Chapter 995
Becoming Lin Tian's fan is definitely an incredibly happy thing!
There are 32 seconds left in the first half.
58: 59!
With Lin Tian scoring two consecutive three-pointers and a dunk, the Lakers quickly caught up. After the Bobcats went on an 8-0 run, they immediately responded with an 8-0 run of their own!
"I think all the doubts and distrust about Lin will disappear in a little over a minute," Miller said immediately as Stevens called a timeout. "It's terrifying! His scoring explosiveness is truly terrifying."
"Is there anyone else who can score like crazy anytime, anywhere, like Lin?"
“There are quite a few people who can do that at some point in their career, in a game, or even for a period of time,” Jackson said. “There are a lot of scoring monsters in this league, but honestly, someone like Lin is truly one of a kind.”
"If he wants to score, he can score anytime. He's unstoppable, and nobody can stop him. Whether he can score or not depends entirely on whether he wants to or not! Just look at the statistics and those terrifying records he left behind, and we can easily come to a conclusion."
"Lin is unstoppable! In my mind, he is a better scorer than Michael Jordan, Chamberlain, or anyone else."
“I agree with your point of view,” Miller followed up. “Many people in this league will say that they are team players, don’t care about stats, and won’t play for stats, and of course there are many other different kinds of things.”
"But 99% of that is nonsense, just empty talk. They either care a lot about the data, or they simply can't get the data they want, it's that simple! Of course, there is also a very small number of people who genuinely don't care about the data."
"But Lin is an exception. He is different from everyone else. He really doesn't care. What others don't care about might be a triple-double, a 40+ point game, or a career high."
"But what Lin doesn't care about is all kinds of historical records and all kinds of data that others can't touch or get close to."
"As for what he did, I don't want to say more. I just want to say: three years ago, no one could stop Lin, and three years later, no one can stop Lin now!"
The commentators' words were absolutely reasonable and well-founded. At the very least, the Bobcats were completely unable to stop Lin Tian. The little advantage they had painstakingly accumulated by seizing the opportunity vanished in an instant.
This kind of one-man show can be considered Lin Tian's signature move.
Besides him, there's really no one else who can suddenly explode anytime, anywhere and then score a string of points to save the team.
At this point, the Bobcats fans were no longer happy. If Lin Tian scored one or two goals, they could cheer wildly for him, because of the friendship they had built last year.
But now that you've gone on an 8-0 run and are about to take the lead, the fans aren't really that magnanimous.
Soon, the timeout ended, and the cautious Stevens called a timeout at this moment, undoubtedly to secure their advantage in the final moments of the first half. Even if it was only a one-point lead, they had to carry it into the second half, as this was a huge psychological advantage!
The timeout ended quickly, and neither side made any substitutions. Rose received the inbound pass from his teammate, calmly dribbled to the top of the arc, and signaled to everyone that there was no need to rush.
And this time, the person standing in front of him finally became Lin Tian, just as he had wished!
"I thought you wouldn't dare to face me all night, Coach." Rose stretched out a hand to block Lin Tian, preventing him from pressing forward and maintaining a safe distance. They wanted to control the game until the end and try to finish the 24-second countdown as much as possible.
"I've always dreamed of beating you!"
"You've already said that, and you said it before too." Lin Tian remained relaxed, focusing his attention on Rose and saying, "I remember your trash-talking skills improved dramatically last season, right? How come you've forgotten everything after just one summer?"
"But since you call me coach, have you been practicing your three-pointers? Have you improved your left-handed drives? Have you improved your finishing around the basket? Have you changed your bad habit of always rushing to the basket, jumping up, and then looking for a teammate?"
"Huh?" Lin Tian's question, which sounded just like a teacher checking homework, startled Ross. What was this? Checking summer homework without warning?
Lin Tian was now adopting a posture that suggested he was going to thoroughly check how well Lin Tian had done his homework that night.
He slightly shifted his body, giving Rose space on his left, and at the same time, he subtly took half a step back, also giving Rose space to shoot.
The meaning couldn't be clearer: three-pointers or drives to the left? Show us those two things you're not good at, and let's see if you've really practiced them hard during the offseason.
Rose was a little embarrassed.
Because he really didn't practice much this summer, not nearly as hard as last offseason. Although he worked twice as hard in training camp, a month is only enough for him to consolidate what he's good at before learning new things. It's really not enough time.
When Lin Tian saw Ross's expression, he immediately guessed that the guy hadn't perfected his skills. So, he instantly channeled his teacher's spirit and started criticizing him!
"You'll stop working hard if no one's supervising you, huh? How can Brad, that bastard, lead the team? Can't he even handle something this simple? Playing basketball is like rowing against the current! If you don't move forward, you fall behind."
"If you don't work hard, others will, and you'll be left behind! It's infuriating! You don't understand this stupid logic, fine, but doesn't Brad understand it either? Or did you simply not listen to Brad?"
"I listened!" Rose said, feeling wronged. "How could I not listen to the coach... FUXX!"
Ross was explaining to Lin Tian how he respected his teacher when Lin Tian suddenly pounced on him!
This tactic of feinting to the east while attacking in the west, using words to distract the opponent before launching a surprise attack, was something Lin Tian had been using since he first joined the alliance. Now, he used it again with unparalleled skill and ease.
Although Rose won the championship and Finals MVP last season, he is still young, especially since he was not wary of Lin Tian.
He might not treat Lin Tian like his own father, but at least he treated Lin Tian like his own brother. What kind of good person would be on guard against the person who is closest to them, even when they are giving them lessons or checking their homework?
So Rose fell for it!
Lin Tian's sudden attack closed in, eliminating the previous shooting space and the angle for breaking through to the left. In the blink of an eye, Lin Tian increased the intensity to the maximum and began close defense against Rose.
Although Rose was immediately put in a very awkward position, fortunately, he was a champion after all. After stumbling a few times, he took a step back and finally managed to regain his footing. However, he was already far from the three-point line and there was not enough time left on the shot clock.
Lin Tian's sudden outburst was timed perfectly and precisely!
Although Lin Tian didn't steal the ball directly, by the time Rose finally regrouped and prepared to break through again, there were only 5 seconds left on the shot clock.
That's too late!
Rose could certainly see the attack time. Although he had regained his composure, he was indeed getting impatient. He reset his footing to create a little space for himself, and then accelerated again, wanting to use his speed to overpower Lin Tian!
But who is Lin Tian? Ross has seen far too many of his tricks!
He quickly moved sideways and closed in again, giving Rose no space to dribble or adjust, forcing him to stop once more.
At that moment, Rose knew he was completely finished!
He was out of time, so he simply took another half step back, then jumped up and threw the ball!
The remaining attack time is only enough for him to do this one thing.
"Buzz!"
Unfortunately, with such a long distance, such intense competition, and such a hasty shot, the ball naturally went wildly off course. The 24-second shot clock went off while the ball was still in the air, and the 24 seconds were up!
At the same time, the basketball flew directly out of bounds, and Rose's shot was an absurd airball.
"That'll teach you to not practice properly this summer!" Lin Tian reached out and ruffled Rose's hair, saying, "If you had practiced properly, this would have hit the backboard at least once."
"Coach." Rose was nowhere near looking like the Finals MVP. After being bombarded by Lin Tian, he looked exactly like a primary school student who had forgotten to do his homework.
Fortunately, although he no longer has the flair and aura of a Finals MVP, Lin Tian still has it!
While Lin Tian was rubbing Rose's head, this guy suddenly dodged and blocked Rose's path. Durant, who had the ball on the baseline, immediately understood Lin Tian's intention and suddenly flicked the ball over.
The Bobcats players could never have imagined this!
They never expected Ross to be suddenly trapped behind Lin Tian, let alone that Lin Tian could be so shameless.
At the same time, they overlooked the fact that Lin Tian was guarding Rose almost at midcourt, which is a prime location for a fast break! The Bobcats players obviously didn't anticipate this, and subconsciously, they thought the Lakers would comfortably finish the game.
So, while they were leisurely retreating on defense, Lin Tian had already pushed past Rose with his buttocks and charged at full speed to grab the basketball.
Rose was completely outmatched by Lin Tian's quick movement; how could he possibly catch up with Lin Tian? Not to mention, even in a fair contest of speed, Rose wouldn't stand a chance against Lin Tian, and with Lin Tian's latest trick, he was even further out of reach.
So even though Rose ran with all his might, he could only watch as Lin Tian caught the basketball, took a step, took off, and finally completed a powerful dunk.
After that fast break dunk, the situation completely reversed.
60：59！ 湖人队打出了一波10：0的高潮，一举将比分逆转了，反超1分！
"I often say that Lin's most terrifying quality isn't his accurate shooting, lightning-fast drives, unparalleled court vision, or insane dunks. Of course, a player possessing all of those qualities is already terrifying enough," Miller commented again after Lin Tian's dunk.
"But Lin is not only like that; his most terrifying trait is his shamelessness!"
“F***!” Jackson cursed. “That doesn’t sound like a compliment at all, but I have to say, Reggie’s assessment is spot on! I love it.”
“Yes, Lin is shameless, utterly shameless. He’s the kind of person who would throw his own face on the ground, stomp on it a few times, piss on it, and then pick it up and wear it again.” Van Gundy’s chime in was clearly driven by personal grudge.
But the other two didn't interrupt him; instead, they listened to him continue.
"Ordinary people might have this kind of shamelessness, but Lin has the best skills and talent on the basketball court, yet he is still so shameless. I think that's why he has become the number one star in NBA history and even on Earth."
“He’s capable of anything! In this alliance, you absolutely won’t find another person like Lin who would do something like this at a time like this, while chatting with his most respected disciple.”
There will absolutely not be a second one.
The two people next to Van Gundy had already reached a consensus on what he said, nodding repeatedly to indicate that Jeff was right.
Even Lin Tian's fans, who could hear the three men talking on TV, kept nodding in agreement, saying that's exactly how it is, and that our Lin is just that shameless and hateful.
But she's really likable!
Van Gundy added, "Especially since Lin has an absolute advantage most of the time when facing his opponent. He can dominate and suppress his opponent."
"Even so, he still resorts to some underhanded tricks and despicable methods to benefit himself, and many times, his actions are completely unnecessary."
"For example, just now, he accelerated directly. Could Rose catch up with him? No, he couldn't."
"But he would take advantage of the moment when he was patting Ross's head and chatting to turn around and block Ross, and then exert force so that Ross could not keep up with his speed at all."
"Meaningless shamelessness, unnecessary scoundrel behavior, and insidious acts purely for personal perverse pleasure—I can only say that Lin's shamelessness has clearly become his trademark."
Ok?
Van Gundy talked for a long time, but found that no one responded. The two guys next to him actually kept quiet at this time.
No! He felt something was wrong.
His primal animal instincts alerted him to the danger.
"Jeff, how could you say that about Lin?" Jackson's voice suddenly came.
“Lin does have some flaws, but it’s really not appropriate to say them in public like this,” Miller said, trying to suppress a laugh as he chimed in.
The moment those two bastards uttered those words, Van Gundy knew: Lin Tian was definitely right behind him!
Van Gundy was indeed too engrossed in what he was saying. It was a rare opportunity to criticize Lin Tian with someone, and he got a little too absorbed in it.
The first half is now over, and the score remains unchanged, with the Lakers still leading by one point.
They just saved the Bobcats' final shot.
As both teams were leaving the field, Lin Tian, by sheer bad luck, passed by the ESPN commentary booth, cleverly walking right past Van Gundy's blind spot.
Lin Tian heard Van Gundy's words clearly. Although Miller and Jackson hadn't said a word since he arrived, Lin Tian knew these scumbags too well. If they said bad things about him, wouldn't they attack him together?
He just saw me now and was deliberately messing with Van Gundy.
However, Lin Tian was too lazy to argue. They were all buddies, so let's have some fun.
For example, he swayed over to Van Gundy and then suddenly pressed his hands down on Van Gundy's head, startling Miller and Jackson who were standing nearby. They almost thought Lin Tianzhen was going to make a move.
If they were to take action against Van Gundy here, it would be a huge scandal!
Fortunately, Lin Tian's next actions put them at ease.
Lin Tian simply opened his mouth and breathed on Van Gundy's bald head, then gently wiped his head with the wristband he had just taken off.
Then Lin Tian suddenly performed a pantomime.
The main story is about how a person would react if they suddenly saw a very bright light bulb in the dark.
It must be said that Lin Tian's acting skills carried this moment; he acted exceptionally well.
It was so bright that Miller couldn't help but lean back slightly, then squinted, as if he too was blinded by the bright light.
A good performance is infectious and contagious.
After playing a trick on Van Gundy, Lin Tian didn't say a word and turned to leave, leaving Van Gundy there unsure whether to feel grateful for surviving such a close call or to feel awkward for a while.
The hosts found themselves in an awkward silence.
But the fans watching on TV were absolutely in stitches.
This is hilarious!
The first half of the opening match ended perfectly amidst the laughter of the fans.
After an initial awkwardness and disorientation, the ESPN trio quickly got back into the game.
"Flawless! This first half was absolutely flawless! Both sides performed exceptionally well, with no one side dominating the game," Miller exclaimed. "A close and exciting match, just what the fans have been eagerly anticipating!"
Jackson said, "More importantly, both teams' stars had some pretty good performances! For the Bobcats, Rose had 13 points and 6 assists, Yao had 12 points and 4 rebounds, plus Boozer and Odom had 9 and 7 points respectively, the Bobcats had multiple players contributing to the offense tonight!"
"The Lakers' stars did not disappoint. Although Bynum was suppressed by Yao and only scored 4 points and 5 rebounds in the first half, Kobe and Durant scored 13 and 12 points respectively. In addition, Thomas, who came off the bench, also impressed and scored 4 points."
"And the highest scorer of the game was, of course, Lin, who just went on a scoring run at the end of the second quarter and almost single-handedly reversed the score!"
"Lin played very quietly for the first 22 minutes of the first half tonight, and was quite lazy. But in the last two minutes, he suddenly exploded and led the team to take the lead with his consecutive points."
“16分5篮板7助攻！外加2抢断1盖帽！这就是林上半场交出的答卷，也是他时隔3年之后，再次站在NBA球场之上时给出的答案。”
"I think this first half is enough to make all of Lin Tian's fans cheer and shout!"
Jeff Van Gundy, who is adept at building defensive systems, added at this point: "In addition to his performance on the offensive end, Lin's contribution on the defensive end is equally undeniable! His contribution to the team's defense is not just as simple as 2 steals and 1 block."
"Just look at who he was matched up against. DeRozan, who was going up against Lin, played 17 minutes in the first half but only made 1 of 6 shots and scored only 2 points in the first half!"
"He was matched up against Lin almost the entire time! And in the last two rounds, when Lin was matched up against Rose, Rose also missed both of his attacks. Even if we exclude the last round where he rushed to make a last-minute shot to save time, the only round where Rose was matched up against Lin was completely blocked by Lin!"
"Lin's defense hasn't regressed at all, and he's still willing to contribute on the defensive end. He's still the all-around king on both offense and defense, and the superstar who can single-handedly influence the game!"
"I now even think that Phil Jackson's decision to pair Lin with DeRozan wasn't to protect Lin from being overwhelmed by Rose, but to protect the pride of the newly crowned Finals MVP!"
Jackson said, "Lin's defense is certainly great, and his level of commitment and focus are also excellent, but what amazes me even more is Lin's offensive level, which is still so high! He can still change the game and change everything!"
"That final 10-0 run by Lin was the same old Lin, from offense to defense, from shooting to fast breaks! All I can do is congratulate the fans who love Lin once again!"
"Being a fan of Lin is truly a wonderful thing!" (End of Chapter)