Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 757 This group of young people really know how to play!

"Lin, you said Chris is the future best point guard in the league?" After the pre-game tributes, both teams took to the court and stood in their positions.

Delong then addressed Lin Tian with the question that had been troubling him for over a month.

"My opinion doesn't count," Lin Tian said with a smile. "Which of you will be the future number one defender depends on yourselves. As for me..."

"My only job this year is to let everyone know that no matter how much the point guards after me fight for it, no matter how hard they play, it's just a bunch of chickens pecking at each other."

"You bunch of kids can't pose any challenge or impact on me at all."

"I've already capped the ceiling for the point guard position. The rest of you are just starting to climb; you'd be lucky to even reach the halfway point!"

"I'll catch up with you!" Deron gritted his teeth, looking at Lin Tian. "I'll prove I'm no less than you... I'll be better than Chris!"

"Talk is cheap, basketball is what you need..." Lin Tian said, "What did you just say? Better than Chris?"

That's trash talk...

That's actually pretty innovative!

"I'm going to prove you have terrible judgment! I'm going to prove you're just like Michael, as good at playing basketball as you're terrible at judging people." Deron almost blurted out his trash talk about surpassing Lin Tian.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, he remembered the advice of his head coach, Scott.

"Don't mess with that scoundrel! He's our most important key to winning tonight. Don't spew nonsense at him."

"He won't fall for it or get carried away; on the contrary, you'll get beaten up badly by him."

Scott's earnest advice still echoed in his ears, and Deron lowered his trash-talking level at the last moment.

Hey, I can't just ignore you. I'm going to prove you have bad taste. You can't get angry, can you?

Thinking of this, Delong became excited.

"Let me tell you, Chris is a complete idiot. Everyone says he's a good defender, but he's a terrible defender! All he does is kick, elbow, push people from behind, and then throw his arms around and look innocent and pitiful. Take those moves away, and see who he can guard! Even my grandma could beat Chris without any dirty tricks."

"Also, a short guy like him will start to decline at 28, and by 30 he'll be in his veteran phase, taking minimum contracts and clinging to other players. He'll disappear from the league by 32 at the latest, and he's not worth mentioning at all."

"Yes, his assist-to-turnover ratio looks good, and he has fewer turnovers, but what's the use? He has two fewer turnovers per game, but he also loses three fast breaks and the chance to give his teammates a spot on the top 10 plays!"

"Putting everything else aside, just look at that fast break dunk by Yi Jianlian the other day, gliding through the air—wasn't my pass perfect? ​​It went straight to the top ten plays! If it had been Chris, hehe, they'd be ready to play a half-court game!"

"You definitely understand this, Lin. You're the one with the most dazzling passing and the best at pushing the ball up the court. Chris's style of play, which focuses on maintaining his stats and forcing turnovers, is just utterly contemptible!"

"What else was there? Right! This kid is stingy. I heard he never treats his teammates to meals. He's short and narrow-minded, not worth mentioning! You chose him as the future first-choice defender, tsk tsk tsk... you really have bad taste."

"Tell me, what's Chris's good point? Besides being more attractive to girls than me, what else does he have? I'm even more masculine-looking than him, which makes me more appealing to men, isn't it?"

"Anyway, I think you should consider me. I'm more deserving than him!"

Lin Tian: This generation of young people, you know what, they're quick-witted.

The earliest group, like Payton, Hardaway, and Strickland, were all pinned to the ground and kicked in the head until they were covered in blood, yet they were still yelling that they were not convinced.

The next generation, including Iverson and Davis, were much smarter and generally wouldn't provoke anyone to the death.

By this point, Paul had learned to lie low, and 90% of Deron Williams' trash talk was directed at Paul.

The main message is: I admit I can't beat you, but I'll be arrogant again once you're gone.

Each generation is worse than the last!

No wonder this group of players, with their brotherhood, betrayal, and teamwork, are bringing their talents around and almost driving the rapid development of the entire American express delivery industry.

It can only be said that every era has its own characteristics.

Lin Tian was too lazy to pay attention to Delong's words. If the little brother wanted to brag, let him brag. Lin Tian was too lazy to talk to him.

Unexpectedly, Delong, who looked like a cold and fierce school bully, was more talkative than the head of the teaching department.

From the moment the players step onto the field until the match officially begins, there are about 5 to 6 minutes for everyone to get into the zone, for the referee to make final preparations, and for the referee to check the time and start the game.

In those few minutes, Deron didn't stop at all.

He muttered to himself from beginning to end.

At first, he would intersperse a few self-aggrandizing remarks like, "Dude, I'm awesome," or "I think I can become a really cool point guard."

But as Deron got into the swing of things, the conversation completely shifted to Paul.

That bastard…

"That little dwarf..."

"I beat him like I was beating my grandson..."

"The last time we fought..."

"I beat him to a pulp..."

"No, just how much do you hate Chris?" Lin Tian couldn't hold back any longer and, before the game started, posed a soul-searching question to Deron.

"He's so disgusting! He's a stupid idiot, his heart and hands are blacker than his face, he's a damn black bastard inside and out!" Deron blurted out without thinking.

"Actually, I think so too. The reason I said he's the future number one point guard is to set him up as a target, so that all the old bastards in the league can teach him a lesson and beat him up. That bastard even tried to cripple me last time! He deserved it!"

"I guarantee he'll have a really tough year, and he deserves it all."

Lin Tian grew impatient.

Throughout his career, he has always been known for his rambling and incessant talking, which eventually made his opponents impatient and lose their temper.

Tonight, Delong's words annoyed me to no end. It's not the first time in my life, but it's definitely an extremely rare experience.

The main purpose was to shut Deron up.

Stop talking. Isn't it better to stick to your previous aloof, bullying little tank persona?

"Actually... Chris was forced into it too." Upon hearing Lin Tian also criticize Paul, Deron was surprised not to agree. Instead, after a moment of hesitation, he defended Paul, saying, "He's short, and without some unconventional methods, it's difficult for him to maintain his competitiveness on the court."

"He had no choice; he's not actually that bad."

Go to hell.

Lin Tian rolled his eyes so hard they almost reached the ceiling.

Are you trying to play the "mutual understanding between sworn enemies" game with me, where I can only criticize others and not the other way around? Is that Vegeta vs. Kakarot, or Naruto vs. Sasuke?

You're the only one who can curse me, but I can't?

After rolling his eyes, Lin Tian immediately launched a rather vicious counterattack.

"You... you've fallen for Chris?"

"Huh? What is that?" Delon was dumbfounded.

He had never heard such vicious and offensive language in his entire life.

"How could I possibly fall in love with that dwarf! How could I possibly love him? I'd rather like a gorilla than fall in love with him!" Delon immediately retorted, indicating that you can't slander someone's innocence out of thin air.

"You only refuted the claim that you wouldn't fall in love with Chris, but you didn't say that you only like women." Lin Tian subtly took two steps back, distancing himself from Delon, and said, "Then stay away from me."

"Of course I like women! I only like women! In my entire life, I could never like any other male!"

Seeing Deron's hysterical state, Lin Tian nodded in satisfaction. Very good, this is exactly what I wanted! I wanted you to break down.

"Is it possible that you mistook Chris for a woman? After all, he does look quite handsome. You know, everyone has different tastes and aesthetics, which is perfectly normal."

"Chris isn't a woman! He's tougher than anyone! Even if he gets beaten to a pulp, he won't give up!" Deron growled menacingly at Lin Tian, ​​his expression clearly showing he was furious.

it's confirmed!

Definitely true love.

In his efforts to speak up for Paul, Deron even forgot to defend himself.

Is there any love more heartfelt than this?

There are no lifelong enemies, only lifelong entanglements of resentment.

"Beep beep!"

At that moment, the referee blew the whistle to start the match.

With his incredible talent and long reach, Chandler easily defeated Okur, securing the Hornets' first offensive possession.

Deron Williams got the basketball, dribbled quickly to the frontcourt with his head down, then suddenly accelerated, dribbling the ball from his right hand to his left, executing a huge crossover dribble and footwork to charge forward to the left.

Then, as Lin Tian quickly caught up, he slammed the ball to the right again.

It's his signature double crossover dribble with a wide crossover!

Without any testing or warm-up, they immediately unleashed their signature moves!

It's clear how angry Delong was about Lin Tian calling Paul a sissy!

That double crossover was truly top-notch in both speed and range, befitting one of the best guards of the new generation in the league. Coupled with Deron's strong physique, it's no wonder that this guy can always beat Paul!

After this double crossover, Deron completely ignored Lin Tian's lack of follow-up and Lin Tian's ability to keep up with his pace. He simply pulled up and launched a three-pointer!

This reckless and crazy style of play is clearly more like Arenas than Deron Williams.

"Whoosh!"

But sometimes, being unreasonable and not following the rules can actually be more effective!

Deron Williams started the game with a three-pointer, his expression filled with rage as he looked at Lin Tian: "In this league, only I can beat Chris! Only I can pin him to the ground and beat him to a pulp!"

Yes, yes, yes, yes, you two are so good, you two are so gay... no, you two are so bonded.

Lin Tian ignored Deron's trash talk and dribbled quickly to the frontcourt. Then, he suddenly copied Deron's move and performed two wide crossovers.

The difference is that Lin Tian can keep up with Delong by relying on his own pace and experience, but Delong can't keep up with Lin Tian at all!

After the double crossover, Lin Tian completely shook off Deron Williams. When Lin Tian took the three-pointer, Deron Williams wasn't even facing Lin Tian's head, but his butt.

He didn't even have time to turn around!

"Whoosh!"

With a crisp sound, Lin Tian hit a three-pointer, a beautiful response!

"Answer ball! Brilliant! A perfect answer ball!" Barkley shouted excitedly in the TNT studio. "Lin will definitely face countless challenges this season! And those new generation guards are obviously even more eager to challenge him."

"Chris Paul's challenge failed in the opening game; he was completely outplayed by Lin," Kenny continued. "So, what about Deron Williams today? Can he redeem himself for the new generation of backcourt players and put up a fight against Lin Tian?"

"Of course not." Payton, who had been beaten the most by Lin Tian among everyone present, shrugged and said, "This is Lin! You guys don't really think he's retiring because he thinks he's no longer good enough, do you? This guy just got bored, that's why he retired!"

"He is still the best in this league, and he can still dominate all the guys in this league who are matched up against him."

On the court, Deron Williams had once again dribbled the ball to the frontcourt. This time, he didn't insist on going one-on-one. Instead, he started waving his hands and calling out plays. After his teammates had all run away, he passed the ball to the wing, and Wells on the wing passed the ball to the basket.

Mason received the ball with his back to the basket, took a step inside, and then immediately turned and launched a floater, which swished through the net!

This is also a standard tactic for the Hornets, except that sometimes Wells backs down the basket and sometimes Mason goes in to back down the basket.

Although this team's three perimeter players aren't top-tier shooters, their physical attributes, size, and strength are absolutely exceptional, making them arguably the NBA's number one perimeter tank trio!

Their advantage in size and strength is one of the secrets to their victory against most teams in the league!

"You've calmed down already? I thought you'd at least go toe-to-toe with me for a quarter!" Lin Tian didn't expect Delong to stop challenging him to a one-on-one match.

This generation of young players is quite steady. If it were Iverson or Payton, and they started off trash-talking each other like this, I would have to beat them 3-5 times first before officially stepping into my role and calling up tactics to play the game properly.

"I won't fall for it, Lin!" Delong was no longer as furious as before. Instead, he stared intently at Lin Tian, ​​looking as if he were facing a formidable enemy. He said, "You have no idea how many of your match videos I've watched, nor how much effort I've put into studying you."

"I know very well that if we get bogged down in a one-on-one fight with you, a crushing defeat is highly likely to await us!"

"I want to win the game! Not beat you!"

What can Lin Tian say about Deron's viewpoint, which is similar to Paul's?

It can only be said that being too famous has become a disadvantage!

These guys have seen so many games where they repeatedly beat and humiliated Payton, Kidd, Nash, Miller, Iverson, Hardaway, and others, and now they're all behaving themselves.

Of course, young people these days still have their own ways of rebelling.

Unfortunately, none of them came directly to the problem, and they were indeed not easily fooled.

Not interesting.

Feeling a bit bored, Lin Tian stopped trying to beat Delong to a pulp. After all, he was getting old and the old man had become kind-hearted.

The Hornets and Knicks played a decent but not particularly exciting game in the first quarter.

Both sides are clearly in a probing phase, neither showing any full-force or do-or-die attitude.

In the first quarter, Lin Tian made 3 of 4 shots, scoring 8 points and 3 assists, which is about his average level this season. Deron Williams was similar, making 3 of 5 shots and scoring 7 points and 2 assists, which was not inferior to Lin Tian at all.

It's worth mentioning that both of his assists went to Yi Jianlian. The first was after a pick-and-roll between him and Yi Jianlian, Yi Jianlian bounced out to receive the ball and made a mid-range jump shot.

The second play was also a pick-and-roll between the two. This time, Yi Jianlian accelerated down the court, received the ball, and then pulled up for a powerful dunk, adding another 2 points to his score.

This was also the most exciting moment of Yi Jianlian's first quarter!

The star players of both teams traded blows, and the score remained close.

The Hornets couldn't handle the Knicks' incredible talent and the one-on-one play of Anthony, Lin Tian, ​​and others. The Knicks also couldn't contain the Hornets' three-man perimeter defense, allowing them to repeatedly score in the paint.

Logically speaking, the best way to deal with the Hornets' perimeter lineup is to have big men and strong players on the court to block their space to attack the basket and force their way to the rim.

Unfortunately, the Knicks didn't have that resource.

Their people have physical abilities and terrifying talent; they can run, jump, and score points.

Smith, Wallace, and others are also good at help defense, steals, and blocks.

But can the standing pile protect the basketball hoop?

Every single player on the Knicks team is completely useless!

If we had to rank them, the person most capable of doing this might actually be Lin Tian!

Who told this team not to have thought about defense and balance when it was founded?

Its main focus is on the ultimate!

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 33-29.

The Knicks are currently leading by 4 points!

At the start of the second quarter, it was Anthony and Stoudemire's turn to lead the team as usual. However, this time, the two of them were in hot form. Not only did they not let the Hornets seize the opportunity to narrow the score and regain the initiative, but they also dominated the game and quickly widened the gap!

With 6 minutes left in the second quarter, thanks to Anthony's consecutive isolation plays and jump shots, and Stoudemire's mid-range shots and drives to the basket, the Knicks' lead had reached 12 points!

48: 36!

The Knicks displayed an attitude and rhythm that aimed to completely blow up the game in the first half!

At this point, Scott had no choice but to call a timeout to calm his players down. He also knew that he had to change his strategy.

If they keep playing like this, it's only a matter of time before they get blown out by the Knicks.

Their firepower is simply too strong!

It's impossible to prevent it.

Then the only option is to fight back!

This is the conclusion the entire league has reached since the Pistons were completely dismantled by the Knicks!

No one can stop the Knicks. The best way to beat them is to go toe-to-toe with offense, and then pray that you're accurate and that the Knicks aren't.

Besides that, there really aren't many other options. (End of Chapter)