69novels Chapter 460 Stern: What I want to see is a battle of star players, a true clash of titans.
Chapter 460 Stern: What I want to see is a battle of star players, a true clash of titans.
Lin Tian knew very well that although James was physically strong enough to dominate almost all the backcourts in the league during his rookie phase, his weaknesses were also obvious.
Or rather, his weaknesses are actually very similar to Wade's at this stage, and even more obvious.
His dribbling fundamentals are not very good, especially compared to guards who need to control the ball and organize the offense for a long time. His mid-range and long-range shooting ability is negligible and can basically be left to his own devices.
Even when he drives to the basket, James' finishing ability isn't top-tier because his physical strength and skills aren't yet fully developed.
When passing the ball, he tends to aim too high for a direct shot opportunity, which causes him to hesitate and choose not to pass when faced with many indirect opportunities or passes that do not lead directly to a shot.
In other words, it sticks to the ball too much.
With his current ball control ability, holding onto the ball too long means a high number of mistakes.
This is also the biggest reason why James averages 3.5 turnovers per game this season, ranking third in the league.
Turnover rate and shooting ability are James' weaknesses now.
Dealing with him now is not difficult at all!
Lin Tian rushed up to challenge James, constantly using subtle tricks and looking for unpredictable opportunities to steal the ball, which was enough to make James' dribbling very difficult.
Then James knew he would have a hard time getting past Lin Tian one-on-one, so he quickly called for a screen and accelerated towards the paint. The Pacers simply left the entire mid-range area wide open, letting James attack and shoot as he pleased, focusing on boxing out and grabbing rebounds.
Without help defense, there are no open teammates, and there are a total of 4 players from both sides crowding around the three-second zone. The smart James knows very well that if he goes in, he will most likely miss the shot.
Could he take an open mid-range shot directly?
I have absolutely no confidence!
While James hesitated, Lin Tian had already bypassed the screen and swiftly snatched the ball from behind him. The ball immediately slipped from James's control and was grabbed by Miller, who reacted the fastest, before being passed to Lin Tian.
Without hesitation, Lin Tian immediately took the ball and launched a counterattack. After arriving at the basket, Lin Tian did not immediately pull up for a dunk as usual. Instead, he suddenly made a fake stop and received the ball, and then he saw a dark figure flash past him.
James!
Lin Tian has been keeping a close eye on this guy who's addicted to chasing down hats!
After shaking off James, Lin Tian stepped forward with ease and made a bank shot that went in.
"LeBron, you jumped really high!" After scoring, Lin Tian turned around and looked at James with an exaggerated expression that was clearly full of sarcasm.
"Fuck!" James cursed, then dribbled the ball back to the frontcourt. This time, his advance was still incredibly difficult, only because he was really big enough.
Standing at 201 cm tall when he first entered the league, coupled with his exceptionally long wingspan, he was able to protect the basketball very well when he sidestepped his opponent, making it difficult for even Lin Tian to easily steal the ball from him.
But against the Pacers, simply bringing the ball up to the frontcourt is clearly not enough!
He needs to score, he needs to win the game!
Everything was so similar to the last round. James couldn't beat Lin Tian one-on-one at all. He could indeed drive into the paint with the help of screens, but the Pacers' strategy of not helping on defense and completely giving up the mid-range shot left James helpless.
Shooting is not my strength; passing is not open; and driving to the basket has a very low success rate.
Tangled!
While he was struggling and hesitating, the Spurs failed to score in several consecutive possessions. When James had the ball, he either made a mistake, missed a shot, or couldn't find an opportunity at all. He could only pass to teammates who also had no chance, and then organize another attack.
The Spurs' offense has completely stalled.
Seeing the Pacers' defensive tactics, Popovich on the sidelines could only sigh in frustration and curse.
He was all too familiar with this move.
Isn't that the Spurs' signature defensive tactic back when they had Duncan and Robinson?
Cut off my three-pointers and layups, give me space in the mid-range; I don't believe you can shoot me to death.
Yes, although he was later defeated by Jordan, Lin Tian, Kobe and others, this move is indeed the signature move of the Spurs and Popovich.
On the court, seeing that James was unable to organize the offense and was becoming increasingly hesitant, Popovich couldn't take it anymore. He yelled at the players, "LeBron, charge! Charge into the paint! Be decisive! Be aggressive! Play your game!"
"Don't hesitate! There's no room for hesitation on the basketball court!"
Popovich's roars and shouts didn't help James recover much of his form.
In particular, he listened to Popovich's advice and attacked the paint twice in a row, but was blocked by Miller's height once, and then ran directly into the arms of Artest and Lin Tian, who had just come on the court, and the two of them snatched the basketball from his arms.
James lost the ball and was fouled by Artest, but before the referee could blow the whistle, the Pacers players had already launched a counterattack and started a fast break. James angrily spread his arms and yelled at the referee.
"They threw me to the floor! Ron even punched me, didn't you see that? Didn't you see that? FUXX! Even my grandma could tell that was a foul, she's more qualified to be a referee than you guys! You bunch of idiots!"
With a series of turnovers, missed shots, and being dispossessed so easily, James' mentality is really on the verge of collapse.
anger!
"Technical foul!"
Before James could even finish his rant, the referee immediately issued a technical foul.
Spray, spray, spray! What a load of rubbish!
"LeBron, are you still asleep? Do you think this is a high school game where the referees will call the shots no matter what you do?"
"Wake up, kid. You're all grown up now. Here, you're just a nobody, a complete rookie. And you're complaining about the referee?"
As Lin Tian finished his fast break and prepared to return to defense, he saw James get frustrated and immediately started trash-talking James, then politely thanked him.
"But thank you anyway for the free throws and possession. I'll make the most of it and widen the gap as quickly as possible."
After mocking James, Lin Tian walked to the free-throw line and easily made the technical free throw, giving the Pacers another chance to throw in the ball.
Upon receiving the ball again, Lin Tian faced off against a clean-cut version of Bowen once more beyond the three-point line.
To be honest, if Bowen brings Blackfoot along, Lin Tian really needs to be careful, lest he fall into his trap.
But now...
Not worth mentioning!
No matter how fast the lateral movement, how good the size, or how great the defensive skills and abilities, they are all paper tigers in front of Lin Tian. There is nothing that Lin Tian cannot handle with a single change of direction.
If so, then let's do a double crossover!
For example, this one!
Lin Tian's first sharp change of direction was quickly followed by Bowen, who was prepared. Bowen thought he was ready and quickly reached for the ball, but this move caused him to completely lose his defensive position.
Lin Tian dribbled behind his back with lightning speed to dodge Bowen. Bowen, who missed his target, not only lost the chance to catch up with Lin Tian, but also lost his balance because Lin Tian's fast behind-the-back dribble and lateral movement made it impossible for him to get any leverage. He couldn't touch Lin Tian at all and lost his center of gravity. He stumbled and fell directly to the floor.
Bowen was faked out!
Lin Tian quickly distanced himself from Bowen, but didn't forget to glance back at Bowen, who was lying on the floor looking utterly disheveled. Lin Tian even shrugged slightly before jumping up to shoot a three-pointer.
"Whoosh!"
A perfect fake-out is always followed by a perfect goal!
Otherwise, the editors would be embarrassed to include this shot in the top ten.
We can't make things difficult for the staff of the major sports channels, can we? This kind of shot has to go in!
"I hope your family isn't watching this game, Bruce, and I hope they're all asleep, otherwise they'll cry for you."
While Lin Tian was trash-talking Bowen, James seized the opportunity, quickly called for the ball, and accelerated to sprint. He wanted to take advantage of Lin Tian's brief moment of trash-talking and gloating to steal a point and break the scoring drought for himself and his team.
Lin Tian's reaction was incredibly fast!
This guy even finished spewing the second half of his trash talk at Bowen while simultaneously moving quickly to block James in front of him.
What does "sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood" mean?
"Snapped!"
Seizing the opportunity, Lin Tian grabbed the ball with one hand and poked it off James's basketball, stealing the ball.
But this time, the referee blew his whistle.
"Beep beep! Foul! Inbound pass!"
"Fuck! Is his body hair really that long? Look closely, he's almost bald! Where does he get all that body hair? Is that a foul? Then I'll go play volleyball!"
"I'm not bald! I have plenty of hair!" James immediately got angry when Lin Tian mentioned his hair: "You're talking nonsense!"
"Yes, yes, you're not bald, you're not losing hair, your hair is as thick as Manu's, you two have the same perfect amount of hair!" Lin Tian shrugged, too lazy to say more to James.
Whether he's bald or not, does James not know the answer in his own heart?
Judging from his angry expression, you can tell that hair loss has definitely begun!
She's only 18!
That's so pitiful.
Despite his pitiful state, Lin Tian still looked at the referee and said, "I swear I didn't foul. You can even ask LeBron himself if I fouled!"
"Foul!" James nodded without hesitation, "It hit my hand."
"shameless!"
"Ref, why didn't you call a technical foul on him when he questioned your calls and swore? Why did you call one on me?" James continued, shrugging.
"No way, what's your status? You expect to get the same treatment as me?" Lin Tian rolled his eyes. This little brother really didn't know his place: "I'm this!"
As Lin Tian spoke, he made a crown shape with his hands as if he wanted to put it on his head, but he put his hands down as soon as he raised them.
No, no, that's too embarrassing.
Although Lord Lin has a thick skin, he really can't do this; just thinking about it makes him feel ashamed.
"Who are you?" James asked, confused, not understanding Lin Tian's half-finished action.
"Go to school for a couple more years, and you'll know what this is." Lin Tian was too lazy to pay any more attention to James, so he turned around and returned to his own half of the court to prepare for defense.
However, Lin Tian clearly underestimated the length of James's body hair.
In the same round, when Lin Tian stepped forward to continue defending James, this time James chose to force his way through with the ball. After driving all the way to the basket, he not only failed to shake off Lin Tian, but was also surrounded by Artest who came from the side!
Forced into a corner, James had no choice but to jump up and throw the ball haphazardly toward the basket!
James was double-teamed and could barely see the basket, let alone make a shot. The basketball's trajectory was absurd; it flew straight out of bounds.
"Beep beep!"
Unexpectedly, the referee blew his whistle again!
"Lin, foul! Two free throws!"
"Are you guys really crazy?" Lin Tian was so angry he almost laughed. He spread his hands and said, "Did you even see anything? Or are you just making this up with your eyes closed?"
"I was standing straight, and my hands weren't pressing down at all. You called a foul on me? How did I foul? Is it a foul to defend so well that the opponent can't get a shot off?"
"Raise your hands and admit you fouled, or I'll give you a technical foul!" The baseline referee, still with a stern expression, maintained his authority as much as possible.
"Alright, alright." Lin Tian smiled and nodded, raising his hand. "So you're going to brag like that, huh? Fine! See you in the second half!"
Yes, Lin Tian will have to see the referee in the second half.
This is his third foul tonight.
According to NBA practice, unless there are special circumstances, if a player commits three fouls in the first half, the coach will not let him stay on the court, because that would make him a target for the opponent.
He will become the opponent's weak point, and it is also easy for the opponent to commit a fourth foul.
In that case, the player won't be able to play well in the second half.
The risk is too high, and the returns are not high.
Therefore, with more than five minutes left in the second quarter, Lin Tian had to leave the court temporarily and sit on the bench.
His stats for the first half were 21 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Unfortunately, he couldn't complete a 20+7+5+5 performance in the first half.
"It's okay, Lin. We'll give them a good beating in the second half!" Carlisle patted Lin Tian on the shoulder to reassure him.
But Lin Tian showed no displeasure whatsoever. On the contrary, he was quite relaxed, leaning back in his chair and saying, "What was my highest score in a single quarter again? 39 points, right?"
"You're just going to brag like that, huh? See you in the second half!"
Lin Tian sat on the sidelines watching the game, and the more he watched, the angrier he became.
Because the referee has started to lose all shame.
After Lin Tian left, the Pacers' biggest name on the court became Artest, but what's so special about that? He's never even been an All-Star, let alone had any standing in the basketball world. Under these circumstances, the referees' whistles became even more reckless.
For example, less than two minutes later, Artest also sat down next to Lin Tian angrily, his eyes red with rage, as if he wanted to kill someone.
This guy has committed 3 fouls too.
As for those actions...
If you insist on saying it, Artest did commit a foul, but in the NBA, this kind of action would go uncalled 9 out of 10 times; it's just normal physical contact.
But the referee still blew the whistle.
"Fuck! Is this Indiana or San Antonio?" After Parker was pulled on the arm during a turn and drive into the paint, causing his layup to miss, but the referee didn't call anything, Carlisle couldn't hold back anymore. He stood up and started yelling at the referee.
"Are you blind or stupid? You're not calling this kind of foul? Fine! You don't have a problem with not calling it! I don't mind if you keep the calls consistent! But why do the Cavaliers have 8-meter-long body hair? Why do we get fouled just for touching them?"
"Give me a reason! I need a reason!"
"Technical foul! That's your reason!" The referee didn't hesitate to blow the whistle and give Carlisle a technical foul for this act of challenging their authority.
"Get lost!" Carlisle scoffed, then sat down on the bench. "We'll see!"
"I thought you were going to go up and beat him up." Lin Tian looked at Carlisle with some disappointment. Just now, judging from Carlisle's expression, he was ready to hand the head coach a suitable stool so he could have some fun.
"Beat him up my ass! I'm the young commander!" Carlisle fumed, sitting on the bench with his arms crossed, and suddenly looked at Lin Tian, saying, "Lin, you just said you were going to score 40 points in the second half, right?"
"What's wrong?"
"That's fucking too few! Give me 50 points in the second half! No, 60! Crush them!"
"Alright, alright, crush them, crush them." Lin Tian waved his hand, indicating that everything was as you wished.
Inside the league headquarters office, Stern watched the entire live broadcast of this highly anticipated match; in his mind, this game was extremely important!
In Stern's mind, the showdown between Lin Tian and James was a clash between the present and the future! He had long seen James as the next face of the league after Lin Tian, and the new generation of league leaders that he would promote in the next stage.
Stern is paying close attention to this game!
Even before the match began, Stern gave specific instructions to his referee team.
"Be artistic when you're praising, don't be too obvious or too biased, but within that premise, keep the game suspenseful, and keep James and Lin Tian evenly matched both on the court and in the statistics!"
Well, how should I put it?
The referee team did their best.
At least statistically, Lin Tian and James were evenly matched, but on the court...
They can't do it.
This is too difficult.
Who made James get completely dominated by Lin Tian?
They didn't want to completely demolish Lin Tian, but if they didn't, James and the Spurs were really going to get crushed in the first half.
It's really unbearable.
Individual skill level, the gap between opponents, and the visible gap in skill.
These two players are, at least for now, not even in the same league.
Therefore, the referees can only do their part of the job.
现在林天半场拿下21+7+5+3，詹姆斯半场比赛则是22+7+7，最起码数据上，这两位是真的是不相上下了不是？
Of course, this "evenly matched" comparison is only a rough estimate; upon closer inspection, the differences will become apparent.
For example, Lin Tian only played 15 minutes, while James played a full 21 minutes in the first half. Also, Lin Tian only had one turnover, while James already had five by halftime.
But that's all the referees can do.
To achieve both a visually appealing performance and impressive statistics, while remaining subtle... the prerequisite for all of this is that you, James, and Lin Tian are evenly matched. Give them a chance!
Given this disparity in strength, even if God were to embellish the story, he couldn't produce a better result.
Thanks to the referees' efforts, not only are Lin Tian and James trading blows, but the score is also very close.
52: 47.
The Spurs are still leading by 5 points!
We did a great job!
Stern: Great? You think you're great?!
What Lao Tzu wants to create is a matchup between two generations of top stars, Lin Tian and James, that is difficult to determine and generate much discussion afterward.
Now you guys are all praising Lin Tian sitting on the bench, and the discussion is going... is it evenly matched? Is it a close call? Is it a matter of passing on the torch? Is it about continuing the family line...?
There's absolutely nothing here!
Yes, the data is very balanced, but anyone who watches the game will know what's going on!
Do you really think fans don't watch the game and only look at the charts?
You're kidding me!
Is this how you do things?
Stern was extremely annoyed and dissatisfied. He felt he needed to work overtime again. It was time to give the refereeing department a few more training sessions so they would know how to officiate a match and what they really wanted!
At the very least, they need to know one principle.
In a battle between star players, the most important and crucial element is, damn, the star players!
Your star players aren't even on the court, what kind of competition is that?
Stern, who was extremely unhappy, acted on his impulse. During halftime, he made a phone call to the referee, expressing his thoughts and anger before hanging up.
Let's see how they perform in the second half!
During halftime, Lin Tian temporarily replaced Carlisle. Standing in the middle of the locker room, looking at his teammates, he bluntly stated, "The referee's calls in the first half were like a pile of shit. I can't even believe this is Indiana!"
"Ron and I both got called for three fouls for some really funny reasons, Rick got a technical foul, and LeBron James made 11 free throws, more than our whole team! I think we all know tonight who the new darling of this league is, and who Stern wants to promote as a super rookie."
"So, everyone probably knows when the second half is, right?"
"Villainous Moment!"
Lin Tian answered his own question almost without pausing, continuing, "We've been the villains for many years. We've kept Miami from ever reaching the finals, we've kept Los Angeles only able to look on with envy for the Larry O'Brien Trophy, we've completely dismantled the 76ers, and we've kept Orlando from ever making it..."
"Okay, this has nothing to do with us."
"But in short, we've disappointed every team in the league time and time again. Tonight, it's time to disappoint the Spurs!"
"They thought they'd landed the chosen one, they thought they'd found the hope and cornerstone of the team for the next 10 years, but today, we're here to tell the people of San Antonio: they've picked a fool!"
"I'm not afraid of them. With me around, they'll never win the championship!"
"Rely on the referee? I play exactly the way the referee does! In the second half, we'll play exactly as we're supposed to, and let the referee continue to call the calls if he wants!"
"I don't care! But I'm going to win tonight, and tonight I'll show the people of San Antonio just how big the gap is between us!"
"Aren't you confident you can crush them in the second half?!"
"have!"
Artest was the first to raise his arms and shout, "In the second half, I'm going to go up against that LeBron! Damn it, I've never had three fouls in the first half of my life! I'm going to beat him to a pulp in the second half!"
With Artest and Lin Tian expressing their support, the morale of the other players was naturally soaring. They shouted along with the two, and the Pacers' morale was absolutely unstoppable!
"Let's go! Let's take them down!" Lin Tian nodded in satisfaction as he saw his teammates' unstoppable momentum. He waved his hand, indicating that it was time to charge out and wipe out the Spurs.
"Lin." After everyone had left, Carlisle quietly called out to Lin Tian, asking in his ear, "Aren't you afraid the referee will continue to call these calls in the second half? If they keep doing this, and we play too aggressively, it might very well..."
"Don't worry, Rick, I know that old bastard Stern," Lin Tian said confidently. "He wants exciting matches, not a whistle-blowing duel! He won't let this kind of refereeing continue."
"Of course, if the Spurs were playing against some no-name, low-profile team tonight, Stern definitely wouldn't care."
"But tonight their opponent is us, the most popular team in the league, with countless fans all over the world."
"Stern won't stand idly by and let the referees make arbitrary calls in such a high-profile game! I'm quite certain that my three fouls in the second half are practically a get-out-of-jail-free card. As long as I don't make any obvious or excessive moves, the referees will do their best to keep me on the court!"
"After all, everyone is watching this game today to see me versus James, not to see the referees controlling the game! Stern is smart! He definitely won't wait until the end of the game, but will change the officiating standards in the second half so that I can stay on the court for as long as possible and face off against James."
"I see!" Carlisle nodded as if he understood, but Lin Tian didn't care whether he really understood or not. He patted Carlisle on the shoulder and walked towards the stadium.
"Get inside! Charge in!" In the Spurs' locker room, Popovich clapped his hands loudly, yelling at his players, "Drive to the basket! Attack! The referees are on our side! Understand? It's on our side! Charge to the basket, the whistle will blow! The referees will help us!"
"clear!"
The Spurs' morale tonight is just as high!
.........
In the second half, both teams switched sides and started playing again. At this point, both the Cavaliers and the Pacers were in high spirits!
They all believed they could win tonight.
The Pacers had possession of the ball in the first possession. Lin Tian faced Bowen, but instead of speeding up, he slowly dribbled to the frontcourt and then waved for a screen.
Miller rushed over immediately and blocked Bowen for Lin Tian.
Lin Tian's speed suddenly exploded at this moment. With a quick change of direction and a side step, Nesterovic, who rushed over to help defend, didn't even have time to react before Lin Tian disappeared from his sight.
"Whoosh!"
The only thing Nesterovic had time to do was turn around.
Watching Lin Tian, who was a full 2 meters away, calmly shoot and make the jump shot.
"Great! Lin was really on fire in the second half!" Barkley was always excited whenever Lin had a great performance: "That was amazing! He hit a three-pointer right at the start! I bet Lin was really annoyed by being forced to leave the game early in the second quarter!"
"He's gathered his strength and is ready to take his revenge!"
Kenny added, "Next, we'll see if the referees are lenient. If they call the same calls as in the second quarter, then no matter how energetic Lin is, he'll have to sit on the bench and watch!"
While the two were discussing, James dribbled the ball again and came to the frontcourt to face Lin Tian.
"LeBron, when are you going to stop hiding? You haven't had the guts to go one-on-one with me the whole game? How badly are you going to beat your guys before you dare to come and match up with me for another two rounds?" Facing James, Lin Tian launched another trash talk offensive.
"Basketball isn't one-on-one!" James said calmly. "Basketball is 5-on-5! As long as you put the ball in the basket, whether it's one-on-one or not doesn't matter at all!"
"Not important?" Lin Tian sneered, suddenly increasing his defensive intensity once again. He had absolute confidence in his judgment and believed that the referee would not blow the calls like he did in the first half in the second half!
If you're confident, then show it!
The defensive intensity and aggression Lin Tian displayed at this moment were probably no less than his aggression in the playoffs.
At this moment, Lin Tian was really determined to defend James's attack with all his might.
Feeling the terrifying power of Lin Tian approaching, James, who had already gained an advantage in the first half of the game due to the referee's calls, raised his arm and made a shooting motion. Then he let out a scream, his limbs stretched out very flat, and the whole posture was somewhat comical.
Then he waited for the referee's whistle, but unfortunately, the referees had a meeting with Stern during halftime.
At this point, with this kind of action, they would never foul Lin Tian! They wouldn't even foul Artest!
They need to keep their star players on the court!
James' performance failed to score, but Lin Tian slapped the ball out of his hand and launched a counterattack, driving all the way to the frontcourt before stopping outside the three-point line.
Aim, fire!
"Whoosh!"
"Here it comes! Lin's signature pull-up three-pointer!" Barkley shouted excitedly, "The most exhilarating three-point shot in the league, and also the most frustrating shot for head coaches!"
"Other teams' coaches would want Lin to take that kind of shot, because it's absolutely unreasonable!"
"But they're also afraid of Lin's shooting! Because he's just too accurate!"
Kenny added, "An interesting statistic: Lin's career three-point shooting percentage during transition periods is an impressive 52.4%!"
"This shooting percentage is certainly not as high as a dunk, but the effect of making a three-pointer, the morale of both teams, and the fans' perception are completely different!"
"LeBron, one-on-one isn't important?"
After hitting the three-pointer, Lin Tian turned to James and said, "The most basic and core thing in basketball is one-on-one!" (End of Chapter)