Chapter 988
Have you two decided who will be this year's top scorer?
"I'm going to ask them both a question," Lin Tian replied with a smile.
"What's the problem?" the reporters asked expectantly.
"I'll ask them if they've discussed it and decided who will be this year's scoring champion!"
"Is this something that the two of them can decide?" the reporters couldn't help but ask again.
"Of course those two can't decide, they don't have that ability!" Lin Tian waved his hand and said, "The ball is in my hands, whoever I feed the ball to can score."
"Therefore, I decide who wins the scoring title!"
"What about the rest of the league? Wade, James, Anthony, Rose, or anyone else? Don't they have the ability to win the scoring title?"
"Of course they have the ability to become scoring champions, some of them have even been scoring champions before, but they don't have me by their side!" Lin Tian said with a smile, "Without me, how could they possibly win the scoring title?"
"And if my teammate wants to be the scoring champion, then he will definitely be able to!"
"Won't any accidents happen?"
"That's true, for example, injuries, which no one can control, and internal strife! Internal conflicts make our cooperation less pleasant."
"So what I mean is, if this year's scoring champion isn't a Lakers player, then there's only one reason: we're fighting amongst ourselves!"
"Isn't there also the factor of injury?" another reporter asked cautiously.
"There are three of us. It's impossible for all three of us to get injured! The probability is negligible."
"So you mean, if you want to, you'll be the scoring champion this year?"
"No, that's not what I meant." Lin Tian shook his head. Just when the reporters were quite disappointed and thought that Lin Tian would regret his boast and try to make amends, Lin Tian said, "What I meant was that if I wanted to, the scoring champion would definitely be one of us."
"It's no use for the two of them to think; it's my turn to think."
How arrogant!
The reporters were filled with emotion and excitement.
came back!
Our media king and the patriarch who provides us with our livelihood has returned!
This feels so good.
With just a few words and a few questions, you can quickly produce several interview transcripts.
This is the true god of media!
When Lin Tian was a coach, he wasn't this unrestrained. He really misses this feeling.
Lin Tian: Nonsense. If a coach is unrestrained, he's just helping the players brag and putting extra pressure on them. Lin Tian said he has no need to do such a thing and doesn't need to cause trouble for his players.
But when I was a player, the boasts I made were just for myself. If I was boasting to myself, why would I hesitate or hold back?
Exaggerate, exaggerate, exaggerate to the extreme.
In any case, Lin Tian was absolutely confident that he could do it!
The reporters continued their interviews while praising Lin Tian and reminiscing about the long-awaited return of the man.
"We noticed that your new jersey number is 14 again. Why did you choose number 14?"
"Because I like it," Lin Tian said. "Especially since the Lakers' number 13 jersey has been retired, I think it would be an incredibly happy thing to have them retire another jersey and hang mine next to my idol's! It would be like a dream come true."
"Your idol is Chamberlain?" A junior reporter, clearly a newcomer, didn't understand why the idol of a point guard god would be a center.
Lin Tian: "Of course."
"But your playing styles are completely different! And your positions are worlds apart."
"Who told you about this idol?" Lin Tian said, "He's not just my idol on the basketball court, he's my idol in life! I will take him as my goal for the rest of my life."
Twenty thousand!
This magical and sublime number is absolutely the divine number in the hearts of countless men.
Who wouldn't envy it? Who wouldn't yearn to accomplish this?
"So finally, Lin, you're back. You're back with the number 14 jersey. Say hello to your opponents, those top guards in the league. Is there anything you want to say to them?"
"Just you wait and see," Lin Tian said. "I'll show all the guards who want to challenge me that number one is number one, there can only be one number one, and all the others are far behind!"
With Lin Tian's arrogant statement and bursts of laughter, exclamations, and camera flashes throughout the venue, the team's first day of media day activities proceeded smoothly.
Answer questions, take official photos, and then practice for a while to get your body, which has been dormant all summer, back in shape and recover.
With these routine procedures completed, the Lakers' media day came to a smooth end.
The Lakers' arrogance and the provocative messages from Kobe, Lin Tian, and others were immediately spread throughout the sports journalism community across the United States via text messages, private messages, and emails. They told their colleagues about it right away, and they spread the word everywhere.
The fear is that there won't be enough time to respond after the interview, and the fear is that other stars in the league won't be able to give an immediate response.
If it's a day off, even if a response is given, the impact will have faded, and the meaning will be significantly diminished.
This kind of thing is all about timeliness!
The faster and more scathing the responses, the better these journalists can eat and the higher their income!
Therefore, we must stir things up and let those top stars know how arrogant Lin Tian is after his comeback, how much he disregards them, and how he makes wild and arrogant remarks.
Fight! We absolutely must fight!
If we don't fight, how can we justify our efforts in spreading the word?
“Lin hasn’t changed at all. He’s been like this ever since we entered the league together.” Garnett laughed loudly. “I still remember a game against the Bulls during my rookie season. I was a rookie and I was suddenly and inexplicably targeted by the Bulls.”
"From Pippen and Rodman to Jordan, they targeted me like I was their father's killer. At the time, I didn't understand why and thought it was just their welcome gift to the rookie."
"But later I found out by accident that it was that bastard Lin who told them I was arrogant and that I could kill them all, which is why they retaliated against me like this."
"That bastard! Hahahaha!"
His teammate, Nash, who is also nearing retirement age, also had a smile on his face: "I am also very confident that I can win the scoring title, but my teammates are not good enough! My teammates have no ability to win the scoring title at all."
"Paul, can you hear me? You're terrible! You have a super point guard like me, and you can't even win a scoring title."
"Wow, you're shameless!" Pierce yelled at Nash, "Without me, you would never have won a championship in your life, and you're not even grateful to me?"
The Suns' Big Three have already won the championship, and their competitive form has clearly declined. They all know that their careers are coming to an end and they have little chance to continue competing for championships as the core players. So, they are quite relaxed now.
I'm at peace with it now.
These guys play together now not so much for the sake of constant victory and the pursuit of the highest honor, but rather simply to enjoy basketball and the joy it brings them.
Phoenix fans are quite content. Although Phoenix is currently only a team on the edge of the playoffs, they have extremely high attendance and the most loyal fans. The atmosphere of their team and even the entire city is something that everyone envies.
But teams like the Suns, who are both strong and have a positive outlook, are extremely rare.
It's even unique in the entire league.
The other teams weren't so polite to Lin Tian's arrogant words.
Paul, whom Lin Tian once called the number one point guard in Golden State, has never been able to become the rightful number one point guard after so many ups and downs over the years.
Rose won the championship, Deron Williams led his team to the conference finals, and Paul himself, apart from being an All-Star starter, a member of the All-NBA First Team, and the assists title, has no other noteworthy honors.
Whether it's team performance or personal honors, he's been left behind by players like Deron Williams and Derrick Rose.
It's not just those two guys; Curry from Miami, Westbrook from the Thunder, and others like Lawson, Holiday, and Rubio are all eager to try. These young players who have just entered the league can't wait to start challenging Paul.
They want the title of the league's best point guard too!
Paul is under a lot of pressure.
So when he heard the reporter's account, his face immediately fell.
It's longer than Rondo's face.
"I hope Lin's body hasn't rusted. I hope Lin is still the same Lin. Don't let me down. If he's only good at talking, I'll be very sad, and I believe the rest of the league will be very disappointed too!"
"Can you feed him to become a scoring champion?" the reporters immediately pressed.
"I don't need to feed the scoring champion; what's important is the team, that everyone is having fun, that everyone is playing in their comfort zone, and that everyone gets the stats they deserve. That's the most important thing!"
"And I'm the one who can bring all of this to everyone! Our team doesn't need a scoring champion; we're a cohesive unit, and exceptionally outstanding players only affect our chemistry."
"So, can you become this year's assist king?" the reporter asked again.
"Yes!" This time, Paul declared decisively that he would defend his assist title, completely forgetting that he had just said he wanted a balanced approach, good chemistry, and didn't need any particularly outstanding players. His amnesia was remarkably fast!
"I'm really looking forward to facing him!" Deron's eyes lit up after hearing Lin Tian's words: "Our goal this year is to reach the finals and win the championship! I'm full of confidence. Lin's return will give us another top-class opponent."
"I'm so looking forward to facing him! He's my idol and my goal. My life's mission is to defeat him!"
"I can't wait!"
In Dallas, James, who had just lost the Finals a few months ago, still had the same expression: "Lin hasn't changed, he's still the same. I'm looking forward to it, and I wish them the scoring title this year, but the championship is ours."
"You've strengthened your roster again this year, bringing in sharpshooter Ray Allen. Is that what gives you the confidence to win the championship?"
"Yes," James nodded. "Our roster has been upgraded, we've addressed our previous weaknesses, we're stronger than last season, and we're fully prepared. We won't lose this year!"
"So, you lost last season's Finals because you weren't prepared? Your poor performance was also because you weren't prepared?"
"Next question." James waved his hand, refusing to answer.
"I'll stop him from doing that!" Thunder's Westbrook, his eyes also gleaming, excitedly said, "James, you'd better step up your game this year! I'm going to feed you until you become the scoring champion, are you ready?"
"I think it's easier for me to feed you into becoming the scoring champion, Russell." Harden, who had just grown a beard, grinned and said, "I'm a better passer than you."
"Then you should go play your sixth man role," Westbrook joked. "Go show off your passing skills on the bench."
"Incredible!" Rose kept repeating the word in Charlotte: "I still find it incredible. He was our coach last season, leading us to the championship, and this year I'm going to be matched up against him on the court!"
"If it were the other way around, that would be normal, but this kind of misalignment is truly amazing!"
"What? You're saying he can just casually make his teammate the top scorer? Please! That's Lin!"
"The greatest player in the history of this league. Has he ever said anything he hasn't done?"
No sooner had Rose finished speaking than Jordan, who was standing right next to him and had been happily telling reporters how he designed the championship ring, glared at him and suddenly lost all desire to continue sharing the design of the championship ring.
He knew that he had indeed been left behind by Lin Tian.
But he was still unhappy.
It's frustrating, but it's not illegal.
"I'm the scoring champion!" Beasley sat in the most central position of the team with the air of an older brother, and said with a smile, "I have Stephen to help me spread the floor, and DeMarcus can also draw the fire. Oh, and I also want to introduce my newest little brother to everyone."
"Clay, come on, say hello to everyone, be fierce! Quick, be fierce, let them know how powerful you are, let them be afraid of you."
"You don't even know how to be rude? Go play somewhere else! It's a good thing I'm here to protect you, otherwise you would really get bullied. From now on, when we go out, you and Stephen will sit at the kids' table, understand?"
"The team has brought in a lot of people to support me! It feels great. I won't let the team down, and I'll be this year's scoring champion! As for Durant and Kobe? You can tell them to just give up and go to sleep!"
"We'll see!" Wade, known for his low-key and easy-going nature and last year's scoring champion, grinned and said, "Let's see who has the last laugh!"
……
Similar things happened at the media days of almost every team in the league, with a large number of star players being asked this question and giving their own answers.
In short, Lin Tian's words immediately sparked a discussion throughout the entire league, drawing all the star players into the discussion.
But that's not all.
That very evening, after reporters, media outlets, and television stations reported on the day's media day, fans immediately embarked on a second wave of celebration.
Is Lin Tian just bragging or does he really have the skills?
Or rather, does he still have any real skills?
Can Lin Tian, who has returned to the league after three years, continue to stir up the storm and make the entire league tremble for him?
Can he really say he can feed a player to become the scoring champion, and then feed him a player to become the scoring champion?
Can Lin Tian win the assist title?
What stats can he expect to average per game in the new season?
Fans are discussing all sorts of topics, and they are really curious about how much of Lin Tian's strength he still has.
Lin Tian's public warm-up during last season's finals has been brought up again.
They then played it on a loop, letting everyone discuss just how much stock Lin Tian still had.
In Las Vegas, they also understand the importance of traffic, and they opened betting odds on the night of media day.
What statistics can Lin Tian achieve in the new season?
其中林天新赛季拿到20+10数据的赔率最低，只有3.4的赔率，意味着林天如果新赛季场均达到20+10，那么每100美刀就能获得340美金的回报。
紧随其后的是22+10的5.1，18+9的6.6，24+10的7.8和15+8的9.8倍。
This odds show that Las Vegas believes Lin Tian has the highest probability of achieving at least 20+10 stats in the new season. The data also shows that they have great confidence in Lin Tian's form and believe he will continue to dominate the league in the new season.
However, the actuaries calculated from various aspects, even referring to Jordan's condition when he returned at the age of 40, and unanimously believed that Lin Tian was unlikely to continue to be a top-five or even top-ten player in the league.
He has to be a person, after all, right?
Based on these statistics, the experts, considering Lin Tian's age, believe he will inevitably abandon defense and focus all his energy on offense. They even think that Lin Tian will launch fast breaks like crazy next season, try not to get back on defense, and most likely not defend at all.
Then, with Kobe, Durant, and Bynum on the Lakers team, who can help him easily rack up assists, his assist numbers will definitely not be low. After all, his teammates have strong finishing abilities, and even if Lin Tian gets old, his awareness and passing skills will not be lost.
The experts made this data prediction only after taking all of these factors into account.
Ultimately, experts believe that while Lin Tian can put up good stats at his age, he won't be able to contribute much to the team.
The easiest way to see what the experts are thinking is to look at another list.
MVP prediction list!
This list more directly reflects the opinions and true ability predictions of these experts, media, and industry insiders regarding a player.
For example, LeBron James played worse than Terry in last season's Finals and was the number one culprit for the team's loss. He spent the entire summer being condemned, insulted, and subjected to constant verbal attacks.
This guy isn't just a disgrace to San Antonio, he's a disgrace to Dallas.
It's because he's in Dallas. If he were playing for a high-profile team like the Lakers or the Knicks, surrounded by reporters, paparazzi, and all sorts of media, he would probably be criticized so much that he'd retire.
In Dallas, he faced far less ridicule and sarcasm.
Even though this guy was criticized to the point of vomiting blood by everyone, in the rankings given by various media outlets, the league officials, and betting companies before the start of the season, no list excluded James from the top three.
Not to mention that many people still consider James the number one candidate for MVP.
It's true that he said one thing but did another.
This is actually why James was criticized all summer.
If Terry had played like he did in last season's Finals, he would have played exceptionally well, exceeding expectations. Although he didn't score much in the fourth quarter, his performance was still outstanding.
If Marion plays this game, then this series will be the most brilliant night of his career.
But LeBron James is not at all at that level. He is an MVP, a scoring champion, and a superstar who is expected to challenge for the Mount Rushmore of history. For him to perform like this is completely unacceptable.
But even if he's not up to par or plays terribly, it's just a series. No one doubts James's ability; everyone still recognizes his skills and believes he can deliver a stellar performance this season to compete for the MVP and the championship.
Besides LeBron James, the two players who appeared most frequently in the top three were Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade. One was last season's MVP, and the other was last season's Finals MVP. They also had a large number of supporters.
On the Lakers' side, regardless of the ranking, Kobe and Durant have almost never appeared in the top five. Kobe was basically in the 7th to 10th positions, while Durant was in the 10th to 15th positions.
As for Lin Tian?
He was more of a back-and-forth match with Durant, but his overall ranking was not as high as Durant's.
This MVP prediction list is quite accurate in providing various predictions about Lin Tianxia's performance this season.
The stats are good, but the skill level is just so-so, around the top 20 in the league. They'll be competing for the third All-NBA Team, that's about it.
On closer reflection, ranking Lin Tian like this isn't unreasonable. After all, he hasn't played for three years and is already 38 years old. It would be truly alarming if he were ranked in the top five! (End of Chapter)