NABC Chapter 198 Michael wants to win MVP? But I don't want him to.
Chapter 198 Michael wants to win MVP? But I don't want him to.
Chapter 198 Michael wants to get MVP? But I don't want him to!
Besides Jordan's 22 points, Miller scored 15 points, Barkley 7 points, Lin Tian 6 points and 9 assists, Rice 7 points, Rose 5 points, and Hill also contributed 9 points in the first half for the Eastern Conference team.
By the end of the first half, the coach had brought everyone onto the court, and everyone had scored a point.
In the second half, the coach will decide the players' playing time based on the actual situation and the score.
On the Western Conference side, Kobe scored a team-high 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting. In addition to Kobe, O'Neal also scored 11 points, Duncan 8 points, Garnett 6 points, and Payton 7 points and 5 assists.
Like the East, everyone in the West scored points. Just like the East, in the second half, players who weren't popular, had low profiles, or didn't want to play for long didn't get much playing time.
If the score remains close until the end, like in the first half, then both coaches will need to take things more seriously. They'll need to come up with some tactics and shout out some slogans to motivate the players and get them to give it their all.
Judging from the first half score at least, the score difference between the two sides was not wide at all, and it was temporarily tied at 70:73, with the East team leading by 3 points.
There is a high probability that the "real fight" segment that fans are most looking forward to will appear.
During halftime, Jordan, as always, stood in the middle of the locker room and said, "Let's push harder in the second half and crush those bastards in the West! We've won two years in a row, and this year, I'm going to keep winning!"
"Kill them! Prove that the East is stronger than the West!"
In previous years, with players like Pippen, Rodman, Lin Tian, and several of Jordan's good friends, they would definitely have cheered for Jordan to boost his morale and help him successfully inspire the team.
But this year's situation is different.
Jordan wasn't an All-Star starter, Rodman and Pippen weren't there, and his best friend Ewing wasn't there either. Lin Tian, Miller, and Barkley were also his good friends, but these three were typical frenemy friends, and they were all up to no good right now.
These three guys not only ignored Jordan's inspiring speech, but also reached out to stop Mutombo, Tim Hardaway, Williams, and others next to them, telling them to be quiet too.
In addition, Hill is an introverted and quiet person who has never liked to shout. Anfernee Hardaway and Glen Rice both have some grudges against Jordan, so they are naturally too lazy to support him. Antoine Walker is probably thinking about the girl he slept with last night. His eyes are blank and he has no idea what Jordan is talking about.
So, after Jordan's speech, there was absolutely no reaction in the locker room. Not a single person cheered or applauded; the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Extremely embarrassing!
Michael Jordan has seen all sorts of things, but this is something he has never seen before!
For a moment, this basketball god was completely speechless.
Fortunately, the coach tonight is Phil Jackson, and the old fox stood by Jordan's side just in time to boost his morale: "Alright, everyone, cheer up, let's win the game, and then tonight, let's experience the New York nightlife one last time!"
"Oh my! Nightlife!" Barkley was the first to shout, looking spurred on by Jackson's words and full of fighting spirit.
"Charles, this is too fake." Looking at Barkley's exaggerated acting, Lin Tian felt embarrassed to play along.
So embarrassing.
This acting is worse than that of China's young heartthrobs 25 years from now!
"Alright, alright." Jackson waved his hand and continued, "It's about time, let's go out."
Following Jackson's words, a group of star players filed out and quickly left the locker room.
Only Michael Jordan walked at the back; he didn't come out with the main group. Lin Tian, who was also walking at the back, clearly heard that after the last person left the locker room, Jordan immediately slammed the door shut, and then he heard a series of crashing sounds coming from inside.
Jordan was absolutely furious tonight!
Unfortunately, perhaps because this was the result of the collective efforts of the entire Eastern Conference All-Star team, the system didn't give Lin Tian any hints, and nothing was revealed.
But no matter what, Lin Tian believes that this year's All-Star Game will definitely be the most unforgettable one in Jordan's life!
Yes, Lin Tian believed that it must have surpassed his first All-Star appearance, when Isaiah Thomas rallied everyone to stop passing him the ball and he was isolated by the entire Eastern Conference.
Given Jordan's personality, he probably felt great being isolated that time. He thought he was incredibly awesome, like a rookie who had slapped everyone in the face in the face.
But this time, it was the accomplished "God of Basketball," Michael Jordan, who was proven wrong by everyone else.
Thinking of this, Lin Tian's first thought was to mourn for Kobe.
In the second half, won't Kobe get beaten to death by Jordan?
However, given Kobe's personality, he probably would have loved to be beaten to death by Jordan; he would definitely have felt great about it.
Soon, the second half of the game continued. At the start of the game, Lin Tian continued to play the role of the master of impartiality tonight, feeding Barkley, Miller, Mutombo and Hill one point each, and the East scored four points in a row.
The Western Conference side was able to keep up offensively, after all, they had Duncan. Payton had already figured out how to use Duncan after the first half.
That means whenever the team is in trouble, everyone wants to show off which leads to a drop in shooting percentage, or the opponent scores in a row, then give the ball to Duncan.
This big guy will soon use an ugly and boring method to efficiently put the ball into the basket.
For example, at the start of the third quarter, Duncan made 3 of 4 shots, scoring 6 points in a row!
Another noteworthy point is that Kobe only played for 30 seconds after starting before being substituted by Harris. Lin Tian immediately guessed that this was Kobe's own request.
He's focused on going up against Jordan! Almost 20 minutes of the first half have already passed. Given Kobe's current status, if he wants to continue going up against Jordan in the second half, he'll have to adjust his playing time and use all his minutes wisely.
In the upcoming games, if Jordan isn't on the court, Kobe definitely won't play either.
In the first half of the third quarter, the two sides continued to trade blows, with neither gaining a clear advantage. With six minutes remaining in the third quarter, the score was temporarily tied at 90-91.
The Eastern Conference team's lead has dwindled to just one point!
Seeing this, Jackson once again waved his hand with a flourish and said, "Come on, five up, five down!"
Jordan continued to lead the team on the court.
As soon as Kobe saw Jordan enter the game, he practically jumped up from the bench, looking at Harris with great anticipation.
Harris nodded, and so, the Western Conference also went up and down five times, letting Kobe continue to go up and challenge Jordan one-on-one.
In the first possession after both teams' reserves came on, Kobe took the ball and faced Jordan, hitting a three-pointer from beyond the arc to score 3 points and lead the West to a one-point lead.
Then Kobe imitated Lin Tian's Christmas game move, putting his hands in front of his mouth and blowing on the gun before putting it back in his pocket as a celebration.
"You messed with the wrong guy tonight, kid!" Jordan glared at Kobe, reaching for the ball as he sprinted forward with a blank expression. "I'm furious!"
"I have a nickname, my friends call me 'Fireman'," Kobe said, lowering his stance and looking at Jordan. "I'll put you out, don't worry!"
rest assured?
Jordan swore and said he wouldn't be Jordan if he didn't kill Kobe today!
The next few minutes turned into a one-on-one match between Kobe and Jordan. Jordan repeatedly went down to the low post, using elbows, knees and all sorts of tricks to show the 18-year-old what experience was and what he had relied on to dominate the league for more than a decade.
To be honest, if Jordan had faced any of the young players in the West other than Kobe tonight, they would have been terrified by now. After all, Jordan is ruthless; he used all sorts of elbows and knees without holding back!
Tonight, Jordan isn't here for an exhibition game!
But Jordan is facing Kobe today, who at 38 years old is still called "the idiot".
Acknowledge?
nonexistent!
Kobe is indeed inferior to Jordan in every aspect now. Being dominated by Jordan is the true test of their abilities. But tonight, Kobe was extremely lucky and had a very good shooting night.
This resulted in Kobe being completely unable to defend against Jordan, who scored repeatedly.
While Jordan could defend Kobe, making almost every shot Kobe took extremely difficult and awkward positions, Kobe still managed to score! He just kept putting the ball into the basket.
Even some of Kobe's incredible shots left Lin Tian speechless.
That's so fake!
But sometimes, there's no reasoning with him about these things. His moves are unreasonable, and the difficulty is great, but he just manages to score!
By the end of the third quarter, Jordan had scored 13 points in just half a quarter, bringing his total to 35 points. However, Kobe Bryant on the other side was playing like a basketball god tonight, scoring 12 points in half a quarter and bringing his total to 29 points!
The score remained close, 108-110.
The Eastern team is currently leading by 2 points.
Then, in the first half of the fourth quarter, both coaches made another significant rotation. The Eastern Conference fielded Jason Williams, Antoine Walker, Glen Rice, and two Hardaways.
On the Western Conference side, the Lakers fielded Van Gundy and Eddie Jones, along with Jason Kidd, Vin Baker, and Kevin Garnett.
What's the deal with these two lineups?
It brought together the lowest-ranking players from both sides, the worst performers tonight, and those who would definitely not play in the final moments.
It's fair to say that if these ten players play for a few more minutes to warm up the game, and if the score difference still doesn't widen, both coaches will have to field their strongest lineups for a decisive battle!
As time passed quickly, the two lineups played a thrilling and back-and-forth battle, and the point difference remained just as the fans had hoped, never widening significantly.
Both coaches made some minor substitutions in the middle of the quarter, which allowed all the players to make an appearance in the fourth quarter and try to score a few more points.
Then, with five minutes left in the game, Del Harris called a timeout.
At this moment, the score was exactly 121:121!
Both sides are now on equal footing!
The timing of this pause was absolutely perfect!
At the same time, this timeout also triggered a frenzy of cheers and shouts from all the fans in Madison Square Garden!
New Yorkers are very familiar with this kind of situation. They know very well that when this timeout is called, it means one thing: the decisive battle is about to begin! The most popular and strongest players are about to take to the court!
"Michael! Michael!"
"Lin! We want Lin and Michael to team up!"
"Let that number 8 kid come up here and beat up a few more of Jordan!"
"I want that clumsy, big guy, number 21!"
"Sharks! Give us sharks! Let the sharks continue their rampage!"
……
During the two-minute timeout, fans kept chanting the names of their favorite players, hoping they could continue playing as the team's final lineup.
As for whether the two coaches will be swayed by the fans' shouts?
Jackson definitely will!
He was too lazy to use his brain in this kind of game. He calmly held a stat sheet and said casually, "The two who were shouting the loudest just now, Lin and Michael, and the best stats tonight, let me see. Reggie got 20 points, DeBeakon had 14 rebounds and 3 blocks, and Grant also had 15 points. You guys are in."
"No problem, right?" Jackson adjusted his glasses and looked at the five people he had called on. "No one wants to not play, right? And no one thinks it's inappropriate, right? Okay, then it's you five. Play the last five minutes. Go on, give the ball to Lin, you can decide how to distribute it."
On the Western Conference side, Harris, watching Kobe eager to fight and wanting to play a little longer, suddenly said, "Kobe, you need to know why Michael is the best in the league and why he won five championships?"
"Because he's strong enough, no one can stop him!" Kobe said decisively, "His one-on-one ability is unmatched!"
"It's not just because of that!"
"It's also because he's fearless even when double-teamed; even with two players on him, he can still score!"
"It's not this one either."
"That's because even when facing three people surrounding him, Michael can still be invincible, relying on his own strength to make all kinds of difficult shots!" Kobe's eyes lit up even more. So that's what the coach meant! He must be worried that if I get double-teamed later, I won't know how to play.
No problem! I'm not afraid! I'll kill them!
"Fuck! It's all based on these foundations, plus passing! Trust and teamwork!" Harris couldn't help but yell at his single-minded disciple, "Think about the passes Michael made to Paxson, think about the screens Michael set for Lin when they teamed up!"
"That's what a mature leader and a superstar should do! Draw the defense and then trust your teammates! Got what I mean, Kobe?"
"I understand, Coach. You want me to pass the ball, right?" Kobe pouted, clearly no longer in high spirits.
"If you keep going one-on-one, you'll just become another Wilkins or Drexler. But if you can pass the ball at the right time, you can become the next Jordan!" Harris said, patting Kobe on the shoulder. "Think carefully about who you really want to be!"
After saying that, Harris stopped looking at Kobe and silently wiped the sweat from his brow.
This is too difficult! Coaching this kid is really too difficult.
"Shaq, Tim, Mickey, Gary, the four of you come out on the court with Kobe! In the last few minutes, let's crush those bastards from the East!"
With five minutes left in the game, the decisive battle begins!
The first possession belonged to the Eastern team. Lin Tian, who had a mediocre performance today and hadn't really stood out, dribbling the ball forward with only 10 points and 12 assists so far.
Miller started running at full speed as soon as Lin Tian crossed half-court. After a screen from Mutombo under the basket, Miller shook off Richmond and sprinted toward the wing. Lin Tian's pass arrived immediately, and Miller received the ball outside the three-point line while simultaneously turning, adjusting, and preparing his shooting posture.
Without wasting a second, he pulled up for a three-point jump shot after receiving the ball.
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, the East team took a 3-point lead!
On the Western side, Payton dribbled the ball leisurely to the frontcourt, signaling Duncan to take position. After discovering the correct way to use Duncan, this guy had already tasted the sweetness of it. Feeding this big guy the ball was really simple, comfortable and reassuring!
However, just as Duncan got into position to call for the ball, Hill behind him turned around and switched to fronting him for defense. Of course, he knew that he was behind Duncan and would be beaten to death, so he had no choice but to choose to front him for defense.
Just as Hill moved in front of him, the basketball in Payton's hand flew to the other side. Under the basket, O'Neal sat on Mutombo, sending him flying, and jumped high, slamming the ball into the basket with both hands!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, O'Neal once again yanked the rim so hard it shook wildly.
At the same time, the person kept twisting their body and dancing awkwardly.
In the Eastern Conference's offensive possession, Lin Tian passed the ball to Jordan this time.
Once again, Jordan backed down Kobe in the low post.
However, he was unlucky this time. Although he managed to break free and get a shooting space, the basketball bounced off the rim and missed.
After O'Neal grabbed the rebound, he immediately passed it to Kobe, who took the ball and charged towards the frontcourt!
Lin Tian and Jordan were positioned on the left and right, blocking the young man who was not yet 19 years old. But this time, Kobe surprised everyone. He did not choose to force a 1-on-2 situation. Instead, as soon as the two closed in, he passed the ball to Payton on the other side, allowing Payton to advance the ball!
With a wide-open shot, Payton shook off Miller, drove all the way to the basket, and easily made a layup!
125: 124!
West team takes the lead by 1 point!
"Nice pass, kid! I thought you didn't even have a pass button! You can pass the ball now!" Payton excitedly ruffled Kobe's hair and said, "Keep playing like this! We're sure to win tonight! Then Uncle Gary will take you to become an adult!"
"I'm an adult now!" Kobe muttered, then continued to look at Jordan, ready for anything.
"ball!"
Jordan, positioned in the low post, aggressively demanded the ball from Lin Tian, but Lin Tian passed it to Hill on the other side. Hill, left wide open by Richmond, immediately took a three-pointer, but this time he missed again!
Duncan blocked Miller as he rushed in with one hand, then raised the other hand and, without even jumping, controlled the rebound in place. After glancing at the frontcourt, he flicked the ball with one hand, sending it flying back to the frontcourt!
Kobe, Payton, and Richmond all sprinted forward at the same time. Payton, in the middle, got the basketball and, facing Lin Tian's defense, quickly passed it to Kobe on the left. Kobe then threw the ball into the air!
On the other side, Richmond, relying on his physical talent and jumping ability, once again overpowered Hill, caught the ball with both hands, and slammed it towards the basket, completing the aerial maneuver!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, the Western team continued to widen the score gap.
"Why didn't you give me the ball!" Jordan looked at Lin Tian, very dissatisfied with Lin Tian's choice just now.
"Because Grant is open, and Kobe is behind you." Lin Tian spread his hands and said, "Michael, this is the All-Star Game. I can't just let you play all by yourself. I've only taken 7 shots myself."
Jordan was speechless after Lin Tian's words. What could he say? Even if this were the Bulls, let alone the All-Star game, it would be perfectly reasonable for Lin Tian to pass the ball to an open shooter.
"I'll let you have this turn, okay? Go find a comfortable position to get the ball, hurry up." Lin Tian waved his hand, received the ball from the baseline again, and began to advance.
This time, he did pass the ball to Jordan in the low post, but before Jordan could even make a move, Richmond came over from the other side and he and Kobe double-teamed Jordan!
In the last three minutes of the game, the West team suddenly changed their defense and started to increase the intensity!
Faced with the sudden double-team, Jordan reacted quickly, making a swift turn to create an opening, then found Grant Hill on the baseline and passed the ball to him again.
Hill received the ball again, aimed, adjusted, and then shot!
Perhaps he was too open and not used to it, or perhaps his shooting touch was just really bad tonight, but he still couldn't make the basket!
The West team's strong inside advantage was evident in these few rounds. Mutombo couldn't even fight for offensive rebounds. He was completely blocked by O'Neal and couldn't even see the ball. How could he grab rebounds?
After grabbing the rebound, O'Neal surprisingly didn't pass the ball. Instead, he tossed it forward and started dribbling and advancing the ball!
When a sports car accelerates, there are still people willing to sacrifice themselves to block a gun hole and slow it down. But when an adult African elephant accelerates at full speed, no creature on the entire land dares to appear in front of it.
This is the state Shaq is in right now!
I couldn't stop him before he accelerated, and I had to block his impact after he accelerated.
Lin Tian said: Anyway, I don't dare to, whoever dares can go!
The remaining four people: It's only 2 points, give it to him!
"boom!"
After a crisp thud, O'Neal, who had been unstoppable all the way and with no one daring to lift a finger to stop him, once again completed a two-handed dunk, helping the West continue to extend their lead!
"Shaq! Once is enough! Hitting like this will damage your knees too much! Take care of your health!"
Unlike the audience at the stadium and watching on TV, Harris, who was excited and crazy about the ball, immediately stood up and loudly reprimanded O'Neal, telling him to stop being so willful.
Given O'Neal's current weight and height, if he just charges in like that, no one would dare to stop him.
But after a maximum of 20 games, his knees will protest and simply stop working.
"I'm so happy, Del! I promise it'll only happen this once!"
O'Neal was still basking in the joy of his previous play, laughing and joking. Everyone could see through his indifference, and everyone believed that if given another chance, O'Neal would definitely not hesitate to make another fast break dunk!
This personality trait is the reason for O'Neal's success, but it is also the reason why he fell from his peak early and began to decline significantly starting in 03.
In the next few minutes, the Western Conference team's offense remained unstoppable, fully utilizing their advantage in the paint. Especially when Kobe started passing the ball, the Western Conference team's offense became even more difficult to stop. With Duncan and O'Neal constantly passing the ball, they continued to widen the score gap.
On the Eastern Conference side, the weakness in the paint prevented them from launching fast breaks and left them with almost no offensive rebounding opportunities after their shots. Although Jordan and Miller scored during this period, they were completely unable to withstand the Western Conference's relentless bombardment of the paint!
With only one minute left in the fourth quarter, the score was 141-133!
The West's lead has reached 8 points!
At this moment, Jackson seemed to be still half asleep. He sat in his chair and waved to Lin Tian.
Let's keep playing, why stop for now?
Getting off work quickly is the most important thing; I have a date with a girl!
Seeing that Jackson wasn't going to defend at all, Lin Tian received the ball on the baseline again, raised his hand and shouted, "Isolation tactic! Everyone spread out, I'll break through and create opportunities for you!"
Lin Tian was about to make his move. He didn't want to lose the game, but he also didn't want Jordan to win the MVP award for tonight, given the experience or skills that Jordan might reveal!
For the first 47 minutes, I couldn't make it too obvious, so I had to pretend to be fair and impartial. But now it's the last minute, so isn't it up to me, Lord Lin, to fight however I want?
Who told me I was a point guard?
Upon reaching the frontcourt, Lin Tian ignored Jordan's hand gestures for the ball and suddenly changed direction, rushing past Payton while shouting, "Michael, left wing!"
Who do you think you are? Why should I take orders from you?!
Jordan complained as he ran toward the location Lin Tian had indicated. Subconsciously, he still trusted Lin Tian completely, believing in Lin Tian's control of the situation and his broad vision.
Jordan's movement and Lin Tian's passing of Payton immediately put the entire Western Conference defense in a state of panic and chaos. When Lin Tian drove straight to the edge of the three-second zone, Duncan was already rushing over with his arms outstretched. Facing Duncan, Lin Tian suddenly stopped the ball and looked in Jordan's direction at the same time.
With just one glance, Richmond, Kobe, and Payton all charged toward Jordan at the same time.
Then, the basketball in Lin Tian's hand flew towards Miller, who was left unmarked in the other corner.
Catch the ball, shoot!
As the undisputed best shooter and top assassin in the league, Miller doesn't need any adjustments after receiving the ball; he simply pulls it up and throws it, and it goes in every time!
141: 136!
The West leads by 5 points with 46 seconds left!
The ball was once again in Kobe's possession in the West! Firstly, because he was eager to win and wanted to dominate Jordan; secondly, although he didn't score a single point in the fourth quarter, he delivered three assists! His selflessness and understanding made Payton feel that he should be given a chance to close out the game!
Facing Jordan's close defense, Kobe first kept the clock down until the very end, then suddenly used a wide Iverson-style crossover to create a lot of space for himself. He then accelerated sharply, driving all the way to the edge of the three-second zone, pushing past Jordan.
Seeing Jordan blocked by Kobe, Mutombo had no choice but to move to the side and block Kobe's way.
The moment Mutombo moved, the basketball in Kobe's hand had already flown into the air.
Mutombo strained upwards with all his might, but couldn't reach the basketball. All he could do was look back in near despair, and then watch as the giant hand suddenly appeared in the air and slammed the basketball into the basket with one hand!
Shaquille O'Neal!
With 27 seconds left, the Lakers' star duo completed an alley-oop play that could have sealed the game!
An excited O'Neal raised his hands, his mouth agape like a gaping abyss, and ran towards Kobe while cheering, wanting to celebrate.
"Grant!" Ke Lintian shouted, and at the same time, he took off running towards the front of the field!
Hill immediately arrived at the byline, seized the opportunity, and delivered a long pass to Lin Tian, who had already reached midfield.
Payton rushed over and blocked Lin Tian's path. Lin Tian didn't force it and made a bounce pass to Jordan, who was following up in the middle. Jordan received the ball and charged towards the frontcourt without hesitation!
The Western team was now completely determined, and the whole team was sprinting at full speed. Except for O'Neal, who was delayed because he wanted to celebrate, the other four had already sprinted back to their own half!
At that moment, Jordan had just stepped into the three-point line, which shows how quickly the Western team got back on defense!
Especially Jordan, who had two more people standing in front of him: Kobe and Richmond!
Jordan also caught a glimpse of Duncan closing in from behind, ready to help block the shot!
In a critical moment, with three players surrounding him, Jordan had no choice but to pass the ball!
Miller, who had just arrived at the 45-degree angle on the wing, was the one who received the ball this time.
After receiving the ball, Miller once again decisively pulled up and shot!
"Whoosh!"
After another crisp sound, Miller hit his second three-pointer in the final minute!
That was also his 32nd point of the night and his 12th point in the fourth quarter!
After scoring, Miller made his signature gesture towards the Western Conference bench behind him!
Chokehold!
He clutched his throat with both hands, his tongue sticking out slightly, as if he was about to strangle himself.
After Miller's move, the entire Madison Square Garden instantly turned against him, with a barrage of boos and curses directed unhesitatingly and mercilessly at their home team, the Eastern All-Stars!
As for why New Yorkers hate Miller and this move so much?
Of course, it's because Miller first made this move after Game 5 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, in the same arena. Miller scored 25 points in the final quarter, leading his team to a 35-16 run in the fourth quarter. That night, Miller single-handedly gave all the fans in New York City nightmares.
That night was definitely one of the darkest nights in all of Madison!
Now, Miller, do you still dare to do this again in this place?
I'll curse you! No need to think twice!
Regardless of the fans' reactions, the point difference between the two sides narrowed to 4 points after this goal!
143: 139!
Lin Tian grinned mischievously and gave Jordan and Miller a high five each.
He deliberately passed the ball to Jordan early in the middle of the court when he had the ball. In this situation, such an early pass would inevitably lead to Jordan being double-teamed by the Western Conference.
Given Jordan's basketball IQ and playing style, at this moment, he would definitely choose to trust his teammate rather than play recklessly on his own! Especially when that teammate is the league's best shooter, Jordan would be even less hesitant.
At this point, only 23 seconds remained in the game!
Needless to say, it's time for the free throw battle!
After scoring, the Eastern Conference players didn't get back on defense. Instead, they each found their own defenders, waiting to foul and stop the game once the ball was inbounded!
"Beep beep!"
The referee blew his whistle, and Duncan passed the ball to Richmond. Miller immediately pounced on him, committing a foul on Richmond.
This time, the East completed the foul in less than a second! This was definitely the most ideal and efficient play.
As Richmond stepped to the free-throw line, Jackson finally stood up. This time, it might be the first time he'd stood up in the game, instead of sitting in his beloved chair.
"Lin, just focus on pushing forward! Play as fast as you can, I trust your skills and control! The outcome depends on you!" Jackson called Lin Tian over and whispered a few words in his ear.
But Lin Tian looked constipated.
That's it? That's it? Just a few words of platitudes, and that's considered directing the final round?
What's the difference between this and not saying anything at all?
That's incredibly lazy.
"Bang!"
Richmond's first free throw was actually a miss!
Standing next to Kobe, Lin Tian watched as the honey badger, whose performance today was near perfect, almost matching Jordan's, and destined to become famous throughout America after tonight, whispered, "Next, I'll pass to Michael, and he'll easily make it!"
"Kobe, if I were you, I would definitely keep the ball further away from Michael for the next shot. No one can stop Michael in the last minute! He's unstoppable!"
"Invincible?" Kobe grinned, flashing a Payton-esque smirk. "We'll see!"
Over at the free-throw line, Jordan walked over to Richmond and said, "If you keep missing shots, you know who's going to hit the game-winner next!"
"Stop kidding me, Michael, you can't scare me!" Richmond took a deep breath, then dribbled the ball and calmly launched the free throw.
"Bang!"
He raised his hand and missed again! This top scorer, who had a free throw percentage of over 80% in the regular season, actually missed both free throws at this moment!
Hill finally broke free from Duncan this time, jumped up quickly and touched the basketball first. Then, instead of holding the ball, he used one hand to push the basketball towards Lin Tian in mid-air!
After getting the basketball, Lin Tian turned around and shook off Payton, who was trying to steal it. Then he dribbled the ball up the court at high speed and drove all the way to the Western Conference's frontcourt.
"Let me go! FUXX!" Jordan roared from behind Lin Tian. Kobe was now in a frenzy. He had his arms almost completely torn off Jordan's clothes, refusing to let go even if it meant death. At the same time, he leaned his whole body against Jordan, not giving him a chance to run and receive the ball.
That was definitely a foul! But the referee just pretended not to see it. Even in an All-Star game, the referee will always leave it to the players to handle!
Lin Tian looked at Jordan, who was being tightly guarded by Kobe, and chuckled, "If you can't shake him off, don't blame me!"
Miller, who had just run to the right 45-degree angle, frantically spread his arms for the ball, and Lin Tian's pass was delivered immediately!
"Whoosh!"
Reggie Miller, the League's number one assassin, has drawn his dagger once again!
Miller's third three-pointer in the final minute and his 15th point in the fourth quarter!
143: 142!
With 15 seconds left, the Eastern Conference team narrowed the gap to just one point!
At this point, even if Harris was too lazy to devise tactics, he had to call a timeout.
From leading by 8 points to being reduced to just 1 point, the Western team played terribly in the last minute.
Of course, the main reason was that Miller's three-point shooting suddenly exploded, hitting three three-pointers in a row, which was truly beyond saving.
"Stay calm! Everyone stay calm. Our primary objective is to smoothly inbound the ball and let the ball handler secure it! Then, don't attack. Wait for them to foul! If they make both free throws, victory will most likely still be ours! Tim, go to the free throw line and screen for everyone."
"Kevin, you inbound the ball from the sideline! Kobe, Nick, Eddie, the three of you go up there and try to receive the ball. Just play like it's a regular season game!"
At the most crucial moment of the game, Harris still chose to trust his players. Apart from O'Neal, who was really bad at free throws and not suitable to be on the court, the other three perimeter players responsible for receiving the ball were all Lakers players!
(End of this chapter)