thefictionvixens Chapter 287 100% Accuracy, All-Star MVP! Lin Tian's Heart is Worse Than Stink
Chapter 287 100% Accuracy, All-Star MVP! Lin Tian's Heart is Worse Than Stink
Chapter 287 100% Accuracy All-Star MVP! Lin Tian's heart is dirtier than a stinking ditch!
After a period of scattering and running, Finley finally found his chance!
He created space at the top of the arc, then caught the ball, jumped, and immediately shot!
"Bang!!"
The last two minutes of the game for the Koxi team tonight were like a curse; they couldn't make a single shot!
The rebound bounced high and was grabbed by Mutombo, who had just come on to grab the rebound. The Western Conference team had no choice but to foul!
Mutombo stepped up to the free-throw line!
"It's Mutombo at the free-throw line! That's good news for the West! Mutombo's free throws are just okay, his free throw percentage has been hovering between 65% and 70% for years. It's definitely better than Shaq and the like, but it's still far behind those shooters." Kenny continued his commentary as he saw Mutombo step up to the free-throw line.
"I bet he'll make both free throws, and then the game will be over!" Barkley said with a laugh. "I believe in our 'African Mountain'!"
As Barkley spoke, Mutombo made his first free throw with ease!
The point difference between the two sides has reached 6 points!
Next is the second one.
"Whoosh!"
Mutombo's hand was very steady at this moment!
Without any hesitation or tension, he easily made both free throws!
At this point, the Western Army was undoubtedly in dire straits.
7分和6分看起来只差1分，可6分只需要2个3分，而7分，除非有人能命中3+1，不然怎幺都得3个球才能结束这一切。
After making both free throws, there were 29 seconds left in the game!
The chances for the Western Army are extremely slim!
This time, Jackson didn't call a timeout, but let Kobe dribble the ball up the court and then immediately pull up for a three-pointer!
"Bang!!"
Kobe missed another shot, and this time Lin Tian grabbed the rebound. After dribbling the ball back to the frontcourt, he passed it to Iverson once again!
"One more!" Lin Tian said with a relaxed expression, signaling Iverson to shoot one last one!
"Lin passed the ball again! He passed the ball again!" Barkley shouted excitedly. "I knew Lin didn't care about MVP! He cares more about his guys! That pass is basically handing the MVP away!"
"After missing that three-pointer, the Western Conference team stopped playing defense altogether, haha, they opened up a path, clearly surrendering and letting the Eastern Conference players put on a show! If Iverson drives in and dunks, he'll reach 30 points!"
Kenny added, "It's clear that Lin and Allen have a really good relationship! Otherwise, they wouldn't be so selfless! Especially Lin's attitude, it's truly admirable!"
Contrary to everyone's expectations, Allen Iverson, who had been talking about wanting to win the All-Star MVP before the game and had played exceptionally well throughout, almost flawlessly, didn't take the shot himself at this moment. Instead, he passed the ball to Vince Carter and shouted, "Vince, dunk something cool!"
Carter paused for a moment, then, without any hesitation, he charged into a path cleared by the Western Conference team and unleashed his signature reverse 360-degree windmill dunk!
After the ball went in, it once again drew wild cheers and shouts from the fans in the stadium!
So cool!
Not voting?
Lin Tian watched Iverson pass the ball, and a mischievous smirk crept into his mind.
I knew you wouldn't vote!
How filthy is the heart of Lord Lin!
He knew all too well what kind of person Iverson was. If he hadn't passed those balls to Iverson, the guy would definitely have been unhappy and might have even tried to take control of the ball and shoot from Lin Tian, or even throw a little tantrum.
But now...
Lin Tian kept passing the ball to him, and this guy who cares about his reputation would definitely be too embarrassed to shoot!
Have some self-respect!
In particular, this is an All-Star MVP award, which Iverson wants, but not that much!
Of course, most importantly, Lin Tian always controlled the score when he passed the ball to Iverson! He would only pass the ball to Iverson after he had made the shot.
What if he missed those three-pointers and that layup?
Hehe... Well, Iverson, just you wait. I'll pass it to you after I score!
As for the last one, Lin Tian was certain that Iverson would be too embarrassed to make a move!
How could I not see through you?
Even if Iverson really is heartless and actually takes the shot, it's fine, there are still 10 seconds left, I'll just do another one! Anyway, the atmosphere is relaxed, we've built up the suspense enough, no one will criticize us!
Mr. Lin, your heart is so dirty!
Or rather, among the tacticians in this league, very few have pure hearts!
Each one is dirtier than the last!
"Allen didn't shoot either! Haha!" Barkley laughed. "These two are quite interesting! And quite magnanimous! They don't seem to care much about this MVP award!"
"I think that's the quality of a superstar!" Kenny added, "Knowing what's important and what's just for fun! Tonight's All-Star MVP was clearly just for fun! Otherwise, Lin wouldn't have waited until they were down by 15 points before starting to take shots! The way he acted in the first three quarters, he didn't seem to be trying to win the MVP at all!"
"He just wants to win!"
This ball is the perfect ending ball for tonight!
After Carter dunked, there were about 10 seconds left in the game. Richmond took the ball to the baseline, and this time it was O'Neal who excitedly called for the ball!
Since the outcome of the game was no longer in doubt, this big guy completely relaxed. He showed no frustration at losing the game, but happily took the basketball and pushed it all the way to the frontcourt. Then, facing Lin Tian's defense, he did a series of moves!
After a crossover, a behind-the-back dribble, and a double spin move, O'Neal took a step back and jumped out of the three-point line, raising his hand as if to shoot. Lin Tian immediately jumped up to cooperate. O'Neal laughed and passed the ball to Lin Tian again. He used a clear wrist flick to get past Lin Tian and rushed into the paint.
"boom!"
Just before the final buzzer sounded, O'Neal pulled off another stunt, slamming home a two-handed dunk!
Then Lin Tian, standing next to him, started flipping his wrist repeatedly, yelling at the referee while making the wrist-flipping motion and shouting, "Violation! He's committing a wrist-flipping violation! Aren't you going to call it? You're not going to call it? It's ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!"
"Technical foul!" The three referees knew Lin Tian was just messing around, and they gave him a technical foul with a smile. Then Bird, who was on the sidelines, got into the act and stood up from the bench, spreading his hands to express his dissatisfaction. The referee didn't hold back and gave him another technical foul.
After Lin Tianbo and his apprentice had their little commotion, the match reached its climax, with the entire audience laughing heartily. All the elements of today's match were there!
Then, seeing the East team doing this, the West team started doing it too, giving the technical free throw opportunity to O'Neal!
The big fat man staggered to the free throw line.
"Bang!"
He raised his hand and delivered a powerful blow!
Damn it.
O'Neal feigned frustration by shrugging, sighing, and closing his eyes in lament, showcasing his acting skills. After all, this guy dreams of entering Hollywood, so he does have some basic acting skills.
Then, during the second penalty, this guy suddenly closed his eyes again and continued to cause trouble!
Blindfolded free throw.
then……
"Whoosh!"
It's in!
After that free throw went in, everyone on the court couldn't hold back anymore; at least half of the players were sprawled on the ground.
It's fun!
Hey, this is so much fun!
You, Shaq, can't make free throws with your eyes open, but you can make them with your eyes closed?
"Shaq, you should close your eyes when you shoot free throws from now on. Maybe that'll raise your free throw percentage to 60%!" Lin Tian chuckled, clutching his stomach. "You might even be able to extend your shooting range to beyond the three-point line with your eyes closed. I managed to hit several three-pointers with my eyes closed yesterday!"
"Then you'll have to talk to Phil," O'Neal said with a smile. "I don't care, I'd throw it away if you gave it to me! But I'm worried about Phil's high blood pressure recurring."
The players had a good laugh and joked around for a while. After that, the Western team took the last inbound pass. However, there was only a little over a second left in the game. This time, no one shot, and they just waited for the game to end.
144: 138!
The East team won the game with a 6-point advantage!
In particular, they were down by 15 points with 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter! They reversed the 15-point deficit and took a 6-point lead in the final 8 minutes! In other words, the East team unleashed a scoring surge that outscored them by 21 points in the last 8 minutes!
而在这一波进攻潮中，供献最大的毫无疑问就是林天！他8分钟内7投全中，其中3分球5投全中，轰下了19分！全场比赛他更是11投全中，其中3分球6投6中，罚球1罚1中，拿下29分9篮板9助攻的准三双数据！
Tonight's MVP is none other than Lin Tian!
After keeping a low profile and not rushing things in the first three quarters, he delivered a brilliant individual performance in the fourth quarter, scoring 19 points with perfect shooting accuracy!
After the game, Iverson graciously walked over and hugged Lin Tian, saying, "Well-deserved, Lin! You absolutely deserve it! Next time, I will take the All-Star MVP from you squarely! I don't need you to give it to me!"
"I didn't let you win." How filthy is Lin, the high-ranking official? At this point, he certainly wouldn't admit to doing it on purpose or letting her win: "I just want fairness! You deserve fairness!"
"Fair..." Iverson nodded, completely intimidated by Lin Tian: "In the playoffs, let's have another fair game!"
"I'll be waiting for you!" After giving Iverson another high five, Lin Tian turned and left. He had to find someone else!
He needs to have a good chat with everyone before the players leave the field!
Why?
"Allen Iverson's emotions fluctuated, resulting in a loss of 200 experience points!"
That's a good reason, isn't it?
"You won this time! We won't lose next time." Kobe's face was grim; his performance in the final stages of the night had been terrible, missing a single shot. "We'll settle this in the Finals!"
"Really? Hey David! Come over here!" Lin Tian suddenly grinned mischievously, pulling David Robinson over and saying, "This kid says they're going to the finals this year and fight us! You two have a good chat!"
After Lin Tian finished speaking, he turned and left again.
He accomplished his task and left without a trace, concealing his merit and fame!
As for whether Kobe and Robinson will fight?
I don't think so, it's being broadcast globally right now!
No, no, that's not true!
"Hey! Gary! Where are you going?" Lin Tian suddenly found Payton again. When he went to block him, he didn't forget to grab Hill, who looked confused and was wearing a No. 33 jersey, and ask him to go and say hello together.
Payton's lips curled up. He really wanted to run away, but unfortunately he couldn't!
Lin Tian was incredibly fast and loud; almost in the blink of an eye, he grabbed Payton by the collar: "Grant, you and Gary haven't really gotten to know each other, have you? You two should have a good chat, how about starting with your childhood experiences? Why did you choose number 33? Is it because you particularly like the number 3, or because there are 33 important people in your life?"
Hill was completely bewildered. He didn't understand what was going on. How did this suddenly turn into a childhood revelation segment? As for Payton, he could only wear a long face and be humiliated by Lin Tian once again.
It's just that Iverson is somewhere greeting people right now. Marbury and Ben Wallace aren't even All-Stars yet, otherwise Lin Tian would definitely have dragged all those players with the number 3 on their jerseys to Payton and given him a good greeting, just to provoke him.
Lin Tian has now grasped Payton's very special xP (experience/preference), knowing what he can't stand.
For no other reason than to help others!
The goal is simply to foster better relationships between the players and deepen their friendships!
Lao Tzu is truly fucking great!
Lin Tian was almost moved by his own actions at this moment!
I am so selfless!
As time went on, the temporary podium was set up. As usual, Stern launched into a long speech and the fans booed him. Stern, as usual, smiled and talked about his own things. The fans booing him was a regular part of his performances. He was used to it. If one day the fans stopped booing him, then something big must have happened.
Either he's retiring, or the league has encountered some changes.
So, just keep shushing like this! It's fine.
Then, as Stern mysteriously opened the envelope that everyone in the world knew must have Lin Tian's name on it, and revealed an exaggerated, fake, and exaggeratedly expressive face that even the acting skills of today's young heartthrobs couldn't match, he shouted out his most important sentence of the night amidst the boos of the entire stadium.
"The MVP of the 1999-2000 Oakland All-Star Game was..."
"Lin Tian!"
After Stern's words, the boos directed at him finally stopped.
Instead, the air was filled with cheers, shouts, and roars from the fans!
The fans went wild!
Who wouldn't like Lin Tian in this alliance?
Yes, that's true. For example, people in Salt Lake City definitely wish Lin Tian were dead.
But in the end, Lin Tian is handsome, has a cool playing style, is strong, and has a sharp tongue and knows how to make fun of people. He has almost all the elements that make a player popular!
Who could dislike him?
Especially since the Oaklanders couldn't even make the playoffs, they had no conflict or stake with Lin Tian. Since their own Jamison couldn't win the MVP, and that boring guy Duncan didn't take it either, it would be perfect if Lin Tian won it!
Amidst cheers, Lin Tian raised the trophy and then took the microphone.
"Thank you, thank you everyone! I have to say, I love Auckland, I love the Bay Area! It's absolutely fantastic here! I've felt the warmth of the entire Bay Area over the past three days!"
Especially the girls'.
Lin Tian added in his mind that he wasn't just talking nonsense; he had truly experienced the warmth and hospitality of the people in the Bay Area these past few days!
Yes, I like it! I'll come again next time!
Lin Tian's words of support were certainly not taken as a declaration of "I will join the Warriors," but they still garnered wave after wave of even more enthusiastic cheers from the fans.
After the fans quieted down a bit, Lin Tian continued, "So, what I want to say next is to all the fans who support me and trust me."
"This MVP won't be my last MVP of the season! I'll be lifting the MVP trophy twice more this season! See you then!"
Lin Tian's words were his declaration of victory!
This is also his declaration of his ambition to become the MVP of this season!
He once again insulted the entire league while broadcasting live worldwide!
If this had happened at the home court of a team with considerable strength and the ability to make waves in the playoffs, Lin Tian would have been met with a chorus of boos after he said those words!
But this time, no!
Warriors fans have no idea when they'll be able to make the playoffs. They think that with the team in its current state, it will take at least seven years, and then they'll need to find a ruthless point guard like Lin Tian and a passionate top-class head coach like Bird before they can possibly return to the playoffs!
Now, Lin Tian's declaration could be directed at the Spurs, Lakers, Trail Blazers, Heat, or even the 76ers, Pistons, and Bucks, but it certainly can't be directed at the Warriors!
Since that's the case, then let's congratulate him and cheer! Let's make this even bigger! Let's make this even more exciting! The whole world should know!
Let's fight! Let's get this going! Thrust him in the ass! Crush his balls! Gouge his eyes, slit his throat, smash the back of his head!
Beat them to death!
Driven by the excitement of Bay Area fans, whose personality is completely different from that of the city, the entire arena erupted in cheers and shouts!
This time, both the volume of the cheers and the duration of the cheers surpassed all previous ones!
Everyone loves watching a spectacle, especially one that has nothing to do with them and can be watched without any burden!
It's happiness! True, heartfelt happiness!
The fans were, of course, extremely excited, but on the court, the state of the more than 20 NBA All-Star players standing on both sides, and their teammates who were not selected for the All-Star game but also came to the scene, was quite interesting.
Just moments ago, the stars were all smiles and teasing each other, like brothers and sisters, enjoying a harmonious family atmosphere. But now, they all stopped joking around, and the atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point.
Well, of course, not everyone stopped playing around.
Miller, Webber, and Carter were probably clapping and cheering wildly at this moment, encouraging their team's leaders. Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers' bunch of lunatics and criminals were whistling and making strange noises.
"The BOSS is awesome!" Rashid exclaimed excitedly.
"He and I used to be teammates!" Pippen was also very happy.
"My best brother! He's amazing! He's tough! I beat him to win Rookie of the Year in my rookie year!" Stoudemire boasted.
"He said my back-to-the-basket moves are like Jordan's!" Wells added smugly.
"If this kid goes to Europe, he'll be the second Napoleon. The whole of Europe would have to form an anti-Lin alliance to have any chance of defeating him!" Sabonis added, squinting his eyes.
The Trail Blazers players exchanged glances, then simultaneously nodded and gave a thumbs-up: "Lin is the best!"
Only a handful of people can stay excited and happy.
Shaquille O'Neal, usually known for his carefree and playful nature, and currently ranked second in the MVP race, suddenly dropped his smile, curled his lip, and sneered, "Kobe, I believe you'll be even better than him! Work hard, and this year, we'll take down this bastard!"
"I will definitely be better than Shaq! The two of us will definitely win the championship together! And I believe, not just one, not just two, but many!" Kobe's face was also gloomy, but he wasn't angry at the moment.
He was envious. He was thinking that he had to win the All-Star MVP next year and then give a similar speech on stage to the entire league!
Yeah, I'll start thinking of words as soon as I get home!
Thinking about it for a whole year, I'm sure I can put on a better show than Lin did!
Just like Kobe, Iverson also felt a sense of envy!
His thoughts were almost exactly the same as Kobe's!
What you, Lin Tian, have today, I'll have tomorrow too!
The people with the gloomiest expressions were, of course, Malone, who hated Lin Tian the most, and Payton, who had had enough of the humiliation at this All-Star Weekend. These two guys had no smile on their faces and were staring intently at Lin Tian.
"This year, the three of us will definitely win the championship!" Mourning patted his two teammates on the shoulder and said, "This year belongs to Miami!"
On the other side of the West, Duncan was a bit confused. He had just been spacing out, staring intently at the back of Robinson's head. For some reason, a voice in his head kept talking to him.
"Pull his hair! Pull his hair! Do it! It feels so good! Go for it!"
This inexplicable lapse in concentration meant that Duncan didn't hear what Lin Tian had just said, but he didn't ask.
It's not important, not important at all.
However, why not go and have a chat with Lin Tian? They're both studying psychology, so maybe they can find common ground and discuss why they had those strange, random thoughts earlier.
Hmm, let's find a chance to talk about it!
Grant Hill was one of the few people on the court who was still smiling, but he suddenly felt a little jealous.
He was jealous that Lin Tian had such a large group of good friends who fully supported him, understood him, and got along with him, while he... seemed to have always been alone, and had never had a truly close friend in the league.
At the same time, Hill also admired Lin Tian's domineering aura!
That domineering aura that dared to challenge the entire league in such a setting.
If I had the guts to do that, the people of Detroit probably wouldn't hate me so much.
Hill sighed and unconsciously pursed her lips.
A gentle and refined young man ended up in the most savage and fierce city in the entire alliance. It can only be said that it was fate. It's not bad, it's just not suitable.
Lin Tian noticed the different expressions on the faces of the different people on the court. He didn't see them all, but he did see quite a few. Lin Tian knew that those guys who showed obvious hostility were his biggest opponents this season!
Come on, one at a time!
I will wipe you all out!
The NBA's first All-Star Game of the 21st century was definitely a great start!
An irreplaceable showdown at the Forbidden City during the Slam Dunk Contest.
The lowest score in history in the three-point contest and Lin Tian's crazy antics.
There are countless classic moments from the All-Star Game: Williams' elbow pass, O'Neal kissing Williams on the forehead, Lin Tian's perfect 11-for-11 shooting and 19 points in 8 minutes, Lin Tian and Iverson's mutual courtesy, and of course, the scene of the Western Conference team being reversed after leading by 15 points!
For the league, this All-Star Game helped them win back many fans lost due to the lockout, recover the losses and reputation caused by the lockout last season, and, thanks to the outstanding performances of players like Lin Tian and Carter, once again saved the individual competitions that were considered a waste of time.
The show boasted incredibly high viewership ratings, impeccable reviews, and widespread global discussion, not to mention the All-Star votes that more than doubled the previous record!
This year's All-Star Game was almost perfect!
As for why it's "almost"?
The biggest problem with this All-Star Game is that it was too perfect. All the elements were taken to the extreme, and all the tricks that could be played were played. Such a perfect All-Star Weekend will inevitably put pressure on the league for the next few All-Star Games.
What if Lin Tian and Carter stop dunking? What if no one uses fancy tricks to cheat in the Three-Point Contest? What if the All-Star Game doesn't have that many exciting performances, and Duncan actually wins the MVP?
However, these are not things that Stern and the Alliance need to consider right now. What they need to consider now is how to hold the victory celebration!
They should really celebrate this incredibly successful All-Star game!
For players and teams, the end of the All-Star Game means the end of the last relaxing weekend of the regular season. In the next two months, they will need to play about thirty more games to compete for playoff spots, rankings, and lottery rankings!
In previous years, at this time, team management would actively seek out their desired players and complete the trades before the trade deadline, making one last mid-season reinforcement for the team.
However, this year's situation is inexplicably different. In the past, the management of various teams would only get busy in February, but they made their moves as early as January. Teams such as the Spurs and 76ers made some very impressive moves, and their team records have steadily improved.
They made the trade a month early, giving the team's new roster an extra month to gel, which is definitely a good thing for the team!
This resulted in the league being eerily quiet in the days leading up to the trade deadline. Apart from a few insignificant player swaps, there were no noteworthy trades, as if all the trades had been completed a month in advance, in January.
After what was perhaps the quietest deadline since the inception of trade deadlines, the league's progress is once again rolling at a rapid pace.
As the games are played one by one, by the middle and later stages of the season, the final rankings of each team and their overall standings for the season can be pretty much predicted.
It's worth mentioning that the Pacers are still on a crazy winning streak!
After achieving a perfect record in January, the Pacers continued their winning streak for 29 days in February!
They haven't lost a game in 60 days since the end of December!
他们的总战绩，已经来到了夸张的56胜6负！90.3%的胜率有多可怕呢？公牛队在95-96赛季创造了NBA历史第一的74胜8负的常规赛战绩，而那个赛季公牛队的胜率是90.2%！
Although it's only a negligible 0.1% advantage, everyone is starting to have high hopes now that the season has progressed this far!
Looking forward to the Pacers, wanting to see if they can break the miracle created by the Bulls!
Of course, everyone will remember that Lin Tian is the only person who has played for both the Bulls and the Pacers!
He proved once again that he was born to be a winner! An absolute winner!
Moreover, what fans are even more excited about is that although the Bulls won 70+ games for two consecutive years, they failed to break the Lakers' record!
33-game winning streak!
They had several 20+ winning streaks, but they just couldn't manage a 33-game winning streak!
What about the Pacers?
They won 15 games in January and 12 games in February!
Their winning streak has now reached second place in NBA history!
27-game winning streak!
And they are just one step away from the Lakers' historical record!
With another 6 wins, the Pacers will tie the Lakers; with another 7 wins, they will hold the record for the most wins in history!
At this time of year, countless fans and professionals analyze, predict, and study the Pacers' chances of achieving a new record!
Then, when everyone looked at the Pacers' upcoming schedule, they couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
Many people who initially had high hopes for the Pacers have become pessimistic after seeing this schedule, feeling that the Pacers are unlikely to break the record!
Because their next stretch of the competition is absolutely hellish!
Simply put, it means more away games, a tight schedule, and strong opponents!
Their next seven games include a five-game away streak, plus a back-to-back series! All of them will be away games!
For the Pacers, they will first travel to the New York area on March 1st and 3rd to play two games in a row. Fortunately, the Nets and Knicks are not considered strong teams, so they should be able to win easily.
But what they will face next is the most difficult stretch of matches in this period, which is also the main reason why many fans are not optimistic that they can break the 33-game winning streak record.
Their next stop is the West, where they will play three away games in four days. First, they will travel to cold Minnesota, where they will face the Minnesota Timberwolves, currently fifth in the West and led by Garnett and Sprewell.
Then they will have to travel a long way south to the Pacific Division to challenge the Phoenix Suns, who are ranked fourth in the Western Conference and are led by "super backcourt" Kidd and Hardaway!
After playing the Suns, the Pacers will fly overnight to San Antonio in the Southwest Division for their third away game in four days, which is also the second game of a back-to-back. There, they will challenge the Spurs, who have just formed a super team and are currently in good form, ranking second in the Western Conference!
These three matches were all incredibly dangerous, with each one more likely to result in an upset than the last. In particular, the intervals between the three matches were extremely short, with almost no rest time. The climates of the three cities were also vastly different, and all of them were top-tier teams!
The strongest team, the Spurs, happened to be the last one standing, which was the time when the Pacers were at their most tired, most difficult, and weakest!
If 80% of the teams in the league were to play these three consecutive away games, they could very well suffer a three-game losing streak!
Furthermore, with the Pacers currently on a 27-game winning streak, any team would be eager to take them down. Whether it's these three strong teams or the other relatively weaker teams in the Pacers' path, they will all be giving it their all to challenge the Pacers!
First, ending such a historic winning streak is a huge morale booster for any team!
As for the second point, nobody wants to be a footnote to the Pacers breaking historical records, and nobody wants to be part of the backdrop for the longest winning streak in history!
They will do everything in their power to stop the Pacers!
As for the Pacers?
They are very relaxed right now, and are not worried at all about being targeted or that all their opponents will be gearing up to fight them.
They were incredibly confident!
If you think you can beat us just by fighting hard, that's ridiculous!
Our current 27-game winning streak was earned game by game, one by one, with real skill and determination!
With extreme confidence, the Pacers arrived in New Jersey!
This season, despite having the offensive trio of Van Horn, Smits, and Marbury, the Nets still haven't been able to mold themselves into a cohesive and truly united team.
They still play individually, especially Stephon Marbury, the team's star player, who is the kind of lone wolf who is unwilling to pass the ball unless his teammates have an absolute opportunity. So although his assist numbers look good, his actual playmaking ability is not that great. He can score continuously by himself, and he can also make his teammates score.
But he couldn't unite a team, couldn't get his dozen or so teammates around him, and then lead them to become a real team.
Therefore, as of now, the Nets are only ranked 12th in the Eastern Conference this season. Although there is still a theoretical possibility of making the playoffs, everyone knows that they only have a theoretical possibility left.
In particular, the atmosphere on this team is obviously not good. Marbury is not the reformed "Commissar Ma" he was more than 10 years later. Now he is a complete bastard, bullying others on the team, thinking he is invincible, and shouting everywhere outside the team, always acting like he is the best in the world.
Both Iverson and Allen Iverson have confident, arrogant, and even conceited personalities, but Iverson is more endearing because at least he takes good care of his underlings. Following Iverson, you can at least get a lot of benefits.
But Marbury was different. He was a bully, a truly nasty guy who loved to use pranks and tricks to demonstrate his authority and status within the team.
Why would Lin Tian know all this?
Of course, Schmitz told him!
Because there are so many Dutch people in New Jersey, who all consider Schmitz one of their own, he always receives MVP chants and a lot of fan support at home games.
Then Marbury got jealous, and he would play pranks on Schmitz from time to time, mess with him, and then lead the whole team to laugh at him.
With their old buddies speaking up, how could the Pacers players possibly hesitate?
Beat them to death!
Even if the Pacers were united in their desire to teach the Nets and Marbury a lesson tonight, the Nets would still be no match for the Pacers even if the two teams played normally.
Ranked 12th in the Eastern Conference, the Nets, who played like an individual team, were no match for the Pacers, who played as a team and were willing to share the ball and pass it to each other.
Especially when the team's leader, Stephon Marbury, was being given special attention by Lin Tian and the rest of the Pacers, he lost the arrogance he had shown a few days earlier when he boasted, "I am the real All-Star, more deserving of the All-Star title than anyone else!"
He shot 3-for-17 from the field, scoring only 11 points and 7 assists from free throws, along with 7 turnovers! With the team leader performing so poorly, the entire team was naturally routed and scrambled to safety!
112: 70!
The Pacers easily secured a victory with a 42-point blowout!
Of course, the Pacers weren't stupid enough to say things like "This is for Rick" or "Try bullying Rick again."
Saying this will only make things harder for Schmitz. He should come and beat up the Nets four times a year and beat them to a pulp, that should be enough!
Next, the Pacers traveled to Madison, which is just across the river.
Since winning the championship last year, the Knicks' situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse this year; to say they're in bad shape is an understatement!
Because of Jordan's retirement and Ewing's long absence, and even after Ewing's return, he was far from the form of the previous season. His personal statistics, on-court performance and dominance were clearly not what they used to be!
In addition, many players felt their ambitions were satisfied after winning the championship, and then? Then comes the period of euphoria that everyone experiences after being completely satisfied.
Their morale has long since collapsed, and the team is now only ranked eighth in the East, but the ninth-ranked Magic are only one game behind them and could easily overtake the Knicks and squeeze into the playoffs!
But, how should I put it?
The Knicks players, although they can't play well this season and their form is terrible, their ability to create drama has obviously not declined at all!
For example, on the night the Pacers stayed in New York, Ewing invited the entire Pacers team out, saying that everyone should have a good time together.
Then?
Then, when the Pacers arrived at the agreed location, what was displayed before them were more than 10 sparkling diamond rings.
Of course, it's not that the Knicks bastards are going to propose to the Pacers all at once.
These bastards all wore their championship rings on their hands, and the expressions on their faces were all incredibly smug.
"Patrick, are you guys courting death?" Lin Tian curled his lip, then casually sat down. "Have you considered how many points you'll lose tomorrow night by doing this to us?"
"So, you think you can beat us by 58 points?" Ewing casually waved his hand and said, "Winning and losing are all the same, but I'm really happy tonight, extremely happy. This is a kind of joy that a regular season victory can't bring us!"
Ewing snapped his fingers triumphantly and said, "Come on, show us!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ward, Oakley, Houston, and their younger teammates smiled and simultaneously flashed their championship rings. This move, clearly rehearsed many times, was executed with great fluidity.
The way the Knicks guys are having fun and messing around shows that they've completely let loose and are no longer thinking about winning; they've reached another level.
Happy basketball.
But they were happy, while the Pacers...
Anyway, Lin Tian narrowed his eyes. These guys are asking for death!
(End of this chapter)