thefictionvixens Chapter 746 Chris, you don't have some special XP, do you?
Chapter 746 Chris, you don't have some special XP, do you?
The ten starting players from both sides were eager to get started and took to the field.
The Hornets' starting lineup consisted of Paul, Richardson, Jackson, Aldridge, and Biedrins.
Four of these five players were the Warriors' starting lineup last year, which helped maintain the team's stability and competitiveness to the greatest extent possible.
On the bench, they also possess offensive firepower that the league envies.
Anthony Morrow, a sharpshooter who went undrafted in this year's draft but made a name for himself in the Summer League and preseason, is now staying in the league! He shot 48% from three-point range in the Summer League.
Even in the preseason, his field goal percentage remained at 42%. If he can maintain this level, he will undoubtedly become the league's next generation of sharpshooters, and the Warriors will have made another brilliant offseason acquisition.
Then there's Monta Ellis, a very good offensive player who has been in the league for several years and ranked third in last year's Sixth Man of the Year voting.
Ellis possesses top-notch speed, first-class mid-range shooting ability, and excellent penetration ability. Although his playing style is somewhat selfish, his offensive power should not be underestimated!
Apart from Morrow and Aldridge, it was the remaining players, along with the departed Thomas, who together led the team on a winning streak at the end of last season, almost securing a playoff spot!
If the team hadn't struggled in the first half of the season and dug themselves into a deep hole, the Warriors might have made the playoffs last season!
But clearly, failing to make the playoffs last year didn't disappoint these young men too much, because they all know that their era has only just begun!
This season, the general consensus and prediction for the Warriors is that making the playoffs would be considered a success.
But the Warriors' internal goal is actually to at least reach the second round!
The ambitions of these young people can no longer be hidden!
Meanwhile, the Knicks, with Dolan not afraid to spend money or pay the luxury tax, also maintained the integrity of their roster to the greatest extent possible.
Like the Warriors, four players in the Knicks' starting lineup are exactly the same as last season.
Okur, Stoudemire, Anthony, and Lin Tian were the starting lineup. However, for some reason, Don Nelson removed Barnes from the starting lineup and put Gerald Wallace in the starting lineup during the preseason and the first game of the regular season.
"Kid, I heard they all see you as my successor, thinking you can take over the point guard position after I retire?" Lin Tianyi went to find Paul as soon as he stepped onto the court. The two were actually quite familiar with each other and had played against each other many times before.
However, this was the first time Lin Tian had spoken so directly to Paul.
"I'm not your successor, I'm no one's successor." Paul wasn't afraid of Lin Tian at all, raising his head and saying, "I'm Kerry... FUXX! What are you doing?"
Paul was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly jolted awake, quickly ducked to the side, his eyes filled with vigilance and wariness.
"It's not like rubbing your head will cost you a piece of flesh." Lin Tian grinned lewdly, twirling his hand in the air as he looked at Paul and said, "Come on, let me touch it, and I'll admit you're the best point guard I'll ever make! I'll tell everyone you're my disciple! How about it? If you let me rub your head to my heart's content, I'll make you my number one disciple. Pretty generous, right?"
"I don't need your approval! I don't need to be your disciple! I don't care! I am who I am, I am Kerry... FUXX! I said don't touch my head!"
Paul was interrupted halfway through his speech once again, and once again had no choice but to quickly dodge Lin Tian's predatory attacks.
"Such a round head, and you won't let anyone touch it? What's the difference between this and a super hot girl being a lesbian? It's all a waste of talent! Wasting talent will be punished by God! Do you believe in God?"
"Don't insult God! You damned heretic!" Paul dared not approach Lin Tian anymore.
God knows why this bastard is so interested in his own head. Is he some kind of weird fetish?
Paul felt a cold sweat starting to break out on his back!
It has to be said that the point guard position is indeed home to the most cunning and dirty-minded guys in the entire league. These guys are all incredibly filthy and love to make up stories and imagine things!
The main theme is shamelessness!
This kind of behavior of secretly plotting and speculating in one's mind is just as shameless and despicable as talking badly about someone behind their back! It's not gentlemanly at all!
Lin Da Guanren despises such people. He never does that, never speaks ill of others behind their backs, and never speculates wildly.
Lin Da Guanren has always been one to say what he thinks and always criticizes people face-to-face!
"Chris, your erogenous zones aren't located in some weird place, are they? Do you get really excited when someone touches your head, and then your legs go weak and your crotch gets wet?"
Look! When Lord Lin has dirty thoughts in his mind, he always just says them out loud.
I never hide anything.
"Shut up!" Paul's face darkened completely, his usual smiling face now turning into a bitter expression.
"I think Lin guessed right! I've always said this kid is weird! What normal person wouldn't let someone touch their head? It's not like it'll hurt them or anything."
Little S stroked his chin and said to Wallace beside him, "Lin's analysis makes perfect sense! Absolutely perfect! Only when the head and that thing serve the same purpose, only someone who chuckles, then yawns, and finally ohs when their head is touched, would value their head so much that they wouldn't let anyone touch it!"
"As expected of Lin! He even thought of that, amazing!" Wallace nodded repeatedly from the side, playing the perfect straight man.
"Shut up! Are you three crazy? Shut up! I'm not a monster! How could I be like this!" Paul's eyes widened, his face saying the same thing.
"How dare you slander someone's innocence out of thin air?"
"Then let me try!" Lin Tian continued rubbing his hands. "I'll rub it a bit, and if everything seems normal, I'll believe you!"
"Why should I let you touch me?" Paul took another step back, afraid that Lin Tian would launch a surprise attack.
"See, I told you so!" Lin Tian completely ignored Paul and turned to look at Stoudemire and Wallace, as if he had discovered a new continent.
Paul was so angry at these old scoundrels that he wanted to stomp his feet, but unfortunately, he had no way to refute them.
Those guys are just shameless, no matter what you say, I'm just arguing with them.
Paul knew that unless he offered his head and let them each have their turn, there was no way he could shut these bastards up.
but……
What the hell gives me the right? Why should I stick my head out and let these bastards rub it just because they say something?
Moreover, Paul was quite certain that even if he stuck his head in, he wouldn't be able to get it done.
Paul could even imagine what would happen next: if he actually stuck his head out, these people would definitely touch it and make comments.
"It feels nice to the touch, the fur is quite nice."
"It's so round and chubby, you could use this little head as a basketball."
"So cute, I love that head!"
"What will I do if I can't touch such a nice head anymore? Where can I find such a nice head to touch?"
A chill ran down my spine and I started shivering.
These scumbags are absolutely despicable!
"You guys, that's enough." In the end, it was Jackson who saved Paul.
The oldest, most experienced, and only champion on the team stood next to Paul: "Stop bullying Chris, he's my good buddy."
"We certainly won't bully Stephen's little brother!" Lin Tian chuckled. "But you have to tell me, what secrets does he have on his head? Can it really be used as a switch to unlock something?"
"Shut up, Lin! You don't want to be ejected in the first game of your last season, do you?" The referee walked onto the field at this moment and threatened Lin Tian.
Lin Tian could only shrug and say, "Then we'll just have to figure it out next time. I'm sure I can find out what secrets Chris's head holds!"
"What the hell! What the hell!" Paul's mentality had obviously collapsed at this moment, and he shouted at Lin Tian.
"Yes, yes, yes, it's all just chicken feathers, your head is full of chicken feathers, are you satisfied now?" Lin Tian spread his hands, with an expression that said, "Since you say so, there's nothing I can do but listen to you."
That's incredibly annoying!
"Stop talking nonsense!" The referee was too lazy to listen to these two kids behaving like elementary school students. He walked to the center circle and signaled that the game was about to begin.
Okur and Biedrins also took their positions and prepared for the jump ball.
"Beep beep!"
With the sound of the whistle, Biedrins, with his good physique and long wingspan, secured the Warriors' first possession of the night.
Paul grabbed the basketball and slammed his hands down quickly: "Spread out! Spread out! I'm going to teach Lin what happens when he messes with me! With this first basket, I'll let this washed-up old guy know: his era is over!"
The Warriors players quickly spread out, leaving Paul in the middle to face Lin Tian one-on-one.
"Come on, Lin! I'll show you what I'm made of!" As soon as Paul finished speaking, he accelerated forward and charged towards Lin Tian.
But Paul had only taken one step forward when Lin Tian felt darkness fall around him.
The pick and roll is coming!
Aldridge's tall figure blocked Lin Tian's path.
Although Lin Tian quickly stepped forward and squeezed through the screen without losing his position, still standing in front of Paul, the problem was that the Knicks' subsequent defense remained as poor as ever.
Although Lin Tian squeezed past the defense and maintained pressure, his teammate Stoudemire had a habitual lapse in concentration and failed to keep up with Aldridge.
Aldridge quickly moved to the side, creating an open shot opportunity.
Paul's pass was indeed accurate and powerful. With a basic one-handed bounce, the basketball came to Aldridge's hands. The big man, who had been sidelined for a whole year, caught the ball and threw it.
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp crack, Aldridge opened the scoring for the first time this season!
After scoring, the big man clenched his fist tightly.
He's going to get all the humiliation, neglect and frustration he suffered last season this season!
"I've played basketball for so many years, and I've never seen anyone as shameless as you!" Lin Tian curled his lip and said shamelessly, "We agreed to a one-on-one match to teach me a lesson, and you kept setting screens and passing the ball. Have you no shame?"
"Boss, have some shame," Jackson said, running over from the side. "I taught Chris this move, and I used you as the template when I taught him."
"Traitor!" Lin Tian snorted at Jackson. "Don't call me boss anymore. I don't deserve it, I'm not worthy."
"No, boss, I just... f***! I knew it!" Jackson was about to explain with a pained expression, but then he realized he had been tricked again.
While Lin Tian was talking, he had already completed a three-step move: receiving the ball, quickly advancing, and then suddenly making a long pass.
The basketball flew to the frontcourt and landed in Anthony's hands. Because Jackson was distracted, Anthony got a huge open shot.
Then Anthony took a step to adjust his rhythm, and then pulled up and shot from beyond the three-point line!
"Whoosh!"
2: 3!
"Steve, how do you describe me to others?" After successfully assisting in the sneak attack, Lin Tian asked the question out of curiosity.
"Shameless, treacherous, full of nonsense on the court, shameless, without any bottom line, a master of lying and deception, and top-notch at manipulating people's mentality." Jackson was an honest kid after all, and he spoke the truth directly.
"Good brother!" Little S ran past Lin Tian and gave Jackson a thumbs up.
"You've got guts!" Anthony gave a thumbs up.
"Lin is very petty. Aren't you afraid of dying if you make such a fuss about him?" Oku gave a rather well-intentioned reminder.
"You three are all dead!" Lin Tian nodded, indicating that his brothers were definitely going to die.
See you after the game!
As for the match?
As soon as Lin Tian finished speaking, he suddenly rushed forward, charging right up to Paul and applying intense pressure and defense against him.
The sudden increase in intensity was something Paul was quite unaccustomed to.
He was forced into a very difficult situation by Lin Tian, and Paul couldn't even stand firm because of the intense resistance Lin Tian provided.
He stumbled twice, but thanks to his low stance, solid fundamentals, and excellent adjustment skills, he was able to regain his balance after bracing himself with his left hand and successfully pass the ball.
"Your fundamentals are pretty good." As soon as Lin Tian saw Paul successfully pass the ball, he immediately lowered the intensity of his defense and quickly retreated to the Knicks' half of the court.
"No rush today, let's take our time." Lin Tian chewed gum, looking at Paul, who was a head shorter than him. "How badly do you think I'll beat you tonight?"
"Tonight we'll embark on our journey, tonight we'll make a splash! We're strong!" Paul said as he took the ball again and began to orchestrate the offense.
It must be said that the Warriors' tactical system is quite well-organized.
With Paul as their absolute core, their main tactic is somewhat similar to the Suns': pick and roll.
The pick-and-roll between Paul and Aldridge is the core of this team's offense, and at least half of the team's plays are initiated based on these two pick-and-rolls.
However, unlike the Suns' high-speed transition offense of passing and shooting after a screen or even without a screen, the Warriors, despite having top-class guards and many players with explosive athleticism, play a half-court game!
Paul's drives always seem to barely cross the half-court line before he's about to commit an 8-second violation, and once he's on the full court, he doesn't rush to organize an attack or initiate a shot.
This guy always leisurely watches his teammates run and calls out tactics. Sometimes he even starts calling out tactics when he's just past half-court. By the time he gets to the three-point line, he might have already switched between several tactics in just a few seconds, sending his teammates to run.
In Lin Tian's opinion, this guy was treating his teammates like idiots.
Lin Da Guanren never does such meaningless things. With that time, he would have already accelerated to the inside and slammed home a dunk for 2 points.
They play methodically and slowly, which may seem mature, stable, and patient, but in Lin Tian's opinion, it's useless.
Paul, in particular, is in his early twenties. He has explosive physical abilities, incredible speed, and solid fundamentals. He's only in his third year in the professional league, and by all accounts, he's in the prime of his life, running around like crazy, shooting sprees, and scoring points with lightning speed.
But this guy, at such a young age, has already started using "Wooden Bomb".
A violent thing!
However, after thinking about it more carefully, Lin Tian could actually understand why Paul played like that.
Ultimately, it comes down to height; he's only 183 centimeters tall, even though he's known as such.
Forget about being 180cm tall, even being over 175cm is a hurdle!
With that physique and height, no matter how gifted Paul is, no matter how much passion and energy he exudes, he has to use it sparingly.
Play slowly, and compete with your opponent in terms of experience, patience, teamwork, overall strategy, and tactical awareness.
From a fan's perspective, this style of play is definitely not exciting or satisfying enough.
But at the very least, this is the best way to prolong Paul's career and keep him in the league for as long as possible!
This guy was clearly unwilling to have such a wonderful, exhilarating, and unrestrained performance for 3-5 years, only to be marginalized in the league due to a serious injury, and eventually leave the professional league early and fade into obscurity.
After all, the shorter a player is, the more likely they are to be eliminated from the league due to a decline in physical fitness.
To gain a foothold in the league, they need far more effort and perseverance than ordinary people, and they need to pay a much higher price to achieve this.
What Paul is giving up now is pure bliss!
In order to stay in the league for a longer period of time, the first price this guy paid was that he chose a calmer and more stable playing style during the age when he could have been playing wildly and unrestrainedly.
As for whether Paul's actions were right or wrong, good or bad?
Lin Da Guanren said: What does this have to do with me?
No matter how you choose, Paul, you're no match for Lin.
For me, Lord Lin, the most important thing in life is to live life to the fullest! (End of Chapter)