area51novel Chapter 397 Oh, we lost? Wow, we lost again?
Chapter 397 Oh, we lost? Wow, we lost again?
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
"MVP! MVP! MVP!"
Inside Conseco Arena, the Dream Team V and the Puerto Rican team were warming up when suddenly, the atmosphere exploded! Nearly 20,000 fans roared and shouted at the top of their lungs!
The Puerto Rican players on the field all came from small towns. In their usual domestic league, a game is considered full if there are 3000 spectators. They had never seen anything like this before. The cheers of the fans startled many of them, and they looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the chaos.
"Calm down! Calm down, everyone! Keep warming up!" A short, bald man who looked to be in his early twenties clapped his hands loudly, reminding his teammates not to pay attention to things that had nothing to do with them and to keep warming up.
This young, short guy was also the calmest and most composed member of the entire Puerto Rican team.
Or rather, he was almost the only one on the team whose eyes were blazing with fury and whose entire being exuded an aura of being ready to kill at any moment.
Lin Tian, who had just entered the stadium, smiled and waved to greet all the fans in the arena!
For him, this is home!
The fans were so enthusiastic! Indiana, which I haven't been to in ages, is such a great place!
After settling comfortably into the front row, Lin Tian made eye contact with the short man.
The guy wasn't afraid of Lin Tian's reputation at all, nor did he back down. He even gave Lin Tian a "we'll see" gesture before turning around and continuing to warm up.
Lin Tian recognized the guy at a glance.
Carlos Arroyo!
A point guard who didn't make a name for himself in the NBA.
But this guy led his team to defeat the invincible Dream Team in Athens in 2004, causing one of the biggest upsets of the year!
A cold-blooded, belligerent, and highly aggressive individual.
If the two teams have a chance to meet in the knockout stage, this guy is definitely an opponent that Lin Tian needs to focus on defending against.
"Lin, I heard you've stirred up quite a storm in Europe." Miller, Carter, and Ben Wallace, the three old buddies, knew who it was as soon as they heard the cheers from the fans in the stadium, so they came over immediately to greet Lin Tian.
"I'm here to cheer you on. You'd better do your best later, or it'll be embarrassing if you lose."
"Losing has nothing to do with me. I'm just a mascot, here to sit on the bench and help boost the team's local popularity." Miller shrugged casually. He was right; he only played a total of 9 minutes in the first two games, basically just there to make up the numbers.
"Me too! The loss has nothing to do with me. George doesn't like using purely defensive centers. He'd rather use two power forwards than let me play." Ben Wallace was also a little aggrieved. In the first two games, his playing time ranked 11th on the team, only slightly more than Miller.
Of the three, only Carter made the starting lineup. As usual, he flashed his big white teeth and said happily, "Long time no see, Lin."
"Which team did you join? I've been running in Europe for three months and haven't been following the NBA news at all." Lin Tian and Carter high-fived, and the first thing he said was the most heartbreaking topic.
"I haven't gone to any teams yet." Upon hearing this, Carter's big white teeth immediately disappeared, and he said in a somewhat low voice, "I still hope Larry will try his best. I told him that I can accept a contract with an annual salary of 800 million US dollars."
"If all else fails, lowering it further isn't out of the question."
"That kid," Miller shook his head helplessly, "I've been trying to persuade him all summer. I told him to go get that damn money! To get a max contract. Larry was even willing to cooperate with him on a sign-and-trade, but that kid just wouldn't do it."
He insisted on waiting.
"So, you want to hear my opinion?" Lin Tian looked at Carter, and after Carter nodded, Lin Tian said, "Then go get the money, get as much as you can! If Larry can handle your contract, he won't make you wait until September. If he can't handle it before, he won't be able to handle it now!"
"But..." Carter bit his lip, wanting to say more.
But Lin Tian interrupted him again: "You play basketball to make money. If you don't make as much money as you can while you're young, what will you do when you're older and retired? Are you going to fly all over the world doing odd jobs to make a living?"
"My principle has always been to take as much money as I can while I'm still able to!"
"But Reggie gave up a lot of money! He missed out on at least tens of millions of dollars!" Carter mustered his courage and finally came up with a counterexample.
"He's doing this for a championship. What about you? You already have three championships, what are you doing here trying to earn less? Besides, Reggie didn't lose a single penny after winning the championship! He even earned more! He was making $9 million last season! With his lousy performance, is he really worth $9 million?"
"Bullshit! It's not even worth 300 million!"
"Hey, hey, I'm here!" Miller's eyes widened, and he said with dissatisfaction, "I've made a lot of clutch shots in the playoffs! How come I'm not worth 900 million? There are plenty of teams in this league that would give me 1400 million a year! It's just that I'm too old to move anymore."
"Vince, just ignore him. Anyway, if you're asking for my advice, it's to get a max contract! And while you're at that point, find a team that suits you! Wasn't Jason contacting you before? What did he say?"
"He still welcomes me over, and El has already gone! 4 years, $3000 million! El has joined the Nets." Carter casually mentioned Harrington's next destination. This guy's market value is far less than Carter's, so as soon as he received an offer that met his expectations, he left quickly.
"Learn from El!" Lin Tian gave Carter this last piece of advice, and then had no further chance to say anything more.
Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury, those two outspoken and argumentative guys, are here.
"Lin! You actually went for a run? You good-for-nothing, you're insulting basketball!" Marbury started aggressively, "You don't put in the hard work of basketball, you waste your time on boring stuff."
"If you don't respect basketball, basketball won't respect you! You're going to have a crushing defeat this year! You absolutely won't win the championship this year!"
No sooner had Marbury finished his provocation than Iverson chimed in, "Honestly, Lin, I consider you a good buddy, but this behavior of yours is quite disappointing!"
"I thought we could meet in the final and have a real battle! But I heard you didn't practice or train with the team all summer? You spent all your time running?"
"You're finished! My experience tells me you're finished! I think we most likely won't meet in the finals! There are a lot of strong teams this year, and you could easily lose!"
"Hopefully you won't crash before us!" Lin Tian shrugged casually, completely unfazed by the two short men's words. "Besides, I think you might lose today!"
"Today? A loss?" Marbury scoffed. "Lost to whom? That Bolivia thing?"
"It's the Baltic Sea! You need to study hard, Stephen," Iverson pointed out Marbury's mistake.
"It's Puerto Rico!" a voice suddenly rang out. Lin Tian turned around and saw Arroyo, her face full of displeasure and her eyes flashing with anger. "Our country is small, our population is less than 300 million, but our homeland is called Puerto Rico!"
"You two bastards better remember this name, because we're going to give you your first crushing defeat of the tournament!"
"Pfft!" Marbury laughed without restraint. "That's the funniest joke I've heard all night! Okay kid, I got it! It's pineapple bread, right?"
"Whatever," Arroyo scoffed. "After we lose, you'll remember this name. All of you Americans will remember this name!"
"I believe in you," Lin Tian said, leaning back in his chair. "I think you can win this match! I'm taking it very seriously!"
"Thank you!" Arroyo nodded to Lin Tian, then turned and left without saying anything more.
Then, Lin Tian noticed that this guy had gathered all the players together and was muttering something to each other.
Needless to say, he was telling his teammates that they were being underestimated and looked down upon.
Then, Puerto Rico will most likely unleash a powerful force and defeat the American team in one fell swoop!
Marbury and Iverson, like two bulldogs, watched Arroyo's retreating figure and almost simultaneously muttered, "They're courting death!"
Then the two of them glanced at Lin Tian again, and almost simultaneously said, "Just you wait! Don't disappoint me!"
Then, like twins, the two turned around and went back to their own half of the court to warm up.
"Are these two really that in sync?" Lin Tian thought, watching their backs. If these two were to develop some kind of chemistry, then this American team would be something else entirely!
"What 'chemistry'?! They never pass the ball to each other when they're on the court together! I bet they haven't given each other a single assist since the team was formed!"
Miller snorted and said, "If Team USA loses again this year, those two completely uncooperative guys will definitely be the culprits!"
"You know your game!" Lin Tian gave a thumbs up and said, "Vince, you'll have to take on more responsibility."
"What's there to take on?" Carter rolled his eyes, a rare occurrence for him. "I'm too lazy to run into position anymore. You have no idea how many times I've run into open space using my old habits, only to find myself unable to receive the ball or get any opportunities."
"Then I discovered that standing still on the wing not only saves energy but also makes it easier to receive the ball, so now I basically just stand still!"
Listening to Carter and Miller's complaints, and seeing the aggressiveness displayed by Iverson and Marbury, Lin Tian finally understood that this American team simply didn't have the genes to win!
The team's formation and player selection were flawed.
What kind of family would dare to start Marbury and Iverson together?
If those two are the starting point guard and shooting guard, what kind of game can we possibly play?
However, Lin Tian also understood Karl's pain. If these two weren't allowed to start, then it wasn't a question of whether the game could be played well.
There's no need to fight at all!
It's too difficult? Then don't do it!
If these two are on the same team, then either they are both DNPs and you don't need to use them, or you have to use them together, otherwise these two will flip your table in a heartbeat!
But not?
If it were Larry Brown or Phil Jackson, they probably would have dared to do this, but Karl certainly didn't have the guts to use either of them.
I guess I'll just have to grit my teeth and make do. What else can I do?
If all else fails, we can try to stagger their playing time when we encounter top teams like China, Yugoslavia, or others!
Well, that's Carl's idea. We'll see when the time comes!
If you play like this, you won the first two games easily, didn't you?
Germany is widely considered a team with the potential to reach the semi-finals! Yet they still lost to us by about 20 points.
Karl felt that since Germany had been dealt with, playing against Puerto Rico would be a piece of cake; there was no need to change formations or think. He could just go on a rampage and win the game.
Karl's dismissive and unprepared approach to the game clearly influenced the players on the team.
The atmosphere on the American team was incredibly relaxed. Some were showing off their dunks, some were showing off their dribbling, some were stretching, and some were chatting.
There were all sorts of people doing all sorts of things, but not a single person was warming up properly according to the rules.
Well, it's not that there aren't any, there are two.
Ben Wallace and Tim Duncan are currently simulating a one-on-one game under the basket, one making a hook shot and the other stretching out his arm to defend.
The only slightly off thing is that if it were Ben Wallace on defense and Duncan on offense, the scene would be much more harmonious.
I don't know what kind of magic potion Ben Wallace gave Duncan to convince him to practice his hook shot with him!
However, Lin Tian didn't care how Ben Wallace persuaded Duncan; he just silently remembered one thing in his heart.
Next season, we absolutely cannot allow Ben Wallace any opportunities to post up in the low post!
This guy will definitely show off his hook hand!
We must extinguish this thought in him! We must!
In stark contrast to the chaotic and disorganized American team, Puerto Rico on the other side was as disciplined as an NCAA team, meticulously executing layups, passes, runs, and warm-ups.
At least in terms of preparation, Puerto Rico completely outclassed the United States!
Lin Tian, on the other hand, was relaxed and lost in thought, waiting for the match to begin.
The referee didn't keep him waiting long. He quickly walked to the center circle and signaled for both teams to come forward for a jump ball.
"Brother Lin, do you really think Puerto Rico can win?"
After the American team left, Yao Ming couldn't help but look at Lin Tian with curiosity.
Based on his understanding of Lin Tian, Lin Tian was definitely not the kind of person who would bring everyone to watch their competitors' matches and understand their opponents' strengths before a game.
He's not the kind of person who, upon arriving at a place, immediately greets old friends, watches them win a match, and then celebrates happily.
Lin Tian: What, am I not a good person?
Yao Ming: Anyway, this doesn't fit your image!
"Whether we win or not is uncertain. I just have a feeling that the American team will definitely stumble, maybe today, maybe tomorrow. I have an incredibly strong premonition: we might not even meet them in this World Championship!"
"Really? I don't believe it." Yao Ming shook his head.
Team USA! They pushed us to that point two years ago, and now you think they'll lose to Puerto Rico?
"Want to take a gamble?" Lin Tian turned around and looked at the group of Chinese team players, extending an invitation.
Unexpectedly, the dozen or so burly men shook their heads in perfect unison, indicating their refusal.
No gambling, no gambling, we won't gamble with you, Brother Lin!
Who doesn't know you're the casino tyrant!
Pshaw, that's boring!
Lin Tian yawned, then leaned back in his chair and started watching the game.
The US team started off in pretty good form. Iverson and Marbury seemed to have agreed to each control one possession, without competing or vying for the ball. However, they had no connection or chemistry with each other, and when one of them was dribbling, it was as if the other wasn't on the court.
This style of play is definitely good for beating weaker teams, but it will definitely struggle against strong teams!
In the early stages, the US team gained some advantages through individual skills, but as the game progressed, Puerto Rico suddenly started playing a zone defense!
Once this zone defense comes out, the US team will immediately forget how to play!
Iverson and Marbury's drives to the basket often resulted in them being surrounded by 2-3 players, making it impossible for them to get a shot off. Garnett's playmaking at the free-throw line did provide some help to the team, but unfortunately, the US team's shooting touch was not good tonight. They didn't miss a single three-pointer, but their shooting percentage was really negligible.
On the other hand, Arroyo was clearly spurred on by Iverson and Marbury, and he played with tremendous aggression tonight! Arroyo, who is more adapted to international competition, has better chemistry with his teammates, and is more effective against zone defenses, played significantly better than Iverson and Marbury!
Drive inside and shoot outside, pass and organize, encourage teammates, and keep running!
Arroyo delivered a top-level performance that night that surprised everyone!
Under Arroyo's leadership, although Puerto Rico fell behind by as much as 10 points at the start, they managed to keep the score from widening further and even gradually narrowed the gap!
With four minutes left in the third quarter, Arroyo faked out Iverson and made a mid-range floater!
55: 54!
Puerto Rico took the lead for the first time tonight!
Although Marbury put the team back in the lead with a three-pointer less than 10 seconds later, everyone could see that.
Team USA might have an upset tonight!
The match continued, and both sides officially entered a do-or-die phase!
The Puerto Rican team played with all their might, each player seemingly on steroids, playing frantic defense and relentlessly attacking the boards. They used their offensive rebounds and incredibly tough zone defense to repeatedly thwart the US team's attacks and earn themselves second chances on offense time and again.
With one minute left in the fourth quarter, Arroyo stepped up again, dribbling at the top of the key to isolate and attack Marbury.
"You know, Stephen, I used to look up to you and idolize you! We're both short, and I wished countless times that I could play like you!" Arroyo said, suddenly speeding up his dribbling pace!
With a series of changes in direction and footwork, he suddenly used a double crossover dribble to shake off Marbury's center of gravity, followed by a lateral jump step to create distance, and then launched a three-pointer!
"Whoosh!"
After a crisp sound, Arroyo hit a three-pointer!
The score was 85-80!
Puerto Rico leads by 5 points!
"But I don't need to worship you anymore! I can defeat you! I can defeat everyone! Now, can you remember the name of my country? Can you remember my name? I am Carlos Arroyo! From Puerto Rico!"
Arroyo's shouts went unanswered. Marbury quickly turned around to receive the ball and then dribbled rapidly towards the frontcourt.
Time is running out for the US team! He had no time to respond to Arroyo's trash talk. Instead, he quickly moved to the frontcourt, then suddenly stopped, ignoring Carter frantically waving his hands to indicate that he had missed the shot, and forced a three-pointer against the defense!
"Bang!"
After a dull thud, the rebound was secured by the Puerto Rican team again, and the ball returned to Arroyo's hands.
"I've fantasized countless times about playing against you guys in the NBA, and countless times about beating you!" Arroyo, facing Iverson this time, continued, "I think tonight is my chance to make that dream come true!"
After saying that, Arroyo accelerated again, holding off Iverson as he charged toward the heart of the US team's defense. Then, before Garnett could come to help, he suddenly stopped, raised his hand, and made another signature floater, scoring 2 points!
87: 80!
Team USA only has 30 seconds left!
After the shot went in, Karl quickly called a timeout, but everyone knew that the US team could only wait for a miracle.
The entire Conseco Arena fell silent at that moment, the fans unable to believe what they were seeing.
How could a country I've never even heard of defeat us? Defeat our invincible dream team? And their leader is just an undrafted player from last year?
That's impossible! Absolutely impossible!
But whether the fans believe it or not, Arroyo's furious roar from the center of the field always brings them back to reality.
This seemingly ordinary little guy, despite lacking outstanding speed, wingspan, jumping ability, and natural talent, still managed to dominate two top guards, Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury, shining brightly on the world stage that night!
24 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds!
Arroyo's stats tonight were absolutely amazing! After tonight, the whole world will know that Puerto Rico had a 188cm tall player who led his team to defeat the Dream Team!
After the timeout, the US team missed their next three-pointer, and after Puerto Rico secured the rebound, the US team didn't foul again, as there wasn't enough time left for them to employ a fouling strategy.
They pressed the ball relentlessly throughout the game, trying to intercept it.
But Arroyo's dribbling was surprisingly steady. Facing a double-team, he quickly dribbled the ball across the frontcourt and then found an open teammate to pass the ball to.
Then came another rapid transmission.
The American team was running around frantically, but they couldn't get the ball at all!
That's too late.
There's not enough time.
"Buzzing!"
After a buzzer sounded, Puerto Rico committed a 24-second violation for not choosing to attack.
But that doesn't matter anymore.
Only 3 seconds left in the game!
Team USA lost!
They lost again, just two years after losing to Hebei China Fortune!
"See, I told you they'd lose. This little guy played really well! Liu Shao, you can learn from him! His pick-and-roll, passing, and timing of his shots are all fantastic!" Lin Tian said, turning to look at Liu Wei, who had just been selected for the national team.
"I think you're no worse than him! You two are both of average talent but have a good feel for shooting, and you have a fearless attitude, always willing to take a shot and take responsibility."
"Brother, are you praising me?" Liu Wei asked with a bitter face. What does it mean to have average talent?
I'm incredibly talented! There aren't many point guards in all of China with more talent than me.
Lin Tian: Then why don't you go and compare yourself to Iverson and Marbury?
Never mind, bro, you're right! It's just average, really just average!
After such an unexpected and frustrating loss, the American players lost their initial fighting spirit and their previous arrogance. They walked off the court dejectedly and headed towards the players' tunnel.
As luck would have it, Lin Tian chose a spot right next to the players' tunnel.
"Well played, Allen! Several of your drives were beautiful!"
"Stephen, that last three-pointer was a real shame! You almost saved the team!"
"Paul, you did a great job waving the towel today! Even though you didn't play much, you still contributed!"
"Sean, smile! Cheer up, you're even more handsome when you're happy!"
"Tim, it's okay, you can go now! Kevin, I haven't seen you yell much today, is your throat bothering you?"
Why sit near the players' tunnel? Why did you specifically choose this seat?
All for this one bite after the game!
I'm so happy! I'm extremely happy!
Lin Tian gave a speech of encouragement to almost the entire American team. Although the encouragement did not receive a superficial response, Lin Tian was still very happy!
As long as the meaning is conveyed, that's enough!
Especially since the system is broadcasting announcements very frequently, even when no one can see them!
Although these are all experiences, Lin Tian is not lacking in these so-called experiences at all.
But happiness is irreplaceable!
Super happy!
Team USA lost!
This is absolutely the biggest news of the first stage of the World Championships!
Although this doesn't affect the US team's 2-1 record and advancement to the playoffs, they did lose!
They still lost to Puerto Rico, a little-known country.
This is absolutely enough to turn the entire American basketball world upside down!
At the very least, for the next two days, the entire American sports world showed no mercy and launched a frenzied critique of the American team!
This isn't a single team; it's 12 individual players who just happen to be on the field at the same time!
"No teamwork whatsoever! The era of dominating the world solely through individual ability is long gone!"
"They lost to China because they had Lin, but what about losing to Puerto Rico? Is Arroyo the next MVP?"
Marbury and Iverson should take full responsibility! They were completely outplayed by Arroyo!
What is George Karl doing? He's completely indifferent to the team's poor performance!
This American team was riddled with flaws from the very beginning! Their failure may have been inevitable!
Let the right people play, not just the ones with the most famous names!
"Fame doesn't determine victory or defeat, so why not give Miller a chance?"
If we start Iverson and Marbury together again, we'll keep losing!
The relentless barrage of criticism and condemnation undoubtedly increased the pressure on the American team, and worsened their mood.
Their journey in this World Championships is destined to be incredibly bad!
In contrast to the American team, the Chinese team is the opposite!
In the final game of the first stage, the Chinese team finally welcomed back their leader, Lin Tian. Starting the game, Lin Tian gave the Lebanese team no chance, scoring 10 points and 3 assists in the first quarter, telling everyone that he had not neglected basketball at all.
In the following games, Lin Tian played with increasing ease, and within two quarters, the score difference reached 30 points. In the second half, Lin Tian only played for 3 minutes, and after widening the score difference to 40 points, he walked off the court with ease. Judging from his appearance, he definitely wouldn't be playing again tonight.
He played 18 minutes and scored 19 points, 9 assists, and 4 steals!
In his first game back with the national team, Lin Tian displayed near-perfect form, leading his team to a 50-point victory over their younger teammate Lebanon, and advancing to the second stage of the playoffs with a record of 2 wins and 1 loss!
Both teams have a record of 2 wins and 1 loss, but the feelings of the Chinese team and the American team are worlds apart!
On one side, there was jubilation and everyone was united in their pursuit of the championship again; on the other side, there was dejection and being relentlessly criticized by fans across the United States!
In the second round of the competition, the United States and China were still not in the same group.
In the second stage, the Chinese team will face three top teams in succession: Yugoslavia, Angola, and Spain!
Meanwhile, the American team will face Argentina, their long-time rival Russia, and New Zealand, the dark horse of Oceania.
The first match to kick off is the USA vs. Argentina!
"Shall we go take a look?" Lin Tian immediately perked up when he heard that it was a match against Argentina!
Before training was even over, he dragged his teammates along to watch the game.
"Finish training first, then go watch the match!" Jiang Xingquan said, his face darkening. "No matter what, train hard, then you can go watch the game!"
As a result of this training session, by the time Lin Tian happily arrived at the Conseco Center, the match between the two sides was already more than halfway through.
53: 33!
The gap between the two sides has reached 20 points!
More importantly, Argentina is currently in the lead!
After just losing to Puerto Rico in the previous game, the US team is now trailing Argentina by 20 points!
The entire Conseco Center was like a funeral scene, completely silent, and the fans were numb from the noise.
No, how could we lose like this?
The loss was simply illogical!
"You're here?" Lin Tian had just sat down when Bird appeared out of nowhere. "One good news and one bad news, no, for you, both are good news."
"Oh?" Lin Tian was a little curious. Could there be good news for Bird today?
"The first piece of good news is that that Argentinian is playing really well! I've decided to bring him to the team next season! Manu Ginobili, you remember him, right? The second-round pick we drafted in '99!"
"Remember, bring him. I really like him." Lin Tian nodded, then couldn't help but look at Ginobili, the absolute core of the Argentine team on the field, who was still the Pampas Eagle, not the Pampas Vulture.
Long, flowing hair, so elegant and graceful!
Manu with hair is so nice!
"Another piece of good news for you is that we're likely to lose again tonight. These trash played terribly! A bunch of scum!" Bird shrugged and sat down next to Lin Tian, looking conflicted.
He wants to see Ginobili dominate the American team, so the Pacers will have another formidable player next season.
But he also wanted the American team to turn the game around and not lose again.
Oh, the pain! (End of Chapter)