hotmtlnovel Chapter 427 Since we're going to do this, let's do something big!
Chapter 427 Since we're going to do this, let's do something big!
For the remainder of the first half, Lin Tian practically dominated Bremer and all the Celtics players who were matched up against him, giving them a sound beating!
The Celtics' terrible defensive system and rim protection were simply not enough to defend Lin Tian.
More importantly, their two older players are the kind of guys who would rather dribble for 15 seconds on offense than move a few steps on defense.
In the first half, Lin Tian made 12 of 19 field goals, 3 of 6 three-pointers, and 7 of 3 free throws, scoring 34 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Under his leadership, the Pacers led the Celtics by as many as 21 points in the first half!
66: 45!
The suspense of the game was almost over by halftime!
The reason he was able to lead by so much was not only because of Lin Tian's own outstanding performance, but also because of Walker and Pierce's overconfidence and poor performance.
After these two guys made a huge embarrassment before the match, their performance during the match was incredibly chaotic and disorganized, consisting of nothing but relentless, head-down attacks.
Each of them used and executed their three sets of tactics time and time again.
If basketball were a one-on-one game, Pierce and Walker's one-on-one ability, especially their weight and size that rivals 90% of the league's perimeter players, their skills, and their excellent touch, would absolutely be enough to destroy almost any opponent.
But basketball courts aren't one-on-one.
With the other three Celtics players posing little threat and the other two showing no intention of passing, the Pacers will double-team them whenever they have the ball and drive with their heads down to the area below the free-throw line!
Either Ben Wallace, the big man in the paint, rushes out to disrupt their drives to the basket and close-range shots, or Jordan or Lin Tian comes from the wing to steal the ball and double-team them, disrupting their mid-range and long-range shots.
In short, the attacks from these two were incredibly painful and disgusting!
They couldn't find their rhythm at all.
Logically, if they were two more mature and stronger scorers, they would definitely choose to pass the ball to their teammates or run a few pick-and-rolls to break down the Pacers' defense.
But these two happen to be Pierce and Walker.
The more this happened, the more heated these two became, the more they wanted to fight, and the more they wanted to keep attacking, determined to bury their heads in the sand!
As for the result, it was, of course, terrible.
皮尔斯上半场11投3中，3分球3投1中，罚球2罚2中只拿到9分3篮板，同时还有3个失误。
他的搭当沃克比他稍好那幺一丢丢：12投4中，3分球4投1中，罚球3罚2中，拿下11分4篮板，但失误也达到了4个！
Both of them had a terrible performance in the first half!
In fact, if Lin Tian hadn't played so poorly tonight and hadn't insisted on doing everything himself, the Celtics would be down by at least 25 points, not just 20!
Lin Tian missed several open spaces that he would normally be able to pass to in order to attack!
Who can blame them when they want to see him score a high score tonight?
However, as I said before: given Lin Tian's status and ability, he scored more than 30 points in the first half. If he plays a few more shots recklessly, no one will say anything to him, and no one will take it to heart.
Nobody cared about Lin Tian's pre-match talk of finding an excuse to score more points, and of course, Lin Tian himself didn't really take it seriously either.
During halftime, Carlisle didn't make many adjustments; he just continued playing the same way. With a 20-point lead, it proved his strategy was absolutely correct and that the team's strength truly overwhelmed the opponent. Adjustments? There wasn't much to adjust.
Unless something suddenly goes wrong with the Celtics.
For example, Walker, who usually shoots eight three-pointers per game but has a negligible shooting percentage, suddenly had a hot streak and started sinking them one after another.
For example, Pierce, who usually shoots six three-pointers per game but has a negligible shooting percentage, suddenly had a hot streak and started sinking them one after another.
In short, unless these two suddenly find that incredible feeling, the Celtics are pretty much done for tonight!
Lin Tian and others also felt that if they could easily score another 10 or so points in the third quarter, and get 50 points in three quarters, they could probably clock out!
But how should I put it?
Pierce and Walker are indeed good brothers of Master Lin!
As if they knew Lin Tian had a special task in today's match, the two of them suddenly erupted when the two sides switched sides in the second half!
First, Walker, who is usually criticized for his poor and brainless shot selection, especially his huge frame but his obsession with kiting and throwing three-pointers, suddenly exploded!
His entire career has been accompanied by doubts and criticisms about poor shot selection and low basketball IQ.
Especially in this era, for a strong and skilled power forward to attempt nearly eight three-pointers per game with only a slightly over 30% success rate is a style of play that cannot be explained simply by going against the trend or being a new style of play.
Because people don't think he's that great at shooting so many three-pointers.
A more tactful person would say: Antoine's shot selection needs to be changed; it's too inefficient as it is now.
A more direct person would say: Antoine is a basketball idiot with a negative IQ.
Or to give another example.
The sheer impact and feeling that Antoine made by shooting eight three-pointers per game in this era is not much different from Kyrie Irving shouting "The earth is flat!" to everyone more than a decade later.
While everyone was amazed, incredulous, and greatly surprised, they also secretly thought that this person must be mentally ill!
Anyway, nobody will treat them like normal people.
Of course, that's not important.
Importantly, starting in the second half, Walker suddenly began to prove that his playing style was correct!
"Whoosh!"
Less than 7 seconds into the game, Walker hit his second three-pointer of the night from the wing, narrowing the gap to 18 points!
Then, after the Pacers' offense failed to score, it was Pierce's turn. He received the ball on the other wing, but no, he didn't pull up; he just tiptoed and took a three-pointer.
"Whoosh!"
Less than 40 seconds into the game, the Celtics went on a 6-0 run, narrowing the gap to 15 points!
Lin Tian's eyes lit up when he saw that each of the two had one!
My dear family! If you guys don't really step up, I'll start to feel embarrassed about keeping voting.
Now, here comes the work!
Lin Tian was invigorated. After dribbling to the frontcourt, he suddenly accelerated and charged forward, changing direction several times to get to the basket. He then made another reverse layup over Battier, scoring 2 points!
"Great shot!" Barkley exclaimed. "Leader Lin has proven his ability once again!"
"When the opponent was scoring consecutively, Lin once again thwarted the Celtics' offense, securing two crucial points for his team!"
"Great!" Kenny added, "I was just thinking that the Celtics might use those two three-pointers to keep closing the gap! But I was clearly overthinking it."
"The Pacers are so good at dealing with those sudden, unpredictable scoring runs from opponents; they have two players who are masters at it!"
"Maybe more than two!" Barkley laughed. "Have you forgotten those monsters on their bench? Those guys' scoring explosiveness shouldn't be underestimated either!"
Barkley and Kenny were having a casual conversation when Walker showed up!
This time it was a super long-range three-pointer from 2 meters beyond the three-point line! This guy obviously hasn't practiced shooting from this distance much, his shooting form was a bit distorted, but he still threw it!
"Whoosh!"
Not only did they throw it away, they also put it in!
After that long-range three-pointer, the gap between the two sides narrowed to 14 points again!
Lin Tian then launched another attack, responding with a mid-range jump shot.
Pierce and Walker seemed to have planned it beforehand, each getting one, and this time Pierce went for a big one!
He faced Christie's defense with a series of probing steps and feints, then suddenly started driving into the three-point line before pulling back and stepping back to the outside of the three-point line, quickly gathering the ball to pull up and shoot.
Christie's defense is absolutely top-notch! He wasn't fooled at all on this play, and his dive was perfectly timed.
But the problem is: it was too timely!
Because Pierce's rhythm is different from other players, his shot has a very long wind-up, and his feet are not in the traditional parallel position but one in front of the other. In addition, his jumping height is very low, so Christie pounced on him before he could even get into position!
This momentary lag immediately caused Christie to lose his balance, but he was too late to control his body.
"Snapped!"
The two made clear contact in mid-air, and then Pierce unleashed his signature powerful upper body strength, forcing the basketball out of his hand and sending it flying toward the basket!
"Whoosh!"
"Beep beep!"
Two voices rang out simultaneously: Pierce scored a 3+1!
This 3+1 combination has completely ignited the entire North Shore Gardens!
All the fans were chanting Pierce's name wildly, roaring and celebrating wildly!
Four consecutive three-pointers at the start of the third quarter!
That's amazing!
At this point, who would still complain that Pierce and Walker's shots were unreasonable?
Ultimately, there are no unreasonable shots, only shots that aren't good enough!
If you're good enough, all your shots are valid!
"You scored two goals too, but the fans weren't as crazy about you, Antoine," Lin Tian said to Walker beside him immediately after seeing the goal.
Its main purpose is to sow discord anytime, anywhere!
"Shut up! We're the same! Lin, you used this trick on us a few years ago. Now Paul and I are best buddies. Your attempts to sow discord are completely useless." Walker was quite righteous, snorting to indicate that he wasn't buying it.
"It's great that you think that way," Lin Tian said with a smile. "Two team leaders! I'm the most familiar with this setup; that's how Michael and I work."
"If Paul thought the same way, that would be great! He told me last time... well, never mind, he asked me to go to a nightclub with him!"
After Lin Tian finished speaking, he didn't give Walker a chance to ask "What did Paul say?" He turned around and left quickly.
Then Lin Tian saw Christie standing next to him.
"It's okay, Doug. He just got lucky. That kind of shot is nothing. He won't even make a second one in a month. You'll be able to shut him down from now on." Lin Tian was worried that Christie was upset, so he started to comfort him.
"I'm not frustrated. I've been playing for so many years, conceding a wonder goal is perfectly normal!" Christie shrugged, saying helplessly, "It's just a little disgusting, that bastard was spitting all over the place during his celebration!"
"They sprayed it all over me, it stinks! I suspect he hasn't brushed his teeth in a month!" Christie said, shivering with lingering fear.
It's clear that when Pierce was celebrating with a fist pump and a roar, he really spat a lot of saliva on Christie. Look at the poor kid, he's got psychological trauma now!
"Don't worry, Doug, I'll avenge you!" Lin Tian patted Christie on the shoulder, indicating that he would take care of everything.
"You're going to spit at him too?" Christie hesitated for a moment. "Forget it, that's disgusting."
"Who the hell is spitting? I'm not an alpaca." Lin Tian rolled his eyes. This love-struck idiot teammate was truly hopeless.
"So you're going to stand very close to him and yell trash talk at him?" Christie hesitated. "There's no need for that, and unless you haven't brushed your teeth for a month, it won't be very effective."
"Go to hell! Go to hell." Lin Tian was unusually a little defensive. What the hell does this bastard think about when he's not doing anything?
"Can't I use other methods to help you get revenge?" Lin Tian raised his arm and shoved Christie away, telling him to stay away from him. This guy's tastes were really disgusting.
For Lin Tian, this was a real opportunity! He was already embarrassed to keep scoring, and now Pierce was spitting on his brother?
I can't stand it! I absolutely can't stand it!
They must be killed, maimed, or crippled!
Otherwise, if word gets out, everyone in the martial arts world will know that my men were spitting on and foul-smelling, and I didn't stand up for them. How am I supposed to survive then?
Unforgivable!
Kill him!
Lin Tian swung his arms and walked to the backcourt, receiving the ball from the baseline. He was really going to go all out now!
After Pierce made the free throw, the gap between the two sides has been narrowed to 12 points! The power of those four three-pointers is truly remarkable.
"This possession is extremely important!" Barkley was the first to analyze. "Both the Celtics and the Pacers will take this possession very seriously!"
"If the Celtics successfully defend and then score again, the gap will officially be reduced to within 10 points! Single-digit and double-digit point differences may seem small, but they represent completely different situations for the players' mentality!"
"A single-digit point difference can give the trailing team players a burst of confidence and energy, allowing them to perform at a level far exceeding their usual abilities."
"The same goes for the Pacers. If they can make this shot and bring their lead back to a safe zone, it will be a great psychological boost for the entire team."
"So I think the Pacers will play a very safe play this time to ensure their success rate and stabilize the situation! They'll probably play the full 24 seconds! We see, Lin dribbled past half-court, and sure enough, he stretched out his hand; he was calling for a play!"
"A very complex gesture, I've never seen this move before. I think this is a new tactic that Carlisle has just come up with recently! Let's see how the Pacers execute it."
"Lin stopped, he collected the ball? He shot? WTF?"
Barkley's confidence instantly turned into a shocking swear word. He had just analyzed so much, and then Lin Tian made his move.
When the ball is dribbled to the frontcourt and about a meter from the three-point line, suddenly gather it, pull it up, and throw it!
Lin Tian's opponent, Bremer, couldn't even raise his arm, let alone defend!
He's a normal person, and his thoughts are the same as Barkley's.
He thought Lin Tian would at least organize the play, call out some tactics, have everyone move around and find a reliable open shot opportunity before taking the shot.
But, they just cast it like that?
Lin Tian: There's no need for that! If I cast now, isn't there an empty spot? If there's an empty spot, then why add an extra step?
"Whoosh!"
With a crisp click, Lin Tian's three-pointer swished through the net, and the Pacers once again extended their lead to a very safe distance.
"Can you two do it?" After scoring, Lin Tian looked at Pierce and Walker with disdain, and said casually, "Or rather, do you two dare to? Hmm?"
What kind of trash talk can best hit a man's weak spot and sore spot?
Even harsher than "You can't" is "You dare not!"
How many innocent young boys have fallen for an older woman's gentle trap simply because she said, "You won't do it..." No, I mean, "You're too scared?"
The same scenario can occur when a man smokes his first cigarette, drinks his first drink, enters a brothel for the first time, goes online for the first time, or even commits his first crime. The origin of these events is very likely a casual "You don't dare?" or "If you don't dare, then forget it."
Why is it said that a man is a boy until he dies? That's the power of this statement; its destructive effect on men extends from age 4 to 40 or even 70.
That's how fierce he is!
Anyway, after Lin Tian said that, Pierce, who had just made a 3+1, was so excited that he felt like his scalp was being ripped apart by the heat of the moment. He immediately called for the ball from the backcourt, dribbled it to the frontcourt, and ignored Christie's defense, pulling up for the ball and shooting!
"Whoosh!"
This time, Pierce's touch didn't falter!
The Celtics hit their fifth consecutive three-pointer!
"Not only do I dare, I can do it!" Pierce roared at Lin Tian immediately after scoring the goal.
But thanks to Christie's earlier warning, Lin Tian now dodged incredibly far away, quickly avoiding all the flying saliva, and then looked at Pierce and said, "You think you've done it by scoring one? Then take a look at this!"
As he spoke, Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt again. This time, he was half a meter further from the three-point line than where he had just shot, and then he took the shot again without any regard for the consequences!
*Whoosh!*
Absolute confidence! Absolute firing range!
And absolute willfulness and arrogance!
After scoring, Lin Tian looked at Pierce and said, "Do you dare to do this?"
"A friendly suggestion for Paul: go play a solid game inside, instead of continuing to overestimate yourself here. When it comes to three-pointers, I'm the greatest of all time!"
"Achoo!" Miller, who was sitting on the bench, suddenly sneezed, then looked around in confusion before grabbing a large towel from the caddie and draping it over his shoulder.
Why is there a chilly wind blowing in North Shore Gardens?
"If you're the greatest of all time," Pierce dribbled the ball up the court, looked at Lin Tian, and said confidently, "then I'm the greatest in the universe!"
After uttering this incredibly cheesy line, Pierce, like every villain who dares to claim to be the best in the universe, confidently made his move, only to be defeated by the protagonist.
"Bang!"
This shot finally missed!
The Celtics' momentum, which saw them hit five consecutive three-pointers, was broken!
But their momentum has stalled, while Lin Tian's momentum has only just begun!
Jordan grabbed the rebound, which had bounced quite far, from near the mid-range, and quickly passed it to Lin Tian, who was already running down the court.
After receiving the ball, Lin Tian sprinted all the way to the basket, jumped from the side of the basket, swung his hands in a windmill motion like a compass, and then, after he had flown over the basket and arrived on the other side of the basket, he suddenly exerted force from his waist, pressed his hands behind his head, and shoved the ball into the basket!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Lin Tian continued to score points!
This will help the Pacers regain absolute control of the game!
After slamming the ball in, Lin Tian found Pierce again on his way back on defense and said to him, "This one won't be too difficult for you, Paul. You'll never be able to dunk like that in your entire life!"
Then, Lin Tian subtly exchanged glances with Walker, who was standing beside him and looked annoyed at being ignored by Lin Tian and Pierce. Lin Tian then made no comment and showed no change in expression or emotion.
He acted as if he had never seen Walker, his gaze skipping over Walker and looking directly at the area behind him.
underestimate me?
Walker's already burning temper was now directly ignited at the Baihui acupoint on the top of his head.
Like Pierce, he felt his blood rushing to his head!
A few years ago, Walker almost fell out with the team and Pierce because of that series against the Pacers. It was that series that turned Walker from the team's leader to the team's second-in-command!
However, accepting the role of the team's second-best player was simply due to Auerbach's exceptional personal charisma and Walker's desire to earn more money; it wasn't that he had truly given up on becoming the team's leader and surpassing Pierce.
After all, he's two years older than Pierce!
This guy is also a representative of the arrogant generation of '96!
He can endure anything for the sake of money.
But today, Lin Tian bullied him so much that he just ignored him and expected him to put up with it?
It's not impossible!
But at the very least, someone should comfort him, persuade him, and say a few kind words to him about the bigger picture.
To put it bluntly, they're all like donkeys that need to be stroked; if you coax or deceive them, they'll agree to anything.
The problem is that the Celtics no longer have Auerbach, and head coach Silas is not the kind of coach who is good at observing the players' psychological state.
As for Pierce?
He's just as anxious and angry right now, wanting revenge!
Who isn't a 2-meter-tall, 100-kilogram baby? If I comfort him, then who the hell comforts me?
Anyway, no one on the Celtics team noticed that Walker was in a bad mood and not playing well. Pierce attacked three times in a row, during which he didn't pass the ball once. In those three attacks, he only scored one goal.
On the contrary, Lin Tian continued to shoot during this period and maintained a top shooting percentage. Apart from missing a three-pointer, he made a mid-range shot and a layup.
The gap between the two sides was rapidly widening to a point where it was impossible to catch up.
"Paul! You can give me the ball! Their attention is on you. Give me the ball now, and I can catch them off guard!" Walker suppressed his anger at being ignored and patiently reached out to Pierce.
"Antoine, wait a minute, I'll take care of him! I'm going to beat him up! Then I'll hand him over to you!" Pierce waved his hand impatiently, but at least he gave an explanation.
Walker nodded. Although he was very frustrated and his anger was about to explode, he didn't actually explode.
However, in the next few offensive possessions, Pierce's magic vanished. Whether it was driving to the basket, posting up, or shooting three-pointers, he encountered numerous setbacks! He only made 2 out of 7 consecutive shots!
As for Lin Tian, he continued his scoring spree. Although his shooting percentage was no longer as high as before, he was still much more efficient than Pierce!
With Pierce's insane shooting and Lin Tian's constant scoring, the Pacers quietly widened the score gap.
With three minutes left in the third quarter, Pierce suddenly passed the basketball to Walker, who was standing to the side.
"Antoine, I'm not feeling well, you do it!"
But Pierce clearly didn't notice Walker's terrible mood and his already absent-minded state.
Will I have one?
You fucking can't fight anymore, your legs are too weak to fight, so you're giving it to me, huh?
Do you really think you're the team leader? Do you really think that just because I'm your second-in-command, I can be bullied and manipulated at will?
So you really think you're so full that you can't eat anymore, so you're giving me all the leftovers?
Are you trying to get rid of a beggar?
FUXX!
Walker cursed inwardly, then passed the ball to Pierce and silently ran towards the baseline.
Play however you want, I'm not playing anymore!
Walker's sudden departure really surprised Pierce, but before he could even think about what was going on, Christie's defense came up again, along with Lin Tian!
The two players double-teamed Pierce once again, blocking him from both sides. Lin Tian seized the opportunity and slapped the basketball that Pierce was holding.
"Snapped!"
The basketball immediately slipped from Pierce's control and flew away into the distance.
Launch a counterattack!
Lin Tian ignored the basketball and didn't even look at where it was going to land. Instead, he lowered his head and sprinted away!
"Forest!"
Then he heard a roar, and the basketball was flying rapidly toward the basket!
Lin Tian did a quick calculation, then accelerated again, and then leaped into the air one step from the free throw line. He caught the basketball with both hands in mid-air, then completed an incredibly elegant 180-degree turn and slammed the ball behind his head!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Lin Tian completed a 180-degree back-to-the-back aerial relay!
"Beautiful! From Lin and Doug's steals to Chris's pass after getting the ball, and finally Lin's beautiful aerial dance! Everything was perfect! Everything was flawless!"
"A perfect counter-attack! A fantastic fast break!"
Barkley's voice was excited and sharp. He had once again forgotten the moment he was slapped in the face, because that no longer mattered!
After that basket, the score difference between the two sides had reached 30 points.
99: 69!
The Pacers have once again secured the victory early in the game!
"This shot was just as important for Lin! He's already scored 30 points in the third quarter! His total points for the game tonight have reached 64! He's just one point away from the NBA playoff record!"
Barkley focused on this beautiful play, while Kenny focused on Lin Tian's stats!
"Or rather, if Lin is willing to play, he is 100% capable of breaking the NBA playoff scoring record he and Jordan jointly hold! 66 points in a single game!"
"Only 2 points away, will Lin take another shot? Will Lin break this record?"
"Honestly, this is a huge suspense! Because Lin has had countless opportunities to break this record and create a brand new, terrifying, and even more unattainable record! But he gave it all up!"
"He's always been so indifferent to stats, repeatedly exciting and then incredibly disappointing fans! Tonight, I really hope Lin plays a little longer, and I hope the Celtics can be tougher!"
"At the very least, let Lin finish the last three minutes of the third quarter, okay?"
Kenny was hoping so, just like all the fans, that Lin Tian could play a little longer!
But Carlisle, who was off the field, didn't think so!
He felt that a 30-point difference was enough, and now it was time for the starters to rest! He had even had Parker and Arenas stand up to replace Lin Tian and Jordan.
He's going to replace Lin Tian.
"Are you crazy, Rick?" Miller, who was sitting next to Carlisle, grabbed Carlisle and said, "What are you doing?"
"Take Lin off the table, he's already scored 30 points, there's no need to substitute him."
"Do you even know what you're doing? If you take Lin out right now, you'll be hated by fans all over the world! You must know what he's about to achieve, right?"
"I know, but that doesn't matter! Lin doesn't care either."
"Not important? Bullshit! Don't care? That's bullshit too!" Miller rudely interrupted Carlisle: "I know what you're thinking, Rick. You're afraid Lin will get hurt, afraid he'll be too tired."
But tonight is different!
Miller shrugged after saying that: "But of course, you're the head coach, you call the shots. I'm just giving you a suggestion! A suggestion to make tonight one of the greatest playoff games in Pacers history."
After listening to Miller's words, Carlisle glanced at Pierce, who was missing another shot, and Lin Tian, who had begun a counterattack. He nodded, called Parker back, and only asked Arenas to substitute Jordan.
Miller is right, Lin Tian should have fought a little longer!
"Whoosh!"
On the court, Lin Tian has hit another mid-range jump shot. Tonight, his score has tied him and Jordan's 66 points, making them tied for first place in history!
And Lin Tian didn't keep the fans waiting long for that historic moment!
Lin Tian, caught up in the action, dribbled the ball back to the frontcourt 20 seconds later, and then pulled up for a three-pointer!
"Whoosh!"
With another crisp crack, a new historical record was set! (End of Chapter)