NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

The Lakers are back in form!
After the game ended that day, everyone returned to the hotel to rest immediately. Then, on the second day, everyone took the initiative to practice extra, and each person practiced more intensely and seriously than the last. On the third day, Jackson ordered everyone to rest, but some people still went to secretly practice extra.

All of this indicates that the Lakers have fully recovered.

Jackson was helpless in the face of this situation.

He can't possibly try to suppress the team's morale again and make them play dead once more, can he?

That's a very likely serious mistake, and there's no way to salvage the situation.

Losing the championship would truly be a joke.

Especially after Jackson consulted with the assistant coach to understand the specific situation in the locker room at the time, and confirmed that Lin Tian was not deliberately messing with him, but was simply in a difficult position and had to step forward, he accepted everything.

Fine.

Anyway, the result was good, and the team is truly united now, isn't it?

What more could you want?
Although I'm a little annoyed, let's just go with it!
Jackson had already reached the point where he had to stay in the training facility himself and send the players back to their rooms to rest. What more could he possibly want?

At least for Jackson, the Lakers' dynasty foundation and the last piece of the dynasty puzzle are now complete.

Now, it remains to be seen whether the gods of fortune will smile upon the Lakers.

In Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the Lakers will face the Cavaliers on the road!

"I don't think we need to elaborate on how important this game is." Before the game started, Van Gundy and others sat in the commentary booth as usual and began their pre-game analysis: "The Cavaliers' best chance is right in front of them."

"If the Lakers tie the game 2-2, all their previous efforts will have been in vain. They will have to accept a best-of-three series with one less home game. And we all know how resilient the Lakers are, how dazzling their stars are, and how many amazing things they can do."

"The Cavaliers cannot afford to let the Lakers breathe; they must deliver a fatal blow to the Lakers."

Jackson added from the sidelines, "On the other hand, for the Lakers, losing this game is not a death sentence, but it is also their best chance to catch their breath. Winning a game on the road is something they must do."

"They used to have home-court advantage, but now it belongs to the Cavaliers. If they want to turn the tide, they must control the game tonight and win!"

"But the Lakers' performance in the first three games was really not good." Miller added at the end: "Kobe was completely underperforming in the first game and played terribly, while Durant had a bad performance in the fourth quarter of the third game."

"They always have star players who can break out and change the rhythm and situation of the game with their individual abilities. This is the Lakers' advantage. But in the first three games, they basically just relied on their star players to play. They were more like fighting individually than as a team."

"In the first and third games, they both committed more than 20 turnovers. If they continue to play like this, they will definitely have a hard time winning tonight. They must revert to being a cohesive unit, not just a combination of star players, star players, star players and star players."

"But if the Lakers can find themselves again, find their rhythm in the West, the game will still be suspenseful, and the outcome of the series will remain unpredictable!"

"Let's see how the Lakers handle the upcoming games."

“Oh, look, the starting lineups for both teams tonight are out. Let’s take a look at the Cavaliers first…” Van Gundy interrupted Miller as soon as he finished speaking, “They haven’t changed their starting lineup. They’re still using the same starting five they’ve been using all year!”

"Point guard Chalmers, shooting guard Wade, small forward Anthony, power forward Gasol, and center Ilgauskas. This five-man lineup is one of the most consistent and efficient in the league today."

"Aside from injuries, suspensions, and rest periods, the Cavaliers have never changed their starting five this season, and it is these five players who have played one of the most wonderful seasons in Cavaliers history."

"Next, we'll see if they can win this game, win this series, and bring the team and Cleveland their first-ever championship title in a top-tier sports league!"

"The Lakers' starting lineup is somewhat surprising! They've changed their formation," Jackson added. "Twin towers! They're actually playing a twin-tower game! Besides their four usual stars, their fifth starter is Murphy!"

"Troy Murphy! Although his career has been pretty good, he hasn't played many playoff games. This season with the Lakers, although he has had some great performances, his position on the team so far in the playoffs is quite low. He's probably the 9th or 10th man on the team."

"He averaged 9 minutes of playing time per game in the playoffs, scoring 3.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.3 blocks. The only thing worth mentioning is that, ignoring volume, he had the highest three-point shooting percentage on the Lakers during their playoff run, at a whopping 51%!"

"But he only makes 0.3 three-pointers per game on average. So his output is really negligible."

"But Jackson started him, obviously because he valued his three-point shooting ability, which is his biggest selling point now."

“I think it’s more than that,” Miller said. “The Cavaliers also play with a twin towers system. They have two seven-foot big men, although Gasol and Zydrunas Ilgauskas are both standard technical big men and are criticized for playing too soft.”

"But their height, skill and ability are beyond question. These two guys also have excellent control over the boards. In the first three games of the series, the Cavaliers had the upper hand in rebounding in every game. In the three games, they won the rebounding battle by 8, 4 and 9 respectively."

"The rebounding advantage was also one of the key reasons why the Cavaliers won the game."

"As for the Lakers, although Bynum averaged 11 rebounds in the first three games, he couldn't carry the team alone. Barnes played very hard, but he couldn't help the team in terms of rebounding against the Cavaliers' twin towers."

"The Lakers' perimeter players, Lin, Kobe, and Durant, are all good rebounders, but the Cavaliers' Wade and Anthony also have top-tier rebounding abilities at their positions. Under these circumstances, it's reasonable for the Lakers to draft Murphy."

"Although Murphy is also criticized for being soft, as he gets older, his slow speed and poor defense become more and more obvious. However, if he is facing Zydrunas Ilgauskas, these shortcomings seem to be less of a problem."

"Big Z is also an old, slow, and defensively poor type of center. Maybe Big Z is in better form and has a higher status on the team, but overall, at least in terms of speed and defense, neither of them can say anything about the other."

"Bringing in Murphy can draw Zydrunas Ilgauskas out from under the basket, making it easier for the Lakers' penetrators to drive into the paint and also increasing the Lakers' perimeter firepower. These are all very important things that the Lakers lacked in the previous few games."

"After falling behind 1-2 in the series, Jackson really came up with a solution and made real adjustments to the lineup. Now, let's see if his adjustments have any effect and if his tactics can produce a miracle!"

"I have a feeling," Van Gundy said, "that the real Finals begin tonight! The Cavaliers, united in their desire to win the championship, are facing the Lakers, who have finally awakened and are fighting with all their might!"

"Both sides will be at 150%! No injuries, no off-field factors, and equal physical condition—a truly fair duel begins!"

On the field, both teams' players had left the field and finished warming up. They gathered in front of their respective benches, waiting for the head coach's final instructions.

"Our performance before tonight was perfect. I think our previous games were the most perfect playoff performance I've ever seen!" Mike Brown adjusted his rather flamboyant red glasses and began his final speech of the night.

"Such a perfect playoff performance must have an equally perfect ending, otherwise it is not worth mentioning and will only become a joke."

"So it seems like we have the upper hand right now, but actually we're backed into a corner! If we can't win the championship, we'll become a laughing stock! The easier we win the first three rounds, the more intense the ridicule we'll face after we lose."

"So, win! Win to the very end! Win the championship!"

"Win the championship!" Wade led the way, and all the players raised their arms and shouted in unison, showing their excitement and passion.

"Then go! Do as we planned, win the game, win the championship! Don't give the Los Angeles people any chance, don't give them any hope! Tonight, end their dreams!"

"Yes!"

On the other side, Jackson's tone was as calm as ever: "I've said a lot of what I need to say these past two days, and I don't want to repeat myself tonight. I only have one sentence to say."

"Losing two games doesn't mean anything, as long as we don't lose four, it doesn't matter. And winning only one game just means we still need to win three more, that's all."

"So go on, win our second game, win the third game in a few days, and finally we'll go back to Los Angeles and lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy!"

“Let the Clevelands know how big the gap is between them and us! Let them know that they were just lucky hyenas who happened to bite a sleeping lion twice.”

"And now, the lion has awakened!"

"He's awake! He's awake!"

Similarly, Lin Tian led the way with a shout, and the starting five walked onto the field side by side.

"I won't let this opportunity slip through my fingers this time!" Wade saw Lin Tian and immediately stood next to him. Clearly, the Cavaliers had Wade and Lin Tian matched up tonight.

"Opportunity? What opportunity? Have you ever had an opportunity, Devon?" Lin Tian retorted easily, "You just think you've had an opportunity, that's all."

"Seriously speaking, you guys have absolutely no chance of winning the championship. From that perspective, the opportunity really doesn't slip away because it never came." "Lin, I'm going to beat you once! I'm going to prove that I can win the championship without you!" Anthony also reached out and touched hands with Lin Tian, ​​uttering a harsh statement.

Facing his former underling, Lin Tian showed no mercy: "You said you wanted to win MVP, scoring title, All-Star vote leader, be selected to the All-NBA First Team, and become the best defensive player. Which of those did you achieve, Messi and Ronaldo?"

"If I were you, I would choose the easiest one to complete first, instead of picking the hardest one from all the vows you can't keep."

"This is my dream!"

"That's just wishful thinking," Lin Tian said, waving his hand. "Wake up, Melo. Pick something easier first, like making the All-NBA First Team once. Otherwise, if you don't work harder, Kevin will be on the All-NBA First Team before you."

Anthony and Wade's opening trash talk ended in defeat without any suspense; when it comes to verbal sparring, the two younger guys really can't catch up with Lin Tian.

But clearly, this failed argument did not discourage the two of them or put them in a bad mood.

Because they all know in their hearts: winning is more important than anything else!

As long as we win tonight, as long as we can win two more games, it doesn't matter if they lose 100 times in their banter!

Just one victory over Lin Tian is enough!

At this moment, the Knights' twin stars are more united and more confident than ever before.

Because they were leading the Lakers in the series!

"Dudu!"

At that moment, the referee blew his whistle. Although Zydrunas Ilgauskas's jumping ability had long since declined, or rather, never had, his experience was absolutely invaluable. As soon as the referee blew the whistle, he made a feint to trick Bynum into losing his rhythm, and then he easily jumped up, securing the first possession for the Cavaliers that night.

Chalmers dribbled the ball quickly to the frontcourt; he can be considered a fairly good role player among the middle-aged generation.

His defense is top-notch, especially his anticipation of steals and his ability to help defend. On the offensive end, although he doesn't have the potential to become a star, he has the ability to capitalize on open three-pointers and the basic skills of driving and passing.

These kinds of guys are sometimes the most troublesome, because even if you keep a close watch on them and deploy heavy forces to defend against them, they don't have the ability or the resources to defend against them.

If you let him play freely, he'll only score a maximum of 20 points in a game.

But if you ignore him, he might suddenly retaliate, which can really hurt.

Tonight, Chalmers' opponent is not Lin Tian.

It's Kobe now!
This was Jackson's completely new setup, and it's clear that he and Brown had the same idea.

Kobe is getting old, and his lateral speed and absolute speed have declined significantly. When he was matched up against Wade, the effect was quite poor. Although he had a height advantage, he really couldn't stop Wade's pick-and-roll drives.

After three games, Kobe approached Jackson and suggested that changing the defensive matchups might be better for the team.

Kobe Bryant openly admitted that his defense was ineffective!

Jackson was completely stunned when he heard this.

Is this still Kobe?

It's like it's been possessed!
But possession is also a good thing.

Anyway, Jackson wouldn't ask that thing to get off Kobe.

It's not too late to come down after the finals!

Therefore, the Lakers changed their matchups at the start, sending Lin Tian to guard the faster Wade, while Kobe was matched up against Chalmers in a mismatch.

After Chalmers dribbled quickly to the top of the arc, he didn't pass the ball to Wade or Anthony. Instead, he slapped his head and called Gasol to the top of the arc. Then he suddenly accelerated and broke through, using Gasol's excellent screen, and drove into the three-point line. He then drove relentlessly to the basket.

Because Bynum was matched up against Gasol, he followed Gasol out of the paint when Gasol set a screen. He wanted to keep up with Chalmers, but his lateral movement speed wasn't enough, and he could only watch as Chalmers rushed past him.

Murphy stood alone under the Lakers' basket, arms outstretched, trying to contest the shot. But his athleticism was practically nonexistent; at his current maximum jump height, he probably couldn't even fit a matchbox inside.

Chalmers, a black player, was not afraid of a tall but slow and soft white man. He drove all the way to the basket, jumped up and pushed Murphy aside, and then calmly shot, scoring 2 points with a layup!
The Cavaliers open the scoring!

"Is this your plan?" Lin Tian received the ball from the baseline, looked at Wade, and said casually, "The stars stay behind and cheer, while the younger guys charge into battle?"

“We have many plans!” Wade lowered his center of gravity and focused intently on keeping up with Lin Tian: “How much we can see depends on your abilities!”

"Besides, we don't have any henchmen or bosses here, nor do we have any star players or underlings. We are a whole, we are a team! Every player is one-thirteenth of the team!"

"What a coincidence, it's us too!" Lin Tian chuckled and suddenly flicked the ball to the left at a 45-degree angle.

That place is now becoming the highest point in the entire stadium in terms of average altitude.

All four players on the field who are over 210 cm tall are in that area.

At this moment, Bynum was standing half a step inside the three-point line, facing the basket. In front of him were Gasol and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who were trying to get around him, while behind him was Murphy, who had just grabbed the ball.

Murphy glanced at the three-point line, then without hesitation, raised his hand and shot!
A shot was taken with the toes barely leaving the ground; the three-pointer flew straight towards the basket and swished through the net.

"Shh!"

After the crisp sound, the Lakers hit a three-pointer to start the game and take the lead!

“We’re one-thirteenth too! Everyone is.” Lin Tian, ​​who had provided the assist, looked at Wade with a smile, his face relaxed.

The first goal was scored, so things will be much easier from here on out!

Van Gundy said, "Both sides have changed their tactics! The Cavaliers actually let Chalmers make a coast-to-coast drive, while the Lakers used a screen and play between the inside players to have Bynum set a screen for Murphy, creating a three-point opportunity."

"A Finals-level head coaching showdown is certainly going to be very interesting! Let's see if the two teams can put on a show that will impress us!"

"I think there will definitely be no problem! I think that the offensive and defensive plays of both sides in this round show that they are very well prepared for this match, and that they are fully prepared both physically and mentally!"

"Tonight's match is sure to be incredibly exciting!"

No sooner had Van Gundy finished speaking than the Cavaliers' Zydrunas Ilgauskas received a pass from Chalmers and missed a mid-range jump shot. On the Lakers' turn around, Durant's jump shot also missed!

And in the next minute, both sides either missed shots or made mistakes, and neither side scored again for several rounds.

“Jeff, it seems they heard you,” Miller said, suppressing a laugh. “They just don’t want to impress you.”

Jackson immediately chimed in, "Maybe they're worried Jeff's going blind. He's had his eyes light up so many times since he started commentating, he needs to rest sometimes. Otherwise, he'll have to wear sunglasses next time he commentates."

The Pacers' backcourt duo unleashed a double-barreled attack, seamlessly taunting Van Gundy.

But Van Gundy, now a seasoned veteran, chuckled and said, "Who says a series of missed shots isn't a pleasant surprise? It's all unexpected, whether it's unexpectedly good or unexpectedly bad, isn't it all the same!"

"Jeff, you've changed!" Miller exclaimed, heartbroken. "You weren't this shameless before!"

"Yes, this was originally Reggie's patent!" Jackson then shifted the focus to civil war. (End of Chapter)