Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 717: Lin Tian's Time! Much Easier Than Defense

The gap between the two sides is still not that large at this point.

Although the difference is more than 10 points, given the defensive and offensive capabilities of both sides, this point difference is by no means secure.

Both sides have the ability to seize opportunities and then widen the gap or catch up in one go.

This is the inevitable result when the two most offensively potent and least defensively reliable teams in the league meet!

So even though Nash made a series of mistakes, most people didn't think the suspense of the game had disappeared.

On the contrary, everyone felt that the game was only just beginning to get to its most exciting moment!

Will Nash and the Suns find their rhythm after a painful lesson and stage a comeback, or will the Knicks capitalize on the momentum of these two successful defensive plays to completely crush the Suns?

"The key to winning this game clearly lies with the leaders of both teams: Lin and Nash!" Miller said excitedly. "We're really looking forward to seeing how these two perform next!"

"That's right! Especially Lin." Payton added, "Based on my understanding of defense, the physical exertion and energy Lin expended in those two rounds was definitely much greater and more exaggerated than it looked! I'm not exaggerating when I say that if it were anyone else, their legs would probably be shaking and they wouldn't be able to stand up straight right now."

"Like you, right?" Miller seized the opportunity to retort immediately, "Although I think your understanding of defense is so-so, after all, you're the guy who got beaten up by rookie Lin. If you had Lin's defensive abilities, you wouldn't have gotten beaten up by him back then!"

"Shut up! You idiot who doesn't play defense at all and gets stabbed and blown up by everyone! If it weren't for your terrible defense, you would have won a championship long ago. Why would you need to rely on Lin?"

"Then let me ask you, Mr. Payton, who started out playing defense and even won Defensive Player of the Year, how many championships have you won? How many superstars have you relied on?" Miller immediately retorted, "You can't possibly have won a damn zero championships and relied on nine superstars, can you? You can't possibly not even win a championship by relying on superstars!"

"Noob!"

Just as the two in the studio were about to start fighting again, the game on the court had resumed. Since it was just a sideline ball, neither coach called a timeout. Lin Tian quickly received the ball outside the three-point line.

Then, Lin Tian clearly felt that his legs were a little bit weak.

Defense, especially all-out, anaerobic defense, is 10 times more tiring than offense!

But Lin Tian was clearly not going to be stumped by such a small problem.

It's just that my legs are a little weak.

Scoring a goal will immediately put you back on your feet!

So Lin Tian dribbled in a series of different directions, and then just when everyone thought he was going to go one-on-one, he suddenly waved to Stoudemire to come forward and screen for him.

After the two crossed at the top of the arc, Lin Tian not only did not break in, but also suddenly took a step back to create distance again, retreating to a position 2 meters outside the three-point line, before suddenly gathering the ball, pulling it up and throwing it!

Now, the nearest Suns player to Lin Tian was still more than 2 meters away, and no one could interfere with Lin Tian at all. Whether he could score or not depended entirely on himself!

"Bang! Swish!"

With such an absolute opening, Lin Tian couldn't possibly miss!

A bank shot three-pointer went in, widening the gap between the two sides to 15 points!

This time, Lin Tian finally stopped pressing Nash all over the court.

He needs to rest for two rounds!

No matter how loud the cheers were from the Madison Square Garden crowd, Lin Tian knew the truth behind that three-pointer off the backboard better than anyone else.

It was a fluke, and I was just lucky.

Anyone who has played basketball knows that side layups rely on technique, layups under the basket rely on habit, and front layups rely on sheer luck.

Each time one of these balls is scored, the maximum lifespan will decrease accordingly.

Lin Tian felt his legs were a little weak when he jumped, so he increased the force and arc of his attack.

It was this small change that allowed the ball to bounce off the backboard and into the basket.

This shot went in despite being from a great distance and Lin Tian temporarily changing his shooting habits; it was pure luck!

But how can you rely on luck all the time when playing ball?

He knew he needed to rest and wait a while before focusing on Nash on the defensive end.

So this time he chose to quickly retreat to his own half and switch to his usual defensive mode.

"I knew it." After arriving at the frontcourt, Nash looked at Lin Tian and said, "I knew you'd reached your limit! You can't guard me like you were before anymore!"

"Who said that?" Lin Tian suddenly pretended to steal the ball, which startled Nash so much that he immediately passed the ball to Pierce next to him. But after the ball was passed, he realized that Lin Tian was just trying to scare him.

"FUXX!" Even Nash, who rarely swore, couldn't help but blurt out.

He had never been bullied so badly in his entire life.

My mental state has truly collapsed.

After Pierce got the ball, he didn't pass it again. Instead, he dribbled the ball and drove into the paint for a floater.

But his shooting touch was really off tonight. Although he completely outmaneuvered Anthony, Pierce's floater still missed.

After the Knicks gained control of the rebound, Lin Tian immediately sprinted down the court, received a pass from his teammate, and then dribbled towards the frontcourt again.

We've been taking our time for so long, now it's time to hurry up!

After a sprint, Lin Tian left the entire Suns defense behind. He charged to the frontcourt, easily lifted off the ground, glided towards the basket, and delivered a powerful dunk!

"Are you all lost?" Lin Tian turned around quickly after his slam dunk, looking provocatively at the entire Suns team behind him, and arrogantly said, "How about we get each of you a guide dog?"

No one responded.

Faced with a deficit of nearly 20 points and Lin Tian's sudden outburst of 7 consecutive points, the Suns players displayed extreme restraint and composure. They knew that responding with criticism at this point would only bring shame upon themselves.

More importantly, if it were someone else, the Suns players could "toughly" go up and confront Lin Tian, ​​and exchange insults, in order to boost their team's morale.

But this is Lin Tian...

Everyone knows how ruthless this guy is. Even though he's in his 30s and hasn't been involved in a fight on the court for many years, obviously no one dares to do it.

Everyone knows that when Chong Lintian makes a move, there's no such thing as a one-for-one trade.

When he takes on a team, it's a whole squad!

I want to gain the upper hand in our fight...

Nash actually had a solution.

Find one person to provoke Lin Tian, ​​then grab Lin Tian's leg and refuse to let go. The remaining 14 people sprinted back to the locker room, and after Lin Tian was ejected by the referee, they returned to the court to continue the game.

There is no other way.

Who can blame them when this guy's fighting strength is terrifyingly high?

Nash shook his head, banishing the bizarre thought from his mind that he should grab Lin Tian's leg and let him beat him up while the others ran away. He then took the ball from the baseline once more, ready to advance the ball.

This time, Lin Tian still didn't employ the same frantic defense as before, but instead gave him considerable space to advance.

"You know Steve, right? It's not that I can't defend anymore, or that I'm out of energy, it's just that there's no need." Lin Tian stood outside the three-point line with his arms outstretched and said, "I don't need to fight you so hard, you don't deserve it!"

"Offense is enough to take you down; it's much easier than defense!"

Nash ignored Lin Tian's words. He dared not think about them anymore. The terrifying defense and the rounds that forced him to make a series of basic mistakes had broken him.

This guy's confidence wasn't completely shattered by Lin Tian, ​​but it will take him at least a few days to recover.

So this time, after Nash crossed half-court, he immediately called Martin over to set a screen for him.

This is one of the Suns' most frequent plays.

Just as the two were rapidly approaching, Lin Tian suddenly gathered his energy and stepped forward, pressing close to Nash. He not only blocked Martin, who was trying to set a screen, but also blocked Martin behind him, preventing Martin from completing the screen.

The Suns' most common tactic is to break through the defense directly.

But that's obviously not the end of it. How could Lin Tian's targeting of Nash be that simple!

He quickly stuck to Nash while simultaneously making a swift downward cut with one hand.

"Snapped!"

With another crisp sound, Lin Tian once again stole the ball from Nash's hands!

Desperate to regain possession of the ball, Nash quickly turned and backed away, but Lin Tian 'accidentally' collided with him. How could Nash possibly stand? He completely lost his balance and fell heavily to the floor.

As for Lin Tian, ​​he quickly got the basketball, rushed to the frontcourt again, and then suddenly stopped outside the three-point line with no one guarding him, and pulled up to shoot!

Another signature three-pointer from behind!

"Whoosh!"

With another crisp sound, Lin Tian completed a four-hit combo!

He provided devastating defense against Nash for four consecutive rounds and scored in each of them!

He single-handedly led the Suns on a 10-0 offensive run!

The gap between the two sides reached 20 points for the first time in this game!

At this point, there were less than 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

"Lin devoured Steve! That's how I beat 99% of the guards in the league back in the day!" Payton immediately scoffed. "Lin's defense might be even more terrifying than his offense!"

"Wake up, Gary. Have you never taken a single math class? There are 450 players in the league. And that's not even counting the fact that there weren't 30 teams in the league back then. There are only 90 point guards. Considering that you often defend mismatches, let's add 90 shooting guards."

"So here's the question! You claim you took down 99% of them, which means there are only two players you couldn't beat? Now the question is, who is that defender you couldn't take down?"

"Is it Tim Hardaway, who once scored 40 points against you? Or Magic Johnson, who once made you curse him out? Or is it me, who made you so flustered you could barely speak and slammed six three-pointers over your head?"

"Of course, there are two names I didn't mention. I'm saving face for you, so you don't go home crying later, you idiot. But you say you can guard 99% of the guards in the league?"

"Lin's defense is breathtaking! That he only won one Defensive Player of the Year award is a huge oversight in the voting system! We must re-examine the league's voting system. I believe Lin should have won more Defensive Player of the Year awards! At least three!"

Payton decisively chose to ignore Miller's provocation.

It wasn't because he was afraid of Miller, nor was he afraid of Miller going on and listing who he couldn't defend against or who had beaten him up.

For a star player of their caliber, it's perfectly normal to have an occasional breakout performance.

Of course he's not afraid of Miller. He hit six three-pointers over my head? Yeah, I once defended you so well that you only made one of nine shots and I had nightmares all night, didn't I?

Payton didn't respond because he knew Miller was going to talk about Jordan and Lin Tian.

These two...

He really has no temper.

Apart from bullying Lin Tian, ​​who was still a substitute in the 96 regular season, Payton never had the upper hand when facing Lin Tian throughout his entire career!

It's no exaggeration to say that from the moment we met until my retirement, it all happened.

We can't beat them, we really can't beat them!

So rather than letting that bastard Miller utter such a thing and humiliate himself, we should just let this topic pass and focus on the game!

On the court, when the team was down by 20 points, D'Antoni finally called the first timeout.

He needs to make his players wake up, especially Nash.

In the last minute or so, Nash's performance was truly a nightmare.

He made a series of mistakes and was repeatedly humiliated by Lin Tian, ​​and he almost never managed to get the ball properly to the frontcourt.

"Steve! Wake up! This is the Finals, you're our engine, you're everything! You need to wake up! We're only down by 20 points! We still have a chance!"

D'Antoni stood right in front of Nash, yelling hoarsely, "We need you to take down Lin! We need you to handle everything for the team!"

"Twenty points is nothing! With a little more effort, we can get those 20 points back!"

At this point, D'Antoni, regardless of whether Nash had rallied or listened to him, stood up and turned to everyone.

"Everyone, get your act together! Everyone, give it your all!" D'Antoni yelled at the top of his lungs. "Let's make one last push! No matter the outcome, we have to give it our all, right?"

"Let's wipe out the New Yorkers!"

With his arms raised and roar, the Suns players once again took to the court.

They will put up a final fight; they will try to catch up with a 20-point deficit in the last six minutes!

Clearly, the Knicks have no intention of letting them have their way!

The desire and ferocity on the faces of the Knicks players were no less than, if not less than, those of the Suns players!

In addition, although there was a timeout, neither side made any substitutions.

The Knicks fielded their starting lineup, while the Suns had Barbosa back in the starting four.

"If we can hold them off for at most two more waves, they'll collapse!" Lin Tian clapped his hands and shouted, "Tonight, let's show the Phoenix people what we're made of! Crush them!"

"Kill them!"

When Lin Tian shouted this, he stood right next to Nash, practically yelling into his ear.

The rest of the Knicks were in similar situations.

Everyone sticks close to the player they're guarding, and then yells and screams in their ear.

The noise attack has begun.

What does it mean to have a deafeningly loud voice?

Unfortunately, this barrage of ear-piercing sounds failed to produce any effect.

The Suns immediately started running their plays after the referee blew the whistle.

Martin and Marion stepped forward simultaneously, blocking Lin Tian's path from both sides.

At the same time, Martin secretly reached out and grabbed Lin Tian's waist.

A direct human interception, clearly a moving screen and a screen foul.

But the referee didn't call a foul.

Lin Tian was therefore unable to rush over and catch up with Nash.

As for the rest of the Knicks, they were even less able to keep up with Nash's speed, and their help defense awareness was truly negligible!

Nash struggled to find a spot, reached out for the ball, and then caught and shot a long three-pointer from 1 meter beyond the three-point line!

This is the best solution he can think of right now.

Reduce dribbling, simplify tactics, increase the number of possessions, and catch up as quickly as possible!

With 20 minutes left and less than 6 minutes remaining, they had to race against time.

"Whoosh!"

Fortunately, after the timeout, Nash's shooting touch seemed to finally return, and he made a precise three-pointer from long range.

But then, the Suns players didn't even have time to get excited and celebrate!

They didn't even have time to defend!

Because Lin Tian ran towards the frontcourt once again!

His speed was so fast that it was like seeing afterimages, and his awareness was so good that even Stoudemire under the basket was stunned for a moment before passing the ball out.

Martin and Marion looked at each other in disbelief before remembering to sprint after him.

But how could it possibly be in time?

"The Suns are stupid! Didn't they realize that when Lin decided to run a fast break, the focus wasn't on defending him, but on defending the guy on the baseline who was about to inbound the ball?"

Miller scoffed, "Nobody in this league can catch Lin, not even in the world! So it's a waste of energy. As long as the Knicks don't inbound the ball, Lin's speed is useless!"

"Easier said than done." Payton finally found an opportunity and quickly retorted, "It's easy to prevent someone from scoring, but do you want to stop them from even passing the ball? And not just any physical contact, but only hand interference on baseline passes?"

"You really don't understand defense at all! But that's normal. If you understood the art of defense, you wouldn't have had to wait until Lin went to Indiana to win a championship."

"Yes, I don't understand defense, and I couldn't have won a championship without Lin." Miller rolled his eyes dismissively, responding to Payton's self-humiliating retort with ease: "Then, Mr. Payton, who is an expert in defense, how many championships do you have?"

"Go to hell with your legs!"

Payton cursed and ignored Miller, turning his gaze back to the game with a pout.

Lin Tian has completed another powerful dunk, extending the Knicks' lead to 19 points once again! (End of Chapter)