Chapter 1031
Trying to outsmart me? You're a far cry from it!
On the court, Bynum stepped up to the free-throw line in place of Durant to prepare for the free throw.
He is the Warriors' designated free throw shooter.
This rule was specifically designed by the league to prevent players who are not good at free throws from faking injuries and leaving the game, allowing teammates who are good at free throws to take the shots and exploit the loophole.
In other words, if a player who needs to take a free throw is unable to continue and has to leave the game, the free throw taker will be designated by the head coach of the other team, and the injured player will not be able to play again for the rest of the game, regardless of what happens next.
This move effectively shut down the loophole, preventing anyone from faking an injury to leave the court, then substituting for a free throw before returning.
Otherwise, with a shameless head coach like Jackson, he could easily pull off some crazy schemes.
For example, back in the day with the OK combination, when O'Neal was fouled, he would lie on the ground and say he was injured, asking Kobe or Fisher to take the free throws. After the free throws, hey, O'Neal was fine and came back to play.
If this continues repeatedly and the bug is completely exploited, the impact on the competition will be enormous.
It is under this rule that many players, even when injured, insist on finishing their free throws before leaving the court.
What if we can still go on later?
What if I leave the game, and you assign a player who can't even shoot free throws as accurately as I can with my knees?
This time, the Warriors designated Bynum to take the free throws.
Theoretically speaking, the center is the player with the worst free throw shooting on a team.
"Shh!"
Then, there was a crisp sound.
"A bunch of idiots! Don't you even look at the stats?" Bynum smugly mocked after sinking his first free throw, "My free throw percentage is 75% now!"
"Let me take the penalty? I'll give you a fucking double free throw!"
"Your brains can't even process things as quickly as I change my hairstyle!"
"Shh!"
Then, with another crisp click, Bynum, whose free throws are always reliable, did not disappoint any Los Angeles fans, making both free throws and continuing to extend the team's lead.
However, both sides still need to take free throws. In the previous conflict, Paul received a flagrant foul, and Thomas, who started the fight, was ejected. So Bynum has to take another free throw, then Paul takes another, and finally the Lakers will have possession of the ball.
Meanwhile, off the court, Jackson was standing at the entrance to the player tunnel, chatting with Isaiah Thomas.
"Isaiah, you played well just now." Jackson put his arm around Thomas's shoulder and said, "Those few hits on Chris were pretty good! I'm sure you have some better stuff that you haven't shown yet."
“You have always been talented, capable and deserving of playing on the court, but as you know, our team is in a situation where, although I want to develop you, we simply don’t have enough time to give you.”
“It’s okay, Coach, I know! I know you’ve been thinking about me, and I know I need to fight for my chance.” Thomas’s eyes almost welled up with tears as he listened to Jackson’s words. He patted his chest and said, “I will definitely not let you down, and I will not complain. I will find my opportunity and position.”
Jackson continued, "That's not what I meant. I just wanted to tell you that getting you from this position in the draft is, in my opinion, one of the greatest robberies in Lakers history. I believe this draft is comparable to the Lakers getting Magic Johnson and trading Divac for Kobe! I really believe it!"
"It's not just because of the punches I just gave Chris, it's because I genuinely believe you have the ability and skill, you know?"
"Coach!" If Isaiah Thomas's eyes were still a little red just now, he couldn't hold back anymore. The way he looked at Jackson was practically dripping with tears!
"Needless to say, I've been watching your performance this season, and honestly, there's not much to criticize."
"You'll have opportunities in the last few games of the season, more opportunities! I'll give you more playing time, and then..."
"Hey, if any team wants you after the season ends, if any team is willing to guarantee you playing time, just let me know anytime. I'll use all my connections to get you where you want to go. I can handle Mickey, understand, Isaiah?"
"I understand, coach." Young Isaiah Thomas had never seen anything like this before.
His basketball career can be summed up in one word: difficult!
It was incredibly difficult.
Because of his physique, he has suffered countless taunts and humiliations.
Of course, given his skill level, he has received a lot of praise, but compared to the neglect and ridicule he has suffered, those few praises are not even enough to fill a tooth gap.
But tonight, Phil Jackson, one of the league's top head coaches, opened his heart to him, made an emotional confession, and entrusted him with important responsibilities.
What can I say?
If I don't give my life to Phil Jackson, if I don't give my life to the Lakers, am I even human?
"Coach, I will do it, I will definitely not let you down!" Thomas looked at Jackson with his eyes completely fixed on him. Even if Jackson told him to rush onto the court and beat up Chandler right now, he would not hesitate for even a second.
Jackson nodded in satisfaction, patted Isaiah Thomas on the shoulder, and then walked back to the court.
The pep talk is over, but the competition continues.
The point difference between the two sides has now reached 14 points again.
Kobe just scored two consecutive baskets against Redick, and his hot hand didn't cool down at all after sitting on the bench for a while.
But for the Warriors, the problem right now isn't Kobe's hot hand.
For them, the biggest problem now is that Lin Tian is preparing to open fire.
He and Kobe started switching on defense!
The outside lineup features Lin Tian against Paul, Kobe against Gay, and Barnes against Redick, while the inside lineup features Turiaf against Aldridge and Bynum against Chandler.
Kobe still focuses on defending ball-handling isolation players; defending off-ball is not his forte.
The moment Paul received the ball in the backcourt, Lin Tian suddenly jumped up and stuck to Paul, applying full-court pressure from the backcourt.
"It's a full-court press!" Miller shouted. "It's a real full-court press, not just a perfunctory full-court defense! Lin is really pushing, he's practically hanging on Paul, and we all know what this change means."
"The Lakers are going to step up their game! They're getting serious!"
After saying that, Miller and his two partners were both stunned for a moment.
They all realized one thing.
what?
Lakers, did you not even go all out just now?
They hadn't even started playing at full intensity yet, and they were already leading the Warriors by nearly 15 points?
"Using it as a stepping stone, is that it?"
With physical boundaries in place, verbal boundaries are equally important: "They say concentrated essence is the best, but what the hell have you concentrated? It's all high-concentration bad water and stupid, shameless, and insidious filth, isn't it?"
"Your father left your mother because you used to poke their condoms with needles when you were little, which resulted in you suddenly having more than a dozen younger brothers and sisters, but in the end only a third of them were your biological father's children, right?"
"You've committed a heinous crime, Chris! How could you do such a thing?"
"Shut up! You're not allowed to insult my mother!" Paul had just crossed the halftime line when he heard Lin Tian's trash talk, which was now completely a personal attack, and couldn't help but open his mouth to curse back.
“It wasn’t me who insulted your mother, it was you.” Lin Tian stepped back slightly, dodging Paul’s elbow that was about to strike, and continued, “Do you think what you did makes her proud?”
"The things you've done only prove that you were born but no one raised you, that you never went to school and no one taught you the most basic manners and sense of shame."
"If your deceased grandfather knew that his beloved grandson was such a shameless bastard, he would probably weep as he went from heaven to hell, and declare that he didn't deserve to go to heaven because his grandson was a complete devil!"
"Don't you dare mention my grandfather!" Paul was already somewhat exasperated.
Trash talk is everywhere in the NBA.
But there are still some boundaries among the players.
The bottom line for most people is that their families should not be harmed.
Many conflicts in the NBA are caused by some people's unrestrained trash talk.
For example, your wife tastes like a donut, or Marlon's womanizing of Mexican women, or Zidane's famous header of the century.
Most people, in most situations, would adhere to this bottom line, so no matter how heated the players get, they usually won't resort to fighting.
As for Lin Tian, he usually has a bottom line and can't bring himself to say anything too vulgar.
However, that depends on the time.
Tonight is not the time to stick to the bottom line!
"What's wrong? Did I hit a nerve? Are you starting to regret stealing your grandfather's wallet from his bedside and then going to find a 50-year-old woman on the street to deflower him?" Lin Tian pressed on relentlessly, not giving an inch. You made the first move, so you'd better bear the consequences!
"Fuck you!" Paul roared, completely enraged, looking as if he was about to pounce on Lin Tian and start a fight.
But just as Paul raised his hand, Lin Tian suddenly moved to the left and blocked Paul's path. The basketball in Paul's hand flew out and landed directly in Lin Tian's hand!
It all happened so fast that not only did the fans have no idea what was going on, but even the players didn't have time to react.
To everyone else, it looked like Lin Tian simply took a step and Paul passed the ball directly to him.
What's going on?
This is what everyone is thinking right now.
Besides Lin Tian and Paul.
Lin Tian, who had just grabbed Paul as he 'passed the ball,' looked at Paul and said, 'Trying to outsmart me? You won't be able to catch up to my knees even if you live for another 20 years!'
"You're not even as smart as my knees, what makes you think you can play this game with me?"
"You're preaching to Jesus and teaching Nicholson to act, you're just humiliating yourself!" Lin Tian, who had the basketball, didn't rush down to launch a counterattack, but instead stood still and started yelling at Paul again.
Paul didn't lose his temper at all during this play. He endured the trash talk, battled against Lin Tian, and observed the situation on the court. After Lin Tian said something offensive, Paul suddenly looked like he was about to explode, but actually he was going to pass the ball.
He wasn't holding back before; he was observing. He 'exploded' the moment he spotted an opening in his teammate's defense, making people think he was going to fight, but in reality, he was going to deliver a brilliant pass to assist his teammate in scoring.
From this perspective, Paul truly deserves to be called one of the best point guards in the league besides Lin Tian. This guy's mental fortitude is absolutely top-notch, and he also possesses the most important talent and basic qualities of a point guard: calm, mature, steady, and not prone to losing his temper.
Unfortunately, he ran into Lin Tian tonight.
"I stopped using these tricks to cheat when I was eight years old." Lin Tian didn't push for a fast break, but instead arrogantly adopted a condescending attitude, saying, "The most important thing when playing with me is to keep things simple."
"Keep it simple, just shoot wildly from 2 meters beyond the three-point line, you might even manage to make a few. This is your only chance, Chris, understand? Your only chance."
Paul didn't reply to Lin Tian. Seeing that Lin Tian wasn't planning to push forward quickly, Paul simply retreated back to defend.
Paul's ability to maintain at least a semblance of calm and composure after such a humiliating mistake and trash talk demonstrates his remarkable composure once again.
But as I said before: you're facing Lin Tian. Relying solely on calmness and composure can only save you some face, but it won't make you a winner.
Especially when you're facing Lin Tian in a state of rage, your fate will be even worse.
Instead of rushing into a fast break, Lin Tian calmly and steadily made his way to the frontcourt. Then, just outside the three-point line, he quickly turned around and faced Paul with his back to him. Even though Paul was still at least two steps away from him, Lin Tian simply started his back-to-the-basket drive.
Move in!
Yes, Norway.
Lin Tian didn't care whether Paul was guarding him closely or not. Instead, he turned his back and moved into the three-point line at his own pace.
He was moving very slowly; he didn't speed up.
He didn't make any technical moves; he just bent over the moment he made contact with Paul.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Then Lin Tian exerted his strength and had a fierce head-on collision with Paul.
But just like before, there were no feints or noteworthy techniques.
"Lin is seeking revenge!" Miller shook his head and said, "I'm all too familiar with his fighting style. This move of his can make anyone with inferior physical abilities and combat skills scream in agony."
Paul is clearly no match for Lin Tian in terms of height, wingspan, weight, or absolute strength; they are at least two weight classes apart.
Despite the overwhelming physical dominance, Paul didn't back down when facing Lin Tian's most primitive and direct fighting style.
He still held on tightly to Lin Tian, resisting his advance with all his might. Although every time Lin Tian's shoulders, buttocks, and other parts of his body hit Paul, Paul felt waves of pain. He felt as if he were being repeatedly rubbed and crushed by a road roller.
But he held on.
Paul is cunning; he's willing to do anything to win. He doesn't care about his reputation, even though he's been voted "the most hated jerk in the league" for years.
Paul was even pleased, because he felt that it was his opponent who was afraid, that it was the sound of fear emanating from his opponent.
His journey has been difficult; 99% of the time, he was the smallest guy on the court.
Despite being the smallest and thinnest, I became a nightmare for countless people.
Paul, bursting with a desire to win, is proud of this.
He is insidious, irritable, and controlling; he has many small and even large-scale actions.
He has many fans who dislike him, and many opponents who don't like his style.
But no one can deny that Chris Paul is a tough guy who never gives up.
He was willing to do anything to win.
For example, right now, the team needs to catch up and can't let the Lakers keep pulling ahead, so he did everything he could to withstand Lin Tian's back-to-the-basket attack.
Even though his chest and abdomen were aching from being pushed so hard, and even though Lin Tian found an opportunity to hit him on the thigh from the referee's blind spot, Paul held on.
He didn't back down, didn't complain, and wasn't afraid.
I'll hold my own against you, you bastard!
"Don't help defend!" As Lin Tian drove all the way to the waist, reaching a very threatening area and pausing slightly, Paul immediately shouted to his Warriors teammates not to help defend.
It wasn't that he was confident, or that he thought he could definitely defend against Lin Tian.
It's because he knows that what's more terrifying than Lin Tian's individual offense is getting the Lakers' team offense going!
Paul is 100% certain that if the Warriors double-team, Lin Tian will immediately find an open shot and pass the ball out.
At that time, the Warriors were facing the insane firepower of the entire Lakers team.
If they unleash a barrage of attacks, completely dismantling the Warriors' defensive system and leaving their overall defense riddled with holes and in disarray, then they really won't be able to hold on.
But if it's just Lin Tian who unleashes his power, Paul thinks it's worth a try.
So he doesn't want to be double-teamed; he wants to go one-on-one. Even if Lin Tian really beats him, so be it.
At least the team won't be completely disrupted, right?
"Boom! Boom!"
Just as Paul was mentally racing, directing his teammates to pay attention to defending their assigned player, Lin Tian suddenly slammed into him twice more.
"You're going to be my opponent and try to boss others around? That's a bit insulting." After the two collisions, Lin Tian was already close to the three-second zone, and he was still hurling insults at Paul.
"You won't let others help you defend? You've got guts!"
"But when it comes to matching up against me, it's just that I lack the guts!"
After Lin Tian finished speaking, he suddenly exerted his strength again and rammed into Paul!
Based on the previous advance, Lin Tian's collision was enough for him to penetrate the three-second zone and launch a direct attack on the Warriors' basket!
Paul couldn't hold on.
But in that instant, Paul's eyes visibly lit up.
Now! This is the moment I've been waiting for!
Paul abruptly withdrew all resistance and force he had given Lin Tian, and suddenly stepped aside.
He had been rebuked the whole way, and Lin Tian's rebukes almost made him faint and die. This was exactly what he had been waiting for!
In the final moment, Lin Tian might become careless due to habitual thinking.
Paul then pulled out a chair that, in a way, was not particularly sophisticated.
Although it lacks technical sophistication, countless football legends have suffered losses and been fooled by this tactic.
He fell to the ground in a disheveled state and committed a walking violation.
Where is Lin Tian?
Lin Tian remained standing there, watching Paul move aside, his eyes even showing a hint of expectation.
At this moment, there was no one in front of Lin Tian for a meter, and he was right on the edge of the 3-second zone.
Lin Tian stared at Paul, watching as the expectation and excitement in Paul's eyes turned into helplessness and disappointment.
Of course, all of the above happened in an instant. This was a match between the top teams in the West, and it was the highest level of competition in the NBA. Even if Paul had told them not to help defend, it was impossible to give the two of them that much time to stare at each other and pose.
After observing Paul's expression, Lin Tian quickly ended the attack.
The method he used was extremely provocative, almost like a paladin launching a full-scale taunt at the entire enemy team, instantly drawing massive amounts of aggro.
He stood still, without jumping or taking a step, and with a flick of his wrist, he backboarded the ball into the basket.
This movement is exactly like the warm-up movements of a 50-year-old man at the basketball court downstairs in the neighborhood.
"I've said it many times, haven't I?" After scoring, Lin Tian looked at Paul and shrugged, saying, "You're far from being able to outsmart me! You won't be able to beat me in a hundred years when it comes to scheming!"
"It'll take that long?" Kobe suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started acting as Lin Tian's straight man.
“It probably won’t take that long, this little potato is quite ambitious.” Lin Tian said, “Sorry Chris, 100 years was just something I said casually, don’t take it to heart.”
"I just wanted to say that this will take a long time to complete, not that it will actually take 100 years, since you certainly won't live that long."
"Maybe 30 years will be enough, or if you're lucky, maybe 18 or 9 years! Anyway, good luck!"
Lin Tian's 'comfort' certainly did not improve Paul's mood.
How could he be excited just because the date for defeating Lin Tian has suddenly shrunk to only one-fifth of what it was at the beginning?
All he knew was that the team was likely to have a very difficult time tonight.
His first MVP award might just slip away completely after tonight. (End of Chapter)