hotmtlnovel Chapter 272 The Last Season of the 20th Century, A Brand New Pacers
Chapter 272 The Last Season of the 20th Century, A Brand New Pacers
Chapter 272 The last season of the 20th century, the Pacers are back on the road with a brand new look!
That night, no one knew what Lin Tian and Dolan talked about after they finished breaking the ice, or what they discussed, but everyone could tell that the two of them were incredibly happy!
When they came out of the room, they were all radiant, with smiles playing on their lips.
Although the two only reached a preliminary agreement and briefly discussed some details and envisioned the future during their recent exchange, it remains unknown when things will actually be done and when their reality show empire will be built.
But they are both now certain of one thing—
Those two will be recorded in the annals of American television history and inducted into the Hall of Fame!
When people talk about the dramatic changes in television programming at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century, which ushered in a new era, they will inevitably have to mention these two names!
Of course, besides these, there will be countless greenbacks!
Dolan has even started to fantasize about going independent and changing his surname!
They could easily start their own business and create a Dolan 2.0 family!
At that time, we wouldn't have to worry about the board of directors and those old men anymore!
Be your own master and live life to the fullest.
As for Lin Tian, he was equally pleased with himself. Although the contract with Dolan did not specify how to develop or advance the project, nor did it clarify which project would come first or which would come later, both Lin Tian and Dolan knew that this collaboration could definitely be formed again!
Because no one would be at odds with large sums of US dollars and worldwide praise, their continued cooperation is entirely beneficial!
After a few days of partying in New York, Lin Tian returned to Indiana in mid-September.
There is only one week left until the official start of the training camp.
Lin Tian was incredibly busy this summer, missing out on brand events and business trips around the world. However, his exposure was also remarkably high, with him constantly in the public eye from training camps to the Asian Championships.
Despite his busy schedule, Lin Tian did not neglect his training at all. His physique remained unchanged, and his competitive form was excellent! After all, he spent most of his first month training with the young players in the training camp, and then he participated in the Asian Championships, which, although not of a high standard, allowed him to maintain his competitive level.
So, in the last 10 days before the start of the season, Lin Tian chose to take a complete rest and recovery.
I stopped drinking and staying up late, which meant I returned to a normal routine of work and rest.
Then supplement with some low-intensity training to maintain the condition.
All of this awaits the start of the last season of the 20th century, or rather, the first training camp of the 21st century!
99-00 season!
After the Knicks won the last championship of the 20th century, Lin Tian would absolutely not let go of the championship at the turn of the century!
Strictly speaking, this doesn't have any special significance.
But Lin Tian just didn't want to give up! He just wanted it!
During his time in Indiana, Lin Tian also thoroughly researched and learned about all the noteworthy events that occurred in the league during the offseason.
Aside from things Lin Tian already knew, such as Pippen joining Portland and Webber finally arriving in Indiana after many twists and turns.
The most sensational event of the entire offseason was the breakup of Salt Lake City!
After being eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals again last season, Stockton felt a deep sense of powerlessness. His old ankle injury caused his performance to decline faster and earlier than Lin Tian knew in history.
In last season's playoffs, Stockton was almost always the opponent's weak point. He was completely outplayed by all his opponents and was powerless to fight back. He averaged only 8 points and 5 assists per game in the playoffs. Although his shooting percentage was 48% and 41%, everyone knew that this was not a sign of his high offensive efficiency, but rather a sign of his lack of confidence in his own offense!
Aside from wide-open shots and excellent layup opportunities, Stockton has almost lost the confidence and courage to take shots.
Under these circumstances, this old bastard and scoundrel who had served Salt Lake City his entire life, the number one villain, master of dirty tricks, and king of dirty feet at point guard in the 90s, finally chose to retire.
He stopped chasing the championship that was slipping further and further away, and instead resolutely decided to leave the court.
Stockton's decision has been met with cheers from the entire league!
In this league, apart from Salt Lake City, nobody likes Stockton. They won't offer their blessings; they'll just feel that their ankles and knees have been blessed!
But that's not all that's causing heartache for Salt Lake City fans.
Karl Malone averaged 23 points and 8 rebounds per game last season and ranked among the top three in the MVP rankings.
However, with his longtime partner retiring and the team's roster facing a lack of promising young talent, and the team seemingly destined to decline year after year, Ma Long did not choose to retire directly, but his decision broke the hearts of fans even more.
Having just ended his last contract, Malone rejected the Jazz's four-year, $66 million max contract offer almost without hesitation!
He announced that he would be leaving the Jazz to find a team that truly has the potential to contend for a championship!
Malone's declaration shook the entire league!
Although he is nearing the end of his career, he is truly an MVP-caliber player!
And judging from Malone's attitude, it's clear he'll accept a relatively low contract offer! He's not in it for the money, he's just after the championship!
As a result, almost half of the teams in the league were eager to get their hands on this powerful center.
Unfortunately, Malone had his own ideas, and most of the teams didn't even get a chance to meet with him before he rejected them.
He's aiming for the championship, not just working for free. There are only a handful of teams he's interested in.
The team must be at least one of the top contenders for the championship and have a complete system, and it must be able to significantly improve after Malone joins; otherwise, Malone would definitely not consider the team.
Looking across the entire league, there are actually only a handful of teams that qualify as serious contenders for the championship.
The Lakers, Spurs, and Trail Blazers in the West; the Heat and Pacers in the East.
Apart from these five teams, Ma Long had absolutely no intention of considering any other teams.
But among these five teams, Malone doesn't really have many options.
He couldn't possibly go to the Pacers. Given his relationship with Lin Tian, he wouldn't be willing to sacrifice all his dignity for a championship. Besides, the Pacers had just acquired Webber, and Malone wouldn't even be able to start there.
For almost the same reason, Malone is unlikely to go to the Lakers or the Trail Blazers.
Because the Trail Blazers have Pippen, whom Malone hates and despises, while the Lakers have just officially announced their new head coach: Phil Jackson!
For Malone, he felt he could still play and still had the ability to average 20+10 per game. He might be able to go and team up with his enemy in a few years, but now? He really couldn't do that.
Therefore, his final choices were actually the Spurs and the Heat.
The Spurs showed their sincerity, with Popovich and David Robinson making their moves again. Robinson went straight to the point, saying he was willing to come off the bench and play as the sixth man for Duncan and Malone. Popovich even promised to give Malone unlimited shot attempts, allowing him to continue playing the tactics he was most comfortable with and best at.
The Spurs' sincerity really appealed to Malone. He told Popovich that he needed two days to think about it, and Riley called Malone almost simultaneously.
As a renowned psychologist in the league, Riley's rhetoric is equally simple and direct.
He first pointed out that unless Malone was completely shameless, the only teams in the league suitable for him were the Heat and the Spurs. However, the Spurs already had a twin towers lineup. Even if David Robinson was willing to play as a substitute, in the hearts of the San Antonio fans, "The Admiral" would always be their king.
If his grades are good, that's fine, but if they're bad and don't meet expectations, then the entire city will turn against Ma Long, and they'll blame him.
Secondly, Duncan also plays the power forward position. No matter what Popovich promised Malone, it's difficult for two power forwards to be compatible and they will play very uncomfortable together. If two people who don't like playing center appear on the court together and they don't get along well, then who will the Spurs and San Antonio support?
Is he a super talent drafted by the team after only two years in the league, with at least 15 years left in his professional career, or a mercenary who has reached the twilight of his career and has come to join them?
Finally, and most importantly, the Spurs' perimeter game was destroyed by Jordan last year. This year, against any team with a top-tier perimeter player, they will undoubtedly be destroyed again!
With Lin Tian, Kobe, Iverson, Payton, and the Suns' "super backcourt" combination, which of these teams' perimeter players can the Spurs withstand?
Come to the Heat! The Heat are well-balanced inside and out. At center, we have Alonzo Mourning, the league's best defender; at small forward, we have Mashburn, the league's strongest player; and at shooting guard, we have Kawhi Leonard, a top-tier shooter! All we need is you! With you, we'll have three top-class musclemen at positions 3-5, capable of wiping out any opponent!
Malone was also skeptical of Riley's words, and his first question was: What about Hardaway? Hardaway was indeed formidable before, but what about now?
Last year in the playoffs, he was absolutely the player who got the worst blowout in the entire league, without a doubt! The Spurs' perimeter players still managed to tough out two games against Jordan!
Riley chuckled: "Once you're here, we won't have Hardaway on our team anymore! I'll continue to upgrade the roster and pair you and Mourning with a truly top-class point guard in top form to deal with our opponents!"
After saying that, Riley added a very tempting remark for Malone.
"In this league, I'm the only one who has ever led a team to victory against Lin and his team in a series. I know it's because of the Pacers' roster shortage, but look at Lin's performance in Game 7! I know how to limit him! With you on the team, even if the Pacers have a full roster next season, we can still beat them!"
These words truly resonated with Ma Long.
After a brief period of deliberation, the biggest fish on the free agent market decided to head east, bringing his talents to the South Beach! He signed a one-year, $4 million full mid-level exception contract with the Heat!
In an instant, the entire Eastern Conference was shaken up. The "muscular" frontcourt duo of Malone and Mourning possessed terrifying strength on both ends of the court! With an MVP and scoring champion-level scorer and a Defensive Player of the Year and shot-blocking champion-level defensive expert, the Heat's frontcourt suddenly became the best in the league!
But the storm stirred up by the Heat doesn't stop there!
Just one week after Malone arrived in Miami, the Heat announced another major trade!
The Miami Heat traded their star point guard Tim Hardaway, veteran Dan Mali, and three first-round draft picks to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for the SuperSonics' star point guard "The Glove" Gary Payton and Ruben Patterson, a second-year player they had just signed but hadn't yet had a chance to use!
This transaction was also earth-shattering!
Hardaway has been one of the league’s top point guards for the past few years, but he was completely outplayed in last season’s playoffs, which caused Riley to lose all trust in him. In addition, Hardaway suffered an injury and underwent surgery in the summer.
Judging from his age and playing style, Hardaway's glory days are over!
With the team focused on winning the championship, Hardaway, once a dominant force, had become a burden, so Riley traded him away without hesitation!
The player they acquired in return, Payton, is also one of the best point guards in the league over the past decade, as well as one of the best defensive point guards in the league. He is the only point guard in NBA history to have won the Defensive Player of the Year award.
In addition to his top-notch offensive skills and court vision, this guy is clearly a better fit for the Heat than Hardaway!
Even though he was repeatedly beaten by Lin Tian and was given the humiliating nickname "Fingerless Glove," in today's league, if you want to find someone who can limit Lin Tian as much as possible and strengthen the Heat's point guard position, the only one suitable in the entire league is Payton!
As for Ruben Paterson, the second-year student who was added to the deal as a bonus, it was actually Riley who specifically requested that he be included in the trade.
The reason was that Riley had heard a lot of rumors about Patterson's time with the Lakers last season.
This guy had a terrible relationship with Kobe, and they clashed repeatedly during training, even nearly coming to blows!
Riley's informant on the Lakers told him: This guy may not be the strongest, but he can definitely make a living in the NBA! And his defensive ability is very good; he's good at biting and provoking opponents—a bulldog-type player!
If his relationship with Kobe hadn't been so terrible, the Lakers would never have let him leave the team like that.
That's why Riley signed him, hoping Patterson could become the answer at the team's shooting guard position!
After this trade, the Heat formed a starting lineup of four muscular giants: Mourning, Malone, Mashburn, and Payton. Each of them is fiercer, tougher, and more defensively capable than the last. With the Heat's defense working together, they will definitely be among the best in the league next season!
As for the only vacancy at the shooting guard position, where a top-tier defender is needed, Riley has already considered it. If Patterson can deliver some surprises, then let him fill in. If Patterson is overrated and only good at talking, then let him sit on the bench and let Leonard continue to start.
In any case, the real core target of this trade is Payton! As long as Payton can cooperate well with the two big men, the Heat will definitely make the entire league tremble next season!
It's worth mentioning that, besides trading away their core player Payton during the offseason, the SuperSonics have not yet re-signed two other team legends: Schrempf and Jose Hawkins!
Both of these players also left the team as free agents! With that, the entire group that helped the SuperSonics reach the Finals in 1996 had left the team!
The Supersonics have officially begun their rebuilding phase!
Besides the Heat's big moves, another major event in the league was Chuck Daly's announcement of his retirement!
Daly, who coached the Magic last season but was eliminated in the first round, was clearly disheartened. This former Pistons two-time champion and Dream Team coach, after two less-than-successful seasons in Orlando, finally felt exhausted and fed up, and announced that he would retire from the NBA forever.
He wants to go home and enjoy his retirement.
The passing of this veteran coach is yet another reminder to everyone that the glory and memories of the 80s are slowly fading away.
This offseason has brought about a tremendous upheaval in the league's landscape. Teams like the Magic, Jazz, and SuperSonics, which were among the league's top powerhouses over the past decade, have begun rebuilding. Players like Jordan and Stockton have officially left, and renowned coach Chuck Daly has also departed the league.
Among the top teams in the league today, the star players of the Spurs, Trail Blazers, Pacers, Lakers, Heat, etc. are all born in the 70s or even the mid-75s. Duncan, Stoudemire, Rasheed, O'Neal, Kobe, Mourning... these people all entered the league after 90!
And those newly emerging powerhouses in the league, such as Iverson and the 76ers, Garnett and the Timberwolves, Marbury and the Nets, Ray Allen and the Bucks, Kidd and Hardaway and the Suns, Hill and the Pistons...
The star players of these teams have all unknowingly become newcomers.
An era belonging to players born in the 70s has officially begun.
After Lin Tian had figured out the changes in the entire league, the training camp for the new season officially began!
In late September, Lin Tian, as usual, drove his classic 1954 Corvette sports car to the Pacers' training facility.
"Hey! Lin, my favorite guy! How long has it been? Half a year, right?" The first guy Lin Tian ran into was Chris Webber, the star player the team spent a lot of money to acquire this summer. Although he didn't join the Kings, he still has the nickname "King"!
Webber is now beaming with his signature smile, and he's noticeably lost weight. The NBA's top handsome guy is back!
At least from his appearance, this guy has shaken off his poor form from last season and returned to his peak.
"How much weight have you lost?" Lin Tian asked curiously after giving a high five.
"30 pounds!" After saying that number, Webber couldn't help but shudder. "It was truly a nightmare offseason! Do you know how I spent it? I was dieting every single day! I practically turned into a rabbit!"
"I gained 11 pounds this offseason!" Webber had barely finished speaking when Ben Wallace, sporting an even more exaggerated afro than last season, a more intimidating and aloof face, and with visible muscle bulges all over his body, walked into the locker room: "Larry said he needs me to be a starter this season, so he needs me to get stronger! I think I can satisfy him!"
This guy is quite successful. He signed a three-year minimum salary contract with the Pacers, with the Pacers having a team option for the final year. This means that if he doesn't perform well, the Pacers can cut him at any time this summer.
Given the guy's solid defensive performance over the past two years, Bird didn't hesitate to terminate his contract and re-sign him to a four-year, $17 million extension, with the final year being a player option!
Ben Wallace was naturally overjoyed with the price! Especially since he got to take a year less of his basic salary and earn an extra year's worth of money! This contract not only transformed him from a marginal player who was constantly on the verge of disappearing from the league, but also propelled him into a multi-millionaire!
More importantly, he became a multimillionaire a year ahead of schedule!
Bird was such a good friend, how could he not train himself to the bone to repay the kindness shown to him?
Because of this proactive early contract extension, Ben Wallace hardly went anywhere this summer, spending the entire summer in the gym working out like crazy to prepare for a perfect performance in the new season!
Of course, if Ben were to ask Lin Tian for his opinion, Lin Tian would definitely tell him that he'd been tricked! That bastard Bird has more filth in his belly than muscles in his entire body!
His early contract extension allowed you to get a high salary a year earlier, which is fine. But if you continue to improve this year, by next summer you will be facing competition from the entire league!
What if some crazy person offers Bird a four-year, $3500 or even higher contract? Should Bird match it or not? Wouldn't that drive him crazy?
Ultimately, Bird's decision to extend his contract a year early was to save money!
That old fox!
Only someone as simple-minded as Ben Affleck would not only not get angry, but would also see Bird as a mentor!
Then Davis, Christie, Carter, and others walked into the locker room, greeting each other with smiles.
Looking at everyone's physique, Lin Tian was very satisfied. It was clear that none of the guys had stopped training during the off-season, and everyone was in good shape. At least no one needed to waste a lot of time trying to lose weight!
Soon, the locker room was packed. Because it was training camp, there were also 7-8 new players with non-guaranteed contracts. They were going to give it their all for an opportunity, a chance to stay with the team! To showcase themselves, to impress the players and coaches, and to keep themselves in the league!
Once everyone had arrived, Lin Tian was the first to stand up and announced loudly, "Let's go, our new season is about to begin!"
Amid cheers, the players followed Lin Tian, a group of nearly twenty people, and headed towards the training field.
Waiting for them there were the Pacers' coaching staff, team doctors, and physical therapists, who, led by Bird, had clearly been waiting for quite some time!
Lin Tian, with his sharp eyes, spotted a familiar face among the coaching staff at a glance.
Hmm, no, from today's perspective, he should be considered a new face.
Rick Carlisle!
The Pacers' future legendary head coach, and the future top NBA coach who led the Mavericks to the 2011 NBA championship!
As if noticing Lin Tian's gaze, Bird introduced him directly: "Let me introduce our new head assistant coach: Rick Carlisle. He was my teammate on the Celtics, and we won a championship together."
"He's been an assistant coach with the Trail Blazers for the past few years, and he's been doing a really good job! This year, I had to go to great lengths to recruit him from the Trail Blazers!"
Looking at Carlisle, Lin Tian knew very well that this guy was basically going to be the Pacers' next head coach. Bird was obviously going to groom his successor and then focus on shining in the management.
For Bird, the coaching position was ultimately not something he could maintain long-term. His physical condition and severe back injury prevented him from traveling long distances and sitting on the sidelines to coach year after year.
Well, of course. Based on Lin Tian's understanding of Bird, the reason why this guy is in a hurry to find a successor is most likely because he feels it's boring, he's tired of playing the game, and he wants to focus on being a general manager and wants to try a completely new way of playing.
It seems that Bird's days as head coach are numbered; in one or two years at most, he will definitely step down and leave.
However, since Carlisle is one of the top coaches in the NBA, there's not much difference between him coaching and Bird coaching for Lin Tian.
After the initial greetings, the team immediately got into training!
This season, the Pacers have undergone significant personnel changes, with many players either traded or leaving. In addition to new arrivals and changes in the starting lineup, the Pacers' players have a lot to adapt to in training camp!
Fortunately, the core of the team remains unchanged, and the team's playing style will not change. It will still focus on offense, transition offense and defense, and fast break. With the addition of Webber, the most versatile and dazzling power forward in the league, the Pacers' offense is destined to be even more dazzling and elegant than last season!
They are fully prepared to show the league just how strong this new Pacers team, fueled by the flames of revenge, truly is!
It's worth mentioning that Lin Tian didn't see the team's only acquisition from the June draft, Manu Ginobili, during training camp.
Lin Tian even went to ask Bird. It turned out that after watching Ginobili's video in the Italian league, Bird admitted that Ginobili's talent was indeed quite good, but he was also a bit inexperienced and lacked in various aspects.
In addition, Ginobili himself wanted to hone his skills in the Italian league, so he did not join the team this year!
Lin Tian didn't have much to say about this. If they wanted to hone their skills, then let them train! Anyway, the team doesn't lack players on the perimeter right now. It would indeed be more appropriate for them to come after Mullin retires and Miller's performance declines further!
During the month-long training camp, the players sweated profusely, trained hard, familiarized themselves with the tactics and playing styles arranged by the coach, improved their weaknesses, and strengthened their strengths.
The key players are working hard to adapt to the new style of play and tactics, while the fringe players are giving it their all, hoping to find their place in the team. The coaches are equally busy, trying out new tactics while adjusting and changing their own tactical system based on actual training.
As for the physiotherapists and team doctors, they are also going all out, seizing every opportunity and time to help the players recover and observe, preventing them from getting injured or experiencing severe fatigue due to the sudden increase in training volume.
A month passed in the blink of an eye, and by late October, the month-long training camp had finally come to an end. All the players breathed a sigh of relief, as the hardship of the training camp was not just physical exhaustion.
The players also have to constantly work on adapting to new teammates and new tactics, and memorize the new tactics manuals issued by the team. For some players, these things are much more difficult than training!
But thankfully, it's all over.
On the last day of training camp, Bird announced the team's final 15-man roster for the new season!
This guy, who always likes to get things done quickly, didn't wait until the end of the preseason to announce his roster like most teams in the league do; he felt it wasn't necessary.
After training camp, Bird was able to clearly see who was a good fit for the team and who wasn't.
Instead of giving those fringe players false hope, it would be better to release them a week in advance and give them a chance to find a new team and try again!
After Bird announced the roster, naturally some were happy and some were sad. Some were overjoyed, cheering loudly, glad that they had successfully stayed with the team and kept their jobs.
But many more people sighed and sat on the ground for a long time, unwilling to move, unable to believe that they had lost their jobs.
Similar scenarios are destined to play out repeatedly across all teams in the league over the following week.
A few achieve their dreams and become regular NBA players, but many more fail to realize their dreams and go overseas or to the G League to seek opportunities.
Even more cruelly, even among the few who achieve their dream of becoming NBA players, more than 80% of them have very little playing time and spend countless nights on the sidelines during garbage time and on the bench. Then, suddenly, without anyone noticing, they simply disappear from the league.
This is the most real and cruel side of the NBA.
After Bird announced the Pacers' final roster, the Pacers' 15 players are as follows.
Centers: Ben Wallace, Sam Perkins, Zahn Tabak.
Power forwards: Chris Webber, Rashard Lewis, Al Harrington, Dale Davis.
Small forwards: Doug Christie, Chris Mullin, Derrick McKay.
Shooting Guards: Reggie Miller, Vince Carter.
Point guards: Lin Tian, Greg Buckner, Teus Adney.
The core lineup of this team is not much different from last season. Apart from replacing Schmitz with Webber, the team's main structure is basically unchanged.
The team's most important players are: Lin Tian, Miller, Christie, Webber, Ben Wallace, Carter, Davis, and Mullin. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, these eight players will be the Pacers' eight players with the most playing time in the new season.
In addition, Buckner will most likely take over the team's point guard minutes during the time Lin rests, while Lewis and Ellington will fight tooth and nail for the remaining minutes at the 3-5 positions!
Apart from these 11 people, the rest of the players, whether it was Perkins, who was forcibly pulled back by Lin Tian and promised him a championship, or several newcomers, found it difficult to get many opportunities to perform.
The team made significant changes, especially in terms of role players and players at the end of the bench. Hoiberg, who performed well in the previous two years, went to the Bulls and got a decent contract. Bohannon and Pope, who performed poorly in last year's playoffs, have not been able to continue in the league after their contracts expired, and it is unknown where they went to find a job.
Their NBA careers are likely over.
The team has acquired a new scoring guard, Teus Ideney, who previously played in the NBA but has been working in overseas leagues for the past two years. He is only 178 cm tall, but he is fast and has a good shot. He can be considered as Bird bolstering the team's firepower when Lin Tian is resting.
In addition, the team used some cash to buy a second-round pick center this year, Zahn Tabak, a white center who is 213 cm tall. His only notable feature is his height, but otherwise he is unremarkable.
Bird also recalled Derrick McKay, a former veteran who was once a decent defender and scorer, but is now past his prime and could join Sam Perkins in their twilight years.
Both Bird and Lin are very satisfied with this roster! There have been some changes to the team, but not many. The core players remain the same, and there are no issues with the chemistry between them. As for the role players, it's a mix of experienced veterans and energetic newcomers!
Especially Lewis and Harrington, who have shown great energy and progress in training camp, and both are expected to officially become part of the team's rotation this year.
Bird actually had high hopes for these two guys. He hoped they would perform well so that the team could use Dale Davis to make some moves this year and see if they could get some more suitable players in return.
Even if they can't acquire him, Davis, who is in the final year of his contract this year, will certainly demand a high price next offseason. Given the Pacers' current salary situation, keeping Davis as a backup for a market price of 8-900 million is truly extravagant.
Only if Lewis and Harrington develop quickly can the team maintain its energy and fighting power at the power forward position, given that Davis is likely to leave.
Another very difficult and difficult decision for Bird was the team's starting shooting guard.
He was caught in a happy dilemma.
During training camp, Carter clearly didn't slack off this summer. Not only were his drives to the basket more aggressive and ruthless, but his three-point shooting, which was mediocre last season, also showed significant improvement!
If he were on another team, Carter would definitely be developed into the team's star player, but in Indiana, he obviously still has to compete for a starting position.
Because the player in the same position as him is named Reggie Miller!
Miller, who has recovered from his injury, has shown a decent level of performance. Although Bird could sense that Miller's shooting form had changed due to his wrist injury and his accuracy had declined, coupled with his age, keeping Miller on the bench would have been a more rational and correct choice.
But this is Indiana after all, and he is Reggie Miller after all. Putting him on the bench is something that Bird, who is always loyal to his friends, can't quite bring himself to do.
We can only take it one step at a time and gradually study how to balance the positions, playing time, and team status of these two players as the season progresses.
During training camp, Bird hosted many scrimmages. It has to be said that Webber's arrival has indeed greatly improved the Pacers' strength!
His all-around offensive skills, passing ability, and top-notch court vision in the paint give the Pacers an extra top-class passing option besides Lin Tian!
This makes the Pacers' tactical system more diverse and their offense more difficult to defend!
More importantly, although Webber's defensive ability isn't great, his instinct for rebounding is exceptional! He can grab a lot of rebounds and, at the same time, find his fast-breaking teammates the moment he gets a rebound!
His passing ability is absolutely top-notch among all the big men in the league! Apart from Kevin Garnett, no other big man can compare to him in terms of passing ability!
Webber's passing and Lin Tian's fast break ability combined create an absolutely perfect chemistry! Add to that Christie's versatility, Miller's shooting, and Carter's drives, and if the Pacers were to go all out on fast breaks and push the fast break, probably no team in the league could stop them.
Dual-core power is absolutely enough to make us stand out in the entire league!
By the way, it's worth mentioning that after the draft, Lin Tian told Bird that he wanted a few MVP-caliber veterans to anchor the team. Just looking at the Pacers' roster, it's clear that Bird didn't take it seriously at all and didn't do anything about it.
After all, Lin Tian's request was too absurd, and he didn't know what Lin Tian wanted this kind of veteran for, so he decisively chose to ignore it.
As for Lin Tian...
Well, he had actually forgotten about it, but he wasn't angry at all.
Because at the end of the training camp, he took out his designated skill/talent card and tried to poke Bird.
it works!
The system clearly recognizes that the coach is also a member of the team!
Lin Tian is permitted to use this thing on Bird!
So Lin Tian stopped waiting and hesitating. Could the Pacers bring in players like Magic Johnson or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as assistant coaches? Or could they trade for Shaquille O'Neal or Kobe Bryant?
That's obviously unrealistic!
Therefore, if Lin Tian is not planning to transfer, Bird is the best player to use this card for Lin Tian!
After returning home that evening, Lin Tian took a bath, changed his clothes, burned incense, and prayed to Jesus. He muttered a few words in a very insincere manner. He had only one thought: since it was just a random opponent's signature skill/talent, as long as he didn't get Bird's trash-talking ability, he would be making a huge profit!
Anything else is fine!
"Host, are you sure you want to use the designated skill/talent draw card on Larry Bird?"
"Sure!"
"Target locked on Larry Bird! Skill/talent draw in progress..."
"Successfully extracted for the host!"
(End of this chapter)