Chapter 1053
You bastard who doesn't follow the script and says your lines!
“We fell into their rhythm, that’s the style of play they like.” During halftime, Jackson pushed up his glasses with his finger and squinted as he said, “This is the Grizzlies’ favorite way of playing. At least 90% of the 50-plus games they’ve won this season have been won this way.”
What do you think we should do?
"Speed up! Run! Get back on track! Let's score 80 points in the second half and outrun them!" Durant was heavily guarded by Battier in the first half, making only 2 of 8 shots and playing terribly. He was feeling frustrated right now.
"Fuck! Damn it, keep playing like this in the second half! Let's keep playing like this in the second half." Kobe cursed and threw the towel in his hand to the floor. He played even worse than Durant in the first half, especially at the beginning of the second quarter when Allen completely shut him down, which made Kobe extremely unhappy.
That's just his personality—stubborn and unyielding.
You like competition? Great! Then let's settle this with competition!
He will not run away; he will not change his methods until he has killed his opponent in the same way his opponent has done.
“Both are good.” Jackson nodded and said, “Both of your ideas are good, and I’m a little unsure which approach to choose.”
Jackson looked at Lin Tian, indicating that he was the boss, the captain, and the number one core player, and it was Lin Tian's turn to speak.
Jackson's thinking was simple: at this point, it was clear that Kobe and Durant were getting a little carried away and anxious, and their poor shooting in the first half had made them lose their patience.
As the point guard, Lin Tian should have stood up and said that both of you are right and have a point, but in this critical moment, we must first maintain unity and patience, stay calm, not rush or get carried away, and slowly find a breakthrough, blah blah blah.
Then shout a slogan and cheer, and then return the topic to yourself, letting Jackson go and arrange the tactics himself.
At this point, Jackson's tactical deployments would be much more effective and would be heard by everyone. Otherwise, if he were to directly explain and deploy the tactics now, these guys who were already a bit caught up in the moment would probably not listen.
But after Lin Tian spoke, the resistance he encountered when deploying tactics was much smaller.
Jackson trusted Lin Tian; he believed in the tacit understanding between the two, and he was confident that Lin Tian would be able to provide a suitable answer.
It's all about playing mind games; a single glance is enough between a master and his apprentice!
Jackson squinted at Lin Tian, his eyes conveying a clear message: "Come on, show me!"
"Those two idiots are talking nonsense! What they're saying is rubbish. I even doubt whether you two understand tactics or basketball at all." Before speaking, Lin Tian nodded to Jackson, indicating that he would take care of everything.
Then, his first words as he stood up nearly broke Jackson's composure.
What are you doing?
"If you ask me, we should have only one strategy for the second half: give me the ball, and I'll take you home! Tonight, I guarantee that all of us can go home and sleep with the joy of victory!"
Lin Tian looked at everyone with great enthusiasm and said, "In the second half of the game, you guys are responsible for spreading out the defense and then waiting to watch my performance!"
"Once I've completely crushed them, you guys can take the ball and make your shots. It's that simple, right?"
"There's a problem!" Jackson almost shouted out.
But because of Lin Tian's prestige in the team, he held back and just kept giving Lin Tian frantic winks to make him stop.
Hey buddy, what are you doing?
I let you speak because you're calm, and you can calm everyone down too, but what happened?
Are you leading the madness?
"Today, we'll take them down using my methods!" Lin Tian continued, ignoring Jackson's signals, which convinced Jackson that Lin Tian was doing this on purpose!
He's just being deliberately ignoring me!
Damn little fox!
Lin Tian ignored Jackson and continued, "In the next game, we'll beat them the way Kobe did, and the game after that, we'll beat them the way Kevin did! Then for the fourth game, we'll play it by feel!"
"In short, in this round of games, we will use a variety of tactics, systems, and styles to crush the Grizzlies! Because this first half was the most humiliating first half of my life!"
"You might think that my buzzer-beating three-pointer and that we were leading going into halftime was pretty good, but let me tell you, we were far from it!"
"We rested for a week, but we didn't let anyone see our physical advantage at all, and our mental state was completely out of sync with the competition! This competition is a slaughter, this competition is a war!"
"Want a vacation? Want to take it easy? That's impossible!"
"Let me put it this way, tonight's Grizzlies were their fiercest ever! Tonight they went all out, and we survived tonight. After that, they will weaken and exhaust themselves. They are not worth mentioning at all."
"After tonight, you can fight me however you want, however you want, because at that time, we will have an absolute advantage. Our physical advantage will gradually show, and we will beat them to a pulp!"
"But all of this depends on one thing: we have to crush the Grizzlies tonight! If we can't beat them tonight, their momentum will be even more terrifying, they'll be even more frenzied, and they'll forget about the pain and fatigue!"
"But if they lose, they'll be exhausted before they even leave the arena tonight, and they'll be so sore all over that they won't be able to sleep!"
"So, do you all understand what I mean? If we win tonight's game, the rest of this series will be entirely in our hands! If we don't win tonight, then we can expect to be bombarded and overwhelmed!"
"I gave you guys a chance in the first half! You didn't take it, so the second half is my chance! Give me the ball, and I'll show you how to crush them!"
"Coach, am I right?"
After delivering a passionate speech, Lin Tian suddenly turned to look at Jackson, indicating that it was Coach Jackson's turn to speak.
Jackson: Meow meow meow?
What else should I say?
Since you've already said all that, even if I had a strategy, could I tell you?
If we say it out loud, wouldn't that be undermining Lin Tian?
He could certainly do that, but the question is, what would be the benefit of doing so?
To make the players overthink? To make them think there's a conflict between the coach and the key players? To make them consider whether or not to take sides?
Jackson would never do something that offers no benefit whatsoever.
Jackson just wanted to give Lin Tian the middle finger and then hurl insults at him for half an hour.
But despite his thoughts, even though Jackson wanted nothing more than to hang Lin Tian up and whip him while yelling, "You little brat, you didn't follow my script!", things changed when Jackson finally spoke.
"Lin is right! Tonight is the most crucial game of the entire series! If we win tonight, we'll crush the Grizzlies, and they won't be able to get back up for the rest of the series. Their series is over!"
"Tonight, give the ball to Lin! I believe he'll win! Because he's never let those who believe in him down! Now, tell me, do you believe in Lin?"
"Believe! Believe! Believe!"
The players shouted in unison, once again demonstrating their boundless energy and passion.
Lin Tian, on the other hand, looked at Jackson with a wicked grin, as if his evil scheme had succeeded.
Jackson could only open his mouth and mouth a few rather friendly words to Lin Tian as a greeting.
"What are you doing? Don't you understand what I mean?" When the halftime break ended and everyone was leaving the locker room, Jackson suddenly grabbed Lin Tian. After the two of them fell to the back, Jackson asked Lin Tian.
"I understand," Lin Tian replied matter-of-factly, "but I think my method is more suitable and easier to win!"
"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" Jackson said angrily.
“Yeah, so what?” Lin Tian continued matter-of-factly.
"I don't believe your nonsense! I won't let you speak first anymore! You'll always be the last one to speak! FUXX! There will be no next time!" Jackson was so angry that he lost all his composure. Lin Tian's way of doing things really annoyed him.
More importantly, Jackson approved of Lin Tian's strategy, believing that the team could win if they followed Lin Tian's advice.
But I'm just not happy about it.
"Then what did you just say?" Lin Tian suddenly asked.
"what? What?"
"Just that very first sentence, the very first sentence."
"What are you doing? Don't you understand what I mean?" Jackson repeated, puzzled.
"I don't understand. I thought you were letting me speak freely and say what I wanted to say." Lin Tian chuckled, then shamelessly turned around and walked towards the stadium.
Jackson was left behind, helplessly giving him the middle finger, but there was really nothing he could do.
What could be done? Who told Jackson to have such a key player?
Let's win the game first!
In the second half, both teams switched halves, and the battle continued!
In the first possession of the game, the Grizzlies passed the ball to Mayo, but his mid-range jump shot missed as usual. After a 20-minute break, the Grizzlies seemed unable to regain their rhythm and accuracy.
Well, they didn't really have a feel for it or any accuracy to begin with. Then Bynum grabbed the rebound, but instead of going straight for the ball as usual, he propped himself up with his elbows and swung them from side to side, wary of any Grizzlies player suddenly appearing to steal the ball. He had already fallen for that trick tonight, getting the ball stolen like that before.
Being robbed once is carelessness, but being robbed twice is stupidity. Although Bynum is not a Saint Seiya, he would not be defeated twice by the same move.
As the Lakers launched their attack, Lin Tian slowly moved to the frontcourt, then waved his hands and spread out! Spread out completely!
Once his players had all spread out, Lin Tian immediately went into attack mode.
He knew how good and fast the Grizzlies' defensive flexibility and help defense were, so he didn't waste any time trying to find a connection.
Lin Tian knew clearly: When facing the Grizzlies' tough and physical defensive system, the most important thing has never been to stop, look, and observe. If you hesitate or think, you're doomed!
If you're dealing with a defense that sets up defensive traps, forcing you to the sidelines or corners, and making you shoot in difficult and inefficient areas, then you need to think and research to find a reasonable way to break through.
But the best way to break down the Grizzlies' defense is to go all out! Just charge in!
If someone is more aggressive, more reckless, and more like a villain than them, the Grizzlies will immediately feel terrible and won't know how to play anymore.
It's like the school bullies in a school; the weaker you are and the less you dare to resist, the more excited they get when they bully you.
But if you dare to fight back, or even punch the school bully in the face, the bully will most likely back down and never dare to mess with you again, or even become your big brother.
So, Lin Tian made his move.
He wanted to show these Grizzlies' young lads who the real school bully was!
After a crossover dribble, Lin Tian took a small hop with both feet off the ground, using his signature attack step to pressure the couple's defensive space. He then quickly glanced at the situation on the court, found a safer path, and accelerated to attack!
With a "whoosh," Lin Tian disappeared from Kang Li's sight. Kang Li had no time to react and could only watch as Lin Tian left him behind.
But then, Lin Tian made a brilliant play, but he didn't hesitate to pull up for a jump shot from mid-range, which missed the rim.
"Boom!"
With a muffled thud, the area under the basket immediately erupted into a frenzy of scrambling, a group of burly men jostling for the ball, their arms of all colors—black and white—completely tangled together.
"Get the hell out of here!" Just as the burly men were judging the basketball's landing point and preparing to rush for the backboard, a furious roar suddenly came.
The clever Turiaf recognized the voice and immediately stopped fighting for position. Instead, he pulled and tugged at Randolph away from the area where the rebound would fall.
I'm not going to arrest you anymore, so don't even think about arresting me either!
Randolph roared and tried to break free of the control. Turiaf, of course, didn't dare to go too far with such small tricks, and Randolph broke free completely in a few moves.
But it was too late; they were exploiting that one crucial time difference!
Lin Tian leaped high into the air from the space cleared by Randolph and Turiaf, grabbing the basketball before anyone else could react. Then, with a burst of power in mid-air, he slammed the ball in!
"boom!"
With a loud bang, Lin Tian grabbed the rim with one hand and shook it, glaring fiercely at every Grizzlies player in his line of sight.
Let's do it again!
Although Lin Tian didn't say anything, every Grizzlies player sensed his unspoken message.
This guy is angry.
be careful.
No one spoke, and no one exchanged glances, but everyone quickly reached a consensus: they all had to be careful.
Conley was even thinking about calling a timeout to let Allen come up and face off against Lin Tian, to see if he could take Lin Tian down.
But considering that only 30 seconds of the second half had passed, Conley suppressed the impulse and thought.
Calling a timeout after just 30 seconds puts more psychological pressure on the team.
But Conley clearly didn't expect that if they didn't find someone with better defense to limit Lin Tian, Lin Tian would bring them so much pressure and pain.
"FUXX!" Conley dribbled the ball to the frontcourt just as he heard Lin Tian curse, "My shooting touch is terrible today! I'm not shooting anymore, not tonight!"
Lin Tian, who had just made a highlight-reel dunk, was actually complaining about his poor shooting accuracy and his missed mid-range shots.
Conley swallowed hard. He knew what this meant; the guy opposite him was probably going to go all out to break through to the next level.
While they were pondering, the Grizzlies' attack failed to find the net again, and Battier's corner three-pointer bounced off the rim once more.
But the Lakers failed to mount a fast break this time because the Grizzlies were too aggressive on the offensive boards! Randolph was dominating the Lakers' paint, wreaking havoc and grabbing rebounds like crazy.
After his frantic scramble for the rebound, although he couldn't manage to grab it due to the overwhelming number of opponents, he did buy his teammates enough time to retreat on defense, allowing the Grizzlies to establish their defensive formation early on.
Lin Tian wasn't in a hurry. After Bynum had completely secured the rebound, he reached out for the ball and then slowly made his way to the frontcourt.
But Lin Tian's leisurely pace was clearly only when he was advancing.
The moment he reached the frontcourt, his dribbling rhythm suddenly quickened, his eyes became sharper, and his center of gravity dropped even lower.
coming soon!
Conley stood ready, watching Lin Tian as he pondered deeply.
He's worried about our defense, so he probably won't back down. So, left or right?
He's too fast, how can I defend against him?
As Conley pondered, he involuntarily took a half-step back.
He felt that Lin Tian couldn't shoot, and he wanted to block Lin Tian's breakthrough, so he chose to take a step back, giving himself more room to think and react in order to deal with Lin Tian's breakthrough.
But Lin Tian was clearly waiting for this step!
Almost at the same moment Conley retreated, Lin Tian gathered the ball, took a step, and sprang up to shoot!
A three-pointer shot flew straight out from beyond the arc and went straight into the basket!
"Shh!"
With a crisp sound, Lin Tian hit another three-pointer!
"Preventing drives, bro?" Lin Tian looked at Conley and said, "I just said I'm not going to shoot mid-range, you can't just leave me open for threes too!"
Conley knew perfectly well that Lin Tian had deliberately said those words to him to influence his thinking and defensive choices. In a battle of wits, even two Conleys combined might not be a match for Lin Tian!
Fortunately, Conley is a very self-aware person.
He knew he wasn't good enough to be the team's leader, he knew he'd need luck to make it to the All-Star game, and he knew it was almost impossible for him to defend against Lin Tian. So even after Lin Tian scored two points in a row, Conley was still able to stay calm.
No rush, take it slow! Follow our own pace and don't let him lead us astray.
Conley kept reminding himself of this, while quickly passing the ball to Mayo the moment he got the ball on the baseline.
He had watched many of Lin Tian's game videos and knew that after Lin Tian made consecutive shots, there was a high probability that he would suddenly press his defense. Lin Tian was very good at putting pressure on his opponents on both offense and defense at the same time, and destroying his opponents at the same time.
Conley knew his offense couldn't break through Lin Tian's defense, so he decided not to waste his energy challenging him.
There's no need for that.
Because I have a group of very reliable teammates!
This time, the Grizzlies finally scored. Mayo, unusually, called for a screen to get away from Kobe and finally made a mid-range jump shot, giving the Grizzlies a point in the second half.
Lin Tian's performance has also been temporarily interrupted.
He wasn't actually lying; his shooting touch was genuinely bad tonight.
He had no choice but to shoot that three-pointer; with such a wide-open shot, how could he not take it?
If it goes in, you'll make a huge profit; if it doesn't, then just charge in and fight for the rebound!
Since Lin Tian has decided to carry the team on his shoulders and use his own strength to destroy the Grizzlies, he has the determination and courage to accept the consequences of missing shots.
Are you afraid of missing shots and therefore not throwing?
That's not Mamba at all!
We can't do this.
In the following games, Lin Tian would still take the shot whenever he had an opportunity and an open space. However, he did change his playing style. More often than not, he would choose to drive towards the inside with the ball.
Then they either take the shot themselves or look for openings created by the Grizzlies' double-teaming.
But as I said before, the Lakers' overall performance was not good. Even Lin Tian only managed to score 5 points thanks to his physical attributes and psychological tactics, and his efficiency after that could not be guaranteed. Naturally, the other players were even less able to shake off their low efficiency and poor shooting touch.
The pace of scoring for both sides in the third quarter remained quite slow.
However, thanks to Lin Tian's initial 5 points, the Lakers managed to slightly widen the gap. They maintained a lead of around 5 points throughout the game, and no matter how hard the Grizzlies tried, they were unable to overtake them.
"At this point, the rhythm and situation of the two teams in the first and second halves have been completely reversed," Miller said during a timeout with 5 minutes left in the third quarter. "In the first half, the Lakers were chasing but couldn't take the lead, and now it's the Grizzlies' turn to be unable to take the lead."
Jackson said, "What's bad for the Grizzlies now is that the Lakers have clearly started to adapt to the intensity and pace, and the relaxation they gained from their week of rest has begun to disappear."
"This Lakers team is capable of playing tough games. They are not afraid of the Grizzlies' physical offense. If the Lakers adapt, then the Grizzlies' biggest advantage will disappear. Can they still win the game tonight?"
"If they don't win tonight, the Grizzlies will most likely return to Memphis trailing 0-2. At that point, they'll be exhausted while the Lakers are in top form. Will they still have the energy to come back at home?" (End of Chapter)