NABC Chapter 258 Mo Ning Wants to Get Detained? I, Lin Da Guanren, in This Life...
Chapter 258 Mo Ning Wants to Get Detained? I, Lin Da Guanren, in This Life...
Chapter 258 Mo Ning wants to be detained? I, Lord Lin, have never heard of such a shameless request in my life!
Hardaway, once the fastest and most skilled dribbler in the league, has long since lost his former glory due to age and injuries. His speed and explosiveness, which he relied on for survival, have been greatly reduced. Now, facing Lin Tian, who is at his peak, Hardaway is actually very apprehensive!
After all, even Hardaway, who was at his peak a few years ago, was no match for Lin Tian, let alone the now obviously stronger Lin Tian and himself, who is in a worse state.
Therefore, Hardaway, who was very self-aware, did not force an attack, but quickly passed the ball to Leonard on the wing, and then moved towards the weak side himself.
"That's not like you, Tim." Lin Tian saw through Hardaway's thoughts immediately and said with a smile, "Are you afraid of me?"
"You think I'm like that Philadelphia kid, easily swayed by a few words and then playing recklessly?" Hardaway didn't look at Lin Tian, but kept observing the situation on the court, calmly saying, "You'd better put away your tricks; they don't work on me!"
"Really?" Lin Tian blocked Hardaway with his body and said with a smile, "I don't think it's useless. Before the game, I made a bet with Isaiah and the others that your average score in this round would definitely not exceed 8 points!"
"Is that so? Whatever, but we will definitely win!" Hardaway, as expected of a veteran, remained unmoved even now, while Mashburn, relying on his height and strength, overwhelmed the technically skilled Christie and scored the first 2 points for the team!
"Maybe I'm not as good as you, but we have advantages in the other positions! Lin, you can't change the game by yourself!" As soon as his teammate scored, Hardaway rushed back to defend while trash-talking Lin Tian.
"You want to get me all worked up too, huh? Tim, you'd better stop with your act, it won't work on me!" Lin Tian retorted, then took the ball and started advancing towards the frontcourt.
"Maybe you can score 40 points in a game, maybe you'll get a triple-double every game! But nobody else can have a chance!" Hardaway said intently, then directly stated the Heat's defensive strategy!
"Whatever!" Lin Tian retorted to Hardaway once again, then moved to the frontcourt. He first dribbled between his legs, then quickly changed direction with a small step, and then suddenly accelerated, leaving Hardaway behind in the blink of an eye!
"Killer crossover! It's the killer crossover!" Su Qun, who was broadcasting the game live on China TV tonight, immediately exclaimed, "That's Hardaway's signature move! A crossover after a between-the-legs dribble. Lin Tian used this move against Hardaway in the very first round?"
"Provocation! Absolute provocation!"
Sun Zhengping chuckled and said, "Has Lin Tian recently read 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils' and learned the 'Star Shifting Technique' of the Murong family of Gusu? He uses his opponent's ultimate move against them!"
Su Qun continued, "I think that's the confidence of an MVP player! Lin is an MVP! Of course he can do this!"
After getting past Hardaway in one step, Lin Tian didn't rush into the paint to challenge Mourning.
It's not time yet! No rush.
He quickly charged forward, drawing as much of the Heat's defensive attention as possible, before passing the ball to Rick Schmitz on one side.
The Dutchman received the ball with no one in front of him, and he easily completed the shot, making a mid-range two-pointer!
Schmitz, who is usually quiet and low-key, is the one who shows his soft touch and draws his opponent out of the paint whenever he encounters a heavy center like Mourning!
After scoring, Schmitz didn't celebrate, nor did he glare at Mourning. Instead, he quickly turned around and joined the defensive effort!
However, although he didn't provoke Mo Ning, Mo Ning obviously wouldn't let him off the hook!
In the next possession, Mourning immediately forced his way to the ball in the low post, then positioned himself and made two quick moves towards the inside before turning around and slamming the ball into the basket with one arm!
"Hey, softie, are all Dutchmen as soft as you?" After scoring, Moning didn't hold back with Schmitz and immediately launched into a trash talk.
"At least you remember I'm Dutch now, don't you?" Schmitz waved his hand dismissively, completely unconcerned that he had been caught out.
"Next time, you pull him down!" Lin Tian walked over and patted Schmitz on the shoulder. "Get tough, Rick! Remember when you beat Patrick last year? Tonight, you can beat Alonzo too!"
Lin Tian didn't rush to launch a counterattack. He slowly advanced to the frontcourt and faced Hardaway. Once again, Lin Tian used Hardaway's signature "killer crossover" and charged into the paint!
This time, Lin Tian still chose to trust Schmitz, letting him take a mid-range shot, and he scored 2 points again!
"Is this what you mean by 'I can easily score 40 points, but nobody else can have a chance'?" After assisting again, Lin Tian turned to Hardaway and said, "What do you mean by 'not having a chance'? Rick scoring 30 points is considered a terrible performance, right? Is this your standard?"
Hardaway still ignored Lin Tian, but he was in a terrible mood. Being beaten twice with his signature move would make anyone unhappy. So this time, Hardaway didn't pass the ball. Instead, he used his best crossover dribble and change of direction to try and force his way past Lin Tian!
But his current speed is enough to deal with other people!
How to deal with Lin Tian, who knows his tricks perfectly and even has his skills?
Absolutely not!
Lin Tian's lateral movement seemed to be able to predict Hardaway's footwork and direction of breakthrough. He always spread his arms and blocked Hardaway's front, covering him completely so that even the basket rim could not be seen!
Hardaway drove with his head down to the edge of the three-second zone, but had no chance to shoot. He didn't force it, but quickly turned around, trying to dribble the ball out of the three-point line to reorganize the offense.
What kind of place is the Pacers' interior defense? It's not exactly a den of thieves, nor is it a place where Hardaway can come and go as he pleases!
Taking advantage of Hardaway's movement, Lin Tian spotted an opening in his dribbling and slapped the basketball away from behind!
After Christie caught the basketball, he immediately passed it to Lin Tian. Lin Tian had already sped up again and was dribbling the ball all the way to the frontcourt. No one could keep up with his speed!
Then, there it was again: the familiar lower arc of the free throw line, and the familiar gliding dunk!
"Lin, you have no creativity!"
"Give us some new tricks!"
"Or maybe we can pass it on to Vince next time and let him handle it!"
"Vince's dunks are way more exciting than yours!"
"Vince, give it a tap! Set a good example for Lin!"
Indiana fans have actually started messing around, criticizing Lin Tian's dunks!
Lin Tian is reaping what he sowed. If he hadn't been idly going on radio shows to teach fans how to trash talk, the fans wouldn't be making a fuss about him now.
But despite the antics, Lin Tian still showed fans a fact once again in this round.
There are two types of point guards in this league!
Lin Tian and the other point guards!
After this failed attack, Hardaway became more cautious and prudent. He almost stopped taking shots and instead focused on passing and organizing the offense on the court.
It has to be said that this veteran in his thirties is indeed very steady and has a very clear understanding of his own characteristics and abilities! He is completely different from those young people who get carried away at the slightest provocation!
In the first quarter, both sides were testing each other. For the Heat, Hardaway took a backseat and hardly took the initiative to attack. He only took two shots in the first quarter, both of which missed. He did not score a single point and committed two turnovers, while also providing one assist!
Hardaway won't be the main attacker; that task will fall to Mourning and Mashburn!
莫宁这一节算是打爆了施密茨，单节拿下10分4篮板1盖帽！而马什本也正好是克里斯蒂最不擅长对付的类型，被马什本单节4投3中拿下了7分！
With Leonard scoring on the outside and Brown grabbing a putback, the Heat scored 24 points in the first quarter!
On the Pacers' side, with Lin Tian intentionally feeding the ball to try and draw Mourning out of the paint, Schmitz had a good shooting touch in the first quarter, going 4-for-6 and contributing a team-high 8 points! Unfortunately, even with his shooting so well, Mourning still didn't leave his hole, just staying in the paint to protect the rim and defend!
This was clearly Riley's doing!
Riley is confident that Schmitz's mid-range shot won't kill anyone! The Pacers' real killer instinct is their ability to attack the basket and penetrate defenses, and then score across the board after changing the opponent's defense!
As long as he doesn't change his defensive strategy and continues to play one-on-one, Schmitz will never be able to kill anyone!
Since Mourning didn't come out, Lin Tian and Carter didn't rush to drive into the paint. Lin Tian delivered 5 assists in the quarter and scored 7 points with fast breaks, 3-pointers and mid-range shots!
Throughout the first quarter, Lin Tian did not choose to drive to the basket to challenge Mourning, which was also Bird's plan!
Carter received the same instructions as Lin Tian, but Carter's shooting touch wasn't great tonight. He only made 1 of 3 shots in the first quarter, scoring just 2 points.
Fortunately, although Christie couldn't stop Mashburn, he made both of his shots, scoring 5 points. With Davis's putback, the Pacers scored 24 points in the first quarter!
The two sides were temporarily tied after probing each other in the first quarter!
"In the first quarter, both sides played to their strengths, but also exposed some weaknesses in their respective lineups."
"The Pacers' two shooters were injured, which made their perimeter rotation, which was originally very rich, somewhat tight. The three starting perimeter players only rested for one minute each in the first quarter, and they didn't dare to let them rest at the same time. They were taken out to rest in batches."
During the break, Su Qun once again shared his analysis of the game: "The Pacers' bench is really lacking in scorers right now. Let's see if Buckner and Hoiberg can provide some help to the team!"
"Of course, the situation on the Heat's side is actually somewhat similar to that of the Pacers. Their regular rotation is very short. From the second half of the regular season, Riley basically only used 8 players. Besides the 5 starters, there's also Mallley, who is no longer in his prime. All 6 of them played more than 30 minutes!"
"In addition, there are veterans Terry Porter Jr. and Wesponser, who just joined the team this year. Both of them have played more than 20 minutes per game. Apart from these 8 players, no one on the Heat has averaged more than 5 minutes of playing time per game, and no one has averaged more than 2 points per game!"
Both of these teams rely heavily on their starting lineups!
After listening to Su Qun's explanation, Sun Zhengping added with a smile, "However, one player's ability is simply lacking, while the other is plagued by injuries and has no choice but to do this!"
While the two were discussing, the second quarter had already begun. Bird boldly let Lin Tian sit on the bench to rest, while Carter and Christie led Buckner, Ben Wallace, and Davis on the court for the first part of the second quarter.
The Heat, on the other hand, had Mourning lead the team, alongside Westponse, Mali, Mashburn, and Porter.
The two teams' rotation lineups played a dull and uninteresting game on the court. After all, neither team had their playmakers. The remaining players either lacked offensive power or, even if they did, Mourning's presence in the paint proved difficult to overcome.
The second quarter lasted a full four minutes before the score was tied at 4-4! The scoring efficiency on both sides was truly quite low.
Then Riley and Bird both changed their lineups!
Bird brought on Lin Tian and Schmitz, replacing Buckner and Davis!
Riley replaced Marley, allowing Hardaway to continue playing!
After Lin Tian and Hardaway returned, the match immediately became much more exciting!
On Lin Tian's side, although the Westbrook trial card that lasted for a month had expired, Lin Tian clearly felt that the trial card had left something on him. Perhaps because the monthly card lasts longer than the single-game card, Lin Tian felt that the trial card had left him with more things this time!
For example, every time Lin Tian breaks through and passes the ball, he seems to have a desire to take off and dunk on Mourning!
After going on stage this time, that feeling was even stronger!
So Lin Tian didn't suppress his desire and called for Schmitz's screen at the top of the arc, trying to draw Mourning out.
But after the two set a screen, Mourning still stood in the paint, not preparing to defend Lin Tian's three-pointer at all.
"Are you crazy?!" Lin Tian looked at Mo Ning, and their eyes met. They stared at each other for about a second, and Hardaway still couldn't break free from Schmitz's cover!
In the end, Lin Tian was too embarrassed to aim again, as Schmitz was desperately providing cover!
So Lin Tian simply pulled up, swiftly and decisively, and made the 3-point shot!
"Alonzo, you bought a house, didn't you? You invested in real estate in Indiana, and you bought that 3-Seconds area? Are you afraid people will come to your house? You really never leave your house!"
"Enough with the nonsense, Lin. If you've got guts, come and try it tonight and see who's lying on the ground!" Mourning brandished his muscles at Lin Tian, then quickly moved to the low post in the frontcourt, once again trying to get position to one-on-one against Schmitz!
This time, Schmitz gritted his teeth, spread his arms, and blocked Mourning's attack, causing Mourning's hook shot to miss. Lin Tian rushed into the paint, grabbed the basketball, glanced at the situation on the court, and immediately decided to push forward at full speed!
This was the first time Lin Tian had launched a counterattack after grabbing a rebound tonight; previously, he would have preferred to stabilize the situation and take it slow!
But this sudden attack really caught the Heat off guard. Only Wesponser managed to get back to the basket in time and spread his arms to defend Lin Tian!
Facing a forward, Lin Tian certainly wouldn't hesitate. He adjusted his footwork early, then suddenly leaped up, his entire body fully extended, and slammed towards Wesponser!
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, the two collided heavily in mid-air!
Without Westbrook, Lin Tian's impact and power have somewhat diminished. For example, he couldn't completely knock Westbrook away this time, and could only push the ball into the basket over Westbrook's head!
Lin Tian can no longer forcefully knock people away; he can only manage a few dunks over their heads to get by and rack up a few top-ten plays to make ends meet.
After the ball went in, the entire City Square stadium erupted in a frenzied roar of cheers, as usual!
Exciting! This is exactly the kind of thing fans have been wanting!
Lin Tian was very cooperative, spreading his arms after scoring and gliding happily across the field for a while.
"What's so great about dunking on a forward?" Mourning, seeing Lin Tian's smug look, challenged him, "Go ahead and dunk on me! Come on! Dunk on my head!"
"Are you serious?" Lin Tian looked at Mo Ning, as if he'd never heard of such a request before. "Don't cry later!"
"Come on, come on! My favorite thing in life is getting dunked on! If you've got the guts, go ahead!"
While Mourning was trash-talking and trying to lure Lin Tian into the paint, he was also aggressively demanding the ball in the low post. He had just missed a shot, and this time he was eager to get his revenge!
The ball came to Mourning's hands again from the outside. He quickly turned around, then elbowed Schmitz away, and then pulled up for a brutal two-handed dunk!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Mo Ning turned to Lin Tian and said, "At least a dunk like that, you have to dunk on someone at least 220 centimeters tall, to be worthy of bragging rights!"
"I'm 219 centimeters tall." Schmitz muttered under his breath after losing a point, just enough for Mourning to hear. Whether it would make Mourning feel a little resentful was uncertain, but it was one of the few times Schmitz had said anything trash.
"Are you really 219?" Lin Tian received the ball from the baseline and asked Schmitz calmly.
"It's fake," Schmitz said. "I should be 226 centimeters tall now, but since he's short, he can't tell how tall I am. I'll just fool him!"
"Goodness!" Lin Tian gave a thumbs up. There aren't many people in the league who dare to call Mourning short, but Schmitz, who is over 220 centimeters tall, certainly has the right to say that.
After transporting the items to the front, Lin Tian quickly stretched out his hand, gestured above his head, and shouted, "Open up! Everyone, open up!"
As he called out the play, Schmitz had already seen his gesture to request a screen and quickly rushed out from the inside!
"Come on, Lin! Come on if you dare!" Mourning still didn't intend to come out, baring his teeth and claws in the paint! It seems he's decided to be a tortoise all night, refusing to come out of his shell!
"As you wish!" After the screen, Lin Tian stepped into the three-point line in one step!
Then his terrifying speed and impact burst forth, and he charged toward Mo Ning!
Mo Ning held his breath, rubbing his hands together, calculating the angle and timing of Lin Tian's attack. He was fully prepared, just waiting for Lin Tian to rush over so he could deliver a heavy blow!
But then, Mo Ning's eye suddenly twitched; he sensed something was wrong!
At the same time, the basketball in Lin Tian's hand disappeared. Lin Tian, who had just been sprinting at full speed, suddenly stopped outside the three-second zone!
When Mourning tried to turn around to defend, it was too late. He only had time to turn his head before he saw a pair of legs flying towards his head!
At this point, even if you gave Mourning Carter's knee, let alone Mourning, he wouldn't have time to jump and defend or block! He wouldn't even have time to escape!
Lin Tian's timing for that pass was absolutely perfect!
At this moment, besides Lin Tian, there was only one other person on the Pacers team who dared to rush over and go head-to-head with Mourning!
Vince Carter!
Carter made contact with Mourning's lower body first in mid-air. After using the time difference and speed of his jump to almost ride on Mourning's neck, Carter stretched his upper body forward desperately and then slammed the ball into the basket with one arm without regard for anything else!
"boom!"
Carter completed the ultimate copy and achievement of all the perimeter players in the NBA in the 90s: dunking over Mourning!
Carter was ecstatic after scoring, pounding his chest and roaring!
This is Mourning!
This is Alonzo Mourning, the Defensive Player of the Year with 3.9 blocks per game this season!
Even if Carter dunks on countless opponents, dunking on Mourning feels completely different!
He reaffirmed his decision to continue playing alongside Lin Tian! It felt amazing! If Carter were to handle the ball and attack on his own, let alone in his rookie year, even in his prime, Carter didn't think he could easily dunk on Mourning like that!
After all, he hadn't actually done anything. He just heard Lin Tian's message, chose a moment and a route, and rushed towards the inside!
Yes, everyone on the Pacers knows that when Lin Tian yelled "Spread out! Spread out!", he was telling his teammates that it was time for them to cut to the basket!
If Lin Tian really wanted to use the isolated island tactic, he would tell his teammates, "Don't rush, take it easy, let's aim for a high success rate!"
In short, it's insidious!
"You cunning bastard!" Caught off guard by Carter's sudden attack, Mourning ignored Carter and instead looked at Lin Tian, the instigator of the incident: "You still don't have the guts to face me, Lin? Hmm? You coward?"
As Mourning spoke, he took the ball and retreated to the baseline, then quickly served the ball to Hardaway at a 45-degree angle on the left.
Lin Tian completely ignored Mourning's trash talk. There's no one in this league who can make Lin Tian lose his composure with trash talk yet!
As Mourning stepped off the baseline, Lin Tian sprinted towards Hardaway on the left! Then, the instant Hardaway received the ball, Lin Tian suddenly intercepted it!
"Snapped!"
Caught off guard, Hardaway only dribbled the ball once before Lin Tian completely intercepted it!
Then, after receiving the ball, Lin Tian did not force a breakthrough from the sideline, but instead made an incredibly smooth behind-the-back dribble, bringing the basketball from the sideline to his inside!
This imaginative behind-the-back dribble not only outmaneuvered Hardaway, who was trying to steal the ball, but also exuded an indescribable elegance and grace!
After dribbling behind his back, Lin Tian sped forward, caught up with the basketball, and then charged towards Mourning again!
Just as Mourning returned to the basket, before he could even see what was happening, he saw Lin Tian dribbling the ball to the outside of the three-second zone!
"Good timing!" Mo Ning would never back down in his life! Seeing Lin Tian coming over, even though he wasn't fully prepared, he still took a step forward and stood between Lin Tian and the basket. Then, he timed it perfectly and jumped with all his might to block the shot!
Lin Tian charged in sideways this time, and his left shoulder, which wasn't holding the ball, collided with Mourning first!
"Bang!"
After a muffled thud, Lin Tian and Mo Ning, who were pressed together, gave the impression that they had stopped in mid-air!
Mo Ning raised his hands high and collided head-on with Lin Tian.
Lin Tian held the ball with one hand and stretched his body out completely, his side shoulder meeting Mourning's chest!
Although the pause may only be one-tenth or even one-hundredth of a second, this stop still made all the fans gasp!
In that instant, countless reporters frantically pressed the shutter of their cameras! This scene will surely become another world-famous painting!
Just how incredibly powerful and monstrous is the core strength of these two guys!
After that brief pause, Lin Tian took another deep breath, and then, with a burst of power from who-knows-where, he used his right hand holding the ball, along with his waist, to smash the ball toward the basket behind Mourning, as if a fully stretched spring had been suddenly released!
"boom!"
After a loud bang, Lin Tian was hanging on the rim with one hand, shaking violently!
Mo Ning wasn't thrown off, and his feet were surprisingly stable after landing. He only took two steps back before regaining his balance!
Although Mourning's center of gravity was very stable, his expression was completely unsteady!
His eyes widened, and he could hardly believe what had just happened; he felt somewhat dazed.
I am Alonzo Morning!
The league's best defender, shot blocker, and head-to-head rim protector was dunked on twice in 5 seconds? And each dunk was more spectacular than the last?
Mourning looked up at the large screen above him in disbelief, where a replay of the highlights of his dunks on Carter and Lin Tian was playing.
A head-on confrontation, with no shortcuts!
It's all about jumping high, having plenty of strength, and being physically fit!
Lin Tian just stood his ground and squarely took the fall on himself!
Mo Ning couldn't help but swallow hard. Before he could say anything harsh to retaliate, he overheard Lin Tian and Carter's conversation!
"I didn't want to dunk on him, but he insisted on inviting me, saying he loved being dunked on. You know Vince, I'm easily swayed and can't stand people asking me for favors, so I had to grant his wish and dunk on him!"
"Me too. I just wanted to go for a layup, but he kept saying, 'Come on, kid, come on!' I didn't know what he wanted me to do or what, so I thought, 'Fine, I'll come. He's not going to sell me out, is he?'" Carter barely suppressed a laugh as he continued to Lin Tian, "I never expected he was going to give me a spot on the season's top ten plays!"
"FUXX!" Mo Ning watched these two guys singing in unison, did they really think I had a good temper?
Then, Mo Ning roughly squeezed between the two men and said to them, "When you jump in front of me again, you better watch out! Be careful what you step on when you land!"
"Are you threatening me?" Lin Tian's interest was piqued immediately upon hearing Mo Ning's words!
at last!
After waiting for two years, someone has finally challenged me again! This is such a rare opportunity!
Two years! Does anyone know how Lin Tian has spent these past two years?
The entire NBA! 29 teams, more than 430 players with official contracts!
Not a single person! Not a single person provoked Lin Tian in any way!
What a bunch of cowards! They actually tolerated me, Lin Da Guan Ren, who deserves to be beaten up!
Fortunately, it seems that Mourning finally couldn't hold back today?
"I'm threatening you, so what!"
Lin Tian stretched his limbs, waiting for Mo Ning to make his move!
He's been in a really bad mood these past few days. Even though he won the MVP award, the fact that Miller and Mullin are out for the season still makes Lin Tian very depressed and he has nowhere to vent his frustration.
Now that Mourning has delivered himself to our doorstep, let's give him a little beating, just a little!
It's the kind of suspension that lasts 1-2 games!
"Not so great." Mourning glanced at Lin Tian and sneered, "I hate those dirty bastards on and off the field! Those kinds of people don't deserve to be on the field! If any of you dare to lay a hand on our players, even if you're on your team, I'll beat you up like those New York cockroaches and demand justice!"
"You'd better watch yourself!"
After Mourning finished speaking, he headed towards the frontcourt, or rather, ran!
He suddenly remembered the fear that teams like the Knicks, Jazz, and SuperSonics had experienced when Lin Tian dominated them.
He has a fiery temper and is incredibly stubborn!
But he didn't have a hobby of going out and getting beaten up or abused.
Basketball is just a job!
Life is definitely bigger than basketball!
Lin Tian and Carter's two dunks also fully illustrate one thing.
There is a huge difference between 2 points and 2 points!
For example, after those two fierce and brutal dunks, the Pacers' morale was completely boosted!
First, Schmitz held firm in the paint, delivering a brutal block to Mourning, who was trying to regain his pride! Then, during a fast break, Lin Tian found Christie and assisted him to hit a three-pointer from beyond the arc!
Turning back, Lin Tian applied full-court press defense on Hardaway, forcing the former All-NBA First Team guard into a frantic rush. Hardaway then made a mistake while attempting a pass, which was intercepted by Christie midway, allowing the Pacers to launch another counterattack!
This time, Christie dribbled in the middle, first passing the ball to Lin Tian on the left, who then passed it to Carter on the right.
After Carter received the ball, he threw it directly towards the basket. Lin Tian immediately jumped high and slammed the basketball into the basket with one hand in mid-air!
This flashy, textbook-perfect three-line fast break left the Heat completely helpless!
In the blink of an eye, the Pacers went on a 9-0 run!
If we start counting from when Lin Tian came on, that's a direct 14-2 offensive run!
Less than three minutes had passed on the field!
The gap between the two sides is widening rapidly!
Riley, sitting on the sidelines, quickly called a timeout. He needed to carefully plan the upcoming offense. Based on his research on the Pacers, if they managed to launch two more fast breaks, their offense would be completely unleashed! At that point, defeating the Pacers would become extremely difficult!
"Stabilize the pace! Tim, slow down the game, use more screens and picks, don't go head-to-head with Lin, it's unnecessary! Use screens to drive, if you find an open teammate, pass the ball, if not, organize the play again, like passing the ball to Jamal!"
"Remember, what we want is to steal a win away from home! Alonzo, don't rush things. That big Dutchman is on fire right now, so take a break and don't rush the attack!"
"Jamal, if our tactics don't work, then you need to be the primary scorer and take on a few! Use screens to attack Lin... no, attack that Vince Carter! Take down their two outside players besides Lin!"
After quickly setting up their tactics, both teams' players took to the field once again.
After Hardaway returned to the court and got the ball, he did not continue to force his way up the court alone. Instead, he quickly passed the ball to Leonard and then received the ball again in the frontcourt. After receiving the ball, he immediately asked Mourning for a screen.
To be honest, given Mourning's size and the current officiating standards, it's really unrealistic to try and get around him to chase after the top-speed Hardaway.
Lin Tian could only watch as Hardaway charged into the paint, drew the defense, and then quickly found Leonard on the weak side, assisting him to score a three-pointer!
Riley's strategy quickly paid off, and the Heat regained their form. After Hardaway's breakthrough pass, Mashburn once again displayed his "monster" nature, scoring three consecutive baskets against Christie in the paint and mid-range, making two of them and drawing a foul on Christie, sending him to the free-throw line.
Although the Heat regained their offensive rhythm, they were completely unable to stop the Pacers on the defensive end.
This time, the person who erupted was not Lin Tian, Carter, or Christie, but the Pacers' most low-key center, Schmitz!
This guy's mid-range shooting was on fire tonight. Although the Heat kept hitting mid-range shots, Schmitz's mid-range shots were unerring.
After discovering that his old buddy was in excellent form tonight, Lin Tian didn't hesitate at all and fed him balls one after another until Schmitz was so full he was about to burp!
In the remainder of the second quarter, both sides battled back and forth over the 10-point gap, neither giving an inch. Tonight's game featured a somewhat unconventional style of play from both sides.
In the second quarter, with Mourning and Hardaway both struggling and being contained by the Pacers, the Heat focused their attacks on Mashburn, with Leonard hitting shots on the weak side. Led by these two secondary scorers, the Heat managed to prevent the Pacers from widening the gap!
On the Pacers' side, after Lin Tian showed his prowess by scoring 8 points right after entering the game, he immediately began to focus on setting up his teammates, especially Schmitz. His two-man game with Schmitz left the Heat struggling to keep up!
After a pick-and-roll, Schmitz spreads out to receive the ball and shoots. After receiving the ball at the high post, the two players handoff the ball around the screen to create space before Schmitz shoots. Lin Tian forces his way through, drawing the defense, and then passes the ball to Schmitz for a mid-range shot...
These two players used a completely new style of play that was rarely seen in previous games, which made Riley's previous defensive tactics largely useless!
Riley had considered that Lin Tian would score a high score and crush Hardaway, and he had also considered that Carter and Christie might have an outburst, but he never expected that it would be Schmitz who had an outburst tonight!
Looking at Miller and Mullin sitting on the sidelines with Barkley, Dumars, Thomas, and others, Riley had to admit that the Pacers' roster was indeed strong and deep! Even with a second core player and a key rotation player injured, they were still able to dominate the Heat!
45: 55!
At the end of the first half, the Pacers managed to hold onto a 10-point lead!
In the first half, Mourning scored 10 points in the first quarter, but only managed 4 points in the second quarter. The team's second-leading scorer, Hardaway, was still scoreless, going 0-for-4 from the field and committing 4 turnovers! Fortunately, Mashburn and Leonard combined for 17 points in the second quarter, carrying the team's offense!
On the Pacers' side, Smitz has been dominating tonight, already scoring 20 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. If he keeps shooting like this, he might break a career-high single-game scoring record tonight. In addition, Carter and Christie also performed well, with some impressive performances.
As for Lin Tian, he already had 18 points and 10 assists in the first half! The Heat didn't actively double-team Lin Tian, trying to let him attack alone without engaging his teammates, but tonight Lin Tian just wanted to pass the ball! He just wanted to feed his teammates!
And while supporting his teammates, Lin Tian's own offense didn't falter at all!
Riley's defense against Lin Tian was a complete failure!
Neither side was spared, and Lin Tian delivered a spectacular performance on both ends!
(End of this chapter)