Chapter 998
I predicted that you would predict my prediction!
There was absolute silence.
The crowd fell silent, whether they were fans or Bobcats players. Lin Tian's shot had truly left them bewildered.
That's terrifying, Lin Tian is terrifying.
They were truly stunned by the attack.
They didn't make any mistakes on that play.
Or rather, they made a huge mistake in principle. Four players guarding one player meant that the rest of the Lakers would get at least three huge stretches of space.
Despite this huge 'mistake', Lin Tian still recklessly smashed the ball into the goal.
Silence fell. Everyone fell silent. The Bobcats' morale had suffered an unprecedented blow.
Finally, it was Stevenson who broke the silence. He called a timeout, bringing the players back to his side so he could properly arrange the tactics.
With 20 seconds left in the game, even if Lin Tian makes a fierce shot, it will only be 2 points for him, and the Bobcats still have a chance to turn the game around.
Or rather, the chances are very high!
It's just one round!
During the break, Van Gundy resumed his work: "Rose's progress is incredible. He didn't stop improving and training after winning the championship. He didn't relax at all, and his progress is visible to the naked eye."
"From mentality, playing style, control of technical details, and improvement of his weaknesses, Rose has done a great job this summer. His left-hand dribbling ability has improved significantly. He can even keep it hidden until the last moment of the game before giving Lin a surprise."
"But unfortunately, they were facing Lin! Lin gave them an even bigger and more crazy surprise, leaving them even more powerless."
"I don't know how to describe Lin's move, nor how to analyze it, because it doesn't need description or analysis."
"There are no special details or noteworthy points. If I had to describe it, it would be an indomitable spirit, absolute confidence, arrogant disdain for others, terrifying physical abilities, and an absolute domineering attitude of 'I am the best in the world!'"
"This is Lin's game. It sounds simple, and it seems like anyone can do it, but when it really comes down to it..."
At this point in Van Gundy's speech, Miller immediately chimed in, "Anyway, Michael can't do this, and I've never seen anyone else do it this way."
"How old is he anyway?" Jackson couldn't help but ask. "Did this guy get injected with some Captain America serum or undergo some kind of adamantium modification? How could he be this old and still be able to put up such explosive plays?"
"Is he even human?"
“I know a little gossip, or rather, a little inside information,” Van Gundy said, looking at the two men. “Lin has probably had more drug tests in his career than all the players on a certain team combined.”
"His urine was tested ten or even twenty times more often than that of the average player."
When Van Gundy finished speaking, the other two remained silent, just staring at him without saying a word.
"Don't fucking look at me like that. I'm a member of the national team. I'm going to be the assistant coach for the US team, and I'll be leading our second team to competitions like the FIFA World Cup. Of course, I need some information to determine who can be used and who can't."
"Even if there's only a tiny bit of that bastard's blood in his veins, I would never consider letting him join my team, not even the national team's second team."
"Then, I noticed the test results and testing process for Lin."
"I can't go into too much detail, and I don't really understand it either. After all, all I need to know is whether the person is on drugs or not."
"What I can say is that Lin has no problems whatsoever. He has absolutely no issues whatsoever. In fact, even now, people are still studying his test samples from 15 years ago."
"After all, theoretically speaking, if someone has a problem, and you want to determine whether someone has a problem, then technology from 15 years ago is relatively easier to crack, and medications taken 15 years ago are easier to detect."
"But the result, you can all guess, right? No problems at all! Not only are there no problems, but he is also extremely healthy. Lin's physical indicators can be considered the template for all humans in the world."
All I can say is that he is a monster.
Van Gundy's words made Miller and Jackson exchange bewildered glances, and then Miller couldn't help but say, "Then mine..."
Van Gundy knew what his man wanted to ask, and waved his hand, saying, "I guarantee your stuff is probably sitting in some forgotten corner, gathering dust long ago!"
"After all, who has the time or inclination to investigate and verify whether a third-rate player cheated in a game 10 years ago?"
Van Gundy's words hurt Miller somewhat, but he also knew that Van Gundy was right.
The gap between himself and Lin Tian was indeed enormous.
"Coach, it's my fault. I didn't follow the tactics. I was willful. It's my problem." Off the court, Rose, just as he said, found Stevenson and apologized immediately during the timeout.
"And I hope that next time, I can be matched up against Lin and have a one-on-one battle with him! I know that this is irrational and immature, and I know that this may drag the whole team down."
"But just this once, after all, that's Lin! He's my favorite professional player. I'm willing to take all the responsibility and punishment after the game, I just hope you can let me be willful this one time tonight!"
Ross had already said all that, giving Stevenson both face and substance; what else could he say?
Not to mention, Stevenson is also a young man, even younger than Lin Tian. He's still at an age where he's easily fired up and gets excited!
After all, how could someone in their early twenties who quits a high-paying job to pursue their dreams, volunteering at a university and sleeping in a basement, not have some passion and drive?
"Derrick, next shot, you score!" Stevenson shouted without hesitation. "We all support you, we all will help you do it!"
"Now, I'll set up a screen play for everyone. We'll all help Derrick receive the ball, and then quickly spread out..."
On the other side of the court, Jackson squinted and spoke slowly; he was not in a hurry at all.
Firstly, this is because the old man had this style when he entered the league. Secondly, he now has three top clutch players under his command: Lin Tian, Kobe, and Durant. The team can also form a super defensive lineup of Lin Tian, Kobe, Durant, Barnes, and Bynum.
Why is he in such a hurry with a team that is good at both offense and defense and has explosive ability to make crucial plays?
If any coach is nervous with this kind of lineup, then they might as well go home and grow corn.
Pure waste!
"They'll let Derek and Lin fight one-on-one, right Lin?" Jackson looked at Lin Tian and immediately threw the topic at him.
"I don't know." Lin Tian indicated that he didn't want to worry about anything unrelated to his work. They wanted me to do the head coach's job without paying me? There's no such thing as a free lunch!
You old man, go do your own thing.
Jackson pursed its lips, helpless. Lin Tian's reaction confirmed to it that it could forget about slacking off this year.
"Everyone spread out. Lin and Rose will go one-on-one. No help defense needed. Keep an eye on your man and don't give them any open shots or easy chances. No one is allowed to lose focus or leave anyone open!"
"As long as Ross makes a move, we're guaranteed to win! Because we have Lin, and Lin won't let us down at a time like this, in such a crucial one-on-one situation! Tonight, we're going to win!" "Leave everything to Lin!"
Jackson's words were extremely irresponsible and completely incompetent, especially regarding offense. What kind of head coach doesn't give any instructions on defense and leaves everything to the players?
Jackson is clearly retaliating against Lin Tian. As for the outcome of this retaliation?
There was no real result; it was just Jackson having a good time.
Besides, the price they paid was considerable; the Lakers might suffer a loss tonight, marking a disappointing start to the season.
But clearly, Jackson is quite confident and experienced with his current roster, knows how long the regular season is, and doesn't care about a single game because it's not that important.
I've fought half my life, what's wrong with enjoying myself a bit?
In short, Jackson acted as if he wanted to wash his hands of the matter, and Lin Tian himself didn't care at all. He stood up and walked towards the court.
No need to set up, it's just one-on-one, isn't it?
Haven't I locked down enough defenders in my lifetime?
Or rather, which guy in the league who has faced off against Lin Tian has never been locked down by him?
"Dudu!"
The referee blew his whistle quickly, and the game continued!
Stevenson immediately realized that all the cover tactics he had just devised were useless and a complete waste of time.
Because the Lakers didn't even try to interfere with the Bobcats' inbounds pass.
The whole team lined up and marked their own players closely. Lin Tian even let Rose go and let him receive the ball at the top of the arc.
Rose easily got the basketball, but he knew that the easy part was over.
Lin Tian and the Lakers are unlikely to let his next attack be so easy.
Sure enough, the moment Rose got the ball, Lin Tian had already taken a step forward and was face-to-face with Rose, while continuing his trash talk: "I thought you were too scared to come. You're braver than I thought."
In short, let's keep Rose under control first. As for whether Rose will fall for it, or whether he'll get carried away and challenge us to a one-on-one fight because of this, we'll see!
First, enjoy the spray, then worry about everything else.
Fortunately, Rose had already made up his mind, and with Stevenson's support, the Bobcats wanted Rose to disregard tactics and have a one-on-one match with Lin Tian in this round!
And this is very likely the last one-on-one match tonight!
After receiving the ball, Rose didn't rush to attack. Instead, he waved to signal all his teammates to spread out. Once the space was completely cleared, he immediately accelerated and drove to the basket!
When Rose got the ball, there were 20 seconds left in the game. By the time everyone had spaced out and he started attacking Lin Tian again, there were 18 seconds left. This shows how high the Bobcats' tactical execution was and how strong Rose's determination was.
"The left side?" Faced with Rose's speed, Lin Tian even had the mood to guess which side Rose would break through from. Of course, this was also part of his trash talk: "I think it's the right side. Your dribbling in that last round was just a fluke, right? You haven't really practiced your left hand properly."
Ross knows Lin Tian too well. He knows that when facing Lin Tian, you absolutely cannot listen to any of his trash talk. If you do, you'll fall for it!
So he chose to keep quiet completely and try his best to ignore what Lin Tian was saying.
But Ross didn't possess any special techniques like sealing off all six senses. Even though he repeatedly warned himself not to listen, Lin Tian's voice still entered his ears without any hindrance.
My left hand isn't working? Was I just guessing?
These words deeply stung Ross's heart. He had to prove himself! Prove that he hadn't just been guessing!
Yes, that's definitely what Lin Tian is thinking!
Ross believed that Lin Tian's words were an attempt to force him to go to the left, a deliberate trap. So, he would do as Lin Tian wished!
Then he immediately made a crossover dribble, and the basketball came to his left hand. Just as he was about to break through from the left again, the basketball suddenly came from behind him to his right side. It was Rose's signature double crossover dribble with both the front and back of his body.
Because Rose's dribbling range is large and his pace is fast, this move has always been unsuccessful and disadvantageous when he used it in the past.
Furthermore, Rose had guessed that Lin Tian's plan was to force him to break through from the left, so his determination and resolve to dribble through were beyond doubt. With full force, Rose took a sudden step forward and was about to forcefully attack.
In his plan, he had anticipated Lin Tian's prediction, so this breakthrough would definitely be quite easy!
Unfortunately, he had only taken one step when he felt as if he had crashed into a mountain, and he could not go any further.
Of course it's Lin Tian!
Lin Tian once again stood in front of him, completing a perfect defense!
This time, I guessed that you would predict my prediction!
Fortunately, Rose reacted quickly enough, using another behind-the-back dribble to take a half-step back to create space and then attack again, but Lin Tian wouldn't give him that chance again!
Even though Rose's dribbling was perfectly timed and he did indeed retreat at high speed again, Lin Tian was faster. He almost instantly stuck to Rose again, blocking the little space Rose had managed to create.
At the same time, Lin Tian wouldn't give Ross any more chances to adjust. Since he had already locked onto Ross, his hands certainly wouldn't be idle.
"Snapped!"
A crisp sound rang out as Lin Tian's palm struck Ross's dribbling ball with perfect precision.
Whether the ball hits the basketball completely or the hand hits it together, the person involved has no way of knowing. The referee can only react based on his intuition within a very limited time.
There is no absolute accuracy; sometimes, it even depends on luck!
However, in the current league, although the referees are making more and more calls and the number of free throws for players is clearly on the rise, the referees are still essentially adhering to one principle.
The more crucial the moment and the more critical the match, the more we should entrust the game to the players.
If it's something you can boast about but don't have to, something ambiguous, then don't boast about it!
This time, the referee didn't blow the whistle.
Lin Tian immediately bypassed Rose, grabbed the basketball before anyone else, and then threw the basketball towards the frontcourt before Rose could foul him.
With his exceptional sense of smell, Kobe rushed over early, grabbed the basketball before everyone else, and sprinted towards the frontcourt!
But Kobe had so much experience.
After grabbing the basketball, he didn't attack at all, but instead dribbled the ball towards the baseline.
With a dunk, the Bobcats narrowed the gap to 4 points, but with about 10 seconds left, a miracle was still possible.
But when Kobe dribbled towards the baseline, precious time immediately began to slip away.
By the time the Bobcats players got close to Kobe and he passed the ball to Durant, who had a significant height advantage, in the middle, there were only 5 seconds left in the game.
Then Durant neither dribbled nor passed the ball, but instead raised it high with both hands. He was the tallest player on the court besides Yao Ming, and raising the ball made him feel incredibly safe.
After all, referees can ignore fouls or minor actions that are intentionally or unintentionally obscured by the players' bodies and torsos during a confrontation.
But Durant's choice to hold the basketball high exposes all his actions to everyone, making any foul in that situation crystal clear.
Now in his fifth year in the league, Durant is quite experienced.
The ball remained in his hands for another second, and with only 3.4 seconds left in the game, the Bobcats finally managed to foul Durant.
At this point, there was very little time left in the game. If Durant made both free throws, the Bobcats would have virtually no chance and could only pray for a miracle.
Unfortunately, before Jesus came, death came first tonight!
Durant stepped to the free-throw line, lightly swung his scythe, and made both free throws!
With 3.4 seconds left, the Lakers' lead reached 4 points! (End of Chapter)