hotmtlnovel Chapter 410 Jordan hits, Jordan hits, after Jordan hits, Lin Tian hits!
Chapter 410 Jordan hits, Jordan hits, after Jordan hits, Lin Tian hits!
After spending a day in Kansas, Lin Tian, who returned to Indiana a day later than the team, didn't have time to go home. Instead, he went straight to the training field, casually tossed the trophy onto a seat on the sidelines, changed his clothes, and prepared to start training.
Unexpectedly, when Carlisle saw Lin Tian return, he smiled and gestured for everyone to stop training and gather around.
Then this guy clapped his hands, and Ginobili, that little rookie, actually pushed a small cart out of the tunnel with a cake on it.
"This is a gift everyone prepared for you, Lin. We hope you like it!" Carlisle said cheerfully, "It's incredible, truly incredible! Honestly, even if you won the Laureus Award, I wouldn't be surprised."
"But you actually won the Jesse Owens Award! That's just as shocking as Schwarzenegger winning a Grammy!"
"How do you know I can't win the Lawrence?" Lin Tian grinned mischievously at Carlisle and the others. "I've already been nominated for Best Male Athlete and Best Men's Team! Two nominations! I remember Michael was also nominated for Best Comeback Athlete? Let's go to Monte Carlo together next May to receive our awards."
"Huh? Where's Michael?"
"He took the day off; maybe the three-game losing streak is making him upset." Carlisle shrugged, looking somewhat worried. "How about I give you a day off so you can go and talk to him?"
"Sure!" Lin Tian nodded without hesitation, then picked up his trophy, said goodbye to his teammates, and went straight home.
Yes, I'm home.
He wouldn't waste his time trying to persuade Jordan.
It's perfectly normal for a 39-year-old veteran to take a break, and Lin Tian is very reassured about Jordan's mood and condition.
As I said before, at this age, how could a veteran not withstand such a small public opinion storm and psychological pressure?
This is Michael Jordan! To say he can't handle it is an insult.
Maybe he's just going to relax and have a drink, and then he'll be back on the court.
Lin Tian was confident that he didn't need to worry about this; Jordan could handle it.
Can Jordan handle it?
Of course he can handle it; in fact, he has many ways to do so.
Or rather, Jordan was just gritting his teeth and getting angry for a while when he was really in a bad mood. After taking a nap, he didn't care about the criticism, sarcasm, and so-called dirt being dug up.
These were the words Lin Tian said to Jordan face-to-face the next day.
There was no way around it; Jordan returned to the training facility the day after Lin Tian came back, and the first thing Carlisle excitedly said to him was, "I knew Lin could persuade you. He's the one on our team who understands you best!"
"Trying to persuade me?"
"I gave Lin the day off yesterday and asked him to come and talk to you, but he didn't go?" Carlisle was taken aback. He didn't go?
So who is Jordan's fiercely competitive look for?
Wasn't it inspired by Lord Lin?
Lin Tian: I don't have that ability. It all comes down to trust!
I trust that Mai will be able to get through this on his own and quickly return to the training ground, it's that simple!
Carlisle: No, you're not doing anything, so why did you agree to give me the day off yesterday? You should be training!
Lin Tian: If you don't give people time off, aren't you out of your mind?
Carlisle: I must be out of my mind to expect you to solve Jordan's problem for me!
After exchanging glances with Lin Tian for several rounds, Carlisle finally couldn't understand Lin Tian's eyes at all. He felt that Lin Tian's eyes were wandering around and he couldn't grasp his gaze at all. He had no idea what Lin Tian was trying to express.
Lin Tian: I didn't really say anything. I just saw the coach staring at me and thought I had something in my eye, so I blinked a few times to see if I could get it off.
In short, Lin Tian shamelessly got a day off, while Jordan quickly recovered and returned to team training.
In fact, the two of them only missed one training session.
Those criticisms from the outside world mean absolutely nothing to Jordan!
He simply dislikes Barkley.
He just wanted to find an opportunity to pin Barkley to the ground and beat him up, it was that simple.
Why did this fat bastard have to be the first to jump out and give me a good scolding?
Of course, if Barkley hadn't been the first to speak out, and someone else had, then Jordan wouldn't have had a chance to get angry. Barkley would most likely have turned the tables and said, "You guys are talking nonsense. McGrady is my brother. He's better than any of you!"
I'm the only one allowed to criticize Michael. What about the rest of you? Who do you think you are?! You think you're qualified to criticize Michael?
Well... Ewing isn't included, so he can curse a few times.
Miller is barely acceptable; it can also grumble a few times.
Rodman and Pippen were Michael's teammates, so it's not unreasonable to criticize them a bit. And what about that other guy? Think about it.
Oakley, Starks, and Mutombo are all old friends with whom he has a good relationship, as are Payton, Mourning, Kevin Jason, and Tim Hardaway.
Bird and Magic Johnson are veterans, Auerbach and West are industry giants, and Dr. J, Thompson, and Gervin are Michael's mentors and idols. It's not wrong for them to criticize him.
Think about it.
Forget it! I don't want to think about it anymore.
Anyway, those bastards can insult Michael all they want, but if anyone else insults him, Barkley will be the first to disagree!
He opposed it with both hands! He strongly opposed it!
He'll definitely have to jump out and confront those who criticize Michael.
Sir Charles is a man of principle, fair and just, and considerate of his brothers!
This anti-Joe controversy, which started with Barkley, generated tremendous buzz across the United States, with almost every media figure trying to get a piece of the action, hoping to gain some traffic, attention, and profit.
But this incident is different from all previous ones. This time, it's practically a carnival between fans and the media! No matter how fiercely the media hypes it up or how intensely they make a scene, no matter how much the discussions among fans escalate to the point of resorting to fists and testing their real-life fighting skills.
The players were very quiet!
Everyone remained calm and silent.
Unless reporters shove the microphone right in their faces and point it at the players' noses to get answers, most of the players give vague, ambiguous, and nonsensical answers.
Just kidding, you media guys don't play basketball, you're not afraid of anything.
We're still playing ball!
We're scared!
Who would be crazy enough to go crazy with you guys?!
You let that bastard Barkley come back to the league for another year and see if he dares to say another bad word about Jordan.
He's going crazy, should we go crazy too?
Can't you guys see the Wizards' example?
Iverson was practically pissed off, couldn't you see that?
Only a fool would get involved in this mess!
Of course, not everyone in the league is afraid of Jordan and Lin Tian; there are also fearless guys like the Honey Badger.
For example, Kobe Bryant wasn't even afraid of Jesus, so why would he be afraid of the Lin Dan duo?
Unfortunately, he was a huge fan of Jordan.
"Michael is still very strong; he's still at a top level. I've watched every single one of their games this season! I analyze Michael's playing style every day, and the only thing I'm certain of is that Michael is even stronger than last year!"
"I can't wait to beat them all! If possible, I hope it's the finals! I hope they don't get eliminated early!"
For example, Allen Iverson.
"I don't care if McGee is really good or just got better after facing Lin. All I know is that in the last game, they both gave me a sound thrashing of my ass! It won't be like that in the next game. I've been waiting for them. All I have to say is: See you in Philadelphia!"
For example, McGrady said: "Unfortunately, Grant is down again this year. I feel very sorry for his pain and I really hope he gets better soon! But until he gets better, my goal this year is to be the scoring champion! I'm only a tiny bit behind Michael and Lin."
"Maybe I'll have surpassed them before we meet again? I'm already thinking about how I'll trash-talk them after I become the scoring champion!"
In short, within the league, some people devised strategies, some chose to remain silent, and some chose to say a few platitudes to gloss over the issue.
But not a single person dared to say, "Barkley is right!"
Not a single one!
As everyone knows, the Pacers' three-game losing streak in early December was just a brief lull in their game.
Now is not the time to provoke them!
The Pacers will find their rhythm very soon!
Yes, very fast!
Because in their fourth game in December, the Pacers faced the Wizards again!
When a team is on a three-game losing streak, encountering a team like this is truly like meeting a family member.
Come on, my dears! Let's get some love and affection!
We're all family here, so don't be shy or reserved. Show us what you're capable of, and don't hold back!
On our side, it's the same; we absolutely won't hold back!
We'll beat you to death!
Killing is the priority, the competition is secondary!
So that night, the entire city of Washington was utterly silent. Mentioning the names of Jordan and Lin Tian was enough to stop the children from crying at night!
As for why?
66: 140!
In this game, the Pacers once again unleashed their full offensive power, crushing the Wizards by 74 points!
The historical record they just set has been broken again!
The Wizards were responsible for the two worst point losses in NBA history, and the two games were only a little over a month apart!
They are truly nailed to the pillar of shame, and there's no way for them to get down!
Unlike the previous game where six Pacers players scored in double figures to defeat the Wizards, in this game, Jordan alone scored 62 points in the first three quarters! That's 8 points more than the entire Wizards team combined!
62分也成了乔丹第二次复出以来的第一个60+和最高分，并且乔丹还顺手破了一串类似39岁单场得分最高记录、砍下60分的球员之中最年长记录、步行者队史第二名单场轰下60+的球员等等等等.
With this resounding victory, Jordan extended his streak of 40+ points to four games!
并且，他在接下来的3场比赛中继续火力全开，分别拿下44分、40分、41分，并且命中率高达55%、58%和67%！
The Pacers have now secured three consecutive wins in these three games!
They not only swept away the gloom of their previous three-game losing streak, but also won four consecutive games. At the same time, Jordan's average points per game also skyrocketed thanks to this surge, from 30 points to more than 35 points per game!
As for the Player of the Week award that I casually won during that period? It's not worth mentioning! Absolutely not worth mentioning!
After seven consecutive 40+ point games, Jordan's madness finally came to an end in the eighth game!
Perhaps he felt tired during the game, or perhaps Battier of the Grizzlies was too good at defense. In any case, Jordan only made 8 of 20 shots that night and only scored 23 points!
But even with Jordan having such an off night and missing so many shots, the Pacers still managed to win big!
Besides the fact that the Grizzlies are a complete and utterly terrible team with negligible strength, the biggest reason is that the Pacers have another monster besides Jordan!
24投14中，3分球8投5中，罚球10罚9中！
He exploded for 42 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals in the game!
On the Pacers, besides Jordan, only one other player could put up those numbers.
Lin Tian!
One wild animal has gone into hibernation, while the other has gone out to hunt for food!
After that 42-point performance, it seemed as if Lin Tian and Jordan had secretly completed some dirty deal.
In the following six games, Jordan's average field goal attempts and points per game dropped rapidly, returning to the level he had at the beginning of the season.
In contrast, Lin Tian did not have an exaggerated performance like Jordan, with seven consecutive games scoring 40+ points and one game with 62 points in three quarters.
但他在之后的6场比赛之中拿下4场40+，另外那两场没有拿下40分的比赛，林天分别贡献36分11篮板13助攻和39分15篮板10助攻的三双数据！
其中在25日圣诞大战当晚对阵篮网队的比赛中，林天更是拿下赛季新高的51分8篮板8助攻的完美数据，将对面拿下15分14篮板16助攻的基德完全压在了身下！
The Pacers easily secured victories in both the Christmas Day game and the Chinese derby!
Based on Lin Tian's performance, you'd say he performed worse than Jordan?
Anyway, the league officials wouldn't dare say that!
Throughout December, apart from the Pacers' consecutive losses and McGrady's victory in the first week, the Player of the Week award went to Jordan in the second week, was shared by Jordan and Lin Tian in the third week, and was given to Lin Tian again in the fourth week.
A dominant performance!
As for the Pacers' performance?
In the seven games that Lin Tian has been playing, they have won seven consecutive games, and together with the previous four games, they have won 11 consecutive games!
25 wins and 3 losses!
In the first two months of the season, they unsurprisingly secured the top spot in the Eastern Conference and the league!
The Nets, currently second in the East, have only 20 wins and 8 losses, and have already fallen 5 games behind. The Lakers, the top team in the West, have only 19 wins and 8 losses, and their record is even worse than the Nets'!
The Pacers have once again delivered a dominant performance this season!
The Player of the Month award this month was shared by Lin Tian and Jordan!
这两个人在整个12月的比赛中带领步行者打出了11胜3负的成绩，两个人各爆发7场，乔丹本月轰下33.5分5.0篮板3.5助攻2.3抢断，林天场均轰下32.5分8.5篮板9.3助攻和2.8次抢断！
These two continue to rank first and second in the all-time scoring list and first and second in the MVP rankings this season!
The level of play they displayed was almost a level above everyone else in the league; it was truly 1+1>2!
This duo has once again reminded the entire league of the fear of being dominated by the Bulls years ago!
It was even more outrageous than back then!
After all, while the 97 Bulls were powerful, Lin Tian wasn't nearly as terrifying back then!
Lin Tian today is a monster who is truly on par with Jordan, and even slightly surpasses him!
Even the most die-hard and loyal Jordan fans have to admit one thing: without Lin Tian's ball feeding and brilliant passing opportunities, Jordan would not only never have achieved his current stats, but his shooting percentage would also have dropped significantly!
Lin Tian, on the other hand, doesn't rely on Jordan's passing much. His ability to create opportunities, seize them, and transition between offense and defense is far superior to Jordan's!
As 2003 approached, the Pacers' pace finally slowed down slightly.
Neither their winning streak nor Jordan and Lin Tian's average stats are as incredible anymore.
1月的前两周，步行者队似乎是需要休息一样，他们7场比赛之中只拿到了4胜3负的成绩，总战绩暂时是29胜6负。
Although they still hold a firm seat at the top of the league, it's hard not to feel that this beast has finally started to doze off!
Just when teams across the league were hoping to get a piece of the pie from the Pacers' slump and try to beat them up to see if they could gain anything, the beast has awakened again!
On January 16th, the Pacers will play against the Magic on the road!
Despite missing Malone this season, and Hill's knee re-injury after playing for less than two weeks and needing to return for repairs, the Magic's record is still quite good!
With a record of 24 wins and 11 losses so far this season, they are firmly in third place in the Eastern Conference. They are evenly matched with the Nets, who are second in the East, and the two teams are only one game apart in the standings.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the battle between the second and third seeds in the Eastern Conference will likely continue until the very end of the season before a winner is decided!
除了球队战绩不错之外，麦迪本赛季的表现也堪称顶级，截至目前，他打出了职业生涯最好的表现：场均31.4分7.5篮板5.5助攻！而邓肯则继续自己稳定且坚实的表现：22.3分13.1篮板2.9次盖帽！
Apart from these two, due to salary cap issues, the Magic only had that year's Rookie of the Year, Mike Miller, scoring in double figures. Apart from them, neither starting center Pat Garrett nor starting point guard Jacqueline Vaughn averaged more than 8 points per game!
Of course, this doesn't include Grant Hill, who only played 12 games before going down, averaging 16 points per game.
This poor guy hasn't played a proper game since leaving the Pistons. From the time he left the Pistons in the 00-01 season until now, he has played less than 40 games in two and a half seasons.
Given his current health condition, Hill shouldn't even be seeing a doctor. He should go to a famous mountain temple in China to pray and see if he can change his luck.
This is just too unlucky!
Because of Hill's injury, the Magic not only failed to assemble their "Big Four" even after Malone left, but this season they have further become a traditional team with two stars inside and outside!
It's so tough! The Magic's owner is filled with tears!
However, although the owners and fans are bitter, with the Nets already losing to the Pacers twice this season, it is now the Magic's turn to challenge the Pacers' dominance in the league!
They are basically the last hope in the East, and the team with the best chance and the most ability to beat the Pacers besides the Nets!
This game unsurprisingly became the most watched and popular game of the day, with countless fans and media focusing on it, eager to see the result of this key Eastern Conference match.
Of course, this match also has another layer of meaning!
The duo of Lin Tian and Jordan have already beaten up almost all the players who provoked and beat up Jordan last season!
Allen Iverson, Paul Pierce, Rasheed Wallace, Steve Francis, Ray Allen
These stars who performed well against the Wizards last season were all beaten badly by the Pacers one after another. Iverson suffered the most, being beaten twice. The second time, because he refused to back down and stubbornly insisted on fighting, he was beaten even worse than in the first game!
McGrady is the next target for the Pacers, or rather, for Lin Tian and Jordan!
What did this guy say last month?
Want to be the scoring champion? That's underestimating us two brothers!
"I've heard some people's goal is the scoring title, and to those people I can only say it's pretty boring." In a pre-game interview, Jordan said with a look of disdain, "How pathetic do you have to be to keep talking about the scoring title as a goal and a dream?"
"For me, the hardest thing is not winning the scoring title, but rather how to avoid it! There's really no one in this league who can challenge me."
"Michael, you're talking nonsense," Lin Tian interjected. "I can challenge your scoring title! I've decided to stop passing you the ball starting tonight! By the way, Tracy said he wants the scoring title? How much is he still lacking? He's currently averaging..."
"Wow! Over 30 points! He's amazing!" Lin Tian exclaimed dramatically. "Hopefully he'll have a chance next season."
"However, Michael is right about one thing: there's really nothing to strive for when it comes to the scoring title. For me, it's something I can do with my hands, I could win it with my eyes closed. The key is whether I want to, not whether I can."
"At the very least, I think that if I wanted to, I wouldn't have fewer scoring titles than Michael. By the way, Michael, how many scoring titles do you have? Ten or eleven?"
"Anyway, I have more than you. How many do you have?"
"Never mind how many titles I have. I've won the scoring title, I've won the assist title, I've won the steals title. What about you? Have you ever been in the top ten in assists in your entire life? Since I left Chicago, I've been in the top five in scoring every year!"
"Nonsense!" Jordan scoffed. "This guy won't even win the assist title this year. He's averaging more than 1.5 assists less than Jason. I bet he won't win the assist title this year!"
"Then I bet Michael won't win the scoring title! I'm not passing him the ball starting tonight," Lin Tian retorted. "By the way, who are we playing tonight? Tracy? Okay, I wish Tracy the best of luck in winning the dream honor he values most, desires most, and is now closest to!"
"I sincerely wish him the best in winning the scoring title!"
Lin Tian and Jordan were having a great time, singing and dancing together, which excited the group of reporters!
Look! It's still the same old buddy!
What is tacit understanding? This is tacit understanding!
It's a good thing McGrady wasn't there, otherwise Lin Tian and Jordan would have humiliated him to the core.
I can't argue with that! I absolutely can't argue with that!
Even if McGrady had a face-to-face solo matchup, even if the two teams weren't in the same locker room, when McGrady was in the Magic's locker room and a provocative reporter relayed Jordan and Lin Tian's words to him, he squinted and thought for a long time, still unable to figure out how to respond.
In the end, all he could do was casually say, "They're wrong!"
As for what's wrong, how it's wrong, and how McGrady would retaliate if they said something wrong, there's nothing, absolutely nothing!
It was so light and casual that when McGrady responded, Lin Tian and Jordan both scoffed in unison, indicating that it was pointless.
There's really no point in pinning someone to the ground and beating them up unless there's a grudge involved.
They and McGrady's fan club really don't have any real animosity towards each other.
I just wanted to teach this little guy a lesson!
Is the scoring title something you can just win whenever you want?
"Tracy's response was quite disappointing!" Barkley, always eager for a good show, shook his head. "I thought he'd at least spout some meaningful and damaging trash talk!"
"If this were our generation, and you asked the older generation of jerks this question, they could stand still and spout off for five minutes straight without repeating themselves! But Tracy only said this one sentence."
"I think it's time to teach these young guys in the league a lesson, to show them what real competition is and what trash talk is!"
"Being so quiet and reserved isn't good for your development! You have to learn to talk back to improve your game!"
"Charles, you're not thinking of starting a class to teach young people how to trash talk, are you?" Kenny added with a laugh from the side.
"That's exactly what I mean! For trash talk, look for Sir Charles! The league's top trash talker, skilled at attacking opponents' weaknesses and sore spots in every way! That's my specialty! Come on! You have my contact information! Contact me anytime!"
Barkley was calling "GG" to himself while chatting casually with Kenny, and the game on the court had already started.
The Magic's starting lineup is: Duncan, Pat Garrett, McGrady, Miller, and point guard Jacqueline Vaughn!
The Pacers, on the other hand, continued with their usual starting five since December, which is actually their starting lineup for the past few years. The only difference is that Carter has been replaced by Jordan!
"Beep beep!"
With a whistle from the referee, Duncan, relying on his enormous height advantage, easily defeated Ben Wallace and gained possession for the Magic. The ball went directly to McGrady, who was both the team's primary offensive player and point forward.
Jacqueline Vaughn, the team's nominal point guard, is more of a simple attacking player.
McGrady dribbled to the frontcourt, where he was guarded by Christie. Facing this skilled defender, McGrady was not afraid at all. After two consecutive crossover dribbles, he accelerated and then pulled up for a shot from mid-range!
His signature pull-up jump shot drew a low, flat arc that no grassroots coach would want their young players to learn, almost slamming directly into the basket.
"Bang!"
After a muffled thud, McGrady's ball hit the back rim of the backboard but failed to go into the basket.
Lin Tian quickly retrieved the rebound, then without even looking at Vaughn standing in front of him, he accelerated and charged towards the frontcourt.
Of the five players on the Magic team, only McGrady was known for his explosive athleticism. The other four were either skilled players or nobodies at all. Therefore, once Lin Tian got into full speed mode, only McGrady could barely keep up with him.
But against a pedestrian, it's obviously useless for you to run fast!
After Lin Tian drove to the three-point line, he suddenly stopped and dribbled behind his back to calm himself down. Just as McGrady shifted his weight to close in on Lin Tian, the basketball suddenly slipped out of Lin Tian's hand!
"Snapped!"
With a muffled thud, the basketball hit the floor, then flew between McGrady's legs and headed straight for the basket.
McGrady only had time to glance back before he caught a glimpse of Jordan receiving the ball, pulling up, and turning to dunk!
"How's that, Mr. Scoring Champion? Can you dunk like that?" Lin Tian chuckled, bumping McGrady with his shoulder and acting like a good buddy. "Seriously, I think you're a shoo-in for the scoring title!"
"Who would believe you?" McGrady muttered, then quickly returned to the backcourt, ready to receive the ball and advance the ball.
"This kid is really annoying." Lin Tian and Jordan gave each other a high five.
"He trash-talked you?" Jordan was actually a little excited!
If someone starts spewing trash talk, then they have a reason to beat you to death!
Right now, what the Pacers lack is a reason to beat people to a pulp!
Of course, it doesn't matter if there's no reason.
I just don't like the look of you today, so I'm going to beat you up, is that not allowed?
The strong never need a reason to bully others!
"No, he doesn't trash talk. This guy is quiet and reserved, but he's also a bit of a sly fox!" Lin Tian curled his lip. He said the same thing: when the opponent doesn't fight back, trash talking is really boring!
For example, Lin Tian never utters even a single syllable of trash talk at Duncan.
It's completely useless and a waste of your breath!
"He's not responding to your trash talk, is he?" Jordan chewed his gum, watching McGrady get closer. "Well, that kid doesn't really respect people!"
"I told you you're way more shameless than me!" Lin Tian chuckled, indicating that this was exactly what he was waiting for Jordan to say!
"Kill him!" (End of Chapter)