area51novel Chapter 341 35 Seconds, 11 Knives? A Completely Different Plot! Me and Lin
Chapter 341 35 Seconds, 11 Knives? A Completely Different Plot! Me and Lin
"Paul, give me the address and directions! I'm heading out right now!"
The caller was none other than the Celtics' current absolute core player: Paul Pierce!
This guy is also a top party animal among the new generation of players. There's no nightclub in Boston that he hasn't been to or partied at. In Boston, where racial discrimination is extremely serious, he has actually managed to make a name for himself!
Pierce quickly gave an address over the phone, then said to Lin Tian, "Hurry up! Tonight there's something you've never seen before! You'll absolutely be satisfied. If you miss it tonight, you won't have another chance!"
After listening to Pierce's explanation, Lin Tian didn't say much, hung up the phone, and started knocking on the door.
Miller, Ben Wallace, Webber, Carter.
Damn!
After knocking on several people's doors, Lin Tian discovered that none of these bastards were in his room!
Going out to play without me?
A bunch of heartless, ungrateful bastards! They're not human!
Lin Tian snorted, quickly got on the elevator, and then called the team's equipment manager to ask him to prepare a car for him, while thinking about how to get revenge on those bastards who didn't invite him when they went out to play.
Well, he had completely forgotten that just a few hours ago, they had invited him, but he had refused, saying he was too lazy to go out!
After a whirlwind ride, Lin Tian quickly arrived at the nightclub that Pierce had mentioned—a magnificent place filled with handsome men and beautiful women, with incredibly loud bass speakers, and clearly a very expensive venue!
However, Lin Tian has seen a lot of the world in the past few years. He has already experienced the local customs and culture of at least 28 cities in the United States with NBA teams.
What was that saying again?
Los Angeles beauties, New York women are passionate, Indian women are skilled at dressing up, Mai women are voluptuous, and Xiu women are delicate.
Lin Tian was able to summarize all 28 cities in the alliance in a very clear and concise manner!
This is the culmination of Lin Tian's many years of professional experience. It is the result of his personal visits, tireless efforts, and hands-on practice, which led to the conclusion of these patterns!
Lin Tian was incredibly proud of this!
What are the characteristics of girls from Boston?
Lin Tian said: It's nothing special, not worth mentioning!
Of course, I'm not saying Boston doesn't have beautiful women, but rather that while it does, they're just average, nothing particularly special or unique.
But when Lin Tian stepped into the VIP room that Pierce had given him, he decided to retract his earlier comment.
First of all, when Lin Tian entered the room, it wasn't the typical scene of a subwoofer blasting in your ears, champagne flying everywhere, and everyone yelling and screaming.
On the contrary, it felt like a quiet bar, with everyone chatting relatively quietly. Lin Tian immediately spotted Pierce sitting in the middle and Walker and other Celtics core players beside him.
Lin Tian had no idea how Walker and Pierce went from almost fighting on the court to being such good buddies, and he had absolutely no interest in the feud between the two men.
Especially when a girl in a standard office lady uniform handed Lin Tian a notebook and asked him to take a look, Lin Tian's attention was completely diverted, and he no longer even looked at the two of them.
Lin Tian looked down and his eyes widened immediately.
How so?
The thing he was holding was covered in profanity! Extremely profane! So profane that even now, when you write it down, it's all xxx, ***, and censorship!
It's so dirty!
"Sir, this is our special service. You can check the words you hate the most, dislike hearing, and don't want to hear the most. Then, if these words don't satisfy you, you can write down any other terms or words you dislike in the column at the bottom."
"Then you can choose a girl, and once you've chosen her, she'll pick out words and phrases that you hate to say."
hiss.
Lin Tian gasped, almost turning around and leaving immediately.
Pierce, does he have such a heavy taste?
And you even hired someone to humiliate you?
Just as Lin Tian was completely uninterested in this and was about to say hello and move on to another venue to see if he could find Miller and the others, he saw the highlight of this game.
Walker took a paper fan and slapped it across the face of the white girl in front of him.
"You damned bastard! Even if you beat me to death, you'll still be a damned bastard! You're a filthy, stupid, bastard bastard!"
Wow... this is so exciting?
Playing racial jokes in a place with the worst racial discrimination—aren't you afraid of getting vandalized one day?
Lin Tian could only say: Terrifying!
"Sir, if you don't want to play these games, we also have some basic games available..." The OL skirt saw that Lin Tian hadn't said anything and assumed that he wasn't interested in these games, so she was about to recommend some basic ones to him.
"No! This is it!" Lin Tian immediately picked up a pen and started ticking off the marks on the paper.
Then, five minutes later, Lin Tian sat down next to Pierce with a white girl.
Pierce laughed and said, "How about it? Never experienced anything like this before! This is a great place!"
"Unheard of!" Lin Tian smiled and was about to toast with Pierce when the girl next to him snorted coldly.
"Foolish nigger! You're not allowed to look at anyone else! You can only look at me!" Tsundere mode is here!
However arrogant he was, Pierce's expression suddenly became somewhat complicated.
What did she call you?
"Foolish nigger, what's wrong?" Lin Tian asked with a relaxed expression.
"But you're not Nigger, you bastard!" Pierce was dumbfounded. What, is this one of their own?
"Yeah, I'm not!" Lin Tian nodded, looking completely matter-of-fact. "But I can't stand seeing my brother being insulted! That's my Achilles' heel! No one can insult my brother in front of me."
"You self-righteous white pig, you're as stupid as a sewer rat! You wicked quack, get out of America! This is our home!" The girl got into character very quickly and continued reciting her lines.
"You're white again?" Pierce glared at Lin Tian again.
"I have many friends like that," Lin Tian said casually, leaning back in his chair. "Woman, you're not allowed to insult my brothers!"
Regarding Lin Tian's brand-new version, Pierce said: You're fucking shameless!
Shameless!
Sensing Lin Tian's shamelessness, Pierce patted him on the shoulder, then stood up and said, "I need to go to the bathroom!"
Lin Tian waved his hand, indicating that he should go play, and then happily started playing with the girl next to him.
3 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes.
As time went by, Pierce never returned.
Lin Tian, who had hardly ever drunk alcohol, suddenly felt something was off.
This kid, unless he's stuck in the toilet and can't get out, he should have come back a long time ago!
The girl who was supposed to be with Pierce was now a little worried.
Could I have run into someone who skipped out on the bill?
Sensing something was amiss and having a bad feeling, Lin Tian suddenly thought of something else.
11 stabs in 35 seconds!
The event that truly made Pierce famous throughout the league!
If I remember correctly, on September 25, 2000, Pierce and his friends were hanging out at a bar in Boston. After drinking quite a bit, Pierce suddenly took a liking to a girl and started chatting her up, but the girl didn't like him, and the two of them didn't have a very pleasant conversation.
What should have been a perfectly normal thing for Pierce to do was simply walk away after his attempt to pick up a girl failed. But on that particular day, he had drunk quite a bit and was in a terrible temper.
The girl opposite her was no pushover either; her brother was a notorious gangster in Boston, so her tone of voice was quite rude!
Anyway, after a while, both sides sent people to each other, and Pierce's men had long since scattered to some unknown place to have fun. He called for help for a long time but no one came. However, the girl rushed to Pierce's side with her brother and several of her men.
Then came the infamous 35 seconds and 11 stabs!
Pierce was stabbed 11 times that night, the deepest of which was 8 centimeters deep and less than 2 centimeters from his heart!
It's fair to say that Pierce really had a brush with death!
What's even more legendary is that after being stabbed 11 times, Pierce was discharged from the hospital on the third day, returned to the team's training camp nine days later, and started playing in the preseason with the team 16 days later!
This recovery ability is practically on par with a Saiyan!
It was at this time that his nickname "Truth" truly resonated throughout the United States!
Thinking of this, Lin Tian stood up immediately!
I remember Pierce was cut on September 25th, before the preseason, but it's already mid-October, training camp is over, and the preseason has started!
The day when Pierce got attacked is long gone!
As for Pierce, he wasn't attacked at the end of September. Who knows what butterfly effect prevented him from experiencing this major calamity? But anyway, Lin Tian had a premonition: Pierce didn't escape this calamity, but rather postponed it!
Just as Trunks' arrival delayed Kakarot's heart attack by a full three years, it seems that my Lord Lin's arrival has also postponed Pierce's stabbing.
As for when it will be postponed? Lin Tian thinks it's very likely to happen today!
He quickly stood up and left the private room to look for Pierce. At this point, it had been about 15 minutes since Pierce left the room, which meant that the conflict had already begun!
Now that the conflict has started, the center of the conflict must be surrounded by a huge crowd of onlookers!
As I said before, people all over the world share one common hobby: watching the excitement!
Lin Tian followed the crowd directly to the most crowded area, and then squeezed his way in, enduring a barrage of curses, until he finally saw a familiar figure!
A tall, thin guy with downturned lips who looked like he deserved a beating.
It wasn't Pierce!
Reggie Miller!
This guy was standing there all by himself, and he yelled at the person opposite him, "What are you looking at!"
"What are you going to do about it!" The guy opposite him was clearly not someone to mess with, covered in tattoos. He wasn't afraid of Pierce at all and immediately started hurling insults back.
"Try looking at one more!"
"Give it a try."
Well, instead of shouting "Let's give it a try!" again, this guy suddenly walked towards Miller!
Miller still didn't understand what this guy was trying to do. Perhaps the way of fighting in the NBA—trash talk, headbutting, and shoving—made this guy forget what real street fighting was like.
Perhaps it was because Lin Tian was always around and no one dared to bully him that he lost his sense of danger.
In short, he was completely unprepared for the guy who was rapidly approaching him, and continued to curse loudly.
"You stupid nigger, do you even know who I am? I earn more in a month than you earn in a lifetime. You're just a filthy rat that can only wallow in the sewers, a piece of trash who can only live in a slum overrun with cockroaches, I'll fuck you!"
Not planning to hide, not planning to run! Miller, who was determined to rant and rave, suddenly unleashed a torrent of profanity!
Because he saw a glint of cold light in the hand of the black man opposite him.
knife!
Young people are hot-blooded and lack martial ethics; they come at you with knives right away!
Although Miller saw the knife and swore, perhaps because he was drunk or terrified, he remained motionless and showed no intention of moving away.
"Be careful!"
At this moment, Lin Tian dared not watch the commotion. To be honest, if Pierce had been stabbed, he knew that the guy was tough and that this incident wouldn't cause Pierce any serious injury. He would be discharged from the hospital in 3 days and be able to play in half a month. He wouldn't have rushed over there.
What if the little karaomis on the other side start playing American-style iaido with you?
What if he beats someone up and the other side pulls out a few Desert Eagles or something?
We can't take the risk.
Especially considering the relationship between Lin Tian and Pierce, they weren't close enough for him to risk his life for the other side.
But Miller is different; he's a truly good buddy!
More importantly, Pierce can withstand 11 stabs, but Miller might not be able to!
Since Lin Tian's arrival has changed the people who were attacked, the final outcome might also change!
So Lin Tian stepped forward and delivered a powerful front kick to the man's knife-wielding hand. With a scream, the knife flew straight into the sky. Miller, seeing the flash of cold light, almost fell to the ground.
He was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat, which sobered him up considerably!
"Hey kid, who are you! You want to die, huh!" Little Karami was kicked by Lin Tian, and his whole hand was trembling with pain. He started swearing at Lin Tian.
"Who I am is none of your business, but I think it's best to just let this matter go! I was just a nobody to begin with."
Lin Tian raised his hands, looking cowardly and weak, which made Xiao Kalami on the other side lower his guard. But before he could say a few more harsh words to provoke him, Lin Tian made his move!
Lin Tian was speaking when he suddenly took another step forward and punched the poor guy in the face.
With a muffled thud, the guy fell to the floor without uttering a sound, clearly indicating that he would be out of fighting ability for the night!
Then Lin Tian quickly dodged to the left. A guy with a dagger stumbled and darted past Lin Tian. Lin Tian noticed his sneak attack!
Lin Tian had no intention of being polite to this sneak attacker. He delivered another high kick with a side whip, which landed squarely on the man's shoulder.
"Bang!"
Then came a muffled thud. The guy was spun halfway through the air by Lin Tian's blow before finally lying flat on the floor. The knife in his hand had flown off somewhere, but that didn't matter anymore.
The important thing is that he is currently lying on the ground, screaming in agony, but he is absolutely unable to get up.
"Damn it! This kid's causing trouble! Kill him!" A voice rang out, and in the blink of an eye, six or seven black men rushed towards Lin Tian! Lin Tian breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this formation!
These guys probably didn't bring any American-style iaido! Otherwise, they'd be crazy to rush in and fight hand-to-hand!
But Lin Tian wasn't sure; what if they just thought hand-to-hand combat was more fun?
What if Lin Tian gets carried away with his game and the other side suddenly pulls out a few shotguns?
Too dangerous!
So Lin Tian's choice was to lower his head and rush into the group of people! He believed that since he was so close to these guys, even if they had guns, they would never dare to fire!
What if you hit your own people?
"Snapped!"
Lin Tian suddenly raised his fist and punched the first unlucky guy in the chest, making him bend over and cough, almost vomiting up all the food he ate that night!
Then Lin Tian raised his elbow and smacked the man on the back, knocking him face up onto the floor.
Then Lin Tian quickly made two feints to the left and right, which immediately confused his two knife-wielding opponents who were rushing towards him. For a moment, they did not know which direction to swing their knives.
In that brief moment of delay, Lin Tian lowered his center of gravity and quickly approached the two men from below. By the time he was close enough to attack, the two little karamites still had their knives raised in mid-air!
To Lin Tian, these two guys were completely off guard at this moment!
"Slap! Slap!"
Two heavy punches rang out in quick succession. Lin Tian punched the two men's wrists, knocking the knives out of their hands. Then, Lin Tian grabbed their heads with both hands and slammed them together!
"Thump!"
A somewhat frightening thud was heard, and the two little karami, feeling dizzy and disoriented, collapsed to the ground!
"Kill him! All of you, attack him together!"
At this moment, the other side was clearly completely enraged. They didn't care what Lin Tian's ability to kill four people in the blink of an eye meant. Anyway, they had lost face, so they had to beat him up!
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Lin Tian didn't even move his position before delivering a downward iron elbow strike to the top of the head of the first person charging at him. The poor guy collapsed onto the floor!
"Watch out behind you!" Miller, who was in close combat with a black man and had a clear advantage, was suddenly exclaiming to warn Lin Tian to be careful of a sneak attack.
Lin Tian didn't need his reminder. He bent down and dodged, then used his waist to generate power and half-turned to throw a punch to the left and right.
"Bang! Bang!" Two muffled sounds rang out almost simultaneously as Lin Tian's two fists landed accurately and fiercely on the stomachs of the two attackers. Then, Lin Tian straightened up and twisted his upper body to punch backward in almost the same way.
Two more muffled thuds followed, and the two men suffered severe blows to their faces. Blood gushed out in the blink of an eye, and they collapsed onto the floor almost simultaneously.
The two had just fallen to the ground when seven more men, cursing and swearing, rushed out from multiple directions and charged at Lin Tian simultaneously.
This time, all of these people were holding knives.
"Fuck! Reggie, did you sleep with their grandma?" Lin Tian complained, then pushed his speed, focus, and strength to the limit. Suddenly, he transformed into a bolt of lightning, moving and shifting constantly in the not-so-wide space!
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!" A series of explosions erupted like raindrops, almost forming a continuous chain. The onlookers felt their eyes were blurring as they watched in disbelief as Lin Tian fought against seven people all by himself.
Hmm, no, that's not right.
Lin Tian surrounded his seven opponents, trapping them in the middle, and then brutally beat them!
Maybe 30 seconds passed, maybe 3 minutes passed, maybe only 10 seconds passed.
In short, when everything suddenly quieted down, everyone looked at Lin Tian, the only one still standing on the field, in disbelief.
At his feet and around him lay a group of defeated men, groaning and screaming, convulsing on the ground.
Not one, not two, not three, not four.
It's not even seven!
There were 14 people lying on the ground!
Okay, 15!
Because Miller stood up too, and he took one down as well!
This guy was currently sporting an arrogant expression, as if he and Lin Tian had taken down 15 people together. He was fighting side by side with Lin Tian, his hands even in a fighting stance, looking like he was ready to shout at any moment, "Who else?!"
"Stop with the nonsense." Lin Tian rolled his eyes. "What exactly happened? And call Paul and the others right now, tell them to come and clean up the mess!"
"That kid." Miller reached out, intending to point out the culprit on the floor, but after searching for a long time, he couldn't find the guy he had been arguing with among the pile of guys lying on the floor in various positions.
"Never mind, anyway, there was a kid who just punched Ben."
"He's beaten them?" Lin Tian's eyes widened. "Among this group, is there anyone who can beat him?"
"Ben was so drunk he didn't even realize he'd been slapped. I was there to stand up for him," Miller said, patting his chest with a hint of pride. "And then, together with you, we took down 15 men!"
Quietly, Miller counted exactly how many people were on the floor.
Lin Tian was too lazy to bother with Miller's shamelessness anymore.
"Lin? Reggie's here too? What's going on?" Pierce suddenly appeared at this moment, looking at the scene on the ground that looked like it had been ravaged by a polar bear and the guys rolling around on the ground, he was a little confused.
The timing of this guy's appearance made Lin Tian wonder... had he been standing by and watching the fight until it was over before showing up?
"Can you handle a minor conflict at the starting point?" Lin Tian was too lazy to explain to Pierce anymore and simply glossed over it.
"It's manageable, but luckily the conflict happened at this store. Security here is very tight, and no one is allowed to bring guns in. Otherwise..." Pierce shook his head, looking terrified.
"Guns aren't allowed, but these bastards practically all have a fruit knife." Miller scoffed, indicating his complete disdain for this so-called 'security.' "And where are their security guards? Why haven't they arrived yet?"
"They brought knives?" Pierce glanced again at the group of men lying on the ground and shook his head. "Then they're finished. The boss here is someone they can't afford to mess with!"
"That guy made it clear: if you fight or cause trouble on his turf, fine, just pay the damages. But if you bring weapons, he'll make sure these guys disappear from Boston!" Pierce said, starting a phone call. "What's going on? I need to know the truth!"
"Ben got beaten up, and I stood up for him. Lin happened to be there too, and the two of us took down these 15 people together! They attacked first, and they immediately used knives!" Before Lin Tian could even open his mouth, Miller enthusiastically described in detail how he and Lin Tian had taken down 15 people.
However, Pierce clearly didn't believe a word he said, and instead kept scratching himself.
"Strange, seeing this group of people makes me feel really itchy." Pierce and Lin Tian were also puzzled as they waited for the security personnel to clean up the mess.
Why is my body so itchy? Do I have fleas?
Less than a minute later, more than a dozen nightclub security guards came over. It wasn't that they were slow to arrive; it was just that the whole thing happened too fast. From the moment Lin Tian took action to the moment he knocked everyone down, and then Pierce's timely appearance, less than three minutes had passed.
If it were a normal conflict, the two groups would probably still be pointing fingers and cursing at each other right now!
Who knew that one group of people would be hotheads who immediately drew their knives, while the other group would be even more ruthless, taking down everyone in just a few moves?
Then a manager-looking man came over. This guy was obviously an old acquaintance of Pierce. After the two of them chatted for a while with their arms around each other's shoulders, the manager came over and apologized to Lin Tian, saying that all the expenses for the night would be waived. Then he went to attend to his own business.
"How will he deal with those thugs?" Lin Tian was a little curious, after all, Pierce had just said that the hotel owner had connections everywhere and could make people who didn't follow the rules 'disappear' in Boston.
"Take them to the police station and make them pay. What else can we do?" Pierce shrugged, looking as if he had completely forgotten what he had just said.
"I thought they'd tie their hands and feet to big rocks and throw them straight into the Atlantic Ocean," Miller said, utterly disappointed. "I was actually hoping to see it."
"You've watched too many third-rate, lousy movies." Lin Tian and Pierce simultaneously expressed their disdain for Miller, then exchanged a glance and almost at the same time said, "Want to keep playing? Let's go!"
What happened afterward had little to do with Lin Tian and his group, or even nothing at all.
Lin Tian originally thought that he and Miller would have to go to the police station to give a statement and cooperate with the investigation, but they did not receive any summons from the police station. The whole thing seemed to have just appeared out of thin air and then disappeared out of thin air.
Until they finished their preseason games in Boston and left Boston to return to Indiana, no police officers came to their door to inquire about the matter, and not even the media, who are usually very sensitive to gossip and always eager to get involved, came to ask them for their opinions on the matter.
Miller was the most dissatisfied with this!
This guy was full of complaints, saying that the fact that he and Lin Tian took down 15 people together hadn't been made public!
He was prepared to pay the fine and be suspended! This was the only time in his life he had ever looked forward to the suspension and fine!
But as it turned out, the matter was completely forgotten, as if it had never happened.
From this perspective, Pierce's claim that the store owner has connections to the highest levels and the ability to make someone disappear in Boston is not entirely unfounded!
The subsequent development of the incident clearly shows that the person behind that nightclub used their influence to erase the matter directly from the public eye!
pity!
Lin Tian and Miller share the same regret!
Extremely disappointed!
After all, even if Lin Tian had chased down most of the Jazz team and won an Olympic gold medal through boxing, it was still completely different from being surrounded by more than a dozen gang members with weapons and then taking them all down!
This was a real, actual battle; many of the opponents actually drew their knives!
Calling it a life-or-death situation wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Even though Lin Tian had lived two lives, he had never experienced a scene where he fought a fierce battle and emerged victorious, escaping unscathed.
It's such a pity that this story wasn't interviewed or reported, and that the whole world didn't know about it.
Even though Lin Tian already has very famous titles such as "NBA's No. 1 Warrior", "the world's best fighter" and "Olympic gold medalist in the over 91 kg category", he is not lacking in nicknames like "Nightclub God of War".
But these kinds of things are the kind that are annoying when reported, but uncomfortable when not reported.
The fact that it wasn't reported is great news for the team, because if it had been reported, Lin Tian and Miller would at least have been suspended and fined, even if they didn't have to go to the Boston police station and court every day.
Now, hehe, it's all free!
At least for Carlisle, a rookie head coach, this is definitely something to celebrate.
The Pacers did not achieve a perfect record in their eight preseason games, unlike in the past.
They only have a record of 4 wins and 4 losses.
The most important reason is that, compared to Bird, Carlisle was more cautious in using his starting lineup in the preseason, giving Lin Tian and others less playing time.
In the eight games, none of the players, including Lin Tian, Miller, and Webber, averaged more than 20 minutes of playing time per game. In the last two games, none of the team's five starters and sixth man, Miller, played at all!
Carlisle's meaning and purpose couldn't be clearer: to assess role players, to assess the rest of the team besides the starters, and to see who among those who haven't yet received formal contracts can truly stay with the team!
The good news is that the team's rookies have played quite well in these preseason games. Best is averaging 13 points per game with a 38% three-point shooting percentage, while Miller, who received the team's full mid-level exception, is contributing impressive numbers of 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game, making him practically a mini-Divac.
The most exciting news is the return of Al Harrington, the first-round pick whom the team has been nurturing for two years.
This agile power forward, who spent almost the entire first two years of his career on the bench and only played garbage time, finally got his chance after continuous hard work and the departure of several competitors from the team.
He averaged 29 minutes per game in 8 preseason games, the highest on the team, and scored 17 points and 7 rebounds per game, both of which were also the highest on the team!
In addition, his three-point shooting percentage is 35%, which is really impressive for a power forward in this era!
What also surprised Carlisle was Harrington's defensive ability. The guy clearly knew that his opportunity was hard-won, and he spared no effort on the defensive end, putting in a lot of energy, and the defensive effect was very good!
Although he can't defend against those massive, big men, his footwork is quick and his movements are agile enough to make him extremely effective when switching, helping, or closing out on the opposing perimeter ball handlers and shooters!
In short, everything about Harrington pleased Carlisle, who knew he had found another important substitute for the team!
Then, after some discussion and research by Carlisle and Bird, the team picked and chose before the start of the regular season, cutting some players and dropping others. Finally, they finalized their official roster for the new season!
Centers: Ben Wallace, Brad Miller, Zahn Tabak.
Power forwards: Chris Webber, El Harrington, Larry Ketner.
Small forwards: Doug Christie, Derrick McKay, Terry Mills.
Shooting Guards: Reggie Miller, Vince Carter.
Point guards: Lin Tian, Travis Best, Teus Edney.
The roster has a total of 14 players. Bird deliberately left one spot open as a precaution. In case the team's record is poor, or there are any major injuries, or if a team suddenly cuts a player that the Pacers could acquire, Bird can react quickly and make a final supplement to the roster at any time!
It can be used for both offense and defense!
However, it can be seen that although the team's 6-7 most important players are exactly the same as last season, the Pacers have indeed lost or poached role players, making them much weaker than in the previous two seasons.
However, as long as Lin Tian, Webber, Miller, Carter, and others are still there, the foundation and core of this team will remain. This weakening of role players is actually one of the main dilemmas that every dynasty-level team needs to face.
As the team's performance improves, the value of role players increases, and other teams vie for them. The home team, under pressure from salary issues, has to keep letting players go, watching its roster become thinner and thinner.
At times like these, the first thing to be tested is the ability of the team's absolute core players. The core players must continue to maintain a high level of performance and solve problems when the team encounters difficulties in order to maintain the team's competitiveness.
Secondly, it tests the team's general manager and scouts' eye for talent and their ability to sign players at low prices.
They have to achieve great things with minimal investment, finding hidden gems in the lower draft picks when the team only has late draft positions available, and making precise moves in the free agent market to acquire truly valuable players at low prices.
Next is the player's own ambition and health. Many players, after working their butt off to win one or two championships, will obviously relax their demands on themselves and unknowingly reduce the quality of their training and games, resulting in a decline in their performance on the court.
And more importantly, there is the issue of injuries. When a team's key players have been playing until June for many years in a row, playing all 82 regular season games and 4 series each year, their risk of injury will increase significantly, their fatigue will increase significantly, and their recovery time will decrease.
Many teams fall short of winning their second or third championship due to injuries, failing to forge a dynasty.
In addition, the targeted reinforcements by other teams, the analysis and research of each team's tactics against top teams, and the extra motivation and stronger desire to perform that each team has when facing the defending champions all make the challenges faced by each championship team greater year by year!
In short, a team aiming for a dynasty faces far more difficulties and challenges than an ordinary championship team. They also have to consider, prepare for, and deal with far more than ordinary championship teams!
This year's Pacers, as the league's top favorite to win the championship twice in the past three years, will almost certainly encounter all of the above problems!
Whether these issues will become memorable moments on their path to a successful title defense, or the culprits that prevented the dynasty from being built, only time will tell after the season begins! (End of Chapter)