravity. Although he had made a mistake, he certainly wouldn't admit defeat so easily.
There are still more than 20 minutes left in the game!
"You dare say 'we'll see' to our team?!" Lin Tian suddenly laughed. "Have you forgotten that Kobe went berserk after saying that?"
"He clearly went berserk after saying that and then played a few terrible games!" Deron Williams said. "Don't try to fool me!"
"What kind of time is this to be arguing with me about this? Kobe was going to completely destroy your interior defense, okay?"
Lin Tian's words made Delong turn around and glance back. In that one glance, Delong knew that things were going to get bad.
Kobe didn't even touch the ball, and then he felt Lin Tian disappear from his side.
Attract attention, then accelerate directly, and in one step, Deron is completely overtaken.
Lin Tian's offensive style is truly causing Deron Williams and almost all other guards in the league immense pain.
So what if you rely on speed and skill? You can't beat us or what? Even without using trash talk to get our attention, you could easily get past us in one step. Why go through all this unnecessary trouble?
Lin Tian: It's necessary! I play basketball just to have fun! Playing like this makes my buddies the happiest!
No matter what tactics the Hornets devised during halftime, or how the head coach tried to boost the players' morale, after this offensive foul, half of what they planned at halftime would be rendered useless.
This is really affecting morale.
And the things that will have the biggest impact on morale haven't even started yet!
The Lakers once again positioned themselves in the corner, with Kobe and Durant diving into the low post on the left and right sides respectively, while Lin Tian observed the Hornets' movements from the top of the arc.
Then, Lin Tian noticed that the Hornets' defensive focus had indeed shifted towards Kobe.
The players' positions were all clearly closer to Kobe's side.
It's not that Durant's offensive efficiency is low or that he's not a big threat.
Simply put, the Hornets would rather Durant have a breakout game than have Kobe continue his streak of 40+ point games against them.
Let's stop here. At the very least, let's be the ones who end this record!
Lin Tian, of course, didn't hesitate. He quickly created space and passed the ball to Durant. Durant received the ball, turned around, and faced Yi Jianlian head-on.
Then he took a tentative step, and because his stride was really big, his offensive threat was so frightening that Yi Jianlian couldn't help but take a half step back.
This half-step is more than enough for Durant.
He didn't give Yi Jianlian a chance to get back into position to defend, but instead pulled up and took a mid-range jump shot!
"Shh!"
With a crisp sound, the Lakers took the lead in the second half.
The Hornets lacked defensive resources, leaving them with no choice but to choose between two poisons.
What made it even more despairing was that they knew both vials of poison were equally deadly and could kill them instantly.
The reason they chose to drink Durant's tarantula venom was not because it was less toxic than the snake venom next door.
It's purely because this bottle will make their deaths look better.
If you drink the Mamba Poison, you'll not only die, but you'll also become a laughingstock.
At least this bottle contains intact remains.
That's all there is to it.
However, for the Hornets, the biggest problem is obviously not that they can't stop anyone on the defensive end, or even that Lin Tian on this side hasn't drawn his sword or fired a shot.
Rather, their offensive problems were completely exposed.
Apart from Deron Williams, the Hornets really can't find anyone else who can effectively control the ball and organize the offense.
Lin Tian has completely figured out Delong's strengths!
In the second half, Lin Tian suddenly increased his defensive intensity, sticking tightly to Deron Williams and not giving him any opportunity to lead the team and organize an effective attack.
In two consecutive possessions, Deron failed to find an opportunity to complete the offense and organize the offense. In one possession, Deron forced his way out of Lin Tian's defense and then forced a shot that missed. Although he scored 2 points with Kaman's putback, it was obviously a drop in the ocean.
Another attack involved passing the ball around for a long time before it finally reached Ariza. Helpless, Ariza could only manage a shot, which, naturally, resulted in another skewer of iron.
On the other hand, Durant also took two shots in a row, and although he only made one of them, the ball he missed was slapped out of the three-point line by Bynum. After Lin Tian received the ball, there was no one within a three-meter radius.
This guy was incredibly arrogant. He even had time to raise one hand in front of his eyes and pretend to look around. After provoking him for a while, he finally made his move.
"Shh!"
With a crisp sound, if such a provocative three-pointer misses, it would be incredibly embarrassing.
But Lin Tian was certain he could get in; he had absolute confidence.
"Deron, guess when was the last time I got such a wide-open shot? I bet it was 15 years ago! What do you think? Oh, you didn't know, 15 years ago you were still playing in the mud, right?" Lin Tian didn't press Deron all over the court, but instead mocked him while returning to defense.
reason?
There's no need for that!
The Hornets have been completely shut down by the Lakers.
In the following rounds, the Hornets became increasingly sluggish and listless, and the players' momentum and confidence quickly faded.
Durant's offense was unstoppable, tearing the Hornets' defense to shreds, while Deron Williams' offense was completely contained by Lin Tian, unable to unleash his full potential.
Logically, if a coach with quick reflexes were in charge at this point, they would have made substitutions immediately, either by further strengthening the porous defense or by adding another ball handler to alleviate the team's constipated offense.
But Scott clearly didn't react that way.
Although this guy has led his team to the division finals multiple times, he is still slow in terms of reaction.
He was finally substituted after four minutes of play in the third quarter.
Replace Aminu with Jack, who excels at offense and can create his own chances with the ball. This would strengthen the offense and further weaken the team's defense.
Whether this approach is right or wrong depends on the outcome of the competition, but what is certain is that it is indeed too late.
The Hornets are now down by 20 points to the Lakers!
If they make the change sooner, the Hornets might still be saved, but if they do, they can only hope that Jack, the true point guard killer and the team's starting point guard's lifelong rival, has an extraordinary performance.
If they play normally, their chances are obviously slim.
When Jack came up, he didn't immediately take the ball and attack, since Deron Williams was still there.
Deron clearly felt that he had a helper and wanted to try another one.
He waved for Yi Jianlian to come forward and screen for him, wanting to use his signature pick-and-roll to break the deadlock.
But just as Yi Jianlian came up, Lin Tian made a fierce and aggressive tackle, blocking Yi Jianlian behind him.
Lin Tian nipped this pick-and-roll in the bud.
Lin Tian blocked Deron's position and continued to attack him aggressively. At the same time, he seized the opportunity to make a series of moves. Although he failed to steal the ball directly, he made Deron look very uncomfortable and forced him to retreat to create space, which prevented Lin Tian from stealing the ball directly from him.
"Whoosh!"
Forced into a sorry state by Lin Tian, Deron could only pass the ball quickly to regroup. Jack, who received the ball, was quite tough. He used his microwave and chaotic skills to his advantage, and immediately pulled up and threw the ball. The three-pointer flew straight towards the basket.
"Shh!"
After the cracking sound, Jack finally helped the Hornets stabilize the situation.
"A friendly piece of advice." Lin Tian remained unmoved. He glanced at the baseline, reached for the basketball, and while advancing the ball, he said to Deron Williams, "Stop trying to attack with the ball yourself. You can't do it."
"If you keep playing by yourself, you'll only be able to get stats by getting assists. You're finished tonight, you know? You're finished!"
Delong remained silent, because Lin Tian was right; he truly felt that he was doomed.
With more than half the game played, he had only managed 6 points and 3 assists, with a negligible shooting percentage and a high number of turnovers. He was completely contained by Lin Tian and the Lakers' defensive strategy.
"It's only temporary!" But Deron Williams isn't the kind of person who would back down and play quietly after a couple of trash talk from his opponent.
Or rather, how many players in the NBA can actually reach the All-Star level and be considered pushovers? It's very difficult to find a truly weak player at this level.
"Warm-up time is over, now I'm going to get serious!" Deron said sternly, though he himself felt a little guilty, but he still had to say it, right?
"Starting to get serious when you're down by 20 points?" Lin Tian couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Do you think you're me? You think you can let your opponent score 20 points?"
As Lin Tian spoke, his hands never stopped moving. He suddenly took a small step in place, and at the same time pulled the basketball far away with his left hand, raising his hand to start a crossover dribble.
Immediately afterwards, Lin Tian also made a large lateral movement, dribbling the basketball from left to right. After Deron barely caught up, Lin Tian changed the position of his feet again, and at the same time, the basketball slid from right to left.
A dramatic double-direction change!
If we're talking about who's best at this move in the league right now, without a doubt, it's Deron Williams!
Use your signature move to take you down!
Even Deron Williams was powerless against his own signature move.
When he used this move himself, he relied on a footwork style that was unpredictable and difficult to follow, but the range and speed were just average, at the level of a first-class player in the ordinary league.
But what if Lin Tian uses this move?
The rhythm remained largely unchanged, and the footwork consisted of the simplest, most basic steps.
But Lin Tian was too fast!
Not only was it fast, but the magnitude was also astonishing!
If Deron Williams' use of this double crossover move was a demonstration of his skill...
So Lin Tian used this move to demonstrate his absolute talent!
With unparalleled speed and range, no one could follow behind Lin Tian, only able to watch his taillights with envy.
"Shh!"
Then came a crisp sound as Lin Tianshuang completely shook off Deron Williams with a double crossover and launched a three-pointer from a sudden stop.
After that crisp sound, Lin Tiancai looked at Delong and said, "Sorry, I forgot that you guys also scored a 3-pointer just now. Now I've made up for it, so the point difference is still 20 points. That makes sense."
"You think you're me, only starting to exert yourself when we're down by 20 points?"
The same trash talk, delivered less than 5 seconds later, gave Deron a completely different feeling.
If the first time only made Deron feel a little guilty, the second time made him somewhat terrified.
His response to trash talk was simple: he let Jack dribble the ball up the court, then stopped taking the ball and turned to play off-ball.
"I thought you'd be a bit braver," Lin Tian said, looking at Delong. "You ran away after just one round? You should at least let me break a sweat and put in some effort before you collapsed!"
Deron didn't retort or say anything. He was trying to calm himself down. Lin Tian's three-pointer was absolutely devastating.
Unfortunately, he didn't have many opportunities or time to adjust his mood.
Jack passed the ball to him again very quickly.
Jack is facing Kobe right now!
Although Kobe's defensive threat has diminished significantly compared to his peak, he is likely to be easily exploited by speedsters, such as Derrick Rose in the first game of the regular season.
But what about a point guard like Jack, who is big, physically strong, and relies on shooting?
Well, sorry, Kobe could lock Jack up like a Muggle.
Jack knew he couldn't beat Kobe, so after dribbling a few times, he decisively passed the ball, putting the problem back to his older brother.
I can't come, you come!
Delong...
Deron Williams wanted to say that he couldn't come either, but he really had no other choice. If he kept passing the ball around outside, the team's morale would completely collapse.
So after receiving the ball, Deron immediately reached out to set a screen; he still wanted to use the screen to attack Lin Tian.
This time, Kaman stepped forward. He was better than Yi Jianlian in terms of size and screen-setting skills, but his mobility and shooting were not as good as Yi's.
Generally speaking, Deron Williams doesn't often go for pick-and-rolls with Kaman because their playing styles aren't well-suited to playing together. He runs pick-and-rolls with Yi Jianlian much more often.
But now his problem is no longer whether he can execute pick-and-rolls well.
His current problem is whether he can execute pick-and-roll plays.
To increase his chances of success, he had no choice but to seek out Kaman.
This time, Kaman indeed found a better opportunity to take the lead, blocking Lin Tian's path one step ahead.
But it didn't work!
Who is Lin Tian?
When Lin Tian decides to lock someone down, the terror he displays is beyond anyone's imagination.
"Oh!"
A loud thud was heard, and Lin Tian, unable to get past the cover, slammed into Kaman like a missile.
Kaman was truly as if he had been hit by a missile. Lin Tian slammed him so hard that he almost flew off the ground before falling back down, landing in a disheveled state.
Kaman only felt waves of pain in his chest, and he felt no excitement at all about the referee immediately blowing the whistle to give Lin Tian a defensive foul.
It really hurts!
Kaman lay on the floor for a full minute before finally standing up with the help of his teammates. As soon as he stood up, he saw Lin Tian's cold, almost murderous gaze.
"Again!"
Again?
Kaman couldn't help but swallow hard; he was scared.
Just one ball was enough to remind him of Lin Tian's formidable reputation and fill him with fear.
No one on the Hornets was excited about drawing a foul on Lin Tian, nor did anyone think that four more fouls like this would get Lin Tian, who already had two fouls, ejected from the game. No one celebrated.
Because they all witnessed the moment the two collided, they watched as the polar bear-like Kaman was thrown a great distance by Lin Tian and lay on the floor for a long time, unable to get up.
The principle of mutual force applies, so what would happen to Lin Tian after colliding with such a large polar bear?
If this guy had also been in so much pain that he couldn't stand and collapsed, the Hornets players wouldn't have felt any psychological impact.
What's so scary about inflicting 800 damage on yourself and 1000 on the enemy? (End of Chapter)