socalfunplaces Chapter 506 Old Nelson's Crazy Basketball! Who Says Crazy Science is Good?
Chapter 506 Old Nelson's Crazy Basketball! Who Says Crazy Science is Good?
It's a pity that Lin Tian's skill set doesn't include any skills like clairvoyance, otherwise he could have cleverly bumped into his sisters outside their rooms at night.
"Didn't you two bring me to the game? Didn't you two say you liked Lin and wanted his autograph? I was helping you!" Elizabeth looked aggrieved, as if she had suffered some great injustice.
"Who taught you to do this, Elizabeth?" the first of the twins on the left yelled. "We sent you to school in New York, and all you do is flaunt your room number in front of 2 people?"
"You're dead meat! Your allowance is being cut in half starting this month!" the first twin on the right yelled. "You're a disgrace!"
"Olsen?" Lin Tian casually strolled to the front of the stands while shooting a basket, greeting the audience in a very relaxed manner.
Do you know me?
The three Olsens responded almost simultaneously, demonstrating the tacit understanding between the sisters.
At the same time, all three of them only said "me," revealing their fake sisterhood.
Then, at this moment, the twins displayed a level of coordination far exceeding that of non-twins. The older sisters simultaneously reached out and pressed the younger Elizabeth back down.
"I know you all." Lin Tian shrugged, emphasizing the word "you all," and then glanced at the youngest, Elizabeth.
If we can't use it now, what about later?
Who can say for sure what will happen in 5 years?
After receiving a touching response from the little girl, Lin Tiancai continued, "It's too difficult not to know the two of you."
Lin Tian wasn't joking when he said that.
The three people in front of me are none other than the famous Olsen twins!
Of course, the most famous ones right now are the twin sisters: Ashley Olsen and Mary Kate Olsen. They debuted in television series when they were still babies in the 80s, and their popularity continued to rise, making them idols for teenagers across the United States.
They are known as legends in the North American entertainment industry. Some say they are the most influential young women in the new generation of Hollywood, and their popularity was once comparable to that of top diva Britney Spears.
These two women, at such a young age, already possessed billions in assets, and were even ranked among the world's 100 richest women, had just received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 04, were named one of People magazine's 50 most beautiful people in the world, and were among the world's 30 most eligible bachelors...
In short, the twin sisters have achieved great fame at a young age. While other girls are still worrying about making a living, they have already built a business empire worth 10 billion US dollars.
As for the young, clingy girl who was still in school and needed her older sisters to support her, she was none other than the future Scarlet Witch, Elizabeth Olsen.
Hmm... it's not important.
It will be completely unimportant for at least the next 4-5 years.
"Oh, I thought it was someone else. Isn't this the Olsen sisters, who are super cute and sweet, making everyone jealous, and inspiring an intense protective instinct in men? They're always inseparable and have never even had a boyfriend." A voice, clearly mocking and obviously looking to stir up trouble, came over.
One of the people who was probably even happier than Dolan after Lin Tian came to New York.
Hilton.
Needless to say, the relationship between these girls was quite ordinary.
Excellent girls, in similar fields, the competition among them is fierce.
Most importantly, Hilton didn't receive a single one of the Olsen sisters' long list of titles.
Of course, she has also been included in many similar lists.
"The 50 Most Hated Women in America", "The 30 Most Disliked American Women", "The 10 Most Useless Rich Kids in America", "The 30 Women You Would Never Want to Marry"...
Hilton is on all of these lists.
All I can say is that this is a direct confrontation between a poor student and a top student; it's jealousy, the kind of jealousy that's naked and blatant.
However, Hilton also has her advantages.
"Honey, have you changed your taste? Now you like this kind of... well... plain type?" Hilton didn't care whether Lin Tian was the one who started the conversation or what the group was talking about. She just stood next to Lin Tian, swaying her hips, and even kissed him on the cheek.
"You should definitely try it! Twins, and celebrity twins at that, the experience will definitely be different."
This is Hilton's advantage.
Thick-skinned, daring, and thinking I'm the best in the world.
You two little vixens, how dare you seduce my man on my turf?
"You're not allowed to bully my sisters!" At this moment, a childish voice rang out. Olsen No. 3, who had been ignored by everyone, stepped forward and said, "My sisters are completely different from a slut like you who sleeps with anyone!"
"Elizabeth!" The twins each slapped Olsen No. 3 on the head: "Don't say that word."
"Especially in front of tens of thousands of people." Hilton was now completely in control, looking incredibly relaxed. "Otherwise, your image as pure beauties and teen idols would instantly collapse to the same level as mine."
"By the way, it's worth mentioning that I've only slept with one person in the past few years. Do you know how many people your sisters have slept with? I mean, sleeping together. I don't think they'd have the guts to sleep alone! What can you do when they're like conjoined twins?"
"By the way, I heard a rumor that you two wipe each other's butts when you go to the toilet. Is that true?"
"I'm not going to waste my breath on you." The Hilton sisters snorted, then glanced at Lin Tian again before sitting back down in their chairs, not saying another word to Hilton.
I can't win the argument, I can't win at all.
How come the heir to a top conglomerate worth billions always talks about poop and pee or things between men and women?
"Let's go, honey. I need to find another seat. I'll get itchy all over if I sit with the top students, and I won't want to watch the game anymore." Hilton didn't press her advantage any further, but instead turned and left.
After all, if they keep going on like this, who knows if a few Olsens will actually get carried away and jump up to scratch their own faces.
Looking at Hilton's triumphant gaze and then at her eyes, which were now curved into two crescent moons with laughter, Lin Tian was certain that Hilton was indeed itchy, but he couldn't quite put his finger on where it itched.
However, Lin Tian believed that he definitely needed to relieve the itch himself.
Unfortunately, there were less than 20 minutes left before the start of the match, so there wasn't enough time to give Hilton an injection or some positive energy to help relieve her itching.
It can only be nighttime.
"What a blind bastard!" Olsen snorted.
"I like this kind of slut. She'll get HIV sooner or later!" another Olsen scoffed.
"Sister, aren't we forbidden from swearing?" the third Olsen asked naively.
"Shut up! Your allowance will be halved again!" The first two Olsens once again demonstrated their tacit understanding.
Lin Tian was unaware that the twins were bullying the youngest, Olsen. He walked a distance with Hilton, and then Hilton simply found a place to sit down.
"Is Madison Square Garden your property?" Lin Tianzhen asked with a hint of curiosity. "Why do I get the feeling that you just sit wherever you want when you come here?"
"I'm very rich." Hilton's eyes were practically drooling with smirk. She clearly enjoyed the feeling of bullying people, especially when it was someone she really disliked.
"By the way, would you like to have further contact with those three? If so, they're staying at our hotel. I can give you their room number, if you're capable enough..."
I'll just have to dodge this. Even Lin Tian can't handle this crazy woman this time. I'd better focus on playing ball. If we keep talking, all the content in this chapter will be gone.
In the first preseason game, with the expectations of the entire stadium and even the entire New York City crowd, this game had to be played well. Otherwise, the picky New York media wouldn't care whether Lin Tian was a superstar or whether he was New York's savior.
When they start criticizing someone, they don't give them any face at all!
Speaking of which, who is the Knicks' opponent tonight?
Oh...right!
I remembered.
"Brother Lin, why do you always have so many beautiful women with you wherever you go?" Da Yao said with a hint of envy as she walked over to greet Lin Tian.
In the preseason, the main strategy is to prioritize playing against teams that live close to home. The Knicks have the Nets, their half-city rivals, so they definitely need to beat them first!
After exchanging greetings and banter with Yao Ming, Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and others, the players from both sides took to the court to prepare for tonight's game!
Although it's a preseason game, meaning neither side is expected to put in too much effort tonight and the starting players will likely only play for about 20 minutes, it is still the first official appearance of the new season, so neither side will be too perfunctory.
At the very least, both head coaches have fielded their strongest lineups for this match.
For the Knicks, Don Nelson fielded a five-man lineup consisting of Okur, Stoudemire, Anthony, Jackson, and Lin Tian.
As for the Nets, it's their old five-man lineup: Yao Ming, Pau Gasol, Kittles, Carter, and Kidd.
"Hello everyone, this is your old friend Kenny! Long time no see."
"Hello everyone, I'm Charles!"
Right on time, Barkley and Kenny appeared on television once again. Generally speaking, TNT is quite casual about broadcasting preseason games, just randomly picking a few games to broadcast as a warm-up.
With Lin Tian joining the fray, this New York showdown has undoubtedly become the most talked-about game of the night.
"Both teams have very promising rosters that we can look forward to." Kenny immediately got into the swing of things and began his analysis: "Although they have never made it to the Finals, the Nets have been a top team in the East for the past few years."
"They are the touchstone for top teams. Teams that can defeat them are championship contenders, while those that can't are just average teams at best."
"But the most noteworthy team is clearly this brand-new Knicks," Barkley added. "And why? Lin! That one reason is enough!"
"With Lin on the team, even if they haven't played a single game, even if the Knicks haven't acquired any particularly strong players this summer besides Lin, Lin alone is enough to transform the Knicks, who missed the playoffs last season, into championship contenders!"
"That's the impact and influence of a superstar! Add to that the young duo of Anthony and Stoudemire, and the Knicks' future is absolutely promising! I'm very optimistic that they'll win at least two championships in the next four years!"
"In addition, I am very much looking forward to seeing what kind of changes Lin will bring to the team, the city, and himself when he wears the new jersey."
"Number 14! The brand new number 14 jersey. During the Knicks' media day, someone asked Lin why he chose this jersey. Was it because he's twice as good now as he was during his time with the Pacers?"
"But Lin's answer was strange. He said it was because number 14 was the jersey number of his idol and favorite player."
"But unfortunately, my colleagues and I searched through all the famous players in history, but we couldn't find a single person who wore the number 14 jersey, had any connection with Lin, or could be his idol."
"So I guess Lin's idol is most likely his basketball mentor or some outstanding basketball star from China!"
Kenny and Barkley chatted on TV, while the players from both sides had already taken to the court in their jerseys.
The Knicks players were very relaxed and had no pressure at the moment.
This does fit the stereotypes these people have always had.
Each one of them was more reckless than the last, more fearless than the last, and more confident and arrogant than the last.
It's just a preseason game, anyway, the New York team really isn't nervous at all.
As for their head coach, Don Nelson, he also didn't take his second stint as head coach seriously.
Before he went on the field, he gave his players some instructions.
"Play freely, go all out, charge forward, run around, throw when you want, dunk when you want, okay, that's it!"
It's that simple!
But this simplicity will inevitably be the Knicks' most prominent signature and style this season.
"Beep beep!"
With a whistle from the referee, the basketball was quickly tossed into the air, and Yao Ming easily gained possession of the ball, which was then passed to Kidd.
Kidd brought the ball up the court, but Lin Tian didn't put much pressure on him defensively. It was a preseason game, after all; he just showed up briefly to warm up and that was it.
The ball was passed to Yao Ming by Kidd, who easily outmaneuvered Okur in the low post, turned around and hooked the ball to open the scoring for the team.
In terms of shooting range, Okur is slightly better than Yao Ming, but in other aspects, there are very few things that Okur can match Yao Ming in.
The difference between the two people is comprehensive.
After easily scoring the first basket, the Nets players quickly retreated to defend.
Lin Tian wasn't in a hurry. On his first offensive play, he slowly dribbled to the frontcourt and then waved for Stoudemire to come up and set a screen for him.
After the two separated, Gasol quickly retreated to try and block Stoudemire's shot, while Kidd immediately stepped in front of Lin Tian again.
But it didn't work.
With Stoudemire's athleticism, how could Gasol possibly stop him?
Like a mammoth charging out of a primeval forest, Stoudemire crushed Gasol as he drove into the paint, then with a flick of his wrists, Lin Tian's basketball came into his hands.
Then Little Si rose up from the ground, and with a single hand, he split Mount Hua!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Stoudemire started the game with a one-handed dunk over Gasol!
"Beautiful! 'Little Tyrant' Stoudemire, starting with his signature dominant drive! His pick-and-roll with Lin is sure to shine on the court this season, providing us with one spectacular moment after another!"
With Barkley's cheers and shouts, the game quickly got into its rhythm.
The Nets' offense was going quite smoothly. Apart from Carter being somewhat restricted by Jackson, the twin towers in the paint were playing very comfortably. They could score almost anything in the paint, and Okur and Stoudemire simply couldn't stop them.
Of course, Okur and Stoudemire are not good at defense, and they don't really care about defense. They are both the type who are 9 points on offense and 1 point on defense.
More importantly, both of them can unleash the power of their 9 on the offensive end!
In previous seasons, the team could only rely on Ward to organize the offense and share the ball. Neither of them could really deliver a performance on the offensive end that matched their abilities and price tags.
With an offensive level of 80, it would be good if they could perform at 6-70 points.
But now that Lin Tian is here, if he doesn't let them reach 100 points out of an 80-point level, then his so-called title of "the greatest point guard in history" is meaningless!
Lins sets screens, Stoudemire keeps cutting to the basket, and Lin Tian uses his skills to feed the ball to Stoudemire with all sorts of passes, allowing him to perform all sorts of cool, flashy, and fierce attacks on the rim.
A one-handed chest pass, Stoudemire catches the ball and immediately starts a powerful dunk.
A one-handed bounce pass was made, and Stoudemire caught the ball and jumped to make a layup.
After drawing a double team, he passed the ball behind his back, and Stoudemire received it and took a step to avoid Gasol before scoring a reverse layup.
After the pick-and-roll, Stoudemire quickly cut to the basket, Lin Tian threw the ball into the air, and Stoudemire descended from the sky, once again unleashing a powerful alley-oop dunk!
If Lin Tian and Stoudemire's pick-and-roll combination was full of masculine hormones and explosive, violent aesthetics, then Lin Tian and Okur's combination was more elegant and graceful.
Stoudemire repeatedly drove to the basket after pick-and-rolls, while Okur would repeatedly step back after the pick-and-rolls to create space, allowing Lin Tian to use his drives to compress the opponent's defense. Then, after Okur was completely left open, Lin Tian's return ball was always incredibly timely.
In the first quarter alone, Okur got three wide-open shots, converting two of them.
All three of these plays involved a pick-and-roll where Okur retreated to the three-point line, allowing Lin Tian to attack the basket. If the Nets double-teamed Lin Tian, Okur would be left wide open. If the Nets didn't double-team, Lin Tian could easily penetrate the Nets' interior.
Okur's mid-range and long-range firepower also prevented the Nets' defense from freely retreating and blocking Lin Tian and Stoudemire's attacks on the basket.
If Lin Tian and the two big men were to run pick-and-rolls with completely different styles, the Nets could actually hold their own, since the Knicks couldn't really defend their twin towers in the paint.
But if you add Carmelo Anthony, who has already shown the potential of a top offensive player, to the weak-side isolation plays, then the Knicks' offensive system and three-dimensionality will be completely transformed!
During the game, Anthony received the ball in the mid-range area multiple times and then went one-on-one with the opponent.
With his already incredibly mature shooting skills and kaleidoscopic one-on-one ability, even though Kittles is a top-tier defender in the league, he still has few ways to deal with an offensive master like Anthony, who combines two completely opposite skills and styles: a ground-based style and a high-flying style.
Finally, the Knicks also have Jackson, who was promoted to the starting lineup this year. He is usually quiet and reserved, very low-key and unassuming, making him arguably the least noticeable player in the starting lineup.
This guy's defense, cutting, awareness, shooting skills, and his awareness and aggressiveness in fast breaks have made him the best piece of the puzzle in the Knicks' starting lineup.
He did the dirty and hard work that Anthony and Stoudemire couldn't do!
Positioning, defense, physical battles, cuts, off-ball screens...
He does all the invisible work that can't be seen in these data.
But of course, the foundation and core of this Knicks team is still offense!
A frenzied attack! An extreme attack! An attack that uses every means possible!
Under Don Nelson's guidance, this Knicks team displayed unparalleled firepower in their first preseason game.
In the first quarter, the Nets played exceptionally well! The twin towers combined for 14 points, Carter hit two three-pointers, and Kidd dished out 5 assists without a single turnover!
The Nets shot a remarkable 54% from the field in the first quarter, committing only two turnovers. Everyone was in top form, with no one faltering, and the team scored a whopping 29 points in that quarter.
But it's not enough, not nearly enough.
In the first quarter, Don Nelson did not rotate players, or rather, he was too lazy to rotate them, and he let all five starters play the entire first quarter.
In this quarter, Don Nelson showed the world what basketball and run-and-gun tactics he had always imagined!
What is the craziest offensive tactic?
In this quarter, the Knicks scored 47 points with a 61% field goal percentage. With their constant running, shooting and quick and simple teamwork, they left the Nets with no chance to fight back. The Nets simply couldn't stop the Knicks!
Their shots were incredibly fast on every possession. Although Don Nelson didn't mention it, Lin Tian had subtly incorporated Mike D'Antoni's "7 seconds or less" philosophy into the team.
In fact, the Knicks played a very simple game in this quarter. Their core tactic was just one thing: pick and roll!
Centered on the pick-and-roll, it then expands out to include other plays such as rolling to the basket, dropping out, and weak-side isolation plays after drawing and compressing the defense.
With this incredibly simple basic tactic and the Knicks' decisive style of play, where they almost always took the first shot when the opportunity arose, they scored 47 points in this quarter!
In the first quarter, Stoudemire scored 12 points, Okur 8 points, Jackson 6 points, and Anthony 9 points. These guys were incredibly accurate!
Of course, for the Knicks, Lin Tian is still the most important player!
In this quarter alone, Lin Tian scored 12 points and 9 assists, nearly achieving a double-double, and only committed 1 turnover! This assist-to-turnover ratio is also quite impressive!
In such a short time, with such dense and continuous attacks, Lin Tian always managed to deliver bullets to the teammates most suitable to fire. His performance in the first quarter tonight was a good lesson for the opposing Kidd.
What is a top-tier point guard?
And everyone can see that without Lin Tian, and if Ward is still the team's main point guard, the Knicks' extreme run-and-gun offense simply cannot be executed, and it will most likely end up like last season, with random shots hitting the target.
When players are in good form, they can win against anyone; when they're not in good form, they can lose to anyone. Without Lin Tian, the Knicks will most likely remain on the edge of the playoffs this year, fighting for the 7th or 8th seed in the Eastern Conference.
But with Lin Tian on the team, the team has undoubtedly undergone a qualitative change!
That's the magic of a top point guard.
In the second quarter, Nelson made a five-in-five substitution, bringing on Ward, Barnes, Wallace, Smith, and Muhammad. Logically speaking, the Knicks' bench lineup was decent enough, not too bad.
However, under the organization of Ward, a somewhat mediocre point guard, the team failed to organize any effective or beautiful offense.
The initial barrage of attacks turned into a chaotic mess.
In the first nine minutes of the second quarter, the Knicks scored 20 points, a stark contrast to their offensive firepower in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Nets' mixed starting lineup and bench players performed exceptionally well during this period, quickly narrowing the gap to eight points.
Of course, many people will also feel that: substitutes are substitutes, and there is a clear gap in strength between them and the starters, otherwise they would be the starters.
It's normal that the Knicks' five bench players couldn't beat their opponents.
How do we explain this argument?
It sounded reasonable, but it only lasted for a few minutes before disappearing.
Lin Tian came on when there were 3 minutes left in the second quarter.
The moment Lin Tian entered the game, the entire situation changed!
The Knicks' bench, which had just been completely dominated by the Nets, suddenly came alive!
Lin Tian immediately set a screen with Josh Smith and drove straight to the basket, throwing the ball into the air and assisting Smith for an alley-oop dunk, helping the team widen the gap to 10 points again!
Then Lin Tian and Barnes worked together to intercept Kittles' pass. Lin Tian took possession of the ball again and launched a counterattack. During the counterattack, he found Wallace who was following up and threw the ball into the air again, assisting the physically gifted player to complete another crazy dunk!
Although the Nets quickly scored a basket, Lin Tian and Smith ran a pick-and-roll again. After attracting a lot of the Nets' defensive attention, Lin Tian suddenly made a no-look behind-the-back bounce pass, passing the ball to Barnes who was cutting along the baseline, assisting Barnes to complete another layup!
.........
Similar offensive plays continued in the final three minutes of the second quarter. In addition, although this bench lineup could not compare with the starters in terms of ability, their defensive intensity and willingness were significantly stronger!
Thanks to their hard work and defense, as well as Lin Tian's playmaking, the Pacers responded with a 14-4 run against the Nets in the final three minutes of the second quarter.
The Knicks outscored the Knicks by 10 points in 3 minutes, extending their lead to 18 points!
"What are you thinking about?" As the second quarter was about to end, Old Nelson leaned back lazily in his chair, patting his belly with his large hand, just like an ordinary old man who had nothing to do after retirement and liked to sunbathe and walk his birds.
"I've always known that there's a big gap between me and Lin, I know that we're not in the same league, and I'm very clear that there's an insurmountable gap between us."
The person asked by Don Nelson was Ward, who played nine minutes in the second quarter and contributed 4 points and 1 assist without making a single mistake.
"In the past few years, we have faced each other many times in the playoffs. I have been blown out by him every time. Every time we lost to him and his team. I have watched countless game tapes of Lin and studied his playing style and habits countless times. I hope I can defend him the next time we face each other."
"I even feel like I'm the person in this league who knows Lin's game best and has watched the most of his tapes. Ever since he joined the Pacers, I've never thought about surpassing him or competing with him. I've just been thinking, what if it's just a series or even just one game?"
"Even if it's just once, if I can stop him, it proves that I, Charlie, am not someone to be trifled with."
At this point, Ward shrugged, shook his head, and said helplessly, "But these three minutes still overturned my expectations. I realized that the gap between us is simply impossible to quantify or describe."
"Only when we play on the same team, have the same teammates, and receive the same treatment can I truly and intuitively feel the difference between the two of us."
"The gap between us is so big that it doesn't feel like we're playing in the same league at all."
"It seems you don't need my counseling anymore." Old Nelson patted Ward's shoulder, who seemed to see through him perfectly. "Then I'm relieved. I was quite worried that you might have developed self-doubt and insecurity because of Lin."
"Now it seems I underestimated you; you're much better than I thought."
"Thank you, Coach, thank you." Ward nodded. He really hadn't expected that Old Nelson would provide psychological counseling to the players and pay so much attention to their mental health.
This kind of work doesn't sound like something Old Nelson should be doing.
That's Phil Jackson's job.
Phil Jackson?
He's just a little kid!
Looking at Ward's grateful expression, Old Nelson snorted inwardly, "Today I'll show you who the real master of psychological counseling is!"
"You have your strengths, Charlie, strengths that Lin will never match," Old Nelson said calmly, looking at Ward. "Lin will never see the game from your perspective, never think at your level, never analyze the game!"
"You'll see many things Lin will never see in her lifetime. Keep going, and don't underestimate yourself!"
Old Nelson's words brought tears to Ward's eyes, who was in his thirties.
The coaches he's ever had in his life were either iron-fisted godfathers like Riley, who could barely smile three times a year.
It's either someone like Jeff Van Gundy, a meticulous and hardworking man who never talks to the players, or someone like Don Cheney, whose prestige and abilities are mediocre in every way.
This is the first time he's ever encountered someone like Old Nelson!
With just those two sentences, Ward would give his life for old Nelson! (End of Chapter)