69novels Chapter 231 The Glory of a Team! The Glory of a City
Chapter 231 The Glory of a Team! The Glory of a City
Chapter 231 The Glory of a Team! The Glory of a City!
In the second quarter, Bird slightly changed his rotation. He no longer let Barkley lead the substitutes alone, but instead let Miller and Barkley play together, adding an extra scoring option for the team at the beginning of the second quarter.
This was also a prudent consideration. Bird knew that the Jazz, who were down by 12 points, would definitely not let Malone, Hornacek, and Stockton rest in the second quarter. Sloan would definitely take advantage of the few minutes Lin Tian was away to try to catch up in points.
Or to put it another way, as long as the suspense of the game remains, and as long as the Jazz are not completely outmatched, then the three old Jazz players should not even think about resting tonight!
They will absolutely give their all to win tonight!
At the start of the second quarter, the Jazz were indeed riding high. They knew that Lin Tian would only rest for a few minutes during the game. If they couldn't create an offensive surge during those few minutes and narrow or even take the lead, then there was nothing left to play in this game, and they might as well surrender in advance!
And so, Stockton finally hit his first three-pointer of the night when facing Dumars!
Then it was Horasek's turn. He took advantage of Malone successfully drawing a double team and hit a three-pointer from beyond the arc!
Less than a minute into the second quarter, the Jazz narrowed the gap to 6 points!
Although the Pacers launched a counterattack, with Barkley, Dumars, and others finally making shots, the score difference between the two sides hovered between 5 and 8 points, and neither side could push the score difference further in the direction they wanted.
Bird wasn't worried at all about the stalemate. He crossed his legs and occasionally shouted something to the players on the court to remind them to pay attention.
Meanwhile, Sloan was already standing on the sidelines, almost walking onto the court, shouting loudly to urge the players to cheer up and play well!
He's in a hurry!
Bird wasn't in a hurry because Lin Tian was sitting on the bench. He had immense confidence that as long as Lin Tian was brought on, the team would immediately go on a scoring spree.
On Sloan's bench, there was no Lin Tian, or even a player of Dumars' caliber. If they didn't take advantage of Lin Tian's absence to quickly narrow the gap and take the lead, the Jazz would definitely end the first half with a deficit of more than ten points!
Four minutes into the second quarter, Malone finally got another chance for a low-post one-on-one. He swung his elbow to force Barkley aside, then faked out Ben Wallace, and then crashed into Wallace, trying to get around Wallace's defense to make a layup and score a 2+1!
But he clearly underestimated Ben Wallace's ferocity and determination at this moment. This guy with the frizzy hair that he had slapped in the corner of his eye in the last game swung it directly at Malone's head, knocking Malone to the ground!
Then, Ben Affleck simply raised his hand and said, "I fouled, sorry, I didn't mean to!"
Ben Wallace's toughness and ferocity immediately drew cheers and shouts from the fans in the stadium!
"Ben! Kill that bastard!"
"Get that maggot off the field!"
"Idiot! Stop acting! Ben didn't even touch you!"
"You're as soft as your little dragon! You'll never get hard!"
"Trash! Softie! You idiot who only knows how to fake falls!"
Despite the jeers from the crowd, Ma Long remained completely unmoved. This seasoned veteran would never let the trash talk from the fans distract him.
He quickly got up from the floor, glaring fiercely at Ben Affleck, exuding a menacing aura—truly worthy of being the league's number one villain.
"Go ahead and mess with me if you want! I promise no one will interfere! Come on, just the two of us! Come on!" Ben arrogantly beckoned to Malone with his finger, as if to say, "Go ahead and try, I'll beat you to a pulp."
"Whether it's Charles or Lin, I guarantee neither of them will get involved, so don't be afraid, come on, bring it on!"
"Kid, you think I'm afraid of you?" Malone took a step forward, pressing his chest tightly against Ben Affleck's, and yelled with his head down, "You think I'm afraid of anyone?"
"Yes." Ben nodded calmly. "Who are you afraid of? Do I need to tell you?"
Listening to Ben Wallace's trash talk from the sidelines, Bird couldn't help but say to Lin Tian, "Did you tutor him? How come this guy's trash talk has improved so much?"
"After Karl elbowed him in the forehead, he was thinking about revenge. He'd been waiting for this opportunity for a long time," Lin Tian shrugged. "He called me for an hour that night, just asking me how to make Karl angry."
"Then his call was worthwhile; his words were incredibly damaging." Bird said, looking at Malone, who was confronting Ben Wallace while secretly glancing at the Pacers' bench, "This guy is genuinely afraid of you."
"Then let him get closer to the person he fears most," Lin Tian said, standing up.
Bird nodded, and Lin Tian walked towards the technical table.
The guy who was shoving Ben Wallace suddenly shoved the imposing Malone, then turned and walked away disdainfully, muttering, "Damn it! I'm not going to waste my time on trash like you! I'd be a complete idiot to get a technical foul because of you!"
"You trash, you don't deserve it!"
The three referees, who had just been trying to separate the two people, were now completely dumbfounded.
Is Malone really that clear-headed? He just says he's not going to fight anymore?
Then, the referees turned around and saw Lin Tian already sitting on the technical table, and immediately understood what was going on.
The Alliance's new "Peacekeeper" has arrived!
Since last year's finals, the referee guild has been giving Lin Tian this nickname.
"Peace Messenger"!
All the referees agreed that after last year's finals, no one in the league would dare to cause trouble in situations or games involving Lin Tian, and no one would dare to lay a hand on Lin Tian or his teammates.
Look, even Ma Long doesn't dare to cause trouble anymore!
The referees quickly and easily reviewed the video, debriefing the conflict that had just occurred.
At the same time, I couldn't help but feel the wonder of the world.
Two years ago, he was the referees' union's number one target for prevention, the instigator of several on-court brawls, and a top troublemaker who had been suspended for more games than 99% of the league's players in his two-year career. Now, he has become the biggest help in stopping on-court conflicts!
Amazing!
The referees quickly issued their ruling: a flagrant foul by Ben Wallace, a hand foul, and a flagrant foul by Wallace, giving the Jazz three consecutive free throws.
"Well done, Ben!" With the game resuming, Lin Tian was also able to step onto the court. He replaced Dumars, then patted Ben's backside and said, "This is exactly what I wanted you to do! Make everyone fear you, make no one dare challenge you!"
"The three-second zone you're guarding will definitely become the most impregnable fortress in this alliance!"
"I will do it, Lin!" Encouraged by Lin Tian, Ben excitedly patted his chest, then looked at Ma Long and the others with a fierce and murderous look in his eyes!
Even Ma Long wouldn't dare mess with me, so what are the rest of you?
Malone stepped to the free-throw line and maintained his usual free-throw accuracy. After making all three free throws, the Jazz narrowed the gap to 3 points!
If all goes well, they can catch up in one round!
But clearly, things aren't going to go smoothly for them tonight!
When Lin Tian dribbled the ball to the frontcourt again, Russell was now guarding him.
Unfortunately, for Lin Tian, the only difference between Russell and Stockton is that Russell can do one more crossover dribble!
After a crossover dribble, his signature offensive step-back, and a change of direction, Lin Tian got past Russell in just one step!
After driving to the mid-range, Lin Tian quickly took advantage of the moment before Malone and Russell could surround him, calmly jumped up and shot, accurately hitting the 2-pointer!
Lin Tian's pull-up jumper once again ignited the Pacers' second-quarter comeback!
He drove to the basket and made a layup, then drove to the basket and made a floater, then drove to the basket and made a close-range shot, then drove to the basket and suddenly stopped, drawing a foul from Russell, scoring 2 points and getting a free throw!
Lin Tian was still unstoppable in this quarter! The Jazz had just gritted their teeth and stomped their feet, finally managing to close the gap to only 3 points, but in the blink of an eye, Lin Tian had once again almost single-handedly left them behind!
When Lin Tian suddenly pulled up and forced a shot from 2 meters beyond the three-point line, he hit another buzzer-beating three-pointer as the first half ended. Lin Tian then scored 19 points in the second quarter!
The score became 58:42!
Lin Tian scored 34 points in the first half alone. After he came on the court, he led the team to a high point, widening the gap to 16 points!
It's only a matter of time before the Jazz are completely crushed and eliminated!
Their momentum clearly stalled in the latter half of the second quarter.
Faced with Lin Tian's almost insane individual performance, Stockton and Russell were helpless, Malone and Hornacek were helpless, and Sloan was equally helpless.
He was already double-teamed, but it was completely useless. Facing Lin Tian, who was in top form and whose speed was so fast that not a single player on the Jazz team could keep up with him, the Jazz's double-team was as fragile as paper. Lin Tian could tear it to shreds at any moment!
Even so, Sloan was still working hard during halftime!
But no matter how hard he tries, it doesn't mean he hasn't given up!
On the contrary, the Jazz players could clearly tell from his words that he had given up on the game!
"In the second half, at the very least, we can't let Lin score more than 50 points! We can't let him set any historical records on our records! So, in the second half, we'll defend against a box! Let's go for a BOX 1!"
Sloan's words left all the Jazz players in the locker room completely stunned.
It's not because this defensive tactic is particularly advanced or difficult, but because it's so bad and insignificant.
The so-called "box" defense actually has many variations and various derivative tactics, such as one-on-four, man-to-man and zone double-teaming, and so on.
However, the most original "box" is generally not seen in NCAA Division I or higher level games.
Or rather, this tactic appears most frequently in high school and junior high school matches.
In high school and junior high school level competitions, there are often players who are exceptionally talented and have the top talent to enter the NBA, but the rest of the players on the court are not on the same level as them and are far ahead of them. One-on-one or two-on-one is ineffective against such players.
This is when the 'box' comes into play.
The so-called "box" refers to 3-4 people occupying the four directions of the target player. As soon as the target player gets the ball, the box will quickly close in, trapping the target inside and creating a four-on-one defense.
This kind of defense can effectively curb those exceptionally talented geniuses who are 2-3 levels above their peers. Take the Jazz team, for example. Almost all of them were Jordan in their own stories during junior and senior high school, the invincible genius with exceptional talent.
So when they were in high school, almost everyone experienced this kind of reckless, almost insane defensive style to some extent.
But that was high school! There, their teammates were all incredibly bad, the kind of noobs who wouldn't dare to shoot even if given an open shot and couldn't make it!
Only when all four teammates are mediocre and completely unable to help the team's superstar would a coach choose to use such an extreme defensive approach, almost completely leaving the others to shoot freely, and then praying that they don't make a single shot.
But this is the NBA! Everyone here is exceptionally talented, and everyone has an extraordinary resume. Perhaps from an NBA perspective, some players are not very good, but if you don't defend them at all and really don't care about them, then these world's top players will definitely make their opponents question their existence!
Not to mention, Lin Tian's teammates are not some fringe NBA players. His teammates are Barkley, Miller, Schmitz, and Christie. Barkley is an MVP, Miller is the newly crowned All-Star MVP, and Christie has just regained his confidence and touch, with a three-point shooting percentage of over 40% in this series.
Even the most low-key and mediocre Schmitz entered the NBA as the second overall pick and was a recognized super talent.
Let them throw...
That's basically suicide.
This tactic may not be unprecedented in the NBA, but Sloan's meaning couldn't be clearer.
We've most likely lost this game. I don't care about winning or losing now, or even how many points we'll lose tonight.
But Lin Tian, I won't allow him to break any single-game scoring records in the finals tonight. I'll shut Lin Tian down!
Whether shocked or surprised, the players had no objection to Sloan's words. After all, Sloan was always the one who had the final say in the team and did not allow any dissenting voices.
So, under Sloan's instructions, Marcus, Smith, and other commentators were completely bewildered when the second half started.
"This tactic is... one-on-four?" Smith looked at the Jazz players' positioning on the court in disbelief.
Russell stood before Lin Tian, fully focused and ready for battle.
Less than 2 meters away from Russell stood Stockton, who was equally on high alert.
In addition, Malone and Hornacek were positioned slightly above the two of them, forming a four-corner formation with them.
These four people are clearly targeting Lin Tian!
"This is way more exaggerated than 1-on-4 coverage, isn't it?" Marcus shook his head after taking a look. "This should be 1-on-4 coverage! Four people are marking Lin! Jazz, have they given up on the game already?"
Smith exclaimed in disbelief, "I truly never imagined I'd see something like this in the NBA in my lifetime! Even the better high school teams or AAU teams don't play defense like this anymore. It's outrageous, absolutely outrageous!"
"Look, Reggie Miller is completely unmarked within 5 meters! Doug Christie too. Only under the basket, in front of Barkley, stands Fokie, who has absolutely no chance of guarding Barkley. This defensive strategy of the Jazz is practically suicidal!"
Faced with the Jazz's exaggerated defensive tactics, Lin Tian did not force a shot, but instead passed the ball directly to Miller, who was standing in the corner completely unattended.
Miller, of course, wouldn't let such an open shot, even one with less intensity than in practice, slip up and sink the three-pointer!
After making the shot, the Jazz showed no signs of frustration or disappointment. They simply went to the baseline, inbounded the ball, and continued their attack.
In the next few minutes, Lin Tian didn't shoot even once, but he passed the ball to every one of his teammates, and then Christie, Schmitz, and Barkley, who were left unmarked, scored one goal after another!
Under the Jazz's relentless defense, even if the Pacers player who received Lin Tian's pass was marked by the fast-running Jazz player, he only needed to make one more pass to completely tear apart the Jazz's defense and create an absolutely open shot opportunity!
In the first half of the third quarter, the Pacers scored a whopping 23 points in just 6 minutes!
If the Jazz continue to play like this, the Pacers could easily score 50 points in this quarter!
Sloan, sitting on the sidelines, was pale and covered in sweat.
Although Lin Tian hasn't scored a single point or even taken a shot in this quarter, isn't the price the team has paid a bit too high? They allowed the opponent to score 23 points in half a quarter. If the Pacers score 50 points in a whole quarter, then Sloan really might as well quit.
The only good news for Sloan at this point was that the Jazz's offense was also a mess during this period, and they only managed to score 8 points.
The team is now down by 31 points to the Pacers! It's going to be another one-sided beatdown!
Even at this moment, when Hornacek made a mid-range jump shot, Sloan was a little angry!
What time is it? Let's not even bother scoring anymore!
Let them widen the score gap quickly and replace all their key players; that's what we should be doing right now!
When this idea comes up, it actually illustrates one thing.
Sloan, the coach known as the most stubborn, old-school, and iron-fisted in the league, was finally scared by the Pacers tonight!
His only thought was to avoid a crushing defeat and to get the Pacers' starters off the court so that Malone, Stockton, and the others could bully the reserves for a while and close the gap.
The next possession after Hornacek made his shot, when Lin Tian was once again surrounded by four Jazz players, this time he finally chose not to pass the ball!
Lin Tian dribbled the basketball between his hands, and when the audience saw that Lin Tian was not passing the ball but instead showing off his dribbling skills, they all spontaneously stood up!
They had a feeling that Lin Tian was about to attack!
In the blink of an eye, the entire city square stadium erupted in deafening cheers and shouts, as fans eagerly anticipated Lin Tian taking on four opponents at once!
Even the viewers in front of their TVs couldn't help but clench their fists and get excited. Lin Tian had brought them so many surprises and shocks, and they were full of anticipation for this goal!
"Is Lin going to attack? Is Lin going to try to break through the Jazz's defensive wall?" Smith shouted quickly, his tone full of anticipation!
The audience and commentators could see it, so how could the Jazz players not? Russell was completely focused and on high alert when Stockton suddenly moved towards Lin Tian, intending to give him close defense!
Meanwhile, Malone and Hornacek, who were a little further away, were also very alert and approached Lin Tian!
The game has already progressed to this point, at the very least, we can't let Lin Tian steal the spotlight anymore!
Faced with being surrounded by four people, Lin Tian displayed unparalleled composure. He chose the right direction and began to move towards Russell's side, where the defense was weakest!
The entire Jazz defense spread out rapidly in response to Lin Tian's movements, trying to completely block him!
Just as Stockton was close to Lin Tian, Russell quickly moved to the left to block the gap and let Lin Tian go to the right, leading him into the trap set by Malone and Hornacek, Lin Tian suddenly made a huge change of direction at an extremely fast speed, not only directly shaking off Russell, but also leaving Stockton, who was close to him, behind!
Malone and Hornacek rushed forward, spreading their arms to the left and right, blocking all of Lin Tian's paths of attack. Russell and Stockton behind him also quickly retreated. In the blink of an eye, Lin Tian was surrounded by the four of them!
Just when everyone was somewhat disappointed, thinking that Lin Tian had been completely shut down in this round and could only force a pass, Lin Tian first changed direction to the right with his right hand holding the ball, and then made several small feints in the air with his right wrist, making it impossible for Ma Long to tell which direction Lin Tian was going.
Then the basketball quickly returned and flew behind Lin Tian, seemingly about to do a behind-the-back dribble. Stockton, who was behind Lin Tian, immediately stepped forward to block Lin Tian's dribbling space.
But Lin Tian was even faster. Instead of dribbling behind his back, he dribbled the ball back to the front of him through a crossover dribble, then grabbed the ball with his left hand and slammed it onto the floor in front of him.
Hornacek only felt a cold breeze between his legs, and by the time the basketball was behind him, he realized that Lin Tian had nutmegged him!
Lin Tian, who had already slapped the basketball away, was incredibly fast. With a swift side step, he passed right by Malone and Hornacek!
Aside from instinctively trying to stick out his foot to intercept, Malone couldn't do anything else!
Tripped by Malone's foot, Lin Tian stumbled and almost fell, but his core strength was terrifyingly strong. He not only regained control of his body in the blink of an eye, but also stood up again after supporting himself on the floor with one hand, while still holding onto the basketball with his other hand.
After slapping his feet twice at extremely low altitude to regain his footing, Lin Tian broke out of the encirclement and charged toward Fergi, who was completely isolated under the basket!
Faced with Lin Tian's intimidating aura, how could Feiji dare to stop him? He didn't jump, or even reach out, but simply stepped aside.
"boom!"
Immediately following was a deafening roar. Lin Tian had put all his strength into this shot, his arm muscles bulging as he slammed it down onto the basket!
After Lin Tian's incredibly violent dunk, the entire basketball hoop screamed and shook violently.
This shot truly shocked the fans in the entire City Square stadium, as well as those watching on television. Countless people stared wide-eyed in disbelief, their mouths agape, shaking their heads in disbelief.
That's terrifying! Absolutely terrifying!
If there's anything imperfect about this goal, it's that Fekir ran away!
If Fergie hadn't dodged, this shot would have been a perfect one-on-five, but Fergie ran away, so Lin Tian's shot was just "one-on-four," nothing special.
After several seconds of silence, the entire stadium suddenly erupted in deafening, frenzied cheers!
"Lin! Lin! Lin! Lin!"
"MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!"
"Dry up the people of Salt Lake City!"
"Champions! We are the champions!"
"Salt Lake City folks, go home!"
"A great Indiana point guard!"
"Lin is not fighting alone!"
"The spirits of great point guards have possessed me at this moment!"
"Long live Indiana!"
The fans went wild with celebration, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief after that goal.
Next, it's just a matter of how many points the Pacers will win and waiting for the game time to officially end.
This year's champion will be a foregone conclusion!
Sloan reluctantly called a timeout at this moment. He knew that if he didn't call a timeout, his players would really be traumatized by the experience!
Sloan, who had called a timeout, hadn't figured out what to do next or how to continue the game, while the Pacers' bench was in complete chaos!
Barkley was the first to act, grabbing a large bucket of ice and pouring it directly over Bird's head!
"Fuck you! Charles, are you tired of living?! You fat pig!" Bird cursed angrily, who knows how many ice cubes had just fallen into his shirt.
Of course, what angered him even more, besides the cold ice, was that the huge bucket of ice hitting his head really hurt like hell!
"No, me, you guys, fuss, you're messing with me again, aren't you!" When Barkley saw that Lin Tian, Miller and his gang of bastards were just standing there, laughing and watching him make a fool of himself, his previously cheerful face immediately fell.
I've been tricked again!
"Coach, let me explain. These guys were going to throw iced drinks at you, but they suddenly stopped." Barkley reached out and put his arm around Bird's arm, about to continue explaining, when he suddenly realized he was confused.
Because Lin Tian shouted, "Now!"
In the blink of an eye, Dumars, Ainge, Ben Wallace, and Davis, the four guys who hadn't played yet and were hiding behind Bird and Barkley, each threw a large bucket of energy drink at Bird and Barkley's heads!
These two people were completely soaked!
Immediately afterwards, Lin Tian found several more bottles of champagne from somewhere, shook them, and then poured them over Barkley and Bird!
"We are the champions!" Lin Tian roared excitedly as he sprayed champagne wildly. Bird, who had originally wanted to maintain his authority by getting angry, lost all his anger after hearing this.
Yes, we are the champions!
Let's celebrate!
Let's party!
As the players began their wild celebrations, the entire stadium couldn't wait any longer. The fans cheered and chanted in unison, celebrating their hard-won championship.
"Technical foul for the whole team!" The referee walked over at this moment and gave the Pacers a technical foul. As for the reason...
The timeout is over, and these guys still aren't playing. If I don't give them a technical foul, who am I going to give a technical foul to?
Bird was now completely overjoyed, laughing heartily, "I'll call another timeout! Let's resume! We'll resume, I have plenty of timeouts!"
Judging from the way Larry Bird called the timeout, anyone who didn't know better would definitely think he was saying, "Tonight, the arena's 18000 people are paying for it!"
By this point in the game, no one on the Pacers team would care about a technical foul anymore; let them call it if they want.
We've already won this match. Let's not let the game drag on too long. The most important thing is to get the trophy as soon as possible!
In the next game, Bird and Barkley, those two unlucky guys, went back to the locker room to change their clothes. By the time they returned, the fourth quarter had already been going on for a while. Sloan then brought Malone, Stockton, and Hornacek back onto the court, hoping to catch up in points.
The point difference on the court is still hovering around 20 points.
Bird glanced at the scene, then, too lazy to look at the court anymore, said to Lin Tian and the others, "Let's think about where to celebrate tonight! It's on me!"
"I know a really interesting place!" Schmitz, who was usually seen as honest and quiet, smiled and raised his hand. "Do you know that experience park on 24th Street in Indiana? You can customize anything there?"
"Indiana has such a great place now?" Barkley's eyes lit up. "I thought only Los Angeles and New York had these!"
"We have to see places even Charles doesn't know about!" Miller said with a laugh. "And most importantly, how expensive is it? Larry's treating us, I won't go if it's not pricey enough!"
"Expensive! Of course it's expensive!" Schmitz chuckled. "Expensive enough that you'll truly feel like we're in New York!"
"This is it!" Lin Tian clapped his hands, indicating it was settled. "Rick, go to the locker room now and call to reserve the venue! Oh, by the way, how did the match go?"
As soon as Lin Tian said this, everyone remembered to look up and check the situation of the game. At this moment, the Jazz's main players had already left the court to rest. The game had entered the last 3 minutes, and the difference between the two sides was 15 points. Obviously, after Sloan narrowed the gap to a similar level, he simply surrendered.
If we continue to use our main players, we're just asking for trouble and losing face!
In contrast to the Pacers' uncontrollable excitement and their frenzied celebration, the Jazz team seemed to be at a funeral; not a single person spoke or laughed.
Everyone's expression was extremely solemn. Some had blank, lifeless eyes, while others had towels over their heads and were staring at the ground. It was impossible to tell what their expression was.
The only one on the team who still maintained his good form was Sloan, who was still standing on the sideline. His arms were still crossed in front of his chest, and his eyes were still sharp, but the fatigue in his eyes could not be hidden no matter what.
The entire City Square arena was in complete frenzy. Fans were singing incomprehensible songs, doing the wave led by the DJ, and chanting the names of every Pacers player.
The moment has finally arrived!
108: 102!
As the final whistle blew, the match finally came to an end!
Thanks to the outstanding performances of their key players at the end of the third quarter and in the fourth quarter, the Jazz managed to reduce the score difference in the game. At least in terms of the score, they lost the game in a respectable manner.
The moment the final whistle blew, the entire Pacers team could no longer contain their excitement. They rushed onto the court and began to celebrate!
Barkley rushed onto the court and hugged the first Pacers player he saw, celebrating wildly.
"Charles! Charles, take it easy, I'm being strangled!" Ben's face turned pale; he felt like Barkley was about to break his waist.
Miller charged straight at the game ball, and before the referee could take it away, he grabbed it and yelled, "Mine! This is mine! Nobody can take this thing away from me!"
Dumars and Ainge, two seasoned veterans who have seen it all and won countless honors, were the only two who didn't rush onto the court. They looked at each other, smiled, and then bumped fists.
Isaiah Thomas and Bird, former rivals, burst into laughter and embraced each other tightly.
"I'm sorry, Larry, I apologize for what I said. Whether you're white or black, you're the MVP and the best small forward in the league." Thomas finally apologized to Bird for what he had said wrong.
"There's nothing wrong with Isaiah. Back when Michael of the Dream Team said he wouldn't let you join, I didn't speak up for you. Instead, I immediately sided with him and threatened that if others didn't stand with us, we'd kick them out of the Dream Team too. I apologize for that!" Bird also confessed.
"I knew you were a damn bastard!" Thomas laughed heartily. Having long passed the age of competitiveness, he no longer held a grudge about such things.
Lin Tian, who had already won the championship for the third time, was so excited that he jumped onto the scorer's table and shouted to the fans in the stadium!
"We are the champions! I am the champion!"
"Indiana, this is for you!"
The fans excitedly interacted with Lin Tian and cheered wildly for him.
If someone had told them a year ago that they could win the championship with an Asian leader, at least half of Indiana would have called you an idiot.
The remaining half of Indiana's population would simply call a mental hospital and send you there.
But now, all of this has become a reality, everything has become a reality, just like a dream!
The Indiana Jones have finally won their first championship trophy!
A dejected Sloan approached Bird, shook his hand, and then turned and left.
He was the only one on the Jazz team who maintained this level of sportsmanship; the others, whether it was Malone or Stockton, turned and left the arena the moment the whistle blew.
After such a humiliating defeat, the Jazz players had no face or desire to stay on the court for even a minute longer.
"Let's congratulate the Indiana Pacers on winning the 1997-1998 NBA championship! And let's thank the other 28 NBA teams who gave us countless amazing performances this season! Thank you!" Marcus shouted excitedly.
Smith continued, "This was a perfect season, a season destined to be talked about countless times. There are so many things to write about and remember, so many unforgettable moments!"
"If you're going to miss this season, please tune in to CBS's NBA season review program at 6:30 PM on June 12th, just two days from now!"
"Alright, Smith, stop being so dedicated," Marcus laughed heartily. "Our work isn't finished yet! Let's see who wins the Finals MVP this year!"
"Is it Charles Barkley, who averaged 17.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game in the series; Miller, who averaged 15.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game; or Lin Tian, who averaged 34.5 points, 10.0 assists, 8.5 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks per game?"
After saying that, Marcus couldn't help but burst into laughter.
There's no way around it, the winner of this year's Finals MVP is just as predictable as this year's Finals itself!
A few minutes later, when the league's makeshift podium was set up, Stern smiled and presented the two trophies to Lin Tian and the Pacers, respectively, and the festive atmosphere in Indiana reached its climax!
This is the glory of the team, and the glory of the entire city!
It is not only Lin Tian's glory, but also the glory of the entire Chinese nation!
(End of this chapter)