Chapter 1033
Get your main force off the field right now, or I'll kick your head!
The good news for the Warriors is that Lin Tian didn't shoot for another 1 minute and 20 seconds, passing the ball to his teammates several times. His second-quarter stats were temporarily set at 10-for-11 shooting, scoring a whopping 26 points.
At the very least, he's not over 30, right?
It's not that bad or shameful.
The bad news is that the Warriors didn't score a single point during that period either, while Bynum found an opportunity to dunk, extending the gap to 29 points.
The last 10 seconds of the first half.
Lin Tian once again brought the ball to the frontcourt.
Lin Tian was like God to Los Angeles in this quarter. His crazy attacks and retaliations not only completely shattered Paul's fighting spirit, but also completely crushed the entire Warriors team.
Although this showdown between the top two teams in the West is only halfway through, the outcome is already a foregone conclusion.
Even with Durant injured and out of the game, the Lakers crushed the Warriors in just half a game!
But clearly, the performance wasn't over yet.
"One more!"
"30 points! We need 30 points!"
"Crush them! Crush them completely!"
"Let those damn Bay Area people die! Let those damn bastards go to hell!"
Listening to the Lakers fans' chants, Lin Tian looked at Paul and suddenly said, "I was thinking of just letting it go."
"But I couldn't refuse their kind invitation!"
After Lin Tian finished speaking, he suddenly executed a crossover dribble followed by his signature attack step. Once he fully opened up, it was as if a roc was spreading its wings. With Lin Tian's physique, the way he performed this move, with its graceful and expansive form, was truly extremely dashing.
More importantly, this move is certainly not just about being stylish and good-looking.
Paul was completely disoriented by Lin Tian. He didn't know which direction to defend or from which direction Lin Tian would launch his final attack.
Although this was a basketball court, and Lin Tian was alone, Paul felt as if he were surrounded by countless people, with enemies on all sides.
He felt a loneliness and fear he had never experienced before.
Fortunately, it was just a fleeting feeling, and the fear didn't last long.
Because Lin Tian disappeared; Lin Tian vanished from his sight.
But this is clearly not good news, as it means that Paul has been completely outmaneuvered by Lin Tian.
"Freeze him! Chris Paul is frozen to the ground! Lin has cast his spell again, he's completely immobilized Paul!" Miller shouted wildly. Lin Tian made this play with ease and cleanliness!
"boom!"
Then, a loud bang was heard, and Lin Tian drove straight into the paint. Paul couldn't stop him, and neither could Aldridge and Chandler.
Lin Tian slammed the ball into the basket with one arm, scoring again!
After his dunk, the Lakers only had 0.5 seconds left for the Bobcats. Lin Tian's control of the time was truly unparalleled.
Meanwhile, the point difference between the two sides exceeded 30 points for the first time tonight.
A 31-point deficit is a number that could practically spell doom.
"The Warriors are destroyed." After seeing the Warriors listlessly inbound the ball from the baseline, and no one even bothering to try throwing it up in the last 0.5 seconds, Van Gundy said calmly, "The best news for the Warriors right now is that there are still about two weeks until the playoffs."
"They have plenty of time to move on from this painful defeat, and they have plenty of time to approach the playoffs in a better state and with a better mindset. I hope they can do it."
"But honestly, who would have thought the Lakers could put up such a crazy, terrifying offense without Durant?" Miller added. "A 30-point lead at halftime, halftime! And their opponent is the Warriors, who are second in the league and have been revamped this year!"
"I can only say one thing." Jackson looked at his two partners and said calmly, "Lin isn't back to play around; he's back to continue dominating this league! This guy is terrifying!"
The Staples Center fans cheered and laughed, celebrating wildly.
Because they know very well that after this game, they have basically secured the top spot in the league this season, an honor that the Lakers once looked down upon but haven't won in many years.
At the same time, Lin Tian has basically secured the MVP award for this season.
The reason I say "basically" is because you can't completely rule out the possibility that someone might suddenly jump out and do something like scoring 60 points in 10 consecutive games in the remaining two weeks.
Aside from these kinds of divine beings descending to earth or mechanical generals, no one can stop the Lakers and Lin Tian.
"Not enough!"
While Lakers fans were already cheering and opening champagne at halftime, clearing out all the beer sold in Staples Center, the atmosphere inside the Lakers' locker room remained tense.
Lin Tian stood in the middle of everyone and said, "A 31-point lead is a lot, but it's not enough!"
"Think about Kevin's ankle, think about his tears, think about everything he gave for the championship and for us!"
"Make the people of Jinzhou pay the price! Pay an even higher price! I want them dead! I want them to know the cost of betraying us!"
"The second half of the game belongs to everyone more."
"If you want to play in the playoffs, keep playing, play like there's no tomorrow!"
"Let the entire league know that no one can mess with us!"
"Let the entire alliance know that anyone who messes with us will die!"
"An ordinary defeat is not enough to vent our anger."
"Do you understand?"
"understand!"
Almost simultaneously, all the Lakers players waved and roared, expressing their determination.
In the second half, they're going to keep crushing the Warriors!
Revenge! Revenge is imperative!
As for Durant?
This guy is already on his way home.
They quickly took X-rays, and the team doctor said you were perfectly fine. If you wanted to play, you could even return to Staples Center immediately to continue playing.
But Durant clearly wasn't that into the game, especially when he knew the team was leading by several tens of points, he went straight home without any pressure.
Get a good night's sleep, you have training tomorrow!
When we go to the Warriors' away game in a few days, we'll crush them!
Everything was normal for the Lakers, and they even had a stronger fighting spirit and anger.
And what about the Warriors?
have nothing to say.
A somber atmosphere prevailed, filled with sighs and silence.
Everyone, from the coach to Paul and Aldridge, fell silent.
The locker room was as quiet as a funeral. Tonight, the Warriors not only lost their pursuit and competition for the league's best team and the MVP, but also the confidence they had painstakingly built up over the past season.
As for when that confidence will be restored, that depends on how strong the Warriors' players and coaches are at self-adjustment.
But one thing is for sure: tonight, they will absolutely not be able to recapture any of that feeling.
They're finished!
At the start of the third quarter, Lin Tian, who had dominated the first half and left the Warriors utterly hopeless, didn't take many shots anymore. He returned to the form he had been in for most of the season.
Pass the ball, share the ball, create opportunities for teammates, constantly call out tactics and then look for teammates who have a chance to score or take a one-on-one opportunity.
Among Lin Tian's teammates, the one who performed the most outrageously was undoubtedly Kobe.
First, he has strong one-on-one scoring ability and explosive scoring ability. Second, he didn't take many shots in the second quarter, which also showed he was holding back his energy. Finally, and most importantly, the person guarding him was Redick.
Kobe hitting Redick was really not much different from hitting his daughter.
It's even harder to hit his own daughter, because he has to be careful. What if he hits her too hard and hurts her?
Could he play against Redick? Kobe didn't have that concern.
Just go all out!
Kobe had already shown his attitude of kicking someone when they're down, so Lin Tian certainly wouldn't hesitate either. He kept feeding Kobe the ball, letting Kobe attack and score to his heart's content.
With six minutes left in the third quarter, Kobe once again easily shook off Redick's defense and pulled up for a mid-range jump shot, which went in again.
40 points!
After that basket, the gap between the Lakers and the Warriors reached 40 points for the first time tonight!
It was after this play that Jackson made a bold move, taking advantage of a dead ball to move five players up and five down.
The battle is over.
Jackson didn't care how many points Lin Tian wanted to win, or whether Kobe had a good time. All he knew was that at this point in the game, if the key players were still on the court, it would be very dangerous.
If one Durant can emerge, then there is a possibility that a second Durant can emerge.
The news that Durant was alright had reached Jackson, and after confirming that Durant could even play tomorrow, Jackson breathed a sigh of relief.
But he doesn't intend to continue testing his luck.
Luck is like a ball game; you have to know when to quit while you're ahead!
So, amidst the fans' wild cheers and applause, Lakers players Lin Tian, Kobe, Bynum, Barnes, and Turiaf went to rest together.
The players who returned to the court were Murphy, McRoberts, Parsons, Barton, and Goldlock.
A lineup consisting entirely of bench players.
Of these five players, only Murphy is considered a key rotation player for the team; the other four did not get consistent playing time during this year's regular season.
Before going on stage, Lin Tian passed by his five teammates who were about to take the field and bluntly said, "Give them a good beating!"
"If you win 50 points, I'll take you to a place only I know about tonight for some fun! I guarantee it'll be a scene you've never seen before!"
"If they catch up to within 30 points, then you're in for a tough time. Tomorrow's training will be extra intense!"
Lin Tian's words, of course, once again ignited the fighting spirit and passion of the Lakers players.
No one would want to miss the secret place Lin Tian arranged for them to have fun, and no one would like extra training for no reason.
win!
We must win 50 points tonight!
While the Lakers have called it quits and substituted their bench players, the Warriors on the other side clearly have no such intention.
The five starting players were still on the field, with Paul and Aldridge still not resting for a single second.
"I don't think the Warriors need to do this anymore," Miller said. "They're already at 40 points, what are they still doing on the court with their starters? Just to be humiliated?"
"They should be substituted! What difference does it make whether we lose by 30 or 40 points?"
Miller's words clearly did not reach the Warriors' bench; their coach remained unmoved, watching his players being humiliated on the court.
The Warriors players were in terrible form at this point. For example, on their first offensive possession, Paul found an opportunity and threw the ball into the air. Chandler jumped up, caught the ball with both hands, and slammed it towards the basket.
Yes, it smashed towards, not smashed into.
Chandler, seemingly out of nowhere, missed a powerful dunk from that close range and failed to put the ball into the basket.
Chandler might not even miss a dunk like that once in a whole season, but this time he did.
Murphy grabbed the rebound and passed it to Godlock. The second-round pick then drove all the way up the court and, without hesitation, accelerated and drove hard to Paul after a slight pause. Then, after getting to the edge of the paint, he suddenly pulled up and released a rather strange floater.
"Shh!"
With a crisp sound, Godlock immediately scored a one-on-one against Paul!
This throw is Godlock's signature move; its unusual rhythm and release method allow him to surprise everyone from time to time.
Good luck! Good luck! Good luck!
Godlock's status on the Lakers is somewhat like that of a mascot. Whenever he steps onto the court, Lakers fans immediately get excited. When he scores, especially by going one-on-one against Paul, everyone roars with excitement, chanting Godlock's name.
After that floater, the Lakers fans went even crazier, the Lakers players became more confident, while the Warriors players looked like zombies.
The rest of the game was basically insignificant. Although the Warriors were playing with their reserves as the core, they couldn't find any decent rhythm and couldn't gain any advantage against the Lakers' bench players!
With only 3 minutes left in the third quarter, the gap between the two teams was still 43 points!
The Lakers' benchwarmer beat the Warriors' star player, and they still won by 3 points!
This shows just how bad the Warriors were tonight.
Even at this point, the Warriors still didn't intend to make any substitutions, and their five main players were still on the court.
"Damn it, you're asking for it, aren't you?" Jackson muttered from the sidelines, then stared intently at the court. Then, when Gay hit another three-pointer, narrowing the gap to 40 points once again, Jackson made a substitution!
"Lin, Kobe, Andrew, you three go!"
"Go and tell them what it means to be shameless when given face, and what it means to abandon dignity and insist on being undignified!"
"You son of a bitch!"
"But watch your step, everyone. If they try anything again, fucking kill them on the field!"
Jackson made a bold move and, taking advantage of the dead ball situation, brought back his three core players!
"What is Jackson trying to do? Why bring in Kobe and the others at this time?" Miller exclaimed, "Is he trying to destroy their morale?"
"I think Jackson meant: Get your star player off the field right now! Otherwise, I'm going to kick your head so hard it'll kill you!"
“That makes sense.” Jackson nodded. “It’s really inappropriate for the Warriors to keep their starters on the court at this point.”
"Look! Lin is still very aggressive! He immediately backs down to position himself and shuts down Paul! Will he attack on his own?"
"Shameless, huh?" Lin Tian blocked Paul, held the basketball high with one hand, and looked at Paul sideways. At this moment, Paul had to lower his center of gravity quite a bit because he was trying to block Lin Tian's drive.
Lin Tian straightened up and looked down at Paul.
The height difference between the two was quite obvious at this moment. Paul, who was bending over, only reached Lin Tian's chest at most. Lin Tian was in a superior position at this moment!
"Shameless? I'll tear your faces to shreds and stomp on them!" Lin Tian said, then suddenly threw the basketball directly at the basket without even jumping.
"Bang! Swish!"
The basketball's flight path is precise and direct. After hitting the backboard, it bounces into the basket. It's a fairly basic bank shot, and it's even a stationary version!
"How arrogant! Lin is too arrogant! Attacking like that is like shitting on Paul's head!" Miller said quickly, "In the NBA, you won't see a shot like that a few times a season, with the ball over a player but the feet still on the ground!"
Jackson said, "This kind of move really shows that he completely ignores Paul. Absolute confidence, absolute disdain, and absolute arrogance—that's Lin! He can maintain this confidence and arrogance no matter who he faces."
"The league's best point guard will always be just one person! And that's Lin!"
After scoring, Lin Tian certainly wouldn't let Paul off the hook so easily. Instead, he looked at him and said, "You don't need to lower your center of gravity so much when you're defending me. You can't move me anyway, can you?"
"Standing up straight will at least obstruct my view. What if I'm not in good form and can't make the shot?"
"Have you learned it yet? Hey, have you learned it yet? I'm talking to you. Didn't your dad tell you to be polite when you talk to others, and to say thank you after you learn something new?"
Paul completely ignored Lin Tian's trash talk, turned around, caught the ball, and was about to drive to the basket.
But even if he ignored him, Lin Tian wouldn't let him off so easily.
Today, I'm going to teach you what politeness really is! (End of Chapter)