thefictionvixens Chapter 378 runTMC? No! It's runTMD!
Chapter 378 runTMC? No! It's runTMD!
"beep!"
At the referee's whistle, Ben Wallace and Dirk Nowitzki jumped simultaneously.
"Snapped!"
Ben Wallace, whose jump ball winning percentage has historically been low, defeated Dirk Nowitzki, whose jump ball winning percentage is almost zero, giving the Pacers possession for the first offensive possession!
Facing the Mavericks' defense and Nash, Lin Tian didn't think about anything else after getting the ball.
He accelerated and broke through, then stopped abruptly and pulled back. He then used his shoulder to bump Nash and push him aside. Lin Tian then took a step back and pulled up for a mid-range shot!
With a crisp "whoosh!", Lin Tian's mid-range shot was incredibly clean and decisive!
"That's impressive! We can see that Lin Tian's offensive power is very strong today! This is also his smartest trait. A few days ago when facing Kidd, Lin Tian didn't play this aggressively. He just played according to the plan and tactics."
"And today, facing Nash, Lin Tian will most likely unleash his scoring champion-level skills once again! He'll definitely get some points off Nash!"
"Who told you to be such a bad defender, Nash?"
After Lin Tian scored a basket, Nash remained calm, smoothed his long hair with both hands, and then dribbled the ball to the frontcourt.
Facing Lin Tian's defense, Nash's dribbling and advancing looked incredibly shaky, as if he might fall at any moment. But just as he reached the three-point line, after Nowitzki's screen and the subsequent rise, the guy instantly became energetic and fierce again!
He was still leaning to one side, but his speed suddenly increased. After dodging Lin Tian's pursuit and defense, he took a long-range 2-point jump shot!
"Whoosh!"
After the crisp sound, Nash didn't trash talk. Instead, he bent down on the spot, tucked his hair behind his ears again, and focused intently on defending Lin Tian!
Judging by his attitude and demeanor alone, it's easy to be fooled by this guy and think he's a white defensive stalwart like Dan Mali.
But clearly, he isn't!
Lin Tian almost shoved Nash aside with a single shoulder strike, then dribbled the ball all the way up the court. At the Mavericks' three-point line, Lin Tian paused slightly, made a slight hesitation and a feint, then accelerated and easily drove into the Mavericks' paint.
Once inside, Lin Tian had only one feeling.
That is, although there is no one on this road at this moment, countless people must have passed through here in the past years, passing through time and time again without interruption and at will!
Our main focus is on unimpeded access!
Perhaps it's because so many people have passed through that this line of defense is so loose and wide that it doesn't need any other auxiliary means to lubricate or widen it, allowing people to pass through easily.
The biggest difference between the Mavericks' defensive line and their own backyard is that their own backyard is often shaped like yours.
And here, it's impossible for anyone to manipulate it into any shape.
It has no shape; it's like a giant, abyssal maw, welcoming all breakthrough experts to come here and take whatever they want—data without asking for anything in return!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Lin Tian drove into the paint and completed a powerful dunk with one arm. He finally understood why Kidd had been able to put up a triple-double of 30+ points just two days ago.
With this level of defense, it would be shameful if the guards couldn't put on a great performance!
However, the Mavericks' defense is so bad that it's at the bottom of the league, yet they still manage to stay second in the Western Conference. That's all thanks to their league-leading offensive firepower and multiple top-notch finishers!
Lin Tian's breakthrough scoring will not cause any psychological trauma or frustration for the Mavericks; they are already used to it!
Their style and philosophy have always been: no matter how many points you get, as long as I can get more points than you, that's fine!
For example, on this occasion, Nowitzki received the pass back after a pick-and-roll with Nash at the top of the key, and fired a shot that was as easy as a cannon shot.
"Whoosh!"
After the crisp sound, the Mavericks even took a one-point lead!
This is the Mavericks' style, or rather, Don Nelson's style!
An ultimate offensive!
A frenzied attack!
From the early 90s when Don Nelson assembled the true pioneer of the run-and-gun offense, the TMC duo, with the Warriors, his style has always been extreme and crazy, which is the origin of his nickname "Mad Scientist".
Of course, it would be a big mistake to think that the old man only knows how to play offensively.
Looking at his resume, you can see that when the old man led the Bucks in the 80s, the Bucks were a top defensive team in the league. Even the half-season he played for in New York, and the Mavericks that Nowitzki grew up with, were traditional teams that focused on defense and half-court offense.
To put it bluntly, the old man can use any tactic. As for how he will ultimately play the game, it depends on his recent mood and the team's personnel configuration.
Personalized instruction, playing the game according to the player's abilities – that's Nelson's style!
Throughout the first quarter, both sides engaged in a frantic back-and-forth battle!
With Lin Tian as the core, the Pacers ran like crazy and scored as many as 41 points in a single quarter. Lin Tian and Carter scored 14 and 11 points respectively!
The Mavericks were equally impressive, with Nowitzki's 10 points, Nash's 7 points and 3 assists, and Finley's 9 points, the three musketeers combined for 26 points, bringing the team to 40 points and trailing the Pacers by only 1 point going into the second quarter!
"No wonder so many people say this game was a preview of the All-Star Game. I think it's not just because both teams have three All-Star players, but also because the style of play and the insane offensive firepower of both sides were really not much different from the All-Star Game!"
During the break, Su Qun analyzed, "I think both sides are very likely to reach extremely high scores in this game, and many players will put up explosive numbers. Some might even break their career scoring records!"
Sun Zhengping said, "Then let's wait and see! Let's see who will have the last laugh and who will be the final winner tonight!"
The second quarter had barely begun when the two finished speaking!
Both sides have brought out their rotation lineups!
The Pacers have a five-man lineup of Parker, Arenas, Reggie Miller, Harrington, and Brad Miller. Just looking at these names and the three-guard lineup, you can tell that Carlisle's orders to the team are still: run! Throw! Keep up the crazy offense!
The Mavericks fielded Juwan Howard and Avery Bradley, who had just returned to the court but were relegated to the bench, in the frontcourt. Two of their three perimeter players were old friends of Lin Tian: his old rival "The Beatle" Tim Hardaway and former number one backup Greg Buckner.
The last person is Mavericks leader Michael Finley!
This lineup is also primarily offensive. Apart from Bradley, the other four players, including Hardaway, whose speed and ability are no longer comparable to his peak due to injuries, all have a certain scoring ability!
Needless to say, the first half of the second quarter was another exciting back-and-forth battle!
During this period, the most outstanding performer became Tony Parker!
As the season progressed, this French point guard gradually replaced Best and became Lin Tian's number one substitute, thanks to his speed, dribbling ability, and finishing skills.
The first offensive play of the second quarter saw Parker drive into the paint alone, face Bradley's help defense, execute a beautiful spin move, and then flick the ball with his wrist to easily put it in the basket!
Parker's shot immediately sparked a frenzy throughout Conseco Center! Fans cheered and shouted "Tony, Tony!"
Meanwhile, Lin Tian and the others in the audience stood up excitedly and cheered for their little brothers!
Seeing the fans' excitement, Hardaway couldn't hold back any longer!
When it comes to breakthroughs, I'm the grandmaster at the point guard position. I've just gotten older and my decline has been a bit faster these past two years. I'm no longer a top-tier guard, but you're just a rookie. Do you think I can't beat you?
Just like in his younger days, Hardaway, caught up in the moment, executed a crossover dribble followed by his signature "killer" crossover, blowing past Parker in one step. He then resolutely attacked the paint, held off Miller's help defense, and flicked the ball into the basket from the far end!
"Come on, Lin! Your rookies can't handle me!" After scoring a beautiful goal, Hardaway, true to his youthful arrogance, turned around and started mocking Lin Tian!
"Tim, open your eyes and look at yourself. You're 39 already, and you're still provoking me? Why don't you just finish the game comfortably, go home, have a cup of coffee, soak your feet, and go to bed early?" Lin Tian wasn't going to be polite with Hardaway. He stood up from the bench and said, "Oh, sorry, I forgot, you shouldn't drink water at night at your age."
"You wake up at night! Or are you already past the age of waking up at night and are wearing diapers?"
"Hey Tony, why are you looking at me? Take this opportunity to get past him!" After trash-talking Hardaway, Lin Tian immediately turned to Parker and reminded him, "I trash-talked him to help you break through, not for you to stand there and learn trash talk!"
"If you want to learn, I'll teach you secretly in private."
"Huh?! Oh... I just felt it would be impolite for me to just walk over while you two were chatting."
Parker looked somewhat innocent, then finally stopped standing there, slipped away, and suddenly accelerated to begin his advance.
"I think we need to give these rookies an extra lesson," Lin Tian said helplessly, sitting on the bench. "They're all so naive!"
"Don't lead the kids astray," Miller rolled his eyes. "Haven't you noticed I haven't even been swearing in front of the newcomers lately?"
"I've noticed. I've also noticed that you haven't been looking for women lately. Instead, you're often just staring at your dogs. You've definitely reached the age where you need to change your tastes, Reggie."
"Fuck you!" Miller elbowed Lin Tian and cursed, "When did I ever stare at that dog? Do you think I'm like you?"
The Pacers players were incredibly relaxed, joking and chatting happily off the court, while the ten players on the court were fighting tooth and nail, practically ready to tear each other apart!
Both sides were constantly running and almost never stopping. Whether it was Parker or Hardaway, they would advance the ball as soon as they got it and then quickly choose their offensive method.
Both sides played very quickly and made quite a few mistakes, but as the saying goes, high risk brings high reward, and the scores on both sides were rising rapidly!
Meanwhile, facing veteran top point guard Hardaway, Parker was fearless like a newborn calf, scoring one after another with his drives, mid-range jump shots, and close-range floaters!
Less than four minutes into the second quarter, Parker had already scored nine points!
One of his most spectacular offensive plays was when he grabbed a rebound in the backcourt and launched a fast break, driving all the way to the frontcourt before changing direction to get past Hardaway. Then, he charged into the paint and faced a double-team from Howard and Bradley, suddenly unleashing his signature move!
With a "Parisian Spinning Top" move, he passed between the two in the blink of an eye. Then, as Bradley relentlessly tried to chase down and block him from behind... Parker pressed down with both hands, drew a circle in front of him, and sent the ball out from the other side of the rim!
"Whoosh!"
"Beep beep!"
Two more bangs followed in quick succession. Although Parker was knocked out of bounds by Bradley, he managed to score a 2+1!
After his teammate Arenas delivered his first career highlight in the previous game, Parker couldn't resist joining in and put on a performance tonight that made the whole league recognize him!
Because the substitutes performed so well tonight, Carlisle was in no hurry to make substitutions. He waited until the Mavericks had brought in Nowitzki and Nash, played for two minutes, and taken the lead before finally bringing in Lin Tian, Webber, and others.
At this point, there were only 6 minutes left in the second quarter!
The score has now reached an astonishing 61:57!
The Mavericks have temporarily taken a 4-point lead!
Lin Tian's return to the court had an immediate and significant impact.
He and Webber executed a high pick-and-roll, followed by a fake pass that tricked Nash into taking two steps to the other side before barely stopping, while Lin Tian had already pulled up and launched a three-pointer!
"Whoosh!"
No need to look, Lin Tian never disappoints when there's such a wide-open space!
Although Nash stumbled and staggered all the way to the frontcourt, he still couldn't shake off Lin Tian with a high double screen.
However, Nash wasn't in a hurry when he saw there was no chance to pass the ball. Even though Lin Tian was marking him again, he still used his signature move.
After taking two unsteady steps toward the inside, he suddenly jumped.
He didn't jump very high, but he lay back extremely far, his upper body almost parallel to the floor.
Even more dangerously, Nash's foot, by sheer bad luck, ended up pointing right at Lin Tian's crotch.
Although this is a very normal side action, everyone has to extend their legs like this when shooting, but the problem is that Nash's shooting motion is abnormal in itself!
Don't talk about martial arts!
I knew that guys who lick their shoes after free throws were dirty!
"Whoosh!"
Nash used his backflip and a powerful kick to successfully dodge Lin Tian's block and made the shot, continuing the Mavericks' scoring spree.
However, after Nash made the shot, Don Nelson on the sidelines finally couldn't stand it anymore. He knew he couldn't let Lin Tian keep chasing Nash around like that, so he yelled and waved his hand, signaling the team to switch defenses!
It doesn't matter who defends Lin Tian; what matters is that the Pacers have a lot of players who can score on the perimeter!
Lin Tian lobbed the ball directly to Carter, and the person guarding Carter at this moment was, of course, Nash!
When Carter saw that Nash was standing next to him, he immediately turned around and faced away from Nash without hesitation.
If the Pacers use Ben Wallace's post-up game once a year, then Vince Carter's back-to-the-basket move is used at most once every six months.
There's nothing I can do; I lack the skills and the willpower.
As for having Carter practice his post-up move more?
This guy is a typical North Carolina native. If he doesn't fly high and slam dunk, is that what basketball is all about?
Carter was made to practice face-up dribbling, soaring dunks, and long-range three-pointers; he practiced them with incredible power.
But when it comes to the less aesthetically pleasing and less cool aspects like defense, post-up play, and rebounding, Carter's enthusiasm clearly wanes.
This is perhaps the biggest reason why, despite having the best or second-best physical attributes among the four shooting guards, his final achievements were unsurprisingly at the bottom.
Victory wasn't that important to him.
That's good enough.
Far away.
Let's go back to this ball.
As the saying goes, back-to-the-basket moves don't work; it depends on who you're playing against. If Ben Wallace could score 50+30 against younger players, then Vince Carter would have no problem against Steve Nash.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
After three hard-hitting attacks, Carter successfully squeezed into the Mavericks' interior. Once he got to this point, it would be unreasonable for the other Mavericks players not to double-team him. So Nowitzki immediately ran from the top post to double-team Carter.
Carter, however, quickly turned around and bypassed Nash, then took a step to the basket and delivered a powerful dunk over the oncoming defender!
"boom!"
After the explosion, old Nelson curled his lip.
What could he do? He was helpless!
What can you do when the team only has this one roster?
Fortunately, although he was truly unstoppable on defense, Nash's offensive firepower and passing ability were top-notch in the league. This guy dribbled at a steady pace and wandered around inside the Pacers' three-point line like a homeless man on the streets of New York.
This guy's dribbling looks completely unattractive, and his body is incredibly weak, yet he's incredibly steady when controlling the ball. Lin Tian tried to steal the ball several times, but couldn't find an opportunity!
Lin Tian was even 100% certain that this guy was just waiting for him to steal the ball!
As long as I make the move, he will immediately break through.
Just as Nash circled around to the vicinity of the free throw line, he suddenly made a bounce pass without looking or even raising his arm. The basketball grazed Lin Tian's trouser leg and flew towards the inside!
Finley cut over there, grabbed the basketball, faked around Ben Wallace, and then leaped up with one hand for another thunderous dunk!
The Mavericks continue to maintain their slight lead!
On offense, Lin Tian noticed that the Mavericks had changed their defense again. Nash went to guard Christie at the 3 position, leaving Carter to Finley.
This change of tactics actually worked quite well, finally protecting Nash from the impact of Lin Tian or Carter.
Upon seeing this, Lin Tian stopped looking for others, dribbled past Adrian Griffin, and drove to the mid-range before launching another pull-up jump shot.
"Whoosh!"
After the basket went in, the Pacers called for a substitution during the brief dead ball time!
Carlisle reacted incredibly quickly. After realizing that Nelson was trying every possible way to hide Nash, he immediately replaced Christie and Ben Wallace with Brad Miller and Parker!
Come on, all five of you can attack! Who are you going to defend? Where are you going to run to?
There's still somewhere to escape to!
When the Pacers attacked again, Nash unsurprisingly stood in front of rookie Parker.
Although Parker scored 9 points in the early part of the second quarter and has now reached double digits with 11 points, he is still the smallest and least noteworthy player on the Pacers team.
If there's one person who can't beat Nash, it's him.
"Tony, your chance to make a name for yourself has arrived! Three days ago, Gilbert destroyed the Nets. Today, if you can destroy Nash and the Mavericks, they'll know who the best international player in the NBA is. The second-best point guard among international players! Go for it!"
With a mission in mind, encouragement in hand, and the ambition to crush Nash and make a name for himself, Parker pursed his lips and quickly walked onto the court.
Of course, Carlisle was just trying to fool Parker. If it were an old hand like Lin Tian, he'd be lucky if he didn't give Carlisle the middle finger.
Is it something to be proud of to beat Nash?
If they play freely, this league can't beat Nash's point guard position one-on-one.
Okay, if Kidd can score 30 points against Nash, who can't do that?
Kidd: Lin Tian, your insults are so damn sophisticated!
Anyway, anyone with a bit of maturity would know that beating Nash is about as significant as beating O'Neal in the three-point contest; both are completely insignificant!
But Parker is clearly not mature enough. He has never experienced the pain of love, nor has he made anyone else experience it. Right now, his eyes are burning with desire, and he just wants to beat Nash as soon as possible so that he won't be nagged by Arenas every day during training and won't be able to lift his head!
Seeing Parker's reaction, Lin Tian didn't say much. When the Pacers attacked, he directly passed the ball to Parker, letting him take advantage of his good touch, push the ball up the court, organize the offense, and decide how to play.
In the first round, Parker was a little embarrassed. The young man called out a standard tactic, then passed the ball to Lin Tian and prepared to start running.
Before the tactics even began, Lin Tian yelled, "What are you running for? It's an isolated island! Fight the isolated island!"
After yelling, Lin Tian called Parker back, gave him the ball again, and then ran off to the wing.
Here's the stage, go after Nash!
Who told that bastard to almost kick Kobayashi!
Whether he did it on purpose or not, let's get him!
Upon seeing Lin Tian's attitude, Parker immediately became incredibly energetic, as if he had been injected with adrenaline!
Facing Nash, this guy dribbled the ball twice and then chose to accelerate and break through, forcing his way past Nash and driving all the way to the three-second zone. Then he did his signature 360-degree spin move and wiped him out. Before Bradley could turn around, he quickly made a low-hand layup and scored two points!
When Nelson saw the ball, he got so angry that he stood up and cursed.
How many times has Parker used the same trick tonight?
Isn't it just a sudden, powerful right-handed turn followed by a step-back layup?
Can't defend against it? You can't even defend against this?
Nash: We just can't defend against it!
In the next four consecutive offensive possessions, the whole team spread out, allowing Parker to go one-on-one against Nash!
How can I describe this scene?
It's like on a football field, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Juninho, Kaká and others all spread out to feed the ball to Fan Zhiyi so he can shoot and score!
What kind of treatment is this?
In any case, Parker did not waste the favor shown by these big shots!
He had 4 one-on-one attempts, 3 of which resulted in a basket, including 2 layups and 1 free throw after drawing a foul.
Adding to his recent performance, Parker has already racked up 17 points in the second quarter!
Another scoring spree in a single quarter! Another rookie player!
"The Pacers' scouting department is just too powerful!" Su Qun couldn't help but exclaim. "If we disregard Carter, a top-five pick who's always been a prime candidate, look at who they've drafted in recent years!"
"Lewis, Harrington, Parker, Arenas—all late first-round picks or second-round picks. Every single one of their draft picks is a star, each one more impressive than the last!"
Lin Tian: Hehe, there are no magical scouts, the only magical one is me, Lin Da Guan Ren!
After Parker scored four out of five consecutive baskets against Nash, even though Don Nelson was reluctant to let Nash continue playing, he dared not keep Nash on the court any longer.
Against other teams, he can hide Nash and have Nash guard the opposing team's players who are not good at offense, or even the opposing team's pure role players.
What about pedestrians?
Lin Tian, Carter, Miller, Parker, Arenas, Harrington, Webber, Brad Miller
This team has way too many offensive players, doesn't it?
When it comes to singles, they're all incredibly fierce, right?
Even Don Nelson, who has watched countless Pacers games, had seen the team's opening game.
That bastard Carlisle actually dared to send Ben Wallace to fight Kwame Brown one-on-one.
They're the kind of people who, once they see someone's weakness, will relentlessly beat them up and fleece them no matter what!
Shameless!
Don Nelson was very annoyed by the Pacers' style of play—their relentless, all-or-nothing attack whenever they had the chance! But at the same time, he also really liked it!
He had already made up his mind.
In the next game, he shouldn't run into any team with obvious weaknesses that the Mavericks can completely counter.
Whoever I encounter, I'll beat them to a pulp and have some fun!
Thinking about this, hey, don't say it!
Old Nelson instantly stopped being angry; he was even quite happy.
Sure enough, pain can be transferred!
Although he didn't know who the anger had been transferred to, the old man's anger had subsided at the moment.
But even though he calmed down, the Mavericks' offense completely stalled.
Because they dared not let Hardaway, whose defense was even worse than Nash's, play, the Mavericks entrusted the playmaking to Adrian Griffin.
How would you describe Griffin's organizational skills?
It's impossible to describe, because you can't describe something that doesn't exist at all!
In this disorganized situation, the Mavericks' offensive tactics immediately became reliant on one-on-one plays by Nowitzki and Finley, with the rest of the players becoming somewhat useless.
This chaotic playing style inevitably leads to a decrease in accuracy and an increase in mistakes and missed shots.
Everyone in the world knows that if you make a lot of mistakes, miss many shots, and have a bad defense when facing the Pacers, then you simply have no way to compete with them!
Especially when the first half entered the final minute, the Mavericks' offense encountered huge problems!
They suddenly couldn't score!
Under tonight's pace, even though they only went one minute without scoring, it was enough for the Pacers to go on a run!
Nowitzki missed his shot, and Lin Tian grabbed the rebound and went on a fast break, dunking the ball in the process!
Carter steals Griffin's pass and passes it to Lin Tian during a fast break. Lin Tian slams the ball onto the backboard, assisting Carter for an alley-oop dunk!
Brad Miller grabbed the rebound and threw it high, Parker received the ball in the frontcourt and then suddenly passed it back, Lin Tian received the ball and jumped up to dunk again!
With 5 seconds left, Finley attempted a one-on-one against Lin Tian, but Lin Tian stole the ball from him one-on-one. After dribbling the ball to the frontcourt, Lin Tian suddenly stopped, pulled up and shot from 1 meter beyond the three-point line, and made the three-pointer. At the same time, the whistle blew to end the first half!
After this 9-0 run, the score gap between the two sides has widened significantly!
71: 90!
The Pacers are now up by 19 points!
Their 90-point halftime score also broke their team record for halftime points once again!
As for the Mavericks, they were also wronged.
Scoring 71 points in the first half is quite impressive, but to be down by almost 20 points after scoring 71 points can only mean that their opponent was just too formidable and had an extremely high offensive success rate!
Throughout the first half, the Pacers shot 61% from the field, 55% from three-point range, and an impressive 90% from the free-throw line!
Furthermore, the team dished out 24 assists while committing only 3 turnovers! It's safe to say that this team's performance in this non-defensive matchup was truly terrifying!
However, the Mavericks' offensive level is really not bad at all! If it weren't for Don Nelson having to take Nash out because he was being targeted so badly, the Mavericks would definitely not have been down by 19 points!
At the very least, they shot 59% from the field and 51% from three-point range in the first half!
Although the number of turnovers was a bit higher, it was only 6. At the pace tonight, 6 turnovers in the first half is definitely top-level!
"To be honest, although the Mavericks are down by 19 points, I really don't think that's a big difference!" Su Qun said during halftime. "Based on the performance of both teams in the first half, if either side loses their rhythm for just two minutes, the situation will be completely different!"
Sun Zhengping agreed, "That's right! Maybe just 3-5 shots, whether they make or miss, can quickly erase a 10-point deficit! These two teams truly represent the highest level of offense in the NBA today!"
"This game also reminded me of that classic matchup between the Pacers and the Trail Blazers! In that game, the two teams battled all the way into overtime, and Lin Tian finally managed to win by hitting two game-winning three-pointers in regulation and overtime!"
"I watched that match too, I think it was me and Coach Su who were commentating!" Sun Zhengping said, "It's still fresh in my memory! I just wonder if tonight's match can successfully replicate that night's performance?"
"Hey, look, the second half has started, but the Mavericks have made a substitution! They've changed one of their starting players!"
"Tim Hardaway is starting! He and Nash will be playing as a dual point guard!"
As Su Qun watched both teams step onto the court, he noticed the changes in the Mavericks' team.
Sun Zhengping also said, "Coach Don Nelson truly lives up to his reputation as the 'mad scientist'! At a time like this, this old coach can still pull out a move like using two point guards—a tactic that might not inflict a thousand casualties on the enemy, but will certainly hurt himself by at least nine hundred! Isn't he afraid that the Pacers will tear him apart with this two-point-guard strategy?"
Su Qun said, "Perhaps it's precisely because it's come to this point that he dared to bring out this lineup! I think Old Nelson must have gone through a fierce internal struggle at halftime! He decided to go all in, to field his most aggressive and relentless lineup, to fight the Pacers!"
Old Nelson: We definitely have to fight, but there was no internal struggle. I decided in the first half that this is how I'm going to play from here on out!
Since we can't defend against it no matter what, let's stop defending and start running!
Old Nelson secretly gave this five-man group a name in his mind.
run-TMC2.0!
run-FXXX!
Or, to translate Tim Hardaway's T, Michael Finley's M, and Dirk Nowitzki's D into Chinese, we could combine them to form: run-TMD!
Damn it!
As for where Nash went?
It's okay! This lineup can also be called run-TND!
Run the hell out!
Or add Nash, and it becomes run-TMD, S!
You son of a bitch!
If we absolutely have to say that the whole family is together, and roughly speaking, then it would be W: run-TMD, S!
It means something like: In short: What a load of crap!
The essence remains the same no matter how things change!
In the second half, the two sides switched sides and started the game again!
Facing a Pacers team with no changes to their lineup, the Mavericks players knew very well that they had to make the most of the opening stages of the third quarter. If they couldn't close the gap during this period, and continued to be chased down by the Pacers' highly offensive players, the game would be over!
So, on the first offensive play of the third quarter, Nash showed his determination!
Even though he hadn't shaken off Lin Tian after a change of direction, he still went straight for a three-pointer!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp crack, Nash, through an uncharacteristic and highly irrational scoring move, told everyone: Time's up! We can't beat them playing rationally anymore; it's time to go crazy!
start running!
After Nash's basket, the Pacers showed no intention of slowing down.
They immediately threw the ball from the baseline.
In 3 seconds, Lin Tian crossed the halfway line.
Five seconds later, Lin Tian had already driven into the three-point line, drawing a double team and passing to Christie in the corner.
With 7 seconds left, Christie hits a three-pointer!
come on!
So what if you're running? You guys are running the hell out of the way, aren't you?
A race? I could never lose!
The Mavericks' offense was quick and fierce again. Nash ignored his teammates and stumbled all the way to the frontcourt. Then, just when he looked like he was about to be knocked out, the ball in his hand suddenly disappeared.
Then everyone noticed that the wing player had followed up, receiving the ball outside the three-point line and pulling up to shoot!
"Whoosh!"
After the crisp sound, the Mavericks continued their offensive onslaught!
The Mavericks' offense was also quick, taking only 8 seconds!
8 seconds?
Webber sprinted up the baseline and slammed the ball into Lin Tian's hands in the frontcourt. Lin Tian then slammed the ball heavily on the floor, startling Hardaway, who was defending him. Hardaway's first reaction was that Lin Tian was going to hit him on the head!
But after the basketball bounced, it came right next to the basket, and then the yellow number 15 figure took off again, pressing the ball into the basket with both hands!
After landing, Carter clenched his fists, and the little motorcycle started moving again!
After being almost humiliated by Lin Tian's ball handling, Hardaway immediately lost his temper. After receiving the ball from the baseline, he quickly advanced and charged all the way to the frontcourt. This guy, like an old man suddenly bursting with youthful madness, changed direction and dribbled between his legs at the top of the arc before suddenly pulling back the ball, stepping back, and throwing it!
The throw came quite suddenly, and Carter couldn't block it in time, so he could only turn around and look at the result of the shot.
"Whoosh!"
A crisp sound rang out, and Hardaway was about to excitedly celebrate with Carter when he realized that Carter, who had just turned to look at the ball, had already sprinted to the frontcourt. As Hardaway blinked, wondering if he was seeing things, Carter, who had been empty-handed just moments before, had already grabbed the basketball and pulled it up!
"boom!"
After Carter made the dunk, Nash, who was closest to him, rushed to the baseline, picked up the basketball, and quickly passed it to Finley in the frontcourt. Finley, without holding onto the ball, passed it to Nowitzki, who was standing at the top of the arc outside the three-point line.
Even though Webber had closed in and his arm was outstretched, Nowitzki remained unmoved and pulled up for a three-pointer!
"Whoosh!"
After another crisp sound, Ben Wallace had already passed the ball directly to Webber from the baseline.
After Webber got the ball, he didn't care about guards or forwards. He dribbled the ball forward on his own. At the same time, when Nowitzki tried to steal the ball from him, Webber did a very stylish behind-the-back dribble, leaving Nowitzki behind!
After a sprint, although Webber wasn't as fast as Lin Tian Carter, his ball handling and vision were definitely not inferior! After driving to the free-throw line, this guy pulled off another no-look pass from behind!
The basketball flew directly to Lin Tian, who had already sprinted to the baseline.
Get the ball, jump, and shoot!
Lin Tian's time from receiving the ball to releasing it was probably less than 0.5 seconds!
No need for adjustments or aiming, just absolute confidence, just pull it up and throw it!
"Whoosh!"
It's still working!
fast!
Whether it's the Mavericks or the Pacers, whether it's the center or the guard, both teams' players emphasized speed at the beginning of the third quarter!
Because both sides have so many players who can handle the ball, advance the ball, and pass it, the game remains orderly despite the fast pace!
The number of errors made by both sides remains at a very low level.
Just when everyone was anticipating whether this crazy run-and-gun duel would break the NBA record for the highest single-game score, it was unclear whether the players on both sides were tired, or whether the Nets were simply exhausted from their repeated ups and downs.
In short, basketball shots suddenly stopped going in, and both teams' efficiency finally started to drop!
Of course, the decline also depends on what it's compared to.
After all, in the first two minutes of the third quarter, both teams had a 100% shooting percentage!
When the third quarter ended, both teams' shooting percentages were still around 60%! And even if you remove the consecutive shots at the beginning of the third quarter, both teams' shooting percentages were still around 50%!
All I can say is that whether something is accurate or not really depends on who you're comparing it to!
Although the shooting percentage has dropped, the pace of the game shows no signs of slowing down!
Run! Still running like crazy!
Whether they missed or scored, both sides had a blast tonight! And neither side seemed ready to stop!
At the same time, because of the rapid pace, even though both sides' efficiency was significantly reduced, the speed at which they scored was still astonishing! (End of Chapter)