thefictionvixens Chapter 508 The Regular Season Begins! Lin Tian Revisits Indiana
Chapter 508 The Regular Season Begins! Lin Tian Revisits Indiana
With the regular season approaching, teams across the league are gearing up and entering the final preparation stage.
It's worth mentioning that besides the Pacers' breakup, the Knicks' rebuilding, and the Celtics' acquisition of two top-tier big men, Howard and Duncan, which allowed them to complete their rebuild in the blink of an eye, there were a few other noteworthy trades and other news items this year.
For example, the Suns snatched Steve Nash from Dallas with just a 5-year, $6000 million contract, and Phoenix's small-ball storm is destined to continue sweeping the league.
This time, although they still have Nash and D'Antoni, they lack another crucial finisher in their run-and-gun offense: Amar'e Stoudemire.
Stoudemire is currently with the Knicks.
In addition, while teams across the league are vying to strengthen their rosters in hopes of winning the championship after the Pacers dynasty collapsed, the Timberwolves, who reached the Finals last year, have opted to downsize.
The team offered Sprewell, a key contributor to their Western Conference championship win last season, a three-year, $21 million contract, but the "Madman" showed his true colors at this time.
"Three years and $21 million isn't enough to support my family." Sprewell rejected this very generous offer and refused to return to the Timberwolves.
Then?
Then, no one in the entire league dared to mess with this problematic player and top troublemaker anymore, and no one extended an olive branch to Sprewell.
At the very least, with the season about to begin, no one has offered Sprewell any new contracts.
If nothing unexpected happens, last year's Finals will be the last game of this player's professional career.
Furthermore, the Celtics' acquisition of Duncan and draft of Howard during the offseason did Phoenix another favor. They acquired a talented point guard from Phoenix for a very low price, or almost free, price that Phoenix disliked, hated, and despised.
"Lone Wolf" Stephon Marbury.
Under Marbury's leadership, the Suns' record has steadily declined, and the team has missed the playoffs for many years. To make matters worse, Marbury's bad reputation and "cancer" status have made him unsellable.
Auerbach seized this opportunity, bringing Marbury to Boston without giving up any draft picks or valuable assets, using only some expiring contracts.
With this, the Celtics have assembled a formidable lineup of Marbury, Pierce, Duncan, and Howard. The rest depends on whether they can develop the necessary chemistry and live up to their roster potential.
In addition, after trading away Nash, the Mavericks also bought out Michael Finley, the team's leader over the past 7-8 years.
Cuban's move was truly unacceptable to many Dallas residents, who liked and loved Finley, who had always been one of the most popular people in Dallas.
In addition, another star player who was very popular with the locals, Nash, was also traded away, even though Cuban brought in Jason Terry, nicknamed "The Jets", North Carolina's talented scorer Stackhouse, Keith Van Horn and Dampier, among other talented players.
Furthermore, Cuban finally came to his senses and let go of Jamison and Walker, two excellent players who had been proven to be brought in by his own nonsense and meddling, and who were completely incompatible with the team's tactical system.
But the Dallas fans clearly weren't buying it. They didn't think the team had gotten stronger; they only saw their favorite players being traded away one by one.
The new season for Dallas is destined to be quite difficult.
Then, after being bought out by the Dallas team, Finley joined the Spurs, the Mavericks' arch-rivals, almost instantly after clearing waivers.
In this way, the Spurs have assembled a decent roster with James as the absolute core, supported by Bosh, Finley, Stoudemire, and others. Many people believe that the Spurs will most likely officially begin their revival journey this year!
After losing Duncan, they finally found their second prodigy and quickly completed the rebuild and roster construction.
In addition, the Pacers, last year's champions and the league's long-time dominant force, did not make any significant reinforcements this summer after losing Lin Tian.
The only free agent Bird could be interested in was Duncan, but unfortunately Duncan rejected Bird's invitation and chose the Celtics. Bird didn't really want the remaining free agents, so he simply didn't make any moves in the free agent market, and only renewed the contracts of Ginobili, Christie and others whose contracts were expiring.
With Lin Tian gone, the Pacers retained almost all of their key players from last season.
With the return of Ginobili and Webber, the team's core player and mainstay, at least Bird and Indiana fans believed that even without Lin, the team could at least maintain its position in the upper half of the Eastern Conference.
The team is definitely not going to be too bad.
After all, even without Lin Tian, the team still has strong players like Miller, Webber, Artest, Ginobili, Artest, and Howard.
This lineup, while not luxurious, boasts excellent teamwork, skill, and a well-balanced roster; there's no way they could win the lottery.
Finally, the most disappointed person this offseason was undoubtedly Tracy McGrady.
After Duncan left, he also requested to leave the team, hoping to be traded, but he was not sent away. He could only continue to fight alone with the Magic for at least another six months.
Basically, the Magic's message is: Want to leave? No problem, play well, and we'll definitely send you to a good place before the trade deadline, but you have to perform up to your market value and stats to get a good price!
Of course, in a sense, McGrady wasn't fighting alone, because Hill reportedly recovered from his injury and was ready to return to full strength.
But anyway, nobody's really looking forward to Hill anymore. His full recovery will only be seen as the beginning of another injury.
This unfortunate guy has never played a proper game since joining the Magic, especially not in the playoffs.
I've been with the team for four seasons. When I'm lucky, I can play about 20 games a season, but when I'm unlucky, I'm out for the whole season...
Who knows how many games he'll play this season? Instead of hoping for him, it's better to hope that some unknown young players or youngsters on the Magic can show some talent.
This offseason has seen many changes in the league, and with another major reshuffling of power, fans' expectations for the new season are rising, eagerly awaiting the season opener.
Stern once again prepared a feast for the fans in this year's opening game.
The Knicks will play the Indiana Pacers on the road!
This one game alone is enough to keep all the fans glued to their TVs.
Lin Tian, the undisputed king of Indiana for the past seven years, who led the team to what can be called the "first dynasty in history," is returning to Indiana for the first time. What kind of fans will he face and what kind of treatment will he receive?
In particular, what will happen on this night when the championship banner is raised? How will the game unfold?
Will Lin Tian prove that you can't do without me, or will the Indiana team prove that we are still a top team even without Lin?
In short, all fans, colleagues, and the league are closely watching this game.
Of course, everyone watching this match had different reasons.
Some people want to see stories of old friends reuniting, some want to see exciting matches, and others want to see how good these two teams really are and whether they can become their opponents in the new season.
This night was also the focus of everyone's attention!
"If this game gets higher ratings, I'll make sure to hype up the feud between Indiana and New York for three years!" Before the game, Stern sat intently in his office, waiting for reports from his staff and keeping up with the latest developments of the game.
"Find a way to generate some buzz in the last half hour, get fans to turn on their TVs, get them to watch the game, and get everyone online talking about it!"
In TNT's studio, Barkley and Kenny reunited to prepare their commentary for the game.
"To be honest, ever since Lin left Indiana, I've been looking forward to the day he returns to Conseco Arena," Barkley said casually. "But I really didn't expect it to be so soon. I originally thought it would be at least Christmas."
"What could be more magical than the opening game, with Lin and his former comrades receiving their championship rings together and watching the flag rise?" Kenny said with a smile. "Let Lin see what he's gained in the past seven years, let Lin see what Indiana fans will give him."
"Tonight's star is Lin, and also the entirety of Indiana!"
"I think this will be a night filled with tears. For everyone, the past seven years have been too dreamlike, so dreamlike that even if Lin Tian leaves here, the fans here will welcome their king with the most sincere cheers and shouts."
Barkley added, "What I'm more looking forward to is how Lin will perform against his old teammates. Will they feel a sense of déjà vu? And what kind of attitude will both teams have towards this game?"
"Will it be a tense, life-or-death struggle, a bloody battle, or a peaceful reunion between old friends?"
Let's wait and see!
As the two commentators warmed up the crowd, the lights at the Conseco Center suddenly went out.
Then the large screen on site suddenly lit up, and Lin Tian's face appeared on the screen.
"I'm Lin, and I'm thrilled to join Indiana. I'll be working with Reggie, Larry, and Charles to win the championship for this city! I swear, not one, not two, not three, not four..."
The first thing that appeared on the big screen was Lin Tian's first promise to the fans after joining the team.
He did it.
Then, the fans at the scene naturally cheered and shouted wildly, showing Lin Tian enough respect and prestige!
Then, the images on the big screen kept changing, showing Lin Tian's Eastern Conference Finals victory against the Bulls in his first year with the team, his narrow loss to the Heat in the playoffs in his second year, his victory over the Lakers to reclaim the championship in his third year, his consecutive 50+ point games, consecutive triple-doubles, various game-winning shots, his six championship wins, and all sorts of other wonderful moments of Lin Tian.
After the images flashed by, the two-minute tribute video finally ended, the screen went dark again, and when it lit up again, there was only a simple message on it.
"Lin, thank you!"
Then, the fans chanted the phrase in unison, and it spread throughout the entire stadium in the blink of an eye.
"Lin, thank you!"
"Lin, thank you!"
……
The fans' unrestrained roars showed their feelings; they had no hatred or resentment towards Lin Tian, only gratitude!
Then suddenly a beam of light shone brightly and struck Lin Tian precisely.
"Let's welcome 6 feet 3 inches tall, 86 kilograms, 24 years old, from the University of Pennsylvania, point guard, wearing jersey number 7, Lin... Tian!"
"MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!"
"MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!"
"MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!"
The fans erupted in cheers once again as the DJ introduced Lin Tian, using his stats from his first year with the Pacers as if he were being introduced for the first time.
This once again brought tears to the eyes of countless people.
In the blink of an eye, that was 7 years ago!
Years are like a shuttle.
"Back then, I was Lin's teammate. That was my last year, and also the best year of my life!"
Lin Tian, who was caught on camera, naturally stood up, waved and bowed to the fans, and then led the spotlight that was shining on him all the way to the center circle of the court. He then bent down and kissed the Pacers' logo.
This naturally drew cheers from the entire stadium!
When Lin Tian stood up and waved to the fans, even he couldn't help but tear up. The fans' enthusiasm reminded him of his time in Indiana.
The past seven years have been truly wonderful.
"That bastard! How could he think of kissing the logo?" Barkley's voice was also trembling with emotion, as he was deeply moved by Lin Tian's actions.
"Although you're touched, I advise you not to do what Lin did." Kenny once again acted as a firefighter at this moment: "76ers, Suns, Rockets, Pacers... you've got a lot to kiss the floor."
"More importantly, your belly probably won't allow you to lie on the floor kissing the logo anymore, right? Maybe try doing it upside down?"
"Fuck you! Kenny, fuck you! You've ruined the best moment of my life!" Barkley cursed, too lazy to pay any more attention to Kenny, and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Watch the game, I bet you have no idea what's going to happen next."
"Because you, you bastard, definitely didn't receive an invitation or any notification, while I, Charles! received an invitation, but I was worried you'd be too lonely in the studio, so I turned it down and came here to work with you!"
"Tell me the truth, why didn't you go?" Kenny scoffed. "You don't have to answer that question, but don't give me any nonsense, or I'll smash your pig's head in!"
"I'm afraid I'll cry too much." This time, Barkley wasn't making things up; he shrugged and said, "That would be truly embarrassing."
On the court, Lin Tian's special moments and tributes have almost come to an end.
The next moment was the raising of the championship banner. The sixth championship banner was raised over Indiana, marking their dominance of the entire league from 1998 to 2004.
Then came the awarding of the championship rings.
One by one, the Pacers players stepped forward and received rings from their owners, the Simon brothers.
Next, Lin Tian walked to the center of the court, once again receiving cheers from the fans, accepting the ring from the Simon brothers, and embracing them.
Finally, the lights went out again, and when they came back on, the beam of light shone on the players' tunnel.
"Let's welcome Rick Schmitz from the Netherlands!"
"Let's welcome Chris Mullin!"
"Let's welcome Reggie Miller!"
……
As the DJ called out one call after another, one player after another appeared who had fought alongside Lin Tian and others in Indiana over the past 6-7 years. Those retired legends and teammates who had fought against one strong opponent after another with Lin Tian came forward one after another to hug him.
"Lin's jersey will definitely float in the sky above our arena, and there will definitely be a statue of Lin outside our arena!" After everyone had arrived, the Simon brothers took the microphone and once again made their promise to the Indiana players.
"Our team, besides Lin, will never have anyone else wear the number 7 jersey again!"
This promise naturally drew waves of wild cheers and shouts from the fans.
Lin Tian hugged and chatted with his former teammates one by one. During this time, the cheers at Conseco Center never stopped, and the fans' enthusiasm hardly diminished.
Many people even experienced hallucinations.
That means Lin Tian didn't leave at all, and these veteran players who came to the frontcourt didn't retire either.
It feels like it's still 1998, and the Pacers' golden age is just beginning.
Unfortunately, the beautiful fantasies and memories of both fans and players were quickly shattered.
The stadium lights came on completely, and Lin Tian changed into the Knicks' number 14 jersey. Next to him were Anthony wearing number 7, Stoudemire wearing number 1, Steve Jackson wearing number 3, and Okur wearing number 13.
The people around Lin Tian were so unfamiliar to Pacers fans.
All the people they knew were wearing yellow jerseys and stood opposite Lin Tian. For a moment, the Indiana fans were even a little confused about which team they should cheer for.
Miller, Webber, Artest, Ginobili, Parker.
The Pacers' starting five also took to the court together.
"Start the game!" Barkley's shout brought everyone back to reality.
The referee blew his whistle, and the basketball soared into the sky.
Miller defeated Okur, securing possession for the Pacers on their first offensive possession.
Parker carefully advanced the ball. He was probably the player who had matched up against Lin Tian the most in the league. In the past few years, Parker had matched up against Lin Tian in every training session and had been completely outplayed every time.
He knew better than anyone how strong Lin Tian was, so after dribbling the ball across half-court, the first thing Parker did was pass the ball to Ginobili on the other side.
"Tony, you haven't improved at all in the past few months! How can a point guard be afraid of his opponents? If you're afraid, you won't be able to play!" As soon as Lin Tian saw Parker pass the ball, he knew exactly what Parker was thinking and immediately started to expose his weakness.
Who is Parker?
As the Alliance's number one victim who had been subjected to Lin Tian's trash talk for years, he knew all too well how to deal with Lin Tian.
Ignore, ignore, and pretend not to hear.
Once the Three No's Principle is laid out, even if you, Lin Tian, are eloquent, it won't work on me!
It has to be said that this is the most uncomfortable part of playing ball with familiar people.
Knowing each other too well makes many tactics unusable.
While Lin Tian and Parker were chatting, Webber on the other side received a pass from Ginobili and then made a high-low pass to Miller under the basket, assisting Miller to complete the first offensive play of the night!
After Lin Tian's departure, Webber, who has recovered from his injury, will undoubtedly become the Pacers' number one offensive core!
Whether the team can make the playoffs depends at least half the burden on Webber!
After the Pacers scored 2 points, the Knicks' offense also started incredibly fast. Okur inbounded the ball from the baseline, and Lin Tian sprinted with the ball, arriving at the frontcourt in the blink of an eye. After a brief observation, he immediately passed the ball to Anthony, who was following up from the side.
Anthony didn't even dribble after getting the ball; he pulled up and decisively launched a three-pointer!
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, the Knicks successfully took the lead.
"That's fast enough." Carlisle shook his head on the sidelines. The Pacers were currently fielding a twin-tower lineup, which was no match for the Knicks in terms of mobility.
But there was nothing he could do. He knew better than anyone how fast Lin Tian's offensive speed was and how good he was at fast breaks.
Try to outrun him?
Carlisle had forgotten how many teams had tried to outrun Lin Tian, only to be driven to the point of exhaustion and suffer a crushing defeat. He knew better than anyone that to beat Lin Tian's team, they had to ignore his strengths and play to their own.
In the end, whoever has a more significant advantage will have a chance to win the game.
So Carlisle's order to the team tonight was to slow down, play positional warfare, and take advantage of Webber and Miller's height.
Use the height and passing characteristics of your two big men to give the Knicks a good fight!
For example, in the second possession, the Pacers almost copied the same move. Webber received the ball in the low post with his back to goal, and then suddenly made a no-look behind-the-back pass to Ginobili, who was cutting to the basket.
After getting the ball, Ginobili immediately used his signature snake-like footwork to dodge Stoudemire, whose defense was not very good to begin with, and scored 2 more points with a one-handed layup.
But the system that Don Nelson built for the Knicks this season is all about one thing: let them be strong, I'll just do my own thing!
Lin Tian ignored how well the Pacers were playing their offense and instead called for a pick-and-roll with Stoudemire after arriving at the frontcourt. Then, as Stoudemire drove into the paint, Lin Tian made a bounce pass to him.
"Bang!"
After receiving the ball, Stoudemire started running and collided with Webber, who was guarding him.
After years of playing and suffering numerous injuries, Webber still possesses top-tier basketball IQ and skills, but his already mediocre defense has long since faded from the spotlight.
Stoudemire practically chased after him, jumping up and knocking Webber over, then slamming the ball into the basket with one hand.
"boom!"
"Come on! Come and defend against me! Old...old man!"
Halfway through his trash talk, Stoudemire finally remembered that Lin Tian had played here last year and was a longtime friend of Webber and the others, so he changed the "old dog" he was about to utter into "old man".
Although it was taken back, the effect was not much different.
Webber clearly picked up on Stoudemire's provocative signal.
Over the next few minutes, Webber began a series of one-on-one plays!
Early in his career, his isolation plays, whether it was face-up jump shots, drives, or post-up moves, were deadly as long as he didn't encounter top-tier defenders.
However, after several minutes of hard work, Webber suddenly discovered something.
However, during the past few years when he collaborated with Lin Tian, which was also his peak period, he slightly reduced his one-on-one ability.
He has a better, easier way to help the team.
Over the past few years, his passing, playmaking, free throw line organization, and ball handling after receiving the ball in a pick-and-roll have been among the best in the league, and perhaps even the best in league history.
This year, when Lin Tian left the team and it was Webber's turn to carry the team, when he was preparing to teach Stoudemire, whose defense wasn't very good, a lesson with one-on-one play, Webber suddenly discovered that his athleticism had disappeared.
He used to be able to dribble past most of the league's opponents in one step; he used to only need two fakes to shake off his opponents and get an easy pass; and when he rolled to the basket after a pick-and-roll, no one could stop him.
But tonight, he found that his explosiveness and speed had both dropped dramatically.
He couldn't find space with the same moves anymore, he couldn't break through to the basket with a single fake move, and he couldn't easily score by dominating his opponents anymore.
Even though he was facing a player with only average defense tonight, he found that he couldn't beat this rather impulsive young man!
The most obvious play was when Webber received the ball at the high post, faked out Stoudemire, and then drove to the basket. Once at the basket, Webber's skill and instinct told him that someone was coming, so he raised his hand and faked again.
This time, Stoudemire was fooled again, but when Webber finished his feint and was about to take a shot, Stoudemire jumped up again!
Even if he gets shaken up, even if he loses the initiative, what level is Stoudemire at now?
Regardless of his skill and ability ranking in the league, just considering his explosiveness, jumping ability, and speed, this guy is a top 10 monster in the history of the league!
Looking only at current players, perhaps only Dwight Howard, who just entered the league, can barely compare to him.
Simply put: This is a complete monster.
"Snapped!"
With his second jump, Stoudemire used his continuous jumping ability to slap the basketball that Webber had just released away.
Lin Tian grabbed the basketball that Stoudemire had swatted at him, and without hesitation, launched his signature and most terrifying counterattack towards the frontcourt.
Then, after driving past Parker and Ginobili to the frontcourt, Lin Tian made a behind-the-back pass without looking, passing the ball to Steve Jackson who was quickly following up on the other side.
After receiving the ball, Captain Jack Sparrow suddenly leaped up with one arm and slammed the ball into the basket!
This goal perfectly illustrates what it means for time to catch up with everyone.
Webber still has the skills and awareness. If he were to be the team's second or even third option, he would still be able to pose a threat and perfectly execute the coach's instructions.
But asking him to be the team leader now, to carry the team forward, and to score points in crucial moments is really asking too much of him.
In fact, because Lin Tian was so powerful and dazzling in the past few years, no one noticed Webber's decline.
His decline was completely overshadowed by Lin Tian's brilliance.
But now, when he has to step up and become the team's main player to attack the opponent, his ill-fated knees can no longer support his playing style, leaving him completely suppressed when facing Stoudemire.
Up to these two offensive and defensive possessions, Webber played 7 minutes in the first quarter, shooting 2-for-7 and scoring only 5 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. Although he was still well-rounded, his efficiency and influence on the court were at their lowest.
相反，和他对位的小斯4投3中，罚球3罚2中，拿下8分2篮板1盖帽！
With his explosiveness and unparalleled athleticism, Stoudemire repeatedly penetrated the Pacers' interior, relentlessly attacking and scoring points time and again!
Stoudemire's role on the court is much more singular than Webber's. Compared to Webber, who had to handle various aspects such as playmaking, assisting, mid-range offense, high and low post play, handoffs, and individual back-to-the-basket moves, Stoudemire only had one thing to do on the court.
Attack, shoot, score!
It turns out that doing one thing very well is better and more useful than being able to do many things poorly.
22: 10!
When the first quarter began and the rotations started, the Knicks had already taken a 12-point lead over the Pacers thanks to their fierce offense!
During this phase, Stoudemire scored a team-high 8 points, followed by Anthony with 6 points, Jackson with 4 points, and Okur with 3 points. On the other hand, Lin Tian only managed to score 1 point by taking a free throw when Miller's defensive movement was too slow and the referee called a three-second violation.
Although he only scored one point, he dished out 6 assists and made no turnovers during his playing time. He revitalized the entire Knicks team simply through passing and playmaking!
"Faster! More accurate! More insane!" With a little over three minutes left in the first quarter, during a timeout for substitutions, Barkley gave his assessment of the Knicks: "'Mad Scientist' Don Nelson plus Lin, this equally insane superstar!"
"This season's Knicks, regardless of their record, are absolutely the most entertaining and exciting team in the league, making them the best, most beautiful, and most exciting team in the entire league!"
"I agree with Charles's opinion. Lin's passing and the Knicks' running ability are so fascinating. Their offensive level is so strong that it's breathtaking! Such an extreme offense can probably only be achieved when Don Nelson and Lin Tian are together."
Kenny nodded in agreement with Barkley's assessment once again: "This Knicks team might just be able to play the most insane offensive basketball in history! And Lin could once again create a wild, aggressive, and completely different, historic offensive team, just like the Pacers team from a few years ago!" (End of Chapter)