Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 720 Putting the cart before the horse! The Suns' self-castration!

"No rush, let's take it slow and play one at a time!" After Okur defeated Martin and gave the Knicks their first possession, Lin Tian was in no hurry at all. He slowly dribbled the ball to the frontcourt and then quickly had Barnes set a screen for him before Jones could get close.

Then Lin Tian quickly faced off against Nash.

"Run! Where do you think you're going?" Lin Tian shoved Nash in the stomach, almost making him vomit stomach acid. But Lin Tian didn't give Nash any chance to rest or escape.

The two consecutive collisions hit Nash directly!

Nash retreated all the way, completely unable to withstand Lin Tian's inside-level strength.

Even though Jones quickly stepped up to help defend and joined Nash in surrounding Lin Tian, ​​Lin Tian acted as if he hadn't seen him. He quickly turned around and drove straight into the paint. After jumping, he easily passed the ball from Martin's armpit to Stoudemire behind him, despite Martin's help defense.

"Boom!" After a loud explosion, Stoudemire hung on the rim with both hands and let out a series of fierce roars!

"Great! The Knicks continued to execute their plan right from the start, with Lin targeting Nash. The Knicks easily broke through the Suns' defense again, and Amare slammed home a two-handed dunk to take the lead!" Kenny immediately roared excitedly.

Then Miller quickly analyzed, "The Knicks have already shown their attitude and style of play, so what about the Suns? How will they play? With Lin already mismatching Pierce, the Suns actually have two options."

Payton said, "Great! First, continue playing what you're best at: pick-and-roll and run-and-gun, letting Nash, now completely freed up, orchestrate the offense and revitalize the entire team!"

"Secondly, we'll focus on Pierce! Let him wear down Lin! If you can wear down my Nash, then of course I can wear down your Lin! Pierce's height of 203 centimeters and weight of over 105 kilograms will definitely put a lot of strain on Lin and present him with a significant challenge."

"Um..." Barkley seized the opportunity to interject, but was interrupted by Kenny once again.

"The Suns chose the second option! They just passed the ball to Pierce! I don't think that was a wise choice! That's Lin!"

From the left 45-degree angle, Pierce, with his back to the basket, looked at Lin Tiandao and said, "Defending me is absolutely the worst decision you've made tonight! We're going to destroy your Lin, and you'll lose this series because of that choice!"

"I'm waiting." Lin Tian said, while reaching out and pinching Pierce's waist, making the guy almost jump up in pain.

Fortunately, Pierce is a top-tier ball-handling offensive player in the league. After being hit by Lin Tian, ​​he quickly dodged Lin Tian's arm with a wide loop and then used his signature rolling and tough style of play.

Pierce's style is characterized by slow speed, inability to jump, explosiveness that is negligible among top stars, and an ugly shooting form with an extremely long wind-up.

Or rather, this guy's basketball style is just ugly!

His form, on par with Cassell's face, is comparable to anything else in the league. Yet, he can still put the ball in the basket, which is why many say Pierce is the perimeter version of Duncan.

Both of them used the most basic and introductory techniques, as well as the most boring and unattractive methods, to play in the NBA and eventually become stars.

For example, in this play, Pierce first pushed back twice, and then realized that his strength was about the same as Lin Tian's! In fact, as the one who took the initiative, he was probably not as strong as Lin Tian in terms of pure power!

That's incredible!

However, now is not the time to marvel at Lin Tian's terrifying strength; Pierce must score this goal!

Although he failed to move Lin Tian at first, he still managed to get closer to the inside after a series of erratic movements, taking advantage of his height and weight.

After reaching the edge of the three-second zone, Pierce suddenly turned around and faced the basket.

Then his shoulders jerked rapidly, and then he pulled it up.

Before Lin Tian jumped, he sent the ball into the basket with a move that was hard to describe.

"Here it comes! Pierce's signature move!" Miller shouted. "His shoulder shake is the best in the entire history of the league! There are countless details in it; if I had the chance, I could even spend an hour analyzing the details of Pierce's shoulder shake for everyone!"

"This is absolutely the most underrated skill in the league right now! In the last game, Anthony was completely disoriented by Pierce using this move."

"As for why this move is an underrated skill, there is only one reason."

"It's so ugly! That movement is like a maggot crawling around on the floor. Unless you truly love basketball and are willing to give everything for it, no one would want to play like that!"

Payton grinned mischievously and said, "So from this perspective, Pierce's love for basketball is absolutely genuine! It's to the core!"

"How about it, Lin! I told you, you can't stop me! Come on! Keep going against me and see if I can completely destroy you!" After scoring, Pierce was extremely excited and roared at Lin Tian.

However, Lin Tian completely ignored him. While he was trash-talking, Lin Tian had already accelerated and sprinted down the court. The basketball was in Lin Tian's hands immediately, and the Knicks' fast break started again!

This time, Lin Tian advanced along the sideline on the left wing and successfully drew the Suns' defensive attention to his side. Just as he crossed the center circle and reached the frontcourt, three Suns players couldn't help but rush towards him.

They felt this was a perfect opportunity to corner Lin Tian!

However, they clearly underestimated Lin Tian's vision and passing ability. Just as the three of them rushed over, Lin Tian had already jumped high and smashed the ball with both hands towards the right corner!

The basketball flew over the Suns players' heads like a cannonball; no one could react in time to steal it, and no one could intercept it.

The Suns players could only look back at the right corner, watching Anthony catch the ball and calmly pull up for a shot!

"Whoosh!"

With a crisp sound, Anthony sank a wide-open three-pointer!

The Knicks have taken the lead again!

Looking back, the Suns' offense, orchestrated by Nash, spread out once again, passing the ball to Pierce. This time, Pierce received the ball closer to the basket, just one step away from entering the three-second zone!

So Pierce didn't hesitate at all. After getting the ball, he almost instinctively shook his shoulder, then took a step and drove to the basket, pulling up for another close-range floater!

"Whoosh!"

After another crisp sound, Pierce scored two more goals!

"You can't stop me! You can't stop me!" After scoring two consecutive baskets, Pierce was completely excited, waving his arms and shouting excitedly at Lin Tian!

His confidence has been fully boosted by his explosive performance in the previous match and his consecutive goals tonight.

But Lin Tian still ignored him and sped down the court again. This time, he chose to penetrate the Suns' defense and scored 2 points with a right-hand layup after reaching the basket!

The score remains very close!

In the following matches, both sides basically played at this pace.

The Knicks continued to play their usual fast break and run-and-gun offense. Their speed was incredible; they almost never stopped and were always on the move!

Unlike those haphazard, "pirated" run-and-gun offenses of bad teams, the Knicks' movement was orderly and disciplined. Each player ran along their own lane, sprinting according to the tactics, much like well-trained warhorses charging into enemy lines.

On the other hand, the Suns played a leisurely half-court game tonight. Apart from a few clear-cut opportunities, they almost never opted for fast breaks or the 7-second or less playstyle. The ball possession was concentrated in Pierce's hands, allowing him to constantly attack Lin Tian!

Nash was absolutely thrilled!

You fucking dare to fight me one-on-one! You fucking dare to bully me just because you're tall and heavy!

You bastard, you've finally met your match!

kill you!

Let Paul kill you! Let him show you what it feels like to be bullied by an opponent who overwhelms you in strength, weight, and height!

Nash's desire for revenge is also why the Suns opted for more half-court sets tonight rather than their preferred and stronger fast breaks.

He wanted revenge and wanted to see Lin Tian make a fool of himself!

And Pierce's performance certainly did not disappoint Nash.

In the first quarter, this guy made 6 of 11 field goals, 1 of 2 three-pointers, and 2 of 3 free throws, scoring 15 points! He also became the highest scorer for both teams in the first quarter!

Pierce's repeated attacks on Lin Tian and his impressive efficiency boosted the Suns' confidence, making Nash extremely happy!

It feels so good to have gotten my revenge!

Let Pierce beat you to death!

Tonight, let this guy rack up a 50-point score... no! A 60-point score against Lin Tian!

I'll beat you to death!

With Pierce constantly taking isolation plays and his teammates feeding the ball, the Suns are playing quite smoothly tonight. The score is currently 35-27!

The Knicks are leading by 8 points!

The Suns players didn't even realize they were behind until they were resting on the bench.

Why?

Pierce played well, scoring 15 points in a single quarter, and the other players' shooting percentages were also good. In fact, the team only committed one turnover in the entire first quarter.

How did we fall behind?

The Suns players were confused, and as they racked their brains, Pierce threw the towel off his head and yelled, "My bad! It's all my fault this time, guys!"

"I didn't hit hard enough! I didn't hit hard enough! Maybe I was holding back because of my past relationship with Lin. He taught me a good lesson back then, and I'm still grateful to him. So maybe I was a little hesitant."

"Second quarter! If he dares to come and guard me again in the second quarter, I'll beat him to a pulp! I'll beat him to a pulp! I swear! I'll bring the same ferocity I showed when I thrashed Anthony in the last game and completely destroy Lin!"

"In the second quarter, we've closed that gap by a few points!"

Please trust me!

"What are you saying, Paul! Of course we trust you!" Nash punched Pierce first, saying, "Let's keep playing like this in the second quarter! Even if we're still behind in the second quarter, it's okay! Because Paul is definitely taking a huge toll on Lin! Lin definitely won't have the stamina for the whole game!"

"In the fourth quarter, or even the latter part of the third quarter, he'll definitely run out of energy and get exhausted! That will be our chance to launch a final counterattack and take them all down!"

"Great! Let's do it that way!"

"Paul, we all trust you!"

"Let's do it! Dry Lin to death!"

After a series of inspiring slogans, the Suns players reached a consensus!

They remain incredibly confident!

As for the Knicks' bench, although Lin Tian was outscored by Pierce for 15 points in the matchup, he himself scored 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists in the first quarter with one tidal wave of fast breaks after another!

He remains terrifying in every way!

What's most unbelievable is that this guy looks completely relaxed right now, as if he wasn't the one who just got beaten up by Pierce.

"They've fallen into our rhythm!" Lin Tian said confidently. "Letting Pierce play one-on-one is the biggest reason they lost tonight!"

"They abandoned their signature run-and-gun offense, they abandoned their fluid, fast-paced transitions, they didn't even have Nash run pick-and-rolls! They completely abandoned their strengths, they gave up on fighting us in their own preferred style!"

"Their pace has slowed down, which has left their players bewildered and unsure of what to do. Their shots have been concentrated on Pierce, which has made the rest of them cold and unable to find their rhythm."

"Yes, Pierce played well in the first quarter, but what about the Suns? Did the Suns play well too? Of course not! They were absolutely terrible!"

"Right now, they probably don't even know why they're behind. They definitely can't figure it out! And Pierce will most likely assure his teammates: He'll crush me!"

"Then they will continue to focus on Pierce, they will continue to abandon their own advantages, and they will continue to be unable to extricate themselves from the dream of Pierce scoring high points!"

"Then, it's time for us to reap the rewards! In this game, I'm going to play at a completely different pace than the previous three! In the last three games, we only managed to decide the winner in the final minutes. Tonight, I'm going to crush them in the first half!"

"I'm going to wipe them all out before they even realize there's a problem!"

"25 points! We're up by 25 points at the end of the second quarter! Then we'll just play casually in the second half and go rest. I heard there's a pretty nice oasis in the middle of the Phoenix desert, how about we go tonight!"

"I'm going too!" To Lin Tian's surprise, the first person to speak after his speech was old Nelson. The old man grinned and said, "You bunch of little bastards, don't even think about getting rid of me so I can have some fun on my own!"

You must take me with you!

Don Nelson's statement made the Knicks players burst into laughter!

Then, Stoudemire and Anthony rested, and Lin Tian led Okur, Wallace, Smith, and Hill onto the court.

Come on, let's have the second round of the duel!

"Looks like the Knicks also think an 8-point lead is pretty unreliable!" Miller said, looking at the Knicks' lineup. "Lin played the entire first quarter without resting! That's different from the Knicks' usual rotation!"

"But the Knicks have rested most of their players; only Lin has been on the court the whole time," Payton said, looking at the Suns' lineup. "The Suns' Marion, Pierce, and Nash are all still playing! It seems like all three of them are prepared to play the entire first half!"

"Crazy!" Kenny shook his head. "D'Antoni is really trying to squeeze every last drop out of these high-paid key players! Every penny these Suns' key players are making is fucking worthwhile!"

"But on the other hand, their bench players earn their salaries so easily! They can make a fortune just by sitting and watching the game! Being a bench player for the Suns is definitely the most comfortable job in the league right now!" Barkley seized the opportunity to interject once again.

Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to him this time either.

The remaining three were determined to give him a good beating.

The second quarter had already begun, and Lin Tian led his team, dribbling the ball to the frontcourt.

This time, the Suns didn't bother with switching defenses, since Lin Tian's pick-and-roll would break through their defenses anyway. So they simply had Nash stand in front of Lin Tian, ​​ready to fight him.

Then, just as Nash was about to utter a trash talk, the ball in Lin Tian's hand suddenly flew up!

It flew straight towards the basket!

Smith sprinted along the baseline and made a quick cut, taking off with both hands as he tried to grab the basketball for a gliding dunk.

But then, the guy's eyes widened, and he quickly pulled his hands back, hiding far away.

then?

"Whoosh!"

With a crisp sound, the basketball fell directly into the hoop!

Lin Tian threw in a three-pointer with a two-handed, bomb-throwing passing motion.

Even the referee was stunned for a moment before he gestured with his three hands to indicate that the three points were valid.

Is this a shot?

This was everyone's immediate reaction.

"Of course it's a shot! We practiced this before the game." Lin Tian shamelessly looked at Nash in front of him, saying without batting an eye, "Do you know how many times I practice this shooting form every day?"

"Do you know how many times I was so exhausted that I lay motionless on the training field, almost collapsing, while practicing this move?"

"You actually think this is just good luck? Steve, you've disappointed me greatly!"

"I didn't say a word!" Nash was exasperated.

I didn't say anything, and you're just slandering me out of thin air?

"Dare you say you don't think that way?" Lin Tian pressed aggressively!

Even thinking about it won't work! This is the brand new three-point skill that I've been practicing diligently!

"I didn't think that way. I secretly applauded your brilliant three points." Nash understood. He knew that there was no reasoning with someone like Lin Tian. He could only go along with Lin Tian's words and appease him to avoid Lin Tian bothering him further.

"I'm talking nonsense, and you actually believe that? You idiot!" Lin Tian snorted disdainfully, looking at Nash with a mocking expression as if he were a fool, his face full of disgust.

How to describe that expression?

This reminded Nash of when he was eight years old and couldn't figure out what 2+2 equaled in school, and the look his math teacher gave him. (End of Chapter)