aircannonsinc Chapter 808 Two insidious bastards in the league, the brooding Duncan and
Chapter 808 Two insidious bastards in the league, the brooding Duncan and
Now that things have come to this, who would dare to have any questions? You say the Celtics are the strongest, then they are the strongest! Absolutely no problem, absolutely no doubt about it!
We all believe in you.
"So we can't let our guard down this time, and we can't think that just because we've swept the last two series, we can easily win the third round."
"It's not that easy, understand? It's not that easy! Everyone, pay attention! Remember this: go all out! Go all out from the start, beat them up from the very beginning, and make the outcome of the match as soon as possible!"
"If we get into a close game with the Celtics, their ability to stay in the game will definitely make things very difficult for us, and it will definitely make our game very tough."
"Like I said before, no one is allowed to underestimate this series, no one is allowed to underestimate our opponents. Go all out and crush them!"
"clear!"
The entire Knicks team roared in unison, indicating that they had received the order. They used their most unified and loudest voices to prove that they had not underestimated their opponents and that they were ready!
"Good, meeting adjourned!" Old Nelson clapped his hands, signaling everyone to go back and rest. Before the start of the series, Old Nelson would usually only arrange one high-intensity group training session to get a feel for the game, and the rest of the time would be mainly for shooting practice and warm-up.
The main purpose is to keep the players in shape and prevent them from resting too much.
After all, the Knicks had almost a week of rest between the conference semifinals and the conference finals.
As the players dispersed, chatting happily, Old Nelson squinted and said, "Gerrard, why are you changing your clothes? Did you think I was joking? Go find the trainers and go to the weight room with them."
"You always ask so many questions, don't you? Practice until you can't ask any more!"
With a long face, Wallace looked at his gloating teammates and knew that none of them would help him. He could only pitifully walk alone to the weight room.
He brought this on himself.
……
A few days later at Madison Square Garden, the first game of the 2007-2008 Eastern Conference Finals kicked off on time!
The day before this game, the Spurs, who had only rested for less than 24 hours because they had gone to a Game 7, welcomed the Nuggets, who easily defeated the Lakers 4-1, at home.
On one hand, they are well-rested and full of energy; on the other hand, they are exhausted and their legs are about to give way after a shopping spree.
The difference between the two sides, one inside and one outside, is naturally vast.
The Nuggets didn't play like they were on the road at all. From the start of the game, they displayed great confidence and an aggressive style of play, relentlessly attacking the Spurs' defense in their own preferred way.
Faced with this style of play that resembles a slam, the exhausted Spurs were almost powerless to fight back in the first game, and were quickly outplayed by the Nuggets. Their key players were also forced to leave the court before the end of the third quarter, signaling that the game was over.
This decision to forfeit early naturally displeased all the Spurs fans in the arena, who booed loudly, clearly expressing their dissatisfaction with Popovich's behavior.
This is the Western Conference Finals! This is at home, and they just gave up with almost no resistance?
How could you do this to us?
Popovich seemed completely oblivious to the boos from the Spurs' home crowd, not taking them seriously at all.
He didn't seem to care about this defeat at all.
In the end, the Spurs lost to the Nuggets by a full 19 points, even though the Spurs' role players played exceptionally well in the fourth quarter, winning back 10 points in that quarter alone.
By the end of the third quarter, the gap between the two teams had reached 29 points!
99: 80!
In this game, James scored a team-high 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. Although he also committed 5 turnovers, he was the only player on the Spurs to score in double figures.
With only one player on the team scoring in double figures, it's clear how badly the Spurs played tonight.
On the opposing Nuggets, Milicic continued to contribute a steady 22 points and 10 rebounds, Billups had 17 points and 8 assists, Camby had 5 points, 15 rebounds and 5 blocks, and Kleiza, Najera and others also had good performances.
The Nuggets, having taken the lead in the away game, have seized control of the match.
"We're not in the same league as the Spurs." Five minutes before the Eastern Conference Finals began, Don Nelson rallied his players one last time: "They might crash, but we definitely won't!"
"We've made all the preparations. All that's left is to go all out and win the game, okay?"
"good!"
"Victory is certain!"
"Victory is certain!"
"Any other questions? If not, starters, come on and get ready for the game. Everyone else, get ready to cheer on yourselves and wait for my call on you! I want you all to be ready at any time!"
"If anyone comes on and is clearly unprepared and plays terribly, then none of you need to play in this series!"
"Alright, is everyone okay now? So, let's..."
"Coach, are you very nervous?" Lin Tian suddenly raised his hand and asked his question.
"I started playing in the Finals back in the 60s, and I even hit a game-winning shot in Game 7 of the Finals." Don Nelson looked at Lin Tian incredulously: "I've been a head coach for almost 30 years, and I've won more Coach of the Year awards than you have an MVP award. I also led my team to two consecutive championships."
You're saying I'm nervous?
Old Nelson was almost laughing at Lin Qi's temper. The word "nervous" was never associated with him as a "mad scientist"!
I've never been nervous in my entire life!
"If you've been so talkative these past few days, is it because you're not nervous, or are you going through menopause?"
"Men don't have orthopaedia!"
"Is it Alzheimer's that's causing your memory loss? Question 1: How many times have you told us the Celtics are a tough opponent? Question 2: What did you eat this morning? Question 3: What's the name of the baby born in the ward next to yours the afternoon you were born?"
"If you can't answer even one of these three questions, Tang, you really should retire. That's a symptom of Alzheimer's!"
"No problem. Before my Alzheimer's completely takes hold and I forget everything, the last thing I'll remember is to give you, you bastard, a shot—no! A whole magazine of bullets—and send you up here!"
Old Nelson glared at Lin Tian, ignoring the fact that they were still live-streaming and dozens of cameras were pointed at them, and gave Lin Tian a beautiful middle finger.
Seeing that Old Nelson finally smiled, Lin Tian patted him on the shoulder and said, "Relax. If you're feeling down, just chew on a Gum Wrigley's gum. Do you think we're on the same level as the Spurs? This game is a sure win!"
After Lin Tian finished speaking, he waved to his men to come onto the field with him.
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals begins!
"Beep beep!" With the referee's whistle, Howard effortlessly secured the Celtics' first possession of the night, standing almost half a hand's width above Okur.
Parker dribbled the ball up the court. Facing his former mentor, Parker wasn't in a hurry to attack. Instead, he directed his teammates' movements and then passed the ball to Josh Howard on the wing.
"I'm not afraid of you, boss! Although I'm no match for you, I'm not afraid of you! We're playing by tactics!" Parker immediately declared after passing the ball that he wasn't afraid.
"That's going too far! I didn't say anything, and I wasn't planning to say anything!" Lin Tian protested, looking at Parker. "I don't trash talk to my own brothers!"
"You're talking nonsense." Parker immediately perked up at this: "You've certainly given Vince a lot of dressing down, and Yao, and Ron too. You even almost beat up Al last time! Let me think, who else? Oh right, Gil! You almost drove him crazy when you played the Wizards last time!"
"He called me crying after the match!"
Sigh, this little brother.
How can you expose someone's shortcomings?
Lin Tian, seeing Parker smugly dredging up old grievances, interrupted him directly: "You're finished, Tony! I'm telling you, you're finished!"
"You're going to suffer a lot tonight, I swear!"
While Lin Tian and Parker were exchanging words, Duncan had already received the ball in the low post. He quickly pushed past Okur, then turned and hooked the ball in!
It's still Duncan's signature simple, efficient, practical, and unattractive style.
After the basket, the other four Celtics players immediately turned and retreated to defend, except for Duncan, who stayed put and spread his arms to interfere with the Knicks' baseline play.
This sudden move caught Anthony off guard as he was about to inbound the ball. He had to wait a moment to avoid being intercepted by Duncan before calmly passing the ball out.
This play was certainly not a mistake, and it was far from being one, not even close to one. But the Knicks lost a chance to get on the fast break!
They had no choice but to retreat to their positions.
"The Celtics are very well prepared! Their defense is very targeted! At the same time, they are also trying a more aggressive defensive approach," Kenny said in the studio. "Everyone knows that to stop the Knicks, you first have to prevent them from launching fast breaks."
"But this principle is easy to understand, but difficult to put into practice!" Miller continued, "Because if you let your big men interfere with the opponent's baseline play like this, once the opponent successfully passes the ball and quickly advances, the result will be that your side's defense under the basket will be empty, and the opponent can easily take advantage of the situation."
"Yes," Payton added, "because big men are slow. Against the Knicks, if you come like this, it means you're missing a big man to defend and protect the rim. It's easy for the Knicks to break through your defense."
"But if you don't let the big men interfere and instead send a fast guard to interfere, that's just asking for trouble."
"Smaller players not only fail to obstruct the opponent's vision and disrupt baseline plays, but also, by having one less point guard to defend, you'll have one less player to pressure their advance and speed up their offense once the Knicks inbound the ball. Their fast breaks will only become smoother and more comfortable."
"But the Celtics are clearly not afraid of that!" Barkley said. "They have two of the league's top big men, both with explosive defensive abilities, and Howard's speed is undoubtedly the best among all centers!"
"With his quick transition defense, the Celtics can definitely feel safe letting Duncan defend in the frontcourt."
"One player disrupts the offense in the frontcourt, while the other four quickly get back into position to stop the Knicks' advance. That should be the best way we can think of to stop the Knicks from launching a counterattack."
"But I think you can't use this method all the time. If you keep using it, the Knicks will definitely find a solution! Or rather, Lin will definitely find a solution."
"Lin's sense of smell, insight, and abilities are truly terrifying."
"If you give him a chance, he'll smash you to pieces! If you don't give him a chance, he'll snatch it from you and then smash you to pieces!"
The commentators in the studio were clearly overwhelmingly optimistic about Lin Tian and the Knicks, believing they could win this game and even the series.
In the frontcourt, Lin Tian dribbled the ball and observed the situation on the court. As usual, Okur stood outside the three-point line on the wing. Two meters in front of him was Howard, who had an explosive physique and an upper body so thick that it looked like he was photoshopped in.
Duncan was matched up against Stoudemire, while Anthony and Artest were almost fighting on the other side near the low post. It was clear that Anthony had forgotten what Nelson had told him to do: run and play.
The other player guarding Wallace was Josh, the only Celtics starter whose defense was subpar, and he was also facing off against Wallace, the only Knicks starter whose offense was subpar.
Skillful.
The most tattered shield is paired with the bluntest spear; it's highly likely that neither can destroy the other, and neither can do anything about the other.
After observing the surroundings, Lin Tian decisively chose to have his teammates spread out, as he wanted to test the Celtics' layered defense first!
Facing Parker's one-on-one defense at the top of the key, Lin Tian was not nervous at all. He quickly dribbled the ball continuously and then changed direction, passing Parker in the blink of an eye. Then Lin Tian rushed towards Duncan under the basket.
When Lin Tian approached the three-second zone, he waved the ball with both hands towards Stoudemire on the other side, trying to divert Duncan's attention.
It was a success!
As expected, Duncan moved a step to try and defend Stoudemire. Even Duncan, who is known for never losing his position, lost his position!
But Lin Tian instinctively felt that it wasn't that simple. Duncan didn't need to move so much or make such a wide-ranging movement on that play.
Something's up!
Sensing something was wrong, Lin Tian didn't immediately get up and dunk, but instead instinctively pulled up for a layup!
He could have easily made a layup with his right hand, but instead, with no one guarding him, he suddenly switched to his left hand and made a reverse layup.
"Whoosh!"
Almost at the same time Lin Tian finished switching hands and was preparing to lay up, a dark shadow swept past him. If Lin Tian had chosen to dunk with his right hand normally, he would most likely have been blocked!
Howard!
From the receding figure, Lin Tian noticed the name on the back of the jersey: Dwight Howard!
Sure enough, there was a conspiracy going on!
Duncan created an opening, and Howard, relying on his terrifying speed and physical attributes, quickly helped defend the basket and launched a sneak attack from behind.
How insidious!
"What a pity." After Lin Tian landed after his thrilling layup, he clearly heard Duncan let out a regretful sigh.
What a pity about that bubble teapot!
That old sly bastard.
"You can't beat us Tim with tricks and schemes! If you want to win, you have to be fair and square, and fight us head-on!" Lin Tian shouted at Duncan as he retreated.
"You're the least qualified person to say that. Looking across the entire league, who can beat you at scheming and plotting?" Duncan unusually launched into a long speech: "You're widely recognized as the league's number one ruthless player!"
"You're slandering me out of thin air! How dare you slander me out of thin air!" Lin Tian glared at him and said, "When have I ever done anything underhanded?"
Before Lin Tian could finish speaking, he suddenly took a step forward and blocked Parker's path!
Duncan delivered the pass at just the right moment.
Unfortunately, that scoundrel Duncan, although his eyes were on Parker, actually passed the ball to Josh next to him.
Even a baseline serve is met with a no-look pass!
Lin Tian had only one thing to say about Duncan's behavior: Shameless!
I knew you were trash-talking while preparing to steal the ball. I deliberately looked at Parker but passed to Josh!
Duncan only had one thing to say about Lin Tian, a guy who couldn't even properly trash talk and was full of ulterior motives.
Shameless!
Two shameless bastards have clashed!
Of course, Lin Tian's shamelessness is common knowledge and something he is proud of.
Duncan, on the other hand, is the typical reserved and secretly passionate type. You can tell from his habit of rubbing the heads of his teammates who are starting to lose their hair that he's doing it on purpose!
What was that saying again?
People who play tactics have dirty hearts!
A guy who plays tactics and studies psychology is even more filthy inside!
Duncan is the king of the league's understated brilliance.
Otherwise, what decent person would, after retiring, rub their teammates until they're bald, and then get a dreadlock braid for themselves?
Just look at Duncan and you'll know what a secretly passionate guy is.
Before retiring: His daily outfit consisted of shoes that cost 19.9 yuan, socks that came with the shoes, a T-shirt that cost 9.9 yuan, pants that cost 29.9 yuan, and a hat that cost 8.8 yuan.
After retiring: He wore dreadlocks and grime, and was dressed in all kinds of motorcycle punk styles, including leather jackets, boots, work clothes, and floral suits. He wore whatever was fashionable and whatever was trendy.
Then he started modifying cars and playing punk bands. I heard he even required all the young Spurs players to go to his car modification shop to be guinea pigs, or else he'd make them... well, you know.
You're saying this is because his fashion sense suddenly exploded after he retired, and he suddenly became more stylish and liked to dress up? It's obviously impossible.
That bastard, he's 100% deliberately hiding and packaging himself while playing, making everyone think he's an honest guy, so he can use the contrast to deceive people when playing.
Once they retire and no longer need this skill, they'll revert to their true nature in no time.
If you don't believe me, just look at Ginobili's head, and Griffin, who turns his head left and right, not knowing where to look!
They're all victims! (End of Chapter)