Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 1061 A Textbook Example of Trash Talk! Jordan is Here

"That's brilliant!" Van Gundy couldn't help but exclaim. "Just now he was passing without looking, and now he's only looking and not passing. Lin's offensive style is truly unbelievable, like a ghost. That ball-around-the-waist maneuver is just too extreme; Lin is practically teetering on the edge of traveling!"

Jackson chimed in, "And I swear, Lin was watching Bogut's movements to decide what to do. If Bogut hadn't moved that step and blocked Lin's passing lane, the ball would definitely have gone to Bynum, it would definitely have been passed to him!"

"Choosing how to attack based on the opponent's reaction—that's true mastery, and Lin is absolutely the best in this league at it!"

"I have to say, Lin is one of the very few players in the league who isn't top-tier," Miller said with a smile. "It's hard to say he has any particular skill level that makes him not top-tier in the league."

While the commentators were praising Lin Tian, ​​the Mavericks had already started their counterattack!

After Bogut was dunked on, he immediately went to the baseline, picked up the basketball, and passed it to James. James dribbled for only one step before seizing the opportunity and suddenly made a bounce pass forward to Williams. Williams' defense is not good, but his offense is definitely not a problem.

In particular, this guy's offensive confidence is top-notch in the league. After getting the ball, he directly forced his way into the Lakers' territory, and then pulled up and shot a mid-range jump shot over Kobe's step-back move.

Forget about whether you've shaken off the defender or not, just tell me if you look cool and confident.

Unfortunately, while Williams is indeed capable against ordinary defenders, playing like that against Kobe is truly unpredictable.

He was completely blocked in the face by Kobe, and the ball went way off course, almost missing the rim.

After Turiaf grabbed the rebound, he quickly passed the ball to Lin Tian. During the counterattack, Lin Tian found Durant and passed the ball to him just as quickly.

Unfortunately, Durant's pull-up jump shot after receiving the ball missed, and the basketball bounced off the rim.

So far in the game, apart from one turnover, the Lakers have also missed their first shot.

After Williams and Durant missed their shots one after the other, the offensive efficiency of both sides finally began to decline, and their offensive style was no longer so crazy, charging into the paint and smashing the rim like before.

While fans felt something was missing due to the fewer dunks, they also breathed a sigh of relief.

It's finally over!

That last offensive exchange really made the fans so nervous they could hardly breathe.

One powerful dunk after another, it was so exciting!

It was just like watching a slam dunk contest.

However, although the offensive efficiency of both sides declined, it was still a significant drop compared to the first two minutes. For the remainder of the first quarter, the overall efficiency of both sides remained quite high!

湖人第一节打出了58%的命中率和50%的3分球命中率，而小牛队那边也不遑多让，拿到了56%的命中率和同样50%的3分命中率。

Both teams were incredibly accurate in the first quarter, and with high shooting percentages and numerous possessions, their scoring naturally remained high.

37: 40!

The two teams combined for 77 points in the first quarter. Some slower teams that play a positional game might only have that many points combined by the end of the first half.

At the start of the second quarter, both sides entered their rotation mode, with both coaches once again choosing similar rotation methods.

That means letting their star players rest early in the second half of the first quarter, and then letting their star players lead the role players in the second quarter.

For the Mavericks, James is leading Mo Williams, Allen, and two reserve players in the upcoming game.

On the Lakers' side, Lin Tian was accompanied by Terry, Barnes, Turiaf, and Murphy.

It's obvious from a glance that both teams' lineups are designed to give the ball to Lin Tian and James, letting those two lead their teams' shooters through this phase.

At this point, it would be best if the shooters could make those shots, allowing the other key players on both sides to rest in peace.

Even if the role players miss their shots, with Lin Tian and James on the court, there's no fear of the game spiraling out of control.

"I'll guard LeBron." Seeing the situation, Lin Tian immediately said to Barnes, "You go and take care of that guy."

Barnes, of course, wouldn't be foolish enough to ask who that person was; instead, he quickly and consciously found Williams and stood with him.

"You're going to guard me?" James, dribbling the ball up the court, looked at Lin Tian standing in front of him with a contemptuous expression. "I'll kill you!"

"Your acting is really bad, LeBron. I could see your nervousness with my knees." Lin Tian said nonchalantly, "Actually, you were scared to death when you saw me, weren't you? Were you wearing a diaper? Admit it, no one will laugh at you."

"Yeah, yeah, I was terrified." James laughed as he passed the ball, then quickly closed in on Lin Tian, ​​pushing him into the low post. Once he reached the right side of Lin Tian's waist, he immediately turned and blocked him, reaching out for the ball: "Do you know what it feels like to be backed down by me, Lin?"

James, as expected of a top star known for his calmness and rationality, immediately decided on his next strategy after seeing Lin Tian matched up against him.

Using his physical advantages, strength, and height, he attacked Lin Tian from behind.

But clearly, James, who was blocking Lin Tian's view from behind, didn't see the smile on Lin Tian's face.

That's exactly what we want – LeBron James's post-up game!

Everyone knows that James' mid-range and long-range shooting has improved significantly this season. While not top-tier in the league, it's definitely at an excellent level. Once he gets going, it's quite frightening.

With Durant off the court, neither Barnes nor McRoberts could effectively defend James or disrupt his shot.

Therefore, Lin Tian has to personally guard James.

Because Lin Tian knows this guy very well. He knew James when James was in high school. Lin Tian knows how James plays basketball. He has watched countless videos of James' games.

When facing someone significantly shorter than himself, James will definitely post up.

Especially since he trained with Hakeem Olajuwon for half a month on low-post footwork during the offseason before the start of the season and took Olajuwon's private coaching sessions, his desire to post up this season is even stronger.

But as everyone knows, while James is exceptionally talented, he learned a lot from Hakeem Olajuwon...

Anyway, if he had a choice, Lin Tian believed that Da Meng would definitely choose to keep this a secret. He would rather give James a discount and charge less money than let the whole world know that he taught James his post-up game.

It evokes the feeling of a student taught by a PhD from Tsinghua or Peking University scoring 270 points on the college entrance exam.

So embarrassing.

Lin Tian's decision to have James post up was essentially a way to completely shut down James's newly developed shooting ability.

Otherwise, if James really pulled out one after another in front of him, even if Lin Tian was very powerful, he wouldn't be able to hold them all down.

There is still a height difference of more than 10 centimeters between the two, isn't there?

In addition, and more importantly, having James post up not only shuts down his shooting, but also effectively reduces his vision and passing range.

No matter how many flaws James has, his vision and passing ability are among the best in the league.

But that was when he could see the entire court from his face.

But now that he's back to the basket, at least a third of the court will be in James' blind spot, reducing his passing options by a third.

From any perspective, giving him a backstab is the most effective method!

Lin Tian laid out the bait, and James took the bait.

Next, let's see if the fish bites hard enough and whether Lin Tian can actually catch it.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" James immediately disregarded the techniques taught by Hakeem Olajuwon, turning sideways to forcefully confront Lin Tian, ​​having absolute confidence in his strength and physique.

"Snapped!"

Just as he had rammed James three times in a row and was about to turn around at the edge of the three-second zone, Lin Tian finally saw the opportunity and slapped James' hand!

"Foul!" James yelled, looking at the referee with his hands outstretched. "He hit my hand!"

"I think it was a good shot," the referee said expressionlessly, looking at James. "It was basically all on the ball."

LeBron James is a top-tier star, and the referees should explain things that need to be explained.

Unfortunately for James, he clearly wouldn't calm down after an explanation, and continued, "Fuck! He didn't touch the ball! It 100% hit my hand! He didn't touch the ball!"

James glared angrily at the referee, refusing to back down.

"Hey, still chatting." But just then, Lin Tian returned. He had just assisted McRoberts in a dunk, extending the lead to 5 points: "It's okay, no rush, don't worry about me, just pretend I don't exist."

But how could James pretend Lin Tian didn't exist?

Looking at the culprit, James, his face grim, turned his back and took position again: "This time, your luck won't be so good! I'm going to destroy you! You can't stop me, you bastard!"

After getting the basketball, James continued to use his back to find Lin Tian's position, and then suddenly pushed hard to bump into him again!

"Bang! Bang!"

After two consecutive impacts, Lin Tian felt an immense force surging towards him. James's impact was even stronger than before, clearly indicating that he was angry and had escalated the intensity of the confrontation.

Then, just as Lin Tian was waiting for the third impact and looking for an opportunity to steal the ball, the pressure James was putting on Lin Tian suddenly disappeared.

He passed the ball!

Just when everyone thought James had lost his temper and was going to go all out against Lin Tian, ​​to score a goal and prove himself, this guy passed the ball!

Allen, wide open, caught the ball and pulled up for a shot. The league's top shooter title is well-deserved; the three-pointer slicing through the air and sinking perfectly!

From a coaching perspective, James's style of play—where he almost never loses his temper and always calmly makes the right choices—is definitely a favorite among coaches.

But from a fan's perspective, this kind of play isn't very exciting.

Anyway, at Staples Center, there were bursts of boos.

This is Hollywood!

What the fans here love most is the Hollywood-style stadium rivalry, with back-and-forth action, quick retribution, and a fight-or-die spirit – that's what the fans enjoy.

But did you, James, pass it?

That would be a bit boring.

James ignored the boos, but his opponents did the same.

Just as James was about to trash talk Lin Tian after his brilliant pass, Lin Tian had already swiftly reached the baseline, picked up the basketball, and threw it towards the frontcourt!

The basketball flew across the court like a grenade, breaking through the Mavericks' still-developing defensive lineup in the blink of an eye.

After Barnes got the ball, he overtook everyone and easily drove to the basket for a powerful one-handed dunk!

"What were you going to say to me just now? Not to brag about your passing skills, right?" Lin Tian slowly returned to bounds after passing the ball, looking at James who was still standing there, not having had time to get back on defense, and said, "I guessed right!"

"Let me think, what kind of trash talk are you going to spew?"

"That's what passing is! Get it? That's what passing is!" Lin Tian, ​​who delivered the brilliant assist, continued relentlessly at James, "If you want to learn, I can start a class!"

"This is it! I guessed right!"

"I can do it too! I don't need to learn from you!" James said fiercely. "It's just a pass, I can make 10 of them anytime!"

"Yeah! I can make 10 passes anytime! Just like you can grab 10 rebounds anytime, or score in double digits anytime!" Lin Tian grinned. "Isn't it a coincidence? Why is it exactly that number?"

"Why don't you change your jersey number to 10? It would suit you better. After all, you're very good at getting your stats in double digits, and you do it perfectly! I would even suggest that the entire league retire the number 10 jersey."

"For you! Just for you."

"Of course, if you think one number 10 isn't enough, you can retire your number 23 from when you were with the Spurs. What number did you wear in college? Oh, sorry, you didn't go to college. What number did you wear in middle school?"

"What? You actually went to high school? Oh my god, you hid it so well! I couldn't tell at all. But that's not important. What's important is the jerseys. You can retire as many as you want, as long as you want. So it's not just one, not two, not three, right?"

"I'm not worried about not having enough jerseys. You're good at taking your talent from here to there and back again. You'll have a lot of jerseys, LeBron."

"Shut up!"

James was starting to lose his temper. Even with his strong mental fortitude, Lin Tian's barrage of insults was getting to him.

That's not fair!

Every word is a stab to the heart, every sentence a slap in the face, isn't it?

"I'm serious, LeBron, don't be angry! I really hope you'll consider my suggestion. After all, jersey retirement is probably the highest honor you can achieve in your life."

James fell silent; he genuinely didn't know what to say.

Lin Tian's sarcasm was completely devoid of any vulgarity or related remarks.

But everyone who heard Lin Tian's words knew what he was talking about.

How vicious!

After all, James is a man who has experienced everything except success.

From defecting from San Antonio, to consecutive losses to China in the Olympics and World Championships, to failing to achieve anything with the Mavericks last year, to being criticized as the "mastermind" who forced Terry out this year...

James entered the league as a prodigy, carrying unparalleled glory and expectations. But over the years, his individual strength has been undeniable, and no rational person can deny James's ability.

But he has never truly proven himself on the highest stage. To date, apart from the MVP award, he has won virtually nothing in his career.

In the last two years, some rather negative comments have emerged.

LeBron James is a cancer, LeBron James is a stat padder, LeBron James has taken advantage of the benefits of the era, the league has given LeBron James too much extra care, a third of his drives are traveling violations, a third of his free throws should not be given, and so on.

Of course, the harshest criticism is that he is not a real man, too weak, and that his first thought when faced with a crisis or problem is not to challenge the difficulties, overcome the problems, or deal with the opponent, but to run away.

The various doubts, ridicule, and constant mockery that followed James almost everywhere put immense pressure on him over the past few years, which is why he was more eager to win than anyone else, and more eager than anyone else to win a championship.

Yes, at least one.

Therefore, that last sentence made James' heart skip a beat.

Having my jersey retired is my greatest honor.

What about the championship? The dynasty? The MVP? The statue?

I could never be so useless and accomplish so little!

James's face, which was already neither young nor good-looking, looked even more distorted now.

This guy was genuinely taken aback by Lin Tian's string of trash talk.

After all, he only had so many flaws, and Lin Tian listed them all out clearly from beginning to end.

This passage is absolutely worthy of being included in a textbook of trash talk.

During the trash talk workshop, only Bird and Jordan could sit and listen to Lin Tian's lecture; everyone else had to stand and take notes diligently.

How vicious!

James's mentality was completely thrown off balance by Lin Tian's criticism. He had temporarily forgotten about rationality, calmness, and prioritizing the overall situation.

He's still a real man after all. Anyone would get angry after being insulted like that, right?

Still in the low post, still with his back to the basket, James clearly felt this was the best way for him to bully Lin Tian, ​​so he once again turned his back to the basket to demand the ball and dribbled hard against him.

"Bang! Bang!"

James made two more attacks, and just like before, Lin Tian was forced to retreat two steps. Then James was about to make another attack. If this one landed, he could immediately turn around and make a layup.

So, let's put our strength into it!

But this time, James didn't touch anything.

Lin Tian ran away!

Remove the chairs.

The trash talk just now threw James off balance, and he played even harder than before, clearly forgetting the lessons Hakeem Olajuwon taught him.

There are so many theories about how low-post one-on-one play is an art, how to conserve energy in every confrontation, and how not to give your weight to your opponent, etc.

James had completely forgotten.

And so, he fell down. (End of Chapter)