Chapter 991
The Lynx have lost their most important person!
At the end of this tribute music video, the big screen at the venue froze on a handsome photo of Lin Tian, next to which were listed his achievements with the Bobcats over the past year.
最佳总经理、率队打破历史胜率、两次1：3落后之后的惊天逆转、总决赛2：0落后之后的逆转、总冠军、职业生涯季后赛系列赛胜率100%等等等等。
After a series of titles and records were displayed, the messages quickly changed to various blessings sent to Lin Tian by the Bobcats players.
Rose, Yao Ming, Boozer, Marvin Williams (who had to be traded to save money and has since joined the Hawks), the team's new head coach Stevens, Jeff Van Gundy (who rejected his invitation and attempts to stay and returned to TNT), and of course, Michael Jordan, the owner of the Bobcats, all appeared on camera.
After the big screen went completely dark, the lights in the arena suddenly came on, and the DJ roared in his magnetic, deep voice: "Let's welcome our hero, the team's legendary coach, LLLLL... Lin~~~~!"
As his powerful voice rang out, the entire stadium erupted in cheers and shouts once again.
The atmosphere at the entire Spectrum Center instantly reached its peak again. As the fans cheered, Rose, Jordan, Yao Ming, Stevens, and others walked out of the Bobcats' formation side by side. Jordan held a box in his hand and waved to Lin Tian with a smile.
After a hug, some casual conversation, and a bit of playful banter, Jordan handed the box to Lin Tian.
Needless to say, it's a championship ring customized by the Bobcats.
The awarding of the championship rings was earlier than that of the rest of the Bobcats team, and even earlier than the championship flag-raising ceremony. It was placed at the very beginning of all the events, which shows that the Bobcats team attaches great importance to and respects Lin Tianna. It also shows the unique and high-level treatment they have given him.
"Thank you Lin for everything he has done for us over the past year! Thank you for the honors he has brought to this team!" Jordan picked up the microphone and said to the fans in the arena, "The past year has been wonderful, magical, and unbelievable, like a dream."
"We will always remember this year, and we will always remember everything Lin brought us!"
"Of course, we still have to win tonight's game! We want to show Lin just how strong the Bobcats have become under his leadership! We also want to show Lin that this year's Bobcats are even better and greater than last season's!"
"Our goal this year is the same as last season! No one can stop us, including Lin!"
As Jordan delivered his speech and made blatant provocations, the fans in the arena erupted in cheers once again. Who didn't know about the intriguing relationship between Lin Tian and Jordan?
Both of them have stated on multiple occasions that the other is their best friend, and judging from their daily interactions, their relationship is definitely extraordinary.
However, the two of them are clearly good at teasing each other. Whenever they have the chance, they will not miss the opportunity to embarrass or anger each other, or to make fun of or ridicule each other.
Of course, most of the time, Lin Tian had an absolute advantage.
After Jordan finished his speech, he handed the microphone to Lin Tian. Lin Tian took the microphone and said first, "Well then, thank you all for still supporting me, thank you all for still cheering for me. The past year has been unique for me!"
"I will also cherish the memories of last season forever! It was an honor to accomplish so many amazing things with you all!"
After this routine opening speech to the fans, Lin Tian's gaze immediately turned to Jordan's face. Judging from his expression, this guy was about to launch a counterattack!
"In addition, I heard that Michael personally guided the design and finalized the design of our championship ring this time."
"I have to say, his taste is terrible. Stop trying to save money, Michael. Find a designer. I can only wear this ring around my neck; it's just too ugly!"
While mocking Jordan's taste and design skills, Lin Tian continued, "But you guys are unlikely to have another chance to get a new ring in the next two years, because you won't be able to get one."
"The Los Angeles Lakers will win the championship this season!"
If anyone in the world made such arrogant remarks at the home stadium of any newly crowned champion, they would definitely be bombarded with insults and abuse from the fans, and the abuse would continue until the end of the game.
Unfortunately, this is Lin Tian, the number one contributor to the Bobcats' championship win last season, and the most respected person on the Bobcats last season.
In particular, everyone in the world knows what kind of person Lin Tian is and how annoying he is.
Therefore, the fans at the Spectrum Center were quite tolerant of him.
After Lin Tian and the Bobcats representatives exchanged pleasantries, hugged and greeted each other, and did some activities such as taking photos and signing autographs, Lin Tian returned to the Lakers' formation.
They can't train yet; the Bobcats haven't received their rings yet, and the championship banner hasn't been raised.
We have to wait until their procedures are completed before we can talk about it!
Sure enough, after Lin Tian and the others left the court, the lights dimmed again and a documentary about the Bobcats' championship win last season began to play.
Lin Tian heard a sigh: "How dare you?"
Lin Tian glanced back and saw it was Durant. The guy had a tattered towel wrapped around his head, but he still exuded an indescribable and unique aura.
Lin Tian was certain that Durant was the only one in the entire league who possessed this kind of charisma.
“Because I have a strong personal charm, a unique appeal and popularity.” Lin Tian was quite blunt, glancing at Durant before saying directly, “I think you have that kind of charisma too.”
"I have one too?" Durant was surprised.
Am I really unique?
Yes, you are a unique young man, don't doubt yourself.
You are the only big shot in this alliance who, despite being a billionaire, still looks no different from a homeless person.
That air of poverty and being a loser lingered, impossible to shake off.
In the following period, the Lakers became completely secondary, or rather, mere accessories. Even Lin Tian received little attention, as the championship banner began to rise and flutter above the Bobcats' home arena.
Then all the players and coaches stepped forward to receive their championship rings, including Jeff Van Gundy, who had left the team and returned to the commentary booth, who came to the scene today to receive yet another championship ring.
What brought everything to a climax tonight was a single sentence from Rose.
“Our ceiling was empty, and I didn’t like that, so I worked hard to put the first flag on it! I swear, this won’t be the only flag I bring to the Spectrum Center in my career.”
"I will make sure there are more and more flags hanging from our ceiling! And my lifelong dream is to have my jersey hanging from the ceiling too! Charlotte's number one jersey, only I can wear it!"
Ross's declaration was absolutely exhilarating. In the context of tonight's events, Ross's words brought the noise, cheers, and shouts at the entire Spectrum Center to their peak.
Starting tonight, the people of Charlotte have officially stood up!
With that, the evening's entertainment was over, and the Charlottes had thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Both teams' players then took to the court to warm up, awaiting the start of the final game.
Now, it's time to see the real test!
"The Bobcats haven't made any major changes to their roster this year. They've basically kept the core of last year's championship team, except for trading Marvin Williams in exchange for a trade exception."
As both sides began warming up, the TNT trio started their commentary. Jackson spoke first, and Miller followed up immediately after he finished speaking: "But not much has changed, which refers to the players."
"Their coaching and management teams have undergone a complete transformation!"
Van Gundy said with a smile, "They lost the best assistant coach in the league, so I'm not really optimistic about them this year. After all, no team can maintain its record and energy after losing a superb assistant coach."
Van Gundy's words made Miller and Jackson burst into laughter. Van Gundy was as rigid and boring as a coach, but as likable as a commentator.
Professional, humorous, quick-witted, and capable of spouting witty remarks from time to time, leading many to suspect that this guy has a split personality.
He has one personality when he's coaching, but a completely different one when he's commentating on a game.
"Anyway, the Bobcats have indeed been downsizing since winning the championship, even if it's a forced downsizing. Their roster and fighting strength are likely not as good as last season." After laughing for a while, Jackson brought the topic back on track: "I'm not optimistic about them this year."
“Then you’re wrong!” Van Gundy, the habitually protective old man, immediately retorted when Jackson said his team was bad: “This team has a lot of young players. Derrick is only in his fourth year, DeMar is in his third year, and Gordon, Jeremy, Lance, and Landry are all in their second year!” “So many young players, all on the rise, all improving rapidly, and there are no veterans nearing the end of their careers on this team. The oldest among them are Yao, Carlos, and Lamar, who are all around 30 years old.”
"They are at the peak of their careers. They may not make any further progress, and their careers are already set, but they will not decline either."
"As for the players, the Bobcats will only be stronger than last year. They will only improve and not regress. Of course, without me in the coaching staff, their lineup and system building during games will definitely be much worse."
"But I believe that the players can make up for this decline by improving their individual skills, and with the team's confidence increasing significantly, I have complete faith in them and believe that they can become a better team this year!"
"And what about Lin's departure?" Miller asked with a smile, preparing to stir things up.
“It’s nothing special.” Van Gundy couldn’t keep up the act any longer, and he burst into laughter. “It’s not an irreparable loss. After all, I’ve worked with Brad for a whole year. I trust him and I know his abilities.”
"This guy has a lot of potential, and he definitely has the ability to realize that potential very quickly. He will become one of the best head coaches in the league!"
“I trust Jeff’s judgment; he’s always been very good at judging people. But I also think there’s definitely still a gap between Stevens and Phil Jackson,” Jackson said. “So let’s see how Stevens takes over from Lin and leads the Bobcats to continue improving!”
Miller said, "But of course, the main event tonight is obviously not Stevens' coaching ability or whether the Bobcats will regress without Jeff. There is only one most important character tonight."
"After a three-year hiatus, can Lin return to the NBA court and recapture his former glory?"
"You know, when he retired 3 years ago, he was a champion and Finals MVP. He put up epic numbers and was recognized as the best player in the league!"
"He left the league with countless fantasies, and now he's back. Can he excite his fans again?"
“But I find something else very interesting,” Van Gundy continued. “As we all know, Michael retired for two years before returning to the league, but Lin has been resting for three years.”
"After his second retirement, Michael chose to go into management and tried to own a team."
"After retiring, Lin also chose to become a manager, and he did a much better job than Michael!"
"In addition, Michael left after winning three consecutive championships, as did Lin. But after Michael's first return, he won three championships in four and a half seasons before retiring again. Michael's dynasty was ended by Lin."
"Everything was so coincidental; the career trajectories of these two people were so similar."
"So, can Lin achieve the same level of success as Michael back then, and once again sweep the league before leaving?"
"Or perhaps, this time, a brand new challenger will take over Lin's torch, completely end this era, and then usher in a brand new era that belongs to the new generation?"
"Players who entered the league after the turn of the century must be under immense pressure right now!"
"After all, in recent years, the championships have either been won by Lin or by Lin and his players."
"There were only three championships in the entire new century that had nothing to do with Lin: the Pistons, the Celtics, and the Phoenix Old Men."
"And these three teams all happen to have players who entered the league in the 90s as their absolute core!"
"The new generation that entered the league after the turn of the century has now unknowingly become the middle generation. Can they take down Lin and his team this time?"
"Then let's see if the Bobcats can win another championship unrelated to Lin in the post-Lin era!" Jackson continued, "The Bobcats will most likely continue with their starting lineup from last season."
"The twin towers of Yao Ming and Carlos Boozer, DeRozan and Hayward guarding the front line, and Rose remains the team's number one star and point guard!"
Miller said, "On the Lakers' side, although Phil Jackson played like he was tanking in the preseason, playing haphazardly and using a lineup that was dizzying, the team's final starting lineup is actually not much of a surprise."
"The team's four key players, Bynum, Durant, Kobe, and Lin, will definitely start. As for the remaining power forward position, will it be played by the Frenchman Turiaf, or by the sharpshooting center Troy Murphy?"
Miller said, "If you want Lin to play comfortably, then a shooter-type big man is essential! Ever since the Chicago era, Lin has always had a big man who is good at shooting by his side."
“From Kukoc to Schmitz to Webber, Okur and Stoudemire, whether it’s mid-range or three-pointers, as long as this big man is good at shooting, he will definitely be able to develop good chemistry with Lin.”
"Let's see what Jackson can do with the Lakers' current roster!"
The commentators joked with each other while analyzing the game, which is a difference between ESPN and TNT. ESPN focuses on professionalism and composure, with banter and humor being secondary; their main focus is still on analyzing the game.
The TNT team, consisting of a chubby bunch, mainly focused on bickering and arguing, with match commentary being secondary.
As for how fans choose, that depends on their personal preferences.
But now, the competition is about to begin!
Amid cheers and shouts from the fans, the starting players from both sides took to the field.
As expected, the Bobcats did not change their starting lineup at all; Stevens completely followed Lin Tian's starting five from last season.
These five players are the team's most cohesive and well-rounded players, and the three outside players are all at an age where they are developing their skills. Therefore, Stevens is quite confident in this lineup, and he absolutely believes that these five players are stronger than last season!
The Bobcats can rely on the progress they've made through hard work, the experience they've gained after playing an extra year, and the extra confidence they've gained after winning the championship!
On the Lakers' side, in addition to their four superstars taking up starting positions, Phil Jackson made a brilliant move in another starting position.
Anyway, the ESPN trio's long debate about whether it was Murphy or Turiaf was completely pointless.
Neither of these two players started, and Jackson put a player on the court that no one would have expected at all.
Matt Barnes.
This younger brother, who followed Lin Tian from the Knicks to the Bobcats and then to the Lakers, finally got a chance to be used in the Lakers' first game and became a starter.
Regardless of whether his starting position is secure or not, Barnes is starting in today's highly anticipated opening game, which is being broadcast nationwide.
他打的是3号位，而号称身高208公分，但100%超过210公分的杜兰特则是来到了4号位。
"This lineup has great spacing! It's a classic big man and four small men. Durant, Kobe, and Lin are all top-tier shooters, Barnes' shooting and cutting are also quite good, and with Bynum, a standard 7-footer, the Lakers' lineup is definitely something to look forward to."
"The only concern is whether Durant, who is not big enough and is relatively light, can shoulder the responsibility of the team's power forward position?"
"As expected of Jackson, he's really bold and interesting! Let's see what kind of chemistry they can create!"
"Ready, Derrick?" On the court, Lin Tian, with his hands on his knees, smiled and greeted Rose beside him. Finally back on this court, Lin Tian was genuinely a little excited.
"I've been ready for a long time, Lin!" Rose was equally excited, looking at Lin Tian and saying, "Honestly, I'd rather face you on the court than be coached by you!"
"I've been waiting for this day for so long."
"Haven't we played on the court?" Lin Tian rubbed his head, he couldn't quite remember.
What year did I retire? 08?
Goodness, I've never beaten him before.
"Dudu!"
While Lin Tian was still lost in thought about whether he had actually fought Rose, the referee had already blown the whistle, and the game had begun!
"Snapped!"
Although Bynum is not as tall as Yao Ming, his jumping ability and wingspan are much better than Yao Ming's.
Taking advantage of his youth and strength, this guy hooked the basketball over and passed it to Lin Tian. (End of Chapter)