NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

"How are you feeling right now?" Inside the Bobcats' training facility, even though it was almost midnight, the lights were still on. However, there weren't all the Bobcats players in the arena; only Lin Tian and Jeremy Lin were there.

“I’m worried about Derek. He’s a good guy, and I’m worried his injury is too serious.”

Jeremy Lin looked at Lin Tiandao and could tell that the guy was genuinely worried about Rose.

"Gone?"

"There's... there's still a little bit of hope." After hesitating for a long time, Jeremy Lin finally said, "I think my chance might have come."

"Yes, he might be coming." Lin Tian was quite pleased that Jeremy Lin dared to express his ambition.

If you don't even dare to speak up, then there's really nothing to look forward to.

“But for now, it’s only a possibility.” Lin Tian looked at Jeremy Lin and said, “I know you’ve been playing well in the G League, averaging close to 20+10, right? But you also have to know that there are at least 8 to 10 players in the G League who can play at your level every year.”

"Very few of them can make it into the NBA. The data in the NBDL is not even worth the A4 paper on which the data is written."

"Therefore, your statistics cannot help you get into the team's rotation, or even get you a chance to be on the team's roster."

"Coach, then I..." Jeremy Lin was completely dumbfounded at this moment.

He originally thought that Lin Tian had called him over overnight to tell him that he had to work hard, to give him a pep talk, and to give him a chance to take over Rose's mantle and enter the team's rotation in the near future.

At the very least, he could play as a second point guard, right?

“So starting tonight, starting right now, you’ll come see me every night.” Lin Tian looked at Jeremy Lin and said, “I mean every day. If we’re playing an away game and you’re playing somewhere else, then you’ll fly here.”

"Your matches are relatively early, all in the afternoon, so you'll have enough time."

“Every night I will wait for you and give you special training until I feel that you are ready and can carry the team’s banner. Then I will give you a chance.”

"But you also have to remember another thing: all of this could be in vain. You might not pass the test before Derrick comes back, or you might pass the test but still play terribly on the court."

"It's even possible that because my training intensity is too high, you might get injured due to travel fatigue."

"So, Jeremy, it's up to you whether you want to seize and fight for this opportunity."

"Yes!" This time, Jeremy Lin answered without hesitation, looking at Lin Tian with unwavering determination, "I will seize this opportunity!"

"I believe that as long as I work hard, I will definitely have a chance!"

"No, no, no, that's not how it is." Lin Tian shook his head and said, "You have to keep working hard, keep risking your life, and keep yourself in a state of giving your all every moment. Then thousands of paths will appear in front of you."

"Of these paths, only a few may lead to success; the rest are 99% dead ends. The only thing you can do is try as many paths as possible before you die, so that you can embark on the road to success!"

"I understand what you mean, Coach, let's begin!" At this moment, Jeremy Lin's fighting spirit was completely ignited.

He wanted to seize the one or two right paths out of thousands of options.

He believed that the best opportunity was now in front of him!

"Then, let's start with the basics." Lin Tian tossed the basketball to Jeremy Lin and said, "Remember what I told you this summer? What are you lacking the most?"

"confidence!"

"No, how could you, a Harvard graduate, lack confidence? What you lack is the ability to transform confidence into energy, to unleash it, to project it outwards, and to let everyone see your confidence and your madness!"

"Come on, I'm ready. Let me see if you can unleash your confidence!"

"Yes! That's it!"

Shout it out! Shout it out with all your might!

"Where's your swearing? You damn son of a bitch! Where the hell is your swearing?"

"I'll elbow you right in the chest, you idiot, and you won't even have the guts to hit me in the head?"

"Come on, you coward! Come on! Come at me, aim for my head, and give me a good whack!"

"You think you can make it in the NBA with this? Unless you're an idiot and offer your ass to some coach with a special fetish! You have no chance of making it based on your ability alone!"

"Hurry up, get up from the floor, you piece of trash! You can't even compare to an old man who's been retired for two years?"

"I'll teach you to swear! I'll teach you to swear!"

"Turn up the volume! I told you to turn up the volume!"

"What the hell is this faith? There is no faith here. My faith is the only faith!"

……

That night, Jeremy Lin practiced until he was almost exhausted. He slept in the locker room, then got up early the next morning to shower and change before training with the team again.

He wants to fully unleash his potential!

Meanwhile, Rose's injury report came out halfway through the team's practice the next day.

He was diagnosed with a grade II medial collateral ligament sprain (MCL) in his left knee. Fortunately, the ligament was not torn and no other injuries were found.

After discussions with team doctors and experts, it was recommended that Rose rest for 4-8 weeks, with the specific time depending on his recovery progress.

But most likely, he won't make it to this year's All-Star Game.

"If we can't make it, we won't play. What's the point of playing in this crappy All-Star game?" Lin Tian patted Rose on the head and said, "You'll have plenty of opportunities in the future!"

"Remember this time, take good care of your injury, listen to the doctor completely, whether it's rehabilitation or recovery, don't rush it, don't be impatient for quick results, take it one step at a time."

"Then I want you to be fully recovered, without any risk of injury, before you return to the team, understand?"

"I understand, Coach." Rose lowered his head, his face full of resentment.

He knew that with this injury, he would probably have no chance of winning any of the major individual awards this year.

He originally had a chance to win the MVP award!
After all, Duncan's stats on the Celtics side are too bad, averaging only 17 points and 8 rebounds per game so far this year, and there is a serious split in votes between Wade and Anthony, James and Nowitzki, Kobe and Durant, and others.

So as long as the Bobcats maintain their record and Rose improves his stats, he has a very good chance of winning the MVP award, and at the very least, he'll definitely be a top All-NBA First Team selection!

But now, he clearly has no chance.

However, he also knew that Lin Tian was right.

If he can't fully recover, playing with this injury will definitely do him no good.

Get well soon! I don't want to think about anything else.

After Rose left the team, DJ Augustin was rightfully promoted to the starting lineup. Apart from his speed, he is not outstanding in any other aspect and is just an ordinary rotation player.

In particular, his height is too short, less than 180 centimeters, which makes it easy for his vision to be blocked by opponents, and his speed and quality of passing the ball are not consistent enough.

After he was promoted to the starting lineup, the Bobcats' original pick-and-roll and passing game became less effective, and the efficiency of both Boozer and Yao Ming dropped sharply.

With Rose no longer a key offensive weapon, Yao Ming has had to drive into the paint more often to fight and take one-on-one shots.

Before he lost weight, he would have had no problem doing these things, but after losing weight, Yao Ming's size and strength have obviously declined. In addition, given his current age, his efficiency in posting up in the low post is not as good as it used to be.

As a result, with the whole team playing poorly and everyone having to find new roles, the Bobcats suffered a three-game losing streak immediately after Rose's injury. Including the game where they lost to the Hornets after Rose left in the second half, the Bobcats have now lost four straight games.

They have fallen behind the Cavaliers in the rankings.

In this three-game losing streak, Augustin, who started the game, played worse and worse with each match.

He scored in double figures in only one of the three games, and his field goal percentage was over 40% in only one game.

Clearly, this guy isn't up to the task of starting point guard.

At least in the Bobcats' current situation where they lack a strong perimeter player to relieve the pressure on him, he is not capable of carrying the team's backcourt.

From any perspective, the Bobcats are in a very dangerous situation. Their four-game losing streak has brought their record to 22 wins and 14 losses. Forget about surpassing the Cavaliers, they have been overtaken by the fourth-place Hawks and have fallen to fourth place!
If they continue to lose, even the fifth-placed Knicks might overtake the Bobcats and move into the top half of the standings. As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours; the worse a team's record is and the more they need a win to salvage it, the worse their schedule becomes.

After suffering a four-game losing streak, the team traveled to the Western Conference, where they will play several away games in a row.

Their first opponent is the team that defeated them a few days ago at the Spectrum Center, resulting in Ross's injury.

The New Orleans Hornets, led by Deron Williams!
This time, however, it was the Bobcats playing the Hornets away from home.

The Hornets are currently ranked fifth in the Western Conference, struggling to survive in the chaotic West and hoping for a better playoff spot. This game against the Bobcats is a great opportunity for them to take advantage of the Bobcats' current predicament!
No one on the team would miss such a great opportunity!

The Hornets, determined to win and brimming with confidence, completely controlled the pace of the game.

They scored 30 points in the first quarter, taking a 10-point lead.

Deron Williams faced off against the slender Augustin as if he were facing Paul. In the first quarter, he easily put up a well-rounded stat line of 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Under his leadership, the Hornets were unstoppable.

If this game continues like this, the Bobcats are likely to suffer a huge defeat.

At the start of the second quarter, the Bobcats were still unable to effectively close the gap in the score, despite the battle between the two teams' substitute lineups.

With about four minutes left in the second quarter, the gap between the two teams was nine points!
The Bobcats worked hard for a long time, but only managed to score one point.

They really lack a qualified engine and starter!
Next, the Hornets' starters entered the game! Led by Deron Williams, the Hornets players were about to widen the score gap and close out the game early!

At least their head coach, Scott, is full of confidence!
"Let's extend our lead to 20 points in the second quarter! At least 25 points by the end of the third quarter, then we'll rest well in the fourth quarter and prepare for tomorrow's back-to-back game!"

"We will win tomorrow too!"

Scott has already started thinking about his opponent for the next round—no, for the next match!
Without Rose, the Bobcats are truly nothing!
From the very beginning, Delong immediately displayed his fierce and tyrannical side.

He faked out Augustin with a crossover dribble, then immediately accelerated and charged forward, reaching the mid-range in the blink of an eye. Then, he suddenly stopped and faked a shot with the ball.

Augustin immediately fell for the trap and jumped with all his might to try and block Deron's shot.

But they were tricked and not only were they fouled by Deron Williams, but Deron Williams' mid-range jump shot, which was off-balance, also went in perfectly!

That was a foul, and not a proper one at all! If it had been a more experienced and ruthless guard, he would have slapped Deron Williams on the arm.

You can cheat me, draw fouls on me, but don't even think about getting a 2+1!

"How was it?" Lin Tian, ​​sitting on the sidelines, turned to look at Jeremy Lin and asked, "If you had made that play, what would you have done?"

"I'll slap his arm with all my might, making his two free throws incredibly painful, and ideally, he'll miss two free throws in a row!" Jeremy Lin, who has been training hard with Lin Tian recently, has a completely different demeanor now.

Previously, he always had an air of scholarly refinement and a good-boy demeanor, as if he were an Ivy League graduate.

But now, after being tormented and bullied by Lin Tian every night, this guy has developed a ruthless streak, like a desperate criminal!
"Very good, Lin, it's your choice!"

Lin Tian felt that was about enough!
And it just so happens that Deron Williams is on the other side again. It's about time Jeremy Lin stepped in!
Go and create your own storm, young man!
Upon hearing Lin Tian's words, Jeremy Lin, who had never played in the regular rotation this season except for a tiny bit of playing time during garbage time, stood up without any hesitation or surprise.

Judging from his demeanor, it was as if he had known all along that Lin Tian would send him out to save the world at this moment.

This aura is what Lin Tian has been cultivating in him recently.

An outward-flaring aura!
This guy's confidence has been completely squeezed out by Lin Tian.

The rest depends on whether he can perform at a level and in a match that perfectly matches his momentum!

"Everyone!" As Deron Williams excitedly flexed his muscles and posed for the free throw line, preparing to take the extra shot, Lin Tian stood up and called the Bobcats players together.

"Treat Lin like Derek! Do exactly what he tells you to do! Now that Lin is in charge, I want you to give him your complete trust!"

"understand!"

At this moment, DeRozan, Hayward, Yao Ming, and Boozer on the court all nodded at the same time. None of these four guys were troublemakers, so they naturally nodded in agreement without hesitation when Lin Tian gave his instructions.

"Lin has changed tactics! He replaced Augustin, who has been performing poorly tonight, or rather in the last few games, and brought on Lin! Good God, to be honest, when I saw the jersey number and the numbers on it, I really thought Lin himself was playing."

After seeing Jeremy Lin enter the game, Miller joked with a smile, "But unfortunately, although we sent Lin in, it wasn't the Lin we wanted; it was a different Lin."

"Let's see if another forest can help our forest out of its predicament!"

After Miller finished his tongue-twisting speech, Deron Williams had already made his free throw. He was in excellent form today and had already scored 13 points.

So when he saw Jeremy Lin, he looked at him with disdain.

"Have you really run out of options to the point of grabbing anyone from under a bridge to play as your starting point guard? Are you really that desperate?"

"Hey buddy, what's your name again? I'm a friendly guy, I'll remember your name and then I'll beat you to a pulp!"

"After tonight, the whole world will know my name!" Jeremy Lin dribbled the ball up the court while calmly observing the situation.

To his own surprise, after finally getting the opportunity he had been waiting for, he was not nervous at all, and he wasn't even particularly excited.

It was as if everything was falling into place naturally, as if he were still playing in the NBDL.

At this moment, Jeremy Lin's biggest feeling was: Deron Williams' defensive intensity was like that of a kindergarten child compared to Lin Tian, ​​who made a living with dirty tricks and trash talk.

Not worth mentioning at all!
After reaching the three-point line, Jeremy Lin surprisingly raised his hand, signaling Boozer, who was about to set a screen, to move away, as he wanted to create space for a one-on-one attack!

He wanted to prove that he wasn't just here to have fun!
"Are you crazy, kid? Do you know what you just did? You drove away the only person who could save your life!" Deron Williams remained relaxed and continued to trash talk Jeremy Lin.

But clearly, he had no idea what he was about to encounter.

Jeremy Lin dribbles, crossovers, and suddenly accelerates!
His arms, which were a bit short due to a lack of talent and excessive training, couldn't make the same wide-ranging changes of direction as Deron Williams, but they were enough for him to squeeze past Williams and force his way to the basket!
Although Deron Williams was shocked by Jeremy Lin's determination and resistance, his reaction was also incredibly fast. He immediately blocked Lin's path and maintained his defensive position.

Jeremy Lin couldn't shake off Deron Williams the whole way, but he didn't care at all. Instead, he drove all the way to the edge of the three-second zone and then suddenly stopped. Then, with a somewhat clumsy turn, he even took two steps before facing the basket again.

Then, facing Deron Williams's renewed attack, Jeremy Lin remained incredibly calm, jumped, leaned back, and shot!
"Snapped!"

Deron Williams, eager to defend against Jeremy Lin, slapped Lin on the arm, but this did not affect Lin's shot.

"Snap, swish!"

The basketball hit the backboard precisely and then bounced into the basket.

2+1!

In his first possession, Jeremy Lin scored a 2+1!

"Well done, kid!" Boozer rushed over excitedly, grabbed Jeremy Lin's head and celebrated with him. The other Bobcats players also ran over to celebrate with Lin.

This play, which drew a foul from Deron Williams, who was in excellent form tonight, will be a huge boost to morale!

In addition, Jeremy Lin is known for his hard work, diligence, and humility, which makes him very popular with the team. So, they are naturally happy for him right now.

“I think starting tonight, he won’t have to sleep on your couch anymore, Landry.” Sitting on the bench, Lin Tian glanced at another Ivy League graduate on the team, Fields, who was also Jeremy Lin’s best friend on the team, and said with a smile, “He’s going to be famous all over America.”

These two unfortunate souls are in even worse shape than each other. Fields is a little better off, as he has a guaranteed contract, which is enough for him to rent an apartment in New York.

But he only rented a one-bedroom apartment.

Jeremy Lin actually had the money to rent an apartment at the beginning.

But this guy's salary is even lower, and recently he also incurred extra transportation expenses due to Lin Tian's request, so he's struggling to make ends meet.

He simply moved into Fields' house, even though Fields only had one sofa, it still saved Jeremy Lin some money.

After all, Jeremy Lin doesn't know how long this back-and-forth travel will last, so it's always better to plan ahead.

“No matter how famous he gets, there will always be a place for him on my sofa,” Fields grinned. “I’ll always be proud of my brother!” (End of Chapter)