Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 534 Wade is going all out! Wade has launched his attack! Wade

In the second quarter, the Cavaliers brought in Varejao, a Brazilian who rarely plays but has a high basketball IQ, excellent positioning skills, and a taller stature. After Varejao entered the game, the Cavaliers struggled more on offense, but their rebounding and defense under the basket improved significantly.

More importantly, while the slippery Brazilian lacks the ability to score over defenders on offense, he is incredibly adept at darting around and making excellent plays, whether it's setting screens or rebounding.

For the Cavaliers, who lack bench strength and rely almost entirely on their starters, the sudden emergence of someone like Varejao is definitely a great thing for the team!

Thanks to Varejao's antics, the Cavaliers managed to stabilize the situation in the second quarter and prevent the score from widening further. But that was all they could do. How could they catch up and narrow the gap?

The Cavaliers couldn't do that, at least not in the second quarter.

At the end of the first half, they were still down by 14 points.

In the second quarter, thanks to Varejao's unexpected performance of 6 points and 6 rebounds, the Cavaliers could only manage to win the quarter by 1 point!

"For the Cavaliers, the worst thing is not that they were down by 14 points at halftime, nor that their two skilled big men, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Gooden, were overwhelmed by the Knicks' youthful energy."

During halftime, Barkley commented, "The Cavaliers' biggest problem is Wade! Wade is great, really great. I even think he should be on the All-NBA team this year! He's mature beyond his years, plays steadily, and doesn't have the impetuousness and hotheadedness that some young players have."

"Faced with Lin Tian's one-on-one close defense and targeted attacks throughout the game, moving to the weak side to give teammates more and better opportunities was a very calm and theoretically correct approach."

"But the problem is, you're the team's number one core player, the team's most important offensive weapon. You can be rational, you can stay calm, but at this moment, when the team faces elimination, you must take responsibility!"

"When your teammates are helpless and unable to break through the opponent's defense, that's when you must step up!"

"He has to play unconventional basketball, get carried away, and recklessly drive to the basket, carrying the team on his shoulders! A leader, a qualified leader, can't just play the right kind of basketball; they also have to carry out the wrong kind of basketball to the end, making those unreasonable opportunities and shots they shouldn't take!"

"I'll attack the defense my teammates can't break through, I'll take the shots my teammates can't make, and I'll break through the opponent's double-teams and tight defense! All successful leaders in history have had to overcome this hurdle. With rationality and composure, you can become an excellent player, but not a great one!"

"Everyone knows I'm a Lin fan, and I support him, but in the second half, I'm most looking forward to Wade's performance. I expect him to take it a step further! Even if he gets a lot of missed shots and turnovers, he has to do those things!"

「我赞同查尔斯的话。」肯尼跟着道：「德文上半场只有5投2中，只拿到了4分2篮板2助攻，这个数据太糟糕了！我宁愿看他15投2中，也不想看到3投全中！」

"He's my favorite among the new generation of players, and I hope he can step up and play the kind of game we expect!"

"Or I can give you an example."

"In the second round of the 1997 Western Conference playoffs, during the crucial moment between the Lakers and the Jazz, high school Kobe stepped up and made four consecutive airballs, successfully sending the Lakers to their vacation destination."

"I don't need to tell you the rest of the story! I believe Devon can overcome this hurdle! Failure is an essential part of the road to success! People aren't afraid of failure, but if they are, then it's truly the end for them!"

With Kenny and Barkley providing commentary, the ten-minute halftime break quickly came to an end, and both teams returned to the field to prepare for the second half.

Neither side changed their starting lineups. The first thing Lin Tian did after stepping onto the court was to go to the frontcourt and stand next to Wade once again, blocking his position.

"Devin, you're not planning to hide the whole game tonight and not even lift a finger, are you?" Lin Tian said, trash-talking Wade as he blocked him. "If that's the case, I'll be so disappointed! I thought you'd be a bit more manly and ruthless."

"I didn't expect you to surrender so easily."

"Shut up!" The silence of the first half clearly frustrated Wade, but he just couldn't find any reasonable opportunities to receive the ball and complete the attack.

But he also knew that at this point, it was his turn to step forward!

"puff!"

A muffled thud, not very loud, suddenly rang out. Wade elbowed Lin Tian in the stomach, causing Lin Tian a sharp pain. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Wade suddenly ran to receive the ball and then dribbled quickly towards the frontcourt.

Wade originally wanted to use the space he gained to quickly complete an offensive play, but unexpectedly, as soon as he approached the three-point line, Lin Tian rushed in front of him and blocked his offensive route once again.

"That's ruthless!" Lin Tian said coldly, one hand on Wade's waist. "But I like it! It proves you're finally a man, not a boy anymore, but..."

"Are you prepared to bear the responsibilities and risks that come with being a man?"

As soon as Lin Tian finished speaking, the hand on Wade's waist tightened suddenly, pinching the soft flesh of his waist hard. Wade almost let out a scream. At the critical moment, he noticed Lin Tian's hand trying to steal the ball and quickly dodged Lin Tian with a behind-the-back dribble.

Then, holding his breath and enduring the pain, he forced himself to accelerate and charged towards the inside line.

Lin Tian knew that his team's rim protection ability was practically nonexistent, so he closely guarded Wade and didn't let him into the paint.

The two fought their way to the basket, and then, with Lin Tian completely blocking all his space, Wade suddenly used an incredibly fast ball-gathering and Euro-step change of direction, appearing on Lin Tian's other side in the blink of an eye. At the same time, he held the basketball with his left hand, pushed aside Lin Tian's defense with his right hand, and deftly flicked it up.

"Whoosh!"

With a crisp crack, Wade lost his balance and flew out of the air, landing on the floor.

He put in almost all his strength and used every trick in the book to finally gain a slight advantage over Lin Tian.

But he couldn't even celebrate or be happy; he hadn't even gotten up from the ground when the Knicks inbounded the ball from the baseline, and Lin Tian dribbled the ball and launched an attack on the Cavaliers' position.

The Cavaliers had no chance to react at all!

They knew the Knicks were fast, but they never expected them to be this fast! As Wade fell to the ground, McGinnis, who was closest to him, didn't react by going back to defend, but instead reached out his hand to Wade, wanting to celebrate with him.

celebrate?

What a load of rubbish!

Wade was furious, but he was lying on the floor and couldn't get up to chase after them.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Tian had already reached the Cavaliers' basket, faked a pass and shot to shake off Newbell, then took the shot and scored 2 points with a layup!

"Beautiful! A textbook answer ball!" Barkley shouted excitedly. "Lin responded quickly after Wade scored on him! And his response was clearly not that simple!"

"After scoring, Lin didn't retreat on defense. Instead, he waited for Wade under the Cavaliers' basket and then pressed him again! He continued his full-court press! He continued his suffocating defense against Wade! How long has it been since we've seen Lin relentlessly press one player like this for the entire game?"

"That night, Lin once again showcased his incredible ability to relentlessly guard top-tier guards and his terrifying defensive fundamentals! The pressure is on Wade once again!"

"Devin, did I play too fast just now?" Lin Tian lowered his center of gravity and teased Wade, "Next time I'll play a little slower, giving you some time to celebrate your goal and catch up with me, how about that? Otherwise, it feels a bit impolite of me to score before I can even see you."

"Shut up, Lin! I'm not buying it! I'm not buying it!" Wade glared at Lin Tian, ​​then elbowed him away to create space for himself to receive the ball. He immediately accelerated and sprinted towards the frontcourt.

The two were locked in a fierce battle on the court. Lin Tian almost never tried to steal the ball. He maintained a perfect defensive posture and position, following closely behind Wade step by step, firmly blocking his forward steps. He was like a cheetah, always in a tense mode. If Wade showed even the slightest weakness, Lin Tian would immediately make him pay the price!

Facing Lin Tian's defense, Wade almost exerted all his strength to bring the ball across half-court. Once in half-court, Lin Tian immediately took two steps back, giving Wade some space to rest and recover: "You're exhausted, aren't you! Even just one possession, your legs must be weak by now."

"No rush, take a breath, we'll have plenty of time to play tonight!"

Just as Lin Tian said, even a player of Wade's caliber felt his legs go weak and tremble when facing Lin Tian's level of pressure defense; the confrontation was simply too intense.

But Lin Tian is no kind person who meant well by letting people rest!

He only relaxed for a moment, and after spewing trash talk, he immediately charged at Wade again!

With this sudden shift in pressure, Wade's rhythm immediately became seriously disrupted, and his two consecutive dribbles were forced into a state of increasing panic and disarray by Lin Tian!

Then, when he realized that he was unlikely to be able to dribble anymore, and that if he tried to dribble again, Lin Tian would most likely steal the ball, he tried to get the ball back as soon as possible, but Lin Tian made his move!

He wouldn't give Wade another chance. Seizing the opportunity, he lunged forward and caught the ball that Wade had just half-collected.

Two people, four hands, almost simultaneously pressed down on the basketball.

"Get the hell out of here!" Lin Tian roared, his muscles bulging instantly, his strength exploding to its limit. Then, with a forceful pull and a flick, the basketball was in his arms. Wade couldn't even stand up properly, and as he lost the basketball, he lay on the floor in a disheveled state.

Wade, lying on the floor, could only watch as Lin Tian rushed to the frontcourt and completed a gliding dunk!

The point difference between the two sides continues to widen!

If it were Wade in his prime, he would most likely have been able to outplay Lin Tian for several rounds. After all, Wade at that time was more mature and stronger in terms of strength, shot selection, experience in driving to the basket, and mental fortitude.

However, during his rookie development period, Wade did not encounter Riley, a mentor who was adept at squeezing out players' potential and causing them to rapidly overdraw their progress.

Even though Wade, a second-year student, gave it his all and fought desperately against Lin Tian, ​​that was all he could achieve.

He gained the slightest advantage, and then Lin Tian pinned him to the floor and beat him mercilessly.

But clearly, Wade doesn't know what awaits him next. He hasn't given up yet, and he still wants to fight Lin Tian with all his might!

He dribbled the ball to the frontcourt again, but this time he didn't continue to try to go one-on-one. Instead, he patted his head and called for a screen.

It's the Cavaliers' signature tactic again: high double screen!

This move almost always helped Wade gain an advantage in the previous games, allowing him to get rid of Lin Tian's entanglement.

But this time, Wade was facing Lin Tian, ​​who was giving it his all!

Because it was a double screen, Lin Tian didn't rush forward or try to squeeze through the screen from the front. Instead, he quickly stepped back, giving Wade some space, and then went around from behind the screen.

If the player in the ball right now were a star player who was absolutely confident in his shooting and skilled at shooting, he would definitely pull up and shoot to test his three-point shooting touch.

As an inefficient shooter with a three-point shooting percentage of less than 27%, Wade would never easily choose to take a three-point shot unless he had absolutely no other choice.

So even though Lin Tian chose to retreat this time, Wade didn't shoot. Instead, he accelerated, chose a direction, and charged towards the inside.

This charge directly collided with Lin Tian, ​​who had anticipated Wade's breakthrough route and was blocking his way.

"bump!"

With a muffled thud, Lin Tian fell to the ground, and Wade also lost his balance, collapsing to the floor as if he had hit a wall.

However, Lin Tian was faking it, while Wade was genuinely unable to stand.

The difference in strength between the two is quite obvious. Wade will need to train for at least another 3-4 years before he can become that backcourt powerhouse and the king of backcourt strength.

"Offensive foul! Knicks inbound the ball!"

Lin Tian's positioning this time was quick and accurate, his feet rooted to the spot, making it an obvious offensive foul and a successful defensive play.

"Being fast without slowing down won't help you improve." Lin Tian received the ball from the baseline, looking at Wade closing in again, and said casually, "There are plenty of fast players in this league, but the truly great ones are those who can slow down!"

As he spoke, he slowly advanced towards the frontcourt. Although he was moving very slowly and even chatting, Wade was on high alert. He not only watched Lin Tian with full vigilance but also dared not utter a single word, fearing that if he spoke, Lin Tian would overtake him.

But that alone was clearly not enough to help Wade defend Lin Tian. Lin Tian walked all the way to the three-point line, then suddenly turned his back and pushed hard against Wade from the side, taking two steps towards the inside. Then Lin Tian switched hands again, did a half-turn, and pushed in another direction.

But this time, Lin Tian didn't even dribble; he just made a reverse spin move!

In the next instant, Lin Tian took advantage of Wade's moment of being tricked and shifting to the other side to turn around and leave Wade behind in one step. At the same time, he accelerated into the paint at full speed, and then, ignoring that Big Z was under the basket, he pulled up and raised his hand to deliver a powerful dunk over Big Z!

As for Zydrunas Ilgauskas? As the center and the team's last line of defense, he did not show the courage that the team's core center should have to go head-to-head with Lin Tian. He did not jump at all, but just spread his arms, as if he was surrendering, and accepted Lin Tian's dunk without any resistance.

"When you see Yao Dewen, be fast when you need to be fast, and slow when you need to be slow!"

After scoring, Lin Tian didn't bother to trash talk with Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Instead, he turned to look at Wade, as if to provoke him or to teach him a lesson.

"I'll watch your videos over and over again after the match, but as of now, we haven't lost yet!"

After Wade finished speaking, he got the basketball again, pushed Lin Tian's defense to the frontcourt, and continued with the high double screen!

This is the best and fastest way for him to get rid of Lin Tian. As for how to score and save the team after getting rid of him?

We'll have to wait until we've gotten rid of that!

They can't get rid of Lin Tian, ​​so what else is there to say!

This time, Lin Tian once again chose to retreat and bypass the cover, giving Wade an opportunity and space to shoot.

After being called for an offensive foul, Wade was much calmer this time. He didn't force his way to the basket again, but instead looked at the basket and hesitated for a moment.

To vote or not to vote?

That moment of hesitation cost him the chance to try it out.

Lin Tian charged over!

Lin Tian stood in front of Wade once again, spreading his arms to block all angles of his dribbling and shooting.

Just then, Wade had just gathered the ball when Lin Tian suddenly appeared. He could only turn around with the ball in his arms to avoid Lin Tian's outstretched hands in order to keep possession of the ball. At the same time, Wade kept shouting, signaling his teammates to come forward and take the ball away.

Unfortunately, the referee blew his whistle before his teammates arrived.

"Cavaliers #3, traveling violation! Change possession!"

He was forced to walk by Lin Tian! (End of Chapter)