hotmtlnovel Chapter 713 Ready? I'm going to destroy your chest hair!
Chapter 713 Ready? I'm going to destroy your chest hair!
"Come on, Steve! Come on, Kenyon! Let me see what else you've got up your sleeves!" After his powerful dunk, Lin Tian was incredibly fierce and powerful. He bared his teeth, tensed his arms, and roared at Martin and Nash in front of him!
Both of them had clearly done a lot of homework and preparation before the match.
First of all, they have incredibly strong mental fortitude!
They completely ignored Lin Tian's provocation. Martin even stood up immediately and quickly passed the ball to Nash from the baseline.
Nash dribbled the ball up the court at lightning speed, arriving at the frontcourt in the blink of an eye!
As Nash drove all the way to the Knicks' three-point line, Lin finally caught up with him and blocked him outside the three-point line. However, Nash's pass was incredibly fast. With a no-look, one-handed pass, the basketball immediately flew sideways and arrived in Pierce's hands at the top of the arc.
After receiving the ball, Pierce faked a shot at Anthony, then immediately lowered his body and accelerated to break through, instantly driving into the paint before jumping and shooting!
Strangely enough, this guy's jumping height is among the lowest of all black forwards in the NBA, and his layup form is so ugly it's speechless.
But Pierce was able to dodge Stoudemire and Okur with that awkward move and easily bank the ball in with a layup.
"Both are 2 points, no difference!" Nash immediately retorted to Lin Tian after Pierce scored, his tone extremely calm, as if stating something perfectly simple. His trash talk, at least in terms of tone, was utterly harmless!
"You'll find out soon enough whether there's a difference or not!" Lin Tian snorted and stretched out his hand towards the baseline to call for the ball.
Then once again, instead of rushing forward, he leisurely walked to the front and waved his hand again, signaling everyone to pull him away.
Let's play Nash!
"I just discovered a secret, Steve!" Lin Tian said to Nash with considerable ease, "I've discovered your advantage in your poor defense!"
"Your defense is so bad that anyone can easily blow past you. But once they do, the player guarding you has to drive to the basket, creating a huge gap between you. Then, whether they're going for a layup or a pass, it becomes very difficult for them to quickly find you, catch up with you, and defend you!"
"So you always drive to the basket so easily and effortlessly because the guy guarding you is battling it out with a big man under the basket! Am I right?"
"I even suspect that you might actually be very good at defense, but you're just playing dumb to make yourself more lethal on offense. You deliberately don't play defense and intentionally get beaten up! This way, your opponents underestimate you, and you can easily launch your attack!"
"Your imagination is so wild I'm almost embarrassed to respond," Nash said, pursing his lips. "Is there any part of me that looks like I have good defense?"
"You have a lot of chest hair, and it looks like it's very good at defending itself! So I've decided to destroy it!"
"What the hell? Destroy what?" Nash was stunned by Lin Tian's words. He had played in the NBA for so many years and had been trash-talked countless times.
He'd heard it all—with swear words, without swear words, related to race, related to sexual orientation, and all sorts of other things.
But this was the first time he had ever seen someone want to destroy his chest hair!
And how the hell do you get rid of chest hair? Hair removal cream or razor?
Then, one second later, Nash knew how Lin Tian had destroyed his chest hair.
Direct compression and collision!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Three loud bangs followed, which was Lin Tian's favorite rhythm and number of attacks when he was backing down. After launching three consecutive attacks on Nash's chest hair, Lin Tian had already reached the flank near the three-second zone.
Then, before Martin could come up to help defend, Lin Tian suddenly spun around Nash and tossed the ball toward the basket.
Stoudemire, who was missed by Martin, immediately took off, caught the basketball in mid-air with both hands, and then slammed it into the basket!
"boom!"
After the bang, the Knicks scored another 2 points!
"Look, I'll continue to destroy the most defensive positions on you, and with this kind of play, how can you advance?" Lin Tian smiled at Nash, bent down and stretched out his arms to begin a full-court press!
To wear down Nash, we must do it from both ends of the court!
On offense, they constantly attacked him and made physical contact with him. On defense, they increased the intensity and scope of their attacks, pressing him throughout the entire court!
Accelerate his physical exertion so that he feels tired as soon as possible!
Before the finals began, Lin Tian had done his homework with Don Nelson!
During the regular season, Nash averaged 37 minutes per game and 3.9 turnovers per game, with 2.4 turnovers in the first three quarters and 1.5 turnovers in the fourth quarter.
In this season's playoffs, Nash averaged 41 minutes per game and had an average of 4.4 turnovers per game, including 2.5 turnovers in the first three quarters and 1.9 turnovers in the fourth quarter.
This data clearly shows that when Nash had plenty of energy in the first three quarters, he could control his turnovers very well, but in the fourth quarter, when his energy dropped, his turnovers would increase dramatically!
If we break this data down even further, his average turnovers in the first three quarters of the regular season were 0.5, 0.8, and 1.1 respectively.
The playoff numbers are 0.6, 0.9, and 1.
This data is more intuitive and clear.
This proves that the more stamina Nash had, the fewer mistakes he made; and the further the game went, the more stamina he expended, and the more mistakes he made!
Especially as his playing time increased, his number of turnovers in the first three quarters was actually similar to that in the regular season and the playoffs, and even slightly less in the third quarter of the playoffs.
However, in the fourth quarter, his turnovers increased by a staggering 26%!
This further proves that Nash is prone to making mistakes in crucial moments!
This data actually contains even more detailed information, breaking down Nash's playing time into smaller, more detailed segments, clearly listing the number and frequency of his turnovers every 5 minutes and even every 3 minutes.
Every piece of relevant data proves this point.
Nash has stamina issues!
His turnovers will skyrocket after he plays for 40 minutes!
One of the tasks Old Nelson gave Lin Tian was to wear down Nash, to make his physical strength drop rapidly!
Don Nelson wasn't satisfied with letting Nash's turnover count rise until the fourth quarter.
He wants Nash to start making a lot of mistakes from the second half, or at least from about halfway through the third quarter!
His plan was to cause the Suns to collapse starting in the middle of the third quarter due to Nash's fatigue!
Lin Tian executed Old Nelson's strategy quite well!
Starting from the second possession, he applied full-court pressure to Nash, and he stopped using offensive methods such as face-up drives or direct shots.
You have to engage in physical contact, you have to keep pushing the paint, Nash wants to save some energy?
Don't even think about it! A pipe dream!
Lin Tian kept pushing Nash towards the basket. Sometimes he would shoot himself, sometimes he would pass to a teammate who was in a better position and had been left out, and sometimes he would simply push towards the basket and force a shot. Regardless of whether it went in or not, he would try to get a better position with Nash under the basket, just in case he got a rebound.
"Physical bullying!" Payton said with a wicked grin, "Lin's playing style is pretty nasty! It's blatant bullying of Nash with his body, crushing him with his physical prowess, no technique involved at all, just pure domination! That's how I used to bully those skinny guys in the league!"
"By the way, Reggie, you've been bullied like this before, haven't you? There are plenty of strong and tall guys at the shooting guard position! The reason you can't win a championship with your team is because you're always targeted by guys like Lin the whole game, and you're powerless to fight back!"
"Tell me how you feel. Are you angry, disgusted, and completely dislike this approach?"
"Fuck you!" Miller showed no mercy to Payton's provocation, immediately resorting to profanity. He couldn't be bothered to argue with Payton about tactics, details, or how he wasn't afraid.
I'm going to roast you today! So what?
In the first quarter, Lin Tian and Nash both played the full 12 minutes. Lin Tian would use his body and strength to bully Nash in almost every possession. Regardless of whether he scored or assisted, or even whether he had the basketball, he would make close contact with Nash before stopping.
I'm going to beat you up today!
In this quarter, Lin Tian achieved an impressive stat line of 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Another point worth mentioning is that even though Nash was being targeted so badly by Lin Tian, even though Nash was almost unable to stand up straight from Lin Tian's attacks, D'Antoni did not make any adjustments on the defensive end, did not think about protecting Nash, and did not ask anyone for help.
He just watched.
Anyway, Lin Tian felt that this guy was either a real man, tough and ruthless!
Either this person is a simpleton: simply unable to react quickly and lacking in adaptability.
Considering D'Antoni's subsequent coaching career, and his experiences with the Knicks, Lakers, and Rockets.
It's hard to imagine that even with Stoudemire and Anthony on his team, he could barely play without Jeremy Lin, and then he immediately became a top coach after Lin's emergence.
Thinking about how he insisted on playing a run-and-gun style with a bunch of old men and big men on the Lakers, and how he made his players shoot three-pointers like crazy even when the Rockets were 0 for 27...
Damn it, this guy is definitely a complete idiot with no clue whatsoever.
The point guard and center set a screen, then the others make a figure-eight cut, screen each other, cut off the ball, roll to the basket after a screen, and then look for opportunities to shoot.
That's all!
All his variations are variations of this one.
You give him Nash, Stoudemire, and Marion, and that's his strategy.
You give him Felton, Stoudemire, and Anthony, and he still uses the same tactics.
You could give him Kobe, Howard, and Gasol, and he'd still use the same trick.
No matter what you give me, I'll use the same trick!
In the coaching world, having a single, effective trick is enough to get by.
But he was able to win the Coach of the Year award and lead the team to achieve top results repeatedly with this one move, which is quite remarkable.
Anyway, under his guidance, if you're a shooter, no problem, you can deliver the best performance of your career.
If you're a point guard who can run pick-and-rolls, no problem, you can still have the best performance of your career.
If you're an inside player who can pick and roll and also shoot, or a forward who can cut, move around, and shoot, then it's all good!
If your main attribute is any of the above, you will definitely be able to make a living under him and achieve top-notch performance.
But what if it isn't?
Well then, I'm sorry, let fate decide our fates!
A fanatic and enthusiast of rigid adherence to the main force, inflexibility, stubbornness, and a penchant for offensive tactics.
This is D'Antoni's trademark.
Besides these, you really can't think of any other labels associated with D'Antoni.
But no matter what, D'Antoni's approach is indeed very effective.
For example, in the first quarter tonight, even though Nash was targeted so badly by Lin Tian, he was still able to score 5 points and 4 assists in the quarter. He was still able to steadily organize the team's offense, and the Suns' overall offensive performance was still quite good!
Their team offense was quite impressive; they scored 35 points in the first quarter alone!
This score is absolutely ridiculously high!
But of course, with Lin Tian on the other side, the Knicks' firepower and the Suns' defense meant that 35 points wouldn't be enough for them to take the lead.
35: 40!
The Knicks led the Suns by 5 points in the first quarter!
Another noteworthy point is that in the first quarter, all five of D'Antoni's key players played at least 10 minutes, with Nash and Marion both playing a full 12 minutes!
He only changed 3 people.
The Suns' signature 8-man rotation has begun!
In the second quarter, Nash and Marion finally got to rest, but Martin, Jones, and Pierce came back on!
Playing under D'Antoni is really not that different from playing under Thibodeau.
One is offensive and the other defensive, but they are definitely a top duo in the league who relentlessly push their team's starters.
On the other hand, apart from Lin Tian playing a full game to target Nash, the other Knicks players had plenty of playing time.
For example, right now, Nelson only fielded two starters, Stoudemire and Anthony, while the other three were substitutes!
Furthermore, he didn't let Ward, Lin Tian's former number one substitute, play for these few minutes; he put Nate in instead!
In situations like this, against a team like the Suns, Don Nelson values impact and scoring ability more!
Nate's chaotic style is clearly more suited to this kind of situation!
The rotation players from both sides didn't play for long. The Suns only played for 2 minutes before sending Nash back in, while D'Antoni let Marion and Jones rest.
He was holding a five-man squad of Nash, Barbosa, Pierce, Thomas, and Martin.
On the Knicks' side, Don Nelson was still in no hurry to bring in Lin Tian. He fielded a high-energy lineup of Nate, Barnes, Anthony, Stoudemire, and Smith.
Since the Sun likes to play fast, then oppose it! Play a chaotic game against it! It's against you!
The pace of offense and defense transitions on both sides remained extremely fast. Both the Suns and the Knicks were constantly attacking, and both teams were adhering to the philosophy of 7 seconds or less, running frantically on the court.
However, in the end, the Knicks didn't have Lin Tian on the court, but the Suns had Nash, so the Suns still had the upper hand!
Under Nash's leadership, they gradually gained the upper hand.
Then, four minutes into the second quarter, Nash pulled up after a screen beyond the three-point line and launched a three-pointer!
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp sound, Nash hit a three-pointer!
51: 50!
The Suns have taken the lead!
"Old Nelson is being a bit conservative! Against a team like the Suns, with Lin's ability and stamina, there's no need for him to rest for four minutes right away," Payton said. "If it were me, I'd have Lin and Nash go in and out together. If you're going to target someone, you have to target them completely!"
"What do you know? If you were the coach, the Knicks would have no chance of making the Finals! Do you even know what stamina management, resting and preparing for battle, or being ready to unleash your power?"
"Strategy! Do you understand? Strategy! Only by employing strategy, only by making proper arrangements, can one become a successful commander!"
"Someone like you, who only knows how to play a straight game, should just go coach a high school team!"
"Weren't you supposed to be shrewd players in position 1, each one more cunning than the last, and full of dirty tricks? How come when it comes to you, I feel like all you have left is a head full of useless nonsense, and nothing else?"
"Fuck you! FUXX!" Payton was too lazy to analyze tactics, his glorious history, or how many brilliant tactics he had shouted out, when Miller finally found an opportunity to rant.
Only a lunatic would argue with him about that.
I'm going to yell at you today, so what!
At this point, Old Nelson stopped restricting Lin Tian's playing time, patted him on the shoulder and said, "You only have four minutes left. Get ready and plan ahead."
Lin Tian nodded without saying anything more, because he understood what Old Nelson meant.
He's going to play the entire remaining matches!
His rest time tonight was just a mere four minutes.
That's enough!
Back on the court, Lin Tian immediately leaned against Nash with a mischievous grin, pressing his back against Nash's chest and saying, "Missed me? Had fun for those last two minutes, didn't you? But your fun time is over!"
"Bang! Bang!" After saying that, Lin Tian didn't give Nash a chance to respond at all, and directly increased the intensity, crashing into him!
This time, Lin Tian only retaliated twice!
It wasn't because the Suns double-teamed him, or because he took pity on him.
Instead, Lin Tian suddenly turned around and left Nash, who was still trying to put up a fight with him, behind him!
This turn was so fast and quick that it completely bypassed Nash! Nash, who was originally preparing to exert his strength, was unable to match Lin Tian's power and was even thrown forward, almost falling over.
Lin Tian had already penetrated into the paint, and just as Martin stepped up to help defend, he suddenly blasted the ball again with great force. With another swift turn, he bypassed Martin and was already at the basket in the blink of an eye.
Then Lin Tian jumped up quickly, put the ball behind his head with both hands, pulled his whole body back into a full bow, and then burst out again, his fierce hands slamming the ball into the basket!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, the entire basketball hoop shook violently.
Lin Tian's shot was domineering and incredibly powerful! (End of Chapter)