NABC Chapter 547 What are underhanded tactics? Let Master Lin show you.
Chapter 547 What are underhanded tactics? Let Master Lin show you.
It's not just the media in New York, or even just traditional print media.
That evening, all the American media outlets that Dolan could contact and who had good relations with him received his message: he hoped they could do him a favor and he would reward them handsomely!
Well... the most important thing, of course, is the word that comes after.
A generous reward!
Because of Dolan's generous thanks, many media outlets gave them face. Countless print media, newspapers of all sizes from all over the United States, reported on the matter from various angles and in various ways.
Why was Marbury benched in the fourth quarter? Why was he unable to return to the court after failing three consecutive one-on-one plays? Did he have an argument with Duncan? What exactly happened during that timeout?
In addition to print media, a large number of related videos have also appeared on YouTube, which has seen rapid growth in recent months!
Some people analyzed that timeout, some analyzed Marbury's playing style, some analyzed the beginning and end of the conflict between Duncan and Marbury, some lip-reading masters translated the lines of all the Celtics players during that timeout, and some micro-expression masters analyzed everyone's little actions and psychology.
Some tarot card players even said that Marbury was destined to suffer this calamity!
In short, as long as you open YouTube and enter the topic of "basketball", the first thing you will see is not soaring dunks, dazzling dribbling, passes with eyes in the back of their heads, or fierce and violent on-court conflicts.
All the basketball videos you can see on YouTube tonight are about Celtics infighting.
People who don't know the inside story might think this is some kind of live brawl between the Celtics and the whole team at Madison Square Garden!
In short, regardless of whether fans watched the game or noticed Marbury's early departure, as long as they follow the NBA, they will know that there is infighting within the Celtics!
Of course, many media outlets also said that this matter was unbelievable, stating that the atmosphere within the Celtics team was excellent, and many others said that the so-called internal strife was completely fabricated, and that the media these days have no shame in order to make money.
But how should I put it?
The organizers, co-organizers, and referees are all my people. What makes you think you can compete with me?
Traditional media is funded by Dortmund, but online new media is my own business, Mr. Lin. Those few voices speaking up for the Celtics have long since disappeared into the crowd.
It's not worth mentioning at all!
This dire situation has led to a sense of alienation and betrayal within the Celtics team, with every reporter asking the same question when interviewing Celtics players or staff.
What exactly happened between Stephon Marbury and Tim Duncan?
Normally, this kind of thing is easy to handle. At this time of the season, Duncan and Marbury would bow their heads, admit their mistakes, and then stand up hand in hand to say that they are good brothers. They would even sleep together at night.
Soon everything will be fine.
But the problem is, Marbury is gone.
This guy seems to have completely disappeared. Not only can reporters not find him, Boston players not find him, but even his family and friends can't find him.
This capricious guy simply quit and disappeared without a trace.
Once the person is gone, things become even more complicated.
The Celtics were in a state of high anxiety before the start of Game 6.
Even when Auerbach personally went to teach his players a lesson, to comfort them and ease their emotions, he didn't get any good results.
This team seems to have lost all fighting spirit. The players are in a state of panic because they really don't know where Marbury went or what has happened within the team.
Everyone was in a terrible mood, and the whole team was in chaos.
And it is precisely at this moment that the Celtics need time and space to resolve these issues, and Game 6 is about to begin!
They didn't have time to deal with this, or even time to come up with a way to cover it up in the open.
Game 6 of the series has begun!
Marbury still hasn't shown up.
Without Marbury, the Celtics' press officer wouldn't even dare to say things like "the internal strife is completely unfounded," "that's not true," or "the players get along very well."
Who knows if Marbury will personally slap me in the face after I say this?
This guy is completely out of control. As a result, the entire Celtics team will have to go onto the court with considerable anxiety for Game 6 of the series, which is the most important and crucial game for them.
This is what many people believe is the Celtics' last chance!
By missing this game, they lost two straight to the Knicks, turning a 3-1 series into a 3-3 tie, and the crucial Game 7 will have to be played at Madison Square Garden.
If they miss this game, the morale of both teams will be reversed, and their mentality will be completely different. At that time, it will be the Knicks' turn to have an absolute advantage!
"The Knicks have gotten their best chance yet! Regardless of whether the Celtics' internal strife is real or not, or what the so-called 'personal reasons' for Marbury's departure really are, the Knicks have encountered a depleted Celtics team at their most dangerous moment."
Before the start of Game 6, Barkley continued his pre-game analysis as usual.
"The scales of victory had already begun to tip in the Knicks' favor before the game even started! They waited for their opponents to make mistakes."
"Let's see if the Knicks can once again escape death and turn their slim hope into a decisive victory, thus reversing the series!"
As Barkley called out, the players from both sides returned to the court.
The Knicks did not change their starting lineup, continuing with their most solid starting five of the season.
As for the Celtics, Marbury is not there!
This guy is determined to quit.
"That bastard." Auerbach gritted his teeth in the private box. After confirming that Marbury wouldn't show up, he made a decision—
This bastard is playing hide-and-seek, isn't he!
Very well, I'll make you disappear from the Alliance!
Make sure you can never play in this league again!
Bring it on, let's see who's tougher!
Let's see who can't afford to play this game!
At that moment, who knows where Marbury was, he certainly had no idea that his NBA career had ended because of his rather willful act, and he would definitely never be able to return to the league.
"Where's Stephen?" Lin Tian remained relaxed, looking at Duncan, Pierce, and the others with a smile. "You guys really have internal conflicts?"
"Stop playing dumb!" Duncan responded to Lin Tian's trash talk with a sullen face, a rare occurrence for him: "You used some underhanded tactics quite well! I admire you!"
"What are you talking about, Tim?" Lin Tian scratched his head, looking smug. "I don't really understand what you're saying."
"FUXX!" Even Duncan, who rarely swore, got annoyed by Lin Tian's deliberately feigned ignorance and refusal to answer questions directly. After swearing, he ignored the bastard.
If you can't win with words, then let the game decide!
but……
Let the games speak for themselves; the Celtics are no match for the Knicks.
It's not just because they're missing Marbury. In the current Celtics team, Marbury is at most the fourth or even fifth option. Whether he plays or not will certainly cause some loss of strength to the team, but it's not a fatal thing.
The Celtics can find a replacement for him within their own ranks.
But the question is: why did he disappear? Will I be the next one to disappear from the team? Did Duncan fire him, or was it Rivers or Pierce who did it?
There was a genuine sense of unease within the Celtics team, with everyone feeling a sense of shared vulnerability and fear.
It's not that everyone likes Marbury that much, nor that they have a particularly good relationship with him.
It's simply because Marbury's disappearance was so sudden and baffling.
Another thing is...
Those videos on YouTube are so true!
When these players actually experienced it firsthand, they began to doubt whether what those people were saying was inside information that they, as insiders, had never seen or heard of before.
In any case, the entire Celtics team seemed to have no desire to fight tonight.
Perhaps except for Duncan.
This guy was still standing diligently by the center circle, waiting for Howard to jump for the ball and then immediately running towards the frontcourt, heading towards the area where he usually liked to launch attacks.
Duncan is not prepared to give up; for him, this game is still the Celtics' best chance to advance to the next round!
Duncan believes that once they advance to the next round, all problems will be solved and no longer be problems!
The only question is, will they make it to the next round?
Tony Allen did not pass the ball to Duncan.
In terms of ball handling, passing, vision, and talent, Allen is far inferior to Marbury!
When Marbury was off the court, Duncan realized that the team's already terrible offensive tactics and system had become even worse and stagnant.
He could barely catch the ball.
Allen was tightly entangled by Lin Tian, Pierce was thinking of a one-on-one fight, and Davis was a lone wolf type of player to begin with.
What about Howard?
The best approach for Howard at this stage is to focus solely on finishing the ball, without thinking about anything else. He should just try to dunk. The more he does during this phase, the more mistakes he makes.
For the first three minutes, with Lin Tian tightly guarding Allen and Stoudemire and Okur double-teaming Duncan, Duncan didn't even touch the ball, let alone launch an attack.
For at least the first three minutes, this guy was contained by the Knicks' defense!
If it's just that Duncan can't get the ball and can't initiate the offense, it's not really a big deal, since the Celtics' offense is already terrible and not worth mentioning.
But the problem now is that the Knicks have found their rhythm!
Regardless of whether the Celtics' defensive intensity dropped due to internal problems or the Knicks genuinely regained their form in the final minutes of their last game.
In short, the Knicks were on fire for the first three minutes of Game 3!
It's truly a 100% hit rate!
He made all 5 of his shots, including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range!
What made Boston fans even more desperate was that these five shots came from five different players on the Knicks!
Lin Tian hit a mid-range shot, Stoudemire followed with a powerful dunk, and Anthony, Okur, and Jackson each hit a three-pointer!
In just 3 minutes, the Knicks scored 13 points!
Their all-around scoring and the fact that everyone was contributing points was like a show of defiance against the Bostonians.
Our offensive rhythm is back! What about you? Where's your Marbury? Where's your defensive dominance?
Aren't you guys very good at defense?
Be careful!
Compared to the Knicks' explosive offensive firepower from the start, the Celtics' offense was rather insignificant!
When Duncan couldn't get the ball, they could only rely on Pierce's isolation plays to score. But facing Anthony, who was giving his all tonight and putting a lot of energy into defense, Pierce only made one of his first three shots. With Howard's dunk, the Celtics only scored four points in the first three minutes!
13: 4!
The Knicks got off to a dream start!
"Come on! Keep it up! Keep them at bay!"
As Lin Tian dribbled the ball forward again, he heard Rivers' familiar cheering voice in his ears!
I have to say, when Rivers represents the opposing team, hearing his voice is really reassuring!
Steady!
This is the feeling that Rivers' inspirational quote gave Lin Tian!
For the first time in his life, Lin Tian discovered that Rivers' motivational speeches could be used in this damn way!
Truly reverse motivational quotes!
With just a few shouts, he can make the opposing players feel that victory is within reach, and then their fighting spirit will increase significantly!
This seems to be the real reason why Rivers was selected as one of the NBA's top 15 coaches.
After arriving at the frontcourt, Lin Tian accelerated again and easily got past Allen's defense. Then, with a glance, he saw Okur outside the three-point line. He immediately flew the basketball over, and Okur caught the ball outside the three-point line and pulled up to shoot!
"Bang!"
Unfortunately, Okur was met with a muffled thud, marking the Knicks' first missed shot of the night!
But that's obviously not important.
"Memet!" Lin Tian roared, rushing into the paint and slapping Howard on the head, sending the rebound back into Okur's hands.
Aim, fire again!
"Whoosh!"
A top-tier marksman won't miss the same spot twice in a row!
They won't let their teammates' offensive rebounds go to waste!
The point difference between the two sides has exceeded 10 points!
Duncan finally got the ball inside and, when Okur came over to double-team him, he took a shot early and completed a hook shot, narrowing the gap to within 10 points!
But that's about all Duncan can do.
Because the Knicks immediately launched a fast break!
Even though Duncan immediately spread his arms to disrupt their first pass after scoring, the rest of the team seemed a bit distracted.
They forgot about disrupting the Celtics' fast breaks and baseline plays; they were distracted, watching the Knicks make a pass, and then Lin Tian accelerated forward.
This time, Lin Tian took the initiative. He drove all the way to the basket and completed a reverse layup despite Davis's defense.
Still 10 points!
"Defense! What are you guys standing around for! Defense!" Duncan yelled angrily. "What was our pre-game strategy? Do you even want to play basketball?"
Lin Tian's fast break caused Duncan to lose his composure. He spread his arms and complained to his teammates on the court.
Duncan, a psychology graduate, rarely complained to his teammates on the court.
He had never lost his composure like this during his years of losing to comebacks with the Magic.
All I can say is that this time, Duncan really wants to win! He's had enough of all the doubts people have about him.
But this time, his teammates responded rather coldly. They all looked at him with blank expressions, no one chanted slogans with him, and no one responded to his words.
To reiterate, it's not that Marbury has a particularly good relationship with these people, but rather that they genuinely don't know what happened.
The less you know, the more uneasy you feel.
Who knows if they'll be released by the team next season? Nobody can guarantee they won't be next.
In this situation, some people inevitably have their own little thoughts and schemes.
Why risk your life?
What if I get injured? What if I get injured because I'm fighting so hard at this moment? What about the next contract?
"It's out of control." Auerbach sat in his box, looking at the pitch with a frown. He could sense better than anyone that the team, even if not completely out of control, was already on the verge of it.
If the team cannot reunite and if everyone cannot regain the trust they once had, then the team is not only doomed to lose tonight, but will also be unable to win the next game!
In the following games, the Celtics remained disoriented and in a state of fear, playing in a daze. Apart from Duncan and Pierce, who were able to score through their individual abilities, the rest of the players seemed to be sleepwalking on the court.
More importantly, this is a defensive team!
The most important things for a defensive team are teamwork, unity, and trust!
Without these, players will hesitate when helping on defense and will worry when they need to cover.
They worried that no one would cover their positions, and that the gaps they left would be exploited by the opponent to score.
At that time, you became the one who made the mistake!
And what about the Knicks on the other side?
As the team in the league that is best at playing when they have a lead, the Knicks have shown a terrifying form at this time!
Your defensive attitude was poor and your defensive intensity dropped, resulting in many open shots.
This low-defensive-intensity game style is exactly what the Knicks like!
The entire Knicks team was in a frenzied mode throughout the first half!
Everyone went berserk! A volley of arrows! A barrage of cannon fire! The entire army charged! (End of Chapter)