NBA: Start by torturing Jordan and add points to upgrade

"MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!"

"Welcome home!"

"We love you forever!"

"Your jersey will forever remain in our hearts!"

"Let Donnie be your assistant coach, and Donnie your assistant! Come back!"

Crawford didn't get the cheers he wanted and was about to walk off the field in a sullen mood when suddenly he heard the entire stadium erupt in a deafening roar of cheers!

He didn't look back; though arrogant, he knew what he was doing.

The cheers aren't for me. The best way to avoid this awkward situation is to leave this place of trouble, to get as far away as possible, so that the awkwardness will be lessened.

As long as I didn't see it, my lover didn't go looking for Huang Mao.

"These bastards, they weren't this crazy when I won Coach of the Year." Old Nelson rolled his eyes too, not knowing whether to say that New York fans were loyal or fickle.

They really don't give their own players any face at all!

Of course, it wasn't just the fans who didn't give the player any face. Ever since the Knicks learned that Lin Tian was going to receive the Best General Manager award at Madison Square Garden, they had to make proper preparations, both morally and logically.

So when Lin Tian walked onto the temporary podium in the center of the court, the big screen on the field lit up and began playing a tribute video.

This time, however, it wasn't a video of Lin Tian dominating the game, but rather a clip of him on the sidelines, instructing players, setting up tactics, and wearing a suit.

Although the head coach and the general manager are two different things, the Knicks can't possibly get any video recordings of Lin Tian making phone calls in his office to discuss trades, can they?
But you have to admit, New Yorkers know how to have fun!
At the end of the video, they managed to cover it up.

Finally, the video stopped at a photo of Lin Tian, ​​which showed him looking handsome in a suit, along with all the actions he had taken since taking over the team, and the changes in the team's performance last year and this year.

"Lin, the best general manager, the best coach in our hearts!"

Below this photo is a message, which completes the logical loop.

After the tribute video ended, the fans roared and cheered wildly, releasing all their energy as if Lin Tian had never left and was still the head coach of the team.

"It's a pity Tang wasn't willing to retire early," Lin Tian said with a smile. "Otherwise, I might be the Knicks' head coach."

"Go to hell." Upon hearing Lin Tian say this, Old Nelson on the sidelines gave him a thumbs down and gestured at him. Why did this bastard have to drag me into this?

"In short, receiving this award here means a lot to me. I love it here. I spent four unforgettable years here and won the championship three times in a row here."

"I'm happy here, but I didn't expect that so soon I would have to defeat you all here, defeat my best friends, in order to advance to the next round."

I hope everyone won't hold a grudge against me!

After giving his brief acceptance speech, Lin Tian waved the trophy, then, as if remembering something, suddenly looked down at Old Nelson: "Don, I'm ready! Ready to crack all your new tactics!"

"I know you very well. I know what you're going to do, and I've made all the preparations to deal with it. Now, can you guess what I've prepared?"

"I can give you a hint! Your best sixth man is better off not playing. What can he do if he's on the court? He'll just get constantly targeted by us! If I were you, I'd just DNP him! That way we won't keep chasing him down."

After Lin Tian finished speaking, he waved to the fans in all directions once again, then turned around and walked off the podium, returning to his team's bench.

"Lin is really wicked!" Miller, sitting in the audience, laughed. "He can even launch a psychological attack while accepting an award! I can only say that this is so in line with his style and habits! Lin has always done the same thing."

"I think Lin decided to accept the award at Madison Square Garden as soon as he found out he had won, and he was determined to make good use of the opportunity to give the Knicks a blow before the game!"

Jackson said, "The question now is, what will old Nelson think, and what will Crawford do? Even if Lin Tian's words are all nonsense, they must be prepared and have contingency plans."

"Especially since Crawford just declared he'd be playing well, and Lin Tian has said he'll continue to target him, what will Old Nelson do? Will he reduce Crawford's playing time, or will everything proceed as usual?"

"Will Crawford follow the tactics when he comes on, or will he be too eager to prove himself and act recklessly?"

“To be honest,” Miller couldn’t help but laugh when he heard this, “Whether he gets carried away or not, he’s all about reckless action! Expecting Crawford to calmly execute tactics is probably not going to work.”

While the two commentators were giving their final preview of the match, Lin Tian had already gathered his players together: "Do you all remember what we've been practicing these past two days? Remember it well, but don't rush."

"Because it's possible that old Nelson isn't that smart, and he won't make any changes at all, so all our arrangements might be in vain."

"But you must also be prepared, whether they do it or not, our preparations must be thorough!"

"understand!"

"Regardless of whether my strategy works or not, there is one thing we can be absolutely certain of in this game: the Knicks will definitely speed up! They will definitely run and play! Landry, who performed well in the final moments of the last game, might even start directly."

"So, remember what we've been practicing the most these days: positioning and rebounding! Don't let them rush in for the rebounds! Keep your positions locked up!"

"Then go ahead. Once the match starts, we'll play according to our previous style and habits. If I find anything wrong, I'll adjust accordingly."

"understand!"

After Lin Tian gave the order, the Lynx's starting players walked onto the court side by side, ready for the game.

When the Knicks' starting lineup came out, Lin Tian couldn't help but show a surprised expression.

Landry actually started!

Lin Tian had considered that Landry would be given more playing time, and he had even just told his players that Landry might start, but that was just talk.

Psychologically, Lin Tian didn't think that Old Nelson would really be that crazy and would actually start Landry and put Okur, a former All-Star with a multi-million dollar annual salary, on the bench.

But clearly, old Nelson was crazy, even crazier than Lin Tian had imagined.

Old Nelson is clearly the type of person who either doesn't do something, or he does it to the extreme!
Since the old man has decided to go after you, he won't resort to half-hearted tactics or hesitation, ending up pleasing neither side.

Go all out!
"Rebounds!" Lin Tian, ​​seeing the Knicks' lineup, which could be described as a big man and four small men, or in some ways a small man and four big men, immediately shouted, "Everyone, pay attention to the defensive rebounds!"

This lineup, apart from Landry being a relatively short power forward, and even if Don Nelson were to go even further and play him at center against Yao Ming, the remaining four Knicks players would all be considered 'big' compared to other players in the league at the same position!

Felton, the chubby little tank, is much taller and heavier than the average 2-3 position players like Ariza and Wallace. In addition, there's Stoudemire, who has explosive athleticism and impressive size but is not good at defense.

This lineup may look small, but it's actually quite big!

The team's offensive power is stronger than ever, and every player on the team has top-tier athleticism in the league. If they are determined to go for the rebounds and use second-chance opportunities and energy to compete with the Bobcats, they will be a tough opponent!
In particular, Lin Tian knows Yao Ming very well, and he knows what Yao Ming is afraid of!
"Dudu!"

With a whistle, the game began!

Yao Ming could win possession of the ball in the first wave of attacks against Landry without even having to jump, allowing his teammates to have the ball and attack.

But Lin Tian's expression remained completely unchanged as Yao Ming easily won the jump ball.

He needs to watch two rounds first!

Old Nelson is already this crazy; Lin Tian suspects the old man can come up with even crazier things.

If Don Nelson is even crazier than me, Lin, then all the preparations I've made these past two days might be wasted. After arriving at the frontcourt, Yao Ming quickly backed down and cut in position, tightly blocking Landry, who was only up to his shoulder, behind him, and then reached out for the ball.

But just as he got into position, the Knicks made their first change of the night.

Wallace quickly retreated to defend and cut inside, leaving DeRozan, the Bobcats' worst outside shooter, to double-team Yao Ming, not giving him any chance to get the ball.

If Rose dares to pass the ball inside, Yao Ming will most likely make a mistake.

Among the defensive strategies he fears most is being double-teamed by smaller players.

If a smaller opponent blocks his path after he gets the ball, he can't dribble and adjust.

There's no way around it; being too tall and having a high center of gravity while dribbling means that unless you stop dribbling altogether, this disadvantage is impossible to hide.

Of course, there are also ways to play without dribbling. You need to position yourself deeper, directly under the basket, and then you can raise the ball high and shoot directly. No matter how you double-team, as long as you're not tall enough, you can't do anything to me.

Unfortunately, Yao Ming lost weight!
Although he became more agile, had a longer career, and a wider shooting range after losing weight, his absolute strength and physical strength declined significantly.

For example, right now, when Landry gritted his teeth, lowered his center of gravity, and firmly blocked Yao Ming's lower body, Yao Ming really couldn't get into the three-second zone.

"This kid's got guts." Lin Tian looked at the Knicks' defense. Although Yao Ming couldn't get the ball, he breathed a sigh of relief.

In the end, Don Nelson did not come up with any defensive strategies that Lin Tian had not anticipated against Yao Ming. Although the double-teaming was difficult to deal with, it was entirely within expectations.

Lin Tian was not in a hurry at all.

If you can't score this ball, adjust your approach for the next one and find another way.

Rose immediately passed the ball to DeRozan after seeing him open.

DeRozan, outside the three-point line, glanced at the basket but didn't dare to shoot.

Although his mid-range shot is exceptionally good this season, and he is increasingly showing signs of becoming the next generation's mid-range king, his three-point shot is terrible. His three-point shooting percentage for the entire season is only 28%, and he only attempts less than one three-point shot per game.

He doesn't shoot, and he doesn't like to shoot three-pointers.

This is why Wallace dared to let him go directly.

Go ahead and vote. If you make it, we'll accept it.

But on the first offensive possession, before he was even fully warmed up, DeRozan was clearly unwilling to shoot directly.

So he immediately accelerated and drove to his favorite mid-range position before pulling up for a jump shot.

Unfortunately, the Knicks have deployed a large number of players in this area!
He had just reached his position when Ariza appeared out of nowhere and successfully disrupted DeRozan's shot.

"Boom!"

After a muffled thud, the basketball bounced off the rim and missed. Landry had already turned around and desperately pushed Yao Ming away from the three-second zone to prevent him from grabbing the rebound.

As for Landry himself, he didn't even think about grabbing the rebound.

His job was to let his teammates grab the rebounds; his job was to prevent Yao Ming from getting them!

Stoudemire quickly retreated to the paint to grab the rebound, then glanced at it before quickly passing it to Felton.

Felton didn't follow the usual tactic of waiting for his teammates to slowly advance the ball. After receiving the ball, he immediately accelerated and charged forward, dribbling to the front!

If this style of play were played by guards like Lin Tian or Rose, who possess top-tier speed and incredible explosiveness, it would indeed be quite frightening, as they would be virtually unstoppable.

Felton's impact was clearly insufficient, and his speed was not top-notch. After he quickly arrived at the frontcourt, the Bobcats' players, except for Yao Ming, had already basically settled into their positions, making it difficult to execute offensive and defensive transitions.

While Felton may not be the fastest or have the most impact, he is heavy enough and his dribbling is steady enough.

Seeing that there was no chance to attack directly, he quickly turned around, used his butt to block Rose, and started to push hard towards the inside. After taking two steps towards the inside, he quickly turned around to face the basket and took another step. Finally, the Bobcats' help defense arrived.

Boozer strode forward and blocked Felton's path.

Felton, unhurried, tossed the basketball into the air, and Stoudemire, behind Boozer, arrived just in time, leaping high and slamming the ball into the basket with one hand!
"boom!"

After a loud bang, the Knicks, playing at home, took the lead and opened the scoring for the night's game.

"Yao Ming! Get out!" Lin Tian shouted quickly at Yao Ming as he passed by. It was just two words, but it was enough.

The Knicks used the same strategy against the Bobcats: targeting Yao Ming's inside game and trying to push him out of the paint.

But Yao Ming is no longer the traditional center who can only score and pose a threat near the paint. His three-point shooting, while not top-tier in the league, is definitely not to be underestimated, and no one dares to leave him open.

So in this round, after listening to Lin Tian's impromptu instructions, Yao Ming quickly ran towards the three-point line, stood still in the left corner, and waited for an opportunity.

Rose then called Boozer over, and the two executed the Bobcats' signature pick-and-roll once again. Rose accelerated and drove straight to the basket.

At the same time, Boozer did not stop in the mid-range to wait for a shot this time, but accelerated with Rose and drove towards the basket.

The two arrived at the three-second zone almost simultaneously, one after the other.

Rose took the ball with both hands and leaped powerfully, raising the ball over Stoudemire. Just when everyone thought Rose was going to attack Stoudemire himself, Rose's terrifying core strength exploded again. He seemed to suddenly stop in mid-air, and then suddenly took the basketball from above his head to his waist, making a behind-the-back pass to Boozer who was following behind.

Boozer received the ball and, without needing to adjust, took off with a quick step and slammed the ball into the basket again with both hands!
"boom!"

After a loud bang, the Bobcats scored!
"Carlos!"

After landing, Rose sprinted back to his own half of the court to defend, while yelling at Boozer.

He was reminding Buzer not to forget Lin Tian's tactical arrangements.

Boozer did not respond, but his actions showed that he had not forgotten and remembered it very clearly!
After his dunk, when the basketball fell onto his legs, he cleverly caused himself to sway while hanging on the rim. This sway seemed to be due to inertia, but in reality, Boozer's feet kicked the basketball, sending it flying towards the baseline.

The ball didn't fly very far, only about 3-4 rows from the front of the stands, but it would take the Knicks at least 4 or 5 seconds to retrieve it and pass it back out.

By that time, the Bobcats would have already finished their defensive rotation!
"Is this the kind of thing you had Carlos practice?" Stevens was a professional, and he could tell at a glance that Boozer's move was completely intentional, aimed directly at the ball.

Then, he remembered those inexplicable things that Lin Tian had made Buzer practice just two days ago.

"Yes, it's very important! It can effectively stop the Knicks' fast breaks!" Lin Tian nodded, clearly proud of his incredibly cunning coaching style: "Our two big men are too slow and too short, and neither of them is agile enough. It's unrealistic to send them to the front line to defend the Knicks' baseline ball and prevent them from quickly inbounding the ball and launching transition offense immediately."

"That's almost impossible, so instead of chasing after it like crazy until our lungs are about to explode, we might as well think of other ways!"

“Carlos’s moves are what I call ‘a compilation of how to prevent the opponent from inbounding the ball quickly without the referee calling a technical foul.’ This is my life’s work! Brad, you need to learn from this. You’ll definitely need it in the future.”

"But, isn't this a bit too... too much?" Judging from Bradley's expression, he clearly didn't want to do it and was completely unwilling to learn from Lin Tian.

"Young man, don't be so ambitious." Lin Tian shook his head and said, "You laugh at my dishonorable victory, I laugh at you for losing your whole life." (End of this chapter)