thefictionvixens Chapter 299 What happens when a stubborn old man gets angry? He'll become even more stubborn.
Chapter 299 What happens when a stubborn old man gets angry? He'll become even more stubborn.
Chapter 299 What happens when a stubborn old man gets angry? He becomes even more stubborn!
After missing another shot, Iverson angrily cursed. Matching against Lin Tian really tests a person's mentality and mindset.
Because this guy really uses whatever disgusting things he finds disgusting; he has absolutely no bottom line!
What's even more infuriating is that if Lin Tian were to seriously defend and attack, he truly possesses a textbook-perfect defensive footwork, and his judgment of timing for steals and blocks is also top-tier in the league! On the offensive end, Lin Tian boasts the best speed and penetration ability in the league.
But he doesn't need to!
He wanted to use his body and strength to bully the short guy, and use blindfold defense to disgust Iverson. Lin Tian liked to deal with Iverson in the way that made Iverson angry and helpless.
"Can't you just play basketball properly and defend properly? Use the right methods!"
Iverson once again held off Lin Tian in the low post, protesting to Lin Tian in dissatisfaction.
He was truly fed up with Lin Tian's shameless fighting style.
"I won't!"
Lin Tian rejected Iverson without hesitation, then quickly spun towards the baseline and moved to the edge of the three-second zone. As Iverson caught up, Lin Tian suddenly spun towards the top line again, once again getting past Iverson and successfully making a layup!
"Allen, the coach said I should guard Lin..." After Lin Tian scored again, Snow boldly approached Iverson and reiterated Brown's defensive matchup strategy.
"Shut up! Do you think I can't stop him?" Iverson rudely flung his hand away, looking impatient.
"That's not what I meant. I just wanted to say..." Snow carefully considered the right words. He didn't want Iverson to get emotional at this moment. He was very worried that if he said something wrong, Iverson would get angry and say that he would continue to face off against Lin Tian no matter what.
That would be bad!
"What Eric means is that as the team's leader, core player, and primary scorer, you should focus your energy and stamina on offense, not waste it on meaningless defensive plays! Use your strength wisely; Allen, you should use your energy on offense!"
Just as Snow hesitated, unsure how to persuade Iverson, a voice suddenly rang out! To Snow, the voice was like heavenly music! It cleverly relieved his embarrassment, and he quickly nodded, saying, "That's right, that's exactly it. Your understanding of tactics is truly... Lin?"
Snow's words of thanks came to an abrupt halt. How come he hadn't realized that Lin Tian was the one giving him advice and spouting nonsense?
"You're welcome. After all, you have to coax Allen! I know it's tiring! Having such a giant baby on the team, and on top of that, he's so good, must be a real headache for you guys, right? Every time you have to get him to accept the right advice, you also have to consider his ridiculous pride. It must be exhausting, right?"
"Who are you calling a giant baby?" Iverson's already round eyes widened even more after hearing Lin Tian's words: "I'm not a giant baby, I'm the leader of this team, the pride of Philadelphia."
"Yes, yes, yes, right! It's you, it's you, it's definitely you!" Lin Tian waved his hand impatiently and said, "What you said is all correct, Philadelphia's 'Answer,' the Son of Philadelphia, the Pride of Philadelphia, the Hero of Philadelphia, the Ultraman of Philadelphia, alright?"
After saying this, Lin Tian looked at Snow next to him and said, "Is this how you usually coax him?"
"I don't need anyone to coax me!" Iverson cursed again, and then the referee blew his whistle!
"Philadelphia 76ers, 8-second violation! Change possession!"
The three of them were chatting so enthusiastically that Iverson, who had the ball, didn't even push the ball forward. They chatted for a full 8 seconds in the 76ers' half of the court, and the referee called a violation on them!
"Thanks!" Lin Tian chuckled, snatched the basketball from Iverson's hands, and handed it to the sideline referee.
"Allen!" Brown, finally unable to bear it any longer, shouted from the sidelines, "Switch with Eric on defense!"
"No! I'll kill Lin!" Iverson refused Brown's request without hesitation, then shoved Snow aside, telling him to keep an eye on his Carter, while he stood next to Lin Tian.
"You want me to beat you to death, don't you?" Lin Tian walked towards the inside while using his body to block Iverson. After reaching his favorite position to launch an attack, he reached out for the ball again!
Webber simply passed the ball out of bounds to Lin Tian, letting him continue to bully Iverson.
Everyone on the Pacers loves watching this kind of crushing matchup!
After blocking Iverson with his back again, Lin Tian first used a series of quick shoulder feints to deceive Iverson's center of gravity, and then suddenly turned halfway to face the basket.
Then, with his left foot constantly extending and retracting, combined with his triple threat with the ball in his hand, Lin Tian's shooting and breakthrough abilities were enough to keep Iverson on edge, even if he didn't dribble the ball once.
Then Lin Tian took another half step with his left foot, and just when Iverson thought Lin Tian was going to break through from that direction, the basketball suddenly bounced to the right. Lin Tian then took a step to the right and pulled up to throw the ball!
Iverson was not only unable to interfere, he was practically frozen in place once again, and could only watch helplessly as Lin Tian showcased his low-post skills and easily made the shot!
"You think I always bully you with my height, wingspan, and weight? You think my always-hitting-the-pan jump shot is an unfair advantage?"
"I'll satisfy you. Tonight, I'll fuck you to death with pure skill."
After scoring, Lin Tian kept shaking his head at Iverson while continuing to hurl trash talk at him.
He's going to completely defeat Iverson today!
The rest of the second quarter completely turned into a showcase for Lin Tian!
Low post back-to-the-basket back-to-the-basket step-back jumper.
He quickly spun around in the low post and drove to the basket for a layup.
He quickly turned and faked a shot in the low post before taking a step-back floater and scoring.
He takes a step-back jumper after a series of probing steps in the low post.
After a probing step, quickly turn around and pull up for a powerful shot.
After a series of low-post spins, he quickly changed his footwork, simultaneously shaking off Iverson and Hill who were chasing after him, and then scored another layup.
After a back-to-the-basket move, he suddenly turns around and steps back to shoot.
……
In this quarter, Lin Tian made full use of his newly upgraded skills, showcasing the low-post techniques of Payton and Pierce without reservation!
Allen Iverson was completely stunned by the performance!
Lin's low-post skills are actually that good?
Compared to this feeling of being beaten like a headless fly and completely powerless, Iverson suddenly missed Lin Tian, who constantly used his height and weight to force his way into the basket!
At the very least, Lin Tian could still get Iverson to swear at him a few times.
But tonight, Lin Tian's technical skills made Iverson want to slap himself in the face!
Barkley and Kenny were equally bewildered.
These two guys really never expected that Lin Tian's back-to-the-basket skills would be so good! Not only good, but also flexible and varied. His routines left these two experienced guys, who had played in the NBA for a combined 30 years, speechless!
"That move is a lot like Gary's signature spin!"
"That looks like Pierce's signature move from the last round when he was eliminated!"
"Lin must have learned that shot from when he was on the same team as Michael!"
"Dream Steps! Dream Steps! This is definitely a Dream Step!"
"Wow! I like this. I often just sit in it like this and then... FUXX! Lin can even wiggle it a little more?"
Barkley and Kenny completely became Lin Tian's slapstick comedians in this quarter, constantly exclaiming in amazement at Lin Tian's back-to-the-basket skills.
In Boston, Pierce watched the game with great excitement, muttering to himself.
"Lin isn't just talking! He really learned my techniques! He thinks my moves are effective! He thinks my moves are amazing! He must have watched a lot of my game footage! He genuinely believes I can become the MVP and the next leader of Boston!"
Sitting next to Pierce was Antoine Walker.
After these two guys got into a fight in Game 3 of the playoffs, they should have been irreconcilable enemies and completely fallen out.
But for some unknown reason, after the game, Walker, who was DNP'd, did not leave the locker room and arena early, nor did he speak ill of his teammates. Instead, after all his teammates had returned to the locker room, he sincerely apologized to Pierce, the head coach, and his teammates.
He said he was too immature and did the wrong thing, and hoped his teammates would forgive his willfulness. He hoped to stand together with everyone and perform better next season!
Although it's unclear why Walker suddenly changed his mind, the Celtics, a young team, have no shortage of passionate young men. They quickly accepted Walker's apology and took him back.
Now, Walker has even given up the idea of going on vacation early, canceled his pre-booked flight, and chosen to train with Pierce in Boston!
Both of these guys are determined to make a name for themselves next year!
They want to restore Boston's glory!
In Miami, Malone, Mourning, Payton, and Riley watched the game on TV together, but remained silent for a long time.
It wasn't until the end of the second quarter, when the Pacers led 59-40, a huge 19-point advantage at halftime, that the four players finally started talking.
"Gary, are you confident?" The first person to speak was Riley.
"If our whole team were here, I would tell everyone without hesitation that I can kill Lin, I can crush him!" Payton said with a wry smile. "But there are only the four of us here, so you all know my answer."
"Is there really no way? Tell me your thoughts, Gary." Malone patted Payton on the shoulder, gesturing for him to speak boldly and express all his thoughts.
"If Lin only plays in the low post, I'm confident I can contain him to some extent! At least I can prevent him from doing what he did in the second quarter today. Damn it, how many points did he score in that quarter?" Payton cursed as Lin Tian's stats were displayed on the TV in front of them.
第二节打了8分钟，12投9中，罚球6罚全中拿下24分！
He completely dominated Iverson, who was determined to match up against him!
After thinking for a moment, Payton continued, "If Alonzo helps out in the paint and is ready to cover for me, I can go even closer and stick to him every time he backs down, focusing on defending his step-back jumper and turnaround jumper. That would definitely be more effective!"
"What about at a high post? What if he uses a pick-and-roll, a drive, or some other move?" Riley couldn't help but ask another pointless question, even though he already knew the answer.
"I can't help it." Payton was quite nonchalant, simply shrugging his shoulders. "Even at my peak, I couldn't compare to Lin in speed, let alone now that I'm 32. My legs definitely can't keep up with Lin!"
"Knowing Lin as I do, against Iverson, Lin would always post up," Mourning suddenly interjected. "But against Gary, he absolutely won't go to the low post, not even once. He'll use pick-and-rolls and drives to destroy Larry in the high post!"
Riley pursed his lips, his eyes fixed on the first half highlights on the screen. He didn't say a word, letting his players discuss how to defend Lin Tian. He was thinking about how to contain Lin Tian.
If Payton can't contain Lin Tian, what about Ruben Patterson, who had a good season, averaging 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal per game in the regular season? Can this guy, who likes to brag every day about how he used to chase Kobe Bryant around in practice, stop Lin Tian?
If he can't do it either...
Maybe we should try that guy who came from Philadelphia midway through the season? Who knows, he might have some amazing results?
In the Pacers' locker room, Bird was very satisfied with Lin Tian, who had regained his form in the second quarter. With the team having a huge advantage in the first half, Bird never made any extra tactical arrangements during halftime. Instead, he did more of his time at halftime to encourage and cheer on the players!
So right now, the Pacers' locker room was filled with Bird's encouragement to everyone, as well as the occasional, unified shouts and slogans full of fighting spirit and confidence.
The Pacers' locker room was filled with unity and determination, while the atmosphere in the 76ers' locker room, not far away, was terrible.
Brown, as if someone had stepped on his tail, went on a rampage of cursing at all the players in the locker room!
"Tony, get your act together, Tony! You're fucking softer than I'll be when I wake up in the morning to pee 30 years from now! The guy guarding you is a little dwarf, go for it! Have you forgotten your driving skills back in your damn war-torn homeland? If you're too scared to drive, then you can fucking go back to Europe and pick up cucumbers!"
"Troon, what were you doing on the court? You played 20 minutes in the first half and only grabbed 3 rebounds? Even if I went to take a dump on the court, I could still grab 5 rebounds before I even wiped my ass! And you only got three? Is Chris Webber your real father? How come I never knew you were so filial before?"
"And you two, Aaron and Eric, what good are you two pieces of trash doing on the field? Does your salary include VIP standing tickets so you can watch the game up close? Otherwise, you should both just retire! Go join my coaching staff as video analysts, that's what you're doing on the field anyway!"
"And you, Allen!"
After criticizing everyone, Brown set his sights on Iverson.
Brown is different from more than 90% of the coaches in the NBA in this respect. Many coaches in this league are known for being fierce, tough, and fond of yelling and having a tough style, but most coaches actually know very well where the bottom line is.
That's a superstar!
This league, in essence, is a players' league. The players wield enormous power. When a coach and the star player have a conflict, 99% of the time, the coach leaves!
Even Sloan, who dedicated half his life to the Jazz and set a record for the longest consecutive tenure coaching the same team in the four major North American leagues, was dismissed in disgrace due to his conflict with Deron Williams, leaving the position he had worked in for more than 20 years.
Riley created the Showtime Lakers era, leading the trend throughout the 80s, but didn't he leave Los Angeles in disappointment because of a falling out with Magic Johnson and others?
Don Nelson, the "mad scientist," caused his career to end in failure after he only stayed in New York for less than half a season. He was ostracized by the New York players and eventually resigned in disgrace.
In this league, or in most sports leagues, the players call the shots!
Because they can make money, sell tickets, sell jerseys and all sorts of merchandise, while the head coach?
Out of 1 fans, probably not one of them came to see the head coach, and certainly no one would buy the same suit, shirt, tie, or other items worn by the head coach.
This is why many coaches, who are known for being cold-blooded and tough, and for having a bad temper, will not provoke the team's superstars unless they really fall out or the relationship is truly irreconcilable.
Being tough is sometimes just a persona. It's not a big deal if that persona collapses, but losing your job is a much bigger loss!
But Brown clearly doesn't care about that. In his team, he never holds back when it comes to criticizing players, whether they are superstars or ordinary players. He never holds back and he criticizes them relentlessly!
When he led the Indiana Pacers, he often criticized Miller. Ultimately, he left Indiana. Besides the team's lack of improvement in performance, the biggest reason was the loss of support from Miller, Davis, Jackson, and others, which led to his departure.
It wasn't just the players; when Brown was in a bad mood, he would also criticize the team's owner, president, and general managers in the same way!
Spray it all out!
This is why, although Brown is universally recognized as one of the league's top coaches, he has never coached any team for more than six consecutive years in his career!
Ultimately, it all comes down to the team's tolerance for Brown, and that's about the maximum amount of time they can afford to wait.
Five or six years is enough time for Brown to offend everyone on the team, from top to bottom, inside and out! By then, basically no one will be willing to tolerate him anymore, and it will be time for him to leave.
"Allen, have you lost your mind? Or are you on drugs? Huh? I told you to have Eric take over guarding Lin, didn't you hear me or see me? Can't you even remember something this small with your head that's smaller than a sunflower seed? Can't you understand anything?"
"You actually went to college? You're a disgrace to universities! I'll never call myself a college graduate again, I can't bear the shame! Having the same educational background as you is the most humiliating thing in my life!"
"In the second half, you damn bastard, you have two choices."
"Listen to me, play off-ball and catch-and-shoot, look for opportunities to run, cut, use screens, and then shoot, and guard the guys I'm assigning you to guard!"
"Or, you can continue to act stupid and idiotic, continue to get completely crushed by Lin, and then we'll lose the game. You'll be like a stray dog, slinking back to the hotel with your tail between your legs, only able to lick your wounds with your own saliva!"
"Choose for yourself."
Brown, enraged, unleashed a torrent of abuse that silenced the entire locker room. While Brown had criticized Iverson before, this was the first time he had done so in a frenzied, direct, and utterly unrestrained manner.
Everyone couldn't help but look at Iverson, wanting to see what this always arrogant guy would choose and whether he would explode.
Iverson stared at Brown with his big eyes, remaining silent for several dozen seconds. Just as Snow and the others were about to stand up and say something to smooth things over and let the matter drop, so as to avoid any serious conflict between the two, Iverson suddenly spoke.
"I will follow your instructions. I will not defend Lin in the second half, and I will not attack with the ball so recklessly. I will follow your arrangements."
Iverson's conciliatory words immediately eased the tension in the locker room, and everyone, including Brown himself, breathed a sigh of relief.
Iverson, after all, still wants to win!
Of course, the most important reason he backed down was actually because he played terribly in the first half! Under the Pacers' targeted defense, Iverson only scored 9 points on 3-of-11 shooting in the first half!
In the first quarter, when Iverson wasn't guarding Lin Tian, Lin Tian went 1-for-4, putting on a rare undercover performance. Then, in the second quarter, when Iverson took over guarding Lin Tian…
Well, let's not talk about it.
This kind of tragic single-point explosion is really too brutal!
In particular, the way he dominated Iverson was no longer about physique, height, strength, or even speed and shooting.
technology!
Purely technical!
In the second quarter, Lin Tian showcased his superb low-post skills to the world, telling them that even with skills that Iverson was most skilled at and most confident in, he could still crush him!
So, Iverson backed down.
And he still wants to win!
At the start of the second half, when Lin Tian was dribbling forward, he noticed that the person guarding him had changed from Iverson to Snow, and he immediately guessed what had happened during halftime.
"Allen, I bet during halftime, your coach pinned you to the ground and gave you a good dressing down, he practically made you shit your pants, right? He made you lose all your courage, so you didn't even have the courage to face me, right?"
Iverson ignored Lin Tian, lowered his head, and quickly ran off in another direction, chasing after Carter.
But Lin Tian clearly wasn't going to let Iverson off so easily.
He seized the opportunity and suddenly delivered a bounce pass to Carter.
After Carter received the ball, he slammed it heavily on the floor, followed by a jump step that pushed Iverson away!
He pulled up and delivered a fierce one-handed dunk over Hill!
"boom!"
"You think you won't get destroyed if you don't guard me? Naïve!" Lin Tian continued to taunt Iverson. "As long as you're on the court, you're your team's weakness and Achilles' heel! As long as you're on the court, everyone on our team will destroy you!"
"Perhaps you should try defending against him; maybe you can stop him?"
Ben, no longer the docile kid he was a few years ago, immediately protested upon hearing Lin Tian's words: "Lin, can you please not include me when you're trash-talking? Yes, it's true that my offensive skills are terrible."
「但如果是这个小子防我的话，我今晚最少能拿下一个20+20！不，25+25都没问题！我能让76人队感受到奥拉朱旺的压迫力！」
"That's not my fault, Allen," Lin Tian continued to provoke Iverson. "I thought he could crush you, what do you think? Why don't you two actually go head-to-head for a few rounds and see?"
Iverson ignored Lin Tian and quickly passed the ball to Snow, then started running around the court!
He needs a screen, and then he needs the space created by the screen to shoot!
But it was really difficult for Iverson to receive the ball!
Because Brown brought out his old starting lineup again, a lineup where, apart from Snow, the other three players had little offensive or passing ability! When Christie was marking Snow, the others weren't even really capable of passing to Iverson!
Several times, even when Iverson created opportunities, the passes from his teammates failed to reach him.
It was like a replay of the first quarter. When Iverson was willing to listen to the coach and follow the coach's tactics, he couldn't get the ball at all.
In the end, with only 5 seconds left in the game, Iverson forced his way out of the three-point line, got the ball, and initiated the attack himself!
But because the time was too short and Lin Tian was too close, even though Iverson had gotten used to Lin Tian's blindfold defense and his shot was completely unaffected, he still missed the shot!
After Webber grabbed the rebound, he immediately passed the ball to Lin Tian. Lin Tian held the ball without stopping and charged towards the frontcourt again!
Carter and Christie, as usual, stood on the left and right, waiting to receive the ball.
This time, however, Christie drove hard into the paint, while Carter, who was good at dunking, stopped outside the three-point line!
The two players' cross-cutting movement immediately caused communication problems in the 76ers' defense, and Carter and Christie were both left out at the same time!
Lin Tian didn't hesitate and pushed the ball towards Carter with one hand. Carter caught the ball outside the three-point line, pulled up and threw it!
"Bang!"
Unfortunately, luck was just not on their side; the basketball bounced off the rim, and they failed to score 3 points!
But the 76ers' defensive formation was also a mess at this moment, with no one boxing out to prevent the Pacers from going for the rebound.
This gave Lin Tian an opportunity!
He started from beyond the three-point line and charged all the way to the basket. When he jumped, he knocked Snow, who was standing there ready to grab the rebound, flying away. Lin Tian himself caught the rebound with both hands in mid-air and slammed it into the basket!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Lin Tian scored 2 points!
"The 76ers' roster has a serious problem!" Barkley couldn't help but say. "We can see that the 76ers are trying to replicate their success at the end of the first quarter. They're having Snow continue guarding Lin and having Iverson continue playing off-ball."
"But they didn't use the same lineup they used at the end of the first quarter. The 76ers' current lineup still only has Iverson as a scoring option and Snow as a passing option. When Christie tightly guards Snow, Iverson simply can't get the ball!"
"Honestly, I don't know what Brown was thinking, or how he devised the tactics, but I have to say, he was really disappointing! When Iverson was obediently following the tactics, he didn't come up with a reliable and usable play!"
"All I can say is that sometimes it's not that the players are disobedient, but that the coaches are wasting their abilities!"
Barkley's words hit the nail on the head! Brown believes the 76ers' best phase was at the end of the first quarter, when Iverson constantly ran and stretched the Pacers' defense, and then others either fed him the ball or scored themselves! He wanted to replicate this success but was unwilling to bring Kukoc and McGee onto the court earlier.
Lynch and Ratliff are both good defenders, but can they handle the ball to facilitate or initiate their own offense?
Even if they worked themselves to death, they still wouldn't be as good as Kukoc or McGee's toe!
This has nothing to do with effort; it's purely a difference caused by the player's ability and playing style.
Brown's insistence on personnel selection and rotation is simply too stubborn!
Everyone can see that the 76ers' current predicament stems from a lack of passing options; no one can pass the ball to Iverson.
But Brown simply wouldn't let Kukoc or McGee play; he was waiting for his turn to be rotated in.
Eight minutes into the third quarter, Brown finally glanced at his watch and made a substitution, bringing in McGee and Kukoc.
"Fuck! What on earth is Brown doing?" Barkley couldn't help but curse again. "I'm starting to suspect that Kukoc and McGee offended him, and he's deliberately reducing their playing time!"
"Otherwise, why didn't they bring those two in earlier? Even my grandma could see that the 76ers' problem was their passing game, but he waited until this point to make substitutions. Now, is it even too late? Does this kind of rotation do justice to Iverson's insane running?"
Barkley's complaint was entirely valid, because by the time Brown brought on two substitutes, the game was practically over.
68: 99!
The Pacers are now leading by a whopping 31 points!
In the previous 8 minutes, Iverson took a total of 7 shots and only made 1! So far, he has only made 4 of 18 shots and scored 11 points.
More importantly, of the seven shots taken in the third quarter, only two were catch-and-shoot jumpers. The remaining five were all attempts by Iverson who rushed out to take the ball in the last 5-6 seconds of the shot clock, forced his way to the shot, and missed!
Iverson did his best, but he really couldn't do anything about it!
With the Pacers relentlessly targeting him on both offense and defense, he truly couldn't muster any more impressive performances to retaliate against them.
Iverson, fighting alone, really had no other choice!
With four minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Pacers substituted Lin Tian and Christie for Miller and Mullin.
Although the Pacers' defensive ability immediately declined significantly, Iverson faced less targeted defense, and Iverson lived up to expectations, making 3 of 5 shots and scoring 8 points in the last 4 minutes of the third quarter!
Although Iverson finally regained his form, the 76ers were unable to close the gap.
Because Miller and Mullin, two top shooters, found their shooting touch together, and the two of them, one on the left and one on the right, swished two three-pointers in a row. In addition, the other players scored inside the three-point line. In four minutes, the 76ers not only failed to narrow the score gap, but the Pacers actually extended their lead to 33 points!
The suspense of this match is pretty much over!
No matter who it is, if they are down by 33 points on the road against the powerful and terrifying Pacers, they can forget about turning the game around.
To recover from this situation, we'd probably have to pray that God, Buddha, and Zeus would all descend onto the court to play.
In the fourth quarter, Brown didn't let Iverson and the others play any longer. He simply raised his hands in surrender, benching the main players in advance and announcing the end of the game!
In the end, the final score of this match was 100:121!
Despite losing by 12 points in the fourth quarter, the Pacers still won the game by 21 points, securing their first victory in the Eastern Conference semifinals!
这场比赛，林天轰下了44分12助攻10篮板的大号三双，韦伯拿下20分11篮板4助攻，卡特也轰下19分3篮板3助攻，球队的三桿火枪再次一起发力，联手拿下了83分！
Another classic Pacers victory!
Use offense to wipe out all opponents! Use your terrifying firepower to crush the opponent's firepower!
"The biggest reason for the 76ers' loss in this game is Brown!" Barkley bluntly stated after the game. "I know many people will say that the loss is due to Iverson's terrible performance; he only made 7 of 23 shots and scored 19 points. But I want to say that anyone who watched the game knows how helpless Iverson was!"
"You'll then see how lost Iverson was on the court! He followed the coach's instructions, playing the way the coach wanted him to play, not the way he liked, but Brown didn't give Iverson enough feedback! His lineup and player selection were too problematic and too dogmatic!"
That night, Barkley wasn't the only one who discovered the huge problem with Brown's personnel decisions.
Other commentators, media, reporters, fans, colleagues—almost everyone could easily see how serious Brown's problem was.
Even in the post-game press conference, a reporter directly asked Brown: "Coach Brown, are you willing to take full responsibility for tonight's loss? Do you think your player selection was a big problem? Do you think your lineup and tactics were fair to the players who fought so hard?"
This barrage of three polite remarks immediately changed Brown's expression. He stared intently at the reporter and said coldly, "How about you coach the team? I think you have more talent. Come on, come on!"
"You all think being a coach is easy. You all think the strongest players are those sitting on the bench, and you all think that if the team loses, it's always the coach's fault. Your favorite questions are, 'Why didn't you let XX play? Why did you let XX play? Why didn't you let XX be the main attacker?' Am I right?"
"So, if you self-righteous idiots have any doubts about my personnel decisions, then feel free to try it yourselves. My position is always open to you! As long as you believe you have the ability!"
"Conversely, if you think you're incapable, then shut up! Don't spout nonsense!"
Brown's reaction was quite forceful.
However, it must be said that going too far is not necessarily a good thing either.
For example, his assertive remarks at the press conference did not have a positive impact on the team.
After all, anyone who isn't an idiot can see that the loss was indeed due to Brown.
At this point, if Brown had simply admitted his mistake and said he would improve in the next game, or even if he didn't admit his mistake at all, but just said that he would watch the video carefully when he got back to see where the problem was, the public wouldn't have been too harsh on him.
After all, he is a top-tier coach. Even if he doesn't have an invincible shield, many people will still give him face.
But now...
Face? Screw face! Face is mutual!
For the next two days, the media across the United States went wild, smearing Brown in every way possible, saying he was wrong, that he was holding the team back, that he didn't deserve such an obedient Iverson, and that he was a stubborn old man who built the team with outdated ideas and dragged it down.
Brown's approach to these sarcastic remarks, mockery, and negative stories is quite simple.
That means we should fight the way we always have!
You say I have big problems with personnel management?
I'm not changing it! I'll use the same players in the second game as in the first! And even in the third game, Brown will use the same players!
It's like starting players for 8 minutes, then completely ignoring the game's progress, making substitutions on time, taking timeouts on time, clocking out on time, and ultimately losing on time!
系列赛第二场，艾弗森继续被步行者队疯狂针对，全场比赛21投8中，其中3分球5投1中，罚球5罚4中，拿下21分5篮板2助攻4失误。
林天则是全场24投15中，3分球4投2中，罚球9罚全中，再次轰下41分7篮板10助攻的大号准三双！
With such a huge gap in performance between the two teams' star players, it's no surprise that the 76ers lost!
In the third game of the series, Iverson's performance improved slightly, but he only managed 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists on 10-of-25 shooting.
But this is the first time his shooting percentage has reached 4% in this series!
Iverson has had a really tough time in this series!
But against the Pacers, 25 points and a 40% shooting percentage were clearly not enough for the 76ers to win.
Especially Lin Tian, who was on the opposite side of Iverson, scored 40+ points for the third consecutive game!
In this series, Lin Tian really showcased his back-to-the-basket skills. Whether it was Snow or Iverson, they were both thoroughly taught a lesson by him in the low post, and were brutally defeated!
Scoring 40 points in three consecutive playoff games is another small record Lin Tian has set.
Of course, if we add the premise of scoring 40+ points in three consecutive games and winning by more than 20 points in three consecutive games, then Lin Tian's three games would be the first in NBA history!
In the entire history of the NBA, there has never been a single individual or team that could score 40 points and still win every game by 20 points.
After all, a high individual score sometimes means that the teammates are not playing well, and if the teammates are not playing well, it is obviously difficult to widen the score gap.
However, if you want to widen the score gap, the whole team has to play well. If the whole team plays well, it becomes a bit difficult for star players to score high points.
In short, it's a paradox, but Lin Tian broke it easily this time!
Who says a high score means you can't win a game?
(End of this chapter)