NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

In the second half, although the Hornets launched some comebacks and delivered many exciting plays, Deron Williams drove inside and shot outside, and repeatedly delivered brilliant passes. The rest of the team rallied around him, constantly giving him as much support as possible.

Even so, the Hornets were unable to close the gap, and watched helplessly as the gap between the two teams widened!

All of this is because they encountered problems on the offensive end.

The Knicks' overall defense has actually improved!

Although their so-called rise only means they've improved from the bottom of the league to the lower-middle level, for the Knicks, that small improvement is enough!

That's enough for them to crush the Hornets!

This team's offense is terrifying; if their defense were to improve even slightly, it would put unparalleled pressure on their opponents.

128: 90!

Ultimately, the entire fourth quarter of this Christmas game, or rather, starting from the latter half of the third quarter, became pure garbage time, with the Hornets being utterly routed and left utterly defeated!
The turning point of the game was the defensive lineup that Don Nelson used at the end of the second quarter.

Although the Knicks scored nearly 130 points tonight, it was clear to everyone that they won through their defense!
How terrifying is a Knicks team that is willing to play defense and works hard at it?
It was so bad that even when Deron Williams scored 22 points and 11 assists, Yi Jianlian had 15 points and 9 rebounds, and Wells and Mason also scored in double digits, it was all in vain.

They still lost by nearly 40 points.

The gap between the two teams is visibly large!
For the West, however, the nightmare has only just begun!
For the next six games, the Knicks played away games in the Western Conference.

In these 6 games, they still managed to score a terrifying 119.5 points per game, but their points allowed dropped to 98.9!
Looking at the entire league, this data still only ranks 17th, a solid mid-to-lower tier performance.

But for the Knicks, that's enough!
That's enough for them to win 7 straight games on the road in the West, with an average margin of victory of over 20 points per game!
The Knicks' dominance is becoming increasingly terrifying!

Meanwhile, during these seven games, Lin Tian also said goodbye to the fans of seven different teams.

Whether it was Seattle, Sacramento, Denver, Dallas, or San Antonio, each place prepared quite surprising pilgrimage gifts for Lin Tian.

This away trip really felt like a final dance, orchestrated by various parties.

Pre-match tribute videos are basically an appetizer that every team prepares. Fan cheers, various slogans and banners are essential embellishments. Then, either the team owner, general manager or head coach will give a speech and a small gift to thank Lin Tian.

As for the players from each team, without exception, they all took photos with Lin Tian, ​​talked to him, and asked for his autograph.

The only problem is that too many people want to exchange jerseys with Lin Tian, ​​making it difficult for him to choose.

Who to give it to and who not to give it to, that is the question.

But Lin Tian is so wicked!

He always makes sure to give away his jersey during every game.

Under this premise, he would not give his jersey to the opposing team's leader.

If the team has two stars, he will give the jersey to the team's recognized second star. If the team has three stars, he will randomly give the jersey to the second or third star. If the team has one star, he will give the jersey to the team's promising rookie.

Hehe, the main point is that I absolutely won't give it to the boss.

It means letting yourselves compete and think for yourselves.

Why won't you give it to me? Are you looking down on me?
Why was it given to me? Is it because you think I'm the team leader?
Why give it to a young guy like me? Is it because I'm the one who can carry on the team's legacy?
In short, Lin Tian was exchanging jerseys while maliciously causing trouble.

Although in 90% of cases, Lin Tian's antics won't have any negative effects, it'll just mean that the person involved will have a couple more drinks when they get home that night.

But Master Lin just loves doing this kind of thing!

It's purely a personal hobby.

It's also worth mentioning that two teams made quite a splash during this Western tour.

First up is Dallas. Before the game, crazy owner Mark Cuban actually took out a huge Dallas No. 14 jersey and raised it to the ceiling!
"I've retired Lin's jersey, and I recommend that the entire league retire his jersey. The impact he had on us was unparalleled, the changes he brought to this league were enormous, and his dominance over this league is unmatched by anyone else!"

"Although Dallas has never been Lin's team, he will always have a place here!"

Cuban's confession made Lin Tian quite embarrassed.

He almost considered going to Dallas for another year after this year to fulfill the old man's goal.

But at least they didn't say it out loud.

Otherwise, judging from Cuban's expression, if Lin Tian were to say those words, Cuban could raise 3-4 more flags at once, allowing Lin Tian to fight here for another 3-4 years.

Judging from Lin Tian's current condition, there's absolutely no problem if he can maintain his top-level performance for another 3-4 years!
Then, in San Antonio, the Spurs didn't prepare any ceremony at first, but in the second half of the second quarter, the Spurs suddenly launched a "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy!
Of course, neither team has O'Neal now, so the "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy can't be aimed at O'Neal.

Popovich's love interest is Lin Tian.

After the team fouled out, he sent Lin Tian directly to the free-throw line in two consecutive possessions.

"This is a gift for you!" Popovich said with a smile. "Lin, this free throw is a gift for you! It's a testament to our friendship."

"We don't have any feelings for each other." Lin Tian smiled, but ultimately didn't do anything like deliberately missing a free throw to show he wouldn't accept the gift.

It wasn't that Master Lin didn't want to play like this, nor that Lin Tian hadn't thought he could be this outrageous.

The main reason is that he hasn't missed a single free throw this season!
More than two months into the season, he still maintains a 100% free throw percentage, having made over 300 consecutive free throws.

Lin Tian has long since left the previous NBA record for consecutive free throws far behind.

After all, before Lin Tian, ​​the NBA's consecutive free throws made was only 97, a record held by Mitchell Williams of the Timberwolves.

But Lin Tian is now...

All I can say is that his hand is really steady right now, and his form is really consistent. No matter how exaggerated Lin Tian's consecutive free throws can go, one thing is certain: this record will become one of the most difficult NBA records to break, along with Chamberlain's 50 points per game average and Lin Tian's own consecutive 50+ game records.

Meanwhile, betting odds have already been set in Las Vegas: how long can Lin Tian's consecutive free throw record last?
One of them even states: it will continue until the end of the season!
Of course, the odds for this one are outrageous, at 100:2500!

With odds of 25 times, generally speaking, this means that for every $100 you bet on this, you lose that $100.

The odds for that legendary 7-1 victory between Germany and Brazil were roughly the same, which basically means that while it's possible, it's almost entirely impossible.

But this time, surprisingly, quite a few people actually bought it.

Many fans are willing to take a gamble, betting that Lin Tianyi will not miss a free throw all season!
It can only be said that Lin Tian's image in the eyes of fans is that he is too powerful and omnipotent.

After a long road trip in the West, the Knicks finally returned to New York, back to their warm home, and then, as soon as they got back, the team lost a game.

It can only be said that the string that had been taut all along finally snapped, and everyone inevitably had to breathe a sigh of relief and take a break.

Nobody is a robot, and nobody can stay tense and maintain 100% concentration all the time, right?
This loss opened a door for the Knicks, who subsequently suffered several more defeats.

Even though they lost, they were still the team with the best record in the league during the entire month of January.

Even if their form declines, they are still the best team!

42 wins and 5 losses!
By the end of January, the Knicks had an astonishing record of 42 wins and 5 losses!
This year, they're like a behemoth, so powerful that no one knows how to deal with them. This year, they're practically aiming for the best record in NBA history!
Yes, that's the record Lin Tian led the Pacers to: 75 wins and 7 losses!
It's also worth mentioning that Lin Tian was on the Chicago Bulls, who have the second-best record in league history with 74 wins and 8 losses!

This year's Knicks have a real chance to surpass these two teams and raise the record for the best performance in NBA history even higher!

At least in terms of winning percentage, the Pacers, with 75 wins, have a 91% winning percentage, while the Knicks currently have an 89% winning percentage!
Extremely close.

For example, a week later, after the first week of February, when the Knicks had another 5-game winning streak, their record came to 47 wins and 5 losses, and their winning percentage successfully surpassed that of the Pacers that year, reaching 92%!

Terribly strong!
How terrible is it?

The Celtics, currently ranked second in the league, have a record of 37 wins and 15 losses, which is already a very high winning percentage. However, for the Celtics to overtake the Knicks, the Knicks must first suffer a 10-game losing streak while the Celtics themselves achieve a 10-game winning streak.

Only then can the two teams barely maintain a tie!

The Knicks' strength this year is unprecedented!

And this is the result Lin Tian achieved while only playing an average of 35.5 minutes per game!
If Lin Tian's playing time this year were around 40 minutes, as in previous years, the Knicks would have won at least two more games!

Their record will be even more incredible!

The Knicks are making history!

Speaking of the Celtics, when the two teams last met, the team's general manager, Danny Ainge, personally presented Lin Tian with a piece of TD Garden flooring and a custom-made Lin Tian jersey.

Just as Angie finished her speech and handed the microphone to Lin Tian, ​​wanting him to say a few words, Lin Tian's words almost made Angie kick him.

"Where did you pry this floorboard off from? Won't it trip our players during the game? Do your players even know where it came from? Are you just keeping it from us? If you're going to win with this, that's pretty shameless!"

It's only because Anji has been a general manager for so many years that he has become quite shrewd and doesn't show his emotions. Otherwise, he would have insisted that the security guards take back that piece of flooring and kick Lin Tian out.

I've never seen such a shameless scumbag!

A few days later, when Lin Tian made his final visit to Conseco Arena in Indiana, Bird had the exact same thought as Ainge.

As Lin Tian's former team and a team known for its loyalty and camaraderie, the Pacers certainly wouldn't let him down at this crucial moment.

Not only did Bird and the Simon brothers, the owners, come to the event, but Bird also tried his best to gather his old teammates who won the championship with him back then.

Isaiah Thomas, Schmitz, Christie, Perkins, Davis, Barkley, Miller, Hoibogo, Bernardon, Pope...

Whether they were key players or role players, whether they were veterans trying to curry favor or just passing through the team, apart from those players who hadn't retired yet and old buddies working for other teams, everyone else who could come came!

Meanwhile, veterans like Dumars and Mullin, who work for other teams and couldn't attend in person, sent video messages of congratulations. Barkley and Miller even moved TNT's studio to the venue to participate in the celebration while broadcasting the game live.

Not only that, Bird mobilized his connections to gather everyone who could and couldn't come here, and he also showed Lin Tian the two surprises he had prepared in advance.

One of them was that he lifted a red cloth at the scene, revealing the statue underneath.

A gigantic statue of Lin Tian roaring!

"This statue will stand here from today onwards!" Bird himself felt a surge of excitement. After all, Lin Tian had brought endless glory, surprises, and joy to Indiana during his seven years there!

"Then how are we supposed to play? This thing is right here, can I use it to set screens for myself?" Lin Tian once again raised his hand to speak, just like a well-behaved child, while Bird was expressing his feelings.

Bird was so angry that he really wanted to call all of them to pin Lin Tian to the ground and beat him up.

So annoying!

At the same time, Bird also felt apologetic towards Angie in his heart.

Dude, I was wrong! I shouldn't have laughed at you the other day!
That bastard Lin Tian never picks where he'll cause trouble.

Bird took several deep breaths to suppress his anger.

"If you utter another word of nonsense, I'll smash the second gift I'm giving you!" The old man, suppressing his anger, snapped at Lin Tian, ​​causing a burst of laughter throughout Indiana before the lights in the arena dimmed once again.

The big screen lit up, and Bird's figure reappeared. The old man was clearly in the Pacers' training facility. The camera followed Bird all the way to the Pacers' Hall of Fame and display wall, where six championship trophies and countless honors were displayed.

But Bird didn't stop there. Instead, he continued forward and opened a door that wasn't there when Lin Tian was there before.

Upon opening the door, a huge poster of Lin Tian himself came into view, surrounded by various trophies, jerseys, sneakers, basketballs, and other items.

"This is the personal museum we prepared for Lin! It contains all of Lin's experiences during his seven years in Indiana!"

"From the six championships he won here, to the numerous scoring titles, assist titles, steals titles, MVP awards, and other honors, to the two Olympic gold medals and one World Championship title that Lin Tian won during this period, he has it all!"

"Of course, there are all the individual and team records, winning streaks, and other memorabilia that Lin broke in Indiana! The game balls, jerseys, shoes, protective gear, highlights, and all the other memorable items from his important games here."

"It's all here!"

In the video, Bird was beaming and very happy, but standing next to Lin Tian, ​​Bird's face was gloomy, as if he had just learned that his wife had been cheating on him for 20 years and that none of his children were his biological offspring.

As for the reason?

"Is this gold medal fake? Did you also have it made by Robert?"

"I remember this game, the first time I hit a game-winning shot for the Pacers, but wasn't this game ball at my house? You guys are using a fake one in a museum?"

"Are these the sneakers I wore when I won my first championship here? I don't even own this colorway. I want them, give them to me! They're mine to begin with anyway!"

"No way, you guys kept those jerseys that were torn up in the fight! You don't have some weird hobby, do you usually go door-to-door stealing shoes?"

"Larry, is this the jersey I wore at the Indiana World Championship? I love it! It has so many signatures on it. After the game, you can make a copy. I'll just take the original. You have so many fakes here anyway, you can keep one fake one."

"Ah! This, this, this! This is a jersey signed by the US team, the US spectator team, and the Chinese team during the Sydney game! This is a rare find! I even forgot to keep one for myself. Take it! You have to take it! I want it!"

"Wait, what's with that look? So unfriendly! You're being stingy, no wonder you won't make the playoffs after I leave!"

"By the way, speaking of the playoffs, where's Greg? Why didn't he come? Is he still recovering from his injury? If you ask me, why don't you send him to China? The traditional Chinese medicine practitioners there are very skilled. Give him a couple of acupuncture treatments, and he might be fully recovered by next season!"

"Can you shut up!"

Lin Tian finally ignited Bird's fire completely.

He had never seen such a shameless person!
I went to all the trouble and effort to set up your museum and collect all sorts of artifacts for you, and here you are, you bastard!
Not only do they not know how to be grateful, but they also want to take my hard-earned collection?
Robber! Scum! Villain! Bastard! Shameless!
Bird made a decision in his heart.

The first thing to do after the ceremony ended was to sit in the audience and call the training center to ask them to strengthen security and add a few more locks to the 'Lin Tian Museum'.

To prevent that bastard Lin Tian from sneaking in and taking things.

Anyway, when others said they wanted to take it, Bird would just laugh it off and show that he didn't believe them at all.

But since Lin Tian has said it, we must err on the side of caution and believe it's true.

Otherwise, who knows if that bastard will actually do it? (End of Chapter)