Jordan: I thought he was there to help me!

Chapter 674 Popovich's Slow Reaction!

However, Lin Tian is a human being, not a monster.

Okay, in a sense he's a monster, but he's not some kind of alien, Captain America, or Metal Gear Monster.

He's just a tiny bit better than the average person.

So after his frantic, rapid pursuit and two consecutive, extreme jumps to complete two blocks, he couldn't immediately launch another counterattack and join the team's fast break without any rest or recovery.

It's important to have basic biological knowledge and to trust science!

Although Lin Tian was too tired to run anymore and needed to rest, the good news was that James was lying next to Lin Tian and Bosh was sitting next to Lin Tian, ​​and neither of them had stood up yet.

So Lin Tian adopted a superior position, glancing sideways at the two of them, exuding an aura of dominance and arrogance!

At this moment, there's no need for trash talk; just use your eyes! You can kill these two guys with just your eyes!

Lin Tian wanted to tell everyone: I'm not too tired to run anymore, I'm just going to teach these two guys a lesson!

"boom!"

At that moment, a loud bang came from the frontcourt. Smith received a pass from Barnes, dodged O'Neal, and completed a spectacular one-handed dunk!

Lin Tian was too lazy to make eye contact with the two of them anymore. He snorted and walked past them with a look of disdain. Then he happily gave Smith a high five!

"That's the confidence of a champion!" Barkley exclaimed without hesitation, "After those two blocks, Lin was 100% certain his teammates could handle the offense. He believed that after his 1v2 performance, his teammates could easily handle 3v4!"

"So he had no intention of participating in the attack, nor was there any need for him to."

"Just watch! Just watching is enough for the Knicks to complete this attack!"

"I think these first few rounds have been enough to set the tone for this match!"

"I don't think that will work," Kenny said outright. "This game has only just begun! James hasn't even started scoring yet, and apart from Lin, neither team has really warmed up!"

"In this situation, you're saying the tone of the match has already been set? As a commentator, you can't be too arbitrary! That would make you lose your neutrality and rationality!"

Kenny was right after all!

Although this is the first time the Spurs have assembled this team this year, there are quite a few veterans on the roster. O'Neal and Finley are both veterans who have played for more than ten years, and Francis has been playing for eight years. Among the team's starting lineup, only James and Bosh are slightly younger.

Having many veterans on the team means they are experienced and have seen a lot of big games.

Lin Tian's two blocks were certainly impressive, but it's unrealistic to think that he could secure the victory with just two blocks.

In the first quarter, the Spurs quickly regrouped and got back into form.

The impact of Lin Tian's consecutive attacks and defenses was not significant for them!

However, of course, the Knicks still had a clear advantage in the first quarter!

Lin Tian's consecutive offensive plays gave the team the lead, and the Spurs were unable to close the gap until the end of the first quarter.

Meanwhile, as long as O'Neal is on the court, Lin Tian will initiate pick-and-rolls again and again, attacking O'Neal and targeting his current weaknesses of insufficient speed and stamina.

Throughout the first quarter, at least 7% of Lin Tian's offenses were initiated with this pick-and-roll!

O'Neal was disgusted by Lin Tian's move, but he really had no way to counter it.

Who told him to be so slow?

All O'Neal could do was score as many points as possible on offense and try to trade blows with Lin Tian.

Unfortunately, if it were a 29-year-old O'Neal, he might have been able to trade places with Lin Tian, ​​but now that O'Neal is almost 40, he really can't do it anymore.

In the first four minutes of the game, he went back and forth with Lin Tian, ​​scoring 8 points on 4 of 5 shots. Then he failed to score on two consecutive attacks. Once, he turned around and was caught by help defense and his hook shot failed to make the shot. The other time, he was caught by Lin Tian and suddenly double-teamed, resulting in a turnover!

After these two failed attacks, the Spurs stopped passing the ball to O'Neal.

The Spurs' offensive focus began to shift outwards, with James and Bosh running pick-and-rolls to let the two of them handle the game.

But at this moment, Popovich made a mistake!

When O'Neal's offensive influence diminished and his stamina declined, he did not substitute O'Neal immediately, but instead let O'Neal run around on the court for another 3 minutes!

In those three minutes, O'Neal didn't score a single point on offense, nor did he even attempt a single shot. On defense, aside from one rebound, he was constantly targeted and beaten by Lin Tian.

Popovich didn't seem to remember anything until there were only 5 minutes left in the first quarter, and he took O'Neal out and replaced him with Francisco Elson, who was slightly more mobile.

"Popovich finally substituted O'Neal! His reaction to this substitution was incredibly slow." Barkley immediately remarked as soon as O'Neal was off the court, "In those three minutes, O'Neal did absolutely nothing except be targeted and used as a weak point!"

"I think this is the difference between Popovich and the top-tier coaches; his ability to adapt is indeed a bit slow."

"That's right! Although it was only 3 minutes late, in the ever-changing world of basketball, those 3 minutes mean a lot!" Kenny nodded and said, "First of all, O'Neal's already limited stamina was wasted meaninglessly."

"Secondly, he only has a negative impact on the field! Having him on the field is a bad choice for both the team and for him personally!"

"If it were a coach with championship experience, they would have already taken O'Neal off the court, and then brought him back in during the second quarter when Lin Tian was out, so he could attack the Knicks' interior with full energy!"

Barkley continued, "If they had substituted O'Neal earlier, the Spurs would at least be a step behind, if not leading!"

The two commentators continuously analyzed and deconstructed Popovich's substitutions, while the game on the court continued uninterrupted. With O'Neal gone, both sides played faster and ran more aggressively.

But all the Spurs can do right now is maintain this point difference and let them catch up.

At least in the first quarter, they were unable to close the gap after O'Neal went to the bench.

27: 36!

At the end of the first quarter, the Spurs were down by 9 points!

In the second quarter, the situation on the court changed dramatically again! The Spurs brought in their best sixth man, JR Smith.

This incredibly sharp "nerve knife" is guaranteed to draw blood once it's used!

It's just that sometimes he stabs his opponents, and sometimes he stabs himself.

Tonight, JR successfully poked the Knicks!

With Lin Tian off the court, JR immediately hit a three-pointer, then grabbed a rebound and launched a fast break while the Knicks missed a shot, driving the length of the court to score another two points with a layup!

Less than 20 seconds into the game, the Spurs went on a 5-0 run thanks to JR Smith, narrowing the gap to 4 points!

Although the Knicks eventually managed to score and regain their composure, the point difference between the two teams narrowed from around 10 points to around 5 points.

Right now, both sides are fielding a mixed lineup of substitutes and starters, and neither Lin Tian nor James has even made an appearance.

With both of them absent, the competitiveness and strength of both teams are naturally greatly reduced, and their scoring efficiency begins to decline significantly.

The score remained unchanged until three minutes into the second quarter, when the score was only 4-9.

Then, Francis exploded!

This guy first used a screen to make a mid-range pull-up jumper, then made a steal, drove the length of the court to the basket and scored a layup for another 2 points!

After his two consecutive baskets, the Spurs narrowed the gap again, reducing it to 1 point!

If the Knicks fail to score on this next possession, the Spurs might just take the lead!

Unfortunately, Don Nelson isn't Gregg Popovich; his reactions are much faster.

Right after Francis scored the goal, he patted Lin Tian on the shoulder and brought Lin Tian back onto the field.

This is also a unique kind of arrogance of the Knicks.

We have Lin Tian, ​​so we don't need to pause.

Just bring him on!

"Old Nelson truly deserves his reputation as a top coach who has won so many Coach of the Year awards! He's also a versatile coach who can handle both defense and offense. His reaction speed is absolutely textbook-perfect! Popovich should really learn from him in this respect... Wait, what's Popovich doing? Has he gone mad?"

Barkley was calmly giving his commentary when suddenly his speech quickened, and he stared wide-eyed in disbelief, asking, "Why is he playing Shaq at this time?"

Kenny exclaimed incredulously, "Wasn't the lesson from the first quarter enough? I already didn't understand why he didn't bring O'Neal in early in the second quarter when Lin was out, and now he's bringing O'Neal in again just as Lin is about to enter the game?"

"Is this because you're worried Lin won't be able to fight effectively against others, so you're showing off your thoughtfulness?"

"And Popovich doesn't seem to have any intention of playing James..." Barkley sighed. "I really don't understand. Why keep James around at this point? Let him come on! We're down by one point. Why not field your strongest lineup and put in a little more effort to catch up?"

On the court, Lin Tian didn't care what Popovich's thought process was, or whether Popovich was trying to offer help or was simply being foolish.

Anyway, as soon as he saw O'Neal, he immediately reached out and called for a screen.

Tonight, as long as you, O'Neal, are here, I, Lin, will stick to this move no matter what!

This time, O'Neal, who had rested for more than 10 minutes, finally broke out of the paint. He was now full of energy and was finally willing to come out of the paint.

The problem is that O'Neal's current issues go beyond just physical limitations.

And physically too!

Even though he has plenty of energy and is in excellent form, he has been plagued by injuries this season, which has further reduced his physical fitness. At the same time, his movement speed has dropped drastically compared to last season!

As you get older, recovery slows down.

At the same time, due to being traded by the Lakers, O'Neal's morale and form are no longer comparable to his time with the Lakers. His training attitude and self-discipline have declined significantly compared to his time with the Lakers.

That's exactly why O'Neal's performance declined so drastically!

This shot directly demonstrates just how old and feeble O'Neal is compared to Lin Tian!

Lin Tian used a screen to create distance, and after facing O'Neal, he made two quick, low-altitude changes of direction in succession.

These two blows practically pinned O'Neal to the spot, his legs firmly planted on the ground, unable to move an inch!

After two quick changes of direction, Lin Tian accelerated past him completely. The only thing O'Neal could keep up with was his eyes!

He only had time to turn around and see how Lin Tian charged into the paint and how he got to the basket to finish the dunk.

He had absolutely no time to give any other response!

Lin Tian's speed is simply too fast!

After Lin Tian drove into the paint and slammed home a dunk, the gap between the two teams widened to 3 points once again!

Next, Lin Tian went straight for Francis, who had just scored consecutive points. "You're in good form, so I, Lin Tian, ​​will target you first!"

Faced with Lin Tian's extremely tight full-court press, Francis, who had just scored 4 points in a row, was also overwhelmed.

I used to be an All-Star! I used to average 21+5+7 per game!

Are you just going to bully me like this? You're going to start pressuring me from the very beginning?

Come on! Let's give it a try! Let's see who's the coward!

Once Francis realized this, he immediately accelerated his dribbling and charged towards the frontcourt!

Then, facing Lin Tian's encirclement and interception, this guy kept using his skills to change direction, speed, and direction of travel, constantly dodging and weaving!

It's fair to say that Francis pulled out all the stops to get rid of Lin Tian! Lin Tian really couldn't steal the ball directly from him.

But here is the problem.

Francis used all his skills to get past half-court, and he had no energy left to continue the attack.

For example, the first thing he did after crossing halfway was to turn sideways and block Lin Tian, ​​carefully protecting the ball.

He needed to catch his breath, and only then did he realize that his legs were trembling.

Lin Tian's intensity was too great, and Francis himself was also showing signs of being past his prime!

Lin Tian immediately realized that Francis was just a paper tiger, and without thinking, he pressed forward again!

The fierce physical confrontation, coupled with the quick grabbing and scrambling to steal the ball whenever the opportunity presented itself, left Francis looking incredibly disheveled!

With his leg strength exhausted in a short time and not yet recovered, Francis felt weak in the face of Lin Tian's encirclement. He simply couldn't push off the ground to accelerate and break through!

He could barely stand. The continuous high-intensity confrontation and pressing caused him to suddenly lose his footing when he finally found an opportunity to dribble past Lin Tian with a change of direction. The excessive consumption of leg strength made him unable to take a steady step!

Francis's leg gave way, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the floor.

Lin Tian certainly wouldn't waste such a precious opportunity. He slapped the basketball away from Francis's control, then dribbled at lightning speed and charged forward, arriving at the frontcourt in the blink of an eye before unleashing another powerful dunk!

Still 5 points!

After making the shot, Lin Tian celebrated triumphantly, roaring as he passed the Spurs' bench. His celebration and roaring suddenly stopped as he passed the bench.

"You bunch of cowards won't let me celebrate!" Lin Tian muttered loudly, then turned around and walked around the Spurs' bench before roaring again and interacting with the fans in the front row to celebrate.

"This..." Barkley and Kenny couldn't help but exchange a glance.

The main reason was that neither of them had ever seen such a scene before.

Who celebrates a goal in two separate parts?!

Who can stop celebrating halfway through, then walk around the other team's bench, and then celebrate the other half?

"Seriously, if I told you there's someone in this league who would do this, who do you think it would be?" Barkley asked, looking at Kenny after a moment of hesitation.

This time, Kenny didn't even hesitate and said without a second thought, "It must be Lin! No one else could do this."

At this point, the two looked at each other again and then burst into laughter!

While they were laughing, Popovich still didn't make any substitutions or call a timeout, as if they had just been on the verge of taking the lead only to have their opponents pull away again.

Popovich's slow reaction soon cost the Spurs dearly again!

This time, when the basketball came into JR's hands, the guy suddenly got excited. Without getting rid of his opponent at all, he stubbornly held off Barnes' defense and pulled up for a super long three-pointer!

"Bang!"

This kind of poor choice, whether in terms of timing, rhythm, or distance, makes it highly likely that the team will not advance!

Moreover, this ball not only missed, but also bounced exceptionally far due to its trajectory.

After the ball hit the back of the rim, it bounced almost directly to the vicinity of the three-point line before Lin Tian jumped up and caught it!

Then Lin Tian turned around and launched a counterattack, dribbling the ball forward at high speed!

Although JR's shot was a mistake, his reaction was very quick. He immediately turned around and followed Lin Tian, ​​retreating with him. His awareness of retreating was quite good.

Unfortunately, when facing Lin Tian, ​​simply being prepared to retreat and defend is far from enough!

Lin Tian dribbled all the way to the left 45-degree angle, and stopped suddenly when he was one step away from the three-point line. Then Lin Tian used a one-handed in-and-out dribble to create space, followed by a crossover dribble and a step-back, and then pulled up and shot!

A super long-range chase-down three-pointer!

This goal is significant for more than just that! It wasn't just a long-range chase!

The technique Lin Tian used for this shot was almost exactly the same as the shot JR just missed!

There is absolutely no difference!

This is blatant provocation, this is blatant mockery!

"Whoosh!"

Then came a crisp sound as Lin Tian's long-range three-pointer rang out perfectly!

The same posture, the same position, and even a greater distance!

One went in, and one didn't.

These two balls, one inside and one outside, make 6 points!

The point difference between the two sides has once again widened to 8 points!

Only one minute has passed since Lin Tian returned to the court!

Within one minute, he made all three of his shots, scoring 7 points and single-handedly pulling the team back from the brink of collapse.

"Lin's scoring explosiveness is absolutely terrifying!" Kenny shook his head, unable to help but praise.

"Unstoppable! Lin's firepower is truly unparalleled in NBA history!" (End of Chapter)