Chapter 1010
Another unprecedented record! The Lakers and Lin Tian stand out from the crowd!
Unfortunately, Lin Tian's performance was incredibly tough. He didn't even flinch, just stared directly at Kaman, and after Kaman stood up, he added a trash talk.
What is the aura of a ruler who reigns supreme?
That's it!
Lin Tian's reaction naturally sent shivers down the spines of the Hornets players.
That's really scary.
Of course, none of the Hornets players were going to ask Lin Tian if he was faking it or if he was in pain.
Who would do something so thankless and exhausting?
With Lin Tian's mouth, wouldn't he take the opportunity to verbally kill them?
It's fortunate that they didn't ask Lin Tian.
Otherwise, Lin Tian might really lose his composure.
The reason he paused for a minute before spouting trash wasn't just to stand there and act cool and create a sense of pressure; he also needed to take a break.
In that collision, Lin Tian didn't raise his elbow or lower his shoulder; he didn't make any additional movements, it was just a head-on collision.
If he hadn't acted cleanly and explained himself clearly, what he just received wouldn't have been a regular foul, but a malicious one.
To pay for such an assertive move with a malicious foul would be a huge loss.
So Lin Tian was enduring the pain just now; every time he opened his mouth, he would have been gasping for breath.
Lin Tian had only one thing on his mind: This damn German is incredibly tough!
In a head-on collision, Lin Tian wasn't some kind of superhuman being, the Hulk, or someone with Pangu's bloodline. He was just an ordinary person who had simply used a minor cheat code; he hadn't deviated from the realm of normal humans.
So he was really in pain.
Even the murderous look in Lin Tian's eyes that Kaman just saw wasn't an act; it was genuine pain.
Fortunately, after the pain subsided, Lin Tian has fully recovered.
But whether Kamand can regain his confidence and courage is beyond Lin Tian's control.
The game resumed quickly, and the Hornets got another 14 seconds to attack. Deron Williams received the inbound pass, and Lin Tian closed in again.
This time, Lin Tian didn't spout any more trash talk. Instead, he looked at Deron, and his meaning couldn't be clearer.
Let's do it again!
Come on over!
Delong cursed inwardly. Although he had been at the scene of the incident and clearly heard and saw how hard the impact was, he was still shocked.
But after all, it wasn't Deron who was in pain.
Come on, Kaman!
I need you.
Kaman cursed under his breath when he saw Deron's gesture. He didn't think he could draw a foul and knock Lin Tian off the court after a few more impacts. He thought he would have to be carried off the court and sent to the hospital after a couple more impacts.
Kaman tried to pretend he didn't see it, but unfortunately, his professional ethics and tactical awareness made him reluctantly go up to cover for Deron.
"Get lost!" But as soon as he stepped forward, Lin Tian cursed viciously. The sound was so loud that Kaman couldn't help but pause and didn't get into position in time.
Just this one meal.
Lin Tian squeezed through the screen again and stuck close to Deron Williams, not giving him an easy chance to handle the ball.
Then Kobe, who was already prepared, rushed out from the wing, reached out and snatched the ball from Deron's hands.
Lin Tian quickly stepped forward, grabbed the basketball, and then swiftly advanced to the frontcourt. After glancing back, he slammed the ball against the backboard.
With a loud "bang," the basketball bounced back, and a tall figure behind Lin Tian took the opportunity to rise up, catch the basketball in mid-air, and smash it directly towards the basket.
"boom!"
With a loud bang, the Lakers scored another 2 points!
"Great move, Kevin!" Lin Tian reached out and gave Durant a passionate handshake, then turned around and returned to his half of the court.
Lin Tian stopped spouting trash talk because he knew very well that it wasn't necessary.
Because the Hornets collapsed.
Their morale had completely collapsed in the recent series of offensive and defensive battles.
If the Hornets hadn't collapsed and had managed to win the game, they would have been the ones facing the Bobcats in the Finals last year, not the Mavericks.
This team doesn't have that much resilience!
The games that followed became a complete showcase for Durant.
He kept attacking, cutting to the basket, and making shots, and his stats skyrocketed. The Hornets didn't make any special changes to their defense.
It's pointless. The team's morale has collapsed. Changing the defensive tactics will only allow the opponent to score with a different player.
At least if we keep playing like this, nothing terrible will happen, Kobe's record will be broken, and the team's minimum strategic goal will still be achieved, right?
Furthermore, the point difference between the two sides did not widen rapidly, but remained around 25 points.
The Hornets couldn't catch up, but the Lakers didn't really intend to continue playing aggressively and widen the score gap to 40 points.
The Lakers are a team that values integrity.
If you don't fight back, then I can go easy on you. If you do fight back?
Hehe, take a look at the Raptors!
In the following matches, the tension between the two sides rapidly decreased until it disappeared completely.
Ultimately, by the end of the game, the point difference between the two sides had narrowed.
99: 113!
The Hornets ultimately lost by only 14 points.
Then, under their tactical bias, Kobe only scored 24 points on 8-of-19 shooting tonight, achieving their strategic goal and ending Kobe's streak of 40+ points.
However, the Hornets were clearly a bit naive. Their strategy tonight was successful, but they completely forgot about something else.
One record broke for them, but another record rose for them.
Looking back many years from now, they will still be the inescapable background figures.
这个晚上的杜兰特，27投15中，3分球5投3中，罚球9罚8中，轰下41分7篮板4助攻的数据。
Durant, it's time to take over from Kobe and start firing!
Kobe had no objection to this change of shooting opportunities. He had had a great time and was satisfied with his performance. It would be good for him to take a break and let Durant show off his skills!
Like Kobe, Durant also had an incredibly good scoring environment with two top-tier perimeter scorers and one interior star on his team!
Even better than Kobe.
Although Kobe is not as tall as him, his playing style is actually more inside. Kobe needs space in the low post to isolate and attack the paint. With Bynum on the court, Kobe's space is not as sufficient.
But Durant is different. This guy is at least 210 centimeters tall, but he has the shooting range and playing style of a 2-3 position. His ability to catch and shoot after off-ball movement is so strong that it's despair-inducing. With good positioning, excellent awareness, and his terrifying height, almost no one can interfere with him when he catches and shoots.
Durant's biggest weaknesses right now are his stamina and his fundamentals.
His stamina is insufficient to support his repeated one-on-one attacks and constant one-on-one battles. Against those tough and strong defenders, he is easily knocked off his feet and unable to exert his full power.
But now that Lin Tian is there, he hardly needs to engage in physical battles or confrontations with his opponents. He can just shoot, which greatly saves his energy and improves his efficiency. No matter how tough or heavy the opponent is, they can't keep up with him. His basic skills haven't reached their peak yet. His dribbling is still a bit too high, and the range and frequency of his crossovers need to be improved. Against smaller, quick-handed defenders, he is prone to making mistakes and being forced into a stumbling position by his opponents.
But now we still have Lin Tian. He doesn't need to dribble too much, nor does he need to repeatedly face-up drives and expose his weaknesses. What kind of quick, agile defenders are we talking about? When I'm shooting, I can't even see you!
In short, Durant has been completely liberated!
His outburst came more suddenly and more violently than Kobe's.
Because everyone in this league knows how terrifying Kobe is. Although he never won a championship, everyone knows how powerful Kobe is.
And what about Durant?
Before this year, he was positioned as a middle blocker and a high-scoring player. Everyone knew he was good, but no one would have thought he was MVP or a scoring champion.
But now, everyone realizes that they really underestimated Durant.
After a 40+ point game against the Hornets, Durant's outburst became unstoppable.
The Lakers then moved on to the Northwest Division, where they battled the Timberwolves, Jazz, and Trail Blazers.
Just like Kobe a week ago, Durant has scored 40+ points in all three of these games!
对森林狼44分7篮板3助攻，对爵士49分9篮板2助攻，对开拓者40分5篮板1助攻！
With his 41 points against the Bobcats, Durant has now scored 40+ points in four consecutive games!
Furthermore, the Lakers have won all four of these games! Including the four games Kobe played before, the Lakers have now achieved an impressive eight-game winning streak!
They're starting to solidify their position as the top team in the league.
Following Kobe, Durant also won a Western Conference Player of the Week award.
It was at this time that the league's first month of games came to an end, and December was just around the corner.
Lin Tian, too, quietly and unnoticed, won the Western Conference Player of the Month award this month!
He didn't win a Player of the Week award, but he did win the Player of the Month award.
At the same time, no one objected to this, and no one felt that Lin Tian should not have won the Player of the Month award.
Lin Tian simply played modestly, only not scoring as wildly when his two teammates both scored 40+ points. But his performance was in no way inferior to Kobe and Durant!
Especially in the eight consecutive games where these two players scored 40+ points, Lin Tian only scored more than 20 points in three games, but he had more than 20 assists in eight consecutive games!
Even Kobe and Durant had rotations and handovers, but Lin Tian went straight for eight consecutive games with 20+ assists!
How difficult is it to have 20+ assists in 8 consecutive games?
In NBA history, only seven players have had more than eight games with 20+ assists in their careers.
Stockton has done this 38 times, ranking third in history; Magic Johnson has done it 32 times, ranking third in history; Kevin Porter Jr. has done it 16 times, ranking fourth. Apart from these, no one else has achieved 20 assists in a single game more than 10 times!
Isaiah Thomas and Steve Nash, who are ranked fifth and sixth respectively, have only done this nine times each.
Of course, Lin Tian ranks first, with his eight consecutive 20+ assists this season, bringing the total number of times he has done this in his entire career to 51.
Far ahead, a precipitous lead.
His record of 20+ assists in 8 consecutive games is even more exaggerated and frightening than his record of 50+ assists in 8 consecutive games back then.
After all, someone has done eight consecutive 50+ point games, and someone has set an example for it: Wilt Chamberlain.
Others have come close; Kobe once did it in four consecutive games.
And what about eight consecutive games with 20+ points?
Aside from Lin Tian, only Magic Johnson has ever had 20+ assists in two consecutive games. That's all.
That's all!
Lin Tian has set yet another unprecedented record.
His statistics are terrifyingly consistent, and the changes he brings to the team are equally terrifyingly significant.
By this point in the season, no one dared to underestimate the Lakers, and no one dared to say that the Lakers weren't a championship contender.
It's perfectly normal for a team to have a player win both Player of the Week and Player of the Month awards consecutively; you can easily find a dozen or twenty players who have done it.
But if two players on a team win Player of the Week and one player wins Player of the Month in the same month, that's really scary.
This fully demonstrates that the team has three top-level players, and the chemistry between them is excellent. They cooperate seamlessly, and more importantly, there is no issue of the team breaking up due to unequal distribution of spoils!
Super teams are easy to find, but super teams that can distribute ball possession, statistics, and tactical roles reasonably, with no one complaining and everyone able to perform well, are extremely rare.
The Lakers are clearly becoming that kind of team.
A team with an all-star roster and resources, perfect chemistry, unwavering unity, clear division of labor, and a top-notch coach.
There's no need to elaborate on how terrifying this team is.
He will definitely become the nightmare of the entire league!
There are many reasons why this team was able to reach the level of "nightmare of the entire league" in just one month.
Durant's further maturation, Kobe's improved performance after recovering from injury, and Jackson's perfect creation of team tactics.
And most importantly, Lin Tian joined!
Lin Tian's addition has transformed this team, which last season was characterized by individual players and scattered attacks, into a cohesive unit.
Lin Tian's addition eliminated all the potential problems that might have arisen with the team.
Power struggles, ball possession distribution, tactical roles, the battle for team leadership...
With Lin Tian, none of these problems remain.
As for what Lin Tian did? He didn't actually do anything.
This is what a superstar, the greatest in league history, should do.
It would be strange if they couldn't do these things.
As November came to a close, various media outlets, league officials, and bookmakers all updated their lists, rankings, odds, and other similar information around the same time.
These things have one thing in common.
The Lakers are in the lead!
On the league's official MVP rankings, Lin Tian, who has averaged 18.9 points, 17.5 assists, and 2.8 steals per game this season, is at the top of the list and is the undisputed number one. What is truly shocking is that Kobe Bryant is ranked fifth and Kevin Durant is seventh.
Despite being on the same team, the three didn't split their votes at all. Thanks to this breakout performance and the small sample size and limited number of games, Durant and Kobe's average points per game have skyrocketed, and they are now ranked third and fourth on the scoring list, respectively.
With just these two on the same team, and another teammate ranking ahead of them at the top of the MVP leaderboard, Lin Tian's influence and strength are truly undeniable.
If this ranking continues until the end of the season, the Lakers will become the first team in NBA history to have three players ranked in the top ten of the MVP rankings and one of them win the MVP award.
So, with the Lakers dominating the MVP rankings, the rest of the rankings are naturally even more impressive.
In the team power rankings, the Lakers have directly climbed to the top spot!
The bookmakers also updated their odds, with Lin Tian and the Lakers now leading the MVP and championship races, respectively.
In just one month, the Lakers transformed themselves from an average team in the league into the top favorite to win the championship and the best team in the league!
And yet everyone still thinks that the Lakers deserve this ranking!
Unbeknownst to many, the league's trend this season has shifted from a battle of many strong teams with multiple teams advancing side by side to the entire league having to find a way to disrupt Lin Tian and his team's rhythm.
Lin Tian's impact on the team is evident.
However, that's not all! (End of Chapter)