Chapter 997
Ross pretends to be weak while actually being strong; Lin Tian's biggest trap in hi
Sure enough, after the timeout ended, Jackson stopped holding back and brought on his three main players at the same time. In addition to the team's starters Barnes and McRoberts, the Lakers fielded a lineup that was quite tall but lacked a point guard.
This lineup clearly indicates that Kobe will be playing point guard as a makeshift player.
There's no way around it. Just one look is enough to tell that the Lakers' lineup needs someone who can pass the ball and organize the offense. Lin Tian needs to rest and can't really play the entire fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Lakers' backup point guards are all lone wolf types.
Then we'll have to let Kobe take his place.
Fortunately, the Lakers' roster has no shortage of offensive options. They don't need any sophisticated tactics or brilliant coaching. They just need to get the ball to the right place and let the right person take on the challenge.
"Is it a coincidence? Both sides have fielded incredibly tall lineups right now!" Van Gundy noticed the Bobcats' players on the court and remarked, "Or did both sides guess the lineups the other would field?"
"So they all choose to use superior forces against superior forces?"
The reason the commentators had this question was, of course, because the Bobcats had fielded their big man lineup again.
Yao Ming, Carlos Boozer, Lamar Odom, Gordon Hayward, and Derrick Rose.
Both teams have three big men plus two perimeter players. The difference is that the Lakers have a height advantage at the point guard position, allowing Kobe to bully Rose, while the Bobcats have a significantly taller interior player.
At the same time, the reason why both teams can field such a large lineup is because they both have versatile players who play the small forward position.
“Odom and Durant!” Miller said, “These two guys are the linchpins of these two lineups. Their versatility and towering stature are the real reasons why both sides can field these lineups. So I think their performance will be the key factor in who will gain the upper hand in the coming period!”
The commentators' analysis and explanations only heightened the fans' anticipation for both teams' lineups, making them eager to see what kind of performance they would deliver. Fortunately, the wait wouldn't be long, as the match was about to begin!
For the Bobcats' first offensive possession, Rose didn't rush to attack himself. Instead, after a few passes, he got the ball to Boozer in the paint, letting Boozer go one-on-one against McRoberts.
One of them is a star power forward, while the other is just a rotation player with some fame in the league. Their abilities are worlds apart, and their matchup is the one with the biggest gap in star power among all the matchups on the court right now.
Boozer showed no mercy to McRoberts. Both were short and stocky big men, and their physical attributes were evenly matched when they faced off. However, Boozer's technique was superior. After a few hard exchanges, he quickly turned and created space, scoring two crucial points for the Bobcats with a one-handed layup.
That two-pointer means the Bobcats' timeout wasn't wasted; their play went smoothly!
But the Bobcats clearly didn't have much to be happy about, because the Lakers were about to attack.
Compared to the Bobcats, who had to pass the ball around to find opportunities, Kobe Bryant of the Lakers was a master at finding and seizing opportunities. He immediately saw that in this lineup, he had the biggest advantage against Rose.
So without hesitation, he came to the frontcourt and was immediately turned around. Using his height and wingspan, he forcefully pushed against Rose's waist, then showed off his fancy footwork to shake him off, and his step-back jump shot was also accurately hit!
"As expected of the Lakers, a veteran powerhouse in the league, and Kobe, who is said to be the last glory of the 90s, as well as the defending champion and the newly crowned Finals MVP." In just this one round, Van Gundy immediately praised, "Both sides found their weaknesses very accurately, and both immediately found the opponent's weaknesses and their own strengths."
"They all use their strongest point to attack the opponent. This execution and keen observation are definitely something that all teams in the league, especially young teams, should learn from!"
For the next two minutes, the two sides continued to trade baskets, with the Lakers maintaining a slight lead.
With five minutes left in the game, Jackson took advantage of a timeout to bring Lin Tian back into the game.
"To be honest, Jackson's rotation tonight was really chaotic and random," Miller said. "The rotation and order of appearance in the first and second halves were completely different. I almost thought he was still playing in the preseason."
Jackson shook his head and said, "Rather than chaos and randomness, it's more like absolute confidence and unpredictability. The 'Zen Master' has always been known for his stable rotations and bold personnel choices. Tonight, he was just continuing his style."
Van Gundy followed up, saying, "In a sense, Phil and Lin are the same type of coach. They are very risk-averse, willing to try new things, unconventional, and often don't care about short-term gains or losses."
"That's why they can become top coaches, while I'm just an average coach."
Neither Miller nor Jackson made fun of Van Gundy's self-deprecating remarks, as their focus was now more on the game.
The game continues.
The Lakers have brought back their full starting lineup, with the five starters plus Barnes, ensuring they maintain a high level of play on both offense and defense.
The Bobcats replaced DeRozan with Odom, while the remaining four players are their starters.
Yao Ming, Carlos Boozer, Lamar Odom, Gordon Hayward, and Derrick Rose.
This was clearly Stevens' prediction that the Lakers would continue to use their height advantage in the frontcourt, so he also increased his own height to counter the Lakers.
"Odom vs. Durant!" Van Gundy said again. "Whoever can gain the upper hand in the last five minutes will give their team an advantage! These two guys, who can switch positions infinitely, will determine the course of the game."
No sooner had Van Gundy finished speaking than Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt. Then, this guy, who had just been dominating the Bobcats and was completely undefendable, made a through pass without thinking, and the basketball instantly passed through the Bobcats' defense.
Bynum, under the basket, was indeed agile and had solid fundamentals. The moment he saw Lin Tian pass the ball, he headed at Yao Ming and then immediately moved half a step to the side to create space.
Lin Tian's pass was incredibly smooth; Bynum received the ball and effortlessly broke free, leaping sideways and placing the ball into the basket.
With Lin Tian on the court, the Lakers have the ability to instantly hit the ball to the vital areas and deliver a fatal blow. With him on the court, the Lakers' offense flows smoothly and without any hesitation.
"I think after watching games from the bench for a whole year, this guy's observation of the game, his control of opportunities, and his grasp of timing have become even more perfect! After being a coach for a year, he has actually become stronger."
“Actually, that makes sense,” Miller said. “Other people don’t get to play when they’re players; they observe, think, and study the game from the bench, and then become coaches after they retire.”
"But a genius like Lin is constantly observing, thinking and researching while he's playing. When he becomes a coach, he'll probably do a lot of things to concretize the things he thinks and considers while playing and bring them into the game."
"Then, after a year of honing and experimenting, once he had brought all the things he had imagined to the competition, he couldn't resist putting them into practice himself."
"Maybe that's why he came back again and played for another year as a player. Derrick Rose is great, but not great enough. Although they won the championship, I guess Lin had a lot of plays he wanted to play but couldn't execute them."
"There are many opportunities that Lin sees from the sidelines, passing paths he thinks of, or ways to sell that Rose can't do."
"So, after a year as a coach, Lin returned to the court. He had to do these things himself, otherwise he probably wouldn't be able to sleep at night."
"I think it's a good idea!" Jackson nodded. "After all, being a coach means you can't play on the court!"
As the commentators analyzed and explained, Lin Tian had once again completely revitalized the Lakers' offense, with Kobe, Durant, and others getting easy shooting opportunities one after another, and the Lakers' offensive efficiency rising again.
As for Lin Tian himself, unless it was an absolute opportunity or a fast break 1-on-0 situation, he was really calm and didn't rush to shoot. He kept sharing the ball with his teammates.
But obviously, the Bobcats won't give up so easily. Tonight is the most celebratory night in their team history, their championship night. From tonight onwards, their ceiling will no longer be empty, but will be adorned with a flag.
On a night like this, on a day like this, how could they possibly accept losing?
So after the Lakers scored several baskets in a row, the Bobcats suddenly raised their defensive intensity again. They used more aggressive and foul-like defensive moves and more, faster and more active footwork to defend, and successfully stopped several Lakers attacks.
Meanwhile, the Bobcats were really hot tonight. In the last 5 minutes, Yao Ming hit two three-pointers in a row, and Rose's mid-range shots were almost always accurate, hitting a series of consecutive shots.
Both sides put on some really exciting and even amazing plays on both offense and defense, so the score remained close throughout.
The close contest between the two sides continued until the last 40 seconds of the game.
The Lakers still hold a slight advantage on the road.
121: 119!
They are leading the Bobcats by 2 points. However, the Bobcats have just called a timeout and still have possession of the ball, making the outcome of the game unpredictable.
When the timeout ended and the players from both sides returned to the court, both sides surprisingly refrained from making any substitutions.
The Lakers retained their original starting five, while the Bobcats also made the same change, only replacing Boozer with Odom.
flexibility!
This is the point that both sides have been focusing on the most tonight; in the end, it's still a battle of who has the better mobility.
After the timeout ended, Rose, after several screens, quickly rushed to the top of the arc and got the ball. This time, the person guarding him was no longer Kobe, but Lin Tian.
Lin Tian stretched out his arms, lowered his center of gravity, and instead of trash-talking Ross, he said casually, "Come on, isn't this what you wanted?"
In short, it immediately got Rose all fired up.
Yes, that's exactly what he wanted!
What could be more wonderful than sinking the game-winning shot while being defended by Lin Tian?
So, Rose made a rare decision to act impulsively. He waved away Odom, who wanted to cover for him, and faced Lin Tian head-on in a 1v1 situation!
Stevenson, standing on the sidelines, had a rather complicated expression on his face.
Judging from their expressions, Ross had rejected the tactics that Stevenson had devised.
It was rejected on the spot on the field.
“A bit willful, Derek.” Lin Tian could see the situation at a glance and continued, “Aren’t you afraid that this will cause internal strife within the team?”
"I apologized in time, that's all that matters!" Ross remained calm. "The infighting is because the people who did it don't think they were wrong, but I know that what I did was wrong."
"As long as my apology is timely and sincere, there will be no problem."
"And more importantly, if I score, is everything still a problem?"
At this point, Rose finally stopped probing and suddenly accelerated, dribbling with his right hand to force his way through.
After Lin Tian caught up with him without any doubt, he suddenly made a signature forward movement without slowing down, dribbled the ball to the left side, and then continued to drive hard with his left hand.
Then, after Lin Tian quickly moved to the side to stick to him again, this guy suddenly took a step back, then dribbled the basketball in and out with his left hand, followed by a series of jerky dribbling moves and small crossovers. Finally, after a series of feints and changes in rhythm, Rose accelerated again!
This dribbling sequence was almost entirely completed with the left hand. Each dribble didn't look very large, and it didn't seem like a particularly exciting crossover move, but that's from the perspective of the average fan.
If you were to show this to professionals, especially those who have studied Rose's game footage and playing style, they would be able to immediately recognize the technical skill involved in that play!
He completed the entire shot with his left hand.
Everyone knows that even at the end of last season, when Rose won the championship and Finals MVP, his left hand was still his weakness and a skill he needed to improve.
Even before tonight, Lin Tian had questioned Rose about why he didn't practice his three-pointers and left hand.
And now, in such a crucial round, Rose suddenly brought out his left-hand skills.
This technique isn't some magic ball you can throw blindfolded, it's all about luck.
Looking at this technique and comparing it to Rose's from last season, the answer is immediately clear: this guy must have gone through a lot of hard work this summer to be able to produce such amazing dribbling skills for this play.
Pretending to be weak to fool others!
This guy only revealed what he had been practicing all summer at this point, and even Lin Tian couldn't help but fall for it, allowing Ross to open up a spatial dimension.
Rose then quickly pulled up, giving Lin Tian no chance to catch up and counterattack, and threw up a mid-range pull-up jump shot!
"Shh!"
With a crisp thud, and 28 seconds left in the game, Rose sank the game-tying shot that sent the entire Spectrum Center into a frenzy once again!
The score is tied again!
"Do you like the gift I gave you, Coach?" Ross looked at Lin Tian and said proudly, "This is the result of my hard work this summer!"
"I learned these tricks from you! Thank you for your guidance last season!"
Ross was clearly extremely pleased with himself at this moment, and a rare smile appeared on his usually poker-faced expression.
It can't be hidden, it simply can't be hidden.
“Not bad. I’ve never been fooled this badly in my entire career.” Lin Tian still smiled quite easily, his eyes full of satisfaction and relief as he looked at Ross. Then he continued, “You can try again later.”
"What?" Ross thought he had misheard; his brain obviously couldn't process that quickly.
"I said, let's do it again!" Lin Tian said, waving to Jackson again to indicate that there was no need to pause. Then he took the ball from the baseline and started speeding up!
Lin Tian didn't stop at all along the way. He just kept pushing past Rose all the way to the frontcourt. Even when he reached the Bobcats' three-point line, Lin Tian didn't stop. Instead, he drove straight into the Bobcats' interior without stopping!
Even though Odom, Hayward, and DeRozan had already retreated to their own half of the court, and after noticing that Lin Tian didn't intend to slow down, the three of them simultaneously retreated, and together with Rose, the four of them almost completely surrounded Lin Tian from all sides.
An absolute trap, an ambush from all sides!
But Lin Tian seemed to have no feeling or concept of this. He seemed to be unable to see any of the Bobcats players. He just kept going without slowing down or changing direction. At the same time, because he was fast enough, he didn't give anyone a chance to stop and draw an offensive foul on him.
It's about charging forward relentlessly and running at breakneck speed!
Then, Lin Tian charged all the way to the edge of the Bobcats' three-second zone. Despite being surrounded and blocked by four people, he ignored everything, forcefully pulled up, and gripped the basketball tightly with both hands.
"Oh!"
The thud made the Bobcats fans close their eyes; they couldn't tell who had collided with whom, who had exerted force, or who had been knocked down.
What they saw was Lin Tian, surrounded by four people, seemingly an invincible war god, rising high and then falling heavily, forcefully pressing the basketball in his hands into the hoop.
"boom!"
After a loud bang, the entire venue fell silent once again.
Lin Tian's shot was too domineering and crazy; he was practically chasing the entire Bobcats team all by himself.
One against four, a powerful dunk.
There is no goal in the world more domineering and crazy than this!
The entire center of the spectrum was silenced.
Fans, including Rose himself, all expected Lin Tian to retaliate. They considered all sorts of ways Lin Tian would use to score or execute his revenge.
But no one would have expected that Lin Tian would use such a domineering, even somewhat brutal, slam dunk to complete this attack.
Even when surrounded by four people.
Everyone was stunned, including the Lakers players.
“I stopped using those underhanded tactics a long time ago, Derek.” Lin Tian looked at Ross and shrugged. “Because there’s no need for them anymore.”
"And you, are you ready? Let's do it again!" (End of Chapter)