NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

Just as Jonas predicted, at the start of the second quarter, the Spanish team rested the Gasol brothers and fielded a frontcourt duo of Reyes and Garbajosa. Both of them are top-notch support players on their own.

His defense, shielding, handoffs, and open mid-range shooting are all quite good.

However, if they were to play side-by-side, it would be too redundant, as both are role players and cannot carry the team.

Unless you have a player on the perimeter who can overwhelm the opponent's defense and tear apart their entire defensive system, those two players won't be able to provide any reliable help to the team on the offensive end.

Normally, Spain's star-studded perimeter lineup would provide this kind of support to these two functional big men.

They have four top-tier perimeter players in FIBA: Fernandez, Rubio, Navarro, and Calderon. Apart from Team USA, their roster is stronger than any other team!

However, on the basketball court, even with ample personnel reserves, four players at the B to A level are clearly no match for an S+ level superstar!
When they saw that Lin Tian did not choose to rest but went straight back onto the field to continue fighting, the Spanish team's coach, as well as Navarro and Calderon who were standing on the field at that moment, keenly realized that something was wrong.

They are all tactical masters, and they are all incredibly shrewd and calculating. They are absolutely able to understand what the Chinese team is trying to do.

Let Lin Tian continue to break down their team's inside defense, forcing the Gasol brothers, especially Pau Gasol, to get on the court earlier.

"Hold on, buddy." Calderon received the ball on the baseline and, as he prepared to advance, said to Navarro, whom he had known for almost 20 years, "If the two of us can't hold on this time, we're in real danger."

"Leave it to me." Navarro seemed more relaxed. He was more offensively powerful, and scoring always fell more on his shoulders.

After arriving at the frontcourt, Lin Tian faced Calderon and suddenly said with a smile, "Hey, Jose, let me introduce you to your new teammate. You'll have to pass him the ball more often next season."

"You're using this method to get me to pass the ball to him?" Calderon turned to the side, starting to direct his teammates' runs, while casually chatting with Lin Tian: "Aren't you afraid I'll make things difficult for him?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll skin you alive?" Lin Tian snorted, suddenly increasing the intensity and physicality of his defense, hanging on Calderon again, while repeatedly reaching out to try to steal the ball. Although Calderon dodged them all, it still made Calderon break out in a cold sweat.

"But it seems a bit difficult to just say it like that. Let me show you his strength!" Lin Tian said, then suddenly shouted, "Xu Yong, double-team him!"

Double team?

Calderon immediately tensed up. To be on the safe side, he pulled back the ball he was about to pass. At the same time, his eyes and neck darted around rapidly, trying to find out which direction someone was double-teaming him.

nobody!
No one!
No one was double-teaming him, and while he was distracted looking to see if anyone would rush out from his blind spot to double-team him, Lin Tian had already changed his position again, and at the same time, his big hand slammed down on the basketball that Calderon was dribbling!

"Snapped!"

With a crisp sound, the basketball immediately broke free of Calderon's control and flew towards the sideline.

Lin Tian was no longer going to be polite with him.

He accelerated rapidly to dodge Calderon, and at the same time, he almost lunged sideways.

He caught the basketball just before it went out of bounds, and without even looking back, he threw the ball towards the Spanish team's half.

At that moment, Calderon suddenly realized something.

How could Chinese people shout out tactics in English? We were fooled from the very beginning!
"Great shot!" Su Qun suddenly shouted, "Sometimes I really wonder how many eyes Lin Tian has. His visual field seems completely different from ours! To be honest, even if one day Lin Tian suddenly said that he was Erlang Shen and that his other eye was on the back of his head, I wouldn't be surprised at all!"

Su Qun exclaimed in such exaggerated surprise because Lin Tian's diving save had resulted in an incredibly precise landing point for the basketball!
Xu Yong, sprinting at breakneck speed, didn't need to slow down, change direction, or alter his running rhythm; the basketball simply flew into his hands. Many people, even when passing face-to-face, would find it difficult to accurately deliver the ball to a teammate in the sprint.

Lin Tian didn't need to look or aim at all. He didn't even maintain his balance when passing the ball. He just casually tossed the ball back as he lunged sideways and got such a perfect pass.

The world's best point guard, truly deserving of the title!
Xu Yong, who received the ball, did not waste Lin Tian's exquisite pass. He quickly rushed to the Spanish team's basket and jumped up for a 360-degree spin dunk!

"boom!"

With a loud bang, Xu Yong scored his first point of the night!
"How about it, José!" Lin Tian said with a smile to Calderon, "Passing the ball to him more next season will be a huge benefit for you! Your assist count will definitely skyrocket, isn't that better than passing the ball to some Bargnani or someone else?"

"Enough with the nonsense." Calderon made a basic mistake right from the start, and he was feeling really frustrated!
Don't be fooled by the fact that the Spanish team seems like a solid team with everyone getting along well; there's plenty of healthy competition within them.

Especially the pair of Calderon and Rubio, Calderon is very clear: although there will definitely be a day in the future when Rubio will become an undisputed starter for the Spanish team.

He also knew that once Rubio became a starter, at Rubio's age, he could forget about ever starting for the national team again!
While he might not bully or sabotage Rubio, Calderon will certainly work harder to maintain his position as Spain's top point guard for as long as possible.

In order to maintain his position for as long as possible, he must avoid and reduce such basic mistakes.

After all, the coach's disappointment with the players and his adjustments to the lineup were accumulated one by one, little by little.

In the second possession, Calderon dribbled more cautiously than before. He carefully dribbled the ball across half-court and stopped talking to Lin Tian, ​​focusing instead on organizing the team's offense. This time, Lin Tian failed to steal the ball, and it ended up in Navarro's hands.

This guy's offensive ability is indeed quite impressive. During a cut, he gets the ball, starts to gather it, jumps up, and throws up his signature floater.

The basketball's arc is so high that you have to crane your neck to see it, then it flies high and falls vertically.

Even with Yi Jianlian's physical attributes, he could only watch the basketball fly past his fingertips.

Then, like a bomb, it fell vertically into the basket.

"Shh!"

After the crisp sound, the Spanish team scored 2 points.

Then, the Chinese team started running.

Yi Jianlian quickly returned to the baseline and passed the ball to Liu Wei. Liu Wei immediately accelerated and sprinted forward. After encountering an obstacle, he passed the ball to Lin Tian. Lin Tian then made a side pass, similar to a one-two pass in football, to Du Feng, who was following up on the other side.

After Du Feng got the basketball, no one on the Spanish team could stop him. His two passes had completely disrupted the Spanish defense.

"boom!"

Then came another loud bang, and the Chinese team scored another 2 points with a powerful dunk!
"Here it comes! I knew it. When Yao Ming isn't on the court, we'll go all out and let Lin Tian lead the team to play his best and favorite run-and-gun offense!" Su Qun said after the play. "Now it's Spain's turn to suffer."

"What should they do? Take back the Gasol brothers' control of the rebounds and speed to suppress China's counterattacks, or continue playing like this and let their players compete with us in terms of speed and scoring ability?"

"I think we should play a little more and see how it goes," Sun Weiping said. "Otherwise, the Gasol brothers' stamina will definitely suffer. At least until the score gap widens further, the Spanish team will observe the situation a bit more."

"The Spanish team will probably hold on until they have at least 10 points before making a substitution."

As the two commentators were speaking, Spain's Reyes missed an open mid-range jump shot. Yi Jianlian slapped the ball away, but Lin Tian caught it and, before he even landed, passed it to Liu Wei.

His swift pass completely neutralized the double-team defense from Fernandez and Navarro, giving Liu Wei an easy opportunity to advance the ball.

In a flash, Liu Wei arrived at the frontcourt, suddenly stopped at the free-throw line, and then unleashed his signature mid-range pull-up jumper!

This is his best spot, the 'dessert area,' where he scores most efficiently and is his favorite area to shoot.

"Boom!"

Unfortunately, Liu Wei's jump shot missed. Navarro, who had just sprinted to his position, turned around and was about to jump to catch the basketball when he suddenly felt a huge force coming from behind.

In an instant, he couldn't even lift his head, let alone jump, as he was completely pinned down.

"boom!"

Then came another loud bang as Lin Tian descended from the sky, slamming the basketball into the hoop over Navarro!

"What a brilliant move, picking melons from behind!" Sun Weiping shouted excitedly. "Lin Tian's energy and physical fitness are truly extraordinary!"

After Lin Tian's putback dunk, Navarro was clearly a bit carried away; Lin Tian's play completely humiliated him.

The guy is nicknamed "Bomb," not just because of his floater, but also because of his temper. If he weren't so hot-tempered and extremely confident, Navarro wouldn't have given up a salary of $5-600 million a year in the NBA to go back to play in Spain.

Isn't it just that they feel they are not valued and do not receive the respect they deserve in the NBA?
So after Lin Tian dunked on him like that, this guy immediately reached out for the ball and wanted to advance it himself.

Seeing that this guy was really into it, Lin Tian also got excited.

"Liu, go guard Calderon." Lin Tian waved to Liu Wei to switch defenses, while he himself began to press Navarro from the backcourt.

"If you're so tough, then don't pass the ball. Otherwise, don't try to act like some tough guy who has to fight back after getting hit once."

“It’s not shameful to follow the tactics, but it is shameful to be a coward who insists on pretending to be a tough guy and then fails.”

"If you can't pass the ball, I promise I won't laugh at you, and your teammates won't laugh at you either. It's just one dunk by me, is it a big deal? People who aren't good don't deserve to be dunked on by me."

Lin Tian pressed Navarro relentlessly throughout the game while constantly taunting him with trash talk and adding some dirty tricks. Navarro's anger only grew stronger.

Completely addictive!

He stubbornly used his own strength to dribble the ball to the frontcourt, then waved to signal all his teammates to spread out. After two consecutive crossover dribbles to find his rhythm, he suddenly changed direction and accelerated, starting to break through!
But he couldn't shake off Lin Tian at all; Lin Tian was practically glued to him, giving him no chance whatsoever.

If Navarro had calmed down a bit, he would have chosen to pass the ball.

But he just wouldn't pass the ball this round!

People who get carried away can't suddenly calm down.

Navarro forced his way into the paint but couldn't even get a chance to get going. He could only gather the ball, turn around, fake, then turn around and fake again!

Navarro hoped to use his feints to create some space for his attack.

Unfortunately, Lin Tian's defense was almost flawless, giving Navarro no space or angle to shoot.

At this point, Navarro still didn't pass the ball!

He shoved Lin Tian aside with his shoulder again, then leaned back and jumped, trying to force his way out.

But Navarro was facing Lin Tian!

What good outcome or result can come from such a forced one-on-one fight against Lin Tian?

"Snapped!"

With a crisp sound, Lin Tian's large hand pressed down on the basketball that Navarro was about to shoot.

Navarro failed to shoot the ball and was immediately pinned down by Lin Tian. Navarro then lost his balance and fell to the ground in a very awkward manner.

Lin Tian then grabbed the basketball and charged towards the frontcourt!
The Spanish team was on high alert, and the whole team chased back, trying to block Lin Tian's fast break route.

Unfortunately, they retreated too hastily this time, and the whole team collapsed too much. All the players who could get back into position were defending at least two steps inside the three-point line.

If you defend Lin Tian like this, aren't you just giving him an open three-point opportunity?
Lin Tian stopped quickly, then had time to glance at the target before calmly making his move.

"Shh!"

After a crisp sound, Lin Tian chased down and hit another three-pointer!
33: 20!

After the shot went in, the entire Wukesong Arena erupted in cheers. The fans went wild, celebrating excitedly, and the chants of "MVP" once again resounded throughout the stadium.

The Spanish team couldn't stand it anymore. Less than two minutes into the second quarter, the Chinese team had already launched a massive offensive, going on a 9-2 run.

They dared not let the Gasol brothers rest any longer; if they did, the point difference would approach 20 points!
The fact that the Spanish team lacked stamina in the second half of the fourth quarter is no longer something they should be worrying about right now.

If we don't make a substitution soon, the suspense in the game will be completely destroyed!
Then the Gasol brothers came on the court together, aiming to strengthen their inside advantage and limit China's fast breaks and offense!
Jonas responded in kind: if you bring on the Gasol brothers, I'll take off Du Feng and Xu Yong and bring on Da Zhi and Zhu Fangyu!

Apart from Yao Ming still resting on the bench, the current lineup of the Chinese team can be considered the strongest offensive combination!

Jonas retained the two point guards who had just played exceptionally well and had excellent drive to the basket, while also bringing in Zhu Fangyu, the team's top shooter, and Wang Zhizhi, whose inside offensive ability was second only to Yao Ming.

It's clear that the Chinese team is going to engage in an attacking battle with Spain!

In the next few minutes, the two sides were evenly matched, showcasing their respective strengths and weaknesses, but neither was able to effectively limit the other's tactics.

After the Spanish team's two Gasols returned to the court, they immediately slowed down the pace of the game and began to play a positional game. They also almost completely controlled the rebounds. The Chinese team failed to get a single offensive rebound in the next four minutes and also conceded a lot of points under the basket.

With Pau Gasol attacking the basket relentlessly, neither Yi Jianlian nor Wang Zhizhi had any way to stop him, and Gasol scored repeatedly.

Furthermore, after scoring, the Gasol brothers would immediately extend their arms to interfere with the serve, preventing the Chinese team from launching a quick counterattack.

Although the Chinese team's counterattacks were contained and their performance was not outstanding, they had Lin Tian on the team!

With Lin Tian on the team, it would be extremely difficult for the Chinese team's attack to stall. Lin Tian can no longer be said to have a complete system on his own.

He carries multiple systems with him all by himself!
Unable to launch counterattacks, their offensive and defensive transitions are stifled?

Then let's fight a positional war!

Lin Tian, ​​Yi Jianlian, and Dazhi started using a screen-and-roll tactic, with the three of them constantly executing various pick-and-roll plays.

The pick-and-roll combination between these three players is incredibly powerful!

Not to mention Lin Tian's comprehensive and almost flawless offensive style and attack area, Yi Jianlian and Da Zhi are both types who can shoot and attack the basket.

These two big men can do everything from three-pointers and mid-range shots to attacks under the basket!
While it's too difficult for them to carry the team's offense and the entire system with their current abilities, pairing them with Lin Tian as finishers is more than enough!
After the screen, whether it's Lin Tian's own drive or Yi Jianlian and Da Zhi's cut to the basket and catch-and-shoot, it will give the Spanish team a real headache.

The offensive system and layering of these three players are so rich and complex!
Not to mention that their styles are completely different. Dazhi is a technical player who relies on footwork, feel, and skill.

Yi Jianlian is a physical player; whether he's shooting or attacking the basket, he uses a strong, physical style of play.

This completely different style made it difficult for Spain's defense to cover everything at once.

It was only during this period that the Spanish team had a good shooting touch, and Pau Gasol's strong attacks under the basket were really tough and steady, which prevented the Chinese team from widening the score gap too much.

The stalemate between the two sides continued until there were 3 minutes left in the second quarter.

At this point, the score was 46-31!

An 15-point gap!

During this phase, the two sides fought back and forth.

But it was at this moment that Yao Ming, who had rested for almost a whole quarter and was so full of energy that it was as if he hadn't even started to exert himself, came on!
Yao Ming replaced Yi Jianlian, and Wang Shipeng replaced Liu Wei.

The Chinese team fielded their strongest twin towers combination in the paint, along with their three best, most accurate, and most consistent shooters!

The team has 5 players, 4 of whom have a consistent three-point shooting ability, and 3 of whom has one of the top three offensive abilities under the basket in the world and is also very physically fit.

What tactics the Chinese team will employ next is practically a given! (End of Chapter)