hotmtlnovel Chapter 420 The Battle for the Scoring Title: Why Can't There Be a Third Way?
Chapter 420 The Battle for the Scoring Title: Why Can't There Be a Third Way?
"Get lost." Lin Tian kicked Arenas, telling him to get out of the way. "Don't get involved in things that are none of a kid's business."
Arenas rubbed his buttocks in frustration, looking at Webber, Ben, and the other guys who had urged him to come over and ask questions with a resentful expression, full of grievances.
I said I wouldn't ask, and you said you'd beat me up if I didn't ask. Oh, now that I've asked, you're all strutting around with your noses in the air, not daring to look me in the eye, and you even made me get kicked by Lin.
It's a good thing I didn't bring a gun, otherwise I would have given those bastards a good thrashing!
Aggrieved Arenas received no answer, and naturally, the others received none either.
Lin Tian and Jordan sat together in complete ease, changing clothes and chatting idly about something.
Even if the people around them strained their ears to listen, they couldn't hear anything.
Those two bastards, they're too quiet!
"Lin, you and Michael..." Carlisle finally seized the opportunity to speak to Lin, who was now alone, only after everyone had stood up and prepared to head out of the locker room for the game. "Tonight's game..."
"It's okay, we'll definitely win!"
Lin Tian gave an irrelevant answer, patted Carlisle on the shoulder, and turned to leave.
FUXX!
Carlisle was about to curse. Who asked you that? Who cares about winning or losing tonight!
What I want is for the team's chemistry to be exactly the same as before!
Who cares whether the team has 64 or 65 wins after tonight?
How many wins does he have? Isn't he the best in the league?
Carlisle is now 100% certain that Lin Tian and Jordan, those two bastards, have conspired to do something, but they just won't tell him.
Carlisle is anxious! Carlisle is in a frenzy!
Carlisle's hair was falling out in clumps!
"Coach, I see that your hair loss problem seems to be quite serious lately. I've been using a shampoo that's a specialty of South America, which can effectively inhibit hair loss and free you from the troubles of hair loss."
Ginobili approached at some point.
He was just about to promote his national brand again when he was immediately intimidated by Carlisle's murderous gaze and aura.
"Get lost! Mind your own business!"
Carlisle grumbled and shoved Ginobili's head out of the player tunnel, then dusted off his hair, took a deep breath, and walked out of the tunnel as well.
Whatever! Anyway, judging from Lin Tian's expression, he already knew what was going on, so Carlisle couldn't be bothered to care anymore.
Anyway, we can't control it, can we?
Let nature take its course! What's the point of breaking up a team just because of a scoring champion?
Thinking about this, Carlisle felt refreshed and invigorated, as if his whole body was clear and light.
Never mind! Let's go!
Whatever!
As Carlisle was the last to enter the arena, he immediately heard the frenzied shouts of the fans!
The difference is that Indiana fans obviously know that tonight is a special night. If they shout and yell in their usual way, whoever they want, the team might actually have some kind of internal conflict.
Therefore, this time Indiana fans chose a compromise.
"MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!"
They just chant "MVP," not the players' names!
Anyway, whoever you players think we're calling out, then we're calling out that person.
On a grander scale, this is boundless love, and every member of this team is an MVP!
To put it simply, Indiana fans are completely different from those jerks from other teams!
For example, the Knicks.
Dolan, that bastard, was sitting in the front row again, accompanied by two beautiful girls Lin Tian had never seen before. As soon as Dolan saw Lin Tian and Jordan, he excitedly waved and greeted them: "It's on me tonight! It has to be on me! Let's celebrate!"
Congratulations on winning the scoring title!
Dolan winked mischievously, as if waiting for one of the two to step forward and accept the title.
This guy had a really smug look on his face, but Lin Tian and Jordan ignored him.
But the two of them didn't have much of a chance to warm up.
Because Houston also walked over with a wicked grin.
"You bastard, weren't you out for the season?" Lin Tian gave Houston a cold look the moment he saw him, pointing out that this guy was clearly out for the season in February, so why was he here in training clothes again?
"If I missed a game like tonight, I'd regret it for the rest of my life!" Houston said with a laugh. "So I asked the team doctor, and they cleared me to play in this game!"
"FUXX!" Jordan cursed, wanting to get away from his former teammate, who had now completely given up and was shameless.
"Don't go, Michael! How many points are you planning to get tonight? Or rather, how many more points are you planning to get than Lin?"
Houston kept asking him questions, but Lin Tian and Jordan completely ignored him and quickly walked towards their own half of the court.
Stoudemire, who had basically secured the Rookie of the Year award, was completely ignored by the two men, who walked past him without stopping.
This made Little S feel incredibly awkward standing there.
But neither the Knicks nor the Pacers players got the results they wanted despite their probing attempts. Lin Tian and Jordan remained tight-lipped and didn't say a word.
This has made everyone incredibly curious about what happens next in the match.
How exactly will it proceed?
Are these two just going to let things take their course, or are they going to fight tooth and nail over it?
curious!
As for why Jordan and Lin Tian did this?
You've already reached an agreement!
The two had already discussed it several days earlier, after deciding that the scoring champion would be decided in the final game.
The first step to reaching a consensus is that since you both want to see and want to get some information out of us, and want to know our attitude, then we two brothers will not say a single word!
I won't tell!
You guys are going to be so anxious!
Want to see some excitement?
Think about it!
As for the second consensus reached...
Why must we determine a winner and a loser?
Scores don't necessarily have to be different, or have to be high or low.
Can't it be exactly the same?
How did everyone get led astray?
The warm-up quickly ended, and amidst the wild cheers of fans worldwide and those in attendance, what might be the most unique regular season game in NBA history was about to begin!
To reiterate: while there aren't many years where the scoring title race goes down to the wire, it's not difficult to name 3 or 4.
Is it possible that the scoring title contenders are two players from the same team?
That was the first time ever!
If these two players were the cornerstones of the league's past two dynasties, the winners of seven consecutive championships since the 1995-96 season, and almost monopolized the MVP award in recent years, then it would be even more exciting!
The greatest of all time and the guy most likely to surpass him are battling for the scoring title – the ultimate showdown begins!
The Pacers have finished their rest period, and their starting lineup remains their signature five: Lin Tian, Jordan, Christie, Webber, and Ben Wallace!
The Knicks' roster, on the other hand, was a rather odd bunch: point guard Charlie Ward, shooting guard Allan Houston, small forward Krenles Weatherspoon, power forward Amar'e Stoudemire, and center Osera Harrington!
There are only five of them. How should I put it?
It was truly a place where the old were old, the young were young, and the vegetables were either rotten or rotten!
Not worth mentioning!
Apart from the soon-to-retire Houston and the up-and-coming Stoudemire, the rest of this roster is really not worth mentioning.
Even with this group of players, Houston tanked and didn't play for two months. It would be an extraordinary performance if they didn't finish last!
However, the Knicks' starting lineup was nothing special, but there were a few players on the bench whose faces Lin Tian recognized quite well.
Turk, Yao Ming's nemesis Okur, the real-life "Sakuragi Hanamichi" Gerald Wallace, "Martial Saint" Stephen Jackson, and Matt Barnes with tattoos covering almost every corner of his body.
Wow, this group of people, although they haven't made a name for themselves yet and can only be absolute substitutes in the Lotto team, are actually very strong!
If they were to bring in someone like Ron Artest from the Bulls, they'd be forming a new New York mob!
I don't know how Walsh assembled this team; they've got all these weirdos.
Dolan: Who? Who do you want, Lin? I'll make the deal right now! Bring him here immediately!
Walsh: What kind of lineup is this? Nothing special, it's cheap!
These guys are all on base salaries, which perfectly fits Dolan's plan to save money for the past two years and then make a big splash next summer!
Anyway, based on the Knicks' current salary situation, next summer, in the 04 offseason, they will be able to free up approximately... well, not how much salary space they can free up, but how much salary space the Knicks can squeeze out based on the league's salary cap!
In the summer of 04, they had no contracts other than rookie contracts and minimum salary contracts!
We're waiting for that year to unleash a big wave!
As for who they are waiting for?
The fact that Dolan is sitting in the front row at Conseco Arena says it all, doesn't it?
Because of his undisguised and reckless behavior, he was booed quite a bit by the fans tonight.
Boo!
Even if the Indians were prepared for Lin Tian to leave next summer, it's still a bit much to play this kind of game on us like this. We'll tear you apart!
What silenced the fans' boos at Dolan was the referee's whistle to start the game!
Osera Harrington and Ben Wallace jumped almost simultaneously, but both are short, big men. Wallace, with his stronger physique and quicker reaction, won the jump ball, a rare occurrence!
The basketball immediately came into Lin Tian's hands. After receiving the ball, Lin Tian did not hesitate. After observing for a moment, he quickly passed the ball to Jordan, who was already running down the court.
After receiving the ball, Jordan dribbled two steps towards the frontcourt, drove into the three-point line, and then suddenly stopped in his best mid-range position before pulling up for a shot!
The Knicks' defense simply couldn't keep up, or rather, the Knicks guys, who were used to being lazy, simply weren't in the zone. They just watched Jordan drive into the paint, then symbolically stretched out their arms, and that was considered their defensive effort.
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, Jordan scored 2 points!
"Beautiful! On the very first offensive possession, Lin passed to Michael on a fast break, assisting him to score his first two points of the night. Michael is now leading Lin by 14 points!" Barkley shouted excitedly. "Lin immediately gave Michael an assist, showing his generosity and selflessness!"
"Lin proved with this pass that he doesn't care about being the scoring champion at all! He only cares about winning! I think Lin will keep passing the ball to Michael and letting him keep scoring."
"Those two never worry about who will win the scoring title! Top players don't care about that at all."
With Barkley's excited commentary, both teams officially got into position, ready to put on a good show.
The Knicks were playing a pick-and-roll game. After Ward and Stoudemire set a screen, Ward quickly spread out and passed the ball to Stoudemire. Stoudemire slammed the ball heavily on the floor with both hands and then took off like a rocket.
"boom!"
Facing the best defensive player, Ben Wallace, Stoudemire showed no fear and completed a powerful dunk with one hand!
Kenny roared, "Here he comes! Forced entry! Beautiful! That physique is probably on par with Kemp! Amar'e Stoudemire! Let's remember this name, let's remember this incredibly powerful rookie!"
"Me too, Kenny!" Barkley chimed in. "Amar'e is my second favorite player in this draft class! My absolute favorite is Ginobili from Indiana! His drives and flair are truly unforgettable!"
The two commentators were excitedly giving their commentary, but the situation on the court that followed was completely different from what Barkley had just said!
After passing the ball to Jordan for the first time, Lin Tian started his attack!
In the next few minutes, he didn't pass the ball to Jordan once! Instead, Lin Tian himself drove inside and shot from the outside, taking one shot after another!
What about camaraderie, what about brotherhood, what about not caring about being the scoring champion, what about passing the ball to Jordan?
No! Absolutely none!
In the next five minutes, Jordan took one shot, a three-pointer that he wasn't good at, and the result was a dull thud, indicating that the shot missed.
Lin Tian's goals were like resounding slaps to Barkley's face.
awkward.
Utterly embarrassing!
Barkley, in particular, claimed to be the person in the league who knew these two guys best, and even called himself their best buddy, but...
结果就是林天第一节比赛9投6中，3分球2投1中，罚球2罚全中，单节拿下了15分！
Jordan made 2 of 5 shots in the first quarter, scoring 4 points.
The gap between the two players has been narrowed to 1 point!
Jordan is only leading by one point!
Barkley's already chubby face looked even more swollen!
In the first few minutes of the second quarter, neither Jordan nor Lin Tian played, a rotation completely different from the Pacers' previous games!
In most games before this season, Carlisle would let Lin Tian play the entire first quarter, while Jordan would rest for about 8 minutes in the first quarter and then come back in the second quarter to lead the substitutes.
Carlisle will do his best to ensure that every second of the 48-minute game is played by at least one of Jordan or Lin Tian on the Pacers' roster!
But tonight?
Anyway, Carlisle has already given up and doesn't care about the team's previous rotations anymore. He's decided not to worry about it today!
You two aren't going to tell me your thoughts, are you? Then there's no need to tell me!
Let's not do it!
What kind of routine rotation is this? You two should just go up and down together!
As a result, the Pacers, who led the Knicks by 8 points in the first quarter, were quickly caught up by the Knicks in the early part of the second quarter because their star player was not on the court.
Four minutes into the second quarter, the Knicks had narrowed the score to 31-33!
The two teams are only 2 points apart!
At this point, Carlisle made a substitution, bringing Lin Tian and Jordan onto the court together. As for how they would play, who would lead the offense, and what tactics they would employ, Carlisle didn't give them a single instruction!
You two are doomed, you're finished! I'm done with you!
"Rick, the way you're acting right now is just like that bastard Larry," Lin Tian said with a laugh as he stood up. "That bastard would definitely be doing the same thing now!"
After Lin Tian finished speaking, he walked straight onto the court, and the game continued!
On the first possession back on the court, Lin Tian dribbled past Ward with a crossover, then sped towards the paint, and with Stoudemire helping on defense, made a layup for 2 points, putting him ahead of Jordan!
"Lin's total points this season are one point higher than Michael's!" No wonder Barkley is a born media person, a natural-born talent for this job. He has completely forgotten what he said earlier, and completely forgotten the face he was slapped in the first quarter.
If you hadn't watched the first quarter, and only heard Barkley's voice at this moment, you would definitely think he was a staunch supporter of "Lin Tian scoring king"!
"If the game ends at this point, or if Lin and Michael stop scoring, then Lin will become the season's leading scorer!"
"I think the scoring gap between these two will likely widen further. Michael wasn't showing much offensive desire tonight; I think he's decided to let his younger brother, Lin, win another scoring title!"
"I'm really looking forward to it! I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of scoring feast Lin will put on to repay his fans! This is already Lin's second scoring title, and his performance over the past few years has been truly amazing!"
"It's worth mentioning that Lin is currently averaging 9.4 assists per game. It's a real shame that he's slightly behind Kidd's 10.1, ranking only second in the assist rankings. If he wants to surpass Kidd, he needs to dish out at least 50 assists tonight!"
"That's obviously impossible! But Lin could try his best tonight and win his second career scoring title!"
"Look, Lin dribbles up to the frontcourt again, he starts accelerating, is he trying to extend his lead over Michael again? He drives into the paint and shoots. It's a pass! The ball's arc is wrong, it goes straight to the other side of the rim!"
"FUXX!"
"boom!"
On the court, Lin Tian's pass went over the basket and was caught by Jordan, who cut to the basket and then slammed it home with an alley-oop dunk!
Lin Tian passed the ball to Jordan again!
This is also why Barkley cursed.
Are you kidding me?
I say pass the ball and you score; I say score and you pass the ball.
What? You installed a listening device in our TNT commentary livestream? You can hear everything I say in real time, right?
Even someone as thick-skinned as Barkley couldn't utter a single word at this moment. He kept his mouth shut, his eyes practically spitting fire.
As for Kenny next to him, he really wanted to laugh, but he had received professional training and had to hold it in!
But the more he tried to hold back, the less he could control himself. Kenny didn't dare to speak anymore. He knew that if he opened his mouth, it would inevitably be a burst of mad laughter. He could only pinch his fingers hard, trying to calm himself down and at least finish a complete sentence before laughing!
On the court, Lin Tian and Jordan suddenly started playing.
Lin Tian gets one from the left, Jordan gets one from the right.
Jordan makes a mid-range jump shot, and Lin Tian drives into the paint for a layup.
Jordan drew a foul from Houston in the low post and made both free throws, while Lin Tian made a layup after a drive.
In the second quarter, the two players traded baskets, neither giving an inch, and both saw their scores rise rapidly.
Neither of them tried to take the other's turn, and neither of them made consecutive attacks; they each took one turn and attacked once.
The beating was so evenly distributed, so fair and just!
In this situation, the two players' total season score naturally became very close, with each chasing and changing lanes back and forth.
One minute it's Jordan on top, the next it's Lin Tian even more!
"I understand! I understand!"
With two minutes left in the second quarter, Barkley suddenly slapped his thigh, indicating that he understood!
"So you know how to quickly reduce the swelling in your chubby face after being slapped?" Kenny forced a laugh. "I really suggest you think carefully about what you're going to say before you speak!"
"Stay calm, be composed! Think thrice before you act!"
"Shut up, Kenny! You don't understand Lin and Michael at all! You don't know their personalities!"
Barkley said smugly, "I just forgot one thing, a small thing!"
"Dignity! And self-confidence!"
"Both of these guys are people who value their dignity immensely, are extremely confident, and are unwilling to take advantage of others!"
"They have extreme confidence and respect for each other! So, I think they must have talked before this match! They must have reached an agreement!"
"And the agreement they reached is most likely a fair fight!"
"How can we have a fair fight? Let Lin catch up with Michael by those 12 points, then they'll start from the same starting line before the real battle begins! Both of them will charge from the same point, and whoever crosses the finish line first will be determined by their offensive consistency!"
"It's that simple!"
"Never take advantage of your brothers; if you win, win honorably! If you lose, accept it wholeheartedly! That's Michael and Lin! That's a duel between men! That's a true man! Mutual respect!"
"They're brothers! They're buddies! They're best friends, but they're also rivals. They're always eager to beat each other, they're constantly competing, and that competition makes them both better!"
"While eager to defeat each other, they also support and help each other! Whenever the other is in need, they are always the first to stand up and lend a helping hand!"
"This is what true brotherhood is!"
Barkley's words were, you know, quite touching. Many fans, especially those from Chicago, couldn't help but tear up when they thought about how these two had fought side by side in Chicago years ago.
Yes! The purest friendship between men is just that beautiful!
After Barkley's remarks and after listening to his explanation, many people suddenly felt: it doesn't matter anymore!
Nothing else matters anymore—no scoring title, no MVP, none of that matters! The best gift is that these two can fight together again after parting ways in '97!
That's the charm of basketball! That's the power of competitive sports!
With Barkley's heartfelt speech, the competition between Lin Tian and Jordan on the court has become increasingly fierce!
The first half was flying by, and Lin Tian and Jordan were still neck and neck! By the end of the first half, Lin Tian had scored 29 points, while Jordan had scored 17 points!
In the second quarter, both players scored in double figures! And the game was tied!
Jordan and Lin Tian are tied in total points for the season!
"A perfect first half! A perfect performance! I think the second half will be the real duel! In the second half, the two players who are truly on equal footing will begin their final sprint!" Barkley continued his impassioned speech during halftime.
He now feels that his speech today will definitely go down in history!
At the very least, this is the best performance of his personal commentary career!
His voice was expressive, melodious, heartfelt, and full of emotion!
If the NBA were to award some kind of Best Commentary Moment at the end of the season, Barkley thinks this moment of his would definitely win an award!
Anyway, he was full of confidence!
However, if he were in the Pacers' locker room right now, he definitely wouldn't be so confident.
He might just retire from commentary altogether.
Because right now, the atmosphere in the Pacers' locker room is quite strange!
"Lin? What are you doing in the shower? You have diarrhea, what are you doing?" Weber was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly noticed that Lin Tian was carrying a towel, soap, shampoo, and lotion, and was humming a tune he couldn't quite place.
"Michael, what are you doing in the shower? You have diarrhea, what are you going to do?" Then, Ben Wallace noticed that Jordan was also carrying similar equipment, whistling incomprehensibly, and walking towards the shower.
"What are you two doing?" Carlisle stood in front of the two men. "Are you two drunk? You're going to take a shower right after the second quarter?"
"Our game is over," Lin Tian said with a smile. "Weren't those guys outside just trying to see us fight tooth and nail for the scoring title? We're done!"
Jordan also said, "Just make up any reason for us, like a sprained ankle, a sprained wrist, a sprained neck, or anything else, I don't care."
"I don't care, as long as it's logical and not too far-fetched." Lin Tian nodded, indicating that Jordan was right.
"FUXX! What about the second half of the game? You two..." Carlisle started to say, but then suddenly realized something.
Who cares about the second half!
It's just an insignificant regular season game, so if we don't play it, we don't play it!
In particular, Carlisle was thinking about the reaction of the entire basketball world after these two stood everyone up.
Tsk tsk, interesting!
Everyone thought these two were going to have a big one, but they just pooped a stinky mess!
Exciting! So exciting!
That's it! That's it!
Carlisle turned to the side and said, "Then you guys can go wherever you want after you're done showering and have some fun. I'll handle the press conference and the reporters! But who's this scoring champion again?"
"Two chairpersons!" Lin Tian said with a smile, "Big D, oops! Michael and I have decided that this term will have two chairpersons! We'll talk about the next term."
"You've got guts!" Webber walked over and gave him a thumbs up. "Rick, how about I twist my ankle too?"
"You think these are high school students skipping class? You're all trying to run away!"
"Except for those two, everyone else stay here!"
"Why!" A chorus of groans erupted in the locker room; everyone wanted to leave work early!
"If you guys can average 30 points per game or win some other individual title or MVP award, then you can leave early," Carlisle said, looking at the players who wanted to rebel. "If you can't, then you'd better stay here and play your game!"
After Carlisle's shout, the locker room fell silent. Originally, these guys were just there for the fun of it and to see if they could gain some advantage, but after realizing it wouldn't work, they chickened out very quickly and started preparing for the second half of the game!
"The second half starts on time!" After his confident and exuberant performance during halftime, Barkley was brimming with confidence. During the 20-minute break, he had been imagining and predicting how intense the second half would be.
Some people are saying Jordan and Lin will each score 30 points, others are saying the scoring title race might go all the way to a game-winning shot, and still others are saying it might end up being a contest of decency because the game could be blown out and it might just be a matter of who's more shameless in taking shots during garbage time.
In short, Barkley calculated every possible and possible scenario he could think of.
But when the starting lineups for both sides were announced in the second half and 10 players took to the field, Barkley was completely stunned.
What is that?
Where's Lin? Where's Michael?
What about people?
Where the hell are they?
"Charles, I just received the latest news. Lin and Michael have chosen to rest due to ankle discomfort. They will not participate in the second half of the game and will leave the arena directly for examination." Kenny said this with his last bit of self-control, without letting himself laugh out loud.
The more dashing and confident Barkley was just now, the more Kenny wanted to laugh.
At the same time, he couldn't help but give Lin Tian and Jordan a thumbs up.
Wow! They've stood up the whole world. In the entire league, I'm afraid only these two would dare to do something like this!
They played so fiercely in the first half, practically risking their brains, but in the second half, they just ran away?
That counterattack was brilliant!
As for what kind of ankle discomfort?
Nobody believes that!
It was only at this point that everyone realized something.
That is: why do these two people have to be ranked as superior or inferior?
They tied, is that not acceptable? (End of Chapter)