Chapter 1056
Skilled in defense and slow-paced play? A one-wave attack will completely crush you!
"It's only been one minute into the fourth quarter!" Van Gundy glanced at the time and said, "The Lakers only needed one minute to force the Grizzlies to call a timeout with two fast breaks! With 15 points left, the Grizzlies still have a chance."
"But all they can do is pray for a miracle. They can only hope the Lakers have an off night and that they can put on an exceptional offensive performance. That's their only chance!"
"They need to field their full starting lineup early, they need to get into the final battle early. But the Lakers, based on what I know of Jackson, will stick with their current five-man lineup at this point."
"Jackson will only consider making a substitution if the Grizzlies close the gap to within 10 points!"
"No substitutions! Keep going! You guys did a fantastic job!" Jackson clapped his hands on the bench, encouraging his players: "You guys are the best lads I've ever coached! Your performance in just one minute was amazing!"
"Now, go and shock the world! Go and make the world proud of you!"
After Jackson finished speaking, he waved his hand, indicating that he would not change the players and let the original five-man group continue to perform.
As expected, the Grizzlies didn't dare let their starters rest either. Battier and Gasol came on, along with Conley, Allen, and Randolph who were still on the court. They didn't play Mayo, but they brought out their strongest defensive lineup!
This is a top-tier defensive combination that strikes fear into the entire league; the defensive capabilities of these five players are absolutely historic!
This is also a habit of the Grizzlies. When the team needs to catch up or make a comeback, they tend to trust their own defense. They believe they can turn the game around through defense rather than offense!
Let's bring the opponent's attack down to our level first!
This pause is effective in the short term.
The Grizzlies scored on their first possession after the timeout, with Randolph scoring two points against Parsons in the paint.
The Grizzlies' tactical execution is quite good, focusing on exploiting the weaknesses in their opponents' matchups.
After this basket, the Grizzlies immediately countered and pressured the Lakers, suppressing their fast break. In their most familiar half-court game, they successfully defended Murphy's three-point shot.
This offensive and defensive play will definitely give many Grizzlies fans watching on TV a sigh of relief.
Hold on!
Keep fighting like this!
Unfortunately, the Lakers have Lin Tian on their roster!
Before the Grizzlies fans could even catch their breath, Lin Tian suddenly appeared like a ghost in the passing lane Conley was passing to Battier, stealing the ball and then dribbling the ball on the fast break, charging towards the frontcourt.
With a powerful drive and a breakthrough, Lin Tian once again stormed to the basket. This time, the Grizzlies were desperately chasing back. By the time Lin Tian managed to break free and reach the basket, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph were already in position, ready to intercept him.
"Don't even think about dunking on me like you did in the third quarter!" Gasol's eyes blazed with fury; this time, he still wasn't going to run away!
Even a top rim protector in the league has his dignity and bottom line!
"Okay, then we won't deduct it!"
Lin Tian grinned mischievously, then suddenly made a behind-the-back pass without looking, sending the ball to the vicinity of the three-point line on the wing.
Terry caught the basketball, glanced down at it, then arrogantly took a step back, stepped out of the three-point line, and then, with a flick of his wrist, launched a stylish three-pointer!
"Shh!"
With a crisp sound, the Lakers hit another three-pointer! The point difference between the two sides has once again exceeded 15 points!
At this point, the Grizzlies were able to remain calm. Conley forcefully suppressed his urge to dribble and attack the Lakers before they could get a foothold. He stood still, signaling his teammates to go first, and then, even though he was at the back, he still didn't take the ball.
Instead, Randolph pointed at Battier, who was almost across the halfway line, towards the baseline.
"So calm, it's almost boring." Lin Tian, who had originally wanted to increase the intensity for Conley, shrugged and said, "Can young people still experience the joy of basketball when they play like this?"
“I’m very happy!” Conley once again displayed his composure: “I…where are you going?”
Conley wanted to express his determination, demonstrate his basketball philosophy, and tell Lin Tian about his basketball dream, but Lin Tian had already left.
"If you don't have the ball, who's going to talk to you?" Lin Tian said without turning his head. "I have to guard your best offensive player!"
As Lin Tian spoke, he found Alan and stood next to him again.
Lin Tian, the most threatening player on offense, has caught up!
"Have you no shame!" Allen's already dark face turned even darker.
He? Is he the biggest threat?
There's a limit to how much you can spout nonsense.
"I've seen your stats! You have the highest shooting percentage among the seven players with the most playing time on the team!" Shamelessness has always been Lin Tian's motto in life, and he has always been proud of it.
"You have the highest accuracy rate, so aren't you the most threatening person?"
Highest hit rate?
"Benjamin's shooting percentage is higher than Shaq's, so he's more of an offensive threat than Shaq?" Allen retorted directly, "Shameless!"
"Ben was definitely more threatening than O'Neal!" Lin Tian continued shamelessly, "Otherwise, how would you describe Ben's domination of O'Neal in the Finals, preventing the Lakers from ever winning a championship? Do you think it was all thanks to me?"
"Shameless!" Allen cursed again, at a loss for words to say to Lin Tian.
Lin Tian has absolutely none of the spirit and demeanor of a top-tier star!
Lin Tian exchanged a few words with Allen, then looked back at the situation on the court and immediately ran into the paint to double-team Randolph, who had just received the ball and was preparing to go one-on-one.
This is the ultimate purpose of Lin Tian and Allen's matchup!
He wanted to free himself up so he could help defend from all sides and protect the rebounds.
As for arguing with Allen, it wasn't to provoke him or make him lose his temper.
No profit.
What good is it if Allen loses his composure? Can he still just grab the ball and keep shooting?
Arguing with Allen was purely out of boredom.
Under the basket, just as Randolph elbowed Murphy away and was about to shoot, Lin Tian's double-team arrived at lightning speed. With a crisp 'smack', Lin Tian slapped the basketball that Randolph hadn't even had time to raise.
This time, the basketball wasn't knocked flying. Randolph's strength and ball-handling awareness were undeniable. However, even though it wasn't knocked flying, it was enough to disrupt Randolph's rhythm and shot. What was originally a sure layup was deflected wide of the basket because of Lin Tian's interference.
Murphy, who was also very experienced, jumped up but didn't catch the basketball. Instead, he aimed precisely and flicked the ball right in front of Lin Tian.
Counterattack!
Another counterattack!
After grabbing the rebound, Lin Tian didn't hesitate and sprinted towards the frontcourt.
But this time the advance was obviously not as easy as before. The Grizzlies' strongest defensive lineup had returned. Before Lin Tian had even stepped out of his own three-point line, Allen had already clung to him tightly, and even seized the opportunity to try his luck by stealing a shot.
Although Lin Tian quickly dodged Allen's steal with a behind-the-back dribble, he was still unable to shake off Allen's close defense.
This guy can steal the ball while maintaining his defensive position so that Lin Tian doesn't shake him off; his defensive fundamentals are truly exceptional.
Under Allen's tight defense, Lin Tian's pace of advancement slowed down considerably.
When he arrived at the frontcourt, the Grizzlies had basically finished setting up. Apart from Randolph, who had just done a low-post isolation play and was still behind Lin Tian, the other four players had already taken their respective defensive positions.
The Grizzlies made adjustments very quickly.
There were no missed players, no double-teams, and everyone performed their duties and occupied their defensive positions, leaving Lin Tian to Allen alone. They had absolute confidence in Allen.
"The Grizzlies' positioning was beautiful! There were no weaknesses!" Van Gundy said. "The Lakers can't speed up this possession. They can only play a slow, half-court game. It's very difficult to consistently execute fast breaks against a top-tier defensive team like the Grizzlies."
Van Gundy's words sound reasonable, but unfortunately, the Lakers' ball handler was Lin Tian!
After observing briefly at the top of the arc, he suddenly dribbled and accelerated, cutting inside Allen's body and taking two steps towards the three-point line before Lin Tian suddenly made a behind-the-back pass without looking.
The basketball flew towards Lin Tian's side and rear. Murphy, who had just run to the frontcourt and hadn't even had time to get his footing, caught the ball. Randolph, however, was unable to stay by Murphy's side at this moment.
Randolph is fat, so if he wants to get back on defense as quickly as possible, he has to run in a straight line. Murphy, on the other hand, is a seasoned veteran. He runs in an arc and successfully creates some distance between himself and Murphy.
That's a distance of two body lengths. An NBA-level player only needs one step forward to block that fleeting space.
Conversely, NBA-level players won't give their opponents a chance to step up and help defend!
This small space is enough for them to make their move.
Randolph saw Murphy with the ball, cursed angrily, and turned around to try to interfere, but Murphy wouldn't give him that chance. After receiving the ball, Murphy's hands didn't droop at all, but remained above his chest.
Then, with a quick movement, he jumped and completed the shot.
"Swish!" With a crisp sound, Murphy's three-pointer went in! The Lakers' lead was about to reach 20 points!
"To be honest, the Grizzlies' defense was fine, even excellent." Van Gundy, who was proven wrong, was the first to speak up: "It was just a fleeting opportunity, gone in an instant, and it even happened right behind us."
"Lin seized the opportunity. He found Murphy's position without even turning his head to look, confirmed that he had an open shot, and then passed the ball to him."
"The ball was passed a little too early; Murphy wasn't in position yet, giving Randolph a chance to get into position defensively."
"If the pass had been a fraction later, Randolph would have been in position. It was a split-second opportunity; a minute earlier or later wouldn't have mattered, but Lin seized it!"
"What else can I say? Lin found a fleeting opportunity within a perfect defensive system. I don't think anyone else in the entire league could have done that except for Lin!"
The Grizzlies were hit by consecutive three-pointers from the Lakers, but judging from the Grizzlies' players' state, they obviously didn't take it too seriously. They remained calm and played their subsequent offense methodically.
Finally, Battier turned his back to the basket and made a hook shot, which helped the team break the scoring drought.
But this hook shot was clearly not enough.
Because of the Lakers' next offensive play, although Lin Tian failed to force the fast break again, he quickly changed his strategy, backing down Allen and driving to the basket. Then Battier finally couldn't hold back and quickly moved inside to try to double-team him.
If they don't double-team him, Lin Tian will turn around and go for a layup.
But it was Lin Tian again, and Lin Tian's terrifying vision was once again displayed to everyone.
Instead of passing the ball to Barton, who had been missed by Battier, he directly knocked the ball into the middle.
Parsons happened to be there, received the ball, and smoothly launched a floater, sending the basketball into the basket!
"FUXX!" Conley, who was supposed to be matched up against Parsons, cursed angrily, blaming himself for the play.
But you can't blame him. He was defending according to the team's rotation system. When Battier moved inside, Conley immediately moved to help Battier cover Barton.
If it were any other point guard, they would definitely pass the ball to Barton, who is open, so that Conley could cover Barton and prevent him from getting a shot off.
But tonight, the Grizzlies' opponent is Lin Tian!
Instead of passing to Barton, he successfully anticipated the Grizzlies' defensive rotation and passed the ball to Parsons, who was equally astute and seized the opportunity to make a cut.
"Perfectly executed! Lin has once again gained the upper hand in this psychological battle!" Van Gundy exclaimed sincerely. "If you don't look closely, I think you won't even be able to see why Parsons missed it, or understand what Conley was doing."
"The Grizzlies were watching from the third floor for this play. They could shut down almost any team's offense with this move, but unfortunately, Lin was on the ceiling. No matter what floor you're on, Lin is on the ceiling. He can see everyone! He can anticipate everyone's moves!"
After Lin Tian's incredible pass, the Grizzlies' resilience and composure seemed to finally begin to crumble.
For example, in the next offensive play, Conley received the ball at the top of the arc, set a single screen, and then took a three-pointer, which bounced off the rim and missed.
Conley would never normally play like this.
But tonight, he was clearly in a bit of a hurry.
The point difference was widening, time was running out, and the Lakers' offense was getting smoother and smoother, making them completely unstoppable.
Grizzlies players are, after all, human.
No matter how strong their will is, they are not truly made of steel.
The Grizzlies were in disarray; their defense was no longer impenetrable, their offense was no longer extremely rational, and they started to run alongside the Lakers.
Of course, under these circumstances, the Grizzlies' scoring efficiency began to improve.
Battier's three-pointer, Conley's layup, Gasol's mid-range jumper...
The Grizzlies' offense became increasingly smooth, and they started scoring quickly.
"Shh!"
Then even Allen found his rhythm in the corner, hitting a mid-range jump shot.
"The Grizzlies are finished." But right after that jump shot, Van Gundy lamented, "They have no chance tonight. Their rhythm has been taken away. They controlled the rhythm of most of the game, but Lin took it away."
"Lin took away what the Grizzlies had guarded for three whole quarters in just three minutes, and also took away the Grizzlies' only chance to win."
Miller said, "That's right, the Grizzlies' scoring efficiency is indeed getting higher and higher. Their offense is steadily improving, but without their defense, it's suicidal for them to compete with the Lakers in offense."
Jackson sighed and said, "But there's nothing they can do. With such a large deficit, and less than a quarter of the game remaining, the Grizzlies can no longer close the gap and secure a victory."
"More importantly, even if the Grizzlies can hold on and start to catch up, look at the Lakers' players on the court right now."
"Kobe and the others haven't even been on the court yet! Lin just led the role players and they've already destroyed the Grizzlies' defense! The Grizzlies are really helpless now. Maybe the best thing to do is to surrender early, so they can at least conserve their energy and prepare for the next game."
On the field, both sides were playing a particularly beautiful and dazzling game, but everyone was beginning to realize that the suspense of the game was rapidly slipping away.
Finally, with only 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies called a timeout, and after the timeout, they substituted all of their starters.
The Grizzlies surrendered.
As if Jackson had anticipated the Grizzlies' thoughts, he immediately made a five-in-five-out move after the timeout.
Clark, Godlock, Thomas, McRoberts, and Kapono took to the court.
It's garbage time.
77: 101!
The score difference between the two sides is 24 points.
"Sorry, I didn't give you guys a chance to play." Lin Tian sat on the bench, looking at Kobe and Durant on his left and right, looking very relaxed.
"We'll start the fourth quarter in the next game," Kobe said. "You don't have to play the fourth quarter in the next game! It's your turn to rest."
"I'm afraid you'll get blown up without me!" Lin Tian said with a smile. "I always felt like you weren't very reliable."
"Go to hell," Kobe cursed, then ignored Lin Tian and focused on watching the game.
The suspense of the game had completely vanished, and the Grizzlies were ultimately unable to close the gap again, let alone bring the game back into play.
90: 112!
In the end, when the final buzzer sounded, the Lakers won the game by 22 points, securing their first victory in the second round of the playoffs!
After the game, Van Gundy once again began his summary: "Although the Lakers won by 22 points, this game was not a one-sided massacre. On the contrary, the first 40 minutes of the game were a fierce battle with no clear winner."
"In fact, if you analyze it carefully, the Grizzlies had the absolute upper hand in the first 30 minutes of the game. The Grizzlies were the ones pressing the Lakers, but they just didn't pull away from the score."
Miller said, "Then, there were the two turning points in this game."
"Marc Gasol's flagrant foul completely enraged Lin, whose consecutive dunks and drives broke down the Grizzlies' defense for the first time and established the Lakers' initial lead."
"Then in the fourth quarter, Lin led the Lakers' bench players on an unexpected run that sealed the game!"
"The biggest contributor to this game, I think, is without a doubt and not worth discussing, it's Lin!" Jackson concluded. "He scored 33 points, 15 assists, and 8 rebounds, nearly a triple-double, including 22 points in the second half. It was Lin's superb performance that turned the last few minutes of the game into garbage time!"
Van Gundy said, "The Lakers have overcome the toughest hurdle. They withstood the Grizzlies' initial and fiercest attack, and they have now adapted to the intensity and atmosphere of the game. If nothing unexpected happens, they will play better and better."
"So now it's up to the Grizzlies. We'll see if their stamina can hold up, if they can raise their intensity again, and if they can completely shut down the Lakers in even one game!" (End of Chapter)